National Affairs: Oh, Happy Day

Rough, jimber-jawed Joseph Curran, boss of the C.I.O. National Maritime Union, and slim Harry Bridges, boss of the West Coast’s C.I.O. longshoremen and warehousemen, speak in the same Communist accents, out of different corners of the mouth. Both, for years, have sought one big union of maritime and dockside workers, 200,000 strong on both coasts and the Great Lakes.

In Washington last week, after three days of wrangling with the Marine Engineers’ Samuel J. Hogan and other leaders, Curran and Bridges happily announced their maritime amalgamation. Six C.I.O. unions and one independent* drew up a merger agreement, to be put into effect at a San Francisco convention next May.

Then Harry Bridges proudly rushed off—to tell C.I.O. Boss Phil Murray the good news—if shipowners got stubborn about a new contract, the maritime unions could raise hob with all shipping from Boston to Miami and from Seattle to San Diego. In fact, shipping could be halted for almost any reason Bridges and Curran chose.

* The C.I.O.’s American Communications Association, Inland Boatmen’s Union, International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union, Marine Cooks and Stewards Association, National Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association and National Maritime Union, the Independent Marine Firemen, Oilers, Watertenders and Wipers.