http://seafarerslog.org/archives/files/original/cb57e08e7676c49abf4097f232d07623.PDF d9f41c2dd3e089a3ff0a3e7eec6f432b PDF Text Text SlU V.P. Paul Drozak Dead at 50 See Page 3 I. Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union • Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District • AFL-CIO NO!"3^° MARCH 1978 Seafarers Man New Tanker Overseas Washington . in KOOOth Inland Vacation Check Given See Page 10 SlU Patrolman David Jones, left, turned over the 1000th check issued j under the SlU industry-wide Inland Vacation Plan to Boatman Harvey Gallop and his wife, Callie, at the Norfolk Hall this month. Gallop is an engineer with Steuart Transportation of Piney Point, Md. New Boat Petrel Gets SlU Crew See Page 26 MTD Executive Board Holds Mid-Winter Meeting See Pages 19-22 �Congress Offering Remedy to Illegal Rebate Plague A situation that has plagued Amer­ ica's foreign liner cargo industry and hurt job opportunities for American seamen in recent years may soon be cleared up by Congress. The "plague" is illegal rebating by both U.S. and foreign-flag liner com­ panies to shippers and freight for­ warders. Under present law, a shipping com­ pany cannot charge rates lower than their published rates on file with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). However, to attract business in a very competitive field, many liner companies have been charging their published rates and then giving some of the money back to their customers under the table. It is illegal to both give and receive such rebates. The FMC, which has authority in this area, began a widespread investi­ gation of the rebate malpractice in 1976. Since then, one major U.S.-flag com­ pany has been fined $4 million for il­ legal rebating between 1972 and 1976. Just this month, the FMC fined three shippers for accepting rebates. The FMC is now conducting 27 rebale investigations—18 against foreign liner companies and nine against U.S. lines. The foreign lines have so far refused to cooperate with FMC investigations. The net result of their refusal is that U.S. lines, which must cooperate with subpoenas and other legal actions, find themselves at a competitive disadvan­ tage. In the middle of all this is the Ameri­ can seaman, who also stands to lose job opportunities if a solution is not worked out soon. The solution may be a bill, spon­ sored by Rep. John Murphy (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Merchant Ma­ rine and Fisheries Committee. The bill has already cleared House committee and has been reported fa­ vorably to the full House for a vote. The bill is not a high priority item on the House calendar. So it could be more than a month before the vote is taken. The Senate has held hearings on the bill also. But it has not yet been voted out of committee. The measure contains three impor­ tant provisions aimed at clearing up the rebate problem. • It gives the FMC the authority to suspend tariffs on foreign lines that re­ fuse to cooperate in rebate investiga­ tions. This, in effect, would ban the^e lines from participation in America's liner trades. • It reduces illegal rebating from a criminal to a civil violation, retroactive to 1972. Presently, the Justice Depart­ ment can prosecute violators — who have already paid fines to the govern­ ment— for conspiracy to defraud. In such cases, company officials could draw jail sentences. It is hoped that the immunity clause to criminal prosecution will encourage violators to come forward voluntarily with information on the rebating issue. • The bill quintuples fines for vio­ lators of the anti-rebate law. The in­ creased fine, though, would only be applied to those who violate the law after passage of the bill. The bill does not address the problem of overcapacity, which the companies claim is the cause of illegal rebating. Overcapacity means simply that there are more ships available than needed to carry the available liner cargoes. However, Rep. Murphy said that leg­ Paul Hal! 1000 Dreams Realized Via CED The SIU membership has done a great deal to improve our industry. The way we accomplished this was simple—but it wasn't easy. We built the Harry Lundeberg School. Because of our achievements at the Lundeberg School, the American maritime industry is known to have workers who understand and can safely handle LNG; workers who can expertly navigate the inland waterways or the Great Lakes; workers who can operate and troubleshoot automated engine rooms and cargo systems. Through HLS, we are solving our prob­ lems as maritime workers. We have improved our communication as SIU members; we have increased our understanding of the economic problems in our industry; we have built job security for ourselves; we have upgraded to better jobs and better wages. Our School gives us every kind of educational opportunity. As a result, we have made ourselves among the best trained, most skilled seafarers in the world. Any industry is only as good as its workers. So by improving ourselves, we improve our industry. But our School makes it possible for us to achieve even more. Seafarers are not just workers. We are people, too. And each' of us has hopes and dreams and goals that are ours alone. Through the Lundeberg School, SIU members are reaching their goals. A very special program at the School makes this possible—the High School Equivalency (GED) Program. Of course, the skills our members learn as they study for a high school diploma are important on the job. Mathematics is important to a member islation would be introduced to deal with the overcapacity problem individ­ ually. This legislation could include provisions setting up "closed shipping conferences," or a pooling arrangement to divy up the liner cargoes evenly among conference members. In reference to his anti-rebate bill, Rep. Murphy said it was "landmark legislation since it attempts for the first time ... to establish a national shipping regulatory policy that will eliminate malpractices and provide for fair com­ petition by all carriers." Unemployment Rate Falls to 6.1%, the Lowest in 3 Years WASHINGTON, D.C.—Last month the country's jobless rate fell to 6.1 per­ cent from January's 6.3 percent. This is the lowest unemployment rate since the 5.9 percent level of October 1974. It is nearly a full percentage point below the 7 percent average for last year. The February decline in unemploy­ ment benefited jnost of the nation's workers except teenagers. Their rate rose last month from 16 percent to 17.4 percent, the U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. At the same time, black teenagers had a jobless rate of 38 percent compared to 14.8 percent for white teenagers! In 1977, the official unemployment rate went down a substantial 1.5 per­ cent. Last month's drop was the fourth monthly decline in a row. It is under the 6.2 percent jobless figure set by the Carter Administration by the final quar­ ter of 1978. February's dip came about from a slight decrease of 14,000 in the labor force to 99,093,000 persons working last month, down from January's 99,107,000 working. Total unemploy­ ment in February was 6,090,000 — 136,000 fewer than the month before —against 6,226,000 in January. Also in February, total employment was 93,003,000, up from 92,8&1,000 in January. The impact of the coal strike was the layoff of 20,000 workers in the trans­ portation field, particularly affecting the inland waterways and Lakes industries. The jobless rate for blacks and adult women showed the largest declines. Black's joblessnessness went down almost a full percentage point to 11.8 percent in February. The women's rate went from 6.1 percent to 5.7 percent. For adult men, the lowest of any group, the rate dipped from 4.7 percent to 4.5 percent. The jobless rate for 'Vietnam veterans 20 to 24 years of age was 12.5 percent. For non-veterans, it was 9.7 percent in the same age groups. U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Ray Marshall warned that "while the (unemployment) report is encouraging, we still have some serious problems." He said, "we still have high rates of unemployment in rural areas, central cities and among minorities and Viet­ nam era veterans." Average duration of joblessness last month was down to 12.5 weeks from 13.1 weeks the previous month. Those out of work 27 weeks or more fell 153,000 to 671,000 over the month. Continued on PagQ 26 who wants to upgrade. English skills help a brother's reading comprehension when he useV a manual or studies for a Coast Guard test. A high school diploma is a real asset to a maritime worker. But we all know it's not required as part of a Seafarer's job. So why bother to get one? Because you want to be a high school graduate. That's the best reason. And that's the reason the GED Program was started. To help SIU members get the education they want. To help them do something that is important to them as people. Many members have been in the seafaring profession since they were very young. Some oldtimers started out in the industry as kids working as the ship's "boy." We didn't get the chance to go to school because there were families to support and'bills to jjay. We had to earn a living. But that didn't mean we didn't want to go to school. It meant we couldn't go. Well, now we can. We can go to the Lundeberg School and start working towards the goal of a high school diploma. We can be pretty sure we'll succeed, too. In the eight years that HLS has offered the GED Program, we've learned a lot about helping our brothers to get ahead. The educators at our School . work with our people as individuals. At HLS, each of us is special. This is a different kind of education. This is why our program works. Over 95 percent of the GED students at HLS pass their exams and earn a diploma. For those students who can't complete the whole course of study at once, there's a program called "partial testing" so these members can study for and pass one or two exams at a time. Over 1,000 members are now high school graduates because they came to HLS and took the GED Program. The youngest graduate was 16; the oldest was 76. Seafarers from the oceans. Lakes, and waterways have gotten their diplomas through the School. Union officials, entry ratings and licensed per­ sonnel have all graduated thanks to HLS. Several graduates of the program have gone on to win Seafarers college scholarships so they can advance their education even further. Every one of these Seafarers has two things in common—they are the rank-and-file SIU and they achieved a dream and a goal that was important to them as people and as Seafarers. The SIU is proud of these members who have worked hard and made their dreams come true. As president of the SIU, I am proud that our Union has done so much to help every Seafarer become a better worker and a happier person. Change of address cards on Form 3579 should be sent to Seafarers International Union, Atlantic. Gulf Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 675 Fourth Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11232. Published monthly. Second Class postage paid at Brooklyn, N.Y. Vol. 40, No. 3, March 1978. 2 / LOG / March 1978 �A Tough, Dedicated Fighter SlU y.P. Paul Drozak is Dead at 50 Paul Drozak, a self-made man who rose from the Depression era poverty of a small Alabama town to the vice presidency of the SIU, is dead of lung cancer at the age of 50. Drozak first entered Methodist Hospital in Houston on Christmas Day. He died there at 5:30 in the morning, Thursday, March 9. With his death, the SIU has lost one of its most capable leaders. And SIU members have lost one of the toughest, most dedicated fight­ ers for American seamen in the history of the maritime labor movement. SIU President Paul Hall said of him: "It's impossible to calculate what Paul Drozak has meant to the growth and well-being of this organization. All of us in the SIU and throughout the labor move­ ment who knew him well and worked with him closely realize that we have lost a good friend who could be trusted and who we could depend on completely." At his death, Paul Drozak held many posts and responsibilities. He was SIU Vice President in Charge of the Lakes and Inland Waters, a post he had held since 1972. He was Gulf Coast Area Director of the SlU-affiliated United Industrial Workers Union. He served as Port Commis­ sioner in Houston, the second larg­ est port in the nation, since 1974. He was Executive Vice Presi­ dent of the Harris County Central Labor Council. He was SecretaryTreasurer of the West Gulf Port Council of the AFL-CIO Mari­ time Trades Department. And he was Vice President of the AFLCIO Texas State Labor Federa­ tion. 30 Years of Dedication Paul Drozak's career as a mer­ chant seaman and Union official spanned more than 30 years of hard work and dedication. He, along with his identical twin brother, Frank, who is Exe­ cutive Vice President of the SIU, was born in Coy, Ala., Wilcox Legislative News SIU i.n Washington Illegal rebating issue Page 9 Page 2 Union News Paul Drozak dies Page 3 President's Report Page 2 lOT conference Pages 13-15 Headquarters Notes Page 7 Brotherhood in Action ... Page 28 At Sea-Ashore Page 18 Inland Lines Page 6 Great Lakes Picture Page 8 Inland vacation milestone.Page 10 Generai News U.S.-Canada trade .Page 7 Weisberger retires Page 7 Hits tunaboat switch .....Page 10 National unemployment ... Page 2 AFL-CIO council meets ...Page 5 Liner policy Page 5 Paul Drozak, second from right, talks with tijiree SIU members after a monthly membership meeting in Houston, Tex. Photo was taken in Aug. 1975. County, on Dec. 24, 1927. The two, inseparable through youth, were raised by their grand­ mother, Mary Jordan, in this small, poverty stricken farming community. Like so many other young Americans of their time, Paul and Frank Drozak were victims of the Depression. They dropped out of school in the seventh grade to work on a farm. Along with their grandmother, they mcved to Mobile in the early 1940's where they found work in the Alabama Shipyard. While employed there, they met a Captain of a damaged Liberty ship who encouraged them to go to sea. They took his advice, got their Coast Guard papers and shipped out through the War Shipping Ad­ ministration. Their first ship at the age of 16 was the SS Margaret Lehand, which they caught in Mo­ bile in 1944. They joined the SIU the following year. After the death of their grand­ mother, the two continued to ship together and live together ashore unil 1951. At that time, Paul went to work for the SIU as an or­ ganizer in the port of Seattle. He made a few trips after thai as bosun, But Paul Drozak had found INDEX World training standards . Page 25 Offshore presidents' committee Page 26 Shipping LNG Aries rescue Page 27 Overseas Washington Page 6 Petrel Page 26 Cove Communicator ..... Page 4 Ships' Digests Page 23 Dispatchers' Reports: Great Lakes Page 32 Inland Waters Page 28 Deep Sea Page 30 Training and Upgrading 'A' seniority upgrading ...Page 38 HLS course dates Page 39 Diesel course Page 11 Tl scholarship program .. Page 29 a job he loved—working to better the lives of his fellow SIU mem­ bers. In 1954, Paul entered the U.S. Army serving for two years. He returned to work for the Union in 1956 as patrolman in the port of New York. In 1961, he became agent in the port of Houston, a job he held for 11 years. Then in 1972, he was elected SIU Vice President in Charge of the Lakes and Inland Waters. He held this post until his death. Spearheaded Inland Organizing During his 17 years of working out of Houston, Paul Drozak spearheaded the SIU's organizing efforts in the towing industry. Drozak nurtured the old SlU-affiliated Inland Boatmen's Union from its infancy in 1961 to a posi­ tion years later where it became the largest trade union represent­ ing American boatmen in the United States. Drozak served as National Di­ rector of the Inland Boatmen's Union from 1972 until late 1976 when IBU members and SIU A&G members voted a merger of the two organizations. Extremely shaken by the death of his brother, Frank Drozak said: Membershi^^ News Former scholarship winner New pensioners Final Departures ".. .Page 18 Page 31 Page 34 Speciai Features Helicoper rescues .... Back page Fiscal budget Page 12 Treasure Pages 36-37 Know Your Company .... Page 33 MTD executive board. Pages 19-22 Articles of particular interest to members in each area—deep sea, inland. Lakes—Can be found on the following pages: Deep Sea: 4, 18, 23, 25, 27, 30, 38 Iniand Waters: 6,10,11,13-15,27, 28, 29, 33 Great Lakes: 7,8,32 "I feel that I've lost more than a brother. I've lost part of myself." He continued, "when we were kids, times were tough, and it was a matter of going out there and work or starve. But we always stuck together through it all, be­ cause we knew that we could al­ ways rely on each other." Recalling the personal make-up of his brother, Frank Drozak said: "Paul was the kind of person that never questioned his job. If I told him to meet me in New Orleans, he would never ask why. He would just say, 'where and what time.' He knew he had a job to do and he simply went out and got it done." Frank Drozak continued: "Paul was a self-educated man. He was a devoted hu.sband and father. He always made every effort to be home on the weekends when the job allowed. "He loved football and base­ ball, and he always looked forward to going to the Kentucky Derby each year. He didn't get much chance to do it in recent years, but Paul loved to grab a fishing pole, sit out by some creek bank and try his luck." Looking back at his brother's career, Frank said, "this Union put shoes on our feet. It gave us a chance to make our livings. Paul was thankful for that, and that's why he dedicated his life to this organization. I'm going to miss him an awful lot." Services for Paul Drozak were held at the Forest Park Funeral Home in Houston on Saturday March 11. He was buried that day at Forest Park Cemetery. The chapel was crowded with friends from Magnolia, Tex., where he made his home; with friends from the SIU, and with friends from the labor movement throughout Texas and the nation. In addition to his brother, Frank, Paul Drozak is survived by his wife, Jean, and three daugh­ ters, Debby, 23, Donna, 18, and Denise, 10. Also surviving are a brother, David, and a sister, Mary Walhaven. The family asks that anyone wishing to make contributions in his memory make them to Meth­ odist Hospital in the name of Paul Drozak. The address of the hospi­ tal is 6516 Bertner, Houston, Tex. 77030. Please note that the money is for cancer research. iH Texas AFL-CIO DeditafesConvenfion to Paul Drozak SIU Vice President Paul Drozak, who died of cancer Mar. 9, 7975, was held in the highest esteem by his Union Brothers throughout the labor move­ ment, and especially in the State of Texas. Shortly after his death, the Texas Continued on Page 26 March 1978/ LOG / 3 •-i ?, ill �The Cove Communicator came into New Haven on Feb. 28 carrying a load of crude oil from the Gulf. Cove Communicator Comes to New Haven The tanker Cove Communicator (Cove Tankers) made a visit to the Connecticut port city of New Haven on Feb. 28. The SlU-contiacted vessel was there to discharge crude oil which she carried up from the Gulf, and to pay off the crew. New York Patrolman Ted Babkowski was on hand to be at the payoff and settle beefs. The seafaring crew had few complaints and all were pleased with the meals prepared by Steward/Cook Crisanto Modellas and his very competent galley gang. Recertified Bosun Ballard Browning said the ship would be returning to ports in Texas to pick up another load of crude. The Cove Communicator has been on a regular coastwise run for the entire winter. Eddie Jordan (I), fireman-watertender, makes sure everything is running smoothly in the engine department. G. Hernandez (center), an AB, checks the oil level on the tanker. In photo at right, putting the finishing touches on the crew's dinner, is Steward/Cook Crisanto Modellas. SlU Patrolman Ted Babkowski (seated far left) talks with the crew of the Cove Communicator. Standing from the left are: Jim Edmonds, AB; Jim Wilson, AB/deck delegate; B. Browning, recertified bosun/ship's chairman, and L. Gracia, cook and baker/steward delegate. Seated (from the left) are: Babkowski; Crisanto Modellas, chief steward/secretary-reporter, and J. Hipolito, oiler. 4 / LOG / March 1978 Taking a look at the latest issue of the Log are, (I. to r.): Edward Collins, AB; L. Dueitt, AB, and Ed Jordan, FOWT. �Program for 2-Million Jobs AFL-CIO Asks Carter for $29.5B to Boost Economy The AFL-CIO Executive Council called on the Carter Administration to implement a $29.55 billion economic stimulus program. The program, among other things, would create two million new jobs for unemployed Americans. In statements made at their annual mid-winter meeting (Feb. 20-27) in Bal Harbour, Fla., the Executive Coun­ cil said that reducing unemployment was the "key to fighting inflation." This is because joblessness is one of the "chief causejs of inflation," the Council said. Labor's economic program calls for $13.5 billion in direct job creating funds; $10.9 billion in personal tax re­ ductions, and a $5.4 billion cut in So­ cial Security taxes. The Executive Council said that the tax reduction program would indirectly create one million jobs through in­ creased sales and services. In addition, the Council said that the $13.5 billion in direct job creating funds should be used to produce one million new jobs in the following areas: • $3 billion for the creation of 120,000 jobs in the public works sector. The money should go to help older cities with high unemployment, finance major construction such as water sys­ tems, bridges, and highways. • $4 billion to provide 400,000 jobs in the public .service area. • $1 billion for youth job training programs that will provide 200,000 jobs for unemployed young people. • $2 billion to create 80,000 jobs through increased mass transit funding vided to all workers who directly or in­ directly lose their jobs due to competi­ tion from foreign imports. Labor Law Reform The AFL-CIO Executive Council, in session last month, called on the Carter Administration to come up with a $29.55 billion economic recovery package which would, in part, create two million new jobs for American workers. and railroad rehabilitation. • $2 billion to provide 80,000 jobs for new housing projects. • $1.25 billion for guaranteed loans to help enterprises locate, remain or ex­ pand in cities with high unemployment. This would create an estimated 70,000 new jobs. Trade Crisis In line with the nation's unemploy­ ment problems, the AFL-CIO Execu­ tive Council said that America's inter­ national trade policy is causing heavy losses in the job market for U.S. workers. The Council pointed out that in 1977, the U.S. suffered a trade deficit of $27 billion—the largest in U.S. his­ tory. They projected a similar deficit for 1978. AFL-CIO President George Meany told a news conference that America's present trade policy "is slowly but surely converting the U.S. into a service industry country, and there is a possi­ bility that we will lose our position be­ fore long as a major manufacturing na­ tion, not only to foreign competition but to competition from American cor­ porations who produce overseas." The Council affirmed that Congress must take strong steps to protect Amer­ ican jobs against unfair trade policies, such as product dumping and tax loop­ holes that encourage such practices. In particular, the Council stated that compensation benefits must be pro­ The Executive Council also an­ nounced an all-out final drive for pas­ sage of the Labor Law reform bill in the Senate. The bill is designed to speed up the judicial process of the National Labor Relations Act. It faces strong opposi­ tion in the Senate from big business in­ terests. The Labor reform bill contains four crucial features, including: • An end to unnecessary delays in resolving unfair labor practice cases. • More adequate compensation to workers harmed by illegal employer ac­ tions. • Assurance of a timely election when petition for union representation. • Denial of Federal contracts to firms that repeatedly and willfully vio­ late employee rights. The Council said that the AFL-CIO was prepared to match the bill's oppon­ ents "postcard for postcard, letter for letter, telephone call for telephone call, visit for visit" to insure passage of the bill in the Senate. The vote on the bill is due late this month. In other actions during the weeklong meeting, the AFL-CIO Executive Board adopted statements calling for action on national health insurance; welfare reform; lower interest rates for housing mortgages, and an expanded program for aid to the handicapped. Hall Says Liner Policy 'Strangles' Shipping U.S. liner shipping policy "strangles" American shipping. SIU President Paul Hall made this charge and called for major changes at a national transportation forum in New York City on Mar. 14. The purpose of the forum, held by Northwestern University, was to "search for a rational liner shipping policy" for this country. Hall was a featured speaker at the two day event, along with business, academic, and Government leaders in the maritime field. "A rational shipping policy is plainly something this country sorely lacks," Hall maintained. If it were rational , he said, it would strengthen the American economy and our national defense. But just the opposite is true. Our shipping policy doesn't make any sense. Hall explained. It has allowed the U.S.—"the largest trading nation in the world"—to carry only five per­ cent of its foreign trade on its own ships. This has caused a serious decline in the U.S. merchant fleet, which in turn, has reduced American job opportuni­ ties and national defense capabilities. "It is now time for the U.S. to recog­ nize that even at five percent, we have not yet reached the bottom," Hall warned. Current U.S. shipping policy does not support measures that would stop this dangerous trend. The maritime industry has not been able to get an oil cargo preference law, for example, which would guarantee a larger percentage of our trade for U.S. tankers. Many critics of the recent oil bill which was defeated in Congress last year, said that it went against America's free trade policy. But free trade is an "outmoded" pol- iM major U.S. industries. And he main­ tained that the wage differential be­ tween U.S. and foreign operations is not large enough to account for the low level of business going to U.S. shipping companies. "These are not the reasons why the Merchant Marine Act has failed to live up to expectations," he concluded. The reasons have to do with the gap between U.S. policy and U.S. practices. The 1970 Act made a strong merchant ma­ rine a matter of national policy. But Hall listed a number of Government practices that stand in the way of that important goal: SIU President Paul Hall presented his view of what's wrong with U S, liner shipping policy at a national transportation forum in New York City on Mar. 14. icy. Hall pointed out, which only the U.S. seems to find it necessary to follow. "We have gcntcely labored under a nineteenth-century code of free rnarket concepts while the competition, which does have a rational liner shipping pol­ icy, has played a different ball game. We have worn tuxedoes to a barroom brawl. "If left unchecked, a handful of other countries, led by the Soviet Union, will come to monopolize our trade in a man­ ner that should frighten even the most dedicated of free-market advocates." Hall further demonstrated how some of the same critics who cried "free trade" when the U.S. was considering the cargo preference bill, practice some­ thing quite different than what they preach. "Saudi Arabia plans to build up a fleet of oil tankers under its own flag and protected by cargo preference. It is an interesting footnote that one of Saudi Arabia's announced partners is none other than Texaco. Tcxaco's and other oil majors' spokesmen include the American Pctroleun: ? is^iojic and the so-called Federation of American Con­ trolled Shipping, both of which vehe­ mently attacked the U.S. version of a cargo preference bill last year." Hall also dismissed "those critics of the U.S. maritime industry who would like to have you believe that ineffi­ ciency, high wages and labor instability are the reasons why the U.S. fleet carries such a small share of our foreign trade," He cited the Merchant Marine Act of 1970, which was passed to significantly expand the U.S. merchant fleet, as a joint achievement of maritime labor and management. The fact that "there has not been a seagoing dispute of any consequence in the U.S. since 1969" is another example of labor and manage­ ment cooperation. Hall also pointed out that wages for maritime labor are low when compared with wages for similar work in most • Maritime policy in the U.S. is not coordinated. Regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Maritime Commission, the Department of Justice, and the Interstate Com­ merce Commission, set rules and procedures that have often proved counterproductive. • Setting strict standards, such as en­ vironmental regulations, on U.S. ship operators, but not on foreignflag operators, in effect, cripples the ability of U.S. operators to compete. • U.S. regulatory agencies have re­ nounced the way other nations op­ erate as anti-competitive. But they have not provided a workable sub­ stitute that U.S. operators can follow. "Until we change those laws and practices that strangle U.S. shipping," Hall concluded, "we will never achieve a rational liner shipping policy for the U.S. And this country will remain weakened in a key segment of its econ­ omy and will remain unprepared to guarantee its own national survival," March 1978 / LOG / 5 :4l �Hall Named Head of Labor Policy Group on Trade St. Louis A new 10,500 hp. towboat, ihcDick Conerlev.wds crewed by SIU Boatmen in this port on Mar. 15. She will push barges, from 30 to 50 at a time, from Cairo, 111. to New Orleans, La. She was built at the St. Louis Shipyard, and is owned and operated by SlU-contracted Ozark Marine. She is also the largest boat the SIU has under contract on the rivers. Jacksonvillp,, Flu. SlU-contracted Caribe Tugboat will now carry refrigerated van« in its roll-on barge operation between this port, Miami, Lake Charles, La. and San Juan, P. R. The qompany has ordered 120 of these vans and about 40 are now in service, carrying mostly frozen foods. Refrigerated cargo is a first for Caribe. The company has also expanded its liquid and dry bulk cargo service. Twenty-five 7,000 gallon, 40 foot stainless steel tank trailers have been added to carry petroleum products in the roll-on operation. They are the largest in the trade. In addition, 250 40 foot dry vans are also on order. Houston A new three year contract with Western Towing has been ratified by the SIU membership in this port. The new agreement establishes an industry-wide vacation plan. It also provides wage increases and many beneficial work rule changes. All Forts Continued industrial growth in 1978 is expected to increase tonnage carried on the nation's inland waterways by four percent above the 1977 level, the U.S. Department of Commerce predicts. The figure will be about 267 billion ton miles. Business firms reported 388 new plants or expansions along the waterways in 1976. These resulted in the investment of $6 billion and created an estimated 46,000 jobs. Fuel cost is now one of the larger expenses of the barge industry. It has more than tripled since 1973 and now equals about 27 percent of total operat­ ing cost. SIU President Paul Hall is the new chairman of the Labor Policy Advisory Committee on Trade Negotiations. This is one of three committees that are actively involved in advising the federal government on its trade policies and programs. Hall was nominated by AFL-CIO President George Meany to succeed former United Steelworkers of America President I. W. Abel to the position following Abel's retirement. The Labor Poliey Advisory Com­ mittee, as well as the advisory eommittees for agriculture and manufacturing industries, was established under the Trade Act of 1974. They are designed to provide the federal government with information and technical advice on trade issues. Some 35 unions participate in the committee's activities. They do this through six subcommittees established to bring expertise on particular trade problems. In addition to being chairman of the Labor Policy Advisory Committee, Hall is chairman of the Sector Commit­ tee on .Services. Met in January The Labor Policy Committee met in January and heard reports by Robert Strauss, the President's Special Repre­ sentative for Trade Negotiations. He talked about the current round of worldwide trade negotiations being conducted in Geneva, Switzerland. The Labor Policy Advisory Commit­ tee has generally been critical of efforts to reduce tariffs and other protections Paul Hall established to insure the viability of U.S. industries. The loss of existing trade protections would expose Ameri­ can industries to a rising flood of im­ ported products that would take over U.S. markets. Of the three policy advisory commit­ tees, only the Labor Committee elects its own chairman. The Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee is co-chaired by Strauss and Secretary of Agriculture Robert Bergland. The Manufacturing Industries Policy Advisory Committee is cochaired by Strauss and Secretary of Commerce Juanita Kreps. Hall has also accepted an invitation by Strauss to continue serving as a member of the Advisory Committee on Multilateral Trade Negotiations. This committee is the top U.S. ad­ visory committee on trade. Thomas Jefferson Committee Y swore I would never come home again till I was a pilot and cauM come home in glory. Mark Twain, "Life on the Mississippi" 43: • Yes, you can pass the Coast Guard exam for First Class Pilot! At HLS we'll give you all the help you need to earn your pilot's license. When you leave HLS, you'll go home to a better job and higher pay. Course starts May 15 Come to HLS • Take the Pilot's Course We'll help you go home in glory! 6 / LOG / March 1978 The Thomas Jefferson (Waterman) paid off recently at Pier 7 in Brooklyn. N.Y. Shown hore is part of the Ship's Committee. From the left are: Electrician Lyie Clevenger, educational director; Johnny H, Green, steward delegate; Chief Steward Bill Kaiset, secretary-reporter, and Horace Gaskill, deck delegate. Overseas Washington The SS Overseas Washing­ ton, a newly buOt, SlU-contracted supertanker, has joined her three sister ships and will soon be plying the Alaska oil trade. The Washington, like the SS Overseas Chicago, the Over­ seas Ohio and the Overseas New York before her, is an 89,700 dwt vessel built by Mari- time Overseas Corp. The four ships, built at the National Steel Shipyards in San Diego, Calif., were all engi­ neered to travel the Alaska ofl route. The first one launched, the Overseas Chicago, was ready in June of 1977. All four ships are 894 feet long, have a beam of 106 feet, and a 49-foot draft. �Headquar by SIU Executive Vice President Frank Drozak The SIU has just wrapped up another productive and informative educa­ tional conference for SIU Boatmen. (See pages 13-15 of this Log.) Since these conferences began a year ago they have brought together SIU Boatmen from all areas of the nation. There were conferences for Boatmen who work the Western Rivers and Great Lakes. There were educational ses­ sions for Boatmen involved in shipdocking and coastwise towing on the Gulf and East Coasts. Initially, the purpose of these forums was to bring members and officials together to talk about goals and plans for the future concerning new contracts, new educational programs, and a wide range of other issues. However, as the conferences progressed, it became apparent that a poten­ tially dangerous problem existed. There was a lack of understanding between members and officials in a number of areas. For instance, it became apparent that many members did not fully under­ stand the benefits available to them through the Seafarers Welfare Plan and through the Lundeberg School. They did not completely understand how the new pension law affected their benefits under the Seafarers Pension Plan. And they were not fully aware of the extent of the SIU's activities in such crucial areas as organizing and the political arena. At the same time, it became apparent that SIU officials were not completely aware of some of the special problems, needs and desires of the membership concerning contracts, benefits, and working conditions. No blame can be attached here because I believe that both Union officials and Union members are making an honest effort to understand and commu­ nicate with one another. However, as these conferences have been pointing out, we must all par­ ticipate more fully in the all important job of communication. I believe that the educational conferences the SIU has been conducting have gone a long way in breaking down any barriers of communication that may have existed. But the Union cannot continue to hold an unending number of conferences month after month. So what we all have to do is to take better advantage of the tools of com­ munication that are already available to us. One of the most effective tools of communication the Union has to offer its members is our newspaper. The Log carries stories and information on virtually every issue concerning the good and welfare of SIU members. When you receive the Log on your ship or boat, it should be circulated among the membership. Then, during your weekly Union meetings aboard your vessel, the Log should be used as an educational tool—as a focal point for discussion on important issues that affect us all. Secondly, SIU members must make a more concerted effort to attend monthly Union meetings at the local Union hall. The monthly meeting is the perfect place to bring up any problems that may exist. By not attending these meetings, and by not communicating your thoughts, small problems can get blown out of proportion. You won't solve anything by keeping problems to yourself. SIU members should also make greater use of the telephone. If you have a problem or question concerning anything to do with the Union, call your local representative and let him know the situation. Again, problems don't solve themselves. And your local representative can do nothing to help unless he knows what the problem is. On the other hand. Union officials, themselves, must make a greater effort to get out in the field and meet with the membership on a one to one basis. The more contact between officials and members the better; and the less chance of any communication barriers being thrown up unnecessarily. One more thing. SIU members who have participated in Union educational conferences and forums should not hoard their knowledge. Make an effort to communicate what you have learned to your fellow members who have not had the opportunity to participate in such programs. Such interaction among members themselves fulfills another important aspect of communication throughout our Union. Overall, I believe that very few communication problems exist in the SIU today. But, communication is an ongoing job. And we should never take any­ thing for granted when it comes to issues important to the Union and our liveli­ hoods. We have a good Union with a good solid job structure. We can all help to keep it that way simply by talking to each other. Drozak: Need U.S.-Canada Bilateral Shipping Pact Foreign-flag ships dominating deep sea transport is not a new problem for the SIU. But when these vessels threaten to start cutting into the U.S.-Canadian trade on the Great Lakes—then it's time to look for new solutions. That was the thrust of a statement SIU Executive Vice President Frank Drozak made at the Great Lakes-Sea­ way New Venture Workshop held in Cleveland, Ohio on Mar. 7. Drozak said, "the Seafarers Inter­ national Union suggests that a vehicle designed to improve the status of our foreign trade fleet in the Great Lakes and which also minimizes the threat of third-flag shipping to both Canada's and the United States' fleets lies in a bi­ lateral shipping agreement between the U.S. and Canada." This would mean guaranteeing that cargo moving between the U.S. and Canada be carried on American and Canadian-flag vessels only. Figures from a Maritime Adminis­ tration report show that only seven per­ cent of U.S.-Canadian cargo is carried on American vessels. Drozak pointed out that ''the United States stands out as the only major maritime nation which lacks an overall maritime policy designed to bolster its merchant shipping capabilities." Just as it is impossible, Drozak said, for U.S.-flag ships to compete with foreign vessels that are subsidized by their country of origin, it is "under­ standably impossible for our ships in the U.S.-Canada trades to compete against a Canadian fleet which is strongly aided and supported as a mat­ ter of national policy by the Canadian government." Drozak noted that a "sharing ar­ rangement" between the U.S. and Canada on the Great Lakes would have several advantages: • it would screen possible third-flag vessels from Great Lakes trade; • it would provide stable work and job protection for U.S. and Canadian seamen whose jobs are now threatened by foreign shipping; • it would allow for expansion by both American and Canadian fleets by guaranteeing them both cargoes; • the financial costs to both countries would be minimized. This is because aid that would have been provided to the Lakes fleets could be directed to deep sea foreign trades where it would do more good. Though Canada's fleet on the Lakes is currently very strong. Us deep sea fleet isn't. Some of the money Canada now spends on its Lakes fleet could be diverted to deep sea. Bilateral trading agreements between countries with common borders are nothing new. They arc a common prac­ tice in Europe, South America, and Asia. Such agreements enable two countries to work together for a com­ mon goal. A bilateral arrangement could aid both the U.S. and Canada by stressing cooperation between the two countries instead of competition. "We believe," Drozak said, "that the U.S. fleet as well as the Canadian fleet should not be forced to compete against each other but should work together to counteract the competition of thirdflag shipping which seeks to dominate both our trades." SUP s Morris Weisberger Goes Into Retirement The SIUNA-affiliated Sailors Union of the Pacific bid a reluctant goodbye to its secretary-treasurer for the past 21 years. Morris Weisberger, who headed the 93-year-old union since the death of Harry Lundeberg in 1957, retired in February. Weisberger retired be­ cause of ill health. Paul Dempster was voted president/ secretary-treasurer for the 1978-1979 term; Jack Ryan was named vice pres­ ident. Weisberger has been a part of sea­ faring for more than 50 years. He re­ ceived his AB ticket in 1928 and was one of the survivors of the SS Morro Castle, a U.S. passenger ship that burned off Asbury Park, N.J. on Sept. 8, 1934. He took on his first position as a SUP official in 1936 when he was named patrolman for the San Fran­ cisco/Honolulu area. In 1939 Weisberger was made the SUP's New York port agent. He worked the East Coast until the death of Harry Lundeberg in 1957 when he was unani­ mously elected to fill the union's top post. He moved his wife, Ann, his son and daughter, to union headquarters in California. Addressing the SUP membership af­ ter the election, Weisberger said: "This is a grave responsibility to which you have elected me. I do not consider this so much an honor as it is a solemn responsibility and a duty of the highest character." During his 21 years as the SUP's highest elected official, Weisberger also served in a number of other posts. This included: executive vice president of the SI UNA; a vice president of the Cali­ fornia Labor Federation; a member of the AFL-CIO General Board and So­ cial Security Committee; president since its inception of the San Francisco Mari­ time Trades Department Port Council, as well as the MTD's Western Area Executive Board member, and presi­ dent of the Board of Pilot Commission­ ers for San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bays. Weisberger also served as a trustee of the Seafarer's Medical Center in San Morris Weisberger Francisco and was a labor delegate to various international conferences on Safety of Life at Sea. Paul Dempster, who ran for and won the president/secretary-trcasurer posi­ tion (the office was rctitlcd two years ago) after Weisberger decided to retire, has been around the union for quite awhile. He was the union's tanker busi­ ness agent out of Point Richmond, Calif, for 15 years. Before that he sailed in the deck department on tankers and freighters. The SUP's newspaper. The West Coast Sailor, in its story about Weisbergcr's retirement, spoke of the role Weisberger had played in the union. "Morris Weisberger made a significant contribution to the development of the Sailors Union of the Pacific," the paper said, "and while he has consented to stand by to assist and counsel the in­ coming administration, he will be sorely missed in the difficult days ahead." March 1978 / LOG / 7 �The Lakes Picture Algonac The five vessels of the Huron Cement Fleet fitted out at the end of February. Two of the fleet are in Green Bay, Wise., and one each is berthed in Superior, Wise., Cleveland, Ohio, and Detroit, Mich. The Medusa Challenger (Cement Transit Co.) fitted out on Mar. 6 in Milwaukee. Environment Original reports following the crash of the Soviet nuclear-powered satellite Co.smos 954 in January in Northwest Canada indicated that there was no en­ vironmental danger in Canada or the Great Lakes area. However, a professor of radiological physics at the University of Pittsburgh does not agree. In a Feb. 19 article in the Boston Globe, Ernest Sternglass disputed state­ ments from both the U.S. and Soviet governments that said the reactor posed no danger to the air and water of Canada and the Great Lakes. "In fact," Dr. Sternglass said, "as the uranium and fission products did vaporize into the atmosphere, they were transformed ... to the most hazardous chemical form for the production of lung cancer." Dr. Sternglass said the amount of radioactivity released into the air, water, food and milk supplies of the world equals "the detonation of about 10 modern atomic weapons." It is easy, though, for the possible health hazards to be minimized by both governments because "lung cancers, congenital defects and rises in other chiouic diseases many years later cannot be readily traced to a given nuclear incident." All the Lakes The Great Lakes region has weathered not only a bad winter, but the effects of back-to-back strikes by ore and coal miners which have seriously affected shipping in the area. Snow and ice caused problems for several SlU-contracted ships during February. The Roger M. Kyes and the Adam E. Cornelius, both American Steamship Co. vessels, got stuck in the ice around Ashtabula, Ohio and had to wait for Coast Guard icebreakers to free them. The H. Lee White (Am. Steam­ ship) got into trouble a half mile off Bums Harbor and it was two days before a . path could be broken through the ice to the harbor. The Great Lakes may also run into trouble when all the ice begins melting. The Great Lakes basin, an area covering 300,000 square miles, had aboveaverage rainfall during the first nine months of 1977. Now, instead of a too-low water level, the Lakes may face the reverse prob­ lem this spring with waters expected to rise about a foot with the thaw. Though settlement of the ore miner's strike caused the extension of the normal shipping season, the ongoing coal miners strike has already disrupted Great Lakes shipping. Orders to fit out four SIU coal carriers had been given by Boland and Ameri­ can Steamship Companies but they were cancelled until further notice—which means, until the coal strike ends. SIU Rep Jack Allen said, "it's a touch-and-go situation" as far as Lakes shipping is concerned. Duiiitii The Harry L. Allen (Kinsman Lines), which was totaled in a grain elevator fire on the Duluth waterfront last month is being replaced in the Kinsman fleet. The company purchased the bulk freighter Richard V. Lindabury from U.S. Steel and renamed it the Kinsman Independent. The Allen's entire SIU crew will now man the Independent. Smooth Sailing The St. Lawrence Seaway Authority is in the process of planning a test pro­ gram designed to increase the capacity of the Welland Canal. The tests involve two shunters, self-propelled floatuig platforms which attach to the bow and stern of a ship and guide it through canal locks. The shunters, each powered by 3,650 BHP diesel engines, are now being built. They are expected to reduce lockage time for large vessels by at least 20 percent. Great Lakes Survival Suits The waters of the Great Lakes can be pretty cold. Seamen forced to abandon their vessels didn't, imtil recently, stand a very good chance of surviving the cold wearing only regulation life jackets for protection. The tools of your trade Leam to moke them work lor you ... Apply now lor the Tronsportatl Institute Towbout Operator Scholcurship • Special three-month curriculum offered only at the Harry Lundeberg School • Room, Board and Books Free • Tuition free • Weekly stipend of $125 • Time spent in on-the-job training is Coast Guard ap­ proved as the equivalent of required wheelhouse time • Day-for-day work time credit for HLS Entry Graduates Scholarships will be awarded in May. To apply, see your SIU Representative. But last fall. Great Lakes shipping' companies began carrying foam sur­ vival suits on all Lakes vessels. The suits are 3/16 of an inch of neoprene foam and can be put on in less than a minute. They keep the wearer buoyant and warm for 18-24 hours, even in water temperatures as low as 35 degrees. Though Great Lakes ship owners are not yet required to carry survival suits as standard equipment, both the SIU and MEBA are working on making it mandatory. Both unions have drafted proposals requiring all Great Lakes ships to carry these suits in upcoming contracts. MEBA, which is now manning Lakes vessels on an extension of their old contract, made carrying the suitsra provision of the extension. There's One Problem The only problem with the sur­ vival suits is that they keep disap­ pearing from the ships. SIU reps on the Lakes can't figure out why. The suits, with their attached hoods, boots, and gloves aren't exactly the picture of fashion. In fact, they've been dubbed "Ugly Suit." They also can't be used for scuba diving, duck hunting, or other sports requiring foul weather gear. So far, most of the missing suits have been recovered and returned to their vessels. Great Lakes ships are carrying these suits for the protection of the crews. Should a situation ever occur where the crew needed survival gear and came up short on the suits, who'd be the man who'd volunteer to jump into Lake Michigan without one? 8 / LOG / March 1978 . �Itl in iJJnsJiington Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO MARCH 1978 Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings U.S. Seeks to End Rate-Cutting By Soviet Fleet There's a bill in Congress—HR 9988—which is aimed at controling rate-cutting practices by foreign state-owned and state-operated ship­ ping lines. The bill is an effort to preserve "legitimate competition" among all ocean carriers engaged in the United States liner trades. Several state-owned and state-op­ erated carriers—notably the Soviet merchant fleet — have increasingly penetrated the U.S. trades through predatory rate-cutting practices. Recently, the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee be­ gan hearings on the bill. The Transportation Institute, Washington-based maritime research and ed­ ucation organization, has strongly endorsed the measure. In a statement to the House Committee, TI Presi­ dent Herbert Brand cited the im­ mense growth of the Soviet merchant fleet, its penetration into the U.S. trades and its history of rate-cutting as ample reasons for enacting U.S. rate regulations. Under the proposed legislation, state-owned carriers operating in the U.S. liner trades would have to file their rates with the Federal Maritime Commission 30 days before their ef= fective date. If the FMC finds the rates to be unjust or unreasonable, they can suspend the rates and pre­ scribe minimum rates to be charged which would be "fair and reasonable'.' Bill Is Offered To Allow State Withholding Tax A bill to permit the voluntary with­ holding of State income taxes from seamen's wages has been introduced in Congress, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The legislation would enable a seaman who is employed in the coast­ wise trade between ports in the same state to enter into an agreement with his employer to have the employer withhold State income taxes. Under existing law, state taxes cannot be withheld even if the sea­ man wants such an agreement. The bill was introduced by Senator Spark Matsunaga (D-Hawaii) in re­ sponse to seamen who move barges between Hawaiian ports. If enacted, the bill would also affect seamen op­ erating coastwise within any other state in the U.S. On the Agenda in Congress... Hearings BUY AMERICAN. In the House, the Subcommittee on Legislation and National Security of the House Gov­ ernment Operations Committee be­ gan hearings this month on the ad­ ministration of the Buy American Act. Later this month, the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs will also conduct hearings on the Act. NOTE: Our Washington legisla­ tive staff will monitor these hearings closely. As we have been reporting, two important bills—the Outer Con­ tinental Shelf Bill and the Deep Sea­ bed Mining Bill—contain provisions requiring that equipment be built in America, and that American workers be hired to man the vessels and equipment to be used in both indus­ tries. Working with the legislative and political staff of the AFL-CIO, our efforts will be toward protecting the jobs and "ob security of American workers. COAL SLURRY PIPELINES. The Senate Energy and Natural Re­ sources Committee has begun hear­ ings on the relationship between Nine more SIU "A" Seniority Upgraders came to the nation's capital re­ energy production and supply. In­ cently for a first-hand look at their Union's political and legislative activities. cluded in the hearings will be yet During their day-long visit, the Upgraders visited the AFL-CIO Maritime another examination of the "cpal Trades Department, Transportation Institute, and the Congress. slurry pipeline" system. In addition During lunch at the National Democratic Club, they met and talked with to being costly and environmentally Congressman Fred Rooney (D-Pa.), a member of the House Merchant unsound, such pipelines would cut Marine and Fisheries Committee, and Congre.ssman William Clay (D-Mo.), deeply into the coal barge transpor­ a member of the House Education and Labor Committee. tation industry. We have successfully At the Maritime Trades Department, the group met with Dave Dolgen, opposed the pipeline system for a SIU Director of Legislative and Political Activities; John Yarmola, MTD number of years, and we will con­ National Field Coordinator; Jean Ingrao, MTD Administrator, and Betty tinue to oppose any moves in Con­ Rocker, SIU Legislative Representative. At the Transportation Institute, gress or the Department of Energy to they met with Tl President Herb Brand, Legislative Analyst Jim Patti, and resurrect the slurry pipeline proposal. other staff members. LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS The Upgraders attending the educational program were Kenneth Couture, (LNG). The Energy Subcommittee Miguel Alicea, Timothy Burns, Jose Perez, Kirk Piper, Jessie Hall, James of the House Interstate and Foreign Jones, Norm.an MacBean and George Mazzola. Seen in the photo with them Relations Committee commenced are Betty Rocker, Piney Point Port Agent Pat Pillsworth, .^nd SIU Repre­ hearings Mar. 21 on the Natural Gas sentative Darry Sanders. Pipeline Safety Act. This will involve transshipment of Liquefied Natural SPAD is the SIU's political fund and our political arm in Gas (LNG). Because we are now Washington, D.C. The SHJ asks for and accepts voluntary becoming heavily involved in the contributions only. The Union uses the money donated to ocean transport of LNG, the SIU's SPAD to support the election campaigns of legislators who have shown a pro-maritime or pro-labor record. Washington staff is monitoring all SPAD enables the SIU to work effectively on the vital Congressional and Federal Agency maritime issues in the Congress. These are issues that have actions relating to LNG production a direct impact on the jobs and job security of all SIU mem­ and transportation. bers, deep-sea, inland, and Lakes. COAST GUARD. Two hearings The SIU urges its members to continue their fine record are being held. The Coast Guard sub­ of support for SPAD. A member can contribute to the committee of the House Merchant SPAD fund as he or she sees fit, or make no contribution at Marine and Fisheries Committee is all without fear of reprisal. meeting on a number of issues in­ A copy of the SPAD report is filed with the Federal Elec­ cluding the Coast Guard's authority tion Commission. It is available for purchase from the EEC to intercept and inspect vessels on the in Washington, D.C. high seas which are carrying hazard­ ous cargo. In the other hearing, the House Merchant Marine and Fish­ eries Committee will finalize its rec­ ommendation on the Coast Guard budget for next year. Seniority Upgraders in Washington For Briefing on Political Action / •: �Inland Vacation Plan Hits Milestone^l,000th Check Harvey Gallop, an engineer with Steuart Transportation, this month re­ ceived the 1000th check issued under the SIU industry-wide Inland Vacation Plan. Gallop's check is a significant benefit for himself and a milestone for all SIU Boatmen. It means that the Union has come a long way in a short time toward bringing bigger and better benefits to inland members. Before the first Inland Vacation Plan was negotiated in August, 1976, most Boatmen got the short end of the stick when it came to vacation benefits. Many, like those from some companies on the Rivers and the Gulf, got no benefits at all. Those who did receive some form of company benefit, usually had to take a lot of drawbacks along with it. For example, they had to work at least a year to be eligible for the benefit and could only collect once a year after that. If they left the company, they lost the benefit and had to start from scratch accumulating eligibility at another com­ pany. Moreover, the company benefits were generally small and took years of work to build up to anything. In only a year and a half since the first SIU Inland Vacation Plan began, all that has changed. One thousand checks have been issued to Boatmen like Gallop, each time bringing more benefits and advantages than they had before. Gallop's check is a good example. It paid him $552 for 90 days of work. This is more than Gallop received from Steuart for each full year during the three years that he worked at the com­ pany before the Plan went into effect there. And he can collect it now for every 90 days that he-continues to work. This is where the money comes from. The Plan is a trust fund built up through company contributions. The companies pay a certain amount into it for each day that each Boatman works. The amount is determined by the Boatman's rating and increases each year that the Plan is in effect under the contract. In other words, the more you work, the more vacation benefits you get. And you can get the money after every 90 days of employment instead of waiting a full year. That's not all. Boatmen like Gallop, who were eligible for a company bene­ fit before the Plan started, get even more money. This was done to make sure that no one lost any benefits he had before the Plan went into effect. The company benefit stays the same, but the trust fund benefit grows in each year of the Plan. Gallop keeps the company benefit only as long as he stays with Steuart. But if he goes to work for a new SIUcontracted company that has the Vaca­ tion Plan, he is still assured of its bene­ fits. That's why it's called an industry­ wide plan. And the growing number of SlU-contracted inland companies that have it means that Boatmen have greater benefit protection throughout the industry. In short, the industry-wide Inland Vacation Plan means more opportuni­ ties to get more money, more often. The Boatmen who have received the 1000 checks so far know what that means. In time, all inland members will, too, since the Union's goal is to negotiate the Plan under all new contracts. To Boatman Gallop and his family, it means the ability to have the things that they can all enjoy. The first two vacation checks he collected helped to pay for the new car that he bought for his wife, Callie, as a Christmas present. This check will go towards a new out­ board motor boat which the couple is looking forward to using for fishing this summer, along with their favorite fish­ ing companion, Linda, Mrs. Gallop's seven-year-old niece. They all live in an ideal spot for it, on Roanoke, Is. off the coast of North Carolina. "I really like the Vacation Plan," Gallop said as he received the check in the Norfolk Union Hall this month. His family couldn't agree more. OK of U.S. Tuna Boats Switch to Foreign Flogs Hit Over strong objections by the SIU, the U.S. Commerce Department will continue to approve applications by U.S. tuna boat owners to transfer their vessels to foreign registry. Applications for these transfers in­ creased last year. This occurred after the U.S. tuna fleet was laid up for three months in early 1977 due to the por­ poise mortality question. Since then, the West Coast tuna fleet has been fishing under strictly enforced conservation rules and regulations. These rules place a quota on the num­ ber of porpoise that may be taken in­ cidental to tuna fishing. An observer from the National Marine Fisheries Service accompanies each tuna boat to see that the boat does not exceed its quota. SIU President Paul Hall wrote a letter to Commerce Secretary Juanita Kreps on the issue. He charged that the increase in transfer requests to foreign registry "are a reflection of the rela­ tively strict enforcement of U.S. con­ servation regulations on the operation of the U.S. fleet compared to the lax and often nonexistent rules abroad." Hall also charged that the U.S. en­ forcement of tuna conservation regula­ tions "has not been even-handed." He said, "the emphasis has been on en­ forcing the rules on U.S. tuna boat op­ erators, while the catch on foreign boats, which the U.S. imports, has not been brought under equally effective Federal regulatory control." Transfers Could Grow Hall warned that "unless equal rules apply to foreign and U.S. tuna boat op­ erators, the incentive for transfers will grow." Hall also warned that the long-term consequence of allowing foreign trans­ fers "will be the shift of U.S. tuna canneries to Mexico or other South American countries." He said that such a shift "would be catastrophic for the U.S. cannery industry and its thousands of American cannery workers." He added that granting such trans­ fers "removes the future incentive to build replacement vessels in the U.S. and it destroys employment opportuni­ ties in the U.S. fishing and shipbuilding industries." 3llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllUIIIUIIIilllllllilillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltllltlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll|£ Mobil VP Writes Hall | The following letter was received by SIU President Paul Hall from Herbert ^Schmertz, vice president of Mobil Oil Corporation. President Hall called on the Com­ merce Department to adopt a threepoint plan to insure the health and well-being of a strong U.S. tuna and cannery industry. The plan urges: • That all further U.S. tuna vessel transfer applications pending before the Commerce Department be suspended until final action is taken on regulations governing tuna imports. • That any transfers considered by the Department in the future include as a consideration the need to maintain a U.S. tuna fleet sufficient to catch at least 50 percent of our tuna needs. This is the minimum portion of this vital protein market that should be handled by U.S. vessels and crews. • That the adverse impact on the U.S. tuna canneries be considered when cannery owned boats serving domestic canneries ask to be transferred. The SIU believes there is a direct connection between the maintenance of a U.S. tuna fleet and a continued U.S.-based can­ nery industry. In response to President Hall's letter. Commerce Secretary Kreps said that her Department "considers the trans­ fer of tuna boat registry a matter of great importance." However, she said that not enough "reliable economic data" existed to support the SIU's position that the transfer situation would cause adverse economic effects on employment for U.S. fishermen and cannery workers. Mrs. Kreps also disagreed with the SIU's charge that the transfer applica­ tions were due to uneven enforcement of conservation regulations. She said that American operators were also worried about "the increased desire of many Central and South American countries to reserve tuna in their 200-mile fishing zones to their dome.stic fleets." Not Alter Approach Mrs. Kreps maintained that her De­ partment has as a goal "the protection of U.S. jobs" in the U.S. fish and can­ nery industry. However, she concluded that the Commerce Department would not "alter our regulatory approach at this time." Despite Mrs. Kreps explanation, it seems naive on the Commerce Depart­ ment's part to think that the transfer of U.S. tuna vessels to foreign registry will not have an economic impact on the U.S. tuna industry. The SIU maintains that the Com­ merce Department should take stronger steps to insure the continuance of a viable U.S. tuna industry. Baltimore Committee January 10, 1978 Mr. Paul Hall Seafarers International Union 275 20th Avenue Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215 Dear Paul: I just finished reading the November article in "Log" in which you make reference to Bill Tavoulareas, President of Mobil. I was surprised and a little disappointed that you would single Mobil out in such an adverse way since we alone have been the only oil company to support the concept of legislation which would create an American flag tanker fleet. Our sup­ port for this concept stems directly from our belief that the national security of the United States requires and demands a U.S. flag tanker capability and, in this vein, I think that our principles and yours are identical. Sincerely yours, Herbert Schmertz HS/abw 10 / LOG / March 1978 Here's the SS Baltimore (Sea-Land) Ship's Committee and a crewmember of (seated 1. to r.): Recertified Bosun Joe Puglisi, ship's chairman; Deck Dele­ gate Ed Caravona; Engine Delegate Fred Neil, and (standing I. to r.): Steward Delegate James Dodd, and AB Don Averill. Recently the vessel paid off in Port Elizabeth, N.J. �Engineering Course at H&S More Training, More Skills, More Job Security One of tho main goals of our un­ ion is making sure that every Sea­ farer, Boatman and Laker has job security. To build job security for its students, the Harry Lundeberg School offers courses to teach the skills that are needed in industry. HLS keeps in touch with the needs of the towing industry by having regular meetings of the Towboat Advisory Board. The Board is a group of people from the SlU, the Coast Guard and towing com­ panies which have contracts with the SlU. This group tells the staff at HLS which skills are important for workers in the towing industry. With this information, HLS can make sure that every course teaches the students exactly what they need to know. The Diesel Engineering Course is an example of how the Advisory Board helps HLS improve its courses. At a recent meeting. Board members told the HLS staff that they were very pleased because almost every Boatman who took the Engineering course passed the Coast Guard exam. The course was very good, they said, and the only way it could be made better was by even more on-the-job training. So the school bought more diese equipment and put more time for OJT work in the course. The first group of members have just completed the revised course. As part of their training, they worked on two GM 6-71 Series en­ gines and one Cummings Model 220. They also used two other en­ gines like the ones on towing ves­ sels except that they are smaller. During their course, the mem­ bers took the engines apart and put them back together again. They practiced engine tune ups and fixed broken parts. All of the stu­ dents had training and practice with instruments, gauges, air compres­ sors, pressure switches, purifiers, batteries, water treatment tests and valve repairs. Every student worked in the Ma­ chine Shop to complete individual piping projects. Each one also stood an engine room watch aboard the HLS push boat Susan Collins. Now that these SlU members have completed the course, they have important skills that the tow­ ing industry needs. Cooperation between the SlU and management helped to make the engineering course and all other courses, too, better than ever. So every student who graduates from the Lundeberg School has more job security. HLS and the SlU are helping every seafarer to learn the skills he needs to get a good job and to keep it. V a. W. Morrison is shown in the HLS Machine Shop as he oils down the cylinder walls on one of the Lundeberg School's diesel engines. James Redditt (center) and Ted Willms (right) learn the step-by-step proce­ dure for starting a diesel engine. As part of their OJT, all the diesel engineering students practice com­ pressing the rings on cylinders. Here, Bili Eglinton, the instructor, demon­ strates this skill for James Redditt (left)and Ted Willms (right). Steve Williams practices cleaning a gasket during a practical training session. For qualified Seafarers, the Diesel Engineering course is eight weeks in iength and prepares students for the Coast Guard iicensing exam. Any interested Seafarer may attend the first four weeks in order to gain a basic understanding of diesel engines. Next Diesel Engineering course starts in July. March 1978 / LOG /II •i'C] �7t A /• The SlU-contracted supertanker TT Williamsburgh was built with Construction Differential subsidies. These types of subsidies are part of the President's annual fiscal budget for the maritime industry! The subsidies were made possible by the Merchant Marine Act of 1970. U.S. inland operators can get loans to build new boats and barges under the Mortgage Guarantee program established by the Merchant Marine Act of 1970. The President's fiscal budget sets the guarantee ceiling each year. We All Have a Slake in Carter's '79 Budget This is the 19th in a series of articles which the Log is publishing to explain how certain organizations, programs and laws affect the jobs and job security of SIU members. The airlines, the trucking industry, the rail­ roads, maritime, and a lot of other U.S. industries get it. Because without it, they'd find it very dif­ ficult to exist on a competitive basis. What they all get is government money in one form or another. The amount they get is deter­ mined by the President's annual Fiscal Budget. President Carter recently unveiled his budget requests for Fiscal Year 1979. Unlike the calendar year, the Fiscal Year runs from Oct. 1, 1979 to Sept. 30, 1980. Congress, of course, must give its okay to all the President's budget' requests. Theire is often a great deal of bickering and opposition to certain budget items. However, there is usually not too much controversy over the maritime budget. Even Congressmen and Senators who consistently op­ pose legislation beneficial to the maritime industry, do not oppose the President's annual budget re­ quests for maritime. Compared to other years. President Carter's 1979 maritime budget is a good one. Yet com­ pared to the amounts of money other major mari­ time nations reserve for their fleets, America's budget is a modest one. Overall, the SIU considers President Carter's fiscal requests for 1979 adequate for the maritime industry's needs across the board. For the privately owned domestic fleet, the budget calls for funds for construction and oper­ ational differential subsidies; maritime research and development, and training. It also includes a request for funds for the maintenance of the USPHS system. Carter's maritime budget also calls for funds for Naval shipbuilding, the Army Corps of Engi­ neers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Food for Peace Program, and the continued buildup of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Keeping Up The Domestic Fleet Funds for the private sector of the U.S. fleet are distributed through the U.S. Maritime Adminis­ tration, which is part of the Commerce Depart- • ment. A breakdown of President Carter's 1979 budget requests for the private sector is as follows: • Construction Differential Subsidy (CDS) — President Carter has requested $157 million for the construction of six merchant vessels in 1979. This includes money for two LNG ships for El Paso Gas, two containerships for American Pres­ ident Lines and two RO/RO's for Waterman Steamship. 12 / LOG / March 1978 An additional $122 million which will not be used in Fiscal 1978, will be carried over to next year's budget for the construction of three LNG's for Pacific Lighting and two LASH ships for Waterman. The CDS program does not cover the total cost of construction of these vessels. CDS funds simply make up the difference in cost between building the vessel in an American yard as opposed to a lower cost foreign yard. In line with the construction program, legisla­ tion will soon be introduced to raise the Mortgage Guarantee Ceiling from $7 billion to $10 billion. The Mortgage Guarantee program has been par­ ticularly important for inland operators. With the government backing them up, towing companies can get easy loans from commercial banks to build new tugs,, towboats, and barges. • Operational Differential Subsidy (CDS) — The President's Fiscal Budget calls for $268.8 million in CDS funding. The ODS program en­ ables certain American-flag operators to remain competitive with cut-rate foreign-flag lines on critical trade routes. It is estimated that an additional $89.2 million will be carried over from the 1978 budget into next year's program. • Research and Development—The President has requested $17.5 million for research in ad­ vanced ship development, advanced ship opera­ tions, and advanced maritime technology. • Operations and Training—$57.3 million is requested for the operation of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. and vari­ ous state maritime schools. It is expected that legislation will be introduced in 1979 that will attach a service requirement on U.S.-flag ships for graduates of these institutions. No such require­ ment presently exists for these students. • USPHS System—^The budget for the USPHS system is handled by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. For 1979, President Car­ ter has requested $157 million for the maintenance and operation of the eight remaining USPHS hos­ pitals and 26 clinics. The SIU estimates that these funds will not only provide for the medical care of merchant seamen, Coast Guard personnel and other recipients. They will also enable the hospi­ tals to upgrade and expand their services to those eligible for USPHS care. In addition to primary recipients, such as sea­ men, the USPHS hospitals also provide special medical services to thousands of community resi­ dents. Naval Shipbuilding The President's budget for new Navy ships in 1979 is fairly cut and dry. He has requested funds for the construction of 10 vessels, including: • $322.6 million for one destroyer tender. • $1.5 billion for eight guided missile frigates designed for convoy and escort duties. • $192.1 million for one cable repair ship. The SIU has already registered opposition to the construction of this vessel. The Union feels that the CS Long Lines, which is unemployed a good part of the year, can easily perform the job of the proposed new cable ship at a great saving to the government. Army Corps of Engineers The President has requested a total of $1,274 billion in his budget for the Army Corps of Engi-r neers. The Corps uses these funds to perform the job of river and harbor dredging, flood control, and protection of the shoreline. These funds do not include money for special construction proj­ ects such as replacement of Locks and Dam 26 on the Mississippi. In addition. President Carter has asked for $37.6 million for construction of a shallow draft hopper dredge. The Corps will utilize the dredge for work on the lower Mississippi and various sites on the West Coast. In other budgetary areas, the President has earmarked $944.5 million for the U.S. Coast Guard. These funds are used primarily for search and rescue operations, aids to navigation and marine safety. Food for Peace Carter has also requested $1.1 billion to be used fof the shipment of an estimated 6.7 million tons of food to underdeveloped nations of the world. This program, known as Food for Peace, is im­ portant to American seamen since the maritime law requires that 50 percent of thc.sc cargoes be carried in American-flag ships. Lastly, President Carter has requested $4.3 billion for continuation of the buildup of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The goal of this program is to complete a buildup of 1 billion bar­ rels of oil in reserve in case of national emergency or another Arab oil boycott. It will take until 1985 to complete the program. Again, American ships, by law, must carry 50 percent of these cargoes to the various reserve sites in the U.S. Either directly or indirectly, the President's annual budget requests afltect the jobs of thousands of U.S. maritime workers. Deep sea sailors, inland boatmen, shipyard workers and thousands of workers in maritime support and supply industries have an important stake in these budgetary affairs. The SIU closely studies the budget each year to insure that no one area of the maritime industry is unduly neglected. It's all a part of protecting the best interests of SIU members and maritime people in general. �James Brown, an AB with Harbor Towing, talked about how much he had learned about the Union during the Conference. Conference delegates visited the Maritime Trades Dept. in Washington, D.C. which was formed for workers in different maritime unions who had similar goals. Seated, front row are Joe Air. SlU rep (I.) and J. C, Hudgins, a captain with Mariner Towing. ^i Chuck Mollard, SlU inland coordi­ nator, explained the Union's industry­ wide vacation plan concept. Under the concept, "Union members could work for any SlU-contracted company and build vacation time," Mollard said. Conference Delegate John McDermott, a deckhand with Mariner Tow­ ing, was one of the recipients of the Towboat Operator scholarship. McDermott plans to attend an upcoming session of the 12-week course. HLS Vice President and SlU Head­ quarters Rep. Mike Sacco spoke about the history of the Union and the inland industry. Sr': Piney Port Port Agent Pat Pillsworth talked about the basic entry level course at the Lundeberg School say­ ing, "it's a good course. The guys really work hard at it." Making his wrap-up comments at the end of the six-day educational Con­ ference is Robert Batson, an AB with IBC. 1st lOT Confab Hi-Lites Union's Progress Another in the series of Atiantic Coast Inland £daeational Conferences was held at the Harry Lundebei^ School at Piney Point, Md. from Feb. 27 through Mar. 4. This was the first Conference for Boatmen from Interstate Oil Transport and its subsidiaries. The impact of the Conference was summed up at the final session by dele­ Bob Vahey, a researcher at the Trans­ portation Institute, came to Piney Point to talk to the delegates about the economics of the inland indus­ try. He pointed out that, though there are 44,000 workers in the inland industry, only 32 percent are organ­ ized. gate John Lindwall, an Interstate tankerman, who said: "Last week I didn't really know anything about this Union. But now I think we have the best or­ ganization in the country." Many of the 29 delegates also felt that way. Most came away from the Conference with the feeling that their Union was working hard for them and that they should be informed, active members of their organization. Mike Sacco, HLS vice president and SIU headquarters representative, set the tone of the Conference when he spoke of the need for "comunication and better understanding" in the Union. Sacco led the delegates and port reps from the Atlantic Coast in a series of The trip to Washington, D.C., included lunch with several Congressmen and Congressional aides. Delegate Genaro Decola, (I), a cook with lOT, had a chance to talk with Greg McGowan who's an aide to Congressman Robert Nix (D-Phila.). discussions on the workings of the SIU. Delegates toured the HLS facilities which were new to many of them. They also heard presentations from HLS President Hazel Brown and other staff members on the academic and voca­ tional opportunities the School offers. The Conference began with backContinued on Page 14 Captain William Boyd Horner, who works for lOT, spoke about the big difference the Union had made in his wages. "When I first started sailing I earned about $35 a month," Horner said. "Now I earn a whole lot more than that." March 1978 / LOG / 13 Wi �J. C. Hudgins, a captain with Mariner Towing said, "i really appreciate the chance I had to come down here to Piney Point and learn about the Union." "There's strength in numbers," John Fay, Philadelphia port agent told the delegates as he pointed out how the Union has grown over the years. Fay said the inland shipping industry was the fastest growing part of the SlU. Jacksonville Port Agent Leo Bonser talked about organizing non-union workers. "Each one of you," Bonser told delegates, "is an organizer for this Union." John Yarmola, national field coordi­ nator of the Maritime Trades Dept., told delegates that the MTD serviced the interests of both maritime workers and labor in general. Better Communication and Understanding Continued from Page 13 ground information on the history of the inland industry and of the labor move­ ment in general. This was followed by detailed presentations of Union welfare and pension benefits. Pat Pillsworth, the Piney Point port agent, told the delegates about the Lundeberg School's success with trainee and upgrading programs. Pillsworth said that education is the first basic step toward developing the full potential of Union members. He added, "the most effective union is one with an informed membership." George Costango, Baltimore port agent, explained the four different pen­ sion plans of the SIU. "If you want to improve the benefits, you have to increase the contribution," Co.stango said. "You have to make a decision on how you want to spend the money at contract time." As important as the inland contract and benefits were to the delegates, the two days that were devoted to politics and law made it clear that the Union has a role to play in the world around it Chuck Mollard, SIU inland co­ ordinator, talked about the function of various governmental agencies and de­ partments and what such legislation as the Jones Act and the user charge on inland waterways means to the SIU membership. Congressman Joe Addabbo (D-N.Y.), reminded Conference delegates that political participation goes hand-inhand with the interests of the Union. It's up to each individual. Rep. Ad­ dabbo said, "to make sure your Con­ gressman is listening to you and doing what's good for you." Betty Rocker, a legislative rep at tfie Maritime Trades Department, addressed the delegates during lunch at Washington's Hyatt-Regency Hotel. I I II II When Conference delegates paid a visit to the Piney Point Hiring Hall, Gordon Spencer, Norfolk port agent, explained the Union shipping rules to them. "Those rules," Spencer said, "were written to protect the men in this Union." 14 / LOG / March 1978 I Politics was also the subject of the day when the delegates paid a visit to Washington. The group toured the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Depart­ ment, an organization representing nearly 8 million workers in 43 inter­ national unions. The MTD, headed by SIU President Paul Hall, fights in Washington for the interests of mari­ time workers. Richard Saul of the Transportation Institute (Tl) explained the workings At the end of the Conference Edmund Ruberto, a tankerman with lOT, was ready to go back to his port and spread the word about the SIU. "These people went out of their way to teach me something," Ruberto said, "so I can go back and talk to other people about the Union." 1 At the shipping hall delegates heard an explanation of the difference between company seniority and Union seniority. Delegates are (front row, l.-r.): Jack Parsley, utility, Mariner Towing:'Craig Conklin, tankerman. Mariner Towing, and John George, an AB with Mariner. Terry Kukowski. a tankerman with Gellenthin Barge, said the six days spent at Piney Point made him realize what the Union was all about. �Captain Leslie Collier of Mariner Tow­ ing thanked the Union for all the sup­ port they'd given him over the years. Capt. Collier's son was a 1977 SlU scholarship winner. SlU Rep. Jack Caffey discussed the Union's constitution which was re­ vised in 1976, following the merger of the Inland Boatmen's Union and the SlU. Attorney Carolyn Gentile, head of the Union's legal department, explained the Employee Retirement Income Se­ curity Act of 1974 and how it affects the pensions of SlU members. Making wrap-up comments at the close of the Conference is Jack Ullyot, an lOT tankerman. Keynote Boatmen's Conference of that organization which represents the interests of inland and deep sea companies. He spoke of the importance of having a "fixed presence in Washing­ ton to monitor on a day-to-day basis the different governmental agencies." The delegates had lunch in \^shington with several Congressmen and Con­ gressional aides from New York, Penn­ sylvania and Virginia. Rep. Joseph P. Addabbo (D-N.Y.) reminded everyone that getting involved in issues that af­ Delegate John Lindwall, a tankerman with lOT, pledged a monthly donation to SPAD, the Union's voluntary polit­ ical fund. fect maritime means a lot. "If you want legislation that's not only important for you, hut for our nation, you have to live and work with us," the Congress­ man said. Friday was a full day that began at the Piney Point Hiring Hall with an explanation of shipping rules by Gordon Spencer, Norfolk port agent and John Fay, Philadelphia port agent. The Union's industry-wide inland va­ cation plan was the subject of a lot of discussion. The delegates were inter­ ested in including the vacation plan in their contract when their agreements are renegotiated. The plan would sub- stantially increase members' vacation benefits. When the Conference ended the dele­ gates were full of praise for HLS and for the Union and the work it is doing. "The SIU to me was like an inter­ esting puzzle," said John Blank, a cap­ tain with Mariner Towing. "Some of the pieces were missing; some of them weren't clear. You put it together for me.99 The first day of the Conference included a tour of the Lundeberg School's facilities. Stopping off at the machine shop, delegates listened as Bob Kalmus, director of vocational education (second from right) talked about upgrading courses. ft-,jgyj Don Anderson, the port agent out of Port Arthur, told delegates that the success of the organization depended on how much each membPr was willing to do for the Union. INLAND Tom Cranford, head of the SlU's Claims Department, told the dele­ gates to go to their SlU reps with any questions they had concerning their welfare benefits. "Make sure your SlU rep does whatever he has to do to get you the benefits you're entitled to, Cranford said. Baltimore's Port Agent George Costango spoke of the importance of contributing to the Seafarers Political Action Donation (SPAD). "It's through SPAD," Costango said, "that we as members donate our money to people who are going to help the interests of Seafarers and Boatmen when they get into office." -ii!; -f Asking a question about ID cards and the U.S. Public Health Service is Cap­ tain John Blank of Mariner Towing. Edra Ziesk, assistant editor on the Log staff, talked about the importance of the Log as a tool of communication for Union members. The Log is the official monthly publication of the SIU. March 1978/ LOG / 15 �i. iniiuuiHiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiii^ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ill||lllllll||lllllll||lllllll|||lllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillillllllllllll|||lllllll|iilllllll^^^^ Deaf Woman Cains Courage Writing of the Sea I'm a deaf woman. There isn't anything spectacular about that. Nor is the fact that my first anniversay is coming up. I'll have been a non-hearing person for one year on March 23, 1978. It's not spectacular because there are many, many deaf or hearing impaired people. No, we are not the "silent minority," we are a "silent majority." I'm also a volunteer at the Houston International Seamen's Center at the Port of Houston. I work one night a week in the store. My step-father is a seaman, but my real interest was aroused by Jack London. 1 read his Sea Wolf then moved on to such classics as Moby Dick and Mutiny on the Bounty. Even before this, I knew I wanted to be a writer, but these tales made me want to write about the sea in particular. Tliat's why I volunteered at the Center in August 1976. I soon after became interested in the modern seaman, the stereotype of the past and of the present. Even modern writers turn to the days of sail as though shipping died with them. I wanted to learn about and write about the life of a modern seaman. Then I lost my hearing and without conversation things began to drift out of my reach. Now I seldom go to the dances, and the one night a week I work, I just bang away at the cash register rarely talking to other volun­ teers much less the men on the other side of the counter. God made me a listener then took away my hearing. He also made me a writer.. It makes me sad not being able to listen anymore. I hardly look to the left or right as I walk in or out the front door of the Center. Catching an eye is to risk being spoken to. And so I now give to you the only thing I feel capable of giving, the written word. I want to talk about loneliness. I read a book, Supership, that gave me some insight which I coupled with what I picked up at the Center. The loneliness I want to talk about, though, is a little different. I want to talk about the loneliness of giving away a radio of once high personal value that had overnight become a worthless possession. The loneliness of selling a stereo of sentimental value because it was a gift from a loved one for $25 because it wasn't so valuable to others. The ache felt when a loved one's mouth moves but the familiar voice no longer comes out. And the music . . . it's gone, just gone. But in Supership I became more aware of an invsible wall in the seaman's life. The wall that keeps the man separate from his home. But that wall can be penetrated unlike the wall separating me from remembered voices. It's as simple as one word, communication. Even my own wall is diminishing in size as I forget voices and learn to lipread and to read and talk in signs. It's all communication, whether it's conversation, reading a book someone else wrote or even writing a book oneself. But even more than communication, one must have self-respect as well as respect for others for the individuals they are. I, for one, am as insignificant a speck on this earth as anyone. Neil Armstrong looking towards earth from the moon couldn't see me anymore than he could see anyone else. For tho.sc of you who believe in God, take one brief moment to stop and reach within yourself instead of out. People say God is with each individual at all times. I've never heard another being ever mentioned that is also always there. That individual's self. I guess you could say it's team work seeing as how oneself and God are the only two a person can always count on being there. For those who don't believe in God, there is still something there. Believe in your own ability as a human being. Like it says in the Rolling Stones song Ruby Tuesday, ". . . lose your dreams and you will lose your mind . . ." Look for­ ward to your future as there is no going back. If one dream is shattered be ready with another. It sounds so brave in print, but there is just no reason to go and jump off a ship while it's at sea. Easy for me to say, right? Okay, I hadn't intended to but I'll give you the clencher if it'll help you find strength within yourself. Have you ever met a woman who couldn't cry? Well, you're meeting one now. My facial nerves went the way of my hearing and balance nerves. I am physically unable to shed tears, and I have what would pass for half a smile. At the end of next summer I'm going away to college. I hope to write pro­ fessionally. I just felt that I wanted to share what I'm forever holding inside. That is the love of life. This is the only way I know to share with you this 'something' God gave me an over abundance of. Good luck. Sincerely, Roxanne Van Pelt Houston, Tex. 16 / LOG / March 1978 -wm .V* Helped Get His Disability I want to say thanks a million for all the help the Union has given me in the last few years. I was injured aboard the SS Talluia in 1974. When we tied up in Houston, Tex., I went to the USPHS hospital in Galveston. I was admitted with a back injury. After being in and out of the hospital several times, I finally got back surgery at a hospital in Dallas. The SIU has been very concerned about me and has showed much interest in my condition. The Union helped me get my disability from Social Security. Also Paul Hall wrote me several letters of encouragement, which helped. In addition, the people at the SIU Welfare Plan office in New York have been kind and courteous in paying medical bills. Again, may God bless and keep all in the Union healthy and happy. Fraternally, Harvey Fairhiirn Grand Saline, Tex. Should Replace Lost S.S. Cards Just want to pass on a note of advice to fellow members who may have lost their Social Security cards over the years. I lost mine 30 years ago and never thought to have it replaced. The problem I ran into is this. I went to the Coast Guard a few months back to get my discharges from 32 years of sailing. Even though my Social Security number was on every discharge, the Coast Guard made me go to the Social Security Administration to get a duplicate. It took me nine fits and six weeks to get a replacement. So if you have lost your card, replace it now so that if and when you really need it you won't have to go through a bunch of hassels. Fraternally, Daniel Backrak Reno, Nevada Like to Hear From Old Buddies I'm a retired Lakes member. Each time I receive the Log, I see more and more of the old friends I sailed with in the Pensioners or Final Departures columns. It seems the number of people I sailed with in the Union is getting smaller and smaller. I just read the story about Mike Pesenak (page 30 Dec. 1977 issue) and have seen the things he has made in his hobby. I sailed with Mike a long time ago. I hope he still remembers me. Like Mike, I have my own hobby to keep me busy. In fact, a number of my friends still carry my leather billfolds, change purses and social security plates I made for them while sailing on the old Hennepin, Chicago Trader and John T. Hutchinson. The first boat I ever sailed on was the E.G. Collins in the summer of 1925. There was no Union back then, and I could write a book about some of the stories from the old days. I had a few hair raising experiences, too. Now that I am on retirement, I think about my old buddies a lot, and I would sure like to hear from them. As far as the financial end goes, it's a little tough making it on a fixed income these days with the prices of everything, especially doctor bills, going up all the time. However, I manage to supplement my income a bit with my leather craft sideline. I sell a few pairs of shoes now and then. And I guess some of my old friends still wear leather items they bought from me over the years. I just want to say hello to all my friends who still remain in the Union. And I want to thank the Union for all the help I received while sailing. Fraternally, Glen Whitehead Toledo, Ohio LOG March, 1978 Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union of North America, Atlantic, Gulf. Lakes and Inland Waters District. AFL-CIO Executive Board Vol. 40, No. 3 Paul Hall President Frank Drozak Joe DIGiorglo Executive Vice President Secretary-T reasurer Earl Shepard Lindsey Williams Paul Drozak Vice President Vice President Vice President _ Cal Tanner Vice President iLUHl'Bly I D 389 Marietta Homayonpour Editor-in-Chief James Gannon Managing Editor Ray Bourdius Marcia Reiss Edra Ziesk Assistant Editor Assistant Editor Assistant Editor Frank Cianciotti Dennis Lundy Chief Photographer Associate Photographer Marie Kosciusko George J. Vana Administrative Assistant Production/Art Director Published monthly by Seafarers International Union. Atlantic, Gulf. Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CiO, 675 Fourth Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11232. Tel. 499-6600. Second class postage paid at Brooklyn, N.Y. �Man-American Clause in OCS Bill a Must A House-Senate Conference Com­ mittee will soon begin haggling over the final form of a crucial and com­ plicated maritime bill. The bill in question is the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. It is aimed at controlling the offshore de­ velopment of oil and gas reserves found on the U.S. outer continental shelf. The bill passed in the Senate last July. The House of Representatives passed it overwhelmingly last month. The problem is that the two ver­ sions of the bill differ substantially in a few critical areas. The job of the House-Senate Conference, then, will be to come up with a compromise measure that will make everyone in Congress happy. The SIU is very concerned, how­ ever, tliat in their effort to make each other happy, the Conference Com­ mittee will leave American workers holding the dirty end of the stick. Essentially, the SIU is concerned about one very important clause in the bill that may be in danger of being chopped out. It is the so-called "man-American" provision in the House version of the bill. This section maintains that American workers must be employed in the manning of all equipment in­ volved in oil and gas exploration on the U.S. outer continental shelf. This equipment includes both the oil rigs, themselves, as well as supply and support vessels. In addition, this clause demands that the rigs would have to meet U.S. environmental and safety standards. The "man-American" clause would create thousands of jobs in the operation and maintenance of the drilling rigs. In addition, it would create some 3,000 to 5,000 jobs for American seamen and tugmen In supply and support roles. The Senate version of the bill, however, does not include any­ thing resembling a "man-American" clause. As far as the Senate bill is concerned, America's entire offshore oil and gas industry could conceiv­ ably be run by foreign workers. A rational person would think that it should be fairly easy to get the Conference Committee to agree on the "man-American" provision. Es­ pecially now during a high period of unemployment. But Congress has not acted ration­ ally on many job issues during the recent unemployment crisis. In fact. Congressional actions or inactions in the last few years have led to the ex­ portation of countless thousands of American jobs in the textile, steel, manufacturing, rubber, maritime and other U.S. industries. Congress has never been shy about pushing the best interests of Ameri­ can workers into the background. And, there's no guarantee that the House-Senate Conference will pro­ tect the interests of American work­ ers in the final version of the OCS bill. Another point that must be men­ tioned here is that the oil companies would like to see the "man-Ameri­ can" clause removed from the bill. Recent history in Congress seems to indicate that whatever the oil com­ panies want, the oil companies get. It should be pointed out, too, that the oil lobby succeeded in defeating a measure in the House version of the bill that would have required that all offshore equipment be built in the U.S. The measure, heavily supported by the labor movement, went down in a narrow 208 to 201 vote. It was a very tough loss to American ship­ yards and shipyard workers. HARPOON, USE THE HARPOON! It is the SIU's position that the OCS bill has been stripped down in respect to American jobs far enough. American consumers will sooner or later pick up the tab for the oil in­ dustry's massive program for devel­ oping the nation's offshore oil and gas reserves. Therefore, we feel that American workers should benefit from the jobs this expanding industry will create. Congress has already done the nation a disservice by kill­ ing the "build-American" clause in the OCS bill. We would consider it an act of criminal negligence should Congress remove the "man-American" provi­ sion—the last job creating feature of the OCS bill. One last point. The Congress is elected by the people to protect the best interests of this nation. To us, that means working to provide a job for every American willing and able to work. Congress must stop folding in the face of pressure from the oil lobby and other big business groups espe­ cially when it comes to jobs for Americans. Congress has already caved in on the "build-American" issue. Similar action on the "man-American" pro­ vision would be a complete disgrace. The SIU Is working to Insure that all equipment Involved In work on the U.S. outer continental shelf be manned by Americans. March 1978 / LOG / 17 �Won Awards in 1967 511/ Scholarship Vlinner Is Now Teaching Biology When Bronwyn Adams, daughter of Boatman Edgar Adams, Jr., won the SIU four-year college scholarship in 1967, she became the pride of her home town. Patterson, La., with a population of about 2,000, didn't have many high school graduates winning $6,000 schol­ arships. "When they introduced me at graduation and announced I'd been awarded a $6,000 scholarship," Ms. Adams said, "mouths dropped. It was the largest award that had ever come into this area." [The SIU scholarship has since been raised to $10,000.] Ms. Adams used the scholarship to attend the University of Southwestern Louisiana from 1967-70 and finished her B.A. at Nichols State University in Louisiana. She decided in college to go into teaching and majored in education with an emphasis on biology. The career choice was a good one. "I'm pretty pleased with what I decided to do," she said. "It's turned out real well." Teaches Biology What Bronwyn Adams is doing— and has been doing for the past seven years—is teaching biology at Patterson Bronwyn Adams High School. Before the high school job she taught for IVi years on the junior high level. Teaching ninth through 12th grad­ ers has lots of rewards for Ms. Adams. tion called the Beta Club, a scholastic leadership group for high school stu­ dents that holds annual competitions. "This is an exceptional group of kids," Bronwyn said of the club's members. "They really keep me on the go." Acting as her school's representative to the St. Mary's Teachers Association, the local arm of a statewide teachers organization, is another activity that keeps Adams busy. The association makes recommendations to the school board and acts as a "sounding board" for teachers. Woridng on Masters Enjoys Gardening Education is a big part of Ms. Ad­ ams life. In addition to teaching she's going to school herself—working on a Masters degree in Administration and Supervision at Nichols State University. She's also a sponsor of an organiza- When she has the time—which isn't often—Bronwyn Adams enjoys gar­ dening, at least on a small scale. She has a flower bed around the patio of her apartment that she keeps well stocked. Brother Edgar Adams, Jr., Bronwyn's father, spent 10 years on the Mississippi River as an engineer. He and her mother were "very pleased" when she won the SIU scholarship. Bronwyn Adams herself was "pretty surprised and very happy," about the award. "It allowed me to do what I wanted to do without putting financial pressure on my parents," she said. "It was a great opportunity." Notite to Members On M Call ProteAao When throwing in for work dur­ ing a job call at any SIU Hiring Hall, members must produce the following: • membership certificate • registration card New York Following the defeat of the Oil Cargo Preference Bill in Congress last year, CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite had this to say about the U.S. merchant marine: "Ten years ago there were about 66,000 merchant marine jobs in this country; today, the number has shrunk to about a third of that. Many more jobs related to the industry have been lost and still more may disappear if the present trend continues ... a shrunken merchant marine poses not only economic problems, but problems of legitimate concern for any Administration. ..." VLCC Massachusetts The Military Sealift Command has chartered the 264,073 dwt Massachusetts (lOM) for March, April and May to lift almost 1.6 million barrels of Strategic Petroleum Reserve crude oil from Kharg Is., Iran to South Riding Point Terminal, the Bahamas. From there Seatrain shuttle.tankers will transship the crude to Sunshine, La., or Nederland, Tex. for storage in underground natural salt domes. This is the first time that the MSC has chartered a supertanker for the movement of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve crude from the Persian Gulf. SS Newark In a seven-part newspaper column series, Seattle Times maritime editor Glen Carter told of sailing on the containership SS Newark (Sea-Land) to Alaska. He left on Feb. 14 dispatching his reports of shipboard life as he went along for 16 days and 12,960 miles. Carter wrote as he left the port of Seattle that the former 523-foot converted troopship was comfortable. At her launching in 1945, she was named for Marine Corps Gen. H. B. Freeman, he said. And he learned that the ship's speed was upped from 14 to 17 knots three years ago so she could cut through the 50-60 miles of ice in Cook Inlet outside of Anchorage, Alaska. Of the 39-man crew, he discovered that only seven were under 50. Seattle Seafarers recall that in the mid'50s the Gen. Freeman rescued the crew of the 55 Washington Mail. Bosun Wally Mason of the Newark showed the newspaperman the stern's gear locker converted from a five-cell brig. Remaining are hand-cranked battle phones. Navy pea-green paint, vestiges of gun positions, and steel blackout covers for the portholes. Making Carter feel at home was Chief Steward Ken Hayes who supplied him with extra blankets. On deck. Seafarer Walt Rogers was also a help. Two hundred miles off Cape Flattery in the Gulf of Alaska, Carter realized that tables and the movie projector were permanently fixed into position. As he saw 30-foot waves, he was told tfiat the freighter had once rolled 55 degrees! Even his typewriter carriage was sliding back and forth as the ship pitched like a rocking horse. 18 / LOG / March 1978 She likes the challenge of teaching and the fact that it's not a routine job. She also likes being involved with kids, especially on the high school level where, she said, "the maturity level changes every year. There's a big dif­ ference between ninth and 12th graders." One of the things Bronwyn Adams likes best is seeing the results of her teaching. "When a kid comes back and says, 'Hey, I'm doing O.K. in college chemistry,' you know you were success­ ful." clinic card seaman's papers INLAND In the officers messroom, Messman George Arnold poured water from a pitcher onto the cloth place mat before he placed a plate of pancakes down for the journalist. "Keeps dishes from skidding," he explained. It didn't skid an inch as the ship rolled 35 degrees. Coming into the harbor of Anchorage, Carter said the Newark bucked 45-knot winds and below zero temperatures. The helicopter from shore carrying the vessel pilot alighted on the 30-foot square landing pad on the containership's stern. Carter found out that last December the Newark had joined a fruitless search for ship pilot Jack Hopkins and chopper pilot Gary Terry lost in Cook Inlet when their plane crashed. Later someone found the frozen body of the ship pilot in a liferaft. Sixteen hours later in the port of Kodiak, Chief Cook Bill Theodore said he never sets foot ashore until he returns to Seattle. "I used to make runs up here in a Navy supply ship and saw enough of the beach. Nothing much has changed." Most of his shipmates prefer to stay on board, too. he RESOURCE Needs You eeds e CONSI eeds eeds You eeds You Modern vessels need Seafarers who understand reefer sys­ tems. So sign up for the Maintenance of Shipboard Refriger­ ation Systems Course at HLS. You'll learn needed skills so you can increase your earnings aboard ship. It's great to be needed! And it pays! Course starts June 2 �MTD Board Asks Is American Worker Facing Extinction? Miami, Fla.—The embattled American worker is facing a new and more serious threat to his wellbeing than ever before. That threat is extinction. Extinction in the sense that so many traditional American jobs—produc­ tive jobs—in textiles, manufacturing, electronics, clothing, shoes, shipbuilding, and other industries are rapidly being lost to unchecked foreign com­ petition. This situation poses an even more serious threat to the American labor movement, since so many of the jeopardized jobs are in heavily unionized industries. The labor movement is acutely aware of the situation. And addressing this problem was the major thrust of last month's mid-winter Executive Board meeting of the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department. The MTD is the largest industrial department of the AFL-CIO. It represents 43 national and inter­ national unions with a combined membership of nearly eight million American workers. The MTD is headed up by SIU President Paul Hall. In a series of reports and resolutions, the MTD Executive Board first outlined how a lack of gov­ ernment action and control over imports of foreign goods and services is eroding the fabric of the American job structure. The MTD also outlined the steps that must be taken by Congress and the Carter Administration to preserve the traditional posture of the American workforce. MTD President Paul Hall warned, however, that "labor can expect little help from the outside to achieve our goals. We in the labor movement must do the leg work and apply the pressure where it has to be apphed to get the job done." Manufacturing Hit Hard In its reports, the Executive Board said that some of the hardest hit areas due to foreign com­ petition are the clothing and textile industries and other manufacturing industries such as electronics, shoes, and steel. The MTD noted that cheap foreign imports caused plant closings with the accompanying loss of 51,000 U.S. jobs in 1977 alone. The Board also pointed out that Zenith, the last all-American TV manufacturer, closed its American plants and transferred operations to Taiwan last year. In addition, the MTD said that a surge in im­ ported fabricated steel from Japan was causing widespread layoffs in the U.S. steel industry. The Executive Board said that the major cause of these job losses is unchecked product dumping on the U.S. market. U.S. businesses import huge amounts of products made by low paid foreign workers in Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, the People's Republic of China and undf^rdeveloped nations. These workers labor under systems with no minimum wage or safety standards, the MTD maintained. To make a bad situation worse, U.S.-made products are effectively barred from many foreign nations through high tariffs and other restrictive trade practices. The MTD said that to halt the loss of jobs in American manufacturing industries, the following steps must be taken: • The U.S. should close its domestic markets to the products of countries that discriminate against U.S. products sold overseas. • Funds should be provided to retrain workers who have lost their jobs from foreign competition. And modernization funds should be provided to private American industries hard hit by trade so that they can become more competitive. • International treaties must be negotiated which result in improved labor conditions in coun- Paul Hall, president of the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department, chairs MTD Executive Board meeting last month. The MTD Board outlined programs that Congress and the Administration should adopt to curb the loss of American jobs due to an overabundance of imported foreign goods and services. Seated alongside Hall is Mrs. Jean Ingrao, administrator of the MTD. tries that now seek to attract American industries at the expense of their own workers. • Congress must end those provisions in the tax law which provide incentives for U.S. corpora­ tions to move their operations to underdeveloped nations abroad at the expense of American jobs. Shipbuilding on Decline The MTD Executive Board maintained that another area that will soon feel the job crunch is American shipbuilding. The Board said that in the past 18 months "only a handful of new shipbuilding orders have been placed with American shipyards." Taking this factor into consideration, a loss of 45,000 shipyard jobs (out of a current level of 176,000 workers) is expected by 1980. Shipyard unemployment will also reflect itself in other support industries. The MTD noted that "50 percent of the cost of a U.S. built ship consists of materials supplied from all areas of the nation, produced by workers in all areas of the nation." The Executive Board blamed the projected loss on "the failure of the Federal Government to de­ velop and implement a national maritime policy." A policy such as this should reserve a wide range of cargoes for U.S. ships that are now dominated by foreign carriers. The MTD stated that the following steps to preserve America's shipbuilding industry should be taken: • Any deep seabed mining legislation passed by Congress must require the use of American built and registered mining vessels and ore car­ riers. This could result in the construction of 20 mining vessels and 60 ore carriers. • The Jones Act must be amended to require that all cargoes carried between the U.S. mainland and the U.S. Virgin Islands be carried on Ameri­ can-flag ships. This would create the need for 25 additional American-flag vessels. • The Federal Government must actively pur­ sue the development of bilateral shipping arrange­ ments with U.S. trading partners assuring a certain percentage of the cargoes for U.S.-flag ships. In­ creased cargoes would provide a further boost to the U.S. shipbuilding industry. Aircraft Industry Losses Job losses in the U.S. aircraft manufacturing industry are being felt for the first time due to foreign competition, according to the MTD. The Executive Board said that U.S. companies are being lured to relocate overseas in countries with state-controlled aircraft industries, such as France. These countries then establish trade bar­ riers to keep U.S. aircraft products out. Another threat to U.S. aircraft jobs is the ex­ portation of U.S. technology to Europe and Japan for the construction of advanced military planes. The Executive Board said that two steps should be taken to curb the loss of these jobs now "while the U.S. aircraft industry is still relatively healthy." The MTD said that: • Controls must be placed on all technology transfers and co-production agreements that un­ dermine the U.S. aerospace industry. • The U.S. Government must seek legislation that would offset the trade advantages presently being provided to foreign aircraft manufacturers. These advantages enable them to both penetrate U.S. markets or keep U.S. built aircraft out of their markets. The MTD's position on these issues is not the position of an alarmist. The threat of unfair for­ eign competition has already caused the loss of countless thousands of American jobs. Unchecked, American businesses and multi­ national corporations will continue to move any­ where overseas that will increase their profits. They have little or no regard for the American workers who lose their jobs because of such moves. The MTD and the labor movement as a whole has pledged to work to halt this dangerous process. But as stated by MTD President Hall, "it will be a rough road and we have to go it alone." More information on Following Pages March 1978 / LOG / 19 �1^ ii^' SIU Executive Vice President Frank Drozak talks of need to curb foreign imports to preserve Amer­ ican jobs at last month's MTD Executive Board meeting. Mrs. Jean Ingrao, administrator of the MTD, gives rundown of the Department's activities to Execu­ tive Board members. Participating at Board meeting were Fred Kroll, left, president of the Brotherhood of Railway and Airline Clerks, ana Joseph Hellman, secretary-treasurer of the Graphics Arts International Union. Anthony Scotto, president of Local 1814 .of the Longshoremen's Union and president of the New York Port Council gives report of his Council's activities over the previous year. Rep. Leo Zeferetti (D-N.Y.) was guest speaker at the MTD Executive Board meeting. He talked about need to retain "man-American" amend­ ment in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. This bill awaits action by a House-Senate Con­ ference Committee. MTD Board: Stem Tide of Foreign Imports to Preserve U.S. Jobs Jesse Calhoon, president of the National Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, is one of the MTD's Executive Board members. Julius Isaacson, president of the International Union of Dolls, Toys, Playthings, Novelties and Allied Products, tells Board how foreign imports has hurt job opportunities for his members. Steve Leslie, general vice president of the inter­ national Union of Operating Engineers, reports on his union's activities to MTD Executive Board. Dave Dolgen, legislative director of the MTD, gives report of the Department's legislative ac­ tivities in recent months and the Depart^ment's legislative goals for the coming year to Executive Board meeting. Foreign imports has had an extremely detrimental effect on jobs for American pottery workers as noted by Lester Null, president of the International Brotherhood of Pottery and Allied Workers. Tom Donahue, assistant to AFL-CIO President George Meany, talks about labor movement's fight to enact Labor Law Reform. Joseph Tonelli, president of the United Paperworkers Inter­ national Union, emphasizes need for Congressional action to stem tide of foreign imports. Executive Board member Leon Schachter, vice president of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America. MTD Supports Northern Tier Pipeline The Executive Board of the AFL-CIO Mari­ time Trades Department threw its unanimous support behind the proposed all-American Northern Tier Pipeline. The line would run from Washington State to Minnesota through Idaho, North Dakota and Montana. The pipeline is necessary to relieve a surplus of Alaskan oil on the U.S. West Coast. The line would carry the surplus crude to the oil short Northern Tier States. The MTD also expressed their opposition to an alternate route for the pipeline taking it mainly through Canada, which would be built by Canadian workers. The MTD said that the all-American North20 / LOG / March 1978 MTD Executive Board member Page Groton of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Shipbuilders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers. Imported toreign workers have cut into job oppor­ tunities for U.S. bricklayers as noted by Thomas Richard Daschback, chairman of the Federal Murphy, president of the International Union of Maritime Commission, was guest speaker at the Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen. Executive Board meeting. Board Sees Need for Sea-Level Canal ern Tier line would create significant job op­ portunities in the construction of the line as well as in maintaining the line after it is com­ pleted. The board also pointed out that the Northem Tier line would "generate $23 million in taxes during construction and $16 million per year (after completion), all to be realized by the U.S. and the Northern Tier States." In addition, the MTD said that the all-Ameri­ can line would insure that U.S.-dag tankers would continue to be used to carry Alaskan oil under provisions of the Jones Act. The alternate Canadian route would enable foreign vessels to enter the trade. Talking about the special problems in his industry is Dominic Carnevale of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the U.S. and Canada. From the left are MTD Executive Board members: Robert Cooney, vice president of the Iron Workers; Wayman Stewart, president of the Florida West Coast MTD Port Council, and Steve Leslie, vice-president of the International Union of Operating Engineers. The MTD Executive Board called on Con­ gress to conduct a study reviewing the possi­ bility of constructing a new sea-level canal across Panama to accommodate technological advances in the world shipping industry. The Board said that there are 1,300 merchant ships plying the world's seaways too large to use the present Panama Canal. An additional 1,700 vessels can only use the canal if they are not fully laden. The sea level canal would have no locks. The Board said "there is evidence that the present Canal will be increasingly incapable of accommodating the larger ships that will be built in the future." In addition, the MTD Board said that "U.S.flag superships, hauling oil or minerals from Alaska, cannot now pass through the Canal." The MTD recommended support of the Senator Mike Gravel (D-Alaska)-Senator War­ ren Magnuson (D-Wash.) proposal. This calls for a review of the Canal Study Commission (1970) and a review of the potential environ­ mental effects of a sea level canal. The Executive Board said, "national security considerations, along with modem technologi­ cal ship requirements, demand that our nation fully examine all options available to it con­ cerning a isea-level canal." March 1978 / LOG / 21 �MTD Urges Quick Action to Get LNC Projects Under Way A hang-up in pricing is preventing the U.S. from obtaining an important new source of clean energy. Without this energy source there may be industrial plant closings in the U.S. and resultant layoffs of American workers. The controversy surrounds the importation of liquid natural gas. These imports are needed since domestic gas supplies are rapidly being depleted. Also, gas made from coal will not be developed in large enough quantities until the late 1980's. Several Government agencies want LNG im­ ports to be priced on an incremental basis. This means imported LNG would be priced separately from other U.S. energy supplies, instead of aver­ aging out the cost of imported LNG into all the fuels bought by public utilities. The MTD Executive Board said that forcing industry to pay the high incremental cost of im­ ported LNG "penalizes industrial users forced to use imported gas because of the unavailability of domestic gas supplies." The MTD also said that incremental pricing would kill proposed plans for $1 billion worth of construction of LNG terminals and U.S.-flag LNG ships. That is because this pricing system would make the projects economically unfeasable. The Board said that without these projects, "in­ dustries which are dependent upon natural gas to Shown from the left are MTD Executive Board members Aivin Heaps, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, and Roger Desjardins, secretary treasurer of the St. Lawrence and Tributaries Port Council of Quebec. 44 MTD Affiliates 1. American Guild of Variety Artists 2. The Journeymen Barbers, Hairdressers and Cosmetologists' International Union of America 3. International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers 4. Boot and Shoe Workers' Union 5. International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen 6. United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Join­ ers of America 7. United Cement, Lime and Gypsum Workers International Union 8. Communications Workers of America 9. Distillery, Rectify ing, Wine and Allied Work­ ers' International Union of America 10. International Union of Dolls, Toys, Play­ things, Novelties and Allied Products of the United States and Canada, AFL-CIO 11. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 12. International Union of Elevator Constructors 13. International Union of Operating Engineers 14. International Association of Fire Fighters 15. International Brotherhood of Firemen and Oilers 16. Glass Bottle Blowers' Association of the United States and Canada 17. American Federation of Grain Millers 18. Graphic Arts International Union 19. Hotel and Restaurant Employees' and Bar­ tenders' International Union 22 / LOG / March 1978 make their products, such as ceramics, glassblowing, chemicals, textiles and fertilizers, will face curtailments resulting in a loss of jobs for workers in these industries." In addition, thousands of construction and shipyard jobs for U.S. workers would be sacrificed if the proposed LNG projects are not carried out. The MTD Executive Board urged the Depart­ ment of Energy to abandon any plans for an in­ cremental pricing system for imported LNG. The Board also called on the Energy Department to approve plans for the construction of shoreside LNG terminals. The Board said that "thousands of American jobs depend on it." Participating at recent Executive Board meeting was Richard Livingston, left, secretary-treasurer of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, and Bernard Puchalski, president of the Greater Chicago and Vicinity Port Council of the MTD. 20. International Association of Bridge, Struc­ tural and Ornamental Iron Workers 21. Laborers' International Union of North America 22. AFL-CIO Laundry and Dry Cleaning Inter­ national Union 23. International Leather Goods, Plastics and Novelty Workers Union 24. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers 25. Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America 26. National Marine Engineers' Beneficial Asso­ ciation 27. Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America 28. Office and Professional Employees Interna­ tional Union 29. Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Interna­ tional Union 30. International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades 31. United Paperworkers International Union 32. Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' International Association of the United States and Canada 33. United Association of Journeymen and Ap­ prentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada 34. International Brotherhood of Pottery and Al­ lied Workers 35. Brotherhood of Railway, Airline and Steam­ ship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express and Station Employees 36. Retail Clerks International Association 37. Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union 38. United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum and Plastic Workers of America 39. Seafarers International Union of North Amer­ ica 40. Sheet Metal Workers International Associa­ tion 41. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 42. United Telegraph Workers 43. United Textile Workers of America 44. International Chemical Workers Union �ELIZABETHPORT (Sea-Land Ser­ vice), January 29—Chairman, Recer­ tified Bosun J. Gorman; Secretary R. De Boissiere; Educational Director W. Brack; Engine Delegate J. A. Dobloug; Steward Delegate F. Motus. Some dis­ puted OT in deck department. A vote of thanks was extended to all delegates and the steward department for a job well done. Report to the Log: "Vote of thanks to Capt. Kuhn, officers and mates for a smooth trip." A farewell to the 55 E/Zzflbet/ipor/—Sea-Land voy­ age #157; to be changed with a new stem and named the Sea-Land Leader, Diesel Engine—Kobe, Japan—Feb. 8, 1978." Next port Kobe, Japan. COASTAL CALIFORNIA (T. M. McOuilling), January 25—Chairman, Recertified Bosun Fred A. Olson; Sec­ retary Jimmie Bartlett; Educational Director Bobby J. Edwards; Steward Delegate George M. Bronson. $38.25 in ship's fund. No disputed OT. The ship's chairman informed the crew that after January 3, 1978 no member will be able to register without a passport. This was published for all to read in the last issue of the Log. Observed one minute of silence in memory of our de­ parted brothers. Next port, MossLanding. DEL RIO (Delta Steamship), Januaiy 8—Chairman, Recertified Bosun John Hazel; Secretary Lanier; Educa­ tional Director Villagran; Deck Dele­ gate Michael Curry; Engine Delegate Keith Swille; Steward Delegate Mau­ rice Formonte. Some disputed OT in deck deparment. Report to Log: "A burial was held and Brother John McKenna's ashes were scattered as per his request on Jan. 5, 1978, 55 miles west of Martinique in the Caribbean." Observed one minute of silence in memory of our departed brothers. Next port, Recife. WALTER RICE (Reynolds Metal), January 2 — Chairman, Recertified Bosun W. Jefferson; Secretary W. Benish; Educational Director F. Homer; Steward Delegate Ferdinand Bernard. $174.44 in ship's fund. Some disputed OT in deck and engine department. The following features from the Log were posted: the need for passports when registering, public health pro­ cedures, and Piney Point upgrading dates. The crew would like some up­ dated literature on retirement and wel­ fare benefits. Next port, Longview. JACKSONVILLE (Sea-Land Ser­ vice), January 8--Chairman, Recerti­ fied Bosun S. Stockmarr; Secretary H. Alexander; Educational Director Ellis. No disputed OT. Chairman reported that there will be information about raises in an upcoming issue of the Log. Educational Director is going to try and get some books from the Sea­ men's Center. Requested that everyone bring books and magazines back to the library when you are finished with them. Chairman thanked the steward department for wonderful meals and the electrician for fixing cluster lights on the gangway. MOUNT WASHINGTON (Victory Carriers), January 16—Chairman, Re­ certified Bosim R. D. Schwarz; Secre­ tary F. Fraone; Educational Director Don D. White; Steward Delegate C. Miles. No disputed OT. Chairman held a discussion on Frank Drozak's report on conventions; on C classified men, and 2% raise. Suggested that all mem­ bers read the Log and ask questions at the next meeting. Observed one minute of silence in memory of our de­ parted brothers. OGDEN WILLAMETTE (Ogden Marine), January 1—Chairman, Re­ certified Bosun Ray Broadus; Secre­ tary E. Kelly; Educational Director J. L. Neel; Deck Delegate M. Delacerda; Engine Delegate R. Couch; Steward Delegate C. Kreiss. No dis­ puted OT. Chairman suggested that all crewmembers should read Frank Dro­ zak's column in the Log. Also dis­ cussed the importance of donating to SPAD. Steward told about a brother that went to the Alcoholic Center at Piney Point and was cured. MASSACHUSETTS (Interocean Mgt.), January 1—Chairman, Recerti­ fied Bosun H. O. Leake; Secretary A. Hassan; Educational Director James Chianese. Some disputed OT in deck and steward department. Chairman re­ ported that the Logs were received and passed out to the crewmembers. Held a discussion on the articles in the Log and the importance of donating to SPAD.. He also advised all members that the School at Piney Point is avail­ able for all to upgrade themselves. Ob­ served one minute of silence in mem­ ory of our departed brothers. Next port, San Sebastian. TAMARA GUILDEN (Transport Commercial), January 8—Chairman, Recertified Bosun Peter Loik; Secre­ tary N. Hatgimisios; Educational Di­ rector Robert Henley; Deck Delegate Edward Dresz; Engine Delegate Wil­ liam Slay ton; Steward Delegate Pat­ rick Devine. Some disputed OT in engine department. Received a wire from Paul Hall in New York about the 2% increase in wages, O.T. and vaca­ tion. A vote of thanks to the steward department for the wonderful Christ­ mas dinner and also for showing the movies. The gifts the steward got for the men from the Seamans Church In­ stitute were also appreciated. Steward gave a vote of thanks to the crew for helping to keep the messhall and pan­ try clean. Next port, Philadelphia. MONTPELIER VICTORY (Victory Carriers), January 29—Chairman, Re­ certified Bosun Alfonso Armada; Sec­ retary J. W. Givens; Deck Delegate Steven Damaue; Engine Delegate Al­ bert Singleton; Steward Delegate B. Kazameski. No disputed OT. $4.92 in ship's fund. Suggested that non-skid pads be put on gangway to avoid acci­ dents. A vote of thanks to the steward department. SEA-LAND FINANCE (Sea-Land Service), January 8—Chairman, Re­ certified Bosun J. Pulliam; Deck Dele­ gate J. Long; Engine Delegate J. Fair; Steward Delegate M. Knuckles. Power Pac forward is still a problem. To get jitney service in ports where they don't have it. Put platforms on docks for lowering gangway in Seattle, Long Beach, Kobe, and Hong Kong. This is a safety factor. Report to Log: "Ship will soon be going in shipyard. Would it be possible to put more outlets at #2 hatch and remove the power pac? Mooring winches would be helpful forward and aft." MARYLAND (Interocean Mgt.), January 8 — Chairman, Recertified Bosun A. Schwartz; Secretary D. R. Fletcher. $15.50 in ship's fund. No dis­ puted OT. A letter was drafted and sent to Headquarters concerning mail delivery and transportation for those who need medical attention. Report to Log: "While anchored here in the Gulf the crew is getting some good fishing done and everything is running smooth." DELTA MAR (Delta Steamship), January 15 — Chairman, Recertified Bosun William M. Parker; Secretary Mike Dunn; Educational Director Eddy Synam. Some disputed OT in deck department. Chairman gave a vote of thanks to the steward depart­ ment for a great Christmas and New Year's dinner. A wreath of flowers was sent to a Brother member's sister. Re­ minded the crew of Joe Fiesel's death by falling from the stack into the Mis­ sissippi River. No word has been re­ ceived as yet as to whether or not they found the body. A discussion was held on getting some kind of books or mag­ azines on board. Next port. New Orleans. Official ship's minutes were also received from the following vessels: SEA-LAND COMMERCE OVERSEAS ALASKA FLOR OVERSEAS ARCTIC ANCHORAGE SEA-LAND TRADE OVERSEAS NEW YORK POTOMAC OGDEN WABASH PORTLAND MONTICELLO VfCTORY MARY INGER GUAYAMA DELTA SUD •xi t;. ALLEGIANCE SUGAR ISLANDER YELLOWSTONE OAKLAND RAPHAEL SEMMES ACHILLES BALTIMORE MOUNT VERNON VICTORY BANNER THOMAS NELSON WESTWARD VENTURE ZAPATA RANGER SEA-LAND RESOURCE PORT COLUMBIA JOHN B. WATERMAN BOSTON SEA-LAND GALLOWAY OVERSEAS NEW YORK SEA-LAND EXCHANGE AQUILA BRADFORD ISLAND OGDEN CHAMPION DELTA URUGUAY JOHN PENN JOSEPH HEWES CONNECTICUT SEA-LAND PRODUCER SEA-LAND VENTURE JEFF DAVIS OVERSEAS ALICE ZAPATA ROVER ALEUTIAN DEVELOPER COVE TRADER (Cove Shipping), January 22 — Chairman, Recertified Bosun R. A. Sipsey; Secretary M. Deloatch; Educational Director A. P. Clark; Deck Delegate Mark S. Patter­ son; Engine Delegate Mark Given; Steward Delegate Rene Hidalgo. No disputed OT. The crew gave the stew­ ard department a vote of thanks for a job well done and for very good food and service. Next port, Texas City. SEA-LAND ECONOMY (Sea-Land Service), January 15—Chairman, Re­ certified Bosun A. McGinnis; Secre­ tary L. Nicholas; Educational Director L. A. Acosta; Deck Delegate B. Jarratt; Engine Delegate R. Cleouis; Steward Delegate S. Morris. $124 in movie fund. No disputed OT. Chair­ man reminded everyone of the oppor­ tunity to train for LNG ships at Piney Point. Also the importance of donating to SPAD. Chairman called for safety suggestions and the repair list. At all times there will be two men working on reefer boxes and two when plugging in or unplugging. This motion was submitted as a safety measure, as it has been brought to the attention of the safety meetings before. Report to the Log: "We are still having the problem with mail service of which we asked the Vice President to look into." Next port. Port Everglades. BORINQUEN (Puerto Rico Marine Mgt.), January 8—Chairman, Recerti­ fied Bosun D. Mendoza; Secretary H. Galicki; Educational Director J. B. Callaghan; Deck Delegate O. V. Ortiz; Engine Delegate H. J. Toro, Jr.; Stew­ ard Delegate P. Warhola. $7 in ship's fund. Some disputed OT in steward department. Chairman would like to thank all the brothers who donated to departed brother Frank Sarmento's daughter's fund. Next port, San Juan. FORT HOSKINS (Interocean Mgt.), January 20 — Chairman, Recertified Bosun W. Baker; Secretary F. Nigro; Educational Director C. Landa; Stew­ ard Delegate James J. O'Hara. $10.18 in ship's fund. No disputed OT. The new bosun came on in Lake Charles and started working on the repair list and is finally doing some much needed repairs. Bosun also informed the mem­ bership to read the Log and to be in­ formed as to what the Union is doing for its members. Also discussed the importance of donating to SPAD. A vote of thanks to the steward depart­ ment. Next port, Philadelphia. SEA-LAND MARKET (Sea-Land Service), January 5—Chairman, Re­ certified Bosun D. Rood; Secretary R. Hutchins; Deck Delegate Frank Fromm; Engine Delegate E. Liwag; Steward Delegate F. Bradley. No dis­ puted OT. A vote of thanks was offered to the steward department for a beautiful meal for the holiday and a vote of thanks to all department dele­ gates for making this a smooth voy­ age. Observed one minute of silence in memory of our departed brothers. Next port, Portsmouth. March 1978 / LOG / 23 �Houston Monthly Membership Meeting • SlU Rep. H. Salazar, standing left, assists members at the counter in the Houston Union Hall before February membership meeting. The center photo was taken at the monthly membership meeting. It shows: Gene Taylor (seated left), SlU rep.; Port Arthur Port Agent Don Anderson (center), reading the minutes, and Houston Port Agent Joe Sacco. The right-hand photo shows pensioner Vasser Szymanski (I.), who recently received an Early Normal Pension supplement check, talking things over with Gene Taylor after the meeting. MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS' SCHEDULE Date Port New York Philadelphia Baltimore Norfolk Jacksonville Algonac Houston New Orleans Mobile San Francisco Wilmington Seattle Piney Point San Juan Columbus Chicago Port Arthur Buffalo St. Louis Cleveland SlU members attending the Houston A&G membership meeting on Feb. 14, 1978 listen as Don Anderson, Port Arthur port agent, reads the reports. r Seventy-one cents of every dollar spent in shipping on American-flag vessels remains in this country, making a very substantial contribution to the national balance of payments and to the nation's economy. Use U.S.-flag ships. It's good for the American maritime industry, the Ameri­ can shipper, and America. UFW Ends Nationwide Boycotts The eight year, nationwide boycott of table grapes, lettuce, and Gallo wines is over. The boycott was officially ended last month by the executive board of the United Farm Workers Union, AFL-CIO. The UFW plans to focus their energies now on negotiating new contracts and servicing those in hand. In 1975 California passed the Agri­ cultural Labor R.elations Act guaran­ teeing farmworkers secret ballot, union representation elections. Since then the UFW has negotiated about 100 contracts covering 30,000 farm workers. The union says the "Don't Buy" actions were crucial to the 24 / LOG / March 1978 bill's passage. Though the ALRA is not a smoothrunning piece of legislation—delays between representation elections and contract signings average 16 months— passage of the law was an advance in the farm workers organizing struggle. The history of the boycotts goes back to the early 1970's. The grape and Gallo boycotts were launched in 1973 when California growers opted for con­ tracts with Teamsters rather than, the farmworkers. The lettuce boycott, be­ gun in 1970, grew out of a court injunc­ tion barring a strike by farmworkers against Salinas lettuce growers. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I L Apr. 3 Apr. 4 Apr. 5 Apr. 6 Apr. 6 Apr. 7 Apr. 10 Apr. 11 Apr. 12 Apr. 13 Apr. 17 Apr. 21 Apr. 8 Apr. 6 Apr. 15 Apr. 11 Apr. 11 Apr. 12 Apr. 14 Apr. 13 Deep Sea Lakes, Inland Waters 2:30 p.m. 2:30p.m 2:30 p.m 9:30 a.m 2:00 p.m 2:30 p.m 2:30p.m. 2:30 p.rii 2:30 p.m 2:30 p.m 2:30 p.m 2:30 p.m 10:30 a.m 2:30 p.m — — 2:30 p.m — 2:30 p.m — UIW 7:00 p.m. ••••• 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. — — 7:00p.m. • r.': 7:00 p.m. — — — .— ' — - — 1:00 p.m. — — — — I I Do You Hove One of These? I I I The Seafarers Appeals Board ruled I in November that effective Jan. 3, I 1978 "a requirement for shipping is I that all seamen must possess a valid I PASSPORT up-to-date passport." I The action comes out of the fact I that many foreign nations are crack­ I ing down on immigration regulations I requiring that all people coming into their countries must have passports. I The SAB, then, took this action to I insure that when there are flyout jobs, I those who throw in for the jobs will I UNITED STAtES^ be fully prepared to take them. I OF ' This ruling will enable the Union I AMERICA to continue to meet our manpower I commitments to our contracted com­ I panies. I I BICENTENNIAL 1778-1976 • �Worldwide Training Standards for Seamen to Be Set Worldwide training standards for mitted to the June conference were merchant seamen will be set at an in­ finalized, was held in London last fall. ternational conference to be held in It was attended by representatives from London this June. 21 IMCO member nations and nine in­ The SIU has played an active part in dependent agencies that have maritime compiling the proposed standards for interests. SIU Had Role this important conference. They are de­ signed to improve maritime safety and The SIU had a direct role in this will eventually become part of U.S. law final session and in past STW meetings. and international treaty. It has this role through United States' The conference will be held by the membership in IMCO and through as­ Intergovernmental Consultative Organ­ sociation with one of the agencies, the ization (IMCO), which is part of the International Transport Workers Fed­ United Nations. The purpose of the eration. Earl Shepherd, SIU vice-pres­ conference is to establish standards of ident, and Robert Kalmus, director of training and watchkeeping for merchant vocational education at the Harry seamen. Once accepted, they will be­ Lundeberg School, were at the London come a binding treaty on the nations meeting. They helped prepare some of that belong to IMCO. the documents that will be submitted to The groundwork for the conference the conference. has been laid in a number of meetings The proposed standards of training over the years held by IMCO's Sub­ and watchkeeping cover qualifications committee on Standards of Training for the officers and crews of most com­ and Watchkeeping (STW). The latest mercial vessels, except those that oper­ meeting, where all documents to be sub­ ate totally on inland waterways. The watchstanding training qualifica­ tions apply to personnel standing an engine room or navigational watch. Like all of the proposed standards, they stress safety and preparation for emergencies. For example, watchstanders must have training in firefighting, first aid, and safety. These are presently included in the Lundeberg School courses for watchstanding ratings. Throughout the years of preparation for the upcoming conference, the U.S. has consistently worked for standards that are at least as high as those cur­ rently required of American merchant seamen. For example, the proposed in­ ternational standards for engine room ratings will be close to U.S. standards for the FOWT endorsement. The SIU's involvement has also been geared toward improving the training and skills of all merchant seamen and the Union will continue to pursue this goal at the conference in June. Transport Safety Unit Urges Global Hazardous Materials List The National Transportation Safety Board has come up with a way to cut through the many layers of regulations that govern the transportation of haz­ ardous materials in international trade. The regulations are designed to in­ sure the safe carriage of these mate­ rials. But because they are set by many different countries and international organizations, the regulations are often confusing to the shippers and carriers who must comply with them. Most im­ portant, the confusion is dangerous be­ cause it can lead to violations of the safety regulations, NTSB stated. The problem concerns the various names, reference numbers, and codes used to identify the different hazardous materials. These are increasingly im­ portant because of computerization. The U.S. Department of Transporta­ tion (DOT), which regulates the car­ riage of hazardous materials for all modes of transportation including U.S.flag ships, uses one set of identification codes. International organizations, such as the Intergovernmental Mari­ time Consultative Organization (IMCO), which regulates ocean trans­ portation, has another. ment agency that investigates accidents and promotes safety in all modes of transportation under U.S. jurisdiction. It makes recommendations to other Government agencies, such as DOT and the Coast Guard, which are di­ rectly responsible for insuring safe transportation. Membership in organizations like the International Transport Workers Federa­ tion gives the SIU a voice in setting worldwide maritime safety standards. The ITF has been an active participant in planning the international conference on those standards which will be held this June. Shown at an ITF meeting in Dublin, Ire. are (I. to r.): SIU Vice-President Earl Shepherd; Bert Lanpher of the SlUNA-affiliated Staff Officers Association; Ed Turner, president of the SlUNA-affiliated Marine Cooks and Stewards Union, and John Fay, SIU port agent in Philadelphia. Upgrading pays off when it's time to pay off. These courses starting at HLS in May: Able Seaman—May 1 Lifeboat—May 11, May 25 LNG—May 1, May 29 Pilot—May 15 Possible "catastrophic results" m a 1 •Mi NTSB pointed out that "this ... in­ creases the likelihood of misinterpreta­ tion and violations by shippers and carriers. These violations, even unin­ tentional, could have catastrophic re­ sults." To insure the safer shipment of haz­ ardous materials under U.S. jurisdic­ tion, the NTSB recommended last month that DOT publish a complete hazardous materials list that crossreferences its code numbers with those of international regulations. The list would be arranged for con­ venient use and would provide valuable safety benefits, such as fewer incor­ rectly described shipments. It would also aid in checking shipments for com­ pliance when they are turned over to carriers. Once established, the list could serve other purposes. NTSB suggested that it could tie in with the official in­ formation systems used for worker safety, environmental protection and customs. NTSB is an independent Govern­ QMED—May 29 Tankerman—May 11, May 25 Chief Steward—May 1, May 29 (only 1 student per class) Chief Cook—May 1, May 13, May 29 (only 2 students per class) Cook/Baker—May 1, May 13, May 29 (only 2 students per class) Maintenance of Shipboard Refrigeration Systems —June 2 To enroll see your SIU representative More Money • A Better Job • More Job Security March 1978 / LOG / 25 �51 Offshore Group Discusses East Coast Organizing The recent ruling by the U.S. Su­ preme Court giving a green light to off­ shore oil drilling on the Atlantic Coast prompted a meeting by the General Presidents Offshore Committee. The GPOC is a group of nine international unions, including the SIUNA, working to get American union crews on off­ shore oil rigs. The meeting was held early in March in Providence, R.I. to discuss the mem­ ber unions' organizing efforts on the East Coast. SIUNA Vice President Frank Drozak represented the Sea­ farers. The Court's ruling makes it likely that as many as 10 drilling rigs could commence work off the coast of New Jersey in the next few months. The East Coast coordinator of the GPOC is currently holding meetings with Atlantic Coast companies involved in offshore construction work. Three different contracts covering the build­ ing, running, and maintenance of the The Petrel's 'A Fine Boat' "She's a fine-running workboat," the top-to-bottom SIU crew of the Petrel agreed about the latest addi­ tion to Allied Towing's fleet in Nor­ folk, Va. The Petrel, a new 1,800 hp. tug­ boat, recently came out of the Modem Marine Power Shipyard in Houma, La. She is presently hauling petroleum between Norfolk and Bal­ timore on the Chesapeake Bay, but will eventually work up and down the coast. She's named not for her petroleum cargo, but after a sea-going bird, like most of Allied's 20-boat inland and ocean-going fleet. Petrels are small, but strong birds that can skim close to the surface of the ocean for long periods of time without landing. The tng Petrel promises to be an aptly named addition to Allied's rapidly growing ocean-going division. rigs have been drawn up by the Com­ mittee and are available for the com­ panies to sign. The contracts include an offshore agreement, an onshore fab­ rication agreement, and a maintenance agreement. Though there have been indications by the industry that it hopes to bring workers from other parts of the country to construct and man the East Coast rigs, the GPOC is working to counter that. The Committee wants to make sure the offshore industry on the East Coast will provide jobs for East Coast workers. An earlier meeting by the Commit­ tee, held in Miami, Fla. on Feb. 15, focused more on the West Coast indus­ try. The meeting yielded a signed agree­ ment between the GPOC and Alaska Contractors, Inc. This company was awarded a contract to construct an oil platform off the West Coast. The agree­ ment Alaska Contractors signed with the GPOC makes sure the platform will be manned by union workers. The Committee also signed a measure which said that all maintenance work on oil platforms will be done by mem­ bers of the nine affiliated unions. This agreement, which still needs to be signed by contractors, provides jobs during the life of the rig which can be 20 years or longer. Maintenance crews on oil rigs are basically the same as shore gangs on docked vessels, except a maintenance crew has to be on the Ag seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The Committee also reiterated their intention of working to convince the Senate to accept the House version of the pending bill on the Outer Continen­ tal Shelf. The House bill contains a man-American clause which the Senate bill does not have. The GPOC was formed a year-anda-half ago for the purpose of working to unionize and protect the jobs of American workers on offshore plat­ forms on both Coasts and in Alaska. The nine international member unions of the GPOC are; Seafarers International Union of North America; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; United Brotherhood of Car­ penters and Joiners of America; Inter­ national Union of Operating Engineers; International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades; United Association of Journey men and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the U.S. and Canada; International As­ sociation of Bridge,' Structural and Or­ namental Iron Workers; International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Shipbuilders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers, and the International Associ­ ation of Heat and Frost Insulators and A.sbestos Workers. Unemployment Rate Falls Continued from Page 2 The crew on the new tug Petrel are (I. to r.): Doyle Nixon, chief engineer; Clarence Hollowell, mate; Henry Griggs, cook; Ray Tolan, deckhand, and Earl Nixon, captain. I Texos Convenfion to Paul Drozak Continued from Page 3 AFL-CIO held their Convention. And out of love and respect for Paul Drozak, they dedicated their Convention to his memory. Following is the tribute paid to Paul Drozak dunng the opening .session of the Texas Convention: In Memoriam PAUL DROZAK Texas working people assembled this thirteenth day of March, 1978, to make vital decisions concerning our future. But they unite this time with heavy hearts. They have lost one of their great friends and brothers—Paul Drozak. WHEREAS Paul Drozak dedicated each day of his life to promoting the welfare of mankind and in so doing be­ came one of Texas Labor's great hu­ manitarians; and WHEREAS Paul Drozak lived for a cause that needs assistance, for the future in the distance, and the good he could do; and WHEREAS Paul Drozak also believed that the crest and crowning of all good, life's final star, is brotherhood; and WHEREAS Paul Drozak was known by thousands for his kindness and al­ ways wanted to "pass it on;" and 26 / LOG / March 1978 while their rate skidded to 11.2 percent from 13.2 percent. However, AFL-CIO president George Meany declared that "in some geo­ graphical areas and among some groups, particularly blacks and teen­ agers, the level of unemployment is still disastrous. That's why programs tar­ geted to meet these problems are es­ sential." He added thai the February decline and the steady drop in unemployment across the U.S. in the past year demon­ strates the effectiveness of economic stimulus programs. The decline, Meany said, was a direct result of increases in public works pro­ grams started last spring. "However, these programs are now winding down," he noted. "Therefore, additional economic stimulus programs (like the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Em­ ployment Bill) must be enacted to con­ tinue the direct attack on unemploy­ ment." | WHEREAS Paul Drozak is remem­ bered by the passage "Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on; 'twas not given for thee alone, pass it on; let it travel down the years, let it wipe an­ other's tears, 'til in heaven the deed appears—pass it on;" and WHEREAS Paul Drozak made untold contributions to the Texas Labor move­ ment as a vice president of the Texas AFL-CIO and in a driving, productive role of leadership in the Seafarers In­ ternational Union; and WHEREAS Paul Drozak was widely known in his community, county and state through his tireless efforts of de­ votion to the progress of the Port of Houston Commission, the West Gulf Ports Council of the Maritime Trades Council and the Inland Boatmen's Union; and WHEREAS Paul Drozak's warmth and goodness made him a great family man and an outstanding labor leader whose attributes are indelibly printed in the minds and hearts of union members all across this great state; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this body of delegates in session for the 1978 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Conven­ tion proudly and respectfully dedicate this convention in memoriam to Paul Drozak. and The Transportation institute's Towboat Operator Schol­ arship Program provides you with everything you need to earn your license—a special tuition-free program at HLS, room, board and books free, and a weekly stipend to help cover your expenses while you're away from home. APPLY TODAY SEE YOUR SIU REPRESENTATIVE �New Rule Also Gives Vh Service Days for 12 Hours Worked CG CutsWorking Time for Towboat Operator License A recent Coast Guard ruling has made it possible to cut by a third the amount of working time necessary for a Boatman to get a towboat operator's license. The Coast Guard's reduced ser­ vice requirements appl5' to all inland classifications for those Boatmen who have been both entry trainees at the SIU's HarryTLundeberg School in Piney Point, Md., and have completed the up­ grading courses in their classification. The minimum service requirement for towboat operators is 18 months. If a Boatman has gone through the HLS inland trainee program and then re­ turns to Piney Point under the newlyinaugurated three-month towboat op­ erator scholarship, he will have earned six months towards that requirement. Another plus for towboat operators, according to HLS Vocational Director Bob Kalmus, is the ruling granting towboat operators 1 Vz days of service for every 12-hour day they work. Let's take the example of an upgrader who's gotten a six month service credit for the HLS courses he's gone through. He needs another 12 months' time to qual­ ify for his operators license. He can cut that to eight months if he works a nor­ mal 12 hour day. Need Two Parts The Coast Guard service require­ ment rulings, which are a real boon for upgraders, do have one catch. A Boatman must have been an HLS in­ land trainee to qualify for the service credit. Also, he must successfully com­ plete the upgrader course to have the credit applied. course. TOTAL: Four month service course. Mate or Master of Uninspected Ves­ sel—2'4 months for upgrading course plus three months for trainee course— TOTAL: Five and a quarter months service credit. Assistant or Chief Engineer—XVz months for upgrading course plus three months for trainee course. TOTAL: Four and one half months service credit. First Class Pilot—1% months for upgrading course plus three months for trainee course-—TOTAL: Four and three quarter months service credit. Towboat Operator—1 Vi months for upgrading course (OR THREE MONTHS FOR SCHOLARSHIP UP­ GRADING COURSE) plus three months for trainee course—TOTAL: Four and a half or six months service credit. INLAND In other words, any inland entry trainee is eligible for a three-month ser­ vice credit. He will receive this three month credit—and a three month credit for the Upgrading Towboat Operator Course, only when he completes that course. The Boatman will then have a six month service credit. Service credits also apply to other in­ land ratings with the same stipulations —no credit for upgrading courses with­ out first having gone through the trainee program. Trainees are eligible for service credit according to the following: AB—one month credit for upgrading course plus three months for trainee iiiiiiiiiiiimiiuiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinuiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiNiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii LNG 21 in Lifeboat at Sea Off Sunk Ship On her maiden voyage to pick up her first gas cargo for Osaka, Japan, the SlU-contracted LNG Aries (Energy Transportation) plucked 21 Recertified Bosun Roy Theiss of the LNG Aries at Bontang. crew survivors from a lifeboat on the high seas. The men had abandoned their leaking Panamanian ship which later sank. It all began on-Feb. 6 as the Aries was transiting the Makassar Strait between the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Celebes enroute to take on cargo in the port of Bontang. Then shortly after noon, the LNG Aries radio emergency alarm was activated by an SOS signal. Her radio officer immediately established con­ tact with the vessel in distress, iden­ tified as the SS King Dragon L She was bound for Hong Kong with a cargo of logs from Bandjarmasin, Borneo. When the LNG Aries' sparks asked the stricken ship's captain if help was needed he replied "Yes." He said the King Dragon wa.s leaking badly and in immediate danger of sinking. The LNG Aries radio operator tried to keep in contact with the sinking ship, but right away the communi­ cations link was lost. Later it was learned that the crew had abandoned ship. However, at 3:15 p.m. the LNG Aries sighted the King Dragon about seven miles away. She was listing very badly to port and down by the stern. Fifteen minutes later the Aries crew saw the sinking ship roll over to port and sink by the stern, her . rt.'.J.'- I*-.-.; bow rising out of the water before plunging under. Just about then a lifeboat was sighted. So the Aries maneuvered alongside the lifeboat taking 21 sur­ vivors aboard. Checking to see if no crewmembers were missing from the Panamanian vessel, the LNG Aries resumed course to Bontang. • • •' T -S'Ji Here's the surviving crew of the ill-fated SS King Dragon I in their lifeboat headed for the safety of the LNG Aries. A MESSAGE FROM YOUR UNION /VARCOT/CS HAVB AfO PLACE /N A P/eOP£'^f/ONAL $£AMAN'S CARBEP ... AND voa LOSJS vaup PAPB/^ ^ POR / March 1978 / LOG / 27 �Mary Committee f jBrotherhood m Actk>r» ?l ' ' .. for SIU members with an alcohol problem This month, Seafarer Lee Buchan will celebrate two years of sobriety. Brother Buchan's friends call him "Buck", and he now works as the cook at the Searfarers Alcoholic Rehabilita­ tion Center. Seafarer Buchan joined the SIU in 1973 and worked in the steward de­ partment on the Great Lakes. "There was always liquor in my life. I traveled around the world but never saw any of the sights, just the bars." He found out about the rehab pro­ gram at the Center through the Log. "When I first came to the Center for help, I felt like an abandoned child," he said, "that was two years ago." Now Brother Buchan helps his brothers who have alcoholism. He spoke of his role at the ARC, "It's hard for those guys to grasp where we are coming from. They have to be­ lieve that we are trying to help them." Brother Buchan said, "We have con­ tracted the disease of alcoholism and we have to accept the fact that we are alcoholics. Not just say so, but realize that it is true. This takes courage." After receiving help at the ARC, Brother Buchan has started a new life for himself and his family. Because of his own experiences with alcoholism Norfolk Opens Detox Facilities Another U.S. Public Health Service hospital is now working together with the Seafarers Alco­ holic Rehabilitation Center in Piney Point, Md. to help alcoholic Boatmen and Seafarers. The Norfolk USPHS hospital opened a detoxification facility in January where alcoholics can go before starting the six week re­ covery program at the ARC. The ARC program offers complete counseling services, but does not provide any medical treatment for alcoholics. Detoxification is often a necessary step before counseling can begin. Previously, the only available facility in the Eastern half of the country was the Balti­ more USPHS hospital. ARC Director Bill Hibbert had met with representatives of the Norfolk Hospital to advise them of the need for a detox facility there. One already operates out of the San Francisco USPHS hospital and another is being set up at the Staten Island USPHS hospital. Eventually all eight public health hospitals in the country should provide this service, thanks to ARC efforts. The ARC program is one of the benefits available under the Sea­ farers Welfare Plan. Alcoholism i disease. It can be treated 28 / LOG / March 1978 and recovery, he really understands the feelings of his brothers at the ARC. He said that "it is necessary for us as al­ coholics, to change our life style. We need to stay away from the gin mills and learn some kind of craft that will keep our minds and our hands busy when we aren't working. "We have all gotten here the same way and alcohol has taken us there. We have a disease. We have to be honest with ourselves and help ourselves," Buchan stated. Through his own courage and with the help of the ARC, Brother Buchan has improved his life. He said, "I now have a steady job helping my brothers. I have plans of buying a farm. Before I couldn't take care of anything and I always had a hangover from drinking. I now live comfortably without the ef­ fects of alcohol." On Mar. 2 the SS Mary (Asbury Steamship) paid off at Pier 12, Brooklyn N.Y. The Ship's Committee posed for this photo. They are: (sitting I. to r.): Deck Delegate E. Luzier; Steward Delegate Tom Baker, and Recertified Bosun Lonnie Cole ship's chairman. Standing is Deck Engineer Tom Conway, educa­ tional director. Dispatchers Report for *TOTAL REGISTERED All Groups Class A Class B Class C FEB. 1-28. 1978 0 Boston New York Philadelphia Baltimore Norfolk Tampa Mobile New Orleans Jacksonville San Francisco Wilmington Seattle Puerto Rico Houston Port Arthur Algonac St. Louis Piney Point Paducah Totals ; i. . . 0 0 0 2 4 2 2 0 0 0 1 3 5 0 5 0 6 0 0 0 3 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 10 3 0 16 0 4 41 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 6 9 0 0 0 5 8 12 0 • 7 0 38 89 Port **REGISTERED ON BEACH All Groups Class A Class B Class C 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 1 0 3 25 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 12 3 0 10 0 3 34 0 0 0 . 1 0 0 0 5 8 0 0 0 0 11 3 0 0 0 18 46 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 3 2 0 0 0 1 3 11 39 9 0 11 88 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 19 0 2 34 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 8 1 0 0 0 16 3 37 2 12 0 61 144 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 3 0 11 20 93 39 165 ENGINE DEPARTMENT Boston New York Philadelphia Baltimore Norfolk Tampa Mobile New Orleans Jacksonville San Francisco Wilmington Seattle Puerto Rico Houston Port Arthur Alqonac St. Louis Piney Point Paducah Totals 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 Port Boston New York Philadelphia Baltimore Norfolk Tampa Mobile New Orleans Jacksonville San Francisco Wilmington Seattle Puerto Rico Houston Port Arthur Algonac St. Louis . Piney Point Paducah Totals TOTAL SHIPPED All Groups Class A Class B Class C DECK DEPARTMENT Port - J Inland Waters V„. 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 STEWARD DEPARTMENT . - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 0 6 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 4 Totals All Departments 35 43 106 29 34 53 *"Total Registered" means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month. **"Registered on the Beach" means the total number of men registered at the port at the end of las! month. % �"This is just too good a chance to pass up The towing Industry needs li­ censed Boatmen to work in the wheelhouse. A qualified Towboat Operator can count on job security and excellent pay. To help talented Boatmen earn this license, the Transportation In­ stitute established a scholarship fund. The fund provides room, "It's good to be involved with the towing industry, it's a growing industry, and I'm go­ ing to grow along with it." John Norris, National Marine board, books, tuition and a weekly allowance during a three month course at the Lundeberg School. The first Boatmen to receive Tl scholarships are now going to school at HLS. The 23 men come from all over the United States. They represent 15 companies. The oldest student is 55. The youngest is 20. Some have been to HLS be­ fore and some have not. All of these Boatmen have two things in common—they are getting ahead and moving up in their in­ dustry, and they are outstanding workers who will have very valuable skills when they complete their spe­ cial course. All of the scholarship winners are ambitious men—several of them said they had hoped to be able to upgrade at HLS someday. But the scholarship program made this hope a reality. As Don Braddy of lOT said, "The money is a God­ send!" Monte Cross from Caribe added, "The money really helps!" Alex Sweeney of Hannah Inland Waterways summed up the group's feelings when he said, "This pro­ gram gives us guys a chance to get our licenses that we wouldn't have had otherwise." Each of the Boatmen had high praise for the course HLS has pre­ pared for them. Luis Garcia of Caribe said, "It's the best! It's the greatest! And this school is a fine school!" John Norris from National Marine added, "The teachers are real good. They stay with you—help you learn.". "The Captains of the HLS pushboat, Erwin Gros and Jack Miller, are just dynamite!" concluded Paul Pont of lOT. it's a beautiful program. James Price, Hunt Oil the road, chart navigation, use of instruments, aids to navigation and emergency signals. When these scholarship winners leave HLS, they will have new skills to help them get ahead. They will return to a growing industry with plenty of jobs for people who have these skills. The scholarjship program has opened up many new opportunities ## for these boatmen. As Darrel Lowney of Dixie Carriers put it, "I'm moving up, I'm going to better my­ self—earn more money." Or, in the words of John Brown from Cres­ cent, "I'm gonna get my license and move up the ladder." "I came from the ghettos, and now I have advanced. I'm go­ ing to keep going up, have a comfortable life and help my family." Luis Garcia, Caribe "The way this program is pre­ sented, it's quicker and easier to learn. I don't see how it can be improved." Richard Kulakowski, lOT During their stay at HLS, the Boatmen are spending many hours each day in class and also aboard the pushboat Susan Collins. During this time they are learning and prac­ ticing boat handling skills, rules of James S. James (left) and Fred Shiferdek (right) iisten as instructor Chuck Dwyer explains a principle of chart navigation. Instructor Paul Allman (center) explains the principies of LORAN ooeration to John Brown (left) and Monte Cross. r.f MARINES Following an OJT session, Paul Pont enters his hours aboard the Svson Collins in the boat's log. ! fOR IHf '•» 1% Frank Jewell clarifies a point about cloud formations during classroom instruction covering weather conditions. Don Braddy (right) operates the radar aboard the Susan Collins under the direction of Captain Irwin Gros. March 1978 / LOG / 29 �SIU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes & Inland Waters United Industrial Woriters of North America PRESIDENT Paul Hall SECRETARY-TREASURER Joe DiGiorgio EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Frank Drozak VICE PRESIDENTS Earl Shepard Lindsey Williams Cal Tanner Paul Drozak Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea FEB. 1-28, 1978 •TOTAL REGISTERED All Groups Class A Class B Class C Port ••REGISTERED ON BEACH All Groups Class A Class B Class C DECK DEPARTMENT Boston New York Philadelphia Baltimore Norfolk Tampa Mobile New Orleans Jacksonville San Francisco Wilmington Seattle Puerto Rico Houston Piney Point Yokohama Totals Port Boston New York Philadelphia Baltimore Norfolk Tampa Mobile New Orleans Jacksonville San Francisco Wilmington Seattle Puerto Rico Houston Piney Point Yokohama Totals TOTAL SHIPPED All Groups Class A Class B Class C 10 15 0 445 3 14 1 4 3 1 2 16 7 2 3 5 2 9 0 0 72 0 7 1 0 1 0 0 1 6 2 1 6 1 11 0 0 37 1 53 5 11 10 10 18 67 27 15 11 42 17 56 0 6 349 2 32 5 8 7 5 6 25 7 7 8 7 6 24 3 1 153 0 2 2 0 1 3 0 1 5 1 2 0 1 11 0 0 29 9 118 11 53 24 16 40 140 58 71 34 79 8 113 0 3 777 4 22 2 3 4 1 6 16 10 7 3 4 2 12 0 0 96 1 9 0 0 0 2 0 3 5 2 2 10 1 11 0 0 46 ENGINE DEPARTMENT 15 10 : 3 22 3 2 3 3 3 17 6 7 8 9 0 9 1 0 96 0 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 16 5 17 4 26 n 0 192 1 7 1 5 1 0 2 1 4 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 25 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 Totals All Departments 2 108 22 31 21 6 30 102 50 55 19 53 17 85 0 1 602 5 39 0 6 7 3 7 23 10 7 10 16 0 12 0 0 145 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 10 1 34 2 9 11 7 14 44 16 15 2 24 6 36 0 1 222 1 17 0 4 2 1 2 22 11 4 3 4 1 14 8 0 94 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 0 2 2 1 8 0 0 19 2 48 6 16 17 4 22 62 29 36 10 24 10 37 0 0 323 2 11 1 9 1 0 3 5 3 3 2 1 1 9 0 0 51 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 5 1 31 4 22 10 4 14 37 15 29 5 19 15 22 0 0 228 5 98 18 19 14 4 10 42 23 15 22 12 11 42 2 0 337 12 105 8 12 8 3 1 27 4 12 17 27 2 39 0 0 277 629 338 ENTRY DEPARTMENT Port Boston New York Philadelphia Baltimore Norfolk Tampa Mobile New Orleans Jacksonville San Francisco Wilmington Seattle Puerto Rico Houston Piney Point Yokohama Totals 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 3 24 3 1 4 5 7 16 8 6 2 2 3 14 3 0 . 101 STEWARD DEPARTMENT Port Boston New York Philadelphia Baltimore Norfolk Tampa Mobile New Orleans Jacksonville San Francisco Wilmington Seattle Puerto Rico Houston Piney Point Yokohama Totals 1 46 5 4 5 7 19 59 17 16 9 29 7 48 0 1 273 21 12 21 2 17 4 18 0 1 149 1 68 9 10 12 6 5 35 19 8 15 8 9 47 13 0 265 3 42 6 5 2 5 0 8 4 10 9 13 2 34 0 0 143 458 191 1,123 844 348 55 1,930 •"Total Registered" means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month. ••"Registered on the Beach" means the total number of men registered at the port at the end of last month. 30/ LOG / March 1978 HEADQUARTERS 675 4 Ave., Bklyn. 11232 (212) HY 9-6600 ALGONAC, Mich. 520 St. Clair River Dr. 48001 (313) 794-9375 ALPENA, Mich 800 N. 2 Ave. 49707 (517) EL 4-3616 BALTIMORE, Md. 1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202 (301) EA 7-4900 BOSTON, Mass 215 Essex St. 02111 (617) 482-4716 BUFFALO, N.Y 290 Franklin St. 14202 (716) TL 3-9259 CHICAGO, ILL. .9383 S. Ewing Ave. 60617 (312) SA 1-0733 CLEVELAND, Ohio 1290 Old River Rd. 44113 (216) MA 1-5450 DULUTH, Minn 2014 W. 3 St. 58806 (218) RA 2-4110 FRANKFORT, Mich P.O. Box D 415 Main St. 49635 (616) 352-4441 HOUSTON, Tex 1221 Pierce St. 77002 (713) 659-5152 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. 3315 Liberty St. 32206 (904) 353-0987 JERSEY CITY, N.J. 99 Montgomery St. 07302 (201) HE 5-9424 MOBILE, Ala IS. Lawrence St. 36602 (205) HE 2-1754 NEW ORLEANS, La. 630 Jackson Ave. 70130 (504) 529-7546 NORFOLK, Va 115 3 St. 23510 (804) 622-1892 PADUCAH, Ky 225 S. 7 St. 42001 (502) 443-2493 PHILADELPHIA, Pa. . .2604 S. 4 St. 19148 (215) D£ 6-3818 PINEY POINT, Md. St. Maiy's County 20674 (301) 994-0010 PORT ARTHUR, Tex. . . .534 9 Ave. 77640 (713) 983-1679 SAN FRANCISCO, Calif 1311 Mis.sion St; J)4103 (415) 626-6793 SANTURCE, P. R. . 1313 Fernandez, Juncos, Stop 20 00909 (809) 724-2848 SEATTLE, Wash 2505 1 Ave. 98121 (206) MA 3-4334 ST. LOUIS, Mo. . .4581 Gravois Ave. 63116 (314) 752-6500 TAMPA, Fla. 2610 W. Kennedy Blvd. 33609 (813) 870-1601 TOLEDO, Ohio 935 Summit St. 43604 (419) 248-3691 WILMINGION, Calif. 510 N. Broad St. 90744 (213) 549-4000 YOKOHAMA, Japan . P.O. Box 429 Yokohama Port P.O. 5-6 Nihon Ohdori Naka-Ku 231-91 201-7935 Shipping at deep sea ^G ports remained good last month as 1,248 Seafarers found jobs on SlU-contracted deep sea vessels. Shipping has been good to excellent for more than a year now and is expected to stay that way. Of the total jobs shipped last month, only 844 were taken by "A'* seniority book members, whUe nearly one third of the jobs were filled by "B" and "C* seniority people. �Herbert E. Adams, 57, joined the SIU in the port of Tampa in 1962.; He had sailed as a fireman-watertender for 28 years. Brother Adams is a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army. He was born in Faison, N.C. and is a resident there. /. Jf-* George R. Black, 58, joined the SIU in 1948 in Ihe port of New York and sailed as a wiper and AB. Brother Black sailed 32 years. He was on the picket line in the 1962 Robin Line beef. Seafarer Black is a World War II veteran of the U.S. Armed Services. Bom in Burma, he is a U.S. citizen. And he is a resi­ dent of Pioche, Nev. Bernard A. "Barney" Sanford, 65, joined the SIU in the port of Wilmington in 1955 and sailed as a chief electrician. Brother Sanford sailed 32 years. He received a 1960 Union Personal Safety Award for sailing aboard an accident-free ship, the SS Fairport. Seafarer Sanford was born in Michigan and is a resi­ dent of San Francisco. Herbert F. Lonczynski, 65, joined the SIU in the port of New York in 1951 and sailed as a bosun. Brother Lonczynski sailed 46 years. He was a Union organizer during the 1951 Cities Service drive. Seafarer Lon­ czynski attended the Piney Point Crew Conference No. 12 in 1970. Born in Berlin, Germany, he is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He is a resi­ dent of Mobile. Archie E. Delaney, 61, joined the SIU in the port of New York in 1955 and sailed as a chief electri­ cian. Brother Delaney sailed 30 years. He is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. A native of Ala­ bama, he is a resident of Mobile. fmioms Harold E. Robinson, 68, joined the SIU in the port of New York in 1953 and sailed as a BR utility. Brother Robinson is a World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy. He was born in Holyoke, Mass. and is a resident there. Van Whitney, 56, joined the SIU in 1944 in the port of New York and sailed as a chief electtician and deck engineer. Brother Whitney sailed 37 years and during the Viet­ nam War. He was ship delegate and walked the picket line as a picket captain in the 1958 Houston strike and the 1961 Greater N.Y. Harbor beef and 1962 Robin Line strike. Born in Georgetown, British Guiana, S.A., he is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Seafarer Whitney is a resident of Sunnyvale, Calif. Samuel Johnson, Jr., 62, joined the SIU in the port of Mobile in 1955 and sailed as a cook. Brother Johnson graduated from the An­ drew Furuseth Training School, Mo­ bile in 1958. He is a World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy. Born in Mobile, he is a resident there. Paul O. Arceneaux, 61, joined the Union in the port of New Or­ leans in 1957 and sailed as a tankerman for Dixie Carriers from 1955 to 1977. Brother Arceneaux is a World War II veteran of the U.S. Air Forces. Born in Welsh, La., he is a resident of Slidell, l^a. Recertified Bosun Jean Latapie, ^ 57, joined the SIU in 1947 in the port of New Orleans. Brother Lata­ pie, graduated from the Union's Bosuns Recertification Program in July 1973. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army in World War II. Sea­ farer Latapie was born in Point Lahache, La. and is a resident of New Orleans. Luther D. Harris, 61, joined the Union in the port of Mobile in 1956 sailing as a cook for the Ideal Ce­ ment Co.'s Gulf Marine Division from 1956 to 1972 and as a relief engineer for the Mobile Towing Co. from 1972 to 1978. Brother Harris is a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army. A native of Sylvarena, Miss., he is a resident of Eight Mile, Ala. James E. Buchanan, 67, joined i the Union in 1962 in the port of ' Norfolk and worked as a deckhand for the Capital Transportation Co. from 1956 to 1962 and as a cap­ tain for the Interstate Oil Co. from 1962 to 1975. Brother Buchanan was born in Virginia and is a resi­ dent of Mathews, Va. Austin W. Carter, 62, joined the SIU in 1942 in the port of Norfolk and sailed as an AB. Brother Carter sailed 32 years. He was born in Ala­ bama and is a resident of Mango, Fla. Arthur Lewin, 60, joined the Union in the port of New York in 1960 and sailed as a deckhand and bridgeman for the Pennsylvania Railroad's Pier H, Jersey City, N.J. from 1939 to 1978. Brother Lewin is a World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy. He was born in Brook­ lyn, N.Y. and is a resident there. Seafarer Wins at Coin Shows If you want to move up Here's a way to do it The Transportation Vnstltute's Towboat Operator Schol­ arship Program can be your ticket to the Wheelhouse. Here's what the program offers: • Special three-month curriculum offered only at the Harry Lundeberg School • Room, Board and Books Free • Tuition free • Weekly stipend of $125 • Time spent in on-the-job training is Coast Guard ap­ proved as the equivalent of Wheelhouse time • Day-for-day work time credit for HLS Entry Graduates Coin dealer F. M. Rose has cause for the wide smile. He's hefting the Lewis M. Reagan Trophy he won for the "best in show stopper exhibit" for his display "When Coins Got Around" at the 5th Miami Beach International Mid-Winter Coin Convention, Jan. 12-15. His exhibit featured trade dollar coins (one a 1576 United Netherlands lion daalder) used along the sea routes of Africa, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, India, the Pacific islands, and mainland China. On Jan. 4, Seafarer Rose came off the SS Guayama (P.R. Marine) in St. Peters­ burg, Fla. to also win first prize in foreign coins at the Florida United Numis­ matists Show the next day. The Transportation Institute Scholarships will be awarded In May. See your SIU Representative for application materials. March 1978 / LOG / 31 �Dimtcteps Rcpirt for GPHI liAes Netiu to Meaiben Ou S^'mg PtoteAtto When throwing In for work dur­ ing a joh call at any SlU Hiring Hall, memhers must produce the following: • membership certificate • registration card • clinic card • seaman's papers • valid, up-to-date passport In addition, when assigning a job the dispatcher will comply with the following Section 5, Sub­ section 7 of the SlU Shipping Rules: "Within each class of seniority rating in every Department, prior­ ity for entry rating jobs shall be given to aU seamen who possess Lifeboatman endorsement by the United States Coast Guard. The Seafarers Appeals Board may waive the preceding sentence when, in the sole judgment of the Board, undue hardship will result or extenuating circumstances war­ rant such waiver." Also, all entry rated members must show their last six months discharges. Further, the Seafarers Appeals Board has ruled that "C classifica­ tion seamen may onitly register and sail as entry ratings in only one department" FEB. 1-28 1978 *, Alpena Buffalo Cleveland Duluth Frankfort Chicago Algonac Totals ' TOTAL REGISTERED All Groups Class A Class B Class C 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 All Groups Class A Class B Class C DECK DEPARTMENT 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 4 3 8 9 ••REGISTERED ON BEACH All Groups Class A Class B Class C 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 38 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 30 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 STEWARD DEPARTMENT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 57 60 2 0 0 0 0 0 32 34 1 0 0 1 0 0 18 20 141 45 25 ENGINE DEPARTMENT Alpena Buffalo Cleveland Duluth Frankfort Chicago Algonac Totals 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Alpena Buffalo Cleveland Duluth Frankfort Chicago Algonac Totals o 0 o 0 o 0 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 6 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 ENTRY DEPARTMENT Buffalo Cleveland Duluth Frankfort Chicago Algonac Totals 0 0 Q 0 Q 0 30 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 10 Totals All Departments 72 28 12 14 12 3 *"Total Registered" means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month ^•"Registered on the Beach" means the total number of men registered at the port at the end of last month. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS KNOW YOUR RIGHTS TRUST FUNDS. All trust funds of the SlU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District are administered in accordance with the provisions of various trust fund agreements. All these agreements specify that the trustees in charge of these funds shall equally consist of Union and management representatives and their alternates. All expenditures and disbursements of trust funds are made only upon approval by a majority of the trustees. All trust fund financial records are available at the headquarters of the various trust funds. SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and senior­ ity are protected exclusively by the contracts between the Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available in all Union halls. If you feel there has been any violation of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the contracts between the Union and the employers, notify the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail, return re­ ceipt requested. The proper address for this is: Frank Drozak, Chairman, Seafarers Appeals Board 275 - 20fh Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215 Full copies of contracts as referred to are available to you at all times, either by writing directly to the Union or to the Seafarers Appeals Board. CONTRACTS. Copies of all SlU contracts are avail­ able in all SlU halls. These contracts specify the wages and conditions under which you work and live aboard" your ship or boat. Know your contract rights, as well as your obligations, such as filing for OT on the proper sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, any SIU KNOW YOUR RIGHTS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGA­ TIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in all Union halls. All members should obtain copies of this constitution so as to familiarize themselves with its con­ tents. Any time you feel any member or officer is attempt­ ing to deprive you of any constitutional right or obligation by any methods such as dealing with charges, trials, etc., as well as all other details, then the member so affected should immediately notify headquarters. FINANCIAL REPORTS. The conslilulion of the SIU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District makes specific provision for safeguarding the membership's money and Union finances. The constitution requires a detailed audit by Certified Public Accountants every three months, which are to be submitted to the membership by the Secretary-Treasurer. A quarterly finance committee of rank and file members, elected by the membership, makes examination each quarter of the finances of the Union and reports fully their findings and recommenda­ tions. Members of this committee may make dissenting reports, specific recommendations and separate findings. 32/ LOG / March 1978 TOTAL SHIPPED patrolman or other Union official, in your opinion, fails to protect your contract rights properly, contact the nearest SIU port agent. EDITORIAL POLICY —THE LOG. The Log has traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving the political purposes of any individual in the Union, officer or member. It has also refrained from publishing articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed by membership action at the September, 1960, meetings in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log policy is vested in an editorial board which consists of the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board may delegate, from among its ranks, one individual to carry out this responsibility. PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid to anyone in any oflicial capacity in the SIU unless an official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circum­ stances should any member pay any money for any reason unless he is given such receipt. In the event anyone attempts to require any such payment be made without supplying a receipt, or if a member is required to make a payment and is given an official receipt, but feels that he should not have been required to make such payment, this should immediately be reported to Union headquarters. EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in the contracts which the Union has negotiated with'the employers. Consequently, no member may be discrimi­ nated against because of race, creed, color, sex and na­ tional or geographic origin. If any member feels that he is denied the equal rights to which he is entitled, he should notify Union headquarters. SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION —SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its pro­ ceeds are used to further its objects and purposes includ­ ing, but not limited to, furthering the political, social and economic interests of maritime workers, the preservation and furthering of the American Merchant Marine with improved employment opportunities for seamen and boatmen and the advancement of trade union concepts. In connection with such objects, SPAD supports and contributes to political candidates for elective office. All contributions are voluntary. No contribution may be solicited or received because of force, job discrimination, llnancial reprisal, or threat of such conduct, or as a con­ dition of membership in the Union or of employment. If a contribution is made by reason of the above improper conduct, notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD by certified mail within 30 days of the contribution for investigation and appropriate action and refund, if involuntary. Sup­ port SPAD to protect and further your economic, poli­ tical and social interests, and American trade union concepts. If at any time a member feels that any of the above rights have been violated, or that he has been denied his constitutional right of access to Union records or Infor­ mation, he should immediately notify SIU President Paul Hall at headquarters by certified mail, return receipt requested. The address is 675 - 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11232. �\ Know Your Company \Allied TowingCorp.—From2 to 21Tugboats This story is the third in a regular feature on SW-contracted towing companies. The feature is designed to provide SlU Boatmen with more knowledge of their industry, and to give all SlU members a closer look at the job opportunities on the inland waterways. Allied Towing Corp. of Norfolk, Va. started 21 years ago with two wooden tugboats. With a tug, towboat, and barge fleet that now numbers twice the amount of years it's been in business, this SlU-contracted company has a lot to show for itself. It also has a lot to show for the towing industry. Twenty-one boats and 21 barges do not make Allied one of the biggest companies in the field. But its growth demonstrates what a towing com­ pany can do with improved technology and skilled manpower. It can move almost anything anywhere. And what that means is more business for the company and more jobs for SIU Boatmen, Allied was once limited to hauling cement mate­ rials and whatever other small jobs it could pick up in the Norfolk Harbor. It now makes regular runs up and down the Atlantic Coast, to the Gulf and the Caribbean, and on inland waterways. It now handles all kinds of cargo—liquid and dry bulk and just recently, LASH barges. Allied takes crude oil to power plants and re­ fineries and brings petroleum products back to distribution points, mostly between Norfolk and Baltimore. This includes regular deliveries of jet and diesel fuel to many Government operations on the Atlantic Coast. Also Carry Fertilizer Allied's barges also carry liquid and dry fer­ tilizer and specialized chemicals. Acids used to manufacture plastic eyeglass frames, for example, are picked up at a plant in Baton Rouge, La. and discharged at the Foster Grant factory in Norfolk. Both the pick-up and discharge points in this run are divisions of the Allied Chemical Company. But in spite of the similar name, Allied Towing is a totally separate operation. It does not manu­ facture any of the products it carries. Allied has also taken steel to Central and South America. It is now planning a coast-to-coast de­ livery of dry fertilizer to San Francisco where lumber will be picked up for the return trip to Norfolk. "We'll go anywhere the customer wants to go," Joe Smith, Allied's vice president in charge of operations said. Allied's fleet is now about equally divided between its coastwise, inland, and ocean- "We really back the Harry Lundeberg School," Jim Harrell, Allied's vice president in charge of personnel said. Allied requires all tankermen to train at the School and encourages all Boatmen to upgrade there. Two boats in Allied's growing fleet are shown at right: the coastwise tug Lark and the inland towboat Egret. going runs. But the company's future direction is definitely oceangoing, Jim Harrell, Allied's per­ sonnel director explained. That means bigger boats and bigger barges. The boats now range from 600 hp. towboats to 3,200 hp. tugs. But the Sea Hawk, a new ocean­ going tug due out of the shipyard in mid-April, will surpass that. She will have 4,200 hp., enough to make the upcoming trip from Norfolk to San Francisco and back in 45-60 days. Allied built up its fleet in the past mostly by repowering and remodeling old boats, such as the Lark, the Egret, and the Firebird. But the com­ pany has recently placed several new shipyard orders, such as the Petrel, which came out in Oc­ tober, and the Falcon, which is still under con­ struction. The bird names of Allied's fleet go back to the original two wooden tugboats that the company started with, the first Falcon and the Raven. These are no longer in operation, but Allied has pre­ served part of its history by continuing to name all of its boats in this way. The Petrel, for example, carries the name of a sea-going bird that flies so The crew of the tug Lark are (I. to r.): Engineer Ronald Taylor; Capt. Elwood "Yogi" White; Mate Robert "Porky" Morse, and Chief Cook Harold Sattlethight. close to the surface of the water that it seems to walk on the waves. The only exception is the tug Tester, which is actually used to test new kinds of engine parts. Allied also has an ongoing shipyard order for a new barge every year. Like its boats, the newest barges are generally the biggest and are now up to 100,000 barrels capacity. They can accommodate several different types of cargoes at once within separate tanks. This gives Allied greater flexibility in contracting new jobs. Strong HLS Backer But it also requires trained tankermen to safely handle the hazardous materials that make up a large part of Allied's business. For this reason. Allied hires only tankermen who have graduated from the Harry Lundeberg School in Piney Point, Md. Personnel Director Harrell, a former SIU tug­ boat captain for Allied, explained that this policy has greatly reduced the company's accident rate. "The Lundeberg School trains the men better than we can," Harrell said. "It would take us six to eight months to give tankermen the kind of safety training they get in a few weeks at the School." Allied is top to bottom SIU and many Boatmen there have also attended the School to prepare for the licenses they now hold in the wheelhouse and engine departments. "Allied really backs the School," Harrell said. "Because of it we're now getting a steady supply of more professional seamen. It gives the Boatmen a real career and good money and it brings Allied nothing but good results, too." The crew of the Firebird, which will soon be pushing LASH barges, are (I. to r.): AB Vernie Cossett; Capt. Lawrence Lyons; Engineer Larry DeStefano, and OS Danny Watson, who graduated from the Lundeberg School in April, 1977. March 1978 / LOG / 33 �Raymond E. Brian, 41, died on Dec. 16, 1977. Brother Brian joined the SIU in the port of San Fran­ cisco in 1968 and sailed as a firemanwatertender and a third assistant engi­ neer for District 2, MEBA in 1970. He sailed 15 years and was a graduate of the Andrew Furuseth Training School, Brooklyn, N.Y. In 1970 Seafarer Brian also attended the HLS. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. A na­ tive of Rochester, N.Y-., he was a resi­ dent of San Francisco. Surviving are his widow, Maudie; a son, Paul, and a daughter, April. Joseph F. Fiesel, 53, was lost over­ board off the SS Del­ ta Mar (Delta Line) on Dec. 8, 1977. Brother Fiesel joined the SIU in 1947 in 1 the port of Galveston * and sailed as a bos­ un. He was also a bookkeeper. Born in Lima, Peru, he was a naturalized U.S. citizen and a resident of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Surviving are his widow, Olga; three sons, John, Joseph, and Marino; a brother, William of Berkeley, Calif.; two daughters, Yvonne and Frezia, and a sister, Angelina of Baltimore, Sabato Carbone, Jr., 40, died of a head injury in the Puerto Rico Mem­ orial Hospital, Santurce, P.R. on Nov. 12, 1977. Brother Carbone joined the SIU in the port of San Juan in 1969 sailing as an OS. He attended the HLS in Piney Point, Md. in 1975. Seafarer Carbone was also a turbine, boiler operator. A native of Ponce, P.R., he was a resident there. Burial was in Puerto Rico. Surviving are two sons, Sabato and Francisco; a daughter, Janet of Rio Piedras, P.R., and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sabato and Fermina Carbonell, Sr. of Ponce. Curtis G. Decker, 48, died of a hem­ orrhage in Riverview (N.J.) Hospital on Jan. 21. Brother Decker joined the SIU in the port of Boston in 1954 and sailed as a bosun. He sailed 18 years. And he was on both the Puerto Rico Marine and Sea-Land shoregangs, Port Elizabeth, N.J. Sea­ farer Decker upgraded to quartermas­ ter at the HLS in 1974. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army. Born in Cresskill, N.J., he was a resident of Red Bank, N.J. Surviving are his widow, Anne, and his mother, Nora of Cresskill. Jesse Beaiiion, Jr. drowned off the ST Overseas Juneau (Maritime Over­ seas) on Jan. 5 off Pennington, Nigeria. Brother Beamon joined the SIU in the port of Seattle in 1976 sailing as a wiper. He was a resident of Seattle. 34/ LOG / March 1978 Pensioner James W. De Mouy, 64, died of emphysema f , on Feb. 16. Brother ^ De Mouy joined the SIU in 1938 in the port of Mobile and sailed as a chief elec­ trician, QMED, and second assistant engineer. He sailed 41 years. A native of Mobile, he was a resident there. Surviving are his widow. Aline, and a son, James of Mobile. Ralph W. DuffeU, 72, died of a lung embolism in Wuesthoff Memorial Hos­ pital, Rockledge, Fla. on Jan. 10. Brother Duffel 1 join­ ed the SIU in the port of New York in 1958 and sailed as a chief electrician. He sailed since 1940 and on the Is­ thmian Line. Seafarer Duffell gradu­ ated from the Andrew Furuseth Train­ ing School, Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1958. And he was on the picket line in the 1965 District Council 37 beef and the 1962 Robin Line strike. Born in Lynch­ burg, Va., he was a resident of Mel­ bourne, Fla. Cremation took place in the Platinum Coast Consolidated Cre­ matory, Brevard County, Fla. Surviv­ ing are his widow, Edith, and a daugh­ ter, Mrs. Audrey Rangel of Melbourne. Pensioner Charles ' H. Ellzey, 87, died of a heart attack in the . New Orleans USPIIS Hospital on Dec. 24, 1977. Brother Ellzey " joined the SIU in 1943 in the port of New Orleans and sailed as a chief steward. He sailed 21 years. Seafarer Ellzey also sailed as a cook for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps in World War TI. A native of Georgetown, La., he was a resident of New Orleans. Interment was in Lake Lawn Park Cemetery, New Orleans. Surviving are his widow, Mary, and a son, Charles of Metairie, La. Pensioner Samuel G. White, 65, passed away on Feb. 9. Brother White joined the SIU in 1945 in the port of New York and sailed as a chief cook. He sailed 33 years and was on the picket line in the 1961 N.Y. Harbor beef. Seafarer White received a 1960 Union Personal Safety Award for being aboard an accident-free .ship, the SS Steel Architect. Born in South Caro­ lina, he was a resident of New York City. Surviving are three nieces. Alma Taylor, Adele Taylor, and Mrs. Betty Boiling, all of New York City. Roy F. Pierce, 57, died of natural causes in the Staten Island (N.Y.) USPHS Hos­ pital on Jan. 21. Brother Pierce joined the SIU in 1945 in the port of HHk mti New York and sailed as a chief electrician and QMED. He sailed 36 years. Seafarer Pierce up­ graded at the HLS in Piney Point in 1974. Born in Canada, he was a resiTdent of New York City. Cremation took place in the Garden State Crema­ tory, North Bergen, N.J. Surviving are his mother, Alice of Brantford, On­ tario, Canada. Pensioner Luther C. Mason, 69, died ^ of lung cancer in the ; New Orleans USPHS Hospital on Dec. 8, 1977. Brother Ma­ son joined the SIU in ^ 1949 in the port of %I New Orleans sailing as a fireman-watertender and junior en­ gineer. He sailed 26 years. Seafarer Mason was a. World War II veteran of the U.S. Air Force Transport Com­ mand. Born in Mississippi, he was a resident of New Orleans. Burial was in Menden Hall Cemetery, Simpson County, Miss. Surviving is his widow, Janie. Pensioner John M. Tujague, Jr., 72, died of cancer in Howard Memorial Hospital, Biloxi, Miss, on Jan. 16. Brother Tujague joined the SIU in the port of New Orleans in 1958 and sailed as an AB for the Delta Line. He sailed 21 years and was a deck delegate. A native of Biloxi, he was a resident there. Burial was in the Biloxi Cemetery. Sur­ viving are his widow, Virginia, and a son, John of Decatur, Ga. Pensioner David ; A. Wright, 57, died m ^ ^ heart attack in the New Orleans USPHS Hospital on Jan. 21. Brother Wright joined the SIU in 1944 in the port of Mobile sail­ ing as a fireman-watertender. He sailed 29 years. A native of Heflin, Ala., he was a resident of New Orleans. Inter­ ment was in St. Vincent de Paul Ceme­ tery, New Orleans. Surviving are his widow, Julia, and a sister. Flora of At­ lanta, Ga. Pensioner Enrique R. Rosado, 57, died of heart failure on Jan. 5. Brother Ro­ sado joined the SIU in 1947 in the port of New York and sailed as a chief steward, I: • He sailed 36 years. Seafarer Rosado walked the picket line in the 1961 Greater N.Y. Harbor strike. Born in Puerto Rico, he was a resident of Dorado, P.R. Surviving are his wid­ ow, Aida; a daughter, Madeline of Dorado, and his mother, Anastacia of New-York City and Puerto Rico. Jessie Nobles, Jr., 24, died in an acci­ dent on Feb. 8. Brother Nobles join­ ed the SIU following his graduation from the HLS, Piney Point, Md. in 1971. He sailed as a wiper. A native of New Orleans, he was a resi­ dent there. Surviving are a son. Earl; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jessie and Mildead Nobles, Sr. of New Orleans, and two sisters, Mrs. Alice Howare of New Orleans and Regnette. Pensioner James W. McCranie, 64, died in Tampa General Hospital on Jan. 22. Brother McCranie joined the SIU in 1938 in the port of Tampa sail­ ing as a cook and FH steward. He sailed 29 years. Born in Georgia, he was a resident of Tampa. Burial was in Myrtle Hill Cemetery, Tampa. Surviv­ ing are his widow, Janell, and two sons, Robin and John of Tampa. Pensioner Frederico P. Magallanes, • 73, died of heart fail­ ure in the Aklan Provincial Hospital, Philippine Islands on :Dec. 2 1, 1 977. [Brother Magallanes _ joined the SIU in the port of New York in 1958 sailing in the steward department for 25 years. He was born in the Philippines and was a resident of Kalibo, Aklan, P.I. Burial was in Kalibo Memorial Park Ceme­ tery. Surviving are a son, Ronald, and a sister, Mrs. Luciano P. M. Gonzales of Kalibo. Ernest S. Walker, Jr., 56, died on Feb. 13. Brother Walker joined the SIU in the port of New York in 1967 and sailed as a chief cook. He sailed [36 years. Seafarer I Walker was a World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy. A na­ tive of Columbus, Ohio, he was a resi­ dent of Philadelphia. Surviving are his widow, Evelyn, and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Bessie Ashe. Pensioner Harold J. McDonnell, 69, died on Feb. 13. Brother McDonnell joined the Union in the port of Duluth in 1946 and sailed as a fireman-watertender. He was born in Atkin, Minn, and was a resident of Duluth. Seafarer McDonnell was also an auto service manager. Surviving is his wid­ ow, Aileen. Felix Miller, 59, died in February 1978. Brother Miller joined the Union in the port of Houston in 1972 sailing as a deckhand for the Slade and Southern Towing Co., Fort Arthur from 1968 to 1975. He was born in Arnandville, La. and was a resi­ dent of Bridge City, Tex. Surviving are a son, John, and a brother, Joseph of Bridge City. Pensioner Jacob J. Sheber, 65, died of heart failure in War Memorial Hospital, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich, on Jan. 9. Brother Sheber joined the Union in the port of Detroit in 1961 sailing as a cook for the Wawatam Steamship Co. He sailed 39 years. Born in St. Ignace, Mich., he was a resident of Sault Ste. Mane. Burial was in Lake­ side Cemetery, St. Ignace. Surviving arc his widow, Isabel; a son, Jacob, and three daughters. Bertha, Isabel, and Aimee. I SAB Rules on 'C | I Classified Men | In November the Seafarers Appeals Board ruled that effective Jan. 3, 1978, classification seamen may only reg­ ister and sail as entry ratings in only one department." The Board took the action to insure that the Union will he able to maintain sufficent manpower for each shipboard department. The ruling will also enable these seamen to get sufficient seatime in one department for the purpose of upgrading to a higher rating in that depai^ment. �<• Study Finds Individual Tax Rate Higher Than Oil Multinationals If someone told you that you had paid a higher percentage of your in­ come in taxes in 1976 than a huge, multinational corporation like Mobil or Exxon, would you think they were crazy? Maybe. But, according to the sixth annual corporate tax study conducted by Rep. Charles A. Vanik (D-Ohio), "the average effective U.S. tax rate on worldwide income of corporations was approximately 13.04 percent." "In order to qualify for a tax rate this low," the Congressman went on, Personals Bill Blumen Your wife, Frances, asks that you contact her at 1618 Elmtur St., Balti­ more, Md. 21226. Tel. (301) 3542294. "an average family of four could only have earned $20,500." However, the corporations that were studied earned a lot more than $20,500. They earned a total of more than $38.7 billion. Though the U.S. corporate tax rate is supposed to be 48 percent, few com­ panies even come close to that figure. 17 Didn't Pay In 1976, 17 companies didn't pay any taxes at all. Forty-one others paid 10 percent of their income, or less, to the U.S. Treasury. Among the corpora­ tions getting away with minimal tax payments are several oil multinationals. These include Exxon, Gulf, Texaco, Mobil, Standard Oil (Ohio), Occi­ dental Petroleum, and Marathon Oil. Oil and gas companies, despite huge profits, "continue to be able to reduce their Federal income taxes drastically," the study said. Corporations have several ways of legally avoiding paying U.S. income taxes. Many of these corporate tax pro­ visions originated in the hope that a reduced tax burden would prod cor­ porations to create new jobs. But Rep. Vanik said the provisions, ". . . often outgrow their intentions and turn into plain subsidies from the Federal Gov­ ernment." One example is a corporate tax pro­ vision called a "foreign tax credit" which allows corporations with opera­ tions abroad to deduct the amount of taxes paid to a foreign government from their U.S. tax receipts. Most foreign countries charge U.S.-based multina­ tionals less than they'd have to pay at home. The result, then, is that more and more companies move their opera­ tions overseas. The U.S. loses out on tax revenues and American workers lose their jobs. More in Foreign Taxes In 1976, the companies included in Rep. Vanik's study paid about $17.9 billion in foreign taxes and only $13.9 billion to the U.S. Government. But the taxes individuals pay have increased. "Individuals contributed more than three times as much to Fed­ eral budget receipts as American cor­ porations did in 1976." Congressman Vanik, a member of the House Ways and Means Commit­ tee which oversees Federal tax legisla­ tion, acknowledged that it is very dif­ ficult, "if not impossible", to rescind corporate tax breaks once they become part of the tax code. But he stressed the importance of working for tax reforms that would alter the present system, ". . . to assure justice, cniciciicy and simplicity for all taxpayers." In the meantime, it looks like Amer­ ican workers will have to continue to foot the bill for the gas and oil giants —the same companies that deprive American ships of cargo and American crews of employment. George Filomio Mr. and Mrs. Michael Magaldi ask that you contact them as soon as pos­ sible at 657 E. 219th St., Bronx, N. Y. 10467. Russell Doyle Haynes Your grandfather, Milton, asks that you call him collect at (713) 828-3376 or write him at P. O. Box 147, New Baden, Tex. 77870 as soon as possible. He says it's important. All Shawn Khan Wilson Ramos would like you to contact lilni at I.B.M. Corp., 153 E. 53rd St., New York, N. Y. 10022. Charles MacDonald and Emett Thompson William Doran asks that you contact him at 360 Hyde St., San Francisco, Calif. 94109. John B. Lundhorg Please call the Editor of the Log col­ lect at (212) 499-6600, Ext. 242. Eftimios Papas I. J. Gorgas asks that you contact him at P. O. Box 937, Mandeville, La. 70448. Sverre Paulsen Linda Mack asks that you contact her at 301 Fort Lane, Portsmouth, 23704. Sheffield Nurkett Your son, Hulbert, wants you to get in touch with him at 325 Mechanic St., Orange, N. J. 07050. Tel. (201) 6760487. He says it's very important. William H. West Please call the Seafarers Welfare Plan, Claims Dept. as soon as possible, concerning your benefit. Tel. (212) 499-6600, Ext. 308. ... Accept the challenge! The new-American LNG tankers ... they're the best. That's why they're manned by the SIU. We're the best — the best trained seafarers in the world. Accept the challenge of being the best. Train now to serve aboard the finest safest shipsbuilt. A new LNG course begins every month at the Harry Lundeberg School. Sign up today! Write or Gall; Harry Lundeberg School Vocational Education Department Piney Point, Maryland 20674 Phone: (301) 994-0010 Rafael Alphonso Sepulveda Your daughter, Rosemary, asks that you contact her at 30 Wykoff Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 11237. Tel. (212) 381-2286. You're one of the best... Accept the challenge! March 1978/ LOG / 35 �mntunmiuiiiiiiiuuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiuiiiuuiiiiiiiuuiuiiiiiiiiiniuiiiiJiiiuiiiii^ Sunken Treasure Lies 240-Feet Below on them. They can use salvage techniques and sci­ entific devices unknown to searchers in the past. So when diving for sunken ships, especially those which sank in very dangerous areas, treasure seekers will now have a greater possibility of success. In Dangerous Waters Instead of traveling across continents to search for the fortunes of the world, you can just dive 240 feet below the ocean. It used to be that hunting for sunken treasures was considered a potluck adventure or an out­ landish hobby. But it can be much more than that. You can become wealthy if you accurately calcu­ late just where these sunken treasures are located. It is definitely not an easy venture though. It requires a lot of courage, not to mention some money. Maybe this explains why so many gems, art pieces, and other valuables are still lying some­ where beneath the ocean. Nobody knows exactly how many ships have been capsized by storms, scuttled, or wrecked on reefs or rocks. But it has been estimated that ap­ proximately 50,000 ships have met this fate. And although over $400 million worth of sunken treas­ ures have already been found, there are still mil­ lions more that have yet to be recovered. Why is so much left? Partly because people are afraid. And rightly so, since dangers await theiri in these waters. However, thanks to twentieth century technology, treasure-seekers now have more of an advantage than those preceding That's important when you are in search of the Duq de Florencia, the General Grant, and the Andrea Doria because these ships all lie in dan­ gerous waters. The Duq de Florencia, a ship of the Spanish Armada, is said to have sunk in Tobermory Bay, off the Argyllshire coast of Scotland, with a cargo worth around $55,000,000. This is one of the most sought after ships. Yet because she is so em­ bedded in the bottom of the sea, very little of her cargo has been brought to the surface. Then there is the General Grant, an American clipper which sunk while on a trip from Australia to London in May, 1866. The 1,103-ton vessel was storm-lashed and driven into a cave in the Auckland Islands, nearly 300 miles from New Zealand. She was carrying a cargo of $1,800,000 in gold bullion. Although many have searched for the General Grant in the past 100 years, none have been suc­ cessful in their attempts to recover the ship's trea­ sures. Some have even been killed trying. Even more adventurous is the Andrea Doria. She now lies in the Atlantic Ocean since sinking 21 years ago. The Doria, and the riches cached in her shattered hull, are an irresistible attraction for some of the world's most venturesome undersea explorers. Bettmann Archives The shipwreck of two frigates on the Island of Manicola. The treasures consist of a priceless museum of modern art; a $205,000 silver plaque on a bulk­ head in the main salon that is eight feet long, four feet wide and almost four inches thick; a total of $250,000 dollars in American and Italian cur­ rency left by the passengers; another $866,000 in the ship's safe and safe deposit boxes; 12,000 cases of Italian vermouth, and five tons of provolone cheese! Another interesting item aboard is a Chrysler $100,000 'ideal' car, a dream vehicle which was hand-made in Italy to the most futuristic speci­ fications of the time. If you are willing to risk diving 240 feet below the surface at the ship's site, which is located 200 miles northeast of New York, then you can be Many times it is a storm at sea that causes a shipwreck and the loss of many valuables 36 / LOG / March 1978 Bettmann Archives �iiiuiimiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii the Ocean Floor; $400-Afi//ion Found luxury liner Andrea Dor/a started to list badly just a few minutes before she sunk. She had collided with the Swedish line's Stockholm off Nantucket, Mass. with many valuable items aboard. rewarded with all of these treasures. However, this difficult and dangerous project has already killed one hunter and seriously injured many others. Despite this, there are some daredevils that are willing to go down in quest of the treasures of the Andrea Doria. Successful Divers I % Positively speaking, some divers have been suc­ cessful in locating and recovering treasures from the many sunken ships. Namely, in 1971 London's Rex Cowan, 46, found the 700-ton, 150-foot long Dutch East India Co.'s Hollandia. She sank in 1749. He has already recovered more than 15,000 coins and artifacts from the ship. These have been sold for more than $150,000. And then there was a Florida group called Real 8 that discovered a Spanish fleet shipwrecked in 1715 with an $8 million cargo of gold and silver aboard. However, sometimes the treasure-seekers face legal dilemmas over the real ownership of the re­ covered property. Paul Zinka thought he had the pot of gold when he and a dozen associates dis­ covered bullion from a sunken Spanish galleon off the south Texas coast in 1967. Indeed, the bullion and artifacts were valued at nearly $300,000. But finding the sunken treasures proved the easiest part of the task. After the sal­ vage opeialiuns were completed, the Texas gov­ ernment claimed ownership of the property. A state court ordered the group to turn over to the sfStc all the artifacts. Ever since then the group has been fighting the case. Another similar case happened when Tom Gurr recovered an estimated $50,000 to $100,000 in sunken treasures from the Spanish galleon, San Jose. He had to relinquish it to the Florida au­ thorities. Gurr found the artifacts, pottery and jewelry in a 15-foot deep canal near the Florida Keys, about 75 miles south of Miami. However, according to Florida authorities, divers must ob­ tain a lease noting that the state will get at least 25 percent of any treasures found. Then the diver can keep the rest. Whether this is fair or not is being challenged by Gurr. There are a lot of technicalities that might dis­ courage a treasure seeker. But the lure of the treasure hunt is not just the money that can be made. It is the fascination of the search, the dreams, the adventure, and the romance. ^ Bettmann .\rchives The American clipper, General Grant, sank on May 14, 1866 in the Auckland islands with a huge cargo or tui ,800,000 in gold bullion. March 1978 / LOG / 37 �> I' Miguel Alicea Seafarer Miguel Alicea, 27, gradu­ ated from the Harry Lundeberg School Trainee Program in July, 1975. He re­ turned to the School I for his FOWT enI dorsement in Octo­ ber, 1977. He has also completed HLS courses in firefight­ ing, lifeboat, and cardio-pulmonary re­ suscitation. Brother Alicea was born in Puerto Rico and now lives in Yonkers, N. Y. and ships out of the port of New York. Houston Committee Norman MacBean James Jones Seafarer James Jones, 24, gradu­ ated from the HLS Trainee Program in 1973. He received his A B ticket at the School in 1976. He also has his fire\ fighting, lifeboat, and cardio-pulmonary-resuscitation tickets. He was born in New York and lives and ships out of that port. Kirk Piper Seafarer Kirk Piper, 23, gradu­ ated the HLS Trainee Program in June, 1976. He got his AB ticket at the School in Septem­ ber, 1977. He also ^ J has his firefighting, lifeboat, and cardio-pulmonary-resuscitation tickets. He was born in Seattle and lives there. He ships out of that port and New York. Kenneth Couture Seafarer Kenneth Couture, 22, gradu­ ated from the Limdeberg School Trainee Program in 1974. He received \hisFOWT endorse\ment there in Feb­ ruary, 1978. He I also has his firefighting, lifeboat, and cardio-pulmonary-resuscitation tickets. He was born in Seattle and lives and ships out of that port. Jesse Hall Seafarer Jesse Hall, 24, graduated from the HLS Trainee Program in November, 1974. He received his FOWT endorse­ ment at the School in 1976. He has his firefighting, life­ boat, and cardio-pulmonary-resuscitation tickets. He was born in Bethesda, Md., lives in Ohiopyle, Pa., and ships out of New York. Seafarer Norman MacBean, 24, grad­ uated from the Lundeberg School Trainee Program in April, 1974. He got his AB ticket at the School in July, 1977. He also has \ his firefighting, life­ boat, and cardio-pulmonary-resuscitation tickets. He was born in Pittsburgh, lives in Portland, Ore., and ships out of all ports. George Mazzola Seafarer George Mazzola, 24, grad­ uated from the HLS Trainee Program in 1972. He returned to the School for his FOWT endorse­ ment in February, 1974. He has his firefighting, life­ boat, and cardio-pulmonary-resuscitation tickets. He was born in Washing­ ton, D.C. and resides there. He ships out of Baltimore. Jose Perez Seafarer Jose Perez, 38, started sailing with the SlU as a wiper in 1969. He went to the Lundeberg School and received his FOWT endorse­ ment there in Octo­ ber, 1977. He also has his firefighting, lifeboat,and cardiopulmonary-resuscitation tickets. He was born in Puerto Rico and lives and ships out of New York. N.Y. Patrolman Ted Babkowski (seated right) goes over Union business with a crewmember (seated left) of the SS Houston (Sea-Land) at a payoff on Feb, 24 in Port Elizabeth, N. J. Standing (I. to r.) are the Ship's Committee of: Steward Delegate W. R. Smith; Chief Steward John Nash, secretary-reporter; Recertified Bosun Anthony Caldeira, ship's chairman, and Engine Delegate Howard J. Kling. HURRY! The TI Scholarships for Towboat Operator will be awarded in May. Apply Now See Your SIU Representative for details and applications. Sea-Land Calloway Committee „s. . .»• Timothy Bums Seafarer T imothy Burns, 24, gradu­ ated the Lundeberg School T rainee Pro­ gram in November, 1973. He got his AB endorsement at the School in De­ cember, 1977. He also has his fire­ fighting, lifeboat, an4. cardio-pulmonary-resuscitation tickets. He was born in Seattle and resides there. He ships out of all ports. Recertified Bosun George Burke, ship's chairman (far right), leads the Ship's Committee of the containership SSSea-LandGalloway of(l.to r.):Steward Dele­ gate J. Gleaton holding a copy of the Log; Engine Delegate John D. Linton, and Chief Steward A. Seda, secretary-reporter. The ship paid off in Port Elizabeth, N.J. recently. 38 / LOG / March 1978 �HLS UPGRADING CIA^SS SCHEDULE 1978 Below is complete list of att upgrading courses, and their starting dates, that are available for SIV members in 1978. These include courses for deep sea,Great Lakes and inland waters. SIV members should be aware that certain LNG courses may be added or dropped from the schedule as the need arises. However, the Log will try to keep you abreast of these changes. For further information regarding the courses offered at the Lundeberg School, members FOWT May 29 October 2 May 11 July 10 August 31 October 16 November 23 Pumproom, Maintenance & Operation October 9 Marine Electrical Maintenance April 10 Maintenance of Shipboard Refrigeration Systems June 2 i^s$el Engineer July 31 Welding March 20 Aprils April 17 May 1 May 13 May 29 June 12 June 26 July 10 July 24 August? August 21 September 4 September 18 October 2 October 16 October 30 November 13 November 27 December 11 December 22 Able Seaman Mayl June 12 July 10 August 17 September 18 November 13 Quartermaster April 3 October 16 or call the School at (301) 994-0010 1 Aprils Mayl May 29 June 26 Jidy 24 August 21 September 18 October 16 November 13 December 11 QMED should contact their local SIV repre^entative, or write to the Lundeberg School Vocational Edu­ cation Department, Piney Point, Md. 20674. Towboat Operator Scholarship Program j^y 29 I'owboat Operator Western Rivers August 7 Towboat Operator Inland & Oceans August 28 Mate & Master September 25 POot May 15 Chief Steward (maximum 1 student per class) April 3 May 1 May 29 June 26 July 24 August 21 September 18 October 16 November 13 December 11 Chief Cook and Cook & Baker (maximum 2 students for Chief Cook and 2 students for Cook & Baker for each class scheduled) April 3 April 17 May 1 May 13 May 29 June 12 June 26 July 10 July 24 August 7 August 21 September 4 September 18 October 2 October 16 October 30 November 13 November 27 December 11 December 22 :J7 f. Assistant Cook ^n Lifeboat and Tankerman Special Programs to be Set Up Upon Request Aprill3 April 27 May 11 May 25 June 8 June 22 July 6 July 20 August 3 August 17 August 31 September 14 September 28 October 12 October 26 November 9 November 24 December 7 December 21 March 1978 / LOG / 39 �0 t)tficijl Publicdiiiiii Iif ihc Srdfjrcri Inlmidliondl Union • Alldnlit, Gulf, Ldkcsdncl Inldnd Wdtcrs Diilrici • AFL CIO JJgV" 1 MARCH 1978 Flagstaffs and other obstructing objects that can be removed should be removed from fantail of vessel in interest of safety during a helicopter rescue. Helicopter Rescues Can Be Hazardous Business Helicopter rescue at sea of sick or injured sailors is a fairly common oc­ currence on deep sea vessels and sea­ going tug-barge units. It also happens to be one of the trickiest and potentially hazardous maneuvers that can take place aboard underway vessels. Even on perfectly calm days, a heli­ copter rescue operation poses numer­ ous dangers to all involved. This in­ cludes the injured seaman, the assisting crewmembers, and the crew of the heli­ copter itself. High winds, choppy seas, rain and darkness earry their own special dang­ ers to the people involved. Presently, the Coast Guard has two types of helicopters in its airborne res­ cue fleet. However, the only significant difference between the two is their flight range. The Coast Guard's single turbine amphibious craft has a 150-mile range, while their double turbine helicopter has a 300-mile range. The Coast Guard maintains that the key to a successful at-sea rescue is plan­ ning and coordination. The difference between life and death ean very well depend on everyone concerned know­ ing the proper procedures. According to the Coast Guard, the crew's first responsibility in preparing for a helicopter rescue is to clear an open area on deck. On most merchant vessels, the safest place to conduct an airlift is from the fantail. The Coast Guard suggests the fol­ lowing safety hints in preparing the fantail for the maneuver: • If an awning covers the fantail, it should be removed and tied down securely along with any other items that may be blown about orT3lown over­ board by the craft's rotor downwash. • Booms extending aft should be raised as vertically as possible along­ side the king posts. • Aft flagstaffs should be taken down and antenna wires or cables ex­ tending to the stem removed if pos­ Above photo shows actual rescue of SIU member taken sick aboard the SS sible. .Baltimore late last year. Photo was taken by Seafarer Manuel Holguin. Coast Guard helicopters need a min­ During flight, a helicopter builds up the hoist causing serious injury to the imum clearance of 50 feet in all direc­ a static electricity charge which is trans­ man's fingers. tions from the craft. If the rotor blades Also, the patient's medical record hit any obstruction, it could mean mitted to the hoist. Crewmembers should not touch the hoist until it has and important papers should be placed loss of life to anyone in the area. first touched the deck. Anyone touching in an envelope and transferred along Carries Static Shock it before this is in danger of receiving with him in the stretcher. Deck personnel should be extremely a powerful shock. Night Rescwes careful in handling the metal hoist or Another situation that must be han­ stretcher lowered from the aircraft. dled with extreme care is when the sick The Coast Guard explains that if an or injured seaman cannot be carried on airlift must take place at night, certain deck without the use of the helicopter's lighting precautions should be taken. stretcher. To help the pilot locate the ship, the In cases like this, crewmembers vessel's search lights should be directed should not move the stretcher without straight up. As the craft approaches, first unhooking the hoist cable. The the lights should not be shined onto the Coast Guard warns that if the cable helicopter. This could temporarily must be removed, crewmembers should blind or disorient the pilot. not hook the cable to any part of the Instead, the search lights should be ship. In most cases, the pilot will re­ turned off. If the ship has boom lights, trieve the cable and then pull away they should be trained on the deck area from the ship until the patient is where the lift will be made. Any ob­ brought topside in the stretcher. structing objects in the area should also In preparing the patient for the lift, be well lit for added safety. crewmembers should strap the injured Each at-sea airlift is different. And man in the stretcher face up with a life each lift presents its own special dang­ jacket on if his condition permits. In ers. Time is a crucial factor. Knowing addition, the patient should be in­ what to expect, how to prepare, and structed not to grip the side of the bas­ simply what to do when the helicopter Helicopters build up a static electric charge during flight, so seamen should ket. It could very easily bang the side arrives can save a lot of time. And, not touch metal rescue basket until basket has first touched the deck. of the vessel or the helicopter during maybe someone's life. m 4i>s � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Seafarers Log Issues 1970-1979 Description An account of the resource Volumes XXXII-XLI of the Seafarers Log Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Paul Hall Maritime Library Microfilm 1939-1993 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Seafarers International Union of North America Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource March 1978 Description An account of the resource HEADLINES CONGRESS OFFERING REMEDY TO ILLEGAL REBATE PLAGUE UNEXMPLOYMENT RATE FALLS TO 6.1%, THE LOWEST IN 3 YEARS SIU V.P. PAUL DROZAK IS DEAD AT 50 COVE COMMUNICATOR COMES TO NEW HAVEN AFL-CIO ASKS CARTER FOR $29.5B TO BOOST ECONOMY HALL SAYS LINER POLICY ‘STRANGLES’ SHIPPING HALL NAMED HEAD OF LABOR POLICY GROUP ON TRADE DROZAK: NEED U.S.-CANADA BILATERAL SHIPPING PACT SUP’S MORRIS WEISBERGER GOES INTO RETIREMENT U.S. SEEKS TO END RATE-CUTTING BY SOVIET FLEET ON THE AGENDA IN CONGRESS BILL IS OFFERED TO ALLOW STATE WITHHOLDING TAX INLAND VACATION PLAN HITS MILESTONE-1,000TH CHECK OK OF U.S. TUNA BOATS TO SWITCH TO FOREIGN FLAGS HIT MORE TRAINING, MORE SKILLS, MORE JOB SECURITY WE ALL HAVE A STAKE IN CARTER’S ’79 BUDGET 1ST IOT CONFAB HI-LITES UNION’S PROGRESS BETTER COMMUNICATION AND UNDERSTANDING KEYNOTE BOATMEN’S CONFERENCE DEAF WOMAN GAINS COURAGE WRITING OF THE SEA MAN-AMERICAN CLAUSE IN OCS BILL A MUST IS AMERICAN WORKER FACING EXTINCTION? MTD URGES QUICK ACTION TO GET LNG PROJECTS UNDER WAY WORLDWIDE TRAINING STANDARDS FOR SEAMEN TO BE SET TRANSPORT SAFETY UNIT URGES GLOBAL HAZARDOUS MATERIALS LIST OFFSHORE GROUP DISCUSSES EAST COAST ORGANIZING TEXAS CONVENTION TO PAUL DROZAK CG CUTS WORKING TIME FOR TOWBOAT OPERATOR LICENSE LNG ARIES PLUCLS 21 IN LIFEBOAT AT SEA OFF SUNK SHIP ALLIED TOWING CORP.-FROM 2 TO 21 TUGBOATS STUDY FINDS INDIVIDUAL TAX RATE HIGHER THAN OIL MULTINATIONALS SUNKEN TREASURE LIES 240 FEET BELOW ON THE OCEAN FLOOR; $400-MILLION FOUND HELLICOPTER RESCUES CAN BE HAZARDOUS BUSINESS Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Seafarers Log Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Paul Hall Maritime Library Microfilm 1939-1993 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Seafarers International Union of North America Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 3/1/1978 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Newsprint Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Vol. 40, No. 3 1978 Periodicals Seafarers Log