The oil tanker SS E. R. Kemp was owned and operated by the Sinclair Refining Company whose fleet of nine or ten ships had been recently organized by the new National Maritime Union. Over half of its fleet had Filipinos in their steward departments. The Filipino chief steward I replaced had been on the Kemp with the same captain for a number of years.

     When men sailed together on the same ship for any length of time they developed a close relationship which shoreside workers seldom had. The captain and chief steward on the Kemp was an example of this relationship. They sometimes went ashore together in the outports and perhaps even had a drink or two together. But they had a falling out.

     Maritime rules provided that crew members must be aboard one hour before sailing time which was always posted at the top of the gangway. Every one could see it as he left the ship and the crew normally did not go ashore until that sailing time was posted. Though this rule was a provision of the contract between the company and the union, it was not strictly enforced. The men in the steward department were not involved in the navigation of the ship, so they did not adhere closely to the rule. Even if they were half an hour late coming aboard, it was not noticed.

     On this particular sailing day, the ship was scheduled to sail at 4:30 P.M. and the Steward did not come aboard until a few minutes before four. The captain happened to be on the deck and seeing him arrive late commented on it. Had the steward apologized or given some reason for being late, that would have been the end of the situation. This was not the first time he had returned to the ship less than an hour before sailing time. Other members of the steward department had done the same. No one had been fired. But, on this occasion, convinced that after four the union would not be able to send a replacement, the steward gave the captain an argument daring the captain to fire him. The captain took up the challenge, went to the docks and called the union hall. The rest is history in my favor.

     The E.R. Kemp, to my further good luck, was on the domestic trade between the Atlantic and Gulf ports. Her home port was Houston, Texas, where Sinclair Oil Company had one of its two large oil refineries (the other was in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania). The Kemp usually hauled gasoline from either refinery to various Atlantic and Gulf ports. She came to New Orleans once or twice a month, staying no more than eight hours discharging her cargo of oil.

     We docked in Houston early the following morning and I went straight to our newly opened union hall to report that I had been hired. I was the first steward ever hired by the company from my union. The others were hired by the company and were considered "company men". To my joy, I found a number of my former shipmates, Filipino and American, and learned that one of the local officials had served with me in the picket lines in New Orleans during the last maritime strike. My participation in that strike gave me recognition that would prove to be a valuable asset to me. The steward that I replaced on the Kemp was there, too. I returned to the ship buoyed with my new job and the security of my new union.

     The tankers of the Sinclair Refining Company all had Filipino steward departments. The new maritime laws required one hundred percent American citizens on most freight and passenger ships subsidized by the government, but oil tankers which did not receive government subsidies were still employing non citizens.

     My job on the Kemp was the best I'd had since I lost my position at Waterman. The pay was higher than that of the freight ships and the overtime work was better. She was in Houston every 17 or 18 days and even though we only stayed in port for one or two nights, I liked it better than being away for weeks or months.

     Since Houston was the home port of the E.R.Kemp, I decided to move Shirley and our two sons to Texas. They first stayed with the family of a former Filipino shipmate, who was married to a Mexican. Shirley and the boys lived with him and his wife's family until an apartment could be found. This Mexican family helped Shirley to feel at home right away. They were our closest and best Houston friends for a long time and became like family to me. When the ship returned to Houston, Shirley was well situated in a modest two bedroom home not far from the docks.

     There were poker games aboard ship most every night and my poker playing improved. I became a good conservative poker player. Very seldom did I quit a poker game a loser. Moreover, unlike the other players who played for hours and hours or even all night, I only played an hour or two. I never played cards all night. Also, when I was ahead a little I would quit. I never tried to break the game. Such was the extent of my gambling. I deplored going against Mr. Hall's wishes and advice. However, my conservative nature and patience paid off handsomely in the game and our savings were increasing steadily.

     My first months on the ship, aside from my lucrative poker ventures, was very peaceful and enjoyable. There were no changes in my department personnel which made the job of a chief steward a lot easier. The crew was highly satisfied with the food and complimented our steward department in the regular meetings held on the return trip. As the ship's recording secretary, I was careful to keep all the minutes of the meetings. A copy of the minutes was always presented to boarding union officials.

     My experience with the union officials in the old ISU taught me that as a chief steward it was to my advantage to have a good relationship with the union officials. If one or two men on a ship did not like the steward, they could get him fired just by agitating the rest of the crew and complaining about the food. I found that the union officials could greatly help me in these situations. Throughout my maritime career, I deliberately cultivated the friendship of the union officials. It paid off handsomely. There was no union official of my acquaintance that did not receive a gift monetary or otherwise from me, especially at Christmas time.

     When the ship returned from a voyage, union officials usually in pairs boarded the ship to collect union dues and represent the men in any complaints against the company or officers including the chief steward. Because of my frequent winnings in poker sessions, I did not mind slipping ten or twenty dollars to these union officials as "beer money" or "pissoffs". Perhaps this practice was what made me more popular in the union than the average union member. This and my close association with a number of them in the seamen's strike gave me a better relationship and higher popularity with union officials than the average chief steward.

     After I had been on the Kemp a couple of months, complaints about the food began. First, it was cold coffee or something equally minor. Then, it was my menus. I had the same cooks and workers as before, yet we could not satisfy certain crew members. I suspected they were up to something and I had a good idea what it was, since the old Chief Steward I had replaced was registered at the Houston Hall.

     It was my custom that whenever I was in port to make a quick visit to the union hall and as I said usually slip some "beer money" to the union officials, the amount determined by my poker earnings. And I usually looked at the shipping list of men waiting for jobs, as is still the custom among seamen to see if any of their friends are on the beach.

     When we docked in Houston, I went straight to the union hall where I discovered that the former chief steward of the Kemp was on top of the list and should I quit or get fired he would be the one to replace me, thus getting his former job back. Boy, what luck this discovery was for me! I reported the increasing complaints of the crew to one of my friends. I pointed out to him that the steward I replaced was near the top of the list and that when he got to the very top, the ring leader would try to get me off the ship. I gave him the usual "beer money" only a little more this time.

     Aboard ship, I did not reveal my discovery to any one not even my own department members who were thinking of quitting. On the trip out, the ringleaders started their griping about the food and continued their griping until our regular shipboard meeting the day before arrival back in Houston. This time more men complained about the food and the menus. Most of the gripes were from engine room personnel. There were a few from the deck department. Not a man came to my defense. It was voted that I be replaced by another steward. All the arguments I presented were drowned out by the demand that I quit the ship. The gripes were expressed vehemently and the crew voted that I be replaced. The "ship's delegate", the crew member elected to represent the union aboard the ship, took the minutes of the meeting to the captain. This was the procedure even if there was only one crew complaint. The day before arrival in Houston, the captain called me to his room and told me he was sorry that he had to let me go. The reasons given: the unsatisfactory performance of my duties and the demands of the crew.

     Men quitting the ship were paid before the ship docked, so a couple of men from the deck department and I were called to the captain's office to get our pay. I refused to be paid off, reminding the captain that the union company agreement provided that if I had a grievance, I could have a union official represent me. I wanted this representation.

     The ship docked at 3:30 PM and I went directly to the union hall. I found my officer friends and asked for a special meeting of the membership. I presented my case. I had the minutes from the meeting where the crew indicated they were well satisfied with the food. I also had the minutes of the last meeting where the crew voted me off the ship. One of my friends, after pointing out that the former steward who had been on the ship a number of years was now on top of the list and his friends wanted him back, made a motion that the union support me. The motion carried unanimously and I went home. Sleep was impossible as I knew what I would be facing when I came aboard the ship the next morning. The Kemp's crew did not know about what had happened at the union hall.

     The ship was to sail at 9 AM. I came aboard, as usual, at six o'clock. The two cooks were already in the galley. Other steward department personnel were also aboard. The deck and engine department crews, including the ring leaders who voted me off the ship, were aboard when we started to serve breakfast. One of the ring leaders saw me in the galley and asked me what I was doing aboard. He said I had been fired and was supposed to be replaced. I replied, "The union assigned me to this ship and the union will have to tell me to get off." The man, a big Texan, said, "We will see about that, you bastard."

     The ships galley had two doors, one on either side. I closed and locked one of them, which left only one door open. I filled the gallon can that we kept the salt in with a salt and pepper mixture heavy on the pepper and put it within easy reach. Then I took a large butcher knife and started sharpening it. The Texan reappeared with a friend. They cursed me loudly and demanded I get off the ship. I did not raise my voice when I repeated that the union had put me aboard and the union would have to tell me to get off. One said, "We will get you off, you sonofabitch," and started to step into the galley. I did not miss a stroke in sharpening the butcher knife and I had my eyes on the black pepper mixture. I warned them that this was my work place and anyone who came near me would get hurt. In the meantime, the two cooks left the galley and called the officer on watch. I never stopped sharpening the knife, even when the watch officer came and told the three men to go to their rooms. When the captain came aboard, I told him that the union officials would be there at eight. My two cooks disappeared. I told the captain and crew that the cooks had quit and there would be no breakfast. Even after the men and officers left I did not quit sharpening the knife on the oil stone.

     At 8:10, the union officials came aboard. They told the crew of the action taken at the special meeting at the union hall the previous afternoon. They announced that those who did not like the ship or the Chief Steward could quit. They would be replaced. Most of the engine crew quit. So did my chief cook and one mess boy. The ship sailed four hours late. When the ring leader cursed one of the union officials, the official threatened to bring him up on charges of anti union activities. That shut him up for good. Thereafter, it was smooth sailing for me aboard the SS E. R. Kemp.