Longtime union official Edward W. “Edd” Morris, who most recently served as the SIU port agent in Piney Point, Md., retired late last year following a career that began aboard deep-sea ships in 1960 and saw him first come ashore in 1965.
It would be an exaggeration to say Morris, 67, saw it all in the SIU – but not by much. He started shipping during what he described as “lean times,” took part in a number of key beefs including the Robin Line organizing campaign, and survived harrowing experiences while working for the union overseas from the late 1960s to mid-70s. But he also witnessed a revival of sorts in U.S.-flag shipping, and in particular played his role with steadfast reliability as the SIU continually adapted to changing times.
Through it all, Morris always took a no-nonsense, thorough approach to his job, whether focusing on rank-and-file SIU members or assisting in cases involving the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), to which the SIU is affiliated. “What I enjoyed the most was being able to provide sensible counsel to members in trouble,” he recalled. “This job gave me an opportunity to help people have a better life. I think that’s what attracted a lot of us to this work – it gives us a significant chance to help others.”
“Edd has been one of the most dedicated and loyal union officials I’ve ever worked with,” stated SIU President Michael Sacco. “He absolutely will be missed, but I wish him nothing but the best in a long and healthy retirement.” SIU Secretary-Treasurer David Heindel said Morris had an eye for detail and “you always knew his application of the contract was followed to the letter. He always gave his best and he did a great job.”
The son of a union ship-fitter, Morris was born in Dearborn, Mich. He went through the union’s old Andrew Furuseth Training School (forerunner to today’s Paul Hall Center) and sailed in the engine department, with the exception of one stint in the deck department aboard a Great Lakes ship.
“At that time, it was a difficult industry to get into,” he noted. “New people – C-cards – had to stand out in the street. Jobs that were available to C-cards were put out at different times of day, posted on a telephone pole. It was kind of a weird time.”
He started working for the union in 1965 in New York, and later served as the SIU representative in Yokohama, Japan – a position with no shortage of challenges. Morris cites his good fortune in that he met his future wife while working overseas from 1968-75, but the job during those days left him constantly on the go, meeting with Seafarers in Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Manila and Thailand. The travel alone might have been considered arduous, but it was nothing compared to the regular threat stemming from the fact that when Morris serviced ships – no matter how discreetly – people knew or at least suspected he was carrying money to the crews.
“What people don’t realize is that there were individuals out there waiting to rob and kill us,” Morris matter-of-factly stated. “We had many issues we dealt with (usually centering on workers’ rights) that didn’t become public knowledge.”
Nevertheless, his only real regret is having missed many family events because of travel for both the SIU and ITF. He often was gone for days or weeks at a time, but, much like the members whom he ultimately served, he accepted it as part of the job. Of course, part of the reason he frequently travelled is his makeup: detail-oriented, conscientious, and willing to sacrifice for the good of rank-and-file members and the union as a whole. Morris’ positions with the SIU included work as a representative in New York during the mid-1970s; San Francisco port agent from 1977-80; Jacksonville, Fla., port agent from 1980-84; various posts at the union-affiliated Paul Hall Center, including port agent, from 1984-89 and again from 2001-07; and headquarters representative from 1990-93.
Considering his usually serious demeanor, it may surprise some that Morris unofficially modified his first name (often affectionately pronounced by others as “E-double-D”) largely on a whim. He was at the San Francisco hall in the 1960s when a secretary “who thought it was cute” wrote his name with an extra consonant.
“I said ‘Why not?’ and went with it as a penname,” Morris remembered.
More typically, during one of his last membership meetings as an active employee, he offered this advice to Seafarers: “Have faith and trust in your union officials when things get tough and tight. They are constantly working for your best interests, and sometimes you have to be patient before certain information comes out.
“Also it’s important to support SPAD. All union homes live and die with the stroke of a (legislative) pen. That’s a fact and we all know it.”
Printer Friendly Page