Descriptive Summary
| Title: | National Maritime Union and Seafarers International Union: Reference Files of the Seafarers International Union. |
|---|---|
| Dates: | Bulk, 1937-1969 |
| Dates: | 1878-1981 , (Bulk 1937-1969) |
| Abstract: | In monitoring their chief rival, the National Maritime Union (NMU), the Seafarers International Union (SIU) collected newspaper clippings on the NMU, as well as material written by and about its president, Joseph Curran. Material on the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor (WCNYH), established in 1953 to investigate, deter, and remedy criminal activity and oversee fair hiring practice in New York Harbor, was also included. These reference files contain photocopies of clippings from the NMU Pilot, a quarterly publication, and from national papers such as the New York Times, San Francisco Call Bulletin, and New York World Telegram, many of them following Curran’s career and documenting charges of fraud and racketeering on the New York City waterfront. The collection also includes files on the SIU, containing clippings and other historical material on the union and its presidents, Paul Hall and Frank Drozak. |
| Quantity: | 4.5 Linear feet (5 boxes) |
| Call Phrase: | WAG 267 |
Historical/Biographical Note
The Historical Research Department of the Seafarers International Union (SIU) kept extensive files on Joseph Curran, president of the NMU from 1937 until his death in 1981. “Big Joe” Curran, then an inactive member of the conservative International Seaman’s Union, founded the Seaman’s Defense Committee during a wildcat strike in 1936 on the Panama Pacific Line's S.S. California. The Committee was renamed the National Maritime Union in 1937, and Curran became its first president. He served as a vice-president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and ran for Congress on the American Labor Party ticket in 1940. After the second World War Curran took a major role in ridding the NMU of Communist-influenced officials and vigorously used the collective bargaining process to advance his union’s agenda. In addition to national press coverage of the NMU, the SIU kept clippings of Curran’s quarterly column in the NMU Pilot.
In addition to the NMU and Curran material, the SIU collected historical information, publications and clippings relating to its own activities and its president from 1957, Paul Hall. Hall, a staunch anti-Communist, defended his union against racketeers in the 1940s and 1950s and the encroachment of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters in the 1960s. He was instrumental in the passing of the Energy Transportation Security Act of 1977. Also included are records of Hall’s successor, Frank Drozak, SIU president from 1980 until his death in 1988.
Return to topScope and Content Note
The Seafarers International Union of North America (SIU) reference files on the National Maritime Union (NMU) consist almost entirely of newspaper clippings from the NMU Pilot, a quarterly publication, and from national papers such as the New York Times, Boston Globe, and San Francisco Call Bulletin -- many of them following Joseph Curran’s career and documenting charges of fraud and racketeering on the New York City waterfront. Of particular interest are the files of Curran’s column in the NMU Pilot between 1937 and 1969. The Curran columns are organized by date, but subject headings (provided by the SIU staff) are included at the top of each photocopy. Also of note are folders containing background information on the SIU and its leadership, the SIU pamphlet, “How to get a Job on an Unorganized Ship” and a photocopy of “Seafarers Organizers Handbook” (SIU). Clippings from 1956 and 1963 document the work of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor (WCNYH).
Return to topArrangement
The collection is arranged alphabetically by topic.
Organized into 1 series:
Return to topRestrictions
Access Restrictions
Open for research without restrictions.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the:
Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-2630
Fax: (212) 995-4225
E-mail: gail.malmgreen@nyu.edu
Access Points
People
Curran, Joseph Edwin, 1906-Drozak, Frank.
Hall, Paul.
Subjects
Merchant mariners--Labor unions--United States.Organizations
National Maritime Union of America.Seafarers International Union of North America.
Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor.
Type
Biographical sketches.Clippings (information artifacts)
Handbooks.
Places
New York (N.Y.)Return to top
Administrative Information
Provenance
These files were donated to the Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives by the Seafarers International Union Historical Research Department in 1982.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date; Collection name; Collection number; box number; folder number;
Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012, New York University Libraries.