An Unequal Clash 128 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord had stood aside and allowed the Lake Carriers' to obtain a real victory this time not just over the officers but also for their ability to maintain unity contrary to the 1901 strike. The third and final strike delivered a gift to the Lake Carriers' when the longshoremen's union attempted to move against the Lake Seamen's Union. During the winter of 1906, the longshoremen attempted to organize the officers again, and called a strike for 1 May.29 The sailors' union cut a deal with the owners to remain out of the conflict, leaving the longshoremen on their own. The strike effort did not mmediately go as hoped. Instead of mates flocking to the new union, they remained on duty. Pressure from members caused union leadership to call the strike off by 13 May.30 The defeat brought new leadership and a more limited view of the union's goals but did not end the conflict with the sailors.31 For the vessel owners, the internal union strike enhanced their own actions providing an even greater victory. The Lake Carriers' Association, having successfully defeated one of its two major union adversaries, took advantage of the October 1907 financial panic to exert its new strength. Predicting a major drop in ore shipments, the owners at a special meeting on 9 April 1908 moved to terminate any existing contracts, adopt the open shop, and reimplement the Beneficial Plan, now renamed the Welfare Plan. The association's abrupt policy shift to the open shop caught the unions off- guard. Coupled with limited employment opportunities even on shore, the Lake Seamen's Union pushed its members to sign-up for berths before non-union sailors replaced them, promising retaliation the next season.32 Other factions argued that any strike would fail, and would make the open shop a permanent reality.33 "Not Pleased with the Work," CPD, 16 March 1904; "More Contracts Are Sent Out," CPD, 16 May 1904; "First Break in Lake Strike Occurs," DNT, 5 June 1904; "Mate Chased by an Angry Mob," CPD, 6 June 1904; "Mob Stones Boat in Buffalo Canal," DNT, 11 June 1904; "Lake Captains Admit Defeat," DNT, 15 June 1904; "Fate of the Ship Master's [sic] Association," Marine Record (MR) 30:4 (28 July 1904), 21-22. 29 "Keefe Urges Mates to Stand Together," Cleveland Leader (CL), 24 January 1906; "Will Not Meet With the Mates," CPD, 26 January 1906; "Owners Say Labor Men Are Bluffing," CL, 24 March 1906. 30 "Lake Strike is Probable," CPD, 16 March 1906; "Seamen Yield to the Lake Carriers," CL, 27 March 1906; "To Stop Work at Midnight," CPD, 30 April 1906; "Fight Will Be Long and Hard," CPD, 1 May 1906; "The Great Lakes Strike," SN, 3 May 1906; "Keefe Goes to Cleveland," SN, 8 May 1906; "Longshoremen Back at Work," Sault Ste. Marie Evening News (SSMEN), 10 May 1906; "Marine Strike At End; Mates Union Breaks to Pieces," CL, 10 May 1906; Marine Firemen, Oilers, and Water Tenders Benevolent Association (MFOWBA) Meeting Minutes, Superior, Wisconsin, 5 April 1906, Box 1, Folder: Minutes of Meetings, 1905-1906; MFOWBA Meeting Minutes, Buffalo, 1 May 1906, Coll. 01308, Box 1, Folder: Minutes of Meetings, 1906-1906, International Seamen's Union of America Records,1899 -1940, Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library (ISU- DPL). 31 MFOWBA Meeting Minutes, Buffalo, 24 April 1906, Box 1, Folder: Minutes of Meetings, 1905-1906, ISU-DPL. 32 Edward Stack Statement, Buffalo Local Meeting Minutes, 18 May 1908, Box 1, Folder "Correspondence, 1908," ISU-DPL. 33 Michael Casey to Robert Clarke, 27 June 1908, Box 1, Folder: Correspondence; and John