Document rpMygyq2kxgNDGZy3xBn21a2J

PUBLISHED:BY THE MARINE DIVISION, HUMBLE OIL & REFINING COMPANY Special Issue No. 1 July 23, 1965 STRAIGHT TALK A Message to Esso Seamen Last week in Newark, New Jersey, the National Labor Relations Board began to put the machinery in motion for a secret ballot vote-of Esso seamen. The secret vote is to decide whether you want the independent Esso Seamen's Association or the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, EXX- M O R-006942 taking votes on that ship. Otherwise, k y will until reassigned to a ship .i .,' >n i : to writ wt 5 Elections Sir-'r ' "39 Perhaps a brief summaj of -he background ot Ubor re lations in the fleet might bt hen "1 at I1 ' ` one. Since 1939, following an NMU strike Ewe have l- m five NLRB elections. The first of these V" , in 1940. f?.: > to produce a majority and a "run off" electi-..a, ending in 1 .41, ousted the NMU in favor ot an w 1 nendent uni m Agan 1942, the NMU petitioned lor an k; RB voi- "t -1 vote, v, . by the independent union wai- ! aged y U v j'ir-a!!' after three years of legal w 'wg; - nw -tior ordered by the NLRB. The mcwwMent <um 1 victory. Next., in 1959, after the wd; .ent > k1' by an alleged "peek-a-boo" oain.t. th rer?' -w. . Union of North America, AFL CIU, was turner drive to take over the Esso fleet. Again. Esso sew :. . -:i to .1 against an outside hiring haii unicm. Why the Tew Having seen that the nation's la lest mark1 nlo- been rejected repeatedly by the Esso fleet, r may sewn s- . to you that the same fleet is now the twm ' of +!w Te.. -wto Union. This gives rise to many w- nesting questions. The Hoffa organization is not a seam ' -m;on. !oes not bargain for a single unlicensed man anywL - in off shore shipping industry. It never has. Why the 'iil-' Teamsters' Union want to try for the'bargaining nghi- ui a fleet of seafaring men? One can only speculate as follovs: 1. The Teamsters know that a strike a; the Bayvvay Refinery can only work if the ships are included. This was made very clear in the 101-day strike last wim a, 2. Are the Teamsters "organizing" for someone else? Isn't it significant that no major maritime union made any effort to appear on the ballot in the coming election? The Enemy Within Now that Esso seamen are being asked to decide whether they want to give the Teamsters the right to bargain for them, it is time to check the record of this organization. How much 1 EXX-MOR-006943 do wo kiv;abo:: the leadership 'he methods wW the recent history of !bo lniernatmna! Brotherhood of Tt Gers, Chauf feurs, Warehousemen aw! Helpes . of America, -James P Hoffa, President? T-i get the full inside smry, one would need to read the cm plete report of the Senate Commo :ee headed by U. S. S a n John L. McClellan of Arkansas, published by the w S. Go . ww ment Printing Office. However, a condensed vermm enf ' The Enemy Within covers the investigation quite thee c. It is not a pretty story. It a a tale of crime and t dc An unbelievable- account of fraud and larcw.y. muss'- a. terror, f, - the story of how a pe.verfu' group of wY u hoodlums and ga: gsters have us<*d be I. -guise r unionism to line their own pock s and v ey on . working men and women. . The Enemy Within was written by Robert F. Kem-. when he was Chief Coum. 1 for the McClellan Committee. is not an anti-union book. It is not an attack on organ labor. It is a shocking exposure of those who have betrayed the e -use ' " honest trade unions. It is an mdictmon ` of dishonest men who have used the trade union movement a a the nk and file of union members for their own dishonest persOi R &ain. Happily, all unions are not corrupt. All union leader-- are not crooks or gangsters. The sordid record of the Teamsters' Union is a source of shame and remorse to honest, dedicated trade union men everywhere. This is why the Teamsters' Union was kicked out of the AFL-CIO. Unfortunately, the union that is trying to get into the Esso fleet happens to be the one that has done the most 1o produce the story, The Enemy Within. That is why it is im portant that you read this book. You have a right to know as much as you can about any union that has asked you for your vote, your loyalty and your money. A copy of The Enemy Within has been sent to you for your consideration. Read it... or just read a small part of it. Then decide if this is the kind of union you want in the Esso fleet. 26 Years of Labor Peace For twenty-six years Esso marine management and Esso seamen have enjoyed a mutually satisfactory relationship. It has been a period free of strikes and work stoppages. Not a single day's wages has been lost due to strikes or a single day of ship operation interrupted. In our industry, with its con stant labor turmoil and strike-happy unions, ours is an enviable record. It is a record that both management and seamen can point to with satisfaction. Our history of efficient and strike-free operation is one of the reasons why our Company continues to use tanker transportation rather than switch to pipelines as many of our competitors have. As this is written, a large segment of the U. S. merchant fleet is strike bound. The ships have been idle for many weeks. Many hundreds of seamen, both licensed and unlicensed, are on the beach with no immediate hope of an early return to work. Our ships are operating, as they have during the count less other times since 1939 when, for one reason or another, most of the other U. S. fleets have been strike bound. Surely, this ability on the part of management and employees in our fleet to settle differences and disputes without radical or drastic action bespeaks a sound and wholesome relationship. It does not suggest that there is need for a sweeping change. There does not appear to be any good reason to switch alle giance to an outside shore workers' union. To be sure, there will always be differences of opinion between management and employees. There will always be grievances, areas of dissatisfaction, even a failure to reach mutually satisfactory accord on issues at the bargaining table. This is the way of things. At the same time there has never been, and there is not now, an issue that cannot be resolved by the same give and take approach that has marked our progress to date. What has been said in these pages may afford some food for thought in the days ahead. As to the election, how you vote is up to you. Just be sure to carefully weigh all the facts before you decide how to cast your ballot.