http://seafarerslog.org/archives/files/original/3f953c7f6755bb76e02c33ec40ad74f3.pdf 635f9a8506d4516c19219f6775c2c791 PDF Text Text OfBclal Publication of the Seafarera lniernatlonal Union• Atlantic, GuU, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL-CIO Vol. 48 No. Strike for Fair Share ���!�rs�,�ces SIU Fishermen Shut New Bedford Harbor -.... ••• , . �,- :.... . Even Ebenezer Scrooge couldn't "self-employed," the boat owners were come up with a more depressing sce­ able to get the fishermen working for them to assume the full cost of their nario. Faced with the prospect of a wage cutback in excess of 20 percent, New Bedford fishermen called for a strike. Two days after Christmas, at a ._ a1v1s1on · ··-'"'-- .. .,.�.. . · � &l l(•O January 1986 ·I MN Rover Plucks 63 From South China Sea own Social Security and unemployment taxes." The strike, called against the Sea­ _ time when most people are making food last minute plans for New Year's, 600 represents 32 boat owners, is costing of these newly organized SIU mem­ the city of New Bedford $ 1 million a Producers Association which bers were braving freezing weather on day. Both sides agree, however, that picket lines at 23 sites around Mas­ the strike was precipitated by wors­ sachusetts. \ 1 • • •• � .- ... . . , .. . ... .. , ,_ ,,, _ • • _� I ening conditions in the fishing indus­ At the same time, however, there try. It has been hard hit by heavily was a sense of purpose and solidarity. subsidized Canadian imports, insur­ "I don't like doing this any more than ance problems and a recent ruling by anyone else," said SIU fisherman Mark the World Court which declared that Preference Fight Ends When striking SIU fishermen in New Bedford put a stranglehold on the nation's busiest fishing harbor, the city's auction house (above) had to close its doors. Once the center of activity, the auction house has no fish to sell. Saunders to a Journal of Commerce the rich fishing banks of the St. George's reporter. "But there's a point to be made." are under Canadian jurisdiction. "People can only stand so much," said Jack Caffey, special assistant to The strike has temporarily alle­ viated one nagging problem. Fish the SIU president. "The New Bedford prices, which were at intolerably low levels, have risen dramatically in re­ fishermen had to accept a de facto cent days. cutback three years ago when the SIU fishermen, who make up about owners persuaded the union repre­ one-third of New Bedford's fishermen, senting the fishermen before the SIU do not receive a fixed salary, but are to accept a change in their employment status. By reclassifying fishermen as awarded a certain percentage of the (Continued on Page 32.) Inside: New Build and Charter Program Farm Bill Increases U.S. Ships' Share of P.L. 480 U.S.-flag ships will begin carrying IO percent more P.L. 480 cargo this ing to give up preference rights to so­ called commercial export programs, year, and by 1 988 SIU and other Amer­ ican ships will haul 75 percent of those shipments under the provisions of the even though a federal court had ruled in favor of the Union's claim to pref­ erence requirements on those pro­ new, five-year, $ 1 60 billion farm bill. President Reagan signed the bill late grams. last month. Each house passed its version of a farm bill in early December. The Sen­ The approval of the farm bill sig­ ate bill contained the Union-backed naled the end of one of the most brutal compromise. The House version maintained cargo preference regula­ and long fights over the cargo prefer­ ence issue in decades. It also showed tions at the 50 percent level, but it did what two groups who were initially not directly address the controversial opposed to each other can accomplish issue of commercial cargoes. through tough but reasonable negoti­ ations. The cargo preference compromise, Prior to the House/Senate confer­ ence, the House Merchant Marine Subcommittee held a hearing where Pages a small part of the massive farm bill, opponents of the compromise had one SIU Crews Float-On/Float-Off last chance to try to scuttle the agree­ Pages increases the share of cargo for Amer­ ican ships from 50 to 75 percent on a partment of Agriculture, the Navy, Overseas Alice Rescues 47 Page 4 1 0- 10-5 percent timetable during the next three years. Up to the last stages of the farm bill's passage, the administration and many large and powerful agri-business groups continued their attacks on the compromise. The fighting continued despite compromise supporters agree- A Look Back at 1985 Pensioner Housing At Piney Point Pages 11-24 Pages2 ment. Representatives from the De­ the Agency for International Devel­ opment and Marad spoke out against the compromise. They were joined in their attacks by the North American Grain Export Association, Millers Na- (Continued on Page 3.) �President's Report by Frank Drozak W E aid We are continuing to develop new shipments would not harm the econ­ omy of their farming constituents. of federally-supported training and upgrading programs for start the New Year facing a our Union even better for our mem­ school. proved our claims processing systems, trained crews. And the maritime unions, * and still newer improvements are being themselves, are unable to put together a unified program for survival and growth. That's a tough assessment of where Five years ago, the Reagan admin­ istration began with a promise to de­ sign a maritime program that would revitalize our badly ailing industry. That isn't bad. If you take a good That hasn't happened. Instead, we look at what's happening in this in­ have had to spend four years expend­ dustry, and especially what's happen­ ing much time and energy in the leg­ islative halls of Congress just holding ing with the other unlicensed unions, we have done quite well. But, it didn't on to what we already had. We had just happen. We have these jobs be­ to beat back those who would take cause we have developed the kind of from the holds of U.S.-flag ships those training programs that can prepare our cargoes that are keeping what's left of membership for new opportunities, and our nation's merchant marine afloat. because our membership is responding There were serious attempts to give to these new job opportunities by be­ away Alaskan oil which would have . coming qualified for them through the been diverted to foreign-flag super­ tankers. We fought a long and grueling Seafarers' training programs. * battle with the powerful farm lobby to protect the legislated right of the U.S. * * put into· place. We have set up a So, you can see that although we are faced with many problems as we begin this year, we are also in a place on their pensions. Beginning this month, we have a new program to provide I believe it's an honest and accurate picture. * program for those members who want the option to get a lump-sum buyout we stand as this new year begins, but housing for our pensioners at our fa­ of opportunity. I believe that if we continue to communicate with each other, and work together, we will con­ cilities in Piney Point. Also this month, we begin a program to help those of that most concern us as a Union: job our members who have a problem with security, our health and welfare, and drug addiction. our continuing education. tinue to make progress in those areas * There are some bright spots as we begin 1986. I think that Congress is finally convinced that something has to be done to encourage trade to pre­ vent the total erosion of America's industrial base. I think Congress is also finally becoming convinced that America's maritime industry needs to be a viable component of this nation's * trade policy for reasons having to do As.we go into 1986, the biggest game in town is military work. In the past year we were able to secure 35 military support vessels. This year degree granting program at our During the past year we have im­ of maritime unions to provide fully­ * We are continuing to plan and work toward our goal of having a full four­ b.ers and their families. placing increasing strains on the ability * bers in the field of nautical sciences. a number of new programs to make tary vessel contract proposals are the jobs of hundreds of our members. school is now fully accredited to grant two-year college degrees to our mem­ doing too badly, and we are developing together a consistent maritime pro­ gram. Manning requirements in mili­ support of our membership, we were And, I am proud to announce that our for us. As an organization we aren't of an administration that cannot put able to win these battles and preserve from our members and their depend­ ents for college scholarship programs. * of both a challenge and an opportunity industry is awash in the confused seas Because we did our tromework: and showed up every day, and had the * Finally, I see this new year as one number of serious problems. Our goes. our members. Our scholarship com­ mittee· is presently taking applications * merchant marine to carry foreign car­ foreign with our economy and our national defense. In the past four years we have de­ brought our veloped meaningful dialogues with membership 680 jobs which helped to offset the job losses we suffered as members of Congress of both political parties. We have done this through many of our commercial vessels were our members' continued support of laid up or scrapped because there was SPAD, and through our ability to rea­ no cargo for them. By June of this son and our willingness to compro­ year, we figure to be manning 45 mil­ itary ships with a total of 850 good mise. It was by no accident that we jobs for this membership. many farm states that the continua tion were able to convince legislators from Just before Christmas, SIU members were in Los Angeles walking picket lines and carrying signs in support of 22,000 UFCW and Teamster meat cutters on strike in Southern California against major California supermarket chains. Above, SIU members posed with Maritime Port Council affiliates during a loud raUy in McArthur Park where 2,000 turned out to protest lock-outs and an impasse in negotiations. Negotiations had stalled six weeks earlier, when management refused to back away from its subcontracting and two-tier leaving grocery workers no choice but to vote to strike. wage proposals Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union of North America, Aliantlc, Gutt, lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL.CIO Januaiy 1986 Vol. 48. No. 1 . Executive Board Frank Drozak President Ed Turner Joe DIGlorglo Executive Vice President Secretary Angus "Red" Campbell Vice President Charles Svenson Editor Joe Sacco Vice President Mike Hall Managing Editor Deborah Greene Max Hall Associate Editor Associate Editor Rey Bourdlua Assistant Editor 2 I LOG I January 1 986 Lynnette Marshall Assistant Editor/Photos Mike Sacco Vice President George McCartney Vice President I -'�..q; ' ..... Leon Hall Vice President Roy A. Mercer Vice President " '... • � i The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 8990675. Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges, Md. 20790-999 8 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746. �Funds Appropriated But Not Authorized BUILD AND CHARTER PROGRAM PART OF 1986 SPENDING BILL For the first time since the Reagan administration took office, Congress has passed and the president has signed legislation which approp riates $852 million for ship construction in a build and charter program. There is only one hitch. The money has been appropriated, but Congress has not authorized the spending of any of the funds. The money, named the Maritime Fund, is part of a joint House/Senate resolution which is an omnibus $368 billion spending bill for fiscal 1986. The fund is "patterned after Presi­ dent Eisenhower's mariner program to construct ships for commercial op­ eration which may be used for military sealift," the conference report said. If the money is authorized , experts estimate that some 10 to 12 ships could be built with the $852 million. It is similar to a bill introduced in Novem­ ber by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). The Navy would determine what type of ships would be needed, such as RO/ RO's, crane ship s , tankers or troop­ ships and then designate a builder and an operator, all based on competitive bidding. "This is certainly a step in the right direction. It's the first infusion of ship building money by the government in more than five years. But we're going to have to wait and see how this whole thing shakes out," SIU President Frank Drozak said. Normally Congress will authorize a certain program and then in separate action it will appropriate money for SIU Crews Float-On/Float-Off Ship ­ the program . . This time the action is reversed, but both steps are needed before a penny can be spent. Members of the House/Senate con­ ference which developed the fund said in a report that they hope to begin the program as "soon as possible after authorization is enacted . " I n addition, $228 million was set aside in another resolution to re-engine and modernize ships the Navy might buy for it s Strategic Sealift Program. Any revenues from the build and charter program would be returned to the Maritime Fund so it c oul d maintain itself or grow. SHLSS Wins OK for 2Year College Degree In November of 1985, the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seaman­ ship wa s approved as a two-year de­ gree granting institution by the Mary­ land State Board for Higher Education. The school now has the authority to award associate in arts degrees in Nautical Science Technology and Ma­ rine Engineering Technology. The approval for the SHLSS marks the end of a two-year process in which SHLSS worked with the Maryland State Board for Higher Education and Dr. David Sumler, coordinator for Collegiate Approval and Evaluation. In order to achieve degree granting status, SHLSS had to meet all require­ ments of the state of Maryland for two-year colleges. The process of the state's judging of the school included evaluation team visits by respected educators. The evaluators examined all aspects of the school's operations including administration, curriculum, faculty, finances, admissions and fa­ cilities. The degree programs are designed to provide the members of the SIU with the opportunity to earn a two­ year college degree in their occupa­ tional area and to provide a solid academic background in the sciences, arts and humanities. Earning degree granting approval from the Maryland State Board for Higher Education is a big step for SHLSS. The approval from the state confirms that the school is providing top quality educational experiences and instruction to the members of the SIU. It proves that Whats a FO/FO? the SIU and the SHLSS are committed and able to provide highly trained workers in the maritime field. How­ ever, the new degree granting program will provide more than occupational training to the members of the SIU; it will provide solid academic training in such areas as English, math, physics, engineering principles, social sci­ ences, physical sciences and humani­ ties. The new college program is de­ signed to provide the flexibility that Seafarers need to achieve a higher education.Unlike traditional semester systems that most colleges have, the SHLSS degree program will be de­ signed to meet the needs of Seafarers who are not always able to attend school for whole semesters at a time. The SHLSS program will offer courses three or four times per year for six to JO-week periods. Members will be al­ lowed to come back to school for college courses just as they do for upgrading courses.Members who wish to earn their degree will come to SHLSS and work on a sequence of two to four courses over a six to 10-week period. The college program will work just like upgrading, but instead of taking a vocational class, the student will be enrolled in the college program. The first sequence of college courses to be offered will be English 101: Compo­ sition and Rhetoric; MTH 108: Intro­ duction to College Mathematics, and either MET 221: Engineering Princi­ ples I (for engine department majors) or PHS 101: General Physical Science One of the more unusual ships afloat is the Cormo­ rant (Pacific Gulf Marine). It is a semi-submersible or float-on/float-off ship. It can carry four Army tugs plus other equipment. When a tug or other vessel is brought aboard, the Cormorant ballasts down until six to 20 feet of water cover the work deck, and the ships are floated on and secured. Then it de-ballasts and the vessels can be stored or even repaired onboard. The Cormorant is sta­ tioned in Diego Garcia. It is 739.1 feet long, 40,685 GWT, has a 135-foot beam and 19,700 horsepower. It carries an unlicensed crew of 11. SIU-Backed Farm Bill Signed tional Federation and other agri-busi­ ness groups. The SIU, the Transportation Insti­ tute, the Council of American Flag Operators, Joint Maritime Congress and MIRID strongly supported the bill. Several farm groups including the National Com Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Grow­ ers, National Cotton Council, the Rice Millers' Association and the National Council of Farm Cooperatives also backed the compromise. "The group of people outside the maritime industry who agreed with the compromise shows that it must be a fair way of solving a very tough issue," said SIU President Frank Drozak. During the House/Senate confer­ ence, the SIU-backed compromise emerged as the bill's cargo preference provision. It passed the House on a 325-96 vote and the Senate by a 5538 margin. "A productive and healthy agricul­ ture industry and a strong and active United States maritime industry are vitally important to the economic well- being and national security objectives of our nation . . . Both industries must compete in an international market increasingly dominated by foreign trade barriers and the subsidization of for­ eign governments . . . Increased ag­ ricultural exports and the utilization of United States merchant vessels con­ tribute positively to the United States balance of trade and generate employ­ ment opportunities in the United States . ..The purpose [of the bill] is to stimulate and promote both the agricultural and maritime industries of the United States and encourage co­ operative efforts by both industries to address their common problems," the conference report said. Along with the increased share of government cargo, the bill also calls for a minimum tonnage requirement for the cargoes, a 'snap-back' provi­ sion to original cargo preference law should funding for the program be terminated at a future date, a mecha­ nism to protect against freight rate inflation and a national advisory com­ mission on agricultural export trans­ portation to begin work this year. I (for deck department members). These new courses will begin in the early spring around the beginning of March and are the first sequence of courses needed for the new college degrees. The first sequence of three courses will run for six weeks. Any members interested in starting the col­ lege program or having any questions about it can contact the Admissions Office or Tracy Aumann at the Sea­ farers Harry Lundeberg School of Sea­ manship, Piney Point, Md. 20674.This is the time for members to get in on the ground floor of this new and ex­ citing educational opportunity. Watch your LOG for more stories and infor­ mation about the process. (Continued from Page 1.) January 1 986 I LOG I 3 �USAF, Navy Choppers Pick Up 81 Others Overseas Alice Crew Saves 46 in Heroic Rescue SUBIC BAY, P.1.-Seven U.S. Navy 7th Fleet helicopters from here, two of the U.S. 13th Air Force of Clark Air Base, Manila and the crew of the MSC's SIU-manned Overseas Alice (Maritime Overseas) rescued 127 of the 175-passenger and crew from the Asuncion Cinco. The Cinco, a 15-year-old, 250 dwt, inter-island Filipino ferry boat, sank on Dec. 18, nearly 200 miles south of here in the Mindoro Strait, South China Sea. The ferry was enroute from Tay­ tay, Western Palawan Is. to Manila. The rescue operation was sparked by an S-0-S from a passing merchant vessel which saved three survivors in the water. Five Navy Patrol Squadron 22 search-and-rescue planes and chop­ pers and two Fleet Squadron 5 Sea King choppers and the Overseas Alice in the South China Sea were dis­ patched to the sinking ferry at 4 p.m. Dec. 18. Squadron 5 aircrews spotted and picked up out of the sea eight drifting seamen off Palawan Is. at about 5 p.m. Later it was learned that they had been cast into the sea off the ferry in a small boat which was broken up in heavy seas. Then the Navy chopper crews picked up more survivors from the sunken ferry, flying them to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Subic Bay and the Olon­ gapo City (P.I.) Hospital for treatment for exposure. The Overseas Alice reached the dis­ aster area at about 9:30 p.m., rescuing about 50 survivors in heavy seas in the dark pre-dawn hours of Dec. 19. At first light on Dec. 19, two Navy and two Air Force Jolly Green Giant search-ana-rescue choppers were sent to the scene where they plucked l 0 survivors out of the water and re­ covered five bodies. They later ferried 23 of the survivors to Manila from the deck of the Overseas Alice where a Navy doctor and medical team were attending the survivors. The next day the Overseas Alice delivered 46 survivors and seven dead to the port of Subic Bay. Earlier the crew had spread the blanket, collect­ ing $550 for the survivors, giving each one 200 pesos. Survivor Analilibet Acar was given 375 pesos. Six of his family of eight survived the sinking. Between the crew and the ship's slop chest, they were able to clothe most of the survivors, and U.S. Navy chaplain aboard gave more clothes to completely clothe all survivors. Last summer the Overseas Alice picked up more than a dozen refugee boatpeople out of the cruel sea and put them ashore in the Philippines. In 1969 the tanker plucked out of the storm-tossed Pacific Ocean a downed De Havilland Dove airplane ferry pi­ lot, Warren Bullock, 47, enroute from 4 I LOG I January 1 986 This was the second at-sea rescue in six months for the Overseas Alice. Watch for next month's LOG and pictures of the rescue taken by a crewmember aboard the Overseas Alice. Hawaii to Southern California when he had engine trouble 85 miles off the coastline. Also, last May 4 the generous Over­ seas Alice crewmembers donated baseball uniforms, gloves, bats, balls and other baseball equipment to the Cavite City, P.I. Little League base­ ball team. The heroic rescue crew of the Over­ seas Alice was Capt. Richard Trippe and his officers, Bosun Steven Cope­ land, Chief Steward Collie Loper, who gave some of the Little League base­ ball equipment, Chief Pumpman and QMED Steven Bower, Chief Cook Edward P. Herrera, ABs Richard G. Buchanan, William Rawluk, William A. Cruickshank, Leonard R. Wright, Oscar A. Martinez, Rudolfo Aso­ pardo, OSs Hugh A. Wooten and Har­ old L. Loew, Steward Assts. Jaber A. Ali and Reynaldo Rodriguez, OMUs David G. Locsin Jr., Roger J. Hark­ leroad and Kenneth I. Harder and Wiper Renaldo V. Rosette. Just before Christmas Day, the Navy and Maritime Overseas sent congrat­ ulatory messages to the Overseas Al­ ice crew: "The pivotal role played by the Overseas Alice in her second at-sea rescue in six months is noted with pleasure. Your action in the rescue of a large number of survivors from the Philippine ferry epitomizes the Amer­ ican merchant mariner's dedication to humanitarian causes. "The compassion, endurance and bravery you displayed during the re­ cent rescue at sea have won admira­ tion PACOM-wide. No one could have performed more professionally. Well done, COMSAC, Washington, D.C." "To Master, Officers and Crew: "On behalf of your vessel owners and the management and staff of the Maritime Overseas Corp., please ac­ cept a resounding 'well done' for all hands in their successful rescue of 50 survivors from the sinking ferry Asun­ cion Cinco on Dec. 18-19, 1985. Your timely response and the action of your crew exemplifies professionalism and the highest skill of seamanship within the finest tradition of the sea. The humanitarian efforts by all hands re­ flects the concern of the merchant mariner for the safety and protection of life at sea at all times. It is reassuring to know that during these changing times in our world, the American sea­ farer is ready, willing and able to serve. We are proud of all of you. Maritime Overseas Corp." Kings Point Honors Apex Marine Chief Capt. Leo V. Berger, head of the SIU-manned Apex Marine (Avon Steamship), has been named winner of the 1985 Alumnus of the Year Award of the U.S. Merchant Marine Acad­ emy Alumni Assn., at Kings Point, N.Y. Capt. Berger graduated from the academy in 1943. Award winners are picked for their career achievements and their support of the school. James Allan Golder, 61, Dies on New Year's Day; Burial in Piney Point James "Jim" Allan Golder, 61, died Steward Golder sailed the seven of heart failure in Vassar Hospital, seas and experienced a fire aboard Poughkeepsie, N.Y. on New Year's ship in the engine room on the SS Day. Brother Golder joined the SIU in 1943 in the port of Norfolk and last sailed as a recertified chief steward. He graduated from the Union's Recertified Chief Stewards Program in 1979. Seafarer Golder hit the bricks in the 1946 General Maritime beef, the 1947 Isthmian strike, the 1948 Wall St. beef and the 1965 District Council 37 strike in which he served as a picket captain. In 1955 he was a patrolman in the port of New York helping organize the Atlantic Steamship Co. From November 1969 to July 1970, Jim Golder served on the SIU Pension Study Committee, and also Union Contract Negotiating Committees, Financial Tallying Committees and was a delegate to the April 1984 Deep Sea Crews Conference at the SHLSS, Piney Point, Md. Jim also wrote articles for the LOG. Notre Dame in 1975 . On and off from 1968 to 1977, he sailed for Construc­ tion Aggregates de Venezuela, Mara- caibo aboard the dredges Sand Cap­ tain and Ezra Zensibar. He also worked as a port steward for them in Vene­ zuela. From 1971_72 he was on the Sea-. Land Shoregang, Port Elizabeth, N.J. In 1980 he rode the LNG El Paso Paul Kayser, and in 1981-82 he was aboard the LNG Virgo (Energy Transporta­ tion). Jim was born in Woodbine, Iowa and was a resident of Pleasant Valley, N.Y. Cremation took place in Pough­ keepsie after funeral services at home. Burial was in the Piney Point Ceme­ tery. Surviving are his brother, Keith of Sydney, Neb. and two sisters, Evelyn Eggleton of Bird Is., Minn. and Marjorie Fewell of Lincoln, Calif. �tug/tow barge/dredge , .. i Most Grain Barges, Towboats Escape Winter's First Freeze More than 200 grain barges and 37 towboats escaped the winter freeze in mid-December on the Lower Missis­ sippi River despite unseasonably cold temperatures and an earlier than usual deep freeze. On the Upper Mississippi, however, north of Guttenburg, Iowa to above Winona, Min�.. 147 barges and 15 towboats will remain tied up until springtime because they can't pass through the thick ice there. As of Dec. 16, only about 20 barges remained in the Mississippi River sec­ tion running from Guttenburg south to Hannibal, Mo., according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Normally, the northern part of the Mississippi near Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. freezes in early December so barge companies try to leave the area by Thanksgiving Day. But last year heavy ice developed on the river around Nov. 27 and has been thickening ever since, catching the operators by sur­ prise, "This was the earliest icing that anybody in the industry can recall," reported a Minnesota Department of Transportation official. "We had a dozen straight days of single-digit tem­ peratures," creating a thick sheet of ice making navigation impossible. So when grain traffic soared toward the end of the season, it led many barge companies to stay until early December to get one last grain cargo. "After a very slow year, there was a feeling late in the season among grain owners to get the grain out before off-season carrying charges came into effect. That pushed barge rates up and then a lot of barge tonnage was at­ tracted," said one owner. The cold spell that caused the early freeze developed gradually so most operators on the Upper Mississippi were able to tie up their equipment at river ports such as Winona, Minn. and Alma, Wis. In 1983, a severe December freeze trapped barges in river channels before the companies had a chance to navi­ gate to terminals. This year's tie-up is less serious, they said. Orgulf Boatmen Get 30-30 Before their new contract went into effect Jan. 1, 1986, Boatmen employed by Orgulf could never be certain of their work schedules, even though their previous contract spelled out a 30-day work shift with 15 days off inbetween. The problem, according to St. Louis Port Agent Mike Dagon, was that it was almost impossible to juggle the two varying time slots. When a Boat­ man was ready to work, the worker he should have replaced was not nec­ essarily at the end of his 30 days and ready to leave the vessel. All that was changed with the latest contract covering Orgulf Boatmen. Circumstances played a large part in determining the revision when Mid­ land Industries purchased Heartland Transportation last year. With the ac­ quisition, Orgulf, a subsidiary of Mid­ land, absorbed Heartland Transpor­ tation, ending the Heartland contract. And Orgulf became the first inland company with SIU members to insti­ tute a 30-30 schedule. "It was something SIU members had asked for in their last contract," said Dagon. "I really don't expect to hear any complaints from our mem­ bers," he said. SONAT on AFL's Unfair List In December the AFL-CIO placed SONAT Marine, Inc. on the list it keeps of companies who have engaged in unfair treatment of union workers. It is circulating the resolution it passed against the company to small and large labor union locals, labor publications and labor councils throughout the na­ tion. The AFL-CIO stopped short of add­ ing SONAT to its boycott list because its services are sold to companies and not readily available to consumers over the counter, said a spokesman from the union labels department of the AFL-CIO. The AFL-CIO action comes after SONAT excluded several categories of tugboat workers from contract ne­ gotiations. While the issue makes its way through the courts, captains, mates and barge captains who were reclassified as ''supervisors'' have been working without a union contract. Many live with the fear that without a union contract they could be fired without cause. Medical benefits and pensions, a structure for entering grievances and the safety protections provided by their membership in the SIU have been lost by the workers. Negotiations between the SIU and SONAT for the IOT fleet are contin­ uing, and dates for talks concerning the Mariner fleet may be set soon. Last U.S. T-2 Tanker To Be a Grain Barge The last U.S. T-2 oil tanker built will be converted into a 17,000-dwt Mississippi River hopper grain barge. The tanker Lompoc (Union Oil) in layup three years in Portland, Ore., was sold to American Gulf Shipping of the port of New Orleans and will be towed there. She was built in 1945 at Henry Kaiser's Portland Shipyard and christened the Jordan Valley. Her new name will be the American Gulf V. Duluth Ends Sailing Season Dec. 20 The port of Duluth, Minn. ended its shipping season on Dec.20, loading a ship with donated bagged wheat and powdered milk cargo for the Sudan from the Minneapolis Coalition for African Famine Relief. Earlier in the week, five ships were to load grain cargo and another scrap iron in the port. The last Laker to exit the Sault Ste. Marie (Mich. ) Locks was on Dec. 26. More Jobs on James River Towing More jobs for Boatmen in the port of Norfolk with the James River Towing Co. (Curtis Bay) were available this month with the company operating a couple of towboats to haul coal barges up to a Richmond, Va. powerplant. 4 Crescent Towing Harbor Tugs at Savannah Four Crescent Towing harbor tugs from the port of New Orleans will be doing docking work in Savannah, Ga. t�is month. Mississippi Queen Hit by Tug Late last month, the $ 15.5 million sternwheeler Mississippi Queen (Delta Queen Steamboat Co.) was in the Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans to repair a 3-foot by 15-foot gash in her bow after colliding with a tugboat on the Mississippi River near Donaldsonville, La. The Queen's captain beached the steamboat carrying 272 passengers and 159 crew on a sandbar following the Dec. 12 midstream crash at about 5:30 p.m. The tug, Crimson Glory (Agri Trans), was undamaged with 25 barges in tow. Three persons aboard the Queen were treated for minor ailments while one of her crewmen was picked up out of the river by a passing tug. January 1 986 I LOG I 5 �In Memoriam Legal Aid In the event that any SIU members have legal problems in the various ports, a list of attorneys whom they Pensioner Claude Andrus, 83, passed away on Dec. 5, 1985. Brother Andrus joined the Union in Port Arthur, Texas in 1964. He sailed as a tug captain for Slade Towing from 1945 to 1968. Born in Hayes, La., he was a resident of Sulphur, La. Surviving are his widow, Clara Emma and a son-in-law, Clifford Kenney. can consult Is being published. The member need not choose the recom­ mended attorneys and this llst Is In­ tended only for informational pur­ poses: NEW YORK, NEW YORK Schulman & Altman 84 William Street, Suite 1501 New York, New York 10038 Tele.# (212) 422-7900 BALTIMORE, MD. Kaplan, Heyman, Greenberg, Engelman & Belgrad Sun Life Building Charles & Redwood Streets Baltimore, Md. 21201 Tele. # (301) 539-6967 Pensioner Floyd Lamkin Turner, 77, succumbed to heart failure at home in Hobe Sound, Fla. on Dec. l, 1985. Brother Turner joined the Union in 1943 in the port of Philadelphia. He sailed as a deckhand and mate for Taylor and Anderson, the Independ­ ent Towing Co. from 1939 to 1940, the Sheridan Transportation Co. aboard the tug Ann Sheridan in 1942.He also sailed as a captain and harbor pilot for Curtis Bay Towing from 1943 to 1969. Boatman Turner was born in Mary­ land. Cremation took place in the Wal- CHICAGO, ILL. Katz & Friedman 7 South Dearborn Street The King's Challenger was in Honolulu in November, refueling for a deepsea run to Wake Island .. (Photo by Patrolman Danny Keao) Chicago, Ill. 60603 Tele.# (312) 263-6330 lace and White Crematory, Stuart, Fla. Surviving are two daughters, He­ lene Blom of Cedarbrook, N.J. and Joyce Patmore of Philadelphia. 196 1 sailing as a cook for the R.K. Davis Transportation Co. from 1946 to 1970 and for Allied Towing from 1970 to 1974. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army before World War II. Boat­ man Parker was born in Hertford, N.C. and was a resident of Norfolk. Surviving is a sister, Ethel Parsons of Norfolk. ;t Pensioner Lewis Parker, 78, passed away on Oct. 3 1. Brother Parker joined the Union in the port of Baltimore in DETROIT, MICH. Victor G. Hanson 19268 Grand River Avenue Detroit, Mich. 48822 Tele.# (313) 532·1220 GLOUCESTER, MASS. Orlando & White 1 Western Avenue Gloucester, Mass. 01930 Tele.# (617) 283-8100 HOUSTON, TEXAS Archer, Peterson and Waldner 1801 Main St. (at Jefferson) Suite 510 Houston, Texas 77002 Tele.# (713) 659-4455 & Tele.# (813) 879·9842 Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters DEC . 1-31, 1985 *TOTAL REGISTERED All Groups Class A Class B Class C Gloucester ................ . New York ..... .. . . . ..... . Philadelphia ............................. Baltimore ....................... . ·Norfolk ................................ . Mobile ...... .......................... . New Orleans ...................... . Jacksonville .......... . San Francisco ........................... Wilmington ............................ . Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . Puerto Rico ............................. Houston ................... ............. Algonac ............................... . St. Louis ............................. . Piney Point ............................ . Totals ................................. . 0 0 13 12 65 0 4 4 0 4 0 0 5 20 1 0 0 0 3 0 18 0 4 3 0 2 0 0 2 8 1 0 118 41 0 0 0 1 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 10 1 0 0 1 17 0 14 0 0 0 0 2 0 45 Port . Jacksonville ............................. San F ranci sco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Wilmington ............................ . Seattle ................................. Puerto Rico ............................ . Houston ............................... . Algonac ............................... . St. Louis .............................. . Piney Point ............................ . Totals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 12 53 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 3 3 2 0 82 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 0 0 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Port Gloucester .............................. New York .............................. . Philadelphia ............................. . Baltimore .............................. . Norfolk ................................ . Mobile ................................ . New Orleans ........................... . Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . San Francisco ........................... Wilmington ............................ . Seattle ................................ . Puerto Rico ............................ . Houston ............................... . Algonac .......................... . St. Louis ............................... Piney Point ............................ . Totals................................. . Totals All Departments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . •• 0 0 0 0 1 0 12 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 17 1 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3 12 68 3 17 6 0 0 1 0 20 3 7 6 0 0 12 1 0 0 5 16 11 0 163 20 1 0 26 0 10 0 0 0 0 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 7 35 0 3 0 0 3 64 65 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 9 6 5 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 30 17 13 10 172 70 59 103 2 21 "Registered on the Beach" means the total number of men registered at the port at the end of last month. Tele. # (213) 937-6250 WILMINGTON, CALIF. Fogel, Rothschild, Feldman & Ostrov 239 South Avalon Wilmington, Calif. 90744 Tele.# (213) 834-2546 MOBILE, ALA. Simon & Wood 1010 Van Antwerp Building Mobile, Ala. 36602 Tele.# (205) 433-4904 NEW ORLEANS, LA. Gardner, Robein & Healy 2540 Severn Avenue, Suite 400 Metairie, La. 70002 Tele.# (504) 885-9994 NORFOLK, VA. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 33 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 0 0 1 48 17 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 7 2 0 2 0 0 1 8 1 0 0 0 51 1 0 0 0 0 1 8 0 0 Peter K. Babalas & Associates, P.C. Suite 700 Atlantic National Bank Bldg. 415 Saint Paul's Boulevard 0 Norfolk, Va. 23510 Tele. # (804) 622-3100 3 1 PHILADELPHIA, PA. Kirschner, Walters, Willig, 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 STEWARD DEPARTMENT "Total Registered" means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month. 6 I LOG I January 1 986 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 ENGINE DEPARTMENT Gloucester ............................. . New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . Philadelphia ............................ . Baltimore ............................... Norfolk ................................ . Mobile ................................ . • **REGISTERED ON BEACH All Groups Class C Class A Class B DECK DEPARTMENT Port New Orleans .......................... TOTAL SHIPPED All Groups Class A Class B Class C LOS ANGELES, CALIF. Fogel, Rothschild, Feldman & Ostrov 5900 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 2600 Los Angeles, Calif. 90036 0 0 2 0 0 1 4 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 31 61 14 25 242 142 83 Weinberg & Dempsey 1429 Walnut Street Suite 110 Philadelphia, Pa. 19102 Tele.# (215) 569-8900 ST. LOUIS, MO. Gruenberg, Sounders & Levine Suite 905-Chemical Building 721 Olive Street St. Louis, Missouri 63101 Tele.# (314) 231-7440 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. John Paul Jennings Henning, Walsh & Ritchie 100 Bush Street, Suite 440 San Francisco, Calif. 94104 Tele.# (415) 981-4400 SEATTLE, WASH. Davies, Roberts, Reid, Anderson & Wacker 201 Elliott Avenue West, Suite 500 Seattle, Wash. 98119 Tele.# (206) 285-3610 TAMPA, FLA. Hamilton & Douglas, P. A. 2620 West Kennedy Boulevard Tampa, Florida 33609 Tele. # (813) 879-9842 �New Pensioners Charles M . Curtis, 62,joined the Union in the port of Jack­ sonville in 1975. He 1 sailed as a cook for Marine Crowley from 1978 to 1985. Brother Curtis was J born in Candler, N.C. and is a resident of Orange Park, Fla. Kenneth Alfred Davis, 60, joined the Norfolk SIU Rep Mike "M.P." Paladino (left) presents a first pension check of $1,000 to Chief Engineer William "Bill" Edward Diggs, 63, who sailed for the Virginia Pilots Assn. from 1952 to 1985. Brother Diggs joined the Union in 1966 and was a former member of MEBA, District 2. Union in the port of Philadelphia in 1960. He sailed as a mate, captain and chief en­ gineer for Gellethin Towing from 1950 to 1956 and rode the Christine E. (Marine Towing) from 1968 to 1977. Brother Davis began sailing in 1946. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy during World War II. Boat­ man Davis was born in Showell, Md. and is a resident of Berlin, Md. He was born in Norwich, N.Y. and is a resident of White Marsh, Md. Tommy Ray Fillin­ gim, Sr., 55, joined the Union in 1947 in the port of Mobile. He sailed in both the deck and ste­ ward departments . Brother Fillingim hit - the bricks in the 1946 General Maritime beef. He was born in Alabama and is a resident of Chick­ asaw, Ala. John Quiney Joyner, 79, joined the Union in the port of Norfolk in 1982 sailing as an AB and captain. Brother Joyner was born in the Isle of Wight Cty., Va. and is a resident of Hamp­ ton, Va. Marble Ely Nel­ son, 62, joined the Floyd Frederick Deiss Sr., 6 1, joined the Union in the port of Baltimore in 1956 . He sailed as a deckhand and captain for the Curtis Bay Towing Co. in 1972. Brother Deiss is a veteran of the U . S. Navy dur�ng World War II. In the galley of the Calrice Transport are (I. to r.) Gentry Moore, SIU patrolman; Kaj Kristensen, SUP patrolman, and Stephen Akens, cook/steward. ......___ Union in 194 1 in the port of Mobile sail­ ing as a captain. Brother Nelson was born in Mobile and is a resident there. .___ SAFETY ON THE JOB Ca/rice in S. F. These photos of the Catrice Trans­ port were taken on a recent stopover in San Francisco Bay. The vessel has a crew of 19; the two men in the steward department, however, are the only SIU members. Now in layup in Puerto Rico, the Catrice Transport usually carries cargoes of rice and grain-sometimes sailing to Africa; most recently returning from the Phil­ ippine Islands. Russell Hawkins, steward utility The Calrice Transport, docked in San Francisco Bay. January 1 986 I LOG I 7 �Vice Presidents' Gulf Coast by V.P. Joe Sacco S eafarers in the Gulf Region are waiting for District Court Judge Morey Sears to hand down a decision on the sale of 14 National Marine tugs to Compass Marine Propulsion. The sale of these tugs is nothing more than a sham to break the SIU contract.As a result of this sale, more than 150 SIU Boatmen have lost their jobs. I am, however, extremely hopeful that the decision will be favorable. I firmly believe that 1986 can be a good year for seamen in this region, but only if we get a few decent breaks. Meanwhile, we keep plugging along. Our representatives are making sure that every piece of equipment gets serviced properly, which is difficult in the inland field since there often is no fixed position for a tug or barge. There is talk of reviving the U.S. passenger vessel industry in the Gulf area. That is why we are keeping track of the tax reform bill, which in its original form would have ended tax deductions for conventions held on­ board American-flag passenger ves­ sels.(See page 25.) In addition, we are opposed to at­ tempts on the part of the mayor of New Orleans to use foreign-flag ves­ sels in that city's much touted "Cruise to Nowhere" scheme. The economy of the Gulf region has been down recently as a result of a decline in oil prices.And talking about oil, the SIU supports the AFL-CIO's campaign against Shell Oil for its treat­ ment of black workers in South Africa. The AFL-CIO is urging all Union members who have Shell Oil credit cards to return them to the company. One more thing: I urge all Seafarers to make use of the facilities at Piney Point to upgrade their skills. I believe that education is the key to this Union's future. around a fairly sound high-tech and service economy, has been making gains in recent months against its com­ petitors on the East and West coasts. The other, the traditional pillars of the midwest region-agriculture and man­ ufacturing-unfortunately have not re­ gained their former strength. President Drozak has made the adoption of a national industrial policy one of this nation's top goals.Such a policy would go a long way in curing the ills that presently plague this re­ gion. The state of the maritime industry on the Great Lakes is tied to grain and steel, both of which declined last year. As reported in last month's column, the General Accounting Office (GAO) estimates that only 2.8 percent of all cargo carried on the Great Lakes is hauled by American-flag vessels.The Canadian maritime industry, which has received substantially more support than its American counterpart, rides high in this region. Still, the antiquated state of the St. Lawrence Seaway poses a problem for both the American and Canadian economies in the region. The SIU has consistently supported attempts to modernize the Great Lakes ports, in­ cluding this year' s port development plan, and such comprehensive ap­ proaches as the "Stange land Plan , " which was developed several years ago by Rep. Arlan Stangeland (R­ Minn . ), who sought to "winterize" Great Lakes ports . West Coast by V . P . George McCartney N ineteen eighty-six promises to be a busy year for the SIU. Seafarers in the port of Seattle are gearing up for a grassroots campaign. Later in the year, there will be impor­ tant local elections, especially in King County, Wash. We plan to continue our emphasis on training and education. Just this past month, we trained 17 more AB's in the port of Seattle. Great Lakes by V. P . Mike Sacco T he Great Lakes are quiet now, as they always are around this time of year. There seem to be two midwest re­ gions evolving. One, which centers 8 I LOG I January 1 986 Labor solidarity will continue to be emphasized. A number of local strikes that we were supporting through the California state federation were suc­ cessfully completed. In Seattle, we are trying to get group rates for members who want to attend the 1986 World's Fair in nearby Van­ couver. And we are meeting with the management at American Hawaii Cruises to get vacation discounts for our members who work onboard the SS Constitution and Independence. Overall, shipping remains fair on the West Coast.Things, however, are booming in Hawaii. The jobs gener­ ated by the two passenger vessels that this Union helped get redocumented and the military transportation vessels that we have signed up have re;lly improved the shipping picture out there. ister for their jobs by writing the steamship company and by keeping the SIU hall posted as to where they can be located. That's it for this month. As they say in Hawaii, Hauoli Makahiki Hou. Happy New Year. East Coast by V . P . Leon Hall I Government Services by V . P . Buck Merce� T he Circular A-76 Program has now come full circle with the 1 2 ocean­ ographic MSC ships being awarded to Lavino Shipping Co.of Philadelphia, Pa., which will operate them for the next three years. Three of the ships, the USNS Chauvenet, USNS Silas Bent and USNS DeSteiger, are from MSCPAC while nine are from the Atlantic Command. Reduction in force procedures are expected to follow immediately in the Atlantic area though not in the MSCPAC command.Marine employ­ ees who are temporarily hired are expected to be laid-off in order to bring down the marine manpower ceil­ mg. Lavino was able to take over this contract in large part because of the efforts of the SIU, who went to court to make sure that the provisions of the Service Contract Act applied.The bottom line is that SIU members in the MSC fleet will have a shot at more jobs and better wages. Lavino Shipping Co.bid $2.2 million more than the Marine Transport Line. The USNS Chauvenet is enroute to Japan where it will undergo a yard period. The USNS Silas Bent is in the shipyard in Subic Bay, P.1., and the USNS DeSteiger is also in a yard in Tacoma, Wash. Other MSCP AC ships scheduled to be contracted-out under the Circular A-76 Program include the USNS Ob­ servation Island, four tug boats: USNS Sioux, Catawba, Narragansett and Navajo, as well as the Myer, Mizar, Neptune and Zeus. With an additional nine ships from MSCP AC scheduled to go on the bid block, it is natural to assume that a reduction in force will take place sometime near the end of 1986. This will affect about 350 non-officer mar­ iners. As these events take place and as MSCPAC mariners are terminated from their employment, they should follow reduction in force procedures and reg- t was a busy Christmas and an even busier New Year's up and down the East Coast. On Dec. 27, fishermen in New Bed­ ford braved freezing weather by call­ ing a strike against fishing boat owners who had hoped to cut their wages by as much as 25 percent (see story page 1). In Philadelphia, negotiations were continuing between the SIU and SONAT Marine over the IOT contract which expired in August 1984. Both the Union and the company also have tentatively agreed to resume Mariner negotiations. Meanwhile, in Washington, the SIU was able to persuade the AFL-CIO to place SONAT Marine on its "Unfair List" for the high-handed way that the company has treated its employ­ ees, most specifically for its unilateral reclassification of captains, mates and barge captains as "supervisors." Shipping has been fair or worse in most East Coast ports, with the ex­ ception of Norfolk, which has gar­ nered a large share of the military vessels that are being contracted out by the Navy. These vessels are assuming an in­ creasingly important role in the job security of this membership. Two years ago, the LOG carried a story about the American Eagle, which provided sealift support during the American invasion of Grenada. At that time, 10 percent of all SIU jobs were generated by these military vessels. That figure has since risen to 30 per­ cent. Within the next few years, it is estimated that half of all jobs available to SIU members will be onboard these vessels. The Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Piney Point, Md. has played an important role in helping the SIU gain these jobs.It has constantly revised its curriculum to keep up with rapidly expanding fields. Meanwhile, in the corporate board­ rooms of New York, Sea-Land, one of this country's most progressive and profitable shipping lines, was trying to avert an unfriendly takeover. Numerous unions have joined with the SIU to oppose any takeover of Sea-Land, including the International Longshoremen's and Warehouse­ men's Union, the International Broth­ erhood of Teamsters, the Masters, Mates & Pilots, the International Longshoremen's Association, and even AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland. �The U n ited States Army Trai ns Crane Instru ctors at S H LSS C rane o p e rat i o n req u i res a l ot of team work. M S G Ph i l l i p Lee d i sc u sses the next l i ft. The U . S . Army Transportation School at Fort Eustis, Virginia sent nine instructors to a one-week Crane Instructor's Course held at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship ( SHLSS) . The Lundeberg School is the only Maritime Institution offering Crane Instructor Training along with seven other courses which involve trarnrng relevant to Military Contracted Vessels and Personnel . The Army has the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y fo r m i l i t a r y operations o n board the T-AKR Ships , which are the SL- 7 conversion. All of these ships are equipped with Hagglund Cranes . The Army group received the training to prepare them for conducting their own courses when their Hagglund Crane is operational at Fort Eustis . Until that time SHLSS will work jointly with the Army to provide training in this very important program . M i l i tary cargo comes i n al l s hapes and s izes. S H LSS has exam p l e s of most of it to t ra i n w i t h . : .: :i j f -� SGT G a l e Vestal h as a c l ear v i e w of the cargo a n d vessel f ro m t h e cab of the H ag g l u n d c rane. I n structor Ed Boyer p re pares a co ntai n e r f o r a l i ft . Army Training Group First row (I. to r.) I nstructor Harry Alongi, Trainee Joseph Martyn, SGT Jeffrey L. Weakland, SSG Kermit D. Jones, SSG Gale A. Vestal, SFC Jessie Simon. Second row (I. to r.) SSG Rob i n Shackelford, M S G Ph i l l i p A. Lee, S S G Santiago Jose, Trainee Kevi n Luck, Upg rader Mart i n Fox, SFC McArthur Brown. The USNS A L GOL is o n e o f the Navy's c o n verted S L-7's . January 1 986 I LOG I 9 �Fi reman/Wat erten de r, O i ler Cou rse To be Offered i n March and Septembe r The course l e ading to of instruction endorsement as Fireman / Watertender, Oiler con­ sists of classroom instruction and practical training . Topics covered in the course include the parts of a Guard General Safety , Oiler and Watertender, Oiler course . All applicants for endorsement Fireman / Watertender tests. The eligibility requirements are as fireman / watertender and oiler must have discharges showing six as follows : All applicants for FOWT must months seatime as wiper . Any graduate of the Seafarers Harry have normal color vision. Lundeberg boiler, engine room equipment , All applicants for FOWT must fire fighting , safety procedures, have 20 I 100 vision in both eyes program 20 I 50 in the other eye . as wiper. e ngine room operating procedures , auxiliary equipment , watchstanding, and starting and securing course main prepares engines . This you for Coast corrected to 20 I 30 in one eye and School at Piney entry rating Point can qualify after three months seatime All applicants must pass a U . S . Coast Guard approved physical before entering the Fireman / The length of the course 1S eight weeks . Wayne Kinsey i nstalls a camshaft in a four cyli nder d iesel block. I n s t ructor B i l l Foley descri bes t he assembly of a boi ler gage g lass. L. to r. : I ns t ructor B i l l Foley, Wayne Ki nsey, Crescen c i o Suazo, Charles Spiel mann and Edwards Brooks. Bookwork i s a large part of t he FOWT course. S H LSS CO U RS E G RA D U AT E S Cook and Baker Steward Recertification First row (I. to r.): Revels A. Poovey, S.L. Amper, E . L. Johnson. Second row (I. to r.): Tobe Dansley Jr., Herlies Evans, Joe M i ller, C.F. Gardenh ire. Th i rd row (I. to r.): Alexander Reyer, Robert M. Kennedy, Virge Dixo n , G. Sivley. Marine Electronics L. to r. Alan Hansen, Ron Kll las, Jeff K i n sman, Cardel D u n n . L. to r. Gary Havri l l a (Instructor), M ichael Davalie, Henry Edwards, Gregory Linkous, Daryl Dani, Veronika Cardenas, Charles Gooch , Liz Showbrooks (Instructor), not pictured: Manuel Basas. /@;; lfi !:'1 ;; � 11ru�lt-..11:.. QMED Able Seamen First row (I. to r.): James Brady, Reggie R. Green, Larry Lee, Mercer V. Watkins, Robert Jones. Second row (I. to r.): John Hughes, James Petersen, Tiiiman Churchman, T. R. Benak, Louis Uleskl. Third row (I. to r.): Jim Brown (Instructor), Timothy G. Ward Sr., Rick Bumstead, Peter Victor, Daniel Ticer. Not pictured: Phil Knowls. 10 I LOG I January 1 986 Dlenl Engine First row (I. to r.): Clay P. Mitchell, G. Vides, Joe Scuterl, Mark Wiiiiamson, Laureano Perez, John Blegalskl. Second row (I. to r.): Chuck Jameson, Chris Benzenberg, Corbin Piper, James McGlnty, Edgar A. Nattlel Ill, Eric Malzkuhn (Instructor), John Walsh, CeifJ. Williams. Haywood Butler, Thomas Clark, Patrick Coppola, Martin Fox, David Hamilton, John Gener, Giiman Wiikins, Woodrow Hesllp, Reginald Hood, Michael Hurst, Worcester Johnson Gregorio Madera, Joseph Mlspagel, Wayne !.. Molter, l"'aul Olson, Santos Pastorlza, Laureano Perez, Corbin Piper, Joe Pomranlng, David Simmons, Harmando Salazer, Toney Smith, Cleveland Taylor, Wiley Yarber, Joannis Hatziyiannis. �1 986 U PG RA D I N G CO U RS E SC H E D U L E Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills and Promote the U.S. Maritime Industry The following is the current course schedule for the 1986 school year at the Seafarers Harry Lundebers School of Seamanship . For the membership 's convemence , the course schedule is separated into six categories: deck department courses ; engine department courses; steward department courses ; adult education courses; all department courses and recertification programs. Inland Boatmen and deep sea Seafarers who are preparing to upgrade are advised to enroll for class as early as possible. Although every effort will be made to fill the requests of the members , the classes are limited in size - so sign up early. The course schedule may change to reflect the membership 's needs . A three month updated course schedule will be included in every issue of the LOG. SIU Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the application. Deck Upgrad ing Cou rses Check-In Date Completion Date Li cense Mate (Th i rd U n l i m i ted M aster Mate Freight & Tow i n g) Jan uary 31 Aug ust 1 Apri l 1 1 October 1 0 Celesti al N avigation Apri l 1 1 October 1 0 M ay 1 6 N ovem ber 1 4 Towboat Operator Scholarsh i p M ay 23 J u ly 1 8 Lifeboat February 24 March 2 1 May 1 6 J u ly 1 1 Aug ust 8 October 1 0 October 3 1 M arch 7 Apri l 3 May 30 J u l y 25 Aug ust 22 October 23 N ovem ber 1 4 Able Seaman Apri l 4 J u l y 25 October 24 M ay 30 September 1 9 December 1 9 Radar Observer January 1 0 February 1 7 May 1 6 J u ly 1 8 November 1 4 January 24 February 28 M ay 30 J u ly 31 N ovem ber 28 S i m u lator M ay 2 July 1 8 N ovember 1 4 M ay 1 6 A u g ust 1 N ovem ber 28 Tankerman Apri l 1 8 July 1 1 October 3 May 2 J u l y 25 October 1 7 Radar Observer (Renewal) March 7 Apri l 4 J u ne 6 August 8 September 5 N ovem ber 7 December 5 M arch 1 4 Apri l 1 1 J u ne 1 3 August 1 5 Septe m ber 1 2 November 1 4 December 1 2 Course • Engine U pgrading Courses Completion Date Q M ED · Any Rat i n g Check-In Date September 1 9 December 1 1 T h i rd Assistant Engi neer Jan uary 24 Apri l 1 1 Automation May 23 J u ne 1 9 Marine Electrical Mai ntenance February 1 4 Aug ust 22 Apri l 1 0 October 30 Marine Electron i cs (LASH Crane) October 31 Decem ber 1 2 H ag g l u nd Crane Mai ntenance Janua Apri l 2 February 1 4 June 6 Refrigeration Systems Mai ntenance & Operations Jan uary 1 0 A u g u st 15 February 21 Septem ber 26 Refrigerated Containers Advanced Mai ntenance February 2 1 Septem ber 26 Apri l 4 N ovem ber 7 Diesel Engi neer - Reg u lar Apri l 4 N ovem ber 7 M ay 1 6 December 1 9 Diesel Scholars h i p Apri l 4 J u ne 1 3 Wel d i n g February 21 J u ne 27 N ovem ber 7 March 20 J u ly 24 December 5 Hydrau l ics J u ly 25 Aug ust 21 Course F i reman/Watertender & O i le r March 21 September 1 2 May 1 6 N ovem ber 6 Conveyormen Jan uary 24 February 20 For students who w i s h to apply for the G ED, ESL, or next year, the cou rses w i l l be six weeks i n length and ti mes: Jan u ary 24 M ay 2 Aug ust 1 October 3 1 Course �3 Steward U pgrad ing Co urses Check-In Date Completion Date Chief Cook Jan uary 8 March 1 9 J u ne 25 October 1 M arch 1 4 J un e 27 October 3 Jan . 9, 1 987 Cook & Baker Jan uary 29 M arch 1 9 May 7 J u n e 25 August 1 3 October 1 N ovem ber 1 9 M ay 9 J u n e 27 Aug ust 1 5 October 3 N ovem ber 21 Jan . 9, 1 987 Feb. 27, 1 98 7 Marc h 1 9 J une 25 October 1 J u ne 27 October 3 Jan. 9, 1 987 Course C h i ef Steward Recertification Programs Check-In Date Completion Date Steward Recerti ficati o n Apri l 28 Novem ber 3 June 2 December 8 Bosu n Recertificati o n March 3 September 2 April 7 October 6 Course Al l Rating Upgrad ing Courses Course Seal i ft Operations and Mai ntenance Check-In Date Completion Date January 1 0 February 7 March 7 May 2 June 6 J u ly 25 September 5 October 1 7 N ovember 1 4 February 7 March 7 April 4 M ay 30 July 3 Aug ust 22 October 3 November 1 4 December 1 2 Adul t Ed ucation Courses Completion Date Check-In Date A B E c l asses for offered at these M arch 8 J u ne 1 4 September 1 3 December 1 3 Seafarers who are app l y i n g for the u p g raders Lifeboat c lasses and who are either ESL or may need some work on basic ski l l s, may take the ESUA B E Lifeboat course t h ree weeks prior to the sched u led Li feboat c lass. These c l asses w i l l be offered: M arch 21 February 28 July 1 8 J u ne 27 October 1 0 September 1 9 The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) w i l l be offered one week p ri o r t o some of the u p g rad i ng c lasses. They w i l l b e offered a s fo l l ows: Th i rd Engi neer Conveyorman FOWT Di esel Reg u lar Able-Bod ied Seaman Towboat Operator Scholars h i p Automation Able-Bodi ed Seaman Hydrau l ics Q M ED Able- Bodied Seaman --- Jan u ary 1 7 January 1 7 Marc h 1 4 M arch 28 M arch 28 M ay 1 6 M ay 16 July 1 8 J u ly 1 8 September 12 October 1 7 I m portan t Notice Jan uary 24 January 24 M arch 21 Apri l 4 April 4 M ay 23 M ay 23 J u ly 25 J u ly 25 Septem ber 1 9 October 24 -­ Hote l B i l l Payment Pol icy Changed Effective January 1 , 1 986 all upgrader' s dependents staying at the Seafarers Training and Recreation Center at Piney Point will be required to pay their bill bi-monthly . This will help to lessen the burden of the cost of your stay. January 1 986 I LOG I 1 1 �U pg rad i n g Co u rse App l y N ow f o r a n S H LSS · · · • · · • · · · · • • • • • · · ••·· · · · ••· ·•· · · • ·· · · · ·• · •• · · · · · · · · · • · · · • · · · · · ·· · · ·• • • · · · · · · ····· • • • • • • · • • • • • • • • • • • • • · • • • · • • • • • • • • • • • •• • · · · · • •• ·· · · · • • . • • ' ' Seafarers H a rry L u ndeberg School o f Sea m a n s h i p U pg rad i ng A p p l i ca t i o n Name (Lisi) Deep Sea Member 0 Social Sec u rity # Date Book Was l ssued _______ Book # Sen iority _______ Port l s s ued _______ ______ (Area Code) Pac i fic :.! Department _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Port Presently Reg l s tered l n _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you a g raduate of the S H LSS Trainee Prog ram : 0 Yes Trai nee Program: From N o 0 (If yes, f i l l In below) �� to,...,,... ,...,. .,... _ _ _ _ _ _ (dales attended) _ _ _ _ _ _ Have you attended any S H LSS Upgrad i n g Courses: 0 Yes Cou rse(s) Taken -� � � -­ Lakes M e m ber 0 I n land Waters M em ber 0 ______ Endorsemen t(s) or Llcen se(s) Now H e l d Telephone (Zip Code} (State) (City) Date of B i rt h (Middle) (lirsl) N o � ( I f yes, f i l l i n below) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Do you hold a l etter of comp let on for Li feboat: D Yes Date Avai lable for Trai n i n g No C F i re f i g h t i n g : :J Yes No 0 C PR: lJ Yes No --- -- Pri mary Lang u age Spoken ----I Am I n te rested i n the Fo l l ow i ng Cou rse(s) Checked Below or I nd icated Here if Not Li sted DECK L :J 'J ' [' U u LJ C C :. il ::: :J [ ENGINE T1nk1rm1n AB Unllmll1d AB Limited AB Specl1I Towbo1t Operator lnl1nd Towboat Operator Nol More Then 200 MllH Towbo1t O pe rato r (Over 200 MllH) Ce l e1t 1 1 I N111 l g1llon Muter ln1pected Towing Ve11el Mete ln1pecled Towing Ve11el 1 st C l1 11 Piiot Third Mite Cele1tl1I N1vlg1tlon Third Mite R1d1r Observer Unllmlted Sl m u l 1 t or Course Se1 l l f t Operations & M1lnten1nce No transportation will be paid unless you present original receipts and s uccessfu l l y complete the course. � L. .-[" lJ D i... ..._ :::J � STEWA R D FOWT Q M ED - Any R1tlng Minn e E lect ro n ic s M1rlne Electrlc1I M1lnlenence Pumproom M1lnlen1nce & Operetlon Aulomellon Refrigeration Syalema Melnlenance &. Operations O le 1 1I EnglnH A11l1l1n1 Engineer (Unlnapected Motor Ve11el) C h ier Engineer (Unlnspected A11l1t1nl Cook Cook & Biker _ Chief Cook :::::: Sle w 1 rd Towbo11 lnl1nd Cook _ _ ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTM ENT Motor V1111I :: Third Asst. Engineer (Motor Inspected) ' Relrlgereled Conl1lner1 Ad111 nced M1lntenence - M1rlne Electronics (LASH Crane) • Hydraulics � Hagglund Cr1ne M1lntenance Adult Buie Educellon (ABE) H ig h School Equlvelency Program (GEO) Deve lop me nt e l S tudies English 11 1 Second Langu1ge (ESL) ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preper1tlon A L L D E P A R T M E NTS L Welding L lleboetm1n S.1llfl Oper1llon1 & M1lnlen1nce R ECORD OF E M PLOY M E N T T I M E - (Show o n l y amo u n t needed to upgrade i n rat i n g noted above or attach letter of service, w h i c hever is app l i cable.) V ES S E L S I G N ATURE R ATI N G H E L D D A T E SH I P P E D ---- DAT E -----­ RETU R N C O M P L E T E D A P P LI CATI O N T O : 12 I LOG I January 1 986 DATE O F D I S C H A R G E �Rover Saves 63 Refugees From Certain Death Ten years after the fall of Saigon, ten about the courage and persever· thousands of Vietnamese are willing ance of the hundreds of thousands of to risk everything, even death, for Vietnamese refugees who fled their freedom. And American seamen are tragic homeland to become productive still rescuing them. The latest chapter in this continuing citizens of the United States. Yet few Americans know that these people saga was written on Dec. 13, 1985, in could not have made it to these shores the South China Sea, when the M. V. without the help of American seamen Rover picked up 63 Vietnamese refu­ and vessels. Rover is manned by Seafar­ The first wave of Vietnamese refu­ ers employed in the Government Serv­ gees came in the wake of the Com­ ices Division. munist takeover in 1975. They were, gees. The The refugees, who were crammed for the most part, carried on MSC into one small fishing boat, had made vessels which are manned by civilian mariners. their way past pirates and through turbulent seas. The crewmembers were moved by their heroism and did every­ Those first refugees were part o f a makeshift freedom flotilla. Privately thing they could to help them. owned American-flag and MSC ves� (Continued on Page 15.) "The crew donated clothing and money to the refugees," wrote Business Agent Melvin Henline. "The cook and the steward worked many extra hours to prepare food for these tired and This Vietnamese refugee gives a big smile for joy as he realizes that he is about to be rescued by the MIV Rover, which is crewed by Seafarers in the Government Services Division. Below (right), a rescued woman hugs her child. hungry people. In fact, the whole ship did everything possible to help them." Numerous articles have been writ- MSC Paper Incorporated Into LOG Starting with this issue, all news have been lost; little relief is in sight. pertaining to the Government Services The problems facing the American cilities at the Seafarers Harry Lun­ Division of the Seafarers International maritime industry are not confined to deberg School of Seamanship, this Union of North America will be car­ any one segment or region, but. extend Union's political connections in Wash­ ried in the LOG. to all areas: Great Lakes, inland, fish­ ington, and the Union newspaper. including the impressive training fa­ "I believe that it is important for ing, government, deep sea, shipbuild­ "The LOG is an award winning this Union to speak with one voice," ing and maritime related industries publication," said Drozak. "Not only said SIU President Frank Drozak. "It such as wire and rope. "The only way does it accurately reflect the needs of is also important for everyone con­ to deal with the problems facing the this membership, but it is read by the nected with the SIU to have an un­ American maritime industry,'' said SIU politicians and government officials derstanding of the full scope of the President Drozak, "is through a com­ who establish a maritime policy that Union's activities." prehensive national policy." will affect the job security of all sea- "In a sense," said SIU Vice Presi­ While the Military Sealift Command dent Buck Mercer, "this completes has fared pretty well over the past few the 1981 merger between the old Mil­ years because of a massive defense itary Sea Transport Union and the build-up, a number of developments Seafarers International Union of North have occurred that need to be ad­ America." dressed. The 1981 merger, which was over­ The Gramm-Rudman bill that was whelmingly approved by both mem­ recently signed into law may mandate berships, was undertaken to promote severe cuts in the Pentagon budget, the important but often elusive goal of especially in funding for the Military maritime unity. "The great tragedy of Sealift Command. men.'' SIU Contests MSC Decision To End Free Medical Care The Seafarers International Union is contesting the decision of the MSC the maritime industry,'' said SIU Pres­ At the very least, enactment of ident Frank Drozak, "is that ship own­ Gramm-Rudman will probably accel­ ers and the federal government have erate the process of chartering out ''The Union has directed a letter to been able to play one maritime union Navy work to the private sector. The the commander of the military fleet against another." to end free medical care for civilian mariners employed in its fleet. decision by the Military Sealift Com­ requesting that the MSC provide its The decision to incorporate the sep­ mand to go down this road presents marine employees with free medical arate Government Services Division opportunities as well as potential pit­ care in overseas and/or foreign ports," paper into the LOG comes at a pivotal falls for the members of this' Union. said SIU Vice President Buck Mercer. it alleges can recover their costs under the Civil Service Health Plans. The MSC bases its decision on the closing of the Public Health Service hospitals in August 1981. "We don't think that argument is valid," said Mercer, "especially since there has been a five-year period that has elapsed since the closing of the USPHS hos� pitals." time for civilian mariners employed in As reported by Vice President Buck "This is in tune with the MSC's ob­ the Military Sealift Command and in Mercer in his monthly report, it gives ligation as a shipowner and/or char­ The SIU is particularly concerned the history of the American maritime the civilian mariners represented by terer and in accordance with prevailing about medical care in foreign ports. maritime practice." industry. It also underscores the suc­ this Union the chance to pick up some cess of the 1981 merger, and the prom­ extra work, such as the 12 oceano­ Earlier this year the MSC decreed ise that it holds for the future. graphic vessels covered under circular that non�occupational related injuries, The American-flag merchant marine A-76. "In foreign ports," wrote Mercer in the November 1985 issue of the farer, Sea­ "where medical or dental atten� illnesses or dental care. will no longer tion is often times badly needed, we has been reduced by more than one­ Obtaining this work involves mak­ be paid for by the MSC, but will be believe that the law of the seaman third since 1980. Thousands of jobs ing full use of this Union's resources, charged to individual mariners whom should prevail." January 1986 I LOG I 1.3 �USN� Bol'a,���'2fcJ��etires From Active After 1 8 years of faithful service to her country, the USNS Meteor has been retired from active service and is now part of the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) berthed in San Pedro , Calif. The RO/RO vessel spent much of 1 985 in West Coast shipyards prepar­ ing for her entry into the Ready Re­ serve Force. RRF ships must meet certain requirements of the American Bureau of Shipping and the Coast Guard before acceptance into the fleet . First launched in 1 965 by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Com­ pany of Seattle, Meteor (initially named USNS Sea Lift) formally began her service with MSC in 1967 . At the time . she was one of the few new ships built exclusively for the MSC. Designed expressly for the trans­ portation of vehicular cargo, the in­ terior of the 2 1 , 700-ton ship resembles the interior of a municipal garage . Ramps connect the ship' s five decks , allowing for fast and convenient ve­ hicle movement throughout the ship. Vehicles are able to board or be dis­ charged from the ship by means of a stern ramp , side port doors, or by traditional cargo handling gear such as booms and winches. In her heyday , the ship traveled throughout the world. never staying in one port too long. Meteor's constant movement created a kind of nervous energy and excitement of its own, qualities that endeared her to MSCPAC mariners. "I guess I liked this ship better than any other I ' ve sailed because there were always new things happening and new places to see . " said Bosun Marty Collins, who served eight of his 43 civil service sailing years aboard Me­ teor. " With her rigs and booms and other cargo gear, there was a lot of seaman· s work to do on the ship, " said Collins. " We worked hard but we had a lot of good times, too. The ship seemed to attract good people . " Chief Electrician Bill Brewer, a World War II Navy veteran, has sailed with MSCPAC for 23 years. Up until Meteor's entry into the RRF in Oc­ tober, Brewer had s�rved aboard the ship since 1 970 . Like many others, Brewer hated to see the ship laid up. "It's sad to say goodbye to her after all these years , " said the veteran elec­ trician. "It's like saying goodbye to an old friend . " Brewer recalls the support Meteor provided to her customers with pride. "Up until this year , " he said, "the ship never missed a commitment. I think that ' s a damn fine record the Meteor crew can be proud of. " The roll call of exercises the ship participated in reads like a military campaign history . There were the RE­ FORGER (Return of Forces to Ger­ many) voyages to Europe ; the TEAM SPIRIT loadouts for Korea; BEAR H UNT exercises with the Marines in the Far East ; OPPORTUNE JOUR­ NEY shuttles between the islands of Hawaii, and many, many more . Me­ teor also was one of the seven original vessels assigned to the Near Term Prepositioning Force in the Indian Ocean as part of the Rapid Deploy­ ment Force. "The ship was very versatile and served a multi-purpose , " said Third Mate Greg Musk, who served on Me­ teor the past two years. " With her relatively shallow draft , she could nav­ igate rivers where larger ships are unable to go . Meteor is really what rapid deployment is all about . " The ship ' s last MSCPAC master, Capt. Frank Ballard , served aboard Meteor her final two years with the command. The vessel is the only M SCPAC ship he' s sailed on since his employment with MSC. " Man for man, the crew on Meteor has been as good if not better than any I've sailed with , " said Capt. Bal­ lard , who's spent most of his career aboard commercial ships . " Employees of MSCPAC, NSC Oakland and the Oakland Army Base toured the USNS Regulus in October during a special one-day open house for the three commands. MSCPAC personnel from the transportation office served as tour guides to 350 people who went aboard the 946-foot ship berthed at NSC Oakland. Regulus is the fifth of eight former SL-7 ships that now compose MSC's Fast Sealift Ship program. (Photo by Maricela Sandoval, MSCPAC) 1 4 I LOG I January 1 986 MSC Duty Captain Frank Ballard, the Meteor's last MSCPAC master, is flanked by Chief Electrician Bill Brewer and Bosun Marty Collins. Both have been strong SIU men for years. " Meteor is a good, strong, solid ship and I' ve been blessed by having a competent crew that ' s gotten the job done. The shoreside support from MSCPAC was outstanding. The ship always got what it needed. And there was always good cooperation with our military customers. We always tried to provide them with the same coop­ eration. "In a way , I'm sort of pleased to hear people say they 're sorry to see the ship go ," said Ballard when he was told of the comments made by other Meteor crewmembers. "Those words speak well for Meteor and the organization she worked for. " As a part of the RRF , Meteor re­ ceives regular maintenance by the Maritime Administration. The former MSCPAC ship is capable of being activated for sealift operations within five to 10 days. MSC Touts New Safety Program Terrorist Activities On the Rise Sixteen bystanders, including the I I -year-old daughter of an American correspondent, were killed as terror­ ists simultaneously attacked airports in Vienna and Rome. The incidents occurred at the end of a year that saw a dramatic rise in the number of ter­ rorist related incidents in Western Eu­ rope and America. The incidents raised important and troubling questions for American sea­ men, especially those who work on­ board vessels that provide strategic sealift support for American naval ves­ sel s . As a recent circular issued by the Military Sealift Command (MSC) stated, what's the state of your ship ' s physical security? The MSC has issued new and more detailed instructions on safety meas­ ures that should be followed in order to deter acts of violence against MSC chartered ships and USNS civilian manned and contracted ships. It has also designated LCDR Werner Beier to head a special ship security pro­ gram . The program , contained in COMSC Instruction 5530 . 3 , was issued July 25, 1 985 . It was conceived to be both flexible and comprehensive . Accord­ ing to a flyer put together by the MSC, the program "is responsive to chang­ ing threats, whether such threats in­ volve terrorism, piracy or barricaded captor or hostage situations. ' ' The key to ship physical security , ' ' states the flyer, "is alertness. We want everyone on the ship from the master on down to understand the new pro­ gram and be aware of the importance of security onboard ships . " The MSC admits that the program has met some resistance, especially since many people don' t believe that they are at risk, or because they find they are already overworked . ' 'Trying to convince the ships they need to do more about security may be (our) biggest challenge, " read the pamphlet. " MSC ships do not have sufficient personnel to fully execute U . S . Navy standards for fire, rescue, assistance or physical security bills. " Yet maritime vessels are an attrac­ tive target to pirates and terrorists. The International Maritime Bureau in London reported in October of last year there were 30 reported cases of piracy and armed robbery against mer­ chant ships worldwide in 1 984 . There were 28 such cases in the first half of 1 985 alone. Most of the reported attacks are taking place clo�e to West Africa, Singapore and the Straits of Malacca. Alertness Is The Key to Vessel Safety �Rescue at Sea Sixty-three refugees crammed into one small boat to gain their freedom. The turbulent seas rocked the small fishing boat. (Continued from Page 13.) The refugees were carried on stretchers to the medical emergency area. The following crewmembers helped our (I. to r.): Keith Elliot, AB; Maurice Askinazi, second mate; Ron Wolf, AB; Peter Pinksteaon (who is out of view), and Peter Lum, steward. Erine Harriss poses with this young Vietnamese refugee as his mother looks on fondly. sels give this county the sealift capa­ bility to make possible such large-scale humanitarian rescues. One of the crewmembers onboard the Rover performed an extra special deed: he took pictures of the rescue, from the first spotting of the vessel to the outfitting of the refugees in clothes donated by the crew. He captures it all with his camera­ the look of pain and joy on the faces of Vietnamese refugees as they realize that their long journey is finaJly over; the concern of the crewmembers as they provide the refugees with food , medical attention and clothing; and the process of assimilation that began from the moment the boat was spotted by American seamen. The boat was barely visible. The crew donated the clothes. January 1 986 I LOG I 1 5 �Getting to Diego Garcia Can Be Half of the Fun by Raleigh G. Minix Raleigh G. Minix, this Union's Far East Representative, has been as­ signed to service the membership in Diego Garcia . In this article he traces the steps that a mariner has to go through to reach the place that Ameri­ can seamen have playfully dubbed "the Paradise of the Pacifi c. " ( Yes, they know it's in the Indian Ocean. They 'd just rather be in Subic Bay.) Getting there, it seems, is half the fun . Minix relates that the MSC could do a great deal to improve poor flight accommodations. Difficult travel con­ ditions are made worse by improper planning. At one point in his trip, because of an administrative foul-up on the part of MSC officials, Minix had a run-in with immigration officials in the Philippines who "ordered me to get back on the aircraft and leave the country or go to jail. " Minix relates this all in good fun, especially in his conclusion ( " The only recreation on this trip was wine, beer and liquor. "). Yet he . knows that this is a problem common to all mariners and has drawn up a list of recommen­ dations to make the trip more pleas­ ant. I arrived Oakland, Calif. Interna­ tional Airport about 1 0: 00, 1 8 Nov. '85, and checked in at the MAC pas­ senger counter. There was no MSC PAC representative at the airport to give crewmembers instructions. The crewmembers who were joining ships in Diego Garcia were instructed to see a Mr. Johnson who I found out later was a patrolman from the National Maritime Union. It took about five minutes for a Navy chief petty officer to check my baggage and check me off on the flight list. This CPO informed me the airline would be Arrow Air Line, boarding at gate 6 at 1 2:30 p . m . , flight no . 2666, and that I had seat number 30 F, right window, smoking section. After a two hour and 15 minute wait, we were allowed to board the aircraft . The aircraft was a DC-8 with a seating capacity of over 200. I must say the accommodations were less than stand­ ard coach class. The clearance be­ tween most seats was about nine inches, and none of the seats would recline. As we boarded the aircraft, the flight assistants told everyone to disregard the seating assignments on the board­ ing passes and take any vacant seat. This is when the first problem began . Some of the passengers had made this flight before and knew which seats would give them more leg room. Some of these passengers reported to the airport early and requested certain seat assignments . I heard some flight assistants tell some passengers, " we are not going to move every one around to please you . " This was a constant beef until we arrive in Diego Garcia. Mr. Woorley, the MSC PAC repre­ sentative who made the trip, discussed this matter. Our first stop was Anchorage, Alaska International Airport. We debarked · 1 6 I LOG I January 1 986 while the aircraft was being serviced. The only thing open was a snack bar. A bottle of beer cost $3.50. They had hot dogs and snacks at about three times the price in San Francisco. Our next stop was Yokota Air Base (Japan). We were allowed to debark and had to remain in a holding area while the aircraft was being serviced. This stop was not bad because they had a TV area, cafeteria, etc . We were on the ground about an hour-and-a­ half. Our next stop was Clark Air Base in the Philippines. At this stop the passengers were kept in a holding area, but were allowed to visit the cafeteria to at a time. Ten would go ; when they returned t 0 more could go. Most of the passengers got to visit the cafe­ teria. We were in Clark Air Base about two hours. Our next stop was the paradise of the Pacific, "Diego Garcia. " Flight time-about 29 hours. Most of the passengers were so beat and happy to get off the cramped aircraft that they said nothing. We were herded into an airport holding area where the British informed us of the do' s and don'ts of the island. The B ritish then collected our passports, our shot records were checked, and about an hour later we were instructed to collect our baggage which was then checked by the British customs people and their dogs . Later the crewmembers were bussed to the boat landing and taken to various ships anchored in the bay. All the boats were used to ferry crewmembers to their ships and bring back the ones that were being repatriated. There was no way for me to visit any ships in the port. * * Around the MSC Fleet USNS MISPILLION-Mr. Minix and myself boarded the USNS Mispillion in Subic Bay, Philippine s . No ship chairman was onboard. Assigned Mel­ vin Rivers to chairman job. Talked with engine department crewmembers and they stated no trouble in the engine department. Deck also stated no trouble. Stew­ ard department had a few beefs . t . Steam valve on copper in need of repair or replacement; 2 . Not enough ventilation in galley . Hardly any exhaust ; 3 . Ovens need calibration; 4. Deep fat fryer shocks when in operation; 5 . Head in room #0 1 - 1 6-2 does not work. Has not worked in six months. Crews will be reduced while others will be put on ship leave. About 26 men are expected to stay for yard period . Talked with engineer and was told that the galley and head would be worked on in the yard. Crews stated no CMPI for Union delegate. Went to the purser and Mr. Blanco did turn CMPI in to purser. Mr. Rivers now has the CMPI . Crews stated they did make good money on the last trip. Ship looks rough; needs a lot of chipping and painting that will be done in yard. Captain Thomas is back and the crew feels better for it. Crewmembers in the engine department still want their watch time back and stated it sure as hell is not fair. Bulletin boards seem to be well posted with messages from home port . Will board the Mispillion on her return from cleaning tanks. Will let you know any troubles that arise. USNS PONCHATOULA-It was re­ ported that while the ship was at sea and under way on Nov . 1 4 , 1 985 , a seaman was put over the ship ' s side on a stage to sand, prime and paint rust spots. This type of assignment violates all Navy safety regulations. I must admit the ship' s hull and outer structures look good, but if this must be accomplished by disregarding the safety of a crewmember it is not worth it. Capt. Michael R . Melton was the master. Capt. Robert A. Farr III re­ lieved Capt. Melton as master of the Ponchatoula Nov . 29 , 1 985 . I read the answer to Irvin J . Levy's grievance and advised him that if he desired to press his grievances further he should contact our office at #350 Fremont St. , San Francisco . USNS HASSAYAMPA-Brother David Sitton is the ship ' s chairman. The ship came in very clean and with no beefs . There was a question about a delayed sailing that the master cleared up. All crewmembers involved will be paid. B rother Sitton took some port leave and we did not get a chance to discuss the trip with him . We did get a chance to talk to Captain Farr and his department heads prior to Captain Farr being relieved by Capt. Meloney. It is a pleasure to service a ship with a crew this size that has come in from an extended voyage with no beefs . O/S VIVIAN-No beefs on the ship, but the crew wants the chief steward to vary the menu s . Also the crew stated they need new mattresses and pillow s . The Vivian and Alice will pay off on Dec. 26. * I remained in Diego Garcia about 1 2 hours. As the returning crewmem­ bers were bussed to the air terminal, they were lined up and their baggage was checked by British and U . S . Navy personnel. Before being allowed to go into the airport holding area, their carry-on baggage was checked by U . S . Navy Customs fo r liquor and fruit . One bottle of champagne and two oranges were confiscated. The passen­ gers were very calm and waited about two-and-a-half hours to board the air­ craft. Our next stop was Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines . Everyone de­ barked the aircraft and was taken to a holding area. This time everyone was allowed to visit the cafeteria all at once. I was due to terminate the flight at Clark Air Base. I was not on the manifest nor did MSC PAC give me any orders. The immigration peo­ ple would not let me land in the Phil­ ippines . They ordered me to get back on the aircraft and leave the country or go to jail. After about two hours we departed Clark Air Force Base for Yokota Air Force Base (Japan). When we arrived at Yokota Air Force Base we were herded into a holding area and no one was allowed to leave. The passengers were not allowed to use the cafeteria. I dis- cussed this problem with the master sergeant in charge . He informed me that the U . S . Navy customs people should have had the passengers fill out customs declaration forms in Diego Garcia. This is called a pre-customs clearance . If this had been done, the passengers would have been able to use the cafeteria, and in the event of delay due to breakdown, etc . , they could have used anything on base. This also makes clearing customs in the U . S . port of entry faster. I re­ mained at the air terminal until the flight departed . The Air Force master sergeant assisted me in clearing cus­ toms/immigration and helped me get a room for the balance of the night. At 0800 the following morning the same sergeant met me in the Yokota Air Terminal and helped me get airline reservations from Narita International Airport to Manila in the Philippines. Arrangements were made for trans­ portation from Yokota to Narita In­ ternational Airport-about a two-and­ a-half hour bus ride. * * * Recommendations to improve travel conditions on flights to Diego Garcia: 1 ) Remove some of the seats on the DC-8 type aircraft to allow more leg room ; 2) Allow the seats to recline; 3) Follow the seat assignments on boarding passe s ; 4 ) Show movies o n this long flight; 5) Have an MSC representative at airport from reporting time until the flight departs; 6) Instruct MSC personnel in Diego Garcia to have passengers fill out customs and immigration forms while waiting to board aircraft. This procedure is called pre-cus­ tom clearance; 7) Continue to check carry-on bag­ gage for liquor, etc . ; 8) Management and unions should check aircraft prior to letting bids on what is standard coach clas s ; 9 ) Continue t o have observers aboard these flights . * * * CONCLUSION: Under the conditions these mariners had to travel, they conducted them­ selves as ladies and gentlemen. The only recreation on this trip was wine, beer and liquor. The flight attendants served liquor anytime of the day or night and gave the passengers as much as they could pay for. �I \:/u ...r I OCll VI LI Iv I V l l l l lO I y ..,� vi . . Hundreds of New Jobs Boost SIU in Face of Shipping Slum�Membership Services Expand obs ! New jobs for SIU members on U . S . Armed Forces vessels was the name of the game in the year 1 985 as the Union countered the ill effects of Reaganomics. The year ' s job totals were 680 new jobs on 35 military-support ships . Mil­ itary-contracted vessels now comprise 30 percent of the S I U ' s manned fleet. By June of this year, the SIU expects to be crewing 45 military-support ships with jobs for 850 Seafarers. The year also was marked by the S I U instituting new programs for the membership . They included a Pre­ ferred Provider Hospitals Program, Drug Rehabilitation Program, Pension Plan Buy-Out Program and a new SHLSS Trainee Program. Other highlights of 1 985 were the settlement of the two-year Dixie Car­ riers strike, disputes with SONAT Ma­ rine and National Marine Service and some significant victories in Congress for the maritime industry. The military jobs were provided by the U . S . Navy ' s Military Sealift Com­ mand on their ships designated as TACS , TAGOS, TAKR and TAKX fleets. The T ACS fleet is composed of 1 1 heavy-lift crane ships , two SIU­ manned, the Gem State and the Key­ stone State which took part in Under­ way Replenishment (UNREP) Navy exercises in September-October off the coast of Virginia. TAGO S , the 1 2-ship surveillance fleet, will cost $4 1 . 7 million and run . to Sept. 30, 1 989. It will provide 144 jobs. In April the Union crewed the TAGOS USNS Stalwart (Sea Mobil­ ity) and the USNS Contender in June . The TAKX program consists of 1 3 J pre-positioned ships which will store heavy equipment, armored vehicles, fuel and other supplies for rapid de­ ployment in case of military emer­ gency. Converted SL-7s, the fastest cargo ships afloat , make up the TAKR John P. Bobo (which can carry 1 ,400 Army or Marine vehicles and tanks) followed by the Mjr. Stephen W. Pless in April , the Pfc. Dewayne Williams in July , the USNS Capella in August, the USNS Regulus in September and Drug Rehabilitation Program at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship (SHLSS) Piney Point, Md. In October the Union started an Early Normal Lump Sum Buy-Out Pension Program which would end on Sept . 30, 1986 . Back on Aug. I , the Union began a new trainee program at the SHLSS for the new military ships' jobs and the hotel section of our contracted cruise ves sels . On the Strike Front The crew of the Cove Liberty (Cove Shipping). On the inland strike front, 1 985 was notable for the SIU settling a two-year beef with Dixie Carriers in the port of New Orleans, inking a new, three­ year contract on Jan. 29 for Dixie ' s unlicensed Boatmen. It's retroactive to Dec . 10, 1984. On April 26, a Balti more NLRB judge ordered Outreach Marine-a creation of McAllister Brothers ther� to reinstate 26 fired Boatmen with owed back pay . In June the SIU hit the bricks, joining picket lines at airports around the country in support of the striking AFL-CIO-MTD Airline Pilots Assn. ' s United Airlines pilots and Assn . of Flight Attendants . On Dec. 19, the Union and SONAT Marine ' s IOT inland fleet restarted contract negotiations which had been stalled since July 1 984 over the com- o r Fast Sealift Ship program . These ships are stationed around the country and can be ready to steam, fully loaded, in a matter of day s . In March, the fleet' s SIU-crewed flagship, the $200-million USNS Pfc. Eugene Obregon came on station with the USNS Sgt. Matej Kocak, 2nd Lt. Naval officials touring the SHLSS training facility got a close-up view of practice trials in underway replenishment by students enrolled in the Sealift Operations and Maintenance course. the I st Lt. Baldomero Lopez (Ameri­ can Overseas) in November. Three more T AKX ships will join the fleet in January, February and March 1 986. Health & Welfare Plans During a brief hiatus in San Diego, Calif. in April, Earl Nelson Gray Jr., DEU, loaded stores onto the Maj. Stephen W. Pless. The Pless is one of four TAKX vessels under military charter crewed by SIU members. Last November the Union began a Preferred Provider Hospital Program at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in the port of Seattle . The hospital has agreed to provide medical services to Seafarers and their families for a ne­ gotiated reimbursement rate. On Jan . l , 1 986, the SIU opened a pany ' s reclassifying their captains, mates and barge captains as " seagoing supervisors . " In the same month at year' s end , inland contract talks with National Marine Service in the port of New Orleans were taken to the courts for litigation. At both the February MTD Exec­ utive Board meeting in Bal Harbour, Fla. and the October MTD Convention in Anaheim, Calif. , SIU and MTD President Frank Drozak told the or­ ganization' s 8-million members in 44 national unions that Reagan ' s policy of free trade was crippling the mari­ ti1ne industry and that he again called for a " national policy which will gen­ erate a fair share of cargo for the U . S . merchant marine . ' ' January 1 986 I LOG I 1 7 �A Glimmer of Hope on the Hill Hostilities Force Maritime to Circle Their Wagons as Foes Make Heated Charge A month into the new year, it is still too close to call the outcome of 1985's legislative game. If the Congress au­ thorizes an $852 million build and charter ship program for which it al­ ready has appropriated the money, 1985 will be remembered as a good year for the maritime industry. If it doesn't, the year will be yet another stalemate. The build and charter program (see · issues have even passed one or the other house in Congress), no final action has been taken. CARGO PREFERENCE The issue of cargo preference sur­ faced in the courts, the halls of Con­ gress, the wheat fields and the mari­ time industry. Long a major source of the industry's cargo, and one of the few maritime promotional programs Rep. Ed Feighan (D-Ohio) talks to SIU Field Rep. Martain Vittardi (right) and SIU member Mitchen Santana during the Union's fight to protect cargo preference. Above, from left, SIU Legislative Director Frank Pecquex, SIU President Frank Drozak and Transportation Institute Legislative Counsel Jim Henry before the Senate convened hearings on cargo preference. story page 3) could be the cornerstone of new merchant fleet growth designed to meet both the commercial and mil­ itary needs of the United States. It is patterned after the successful Mariner Program of the late 1950s. The N avy would decide which type of vessels to build, tankers RO/RO's, etc., then desig_nate the builder and select the company to lease the ships. All the ships would be designed for quick conversion to military use, and the Navy could sell the ships after five years. USDA Secretary John Block and powerful agri-business companies be­ gan a high-pressure campaign against cargo preference, blaming it for every­ thing from the trade deficit to the deaths of starving children. The SIU undertook a large educa­ tion campaign on Capitol Hill and throughout the nation's farm lands in an attempt to explain that cargo pref­ erence was not responsible for the farm crisis. SIU President Frank Drozak made­ dozens of appearances before farm groups outlining the problems shared by both industries; a strong dollar, a massive trade deficit and high interest rates. The program, introduced by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), was just one small part of the omnibus spending bill passed by both houses and signed by the president in late December. But there have been indications that some powerful Capitol Hill leaders may throw a roadblock up and try to stymie the program later this year. not gutted during the past five years, cargo preference came under its heav­ iest attack in years in 1985. The center of last year's contro­ versy was the Department of Agricul­ ture's (USDA) Blended Credit pro­ gram. While the USDA claimed the program was not subject to cargo pref­ erence, the maritime industry said it was.In February, acting on a suit filed by the Transportation Institute, a fed­ eral district judge ruled that the pro­ gram was subject to cargo preference. The USDA, instead of complying with the court's decision, simply decided to cancel the program and the $500 million worth of cargo due to be shipped. But at the same time, agri-busi­ nesses and their allies in Congress began introducing dozens of bills which would have stripped cargo preference from the nation's laws. In mid-summer, a large group of maritime interests, Jed by the SIU and a coalition of many farm organiza­ tions, began meeting to see if some kind of compromise could be worked out. Those meetings resulted in a new plan that was beneficial to both sides. The maritime industry would set aside its claims to so-called government commercial cargo (such as Blended Credit) but the percentage of U.S.-ftag cargo for concessional programs (such (Continued on Page 19.) If you eliminate the build and charter program from last year's legislative equation, then 1985 becomes another year where the SIU and the maritime industry had to battle to maintain their own turf, and perhaps even gain a little ground. The big issues on the hill last year were once again cargo preference, Alaskan oil, passenger ships and tax reform. These issues were not con­ tained in just one piece of legislation, but in more than 100 pieces of maritime legislation introduced. On most of the issues, the SIU was able to persuade Congress that our interests were the interests of the nation. Because Congress is in the middle of a two-year session, many areas of importance to SIU members have not been acted upon. Though legislation designed to help the fishing industry, the Great Lakes ports and the inland industry has been introduced (some 1 8 I LOG I January 1 986 Speaker of the House of Representatives "Tip" O'Neill knows better than any leader bow the wind is blowing on Capitol Hill . As a guest speaker at the MTD Executive Board meeting, he told delegates that it was time for a new beginning for the nation and for the labor movement. He asked: "Can we work together? It is time to put a premium on results rather than the process; on achieving our common goals rather than satisfying selfish particular interests. " Later, the speaker posed with MTD Executive Secretary Jean lngrao, MTD President Frank Drozak and Steve Leslie, MTD vice president. �Support SPAD as ington In the week before Congress was to meet for a final vote on the farm bill, Seafarers came to Washington and went door to door on Capitol Hill asking the nation's representatives for their support on the bill. Above, Seafarers found an audience in Brian Folkerts, · legislative assistant to Rep. Lynn Martin (R-UI.). (Continued from previous page) as P . L . 480) would jump from 50 to 75 percent during a three-year period. Maritime opponents were making one last large-scale stand in Congress, where approval of any such deal must come from . In the fall , several bills and amendments were introduced which would have either eliminated cargo preference completely or se­ verely limited its scope. In response, the SIU gathered more than 50 rank-and-file members and field representatives and brought them to Washington. Their job was simple, convince enough representatives that . their support was needed to block the anti-cargo preference amendments at­ tached to the new farm bill . After several days of face-to-face lobbying, their efforts paid off. By a 245- 1 79 vote, the House of Representatives defeated the anti-cargo preference measures. When the House and Senate got together to iron out the differences in their farm bills, the compromise worked out by the SIU and the farm groups was included in the final version of the bill . It was signed by the president iri December. It had been almost a year-long fight, but the SIU won. ALASKAN Oil. Another Jong-running fight on Cap­ itol Hill has been the battle over the export of Alaskan oil . The oil from the north slope of Alaska is the major source of trade for U . S-flag tankers and an important source of energy security for the United States . Many attempts have been made dur­ ing the past few years to lift the export ban. Each one has been met and de­ feated, but only on a temporary basis, because Congress could not agree on the entire Export Administration Act which covers a large range of issues. Last year the maritime industry was successful in retaining the prohibition against the export of the oil for seven years when Congress passed and the president signed the Export Admin­ istration Act. On the other hand, the administra- PORT DEVELOPMENT This is another issue which has been simmering in Congress for several years . Both houses passed different versions, but the S I U was able to help trim back many of the user fee pro­ visions. FISHING Legislation designed to help ease the burden of the high-cost of insur­ ance , protection from unfair foreign competition and measures to improve safety were introduced but not en­ acted . No single issue was more important last year than cargo preference. Without having a fair share of government impelled cargoes, American-flag shipping would cease to exist. But a farm bill up for a vote in Congress last year proposed to severely limit the application of cargo preference. It was the role of SIU President Frank Drozak to explain to the nation's leaders, to reporters, and to people who packed hearing rooms to hear testimony on the critical need to maintain a strong merchant marine for the nation's defense. tion granted permission to export a small amount of Alaskan oil from the Cook Inlet area which is not covered by the Act. The SIU will be watching that situation carefully this year. TAX REFORM While the tax reform bill covered a wide variety of questions when it was originally introduced, it carried sev­ eral provisions which could have been harmful to the maritime industry. Dur­ ing the legislative process the SIU was able to make some changes in the bill which protected some important mar­ itime issues. Tax deductions for conventions held aboard U . S . -flag ships were retained despite initial objections. The Capital Construction Fund was retained. Some tax loopholes were closed for U . S . owners of foreign-flag ships. Taxes on employees' fringe benefits were elim­ inated. The tax bill passed the House and will be taken up by the Senate this year. PASSENGER SHIPS Several bills were introduced which would have allowed the re-flagging of some foreign-flag, but U . S .-built pas­ senger ships back into the domestic trade. None was enacted . SIU Legislative Director Frank Pecquex and SIU lobbyist Liz DeMato worked closely with a contingent of Seafarers campaigning for cargo preference. Each day Seafarers gathered for their assignments, then down the marble balls of the Senate and House office buildings wearing their SIU white jackets and everywhere raising questions. In the end, Congress turned down the anti-cargo preference amendments. Because human faces speak louder to issues than to statistics on paper, perhaps more than anything this explains why the SIU was successful in this campaign, and why the legislative year belongs to the SIU membership. January 1 986 I LOG I 1 9 �Heroes, Volunteers and Exploding Boatman S eafarers Mark Year With S acrifice, Dedication and For many in our Union, 1 985 was a year of hard work and shared pride. With the new military ships, the face of the maritime industry changed and the work of the Seafarers broad­ ened . Seafarers underwent security clearance checks and carried out clas­ sified military exercises throughout the world. Through a program designed by the Navy and the SIU, they prac­ ticed underway replenishment and sealift operation procedures at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship. In their new work roles , many Sea­ farers excelled. Commendations from the Navy for a job well done seemed to be coming in weekly to SIU head­ quarters. The first vessel under MSC charter to be stationed in the Medi­ terranean, the S . S . Transcolorado re­ turned after a two-and-one-half-year­ long mission. But it was not only for new Navy ass!gnments that the year will be re­ membered. Food is again sailing to underdeveloped nations on SIU-con­ tracted vessels. Cavite City in the Philippines has a new Little League baseball team , and orphans in the Young Piney Point trainees led a fu­ neral procession of mourners to Sea­ farers Haven Cemetery in Valley Lee, Md. On Jan. 12, 1 985, Frank Mongelli died following a prolonged illness. Before a garden of winter-picked flowers, they gently lowered his casket and stood back to salute the man and the Union official who had done so much to advance the lives of Seafarers through training and education. Frank Mongelli was 72. He had been a loyal member of the SIU for 40 years and had worked tirelessly to shape many of the programs in existence in the Union today . As the vice president of the Seafar­ ers Harry Lundeberg School of Sea­ manship, Mongelli had the distinction of directing and molding what has become the largest maritime training facility in the nation. With his unwav­ ering compassion, he made certain that students were given every possi­ ble means of learning and then flour­ ishing in the merchant marine . His office was always open. His legacy remains in the minds of hundreds of young men and women with dreams rafters of a playground jungle gym . A woman 'spreads out a blanket beneath a tree. Several children go to her. The teacher, like the young girls in her charge , wears the traditional dress of her church, a long pinafore skirt and blue bonnet. The men and boys wear dark trousers , white shirts and bow ties. Out of a paper lunch bag comes a Mcintosh apple. And soda pop. A basketball clears the hoop. For 9-year-old Shiloh King, the only thing missing from her old one-room schoolhouse in comparison to her new one are the bright yellow swings. Otherwise , there is much more for the children at the hall, more space to romp and enough room for desks for 23 children attending the school . With three rooms and separate film projec­ tion and reading lab areas, they now take instruction in ABC' s preschool class, kindergarten, elementary and intermediate grades . Said reverend of their church, Steve Skelton, of the donation, "It was a Godsend for us all . " * * * * Henri Percikow, a member of the There was no greater loss to the SIU last year than �\, and versatile officials of the Seafarers International labor movement under the leadership of past SIU R; Seafarers Training and Upgrading School-first HI (right) and Hall were photographed attending one ol Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in 1971. , and plowed Picked cotton and com, My hands tore from the earth Coal, copper, iron and gold . . . . " Hands of Seafarers everywhere were busy last year. Lashing vessels to piers and making other preparations, Sea­ farers rushed to batten down the hatches as hurricanes shot up the East Coast and Gulf shores in record num­ bers. Hurricane Bob was first. Danny, Elena and Gloria followed. Then Juan and Kate. The nation held its breath. Damage from the hurricanes mounted . And when it was all over, official estimates of the damage totaled $5 billion. . x . Where Elena would touch down, no one seemed able to predict . She chose Mississippi, slamming ashore with 1 25 mph winds. Louisiana, Alabama and Florida were ravaged . In the Pensa­ cola area of Florida, the largest evac­ uation ever to be organized brought more than 1 million people to safer Tugs like the Grace McAllister provided employment for inland workers in 1985. The Grace was in operation 24 hours a day in and around the port of Norfolk. To keep up with a continuous flow of work orders, two SIU crews were hired aboard the Grace to work a day shift and night shift. But between shifts there was always time to welcome aboard David 'Scrap Iron' Jones, SIU patrolman. Above, Jones is pictured seated in the left corner of the galley dining booth, meeting with Grace crewmembers. Philippines ' Subic Bay can now buy shoes with money donated by Seafar­ ers. In Baltimore, children resumed their studies in a new schoolhouse courtesy of the Baltimore hiring hall . Relief was given to hundreds of hur­ ricane victims, and Seafarers on the LNG Taurus rescued 1 7 Indochinese boat people when their small boat capsized . Dozens of others around the world were brought to safety by Sea­ farers' helping hands. And with med­ ical assistance from the SIU Welfare Plan, one seriously ill daughter of a Seafarer took her first steps. Today , three-year-old Katie Calahan walks . * * * * But the year was also bittersweet . 20 I LOG I January 1 986 of finding a better way of life , a sense of accomplishment, discipline and a feeling of belonging to the brotherhood of the sea. * * * * As much as Frank Mongelli loved children, he would have cherished the sight of children at play at the Balti­ more hall . In January, with their faces reddened by the chill of winter, they took recess on a playground just a short run from the schoolhouse they began attending several weeks earlier on the first floor of the Baltimore hall, the space donated by the SIU. Even as they are suspended upside­ down and a few inches away from each other, they chatter from the bowed SIU, sang praises of America's work­ ers. In his poem , "My Hands," pub­ lished in the August issue of the LOG, his words elevate laborers up from sweat shop factories and servitude to the honored position of builders of nations. "My hands, once straight and strong Raised girder upon girder, brick upon brick These now awkward trembling hands Anchored cables along river, over mountain Laid rail and wire that circle the land. My hands welded, molded, seeded ground . From each of the four states , SIU members spilled from SIU hiring halls to work closely, many around-the­ clock, with the Red Cross Disaster Coastline Project. And their efforts made a difference said Red Cross Disaster Director Grover C. Adams. In a letter to SIU officials , Adams wrote, "Your cooperation, and that of your membership . . . have made a great contribution, not only to the Red Cross disaster program but also to the recovery of the disaster victims themselves." At the Lundeberg School , trainees saw the flood waters approaching. Runoff from the Appalachians brought flooding to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland. Muddy waters steam-rolled over entire towns , and headwaters crested up to the na­ tion ' s capital. Just a matter of yards from the SHLSS , the St. Georges 1 L s s S4 ��wards Around the World When high tide came in at 10 pm, trainees evacuated nearby residents, taking the Lundeberg school bus through rising waters. Families fleeing their homes were given shelter at the Piney Point Hotel. Trainees went back with a pick-up truck to retrieve pets families had not had time to collect. * * * * The SIU-contracted tug M/V Hinton (Marine Contracting) was a gas station in the Atlantic Ocean last year off South Carolina for a boat entered by Popeye' s Fried Chicken in a race from Miami to New York City. The fast food chain entrusted their boat to the guys who wear the SIU ,th of Frank Mongelli, one of the most respected n. Mongelli came up through the ranks of the !Jt Paul Hall. Together they worked to form the '1yn and then in Piney Point. Above, Mongelli �artiest educational conferences at the Seafarers River swelled and lunged over its banks and retaining walls . But SHLSS train­ ees kept a fleet of training vessels afloat in the SHLSS marina and kept the Dauntless , an historic yacht moored at the school, from breaking loose from lines and washing up onto pilings. As winter thawed on the Great Lakes, SIU members appeared everywhere on open scaffolding and on decks, ,_tting out vessels for another shipping season. Richard Louma gave the Charles E. Wilson new life applying a fresh coat of paint to the ship's faded hull. Wheelsman Cliff Cadreau found employ­ ment on one Great Lakes carrier last year. For lack of cargo, only half of the ships in the Lakes Beet were fitted out for the 1985 shipping season, and many other SIU mem­ bers from the region had to seek employ­ ment elsewhere. caps, and their speedster finished sec­ ond in the race . Making a 1 4-minute stop to refuel at the Hinton, the speedboat also took on a relief crew flown in by helicopter onto a barge lashed to the tug. But the racers didn't take SIU members up on their standing offer of a free boat wash with every fill-up of high-test gas. ·two children of members of the Church of the Christ like Shiloh King (left) and Jade may continue learning their ABC's since the nated space for them to set up a working �us >use on the first Door of the Baltimore hall. Another unusual assignment for SIU crews came when the Welland Canal, a vital link between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, was closed and could not accommodate a vessel carrying an 1 8 ,000 ton GM auto stamping press destined for one midwestern auto in­ dustrial park. A caravan of Great Lakes tugs with SIU Boatmen made the de­ livery instead. Transferring the press to the decks of the barges , SIU members piloted along an alternate route through the oldest canal in the nation, the NYS Erie Barge Canal and into Lake Erie. The canal proved narrow, with shal­ low water and low-hanging bridges . The trip had its dangers. B u t in 1 7 days the auto press was docked safe and sound at the terminal in Cleveland. Crews from many SIU-contracted vessels received safety awards last year, while safety survival suits be­ came mandatory for most deepsea ves sels. Topping the charts of safety con­ scious crews were Seafarers on the LNG Capricorn . They celebrated their third accident-free year. "Safety contributes to the smooth operation and to the productivity and lowered costs of a trip, " SIU Vice Presictent Angus " Red" Campbell commented on the award to the LNG carrier. The SS President Grant received an award from 1984 . American President Lines, after looking over the safety records of its ships, proudly presented SIU workers with an award for achiev­ ing an accident-free year and for being the safest ship for that year in the APL fleet. * * * cedure , the crew of the Countess did not try to be heroes on their own. Though the vessel had several small arms stored in the captain's quarters, as do most ships under Military Sealift Command, not a shot was fired. The crew showed the type of restraint that can save lives in the event of such an attack, even as Seafarers were threat­ ened with knives and the captain of (Continued on Page 22.) * Piracy on the high seas has become an increasingly serious problem for mariners who sail through the Malacca Straits , West Africa and Indonesia. It ' s become so serious that maritime unions have gone before the United Nations to ask for measures to be put in force to reduce the likelihood of pirate attacks. Pirates boarded the SIU-contracted Falcon Countess in the Straits of Ma­ lacca, brandishing knives and made off with $ 19,000 pried from the ship's safe . A lesson learned from this and other experiences is that ship crewmembers should remain calm. According to pro- Katie Calahan, daughter of SIU member Thomas Calahan, learned to walk last year, despite suffering from cerebral palsy. January 1 986 I LOG I 21 ��1u t-'eop1e vvorKea , t-'1ayea ana Learnea (Continued from Page 2 1 . ) the vessel bound and held a t knife­ point. * * * * It' s probably a good thing that Seafarer Pat O ' B rien was not aboard the vessel . There was a lot of commotion around O ' B rien last year. But then, there has been for years . Ever since he took his motorcycle aboard the merchant vessel Cha ;les McCormack, got off at the port in Everett, Wash . , joined a carnival and became a fearless stuntman. That was 32 years ago. Today, O 'Brien has a fan club that reaches around the globe. He performs on television and at fairgrounds all across America, thrilling audiences as Capt. Dynamite with the World Champion Dare Devils of Amusement Enter­ prises , in Houston, Texas. What was his favorite stunt in '85? Well it was perhaps the one he per­ formed most. Sixty times last year he hunkered down in a wooden framed 'coffin of death' stretched with butch­ er' s paper. Four sticks of dynamite at his head and at his feet were ready to explode. And each time they did , it was a sight to behold as the captain blasted through the air. As one of the greatest stuntmen the world over, and a Seafarer, O' Brien surely did not complain about 1 985. Always he picks himself up after the explosions. Amid cheers, he brushes off the dirt and scorched butcher' s paper. And next year h e will be back to do it again. * SIU Boatman Pat O'Brien, alias 'Captain Dynamite, ' has gained a reputation in Hollywood, travelling circus shows and at state fairs. In his dynamite act he blows himself up and lives to tell about it. He is one of the most accomplished stuntmen in the world. * * - * Roberta Blum, a graduate of S HLSS trainee class # 3 1 4 , had a lot to smile about last year. She set a first at the Lundeberg School when she became the first woman in the SHLSS nautical Water survival suits became part of the standard safety equipment carried on most SIU-contracted vessels last year. Stepping into one of the suits, Seafarer Grif McRee demonstrates how the suit is designed to keep a seafarer alive for hours in the water if forced to abandon ship. science certificate program. Last year, too, Blum was working to complete an Associate in"Arts degree . * Sonat Marine Barge Capt. John M. Herina reads the names of those who died in Vietnam on the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Manhattan, N.Y. This photo appeared on the front page of The New York Times last year as did a story about Vietnam veterans. Because Herina served in that war, he has veteran's status. But the irony is that had he been a Seafarer in Vietnam during the war years, his service to his country would bring him neither status as a veteran nor a monument to remember fellow Seafarers killed in the war. Nowhere are the names of Seafarers who perished then or in other wars inscribed in stone. Veterans' status bas been denied Seafarers for WWI, WWII and the Korean War also. But on Dec. 5, the Defense Department granted veterans' status to Seafarers participating in one special mission during the invasion of Normandy. Two hundred are still alive to hear of the honor. In the second world war more than 6,000 members of the merchant marine lost their lives. 22 I LOG I January 1 986 * * Katie Calahan, three-year-old daughter of Seafarer Thomas Calahan and wife Sarah, may be too young to appreciate 1 985 but she will when she is older. Only through stories from loved ones may she then understand how special she made the year for thousands like her who will take with them for a lifetime the handicaps and the pain of cerebral palsy. For Katie hope came last year. As an adult, she may be able to walk unassisted by the heavy leg braces she now wears. Because last year she worked like an athlete in training the muscles in her legs, deformed by ce­ rebral palsy, until she could move, take one step, then another to walk. Word of Katie' s struggle and accom­ plishment has spread. She has become a little legend to nurses, doctors , teachers and physical therapists who work with cerebral palsy victims . Rep­ resenting the Easter Seals campaign as a poster child in 1 984, a photo of Katie was distributed nationwide. It continues to bring thousands of dollars in donations so that some day a cure may be found for treatment of the condition, a condition that affects 750,000 American s . �In 1985 Because of the professionalism of SIU workers and persistent lobbying for jobs- by the SIU leadership, SIU members gained hundreds or jobs aboard military ships in the year just passed. Deck/engine utility James Dickens signed on the USNS Southern Cross, one or dozens of vessels under military contract with SIU crews. Like many other SIU-contracted ships which are playing key support roles for our nation's defense teams around the world, the Transcolorado earned commendations for the professional performance of her crew. One or many ves.wls of the U.S. fishing Heet, the Tina & Vina, d� in all her finery­ carnations, streamers and Oags-for the Blessing of the Fleet ceremonies in New Bedford, Mam. Steward Assistant Leo Kinney and Manny the seafaring dog on the MlUfhaltmt Island bopper dredge. 1985-Welfare Plans Met Your Needs This past year has seen many improvements in the Seafarers Welfare Plan. The Plan is developing new programs and during the year has streamlined its claims departments. All of this is being done to make your Plans more responsive to your needs. November 1985 LOG. We have continued to provide college opportunities to our members and their families through the Seafarers Scholarship Program. For our pensioners, the Seafarers Pension Plan approved a cash buy-out Here are some of the things that happened in 1985: program for eligible members to give them more flexibility in planning for We have centralized our computerized claims processing at our head­ their retirement. A full report on this program was published in the October quarters in Camp Springs so that we have been able to speed up the time it takes to process and pay your claims. We have installed a toll-free "800" number at headquarters so that members can get fast and accurate information on the status of their claims. With medical costs rising each year, we are instituting a program to 1985 issue of the LOG. And throughout the year, the Plan has published articles in the LOG to keep you informed and up-to-date on amendments to the Plan and on new programs to help you and your families deal with the harsh realities of sickness, accidents and death. monitor hospital bills-and you will be able to earn a cash bonus for taking part in this program. A full description of this program is being published ARC PROGRAM in this issue of the LOG. Be sure to read about it. At the request of the membership at the Crew Conference last year, we During 1985, your Seafarers Plans have helped many of our brothers and began a Preferred Provider Program to select hospitals in areas around the sisters begin the process of recovery from alcoholism. This program, which nation where our membership is concentrated. These hospitals and their has been in place at the Seafarers ARC in Valley Lee, Md. for nearly 10 out-patient clinics will be selected on the basis of their reputations for years, has helped hundreds of Seafarers become happy and useful persons. highest quality heahh care. These facilities will provide our members and their families with the best medical care available. We already have established a relationship with the Virginia Mason Also in this past year, the Plans trustees approved a program to help those of our members who are addicted to other mood-changing drugs. This program begins this month, and will be developed in the months ahead to Medical Center in Seattle, and we are in the process of contracting Preferred offer an ·avenue of hope to those of our members who want to kick their Provider facilities in other areas. A report on this development is in the addictions. January 1986 I LOG I 23 �Military Ships Steam I nto S I U Job Picture Last year marked a major change in job patterns for Seafarers. Jobs aboard military ships, most requiring specialized training in areas such as helicopter landing, crane work and underway replenishment, were the biggest game in town. While commercial shipping has been in a years-long slump , the S I U decided not to sit o n its thumbs. Because o f planning made several years ago , courses were developed and strategies outlined to make sure that this Union and its members could fill the job slots opening up on military ships . Currently military work accounts for about 30 percent o f all seafaring jobs and could climb as high as 50 percent during the next year or two. ' 'You have to adapt to the times and accept the changes in the industry , and we have done that. We will always work to revitalize commercial shipping because a private merchant marine is essential to the country' s trading. B u t w e also must make sure that men and women of the SIU have a place to work, a place to use their skills , " S I U President Frank Drozak said. Following is a list of the new military ships Seafarers crewed last year. From T-AGOS vessels (above) to break bulkers like the Southern Cross (below) and just about every type of ship inbetween, Seafarers worked hand-in­ hand with the military throughout the world last year. It's a trend. It's where the jobs are. Type Name FOIFO RO/RO RO/RO RO/RO RO/RO RO/RO 11 26 26 USNS Denebola 26 USNS Pollux 26 USNS Regulus PFC Dewayne T. Williams 2 1 RO/RO 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo 21 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez Major Stephen Pless 21 14 14 14 16 Pacific Gulf Marine Bay Tankers Bay Tankers Bay Tankers Bay Tankers American Overseas Marine American Overseas Marine AMERSEA Exporter Transport Extender Transport Expresser Transport Waterman MV Paul Buck 15 Ocean Shipholding MV Gus W. Darnell MV Samuel Cobb 15 15 Ocean Shipholding Ocean Shipholding Southern Cross 57 Alatna 15 Chattahoochee 15 Nodaway 15 IOM Crowley Tow & Trans­ port Crowley Tow & Trans­ portation Crowley Tow & Trans­ portation IOM IOM Sea Mobility Sea Mobility Sea Mobility Sea Mobility RO/RO RO/RO RO/RO RO/RO RO/RO T-5 Tanker T-5 Tanker T-5 Break/ bulk T- l Tanker T- 1 Tanker T- l Tanker Crew MV American Cormorant USNS Altair PFC James Anderson PVT Harry Fisher 1st Lt. Alex Bonnyman Craneship Gem StaJe TAGOS MV Contender TAGOS MV Stalwart TAGOS MV Triumph TAGOS MV Vindicator 57 12 12 12 12 Company I -.,. o"'°' ERJ..to ,, .. , ... - I 24 I LOG I Jan uary 1 986 .. . .� o,l' ;"' TH E - I ... �.,,. ') /.. Seafarers on the Obregon and ships like her have proven they can be counted on as part of the country's national security posture. �• I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I •• I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I + m S e a fa re rs I n te r n a t ional U n i o n o f North A m e r i c a . A F L-C I O Washington Report In order to protect the interests of its mem­ bers in today' s increasingly complex world, a maritime union has to be able to operate on many different levels . The maritime industry is one of the most heavily regulated in the country. It is also one of the most volatile. In the space of 20 short years , seamen have had to adapt to far-reach­ ing changes in their environment (containeri­ zation, computerized engine rooms , reduced manning scales) as well as rapid and unpre­ dictable swings in world shipping markets . People working in the maritime industry have their own special needs . They often are exposed to toxic chemicals and hazardous conditions . At the same time, they share the same concerns as workers everywhere. They are parents, homeowners, members of the community . Life onboard ship must b e monitored to ensure continued health and safety. At the same time, the American maritime industry has to compete against owners who pay their workers next to nothing and tolerate unsafe conditions onboard their vessels. The aritime industry plays a little appre­ ciated but vital role in the defense of this country. In times of national emergency, troops and materials have to be transported overseas . That takes ships and merchant seamen. Airlift accounts for only 1 0 percent of this country' s strategic transportation needs. � Legislative Update * Farm Aid Bill-President Reagan signed into law a $52 billion farm aid bill that contains a provision that will have far-reaching impli­ cations for the job security of seamen. Under the terms of the bill, the cargo pref­ erence requirements of the P.L. 480 program will be increased from 50 to 75 percent over a three-year period. At the same time, certain so-called programs such as Blended Credit and BICEP will be exempt from the cargo prefer­ ence requirements of the legislation. The compromise ends a bitter dispute be­ tween the maritime and agriculture industries that has waged unabated since Secretary of Agriculture John Block suspended the Blended Credit program (see story page 1 ) . The con­ troversy became so intense that it threatened the standing of both industries on Capitol Hill. SIU President Frank Drozak was one of the first people to sense the damage being done to both industries and to call for a compromise. He emphasized that both industries were fac­ ing the same set of problems: heavily subsi­ dized foreign competition, closed markets and an overvalued American dollar. * Tax Reform-In a dramatic showdown between Reagan and the members of his own party , the House of Representatives passed H . R . 3838 , a comprehensive tax reform bill. The proposal was substantially different from the one that the administration originally sub­ mitted to Congress. The original text contained a number of provisions that were opposed by the maritime industry and the labor movement. The provi­ sions included the following: taxation of fringe benefits , the elimination of the Capital Con­ struction Fund and an end to the tax deductible status of state and local taxes , business ex- January 1 986 as ington Legi s l a t i v e . Ad m i n istra t i ve and Regu l a tory H a p p e n i ngs penses held onboard U . S . -ftag cruise ships and companies doing business in Puerto Rico. None of those provisions was contained in the final version of the bill, which marks an important victory for American seamen and workers. According to the AFL-CIO, " more than a million postcards [protesting the pro­ posed changes] were distributed [by labor] , along with some 650,000 brochures, 1 0,000 posters and 60,000 legislative fact sheets . " It took two votes before the House passed the bill. Ninety-two percent of the House Republicans voted against the president on the grounds that the bill was "anti-business . " After a week of intense lobbying, the president was able to persuade 50 members of his own party to switch their votes. * Marad Authorizations Bill-H . R . 2965 , the Maritime Authorizations Bill for fiscal year 1 986 was signed into law. While a number of important maritime programs will continue to be funded, levels were lower than in previous years . The authorizations bill once was considered to be the single most important piece of mar­ itime legislation . During the past five years funding for most maritime programs has been sharply decreased or eliminated . This year's authorizations bill would probably be even lower were it not for the fact that funding for the Operating Differential Subsidy program is set for a fixed term. Yet even this important program is slowly being phased out by the administration . * Build and Charter-Thanks to the efforts of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), an $852 mil­ lion mariner build and charter program was included in a funding resolution for a number of federal agencies , including the U . S . Coast Guard and the Department of Defense. This will mark the first new infusion offederal funds into the depressed shipbuilding industry since the Construction Differential Subsidy program was eliminated in 1 980. Before this money can be used, however, authorizing legislation will have to be passed by Congress. Given the nature of the budgetary process, federal funds have to be both approved and authorized. Usually Congress approves a pro­ gram and then authorizes funds for it. In this case, however, Congress has set aside monies for a program before approving it. * "Buy American" Amendment-The Budget Reconciliation package is pending action in both the Senate and House. The House version contains an amendment offered by Rep. Doug Bosco (D-Calif. ) that would require 50 percent of equipment used in the production of oil and gas to be constructed in the United States . Noting the national security implications of the amendment and the economic benefits it would generate in terms of jobs , revenue and taxes, SIU President Frank Drozak has made a strong pitch on Capitol Hill. "The advent of foreign government subsi­ dization below cost pricing, " he wrote one senator, "has assured that virtually no new mobile drill rigs have been built domestically since 1 982. Without a Buy American provision, this trend will no doubt continue. " * Passenger V�I Industry-Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has introduced S. 1 93 5 , legislation that would permit five foreign built passenger vessels to be documented under U . S . laws. "The purpose of this bill, " said Stevens , " is to promote the development of a domestic cruise ship industry. Our domestic industry is nonexistent, and will remain so without the utilization of foreign built vessels. " Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Helen Bentley (R-Md. ) also have introduced legislation aimed at reviving the once proud passenger vessels industry. Business Briefs * Profits for the three major U . S . -ftag con­ tainer shippmg companies, including Sea-Land, are likely to be down in fiscal year 1 986, according to a study commissioned by Alex Brown, a Baltimore based brokerage firm. * A quiet revolution is occurring in the shipping industry. Almost overnight, shipping companies have moved to open their own rail operations, thereby substantially cutting trans­ portation costs. More than $200 million has been spent in this area. In the forefront of this development are such companies as Sea-Land , which opened its own rail terminal in Tacoma, Wash. * The Journal of Commerce predicts a move toward "equilibrium" for the American-flag shipping industry next year, but at a great price. "The next two months undoubtedly will see more shipowners go out of business and others hover perilously on the brink of collapse before any real evidence of recovery emerges." * Two ocean incinerator vessels approved by the EPA have been caught up in bankruptcy hearings. The move stalls the development of an important new American industry. * According to a report carried in The Washington Post, the supertankers that were built in the 1970s and early 1 980s are no longer economically viable given today' s depressed shipping market. ''They face extinction, ' ' stated the article. * A controversy is brewing over the future of the Export-Import Bank. The administration wants to extend the agency ' s charter, which expires Sept. 30. Congress, however, might want to ' 'use the occasion for an overall review of the Ex-Im Bank , " according to a report carried in The Washington Post. The admin­ istration's goal of eliminating long-term loans under the program has met with opposition on Capitol Hill, where many people view the Export-Import Bank as an important and un­ derused tool in formulating trade policy . Agency Briefs * Marad is seeking to implement a new system of monitoring subsidy payments, which it contends will be " more efficient. " * The State Department will hold an open forum on an upcoming UNCTAD meeting on the registration of vessels under national flags. Regional * There is an increased competition be­ tween American ports for cargo. Typical of the new mood is this quote from a Baltimore port official that was carried in The Wall Street Journal: "The only way that we are going to thrive is to increase our share of the pie . " * The S t . Lawrence Seaway has closed down for the winter season. While business was down from last year, the season ended later, in large part because of several accidents that tied up traffic . (Continued on Page 31.) January 1 986 I LOG I 25 _ �n a vv a 1 1 c u 1 r v 1 "' u 1 v v v � In and Around Honolulu : The C.S. Salernum (Transoceanic Cable Ships) readies t o sail to Okinawa. Loading stores are ABs (I. to r.) Jeff Hood, Greg "G-Man" Johnson and Mike Shanley. Chief Cook Devlin "Maunakea" Wilson (I.) and Steward Assistant Jerry Hong share a few laughs in the Salernum's galley. The bridge of the Ogden Yukon (OMI) at anchor in Honolulu. (Photo by Danny Keao) Laura Gillespie (I.) and Nicolas Lopez are both assistant crew cooks aboard the Constitution (American Hawaii Cruises). Jim Hoeming, oiler aboard the Constitution. 26 I LOG I January 1 986 Crewmembers aboard the Constitution meet with Patrolman Errol Pak (seated, second from left). They include: Melanio Domingo, chief electrician/educational director; Louis Zkizzo, bosun's mate; Roy Aldanese, 3rd steward; Richard Connelly, AB, and John Kelly, AB. �Aooara rne 5. 5. 1naepenaence In Ha waii David Millard is a room steward aboard Sara Rotter, deck lounge stewardess. Bartender Mike Minkler is always kept busy aboard the Independence. the Independence (American Hawaii Cruises). Ernst Forbes (I.) and Damien Tanoi both work as assistants in the laundry. Tony Piazza Jr., assistant purser, and Fran Sakai, junior assistant purser, are usually the first people you'll Jerry Johnson (I.) keeps the ship's engines working; Raymond Prall is a machinist onboard the Independence. see upon embarkation. This happy galley trio includes (I. to r.) Roy Calo, assistant cook; Jens Jensen, executive chef, and Doriana Schmeltz, 2nd cook. January 1 986 I LOG I 27 �Help A Friend Deal With I CELESTIAL NAVIGATION A SKILL ALL SEAFARERS I Alcoholics \ 1=LJBJ � \ SHOULD KNOW don't have friends. Because a friend wouldn't let another man blindly tra•el a course that has to Jud to the destruction of his health, his job and his E n ro l l i n t h e Celestial Navigation Course at family. And that's where an alcoholic is headed. Helping a fellow Seafarer w h o has a drinking problem is just as easy-and just as important-as steering a blind I Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the Union's Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee, Md. Onco he's there, an alcoholic S I U member will receive ;uu k n ow to earn the Ocean O p e rato r Over 200 intcrt''tt•J in ;11 tt•nding .1 \1\-wcc!._ M i les L i c e n s e . A n d t h at m ean s a bett e r j o b and \i:llllt.' the care and counseling he needs. And he'll get the support of brother SIU members who are fighting the a S H LSS. I t ' l l h e l p y o u l earn w h at y o u n eed to Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center pni!-'r;un al 1hc Ak••hl•1ii: R..:h;1t>il11aut1n Ct•ntcr. I umkr,tand (h;ll ,111 m� mt•ti lc:1I ;ind l'l•tm� ling H'cnrJ\ u ill l:it• '-t'PI �lri<-11� i:onfidenfial. ;mJ tha! 1hc� "ill nnl ht' l.:1.• p1 ;1n� u.h1..·r\' t'\Ct'fll at Tl'it' l t'Olt•r. man across a street. All you have to do is take that m o re money ! I alcohol-free life. I Addr1.·" I The road back to sobriety is a long one for an alcoholic. I But because of ARC, an alcoholic S I U member doesn't I Tckptwnc NP I have to travel the distlll\ce alone. And by guiding a \fail IP I Siar Roule Ro:\ 153-A brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center, I \"�lie� l,tt. Md. 20692 I you'll be showing him that the first step back to recovery I is only an arm's length away. I '--�����L - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - same tough battle he is back to Co n t act yo u r S I U F i e l d Re p resen tat i v e , o r f i l l o u t t h e a p p l icat i o n i n t h i s i s s u e o f t h e Log . healthy, productive KNOW YOUR RIGHTS Course Starts Apri l 1 1 K N O W Y O U R R I G H TS K N O W YO U R RIG HTS FINANCIAL REPORTS. The const i t u tion of t h e S I U C O N STITU TION A L R I G HTS A N D O B L I G A · A t l a n tic. G u l f. Lakes and I n land Waters District makes TIONS. Copies of t h e S I U const itut ion are avail able i n specific provision for safeguard i n g m e m bership's a l l U n ion h a l l s . A l l members should ohtain copies of this money and U n ion finances. The con stitution requires a const itution so as to fam i l iarize t he m selves with its con­ detai led audit by Certified Public Accountants every three tents. Any time you feel any membe r or officer is attempt­ the months. which are to be submit1ed to the membership by i n g to deprive you of any const i t u t ional right or ohl igation the Secretary-Treasurer. A q uarterly finance c o m m ittee hy any methods such as deal ing with charges. trials. etc . . of rank and fi le members, elected by the m e m hersh ip. a s well a s a l l other details. then t h e mern h e r so affected m akes exa m i n ation each q u arter of the finances of the should i m medi ately notify headquarters. U n ion and reports fu l l y t he i r fi n d i n gs and recommenda­ EQUA L RIG HTS. All rnern hers are guaranteed equal tions. M e m bers of this c o m m ittee m ay make dissenting rights i n employment and as m e m hers o f the S I U . These reports, specific reco m mendations and separate find ings. rights are clearly set forth in the S I U const itution and in TRUST F U N DS. All trust funds of the SlU A t lantic. the contracts which the U n ion has negoti ated with the G u l f. Lakes and I n land Waters District arc ad m i n istered employers. Conseq uently. no mernher m a y he discri m i ­ in accordance with the provisions of various trust fund nated against because of race. creed, color. -sex a n d na­ a gree m e n ts . All these agreements specify that the t r u s tees tional or geographic origin. I f any m e m ber feels t h a t he is denied the equal rights to which h e is e n t i t l ed. h e should in charge of these funds s h a l l equ a l l y consist of Union and m a n agem e n t representatives and their a l ternates. All expenditures and disbu rse ments of trust funds are made only upon approval by a m ajority of the trustees. A l l trust fund financial records are avail able at the headquarters of the various trust funds. SHIPPING RIGHTS. You r shipping rights and senior· i t y are protected excl usively by the contracts between the U n ion and t he emp loyers. Get to know your s h i pping ' rights. Copies of these contracts arc posted and avail able i n all U n ion hal ls. lf you feel there has been any violation of your s h ipping or seniority rights as contained i n the contracts between the U n ion and the employers. notify the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified m a i l . return re· ceipt requested. The proper address for this i s : 11111n111111111tu1111R1111111n1111111111u1dlll1m1111111111111n111111n11u111n1111111n1111111n1111 patro l m a n or other U n i on offi�ial, in your opinion, fails to protect your contract rights properly. contact the nearest S I U port agen t . notify U n ion hea d q u art e rs . SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION -SP AD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. I ts pro· ceeds are used to further its objects and purposes incl ud­ i ng. but not l i m ited to, furthering the political. soc ial and economic i n terests of m aritime workers. the preservation EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. T h e Log has and furtheri ng of the American M e rc ha n t M arine w i th tradition ally refrained from publishing any artic le serving im proved the politic a l p urposes of any individual hoatmen and t he advancement of trade u n io n concepts. in the U n ion. officer or memher. It has also. refrained from p u b l i sh i n g emp loyment In connection with opportun ities for sea me n and such objects. S P A D supports and articles deemed h a r m f u l to the U n ion or its col lective contributes to pol i t ical candidates for elective office. A l l membersh ip. This estahlished policy has been reaffirmed contributions are voluntar y . N o contrihution may be by mem bership action at the Septemhcr. 1 960, meetings solic ited or received because of force, joh d iscrim i n ation, dition of m e m bership in the Union or of e m ployment. I f i n all const itutional ports. The respon s i h i l i t y for Log financial reprisal. or t hreat of such conduct, or as a con­ Angus "Red" Campbell policy i s vested in an editorial board w h i c h consists of Chairman, Seafarers Appeals Board the Executive Board of t he U n ion. The Executive Board a contribution is made h y reason of the above i m proper 5201 Auth Way and Britannia Way may delegate. from among i ts ranks. one individual to conduct. notify the Seafarers U n ion or S P A D ny cert i fied Prince Georges County Camp Springs, Md. 20746 F u l l copies of contracts as referred to are avail able to you a t a l l times. either hy writing d irectly to the U n io n or to t h e Seafarers Appeals Board. CONTRACTS. Copies of all S I U contracts are avail· able in all Sl U halls. These contracts spec ify the wages carry out this respon s i h i l i t y . P AYMENT OF MONIES. N o mon ies a r e to b e paid to anyone i n any offic ial capacity i n the SlU u n less an official U n ion receipt is given for same. U nder no circum­ stances should a n y m e m ber pay any money for any reason u n l ess he is given such receipt. I n the event anyone attempts to require any such payment be made without and conditions under which you work and live aboard supplying a rece ipt. or i f a member is req u i red to m a ke a your ship or boat. Know your contract rights. as w e l l as payment and is given an official receipt. but feels that he your obl igations. such as fi l i n g for OT on the proper should not have heen required t o make such payment. this sheets and in the proper m a n ner. I f. al any time. any S I U should i m mediately he reported to U n ion headquarters. 2 8 I LOG I January 1 986 m a i l w i t h i n 30 days of t he contribution for i n vest igation and appropriate action ;ind re fund. if involu ntary. Sup· port SPAD to protect and further your econom ic. pol i ­ t i c a l and social i n terests. and A m erican trade u n ion concepts. If at any time a member feels that any of the above rights havt been violated, or that he has been denied his constitutional right of access to Union records or information, he should Immediately notify SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail, return receipt requested. The � is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746. �Book Review ---- ---- Life on the Water Through a Woman's Eyes by Lynnette Marshall Traditionally , seafaring has been a man ' s world. It has been a world where men are men , a place where experience in the hard knocks of street life has been a prerequisite to surviving months at sea. The docks in the old days were a place where women could not work. A woman ' s safety could not be guaranteed when she passed through the chainlink fence separating the waterfront from the rest of the world. Women In the Wheelhouse, pub­ lished last year by Tidewater Press, is a book about one woman' s struggle to cross the divide and work in the sea- the nearest she had ever been to "per­ fection . " ' 'A fresh breeze began to blow off­ shore , a fragrant reminder of lush summer crops, just past their prime, that stretched for miles on the other side of the salt marshes. I did not let myself think that it was in all proba­ bility the last time I would have that pleasure, " she writes . In the distance lone ships passed . And she was glad to drink in one last sky and the slow night-crossings of ships and waves ebbing out across the bay like fine the distances and months of separation that tears at the life-fabric of the fam­ ilies in the maritime trades were di­ minished to a few short steps between decks for the Robsons-she working in the galley or on deck, he as captain in the wheelhouse , where she later would work after earning her license. From such a distance, observing her husband' s work, the author says she was able to first understand why any­ one would, knowing the danger of tug work, choose the profession. There are scenes such as the approach to Nancy Taylor Robson learned life on the water aboard the tug Progress (above). I n her years aboard this and other boats, she went from relief cook to mate. faring world. In the process, author Nancy Taylor Robson uncovers life on the water few outside the maritime industry have had the opportunity to observe firsthand . With gentle prose, Robson brings the reader to the other side of the fence, to the warmth of the galley , where lives of seafarers unfold over mugs of black, inky coffee. Tugboats, leading barges precipitously in tow, thread their way, along narrow pas­ sages of inland waterways, through harrowing storms at sea. Images fly to the senses. Starry nights and sunsets, mist rising on rivers are not easily forgotten as Robson describes the overwhelming beauty of the water­ ways , scenes so beautiful that the heart aches to be there . . And when Robson takes a leave of absence to raise her family, one is sorry to see her go, because, of course , that is when the book ends. It was a round harvest moon that cast the Chesapeake Bay in light as Nancy Taylor Robson climbed up to the wheelhouse of the tug Quaker to assume her watch for the last time . That she has found home in the sea­ faring world was something she had not expected in 1 976 when she began sailing. "It had seemed to me at the time that tugs were greasy, inhospit­ able mountains of metal, " Taylor wrote of her first impression. But this night , sailing from the Chesapeake B a y into Tangier Sound in a steamy August of 1 982, was to be her last. She would leave the industry the next morning to prepare for the birth of her first child. And she was to write of this night as silver strands . In the moon' s light the strands seemed suspended from the bay's rolling banks and the tug sus­ pended as well, swaying just as a sleeping sailor's hammock sways strung from the open deck on hot summer nights. Today on cold sunny days, Robson now 34, zips up children's snowsuits for walks out of doors . Matthew is 3 and Abigail 10 months old. Her home is in Galena now, a hamlet where people of the water live and work and the Sassafras River flows into Kent County, Md . It is a quaint settlement Hell Gate, a treacherous portion of the East River in New York leading under the Triborough Bridge . As her husband Gary stood at the wheel, lines from a barge in tow broke loose . Rob­ son spun the wheel first this way, then that as the barge threatened to ram the shores on either side of the narrow slice of river channel . Giving enough play in the steering, he kept the barge swinging, back and forth, without such force that the lines remaining would snap and send the barge up over the tug and into the rocks. Until the tug had cleared he did not avert his gaze. But as the tug cleared the channel, it was then the author explains that she saw in his face that "exhilaration of triumph. " I t was this triumph Robson herself would come to experience. She chron­ icles her own achievements in carrying out physically demanding work and learning how to react to the crew. Some, she writes, did not care to see a woman working with them. But the majority , she found, accepted her presence and helped her to gain skill and confidence in her own abilities . It is the triumph that Robson writes most of. The reader is invited to share in the struggles of these workers . The reader can too sigh relief when a line is thrown in time to secure a barge without injury to a deckhand. Winter is especially hard for tugboat workers. There are small achievements and large. And crews survive, even as tugs be­ come encased in ice. Hot tap water becomes a luxury in winter and frost­ bite and hypothermia constant wor­ ries. But when the cherry red stove heats up, after being overhauled, and a warm meal can then be prepared , the author celebrates the talents of crewmembers . A description of a tug so frozen by ice that it becomes, " a crystal palace that threatened t o an­ chor us all in the Chesapeake , " sends a shiver up the spine. And just as an intense feeling of dread and cabin fever begins to try the crew, the author describes workers prying doors open with ice picks and then darts into spring. A small bird perches on the sill of the deckhouse, inches from Robson. The two watch each other. The author can feel the sensation of the bird breathing; its breath so close brushes her cheek. Then the bird , hearing the call of a fellow winged creature , skitters off to the deck below and takes flight. with gardens rimming houses and where Robson is comfortable raising her chil­ dren. She still waits though for her husband, Gary , to return from his journeys as a tug captain. And longs to be sailing at the helm with him as third mate. Spending weeks at a time in the galley as a cook and deckhand, then in the mate's quarters of tugs, Robson entered the seafaring profession to be with her husband. "I had gradually discovered that it was a rare thing to meet a seaman over 35 who was mar­ ried to his original spouse . . . We hoped that if we could share our work­ ing lives as well as our home, our marriage would have a better-than­ even chance, " she writes. Through her husband' s efforts , they were able to work and to be together. When a reliefjob opened aboard a tug on which Gary Robson was working, he would let her know. She would apply . With his aid, she was able to break through what had been years of discriminatory hiring practices. And The PFC James Anderson is one of the many new military ships which bas provided hundreds of jobs for SIU members. Above, Norfolk Rep Mike Paladino (left) and Billy Dickens, assistant cook/utility, pose for a picture in the A nderson's galley. January 1 986 I LOG I 29 �Check Your Medical Bills-New Plan's P rog ram Could Pay You For many months now you have heard Union and Welfare Plan officials tell you about rising medical costs and overpayments and errors which have been found in bills submitted by doc­ tors and hospitals. All of these costs your Welfare Plan money. Well, the Seafarers Welfare Plan is now in the process of researching and implementing various programs in an effort to contain medical costs while at the same time maintain the type of benefits and care that you have all been accustomed to receiving. As a first step, the trustees have adopted a plan which will reward em­ ployees for policing hospitals that have provided inpatient services. The plan is very simple. After a hospital confinement, all eligible employees should carefully re­ view their hospital bills . If there are any charges indicated which the em­ ployee feels are unjustified because the service or treatment was either never performed or unnecessary , the employee should notify the Plan's medical auditor in writing as quickly as possible providing all relevant in­ formation such as: the hospital , the dates of services, the procedure or treatment involved , and the charges. If the Plan then succeeds in getting the hospital bill reduced due to the information provided by the em­ ployee, the Plan will reward that em­ ployee by paying a bonus of 25 percent of the amount saved. * * * * This program has great potential. It can help your Welfare Plan save a lot of money which could then be used to provide benefits for others. It is also a way we can make sure that the hospitals bills are fair and justified. Lastly , it can provide nice bonuses for all eligible employees who take the time to audit their bills and who find errors or discrepancies . * * * * Just remember, you are in the best position to know if the treatment in- dicated on a hospital bill was actually performed or necessary. Just a little effort on your part can save all of us money and enable the Welfare Plan to go on providing quality care for Sea­ farers and their families. If you have any questions about this new program, call the Plan's Claims Department for full details. Sea-Land's new facilities at the port of Tacoma, Wash. wore winter well last year. Draped in its first white cloak of snow, the terminal was a November wonderland for crews sailing into the port aboard the Sea-Land Independence and Galveston, above. (Photo courtesy of Marine Digest) Th ief Steals Seafarer's Ch ristmas , but Has Chan g e of Heart " My neighbors said everything had looked so nice. My children loved the decorations . " A s he had for 1 0 years ; Seafarer Ben Bolli labored hours from a step­ ladder stringing tinsel and Christmas lights , draping his home , fence and evergreen tree in his own version of yuletide cheer. But in the early hours of Dec. 1 0 , as Bolli and his family slept unaware , the spirit of the Grinch of Christmas Past came and ran away Are You M issi ng I m porta nt Mai l ? We want to make sure that you receive your If you are getting more than one copy of the copy of the LOG each month and other important LOG delivered to you, if you have changed your address, or if your name or address is misprinted mail such as W-2 Forms, Union Mail and Welfare Bulletins . To accomplish this, please use the address form on this page to update your home or incomplete , please fill in the special address form printed on this page and send it to : address. Your home address is your permanent address, and this is where all official Union documents , W-2 Forms, and the LOG will be mailed. SIU & UIW of N.A. Address Correction Department 5201 Auth Way Camp Springs, Maryland 20746-9971 thief who took all our Christmas dec­ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HOME ADDRESS PLEASE PRINT Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Social Security No. Phone No. Area Code Your Full Name Apt. or Box # Street Book Number 0 SIU 0 UIW UIW Place of Employment ZIP State City 0 Pensioner Other ------ ------ This will be my permanent address for all offlclal Union malllngs. Thia add ress should remain In the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30 I LOG I January 1 986 with their Christmas. " Here it is almost Christmas , " Bolli said, "a time of love, sharing and giving . And they rip off my Christmas lights . I couldn't believe it, " he told a reporter for the Atlantic City Press . Bolli decided to air his heartfelt commentary on the theft to the Gal­ loway Township neighborhood where he resides in New Jersey. He cut out a large sheet of plywood, attached a post to make a placard that could stand in his front yard , and painted a mes­ sage . He painted a sprig of holly leaves and berries in the left comer of the sign. When finished, the placard was eight-feet square and read: "To the � orations from our yard , Is this what Christmas is supposed to mean to my kid s ? " A giant red q uestion mark at the end served to emphasize his point. Several days later as the neighbor­ hood came alive for weekend errands and chores, Bolli found his message answered. In a brown paper bag left on the lawn, Bolli, with his children, ages 2 and 5, and his wife Susan, disco vered his C hristmas ornaments in the bag. There was not a clue as to who had taken them (but then grinches work in strange ways). "I went to a lot of trouble decorating my house, but the thieves went to a lot of trouble taking all of them down, " he told the reporter. H e said he was just glad they were returned and thought his sign may have made the thieves think over what they had done. "I think lights are just a way of telling your neighbor Merry Christ­ mas ," he said. "And that's what I am telling everyone with my lights . . . Merry Christmas . " �vors1gua, veteran West Coast Seafarer Dies 1vaar1e West Coast seamen this month mourned the death of veteran Seafarer Marie Corsiglia, whose seagoing ca­ reer spanned nearly half a century. rating of stewardess, with an occa­ sional trip as a nurse. In the early '50s she joined the then Born in San Francisco in 1908, Marie AFL Marine Cook.s & Stewards and helped greatly in the reorganization of first went to sea in 1934, at the age of the West Coast steward department. 26, as stewardess on the passenger Then, in 1958, she went to New Seafarers Welfare and Pension Plans Benefits Paid-November 1985 MEMBER'S BENEFITS Nwnber Death ................................. Amount 5 . $ 41,000 Hospital & Hospital Extras ................ 3,012 852,963 ship SS President Madison (Dollar York where she helped the A&G Dis­ Surgical ................................ 242 170,693 Line). From then until 1942 she sailed trict organize the crew of the SS At­ Sickness and Accident @ $8.00 ............. 132 17,555 on a wide variety of passenger ships lantic in that hard-fought battle. When Special Equipment ....................... 10 3,200 such as those sailing for the old Alaska she returned to the Pacific she contin­ Optical ................................ . 46 1,m Line, Matson Lines, Oceanic Steam­ ued to sail steadily. As Matson, Amer­ Supplemental Medicare Premium ........... 23 2,212 ship Company and others. ican President Lines and Pacific Far Dental ................................. . 465 11,218 TOTAL Benefits for Members ............... 3,935 $1,100,618 East Lines withdrew from passenger service, she switched to the four liners of Prudential-Grace and then Delta Since the closing of the United States Public Health Hospitals on Octo­ Lines. In 1969, at the age of 71, she became the oldest seafarer to qualify for a lifeboat ticket, having gone through ber 1, 1981; a total of $52,534,638 has been paid out for member benefits. Dependents of Members Nwnber the same course as seamen a fraction of her age. Finally, just five years ago, at 73, she decided to call it quits; but only because of declining health. As she said, the spirit was still willing but the flesh was too weak. And so she died, just before New Year's. Only last summer Marie proudly told SIU Executive Vice President Ed Turner that during her 46 years at sea Hospital and Hospital Extras ............... 712 Doctors' Visits in Hospital ................. 189 . Surgical ............................... . 223 119,960 Maternity ............................... 16 29,735 Optical and dental surgery .... ... .. ........ 41 2,133 TOT AL Benefits for Members' Dependents .... When stewardesses were removed 442,368 $ 29,139 l, 181 $ 623,335 Pensioners and Dependents Number Amount 1,172 $ 346,551 988 59,562 Surgical . ............................... 53 36,009 Optical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,560 she had sailed on every American-flag Marie Corsiglia Amount passenger liner that sailed during those Hospital and Hospital Extras ............... years on the West Coast. Doctor's Visits & Other Medical Expenses . . . from the big liners at the outbreak of It is a record not likely to be sur­ World War II, Marie took nurse's passed by anyone. She will be missed training so she could continue to sail not only by her family, but by hundreds Special Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 19 on what were now troop ships. After of seamen who fondly remember Marie Dental .................................. 5 1,542 the war she returned to her favorite Corsiglia. Supplemental Medical Premiums ............ 19 2,606 TOTAL Benefits for Pensioners and Dependents 2,796 Personals James L. Camp Jr. 1, Box 163, Mooresboro, N.C. 28114 or call (704) 657-6649. Anyone knowing the wherea­ bouts of Norman Brent (Zookie) Gerock should contact his sister: Diane Michael J. Cassidy Michael J. Cassidy (or anyone Forbes, P.O. Box 1092, contact his brother, Edward J. at home, and we felt you needed Cassidy, 3541 Palm Valley Circle, to know. Please notify Eddie at Oviedo, Fla. 32765, or phone (305) (704) 248-2539. Very urgent! 365-3046. -Rhonda & Eddie Lawson Washlnpon Report enacted Gramm-Rudman bill will have on the military budget. They are re­ fusing to commit themselves to many new programs, including a request by the congressional delegation of Mas­ sachusetts to "assess the concept of converting cruise ships to troop car­ riers" by subsidizing the construction of three new passenger vessels in Mas­ sachusetts shipyards. $ 48,306 TOTAL Seafarers WeJfare Plan Benefits Paid $2,223,644 TOTAL Seafarers Pemion Plan Benefits Paid . . . . . . . . . $1,410,332 Monthly Membership Meetings Port (Continued from Page 25.) * Pentagon officials are worried MISCELLANEOUS PROGRAMS ............. J.C. Mahaffey or "Bill" There are serious illnesses here about the effects that the recently 451,385 Beaufort, N.C. 28516. knowing his whereabouts) should Military $ ----- Norman Brent Gerock Please contact your parents, Rt. 3,555 ducers as Japan, Singapore and South Korea. * Canada is going ahead with plans to deregulate its maritime industry. * Various departments in the fed­ eral government are fighting over who will have the deciding input in deter­ mining what improvements or alter­ nate plans will be made to the Panama Canal. Labor Deep Sea Lakes, Inland Waters Date Piney Point ................Monday, February 3 .. ... .... . . . ... ....10:30 a.m. . New York .................Tuesday, February 4 ................ . . .10:30 a.m. Philadelphia ...............Wednesday, February 5 ..... .. . .... .. .10:30 a.m. . Balti more .................Thursday, February 6 .. ..... ... . . . . . . . . . .10:30 a.m. Norfolk ...................Thursday, February 6 ......... ... ......10:30 a.m. . Jacksonville ...............Thursday, February 6 ..... ....... .. ... .10:30 a.m. . Algonac ...................Friday, February 7 . ....... . .... . . ......10:30 a.m. Houston ...................Monday, February 10 ...................10:30 a.m. New Orleans ..............Tuesday, February 11 ..................10:30 a.m. Mobile ....................Wednesday, February 12 ...... .. .. . .. ..10:30 a.m. . San Francisco .............Thursday, February 13 ..................10:30 a.m. Wil mington ................ Monday, February 18 ...................10:30 a.m. Seattle ....................Friday, February 21 . ...................10:30 a.m. * The SIU is on strike to protect San Juan ..................Thursday, February 6 ...................10:30 a.m. the interests of the fishermen that it St. Louis ..................Friday, February 14 ........ ............10:30 a.m. represents in New Bedford, Mass., Honolulu ..................Thursday, February 13 . .................10:30 a.m. the largest fishing port in the country. Duluth ........... .........Wednesday, February 12 ................10:30 a.m. The strike is expected to cost the city Gloucester.................Tuesday, February 18 ..... ........... .I0:30 a.m. * There has been a severe decline in the world shipbuilding market, which $1 million a day (see story page 1). Jersey City ................Wednesday, February 19 ................10:30 a.m. has even affected such leading pro- the unfair list of the AFL-CIO. International . . *SONAT Marine has been put on January 1986 I LOG / 11 - �r u ::S L \JUI 1 1 � , r 1 1 ::S L v�I v�u Piney Point Offers Qualified Pensioners Housing 50 Rooms Available No. P-125 Original l/86 Form SEAFARERS BENEFIT APPLICATION P E N S I ON ER H O U SING t h e S eafarers Lundeberg S chool of S ea manshi p i n P i n e y Poi n t , Maryland For Further. information, or for help with this form, contact Seafarers Pension Department, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746 or call: (30 1 ) 899-0675 . Note: Fill this form out I . Pensioner's Name: completely. Be sure to sign this form. -----(Please Print) Soc. Sec. No. DDD DD DODD Address ------Apt. or Box N. Street City State ZIP 2. What type of monthly pension benefit are you receiving? D D Early Normal D Normal Disability Note: Individuals who are receiving deferred vested pension benefits, or who have opted to receive a lump sum pension benefit are not eligible. 3. Are you presently married? D Yes D No If "Yes , " please provide your spouse' s name: ------(If you have not already provided the Seafarers Pension Plan with a copy of your marriage certificate . please attach a copy to this form . ) 4 . What is the amount o f your current monthly pension benefit from this Plan? What is the current amount of your monthly Social Security check') $ $ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ (Please attach a copy of your most recent Social Security check.) If you wish to take advantage of this benefit you must agree to sign over two-thirds (2/3) of the monthly pension benefits that you are or will be receiving from the Seafarers Pension Plan , and two-thirds (2/3) of the monthly benefits you are or will be receiving from the Social Security Administration. If you agree to these conditions and are interested in applying for this benefit, please sign and date the statement below. I, thirds , hereby agree t o have two-thirds (2/3) of m y monthly pension benefits and two­ (2/3) of my Social Security benefits apply toward the costs of my room and board at the Seafarers Training & Recreation Center, located at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Piney Point. Md. At Union 's Center arc being opportunity for hous­ at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Piney Point . Md . Fifty large rooms have been set aside for eligible pensioners . and ap­ plications are being accepted on a first­ come, first-served basis . The 50 avail­ able rooms will be available for single pensioners and for pensioners with their spouses. The program includes room and board and unlimited use of all recre­ ational facilities. All rooms are large doubles and include cable television. The housing program is available to all pensioners except those on De­ ferred Vesting Pension and those who have accepted the Lump Sum Buyout. Pensioners who qualify for the pro­ gram will be required to sign over two­ thirds (2/3) of their monthly pension payments and two-thirds (713) of their monthly Social Security payments to the Seafarers Pension Plan. Because this will not cover the ful l costs of the housing, the Seafarers Pension Plan will cover the expenses with a supple­ mental payment to the SHLSS. For an application to take advantage of this new housing program. pension­ ers should write to: Pensioner' s Hous­ ing, Seafarers Pension Plan, 520 1 Auth Way, Camp Springs, M d . 20746. For further information on the pro­ gram , call TOLL FREE: l -800-3452 1 1 2 , or call (30 1 ) 899-0675 . I '®'"U"o ,/I .. •� .. ,_,o;, TH£ '>"",.,. i Do You Have Claims Questions? If you have any questions about your Welfare claims, When completed, mail this application to: contact your port representa­ Seafarers Pension Dept. Seafarers International Union 5261 Auth Way Camp Springs, MD 20674 (Continued F'rom Page 1 .) catch . On draggers, which are rela­ tively large , they receive 58 percent ; on scallopers, that figure is 64 percent. The uncertainty of this method has raised some problems . " We are not sure if the owners are paying their workers their fair share , or even if they are making adequate contribu­ tions to the pension and welfare plans, which are also based on a percentage of the catch, ' ' said SIU Port Agent Joe Piva. The boat owners want to reduce the percentage of profits that fishermen receive from the catch. Yet as it is, some fishermen are working long, hard 32 I LOG I January 1 986 Signed ------ ----· ----- tive , your area vice president, or call this toll-free number: 1 -800-345-2 1 1 2 . Date New Bedford Strike Shuts Harbor hours for weeks at a time for practi ­ cally nothing. Thomas Callahan, who was on the line the first day of the strike, told a New York Times reporter about a 1 6day voyage from which he had just returned . "Callahan . . . said he was doing 12 hours l�f work and taking six hours <�fl The boat l he was on/ returned with a cargo of about 5 ,000 pounds, a poor haul. After the j(Jod, fuel and ice were paid for and the owner's percentage deducted, there was nearly nothing left for the crew of six to divide . ' ' " The captain told us, ' You 're not supposed to be getting this , but here is $100, ' ' said Mr. Callahan, who has been a fisherman for eight years. Re­ flecting on being paid $100 for the entire trip , he said: " You should av­ erage at least $100 a day . Then it works out to a minimum wage deal. " During the course of this strike , the SIU has picked up support. It has taken pledge cards on 14 new vessels. This comes after a two-year period when the SlU tried to organize the fishermen in this historic fishing port, who were represented by a union that had few , if any, ties to the sea. "We told them that we' d go to the wall for them, and we have, " said Caffey . " At the same time that this strike is occurring, the SIU is working on many different level s to protect the interests of the fishermen here . " We have a Washington staff that is closely monitoring the situation in the fishing industry , " said Caffey. "The Commerce Department recently ruled that the Canadian government was unfairly subsidizing its fishing indus­ try . Well , this Union's research staff was coming up with the figures to show this . It was a number one prior­ ity . " �SIU Streamlines Benefit Application Process r-------------------------------------------------------- ---, Form No. P-116 I Rev. 8/85 I APPLICATI ON FOR BASIC AND MAJ OR MEDICAL BENEFITS­ HOSPITAL-S U RGICAL-MEDICAL-MEMB ER OR DEPENDENT SEAFARERS WELFARE PLAN, 5201 AUTH WAY, CAMP SPRINGS, MARYLAND 20746 SEAFARERS BENEFIT APPLICATION 1 Claim No.( ______) To be co plet.ed b Member or Depend tion 1 . t : The Seafarers Welfare Plan i s I I continuing t o update and mod­ I that medical payments to doc­ o. O O D D D O O O D : . s. Faster Payment, Better Service To Membership I I I I I ernize its Claims Department so ·------ ' 2. I I t I I I . tors and hospitals can be han­ I Date y u first w rtcd for I /Inland Company ------- Date Employment 3. ELlOIBILJTY: At tach proof of 120 day prov;de pay u � be auachcd for p Terminated car and I da VE COMPA N Y _ _ __ _ _ _...... _ _ _ _ _ worlted in EL DAT I t I I I 0 dled quickly and efficiently . ------ · · I I I I I od lnl nd I I I DATE FF Two things are being done . All claims are now being proc­ e ssed by computer so that we can more accurately and quickly process the claims of S I U mem­ bers and their dependents . We have streamlined the S EAFARERS BEN EFIT AP­ --- 4. Patient' Name tc: Birth Mo. - Day Year _ ., __ No. S.S. dd Relali nship to Member yes N ame of Insurance Carrier yes 0 easier for our members to fill out , and quicker to proces s . 0 no ical bills will be proces sed and I authorize the release of any � Information necesaafy to procese. thlS claim. 0 no O 6. Is p tient covered by any other Medical Health Insurance 000 0 All o f this will mean that med­ ----- 5. Have You Filed Previously for This Claim If yes, advise: 000. 00 PLICATION form to make it paid in a much shorter time . You Must Use the New Form ------ ' ------ I I How and where did it happen? ------�-- I I ----. 1 7. Is claim for an accident? yes 0 no 0 Member or Dependents Date ignatUre Effective October I , 1 985 , SIU members ------ PLICATION S . S . No. ODD DD 4. ls disability a result of pregnancy ? yes D no yes D form. The new To make it easier, all that you or your dependent need do is fill out the top half of the form . But , make sure you include all D 5. ln your opinion, is disability caused by the patient's employment new SIU halls . DDDD ---(Please furnish essential details) the forms will be available in all 2 . Date patient first treated for present disability ______ 19__ Home__ Office__ 3. Diagnosis use SEAFARERS BENEFIT AP­ I Section 2. Physician's statement. (Complete this statement in all cases . ) I . Patient' s Name must no information , including PROOF D OF ELIG I B I L ITY . If so, please explain why__________ 6. ls this person under your professional care at present� yes D no D If you have any question about If not, release�----- 1 9__ your claim , contact your S I U 7. (a) Give dates of treatment at Hospita.____________________ Port Representative , Toll-Free Phone Number: 1-800- Charge per call $.______ Total medical charge $.______ Physician ' s Name Address -----(Please Print) 345-2 1 1 2 . Date ------ 19_____ Two Thin -----No. Street City State Zip Code Telephone Number______ Physician's Signature________________ Federal I . D. No. ------- Physician ' s S . S . No. ------ ------ at __ AM __, ___ _ _ 19__ , and left at __ AM _, ___ 19__ _ _ HOSPITAL TOTAL CHARGES $,________ 9. If hospital charges exceed $5,000 . 00 admission and discharge summary is required . You Must Do • All claims mu t be ubmit­ . ted within 180 day from th date of di charg from the ho - . pitaJ · and • You mu t 611 ut Section I of thi claim mpl tely, includ­ ingproo/ofeligibility deep di charge and pay tub in� land-pay tub . ·. COMPLETE IF HOSPITAL CONFINED 8. Entered o r your Area Vice President , or call this (b) Give dates of treatment at Home or Office__________________ PAYMENT CREDITS-PATIENT $________ PAYMENT CREDITS-OTHER CARRIER(SJ $.________ BALANCE DUE $,________ · COMPLETE IF SURGERY PERFORMED OR EMERGENCY ROOM TREATMENT Operation 10. Nature of Operatio,.._________________________ by Dr. ___________ I I . Number of swures � accidental iajury _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ East Coast : Leon Hall, (7 1 8) 1 2 . Date of 499-6600 . Operatio.�__ /__ 1 9__ Where? Home__ Office__ Hospital.__ Gulf Coast: Joe Sacco, 1 -800- 325-2532. Amount of your charge for this operation $________ West NOTE: If more than one surgery performed, show charge for each. 1 3 . Remarks Here Are Your SIU Area Vice Presidents ___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ �----------------------- ---------- --------------------------� Coast : George Mc­ Cartney : (4 1 5) 543-585 5 . Inland & Great Lake s : Mike - Sacco, (3 1 4) 752-6500 January 1 986 I LOG I 33 �Deep Sea Pensioner tacio Pascua Anas­ Bar­ 84 , passed away on Nov . 27, 1 985 . Brother Bar­ roga joined the S I U i n the port o f Seattle in I %5 sailing as a ', cook. He first sailed on the West Coast in 1960 . Seafarer Barroga was born in the Philippines and was a resident of Seattle . Surviv­ ing are his widow. Eulalia of Acoje Mines . Zambales, P . I . and a son, Ro­ meo of Lipay, Santa Cruz, Zambales . roga, _ Pensioner .. Be- nigno Cortez, 75, died on Dec . 1 5 , 1 985 . Brother Cortez joined the SIU in 1 944 in the port of Philadelphia sailing as an A B . He began sailing in 1940 . Sea­ • farer Cortez hit the bricks in both the 1 946 General Maritime beef and the 1947 Isthmian strike. A native of Puerto Rico, he was a resident of Nuevo Rio Piedras , P . R . Surviving are his widow, Maria and two children. Leland Creamer died on Nov. 30, 1 985 . Brother Creamerjoined the SIU­ merged Marine Cooks and Stewards Union in the port of San Francisco . He retired in 1 966. Seafarer Creamer was a resident of San Francisco . Sur­ viving is his widow. Pensioner Joseph "Joe" Cuccia Jr. , 60, succumbed to can­ cer in the St. Charles Hospital , New Or­ leans on Dec. 8, 1985. Brother Cuccia joined the SIU in the port of New Orleans in 1 950. He sailed as a bellboy , laun­ dryman, waiter, linenkeeper and night, deck, smoking room and passenger bedroom steward. He also sailed for Whitman Towing, Coyle Lines from 1 947 to 1 948 and worked on the New Orleans Delta Shoregang from 1 966 to 1970. Seafarer Cuccia walked the picket lines in both the 1 946 General Mari­ time strike and the 1 947 Isthmian beef. And he was a former member of the MAW, Local 653 . Cuccia was born in New Orleans and was a resident of Harvey , La. Cremation took place in the Tharf-Southen Crematory, New Orleans . Surviving are his widow, Shirley ; two sons, Guy and Merrill ; four daughters, Debra Karl of Harvey, Pamela, Donna and J .J. Cuccia, and his mother, Anna of New Orleans. Chester Walter Gietek, 62 , died on Nov . 26, 1 985 . Brother Gietek joined the SIU in 1 943 in the port of New York sailing as an AB and in the steward department. He helped to or­ ganize the tug Sheridan (Sheridan Transportation). Seafarer Gietek was 34 I LOG I January 1 986 born in Westfie ld, Mas s . and was a resident of Russell, Mass. Surviving are his father, Joseph of Westfield ; a brother, Richard, an.d two sisters , Donna Sue Foley of Westfield and Lillian M . Kuczynski of Russel l. Pensioner San- tiago M. Laurente, 89, passed away from natural causes in the ::� Lutheran Medical Center, Brooklyn, N . Y . on Oct. 27, 1 985 . Brother Lau­ rente joined the SIU in 1 947 in the port of Baltimore sailing as a chief cook. He hit the bricks in the 1 946 General Maritime beef. Sea­ farer Laurente was born in Aklan, P . I . and was a resident o f Brooklyn and Malima Capis, P . I . Burial was in the Greenwood Cemetery , Brooklyn. Sur­ vivin3 is his widow, Caridad. .· Pensioner Clodis Marceaux, 76, suc­ cumbed to a liver ail­ "' ment in the ProviHospital, dence Mobile on Nov. I , < 1 985 . Brother Mar­ ceauxjoined the SIU 1 in 1 949 in the port of ...a\ Mobile sailing as an AB . He was born in Kaplan, La. and was a resident of Bayou La Barte , La. Interment was in the South Memorial Cemetery, Bi­ loxi, Miss . . Surviving is his widow, Marie . ., . Pensioner Stephen Joseph Mosakowski , 69, died of a heart attack in the North• east Hospital , Phil­ , adelphia on Nov . 1 4 , 1 985 . Brother Mo. . sakowski joined the SIU in 1 940 in the port of New York sailing as a bosun. He walked the picket line in the 1946 General Maritime beef. Seafarer Mo­ sakowski was born in Philadelphia and was a resident there. Burial was in the St. Peter's Cemetery, Philadelphia. Surviving are his mother, Petonela Figlewski ; a brother, Edward and a ;I• ) ·· sister, Jennie Sczypiorski, all of Phil­ adelphia. Pensioner Niko­ dem Olen, 73 , passed away on Dec . 2 , 1 985 . Brother Olen joined the SIU in 1 944 in the port of New York sailing as a bosun. He worked on the Sea-Land Shoregang , Port Elizabeth, N . J . from 1 966 to 1 968 . Seafarer Olen was on the picket line in the 1 946 General Maritime strike. Born in Poland, he was a resident of fovemess, Fla. Sur­ viving are his widow, Vera; three daughters, Kathryn, Christine of New York City and Eleanor, and another relative , Mrs. N. Olenwrites , also of New York City . Antonio Oouendo, 63 , succumbed to arteriosclerosis at home in Los An­ geles, Calif. on Nov. 1 6, 1 985 . Brother Oouendo joined the S I U in the port of San Francisco in 1 953 sailing as a room steward. He last shipped out of the port of Wilmington, Calif. He was born in Puerto Rico. Burial was in the Angeles Abbey Cemetery, Compton, Calif. Surviving is his widow, Alice . Pensioner William 68 , died on Nov. 24, 1 985. Brother Reid joined the SIU in the port of Tampa, Fla. in 1958. He sailed as deck maintenance. Seafarer Reid was a veteran of the U . S . Navy during World War II. A native of Parish. Fla. he was a resident of Palmetto, Fla. Sur­ viving are his mother, Nora and a sister, Rosa Mathews, both of Pal­ metto. Reid, . Hafford Wright . Roberts, 60, died on Dec . 9, 1985 . Brother . .,......,_. Roberts joined the SIU in 1 944 in the port of Mobile sail­ ing as a QMED. He was born in Ala­ bama and was a res· Funeral services were held Sept. 9 aboard a Sea-Land Service ship for Julius Bielski, OS. Attending the ceremony were (counterclockwise from top left): James Boss, 3rd cook; Don Ikert, AB; John Glenn, bosun, and Dave Scott. ident of Oklahoma City , Okla. Surviv­ ing are his widow, Betty Jean ; his parents, J . M . and Margareta Roberts of Hancerville, Ala. ; an uncle , Henry L. Bonner of Montgomery , Ala. , and a cousin , Bobbie J. McCouck of Rising Fawn, Ga. Pensioner Clilford F. Udell, 75 , passed away from pneumonia in the Ferry Cty. Hospital, Republic , Wash. on Sept . 20, 1 985 . Brother Udell joined the SIU-merged Marine Cooks and Stewards Union in the port of San Francisco in 1 957 sailing as a porter. He first sailed on the West Coast in 1 942. Seafarer Udell was born in Sul­ tan, Wash . and was a resident of Wauconda, Wash. Cremation took place in the Hennessey Smith Cre­ matory, Spokane, Wash. Surviving are his widow, Mary ; a son , Richard of Medford, Ore . , and two daughters, Nola Enos and Mary Brusha. Webster Garfield Williams, 6 1 , died on Dec . 1 1 , 1 985 . Brother Williams joined the SIU in the port of Boston, Mass. in 1 955 sailing as a recertified chief steward. He graduated from the Union's Recertified Chief Stewards Program in 198 1 . Seafarer Williams also sailed during the Vietnam and Korean Wars. Born in Chelsea, Mass. , he was a resident of Mobile. Surviving are his widow, Helen and his mother. Elizabeth of Mobile . Great Lakes Pensioner David Henry , 79 , passed away on Dec . 1 , 1 985 . Brother Henry joined the Union in 1 943 in the port of New York. He sailed as an oiler for Kinsman Marine. He last shipped out of the port of Buffalo , N . Y . in 1 973 . Laker Henry also worked as a butcher. Born in Ireland, he was a naturalized U . S . citizen and a resident of Buffalo . Surviving is a brother, John of the B ronx , N . Y . Pensioner Samuel Olaf Lysdal , 84, succumbed to heart failure in the Ala­ chua Hospital, Gainesville, Fla. on Oct. 30, 1 985. Brother Lysdal joined the Union in 1 942 in the port of Frank­ fort, Mich. He sailed for the Ann Arbor (Mich. ) Railroad Car Ferries from 1 942 to 1 963 , the year of his retirement. He was born in Frankfort and was a resident of Inglis , Fla. Cremation took place in the Roberts Crematory , Ocala, Fla. Surviving is a daughter, Agnes Clark, also of Inglis . Pensioner Andrew Rebrik, 7 3 , passed away on Oct . 26, 1 985 . Brother Rebrik joined the Union in 1 947 in the port of Detroit sailing as an AB and wheels­ man. He began sailing during World War I I . Laker Rebrik was born in Pennsylvania and was a resident of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Surviving is a sister, Ann of Wilkes-Barre. �Dllaes� of Shllps llee�llnas LNG AQUARIUS (Energy Transpor­ tation Corp.), November 30-Chairman Donald L. Rood ; Secretary L. Conlon; En­ gine Delegate Brenda Murray Dye; Stew­ ard Delegate George 0. Taylor. No dis­ puted OT. With the help of George Taylor and Capt. Glenn, there is $1 05 in the ship's fund. The chairman reported that a new washing machine was installed. There is now one machine for street (dress) clothes and one for work clothes. He also reminded all deepsea members that they must reg­ ister in deepsea ports. The educational di rector noted that there are plenty of films about safety onboard an LNG vessel and advised everyone to take time out to watch them. He also urged qualified members to take advantage of the upgrading opportu­ nities available at Piney Point. A vote of thanks was given to the steward depart­ ment for a job well done and to Brenda for her art work. New mattresses or mattress pads are needed as are lamps for the crew's lounge. The LNG Aquarius wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Next ports: Osaka, Japan and Arun, Indonesia. CONSTITUTION (American Hawaii Cruises), November 1 2�hairman Sil La­ blaza; Secretary Roy Aldanese. Some dis­ puted OT was reported in the deck de­ partment. There is $ 1 0,400 i n the ship's fund. A ship's committee was set up to control this money which is not to be used for any perishable items. At the present time the committee has ordered all new gym equipment, microwave ovens, refrig­ erators, fans, books for a library and games. The chairman informed the members that descriptions and clothing requirements for each job are now being processed. Crew­ members also were told how happy Frank Drozak was during the dedication of the new Honolulu hall and how very pleased he was with the gathering . A motion was made to allow smoking on the bridge. Next port : Hilo, H I . COVE LIBERTY (Cove Shipping), No­ vember 21 �hairman James L. Sanders ; Secretary W. Wroten; Educational Director/ Engine Delegate William Beatty; Deck Del­ egate Paul McMahon; Steward Delegate Ronald DeWitt. No disputed OT reported. The bosun is acting as treasurer until a new treasurer is elected. There is $61 .29 in the ship's fund. Payoff will be in New York on arrival. Everything is running smoothly, and the ship will probably stay on the East and Gulf coasts-to-Alaska run for the next three or four months. Trans­ portation rates from the New Orleans port agent were received for men shipping from the New Orleans hall to various M ississippi River oil ports. The educational di rector reminded members that the U.S. govern­ ment ships offer new jobs to S I U members, jobs which did not exist two years ago. And in order to take advantage of these new jobs, members should upgrade se­ niority to secure their benefits and increase their job security. Next port: New York. GOLDEN MONARCH (Apex Marine), November �hairman Manuel Silva; Secretary George W. Luke; Educational Director Thomas Rodriquez; Deck Dele­ gate John Wolfe; Engine Delegate Erik Fischer. Some disputed OT was reported in the engine and deck departments. The ship is due to pay off in St. Croix. The chairman will send a message requesting Union representation as there are several items that need to be discussed. The chairman also noted that two brothers are retiring at the end of this voyage and wished them much luck. A discussion was held regarding crewmembers being restricted to the ship in West Africa. This will be taken up with the boarding patrolman. A vote of thanks was given to the chairman, Brother Silva, for his job of representing the members throughout the voyage. An­ other vote of thanl<s was given to the steward department for a fine job. Next port: St. Croix, V. I . OMI COLUMBIA (OMI}, December 1 Chairman J . R . Broadus; Secretary C. Moss; Educational Di rector A.G. Milne; Engine Delegate Paul F. Whalen; Deck Delegate R. Ehlert; Steward Delegate L. Cu rry. No disputed OT. There is over $200 in the ship's saf�ot quite enough, however, to purchase a video machine that will play the same cassettes as the officers.' The chairman reported that there will be a payoff this trip. Everything is going sm09thly and he encouraged more members·- to attend courses at Piney Point and upgrade themselves. In particular he mentioned a new steward department course for those members on passenger ships. He also stressed the importance of contributing to SPAD. The secretary noted that the OM/ Columbia sti ll has a four-man steward department and "we are happy for that.'' This ship has a good crew, and the deck department has been particularly helpful in cleaning up at night. A vote of thanks was given to the steward department for the delicious Thanksgiving Day dinner. OMI SACRAMENTO (OMI}, Decem­ ber 1 2�hairman Joseph F. Cosentino. No beefs were brought up. The chairman noted that the problems with the steward department have been resolved and that there is no need for headquarters to in­ vestigate the situation any further. He also said that the captain is happy with the crew and their performance. The ship is sched­ uled to lay off her crew after docking i n Baltimore. The length o f time is still un­ known. Delegates were reminded to turn in copies of contracts and other corre­ spondence from headquarters to the stew­ ard so that he can bring the ship's files up to date. Members also were reminded to turn i n keys before leaving ship and to put life jackets and survival suits in the gym. The baggage room is avai lable to those members desiring to store their gear. Com­ pliments were given to the steward de­ partment for their improved performance. One min ute of silence was observed in memory of our departed brothers and sis­ ters. Next port: Baltimore, Md. OVERSEAS WASHINGTON (Mari­ time Overseas) , December 1 2�hairman Ballard B rowning; Secretary C.A. Guerra; Educational Director J.O. Mccarry. No dis­ puted OT. Everything is running smoothly, although one engine department member got off sick at the Loop and was replaced by a member sent from the New Orleans hall. There is $72 in the ship's fund which remains in a safe in the steward's office. Donations are always welcome. The chair­ man reported that the ship will pay off i n I exas c..; 1ty, I exas this trip. A motion was made to have a microwave oven in the crew's lounge; another to keep all areas nice and clean; another to exchange mov­ ies this trip as they have been aboard for over six months. A vote of thanks was given to the steward department for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day dinner. Crew­ members observed one minute of silence in memory of our departed brothers and sisters. Next port: Texas City, Texas. PONCE (Puerto R ico Marine), Decem­ ber 1�hairman R. Rivera; Secretary P. Stubblefield ; Educational Director D. Bee­ man; Deck Delegate G. Ortiz; Engine Del­ egate M. Marth; Steward Delegate G. Blon­ court. No beefs or disputed OT. The chairman reported on a letter received from S I U Vice President "Red" Campbell con­ cerning the new ships due out this coming year. The letter also talked about how tough shipping is today for all companies and that S I U members should be thankful for their jobs and that their Union is still trying harder to i mprove the situation . The chair­ man reported that he will see if he can get an outside antenna for the television in the crew's lounge when the ship pulls in to San Juan. A vote of thanks was given to the steward department for the wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and a job well done. SEA·LAND DEVELOPER (Sea-Land Service), November 1 1 �hairman Ronald Jones; Secretary T. Maley; Educational Director Ed Armstrong. No disputed OT reported. Chairman Ronald Jones asked for the cooperation of all crewmembers in working together to keep the ship in good working condition. He also stressed the i mportance of contributing to SPAD and to the Maritime Defense League and of being politically aware and active in your respec­ tive communities. From the educational director come these words to the wise: "If you're looking to the future, brothers, you must be looking at upgrading your skills. Support the political objectives of the S I U leadership i n whatever ways you can." A vote of thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done, especially with two ovens not working for three days and one oven under constant repair and out of service most of the time (since September). And now that winter is setting in, members were cautioned to exercise safety at all times. Brothers leaving the vessel in Elizabeth were asked to pick up fresh linen for their replacements. Next ports: Halifax, Canada; then on to Eliza­ beth , N .J . for payoff. SEA·LAND PIONEER (Sea-Land Service), October 2�hairman Joe Don­ ovan ; Secretary A. Goncalves; Educational Director Jerry W. Dellinger. No disputed OT was reported although in the engine department the wiper expressed some dis­ satisfaction on being required to mop the passageway, previously done by the stew­ ard department. He was advised that this was due to changes made by the captain regarding the steward utility's job. It was reported that aside from the LOGs, no communications had been received from headquarters. The educational di rector Notice to Crewmem bers Aboard the American Eag le J u ly 1 , 1 984-J u ne 30, 1 985 I f you were employed aboard the M/V American Eagle between July 1 , 1984 and June 30, 1985 , you are entitled to an escalation for that period for each day worked. To receive this escalation, submit copies of your discharge or pay vouchers to the Contract Department at Union headquarters in Camp Springs, Md. Be sure also to advise them of the number of dependents you claim for tax purposes. Each day employed from July 1 , 1 984 to Dec. 3 1 , 1 984 provides $4. 3 1 8 per day less taxes. Each day employed from Jan. I , 1 985 to June 30, 1 985 provides $4.678 pere day less taxes. If you have any questions, contact the Contract Department. stressed the i mportance of contributing to SPAD for job security. "It is the only thing helping us keep any ships at all." One suggestion was made to improve the qual­ ity of the food. It was suggested that the MEBA food list, dated 1 964, be followed as a guide. The steward reported that the luncheon menus were requested by the captain but that he did not have any ob­ jection to a larger menu if that would satisfy the crew. The steward also said that he would not follow the MEBA list, not only because it is against S I U policy to follow the list of any other union, but mainly because the S I U has a much more exten­ sive listing of foods than any other union. And to make his point, he read from the list, proving that the SIU's food list is far superior. The captain had previously in­ structed the steward to reduce the lunch­ eon menu by one item since most of the members only order a sandwich and soup, resulting i n food waste, but the steward stated he would put the three entrees back on the menu. Next port: Elizabeth, N.J. SEA·LAND PRODUCER (Sea-Land Service), November 1 7�hairman R. Kitchens; Secretary R. Boyd; Educational Director Paul Thomas; Deck Delegate Louis Malave; Engine Delegate J.J. Clark; Stew­ ard Delegate Jerry Wood. No beefs or disputed OT reported. The weather has been bad this trip. The chairman reminded everyone to practice safety precautions at all times. The secretary stressed the im­ portance of donating to SPAD: "When you give to SPAD, you help yourself.'' Crew­ members were again reminded of the com­ pany policy of no drugs or alcohol aboard ship. "We are still losing good men because of dope and booze. If you use them they will tell on you every time. It can't be expressed enough, you're in the danger zone. Two have lost their lives, many have lost their jobs. A ship is no place for dope or booze. " A vote of thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done. STONEWALL JACKSON (Water­ man), November 1 7�hairman Carl Line­ berry; Secretary Thomas Liles Jr.; Edu­ cational Di rector Raymond G . Nickalaskey; Deck Delegate Carl B. Parks; Engine Del­ egate Clarence Jones Jr. ; Steward Dele­ gate Miguel Aguilar. No disputed OT or beefs reported. One steward department member got off sick in Singapore. His replacement came onboard i n the Suez Canal. There is $5 in the movie fund. The chairman reports that this has been a good voyage for the Stonewall Jackson and that they expect to arrive in Norfolk for a payoff. Minutes of the last meeting were mailed in with the S I U crew list, and a repair list is being put out. A vote of thanks was given to Third Mate John German for helping tape movies for the video machine. One minute of silence was observed in memory of our departed brothers and sisters. Next port: Norfolk, Va. Official ships minutes also were received from the following vessels: ADOlllS AMBASSADOR ATLAITIC SPIRIT AURORA BAY RIDGE BORllQUEI BROOKS RAll6E USIS CAPEUA USIS DEIEBOU FALCOll PRllCESS lllG GEMlll 118 MOBIL£ MOKU PAIRI OMI WDER OVERSEAS BOSTOI OVERSEAS HARRIETTE PAUL BUCK PUERTO RICO SAMUR L C088 SEA-LAID COISUMER SEA-WO ECOIOMY SEA-LAID EXPRESS SEA-WO lllllOYATOR SEA-UllD LIBERATOR SEA-UllD PACER SEA-UllD PATRIOT SEA-UID VEm& SEA-WID VOYAGER SUATOR THOM,_ PASS IRIUllPll January 1 986 I LOG I 35 �Eugene v ictor uayoen, t>4 , Jomea the SIU in the port of New Orleans in 1 956. He sailed as a steward utility , steward delegate and ship ' s delegate . Brother Hayden began sailing in 1 947 out of the port of Tampa. He was born in Pass Chris­ tian, Miss. and is a resident of Biloxi, Miss. Deep Sea Reuben C. Blackburn, 63, joined the SIU in the port of San Francisco in 1 95 1 . He sailed as a recertified chief steward and as a chief cook for 35 years . Brother Blackbum was graduated from the Union ' s Recertified Chief Stewards Pro­ gram in 1 980. He is also a graduate of the University of California. Sea­ farer Blackbum is a veteran of the U . S . Army during World War II. A native of Wilkesboro, N . C . , he is a resident of San Francisco. Jimmie Dale, 70, joined the SIU in the port of New York in 1 967 sailing as an A B . Brother Dale be­ gan sailing in 1942. He is a wounded World War II veteran of the U . S . Army ' s 4th Combat Engineers Bat­ talion. Born in the Philippine I s . , he i s a naturalized U . S . citizen. Dale is a resident of Camden, N . J . Daniel Dean, 7 6 , joined the SIU in 1 943 in the port of New York. He sailed as an AB and cook for the Sea-Land Shoregang, Port Eliz­ abeth, N . J . in 1 972. Brother Dean hit the bricks in both the 1 946 Gen­ eral Maritime beef and the 1 947 Isthmian strike . He was born in Newark, N .J. and is a resident of Neptune, N .J . William James Dunnigan, 78, joined the SIU in 1945 in the port of Baltimore sailing as a chief electrician. Brother Dunnigan began sailing in 1 934. He was born in M aryland and is a resident of Baltimore. Dennis Harold Gibson, 65 , joined the SIU in the port of Wilmington, Calif. in 1 956 sailing as an A B . Brother Gibson last sailed out of the port of Jacksonville . He was born in Stonega, Va. and is a resi­ dent of Jacksonville. Charles Maurice Hill, 67 , joined the SIU in the port of Norfolk in 1 964 sailing as an AB . Brother Hill was born in Nebraska and is a resident of Norfolk. Tom Endel Kelsey, 60, joined the SIU in the port of Philadelphia in 1 950 sailing as an AB and recertified bosun. Brother Kelsey graduated from the Union ' s Recertified Bo­ suns Program in 1 957. He last sailed 1 out of the port of San Francisco. Born in Estonia, U . S . S . R . , he is a naturalized U . S . citizen residing in Sparks, Nev. Fishing has been good for Reino J. Pelaso (P-8) of Vallejo, Calif. He caught 15 salmon (6 to 22 lbs. each) as well as lots of rockfish and sturgeon. Pensioner Pelaso wishes to say hello to all his old shipmates. "I hope everyone has a Merry Christ­ mas and that the New Year will be good to all my friends." ·· 67 , joined the SIU in 1947 in the port of New York. He sailed as a FOWT and chief pumpman. Brother Mar­ tin worked on the Sea-Land Shor­ egang, Port Elizabeth, N . J . from 1 970 to 1 978. He is a wounded veteran of the U . S . Army during the Korean War. Seafarer Martin was born in Scotland , is a natural­ ized U . S . citizen, and resides in Oakridge , N . J . James "Blackie" Martin, Patrick Ignatius Rogers Sr. , 56, joined the SIU in 1 947 in the port of New York sailing as a QMED. Brother Rogers last shipped out of the port of Jacksonville. He walked the picket lines in both the 1 946 General Maritime strike and the 1 947 Isthmian beef. Seafarer Rog­ ers was born in New York City and is a resident of Titusville, Fla. Aquilino Villariza, 66, joined the SIU in 1 947 in the port of New York sailing as a cook. Brother Villariza was on the picket lines in both the 1 946 General Maritime strike and the 1 947 Isthmian beef. He last shipped out of the port of San Francisco. Born in Iloilo City , P. I . , he is a resident of San Fran­ cisco. Brat Lakes August Sakevich, 65 , joined the r Union in the port of Buffalo, N . Y . t r-8- in 1 964. H e sailed as a coalpasser for Kinsman Marine in 1 96 1 and 1 7 · h i s c e o a r r porter, deckhand and FOWT for the Boland and Reis Steamship companies . In 1 944 he began sail­ ing, first out of the port of Duluth, Minn. and lately out of the port of Philadelphia. Laker Sakevich is a veteran of the U . S . Army ' s Infantry Corps during World War II. A na­ tive of Scranton, Pa. , he is a resi­ dent there. l !� � �:�� �; �:�;� �� � � ��;:� Gerald Francis Scott, 62 , joined the Union in the port of Buffalo, N. Y. in 1 96 1 sailing as a deckhand and oiler for the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. from 1 95 7 to 1 985 . Brother Scott rode the tug McGuire (Great Lakes D . & D . ) in 1 976 ano worked as an inspector for the Re­ public Steel Co. from 1955 to 1 957. He also was a former member of the Teamsters Union, Local 336, driving a truck from 1 948- 1 954 . Laker Scott is a veteran of the U . S . Army during World War II. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he is a resident of Parma, Ohio. PROTECT YO/JR dOB AN/J 1 YOUR 51./IPMA TS. .OO!Y'T UGE fJRUGg' u 0 I 36 I LOG I January 1 986 'II �CL L NP -Company/Lakes -Lakes -Non Priority Directory of Ports Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes DEC . 1-31, 1985 *TOTAL REGISTERED All Groups Class CL Class L Class NP TOTAL SHIPPED All Groups Class CL Class L Class NP President Exec. Vice President Joe DiGiorgio, Secretary Leon Hall, Vice President Angus "Red" Campbell, Vice President Mike Sacco, Vice President Joe Sacco, Vice President George McCartney, Vice President Roy A. Mercer, Vice President Frank Drozak, * * REGISTERED ON BEACH All Groups Class CL Class L Class N P Ed DECK DEPARTMENT Port Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 19 2 6 2 3 6 6 Port 37 6 5 5 0 0 2 0 4 16 ENGINE DEPARTMENT Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Port 3 21 STEWARD DEPARTMENT Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 13 Port 3 HEADQUARTERS ENTRY DEPARTMENT Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 14 11 0 0 0 3 15 8 Totals All Departments . . . . . . . . 10 42 18 8 71 22 8 28 13 * "Total Registered" means the n umber of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month . * * " Registered on the Beach" means the total n u mber of men registered at the port at the end of last month . Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea DEC . 1-3 1 , 1985 *TOTAL REGISTERED All Groups Class C Class A • Class B TOTAL SHIPPED All Groups Class A Class B Class C 6 58 12 15 11 13 60 41 34 16 34 17 7 43 0 0 367 5 7 6 11 8 6 6 7 13 6 4 6 25 5 0 2 1 17 0 1 0 0 1 0 4 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 11 2 64 5 13 9 9 35 43 21 15 23 14 6 3 0 0 262 0 51 7 13 7 10 38 25 27 13 17 16 4 27 0 3 258 2 10 4 1 9 4 10 5 5 8 9 2 16 4 0 5 94 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 6 1 33 2 6 6 4 31 26 10 12 12 11 4 16 0 2 176 0 19 1 11 7 9 25 19 40 7 15 6 8 17 0 1 185 2 4 2 9 5 5 3 4 6 1 6 3 53 0 0 2 105 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 41 0 0 0 46 0 30 1 3 3 6 18 16 34 17 35 6 20 15 0 1 205 0 0 0 0 1 0 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 2 4 1 0 7 4 0 0 26 9 1 04 14 0 28 25 1 05 71 68 49 60 34 5 86 0 2 660 5 27 12 0 29 8 17 23 23 9 7 1 19 8 0 2 190 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 13 0 4 1 2 2 1 12 7 2 6 4 1 8 5 0 1 56 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 6 1 0 4 3 0 0 21 1 1 07 12 0 18 14 83 44 1 49 35 41 19 3 57 0 3 586 4 15 6 0 16 7 12 8 10 21 15 3 20 4 0 5 146 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 4 0 0 53 2 0 0 67 0 44 2 0 11 16 60 23 99 21 38 9 5 28 0 0 356 3 8 3 0 4 12 19 6 10 10 12 4 29 1 0 0 1 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 33 0 0 0 36 STEWARD DEPARTMENT Port G loucester . ......... . New York .... Philadelphia ... . Baltimore . .. . .... . .. Norfolk . . . . . . . ... . . . . . ... . . Mobile .......... . . . .... . ... . New O rleans Jacksonv ille ....... . ......... Sa n Fra ncisco ..... . ......... Wilmington ... ....... . . . Seattle ... . . . .. . Pue rto Rico . . .. . ... ......... Ho nolulu ................... Houston . .. . .. . . .. St. Louis ................... P iney Point ... . ............. Totals . .. . .. . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . 1 19 4 0 5 2 23 42 5 5 6 5 18 11 0 4 150 ENGINE DEPARTMENT Port Glouceste r ................. . New York ................... Philadelphia ................ . Baltimore ................... Norfol k .... . . . .. . ..... . . . Mobile ........ .... . ... . ... . New O rleans ................ Jacksonv ille ................. Sa n Fra ncisco ............... W ilmington ................ . Seattle .... . ..... . .......... · Pue rto Rico .. . . . . . . . . . .... Ho nolulu ...... ............ Houston .. ....... . St. Louis ........ . . ........ . ... . .... . Piney Po int Totals . . . . . . . . . .. . **REGISTERED ON BEACH All Groups Class A Class B Class C DECK DEPARTMENT Port Gloucester ................. . New Yo rk ................... Philadelphia ......... . ....... Baltimo re ................... No rfolk ..................... Mobile .................... . New O rleans .......... Jacksonv ille ................ . Sa n Fra nc isco ........... . .. . W ilmington ................. Seattle ............. . ....... Puerto Rico ................ . Ho nolulu ................... Housto n ................. . . . St. Louis ................... Piney Point ................ . Totals . .. . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . Trip Reliefs 1 22 1 1 5 1 11 21 7 1 5 2 1 54 2 0 2 236 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 220 0 0 0 225 ENTRY DEPARTMENT Port Gloucester .................. New Yo rk ................... Philadelphia ................. Baltimore .......... . . . . . . . . No rfol k ..................... Mobile .................... . New O rleans ............... . Jacksonv ille ......... ....... . Sa n Fra ncisco ........... . ... Wilmington ................ . Seattle ......... . . . . . ...... Puerto Rico ................ . Ho nolulu .................. . Houston ................... . St. Louis ................... Piney Po int ................ . Totals.. . . . . ... . . ... . . . . . . . . 1 26 7 3 4 3 17 24 41 10 20 17 13 12 0 0 1 98 2 40 10 4 8 8 20 18 14 9 15 10 181 7 0 3 349 0 2 0 0 3 0 5 1 0 0 3 0 242 0 0 0 256 0 0 0 Totals All Departments . . . . . .. . 1 ,008 665 319 643 442 238 Turner, 0 1 49 13 0 11 5 248 29 116 33 38 19 11 24 0 0 597 7 75 9 0 21 14 48 31 25 31 44 16 1 25 16 0 7 469 0 9 0 0 0 0 10 5 4 0 5 3 1 61 1 0 0 1 98 114 2 , 199 926 258 * "Total Registe re d " means the numbe r of men who actually reg istered for shipping at the port last month. * * " Registered on the Beach" means the total number of men reg istered at the port at the e nd of last mo nth. Shipping in the month of December was up from the month of November. A total of 1 ,437 jobs were shipped on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1 ,437 jobs shipped, 643 jobs or about 45 percent were taken by "A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 1 1 4 trip relief jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1 , 1 982, a total of 2,053 jobs 5201 Auth Way Camp Springs, Md. 20746 (30 1 ) 899-0675 ALGONAC, Mich. 520 St. Clair River Dr. 4800 1 (31 3) 794-4988 BALTIMORE, Md. 1 21 6 E. Baltimore St. 2 1 202 (30 1 ) 327-4900 CLEVELAND, Ohio 1 290 Old River Rd. 44 1 1 3 (21 6) 621 -5450 D U LUTH, Minn. 705 Medical Arts Building 55802 (21 8) 722-4 1 1 0 G LOUCESTER, Mass. 1 1 Rogers St. 01 930 (61 7) 283- 1 1 67 HONOLULU, Hawaii 636 Cooke St. 968 1 3 (808) 523-5434 HOUSTON, Tex. 1 22 1 Pierce St. 77002 (71 3) 659-51 52 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. 331 5 Liberty St. 32206 {904) 353-0987 JERSEY CITY, N.J. 99 Montgomery St. 07302 (20 1 ) 435-9424 MOBILE, Ala. 1 640 Dauphin Island Pkwy . 36605 (205) 478-09 1 6 NEW BEDFORD, Mass. 50 Union St. 02740 (61 7) 997-5404 NEW ORLEANS, La. 630 Jackson Ave. 701 30 (504) 529-7546 Toll Free: 1 -800-325-2532 NEW YORK, N.Y. 675 4 Ave . , Brooklyn 1 1 232 (71 8) 499-6600 NORFOLK, Va. 1 1 5 Third St. 235 1 0 (804) 622- 1 892 PHILADELPHIA, Pa. 2604 S. 4 St. 1 9 1 48 (21 5) 336-38 1 8 PINEY POINT, Md. St. Mary's County 20674 (30 1 ) 994-001 0 SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. 350 Fremont St. 941 05 (41 5) 543-5855 SANTURCE, P.R. 1 057 Fernandez Juncos St. Stop 1 6 00907 (809) 725-6960 SEATTLE, Wash. 2505 1 Ave. 98 1 21 (206) 441 - 1 960 ST. LOUIS, Mo. 458 1 G ravois Ave. 63 1 1 6 (31 4) 752-6500 SUBIC BAY, Rep. of Philippines 34 2 1 st St. , W. Bajac Bajac Olongapo City C-2201 222-3533 WILMINGTON, Calif. 408 Avalon Blvd. 90744 ( 2 1 3) 549-4000 have been shipped. January 1 986 I LOG I 37 �"The SIU-A Great Start . . . ' I have been meaning to write for a long time to thank the SID for a great start in my professional career. I joined the Union in 197 1 and To The ditor 'The Merchant Marine and Veterans' Benefits . . . ' In the Longview Ds.ily News, Friday, Dec. 6, 1 985, th.ere was an article mentioning th.at seamen who were involved in Operation Mulberry on the "Block" ships during WWII are entitled to apply for service d1scharge certiflcates which will make th.em el1gible for such veterans' beneftts as home loans, medical care and burial in a national cemetery. The criteria for this entitlement is that they served under direct military control, performed a uniquely military mission in a combat zone-a mission that is not considered a mission of the merchant marine. I know th.at the SID has been seeking this type of recognition for seamen, but I haven't heard of such being applied to those involved in similar operations. Two which I was personally involved in were the Murmansk run and the invasion of Saipan. Those who were sailing in those days will recall that we were compelled by the military to take gunnery practice, which I don't consider a mission of the merchant marine. J"raternally yours, l'red '1'. Killer canJ.e Bock, Wash. 'Veteran Status for WWII Seamen • • • later got my "A" book and QMED ratings. SHLSS was very good [to me ] . . . I later received a Logan scholarship and got a B.S.M.E. at the University of Virgin.ia in Charlottesville. I sat for my 3rd asst. license and got it, thanks to all I learned in the SID and at Piney Point . . . Since I stopped sailing in 1979, I have worked for Newport News Shipbuilding, American Bureau of Shipping and Bailey Controls (a division of Babcock & Wilcox). I am currently planning to obtain a Professional Engineer's license as mechanical engineer in Virginia. The test will be rough, but I'll give it my best shot! This is no ''bull": you people have a great, progressive organization with a very astute president and executive board. Look at the other unions as they bite the dust because they can't adapt. Go to the Point and learn all you can. You don't have to be an Einstein to get a degree or a license-you just have to study, ask questions and pay attention. I was so happy when I got the license, I was naturally "high" for a month.I Who needs drugs? You have got a hell of a Union-be proud of it . . . I miss not going to sea, but I will always remember my seafaring days and all the great shipmates. Maybe I'll take a cruise with you all sometime! .&..:a. ''Woottr'Woodhouae Bewport Bewa, Va. 'Bncouragement Pays Sincerely, Off . . . ' I would like to express my thanks to the faculty and staff at SHLSS for their patience and assistance during my stay th.ere. Aft.er completion of the sea.lift. course in August, I entered the tail­ end of the 3rd mate's course and took celestial navigation and radar observer courses. During th.at time, with the encouragement of instructors Jim Brown, John Mason and many others, I began testing for an ocean license. At this time, I'm happy to say, I have passed all the exam sections and need only qualify in Morse Code. I could not have done it without their help. I would also like to acknowledge the sta.:tr at the hotel, especially Eddie Gildersleeve, who made our stay a plea.sure. My wife and I were made to feel at home by everyone we came in contact with. Thanks again to the SID and everyone at SHLSS. ' Enclosed is an article from The Sun ( Bremerton, Wash.), Dec. 6, 1 985. What is the veteran status for the remain.ing merchant seamen who sailed during WWII? Or is there a status? It would seem this might be a wedge in the door. . . . Enclosed is a modest contribution to SPAD. W-10&8 'l'hom.aa Mylan. M-2460 'New System Proves Effective . . . ' I want to thank our Welfare Plan for the newly-installed system which made the reimbursement of our drug expenses faster than it used to be. I know that other "old timers" on pension j oin me in this sentiment. Barl Robert caughie Bellair, Wash. Yours fraternally , P.M. B.eyes Jlobile, .Ala. 'Proud of the SIU . . . ' This is to let you all know that I still feel very proud of the SID, and any time you may need anything from me, I am at your service. I want to say hello to Frank, Red and all the boys th.at I worked with in my 29 years of sailing and working with the SID. I also want to say hello to all the shipmates I had through the years. At 73, I still feel young. Enclosed is a $25 donation to SPAD. Jose s. Coils 'Greetings and Thanks from the Garners . . . ' I would like to express my sincere thanks in regards to the insurance payments on my wife's hospital bill for the birth of our son, Joshua. There are ,, really no words that can tell you how grateful I am. A special thanks to Red, Joe, Mike and George for talking with me on the phone concerning my j ob and insurance. C- 1 1 Santurce , P.B. 'A Note of Appreciation . . . ' I know th.at the Alpena General Hospital received money from the Seafarers Welfare Plan. My debt is payed and I am very grateful. I hope this expresses my sincere appreciation to all of you folks. Merry Christmas-Happy New Year. Bichard J. Piasbowski Alpena, Mich. 38 I LOG I January 1 986 Jimmie Garner Gadsden, Ala. Joshua. Wizyne Garner l O months P.S. Joshua said to say thank you for the $50 savings bond-and Merry Christmas! �SPAD Editorials Keeps Us Playing With the Big Boys Political action donations are com­ ing under increasing fire because some critics charge these donations (which totaled $ 1 1 3 million during the last election cycle) buy influence. If that is true , a look at who is spending the most money to promote their agendas for the nation is scary . The National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC)- $ 1 9 . 3 million. Fund for a Conservative Majority­ $5 .4 million. National Congressional Club (or­ ganized by Sen. Jesse Helms)- $ 5 . 3 million. The list goes on with organizations whose views seldom agree with or­ ganized labor; the American Medical Association, the Realtors PAC , the National Association of Home Build­ ers and other business-oriented orga­ nizations . A t the SIU , the Seafarers Political Action Donation (SPAD) is our arm for donating money to our political friends . We don't believe that a congressional representative or a sen­ ator can be "bought" for a few thou­ sand dollars at campaign time. But we do believe that these SPAD donations help us open the door to politicians. SPAD gives the Union a chance to make its pitch, to explain its goals and p romote legislation in the best interest of the SIU and organized labor. Should the structure of PAC dona­ tions be reformed? When we look at the $ 1 9 . 3 million from NCPAC , a vir­ ulent and rabid anti-labor organiza­ tion, the answer might very well be yes. But until changes are made in the game' s rules, the SIU has to play at the best of its ability , and that means SPAD. We must counteract the millions and millions of dollars that flow from these wealthy, conservative anti-labor PACS. We can't do that with corporate do­ nations and tax write-o(fs from mil­ lionaires. We have to count on each member of the SIU for a few dollars here and a few dollars there . Fifty cents a day, $ 1 or $2 a day can mount up. If politics were a game of fairness with everyone on equal footing, the SIU and organized labor might be able to count on old-fashioned persuasion and debate on the issues. We need your help and your money . In the political game the SIU is the basketball player under six-feet tall , the 1 75-pound wide receiver sur­ rounded by 300-pound defenders. But just like sport s , the little guy , if he' s dedicated enough and works hard, can win. Make sure to set aside that little bit from your wages-50 cents a day the ' price of a i;up of coffee. In the end, those pennies a day can make a big difference. ' ' That's a good question ' ' One letter has more influence in Washington, it has been said, than petitions or any other form of communication to members of Congress , bureaus and committees . While i t i s difficult t o believe such a statement , a recent breakthrough for merchant mariners who now have veteran' s status for Operation Mulberry , was the result of letters as reported in The New York Times, Dec . 6, 1 98 5 . Raymond Carreau of Tacoma, Wash. wrote several letters on the subject of veteran' s status , and his perseverence paid off. He wrote his first letter in 1 982 . It took three years to get results, but it was worth it . We all owe Carreau a vote of thanks . The question that remains unanswered i s , "Why has only this one group of D-Day participants in World War II received veteran' s status? " Capt. Miles Wiley of the Air Force was asked this question and he replied , "That's a good question. I don't have an explanation. " Operation Mulberry , which consisted of constructing a sea-wall from 30 sunken ships to make a protective harbor for the D-Day invasion forces , affords the seamen who were on those ships veteran' s status . Everyone is delighted with this great news, this progress, but we are also concerned about the other merchant seamen who were in the D-Day invasion and all of those who were wounded or died on sunken ships elsewhere . Only 200 of the 1 ,000 in the Operation Mulberry group are still living. Even though many others are dead , they should receive the honors due them, and the other living merchant mariners should also be given similar status. General Dwight D . Eisenhower said during the war: " Every man in the Allied Command is quick to express his admiration for the loyalty , courage , and fortitude of the officers and men of the merchant marine . We count on their efficiency and their utter devotion to duty as we do our own ; they have never failed us yet, and in all the struggles yet to come we know that they will never be deterred by the danger, hardship or privation. When the final victory is ours , there is no organization that will share its credits more deservedly than the merchant marine. " Eisenhower' s intentions were admirable , but nothing was done to expedite these sentiments during his administration or any other administration over the past 40 years . His words of praise can be found "buried" in the Smithsonian Maritime Exhibit. They are there for all to see, but that is not enough. How many more letters will it take before the Defense Department comes to terms with the facts in this case. It is not the case of small sections of the merchant marine, but of all of this group of Americans who gave their all in World War II . The Heavy Cost of Substance Abuse By Phillip L. Polakoff, M.D. Press Associates, Inc. Alcohol and drug abuse afflict an estimated 2 5 . 5 million Americans. An additional 40 million people are af­ fected if we count members of the abusers' families and people close to those injured or killed by intoxicated drivers . Substance abuse victims can't con­ trol their use of alcohol or other drugs . They become intoxicated on a regular basis-daily, every weekend, or in periodic binges-and often need the drug for normal daily functioning. Substance dependence victims suf­ fer all the symptoms of abuse ;-!us a tolerance tor the drug so that increased amounts of it are necessary to get the desired effects . Alchohol, opiates and amphetamines can also lead to phys­ ical dependence in which the person develops withdrawal symptoms when he or she stops using the drug. The human tragedy of this is incal­ culable. The measurable costs are ap­ palling. The total dollar cost of alco­ holism is estimated at $89. 5 billion­ for treatment and indirect losses such as reduced worker productivity, early death , and property damage resulting from alcohol-related accidents and Drug abuse annually drains an es­ timated $46.9 billion in direct and in­ direct costs from workers , business children and adolescents are alcoholic, according to the American Psychiatric Association. These victims, on the average, will die 10 years earlier than nonalcoholics. other drugs, such as alcohol , mari­ juana, sedatives, hallucinogens or am­ phetamines . About half of those who abuse the drugs develop a dependence or addiction. and industry and the economy in gen­ eral . Drug abuse afflicts more than 1 2 . 5 million Americans. Of those, seven Successful treatment of drug and alcohol abuse includes a variety of Alcoholism is a progressive disease million use addictive prescription drugs that generally first appears between the ages of 20 and 40, usually after five to 1 5 years of heavy drinking. It takes a much shorter time, perhaps measured in months , for an adolescent heavy drinker to become alcoholic . therapies geared toward abstinence. without a doctor's supervision; five million abuse cocaine, and half a mil­ lion are addicted to heroin. Psychotherapy often helps patients understand their behavior and moti­ vations, develop higher self-esteem and cope with stress. Self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous also are effective for many. crime. And that $89. 5 billion figure is for one year. Some alcoholics, upon sober reflec­ tion, say they probably were alcohol­ ics from their first drink; that lack of control-a key indicator-was evident from the start. Although drinking habits vary widely, in general abuse occurs in one of three patterns: Abuse of sedative-hypnotics or bar­ biturates most often begins either as a prescription for insomnia among middle-class women between 30 and 60, or as a recreational experiment among men in their teens or early 20s. Often, abusers regularly take heavy daily doses and develop an addiction. Abuse of opiates , such as morphine or heroin, generally follows abuse of The only medication for alcoholism requires daily use of disulfiram (An­ tabuse) which induces violent physical reactions to alcohol . Drug addiction has been treated with various sub­ stances which substantially reduce or block the effects of the abused drug. • Regular, daily intoxication; • Drinking large amounts of alcohol at specific times , such as every weekend ; • Binges of heavy drinking that may last for weeks or months after relatively long periods of sobri­ ety . Ten million adults and three million January 1 986 I LOG I 39 �S the 1 986 school season begins, it's not too early for high school seniors to start thinking about September 1 986, and college. For depend­ ents of Seafarers and Boatmen, the financial burden of college can be greatly eased if they win an S I U scholarship. The awards, known as the Charlie Logan Scholarship Program, are given each year under the auspices of the Sea­ farers Welfare Plan. For de­ pendents, four $1 0,000 schol­ arships are offered . But the Scholarship Program is not exclusively for depend­ ents. A $1 0,000 award and two $5,000 scholarships are avail­ able to active Seafarers and Boatmen. Also, when there are exceptionally qualified Seafar­ ers and Boatmen, the Board of Trustees of the Welfare Plan may grant a second $1 0,000 award to an active member. The Scholarship Program was begun in 1 952 to help members and their children achieve their educational goals. Several years ago it was named after Charlie Logan , a labor consultant and arbitrator who died in 1 975. He helped establish the Seafarers Scholarship Program and then worked hard to keep it strong and growing. A Seafarer Requirements Seafarers and Boatmen who are applying for scholarships must: • Be a g raduate of high school or its equivalent. • Have credit for two years (730 days) of employment with an employer who is obligated to make contributions to the Sea­ farers Welfare Plan on the em­ ployee's behalf prior to the date of application. • Have one day of employ­ ment on a vessef in the six­ month period immediately pre­ ceding the date of application. • Have 1 25 days of employ­ ment on a vessel in the previous calendar year. Pensioners are not elig ible to receive scholarship awards. Dependent Requirements -· Dependents of Seafarers and Boatmen who apply for a scholarship m ust be unmarried, under 1 9 years of age, and receive sole support from the employee and/or his or her spouse. Un­ married children who are eligible for benefits under Plan # 1 Major 40 I LOG I January 1 986 Don't Wait! Apply Now For 1 986 S I U College Scholars h i ps Dead l i ne - Apri l 1 5 Medical are eligible to apply for a dependent's scholarship up to the age of 25. Each applicant for a depend­ ent's scholarship must : • Be unmarried at the time application is made. • Be under 1 9 or 25 years of age (whichever is applicable) . • Be eligible for dependent benefits under the Seatarers Welfare Plan. • Be a graduate of high school or its equivalent. The applicant's parent must: • Have credit for three years (1 ,095 days) of employment with an employer who is obligated to make contributions to the Sea­ farers Welfare Plan on the em­ ployee's behalf prior to the date of application. • Have one day of employ­ ment in the six-month period immediately preceding the date of application. • Have 1 25 days of employ­ ment in the previous calendar year. The last two items above cov­ ering worktime requirements of the applicant's parents do not apply to applicants who are the children of pensioners or eligible deceased employees. Must Take SAT or ACT For both active members and the dependents of eligible mem­ bers, the scholarship grants are awarded on the basis of h igh school grades and the scores of either College Entrance Exam­ ination Boards (SAT) OR Amer­ ican College Tests (ACT) . The SAT or ACT exam must be taken no later than February 1 986 to ensure that the results reach the Scholarship Selection Committee in time to be evalu­ ated . For upcoming SAT test dates and applications, contact the College Entrance Exami­ nation Board at either: Box 592, Princeton, N.J. 08540 or Box 1 025 Berkeley, Calif. 94701 , whichever is closest to your mailing address . For upcoming ACT test dates and applications contact: ACT Reg istration Union, P . O. Box 41 4, Iowa City, Iowa 52243. Scholarship program appli­ cations are available to active members or their dependents at any S I U hall or through the Sea­ farers Welfare Plan, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md . 20746. Scholarship winners will be announced in May 1 986. The deadline for submission of ap­ plications is April 1 5, 1 986. � 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 1980-1989 Description An account of the resource Volumes XLII-LI of the Seafarers Log Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Paul Hall Maritime Library Microfilm 1939-1993; Seafarers Log Scanned Issues 1984-1988, 1994-Present 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 January 1986 Description An account of the resource HEADLINES SIU FISHERMAEN SHUT NEW BEDFORD HARBOR FARM BILL INCREASES U.S. SHIPS’ SHARE OF P.L. 480 BUILD AND CHARTER PROGRAM PART OF 1986 SPENDING BILL SHLSS WINS OK FOR 2-YEAR COLLEGE DEGREE SIU-BACKED FARM BILL SIGNED OVERSEAS ALICE CREW SAVES 46 IN HEROIC RESCUE KINGS POINT HONORS APEX MARINE CHEF JAMES ALLAN GOLDER, 61, DIES ON NEW YEAR’S DAY; BURIAL IN PINEY POINT MOST GRAIN BARGES, TOWBOATS ESCAPE WINTER’S FIRST FREEZE ORGULF BOATMEN GET 30-30 SONAT ON AFL’S UNFAIR LIST MISSISSIPPI QUEEN HIT BY TUG THE UNITED STATES ARMY TRAINS CRANE INSTRUCTORS AT SHLSS FIREMEN/WATERTENDER, OILER COURSE TO BE OFFERED IN MARCH AND SEPTEMBER ROVER SAVES 63 REFUGEES FROM CERTAIN DEATH MSC PAPER INCORPORATED INTO LOG SIU CONTESTS MSC DECISION TO END FREE MEDICAL CARE USNS METEOR RETIRES FROM ACTIVE MSC DUTY MSC TOUTS NEW SAFETY PROGRAM TERRORIST ACTIVITIES ON THE RISE GETTING TO DIEGO GARCIA CAN BE HALF OF THE FUN HUNDREDS OF NEW JOBS BOOST SIU IN FACE OF SHIPPING SLUMP-MEMBERSHIP SERVICES EXPAND HOSTILITIES FORCE MARITIME TO CIRCLE THEIR WAGONS AS FOES MAKE HEATED CHARGE SEAFARERS MARK YEAR WITH SACRIFICE, DEDICATION AND AWARDS AROUND THE WORLD SIU PEOPLE WORKED, PLAYED AND LEARNED IN 1985 MILITARY SHIPS STEAM INTO SIU JOB PICTURE IN AND AROUND HONOLULU ABOARD THE S.S. INDEPENDENCE IN HAWAII LIFE ON THE WATER THROUGH A WOMAN’S EYES CHECK YOUR MEDICAL BILLS-NEW PLAN’S PROGRAM COULD PAY YOU THIEF STEALS SEAFARER’S CHRISTMAS, BUT HAS CHANGE OF HEART MARIE CORSIGIIA, VETERAN WEST COAST SEAFARER DIES PINEY POINT OFFERS QUALIFIED PENSIONERS HOUSING Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Seafarers Log Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seafarers Log Scanned Issues 1984-1988, 1994-Present 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 1/1/1986 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. 48, No. 1 1986 Periodicals Seafarers Log