National Maritime Union Photographs

Call Number

PHOTOS.044

Date

circa 1940s-1950s, inclusive

Creator

National Maritime Union of America

Economic Cooperation Administration

Haas, Ernst, 1921-1986

Rutgers University. Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives (Role: Donor)

Herson, Gene (Role: Donor)

Prometheus Research Library (Role: Donor)

Extent

0.75 Linear Feet

in 1 oversize flat box and 1 folder.

Language of Materials

Materials are in English

Abstract

The National Maritime Union (NMU) was an American labor union founded in May 1937 and led by Joseph Curran. The collection contains black and white photographs of NMU activities mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, as well as photographs of merchant seamen and shipping in Marseille, France made by photographer Ernst Haas for the Economic Development Corporation, a United States agency that administered the Marshall Plan.

Historical/Biographical Note

The National Maritime Union of America (NMU), which represented merchant marine workers, was formed in 1937, as a split from the International Seafarer's Union, which was affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL). At its first convention in 1937, the NMU joined the Committee for Industrial Organizations (CIO). A crucial role in its formation was played by former members of the Communist-led Marine Workers Industrial Union. Among the notable reforms achieved by the union's Communist-dominated leadership was "checkerboarding," the side-by-side racial integration of sailors' sleeping quarters. By the end of World War II, the NMU had nearly 100,000 members. The union was founded and led by Joseph Curran, who served as NMU president until 1981.

During World War II, the alliance of Communists and non-communists in the union was weakened by charges that the Communists, in their desire to maximize productivity in order to aid the Soviet Union, did not aggressively defend sailors' interests. The Cold War exacerbated the ideological divide, and in 1948, the NMU's Communist leadership and its allies were defeated in union elections and expelled.

In 1950, the NMU's Welfare plan was established, providing seamen with health, accident and life insurance benefits. In 1954 a pension component was added. Curran's successor, Shannon Wall, was not well-received by a strong minority of the union, led by James Morrissey. In 2001, the NMU merged with the Seafarers International Union of North America, which originally represented West Coast merchant mariners.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into two series: Series 1. National Maritime Union Photographs; Series 2. ECA Photographs by Ernst Haas. Items in Series 2 are arranged according to an original numbering scheme on the back of the photographs.

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of two groups of photographs. One group of approximately one hundred black and white prints of various sizes, as well as contact sheets, and negatives document the activities of the National Maritime Union (NMU) mostly in the 1940s and 1950s. Another group of 32 black and white prints were made by photographer Ernst Haas, possibly between 1948 and 1952, for the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA), the administrative arm of the Marshall Plan. These photographs document the lives of merchant seamen, shipping, and post-war economic development in Marseille, France.

Subjects

Organizations

National Maritime Union of America; Seafarers International Union of North America; Rutgers University. Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives (Role: Donor); Prometheus Research Library (Role: Donor)

People

Curran, Joseph Edwin, 1906-1981; Smith, Ferdinand; Herson, Gene (Role: Donor)

Topics

Merchant mariners |x Labor unions |z United States.

Donors

Herson, Gene; Prometheus Research Library; Rutgers University. Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright (and related rights to publicity and privacy) to materials in this collection created by the National Maritime Union, was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.

Photographs in Series II created as part of Economic Cooperation Administration are in the public domain. Users need not secure permission from the Tamiment Library to publish or reproduce these materials from the collection.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date; National Maritime Union Photographs; Photos 044; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred from Rutgers University Special Collections in 1989; additional materials were donated by Gene Herson on behalf of the Prometheus Library in circa 1996. The accession numbers associated with this collection are 1982.044, NPA.1989.001, and NPA.1996.017.

Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures

Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.

Related Archival Materials

The National Maritime Union Records are held by the Special Collections and University Archives of Rutgers University.

For more materials on the National Maritime Union at the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives, see the National Maritime Union Printed Ephemera Collection (PE008), Marine Workers Historical Collection (TAM.125), Maritime Workers / National Maritime Union Research Files of Bruce Nelson (TAM.585), Marine Workers Historical Collection Oral Histories (OH.030), and the Jake Green National Maritime Union Photographs (PHOTOS.047).

Collection processed by

Hanan Ohayon

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 16:37:36 -0400.

Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Processing Information Note

No original order was apparent in the collection upon receipt. Materials were grouped into folders and described by the archivist.

Repository

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives