The Captain Stays Below

Into the A.F.L.-C.I.O. headquarters in Washington one day last week waddled Captain William V. Bradley, the lard-bellied ex-tugboat skipper who took over the rackets-ridden International Longshoremen's Association after its expulsion from the A.F.L. in 1953. He was breathing heavily, almost apprehensively--and with good cause. His mission was delicate. He had come to try to persuade President George Meany to take the I.L.A. back into the fold.

For Bradley, admission was vital. The I.L.A. was in a jam. Now before the NLRB is an appeal from its archrival, the A.F.L.-C.I.O.-backed International Brotherhood of Longshoremen, for an election to determine collective bargaining jurisdiction in the Port of New York. Twice the I.L.A. had scraped through such elections by slim margins--the last time (in 1954) by 263 (out of 18,551) votes.

It does not relish the prospect of a third go-round. Bradley's big hope was that the A.F.L.-C.I.O. high command would jettison the Brotherhood, call off the election demand, and take the I.L.A. to its breast. But first he had to convince Meany that his orphaned group measured up to the readmission standards that had been set for it three years ago, e.g., that it had purged itself "of all semblance of crime, dishonesty and racketeering," and had established "democratic ideals."

For about 90 minutes the captain tried to make his case. But George Meany raked him fore and aft with embarrassing questions. How had he cleaned up the union? Bradley's reply: he had installed new bookkeeping systems. What had he done about the 39 members cited in 1953 for investigation by I.L.A.'s own special investigating committee? Nothing. Insisted the captain: "I don't know of any persons with criminal records" in the I.L.A.

With that, Meany broke up the meeting. Said he to reporters after the trembling suppliant had gone: "It is evident that the I.L.A. has done nothing to rectify the conditions for which it was expelled." Would he refer the I.L.A. application to his executive board? No, snapped Meany. "It would be an insult to their intelligence. The matter is closed."

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