Collections Item Detail

DescriptionGroup of five black-and-white photos of John J. Grogan and Bethlehem Steel Shipyard workers at a union rally outside the Staten Island Yard, July, 1954. 8" x 10" wide prints in a Bethlehem Steel, Shipbuilding Division, Staten Island Yard album: blue printed cover with blue plastic comb binding (broken and no longer holding photographs); front cover had holographic ink notation at top left: J. Grogan, 7/9/54. Photographer is not indicated; possibly taken by the company. Reverse of all are blank. Grogan was a prominent union official and was also at this date, Mayor of Hoboken. Photo 1: John J. Grogan addressing Bethlehem Staten Island Shipyard Workers, I.U.M.S.W.A., C.I.O., Local 12 members on streets outside the yard entrance. Rally was protesting the lack of government work at the yard. Left sign: Massachusetts, Main, Virginia and New Jersey have Gov't Shipbuilding. Why are we the forgotten men? Right sign: The Navy "E" in '44. No Work in '54. 44 destroyers built during wartime, since end of the war - 0. (Note: photo 5 establishes that this location, with the old diner on the corner, was directly across the street from the employee entrance to the yard.) Photo 2: an unidentified man is address the rally at the same location as photo 1. Photo 3: a view from behind the man speaking in photo 2 towards the employee entrance. Photo 4: group posed in front of employee entrance. Grogan is near front center, the second man from the right edge of the left sign. Photo 5: Grogan is seen at the microphone in the right crowd near the diner.