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° —Lshictres Opposition) Stand The recommendation of the com- mission was transmitted to Con- | press on Nov. 10, 1987, and on Dee. 2, 1937, appropriate legislation was introduced. Many witnesses have heen heard with respect to this pro- posed-amendment of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. It ia aurely significant that not one witness has ivoiced a single sound objection to the detalla of the bill or has advo- cated any substitute for the pro- posed law. Every argument of op- | position to this provision of the bill ‘is summed up in the atatement that to make the principles or the pro- visions of the Railway Labor Act. applicable to the shipping industry at this time would'be ‘‘premature for the reason that ‘the employes. are not fully organized.” This is a strange argument. It is said to he “premafure’’ to put into! operation machinery designed to prevent strikes and tockouta in an industry which in ten months of 1937 lost approximately 1,000,000 man-hours of work by strikes and lockouta. m it is said to be “premature” to act to bring order to a business wherein disorder during the past: of every port in the United States. Grave reasons should be assigned to support a charge of ‘'prematuri- (y'' with respect fo the enachiment of this (ype of legislation. In sup- port of the statement !t Ia said that “the employes are not fully ergan-; ized'' and that the industry is not “ripe’’ for a law like thts. ‘ Even a cursory examination of the labor situation tn the maritime industry discloses the complete fal- lacy of this argument. The long- shoremen upon both coasts are or- ganized and havea contracts with the eniployers, Clies Labor Board Filections The seamen upon tha Weat Coast are organized and have also con- tracts. We are advised that under ‘the supervision of the Nations! La- bor Relations Board elections are -bejng held upon the East Coast pas rapidly as its thachinery will pPr- ‘mit. “Hilectiona among the writ | cehsed personnal of approximat | ‘forty lines have already baen held! and in most instances the represent- atives of the amployes chosen in those elections have been certified, But, whether agreements have been entcred inte or not. there will always be differences with regard to rates of pay, hours of lahor and working condillons, Neither col- lvctive spreements nor mediation machinery will eliminglea theme cdis- piles, Bat the funetion of the ayer tem of mediation which has been sugrested is to facilitate and fo ex- pedite the process of obtaining there eqllertive apreemania and_ibe—cot- tlement of diaputes as they arise. «@ enum that employes who have heen ahle in the past few™Mmonths to paralyze our water-horna com- merce by ‘‘quickiea’? and sit-down atrikes; employes, one of whose leaders feels ao confidant af disci- pline in union ranks that he chal- lenges the power of Congress to enforce this legislation, stating that the employe will not "accept" it, ' is sufficiently organized for legisla- tion which seeks to substitute me- dilation and conctiation for the atrike and lockout. The Congress must determine whether maturity ia to ba tested by the willingness of both parties to sit down together and make an honest effort to compose their dif- ‘ferences before resorting io actions which result in unreasonable and unnecessary interruptions to com- merce, or whether it ts to be tested by the ability of one side to bivdgeon the other into submission by tying up the country's transpor- taliou facilities by either strikes or lockouls. Warne of Industry's Perils This legistation is not regarded and will not be regarded as ‘'pre- mature’’ by the American people simply because it is called ‘“‘prema- ture’ by those who will always so regard it as long as thera is a chance of preventing its passage. I submit that if the maritime in- (dustry ia not ‘ripe’ fov conciliation .and mediation of ita iabor disputes, then it is overripe for ruin, Tt has also been argued by those who oppose the extension of the Railway Labor Act to the shipping industry that the National Media- tion Board is inexperienced in handling maritime labor disturh- ances. Jn answer to this objection it is necessary only to point out that the board administering the Railway Labor Act now exercises jurisdiction over maritimes employes ‘of rallways subject to the act. Thee are elghty-seven wages and rules agreements now In force between Class I railroads and tfeir marine employes. Among the organizations involved ara the International Long- shoremen’s Association, National Marine Engineers Beneficial Asso- ciation, United Licensed Officers Association, the Assoctation of Mas- ters, Mates and Pilots, and the In- ternational Seamen's Union. As mdicated in the commission's jeconomic survey of the American merchant marine, it Is the primary purpose of this legislation to avoid interruption to our water-borne commerca by providing for the prompt and orderly settlement of dispules concerning rates of pay, rules or working conditions, and all dispules growing out of grievances | or the interpretation or application of agreements ‘covering rates of pay, rules and working conditions, Insists Service Must Continue | It should be constantly borne { i mind thas shipping is o eoneee Rt Mportance and that any 37