AFL-CIO Merger

AFL-CIO Merger Unifies American Labor

In '55, SIUNA, BME Adopt 'Cautious But Ready' Policy To Protect Interests

     In February 1955, representatives of the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations met in Miami Beach and reached accord on a merger that would end more than 20 years of union rivalry. The leaders of both factions agreed that a reunited labor movement would give working Americans more muscle and tenor.
     Under the plan, each union in each organization was to remain autonomous, and each was to maintain its jurisdiction--important considerations for the Seafarers International Union of North America and its affiliate, the Brotherhood of Marine Engineers. Mergers between or among unions were to be voluntary.
     Three months later, the SIUNA held its seventh biennial convention in Montreal, a week-long session the BME said was "one of the most important conventions ever." Reconciliation between the AFL and the CIO was a principal topic, and the delegates--including BME representatives--approved rules for possible merger talks between SIUNA affiliates and maritime unions in the CIO.
      "The standards are designed to head off attempted Communist infiltration of the merged unions, guarantee job security to the members of the SIUNA affiliates, and set the merged union firmly on the road of sound, decent trade unionism," said an account in BME Marine Engineer.
     The newspaper said rank and file members of SIUNA affiliates "are in favor of increasing the strength of organized labor and cutting down jurisdictional problems, but, first and foremost, they are interested in protecting the gains they have made.
      "The BME believes that the cautious but ready policy ... will protect the interests of our members and will test the good faith of the CIO maritime unions on the question of merger," the BME Marine Engineer said in an editorial. "If our negotiators find that the CIO groups are sincere about adhering to the safety measures proposed by the SIUNA, the negotiators will call in our affiliated unions and let them know what progress has been made. The SIUNA is prepared to comply with the AFL's wishes for labor unity, and, if it can be arranged in a manner that protects our members, we will go ahead with the merger. The BME feels this is a wise policy and supports it 100 percent."
     One guideline approved by the SIUNA noted the union's "unrelenting war against Communist influence" in the labor movement at sea and ashore. "We must insist that this fight shall not have been in vain and that our memberships must continue to be protected against any influence from this vicious element," the rule said. "Any merger as it relates with reference to our people should contain unqualified assurances that our organization remains free of Communist influence in every single respect.
      "We note the proposed (AFL-CIO) constitution does contain specific references to this problem," the guideline added. "What we specifically refer to is the question of fellow travelers, former travelers, and former Communists who today give lip-service to American institutions but are still suspect, and the sincerity of their motives doubtful."
     A second standard called for "pledges that all existing inequitable conditions in the respective jurisdictions be eliminated--we must be certain that all protective features involving the employment rights, continuation of employment, and security of the worker are guaranteed and that, similarly, pledges should be obtained to ensure that existing inequities in this area must also be eliminated."
     Another standard insisted upon "assurances that all unions involved" would thwart corruption in their ranks and "pledge themselves" to counter attempts to "harm or harass our brother organizations in the free trade union movement throughout the world."
     The final guideline said simply: "All of the affiliated unions of the International endorse the theory and practice of cooperation with management where it is of direct benefit to the economic aspirations of the workers represented. However, no existing arrangements with management in which labor serves as a front for management, or any other group for that matter, can be accepted."
     The merger between the AFL and the CIO was completed in a joint convention in New York City in December 1955. George Meany was named president of the new organization by unanimous vote of the delegates, and AFL Secretary-Treasurer William Schnitzler was elected to that position in the AFL-CIO.
      "Immediate effects of the merger will be to give the American trade union movement a single voice on political and legislative matters, instead of two separate and sometimes divergent voices," said one account.
     In other convention action, the AFL-CIO adopted a maritime policy statement that called for continued enforcement of the 1954 Cargo Preference Act, which gave U.S.-flag ships half of all government imports and exports. The statement also called for shifting government jurisdiction over mariners from the U.S. Coast Guard to a civilian agency, demanded an end to easy approval of ship flag-outs by the Maritime Administration, urged full funding for U.S. Public Health Service Hospitals, proposed legislation to guarantee a seagoing union's right to operate a hiring hall, and demanded a ban on Military Sea Transportation Service competition with privately owned U.S.-flag shipping. The maritime policy paper was prepared by the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department, which had been launched by the SIUNA in 1946.
      "From start to finish, the first AFL-CIO convention was convincing proof that a unified labor movement will mean great new benefits for American working people," said an editorial in BME Marine Engineer in January 1956. The convention "was a symbol of the way the split in labor's ranks has been breached--there was plenty of common ground, and on that ground the convention and its resolutions committee built its policy structure.
     The editorial continued: "No doubt about it, unity of labor will bring benefits all around--in closer relationships between international and national unions ... in organizing drives among the millions of workers in industries that are largely unorganized, improved legislation, more effective political activity, and extended work with other community groups--all of them are in the cards.
      "What labor wants ... is what the American people want: honorable peace in the world, rising living standards at home and abroad, the human dignity that is the reward of economic progress, and the enjoyment of democratic liberties.
      "The BME endorses this program and sees in it new benefits for our members and all working people."

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