of the relatively short coastlines , union influence is felt in nearly 

 all landing areas of the northern Gulf States. In Texas .unions exist 

 only in Galveston and Brovmsville but the influence of the Broimsville 

 union is felt in the Port Isabel ares.. 



The primary function of the union, regardless of location, 

 is participation in price, hence wape, determination. The fishermen 

 closely ;:atch the current market price of slirimp and the differential 

 between that price and the ex-vessel price they receive. If they feel 

 that the differential is growing too large and that they are not re- 

 ceiving their fair share of receipts, the union committee meets with 

 the buyers in the area, whether they be canriers, freezers, or assem- 

 bling wholesalers, and negotiates an increase in ex-vessel prices. 

 Conversely, when the market price is depressed, the buyers will seek 

 a reduction in the ex -vessel price. There is no written contractual 

 agreement between the union and the buyer nor is there an agreement 

 between the individual fisherman and the union. The industry in gen- 

 eral is characterized by an absence of written contracts. 



Because of the peculiar composition of the membership and 

 the nature of the lay system of compensation, labor organizations in 

 the fisheries have at times been the targets of antitrust proceedings 

 initiated by Federal and state authorities. In the suinmer of 1955, 

 the officers of the Gulf Coast Shriir^ers and Oystermen's Association, 

 a union with headquarters in Biloxi, Mississippi were prosecuted 

 Tinder United States antitrust laws. The court, in this instance, 

 found against the union and its officers. 



The president, the secretary and the treasixrer of the union 

 were convicted of price fixing under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act on 

 June 27, 1955, and sentenced to 90 days in jail each. The case 

 was appealed in the Federal courts in New Orleans. Prior to the court 

 decision, the Biloxi union had been quite strong. Field reports indi- 

 cate the conviction virtually paralyzed all union activity in the area. 



Officials of the union claim that shrimp prices in Biloxi 

 have dropped considerably with the union non-functioning. They claim 

 that there is a $25.00 a barrel differential in the price for compar- 

 able shrimp in Pascagoula and in Biloxi. The price in Pascagoula is 

 based on a union-management nep^otiated contract, ivhile the price in 

 Biloxi now is determined by the canneries \iho control the majority of 

 the boats. The actual prices quoted were $75.00 a barrel for 10-15 

 coiuit shrimp in Pascagoula and $50.00 per barrel for the same grade of 

 shrimp in Biloxi at the time the Bureau of Business and Economic Re- 

 search of the University of Miami made its survey in the area. 



One of the important considerations in the Biloxi case re- 

 volved around the question as to whether the fishermen were actually 

 ;fage earners, or tfhether they were joint venturers. The determination 

 of viho ovms and controls the vessels is of cardinal importance for 



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