1 - American Memory

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Involved In these disputes. Guam suffers as a people and as a Territory from
these prolonged work stoppages.
As Governor of a Territory whose people are loyal to the United States and
whose economic status malses it necessary for them to struggle to surmount the
economic handicaps which Inhere in there distant location from the United
States, the Governor of Guam has compassion for the economic interests of the
laboring men who depend for employment as longs-horemen or as seamen upon
the U.S. maritime industries based upon the West Coast of the United States.
The Governor notes with approval the following statement in the testimony pre-
sented in connection with this legislation by the AFL-CIO Martime Trades
Department:'
"The geographic Isolation of Hawaii and the other noncontiguous states [and
territories], coupled with their almost total dependence on ocean transportation,
has made these areas particularly susceptible to economic and physical suffering
as the result of maritime work stoppages. Indeed, commerce to these areas has
been disrupted on occasion by maritime strilces of some length.
"These stoppages have hud a disproportionate effect on the economies of the
noncontiguous states and territories, resulting in a desire by these states for
special legislation, such as we are discussing today, to eliminate the threat of
martime strilses." [Matter enclosed in bracltet supplied as an obviously unin-
tended omission.]
For the reasons so eloquently stated by the AFL-CIO group, Guam has par-
ticipated with intense interest in the efforts which have been made by the Gov-
ernors of Hawaii and the Western Pacific Territories, by the State and Terri-
torial Legislatures, and by the members of Congress from the affected areas to
contribute to the search which the affected labor and management groups them-
selves have devoted to the achievement of an enduring modus vivenAi which
would avoid in the future severing the vital lifeline between the continental
United States and the Western Pacific Territories and Hawaii.
The Governor of Guam does not pose as a labor-management relations expert.
Instead, his continued preoccupation with the welfare of the people of Guam
under these circumstances makes him an expert upon the grave cost to the peo-
ple of the Territory occasioned by work stoppages of either longshoremen or sea-
men which interrupt the movement of ocean cargoes between the West Coast
of the United States and Guam. At all costs a solution must be found to these
work stoppages.
Without wishing in any way to take sides between labor and management or
to give support to legislation which would cripple organized labor in the pursuit
of its legitimate objectives, the Governor of Guam has concluded that support
of H.B. 7189 is appropriate. It is the belief and understanding that the propor-
tion of the oceangoing commerce which would he affected by the issuance of an
injunction under the provisions of the proposed legislation to preclude an in-
terruption of normal shipping between the West Coast of the United States and
Guam, the other Western Pacific Territories, nnd Hawaii is so small (less than
10%) in realtion to the total amount of commerce that would be the subject of
amch a strike that the legitimate interests of the longshoremen and the seamen
participating in such strike would not be significantly and adversely affected
in their quest for a resolution of their grievances through the use of the strike
as a means of getting the earnest attention of management to their grievances.
Accordingly, after great deliberation, the Governor has concluded that the
critical position, especially of the people of Guam, at the end of America's
ocean shipping lifeline, gives him no choice but firmly to support the enactment
of the pending legislation.
If the Committee desires to have a presentation of detailed economic data to
support the position expressed in this statement, the Governor would be pleased
to respond to a Committee request for such supporting data. He believes, how-
ever, that the facts referred to in this testimony are so well understood by the
cognizant Committees and by the Congress that such a marshaling of data is
unnecessary in conjunction with this statement.
On behalf of the people of Guam, the Governor wishes to thank the Commit-
tee for its initiative in scheduling legislative attention to H.R. 718& and to ex-
press his appreciation to the snonsors of the legislation for their initiative in
Introducing the legislation and pressing for its prompt consideration. The ter-
mination of the existing longshore contracts on the West Coast on June 30,
1973, and the uncertainty concerning the outcome of current negotiations be-
tween labor and management with respect to a renewal of such contracts give
the Committee's initiative a special urgency.
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