By Suzette Lopez
On June 5, 1934, Milwaukee felt the tugmen’s strike. The Sixth Street viaduct was tied up for over 25 minutes at 9 am causing displeasure to vehicles and pedestrians. Two vessels, the SUMATRA and the JAMES E. McALPINE, moving without tugs, caused a jam and traffic was backed up on Sixth as far as National Avenue to the south and Wisconsin Avenue to the north. The North Shore trains and the North Shore line city cars were also delayed.
The following is a partial description of the event from the Milwaukee Journal of June 5th.
“Viaduct Traffic Halted as Tugless Vessels Jam …
“The steamers involved were the SUMATRA, self-unloader, which was backing up the river to get to the Sixth st. dock of the United Coal & Dock Co., and the steamer JAMES E. McALPINE, moving down the river backward from Sixteenth st. At one time the McALPINE was strung clear across the channel.
“Fire Difficulty Seen
“If a fire had occurred in the Menomonee valley district the fireboats would have been unable to get through. The fire apparatus from the station at 533 N. Sixth st., to respond to alarms in the south side manufacturing district, would have been obliged to proceed either to Thirteenth st. bridge or the Plankinton av. Bridge.
“Meanwhile the tugmen’s strike at all major Great Lakes ports settled into a deadlock Tuesday, not likely to be broken without further intervention by the N.R. A. labor board.
“Labor was preparing to organize coal dock workers and stevedores, who never before have been unionized.
“The Marine Cooks and Stewards’ union Tuesday threatened to call a sympathetic strike if the tug strike is not ended within 48 hours. O.E. Edwards, business agent of the Milwaukee local, wired international union headquarters for orders as regards a sympathetic strike.
“Also, a strike of seamen on the four ships of the combined Wisconsin-Michigan and Pere Marquette line steamers appeared certain for Wednesday as peace negotiations fell through.
“Joseph J. Noonan, grand president of the Licensed Tugmen’s Protective association, explained the union attitude on the strike before taking a train for Chicago Monday afternoon.
“Hits at N.R.A. – Report
“This strike is directed against the report of the N.R.A. member of the arbitration committee that met in Cleveland and reported in favor of the Great Lakes Towing Co. last Thursday,” he said. “We had to enlist the Milwaukee locals to make the strike 100 per cent effective. We called out the dredge workers because the work they are doing is on government contract.”
“Noonan’s remarks were aimed to H. Gilbert Francke, third member of the committee to consider the demands of the union made upon the Great Lakes Towing Co. Francke’s recommendations are contained in dispatches from Cleveland.
“Four major demands made by the unions. As they relate to the licensed men, (engineers and captains) they are: First, the eight-hour day; second, the 1929 wage scale; third, a guarantee of at least 200 days work a year, and fourth, elimination of call time. (Call time is where workers are called only when a towing job is in prospect.) As they relate to linesmen (men who handle the lines on tugs) and firemen they are: The eight-hour day; $195 a month; one day off in seven and elimination of call time.
“Rules for Employers
“The Francke report disposed of these demands by ruling in favor of the offer made by the employers, the only victory of the laboring men being the recommended elimination of the call system. Francke argued that under existing business conditions the men would lose more than they gained if all their demands were met.
“It is recommended that the request for the eight-hour day be denied,” says the Francke report. “Productive hours afloat cannot be compared to productive hours in a factory. There is a shipping code in process of formation that will include tug crews and it is recommended that the men wait for the code. It is to the interest of both parties to make no change in working hours at this time.
“Relative to the 1929 wage scale the Francke report said:
“In a strict sense the 1929 wage scale is in effect now, but the number of days of work has fallen off so that the annual earnings of the men have been seriously curtailed. The Great Lakes Towing Co., has offered a compromise of a guarantee of a minimum of 200 days work a year at $9 a day for licensed men and $6.50 per day for firemen and linesmen, as against the demands of $2,400 a year for licensed men and $195 a month for the others.
“The request of the firemen and linesmen for one day off in seven is hereby denied, but the request for the elimination of call time in all but one tug ports is granted.” …
“For Milwaukee, which is the only independent tug port on the lakes, the average number of days a year regular men work is in excess of 240, according to Henry Meyer, president of the Milwaukee Tugboat line. Settlement of the Milwaukee strike depends entirely on the settlement with the Great Lakes Towing Do., for the local strike was called as a sympathetic strike. …”
The Tugmen’s strike on the Great Lakes was partly over a demand for an eight hour day, not a twelve hour day, and a living wage of $2,400 a year. The strike started on June 1, 1934, with the tie up of about 90 tugs. On July 25th, over 31 local unions participated in a vote to continue the strike. On July 30th, an order by Joseph Noonan of Chicago, president of the Licensed Tugmen’s Protective Association gave the order ending the strike as locals had voted to return to work.
The steel SUMATRA was built in 1897 as the EMPIRE CITY. She was launched on June 19th at Cleveland by the Cleveland Ship Building Co. for A. B. Wolvin and the Zenith City Transportation Co. Capt. Ralph Lyons was her first master. She measured 405.4 feet in length and 48 feet in beam.
In 1901 the EMPIRE CITY was sold to the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. who sold her in 1929 to the Empire Steamship Co. and renamed her SUMATRA. The SUMATRA sailed for the Sumatra Steamship Co. and the Tomlinson Fleet. In 1960 Tomlinson sold her to the Tower Transit Co. In 1961, Tower sold her to R. E. Law Crushed Stone, Ltd. (Law Quarries, Ltd.) of Canada and she was renamed DOLOMITE. In 1967, Law Quarries sold her to Bayswater Shipping, Ltd. who passed her on to Marine Salvage Ltd. the next year.
On October 1, 1968, the DOLOMITE was towed out of Quebec City for Spain along with the EDWARD Y. TOWNSEND for scrapping. Six days later during bad weather off St. Johns, Newfoundland, the TOWNSEND broke in half and sank. The 71 year old DOLOMITE made it safely to Santander, Spain, on October 20th.
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Suzette Lopez is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
Photo at top of page:
SUMATRA blocking the river during the tugmens’ strike of June 5, 1934. At the United Coal & Dock Co. slip west of the Sixth Street Bridge. JAMES E. McALPINE behind.
Other photos:
Photo Credit: Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
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Suzette Lopez is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
