National Maritime Union facts for kids
| Merged into | Seafarers International Union of North America (June 3, 2001) |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 1937 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York |
| Location |
The National Maritime Union (NMU) was a labor union in the United States. It was started in May 1937. A labor union is a group of workers who join together to protect their rights and improve their working conditions. The NMU joined with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in July 1937. After trying to merge with another group in 1988, the union finally joined with the Seafarers International Union of North America in 2001.
How the Union Started
The NMU was founded in May 1937 by Joseph Curran and his friends, including Jack Lawrenson. At that time, Curran was a skilled sailor on a big ship called the SS California. He was part of another union, the International Seamen's Union (ISU), but he wasn't very active in it.
In March 1936, Curran led a strike on the California while it was docked in California. A strike is when workers stop working to demand better pay or conditions. Curran and the crew refused to leave the dock unless their wages were increased and they were paid for overtime.
The United States Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, helped solve the strike. She promised the crew a meeting to discuss their complaints once the ship reached New York City. She also said the company and government would not punish Curran or the strikers.
When the California returned, the company did raise wages by $5 a month. However, the government and the shipping company said Curran and the strikers were like "mutineers" because they refused orders. Curran and other strike leaders were fired and put on a blacklist, meaning they couldn't easily find other jobs. But Secretary Perkins made sure they were not charged with serious crimes.
Sailors all along the East Coast went on strike to protest how the California's crew was treated. Curran became a leader of this 10-week strike. He then formed a group called the Seamen's Defense Committee. In October 1936, Curran called another strike to improve working conditions and challenge the old ISU union. This strike stopped 50,000 sailors and 300 ships along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts for four months.
Curran believed it was time to leave the old, slow-moving International Seamen's Union. He began signing up members for a new union. Many ships were delayed because sailors were listening to organizers and joining the new group. One of the people who helped start the union was James Peck, who later became a civil rights activist.
In May 1937, Curran and the leaders of his Seamen's Defense Committee officially started the National Maritime Union. They held their first big meeting in July. About 30,000 sailors left the old ISU to join the NMU. Curran was chosen as the new union's president. Ferdinand Smith, who was Black and from Jamaica, was elected as the union's secretary-treasurer. Within one year, the NMU had over 50,000 members, and most American shipping companies had agreements with the union.
After the NMU was founded, John L. Lewis, a powerful union leader, invited Curran and other maritime union leaders to Washington, D.C.. Lewis wanted to create a huge union for all ship and port workers. Curran agreed to join Lewis's larger group, the CIO, but he refused to let anyone else take over his new union. Because of this, the very large maritime union Lewis hoped for never fully formed.
By 1946, the NMU had 46 offices, 500 staff members, and 73,000 members.
Union Buildings and Growth
In 1958, the union decided to build new, special buildings. They hired an architect named Albert C. Ledner to design them. These included a main office building on Seventh Avenue in New York City, finished in 1964. They also built a service annex and another building called the "pizza-box" building on Ninth Avenue, both finished in 1966. These buildings were named after Joseph Curran. The Curran buildings had offices for the union and its retirement fund, medical and training areas, rooms for sailors to stay, a gym, a swimming pool, and a large auditorium.
By 1973, the union's importance was decreasing as there was less shipping activity in the Port of New York. So, the main headquarters building was sold to St. Vincent's Hospital. The other buildings on 17th Street and Ninth Avenue were sold in 1987 to Covenant House, which uses them as a shelter and educational center for young people.
Union Mergers
In 1988, the NMU agreed to merge with another union, the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association (MEBA). They formed a new group called District 1, MEBA-NMU. However, this merger did not last. Some MEBA members claimed that the vote for the merger was unfair. The United States Department of Justice even started an investigation. Union members were very upset when they found out that the MEBA president and other officers had paid themselves a lot of money when the merger happened.
Some MEBA members took action when they couldn't get information from their president. The president and others later faced legal trouble for how they handled union elections and money. This led to many officials being found guilty of breaking rules related to union activities and money. The NMU then separated from the Marine Engineers in 1993.
Louis Parise was elected president of the newly independent NMU.
In 1999, the NMU became a part of the Seafarers International Union of North America, but it still operated on its own. Then, in 2001, it fully merged with that union, which is now called the Seafarers International Union.
Presidents of the NMU
- Joseph Curran, (1937–1973)
- Shannon J. Wall, (1973–1990)
- Louis Parise, (1990–1997)
- Rene Lioanjie, (1997–2001)
