Seaman's Act

The Seaman’s Act regulated working conditions for American sailors and created the foundation of future legislation. In 1915, Wisconsin Senator Robert M. LaFollette sponsored the Seaman’s Act in partnership with Andrew Furuseth, the head of the International Seamen’s Union of the Pacific. Furuseth championed the seamen’s cause to LaFollette and other progressive leaders. They wanted sailors to have protections in line with those of factory workers. Their work became law on March 4, 1915.

The Seaman’s Act increased worker safety and created potential for sailors to perform better. Moreover, Furuseth and LaFollette’s work made future laws more effective, such as the Jones Act. The Seaman’s Act was challenged before it was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson.

Background

Prior to the Seaman’s Act, sailors aboard US merchant marine vessels could receive severe punishments while working at sea. They could be beaten or imprisoned or forced to live and work in unsafe conditions. The men could also face criminal charges when they returned to US soil for their words or actions or for failing to perform certain tasks as ordered by a superior. Terms like “desertion” were commonly mentioned to sailors, even though they were civilians, not military sailors.

Such unfair treatment inspired Furuseth and LaFollette, who wanted sailors to have workplace protections regardless of their location. Sailors were not protected under laws for factory workers because sailors worked outside the United States’ borders. However, LaFollette’s Seaman’s Act, as it came to be known, sought to afford US citizens the same protections as factory workers wherever they worked.

The Seaman’s Act addressed another historical need in the shipping industry. Many businesses chose to hire untrained or unfit men as sailors because these men were willing to work for very low wages. However, in many cases, these men could not follow orders given in basic English. Therefore, safety concerns commonly arose, and the industry faced the increased likelihood of shipping accidents and lost cargoes.

However, the Seaman’s Act required that seamen be able-bodied, trained, and prepared for the demands of the job. The law’s regulations required seamen to pass specific assessments and examinations. Approved seamen were able to safely operate the ship and deliver cargo. Therefore, the Seaman’s Act supported economic necessities throughout the country and world.

When the bill passed in 1915, LaFollette said the seamen’s “Emancipation Day” had come, a clear reference to the freeing of slaves in America from their forced labor.

Overview

The general thrust of the Seamen’s Act—protecting sailors from unjust working conditions and ensuring a ship’s passengers a safe trip—remains the law’s legacy. To comprehend the 1915 law, it is necessary to understand key aspects of its structure and inclusions.

A key provision of the law was the evaluation of sailors. First, LaFollette and Furuseth’s research revealed the need to regulate ships’ crews. After the law passed, US registered ships had to evaluate the mental and physical abilities of their crew, requiring a certain percentage to meet their criteria. This percentage increased over the years. For example, in 1915, it was 40 percent, but by 1920, this number had increased to 65 percent.

The Department of Commerce steamboat inspection service examined sailors to determine their mental and physical fitness. During the first week that the Seaman’s Law came into effect, 913 sailors were evaluated in New York. More than one hundred failed to pass the evaluation, often because of poor vision or physical weaknesses.

Further, the Seaman’s Law also required sailors to take a language test to guarantee that at least 75 percent of a crew could understand the officers’ orders. However, they did not necessarily have to speak English; they had to speak the language spoken by their officers.

Sufficient Lifeboats

The Seaman’s Law also required lifeboats aboard US registered ships. The law was passed just a few years after the Titanic sank. More than fifteen hundred passengers perished because the ship did not have enough lifeboats. After the 1912 tragedy, international marine safety officials required more lifeboats on ships. Congress approved a bill requiring a seat on a lifeboat for 75 percent of a vessel’s passengers.

Before the Seamen’s Act of 1915 became law, the general manager of the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Company testified before Congress, claiming that adding lifeboats posed a risk. Some vessels on the Great Lakes had shallow drafts. Therefore, the boats could turn upside down or sharply lean to one side if too many lifeboats were on the boat’s upper sections and deck.

The general manager’s concern became reality in July 1915. The Eastland, a ship designed for six lifeboats, responded to Congress’s regulations for lifeboats. The ship’s owners added five lifeboats, thirty-seven life rafts and more than 2,500 life jackets. The extra weight totaled more than 50,000 pounds. The Eastland began leaning in port as passengers came aboard and quickly tilted into the Chicago River. More than eight hundred people died only 20 feet from the dock; in fact, the ship was still tied to the dock when the tragedy occurred.

Controversy

Finally, the Seamen’s Act generated some debate about its motivations. For example, some critics believed that the law discriminated against ethnic groups by requiring an understanding of English. The law’s language said sailors must understand orders given without requiring a certain language aboard ships. Others voiced a different criticism: The Seaman Act’s restrictions threatened the competitiveness of US businesses in an international economy.

Impact

The Seamen’s Act regulated how sailors were treated aboard American ships. The law protected them from abuse in the workplace. Additionally, Furuseth’s advocacy ensured opportunities for the appropriate performance of sailors’ work duties. Finally, the law created requirements for safety measures such as lifeboats for more passengers.

Then, in 1920, Congress approved the Jones Act, a companion law that provided workers compensation for sailors. Ships moving domestic cargo also had to be owned, built, and crewed by Americans.

Bibliography

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“Investigator’s Desk Aid to the Seaman’s Protection Act (SPA) Whistleblower Protection Provision, OSHA, 24 July, 2019, www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/SPADeskAid.pdf

Ringle, Ken. “Century-Old Laws Still Rule Seamen.” The Washington Post, 31 Dec. 1978, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1978/12/31/century-old-laws-still-rule-seamen/8466163e-d79d-4b80-87fd-76dc50c7d71f/. Accessed 12 Jan. 2022.

“Seaman’s Act a Menace: Shipping Men Would Prevent Eleventh-Hour Desertions by Crew.” New York Times, 8 Apr. 1917, www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/jones-act-burden-america-can-no-longer-bear. Accessed Jan. 2022.

Stranahan, Susan Q. “The Eastland Disaster Killed More Passengers Than the Titanic and the Lusitania. Why Has It Been Forgotten?” Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Oct. 2014, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/eastland-disaster-killed-more-passengers-titanic-and-lusitania-why-has-it-been-forgotten-180953146/. Accessed 12 Jan.2022.

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