President of Maritime union appears before senate committee. Washington, D.C., Dec. 14. Joseph Curran, President of the National Maritime Union. Photographed while appearing before a senate committee on Maritime affairs, while Curran testified that, "compulsory" use of mediation should be delayed until labor in the industry is thoroughly organized. The National Maritime Union which was created last May by a group that quit the International Seamens Union in protest against its leadership, has voted to affiliate with the CIO last night. The decision was reached after a poll of more than 20,000 unlicensed seamen who are members. 121437