Finding Aid to the National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards records BANC MSS 75/3 c
Marjorie Bryer
The Bancroft Library
2019
The Bancroft Library
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
bancref@library.berkeley.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
The Bancroft Library
Title: National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards records.
Creator:
National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards
Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 75/3 c
Physical Description:
22.5 Linear Feet
(18 cartons)
Date (inclusive): 1916-1955, bulk 1935-1955
Abstract: The National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards (NUMCS) records documents union-related activity from the 1930s to the 1950s.
The collection includes correspondence; files related to arbitration; War Labor and National Labor Relations Board cases;
agreements with various companies; NUMCS constitional and biennial convention proceedings; committee minutes from various
ports; NUMCS General Council minutes and reports; files related to the Pacific Coast Section Presidential Board of Inquiry
and United States Maritime Commission hearings; and publications.
Language of Material: Collection materials are in English.
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Accruals
No future additions are expected.
Scope and Content of Collection
The National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards (NUMCS) records document union-related activity from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Please note that the union was variously referred to as the National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards and Marine Cooks and
Stewards. Original folder titles were retained.
The collection is divided into 12 series: Correspondence; Arbitration; War Labor Board Cases; National Labor Relations Board
Cases; Agreements (with various companies); NUMCS Constitional and Biennial Conventions; Port Committee Minutes (predominantly
West Coast); NUMCS General Council Minutes and Reports; Pacific Coast Section Presidential Board of Inquiry; United States
Maritime Commission Hearings (related to wages, manning, and working conditions); Miscellany; and Publications.
Alternate Forms Available
Microfilm of some issues of Waterfront Worker are available at The Bancroft Library (BANC FILM 398)
Microfilm of 1943 issues of Voice of the Marine Cooks & Steward’s Association of the Pacific Coast, CIO are available at the
New York Public Library
Microfilm of post-1945 issues of Voice – National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards are available at the UC Berkeley Library
(NEWS; MICROFILM 1559 HD)
Organizational History
The Marine Cooks and Stewards Association of the Pacific Coast, later the National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards (NUMCS),
was founded in 1901. It represented the service workers in the steward departments of United States vessels that sailed in
the Pacific. The union was originally dedicated to preserving these jobs for white men and excluding Asian and African American
workers. But during and after the Depression-era maritime strikes in 1934 and 1936, communists and young radicals, as well
as Black, Asian American, and gay workers, bridged their differences through collective struggle and transformed it into one
of the most democratic, racially integrated unions in the United States. By the 1950s, the majority of the members and leaders
of the union were people of color. However, anti-communism, homophobia, a federal maritime security program designed to screen
out subversives, and the Taft-Hartley Act took its toll on the union. It was expelled by the Congress of Industrial Organizations
in 1950 for being communist-dominated and soon thereafter was the focus of a power struggle between the Seafarers International
Union (part of American Federation of Labor) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
The history of the NUMCS is complicated. Please see these links for more details on how race, class, gender, and sexuality
intersect in the union’s story:
Marine Cooks and Stewards, Waterfront Workers History Project, Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, University of Washington:
https://depts.washington.edu/dock/maritime_intro.shtml
George Robertson, "Desegregating a Maritime Union," Waterfront Workers History Project, Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies,
University of Washington:
https://depts.washington.edu/dock/mcs_desegregation.shtml
Allan Bérubé, "No Red-Baiting, No Race-Baiting, No Queen-Baiting!": The Marine Cooks and Stewards Union from the Depression
to the Cold War: http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/no-baiting/red-race-queen
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards records, BANC MSS 75/3c,The Bancroft Library, University
of California, Berkeley.
System of Arrangement
Arranged to the folder level.
Processing Information
Processed by Marjorie Bryer in 2019.
Related Collections
Marine Cooks and Stewards Association of the Pacific Coast minutes, 1910-1931 (BANC MSS 2004/178 c)
Proceedings of the second biennial convention of the National Marine Cooks and Stewards : San Francisco : typescript, 1947
May 5-9 (BANC MSS 2004/179 c, v.1-3)
International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union papers (BANC MSS 77/168 c)
Life of a leftist labor lawyer : oral history transcript / introduction by James R. Herman ; interview conducted by Estolv
Ethan Ward ; The Bancroft Library, Oral History Center, 1985 (BANC MSS 88/8 c, https://archive.org/details/lifeleftistlabor00leonrich/page/n1)
Allan Bérubé papers, 1946-2007 (GLBT Historical Society, 1995-17)
Don Watson oral history (Labor Archives and Research Center. J. Paul Leonard Library. San Francisco State University, https://archive.org/details/csfst_000030)
Paul Pinsky oral history (Labor Archives and Research Center. J. Paul Leonard Library. San Francisco State University, https://archive.org/details/csfst_000020)
Alan Brotsky oral history (Labor Archives and Research Center. J. Paul Leonard Library. San Francisco State University, https://archive.org/details/csfst_00008)
Labor Archives and Research Center Ephemera Collection (Labor Archives and Research Center. J. Paul Leonard Library. San Francisco
State University, LARC EPH)
Norman Leonard papers (Labor Archives and Research Center. J. Paul Leonard Library. San Francisco State University, larc.ms.0027)
Marine Cooks and Stewards Union records, 1954 (University of Washington, 1128)
Stephen R. Blair papers, 1919-1996 (University of Washington)
Josephine Fowler papers, 1883-2005 (UCLA, 1801)
Publication Rights
Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction
of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies
Subjects and Indexing Terms
National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards -- Archives.
Marine Cooks and Stewards Association of the Pacific Coast -- Archives.
Cooks -- Labor unions.
Collective bargaining -- Stewards.
Collective labor agreements -- Merchant marine -- Pacific Coast.
Sailors -- United States.
Merchant mariners -- Labor unions -- United States.
Series 1.
Correspondence
1935-1955
Physical Description: Carton 1; Carton 2, folders 1-12A
Arrangement
Original order was maintained.
Scope and Content Note
Includes an 85-page history of the union. Correspondence with Ports are form letters, mostly by NUMCS president, Hugh Bryson.
Carton 1, Folder 3
re: Legislation
1949-1953
Carton 1, Folder 4
re: National Labor Relations Board (NRLB)
1951-1955
Carton 1, Folder 5
re: Welfare Plan
1950-1952
Carton 1, Folder 11
re: Bryson Case
1954-1955
Carton 1, Folder 12-14
with Union Research
1945-1954
Carton 1, Folder 15
with New York Office
1948-1954
Carton 1, Folder 16
re: Health Matters
1952-1954
Carton 1, Folder 17
re: Fred Kulper Case
1952-1955
Carton 1, Folder 20
with and re: Congress and Government Agencies
1939-1953
Carton 2, Folder 1
with Other Unions
1939-1950
Carton 2, Folder 10-11
with Ship Owners
1936-1951
Carton 2, Folder 12A
History of Union, Author Unknown
undated
Series 2.
Arbitration
1935-1951
Physical Description: Carton 2, folders 13-17; Cartons 3-7; Carton 8, folders 1-2; Carton 18 (index cards are in the 3 boxes that are in the carton)
Arrangement
Original order was maintained.
Carton 2, Folder 13-16
Arbitration Awards
1936-1949
Carton 2, Folder 17
Arbitration Proceedings – Marine Cooks and Stewards (MCS) vs Pacific American Shipowners’ Association (PASA), San Francisco
1944
Carton 3, Folder 1-10
MCS-PASA Manning Scales Arbitration (Stewards’ Department)
October 1945
Scope and Content Note
October 2-5: Arbitrator’s Opinion, Transcript of Hearings, Union Material, and Employer Exhibits.
October 22-27: Correspondence, Transcript of Hearings, Union Exhibits, Empolyer Exhibits, Union Work Sheets, and Evidence.
Carton 3, Folder 11-13
MCS-PASA Arbitration – Compensation for Meals Served to Passengers, Matson Co., includes Transcript of Proceedings, Union
Exhibits and Materials
1946
Fly Arbitration
1946
Scope and Content Note
American Communications Association-Marine Cooks and Stewards-National Maritime Union Arbitration Hearings before James L.
Fly, New York, August-September 1946
Carton 3, Folder 14
Running Index on Transcripts
August 12-September 13, 1946
Carton 3, Folder 15-16
Master Index to Transcripts
August 1946
Carton 3, Folder 17-18
American Communications Association (ACA) Exhibits #1-95
1946
Carton 3, Folder 19
National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards (NUMCS) Exhibits #100-162
1946
Carton 3, Folder 20
Union Exhibits in Arbitrations – ACA-NUMCS-National Maritime Union (NMU)
August-September 1946
Carton 4, Folder 1-5
Union Exhibits in Arbitrations – ACA-NUMCS-NMU
August-September 1946
Carton 4, Folder 6-23
Committee for Maritime Unity (CMU) Arbitrations, Vol. I, ACA Transcript and Exhibits – Part I; CMU Arbitrations, Vol. II,
ACA Transcript and Exhibits – Part II; and Vol. III, Marine Cooks and Stewards (MCS) Transcript and Exhibits
August-September 1946
Carton 5, Folder 1-11
CMU Arbitrations, Vol. III, MCS Transcript and Exhibits, and Vol. IV, NMU Transcript and Exhibits
August-September 1946
Carton 5, Folder 12-19
Wage Review Arbitration – NUMCS vs PASA, including Union Exhibits and Case Outline and Transcript of Proceedings, Vols. I-V,
VII-VIII
January 1947
Carton 5, Folder 20-23
Arbitration of Interpretation of Contract – NUCMS vs PASA – NUMCS Exhibits, and Transcripts, Vols. I-III
April 1947
Carton 6, Folder 1-3
Arbitration of Interpretation of Contract – NUCMS vs PASA – NUMCS Transcripts, Vols. IV-VI
April 1947
Carton 6, Folder 4-14
Wage Review Arbitration– NUMCS vs PASA, Union Exhibits, Union Rebuttal Exhibits, Employer Exhibits, and Procedural Discussion
December 1947
Carton 6, Folder 15-18
Mary Olson Arbitration [SS Mary Olson] – PASA vs. NUMCS, including Background Materials, Outline, the Union’s Case, the Company’s
Case, and Transcripts, Vol. I-III
May 1948
Carton 6, Folder 19-20
Overtime Breaking Point Arbitration – MCS vs PASA – Outline, Notes, Union and Company Exhibits, and Transcript
June 1948
Carton 6, Folder 21
NUMCS “7.50” Arbitration, including Arbitration Award, Union Brief and Exhibits, PASA Brief, Miscellany, and Correspondence
April-May 1949
Carton 7, Folder 1-4
Negotiations and Strike, includes Correspondence, Memos, Legal Briefs, Meeting Minutes, Agreements, and Union Exhibits (some
items are copies)
February-December 1948
Carton 7, Folder 5-21
Negotiations and Wage Reviews, includes Correspondence, Memos, Legal Briefs, Meeting Minutes, Agreements, Proposals, Union
Exhibits, and Transcripts of Hearings. Some re: Schooners and Alaska (some items are copies)
1935-1948
Carton 8, Folder 1-2
Negotiations and Wage Reviews
1949-1951
Carton 18
Index to Arbitrations and National War Labor Board Cases
circa 1946-1948
Scope and Content Note
Carton 18 contains 3 boxes of Subject indexes. Box 1: A-L; Box 2: M-V and Wages; Box 3: Wages
Series 3.
War Labor Board (WLB) Cases
1944-1945
Physical Description: Carton 8, folders 3-24; Carton 9, folders 1-13
Carton 8, Folder 3-6
Correspondence, Legal Briefs, Agreements, Memos
1944-1945
Carton 8, Folder 7-24
Case #111-5510-D, Vols. I-III
1944-1945
Scope and Content Note
Vol. I – Report and Recommendations of Panel and Dissents, Correspondence, Interim Directive Order, Union Petition, and Verbatim
Reports of WLB Board Meetings; Vol. II – Union’s Outline of Arguments, Exhibits, PASA Brief and Exhibits; and Vol. III –Work
Sheets, Duplicate Copies of Some Sections of Volumes I-II
Carton 9, Folder 1-7
Case #111-15916-D – MCS and PASA, Vols. I-III
1944-1945
Scope and Content Note
Vol. I – Award, Employer and Union Comments, Transcript of Hearings; Vol. II – Award, Employer and Union Comments, Transcript
of Hearings; Vol. III – Duplicates
Carton 9, Folder 8-13
Case #111-15916-D – Maritime Unions vs. Shipping Companies (Issue: Wages), Vols. I-II
1945
Scope and Content Note
Vols. I-II contain Award, War Shipping Board Analysis of Parties, Transcript of Hearings, Employers’ Statements, Union Briefs
and Exhibits, Union Work Sheets, and Duplicates
Series 4.
National Labor Relations Board Cases
1941-1954
Physical Description: Carton 9, folders 14-23; Carton 10, folders 1-5
Arrangement
Original order was maintained.
Scope and Content Note
Includes legal briefs, correspondence, exhibits, and newspaper clippings regarding cases between 1941 and 1954.
Carton 9, Folder 17
Cases #36-CD-2, #36-CD-3, #36-CD-7
1948-1950
Carton 9, Folder 20
Case #20-R-C-1426
1952-1953
Carton 9, Folder 21
Case #20-R-C-1416
1952-1953
Series 5.
Agreements
1916-1953, bulk 1935-1953
Physical Description: Carton 10, folders 6-25; Carton 11, folders 1-48
Arrangement
Original order was maintained.
Scope and Content Note
General agreements (1935-1949) are Marine Cooks and Stewards' agreements with maritime industries, primarily the Pacific-American
Shipowners Association. The agreements concern manning scales, wages, holidays, working conditions, etc. The files also include
correspondence, and supporting documents.
Alaska Agreements (1936-1948): Alaska General, Alaska Packers, Alaska Railroad, Alaska Salmon Co., Alaska Steamship, Alaska
Transportation, Columbia River Packers, Intercoastal Packers, International Packers, International Allied Packing Co., Libby
McNeill & Libby, M.S. Western Trader, Milwaukee Alaska Line, Pan American Co., Peninsula Packers, and Red Salmon Canning Co.
Some agreements are seasonal. The first folder contains a detailed table of contents.
Agreements with Individual Companies – “All Years” (1935-1952): “P,” Pacific Atlantic, Pacific Coast Fisheries, Pacific Exploration
Co., Inc., Pacific Far East, Pacific Lumber Transportation, Pacific Meat Company, Pacific Transport Lies, Pacific Vegetable
Oil Corp., Peninsula Packers, Permanente, Petroleum Navigation, “R,” Santa Cruz Oil Corporation, Santa Cruz Portland Cement,
Shepard Steamship Company, South Seas Shipping Co., “T," "U,” Union Sulphur, United Fruit Company, “W,” and Wilmington Transportation
Co. 1939-1948
Carton 11, Folder 4-19
Alaska Agreements
1936-1948
Carton 11, Folder 20
Steam Schooner Agreements
1946-1952
Carton 11, Folder 21-45
Agreements with Individual Companies – “All Years”
1935-1952
Carton 11, Folder 47
Comparison of National Maritime Union and Marine Cooks and Stewards
1947-1953
Carton 11, Folder 48
Shipping Rules
1916-1920, 1946-1947
Series 6.
NUMCS Constitutional and Biennial Conventions
1945-1951
Physical Description: Carton 11, folders 49-51; carton 12, folders 1-12
Arrangement
Original order was maintained.
Scope and Content Note
Includes proceedings, minutes, transcripts, officers’ reports, bulletins, pre-conference outlines, newspaper clippings, union
newsletters and newspapers, publicity, resolutions, and a small amount of correspondence from the First Constitutional Convention,
July 1945; the Second Biennial Convention, May 1947; the Third Biennial Convention, July 1949; and the Fourth Biennial Convention,
May 1951.
Carton 11, Folder 49
First Annual Convention – Proceedings/Officers' Report
July 1945
Carton 11, Folder 50-51
Second Biennial Convention – Report by the Officers/Call to Order, Proceedings, Vol. I
May 1947
Carton 12, Folder 1-3
Second Biennial Convention – Proceedings, Vols. II-III
May 1947
Carton 12, Folder 4-5
Third Biennial Convention – National Officers' Report/Call to Order, Proceedings
July 1949
Carton 12, Folder 6-12
Fourth Biennial Convention – includes Report of the National Officers, Proceedings, Vols. I-IV, and Minutes
May 1951
Series 7.
Port Committee Minutes
1936-1953
Physical Description: Carton 12, folders 13-17; Cartons 13-14; Carton 15, folders 1-8
Arrangement
Original Order was maintained.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of San Francisco Port Committee minutes, and minutes from other ports across the country (primarily West Coast).
Carton 12, Folder 13-17
San Francisco Port Committee Minutes
July 1937-August 1948
Carton 13, Folder 1-9
San Francisco Port Committee Minutes
January 1949-1953
Carton 13, Folder 10-14
San Francisco Port Committee Minutes with Correspondence Interfiled
July 1936-1952
Carton 13, Folder 15-22
San Francisco Port Committee Minutes and Various Reports
1950-1951
Carton 14, Folder 1-11
San Francisco Port Committee Minutes and Various Reports
July 1951-December 1953
Carton 14, Folder 12
Honolulu Port Committee Minutes
April-June 1951
Carton 14, Folder 13-15
New York Port Committee Minutes
October 1950-1953
Carton 14, Folder 16
Area Port Committee Minutes – Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor
January 1953
Carton 14, Folder 14-17
Portland Port Committee Minutes
1948-1952 (Selected Dates), 1953
Carton 14, Folder 20-22
Seattle Port Committee Minutes
1944-1947 (Selected Dates), April 1951-1952
Carton 15, Folder 1-3
Seattle Port Committee Minutes
1952-November 1953
Carton 15, Folder 4-8
Wilmington Port Committee Minutes
April 1951-December 1952
Series 8.
NUMCS General Council Minutes and Reports
1946-1953
Physical Description: Carton 15, folders 9-16
Arrangement
Original chronological order was maintained.
Scope and Content Note
Selected dates -- not a complete run.
Series 9.
Pacific Coast Section Presidential Board of Inquiry
1948
Physical Description: Carton 15, folders 17-22
Scope and Content Note
Includes union and employers’ statements, statement of the Waterfront Employers Association of the Pacific Coast and the Pacific
American Shipowners’ Association, Maritime Board of Inquiry Report to the President, and transcript (Vols. I-III).
Series 10.
United States Maritime Commission (USMC) Hearings re: Minimum Wage, Minimum Manning, and Reasonable Working Conditions on
Subsidized Vessels
January 1948
Physical Description: Carton 16, folders 1-10
Arrangement
Original order was maintained.
Carton 16, Folder 2-10
NUMCS Exhibits
January 1948
Series 11.
Miscellany
1938-1953, undated
Physical Description: Carton 16, folders 11-23; Carton 17, folders 1-10
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
These records were characterized as "Miscellany."
Carton 16, Folder 12-17
Beefs and Agreement Clarifications
1938, 1951-1953
Carton 16, Folder 18-19
Congressional Committees/MCS Statements
1945-1953
Carton 16, Folder 20
Hugh Bryson’s European Trip
1950
Carton 16, Folder 21-23
Raids: Sailor’s Union of the Pacific (SUP)-National Maritime Union (NMU) – Lurline Disputes
1951-1952
Carton 17, Folder 1-3
Raids: Sailor’s Union of the Pacific (SUP)-National Maritime Union (NMU) – Lurline Disputes
1952
Carton 17, Folder 4-5
MCS Action after San Francisco Caucus, includes Correspondence and Minutes, Some Port Committee Meetings
April 1953
Carton 17, Folder 6-8
Seamen – Trade Unions – United States/MCS/(Independent), includes Reports, Memos, Addresses, Clippings, Some Correspondence
1937-1952
Carton 17, Folder 9-10
Waterfront Screening Material, includes Union Statements, Memos re: Blacklisting
1950-1953
Series 12.
Publications
1933-1952
Physical Description: Carton 17, folders 11-33; Carton 18
Arrangement
Arranged (roughly) chronologically.
Carton 17, Folder 11-19
Waterfront Worker
February 1933-March 1936
Carton 17, Folder 20
Bulletins
circa 1936-1952
Carton 17, Folder 21-22
MCS Constitutions
circa 1938-1953
Carton 17, Folder 23
The Ship Committee’s Job
1939
Carton 17, Folder 24
Slager Case – Report of Investigating Committee
1942
Carton 17, Folder 25
Report on the Proceedings of the Agents Conference
1944-1945
Carton 17, Folder 26
Delegate’s Handbooks
1945-1949
Carton 17, Folder 27-28
Pamphlets and Brochures re: the Union’s History and Benefits, both Practical and Political
circa 1945-1953
Carton 17, Folder 29
Analysis of the Financial Position of the Matson Co.
June 1946
Carton 17, Folder 30
Voice Strike Bulletin
October 1948
Carton 17, Folder 31
Financial Reports/Leaflets re: Finances
1950-1951
Carton 18
Voice of the Marine Cooks & Steward’s Association of the Pacific Coast, CIO/Voice – National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards
1945-1951
Scope and Content Note
Bound Volumes, Vol. 3 (1945), Vols. 6-9 (1948-1951)
