The West Coast Longshore Contract

Deliver us from our friends! They claim to know better what is good for the longshoremen than the Union does. Nothing is more infuriating, particularly when the friend is as generally knowledgeable as Harvey Swados. In this instance, however, it is clear he is looking at the West Coast longshore situation with a jaundiced eye and without benefit of all the facts.

What one misses most in his critique is any summary of the benefits which the longshoremen derive from the Mechanization and Modernization Plan. We do not object to anyone’s finding fault with the Plan, but we do object to stressing the faults without mentioning the virtues, particularly when they are important and unique.

No one would know from reading the...