http://seafarerslog.org/archives/files/original/74aad7fd2f4a44f996fb996b531bfa13.pdf 8d47ebf83e8cf9789ded08e47c7706b3 PDF Text Text Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union • Atlantic, GuH, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL·CIO Vol. 49, No. 9 September 198? Special Convention Report-Pages 13-24 Delegates Approve SIUNA Restructuring Study The shape of the 80,000 member SIUNA may change during the next few years. Delegates to the recent Triennial Convention agreed to study restructuring the Union in an attempt to meet the challenges facing the Union as the 20th Century draws to a close. Throughout the three-day convention, delegates and speaker angrily denounced the lack of any meaningful American maritime policy. The continued shrinkage, especially since 1980, of the U .S.-flag merchant marine drew fire as did the reflagging of 11 Kuwaiti tankers. The issue of the new Seafarers Maritime Union was openly debated. Resolutions covering health care, veterans' benefits, Great Lakes shipping and the U.S. fishing industry problems were passed. Complete coverage of the convention begins on page 13. Trade Talks Threaten Maritime Unions Want Maritime Removed from Table The leaders of the SIUN A and the SIU of Canada have turned up the heat on U.S. and Canadian trade negotiators in an attempt to protect the maritime industry of both countries. The two union presidents warned U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney that American and Canadian maritime programs are being ''needlessly placed. in jeopardy'' by the two countries' rush to complete a Free Trade Agreement. In a letter to the two heads of state, Frank Drozak, president of the Seafarers International Union of North America, and Roman Gralewicz, president of the Seafarers International Union of Canada, urged that maritime issues be removed from the current trade negotiations. Negotiators from the U.S. and Canada have been meeting for several months in an attempt to hammer out a so-called "Free Trade Agreement" (FTA). Proposals made during the talks Inside: Civil Rights Leader Bayard Rustin Dies Page 3 NMU-MEBA Announce Merger Plans Page 3 S/U's Pollux Ready for Reforger Government Services Division SHLSS Pages 6 & 7 Pages 1O & 11 Pages 25-28 would dismantle several long-standing maritime programs of both countries. The two union presidents said "the complex nature of the maritime ind us- See Page 4 for Full Text of Letters try and its relationship to the ecurity of both nations is neither fully undertood nor appreciated by those charged with negotiating the agreement. Those with proper expertise to gauge the implications of altering existing policy are unfortunately removed from the process." Drozak and Gralewicz noted that the Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense (established by H.R. 1289) and the General Accounting Office (GAO) are undertaking studie on how the U .S.-flag meets, or does not meet, its national security obligations. In addition, ''there is a dangerous lack of consultation with the legislative branche of both governments regarding the nature of maritime provisions" in the FTA proposals, the pair wrote. Currently, there are several congressional efforts to develop new maritime initiatives, and tho e could be compromised by the ''indiscriminate intermingling of U.S. and Canadian maritime policies which have been proposed in the FT A talks. Reagan's own "Presidential Report on National Security" cites both the decline in the size of the U.S. merchant fleet and.the lack of an adequate supply of trained mariner to man reserve fleet ships as a serious problem which would "impede our ability to adequately project and sustain forces by strategic sealift. '' If a trade agreement dismantles current maritime programs, those national security problems cited in the president's report would grow even larger, warned the two union leaders. ''The nations of North America must have maritime policie suitable to meet economic, industrial and national security demands ... the framework of a Free Trade Agreement is not the proper forum to fashion well-crafted maritime policies," the union presi- dents said. In addition to the letters to the president and prime minister, the SI UNA passed a resolution at its justcompleted convention opposing the inclusion of maritime policy questions in the FT A talks. �President's Report by Frank Drozak I N order to better represent the members of this Union, I have to devote a large portion of time just to keep track of developments in the maritime industry. Changes in the industry have been so rapid and farreaching that after a while you tend to take change for granted. Yet even I had to sit up and take notice about a story that appeared in a recent issue of the Washington Times. The port of Baltimore is in a life-ordeath struggle to survive. Ports up and down the East Coast are trying to grab a piece of the action. Baltimore's main competition is expected to come from Front Royal, a small town in Northern Virginia. This wouldn't be so unusual except for one small fact-Front Royal is landlocked. The nearest river is miles away. Welcome to the 1980s, where you don't even need water to build a competitive port. Rapid technological changes (and in the case of Front Royal, the gradual shift to intermodal operations) are altering the face of the maritime industry. Baltimore's port facilities generate 60,000 jobs and hundreds of millions in revenue. City and state officials had one of two choices. They could complain bitterly about a world which doesn't seem to make sense, or they could make some hard choices and remain competitive. They chose to live. I am relaying this story to you because I find the SIU in a similar position. Some days I wake up and can't believe the changes that are occurring in the American maritime industry. Yet I don't have the luxury of doing nothing: the job security of too many people is at stake. Actually, the idea of a port without water doesn't seem so strange once you've been exposed to the promotional policies of the Reagan administration. Over the past six years, an administration committed to increasing the defense budget by hundreds of billions of dollars has either eliminated or cut funding for every single maritime promotional program on the books. In the process, it has brought the American-flag merchant marine to the point of near-extinction, thereby depriving the United States of a credible sealift capability. Without a reliable method of trans- porting troops and weapons overseas, they become little more than expensive decorations for the annual Veteran's Day Parade. In an ironic twist of fate, the most defense-minded administration of the post-wai: period has failed to grasp the most basic tenet of strategic planning. If there's a war, you have to be able to get to it. Otherwise, you lose. American-flag shipping companies have to go head-on against foreign competitors who are heavily and sometimes totally subsidized. Many foreign markets are closed to these American businessmen. In order to help American-flag companies stay in business, all maritime unions have had to accept severe manning reductions. Most of these reductions have been in the unlicensed berths. If that weren't enough, licensed unions, fearful of their own continued existence, have tried to infringe upon the jurisdictional rights of unlicensed seamen. Onboard numerous vessels, licensed officers have attempted to perform work outside their jurisdiction. Even more serious, the MM&P and District 1-MEBA have formed top-tobottom unions like PASS which threaten the benefits and job security of unlicensed seamen. The troubled state of the maritime industry puts a special burden on today's officials. I often have to remind myself that I did not create these conditions. But because I take my responsibilities as a union president very seriously, I have to confront them. So briefly, over the past few years, I took the following steps to protect the job security of the people I have been elected to represent: 1. I beefed up this Union's grassroots political action program. Since maritime is the most heavily regulated industry in the United States, it is no exaggeration to say that a seaman's job security depends on political action. Given the ideological bent of the present administration, we've done pretty well in this area. We played a leading role in securing a ban on the export of Alaskan oil, and in helping maritime and agriculture reach a compromise to restructure the P.L. 480 Program. This has saved thousands of jobs for American seamen. Moreover, I take pride in the fact that the SIU has never supported President Reagan for election. After all, how can you criticize the policies of the present administration if you helped elect it, not once, but twice? 2. I made an iron-clad commitment to education. Most industry experts agree that future job security for American seamen will depend on the quality of their skills and training. In this respect, I believe that SIU members take a back seat to no one. Our facilities at the SHLSS are the finest of their kind. They're so good that the Army and Navy use them to train personnel in sealift support functions. 3. I put all companies and unions on notice that we would not stand for any infringement of our members' rights. Starting with ACBL and Eastern Airlines in the early '80s, companies in the transportation sector have tried to abridge the rights of the people who work for them. We at the SIU have been willing to go to any lengths to protect the job security of our members. We may not win every fight, but we have at least put everyone on notice that there will be a price to pay for taking on the SIU. In addition, I have not hesitated to file Article XX charges against other unions that have infringed on the jurisdictional rights of our members. 4. I made an all-out effort to sign up new jobs for our members. Any union that relies on the work it now has to provide job security for its membership is not facing facts. There is no guarantee that companies relying solely on commercial or cargo preference work will be around five or 10 years from now. This includes Sea-Land and APL. After all, who would ever have predicted that U .S. Lines would go out of business? But it did. For the past three years, it has been apparent to everyone in the industry that the only new work being generated is in the military sector. During a period when the American-flag merchant marine has declined by more than one-third, the SIU has been able to secure military contracts for the operation of 65 ships producing more than 1,000 jobs for the membership, which offset declines in other areas. 5. Again I called for maritime unity. Ever since the break-up of the old ISU in the late 1930s, maritime unions have talked about the need to merge. Yet for a variety of reasons, such a merger never came about. Last year, I sent a letter to the heads of all the maritime unions and AFLSeptember 1987 CIO President Lane Kirkland asking for all maritime unions to enter into merger talks. The NMU responded to the letter, and merger discussions were entered into. Merger talks broke down over the structure of the proposed union. While the merger talks were being conducted, the MM&P and District 1MEBA continued infringing upon the jurisdictional rights of our members. A new union created by District 1, PASS, gathered momentum. And conditions in the industry continued to deteriorate. By the end of the year, U.S. Lines, the largest existing U.S.flag company, had gone out of business. Meanwhile, the number of vessels in the American-flag merchant marine had reached an all-time low. Crew sizes were small and getting smaller. And licensed unions like District 1 and the MM&P had apparently decided to protect their long-term security by stealing jobs away from unlicensed seamen. Rather than do nothing, I approached District 2 President Ray McKay about forming the Seafarers Maritime Union (SMU). SMU enables us to compete for jobs in the military sector and in new business. By signing up this kind of work, we accomplish several goals. We replace jobs in other areas. We protect the pension and welfare benefits of our middle-aged members, even if they don't choose to ship on these military vessels. And more important, we give the younger members a chance to make a living at sea. Members who ship on top-tobottom SIU District 2 ships have the chance to advance from entry levels to licensed jobs in rapid time. The formation of the SMU has been criticized by other maritime unions. And yet, their jurisdictional raids and their failure to seriously consider the possibility of a merger were the very things that gave birth to it. The close working relationship that exists between District 2 and the SIU, which is based on a mutual respect for the rights of both licensed and unlicensed seamen, is the defining spirit of the new organization. It is no accident that shortly after we reached this historic agreement, the NMU and District 1 announced plans to merge their two organizations-a here-before unheard of prospect. I wish the two unions well. I also believe that their decision to merge along the lines of the SMU is proof that the step that Ray McKay and I took was the right one. Off c1al Pubhcat1on of t e Sea1arers Internal onal Umon of orth Amenca. ant c, Gulf, La es and Inland Waters District, FL..f;IO Vol 49, o 9 Executive Board Frank Drozak President Charles Svenson Editor Mike Hall Managing Editor Max Hall Deborah Greene Associate Editor Associate Editor Angus " Red" Campbell Joe DiGiorgio Vice President Secretary Joe Sacco Mike Sacco Leon Hall Vic e President Vice President Vice President George McCartney Roy Mercer Steve Edney Vice President Vice President Vice President The LOG (ISSN 01 60-2047) 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 . 20790-9998 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746. �Bayard Rustin, Civil Rights, Labor Activist, Dead at 75 Bayard Rustin, the staunch labor supporter and civil rights activist who played a major role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, died in New York of cardiac arrest folJowing an emergency appendectomy. He was 75. At his death, Rustin was co-chairman, along with Steelworkers Vice President Leon Lynch, of the laborsupported A. Philip Randolph Institute. He also was president of the institute's educational fund. In a letter to Randolph Institute President Norman Hill, AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland and Secretary-Treasurer Thomas R. Donahue said ''a giant has passed from our midst.'' Rustin's life was "a commitment to peace, human dignity and social justice . . . a monument to the struggle for decency and civility,'' the federation leaders said. From his hometown area in West Chester, Pa., where he was born March 17, 1912, Rustin acquired two lifelong pursuits-his ardent dedication to Quaker pacifism and to civil rights. The latter was born when he was refused service in a restaurant in Media, Pa., where he had gone as a member of his high school football team. His strong belief in nonviolence led to his serving 28 months in prison as a conscientious objector during World War II and to his association with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with whom he helped organize the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott in the 1950s and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. As a leader of the Congress of Racial Equality, Rustin participated in the first Freedom Ride through the South to protest segregation in 1947. He was arrested six times on the trip, and his newspaper articles about the 22 days he spent on a North Carolina chain gang led to the end of the practice in that state. Rustin is best known outside of labor for his key role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington. He assisted A. Philip Randolph, the president of the Sleeping Car Porters who was chairman of the march committee. The march by 300,000 people led to the passage of the 1964 civil rights legislation. Rustin proved a true friend of workers on and off the picket line. When garbage workers represented by the State, County and Municipal Employees struck in Memphis in 1968, Rustin raised $100,000 to help them. After King was assassinated during the strike, he organized a mass march in his honor. Still on the picket line in 1984, he was arrested after leading a peaceful demonstration in support of the pay equity strike at Yale University by Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees locals. Although Rustin's strong belief in coalition building, both national and international, led to criticism Bayard Rustin in many quarters, it brought applause from labor. In 1976, he explained to an Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers-now the Electronic Workers-convention that the problem had shifted from race to class. ''The economic and social programs that will solve the problems for all America's poor can be found in only one place, and that is in the economic and social program of the American trade union movement," Rustin said. Hi advocacy of worldwide human right led to his leadership of the Free Indian Committee after World War II, and he was arrested several times for protests at the British Embassy in Washington. In the early 1950s, he helped found the Committee for Support of South Gulf Ship Attacks Rise Air and speedboat attack against ships in the Persian Gulf have increased dramatically during the past few weeks as Iran and Iraq resumed fighting in the area. But despite attacks on dozen of ships of various flags, none of the reflagged Kuwaiti oil and gas tanker sailing with U.S. Navy escorts has been hit. In Washington there were indications that Kuwait might charter one or two laid-up U .S.-flag tanker to ail alongside its reflagged fleet. Speculation centered around the 12-year-old Maryland and New York, both 264,000 DWT ships which Marad was foreclosing on. If those ships are chartered, they would be required to crew up with U.S. seamen, 100 percent licensed and 75 percent unlicensed. The 11 reflagged ships presently carry only an American master. Amerian maritime unions and other industry groups have protested the lack of U.S. crews on the reflagged ships (see August and July LOGs). Through a loose interpretation and a loophole in U.S. law, the administration allowed Kuwait to man the U .S.-flag ships with crews of any nationality. On Capitol Hill, a bill to require that in the future all U .S.-flag ships carry a 100 percent American crew is expected to pass the Hou e. Also the Senate is on record with a re olution calling for the examination of the U.S. reftagging policy. There is little indication that Congress will force a change in the status of the I I reftagged ships. African Resistance. Later, he traveled to Thailand to draw attention to the suffering of Cambodian refugees and to Poland to meet with Lech Walesa in support of Solidarnosc. Rustin also served as chairman of the executive committee of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and vice chairman of the International Rescue Committee. In I980 he received the AFL-CIO's highest honor, the Murray-GreenMeany Award. NMU, MEBA-1 to Merge The National Maritime Union and MEBA-District 1 have signed an agreement to merge their two seafaring unions. The agreement must be ratified by the memberships of both unions before April 1, 1988. The merger agreement calls for the integration of all assets and liabilities of the two unions and for the eventual combination of the various benefit plans, according to a story in the NMU Pilot. The NMU will merge into District No. I-Pacific Coast Division of MEBA. The new union will be called District 1-MEBA/NMU of the National Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association (AFL-CIO). The union will have a licensed division and an unlicensed division. Both divisions will be respon ible for their own collective bargaining agreements, hiring practices and other business. About a year ago the NMU and the SIU held talks about a possible merger of the two unlicensed unions, but no agreement could be reached. SIU President Frank Drozak (left) made America's trade problems the main topic of discussion at a recent White House meeting with Vice President George Bush (center). Also attending the meeting was former U.S. Lines owner John McMullen, currently the owner of the Houston Astros baseball team and chief executive officer of McMullen Industries. September 1987 I LOG I 3 �Full Text of Drozak-Gralewicz Letter Reagan and Mulroney Urged to Protect Maritime Policy August 27, 1987 President Ronald W. Reagan The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President. We are writing to you and Prime Minister Mulroney to express our deep concern over the maritime aspects of the current negotiations directed toward the establishment of a U.S.Canada Free Trade Agreement. As you are aware, the high level of trade between our two nations is one of the strongest bonds in our long history of close and friendly relations. Yet, efforts by negotiators on both sides serve to weaken that bond by undermining current and future maritime policy in both countries. From our perspective, the complex nature of the maritime industry in both its international and domestic components and their relationship to the security of both nations is neither understood not fully appreciated by those charged with negotiating the agreement. Those with the proper expertise to gauge the implications of altering existing policy are unfortunately removed from the process. Currently, the national security implications of existing maritime policy on the U.S. side is being examined by the Commission on the Merchant Marine and Defense which, under legislative mandate, will offer policy recommendations designed to enhance the U.S.-flag fleet's ability to fulfill its national security obligations. The General Accounting Office is also undertaking a similar study. Those efforts may be in vain if, in the rush to finalize a Free Trade Agreement, both nations' maritime programs are needlessly placed in jeopardy without apparent benefit to either. Also, there is a dangerous lack of consultation with the legislative branches of both governments regarding the nature of maritime provisions, and in the case of Canada, insufficient sampling of industry views. At this time several congressional committees are developing maritime initiatives which would be compromised by an indiscriminate intermingling of U.S. and Canadian maritime policies. Such government action may serve in the minds of many to substitute for the adoption of comprehensive maritime policy initiatives needed to improve the merchant fleet of each country. In the process, the security of both nations will be undermined. Supporters of the U.S. merchant marine have been encouraged by the sober realism expressed in the first ever Presidential Report on National Security released in January 1987. Among the report's critical observations about the national security importance of a viable merchant marine was: "the continuing decline of the U.S. merchant marine and U.S.-flag commercial shipping assets is a matter of concern. This problem is compounded by the decline of the U.S. flag fleet which results in a reduction of the seagoing workforce to man all our U .S.-flag vessels as well as ships of the Ready Reserve Force, the National Defense Reserve Fleet and any effective U.S. controlled ships which might need recrewing. The lack of merchant mariners in the near term could impede our ability adequately to project and sustain forces by strategic sealift. '' The critical problem described in that passage will grow more serious if U.S. and Canadian maritime policies are sacrificed in a well-intentioned but counterproductive effort to reach a Free Trade Agreement. This decline in the maritime industry's ability to serve as a national security asset is not limited to the United States. Canadian-flag operators also have been crippled by a similar lack of support by government agencies and presently are unable to meet Canada's sealift needs. Recent action to facilitate the transfer of foreign-owned vessels to United States registry is particularly disturbing to Canadian maritime interests since U.S.-ftag ships with low cost, thirdworld crews would become eligible to operate in Canada's shipping trades. Setting aside the wisdom of maintaining an American presence in the Persian Gulf, one is left with the reality that U .S.-flag vessels will no longer serve as a beneficial role model for improving international mantune standards. Recent actions have established the precedent of U.S. -registry as a vehicle for the circumvention of standards which U.S. maritime interests, in both the public and private sectors, have long and forcefully advocated. The nations of North America must have maritime policies suitable to meet the economic, industrial and national security demands which will be placed on our two countries. Suitable maritime policies will not be achieved, however, if our respective fleets are permanently handicapped by the current negotiations. The framework of a Free Trade Agreement is not the proper forum to fashion well-crafted maritime policies adequate to fulfill changing national requirements which will evolve in the future. Our respective maritime policies will be laid bare to the demands of third nations which will certainly seek similar concessions as those envisioned by the proposed agreement, and may be empowered to do so by existing treaty. Even if the United States and Canada would not be required by existing treaty to extend reciprocal privileges to our other trading partners, the dire state of international shipping will drive their governments to seek access to our respective trades. In addition, the climate for future investment will be diminished. Operators who have made substantial investments, in assets under the expectation of continuity in policy, will find their financial base seriously eroded. We believe that any free trade proposal which alters the current maritime policies of either nation is unwise, unjust and unacceptable. Therefore, we respectfully urge you to instruct your trade negotiators to remove all elements of the proposed Free Trade Agreement, which have an impact on maritime policy, from the negotiating process. Sincerely, Frank Drozak President Seafarers International Union of North America Roman Gralewicz President Seafarers International Union of Canada I. W. Abel, Former President of Steelworkers, Dies I. W. Abel, a founder of the Steelworkers and USW A president from 1965 to 1977, died of cancer .at his home. He was 78. AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland called Abel ''a giant of the American labor movement, an inspiring and trustworthy leader and a generous and constructive spirit who never stopped trying to make America work a little better for all." USWA President Lynn R. Williams said Abel ''was not only a life-long and dedicated trade unionist who helped forge landmark improvements in the lot of working people, he was also a compassionate human being who strove to improve the total society in which we live." "He was a visionary who recognized, decades before the notion became fashionable, that workers, employers, and the public each have a stake in the others' wellbeing," Williams said. Born Iorwith Wilbur Abel in Magnolia, Ohio, on Aug. 11, 1908, Abel was the son of a blacksmith and clay worker. In 1925, he took a foundry 4 I LOG I September 1987 job in the American Sheet and Tin Mill Works in Canton, then moved on to other nearby steelworks. Before the Depression, Abel said in an interview, "youjust moved around pretty much at will. There were times, depending on the work, when we'd make $12 or $14 a day, hourly scale about 75 cents." But as work dwindled during the Depression, Abel took a job in a brickyard firing a kiln at 16 cents an hour. ''That miserable job helped straighten out my social thinking and pointed me in the direction I was to travel the rest of my life," he said. "The Depression taught me that a strong labor movement was necessary to protect workers and give them a measure of dignity and security." After getting a job at the Timken Roller Bearing Co., Abel joined the CIO in 1936. He became active in the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) and helped organize Local 1123. He served in the top offices of the local and remained a dues-paying member of the local for the rest of his life. In 1937 Abel participated in the "Little Steel" strike against companies which refused to follow SWOC's pact with U.S. Steel and some 100 other steel producers. The strike climaxed with the "Memorial Day Massacre" in which 10 strikers were killed and 80 wounded when police opened fire at a rally at the Republic Steel plant in South Chicago. Philip Murray, the founder and president of SWOC and its successor, the USWA, appointed Abel as a SWOC staff representative. When the USWA was formally organized, Abel was elected director of District 27 in Ohio in 1942. After Murray's death in 1952, Abel was elected secretary-treasurer, a post he held until 1965, when he won a bitter and close contest with the incumbent, David J. McDonald. During Abel's three-term presidency, the USWA grew from 1 million members to 1.4 million. In 1973 Abel signed the historic Experimental Negotiating Agreement, covering 300,000 workers with the top 10 steel producers. The pact provided a "no strike" promise during 1974 contract talks to keep steelmakers from stockpiling foreign steel in anticipation of a strike, then laying·· off workers, as they previously had done. Abel served on the AFL-CIO Executive Council from 1965 to 1977 and as a member of the federation's Committee on Political Education, president of the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Dept., and a delegate to the International Labor Organization. One of his proudest achievements, according to Abel, was his successful push for federal protection for employee pensions. He also campaigned in Washington for federal workplace safety and health legislation. A staunch supporter of the civil rights movement, Abel was named to President Lyndon Johnson's Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders-also called the Kerner Commission-which strongly criticized civil rights progress in the wake of black community riots in 1966 and 1967. Abel is survived by his wife Martha and two daughters. His first wife, Bernice, died in 1982. �Area Vice Presidents' Report West Coast by V. P. George McCartney M ANY of our oldtimers out here were extremely pleased by the front page of last month's LOG. I am of course referring to the following headline: "World War II Seamen May Gain Vets Status." There are, no doubt, other issues which are more important to the longterm survival of the American-flag merchant marine (i.e., the failure of the present administration to implement existing cargo preference laws). Yet no other issue evokes such an emotional response as this one, and for good reason. Merchant seamen suffered the second highest casualty rate in World War II. Yet since 1977, 14 other groups have been granted veterans' status while most merchant seamen have had their petitions denied. Most seamen who served in World War II are proud of the role they played in protecting their country. Yet the veterans' benefits issue goes deeper than that. World War II defined a whole generation of Americans. It had a galvanizing effect on the maritime industry, and was the final step in a process that had been under way since the 1934 Longshoremen's Strike. Before World War II, there really was no such thing as a brotherhood of the sea. Most seamen lived in the margins of American society. They were abused at sea and at loose ends on land. They were kept in servitude by their own ignorance and the harsh conditions of their isolated, self-contained world whose parameters were defined by the crimps, the shipowners and the cold, merciless sea. Like many other labor organizations, maritime unions grew rapidly during the war. Trade unions had to walk a fine line between protecting their members' living standards and supporting the war effort. By all accounts, the unlicensed maritime unions maintained that balance. Thanks to the efforts of American seamen, the Battle of the North Atlantic-the battle to keep England supplied-was won. As John Bunker, former head of the SIU's Historical Research Department, wrote, ''No ship was held up for lack of an SIU crew.'' World War II transformed America into the richest country in the world. This enabled maritime unions like the SIU and the NMU to organize new companies and raise their members' standard of living. During the war, American maritime unions were successful in repelling attacks on their hiring halls. In addition, they were able to get the government to agree to a War Bonus Program for their members. At the start of the war, the A&G District was the runt of maritime labor. As I have reported in earlier columns, Harry Lundeberg had laid a strong foundation for the new district. Still, the A&G lagged far behind the National MaritiJlle Union and the West Coast maritime unions in terms of jobs and ships. Paul Hall was elected head of the A&G District in 1944. He understood that the maritime industry would inevitably contract after the war ended. He therefore made organizing new members his top priority. In a sense, he was in the right place at the right time. The (then) much larger NMU was just becoming embroiled in an internal dispute which would pit NMU President Joe Curran against the Communists who dominated that union's bureaucracy. The NMU referred to those divisions in a special 50th anniversary issue of the Pilot. They were not resolved until the union's 1949 convention, in a bitter, winner-take-all showdown. Murray Kempton, the dean of Americanjournalists, wrote about the problems that the NMU experienced after the war in Part of Our Time, his seminal work on Communism in America. Kempton noted that while Joe Curran and the Communists who controlled the NMU's bureaucracy were caught up in a life-or-death struggle for control of that union's soul, a ''reformed and renewed AFL Seamen's Union" was able to win numerous organizing drives, the most important by far being Isthmian. For it was the Isthmian drive which transformed the A&G District from the stepchild of maritime labor into a power on the waterfront. Now, military work accounts for 40 percent of all jobs available to SIU seamen, and the percentage is rising. While the rest of the maritime industry has declined by more than onethird since 1981, the SIU has been able to sign up 58 new vessels generating more than 700 new jobs. Commercial giants like U.S. Lines have gone out of business , and others like Sea-Land have threatened to reflag. New companies like Barber Steamship Company are the hope for our future. You see , we have to adapt to changing times. If we don't, then our middleaged members will be left without a pension, and our younger members will be forced to leave the industry. And that won't be good for anyone: the Union, the members or the country. The present administration's approach to the maritime industry just doesn't makes sense to me. It should be encouraging unions like the SIU to maintain an adequately sized pool of skilled mariners. Yet all the gains that we have made have come despite the government, not because of it. Next year's elections offer hope to American seamen, and indeed to all workers who have been shut out of the political process over the past six years. That is why we in the Gulf region have been active on a grassroots level. If we can turn out the vote, then we can protect our future. It's just that simple. requires mariners to supply their own expense money when traveling to their assigned ships, wherever that ship might be located. If the mariner has no ready cash, he or she is issued a cash advance for travel which is then deducted from the first paycheck the mariner receives after joining the ship. In order to retrieve this travel money, a travel claim must be submitted to the home port if the ship returns, or the home port must approve the claim in order for payment to be made by any other naval facility. The ship's purser is not authorized to liquidate travel claims. Why? Pursers are authorized to issue return cash settlements when a crewmember is leaving the ship and returning to home port. Under the present system, it sometimes takes months for a mariner to recover travel monies that have been expended on behalf of the agency. It is the position of the SIU that as long as mariners are required to travel to ships for the benefit of MSC, MSC should advance travel expense money, just as they do when mariners depart ships after their tour of duty. The ship's master or purser could liquidate the claim , and the mariner would not be required to wait months to collect his or her travel money. Great Lakes by V.P. Mike Sacco ! Government Services Division by V. P. Buck Mercer T Gulf Coast by V.P. Joe Sacco T HINGS have been pretty busy in the Gulf. As I reported in last month's column, we reached an agreement with Radcliff Materials. We're presently in negotiations with G&H Towing and Moran Towing. I just came back from the SIUN A Triennial Convention. It was a productive meeting. Education and political activity were stressed at the convention; in today's day and age, job security is something that can't be taken for granted. Conventions like this one are a time to take stock. It is amazing how much the maritime industry has changed since the last SIONA Convention in 1984. Back then, the Union was just getting its military program into gear. WO items affecting MSCPAC mariners are noteworthy this month and, although neither has come to pass, both have already been the basis for widespread conversation. The first item, long overdue, is the matter of retroactive money on wages of 3 1/2 percent due all non-officer marine personnel for the period April 1, 1985 through May 15, 1986. It comes to about $2.5 million. Although the MSCPAC comptroller, CDR Richard Odegaard, was recently lauded as the ''Manager of the Year" by the San Francisco Chapter of the American Society of Military Comptrollers for his accomplishments at MSCPAC over the past 16 months, payment of this retroactive roll was not one of them. This money which has been due and payable since May 1986 will finally be paid sometime this month. The second issue is that of travel expense money. Presently, MSCPAC attended the SIUNA Triennial Convention back East last month, where the delegates from 18 autonomous unions set a steady course for the next five years. A good friend of ours from Ohio, Rep. Edward Feighan, addressed the convention. He spoke out about the administration's ill-advised decision to reflag the 1 I J<.uwaiti tankers, the decline of this country's merchant marine and a recent court ruling on World War II veterans' benefits. One remark that .Feighan made stuck with me throughout the convention. He said that without the Americanflag merchant marine, the United States "wouldn't have won World War II . . . or fed ... Europe after the war ... or maintained American liberty." We need more people like him in Congress. The delegates adopted resolutions dealing with issues of importance to Great Lakes seamen. These issues included the free trade talks between the United States and Canada, which are reaching a critical stage; the inhibiting effects of a user fee passed last year, and the need for both the United States and Canada to modernize the St. Lawrence Seaway, the lifeblood of Great Lakes shipping. (Continued on Page 8.) September 1987 I LOG I 5 �When Seafarers aboard the USNS Pollux tied up at Dundalk's Marine Terminal in Baltimore last month, they saw hundreds of Army-green trucks, jeeps and other vehicles waiting dockside. The Pollux, one of the eight Fast Sealift Ships (former SL-7s) operated by the MSC, was taking part in Operation Reforger '87 which was taking some 3,900 pieces of equipment to Rotterdam to outfit 35,000 troops in this massive annual exercise. The Pollux had already picked up a partial load in Beaumont, Texas and steamed to Baltimore for the rest of her cargo. The 946-foot ship, with a top speed of 33 knots, was one of four SIU-contracted ships in the exercise. The others were the USNS Algol, USNS Capella and the M IV American Eagle. Those vessels loaded at Beaumont and Galveston, Texas. AB Jay Thomas Chief Electrician Jerry Payne and Wiper C.L. Cilverio. OMU Hughs Wood and Third Engineer Robert Egan. Capt. Robert Brownell, who came up through the foc'sle, and Bosun Gene Weaver. 6 I LOG I September 1987 A longshoreman drives one of the hundreds of Army vehicles loaded in Baltimore. The various decks in the Pollux are connected by ramps, like a floating parking garage. �USNS Pollux A truck is lifted aboard the Pollux. A longshoreman lashes down a truck which was lifted aboard the Pollux. While most vehicles are loaded via a roll-on-roll-off ramp, some are stored on deck in sea sheds. Bosun Gene Weaver (center) poses with part of his deck crew, ABs Brian Ballard (left) and Jay Thomas. MPs and Coast Guard Shore Patrolmen kept unauthorized visitors from near the loading operations. AB Brian Ballard The Pollux's steward department includes Chief Steward Marvin St. George, Chief Cook Ike John, Third Cook Howard Ward, GSU Ralph Palmer, and BR April Martin. September 1987 I LOG I 7 �In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national and maritime policy. Cong. Liz Patterson Cong. David Price C E ONGRESSWOMAN Elizabeth J. "Liz" Patterson (D-S.C.) represents the fourth district of South Carolina. Greenville County, the nucleus of the fourth district, is the most populous and industrialized county in the state and a showpiece of the New South. The city of Greenville developed as a center of the textile industry after the Civil War, and its still bustles with mills, clothing manufacturers and textile machinery producers. Patterson's election in 1986 was the South Carolina Democratic Party's biggest success of the year, regaining a seat held by a Republican for the last eight years. Born into a political family (Patterson's father, Olin D. Johnston, was a U.S. senator and governor), she served on the Spartanburg County Council in 1975 and 1976. A 1961 graduate of Columbia College with a bachelor's degree in English, Patterson later attended graduate school at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Prior to her election to the House of Representatives, the congresswoman served seven years in the South Carolina State Senate where she was active in tightening up the state's criminal code and broadening Cong. Liz Patterson child protection laws. She served on the Education, Finance, Medical Affairs and Rules committees. She was also chairman of the Governor's Task Force on Hunger and Nutrition, and the Task Force on Prescription Drug Abuse. As a freshman representative, Patterson is a member of the Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee and the Veterans' Affairs Committee. She has also been appointed to the Select Committee on Hunger. Outside the political arena, Cong. Patterson has worked for the Peace Corps in its public affairs division, for VISTA, and as Head Start coordinator of the South Carolina Office of Economic Opportunity. e e re (Continued from Page 5.) Thanks to some increased grain shipments, shipping has been up this year. And so has dredging. Aside from one provision authorizing a harbor maintenance tax, last year's Port Development Act has been beneficial to the industry up here. We expect a sharp increase in the number of dredging projects. A recurring theme throughout the convention was the anti-labor, antimaritime attitude of the present administration. Years ago, when the National Labor Relations Board was less ideologically conservative, it was much easier to protect the rights of our members. Still, we haven't done badly up here on the Great Lakes. We've been able to reach contracts with the following companies: Dunbar and Sullivan, Falcon Marine, Great Lakes Dredging and Dock, Great Lakes Towing, Johnson Brothers, Luedtke Engineering, Zenith Dredging, and B&B Dredging, to mention just a few. And no matter how much things change, getting a good contract is still the most important thing a union can do. 8 I LOG I September 1987 East Coast By V.P. Leon Hall L AST month's LOG contained a supplement on the 20th anniversary of the Seafarers Harry Lunde berg School of Seamanship. As someone who has seen the school grow from a deserted Navy base into a leading center for maritime training and vocational education, the pictures and story evoked a special feeling. Much of this Union's history is tied up in that school. People I knew and worked with-members, officials, educators and staffmember --dedicated their lives so that it could be a success. Some of those people are still sailing. Others are dead or retired. But they all had one thing in common; they all contributed in making SHLSS the vi- LECTED to the 1OOth Congress on Nov. 4, 1986, David E. Price (D-N .C.) represents the fourth district of North Carolina, an area in which universities are the major sources of jobs as well as the cultural centers of the state. Price attended Mars Hill Jr. College and subsequently received a Morehead Scholarship to the University of North Carolina, where he earned his BA in math and history in 1961. He received both a Bachelor of Divinity degree and a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University, where he taught until accepting a professorship of political science and public policy at Duke University in 1973. Price's political career has included service as chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party from 1983-84 and as executive director from 197980. In 1981-82 he served as staff director for the Commission on Presidential Nomination (Hunt Commission) for the Democratic National Committee. He was a delegate to the 1984 Democratic National Convention where he served on the Rules Committee, and he remains a member of the Democratic National Committee. He previously worked in Congress, from 1963-67 as a legislative aide to the late Senator E.L. Bartlett (DAlaska). As a freshman representative, the congressman currently serves on three committees: the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and the Committee on Small Business. The author of numerous articles and of three books (Bringing Back the Parties, The Commerce Committees, and Who Makes the Laws?), Cong. Price has strong views on arms control. He stated that each of the previous four administrations has been aware that it is in our country's interest to abide by existing arms control treaties. He was a cosponsor of Rep. Schroeder and Gephardt's Mutual Nuclear Warhead Testing Moratorium which gives the White House 90 days to begin negotiations of a comprehensive test ban in Geneva and then denies funding for further American tests in excess of I kiloton (providing the Soviet Union observes an identical moratorium), and he voted for Rep. Dicks' amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill which prohibits the use of 1988 funds for deployment of maintenance of any weapon that violates the numerical sublimits set by the SALT II Treaty, unless the president certifies that the Soviet Union has exceeded these sublimits. able institution that it is today. While the SHLSS is part of this Union'_s past, it is most definitely a key to its future. In the rapidly changing world of the. maritime industry, training and education are becoming ever more important. In blunt terms, new members who fail to upgrade their skills can no longer count on remaining employed. Today's trainees will never know the suffering and deprivation that earlier generations of seamen had to experience. But in one respect, today's maritime industry is even harsher and more unforgiving than ever before. Competition for jobs is becoming increasingly more difficult, and any union official who tells you differently is lying. Any union that fails to invest a large part of its time and enegy into educating and training its membership is just not doing its job properly. And what is tru~ for the maritime industry is true for the country as a whole. Any plan to make America more competitive is doomed to failure unless it sets concrete goals for education and training. Unbelievably, President Reagan has submitted to Congress a budget that slashes aid to education. Secretary of Education William Bennett may have gone to college, but the country as a whole would have better off if he had gone to sea. Bennett would then understand the importance of education. Cong. David Price �If ~~~:r~t~==~===::.:r:~=~~~::::::::::~:.::~:::.w:::~-:.~1%w.:;.~~~:E:~-r::::t:t.~. ~~ ... ... : tug/tow I 1ha ge/dre ge ~: L, . . . ·we.~ ,·.,~;·;1 e ·.:·.c;. . '· ••.••-m;;,.;;..,,•• ··'"'""""°·"; In Wilmington, SIU Boatmen Man the Forts In Wilmington, N.C., SIU Inland members crew the tugs of Cape Fear Towing in that busy port city. Pictured above are the crews of the tugs. In Memoriam Andrew Carcich, 88, died July 7. Born in Yugoslavia and a resident of Astoria, Queens, N. Y., Brother Carcich joined the Union in 1963. He sailed in the deck department as a mate. He began sailing in 1939 for the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. Seafarer Carcich is survived by his wife, Mary. Burial was at St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx, N.Y. William Patrick O'Donoghue, 71, died June 22 following a heart attack. Born in Kentucky and a resident of Hardinsburg, Ky., Brother O'Donoghue joined the Union in 1969. He sailed as a first mate for Orgulf Towing. Burial was at St. Romuald Cemetery in Hardinsburg. New Pensioners The following Inland members have retired on pension: Houston Lloyd G. Armantrout Jesse C. Moore Elias Romero New Orleans Silvain Boudoin Joseph L. Ledet Philadelphia Charles V. Bedell Thomas H. Maronski The Fort Fisher is one of the company's tugboats, all named for forts. Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters AUGUST 1-31, 1987 Port New York ................ ... .... . . Philadelphia ...................... . Baltimore ........................ . Norfolk ..... .... ............... . . Mobile .......................... . New Orleans ...................... . Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Francisco ..................... . Wilmington . ................ .... .. . Seattle .......................... . Puerto Rico ...................... . Houston ..... .................... . Algonac .................... ..... . St. Louis ........................ . Piney Point ....................... . Totals ....................... ... . Port New York ........... ........... .. . Philadelphia ...................... . Baltimore ................. ...... . . Norfolk ............. .... ........ . Mobile .......................... . New Orleans ...................... . Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,. . . . Wilmington ....................... . Seattle .......................... . Puerto Rico ...................... . Houston ......................... . Algonac ......................... . St. Louis ........................ . Piney Point ....................... . Totals .......................... . Port 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 ... . ....... .... . *TOTAL REGISTERED All Groups Class A Class B Class C TOTAL SHIPPED All Groups Class A Class B Class C **REGISTERED ON BEACH All Groups Class A Class B Class C DECK DEPARTMENT 0 7 6 35 1 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 10 1 0 66 0 0 0 14 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 3 1 2 0 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 29 0 0 4 0 2 0 42 0 3 6 53 0 0 1 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 0 39 0 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 0 0 94 2 1 0 53 0 3 0 67 3 2 2 0 4 4 40 1 1 3 0 11 0 0 3 10 1 0 78 0 0 0 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 9 0 0 7 4 4 0 39 7 0 1 0 0 4 0 15 0 27 ENGINE DEPARTMENT 0 0 0 13 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 8 0 0 23 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 0 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 1 7 0 0 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 10 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 28 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 1 0 10 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 15 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 STEWARD DEPARTMENT 0 0 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 106 45 47 0 1 0 12 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 10 5 122 71 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 15 17 2 69 121 65 29 *"Total Registered" means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month. **"Registered on the Beach" means the total number of men registered at the port at the end of last month. September 1987 I LOG I 9 �USNS Mercy Master Honored by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC Capt. Richard B. Hosey was recently honored for his achievements with the Military Sealift Command in ceremonies aboard the USNS Mercy where he's currently serving as master. Capt. William T. Dannheim, CQMSCPAC, presented the veteran master with a' 'Certificate of Achievement for Sustained Superior Performance,'' along with a $5,000 check. ''You have displayed extraordinary competence, inspirational leadership, impeccable judgment and the highest sense of personal honor and integrity throughout your career with the Military Sealift Command,'' said Commodore Dannheim in presenting the award to Capt. Hosey. ''Your efforts as a master and as a senior manager ashore have resulted in highly significant improvements in the ability of this command to meet its strategic mission." During a career which spans 35 years with MSCPAC, Capt. Hosey has served as master on 21 different ships. He also served ashore for five years at MSCPAC headquarters as port captain and assistant chief of staff for fleet operations. "Captain Hosey's tour on the Mercy is certainly one of the high points in a distinguished career," said Commodore Dannheim. "The humanitarian cruise to the Philippines and the Southwest Pacific was an extremely high visibility assignment and was carried out in a manner which reflected credit upon the command. Capt. Hosey was the right choice for an exceedingly challenging assignment.'' During the Mercy's cruise, the ship made stops at seven Philippine port cities and three island republics in the Southwest Pacific. In addition to providing medical assistance to over 62,000 persons, the ship routinely hosted senior defense and state department officials, as well as various foreign dignitaries. In brief remarks, Capt. Hosey recounted his cruise aboard the USNS Mercy. "No master can take on the responsibility associated with a ship such as the Mercy,'' said Hosey, "without a fine crew, and I was lucky enough to get good help. You need good people for these types of assignments and we had them on the Mercy." A resident of the Bay Area, Capt. Hosey took a we11-deserved vacation in mid-August. He'll rejoin the ship in late September and remain as master of the vessel through the end of a postshakedown availability which commences in January 1988. American Cormorant Chartered American Automar, Inc. of Washington, D.C., was awarded a firm fixedprice contract for the time charter of the M/V American Cormorant, a U.S.- flag semi-submersible heavy equipment lift vessel. The contract period is for 17 months with two additional 17-month options. Delivery is projected to be between Nov. 25 1987 and Jan. 25, 1988. The M/V American Cormorant will function as a part of the United States Navy's Afloat Prepositioning Force. As such, the Cormorant will be used for prepositioning, transportation and safe stowage of essential war materials that will be used by U.S. forces deployed to forward sites in a contingency. ----A Thoughtful Gift--- At the SIUNA Convention, SIU Vice President Roy "Buck" Mercer (right) presents President Frank Drozak with a portrait painting of him by Leonardo Salcedo. Salcedo, a retired MSTU/SIU member, resides in the Olongapo, Philippine Island area. 10 I LOG I September 1987 Capt. Richard B. Hosey, left, is presented with a "Certificate of Achievement for Sustained Superior Performance" by Capt. William T. Dannheim. Capt. Don Smith, Dead at 54 Capt. Don Smith, an 18-year veteran of MSCPAC, suffered a heart attack Aug. 11 in San Diego aboard the USNS Navajo and died just before he was to turn the ship back over to the ship's permanent master, Capt. Phil Rosten. Capt. Smith was 54. A native of Richmond, Calif., and a 1953 graduate of the California Maritime Academy, Sm~th served two years on active duty with the Navy and received an honorable discharge as a lieutenant (junior grade) in 1955. He sailed commercially for four years, then joined MSTSPAC in 1959. Smith remained with the organization until 1968, sailing mainly on troop ships. He left the command that year to pend the next decade working in the offshore drilling industry, including a tint as first mate and ma ter of the Howard Hughes ship , Glomar Explorer. Smith returned to MSCPAC in 1978 as a first mate and was sailing as master a year later aboard the USNS Ute. Over the- past several years , Capt. Smith served as master of seven MSCPAC vessels. He was skipper of the first MSCPAC TAGOS ship, the USNS Contender, and was master aboard the USNS Indomitable (T-AGOS 7) in July 1986 when the vessel rescued six shipwrecked sailors in the Pacific Ocean. When MSCPAC was given administrative control of the USNS Point Loma last September, Capt. Smith served as the ship's new master until his temporary assignment aboard the USNS Navajo. ''Those of you who served with Capt. Smith," said Capt. W. T. Dannheim in an Aug. 12 message to all MSCP AC ships, ''know that he was an outstanding mariner who will be sorely missed, personally and professionally, by the command.'' Capt. Smith is survived by his wife, Eloise, a resident of Honolulu, Hawaii. USNS Comfort Dedicated in San Diego The second Navy hospital ship, the USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), was dedicated Aug. 15 at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) in San Diego, Calif. The primary mission of the USNS Comfort, a converted 90,000 DWT tanker, will be to provide full medical upport to the Defense Department's Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force. It will be part of Military Sealift Command' Strategic Sealift Force. As a secondary mi sion, the 894-foot Comfort will provide full hospital service to other government agencies involved in disaster relief. The Comfort will be manned and operated by MSC civilian mariners. The ship will also have a Naval medical contingent on board. The Comfort will be homeported in Baltimore, Md. �USNS SPICA'S Special Delivery The USNS Spica, an MSCPAC logistics ship deployed in the Western Pacific, delivered about 300 tons of materials to rebuild shattered communities on four Micronesian Islands which were declared a disaster area earlier this year by President Reagan. The Spica delivered plywood, concrete mix , prefabricated boards and nails to Fals, Fallalop, Fassaral and Mogmog, smashed by a tropical storm in January. Safety and Health Training After Reagan's declaration, funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency bought the goods. With Helicopter Detachment 5 from Guam, the Spica carried them to the islands located 350 miles southwest of Guam. Because there are not deep water ports around the islands, two CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters made 200 ship-toshore airlifts. The islands are part of the state of Yap, one of the four federated states of Micronesia. If you don't lift and load the right way-and if you fail to adhere to basic safety precautions in a warehouse-you're likely to become a job injury statistic. To make sure that doesn't happen at MSCPAC, Safety Specialist Alvin Humphrey, right, recently conducted 16 hours of occupational safety and health training to command warehouse employees. Topics included in the course were hazardous material handling, back injury prevention, and sight and hearing conservation. Proudly displaying their certificates of training are (I. to r.) D. Almonte, Herb Barker, Tony Gonzales, Bob Lopez, A. Vasquez, Dave Camacho and Tony Garcia. Procedure Change at MSCPAC MSCPAC Commander, Capt. William T. Dannheim, left, congratulates AB Robert Snyder on his retirement after 43 years of combined government service. Snyder received a plaque from the secretary of the Navy in ceremonies held recently at MSC PAC headquarters in Oakland, Calif. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS A change in procedure for marine employees who are awaiting shipboard assignment at MSCPAC will require that mariners in the MSCPAC Marine Placement and Receiving Branch (POOL) avail themselves at NSC, Building #310 for eight hours each day from 0800-1200, 1230-1630 Monday through Friday. For the past 25 years, mariners who were assigned to the POOL were allowed to leave a little early in order to beat the traffic. Also, it gave members of the MSCPAC staff an opportunity to get out on time, which is KNOW YOUR RIGHTS SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively hy the contracts between the Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available in all Union halls. If you feel there has been any violation of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the contracts between the Union and the employers, notify the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail. return receipt requested. The proper address for this is: Angus "Red" Campbell Chairman, Seafarers Appeals Board 5201 Auth Way and Britannia Way Prince Georges County Camp Springs, Md. 20746 Full copies of contracts as referred to are available to you at all times, either by writing directly to the Union or to the Seafarers Appeals Board. CONTRACTS. Copies of all SIU contracts are available in all SIU halls. These contracts specify the wages and conditions under which you work and live aboard your ship or boat. Know you; contract rights, as well as your obligations, such as filing for OT on the proper sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, any SIU While ths change will ensure an eight-hour day for mariners, it will also require an MSCPAC staff employee to remain on duty to check the mariners out. The SIU will meet with MSCPAC management on this change and keep the membership informed on the outcome. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in all Union halls. All memhers should obtain copies of this constitution so as to familiarize themselves with its contents. Any time you feel any member or officer is attempting to deprive you of any constitutional right or ohligation by any methods such a · dealing with charges. trials, etc., as well as all other details. then the member so affected should immediately notify headquarters. FINANCIAL REPORTS. The constitution of the SIU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District makes specific provision for safeguarding the membership's money and Union finances. The constitution requires a detailed audit by Certified Public Accountants every three months, which are to be submitted to the membership by the Secretary-Treasurer. A quarterly finance committee of rank and file members, elected by the membership, makes examination each quarter of the finances of the Union and reports fully their findings and recommendations. Member5 of this committee may make dissenting reports, specific recommendations and separate findings. TRUST FUNDS. All trust funds of the SIU Atlantic. Gulf. Lakes and Inland Waters District are administered in accordance with the provisions of various trust fund agreements. All these agreements specify that the trustees in charge of these funds shall equally consist of Union and management representatives and their alternates. All expenditures and disbursements of trust funds are made only upon approval hy a majority of the trustees. All trust fund financial records are available at the headquarters of the various trust funds. generally 1600 hours. All of a sudden, some MSCPAC efficiency expert has convinced the "Powers That Be" to extend quitting time for mariners who are idling their time away. EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal rights in employment and a members of the SIU. These rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the employers. Consequently, no member may be discriminated against because of race. creed. color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any memher feels that he i'i denied the equal rights to wh.ich he is entitled. he should notify Union headquarters. 11111111111111n1111111n1111111111111111n11111111111111111111111111111111un1111111111111111111111111111111 patrolman or other Union official, in your opinion, fails to protect your contract rights pr-0perly, contact the nearest SIU port agent. EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving the political purposes of any individual in the Union. officer or memher. It has al. o refrained from publishing articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed by membership action at the September. 1960. meetings in all constitutional port . The responsihility for Log policy is vested in an editorial board which consists of the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to carry out this respon ibility. PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unle s an official Union receipt is given for ame. Under no circumstances should any member pay any money for any reason unless he is given such receipt. In the event anyone attempts to require any such payment be made without supplying a receipt. or if a member is required to make a payment and is given an official receipt. but feels that he should not have been required to make such payment. this should immediately he reported to Union headquarters. SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION -SPAD. SPAD i a separate segregated fund. Its proceed are u ed to further its object and purposes including. but not limited to, furthering the political. social and economic interests of maritime workers. the preservation and furthering of the American Merchant Marine with improved employment opportunities for seamen and boatmen and the advancement of trade union concepts. In connection with such objects. SPAD support and contributes to political candidates for elective office. All contributions are voluntary. No contribution may be solicited or received because of force. job discrimination, financial repri al. or threat of such conduct. or as a condition of membership in the Union or of employment. If a contribution is made by reason of the ahove improper conduct. notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD hy certified mail within 30 days of the contribution for investigation and appropriate action and refund. if involuntary. Support SPAD to protect and further your economic, political and social interests. and American trade union concepts. If at any time a member feels that any of the above rights have been violated, or that he has been denied his constitutional right of access to Union records or infonnation, he should immediately notify SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail, return receipt requested. The ad~ is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia Way, Prince Georges County, Camp_Springs, Md. 20746. September 1987 I LOG I 11 �Dliaest of Ships Meetlinas ADONIS (Apex Marine), August 29Chairman B.G. Williams, Secretary Tobe Dansley Jr., Educational Director E. Figueroa. Everything is running smoothly with no beefs or disputed OT reported. The chairman expressed his thanks on behalf of the crew to President Drozak and all the vice presidents for "hanging tough on the new contract talks" and "for saving our few jobs that we do have left in the engine room. " He also encouraged all eligible members to attend upgrading courses at Piney Point. The secretary echoed his feelings, stating that he was glad to see President Drozak fighting the reflagging of the Kuwaiti tankers because "before you know it, we as American seamen won't have any ships left to man." He also stressed the importance of contributing to SPAD. The steward department was given a vote of thanks for a job well done. Next port: Texas City, Texas. ARCHON (Apex Marine), August 16Chairman A. Campbell, Secretary E. Vieira, Steward Delegate Henry Armstrong Jr. No beefs or disputed OT reported. The chairman noted that a telex was received last trip from headquarters informing the Archon that negotiations on the new contract were still under way. The vessel is expected to arrive in port for a payoff within three days if all goes well. A recommendation was made that all persons eating in the crew messhall who are not crewmembers be seated at a separate table in order to make sure there is available seating for crewmembers when they wish to eat. LAWRENCE H. GIANNELLA (Ocean Ships), August 22-Chairman A. Caulder, Secretary Kris Hopkins, Deck Delegate D. A. Clement, Engine Delegate Robert H. Caldwell, Steward Delegate Leon Butler. Some disputed OT was reported in the steward department. A letter was received from headquarters concerning 60-day reliefs. There is also a question as to why relief officers are received foreign but not crew. Next port: Eagle Point, N.J. PFC EUGENE A. OBREGON (V-14/ TC) (Waterman SS Corp./MSC), August ?-Chairman Bill Kratsas, Secretary Lee De Parlier, Educational Director Ronnie Harian. No disputed OT reported. All beefs will be taken up with the boarding patrolman. Charles Clausen, Union rep from Piney Point, held a special ship's meeting relating to OJT credit for UNREP experience as well as the adjustment of transportation time. Brother Clausen also talked about the SMU, and the crew response was favorable. The membership seemed pleased with his representation. The educational director noted that films have been shown covering CPR, UNREP and other MSC activities. He does, in addition, request tapes of the monthly headquarters meetings which could be shared by a number of ships. One suggestion made was that headquarters review the onboard training for accreditation for UNREP endorsement. The vessel has had four UNREPs, and crewmembers feel they are fully qualified for endorsement and suggest the Union train members who have not been exposed to UNREP. The crew also has had more than 200 helicopter operations with "well done" by the Navy. "It shows that hands-on experience works." A collection was taken up for flowers for New Orleans Port Captain Traylor's wife's funeral. They were dispatched with condolences. One minute of silence was observed in memory of our departed brothers and sisters. Next port: Las Palmas, Canary Islands. ROBERT E. LEE (Watennan SS Corp.), August 4-Chairman John W. Kelsoe, Secretary B. Guarino, Educational Director R. Griffin, Deck Delegate Michael Stephen Pell, Engine Delegate C.M. King Jr., Steward Delegate Ramon Jackson. No beefs or disputed OT. One man was taken off ship in Singapore. His replacement is expected to board the vessel in the Suez Canal. The bosun suggested that everyone read the LOG to keep up-to-date on the state of the Union and of the maritime industry. He also stressed the importance of SPAD donations. A suggestion was made that a new rule be established requiring SIU members to test for AIDS when taking their yearly physical exams. A vote of thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done. One minute Port Date Piney Point .............. Monday, October 5 ...... . . . . ... ...... 10:30 New York ............... Tuesday, October 6 ................. . . 10:30 Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, Oct<?ber 7 ....... .... ..... I0:30 Baltimore ................ Thursday. October 8 .................. 10:30 Norfolk ................. Thursday. October 8 ........... . ...... 10:30 Jacksonville .............. Thursday, October 8 . .. ............... 10:30 Algonac ................. Friday, October 9 .................... 10:30 Houston ................. Tuesday, October 13 .................. I0:30 New Orleans ............. Tuesday, October 13 .................. 10:30 Mobile .................. Wednesday, October 14 ............... 10:30 San Francisco ............ Thursday, October 15 ................. 10:30 Wilmington .............. Monday, October 19 .................. 10:30 Seattle .................. Friday, October 23 ................... 10:30 San Juan ................ Thursday. October 8 .................. 10:30 St. Louis ................ Friday, October 16 ................... 10:30 Honolulu ................ Thursday, October 15 .. ............... 10:30 Duluth .................. Wednesday, October 14 ............... 10:30 Jersey City ............... Wednesday, October 21 ............... 10:30 New Bedford ............. Tuesday, October 20 .................. 10:30 of silence was observed in memory of our departed brothers and sisters. Next ports: New York and Norfolk, Va. SAM HOUSTON (Waterman SS Corp.), August 9-Chairman H. Leake, Secretary G.T. Aquino, Educational Director P. Walker. No beefs or disputed OT. The ship's fund was used to purchase a new VCR for the crew's use to tape movies. The bosun read all communications received from headquarters. He also stressed the need for more seafarers to upgrade their skills so that the Union can always have qualified men and women to fill available shipboard jobs. The steward talked about the upcoming national election and stressed the need to try and elect candidates who are for a strong maritime policy. He said to get out and work to support your candidates. "Collectively we are a strong force and should be recognized and treated as such." The steward thanked the crew for helping keep the messroom and pantry clean and wished everyone a good trip and safe voyage. The crew, in turn, gave a unanimous vote of thanks to the steward and his department for a job well done, especially the fine menus. One minute of silence was stood in memory of our departed brothers and STAR OF TEXAS (Seahawk Management), August 15--Chairman W. Cronan, Secretary l.R. Fletcher, Educational Director M. Cole, Deck Delegate Lewis Madara, Engine Delegate Michael J. Coyle. No disputed OT. The chairman noted that it has been a very smooth voyage. Payoff will take place Aug . 17 in Norfolk, Va. At that time the question of pay for four crewmembers in lieu of time off will be referred to the patrolman. Everyone was asked to participate in the political activities of the Union and also to take advantage of the upgrading opportunities at Piney Point. The toasters will be repaired while in port, and the VCR will be replaced at that time as well. A vote of thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done. Next port: Norfolk, Va. Official ships minutes also were received from the following vessels: OVERSEAS BOSTON PHILADELPHIA SEA-LAND LEADER SEA-LAND PRODUCER SPIRIT OF TEXAS The Manulani (Matson) in the port of Honolulu. 12 I LOG I September 1987 a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. a. m. a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. sisters. Next ports: Alexandria, Egypt and Newport News, Va. Sailing into Honolulu The SIU-contracted T -AGOS vessel USNS Assertive was recently photographed in the Honolulu shipyard. Deep Sea Lakes, Inland Waters The Charles L. Brown ties up at the pier in Honolulu. �SIUNA Looks to Future with Hope and New Programs Drozak Proposes New Structure To Meet Challenges of 1990s fb:·.,: : : : :, -: SIUNA President Frank Drozak opened the convention with a call for "a new effort" to meet the challenges of the 1990s and beyond. AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland 'There Will Always Be a Need For a Strong Labor Moveinent' After thanking the SIU for its strong support and outlining recent AFL-CIO victories involving the air traffic controllers and Coors Beer. Lane Kirkland launched into a spirited defense of the labor movement and the American-flag merchant marine. Kirkland summed up the entire tone of the convention when he addressed the administration's decision to reflag 11 Kuwaiti tankers. ··we are not just reflagging ships in the Persian Gulf," he said, .. we are reflagging the American economy.'' At the close of his speech, Kirkland presented SIUNA President Frank Drozak with a replica of a bust of George Meany. The original bust had been commissioned for the recentlyopened archives at the George Meany Center in Silver Spring, Md. Following are excerpts from Kirkland's address to the convention: .. What labor's detractors never seem to understand is that there will always be a need for unions to give a voice to workers' aspirations and to defend and advance their standard of living. 'The shortage of good jobs, the rise of unfair foreign competition, the illconceived rush to deregulation, the deterioration of our infrastructure, and the emergence of a predatory class of corporate raiders who leave their victims debt-ridden shells of their former selves-all of these forces today threaten the American standard of living. "In the 1986 elections, which changed control of the U.S. Senate, we served notice that union votes and volunteers are still a force to be reckoned with. ••In this session of Congress, labor has done a lot to protect the rights of workers, but our most important legislative success has come on the issue of trade, where we not only got a bill with teeth in it through the House, but we also won provisions in the Senate on plant-closings. 'The trade deficit is just one more piece of evidence in the indictment against the current administration's mismanagement of the federal government ... Having taken on a staggering load of debt, the executive branch has no plan except to sell off the family silver and cut back on services to the people. "We are not just reflagging ships in the Persian Gulf, we are reflagging the American economy. It is a sad day (Continued on Page 14.) Piney Point, Md. . . . Faced with a growing crisis in America's maritime and industrial sectors, delegates to the 1987 Triennial Convention of the Seafarers International Union of North America took steps that will lead to the restructuring of the 49-year-old trade union to meet the challenges of today's economic realities. Acting on the unanimous recommendation of the SIUN A Executive Board, the delegates voted to form a special committee which would examine the international' s present structure with the specific goal of streamlining operations, reducing costs and maintaining the international' s unblemished record of protecting the job security of its members. In discussing the proposed restructuring, SIUN A President Frank Drozak noted the many changes that have engulfed the American economy and the world marketplace, and the "remarkable ability" of "the SIUNA specifically, and much of the labor movement generally . . . to adapt as the circumstances warrant.'' The special committee is scheduled to present its findings before Aug. 31, 1988, after which time a special convention will be called to vote on its recommendations. The special committee will be chaired by SIUN A President Frank Drozak and will include Secretary-Treasurer Joseph DiGiorgio and the following SIUNA vice presidents: Henry "Whitey,., Disley, Paul Dempster, Nicanor Rios, George Beltz, Jack Tarantino, Gilbert Gauthier, Roman Gralewicz, Mike Sacco, Mark Coles and Roy "Buck" Mercer. The 300 delegates who attended the convention represented 80,000 workers from 18 affiliated unions. They met to assess the developments that have occurred since the last convention, and to come up with a five-year program to promote the job security of their members. The delegates expressed confidence in the strong leadership provided by SIUNA President Frank Drozak and Secretary-Treasurer Joseph DiGiorgio by re-electing them by acclamation. It was Drozak' s second full term and DiGiorgio's sixth. Re-elected unanimously to the SIUNA Executive Board were Vice Presidents Robert Abata, George Beltz, Jack Caffey, Mark Coles, Paul Dempster, Henry "Whitey" Disley, Steve Edney, John Fay, Gilbert Gauthier, Roman Gralewicz, Conrado Hernandez, Roy "Buck" Mercer, George McCartney, Nicanor Rios, Michael Sacco and Jack Tarantino. Also elected at the convention were two new vice presidents, Augie Tellez and Don Anderson. Reftagging the U.S. Speaking on the third and final day of the convention, AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland summed up the mood of the delegates when he castigated the administration's decision to re flag 11 Kuwaiti tankers. "The administration is not just reflagging ships in the Persian Gulf," said Kirkland, "it is reflagging the American economy.'' The delegates acted on 60 resolutions covering a wide range of issues, including three which are currently the focus of the SIUNA's legislative efforts: the reflagging of the 11 Kuwaiti tankers; the ongoing free trade discussions between the United States and Canada, and this nation's growing trade deficit. Repeated references were made to the conservative, anti-labor mood that has dominated this country over the past three years and the threats that have arisen to the viability of maritime and other basic American industries. Drozak stressed in his keynote address that 1988 will be an election year and that organized labor could make a comeback if union members made a special effort to become politically involved. Many of the guest speakers who addressed the convention noted that the political climate in this country was already changing, and that the time was ripe for labor and maritime to play an important role in setting this nation's social and economic agenda. SMU Reports Progress Representatives from the newlyformed Seafarers Maritime Union sent delegates to the convention. Reporting on the progress of the new affiliate, Jerry Joseph said that SMU gives licensed and unlicensed seamen a chance to protect their job security. ''The new union is a joint effort between District 2-MEBA and the SIUAGLIWD. It now represents seamen on five vessels . . . and expects to grow considerably." The report submitted by Joseph was accepted by a near-unanimous vote of the convention, with only delegates from the Sailors Union of the Pacific dissenting. New Film Previewed AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland deplored the reflagging of Kuwait ships, and the rise of unfair foreign competition. One of the high points of the convention occurred at the end of the second day, when the delegates saw the premiere of a new film. (Continued on Page 14.) September 1987ILOGI13 �Drozak Accepts Meany Meinorial Bendey Points Out "30 Years of AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland presented SI UN A President Frank Drozak with a bust of George Meany. The original was created by Bob Burke, who is one of this nation's most eminent sculptors. The work wa commissioned by the AFL-CIO to commemorate the opening of the George Meany Archives, which opened recently at the AFLCIO 's Labor Study Center in Silver Spring, Md. Tl's Henry Says: Government Is Missing Partner In introducing James Henry to the delegates, SIUNA President Frank Drozak said that Henry and the organization he heads, the Transportation Institute, were living proof ''that when it comes to promoting the maritime industry, management and labor can put aside their differences." base . . . We need to en ure skilled manpower for the next century. Brol~en Delegates to the SIUNA Convention gave Helen Bentley (R-Md.) a standing ovation when she entered the hall. They were aware of her long support of the maritime industry. As a reporter on The Baltimore Sun, she was one of the country's leading maritime journalists. Named Federal Maritime Commissioner during the Nixon administration, she fought for enactment of promotional programs which led directly to the construction of nearly 100 American-flag vessels. She looks on her tour of duty in the Nixon administration with pride, e pecially since it was ' 'the only administration since the end of World War II to do anything constructive for the American-flag merchant marine." A Republican, Bentley was elected to the House of Representatives from a heavily Democratic district in Baltimore on the strength of her wellknown commitment to the maritime industry. She has achieved a solid record of accomplishments during her first four years in Congress, especially in the area of cargo preference and fair trade. Earlier this year, she was singled out by The Baltimore Sun for her tireless efforts on behalf of the port of Baltimore. Following are excerpts from her remarks to the convention: ''It felt good to walk into this room and see these signs calling for fair trade and renewal of the maritime industry. They represent a lot of what I've been fighting for these past two- Pronllses" and-a-half years in Congress and before. "I've been here a long time ... Thirty-seven years ago when I started to cover congressional hearings in D. C., the story was the same: the lament of the decline of the American-flag merchant marine. "When I was elected to Congress in 1984, I was not surprised to hear the same refrain . . . ''We need a national maritime policy" ... "Maritime is facing the worst depression of the post war era. There's been 30 years of broken promises by five administrations. Only one did something, and that was the administration in which I served, the Nixon administration. It did not give us cargo, but it gave us ships. It was the only one since World War II to take us seriously. "We've had 11 new tankers added to the U.S. flag, but that's not good. The U.S. has become a flag of convenience. ''Cargo is at the heart of our maritime program. I've led the fight on cargo preference laws. I thought that we should get some cargoes due to us by law. "I've studied the cargo preference violations. The most disturbing thing is the attitude of certain bureaucrats. I am astonished by their indifference. Their animosity toward the maritime industry . . . is so entrenched as to be almost institutional in nature. "I've often said that we need a U.S. desk at the State Department.'' Thanking Henry for the work he has done on behalf of the industry, and congratulating him on his recent appointment as president of the Transportation Institute, Drozak stressed that the future of the maritime industry would be decided in the halls of Congress and in the offices of the federal agencies. Following are excerpts from Henry's address to the convention: Management, labor and government: we need all three. Lose one element and an industry's health declines. In maritime, one element is missing: government. Contrary to popular belief, the administration ha a maritime program-it is to put maritime completely out of business and put American seamen on the beach. We need to look to the future. We in maritime need to call the shots ... on this nation's maritime policy. There are answers to our shrinking maritime Rep. Helen Bentley told delegates that "Maritime is facing the worst depression in more than 30 years." At left is SIUNA Secretary-Treasurer Joe DiGiorgio, and at right is Legislative Director Frank Pecquex. SIUNA Looks to the Future James L. Henry U.S. Needs Strong Labor Movelllent (Continued from Page 13.) indeed when the Stars and Stripe has become a flag of convenience. "It is not as if there are no American ships or seamen to do the job. More than 40 tankers in our own fleet are available to transport oil from Kuwait-and their crews are the best trained mariners in the world becau e many of them would have come from the Harry Lundeberg School. 'The administration has pent billions of dollars on exotic weaponry, but they are leaving us without the ships to carry men and guns and tanks to the trouble spots of the real world. "The U.S. has lost more than 160 14 I LOG I September 1987 ships ince President Reagan as urned office ... The Soviet fleet' 7 ,000 ves els rank second to Liberia. But unlike Liberia, many of tho e Soviet ships can easily be converted to military u e. ''As the election year of 1988 approache , we have a golden opportunity to help bring about a ba ic change in our national cour e. To that end, we have launched our Democracy at Work project. ''As long as this country remains a democracy, we intend to see that labor's votes are counted, that labor's voice is heard, and that labor's views are heeded.'' (Continued from Page 13.) Entitled On Our Watch, the 55minute film was a moving synopsis of the history of the maritime industry from the early fight for civil rights to the industry's current life-and-death truggle to stay afloat in an era of government cutbacks and foreign competition. The film is now being edited and will be made available to promote the economic and legislative goals of our Union. Taken as a whole, survival was the unofficial theme of the convention. In hundreds of different way , the delegates and peakers at the convention were asking the same question: How do labor unions protect the job security of their membership in an era of increasing foreign competition? "A we search for creative, flexible re ponses to the challenges of today and tomorrow," said Drozak, "we must never lo e sight of the values and traditions on which our Labor Movement was built . . . We gain strength from our unity of purpose and the application of democratic trade union principles." The 1987 SIUNA Convention, held at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School in Piney Point, Md., came at an historic time in the history of the maritime industry. This year marks the 50th anniverary of the NMU; 1988 will mark the 50th anniversary of the SIUNA. As if to underscore that point, the pictures of Harry Lundeberg, Paul Hall and Andrew Furuseth gazed down upon the delegates as they pondered a course of action for the coming years. Delegates voted to amend the SIUNA Constitution and to hold conventions every five years instead of every three years. The next SIUNA Convention will be held in 1992. �Free Trade Talks, Canada Pact is No Place For Maritillle Issues The 1987 Triennial Convention of the SIUNA gave the leaders of two major maritime unions in the United States and Canada a chance to fashion ajoint statement on the proposed U.S.Canada Free Trade Pact. Frank Drozak, president of the SIUNA, and Roman Gralewicz, president of the SIU of Canada, issued letters to U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney stating that American and Canadian programs are being "needlessly placed in jeopardy'' by the two countries' rush to complete a free trade agreement. In their letters, Drozak and Gralewicz urged that maritime issues be removed from current trade negotiations. "The complex nature of the maritime industry,'' said the two labor leaders, "and its relationship -to the security of both nations and the collective security of the western alliance, is neither understood nor appreciated by those charged with negotiating the agreement. Referring to the failure of both the Mulroney and Reagan administrations to ask for input from the representatives of their respective maritime industries, Drozak and Gralewicz said, ''Those with proper expertise to gauge the implications of altering existing policy are unfortunately removed from the process." D-2's Joseph Explains SMU Will GrowProvide Opportunity For All Seafarers Jerry Joseph, a vice-president of District 2-Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, is also an official of the new Seafarers Maritime Union. He presented SMU' s committee report to the SIUNA Convention. Following are excerpts from his remarks. "Late last year, the SIU-AGLIWD issued a charter to the Seafarers Maritime Union, the SMU, which is the result of a cooperative joint effort between the SIU and District 2-MEBA. "SMU is designed to meet the challenges of the ever-facing job opportunities in our maritime industry, and to guarantee that the SIU and District 2 will continue as an active participant in the U.S. industry. "Presently, SMU represents all shipboard seafarers working aboard five deep-sea vessels and 28 inland water vessels. SMU expects that in the months to come the number will grow. "SMU was conceived in good faith and is a joint effort to revitalize job opportunities on a long-term basis to members of our community. It preserves the jobs that each partner holds for its members while building a competitive work force. "SMU will not enter into any agreement with anyone which will cause existing SIU or District 2 contracted companies to be non-competitive. SMU is making possible long talked-about concepts such as the opportunity for unlicensed seamen to become officers SIUNA Frank Drozak opens convention with a call for "a new organization to meet new challenges." From left are Jean Ingrao, executive secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department; Drozak; SIUNA General Counsel Howard Schulman; SIUNA Secretary-Treasurer Joe DiGiorgio and Legislative Director Frank Pecquex. Drozak Ready for Grassroots Action Trade Bill and 88 Election Top SIU Priorities SIUN A President Frank Drozak focused on issues that affect job security while chairing the 1987 Triennial SIUNA Convention. Discussing the decline of both the American-flag merchant marine and this country's industrial base, President Drozak pledged to intensify his efforts to secure a trade bill that would reverse the drain of American economy. ''Trade is shaping up as the single most important issue of the IOOth Congress," he said. Drozak detailed the reflagging of the 11 Kuwaiti tankers, the ongoing free trade talks between the United States and Canada and the importance of political activity. He praised the SIUNA's grassroots political efforts and said, "In 1988, I hope that we in the Labor Movement can select and support a candidate who believes in our ideas." While Drozak said that the new political climate and the upcoming elections offered hope for some kind of economic renewal, he did not pull his punches about the problems that the working people of thi country still face. In maritime, for instance, most American-flag companies are in "a life-and-death struggle for survival," he said. An important topic of discussion at the convention was the formation of a new SIUN A affiliate, the Seafarers Maritime Union (SMU). Drozak emphasized that SMU offered unlicensed seamen a "very real opportunity" to protect their job security. The two determining factors in the formation of SMU, he said, were the promotional cutbacks authorized by the Reagan administration, which have jeopardized the very existence of an American-flag merchant marine, and the attacks that the licensed unions have made on the jurisdictional rights of unlicensed unions. "Is it not right for us to make an attempt to protect our own jurisdiction?" asked Drozak. The SIUAGLIWD was forced to respond to ongoing efforts by the MM&P and District 1-MEBA to form their own top-to-bottom organizations. If the SIU- AGLIWD did not respond, he said, then the job security of its membership would have been compromised, if not lost entirely. As for criticism of SMU by other unlicensed organizations, Drozak had these things to ay. "We believe that you have to look at what has happened in the industry. Since 1960, unlicensed seamen have had to bear the brunt of manning reductions and wage cutbacks. ''Is that fair?'' he asked as he noted the growing disparity between licensed and unlicensed wages. What SMU does, said Drozak, is to give unlicensed seamen a chance to make a meaningful career in the maritime industry, with the opportunity to go all the way to the top. Now that manning reductions have reduced job opportunities for all seamen, this is an important consideration. Ake Selander and Frank Drozak discuss problems of "open registries." '• Jerry Joseph without changing unions and without losing benefits. It also provides permanent jobs for all ratings, which stabilizes the work force. ''During our brief history there have been numerous shipboard promotions from unlicensed to licensed positions. SMU has its own constitution, shipping rules and all other assets of a bona fide labor organization. "Our contract provides permanent jobs ... I feel strongly that SMU is the right way to go to preserve for the SIU that which is theirs and for District 2 that which is theirs." ITF Fights Open Flags Ake Selander, assistant general secretary, International Transport Workers Federation, has dedicated his life to improving the working conditions of seamen worldwide. He views open-flag registries as a threat to that security and has lobbied against them. In addition, he has led the international fight against the reflagging of the 11 Kuwaiti tankers. Following are excerpts from his address to the convemion: "The SIU has always been held in good terms at the ITF . . . You are known for your leaders-Paul Hall, Bull Shephard, and now Frank Drozak ''There has been a tremendous growth in the flag-of-convenience fleets ... Not only do they not honor the flag, they mock it ... ''Texaco has a Liberian-flagged vessel carrying oil for Iran . . . and there are Swedish-owned but foreign-flagged companies carrying goods to South Africa even though Sweden forbids it. "The picture is dismal for all maritime companies . . . The bottom line is this: We in the ITF need you and you need us." September 1987 I LOG I 15 �cenes from t (Left to right) John Crivello, Walter Smith, Patricia Smith, Phyllis Orlando, Mike Orlando, Terry Hoinsky, and Clem Pasquarella (Terry's nephew). The culinary staff at the Seafarers Harry them crewmembers on the S.S. Independen job in serving the nearly 300 delegates and Thomasson, Hedley Harnum, Roman (From left) Betty Smith, Margaret Slay, James Slay, and waitress Linda Wathen. Fisherman's Union: (From left) Jack and Mrs. Tarantino, Jo Hoinsky, and Mike Bono. ,:~... ~,. United Industrial Workers: (From left) Edward Dale, Delbert Zwolle, David Morgan, Amos Peters and Cuthbert Jones, with waitress Sharon Eglinton. 16 I LOG I September 1987 Behind-the-Scenes-Team-That-Made-the-Convention-Run: (Fro Brown, Edwin Schmidt, Maria Schmidt, and Marna Wattenb �0 • ventw Kathleen Adams and Tom Doran. Lundeberg School of Seamanship, many of ce and S.S. Constitution, did an outstanding ~uests who attended the SIUNA Convention. n and Josephine Crivello, Mike and Phyllis Orlando, Terry "~.. lit~\ Headquarters and New York were represented by (from left) Tom Soresi, "Red" Campbell, Marie Campbell, Kathy Horn, and Eddie Doruth. left) Jean lngrao, Joanne Herrlein, Einar Petursson, Frances rg. Headquarters Staff: (From left) Augie Tellez, Keri Knight, Mike Neumann, Joyce Sanford, Brian Doherty, and Deborah Porter. September 1987 I LOG I 17 -...... �- -..... Rep. Ed Feighan Tells Delegates Mike Sacco Explains SIU Has Clout on Capitol Hill Lack of Cargo Hurts Inland One of the labor's closest friends in Congress, Rep. Edward Feighan (DOhio) has been a leading supporter of the American-flag merchant marine. Praising the SIU for its hard work and leadership, Feighan gave a brief rundown on the issues that confront the maritime industry. Here are some excerpts from his address: ''Thanks to the work of people like Frank Drozak, Marianne Rogers, and my hometown SIU representative, Marty Vittardi, the Seafarers have been heard in the halls of Congress. Make no mistake about it: Congress stands behind the Seafarers. ''Congratulations on the recent ruling of the U.S. District Court regarding World War II benefits . . . Without a strong and brave merchant marine, we wouldn't have won World War SIUNA Vice President Mike Sacco delivered the report on the Inland Boatmen's Organization and Grievance Committee. What follow are highlights from his report. "Since our last triennial convention, the inland tug and barge indu try has weathered through a recession of profound dimensions. Many factors have contributed to this decline. However, they all share a common denominator-lack of cargo. "Despite the general downturn in the industry, our Union has grown to protect our membership. One example of this success is the Louisiana-based Orgulf Transport Company which increased the number of its vessel from three to 19 since the last convention. Crescent Towing has also expanded, and the SIU banner can now be seen in Pensacola, Fla. , where Admiral Towing provides services for the U.S. Navy. "In addition to aggressively seizing the opportunity to expand , the SIU has fought to preserve existing markets. When ... Radcliff Materials was challenged by environmental interests in an attempt to suspend their shell dredging permits in Louisiana and Alabama, the SIU successfully marshalled its forces at the state level to preserve the dredging permits. "Despite all our uccesses, this Union still has to fight to protect our legal right against ome anti-union tug operators. SIUNA Vice President Augustin Tellez reports to the convention on the state of the SIU's A&G District. Tellez, who was elected vice president at the convention, is located in the Camp Springs' headquarters building when he is not on the road directing the Union's servicing teams, and meeting with members of the Seafarers Maritime Union. Congressman Feighan poses with Frank Drozak following his address to the convention. II ... or ... have fed a starving Europe after the War ... or have been a leader of the Free World. "Today's threats are more subtle than the ones we faced in World War II , but the long-term effects may be just as severe. I don' t have to tell you about the harm that unfair foreign competition visits on American workers and their families. ' 'This week negotiators from the U.S. and Canada are itting down to draft a free trade agreement, and their re ults must be submitted to Congress by Oct. 5 ... Even though my district on the shores of Lake Erie is one of the few areas of the country that actually has a trade surplus with Canada ... I'm not willing to support an agreement that sells the Seafarers down the river. ''A Free Trade Pact sounds like a neighborly idea, but in practice it would decimate our own Jones Act fleet and give Canadian shippers unprecedented access to our $10 billion domestic maritime market ... Once the free trade agreement is put on the table, all of our current maritime programs could be put into serious jeopardy.'' New V.P. Anderson Reports Fishing Industry Faces Crisis The SIUN A represents workers from a wide range of industries, from seamen and dockside workers to sugar workers, professionals and service and industrial employees. Maritime is not the only industry to suffer since the last SIUNA Convention. Another such industry is the fishing and fish cannery industry. Don Anderson 18 I LOG I September 1987 Don Anderson, port agent in Wilmington, Calif., and a newly-elected SIUNA vice president, read the committee report on the fishing and fish cannery industry. Here are some excerpts: "There has been a ubstantial decline in the Pacific tuna industry since our last convention. Thousands of skilled American workers have been di placed ... "In New Bedford, the SIUNA was forced into a strike action in 1985. The Union was able to sign up 60 percent of the fishing vessels ... and activities continue." But many problems confront U.S. fishermen .... "Canadian fish are flooding the market, and the auction house in New Bedford is inadequate. American fish products are required by law to undergo two fish inspections, but foreign-caught fish are not. "We need congressional action to correct the many problems we face: unequal tuna tariffs, loopholes which allow foreign fish processing ves els in the American trade, prohibitive liability insurance rates, and the high accident rate onboard American-flag vessels." Mike Sacco "Our battle are not restricted to the courts. The SIU is fighting in the halls of Congress in regards to a number of issues including the imposition of user fees for Coa t Guard services. " The SIU was also involved in the fight to get the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 signed into law. (And) like the deep-sea industry, mililtary work is a vital element to our survival. "The SIU has devoted substantial resources to in ure that we 'II continue to be able to supply properly trained seamen to the branches of the military." Rep. Joe Gaydos Calls Fleet "Small and Inadequate" Rep. Joseph Gaydos (D-Pa.) devoted much of his address to the convention to analyzing the nation's growing trade deficits and the disastrous effect they are having on basic American industries. A leading member of the Congressional Steel Caucus, Gaydos aid that maritime and steel are f&cing similar problems: closed markets, heavily subsidized foreign competitors, an indifferent administration. A close friend of the SIUN A, he said that the administration needs to reaffirm its support of the 1936 Merchant Marine Act. He admoni hed the administration for its refiagging of the 11 Kuwaiti tankers, and said that maritime must be taken off the bargaining table at the free trade negotiations between the United States and Canada. Following are excerpts from his speech: "In 1976 there were 450,000 teel jobs and 22, 700 maritime jobs. In 1987, there were only 120,000 steel jobs and 14,300 maritime jobs ... "The number of ships has declined from 521 just six years ago to 364 today ... Part of the decline i due to unfair trade. Part is also due to our failure to come up with a comprehenive industrial program ... "Forty-five countrie reserve cargo ... Our major trading partners have subsidies , tax advantages, protective measures .... "There are at least a dozen maritime bills before Congress this session . . . Many in the House just don't understand the link between strong, ba ic industries and American defense ... ' 'The administrationjust doesn't understand the importance of the merchant marine ... or the 1936 Merchant Marine Act ... Our small, inadequate merchant fleet is not capable of sustaining us in time of war." President Drozak ponders the remarks of Congressman Gaydos. �". . . It is a sad day indeed when the Stars and Stripes has become a flag of convenrence . . . " Lane Kirkland Barber's ohert Pouch 'SIU Is Connnitted to Professionalisin' In introducing Robert Pouch , president of Barber Steamship Line, SIUNA President Drozak said that the young executive " brings new blood to maritime in the United States.'' As president Barber Steamship Lines . Pouch represents one of the few bu 'nessmen willing to invest new money into the American-flag merchant marine. That may be due to the fact that he is something of an anomaly in today's busines world: he has actually worked onboard a vessel, which gives him a commitment that many of today's corporate executives do not have. Pouch explored the present condition of the American-flag merchant marine in a thoughtful, considered address to the convention. "What we [at Barber Steamship] have done over the last two years," he said, "is to de11elop a new entry into the American-flag shipping industry. Following are excerpts from his remarks: "If we are going to be in it for the fight to be successful , we have got to get rid of what I call stereotyped views of shipping, and I have seen it in mangement . . . in . . . board of directors ... in investors. [And] I have seen it in government ... in bankers . . . and even shareholders. That is ... in my experience having been a seafarer and having had to persuade people to invest large sums of money in shipping, is that everyone ... looks at the ship as the whole package. " I just want to tell you that Barber Ship Management has a different approach. Our system has been built on the assumption that our people are the true products that we have to offer in the marketplace. "In today's very competitive environment, our product is based on professionalism and an efficient squared-away operation ... Our customers appreciate good performance, and that is exactly what we're going to give them. ''This . . . policy really requires that every single person in our system, whether they work afloat or ashore, is aware of and understands these objectives. "People are really at the heart of our system and I can really see and I can feel the SIU' s commitment to training, to education and to professionalism. It must have taken an enormous amount of planning and energy for people like Paul Hall, Earl Shephard, Frank Mongelli and Paul and Frank Drozak to bring the Harry Lundeberg School here from a dream into reality. ' ' Robert ouch, president of Barber Steamship Line, praised SIU's "commitment to training, to education, to professionalism." Melvin ff. Pelfrey, MEBA District 2 executive vice president for the Great Lakes, talks with Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III following Humphrey's address to the convention. - Hubert H. Humphrey III "The Blaine for MaritL"llle's Decline Does Not Rest With The \lrorkers" The current attorney general for the state of Minnesota, Hubert H. Humphrey III carries a distinguished family name. His father was one of this country's leading voices for progressive reform. If the SIU has its way , the Senate will once again include the distinguished Humphrey name among its r ter of member . In hi peech at the SIUNA Convention, Humphrey announced he was going to run for the Senate next year and addressed his strong belief that the American people have begun to realize the important role that the federal government can play in promoting the common good. What follows are excerpts from his address: ''The Seafarers Union has for decades been one of the most politically active unions in this country. Your leaders have not only ably represented workers in the maritime industry, but you've also done more than anyone else could have to help working people throughout this country. ''After six-and-a-half long years, the American people are starting to realize that the current administration is both intellectually and morally bankrupt. I think we could also say financially they are not doing too well either, whether it's debt or a deficit or trade imbalance that unfortunately seems to be setting records all too often. ''They talk about national defense and American jobs. But then they set up shell corporations so they reftag Kuwaiti tankers without putting American seamen onboard or complying with American regulations. And they talk about democracy while they run a secret government in the White House basement, accountable to no one ... "Thirty years ago, U .S.-flag vessels tran ported 60 perent of this nation's foreign commerce. Now , today they carry less than 5 percent. " The SIU has led the way in reducing labor costs in the American shipping industry and has done more of its share to eliminate the unnecessary manning requirements to make the ships run in an efficient manner as possible. The blame for maritime' s decline does not rest with the workers. It rests with an administration that does not care about working people. "I say that our national security depends on a strong national economy-and a strong national economy based on well-trained, fully paid, fully employed working people. "What it really comes down to is, we've got to rebuild America. We've got to start putting our money back into something that returns something back to us . . . If you want to talk about being competitive and being productive, you'd better be able to get the product to where it's supposed to be delivered, whether it's on the ships or whether it's on the roads." Newly-elected officers and executive board of SIUNA take their oaths of office to begin their new five-year terms of office. The new officers are Frank Drozak, president; Joseph DiGiorgio, secretary-treasurc:c; and Vice Presidents Robert Abata, Don Anderson, George Beltz, Jack Caffey, Mark Coles, Paul Dempster, Henry Disley, Steve Edney, John Fa • Gilbert Gauthier, Roman Gralewicz, Conrado Hernandez, Roy "Buck" Mercer, George McCartney, Nicanor Rios, Michael Sacco, Jack Tarantino and Augustin Tellez. September 1987 I LOG I 19 �SIUNA Adopts Resolutions to Protect Workers Maritime Policy - The delegates to the convention support the enactment of programs to provide for an efficient and modem merchant fleet capable of meeting America's economic and security needs. These needs include an adequate pool of welltrained men and women who can be employed on commercial vessels and who will be available to assist the armed services in time of war or national emergency. National policies should be enacted that will ensure that American-flag carriers transport a significant share of the international commerce generated by the American economy. Therefore, the delegates to the convention will push vigorously for development and adoption of a comprehensive, long-range maritime policy. Any such policy shall include a reform of the subsidy program under which the merchant fleet operates, especially since no new subsidies have been authorized. Since the present administration took power, the American-flag merchant marine has declined precipitously. There is now a critical need for the renewal of the operating subsidy program to encourage the long-term revitalization of the U .S.-flag fleet. It is clear that America's present maritime policy is failing because of changes in international trade and cutbacks in subsidy programs for U.S. operators. The United States is being deprived of the resources that it needs to remain a viable power-oil, steel, a basic manufacturing capability, commercial shipping. If these national assets are critical to us in times of war, should thi country not have some kind of minimum resource in times of peace? The delegates therefore will work toward the enactment of a comprehensive national industrial policy which will ensure that this country maintains it economic viability. The Jones Act Since 1920, the Jones Act has been the foundation of domestic maritime policy. For 67 years, the U.S.-flag, Jones Act fleet has provided reliable, costeffective, waterborne transport for a wide range of carriers while simultaneously providing essential national security benefits. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the majority of militarily-useful tankers in the U.S. merchant marine sail in the coastwise trades. Despite this fact, the domestic cargo trades are continually threatened by those who would gut the Jones Act. Legislation has been introduced in Congress to repeal or weaken the Jones Act. Federal agencies often fail to implement the law. Accordingly, the 1987 Triennial Convention of the SIUNA urges Congress and the administration to forcefully reaffirm the integrity of the Jones Act and move expeditiously to close any and all loopholes, and to avoid unwarranted interpretation which will allow evasion of the Act. Reflagging of Kuwaiti Tankers Although the interests of the United States in the Persian Gulf are vital to the nation's security, and protection of neutral shipping is an important goal, the methods adopted to protect the flow of Kuwaiti oil are questionable. Important safety and inspection requirements were waived for the Kuwaiti tankers. In addition, in authorizing the reflagging of the Kuwaiti tankers, the administration ignored longstanding laws and policies that require U.S. citizen crews on U.S. flag-vessels. The willingness to ignore the requirements for flying the U.S. flag by the administration will certainly cause serious safety and national security problems in the future. Accordingly, the delegates to the 1987 SIUNA Triennial Convention object to the reflagging of the 11 Kuwaiti tankers. Ken Conklin, vice president of the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship, welcomed delegates to the convention. Health Care For nearly 30 years this country endeavored to make quality, affordable health care a reality for every American. In recent years, however, Americans have witnessed the steady erosion in much of this progress. Severe budgetary contraints instituted by the Reagan administration have crippled these health programs, as has an increasing resistance on the part of many employers to provide health care benefits to employees. Another problem currently facing Americans is the escalating costs of medical care. At a time when 37 million Americans have no health care coverage, this is very serious indeed. This country is in need of major changes in its health care system. The delegates to this convention strongly support measures for the restoration of coverage for those who have lost Medicaid and Medicare eligibility due to budget cuts; requirements that employers, as a condition of doing business, provide a minimum package of specified health care benefits to all workers and their dependents; cost containment measures which would provide acrossthe-board health care controls, and catastrophic health care protection which includes long-term care for the chronically ill-until such time as the enactment of a universal comprehensive national health insurance becomes a realty. Veterans' Benefits National Economy and Industrial Policy During the past several years, the U.S. economy has experienced record trade deficits, an unprecedented string of budget deficits, unemployment rates stuck at historically high levels during a period of expansion, and wave after wave of mergers, hostile take-overs and manipulation of the financial markets. This kink of economic turmoil has been accelerated by a national economic policy of nonintervention by federal policy makers. The result has been an abdication of responsibility for the long-term survival of our economy. The contributions made by merchant seamen to the national defense of this country cannot be overstated, especially during World War II, when merchant seamen suffered the second highest casualty rate of all U.S. service forces. Despite this, there has been no G.I. Bill, no honors and little recognition of their sacrifices. Once again, legislation has been introduced in the Congress which would be a significant step toward correcting this inequity. The delegates wholeheartedly support these efforts to provide merchant seamen who have risked their lives for the welfare of this country with veterans' benefits to which they are so deserving. U.S. Canada Free Trade SIUNA Legislative Director Frank Pecquex urges delegates to study the problems and to support the legislative goals of their Union. 20 I LOG I September 1987 The trading relationship between the United States and Canada is the largest in the world. Both nations currently are involved in the closed negotiations of what is referred to as the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The treaty is being negotiated pursuant to "fast track" authority, meaning that once the president signs it, the Senate may then either approve or disapprove it without any changes. Negotiations are reaching a critical stage. The disturbing possibility exists that maritime is being placed on the table as a bargaining chip. The SIUNA believes that U.S. maritime policies and promotional programs serve national security and domestic transportation needs, and that the laws of neither country should be jeopardized. The delegates to this convention, who represent workers in both Canada and the U.S., call on the removal of maritime promotional programs from the bargaining table of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement. �SIUNA Accepts Challenges of 1990's and Beyond Great Lakes Maritime Industry The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System, which extends 2,400 miles into the heartland of the continent, represents a significant yet underutilized re ource to our nation's maritime policy. AJthough prospects for the Great Lakes/Seaway System appear to be on the up wing due to increasing grain shipments, the Great Lakes maritime industry has historically suffered from declines in cargo tonnage, a diminished Great Lakes fleet, reduced maritime employment opportunitie and ever increasing user fees. Moreover, this water is rapidly becoming dominated by foreign-flag vessels. The delegates to this convention urge the adminstration to increase U.S.flag vessel service and employm~nt opportunities on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway System by reducing imports and expanding exports on U.S.-flag vessels. They also urge the governments of Canada and the United States to puruse all measure that will reduce costs to users of the Great Lakes/ St. Lawrence Seaway System in order to enhance the attractiveness and usage of that system, or to refrain from enacting laws or implementing policies that will not divert cargo and ships to foreign ports. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Decreasing U.S. production and increasing demand is allowing the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to recapture control of American oil markets. If this occurs, American consumers are like to experience sharply rising prices and possible supply disruptions. To avoid this, the United States should continue to take steps to become energy independent. An important step in achieving energy independence is to encourage domestic exploration. The Department of the Interior has estimated that perhaps 9.2 billion barrels of recoverable oil lie below the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and that this area is America's best chance for a major oil find. In addition, allowing development of the ANWR will be particularly beneficial for the national economy and the American-flag merchant marine, whose vessels will carry the oil to the lower 48 in case it is found. Accordingly, the delegates to this convention believe that achieving energy independence is an important goal. They urge Congress to take swift action to develop this oil, and to reserve all crude for domestic use to be carried on American-flag vessels. lnternation ra e The changes in international trade over the past decade have altered nearly every area of the economy. During the past 10 years, America has gone from a country with annual trade surpluses to a country with trade deficits that increase every year. As a result, America has become the largest debtor nation in the world. Maritime and many other American industries have declined as a result of a trade policy which prevents them from competing in a fair marketplace. There are a wide variety of international shipping practices that prevent U.S. flag vessels from competing. These practices include licensing regulations, technical restrictions, government control of commercial cargoes, government ownership and operation of vessels, and the abuse of cheap labor in unsafe and unacceptable working conditions. In addition to these problems, a number of foreign companies refuse to utilize American-flag carriers. An example of this is the refusal of Japanese and Korean automobile companies to widely use U.S.-flag vessels in the transportation of automobiles from Japan and Korea to American markets. It has been proven that U .S.-flag vessels can offer competitive service and competitive prices, but the auto exporting companies still refuse to use U.S.flag vessels for the transportation of automobiles. In addition to these barriers, many fleets operate with minimally trained d' Father Charles Mussey, pastor of St. George's Catholic Church in Valley Lee, Md., delivered the opening prayer as the convention began. At right is SIUNA Secretary-Treasurer Joe DiGiorgio, and in center is SIUNA General Council Howard Schulman. crews that operate in conditions which fail to meet the standards set by the International Transport Workers' Federation and the International Labor Organization. Trade adjustment is clearly necessary to assist workers in those industries which have suffered from unfair foreign competition. The delegates to this convention support efforts to strengthen America's trade laws, especially as they pertain to shipping. Organizing: the Challenge of the Future At the 1955 AFL-CIO merger convention, delegates said that "Organizing the unorganized is the major unfinished task of the American labor movement.'' Given the decline of union membership as a percentage of the total American workforce, this concept is even more important today than it was in 1955. If the labor movement fails to increase its share of the total American workforce, then it will inevitably suffer a decline in influence and will be less able to protect the rights of its members. Delegates to the 1987 Triennial Convention therefore strongly urge all SIUN A affiliates to increase their efforts to organize the unorganized so that their members and ultimately all American workers will be afforded decent wages, decent working conditions, individual opportunity, dignity and advancement in the years and decades ahead. Organized labor has played a leading role in securing civil rights laws for the people of this country. Over the past six years, labor has watched with alarm as the Reagan administration has tried to halt and reverse the gains attained in this area since passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Given organized labor's commitment to equal rights, the delegates to this convention reaffirm their commitment to progressive programs which create jobs and promote fair housing, equal employment opportunities and affirmative action. They urge Congress to enact the Civil Rights Restoration Act reversing the 1984 Supreme Court decision stating than an educational institution can still receive federal funds even though one of its departments engages in discrimination. They support enactment of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1987 ensuring freedom of choice in housing. They reaffirm their commitment to work closely with allies in the civil rights movement , through the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, on legislative measure to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans. They pledge to work with the AFL-CIO Civil Rights Department and to continue to strengthen coalitions with civil rights organizations such as the NAACP, the National Urban League, the A. Philip Randolph Insitute, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, and the revitalized Southern Regional Council. Insurance cr·sis in the Fishi g Industry I West Coast SIUNA delegates got together in the hallway for a chat during a break in the proceedings. From left are Gunnar Lundberg, Sailors Union of the Pacific; SIUNA President Frank Drozak; Marine Firemen President "Whitey" Disley; Ed Mooney, SIU A&G, and SUP President Paul Dempster. One of the most serious problems facing the U.S. fishing industry is the lack ofavailable, affordable and adequate fishing vessel insurance. Dramatic changes in the coverage of such insurance have caused a crisis for the domestic fishing industry. The owners of many American-flag vessels have been left with the prospect of shutting down operations altogether, or operating without adequate msurance. A combination of factors has fueled the crisis. These factors include economic cycles that have adversely affected both the insurance and fishing industries; the indirect consequences of questionable fisheries management policies ; large increases in the number of legal actions and court awards, as well as the poor safety record of the commercial fishing fleets. Given the importance of the domestic fishing industry , the delegates to this convention support legislative initiatives which will mandate readily available, accessible and routinely serviced safety equipment for all fishing vessels. In addition, the delegates pledge to work with Congress and appropriate federal agencies and the fishing industry to formulate and implement a comprehensive program to enhance safety in the industry, bring the cost of insurance to affordable levels and provide fair compensation for injured seamen. September 1987 I LOG I 21 �... . MEBA, District 2 Secretary-Treasurer Michael McKay pledged the continued support of his organization to the organizing programs of SIUNA affiliates. SIU and D-2 "It's Quite a Relationship" - Michael McKay spoke on behalf of the president of District 2, Ray McKay, who was unable to attend the SIUNA Convention. "For the more than 30 years that Ray has been in office," he said, "The SIU and District 2 have been almost as one. Say one, you mean both. It's quite a relationship." McKay expressed the anger that he and other labor and industry officials feel at the reflagging of the Kuwaiti tankers. "It's a sham and a shame that the government can take anti- quated laws that were passed at the tum of the century and interpret them any way that they please. It's a shame that the man in the White House is 180 degrees off course," he said. "It's a continuous battle," said McKay, referring to the decline of the Great Lakes shipping industry and to the never-ending attacks on the integrity of the Jones Act. That is why, he said, District 2 and the SIU "have worked so hard together in Washington ... and at the bargaining table." "Buck" Mercer reports on the status of Government Services shipping. Mercer Praises MTSU-SIU Merger Delivering the Committee Report for the SIU's Government Services Division, SIUNA Vice President Roy "Buck" Mercer talked about the 1982 merger between the SIU-AGLIWD and the Military Sea Transport Union and the positive effect it has on the job security of the members. Following are excerpts from his remarks: ''The merger between the SIUAG LIWD and the MSTU has served to protect jobs for the entire membership of our organization, including our Government Services Division membership. As a result of the merger, the SIU today stands as the premier seafaring union for government contracted maritime services. "Currently, the Military Sealift Command is continuing to contract out to the commercial sector for marine related services. Many of these activities are being performed by Government Services Division membership, and as such will be of considerable value in insuring that the majority of these contracts will be awarded to SIU contracted operators. "The Government Services Division of the SIU looks forward to the future with confidence.'' SIUNA General Counsel Howard Schulman reports on changes in law with regard to organizing and servicing our membership. Schulman, who retires this year, will stay on as a consultant. Schulman Retires After 25 Years As has been the case for the past 25 years, Howard Schulman, SIUNA general counsel, addressed the SIUNA delegates on legal matters affecting the international and its various affiliated unions. As general counsel for the SIUNA, and as one of this nation's top labor lawyers, Schulman leaves behind an important legacy as he retires. Among other things, he is widely credited with protecting the jurisidictional job rights of unlicensed seamen, preserving the Union's political action program and making sure that the SIUNA meets the standards set forth in the voluminous, confusing and constantly-changing body of labor laws. · ~· >ik:J::: SIU of Canada President Roman Gralewicz talked of the recently-negotiated agreement for Canadian Great Lakes sailors. U.S. -Canadian Interests Tied It was a busy convention for the delegates from the SIU of Canada. SIU of Canada President Roman Gralewicz met with SIUNA President Frank Drozak during the convention. They issued a joint letter asking U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney to respect the integrity of both the Jones Act and the Canadian Shipping Act. The Canadian shipping industry, like its American counterpart, has experienced a sharp decline in recent years. Canadian shipping companies have reftagged under flag-of-convenience registries, forcing the SIU of Canada to explore new ways of protecting the job security of its members. For one thing, the union has devised an innovative job-sharing program. It has also beefed up its training facilities and made a renewed commitment to organize workers in the service and industrial sectors. The Canadian government has not helped these problems. In addition to holding the free trade talks with the United States, it has unfairly subsidized other modes of transportation at the expense of the Canadian maritime industry. The result is that Great Lakes cargo that used to be shipped on Canadian-flag vessels is now transported via rail or truck. Great Lakes Jobs May Jump Joe Sacco, vice president of the SIUAGLIWD, presented the committee report of the Industrial and Transportation Workers' Organization and Grievance Committee, which outlined the challenges that have been posed by today's anti-labor political climate. 22 I LOG I September 1987 UIW Vice President Brian Doherty gave a report on the gains that his affiliate has made since the last convention. New members have been organized in the service sector, and membership services have been improved, said Doherty. Presenting the Report of the Great Lakes Organization and Grievance Committee, SIU Port Agent Byron Kelley noted the decline of shipping on the Great Lakes. "Since our last convention, the Great Lakes fleet has suffered declines in ship numbers, tonnage and employment," Kelly said. "Iron ore accounts for the largest percentage of bulk cargo movements on the Greak Lakes, and iron ore tonnage reached its second lowest total since the 1930s. There is one hopeful sign, however. After more than a decade of congressional debate , the president signed into law the Water Resources Act of 1986 to improve the domestic waterways, including the Lakes. This long awaited action is expected to break a logjam in water transportation projects. Employment opportunities on the Great Lakes, especially in the dredging trades, should increase as projects are started." Byron Kelley �SIUNA • omm1ttees eet to Chart Course '\T.·· A FISHERMEN & FISH CANNERY WORKERS: Jack Tarantino, chairman; Don Anderson, Walter Smith, John Crivello, Jack Caffey, Theresa Hoinsky, Patricia Smith, John Fay. Speaking to the convention on behalf of Gov. William Donald Schaefer, Maryland Attorney General Joseph Curran said: "The history and prosperity of Maryland and the Port of Baltimore have always been intertwined with the maritime industry.'' Maryland Proud Speaking on a o himself and Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer, Md. Attorney General Joseph Curran said, "We in Maryland are proud of being the place of residence for both SIU eadquarters and the Harry Lundeberg School.'' He devoted the bulk of his address to telling the delegates that he and the governor share the Union's concern on fair trade. "Governor Schaefer knows that American workers do good RESOLUTIONS: George McCartney, chairman; Nicanor Rios, Angus Campbell, Dino Fire, Thomas Walsh, Joseph Abato Jr., Hedley Harnum, Dean Corgey, Ray Singletary. House SIU work." He referred to the governor's actions in regards to the Seakirk facility as being proof that the Schaefer administration was willing to take concrete and verifiable steps to deal with the fair trade is ue on a grassroots level. ''I want you to know that you reside in a state where the governor and his cabinet share your concern about the American-flag merchant marine and about buying American,'' he said. CONSTITUTION & LEGAL: Angus Campbell, chairman; Michael Sacco, Brian Doherty, Jack Ryan, Henry Disley, Joseph DiGiorgio, John Tolliver, Michael Orlando. Rep. James Quillen U.S. Flag Fleet Is "Absolutely Necessary" A veteran of World War II who depended on merchant vessels to bring him back to the United States after his tour of duty was up, Rep. James Quillen (R-Tenn.) has been a strong and consistent defender of the American-flag merchant marine during his 25-year career in the House of Representatives. Following are excerpts from his address: "Over the past 15 years, America's merchant marine has gone downhill ... The trend is to whittle away at the merchant marine and industry as a whole ... We've said, 'We don't need you' to our American-flag merchant marine . . . "I believe that the American-flag merchant fleet is absolutely necessary ... We will find out that we don't have a credible fourth arm of defense unless Congress takes some action to build up our sealift capability . . . ''You in the SIU have worked your hearts out [to keep people informed of the issues] ... Yet look at what's happened in the Persian Gulf. Kuwaiti vessels are flying the American flag without an American crew . . . The administration used a 100-year-old provision to circumvent the law . . . That's wrong: those vessels should be manned by American citizens. "Instead of going forward, we are going backward. There is not enough emphasis paid to building up the American-flag merchant marine.'' AUDITING: Roman Gralewicz, chairman; John Fay, Joseph DiGiorgio, Leo Bonser, Tom Walsh, John Crivello, Roger Desjardins, Walter Smith, Leon Hall, Paul Dempster, Henry Disley, George McCartney. CIVIL RIGHTS: Roy "Buck" Mercer, chairman; Thomas Glidewell, Joseph Abata Jr., Raleigh Minix, Joseph DiGiorgio, John Battles, Ed Turner, Angel Hernandez, Kermett Mangram. September 1987 I LOG I 23 �SIU A elegates and Lea ers All Tooli. Active Part Marine Firemen President "Whitey" Disley reports on the problems and goals of West Coast unions. SUP Representative Jack Ryan reported on the programs of the Sailors Union. He spoke on behalf of SUP President Paul Dempster. SIUNA Vice President George McCartney, who is also West Coast vice-president for the SIU A&G District, talked of the state of the maritime industry in the Pacific area. Nicanor Rios, representing the Sugar Workers Union No. 1, said that organizing is the key to survival and growth. Theresa Hoinsky, representing the Pacific & Caribbean Area of the Fishermen's Union of America, reported on the decline of the U.S. fishing industry. Ed Turner, a stalwart of the West Coast maritime industry for many years, delivered his last report as he resigned to enjoy a welldeserved retirement. -~ Andy Boyle, executive vice president of the SIU of Canada, expressed his organization's opposition to the U.S.-Canada free trade talks. 24 I LOG I September 1987 Two longtime SIU stalwarts attended the convention. Former SIU Rep. Eddie Mooney (left) and former SIU official John Dwyer (right) and his wife Mary took time between sessions to pose. SIUNA Vice President Angus Campbell talked of the complications involved in getting new contracts for military work, and of the unfairness of having to bid against MARAD for some of this work. �Automation: The Future IS NOW! D uring the past 20 years or so, much emphasis has been placed on the application of centralized and automatic controls and technological changes in ships. Unfortunately, not nearly as much attention has been given to the effect that these new technologies might have on the seafarer himself. The use of sophisticated equipment and modern techniques designed to increase operating efficiencies and the productivity o an atmosship personnel has crea phere of uncertainty and apprehension regarding how automation will affect the lives of seafarers. Automation is not new to ships. In fact, it has been used in many areas, e.g., the automatic pilot, automatic combustion, automatic control of refrigeration plants, etc. The application of automation to the op- eration of the main engines aboard ship has usually focused not on fully automatic control but principally on the remote hand-controlled system. In this system, instruments are connected to the plant which provides feedback of information which allows for corrective action by the engine room crew. However, fully automated vessels do exist, and the effect on crew size has caused considerable concern. The breaking down of the traditional separations between deck, engine and steward departments has come about with the use of general purpose crews. To provide the SIU membership with the meaningful skills necessary for today's vessels, the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg &hool has acquired a Ship Handling Simulator to aid in the training of all deck department ratings. The school is also pursuing the ~ Yorktown, Va., U.S. Coast Guard Training Facility acquisition of an engine room simulator for use within the engine department courses. During the most recent Automation course at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg &hool, the students heard presentations from the Sulzer Diesel Company and Bailey Controls, Inc. Hans Roffler of Sulzer Diesel discussed the new R.T.A. engine being installed in many of our contracted vessels. John Glowe and Charles Hatton of Bailey Controls presented the Network 90 Integrated Marine Management System. This is a state-of-theart management system for monitoring and controlling diesel or steam plants, fire and damage control systems, cargo loading/discharging systems and a wide variety of other shipboard applications. With automation comes change. No longer can we become complacent with our present jobs aboard ship. Today's professional seafarers must constantly keep pace with the new technologies being built into their ships, or they may find their jobs in jeopardy. It is through training and __ retraining that the SIU membership will always have jobs aboard U.S.-flag fleets. Today's ships demand the usage of better educated and better trained personnel. It was with this specific goal in mind that the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School was built 20 years ago this yea~. Due to the foresight of our Union leaders, the security of our future is guaranteed, in large part, by the quality education provided to SIU members by the SHLSS. • - September 1987 I LOG I 25 - �~ ~ • '?." r .,. ~.. .-.r :!'- •• • ~ ., ~ .. • • ~. ' ~ . - z. •• ~- . , --~· • ~ • - _, • • - _. . .. - , .. ,._ • 1,,,.~' SHLSS comings & Goings Retired In Memoriam Joe Wall, director of Vocational Education, retired recently after 15 years of dedicated service at SHLSS. Accompanied by his wife, Alma, Joe received an inscribed plaque and fond farewells from School Vice President Ken Conklin, and Dean of Education, Jackie Knoetgen. A memorial service for E. B. McAuley, former SIU official, took place at Seafarers Haven in Valley Lee, Md. on August 23. The daughter of the deceased, Jan Dubinsky, with her husband Joe and children Connie and Jonathan, was comforted by the many Union friends and officials who came to pay homage to her father's memory. George McCartney, West Coast VP. gave a short but heartfelt eulogy including a recitation of the Tennyson poem, "The Bar." T T Visitors ~ A group of visitors from the Smithsonian were treated to a tour of the SHLSS campus this past June. ~ Here they are showing great interest at Abe Easters' demonstration of the ship simulator. T SHLSS course Graduates - Sealift Operations and Maintenance First row: (I. to r.) Aaron Thibodeaux, Bill Hellwege (Inst.), Rudolph Salvaggio, Donald Johnson, Danny McMurray, E. C. Ammons, SGT Patricia A. Colon, B. Pinkham, SFC Thomas G. Flett, SSG Edward Kubera, Jim Moore (Inst.). Second row: Harry Alongi (Inst.), Carlos M. Toro, Howard Gibbs, E. "Red" Harris, Salvador Baclayon, Jr., Dante Slack, Hermus Patrick, SSGT Abe Monroe, SSGT Grayling Drummond. Third row: David Campbell, Eric Ruiz, Stephanie Smith, Maxine Peterson, Tom Doran, Jerry Casugay, John Cruz, Paul Crow. Fourth row: Richard Dickerson (Inst.), Richard Dutton, Oliver Walmon, Sandra Soutar, W. Washington, Skip Sims, Billy Gigante, Willy De Leon, Wayne Gonsalves, R. G. Swanson, John Wallack. Fifth row: Edward Wiley, A. Oun, Lionel Callwood, Eddie Hall, Joe Carson, W. Cooper, Rafael Suris, Don Skjei. Not shown: Andy Ditullio. 26 I LOG I September 1987 - Sealift Operations and Maintenance First row: (I. tor.) Luis Bonafont, Harry Alongi (Instructor), Charles Olinger, Les Cope, Frank Martin, John Chinn. Second row: Alex Bonefont, John Mortinger, Steven Parke, Jerome Fahey, Norm Taylor. �HLSS course Gradu SEAFARERS HARRY LUNOEBERG UFEBOAT ~.·.... ......... CLASS 416 ..·::·.-.·:·:.·"": ........................... --~~-~...---~~- ~· . . -~ Train"ee Lifeb~~t Class #416 Kim Brown, Warren Cobbs, Sindy Davis, Rafael Flores, Joseph Fox, Kim Gardner, Howard Gibson, James Jordan, Timothy Keller, Allen Kindt, Kimberly Mosley, Reinaldo Roman, Joseph Ruffin. Lifeboat Kneeling: (I. to r.) Ron Adriani, Ralph McKee, Donnie Skjei, Gigi Grycko. Second row: James Nolan, Frank Martin, Les Cope, Kruger Donald, Ben Cusic (Instructor). Third row: Steven Parke, Jack Pegram, Charles Olinger, Ed King. Automation John Day, Paul Craw, Tom Doran, John Kelly, Edwin " Red" Harris, John Miranda, Charles Smith, Paul Titus, Richard Williams. Holding poster: Instructor Bill Eglinton, and to Bill's right, Hans Roffler representative from Sulzer Diesel Corp. FOWT Front row: (I. tor.) Julian Watler, Elmore C. Ammons. Second row: Bill Foley (Instructor), Glyndon Johnson, Wayne F. Gonsalves, Coy Herrington, Danny McMurray. Third row: David Epstein, Jim Polluch, Monroe Monseur. Able Seaman First row: (I. to r.) Michael Gilleland, Eric A. Ruiz, Don L. Skjei, Abdullah Oun, Eddie E. Hall. Second row: Kruger Donald, Ed "Thumper" Johnston, Aaron Thibodeaux, Edward Wiley, Jim Brown (Instructor). Hydraulic (L. to R.) John Aru, Charles Smith, John Miranda, Spiros Perdikis, Bill Foley (Instructor). Refrigeration Maintenance and Operations L. to R. Eric Malzkuhn, Sebastian Perdon Jr. , V. L Kirksey, Richard Risbeck, Randy McKinzie. Forklift First row: (I. to r.) SSG Edward Kubers, SFC Thomas Flett, Joe Marshall (Instructor). Second row: ~illy Gigante, Skip Sims. Third row: Wheeler Washington, Bill Cooper, Rafael Surls. September 1987 I LOG I 27 �1987 Upgrading Course Schedule Steward Upgrading Courses Course Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry September 1987 - December 1987 The following is the current course schedule for September 1987 December 1987 at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship. For the membership's convenience, 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 ~ible. Although every effort will be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in size - so sign up early. Assistant Cook • Sealift Operations & Assistant Cook • Sealift Operations & Assistant Cook • Sealift Operations & Cook and Baker • Sealift Operations & Cook and Baker • Sealift Operations & Chief Cook • Sealift Operations & Chief Cook • Sealift Operations & Chief Steward • Sealift Operations & Chief Steward • Sealift Operations & The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs and the needs of the industry. SIU Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the application. Engine Upgrading Courses Course QMED · Any Rating • Sealift Operations & Maint. Check-In Date September 21 December 14 Completion Date December 11 January 8 Fireman/Watertender, Oiler • Sealift Operations & Maint. October 12 December 7 December 4 December 31 Variable Speed DC Drive • Sealift Operations & Maint. September 21 November 2 October 30 ovember 27 Electro-Hydraulic Systems • Sealift Operations & Maint. November 9 December 21 December 18 January 15 Diesel Engineer - Regular • Sealift Operations & Maint. October 12 November 23 November 20 December 12 Maint. Maint. Maint. Maint. Maint. Maint. Maint. Maint. Maint. Check-In Date Completion Date September 2 October 19 October 14 November 30 November 25 January 11 September 2 November 2 October 14 December 14 September 2 November 2 October 28 December 28 September 2 November 2 October 28 December 28 October 16 November 13 November 27 December 24 January 8 February 5 October 30 November 27 December 11 January 8 October 30 November 27 December 25 January 22 October 30 November 27 December 25 January 22 Adult Education Courses Check-In Completion Course Date Date For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes for the first six montm of this year, the courses will be six weeks in length and offered on the following dates: High School Equivalency (GED) November 2 December 14 Adult Basic Education (ABE) & English as a Second Language November 2 December 11 The Developmental Studies~ (DVS) will be offered one week prior to some of the upgrading classes. They will be offered as follows: Towboat Operator September 7 September 11 College Programs heck-In Date October 26 Course Associates in Arts Completion Date December 18 ~ UPDATE OF Honor Roll of QMED's Deck Upgrading Courses Course Able Seaman/Sealift Operations & Maintenance Check-In Date September 28 October 26 Completion Date November 20 December 18 Celestial Navigation November 2 December 4 Radar Observer December 7 December 12 Radar Observer (Renewal) Open ended course, however, must notify SHLSS before entering this course. Towboat Operator September 7 Inland Deck Shiphandling Simulator October 12 SSH BOOK# Mailing Address srnEET: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ STATE: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ZIP CODE _ _ __ Date You Received QMED: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ SPECIALTY COURSES COMPLETED: - October 30 October 16 Name of Course & Date: 1·---~-------- 2. ____________ 3. ____________ 4, ____________ 5. ____________ 6. _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ?. ____________ Recertification Programs Course Steward Recertification _. Bosun Recertification 28 I LOG I September 1987 Check-In Date November 2 Completion Date December 7 September 21 November 2 If you are a Class I, QMED, have you applied to SHLSS to sit for your 3rd Asst. Engineers License? If so, date:-------------------~~DAY MONTH YEAR �Deep Sea Roland Scott Ballard of San Franci co, Calif., 65, died April 22. Seafarer Ballard joined the SIU in 1963 and sailed in the steward department. His cremated remains were buried at Olivet Memorial Park in Colma, Calif. William Bilger, 63, died June 8. Born in Pennsylvania and a resident of Hayward, Calif., Brother Bilger joined the SIU in 1953 and sailed in the engine department, most recently as a chief engineer. His cremated remains were interred at Mt. View Cemetery in Oakland, Calif. Vincent de Losa of San Bruno, Calif. died of cancer on July 6. He was 77. Born in California and residing in San Mateo , Calif., Brother de Losa sailed for 34 years. He is survived by a brother, Frank. Burial was at the Italian Cemetery in Colma, Calif. Nicholas DeLos Santos, 60, of Galveston, Texas, died June 29 of cancer. Brother Delos Santos joined the SIU in 1951 and sailed in the deck department. He is survived by his wife, aria. Burial took place July 2 at Calvary Cemetery in Galveston. .Balnutmne IValle Mora of San Juan, P.R., died July 20 following a heart attack. He was 74. Brother DelValle Mora joined the SIU in 1960. He is survived by a daughter, Enid DelValle Suarez, of Great Falls, Mont. Anthon o h DiBartolomeo, 71, died July 9 of cancer. A re ident of Baltimore, Md., Brother DiBartolomeo sailed in the steward department as a chief cook. He is survived by a stepson, Alvin J. Saylor Jr. Burial was at Holy Redeemer Cemetery in Baltimore. Arvid Hjalmer Johnson, 83, died June 28 following a heart attack. Born in Sweden and a resident of Seattle, Wash., Brother Johnson joined the SIU in 1942 and sailed in the steward department. He is survived by two brothers, Harry and Carl, and a sister, Ruth Mason. Cremation took place at Forest Lawn Crematory in Seattle, Wash. William Andrew Jordan, 58, died July 10 of cancer and pneumonia. A resident of Berkeley, Calif., Seafarer Jordan joined the SIU-merged Marine Cooks and Stewards Union in 1945 and sailed in the steward department. He is survived by an aunt, Mayme Stroud Spencer, of Gonzales, Calif. Cremation took place at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Sebastopol, Calif. Frederick Eugene Lillard, 67, died of respiratory failure June 20. Born in Arkansas and a resident of Livonia, Mich., Brother Lillard joined the SIU in 1955 and sailed in the deck department. Burial was at Tyronza Cemetery in Tyronza, Ark. Francis Albert Lord Jr. died of pneumonia at St. Mary's Medical Center in Long Beach, Calif., Feb. 1. He wa 61. Seafarer Lord joined the SIU in 1955 and sailed in the steward department. Grant Andrew MacGregor, 78, died April 14 of cancer. He was 78. A resident of Yucca Valley, Calif., Brother MacGregor joined the SIUmerged Marine Cooks and Stewards Union in 1966 and sailed in the steward department. Cremation took place in Palm Springs, Calif. Christopher McBrien of Reno, Nev., died March 19 of cancer. He was 73. Born in Scotland, Brother McBrien joined the SIU in 1951. He sailed in the engine department, most recently as chief electrician. Burial was at Mountain View Cemetery in Reno. Robert Harrell Moore, 40, died March 19 of cardiopulmonary arrest. Born in California and a resident of Honolulu, Hawaii, Brother Moore joined the SIU in 1968. He sailed in the steward department. Seafarer Moore is survived by his parents, Ashton E. and Ruth Moore of Cottonwood, Calif. Cremation took place in Honolulu. vived by his wife, Guy Said, and a son, Douglas. Burial was at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, Calif. Great Lakes George Alvin Glover, 74, died of cardiac arrest July 29. He was 75. A resident o Muskegon, Mich., Seafarer Glover joined the SIU in 1947 and sailed in the deck department. He is survived by his wife, Margaret. Burial was at Hart Cemetery in Hart, Mich. Edward Lombardi, 73, died April 27 of acute respiratory failure. Born in New Jersey and a resident of Sterling Heights, Mich., Brother Lombardi joined the SIU in 1964, sailing in the steward department. Burial took place at Resurrection Cemetery in Mt. Clemens, Mich. Angelo F. Simone of Duluth, Minn. died July 3 of lung cancer. He was 57. Born in Minnesota, Brother Simone joined the· SIU in 1947, sailing in the deck department. He is survived by a daughter, Jennie, of Milwaukee, Wis. and a brother, Vincent, of Duluth. Burial was at Oneota Cemetery in Duluth. Robert W. Smith, 73, died July 15 oflung disease. Born in Massachusetts and a resident of Port Richey, Fla., Brother Smith joined the SIU in 1961, sailing in the deck department. He sailed for Great Lakes Towing Co. Seafarer Smith is survived by his wife, Betty. Cremation took place at All Suncoast Crematory in Hudson, Fla. George E. Swindell died of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease Aug. 1. He was 80. Born in Ohio and a resident of Waterford, Mich., Brother Swindell joined the SIU in 1953. He sailed in the engine department. Seafarer Swindell is survived by a brother, William, of Dryton, Mich. Burial took place at Ottowa Park Cemetery in Independence Township, Mich. Veteran SIU Official Laid to Rest Hernando Esteban Pascual of San Francisco, Calif., died June 26 of acute leukemia. He was 42. Born in the Philippines, Brother Pascual joined the -merged arine a ards Union in 1969. He sailed in the steward department. Seafarer Pascual is survived by his wife Erlinda R., a son, Jorword, and a daughter, Jocelyn. Burial was at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, Calif. Raymond Carl Pierce, 69, died June 20 of heart disease. Born in Missouri and a resident of Federal Way, Wash., Brother Pierce joined the SIU-merged Marine Cooks and Stewards Union in 1958. He sailed as a chief steward. Seafarer Pierce is survived by his wife Kathy. Burial took place at Evergreen Memorial Park in Seattle, Wash. Samuel Alexander Tate, 84, died Aug. 7 following respiratory arrest. A resident of Morganton, N.C., Brother Tate joined the SIU in 1942 and retired in 1965. He sailed in the steward department. Seafarer Tate is survived by his wife, Dora. Burial was at Olive Hill Cemetery in Morganton. George Bolt Thurmer of Oak Ridge, Tenn. died June 30. He was 74. Born in Tennessee,. Brother Thurmer joined the SIU in 1967. He is survived by his wife Maggie Lee. Burial took place Oliver Springs Cemetery in Oliver Springs, Tenn. Dock Doon Wong, 81, died July 22 following cardiopulmonary arrest. Born in China and a resident of San Francisco, Calif., Seafarer Wong joined the SIU-merged Marine Cooks and Stewards Union in 1957. He is sur- SIU Vice President George McCartney, right, delivered a moving eulogy at the gravesite of his long-time friend and retired SIU official, E.B. McAuley. McAuley died June 11 at the age of 63. His ashes were interred at the Seafarers Haven Cemetery in Valley Lee, Md. The following SIU members have retired on pension: DEEP SEA Algonac Clinton B. Brown Joseph H. Sevigny Mobile Gene T. Sexton James E. Tanner New Orleans Louis T. Galuska Percy W. Kennedy Calvin J. Troxclair Baltimore Ranulfo D. Alvarez Samuel Johnson Calvin T. Price New York Juan 0. Otero Joseph A. Puglisi George F. Smith John J. Sullivan Houston Antonio Molis Puerto Rico Isaac Vega Brown Jacksonville Frederick W. Neil Jr. San Francisco Eli Q. Kralich September 1987 I LOG I 29 - �CL L NP -Company/Lakes -Lakes -Non Priority Directory of Ports Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes AUGUST 1-31, 1987 *TOTAL REGISTERED All Groups Class CL Class L Class NP TOTAL SHIPPED All Groups Class CL Class L Class NP 24 3 DECK DEPARTMENT 0 30 13 0 11 3 5 ENGINE DEPARTMENT 0 9 5 0 5 2 0 4 Port Algonac ................... 0 Port Algonac ................... 0 11 Port Algonac ................... 0 5 STEWARD DEPARTMENT 11 0 2 23 ENTRY DEPARTMENT 0 0 0 Port Algonac ................... 0 9 Frank Drozak, 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 Steve Edney, Vice President **REGISTERED ON BEACH All Groups Class CL Class L Class NP HEADQUARTERS 0 20 Totals All Departments ........ 63 28 0 50 0 0 *"Total Registered" means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month. **"Registered on the Beach" means the total number of men registered at the port at the end of last month. 12 5 32 11 5201 Auth Way Camp Springs, Md. 20746 (301) 899-0675 ALGONAC, Mich. 520 St. Clair River Dr. 48001 (313) 794-4988 BALTIMORE, Md. 1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202 (301) 327-4900 CLEVELAND, Ohio 5443 Ridge Rd. 44129 (216) 845-1100 Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea AUGUST 1-31, 1987 Port New York ............... Philadelphia .............. Baltimore ............... Norfolk ................. Mobile ................. New Orleans ............. Jacksonville .............. San Francisco ............. Wilmington .............. Seattle ................. Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Honolulu ................ Houston ................ St. Louis ................ Piney Point .............. Totals ................. - Port New York ............... Philadelphia .............. Baltimore ............... Norfolk ................. Mobile ................. New Orleans ............. Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Francisco ............. Wilmington .............. Seattle ................. Puerto Rico .............. Honolulu ................ Houston ................ St. Louis ................ Piney Point .............. Totals ................. • TOTAL REGISTERED All Groups Class A Class B Class C 52 1 12 30 9 30 29 28 17 44 12 7 27 0 2 300 25 5 14 10 12 24 18 9 5 6 8 4 6 8 11 9 5 1 17 1 0 5 95 TOTAL SHIPPED All Groups Class A Class B Class C Trip Reliefs **REGISTERED ON BEACH All Groups Class A Class B Class C DULUTH, Minn . 705 Medical Arts Building 55802 (218) 722-4110 HONOLULU, Hawaii 636 Cooke St. 96813 (808) 523-5434 1 1 0 3 1 5 2 10 5 3 0 4 2 0 1 38 33 0 9 15 5 31 30 33 21 23 9 7 32 0 1 249 DECK DEPARTMENT 10 1 0 0 5 0 9 3 1 3 4 7 15 2 8 7 4 6 4 2 0 0 13 5 9 3 0 0 4 0 90 35 7 0 4 3 0 5 3 5 4 7 4 5 6 0 1 54 99 3 12 28 16 66 40 51 30 77 23 9 54 0 1 509 9 7 4 3 4 8 11 11 9 9 2 14 4 0 5 100 0 1 0 2 2 3 4 17 10 3 0 2 0 0 1 45 0 0 1 0 0 2 4 7 ENGINE DEPARTMENT 6 0 1 0 0 3 2 0 3 0 10 2 5 1 4 5 2 2 6 0 0 0 8 9 5 1 0 0 0 1 55 21 6 0 1 0 1 2 1 0 3 2 2 6 1 0 0 25 59 5 8 8 11 44 35 24 16 49 11 5 33 0 1 309 14 5 2 5 3 8 5 7 6 7 2 12 3 0 0 79 0 0 1 0 0 4 4 5 1 3 0 2 0 0 0 20 11 22 6 9 18 0 2 185 8 2 2 5 3 10 4 3 7 5 2 11 5 0 0 67 0 6 0 0 1 26 23 4 8 12 7 2 24 17 14 9 7 6 20 0 1 172 Port New York ............... Philadelphia .............. Baltimore ............... Norfolk ................. Mobile ................. New Orleans ............. Jacksonville .............. San Francisco. . . . . . . . . . . . . Wilmington .............. Seattle ................. Puerto Rico .............. Honolulu ................ Houston ................ St. Louis ................ Piney Point .............. Totals ................. 24 1 4 5 5 16 5 43 5 20 3 5 10 0 2 148 3 3 0 0 2 2 6 8 0 3 0 20 1 0 5 53 0 0 0 1 1 3 1 8 1 1 0 20 0 0 0 36 16 0 3 4 3 23 15 33 10 14 4 11 13 0 3 152 STEWARD DEPARTMENT 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 5 5 3 0 2 1 0 0 14 13 0 0 0 0 2 0 34 20 4 0 2 1 0 7 1 8 0 3 1 54 2 0 0 83 45 2 8 6 6 25 13 82 13 37 4 4 18 0 3 266 8 3 0 0 2 1 11 11 1 7 0 24 1 0 9 78 0 0 0 1 1 4 1 10 1 2 0 26 0 0 2 48 Port New York ............... Philadelphia .............. Baltimore ............... Norfolk ................. Mobile ................. New Orleans ............. Jacksonville .............. San Francisco ............. Wilmington .............. Seattle ................. Puerto Rico .............. Honolulu ................ Houston ................ St. Louis ................ Piney Point .............. Totals ................. 12 1 2 12 3 18 5 24 12 30 4 2 11 0 0 136 13 4 4 17 4 13 12 6 11 19 8 82 7 0 6 206 7 2 0 8 0 18 8 27 8 4 0 201 3 0 3 289 10 1 1 9 0 13 8 21 10 23 4 3 10 0 0 113 ENTRY DEPARTMENT 5 5 0 0 8 0 17 4 3 1 15 18 11 2 15 3 7 1 10 3 2 0 180 66 2 6 0 0 2 1 155 232 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 40 0 3 9 3 29 10 71 21 40 14 6 21 0 0 267 37 9 4 10 6 13 13 22 21 24 15 122 9 0 12 317 12 2 1 9 0 190 5 0 8 328 Totals All Departments ...... 769 421 389 686 162 1,351 574 441 9 2 3 334 308 2 38 9 25 18 9 *"Total Registered" means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month. **"Registered on the Beach" means the total number of men registered at the port at the end of last month. Shipping in the month of August was down from the month of July. A total of 1,490 jobs were shipped on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,490 jobs shipped, 686 jobs or about 46 percent were taken by "A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 162 trip relief jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 5, 766 jobs have been shipped. 30 I LOG I September 1987 HOUSTON, Tex. 1221 Pierce St. 77002 (713) 659-5152 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. 3315 Liberty St. 32206 (904) 353-0987 JERSEY CITY, N.J. 99 Montgomery St. 07302 (201) 435-9424 MOBILE, Ala. 1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605 (205) 478-0916 NEW BEDFORD, Mass. 50 Union St. 02740 (617) 997-5404 NE ORLEANS, La. 630 Jackson Ave. 70130 (504) 529-7546 NEW YORK, N.Y. 675 4 Ave., Brooklyn 11232 (718) 499-6600 NORFOLK, Va. 115 Third St. 23510 (804) 622-1892 PHILADELPHIA, Pa. 2604 S. 4 St. 19148 (215) 336-3818 PINEY POINT, Md. St. Mary's County 20674 (301) 994-0010 SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. 350 Fremont St. 94105 (415) 543-5855 SANTURCE, P.R. 1057 Fernandez Juncos St. Stop 16 00907 (809) 725-6960 SEATTLE, Wash. 2505 1 Ave. 98121 (206) 441-19~0 ST. LOUIS, Mo. 4581 Gravois Ave. 63116 (314) 752-6500 WILMINGTON, Calif. 510 N. Broad Ave. 90744 (213) 549-4000 �, DONT LET ALCO~OL PUT YOU I THE 'IRASl:-lf J..IEAPo GET HELP WITl-I YOUR PROBLEM a CONTACT YOUR PORT AGENT OR S.1.U.AT PINEY POlNTo 'The Road to Recovery • • • 'Choosing a Way of Life .. ' On March 18, 1987, I finally got up enough courage to admit myself into our Union's Alcohol/Drug Rehabilitation Program. That is the best thing I have ever done for myself. The program is not easy. I realized a lot about myself and became much more aware of my feelings and my patterns in life. Being in a clear state of mind, I am now able to choose the way of life I see best for me. The program is very successful and the staff is very understanding of your problems. I would love to extend an invitation to all my Brothers and Sisters to take advantage of this program set up especially for us who want freedom from drugs or alcohol. It works if you work it! Please accept my most sincere compliments and gratitude for your series of articles on Alcoholics Anonymous. I am glad to see the extensive use of direct quotes from the "Big Book." However, many of the most frequently asked questions by both newcomers and outsiders are answered in our Traditions. "Must my employer know that I'm attending AA meetings?" "How much does it cost to join, and what are the qualifications?" "Will my family be informed of my membership?" "Do I have to belong to a certain church, or some other organization?" These questions, and many more, are very clearly answered in the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. Without fail, every AA group that I know of that is growing and thriving and "carrying the message" places much importance on the strict adherence to these Traditions. Please let your readers know about our Traditions. Perhaps by answering some of their questi , someone else may be aided in walking through our o freedom. Sincerely Sharon L. Ortiz Seattle, Wash. The Twelve Traditions of AA 1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon AA unity. 2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority-a loving God as He may express Himself in our group con- Sincerely yours, Robert L.B.. Gran (G-1167) Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. 3. 4. • ing We want to make sure that you receive your copy of the LOG each month and other important 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 address. I 5. If you are getting more than one copy of the LOG delivered to you, if you have changed your address, or if your name or address is misprinted or incomplete, please fill in the special address form printed on this page and send it to: 6. SIU & UIW of N.A. Address Correction Department 5201 Auth Way Camp Springs, Maryland 20746-9971 Your home address is your permanent address, and this is where all official Union documents, W-2 Forms, and the LOG will be mailed. 7. ------------------------------------------------------------. HOME ADDRESS PLEASE PRINT oate: : 8. I I I Social Security No. 9. Phone No. ( ) Area Code Your Full Name 10. Apt. or Box# Street Book Number 0 City SIU O UIW ' State O Pensioner ZIP Other-------- 11. UIW Place of Empfoyment - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This will be my permanent address for all official Union malllngs. This address should remain In the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally. (Signed) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _,:___ ------------------~-------------------~--------------------~ 12. science. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern. The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drin ing. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups of AA as a whole. Each group has but one primary purpose-to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers. An AA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the AA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose. Every "AA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers. AA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the AA name ought never be drawn into public controversy. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities. September 1987 I LOG I 31 �Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO Washington Report Even though Congress was in recess for the summer, August was a hectic month for the SIU's legislative staff. The free trade talks between the United States and Canada were reaching a critical stage; events in the Persian Gulf continued to heat up, and the SIUNA held its Trienniel Convention. Canada Free Trade Talks The free trade talks held between the United States and Canada had the potential to bring about far-reaching changes in the job security of seamen north and south of the border. Unfortunately, these changes would be mainly for the worse. As reported in earlier issues of the LOG, this nation's entire system of maritime promotional programs and cabotage laws were on the bargaining table. The negotiations, which had been under way for several months, were reaching a critical stage. Under a "fast track" authority deadline, the administration has until Oct. 5, 1987 to submit a set of proposals. Congress would then have to vote the treaty up or down-it could not make any changes. The leaders of two major North American maritime unions, Frank Drozak, president of the Seafarers International Union of North America-AGLIWD, and Roman Gralewicz, president of the Seafarers International Union of Canada, issued a joint statement stating that the maritime programs of the United States and Canada were being "needlessly placed in jeopardy" by the two countries' rush to complete a free trade agreement. The letter, which was sent to President Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, urged that maritime i ue be removed from current trade negotiation . Support was growing in the House and the Senate to protect the integrity of the Jones Act. A concurrent resolution introduced by Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) urged that any consideration of changes in U.S. maritime policy or laws be removed from the agenda of the U.S.Canada free trade negotiations. At press time, it had 56 cosponsors. The Senate adjourned for its summer recess before the resolution was brought to the floor for a vote. House Concurrent Resolution 157, which seeks to achieve the same thing, now has over 228 cosponsors. Kuwaiti Reflagging - Events in the Persian Gulf dominated the news in August. The U.S. Navy continued escorting 11 reflagged Kuwaiti tankers. Meanwhile, the United States government worked behind the scenes to get a la ting cease fire between the two combatants, Iran and Iraq. The reflagging of those 11 Kuwaiti tankers was among the most discussed topics at the Trienniel Convention of the SIUNA. On the last day of the convention, AFL-CIO Pre ident Lane Kirkland said, "We are notju t reflagging ships in the Persian Gulf, we are reflagging the American economy. 32 I LOG I September 1987 September 1987 Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings "No one disputes that we have vital national security interests in the Middle East. But we do take issue with the view that the cause of international law is served by throwing overboard our country's laws on the manning construction and safety standards of American shipping. ''The administration has spent billions on exotic weaponry, but they are leaving us without the ships to carry men and guns and tanks to the trouble spots of the real world." One day after the SIUNA Convention, The Washington Post and other leading newspapers reported that Kuwait is seriously considering leasing at least two American-owned tankers. "[One] reason the Kuwaitis are interested in leasing," said the Post," ... is to appease the member of Congress and U.S. maritime union critical of the administration's reflagging decision, made at a time when more than 40 U.S. tankers are in mothballs for lack of business." Trade ''Trade remains a top priority of this organization,'' said SIU President Frank Drozak at the Trienniel Convention. Both the House and Senate have passed bills on this matter. Although differences exist between the two version , reconciling those differences will not be the major problem. Coming up with a bill that i either acceptable to the administration or veto-proof is what concerns politicians in both houses. ''The industry is very concerned about the trade bill's provisions dealing directly with shipping," noted The Journal of Commerce recently. According to the Journal, the administration ''has raised objections'' to provisions in both the Senate and House bills that would increase the powers of the Federal Maritime Commission to combat "unfair" foreign shipping laws and practices. ''The trade bill is of vital concern to the members of this Union," said SIU Director of Legislative Affairs Frank Pecquex. "Without a doubt, unfair foreign trade is one of the most difficult issues facing American shipowners, and we need to take steps to correct that." Fishing Vessels The House and the Senate passed emergency legislation temporarily suspending the right of the U.S. Coast Guard to issue certificates of documentation to foreign-built fish processing vessels. The move was taken to prevent the owners of foreign-built fish processing vessels from taking advantage of a vaguely-worded documentation law which had been loosely interpreted by the Coast Guard. A bill dealing with this issue, H.R. 2598, the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Anti-Reflagging Act of 1987, was reported out of the House Merchant Marine Fisheries Committee. The Senate is expected to deal with the issue after recess. Liner Subsidy Reform Bill While the administration has announced the high points of its new subsidy reform bill, it has not yet sent a full draft version of that bill to Capitol Hill. "Reform of the subsidy program for liner operations is an issue sure to heat up in the coming months," predicted The Journal of Commerce in an update on the IOOth Congress. "But final congressional action is unlikely this year." Reform of the liner subsidy program has been a top priority of the SIU and other maritime unions. Still, the industry remains divided over this issue, and the administration's initial proposal marks a drastic change from previous practice. Bork Organized labor has added its voice to the growing chorus of civil rights groups which oppose President Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. The AFL-CIO News notes that Bork's record on affirmative action, women's issues, labor law and civil rights is in sharp contrast with that of his predecessor, Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell, a moderate whose chair Bork has been nominated to fill. The main complaint that most civil rights groups have against Bork i that he will form the crucial fifth vote that conservative activists have been looking for to tum back many of the advances that have been gained during the past 20 years. Newspapers are predicting that the Bork nomination will be among the most hotlydebated of the century and that it will take up a large portion of the Senate's time after the August recess. Passin Two good friends of the SIU passed away earlier this summer. Bayard Rustin, the widely-respected civil rights activist who helped Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. organize the 1963 March on Washington, died of a heart attack at the age 75. A resolution commemorating his contributions to the labor movement was one of 61 passed at the SIUNA Convention. William Doherty, who for many years headed the Postal Workers Union, passed away earlier this summer. He helped his members achieve important improvements in their wages, benefits and working conditions. During the '50s, Doherty was part of a labor committee put together by AFL President George Meany to deal with corruption on the waterfront. Along with then SIU President Paul Hall, Doherty helped fight organized crime on the docks. Doherty's legacy will live on. Among his many survivors is his grandson, Brian, who is an official of the United Industrial Workers Union, an affiliate of the SIU-AGLIWD. Support SPAD � 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 September 1987 Description An account of the resource HEADLINES DELEGATES APPROVE SIUNA RESTRUCTURING STUDY UNIONS WANT MARITIME REMOVED FROM TABLE BAYARD RUSTIN CIVIL RIGHTS, LABOR ACTIVIST, DEAD AT 75 GULF SHIP ATTACKS RISE NMU, MEBA-1 TO MERGE TRADE TOPS DROZAK’S WHITE HOUSE VISIT REAGAN AND MULRONEY URGED TO PROTECT MARITIME POLICY I. W. ABEL, FORMER PRESIDENT OF STEEELWORKERS, DIES SEAFARERS ARE READY FOR REFORGER USNS MERCY MASTER HONORED CAPT. DON SMITH, DEAD AT 54 AMERICAN CORMORANT CHARTERED USNS COMFORT DEDICATED IN SAN DIEGO USNS SPICA’S SPECIAL DELIVERY PROCEDURE CHANGE AT MSCPAC SIUNA LOOKS TO FUTURE WITH HOPE AND NEW PROGRAMS DROZAK PROPOSES NEW STRUCTURE TO MEET CHALLENGES OF 1990S AFL-CIO PRESIDENT LANE KIRKLAND ‘THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A NEED FOR A STRONG LABOR MOVEMENT’ DROZAK ACCEPTS MEANY MEMORIAL BENTLEY POINTS OUT “30 YEARS OF BROKEN PROMISES” TI’S HENRY SAYS: GOVERNMENT IS MISSING PARTNER FREE TRADE TALKS, CANADA PACT IS NO PLACE FOR MARITIME ISSUES TRADE BILL AND 88 ELECTION TOP SIU PRIORITIES D-2’S JOSEPH EXPLAINS SMU WILL GROW- PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL SEAFARERS ITF FIGHTS OPEN FLAGS SIU HAS CLOUT ON CAPITOL HILL LACK OF CARGO HURTS INLAND NEW V.P. ANDERSON REPORTS FISHING INDUSTRY FACES CRISIS REP. JOE GAYDOS CALLS FLEET “SMALL AND INADEQUATE” BARBER’S ROBERT POUCH “SIU IS COMMITTED TO PROFESSIONALISM” HUBERT H. HUMPHREY III “THE BLAME FOR MARITIME’S DECLINE DOES NOT REST WITH THE WORKERS” SIUNA ADOPTS RESOLUTIONS TO PROTECT WORKERS SIUNA ACCEPTS CHALLENGES OF THE 1990’S AND BEYOND SCHULMAN RETIRES AFTER 25 YEARS MERCER PRAISES MTSU-SIU MERGER U.S.-CANADIAN INTERESTS TIED GREAT LAKES JOBS MAY JUMP SIUNA COMMITTEES MEET TO CHART COURSE MARYLAND PROUD TO HOUSE SIU REP. JAMES QUILLEN “U.S. FLAG FLEET IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY” AUTOMATION: THE FUTURE IS NOW! THE SIU IN WASHINGTON CANADA FREE TRADE TALKS TRADE BORK PASSINGS FISHING VESSELS KUWAITI REFLAGGING LINER SUBSIDY REFORM BILL 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 9/1/1987 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. 49, No. 9 1987 Periodicals Seafarers Log