"Red Seas: Ferdinand Smith and Radical Black Sailors in the United States and Jamaica"

bump

Seems like a "hackish" sympthetic CP perspective. Tho his stretch about a certain form of unionism leading to racism doesn't sit right with me. But the SUP really was out of an old K of L mold, not necc. an IWW one.

"The situation in the Sailors International Union/Sailors Union of the Pacific was arguably worse. Local democracy, job control, and anti-bureaucracy for the top leadership and numerous activists, steeped in the IWW tradition, meant in both theory and practice (and, of course, there were undoubtedly exceptions) the exclusion of African-American seamen from union ships. I am often amazed at reading accounts by older anti-Stalinists -- who participated in and supported this union -- who extol its greater militancy than the CP-led interracial National Maritime Union (with its many Black and Latino leaders), without mentioning the SIU's racism, viewing it as a minor glitch, or only raising it in passing. In the United States, as in South Africa (which under apartheid also had some very militant, democratic, white exclusionary unions), racial exclusion always trumps everything else."

“Union Democracy and the U.S. Labor Bureaucracy” -- Michael Goldfield
[from New Politics, vol. 7, no. 4 (new series), whole no. 28, Winter 2000]
http://nova.wpunj.edu/newpolitics/issue28/goldfi28.htm

That's one book I'd eventually like to read. Partly becauise it also sets up the post-war narrative as to why many decent enough unionist bit the rait-baiting bait.

Yeah, I'bve heard that NMU story a few times as well. Also read it, but can't remember where, but it was from a CP-symp.... "The Kid from Hoboken"?

Stan Weir wrote about trying to organizer coastal tanker crews for the SUP in Richmond, CA. I recall him writing that the SUP guys assisnged to organize were on the segregationist side. Don't remember much more that that though, other then some stuff I'll prolly jumble up, so best leave it there.

Edit: In "War Time Strikes" Glaberman also notes that a number of wildcat strikes were racist wildcats against black workers.

This is what I recall from reading it when it first came out. I'll have to look it over, but I distinctly recall it was i9n that book. But I could be wrong, no doubt.

Thanks Steve for the link. I'll take a look, but if you have, I respect you enough to take your word
Like I said, going from memory of a book I read more than 30 years ago
I stand corrected as need be

As others have written, hate wildcats did occur in auto (and elsewhere).
Now, going from memory again, I believe Glaberman mentions wildcats against woman going into "men's work". If not, for sure that occurred as well.

Again, thanks for the link Steve and clarifying remarks relative to the Glaberman work

Syndicalistcat and I were having a convo about the SUP and charges of racism
It would be interesting for someone to do (if one doesn't already exist) a study in West Coast maritime unionism and racism

Ja, i"ve heard or read about this before.

Ok, I had a chance to locate the source where I read the Heil Hitler quote
The ex American CPer Melech Epstein wrote in "The Jew and Communism, 1919-1941"
I'll find the exact page and quote later. Epstein was a CP functionary deeply engaged with "Jewish work". ME may have been quoted in other books as well. But that's where I saw the actual written word. Tho have heard this from so old timers as well

EDIT: Although he went from leninism to right wing social democracy, Melech Epstein is an interesting character. A short autobio sketch can be found:

"PAGES FROM MY STORMY LIFE - AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.. ......MELECHE PSTEIN P 129
Melech Epstein, onetime editor of the Communist-sponsored Freiheit, is not alone in having become convinced of "the complete ideological and moral bankruptcy of Communism," but, unlike many of those who underwent similar experiences, he has taken it upon himself to chart the course of his wandering into and out of Communist sympathies. ....His memories constitute, as he says, "the story of a generation." "

http://americanjewisharchives.org/publications/journal/PDF/1962_14_02_00...