The Day the Law Said 'No': A Seattle Court Blocks Wage Claims Against a Brigantine
In a ruling that highlights the precarious legal standing of maritime workers in the early 1900s, Judge Alye dismisses a suit by five sailors seeking wages from their captain and owner.
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A judgment and decree was filed today by Judge Alye in the case styled against the brigantine 'J. J. McKlana' by M. Johnson, Maurice Johnson, Chris Pick, Wm Rank, Harry Lowe and L.A. Anderson. The Judgment finds that there is nothing in the law under which the plaintiffs may collect wages from the defendant brig and J. J. McKlana, against whom the suit is brought, and the case is dismissed and costs attached to the plaintiffs.
This brief legal dismissal underscores how vulnerable maritime laborers were in the early 20th century, lacking the robust union protections or federal laws (like the Jones Act of 1920) that would later safeguard their right to wages. It serves as an early example of the power imbalance between ship owners and the men who worked them, a dynamic that continues to resonate in modern gig-economy and maritime labor disputes.
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