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·~--· ·

Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union • Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL·CIO Vol. 48 No. l l November l 986

One Seafarer Among Victims

Blast Rips Ogden Yukon in Pacific, Four Dead
An explosion ripped through the
SIU-crewed Ogden Yukon (OMI), killing one Seafarer and three other crewmembers Oct. 28. The remaining 32
crewmembers abandoned the ship and
were rescued the next morning by a
Japanese fishing boat, some 300 miles
south of Midway Island.
QMED James William Duffy, 52, of
Union City, Calif., was killed in the
blast. It is suspected to have been
triggered in the engineroom or bunkers, according to preliminary Coast
Guard and company reports. Also killed
in the explosion were Second Assistant Engineer Ed Roy Connolly, 62, of
Texas (a member of MEBA-2) and
two members of the riding crew, identified as Jim Turk and Jerry Baker.
The Yukon had discharged a cargo
of Alaskan oil in Honolulu and was
on her way to a shipyard in Korea for
various repairs when the explosion

occurred about 10:30 a.m. The blast
destroyed the stack and stack-deck on
the 13-year-old, 70,000 GWT tanker.
Two of the victims were reportedly
working in the engineroom and the
other two were near the stack when
the blast ripped through the afterend
of the ship.

See Page 3 for Firstha d
Accoun of Explosion
The heat from the explosion was so
intense, according to reports, that some
crewmembers who were in their quarters at the time could not exit through
their quarters' doors because they were
so hot, and were forced to escape
through the kick-out panels at the
bottom of the doors.
Along with the crew and riding crew,
11 Japanese workers were onboard to
muck out the tanks. A company

This picture of the Ogden Yukon was taken shortly after the ship was abandoned. The
extensive damage is visible at the stern of the ship. (Associated Press Photo)

spokesman said all the tanks had been
inerted prior to the explosion.
The Yukon continued to burn after
she was abandoned, and OMI officials

were determining their salvage prospects.
Following their rescue, the crew
(Continued on Page 13.)

Maritime Issues Go in Circles

Congress Ends Session Still Facing Deficit Crisis
Pilot Launching
On Chesapeake
Pages 16 &amp; 17

Editor's Note: A session of Congress
lasts two years, during which time a lot
can be accomplished. But it is becoming
a Washington tradition for senators and
representatives to wait for the pressure
of a fast approaching close to the session
before they begin to clear the decks of
issues they have been facing. Max Hall,
LOG associate editor and Washington
Report columnist, takes a look at the
last-minute activity and reviews the
two-year session.
With national elections just a few
weeks away, and control of the Senate
up for grabs, the 99th Congress ended
on a frantic note. There were lastminute roll calls, missed deadlines,
late nights.
In some ways, it was a replay of the
98th Congress. Yet there was one
major difference.
The 98th Congress didn't accomplish much of anything. The 99th Congress, however, passed several major
pieces of legislation.
Unfortunately, none had very much
to do with the maritime industry.
The 99th Congress left many people
scratching their heads. The same Congress that was able to produce a
sweeping reform of the tax code had
difficulty coming up with a simple
budget.
Split down the middle between a
Republican-controlled Senate and a

Democratic House, the 99th Congress
was able to reach a bipartisan consensus on a surprising number of issues.
Even the most ardent critics of the
99th Congress acknowledged that it
made headway on many important
national issues-tax reform, toxic waste
cleanup, reorganization of the Pentagon, sanctions against South Africa,
drug abuse and immigration reform.

* * *

Nineteen eighty-six was supposed
to have been the year of GrammRudman. At the start of the 99th Congress, both the House and the Senate
passed legislation mandating acrossthe-board cuts if Congress failed to
meet certain budgetary goals. The
president enthusiastically signed the
bill into law.
Ironically, the budget submitted by
the president failed to meet the goals
enunciated in the Gramm-Rudman bill.
Parts of the bill have since been declared unconstitutional.

Inside:

While Congress technically adhered
to Gramm-Rudman's budgetary goals
for this year, it had to use a variety
of political gimmicks to do so: questionable accounting methods and revenues generated from the one-time
sale of national assets, such as Conrail.
Nevertheless, the budget deficit for
next year is expected to exceed $220
billion. Almost no one believes that
the Gramm-Rudman timetable can be
maintained.
Most economists maintained that
there was a causal relationship between the budget crisis and the growing trade deficit, which reached an alltime high of $140 billion in 1985 and
will likely be broken in 1986.
The inability of Congress and the
administration to come up with a coherent trade policy threatened the viability of many American industries,
including maritime.
The SIU tried to highlight the trade
(Continued on Page 4.)

Navy Group Trains on Crane at
SHLSS
Page 7

Former VP Cal Tanner, Port Agent
SJU-NMU Merger Talks Continue
Page 19
at Committee Level
Page 3 Rex Dickey Die
SIU Files Raiding Charges Against Cruising the Panama Canal With
Page 22
National MEBA
Page s the Cove Leader

�nt'

re

ep r

b Frank D ozak
ONGRESS has adjourned,
a new Congress has been
elected, and we are coming to
the end of another year. The
coming year will bring challenges and new opportunities. I
have made up my mind that
what we do with these challenges and opportunities is going
to be up to us.
A number of our friends have
been elected in both the House
and the Senate. And the Democrats, with the strong support
of organized labor, have won
control of the Senate with a 5545 majority.
But, let's not kid ourselves.
Having friends in Congress does
not guarantee that our programs
for revitalizing this maritime industry are going to become the

C

because we, as the unions which
represent the unlicensed workers, cannot get our act together,
these same companies pit us one
against the other to get cheap
contracts and lower manning

We Are No Longer Going To Be
The Ones To Bite The Bullet. Let
Those Organizations Representing
Ucensed Personnel Take Note .. .
policy of this nation. We have
had our friends in both the House
and the Senate for many years,
and they have been willing to
do what they can to give new
life to this unhealthy industry.
What has been lacking is a
unity of purpose on our partand I mean both within the industry and within our family of
labor. For too long, we have all
been victims of our own ''dogeat-dog" attitudes. This has been
true of the steamship companies
we deal with, and it has been
true of our dealings with each
other.
As our industry shrinks,
everyone is out to save his own
little piece of the turf. There are
fewer than 10 U .S.-flag liner
companies left, and all of them
are fighting for survival. And

scales. And all the while, the
licensed unions charge blindly
ahead, totally oblivious to the
handwriting on the wall.
I want to assure the membership of our Union of a couple
of things. First of all, we are no
longer going to be the one to
bite the bullet. If cutbacks are
necessary to save a shipping
company from going under, it
will not be the unlicensed seamen who make the concessions.
We have gone that route too
many times. No more. Let our
contracted companies and those
organizations representing licensed personnel take note.
I also want our membership
to know that we are going to
vigorously resist any and all
attempts by the engineers to raid
our jurisdiction aboard ship. We

need your support for this. As
you will see in this issue of the
LOG, we have filed Article XX
charges against the National
Marine Engineers Benevolent
Association for infringing on the
job rights of members of the
SIU and the Marine Firemen.
See the story on this which is
on page 5, and let me know
personally of any instances of
this contract violation aboard
your ship.
Finally, I want to assure our
membership once again that as
we continue to work with the
National Maritime Union toward the goal of a merger of our
two organizations, the job rights
and job security of this membership will be my most important priority. I firmly believe
that the merger of our two organizations, and hopefully the

merger also of the Marine Firemen and the Sailors Union, is
in the best interest of all organized unlicensed seamen and
boatmen.
We have had our first meetings , and while there remain
some very serious differences,
I am still hopeful that eventually
we will come to an agreement.
I think Shannon Wall and I understand that neither of us can
afford to go it alone any longer.
As our job base continues to
shrink because of automation
and the irresponsible policies of
the Reagan administration, we
must all realize that unless we
have unity of purpose and of
organization we will founder.
But again, your job security
comes first with me, and I will
continue to keep you fully informed.

Upgraders See Congress

This group of QMED's had a chance to visit Capitol Hill this fall. The members of the
class were Edward Desoucey, Kenneth Stratton, David Belkamp, Floyd Acord, John
Bertolino, Rex Bolin, Servando Campbell, James Carnell, Jose Castro, Walter Fey,
Orlando Flores, Darrell Hurts, Randy McKinzie, David Merida, Clifford Miles, Tim
Pillsworth, Alfred Regas, Joe Saxon, Michael Wells, Paul Westbrook, Carlos Coello,
Christopher Beaton, George Phillips and Robert Johnston.

November, 1986

Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union of
North America, Atlantic, Gulf , Lakes and Inland Waters District.
AFL-CIO

Vol. 48 , No. 11

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Ed Turner

Vice President

Secretary

Executive Vice President

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Mike Hall
Managing Editor
Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

Ray Bourdlus

Lynnette Marshall

Assistant Editor

Assistant Editor/Photos

2 I LOG I November 1986

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md . 20746, Tel. 89906~~· Sec~nd-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 .

�•

SIU,
U F rm C m ees
To ork 0 t o·ffere ces
•
As erger Ta s Be
PINEY POI T, MD.-Committees
named by the heads of the two major
unlicensed maritime unions in the U.S.
began a series of meetings to work out
differences in the structures and shipping rules of their organizations as
merger talks got under way here Oct.
20.
MU President Shannon Wall and
SIU President Frank Drozak opened
the meetings with frank admis ions of
the many problems involved in a
merger, but also with expressions of
the "absolute need" for unity in the
face of a dwindling job base and an
indifferent White House.
Opening the meeting, SIU President
Drozak de cribed the obvious advantages of a merger: a unity in bargaining
with employers; a unity in lobbying
for crucial maritime legislation in Congress; and an end to the cut-throat
bidding which private companies and
the military are using to their advantage and to the detriment of the deep
ea membership of both unions.
(Continued on Page 5.)

SID President Frank Drozak makes a point during the opening ~ion of the merger
talks. With him are, from right, John Fay, Joe DiGiorgio, Angus "Red" Campbell and
George McCartney.

The Sailors Union of the Pacific, and the Marine F1remen, Oilers &amp; Watertenders came
to the merger talks as observers. From left are SUP President Paul Dempster, SUP
Representative Gunnar Lundeberg and MFOW President ''Whitey'' Disley.

Looking at the t o ni
pp
V"ce President Angus "Red" Camp
Representative Ri h Berger.

assigned two personal representatives to participate
AFL-CIO Pres"dent Lane Kirld
e merger discussio , Bill Sidell, at right, and Kevin Kistler.

·ce President Louis Parise and SIU Special Representative John Fay discussed the
n prob ems of their "
·de" memberships.

November 1986 I LOG I 3

�99th Goes Home, Deficit and Trade Wait 100th
(Continued from Page 1.)
issue when it supported legislation to
open up the auto carriage trade between the United States and Japan,
which has been effectively restricted
to Japanese and Japanese-controlled
shipping companies. Yet opposition
by the administration limited any
meaningful progre s on correcting the
inherent unfairness of the situation.
The administration's ''free trade''
bias also prevented enactment of a
comprehensive trade bill or a bill aimed
at limiting imports of textile products.
The trade bill, which passed by a
veto-proof margin in the House, never
made it out of the Senate. The textile
bill, which passed both the House and
the Senate, was vetoed by President
Reagan.

Maritime and Labor
For both the labor movement and
the maritime industry, the 99th Congress was not unlike a roller coaster
ride.
There were a few spine-tingling moments, but after everything was said
and done, both wound up pretty much
where they began.
A number of controversial anti-labor bills were introduced, including
one that would have gutted the Service
Contract Act, which protects the wage
security of workers employed on projects contracted out by the federal
government. Yet most of these bills
were defeated in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, or

SIU President Frank Drozak spent many
hours on Capitol Hill trying to persuade
Congress to act on merchant marine problems.

through a coalition of Democrats and
moderate Republicans in the Senate.
Similarly, many pro-labor bills were
left stranded in the more conservative
Republican-controlled Senate.
Numerous attacks were made on
the 1954 Cargo Preference Act, which
is one of the most important maritime
promotional laws in existence.
The ability of the maritime industry
to repel attacks on the Cargo Preference Act marked an important victory.
For most people in the maritime
industry, the emotional highpoint of
the 99th Congress came one night late
in the the session when the industry
defeated 20 separate anti-cargo pref-

Agency Will Operate, but ...

Reagan Vetoes Marad
Funding Authorization
It may have been only symbolic,
but President Reagan's pocket veto of
funding authorization for Marad was
another slap to an already beat up
maritime industry.

Marad and the Federal Maritime
Commission will be able to operate
because the $400 million for those
agencies was contained in other legislation already signed.
The House and Senate disagreed on
the funding levels during conference
and the $400 million matched the budget
request from the White House, but
there were some changes in the way
the money was allocated.
Rep. Walter B. Jones (D-N.C.),
chairman of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, called
the bill (HR 4175) "routine and noncontroversial'' and said it was needed
"to authorize funds for the small maritime program we have left to support
our strategic needs."
Reagan saw it differently. Observers
say the veto was the result of something left out of the bill-the repeal of
the Title XI credit guarantee program.
''The maritime industry must be
encouraged to rely on the private credit
market without federal intervention as
its source of capital if we are to con-

4 I LOG I November 1986

tinue our progress toward restoring
the industry to full health,'' Reagan
said in a veto message.
"Nobody can argue that Title XI
doesn't have problems, but a lot of
people ay that those problems are ~
direct result of this administration's lack
of any kind of a comprehensive maritime
policy. I'd also like to know what 'progress' the president is talking about. So
many companie are dancing on the
brink of bankruptcy, I find it hard to
believe the administration can claim the
industry is progressing to full health,"
said SIU President Frank Drozak.
Because of the other legislation,
Marad will continue to operate. The
biggest chunk of the $400 million budget
is earmarked for Operating Differential Subsidy payments , $320 million.
Other budget items include:
• $3.5 million for research and development;
• $64.6 million for operations and
training activities;
• $29 .4 million for education and
training expenses ($19.2 million
to Kings Point and the rest to
state maritime schools);
• $9.5 million for national security
support capabilities, and
• $25. 7 for other operations and
training.

erence amendments to the 1985 farm
bill.
The maritime industry stood united
on that issue, and the results spoke
for themselves. Maritime was able to
take on one of the most powerful
special interest groups in the country.
A compromise was eventually
reached that satisfied both the maritime and agriculture industries. Cargo
preference requirements for concessional agricultural exports increased
from 50 to 75 percent over a threeyear period. In exchange, certain programs, such as Payment-In-Kind,
BICEP and Blended Credit, were exempted from the provisions of the 1954
act.
Maritime unity was also evident in
another important victory-renewal of
the Export Administration Act of 1970,
which resulted in the continuation of
the ban on the export of Alaskan oil.
Still, maritime unity on Alaskan oil
and cargo preference were the exception and not the rule. For the most
part, the maritime industry remained
fragmented.
The inability of the maritime industry to overcome its differences had an
important effect in one critical area:
subsidy reform.
The 99th Congress adjourned before
it could deal with this issue. Operating
Differential Subsidies, which keep most
American shipowners in business, are
scheduled to begin running out later
this year for some companies.
''The inability of the various segments of the maritime industry to resolve their differences," said Jim
Henry, legal counsel for the Transportation Institute, "could lead to serious financial difficulties for several
U.S.-flag liner companies.
''While we hope that these predictions aren't accurate," said Henry,
"the next three to five months will be
critical."

Time Ran Out on
These Bills
Congress came close to enacting
several pieces of legislation that the
SIU had been pushing for all year, but
time ran out. The most important of
these bills included a plan to reflag
several vessels under American registry and another one to carry U.S. mail
on American-flag vessels.
There was , however, a growing
awareness about the problems that
face the American-flag merchant marine. During the 99th Congress, the
Navy released the results of a study
it had condvcted on strategic sealift.
Not surprisingly , the study projected
a severe manpower shortage for the
American-flag merchant marine.
Members of Congress grew increa ingly frustrated at the recalcitrant attitude of the administration. The maritime industry and individual members
of the House had to check the actions
of the administration to see if it wa
carrying out promotional laws already
on the books.
Maritime continued to remain a low
priority of the Reagan administration.
Even though it had little real effect,
the president pocket vetoed a bill authorizing funding for the Maritime
Administration and the Federal Mar-

itime Commission. The move was seen
as a rebuff to the Title XI loan guarantee subsidy program.
A potentially serious controversy
between the maritime industry and the
Department of Defense involving the
carriage of military cargo to Iceland
was resolved during the final weeks of
the 99th Congress.
The compromise prevented the 1904
Military Transportation Act from being
gutted. In exchange the maritime industry did not oppo e a one-shot,
military transportation agreement between the United States and Iceland
which assured Iceland at least 35 percent of cargo which otherwise would
have been carried on American-flag
vessels.
Many segments of the maritime industry were left high and dry during
this session of Congress. Little was
done, for instance, to revitalize the
Great Lakes industry.
The fishing and canning industries
also were neglected. A bill seeking to
resolve the insurance liability crisis in
those industries gained considerable
support for a while, but never passed.
The one major promotional program
to come out of this session of Congress
involved the tug and barge industry.
A port development bill calling for the
first major infusion of federal funds in
more than a decade was enacted during the final days of the session. The
bill almost died because Congress and
the administration had difficulty resolving their differences over ways to
fund it.

Great Chan e
The 99th Congress coincided with a
period of great change, both for the
country and the maritime industry.
The lines between railroads, tug and
barge operators and deepsea companies are slowly being erased. There is
a growing trend towards intermodalism.
The worldwide shipping reces ion
had gotten so bad that the ftag-ofconvenience registries were trying to
undercut one another. The government of orway unveiled a plan to
reduce its manning requirement to
just six people: one captain, two licensed engineers, two licen ed deckhands, and one unlicen ed seaman.
Many transportation companies are
being taken over by conglomerate .
Sea-Land, which employs a large number of SIU seamen, became the subject
of a takeover by CSX Railroad.
Meanwhile , structural changes were
occurring in the U.S. and worldwide
economy.
America' s industrial base continued
to decline. The number of active ve els registered under the American flag
fell below 400.
Congress passed a sweeping tax reform bill. Few people were willing to
predict the long-range effect of the
law.
The tax reform proposals enacted
by Congress contained one revolutionary provision for the American
maritime industry-the elimination of
tax avoidance by American companies
on the earnings of their foreign-flag
fleets.
(Continued on Page 5.)

�SIUNA Files Article XX Charges Against MEBA;
. Seeks End to Jurisdiction Raiding by Engineers
The Seafarers International Union
of North America has asked the AFLCI O to halt the jurisdictional raiding
of the National Marine Engineers Beneficial Association which is threatening the job security of unlicensed seamen.
In a detailed letter to AFL-CIO
President Lane Kirkland on behalf of
the SIUNA' s A&amp;G District and West
Coast Marine Firemen , Oilers &amp; Watertenders , SIUN A President Frank
Drozak charged that MEBA was engaged in "widespread violations" of
contract provisions safeguarding the

work jurisdiction of unlicensed engmeroom crew.
Drozak further charged that MEBA
is in violation of Article XX of the
AFL-CIO constitution which provides
that ''each affiliate shall respect the
established work relationship of every
other affiliate.' '
Both the SIU and the MFOW have
received several complaints from their
members documenting violations of
the work jurisdiction of the unlicensed
seamen in which licensed engineers ,
who are members of MEBA, are per-

forming work which is specifically set
forth in the collective bargaining
agreements as being the duties of unlicensed crewmembers.
At least one employer has acknowledged violations , and in an effort to
settle the dispute has paid a premium
overtime penalty to the affected unlicensed personnel.
But, Drozak said, payment of penalties does not alleviate the underlying
jurisdictional problem. He said that
the SIU and the MFOW have already
suffered significant reductions in manning because of automation.

''The actions of the MEBA, if not
immediately halted by directive of the
AFL-CIO, will effectively cause a further diminution of the jurisdiction of
unlicensed unions, " Drozak said. He
asked President Kirkland to move
quickly to prevent further harm to the
job security of the SIU and MFOW
membership.
In the meantime, Drozak is asking
SIU and MFOW members to document any further contract violations
by MEBA engineers , and to tum in
overtime for all violations within 72
hours of the violations.

Jones Wins AOTOS Award, Seafarers Honored, Too
House Merchant Marine &amp; Fisheries Committee Chairman Walter B.
Jones was given the 1986 Admiral of
the Ocean Seas award Sept. 26. The
award is presented annually by the
United Seamen's Service in recognition of outstanding public service to
America's shipping industry, and is
based on results of a nationwide maritime industry poll.
In accepting the award from Sen.
John W. Warner (R-Va.), the Carolina
congressman promised to continue to
work to strengthen U.S. maritime policy.
As the 600 guests invited to share

in the award ceremonies listened,
Chairman Jones outlined work now
being done in Congress to construct a
viable maritime policy.
The congressman was the 20th recipient of the AOTOS award and received the symbolic silver statuette of
Christopher Columbus who was one
of the earliest recipients of the Admiral
of the Ocean Seas award given by

Queen Isabella of Spain in the 15th
Century.
Mariners plaques and rosettes were
also presented at the dinner to captains
and crews who were selected for special recognition for their outstanding
service in carrying out rescues at sea.
Among the award recipients were SIU
members who participated in the rescue operations of the SS M anukai

-Merger Talks-

Personals
Walter Scott Richmond

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Walter Scott Richmond-please get in touch with his
sister, Ola Richmond at 1116 Highland Glen, Westwood, Mass. 02090,
or call (617) 296-6203.
Marion

Unable to reach you concerning
Lisa at the phone number listed in
the LOG. Please call collect: (301)
969-8600. Jack Rhodes.
Stamatios Tsaroudis

Please call Mr. Turner at (504)
484-6425.

(Matson Navigation Co.) and the !TB
Baltimore (Apex Marine Corp.). Those
on the M anukai received a plaque for
bringing to safety the crew of a sunken
yacht in the Pacific. The captain and
the crew of the Baltimore were lauded
for rescuing the crews of two sailing
vessels that had gone down in heavy
seas off Cape Hatteras during Huricane Kate.

)
Rep. Walter B. Jones (D-N.C.) (center) was presented the Admiral of the Ocean Seas
award. Jones was accompanied to the dinner by bis wife Elizabeth (far right). Capt.
Robert Hart, president of the Marine Index Bureau and chairman of the AOTOS National
Committee, is shown passing the statue of Christopher Columbus to Jones.

Book on SUP's First Century
Love of the sea and dedication to union ideals are the prime themes
of a new book about the first 100 years of the Sailors' Union of the
Pacific.
Stephen Schwartz, a one-time seaman and SUP member who later
became a Railway and Airline Clerks activist, said that writing "Brotherhood of the Sea" was a "humbling experience." His lesson and the
one he conveys to readers, he said, is "what a labor organization means
to its members and to the community.''
In his preface to the book, California Labor Federation Executive
Secretary-Treasurer John F. Henning said labor history "has a highly
honored place for union seamen and their wars against violence of nature
and the grasp of shipowners." The SUP's history "embodies the story
of an organizational militancy that survived decades of combat to win
the workers liberation.''
The book is available from SUP headquarters at 450 Harrison St., San
Francisco, Calif. 94105. The cost is $35 for union members, $30 for union
retirees, and $40 for non-union members, plus a shipping charge of $1.19
per copy for mailing to any U.S. postal zone.

(Continued from Page 3.)
Speaking for the NMU, Shannon
Wall opened by stating that: "I am
not concerned with turf. What I am
concerned with are the rights and job
security of the members of our merged
organization. With good will and good
intentions , our problems are resolvable."
In addition to full meetings attended
by representatives of both unions during the two-day sessions, a continuing
series of committee meetings was begun. These committees are working
to iron out differences in the various
programs and structures of the two
organizations , including shipping,
training, welfare and pension plans,
contracts and constitutions.
Also attending the meetings were
two representatives assigned by AFLCIO President Lane Kirkland, Bill
Sidell and Kevin Kistler.
Meetings of the various committees
are continuing.

99th Congress Ends
(Continued from Page 4.)
Still, a great many people in the
maritime industry felt that tax reform
might be something of a wash, especially since depreciation schedules were
made more stringent.
Most provisions in the tax code
concerning the maritime industry were
left pretty much untouched, despite
attempts by the administration to have
them changed.
The provisions included the Capital
Construction Fund, deduction of business expenses for conventions held
onboard passenger vessels, tax breaks
for American companies doing business in Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Virgin Islands, and deductions for con-

tributions made to employee benefit
plans.
Throughout the latter part of the
99th Congress, the SIU and the NMU
publicly talked about the possibility
of merging into one unlicensed maritime union.
Whether or not that comes about,
the continuing decline of the maritime
industry and the indifference of the
present administration poses a dilemma for all maritime unions.
The SIU has been able to protect
the job security of its members during
this difficult period by helping its contracted companies make bids for vessels that had been contracted out by
the military.
November 1986 I LOG I 5

�Safe ua
OD

Shipping Righ

T

O SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

DU ES

Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register.

RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING

When you are relieved, you
must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.

RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION It is your responsibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.
RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING It is your responsibility to claim
your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

1

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The constitution of the SIU
Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters Di trict 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. Members of this committee may make dissenting
repo~ts, 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 tru t 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.
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 hy 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 ref erred to are available to
you at all times, either hy 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 your contract rights, as well as
your obligations. such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If. at any time, any SIU

6 I LOG I November 1986

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
all Union halls. All member should obtain copies of this
constitution so as to familiarize themselves with its contents. Any time you feel any member or officer i attempting to deprive you of any con titutional right or obligation
by any method. such as dealing with charge , trials, etc.,
as well as all other details, then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

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 member feels that he is
denied the equal rights to which · he is entitled, he should
notify Union headquarters.
11111nu11111n111111t1111111111111111un1111111n1111111n111111111111111lll1111111111111111111111111111111

patrolman or other Union official, in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly, contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publi hing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union,
officer or member. It has also refrained from publishing
article deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
member hip . This established policy has been reaffirmed
by member hip action at the September. 1960. meetings
in all con titutional port . The re. ponsihility for Log
policy i ve ted in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out thi re. ponsihility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monie are to be paid
to anyone in an} official capacity in the SIU unle an
official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circumstances hould any member pay any money for any rea on
unle
he i given such receipt. In the event anyone
attempts to require any such payment he made without
supplying a receipt. or if a member i~ required to make a
payment and is given an official receipt, but feels that he
should not have heen required to make such payment. thi ,
should immediately he reported to Union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are u ed to further it objects and purposes including, but not limited to, furthering the political, social and
economic interest of maritime workers, the preservation
and furthering of the American Merchant Marine with
improved employment opportunities for seamen and
boatmen and the advancement of trade union concepts.
In connection with such objects, SPAD supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contribution may be
solicited or received because of force. joh discrimination,
financial reprisal. or threat of such conduct, or as a condition of member hip in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made by reason of the above 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 SPA D to protect and further your economic, political and , ocial intere ts, and American trade union
concepts.
H 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
ac~ to Union records or information, he should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The addr~ is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

�Lundeberg School Trains
Navy Group on Heavy Crane
The Navy Reserve Cargo Handling
Training Battalion came to Piney Point
recently to receive training on the
school's 32-ton Hagglund crane.
The battalion, stationed in Williamsburg, Va., is an active duty unit with
a primary mission of training all Navy
cargo handling force personnel, both
active and reserve.
It is the primary augmentation unit
for the Navy in the event of premobilization action and is a Quick

Response Combat Support Unit of the
Operational Forces specializing in open
ocean cargo handling.
The training given to the members
of this unit helped acquaint them with
the Hagglund crane and reinforced
their cargo handling technique .
The SIU's support of the sealift
community's cargo handling programs
is one example of the nation's "Fourth
Arm of Defense" in action.

Melvin Hewitt (I.) and Gerald LeBar preparing to hook up the spreader in
twin operation.

The signalman gives the signal to
lower the jib in preparation for
placing the crane in twin operation.

Crane Operator William Northey
raises the jib while hoisting the
cargo.

Signalman Donald Williamson signals the crane operator to lower the jib.

Preparations are completed for hoisting the 35 ft container.

First row (I. to r.): Richard Dickerson (Instructor), Gerald LaBar, Donald
Williamson. Second row (I. tor.) Gary Creech, Mike Prell, Jimmie Maynor.
Third row (I. to r.) Melvin Hewitt, Carl Bruce, William Northey.
November 1986 I LOG I 7

�Physical Science Instructor Roger Francisco explains the capabilities of
an air track to Gary Heatherington (I.) and Kyle White.

Plan Ahead for the SHLSS College Program in 1987
The Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School College Program began its
fourth session of college courses in
November. The November session
wraps up the final offering of
college courses for 1986, and next
year there will be five sessions of
college courses, eight weeks in
length offered to SIU members.
Courses offered during the sessions
vary according to student needs. In
the past year students have been
working on their college
requirements by taking English
Composition and Rhetoric,
General Physical Science and math
courses based on placement tests.
These seem to be some of the more
popular courses as they meet the
early requirements in the 2 ...year
associates degree program. Next
year, these same courses will be
offered along with a variety of other
courses in the areas of science, social
science, psychology and, of course,
math and English courses. The
dates for the college program
sessions for 1987 are published each

month in the LOG along with the
dates for vocational and adult
education upgrading courses.
Students who enroll in the
college program are treated as any
other upgrader at SffiSS. Room
and board are provided at no
charge and transportation expenses
are reimbursed upon successful
completion of the program of
study. Students are scheduled for
their courses with study time built
into their day to help them meet
the demands of taking college level
courses. Depending upon course
difficulty and student ability,
students are usually scheduled for
two to three courses per eight week
session.
So far, student reaction to the
program has been very positive.
Some of the benefits of the
program cited by students are that
the classes run for eight weeks at a
time rather than the traditional 16
week semesters at most other
colleges and that the classes are
small which makes it easy for

Third Mate
First row (I. to r.) Douglas A. Craft, Rick deMont, Dan
Severinson, Shawn Kennedy. Second row (I. to r.) Paul
Konstantino, Edwin Rivera, Stephen Gateau, Skip Krantz,
Jim Brown (Instructor).

Able Seaman
First row (I. to r.) Don Gearhart, Thomas Sherrier, Vernon
Johnson Jr., Erowin C. Udan, Raymond Kucharczyk, Jake
Karaczynski (Instructor). Second row (I. to r.) Joel Miller,
Royce Kauffman, Jeff Libby, John Joseph Arnold, Kenneth
Gilson.

8 I LOG I November 1986

students to get individual help
from instructors. Another benefit
of the college program is that there
are placement tests and remedial
courses available for those students
who are not quite ready to step into
college level work. Student Kyle
White, who just completed a
session of the college program,
stated that, ''This college program
is very beneficial to the seafarers,
and I just wish that more people
would take advantage of it." Mr.
White found his course in Physical
Science both challenging and
interesting. He added, ''The classes
are good because the teachers are
very supportive and will give you as
much help as you need. The class
sizes are small so there is a greater
chance to get individual help and
really understand the material.''

When asked what he would say to
other seafarers about the college
program, Mr. White says simply,
''Get back to Piney Point and take
advantage of a great educational
opportunity,''
The first step to get into the
college program is to fill out an
application. The application in the
LOG can be sent in and then the
college programs office will contact
the student about scheduling
dates, courses available and
placement in the program. It's easy
to get information about the
program. Just contact the College
Programs Office at SffiSS. Don't
hesitate to call or write if there are
any questions. Look at the course
schedule for 1987 and start making
plans to attend the college program
next year.

-·-·-·-------·-·---------·-----·,
College Program Information
D Please send more information
D Please send more information and an application
Name
Address~~~~~~~~~-...-~~~~~~~~~~~~
treet

State

City

Zip Code

SIU Book Number
Circle whichever applies to you
Inland

Great Lakes

Deep Sea

Deck

Engine

Steward

Mail This Coupon To:
Tracy Aumann
SHLSS
Piney Point, MD 20674

-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·

Lifeboat
First row (I. to r.) Joseph Murphy, Stephen Bowden,
Veronika Cardenas, Ben Cusic (Instructor). Second row (I. to
r.) William Bolling, Judy Barbera, Bill Simmons.

Marine Electrical Maintenance
First row (I. tor.) Fred Vogler, Robert, Raff, David Hamilton,
Paul Olson, Dan Picciolo. Second row (I. to r.) Gary Gateau,
Corbin Piper, John Gener. Not pictured: Walter Kimbrough,
Richard Williams.

Army Training Group
First row (I. to r.) SGT John W. Holt Jr., SSG Steven R.
Wilson. Second row (I. to r.) SSG Oscar Nadal, Richard
Dickerson (Instructor), SSG Charles Williams.

Refrigeration
First row (I. to r.) Pat Cross, A. H. O'Krogly, Larry Hines.
Second row (I. to r.) Eric Malzkuhn (Instructor), Charles
Sandino, Joe Pomraning, Alan Hansen, Joaquin R. Miller,
Bob Hill. Third row (I. tor.) John Wright, Robert Bunch, Jim
McBride.

�1987 UPGRADING COURSE SCHEDULE
Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills and Promote the U.S. Maritime Industry

January 1987 The following is the current course schedule for the first six months of
the 1987 school year 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 po~ible. Although every effort will
be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs and
the needs of the industry.
SIU Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the
application.

Engine Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date
March 23

Completion
Date
June 12

Marine Electrical Maintenance

January 5
March 9

February 27
May 1

Diesel Engine Technology

April 6

May 15

Welding

April 13

May 8

Chief Engineer &amp; Assistant Engineer
Uninspected Motor Vessel

April 6

June 12

Third Assistant Engineer &amp; Original
Second Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor

January 5

March 13

Automation

June 22

July 17

Conveyorman

January 5

January 30

Fireman/Watertender Oiler

February 9
June 8

April 3
July 31

Hydraulics

May 11

June 5

Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations

January 5

February 13

Refrigerated Containers Maintenance

February 16

March 27

Course
QMED - Any Rating

Advanced

Deck Upgrading Courses
Course
Celestial Navigation
Able Seaman

Radar Observer

Check-In
Date
March 13
July 13

Completion
Date
April 17
August 14

January 5
March 23
May 18

February 27
May 15
July 10

March 16
April 20

March 27
May 1

Radar Observer (Renewal)

Open ended course, however,
must notify SHLSS before
entering this course.

Third Mate &amp; Original
Second Mate

January 5
May 4

March 13
July 10

First Class Pilot

January 12

February 27

Lifeboat

March 9
May 4

March 20
May 15

Tankerman

March 23
May 18

April 3
May 29

Recertification Programs
Course
Steward Recertification

Check-In
Date
January 26
June 29

Completion
Date
March 2
August 3

Bosun Recertification

February 24

April 6

June 1987
Steward Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date
January 27
March 18
May 13

Completion
Date
Open Ended
Open Ended
Open Ended

Cook &amp; Baker

February 4
March 18
April 29
June 10

Open
Open
Open
Open

Chief Steward

January 27
March 18
May 13

Open Ended
Open Ended
Open Ended

Course
Chief Cook

Ended
Ended
Ended
Ended

All Rating Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date
January 5
February 2
March 2
April 13
May 18
July 13

Course
Sealift Operations and
Maintenance

Completion
Date
January 30
February 27
March 27
May 8
June 12
August 7

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 months of this year, the courses will be six weeks in length and
offered on the following dates:
January 5
February 16
High School Equivalency (GED)
March 2
April 13
May 4
June 15
January 5
February 13
March 2
April 10
May 4
June 12
Seafarers applying for the upgraders Lifeboat class and who are either ESL
or need some work on basic skills, may take the ESUABE Lifeboat course
three weeks prior to the scheduled Lifeboat class. This class will be offered:
February 16
March 6
April 13
May 1
Adult Basic Education (ABE) &amp;
English as a Second Language (ESL)

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes. They will be offered as follows:
FOWT
February 2
February 6
QM ED
March 16
March 20
Third Mate
April 27
May 1
Able Seaman
May 11
May 15
FOWT
June 1
June 5

College Programs
Course
Associates in Arts

Nautical Science Certificate

Check-In
Date
January 19
March 30
June 8

Completion
Date
March 13
May 22
July 31

March 30

May 22

NOTICE
To All SIU Members
Who Are Scheduled To Attend SHLSS
You must present an up-to-date SIU clinic card before
attending classes.
All students who are enrolled in a U.S. Coast Guard certified
class must carry a valid clinic card.

November 1986 I LOG I 9

�Upgrading Course
Apply
Now
for
an
SH
LSS
......•........................•..................................................................•.................•.......•............•
Seafare rs Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name

Deep Sea Member 0

Inland Waters Member D

Mo./Oay/Year

Telephone -~~.---..------­
(Area Code)

(Zip Code)

(State)

(City)

Date of Birth

(Middle)

(f 1rst)

(Last)

Pacific 0

Lakes Member D

Social Security# _______ Book# _______ Seniority _______ Department _ _ _ _ _ __
Date Book
Port Presently
Was lssued __________ Port lssued __________ Registered In _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: 0 Yes
Trainee Program: From _ _ _ _~_to~----(dates attended)

No D (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No 0 (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s)Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: 0 Yes

No 0

Firefighting: 0 Yes No 0

CPR: 0 Yes No 0

Date Available for T r a i n i n g - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - Primary Language Spoken - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
DECK
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D

ENGINE

Tankerman
AB Unlimited
AB Limited
AB Special
Towboat Operator Inland
Towboat Operator Not More
Than 200 Miles
Towboat Operator (Over 200 Miles)
Celestial Navigation
Master Inspected Towing Vessel
Mate Inspected Towing Vessel
1st Class Pilot
Third Mate Celestial_Navigation
Third Mate
Radar Observer Unlimited
Simulator Course
Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

0
0
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
0

FOWT
QMEO-Any Rating
Marine Electronics
Marine Electrical Maintenance
Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
Automation
Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
Diesel Engine Technology
Assistant Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel)
Chief Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel
Third Asst. Engineer &amp; Original Second
Asst. Engineer Steam or Motor
Ref rlgerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
Marine Electronics (LASH Crane)
Hydraulics
Hagglund Crane Maintenance

STEWARD
D
D
0
D

Cook &amp; Baker
Chief Cook
Chief Steward
Towboat Inland Cook

ALL DEPARTMENTS
D Welding
D Llfeboatman
D Seallft Operations &amp; Maintenance

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
D Adult Basic Educ:atlon (ABE)
D High School Equlvalency
Program (GEO)
D Developmental Studies (OVS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)
0 ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates In Arts Degree
0 Nautical Science Certificate

RECORD OF EMPLOYMENT TIME-(Show only amount needed to upgrade in rating noted above or attach letter
of service, whichever is applicable.)
VESSEL
RATING HELD
DATE SHIPPED
DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-DATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~­

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

10 I LOG I November 1986

c

�Kennedy and the 'Monsignor'

Members of the Third Mates, Operation and Maintenance, Able Seamen and Refrigeration
classes listen to SIU legislative reps Liz Demato and Frank Pecquex explain the Union's
role in politics. Below are Seafarers who recently took part in Sealift and Operations,
Marine Electrical Maintenance and FOWT upgrading classes at SHLSS.

Still monitoring the pulse of politics, retired SIU VP Edward X. Mooney was as
active as ever in the recent congressional elections. Working part-time out of the
Seattle hall, Brother Mooney was on hand to greet Congressman-elect Joseph P.
Kennedy (D-Mass.) during Kennedy's visit to Seattle in July.

VP Reports
(Continued from Page 14.)

Fund Drive Nets $3,000
For John Cleveland Family

Mrs. John Cleveland and her son John Travis Jr. were presented with a check for $3,000 last month from Arthur Kalen, SIU director of
personnel. The check establishes a trust fund for two-and-one-half-year-old John Jr. SIU staff member volunteers raised money for the
trust fund by soliciting donations during a raffle and a picnic held on Paul Hall's Birthday at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School
August 20, 1986. Chief fund raisers included (I. to r.) Barbara Adams, Jean Brown, Pat Reid, Mary Georghiou, Diane Coleman and
Deborah Porter. In addition, the volunteers raised money from direct donations from companies interested in the welfare of John Jr. John
Cleveland Sr. was director of the SIU Headquarters Food Services. He was fatally injured last summer following a car accident not far
from his home in St. Mary's County, Md.

with no sign of reactivating.
Up in Seattle, there are a number
of laid up ships. Shipping, however,
continues to be very good. And unless
a member is real choosy, he should
have no trouble shipping out.
Out in Honolulu, we're still very
busy with our military-contracted ships.
The Constitution and the Independence were paid off, and the Constitution is coming to the coast for her
annual drydocking on Nov. 29.
The tanker Ogden Yukon also came
through Honolulu before an explosion
aboard ship claimed the lives of four
crewmembers. I knew the QMED,
Jam es Duffy, the one SIU member
who was killed. He was a good shipmate and a good Union brother.
I'm pleased to report that a contract
agreement has been reached between
the SIU-AGL&amp;IWD, SUP and MFOW
on the one side with the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents APL and Matson Navigation.
The terms of the agreement extend
the contract from June 15, 1987 to
June 15, 1990. It also includes a 2
percent wage increase effective July
1, 1987, July 1, 1988 and July 1, 1989,
as well as COLA adjustments. We
also were able to negotiate an increase
in wages &amp; benefits for any member
60 years or older who qualifies for a
long-term pension under the present
plan (25 years sea-time).
SIU members throughout California
have been assisting striking Kaiser
hospital workers by participating in
rallies and other forms of support.
In closing, I would like to express
my sympathies and regrets on the
passing of our old friends Cal Tanner
and Rex Dickey. They were both great
old guys and will be missed.
November 1986 I LOG I 11

�Ale h

F, mily

By Dr. Phillip L. Polakoff
Director, Western Institute for
Occupational/Environmental Sciences
Alcoholism is more than an individual problem. It's a family affair.
One-third of all Americans, according to a national poll, admit that alcohol has been a cause of trouble in
their families.
The alcoholic's symptoms are well
known: excessive drinking, blackouts,
morning shakes, confusion, irresponsible behavior at home and in public;
delirium and even death in extreme
cases.
What's not widely known is that the
wives and husbands, children and parents of alcohol-chemical dependent
persons have their own set of symptoms. Unless these family members
recognize that they, too, need help
and get it, they can carry a burden of
guilt, psychosomatic illness, social
isolation and sexual problems with
them long after the death of an alcoholic parent or the divorce of an alcoholic spouse.
Following are some family patterns,
or symptoms, compiled by the Marworth Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania. Other sources of information
and support are Al-Anon and Alateen,
anonymous fellowships modeled after
Alcoholics Anonymous. AA groups
are usually in the phone book.

One of the earliest family symptoms
is denial. For whatever reason, family
members don't accept or confront the
negative effects of another person's
drug or alcohol use. The abnormal
becomes normal to them. They pretend and act as if everything is okay.
They'll often say-and truly believe"It's not that bad."
Preoccupation and fear are common. Family members become totally
absorbed in the mood, behavior and
activity of the chemically dependent
person. The addicted person becomes
the main focus of the family. The
others may neglect their own responsibilities.
Because of the unpredictable and
often erratic behavior of the alcoholic,
family life is full of anxiety and dread.
No one knows what will happen next.
But based on experience, everybody
expects trouble.
This leads to tension and irritability.
Finally, unable to suppress feelings of
anger, shame and worry, family members overreact. They lose their tempers. Raise their voices. Throw things.
Guilt feelings follow. Family members assume responsibility for another's drinking and behavior. They believe that if they can do something
better or different-or don't do some-

Staying Drug-Free:
There Is A Way Open
A little more than 10 years ago, the
first group of Seafarers took that first
step in getting their lives back together. They were the first to go through
the SIU's Alcoholic Rehabilitation
Center. Both the Union and those
members realized alcohol was killing
them, and it was time to do something.
Since then, almost 1,000 SIU members have taken advantage of the help
that is available to them, but some
things have changed in the last decade.
For the most part, it was alcohol that
was destroying the lives of that first
group. Today almost 80 percent of the
Seafarers who enter the program are
also addicted to other drugs. Because
of that change, the SIU has refocused
its efforts to include help for members
fighting drug problems.
Unless you live in outer space, you
are aware of the problems drugs have
caused this country, this industry, this
Union. Far too many of our brothers
and sisters have fallen victim to drug
addiction. It can destroy their personal
lives and it can ruin their careers. It
can maim and it can kill.
It is getting to the point that a large
percentage of the jobs available to SIU
members require Seafarers to be drugfree. If you want to ship, you're going
to have to take a test. If you don't
pass it, you don't ship. The Coast
Guard is cracking down.
12 I LOG I November 1986

New rules may be even tougher.
The threat of having- your papers jerked
is real if you are found with drugs
onboard or if you are caught working
under the influence.
If drugs or alcohol have become a
problem in your life, you have the
opportunity to reclaim control over
your life. Your Union has provided
the tools for you, but you have to use
them.
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Rehabilitation Center can be where you
take that first step. It's a tough step.
But it is a step you will be thankful
that you took all your life, because it
can be the step that gives you back all
your life again.

•

If
thing-the drinking or chemical use
will stop.
Others take over the alcoholic's role
and responsibilities, including parenting, financial obligations and household chores. In alcoholic families , older
children often take over for one or
both parents .
Resentment over these role reversals can persist for years , sometimes even after the alcoholic stops
drinking, or dies, or is no longer in
the lives of the affected family members.
Sexual relationships suffer along with
everything and everybody else. Partners stop sharing feelings-and, very
often, bedrooms. Children have no
role models on which to form their
own healthy sexual relationships.
High tension and stress levels in an
alcoholic home result in a variety of
real or imagined physical conditions.
Family members of alcoholics don't
feel well a lot of the time, and make

frequent visits to the doctor for medical attention.
One of the most depressing-and
useless-things that can happen is for
some family members to increase their
own chemical use: "If you can't beat
'em, join 'em." They may do this to
numb the feelings of pain and frustration. Others may be motivated by
revenge or spite. Fortunately, this tactic is usually temporary.
This is a somber story. But as the
problem becomes more widely recognized, more help is becoming available for families.
Educational and support groups are
being sponsored by schools, churches,
community organizations, hospitals and
alcoholism treatment centers. Often
these valuable services are provided
at no charge. If you need such help,
please try to find it and use it.
If you have any questions, or suggestions for future articles, write to
the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp
Springs, Md. 20746.

R E

ST

"Made a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God as we
understood Him.''
One of the three essential beginning steps on the road to recovery. Practicing
Step Three is like opening a door which to all appearances is still closed and
locked. All we need is a key, and the decision to swing the door open.
There is only one key, and it is called willingness. Once unlocked by
willingness, the door opens almost of itself. Looking through it we shall see a
pathway beside which is an inscription. It reads:
' 'This is the way to a faith that works.''
To every worldly and practical-minded beginner, this step looks hard, even
impossible. No matter how much one wishes to try, exactly how can he turn
his own will and his own life over to the care of whatever God he thinks there
is?
Fortunately, we who have tried it, and with equal misgivings, can testify
that anyone can begin to do it. A beginning, even the smallest, is all that is
needed.
Once we have placed the key of willingness in the lock and have the door
ever so slightly open, we find that we can always open it some more. And
even though self-will may slam it shut again and again, as it frequently does,
it will always respond the moment we again pick up the key of willingness.
Once we have made the beginning, we can, in times of emotional stress or
indecision, ask for quiet and in that stillness simply say:
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to
change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

* * *
A.A.'s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in their nature,
which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink and
enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole.
Step One. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol and drugs, that our
lives had become unmanageable.
Step Two. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could
restore us to sanity.

@jOOK£D?
A cJIJNK/EP

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.

SOMerHING

ABOUT /Tf'
CV/V?ACT
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OR S'./.U.

Ar CAMP

SPRING{;,
MO.

�Captain, Crew Stay Cool

After Blast, No Way to Fight Fire, So Crew Waits
Brian O'Hanlon never got a chance
to finish his pineapple juice. An explosion so powerful that ''it felt like
the ship was picked up'' and a fireball
blazing across the Ogden Yukon's starboard porthole in the mess sent
O'Hanlon heading for what he hoped
was safety on the deck of the tanker.
''It was a low and powerful feeling
and then I saw a fireball outside the
porthole. I thought 'holy shit! '" said
the 42-year-old AB from Livermore
Falls, Maine.
O'Hanlon, who spoke to the LOG
several days after the explosion, said
he, the chief steward and a BR first
tried to make their way to the port
side through the darkened and smokefilled deck house.
"We weren 't wasting no time. But
the port side was on fire when we got
there and somebody said, 'We can't
get out this way.' There were no lights,
the house was full of smoke. I guess
it only took about 15 or 20 seconds
before we got outside," he said.
When he and the others reached the
deck, they saw the massive damage
the blast had done to the ship's stack
and stack deck. They were virtually
destroyed.
"Later when I thought about it, I
was surprised there were only four
killed," he said.
As the crew gathered after the blast,
some men were trying to break out
the hoses, but the explosion had left
the ship dead in the water-no power,
no pumps. no way to fight the fire.
The crewmembers who were on the
bridge at the time of the blast were
forced to lower themselves from the
bridge by lines; their other escape
routes were blocked by smoke, debris

-Ogden Yukon(continued from Page 1.)
was transferred from the fishing boat
to the Singapore-flag freighter Dresden
which took them to Midway Island.
The crew was flown to Honolulu where
the Coast Guard is conducting interview as part of its investigation into
the fatal blast. Four other crewmen
suffered minor injuries, including the
First Engineer who sustained a broken
leg.
Seafarer Duffy joined the Union in
1951 and, except for a tour in the U.S.
Army Infantry. sailed with the SIU
continuously. He first sailed as a wiper
but upgraded, earning both QMED
and chief electrician end or ements.
He completed a Sealift Maintenance
and Operation course at SHLSS in
1985.

ENJOY THANKSGIVING

DON'T BUY MARVEL TURKEYS

The explosion is suspected to have originated in the engineroom of the Ogden Yukon. Two
of the victims were reportedly working there when the blast ripped through. Above is a
picture of the engineroom aboard the Yukon's sister ship the Ogden Dynachem.

and fire.
A quick head count was taken and
that was when the four victims of the
blast were discovered to be missing.
Also several crewmembers suffered
injuries in the explosion.
"When I first got out, I saw the first
engineer there and carried him midships," O'Hanlon recalled. It was later
reported the engineer had suffered a
broken leg.
Once the captain and crew discovered there was no way to fight the fire,
the crew moved forward, toward the
bow and hopefully away from any
further explosions.
One lifeboat had been blown apart
in the blast but the other was still
serviceable. However, to get to it
meant having to return to the area of
the fire and explosion.

''The captain asked if we wanted to
go back there and bring the boat around.
I said 'Well you're the captain ... ,' "
O'Hanlon said.
O'Hanlon and several other crewmembers made their way back to the
lifeboat. "Being good little Catholic
boys, we crossed ourselves and went
over the portside and got the lifeboat.
We lowered it and moved it forward,''
he said.
After the lifeboat had been secured,
they sat. About an hour later another
explosion rocked the ship and it was
suspected to have been a bunker tank
going up, he said. During the course
of the day, several other small explosions were heard and the crew guessed
they were from oxygen and acetylene
tanks exploding.
At about 4:30 p.m., some six hours

LNG Aries Rescues 15
After 45 days in a small rickity
boat, 15 Vietnamese refugees
were finally plucked from the
ocean by the LNG Aries (ETC).
The refugees (pictured below)
said several ships had passed
them by during their five weeks
at sea. None stopped.
At the left is the steward department, which had a lot of
extra work to do feeding another
15 people. They are (clockwise)
GSU Jacqueline Davis (seated),
Steward Abdul Hassan, Chief
Cook Henry Daniels, GSU Perry
McCall and GSU Juan Ro ario.

after the first blast, the captain decided
it was time to abandon the Yukon.
"We had some people with injuries
and we didn't want to have to get them
in the lifeboat in the dark, so we started
to lower them down,,., O'Hanlon said.
Even with the riding crew and the
11 Japanese workers who had been
aboard to muck the Yukon's empty
tanks, the lifeboat and one life raft
were able to accommodate the crew,
he said.
The weather was fair and the seas
calm that night, but the emergency
transmitter aboard the lifeboat didn't
function properly. However the
EPIRB's (an emergency location device) signal had been picked up by the
Coast Guard , and a Japanese fishing
vessel was on the way to the Yukon's
crew.
It was quiet in the boat and no one
seemed particularly worried that night
about being rescued, O'Hanlon said.
"By that time we were pretty well
exhausted," he said.
About 6 or 7 a.m. the next morning,
the Shosi Maru reached the scene and
took the Yukon's crew aboard. Two
hours later they were transferred to
the Singapore-flag ship the Dresden
which took them the 300 miles to
Midway Island. Later the Coast Guard
flew the crew to Honolulu.
0' Hanlon said one of the things
which surprised him during the initial
time after the explosion was, "how
calm everybody was. Everbody really
kept their cool.''
He also singled out Capt. Terry
Kotz and Chief Mate Ed lngermann
for their coolness and professionalism
in an extremely deadly and stressful
situation.

SHLSS
Launches
Student Loan
Program
Jan. 1
Beginning Jan. 1, 1987 all trainees and upgraders attending
clas es at the Seafarer Harry
Lundeberg School of Seamanship will participate in a scholarship loan agreement program.
Under the agreement, the
chool will provide instruction,
cour e materials, room and board.
All students will sign loan contracts agreeing to repay the loans
if they fail to work a certain
number of days per year for companies which contribute to
SHLSS.
The loan is reduced by the
amount of time the employee
works with a contributing employer. If an employee continues
working for an SIU company, it
is likely that he or she would
totally reduce the amount of his
loan and would not be responsible for any repayments.

November 1986ILOGI13

�Area Vice Pre ide ts' Report

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike Sacco

T

HE Midwest, which has already
been hard hit by the decline of
this nation's industrial base, is gearing
itself for massive lay-offs in the auto
industry.
General Motors has announced plans
to let go 29,000 workers in the region.
While this will further depress the
Great Lakes maritime industry, it will
have no immediate effect on the job
security of our members.
A number of long-standing dredging
projects were finally finished. Leudtke
Engineering completed its Buffalo,
N.Y. dredging job. It is moving its
equipment to Milwaukee, Wis. to have
it ready for the spring thaw.
Other dredging companies are trying
to beat the winter frost. Still, things
are quickly winding down in the area.
One good piece of new . The towboat companies are trying to move all
the grain they can out on the rivers
before the bad weather comes. This
has helped pick things up for our
members.
The Delta Queen and the Mississippi Queen have headed South for
the winter. For the next few months,
they'll be spending most of their time
around New Orleans.
An interesting aside: the Paymentin-Kind program, which was exempted from the provisions of the P.L.
480 program as part of a compromise
between maritime and agriculture, has
recently come under attack.

every single group of voters, including
registered Republicans.
Barbara ikulski became the first
woman to be elected to a Democratic
Senate seat in her own right.
Republican Helen Bentley staged a
heroic battle to defeat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. Townsend had the
Kennedy name and a lot more money,
but Bentley's long-time ties to the port
of Baltimore made the difference.
The 1986 elections came at a pivotal
time for the American maritime industry.
According to the most recent issue
of the Navy Times, the American-flag
merchant marine has fewer ves els
than the Navy for the first time in the
history of this nation.
As any SIU member contemplating
retirement can tell you. the face of the
maritime industry has changed almost
beyond recognition in ju ta few years.
An important sign of that change
are the merger talks that the NMU
and the SIU are engaged in.
Thirty years ago, all anyone who
wanted to feel the pul e of the maritime industry had to do was take a
walk on the West Side of Manhattan,
where the bulk of the MU' s pa senger vessels and the SIU's cargo ship
were tied up between runs.
Today, the docks are rotting and
the eamen's bar are clo ed. When
people talk abou a renai ance, they
don't mean ships; they mean condominiums, parks and even a proposed
superhighway.
The deepsea fleet is not the only
part of the maritime industry to feel
the pinch. Up in ew Bedford, our
fishermen are also being hard pre sed
by foreign competition a growing antiunion backlash and soaring in urance
rates.
We will be starting a trial in ew
Bedford against the Seafood Producers, who violated the rights of our
members during the strike that was
held there earlier this year.
One last note: Morton Bahr, president of the Communication Worker
of America CWA), has been named
this year's recipient of the Paul Hall
Award.
The award is handed out by the
New York Maritime ort Council to
an individual who has done the most
to promote the labor movement, the
maritime industry or the port of ew
York.

East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

Seafarers across the Gulf volunteered their time, passing out leaflets,
canvassing, making signs, manning
telephone banks and attending rallies
for the candidates this Union believed
would give s an ear in Washington.
The victories we were able to achieve
show how important SPAD is to the
SIU. It shows our members why we
are including voluntary SPAD checkoff clauses in all the contracts we are
negotiating or our Inland members.
In Louisiana, the efforts of our
membership, organized labor and the
Democcatic party were able to beat
back the millions of dollars and the
upport of President Reagan and Vice
President George Bush in the Senate
election there. Just weeks before the
election, the so-calJed experts predicted Republican Hen on Moore
would walk away with the election.
They gave Rep. John Breaux little
chance. Some 5-6 million in GOP
funds and various presidential visits
later, Breaux won the election handily,
a 54--46 percent margin.
In Alabama and Florida, our endor ed candidates defeated Republican incumbents. In Florida, Gov. Bob
Graham took the Senate eat from
Sen. Paula Hawkins, and in Alabama
Dick Shelby defeated incumbent Senator Jerimiah Denton.
The gras roots work of our member hip, the efforts of the variou Port
Councils, and SPAD contribution
played a great role. Overall it wa a
pretty good victory. · ow e have to
loo to 1988 when the pre idential
campaign hits full stride, and we have
to find a candidate who will support
the maritime industry. It may seem a
way down the road but ·t is never
too oon to start.
Staying on
litics for minute, I
recently had chance to ost, along
with other Houston Democrats and
labor leaders, Paul Kir head of the
Democratic ational Committee.
ey
were here to look over ouston as a
possible site for the 988 Democratic
convention. I understand ou ton i
in the top three as a po ible site.
We've been pretty bu yon the contract fron . We've negotiated contracts with Higman To ing in Orange,
Texa which will cover a out 60 Boatmen. We also completed tal
with
Bay Towing of Hou ton and with
estem Towing, also in ou ton. The
Red Circle contract has been ratified
n ew Orlean.

T

HE big story this month on the
East Coast was the overwhelming
success of the SIU's grassroots political efforts.
In New York, every single candidate we supported for the House of
Representatives was elected. Governor Mario Cuomo and Senator Al
D' Amato defeated their opponents.
In Pennsylvania, SIU-backed Arlen
Specter won re-election to the Senate
in a difficult campaign.
In Maryland, where some of our
members manned phone banks, William Donald Schaefer defeated his Republican opponent for governor by
better than a four-to-one margin. This

IU-backed candidates cored clo e
to a clean sweep in the Gulf states
in this off-year election. Part of their
success has to be attributed to the
hard work and SPAD donations by

long-time friend of the SIU carried

this membership.

14 I LOG I November 1986

Gulf Coas
by V.P. Joe Sacco

S

Governmen Services
by V.P. Buck Mercer

T

HIS office continues to receive
reports from crewmembers on
various SCPAC ship regarding the

use of drugs, pot, pills, etc., by other
crewmembers while aboard ship. On
everal previous occa ions, I have
spo en on this ubject, but it seems
that the more that is aid, the worse
the roblem get .
e know, of cour e that it takes
only a few individual violators to make
things unsafe for not only themselves,
but for others around them, and can
put "heat" on any ship. y concern
i afety for all crewmembers, and I
know that when one crewmember is
"spaced-out," not only does that person fail to perform properly but place
every other crewmember in jeopardy.
Drugs affect different people in many
different ways. f'or that matter, I venture to ay that the basi for some of
the di putes that happen aboard ship
are due to drugs. Customs officers and
dog don't come aboard ships and pull
surprise searches for nothing-and if
you get caught, "you lo e."
If you have a problem with drugs
or alcohol, why not help y~mrself by
doing omething po itive about it before it's too late? Why continue down
the road to destruction when a sistance is as near as your telephone?
SCPAC has a policy to offer free
and confidential coun eling to all employee who have personal problem
which are affecting their job perlormance or conduct. The Civilian Employee Assistance Program (CEAP)
can help with a variety of ituation
including drug dependency and the u e
of alcohol. Why wait to be disciplined
before taking advantage of this program? If you feel thi program could
be of assistance you are urged to
contact the CEAP c ordinator at (415)
466-4732.
Remember, you must take the first
tep toward recovery by fir t admitting
to your elf that you have a problem.
Then, make that '"all important" telephone call and help i on the way.

est Coa t
By V.P. George cCartney
HIS past election shows more
than ever the need for the SIU to
be active in politics to protect our
maritime interests. think we did very
well out here in California, particularly
with the re-election of Sen. Alan Cranston. We had quite a few SIU volunteers working the polls on election
day, and I believe thi helped. It is
also reassuring that the Democrats
ave recaptured the Senate. We are
going to need every bit of help we can
get to cope with this administration.
n the port of San Franci co, we
covered 31 ships, 20 payoffs and 11
ships in transit. The SS President Truman came in, paid off, laid up and was
turned back to arad. The only other
hip we have in lay up here is the SS
Transcolumbia of Hud on waterways
(Continued on Page 11.)

�..,

...

Rivers, Ports Set for $5 Billion in Improvements
More than $5 billion will be spent
to improve the nation's inland waterways and ports under the provisions
of a $16 billion water resources/port
development bill signed into law late
last month.
The bill, HR 6, is the culmination
of almost 10 years of debate on how
to improve the ports and rivers and
how much to spend. During that time
many inland waterways began to deteriorate as locks and dams grew old
and deepsea ports saw the arrival of
deeper draft ships which couldn't navigate the shallow channels of many
U.S. ports.
In the past, almost all work on ports
and rivers was paid for by the federal
government. But a growing deficit and
changes in philosophy resulted in the
two new provisions-local cost sharing obligations and user fees-as ways
to ease some of the federal burden.
Of the $5 billion earmarked for port
and river projects , local authorities
will have to raise $2 billion. Tax revenues and bond issues are expected
to finance the major share of local cost
obligations for the projects.
The legislation also includes a formula for user fees which will be used
for maintenance of harbors and should

Dozens of the important locks and dams on the inland waterways will benefit from the port development bill.

cut current federal costs of harbor
dredging maintenance by about 40 percent. Shippers will pay a .04 percent
tax on the value of their cargo moving
through U.S. ports. That tax is expected to raise about $140 million a
year. The issue of user fees raised
questions during the debate, but some
modifications of the fee and how it is
applied convinced most shippers to go

Chesapeake Bay Pilots
Navigation laws say cargo ships
must seek the assistance of licensed
pilots when sailing the inland waterways.
SIU members at a number of pilot
stations play an important role in
providing safe navigation by transporting pilots to cargo carriers. Or
they work to bring pilots back to

land by launch once a vessel has
received pilot assistance.
In the Chesapeake Bay, the Association of Maryland Pilots and
the Association of Virginia Pilots
have several stations and a fleet of
pilot launches for just such transport services. During the night hours
the Chesapeake is often jammed
with traffic. Pilots board cargo vessels to direct shipments through the
maze of small and large boats and
ships.
Launches meet cargo carriers at
prearranged buoy locations. The

See Pages 16 &amp; 17
For More Photos

The Maryland, a pilot launch owned by
the Association of Maryland Pilots, is
docked at the Association's Solomon's
Island, Md. Lusby station.

rendezvous route becomes habit.
At the Lynn Haven Inlet station on
the Virginia side of the Chesapeake
Bay, SIU launch operators meet
inbound vessels at one of four
marked locations off the Virginia
Capes.
What is unpredictable for SIU
pilot launch operators is the weather.
And nowhere is this truer than on
(Continued on Page 16.)

along with the arrangement.
Some of the projects and the federal
share included in the bill are:

• Monogahela River, Pa.-$123
million and $82 million for replacement
of two locks and dams.

• Black Water-Tombigbee River,
Ala.-$150 million for lock and dam
replacements;
• Ohio River, Ohio and W. Va.$268 million for replacement of Gallopolis locks and dams;

Major improvements also are scheduled for Mobile Harbor, the Mississippi River Ship Channel, Texas City
Channel, Norfolk Harbor, San Pedro
Bay and New York Harbor. In all, 48
projects are included in the legislation.

Ex-IBU of Pacific Chief Merle
Ad/um, 62, Dies in Seattle
Former head of the Inland Boatman's Union of the Pacific, Capt. Merle
D. Adlum, 62, died in the Swedish
Hospital, Seattle last month. He had
cancer.
Brother Adlum joined the then SIUaffiliated IBU of the Pacific in 1954
working as an organizer. Later he was
assistant to the president of the Union
for several years before becoming head
of the IBU of the Pacific.
At the same time, Capt. Adlum was
assistant business agent for the Masters, Mates and Pilots Union , Local 6
and was president of Virginia V Foundation, Seattle. He was also a member
of the Seattle Port Commission from
1964 to 1984. As a port commissioner,
Capt. Adlum won the Muncipal League
of Seattle and King County Outstanding Citizen Award in 1967 and the
Puget Sound Maritime Press Assn.
Maritime Man of the Year Award in
1972.
He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy
before World War II serving on the
aircraft carriers USS Saratoga and
USS Oklahoma.
Born in Friday Harbor, Wash., he
was a resident of Seattle.
Surviving are his widow, Miriam;
five daughters, Virginia Houser, Joan
Chandler and Jackie Strople, all of

Seattle, Judi Blanks of Port Townsend, Wash. and Cindy Larsen of
Woodland, Wash.; and two sisters,
Sister Victoria Ann Adlum (S.N .J.M.)
of Everett, Wash. and Bette Copelin
of Napa, Calif.

Merle Adlum
November 1986 I LOG I 15

�David Callis has worked five years as a launch operator with the Virginia Pilots at Lynn Haven. The challenge for him has been overcoming
the risks inherent in the job of transferring pilots, "holding the launch in there when a ship is under full speed." Besides the danger of
the boarding itself, Callis adds that northeasterly winds along Virginia's coast can try the patience of launch operators and make navigation
unpredictably hazardous.

..,

..,

..

,

Engineer Bob Hurst is in charge of seasonal and regular maintenance of Lynn Haven
pilot launches.

16 I LOG I November 1986

Deckhand Doug Gardner (below) works to
maintain the Calvert, a launch owned and
operated by the Association of Maryland
Pilots at Lynn Haven.

With assistance from SIU members on the
pilot launch Old Dominion, Pilot Skip Howard (right) boards the Dutch carrier Rouen
as it plowed at 8 knots down the Chesapeake
Bay. The Old Dominion is operated by the
Association of Virginia Pilots, Lynn Haven.

(Continued from Page 15.)
the Chesapeake Bay. Heavy fog
and northeast winds can make a trip
on the Bay treacherous going for SIU
launch operators. In fog, a launch
operator may see no farther than two
feet in front of the prow. In heavy
seas, the launch will be hidden in
swells and will not be picked up on
the radar screen. Launch operators
are then forced to rely on radio contact
and a compass to find the vessel. Less
of a hazard are winter temperatures,
since most pilot launches are built with
an underlay er of heating ducts that deice decks and railings.
Getting there is then only half the
challenge. The other half is the boarding itself. It is a delicate undertaking
for both the pilot and launch operator.
The pilot must climb up several stories
by ladder to board the vessel. The
launch operator must get close to the
ship, but not too dangerously close.
The photographs of SIU launch operators and launch engineers that follow show some of the danger inherent
in the work SIU members perform for
the Association of Maryland Pilots and
the Association of Virginia Pilots. And
the satisfaction that SIU members express over their work.

�elp Laun h

Chesa eake ay

-

The Association of Maryland Pilots and the Association of Virginia
Pilots are prominent throughout the Chesapeake Bay region. At
the Virginia station a fleet of launch vessels is docked along the
shoreline of the Lynn Haven inlet. The two associations have
administrative and maintenance shop buildings. Overnight sleeping quarters are provided for pilots.

A launch operator at Lusby shows a student from the Seafarers
Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship some industrial arts
skills he applies to pilot boat maintenance.

SIU members aboard the Old Dominion stood by the Rouen until Pilot Skip Howard had
completed the difficult climb up the Jacobs ladder to the safety of a side hatch opening.

Story and Photos

by
Lynnette Marshall
For SIU launch operators at Lusby, there is a special perk that comes with their job.
Maryland blue crabs are in season in the summer months and may be easily netted from
the piers at the Association of Maryland Pilots at Lusby.

November 1986 I LOG I 17

�In Memoriam

-

Michael Keith Birt,
28, died of injuries
sustained in a crash
when his car went
off the highway in
Avon Park, Fla. on
Oct. 4. Brother Birt
joined the Union following his graduation from the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship Entry
Trainee Program in 1979. He sailed as
an AB and tankerman for G &amp; H
Towing and Dixie Carriers in 1979,
deep sea from 1980 to 1981 and from
1985 to 1986, Sabine Towing from 1983
to 1984, Crowley Marine from1984 to
1985 and Red Circle Towing in 1986.
Boatman Birt had a semester of South
Florida Vocational Junior College. Born
in Avon Park, he was a resident there.
Burial was in the Bouganvillea Cemetery, Avon Park. Surviving are a son,
Richard Birt Ill; his mother, Louise
Graham of Avon Park; his father,
Richard Birt Sr. of Tarpon Springs,
Fla.; a brother, Richard Birt II of Avon
Park, and an uncle, Alfred Doherty,
chief mate for Sabine Towing in the
port of Houston.
Pensioner Cleverne Lloyd Bradberry, 66, died on
Oct. 8. Brother
Bradberry joined the
Union in the port of
Port Arthur, Texas
in 1975 sailing as a
cook for Sabine
Towing from 1971 to 1984. He was a
former member of the Electricians
Union. Boatman Bradberry was a veteran of the U.S. Army during World
War II. Born in Center, Texas, he was
a resident of Port Arthur. Surviving is
a brother, J. E. Bradberry of Jasper,
Texas.
Pensioner Ruel William V. Chandler, 67, died of heart-lung failure in
the South Baltimore (Md.) Hospital
on Sept. 12. Brother Chandler joined
the Union in the port of Baltimore in
1957. He sailed as a captain for Curtis
Bay Towing (tug Gremlin) from 1945
to 1981. He was a former member of
the HIW Officers Division and the
ILA. Boatman Chandler was born in
Kentucky and was a resident of Linthicum Heights, Md. Burial was in the
Meadowridge Park Cemetery, Baltimore. Surviving are his widow, Erma
and a son, William of Woodbine, Md.
Pensioner Murriel Deese, 78, passed
away on Sept. 13. Brother Deese joined
the Union in the port of Mobile in
1956 sailing as a cook. He was born
in Uriah, Ala. and was a resident of
Frisco City, Ala. Surviving is his
widow, Nora Inez.
Dennis Wayne Dietz, 36, was reported missing and presumed dead on
Jan. 18. Brother Dietzjoined the Union
in the port of St. Louis, Mo. in 1977.
He sailed as a deckhand and tankerman for ACBL and National Marine
Service from 1977 to 1979 and for
Crowley Marine out of the port of
Wilmington, Calif. from 1980 to 1985.
He won a Transportation Institute
Towboat Scholarship and attended a
18 I LOG I November 1986

Piney Point Inland Conference in 1979.
Boatman Dietz was a former member
of the Teamsters Union in 1979. A
native of Dickinson, N.D., he was a
resident of St. Louis. Surviving are
his father, George of Belfield, N .D.
and his brother, Lawrence of Fargo,
N.D.
Pensioner John Joseph Oteri Sr., 78,
passed away on Sept. 23. Brother
Oteri joined the Union in the port of
Port Arthur, Texas in 1961 sailing last
as a chief engineer for D.M. Picton.
He was born in New Orleans and was
a resident of Albuqueque, N.M. Surviving are his widow, Beryl of Jasper,
Texas; two sons, John Jr. and Francis
of Bridge City, Texas; four daughters,
Lois, Iris., Betty and Frances Martin
of Bridge City, and a son-in-law, Seafarer Murphy P. Martin of Bridge
City.
Pensioner Early Jural Rush Jr., 85,
succumbed to cancer in the Church
Hospital, Baltimore on Sept. 16.
Brother Rush joined the Union in the
port of Baltimore in 1957. He began
sailing in 1946. He was born in Baltimore and was a resident there. Interment was in the Gardens of Faith
Cemetery, Baltimore Cty. Surviving
is his widow, Estella.

brothers, Jules and Charles, both of
New Orleans.

Pensioner Walter
Leon Jarrett, 70,
passed away from an
ulcer in St. Anthony's
Hospital,
Louisville, Ky. on
Aug. 2. Brother Jarrettjoined the Union
in the port of St.
Louis, Mo. in 1965. He sailed as a
cook for Inland Tugs from 1963 to
1978. He was a former member of the
United Steel Workers Union. Boatman Jarrett was a veteran of the lJ.S.
Army during World War II. Born in
Louisville, Ky., he was a resident
there. Burial was in the Resthaven
Park Cemetery, Louisville. Surviving
is a sister, Norma Edwards of Louisville.

Pensioner Harry
E. Larson, 71, died
on Sept. 8. Brother
Larson joined the
Union in the port of
Philadelphia in 1960.
He sailed as a lighter
captain for the Independent Pier Co.
from 1948 to 1977. He hit the bricks
in the 1946 General Maritime and the
1947 Isthmian beefs. Boatman Larson
was a native of Philadelphia and was
a resident there. Surviving is a sister,
Augusta Szczepanski of Philadelphia.
(Continued on Page 27.)

New
Pensioners

Pensioner Freddie
Cleber Jean Landry,
77, succumbed to
heart-lung failure in
the Jefferson Home
for Health Care,
New Orleans on
Sept. 5. Brother
Landry joined the
Union in the port of New Orleans in
1957 and sailed as a deckhand for Dixie
Carriers in 1971. He was born in Plattenville , La. and was a resident of
New Orleans. Interment was in Greenwood Cemetery, New Orleans. Surviving are his widow, Anna and two

Robert
Hall
Campbell, 66, joined
the Union in the port
of Philadelphia in
1961. He sailed as a
mate on the tug
McGraw. Brother
Campbell was born
in Pennsylvania and
is a resident of Westmont, N.J.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
OCT. 1-31, 1986
Port
Gloucester ... ........... ..........
New York ...... ....... .. ....... ...
Philadelphia .......................
Baltimore . .. .......... .. ..........
Norfolk
Mobile .::::: :::::::::::::::::::::
New Orleans .......................
Jacksonville
San Francisco : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Wilmington ... ........... ..........
Seattle ...........................
Puerto Rico
Houston ... : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Algonac .... .............. ........
St. Louis .....• .......... . .........
Piney Point ........................
Totals . .................... .. .. ..

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0
0
3
3
68
0
4
1
0
3
0
0
1
7
1
0

91

0
0
1
0
12
0
1
2
0
3
0
0
0
7
1
1

28

0
0
3
0
0
0
7
6
0
8
0
0
4
0
9
0

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
4
3
10
0
47
11
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
9
1
1
0
0

0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

37

Port
Gloucester . ....... . ..... . ..... ....
New York .... .....................
Philadelphia ................... ... .
Baltimore ............... . .........
Norfolk
Mobile .:: ::::::::::::::::::::::::
New Orleans ................... ... .
Jacksonville
San Francisco : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Wilmington ........................
Seattle ..... .. ............... .....
Puerto Rico
Houston ... : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Algonac ......... .... .............
St. Louis ...... .. .................
Piney Point ........................
Totals ...........................
Port
Gloucester ........................
New York ... . ........... .. ........
Philadelphia ................... ... .
Baltimore .........................
Norfolk
Mobile.::::::::::::::::::::::::::
New Orleans .......................
Jacksonville
San Francisco : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Wilmington .... ....... ..... . .. . ....
Seattle ...........................
Puerto Rico
Houston ... : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Algonac ..... ..... ... ........ .....
St. Louis .........................
Piney Point ... ....... ............ ..
Totals ...........................
Totals All Departments ................

0
0
0
0
20
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
0
0

0
0
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
0

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

24

12

2

0
0
0
0
8
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0

0
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
1
0

11

6

4

126

46

43

76

11

18

7

0
0
4
0
0
0
4
6
0
1
0
0
5
0
9
0

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

29

0
0
0
3
91
0
3
0
0
17
0
0
4
15
0
1

134

0
0
0
0
25
0
0
0
0
12
0
0
5
35
0
1

0
0
2
0
0
0
3
4
0
3
0
0
7
0
10
0

0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
22
0
0

0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
26
0
0

0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0

78

29

3

31

32

4

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
1
0

0
0
0
0
10
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
18
0
0

29

0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
0
0

10

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0

194

120

37

10

1

3

97

26

35

4

*"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.

�Retired SIU
Retired SIU Vice President William Calton "Cal" Tanner, 69, a
charter member of the Union, passed
away late last month.
Brother Tanner joined the SIU in
1938 in the port of Tampa, his
birthplace, sailing as an OS. He first
shipped out in 1935 as a member of
the International Seamen's Union.
Seafarer Tanner retired to Tampa
in 1979.
In World War U, he sailed in all
the war zones as an AB and bosun.
In 1943, riding the 23-year-old SS
Nonvalk off Cuba with the late SIU
VP Claude "Sonny" Simmons, a
Nazi U-Boat torpedo blew the ship
from under them at about 3 a.m.
Tanner helped lower a lifeboat and
then made it to a raft. When daylight
broke, the crew was picked up by
a Norwegian ore carrier and then
transferred to a Cuban gunboat
which took them to Cuba.
Just before the end of the war in
the Pacific, Cal was asked to come
ashore by the late SIU President

Paul Hall, then New Yor port
agent. In 1947, Tanner with Hall
and Simmons and the former SIU
VP Lindsey Williams and the late
SIU VP "Bull" Shepherd, organized and igned up the 20 ships
of the Isthmian Line. Simultaneously, they organized and put into
the SIU fold the Cities Service Oil
Co. He also helped organize the
Great Lakes Port Councils.
Tanner eld the vice pr~sidency
from 1947 to 1972. From 1947 to
1960, he was the port of obile
agent and a member of the State
Dock Board and MTD Port Council.
In 1960 he was elected the first
executive vice pre ident of the SIU
A &amp; G District.
In the mid-1970s Tanner was
elected SIU vice president in charge
of contract and contra~t enforcement.
Surviving are his idow, Mary:
a son, Robert, and a daughter, Sandra Hurley.

nt 41 years serving the Union and its
to vie pre ident and held several other

edica C

Tributes to D . osep Lo ue, SIU
Here are wo tributes to the late Dr.
Joseph B. Logue, 91, who passed
away early last month. Dr. Logue was
SIU medical director from 1956 to 1986
establishing health clinics throughou
the Union's ports. Previously, he ad
spent 36 years in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps retiring as a vice admiral.
The first tribute is from Florence
Penney, special a sistan to Dr.
e
at the Pete Larsen SIU Clinic in
Brooklyn for almost 30 years:
'•During the month of anuary 1957,
I had the opportunity of being interviewed by Dr. Logue for a secretarial
position with the Seafarers Welfare
Plan at which time their main office
was located in Manhattan.
''I never realized at the time I was
hired I would have the pleasure of
working with him for close to 30 years.
He was a kind, warm and gentle man
whom I loved working with and whom
I loved very much.

''I remember well the opening of
the first SIU Clinic in the spring of
1957. He was so very proud of it and
went on to establish other clinics in
the various ports.
''He was a man who was dedicated
to his work and the membership, and
many times he reached in his pocket
to give a helping hand to those in need.
"My elationship with Dr. Logue
was very special. He was a friend and
confidant, and I will cherish his memory in my heart forever."
The econd tribute lauding Dr. Logue is from SIU Atlantic Vice President eon Hall:
''Logue was responsible for opening
up this Union's nation ide system of
clinic . One of the last urviving admirals from World War I, be had a
truly remarkable career.
··Logue dedicated the last part of
his life to providing quality medical

Rex Die ey, Fo e
Agent, C arter em
Rex Dickey, a charter member of
the SIU, former organizer and Baltimore port agent, died Oct. 26 in Deerfield Beach, Fla. He was 84 years old.
The cause of death has not een determined.
Dickey joined the SIU in October
1938 as the fledging seamen's union
was just organizing. He sailed in the
deck department as an AB until 1942
when he joined the service. He was
wounded in combat and returned to
the merchant marine in 1943.
He participated in the 1946 General
Maritime Strike, and in 1948 then Organizing Director Paul Hall asked
Dickey to work as an organizer. He
participated in large organizing drives
during that time. In 1952 he became a
patrolman in Baltimore and was elected
portage t there ·n 1960. Dickey retired

o·es

P Ca Ta

al
'

•

in 1972.
Dickey continued o make bis home
in Baltimore following his retirement.
He was active in several ocial groups.
including the Bull Liners and the Over
50 s.
Dickey was in Florida or the wedding of a grandson Oct. 25. He wa
stricken the following day. He collapsed in a hotel lobby and was taken
to Broward ospital here he later
died.
He is survived by his wido Rosalie
J. Dickey; one son, Joseph ofFalston,
d. ·two stepsons, obert arldand
of Elkton, d. and Richard arkland
of orco, Calif., and three grandchildren. He was preceded in death by
his first wife Theresa. Dickey was
buried at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Highlandtown, d. ov. 1.

e

care to American seamen. He ad a
real affection for this membership.''
After odd War I, Dr. Logue specialized in traumatic urgery for the
Haitian government from 1927 to 1930.
He was assistant chief of urgery at
the aval Hospital in Washington,
D.C. from 1936 to 1939 and commanding officer of the a val Hospitals
i
ey
e , a. an
from 1945 to 1947. He was with the
avy Department's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, ashington D.C.
from 1947 to 1949, and he a in
charge of ortho edic and traumatic
surgery on the Naval hospital hip
U.S. Relief in Brooklyn, N.Y.
. Logue also did special wor in
surgery at the Mayo Foundation Clinic,
Rochester,
inn.;
as achu etts
Genera Hospital, Boston; University
of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and the
Po tgraduate Hospital, e Yo City.
He was a member of the American
edical Assn., Fellow of the American Co lege of Surgeons, Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary edical Society,
e Yor State and County edical
Society
ssn. of Military Surgeon
of e .S. and was certified by the
. . S.
orkmen's Compen ation
Board for orthopedic urgery.
Funeral services for one of the last
surviving .S. avy admirals of World

F

Dr. oseph B. L gue r. at the time he
was ap inted Rear Admiral.

War I were held in Br oklyn, .Y.
on Oct. 6. Burial with ful1 military
honors was at the U.S. ational Cemetery, Arlington,. Va. on Oct. 10.
Surviving are hi on, Jo eph B.
Logue Jr. of ew York City; a daughter, JoAnne Daugherty of Redwood
City, Calif.· two i ter , Rubie Adkins
of Georgia and Myrtu Yoder of orth
Carolina; a grand on, Paul Daugherty
of San Franci co, and a granddaughter, Colleen Daugherty of Alexandria,
Va.

's Jo n Lyons Dies, as
e o Workers President

John H. Lyon , a longtime member
of the AFL-CIO's Maritime Trades
Departme t and resident emeritus of
the Iron orkers, died Oct. 26 following a stro e. He was 66.
Lyons erved as Iron or ers president for 24 years and on the AFLC 0 Executive Council for 18 years.
He retired in 1985. He pent 48 years
with the Iron or ers and was elected

to that union's top po t in 1961.
Along with serving in the MTD,
Lyon al o was a vice president and
executive council member for both the
etal Trades and Building and Construction Trades departments at the
AFL-CIO. He wa appointed to 19
advisory commis ions and panels by
s· U.S. presidents and served as cochairman of the 1984 ational Democratic Party Platform Committee.
November 1986 I LOG / 19

�•

··::~\ff

•

Pictured with their awards are Leon Powe Jr., wiper; M. Thompson, engine utility; J.
L. Rhodes, third steward; George Grier, SIU representative, and L. Ramon, laundryman.

Open Season .for Health Plan Changes
The period designated as Open Season this year for federal employees
health benefits changes is Nov. l 0
through Dec. 5, 1986. This is the period
during which eligible federal employees may change from one health plan
to another, or from Self Only to Self
and Family.
Each plan participant has been sent
a personalized Enrollment Change
Form and FEHB Plan Comparison
Chart along with a brochure. All should
be studied very carefully before making a final decision to change plans.
In some cases premiums have been
increased; in other instances, premiums have been slightly lowered. What
is mo t important, however, is whether
services have been increased or decreased, and cost-sharing amounts
charged for primary care have changed.
Answers to these que tions can be
found in the brochure. Remember, if
you cancel your coverage altogether,

and at a later date you enroll again,
you must maintain coverage for a fiveyear period prior to your retirement.
Otherwise, you lose your benefits.
It is also important that the "Privacy
Act Statement'' that appears on the
reverse side of the ''Enrollment Change
Form" be studied and understood.
The Privacy Act Statement states in
part, "This information may be disclosed to other federal agencies or
congressional offices which may have
a need to know it in connection with
your application for a job, license,
grant or other benefit. It may also be
shared with national, state, local or
other charitable or social security administrative agencies to determine·and
issue benefits under their programs.
In addition, to the extent this information indicates a possible violation
of civil or criminal law, it may be
hared with an appropriate federal,
state or local law enforcement agency.''

Unlicensed Promotions Announced
The announcement ha gone out to
all MSCPAC hip and po ted on the
bulletin board at Building #310. Naval
Supply Center, for civilian marine unlicen ed permanent and competitive
temporary promotions in 28 categorie .
The categories include:
• Boatswain (Unrep). Boat wain
(Freighter), Carpenter (Freighter),
Boatswain Mate (Day) (Rig Captain).
Boatswain-Mate (Cable). Able Seaman and Able Seaman (Maintenance).
• Chief Electrician (all clas es), Refrigeration Engineer (Day), Second
Refrigeration Engineer. Third Refrigeration Engineer, Deck Engineer-Machinist, Unlicensed Junior Engineer,
Second Electrician (Day), Engine Utilityman, Pumpman, Oiler and FiremanWatertender.
• Chief Steward, Third Steward,
Steward-Baker, Chief Cook,
ight

20 I LOG I

ovember 1986

Cook and Baker, Second Cook-Baker,
A i tant Cook. Third Pantryman,
Laundryman, and Yeoman-Storekeeper.
All promotion reque t should be
submitted to MSCPAC Employment
Divi ion (Code P-22), Oakland, Calif.
94625 prior to the clo ing date of Dec.
15. 1986. Interested candidate who
are afloat hould ubmit their request
via me age, even though you may
have ubmitted a previou reque t. In
addition, recommendations from hip '
ma ters on behalf of candidate who
are under their supervision go a long
way when a candidate is being considered for permanent or competitive
temporary promotion.
Each time there is an MSCPAC
marine promotion announcement, it
seems that marine employees who are
in a leave status fail to get the word.
This time, however, MSCPAC will be

A Whole Lotta Years-Plus
Length of Service and a Sustained
Superior Performance Award were
presented to four MSCPAC marine
employees recently by MSCPAC
Commander, Capt. W. T. Dannheim.
M. Thompson and L. Ramon each
have 40 years federal service while
J. L. Rhodes can boast of 41 years.
Ramon and Rhodes elected to retire
and spend a little time with their families-and the rest of their leisure fishing on the banks of the various California rivers.
Thompson remains on the MSCPAC
rolls unfit for duty but is thinking
strongly of "throwing in the towel."
Just think-that's 121 years of federal

civil service between the three. That's
a "whole lotta years."
Leon Powe Jr., who received a
''Special Achievement A ward'' for his
sustained superior performance while
serving aboard the cable ship USNS
Zeus, has worked as a wiper since
joining MSCPAC in June 1982. Powe
received a check in the amount of$741
for his productive labor, accomplished
at times under adverse circumstances.
In receiving his award, Powe proved
to himself, the crew of the Zeus, and
to all MSCPAC unlicensed marine personnel, that individuals can be rewarded for the execution of their duties in an exemplary manner.

Tug Catawba

Three of the four-member steward department take a break from their arduous duties
aboard the USNS Catawba. They are, from left: Charles Abernathy, utility and Thomas
Dryden, steward/baker. Seated is Arthur Victor, chief cook.

Merry Christmas,_,_-Maybe?
MSCPAC unlicensed deck, steward
department and yeomen/storekeeper
personnel received a one-half (.05%)
percent retroactive base wage increase
on May 23, 1986 for the period March
16 through August 31, 1984. Only a
portion of that half-percent was paid
at that time. There remains one-half
percent to be paid for the period Sept.
1, 1984 through May 15, 1985.
Additionally, there is a retroactive
payment of three-and-one-half (3.5%)
percent increase on base wages due

sending copies of the announcement
to tho e employees who are in a leave
status in order to give them the same
opportunity for promotion consideration as those afloat employees.
After the closing date, which is Dec.
15, 1986 it will take the MSCPAC
staff some time to compile all the
paperwork and set up the ranking
order in the different departments and
categories.
Consequently,
the
MSCPAC Promotion Board will not
meet until some time after the new
year.

for the period April 1, 1985 through
May 15, 1986, plus a two (2%) percent
increase in two increments on premium pay rates. This retro money is
payable to all unlicensed personnel.
Together, these payments represent
a sizable sum for each affected employee, and the new MSCPAC Comptroller, CDR R. E. Odegaard, has
indicated his staff would do their level
best to have the long overdue retroactive money paid before Christmas
1986. Personnel who will be aboard
ship and want their checks mailed to
them should write to the MSCPAC
Comptroller's Office, telling them
where they want their check mailed.

Alertness Is
The Key to
Vessel Safety

�MV PAUL BUCK-Some of the crewmembers take time out for a snapshot while offloading
in Pearl Harbor. They are, from the left: J.L. Carter, AB; George Pino, GSU; Alfred L.
DeSimone, DEU; Marion E. Howell, chief cook, and Klaus Tammler, AB.

BEAVER STATE-While stopping off in Honolulu, the deck gang, led by Bosun Jack
Edwards, takes on parts for the engine room .

••
Photos by Steve Ruiz
and Bob Hamil

~11
,~
:·····.

SS CONSTITUTION-The deck and engine gang onboard the SS Constitution turn out for a Union meeting while at sea.

MV lST LT. JACK LUMMUS-From the port of Honolulu, the crew takes time out to
send a warm aloha to the mainland. Seated (I. tor.) are Ellen Jobbers, SA; Luke Meadows,
bosun; Mike Tracey, AB; Edward Ellis, SA; Mark Stevens, AB, and Rick Holt, SA.
Standing (I. tor.) are Steve Parker, chief cook; Cathy Hobs, baker, and Brad Girliech,
SA.

SS INDEPENDENCE-SIU Rep Bob Hamil
accepts a contribution to the Maritime Defense League from Mrs. Vickie Irving in
the port of Hawaii.

kf.:··
SS CONSTITUTION-Passenger Service is first-rate aboard the SS Constitution with the
help of the lovely and competent purser department. They are (I. tor.) Ivonne Darley,
jr. asst. purser; Gay Hammett, chief purser; Heidi McCartney, jr. asst. purser, and
Kathy Harper, jr. asst. purser.

November 1986 I LOG I 21

�cove Leader Passes Through Panama canal
The SS Cove Leader (Cove Shipping
Inc.) passed through the Panama Canal
Sept. 11 on her way back to the Gulf
after shuttling six voyages from
Valdez/West Coast this summer. The
vessel underwent a shipyard period in

Portland, Ore. and recrewed out of
the Seattle hall. Thanks to R.A.
McClean , master aboard the Cove
Leader, for sending us these photographs of the crew. (Look for more pictures of the Cove Leader next month.)

C. Smith, bosun
M. Bolger, AB

H. Lewis, chief cook

M. Williams, pumpman

22 I LOG I November 1986

C. Broerman, AB

R. Schwender, OMU

J. Kass, AB

�Help
A
Friend

Deal

With
Alcoholism

Alcoholics don't have friends. Because a friend
wouldn't let another man blindly travel a course that has
to lfad to the destruction of his health, his job and his
family. And that's where an alcoholic is headed.
Helping a fell ow Seafarer who has a drinking problem
is just as easy-and just as important-as steering a blind
man across a street. All you have to do is take that
Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the Union's
Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee, Md.
Once he's there, an alcoholic SIU member will receive
the care and counseling he needs. And he'll get the
support of brother SIU members who are fighting the
same tough battle he is back to healthy' productive
alcohol-free life.
The road back to sobriety is a long one for an alcoholic.
But because of ARC, an alcoholic SIU member doesn't
have to travel the distance alone. And by guiding a
brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center,
you'll be showing him that the first step ·back to recovery
is only an arm's length away .

~-------------------------------~

Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center
I am interested in attending a six-week prograw at the Alcoholic
Rehabilitation Center. I understand that all my medical and counseling
records will be kept strictly confidential. and that they will not be kept
anywhere except at The Center.
Name ............................. Book No ............ .

a

Address
(Street or RFD)

(City)

(State)

(Zip)

Telephone No ................ .
Mail to: THE CENTER
Star Route Box 153-A
Valley Lee, Md. 20692

I
:

I

________________________ ---------------------------------'

.__

or call, 24 hours-a-day, (301) 994-0010

:

November 1986 I LOG I 23

�Hawaii Honors WWI I
Merchant Marine Vets

Correction

Due to an editor's error, the captions on the above pictures which appeared in the
October LOG were switched. Above (left) is AB Raymond Rainey. Steward Assistant
Mark Fuller is pictured on the right.

Going Out on Pension?
Here Are Some Tips ...
If you are going out on pension, it
is to your advantage to plan ahead.
Get all the forms and paperwork together so that there will be no delay
in getting your pension application
approved and your checks in the mail.
You will need:

• A copy of your birth certificate.
• Copy of your wife or husband's
birth certificate.
• Copy of your marriage certificate.
• Copies of your discharges. Especially those for the years prior to
1951 and the last year you worked.
• Passport size photograph.

If your application is for an Inland
pension, you will also need:

• A Type I Statement of Earnings
from Social Security.
• A company letter outlining your
service with the company.
Additional documents are needed
for those of you who are applying for
a disability pension:

ington, D. C. well ahead of the time
you will be submitting your pension
application.
Your Union's pension and welfare
departments are set up to give you
prompt service. Your help in giving
them the necessary documents to prove
eligibility will ensure that you get your
benefits on time.

• A Social Security disability award.
• A Permanently Not Fit for Duty
letter from your doctor.
If you lost any of your discharges,
write to the U.S. Coast Guard, Wash-

We want to make sure that you receive your
If you are getting more than one copy of the
copy of the LOG each month and other important LOG delivered to you, if you have changed your
mail such as W-2 Forms, Union Mail and Welfare address, or if your name or address is misprinted
Bulletins. To accomplish this, please use the or incomplete, please fill in the special address
address form on this page to update your home form printed on this page and send it to:
address.
SIU &amp; UIW of N.A.
Address Correction Department
Your home address is your permanent address,
5201 Auth Way
and this is where all official Union documents,
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746-9971
W-2 Forms, and the LOG will be mailed.

-----------------------------------------------------------PLEASE PRINT
HOME ADDRESS

A Poem of Love

The Sailor
I Married
He is so very special to me,
My life without him ...
Just wouldn't be.
He is gone for four months
At a time,
But when he comes home to me
He is all mine
Al tho he's gone from home a lot . . .
A wonderful husband and father
we got.
He calls me often just to say,
I love you sweetheart . . .
In his own special way.

So you see, this sailor I married
Was just meant to be . . . The most
wonderful, loving, caring, devoted
Husband who was specially meant
Just for me!
I love you sweetheart, tho the miles
Between us are far apart . . .
It's you I love and keep near
my heart.

Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Social Security No.

Phone No. (
Area Code

Your Full Name

Apt. or Box#

Street

Book Number

D SIU

City

D UIW

State

D Pensioner

ZIP

Other--------

UIW Place of E m p l o y m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This will be my permanent address for all official Union mailings.
This address should remain in the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally.

(Signed)------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------J
24 I LOG I November 1986

Grace Freeman
Panama City, Fla.
(wife of QMED Mark Allan Freeman
aboard the LNG Aquarius)

o You Have
e tio s
Cairns
If you have any questions
about your welfare claims,
contact your port repres~nta­
tive, your area vice president,
or call this toll-free number:
1-800-345-2112.

�S the 1987 school season
begins, it's not too early
for high school seniors to
start thinking about college. For
dependents of Seatare rs and
Boatmen the financial burden of
college can be greatly eased if
they win an SIU scholarship.
The awards, known as the
Charlie Logan Scholarship
Program, are given each year
under the auspices of the Seafarers Welfare Plan. For dependents, four $10,000 scholarships are offered.
But the Scholarship Program
is not exclusively for dependents. A $10,000 award and two
$5,000 scholarships are available to active Seatare rs and
Boatmen. Also, when there are
exceptionally qualified Seafarers and Boatmen, the Board of
Trustees of the Welfare Plan
may grant a second $10,000
award to an active member.
The Scholarship Program was
begun in 1952 to help members
and their children achieve their
educational goals. Several years
ago it was named after Charlie
Logan, a labor consultant and
arbitrator who died in 1975. He
helped establish the Seafarers
Scholarship Program and then
worked hard to keep it strong
and growing.

A

Seafarer Requirements

Seafarers and Boatmen who
are applying for scholarships
must:
• Be a graduate of high school
or its equivalent.
• Have credit for two years
(730 days) of employment with
an employer who is obligated to
make contributions to the Seafarers Welfare Plan on the employee's behalf prior to the date
of application.
• Have one day of employment on a vessel in the sixmonth period immediately preceding the date of application.
• Have 120 days of employment on a vessel in the previous
calendar year.
Pensioners are not eligible to
receive scholarship awards.
Dependent Req'uirements

Dependents of Seafarers and
Boatmen who apply for a scholarship must be unmarried, under
19 years of age, and receive
sole support from the employee
and/or his or her spouse. Unmarried children who are eligible
for benefits under Plan # 1 Major

Don't Wait! Apply Now For

Medical are eligible to apply for
a dependent's scholarship up to
the age of 25.
Each applicant for a dependent's scholarship must:
• Be unmarried at the time
application is made.
• Be under 19 or 25 years of
age (whichever is applicable).
• Be eligible for dependent
benefits under the Seafarers
Welfare Plan.
• Be a graduate of high school
or its equivalent.
The applicant's parent must:
• Have credit for three years
(1,095 days) of employment with
an employer who is obligated to
make contributions to the Seafarers Welfare Plan on the employee's behalf prior to the date
of application.
• Have one day of employment in the six-month period
immediately preceding the date
of application.
• Have 120 days of employment in the previous calendar
year.
The last two items above covering worktime requirements of
the applicant's parents do not
apply to applicants who are the
children of pensioners or eligible
deceased employees.

Must Take SAT or ACT
For both active members and
the dependents of eligible members, the scholarship grants are
awarded on the basis of high
school grades and the scores of
either College Entrance Examination Boards (SAT) OR American College Tests (ACT).
The SAT or ACT exam must
be taken no later than February
1987 to ensure that the results
reach the Scholarship Selection
Committee in time to be evaluated. For upcoming SAT test
dates and applications, contact
the College Entrance Examination Board at either: Box 592,

Princeton, N.J. 08540 or Box
1025 Berkeley, Calif. 94701,
whichever is closest to your
mailing address.
For upcoming ACT test dates
and applications contact: ACT
Registration Union, P.O. Box _
414, Iowa City, Iowa 52243.
Scholarship program applications are available to active
members or their dependents at
any SIU hall or through the Seafarers Welfare Plan, 5201 Auth
Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.
Scholarship
winners
will
be announced in May 1987.
The deadline for submission of
applications is April 15, 1987.

November 1986 I LOG I 25

�e~=Ir=li=~=@=ll=:========&lt;E&gt;~~~,~,~"~&gt;=====uill)~~~a·w@~~M~~~='
Deep Sea
Pensioner Frank Bauer passed away
on Oct. 16. Brother Bauer joined the
SIU-merged Marine Cooks and Stewards Union in the port of San Francisco. He retired in 1968.
Pensioner Steven
Boides, 78, passed
away from cancer on
Sept. 13. Brother
Boides joined the
SIU in the port of
San Francisco. He
was born in Greece
and was a naturalized U.S. citizen. Seafarer Boides was
a resident of San Francisco. Burial
was in the Greek Memorial Park Cemetery, Colma, Calif. Surviving are his
widow, Areti and a son, Franklin of
Walnut Creek, Calif.
Herbert "Herb" Gerard Boudreaux,
39, died on Sept. 25. Brother Boudreaux joined the SIU in the port of
New Orleans in 1967 working last on
the Sea-Land Shoregang, Port Elizabeth, N.J. and on the Waterman
Shoregang, New Orleans from 1983 to
1984. He hit the bricks in the 1980
ACBL beef. In 1975, he worked as a
spinner maintenance mechanic for the
Louisiana Dock Co. (UIW) New Orleans. And in 1977, he was a delegate
to the 5th UIW Quadrennial Convention in New York City. Herb worked
at the SHLSS from 1969 to 1970 during
the school's building period. And he
was a veteran of the U.S. Marine
Corps during the Vietnam War. Born
in Louisiana, he was a resident of
Violet, La. Surviving are his widow,
Vilma of Honduras and five daughters,
Wendy, Lynn, Sue Ann, of San Ysidro, Calif., Cynthia and Carol of New
Orleans.
Pensioner Francis
Edward Burley, 64,
died on Oct. 20.
Brother
Burley
joined the SIU in the
port of New York in
1951. He sailed last
as a cook out of the
port of Houston. He
was born in New Hampshire and was
a resident of Spring, Texas. Surviving
are his widow, Mavis; his mother,
Dorothy Sargent of Dover, N.H., and
a brother, Elmer.
Joseph Anthony Dixon, 34, died in a
hospital on Sept. 18. Brother Dixon
joined the SIU in the port of Mobile
in 1969 sailing as a cook and AB. He
also shipped out on the West Coast
from the port of San Francisco. Seafarer Dixon was born in Mobile and
was a resident there. Surviving are his
mother, Lavern of Mobile and three
Seafarer brothers.
Pensioner Harold P. Faisone, 55,
died of he"rt-lung failure in the Kaiser
Foundation Hospital, San Francisco
on Aug. 20. Brother Faisone joined
the SIU-merged Marine Cooks and
26 I LOG I November 1986

Stewards Union in 1949 in the port of
San Francisco sailing as a porter. He
first sailed on the West Coast in 1947.
Seafarer Faisone was a resident of San
Francisco. Surviving are two daughters, Mercie White of Lubbock, Texas
and Sherry Mercedes of San Francisco
and a sister, Myrtle Willis of San
Francisco.
Herbert Van Dunn, 45, died on March
8. Brother Dunnjoined the SIU-merged
Marine Cooks and Stewards Union in
the port of San Francisco in 1978.
Brother Dunn first sailed on the West
Coast in 1962. He was a veteran of
the U.S. Army during the Vietnam
War. A native of California, he was a
resident of Oakland, Calif. Surviving
is his mother, Sybil Wightman of Oakland.
Pensioner Lee Hguey Gong, 85,
passed away from lung failure in the
French Hospital, San Francisco on
Sept. 1. Brother Gongjoined the SIUmerged Marine Cooks and Stewards
Union in the port of San Francisco
sailing as a cook for APL. He first
sailed on the West Coast in 1935.
Seafarer Gong also sailed during World
War II. Born in China, he was a
resident of San Francisco. Interment
was in the Ning Yung Cemetery,
Colma, Calif. Surviving are his widow,
Len Hai; three sons, Bock Kai; Bock
Hung and Michael of San Francisco
and a daughter, May Fong.
Pensioner George R. Higgs died on
June 2. Brother Higgs joined the SIUmerged Marine Cooks and Stewards
Union in the port of San Francisco.
He retired in 1977.
Pensioner Frank Chouza Lijo, 81,
succumbed to arteriosclerosis in
Brooklyn, N.Y. on Aug. 19. Brother
Lijo joined the SIU in the port of New
York in 1951 sailing last as a chief
steward. He walked the picket lines
in the 1946 General Maritime, 1947
Isthmian, 1948 Wall St., 1961 Greater
N.Y. Harbor and the 1962 Robin Line
beefs. Seafarer Lijo was born in Corona, Spain and was a resident of New
York City. Burial was in the Rosedale
Cemetery, Linden, N .J. Surviving are
a brother, Manuel of Norwood, Mo.
and a sister, Josefa of Coruna.
Pensioner Manuel
Sanjurjo Medina, 57,
succumbed to cancer in the Ashford
Hospital, San Juan,
P.R. on Oct. 4.
Brother
Medina
joined the SIU in the
port of San Juan in
1964 sailing as a wiper and AB. He
was born in San Juan and was a
resident there. Interment was in the
Puerto Rico Cemetery, Isla Verde,
Carolina, P.R. Surviving are his widow,
Ernestina; two sons, Juan and Reyes;
a daughter, Santa, and his mother,
Adela of San Juan.

Pensioner George G. Silva, 77, passed
away from cancer at home in Hawaii
on Sept. 7. Brother Silva joined the
SIU-merged Marine Cooks and Stewards Union in the port of New York
in 1955. He first sailed on the West
Coast in 1926. He was born in Hawaii.
Burial was in the Chapel of the Chimes
Cemetery, Oakland, Calif. Surviving
are his widow, Bertha of San Leandro,
Calif.; three sisters, Ida, Maria Camara of Winchester, Mass. and Alice
Gonsalves of San Francisco, and two
nieces, Loma Perry of Hayward, Calif.
and Jean Gonsalves of San Francisco.
Pensioner Harry
David Silverstein, 67,
died of lung failure
in the Virginia Mason Hospital, Seattle on Aug. 5. Brother
Silverstein joined the
SIU in the port of
San Francisco in
1956. He sailed as a cook, waiter and
bartender. He also sailed during the
Vietnam War. Seafarer Silverstein was
a veteran of the U.S. Army in World
War II. A native of San Francisco, he
was a resident of Seattle. Cremation
took place in the Butterworth Crematory, Seattle. Surviving are his
mother, Sophie of North Hollywood,
Calif; a brother, Maurice of Sacramento, Calif.; a sister, Ethel of Daly
City, Calif.; two nephews, Jackie and
Herman Gravitz of Daly City, and a
niece, Donna Franzen of San Francisco.

I"

Eugene Van Sobczak, 66, succumbed
to lung failure in the
Hayward
(Calif.)
Hospital on Sept. 11.
Brother
Sobczak
joined the SIU in the
port of New Orleans
J in 1951 sailing as an
oiler. He also worked as a railroad
brakeman. Seafarer Sobczak was a
veteran of the U.S. Navy in World
War II. Born in Chicago, Ill., he was
a resident of Hayward. Burial was in
the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Hayward. Surviving are a brother, Harry
of Chicago; a sister, Adeline Kafka
also of Chicago, and a niece, Barbara
Wagner of Oak Forest, Ill.
Pensioner Vertis
Cook Smith, 74,
passed away from a
heart attack in St.
Joseph's Hospital,
Tampa, Fla. on Aug.
30. Brother Smith
joined the SIU in
1942 in the port of
Baltimore ailing as a recertified bosun, 3rd mate and ship's delegate. He
graduated from the Union's Recertified Bosuns Program in 1975. And he
was on the picket lines in the 1946
General Maritime, 1947 Isthmian and
the 1948 Wall St. Beefs. Seafarer Smith
was born in Heflin, Ala. and wa a
resident of Tampa. Interment was in
the Fitzgerald Cemetery, Mulberry,
Fla. Surviving is his widow, Irma.

Pensioner Alexander Sokolowski Jr.,
62, died at home in
New Orleans on
Sept. 11. Brother
Sokolowski joined
the SIU in 1942 in
the port of New York
sailing as an AB. He
hit the bricks in the 1946 General
Maritime, 1947 Isthmian and the 1948
Wall St. beefs. Seafarer Sokolowski
received a Union Personal Safety
Award in 1961 for sailing aboard an
accident-free ship, the SS Steel Surveyor. Sokolowski was born in Westfield, Mass. Cremation took place in
the Security Plan Crematory, New
Orleans. Surviving are his mother,
Anna of Westfield, and a sister, Jennie
O'Keefe of Springfield, Mass.
Pensioner Sven
Orage Stockmarr, 62,
died on Sept. 13.
Brother Stockmarr
joined the SIU in
1943 in the port of
New York. He sailed
as a recertified bosun, graduating from
the Union's Recertified Bosuns Program in 1973. Seafarer Stockmarr
walked the picket line in the 1946
General Maritime and the 1961 N.Y.
Harbor beefs. He also attended the
U.S. Maritime Transport Service
Schools in Hoffman Is., N .J. and
Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, N.Y. Bosun Stockmarr was born in Denmark
and was a naturalized U.S. citizen.
He was a resident of Brooklyn. Surviving are his father, S. Stockmarr of
Morley, Denmark and two sisters,
Karen Nielson and Gudrun Stockmarr, both of Esbjerg, Denmark.
Pensioner Vasser
Szymanski, 70, died
on Oct. 2. Brother
Szymanskijoined the
SIU in 1946 in the
port of Galveston
sailing as a chief
steward. He walked
the picket line in the
1946 General Maritime beef. Seafarer
Szymanski was a veteran of the U.S.
Army in World War II. Born in Massachusetts, he was a resident of
Springtown, Texas. Surviving are his
widow, Queen Victoria, and two sons,
John of Salem, Mass. and Ernest.
Pensioner Phillip
"Blackie" Rodney
Wagner, 61, died on
Aug. 29. Brother
Wagner joined the
SIU in 1947 in the
port of New York.
He sailed as an oiler
and engine delegate
and helped to organize Tideland Marine Services. Seafarer Wagner hit the
bricks in the 1946 General Maritime,
1947 Isthmian and the 1948 Wall St.
beefs. Wagner was a veteran of the

(Continued on next page.)

�(Continued from previous page.)
U.S. Navy in World War II. Born in
Hastings, Neb., he was a resident of
New Orleans. Surviving are his widow,
Mary and his father, G. W. Wagner of
Grand Island, Neb.
Pensioner Merle Edward Williams,
79, passed away from heart-lung failure in the Swedish Medical Center,
Seattle on Jan. 4. Brother Williams
joined the SIU-merged Marine Cooks
and Stewards Union in the port of San
Francisco in 1967 sailing as a cook
and steward for APL. He first sailed
on the West Coast in 1922. Seafarer
Williams was born in Wichita, Kans.
and was a resident of Seattle. Interment was in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Seattle. Surviving are two sons ,
Reanuel of Compton, Calif. and Vandrea of Los Angeles, Calif. and two
daughters, Casandra of Los Angeles
and Jacqueline Franklin of Seattle.
Robert
Michael
Wilson Jr., 36, died
in a fall aboard the
Sea-Land
Endurance at sea enroute
to the port of Yokohama, Japan on
Sept. 22. Brother
Wilson joined the
SIU in 1971 following his graduation
from the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg

School of Seamanship Entry Trainee
Program, Piney Point, Md. He sailed
as a QMED. He also sailed during the
Vietnam War. Seafarer Wilson was
born in San Francisco and was a resident there. Surviving are his father,
Robert "Sam" M. Wilson Sr. of Port
Angeles, Wash.; his mother, Ruby of
Pahoa, Hawaii, and a brother, Michael
of California.
Pensioner John
McCabe Yates, 58,
died at home in
Jacksonville on Aug.
25. Brother Yates
joined the SIU in the
port of Baltimore in
1953 sailing as a bosun. He was on the
picket line in the 1961 N.Y. Harbor
beef. Seafarer Yates was a veteran of
the U.S. Army in World War II. He
was a native of Columbus , Ohio. Burial was in the Seafarers Haven Cemetery, Piney Point, Md. Surviving is
his sister, Elizabeth Blackstone of New
Concord , Ohio.

Great Lakes
Pensioner Harry Herion, 79, passed
away from heart failure in the Berlin
Hospital, Green Bay, Wis. on Sept.
19. Brother Herion joined the Union
in the port of Frankfort, Mich. in 1956.
He sailed as an AB for the Ann Arbor

G ing

(Mich.) Car Ferries from 1966 to 1972
and also worked as a journeyman rigger. He was born in Michigan and was
a resident of Manitowoc, Wis. Cremation took place in the Jens Crematory, Manitowoc. Surviving are his
widow, Luella and a son, Dale.

Atlantic Fishermen
Pensioner Philip Thomas Parisi
passed away on Oct. 10. Brother Parisi
joined the SIU-merged Gloucester
Fisherman's Union in the port of
Gloucester, Mass. sailing as an AB.
He retired in 1976. In 1975 he rode
the CS Long Lines (AT&amp;T). Fisherman Parisi was a resident of Gloucester.

In Memoriam
(Continued from Page 18.)
Joseph Christopher
Muscato III, 34, died
of injuries sustained
as a passenger in a
car crash on Rt. 249,
St. George' s Is. , St.
Mary 's Cty. , Md. on
Sept. 19. Brother
Muscato joined the
Union following his graduation from
the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship Entry Trainee Program in
1977. He sailed as a relief captain for
Sonat Marine (IOT) from 1979 to 1984

and as an AB and tankerman for Crowley Marine from 1985 to 1986. Boatman Muscato had three years at Jacksonville University studying the liberal
arts. A native of New York City, he
was a resident of Jacksonville. Interment was in Arlington Cemetery,
Jacksonville. Surviving are his parents, Joseph and Myrtice Muscato Sr.
of Jacksonville and two brothers, Michael and Joseph Jr.

Pensioner James
Russell Wathan Jr.,
66, died of heart-lung
failure in Lake Jackson, Texas on Sept.
20. Brother Wathen
joined the Union in
the port of Houston -in 1957. He sailed for
Dixie Carriers from 1957 to 1983. Boatman Wathen also sailed for the Dow
Chemical Co. from 1952 to 1957. Capt.
Wathen was a former member of the
Carpenters and Joiners Union of
America from 1940 to 1941. And he
attended a Piney Point Gulf Crews
Conference in 1977. Wathen was a
veteran of the U.S. Navy in World
War II. Born in Carrabelle, Fla., he
was a resident of Freeport, Texas.
Burial was in the Restwood Park Cemetery, Lake Jackson. Surviving are his
widow, Elizabeth; two sons, James II
and Daniel of Freeport, and a daughter, Joanne Wicke of Freeport.

A

P

ROVING that the Seafarers LOG will go to any lengths to get a photo of
one or two of its contracted ships, LOG editor Chuck Svenson (with Chief
Mate Susan Svenson aboard) went to sea in his pea-green boat the Flicka with
camera and telephoto lens. The 10-day voyage down the Chesapeake to
Hampton Roads, around Cape Charles and up the Atlantic Coast to Cape
Henlopen, up the Delaware Bay, through the C&amp;D Canal, and back into the
Chesapeake netted three SIU vessels (see photos), two aircraft carriers, 30
foreign-ftaggers , a herd of porpoises and several flights of pelicans.

The Flicka. ghosts on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay at the beginning of her 10-day
voyage around the Delmarva peninsula.

~:···;:;:,.,,:~·.:· ::~;.···.

The Sealand Developer is down to her marks as she steams inbound at Hampton Roads.

-

The Lt. John T. Bobo lies at anchor at Hampton Roads.

The Mount Vernon Victory is silhouetted by the setting sun as she heads outbound on the
Delaware Bay.

November 1986 I LOG I 27

�Deep Sea
Robert Hilton Bell Jr., 56, joined
the SIU in 1947 in the port of New
York sailing as an AB. Brother Bell
last shipped out of the port of Mobile. He was born in Alabama and
is a resident of Pensacola, Fla.
Clifford "Cliff'' Aubrey Bellamy,
65, joined the SIU in the port of
New York in 1953 sailing as a bosun. Brother Bellamy began sailing
in 1948. He also sailed on the Great
Lakes. Seafarer Bellamy sailed during both the Korean War and the
Vietnam Conflict. And he is a former member of the SUP, Hod Car• riers Union and the Mine, Mill
Smelters Union and is a veteran of
the U.S. Navy in World War II.
Bellamy is a published poet. Born
in Boone, N.C., he is a resident of
Salt Lake City, Utah.
Thomas Gregory Boland, 58,
joined the SIU in 1947 in the port
of Seattle. He sailed as a recertified
bosun last shipping out of the port
of Houston on the SS Fa/con Princess. Brother Boland graduated from
the Union's Recertified Bosuns
Program in 1983. He hit the bricks
in the 1946 General Maritime and
the 1947 Isthmian beefs. Seafarer
Boland is a Sp/3d Class veteran of
the U.S. Army in the Korean War.
A native of Davenport, Iowa, he is
a resident of Texas City, Texas.

-

John David Burchinal Sr., 63,
joined the SIU in 1944 in the port
of New York sailing as a chief
electrician. Brother Burchinal last
shipped out of the port of New
Orleans. He is a veteran of the U.S.
Navy in World War II. Seafarer
Burchinal was born in Pennsylvania
and is a resident of Harvey, La.
Juan I. Gomez, 66, joined the SIU in the port of
Seattle in 1957. Brother Gomez last shipped out of
the port of New York. He was born in Puerto Rico
and is a resident of New York City.

Francisco "Frank" DeDominicis,
63, joined the SIU in 1944 in the
port of New York sailing as an AB.
Brother DeDominicis last shipped
out on the Sea-Land Economy in
the port of New Orleans. He was
born in New York and is a resident
of New Orleans.

of the port of Jacksonville. Brother
Rice graduated from the Union's
Recertified Chief Stewards Program in 1979. He is a veteran of the
U.S. Navy in World War II. Seafarer Rice was born in Federal PakePerry Pt., Md. and is a resident of
Ormond Beach, Fla.

James Michael Lennon, 61, joined
the SIU in 1943 in the port of New
York sailing as an oiler. Brother
Lennon also sailed in the Vietnam
War. He hit the bricks in the 1961
Greater N. Y. Harbor and the 1962
Robin Line beefs. Bearer Lennon
was born in New York City and is
a resident of Brooklyn, N. Y.

Lloyd Douglas Richardson, 65,
joined the SIU in 1944 in the port
of Norfolk sailing as a bosun last
on the SS Long Beach. Brother
Richardson is also an electrician.
He hit the bricks in the 1946 General
Maritime, 1947 Isthmian and the
1948 Wall St. beefs. Seafarer Richardson was born in Richard, Va.
and is a resident of Chesapeake,
Va.

Herschel Leon Myers, 65, joined
the SIU in the port of Wilmington,
Calif. in 1968 sailing as an AB.
Brother Myers also worked as a
plasterer. He is a veteran of the
U.S. Navy in World War II. Seafarer Myers was born in Lebanon,
Ind. and is a resident of Hawaiian
Gardens, Calif.
Juan Oquendo Jr., 65, joined the
SIU in 1943 in the port of New
York sailing as a recertified chief
steward. Brother Oquendo graduated from the Union's Recertified
Chief Stewards Program in 1981.
He walked the picket lines in the
1946 General Maritime, 1947 Isthmian and the 1948 Wall St. beefs.
Seafarer Oquendo was born in
Puerto Rico and is a resident of
Uniondale, N.Y.
Vincent Pascal Pizzitolo Sr., 64,
joined the SIU in the port of New
Orleans in 1953 sailing last as a
recertified chief steward riding the
Sea-Land Producer. Brother Pizzitolo graduated from the Union's
Recertified Chief St~wards Program in 1981. He is a veteran of the
U.S. Army Paratroopers in both
World War II and the Korean War.
He was wounded in Belgium, France
and Korea. Seafarer Pizzitola was
born in New Orleans and is a resident there.
Charles Martin Rice, 64, joined
the SIU in 1945 in the port of
Boston, Mass. sailing last as a recertified chief steward and ship's
chairman aboard the SS Ponce out

John Francis Scully, 58, joined
the SIU in 1946 in the port of New
York sailing as an AB. Brother
Scully last worked on the port of
Seattle Sea-Land Shoregang from
1978 to 1986. He was on the picket
line in the 1946 General Maritime
beef. Seafarer Scully was born in
Beverly, Mass. and is a resident of
Seattle.
Kenneth Hennis Steinmetz, 59,
joined the SIU in 1947 in the port
of New York sailing last as QMED
on the SS Thompson Pass out of
the port of San Francisco. Brother
Steinmetz hit the bricks in the 1946
General Maritime and the 1947 Isthmian beefs. He was born in New
Jersey and is a resident of Clearlake, Calif.
Raymond Payton Taylor, 62,joined
the SIU in 1947 in the port of New
Orleans sailing as a chief steward
last on the SS Arctic (Maritime
Overseas). Brother Taylor walked
the picket line in the 1946 General
Maritime beef. He was born in Louisiana and is a resident of Harvey,
La.

Great Lakes
Joseph Leo Vieira, 65, joined the SIU in the port of
Cleveland, Ohio in 1966 sailing last as a chief pumpman for the Erie Sand Co. from 1966 to 1986. Brother
Vieira also worked as a turret lathe operator and as
a yacht refinisher. He is a veteran of the U.S. Coast
Guard in World War II. Laker Vieira was born in
Ohio and is a resident of Erie, Pa.

Ex-SIU Agent 'Pete' Drewes Retires

Longtime SIU official Peter "Pete"
Walton Drewes, 59, retired on Oct. 1.
Brother Drewes joined the Union in
1945 in the port of Charleston, S. C.
sailing this last year as a recertified
bosun aboard the SS Ambassador (Coordinated Caribbean Transport) out of

28 I LOG I November 1986

the port of Jacksonville, Fla. Previously, he had sailed Sea-Land ships
from 1980 to 1982.
He graduated from the Union's Recertified Bosuns Program in 1974.
Seafarer Drewes first became a SIU
official as a patrolman in the port of
Duluth, Minn. serving from 1959 to
1961. He was the portofDetroit, Mich.
agent from 1964 to 1967.
From 1969 to 1975 he was a patrolman in the port of Houston, Texas
mixed in with a 1972 to 1973 stint as
agent in the port of St. Louis, Mo.
In 1975 he attended a Union Crews
Conference at the Seafarers Harry
Lundeberg School of Seamanship in
Piney Point, Md., and in 1981 he was
a delegate to the SIUNA Triennial
Convention in Washington, D.C.
A native of Brooklyn, N. Y., Drewes
is a resident of Dunedin, Fla.

For more than 33 years, Harold "Buck" Weaver made his living sailing deepsea or
inland, until a knee injury forced him to retire last month. Weaver spent the last dozen
years working as an AB for G&amp;H Towing in Houston. Throughout the years he sailed as
an AB, AB deck/maintenance and recertified bosun. Brother Weaver began sailing with
the SUP in 1943 and the SIU in 1951. Houston Port Agent Dean Corgey said Weaver "is
one of the more respected and admired members around the Houston hall."

�PFC

Diaes• of Ships Nee•inas
BALTIMORE (Apex Marine), September 21-Chairman C. Mattioli; Secretary
Edward M. Collins; Educational Director
C.R. Wright. Some disputed OT was reported in the engine department pertaining
to the pumpman. There will be a payoff
this trip in New York. Both the chairman
and secretary thanked the crew for their
cooperation and for helping keep the pantry
and messroom clean. The importance of
contributing to SPAD was aJso stressed.
One suggestion brought up was to see the
patrolman about getting more movies aboard
ship. Next port: St. Croix, V.I.
1st LT. JACK LUMMUS (AMSEA),
September 21-Chairman Douglas Luke
Meadows; Deck Delegate William E. Ashman; Engine Delegate Larry Brown; Steward Delegate Catherine Kohs; Secretary
Wiiliam E. Bragg. No disputed OT reported.
There is $129 in the ship's fund. The crew
voted to earmark that money, as well as
money from the various pools, for the
necessary equipment to complete the video
system. On the subject of the video system:
The crew will handle only the VHS format
machine and are prohibited from using the
Navy's Beta format machine. The bosun
will have a cabinet built to house the tapes
in the 0-4 linen locker. The chairman reminded the crew that "we are still members
of the SIU" and "we should strive to live
and work by the rules of our contract and
make every effort to run the ship as any
other SIU ship." It was suggested that the
crew start football pools to get additional
funds for the ship. And regarding the amount
of milk allotted by the company, it was
decided to wait until the next meeting to
file a beef. Next port: Honolulu, Hawaii.

to SPAD. A vote of thanks was given to
the steward department for a job well done.
Next port: Baltimore, Md.

JAMES

ANDERSON,

JR.

(Maersk), September 21-Chairman Alfonso Armada; Secretary T. Maley; Educational Director Steve Miller; Deck Delegate Edwin Ortega; Engine Delegate
Benjamin 0. Conway; Steward Delegate
Gregory Lee. No beefs or disputed OT
reported. A telegram was sent to headquarters advising them of the number of
Class A and Class B seniority onboard. A

Brotherhood of the Sea:
The True Meaning
We would like to commend the following crewmembers and officers
on the Pride of Texas during the boat-dropping incident. Upon accidental
release of Lifeboat # 1, AB Tony Dundee fell approximately 70 feet from
the lifeboat davits with the lifeboat into the Elizabeth River in Portsmouth
Va. at the Moon Engineering dock. Prompt action during this crisis
resulted in the safe rescue of this crewmember from the river.
Instrumental in the rescue were the following individuals: Chief Engineer Jim Fernandez who did not hesitate to jump into the river upon first
seeing the victim. Chief Mate Wayne Edwards, 1st Asst. Engineer Paul
Walker, and Engine Cadet Patrick Paddack assisted Brother Dundee who
was conscious but obviously disoriented and injured. The Moon Engineering utility boat was quick to the scene to further assist in moving the
victim to the awaiting ambulance. The Third Mate and Medical Officer
Jerry Jones accompanied Brother Dundee to Maryview Hosptial.
We thank and commend these men as well as all others who were part
of this successful rescue. They put forth unselfish efforts and kept level
heads during this time of crisis and thus deserve recognitition.
Sincerely,
Ships Committee
Robert B. Crane, Master
M/V Pride of Texas

GROTON (Apex Marine), September

OVERSEAS WASHINGTON (Mari-

21-Chairman Neil Matthey; Secretary
Marvin Deloatch; Educational Director A.
Gardner; Deck Delegate P. Barney; Engine
Delegate Tecumseh Williams; Steward
Delegate Roderick Bright. No disputed OT
reported. The chairman noted that all repairs were made in the shipyard, and the
new washing machine that was ordered
should be aboard this trip. The ship will
pay off in Baltimore Sept. 25. He urged all
qualified members to take advantage of
the upgrading courses offered at Piney
Point. The secretary talked about the decline of the maritime industry. He suggested that all members write their
congressional representatives to try to help
build a stronger merchant marine. And the
educational director reminded members
that the Groton is a tanker; therefore, there
should be NO SMOKING outside on deck
at any time. He stressed that crewmembers
practice safety at all times. He also noted
the continuing importance of contributing

time Overseas), September 18--Chairman
W.E. Hampson; Secretary C.A. Guerra;
Educational Director H.S. Butler. Some
disputed OT was reported in the engine
department. It will be taken up with the
boarding patrolman in Texas City. There
is $62.52 in the ship's fund. The chairman
reports everything running pretty smoothly
with no major beefs. He stressed the importance of contributing to SPAD and urged
all qualified members to upgrade their skills
at the SHLSS in Piney Point. The secretary
gave the crew a vote of thanks for helping
keep everything clean and for their cooperation in taking the 90 days stores. The
need for practicing safety at all times was
reiterated by the educational director. All
hands gave the steward department a vote
of thanks for the excellent food and a job
well done. One minute of silence was
observed in memory of our departed brothers and sisters. Next port: Texas City,
Texas.

copy of the crew list followed. The chairman
reported on the start of negotiations with
Lavino Shipping and on the anti-Service
Contract Act drive on in Congress, recently
defeated by the Kennedy Amendment. The
chief steward reported that the captain had
cancelled the work order for roach extermination by shoreside professionals, but
that the steward would continue to spray.

SAMUEL L. COBB (Ocean Ships),
August 31-Chairman Ubie E. Nolan; Secretary Kris A. Hopkins; Educational Director
Barry Kiger; Deck Delegate Joseph Carver;
Engine Delegate Ronald Gordon; Steward
Delegate Daniel V. Crawford. Some disputed OT was reported in the deck department over an air conditioner problem.

SEA-LAND PRODUCER (Sea-Land
Service), September 21-Chairman W.C.
Boyd; Secretary C. Hollins; Educational
Director P. Thomas. No beefs or disputed
OT reported. There is $9 in the ship's fund
at this time. The ship will pay off in New
Orleans Sept. 27. Anyone getting off should
be sure to give 24 hours notice so that a
replacement can be obtained from the
Union hall. The educational director reminded crewmembers about the upgrading
opportunities at Piney Point. He said that
anyone interested in attending the school
should see their Union rep in the hall they
ship out of. Several problems were noted.
The first was that the air conditioning system is not working well. The rooms are 82°
most of the time. The chief engineer will
be advised of this. The steward department
aJso had a complaint about the jackets and
aprons they are getting which look as if
"someone has been wiping the ship down"
with them. They have asked the captain
to back them up on this point. The steward
department was given a vote of thanks for
a job well done. Next port: Everglades, Fla.
Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels.

LIG GEM
I SA
ERSEAS

OVERSW

PFC WIWAM B. A H
SEH.UD CO MER
SEA

ST

YAGER

F TEXAS

Bull Lines
Info Sought
Anyone with information on the
pre-World War II log books for the
Bull Line ships SS Carolyn and SS
Evelyn please contact:
H.C. Hansen
1327 Burleigh Rd.
Lutherville, Md. 21093
Hansen is an historic researcher
and would like to review the logs
or hear from any former crewmembers who sailed on either ship prior
to World War II.

Monthly
Membership M~etings
Port

The LNG Aquarius softball team was victorious (18-10) over the team of Americans at the com.pound
in Indonesia. They are, from left to right (front row): James Roberson, chief coolc; Salim Abrahiln,
AB; Jerry Bass, wiper; James P. O'Reilly, SA; Al.an Bartley, SA, and George (Slcip) Hofmann, AB.
From left to righJ (back row) are Roger Franz, 3rd mate; Dave EllUJlt, AB; Stewart Davis, 2nd mate;
Armando VolunJad, OS, and Jerry Johnson, QMED.

The pumpman cautioned all personnel involved to be certain that all tanks are gasfree before entering. A deck officer should
be present at that time. Crewmembers are
in the process of forming an arrival pool to
help raise money for the ship's fund. The
garbage problem back aft was discussed
as was common courtesy when using the
washer and dryer and the VCRs (which
are located on the bridge). A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department for a
job well done. Next port: Subic Bay, P.I.

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point ............... Monday, December 8 ................. 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, December 9 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, December 10 .............. 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, December 11 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, December 11 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, December 11 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, December 12 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, December 15 ................ 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, December 16 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, December 17 .............. 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, December 18 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, December 22 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .................. Friday, December 26 ................. 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ................ Thursday, December 11 ............... 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, December 19 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday, December 18 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, December 17 .............. 10:30 a.m.
Gloucester ............... Tuesday, December 23 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, December 24 .............. 10:30 a.m.

November 1986 I LOG f 29

�CL
L

p

.spa c ers

-Compa y/Lakes
- l kes
n Priority

Directory of Ports

r re t La es

OCT. 1-31, 1986
p

Cl
Port
Algonac .....................

0

3

Port
Algonac .....................

0

12

Port
Algonac .....................

0

4

p

Cl

46

1

2

E
0
STEW
0

0

18

0

3

SS

1

0

25

4

0

0

15

0

0

0

6

T
0

0

30

p

D EP R

6

E TR DEPAR

Port
Algonac .....................

Frank Droza , President
Ed Turner, Exec. Vice President
Joe o· iorg·o, Secretary
Leon H , Vice President
gus "Red" C mpbe I, Vice President
· Sacco, Vice President
Joe Sacco, Vice President
Geor
Roy
rcer, Vice President
S eve Edney, Vice President

BEACH

'**REG

0

0

HEADQUARTERS
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 207 46
(301) 899-0675

4

7
1
7
1
Totals All Dep rtm ts ........
6
0
*"Total Registered" means the number of men ho 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.

1spa c ers

r

e

2
60
2
7
10
11
44
26
40
22
30
11
6
45
0
1

317

Gloucester ..................
ew York ...................
Philadelphia .................
Baltimore ...................
Norfolk .....................
obile .....................
ew Orleans ................
Jacksonville .................
San Francisco ...............
1lmington .................
Seattle .....................
Puerto Rico .................
Honolulu ....................
Houston ....................
St. Louis ...................
Piney Point .................

2
31
4
5
2
13
31
17
14
13
33
8
6
28
0
2

Gloucester ..................
New York ...................
Philadelphia .................
Baltimore ...................
Norfolk .....................
obile .....................
ew Orleans ................
Jacksonville ......... . .......
San Francisco ...............
Wilmington .................
Seattle .....................
Puerto Rico .................
Honolulu ...................
Houston ....................
St. Louis ...................
Piner Point .... .............

Tota s......................
p rt

Gloucester ..................
Ne York ...................
Philadelphia .................
Baltimore .......... .........
Norfolk .....................
obile .....................
e Orleans ................
Jacksonville .......... ~ ......
San Francisco ...............
Wilmington .................
Seattle .....................
Puerto Rico .................
Honolulu ...................
Houston ....................
St. Louis ...................
Piney Point .................

T tals ......................

d.

1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202
(301) 327-4900

CLE ELA DJ Ohio
*TOTAL REGISTERED
IGro
Cla A Ca B Cla

To Is ......................
Port

T Is ......................
p rt

ea

e

c

5
13
3
4
2
3
8
11
6
9
0
18
10
0
5

1

Cl

0
0
0
2
0
0
2
1
6
2
1
1
10

1
43
5
2

6

36

0
1

0
0
255

32

1
8
1
3
4
2
6
3
6
5
10
0
6
4
0
3
2

0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
4
0
0
0
9
0
0
0
5

2
4
1
1
0
1
1
2
8
2
3
0
23
1
0
3
52

0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0

EACH

Tri
Ii

p rt
Gloucester ..................
e York ...................
Philadelphia .................
Baltimore ...................
Norfolk .....................
Mobile .....................
New Orleans ................
Jacksonville .................
San Francisco ...............
Wilmington .................
Seattle .....................
Puerto Rico .................
Honolulu ...................
Houston ....................
St. Louis ...................
Piney Point .................

ich.

520 St. Clair River Dr. 48001
(313) 794-4988

BALTl ORE,

•

OCT. 1-31, 1986

ALGO AC,

9
11
34
32
21
20
21
11
9

1
14
5
7
2
8
27
15
7
8
17
6

5
21
0
1

1

0
6
0
5

.o

0

7

0
0
0
0
0
3
2

9
1
1
1
2
7
7

100

0
2
0
0
6
0
0

n

7

E EP
0
4
1
0
4
2
1
3
5
3
5
0
7
4
0
1

0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
0
0
0
4
0
0
0

9
6
5

1
10
4
0
0

0
4
1
0
0
1
5
4
1
2
8
0
3
3
0
0
32

2
11
13
16
70
42
71
27
59
25
7
64
0
4

51

72
3
12
8
12
39
30

36
20
45
12
4
41
0
7
345

c

Cl

A

Cla

8
20
4
4
4
4
7
12
21
7
12
3
22
7
0
5
1

D LU H,

GLO CESTER,

HO OLUL , Hawa·i
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434

OUSTO , Tex.
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152

J CKSO VILLE, Fla.

26

7

1

2
7
1
2
2
1
3
4
10
2
7
3
28
0
0
4

0
1
0
0
1
0
2
0
4
0
0
0
30
0
0
0

3315 Liberty St. 32206
(904) 353-0987

JERSEY C TY,

1

3

0
21
0
3
2
1
22

2
38
14
24
7
8
17
0
0

159

1
36
2
3
8
6
10
9
14
10
15
8
86
6
0
17

231

0
21
0
0
0

27

0
8
0
1
1
0
18
0
9
2
0
0
188
3
0
0

0
19
0
1
2
3
19
13
22
7
13
6
6
12
0
1

12
0
17
2
1
1
2
11
3
18
5
16
0
3

9
0
0

1
2
2
0
0
0
0
5
2
5

1
0
23
1
0
4

0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
1
0
17
0
0
0

24

0
7

0
0
0
9
0
6
1
0
0
123
0
0
0

T Is All D
*"Total Registered" means the number of men ho actually registered for s ipp·ng at e port last month.
**"Registered on the Beach" means the total number of men registered at e port at e end of last month.

0
3
1
0
0
0
7
2
7
5
5
0
34
0
2

7

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

15

2
31
2
5
5
10
33
8
73
5
32
10
5
20
0
7
2
2
43
1
11
5
0
29
6
71
22
35
13
13
25
0
0

27

,397

76

2
57
3

5

8
11
24
11
26
6
31
14

104

10
0

9

331

626

38

B LE,

la.

1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605
(205) 478-0916
I

E

BEDFORD,

NE

ORLE

S, La.

630 Jackson Ave. 70130
(504) 529-7546
Toll Free: 1-80 -325-2532

E

ORK,

.Y.

675 4 Ave., Brooklyn 11232
(718) 499-6600

ORFOLK,

a.
115 Third St. 23510
(804) 622-1892

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.
2604 S. 4 St. 19148
(215) 336-3818

Pl EV POI T,

d.

St. Mary's County 20674
(301) 994-0010

SA

FRA CISCO, Calif.
350 Fremont St. 94105
(415) 543-5855

SA TURCE, P.R.
1057 Fernandez Juncos St.
Stop 16 00907
(809) 725-6960

SEATTLE,

ash.
2505 1 Ave. 98121
(206) 441-1960

ST. LOUIS,

o.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500

43

SUBIC BAY, Rep. of Philippines
34 21st St., W. Bajac Bajac
Olongapo City C-2201
222-3533

IL

GTO , Calif.
510

30 I LOG I November 1986

ass.
50 Union St. 02740
(617) 997-5404

0

6
0
1
2
0
23
2
5
2
2
1
310
4
0
0
358

.J.

99 Montgomery St. 07302
(201) 435-9424

D DEP
1
16
2
2
2
7
27
6
6
13
14
4
6
15
0

ass.
11 Rogers St. 01930
(617) 283-1167

0
1

0
1
0
0
0
0
3
0
2
2
0
0
8
0
0
0

inn.

705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

0
0
0
2
1
1
3
0
5
2
0
0
10
1

4
11
2
5
3
5
4
6
7
11
1
6
4
0
6

5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-1100

. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�Trade

New Congress Must Act

W

HAT may have been the dirtiest
off-year election ever is finally
over. The voters showed why the
process works, in spite of their bombardment by nasty television ads, personal attacks and mudslinging. They
went into the voting booths across the
country, scrapped the muck off the
ballots and, for the most part, sent
people to office on the basis of the
issues and facts.
The Democrats won suprisingly big
in the Senate and gained a few seats
in the House. The GOP made some
big strides on the state level, picking
up several new governors' seats. What
that shows is that people voted on the
issues, which hopefully will carry over
to representatives and senators when
they come back to Washington in January.
That may be a good sign for the SIU
and the maritime industry.
While there was no nationwide theme
to the balloting, the word is out that
one of the first priorities for the new
Congres will be trade, an area sorely
neglected ring the past several years.
Trade is the lifeblood of the merchant
marine, and it plays an important role
for American industry as a whole.

Every month this country imports
billions of dollars more of goods than
it exports. Six years worth of handsoff, so-called free trade have left the
nation's balance of trade in shambles,
and America's industrial workers jobless.
The last Congress had a chance to
attack the trade problem when the
House overwhelmingly passed a trade
bill which would have put American
industry on a more equal footing with
its trading partners. The Republicancontrolled Senate failed to act. The
administration has shown no signs of
implementing any kind of fair trade
policy. It will be up to the new Congress.
A fair trade policy will put more
American's back to work. A fair trade
policy will help seafarers and the maritime industry stay afloat.
But it will take a bipartisan effort
to ensure action on trade legislation.
If the new Congress takes a good look
at the election results, they will see
the voters selected them on the basis
of the issues and the candidates' qualifications, not necessarily blind party
loyalty. The new Congress should act
accordingly.

Miracles Never Cease
(But Prayers Often Go Unanswered)

ommentary
by Capt. Robert Kesteloot (USN Ret.)

T

WO important reports were made public recently, and their common
and miraculous feature was that they were in agreement and, in fact,
complement one another. This was particularly unusual since the first
report came from the Transportation Institute, a trade association supported by companies with the Seafarers International Union, and the
second report from (of all places) the U.S. Navy.
Both studies concluded that the Navy program to lay up additional
ships in the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) was an unsound policy since
the absence of an adequate sized U .S.-flag fleet precluded the existence
of sufficient numbers of citizen mariners to man the government-owned
ships in time of war.
The Navy study, as well as the industry study, concluded, in the words
of the Navy study, that the only "fail-safe solution" was a "robust
peacetime U .S.-flag fleet that supports as a minimum an active seafarer
pool of adequate size sufficient to meet all shipping requirements in time
of war.''
Capt. Robert Kesteloot (USN Ret.) is the vice chairman of the
Transportation Institute. He is the former director of the
Navy's Strategic Sealift division.

We find it paradoxical that this administration is so strongly supportive
of national defense, yet so noncommittal on maritime policy. This country
has a forward defense posture. That is, we intend to meet enemies on
soil other than our own and keep the war fighting away from our own
shores. To this end we spend billions on defense, but we have ignored
the crucial investment in our U .S.-ftag fleet that is required to deploy our
forces where needed. The cost, in terms of cargo preference laws, bilateral
trade agreements, tax incentives to shippers or even outright subsidies,
is ··in the grass" compared to defense outlaws and would be, therefore,
highly leveraged dollars because they would ensure the executability of
this nation's forward defense strategy.
It is regrettable that our maritime policy. has been left to those in the
Office of Management and Budget when it should be included, by
definition, as a part of national defense on which this administration
rightfully prides itself as a strong advocate.
It's too bad that an entire industry's prayers go unanswered simply
because the definition of ··national defense" is too narrow.

To The

Editor
'A Colleague and Friend

• • •

'

With great sorrow I have heard of the passing of Dr. Logue, and wish
to extend my condolences to you and the S.I.U. membership.
Dr. Logue has been a pioneer in maritime occupational medicine. We
were fortunate that he was able to provide his expertise to the
meetings of the Seafarers Health Improvement Program, where he and
Mr. Tom Cranford made valuable contributions.
I shall miss him as a colleague and as a friend.
Sincerely,
C. J. Urner, M.D.
Medical Director
Lykes Bros. Steamship Co.

DEALING WITH STRESS
By Phillip L. Polakoff, M.D.
Director, Western Institute for
Occupational/Environmental Sciences

Learning how to deal with stress is
more important to you than trying to
avoid it altogether, which is impossible
in modern life.
Unfortunately, many people experiencing unusually high amounts of
stress tend to do all the worst possible
things to remedy the situation.
They may start to smoke more. Or
eat more. Or drink more. At the same
time, they may cut back on physical
activities. All of these reactions to
stress-overindulgence and lack of exercise-just perpetuate the cycle.
It's helpful in getting a handle on
stress to recognize that it's a normal,
fundamental element in our existence.
The stress mechanism is present and
working for us whenever we respond
to a sudden danger.
Some stress can be an exhilarating
experience. You've felt it at any exciting athletic contest-whether you
were playing or rooting for your side.
That's the good side of stress-a
sort of shifting into high gear to help
us protect ourselves, or to heighten
enjoyment.
The trouble comes when the system
doesn't ease back into equilibrium when
the peak has passed. Then stress becomes a nagging, ever-present condition.
Besides understanding what stress
is and how it works, developing a
healthy life perspective is another good
step in learning how to cope.
Robert Eliot wrote a book called
"Is It Worth Dying For?" In it, he
said there are basically two rules for
stress management:
* First, don't sweat all the small
stuff.
* Second, it's all small stuff.
But keeping cool and following a
good diet and exercise program still
may not be enough. That tape recording in your brain keeps repeating the

same tension-filled messages.
Talk it over with your doctor. If
you 're concerned about your health,
the doctor probably will want to make
sure you've had a recent physical
examination. That's to rule out any
organic disease as a source of your
problem.
Then together you should make an
honest behavioral asses ment of your
lifestyle, including diet, exercise,
smoking, social support, and other
potential risk factors that are under a
person's control.
According to Dr. Dennis Davidson,
a heart specialist at the University of
California in Irvine and director of a •
disease prevention program, "The next
step would be to see how interested
the patient is in change. We'll have to
confront the reasons why stress has
become a problem and the motivations
for change.''
Therapists generally can help analyze the sources of your discomfort
and assist you in developing a means
of tackling anxieties. Studies also show
that social support is important for a
better mental outlook. Invest some
time in developing close friendships.
You may also wish to explore such
stress-reducing techniques as biofeedback, meditation, self-hypnosis, progressive relaxation and behavior modification.
Although its total impact on the
body remains a matter of controversy,
there's little doubt that stress to some
degree may contribute to a variety of
health problems. These include back
pain, headache, high blood pressure,
cardiovascular disease and a number
of intestinal disorders, including ulcers, colitis and irritable bowel syndrome.
Controlling stress is worth working
at. Just remember, it's easy to fall
back into old habits. Once you get a
handle on stress, you have to make a
continual effort to help ensure longterm change. Otherwise, stress can
recur.
November 1986 I LOG I 31

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
BLAST RIPS OGDEN YUKON IN PACIFIC, FOUR DEAD&#13;
CONGRESS ENDS SESSION STILL FACING DEFICIT CRISIS&#13;
SIU, NMU FORM COMMITTEES TO WORK OUT DIFFERENCES AS MERGER TALKS BEGIN&#13;
99TH GOES HOME, DEFICIT AND TRADE WAIT 100TH&#13;
REAGAN VETOES MARAD FUNDING AUTHORIZATION&#13;
SIUNA FILES ARTICLE XX CHARGES AGAINST MEBA; SEEKS END TO JURISDICTION RAIDING BY ENGINEERS &#13;
JONES WINS AOTOS AWARD, SEAFARERS HONORED, TOO&#13;
BOOK ON SUP’S FIRST CENTURY&#13;
99TH CONGRESS ENDS&#13;
LUNDEBERG SCHOOL TRAINS NAVY GROUP ON HEAVY CRANE&#13;
PLAN AHEAD FOR THE SHLSS COLLEGE PROGRAM IN 1987&#13;
AFTER BLAST, NO WAY TO FIGHT FIRE, SO CREW WAITS&#13;
HELP LAUNCH PILOTS UP AND DOWN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY&#13;
RETIRED VP CAL TANNER DIES&#13;
TRIBUTES TO DR. JOSEPH LOGUE, SIU MEDICAL CHIEF&#13;
REX DICKEY, FORMER BALTO. AGENT, CHARTER MEMBER, DIES&#13;
MTD’S JOHN LYONS DIES, WAS FORMER IRON WORKERS PRESIDENT&#13;
A WHOLE LOTTA YEARS-PLUS&#13;
OPEN SEASON FOR HEALTH PLAN CHANGES&#13;
UNLICENSED PROMOTIONS ANNOUNCED&#13;
EX-SIU AGENT ‘PETE’ DREWES RETIRES &#13;
TRADE NEW CONGRESS MUST ACT&#13;
RIVERS, PORTS SET FOR $5 BILLION IN IMPROVEMENTS&#13;
EX-IBU OF PACIFIC CHIEF MERLE ADLUM, 62, DIES IN SEATTLE&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union • Adantic, GuU, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL-CIO Vol. 48, No. I2 December I986

''We have to look at
new i.deas . .. "
Frank Drozak
(page 2)

Annual Reports for:
Seafarers Pension Plan,
Great Lakes Tug &amp;
Dredge Pension Fund

Page 19

�President's Report
by Frank Drozak
I have reported to this
membership several times
about discussions that our executive board and myself have
had with MEBA-2. We have
been reviewing this maritime
industry and taking a hard
look at what we should do
about it. I do not see any
growth potential given the
present situation of our industry, and I do not see any
of our companies growingin fact, I see them declining.
I think we have to look at
a new approach. With automation taking effect, crews on
U.S. ships are down to 21 top
to bottom, and soon to be
down to 18. On the foreign
side of it, West Germany,
Norway and Sweden are running ships with 12 people onboard. We have to look at
new ideas and take new views.
We have discussed alternatives in what we can do and
what we should do, and we
are looking at what is in the
best interest of trying to revitalize this maritime industry.
We have come up with some
ideas and thoughts. We discussed it for a week or two in
Miami, Fla. at Ray McKay's
MEBA-2 training school, and
we discussed it in Piney Point
back in July when our two
executive boards held joint
meetings.
How do we put a joint program together? We cannot and
will not be able to sign one
new company up under the
present conditions of having
three and four unions on board
the ship, or even having just
two. So we have come to a
resolve that we set up a separate unit, a top to bottom
unit, combining the resources
of our two unions, meaning
the SIU and MEBA-2. If we

try go down before and we
have seen it come back. In
the 1800s, in the 1920s, in the
years prior to World War II,
after World War II, after the
Korean War, and after the
Vietnam War we have seen it
all happen to us. We have
been down before, but the one
good part about it is that we
are living and we still have
job security.
Let's maintain that job security by cooperating with
each other and together building for the future. We can do
it under the concept I am
talking about, and I would ask
your approval for it.
1986 was a tough year. It

got jobs for this membership.
There's not an A man that
can't go to work, and B men
are taking 54 percent of the
jobs. That's good. But as I
said to you, how long will it
last and how long can we keep
it up with no growth out there
under the present conditions?
So I strongly believe that
we must continue our efforts
to put together this new concept with MEBA-2. This will
mean new job opportunities
across the board for our membership, and expanding potentials for new operators in
our industry. I view as the
only answer to revitalize this
maritime industry.

"... We have to look at new ideas and take new views if we are
to organize and grow ..., the only way it's going to work is with
new concepts ... "
are to organize and grow, that's
the only way it's going. to
work. It's not going to work
any other way. We cannot be
sitting here with six crewmembers and the other organization be sitting there with
six people. We have to begin
to look at how we can move
in this direction to revitalize
our industry and preserve the
jobs and job security of our
membership. In order to revitalize this maritime industry, we must try new approaches to restructure our
efforts and put our objectives
into proper order.
We will be continually reporting to this membership on
the activity of this program. I
believe it's the only way we
can go. I don't know of any
other way for us to go, and
believe me, I have tried every
angle I know to bring new life
to our industry.
While this membership is
doing quite well, we have to
ask ourselves, how long can
it last? Right now, we have

I would ask your cooperation on it and I would ask
your support for it. It's a tough
decision for me to come to
you and tell you what the real
facts are. But that is what you
pay me for, to look out for
your security. If I don't level
with you, then I'm not treating you right and you should
not treat me right. That's just
how simple it is. I believe in
laying the cards on the table
to you. I have always leveled
with you and I have always
told you the facts. Sometimes
it's hard. It would be very
easy to tell you everything is
rosy, but I have never done
that to you and I don't intend
to do it now. I'm going to tell
it just like it is, and hope that
you will understand and hope
that you will cooperate with
us, and that you will work
together with us because there
is a future for us and for our
industry.
Look at history. Time and
time again history repeats itself. We have seen. this indus-

December 1986

was hard, no question about
it. But I believe that if we can
get over this hump we'll be on
our way. It means you have
to understand what the issues
are all about. You have to
understand that you cannot go
to the well and get water when
there is no water there. You've
had no help from this administration. They made it very
clear that they are not going
to put one thin dime into this
industry. Even those who are
enjoying some subsidy can't
make it. U.S. Lines, which is
subsidized, is going under. And
Lykes, which is also subsidized, is in deep financial trouble. Sea-Land is not subsidized, and I don't know what
we do with it. But we have got
totrytosavethosejobstothe
best of our ability.
In closing out 1986, I want
to wish you all a very Merry
Christmas and Happy New
Year. Hopefully, as we work
together in the coming year,
we will turn·this thing around.
I will keep you informed.

Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union of
North Amenca, Atlantic, Gulf. Lakes and Inland Waters District,
AFL-CIO

Vol. 48, No. 12

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Ed Turner

Vice President

Secretary

Executive Vice President

Leon Hall

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Mike Hall
Managing Editor
Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

Ray Bourdius

Lynnette Marshall

Assistant Editor

Assistant Editor/Photos

2 I LOG I December 1986

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union , Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO , 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs , Md . 20746 , Tel. 8990675 . Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges , Md. 20790-9998 and at additional
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG , 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs ,
Md. 20746 .

�America's Oldest and Largest

U.S. Lines Files for Bankruptcy, Slashes Service
United States Lines (USL), the largest and oldest U.S.-flag line, has filed
for bankruptcy. Facing some $1. 7 billion in debts, the company has asked
for protection while it tries to reorganize and get itself back on its feet.
Under the terms of Chapter 11 of
the federal bankruptcy laws, USL will
have at least 120 days of protection
from its creditors in the United States.
During that time USL will draw up
plans to restructure the company, set
a schedule to pay its debts, and perhaps turn a profit down the road.
Initial plans call for the line's 12
giant container ships (4,420 TEU) to
be laid up. The ships are the largest
container ships ever built and were
just delivered to the line in the past
two years. Two of those ships are
currently under arrest in foreign ports.
The line will disconti1me its North
Atlantic service and its around-theworld service, but maintain sailings in
the Pacific and South America with 12
smaller container ships.
An NMU spokesman said the USL
(that union's largest contracted company) is responsible for about 360
unlicensedjobs. In addition, according
to USL filings in the proceedings, it
owes the NMU's pension and welfare
plans about $5.7 million. Worldwide,
the company has laid off about 1, 100
employees.
Shortly after filing for bankruptcy,
the company announced it was bringing in former Sea-Land Chief Executive Charles I. Hiltzheimer to run
McLean Industries (USL's parent
company which has also filed for
Chapter I I protection along with USL
(SA) which operates the South American runs).
Hiltzheimer, who spent seven years
running Sea-Land and making profits,
is considered one of the more able
shipping executives in the nation. At

one stage of his career, when he was
in charge of Sea-Land's Pacific operation, that division turned more profit
than all the other company's operations combined.
Predictions are mixed as to whether
the giant line will be able to emerge
from Chapter 11 and continue to operate. While the SIU-contracted
Waterman Steamship Co. recently
came out of bankruptcy and is operating three ships and chartering three
others to the military, there is little
similarity between the two operations,
experts say.
First, the size of USL's debt is
massive, $1. 7 billion. Also, USL operates 27 container ships as opposed
to the small number of LASH vessels
Waterman operated. But insiders also
say if anyone can turn USL around,
Hiltzheimer has the best chance.
Reaction to USL's bankruptcy filing
echoed the same thoughts , disappointment and the call for some sort of help
for the U.S.-flag merchant fleet.
"Here's a company with competent
management , a history in the ocean
freight business and modern equipment, and what happens? It's ready
to go down the tubes. If this doesn't
motivate Congress and the White House
to do something about this country's
merchant marine, nothing will. We all
might as well march right down to the
end of the pier and jump in ,'' said SIU
President Frank Drozak.
But the administration has indicated
it will do little or nothing to help out
USL or any other American-flag company.
''I don't expect that policy to change
... The U.S. government houldn't
be in the business of guaranteeing the
success of any U.S. corporation,' ' said
Jim Burnley, deputy secretary of
transportation.
He added the administration had not

thought of bailing out USL.
The bankruptcy and the lack of
action by the White House is ''further
evidence of the indifference of the
administration" to the U.S.-flag merchant fleet and the role it plays in
defense, said Rep. Walter B. Jones
(D-N.C.), chairman of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee.
"I hope ... Congress can get together with the administration and work
out'' some sort of new promotional
policy for the industry, Jones said.
"All U.S.-flag companies must have
some sort of financial assistance,'' and

be given a competitive edge that other
countries give to their merchant marine, said Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (DHawaii).
The USL bankruptcy is a reflection
of a ''government without a (maritime)
policy,'' said Rep. Mario Biaggi, chairman of the House Merchant Marine
Subcommittee.
He called for ODS reform and enhanced cargo preference regulations.
''If the shipping public continues to
be supportive of United States Lines,
we believe we can turn it around,"
Hiltzheimer said.

Norway Faces Flag Shift
More and more maritime nations
are looking to the "quick fix" to solve
long-term problems of maintaining adequate deep-sea fleets for national defense and national economic growth.
Norway, which along with Sweden
and Denmark had maintained a strong
national merchant fleet, has lost 80
percent of its merchant fleet in the
past 10 years. In 1977, the foreigngoing merchant fleet registered in Norway stood at more than 48 million
deadweight tons. Today their fleet is
scarcely 9 million DWT, and the flight
from Norwegian registry continues.
Part of the fleet continues to be

Onboard the

owned by Norwegian interests but is
registered under the "convenience
flags'' of Liberia, Panama and other
third-world nations.
The reason given by shipping companies for transferring to foreign flag
is the "high costs involved in Norwegian-flag operations." Norwegian
seafarers are "too expensive" to be
able to operate the ships profitably, it
is said. In addition, several shipping
companies have such weak economies
that they have been forced by their
creditors to sell or operate under foreign flag.

ea-Land Explorer

SIU Airs Charges Against
MEBA At AFL-CIO Hearing
The Seafarers International ·Union
pressed it charges of "widespread
violations" ofjurisdictional work rules
by members of the National Marine
Engineers Benevolent A sociation
(MEBA) at a mediation ession held
at AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C., Dec. 2.
At i sue is the widespread practice
of licensed engineers taking over the
work responsibilities of unlicensed engineroom personnel. This practice of
workjurisdiction raiding has increased
as automation has forced cutbacks in
crew size. Both the SIU and the West
Coast Marine Firemen's Union have
collective bargaining agreements
spelling out workjurisdictions for their
members.
The SIU and the Marine Firemen
filed charges with the AFL-CIO after
receiving a number of complaints from
their members that the engineers were
performing their work. SIU and MFOW
representatives told the AFL-CIO me-

diator that the issue could not be
re olved under the collective bargaining agreements.
"What is needed is a firm agreement
from MEBA that it will advise its
members and its contracted companies that no licensed engineer would
perform duties that are traditionally
and contractually reserved for unlicensed workers,'' asserted SIU Counsel Leslie Tarantola who is representing both unions. Also attending the
hearing were SIU Vice President
George McCartney and Marine Firemen President "Whitey" Disley.
The AFL-CIO recommended that
all parties should meet again to try to
resolve the dispute before scheduling
arbitration. Plans to schedule another
meeting are being made. In the meantime, SIU and MFOW members are
being asked to continue to document
any contract violations by the engineers, and to turn in overtime for any
violations.

The steward department of the Sea-Land Explorer takes a moment to pose after preparing
the first meal of the day. The threesome is (I. to r.) Lee Grant, GSU; William Hawkins,
steward/baker and Jose "Pepe" Bayani, chief cook/delegate.

New Jacksonville Clinic Opens
SIU members who ship out of Jacksonville, Fla. will receive physical examinations at a new location. The
rxams will now be perlormed at Memorial Medical Center, Department of
Emergency Medicine, P.O. Box 16325,
3625 University Blvd. South, Jacksonville, Fla. 32216.
The center will be open 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, and Seafarers
will be attended by Dr. M. Dagher.
The Plan provides for one medical

examination each year and Seafarers
should bring a medical examination
request form with them to the hospital.
The form may be picked up at the
Jacksonville hall.
According to SIU Port Representative George Ripoll, the center specializes in heart trauma, oncology,
cerology and back pain. Any additional information on the Union's welfare plans will be published in the
LOG.
December 1986 I LOG I 3

�Ocean Mining Could
Mean Future SIU Jobs
Large scale ocean mining for valuable minerals may be years away, but
the SIU is already working to ensure
that U.S. workers and ships have a
place in this new industry.
The SIU has supported a proposed
rulemaking from the government which
would ensure that each ocean mining
vessel and at least one transport ship
be registered under the U.S. flag.
''That provision . . . offers tremendous potential for our nation's vital
maritime industry and related employment. This in tum will lead to greater
United States self-sufficiency in both
the supply and transport of strategically important minerals," SIU President Frank Drozak said.
Drozak's comments came in a letter
to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which
is in the process of setting up rules
and regulations regarding Deep Seabed
Mining, following the passage of ocean
mining legislation by Congress.
Part of the proposed rulemaking
charges NOAA with determining that
U.S . equipment and personnel have

Sailing the Overseas Vivian

the technological capabilities needed.
That i , Drozak said, where the Union's
SHLSS comes in.
"The school's programs have
evolved to reflect the changing needs
of the maritime industry and are fully
capable of providing qualified personnel to safely and efficiently operate
the vessels engaged in ocean mining
technologies,'' he said.
In addition, Drozak suggested that
NOAA set specific training and certification standards for ocean mining
crews. "Supplying the industry with
trained seafarers should help lower
the risk of accidents and reduce insurance rates,'' he said.
Along with requiring trained and
certified crewmembers, Drozak urged
that NOAA require rigid and modem
safety standards including annual inspections and modern safety equipment.
" Despite the infancy of the industry, it is still necessary to establish
standards for the technologies that
have yet to be developed ," he said.

Grabbing a quick bite on the Overseas Vivian are (I. tor.) OMU Ken Harder, AB Kent
Dominguez and Wiper Almuftihi Ahmed.

Protesting South Atrican Racism

Straight from the Overseas Vivian (Maritime Overseas) in Sobie Bay are (I. to r.) Bosun
John Stout, AB Marcelino Bolante, AB Bruce Smith and AB Jerry Barnett.

SIU Tests
New Tagos

Vernon Douglas, chief steward.

Do You Have
Claims Questions

The white hats of the Seafarers could be seen everywhere as more than 100 trade unionists
marched and chanted in front of Shell Oil's Washington offices protesting that multinational's key role in fueling the apartheid system of South Africa. The Seafarers, trainees
and upgraders from SHLSS in Piney Point, and headquarters staff members from Camp
Springs, were led in songs of protest by Piney Point Port Agent John Russell.

4 I LOG I December 1986

If you have any questions
about your welfare claims ,
contact your port representative , your area vice president ,
or call this toll-free number:
1-800-345-2112.

The USNS Indomitable (TAGOS7) crewed up with SIU and MEBA II
members Nov. 29 in Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii. The vessel was built last year
for the Military Sealift Command and
is the fourth T AGOS ves el stationed
in Hawaii. Three other TAGOS vessels are home-ported in Norfolk, Va.
With 18 unlicensed and licensed crew
and even RCA technicians onboard,
the Indomitable will be in Pearl Harbor
for several week preparing for ea
duty. The mi ion of the ves el will
be to conduct ocean surveillance operations for the U.S. Navy. It will
have a range of tours for a maximum
period of 75 days.
Each of the T AGOS ve el is contructed from the ame blueprints.
They are 220 feet long, and have a 40
foot beam. They draw 16 feet of water
and are 1,600 gross ton . But what
makes these vessels of special note to
SI U members is the comfort they provide the crew. Each person will have
a private room with a bath and shower.
The vessel also has recreational facilities with a fully equipped gymnasium.
There is a library of VHS movies with
enough of a variety to provide a new
movie each day of the week.
The USNS Indomitable will begin
its first tour of duty the end of December.

�.

,

InIan

ews

Part of Outreach Marine Fight

Strike Brings New Pact
The SIU and its Boatmen at BakerWhitely Towing Co. in Baltimore were
able to beat back attempts to cut their
wages and benefits to half the harbor
standard following a two-week strike
which ended last month.
Some 25 Boatmen took to the picket
lines Nov. 6 when the Baker-Whitely
management attempted to unilaterally
slash their contract.
''These were very difficult negotiations. I think it ' s fair and equitable for
us and the operator. But it still hasn't
eliminated the company's liabilities, "
said SIUNA Vice President Jack Caffey.
Those liabilities go back some twoand-a-half years because Baker-Whitely
is the latest player in the McAllister
Brothers/Outreach Marine struggle in
Baltimore.
In 1984, McAllister Brothers , which
had operated in Baltimore Harbor with
SIU labor for many years , announced
it had gone out of business and sold
its operations to Outreach Marine .
Outreach fired some 50 employees and
then refused to rehire 26 who had been

active in Union activities.
The SIU charged that Outreach was
nothing more than an "alter-ego" for
McAllister. In other words, it was
simply an attempt to start a new company to circumvent the Union's contract. The SIU took the case to the
NLRB and it ruled in favor of the 26
fired Boatmen and the Union. It ordered Outreach to reinstate the fired
employees with back pay and interest
last summer.
Outreach went out of business, although it was appealing the NLRB
action. In November, Baker-Whitely
was formed by McAllister. It hired the
old employees, including the 26, but
did not return the ordered back wages.
That is still before the courts.
When Baker-Whitely made its attempt to slash wages, benefits and
conditions, the strike began.
"All the guys are back to work at
the harbor rate ," Caffey said.
The contract is a I 0-month agreement and will expire when the rest of
the Baltimore Harbor pacts end in
September.

New Inland Contracts Ok' d
It's been a busy few weeks
for Inland Boatmen and SIU
negotiators and committee
members. Eight new contracts
covering companies in four ports
have been negotiated and ratified.
In Houston four new con-·

tracts were reached. Boatmen
at Sabine Towing and Transportation ratified their new contract. Higman Towing Co.
workers voted yes on a new
pact, as did the Inland Boatmen
at Bay Houston and Western
Towing Co.

Out of Algonac, Mich. comes
the news that two new contracts
have been inked. Tampa Tug
Corp. and The Island of BobLo Co. Boatmen agreed to contract terms.
In the busy port of Norfolk.

Va. SIU negotiators hammered
out a pact with Carteret Towing
Co. which was approved by the
membership. And in Baltimore
(see story above) Baker-Whitely
signed a contract with the SIU
following a short strike.

Boatman Bags
Michigan Pike

Sabine's Samson and Goliath will be running in Houston under new SIU contracts.

Boatman Mike Kelley shows off the northern pike he caught in Michigan. Kelley
works as a tankerman for Tampa Tug Co.

December 1986 I LOG I 5

�Aboard the Irene Chotin

New
Pensioners
Paulo Gastaneda
Cabaluna, 62, joined
the Union in the port
of Norfolk in 1973.
He sailed as a cook
for Allied Towing
from 1970 to 1974.
Brother Cabaluna is
a veteran of the U.S.
Navy during World War II. He was
born in the Philippine Islands and is a
resident of Portsmouth, Va.
John Daniel Gribble, 62, joined the
· Union in 1948 in the
port of Galveston,
Texas. He sailed as
a deckhand , mate
and captain for the
Galveston wharves
from 1960 to 1962
and for the Texas City Refinery Co.
in 1964, last out of the port of Houston.
Brother Gribble hit the bricks in the
1946 General Maritime and the 1947
Isthmian beefs. He is a veteran of the
U.S. Navy in World War II. Boatman
Gribble was born in Birmingham, Ala.
and is a resident of Dickinson, Texas.
Raymond Norbert
Hughes Sr., 60,
joined the Union in
the port of New Orleans in 1956 sailing
as an AB. Brother
Hughes is a veteran
of the U.S. Navy in
World War II. He
was born in Algiers, La. and is a
resident of Belle Chase, La.
Amzi Ernest Prine, 63, joined the
Union in the port of St. Louis, Mo. in
1965. He sailed as a lead deckhand
and mate for Inland Tugs from 1964
to 1979. Brother Prine last shipped out
of the port of Algonac, Mich. He is a
veteran of the U.S. Army during World
War II. Boatman Prine was born in
Paducah, Ky. and is a resident there.
Henry Samuel Putegnat, 68,joined the
Union in the port of
Houston in 1970. He
sailed as an AB and
mate for the Houston Pilots from 1952
to 1969 and for
G &amp; H Towing from
1969 to 1974. Brother Putegnat is a
veteran of the U.S. Army before World
War II and the U.S. Coast Guard in
World War II. He was born in Kingsville, Texas and is a resident of Galveston, Texas.
Melvin Lewis Szarek, 59, joined the
Union in the port of
Baltimore in 1956.
He sailed as a lead
deckhand for Curtis
Bay Towing aboard
the tug Drum Point
from 1950 to 1974.
Brother Szarek was born in Baltimore
and is a resident there.
6 I LOG I December 1986

l

Boat Delegate Bob B. Alfers Jr. is also the
cook aboard the Irene Chotin.

This photo was taken aboard the Irene Chotin (Orgulf) several months ago when she was
in Wood River, Ill. on the Upper Mississippi. The crewmembers are (I. tor.) Roy Mattson,
Steve Risner, Charles Werner and Bob Kennedy.

In Memoriam
Allied Towing on the tug Taurus in
1977. He also sailed for Ocean Towing
from 1975 to 1985. He was born in Isla
de Pinos, Cuba and was a naturalized
U.S. citizen. Boatman Smith was a
resident of Brownsville. Burial was in

Pensioner Lantt Lord Smith, 65,
died of heart failure in the Valley
Medical Center, Brownsville, Texas
on Oct. 23. Brother Smith joined the
Union in the port of Houston in 1957.
He last sailed as a chief engineer for

the Roselawn Gardens Cemetery,
Brownsville. Surviving are his widow,
Raquel; two sons, Richard and Michael, and a daughter, Norma of Houston.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
NOV. 1-30, 1986

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port
Gloucester ...... .... ............. .
New York ........................ .
Philadelphia ... . .................. .
Baltimore ........................ .
Norfolk ......................... .
Mobile ........ . . ....... .. . ..... . .
New Orleans ...................... .
Jacksonville ...................... .
San Francisco ..................... .
Wilmington ....................... .
Seattle .......................... .
Puerto Rico ...................... .
Houston ......................... .
Algonac ......................... .
St. Louis ............ ... .. ...... . .
Piney Point ....................... .
Totals .......................... .
Port
Gloucester .......................
New York .......... .... ..........
Philadelphia ............ . .........
Baltimore ............ ... .........
Norfolk ........ .................
Mobile .. .. ......... .. ......... ..
New Orleans ......................
Jacksonville ......................
San Francisco .....................
Wilmington ................ .......
Seattle ..........................
Puerto Rico .............. . .......
Houston .........................
Algonac ... ......................
St. Louis . ....... ..... .... . ......
Piney Point ..... .... ........ ..... .
Totals ..........................

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Port
Gloucester .......................
New York ........................
Philadelphia ......................
Baltimore ........................
Norfolk .........................
Mobile ....... . ......... .. .......
New Orleans . ........ .... ... ......
Jacksonville ......................
San Francisco ..... ... . ............
Wilmington .......................
Seattle ..........................
Puerto Rico ......................
Houston .........................
Algonac ... ........ ... .. ..... ....
St. Louis ........................
Piney Point ............. ... .......
Totals ..........................

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

0
0
5
5
49
1
2
0
0
2
0
0
5

6
0

0

0
0
2
0
8
0
1
0
0
1

0
0
1
4
0
0

0
0
3
1
0
0
2

5
0
3
0
0
3
0
4
0

75

17

21

0

0
0
0
0
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
5
8

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3

2

0

22

0
0
40

0
0
6

2
0
8

0
0

20

4

2

0
0
2
0

0

0
0
0
5
55

0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1

0
0
2
0
0
0
0
2

22

1

2

11
0
0
8
0
0
10

2
0
0
4
0
0
2
31
0
0

0
0

2

0

112

65

0
0
0
0
7
0
0
0
.0
0
0
0
2
19
0
0

0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
17
0
0

0
0
1
0
0
0
6

3
0
4
0
0
8
0
9
0
31

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0

0
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
2
0
0
14

5

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

2

0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

8

0

3

11

0

2

4

0
0
0
0

0

0

0

0
0
1

28

23

0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
4

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
7

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

95

35

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Totals All Departments ............. .. .

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0

0
0
1

0

4
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5

0
4

1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
3

94

26

24

0
0
0
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0

6

1

0

8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
11
0
0
19

57

11

8

159

*"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.

�~c=~:

"
·--T:qmnz;;m
·· t.=·~•==•

Air Force Logistics Brass
at SHLSS
Gets
Good Look
Vice Chairman of Transportation
Recently Lieutenant General
Alfred G. Hansen USAF and
Brigadier General Richard L.
Stoner USAF visited the training
facilities at Piney Point,
Maryland.
General Hansen is Director for
Logistics and General Stoner is
Deputy Director for Plans,
Concepts and Analysis, J-4,
Organization of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff in Washington, D.C.
Accompanying them was Navy
Captain David R. Bolden of the
same office.

Institute, and taken on an
extensive tour of SHLSS facilities.
The Air Force is very involved
in sealift by virtue of the massive
amount of equipment that would
have to be transported by ship in a
national emergency to support
their forces. This falls into the
]LOTS Ooint Logistics Over the
Shore) concept.
During the tour many ideas
and concerns were shared by both
sides for the betterment of a
strong merchant marine which
would be available at all times to
support our armed forces .
Upon departing the school
again by helicopter, it was felt
that both sides had a little deeper
insight into the job that each
organization does and how both
are part of the total sealift picture .

In the Shiphandling Simulator Feedback Room, Computer Operator John
Morgan (seated) and Simulator Manager Abe Easter (I.) explain the vast
capabilities of the computer simulated bridge.

(I. to r.) Vice Chairman of Transportation Institute Bob Kesteloot, Brigadier
General Richard L. Stoner USAF, Lieutenant General Alfred G. Hansen USAF,
SHLSS Vice President Ken Conklin, SHLSS Sealift Training Coordinator Bill
Hellwege, Captain David R. Bolden USN.
December 1986 I LOG I 7

�------Electro-Hydraulic Systems-------

&lt;f}n~~hM~A.

~~~~~
AND BEST WISHES FOR THE

..!Yem- Ween
From
the Staff of SHLSS

====Course Changes at SHLSS==
To better serve the needs of the
industry, the courses offered at
SHLSS are constantly being
updated and revised. New courses
are created as technology advances
and outdated materials are deleted.
In 1987 two of the Engine
Department courses have been
extensively revised and are being
offered under different titles. The

title changes are: Marine Electronics
has been changed to Marine
Electronics (Variable Speed DC
Drive Systems) and Hagglund
Crane Maintenance has been
changed to Electro-Hydraulic
Systems.
Following 1s the course
description, eligibility and
prerequisites for the new courses.

This course consists of the
principles of Electrical Control of
Hydraulic Systems.
Systems that employ these
principles are cargo winches, deck
cranes, anchor windlass, ships
steering systems, ramps, stern
ramps, fire doors and a wide variety
of ship board systems.
The course reviews the hydraulic
components and their functions as
well as basic hydraulic systems.
Application of electrical controls
and some typical shipboard electroh ydraulic equipment is also
covered. The first weeks are
devoted to the electro-hydraulic
deck crane (Hagglund 16 through
50 ton cranes), electrical relay
sequenced hydraulic operation
together with trouble shooting and
maintenance. The remainder of the
course will be devoted to other

electro-hydraulic ship board
systems.
Eligibility I Prerequisites
All applicants must hold a
QMED Any Rating endorsement
and must have satisfactorily
completed the Marine Electrical
Maintenance Course and should
have completed the SHLSS
Hydraulic course or equivalent.
They should have an Electricans
Endorsement, but must be
knowledgeable of AC and DC
machinery, have good test
equipment skills and an eighth
grade reading comprehension. Due
to the small print used on the
electrical schematics, good eyesight
is important. If you have problems
reading small print, you should
consider having your eyes checked
before you report to class.

Original Third Mates License
received through SHLSS

---------Marine Electronics--------(Variable Speed DC Drive Systems)

This course consists of electronic
control of direct current drive
systems found in Gantry cranes,
container cranes, constant tension
mooring winches and a variety of
deck machinery.
Systems which require precise
speed I torque control frequently
employ these systems. They are
highly advanced versions of the
Ward-Leonard Speed Control
System. The very latest versions
utilize computer I microprocessor
drive control.
The student learns basic control
systems, casualty procedures, card
pak replacement, system tune-up,
relay logic and development of
system sequence charts. He learns
how to use the manufacturers
instruction book, properly utilizing
troubleshooting procedures and

system maintenance.
A certificate of graduation will
be issued upon satisfactory course
completion.
Eligibility I Prerequisites
All applicants must hold a
QMED Any Rating endorsement
and must have satisfactorily
completed the Marine Electrical
Maintenance Course. They should
hold an Electricians Endorsement
but must be knowledgeable of DC
machinery, AC machinery, have
good test equipment skills and an
eighth
grade
reading
comprehension. Due to the small
print used on the electrical
schematics, good eyesight is
important. If you have problems
reading small print, you should
consider having your eyes checked
before reporting to class.

Shawn Kennedy, who ships out of Jacksonville, Florida, studied at SHLSS for
his Original Third Mates License. He passed the U.S. Coast Guard License
exam in November of 1986 and is anxious to ship as a Third Mate.

--:SHLSS COURSE GRADUATES

Refrigeration Containers Advanced Maintenance
(I. to r.) Eric Malzkuhn (Instructor), Alan Hansen , Patrick

Cross, Jim McBride, Tom Neville.

8 I LOG I December 1986

Seallft Operations &amp; Maintenance
First row (I. to r.) Robert L. Smith , Mark A. Grendahl, Chuck
Greer. Second row (I. to r.) George J. Diefenbach, Flavio
Pena, John Adams . Third row (I. to r.) Fred Jensen, John
Lasky, Steve Fonua, Bill Gizzo.

�1987 UPGRADING COURSE SCHEDU[E
Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry

January 1987 The following is the current course schedule for the first six months of
the 1987 school year 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 po~ible. Although every effort will
be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs and
the needs of the industry.
SIU Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the
application.

Engine Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date
March 23

Completion
Date
June 12

Marine Electrical Maintenance

January 5
March 9

February 27
May 1

Diesel Engine Technology

April 6

May 15

Welding

April 13

May 8

Course
QMED ·Any Rating

Chief Engineer &amp; Assistant Engineer
Uninspected Motor Vessel

April 6

June 12

Third Assistant Engineer &amp; Original
Second Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor

January 5

March 13

Automation

June 22

July 17

Conveyorman

January 5

January 30

Fireman/Watertender Oiler

February 9
June 8

April 3
July 31

Hydraulics

May 11

June 5

Refrigeration Systems Maintenance

January 5

February 13

February 16

March 27

&amp; Operations

Refrigerated Containers Maintenance

Advanced

All Rating Upgrading Courses
Course
Sealift Operations and
Maintenance

Check-In
Date
January 5
February 2
March 2
April 13
May 18
July 13

Completion
Date
January 30
February 27
March 27
May 8
June 12
August 7

Steward Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date
January 28
March 18
May 13

Completion
Date
April 3
May 22
July 17

Cook &amp; Baker

February 4
March 18
April 29
June 10

May 15
June 26
August 7
September 18

Chief Steward

January 28
March 18
May 13

April 3
May 22
July 17

Course
Chief Cook

Recertification Programs
Course
Steward Recertification

Check-In
Date
January 26
June 29

Completion
Date
March 2
August 3

Bosun Recertification

February 24

April 6

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 months of this year, the courses will be six weeks in length and
offered on the following dates:
High School Equivalency (GED)
January 5
February 16
March 2
April 13
May 4
June 15
Adult Basic Education (ABE) &amp;
English as a Second Language (ESL)

Deck Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date
March 13
July 13

Completion
Date
April 17
August 14

Able Seaman

January 5
March 23
May 18

February 27
May 15
July 10

Radar Observer

March 16
April 20

March 27
May 1

Radar Observer (Renewal)

Open ended course, however,
must notify SH LSS before
entering this course.

Third Mate &amp; Original
Second Mate

January 5
May 4

March 13
July 10

First Class Pilot

January 12

February 27

Lifeboat

March 9
May 4

March 20
May 15

Tankerman

March 23
May 16

April 3
May 29

Course
Celestial Navigation

June 1987

January 5
February 13
March 2
April 10
May 4
June 12
Seafarers applying for the upgraders Lifeboat class and _who are either ESL
or need some work on basic skills, may take the ESUABE Lifeboat course
three weeks prior to the scheduled Lifeboat class. This class will be offered:
March 6
February 16
April 13
May 1
The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes. They will be offered as follows:
FOWT
February 2
February 6
QMED
March 16
March 20
Third Mate
April 27
May 1
Able Seaman
May 11
May 15
FOWT
June 1
June 5

College Programs
Course
Associates in Arts

Nautical Science Certificate

Check-In
Date
January 19
March 30
June 8

Completion
Date
March 13
May 22
July 31

March 30

May 22

December 1986 I LOG I 9

�Apply Now for an SH LSS Upgrading Course
·······························•················•·················································•··············•······················•
Seafare rs Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name

(Last)

(City)

Mo./Oay/vear

Telephone --.-.-----.____,...-.,.-----(Area Code)

(Zip Code)

(State)

Deep Sea Member D

Date of Birth -~~~~---­

(Middle)

(first)

Inland Waters Member D

Pacific D

Lakes Member D

Social Security# _______ Book# _______ Seniority _______ Department _______
Date Book
Port Present ly
Was lssued _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ Port lssued __________ Registered In _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

Are you a graduate of the SH LSS Trainee Program: D Yes
Trainee Program: From _ _ _ _l""T'""""l.---to-.....-.......---(dates attended)

No D (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s) Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for T r a i n i n g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Primary Language Spoken - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
ENGINE

DECK
O
0
O
O
0
D
O
O
O
O
O

o

O
O
O

Tankerman
AB Unlimited
AB Limited
AB Special
Towboat Operator Inland
Towboat Operator Not More
Than 200 Mites
Towboat Operator (Over 200 Miles)
Celestial Navigation
Master Inspected Towing Vessel
Mate Inspected Towing Vessel
1st Class Pilot
Third Mate Celestial Navigation
Third Mate
Radar Observer Unlimited
Simulator Course

0 FOWT
0 QMED-Any Rating
D Marine Electronics
(Variable Speed DC Drive)

D
0
0
D
D
D
D
D
D

o
No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

O

Marine Electrical Maintenance
Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
Automation
Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
Diesel Engine Technology
Assistant Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel)
Chief Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel
Third Asst. Engineer &amp; Original Second
Asst. Engineer Steam or Motor
Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
Hydraulics
Electro-Hydraulic Systems

STEWARD
D
0
0
0

Cook &amp; Baker
Chief Cook
Chief Steward
Towboat Inland Cook

ALL DEPARTMENTS
O Welding
0 Llfeboatman
D Seallft Operations &amp; Maintenance

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
D Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equlvalency
Program (GED)
D Developmental Studies (DVS)
0 English as a Second Language (ESL)
O ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

COLLEGE PROGRAM
0 Associates in Arts Degree
0 Nautical Science Certificate

RECORD OF EMPLOYMENT TIME-(Show only amount needed to upgrade in rating noted above or attach letter
of service, whichever is applicable.)
VESSEL
RATING HELD
DATE SHIPPED
DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-DATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~­
S~afarers

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

,

12186
•...............................................................................
._.....................................••• .._.-:::;:;;;.....-..-..........
Rev.

10 I LOG I December 1986

�Area Vice Presidents' Report

West Coast
by V. P. George McCartney

S

HIPPING on the West Coast has
been surprisingly good this month.
The only downturn occurred in Hawaii, and that was because the SS
Constitution was in San Francisco for
its annual drydocking and overhaul.
Because of the extra cargo available
out on the West Coast, Matson Lines
has earmarked $1 million to refurbish
the Maunalei. The company will keep
it running until the Matsonia is completed.
APL is going over plans for five new
C-IO's which are being built in Germany. The SIU represents the steward
department on these vessels.
The stewards employed on APL
were at one time represented by the
Marine Cooks and Stewards Union.
As a result of the foresight of former
MCS President Ed Turner, the MCS
merged with the A&amp;G District of the
SIU.
The SIU-MSC merger was an important step in the long struggle for
maritime unity. Turner, who became
an executive vice president in the
A&amp;G District, has decided to step
down after a long and colorful career.
Turner is an institution to West
Coast seamen. He was a close associate of the legendary Harry Lundeberg, who founded the SIUNA in the
1930s.
Lundeberg and the late Joe Curran,
founder of the NMU, took over following the death of Andrew Furuseth
and the break-up of the old International Seamen's Union. Bitter enemies, they provided leadership and
vision to a weakened and embattled
maritime industry.
The philosophical differences that
divided the two men and their organizations have been eroded by time.
All seamen have benefitted from Lun. deberg's uncompromising commitment to democracy and "Business
Unionism'' and by Joe Curran's in1
sistence on social justice and racial
equality.

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike Sacco

M

UCH of the work on the Great
Lakes and upper rivers is seasonal. Once winter comes along, things
pretty much come to a grinding halt.

In Algonac, we've been busy trying
to beat the winter deadline. Leudtke
completed a job in Buffalo and has
towed its equipment to Milwaukee,
Wis. so it can have everything in place
when work begins next spring.
The dike construction job that
Leudtke began in Lorain, Ohio is expected to be finished shortly. The
company was awarded a major dredging project at Fighting Island, which
is in the middle of the Detroit River.
Work is expected to begin next spring.
Dunbar and Sullivan is continuing
work on its breakwater project in Racine, Wis.
There was a decent amount of work
for our members on the rivers this
season. Next year's projects look
promising. The federal and state governments have put off a number of
important maintenance projects for so
long now that it is a matter of doing
them or just writing off the rivers and
harbors forever.

quently, in any business endeavor,
when financial troubles exist, something must be done to bring the operation into focus with incoming revenue. In this respect, the SIU is no
exception. The SIU Executive Board
has, therefore, made the decision to
close the SIU operation in the port of
Olongapo City, P .I., this move to be
made as soon after Jan. 1 1987 as
feasible. Also, staff personnel in all
SIU ports will be reduced. These reductions will also take place as soon
after the first of the new year as
feasible.
Port closures and the laying-off of
office personnel is never a pleasant
task. No doubt there will be some of
the membership who do not agree with
these moves.
In so far as the SIU government and
commercial ships in the Far East area
are concerned, they will be serviced
by a team of SIU officials on a regular
basis.
As the frustrating 1986 year comes
to a close, let us all hope that the new
year under the new Congress will improve the sad condition of the American merchant marine. Meanwhile, let
me wish all of you the very best during
this Yuletide season as well as prosperous New Year.

steered this organization in that direction.
Yet it must be emphasized that obtaining this kind of military work is a
difficult process. Most of our contracts
for military work are for short periods-two, three years. When the
time period is up, then the Union will
have to go through the bidding process
all over again.
At best, the military work has helped
cushion the effects of the decline in
the maritime industry. As Vice President ''Red'' Campbell is fond of saying, ''the rest of the maritime industry
is on the critical list in the intensive
care unit of the hospital. The SIU is
ambulatory.''
What is needed is a long-term plan
to revive this ailing maritime industry.
That is why SP AD is so important.
Each month, I make a special point
of urging the members to support
SPAD. I do that because political action translates directly into job security. If we hadn't had a capable legislative staff monitoring the actions of
Congress last session, then many of
our ships would have been laid up.
It is no longer possible just to get
by in the maritime industry-the days
of coasting are over. The SIU has
been able to survive because we've
worked twice as hard as anyone else
to get new jobs during this crisis period.

Gov't. Services
by V. P. Buck Mercer

T

HE year 1986 has not been particularly fruitful for marine or staff
personnel at Military Sealift Command, Pacific. Because of the administration's decision to contract out to
the private shipping industry ships in
the MSC nucleus fleet under the Circular A-76 program, and because of
the multiple changes in shoreside department heads and staff that handle
the affairs of seagoing personnel, there
has been much consternation among
seagoing and staff personnel who wonder about job security, seniority, medical coverage and a host of other questions that the} may think of. It does
not stop there, however. The cable
ships are also on the bidding block,
and the verdict is not yet in on those
ships.
In the past 12 months there were
some marine employees who left
MSCPAC for one reason or another,
and the SIU was and is able to furnish
further seagoing employment to those
mariners who wish to continue a career at sea.
From Nov. 18 through 21, 1986, the
SIU Executive Board met in Dania,
Fla. for the purpose of discussing all
phases of the Union operation and
making hard deci ions in efforts to
correct problems that have developed
in various areas.
The big problem is the mechanization and highly technical ships that are
being built today. These ships represent reduced crew . Reduced crews
repre ent reduced union member hip,
and reduced member hip repre ents
reduced union revenue. Con e-

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

S

HIPPING in the Gulf .Coast has
been surprisingly good. Seamen
have been able to ship out of almost
any port with little trouble.
In Jacksonville alone the Union recrewed the Cape Douglas, the Westchester Marine, the American Heritage, the Panama and the American
Eagle. We even have had difficulty
filling all our ratings.
Part of this is due to the holiday
season. Job opportunities always open
up around this time because a lot of
people just want to stay home with
their families.
But there's more to it than that. The
reason why there are so many jobs
available is that President Drozak,
Vice President Campbell and the rest
of the organization have been successful in capturing a large share of
the military work being generated by
the Navy's decision to contract out
vessels to the private sector.
Yet it would be a mistake for seamen
to take these jobs for granted. If too
many ships sail short, then the Navy
will just bypass u because we will be
an unreliable source of manpower.
SIU members owe the existence of
many of these jobs to the vision and
dedication of the late Bob Vahey. He
wa one of the fir t people to see the
potential of this kind of work, and he

'"""'·'·"""~..:--:; : . · 111ki..
East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

G

OOD news for East Coast seamen this holiday season. Contracts have been ratified in a number
of ports.
In Baltimore, members employed
by Baker-Whitely Towing voted unanimously to accept the company's final
proposals. It was a difficult set of
negotiations, but the Union and the
members held tough.
A special vote of thanks to SIUNA
Vice President Jack Caffey for helping
to wrap up this one.
In Philadelphia we wrapped up two
contracts: Coleman Launch and IOT.
The IOT negotiations, which have
dragged on for several years, pertained
only to the so-called non-supervisory
personnel. The company refused to
negotiate with the Union in regards to
the captain, the chief mate and the
barge captains. The matter is presently
tied up in courts.
The IOT negotiations highlight up
an important dilemma for this country
and for the labor movement. How can
workers and their unions make
concessions to make companies more
productive if they can't trust the companies' ultimate intention ?
Labor-management relations are by
nature adversarial. Yet a certain degree of cooperation and trust must
(Continued on Page 17.)
December 1986 I LOG I 11

�Linking Past and Present

Independence Day Reminiscences on the Great Lakes
By Rick Metcalf

S

ITTING in the darkened rec room
with my watch partner and a few
shipmates, we watched silently as the
tall ships paraded by on the television
screen, passing the l 00-year-old Statue
of Liberty. The Fourth of July celebrations continued.
We, however, were on Lake Superior downbound from Marquette, Mich.
to South Chicago. The big Lakes
freighter was heavy with red iron ore.
It was rumored to be our last run for
a few months. Over half the Great
Lakes fleet was laid up; lack of cargo.
The man on the television said it
was warm and sunny in New York as
60,000 ships and boats peppered the
harbor. A thousand miles away on the
"sweetwater" of these freshwater seas,
the skies were gray and cool.
I told my shipmates about my visit
last January to New York City-about
how I ventured to the South Street
Seaport, a collection of ships, exhibits,
galleries and theaters near the Brooklyn Bridge.
It was quite impressive, I told them.
The creaking tall ships, the movies
and the music all captured the aura
and romance of I 9th Century sailenough to stir even the most dedicated
landsman into casting off the lines and
watching the last vestiges of land disappear.
Afterward, I told them of my stroll
southward to visit the Seaman's Church
Institute, affectionately known as the
''doghouse'' which, for more than I 00
years, stood at the foot of Manhattan
facing the harbor and the seas beyond.
Built and staffed by the Episcopal
Church, the Seaman's Church Institute was a sturdy respite from the
perils of the big city (where too often
a sailor's reward for months or even
years at sea was a quick separation of
his wages or even his life by untold
numbers of con artists, pimps, crimps
and bad women).
The "doghouse" was a secure retreat where sailors of all creed and
nationality could berth in safe and snug
quarters. Mail and messages could be
sent and received, gear stowed, and
the mind, body and spirit administered
to. And for many seafarers, this was
their only home from the sea.
Yes, I told them all this-and how
clearly I recalled that sharp January
afternoon and how my head seemed
to boil with the echoes ofjackhammers

A modern skyscraper in New York's Wall Street district serves as a backdrop for a mast
of the square-rigger Wavertree. Now a part of the South Street Seaport Museum in New
York City, the Wavertree is one of the few square-riggers left that tell the tale of a bygone
sailing era. (Wide World Photos)

as workmen split apart the last few
standing walls of the Institute.
Land is very valuable in New York
City, especially in the financial district.
The man on television quoted Conrad and Melville liberally: ''. . . a
universe unto itself,'' ''Whenever I
grow weary ... " For many men and
women whose calling is the sea, the
works of Melville and Conrad hold a
deep and personal meaning.
''And it is a very fine feeling, and
one that fuses us into the universe
of things, and makes us a part of
the All, to think that, wherever
we ocean-wanderers rove, we have

Information, Please

still the same glorious old stars
to keep us company: that they
still shine onward and on, forever
beautiful and bright, and luring
us, by every ray, to die and be
glorified with them."

Maybe this passage was written by
Melville on the site of the "dog-

house." He once had a house there.
Inside the Institute was the Conrad
Library, displaying a large wooden
bust of Conrad alongside some personal articles and manuscripts. He was
one of us.
The man on television said, ''This
Liberty Centennial and the tall ships
should remind us that as a nation we
should preserve our maritime history
and heritage."
How simply we like to remember
our past. And in the process of romanticizing it, we make it neat and
tidy by jerking the link of the present
from the past.
But one would be a fool to say a
modem container ship or a squat oil
tanker is as graceful as a tall ship
which sailed when much of the world
and our souls were still a mystery.
Of course, the ships have changed
as have the men; steam for sail, satellites for stars, a VCR for a concertina, a vocation instead of a sentence.
Yet much hasn't changed; the fear,
the isolation, the bone-crushing loneliness that no woman or bottle can
cure. And who will tell me New York
is any safer now than in the past?
Let me ask how many citizens whose
pride swelled with the tall ships' parade or found the South Street Seaport's display of 19th Century sailing
life "quaint" recoil at the sight of his
contemporary staggering by-lost-or
by the rage of the dispirited men in
the seamen's union halls waiting for
the non-existent jobs with an everdwindling U.S. merchant fleet.
I presume it's safer to keep our
seafaring present in the past-a phantom like the billowing sails ready to
be unfurled at the next celebration or
when a gentrification project needs a
theme. Men encased in glass can never
ask for too much.
Before I could complete my tale,
my watch partner and I were called
out on deck to secure cargo hatches.
A rain squall blew in from the East,
the drops tasting bitter on that Fourth
of July afternoon.

.g;#/f(
toad*

The law office of Birnberg &amp; Associates is representing Louis
Mora and is seeking witnesses to an accident which Mr. Mora
suffered on the Overseas Juneau on Dec. 7, 1983. A seaman named
Jesus is believed to have seen this accident. Any witness should
contact the LOG office in Camp Springs, Md. as soon as possible(301) 899-0675.
Anyone having information on the SS John Barry, sunk Aug.
28, 1944, or information on Purser G.L. Richards, please contact
Kerry McCarthy at (202) 331-8160.

12 I LOG I December 1986

FRO

YOUR

UNION'S
OFFICERS
and

~

.,_
-~&lt;­
.,~, ...
'

Stall

~~~~

�Seafarers Display Skills

Smithsonian Highlights Century Of U.S. Labor
The Seafarers were the center of
attention when the Smithsonian Institution opened a two-day conference
last month on American Labor History. The focus of the conference,
which was a celebration of the heritage
and accomplishments of American
workers over the past 100 years, was
a live exhibition of the skills of American craftsmen.
The conference and exhibit was held
at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
At an opening night reception, AFLCIO Secretary-Treasurer Thomas R.
Donahue congratulated the Smithsonian for giving the public an opportunity
to see the kinds of craftsmanship in
live demonstrations ''that has created
most of the artifacts that are kept
under glass and behind velvet ropes
throughout this museum and others
like it."
Donahue noted that Dec. 10 marks
the lOOth anniversary of the day the
American Federation of Labor was
formed with Samuel Gompers elected
as its first president.
Among the labor unions which participated in this first in a two-year
series of exhibits were the Graphic
Communications Union, Bakery,
Confectionery &amp; Tobacco Workers,
Hotel &amp; Restaurant Employees,
Clothing &amp; Textile Workers, Communication Workers and the Flint
Glassworkers.
The Seafarers drew large crowds of
interested adults and delighted children to the area where the maritime
industry has a permanent exhibit in
the museum. The SIU's executive chef
at its training and upgrading school in
Piney Point, Romeo Lupinacci,
sculpted fancy hors d' oeuvres which
were savored by grateful spectators.
Jim Moore, also from the SHLSS,
captured everyone's attention with his

hands-on display of the art of marlinspike seamanship. And Bud Adams,
from the school's arts &amp; crafts department, brought to life the skill and
history of scrimshaw.
Seafarers and their families who are
planning visits to Washington are urged
to drop by the Museum of American
History's maritime exhibit to see the
many photos, models and artifacts
which trace the proud history of American seafaring men and women.

AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Tom Donahue welcomed visitors and trade unionists
to the first in a two-year series of exhibits
on Labor in America that are on display at
the Smithsonian Institution.

Chef Romeo Lupinacci delighted visitors
with his culinary treats and snacks.

Jim Moore, Lundeberg School deck instructor, demonstrated the art of marlinspike seamanship, including some fancy ropework, to
delighted children and adults.

This is an example of the ancient mariner art of scrimshaw by
SHLSS instructor Bud Adams.

SHLSS Arts and Crafts Instructor Bud Adams sketched a scrimshaw design on glass to
show visitors how the detailed drawings for scrimshaw are begun with a first draft.

December 1986 I LOG I 13

�I

Cruise Ship Health Exams
Begin Again by Hill Order

Help Is Available

refrigeration , sanitation and crew
cleanliness.
When the CDC announced the inspection halt , the number of ships
failing the exams was climbing. But
the CDC cited improving records for
the cruise vessels and said the industry
was capable of policing itself.
After the uproar, a group of House
and Senate conferees meeting on federal health appropriations ordered the
CDC to begin the health inspections
once again. They will begin Jan. 1.

In March when the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced it was
dropping its health and sanitation inspections of foreign-flag cruise ships
calling at U.S . ports , it created an
uproar from Congress, health officials
and consumer groups.
Last month the CDC said it would
begin the inspections again.
At the time of the program's cancellation, more than 40 percent of the
ships were given failing marks in 1985.
The inspections cover water, food ,

Help

A

Friend
Deal

With

---

~ ~ IrlG=J~

Alcoholics don't have friends. Because a friend
wouldn't let another man blindly travel a course that has
to lud to the destruction of his health, his job and his
family. And that's where an alcoholic is headed.
Helping a fellow Seafarer who has a drinking problem
is just as easy-and just as important-as steering a blind
man across a street. All you have to do is take that
Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the Union's
Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee, Md.
Once he's there, an alcoholic SIU member will receive
the care and counseling he needs. And he'll get the
support of brother SI members who are fighting the
same tough battle he is back to healthy, productive
alcohol-free life.
The road back to sobriety is a long one for an alcoholic.
But because of ARC, an alcoholic SIU member doesn't
have to travel the distance alone. And by guiding a
brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center,
you'll be showing him that the first step back to recovery
is only an arm's length away.
.__

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If You Think You Have a
Drug or Alcohol ProblemThen You Have a Problem
Millions of Americans have
turned to drugs and alcohol to
avoid problems they encounter
in their personal and professional lives.
Whether they know it or not,
these people have taken on more
than they can handle. Drugs and
alcohol are killers.
For some people, like basketball star Len Bias, death can
come right away. For others, it
comes only after years of decline, which are marked by ill
health, worry, financial insecurity and family problems.
The effects of alcohol and
drug abuse are not confined to
the addict. The New York Department of Health reports that
two-thirds of all alcoholics seeking treatment in city clinics had
at least one alcoholic parent.
One recovering alcoholic said
recently that he decided to seek
treatment when he became aware
of what his addiction was doing
to his family. ''How could I be
there for my kids when I wasn't
even there for myself?'' he said.
It is conservatively estimated
that drug and alcohol abuse costs
American businesses tens of billions of dollars each year in lost
productivity, absenteeism and
work-related accidents. For
some companies, it is the difference between staying in business or relocating overseas.
1986 marked a turning point
in the fight against drugs. Americans finally became aware of
the dimensions of the drug problem in this country. As a result,
the number of drug users as a

percentage of the overall population is starting to decline.
Unfortunately, those still using drugs are using more potent
and dangerous chemicals, such
as MDA and crack.
Private clinics are flooded with
people who are trying to beat
their drug and alcohol addictions. Yet there aren't enough
private facilities in this country
to accommodate this increased
demand. People often have to
wait months to get accepted to
programs that cost several thousand dollars a month.

* * *

Seafarers who become addicted to drugs or alcohol are
lucky in the sense that they can
make use of the Seafarers Addiction Center in Valley Lee,
Md. As long as they meet the
eligibility requirements, it won't
cost them a dime, and there's
usually not that much of a wait.
The program was started more
than 10 years ago, before alcohol and drug abuse became a
fashionable issue. This says a
lot about the foresight of this
Union and its leadership.
To date more than 670 of your
fellow Seafarers have regained
their sobriety and drug-free status by making use of this program.
If you think that you might
have a problem with drugs or
alcohol, then contact your Port
Agent. It might be the most
important contact you make in
your lifetime. And, don't
worry-your coq.fidentiality will
be respected .

/)RUGS' ARE ,t:()R

f)lJNCES'{/
YOU CAN

9TOP

ANO eEr

NELP/
CON?'ACT

YOUR
POR7AGENT

OR ~IU /JRU6
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ALCOllOl

PROGRAM

PINEY
POINT, MD.
DOI/ /VOW/
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14 I LOG I December 1986

�New Hospital
Ship Christened
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC

The world 's largest hospital hip
was christened in San Diego, Calif.
Nov. 8 at a shipyard that's also building her twin sister. The USNS Mercy
{T-AH 19), the third American hospital
ship to bear that compassionate name,
was officially christened when guest
of honor and newspaper publisher Helen K. Copley smashed the traditional
bottle of champagne into the hull of
the 894-foot long ship built by National
Steel and Shipbuilding Company.
Mercy and her twin, the USNS
Comfort (T-AH 20), will be crewed by
68 MSC mariners. The floating hospitals, larger than any on shore naval
medical facility, will be staffed by
about 1,300 medical and support personnel when fully operational. The
ships are designed to be floating surgical hospitals with a mobile, flexible
response capability to provide acute
medical care in support of amphibious
task forces.
Ten years ago, the since-converted
ships were being built by NASSCO as
90,000 dwt supertankers to haul Mideast crude oil through the Suez Canal.

The USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) on sea trials off San Diego, Calif. (Photo courtesy of NASSCO)

Laid up several years later when too
much oil glutted world markets, the
concept of converting existing tankers
to hospital ships was first proposed.
Not only could the government save
money and time working with a ship
already built, reasoned naval architects, but also the added advantage of
supertankers was their low center of
gravity which reduces roll, a comfort
to patients and crew alike.
NASSCO won a $400 million contract to convert the two ships to hospital vessels in 1983. The Navy has
since spent another $110 million out-

fitting the ships with the latest medical
equipment.' The floating hospitals each
have a total patient capacity of 1,000
beds (the average U.S. hospital has
300 beds), 12 operating rooms, radiological services, medical laboratories,
dental service, physical therapy and
burn care facilities, an optometry lab,
a pharmacy, a morgue and two oxygen
producing plants. The ships' massive
landing pads are large enough to accommodate the military's biggest helicopters.
''Under the old concept of hospital
ships, the idea was to carry casualties

M SC's Safety Poster Walks Away With Honors
Two MSCPAC employees and the
command itself walked away with first
place honors in the marine safety poster contest at the National Safety
Council's annual congress in Chicago
recently.
The Golden Safety Poster Award
was given to Jack Reich, head of
MSCPAC's safety branch; Steve
McKnight, an MSCPAC illustrator,
and to Military Sealift Command, Pacific, for the creation of a poster that
promotes safety in the marine indus-

try. The National Safety Council is
composed of government and industry
representatives to promote safety and
occupational health at home and at
work sites.
Reich and McKnight teamed up a
few months ago for the design of their
winning safety poster as part of an
overall plan to get the message out
about safety. The National Safety
Council, which automatically had rights
to all poster submittals, will reproduce
the MSCP AC design and provide it to

Accepting first place honors in the marine safety poster contest are (I. tor.) Jack Reich,
Capt. W. T. Dannheim and Steve McKnight.

Council members nationwide.
MSCPAC's entry was creative, informative and thought provocative,"
said Frank J. Poliafico, awards committee chairman, when he announced
the poster contest winners. ''The command obviously has a winner's attitude toward safety, and for this we
admire MSCPAC.''
At the same time Reich was in
Chicago Oct. 20 to accept the safety
poster award, Capt. William T. Dannheim, COMSCPAC, was sending a
message to all MSCPAC ships commending them for their efforts in reducing lost-time injuries. In fiscal year
1984, President Reagan set a government-wide goal to reduce work injuries
in the federal sector by 3 percent a
year over a five-year period, using
fiscal year 1983 as a baseline. With
MSCP AC mishap figures compiled for
the past three years, the command has
attained a cumulative 15 percent reduction in lost-time injuries, far exceeding the presidential goal to date.
Said Capt. Dannheim in his Oct. 21
message to MSCPAC ves els, "The
continuing reduction in mishap rates
onboard our ships is a tribute to the
collective efforts of all hand . I commend you all for your effort in helping
MSCP AC exceed the presidential goal
for the third straight year. Well done."

back home for care," said Albert Midboe, the MSC construction representative assigned to the T-AH project at
NASSCO. "With these ships, a patient receives instant care."
A licensed chief engineer, Midboe
knows hospital ships. He first served
on one with the Army Transport Service before that organization became
part of MSTS in 1949. "We're getting
a couple of pretty good ships at an
economical price," he claims. "The
ships had well known designs and
propulsion plants which aren't terribly
complicated."
The USNS Mercy is driven by a
single screw, geared steam turbine
with 24,500 horsepower. The ship's
four distilling plants produce 75,000
gallons of fresh water daily. Three
400-ton air conditioning plants will
help keep hospital spaces comfortable.
Originally scheduled to be maintained in a Reduced Operating Status
in Oakland, Calif. with a five-day deployment capability, the USNS Mercy
is now scheduled to go into service
next March on a four-month goodwill
tour to the Philippines. The purpose
of the deployment will be to train MSC
and Navy personnel in the operation
and support of the ship and its embarked medical treatment facility during extended operations in a remote
area. Coincidentally, it provides an
opportunity to enhance the U.S. presence in the region and meet medical
(Continued on Page 17.)

Not Yet for
Retro Money
Although retroactive money was
tentatively expected to be paid around
Christmas time, the MSCPAC
comptroller has now indicated that
because of a major error in computing retroactive wages and overtime
increases for unlicensed marine personnel, retro money will not be paid
until late February or early March
1987.

December 1986 I LOG I 15

�Safeguard
Your
Shipping ·ghts
\

.J~
!

~ /'

I

''""'\

..,

~--..J-~

T

O SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

DUES

Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register.

RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING When you are relieved , you
must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.
RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION

It is your respon-

sibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.

RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING It is your responsibility to claim
your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.

KNOW YOU RIGHTS

-

FINANCIAL REPORTS. T he 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 Account ants every three
months, which are to be submit1ed to the membership by
the Secretary-Treasurer. A qu arterly 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 recommendation s. Members of this committee may make dissenting
reports, specific recommendations and sep arate 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.

..,,-

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively by the contracts between the
Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping
rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available
in all Union halls. If you feel there has been any violation
of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the
contracts between the Union and the employers, notify
the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail. return 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 your contract rights. as well as
your obligations. such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If. at any time. any SIU

16 I LOG I December 1986

KNOW YOUR IGHTS
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in
all Union halls. All members should ohtain 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 obligation
by any methods such as dealing with charges, trials, etc.,
as well as all other details, then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.
EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently, no memher may be discrimi nated against because of race . creed , color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any member feels that he is
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.

11111111n1111111111111n111111lll1111111111111111n1111111111111111111111111n1111111111111111111111111111111

patrolman or other Union official, in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly, contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union,
officer or memher. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September. 1960. meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log
policy is vested in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circumstances should any member pay any money for any reason
unless he is given such receipt. In the event anyone
attempt to require any such payment he 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 is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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 supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contrihution may be
solicited or received because of force. joh discrimination,
financial reprisal, 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
~ to Union records or information, he should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The add~ is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

�cove Leader Passes Through Panama canal

S. Byerley, OMU

A. Sharif, asst. cook

Last month, R.A. McClean, master aboard the Cove Leader (Cove Shipping Inc.), sent
us some photos of the vessel's crew. Here are a few more, including (above) G. Carter,
OMU.

A. Flatts, GSU

USNS Mercy
(Continued from Page 15.)

training and care needs of the Philippine people. The Mercy's medical
teams, consisting of military and civilian medical personnel (both U.S.
and Filipino), will provide health care
and preventive advice, training, consultation and patient screening. Detailed planning for this mission i currently under way.
The USNS Mercy is expected to be
delivered to MSC in mid-December.
A Post Delivery Availability, along
with crew training and the onloading
of supplies and provisions, will keep
the ship in San Diego until late February. The ship will deploy on her
humanitarian mission in March.
The Mercy's pro pective commanding officer i Capt. Richard Hosey , a
34-year veteran of MSCPAC. Capt.
Ho ·ey is no stranger to taking hips
out of the yard and out to the open
sea. He's done it before with a tracking
ship, a survey vessel, an ammunition
ship, and now the Mercy.
"This can be a frustrating time for
those of us who will crew the ship , '·
says Hosey. "Someone else is administering the shipbuilding contract for
a vessel we have to sail, and we have

L. Thrasher, steward/baker

E.Ott,AB

little say over how the ship is built or
converted.''
Capt. Ho ey, Chief Engineer Dennis Leggett and a few other prospective crewmembers have spent the past
two month climbing up, down and
around the massive ho pital ship attempting to learn everything they can
about the vessel. They've taken detailed notes, scanned blueprint and
technical specifications and submitted some recommendations to the Supervisor of Ships and the MSC construction representative to help bring
the hip into compliance with MSC
rules and regulations.
"We 're trying to identify all the
deficiencies of the hip which mu t be
corrected before we sail, and those
that can be deferred," aid Capt.
Hosey, working out of a mall trailer
hi five-per on crew hare with the
MSC con truction repre entative at
N ASSCO. U ing hi experience aboard
the USNS Kilauea, Ho ey recently
wrote a 78-page operation, manual for
the ho pital hip. "The INSURV board
liked it," he miled.
Though some problem. urfaced
during the Mercy's sea trial in late
October. the re olution of the problem. is ongoing and Navy official
expect the hip to deploy as planned.
Unlike other MSC hip with the
familiar gold and blue ·tripes on the

ship stacks, the USNS Mercy and the
Comfort will carry no other markings
other than red crosses against the allwhite ships. Military or government
markings on hospital ships are prohibited by the Geneva convention agreements which cover such items as maritime warfare and the treatment of
prisoners of war.

Old-Timers
earner

Vice Presidents' Report
(Continued from Page 11.)

exi t if this country is to get on with
the business at hand, which is to make
American products more competitive.
In New York, the Maritime Port
Council there handed out its annual
Paul Hall Award to Morty Bahr, president of the Communications Workers
of America.
SIU Pre ident Frank Drozak appeared at the dinner. He poke of
Bahr' many contribution to the labor
movement, especially in the field of
organizing.
Drozak also gave a frank as e sment
of the state of the industry. "Maritime
t dying," he told the 1,000 people in
attendance. "We've gone past the point
of no return." He pledged to devote
hi full energie in per uading the 1OOth
Congrc s to enact a trade policy.

Pensioner Reino J. Pelaso (P-8) from
Vallejo, Calif. sends his Christmas greetings along with a photo of his latest
catch. Seems Reino had a good year
fishing in San Pablo Bay and Bodega
Bay, hooking four sturgeon (25-100 lbs.
each), 15 salmon (5-15 lbs.) and 80
pounds of rockfish. "I wish to say hello
to all my old shipmates. I hope everyone
has a Merry Christmas and that the New
Year wiU be good to all my friends."

December 1986 I LOG I 17

�Lennard Edward Fuller r., 74,
joined the SIU in the port of Houston in 1957 sailing both deep sea
and inland. From 1956 to 1972 he
sailed as a mate and captain for
· G &amp; H Towing. Brother Fuller was
a former member of the NMU from
1941to1953. HewasborninLynchburg, Texas and is a resident of
Baytown, Texas.

Deep Sea
George Adamisin, 62, joined the
SIU in 1944 in the port of New
York sailing as an AB. Brother
Adami sin was born in N anty Glo,
Pa. and is a resident of Pittsburgh,
Pa.

A.G. Alexander, 62, joined the
SIU in 1947 in the port of Galveston
sailing last as a recertified bosun.
Brother Alexander graduated from
the Union's Recertified Bosuns
Program in 1975. He walked the
picket lines in the 1946 General
Maritime and the 1947 Isthmian
beers and last shipped out of the
port of Houston. Seafarer Alexander is a veteran of the U.S. Navy
in World War II. A native of Arkansas, he is a resident of Milan,
Texas.

Fred C. Gissubel, 63, joined the
SIU in the port of New York in
1976 sailing as a recertified chief
steward. Brother Gissubel graduated from the Union's Recertified
Chief Stewards Program in 1981.
He began sailing during World War
II. A native of New York City, he
is a resident of Deerfield Beach,
Fla.
Carl Harcrow Jr., 65, joined the SIU in the port
of Houston in 1970. He sailed as an AB, most recently
aboard the MV Aurora. Brother Harcrow was a
former member of the NMU. He is a veteran of the
U.S. Navy during World War II. Seafarer Harcrow
was born in Little Rock, Ark. and is a resident of
Franklin, Texas.
David Huffer Ikirt, 66, joined the
SIU in 1947 in the port of Philadelphia. He last sailed as an AB and
deck delegate out of the port of San
Francisco. Brother Ikirt also sailed
during the Vietnam War and walked
the picket line in the 1946 General
Maritime beef. He was born in Dayton, Ohio and is a resident there.

Bennie J.B. Anding, 58, joined
the SIU in the port of Lake Charles,
La. in 1953. He sailed as a cook,
most recently out of the port of
Houston. Brother Anding began
sailing during World War II. He
was born in Louisiana and is a
resident of Orange, Texas.
Edgar Bivens, 62, joined the SIU
in the port of Mobile in 1969 sailing
as a cook. Brother Bivens last sailed
aboard the SS Navigator. He is a
veteran of the U.S. Army during
World War II. Born in Mobile, he
is a resident there.

-

Clyde Allen Kent, 58, joined the
SIU in 1948 in the port of Norfolk.
He sailed as a deck delegate and
recertified bosun last aboard the
Bay Ridge out of the port of Baltimore. Brother Kent graduated from
the Union's Recertified Bo suns
Program in 1982. He hit the bricks
in the 1946 General Maritime beef.
Seafarer Kent was born in Danville,
Va. and is a resident of Laguna
Hills, Calif.

Edelmiro Colon, 61, joined the
SIU in 1945 in the port of San Juan,
P.R. sailing as a chief cook. Brother
Colon was born in Puerto Rico and
is a resident of Caguas, P.R.

Henry Joseph Koppersmith, 58,
joined the SIU in 1946 in the port
of Mobile sailing as a cook. Brother
Koppersmith last rode the SS San
Pedro. He was born in Mobile and
is a resident there.

Billy Gailian Edelmon, 59, joined
the SIU in 1946 in the port of New
York. He last sailed as a recertified
bosun out of the port of Honolulu,
Hawaii. Brother Edelmon graduated from the Union's Recertified
Bosuns Program in 1975. He also
sailed during World War II. Seafarer Edelmon was on the picket
line in the 1946 General Maritime
beef and attended the 1971 Piney
Point Crews Conference. Edelmon
was a former member of the SIUmerged Marine Cooks and Stewards Union and the Operating Engineers Union. Bosun Edelmon is
a veteran of the U.S. Army during
the Korean War. Born in Houston,
he is a resident nf Honolulu.

Horace Carl Long Jr., 59, joined
the SIU in 1946 in the port of
Savannah, Ga. He sailed as a cook,
most recently out of the port of San
Francisco. Brother Long was on
the picket lines in the 1946 General
Maritime, 1947 Isthmian and the
1948 Wall St. beefs. He is a veteran
of the U.S. Navy during the Korean
War. Seafarer Long was born in
Titusville, Fla. and is a resident of
San Francisco.

John Fanoli, 61, joined the SIU
in 1947 in the port of New York
sailing as a cook. Brother Fanoli
hit the bricks in both the 1946 General Maritime and the 1965 District
Council 37 beefs. He is a veteran
of the U.S. Navy in World War II.
Seafarer Fanoli was born in New
York City and is a resident of
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Peter Lypen, 61, joined the SIU
in 1944 in the port of New York
sailing as an AB. Brother Lypen
worked on the Sea-Land Shoregang, Port Elizabeth, N.J. in 1981.
He hit the bricks in the 1946 General
Maritime, 1947 Isthmian and the
1948 Wall St. beefs. Seafarer Lypen
attended the U.S. Military Transport Command School, Sheepshead

18 I LOG I December 1986

,.,

Bay, Brooklyn, N.Y. in
is a veteran of the U.S.
the Korean War. Born in
sey, Lypen is a resident
beth, N.J.

1943. He
Army in
New Jerof Eliza-

Warren Manuel Sr., 55, joined
the SIU in the port of Lake Charles,
La. in 1952 sailing as an AB last
out of the port of Houston. Brother
Manuel is a veteran of the U.S.
Army during the Korean War. He
was born in Mamou, La·. and is a
resident there.
Cecil Harles Martin, 62, joined
the SIU in the port of Mobile in
1950 sailing last as a chief cook.
Brother Martin was on the picket
lines in 1946 General Maritime, 1947
Isthmian and the 1948 Wall St. beefs.
He was born in Alabama and is a
resident of Mobile.
Wilbert James Miles Sr., 60,joined
the SIU in the port of Mobile in
1951 sailing as a chief steward.
Brother Miles was born in Mobile
and is a resident of Prichard, Ala.

John Dow Moore, 65, joined the
SIU in the port of New York in
1951. He sailed last as a recertified
bosun out of the port of Houston.
Brother Moore graduated from the
Union's Recertified Bosuns Program in 1975. He walked the picket
lines in the 1946 General Maritime
and the 1947 Isthmian beefs. Seafarer Moore is a veteran of the U.S.
Marine Corps in World War II. A
native of New Orleans, he is a
resident of Houston.
Richard Ward Moore, 65, joined the SIU after
attending a training program at the SIU's Andrew
Furuseth School. Brother Moore last sailed as an AB
out of the port of Jacksonville. He is a veteran of
the U.S. Navy in World War II. Seafarer Moore was
born in Dunn, N.C. and is a resident of Jacksonville.
Jimmie Lee Morris, 56, joined the
SIU in 1949 in the port of Tampa
sailing last as a recertified bosun.
Brother Morris last shipped out
aboard the OM/ Champion from
the port of Jacksonville. He was on
the picket line in the 1946 General
Maritime beef. Seafarer.Morris was
born in Pensacola, Fla. and is a
resident of Fort McCoy, Fla.
Guillermo Ortiz, 62, joined the
SIU in 1949 in the port of Philadelphia sailing last as a chief electrician
out of the port of Santurce, P.R.
Brother Ortiz hit the bricks in the
1946 General Maritime, 1947 Isthmian, 1948 Wall St. and the 1961
Greater N. Y. Harbor beefs. He is
a veteran of the U.S. Army in World
War II. Seafarer Ortiz was born in
Ponce, P.R. and is a resident of
Bayamon, P.R.

(Continued on Page 19.)

�. . C a t Guard in World
II. Riutta was born in Astoria,
a resident of Las Vegas,

William "Bill" Maurice Parker, 61, joined the SIU
in 1945 in the port of Mobile. He sailed as bosun.
Brother Parker graduated from the Union's Recertified Bosuns Program in 1975. He last shipped out of
the port of New Orleans. Parker walked the picket
line in the 1946 General Maritime beef. He was born
in Illinois and is a resident of Lacombe, La.

Emil Henrick Riutta, 65, joined
the SIU in the port of Seattle in
1957 sailing as an oiler. Brother
Riutta last sailed out of the port of
San Francisco. He was on the picket
line in the 1961 Greater N.Y. Harbor beef. Seafarer Riutta was a
former member of the Teamsters
Union, Local 569 and is a veteran

Raymond John Christina, 66,
joined the Union in the port of
Duluth, Minn. in 1956 sailing as a
FOWT. Brother Christina last sailed
out of the port of Algonac, Mich.
He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy
during World War II. Laker Christina was born in Houghton, Mich.
and is a resident of Hubbell, Mich.

Ray Ellis Schrum, 58, joined the
SIU in 1947 in the port of Miami,
Fla. He sailed last as a recertified
bosun aboard the MV Courier out
of the port of Houston. Brother
Schrum graduated from the Union's
Recertified Bosuns Program in 1976.
He was on the picket line in the
1946 General Maritime and the 1947
Isthmian beefs. Seafarer Schrum
was born in North Carolina and is
a resident of Lincolnton, N.C.

(Continued from Page 18.)

Stanley "Stan" Partyka, 57, joined
the SIU in 1947 in the port of Mobile
sailing last as a bosun out of the
port of New York. Brother Partyka
graduated as a 3rd mate from the
HLSS-MEBA District 2 Deck Officers Training School, Brooklyn,
N.Y. in 1966. He was on the picket
line in the 1946 General Maritime
and the 1947 Isthmian beefs. Seafarer Partyka also attended Piney
Point Crew Conference No. 9 in
1970. Born in Pennsylvania, he is a
resident of Chicago, Ill.

Great Lakes

Albert Joseph Verwilt, 69, joined the SIU in the
port of New York in 1961 sailing last as a chief
electrician. Brother Verwilt also sailed during World
War II. He hit the bricks in the 1962 Robin Line and
the 1963 Rotobroil beefs. Seafarer Verwilt worked
on the Sea-Land Shoregang, Port Elizabeth, N.J.
from 1971 to 1978 and also at the Federal Shipyard,
N.J. from 1939 to 1944. Born in Hoboken, N.J., he
is a resident of Highlands, N .J.

.........

L...
'm

George L. Vourloumis Sr., 62,
joined the SIU in 1943 in the port
of New York. He sailed deep sea
from 1942 to 1962 and inland from
1962 to 1986 for Independent Towing. Brother Vourloumis last sailed
as a recertified chief steward aboard
the SS Caguas. He is a veteran of
the U.S. Navy in World War II.
Seafarer Vourloumis was born in
Fitchburg, Mass. and is a resident
of Philadelphia.

Summary Annual Report

Seafarers Pension Plan
This is a summary of the annual report of the Seafarers Pension Plan EIN 13-6100329
for the year ended Dec. 31, 1985. The annual report has been filed with the Internal
Revenue Service, as required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974 (ERISA).

BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Benefits under the plan are provided by the Trust. Plan expenses were $20,887,199.
These expenses included $2,749,495 in administrative expenses and $18,137,704 in
benefits paid to participants and beneficiaries. A total of 18,444 persons were participants
in or beneficiaries of the plan at the end of the plan year, although not all of these
persons had yet earned the right to receive benefits.
The value of plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the plan, wa $343,248,323 as
of Dec. 31, 1985, compared to $294,255,794 as of Jan. 1, 1985.
During the plan year the plan experienced an increase in its net assets of $48,992,529.
This increase included unrealized appreciation or depreciation in the value of plan
assets; that is, the difference between the value of plan assets at the end of the year
and the price the plan originally paid for those assets. The plan had total income of
$47 ,232,448, including employer contributions of $7 ,930,434, gains of $9,460,509 from
the sale of assets, earnings from investment of $29,639,855 and other income of
$201,650.

MINIMUM FUNDING STANDARDS
An actuary's statement shows that enough money was contributed to the plan to
keep it funded in accordance with the minimum funding tandards of ERISA.

* * *

Summary Annual Report

Great Lakes Tug &amp; Dredge
Pension Fund
This is a summary of the annual report of the Great Lakes Tug and Dredge Pension
Fund EIN 13-1953878 for the year ended Dec. 31, 1985. The annual report has been
filed with the Internal Revenue Service, as required under the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

Donald D. Witt Menter Sr., 51 ,
joined the Union in the port of Sault
Ste. Marie, Mich. in 1961. He sailed
as an oiler for the Great Lakes
Dredge and Dock Co. from 1957 to
1986, most recently out of the port
of Cleveland, Ohio. Brother Menter
was a former member of the Laborers Union. He was born in Oswego, N.Y. and is a resident of
Conneaut, Ohio.
Henry Reinhold Schultz, 65, joined the Union in
the port of Alpena, Mich. in 1960 sailing as a wiper
and gateman. Brother Schultz last shipped out of the
port of Algonac, Mich. He was born in Hubbard
Lake, Mich. and is a resident of Hudson, Fla.

Shipping Rules
Copies of the Shipping Rules as amended
by the Seafarers Appeals Board through Sept.
15, 1986 are available on request by contacting
the Seafarers Appeals Board at 5201 Au th
Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Benefits under the plan are provided by the Trust. Plan expen e were 539,518.
These expenses included $103,779 in administrative expenses and $435,739 in benefits
paid to participants and beneficiaries. A total of 552 per ons were participants in or
beneficiaries of the plan at the end of the plan year, although not all of these persons
had yet earned the right to receive benefits.
The value of plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the plan, was $10,540,242 as
of Dec. 31, 1985, compared to $8,692,743 as of Jan. 1, 1985.
During the plan year the plan experienced an increa e in its net a sets of $1,847,499.
This increase included unrealized appreciation in the value of plan assets; that is, the
difference between the value of plan assets at the end of the year and the price the
plan originally paid for those assets. The plan had total income of $1,641,211, including
employer contributions of $239, 758, employee contributions of$96,204, gains of $521,395
from the sale of assets, and earnings from investment of $783,854.

-

MINIMUM FUNDING STANDARDS
An actuary's statement shows that enough money was contributed to the plan to
keep it funded in accordance with the minimum funding standards of ERISA.

* * *

YOUR RIGHTS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
You have the right to receive a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof,
on request. The items listed below are included in that report:
1. An Accountant's report
2. Assets held for investment
3. Tran actions in excess of 3 percent of plan assets
4. Actuarial information regarding the funding of the plan.

To obtain a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof, write or call the office
of Mr. Leo Bonser, who is the Plan Administrator, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md. 20746-(301) 899-0675.
The charge to cover copying costs will be $4.10 for the Seafarer Pension Plan report
and $1.90 for the Great Lakes Tug and Dredge Pension Plan report, or $.10 per page
for any part thereof.
You also have the right to receive from the plan administi:ator, on request and at no
charge, a statement of the assets and liabilities of the plan and accompanying notes,
or a statement of income and expenses of the plan and accompanying notes, or both.
If you request a copy of the full annual report from the plan administrator, these two
statement and accompanying note will be included as part of that report. The charge
to cover copying costs given above does not include a charge for the copying of these
portions of the report because these portions are furni hed without charge.
You also have the legally protected right to examine the annual report at the main
office of the plan at 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746 and at the U. S.
Department of Labor in Washington, D. C., or to obtain a copy from the U. S.
Department of Labor upon payment of copying costs. Requests to the Department
should be addressed to: Public Disclosure Room, N4677, Pension and Welfare Benefit
Programs, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D. C.
20216.

December 1986 I LOG I 19

-

�Pensioner Leonard Stanaslaus Bugajewski, 72, passed
away on Nov. 9.
Brother Bugajewski
· joined the SIU in
1943 in the port of
New York. He sailed
last as a bosun and
quartermaster during the Vietnam War.
He hit the bricks in the 1947 Isthmian
beef. Seafarer Bugajewski was born
in Delaware and was a resident of
Aberdeen, N .J. Surviving are his
widow, Alice; a brother, Bernard of
Chester, Pa., and a sister, Mary Connaugh of the Bronx, N.Y.
Pensioner George
F. Butler, 64, succumbed to heart-lung
failure in the Dominquez Valley Medical Center, Long
Beach, Calif. on Oct.
I. Brother Butler
joined the SIUmerged Marine Cooks and Stewards
Union in the port of Wilmington, Calif.
in 1958 sailing last as a chief steward.
He was born in Los Angeles, Calif.
and was a resident there. Burial was
in the Woodlawn Park Cemetery,
Colma, Calif. Surviving are his widow,
Bertha and a daughter, Ara Griffith of
Sacramento, Calif.
Pensioner
John
James Cox, 94, succumbed to pneumonia at home in
Tempe, Ariz. on Oct.
18. Brother Cox
joined the SIU in
(a
charter
1938
member) in the port
of Baltimore, sailing last as an oiler.
He hit the bricks in the 1946 Greater
Maritime, 1963 Rotobroil and the 1965
District Council 37 beefs. Seafarer
Cox was born in London, England and
was a naturalized U.S. citizen. Cremation took place in the East Valley
Crematory, Mesa, Ariz. Surviving is
a daughter, Janice Dawe of Tempe.
Pensioner Wilson
FrampRandolph
ton, 89, passed away
in November 1983.
Brother Frampton
joined the SIU in
1943 in the port of
New Orleans sailing
last as an oiler. He
was born in Huntington, W.Va. and
was a resident of New Orleans.
Pensioner Fortunato N. Drilon, 88,
passed away in the St. Francis Hospital, San Francisco on Oct. 12. Brother
Drilon joined the SIU in 1948 in the
port of New York sailing as a cook
for 50 years. He hit the bricks in the
1946 General Maritime and the 1947
Isthmian beefs. Seafarer Drilon was
born in the Philippines and was a
resident of San Francisco. Interment

20 I LOG I December 1986

was in Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma,
Calif. Surviving are his widow, Jung
Soon; a son, Jame, and a brother,
Felix of Cerigara, Leyte, P .I.
Bernard Raymond
Kitchens, 67, died on
Oct. 30. Brother
Kitchens joined the
SIU in 1943 in the
port of Savannah,
Ga. He sailed last as
a recertified bosun
aboard the Sea-Land
Producer from 1985 to 1986. He graduated from the Union's Recertified
Bosuns Program in 1979. Seafarer
Kitchens walked the picket line in the
1961 Greater N. Y. Harbor beef. Born
in Georgia, he was a resident of Savannah. Surviving are his widow, Hattie and a daughter, Nannie of Adrian,
Ga.
Pensioner Daniel Gerald "Jerry"
Lynch, 75, died of a heart condition
in the Kaiser Hospital, Portland, Ore.
on Nov. 6. Brother Lynch joined the
SIU-merged Marine Cooks and Stewards Union in 1943 in the port of
Seattle. He last sailed as a chief steward aboard the SS Hawaiian Refiner
in 1970. He sailed his first ship, the
SS George H. Harris as a steward
utility in 1943. Seafarer Lynch was a
veteran of the North Dakota National
Guard and was a former member of
the Knights of Columbus. Born in
Scott Mills, Ore., he was a resident
of Portland.
Pensioner
Jack
Baron Mauldin, 75,
passed away on Oct.
27. Brother Mauldin
joined the SIU in
1946 in the port of
New Orleans sailing
last as a cook. He
began sailing in 1929.
Seafarer Mauldin was on the picket
lines in the 1946 General Maritime and
1947 Isthmian beefs. He attended a
Piney Point Educational Conference
and was a veteran of the U.S. Navy
before and during World War II.
Leathercraft was his hobby. A native
of North Carolina, he was a resident
of Gretna, La. Surviving are two
daughters, Evelyn Lovalla of Gretna
and Marlene Lee of San Pablo, Calif.,
and a sister, Mrs. R.R. Vaughn of Ft.
Myers, Fla.
Pensioner Walter
Frederick Mueller,
84, passed away on
Nov. 9. Brother
Mueller joined the
SIU in 1945 in the
port of Tampa, Fla.
sailing last as a bosun. He hit the bricks
in the 1946 General Maritime and the
1947 Isthmian beef . Seafarer Mueller
attended the 1972 Piney Point Educational Conference. Bosun Mueller
was born in Germany and was a resident of Tampa. Surviving is his son,
James of West Milton, Ohio.

Pensioner Emile
Joseph Olive, 69 succumbed to heart failure at home in
Pennsville, N.J. on
Sept. 30. Brother
Olive joined the SIU
in 1947 in the port of
New York sailing last
as a bosun and deck delegate. He was
on the picket lines in the 1946 General
Maritime, 1947 Isthmian and the 1948
Wall St. beefs. Seafarer Olive was
born in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas,
V .I. Surviving is his widow, Grace.
Pensioner Sloan
Mitchell Orr, 65, died
on Oct. 9. Brother
Orr joined the SIU
in the port of New
York in 1950 sailing
last as a FOWT. He
hit the bricks in the
1946 General Maritime and the 1947 Isthmian beefs.
Seafarer Orr was a veteran of the U.S.
Navy in World War II. Born in Walhalla, S.C., he was a resident of Jacksonville. Surviving is his sister, Katie
O'Berry of Cashiers, N.C.
Pensioner William
Ansell Pittman, 63,
died on Oct. 13.
Brother
Pittman
joined the SIU in
1942 in the port of
New Orleans sailing
last as a bosun. He
was born in Louisiana and was a resident of Ponchatoula,
La. Surviving is his widow, Mabel.
Catherine E. Young, 38, died on
Nov. 5. Sister Young joined the SIU
in the port of Seattle in 1981 sailing as
a saloon messwoman. She was born
in San Francisco and was a resident

of Seattle. Surviving are her parents,
Mr. and Mrs. F.R. Young of Concord,
Calif.
Pensioner Hipol. ito Sanchez Ramos,
78, passed away on
Nov. 16. Brother
Ramos joined the
SIU in 1939 in the
port of New York
sailing last as a bosun. He walked the
picket lines in the 1946 General Maritime and the 1947 Isthmian beefs.
Seafarer Ramos was born in Arecibo,
P.R. and was a resident of Baltimore.
Surviving is his widow, Antonia.
Pensioner Clarence Eugene Roney,
81, passed away on
Nov. 15. Brother
· Roney joined the
SIU in 1947 in the
port of Mobile sailing last as a FOWT.
He was on the picket
lines in the 1946 General Maritime and
the 1947 Isthmian beefs. Seafarer Roney also attended the 1970 Piney Point
Pensioners Conference No. 6. A native of Chatom, Ala., he was a resident
of Mobile. Surviving is his widow,
Alice.
Pensioner Lawrence Smith, 69, died
on Nov. 3. Brother
Smith joined the SIU
in 1947 sailing last as
a cook. He was on
the picket line in the
1946 General Maritime beef. Seafarer
Smith was a veteran of the U.S. Army
in World War II. Born in Gretna, La.,
he was a resident of New Orleans.
Surviving is his widow, Inez.

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, January 5 ................... 10:30
New York ............... Tuesday, January 6 ................... 10:30
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, January 7 ................ 10:30
Baltimore ................ Thursday, January 8 .................. 10:30
Norfolk ................. Thursday, January 8 .................. 10:30
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, January 8 .................. 10:30
Algonac ................. Friday, January 9 .................... 10:30
Houston ................. Monday, January 12 .................. 10:30
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, January 13 .................. 10:30
Mobile .................. Wednesday, January 14 ............... 10:30
San Francisco ............ Thursday, January 15 ................. 10:30
Wilmington .............. Tuesday, January 20 .................. 10:30
Seattle .................. Friday, January 23 ................... 10:30
San Juan ................ Thur day, January 8 .................. 10:30
St. Loui ................ Friday, January 16 ................... 10:30
Honolulu ................ Thursday, January 15 ................. 10:30
Duluth .................. Wednesday, January 14 ............... 10:30
Gloucester ............... Tuesday, January 20 .................. 10:30
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, January 21 ............... 10:30

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.

�Dlaest of Ships Meetlnas

-,...

t

AMERICAN HERITAGE (Apex Marine), November 9-Chairman Donald D.
Fleming; Secretary Jon Cruz; Educational
Director R. Wilson ; Deck Delegate S. Perdiks; Engine Delegate William Casapo;
Steward Delegate F. Gonzales. Some disputed OT was reported in the deck and
engine departments. There is $1 00 in the
ship's fund collected from an arrival pool.
The chairman reminded all hands that the
Union has a very good school in Piney
Point, Md. and that qualified members
should upgrade their skills and be prepared
to fill the jobs available, especially on the
military-contracted ships. Crewmembers
also were told if they have a drinking or
drug problem, they have a Union that cares
and programs to help. "So take advantage
of them because losing your papers is one
thing, but if you lose your life or loved
ones, you don't get a second chance." The
educational director stressed the importance of contributing to SPAD. He noted
that after six years of the Reagan administration, we should all know how important
SPAD is for us-to make sure the Union
has the resources to elect our friends who,
in turn, will help us. All departments were
given thanks for their hard work and for
the smooth trip-especially the steward
department. "Steward Jonny Cruz and Chief
Cook Leopold Faulkner sure know how to
feed a hungry sailor with all their goodies
and spread. Too bad the ship will be laid
up during Thanksgiving because we're going
to miss out on some good food." Next port:
Jacksonville, Fla.
BALTIMORE (Apex Marine), November 1&amp;-Chairman James S. Rogers ; Secretary Edward M. Collins; Engine Delegate
Paul Summers; Treasurer Tom Herbert.
No beefs or disputed OT. The captain
reported that payoff would take place Nov.
20 and that the ship will remain in the
shipyard for about 20 to 25 days. All
crewmembers leaving the ship were reminded to return dirty linen to the dirty
linen locker. New movies were one of the
requests, and the patrolman will be asked
about the possibility of getting some soon.
A vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for a job well done. Next port:
Norfolk, Va.
CONSTITUTION (American Hawaii
Cruises) , October 1~Chairman D. Ellette; Deck Delegate J. Balentine; Engine
Delegate G. Brown. The chairman noted
that a new contract was signed, and the
bosun has given a copy to each department
delegate. So, if there are any questions
about the contract, members should see
either the bosun or their delegate. The
Constitution is going into the shipyard at

Aboard the MV Sugar Islander

the end of November and is due out around
Dec. 15. The ship should be back in Hawaii
by Dec. 20. The chairman will keep the
delegates informed as to specific dates.
All communications have been read and
posted. The bosun mentioned the importance of reading the LOG in order to be
informed on what's going on in the Union.
The new TVs and refrigerators for the
unlicensed crew lounges were received ,
and a new TV, VCR and refrigerator have
now been ordered for the pursers' lounge.
The chairman gave the ships' committees
and delegates a vote of thanks for their
good work. Next port: Honolulu, Hawaii.

GUS W. DARNELL (Ocean Ships),
November 9-Chairman Louie Diesso;
Secretary DA Brown; Educational Director H. Green; Engine Delegate Ronald
Aubuchon; Steward Delegate Marc D' Ambrosio; Deck Delegate J. McPherson. No
beefs or disputed OT. There is $200 in the
treasury, shared jointly with the ship's officers. Members were urged to upgrade
their skills at the training center in Piney
Point, Md. A request was made on the part
of the gang to have lifesaving equipment
available during the cleaning of the tanks.
Respirators should be checked, and a
rescue demonstration be given. Next ports:
Guam, Singapore and Japan.
LNG LEO (Energy Transportation Corp.),
November 2-Chairman John P. Davis;
Secretary H. Jones, Jr.; Educational Director Roy C. McCauley. No beefs or
disputed OT. There is $372.50 in the ship's
fund. From that sum, "We have to buy a
net for the swimming pool, so we won't
lose the ball each time we play water polo."
There is also $50 in the communications
fund. The chairman reported that the ship
will undergo the annual Coast Guard inspection during the northbound voyage.
He reminded all hands, however, that safety
is a daily concern-not just necessary at
inspection time. He also mentioned the
reports of meetings with other maritime
unions regarding a possible .merger and
believed that such signs are encouraging.
"We've got to stick together." Movies are
still a problem aboard ship. The same box
of movies was received that was sent last
year. A vote of thanks was given for all
members aboard ship for the respect they
are showing their fellow Seafarers by not
slamming doors or playing radios loudly.
A vote of thanks also went to the steward
department for the pool parties and good
food. Next ports: Osaka, Japan and Arun ,
Indonesia.
OMI DYNACHEM (OMI Corp.), November 1&amp;-Chairman Horace B. Rains ;
Secretary Donnie W. Collins ; Educational

This photo, sent to us by Chief Steward Milton Thrash, shows crewmembers enjoying
one of the many fine cookouts aboard the Sugar Islander (Pacific Gulf Marine).
Director Guy Venus; Deck Delegate Michael S. Pell; Engine Delegate John E.
Trent; Steward Delegate Bruce Mesger.
No beefs or disputed OT reported. The
ship is to lay up in Jacksonville for repairs.
Payoff will be Wednesday, Nov. 19. The
repair list will be posted and all movies are
to be returned to the movie locker. The
secretary suggested that everyone read
the LOG for up-to-date informaton on what's
happening in the Union and in the maritime
industry. He also stressed the importance
of donating to SPAD. "SPAD helped to get
us where we are. So let's all donate. Look
at the last election and you can see what
we can do together. " The educational director reminded anyone who wants to upgrade their skills-" lt's never too late to go
to the SHLSS. " All kinds of courses are
available. The steward suggested that one
minute of silence be observed in memory
of those who died aboard the OM/ Yukon
during a recent explosion. A hearty vote
of thanks was given to the steward department for the fine food and excellent
menus. Next port: Jacksonville, Fla.

ST AR OF TEXAS (Seahawk Management), November 1&amp;-Chairman Gene
Paschall ; Secretary J.R. Fletcher. No beefs
or disputed OT reported . There is $32.20
in the ship's fund. Everything is going
smoothly aboard the Star of Texas . The
ship will pay off Tuesday, Nov. 18 in
Norfolk. According to the chairman , " It has
been a good trip with a very good crew. "

The ship's fund is in the captain's safe and
will be handled by the ship's chairman.
Members report that they had a nice trip
to Rotterdam, although they did encounter
some rough weather on the way back. The
crew is looking forward to shore time in
Norfolk. A vote of thanks was given to the
steward department for a fine job.

STUYVESANT (Bay Tankers), November 9-Chairman NA Nagy; Secretary W.J. Smith ; Educational Director Rolando Gumanas. No beefs or disputed OT
reported . The ship will pay off on arrival in
Long Beach, Calif. on Nov. 15. Two ABs
left the ship this trip due to medical reasons.
One replacement came aboard in Valdez.
Members talked about the future of shipping and the elimination of jobs on some
ships. The importance of upgrading at
Piney Point was stressed , especially to
help train crewmembers for some of the
newer, military ships. A vote of thanks was
given to the bosun and deck department
for refinishing the deck in the crew mess- _
room and a complete cleaning of the bulkheads. A vote of thanks also went to the
steward department for their fine food and
clean mess areas.
Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
CAGUAS
GOLDEN ENDEAVOR
OAKLAND
OVERSEAS CHICAGO

PUERTO RICO
SEA-LAND CONSUMER
SEA-LAND EXPRESS

Mt. Washington Crew Enjoys Barbeque
"""°"'' .· :. .; :•..·:;· .....

.. . . , .. ,~ ... . ::=:

.· ·.

'

1111111

.......

~

Chief Cook J .D. Wilson gets the steaks on the grill.

Steward/Baker Nazareth Battle, Bosun William L. Davis
and AB Robert S. Livermore are ready for the barbeque.

Helping out with cooking and tasting are GSU John Briggs
Jr., OS Julio C. Arzi and QMED Horacio A. Arnold.

December 1986 I LOG I 21

-

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

NOV. 1-30, 1986

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac . . ............. .. .. . .

Port
Algonac . . .. . . ..... ... . ......

0

12

3

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
18
0

0

5

0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
8
1
0

0

4

0

0

19

0

6

0
0

Frank Drozak, President
Ed Turner, Exec . Vice President
Joe DiGiorgio, Secretary
Leon Hall, Vice President
Angus "Red" Campbell, Vice President
Mike Sacco, Vice President
Joe Sacco, Vice President
George McCartney, Vice President
Roy A. Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

DECK DEPARTMENT
1
47
6

0

9

Port
Algonac .... . . .... ... . . . .....

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

HEADQUARTERS

ENTRY DEPARTMENT

Port
Algonac .....................

0

0

12

0

0

73
8
0
2
1
1
22
Totals All Departments .. . .....
*"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.

5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 207 46
(301) 899-0675

4

40

ALGONAC, Mich.
520 St. Clair River Dr. 48001
(313) 794-4988

BALTIMORE, Md.

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
NOV. 1-30, 1986
Port
Gloucester ... . ......... . .
New York .... ... .. .. ....
Philadelphia . . .. . ..... ....
Baltimore ... . .. . ........
Norfolk ... . . . ... . . . .....
Mobile ........ . ........
New Orleans ... .. ........
Jacksonville ... ... ...... . .
San Francisco . .. .. .... . .. .
Wilmington . .... . . . . . . .. .
Seattle ..... . . ...... .. ..
Puerto Rico ... ... . . .. . . ..
Honolulu .. .. . .. ... . . . .. .
Houston .. . . ............
St. Louis ...... . .. .. ... ..
Piney Point .. ... .. . .. .. . .
Totals ... . .. ...........
Port
Gloucester .... .. . ... . . . ..
New York . ........... ...
Philadelphia .. . . . .. . .. . . ..
Baltimore ... .. .. ........
Norfolk ......... .. . ... . .
Mobile ... . .. ..... . .....
New Orleans . .. . ... . .....
Jacksonville .......... . .. .
San Francisco .. . .. ........
Wilmington . .. . . .. . ......
Seattle . . ........... . .. .
Puerto Rico .. . .......... .
Honolulu . . . .............
Houston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
St. Louis .. . ... . .... . ....
Piney Point ....... . ......
Totals . .... ............
Port
Gloucester ...... . ........
New York ... . ...........
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .. .... . ..........
Mobile .................
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco . ............
Wilmington ..............
Seattle . . ......... . . .. ..
Puerto Rico ..............
Honolulu ..... . ... . ......
Houston .... .. ..........
St. Louis ... . .. . .........
Piney Point .. . . . .. . . .....
Totals ..... .. . ... ......
Port
Gloucester ..... . .... . ....
New York .. . ..... . ... . ..
Philadelphia .... .. ... .. . . .
Baltimore ......... .. . . ..
Norfolk .. . ... .. .. . . ... . .
Mobile .. .... . . . ... . ....
New Orleans . . . . . ........
Jacksonville .. ... .. ... ....
San Francisco .. . . . .... . .. .
Wilmington .. .. . ..... . . ..
Seattle .............. .. .
Puerto Rico . ......... .. . .
Honolulu ... ..... . .... ...
Houston . . . .. . . . . .......
St. Louis .. ... . . ... .. .. . .
Piney Point . ... . . . ... . . . .
Totals .. ... . . .. . .. . . .. .
,.~

-

1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202
(301) 327-4900

CLEVELAND, Ohio
*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
1
54
5
10
12
9
40
35
41
17
32
5
13
34
0
1

3
15
6
4
7
3
7
7
6
3
7
1
11
3
0
1

1
0
0
0
6
0
6
1
1
2
1
0
6
1
0

0

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
DECK DEPARTMENT
0
35
3
7
7
12
26
15
26
10
28
3
8
27
0
2

311

84

25

209

0
31
2
7
5
9
23
24
19
11
15
2
5
29
0
3

0
5
2
0
5
1
7
1
2
4
6

0
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
4
1
1
0
7
0
0
0

0
29
1
8
4
6
20
17
11
9
18
2
6
12
0
2

0

12
2
0
5

185

52

16

145

0

1
3
1

0
1
0

0
14

0

0

3
1
6
16
6
22
4
11
2
4
7

20
1
3
7
4
16
11
33
7
19
3
6
14
0
1

1
0

0
0

2

2

3
3

1
5
0
0
0
28
0
0
0

0

2
0

29
0
0
3

145

48

37

0
15
1
6
10
3
8
10
34
13
24
1
5
9
0
0

1
24
6
6
6
1
10
6
7
12
15
3
109
10
0
9

0

139

225

3
0
1
3
0
6
4
12
0
2
0
174
0
0
1

206

0

0

1

97

0
7
0
1
1
1
10
4
16
11
18
0
6
8
0
0

83

Trip
Reliefs

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
1
0
0
1
4
0
4
1
1
3
0
0
10
2
0
1

0
0
0
0
2
1
3
0
1
1
1
0
4
0
0
0

0
9
2
0
1
1
12
4
7
4
4
4
17
7
0
0

73

575

141

28

1
5
0
0
1
0
3
0
1
4
7
0
8
3

0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
4
0
1
0
10
0
0
0
17

0
9
0
1
2
0
3
4
1
4
6
1
7
5
0
1

4
64
3
6
8
10
41
34
37
21
35
17
2
50
0
5

2
8
4
4
8
3
10
4
8
4
9
0
11
2
0
8

0
1
0
0
1
0
2

66
13
ENGINE DEPARTMENT

0

1

34
STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
3
1
0

2
1
0
2
3
0

0
2
25
0
0
3

0

0
0
0
0
0
1
0
3
0
0
0
14
0
0
0

42
18
ENTRY DEPARTMENT
1
14
1
1
6
5
5
5
6
7
6
0

81
6
0
10

154

0
3
0
1
2
0
6
2
15
1
2
0
126
1
0
0

159

Totals All Departments ......
780
409
284
534
296
207
*"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 .

6
111
4
11
20
11
73
61
80
34
52
30
10
69

7
23
7
5
5
3
7
11
15
5
13
4
24
6
0
6

2
11
2
3
6
3
7
5
7
2
5
1
8
4
0
0

0

3

0

2
2
0
0
5
0
0
0

44

337

85

13

0
4
0

1
33
3
4
10
7
32
13
75
14
37
9
7
24
0
4

3
6
1
2
2
0
3
5
7
2
2
2
29
0
0
3

0
2
0
0
0
0
1
1
4
0
0
0
33

0

1
0

5
4
11
2
6
1
62
0
0
0

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

GLOUCESTER, Mass.
11 Rogers St. 01930
(617) 283-1167

HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434

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. 027 40
(617) 997-5404

NEW ORLEANS, La.
630 Jackson Ave. 70130
(504) 529-7546
Toll Free: 1-800-325-2532

NEW YORK, N.Y.
675 4 Ave ., Brooklyn 11232
(718) 499-6600

NORFOLK, Va.
11 5 Third St. 23510
(804) 622-1892

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.
2604 S. 4 St. 19148
(215) 336-3818

0

0
0

96

273

68

41

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
47
1
12
11
2
26
10
77
20
34
14
9
22
0
0

1
60
7
9
6
4
24
12
20
18
33
15
135
10
0
4

0
7
0
1
2
0
25
4
2
1
0
1
305
3
0
1

0

285

358

352

213

1,470

652

434

Shipping in the month of November was down from the month of October. A total of 1,250 jobs were
shipped on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,250 jobs shipped, 534 jobs or about 43 percent were
taken by "A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 213 trip relief
jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 4, 102 jobs have been
shipped.
22 I LOG I December 1986

5443 Ridge Rd . 44129
(216) 845-1100

PINEY POINT, Md.
St. Mary's County 2067 4
(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) 441-1960

ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500

SUBIC BAY, Rep. of Philippines
34 21st St., W. Bajac Bajac
Olongapo City C-2201
222-3533

WILMINGTON, Calif.
51 O N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�'Friends Forever . . . '
After reading in the Pensioner's Corner of the most recent Seafarers
LOG that Eric Joseph retired, I recalled the time he and I sailed aboard
the same vessel out of the port of New York and, when the subject of
"boxing" came up, we donned the gloves and sparred on deck, briefly.
We both were out of shape, it seemed.
But, I was careful not to hit him in his blind eye that was the result
of donating part of it to a former shipmate, "Phil" Pron. It was a most
unselfish gesture, and there was quite a write-up about it in the LOG at
the time.
So, among his other accomplishments while in our Union, I trust
he'll have the good feeling of the foregoing to keep him company in
retirement.
Eric, the pressure is off. Enjoy yourself, go home and visit your
family and stay as long as you like. No more sailing boards to cope
with. Someone else will do the cooking now, friend.
Maybe our paths will cross again at some future date. But for now,
smooth sailing and steady as she goes.
Friends forever,
Clarence (Bud) Cousins (C-59)
Butler, Pa.

No Decision Made-What Do You Think?

SHLSS Student Loan Program
Is Only Under Study
The article on a proposal to work up a fee schedule for courses
at SHLSS, which appeared in the Nov. 1986 LOG, was not
intended to imply that any fee program has been established.
The SHLSS and the Trustees are looking for new ways to
improve the educational opportunities for our membership. A
study has revealed that a number of people have used the facilities
of the school and then left the industry. The purpose of the school
is to improve both the industry and the job opportunities of those
members who stay with the industry.
We would like to hear from you.
r-------------------------------------~

Should we continue the present system that allows some
people to use the free educational facilities of our school for
their own advancement and then leave the industry?
D yes
D no
Should we charge a fee to those who use the school's
educational facilities and do not stay with the industry?
D yes
D no
Please send this to:

Charles Svenson, Editor
The LOG
Box 123
Seafarers International Union
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746

~-------------------------------------~

Preference
(Continued from Page 24.)
tices a ''contraction'' for all practical purposes?
4. The Cargo Preference Act of I 904
requires that military supplies
shipped ''by sea'' must be sent
on U .S.-flag ves el . It has been
brought to our attention that the
Department of Defense has flown
supplies to Iceland rather than
send them by sea on U.S. vessels
pursuant to the cargo preference
laws. Will you please provide
details as to the typ.e of military
cargo ent by air, the justification
for using air rather than surface
transportation, and the cost comparison for air versus surface
transportation.
5. Why did the Defense Industrial

Supply Center (DISC) not institute administrative debarment
procedures against Brussels Steel
Co. after their knowingly false
statements
and
deliberate
breaches of contract concerning
cargo preference were di covered? That would have been much
more timely than the protracted
review by the Inspector General
that wa instituted.
6. Department of Defense procurement procedures and regulations
allow shipper to make arrangements that have the effect of
limiting application of the cargo
preference laws. Why have these
regulation not been changed to
encourage the use of U .S.-flag
vessels.

Letters
To The

Edi-tor
'Union Labor Still the Best . .· . '
Many times we fail to applaud our brothers and sisters for going
beyond their duties to show that union labor is still the best.
After boarding the M/V GaJrice Transport and hearing of a two-man
steward (department], reaction of the worst kind was felt.
Nevertheless, Henry Jones and James Byron (both SIU members]
showed us that even with the reduced manning scale, they made
outstanding credit, not only to themselves, but most important to the
Union.
I thought you would like to know.
Vern Johansen
Deck Delegate-SUP

Legislative Agenda
(Continued from Page 24.)
aren't introduced to repeal the ban on
the export of Alaskan oil, or to abolish
the Cargo Preference Act of 1954.
The Union also will be monitoring
the different agencies and departments
to make sure that they are implementing maritime promotional programs already on the books. This has
been a big problem during the past
few years.
A problem already has arisen. The
Department of Agriculture has indicated that it might be inclined to waive
the cargo preference requirements for
vessels older than 15 years.
In addition, the SIU legislative staff
is expected to concentrate its efforts
on coming up with a new build and
charter bill and in securing legislation

to stimulate American participation in
the U.S.-Japan auto carriage trade.
The SIU will be looking into ways
to beef up this nation's passenger vessel fleet. A bill that would have reflagged several foreign-flag passenger
vessels under American registry was
allowed to expire in the 99th Congress.
Had it been passed, it would have
created thousands of jobs for American seamen.
''The key to any revival of the
American-flag merchant marine is
cargo," said Drozak. "Whether it's
through cargo preference or bilateral .,
trade agreements is immaterial. The
important thing is that we have an
American-flag merchant marine capable of meeting this nation's defense
and commercial needs."

�1OOth Congress Meets Next Month

Trade Bill, Job Security Top SIU's Hill Agenda

..

The period between Thanksgiving
and New Year's has traditionally been
a quiet time in the nation's capital.
This is not, however, a typical year.
Two weeks before Thanksgiving, stories broke involving the biggest political scandal to hit this town since
Watergate-the Iran-Contra arms deal.
Up until that time, talk in the nation's capital centered around the Redskins (Washingtonians are rabid football fans) and rumors about prospective
committee assignments.
The great danger for the maritime
industry, and the country, is that the
administration and the 1OOth Congress
will get bogged down on this one issue.
President Reagan, by virtue of his
immense personal popularity, has been
able to dominate the political agenda
of this country during the past six
years. Unfortunately, that agenda has
rarely included any maritime promotional programs.
Even before the Iran-Contra arms
scandal, the administration was perceived as having lost some power
because it was unable to influence the
results of the November elections.
Now, the administration is in a state
of near-disarray.
What do these latest political developments mean to seamen? A great
deal. For the past 100 years, job security for American seamen has been
closely tied to government policy.
With the exception of cargo generated by the two world wars , the maritime industry has had to depend on
the leadership of Washington to survive in the face of heavily subsidized
foreign fleets.
While the actual number of vessels
registered under the American-flag
merchant marine may have fluctuated

widely during the 20th Century, promotional programs such as the Cargo
Preference Act of 1954 preserved a
viable core capable of meeting this
nation's minimum commercial and defense needs.
The wholesale elimination of many
important maritime programs during
the past six years has endangered that
core. A recent study by the Navy
predicted a shortage of skilled mariners in the event of a national emergency.
Aside from the Iran-Contra arms
scandal , the lOOth session of Congress
is expected to concentrate its efforts
on resolving those troublesome issues
that its predecessors left untouched.
A little background on the 99th Congress is in order. It was able to reach
a bipartisan consensus on a surprising
number of issues-tax reform, immigration, toxic waste, South Africa. Yet
it failed to make much headway on
the festering budget and trade deficits.
It also failed to take any constructive action to halt the decline of the
American-flag merchant marine. This,
however, was not entirely the fault of
Congress , or even the administration.
Much of the blame rests squarely at
the feet of the maritime industry, which
was unable to come up with a common
legislative program.
This disunity was an important factor in the failure to secure the reform
of the liner subsidy program, which
will start to expire at the end of this
year. SIU President Frank rozak
testified before Congress last fall on
this very issue. He said that dire consequences would result if action were
not taken to resolve this problem.
Those dire consequences have hit
with a resounding bang. U.S. Lines,

Merchant Marine Panel
Finally Sets Up Shop
WASHINGTON-The
Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense
finally is in business.
After 18 months of delays since its
creation by Congress, the commission
has its members and is ready to start
work on its first preliminary report,
due in nine months.
It isn't clear yet who will actually
act as chairman for Navy Secretary
John Lehman. But the commission
staff has been in place since early this
year under Navy Capt. Bernard D .
Dunn.
The commissioners, appointed by
President Reagan in October, just did
gain Senate confirmation before Congress adjourned. They took their oaths
Wednesday.
Beside Secretary Lehman, or his
designate, the commissioners are: John
Gaughan, maritime administrator; Edward E. Carlson, chairman emeritus
of UAL Inc., Washington, D.C.; William E. Haggett, president and chief
executive officer of Bath Iron Works,
Bath, Maine; James L. Holloway,
president of the Council of AmericanFlag Operators here; Joseph Sewall,
24 I LOG I December 1986

president of the consulting firm, James
W. Sewall Co., Old Town, Maine; and
Shannon J. Wall, president of the National Maritime Union, New York City.
The idea of the commission and the
study it is to undertake began in the
House Seapower Subcommittee headed
by Rep. Charles E. Bennett, D-Fla.
The Reagan administration has been
unenthusiastic.
The commission is expected to examine emergency shipping needs as
well as the shipyards' ability to meet
them.
After its initial report to Congress
and the president, a follow-up series
of recommendations is due three
months later. A final report is due nine
months after that, followed by concluding recommendation in another
three months.
The law specifies that the Navy
secretary, or "his designate" be chairman. No decision has been disclo ed
on whether Mr. Lehman will preside
personally or name someone else to
do so.
Journal of Commerce

this nation's largest shipping company, has filed for protection under
Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code.
While U.S. Lines is not an SIU-contracted company, its financial difficulties are indicative of the shaky state
of the American maritime industry as
a whole.
"The industry is dying," Drozak
told the N. Y. Maritime Port Council
recently. "We have to work with our
newly elected friends in the House
and the Senate to bring about a revival
of the American-flag merchant marine."
At the top ofDrozak's and the SIU's
legislative agenda will be the trade
issue, which is being viewed as a
potential test of wills between a reinvigorated Congress and an embattled
executive branch.
Organized labor has already drafted
the broad outlines of a trade policy ,
which would center around increasing
the powers of the U.S. trade representative. As it is, the trade representative has little authority of his
own. Trade policy is scattered among

numerous departments and agencies.
A general trade policy is only half
the answer. What is also needed is
executive and legislative action dealing with specific industries. The SIU
has been working hard to come up
with its own program that would complement the one drafted by the AFLCI O.
Indeed, much of this Union's activity during the period before the inauguration of the lOOth Congress will be
spent in meeting staff members of the
different committees in order to convey our feelings about the trade issue
and proposed maritime legislation
As in previous sessions of Congress ,
there are indications that the maritime
industry will have to devote a large
share of its energies just to make sure
that the few remaining promotional
programs still in existence aren't abolished.
According to Frank Pecquex, director of legislation for the SIU, the
Union will be monitoring the actions
of Congress to make sure that bil
(Continued on Page 23.)

House to Monitor DOD
Preference Compliance
The House Merchant Marine Subcommittee is not convinced that the
Department of Defense is committed
to following strict interpretations of
cargo preference rules.
''The testimony of your witnesses
at our two hearings . . . cast doubts
upon the sincerity of the administration's support for cargo preference.
The Department of Defense witnesses
presented narrow and contradictory
legal arguments to support their procurement practices, indicating a negative attitude and an attempt to avoid
application of cargo preference laws,''
12 members of the subcommittee wrote
in a letter to DOD Secretary Casper
Weinberger.
The letter noted that the administration's policy is to neither expand
nor contract present cargo preference
laws, but the DOD witnesses seemed
to indicate an effort by the department
to narrow the scope ·of the laws.
''Aren' t the current procurement
practices a 'contraction' for all practical purposes ,' ' the letter asked.
In particular, the representatives
were concerned about testimony that
claimed parts and components purchased overseas , but for assembly in
the United States, were not covered
by cargo preference. In addition, they
noted that some shipments scheduled
for sea transportation were diverted

to airborne shipping, which is not
covered by the preference laws.
The group asked for answers to six
questions about the DOD's cargo preference prac ice . hey a o to
einberger that they would carefully monitor all DOD shipments to ensure that
the cargo preference laws are followed.
The questions they asked were:
1. The Navy determined that the
cargo preference laws only apply
to final products delivered to the
Navy, not to component parts
purchased by the contractor to
fill a contract. Would you explain
how that decision was arrived at
when the 1904 law makes no
distinction based on passage of
title?
2. If a component is imported duty
free because it is for the government's use , ·even though title has
not passed, is it not logical that
the same component is subject
to cargo preference laws?
3. How does your agency's position
on the cargo preference laws
square with the clearly stated
position of the administration that
it does not support any "expansion or contraction'' of the current cargo preference laws? Aren't
the current procurement prac(Continued on Page 23.)

Inside:
SIU-MEBA-2 Form New Union
Page 2
U.S. Unes Seek Bankruptcy Protection Page 3
Page 13
Smithsonian Spotlights Seafarers
Page 23
Changes Made to Welfare Plan

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
OCEAN MINING COULD MEAN FUTURE SIU JOBS&#13;
PROTESTING SOUTH AFRICAN RACISM&#13;
SIU TESTS NEW TAGOS&#13;
STRIKE BRINGS NEW PACT&#13;
NEW INLAND CONTRACTS OK’D&#13;
AIR FORCE LOGISTICS BRASS GETS GOOD LOOK AT SHLSS&#13;
INDEPENDENCE DAY REMINISCENCES ON THE GREAT LAKES&#13;
SMITHSONIAN HIGHLIGHTS CENTURY OF THE U.S. LABOR&#13;
CRUISE SHIP HEALTH EXAMS BEGIN AGAIN BY HILL ORDER&#13;
NEW HOSPITAL SHIP CHRISTENED &#13;
MSC’S SAFETY POSTER WALKES AWAY WITH HONORS&#13;
COVE LEADER PASSES THROUGH PANAMA CANAL &#13;
USNS MERCY&#13;
TRADE BILL, JOB SECURITY TOP SIU’S HILL AGENDA&#13;
HOUSE TO MONITOR DOD PREFERENCE COMPLIANCE&#13;
MERCHANT MARINE PANEL FINALLY SETS UP SHOP&#13;
U.S. LINES FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY, SLASHES SERVICE&#13;
NORWAY FACES FLAG SHIFT&#13;
SIU AIRS CHARGES AGAINST MEBA AT AFL-CIO HEARING&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication ol the Seafarers International Union • Atlantic, GuU, Lakes and Inland Waters District • AFL-CIO Vol. 49, No. I .January 1987

P.L. 480 Hike Safe

Little New for Maritime in
Reagan's FY '88 Budget
When the cargo preference share of
P.L. 480 shipments jumps from 60 to
70 percent this April, the administration apparently will not challenge it.
Figures in the Reagan FY '88 budget
include a $48.5 million allotment for
the increased U .S.-flag share.
Despite the overwhelming support
of the House and Senate on the 1985
farm bill (the Food Security Act), there
had been some grumblings from powerful farm state representatives and
White House officials that the program
might be challenged.
That 1985 legislation was a compromise which will .eventually lead to a
75 percent U .S.-flag share of what are
called Title II shipments under P.L.
480. Those food give-aways or donations were pegged at only 50 percent
previously. In return for dropping
claim to Title I programs. which are
financed through various government
loans and loan guarantees, the Title II
share was increased for U.S. ships.
Except for the P. L. 480 money, the
budget items which affect maritime
are either little changed from past
budgets or reduced.
As Operating Subsidy Differential
contracts expire, they are not renewed, and if nothing is done in the
way of policy change, they will eventually disappear. Currently only 87
U .S.-flag ships receive ODS, and $250.3
million is siotted for ODS.
The Strategic Petroleum fill-rate will
be reduced from 75,000 to 35,000 barrels a day. The administration claims

that will save about $225 million a
year.
Overall, there is little new or unexpected in the budget requests. It
follows a pattern set in 1980 of minimal
help for the merchant marine. There
are no drastic cuts because those have
already been made in previous years.
It will be up to Congress and the
industry to attempt to find solutions
to the massive problems in maritime.
In a letter to both House and Senate
members on the Merchant Marine and
Armed Services committees and subcommittees, SIU President Frank
Drozak urged either new action or
strict implementation of the 1936 Merchant Marine Act.
"I urge the lOOth Congress to initiate action which will reverse the
industry's present state of deterioration. Solution toward maintaining a
domestic shipyard mobilization base,
as well as a sizeable U.S.-flag merchant fleet, are numerous and well
documented. Congress must elect to
implement a program of revival, either
in the form of new legislation, or in
strict enforcement of statutes, like the
1936 Act, which are already on the
books," he wrote.

Highlights of the FY '88 Budget

*

$66.8 million for operations and
training for continued support of the
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy,
management of maritime promotional programs, and support of the
(Continued on Page 22.)

Drozak On the Waterfront;
Visits Membership in Honolulu

During his trip to Honolulu, SIU President Frank Drozak met with the crews of
the SS Independence, and the SS Constitution. Above, Drozak (second from left) is
pictured with (I. to r.) Commodore Harry Wu, SIU Vice President George McCartney
and Bosun Clarence Burgo aboard the Independence. (See pages 4 and 5.)

Wave of the Future?

Unmanned Ships Will Sail
S

EAFARERS have had to contend
with reduced manning scales for
years. In some nations, 12-man crews
are the norm and smaller crews are
accepted. Even in the worst case, most
sailors figured there would have to be
a captain, a cook and somebody in the
engineroom and on deck, right?
Wrong. Next year the Japanese plan
to test "crewless" ships, robot bulk
carriers, or as one shipping company
executive described them, "dummy
or slave ships."
The experiment is set to include
four unmanned bulk carriers which
would be electronically controlled by
a so-called mother-ship. During the
ocean crossing the mother-ship will be
sort of an electronic, floating border
collie, herding its charges across the
seas.

When the four ships come close to
shore, crews would be transported
from shore by helicopter or high speed
boats to take over the ships and guide
them to port. There sure wouldn't be
many beefs at payoff.
On a more serious note, crewless
ships may or may not be used in the
future, but they are an extreme example of the problems merchant seamen everywhere face.
Individually, you can protect yourself by learning more skills, upgrading
yourself. Collectively, this Union and
all maritime unions must help in forging some sort of national maritime
policy. This administration and this
nation must be shown the important
role the merchant marine and the people in it play in both peace time and
war.

Inside:
Labor Honors Martin Luther King

Page 3

30 Die in Tragic Winter Sinkings

Page 3

Piney Point Blast Kills SIU Boatman

Page 7

Special Section-A Look at 1986
At a party honoring his years of service to maritime labor, Executive VP Ed Turner and
SIU President Frank Drozak share thoughts. See page 6 for more photos.

Pages14-19

Washington Report Looks at New Congress Page 21

�Pre ide t'

r

by Frank Drozak

N

INETEEN
eighty-six
turned out to be a disappointing year for most Americans. The year began on a tragic
note when the Space Shuttle
Challenger exploded. It ended
with the Iran arms scandal, which
raised many troubling questions
about the way this country is
being governed.
The nation's two most pressing problems-the budget and
trade deficits-continued to
worsen. As a result, many
American industries were finding it difficult to compete against
foreign competitors, and many
thousands of American industrial workers were forced into
low-paying service jobs or unemployment lines.
Maritime was one of the industries most heavily hit. The
number of vessels documented
under the American registry
continued to decline. There are
now fewer than 400 active
American-flag vessels, one-tenth
the number we had during World
War II. U.S. Lines, this nation's
largest carrier, filed for protection under Chapter XI of the
bankruptcy code.
Things could have been worse.
Our legislative department
helped beat back attempts to
weaken a number of laws that
have provided the maritime industry with an important safety
net: a ban on the sale of Alaskan
oil; the Service Contract Act;
cargo preference laws, and the
Jones Act.
But something more is needed,
and that something is a comprehensive national maritime policy to promote the American
maritime industry. With the exception of the Port Development Bill, no major maritime
bills were enacted.

* * *

a manpower shortage within a
few years, one which would
have profound implications for
the security of this nation.
Right now, the only new work
being created in the maritime
industry is onboard military
vessels that are being contracted out by the Navy. Fully
one-third of all our deep-sea
jobs are on military support
vessels. The SIU and its members are ready and able to man
these ships. At the same time,
I must stress that many skilled
seamen have left this industry.
They just couldn't adjust to the
economic uncertainty caused by
the lack of a coherent national
policy. And this is a great personal loss to these seafarers

I have more hope for 1987. It
finally seems that Americans are
ready to tackle some difficult
issues. A new Congress wasjust
sworn in. Leaders on both sides
of the aisle have promised to
enact some kind of trade bill.
We in the SIU want to make
sure that any such bill takes into
account the needs of the maritime industry. For example, a
trade bill that allows the export
of Alaskan oil would be worse
than no trade bill at all.
We in the SIU have, therefore, spent the past few months
drafting our own recommendations on trade. I intend to unveil
these recommendations in February when the Maritime Trades
Department meets in Florida.
As a member of the AFL-CIO
Executive Council, I intend to
ask the Council to incorporate
into its recommendations on the
Trade Bill policy statement language which will include fair
access to cargo for U.S.-ftag
ships.
The maritime industry will be
helped, I believe, by a growing
public awareness of the pivotal
role that the American-flag merchant marine plays in the defense of this country. The Navy
just released a study predicting

and their families as well as a
very real threat to our national
defense.
The SIU will continue to keep
an eye out for developments in
other areas as well. We will
continue to improve our training
facilities at the Lundeberg
School. While I will continue to
explore mergers with other maritime unions, I intend with the
best of my ability and with your
support to do whatever is necessary to protect and promote
the best interests of this membership. And I pledge to fight
tooth and nail any and all attempts to infringe upon our jurisdictional rights, or to threaten
your job security.

Recertified Stewards See the Hill

As part of their training, this group of recertified stewards bad a chance to visit
Capitol Hill, where many important decisions affecting maritime are made. The
group included Raymundo Agbulos, Rayfield Crawford, Norman Duhe and his
wife, Vernon Ferguson, James Jackson, Floyd King, James Lewis, Diane Michener,
Lance Rene, William Robles, Jonathan White and Kyle White.

J

ry1

rers I
s ndl
-CIO

7

d

ol 49

0 1

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Mike Sacco
Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Secretary

Joe Sacco

Vice President

Leon Hall

Mike Hall
Managing Editor
Max Hall
Associate Editor

2 I LOG I January 1987

Ray Bourdius
Assistant Editor

Deborah Greene
Associate Editor

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union Atlantic Gulf
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO , 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs , Md . 20746, Tei'. 899~
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'
'
•

�Civil Rights Leader Honored

Labor and Nation Celebrate
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to bringing about equal
rights for all Americans. This January
19 marks the second year the U.S.
will celebrate Martin Luther King Day.
Organized labor helped bring about
this day to recognize the accomplishments of this giant of the civil rights
movement. While the fight to establish
a day to honor Dr. King's legacy was
nowhere as difficult nor as long as his
decades-long struggle for civil rights,
union members everywhere should take
some pride in knowing they were instrumental in establishing this national
day of remembrance.
Following are excerpts from remarks by AFL-CIO President Lane
Kirkland concerning the King holiday:
''As trade unionists, we think that
it would have given Dr. King some
small pleasure to know that union
members all over this country have
turned to their employers and insisted
that this holiday be affirmed in their
collective bargaining agreements.
"On January 19, 1987, the labor
movement has the opportunity to help
assure that this new tradition, this new
holiday, continues to be a day that
celebrates all that Martin Luther King
lived and died for: justice and dignity,
freedom and peace.
"We can do it by persuasion, by
education and, above all, by example.
''Labor has a special responsibility
to help head that off and to point the
Martin Luther King Holiday commemoration in the way it should go.
No other institution has such direct
pipelines to so many members; and

no other institution so deeply shares
the goals and values that Martin Luther King fought for.
"Dr. King's dream is timeless. It is
shared by all working people of all
races and religions. He spelled it out
eloquently when he came before the
1961 convention of the AFL-CIO and
said this:
'I look forward confidently to the
day when all who work for a living
will be one, with no thought to their
separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions.
'This will be the day when we bring
into full realization the American
dream, a dream yet unfulfilled: a dream
of equality of opportunity, of privilege
and property widely distributed; a
dream of a land where men will not
take necessities from the many to give
luxuries to the few; a dream of a land
where men will not argue that the
color of a man's skin determines the
content of his character; a dream of a
nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves
alone, but as instruments of service
for the rest of humanity; the dream of
a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the
human personality.'
"That's where we stand, and it's
where we have been standing for a
hundred years and more. January 19
this year, and every January in the
future, is a time for trade unionists to
stand together, with as many of our
fellow citizens as we can reach, and
renew our vows to bring that dream
to reality."

Seafarers Welfare Plans Report
Health care costs are rising again.
At the beginning of 1986, the rise
was in the 6 to 8 percent range. The
Bureau of National Affairs reports
that during the third quarter of 1986,
costs for medical services increased
as much as 20 percent.
Several programs were put into
effect to safeguard your welfare
fund during the last year. A letter
from the trustees will be sent to all
members in the next few months
explaining any changes made in the
Plans.

***
All official Union documents, W-2 ·

forms, the LOG, and letters from
the trustees about your benefit plans
are sent to our members at the
permanent addresses on file.
If your permanent address
changed during the last year, or if
you haven't been receiving Union
mail, it is most important that you
send your new address to the SIU,
Attention: Address Correction Department, 5201 Auth Way, Camp
Springs, Maryland, 20746-9971. Include your social security number,
your book number, telephone number, and whether you are a pensioner or an active member.

Drozak Raps AID Age Rule
An Agency for International Development (AID) regulation placing a 15year age limit on U.S. ships carrying
AID cargo to Jordan and Egypt is
"without legal basis," said SIU and
MTD President Frank Drozak.
''The Maritime Trades Department
objects to the recent AID policy as it
clearly discriminates against a number
of U .S.-fiag vessels which have been
certified by the Coast Guard to be
safe. These standards for certification
have been set by the Congress and are

the most stringent in the international
shipping community. Age is not indicative of the safety or efficiency of a
vessel. Many older vessels operating
under the U.S. flag are extremely well
maintained and repaired. Older ve sels are subject to the ame trict Coa t
Guard inspections as newer ve sels.
Vessels which have been maintained
and improved by their owner should
not be rendered obsolete for purposes
of the preference trades because of an
agency's arbitrary barrier allegedly put

Crew Snuffs Out Blaze
On Lt. John P. Bobo
Late last fall a fire broke out on the
2nd Lt. John P. Bobo. It had the
potential to do serious damage to the
ship. But quick action by SIU crewmen was able to keep the fire confined
to the lower deck in the hold where it
broke out.
Capt. John F. Maytum cited the
crew's training and pecial education
provided by the SIU as a main reason
for their speedy snuffing out the flames.
Following is a letter from Capt. Maytum to SIU VP 'Red' Campbell.
"While anchored off Las Palmas,
Canary Islands, on 31 October 1986,
the M/V 2nd. Lt. John P. Bobo was
damaged by a fire on "G" deck lower
hold # 3. The fire was discovered by
QMED/Pumpman Walter L. Davidson, who quickly passed word to the
bridge and returned to fight the fire.
Heavy black smoke and extreme heat
in a confined area, deep in the ship,

made conditions extremely hazardous. Mr. Davidson was quickly joined
by D/E/U Daniel Campbell and Chief
Mate Michael Duley (Dist.-2, AMO).
These men donned self-contained
breathing apparatus and had the fire
out in a matter of minutes. Minimum
damage to the vessel and its cargo
were a direct result of the rapid and
highly professional response of these
SIU crewmen. The hours of training
and special education provided by the
SIU to their members have paid off
handsomely in thi case. The rest of
the crew, who were not directly involved in fighting the fire, provided
replacement air bottles and other support equipment. The crew and officers
performed all their assigned tasks and
duties in the most professional manner, and their actions were in the
highe t traditions of the merchant marine. It is a pleasure to have men of
this caliber on board the ves el.''

Three Sinkings Claim 30
Thirty merchant sailors died in three
sinkings during the last week of December. Two of the accidents occurred in the North Atlantic and the
third off the coast of Sardinia. Both
Atlantic mishaps happened Dec. 26.

The tanker was British-owned but
registered in Gibraltar. Two Briti h
eamen's unions have asked for a

British government inquiry into the
accident. The ship reportedly carried
a life boat which could only hold ix.
On the same day, the sinking of the
Icelandic freighter Suderlund claimed
six lives. But five other crewmen were
rescued in stormy seas.
The 3,500-ton ship apparently had
been battered by heavy seas between
Norway and Iceland, and some reports
say a large wave slammed into the
freighter causing it to list badly. The
captain then issued a Mayday and
abandoned ship.
Five crewmembers were rescued 12
hours later when a Danish Coast Guard
helicopter arrived on the scene and
hoisted them from their life raft. Three
others on the raft were dead by then,
possibly from exposure. Three others
apparently went down with the ship.
On Christmas Day, the Cypriot
freighter Stainless Trader sank during
a gale off the coast of Sardinia. Eight
crewmembers died in the accident and
I 0 other were re cued.

in place at the reque t of a foreign
nation,'' Drozak wrote in a letter to
the agency.
"Absent a further change in
congressional policy, AID is without
any legal basis or other authority to
limit the pool of eligible vessels based
on the objections or demands of a

foreign nation. To let this ill-conceived
and ill-advised action stand will only
encourage other recipient nations to
e tabli h similar arbitrary method of
minimizing the u e of U .S.-ftag vesels," he said.
Drozak asked AID to review and
change its policy.

All 12 crewmembers aboard the
British tanker Syneta perished when
the ship ran aground off the east coast
of Iceland. After running aground near
the mouth of a fjord, the ship sent a
Mayday signal it could not launch its
life rafts because the Syneta was too
close to a rocky outcrop.
When the tanker began to sink, the
crewmen apparently jumped into the
water wearing only life jackets. When
other vessels arrived on the scene,
they found six bodies in life jackets
and a life raft ripped apart. Two other
bodies slipped out of the life jackets
as rescuers tried to recover them.

January 1987 I LOG I 3

�IU President Frank Drozak went
down to the waterfront in Hawaii to spend time with the Union's
membership, many of whom call
the Islands home or stop there in
transit. During his six days in port,
Drozak went aboard the cableship
Charles L. Brown, the tug Susan
W. Hannah, the T-AGOS Indomitable, and the cruise ships . S.S.
Constitution. and S.S. Independence.
With more and more military
support vessels calling at the port
facilities in Honolulu and at Hickham Field, and with both the S.S.
Constitution and the S.S. Independence being home-ported in
Honolulu, the Hawaiian Islands
have become a major port for the
SIU.
While he was in Honolulu, President Drozak spent time visiting
with the Port Agents of both the
Sailors Union of the Pacific, and
the Marine Firemen.

S

SIU President Meets with the Membership in Hawaii

On he Wa erfront with Frank

SIU President Drozak and VP McCartney meet with Bosun John
Ballantine during their visit to the S.S. Constitution in Honolulu.

rozak

Bosun Charles Little ''takes five'' while
the T-AGOS Indomitable lays dockside
at Hickham Field in Hawaii.

T-Aaos Indomitable

S.S. Independence

S.S. Constitution

President Drozak meets with the lndomitable's Bosun Charles
Little, second from left, and Chief Cook Alphonse Dixon. At
left is SIU VP George McCartney.

SIU President Frank Drozak addresses a membership meeting aboard the S.S.
Constitution. 126 crewmembers from all departments attended the meeting. With
Drozak at the head table are SIU Vice President George McCartney and Bosun
(and Ship's Chairman) John Ballantine.

On the SS Independence, Drozak and McCartney take a minute to
pose with some of the crew, along with Commodore Harry Wu
(left) and Bosun Clarence Burgo (right).
SIU President Frank Drozak, Vice President George McCartney and Rep. Tom Fay board the
Charles L. Brown for a meeting with the ship's crew. The cable-laying vessel is home-ported in
Honolulu.

The ship's engineer, at right, takes SIU officials Drozak and
McCartney on a tour of the T-AGOS vessel's engineroom.
4 I LOG I January 1987

�Drozak, McCartney and Fay meet with some of the crew in the messroom to talk
about the unique problems that come up during cable laying and repair missions.
Clockwise from bottom left are Bosun Roy Theiss, Oiler/Maintenance Anthony
DiBenedetto, SIU Vice President George McCartney, Chief Electrician William
Carroll, Cable AB Bill Mullins, SIU President Frank Drozak and SIU Rep Tom
Fay.

Drozak spent time talking with Constitution crewmembers.

Drozak meets with Bosun Roy Theiss and two Charles L. Brown crewmembers.
On the Constitution, a relaxed crew and Drozak get a chance
to share some thoughts.

SIU President Frank Drozak posed for this photo before boarding the T-AGOS ,
Indomitable for a meeting with the crew. The Navy support vessel is home-ported
in Honolulu. From left are SIU Vice President George McCartney, Drozak,
Capt. Michael G. Clarity, senior vice president of Sea Mobility (Pacific), and
SIU Rep Tom Fay.

It was a good turnout, and members listened carefully to President
Drozak's report on their Union's progress.

SIU President Frank Drozak looks over the Susan W. Hannah, tied up in transit at the port
of Honolulu, before boarding for a meeting with the crew.

A key member of the Charles L. Brown's crew is Cook-Baker
James B. Richardson seen here at left with Bosun Roy Theiss
and SIU President Drozak.
January 1987 I LOG I 5

�Forty Years of Service

Ed Turner, Lundeberg Ally, SIU VP, Retires
''The SIU is losing more than just
a good worker, ' ' said SIU President
Frank Drozak recently at the retirement party for Executive Vice President Ed Turner. "It is losing one of
the last remaining links to its past."
This was just one of many accolades
given to the retiring Turner last month
at a dinner held in his honor at the
Apostleship of the Sea in San Francisco.
Fifty years ago when the seamen' s
movement lay in ruins, Ed Turner was
part of the generation of labor leaders
who reorganized the deep sea sailor
and laid the foundation for improved
wages, conditions and job security.
Turner played a pivotal role in many
of the early organizing drives. As a
result of his loyalty, courage and unquestioned capability, he was chosen
head of the Marine Cooks and Stewards Union (MCS).
As head of the MCS, Turner was
able to steadily improve the living
standard of his members. Yet he
understood that these improvements
could not be maintained without unity.
He understood that the maritime industry could not survive if it continued
to be split among small, bickering
entities. And so for the good of the

The Apostleship of the Sea in San Francisco was festively decorated last month at the retirement dinner for SIU Executive Vice President
Ed Turner. Ed (second from right) is flanked by his wife, Betty, and SIU President Frank Drozak. Also seated at the head table are Vice
President George McCartney, San Francisco Supervisor Tom Hsieh and Mrs. Hsieh. Thanks to John Ravnik and Frank Gill for sending
us these photos.

maritime industry, and his membership, he agreed to merge with the A&amp;G
district of the SIU.
During his fifty years in the industry,
Ed Turner has seen it all. He has seen
merchant seamen die protecting the
security of their country, only to be

Betty Turner holds the SIU award presented to her husband from President Frank
Drozak. George McCartney Oeft) shares in the honor.

Ed Turner thanks the SIU leadership for all the honors.

6 I LOG I January 1987

denied veterans' status. He has seen
the industry go through boom times
and through bust times. And he has
worked closely with some of the industry's most talented people-and go
one-on-one.against some of its toughest.

Ed Turner-a loyal friend , strong
family man and dedicated trade unionist-is living proof that organized labor
can make a difference in the lives of
its members. He has made an indelible
mark on the maritime industry. And
we will all miss him.

A big dent was made in the S.S. Turner-and it was delicious.

The entire executive board of the Sugar Workers join in honoring Ed Turner. Also in the photo are Frank
Drozak, George McCartney and Betty Turner.

�a
SIU Boatman Killed

Four Die in Massive Piney Point Barge Blast
A barge holding the remnants of a
load of aviation fuel exploded at the
Steuart Petroleum Company depot in
Piney Point, Md., killing four workers
and injuring a fifth.
One of the workers killed in the
blast .was SIU Tankerman Glen D.
Ponder, 42, of North Carolina who
had just moved to Maryland to take a
job at Steuart Petroleum.
The blast, which occurred Dec. 20
at 2:30 a.m., rocked nearby homes.
People as far away as 17 miles described the explosion as ''an earthquake."

More than 125 firefighters from eight
St. Mary's and Calvert county fire
departments battled about three hours
to bring the blaze on the barge and
the adjacent pier under control.
A joint inquiry was immediately
called by the U.S. Coast Guard and
the National Transportation Safety
Board to determine the reasons for
the explosion.
Three hearings were held over the
course of the month, and evidence
was gathered. The lone survivor of
the explosion, Walter Higgs, 44, of

Leonardtown, Md., could not testify
at the first two hearings because of
the extensive nature of his injuries.
Higgs is believed to have survived
because he was not on the barge. He
was logging information on the pier
when the explosion occurred.
On Jan. 11, 1987, the day after the
third and final hearing was held, The
Baltimore Sun reported that Lt. William Diaduk, who headed the investigation, had said that Steuart Petroleum's safety record was "very good."
It will be another six weeks before

the investigators release a report.
"We'll almost certainly know what
happened," said Lt. Diaduk. He also
indicated that the explosion may have
been caused by some kind of spark,
and that it occurred during some kind
of fuel transfer.
One theory is that the spark could
have been caused by the suctioning
device which was being used to transfer the fuel. The barge would have
been filled with the fumes from the jet
fuel. According to Robert Thomas,
deputy state fire marshal, ''That's more
dangerous than if [the barge] was full.''

Tampa Tugs in Hawaii

Something Fishy on the Susan W. Hannah

Hamming it up for the photographer, Cook Gary
Spencer attacks a freshly-caught bonita that was gaffed
by Deckhand Rick Wilson.

The crew poses with a freshly-caught swordfish which was later transformed into delicious
steaks. Exulting in the moment are First Mate Mark Duncan, Chief Engineer Bill Hastings,
Crewmember Harvey Walker, Captain Kim Gill, Second Mate Scott Coburn and Cook
Gary Spencer.

Crowley in L.A.
The following Inland members have
gone on pension:
Baltimore
Preston L. Bryant, captain
Houston
Alfonse B. Cocek, captain
Norfolk
Elmer Bingham, cook
Leslie F. Haynie , captian
Philadelphia

Raymond H. McMullen,
captain &amp; mate

In Los Angeles Harbor, SIU Rep Trevor
''Robbie'' Robertson
(right) makes sure that
Seafarers working the
many pieces of Crowley
equipment receive good
Union representation.
Here, Tankermen Dominic Defeo (left) and
Gary Harbison enjoy a
laugh during one of
Robertson's visits.
January 1987 I LOG I 7

�In Memoriam
Pensioner James Edward Bromwell
Sr. , 89, passed away from heart failure
in the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore on Dec. 6, 1986. Brother Bromwell joined the Union in the port of
Baltimore in 1957. He sailed as a
captain for the Curtis Bay Towing Co .
from 1945 to 1970. He was born in
Maryland and was a resident of Baltimore . Burial was in the Cedar Hill
Cemetery , Brooklyn , Md . Surviving
is his widow, Mary.
Pensioner Cristobal Jesolua, 80,
passed away on Dec.
24, 1986.BrotherJesolua joined the
Union in the port of
Norfolk in 1967. He
sailed for the Virginia Pilots Assn.
from 1946 to 1964 and for the Assn.
of Maryland Pilots from 1964 to 1972.
He was born in the Philippine Islands
and was a resident of Churchland, Va.
Surviving is his son , Christopher of
Portsmouth , Va.
Pensioner Henry
"Harry" Bill Joyce,
83 , succumbed to
heart-lung failure in
the Good Samaritan
.. Hospital , N.Y. on
• Nov.
1,
1986.
' Brother Joyce joined
the Union in the port
of New York in 1960. He sailed as a
floatman and dispatcher for the New
York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad from 1942 to 1968. He was born
in the Bronx, N. Y. and was a resident
of North Babylon, N.Y. Burial was in
the St. Charles Cemetery , Pinelawn,
N.Y. Surviving are his widow, Gertrude; a son, Ronald; a daughter, Regina, both of the Bronx, and a brother,
Howard.
Pensioner Lamar
Matthew Lott Sr., 72,
passed away from
lung failure in Perris,
Ala. on Nov. 3, 1986.
Brother Lott joined
the Union in the port
of Mobile in 1957.
He sailed as a cook
for the Mobile Towing Co. from 1973
to 1979. He was born in Mobile and
was a resident there. Boatman Lott
donated his remains to the Loma Linda
(Calif.) Medical School. Surviving is
his widow, Esther.
Pensioner
Raymond Clyde Miller,
63, died on Nov. 5.
Brother Miller joined
the Union in the port
of Norfolk in 1961.
He sailed as a deckhand for the Allied
Towing Co. from
1961 to 1978. He was born in New
Bern, N .C. and was a resident of
Chesapeake, Va. Surviving is his
widow, Helen.
8 I LOG I January 1987

The crew of the tug Sea Prince (I. tor.): Mate Kerry Dematos. AB John Cox, Captain
Larry Levinson, AB Bruno Kalmeta, Cook Joe Buccanfuso and Chief Engineer Mike
Glynn.

A helicopter view of the platform Irene after
the crew change.

Crowley Crews Help Complete Pipeline
From Nov. IO to Dec . 8, 1986, some
members of Crowley Towing and
Transportation in Long Beach , Calif.
were sent to Pt. Conception on the
tug Sea Prince, with barge DB-300 in
tow , to help finish the Union Oil (UNOCAL) pipeline from shore to platform Irene , 8V2 miles offshore.
Instead of staying on location the
whole time, a crew change was made
via helicopter. Thanks to AB John Cox
for these photos.

Barge DB-300 on location and ready to work, after crewmembers ran and positioned the
anchors.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
DEC. 1-31, 1986

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port
Gloucester . .. .... . .. ... .. . .. . .. ..
New York . . ... ... . . ...... ... ... . .
Philadelphia ......................
Baltimore ............... . ....... .
Norfolk . . .................. . ....
Mobile .... ..... . ... . .... . ..... . .
New Orleans ..... . ............. .. .
Jacksonville . . . ...... .. .. ... . ... . .
San Francisco .. .... ... . . .. . . . . .. ..
Wilmington .. ..... . . . ... . . . . . . .. ..
Seattle . . . ..... ... .. ... . . . .. . . . ..
Puerto Rico ... .. . . . . . .. ..... . ....
Houston . . ............... . .......
Algonac . . . ......... . ............
St. Louis .. . . . . . ..... ......... .. .
Piney Point .... . ..... . . ... ... .. . ..
Totals . . ........................

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

0
0

2
12
58
0

2
2
0

11

0
0
3
7

2
0
99

0
0
0
0
7

0
3
3
0
1

0
0
0
6
0
0
20

0
0

4
0
0
0

1
14
0
4
0
0
4
0
1
1

29

Port
Gloucester . . . .... . . .............. .
New York . ... . ..... .. ..... .. ... .. .
Philadelphia . .. .. . . . .... .. . . . ... . . .
Baltimore ...... . .. .. . .. .. .... . .. . .
Norfolk ..... . ......... . ... .. .... .
Mobile .... .. .. . ... . ..... . .. . .... .
New Orleans ...... . ...... .. ....... .
Jacksonville ... . ................ . . .
San Francisco .. . ... . . . .. ... . . .. .. . .
Wilmington ... . ............... . .. . .
Seattle ... . . . . .. . . ........... . ... .
Puerto Rico .. . ..... . ........ . .... .
Houston .. ...... .... .. .... . . . . . . . .
Algonac .. . . .. ..... . ..... . .. . . .. . .
St. Louis ..... .. . .... . . . ...... . .. .
Piney Point .. . ... . . .. ..... . . ... ... .
Totals ................ . ..... .. .. .

0
0
0
0

15

0
0
1

0
0
0
0
0
3

0
0

19

0
0
0
0
6
0
1

0
0
1

0
0
0
3
0
0
11

0
0
1
0
0
0
0

2
0
3
0
0
0
0

0
0

6

Port
Gloucester ... . .............. . .. . .
New York ... . . ... .. ....... . .. . ...
Philadelphia .... . .................
Baltimore ........................
Norfolk .............. . ..........
Mobile ..... ... ....... . . . ..... . ..
New Orleans . . .. ....... ... .... .. . .
Jacksonville .......... . . ...... ....
San Francisco . .. .. . .. . .. . . . ... .. ..
Wilmington . ......................
Seattle ..........................
Puerto Rico . ..... . ...............
Houston ..... . ... .... . . .... ... ...
Algonac . . ....... .. ..............
St. Louis ........ . . . ......... . ...
Piney Point .. . ... . . . . .. .. .... . .. ..
Totals . . .... . ... . ... . ...... . .. . .

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0
0

0
0

0
0

3

0

1

10

0

0

35
0
0
0
0
0

8
0
0
1
0
0

0
0
0
8
0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

6
6
1
0

3
2
0
0

3
0
0
0

61

14

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0

2
0

2
0
8

18

0
2

0
0
7

0

1

35
0
0

23

0

0
1

2
6
0
6
0
0
4
0

10

1

73

32

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
10
0
0

0
0
0
0
3
0

0
0
0
0
2
19
0
0

0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0

0
0
0
0
3
0
0

0
0
0
0
2
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

7

25

0
0
3
0
0
0

143

0
0
0
4
0
1
0

12

0
0
0
0

12

0
0
0
9
0
0
0

0

0
0
0
12
75
0
5

1

0

32

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
1
0
0
0

18
0
0

22

6

0

0
0
0
0
0
0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Totals All Departments .... . .. . ....... .

0
0
0
0
6
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1

1

0
0
0
0
2
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
0

2

0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
1

0
0
0
0
6
0

0
0
0
0
2
0

10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

0
0
0
2
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
0

1

0

0

1

0
0
0
0
0
2

0
0
0
0
0
0

0

2

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
10

0
0
3

0
0
1

0
22

14

0
0
0
0
0
0
5

83

24

13

197

109

43

4
0
1
0
0
0

1
0
9

10

0
0
6

127

41

41

1

0

10
1

6
0
0

3
0
1

*" 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 .

�SHLSS Prepares U pgraders for
U.S. Coast Guard Deck License Exatn
The upper level deck license
courses offered at the Seafarers
Harry Lundeberg School prepare
qualified students for the U.S.
Coast Guard exams for Original
Second Mate, Third Mate, Master or
Mate of Freight and Towing Vessels
(not more than 1000 gross tons).
A mass of material is covered
during the basic 10-week course and
requires a serious student who will
average about three hours of study
per night. ''The deck license courses
are geared to learning the material
for the job, not just to pass the
Coast Guard test:' says Deck
Instructor Jim Brown.
To help a seafarer become accustomed to studying again, the
Adult Education Department offers
a Developmental Studies Course
(DVS) one week prior to the deck
license courses. In the DVS course
a student is taught technical reading skills, study skills, math skills
and how to use resources.
The complete deck license course
consists of a 10-week basic
navigation course, a five-week
Celestial Navigation course and a
two-week Radar Observer course for
a total of 17 weeks of training.
Some of the navigational related
subjects covered during the deck
license courses include chart
construction, instruments and
accessories, magnetic and gyro
compasses, dead reckoning,
piloting, lines of position, electronic
navigation, tides and tidal currents,
weather and rules of the road. Other
subject areas covered include

marlins pike
seamanship,
shiphandling, cargo gear and cargo
handling, firefighting, first aid,
CPR, use of various federal
regulations ( CFRs) and basic
damage control.
The 10-week basic navigation
course is followed by a five-week
course in Celestial Navigation.
Subjects covered in this course
include basic nautical astronomy,
time, latitude by observation of
Polaris and noon sights (LAN), lines
of position (LOP) and running fixes
from sun, star and planet
observations, determining compass
and gyro error by amplitude and
azimuth, star indentification,
sunrise, sunset and twilight.
The Coast Guard exam is usually
taken during the fifth week of the
Celestial course. The exam for
Second and Third Mate lasts three
days. The exam for Master and Mate
lasts a day and a half.
While it is helpful to have a good
math background and be able to
solve trigonometry problems, such
knowledge is not necessary in order
to understand and solve most
problems in navigation. A good
understanding of addition,
subtraction, multiplication and
division is all that is required.
The minimum service required to
qualify an applicant for license as
Master of Freight and Towing
Vessels of not more than 1000 gross
tons is four years on deck including:
a. One year service as licensed
mate; or

r
b. Two years service as
unlicensed master; or
c. One year service as Operator
of U ninspected Towing
Vessels; or
d. Two years service as
Quartermaster or Wheelsman
while holding a license as
Mate or First Class Pilot; or
e. Two years service as
unlicensed mate while
holding a license as operator
of small passenger vessels
valid within the area for
which application is made; or
f. Three years service as
unlicensed mate.
The minimum service required to
qualify an applicant for license as
Mate of Freight and Towing Vessels
of not more than 1000 gross tons is
two years on deck including:

Third Mate students make constant reference to the books and materials
that are a part of daily classroom use.

a. One year service in a
watchstanding capacity while
holding a license as operator
of small passenger vessels

valid within the area for
which application is made; or
b. One year service as unlicensed
mate; or
c. Eighte~n months service as
Quartermaster or Wheelsman.
All candidates for Original
Second Mate and Third Mate must
pass a practical flashing light test at
a speed of six words per minute.
The celestial ponion of the
Master and Mate exam is only given
when a route of more than 200
miles offshore is sought.
The holder of a valid license as
either a Second Mate Oceans, or
Chief Mate Oceans, who has tested
within the previous year will only be
required to take the Deck General
section of the exam for Master of
Freight and Towing of Vessels not
more than 1000 gross tons.
A valid radar endorsement is
required for all upper level licenses
if they are to be used on vessels over
300 gross tons. The radar course is
two weeks in length.
January 1987 I LOG I 9

�SIU Promotes
Asbestos Awareness
A recent article in the journal of
Commerce points out what the
Seafarers International Union has
known for some time. Namely that
asbestos aboard ship can pose a
significant health hazard to workers
who come in contact with it.
The Journal of Commerce article
quotes a new study by Dr. Irving
Selikoff of the Mt. Sinai School of
Medicine. He is regarded as a top
expert in the field of asbestosrelated health problems. In the
study, which is based on chest
x-rays from over 2,300 U.S.
merchant seamen, Dr. Selikoff
found that 38% of seafarers who
sailed before 1946 showed scarring
of the lungs, a common effect of
handling asbestos. Among longtime sailors who work in engine
rooms, 46 % were found to have
symptoms of asbestosis, a disease
that has been linked to lung cancer.
Asbestos is a good insulator and
was commonly used in ship
Dressed in an asbestos suit, Mike
construction from the 19 30 's to the
Wilson
checks a casting for cracks
mid-70's. Although most ships
or leaks.
built since about 1975 use little or
develop problems from asbestos
no asbestos in their construction,
many years after you were exposed.
the age of American merchant
This so-called "latent period" can
ships dictates that many vessels
be 15, 20, 30 or more years. Heavy
containing asbestos are still in
exposure
for periods as short as a
service. Some shipping companies
month can cause problems years
have made efforts to remove
later.
asbestos from their fleets, but it still
It is this concern about the longre~ains on many ships.
term health hazards of asbestos
Asbestos is also found in a wide
exposure that prompted the SIU to
variety of products such as tapes,
work with the American Steamship
sealers, gaskets, paints, and glue.
Company on the production of a
All of these materials can release
videotape that addresses the
asbestos fibers into the air where
unique problems of seafarers who
they form an invisible health
work with asbestos. The program,
hazard. Workers exposed to
' 'Asbestos Awareness'' , covers
asbestos face increased risk from a
many aspects of the problem,
number of diseases such as
including what asbestos is, where it
asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung
is found aboard ship, the health
cancer, and other types of cancer.
problems it can cause, and how
The government has placed strict
you, as a seafarer, can protect
limits on asbestos exposure. For
yourself.
example, the fibers released by
The program was videotaped in
some types of asbestos may be
part aboard the ASC ship, john].
smaller than the point of a pin.
Boland''. The SHLSS Video
These are of greatest concern
Department sent a crew aboard the
because when they are inhaled they
vessel where they spent several days
become trapped in the lungs and
videotaping typical asbestos
can't be exhaled. The government
locations, asbestos handling
has set a limit of two fibers per
procedures, and safety equipment.
cubic centimeter of air for an eight
Later this videotape was combined
hour work shift. That's two fibers
with computer graphics, videotape
in a space about the size of a sugar
shot in other locations, and other
cube. If the asbestos concentration
elements to make up the final 13
is at or above this level, you must
minute production. ASC provided
wear respiratory equipment.
the original script and the use of
One of the reasons that asbestos
the ship, SHLSS contributed the
is so dangerous is that once you
skills and equipment of the Video
inhale or digest the fibers they stay
Department.
in your body. Asbestos is a natural
Production the program
glass and, like glass, can cut and
required several months and
irritate body surfaces. You can
10 I LOG I January 1987

industry experts were consulted to
make sure that the information
presented was accurate and up to
date. The program dearly states the
responsibilities of your union, your
employer, and yourself.
If you would like to know more
about the hazards of shipboard
asbestos and what you can do to

protect yourself, contact your Port
Agent and have him request a copy
of ''Asbestos Awareness'' for use in
your port. All requests should be
directed to:
Mike Wilson
Video Department

SHLSS
Piney Point, MD. 20674

Darya Marbrook
Impressed with
changes at SHLSS
It's always a pleasure to see SIU
members returning to the
Lundeberg school. Students who
have gone through the SHLSS
Trainee Program are an especially
welcome sight. Darya Marbrook
graduated from the trainee
program in 1979 and has returned
to SHLSS it upgrade her skills.
"I can't believe the changes
they've
made
here,"
says
Marbrook. "The new hotel, the
library, the new buildings. I was a
bit hesitant about coming because I
expected the facilities to be about
what they were when I left here in
'79, adequate but not great, but
now this place is fantastic! When
you' re on board a ship you wonder
where your union dues are going.
When you come to the school you
see what they' re being used for.''
Darya sails as an AB on Maersk
ships and is currently enrolled in
the Sealift Operations and
Maintenance class. "We had some
sealift training onboard the ship
but you were taught only what your
individual job would be and I want

Darya Marbrook ships out of NY and
is enjoying her sealift class at SHLSS.

to know something about every
job" says Marbrook. "That's why
I'm here."

,.------Burial at S e a - - - -

The ashes of Walter F. Mueller were spread upon the waters of the Chesapeake
Bay, as he had requested , on November 25, 1986. Walter was born May 21 ,
1~02 and passed away November 25 , 1986. He will be missed by his family,
friends and SIU brothers and sisters.

�Jl

Recertified Stewards
First row (I. to r.) Floyd King, James E. Lewis, Vernon Ferguson, William Robles, Ray Agbulos,
Diane Michener, Ken Conklin (SHLSS Vice President). Second row: Kyle White, Jonathan White,
James A. Jackson Jr., Rayfield E. Crawford, Lance Rene, Leo .Bonsor (SIU Rep.), Norman Duhe.

Marine Electronics
(I. to r.) Tony Adamaitis, Julian Lopez, Paul

it

Army Training Group
First row (I. tor.) Richard Dickerson (Instructor), Jesus S. Ombac, Roy L. Williams, M. C. Ray
Jr. Second row (I. to r.) Sinclair James, John E. Evans, Antonio Rodriguez, Jim Moore
,(Instructor).

Chief Cook
(I. tor.) Tom Barret, Edgardo Dedos, Robert Firth, Ray Garcia, Gregory Lee.

Olson, John Day.

Tankerman
(1. to r.) Mike Bullen, Ben Cusic (Instructor), Bob Garcia.

Welding
First row (I. to r.) Lee Brady, Rashid Ali, C. Suazo. Second
row: Bill Foley (Instructor), Jim Sieger, Joseph T. Trauth.

(I. tor.) Judy Barbera, Brad Gilbert, Harry Alongi (Instructor),

Diesel Engineer
(I. to r.) Dan Picciolo, Eric Malzkuhn (Instructor), David

Jeff Davis,, Rob Whytock.

Cuffee, Mike Novak. Not shown, Richard Williams.

Sealift Operations and Maintenance

i:..'=.: $!·~:~~

.:

Able Seaman
First row (I. to r.) Larry Cole, Reginald Watkins, Brad Brunette, Stephen Bowden, Dave
Fowkes, Randolph Antonio Liverpool, Raymond Wezik, Jake Karaczynski (Instructor).
Second row: Vernon Huelett, William Bolling, Joseph Murphy, Michael Warren, Earl Gray Jr.

January 1987 I LOG I 11

�1987 UPGRADING COURSE SCHEDULE
Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry

February 1987
The following is the current course schedule for February 1987 - June
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.

June 1987
All Rating Upgrading Courses
Course
Sealift Operations and
Maintenance

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.

Check-In
Date
March 18
May 13

Completion
Date
May 22
July 17

Cook &amp; Baker

February 4
March 18
April 29
June 10

May 15
June 26
August 7
September 18

Chief Steward

March 18
May 13

May 22
July 17

Course
Chief Cook

SIU Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the
application.

Engine Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

QMED ·Any Rating

March 23

June 12

Marine Electrical Maintenance

March 9

May 1

Diesel Engine Technology

April 6

Welding

Completion
Date
February 27
March 27
May 8
June 12
August 7

Steward Upgrading Courses

The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs and
the needs of the industry.

Course

Check-In
Date
February 2
March 2
April 13
May 18
July 13

Recertification Programs

May 15

Course
Steward Recertification

Check-In
Date
June 29

Completion
Date
August 3

April 13

May 8

Bosun Recertification

February 24

April 6

Chief Engineer &amp; Assistant Engineer
Un inspected Motor Vessel

April 6

June 12

Automation

June 22

July 17

Fireman/Watertender Oiler

February 9
June 8

April 3
July 31

Hydraulics

May 11

June 5

February 16

March 27

Refrigerated Containers Maintenance

Advanced

Deck Upgrading Courses

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 months of this year, the courses will be six weeks in length and
offered on the following dates:
High School Equivalency (GED)
March 2
April 13
May 4
June 15
Adult Basic Education (ABE) &amp;
March 2
April 10
English as a Second Language (ESL)
May 4
June 12
Seafarers applying for the upgraders Lifeboat class and who are either ESL
or need some work on basic skills, may take the ESUABE Lifeboat course
three weeks prior to the scheduled Lifeboat class. This class will be offered:
February 16
March 6
April 13
May 1

Check·ln
Date

Completion
Date

Celestial Navigation

March 13
July 13

April 17
August 14

Able Seaman

March 23
May 18

May 15
July 10

Radar Observer

March 16
April 20

March 27
May 1

Radar Observer (Renewal)

Open ended course, however,
must notify SHLSS before
entering this course.

Third Mate &amp; Original
Second Mate

May 4

July 10

Lifeboat

March 9
May 4

March 20
May 15

Course
Associates in Arts

Tankerman

March 23
May 18

April 3
May 29

Check-In
Date
March 30
June 8

Completion
Date
May 22
July 31

Nautical Science Certificate

March 30

May 22

Course

12 I LOG I January 1987

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes. They will be offered as follows:
FOWT
February 2
February 6
QMED
March 16
March 20
Third Mate
April 27
May 1
Able Seaman
May 11
May 15
FOWT
June 1
June 5

College Programs

�Upgrading Course
Apply
Now
for
an
SH
LSS
...............................•................................................•.............•.••••..••.................................
Seat are rs Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name

(f 1rst)

(Last)

(City)

(State)

Deep Sea Member D

Date of Birth

(Middle)

Telephone

(Zip Code)

Inland Waters Member D

Mo./bay/Year

--rw-----.......--.--.-------

(Area Code)

Pacific D

Lakes Member D

Social Security# _______ Book#_______ Seniority _______ Department _ _ _ _ _ __
Port Presently
Date Book
Was lssued _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Port lssued _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Registered In _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

Trainee Program: From _ _ _____,_.,........,..._to~----(dates attended)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s) Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes

No D

Firefighting: D Yes

No D

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for Training - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Primary Language Spoken - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
DECK

ENGINE

D Tankerman
D AB Unlimited
DAB Limited
DAB Special
D Towboat Operator Inland
D Towboat Operator Not More
Than 200 Miles
D Towboat Operator (Over 200 Miles)
D Celestial Navigation
D Master Inspected Towing Vessel
D Mate Inspected Towing Vessel
D 1st Class Pilot
D Third Mate Celestial Navigation
0 Third Mate
D Radar Observer Unlimited
0 Simulator Course

0 FOWT
0 QMED-Any Rating
D Marine Electronics
(Variable Speed DC Drive)

D
D
D
D
D
D
D
0
D

o
No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully

D

Marine Electrical Maintenance
Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
Automation
Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
Diesel Engine Technology
Assistant Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel)
Chief Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel
Third Asst. Engineer &amp; Original Second
Asst. Engineer Steam or Motor
Ref rlgerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
Hydraulics
Electro-Hydraulic Systems

STEWARD
D
D
D
D

Cook &amp; Baker
Chief Cook
Chief Steward
Towboat Inland Cook

ALL DEPARTMENTS
D Welding
D Lifeboatman
D Seallft Operations &amp; Maintenance

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
D Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equlvalency
Program (GED)
D Developmental Studies (DVS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)
D ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

COLLEGE PROGRAM

complete the course.

D Associates In Arts Degree
D Nautical Science Certificate

RECORD OF EMPLOYMENT TIME-(Show only amount needed to upgrade in rating noted above or attach letter
of service, whichever is applicable.)
VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rev.

12186

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

.............\

·························································································································~~:::;;~

January 1987 I LOG I 13

�1986:
A

glance through the last 12 issues
of the Seafarers LOG shows 1986
was an important, a busy and a pretty
interesting year for the SIU and its
members. Month-by-month, this is what
happened last year.

JANUARY
New Bedford's SIU fishermen take
their strike into the new year. Striking
for a fair share of each boat's profits
and against cutbacks in wages and
benefits, SIU fishermen close New
Bedford Harbor, stopping $1 million
a day in fish business.
A new farm bill is signed into law
that will increase the U .S.-ftag share
of P. L. 480 cargo to 60 percent in 1986
and 75 percent by 1988.
The Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School of Seamanship is granted authority by the state of Maryland to
issue two-year college degrees.
In separate incidents, two SIU ships
rescue more than 100 people in the
Pacific. The MIV Rover, manned by
Government Services Division Seafarers, plucks 63 Vietnamese refugees
from one small boat. The Overseas
Alice saves 47 victims of a Philippine
ferryboat accident.
Sonat Marine is put on the AFLCIO' s unfair list ... the Mississippi
Queen is put out of ervice after colliding with a tugboat. No one is seriously hurt.
The Seafarers Welfare Plan announces a new program to trim medical costs by awarding SIU members
25 percent of any overcharge you find
on your hospital or doctor's bills ...
Fifty rooms are made available for
SIU pensioners at Piney Point in a
brand new program.
Long-time Seafarer Jim Golder dies
at 61. A member since 1943, he was
active on many committees, served
for a time as a New York patrolman,
and helped in many strikes and organizing drives ... On the West Coast,
Marie Corsiglia dies. She went to sea
in 1934 aboard the SS President Madison (Dollar Line). She spent 46 years
at sea and at the age of 71 became the
oldest Seafarer to ever qualify for a
lifeboat ticket.

The Men and Women of the SIU Continue to Work With
Many New Military Jobs While Union Looks for Ways
To Ride Out Stormy Course of the Maritime Industry
To meet the demands of newly contracted military work, more SIU members are trained as crane operators
aboard the Gem State , the second
crane ship manned by the SIU ...
The T-5 tanker Richard Matthiesen is
manned by the SIU.
SIU President Frank Drozak is
named to an AFL-CIO commission to
fight apartheid in South Africa, a battle
the SIU carries on for all of 1986.

An accident in San Francisco Bay
takes the life of Edward "Bud"
Mackey, 72, a senior captain for Crowley Marine. His tug, Napa River, sank
following a collision.

MARCH
Management weakens in the SIU
fishermen's strike in New Bedford as
boatowners defect from the Seafood

QMED Julian Lopez keeps alive one of the older seafaring traditions, building ships in
bottles. The Spanish-born Lopez has been sailing for more than 40 years and joined the
SIU in 1960.

Producers and sign SIU contracts.
More than 300 SIU fishermen go back
to work as others carry on the strike.
Cafe owner Vivian Francis is honored
by striking fishermen for her help by
making the Ferry Cafe a warm and
peaceful oasis in a strike-tom town.
The MTD Executive Board meets
in Florida and maps out new ways to
help the maritime industry and American labor in the face of massive program cuts brought on by the Reagan
administration.
MTD President Frank Drozak says,
"Cargo is the key factor in the use of
American vessels and in creating the
(Continued on Page 15.)

Bosun Jim Schonstein sailed last year on
the OMI Willamette.

FEBRUARY
In New Bedford, the SIU fishermen's strike i seven weeks old and
negotiations break off. The community rallies around the striking fishermen in a large demonstration. Food
and other help is made available by
hundreds of city sympathizers.
The SIU-contracted President Tay lor is boarded by Iranian in the Gulf
of Oman. No one is hurt, but the
incident exemplifies the danger to
shipping in the troubled Middle East.
The SIU announces a new program
to advance from B to A book or to
upgrade to a third assistant engineer
diesel unlimited license by hipping
on T-AGOS vessels.
14 I LOG I January 1987

The SIU-crewed CS Long Lines was busy last year. Here members crew her up in Norfolk for a short run off the Jersey coast.

�The SIU
(Continued from Page 14.)
demand for new ships, yet we lack a
positive national commitment to putting more cargo in U.S.-built, U.S.manned vessels." That commitment
never comes from the White House in
1986.

An $852 million build and charter
program is introduced in the House;
the administration testifies against it.
Drozak warns that unless something
is done to increase seafaring employment, there will not be enough people
to man vessels in the case of a national
emergency.
The administration submits a Marad
budget which would cut or eliminate

•

1986

many of the programs which had escaped previous axe-swinging.
The NLRB upholds a ruling that
Outreach Marine in Baltimore was
merely an effort by McAllister Brothers to bust the Union. Outreach was
simply McAllistrer Brothers under a
different name, the NLRB says.

APRIL
New maritime legislation covering
build and charter programs, bilateral
trade agreements and the car carriage
trade between the U.S. and Japan are
introduced. While representatives from

David Callis is a Seafarer who works as a launch operator for the Virginia Pilots Association
on the Chesapeake Bay.

Seafarers around the country last year participated in several major demonstrations
against the apartheid system in South Africa. With the Labor Movement supplying
continual pressure, hundreds of American firms have pulled out of racist South Africa.
Above, SIU Field Rep Seth Harris is pictured with activist Rev. Jesse Jackson at a New
York City anti-apartheid rally which drew some 90,000.

most segments of the maritime industry throw their support behind what
some call "last chance" legislation,
for the most part the administration
opposes the bills.
Drozak begins another call for unity
among the maritime industry. Saying
divisiveness within the industry has
stymied many efforts at revitalization,
he stresses, "If major legislation to
benefit our industry is to be enacted,
then we must all take a hard look at
our own contributions to this division
and attempt to resolve our differences.''
In New Bedford, about half of the
SIU fishermen are working as many
owners sign new contracts. But the
major management group, the Seafood
Producers Association, continues to
balk at talks. Many issues are now
finding their way to the NLRB. "If
we have to, we will go boat by boat"
to settle the strike, says SIUNA Vice
President Jack Caffey.
The last of the former Sea-Land SL7s is launched and crewed. The USNS
Pollux rounds out the fleet of eight
Fast Sealift Ships (T-AKR), all of
which carry 26 unlicensed crewmen .
. . . After a 21-month lay-up, the supertanker Manhattan is crewed for a
short charter.

Safety is always stressed in SIU training programs. Above, during a lifeboat exam, Steve Fisher shows the right way to exit a life raft.

The SIU continues its fight against
apartheid in South Africa by joining
labor rallies in seven cities denouncing
the racist system.
One of the biggest threats SIU boatmen in the Gulf area face is beaten
when the Transgulf Pipeline from Baton Rouge, La. to Fort Lauderdale,
Fla. is laid to rest. The company withdraws its pipeline plans in face of
strong opposition by the SIU, other
labor unions, consumer and environmental groups.
After three months of repairs, the
SIU's Mississippi Queen is back on
the rivers.
The annual AFL-CIO Education and
University and ColJege Labor Education conferences are held at SHLSS.
. . . Arthur and Joan Gilliland become
the first SIU pensioners to take advantage of the Union's new retirement
program at SHLSS . . . Three former
trainees from the SHLSS's first classes
come back after more than 18 years
and earn their bosun recertification.
Rep. Joe Addabbo (D-N.Y.), a longtime maritime supporter and labor ally,
dies. He was 61.
·

MAY
"We have been fighting each other
for too long," says SIU President
Frank Drozak. He startles maritime
labor with a sweeping plan to bring all
maritime unions under one banner.
"It is my firin belief that unless the
maritime unions merge together as
one, I can see nothing but continued
decline in the maritime industry,'' he
says. The SIU waits for reaction.
The SIU, NMU, MEBA and MM&amp;P
join forces at a congressional hearing
to testify on sweeping new maritime
programs under H.R. 4024. Many
Merchant Marine Subcommittee
members urge the entire industry to
stop their "fratricidal" battles.
The Welfare Plans starts a new tollfree hotline for members with medical
claims problems in an effort to improve service. Seven scholarships, totaling $60,000, are awarded under the
Union's Charlie Logan Scholarship
program.
Fitout is completed on the Great
Lakes, but like other segments of the
industry, fewer ships and jobs steamed
the Lakes.
The SIU begins another program to
help its membership. The SIU's Al(Continued on Page 18.)
January 1987 I LOG I 15

�I

n 1986, the changing face of the
maritime industry, and perhaps this
Union, began to emerge.
The number of jobs aboard military
ships jumped dramatically as T-AGOS,
MPS, Fast Sealift ships and several
other types of military work came on
line for Seafarers. Most of last year
any A-book could find work and more
than half the jobs shipped were Bbooks. Not too shabby, especially if
you look around and see the large
number of merchant sailors not in the
SIU languishing on the beach.
With a bleak outlook for the private
merchant marine, military work has
become the wave of the future , and
the SIU wants to ride that crest.
SIU President Frank Drozak took
some major steps last year in his efforts to establish some kind of job
security for Seafarers. While so many
maritime leaders simply paid lip service to ' 'unity ,'' Drozak got the SIU
off the dime by calling for a merger of
all maritime unions.
At his urging, leaders from all the
unlicensed unions met to discuss
merger. While nothing has come of
these talks yet, they were a long overdue first step.
Also, a new top-to-bottom union
was formed by the SIU and MEBA-2
in an effort to secure work for seamen.
Last year may have been the beginning of something new for the SIU.
Military jobs and the coming together
of once rival unions may be the face
of the future. But whatever turns out,
it will be an old-fashioned idea that
will remain the driving force-job security.

Military

o k, Merger Talks Highlight SIU's 1986

e

e

Last year, as every year, people around the
country took time to honor merchant seamen
who sacrificed their lives in World War II and
other wars. At the Maritime Day ceremony in
Los Angeles, SIU members aboard t.he sailboat
Spirit toss wreaths in Los Angeles Harbor.

Jobs are always a priority for Seafarers, but s
and marches around the country, the SIU helpt
in South Africa. Above, Seafarers march on th
Like most other segments of the maritime industry, the Great La
shipmates OS Wahia Saeed and Watchman Kenneth Shorkey get re:

~
"
\ J=~·= ···· ·a1\1

While New Bedford was the site of a long struggle during most of the year, SIU fishermen
and their families came together with the community during the annual blessing of that
port's large fishing fleet. These young people reflect the feeling the town has for its most
important industry.

16 I LOG I January 1987

�g Job

e

•

r

in Trouble

The PFC Eugene A. Obregon is one of dozens of new ships the SIU is crewing under military charter. These ships are changing the face
of the SIU-contracted fleet and keeping Seafarers in jobs.

is social justice. Last year in dozens of rallies
d lead organized labor's fight against apartheid
Shell Oil headquarters in Washington, D.C.
es fleet faced hard times last year. On the Belle River in Detroit,
dy for another season at fitout.

During merger discussions last year, the leaders of the four unlicensed unions had a
chance to exchange thoughts. They are (1. to r.) Paul Dempster, SUP; Shannon Wall,
NMU; Frank Drozak, SIU, and Whitey Disley, MFOW.

This picture sums up the willingness of Seafarers around the world to help. Dasril Panko,
a crewmember aboard the SIU's LNG Libra, helps a small child from the deck of a
battered and rickety wooden boat that 38 Vietnamese used to flee their homeland. This
scene was repeated many times by Seafarers who rescued hundreds of refugees and
accident victims last year.

January 1987 I LOG I 17

�The SIU
(Continued from Page 15.)
coholic Rehabilitation Center expands
its facilities and staff to treat the growing number of drug addiction problems
Seafarers , like the rest of society , face .
Bob Pomerlane, longtime Seafarer
and Baltimore patrolman, is honored
in his city by a special " Robert Pomerlane Day" proclaimed by then city
mayor William Donald Schaefer.
Maritime Day ceremonies are held
throughout the United States to pay
tribute to the " courage, honor and
commitment" of U.S. merchant seamen, says SIU Executive VP Ed
Turner.

JUNE
Sea-Land Corp. agrees to a $742
million takeover bid from the giant
CSX Corp. If finally approved by various federal agencies, the Union's largest employer would become part of a
giant barge, railroad and steamship
conglomerate.
SIU President Frank Drozak testifies on legislation to revive the U.S.fiag passenger ship industry. The legislation could create more than 1,000
shipboard jobs. But labor once again
cannot come together as MEBA-1 and
the MM&amp;P try to block passage. The
first major port development bill in
years comes closer to reality as the
House and Senate combine forces in
conference to iron out differences.
Seafarers crew the William R. Button, the fifth Maritime Prepositioning
Ship. The cargo onboard can keep a
3,000-man Marine brigade supplied for
30 days.

•

1986

Seafarers from the Government
Services Division set a towing record
when they guide the USNS Na vajo
on a 2,500 mile trip from San Diego
to Hawaii, towing a target ship and
three YTBs.

JULY
Seafarers come to the rescue again
as the LNG Libra pulls 38 Vietnamese
refugees from the South China Sea.
In what SIU Vice President Joe
Sacco calls an "historic development,'' three inland contracts containing SPAD checkoff clauses are ratified. "Members at these inland
companies realize that the only way
to protect their rights in this day and
age is through political action," he
says.
SHLSS hosts the first Annual Sealift
Conference to review the Union's sealift
training programs with all who are
involved ... The Charles S. Zimmerman which served as a classroom,
library and auditorium at the Lundeburg School since 1969 is sold and
towed to Norfolk, Va.
John Cleveland, 28, who served as
cafeteria manager at headquarters,
cooking instructor at Piney Point and
president of the American Culinary
Federation's Southern Maryland
chapter, is killed in an automobile
accident. He began working for the
SIU in 1981. He is survived by his
widow and a son.

AUGUST
SIU Vice President "Red" Camp-

bell announces that the SIU wins a
major victory when it is recognized as
the bargaining agent for seamen in the
Lavina Shipping Co. fleet. The 12
oceanographic ships , scheduled for
MSC charter, employ about 300 unlicensed seamen.
Six new tugs and the jobs that go
with them come into the SIU fold
when Admiral Towing in Pensacola,
Fla. signs a contract.
In the Senate , an attack on the
Service Contract Act is beaten back
with massive labor support. The Act,
which protects millions of low-wage
workers , has been a cornerstone of
government contracting polices for
more than 20 years before anti-labor
conservatives threaten to dismantle it.
On the House side, a bill which would
have increased federal safety requirements for fishing boats and possibly
lowered skyrocketing insurance rates
dies.
While the SIU continues to stress
its drug rehab programs and urge Seafarers to remain drug free, the Coast
Guard announces stringent new drug
testing requirements and penalties.
At the International Transport
Workers' Federation meeting in Luxembourg, SIU President Frank Drozak slams apartheid in South Africa
and calls the United States government's position on South Africa "morally bankrupt.''
Two SIU fishermen in New Bedford
are the first to have their strike-related
cases heard by the NLRB. They are
awarded their jobs and back pay. More
cases are scheduled as organizers sign
new boats to SIU contracts.
The T-AGOS Indomitable rescues
six people who had spent two weeks
on a life raft in the Pacific after their
ship sank . . . The /TB Baltimore wins
a major safety award for their rescue
of 10 people in two different incidents
on the same stormy day last year.
The SIU celebrates Paul Hall Day,
August 20.

SEPTEMBER
Bob Vahey, a longtime and trusted
special assistant to SIU President Frank
Drozak, dies. Cancer claims him at
40. Tributes from around the SIU and
all of maritime flow in. Vahey is remembered for his foresight, energy
and dedication to the SIU. He is survived by his widow, Elizabeth.
After more than 80 years of compliance, the Department of Defense

begins an end run on the military cargo
preference rules, with new proposals
to slash the 100 percent U .S.-flag requirement. One of the major fights of
1986 takes shape between maritime
and the government.
Throughout the country, Seafarers
begin to back candidates as the November off-year elections heat up. Labor senses a swing away from the
political right and begins a drive to
oust anti-labor representatives.
At SHLSS , Army reservists take
advantage of SIU' s modern training
facilities to learn cargo handling . . .
Big Red, moored at Piney Point for 18
years as a maritime museum, is sold.
The 80-year-old former lightship is
towed to New York for conversion to
a restaurant.
New seniority rules are established
by the Seafarers Appeals Board which
allow more rapid advancement from
B to A book for members who sail
military ships.

OCTOBER
Merger talks begin between the SIU
and the NMU , the first serious discussions in years between the com(Continued on Page 19.)

Sometimes it's easy to forget that much of the world's population faces a struggle to get
by. In Mozambique, the SIU's Sugar Island delivered a load of grain to the poor African
nation. The grain which was spilled in off-loading was quickly gathered up by local
residents.

18 I LOG I January 1987

�The SIU

•

1986

(Continued from Page 18.)
peting unions. SUP and MFOW reps
sit in.
The maritime industry-labor and
management-show major unity and
beat back Defense Department proposals to eliminate U .S.-flag requirements on military cargo. The victory
is one of the year's biggest for maritime.
The House passes an SIU-backed
passenger ship bill which would allow
re-flagging as a means to increase U.S.
cruise ships.
Both the Navy and the Transportation Institute issue warnings predicting a serious manpower shortage
if the U.S. merchant marine continues
to decline. The gist of the reports
shows that there would be plenty of
ships in the Ready Reserve Fleet, but
no one to sail them.
Dr. Joseph Logue, 91 and a pioneer
in maritime medical care, dies. Dr.
Logue established the SIU medical
clinics in the 1950s, which at one time
numbered more than two dozen. Before joining the SIU in 1956, he served
almost 40 years as a Navy medical
officer and earned the rank of vice
admiral.

House and Senate agree on a $16
billion port development and water
resources billjust before adjournment,
$5 billion is earmarked for inland
waterways ...
Labor is victorious in the elections
as Democrats stage a suprising comeback in the U.S. Senate to take
control by a 10-seat margin. More
seats are gained in the House, and the
candidates who rode to victory on
Reagan's conservative coattails in 1980
are all but swept out of office.
Committees from the SIU and NMU
continue their meetings at Piney Point
to discuss a possible merger.
An explosion aboard the SIU-contracted Ogden Yukon kills four crewmembers, including one Seafarer. The
32 remaining crewmembers are rescued . . . 15 more Vietnamese refugees are rescued, this time by the
SIU's LNG Aries.
Former SIU vice president Cal Tanner dies at 69. He joined the Union in
1938 and served as VP from 1947 to
1972 .... Rex Dickey, 84, a charter
member of the SIU and former Baltimore port agent dies ... Ex-IBU
President Merle Adlum dies in Seattle.
He was 62.

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

The 99th Congress ends with little
action taken on pressing maritime matters; several bills die and must wait
until the new Congress convenes.
But after 10 years of debate, the

SIU President Frank Drozak announces the formation of the Seafarers
Maritime Union with MEBA-2. A topto-bottom union , he says the new concept will mean new job opportunities

and may be the only "answer to revitalize this maritime industry.' '
United States Lines shocks the maritime community by filing for bankruptcy protection. The largest and oldest American line, USL faces staggering
debts, and some experts fear USL's

action is only the first of more to come.
The McAllister/Outreach Marine
struggle appears to be settled following
a short strike and a new contract.
Again, Seafarers march against
apartheid. This time in Washington,
D.C. at Shell Oil headquarters.

Final Departures 1986

Bob Vahey, an important and trusted advisor to SIU President Frank Drozak died
last year. He was 40 years old. Vahey, who spent the majority of his adult life
working for the maritime industry, is credited with many of the innovative programs
the SIU has implemented to help its members' jobs and job security. "He did more
to protect the job security of this membership than almost anyone else," Drozak
said.

.....

The SS Constitution is one of the Union's biggest employers. Here are some of the hundreds
of Seafarers who sailed in her deck and engine gangs last year.

Last year, one of the more important Inland developments was the inclusion of SP AD
checkoffs in new contracts. Above are crewmembers of the C.G. Willis tug Roletta shortly
after a new three-year contract with SPAD checkoff authorization was signed. They are
Deckhand Whit Williams, Capt. Herbert Williams, Norfolk Port Agent Jim Martin and
James. Carawan.

John Cleveland, who had become a familiar face and ~ friend to hundreds of
Seafarers who ate at his cafeteria at SIU headquarters, was killed in an automobile
accident last year. Only 28, he was a respected chef and president of the American
Culinary Society chapter in Southern Maryland.

Dr. Joseph Logue, who spent 30 years
as director of SIU medical services and
clinics, died at the age of 91 last year.
The retired vice-admiral was responsible
for establishing a nationwide system of
SIU medical clinics.

Cal Tanner, a charter member of the
SIU and Union vice president from 19471972, died last year. Tanner, 69, played
an important role in the growth of the
SIU.

January 1987 I LOG I 19

-

�r si ents' R por

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco
HIPPING o~ the Gulf has steadily

S

been improving, thanks in large
part to the new military contracts that
we have been able to pick up.
There have been a number of developments relating to contracts.
First, the good news. SIU members
at Bay Houston Towing have ratified
a new contract.
Now the rest. We were able to ratify
an unlicensed contract at Western
Towing, but other items have not gone
as smoothly at this Dixie Carrier subsidiary.
The management team at Dixie Carriers and Western Towing is from the
new school which believes that there
is only one way to get ahead-and
that is to cut the workers and the
union off at the knees. We've opposed
people like this in the past, and we'll
do it again.
With all the problems that we've
had at Western Towing, we were able
to secure a contract for the unlicensed
members. The rub has been in getting
a contract for the licensed boatmen.
We've referred our problems at
Western Towing to counsel. But the
truth of the matter is, a labor lawyer
is only as good as the board he has to
argue in front of.
A bad board means that bad labor
law will be made. And, unfortunately,
the Reagan administration has had the
chance to name a lot anti-unionjudges.
As I have stated in previous columns, there is a solution, and that is
grassroots political activity. That is
why I have been pushing the voluntary
SPAD check-off for inland boatmen.
It is the one sure way that they have
to protect their job security.
Supporting SPAD is just one way
to protect your job security. Another
way is to make sure that no ship sails
short. If we can't man these new
military vessels, then someone else
will. It's as simple as that.

Gov't. Services
by V. P. Buck Mercer

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HE year 1986 proved to be somewhat counter-productive for
MSCPAC seamen for a number of
reasons. First, because of the transfer
of the three oceanographic ships,
DeSteiguer, Silas Bent and Chauvenet
to Lavino Shipping Co., a private
20 I LOG I January 1987

operator, which caused the layoff of
a number of MSCPAC temporary marine employees.
Second, during the previous 12
months, payment of retroactive money
that has been due since 1984 continues
not to be forthcoming, and this has
kept marine personnel upset.
Third, the labor dispute that led to
a strike by Philippine nationals at
American Military Bases in Manila
and Subic Bay, P.l., caused no end to
the problems for MSCP AC seamen
who were caught behind and outside
picket lines set up at the Subic Bay
American Military Base.
It is apparent, however, that the
biggest disappointment suffered by all
MSCPAC marine personnel was, and
continues to be, the denial of payment
of the retroactive money due since
1984. Had the retro money been paid
prior to Christmas 1986, the morale of
seafarers would have ended the year
on a high note. The awful truth is,
however, that when it comes to the
payment of retroactive money being
paid to mariners, the story has been
the same for the past 25 years. A
prolonged wait, no matter who headsup the MSCPAC Comptroller section.
Looking ahead to 1987, the MSCPAC
unlicensed mariners can anticipate
permanent type promotions in 27 categories in the three departments. The
MSCP AC Promotion Board will meet
sometime in February for the purpose
of making the decisions on the many
candidates who have submitted applications for promotion consideration.
Dec. 15 , 1986 was the closing date
that promotion requests had to be in.
Then, all requests are ranked as to the
order in which they will be discussed
by the Board , taking into consideration a candidate's qualifications, experience, recommendations, work record, disciplinary record, and anything
else that might be in the file or that is
pertinent.
Results of the Board's findings will
be announced in late February or early
March. It is then expected that there
will be disappointment among the candidates who were not selected. But I
can assure you that the procedure used
by the Board in making their selections
gives each and every candidate serious
consideration.
In my last report, I touched on the
effect that the OMB Circular A-76
Program has had on MSCPAC personnel. The possible loss of the cable
ships to contract operation will have
a drastic effect on any permanent promotions made and, for that matter, on
marine personnel in general because
there will likely be a reduction in force.
The addition of the hospital ship Mercy
and the USNS Point Loma will be of
little consequence in so far as MSCPAC
marine manpower is concerned because the Mercy is scheduled for the
bid-block upon her return from her
goodwill mission to the Philippine Islands. The Point Loma will be berthed
in San Diego with a small MSCPAC
crew in a reduced operational status.
Commenting on the hospital ships,
it would seem that upon the conversion of these supertankers, some
thought would have been given to the
habitability of the non-officer crew.

The living conditions designed for the
men are absolutely atrocious. The U.S.
Navy spent in excess of half a billion
dollars in the conversion of these ships,
and the deck and engine watchstanders are housed in two 18-bunk spaces
along with dayworkers and steward
utilitymen. Lockers are substandard,
and toilet and shower facilities are
inadequate. When the crew goes aboard
they will find an unusual arrangement
for meals. ,
After learning of these deficiencies,
the SIU called for a meeting with the
MSCPAC Habitability Board and
voiced our dissatisfaction about the
conditions we found and recommended changes. At this time, the SIU
has not been notified as to any changes
being made.
The new year does not appear to
have a lot of potential for marine
personnel of .MSCPAC, and we can
only hope that the picture will improve.

marine, licensed and unlicensed unions
are fighting over its remains.
The recent decision by the SIU and
District 2-Marine Engineers Beneficial
Association to put together one bargaining unit must be seen as an important step toward maritime unity.
SIU President Frank Drozak and District-2 President Ray McKay understand that licensed and unlicensed seamen need each other.
SIU members on the West Coast
and in Hawaii have had their pick of
jobs recently. The military work that
we have been able to sign up over the
past few years has made all the difference in the world.
Many of our members take this work
for granted. They shouldn't. Things
are very, very bad in the maritime
industry, and getting worse. A recent
article in The New York Times predicted that eight out of every 10 shipping companies worldwide will go
bankrupt in the near future. America's
largest shipping company, the NMUcontracted U.S. Lines, has already
filed for protection under Chapter XI.
In closing, I'd like to comment on
the fine work done by the steward
department onboard the SS Sea-Land
Endurance, which whipped up a real
feast for the holidays. Maritime unity
starts onboard the vessels themselves.
And so does pride, excellence and
hopefully, a renewal of this industry.

West Coast
by V.P. George McCartney

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IU President Frank Drozak made
a trip out to Hawaii to get a firsthand glimpse of conditions out there.
While in Honolulu, he visited each
and every one of our commercial deepsea vessels as well as the passenger
ships, tugboats, T-AGOS ships and
cable ships.
On the way over, Drozak stopped
off in San Francisco to attend SIU
Executive Vice President Ed Turner's
retirement dinner. Drozak talked about
his close association with Turner and
about Turner's long and distinguished
career.
Turner was involved in almost every
aspect of this business, first as a seaman, later as an organizer and business
agent, and eventually as president of
the Marine Cooks and Stewards Union.
Turner, a protege of the late Harry
Lundeberg, made many important
contributions to the maritime industry,
especially in the areas of civil rights,
organizing and education. His finest
moment came, I believe, when he
decided to endorse a merger between
the MCS and the SIU-AGLIWD. This
marked an important step forward in
maritime unity.
Unfortunately, there is little maritime unity to speak about these days,
especially between licensed and unlicensed unions. Over the past few
months, the SIU, NMU and MFOW
have all had to warn their members
about jurisdictional disputes involving
licensed unions.
This, of course, puts an intolerable
strain on an already beleaguered maritime labor movement. Instead of
working together to bring about a revival of the American-flag merchant

'--'"--··~·~~-'-'-A £:::.

East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

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INETEEN eighty-six was a pivotal year for the East Coast maritime industry. While shipping opportunities for East Coast sailors improved
dramatically, the industry as a whole
suffered a serious decline.
This decline touched on all segments
of the maritime industry-from the
fishermen in New England, to our deep
sea sailors, to the tug and bargemen
who operate in the rivers and harbors.
It is becoming increasingly difficult
to separate the issues affecting fishermen, deep sea sailors and tug and
bargeworkers. Part of this is due to
the growing trend toward intermodalism. Yet other factors are at play,
including a growing anti-union trend
in the transportation sector.
It was a particularly difficult year
for our fishermen in New Bedford.
They started 1986 with a strike, which
ended in a draw. By year's end, they
were appearing before the National
Labor Relations Board in an effort to
prove that the Seafood Producers Association had bargained in bad faith.
Little progress was made in solving
the long-term problems for the decline
of the American-flag fishing industry.
Congress failed to take any action to
alleviate the liability insurance crisis
that has decimated the American-flag
fishing fleet, or to come up with a
(Continued on Page 22.)

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Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

Washington Report

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Washington may have lost a football championship in January, but it gained a new Congress.
As they promised in numerous interviews,
the members of the lOOth Congress hit the
deck running. By the time the new Congress
finished its first day, more than 500 bills had
been introduced. One hundred of these bills
touched upon some aspect of the maritime
industry.
Given the intricate nature of the legislative
process, several thousand more pieces of legislation will be introduced over the next two
years, only a handful of which stand any real
chance of being enacted into law.

New Congress

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The lOOth session of Congress is expected
to differ from its predecessor in a number of
important ways. For one thing, the Senate will
no longer be controlled by the Republican
Party. This shift means that there will be new
faces in leadership positions.
One of those new faces is Senator Robert
Byrd (D-W.Va.), the new majority leader. He
has stated on a number of occasions that the
trade deficit will be the number one issue
facing this Congress.

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The political atmosphere of this city is somewhat unsettled, thanks in large part to the
continuing debate over the Iran-Contra arms
scandal. As Elizabeth Drew wrote in a recent
issue of the New Yorker, ''President Reagan's
immense personal popularity had a lot of
people in this town cowed." The scandal, she
said, has made politicians in both parties more
willing to assert their independence, especially
on such issues as the trade deficit, entitlement
programs and other programs aimed at helping
the middle class.

Presidential Politics
It's hard to believe, but the battle for the
1988 presidential nomination has already begun.
Prospective candidates are already devising
their campaign strategies. When asked about
the chances of a prominent politician, a former
staff member in the Carter administration said
that "if he doesn't put together a campaign
staff by early spring, then he doesn't have a
chance.''
This means one thing: the SIU will be gearing
up its grassroots political machine. Seamen
who have not registered to vote should do so
immediately.

Budget

•

The administration has introduced a budget
for fiscal year 1988 that calls for a slight
increase in defense spending, no new taxes
and large cuts in domestic programs.
It is the first time that anyone has ever
submitted a trillion dollar budget. If enacted
in its present form, then the deficit would be
reduced to $107.8 billion, which would just
meet the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings requirements.
The Reagan budget was dismissed by politicians in both parties. One member put it this

January 1987

way: ''They could have saved a lot of money
by not even printing it.''
As in previous years, everyone is expecting
a major battle over the budget. Most people
believe that Congress will once again wait until
the last minute to resolve the issue. There is
a small, but growing sentiment for adopting a
two-year authorization cycle instead of an
annual one.

Marad Authorization Bill
The administration's budget requests for the
maritime industry were pretty much in keeping
with previous years. Had it not been for the
fact that some programs were secured by law,
then funding levels would probably have been
substantially lower.
The total outlays for the Maritime Administration, according to the Congressional Information Bureau, would be $369.493 million,
with $250.3 million for operating differential
subsidies, which are secured by law.
The fill rate for the Strategic Petroleum
Reserve is scheduled to be cut by more than
50 percent, from the present 75 ,000 barrels
per day to 35,000. Maritime Administrator
John Gaughan has confirmed thl:lt the budget
will prohibit new loan guarantee commitments
in 1987 and thereafter.
The only new request was for $48.5 million
to cover the added costs of carrying additional
cargo reserved for U.S.-flag vessels under the
terms of the Food Security Act of 1985 (the
farm bill). "This is an encouraging sign," aid
Pecquex, "because it means that the administration is at least giving tacit support" to the
compromise hammered out between the maritime and agriculture industries concerning
cargo preference requirements.
In exchange for excluding certain "concessional" programs for the provisions of the P.L.
480 Act, cargo preference requirements are
scheduled to increase by 25 percent over a
three-year period.
On April 1 of last year, the cargo preference
requirements rose 10 percent from 50 to 60
percent. They will be increased another 10
percent this year, and 5 percent in 1988.

Welcome Aboard
Nine vacancies on the House Merchant
Marine and Fisheries Committee have been
filled, with six fre hmen representatives taking
seats on the panel.
Rep. Walter B. Jones (D-N.C.) will return
as chairman of the committee. Subcommittee
assignments have not yet been made public.
In the Senate, Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) has
been named chairman of the Merchant Marine
Subcommittee.
New members named to fill vacancies on
the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
include Rep. Joseph E. Brennan (Maine),
George J. Hockbruckner (N. Y.) and Owen
Picket (Va.). Republicans named to the committee will include Joseph DioGuardi (N. Y .),
Mac Sweeney (Texas), Curt Weldon (Pa.),
Patricia F. Saiki, (Hawaii), Wally Berger (Calif.)
and Jim Bunning (Ky.).

Bilateral Trade Agreements
Rep. Mario Biaggi (D-N.Y.) reintroduced a
bill that would require the president to nego-

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

tiate bilateral maritime shipping agreements
with major U.S. foreign trading partners.
The bill, which is now numbered H.R. 300,
"is more necessary than ever before," said
Biaggi. He said that the growing American
dependence on foreign vessels to carry American imports and exports makes the U.S.
''highly vulnerable to the policies and practices
of foreign nations."

Melting Ice
The start of the lOOth Congress comes at a
time when the maritime industry is experiencing a sharp decline. The New York Times made . . .
the following assessment of the industry in a
year-end review:
From the port of Los Angeles to the docks
of Liverpool and the shipyards in South Korea
and Japan, the shipping world has been turned
upside down by five catastrophic years of
tumbling freight rates, rising costs and sinking
values of used ships. While the problems are
rooted in cyclical overcapacity, many executives now say the downturn is so deep and
traumatic that the industry is changing permanently.
''Shipping is like a piece of ice under a hot
sun,'' said Frank W .K. Tsao, chairman of
International Maritime Carriers, one of Hong
Kong's biggest shipping companies. "There
used to be hundreds of ship-owning companies
in Hong Kong. Now, out of every 10, eight
are bankrupt. And the survivors are badly
wounded.''
While not everyone agrees that conditions
have been quite that bad, shipping companies
are indeed collapsing all over the world. Just
last month, McLean Industries, an American
company whose United States Lines unit is
one of the world's largest container shippers,
sought protection from its creditors under
Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code.
And Japan Line Ltd., one of the b?ggest tanker
operators in the world, asked its bankers this
month for help in reorganizing the company.
Ships built for $50 million a half-dozen years
ago are sometimes sold as scrap for $5 million.
Shipowners who used to earn $20,000 a day
on a charter now are happy to accept $5 ,000
a day. In October 1973, the freight charges of
a crude oil cargo on a supertanker voyage
from the Persian Gulf to western Europe
amounted to 106 percent of the value of the
cargo; by last year the freight rate had plum·
meted to just 3 percent of the value of the oil.

Maritime Disunity
Last year, SIU President Frank Drozak
called upon the various maritime unions to
unite so that the administration and anti-labor
forces could not play one union against one
another.
Despite the present difficulties of the maritime industry, said Drozak, there were some
hopeful signs.
''There is a growing awareness of just how
important the American-flag merchant marine
is to the defense of the country. The Navy
has just released a study noting that this
country faces a severe shortage of skilled
mariners.
(Continued on Page 22.)

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January 1987 I LOG I 21

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�(Continued from Page 20.)
policy to stem the tide of heavily
subsidized Canadian fish.
Very few people noticed, but 1986
marked the 50th anniversary of the
Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which
made it possible for this country to
respond to the challenges posed by
World War II.
Before the 1936 Act was passed,
American shipping was in a near-terminal slump. President Franklin D.
Roosevelt understood the true importance of the merchant marine, and
took what were then drastic steps to
promote its growth.
Despite fluctuations, the 1936 Act
made it possible for this country to
maintain a viable maritime core. Yet
that core has been threatened by the
policies that . the Reagan administration have followed. To give just one
example: the 1936 Merchant Marine
Act was the first bill to call for direct
subsidies to American operators. Yet
funding for the vitally important Construction Differential Subsidy Program was allowed to lapse in 1980.

Vice Presidents' Reports
The same thing may happen to the
Operating Differential Subsidy Program. ODS began lapsing toward the
end of this year, and Congress and the
administration failed to come up with
a new program to replace it.

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike Sacco

T

HERE isn't much to report on
the Great Lakes and inland rivers.
In other sections of the country,

winter conjures up visions of Christmas and holiday cheer. On the Great
Lakes and upper inland rivers, it means
lay-offs.
This is the time of year when Great
Lakes sailors upgrade. You know that
it's winter when you see a Great Lakes
sailor at Piney Point.
On a more positive note: the Port
Development Act that was enacted
last year is expected to have an important effect in stimulating job opportunities in the dredging indu try.
In addition, all segments of the maritime industry up here are pushing for
modernization of the St. Lawrence
Seaway. It would be one way to stimulate shipping in the depressed Great
Lakes market.
Yet nothing can be done on this
front without the active participation
of government. In the maritime industry, at least, the government must be
seen as a partner in helping to create
the proper conditions for growth.

Budget
(Continued from Page 1.)
National Defense Reserve Fleet.
* no funds for state maritime schools,
except for stipends for students currently enrolled.
* $355 million in proposed user fees
from beneficiaries of Coast Guard
services not directly involving
emergency assistance.
* $3.3 million in borrowing authority
for the Title XI program to honor
the federal commitment on defaulted bonds. The administration
will propose language to prohibit
new loan guarantee commitments in
1987 and thereafter.
* a P.L. 480 program level of $1,387
million which is expected to provide

*
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for the shipment of 5.9 million metric tons through Titles I/III and 1.9
million metric tons through Title II.
a 1987 supplemental appropriation
of $1. 3 billion and a budget authority
request of $19 .1 billion for 1988 for
foreign economic assistance.
$1 billion for the direct loan program
of the Export-Import Bank in addition to $10 billion for loan guarantees and insurance. Of the $1
billion for the direct loan program,
$200 million will be used for financing the war chest to fight export
subsidization by foreign nations.
Unlike last year, the administration
is not attempting to abolish the direct loan program.

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Groton Makes Good
Role Model for AB

Paulino Flores, AB aboard the ITB Groton,
poses with a model of the Groton that he
made by hand from balsawood. It is a
remarkably accurate replica of the vessel,
and took him 18 days to complete. He named
it the Ana after his wife. Flores' creative
assistant in this project was Bosun Neil
"Blackie" Matthey.

Washington
Report
(Continued from Page 21.)
"Yet as long as the maritime industry and maritime labor refuse to get
their own houses in order, we will
never get the opportunity to make
productive use of this growing public
perception.''

Congressman Young Thanks

IU

fRONTWH
POUTICS. SOCIAL ISSUES. THE LABOR MOVEMENT.

Calling All Poets

• • •

Patsy L. Bowers knows whereof she speaks. Her husband of 26 year
is a tugboat captain, and she feels that he and other seafarer deserve
more respect and recognition than they get from the public. ''I personally
think it's time the public's image is changed and our husband and fathers
are finally recognized and treated a professionals," Mrs. Bower stated.
Toward this goal, Mrs. Bowers is attempting to compile a book of
poems written by the men and women who work on ships and tug -or
by members of their families.
So all you poets or would-be poets: send your verses to Patsy L.
Bowers , 206 Anson St., Gretna, La. 70053. Be sure to include your full
name and address so that if the book is published you will get full credit
for your work-as well as a copy of the book.

22 I LOG I January 1987

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Making pre-election rounds prior to returning home, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) dropped
in for a visit at the Seattle hall last October. After having coffee with the members, Rep.
Young spoke before the regular 10 a.m. job call. He thanked the SIU members for their
continued support and stressed the importance of the Jones Act. Citing his experience as
a captain and river boat pilot in Alaska, Young noted that he was the only congressman
with such a background, giving him personal familiarity with the problems and concerns
of boatmen and merchant seamen. Seattle Port Agent George Vukmir (left) introduced
Young to the members. (Photo by Seattle Field Rep Neil Dietz.)

�S the 1987 school season
begins, it's not too early
for high school seniors to
start thinking about college. For
dependents of Seafare rs and
Boatmen the financial burden of
college can be greatly eased if
they win an SIU scholarship.
The awards, known as the
Charlie Logan Scholarship
Program, are given each year
under the auspices of the Seafarers Welfare Plan. For dependents, four $10,000 scholarships are offered.
But the Scholarship Program
is not exclusively for dependents. A $10,000 award and two
$5,000 scholarships are available to active Seafarers and
Boatmen. Also, when there are
exceptionally qualified Seafarers and Boatmen, the Board of
Trustees of the Welfare Plan
may grant a second $10,000
award to an active member.
The Scholarship Program was
begun in 1952 to help members
and their children achieve their
educational goals. Several years
ago it was named after Charlie
Logan, a labor consultant and
arbitrator who died in 1975. He
helped establish the Seafarers
cholarship Program and then
worked hard to keep it strong
and growing.

A

Seafarer Requirements
Seafare rs and Boatmen who
are applying for scholarships
must:
• Be a graduate of high school
or its equivalent.
• Have credit for two years
(730 days) of employment with
an employer who is obligated to
make contributions to the Seafarers Welfare Plan on the employee's behalf prior to the date
of application.
• Have one day of employment on a vessel in the sixmonth period immediately preceding the date of application.
• Have 120 days of employment on a vessel in the previous
calendar year.
Pensioners are not eligible to
receive scholarship awards.
Dependent Requirements
Dependents of Seat are rs and
Boatmen who apply for a scholarship must be unmarried, under
19 years of age, and receive
sole support from the employee
and/or his or her spouse. Unmarried children who are eligible
for benefits under Plan #1 Major

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Medical are eligible to apply for
a dependent's scholarship up to
the age of 25.
Each applicant for a dependent's scholarship must:
• Be unmarried at the time
application is made.
• Be under 19 or 25 years of
age (whichever is applicable).
• Be eligible for dependent
benefits under the Seafarers
Welfare Plan.
• Be a graduate of high school
or its equivalent.
The applicant's parent must:
• Have credit for three years
(1,095 days) of employment with
an employer who is obligated to
make contributions to the Seafarers Welfare Plan on the employee's behalf prior to the date
of application.
• Have one day of employment in the six-month period
immediately preceding the date
of application.
• Have 120 days of employment in the previous calendar
year.
The last two items above covering worktime requirements of
the applicant's parents do not
apply to applicants who are the
children of pensioners or eligible
deceased employees.

Must Take SAT or ACT
For both active members and
the dependents of eligible members, the scholarship grants are
awarded on the basis of high
school grades and the scores of
either College Entrance Examination Boards (SAT) OR American College Tests (ACT).
The SAT or ACT exam must
be taken no later than February
1987 to ensure that the results
reach the Scholarship Selection
Committee in time to be evaluated. For upcoming SAT test
dates and applications, contact
the College Entrance Examination Board at either: Box 592,

Princeton, N.J. 08540 or Box
1025 Berkeley, Calif. 94701,
whichever is closest to your
mailing address.
For upcoming ACT te,st dates
and applications contact: ACT
Registration Union, P.O. Box
414, Iowa City, Iowa 52243.
Scholarship program applications are available to active
members or their dependents at
any SIU hall or through the Seafarers Welfare Plan, 5201 Auth
Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.
Scholarship
winners
will
be announced in May 1987.
The deadline for submission of
applications is April 15, 1987.

January 1987 I LOG I 23

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O SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

DUES

Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register.

RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING

When you are relieved, you
must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.

RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION

It is your respon-

sibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.

RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING It is your responsibility to claim
your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.

KNOW Y

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

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 submit1ed 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. Members 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 hall equally consist of Union
and management representatives and their alternates. All
expenditures and disbursements of trust funds are made
only upon approval by a majority of the trustees. All trust
fund financial records are available at the headquarters of
the various trust funds.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively by the contracts between the
Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping
rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available
in all Union halls. If you feel there has been any violation
of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the
contracts between the Union and the employers, notify
the Seafarers Appeals Board hy certified mail. return receipt requested. The proper address for this is:
Angus "Red" Campbell
Chairman, Seafarers Appeals Board
5201 Auth Way and Britannia 'ay
Prince Georges County
Camp Springs, Md. 20746
..,
Full copies of contracts as referred to are available to
you at all times, either hy writing directly to the Union
or to the Seafarers A1-&gt;iJeals 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 your contract rights, as well as
your ohligations. such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If. at any time. any SIU

24 I LOG I January 1987

-

.

G TS
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in
all Union halls. All members hould 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 obligation
by any methods such as dealing with charges, trials, etc.,
as well as all other details. then the member o affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently, no member may be discriminated against because of race. creed, color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any member feels that he is
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
11111111n11Ulll111111n11111111111111UllU111UllU111Ull1111111111111111ll111111lll1111111111111111111111
patrolman or other Union offkial, in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly. contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publi hing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union,
officer or memher. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September, 1960, meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsihility for Log
policy is vested in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate, from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this rcspon ibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SlU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circumtance 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 he made without
upplying 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 heen required to make such payment. this
hould immediately he reported to Union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
--SPAD. SP AD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further it objects 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 supports and
contribute to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contrihution may be
solicited or received because of force, job discrimination,
financial reprisal. 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 above improper
conduct, notify the Seafarers Un ion or SP AD by certified
mail within 30 days of the contribution for investigation
and appropriate action and refum.l. if involuntary. Support SP AD 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
ac~ to Union records or information, he should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The addr~ is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

I

�Ships Under
Operational
Control of
Military Sealift
Command,
Pacific
USNS Ponchatoula (T-AO 148)-0ne of ix oilers operated by MSCPAC that replenish U.S. Navy ships with fuel at sea.

USNS Spica (T-AFS 9)-A virtual grocery store that supplies U.S. Navy ships with
everything from soup to nuts, and is generally deployed somewhere in the South
Pacific.
USNS Observation Island (T-AGM 23)-An instrumentation ship (and one of a kind).

USNS Navasota
USNS Kilauea (T-AE 26)-An ammunition ship whose major mission is to replenish
U.S. Navy ships at sea.

Warning: Contact Lens Wearers
The following information has been
extracted verbatim from a military
safety bulletin. It concerns the use of
contact lenses in areas where electrical
sparking may occur.

1. An electrical worker threw an
electrical switch into the closed
position, which produced a very
quick sparking. An employee at
another company flipped open
the colored lens of his welding
goggles to better position the
welding rod. He inadvertently
struck the metal to be welded,
producing an arc.
2. Both were wearing contact lenses.
When they got home from work
each man removed the contacts.
In both instances, the cornea of
the eye was removed along with

the contact lenses. Both men are
now permanently blind.
3. The electric arc generates microwaves that instantly dried up
the fluid in the eye and the cornea bonded itself to the lens.
The trauma is painless and the
operator never knows he has
been injured until he removes
his contact lens.
4. Until recently, thi hazard was
not known. There are no federal
or state safety or health agency
regulations on this matter yet,
but it is being investigated carefully.
5. Meanwhile, we recommend that
all maintenance workers, particularly those who are potentially
subject to an electrical sparking
situation not wear contact lenses
while on the job.

The unlicensed deck department brain trust aboard the Navasota got together for this
shot taken by our roving camerman. From left, Melvin Davidson, bos'n mate; Boston
Johnson, bos'n mate; Lionel Greve, 2nd officer (day); Robert Micco, bos'n, and Arthur
Luellen, bos'n mate.

January 1987 I LOG I 25

-

�Pensioner Bessie Scott Barrera, 83,
passed away from lung failure in the
Elk Grove (Calif.) Convalescent Hospital on Oct. 6, 1986. Sister Barrera
joined the SIU-merged Marine Cooks
and Stewards Union in the port of San
Francisco. She sailed as a nurse and
stewardess for the Matson Line and
the American Presidents Line from
1938 to 1969. She first sailed on the
West Coast in 1932. Seafarer Barrera
was born in New Zealand and was a
resident of Kentfield, Calif. She was
a naturalized U.S. citizen. Cremation
took place in the Lodi (Calif.) Crematory. Surviving are her brother,
Allan of Bluff, N .Z. and a niece, Margaret Haffner of Elk Grove.
Pensioner James
Joseph Connors, 76,
passed away on Dec.
1, 1986. Brother
Connors joined the
SIU in 1943 in the
port of New York.
He hit the bricks in
the 1946 General
Maritime and the 1947 Isthmian beefs.
Seafarer Connors was born in Rhode
Island and was a resident of Slidell,
La. Surviving is his widow , Euline.
Pensioner Joseph
Rivera Cuelles, 71 ,
succumbed to cancer at home in Arabi ,
La. on Nov. 30, 1986.
Brother
Cuelle
joined the SIU in the
port of New York in
1951. He sailed as a
cook. He was born in the Philippine
Islands . Burial was in the St. Vincent
de Paul Cemetery, New Orleans . Sur- viving are two daughters , Elizabeth
and Myrne of Manila, P.l. and a sister,
Victoria of Arabi.
Pensioner Thomas
Di Carlo, 80, passed

away on Nov. 28,
1986. Brother Di
Carlo joined the SIU
in the port of Baltimore in 1951. He
sailed as a bosun. Di
Carlo was born in
Italy and was a natu~alized U.S. citizen. He was a resident of Baltimore.
Surviving is his widow, Veronica.

Nov. 16, 1986. Brother Edwards joined
the SIU in the port of Houston in 1963
sailing as a FOWT. He was born in
Boaz, Ala. and was a resident of Houston. Interment was in the Forest Home
Cemetery, Boaz. Surviving are his
widow, Dorothy and"his father, V. G.
Edwards of Boaz.
Pensioner Dominador F. Esoalona
died on Nov. 25,
1986. Brother Esoalonaretired in 1976.

Pensioner Robert
Lee Garriss, 75,
passed away from
heart-lung failure in
the
Glynn-Brunswick (Ga.) Hospital
on Nov. 20, 1986.
Brother
Garriss
joined the SIU in
1942 in the port of New Orleans. He
sailed as an AB. He walked the picket
lines in the 1946 General Maritime and
the 1947 Isthmian beefs. Seafarer Garriss was born in Ben Hill Cty., Ga.
and was a resident of Brunswick. Burial was in the Brunswick Park Cemetery. Surviving are his widow, Viola
and his father, E. Garriss of Georgia.
Pensioner John
Joseph
Giordano, 80,
I
passed away on Nov.
22 , 1986. Brother
Giordano joined the
SIU in 1939 in the
port of New York
sailing as a cook. He
wa on the picket
lines in the 1946 General Maritime and
the 1947 Isthmian beefs. Seafarer
Giordano was born in New York City
and was a resident of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Surviving are his widow, Stephania
and a sister, Mary, both of Brooklyn.
Pensioner Raymond Francois Gorju
Sr., 66, died on Oct.
~i;.~ 7,
1986. Brother
Gorjujoined the SIU
in 1945 in the port of
New York. He sailed
as a FOWT. He hit
~:;....llt..::111 the bricks in the 1946
General Maritime beef. Seafarer Gorju
was born in France and was a resident
of Jackson , Ala. Surviving are his
widow , Minnie and a son , Seafarer
Raymond Gorju Jr. of Mobile.
........-

Pensioner Joseph
Di Santo, 60, died on

Dec.
20,
1986.
Brother Di Santo
joined the SIU in
1947 in the port of
New York sailing as
a FOWT. He was
born in Boston ,
_.. Mass. Surviving are his mother, Catherine and a brother, Dominic, both of
Medford , Mass.
Pensioner James Preston Edwards,
66, succumbed to arteriosclerosis in
St. Joseph's Hospital, Houston on
26 I LOG J January 1987

-

. . ...

Pensioner Robert B. Green Sr., 76,
died of natural causes in the Bronx
(N.Y. ) Lebanon Hospital on Nov. 20,
1986. Brother Green joined the SIUmerged Marine Cooks and Stewards
Union in the port of San Francisco.
He sailed as a cook and baker for APL
from 1957 to 1974. He first sailed on
the West Coast in 1942. Seafarer Green
was born in Brenham, Texas and was

a resident of the Bronx. Burial was in
Woodlawn Cemetery, the Bronx. Surviving are his widow, Reiko; two sons,
Robert Jr. and Curtis, and four daughters, Barbara, Carol, Margaret and
Dorothy of Washington, La.
Pensioner Walter
H. Harris died on
Dec.
16,
1986.
Brother Harris retired in 1976.

John
Wilbert
Hughes Jr., 36, died
of heart-lung failure
in the Baltimore
(Md.) Cty. Hospital
on Nov. 17, 1986.
Brother
Hughes
joined the SIU in the
port of Baltimore in
1967. He sailed as a wiper. Seafarer
Hughes was born in Maryland and
was a resident of Woodlawn, Md.
Interment was in Woodlawn Cemetery, Baltimore. Surviving are his
widow, Barbara; a son, John II; four
daughters, Enrica, Tannula, Nicole
and Desiree; and his mother, Etta of
Baltimore.
Roy
Pensioner
Edward James died
on Dec. 22, 1986.
Brother James retired in 1979. He was
a resident of Galveston, Texas.

Pensioner Samuel
Johnson Jr., 71 ,
passed away on Nov.
28 , 1986. Brother
Johnson joined the
SIU in the port of
Mobile in 1955 sailing in the steward
department. He was
born in Alabama and was a resident
of Mobile. Surviving are his widow ,
Lucille and a son, Donald of Mobile.
Pensioner Vernon Myers Johnston,
62, died of a heart attack in St. Rose ,
La. recently. Brother Johnston joined
the SIU in the port of Baltimore in
1959 sailing as an AB. He was born
in Middleway , W. Va. and was a
resident of New Orleans. Cremation
took place in the St. John's Crematory , New Orleans. Surviving are a
brother, Forrest of Glen Burnie , Md.;
a sister, Frances Ballard of Baltimore,
and a niece, Lisa Miller, also of Baltimore.
Pensioner Hai Lee, 80, passed away
from natural causes in the Chinese
Hospital , San Francisco on Nov. 4,
1986. Brother Lee joined the SIUmerged Marine Cooks and Stewards

Union in the port of San Francisco.
He sailed as a chief cook for APL
from 1958 to 1969. He first sailed on
the West Coast in 1946. Seafarer Lee
was born in China and was a resident
of San Francisco. Interment was in
the Greenlawn Park Cemetery, Colma,
Calif. Surviving are two daughters,
Ming and Sharon Nieh of Cotati, Calif.
Pensioner James
Henry Loe Jr., 65,
succumbed to arteriosclerosis at home
in Wilmington, Calif.
on Oct. 18, 1986.
Brother Loe joined
the SIU in the port
of New Orleans iµ
1958 sailing as a bosun. He was a
veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces in
World War II. Seafarer Loe was born
in Kentucky. Cremation took place in
the Angeles Abbey Cemetery Crematory, Compton, Calif., and his ashes
were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
Surviving are a sister, Julia Cady of
Winfield, Iowa and another relative,
Thelma Wilson of Covina, Calif.
Pensioner Charles
W. Laird, 76, passed
away on Nov. 17,
1986. Brother Laird
joined the SIU in the
port of San Francisco in 1964. He was
born in the Phi i pines and was a resident of San Francisco. Surviving are
his parents , Mr. and Mrs. R. Laird of
Daly City, Calif. and a brother, William, also of Daly City.
Pensioner
Nick
Marcogliese Jr., 63,
succumbed to cancer in the U.S. Veterans Administration Medical Center,
Danville, Ill. on Oct.
26, 1986. Brother
Marcogliese joined
the SIU in 1948 in the port of Galveston , Texas . sailing as a FOWT. He
walked the picket lines in the 1946
General Maritime and the 1947 Isthmian beefs. Seafarer Marcogliese was
born in Illinois and was a resident of
Bulpitt, Ill. Burial was in the Oak Hill
Cemetery, Taylorville, Ill. Surviving
are his mother, Rose of Kincaid, Ill.
and his brother, Francis of Bulpitt .
Pensioner Benjamin C. Mignano, 58,
succumbed to cancer on Oct. 10, 1986.
Brother
Mignano
joined the SIU in
1944 in the port of
Philadelphia.
He
sailed as a recertified
bosun . He hit the bricks in the 1946
General Maritime beef. Seafarer Mignano was born in Brooklyn, N. Y . and
was a resident of Harbor City, Calif.
Surviving is his sister, Frances of Harbor City.

�Pensioner Pablo
Reyes Ojera, 79,
passed away from
natural causes at
home in Malolos, P.I.
on Nov. 5, 1986.
Brother Ojerajoined
the SIU in 1948 in
the port of New York
sailing in the steward department. He
was on the picket lines in the 1946
General Maritime and the 1947 Isthmian beefs. Seafarer Ojera was born
in the Philippines. Surviving are his
widow, Lulubelle of Oakland, Calif.;
a son, Anthony; a daughter, Aurora
Morgan of Hawaii, and a granddaughter, Ana Marie Donado of Sta Isabel,
Malolos.

Pensioner Herbert
Milzer Parsons, 78,
passed away from a
heart attack in the
Touro Hospital, New
Orleans on Dec. 6,
1986. Brother Parsons joined the SIU
in the port of New
Orleans in 1951. He was born in the
British West Indies and was a naturalized U.S. citizen. Seafarer Parsons
was a resident of New Orleans. Burial
was in the Garden of Memories Cemetery, Metairie, La. Surviving are his
widow, Frances and a brother, David
of New Orleans.

Pensioner Hubert
Pousson died on Dec.
, 18, 1986. Brother
Pousson retired in
1975. He was a resident of Virginia.
Surviving are his
widow and a daughter, Betty Lough of
Napa, Calif.
Pensioner John
Percy Schilling Jr.,
75, passed away on
Nov.
20,
1986.
Brother
Schilling
joined the SIU in the
port of Boston,
Mass. in 1950 sailing
- as a FOWT. He hit
the bricks in the 1946 General Maritime and the 1947 Isthmian beefs.
Seafarer Schilling was born in Alabama and was a resident of Galveston,
Texas. Surviving are his widow,
Thelma; a sister, Roberta Moore of
Mobile, and an aunt, Annie Schilling,
also of Mobile.
Michael "Mike"
Sikorsky, 81, succumbed to a hemorrhage in the Summit Nursing Home,
Catonsville, Md. on
Nov.
18,
1986.
Brother
Sikorsky
joined the SIU in

A Man to Remember

1938-a charter member-in the port
of Baltimore sailing as an AB. He
walked the picket lines in the 1946
General Maritime and the 1947 Isthmian beefs. Seafarer Sikorsky was
born in Rhode Island and was a resident of Catonsville. Burial was in the
St. Stanislus Cemetery, Baltimore.
Pensioner Thomas
Edward Smolarek,
78, passed away reBrother
cently.
Smolarek joined the
SIU in the port of
Baltimore in 1958
sailing as an oiler.
He was born in Buffalo, N.Y. Surviving is a daughter,
Victoria Bradley of Newark, Del.
Leo M. Snellgrove
Jr., 47, died on Oct.
1, 1986. Brother
Snellgrove joined the
SIU in the port of
Jacksonville, Fla. in
1980 sailing as an AB.
He was born in
..,. Georgia and was a
resident of Waycross, Ga. Surviving
is his widow, Doris.
Pensioner
Norman Irving West, 78 ,
succumbed to cancer at home in South
Paris, Maine on Nov.
25, 1986. Brother
West joined the SIU
in 1944 in the port of
New York sailing as
an oiler. He was on the picket lines in
the 1946 General Maritime, the 1947
Isthmian and the 1948 Wall St. beefs.
Seafarer West was born in Maine.
Cremation took place in the Brooklawn Park Crematory, Portland, Maine.
Surviving is his widow, Dorothy.

Pensioner Charles
Robert Pischner, 73,
passed away from
heart-lung failure in
St. Vincent's Hospital, Green Bay,
Wis. on Dec. 19,
1986. Brother Pischner joined the Union
in the port of Buffalo, N. Y. in 1959
sailing as an AB. He was born in
Michigan and was a resident of Green
Bay. Cremation took place in Appleton, Wis. Surviving is his widow,
Alice.

Pensioner Stanley Francis Thompson, 62, succumbed to cancer at home ,.
in Ormond Beach, Fla. on Dec. 6,
1986. Brother Thompson joined the
Union in the port of Detroit, Mich. in
1953. He sailed for the Great Lakes
Towing Co. from 1953 to 1986. He
was born in Quincy, Mass. Cremation
took place in the Cedar Hill Crematory, Daytona Beach, Fla. Surviving
is a brother, William of Ormond Beach.

Clarence Edward
Willoughby, 42, died
of a heart attack in
St. Mary's Medical
Center,
Duluth,
Minn. on Dec. 6,
1986. Brother Willoughby joined the
Union in the port of
Detroit, Mich. in 1968. He sailed as a
deckhand for the Great Lakes Towing
Co. He was born in Duluth and was a
resident there. Burial was in the Oneota
Cemetery, Duluth. Surviving are his
widow, Susan; four daughters, Brenda,
Elizabeth, Dona and Mescela, and his
father, Carl of Duluth.

MCS Pioneer Frank Gomar Dies

In September 1983, Cary Grant, his wife Barbara and his daughter Jennifer sailed out
of San Francisco for Honolulu aboard the SS Independence. He was aboard for 12 days.
The last time he had sailed this vessel was during the filming of "An Affair to Remember"
with Deborah Kerr in 1956. Hotel Manager Samuel Nazario remembers that Grant had
a great time visiting the SS Independence again and that he was very gracious to all the
crewmembers, officers and passengers alike. Cary Grant died last Nov. 29. "He will be
missed and remembered by many of us," Nazario said. Grant is pictured above with his
wife and Nazario.

Frank Gomar, 81, former assistant
secretary/treasurer for the Marine
Cooks and Stewards Union, died last
month and his ashes were scattered at
sea Jan. 3. Gomar is pictured above
at the far right with former MCS of-

ficial Dan Rotan (center) and former
Labor Secretary Willard Wirtz. His
ashes were scattered from the S.S.
Lurline (Matson) about 50 miles due
east of Oahu. Gomar is survived by
his widow, Isabel, and three daughters.
January 1987 I LOG I 27

�GREAT LAKES
Algonac
Raymond F. Klein
David M. LeBarron, deckhand
Lawrence E. Rodal
George R. Romanowski
Herman Wolgast

The following SIU members have
retired on pension:

DEEP SEA

Alcohol:
Drugs:

Baltimore
Frank C. Bona, AB
Tom R. Danzey
Houston
Olga J. Edwards
Charles I. Darter, AB
Franklin E. Taylor
Jacksonville
Wade B. Pritchett, chief engineer
William L. Robinson
Theodore Weems, AB
Mobile
Mark J. FitzPatrick, oiler
Thomas J. Hilburn, bosun
Harvey H. Hood, AB
William F. Jordan
Darius L. Knapp, steward/baker
Henry W. Miller, wiper
Union H. Sanders Jr., chief electrician
New Jersey
Suska Vladik
New Orleans
Preston A. Blanc, AB
Lamar Gribbon
New York
Anthony J. Gregoire
Hollis C. Kiah, QMED
Biliran 0. Sierra
Eugenio Smith, CMC
Harold B. Stever
Norfolk
Elmer Bingham, cook
Leslie F. Haynie, captain

Long-time New Orleans Rep Martin Kanoa
(left) moves back home to Hawaii. He's
pictured here with Honolulu Port Agent
Steve Ruiz.

Philadelphia
Raymond H. McMullen, captain
&amp; mate
San Francisco
Leo M. De kens, chief steward
Alfonso DiFabrizio
James C. 0 'Donnell
Robert M. Sanchez
Chin Hsi Wong, wiper
Francis J. White, bosun
San Juan
Alejandrino Velazquez
Seattle
Robert L. Anderson
William M. O'Connor
James W. Pulliam, bosun
Rodolfo Rodriguez, ABG
Ernest R. Wise
Wilmington
Robert G. Guerrero
Eric J .A. Johnston
John Wade Jr.
Sherman Wright, chief steward

Personal
William E. Babbitt
Please call Honey at (813) 3694925.

The Killer Is Denial

There are many unpleasant side effects to alcohol and drug abuse, but the
most deadly is denial.
Denial comes in many shapes and forms. You can deny that you have money
or health problems, or that alcohol and drug abuse is robbing you of your
dignity and self-respect. Yet the longer you do so, the more difficult it will be
to repair the damage done to your life.
Denial goes hand in hand with alcohol and drug abuse. In fact, it is the
single most glaring sympton of the disease.
The first step to recovery is simply to stop denying that you have a problem.
And once you can admit that you've lost control over your life, then you can
face other, more difficult things.

'Help Is Available'
Dear Mr. Drozak,
I have just finished reading the latest issue of the LOG and feel I
must give you my "two cents worth" and some information. Please do
not stop mentioning drug and alcohol abuse! If something that you say
in your column, just once, causes someone to seek help, it will all be
worth it.
I have been shipping 10 years with the SIU on the Great Lakes. In
that time I have seen many seamen in the process of destroying their
lives. I know what I'm talking about, because I was one of them.
Thank God I finally asked for help, and thank God that the SIU was
there for me when I needed them! I attended the ARC a little over a
year-and-a-half ago, and my life has not stopped improving since then!
I am more productive, more trustworthy, more capable than I ever
would have believed possible. Now I enjoy my work! And my life!
So, do not stop mentioning drugs and alcohol, or the most important
part-that there is help available!
Which brings me to the information that I want to give you. There
was an article in the LOG about substance abuse and an interview with
Rick Reisman of the ARC. He talks about the shipboard seaman trying
to maintain contact with AA.
I have very good news! There is an "AA. meeting for loners,
internationalists, and other AA.'s who cannot attend regular AA.
meetings." They can be contacted by writing to the following address:

General Service Office
Loners-Internatio.nalists Meeting
Box 459

Grand Central Station
New York, N'.Y. 10163

Billy G. Edelmon (right) receives his first

pension check from Honolulu Port Agent
Steve Ruiz.

They are a group of people who stay in touch by mail with others
who are onboard ships all over the world and cannot make regular
AA. meetings. It is a godsend to the recovering alcoholic sailor!
If at all possible, please let your readers, staff, .everyone, know about
it!
Sincerely yours,
Robert L.R. Gran

NEY!!!
IF YOURE
.OESTRO&gt;'l'AIG
YOLIR8RF
W/TJ.I

BOOZE
AND DRLJGS&gt;
Tl-IERES llELP.

CON7:4CT
YOt/RPORT
AGENT OR

6111 LJRU6 ANLJ
ALCOllOL P~O­
GRAM ATn'NEY
POl/VT;MD.

28 I LOG I January 1987

. .,,

�Diaes~

of Ships Nee~inas

AMBASSADOR (Coordinated Caribbean Transport), November 2-Chairman
Carlos Spina, Secretary Paul Lightell, Educational Director M. Sullivan. All three
departments reported disputed OT pertaining to the Columbus Day holiday. This will
be taken up with the boarding patrolman
at payoff. There is $450 in the ship's fund.
A motion was made and seconded to let
all members who are returning to their jobs
register in their home ports-whether they
are permanent or relief. A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department, particularly for the great cookouts. Next port
and port of payoff: Miami, Fla.
AMERICAN EAGLE (Pacific Gulf Marine), November 29-Chairman Joe Justus, Secretary Thomas McQuay. No disputed OT or beefs reported. There is $20
in the ship's fund. Due to cargo handling
during the ship's stay in Bremerhaven,
Germany, the Thanksgiving Day dinner
and all the trimmings were postponed until
Nov. 29, enroute to Bayonne, N.J. A vote
of thanks was given to the steward department for the great spread, with particular recognition to Steward/Baker Thomas
H. McQuay, Chief Cook James W. Gard
and Steward Assistant Steven R. Hamilton.
LNG ARIES (Energy Transportation),
December 7-Chairman R.D. Schwarz,
Secretary R.F. Frazier, Deck Delegate R.K.
Williams, Engine Delegate J.G. Mccranie,
Steward Delegate H. Daniels. No disputed
OT or beefs reported. There is $494 in the
ship's fund. The bosun distributed forms
for upgrading at Piney Point. He stressed
the need for every seaman to continue his
education. He also explained the importance of supporting SPAD. The secretary
noted that those persons being relieved
this trip should leave their rooms clean and
turn in their keys to the proper department
head. Mail is quite slow getting to the ship,
especially in Tobata, Japan. A vote of
thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done. Next ports:
Nagoya, Japan and Arun , Indonesia.
GALVESTON (Sea-Land), November
4-Chairman C. Dawson, Secretary Ken
Hayes, Educational Director W. Walton.
No beefs or disputed OT reported, although
one member of the steward department
missed the ship in Anchorage, Alaska.
Payoff will take place this trip in Tacoma,
Wash. Members should be sure to include
in the minutes any beefs they may have.
The chairman said he hoped everyone had
voted in the elections to help support a
Democratic Congress, and he stressed the
importance of donating to SPAD. He noted
that from all reports, the Galveston will
stay on its run through September 1987.
The secretary said that most communications had been posted. He added that
voting on Election Day is important and
that it also can't hurt to write your congressional representatives and let them know
how you feel about some of the bills in
Congress affecting the maritime industry.
The chief engineer will check on some
noise reported aboard ship and will also
fix the ice box and range thermostat. Crewmembers were asked to return all films
and books to their places before the ship
reaches port and to help keep the messrooms clean.
GROTON (Apex), November 23Chairman Neil Matthey, Secretary Marvin
Deloatch, Educational Director J. Pazos,
Deck Delegate Ernesto Guarin, Engine
Delegate Tecumseh Williams, Steward
Delegate Roderick Bright. No disputed OT
reported. The chairman reported that the
ship will pay off in Port Reading, N.J. He
urged all crewmembers to contribute to
SPAD to help the Union fight for a stronger
merchant marine. He noted that all previously needed repairs had been made by
the chief engineer. The secretary reminded
members to take advantage of the upgrading opportunities available to Piney

Point-to better your job opportunities and
your job security. The importance of practicing safety at all times was stressed by
the educational director. All were in full
agreement with the motion made to change
the shipping rules to provide for area registration and shipping, as proposed by
President Drozak in his headquarters report. All crewmembers onboard the Groton
pitched in for a new video tape player. The
steward gave the crew a vote of thanks for
their cooperation in keeping the messroom
clean. The crew, in turn, gave Steward
Marvin Deloatch and Chief Cook Roderick
Bright a vote of thanks for a job well done.
Next port: Stapleton, N.Y.

fractured hip and leg and will be in traction
for three weeks. Wilson's wife is with him
in Bermuda. It was also noted that some
crewmembers have been going down the
gangway before the ship has been cleared
to make phone calls in Port Everglades,
Fla. It was stressed that no one is to go
down the gangway before the ship has
been cleared. A vote of thanks was given
to the steward department for the fine
meals served. Next port: Port Everglades,
Fla.
SEA-LAND INDEPENDENCE (SeaLand), November 2--Chairman Joseph San
Fillipo, Secretary James A. Wright, Educational Director A. Aguiar, Deck Delegate
Virgil C. Dowd, Engine Delegate John P.
Murray, steward Delegate Terry N. White.
No beefs or disputed OT reported. There
is $106 in the ship's fund and $435 in the
movie fund. The chairman thanked VP
"Red" Campbell for all the information on
contracts he sent. All communications from

Aboard the MV Aurora

especially Joe San Fillipo, for keeping the
ship clean-"like an SIU vessel is supposed to be." Thanks also went to all the
brothers and sisters "who worked so hard
on the elections. By early results, it looks
like the hard work paid off." Next port:
Tacoma, Wash.
SENATOR (Coordinated Caribbean
Transport), December ?-Chairman George
Triplett, Secretary Frank Costango, Educational Director Eric Bain, Deck Delegate
Carl Lowery, Engine Delegate J. Brack,
Steward Delegate James Sivley. The ship
will pay off in Lake Charles, La. this trip.
There seem to be no beefs or problems.
The ship's fund contains $4. 75 at this time.
This amount will be given to the chairman
until a new man is chosen since the present
treasurer is going on vacation. A discussion
was held about the movie problem. One
member volunteered the use of his car to
go to Lake Charles, and the ship's chairman was elected to accompany him to
select movies for the next trip. A vote of
thanks was given to George Triplett for
decorating the Christmas tree and to the
steward department for a job well done.
Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
LNG AQUARIUS
AURORA
CAGUAS
MARINER
OVERSEAS MARILYN
PATRIOT
SEA-WO ADVENTURER
SEA-WO DEVELOPER
SEA-LAND EXPLORER
SEA-WO PRODUCER
SEA-LAND VOYAGER

Enjoying the coo out on e
Aurora
(left) and QMED Juan Rodriguez (right).

MOBILE (Apex Marine), November 9Chairman P. Sernyk, Secretary H. Markowitz, Educational Director J. Fonville,
Deck Delegate F. Gongora, Engine Delegate H. Aleidaroos, Steward Delegate L.
Winfield. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
The bosun talked about the importance of
donating to SPAD in order to protect our
job security. He also informed the crew
that the ship will pay off in New York on
Nov. 16. The steward thanked everyone
for helping keep the ship clean and running
smoothly, and the educational director reminded members to send in their upgrading
applications to Piney Point. A particular
vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for all their fine work. Next
ports: New York and St. Croix.
OMI CHAMPION (OMI Corp.), November 2--Chairman M. Beeching, Secretary H. Evans, Educational Director L.
Philpot, Deck Delegate D. Brooks, Engine
Delegate J.A. Calix, Steward Delegate C.
Lascola. The ship returned from Karachi
and laid up in a Gibraltar shipyard from
Oct. 8 to Oct. 29. Crewmembers were
flown home and then flown back to rejoin
the ship. A vote of thanks was given to the
steward department for a job well done.
Next port and port of payoff: New Orleans,
La.
SEA-LAND ECONOMY (Sea-Land),
November 9--Chairman William E. Reeves,
Secretary H. Scypes, Educational Director
Glenn H. Watson, Steward Delegate Eddie
Fisher. No disputed OT reported. There is
$66 in the movie fund and $105 in the
crew VCR repair fund. A wire was received
from the company about the condition of
AB Orie A. Wilson who fell while working
on deck between trailers. Wilson fell about
20 or 25 feet and was taken off ship in
Bermuda. The doctor reports he has a

pex

ari e

headquarters were read and posted. Crewmembers who are getting off were reminded to leave their rooms neat and clean
for the next person. There are plenty of
training and safety films onboard, and the
educational director urged members to
take the time to view them. A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department for a
job well done and to the entire crew,

AMERICAN MADE WITH
THE UNION LABEL

"RIGHT ON"!
• -Gl- •· Union Libel 1nd SeNice Tr1des Department, AFL~IO

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, February 2 .................. 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, February 3 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, February 4 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, February 5 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, February 5 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, February 5 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, February 6 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Houston ...... . .......... Monday, February 9 .................. 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, February 10 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, February 11 .............. 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, February 12 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Tuesday, February 17 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .................. Friday, February 20 .................. 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ............ . ... Thursday, February 5 ................. 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, February 13 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday, February 12 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, February 11 .............. 10:30 a.m.
Gloucester ......... . ... . .Tuesday , February 17 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Jer ey City .... . . . ...... . . Wedne day, February 18 .............. 10:30 a.m.

January 1987 I LOG I 29

�CL
L
NP

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

DEC. 1-31, 1986

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac . .......... . . . ..... ..

0

15

Port
Algonac ......... .... . .. .. . ..

0

9

2

Port
Algonac ... ... ... .... .... ... .

0

3

Port
Algonac ... . ... .. .... ... .....

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

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
38
5

13

0

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

0

4

2

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
16
0

0

3

0

0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
15
0
1

0

4

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

0
HEADQUARTERS

0

Totals All Departments ....... .
40
7
D
D
69
7
D
*"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.

9

0

17

2

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
DEC. 1-31, 1986

I

~

~

~

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

JC

Al

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Trip
Reliefs

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port
Gloucester . ..............
New York .. . . .. .........
Philadelphia . ..... ........
Baltimore .......... .....
Norfolk . .... ...... . .... .
Mobile .... . . . .... . .... .
New Orleans . .... . ... ... .
Jacksonville . ....... .. . . . .
San Francisco ...... ..... ..
Wilmington .. .... . .. .. ...
Seattle .... .. ... . ... . .. .
Puerto Rico ... ..... ......
Honolulu . .. . .... . . ... . . .
Houston ... ........ .. .. .
St. Louis ....... . . . . ... . .
Piney Point . . ........... .
Totals .. . ..... .........

3
57
5
16
12
11
39
29
32
30
40
22
8
54
0
2
360

1
11
3
6
12
2
6
4
10
9
7
4
13
9
0
7
104

0
0
1
0
0
1
8
2
10
1
0
0
3
2
0
0
28

2
38
2
7
12
6
29
25
24
20
29
14
6
37
0
3
254

DECK DEPARTMENT
4
0
12
0
3
0
3
0
8
1
1
1
5
6
6
2
8
4
5
1
5
0
8
0
13
2
11
0
0
0
3
0
95
17

0
11
0
2
1
0
5
4
4
6
13
3
13
9
0
1
72

0
0
581

Port
Gloucester ... .. . . .. .. ....
New York . .. .. . . .. .. . . . .
Philadelphia ...... . .... . ..
Baltimore .. . ............
Norfolk .. ... . . ....... .. .
Mobile . .... . ... ... ... . .
New Orleans .... . ... . .. . .
Jacksonville .. . . .. .. . .....
San Francisco ........ . . .. .
Wilmington . ..... . .. .... .
Seattle .. .... .. . .. ... . ..
Puerto Rico . . ............
Honolulu .. . ...... .. . ... .
Houston ... .. . .. . . ......
St. Louis ....... ... ... . ..
Piney Point . ...... . .... . .
Totals ........... . .... .

0
39
1
8
10
5
44
25
18
10
30
15
5
24
0
3
237

6
4
2
0
5
2
12

0
0
1
0
0
0
3
1
5
1
1
0
9
0
0
0
21

0
24
2
4
9
3
18
15
9
11
30
6
2
22
0
3
158

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
4
0
3
1
2
0
0
0
6
0
1
0
5
1
3
0
2
0
5
1
9
0
4
0
7
6
3
0
0
0
5
0
59
9

1
10
0
0
1
0
6
2
2
8
3
4
5
5
0
0
47

0
67
2
9
9
10
60
39
39
18
35
15
5
45
0
2
355

0
10
0
0
0
2
9
3
14
10
12
1
60
7

1
34
3
4
3

6

4
4
9
2
8
6
0
4
74

Port
Gloucester . . ..... .. .... . .
New York . ..... .. . . .. .. .
Philadelphia . . . .... . ......
Baltimore . . ....... .. ... .
Norfolk . . .. . ... ........ .
Mobile . .... . . .. ........
New Orleans .... .... . . . . .
Jacksonville ...... .... . .. .
San Francisco .. . . ... .. .. ..
Wilmington . ... ..... . .. ..
Seattle ... .. . ..... .. .. . .
Puerto Rico .... .. . . . . . . . .
Honolulu ... ... . . .. ... . . .
Houston ... . .... .. .. ....
St. Louis .... ....... . .. . .
Piney Point ......... .... .
Totals .... . . ... ....... .

2
208

43
3
0
4
89

Port
Gloucester ............ . ..
New York .... . ... ..... . .
Philadelphia . . . . ..... . ....
Baltimore . . .... ..... . . ..
Norfolk .. . .. .... .. . . ... .
Mobile .. . . ...... .. .....
New Orleans ... .. . . . .. . . .
Jacksonville . . ..... . ..... .
San Francisco .. ... . . . . . . ..
Wilmington ....... ... ... .
Seattle ..... .. . . ........
Puerto Rico .. ... . . ... . .. .
Honolulu . . .. . ... ... . ....
Houston .... . ...... . . . ..
St. Louis .... . ...........
Piney Point ..............
Totals ... . ... .. .. . .....

0
37
4
5
1
2
22
7
40
13
30
14
11
15
0
0
201

1
34
1
7
4
7
13
7
16
6
18
8
105
10
0
18
255

Totals All Departments .... . .

1,006

522

0
26
2
3
2
5
32
19
43
11
34
7
9
13

0

1
1
2
1
2
3
1

6

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

7
7
8

6

0

0
30
0

0

1

0
0
37
1
6
1

0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
2
0
2
0
2
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
2
0
3
0
3
5
2
0
4
0
3
0
39
36
2
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
134
69
41
0
14
0
1
7
4
15
11
24
7
25
7
6
12

0
17
1
0

6

1
3
15
2
16
3
2
0
183
4
0

0
9
7
16
8
20
0
9
11
0

0

0

237

104

323

650

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
1
1
31
0
2
0
2
1
8
0
4
2
11
10
6
3
4
9
12
1
29
0
0
0
109
215
7
2
0
0
12
1
243
240
466

307

0
1
129
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
248

5
110
5

17
16
14
79
54
74
40
54
29
12

72

2
21
5
8
8
4
10
8
13
8
10
2
18
4
0
6
127

1
0
1
1
3
0
7
2
7
2
0
0
8
4
0
0
36

3
7
3
3
6
3
14
6
9
3
9
2
11
4
0

0
0
1
0
0
0
3
1

6

84

1
1
0
8
0
0
0
21

1
4
0
0
1
3
2
7
10

0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
3

17

6

0

37
10
7
23
0
3
293

7
0
32
2

1
0
27

0

0
0
33

6
43
18
84

0
54
4
10

5
4
33
10
84
26
38
18
7
21
0

1

4
79
1
48
5
11
2

6

0

0
8
1
0
3
1
22
1
13
3
2
0
227

314

18
13
21
10
19
11
121
13
0
8
307

0
0
283

1,543

597

373

0

3

*"Total Registered " means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month .
** " Registered on the Beach " means the total number of men registered at the port at the end of last month.

Shipping in the month of December was up from the month of November. A total of 1,671 jobs were
shipped on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,671 jobs shipped, 650 jobs or about 39 percent were
taken by "A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 248 trip relief
jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 4,350 jobs have been
shipped.
30 I LOG I January 1987

~

5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 207 46
(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
DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110
GLOUCESTER, Mass.
11 Rogers St. O1930
(617) 283-1167
HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434
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. 7
(201) 435-9424
MOBILE, Ala.
1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605
(205) 478-0916
NEW BEDFORD, Mass.
50 Union St. 027 40
(617) 997-5404
NEW ORLEANS, La.
630 Jackson Ave. 70130
(504) 529-7546
Toll Free: 1-800-325-2532
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
SEATILE, Wash.
2505 1 Ave. 98121
(206) 441-1960
ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500
SUBIC BAY, Rep. of Philippines
34 21st St., W. Bajac Bajac
Olongapo City C-2201
222-3533
WILMINGTON, Calif.
510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�'Pull Together in '87 ... '
I pray that 1987 will be the year that all World War II merchant
seamen are recognized as veterans. If all the maritime unions can pull
together for once and with our maritime friends in both houses of
Congress and the Democrats in control, I don't see how this
recognition can be avoided.
Time is running out!

Fraternally .yours,
Otis L. Bouchie Jr.
Oneonta,Ala.35121

'Scholarship Provides Belief .
'Helping Defend Democracy ... '
For the last several years I have been trying, and generally
succeeding, to donate at least $200 each year to SPAD. The results of
the '86 elections were a gratifying return on my investment. I was
expecting the worst given the election results of '80, '82, and '84. But I
can honestly say now that working people, led by organized labor,
have begun to turn the political tide.
It's a shameful fact of life that economic progress for working people
is so thoroughly linked to the political climate of the country. Reagan
showed us how he intended to deal with working people when he fired
the Air Traffic Controllers several years ago. The '86 elections were
our repayment in kind. I hope and trust we can repay Reagan ten-fold,
or even a hundred-fold, in the elections of 1988.
I work at American Commercial Barge Lines/Inland Tugs. As we
return to political sanity, I hope that company will see fit to negotiate
and sign a contract with the Seafarers International Union. And I
hope we can elect someone to the White House in '88 who will
reinstate the Air Traffic Controllers and sign a contract with PATCO
on Inauguration Day 1989.
Toward these goals I have decided to increase my SPAD donations. I
shall make every effort to contribute $50 a month, every month thru
the '88 elections. In doing so I remind myself that organized labor is a
cornerstone of democracy, and defense of democracy requires that we
right the wrongs of Reagan. A $50 check is enclosed.

For Peace, Progress,
&amp;Unity,

Bick Gantly
St. Louis, Mo.

'Quick Action Saves Life . . . '
On Thursday, Nov. 20, 1986, QMED Hubbert Lee was injured while
changing a blank in the cargo tank aboard the M.V. Ranger. Lee was
able to get out of the tank with the assistance of QMED Richard Butch.
Lee fainted on deck, and after quick action by the crew and officers,
Lee was brought back to and put in the ship's hospital.
We were two days out of Singapore, and after numerous phone calls
with port officials was Capt. W.R. Horne able to get Lee off the ship and
to medical attention.
A boat came out to meet us and take Lee. Assisting in the operation
were Chief Mate Michael Miller, ABs Chuck Loveland, Michael Moore
and myself. It is the opinion of the crew that Capt. Horne did
everything humanly possible to insure Lee's safe return home.
I would also like to thank Mrs. Horne, the crew and officers for all
their help in making Lee comfortable.

Yours truly,
George B. Khan
Bosun, M.V. Banger

• •

t

Yet another deadline for submitting an application to the Charlie
Logan Scholarship Program will arrive this April. I would like to take
this opportunity to encourage all interested members to take
advantage of this program. Speaking from personal experience, I can
say that a Charlie Logan scholarship provides welcome financial aid to
those members who wish to pursue a formal education.
This March I will graduate from the Ur1iversity of Washington.
During my course of study, the program's monetary contribution
greatly relieved my financial needs. I would like sincerely to thank the
SID membership and leadership for their support.

Best wishes,
Russell Wiliams W-1131
Seattle, Wash.

New Jobs
I

t's common knowledge that the nations' s employment pattern is
changing. Ask any coal miner, steel
worker, seafarer or auto worker.
Traditional American industries
provide living wages and honorable
jobs for millions of Americans. Those
jobs are disappearing. With unemployment hovering around the 7 percent mark, the administration is fond
of pointing out that millions of new
jobs have been created in the past six
years to replace the ones that have
been lost. But unlike a rose, a job is
not a job is not a job.
More than 60 percent of these new
jobs pay less than $7 ,000 a year$134.62 a week-$3.37 an hour.
A new study by the Joint Economic
Committee shows a frightening trend.
One million middle and high income
jobs disappeared during the past seven
years. Those jobs were replaced by
900,000 low paying ones-less than
$7 ,000 a year.
The study shows that the vast majority of new jobs are either part-time
or near minimum wage. While those
types of jobs may be fine for high
school students working for date
money, how the hell do you pay the

mortgage on $134.62 a week?
There are many reasons for the
changing shape of the workforce, but
the biggest has to be the economic
policy of the administration. Since
1980, American manufacturing jobs
have been exported, the country's trade
deficit has soared and so little has been
done about it.
One of the first things needed is a
trade policy which could put American
products on an equal footing with
foreign competition and bring back
American workers to shop floors and
assembly lines.
Maybe the administration and its
spokesmen believe the myths about
the new jobs. Perhaps they should
leave their offices in Washington and
tell the people in Detroit, in West
Virginia, in Louisiana, in Pittsburgh
or wherever how much better off they
are with all these new jobs. Maybe
they'd get the kind of reaction they
deserve-a good swift kick.

OOPS-WE GOOFED

'Expression of Sorrow . . . '
I want to express to you our deep regret over the loss of life
following the catastrophic explosion on the OMI Yukon.
We do not have a good explanation for the cause of the accident at
this time, but we want you to know that the company now and in the
future considers as its first priority the safety of its crews.
Again, we express to you our profound sorrow.

Sincerely,
Jack Goldstein
President, OMI Corp.

Last month's LOG misidentified the artist who created this piece of scrimshaw. Seafarer
Gene Barry designed and created this fine example of the traditional seafaring art form.
It is part of a major exhibit of American Labor History now on display at the Smithsonian
Institution's Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

January 1987 I LOG I 31

�SUPPORT SPAO,,
I / SUPPORT6'

You 0
0

11001( ON TO
AND JOB

~ECURITY

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LABOR AND NATION CELEBRATE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY&#13;
CREW SNUFFS OUT BLAZE ON THE LT. JOHN P. BOBO&#13;
THREE SINKINGS CLAIM 30&#13;
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ON THE WATERFRONT WITH FRANK DROZAK&#13;
ED TURNER, LUNDEBERG ALLY, SIU VP, RETIRES&#13;
FOUR DIE IN MASSIVE PINEY POINT BARGE BLAST&#13;
CROWLEY CREWS HELP COMPLETE PIPELINE&#13;
SHLSS PREPARES UPGRADERS FOR U.S. COAST GUARD DECK LICENSE EXAM&#13;
SIU PROMOTES ASBESTOS AWARENESS&#13;
1986: THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE SIU CONTINUE TO WORK WITH MANY NEW MILITARY JOBS WHILE UNION LOOKS FOR WAYS TO RIDE OUT STORMY COURSE OF THE MARITIME INDUSTRY&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication ol the Seafarers International Union •

A Special Report

The Decline of
U.S. Sea lift

Pages 15-18

CDS Rule
Overturned
More than two years ago the SIU
predicted that some 800 seamen and
more than a dozen militarily useful
tankers would be out of work if a new
construction subsidy payback scheme
was implemented by the Department
of Transportation (DOT).
That is exactly what happened, but
a federal appeals court judge has told
DOT that the payback program is
unlawful , and the department has until
June 15 to revise the program or revert
to the older regulations.
The controversy centered around
ships in the Alaska oil trade. The Jones
Act requires that ships in the U.S.
domestic trade be built in the U.S. ,
but without subsidy. Ships used in the
foreign trades were eligible for construction subsidy but were not permitted in the Jones Act trade .
When the DOT issued its payback
rules allowing the subsidized ships into
the Jones Act trade, the SIU and many
other groups called the plans shortsighted and unfair.
Many of the tankers in the trade are
smaller than the massive vessels used
in international tanker operations. But
these smaller ships are ones the military considers useful for its purposes
if needed. At least 13 of these smaller
ships were forced into layup as a direct
result of the payback scheme, and
some 800 seamen Jost their jobs.
In the case, the judge ruled that
DOT had violated certain aspects of
the 1936 Merchant Marine Act in implementing the program.
"It's a shame it takes the Joss of
800 jobs and the layup of 13 ships to
prove the payback plan was faulty
from the start," said SIU President
Frank Drozak.

Atlanti~ Gull, Lakes and

Inland Waters District• AFL-CIO Vol. 49, No. 2 February 198'7

New Congress Gears Up for Action

Trade Tops SIU Hill Agenda, Bill
Could Boost U.S. Merchant Marine
In a word, the main thrust of the
SIU's legislative effort in the lOOth
Congress is TRADE.
"So many things are tied to trade,
and the maritime industry is no exception,'' said SIU President Drozak.
As a result of failed administration
trade policies, last year's trade deficit
was $170 billion. That means we imported $170 billion more in foreignmade goods than we exported in
American-made products. Billions of
that trade was carried on ships. Unfortunately, little was carried on U.S.ftag ships.
One of the cornerstones of trade
legislation is "fair trade." Most of the
countries where the U.S. trade deficit
is the largest protect and promote their
industries, making competition impossible. The thrust of several of the trade
proposals aired by senators and
congressional representatives is to put
U.S. goods and products on an equal
footing with other countries.
Many countries subsidize their important industries, put trade restrictions on foreign competitors, close
their markets to foreign products and
require use of their countries' ships in
importing and exporting products. At
the same time , these countries take
advantage of the virtually restrictionfree American market.
"U.S. maritime has suffered from a
variety of unfair trade restrictions in
the international marketplace. It is an
impenetrable wall of foreign promotional policies and restrictive measures which virtually shut out U .S.-ftag
vessels in foreign trade. We have to
eliminate these unfair foreign practices," Drozak said.
Last year the House passed a trade
bill, but it was bottled up in the then

Republican-controlled Senate. With a
new Democratic majority and the realization by members of both parties
that the U.S. cannot continually pile
up huge trade deficits, Capitol Hill
watchers are sure some sort of legislation will be passed.
"I believe that if we can get some
legislation that helps put us back on
an equal footing with other countries,
we can compete with anyone," Drozak said.
While trade will be the major issue
of the upcoming session, the SIU plans
to support and fight for several pieces
of legislation that will benefit the U.S.
merchant marine.

Auto Carriage
SIU Legislative Director Frank Pecquex said the Union will attempt to
secure an auto carriage bill which
would open the lucrative car carrier
business between Japan, other car ex-

porting nations, and the U.S. to American ships. Almost all of the more than
two million imported Japanese cars
currently are brought in on Japanese
or third-flag ships. U.S. ships are shut
out of the trade mostly due to restrictive Japanese export and maritime policies as opposed to simple cost factors.
Almost $4 billion in foreign cars was
imported last year.

Subsidy Reform
There will be some attempt to restructure the current Operating Differential Subsidy program, Pecquex
said. All ODS contracts will run out
in 1999, though many contracts will
end much sooner. Under the present
administration, no new ODS contracts
have been awarded since 1980.
Last year the maritime industry could
not agree on an approach to subsidy
reform.
(Continued on Page 3.)

Welcome to the Real World

The USNS Assertive in Monterey. (Seep. 19.)

Inside:
Gulf War Dangers

Page 3

Snapshots Around the SIU

News from SHLSS
Upgraders' Album

Pages 9-12
Page 13

Page 4

Tug &amp; Tow News
Washington Report

Pages 5 &amp; 6
Page 7

Government Services News
Page 19

Tax Tips

Pages 21-27

�i

President's Report
by Frank Drozak

I

T'S hard to believe, but Winston
Churchill was once the most unpopular man in England. People just
didn't want to listen to all that gloomy
talk about war. They preferred to cast
their lot with Neville Chamberlain,
who told them that peace was at hand.
While the man with the umbrella
was wrong about peace, he did understand human nature. People just
don't want to listen to bad news,
especially if it concerns them.
In 1984, Americans were turned off
by Walter Mondale ' s campaign for the
presidency. They preferred Ronald
Reagan's cheery brand of optimism.
When Mondale noted that Americans
wanted more government than they
were willing to pay for, and that maybe
taxes should be raised , he was treated
like some kind of political leper. Yet ,
like Churchill in 1938, he was only
telling the truth.
The truth often hurts. For the past
several years , I have been talking
about the decline of the maritime industry and what it means for this
country and this membership. The
bottom line stil1 hasn't changed; America's sealift capability has been allowed to deteriorate to dangerously
low levels. Yet rather than face the
issue head on, this administration continues to rely on foreign-flag vessels
to protect its national interests. It also
has embarked on a costly buildup of
the government-controlled "ready-reserve'' fleet which fails to address at
least one central question: how are we
going to secure adequate levels of
skilled mariners when trained and experienced young people are being
forced out of the industry?
But the Reagan administration is not
the only one to ignore the handwriting
on the wall. Many of our own members
can't see it either.
Many of our members are reluctant
to take jobs onboard military vessels.
Yet these vessels represent the survival of our organization . Every year
the American-flag merchant marine
grows smaller and smaller. But the
number of jobs on board these military
vessels continues to increase-and they
are good jobs. If we allow them to ail
short, then we just might as well call
it quits.
A little history lesson is in order.
Almost all of the non-military work
that is available to our deep-sea mem-

bers comes from two sources: tankers
carrying Alaskan oil and cargo generated by the government. Yet every
year for the past decade , moves have
been made to repeal the ban on the
export of Alaskan oil and to dismantle
this nation's existing system of cargo
preference laws. It's important to note
that similar long-term campaigns were
waged against the Construction Differential Subsidy program and the U.S.
Public Health Service hospitals before
they were eventually dismantled in
1981.

I don't want to sound overly pessimistic. There is hope for this industry, but it's not coming from the
administration, and it is not something
we should take for granted . Any hope
this industry has will come from our
own actions and from the actions of
our friends in Congress who refuse to
let the growing trade crisis fester any
longer.
Thanks to the support of this membership , our Union maintains a strong
presence on Capitol Hill. Earlier this
month, I met with House Speaker Jim
Wright (D-Texas) and House Merchant Marine Chairman Walter Jones
(D-N.C.) to make sure they know
where we stand. I believe that any
trade bill that comes out of Congress
must take into account the needs of
the maritime industry.
One more thing: for the past several
years , I have been urging the various
maritime unions to unite . There have
been plenty of speeches about this ,
and even some meetings . Yet invariably when the moment of truth came,
nothing happened.
I still believe that maritime unions
have to merge if they are to survive.

That does not mean that I am willing
to sit by waiting for this to happen and
do nothing to protect the job security
of our members. Right now, licensed
unions such as the MM&amp;P and MEBA
District 1 have created organizations
so that they can sail the military vessels top-to-bottom. Their intentions
could not be any clearer. They want
to protect their job security by jeopardizing yours.
No doubt about it: trade and maritime unity will be the most important
issues of 1987. At the request of AFLCIO President Lane Kirkland, I will
again meet with Shannon Wall of the
NMU to reopen merger talks with the
SIU. And we are continuing to work
with District 2 with regard to the
Seafarers Maritime Union.
SMU represents job security for this
membership. It also represents an instance where licensed and unlicensed
unions have been able to work together to protect the job security of
their respective memberships.
I am reminded of an eloquent speech
that Ray McKay delivered at the 1981
Triennial SIU Convention. His words
help explain some of the issues facing
us today:
' ' I came up through the SIU. I once
served as SIU vice president. My SIU
membership is still pinned up at the
Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship ...
" I am indebted to the giants of the

SIU (Paul Hall, Paul Drozak, AI Kerr
and Charlie Logan) for their support
and direction in my Union's earliest
years.
"One of the dreams [of those early
SIU leaders] was for a better life for
the merchant seaman; the SIU is part
of that dream. Another dream was for
a better life for United States merchant
officers; when they spoke of improving
the lot of maritime labor, they drew
no distinction between officers and
crew. They wanted to help anyone
employed on merchant ships, no matter where their individual situation
might lie.
"If maritime labor can't hold itself
together, it won't make a convincing
case for a strong merchant marine.
We can't waste ime and energy fighting among ourselves. That is a very
true statement.
"Few things disappointed these men
more than division in the ranks of
maritime labor . . . If they were here
today, they would remind us that Navy
auxiliary ships with private sector civilians are acceptable to everyone but
the Navy which perceived maritime
labor as the battlefront of jealous,
squabbling individuals. Unity is still
most important with the cutbacks, with
the new administration . . .
"You know where I stand, Frank.
I think that we can all eat at the same
table . . . District 2 offers the SIU
complete support. ' '

Heyman Named New Counsel
Charles B. Heyman has been named
counsel for the Seafarers International
Union. He replaces Howard Shulman,
who retired earlier this year.
"In this day and age, it is imperative
that a union secure the best legal
advice available,'' said SIU President
Frank Drozak. "Howard Shulman
served this Union with honor and
distinction. Charles Heyman has the
integrity and the legal skills to do the
same."
Heyman has had a long association
with the SIU. The law firm he head Kaplan, Heyman , Greenberg, Engelman and Belgrad-has represented the
SIU in many cases since the Union 's
formation.
Heyman , who was born Dec. 17 ,
1925 , has been active in labor and
community affairs . He received his
law degree from the University of
Maryland Law School , and was admitted to the Bar in 1950.

He is married to the former Eunice
Belaga and has three children.
He is a former member of the Governor's Task Force on Public E mployer Labor Relations, and the former Chairman of the Maryland State
Bar Association, Labor Section.

Charles B. Heyman

Offtc1al Publication of the Seafarers International Union of
North Amenca , Atlantic. Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters D1stnct.
AFL-CI O

February 1987

Vol. 49 , No 2

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

2 I LOG I February 1987

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Secretary

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union , Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters D1stnct, 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 .

�Iran-Iraq War Zone, a Threat to -World Shipping
More than 200 merchant seamen
have been killed by Iranian or Iraqi
raids on ships in the Persian Gulf area
near the trade lanes of those two
warring countries. While a handful of
U.S.-flag ships have been boarded,
American vessels have escaped attack.
Some members of the shipping community have called for arming merchant ships to be able to fight back
against any attackers. Others have
suggested naval escorts or defensive

systems as opposed to arming ships
in peace time.
''A ... realistic solution would be
to provide naval escorts for ships in
area of high intensity. I wouldn't like
to get involved in arming merchant
ships in time of peace," said Adm.
(ret.) Harold Shear, former Marad administrator.
Since the war between Iran and Iraq
escalated in 1984, 196 attacks on merchant ships have been recorded. Iraq
attacks tankers carrying oil from Ira-

Finance Committee At Work

nian refineries, and Iran attacks ships
to disrupt trade to Iraq.
Missiles used by Iran and Iraq against
merchant vessels have radar systems
that home in on the target, and several
shipping companies have installed
"passive defense systems" to help
thwart attacks.
One Greek shipping executive, who
declined to be named, said that on gulf
voyages his company's 35 tanker and
freighters are equipped with anti-tor-

Hill Agenda
(Continued from Page 1.)

Alaskan Oil
Export of all Alaskan North Slope
oil currently is prohibited. That means
it is carried by U.S.-flag tanker to
U.S. refineries. But last year there
was an effort to allow the export of
oil from the Cook Inlet region. A bill
to prohibit that export failed Ia t year,
but the SIU and other maritime group
will attempt to block export of the
Cook Inlet oil.

Arctic Wildlife
The SIU's books were given their quarterly audit by the elected rank-and-file finance
committee which consisted of Calvain James, Charles Clausen, Michael Kraljevic, Dan
Johnson, Alex Reyer, William Seidenstricker and Richard Tankersley. Assisting the
committee were Joe DiGiorgio, SIU secretary, and Cheri Herrlein, assistant to the
secretary.

•

•

Line

o Sell 20 Ships

United States Lines plans to sell at
lea t 20 of its 50-ship fleet in an effort
to get back on its financial feet following its declaration of bankruptcy late
last year.
USL, America' olde t and large t
steamship company, will sell all 12 of
its giant containerships (4,420 TEU)
and eight smaller containerships. The
smaller ship will be sold to the U.S.
government; the giant vessels will go
to as yet unnamed buyers, according
to the company.
Currently, USL is operating only 12
of its 50 ships, and those are on South

American and trans-Pacific routes. USL
also will be looking to sell other ships
in its fleet.
When it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, USL listed some
$1. 7 billion in debts. Chapter 11 provides a company with a minimum of
120 days protection from creditors
while it tries to restructure and find a
way to pay off its liabilities.
The 12 huge containerships were
built in Korea at a cost of $47 .5 million
each, but USL probably will recover
only a percentage of tho e cost when
the ships are sold.

pedo wire nets extending about 30 feet
around the hip.
Many companies also have installed
sophisticated satellite communication
and navigation systems to avoid attacks, and trained crews to handle air
raids.
But Klaas Reinigert, managing director of a Dutch marine salvage company, said: "The fact is that merchant
hips and salvage tugs in the gulf are
defenseless against modern guided
weapons."

Oil experts believe there is a very
large and rich petroleum deposit in the
Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). As the Prudhoe Bay oil
field is used up, this area could be the
next major find.
The area is very close to the TransAlaskan Pipeline, and withjust a small,
new connection the current pipeline
would be used to transport the oil.
The SIU will be looking to back legislation which would require that any
of the ANWR oil be limited for domestic consumption and that any exploration in the ANWR be conducted
with U .S.-made equipment and Amer-

ican worker .
If the oil is reserved for dome tic
u e, U .S.-flag ships would be required
to carry the crude oil to refinerie m
the U.S.

Build and Charter
The SIU will continue to support
the concept of a build and charter
program to construct ships in U.S.
shipyards through a federal revolving
fund. The government would then sell
or charter these vessels to the private
merchant marine. These ships would
be built to include militarily useful
designs and would be available to the
government in times of emergency.
Several other areas important to the
SIU will come up in Congress this
session. They include:
,,- Fishing vessel safety legislation;
,,- Cargo preference enforcement;
,,- Carriage of U.S. mail on Americanflag ships~
I-"' The insurance crisis in the fishing
industry;
I-"' The closing of several Jones Act
loopholes, and
I-"' Veterans benefits for World War II
seamen.

Why Is This Man Smiling?

Dr. San Filippo Named
SIU Medical Director
Dr. Joseph A. San Filippo, staff
physician with the SIU New York
Clinic for 25 years, recently was appointed SIU medical director for all
ports. He replaces Dr. Joseph B.
Logue, medical director from 1956 to
1986, who died last October at the age
of 91.
Dr. San Filippo is a native New
Yorker. He was graduated from
Brooklyn College of Pharmacy in 1937
and from Long Island University in
1940. Following several years as a
practicing pharmacist, he attended
medical school, graduating from the
University of Bologna (Italy) in 1958
with an M.D. degree.

Dr. San Filippo is pre ently on the
staff at Lutheran Medical Center in
Brooklyn, N. Y. in the Department of
Medicine. Previously he had been in
charge of the diabetes clinic at Lutheran as well a chairman of their
Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.
Dr. San Filippo is a member of a
number of medical as ociations, among
them: the AMA, New York State Medical Society, King County Medical
Society, Physicians and Surgeons of
America and the New York Academy
of Science. He is also a Fellow of the
American Society of Geriatrics and a
Fellow of the Clinic Society of the
New York Diabetes Association.

'ikj;f)..C~'
~- :!

':..:

Ray Bourdius, assistant editor of the Seafarers LOG for 13 years, retired last month.
Bourdius, 65, had the longest tenure of any of the current LOG staff. During bis long
career in publishing he worked as a copy editor for several New York area newspapers,
including the old New York Mirror. He also served a stint on the copy desk of the
International Herald-Tribune in Paris, France. That was where he met his wife Catherine.

February 1987 I LOG I 3

�SIU Snapshots
Steward/Baker N!ck Andrews (below) was lucky this past Christmas Day because his wife
Dixie had a chance to be onboard the SS Caguas (Puerto Rico Marine) for the holiday.
As the picture shows, Andrews had no shortage of the Christmas spirit as he turned his
quarters into a holiday scene.

On their way to a little shore time, Overseas Alice crewmembers David Curry, Bosun
Copeland and Joe Matekarich catch up on the news.

Correction

Some work is never done. AB Rudy Asopardo takes a break from chipping the
piping and flanges on the Overseas Alice.

On the LNG Gemini, Thanksgiving was celebrated as it is on dry land, with a huge and
delicious meal. Above, Chief Steward Mike Haukland and an assistant get the feast ready.

Due to a production error last month, a
picture of longtime New Orleans Rep. Martin Kanoa (left) and Honolulu Port Agent
Steve Ruiz was incorrectly cropped. The
picture is printed above the way it is supposed to be.

At a recent Democratic fundraiser, members of California's congressional delegation got
together with SIU Field Rep John Ravnik (left). The three representatives are (I. to r.)
Doug Bosco, Barbara Boxer and Glenn Anderson.

4 I LOG I February 1987

A typical busy day in the Honolulu hall.

�Danny Fortner, deckhand, signs his SIU dues checkoff
while working on the Ed Renshaw in the port of St. Louis,
Mo.

Riding the Orgulf
Boats in St. Louis
Linda Raymo is the towboat cook and boat
delegate aboard Orgulf's Pat Chotin.
·~

...::

•.-;.

Dixie Boatright is the cook aboard
Orgulf's Midland. She also serves
as boat delegate.

May Blankenship is the boat delegate and cook aboard Orgulf' s
Ed Renshaw.

.

Don Leinberger of the Ed Renshaw' s deck department gets his
SIU book updated and his questions answered by SIU Rep Dave
Carter.

February 1987 I LOG I 5

�I
f

In Memoriam
Merrick
Chapman, 57, died May
5, 1986. H:e joined
the Union in 1957,
most recently sailing
as a captain. Brother
Chapman is survived by three children and two grandchildren. Burial was at Belaire Cove
Cemetery in Belaire Cove, La.
James
Mitchell
Mauldin, 66, died of
a heart attack at the
Norfolk (Va.) International Terminals
on Nov. 29, 1986.
Brother
Mauldin
joined the Union in
the port of Norfolk
in 1972. H:e sailed as a chief engineer
aboard the tugs Cape Cod and Cape
Henry (Curtis Bay Towing) from 1973
to 1986. He was born in Lavonia, Ga.
and was a resident of Norfolk. Burial
was in the Rosewood Park Cemetery ,
Virginia Beach, Va. Surviving is his
widow, Madeline.

Liam O'Connell, mate
aboard the Dave Carlton,
goes through Lock 26 on
the Mississippi River.

Pensioner Michael

· Benedict Pajtis Sr.,
84, passed away from
heart-lung failure in
the Church Hospital, Baltimore on
Dec.
12,
1986.
Brother Pajtisjoined
the Union in the port
of Baltimore in 1960. H:e sailed as a
bridgeman for the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad from 1960 to 1984. H:e was
born in Maryland and was a resident
of Baltimore. Interment was in the St.
Stanislus Cemetery, Baltimore. Surviving is his son, Michael Jr. of Baltimore.

New
Pensioners
The following Inland members have
retired on pension:

Jacksonville
Charles B. Jurbala
New Orleans
Merrick Chapman Jr.
Grover M. Smith
Norfolk
Joseph M. Perry Jr.
6 I LOG I February 1987

James Moberly of the Dave Carlton works the lock wall.

Dolores Serio and James Wingate aboard
the Bob Labdon.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
JAN. 1-31, 1987
Port
Gloucester ........................
New York ....................... ..
Philadelphia ... . ......... . .........
Baltimore .........................
Norfolk ... ... ... ..... . ...........
Mobile .. .........................
New Orleans ......... .. ........ " ...
Jacksonville
San Francisco : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Wilmington ........... .... .........
Seattle ..... ............... . ......
Puerto Rico
Houston ... : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Algonac .. .. ....... . ..............
St. Louis .........................
Piney Point ..................... . ..
Totals ...... ....... ....... . ......
Port
Gloucester ........................
New York .........................
Philadelphia ... . ....... . ...... . ....
Baltimore ................. .... ....
Norfolk ..........................
Mobile ...........................
New Orleans .. ...... . .... ..........
Jacksonville
San Francisco : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Wilmington ......... .. .. .. ....... ..
Seattle ...... ....... . .... .........
Puerto Rico .......................
Houston ..........................
Algonac ..........................
St. Louis ................ .. .. .....
Piney Point ....... ..... .... ........
Totals . .. ....... ... . .......... ...

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0

0
1
5
58
0
0
2
0
5
0
0

6

2
1
0

0

0
1
0
8

0
0
1
0
2
0
0
1
3
0
0

0
0

6
0
0
0

1

9
0

7
0
0
4
0
1
0

80

16

28

0
0

0

0
0
0

0

0
9

0
0

0
0

0
0

0

2
0
0

0

0

0
0
0
0

0

0

0
0

0

0
0

0

0

0
0
1
0

0
0
0
0
0

2
2

0
0

13

0

3

0

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
DECK DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0

10

0
7

20
0
1
0
0
0

0
0
1
0
0

0

0

0
8

0
1
0
0
0

0
0
0

39

9

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
9
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0
0
0
1

0
0
0

0

0

0
0

0
0

0
0

10

2

0

0
0
0
0
0
0

3
0

0
0
0

3
0
0

0

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0

0
1

4
59
0
2
2
0
9

0
0
4

25
2
0

6

108

0
0
0
0

0
0
0

0

10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
21

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0

0
0

0
0
1

0

25
0

1

0
0
11
0
0
2
38
0
0

0
0

6

0
0
0
1

6

0

7
0
0
3
0
8
1

78

32

0
0
0
0

0

0
0
0

6

0

0

0
0

0
0
0
0
1
0
0

1
19
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0

0

31

26

1

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
1
0
9
0
1
0
0

0

0
0
0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Port
Gloucester . . ................... .. .
New York .........................
Ph iladelphia .......................
Baltimore .........................
Norfolk . . . . . . . . . .. ... . .. . ........
Mobile .. ............. . ...........
New Orleans .......................
Jacksonville
San Francisco : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Wilmington ........................
Seattle ...........................
Puerto Rico ..... . .................
Houston ...... . .............. . ....
Algonac .... . . . ....... ...... ......
St. Louis . . ................... . ...
Piney Point ........................
Totals ... .. .......... .. ......... .

14

0
0
0
0
1
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
9

Totals All Departments ... . ........... .

107

28

0

0
6
0
7
0
1

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0

6

0
0
0
8
0
0

1
0

0

0

0

0
0
0
0

0

0
0

0

0
0
0
0

1
0
1
0
0

0

0

0
0
0
0
0

0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0

0
0
0
5
0

0
0
0

7

6

0
0

1
0

d

0

0

0

0
1

0
0

0

10
1
0

6
0

0
0

0

7

0
8

0

2

0

23

18

7

35

57

13

6

162

122

40

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 .

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Washington Report

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President Reagan tried to use his State of
the Union address to set the tone for the final
two years of his presidency.
Looking fit after surgery, Reagan called on
the American people to regain their "competitive edge" by embarking on "a search for
excellence."
The speech was vintage Reagan. The rhetoric soared; the delivery was nearly perfect.
Yet most commentators seemed to agree
with Chris Wallace of NBC News who said
that Reagan had missed an important opportunity to regain control of this country's political agenda.
For one thing, said Wallace, the speech
contained few concrete details. More than that,
it failed to address the Iran-Contra arms scandal other than to say that "mistake had been
made in the execution of the policy.''

State ol Maritime
While President Reagan's State of the Union
message briefly touched upon a number of
domestic issues (catastrophic health insurance, welfare reform), its main focus was on
foreign affairs. Reagan highlighted four issues:
international trade, the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), aid to the Contras and arms
control.
President Reagan took credit for beefing up
the defense budget. At the same time , however, he failed to mention this country's declining sealift capability or the American-flag
merchant marine.
People in the maritime industry could not
help but compare this State of the Union
address with the one that Jimmy Carter delivered in 1979 .
"I will propose," said Carter, "overdue
changes in the nation's maritime policies. We
must improve the ability of our merchant fleet
to win a fair share of our cargo."

Democratic Response
Responding to the State of the Union address, the Democratic leaders of Congress
raised what they felt were a number of inconsistencies in the president's speech.
President Reagan pledged to restore America's "competitiveness" and railed against the
budget deficit. Yet House Speaker Jim Wright
(D-Texas) and Senate Majority Leader Robert
Byrd (D-W. Va.) asserted that the president's
own policies had contributed to the development of record trade and budget deficits. Both
Byrd and Wright questioned whether the president was really serious about embarking on
"a search for excellence" when he was proposing to cut the education budget by more
than a third. And they wondered about his
commitment to eradicating drug abuse in this
country.
A year after he declared war on drugs,
President Reagan submitted a budget that contained major cuts for drug education and drug
enforcement programs.

February 1987

Both bills are "generic." Rather than single
out specific industries for relief, as the ill-fated
textile bill did last year, they concentrate on
restructuring the mechanics of trade policy.
The Bentsen bill, the more stringent of the
two bills, would decrease presidential discretion in many matters pertaining to foreign
trade. Yet it is not, said Bentsen, a "protectionist" bill. It is designed, said Bentsen, to
shift the focus away from import protection
to "positive adjustment"-requiring industries, in return for temporary protection, to
take teps to make themselves more competitive.
The Bentsen bill would make a number of
fundamental changes in the present structure
of trade policy. It would increase the powers
of the International Trade Commission. Right
now, the president has the discretion to accept
or reject recommendations made by the ITC.
Bentsen' s bill would make ITC recommendations mandatory.
Bentsen also would set up a program for
retraining workers who had been hurt by unfair
foreign competition or by changes in domestic
industries.
The Bensten bill also would require the
president to open negotiations with countries
that show a consistent "pattern of marketdistorting practices" and to report the results
to Congress by December 1988. No sanctions
would be automatically imposed if negotiations
failed.
The administration would be required to
initiate investigations of "significant, justifiable" unfair trade practices by other countries.
When such practices were found, the president
would be required to retaliate within a maximum of 17 months.
Present law provides for such retaliation but
sets no time limit. Some retaliatory actions for
unfair trade practices have been debated for
10 years or more.

New Legislation
While the new session of Congress is less
than two months old, more than 100 bills
already have been introduced that pertain to
the maritime industry.
The SIU has lent its support to a number of
these measures, including the following:
• H.R. 82-Rep. Mario Biaggi (D-N.Y.) has
introduced a bill that would amend the
Jones Act by requiring any vessel used
to transport sewage sludge be U.S. manned
and constructed.
• H.R. 298 and H.R. 146-Rep. Helen Bentley (D-Md.) and Sen. Daniel Inouye (DHawaii) have introduced nearly identical
bills that would require the exclusive use
of American-flag vessels for all overseas
shipments of U.S. mail. At present, there
is no such requirement.
• H.R. 300-Biaggi has introduced legislation that would mandate the negotiation
and implementation of bilateral maritime
agreements with countries having a significant trade deficit with the United States.

Trade

Maritime Trades Department

By most accounts, trade is shaping up as
the single most important issue of the 1OOth
Congress.
Attention has centered on two bills. One is
being circulated by Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (DTexas), the other by the administration .

The Maritime Trades Department will meet
in Dania, Fla. to formulate a comprehensive
legislative agenda for this session of Congress.
The number one priority is expected to be
unfair foreign trade, which has adversely affected the U.S.-ftag merchant marine.

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

AFL·CIO
Earlier this year, The AFL-CIO News published a list of legislative priorities for the
upcoming year. Besides trade, the following
issues were listed:
• Double Breasting-The federation would
like to see legislation enacted that would
block employers in the construction industry from setting up non-union operations just to evade their contractual obligations to unions.
• Plant Closings-The AFL-CIO wants to
reintroduce a plant closing bill that was
defeated last year. It would require owners to give workers and communities 90
days notice before closing down a plant.
• Polygraph Testing-The federation would
support legislation that would limit the
use of polygraph testing.
• Right-To-Know Law-The AFL-CIO
would support a federal law requiring
employer and manufacturers to notify
workers of the health risks that they face
on the job. The federation is presently
working at the state level to enact similar
legislation.
• Minimum Wage-The federation wants to
raise the minimum wage from its current
$3.35 level to $4.25 an hour. The purchasing power of most families has declined by 26 percent since 1981, when the
present level was established.

Iran-Iraq
The Iran-Iraq war was in the news again
this month as Iranian forces continued to wear
down Iraq's resistance.
Iranian troops have reached the outermost
limits of Basra, Iraq's second largest city.
There was widespread fear throughout the
Middle East that some kind of turning point
had been reached.
These events came at a difficult time for the
Reagan administration, which was under fire
at home for its attempts to secretly ship arms
in exchange for the release of American hostages. Since the beginning of the year, nine
more hostages have been taken captive in
Beirut, including four Americans.
More than a dozen foreign tankers have
been hit since the beginning of the Iran-Iraq
war, which many experts believe threatens the
flow of Middle Eastern petroleum products.
Last year, the ITF passed a ruling stating
that any seaman onboard a merchant vessel
in the Persian Gulf could be relieved of his
duties if he requested it.
''Recent events in the Persian Gulf and last
year's ITF ruling concerning merchant seamen
underscore the importance of having an adequate supply of skilled American mariners,"
said SIU President Frank Drozak.

CHEAP IMPORTS KILL JOBS

BUY UNION-MADE U.S.A.
February 1987 I LOG I 7

�Area Vice Presidents' Report

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike Sacco

P

RELIMINARY figures show that
Great Lakes shipping recorded a
dismal year in 1986. Shipments of
steel, grain and coal-the lifeblood of
the Great Lakes maritime industrydeclined appreciably from the year
before.
Yet reduced cargo was only part of
the picture. ''Once considered by Midwest farmers and manufacturers as the
best way to go," said Earl Dowdy of
the Detroit News, "lake freighters have
lost much of their business to trucks ,
trains, airplanes and foreign vessels
hauling goods made overseas. ''
Of 86 American-flag vessels sailing
the Great Lakes, only 53 were in
service during the midsummer peak.
With an average crew of30, that meant
that 1,000 Great Lakes sailors sat out
the season.
Things were slightly better for the
dredging industry, which many people
say will be given a boost by passage
of the Port Development Act. Some
jobs are expected to be created by the
Clean Water Bill. Both the Senate and
the House of Representatives overrode President Reagan's veto of the
bill.
The Michigan Department of Commerce has just released the findings of
a $22,000 study conducted by a California firm which showed that Midwesterners would support a revived
cruise ship industry on the Lakes.

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

I

have been meeting with representatives of the national Democratic
Party to persuade them to hold their
1988 Convention in Houston.
The city is a logical choice for such
an event. It boasts many fine facilitie ,
including ample hotel space, a ~ew
convention center and a sophisticated
communications network. It would give
the Democrats exposure in a pivotal
state.
Texas has undergone a gradual political transformation over the past 20
years. Once solidly Democratic, it now
has two strong parties.
A strong grassroots base is a must
in this state, and we have it. If you
want a reason to sign a SPAD checkoff, just look at what is happening in
Texas.

8 I LOG I February 1987

The economy of Houston is in serious trouble. Yet SIU seamen down
here have no trouble landing jobs.
That's because of the military work
that we have been able to securemilitary work that would not have
been possible without your political
involvement.
Our biggest challenge down here is
to make sure that these vessels do not
sail short. Because if they do, then we
won't have these jobs for long.
Contract negotiations will soon be
under way throughout the region. We
will be looking to add new equipment
in the Gulf area.
We are still stressing the basics. The
servicing team will be making the
coastwise towing and canal equipment
to improve communications between
the Union and the membership. They
will keep the membership advised on
negotiations as they proceed (i.e.,
Crescent Towing).

together to turn things around for the
maritime industry. The current preoccupation with trade offers the maritime
industry a chance to reverse its decline.
Just recently, the Federal Maritime
Commissioner said that he would aggressively fight the unfair trading practices of other countries. This is an
issue we can all unite behind.
We should not fritter away this opportunity. APL recently used a foreign-flag vessel to sail one of its subsidized routes without notifying any
of the unions involved (SIU, SUP and
MFOW). Such actions are counterproductive because they breed distrust
when unity of purpose is essential.

This problem is not confined to New
Bedford. A few weeks ago, two dozen
fishermen from around the country
met at a workshop and shared their
experiences on securing self-insurance.
The fishing industry is just one industry, of course. But what is happening to it is hardly unique.
For the past several months, American and Canadian trade representatives have discussed implementing a
''Free Trade'' zone between the United
States and Canada. Negotiations have
hit a snag because the Canadians don't
want to ease up on regulations restricting American magazines and moviesa multi-billion dollar business. At the
same time, they bristle when the
Americans talk about the growing deficit in automobiles and data processing.

East Coast
by V. P Leon Hall

T

West Coast
by V. P. George McCartney

I

'VE noticed a welome development
on the West Coast. Any SIU member who wants to ship out can do so.
This has had one unfortunate side
effect. It is becoming increasingly difficult to fill the jobs onboard military
vessels.
It would be a mistake for our membership to take these jobs for granted.
The long-term prospects for the maritime industry are quite disturbing.
Military work is the one area of growth
in an otherwi e depressed industry.
Every year for the past decade,
attacks have been made against this
country's cargo preference laws and
the ban on the export of Alaskan oil.
If for any rea on opponents of the
maritime industry were uccessful in
dismantling these programs, then you
would probably see a ma exodus of
vessels and jobs overseas. Only military work would remain .
Our members have to understand
what is happening. The maritime indu try is in the midst of a radical
transformation. Rapid technological
advances have dramatically reduced
the izes of most crews. Any member
who fails to upgrade hi or her skill
will be at a severe disadvantage in the
years ahead.
More important, the era of "onestop hipping" is upon us. There has
been a gradual merging of deep- ea
carriers , tug and barge companies and
railroads.
Many people believe that one-stop
shipping repre ents the maritime indu try's be t hope for the future. At
the ame time, however, it poses certain problem .
Labor and management have to work

HE NLRB is still listening to
testimony to determine ifthe New
Bedford Seafood Producers engaged
in unfair labor practices in their negotiations with the SIU. Witnesses
have been scheduled through the end
of March.
The breakdown in negotiations occurred in December 1985 and led to a
bitter strike. The breakdown wa
cau ed in large part by the depressed
state of the fishing industry.
The New England fishing industry
continues to be in a serious state of
decline. Yet less than 100 miles away,
Canadian fishermen are having a banner year.
''The weak Canadian dollar and international politics have (helped the
Canadians)," wrote The Journal of
Commerce recently. "Since 1984, Canada has controlled, within its 200 mile
limits, a scallop -rich slice ofthe Georges
Bank that was considered American
until the World Court said it was
Canadian. U.S. boats are now chased
off by the Canadian Coa t Guard."
According to The Journal of Commerce, "There is a remarkable degree
of cooperation between Canada's government and its fishing industry,
amounting in some cases almost to a
guaranteed market share and elimination of competition.''
Meanwhile, American fishermen are
struggling along. They feel cheated by
the 1984 decision. There is a widespread perception that the American
government didn't do enough to represent their interests before the World
Court.
Aside from Canadian competition,
the biggest problem facing New England fishermen is the liability insurance
crisis. Things have become so bad that
fi hermen have all but given up on
securing what they consider to be
affordable insurance from conventional underwriting companies.

Government Services
by V.P. Buck Mercer

!

suppose the same situations apply
to shoreside workers and shipboard
crews alike where personalities, temperament, attitude and behavior are
concerned. The difference is, however, the shoreside employee can go
his way once the eight-hour day's
labor has been completed and forget
about the events of the day and enjoy
some of the fruits oflife that are denied
shipboard personnel.
Ships l often spend weeks at sea;
then, upon reaching a port, could spend
weeks at anchor. During that time
there are the same face to see, the
same voices to hear, the same routine
duties to perform-day after tedious
day, week after tiresome week. The
long days at sea coupled with the
monotonous grind of daily shipboard
chores sometimes begin to take their
toll on the best of sailors. That is when
personalitie_s, temperament, attitudes
and behavior come into focus.
Personalities differ in each individual, and quite often these varied personalities clash. This makes for an
unhealthy situation between fellow
workers and a far worse circumstance
when supervisors or department heads
are involved. When personalities clash,
tempers flare, attitudes and behavior
patterns change-and the effect can
be felt throughout the ship.
While tempers may be supressed
under the watchful eyes of the ship's
officers, there are no such restraints
when the crew goes ashore and possibly meets up in a local bar. That is
when an already bad situation can
become very tense and dangerous.
That is when the "THINKING
SAILOR" uses his or her head and
stays OUT OF TROUBLE.
AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE
ASKING ALL OF OUR MEMBERS
TO DO-ST AY OUT OF TROUBLE
ABOARD SHIP, AND ASHORE.

�Delta Queen Steamboat Co. Crewmembers
Attend SHLSS Safety Training Program
Safety aboard ship is a high
priority for all our SIU contracted
companies, but the unexpected
happens no matter how safety
conscious people are. Preparing
seamen to meet these emergencies
is the best method to insure the
safety of the ship and its
crewmembers.
Recently seven men from
the Delta Queen Steamboat
Company completed a three-week
safety training program at the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School

of Seamanship. The program was
set up at the request of the Delta
Queen Steamboat Company and
included training in First Aid,
Fire Fighting, CPR and Lifeboat.
These courses are regularly taught
at the Lundeberg School in
conjunction with other upgrading
courses but were scheduled backto-back to meet the specific needs
of the Delta Queen Steamboat
Company. It was a rigorous three
weeks but the men all felt it was
well worth the time and effort.

SHLSS RN Noreen Neel instructs students in applying a full head bandage.

Class members learn the technique tor the performance of CPR.

The Delta Queen group gets hands-on-experience launching a gravity davit.

··~

Learning oar commands is an important segment of the lifeboat course.

Delta Queen Steamboat Co. Crewmembers
First row (I. to r.) Carl Koen Jr., Dexter Williams, Michael Doshier. Second
row: Steve W. Chiasson, Ray Tate, Aaron Rucker, Brad Seibel.
February 1987 I LOG I 9

�Army Cargo Handling Group

Continues Training at SHLSS

~­

SHLSS Instructor Richard Dickerson supervises slewing a tractor trailer.

The SHLSS Hagglund crane is set up for twin operation.

11

I

After the truck is placed in position, it is secured on the barge.

i

The spreader bar is positioned over
the barge to make a lift.

The Army team, in a joint effort, hooks
up the equalizing beam preparing the
crane for twin operation.

~sHLSS

Seallft Operation and Maintenance
First row (I. tor.) Ali Amran, S. Madjidji. Second row: Harry
AIOnQi (Instructor), Darya Marbrook, Ervin Earleyh Alika
Lapilio. Not shown: Gregory Lee, Sam Johnson, Jo n Lee
Davis, Brenda Kamiya.

10 I LOG I February 1987

Observing maneuvers from Fort Eustis are (R. to L.) Al Davis, SFC Brown
and SHLSS Sealift Coordinator Bill Hellwege.

COURSE

GRADUATES~

GED

First row (I. tor.) Willie L. Lindsey, Gandido castro, Ron Koski.
Second row: John Davis, Jay M. Anderson, Glen James.

Army Training Group
Frist row (I. to r.) Harold R. Looney, Luis E. Romero,
Raymond E. Byrd, Richard Dickerson (Instructor). Second
row: K. Murphy, Helen Kasony, Arthur Simmons. Third row:
Robert L. Gurley, Ralph T. Weeks, Melvin Michaels.

�Apply Now for an SH LSS Upgrading Co.urse
..•

...............................•.........................................................................................................!

Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name

Date of Birth -~~---.........---­
Mo./Day/Vear

(Middle)

(Last)

Address. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _""""Tl"l"l==-==----------------------

(City)

Deep Sea Member D

Telephone -........-__,........,,.....,,....,,,..,,........----(Area Code)

(Zip Code)

(State)

Inland Waters Member D

Pacific D

Lakes Member D

Social Security# _______ Book# _ _ _ _ _ _ Seniority _ _ _ _ _ _ Department _ _ _ _ __
Port Presently
Date Book
Was lssued _ _ __ _ __ _ _ Port lssued _ _ _ __ _ _ __ Registered In _ _ __ _ _ _ __
Endorsement(s) or
Ucense(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Are you a graduate of the SH LSS Trainee Program: O Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

Trainee Program: From _ _ _ _~~to~~---(dates attended)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s)Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes

No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for Training - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Primary Language Spoken - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
DECK
D
D
D
O
D
D
D
0
D
D
D

o

D
0
D

ENGINE

Tankerman
AB Unlimited
AB Limited
AB Special
Towboat Operator Inland
Towboat Operator Not More
Than 200 Miies
Towboat Operator (Over 200 Miles)
Celestial Navigation
Master Inspected Towing Vessel
Mate Inspected Towing Vessel
1st Class Piiot
Third Mate Celestial Navigation
Third Mate
Radar Observer Unlimited
Simulator Course

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

D FOWT
D QMED-Any Rating
D Marine Electronlcs
(Variable Speed DC Drive)
D Marine Electrlcal Maintenance
D Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
D Automation
D Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
D Diesel Engine Technology
D Assistant Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel)
D Chief Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel
D Third Asst. Engineer &amp; Orlglnal Second
Asst. Engineer Steam or Motor
D Ref rlgerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
O Hydraulics
D Electro-Hydraulic Systems

STEWARD
D
D
D
D

Cook &amp; Baker
Chief Cook
Chief Steward
Towboat Inland Cook

ALL DEPARTMENTS
D Weldlng
D Lifeboatmen
o Seallft Operations &amp; Maintenance

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
D Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equlvalency
Program (GEO)
D Developmental Studies (DVS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)
D ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates In Arts Degree
D Nautical Science Certificate

RECORD OF EMPLOYMENT TIME-(Show only amount needed to upgrade in rating noted above or attach letter
of service, whichever is applicable.)
VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE_~~--~~~~~~~~~~-DATE_~~~~~~~~~~~~~­

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

..........................................................................................................................
Rev.

12186

...

---~::::;;.~-.,..

\

February 1987 I LOG I 11

�1987 UPGRADING COURSE SCHEDULE
Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills and Promote the U.S. Maritime Industry

March 1987 -

Jun

Steward Upgrading Courses

The following is the current course schedule for March 1987 - June
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.
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

1987

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Chief Cook

March 18
May 13

May 22
July 17

Cook &amp; Baker

March 18
April 29
June 10

June 26
August 7
September 18

Chief Steward

March 18
May 13

May 22
July 17

Course

Recertification Programs
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Steward Recertification

June 29

August 3

Adult Education Courses

Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

QM ED - Any Rating

March 23

June 12

Marine Electrical Maintenance

March 9

May 1

Diesel Engine Technology

April 6

May 15

For students who wish to apply tor the GED, ESL, or ABE classes tor the
first six months of this year, the courses will be six weeks in length and
Offered on the following dates:

Welding

April 13

May 8

High School Equivalency (GED)

Chief Engineer &amp; Assistant Engineer
Uninspected Motor Vessel

April 6

June 12

March 2
May 4

April 13
June 15

Automation

June 22

July 17

Adult Basic Education (ABE) &amp;
English as a Second Language (ESL)

March 2
May 4

April 10
June 12

Fireman/Watertender Oiler

June 8

July 31

Hydraulics

May 11

June 5

Deck Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Celestial Navigation

March 13
July 13

April 17
August 14

Able Seaman

March 23
May 18

May 15
July 10

Radar Observer

March 16
April 20

March 27
May 1

Radar Observer (Renewal)

Open ended course, however,
must notify SH LSS before
entering this course.

Third Mate &amp; Original
Second Mate

May 4

July 10

Lifeboat

March 9
May 4

March 20
May 15

Tankerman

March 23
May 18

April 3
May 29

Course

All Rating Upgrading Courses
Course
Sealift Operations and
Maintenance

12 I LOG I February 1987

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

March 2
April 13
May 18
July 13

March 27
May 8
June 12
August 7

Check-In
Date

Course

Completion
Date

Seafarers applying tor the upgraders Lifeboat class and who are either ESL
or need some work on basic skills, may take the ESUABE Lifeboat course
three weeks prior to the scheduled Lifeboat class. This class will be ottered:
May 1
April 13
The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be ottered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes. They will be ottered as follows:
QMED
Third Mate
Able Seaman
FOWT

March 16
April 27
May 11
June 1

March 20
May 1
May 15
June 5

College Program.s
Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Associates in Arts

March 30
June 8

May 22
July 31

Nautical Science Certificate

March 30

May 22

Course

NOTICE
To All SIU Members
Who Are Scheduled To Attend SHLSS
You must present an up-to-date SIU clinic card before
attending classes.
All students who are enrolled in a U.S. Coast Guard certified
class must carry a valid clinic card.

�Upgraders on TourMore From Capitol Hill
During the course of the year,
hundreds of Seafarers make the trip
to Capitol Hill as part of their upgrading class. As often as possible, the
Seafarers LOG tries to publish pictures of the upgraders during their
visits to Washington. But the constraints of space and time mean not
every group finds its way onto the
LOG's pages.
Here are some of the upgraders who
we have missed in the past months
and a few pictures from inside the
Capitol as a recent group of recertified
stewards toured the legislative seat of
the U.S. government.
One of the more recent additions to the
display of famous Americans at the Capitol
is this bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Recertified Steward James A. Jackson (right)
took some time from the tour to view King's
bust.

This group of upgraders from the Sealift Operations and Maintenance class visited
Washington before snow covered the Capitol steps. The class included John Adams,
William Gizzo, Charles Greer, Mark Grendahl, Fred Jensen, John Lasky, Robert Smith
and Judith Barbera. Also along for the visit were SIU Legislative Representative Liz
DeMato and SHLSS instructor Richard Dickerson.

This group of Able Seaman and Sealift upgraders includes (AB) Thomas Dowdell, Green
Hoskins, John Kolwe, Larry Martin, Mitchell Santana, Timothy Smith, (Sealift) Ali
Arman, Allen Cubic, John Davis, Ervin Earley, Earl Gray, Brenda Kamiya, Kirk Lapilio,
Gregory Lee, Sjamsidar Madjidji, Darya Marbrook, Richard Parker, Joseph Bovenik,
Samuel Johnson and Stephen Kastel.

This large group of upgraders included members from three classes; Third Mate,
Refrigeration Systems Maintenance and Operation and Able Seaman. Included in this
picture taken at another entrance to the Capitol are (Third Mate) Thomas Carroll,
Douglas Craft, Richard DeMont, Stephen Gateau, Shawn Kennedy, Paul Konstantino,
Yngvar Krantz, Richard Montoya, Joseph Muscato, Edwin Rivera and Daniel everinson;
(Refrigeration) Robert Bunch, Joaquin Miller, Alfred O'Krogly, Charles Sandino and
Larry Hines; (AB) John Arnold, Robert Christie, Keith Finnerty, Donald Gearhart,
Kenneth Gilson, Chester Goff, Vernon Johnson, Royce Kauffman, Raymond Kucharczyk,
Jeffery Libby, Joel Miller, Timothy Aheard, Thomas Sherrier, Erowin Udan, Abraham
Vegas and Jerome William. Also pictured are SIU Legislative Director Frank Pecquex
and SHLSS instructor Jake Karaczynski.

While the rest of the class of recertified stewards listens to a
Capitol tour guide, Norm Duhe (left) spots something of interest
and snaps a photo for his scrapbook. Vernon Ferguson and Floyd
King are on the right.

Everyone is familiar with the Capitol dome from the outside, but inside it contains a
stunning display of artwork. Here the recertified stewards class gazes at the dome.

February 1987 I LOG I 13

�Safeguard
Your
Shipping Rights

T

O SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

DUES

Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register.

RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING

When you are relieved, you
must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.

RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION It is your responsibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.
RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING

It is your responsibility to claim

your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copic'&gt; of the SIU constitution are available in

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The constitution of the STU
Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Water District makes
specific provision for safeguarding the membership's
money and Union finances. The constitution require a
detailed audit by Certified Public Accountants every three
months, which arc to be submitted to the membership by
the Secretary-Treasurer. A quarterly finance committee
of rank and file members. elected hy the member hip,
makes examination each quarter of the finances of the
Union and reports fully their findings and recommendations. Members of this committee may make dissenting
report , specific recommendations and separate findings.
TRUST FUNDS. All trust funds of the SIU Atlantic.
Gulf. Lakes and Inland Water District are admini tered
in accordance with the provisions of various trust fund
agreements. All these agreements specify that the tru tees
in charge of these fund · shall equally consist of Union
and management reprc entatives and their alternates. All
expenditures and dishur cment of trust fund are made
only upon approval by a majority of the trustees. All trust
fund financial records are available at the headquarters of
the various trust funds.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively hy the contracts between the
Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping
rights . Copies of these contracts arc 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 bet\\Cen the Union and the employers, notify
the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail, return receipt requested. The proper address for thi 1s:
Angus "Red" Campbell
Chairman, Seafarers Appeals Board
5201 Auth Way and Britannia Way
Prince Georges County
Camp Springs, Md. 20746
Full copies of contracts a ref erred 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 contract specify the ~ages
and conditions under which ) ou work and live aboard
your ship or boat. Know your contract right . a well as
your obligations. 1,uch as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If. at any time. any SIU

14 I LOG I February 1987

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
all Union halls. All members should ohtain 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 as dealing with charges. trials, etc.,
as well as all other details. then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU . These
rights arc clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contract" which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently, no member may he discrimi ·
nated against hecau . e of race. creed. color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any member feels that he i-;
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

patrolman or other Union offi:::ial. in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract right properly, contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log ha
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purpo es 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 estahli hed policy ha, been reaffirmed
by memhcrship action at the September. 1960. meetings
in all constitutional ports . The responsihility for Log
policy is ested in an editorial hoard which con ists of
the Executive Boan.J of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monie are to he paid
to anyone in an} ofticial capacity in the SlU unle s an
official Union receipt is gi en for same. Under no circumstances should any member pay any money for any reason
unle s he i given such receipt. In the event anyone
attempt to require any such payment he made without
supplying a receipt. or if a member i'.-&gt; required to make a
pa} ment and is given an otllcial receipt. but feels that he
should not have been required to make such payment. this
should immediately he reported to Union headquarter .

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceed are used to further its objects and purposes including. but not limited to, furthering the political. social and
economic intere ts 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 concept .
In connection with such objects. SPAD supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contribution may be
solicited or received because of force. joh discrimination,
financial reprisal. or threat of such conduct, or as a condition of membership in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made hy reason of the above improper
conduct. notify the Seafarers Union or SPA D 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 1,ocial 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 information, he shouJd immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The address is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

�Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union • AHantlc, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Walen District • AFL-CID Vol. 49, No. 2 February 1987

Try to imagine the following scenario.
An emergency has broken out in a country or region
critical to American security interests-the Philippines,
Central America or the Persian Gulf.
The United States, which spends $300 billion taxpayer
dollars a year on its defense budget, can't get its troops or
supplies there in time to avert an international disaster.
Are the taxpayers you represent aware of the seriousness
of our maritime condition?
Sound far-fetched? It isn't, and here's why.
•

SEALIFT IS THE
BEDROCK OF OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY:
Where Are the Ships?

S

ealift is the bedrock of our national security. Successful deployment of American military power
overseas depends upon water transportation.
According to U.S. Department of
Defense estimates, more than 90
percent of all equipment, supplies
and troops needed to sustain a war
effort must be carried on ships.
"The [importance of sealift] has

been repeatedly demonstrated over
the past 45 years,'' asserts the Department of Defense. There are two
outstanding examples of this phenomena-the worldwide U.S. convoy and supply operations that were
essential to the Allied victory in
World War II, and the 8,000 mile
sealift that enabled the British to
bring the 1982 Falkland Islands dispute to a successful close.

II. THE U.S. MERCHANT
MARINE IS THE
NATURAL SOURCE
OF U.S. SEALIFT:
Why Have We Allowed
It to Decline?

T

he American-flag merchant marine has traditionally been the
major source of this nation's sealift
capability.

Most people attribute the heroic
performance of the maritime industry during World War II to passage
of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936

And so the march to foreign registry began.
By the beginning of the Korean
War, the American-flag merchant
marine had declined by more than
one half, to 1,700 vessels. Meanwhile, there was an explosive growth
in the number of vessels documented under flag-of-convenience
registries.
Massive cuts in the maritime
budget during the early years of the
Reagan administration and a worldwide depression in the shipping industry accelerated the decline of the
American-flag merchant marine. By
1985, there were fewer than 400
active vessels in the deep-sea fleet
and only 13 U.S. shipyards.

which helped revive what had once
been a dying industry.
Not surprisingly, demand for
shipping declined after World War
II. Congress passed the Merchant
Ship Sales Act of 1946 which allowed hundreds of American-flag
vessels to be sold to foreign companies d governments at nominal
sums.
Around the same time, the Department of Defense was formulating the Effective U.S. Control
(EUSC) Policy which provided War
Risk Insurance to American-owned
vessels documented under foreign
registries.
And fewer ships were being built
in U.S. shipyards.

Ill. MILITARY
PLANNERS ARE
DISTURBED BY THE
DECLINE OF THE
AMERICAN-FLAG
MERCHANT MARINE:
What Happened to
Sealift Capability?

W

chant marine for defense purposes
and then 'park' it or hold it in reserve
is costly and inefficient.
It would be cheaper to subsidize
the private sector fleet or have a
cargo preference program.
The cost of the reserve fleet program will exceed all the subsidies
ever paid under the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. It still won't solve
the critical shortage of skilled mariners which the Navy estimates will
reach 6,000 by 1990.
Where are they going to find the
qualified mariners to man these vessels in time of war?

hen asked by a congressional
committee about the wisdom
of relying on foreign-flag vessels to
provide the bulk of America's sealift
capability, Admiral Isaac D. Kidd,
former Allied Supreme Commander
of the Atlantic, ·admitted to being
"less than completely comfortable"
with the idea.
This discomfort grew to the point
where the Navy engaged in a massive and costly buildup of its Ready
Reserve Fleet. Yet many people in
the maritime industry and the armed
forces believe that this development
side-stepped the real issues.
To acquire and nationalize a mer-

(Continued on Page 16.)

Military experts have testified that at least 700 ships are needed
to provide minimum military support in a national emergency, but
with fewer than 400 today, we are sorely deficient.
TRENDS IN NATO FLAG FLEET MILITARILY USEFUL TANKERS
SOURCE: STRATEGIC SEALIFT DIVISION, U.S. NAVY

1,400

44,000
42,000

1,300

en
z

38,000
1,200

0

....
g

e..

\:
\

34,000

\

\
\

\

....

\
\

\

c== 30,000

\

\
\

.... ....

A1 ....

•vu1.19..........

o ....... ....

~II '/::

26,000

1,000

{'\

o'/'f/p..'S...........

..... .... ....

23,000....__ _ _ ___,__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
1970

1975

1980

1985

900

1990

YEAR

February 1987 I LOG I 15

�IV. WHAT ABOUT
FOREIGN-FLAG
VESSELS: Can We
Count on Them in a

". . . Without Adequate an
the Military Plans Is Exec

Admiral Tf

National Emergency?

T

here are many good reasons to
doubt the reliability of foreignflag vessels. Take what happened in
1973, when the United States tried
to deliver supplies to its most dependable ally in the Middle EastIsrael.
Syria and Egypt attacked Israel
without warning.
Iraq, Saudi Arabia and many other
OPEC nations immediately implemented an oil embargo. The repercussions from that embargo- still are
being felt.
Our oil-poor NATO allies said

that they were sympathetic to American security interests and concerned about the possible destruction of the state of Israel. Yet with
the exception of the Netherlands,
they maintained a cool distance.
William Tolbert, then president of
Liberia, issued an Executive Order
which prohibited emergency supplies to Israel from being carried on
Liberian-flag vessels. Yet since 1948,
the Department of Defense has considered Liberian-flag vessels under
"Effective U.S. Control."
It still does.

V. THE "EFFECTIVE
CONTROL"
DOCTRINE: It Fails to

Address the Growing
Instability of Many
Third World Nations.

T

he most disturbing thing about
the 1973 Yorn Kippur War was
not the way that Liberia or our
NATO allies acted, but the fact that
so many American military experts
overlooked the failure of the '' Effective Control'' Doctrine to operate
as planned.
''The fact that these foreign registered ships play an important role
in U.S. mobilization planning," wrote
former Marad official Irwin Heine,
who had a clear perception of the
issues involved, "is based upon
agreements, not treaties, with Panama, Honduras and Liberia. Under
international law, only the state of
registry has the right to requisition
and exercise control of its nationalflag vessels."
These agreements specify that
ships of U .S.-controlled foreign affiliates of American citizen companies will be returned to U.S. control
in time of national emergency or
war. But this might only prove true
''so long as friendly relations continue.''

•

Even if we get these ships back,
where would we find the crews
needed to man them in a national
emergency-and we are talking about
the highly trained crews that will be
needed for these modern hi-tech
ships?
While the United States maintains
cordial relations with a number of
open registry countries, it is worth
remembering that it once enjoyed
close ties with two of the most
staunchly anti-Ainerican nations on
the face of this planet: Iran and
Nicaragua.
Today's friend may be tomorrow's enemy. It is therefore prudent
not to let our sealift capability fall
below a certain level.
Another thing worth remembering: many flag-of-convenience nations like Liberia are experiencing
severe internal problems. Opposition parties have arisen that question
the legitimacy of some of these regimes and their ties to the United
States.

THE REAL PROBLEM:

What Has Happened
to the American-Flag
Merchant Marine?

M

any of the vessels documented under flag-of-convenience registries are owned by American companies. Marad estimates

16 I LOG I February 1987

that there are about 500 such vessels
worldwide, approximately 100 more
than are registered in the entire
active American fleet. Of these ships,

RELATIVE RISK OF SHIPPING
AND CREWING SOURCES
U.S. NAVY SHIP AND CREW

NAVY SHIP, CIVIL SERVICE CREW

&gt;
....

::::;

m
&lt;(
::::;

U.S.-FLAG SHIP, U.S. MERCHANT CREW

w

a:

e,,

z

Ci)
&lt;(

w

a:

0

U.S.-OWNED SHIP, FOREIGN CREW '

w

Q

OPEN CHARTER
SHIPPING
DECREASING CONTROL

military experts tell us only 19 dry

cargo and 42 tankers will be militaiily useful by 1992.
The existence of flag-of-convenience registries also has had a serious and negative effect on the fleets
of our NATO allies.
There were 1,400 militaiily useful
tankers in the NATO fleets in 1970.

•

AMERICAN-OWNED
FOREIGN-FLAGGED
VESSELS: A Mockery

of This
Nation's
Laws.
F

By 1985, that number had dropped
to fewer than 950. In every NATO
nation-England and Norway in
particular-there has been a move
to register their vessels under foreign flags. These vessels are crewed
by multi-nationals who have divided
loyalties at best.

or the past 40 years, American
companies have escaped American taxes, and minimum wage and
safety standards by documenting
their vessels under flag-of-convenience registries.
They've suffered very few consequences for their actions. With
few exceptions (small amounts of
exports and imports covered by bilateral treaties or cargo preference
laws), they've had full access to this
country's ocean-borne foreign commerce.
Indeed, even if a shipowner wants
to maintain stringent safety standards, pay taxes to the federal government, build vessels in American
shipyards and employ American
workers, he would be at a severe
disadvantage because of the EUSC
Doctrine.

�Reliable Sealift, None of
table ... "

omas Hay_ward, former Chief of Naval O!Jerations

VIII. THE "EFFECTIVE
CONTROL''
DOCTRINE: It Has

Cost the United
States Billions of
Dollars.

T

he cost of the ''Effective Control'' Doctrine is difficult to calculate. But let's try, beginning with
this nation's balance of payments
deficit.
In 1979, before the trade deficit
reached epidemic proportions, the
Department of Commerce estimated
that there was a $646 million balance
of trade deficit for the maritime
industry. (Note-for that one year.)
This figure included only the operators' fees. It did not include lost
taxes, missed business opportunities or jobs exported overseas.
It also did not include figures for
maritime-related industries such as
shipbuilding, insurance and steel.
Equally important, these U.S.
shipyards helped to keep an indus-

trial base workable and available for
national security. Take a look at
your own state and see the decline
of the nation's industrial base.
Companies which documented
their vessels under the American
registry built their vessels in American shipyards (until recently, this
was required by law). They bought
American parts, used American steel,
installed American computers and
staffed their offices with American
white-collar workers.
This has had a direct effect on the
economy. American vessels meant
Americanjobs. And these gainfullyemployed people paid taxes, purchased houses, bought cars. If you
add up all the figures, you're talking
about billions of dollars.

Last year the Seafarers Section of the International Transport
Workers Federation, which represents seafarers from almost every
maritime nation, passed a resolution that allows crewmembers to
decide if they will sail into a "war-like zone."
"A seaman shall have the right not to proceed to a war-like
operations area ... Where a seafarer declines to proceed, he shall
be repatriated to his port of engagement at shipowner's cost ...
without risk of losing his employment or suffering any other
detrimental effects.''
Can we count on others to crew our ships?

IX. THE DECLINE OF
THE AMERICANFLAG MERCHANT
MARINE: Part of a

Larger Problem.
I

n many ways, the decline of the
American-flag merchant marine is
part of a larger problem affecting
the American economy as a whole.
What shape is America in? Most
people, including many so-called experts, just don't know. They can't
make sense out of all the conflicting
statements coming out of Washington and Wall Street.
Administration officials point to
lowered inflation and unemployment rates as proof that America
has regained its economic vigor.
Other people express confidence in
our future because the stock market
has broken the 2,000 mark for the
first time in its history.
Yet these rosy statistics tell only
part of the story.
A growing number of people are
alarmed by the volatile nature of the
market. They notice disturbing sim-

ilarities between 1986 and 1929.
More important, this nation's trade
and budget deficits have reached
epidemic proportions. Millions of
good-paying manufacturingjobs have
been exported overseas. They've
been replaced with semi-skilled jobs
paying part-time wages. More than
half of the ''new jobs'' in the U.S.
in the past six years pay less than
$7,000 a year.
Some officials, like Treasury Secretary James Baker, believe that the
value of the dollar has to be reduced.
Other people are afraid that it will
fall too rapidly and will distort the
international marketplace.
What's the truth? Is America on
the ropes, or is it going for gold?
We in the maritime industry feel
that we are in a unique position to
judge today's events.

X. THE AMERICAN
MARITIME INDUSTRY
IN THE
INTERNATIONAL
MARKETPLACE:

There Is No Such
Thing as Free Trade.

T

he maritime industry has played
an important role in this country's political and economic development. For one thing, it serves as
this country's unofficial "Fourth Arm
of Defense.'' At the same time, it
is a vital link in this nation's vast
infrastructure of ports, highways and
bridges.
It is different from other American industries. By its very nature,
it has always had to compete headon in the international marketplace.
Until recently, trade played a relatively minor role in the American
economy. As late as 1960, less than
5 percent of this nation's GNP was
generated by foreign commerce.
Most American industries-maritime was an exception-did not
have to go out into the international
marketplace to compete. They could
rely on this nation's immense domestic market.
It was perhaps inevitable that
American policymakers would take
American prosperity for granted.

-

Other nations, like Japan, have
molded their international trade policies around the principle of nurturing and protecting their industries.
The truth of the matter is that the
international marketplace has never
practiced ''Free Trade.'' Trade barriers have always existed-Americans just didn't have to worry about
them, for theirs was a relatively selfcontained economy.
This, of course, is changing, and
it hurts. Many American industries
have found themselves in the same
position that maritime was forced
into after World War II.
In 1948, the maritime industry
was thrown to the wolves. The EUSC
Doctrine gave foreign-flag companies an insurmountable advantage.
The 1946 Ship Sales Act created foreign competition where none had
existed.
This indifference to long-term
economic trends is a pervasive theme
in recent American history. Henry
(Continued on Page 18.)
February 1987 I LOG / 17

�What If?

SEAFARING EMPLOYMENT ON UNITED STATES-FLAG SHIPS
1975-1980:
700 jobs lost

(Continued from Page 17.)

Kissinger said that this country is
at least 15 years behind Japan and
South Korea in fashioning a coherent policy on trade and economic
development.
Starting in the early 1970s, when
Japan, Soutb Korea and Taiwan
were busy fashioning long-term economic policies to promote their industrial sector, American leaders

.....

T

he American economy can be
turned around. But it will take
hard work, perseverence and a perceptible shift in this nation's priorities.
Fairness has to be restored in
dealing with our trading partners.
They cannot expect free access to
our markets if theirs remain closed.
The American economy can only
be revived on an industry-by-industry basis. For maritime, the key is
cargo.
This month the Maritime Trades

LIBERIA

Department released the broad outlines of a policy aimed at reviving
the American-flag merchant marine.
These are some of the issues that
were debated and adopted as statements of MTD policy:
• Endorsed legislation to establish a federal build and charter program to construct militarily useful
merchant vessels for charter or lease
to commercial operators.
• Backed a measure to require
that structures used in the offshore
production of oil and gas be built in

PANAMA

*
In 1936 Congress passed the
Merchant Marine Act "to further the development and maintenance of an adequate and we/1balanced American merchant
marine; to promote the commerce of the United States, to
aid in the national defense ... ''
Isn't it time the administration, with the encouragement of
Congress, implement the spirit
and the letter of this law before
it is too late?

-

20,100

were saying that a decline of this
nation's manufacturing base was inevitable and perhaps even desirable.
High technology and service jobs
would take care of our future.
To give an indication of how things
have turned out, IBM, this country's
largest high-tech firm, has to import
80 percent of the parts needed to
construct one personal computer.

XI. THIS COUNTRY'S
ECONOMIC
DECLINE MUST BE
REVERSED: So Must
the Decline of the
American-Flag
Merchant Marine.

* ...

Reagan Administration, 1981-1985:
6,800 jobs lost

Source: Department of Transportation: Maritime Administration .
• Estimate. Chart: MEBA-1 , PCD

the United States and that at least
half the materials used be of domestic origin.
• Supported measures to assure
a fair share of the carriage of all
auto imports to the United States
aboard U.S.-flag ships. Recently two
more nations-Brazil and Malaysia-have begun exporting autos,
bringing to 10 the number of countries selling their cars in the U.S.
market-and not one car comes in
on a U .S.-flag ship.
• Called for legislation to deal
with critical problems facing the
U.S. deep-sea fishing industry as a
result of the increasing importation
of foreign fish products, the predatory practices of other fishing nations, and the soaring cost of insurance for American fishing vessels.
• Urged the immediate and vigorous pursuit of bilateral and mul-

tilateral agreements with our trading
partners in order to restore the U.S.
to its influence in the world economy.
• Instead of lowering the standards of American workers to compete in a "free" market place, we
should continue to seek to raise the
standards of workers in those nations with which we trade. We do
not think the American people are
ready to lower their standards anymore to subsidize ''free'' trade.
• Strongly supported the development of a fair trade policy which
recognizes that the U.S. is not meant
to be the dumping ground for products built to satisfy some other nation's industrial strategy. The MTD
warned that if the U.S. does not act
quickly, our nation's industrial base,
job experience and military strength
will be dangerously eroded.

XII. IT CAN BE DONE!
But We Must Act and
We Must Act Now.
ND what will happen if we
continue to do nothing? More
of the same. Jobs will continue to
be exported overseas. Our industrial
base will wither away.
And our military capability? It's
a paradox. We are an island nation
without a merchant marine.

A

''Without adequate and reliable sealift, ''says Admiral. Thomas Hayward,
fo~r chkf of Naval. Operafions,

"none of our mi/ita,ry plans is executable."

Fifty years ago, America faced a
similar dilemma. Its merchant fleet
was almost non-existent. The economy was in a shambles. The international situation grew increasingly
grim.
Did we despair? Did we lie }o
ourselves and say that everything
was all right?
No. We looked the problem
straight in the eye.
"I present to the Congress," said
Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1935,
"the question of whether the United
States shall have an adequate merchant marine."
The answer was the Merchant Marine Act of 1936.
It established a system of subsi-

BAHAMAS

The fear of having to count on unreliable foreign-flag ships has forced U.S. military
planners to boost their cargo capacity with ships such as the one above, on permanent
charter to the Navy. But these programs are no replacements for a healthy, private
merchant marine.

dies and promotional programs that
helped revitalize the American flag
merchant marine just in time for
World War IL
Our problems can be solved, but
it will take leadership, honesty and
cooperation. Government can make
a difference, but only if we use it
properly.

18 I LOG I February 1987

-

•

�-

USNS Asserdve: Welcome to the Real World
By Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC
Fully equipped with her new SURT ASS electronic gear and prepared to
join the fleet, the USNS Assertive (TAGOS 9) paid a brief port visit to
scenic Monterey, Calif. last month.
She was on her maiden voyage from
Oakland to her new home in Hawaii.
There was, however, no liberty for
the crew while the vessel wa anchored less than a mile from shore.
Instead, the ship hosted 26 students
and faculty members from the Naval
Postgraduate School in Monterey. They
toured the SURTASS Operations Center and other parts of the ship during
the three hours the Assertive was in
port.
One of the goals of the Naval Postgraduate School is to impress upon
students the distinction between what
is theoretically possible and what i

actually achievable. Adjunct professor
Calvin Dunlap, who coordinated the
Assertive tour, believes the close-up
look at one of the newest vessels in
the fleet achieved that goal.
''Some of the students are tudying
the principle behind the T-AGOS hip
operation , and thi wa an opportunity to see what the shipboard equipment is really like and to relate what
they're learning with the real thing,"
said Dunlap, a retired naval officer
who teache an operational oceanography cour e.
Students from the po tgraduate
chool have visited T-AGOS hips
before in Oakland during the in tallation phase of the Surveillance Towed
Array Sensor System (SURTASS), :mt
the January visit of the Assertive
marked the first time a T-AGOS sh'p
has dropped anchor in Monterey, home
of the Naval Po tgraduate School since

Capt. Phil Cramer of the USNS Assertive shows students from the Naval Postgraduate
School how things operate from the bridge.

MSCPAC to Improve Services
The MSCPAC Civilian Personnel Office (CPO) is reorganizing. This move
is designed to improve services to civilian marine personnel ashore on leave
and to those on assignment.
CPO's Al Quatsha explain that the reorganization should help the mariners
who are on leave to conduct their business at the headquarter building in a
more efficient manner, whether it be training, shipboard a signment or
disciplinary actions.
Under the Civilian Personnel Officer, P-2, who has now taken on an assistant
for Special Projects, P-2B, are four divi ions:
1. Personnel Management Systems Division, P-21, headed by Inez Daneen.
This division deals with the sophisticated computer sy tern in all its glory.
2. Personnal Operations Division, P-22, with Earl Bergman at the helm.
This division was formerly known as the Marine Placement and Receiving
Branch and wa headed by D. Dysthe. It ha combined marine crewing of
ships, shore staffing and wage and cla ification dutie .
3. Employee Relations and Services Divi ion, P-23, led by D. Dy the, will
continue to handle disciplinary matter , retirements and other ervices for
shoreside and marine employees, as well as safety, which has been added to
this division.
4. Employee Development Divi ion, P-24, continues under the direction of
R. Rosemeyer. This division handled all types of training for marine per onnel
as well as the damage control unit.

The USNS Assertive (T-AGOS 9) lies anchored in Monterey, Calif.

1951. The school graduate 800 students per year and offers a range of
curricular programs specifically tailored to impart the scientific, engineering, operational and administrative knowledge necessary to meet the
professional needs of the Navy.
Capt. Philip W. Cramer, Chief Mate
Robert Bacon and a few RCA technicians served as tour guides for the
students and faculty members during
the ship's brief stay in Monterey.
"I'll probably be doing this sort of
thing a lot more before I get off this
ship, so I might as well get started
right away," joked Bacon, who led a
small group down into the engineering
spaces, up through the galley and up
to the bridge of the 224-foot hip.
Though he had only been assigned to
the Assertive for Jes than a week,
Bacon knew his way around the hip.
He previously served one tour of duty
aboard the USNS Contender, the second of the 10 T-AGOS ships built to
date.

Professor Dunlap, who divide his
time between classroom instruction
and oceanographic research, said the
students and faculty told him the tour
was very worthwhile.
"The comments l've heard are very
encouraging,'' said Dunlap, who holds
graduate degrees from the Postgraduate School and Stanford University.
''The visit allowed our group to become more aware of the technology
aboard our ships and to get an insight
into a very successful program."
Frank Mullen, who assists Professor
Dunlap in environmental acoustical _,.
research, added: "The chance to visit
the ship was very helpful. It gives us
a chance to connect teaching with the
real world of operations."
Within a few hours after first dropping anchor in Monterey, the USNS
Assertive was underway again, prepared to put her hardware to the test
in the operational realities of the "real
world.''

NASSCO Wins Navy Contract
National Steel and Shipbuiiding Co.
(NASSCO) of San Diego, Calif. was
awarded a contract from the U.S.
Navy for construction of one AOE
class ship. The contract, which contain separately priced option to build
three additional ship , is valued at
$290.9 million. The options are scheduled to be exercised in 1989, 1990 and
199 I. The total value of the contract,
including the options, is approximately $1 billion.
During 1987 the program will employ 400 to 500 engineer , planners,
and procurement personnel, with the
production schedule to begin in I 988.

If all contract options are used, the
program will employ an average of
1,500 people from 1988 to 1994. Contruction schedule call for the first
ship to be delivered in 199 I and the
fourth ship to be delivered in 1994.
The AOE i a fast combat support
hip capable of fleet-speed. With a
cargo capacity of 150,000 barrel of
fuel and 1,800 ton of munitions, the
AOE will sail in upport of the fleet _..
and resupply Navy combat ships while
underway. The hip will be 753 feet
in length with a beam of 107 feet and
a draft of 37 feet in a fully-loaded
condition.

-

February 1987 I LOG I 19

�-

Eye

on
L.A.
(Photos by Dennis Lundy)
With the assistance of a docking tug, the Pacific Escort, the President Jefferson (APL) enters Los Angeles Harbor •

-

-

.-

Richmond Collins (left), relief chief cook, and Bradford Mack,
chief cook, aboard the Thompson Pass (lnterocean Management).

Aboard the Brooks Range (lnterocean Management), Wilmington Patrolman Jesse Solis (left) meets with part of
the ship's crew: G.T. Milabo, OS; J.K. Haines, AB; Michael and Susana Ortiz, OS; Todd Peden, AB; Sebastian
P. Perdon, pumpman; Leroy Temple, AB; Charlie Edwards, bosun, and Joe "Potatoes" Pitetta, steward/baker.

20 I LOG I February 1987

-

Payoff aboard the Stuyvesant brings together (I. to r.) AB/Deck Delegate Andy Anderson, Bosun Nick Nagy,
Pumpman Roland Gumanas, AB Gil A. Manipon, Wilmington Rep Trevor Robertson, Chief Steward Willie J.
Smith, Chief Cook Ernie Polk and GSU Wilburt Allen.

M. Abobaker (left), OS, and Marshall Novack, AB, greet each
other in a passageway of the Stuyvesant (Bay Tankers).

�1986 Income Tax Filing Assistance
Important
Reminders
Deduction for Charitable Contributions
Generally, for 1986, you may deduct
all of your qualified charitable contributions even if you do not itemize your
deductions .
Could You Pay Less Tax by Income
Averaging?
If there has been a large increase in
your income this year, you may be able
to pay less tax by using the income
averaging method to figure your tax.
Get Schedule G (Form 1040) to see if
you qualify.

Mailing Your Return
If you received an envelope with your
forms booklet, please use it. If you

didn't receive an envelope, or you moved
during the year, see Where To File.
Envelopes with insufficient postage will
be returned by the po t office.
Who Should File
Even if you do not have to file , you
should file to get a refund if Federal
income tax was withheld from any payments to you or if you can take the
earned income credit. If you file for
either of these reason only , you may
be able to use Form 1040A. If you file
only to get a refund of tax withheld ,
you may be able to use Form 1040EZ.
When To File
You should file as soon as you can after
January 1, but not later than April 15 ,
1987.
If you file late , you may have to pay
penalties and interest.
If you know that you cannot file by
the due date , you should ask for an
extension using Form 4868, Application
for Automatic Extension of Time To
File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.
Note: Form 4868 does not extend the
time to pay your income tax. See the
insturctions for Form 4868.
If you are living or traveling outside
the United States and Puerto Rico on
April 15, you can get an automatic 2-

month extension of time to file. Just
attach a statement to your return explaining the details.
1986~

You MAY Be Able to Use
Form 1040EZ if:
• You were single and claim only your
own personal exemption.
• You had only wages, alaries , and
tips, and not more than $400 of interest inco
• Your taxa
income is less than
$50,000.
• You do not itemize deductions or
claim any adjustments to income or
tax credits.
You can use Form 1040EZ to deduct
certain cash charitable contribution
You MAY Be Able To Use Form
1040A if:
• You had income only from wages,
salaries, tips, unemployment compensation, interest, or dividends.
· • Your taxable income is less than
$50,000.
• You do not itemize deductions.
You can al o u e Form 1040A to
claim the deduction for a married couple
when both work , the deduction for
certain contributions to an Individual
Retirement Arrangement (IRA) , the
credit for child and dependent care
expenses, and the deduction for charitable contribution .

-

I to e
~aseattach

Copy 8 of your

Forms W-2. W-2G.
¥ld W·2P hefe
If you do not have
aW-2 . see

page4 of

12

u

1nstruct1ons

14

u

Pie•~

attach check
or money
order here

You MUST Use Form 1040 if:
• Your taxable income is $50,000 or
more.
• You itemize deductions.
• Your spouse files a separate return
and itemizes deductions. Exception:
You may still use Form 1040A if you
have a child and can meet the tests
under Married Persons Who Live
Apart.
• You can be claimed as a dependent
on your parents' return AND you had
interest, dividend , or other unearned income of $1 ,080 or more.
• You are a qualifying widow(er) with
a dependent child.
• You were married at the end of 1986
to a nonresident alien who had U.S.
source income and who has not elected
to be treated as a re ident alien .
Exception: You may be able to use
Form 1040A if you meet the tests
under Married Persons Who Live
Apart.

27

21

• You received, as a nominee, interest
or dividends that actually belong to
another person.
• You received or paid accrued interest
on securities transferred between interest payment dates.
• You received any nontaxable dividends or capital gain di tribution .
• You are required to fill in Part III of
Schedule B for foreign accounts and
foreign trusts.
• You had any of the kinds of income
shown on Form 1040, line l 0 through
19, 2lb , and 22 , such as taxable social
security or railroad retirement benefits.
Where To File
If an addressed envelope came with

Who Must File (Caution: Also see Other Filing Requirements below.)
You must file a tax return ifyour marital status at the end of 1986
was:
Single (including divorced and legally
separated)
Married with a dependent child (or a
child whom you cannot claim as a
dependent because of the rules for
Children of Divorced or Separated
Parents) and living apart from your
spouse during the last 6 months of 1986

and your filing status is:
Single or Head of hou ehold

Head of household

Widowed in 1984 or 1985 and not
remarried in 1986
Widowed before 1984 and not
remarried in 1986

and at the end of 1986
you were:
under 65
65 or over

and your gross
income was at least:
$3 ,560
$4,640

under 65
65 or over

$3 ,560
$4,640

Married, joint return

under 65 (both spouses)
65 or over (one spouse)
65 or over (both spouses)

$5,830
$6,910
$7,990

Married , separate return

any age

$1,080

Married , joint return or
separate return

any age

$1,080

Single or Head of household

under 65
65 or over

$3,560
$4,640

Qualifying widow(er) with
dependent child

under 65
65 or over

$4,750
$5,830

Single or Head of household

under 65
65 or over

$3,560
$4,640

Married and living with your spouse at end
of 1986 (or on the date your spouse died)
Married, not living with your spouse at
end of 1986 (or on the date your spouse
died)

19

Which Form To File

your return, please use it. If you do not
have one, or if you moved during the
year, mail your return to the Internal
Revenue Service Center for the place
where you live. No treet address is
needed.
General Information

Should You Make Estimated Tax
Payments for 1987?

-

In general , you do not have to make
estimated tax payments if you expect
that your 1987 Form 1040 will show a
tax refund, or a tax balance due IRS of
Jess than $500. If your total estimated
tax (including any alternative minimum
tax) is $500 or more, please get Form
1040-ES. It contains a worksheet that
you can use to see if you have to make
estimated tax payment .

Sign Your Return
Form 1040 is not considered a return
unle s you sign it. Your spouse must
also sign if it is a joint return. Be sure
to date your return and show your
occupation in the space provided. If
you are filing a joint return with your
deceased spouse, see Death of Taxpayer.
Did You Have Someone Else Prepare
Your Return? If you fill in your own
return, the Paid Preparer's space should
remain blank. Someone who prepares
your return but does not charge you,
should not sign.
Generally, anyone who is paid to prepare your tax return must sign your
return and fill in the other blanks in the
Paid Preparer's Use Only area of your
return.

....

The preparer required to sign your
return MUST:
• Sign it, by hand, in the space provided for the preparer's signature.
(Signature stamps or labels are not
acceptable.)

(Continued on Page 22.)
February 1987 I LOG I 21

-

�1986 Income Tax Filing Assistance
(Continued from Page 21.)
• Give you a copy of your return in
addition to the copy to be filed with
IRS.

Penalties and Interest
Interest
We will charge you interest on taxes
not paid by their due dat even if an
extension of time to file is granted. We
will also charge you interest on penalties imposed for failure to file, gross
valuation overstatements, and substantial understatements of tax. Interest is
charged on the penalty as of the due
date of the return (including extensions)
to the date of payment.
Late Filing of Return

-

You can avoid penalties for late filing
by sending in your return by the due
date. The law provides a penalty of 5%
of the tax due for each month, or part
of a month, the return is late (maximum
25%) unless you can show reasonable
cause for the delay. If you file a return
late, attach a full explanation to your
return. If your return is more than 60
days late, the penalty will not be less
than $100 or 100% of the balance of tax
due on your return, whichever is less.
Late Payment of Tax

Generally, the penalty for not paying
tax when due is V2 of 1% of the unpaid
amount for each month or part of a
month it remains unpaid. The maximum
penalty is 25%. The penalty applies to
any unpaid tax shown on the return. It
also applies to any additional tax shown
on a bill that is not paid within 10 days
after the date of the bill. This penalty
is in addition to interest charges on late
payments.
Note: If you include interest or either
of these penalties with your payment,
identify and enter these amounts in the
bottom margin of Form 1040, page 2.
Do not include the interest or penalty
amounts in Amount You Owe on line 67.

-

Penalty for Frivolous Return
In addition to any other penalties, the
law imposes a penalty of $500 for filing
a frivolous return. A frivolous return is
one which does not contain information
needed to figure the correct tax or
shows a substantially incorrect tax, because you take a frivolous position or
desire to delay or interfere with the tax
laws. This includes any alteration or
striking out of the preprinted language
above the space provided for your signature.
Other Penalties
There are also other penalties that can
be imposed for negligence, substantial
understatement of tax, and fraud. Get
Publication 17 for details on some of
the e penalties.

Tax Law Changes Effective for
1987
The following information has no effect
on your 1986 tax return. It is provided
to give you enough time to comply with
three of the many new changes included
in the recently enacted Tax Reform Act
of 1986.
Social Security Numbers for
Dependents
Any person age 5 or over whom you
claim as a dependent on your tax return
next year must have a social security
number, and that number must be shown
on your 1987 return. If your dependent
does not already have a social security
number, the Social Security Administration will let yo now how to apply
for one.
Form W-4 Filing Requirement
You must file a new 1987 Form W-4,
Employee' Withholding Allowance
Certificate, with your employer before
October 1, 1987. Otherwise, Federal
income taxes will be withheld from your
wages as if you claimed only one withholding allowance (two withholding al-

them, until the statute of limitations
runs out for that return. Usually this is
3 years from the date the return was
due or filed, or 2 years from the date
the tax was paid, whichever is later.
Also keep copies of your filed tax returns as part of your records. You
should keep some records longer. For
example, keep property records (including those on your own home) as
long as they are needed to figure the
basis of the original or replacement
property. For more details, get Publication 552.

Corresponding With IRS
Be sure to include your social security
number in any correspondence with
IRS.
How Long Should Records Be Kept?
Keep records of income, deductions,
and credits shown on your return, as
well as any worksheets used to figure

22 I LOG I February 1987

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Estimated Tax Payments
Generally, for 1987 you should prepay,
through withholding or estimated tax
payments, at least 90% (previously 80%)
of your 1987 tax or 100% of your 1986
tax, whichever is less. Otherwise, you
may have to pay a penalty. Form 1040ES, Estimated Tax for Individuals, is
used to pay estimated tax. You can get
Form 1040-ES from IRS.
If you want more information about
these and other tax law changes effective for 1987, get Publication 553, Highlights of 1986 Tax Changes.

did not remarry in 1986, you can file a
joint return. You can also file a joint
return if your spouse died in 1987 before
filing a 1986 return. A joint return should
show your spouse's 1986 income before
death and your income for all of 1986.
Also write ''Filing as surviving spouse''
in the area where you sign the return.
If someone else is the personal representative, he or she must also sign.
If you are claiming a refund as a
surviving spouse filing a joint return
with the deceased and you follow the
above instructions, no other form is
needed to have the refund issued to
you.

Requesting a Copy of Your Tax Return
If you need a copy of your tax return
or tax account information, use Form
4506, Request for Copy of Tax Form
or Tax Account Information. Generally, there is a charge for these requests;
see Form 4506.

Amended Return
If you file your income tax return and
later become aware of any changes you
must make to income, deductions, or
credits, file Form 1040X, Amended U.S.
Individual Income Tax Return, to change
the Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ you
already filed.

Note: If your Federal return is changed
for any reason, it may affect your state
income tax liability. This would include
changes made as a result of an examination of your return by the IRS. Contact your state tax agency for more
information.

Address Change
If you move after you file your return
and you are expecting a refund, you
should notify the post office serving
your old address. Also notify the IRS
Service Center where you filed your
return of your address change. This will
help to forward your check to your new
address as soon as possible.

lowances if your most recent W-4 form
shows you are married). However, because of the numerous tax law changes
effective for 1987, you may want to file
the 1987 Form W-4 with your employer
early in 1987 to make sure you have
the right amount of income tax withheld
from your wages. If you do this, you
will meet the requirement for filing
before October l, 1987. You can get
the new 1987 Form W-4 from your
employer.

Death of Taxpayer
If the taxpayer died before filing a return

for 1986, the taxpayer's spouse or personal representative must file and sign
a return for the person who died if the
deceased was required to file a return.
A personal representative can be an
executor, administrator, or anyone who
is in charge of the taxpayer's property.
The person who files the return should
write "deceased" after the deceased's
name and show the date of death in the
name and address space at the top of
the return. Also write "DECEASED"
across the top of the tax return.
If the taxpayer did not have to file a
return but had tax withheld, a return
must be filed to get a refund.
If your spouse died in 1986 and you

Social Security Number. If you are married, give social security numbers for
both you and your spouse whether you
file joint or separate returns.
If your spouse is a nonresident alien,
has no income, does not have a social
security number, and you file a separate
return, enter "NRA" in the block for
your spouse's social security number.
If you and your spouse file a joint return,
your spouse must get a social security
number.
If you don't have a social security
number, please get Form SS-5 from a
Social Security Administration (SSA)
office. File it with your local SSA office
early enough to get your number before
April 15. If you do not get the number
by then, file your return and enter
''Applied for'' in the block for your
social security number.

If you check Yes, it will not change
the tax or refund shown on your return.
Do not claim this amount as a credit
for political contributions on line 43.

Rounding Off to Whole Dollars
You may round off cents to the nearest
whole dollar on your return and schedules. But, if you do round off, do so
for all amounts. You can drop amounts
under 50 cents. Increase amounts from
50 to 99 cents to the next dollar. For
example, $1.39 becomes $1 and $2.50
becomes $3.
Filing Status
Lines 1 through 5
Single

Consider yourself single if on December
31 you were unmarried or separated
from your spouse either by divorce or
separate maintenance decree and you
do not qualify for another filing status.
State law governs whether you are
married, divorced, or legally separated.
If you were married on December 31,
consider yourself married for the whole
year. If you meet the tests explained
on this page for Married Persons Who
Live Apart, you may consider yourself
single for the whole year and file as
head of household.
If your spouse died in 1986, consider
yourself married to that spouse for the
whole year, unless you remarried before the end of 1986.
Married
Joint or Separate Returns?

Joint Returns. Most married couples
will pay less tax if they file a joint
return. You must report all income,
exemptions, deductions, and credits for
you and your spouse. Both of you must
sign the return, even if only one of you
had income.
You and your spouse can file a joint
return even if you did not live together
for the whole year. Both of you are
responsible for any tax due on a joint
return, so if one of you does not pay,
the other may have to.
Note: If you file ajoint return, you may
not, after the due date of the return,
choose to file separate returns for that
year.
If your spouse died in 1986, you can
file ajoint return for 1986. You can also
file a joint return if your spouse died in
1987 before filing a 1986 return. For
details on how to file the joint return,
see Death of Taxpayer.

Tax Tip: If you decide not to file a joint
return and plan to file a separate return,
see if you can lower your tax by meeting
the tests described on this page under
Married Persons Who Live Apart.

Separate Returns

Presidential Election
Campaign Fund

You can file separate returns if both
you and your spouse had income, or if
only one of you had income.
If you file a separate return, you each
report only your own income, exemptions, deductions, and credits, and you
are responsible only for the tax due on
your own return.
Special rules apply, however, for taxpayers who live in commuity property
states. For details, get Publication 555.
In most instances if you file a separate
return, you will pay more Federal tax
because the tax rate is higher for married persons filing separately. The following also apply:

Congress established this fund to support public financing of Presidential
election campaigns.
You may have $1 go to the fund by
checking the Yes box. On a joint return,
each of you may choose to have $1 go
to this fund, or each may choose not
to. One may choose to have $1 go to
this fund and the other may choose not
to.

• You cannot take the deduction for a
married couple when both work.
• You cannot take the credit for child
and dependent care expenses in most
cases.
• You cannot take the earned income
credit.
• If you lived with your spouse at any
time in 1986-a. You will have to include in income

Name Change
If you have changed your name because
of marriage, divorce, etc., make sure
you immediately notify the Social Security Administration (SSA) so the name
on your tax return is the same as the
name SSA has on its records. This may
prevent delays in issuing your refund.

�more of any unemployment compensation you received in 1986.
b. You cannot take the credit for the
elderly or for the permanently and totally disabled.
c. You may have to includ in income
up to one-half of any social security
benefits (including railroad retirement
benefits treated as social security) you
received in 1986.
• You must itemize your deductions if
your spouse itemizes, even if it is not
to your tax benefit to do so.
If you file a eparate return , enter
your spouse' s full name in the space
provided on line 3 and your spouse's
social security number in the block
provided for that number.
If your spouse does not file, check
the boxes on line 6b that apply if you
can claim the exemptions for your
spouse.
Married Persons Who Live Apart
Some married persons who have a child
and who do not live with their spouse
may file as head of household and use
tax rates that are lower than the rates
for single or for married filing a separate
return. This also means that if your
spouse itemizes deductions, you do not
have to. You may also be able to claim
the earned income credit.
You should check the box on line 4
for Head of household if you meet ALL
4 of the following tests.
1. You file a separate return from
your spouse.
2. You paid more than half the cost
to keep up your home in 1986.
3. Your spouse did not live with you
at any time during the last 6 months of
1986.
4. For over 6 months of 1986, your
home was the principal home of your
child or stepchild whoma. you can claim a a dependent, OR
b. the child's other parent claims as
a dependent for Children of Divorced
or Separated Parents. (Enter this child's
name in the space provided on line 4.)
Head of Household

Tax Tip: The tax rates for a person who
can meet the tests for head ofhousehold
are lower than the rates for single or
for married filing a separate return.
You may use this filing status ONLY
IF on December 31, 1986, you were
unmarried (including certain married
persons who live apart, as discussed
above) or legally separated and meet
test 1 or 2 below.
1. You paid more than half the cost of
keeping up a home, which was the
principal home of your father or mother
whom you can claim as a dependent.
OR
2. You paid more than half the cost of
keeping up the home in which you lived
and in which one of the following also
lived for more than 6 months of the
year (except for temporary absences,
such as for vacation or school):
a. Your unmarried child, grandchild,
adopted child, or stepchild. This child
does not have to be your dependent.
However, your foster child must be
your dependent.

Note: If this child is not your dependent,
you must enter the child's name in the
space provided on line 4.
b. Your married child , grandchild ,
adopted child, or stepchild. This child
must be your dependent. But if your
married child's other parent claims him
or her as a dependent for Children of
Divorced or Separated Parents, this child
does not have to be your dependent.
(If your child is not your dependent
because of these rules , you must enter
the child's name in the space provided
on line 4.)
c. Any other relative listed below
whom you can claim as a dependent.
Parent
Grandparent
Brother
Sister
Stepbrother
Stepsister

Sister-in-law
Son-in-law
Daughter-in-law, or
if related by blood :
Uncle
Aunt

Stepmother
Stepfather
Mother-in-law
Father-in-law
Brother-in-law

Nephew
Niece

Note: See instructions for lines 6c through
6e below for the definition ofdependent.
Exemptions
Line 6a

For Yourself
You can always take one exemption for
yourself. Take two exemptions if you
were · d, or 65 or over. Take three
exem ons if you were blind and 65 or
over. Be sure to check all the boxes on
line 6a for the exemptions you can take
for yourself.
You can take the extra exemption
for age 65 or over and blindness only
for yourself and your spouse. You cannot take them for dependents.
Line 6B

• your child was under 19 at the end
of 1986, or
• your child was enrolled as a full-time
student at a school during any 5
months of 1986, or
• your child took a full-time, on-farm
training course during any 5 months
of 1986. (The course had to be given
by a school or a state, county, or
local government agency.)
The school must have a regular teaching staff, a regular course of study, and
a regularly enrolled body of students in
attendance.

A school includes:
• elementary, junior, and senior high
schools;
• colleges and universities; and
• technical trade, and mechanical
schools.
However, school does not include
on-the-job training courses or correspondence schools.

For Your Spouse
You can take exemption for your spouse
if you file a joint return . If you file a
separate return , you can take your
spouse's exemptions only if your spouse
is not filing a return , had no income,
and was not the dependent of someone
else.
Lines 6c through 6e
Children and Other Dependents

Line 6c. Enter the first names of your
dependent children who lived with you
(except for temporary absences, such
as for vacation or school). Fill in the
total number in the box to the right of
the arrow.
Line 6d. Enter the first names of your
dependent children who did not live
with you most of the year_ Fill in the
total number in the box on the right. If
you are claiming a child for Children of
Divorced or Separated Parents, you must
either:
• attach Form 8332, Release of Claim
to Exemption for Child of Divorced
or Separated Parents, or similar
statement, OR
• check the box for pre-1985 agreements.
Line 6e. Enter the full names and other
information for your other dependents.
Fill in the total number in the box to
the right of the arrow. You can take an
exemption for each person who is your
dependent.

2. Support
In general , you must have given over
half of the dependent's support in 1986.
If you file a joint return, the upport
can be from you or your spouse. Even
if you did not give over half of the
dependent's support, you will be treated
as having given over half of the support
if you meet the tests for Children of
Divorced or Separated Parents or Dependent Supported by Two or More
Taxpayers.
In figuring total support, you must
include money the dependent used for
his or her own support, even if thi
money was not taxable (for example ,
gifts, savings, welfare benefits). If your
child was a student, do not include
amounts he or she received as scholarships.
Support includes items such as food,
a place to live, clothes, medical and
dental care, recreation, and education.
In figuring support, use the actual cost
of these items. However, the cost of a
place to live is figured at its fair rental
value.
Do not include in support items such
as income and social security taxes,
premiums for life insurance, or funeral
expenses.
If you care for a foster child, see
Publication 501 for special rules that
apply.

Birth or Death of Dependent

Examples of Income You Do Not Report

You can take an exemption for a dependent who was born or who died
during 1986 if he or she met the tests
for a dependent while alive. Thi means
that a baby who lived only a few minutes
can be claimed as a dependent.
Each person you claim a a dependent has to meet ALL 5 of these tests:
1. income;
2. support;
3. married dependent;
4. citizenship or residence; and
5. relationship.
These test are explained below.

(Do not include these amounts when
you decide if you must file a return.)

In general, the person must have received less than $1,080 of gross income.
Gross income does not include nontaxable income, such as welfare benefits
or nontaxable social security benefits.
Income received by a permanently
and totally disabled per on for services
performed at a sheltered workshop
school is generally not included in gross
income for purposes of the income test.
Get Publication 501 for details.

Special Rules for Your Dependent
Child
Even if your child had income of $1,080
or more, you can claim your child as a
dependent if tests 2, 3, and 4 below are
met, and:

The following kinds of income should
be reported on Form 1040, or related
forms and schedules, in addition to the
types of income listed on Form 1040,
lines 7 through 2lb. You may need
some of the forms and schedules mentioned below.
Original Issue Discount (Schedule B).
Distributions from SEPs and DECs.
Amounts received in place of wages,
from accident and health plans (including sick pay and disability pensions) if your employer paid for the
policy.
Bartering income (fair market value of
goods or services you received in
return for your services).
Business expen e reimbursements you
received that are more than you spent
for these expen es.
Tier 2 and supplemental annuities under
the Railroad Retirement Act.
Life insurance proceeds from a policy
you cashed in if the proceeds are
more than the premium you paid.
Your share of profits from S corporations (Schedule E).
Endowments.
Lump-sum distributions (Form 4972 or
Form 5544).
Gains from the sale or exchange (including barter) of real estate, securities, coins, gold, silver, gems, or
other property (Schedule D or Form
4797).
Gains from the sale of your personal
residence (Schedule D and Form
2119).
Accumulation distributions from trusts
(Form 4970).
Prizes and awards (contests , raffles,
lottery, and gambling winnings).
Earned income from source outside
the United States (Form 2555).
Director's fees.
Fees received as an executor or administrator of an estate.
Embezzled or other illegal income.

6&amp;

Line 7

Wages, Salaries, Tips, Etc.
Show the total of all wages, salaries,
fees, commissions, tips, bonuses, supplemental unemployment benefits, and
other amounts you were paid before
taxes, insurance, etc., were taken out.
For information on allocated tips, get
Publication 531, Reporting Income From
Tips.
Include in this total:

Income

1. Income

Examples of Income You Must Report

Welfare benefits.
Disability retirement payments (and
other benefit ) paid by the Veterans '
Administration.
Workers' compensation benefit , in urance damages, etc., for injury or
sickness.
Child support.
Gifts, money, or other property you
inherited or that was willed to you.
Dividends on veterans' life insurance.
Life insurance proceeds received because of a person's death.
Interest on certain state and municipal
bonds.
Amounts you received from in urance
because you lost the use of your home
due to fire or other casualty to the
extent the amounts were more than
the cost of your normal expenses
while living in your home. (You must
report as income reimbursements for
normal living expenses.)
Amounts an employer contributed on
your behalf and benefits provided to
you as an employee or the spouse or
dependent of an employee, under a
qualified group legal services plan.
Cancellation of certain student loans
where the student, under the terms
of the loan, performs certain professional services for any of a broad
class of employers.

• The amount that should be shown in
Box 10 on Form W-2. Report all
wages, salaries, and tips you received, even if you do not have a
Form W-2.
• Tips received that you did not report
to your employer. (Show any social
security tax due on these tips on line
53- ee the instructions on page 15.)

Note: Except for those disability pensions mentioned above, pensions shown
on Form W-2P are reported on line 16
or line 17a of Form 1040.
• Payments by insurance companies,
etc., not included on Form W-2. If
you receive sick pay or a disability
payment from anyone other than your
employer, and it is not included in
the wages shown on Form W-2, include it on line 7. Attach a statement
showing the name and address of the
payer and amount of sick pay or
disability income.
• Fair market value of meals and living
quarters if given by your employer
as a matter of your choice and not
for your employer's convenience.
Don't report the value of meals given
you at work if they were provided
for your employer's convenience. Also
do not report the value of living _
quarters you had to accept on your
employer's business premises as a
condition of employment.
• Strike and lockout benefits paid by a
union from union dues. Include cash
and the fair market value of goods

(Continued on Page 24.) February 1987 I LOG I 23

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�'I

CH)

'

•

1986 Tax Tips
(Continued from Page 23.)
received. Don't report be1 efits that
were gifts.
• Any amount your employer paid for
your moving expenses (including the
value of services furnished in kind)
that is not included in Box 10 on
Form W-2.
Line 8
Interest Income
Enter your TOT AL taxable interest income. If the total interest is more than
$400, first fill in Schedule B.
Report any interest you received or
that was credited to your account so
you could withdraw it. (It does not have
to be entered in your passbook.) Interest that was credited in 1986 on deposits
that you could not withdraw because
of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the
financial institution may not have to be
included in your 1986 income. For details, get Publication 550, Investment
Income and Expenses.
Generally, the payer will send you a
"""' Form 1099-INT or, if applicable, a Form
1099-0ID for this interest.
If you received, as a nominee, interest that actually belongs to someone
else, see Schedule B instructions.
Caution: Be sure to give each payer of
interest income your correct social security number. Otherwise, the payer
may have to withhold 20% of the interest. You may also be subject to penalties.
For more details, get Publication 550.
Examples of Interest Income You MUST
Report
Report interest from:
• Accounts (including certificates of
deposit and money market accounts)
with banks, credit unions, and savings and loan associations.
• Building and loan accounts.
• Notes, loans, and mortgages. Special
rules apply to loans with below-_market interest rates. Get Publication
525.
• Tax refunds (report only the interest
on them as interest income).
• Bonds and debentures. Also arbitrage bonds issued by state and local
governments after October 9, 1969.
(Do not report interest on other state
and local bonds and securities.) Also
report as interest any gain on the
disposition of certain market discount bonds issued to you after July
18 , 1984, to the extent of the accrued
market discount.
• U.S. Treasury bills, notes , and bonds.
• U.S. Savings Bonds. The interest is
the yearly increase in the value of
the bond. Interest on Series E or EE
bonds can be reported using method
a orb below:
a. Report the total interest when you
cash the bonds , or when they reach
final maturity and no longer earn interest; OR
b. Each year report on your return
the yearly increase of the bonds' value.
If you change to method b, report
the entire increase in all your bonds
from the date they were issued. Each
year after report only the yearly increase. Once you have used method b
to report your interest, you must continue to do so for all your U.S. Savings
Bonds.

-

Line 9a
Dividends
Dividends are distributions of money ,
stock, or other property that corporations pay to stockholders. They also
include dividends you receive through
a partnership, an S corporation, or an
estate or trust. Payers include nominees
or other agents. Generally, the payer
will send you a Form 1099-DIV for these
dividends.
If the total dividends, including capital gain and nontaxable distributions,
are more than $400, first fill in Schedule
B. If you received $400 or less in
dividends, include only the ordinary
dividends on line 9a.

24 I LOG I February 1987

Dividends Include:
• Ordinary dividends. These are paid
out of earnings and profits and are
ordinary income. Assume that any
dividend you receive is an ordinary
dividend unless the paying corporation tells you otherwise.
Do Not Report as Dividends
• Mutual insurance company dividends
t t reduced the premiums you paid.
•
ounts paid on deposits or accounts from which you could withdraw your money such as mutual
savings banks , cooperative banks,
and credit unions. Remember to report these amounts as interest on line
8.
Line 9b
Dividend Exclusion
You can exclude (subtract) up to $100
of qualifying dividend income. If you
and your spouse file a joint return, you
can subtract up to $200, regardless of
which spouse received the dividends.
Dividends must be from a domestic
corporation to qualify for the exclusion.
Dividends from mutual funds (other
than money market funds) generally
qualify for the exclusion. The corporation will tell you how much of the
dividend qualifies.
The following taxable dividends do
not qualify for the exclusion.
• Dividends from money market funds
unless the corporation has told you
how much of the dividends qualify.
• Dividends from foreign corporations,
including controlled foreign corporations.
• Dividends from exempt organizations (charitable , fraternal, etc.) and
exempt farmer ' cooperative organizations.
• Dividends paid on stock held by employee stock ownership plans.

Line 10
Taxable Refunds of State
and Local Income Taxes
If you received a refund (or credit or
off et) of state or local income taxes in
1986 that you paid and deducted before
1986, you may have to report all or part
of this amount as income if your itemized deduction for state and local income taxes in the year you paid the
taxes resulted in a tax benefit. You may
receive Form 1099-G, Statement for
Recipients of Certain Government Payments , or similar statement, showing
the refund.
Any part of a refund of state or local
income taxes paid before 1986 that you
were entitled to receive in 1986 but
chose to apply to your 1986 estimated
state income tax is considered to have
been received in 1986.
Do not report the refund as income
if it was for a tax you paid in a year for
which you did not itemize deduction
on Schedule A (Form 1040), or it was
for a year in which you filed Form
1040A or Form 1040EZ.
Line 11
Alimony Received
Enter amounts you received as alimony
or separate maintenance. You must let
the person who made the payments
know your social security number. If
you do not provide this information to
the payer, you may have to pay a $50
penalty. For more details, get Publication 504, Tax Information for Divorced
or Separated Individuals.
If you received payments under a
divorce or separation instrument executed after 1984, see the instructions
for line 29 for information on the rules
that apply in determining whether these
payments qualify as alimony.

Line 16
Fully Taxable Pensions, IRA
Distributions, and Annuities
Use this line to report fully taxable
pension and annuity income and regular
individual retirement arrangement (IRA)
distributions you receive. In general,
you should receive a Form W-2P showing the amount of your pension or
annuity. Also see Lump-Sum Distributions.
Your pension or annuity payments
are fully taxable if:
• you did not contribute to the cost of
your pension or annuity, or
• you got back tax-free your entire cost
before 1986.
Fully taxable pensions and annuities
also include military retirement pay
shown on Form W-2P and distributions
from an IRA (including premature distributions , but not rollovers).
Lines 20a and 20b
Unemployment Compensation
Unemployment compensation (insurance) you receive may be taxable under
certain conditions.
By February 2, 1987, you should
receive a Form 1099-G showing the total
unemployment compensation paid to
you during 1986.
Lines 21a and 21b
Social Security Benefits (and
Railroad Retirement Benefits
Treated as Social Security)
Social security benefits you receive may
be taxable in some instances. Social
security benefits include any monthly
benefit under title II of the Social Security Act or the part of a tier 1 railroad
retirement benefit treated as a social
security benefit. Social security benefits
do not include any Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.
By February 2, 1987, you should
receive a Form SSA-1099 showing the
total social security benefits paid to you
in 1986, and the amount of any social
security benefits you repaid in 1986. If
you received railroad retirement benefits treated as social security , you should
receive Form RRB-1099. For more information, get Publication 915, Social
Security Benefits and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits.
Line 22
Other Income
Use line 22 to report any income you
can't find a place for on your return or
other schedules. List the type and
amount of income. For more information, see Miscellaneous Taxable Income
in Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income.
Caution: Do not report any income from
self-employment on line 22. If you do
have any income from self-employment, you must use Schedule C or
Schedule F. Amounts your employer
paid you for business expenses that are
more than you spent for the actual
business expenses should be added to
the wages shown on line 7 unless they
were already included on your Form
W-2.

Examples of income to be reported
on line 22 are:
• Prizes , awards , and gambling winnings. Proceeds from lotteries, raffles, etc. , are gambling winnings. You
must report the full amount of your
winnings on this line. You cannot
offset losses against winnings and
report the difference.
If you had any gambling losses , you
may take them as an itemized deduction
on Schedule A. However, you cannot
deduct more losses than the winnings
you report.
• Repayment of medical expenses or
other items such as real estate taxes
that you deducted in an earlier year
if they reduced your tax. See Publication 525 for information on how to
figure the amount to include in income.
• Amounts you recovered on bad debts
that you deducted in an earlier year.
• Fees received for jury duty and precinct election board duty.

Net Operating Loss. If you had a net
operating loss in an earlier year to carry
forward to 1986, enter it as a minus
figure on line 22. Attach a statement
showing how you figured the amount.
Get Publication 536, Net Operating
Losses and the At-Risk Limits, for more
details.
Adjustments to Income
Line 26
Individual Retirement
A"angement (IRA) Deduction
You can deduct on line 26 contributions
made to your IRA (including those
made under a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan or to a plan that accepts
deductible employee contributions
(DECs)). Schedule C or F filers with a
SEP and partners with a SEP take the
deduction on line 27.
You should receive, by June 1, 1987,
a statement showing contributions made
to your IRA for 1986. Before you figure
your IRA deduction, please note the
following:
• If you made contributions to your
IRA in 1986 that you deducted on
your 1985 Federal income tax return,
do not include those contributions on
your 1986 tax return.
• If you made contributions to your
IRA in 1987 (by April 15 , 1987) for
1986, be sure to include these contributions when you figure your IRA
deduction for 1986.
• If your IRA deduction on line 26 is
less than your IRA contributions and
you do not withdraw this excess
contribution before your return is
due, file Form 5329 to pay tax on the
excess contribution.
• If you were married and contributions were made to an IRA for your
nonworking spouse for 1986, you must
file a joint return for 1986 to deduct
these contributions. A nonworking
spouse is one who had no wages or
other earned income in 1986 or one
who, in 1986, chooses to be treated
as having no earned income for purposes of the IRA deduction. For
example, if one spou e earned only
$100, a combined total ofup to $2,250
may be contributed to their IRAs.
• If you were married and you and
your spouse worked and you both
have IRAs, figure each spouse's deduction separately. Then combine
the two deductions and enter the total
of the two amounts on line 26.
• Do not include rollover contributions
in figuring your deduction. See line
17 instructions for more details on
rollover contributions.
• Do not include trustee's fees that
were billed separately and paid by
you for your IRA. These fees can be
deducted only as an itemized deduction on Schedule A.
Line 29
Alimony Paid
You can deduct periodic payments of
alimony or separate maintenance made
under a court decree. You can also
deduct payments made under a written
separation agreement or a decree for
support. Don't deduct lump-sum cash
or property settlements , voluntary payments not made under a court order or
a written separation agreement, or
amounts specified as child support.
Line 30
Deduction for a Married Couple
When Both Work
You can claim a deduction if:
• you are married filing a joint return ,
• both you and your spouse have qualified earned income.
Tax Computation

Line 34a
You will fall into one of the three classes
below:
• You MUST itemize deductions, or
• You choose to itemize , or
• You do not itemize.
The three classes are described below.

�ou t
You mu

T Itemize Deductions
t

itemize deduction if:

of-pocket expenses you paid to do volunteer work for a qualified organization.
For more detail on what qualifies as
a charitable contribution and the limits
that apply to the amount that may be
deducted, see the instructions for contributions on page 21.

A. You can be claimed a a dependent
on your parents' return and had interest, dividends, or other unearned income of $1,080 or more. Generally, this
means that you must complete and
attach Schedule A and co lete the
worksheet on this page. However, there
are two exceptions to this rule.
Exception 1. You don't have to itemize deductions on Schedule A or complete the worksheet if you have earned
income* of $2,480 or more if single
($1,835 or more if married filing a separate return). Enter zero (0) on line
34 a and go on to line 34b.
Exception 2. You don't have to use
Schedule A if you know that your
earned income* is more than your itemized deductions. Instead, use the worksheet on this page after completing line
33 of Form I 040 and enter your earned
income on line 3 of the worksheet.

Exemptions

Note: If your unearned income is less
than $1,080, you don't have to use
Schedule A or the worksheet-enter
zero (0) on line 34a and go on to line
34b.

Use the following chart to find the
amount to enter on line 36. If you
claimed more than 10 exemptions, multiply $1,080 by the total number of
exemptions entered on line 6f.

In any case, be sure to check the box
below line 34a.
B. You are married, filing a separate
return, and your spouse itemizes deductions.

Line 34b
Enter your total cash contribution (including out-of-pocket expenses). If you
gave cash of $3,000 or more to any one
organization, on the dotted line next to
thi otal show to whom and how much
yo ave.
Line 34c
Enter your total gifts of property. If the
total is more than $500, you must complete and attach Form 8283, Noncash
Charitable Contributions.

You Choose To Itemize
You may choose to itemize your deductions if you are:
• Married and filing a joint return, or
a Qualifying widow(er) with dependent child, and your itemized deductions are more than $3,670.
• Married and filing a separate return ,
and your itemized deductions are
more than $1,835.
• Single, or a Head of household, and
your itemized deduction are more
than $2 ,480.
If you do itemize, complete and attach Schedule A and enter the amount
from Schedule A, line 26, on Form
1040, line 34a.

Caution: Certain taxpayers must itemize
even though their itemized deductions
are less than the amount shown above
for their filing status. See "You MUST
_Itemize Deductions."
You Do Not Itemize
If your itemized deductions are less
than the amount shown above for your
filing status (or you choose not to itemize), enter zero on line 34a, unless you
MUST itemize as described above.

Lines 34b through 34d

Deduction for Charitable
Contributions
For 1986, you may deduct what you
actually gave to qualified charitable organizations if you do not itemize your
deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040).
Include what you gave to , or for the
use of, a qualified organization. Examples of qualified organizations are
churches, United Way, and nonprofit
schools and hospitals.
Contributions may be in cash (keep
cancelled checks, receipts, or other
reliable written records showing the
name of the organization and the date
and amount given), property, or out-

Credit for the Elderly or for the
Permanently and Totally Disabled
You may be able to take this credit and
reduce your tax if, by the end of 1986,
you were:
• age 65 or over, or
• under age 65, you retired on permanent and total di ability, and you had
taxable disability income in 1986.
Line 43

Partial Credit for Political
Contributions for Which You Have
Receipts
You may take a tax credit on this line
for contributions to candidates for public office and to newsletter funds and
political committees of candidates and
elected public officials.

Line 36

Note: You cannot deduct political contributions as charitable contributions.

If the number
on Form 1040,
line 6f, is:

On Form 1040,
line 36,
enter:

l

$1,080

2
3
4

C. You file Form 4563 to exclude
income from sources in U.S. pos essions. (For details, get Publication 570,
Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens Employed
in U.S. Possessions.)

D. You had dual status as a nonresident alien for part of 1986, and during
the rest of the year you were either a
resident alien or a U.S. citizen. However, you do not have to itemize if you
file ajoint return with your spouse who
was
. . citizen or resident at the
e
of 1986 and you and your spouse
agree to be taxed on your combined
worldwide income.

Line 42

5

6
7
8
9
10

2,160
3,240
4.320
5,400
6,480

7,560
8,640

9,720
10,800

Line 38

Tax
To figure your tax, u e one of the
following methods.
Tax Rate Schedules
You must use the Tax Rate Schedules
to figure your tax if your taxable income
is $50,000 or more.
Also use the Tax Rate Schedules if
you use Schedule G, Income Averaging,
to figure your tax. You may pay less
tax by using this method if there has
been a large increase in your income
this year. In some cases, you may
benefit even if your 1986 income did
not increase substantially. This will depend on the amount of your taxable
income in the three ba e years ( 19831985). Get Schedule G to see if you
qualify.

Line 44
Mortgage Interest Credit. You may be
able to take a credit for part of the
interest you paid on your home mortgage if you were issued a mortgage
credit certificate by a state or local
government under a qualified mortgage
credit certificate program to buy , rehabilitate, or make improvements to
your principal residence. Use Form
8396, Mortgage Interest Credit, to figure
the credit. Include the amount of the
credit in your total for line 44. On the
dotted line next to this total, write
"MIC" (mortgage interest credit) and
show the amount.
Line 53

Social, Security Tax on Tip Income
Not Reported to Employer
If you received tips of $20 or more in
any month and you did not report the
full amount to your employer, you must
pay the social security or railroad retirement tax on the unreported tips.
o figure the amount of social ecurity tax on unreported tips, complete
Form 4137 and attach it to your Form
1040. Enter the tax on this line.
Be sure all your tips are reported as
income on Form 1040, line 7.
You may be charged a penalty equal
to 50% of the social security tax due
on tips you received and did not report
to your employer.
Payments
Line 56

Total Federal Income Tax Withheld
Tax Table
If neither of the above conditions applies to you, you MUST use the Tax
Table to find your tax.
Be sure you use the correct column
in the Tax Table. After you have found
the correct tax, enter that amount on
line 38.
There is an example at the beginning
of the table to help you find the correct
tax.

Add the amounts shown as Federal
income tax withheld on your Forms W2, W-2G, W-2P, and 1099-R. Enter the
total on line 56. The amount of Federal
income tax withheld should be shown
in Box 9 of Form W-2, Box 2 of Form
W-2G, Box 11 of Form W-2P, and Box
4 of Form 1099-R.
If line 56 includes amounts withheld
as shown on Form 1099-R, on the dotted
line to the left of line 56, write "Form
1099-R."

Credits
Line 41

Sign Your Return

Credit for Child and
Dependent Care Expenses

Form 1040 is not considered a return
unless your sign it. Your spouse
must also sign if it is a joint return.
If you are filing a joint return with
your deceased spouse, see Death of
Taxpayer.

You may be able to take a credit on
line 41 for payments you made for child
and disabled dependent care while you
(and your pouse if you were married)
worked or looked for work.
The credit is allowed if you kept up
a home that included a child under age
15 or your dependent or pouse who
could not care for himself or herself.
U e Form 2441 to figure the amount of
any credit.
Please ee Form 2441 for more information, including special rules for
divorced or separated parents and certain employment taxes for which you
may be liable.

Instructions for
Schedule A
Itemized Deductions
Purpose of Schedule
Some taxpayers must itemize their deductions and some should itemize becau e they will save money. See You
MUST Itemize Deductions and You
Choose To Itemize.

If you itemize, you can deduct part
of your medical and dental expenses,
and amounts you paid for certain taxes,
interest, contributions, and other miscellaneous expenses. You may also deduct certain casualty and theft losses.
These deductions are explained below.
Lines 1 through 5

Medical and Dental Expenses
Before you can figure your total deduction for medical and dental expenses,
you must complete Form 1040 through
line 33.
You may deduct only that part of
your medical and dental expenses that
is more than 5% of your adjusted gross
income on Form 1040, line 33.
You should include all amounts you
paid during 1986 (including amounts
you paid for hospital, medical, and extra
medicare (Medicare B) insurance), but
do not include amounts repaid to you,
or paid to anyone else, by hospital,
health or accident insurance, or your
employer. Get Publication 502 for information on insurance reimbursements. If you received a reimbursement
of prior year medical or dental expenses
in 1986, see the instructions for Form
1040, line 22. Do not reduce your 1986 expenses by thi amount.
When you figure your deduction, you
may include medical and dental bills
you paid for:
• Yourself.
• Your spouse.
• Your child whom you do not claim
as a dependent because of the rules
explained for Children of Divorced or
Separated Parents.
• Any person that you could have
claimed as a dependent on your return if that person had not received
$1,080 or more of gross income or
had not filed a joint return.
Example.-You provided more than half
of your mother' support but may not
claim her as a dependent because she
received $1,080 of wages during 1986.
If part of your support was the payment
of her medical bills, you may include
that part in your medical expenses.

Note: On line 2c, list the medical expense and the amount of the expense.
Enter one total in the total amount
column on line 2c.
Examples of Medical and Dental
Payments You MAY Deduct
To the extent you were not reimbursed, you may deduct what you paid for:
• Medicines and drugs that required a
prescription, or insulin.
• Medical doctors, dentists, eye doctors, chiropractors, osteopaths, podiatrists, psychiatrists, psychologists,
physical
therapists,
acupuncturists, and psychoanalysts
(medical care only).
• Medical examinations, X-ray and
laboratory services, insulin treatment, and whirlpool baths your doctor ordered.
• Nursing help. If you pay someone to
do both nursing and housework, you
may deduct only the cost of the
nursing help.
• Hospital care (including meals and
lodging), clinic costs, and lab fees.
• Medical treatment at a center for drug
addicts or alcoholics.
• Medical aids such as hearing aids
(and batteries), false teeth, eyeglasses, contact lenses, braces,
crutches, wheelchairs, guide dogs and
the cost of maintaining them.
• Lodging expenses (but not meals)
paid while away from home to receive
medical care in a hospital or a medical
care facility that is related to a hospital. Do not include more than $50
a night for each eligible person.
• Ambulance service and other travel
costs to get medical care. If you used
your own car, you may claim what
you spent for gas and oil to go to and
from the place you received the care;

(Continued on Page 26.)
February 1987 I LOG I 25

-

�1986 Tax Tips

received the form. In the far left
margin, next to line lla, write "see
attached."
If you paid more mortgage interest

(Continued from Page 25.)
or you may claim 9 cents a mile. Add
parking and tolls to the amount you
claim under either method.
Examples of Medical and Dental
Payments You MAY NOT Deduct
You may not deduct the following:
• The basic cost of medicare i
(Medicare A).

ranee

Note: If you are 65 or over and not
entitled to social security benefits, you
may deduct premiums you voluntarily
paid for Medicare A coverage.

• Life insurance or income protection
policies.
• The 1.45% medicare (hospital insurance benefits) tax withheld from your
pay as part of the social security tax
or the medicare tax paid as part of
social security self-employment tax.
• Nursingcareforahealthybaby. (You
may qualify for the child and dependent care credit; get Form 2441.)
• illegal operations or drugs.
• Medicines or drugs you bought without a prescription.
• Travel your doctor told you to take
for rest or change.
• Funeral, burial, or cremation costs.
Publication 502 has a discussion of
expenses that may and may not be
deducted. It also explains when you
may deduct capital expenditures and
special care for handicapped persons.
Lines 6 through 10

Taxes You MAY NOT Deduct
•
•
•
•

•

General sales taxes (line 8)
The Optional State Sales Tax Tables
show how much you may deduct for
your income and family size if you did
not keep detailed records. You may add
to the sales tax table amount the general
sales tax you paid if you bought:
• A car, motorcycle, motor home, or
truck. (Note: Texas charges a higher
motor vehicle sales or use tax than
it does for other items. Figure how
much you would have paid at the
general sales tax rate and enter only
that amount on line Sb.)
• A boat, plane, home (including mobile or prefabricated), or materials to
build a new home if:
a. the tax rate was the same as the
general sales tax rate, and
b. your sales receipt or contract shows
how much tax was imposed on you and
paid by you.
If you kept records that show you

26 I LOG I February 1987

-

on Schedule A, lines 6 through Sb (such
as personal property or foreign income
tax) , list the tax and the amount of tax.
Ente~ one total in the total amount
column on line 9.
Personal property tax must be based
on value alone. For example, if part of
the fee you paid for the registration of
your car was based on the car's value
and part was based on its weight, you
may deduct only the part based on
value.
If you paid tax to a foreign country
or U.S. possession, you may want to
take it as a credit instead of a deduction.
Please get Publication 514, Foreign Tax
Credit for U.S. Citizens and Resident
Aliens.

Taxes You MAY Deduct

• any state and local income tax refund
(or credit) you expect to receive for
1986, or
• any refund of (or credit for) prioryear state and local income taxes you
actually received in 1986 (see the
instructions for Form 1040, line 10).

es and other taxes (line 9)

If you had any deductible tax not listed

Taxes You Paid

Real estate taxes (line 7). Include taxes
that you paid on property you own that
was not used for business. Publication
530, Tax Information for Owners of
Homes, Condominiums, and Cooperative Apartments, explains the deductions homeowners may take.
If your mortgage payments include
your real estate taxes, do not take a
deduction for those taxes until the year
the mortgage company actually pays
them to the taxing authority.

-

Personal
property

•
•

State and local income taxes (line 6).
Include on this line state and local
income taxes that were withheld from
your salary and any estimated payments
made. Also include payments you made
in 1986 on a tax for a prior year. Do
not reduce your deduction by either of
the following amounts:

-

paid more state sales tax than the tables
list, you may deduct the larger amount
on line Sa. Separately show the sales
tax you paid on any motor vehicle you
bought in 1986 on line 8b. Include state
or local selective sales or excise taxes
if the rates were the same as the general
sales tax rates.
If you use the sales tax tables, count
all available income.

•

Federal income tax.
Social security tax.
Railroad retirement tax (RRTA) .
Federal excise tax on transportation,
telephone, gasoline, etc.
Customs duties.
Federal estate and gift taxes. (However, see Miscellaneous Deductions).
Windfall profit tax. (Use Schedules
C or E of Form 1040 to deduct this
tax.)
Certain state and local taxes, including:

a. Tax on gasoline.
b. Car inspection fees.
c. Tax on liquor, beer, wine, cigarettes, and tobacco.
d. Assessments for sidewalks or other
improvements to your property.
e. Taxes paid for your business or
profession. (Use Schedules C, E , or F
of Form 1040 to deduct business taxes.)
r. Tax you paid for someone else.
g. License fees (marriage, driver's ,
dog, hunting, etc.).
h. Per capita (head) tax.
Lines lla through 14
Interest You Paid

Include interest you paid on nonbusiness items only.

than is shown on Form 1098, or similar
statement, get Publication 545 to see if
you can deduct the additional interest.
If you can, attach a statement to your
return explaining the difference and
write "see attached" next to line I la.
Note: If you are claiming the Mortgage
Interest Credit (see instructions for Form
HMO, line 44), subtract the amount
shown on line 3 of Form 8396 from the
total interest you paid on your home
mortgage and enter the result on line
lla.

• Line llb. Report mortgage interest
you paid to individuals on line llb.
Also list this person's name and address in the space provided.
Credit card and charge account
interest you paid (line 12)
Include on this line interest you paid
on bank and other general purpose
credit cards. Deduct the finance charge
paid as interest if no part of it was for
service charges, membership fees, loan
fees , credit investigation fees, etc. Also
include interest you paid on revolving
charge accounts. Deduct any finance
charge a retail store added if the charges
are based on your monthly unpaid balance.
Other Interest you paid (line 13)
List each payee's name and the amount.
Enter one total in the total amount
column on line 13. Include on this line
interest you paid on• Your personal note for money you
borrowed from a bank, a credit union,
or another person.
• Loans on life insurance if you paid
the interest in cash and you report
on the cash basis.
• Installment contracts on personal
property, such as cars.
• Taxes you paid late. Show only the
interest; do not include any amount
that is considered a penalty. If the
tax is deductible, show it under Taxes
You Paid (lines 6 through 9 of this
schedule).
• Loans on investment property. Report only the nonbusiness part of
interest on these loans. (If our total
investment interest on investment
debts created after 1969 is more than
$10,000 ($5,000 if married filing a
separate return), you may have to
complete Form 4952, Investment Interest Expense Deduction, to figure
your correct deduction. Also get Publication 550, Investment Income and
Expenses.)
Note: Special rules apply to interest
expense imputed on below-market loans.
Get Publication 545.

Interest You MAY Deduct
Home mortgage interest (lines lla and
llb). If you paid $600 or more ofinterest
on your home mortgage, the recipient
of this interest will generally send you
a Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement, or similar statement, showing the
total interest received during 1986. You
should receive this statement by February 2, 1987. However, if you paid
"points" (including loan origination
fees), they will not be shown on this
statement. Get Publication 545 to see if
the points qualify as interest. If they
do, report them on line 13. Do not
include them on line I la.
• Line lla. Report mortgage interest
you paid directly, or indirectly, to
financial institutions on line lla. If
you and at least one other person
(other than your spouse if you file a
joint return) were liable for, and paid
interest on, the mortgage, and the
other person received the Form 1098,
or similar statement, attach a statement to your return showing the
name and address of the person who

Interest You MAY NOT Deduct
Do not include interest paid on your
debts by others, such as mortgage interest subsidy payments made by a
government agency. Also do not include the interest you paid for• Tax-exempt income. This includes
interest on money you borrowed to
buy or carry wholly tax-exempt securities. This also includes interest
paid to purchase or carry obligations
or shares, or to make deposits or
other investments, to the extent any
interest income received from the
investment is tax-exempt.
• A loan on life insurance if the interest
is added to the loan and you report
on the cash basis.
• A debt to buy a single-premium life
insurance or endowment contract.
• Any kind of business transaction.
(Use Schedules C, E, or F of Form
1040 to deduct business interest expenses.)
Get Publication 545 for more details.

Lines lSa through 18
ContributWns You Made

You may deduct what you actually gave
to organizations that are religious, charitable, educational, scientific, or literary
in purpose. You may also deduct what
you gave to organizations that work to
prevent cruelty to children or animals.
Examples or these organizations are:
• Churches, temples, synagogues, Salvation Army, Red Cross, CARE,
Goodwill Industries, United Way,
Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boys Club
of America, etc.
• Fraternal orders, if the gifts will be
used for the purposes listed above.
• Veterans' and certain cultural groups.
• Nonprofit schools, hospitals, and organizations whose purpose is to find
a cure for, or help people who have,
arthritis, asthma, birth defects, cancer, cerebral palsy , cystic fibrosis ,
diabetes , heart disease, hemophilia,
mental illness or retardation, multiple
sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, tuberculosis, etc.
• Federal, state, and local governments
if the gifts are solely for public purposes.
If you contributed to a charitable
organization and also received a benefit
from it, you may deduct only the amount
that is more than the value of the benefit
you received.
If you do not know whether you may
deduct what you gave to an organization, check with that organization or
with IRS.

Contributions You MAY Deduct
Contributions may be in cash (keep
cancelled checks, receipts, or other
reliable written records showing the
name of the organization and the date
and amount given), property, or outof-pocket expenses you paid to do volunteer work for the kinds of organizations described above. If you drove to
and from the volunteer work, you may
take 12 cents a mile or the actual cost
of gas and oil. Add parking and tolls to
the amount you claim under either
method. (But don't deduct any amounts
that were repaid to you.)
Get Publication 526, Charitable Contributions , for special rules that apply
if:
• your cash contributions or contributions of ordinary income property
are more than 30% of Form 1040,
line 33.
• your gifts of capital gain property to
certain organizations are more than
20% of Form 1040, line 33, or
• you gave gifts of property that increased in value or gave gifts of the
use of property.
You MAY NOT Deduct As
Contributions
• Political contributions (but see instructions for Form 1040, line 43).
• Dues, fees, or bills paid to country
clubs, lodges, fraternal orders, or
similar groups.
• Cost of raffle, bingo, or lottery tickets.
• Cost of tuition.
• The value of your time or services.
• Value of blood given to a blood bank.
• The transfer of a future interest in
tangible personal property (generally, until the entire interest has been
transferred).
• Gifts to:
a. Individuals.
b. Foreign organizations.
c. Groups that are run for personal
profit.
d. Groups whose purpose is to lobby
for changes in the laws.
e. Civic leagues, social and sports
clubs, labor unions, and chambers of
commerce.
Line 19
Casualty and Theft Losses

Use line 19 to report casualty or theft
losses of property that is not trade,

�business, or rent or royalty property.
Complete and attach Form 4684, Casualties and Thefts, or a similar statement to figure your loss. Enter on line
19 of Schedule A the amount of loss
from Form 4684.
Losses You MAY Deduct
You may be able to deduct all or part
of each loss caused bx heft, vandalism,
fire, storm, and car, boat, and other
accidents or similar cau es.
You may deduct nonbusiness casualty or theft losses only to the extent
thata. the amount of EACH separate casualty or theft loss is more than $100,
and
b. the total amount of ALL los es during the year i more than l 0% of your
adjusted gross income on Form 1040,
line 33.
Special rules apply if you had both
gains and losses from nonbusiness casualties or thefts. Get Form 4684 for
details.
Losses You MAY NOT Deduct
• Money or property misplaced or lost.
• Breakage of china, glassware, furn iture, and similar items under normal
conditions.
• Progressive damage to property
(buildings, clothes, trees, etc.) caused
by termites, moths, other insects, or
disease.
Lines 20 through 23
Miscellaneous Deductions
Expenses You MAY Deduct
Educational Expenses. Generally, you
may deduct what you paid for education
required by your employer, or by law
or regulations, t keep your present
salary or · . n general, you may also
the cost of maintaining or improving skills you mu st have in your
present position .

You may not deduct some educational expenses. Among them are expenses for study that helps you meet
minimum requirements for your job, or
qualifie you to get a new job.
Employee Expenses. Example of the
expenses you may deduct are:
• Safety Equipment, mall tool , and
supplies you needed for your job.
• Uniforms your employer aid you
must have, and which you may not
usually wear away from work.
• Protective clothing, required in your
ork, such as hard hats and afety
shoes and glasses.
• Phy ical examinations your employer aid you mu t have.

• Dues to professional organizations
and chambers of commerce.
• Subscriptions to professional journals.
• Fees to employment agencies and
other costs to look for a new job in
your present occupation, even if you
do not get a new job.
Note: If your employer reimbursed you
directly or indirectly for any educational expenses or employee expenses,
you must use Form 2106, Employee
Business Expenses, Part I, line 5, to
deduct those expenses up to the amount
you were reimbursed. Also use Form
2106 to deduct any related travel or
transportation expenses.

Long-Trip Tax Problems
A major tax beef by seamen is that
normally taxes are not withheld on earnings in the year they earned the money,
but in the year the payoff took place.
For example, a seaman who signed on
for a five-month trip in September 1985,
paying off in January 1986, would have all
the five months' earnings appear on his
1986 W-2 even though his actual 1986
earnings might be less than those in 1985.
There are ways to minimize the impacts
of this ituation. For example, while on
the ship in 1985, the Seafarer undoubtedly
took draws and may have sent allotment
home. These can be reported as 1985
income.
Unfortunately, this raises another complication . The seaman who reports these
earnings in 1985 will not have a W-2
(withholding statement) covering them. He
will have to list all allotments, draws and
slops on the tax return and explain why
he doesn ' t have a W-2 for them. Furthermore , since no tax will have been withheld
on these earnings in 1985, he will have to

ous
If you are suffering from the illness of alcohol or drug addiction, and
if your life has become unmanageable, there is a way out. That way is,
first, an admission to yourself that you need help and then acceptance
of a simple program that has worked for many millions of people just
like yourself. That program is the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Simply stated, A.A. 's Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual
in their nature , which, if practiced as a way of life , can expel the
obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and
usefully whole.
Step One. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol and drugs ,
that our lives had become unmanageable.
Step Two. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves
could restore us to sanity.
Step Three. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over
to the care of God , as we understood Him.

STEP FOUR
We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
What follows is an excerpt from "Alcoholics Anonymous":
After we took the first three steps we launched out on a course of
vigorous action. This involved a personal housekeeping, which many
of us had never attempted.
Though our decision to stop drinking and taking drugs was a vital
and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once

pay the full tax on them with his return,
at 11 percent or upwards, depending on
his tax bracket. The earnings will show up
on his 1986 W-2. The seaman then , on his
1986 return would have to explain that he
had reported some of hi earning in 1985
and paid taxes on them. He would get a
tax refund accordingly .
In essence, the seaman would pay taxes
twice on the same income and get a refund
a year later. While this will save the seaman
some tax money in the long run, it means
he is out-of-pocket on some of his earnings
for a full year until he gets the refund .
This procedure would also undoubtedly
cause Internal Revenue to examine his
returns, since the income reported would
not coincide with the totals on his W-2
forms.
That raises the question, is this procedure justified ? It is justified only if a seaman
had very little income in one year and very
considerable income the next. Otherwise
the tax saving is minor and probably not
worth the headache .

Qualified Adoption Expenses.
You may be able to deduct up to $1,500
of qualified adoption expenses you paid
for each child you adopt with "special
needs.''
A child with special needs is one who
the state determines, in connection with
the Social Security Act adoption assi tance program, cannot or should not
be returned to hi or her parental home,
has a specific factor or condition that
makes the child difficult to place, and
has been the subject of an unsuccessful
placement effort.
Gambling Losses
You may deduct gambling losses, but
not more than the gambling winnings
you reported on Form 1040, line 22.
Expenses You MAY NOT Deduct
• Political contributions (but see instructions for Form 1040, line 43).
• Perso nal legal expen es.
• Lost or misplaced cash or property.
• Expenses fo r meals during regular or
extra work hours.
• The cost of entertaining frie nds.
• Expenses of going to or fro m work.
• Education that you need to meet
mi nimum requirements for your job
or that will qualify you fo r a new
occupation .
• Fine and penalties.
• Expenses of producing tax -exempt
mcome.

,.

For more details, get Publication 529,
Miscellaneous Deductions.
Note: On line 22 list the type and amount
of each expense. Enter one total in the
total amount column on line 22.

followed by a strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in
ourselves which had been blocking us from being whole persons. Our
liquor/drugs were but a symptom. So we had to get down to causes
and conditions.
Therefore, we started upon a personal inventory. This was Step Four.
A business which takes no regular inventory usually goes broke. Taking
a commercial inventory is a fact-finding and fact-facing process. It is
an effort to discover the truth about the stock-in-trade-the truth about
ourselves. One object is to disclose damaged or unsalable goods, to get
rid of them promptly and without regret. If the owner of the business
is to be successful, he cannot fool himself about values.
We did exactly the same thing with our lives. We took stock honestly
. . . Nothing counted but thoroughness and honesty ...
If we had been thorough about our personal inventory, we had written
down a lot. We have listed and analyzed our resentments. We have
begun to comprehend their futility and fatality. We have commenced
to see their terrible destructiveness .
We have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will towards
all, even our enemies, for we look on them as sick people. We have
listed the people we have hurt by our conduct, and are willing to begin
to straighten out the past.

~

'I Wish I Had Done It Sooner'
Dear President Drozak,
I have just completed the program at the ARC. I wanted to thank
you and our Union for the opportunity the Rehab program has given
me to begin my life anew. I truly appreciate what I have received. I
wish I had done it sooner, but I guess it wasn't my time yet.
The program is an intense one and is just what is needed for people
like us to raise our level of self-esteem and become a part of lifeinstead of hiding from reality.
There is so much more I could say. I just wanted to express my
gratitude.
Sincerely,
Veronica Ercolano
S.S. Constitution

-

-

February 1987 I LOG I 27

-

�.f.~

~IFliJTu~i.il'

1

~

5

~~~==========================&lt;i•~~~~·i'
~===========.l!JTh~~~a~c&amp;.~~M~~~~
Deep Sea
Great Lakes
Pensioner Arthur Ballu, 82, died
Dec. 18, 1986. He joined the SIU in
1943 and sailed in the deck department. Brother Ballu walked the picket
line in the 1946 General Maritime and
1947 Isthmian beefs. Ballu is survived
by his widow, Gladys. He was buried
at Rosehill Cemetery in New Jersey.
Pensioner Joseph
V. Bissonet, 78, died
Jan. 12. Brother Bissonet joined the SIU
in 1944 sailing in the
deck department. He
hit the bricks in the
1946 General Maritime and the 1947
Isthmian beefs. Brother Bissonet is
survived by his nephew, Jerry L. Leslie. Burial was at sea off the Monterey,
Calif. coast.
Pensioner
Jack
Cron Brock, 66, died
recently.
Brother
Brockjoined the SIU
in the port of Lake
Charles, La. in 1951.
He sailed as a chief
electrician. He was
born in Texas and
was a resident of Galveston, Texas.
Surviving are his widow, Feriece; a
daughter, Mera Picou of New Orlean ,
and his mother, Virginia of Lake
Charles.
Pensioner Hector M. De Jesus Sr.,
63, died Dec. 28, 1986. Brother De
Jesus joined the SIU in 1947 in the
port of New York sailing in the steward department. He hit the bricks in
the 1946 General Maritime and the
_. 1947 I thmian beefs. Seafarer De Jesus
was born in Puerto Rico and wa a
resident of Brooklyn, N. Y. Surviving
are his widow, Antonia and two sons,
Hector Jr. and Louis.
Pensioner Buren
Damascus Elliott, 83,
passed away from
lung failure at home
in Chesapeake, Va.
on Nov. 18, 1986.
Brother Elliott joined
the SIU in 1945 in
the port of Norfolk.

He sailed as a chief electrician and hit
the bricks in the 1946 General Maritime, 1947 Isthmian and the 1948 Wall
St. beefs. Seafarer Elliott was born in
South Carolina. Cremation took place
in the Lynnhaven Crematory, Virginia
Beach, Va. Surviving is his widow,
Amanda.

Pensioner Andoni
"Tony" Joseph S.
Ferrara, 67, died of
heart failure in the
West
Houston
(Texa )
Medical
Center on Nov. 26,
1986. Brother Ferrara joined the SIU
in 1938-a charter member-in the
port of New York. He sailed as a
bosun. He walked the picket line in
the 1946 General Maritime, 1947 Isthmian and 1948 Wall St. beefs. Born in
New York, he was a resident of Hackensack, N .J. Burial was in the St.
Joseph's Cemetery, Hackensack. Surviving is his widow, Carmen.
Pensioner Antonio
Estrada Gonzalez Jr.,
90, passed away from
cancer in the Metropolitan Hospital,
Las Lomas, Rio
Piedras, P.R. on Oct.
30, 1986. Brother
Gonzalez joined the
SIU in 1941 in the port of New York.
He sailed as a bosun. He was on the
picket line in the 1961 Greater N. Y.
Harbor beef. Seafarer Gonzalez was
born in Puerto Rico and was a resident
of Bayamon, P.R. Interment wa in
the Los Cipreses Cemetery, Bayamon. Surviving are his widow, Bonita;
four sons, and a granddaughter, Yvonne
Gonzalez of Hyde Park, Mass.
Pensioner Jesus N. Isturis died recently. Brother Isturi joined the SIUmerged Marine Cook and Stewards
Union in the port of San Francisco,
Calif. He retired in 1960.
Pensioner William J. McDaniels died
Dec. 5, 1986. Brother McDaniel joined
the SIU-merged Marine Cooks and
Stewards Union in the port of San
Francisco. He retired in 1971.

BOOZE
OR

DRUG~?:

Pensioner James
R. McPhaul, 67,
passed away Dec. 18,
1986. Brother McPhauljoined the SIU
in 1939 in the port of
Jacksonville,
Fla.
sailing in the steward department. He
was on the picket line in the 1946
General Maritime beef. Seafarer
McPhaul was born in Florida and was
a resident of Savannah, Ga. Surviving
are his widow, Norma and his father,
H. McPhaul of Jacksonville.

Pensioner Joseph Parks died recently. Brother Parks joined the SIUmerged Marine Cooks and Stewards
Union in the port of San Francisco.
He retired in 1976.
Pensioner Luis Torres, 75, died Jan.
20. He joined the SIU in 1938 and
sailed in the deck department. Brother
Torres was active in the 1946 General
Maritime, the 1947 Isthmian and the
1962 Moore-McCormick-Robin Line
strikes. Torres is survived by hi widow,
Carmen. Burial was at the Vega Baja
Municipal Cemetery in Puerto Rico.
Pensioner John Worrall, 62, died on
Nov. 2, 1986. Brother Worrall joined
the SIU-merged Marine Cooks and
Stewards Union in the port of San
Francisco in 1966 sailing as a room
steward. He wa born in England and
was a naturalized U.S. citizen. Seafarer Worrall was a resident of San
Francisco. Surviving is his sister, Bertha Howarth of Manchester, England.
Pensioner George
Eric Zukas, 74, succumbed to lung failure in St. Luke's
Hospital, San Francisco on Dec. 2, 1986.
Brother Zukas joined
the SIU in the port
of New York in 1957
sailing as a FOWT. He was a former
member of the SUP. Seafarer Zukas
was born in Helsinki , Finland and was
a naturalized U.S. citizen. He was a
re ident of San Francisco. Burial was
in the Woodlawn Park Cemetery,
Colma, Calif. Surviving i his widow ,
Elvera.

HELP
WITJ.I
71-/EBE
PROBLEMG

/G
AVAILABLE.
CONTACT

-

THE

A.R.C.
OR YOLJR

PORT

AGENT

28 I LOG I February 1987

-

'Pensioner Henry
D. Muzia died Nov.
26, 1986. Brother
Muzia joined the
Union in the port of
Milwaukee, Wis. He
sailed as an oiler.
Muzia was a resident of Milwaukee.
Surviving are his widow, Dorothea
and his son, Lawrence.
Pensioner John Aloysius Reardon,
75, died Dec. 10, 1986. Brother Reardon joined the Union in the port of
Chicago, Ill. in 1964. He sailed as an
AB aboard the SS McKee Sons (Amersand Steamship) from 1977 to 1978.
Reardon was a resident of Three River , Mich. Surviving is his sister, Kay
Sheldon of Three Rivers.

The following SIU members have
retired on pension:
DEEP SEA
Baltimore
Hosea N. McBride
Thomas G. Ryan
Houston
Teddy E. Aldridge
Edward E. Davidson
Charles T. Gaskins
Travis R. Miners
lb Arve Pedersen
Jacksonville
Autulio N. Garcia
Johnny Lombardo
James W. Nettles
Mobile
Guy Salanon
New Orleans
Joseph F. Adams
Peter Gebbia
Vincent P. Pizzitolo
Richard F. Roberts
New York
Morgan L. Carroll
Walter Karlak
Felizardo T. Motus
Juan Perez
Anthony Tosado
Philadelphia
Edward A. Fahy
Puerto Rico
Francisco Gonzalez
Rual I. Lopez
San Francisco
Hiroshi Shiba
Richard S. Turpin
Seattle
Steve Boreski
Robert H. Graf
Alva McCullum
Kenneth A. McLeod
John Medvesky
Shigeru Moritani
Wilmington
James J. Boland

�AMERICAN EAGLE (Pacific Gulf Marine), January 25--Chairman Stanley
Krawczynski, Secretary Robert D. Bright,
Deck Delegate C.D Brown, Engine Delegate Desoucey, Educational Director C.
Henley, Steward Delegate Steven Hamilton . No beefs or disputed OT reported.
The $45 in the ship's fund is in the safekeeping of the bosun. The ship will pay off
in New Jersey. Rumor has it that the
American Eagle may then go into the
shipyard for five to 10 days. The crewmembers onboard feel there should be
some changes made in the Union and
aboard ship. They would like to see the
retirement age reduced to 62 years of age
with 5,475 days sea time. They also believe
that the Coast Guard should be made
aware of the effects of reduced manning
onboard ships. If a ship started to sink, we
would all want enough men onboard to be
able to lower the lifeboats into the water.
Another item brought up at the meeting
pertained to heat. It the ship is going to
Norway next voyage, as scheduled , electric
heaters will be needed by all personnel.
LNG AQUARIUS (Energy Transportation Corp.), December 21-Chairman
Glenn D. Miller, Secretary R. Adams. No
disputed OT reported this voyage. There
is $100 in the ship's fund. One man was
taken off ship in Bontang due to an accident, but everything seems to be running
smoothly. The educational director talked
about the importance of upgrading at the
Union's facilities in Piney Point, and a
discussion about drugs was held-and the
penalties tor their use aboard ship.
AURORA (Apex Marine), December
14--Chairman Cesar Gutierrez, Secretary
James Osbey, Engine Delegate C.I. Hampson. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
The chairman noted that at the November
meeting in the New Orleans hall, Vice
President Mike acco said that he had
gotten · a ew complaints from QMEDs
ard ships who felt that the engineers
were doing their jobs-jobs tor which they
could be getting overtime. He asked that
such violations be documented and passed
along to him. A vote of thanks was given
to the steward department for a job well
done. The Aurora will head out to Texas
to pick up a load bound for Haifa, Israel.
COURIER (Ocean Carriers), January
18-Chairman William Lough, Secretary
Rudolf Spingat, Deck Delegate Michael L.
Grill, Steward Delegate Ali 0. Saleh. No
beefs or disputed OT. The chairman
stressed the importance of these monthly
shipboard meetings to correct any real
problems facing the crew. Only by knowing
the problems that exist onboard ships can

Nick Andrews, steward/baker aboard the SS Caguas (Puerto Rico Marine) .

TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:

the Union act. The chairman continued,
"The Union has promised me answers-maybe not the ones we want to hear, but
answers. If we don't conduct our business
in an orderly, logical manner, it won't get
done." The captain ordered a safety meeting. He asked that er wmembers bring up
any hazards or sat
violations so as to
make the company aware of any equipment they should send to the ship. The
steward department requested clarification
of extra work (cleaning the meat box, oven,
range, vegetable box and galley, taking
inventories, etc.). They want to know if this
is included in the three hours overtime or
if this is above and beyond the overtime

ROBERT E. LEE (Waterman), January
4--Chairman Theodoros K. Gailas, Secretary A. Estrada, Educational Director B.F.
Cooley, Deck Delegate A. Otremba, Engine Delegate William L. York. All's well in
the three departments with no disputed OT
or major beefs. The chairman reported that
one AB quit ship in Karachi, Pakistan due
to the death of his father. A replacement
out of the port of New York came aboard
in Madras, India, but one day later he
became very sick and not fit to stand his
watch for the entire day. On arrival in
Chittagong , Bangladesh , the replacement
was taken from the ship and sent to a
hospital for medical attention and was to

NOTICE:
MV American Eagle Crewmembers
Crewmembers who worked aboard the above-named vessel between
July 1, 1985 and June 30, 1986 have additional monies due them as per
the Economic Price Adjustment (EPA) .
Those involved are to submit verification of employment time specified
above in the form of copies of discharges or pay vouchers. Also specify
your social security number and number of dependents.
Direct all requests to the Contract Department, 5201 Auth Way, Camp
Springs, MD 20746.
offered to make up for the manning reduction in the steward department. Clarification
also was requested on QMEDs working a
full load-should they be called out to
missing pumpmen's jobs? A suggestion
was made to move the VCR into a cabinet
for safety and security, and a repair list
was posted. And just to keep everyone on
their toes, an anti-piracy watch was mounted
while in the Straits of Malacca. Next port:
Subic Bay, P.I.

OVERSEAS ALASKA
(Maritime
Overseas), December 14--Chairman F.
Sellman, Secretary J. Calhoun. No disputed OT was reported, although there
was a beef on the medical benefits. The
ship will pay off in Marcus Hook, Pa.
Everything is running smoothly. There is
$241 .82 in the ship's movie fund which will
be turned over to the relief steward or
treasurer. A suggestion was made tor permanent jobs to be six months on, six
months off. There was also a discussion
of sea time. The three-man steward department onboard the Overseas Alaska is
working out fairly well , and new microwave
ovens have been installed.
PANAMA (Sea-Land) , December 28Chairman Marvin P. Zimbro, Secretary C.
Scott, Educational Director N. Komninos.
No disputed OT. The last payoff of the year
will take place in San Juan , P.R. on Dec.
30. Several motions were made. The first
was to raise maintenance and cure to $15
per day. The second was to have a minimum of two hours call-out between midnight and 0800 hours. A request also was
made to have the Union check with SeaLand to find out why the air-conditioning
system does not work and why there is no
heat in the rooms in cold weather.

Mr. Donald B. Ganung
Chief Steward
Captain L. Swick
Christmas Meals Voyage 069

On behalf of the officers and crew of the motor vessel Sea-La.nd
Endurance, I would like to thank you, and also Chief Cook Martin
Ketchem and Utility Frank Pappone, for a job well done today. I cannot
give you enough credit for the work that you and your department did in
preparing for today's meals.
For me personally, this was the fourth consecutive Christmas at sea
and my third onboard this vessel. I truly cannot remember Christmas
meals at sea equal to those that you served on this day. All your
shipmates, including myself, appreciate your efforts. And again, I thank
you for a job well done.

be repatriated to New York when fit to
travel. There is $76 in the ship's fund and
$256 in the movie fund. Several videotapes, however, are missing from the video
library, and their return would be appreciated. A motion was made to increase the
monthly pension fund payments to all
members who are receiving $450/month.
No one can possibly live decently on this
kind of money, crewmembers stated, and
still have to pay taxes on that amount. "An
i c ase of at least $250/month would
certainly be a great help to pay for the
necessities of daily life. " Another motion
requested that the present status be maintained with regard to vacation pay per
month. "No concessions or any more cuts
should be allowed in any future contracts. "
A vote of thanks was given to the steward
department, particularly for the wonderful
holiday meals. One minute of silence was
observed in memory of our departed brothers and sisters. Next ports: Port Suez and
Port Said, Egypt, followed by payoff in
Norfolk, Va.

USNS WYMAN (LSC Marine), December 8-Chairman Edward A. Dabney, Secretary Carl J. Brown. This meeting was
called to resolve a dispute pertaining to
the year-end payoff and the withholding of
airfare from members' pay. A motion was
made to send a Telex to headquarters with
regard to the dispute; all present were in
favor. The chairman noted that a new TV
came aboard in Barbados and that Capt.
Fisher from LSC was also present and was
able to clear up a lot of the dark areas that
exist between licensed and unlicensed personnel.
WILLIAM B. BAUGH (Maersk), January 15-Chairman Edwin Rivera, Secretary Joseph Delise, Steward Delegate Gary
N. Lackey. No disputed OT. The deck
department is running very smoothly, although there are problems in the steward
department. First of all , a request was
made that the steward department receive
some sort of guidelines on the contract. At
present they have nothing to go by. It also
was noted that all steward/bakers on Maersk
Line ships are getting three hours overtime
per day for baking-except the steward/
baker on the Baugh. The crew feels he is
handling his job very well under the circumstances and that this discrepancy be ....
rectified. A request also was made for
additional training for all stewards arriving
Diego Garcia with regard to stores, codes
and bookwork. It was felt they should be
briefed at the company office prior to departure for Diego Garcia.
Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
ADONIS
ARION
GUS W. DARNELL

Personals
Jack Linch

Please contact Frank Cannella
at 500 Brown St., Apt. 502, Duryea, Pa. 18642, or call collect at
(717) 452-2766.
Fadel (Ali) H. Ghaleb

Please let me know how I can
contact you. M. (Fred) Leuschner,
Seamen's Church Institute, 50
Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10005.
Eddie Puchalski

Your mother is ill. Please con- -..
tact your sister Stella at 5115 Oak
Circle, Moriches , N.Y. 11955. Tel.
(516) 878-6023.

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point ... . ... . .... . .Mond ay, March 2 . ....... ... ..... .... 10:30 a.m .
New York .. . . . ....... . . .Tue sday, March 3 . . . . .. . .. . .... . ... . . 10:30 a.m .
Philadelphia .. . . . ......... Wedne day , March 4 . .. .... . .... ..... 10:30 a.m .
Baltimore ... . .. . .. . . . . .. .Thursday, March 5 .... . ......... ... . . 10:30 a.m .
Norfolk . . . . . .... .. .. . ... Thur da y, March 5 ........... . .. . ... . 10:30 a.m .
Jacksonville . . . . . ..... . . . .Thursday, March 5 ... . . ... . .. . .. ... . . 10:30 a.m .
Algonac ..... .... .. . ..... Friday , March 6 . .... .. . .. ... . ..... . . 10:30 a.m.
Houston ... . .. . . .. .... . .. Monday , March 9 . . . .. . . . . .. .. .. ... . . 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ..... . ... . ... Tuesday, March 10 ..... ... ........ ... 10:30 a.m.
Mobile . .. . . . ... ... ... . .. Wednesday, March I 1 .... . ........ . . . 10:30 a.m .
San Francisco .... . ...... .Thur day , March 12 ..... .... . .. .. . ... 10:30 a .m.
Wilmington . ... . .. .... ... Monday , March 16 . ...... . ... . .. ..... 10:30 a .m.
Seattle . .. .. .. ... . ... . ... Friday , March 20 ... . ... . . . . . ........ 10:30 a.m.
San Juan . ... .... .. ...... Thursday , March 5 . . . .... . . .. .. .. .. .. 10:30 a.m .
St. Loui ........ . ....... Friday , March 13 ...... .. .. . .... . .... 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ... . .... . ....... Thursday , March 12 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Duluth . ................. Wednesday, March I 1 . ... .. . .. .. ..... 10:30 a.m .
Jer ey City .. . ............ Wedne day , March 18 ..... . .... . ... . . 10:30 a.m.

.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111111111~
February 1987 I LOG I 29

-

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

JAN. 1-31, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port

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

DECK DEPARTMENT

0

22

0

Algonac .... . ... .... .. . .. . . . .

Port

0

0

0

26

0

10

0

6

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

Algonac ........ .. .. . . . . . . . . .

0

0

9

0

Port

0

0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Algonac .... ........... . .... .

0

5

0

0

0

HEADQUARTERS

ENTRY DEPARTMENT

Port
Algonac .. . . . ... ......... ... .

42

0

0

1

0

0

0

0
0
Totals All Departments . ...... .
78
3
0
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.

48

3

90

6

5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746
(301) 899-0675

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea

-

JAN. 1-31, 1987
Port
Gloucester ...............
New York .. .. . ....... . ..
Philadelphia ... . ..... . . . ..
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk . ... .............
Mobile ...... . ..........
New Orleans
Jacksonville . : : : : : : : : : : : : :
San Francisco .............
Wilmington ... .. .. . ......
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico . ......... . ...
Honolulu ............... .
Houston . ...............
St. Louis ................
Piney Point ..............
Totals . . .... . .. . .......
Port
Gloucester . . .............
New York . ... . .. . .......
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore . ... . .... . .....
Norfolk . ................
Mobile ... ..............
New Orleans .... . ........
Jacksonville . .... . .. .. .. ..
San Francisco . . . ......... .
Wilmington ........... .. .
Seattle ......... . . . . . . . .
Puerto Rico ...... . .......
Honolulu .. .. . ... ..... . . .
Houston ....... .. ...... .
St. Louis ................
Piney Point ..... .. .... . ..
Totals ....... .. . . ..... .
Port
Gloucester ....... . ... . . . .
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 8 Class C
1
45
4
2
9
14
41
32
32
16
44
16
9
29
0
4

298

0
32
2
5
3
7
25
23
16
12
25
10
6
27
0
3

2
14
0
2
4
4
5
9
11
4
8
0
20
4
0
2

89

1
9
1
2
5
2
6
4
5
2
10
1
14
5
0
7

0
1
0
1
3
1
4
2
7
1
3
0
11
1
0
0

35

0
2
1
0
0
0
2
2
3
1
1
0
11
0
0
0

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Trip
Reliefs

DECK DEPARTMENT
1
0
14
0
3
0
2
0
2
5
1
0
2
3
4
2
5
0
0
3
5
2
5
0
17
12
0
1
0
0
2
0

1
10
1
0
2
1
5
2
6
1
11
1
11
4
0
0

1
44
2
8
6
10
32
33
28
15
41
24
10
28
0
0

282

0
14
1
3
2
5
20
27
9
10
24
16
2
20
0
0

196

74

23

153

1
18
1
6
7
6
15
12
38
12
27
3
2
12
0
0

0
5
2
1
0
0
1
3
5
2
2
1
21

0
0

1
14
1
3
2
3
12
8
24
5
18
14
0
9
0
0

0
0
3

0
0
2
0
1
0
5

0
0
0

41
0
0

0

160

46

49

114

0

3
19
1
1
3
10
9
11
11
7
34
6
117
5

2
5
1
1
1
1
15
5
12
2
2
0
208
1
0

0

Port
Gloucester ........... . . ..
New York .. . . ...........
Philadelphia .. . ........ . ..
Baltimore . . ... .. ........
Norfolk .. . .. . . ..........
Mobile ...... . .. . .......
New Orleans . .. .. .. . . ....
Jacksonville ...... . ... . . . .
San Francisco . ........... .
Wilmington ............ . .
Seattle ............. . . . .
Puerto Rico . . ... ...... ...
Honolulu . . . .... . ........
Houston .... . .. .. . . .. .. .
St. Louis ... ... . .........
Piney Point . ... ... . ... . . .
Totals .. ... . . . . . . . . . ...

159

240

266

109

Totals All Departments ... .. .

813

449

373

658

18
1
2
2

0
13
5
32
16
29
15
8
18
0
0

0
3

10

70

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
1
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
2
1
0
0
0
3
0
1
1
0
5
3
0
2
0
40
26
0
1
0
0
2
0

19
0
1
1

0

21

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
1
0
8
0
1
3
3
0
3
0
2
0
1
2
4
0
1
3
0
0
1
9
0
0
11
14
0
0
0
0
2
0
51
18

11
5
23
6
15
12
8
8
0
0

48

43

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
1
0
2
23
1
1
4
1
1
3
4
1
10
6
13
2
2
3
1
5
27
1
1
0
142
152
1
5
0
0
1
0
171
243

412

253

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
2
102
6
8
15
15
74
50
69
37
53
29
9
67
0
4

2
20
1
7
5
6
9
12
15
8
12
1
20
7
0
5

1
1
1
1
4
1
9
2
13
2
1
0
8
3
0
0

56

540

130

47

0
3
1
0
1
2
1
4
1
2
2
1
8
1
0
0

0
69
2

3
7
1
0
7
3
10
5
6
6
11
3
14
7
0
5

0
2
1
0
0
0
3
3
6
2
1
0
6
0
0
0

10
9
10

61
34
34
17
38
14
9
44
0
5

27

356

88

24

0
5
1

0
34

0

0

5
7
7
41
21
81
21
44

0
7
1
1
1
1
2
6
11
3
8
1
25
1
0
4

0
1
5
1
6
2
1
1
34
6

0
0

3

6

8
20
0

3

1
0
0

0
0
1
0
7

0
1
0
28
0

0

0

63

301

72

38

0
0
0
0

0
47
5
10

2
36
4
7
3

2
9
1
0
3
1
23
4
22
3
3
1
244
2
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0

0
0
0

0

6
3
28
9
80
27
48
18

9
26
0
0

10
15
9
24
12
32
11
93
11
0
7

10

0

316

276

328

146

1,513

566

437

*"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 January was down from the month of December. A total of 1,469 jobs were
shipped on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,469 jobs shipped, 658 jobs or about 45 percent were
taken by "A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 146 trip relief
jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 4,496 jobs have been
shipped.

30 I LOG I February 1987

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
DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110
GLOUCESTER, Mass.
11 Rogers St. O1930
(617) 283-1167
HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434
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
NEW ORLEANS, La.
630 Jackson Ave. 70130
(504) 529-7546
Toll Free: 1-800-325-2532
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 2067 4
(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
SEATILE, Wash.
2505 1 Ave. 98121
(206) 441-1960
ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500
SUBIC BAY, Rep. of Philippines
34 21st St., W. Bajac Bajac
Olongapo City C-2201
222-3533
WILMINGTON, Calif.
510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�Boom Bust
B

OOM and bust. That's how most
people would describe the maritime
industry. It's a pretty accurate description. For the past 100 years, the maritime industry has been like one big
roller coaster.
Boom during the Civil War.
Bust afterwards.
Boom during World War I.
Bust afterwards.
Boom during World War II.
Bust afterwards.
Seamen who make a living in this
industry accept this as part of the territory. After you've been around for a
while, you get to know the ride like the
back of your hand.
It goes something like this:
POINT A (top of the roller coaster}The United States is faced with a lifethreatening situation (Civil War, World
War I, World War II). The Americanflag merchant marine plays a pivotal
role in the effort against the enemy
(runs a blockade against the Confederacy, brings troops and supplies to our
Allies in Europe). Seamen suffer high
casualty rates (the second highest during World War II, after the Marines),
and are lauded for their heroic actions.
POINT B (the car is starting to all}The war is over. Ameri n companies
are tired of pa ·
axes and adhering
afety and wage standards.
to m1
ey look for a way out. They lobby
Congress and the military. The government accepts their arguments and turns
a blind eye to the industry (denies
seamen's veteran status, enacts hip
Sales Act of 1946, formulates Effective
U.S. Control Doctrine). Americanowned companies document their vesunder foreign regi tries.
PO
the car gains speed as it
proceeds downward)-Shipboard conditions and wages for eamen decline.
Skilled mariners leave the industry. The
number of vessels registererd under the

American-flag grows smaller each year.
POINT D (the car reaches bottom)Conditions for seamen become intolerable. The industry is convulsed with
changes (the switch from wooden hulls
to steel structures, containerization, intermodal operations). The labor movement remains divided, but tries to respond to the challenge the best way
that it can.
POINT E (the car starts to climb
again, slowly)-Military planners become alarmed. Conditions overseas
worsen. Foreign-klg vessels prove unreliable. Last minute legislation is enacted to save the industry (Merchant
Marine Act of 1915, Merchant Marine
Act of 1936).
POINT A (you reach another peak)
The United States is faced with a lifethreatening situation ....
You get the picture.
Right now, we are somewhere between Point D and E. The car has
reached bottom (fewer than 400 are
ve sels are registered under the American flag). Military planners have become alarmed (The Navy has embarked
on a costly buildup of the govemmentcontrolled fleet and predicts a severe
shortage of skilled mariners by the early
1990s). Conditions overseas are getting
worse (the Iran-Iraq War, Central
America, the Philippine ). Foreign-flag
vessels have proven to be unreliable
(Yom Kippur War of 1973, when the
President of Liberia prohibited cargo to
Israel from being carried on Americanowned but Liberian-flagged vessels).
There's only one problem. The government hasn't come up with a program
to revive the industry. It won't even
maintain the present level of funding.
It makes pious speeches about free
trade.
If it doesn't get its act together soon,
then the ride just might be over.

Letters
To The

E ditor
'Goals Become Reality

• • •

'

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the SIU, all the staff at
SHLSS and you, the members, for the chance I have been given to
further my education.
I am attending school at the California Culinary Academy with the
aid provided by the Charlie Logan Scholarship Program. It is just one
of the many opportunities open to Seafarers to continue their
education.
Thanks to people such as Tracy Aumann, Romeo Lupinacci, Bud
Adams and Joe Wall, I was able to complete my requirements for a
degree from the Charles County (Md.) Community College ... and I was
able to upgrade my steward department skills from third cook to chief
cook. And thanks to all of the staff at SHLSS, my short-term goals
became reality. The scholarship provided by the Seafarers Welfare Plan
now makes my most important long-term goal a close reality.
The opportunity, facilities and people at SHLSS are there for all of us.
Each member should make full use of them for self improvement. For
those members who can't or won't use them, they should be
appreciated for the good they are accomplishing.

Fraternally,
Reynaldo C. Hernandez

San Francisco, Calif.

Prescripffon Drugs

Generic vs. Brand Name Drugs
By Phillip L. Polakoff, M.O.
Director, Western Institute for
Occupational/Environmental Sciences
People who have to take prescription medication over a long period can
often save a lot of money by switching
from a brand name drug to a less
expensive generic equivalent.
You will need your doctor's cooperation to do this. Some doctors are
more willing than others to make the
change. But it's worth a try, and you
can strengthen your case-and, incidentally, your peace of mind-by
knowing something about the pharmaceutical industry and how it's regulated.
The vast majority of new drugs start
out on the road to stardom as compounds of ordinary generic ingredients. In the lab, they're simply known
by a number. Later, they get an official
generic or ''scientific'' name, also
known as a nonproprietary name. This
usually comes during the clinical testing phase.
Then, if things are working out right,

two important changes take place: The
drug get a patent. It also acquires a
snappy new trade name , also known
as a proprietary name, and move into
the bigtime-moneywise.
Patients are sometimes surprised to
learn that a drug can be patented like
an invention. But that's a fact, and
the maker can capitalize on it by marking up the price of the drug to recoup
the costs of developing, testing and
marketing. That protection runs approximately 17 years.
During that time, the new star is
promoted heavily through glos y ads
in medical journals, and by the persuasive pitches of detail reps who cal1
on doctors.
A a result, a physician may write
a prescription for a highly-touted brand
name because of familiarity, habit,
even conviction that the product is
superior.
The brand name is u ually shorter
and easier to remember. The generic
equivalent is known by its long chem-

ical name-hard to spell and practically impossible to pronounce.
It's a lot easier to write Librium or
Darvocet-N or Dilantin than chlordiazepoxide or propoxyphene napsylate
or phenytoin-their generic equivalents, respectively.
But, if you can overcome these
hurdles to generic prescriptions, what
about your health? You want good
medicine, first of all. Are the generics
just as good as the razzle-dazzle brand
names? Will they work a well for
you?
Under the law, generic drugs must
contain the same ingredients as their
brand name counterpart , and do the
same job. The FDA doe n't allow a
company to ell a medicine that' 80
percent or 95 percent a effective as
the original product. It's got to be
identical.
In the language of the trade, thi
means that the generic must be ''therapeutically equivalent"-producing the
same effects in the body-and "bio-

logically equivalent"-having the same
active ingredients, strength, and rate
of absorption as its brand name counterpart.
Not all brand name drugs can be
pa~red off against a generic equivalent
so you can buy the cheaper version.
For one thing, the brand name product
may still be protected from competition by its patent.
Even after the patent runs out, you
still may not be able to find a generic
sub titute-again, for an economic
reason. Maybe the market for the drug
isn't large enough-say, it treats an
uncommon condition or symptom and
too few people need it-to attract a
generic manufacturer to go into production.
Mo t public libraries have books on
generic drugs and the pharmaceutical
business. They can help you to become a more informed consumer.
You'll probably save money and, perhaps, help your doctor learn a thing
or two in the process.
~
February 1987 I LOG I 31

�Boom Bust
B

OOM and bust. That's how most
people would describe the maritime
industry. It's a pretty accurate description. For the past 100 years, the maritime industry has been like one big
roller coaster.
Boom during the Civil War.
Bust afterwards.
Boom during World War I.
Bust afterwards.
Boom during World War II.
Bust afterwards.
Seamen who make a living in this
industry accept this as part of the territory. After you've been around for a
while, you get to know the ride like the
back of your hand.
It goes something like this:
POINT A (top of the roller coaster)The United States is faced with a lifethreatening situation (Civil War, World
War I, World War II). The Americantlag merchant marine plays a pivotal
role in the effort against the enemy
(runs a blockade against the Confederacy, brings troops and supplies to our
Allies in Europe). Seamen suffer high
casualty rates (the second highest during World War II, after the Marines),
and are lauded for their heroic actions.
POINT B (the car is starting to all)The war is over. Ameri an companies
are tired of pa ·
axes and adhering
to m1
afety and wage standards.
ey look for a way out. They lobby
Congress and the military. The government accepts their arguments and turns
a blind eye to the industry (denies
hi
seamen's veteran status, enact
Sales Act of 1946, formulates Effective
U.S. Control Doctrine). Americanowned companies document their vesunder foreign regi trie .
PO
(the car gains speed a it
proceeds downward)-Shipboard conditions and wages for eamen decline.
Skilled mariners leave the industry. The
number of vessels registererd under the

American-flag grows smaller each year.
POINT D (the car reaches bottom)Conditions for seamen become intolerable. The industry is convulsed with
changes (the switch from wooden hulls
to steel structures, containerization, intermodal operations). The labor movement remains divided, but tries to respond to the challenge the best way
that it can.
POINT E (the car starts to climb
again, slowly)-Military planners become alarmed. Conditions overseas
worsen. Foreign-k1g vessels prove unreliable. Last minute legislation is enacted to save the industry (Merchant
Marine Act of 1915, Merchant Marine
Act of 1936).
POINT A (you reach another peak)
The United States is faced with a lifethreatening situation ....
You get the picture.
Right now, we are somewhere between Point D and E. The car has
reached bottom (fewer than 400 are
vessels are registered under the American flag). Military planners have become alarmed (The Navy has embarked
on a costly buildup of the governmentcontrolled fleet and predicts a severe
shortage of skilled mariners by the early
1990s). Conditions overseas are getting
worse (the Iran-Iraq War, Central
America, the Philippines). Foreign-flag
vessels have proven to be unreliable
(Yom Kippur War of 1973, when the
President of Liberia prohibited cargo to
Israel from being carried on Americanowned but Liberian-flagged vessels).
There's only one problem. The government hasn't come up with a program
to revive the industry. It won't even
maintain the present level of funding.
It makes pious speeches about free
trade.
If it doesn't get its act together soon,
then the ride just might be over.

Letters
To The

Editor
'Goals Become Reality

• • •

'

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the SIU, all the staff at
SHLSS and you, the members, for the chance I have been given to
further my education.
I am attending school at the California Culinary Academy with the
aid provided by the Charlie Logan Scholarship Program. It is just one
of the many opportunities open to Seafarers to continue their
education.
Thanks to people such as Tracy Aumann, Romeo Lupinacci, Bud
Adams and Joe Wall, I was able to complete my requirements for a
degree from the Charles County (Md.) Community College ... and I was
able to upgrade my steward department skills from third cook to chief
cook. And thanks to all of the staff at SHLSS, my short-term goals
became reality. The scholarship provided by the Seafarers Welfare Plan
now makes my most important long-term goal a close reality.
The opportunity, facilities and people at SHLSS are there for all of us.
Each member should make full use of them for self improvement. For
those members who can't or won't use them, they should be
appreciated for the good they are accomplishing.

Fraternally,
Reynaldo C. Hernandez
San Francisco, Calif.

Prescription Drugs

Generic vs. Brand Name Drugs
By Phillip L. Polakoff, M.D.
Director, Western Institute for
Occupational/Environmental Sciences
People who have to take prescription medication over a long period can
often save a lot of money by witching
from a brand name drug to a less
expensive generic equivalent.
You will need your doctor's cooperation to do this. Some doctors are
more willing than others to make the
change. But it's worth a try, and you
can strengthen your case-and , incidentally, your peace of mind-by
knowing something about the pharmaceutical industry and how it's regulated.
The vast majority of new drugs start
out on the road to stardom as compounds of ordinary generic ingredients. In the lab, they're simply known
by a number. Later, they get an official
generic or " cientific" name, also
known as a nonproprietary name. This
usually comes during the clinical te ting phase.
Then, if things are working out right,

two important changes take place: The
drug get a patent. It also acquires a
snappy new trade name, also known
as a proprietary name, and moves into
the bigtime-moneywi e.
Patients are sometimes surprised to
learn that a drug can be patented like
an invention. But that's a fact, and
the maker can capitalize on it by marking up the price of the drug to recoup
the costs of developing, testing and
marketing. That protection runs approximately 17 years.
During that time, the new star is
promoted heavily through glos y ads
in medical journals, and by the persuasive pitches of detail reps who call
on doctors.
A a result, a phy ician may write
a prescription for a highly-touted brand
name because of familiarity, habit,
even conviction that the product is
superior.
The brand name is u ually shorter
and easier to remember. The generic
equivalent is known by its long chem-

icaJ name-hard to spell and practically impossible to pronounce.
It's a lot easier to write Librium or
Darvocet-N or Dilantin than chlordiazepoxide or propoxyphene napsylate
or phenytoin-their generic equivalents, respectively.
But, if you can overcome the e
hurdles to generic prescriptions, what
about your health? You want good
medicine, first of all. Are the generics
just as good as the razzle-dazzle brand
names? Will they work a welJ for
you?
Under the law, generic drugs must
contain the same ingredients a their
brand name counterparts, and do the
same job. The FDA doe n't alJow a
company to sell a medicine that' 80
percent or 95 percent a effective as
the original product. It's got to be
identical.
In the language of the trade, thi
means that the generic must be ''therapeuticaUy equivalent''-producing the
same effects in the body-and "bio-

logically equivalent"-having the same
active ingredients, strength, and rate
of absorption as its brand name counterpart.
Not all brand name drugs can be
pa~red off against a generic equivalent
so you can buy the cheaper version.
For one thing, the brand name product
may still be protected from competition by its patent.
Even after the patent runs out, you
still may not be able to find a generic
substitute-again, for an economic
reason. Maybe the market for the drug
isn't large enough-say, it treats an
uncommon condition or symptom and
too few people need it-to attract a
generic manufacturer to go into production.
Mo t public libraries have books on
generic drug and the pharmaceutical
business. They can help you to become a more informed consumer.
You'll probably save money and, perhaps, help your doctor learn a thing
or two in the process.
February 1987 I LOG I 31

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
TRADE TOPS SIU HILL AGENDA, BILL COULD BOOST U.S. MERCHANT MARINE&#13;
CDS RULE OVERTURNED&#13;
HEYMAN NAMED NEW COUNSEL&#13;
IRAN-IRAQ WAR ZONE, A THREAT TO WORLD SHIPPING&#13;
U.S. LINES TO SELL 20 SHIPS&#13;
DR. SAN FILIPPO NAMED SIU MEDICAL DIRECTOR&#13;
STATE OF MARITIME&#13;
IRAN-IRAQ&#13;
ALF-CIO&#13;
DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE&#13;
NEW LEGISLATION&#13;
MARITIME TRADES DEPARTMENT&#13;
SEALIFT IS THE BEDROCK OF OUR NATIONAL SECURITY WHERE ARE THE SHIPS&#13;
MILITARY PLANNERS ARE DISTURBED BY THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICA-FLAG WHAT HAPPENED TO SEALIFT CAPABILITY?&#13;
THE U.S. MERCHANT MARINE IS THE SOURCE OF U.S. SEALIFT: WHY HAVE WE ALLOWED IT TO DECLINE?&#13;
WHAT ABOUT FOREIGN-FLAG VESSELS: CAN WE COUNT ON THEM IN A NATIONAL EMERGENCY?&#13;
THE “EFFECTIVE CONTROL” DOCTRINE: IT FAILS TO ADDRESS THE GROWING INSTABILITY OF MANY THIRD WORLD NATIONS.&#13;
AMERICAN-OWNED FOREIGN-FLAGGED VESSELS: A MOCKERY OF THIS NATION’S LAWS.&#13;
THE REAL PROBLEM: WHAT HAS HAPPENED OT THE AMERICAN-FLAG MERCHANT MARINE?&#13;
THE “EFFECTIVE CONTROL” DOCTRINE: IT HAS COST THE UNITED STATES BILLIONS OF DOLLARS&#13;
THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN FLAG MERCHANT MARINE: PART OF A LARGER PROBLEM&#13;
THE AMERICAN MARITIME INDUSTRY IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FREE TRADE.&#13;
THIS COUNTRY’S ECONOMIC DECLINE MUST BE REVERSED: SO MUST THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN-FLAG MERCHANT MARINE. &#13;
IT CAN BE DONE! BUT WE MUST ACT AND WE MUST ACT NOW.&#13;
USNS ASSERTIVE: WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD&#13;
MSCPAC TO IMPROVE SERVICES&#13;
NASSCO WINS NAVY CONTRACT&#13;
GENERIC VS. BRAND NAME DRUGS&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication

of

the Seafarers International Union• Atlanti� GuU, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL-CIO Vol. 49, No. J March 1987

Presidential Hopefuls Seek Maritime Support

see pages s-10

���\�E fA&gt;�

Former U.S. Senator Gary Hart, campaign­

Presidential candidate Rep. Richard Gephardt told the MTD
that the United States must insist on foreign trade rules that
are fair, and must put teeth into a fair trade policy.

ing for the presidency, told the MTD meeting
that he supports their efforts to build up the
U.S. merchant marine, and to assure a strong
shipbuilding capability. On trade policy, he Senator Joseph Biden told the MTD meeting that we are
proposed a five-year program to make U.S. getting our brains beaten out on the trade front. "I don't
want this nation to compete," he said. "I want to win."
industry competitive.

�e_onsor
Drozak Urges Trade Reform
Auto Carnage 8111 Gains
Wide House Support
Dems and GOP

•

•

Almost 2.5 million automobiles will

N.Y.), chairman of the Merchant Ma­

be shipped from Japan and Korea to

rine Subcommittee, Rep. Bob Davis

the United States in 1987. Virtually

(R-Mich.) and Rep. Norman Lent (R­

none will arrive in the states aboard a
U.S.-ftag ship. New legislation intro­

the committee and subcommittee.

duced in the House this month may

N. Y.), ranking minority members for
"Americans are spending more than

H.R. 1364 would require that Amer­

$10 billion a year on these cars. Part
of that $10 billion covers transporta­

ican ships carry an equal number of

tion costs. But while the American

foreign-made cars as they do the ships
of the country which manufactured

public pays for that cost, the U.S.-ftag
fleet is shut out of the market. We

open up that market.

the automobiles. While Japan with its

have no access to it," said SIU Pres­

established auto industry and South
Korea with its rapidly growing indus­

ident Frank Drozak.
Last year after an identical bill was

try will supply the largest number of

introduced, Japanese car companies

cars for U.S. import, the bill would

came to terms with four U.S. shipping

apply to other countries.

lines to carry cars to the U.S. But
that only covers a small number of
cars.

See Page 13 for a
Full Rundown on the
S/U's

Washington

Activity

''This bill will revive and invigorate
our sagging merchant marine," Jones
said, "and provide obvious benefits
to our national security and economic
well-being. The military establishment
has long heralded the advantages of
roll-on/roll-off ships for use in areas
without sophisticated shoreside equip­
ment necessary to service a contain­
ership.''

The bill, introduced by Rep. Walter

Drozak said that the SIU supports

B. Jones (D-N .C.), chairman of Mer­

the bill because "it will give us a fair

chant Marine and Fisheries Commit­

shot at this business and there is a lot

tee, is cosponsored by 53 House mem­

of it."

bers including Rep. Mario Biaggi (D-

No hearing date has been set.

SIU President Frank Drozak threw the Union's support behind three bills to open up
world trade to American-flag shipping at a recent bearing before the House Merchant
Marine Subcommittee (see page 3).

Inside:

Atlantic Storm Kills 21 on Bulker
and Trawler

Page 3

Howard Schulman, SIU Counsel,
Retires

Page 4

Shipping Great C.C. Wei Dies at 72
Special SHLSS Section, Meeting
Changing Needs

Page 14
Pages 15-34
...

--------------------------�-------------

�President's
Report

NMU, nothing has been accomplished. Instead, we

meetings. Since I was taught by Harry Lundeberg

see our industry become smaller and smaller each

and Paul Hall to lay out the facts and "tell it like it

year, and our memberships decline past the point

is," let me remind you of what happened, and

of no return. There are many reasons, and I will

present the highlights of the facts to refresh your

not go into them. I do, however, want the record

memory.
The SIU A&amp;G/NMU merger discussions began

set straight about our position.
Our industry has continued to decline because

by Frank Drozak
During

the

: -.._...__

several

past
months
have

there

been

mors

ru­

floating

around the mar­
itime

industry

about

maritime

labor union mer­
gers

and

some of us haven't accepted the fact that our

began by outlining the structures of our respective

industry, maritime laws, and the rules we must

unions, and committees were formed governing

follow have changed. Since the early 1960s, auto­

welfare, pensions, vacations, hiring halls, jobs,

mation and high technology have taken a toll on

shipping rules and contracts, finances, properties,

maritime employment. Rather than accept those

etc. I explained to the NMU that I could only speak

changes, some of us prefer to blame others for our

for the SIU-AGLIWD, and that Lundeberg, Whitey

problems. What about our members? Shouldn't they

Disley and you were present as observers. The

be given all the facts, and not just some of the

affiliates would retain their complete autonomy from

facts?

the International. I had no authority to speak for

Brother Paul, the SIU A&amp;G membership is on

other

matters. Follow­
ing is a letter SIU
President Frank
Drozak recently
sent to SUP Pres­
ident

on Monday, October 20, 1986. Shannon Wall and I

Paul

Dempster outlin­
ing the facts about these issues.

any affiliates other than the SIU-AGLIWD.

record as desiring to merge with one or all of the

Shannon Wall then said that the meeting's purpose

maritime unions. The SIU A&amp;G Executive Board

was to merge the seamen together, and let our other

has had several joint meetings with the Sailors and

affiliates be cut adrift. He also stated that the Sailors

Fireman Unions to discuss mergers, the last meet­

and Firemen •·would have no choice but to come

ings held in 1981 at the Sailor's Union Library in

in or else," and proposed we both give up our

San Francisco. The SIU A&amp;G offered what we

charters and get a new charter from the AFL-CIO.

thought was a fair and reasonable proposal for

I insisted that I would not give up our International

merger discussion. Your Executive Board rejected

and cut our affiliates adrift, that we are a family

that proposal. Since then you have said privately

and will remain a family. I explained that I had no

that mergers are the right thing to do, but that your

authority to agree to such a proposal, and that our
affiliates would not agree to such a proposal.

I read with great interest your report to your
membership, printed in the WEST COAST SAILOR,

membership is not ready for it.
To stir your memory of our discussions regarding
mergers, I will remind you that you and I last

the Sailors and the Firemen, could join with the

January 23, 1987. I find it very hard to believe that

discussed the prospect at a dinner meeting with

new union if they wished. However, he wanted it

you would make such an important report while

Whitey Disley and George McCartney in Bal Har­

to be a union representing all unlicensed seamen.

leaving out the most important facts. The record

bour, Florida, during the MTD Executive Board

If the Sailors and Firemen didn't come in, so be it.

shows, Brother Paul, that each union affiliated with

meetings. At that same meeting, we also discussed

You and Whitey had quite a discussion over his

SIUNA, AFL-CIO, has complete autonomy, sub­

the two Cunard ships, about which we disagreed. I

remarks, if you remember, and it was an insult to

ject to the SIONA Constitution. The SIU-AGLIWD

offered the SIU Pacific District the jobs on one of

all three of us.

has never intetfered in the affairs of an affiliate

those ships if legislation was passed to reftag the

Shannon's statement at the time that our Inter­

union, nor as President of SIUNA have I ever

two vessels. You rejected the offer and opposed

national union is only a loose paper union had no

Dear Brother Paul:

Shannon Wall responded that affiliates, including

intetfered in any way with an affiliate's affairs,

the legislation. That is your right, but that one ship

substance. The NMU dissolved their structure years

unless requested by the affiliate. This letter is

would have meant 500 jobs for the SIU Pacific

ago. Those that didn't come under their complete

intended to set the record straight and state the

District and 500 jobs for the SIU A&amp;G. In the end,

control, they cut loose. The NMU today, to the

facts, which you failed to do in your report to the

we didn't get any jobs at all.

best of our knowledge, consists of seamen, Pana­

membership about the SIU-AGLIWD.

Brother Paul, I have always believed in the idea

manian workers and government workers.

The SIUNA has been calling for mergers for the

of merger, because I believe it is in the best interest

I strongly voice my position that I would never

last 35 years, and has spent much of that time

of all seamen that they merge into one large union.

give up our International. As long as one union

discussing the subject. The process began with

That is why I spent several days preparing a working

wished to remain, this International would support

Harry Lundeberg, our first president. He believed

document on a merger of all maritime unions, and

it, and it would retain its autonomy for as long as

that there should be one union representing unli­

requested AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland to

it desired. However, I was meeting to discuss an

censed seamen and one union representing licensed

send it to all of the maritime unions. After several

A&amp;G and NMU merger, not one involving the

seamen. Unfortunately, it dido 't happen on his

months passed, not one union had responded to

International. If the A&amp;G and NMU could merge,

watch.
Our second president, Paul Hall, had the same
belief: that a merger was in the best interest of all

President Kirkland's letter. Obviously, there was

they would become an affiliate of our International.

no interest at this time from the maritime unions in

As long as I was President of the SIUNA, I would

merger.

never dissolve our International, nor give up its

seamen. He spent the last ten years of his life

Late last year I received word from the NMU

name or the autonomy of each affiliate. I did agree,

discussing mergers with the NMU, the Sailors and

that they had an interest in again discussing a

however, to change the name of the SIU A&amp;G

Firemen, and the MC&amp;S. He was successful, only

merger. I accepted on behalf of SIU-AGLIWD, and

District to whatever name we wished it to be. The

with the MC&amp;S, the rest dido 't happen on his watch

so notified you and President Disley of our interest.

NMU did not agree. I was disappointed and we

either. However, it was the belief of both of these

I also invited both of you to attend either as

both agreed to let the commitees go to work. We

great leaders that if we are to have a maritime

participants or observers. You both agreed to attend

would meet again the next morning for further

industry and jobs for our members, then unions

as observers. You brought Gunnar Lundeberg, and

discussions.

must merge to survive.

Whitey came alone.

Brother Paul, since becoming President of our

The following day, the NMU presented a new

The meetings took place at the Harry Lundeberg

approach. They proposed that we form a new union,

International and President of the AGLIW District,

School of Seamanship in Piney Point, Maryland,

both give up our charters, and get a new charter

I have spent a great part of my time, too, discussing

and included the Executive Boards of the SIU A&amp;G

for seamen, SIU A&amp;G, and NMU. All International

mergers. Yet for the past eight years of merger

and the NMU. Unfortunately, you left out of your

affiliates, including the Sailors and Firemen, could

discussions with the Sailors, the MFOW and the

report to your membership what took place at those

(Continued on page 47.)

Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union of
North America, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District,
AFL-CIO

March 1987

Vol. 49, No. 3

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

&lt;� H

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Secretary

Charles Svenson

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Editor

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

2 I LOG I March 1987

Angus "Red" Campbell

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 8990675. Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges, Md. 20790-9998 and at additional
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md. 20746.

�Reagan Clings to 'Free Trad e Myth
'

Trade Bills Gain Bipartisan Support in House, Senate
refused to support several bills aimed

practices and remedies which could

"Free trade is a relative question
. . . I can't answer that black and
white. It's like asking 'is there a God­

at eliminating unfair trade practices

include the requirement that some im­

true or false?,' " he said.

Despite bipartisaq support on Cap­
itol Hill, the Reagan administration

H.R. 1290 which establishes a sys­
tem of investigations of unfair trade

which are destroying the U.S. mer­

ports be carried on U.S.-ftag ships,

chant marine.

and

"You're

opposed

to

legislation.

H.R. 300 which address the critical

Nothing is happening with negotia­

issue of cargo and bilateral trade.

tions. We need some alternatives in­

SIU President Frank Drozak struck
a note which was echoed by several

stead of always coming here and say­
ing 'We oppose, we oppose.' . . . What

subcommittee members at the hear­

are we going to do,·' Rep. Glenn

ing-time is running out.

Anderson (D-Calif.) asked Marad Ad­
ministrator John Gaughan at a recent
Merchant Marine Subcommittee hear­
ing on unfair trade.

"I've been coming up here for 25
years," he said, "and it's time to tell
these countries to negotiate and re­
solve these problems or we will retal­

The subcommittee was focusing on

iate. What are they going to do? Stop

three bills which could bring down

shipping their goods here? We're the

some of the international trade barriers

best market they have."

examples of the various restnct10ns
put on U.S. shipping companies, which
licensing requirements to restrictions

range from outright denial of cargo to

He also admitted that in the past

on equipment technology to restric­

the administration has not ·'responded

tions on shoreside operations and

satisfactorily'' to trade discrimination_,

ground transportation.

and until countries which practice such
trade policies change them, fair trade
will suffer.
Currently the U.S., through Marad
and the State Department, enter into
negotiations with counties when they
believe unfair trade practices are hurt­
ing U.S. steamship lines or other com­
panies. But those negotiations are usu­
ally

drawn

out

and

seldom

are

successful.

He told the panel that the SIU sup­
ports the three pieces of legislation
but

offered

a

few

suggestions

to

strengthen the bills.
On the auto bill, he suggested that
other automobile exporting nations be
included. He asked that retaliatory
measures be included in H.R. 1290,
the unfair trade practices bill.
He said it is time "to act quickly on

"None of the trade barriers has been

this issue. America's share of water­

removed. We're told to take our time,

borne commerce continues to decline

During questioning by the subcom­

be patient, meanwhile the businesses

and major U.S.-ftag international ship­

mittee, Gaughan admitted that free

are going down. Put some speed on

ping companies are in bankruptcy. We

H.R. 1364 which covers automobile

trade does not really exist and that

it, some pressure, will you," Rep.

fear that without legislation, the U.S.­

imports from Japan and Korea (see

fair trade is restricted in the interna­

Helen Bentley (R-Md.) told Gaughan.

page l);

tional marketplace.

preventing the U.S. fleet from gaining
access to cargo. The bills are:

Bulker, Fishing Boat Capsized

21 Die in Atlantic Storm
A U.S. Navy submarine surfaced in

aboard. Because the sub was in danger

the middle of a fierce Atlantic storm

of swamping, it was forced to call off

and rescued one crewman from a cap­

the rescue attempt. The other six in

sized Philippine-flag freighter. But 18

the raft were presumed drowned. One

others from the ship died. The same

man remained in the raft.

storm claimed the lives of three fish­
ermen when their trawler sank 60 miles
off Cape May, N.J.
Ihe storm, at the end of February,
whipped the seas into 40-50 foot waves

and damaged several other ships caught
in its path.
The ill-fated Filipino ship, the Balsa24, was 900 miles southeast of Cape

Cod when it capsized in the fierce
storm. Eighteen members of the crew
were able to abandon ship, but one
other drowned before he could make
it to the one life raft and one lifeboat
which were launched. They entered
the water about 1 :30 p.m., Feb. 24
where they spent the night in the water
as winds up to 100 mph and waves as
high as 50 feet were generated by the
storm.
The first rescue vessel to reach the
scene was the U.S. Navy submarine
Scamp. It surfaced near the life raft

which had been spotted by helicop­
ters. It tried to bring the eight from
the raft onboard, but the raft over­
turned and crewmen aboard the Scamp
were able to bring only one survivor

About two hours later an Israeli
containership, the Zim Miami, arrived
on the scene and threw a line to the
man in the raft. But he was apparently
already dead. Another ship spotted

During his testimony, Drozak gave

flag fleet will not be operating in in­
ternational commerce in the future."

MSC Gets Three Ships

Washington,

Military

and SS American Draco will be used

has pur­

to discharge non-self-sustaining con­

chased four U.S. flag container ships

tainer ships during military deploy­

from United States Lines at a total

ment operations.

Sealift

D.C.-The

Command

(MSC)

cost of $6.3 million. The ships will be

American

Draco

and

American

placed in the Ready Reserve Force

Altair were built in 1965, are 666

where they will await conversion to

feet

auxiliary crane ships (T-ACS) in U.S.

knots. American Builder and Ameri­

shipyards at a later date. After con­

can Banker were built in I 961, are

version,

SS

American

Altair,

SS

American Banker, SS American Builder

long

and

are

capable

of

21

668 feet in length and can sustain 20
knots.

Seafarers Plans Trustees Meet

the Balsa-24' s lifeboat which had orig­
inally carried 10 crewmembers. Only
two were aboard but only one alive.
He was swept from the boat as he
tried to secure a line tossed from the
rescue ship, the Frasisi.

Also in the storm, the fishing boat
Dolores Marie from Wanchese, N.C.

apparently sank. Debris from the boat
was found, but there was no sign of
the three crewmen.
The Export Patriot, a Farrell Lines
ship, was heavily damaged in the same
storm. It reported that storm waves
had smashed its bridge and that a
crewman had to be lashed to a bulk­
head so he wouldn't be swept from
the bridge while handling the ship's
wheel. The Export Patriot was able to

The Board of Trustees of the Seafarers Plans met in Dania, Fla. last month to review the
status of the various plans. Heading the meeting were, from left: Carolyn Gentile,

consultant on ERISA matters; Joe Di Giorgio, chairman; Carmine Bracco, secretary, and
Leo Bonser, plans administrator.

make it safely to port.
Several other ships in the storm area
reported heavy damage.

Sea-Land, CSX Merger Approved
The merger of Sea-Land Corp. and
the conglomerate CSX Corp. was given

nies. Sea-Land is valued at $1.6 billion
and CSX at $4. 7 billion.

the green light last month when the
Interstate

Commerce

Commission

(ICC) ruled that the two companies
do not need ICC approval for the
merger.

Crowley Leases
U.S. Lines Ships

The ICC ruled that the two are not

A Crowley. Maritime Corp. subsid­

competitors. This is the first merger

iary, American Traasport Lines, will

between an ocean shipping company

lease three United States Lines ships

and a railroad. CSX owns railroads,
with some 27 ,000 miles of track, Amer-

under a new agreement. The ships are
part of USL's bankrupt fleet. The

. ican Commercial Barge Lines and a

ships will be leased for 15 months

trucking line. Sea-Land owns a fleet

each, with an option to extend the

of 57 ships and two trucking compa-

terms up to IO years.

Company and union trustees studied reports and listened to analyses of the status of the
various Seafarer plans during the two-day meeting.

March 1987 I LOG I 3

�Retires After More Than 30 Years of Service

SIU's Schulman Helped Make Labor History
By Max Hall
Howard Schulman, one of this na­
tion's top labor lawyers and a trusted

suits which became commonplace af­

battles of the 1950s when he served

ter Congress passed the Landrum Grif­

as general counsel to the International

"I know these longshoremen," said

fith Act of 1959.

Longshoremen's Association, an affil­

Sam Hacker, a commissioner in the

iate of the old AFL.

Federal Mediation Service and a for­

giance of its membership.

adviser to two SIU presidents, has

''There was a time,'' said Schulman

announced his retirement after 50 years

at the 1973 SIUNA Convention, "in

The ILA-AFL was created in re­

mer member of the NLRB, at the 1963

in the Labor Movement.

the late 1930s when the legal problems

sponse to the growing corruption on

SIUNA Convention."They speak very

A former president of the 12,000

of trade unions were miniscule. But

the New York waterfront, which was

frankly to me.Had it not been for the

member Labor Law Section of the

gracious, what a change.I guess,like

so pervasive that it threatened the

battle put up by ...the Seafarers, the

American Bar Association, Schulman

everything else in a developing soci­

dignity and job security of everyone

ILA would not be the kind of union

served as general counsel for numer­

ety,we must expect that."

connected with the maritime industry.

that it is today."

ous labor organizations, including the
Seafarers

An important byproduct of the ILA

Union­

International

beef

AGLIWD,the Seafarers International

was that it

brought Howard

Schulman to the attention of SIU Pres­

Union of North America, the Maritime

ident Paul Hall. The two formed a

Trades Department of the AFL-CIO,

close relationship, and Schulman was

the Actor's Guild,the Distillery Work­

later named general counsel for the

ers,and the Leather Goods Workers.

SIU-AGLIWD and the SIUNA.

His

association

with

the

Labor

Schulman was one of 15 lawyers

Movement and the maritime industry

who assisted the delegates to the 1963

dates back to his youth. In order to

SIUNA Convention in drawing up a

put himself through St. John's Law

new constitution which laid the foun­

School, he worked during the day as

dation for a stronger and more active

a longshoreman. Later,when he was

international.

appointed a commissioner for the port

Charles Heyman, who has been

of New York,he found himself over­

named to replace Schulman as general

seeing activities on the very same

counsel for the Union,worked closely

docks where he used to haul cargo.

with Schulman in helping to draft lan­

As general counsel for the SIU,he

guage for the new constitution.

litigated hundreds of cases, some of

"Howard Schulman possesses out­

which had profound consequences for

standing legal abilities and total dedi­

the Labor Movement and the maritime

cation and sensitivity to the needs of

industry.

the Labor Movement, in particular,
the SIU," said Heyman."His insight

He did everything possible for a law­
yer to do: participate in negotiations,

and ability to solve problems is an

argue before the Supreme Court, write

inspiration to all those who worked

articles, lecture, testify before congres­

with him."

sional hearings and government agen­
national maritime organizations.
''I can't think of another individual

It also threatened the integrity of the

the A&amp;G District,Schulman said that

entire Labor Movement and the eco­

his proudest achievement as a lawyer

the interests of American seamen than

was in restoring autonomy to an affil­

dent Frank Drozak, who also called

the SIU, Schulman had these obser­

In addition to the work he did for

today who has done more to further
Howard Schulman, " said SIU Presi­

Summing up his relationship with

Howard Schulman

cies, and monitor the actions of inter­

iate of the SIUNA,the SIU of Canada.
In the early 1960s,for the first time

nomic health of the port of New York.

lawyers. It is they who were elected

docks,AFL President George Meany

by the membership and who are ulti­

issued a charter to a new AFL Long­

mately responsible for the actions of
the union.

in the history of the North American

shoremen' s Union, whose 'name was

cated trade unionist.''

Labor Movement, a trade union was

later

placed under the permanent trustee­

Brotherhood of Longshoremen (IBL).

protecting the jurisdictional job rights

ship of the central government.

of unlicensed seamen, preserving the

''The government of Canada vio­

Union's political action program and

lated a basic democratic principle by

changed

to

the

International

A commission consisting of five re­

leadership makes, someone who makes
sure that you don't run afoul of some

to act as trustees for the new union.

obscure law. Increasingly today, es­

doing that,'' said Schulman.''Remem­

they included SIU President Paul Hall,

standards set forth in the voluminous,

ber,it wasn't a temporary trusteeship,

Machinist

and

"A lawyer should be someone who
implements the policies that the top

spected labor leaders was appointed

making sure that the SIU met the
confusing

"I feel that it is important that the
Union officials set the policies, not the

Alarmed by the situation on the

Schulman "a good friend and a dedi­
Schulman is widely credited with

vations to make:

President

A.J.

Hayes,

constantly-changing

it was a permanent one, answerable

Teamster President Dave Beck,AFL

body of labor laws. Thanks to Schul­

not to the workers,but to the central

President George Meany and Letter

man's watchful eye,the SIU was able

government. That's what totalitarian

Carriers President William Doherty.

pecially in many large companies, it
is the lawyers who are calling the
shots.
"To me, the biggest obligation of
union leadership is the mettle of lead­

to avoid costly and time-consuming

states do.By winning that case,I felt

After five years, the IBL voted to

ership, the mettle of responsibility as

litigation that would have drained its

that we protected the democratic rights

rejoin the ILA.Yet it was a substan­

to what each man is to do, responsi­

resources. Unlike many other labor

of all trade unionists."

tially different ILA-One that was

bility to the membership and the in­

organizations, the SIU was able to

Schulman's association with the SIU­

forced to make internal democratic

dustry in which you are involved.

minimize the effects of "harassment "

AGLIWD dates back to the waterfront

reforms in order to retain the alle-

On the Stuyvesant
In Alaska
Most folks never get to see
the beauty of Alaska, but the
Alaska oil run provides
hundreds of jobs for Seafar­
e rs who are well aware of the
grandeur of the 49th state.
On the right, AB Marshall
Novack is on the deck of the
tanker Stuyvesant with typi­
cal Alaska scenery in the
background. On the left is
pumpman
Rolando
Gu­
manas.
4 I LOG I March 1987

(Continued on Page 39.)

�MTD.
Board
Meeting
Feb. 12-13
Bal Harbour, Fla.

MTD President Frank Drozak opens the two.-day meeting

program" to return America "to its rightful role as a major

of the MTD Executive Council with a call for a ''unified

industrial power."

Education, Health Care

&amp;

American Maritime Policy

Fair Trade Policy Tops Maritime's Program

MTD National Field Coordinator Frank
Pecquex reported on the progress of
the department's legislative programs.

I

I I' I

Bal Harbour, Fla.-The focus was on

largest merchant marine fleet in the

a new U.S. trade policy and a new

history of mankind to a seventh-place

American workers from the record

national maritime policy as delegates

ranking in the world,'' the MTD state­

deficit in the U.S. balance of trade.

representing 43 national labor organi­

ment said. "It is imperative that our

''The marine transportation sector

zations gathered here last month for

fourth arm of defense, the U.S.-flag

has confronted a virtually impenetra­

try have suffered along with other

the annual executive board meeting of

merchant marine, be injected with new

ble wall of foreign promotional policies

the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades De­

life and vigor."

and restrictive measures which have

partment.

Highlighting the second day of the

severely limited opportunities for U.S.­

In his keynote address to the union

board's meeting were addresses by

ftag vessels engaged in foreign trade,''

leaders, MTD President Frank Drozak

three prospective presidential candi­

the board said. It called on the admin­

charged that the Reagan administra­

dates introduced by MTD President

istration to take steps to correct these

tion

exported

Frank Drozak-former U.S. Sen. Gary

practices.

America's basic industries-steel, au­

Hart (D-Colo.), Rep. Richard Gep­

tos, textiles, shipyards and maritime,

hardt (D-Mo.) and Sen. Joseph Biden

had

systematically

*

*

*

among others-along with hundreds

(D-Del.). Each outlined his positions

The department contrasted Ameri­

of thousands of American workers'

on issues of concern to workers, fo­

can and Soviet attitudes toward the

jobs.
"What we got in return," Drozak

cusing particularly on the needs of the

integration of merchant marine policy

maritime industry.

with national defense. Compared with

charged, "are jobs paying $7 ,000 a

Another statement by the MTD board

the Soviet fleet of more than 2,500

year, and a badly eroded industrial

pointed out that workers in the indus-

merchant ships with global capability,

base that could not respond to this

(Continued on page

39.)

nation's need in an emergency.''
In resolutions and urgent pleas from
MTD delegates and representatives
from
Roman Gralewicz, president of the Sea­
farers International Union of Canada,
spoke of our need to be involved in
international affairs.

IYI

the

AFL-CIO,

the

Maritime

Trades Department forged an ''Agenda
for Progress'' which called for a ''new
national commitment" in the areas of
health care, education and training,
and jobs for American workers.
*

*

*

In a unanimous declaration, the MTD
said that there needs to be a new
direction in U.S. maritime policy to
restore America's merchant marine to
be a vital arm of the nation's defense
system. In one voice, the delegates
charged that the Reagan admi'nistra­
tion "has allowed sealift and shipyard
capacity to erode beyond the point of
safety."
The decline actually extends back
through

many

administrations,

the

board said. It pointed out that the
Soviet

Union's

merchant

marine,

starting in 1945 with a tiny fleet of
mostly U.S. lend-lease Liberty ships,
has grown to more than 2,500 vessels
John Perkins, AFL-CIO Political Ed­
ucation Director, said we have to con­
tinue to

be involved in "gr�roots"

political action.

totaling over 22 million deadweight
tons.
"In that same time frame, the United
States has moved from having the

MTD Executive Secretary-Treasurer Jean lngrao reported on the successful
program to educate young people from all parts of the U.S. on the vital role of
the labor movement in America.

March 1987 I LOG I 5

�MTD's Agenda for Progress
The Maritime Trades Department acted on its "Agenda for Progress" and adopted a series of resolutions
dealing with a number of economic and social issues. The resolutions which included the need for a strong U.S.

A ·R·-·_':t!,�
IJ. i1. 1· M·. .·

.
.
.
.. .. .
-: : ·-�: . .: . . . . .. . . . ·
.
. . . · . . .. .. . .
.

'.t���

.

: ;

. .: .

.

.

·

.

·

·

·

:

.

.

·

..

.

. ·

•.

.

maritime policy are the springboard for a nationwide political action program aimed to set a new direction for
America, and to encourage the lOOth Congress to begin to act on "the real needs of America: jobs, health care
and education."

Trade Policy
As the 1 OOth Congress convenes, America continues
to face one of its most endu.ring economic problems since
the Great Depression: A still-growing international trade
deficit which has already cost millions of American
workers' jobs, contributed to a staggering budget deficit
and lowered the standard of living for Americans through­
out the country.
The trade deficit is a result of three primary factors:
the U.S. government allowing �nrestricted imports from
countries which deny workers' rights and exploit labor;
the failure of our government to protect U.S. industries
and American workers from unfair trade practices, and
the willingness of companies in this country to export
factories and jobs overseas.
The U.S. government has failed to address the record­
breaking trade deficits which America has experienced
over the past five years. In 1 986, the trade deficit rose
to $170 billion. Instead of implementing policies to reduce
the trade deficit, the administration has undertaken a
series of high profile trade negotiations. .While these
negotiations have a role, they do not help to reduce the
present danger of these enormous trade deficits. Instead,
they divert the nation's attention from the problem.
America �t develop policies and quickly pass leg­
islation to solve the problem; extended negotiations are
not the answer. The administration must also use the
trade laws to counter the unfair policies of Japan, the
European Economic Community, Brazil, Taiwan and
Mexico. Although these countries will participate in so­
called market opening negotiations, they effectively keep
their markets closed.
American workers face increasing competition frorri
many overseas businesss. This unfair competition is often
attributable to working conditions that no American
would tolerate.
America should restrict imports or assess tariffs against

the products

of

countries that exploit labor and do not

implement minimal international workers' rights standards.

American workers should not be expected to compete
with foreign workers who, while oftentimes employed by
subsidiaries of American corporations, do not enjoy the
right to organize or bargain collectively and are therefore

paid a small fraction of what American workers need to
support themselves and a family.
The reluctance of the administration to take action against
internationally recognized unfair trade practices of other
countries contributes to America's trade problem. Subsi­
dized imports from America's competitors cause jobs to be
lost and factories to be closed. Once this happens, it is
difficult, if not impossible, to reopen the factories and to
rehire the skilled workers needed to successfully manufac­
tlire a product. America needs to respond swiftly and
effectively against any and all unfair trade practices. Trade
remedies must be implemented quickly and workers pro­
tected before permanent damage is done.
The increasing problem of American industry utilizing
America's technology and wealth to develop products or
manufacturing methods, only to export the factory and
lay off the workers, must be curtailed. The workers who
contributed to a company's success deserve to be pro­
tected from this practice. America cannot continue to
lose these jobs or allow this practice to continue because
of its contribution to the already too large trade deficit.
Our government must understand and accept the need
for fair trade in the transportation sector. The U.S. air
and maritime transport sectors have long suffered a
variety of unfair trade restrictions. The marine transpor­
tation sector has confronted a virtually impenetrable wall
of foreign promotional policies and restrictive measures
which have severely limited opportunities for U.S.-flag
vessels engaged in foreign trade. The Maritime Trades
Department, AFL-CIO, calls on the administration to
eliminate those foreign practices which prevent America
from participating in this foreign trade.
Finally, the administration in its eagerness to create an
international "free trading" system must begin to provide
for the workers who are the victims of this failed policy.
America must provide training programs, worker reloca­
tion assistance and unemployment compensation to those
workers who lose employment and therefore bear the
brunt of these policies. It is unfair that only some Amer­
icans pay the price of the trade policies that open the
American economy to foreign competition while keeping
foreign economies free from American competition.

Health Care
The United States suffers from a
health care crisis. Substandard serv­
ices and facilities, unaffordable costs
and government indifference have
combined to deprive.millions of Amer­
icans of adequate medical care.
In many instances, this deprivation
results simply from obstructed access
to health care services. The U.S. lacks
a national health care program, a du­
bious honor shared only by South
Africa among industrialized nations.
This protection gap is widened by the
status of health insurance, which by­
passes 35 million Americans and un­
derprotects 50 million more. These
numbers represent an increase in re­
cent years, as non-union employers
and the federal government have scaled
back funding for health care. Chronic
large-scale unemployment and lack of
Medicare coverage for early retirees
compound the problem.
Yet here, too, American businesses
have been slow to adjust to change,
and the United States stands nearly
alone among industrialized countries.
Unlike such nations as Austria, Can­
ada, Chile, Finland, West Germany,

After failing to make taxation of
employee benefits, including health
insurance premiums, a centerpiece of
its tax reform legislation, the admin­
istration is now attempting to take
away workers' freedom of choice in
picking health care providers. Under
the guise of controlling employer costs
and reducing government interfer­
ence, the Department of Health and
Human Services is attempting to re­
peal a requirement that employers must
offer to contribute to a health main­
tenance organization (HMO) an amount
at least equal to that paid to a private
insurance carrier.
Finally, the upward pressure on
medical costs has for many years ex­
ceeded that of the gener:al cost of
living. With an annual price tag ap­
proaching $400 billion, health care costs
represent an untenable burden on the
nation's economy. Yet past measures,
such as using a prospective basis for
Medicare payments, have failed to put
the brakes on inflation, and have suc­
ceeded only in encouraging hospitals
to eliminate jobs and pass billions
along to private benefit plans.

Italy and Sweden, which offer job

The Maritime Trades Depart­
ment believes that adequate
medical care is a fundamental
right to which all Americans are
entitled.

security and paid maternity and pa­
rental leave ranging from 1 8 to 52
weeks, the U.S. lacks a national policy
recognizing the expanding role of
women in the workplace.

61 LOG I March 1987

To ensure the health and well-being
of our citizens, the MTD proposes:
• Enactment of a national health
care system to ensure access to basic
health care services;
• Extension of health care coverage
to the unemployed, uninsured, under­
insured, and those denied coverage
due to illness or risk of illness;
• Limitation of Medicare co-pay­
ments and extension of coverage to
include prescription drugs;
• Extension of Medicaid coverage
to poverty-stricken families and indi­
viduals;
• Development of a long-term care
system for the chronically ill, including
both home care and nursing facilities;
• Establishment of family and med­
ical leave as a minimum labor stand­
ard;
• Retention of a worker's right to
choose between HMO and private in­
surance coverage as part of his em­
ployment benefit package;
• Provision of incentives to states
to develop cost containment programs

within federal guidelines, and
Enactment of state-level legisla­
tion to cap hospital capital expendi­
tures, and to require health care pro­
viders to submit cost and service
information to state agencies.
•

MTD President frank Drozak urged a ''ne
opportunities" for U.S. industries to com
MTD executive secretary-treasurer.

The Great Lakes region is a vast
national resource consisting of fertile
farmland and industrial centers that
together form the cornerstone of our
nation's economy. This vital region
has available a unique waterway sys­
tem that can efficiently transport the
products of the mid-continent region
to the markets of the world. This
substantial trade is overwhelmingly
dominated by foreign-flag vessels.
The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Sea­
way System continues to experience
hardships. Seaway traffic has been cut
in half since 1 979 to 37.3 million tons
in 1 985. The reduction in cargoes can
be attributed to declining grain exports
and reduced demands for domestic
iron ore. In recent years, foreign steel
and iron ore imports, especially from
Japan, Korea and Brazil, carried on
foreign-flag ships, have supplanted
Great Lakes regional iron ore supplies
thereby diminishing this staple trade
of the U.S.-ftag Great Lakes bulk fleet.
Considering that coal, iron ore and
grain account for almost 80 percent of
the bulk commodities moving on the
Lakes, these are significant losses in
trade.
Decreasing cargo over the years has
resulted in a diminished and often
inactive U.S.-flag fleet on the Lakes.
Thirty-five years ago, there were 31 7
U.S.-flag dry bulk ships. This number
has fallen to 92 bulk ships in 1 986 with
over half being laid up or inactive.
Approximately 30 ships in the U.S.­
flag fleet were sold or scrapped in just
the last five years. Besides shrinking
in size, the Great Lakes fteet is be­
coming increasingly inactive. In 1 986,
over half of the U.S. Great Lakes bulk
fleet was laid up while just five years
ago, only 21 percent of the U.S.-flag
fleet was inactive.
A primary consideration for the fu­
ture of the Great Lakes is cargo and
how to increase it. The MTD com­
mends the St. Lawrence Seaway De­
velopment Corporation for its recent
trade promotion seminars and Euro­
pean missions in order to increase
foreign trade. The addition of the Ca­
nadian delegation to the marketing
program is a positive development.

All avenues, including marketing strat­
egies, should be pursued to increase
the amount of tonnage available to
U.S.-flag operators. Further cooper­
ation between the United States and
Canada to increase mutually beneficial

·

�National Defense and Maritime Policy

ning" with a trade policy that offers "equal
the world market. At right is Jean Ingrao,

itime Industry
trade is strongly encouraged.
The Seaway system must maintain
the reputation of a safe and efficient
transportation option. To this end,

Mel Pelfrey, vice president of MEBA-

2 and president of the Toledo Port
Maritime

Council,

reported on

the

problems confronting the Great Lakes
maritime industry.

funds from the federal government
must be appropriated in sufficient
amounts to maintain and improve the
waterway without excessive user fee
requirements. There is a need for new
locks at the Sault Sainte Marie canal.
The MTD believes that the cost-shar­
ing provisions as they apply to the
Great Lakes, determined by the Water
Resources Development Act of 1986,
are excessive.
The MTD also supports the eventual
elimination of all Seaway user tolls.
*

*

*

Additionally, fewer ships mean less
maintenance and repair work for U.S.
Great Lakes shipyards. The Maritime
Trades Department continues to sup­
port the Navy's shipbuilding and con­
version program to reach the goal of
a 600-ship fleet and urges that more
Navy contracts are awarded to U.S.
·
Great Lakes shipyards in order to
preserve shipyard jobs and skills.
Given the staggering decline on the
Great Lakes and all of its harmful
ramifications, the MTD urges the
administration to make every incen­
tive available to encourage new U.S.­
flag operators to enter the Great Lakes
overseas trade and restore greater U.S.­
flag participation in the U.S./Canada
Great Lakes/Seaway bulk cargo trade.

Unknown to most Americans, there
is a war at sea being waged daily
against Western nations by the Soviet
Union. Yet, this administration, which
has been adamant in its support of
national defense, has allowed sealift
and shipyard capacity to erode beyond
the point of safety. In truth, the blame
goes back many administrations. From
a tiny fleet in 1945, mostly U.S. lend­
lease Liberty ships, the Soviet mer­
chant marine has grown to over 2,500
ships totalling more than 22 million
deadweight tons. In that same time
frame, the United States has sunk to
seventh place ranking in the world.
The "maritime policy" that brought
the U.S. to this dismal state is one of
benign neglect. Meanwhile, the USSR
and its satellite bloc nations have care­
fully crafted a maritime program de­
signed to ensure world maritime su­
periority with a geographically secure
shipyard mobilization base far better
than ours. Further, the types of mer­
chant ships that dominate the Soviet
merchant marine are the most militar­
ily useful ships in the world.
The way the Soviets achieved this
maritime preeminence is worth com­
ment. Since the 1960s, Soviet bloc
merchant ships, with their military
features, have been working in the
cross-trades of the United States and
its allies. They offered shippers rates
at below cost in an economic war
which brought about the decline of
free world fleets resulting in bank­
ruptcies of formerly sound ship oper­
ating companies and the closing of
many shipyards.
American and Soviet attitudes to­
ward the importance of integrating
merchant marine policy with national
defense shows markedly different re­
sults. Presently, the Soviet Union with
its fleet of over 2,500 vessels is capable
of being involved in far-reaching global
conflicts. On the other hand, the United
States, with a merchant fleet of fewer
than 400 active vessels, is unable to
sustain any prolonged involvement
overseas. We so soon forget the les­
sons of history. Over the last half
century, all America's overseas major
military engagements-World War II,
Korea and Vietnam-have required
coordination of military and merchant
marine capabilities.
We must maintain a strong Navy
composed of the right kind of ships to
ensure control of the seas. But just as
important, we must have the means
of transporting the equipment and sup­
plies of war to the scene of the battle.
Despite the claims of those who ad­
vocate airlift, the fact is that 95 percent
of all dry cargo and 99 percent of all
petroleum products move by sea in
wartime.
This country has a forward defense
posture. That is, we intend to meet
enemies on soil other than our own
and keep the war fighting away from
our shores. And yet we ignore the
crucial investment in our U .S.-flag
fleet that is required to deploy our
forces where needed. The cost, in
terms of cargo preference laws, bilat­
eral trade agreements, tax incentives
to shippers of even outright subsidies,
is meager when compared to alterna­
tive defense outlays.
Our failing maritime industry must
be articulated in terms of a national
security objective so that all depart­
ments and agencies of the government
will proceed with a common purpose.
It is imperative that our fourth arm
of defense, the U.S.-flag merchant
marine, be injected with new life and

vigor. Simply stated, the ultimate so­
lution is dependent upon cargo in ad­
equate quantity to support require­
ments for the requisite number and
types of ships needed to sustain the
nation's economic and defense needs
in time of war or national emergency.
This must include a shipyard mobili­
zation capacity sufficient to support
wartime needs.
SHIPBUILDING

From a national security standpoint,
a nation's shipbuilding base is one of
the irreplaceable pillars on which its
defense stands. This simple fact has
been repeated down through the years
by one administration after another.
It was most recently reiterated in 1980
by President Reagan during an election
campaign address before a major in­
dustry forum. At the time, President
Reagan called for government involve­
ment in providing sufficient naval and
commercial shipbuilding activity to
maintain the industry's mobilization
base. Failure to maintain a nucleus of
facilities and skilled manpower, he
argued, would undermine the nation's
ability to meet future challenges to our
security.
Although a course had been charted
in 1980, American shipbuilding suffi­
ciency is severely lacking. The admin­
istration has failed to promote policies
and provide incentives to build a grow­
ing and viable commercial shipbuild­
ing industry. Although stating that the
commercial shipyards are necessary
for national security, the administra­
tion advocates foreign building privi­
leges for ship operators with operating
differential subsidy contracts, the
elimination of ad valorem duties levied
on the foreign repair of U.S.-flag ves­
sels, the immediate eligibility of for­
eign-built, U.S.-flag vessels to carry
preference cargoes, and failure to fund
the construction differential subsidy
program.
As a result, many private sector
shipyards have closed, others are tee­
tering on the brink of collapse, many
vital repair facilities have been lost,
and thousands of skilled workers face
unemployment, or at best, underem­
ployment. In addition, the depression

in the American shipbuilding industry
has contributed to the continued de­
cline of allied industries throughout
the nation. The steel, electronics, heavy
machinery industries and equipment
manufacturers which supply the basic
materials have suffered as a result of
the lack of work in American ship­
yards.
Providing support for the domestic
shipbuilding base consistent with the
demands of national security is a chal­
lenge which the Maritime Trades De­
partment wholeheartedly accepts. To
reverse the loss of capability and ca­
pacity of domestic shipyards, the MTD
proposes that the U.S. government
take the following corrective actions:
•

•

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Establish a clear requirement for
shipbuiding capacity for U.S. na­
tional security;
Broaden the requirements of the
Jones Act to cover all maritime
activity within the 200-mile Ex­
clusive Economic Zone;
Initiate a government-sponsored
build-and-charter program that
would direct the government to
build vessels to be chartered to
commercial operators in peace­
time, but would be subject to
Navy recall during emergencies;
Fully fund the Title XI ship con­
struction loan and mortgage in­
surance program, the last remain­
ing
substantive
shipbuilding
support program, one that is es­
sential for capital formation and
fleet modernization;
Enforce and expand regulations
requiring that Navy ship repair
work be performed in U.S. ship­
yards, and
Replace sealift tankers serving the
Navy's point-to-point oil require­
ments, whose capacity has been
reduced by current regulations re­
quiring a segregated ballast sys­
tem.

These initiatives would provide much
needed work for U.S. shipyards, as
well as for ships to carry U.S. water­
borne international commerce and for
national security purposes.

SIU of Canada President Roman Gralewicz, left, met with presidential hopeful
Richard Gephardt after the Missouri congressman addres.wd the MTD meeting.

March 1987/LOG17

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AFL-CIO Legislative Director Robert McGlotten praised the MTD, and partic­
ularly the SIU, for its successful "Grassroots Campaign." He said that we must
get our message to our congressmen in their backyards.

Jones Act
Since 1920, the Jones Act has pre­
served the waterborne movement of
cargo between two domestic points
for American-built and American­
crewed vessels. Consumers have ben­
efitted directly through this ability to
call upon, as fits their needs, another
cost-effective transportation mode. The
nation as a whole has also benefitted
in diverse ways. The U.S.-build re­
quirement in the Jones Act has con­
tributed to the maintenance of the
National Defense Industrial Base by
providing needed work for the nation's
shipyards and their skilled workers.
The U.S. crew requirements provided
a major portion of the vanishing sea­
faring manpower pool which is essen­
tial for national defense purposes. In
addition, billions of dollars which would
have been spent on foreign shipping
services were retained in the U.S.
economy as a result of the Jones Act.
Yet, despite the obvious benefits of
a strong Jones Act, loopholes exist or
are advocated which violate the spirit,

�

�
I
I

SIU Vice President Joe Sacco urged
that the U.S. adopt stricter measures
to deal with international terrorism,
citing the particular vulnerability of sea
and air transportation.

8 I LOG I March 1987

if not the letter, of the law. Among
the loopholes which the MTD believes
should be closed are:
• Exemptions allowing foreign-built
sludge barges to be towed from U.S.
ports to the high seas for disposal of
cargoes and then returned empty to
the same U.S. port.
• The use of foreign-built, foreign­
flag vessels tied up at U.S. docks for
extended periods of time using foreign
workers performing a variety of in­
dustrial tasks is not considered a Jones
Act violation because the vessel is
immobile.
ware­
foreign-flag
• Permitting
house/supply vessels to provision U.S.
offshore platforms on the nation's outer
continental shelf.
of alien workers
• Employment
aboard U.S.-flag fishing vessels and
floating processing plants which har­
vest their catch in American fisheries.

Because our nation still has no com­
prehensive maritime program, the Jones
Act takes on additional value as a
source of opportunity for the Ameri­
can maritime community. Presently,
Jones Act building requirements rep­
resent the remaining source of com­
mercial work for U.S. shipyards.
The ability to move oil from the
nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve
is contingent on the fleet of U.S.-flag
militarily useful tankers that plies our
domestic trade routes. Without the

Jones Act, the jobs of tliousands of
American shoreside and shipboard
workers would be endangered. Alto­
gether, the livelihood of the members
of 52 American labor unions is closely
tied to the continuation of the Jones
Act.
The Maritime Trades Department
urges the Congress to take action within
the first session of the 1 OOth Congress
to consider legislation that would
broaden the scope of the Jon�s Act.
At the same time, the MTD calls upon
the administration to instruct govern­
ment officials negotiating free trade
agreements to refrain from granting
any foreign nation authority to operate
its vessels in our domestic trades.

Fishing Industry Crisis
Not unlike many other industries
and groups, the United States com­
mercial fishing industry is faced with
an ever-widening crisis-in the avail­
ability and affordability of property
and casualty insurance. Already in
troublesome financial straits created
by factors oftentimes beyond its con­
trol, the American fishing fleet's eco­
nomic viability is further threatened
by a severe liability insurance crisis.
Statistics indicate that insurance
premiums have skyrocketed from 25
percent to as much as 400 percent for
vessels in some fisheries. Currently,
only four domestic underwriters--0ut
of approximately 15 in 1984-who pro­
vide such service to the industry re­
main in business today. As a result,
many fishermen have been forced to
go to sea without coverage, exposing
themselves and their crews to the risk
of both personal and economic catas­
trophe.
The spiraling increase in costs, as
well as the abrupt decline in the num­
ber of insurance companies partici­
pating in the commercial vessel insur­
ance market, threatens the very
existence of all U.S.-flag vessel own­
ers and the employment opportunities
for fishermen and related workers
throughout the industry.
Generally, the crisis in the cost and
availability of liability insurance is at­
tributed to three principal causes: the
general economic conditions within
the fishing industry; the uncertainties
inherent in the current legal system
used to compensate injured fishermen,
and the cyclical nature of the liability
insurance industry which is tied to the
amount that companies can earn by
investing premiums in the market­
place.
The crisis in the insurance industry
is deeply rooted in its own way of
doing business. The affordability and
availability of insurance coverage in
the fishing industry is primarily af­
fected by the current unprofitable state
of the insurance industry itself result­
ing from mismanagement of under­
writing operations and bad investment
policies. As a result, insurers have
retreated and withdrawn from provid­
ing insurance, and they have dramat­
ically raised rates and limited coverage
for lines of businesses that have not
been recently profitable or are difficult
to underwrite.
Furthermore, in hard times, insur­
ance companies become much more
selective in their underwriting judg­
ments especially when the risk factor
is particularly high. Commercial deep
sea fishing is the most dangerous oc-

cupation in the United States. U.S.
Coast Guard data show that the fatality
rate for U.S. fishermen is seven times
greater than the overall U.S. industry
average. In addition, fishing vessel

SIU Vice President Steve Edney re­
ported on a resurgence of the tuna
canning industry on the West Coast,
and the problems of East Coast fish­
ermen in securing insurance on their
vessels and crews.

loss rates are five times greater than
U.S. oceangoing cargo ships.-.-vessels
which are required to meet more strin­
gent safety equipment standards. As
a matter of fact, there are virtually no
safety requirements now for most
commercial fishing boats. Obviously,
these risk factors contribute substan­
tially to the insurance problems faced
by the industry.
Neither the safety nor insurance
problems of the fishing industry can
be dealt with in isolation. The inter­
relation of high loss rates for fishing
vessels and the cost of insurance can­
not be ignored despite the many other
factors that obviously contribute to
high insurance premiums.
The Maritime Trades Department
supports legislative initiatives which
will mandate readily available and ac­
cessible safety equipment for all fish­
ing vessels. Combined with licensing
and certification requirements, proper
vessel design and fishing management
regulations, these safety features will
surely reduce the incidents of acci­
dents on fishing vessels. These actions
should, in tum, decrease the risk of
fishing operations, with the subse­
quent result of lowering premiums for
insurance coverage.
The MTD will continue to work with
Congress, appropriate federal agen­
cies and the fishing industry to for­
mulate and implement a comprehen­
sive program which enhances safety
in the industry, brings the cost of
insurance to affordable levels and still
provides fair compensation for injured
fishermen.

SIU Vice President Mike Sacco, right, who is home-ported in St. Louis, chatted
with Missouri Congressman Richard Gephardt who has announced his candidacy
for president.

�Protecting Offshore Jobs
For American Citizens

Rudy Oswald, AFL-CIO research director, refers to the MTD's pivotal position
paper, "Highlights of America's Trade Crisis," as he urged the department's
delegates to join with the AFL-CIO in an all-out campaign to win a fair trade
program for the U.S.

Domestic Offshore Development
In 1980, the Deep Seabed Hard
Mineral Resources Act established the
legal framework for American com­
panies to participate in the commercial
recovery of mineral deposits from the
floor of the world's oceans. Since its
enactment, four exploration licenses
have been issued to international groups
with substantial U.S. corporate par­
ticipation. Recently, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra­
tion has developed regulations to per­
mit U.S. companies to proceed with
necessary planning. Together, these
government actions should permit
commercial recovery in international
waters commencing in 1988.
In recent years, however, under­
water surveys have charted the exist­
ence of commercial mineral deposits
within the United States' Exclusive
Economic Zone. Since the minerals
covered by the 1980 Act lie beyond
the limits of national jurisdiction, it is
necessary to promulgate legislation
similar to that proposed in the last
Congress, entitled the National Seabed
Hard Minerals Act, which will estab­
lish a stand-alone regulafory regime

for energy exploration and recovery
projects. The original Outer Continen­
tal Shelf Lands Act of 1953 gave broad
discretion to the federal government
in exercising regulatory authority as
to activities on the Outer Continental
Shelf. Amendments of 1978 clarified,
formalized and mandated additional
regulations so as to better achieve
national economic and energy policy
goals.
At that time, the Congress became
concerned over the increasing number
of foreign workers on the Outer Con­
tinental Shelf and required that vessels
and oil rigs be manned by U.S. citi­
zens. This recognition has been sig­
nificant in creating thousands of jobs
for American citizens and seafarers.
The House version of the bill required
that "any vessel, rig, platform or other
vehicle or structures'' used for OCS
activities "be documented under the
laws of the United States." The re­
sulting compromise, although, did not
change existing laws, and the regula­
tions applied only to vessels already
•'required to be documented by the
laws of the U.S." Unfortunately, since
rigs and platforms do not have to be
documented under the laws of the
U.S., they don't have to be built in
the U.S.

for the exploration and recovery of
hard minerals within the sovereign
boundaries of the United States. A
National Seabed Hard Minerals Act
should be designed to encourage the
technological development and indus­
try investment necessary to success­
fully exploit the seabed within the U.S.
economic zone.
Given the domestic nature and na­
tional security implications of national
seabed ocean mining, the vessels in­
volved in such activities should be
documented under the laws of the
United States. All vessels involved in
ocean mining within the U.S. eco­
nomic zone should come under the
purview of the Merchant Marine Act
of 1920, commonly known as the Jones
Act. Clearly, activities conducted
within the jurisdiction are domestic
and coastwise in nature, therefore the
Jones Act and its vessel requirements
should be strictly applied to national
seabed mining legislation. This will
require that all vessels involved in
domestic ocean mining be U.S.-flagged,
U.S.-built and U.S.-crewed. Such leg­
islation will lead to the creation of
thousands of jobs for shipbuilders,

The MTD urges congressional ap­
proval of legislation that requires do­
mestic-content and domestic-fabrica­
tion requirements for offshore oil rigs
and vessels. One mobile rig alone
represents 425 direct jobs and more

seamen and maritime related workers

than 1,200 indirect jobs for American

throughout the United States.
Equally important in maximizing the
benefits from development of our na­
tion's coastal waters is the need to
legislate a domestic build requirement

The MTD calls on the administra­
tion and the entire Congress to rec­
ognize and be concerned over the
growing dumping of Japanese and Ko­
rean-built mobile drill rigs and plat­
forms. Japanese and Korean produc­
ers enjoy substantial advantages created
by foreign government subsidization,
below-cost pricing, dumping and ex­
ploitative wages. Meanwhile, Ameri­
can steel producers and maritime con­
struction industries are suffering due
to the near disappearance of domestic
demand for mobile drill rigs and plat­
forms. Congressional action is needed
to combat unfair foreign competition
and help preserve the domestic pro­
duction of offshore rigs, platforms and
vessels.

Over the last decade, an increasing
number of aliens have found work in
the nation's offshore Exclusive Eco­
nomic Zone. They arrive aboard for­
eign-flag ships, tugs and work barges.
This growing employment of foreign
equipment and alien workers results
from a variety of factors. Principally,
business interests under the guise of
labor cost savings have asked govern­
ment approval for waivers of prohi­
bitions against employment of foreign
nationals. If necessary, they have
sought favorable legal intepretations
of existing laws which are either un­
clear on the American worker issue
or have been deliberately drafted to
avoid American hire requirements.
They frequently have found willing
partners in the U.S. Customs Bureau
and the Immigration and N aturaliza­
tion Service. Government agencies
have expressed a lack of concern or
lax approach to the loss of American
jobs, and even when the hire American
policy is clearly evident, the regula­
tory bodies have failed to monitor
foreign activity closely to insure ad­
herence to all prohibitions.
Alien employment practices that vi­
olate either the letter or spirit of the
law have become more flagrant in
recent years. The following examples
show a pattern of unconcern within
government toward maintenance of
American workers:
• The employment of a foreign-flag,
foreign-crewed vessel operating
as ••cement warehouse'' in Long
Beach, Calif. which dispenses ce­
ment at dockside to U.S. buyers
is questionable at best. Its inven­
tory is resupplied periodically by
a foreign-flag vessel which brings
in imported cement. At the same
time the crews of the supply ves­
sel and the floating warehouse
rotate, thereby insuring that the
29-day limitation on foreign work­
ers in domestic operations re­
mains non-existent.
•

The 29-day principle is also vio·

lated in the use of lighter tankers
delivering petroleum to the U.S.
market. In such cases deep draft
tankers ride at anchor within our
Exclusive Economic Zone, while
smaller foreign-flag tankers off­
load part of the cargo to U.S.
shoreside facilities. The transit of
these foreign vessels through in­
ternational waters-although they
seldom call at a foreign port­
serves to relieve the foreign crew
of the limitation on time worked

within the United St.ates.
Foreign workers also' take away
long-term job opportunities from
Americans in the offshore energy
industry. Foreign warehouse ves­
sels anchored on the seabed are
permitted by the U.S. Customs
Bureau to perform resupply op­
erations in U.S. waters without
violating coastwise law.
• Foreign-flag
• •1ift boats" rou­
tinely work in U.S. waters free
from reprisal. These vessels are
equipped with elevated platforms
which allow them to lift mainte­
nance workers under or alongside
offshore rigs to perform repair or
maintenance work.
• A movement is now under way
to employ alien workers on Amer­
ican-flag fishing vessels. Once
again business interests are ar­
guing that the law is unclear on
citizenship requirements for the
crews
aboard
American-flag,
American-owned fish processing
vessels operating within the na­
tion's fisheries. Clearly, this po­
sition flies in the face of 10 years
of legislative authority aimed at
Americanizing our nation's off­
shore natural resources.
The current crisis in the dwindling
pool of trained seafaring personnel
could be alleviated if U.S. merchant
seamen were utilized, thereby contrib­
uting to U.S. national security. We
also would be able to provide much
needed employment for thousands of
construction workers and fishermen
who must sit idly by as alien workers
displaced them from their traditional
job skills. Also, environmental, health
and safety standards which apply to
U.S. enterprises could be brought to
bear and thus create a more rational
and humane working environment.
And, this unwarranted and profoundly
unjust situation is making worse the
U.S. balance of payments deficit.
The MTD believes that stringent
•

U.S. citizenship requirements should

control immigration policy in all mar­
itime, offshore and fishing related in­
dustries; and that the lightering of
petroleum, fishing activities, devel­
opment of offshore resources and off­
shore supply and maintenance work
on the Outer Continental Shelf or within
the Exclusive Economic Zone, should
be subject to the Jones Act which
would insure that U.S. citizens per­
form the work according to U.S.
standards for the benefit of the nation
as a whole.

shipyard workers. America needs a
stable employment base skilled in the
design and construction of offshore oil
equipment in order to maintain our
energy independence.

March 1987 I LOG I 9

�At the MTD Meeting
•

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Labor and politics mixed well at an MTD reception when AFL-CIO President
Lane Kirkland, left, reached to shake hands with presidential hopeful Richard
Gephardt as MTD President Frank Drozak and 1984 presidential contender Jesse
Jackson looked on.

SIU Vice President Leon Hall, right, chats with William Lucy, secretary-treasurer
of the American Federation of State, County &amp; Municipal Employees.

Edward Panarello, executive director of the Port Maritime Council of Greater
New York and Vicinity, left, and SIUNA Vice President Jack Caffey listen to an
MTD resolution on "Education and Training."

SIUNA Secretary-Treasurer Joe DiGiorgio, left, and Bill Dobbins, vice president
of the United Industrial Workers, were interested in discussions on U.S. trade
policies.

The Marine Engineers were represented at the MTD meetings by MEBA-1
President Gene DeFries, left, and MEBA-2 President Ray McKay.

10 I LOG I March 1987

MTD Vice President Steve Leslie speaks to the department's executive board for
the last time. Brother Leslie, a former vice president of the Operating Engineers
and a long-time friend of the SIU, died at his home March 3.

��-�
tug /tow
harg e/dredge l
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Inland News

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The tug Osprey (Allied) and barge
Sugar in Brooklyn.

Dino Fire, a representative from the SIU servicing team,
stands before Allied's tug Osprey in Brooklyn, N. Y.

In Memoriam
Barry Ervin, 52, died Nov. 15, 1986.

He joined the Union in 1974, working

chief engineer. He is survived by his
widow, Curtis Alma and his daughter,
Heidi.

FEB. 1-28, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class C
Class B
Class A

16. Hejoined the Union in 1940. Brother

Schuhart worked for Curtis Bay Tow­

ing, retiring in 1970. He was buried at

Oak Lawn Cemetery in Baltimore,
Md. Surviving is a niece, Marie Wack­
ner.

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following a long illness. He joined the
Union in 1972. Brother Thatcher sailed

in the engine department and was last
employed in 1983 by Crowley West.

Seafarer Thatcher is survived by his
mother.

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o::::::::::::::::::::::

Puerto Rico
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Houston
Algonac
St. Louis .........................
Piney Point ........................
Totals ...........................
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Pensioners

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retired on pension:

.

Jocelyn H. Lee
Jacksonville

James Bush
Mobile

Irman Cochran
New Orleans

Louis A. Dehon Jr.

0
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76

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156

120

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•

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•

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•

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•

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•

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•

.

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.

.

.

.

.

0

0

0

0
0
2
4

42
1
1
0
0
6
0

0

0
0
1
0
18

1

0

0

0
0
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
10

0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Port

.

.

.

.

0

.

.

.

15

0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

•

.

.

107

34

Gloucester ........................
New York .........................
.
Philadelphia
Baltimore
.
. .
Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans .
.
Jacksonville
San Francisco .
.
Wilmington ........................
Seattle
.
.
.
.
Puerto Rico
Houston ......•.............•.....
Algonac ............•..•.......•..
St. Louis
Pine Point .
.
Tota s
.

Houston

.

.

.

.

.

The following Inland members have

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class C
Class A
Class B

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

Gloucester ....•.•.....•.•.........
New York .........................
Philadelphia
Baltimore
.
.
..
Norfolk
Mobile ...........................
New Orleans .......................
Jacksonville
San Francisco
Wilmington
.
.
Seattle
.
.
.
.
Puerto Rico
Houston
Algonac
St. Louis .........................
Piney Point
Totals
.

New

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class C
Class A
Class B

0
0
2
6
59
1
0
0
0
4
0

Port

Dennis C. Thatcher died Jan. 27

Jonathan.

DECK DEPARTMENT

Port

Gloucester .
.
.
New York
.. .
Philadelphia
Baltimore .........................
..
.
.
Norfolk
Mobile ...........................
New Orleans
Jacksonville
San Francisc
Wilmington
.
Seattle
.

Pensioner Carl L. Schuhart died Feb.

The Osprey's barge captain aboard the barge

at Amstar

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters

in the engine department. Brother Er­
vin worked for Crowley Towing as

Jonathan

.

.

.

.

.

..

..

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.

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.

•

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.

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•

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•

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•

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•

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•

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•

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•

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•

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•

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.

•

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.

•

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.

•

•

•

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.

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•

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•

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•

•

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.

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ri

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•

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•

•

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•

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•

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•

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•

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.

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•

.

•

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.

•

Totals All Departments

.

.

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.

March 1987/LOG/11

�One more thing: the future of this

Area Vice Presidents' Report

Union and the maritime industry rests
with political action. I urge everyone
who hasn't done so to contribute to

deny them veterans' status, especially

T least one long overdue question
should

be

answered

for

all

MSCP AC non-officer personnel this
month, as well as one other question
that has had the men, and some ladies,
buzzing with anticipation.
is the retroactive money going to be
of 3 V2 percent on wages is due from
April 1, 1985 through May 15, 1986.
Retro money on overtime in two in­
crements of 2 percent is due from Oct.
1, 1985 through March 31, 1986. These
monies should be paid prior to the end
of March 1987. I have been assured
that the missing information that has
held up payment of these monies has
now been cranked into the system and
that all systems are go.
The other question that has had
marine employees anxious is that of
promotions. My information is that it

Gephardt's

now, when they are reaching the time

Trade Bill (H.R.3), which would de­

of life when they could make use of

mand reciprocity in our trade dealings

such a reclassification.

with other countries, and a coal import

When John Gaughan, Marad admin­

bill, which would tax foreign coal and

istrator, took office, he promised to
make this one of his top priorities. He

make available to U.S. companies in­

spoke eloquently about the subject at

coal bids.

SPAD.

formation about the terms of foreign
The trade bill, in particular, is im­

Yet there has been no follow-up.
At least Winston Battle lived to

portant to the people of this region,

enjoy the recognition. "I'm going to
wear these medals with pride," he

the steel and auto industries as a result
of unfair foreign trade.

many of whom have lost their jobs in

said after he learned that he had been

�
East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

honored. Thousands of other seamen
have gone to their graves without so
much as a thank-you from the govern­
ment they helped protect.

T

I'd also like to comment on another

The long overdue question is, When
paid? Retroactive money in the amount

Richard

last year's Maritime Day ceremonies.

Government Services
by V.P. Buck Mercer

A

Congressman

issue that has been on my mind. APL

members. In the port of Norfolk, the

recently chartered a foreign-flag vessel
on a subsidized route without notifying

following contracts were ratified and
signed: American Towing and Trans­

the unlicensed unions affected.
.

portation, Buckley Towing, Carteret

I have met with the other unlicensed

Towing,

unions affected by APL's unilateral

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

the Senate Commerce

Committee; Walter B. Jones (D-NC),

of Congress to alert them to this mat­
ter.

has taken longer than expected for the

The company says that this �on 't
happen again. Meanwhile, we have to

candidates to be ranked, which means
that there were more promotion re­

our members.

be vigilant in protecting the rights of

Niagara

There has been a depression in the

Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D.-Hawaii), a

chairman of the House Merchant Ma­

Towing,

Launch Company.

We've drafted a letter addressed to

rine Committee, and other members

Marine

Barge, Oswego Barge and the Virginia

action-the MFOW and the SUP.

member of

HE emphasis this month has been
on getting good contracts for our

S

shipbuilding and repair industry. Bath
Ironworks in Maine, one of the more
profitable shipyards still in existence,

HIPPING is still good in this re­

recently announced substantial lay­

gion. Most of that is due to the

offs. Two repair yards in the Norfolk

military work that is being contracted
out to the private sector. There has

area have launched anti-union cam­
paigns, Lyons and Colonna Shipyards.

been a slight slowdown in non-military

Both are under contract with our UIW

cargo.

affiliate.

Nothing demonstrates this better than

*

*

*

what is happening in Jacksonville. Mil­

quests to deal with than expected.
Ranking has been completed, and the
MSCPAC Promotion Board is ex­
pected to meet sometime .during the
third ���March with selection of
ccessful candidates announced by
April 1, 1987.

itary vessels are going in and out of

Hearings are still being held in con­

the port. Yet there are at least five

nection with the Seafood Producers

non-military vessels laid up there: the

Association strike.

Ogden Leader, the Ogden Willamette,
the Pride of Texas, the Bayamon and
the Transcolorado.

man, who recently announced his re­

*

*

*

Howard Schul­

tirement as general counsel for the
SIU, testified, along with SIUNA Vice
President Jack Caffey, among others.
*

*

*

We've been active in all phases of

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike Sacco

S

HIPPING is still slow up here
because of the weather. Things are

union activity down here. We've been

As I said in last month's column,

trying to stress to our members the

what's needed in the fishing industry

importance of upgrading their skills.

is some kind of bill to provide fisher­

The only way that we can continue to

men with liability insurance. Right

man these military vessels is by being

now, boatowners are finding it diffi­

prepared for them. In particutar, I

cult, if not impossible, to get insur­

would like to steer our members in

ance.

the steward department to the Union's

Before I _end my report, I'd like to

new sanitation program down at Piney
Point.

make special mention of Steve Leslie,

expected to ease up later in the month.

West Coast
by V.P. George McCartney

W

Port officials are expecting a better
year than last, especially in the dredg­
ing end of the maritime industry. The

INSTON Battle, who was fea­

Clean Water Act, which Congress

tured in the July 1986 LOG,

passed over President Reagan's veto,

died recently. A war hero who took

should mean a few more projects up

part in the Mulberry Operation during

here. The Port Development Act has

the invasion of Normandy, Battle, 63,

ushered in a few projects that other­

was still sailing as a chief steward at
the time of his death.

wise wouldn't have seen the light of

His passing brings to mind the in­

day.
*

*

*

justice that has been done to the mer­
chant seamen who risked their lives

We've been in negotiations with a

during World Warr II. Except for the

number of companies, including Bi­

few hundred who took part in the

gane Vessel Fueling, Dunbar and Sul­

Mulberry

livan, Falcon Marine and Great Lakes

Operation,

thousands

of

merchant seamen have been denied
veterans' status.
That is a shame. Seamen suffered

Dredge and Dock.
*

*

*

the second highest casualty rate of

There is a lot of interest up here in

World War II, right after the Marines.

what's going on in Washington, es­

Their contribution was invaluable.

pecially with regard to the following

There just isn't any good reason to

bills: Catastrophic Health Insurance;

12 /LOG I March 1987

*

*

*

We've also been busy trying to get

President of Local 25 of the Operating
Engineers, who for many years had
an office in our Brooklyn hall. He died
early this month. He was a good friend

contracts for our members. We've

and a strong trade unionist. Not many

been in negotiations with Crescent
Towing in both New Orleans and Sa­

people know it, but he saved the life
of former SIU President Paul Hall

vannah. And in Houston, contracts

during the Chicago Taxi Beef in the

were ratified and signed with the fol­

early 1960s. He will be sorely missed.

lowing companies: Western Towing,
Bay Houston Towing and Higman
Towing.
*

*

*

The economy of Houston is still
suffering from the recession in the oil
industry. Lots of medium- to small­
sized companies are threatening to pull
up stakes and go foreign. That is why
we are strongly backing the AFL­
CI O's stand on the Plant Closing bill
which would require owners to give
workers in their plants notice before
they close their operations.
*

*

*

Support
SPAD

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•

Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

Washington Report
President Reagan's address to the nation in
early March helped stabilize the political cli­
mate in Washington. Even though the presi­
dent failed to address several important issues
relating to the Iran-Contra arms scandal, his
relaxed demeanor and effective speaking style
seemed to have reassured people that he is
still capable of holding office. He made a slight
comeback in the opinion polls, though as one
political commentator said, "He'll never be
what he once was.''
The president's speech was accompanied
by a number of important and long-overdue
personnel changes. Earlier in the week, he had
named former Senator Howard Baker to re­
place Donald Regan as chief of staff. While

•

Baker's appointment raised the hackles of
many conservative Republicans, a lot of people
in Washington believed that it was a brilliant
move. In order to prove that he can effectively
rule, Ronald Reagan is going to have to dem­
onstrate that he can work with Congress. And
there isn't a person alive today who has a
better rapport with Congress than former ma­
jority leader Howard Baker.

The Race Is On
There are many ways to view the Iran­
Contra arms scandal. Some look at it as an
appalling breakdown in leadership. Others see
it as unparalleled high Washington drama.
Fawn Hall, Oliver North and Arturo Cruz
could make much more interesting reading
than Ehrlichman and Haldeman ever did.
Most professional politicians in Washington,
however, take a parochial view of the matter:
How does it affect me politically? For them,
the most important thing about the Iran-Contra
arms scandal is that it has ushered in a new
political era.
People are calling the two years between

•

now and the next presidential election ''Rea­
gan's Third Presidency." That's a polite way
of saying that the president is now considered
a lame duck by practically everyone in Wash­
ington. Yet even if the Iran-Contra arms scan­
dal had never taken place, he would have lost
his grip on the nation's political agenda.
The Iran affair only hastened that process.
By failing to have any affect on the 1986
Senate elections, Reagan sealed his own fate.
Capitol Hill has its own bottom line.

MTD Executive Board Meeting
There is no better demonstration that a new
political era is upon us than what occurred at

March 1987

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

the front pages of the nation's newspapers and

cost-effective than their Japanese counter­

received considerable coverage on the nightly

parts. But they just didn't have a chance.

network newscasts. This headline from a

Washington Post story was typical of the way
the media covered the event: Labor Is Back.
As numerous commentators have pointed
out, the Mondale debacle of 1984 was not
without its silver lining. For one thing, it
enabled the 144 autonomous unions connected
with the AFL-CIO to learn how to coordinate
their efforts in running an effective, nationwide
campaign. It is extremely important to note
that no union president has declared support
for any candidate. All are waiting to discuss
the matter at upcoming meetings.
With the New Right split among several
candidates-Pat Robertson, Jack Kemp, Paul
Laxalt and others-labor's grassroots political
machinery is about the most extensive in the
nation.

Maritime's Message
The MTD meeting gave maritime a highly

Auto Carriage: Part One
The American-flag merchant marine has long
been victim of Japan's protectionist policies.
Recently, longshoremen in Portland, Ore. un­
loaded the one millionth Japanese car to be
exported to the United States through that one
port alone. The tragedy of this, at least for
seamen, and yes, for the defense capability of
the United States (for without sealift, there is
no true defense capability), is that hardly any
of those cars have been carried on American­
flag vessels.
During the last session of Congress, in order
to stave off efforts to pass an auto carriage
bill, several Japanese companies entered into
agreements with American shipping compa­
nies. Yet it wasjust a ploy to defuse the issue.
Their agreements covered only three or four
ships-and 30,000 cars out of a yearly trade
ceiling of 2.3 million. And more importantly,
the deal was not a long-term one, and all

visible forum to have its issues heard. For

ancillary work was to be done by Japanese

many people outside the maritime industry,

firms.

the decline of the American-flag merchant

This fig leaf was enough for the administra­

marine is not a burning issue. Having Gary

tion, however, which opposed passage of any

Hart, Joseph Biden and Richard Gephardt

kind of auto carriage trade bill. Yet as stated

address that decline at a highly publicized

earlier on this page, there is a new Congress

media event helped get the message out that

and a new political atmosphere. The American

America needs to formulate a coherent policy

people are finally beginning to wise up to the

to stimulate the development of a strong do­

inherent unfairness of the international mar­

mestic flag merchant marine.

ketplace. Without some kind of policy on trade

Trade

is going to become a de facto colony for

and economic development, the United States
Japanese conglomerates.

Right now, the trade issue looks a lot like

Even the Western Europeans, who are no

tax reform did during the first few months of

slouches when it comes to formulating protec­

the 99th Congress. Everybody and his brother

tionist policies, are amazed at some of the

is coming up with his own version of what

practices employed by the Japanese. There is

trade reform should encompass. The admin­

a strong movement under way in the Common

istration has a bill, and so do Sen. Lloyd

Market to impose heavy tariffs on all Japanese

Bentsen (D-Texas}, Rep. Richard Gephardt

goods. "When it comes to erecting barriers to

(D-Mo.), Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.) and Rep.

trade," said France's minister of finance, "the

Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill.). More trade bills

Japanese deserve the Nobel Prize."

are expected on the horizon, and even people
who haven 7t introduced their own bills have
strong opinions abou
. t what should and shouldn't
be included.
The odd trade bill out is the one introduced
by Kemp, who believes that unfair trade is
not really an issue and that "protectionist
tendencies" should be stamped out. He wants

Auto Carriage Bill: Part Two
"The SIU is actively supporting and seeking
co-sponsors for the Equitable Automobile Act
of 1987," said SIU President Frank Drozak.
The legislation, which wa� introduced earlier
this month, already has 53 co-sponsors and is
intended to address the current inequities in

to create a North American free market, lower

the Japanese and Korean automobile trade

tariffs wherever possible and, in his own words,

with the United States.

"fight the fair trade wimps" in Congress and
the administration.

the Maritime Trades Department Executive

In comparison to the Kemp bill, the admin­

Council Board Meeting in Bal Harbour, Fla.

istration bill looks downright seductive, al­

(see story on pages 5-10). Three Democratic

though most politicians on the Hill-Demo­

hopefuls-Gary Hart, Richard Gephardt and

cratic and Republican-feel that it is just too

Joseph Biden-attended the meeting to try to

weak to help America in its "search for ex­

line up labor's support for the 1988 presidential

cellence" (President Reagan's words). Even

election.

•

btgton

as

Republican supporters of the administration

All three were well received. While each

(outside Jack Kemp, of course) feel that the

speech had a different emphasis and a different

proposed cuts in the education budget are too

tone, there was one common theme: How are

massive and are counterproductive to achiev­

we going to restore America's competitive

ing our national goals. And many people are

edge in the world marketplace?

just plain fed up with the protectionist policies

Many people believe that the bill stands a
much better chance of being passed than last
year. "For one thing, people are more aware
of unfair trade,'' said SIU Legislative Director
Frank Pecquex, "and Japanese discriminatory
practices in this area are fairly well estab­
lished."
The bill, which was introduced by Rep.
Walter B. Jones (D-N.C.), isjust one of several
measures intended to tie the trade issue to the
maritime industry. "For too many years,"
said SIU President Frank Drozak, "the U.S.
government has failed to grasp the importance
of economics in the overall national security
picture.

Trade is shaping up as the most important

of other countries, most notably Japan, which

issue of the lOOth Congress. It's tax reform,

recently excluded American companies from

''The American government has no long­
range perspective of the trade issue. Other

immigration reform and Gramm-Rudman all

bidding on. the billions worth of construction

rolled into one.

work that is expected to arise out of the

Labor Is Back

irony is that in at least this one instance,

The MTD Executive Board Meeting made

modernization of two Japanese airports. The
American companies are more efficient and

governments do. They get the United States
to give in on an industry by industry basis.
First it was maritime. Then it was steel. Now

(Continued on Page 38.)
March 1987ILOGI13

�U.S.-Flag Innovator

C.C. Wei, Falcon Shipping Founder, Dead
By Max Hall

failing sense of optimism and deter­

revolutionized

mination,'' said long-term business as­

American shipping in the late 1960s

sociate Harry Glennon, ''which enabled

C.C.

Wei,

who

by develdping a new generation of

him to surmount all obstacles and

automated, diesel-propelled tankers,

expand despite the numerous prob­
'
lems facing the shipping industry.'

died last month at the age of 72. He
was the founder, president and prin­

That sense of optimism was sorely

cipal shareholder of the Falcon Ship­

tried toward the end of his life by the
worldwide depression in the shipping

ping Group.
He was best known outside the

industry, a depression so severe that

maritime industry for his expertise in

it prompted Frank W. K. Tsao, chair­

bridge. He invented the Precision bid­

man of International Maritime Car­

ding system now used by many world

riers, to predict that eight out of every

champions, including his wife Kath­

10 shipping companies would soon go

erine, whom he helped train. He au­

bankrupt.

thored numerous books on the subject.
"Most men succeed by doing what

"Shipping," said Tsao, "is like a
piece of ice under a hot sun."

other people do-just doing it a little

Particularly hard hit was the Amer­

better or a little faster," wrote Pamela

ican maritime industry, which was

Sherrid in Forbes magazine in April

rocked by news that U.S. Lines, the

1982. "C.C. Wei does things differ­

largest existing U.S.-flag company, had

ently.

filed for protection under Chapter XI

"Consider his approach to bridge.

of the bankruptcy code.

He dido't sharpen his skills by using

"C.C. felt that things did not have

standard conventions. Instead, he de­

to go this far,'' said his wife Katherine.

veloped an entirely new bidding lan­

"He felt that the American govern­

guage. He brings the same kind of

ment could, and had to, do more to

creativity to business."

support its merchant fleet. After all,

Since the end of World War II, the

American operators are at a severe

majority of American-owned shipping

disadvantage in competing against for­

companies have successfully evaded

eign companies.

American taxes, labor costs and safety

''Some markets are entirely closed

regulations by documenting their vessels

to American shippers," she said. "And

under open-flag registries. When asked

many countries, like the Soviet Union

to explain why the Falcon Shipping

or China, heavily subsidize their fleets."

Group, which he formed in 1960 with his

Still, Wei was not ready to abandon

C.C. Wei

friend and long-term business associate

the American-flag merchant marine.

Houston H. Wasson, did not go that

Having lived through the Japanese

of influence. The Boxer Rebellion in

ranked officials were constantly being

route, Wei replied, "Freedomis not what

occupation of China, and America's

1901 had caused considerable political

given preferential treatment in secur­

I am asking for. Success for a project is

heroic struggle to recapture control of

and social upheaval. Corruption and

ing scarce shipping berths.

what's important, and outside restric­

the Pacific during World War II, he

feudalism competed with Western ed­

tions can help bring success."

was acutely aware of the important

ucation and democratic ideals.

Those same associates said that he
sailed through the Suez Canal about

"In truth," said Ray McKay, pres­

strategic role that the maritime indus­

By the time Wei reached college

ident of the Marine Engineers Bene­

try plays in the defense of any country,

age, the Communists were waging a

were advancing through Northern Af­

ficial Association, District 2, "he was

especially a superpower like the United

determined civil war and the Japanese

rica.

a patriot, the kind that only a first­

States.

were making plans to invade the coun­

After the war, Wei remained in the

generation American can be."

the same time that Rommel's armies

The Falcon Shipping Group still has

try. Chiao-Tung UDiversity, from which

United States and eventually applied

"When confronted with a prob­

nine vessels in operation, six tankers

Wei graduated with a degree in elec­

for citizenship.

lem," said Reed Wasson, son of the

and three bulk carriers, which makes

trical engineering, was a bastion of

Like many of the Chinese profes­

late Houston Wasson, and Falcon's

it one of the larger American-flag com­

Western ideas and advanced technol­

sionals who migrated to the United

counsel for tax and regulatory matters,

panies still in existence. At the time

ogy. Two other famous Americans,

States around this time, Wei thought

"Wei had no preconceptions. His mind

of Wei's death, the company had

An Wang and l.M. Pei, attended the

of himself as a bridge between the

roamed

formed a new affiliate, Seahawk Man­

university,

East and the West.

agement, to perform support opera­

China's answer to MIT.

freely,

seeking

opportuni­

ties."
"Wei's willingness to work within
the confines of the American maritime
industry and his single-minded devo­

tions for the U.S. Navy's Military
Sealift Command.
Falcon remains on the cutting edge

which

was

known

as

Even though Wei had many close

Western ideas were often synony­

ties with the nationalist government

mous with American culture. In a

of Taiwan (according to one newspa­

recent edition of 60 Minutes, architecl

per report, he launched his shipping

tion to his country created thousands

of developments. The last two pri­

I. M. Pei described why he decided

career in the United States by helping

of jobs for American seamen and ship­

vately-owned vessels built in Ameri­

to emigrate to the United States. "I

an embattled Taiwan get oil from the

yard workers," said SIU President

can shipyards were commissioned by

liked American movies," he said, only

Middle East), he was not one to pass

Frank Drozak. ''It also pumped bil­

Falcon, and the company is looking

half-kiddingly.

up a business opportunity or misinter­

lions of dollars into the American

to break into the Alaskan fishing in­

economy."

dustry.
The first American-flag vessel to

most

pret long-term trends. He felt that it

Western of all China's cities, life there

was important for economic and geo­

Though

Shanghai was the

was often fraught with danger. Wei

political reasons that the United States

carry grain to China was lhe Pride of

once told a business associate that you

and mainland China improve relations.

his vessels," said SIU Secretary Jo­

Texas, which was owned by the Fal­

couldn't wear a hat on the bus "be­

He therefore encouraged his wife to

seph DiGiorgio. ''He constantly looked

con Group.

cause someone on the street would

take up bridge so that she could meet

"Wei had a real fondness for the
men and women who sailed onboard

for ways to improve their living and
working conditions.

During his lifetime, Wei was often
compared to the giants of the shipping

just reach in and grab it off'' if the bus

China's forward-looking premier, Deng

had to stop for a light.

Xiaoping, who is also a bridge enthu­
siast.

"For example," said DiGiorgio, '•the

industry, people like Daniel Ludwig,

Wei's wife Katherine, whom he

Falcon Shipping Group was the first

Aristotle Onassis and Y. K. Pao, who

married in 1968, movingly described

In many ways, Wei embodied the

American-flag company to provide un­

formed an exclusive and highly com­

the conflicts of life in pre-Communist

business ideals of China, the land of

licensed seamen with their own private

petitive club.

rooms."

Wei's early years and upbringing

China in her autobiography Second

his birth, and the United States, his

Daughter, which made best seller lists

adopted country.

Wei had few peers in s ecuring fi­

prepared him for the difficult world of

nancing for his ventures. "Many peo­

international shipping. He was born

Wei came to the United States as

United States is the spirit of entrepre­

all around the country.

·'The dominant business ethic in the

ple see the government as an adver­

near Shanghai in 1915 during a partic­

part of a war-time delegation from the

neurship,'' wrote his wife Katherine

sary," said William Pope, an investment

ularly troubled period in China's his­

government of Chiang Kai Shek. Ac­

in a June 1986 article for lntertrade.

banker at Warburg Paribas. ''But Wei

tory.

cording to a business associate, his

C.C. Wei certainly fit that mold.

makes them his partner.''
"Mr. Wei always exhibited an un-

14 /LOG I March 1987

Foreign governments had all but

voyage to the United States took nearly

She contrasted this with the Chinese

carved China up into separate spheres

six months to complete, because higher-

(Continued on page 39.)

�SIU &amp; SH Lss

Meeting the Training Needs of

•••

Our Membership, the Maritime Industry, and Our Nation's Defense

''The ptupose of our school is to guide and
encourage our members to improve their professional
skills to meet the needs of the industry.''
SIU President Frank Drozak

American Cormorant

--

1st. Lt.

Jack Lummus

"Maritime policy is not a thing unto itself
It is or should be an integral part of our
overall foreign policy. If it is not, our national
interest cannot be served and protected."

President Ronald Reagan

-----__,

SIU Military Contracted Vessels

Algol
Altair
American Cormorant
Antares
Assurance
Bartlett
Bellatrix
Bowditch
Sgt. William R. Button
1st. Lt. Alex Bonnyman
1st. Lt. Baldomero Lopez
Cape Decision
Cape Ducato
Cape Diamond
Cape Domingo
Cape Douglas
Capella
Chauvenet
Contender
CPL Louis J. Hauge
Denebola
De Steiguer
Dutton
Gem State
L. Gianella
Grand Canyon State
H. H. Hess
Harkness

---..

Indomitable
Kane
Keystone State
1st. Lt. Jack Lummus
Lynch
Richard Matthiesen
Gus W. Darnell
Persistent
PVT Harry S. Fisher
2nd Lt. john P. Bobo
Major Stephen W. Pless
Paul Buck
Samuel L. Cobb
PFC Dewayne Wi/Iiams
PFC Eugene Obregon
PFC James Anderson
PFC William Baugh
Pollux
Regulus
S8J.. Matej Kocak
Silas Bent
Southern Cross
Stalwart
Triumph
Vindicator
Wilkes
Wright
Wyman

USNS Bartlett

March 1987ILOGI15

�Military Sea Transportation Union (MSTU)
-----Contracted Vessels.

-----

Navajo
Navasota
Neptune
Observation Island
Passumpsic
Ponchatoula
Sioux
Spica
Zeus

Catawba
Hassayampa
Kawishiwi
Kilauea
Mercury
Mispillion
Mizar
Myer
Narragansett

Sgt. Matej Kocak

"The Maritime Prepositioning Ship program
is a model success story, and I couldn't be more
pleased. MPS is on schedule and proving to be
an extremely valuable strategic asset."
General P .X. Kelley
Co mmandant
U.S. Marine Corps

PFC William Baugh

Algol

The following message was received from the
USS Sylvania on March 16, 1985
From:
To:

Subject:

Summary: Every evolution conducted with Southern Cross was
very professional and extremely efficient. If we had not been
involved in the inpon initial training' we would never have known
they were novices to alongside replenishment. It was a pleasure to
have them alongside.
Bravo Zulu.

Keystone State

:·:

Paul Buck
16 /LOG I March 1987

USS Sylvania
USNS Southern Cross
UNREP Exercise

tf'

:;: :J:·

Stalwart

�I agree

that the United States should have
a viable U.S. -flag mercha.nt ma·rine, manned
by U.S. citizens, capable of lifting a fair and
reasonable share of our import-export trade,
as well as serving as a naval auxiliary in time
of need.''
''

1

Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger

U.S. Air Force helicopter lands at SHLSS.

Air Force Logistics Brass
Gets Good Look at SHLSS

Recently Lieutenant General
Alfred G. Hansen USAF and
Brigadier General Richard L.
Stoner USAF visited the training
f a c i l i t i e s a t Pi n e y Poi n t ,
Maryland.
General Hansen is Director for
Logistics and General Stoner is
Deputy Director for Plans,
Concepts and Analysis, J-4,
Organization of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff in Washington, D.C.

Accompanying them was Navy
Captai n David R. Bolden of the
same office.
The purpose of their visit was
to familiarize themselves with the
training and support facilities of
the school.

After landing by helicopter,
they were greeted by Ken
Conklin, Vice President, Bill
Hellwege, Sealift Training
Coordinator and Bob Kesteloot.

Vice Chairman of Transponation
Institute, and taken on an
extensive tour of SHLSS facilities.
The Air Force is very involved
in sealift by vinue of the massive
amount of equipment that would
have to be transponed by ship in a
national emergency to suppon
their forces. This falls into the
)LOTS Ooint Logistics Over the
Shore) concept.
During the tour many ideas
and concerns were shared by both
sides for the betterment of a
strong merchant marine which
would be available at all times to
suppon our armed forces.
Upon departing the school
again by helicopter, it was felt
that both sides had a little deeper
insight into the job that each
organization does and how both
are part of the total sealift picture.

In the Shiphandllng Simulator Feedback Room, Computer Operator John
Morgan (seated) and Simulator Manager Abe Easter (1.) explain the vast
capabilities of the computer simulated bridge.

.

.

�

Sealift Coordinator Bill Hellwege describes the classroom and waterfront
training which occurs during the Sealift Operations and Maintenance Course.

(1. to r.) Vice Chairman of Transportation Institute Bob Kesteloot, Brigadier
G eneral Richard L. Stoner USAF, Lieutenant General Alfred G. Hansen USAF,
SHLSS Vice President Ken Conklin, SHLSS Sealift Training Coordinator Bill
Hellwege, Captain David R. Bolden USN.
March 1987/LOG/17

�Army Reserve Unit Comes to
SHLSS for Ca rgo Handling Training
The SHLSS 32-ton Hagglund
Crane was recently used by
members of the U.S. Army Reserve
1173RD Transponation Unit from

While training with the crane
was the primary goal for the
soldiers, fork truck operations were
equally imponant and included in

were undergoing the regular four
week Sealift Operations and
Maintenance Course.

their schedule.
Under the instruction of Crane
Operator John Russell and Fork

Since t h e Ar m y Reserve
accounts for 60 % of all military
cargo that would be loaded
aboard the Ready Reserve Fleet

Truck InstructorJoe Marshall, these

e q ui p m ent, s u c h as
helicopters, tracked and
wheeled vehicles, are of
primary concern for the
loadout of sealift v�ls by
the military and merchant
marine. In addition to this
type of cargo, 20 ft. and
40 ft. containers must also
•

1

sealift training facility at SHLSS is
ideally suited for this type of
operation.

Boston, Massachusetts. These
soldiers reponed to SHLSS for their
two week Active Duty Training in
C a r g o H a n d l i n g and were
integrated with SIU members who

during a national emergency, a
common bond existed
between seafarer and
soldier during this training
period.
The large numbers of
o u t s ize
and
h eavy

___

be loaded and stowed either below
deck or topside. The extensive

soldiers left the school trained and
ready to perform as vital members
of the sealift community's cargo
handling team.

�·�i;�:··· ,.:.-..

A truck is hoisted clear and ready to be
placed on a barge.

'�;r

SSG David Comeau (top) signals to hold position prior to placing a 2V2 ton
truck on a barge.
..,

·.::: �
\

�

·'·

�: \ '";::

�·

SSG David Comeau (I) and SP-4 Joseph Iannuzzi control the tag lines as

The signalman SSG Marco Morales directs the operation and gives the

the crane operators prepare to place the aircraft engine on a barge.

hold signal.

18 /LOG I March 1987

�Lundeberg School Trains
Navy Group on Heavy Crane
The

Navy

Reserve

Cargo

Quick Response Combat Suppon

Battalion

Unit of the Operational Forces

came to Piney Point recently to

specializing in open ocean cargo
handling.

Handling

Training

receive training on the school's

The

32-ton Hagglund crane.
The

battalion,

stationed

in

training

members

of

given

this

to

unit

the

helped

Williamsburg, Va., is an active

acquaint them with the Hagglund

duty unit with a primary mission

crane and reinforced their cargo

of

handling techniques.

training

all

Navy

cargo

handling force personnel, both

The SIU's suppon of the sealift
community's

active and reserve.
It is the primary augmentation

cargo

handling

programs is one example of the

unit for the Navy in the event of

n a t i o n's

premobilization action and 1s a

Defense'' in action.

''Fo u r t h

Ar m

�

of

,

The spreader is hoisted and maneuvered over to a container.

!.....

-�--.L�,

..

The signalman gives the signal to lower the jib in preparation for placing
the crane in twin operation.

�-

t·\ · · ·��-"�1. f:
;;.;:;:;.:;:;; :;;·�..-�
:Ii.'�
. ·::.

Preparations are completed for hoisting the 35 ft container.

''The steady decline of our U.S. -flag
merchant fleet, which is the backbone of our
logistical support, causes the Department of
the Navy great concern. Properly developed, a
strong U.S. merchant marine is indeed a full
partner, a fourth arm of U.S. national
defense. If neglected-as has too long been
Signalman Donald Williamson signals the crane operator to lower the jib.

the case-it is merely a strategic missing link.
Secretary of the Navy John Lehman

March 1987ILOGI19

�The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in his
FY 1986 Posture Statement stated:

''In any major overseas deployment, sealift
will deliver about95°/o ofall dry cargo and99°1o
of all petroleum products. Ships from the U.S.
merchant marine represent the largest domestic

source of sealift making them an important
.
, ,
strategic resource.
Cu"ent military planning depends on the
U.S. merchant man:ne to provide the major

portion of the U.S.-flag sealift.

Seafarers Lundeberg School Hosts
First Annual Sealift Conference
The First Annual Sealift
Conference was conducted at
SHLSS on June 24 thru 26, 1986
with union, SHLSS, company,
government and military
representatives.
The conference was designed to
provide an opportunity to review

the Sealift Training Program and
to discuss ideas and goals for all
concerned within the· sealift
community.
The conference was a two part
affair with the unions, SHI.SS and
military contracted shipping
companies meeting on the first day.
Topics for discussion were as
follows:

Crew training for
Present/Future/Jobs I Skills
2. Sealift qualification for
Crew/Licensed Personnel
3. Past/Present performances of
1

.

crews

4. Training Money /Incentives

SHLSS Sealift Coordinator Bill Hellwege
dlscusse� the objectives of the conference.

incorporated into future
contracts
5 . Recent efforts by SIU I SHLSS
for Sealift equipment
6. Coordinated efforts to supply
up-to-date training information
to SHI.SS and ships
7. Ship Types/Manning
levels/Manpower

Military and government
r epr e s e n t a t i v e s jo i n e d t he
conference the second day where
the agenda topics were reviewed
and discussed more extensively.
A cross exchange of ideas and
mutual concerns were discussed,
with SIU President Frank Drozak
delivering an address to the
conference. ''We need young,
well trained, highly qualified
seamen to man our military
vessels'' said Drozak. ''The school
and the SIU need only to know
what the shipowners and military
want and we can do it here at the
school and save everyone money
by doing it. I hope that this
conference will be the beginning
of a joint program between the
shipowner, maritime industry and
military to better prepare for the
future. Time is running out. We
must prepare now in order to have
a future.''
The goal of the school is to

'
Michael Meahallic- Naval Sea Syste �
Command asks questions about the SIU
Manpower capablllties.

;

(R. to I.) Ron Spencer and Mike McKay from
MESA 2 review the conference agenda with
Captain Pete Johnson Pacific Gulf Marine.
•

:.

t.

··:

..

.

.

Present and future contracts are discussed by
Angus "Red" Campbell-SIU Vice President.

20 I LOG I March 1987

provide sealift training to all SIU
members. Because of the reduced
manning level found aboard
military contracted vessels, it is
necessary that crew members from
the deck, engine and steward
departments are thoroughly
trained. The SIU presently has
under contract or has bids on 80
ships with various companies.
This has led to a need for a more
effort
and
coordinated
cooperation for training.
Since an estimated 60 % of the
work available to SIU members
will be in the military sector by
1990, the training for the military
ships has become essential. As in
any new program, there are
problems to solve and new
potentials to be explored. This
conference was designed to do
both. With the shipping
companies, labor and government
working hand-in-hand, this can
certainly be accomplished for the
benefit of all concerned. Training
is the KEY to the success of this
industry and we want to make this
prograin the best.

SIU President Frank Drozak discussed the present and future goals of the SIU, in relation to
mllltary contracted vessels.

SHLSS Instructor Jim Brown elaborates on
the deck department courses taught at
SHLSS.

Joe Conwell Bay Tankers, Bart Rogers ·SIU
Manpower and Carmine Bracco
Bay
Tankers discuss manpower capabilities.
•

•

�Gerry Carbiener AP L, Bill Hellwe g e SHLSS, Bart Ro gers
-SHLSS, Bob HoJmstead Maersk Lines LTD.
•

•

•

I�.-.
SIU Vice President Buck Mercer discusses the Seallft Pro gram on the West coast and emphasizes the
need for more training.

if.·
Anne Kane ·Ocean Shlpholdlng and Jim Chllds - AMSEA.

SHI.SS Scalift Coordinator Bill Hellwcge discusses the present training equipment and the equipment needs
for the future .

':ir...
.
... _.._.:.

SIU Manpower Coordinator Bart Rogers discusses the manpower office and procedures
for crewing vessels.

George McCarthy· Sea Mobility Inc. and Harrison Glennon. Sea Moblllty discuss contract problems.

March 1987 I LOG I 21

�Features include:

The Seafare rs
S iphandling Simulator
Simulator combines state-of-the-art

Vessel operators can
lil .
tralllg
develop shiphandling skills while

technology and proven educational
methodology into a complete
training system. Marine simulators
are a safe and cost-effective
alternative to traditional shipboard

working in a safe and controlled
environment.
The central feature of the SHI.SS
simulator system is a full-sized re­
creation of a ship's bridge.

The

Seafarers

Shiphandling

•full day or dusk visual scenes
• beam to beam forward view,
and after view
• dear or reduced visibility
• wind and current effects
• bottom contour effects
• bow thruster and assist tug
effects
• various traffic vessels
• several own-ship configura­
tions including tugboats
pushing barges ahead and
towing astern.

Programs are now being
developed to provide training in
Shiphandling, Bridge
Basic
Ma n a g e m e n t ,
Navigation
Emergency Shiphandling, Vessel
to Vessel Communications, Rules
of the Road Situations, and
Restricted Waterway Navigation.
Future courses are envisioned
which will train harbor pilots for
specific geographic locations and
provide station keeping training
for deck officers aboard underway
replenishment vessels.
The full bridge simulator can
be used in conjunction with three
other ownship radar simulators to
create a
operating
additional
the ability

scenario with four
vessels. These three
simulators also have
to operate alone and

will be used extensively· in radar
observer training.

State-of-the-art computers are used to operate the simulator.

The main feature of the simulator is

22 / LOG I March 1987

a

I

daq

bridge, Mike Ryan
At the secon
communicates with the main bridge
while planning a maneuver.

full scale replica of a ship's bridge. This allows for

a

full 180° forward field of vision.

The training for the military
related program will add a new
degree of r e a l i s m to the
shiphandling simulator. Our MSC
UNREP scenarios will be the first
time the merchant service has had
the c a p a b i l i t y o f t r ammg
shiphandling on a simulator
which
mimics real shipboard
operations. The interactive
bridges give us the ability for this
imponant training achievement.
The Lundeberg School is very
proud of the great strides it is
making in the use of simulators.

�Paul Hall Library &amp;
Maritime Museum
The Paul Hall Library ahd
Maritime Museum continuously
expands its materials and services.
The library's collection of printed
materials consists of over 16, 000
volumes and over 200 periodicals.
Maritime history and reference
materials which support the
vocational and academic courses
offered at the school are an
important part of the collection.
Approximately 800 volumes were
added in 1986 mostly in the subject
areas of technology, naval science
and science. The highest areas of
circulation in 1986 were
technology, military I naval science
and language/ literature.
The
Library
A dvisory
Committee consists of vocational
and academic instructors who
make reco mmendations for
purchasing new titles and
periodicals.
The newest addition to the
library is an IBM PC-AT
Computer. This computer is

utilized to catalog the new books
which are added to the library each
year. It will reduce the time spent
processing the books and get them
on the shelves for use much
quicker. The computer is also used
t o p r o d u c e a b i- m o n t h l y
acquisitions list, and it has word
processing capabilities.
The museum collection displays
ship models, historic nautical
union
i n s t ru m e n t s
and
memorabilia. Th e library's archives
also contain union memorabilia
and rare books.
The Media Center provides
audio-visual equipment and
software for students to view
videoc�tte, filmstrips, slides and
audio cassettes.
The library also houses a
television studio, an auditorium
and several conference rooms.
All the modem facilities of the
library help instructors and
students in the pursuit of
educational goals.

The Video Department at the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School
of Seamanship provides a number
of services to SHLSS students and
SIU members. One of these is the
management of the school's large
library of videotapes. Right now,
there are over 750 programs on
subjects ranging from Art to
Union Education.
Some of the programs in this
collection were produced at the
school, whi l e o t h e r s were
purchased. Still others are copies

Robert Abell

runs

the video distribution

center and sends programs all over base.

of films that SHLSS has the rights
to. The videotape library is a
constantly-growing resource that
provides SHLSS students with
valuable information.

Television Coordinator Mike Wilson determines
of a video program.

an

edit point during the production

Paul Hall Library and Maritime Museum

x�

The museum collection displays ship models, historic nautical instruments and
union memorabilia.

One of the fastest growing areas
is Sealift Operations. This portion
of the c o l l e ction contains
programs directly related to SIU
training for military vessels. Many
of these tapes are produced by
military for their own use, and
through contacts made by SHLSS
instructors, the school was able to
add them to the library as well.
Recently over 60 programs were
added to the collection.
But even the best library is
worthless if it can't be used. At
SHLSS, this isn't a problem. Six
channels of local-origination
programming are available to
instructors and students during
class hours. Through these
channels six different programs to
six different classes in six different
locations all at the same time can
be provided. Last year over 1,500
programs were distributed to
classrooms all over the campus.
In addition, every evening
during the week four of the
channels are programmed with
tapes geared to the classes in
session at the school. This
provides another 40 hours of
instructional viewing for SHLSS
students. The programs are
available in the students' rooms
and are repeated throughout the
week.
Videotapes are also available in
the Library Media Center for
students to watch during their
free time. This allows for self­
paced instruction and repetition
as many times as necessary.
While most of the videotapes
come from outside sources,
approximately 25 percent of the
programs are produced by the

Video Department. Since the
television studio was opened in
October of 1981, over 200
programs have been made.
The advantage of in-house
production is that videotapes that
are directly related to SHLSS
training can be produced.
Through cooperative efforts with
SIU-contracted companies, the
video depanment can go aboard
the ships and tape the actual
equipment in use and design
programs to mesh with classsroom
study.
Other programs produced by
the Video Department serve as an
avenue of communication
between the members and the
leadership of the union. Every
month a Report to the
Membership is videotaped and
sent to SIU pons around the
country. This gives members a
chance to see and hear first-hand
how the SIU is dealing with
industry problems as well as the
current state of the Union.
In addition to these regular
reports, special videotapes are
prepared and sent out when
needed. For example, programs
about the SIU T-AGOS program,
Steward Department Upgrading,
and several other subjects were
distributed to pons around the
country. Other programs dealing
with the structure and functions
of the SIU were produced and are
used at SHLSS as part of the
union education program.
It is the combination of these
two major functions; Production
and Distribution, that makes the
Video Department at SHLSS an
effective and valuable part of both
the school and the SIU.
March 1987 I LOG I 23

��-------MANPOWER��--�----,
������t he

�ucleus of the �nion,������
contained in the data base. This is
exuemely helpful in locating
experienced personnel needed to
fill our military vCRl 's key ratings.
If a job order cannot be completely
filled by the pon, the remaining
positions are transmitted back to
the Manpower Office and sent to
another pon. Every effon is made
to fill all openings in the area
surrounding the vessel.

Manpower Coordinator Bart Rogers explains the functions of the SIU Informational
Systems to representatives from the Republic of China.

Computer technology is changing
the face of our world on a daily
basis. In order to keep pace with
these changes, the Seafarers
International Union has placed a
central dispatching system through
the Manpower Office in Piney
Point, MD. With the majority of
the work being military related,
these changes help the SIU to meet
I the needs of the contracted
companies that operate these
v�ls.
The database contains a wealth of
information that is constantly being
up-dated and modified through the
daily activities of the ports. This
information· is readily available for
meeting the military requirements
for manpower. At any given time,
the manpower available in any SIU
pon, through the registration

immediate attention. Also in our
database is a profile on every
company that the SIU has under
c o n t r a c t . H a v i ng a l l t h is
information is vital to the serving of
our membership and companies.
This information also allows us to
focus on exactly what areas the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School
needs to concentrate its upgrading
and training efforts on.
In addition to membership
information, the Manpower office
provides the SIU with a central
dispatching system set up to receive
job requests by telephone from all
of our contracted companies. These
orders are written up and
transferred to computer screens
specially designed by the Seafarers
Management Information System
(S.M.l.S.) at headquarters in Camp

procedure, can be checked to find
out what ratings are available in a
pon, what speciality endorsements
each member holds, and their
previous work history. In addition to
this information, contact phone
numbers and addr� of every
active member in the SIU is also
available. Computer reporting
capabilities are a very important
function of the Manpower Office,
for example; work histories of all
active members in the SIU can be
compiled, which includes previous
v�ls sailed on, what rating they
sailed as, and how much time they
spent on the v�l. The computers
compile information on the
registration of each pon in the
country broken
down by
department and rating and an
Emergency Shipping Repon is
generated daily, which lists
members name, social security

Information contained on these
screens includes the company,
name, vessel name, the company
personnel placing the call, the
location of the vessel, reponing and
departure dates and times, any
special instructions, and the ratings
required to man the vessel. The
jobs ordered are then transmitted
to the pon nearest to where the
vessel is located. When the job
order is received by the pon, the
jobs are placed on the rotary
shipping board and job calls are
made in accordance with the
shipping rules. After each job call,
any ratings filled are entered into
the computer and shown as
shipped. When a member is
successfully shipped, h e is
automatically added to the crew list
for that vessel . In addition to this,

number, phone number, and
rating. This repon �ists the
Manpower Office in filling jobs
which are called in outside the
regular job call hours and require

the man who is being replaced has
a record of the time spent on that
vessel, the rating held, sign on
date, and sign off date put into this
individual work history file

24 I LOG I March 1987

Springs.

The computer system is a self­
contained unit processing over a
thousand calls (Standby, Relief,
Rotary) per month. It provides the
membership with a more accurate
method of shipping. It also
provides our contracted companies
with a direct link to their
manpower needs 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, and enables the
SIU to fill the vacant billets as
quickly as possible.
The Manpower Office also
maintains a variety of other
information which is beneficial to
the smooth operation of day-to-day
union activities. Information
regarding ship payoffs, recrews,
and layups is received by the office
and dispatched to the pon nearest
the v�l. The SIU Service Teams
are coordinated through the
Manpower Office in conjunction
with the SIU Headquaners. All
information regarding tug boat
location is relayed on a daily basis
to the service teams operating in
the various areas.
The Manpower Offi c e also
maintains manpower requirement
reports for each area of shipping
contained in the SIU. These
requirement reports are updated
each month as the industry changes
because of automation, vessel
layups, and additional military

. ,.: .::.::;:,);,:,;:.::�"·

Carol Johnson updates the shipping

boards

work. All this is done in an effon to .
provide SIU members with the best
accounting of work available and
SIU companies with the most
qualified personnel.
The Manpower Office updates
and r ev ises display b o a r ds
containing information on deep
sea, Great Lakes and inland vessels.
The information maintained on
these boards includes the company
name, vessel name, when and
where the vessel was serviced, and
by whom.
The Manpower Depanment in
Piney Point is a vital and imponant
pan of the Seafarers International
Union. No other trade union has as
much available information, or has
it as centralized as our current
system. The future will bring many
new changes to the Manpower
Office. Soon every phase of
shipping in the SIU will be brought
into the already established system,
providing our membership and
companies with the best maritime
service �ible.

"

Chris Tennyson demonstrates the capabilities of the manpower system.

�eafarers Harry Lundeberg-­
chool of Seamanshi

The Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of
Seamanship is 60 acres of southern Maryland

Paul Drozak Building

Charles Logan Building

waterfront property dedicated to the training and
advancement of seafarers.

Seafarers Shiphandling
Simulator Building

Paul Hall Library &amp;
Maritime Museum

SH LSS Waterfront

Seafarers Harry
Lundeberg Training &amp;
Recreation Center
March 1987 I LOG /. 25

-

�ENGINE
DEPARTMENT

AUTOMATION

CHIEF ENGINEER &amp;
ASSISTANT ENGINEER
Uninspected Motor Vessel

REFRIGERATED CONTAINERS­
Advanced Maintenance

-

VARIABLE SPEED D.C. DRIVE SYSTEMS

-

-

FIREMAN/WATERTENDER, OILER (FOWT)

26 I LOG I March 1987
-

WELDING

�....

HYDRAULICS

·

THIRD ASSISTANT
��
ENGINEER AND ORIGINAL
�
S E COND A S S ISTANT
ENGINEER STEAM OR
MOTOR
.

·.

DIESEL ENGINE TECHNOLOGY

QUALIFIED MEMBER OF
THE ENGINE DEPARTMENT (QMED)

CONVEYORMAN

March 1987 I LOG I 27

��,

DECK
DEPART ENT

ABLE SEAMAN/SEALIFT
ABLE SEAMAN/SEALIFT
ABLE SEAMAN/SEALIFT

Special (12 Months)
Limited (18 Months)
Unlimited (36 Months)

Upgrading
Programs

··.: . .

' .

TANKERMAN

�z

'-- ...._.y

·

.
·.

· ··
. ·.
. · ···· ····· . . . · ·· · ::: ..
· .· .

-

QUARTERMASTER
28 / LOG I March 1987
._......

-

'

---

.

FIRST CLASS PILOT

-

... :·w.:
; ....:.

.....

.

.

�THIRD MATE AND ORIGINAL SECOND MATE

-

MASTER/MATE FREIGHT AND TOWING VESSEL (Inspected)

DEEP SEA DECK SHIPHANDLING SIMULATOR

INLAND DECK SHIPHANDLING SIMULATOR
March 1987 I LOG I 29

�STEWARD
DEPART ENT
Upgrading
Programs
TOWBOAT INLAND COOK

--�·, ·..·
i

SHLSS GALLEY

CHIEF COOK

�· �·.

CHIEF STEWARD
--

30 I LOG I March 1987

COOK AND BAKER

�.

--

ALL
DEPARTMENTS
Upgrading
Specialty
Courses

SEALIFT OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE

·

---

UNDERWAY REPLENISHMENT

CRANE

FORKLIFT

-

FIREFIGHTING
March 1987 I LOG I 31

�ADULT
EDUCATION
Prog·rams
SHLSS Adult
Education Opportunities

_..

For an education program to be
effective, it must be able to meet
the student's needs. A continuous
effon must be made to identify
these needs and design new
materials to reach them.
The Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School of Seamanship (SHI.SS) has
long recognized and responded to
such innovative approaches in
education. It is the school's
philosophy that education and
training
go
hand-in-hand
in
preparing members for both their
jobs and life skills. Learning is still a
lifelong, continuous process
whereby seafarers acquire
knowledge, skills and attitudes that
will help them on the job, at school
and in everyday situations.
Because of the open admissions
policy at SHI.SS, the reading and
math skills of every upgrading
seafarer are diagnosed. The seafarer
is counseled, and an individualized

course of study is mapped out for
those seafarers who need basic skill
improvement so that they can
realistically reach their vocational
and personal goals. In dealing with
the adult learner, there is the need
to provide a warm, supportive
climate to help the seafarer
overcome learning anxieties, fear of
failure, test-taking anxieties or any
p r e v i o us n e g a t i v e l e a r n i n g
experience. It is with the supportive
learning climate provided by the
Adult Education Department and
the student's motivation that a
great degree of learning success is
experienced. It is because of this
function that the Adult Education
Department has been recognized as
the suppon department.
In efforts to continue to provide
the best educational opportunities
�ible, the Adult Education
Department offers five basic
services: remedial services, technical

-

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL)
writing services, correspondence
materials and an educational
outreach program.
The five basic courses offered
are: Adult Basic Education (ABE),
High School Equivalency (GED),
English As a Second Language
(ESL), Developmental Studies
( DVS ) ,
a n d a n A B.E/E SL
Introductory Lifeboat class. These
classes are available to all SIU
members who are in good standing
with the union and who have paid
their dues.
The Adult Education courses
have been designed to help
seafarers reach their educational
and career goals. They will be
offered at four specific times
throughout 1986. Applicants can
be pretested and arrangements
made prior to the scheduled course
dates if applications are sent in
early. Interested seafarers should
look for the SHI.SS course schedule
and fill out the appplication form
in the Seafarers LOG.
The Adult Basic Education
(ABE) program will help improve
basic English, reading and math
skills. The English as a Second
Language (ESL) course can help
seafarers improve their use of the
English language by emphasizing
reading, writing and speaking
s k i l l s.
Th e
High
School
Equivalency program will prepare a
seafarer for the GED exam by
working in the five content areas of
science, social studies, English,
m a t h a n d l i t e r a t u r e . Th e
Developmental Studies (DVS) class
provides seafarers a ch�ce to
.
improve study and test-taking skills
before a scheduled upgrading class
The ABE/ESL I ntroductory
Lifeboat course helps prepare the
.

HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY PROGRAM (GED)

seafarers for the regular Lifeboat
course and is geared for students
who have difficulty reading, who
do not read at all, or who have
been out of school for several years.
All of these courses stress skills
that can be applied to the seafarers
maritime career. Interested
seafarers may find it helpful taking
an Adult Education course prior to
a scheduled upgrading class.
However, seafarers may come back
for the Adult Education class at any
of the scheduled times.
Besides the courses that are
available through the Adult
Education depanment, another
key function is the offering of
remedial service through the
Learning Center. Basic help on
reading, writing, study skills, and
math is provided.
In addition, correspondence
courses and materials have been
offered since 1980. Seafarers have
the opportunity to send for review
packets in math, English, social
studies, communication skills,
metrics and taxes to name a few.
These requested materials will be
sent to the seafarer's home port or
aboard the vessel. Any of these
materials are useful in preparing
the seafarer for his job, for a
future upgrading or college
course, or for everyday situations.
All of these Adult Education
courses and functions are only
some of SHLS S 's effective
educational activities. The Adult
E d u c a t ion d e p a r t m e n t w i l l
continue t o expand an d upgrade
the programs in order to prepare
the seafarer for the future. Write
to t h e Director o f A d u l t
Education fo r more information
on any of these courses.

-

'•.

ADULT BASIC EDUCATION (ABE)
32 I LOG I March 1987

·:

ABE/ESL INTRODUCTORY LIFEBOAT COURSE

..s:��:::&lt;- ·
. .-....,

"1�

·

�ASSOCIATES
IN ARTS
College Programs

Associates in Arts College Programs
Offered at SHLSS
The Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School of Seamanship offers to SIU
members the opponunity to earn a
two-year associate in arts degree in
their maritime occupational field.
Members of the deck department
(inland or deep sea) can earn a
degree in Nautical Science
Technology. Members of the
engine department (inland or deep
sea) can earn a degree in Marine
Engineering Technology. Both
programs as well as cenificate
programs have been approved by
the Maryland State Board for
Higher Education.
Seafarers earn their college
degrees in this new program by
combining credits that they have
earned or will earn in vocational
courses with credits they will earn
while enrolled in sequences of
general education courses such as
English, math, science and social
studies. To be admitted to the
college program the seafarer must:

1 .

be a member in good
standing in the SIU
2 . hold an A, B, or B·limited
seniority in the SIU
.
pass an entrance examination
3
in math, English and reading
in order to present evidence of
the ability to profit from the
instruction the school offers.
4 . possess any prerequisite
maritime background for
vocational courses.
The new college program is
designed to provide the flexibility
that seafarers need to achieve a
higher
education.
Un l i k e
traditional semester systems that
most colleges have, the SHLSS
degree program will be designed to
meet the needs of seafarers who are
not always able to attend school for
whole semesters at a time. The
SHLSS program will offer courses

PHS 101: General Physical Science
I (for deck department members).
These new courses began in the
spring of 1986 and are the first
sequence of courses needed for the
new college degrees. Any members
interested in starting the college
program or having any questions
about it can contact the Admissions
Office or Tracy Aumann at the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School
of Seamanship, Piney Point, Md.
20674. This is the time for
members to take advantage of this
new and exciting educational
opportunity.

This course has been a popular
class because the membership

computers, but also have practical
hands-on experience with the
computer keyboard. As seafarers
become comfonable with the
computer, �ey are eager to use it
on their jobs. Recertified stewards
have had many opportunities to
use the computer when working on
inventories and requisition lists.
The computer class is taught by
SHLSS instructor Roger Francisco.
He is continuously updating the
computer course based on
feedback from both the shipping
companies and seafarers. Because
of the increasing involvement
between the SIU and military
contracted vessels, there has been
a growing awareness of the
computer skills needed aboard
these ships. Roger Francisco has ..
incorporated these skill needs into
the computer course.
The computer class is only one
of the many educational
opportunities available to
seafarers through the Adult
Education Depamnent.

-

four or five times per year for eight
to 10-week periods. Members will
be allowed to come back to school

SH LSS Computer Course
Meets the Needs of the Union.
Computers are fast becoming a
way of life, and the Seafarers Harrry
Lundeberg School of Seamanship
( S HL S S ) i s p r e p a r i n g t h e
membership for the changes that
are coming. The SHLSS Adult
.

for college courses just as they do
for upgrading courses. Members
who wish to earn their degree will
come to SHLSS and work on a
sequence of two to three courses
over an eight to 10-week period.
The college program will work just
like upgrading, but instead of
taking a vocational class, the
student will be enrolled in the
college program. The first sequence
of college courses offered are
English 101: Composition and
Rhetoric, MTH 108: Introduction
to College Mathematics, and either
MET 221: Engineering Principles I
(for engine department majors) or

Education Depanment offers
computer training to the recenified
steward class in order to meet one
of the educational needs of these
seafarers through an introductory
computer course.

understands how important it is to
be skilled to meet the changing
technological demands of the
vessels. Further, the maritime
industry is finding more and more
uses for the computer aboard ship.
Currently, computers already
play an important role in the
maritime industry. While on the
v e s sels,
seafarers
receive
information instantaneously over
the computer screens. Off-shore
computer terminals and satellites
signal telecommunications data for
cargo transports. By dialing into
the terminals, information may be
processed on payroll, inventory,
fuel and parts requisitions,
navigation and updated weather
forecasts.
SHLSS recognizes the integral
role computers play in the industry
and have taken the lead in
computer training by offering this
course. Recertified stewards not
only receive information on the
operations and benefit s o f

March 1987 I LOG / 33

�Upgrading Course

Apply Now for an SH LSS

•··· ••· ··•······· ····• ······· ·•·•••···· ·• ·· ·················· ······ ···········
·
•
•
··· •···
· •························
· ········· ·········· •·

·

Seafare rs Harry Lunde berg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application

Name

(first)

(Middle)

(state)

(Zip Cod )

(List)

(Clfy)

-

Date Book
Was Issued

______

Book#

_
.
__ _ _ _ ____

Endorsement(s) or
License(s)Now Held

Telephone

______

Port· lssued

Seniorlty

______

MoJDaylVear

-....,.��,,.,,.
.,,.,,
----­
...

(Area

Pacific D

____ _ _ ___

___,�� to=--�---(dates at tended)

Last grade of schooling completed

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No D

_____

No D (if yes, fill in below)

_ _________�-�------

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: O Yes

________

No 0 (if yes, fill in below)

___

Date Available for Training

____ __

Port Presently
Registered In

_________ ________ _ _______
_

Trainee Program: From

COde)

Oepartment

_______

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes

Course(s)Taken

--�----....�--­
...-

Lakes Member D

Inland Waters Member D

Deep Sea Member D
Social Security#

Date of Birth

------ - --------

Firefighting: 0 Yes

No D

CPR: D Yes

No D

--------=--�-

Primary Language Spoken -----I Am interested in the Following Course(s)Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed -----ENGINE
D Tankerman
D AB/Seallft Special
D AB/Seallft Limited

D Cook &amp; Baker
D Chief Cook

D QMED-Any Rating
D Marine Electronics

D AB/Seallft Unllmlted

(Variable Speed

D Towboat Operator Inland
D Towboat Operator Not More
Than 200 Miies
D Towboat Operator (Over 200 Miies)
D Celestlal Navigation
D Master Inspected Towing Vessel
D Mate Inspected Towing Vessel
D
D
D
D
D

STEWARD

D FOWT

1st Class Piiot
Third Mate Celestlal Navigation
Third Mate
Radar Observer Unllmlted
Simulator Course

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

DC Drive)
D Marine Electrical Maintenance
D Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation

D Automation
D Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
D Dlesel Engine Technology

D

Chief

Steward

D Towboat Inland Cook

ALL DEPARTMENTS
D Welding
D Lifeboatmen
D Seallft Operations &amp; Maintenance

D Assistant Engineer (Unlnspected

Motor Vessel)
D Chief Engineer (Unlnspected

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Motor Vessel
D Ttllrd Asst. Engineer &amp; Orlglnal Second
Asst. Engineer Steam or Motor
D Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance

D Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equlvalency

Program (GED)
D Developmental Studies (DYS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)

D Hydraulics
D Electro-Hydraulic Systems

D ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates In Arts Degree
D Nautlcal Science Certificate

RECORD OF EMPLOYMENT TIME-(Show only amount needed to upgrade in rating noted above or attach letter
of service, whichever is applicable.)
VESSEL

SIGNATURE

Rev.

12186

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

DATE
RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

______

______
�---__
----------

. .............................................................................................................. ...�::::---......
:;
-...,

34 / LOG I March 1987

�Safeguard
Your

Shipping Righ�

O

T

SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU

members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.

These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

DUES

•

Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time

you register.

RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING

When you are relieved, you

must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.

RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION

It is your respon­

sibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.

RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING

It is your responsibility to claim

your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The constitution of the SIU

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT S AND OBLIGA­

Atlantic. Gulf. Lakes and Inland Waters District makes

TIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in

specific provision for safeguarding the membership's

all Union halls. All members should obtain copies of this
constitution so as to familiarize themselves with its con­

money and Union finances. The constitution requires a
detailed audit by Certified Public Accountants every three

tents. Any time you feel any member or officer is attempt-

months, which are to be submitted to the membership by
the Secretary-Treasurer. A quarterly ·finance committee

by any methods such as dealing with charges. trials. etc.,

of rank and file members, elected by the membership,

as well as all other details, then the member so affected

makes examination each quarter of the finances of the

should immediately notify headquarters.

Union and reports fully their findings and recommenda­

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal

tions. Members of this committee may make dissenting

rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These

reports, specific recommendations and separate findings.

rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in

TRUST FUNDS. All trust funds of the SIU Atlantic,

the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the

Gulf. Lakes and tnland Waters District are administered

employers. Consequently. no member may he discrimi­
nated against because of race, creed, color. sex and na­

in accordance with the provisions of various trust fund
agreements. All these agreements specify that the trustees

tional or geographic origin. If apy member feels that he is

in charge of these funds shall equally consist of Union

denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should

and management representatives and their alternates. All

notify Union headquarters.

expenditures and disbursements of trust funds are made

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION

only upon approval by a majority of the trustees. All trust
fund financial records are available at the headquarters of
the various trust funds.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and senior­

patrolman or other Union official. in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly. contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

ity are protected excJusively by the contracts between the

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has

Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping

traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving

rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available
in all Union halfs. 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 political purposes of any individual in the Union.
officer or member. It has als� refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed

the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail, return re­

by membership action at the September. 1960. meetings

ceipt requested. The proper address for this is:

in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log

Angus "Red" Campbell

policy is vested in an editorial hoard which consists of

Chairman, Seafarers Appeals Board

the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board

5201 Auth Way and Britannia Way

may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to

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 avail­
able in all SIU halls. These contracts specify the wages
and conditions under which you work and live aboard
your ship or boat. Know your contract rights, as well as
your obi igations, such as fit ing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time. any SIU

�

ing to deprive you of any constitutional right or obligation

carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to he paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an

official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circum­

stances should any member pay any money for any reason
unless he is given such receipt. In the event anyone
attempts lo require any such payment he 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 heen required to make such payment. this
should immediately be reported to Union headquarters.

-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its pro­
ceeds are used to further its objects and purposes includ­
ing. but not limited to. furthering the political. social and
economic interests of maritime workers. the preservation
and furthering of the American Merchant Marine with
improved employment

opportunities

for seamen

and

boatmen and the advancement of trade union concepts.
In connection with such objects. SPAD supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary.

No contribution may be

solicited or received because of force. job discrimination,
financial reprisal. or threat of such c9nduct, or as

a

con­

dition of membership in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made by reason of the above improper
conduct. notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD hy certified
mail within 30 days of the contribution for investigation
and appropriate action and refund. if involuntary. Sup-

._.

port SPAD to protect and further your economic, poli­
tical and social interests. and American trade union
concepts.
If at any time a member feels that any of the above rights have
been violated, or that he has been denied his constitutional right of
�to Union �or information, he should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,

retum receipt requested. The add� is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

March 1987 I LOG I 35

•

�j

I

I

�

Pepper Seeks Health Care
Plan for America's Elderly
Rep. Claude Pepper (D-Fla.) is one
of the champions of protection of Amer­
ica's elderly. Following is a letter he
wrote to SIU President Frank Drozak
and Pepper's proposal for catastrophic
health care insurance.

Dear Frank,

•

Your assistance in a matter of great
importance to our nation's 31 million
older Americans would be greatly ap­
preciated.
I am pleased to submit for the con­
sideration of your readership my views
on the need for a comprehensive re­
sponse to the catastrophic health care
needs of our older Americans. While
the president's recent recognition of
the need for catastrophic health care
coverage for older Americans is cer­
tainly welcome, the proposal he en­
dorsed to accomplish this objective
falls far short of providing any mean­
ingful hedge against the bankrupting
costs of health care most commonly
encountered by older Americans.
I believe we have an opportunity to
provide for a meaningful, comprehen­
sive health care program for the el­
derly this Congress. I intend to do all
that I can to see to it that such a plan
gets enacted.
I have attached, for your review, a
letter which I hope you will be able
to share with the readership of your
distinguished organization.
You know I look forward to working
closely with you on this most impor­
tant matter.
With warm regards,

Always sincerely,

Claude Pepper
Member of Congress
Dear Friends:
You are no doubt aware that the
president's recent announcement to
support a catastrophic health insur­
ance proposal was greeted with great
enthusiasm in the Congress. The coun­
try now recognizes the need to address
the catastrophic health care needs of
older Americans.
While I am pleased that the presi­
dent agrees that we must assist our
elderly against the bankrupting costs
of a catastrophic illness, I am shocked
that he would knowingly or unknow­

ingly lead the American people to
believe that the plan he endorsed would
''free the elderly from the fear of
catastrophic illness'' and provide ''that
last full measure of security." That
claim is simply not true.
In essence, the president's plan sim­
ply covers long hospital stays-which
less than l percent of the entire Med­
icare population currently requires. In
-. exchange for a $4.92 monthly pre­
mium, Medicare would cover an un­
limited number of days of hospital
care, with each Medicare beneficiary
paying no more than $2,000 each year
in coinsurance and deductibles. Sim... ply put, his plan would help only 3
percent of the total Medicare popula-

36 I LOG I March 1987
-

tion. The president's plan would not
cover Alzheimer's-which afflicts over
3,000,000 Americans; it would not as­
sist over 500,000 Parkinson victims;
his plan would not cover long-term
care in a nursing home or in the home;
it offers no help to seniors in buying
prescription drugs, which cost them
about $10 billion annually; it will not
cover hearing aids which cost an av­
erage of $500 per person a year; his
plan would not cover dental care, eye
care, routine physical exams or foot
care. The president's plan would not
help the 83-year-old gentleman from
Maine who wrote me stating:
. . . here I sit the loneliest man
that ever lived. I have admitted
my wife, of 55 years, to a nursing

home. She has Alzheimer's and I
am caught between a rock and a
hard place. I can no longer pro­
vide the round the clock she re­
quires and I will soon be unable
to pay the costs of the care she
now receives which exhausted our
$160,000 in life savings.

This represents just one of the 700,000
older individuals in America who will
be forced into poverty this year due
to the catastrophic costs of the health
care they need. They would not be
helped by the president's plan.
Any serious catastrophic health care
proposal should cover not only long
stays in a hospital but long stays in
the home or in a nursing home as well.
It should cover illnesses like cancer,
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Hunting­
ton's, heart disease, and the like, that
do not require hospitalization and which
are
- largely unprotected by insurance­
either private or public.
I have introduced legislation, H.R.
65, ''The Catastrophic Health Insur­
ance Act of 1987,'' which would in

fact provide older Americans with cat­
astrophic and comprehensive cover­
age they are hoping for. H.R. 65 pro­
vides coverage for long or short stays
in a hospital, in the home or in a
nursing home. It would cover many
items currently uncovered by Medi­
care or private insurance, including
dental care, eye care, hearing care,
prescription drugs, foot care, physical
exams and the like.
H.R. 65 would not involve the in­
vestment of new federal expenditures.
Rather, it would involve a more sen­
sible and efficient management of our
health care dollar. This comprehen­
sive package of benefits would be
financed, in part, by the amount Med­
icare pays now for services under
Parts A and B of the program, and in
part, by the amount Medicare benefi­
ciaries currently pay for participation
in Part B of the Medicare program
($17.90 a month) and the amount they
spend per month on medigap insur­
ance (about $50 a month). In no case
would any senior citizen pay more
than l 0 percent of their income on
health care premiums in a given year.
While H.R. 65 would permit Ameri­
cans to go to any doctor they desired,
quality of care and accessibility of
services would be required under my
bill.

Rep. Claude Pepper
In short, H.R. 65 is a comprehensive
and catastrophic health care plan for
older Americans. It is a meaningful,
affordable and lasting response to the
health care crisis we now face. I hope
you will lend your support to this bill

which will mean so much to so many.
I urge you to let your congressman
know of your desire for cemprehen­
sive medical care. It would be a trag­
edy to accept less, at a time when the
nation is ready to do so much more.

AFL-CIO Highlights
Many Health Issues
At its Executive Council meeting last month, the AFL-CIO addressed a number
of important health care issues which affect American workers. Following are
the council's reports.

Health Care Committee
John J. Sweeney, Chairman

During the past year, the committee
sponsored a national health care te­
leconference, several important train­
ing sessions at the Meany Center for
health care negotiators and released
its two-part video on bargaining for
health care benefits. The situation was
equally active on Capitol Hill. The
AFL-CIO was very much involved in
the budget fight, legislation to improve
access to care and efforts to improve
quality of care.
Calvin Johnson of the AFL-CIO
legislative department brought the
committe up-to-date on Congress' cur­
rent health care agenda. He thought
that the catastrophic health insurance
proposal championed by the secretary
of Health and Human Services was
on a ''fast track'' and there was sig­
nificant support building for legislation
requiring employers to offer health
insurance coverage to individuals as a
condition of employment. He also in­
dicated that he expects Congress to
pass legislati on improving the quality
of care in our nation's nursing homes.
The committee had a comprehen­
sive discussion about federally man­
dated health care benefits, recom­
mended that a draft statement on health

care coverage be adopted by the Coun­
cil.
The committee has invited leaders
in the health care field to address a
number of its meetings. At this meet­
ing Carol McCarthy, the newly elected
president of the American Hospital
Association (AHA), made a detailed
presentation about the future of Amer­
ican hospitals, their priorities and how
health care facilities are strategically
planning to position themselves in a
health care market that increasingly
depends less on institution-based care.
Dr. McCarthy also indicated that the
AHA shares organized labor's con­
cern about access to and quality of
care, and she expressed an interest in
working in coalitions, whenever pos­
sible with the Federation.
The committee heard staff reports
on the Reagan administration's budget
proposals and the latest available data
on rising health care costs. There was
also a report and discussion about
proposed regulations issued by the
administration to eliminate the re­
quirement, which has been in exist­
ence for over 10 years, that employees
(Continued on Page

37.)

�(Continued from Page

36.)

ditional plans that organized labor
worked so hard to achieve.

offering

health care

coverage

pay

HMOs an amount equal to what they
pay for fee-for-service plans. The com­
mittee had a consensus that, if adopted,
this regulation would jeopardize the
dual choice between HMOs and tra-

The members of the committee are:
John J. Sweeney, Chairman
Morton Bahr
Lenore Miller
Henry Nicholas
Owen Bieber
Murray H. Finley
Albert Shanker
John T. Joyce
Lynn R. Williams
William Wynn
Gerald McEntee

Health Care Coverage
While the United States leads the

of financing care for the workiqg un­

world in high-technology medical care,

insured to fall disproportionately on

too many Americans lack access to

companies which provide protection.

even the most basic health care serv­
ices. Currently, 16 percent of our pop­
ulation, or 37 million people, are un­

We call upon Congress to:
•

Require employers, as a condition

insured, a 40 percent increase since

of doing business, to assure a mini­

1980. Another 50 million have inade­

mum package of specified health care

quate health insurance protection.

benefits to all workers and their de­

Workers and their families consti­

pendents, including part-time and laid­

tute three-quarters of those without

off workers. Employers could meet

coverage and a substantial number of

the statutory requirements by assuring

the underinsured. Many employers

health care benefit packages generally

make matters worse by cutting health

equivalent to the standards specified

benefits, offering inadequate coverage

in the legislation.

or refusing to provide any health ben­

•

wage employees to assure their health

to offer health care protection forces

care protection.

postpone seeking care until their long­
term health or even their lives are in
jeopardy.
Most uninsured enter the health care
system only through the doors of hos­

•

In an attempt to protect the 8 million workers represented by 43
National Unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Depart­
ment, the participants at the recent Executive Board Meeting adopted
the following resolution:
"The United States suffers from a health care crisis. Substandard services
and facilities, unaffordable costs, and government indifference have com­
bined to deprive millions of Americans of adequate medical care."
*

Limit the maximum out-of-pocket

*

*

We are often told about the millions of jobs the Reagan administration
has created. Statistics show that those millions of jobs are in the $7 ,000
per year salary range. At that level, who can afford health insurance?
The government's handling of the health care crisis has been to pass
the burden on to other segments of the economy-the workers. These
costs come down to us in higher charges across the board every time we
receive health treatment.
The trustees of the Seafarers Welfare Plan have been investigating
methods of coping with the added burdens, insuring the continued quality
health care under the rules, and safeguarding the Plan's funds.
The LOG will publish any and all changes to the Plan. In addition, you
will be receiving a letter in the next month from the trustees explaining
any changes.

Nursing Home Care

Provide financial assistance to low­

efits. The refusal of some employers
many workers and their families to

WELFARE REPORT

Trade unionists, senior citizens and

The AFL-CIO supports the findings

consumer advocates have tried for 30

of the IOM report but believes that

employee cost for the basic package.

years to improve the quality of care

several key areas require further study.

Preempt state laws governing in­

in nursing homes and assure that nurs­

Because public and some private nurs­

sured plans.

ing home residents are treated with

ing homes care for a disproportionate

Require states to establish insur­
ance pools through which employers

the dignity and respect they deserve.

number of Medicare and other low­

Since the late 1960s, numerous in­

income patients, and since public pro­

•

•

pital emergency rooms. In the past,

that desire to do so could purchase

vestigations have revealed that large

grams do not adequately compensate

hospitals passed on the cost of their

the federally mandated benefits at an

numbers of marginal or substandard

facilities for the cost of caring for these

treatment by increasing charges paid
by cm I
health benefit plans. Re­

affordable cost.

.
Require states to establish a sep­

nursing homes continue to be certified

individuals, evidence is mounting that

by the federal and �tate governments.

nursing home operators are reducing

cently, �ospitals have been less willing

arate pool so that those who, as a

A recent report issued by the Institute

staff and services to dangerously low

•

to shift these costs because of their

result of existing medical conditions

of Medicine (IOM) of the National

levels and/or refusing to admit Med­

desire to be more competitive by of­

or prior health care histories, have

Academy of Sciences found care in

icaid patients altogether.

fering discounts to large health care

been unable to purchase insurance

many government-certified homes to

The AFL-CIO therefore believes that

purchasers. This has reduced the num­

protection can obtain affordable cov­

be "shockingly deficient" and "likely

an adjustment in payments to nursing

ber of plans that absorb the cost of

erage.

to hasten the deterioration of physical,

homes serving a disproportionate share

uncompensated care, making it harder

•

Allow unions in collective bar­

for hospitals to pay for care of the

gaining to improve upon the minimum

uninsured.

federal requirements.

mental and emotional health .

.

. ''

We call on Congress to provide for

of low-income patients, as is provided
to hospitals under the Medicare pro­

uniform federal standards to assess

gram, is an essential step towards

the quality of care provided in nursing

maintaining the delivery of quality

that the most effective way of reducing

homes, improve enforcement and pro­

services.

of millions of workers and their fam­

health care costs, improving access

tect the rights of elderly citizens. Cur­

ilies. This practice has established an

and assuring quality would be for Con­

rent federal regulations do not require

economican

in

gress to enact a national health care

an assessment of the actual quality of

The failure of employers to provide

The AFL-CIO continues to believe

health insurance endangers the health

inefficient

system

In addition, we call on Congress to:
•

Make residents' rights part of the

which the last and only resort of the

system. In the meantime, we will work

care, nor do they allow public officials

conditions for participation of nursing

uninsured is to be treated in a hospi­

for legislation that will assure access

to force compliance through interim

homes in Medicaid.

tal-the most expensive health care

to basic health care services for work­

sanctions.

setting-and it has allowed the burden

ing Americans and their families.

•

In 1982, in response to administra­
tion attempts to dismantle all protec­
tion for nursing home residents, Con­

Catastrophic Health Care

gress requested a comprehensive study

such as preventive care and prescrip­

ment of Medicare, there is a national

tion drugs. The Reagan administration

consensus that the elderly and dis­

is proposing a plan that is limited to

abled need protection against the pros­

catastrophic coverage. The AFL-CIO

pect of financial ruin associated with

strongly supports the congressional

catastrophic illness.

initiatives. We are concerned, how­
co-insur­

ever, that the current congressional

ance, gaps in covered services and

review does not include long-term care.

charges in the practice of medicine are

Since one in five persons over 65

Rising

deductibles

and

forcing senior citizens to pay more

requires nursing home care, the lack

out-of-pocket as a percent of income

of protection for long-term and chronic

than they did prior to Medicare's en­

care is a major gap in Medicare cov­

actment. For people with catastrophic

erage.

illness, the out-of-pocket burden is

Protection against catastrophic ill­

even heavier. Once they experience a

ness and provision of some other serv­

serious illness, beneficiaries quickly

ices are a needed and an important

exhaust Medicare benefits.

•

Improve nursing home staffing and

training.
•

Improve surveying and inspecting

of nursing homes.

by the IOM.
The IOM report made specific sug­
gestions designed to guarantee resi­

More than 20 years after the enact­

Prohibit discriminatory practices

against Medicaid beneficiaries.

•

Provide new enforcement tools,

including interim sanctions, civil pen­

uents' rights, assess quality and ap­

alties and strict time limits for com­

propriateness of

pliance, and more severe penalties for

care provided to

patients, target for sanctions facilities
with poor records, prohibit discrimi­
nation against Medicaid patients, and

repeat offenders.
•

Require the Department of Health

and Human Services to develop a

emphasized the importance of ade­

uniform assessment system covering

quately trained staff.

all nursing homes and their patients.

first step. We will continue to work to

Congress is examining proposals to

expand Medicare to include all nec­

improve Medicare by protecting ben­

essary health care services, including

eficiaries against catastrophic expend­

long-term care provided at home, in

itures for acute care and by providing

community-based treatment centers

coverage for other essential services,

and in nursing homes.

fROHTIASH

POUTICS. SOCIAL ISSUES. Tt£ LABOR MOVelENT.
March 1987 /.LOG / 37

-

�Seafarer Training Pays Off for Craneship Crews

Grand Canyon State Gives Job Security a Utt

Here (above) is part of the crew which is helping the craneship Grand Canyon State fulfill
its mis.sion for the military. The crew includes AB Ernest Duhon, QMED John Presley,

The Grand Canyon State (above and below) was docked recently at the Dillingham Shipyard
at Swan Island in Portland, Ore. where these pictures were taken.

OL Hilman Hutchinson, QMED Eugene Stang, AB Wayne Darling, AB John McMurtary
and AB John Caswell. Pictured below is one of the ship's cranes.

Washington Report
(Continued from Page 13.)

sion in 1985 to answer questions about

this country had an adequate manpower

the Pentagon has woken up to the fact

the ability of the merchant fleet to

base and sealift capability.

that the security interests of the United

meet this nation's defense needs dur­

States are being compromised because

ing times of national emergency.

Title XI

Cargo Preference
Another battle is brewing over the

American Shipbuilding of Tampa,

government's

interpretation

of

the

Military Cargo Preference Act of 1904.

we don't have a viable domestic com­

The panel, whose members were

puter-chip industry. Yet the same thing

appointed by the president, has two

holds for maritime.''

plication

Maritime

•'Although little information has been

years to study the industry and pro­

Administration for the financing of two

made public," said Pecquex, "the U.S.

Commission on Merchant
Marine
The Commission on the Merchant
Marine and Defense has been listening

duce four reports. Two of the reports,
one due this December and another

Fla. has recently filed a Title XI ap­
with

the

U.S.

800 passenger cruise ships.

Department of Justice to interpret cer­

due in December 1988, are to contain

is trying to eliminate the Title XI

tain provisions of the 1904 Act in a

recommendations.

program, Marad has said that as long

manner contrary to the interests of the

as the law is on the books, they will

U.S.-ftag industry.

Denton said it was his belief that

to testimony from industry represen­

Reagan's present view of the maritime

process and review any applications.

tatives on the steps that must be taken

industry was that the chief executive

The SIU is committed to retaining the

in order to turn things around for the

didn't want to see it decline further.

Title XI program and we are working

American-flag merchant marine.

•'I take that to mean that this is the

with the prospective owners on their

bottom," he said.

application," Pecquex said.

"You don't have to alert us to the

Navy has apparently asked the U.S.

"While the Reagan administration

•'The SIU will be closely following
this development," said Pecquex.
Just last year, the industry was in­
volved in a similar fight. The State

problems,'' said J eremiah Denton, the

Earlier this year, Walter Piotti, head

In addition to meeting with officials

Department tried to ease the cargo

commission's chairman. "We know

of the Military Sealift Command, said

at the Maritime Administration, the

preference requirements at the request

the requirements don't exist to enable

that something had to be done to reverse

SIU has submitted letters and testi­

of the government of Iceland. A crisis

the industry to meet our defense

the decline of the American merchant

mony to Congress pointing out the

was averted when the government and

marine, and that only a revitalization of

benefits of the Title XI loan construc­

the industry reached a compromise on

the private sector fleet could ensure that

tion program.

the issue.

needs."
Congress established the commis-

38 I LOG I March 1987

�Howard Schulman
Retires as SIU Counsel
Island were protected when that fa­

(Continued from Page 4.)
"Many people don't understand it.

cility was relocated.

But an enlightened management un­

At the time of his retirement, Schul­

derstands that a workforce and man­

man and his firm were involved in

agement are equally after the same

cases against the Seafood Producers

ultimate goals. We may differ insofar

Association in

as the divisions are concerned,. but

against SONAT Marine, which had

each depends upon the other, and
there must be a degree of equity and

sought to deprive captains, mates, en­
gineers and barge captains of their

fairness.

right to union affiliation.

"Luckily, this organization has al­
ways had leaders who were able to

New Bedford,

and

Schulman handled the complex de­
tails for many of the Union's mergers.

project five, 10 years down the road.
They just didn't react to events, they

Through his doggedness and brilliant

planned for them.''

more than 90 percent of the jurisdic­

During recent years, Schulman han­
dled the legal end of many of this

tional dispute cases he handled in

Union's major beefs. He filed a brief

During the Vietnam War, Schul­

against the Agriculture Department for
failing to apply P.L. 480 cargo pref­

man's legal efforts prevented the li­
censed unions from encroaching upon

erence standards to the Blended Credit

the jurisdictional rights of our mem­

hearings before the AFL-CIO.

bers in the engineroom by forcing

of events that led to a historic restruc­

Delta to drop its ''Apprentice Engi­

turing of the P.L. 480 program.
Schulman defended seamen's rights

neer" program.
In the early 1970s, when the gov­

under the Service Contract Act; re­

ernment said that SPAD violated the

sponded to secondary boycott charges

federal election laws, Schulman de­

filed by foreign-flag fleets and inland

fended the integrity of this Union's

companies that were seeking to evade
their contractual obligations to the

political action program. All charges
against the Union were dropped.

Union, and monitored the actions of
the Coast Guard, which establishes

Schulman alluded to this case during
the 1971 SIUNA Convention, and its

regulations for the rocurement and
maintenance o seamen's payJeTS .

implications for the members.
No matter what you win by ne­

For 2 0 years Schulman successfully

gotiations or on the bricks, and no

fought back attempts by the Depart­

matter how long it took to accomplish
and how expensive, it can all be taken

fare to close down branches of the
Public Health hospital system (the

away from you overnight by those in
the legislative, executive and dicial

hospitals remained opened until 1981

branches of government. The answer

when Congress discontinued the 200year-old USPHS program). He made

to me is obvious-more activity, more
association, more pressing in the elec­

sure that the rights of retired seamen
living in Sailor's Snug Harbor in Staten

toral process. Participate in every

·

means possible through your Union.''

MTD Board Sets
Maritime Priorities
nomic and defense needs in time of
war or national emergency.

active merchant V6';sels and is unable

Supporting the MTD's positions on

to sustain any prolonged involvement

national defense and trade policies was

overseas, the MTD said.
"It is tragic that the administration

a series of related statements. These
called, among other things, for action

is forgetting the lessons in history for

by Congress to close loopholes in the

which we have paid so dear a price.

Jones Act, which requires the use of

Over the last half-century, all Ameri­
ca's major overseas military engage­

American-built and crewed vessels in
U.S. coastal trade; domestic-content

ments-World War II,

and construction requirements for off­

Vietnam-have required coordination

shore oil rigs and vessels, and steps

of military and merchant marine ca­

to restore the domestic shipbuilding

pabilities.

capacity

"consistent

with the

de­

mands of national security.''

we have ignored the crucial invest­

The board also heard reports from

ment in our U.S.-flag fteet that is

MTD Executive Secretary-Treasurer

required to deploy our forces where
needed. The cost, in terms of cargo

Jean Ingrao; Legislative Director Frank

preference laws, bilateral trade agree­

of the Railway &amp; Airline Clerks on

ments, tax incentives to shippers or
even outright subsidies, is meager when

deregulation and Sec.-Treas. William
Lucy of the State, County &amp; Municipal

compared to defense outlays and would

Employees on the situation in South

Pecquex; Vice President Jack Otero

be, therefore, highly leveraged dollars

Africa.

because they would ensure the exe­
cutability of the nation's forward de­

Speakers from the AFL-CIO staff
included COPE Director John Perkins,

fense strategy."
The ultimate solution, the MTD said,

Glotten, Economic Research Director

lies in assuring enough cargo to sup­

Rudy Oswald and Director Bert Seid­

port the required number and types of

man of the Dept. of Occupational

merchant ships that would meet eco-

Safety, Health &amp; Social Security.

Legislative

Director

introduced automation and diesel fuel
into the American-flag fleet. "No one

approach to business. "In China and

thought he could pull it off,'' said

in the Far East generally, much less

Joseph DiGiorgio, "but he did."

weight is placed upon legal documents
and much more weight is placed upon

''The maritime industry has lost one
of its brightest lights," said Marianne

personal relationships and trust.

Rogers, director of political action for

''Always view China as a long-term
growth opportunity, not a place to

the Seafarers International Union, who
often worked with Wei to help secure

make a quick buck."

legislation favorable to the maritime

Certainly Wei was capable of taking
the long view of things.

industry. "I have never met a kinder
or more gracious human being.''

It took him eight years to put to­

Wei, a devoted family man, is sur­

gether the package that made it pos­

vived by his wife Katherine and two
children, Lawrence and Andrea.

sible to build the Falcon vessels that

Disley Re-elected to MFOW
Post
Here are the general election results for the Marine Firemen's Union
officials and trustees for the 1987-88 term of office as well as the SIUNA
convention delegate :
Henry "Whitey" Disley

-President

B. C. "Whitey" Shoup

-Vice President

Joel E. McCrum

- Treasurer

Robert Iwata

-S. F. Business Agent #1

Robert G. "Jerry" Kimball

-Seattle Port Agent

Sol Ayoob

-Wilmington Port Agent

Marvin ''Lucky'' Honig

-Honolulu Port Agent

SIUNA Convention Delegates:

(Continued from Page 5.)

"We spend billions on defense, but

(Continued from Page 14.)

Robert I ala Joel E. McCrum

the United States has fewer than 400

Korea and

C. C. Wei Dies

legal maneuvering, he was able to win

Program. This set into motion a series

ment of Health, Education and Wel­

C. C. Wei's Falcon Champion was the last American ship built with CDS funds.

Robert

"Here's

a

NEW

TAX LAW tip"
The new tax law
does not affect most
1986 tax returns. If
you have any
questions on 1986
changes, check your
tax package, or order
Publication 553,
"Highlights of the
1986TaxLaw
Changes:• Call 1-800424-FORM (3676) or
the IRS Forms number
in your phone
book to get a copy.

Mc­
--�,,,,--

March 1987 I LOG I 39

•

�I

r

,,

r

t
t

I

Floating Hospital Sails to Philippine Islands
The U.S. Navy's first active hospital

''The operation of the Mercy is a

ship in 13 years, the USNS Mercy (T­

further expansion of the fleet support

AH 19), departed San Diego, Calif. on

services provided by Military Sealift

Friday, Feb. 27, for a four-month

Command," said RADM Walter T.

training and humanitarian mission to

Piotti Jr., commander of the Military

the republic of the Philippines.

Sealift Command's fleet of 120 ships.

The purpose of the deployment is
to train Navy personnel in the opera­
tion and support of the ship and its
1,000 bed medical treatment facility
•

during extended operations in a re­
mote area.
In conjunction with the training mis­
sion, and to subject the medical team
to a varied assortment of illnesses and
ailments requiring medical expertise
for diagnosis and treatment, the ship's
medical treatment facility will help
meet training and care needs of the
Philippine people.
The medical team aboard the USNS
Mercy during this deployment will in­

clude civilian and military personnel,
both U.S. and Filipino.
This deployment will constitute the
shakedown cruise for the Mercy, a

The Mercy is scheduled to return to
the United States in June and will be
berthed at Oakland, Calif. in a reduced

M�E:Rc:v

The Mercy is one of two identical
hospital ships being converted for the
Navy. A second ship, the USNS Com­
fort, will be christened in May. These

ships will provide the Navy with med­
ical resources it has lacked since the
1974 decommissioning of the two hos­
pital ships used during the Vietnam
War. The Navy had 15 hospital ships
on active duty during World War II.
Each ship will have an 80-bed in. tensive care unit, 20-bed recovery ward,
280-bed intermediate care ward, 120bed light care ward and limited care

USNS Mercy

wards with a 500-bed capacity.

former tanker, following its conver­

In addition to 12 operating suites,

sion at the National Steel and Ship­

each ship will have laboratories, phar­

building Company in San Diego.

macies, dental, radiology and optom­

The ship is scheduled to visit six

�

operating status.

No Truth to Contact Lens
Scare Story

etry departments, physical therapy and

ports on five Philippine islands after

burn care units· and radiological serv­

its initial arrival call at Subic Bay.

ices.

The warning pertaining to contact lenses which appeared on page 25
of the January 1987 issue of the LOG is based on false information,
according to the American Optometric Association.
The two incidents cited in the LOG are based on a false report which

Mercy's Masterful Master

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the American

by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC

these reports.

By his own admission, Capt. Rich­

appropriate goggles over their eyes, whether nor not they wear glasses

has surfaced periodically during the past decade. The Labor Department's
Optometric Association and other professional groups have all refuted
Welders or anyone exposed to a welding arc should, of course, wear
or contact lenses.

ard Benjamin Hosey is still amused at
the irony of his situation. "I often

spent weeks learning about their new

wonder," he said recently, "what I'm

ammunition ship in 1980 and prepared

doing on a hospital ship after spending

the vessel for a major renovation,

home the old fashioned way-they

five years on an ammunition vessel.

Hosey was the logical choice for cap­

literally crawled through every nook

It's like going from one extreme to

tain. History repeated itself again when

and cranny· on the massive ship and

another.''

the veteran master was selected as

took detailed notes of their inspec­

PCO for MSC's first hospital ship.

tions.

Currently the master of the USNS
Mercy and formerly master of the

On the eve of taking his fourth ship

"I had to get to know the ship

USNS Kilauea and a long line of other

out of a yard and into an operational

personally," says the 35-year MSC

environment, Capt. Hosey admits a

employee. "I didn't have any say over

MSC ships, Capt. Hosey has been

Capt. Richard Hosey

going to sea since he turned 15 in 1943.

taining his master's license in 1965,

feeling of anxiety with his ship's hu­

how the ship was built or converted.

That's the year he enlisted in the Navy

he's been in command of almost every

manitarian voyage to the Philippines.

And yet, it was a ship I would be
operating in the near future."

and convinced skeptical military offi­

type of vessel in the MSC inventory.

"I'm apprehensive for one reason

cials he was old enough to join the

He's also continued serv�ng with the

and one reason only,'' says the veteran

The recipient of numerous awards,

seagoing service. He mustered out of

Naval reserve. Today, he holds the

skipper. ''The trip to the Philippines

honors and letters of appreciation dur­

the Navy three years later as a third

rank of captain, USNR-R.

wasn't originally programmed into the

ing his lengthy maritime career, Capt.

class signalman and returned to his

Capt. Hosey's experience in taking

long range plans of the ship. Given

Hosey expects the Mercy to be the

home in Hattiesburg, Miss. to attend

ships out of shipyards and into the

the new time frame, some things will

last ship he commands before he re­

college. But a few years later, he was

fleet was a factor in the decision to

have to be deferred that would have

tires sometime next year. He's still

back in uniform, serving with the Navy

name him prospective commanding

been taken care of under

amused at the contrast between the

as a second class quartermaster sig­

officer (PCO) of the USNS Mercy. He

events."

nalman aboard LSTs, destroyers and

was a young mate aboard a freighter

with the staff of Commander De­

in 1958 that was converted to a track­

stroyer Squadron Fifteen.
Hosey left active duty in 1952 and

normal

last two ships he's served aboard.

When he first reported to the ship
last summer,

the Mercy was

still

"I'm going from an ammunition en­
vironment to one where the sole pur­

ing ship. Hosey spent 18 months in

undergoing conversion work at San

pose of the vessel is to save lives,"

Scotland in the late 1960s during the

Diego's National Steel and Shipbuild­

he said during a recent interview, re­

joined MSTS. He worked aboard troop

construction

USNS

ing Company. Working out of a small

flecting on his past two assignments.

transports for a few years as an able

Chauvenet and brought the ship back

mobile trailer shared by MSC con­

For now, Capt. Hosey is the only

seaman/quartermaster

ac­

to the United States for her shakedown

struction representatives, Hosey and

experienced master in the fleet who

quired his license in 1956. Since ob-

cruise. When MSC acquired its first

a few of his prospective crewmembers

can ponder the contradiction.

40 I LOG I March 1987

until

he

phase

of

the

�MSCPAC Generous to Charity
Employees of the Military Sealift

tune ($1,778), and the USNS Sioux

Command, Pacific -both afloat and

($1,693). The Sioux was recognized

ashore-contributed generously to the

by the CFC at an awards reception in

1986 Combined

January when the ship received a first

Federal

Campaign

(CPR), raising more than $31,000 over

place plaque, military sector, for her

a two-month period in the final months

CFC contributions. Overall, fleet con­

of 1986.

tributions among MSCPAC ships to­

MSCPAC's contribution helped the
San Francisco Bay Area Combined

talled $20,672, a whopping 36 percent
increase over last year's total.

Federal Campaign (the annual chari­

Ashore, staff employees gave $10,744

table fund drive for Navy, Army, Postal

to the CFC, an 18 percent increase

Service, Coast Guard and civilian fed­

over the 1985 total. There were 23

eral agency workers) collect $3.1 mil­

employees and military personnel who

lion, an increase of $500,000over 1985.

contributed the equivalent of one hour's

This total breaks all previous records

pay per month for an entire year, thus

for the campaign.

becoming "Eagle Givers."

Afloat, the USNS Kilauea and the
USNS Mispillion led the way among

local member charities of the United

Most of the CFC funds will go to

MSCPAC ships by giving more than

Way, the National Health Agencies,

$3,000. Equally impressive was the

the National Service Agencies, and a

charitable dollars contributed by a few

number of independent agencies that

of the smaller vessels, including the

do not belong to one of the charitable

USNS Zeus ($1,913); the USNS Nep-

umbrella groups.

. MSCPAC "Smoking Lamp"
The federal government's General

Is

Snuffed Out

to be no smoking areas.

Services Administration (GSA) which

The MSCPAC headquarters, build­

owns or leases 6,800 buildings nation­

ing #310 at Naval Supply Center,

wide has ruled that federal employees

Oakland, is an old warehouse. Smok­

will be permitted to smoke only in

ing, therefore, is not permitted any­

designated

where inside the building for office

areas.

This

will

affect

workers or mariners.

890,000 employees.

-

AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland, left, meets with SIU Vice President Roy "Buck"
Mercer in Florida, where Mercer was attending a meeting of the AFL-CIO Executive
·

Committee.

MSCPAC Bull-Pen Upgraded to Lounge
As the result of SIU-MSCPAC dis­
cussions, the MSCPAC marine wait­

"MSCPAC Bull Pen" to "MSCPAC
Mariners Lounge.''

Old rules required special sections

The GSA rules do not affect more

ing area-more commonly known as

Management has requested that per­

for non-smokers. Everywhere else,

than 2 million federal workers, includ­

the "Bull Pen"-has been cleaned up

sonnel who use the lounge area keep

.the emhe

ing members of Congress and their

and painted by volunteer unlicensed

their feet on the floors (where they

aiaes, postal workers, the Supreme

personnel.

Com­

belong) and not on the furniture (where

percent of employees who do not

Court, the Smithsonian and employees

mand has purchased new furniture

they do not belong). This will enable

smoke. Offices,

around the country in buildings not

which is in place in the area for the

the lounge to remain in a more pre­

run by the GSA.

comfort of the mariners while they

sentable condition for an extended

await an assignment. Management is

period of time.

.. .. ..... .....·.. ....

·

.

asis has shifted in favor o
corridors,

meeting

rooms and public areas are presumed

a

Additionally,

to

c

ange

the

the

name

Aboard the USNS Navasota are Jim T. George, electrician; Nickel Eco, wiper; Charlie
Webb, supply, and Samuel Stone, engine utility.

This is the Golden Safety Poster Award winning poster designed by Jack Reich, head of
MSCPAC's safety branch, and Steve McKnight, an MSCPAC illustrator (see story in
December 1986 LOG). The Golden Safety Poster Award is given to the poster that best
promotes safety in the marine industry. The National Safety Council will reproduce this

The USNS Navasota (T-AO

design and provide it to Council members nationwide.

the U.S. Navy in the Southeast Asia area.

146)

is an MSCPAC Underway Replenishment Oiler serving

March 1987 /LOG/ 41

�r

n

t
r

Al

Drugs

~� �

I

Addicts don't have friends. Because a friend would

let another man blindly travel a course that has to lead
to the destruction of his health, his job and his family.
And that's

here an alcoholic o

Helping a fello

Seafarer

problem is just as easy-and

drug us

ho has an a
us

s

steering a blind man
is take that Seafare

as important-as
. All you have to do

by he arm a

Union's Addictions R

bilitat

is headed.

C

him

�------- -------- ------ -- ------- -�

1

a

alley Lee
re

and counseling he needs.
battle he is back

ix-wi... k program a th Addi .. lions
ha
I my medical and counseling
that th
1 l ,,. b kep

any

Once he's there an S
brother SIU member

Center

s

the

Md.

and drug-fre

A d·ct·

. .... . .........

ame

ho a

a h a

life

odre s

.

.

.

The road· a
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42 I LOG I March 1987

Zi

t
I
I
I

______

..J

�··············································································�

SEAFARERS
TRAINING &amp; RECREATION CENTER
Reservation Information
Name:

Your Holiday at the SHLSS Vacation Center:

What It Will Cost

���--����­

S.S.#
Address:

_________ __ ________

The costs for room and board at the SHLSS Vacation Center have
been set at the minimum to make it possible for all SIU members and
their families to enjoy a holiday in Southern Maryland at your home

Telephone#

away from home.

Number in Party
ROOM RATES:

Date of Arrival: 1st Choice

Member
Spouse

2nd Choice

Children

$30.00 per day
$5.00 per day
$5.00 per day

3rd Choice
{Stay is limited to 2 weeks)

Member

MEALS:

Spouse

Date of Departure

Children

Send to:

Seafarers Training &amp; Recreation Center
Piney Point, Md. 20674
(Phone: 301 ·994·001 O)

$8.50 per day
$4.00 per day
$4.00 per day

NOTE: No lodging or meal charge for children under age 12.

So that

as

many of our members

as

possible can enjoy a holiday at

SHLSS Vacation Center, the stay is limited to two weeks.

•..•........•.......•.....•••....••.•...........•••..•.••......•.....•••.....•.

An Open Letter to All Seafarers:

SIU Updates Rehabilitation Program to Meet Growing
Nationwide Crisis of Alcohol and Drug Addiction
rimary disease that
Alcolt"lll�mMl!Tl!11ft'tellr 9l!Wlll-...., ia a
e
cannot be cured but can be treated. The Seafarers Internatto I Union will
make every effort to remove the stigma associated with chemical dependency.
�

·

The SIU will also intensify its .efforts to eliminate chemical dependency
within its membership and see that appropriate assistance, treatment and
after-care are available to each eligible member.

The Seafarers Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center has proven to
be very successful. It is giving many of our members a new
chance to regain their families, health and lives. Since the
Center was established in 1976, we have witnessed many
changes in both American society and industry.
One of the changes I am particularly concerned about is the
widespread acceptance, use and abuse of drugs other than alco­
hol. The resulw of the drug epidemic sweeping this country are
being felt by the maritime industry and by the SID membership.
Being very concerned about the drug problems as well as the
alcohol problems of our membership, your Union has recently
revised the alcoholic rehabilitation program to address the is­
sues and problems of chemical dependency. This new program,
the Seafarers Addictions Rehabilitation Center, will maintain
our tradition of seafarers helping seafarers.

Only with each SID member's cooperation and support can
this new addiction rehabilitation program be a success. It is up
to each one of us to encourage our brothers and sisters to seek
help and then to encourage them along the road of recovery. All
members need to be familiar with this program if we are to be
successful in our goal of eliminating the tragedy of addiction
f!'om the sm.

Fraternally,
Frank Drozak
President

Kenny

Personals

�r
�

�

Kenneth Thigpen

Please contact Lee E. Wilder,
Attorney at Law, Breit, Rutter &amp;

Ursel Barber

Montagna, 720 Atlantic National

Please call Louise for an urgent

Bank Building, 415 St. Paul's Blvd.,

Norfolk, Va. 23510; tel. (804) 6225000.

message.

BOOZE
AND DRIJG�
h'AVE YOU

t�
�

or

0

t&gt;OWNP
HELP 15'
AVAILABLE
CONTACT Y()UR
PORTAGENT,
OR 5.1.IJ ORUG
AND Al.COHO/.
P!;OGRAM.
WEY,00/NTNO.

March 1987 I LOG I 43

..,.

�I

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f

Deep Sea

OM/ Champion. Seafarer Battle was

the Delta Steamship Line. Brother

Naval Shipyard. Seafarer Zajechouski

buried at Roosevelt Memorial Park in

Stem was buried at Gallilee Baptist

was buried at Olive Branch Cemetery

Cemetery in Louisiana. He is survived

in Portsmouth, Va. He is survived by

by his widow, Juliet.

his wife, Martha.

Gardena,

t

Pensioner

Adel­

Calif.

Surviving

are

his

widow, Ada and two grandsons.

bert Arnold, 76, died

Feb. 23. Brother Ar­

Pensioner George

Pensioner Sovan­

nold joined the SIU

M. Prekas died Feb.
23. Brother Prekas

dus �ms, 69, died

joined the SIU in

the

ment. Seafarer Ar­

1968. He sailed in

Brother

nold first sailed on

the

in 1944. He sailed in
the

I

,.

depart­

the SS Edward W.
Scripps. He went on pension in 1963.

Arnold is survived by his widow, Bon­
nie.

!

I

deck

of injuries sustained from a fall. Brother

Feb. 23. He joined

70, died Feb. 9 at

1961.

home in San Fran­

SIU

in

cisco. Born in Bos­
ton, Mass., Brother

ment, most recently

Thompson joined the

Pitts-

SUP in 1950 and the

(Sea-Land

SIU-merged Marine

Service). He went on pension in 1981.

Cooks and Stewards Union in 1958.

burgh

.._

the

a

He retired in 1969, last sailing on the

daughter and son. He was buried in

President Roosevelt (APL). Seafarer

Prekas

is survived

by

Pensioner John Zajechouski, 76, died

Santorini, Greece.

Battle joined the SIU in 1951. He
•

John

Thompson,

depart­

aboard

Seafarer
Winston E. Battle, 63, died Feb. 14

engine

Pensioner
Joseph

sailed in the steward department, most

Alfred Stern died Dec. 7, 1986. He

recently as steward/baker aboard the

joined the SIU in 1982 and sailed with

Thompson also served in the U.S.

Jan. 14. He joined the SIU in 1964,

Navy dumg World War II. Services

last sailing on the Transindiana. Brother

were held Feb. 13 at the Most Holy

Zajechouski retired in 1964. He worked

Redeemer Church in San Francisco,

as a chipper and caulker at the Norfolk

and his ashes were scattered at sea
from an APL vessel. Surviving are his
daughter, Joan and son, John of New
York; a sister, Mae Hicks of Brooklyn,
N.Y., and a brother, Tom of Inver­
ness, Fla.

Great Lakes
Pensioner Leslie D.
Buruse, 68, died Jan.

7. He joined the SIU
in 1953, sailing in the
engine � .�rtment.
He retired in 1980.
Brother Buruse last
sailed

You're always a winner when its American Made with the Union Label
-�21
UNION LABEL AND SERVICE TRADES DEPARTMENT, AFL-CIO

on

M/V

McKee Sons (Amer­

sand Steamship Co.). He is survived

y a son and daughter.

Are You Missing Important Mail?
...,,

The following SIU members have
retired on pension:
DEEP SEA
Baltimore

Edward L. Atkins
Eugene W. Graves
Charles E. Shaw
Duluth

William E. LaShare
Houston

Paul R. Rogers
Jacksonville

Jose Destacamento

We want to make sure that you receive your

If you are getting more than one copy of the

copy of the LOG each month and other important

LOG delivered to you, if you have changed your

mail such as W-2 Forms, Union Mail and Welfare

address, or if your name or address is misprinted

Bulletins. To accomplish this, please use the

or incomplete, please fill in the special address

address form on this page to update your home

form printed on this page and send it to:

address.
Your home address is your permanent address,
and this is where all official Union documents,
W-2 Forms, and the LOG will be mailed.

SIU &amp; UIW of N.A.
Address Correction Department
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746-9971

------------------ ----------------------------------------

HOME ADDRESS

PLEASE PRINT

Date:

___
_______

Andrew Lesnansky
George W. Luke

Social Security No.

James 0. Thompson
New Orleans

Nathan J. Benenate
Marion H. Simoneaux Jr.

PhgneNo. (

Your Full Name

)

Area Code

New York

Paul Pallas
Roland A. St. Marie

Apt. or Box#

Street

City

St. Louis

Francis Sperry
San Francisco

Joseph M. English
Ernest C. Kunickas

Book Number

D SIU

D UIW

UIW Place of Employment

ZIP

State

D Pensioner

Other

------

-------

Waymond R. Lee
William B. Millet
Santurce

This will be my permanent address for all official Union mailings.
This address should remain In the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally.

Jose Ross
Wilmington

Lorn L. Abbott

441 LOG I March 1987

(S�ned) --------�
-----------------------------------------------------------�

�AMBASSADOR (ccn. February 1Chairman Carlos Spina, Secretary Paul G.
Lighten.Everything is running smoothly in
all departments with no disputed OT re­
ported. The chairman noted that payoff will
be on arrival in Port Evergldes, Fla. this
trip. Crewmembers were encouraged to
attend upgrading courses at Piney Point.
The new Navy vessels require many dif­
ferent skills, and members can keep up­
to-date at the SHLSS. The steward de­
partment was given a vote of thanks for
the fine cookouts.
AMERICAN CORMORANT (Pacific
Gulf Marine), February· 3-Chairman
Charles Davis, Secretary Susanne Cake,
Educational Director/Engine Delegate An­
thony Adamaitis, Deck Delegate Peter S.
Platania, Steward Delegate William Sim­
mons, Treasurer John Bass. No disputed
OT reported aboard the American Cor­
morant in Diego Garcia. There is $60 in
the ship's fund. Last month a written peti­
tion was sent to Pacific Gulf Marine and
SIU headquarters for a recertified bosun
due to some problems with the present
steward. Since that letter was sent, a vote
was held (7 to 2) in favor of keeping the
steward whose performance has improved.
Members were asked to show some con­
sideration for their fellow crewmates by not
playing loud music or slamming doors.And
the radio officer is going through the an­
tenna system to try and improve the TV's
reception.
AMERICAN HERITAGE (Apex Mar°

·

Donald D.
leming, Secretary am .
cational Director W. Callahan. Some dis­
puted OT was reported in the deck de­
partment as were a few beefs concerning
working_ men on watch and unsafe .condi­
tions on deck. This trtp, apparently, was
not a particularly good one for the American
Heritage. They ran low on just about every­
thing: groceries, clean linen, soap, washing
powder. Sixty days stores were put aboard
for the crew, but as many as eight shore­
side work-gang members were aboa,d at
one time. Jo LDf them for 29 days. This
should be looked into by the boarding
patrolman. One minute of silence was
stood in memory of our departed brothers
and sisters. Next port: New York.
,

CAPE HORN (Barber Lines), February
8-Chairman Nick Kratsas, Secretary Ver­
non Ferguson, Deck Delegate Peter Coix,
Engine Delegate George Harrison, Stew­
ard Delegate Michael H. Bonsignore. No
beefs or disputed OT� The engine depart­
ment sailed one oiler short but expected
to pick up a new oiler upon arrival in Pearl
Harbor. The deck department also reported
that they lost one AB due to an injury.The
steward department, which said it was
"doing the thing we know best: feeding the
crew and its officers," was given a vote of
thanks for a job well done. And in closing
the meeting, the chairman stressed the
importance of taking advantage of the
upgrading courses at Piney Point.
CONSTITUTION (American Hawaii
Cruises), January 27--Chairman Jim El­
lette, Secretary Roy Aldanese. No disputed
OT reported. This was the first meeting of
the new year, and a number of problems
were brought up. The main one is that the
female quarters are overcrowded and need
to be expanded. There is also some bang­
ing in the forward engine room which can
be heard in some of the cabins. The chief
engineer has been informed and will try to
resolve the situation. Copies of the current
contract were distributed to sub-depart­
ment delegates.They were asked to study
them so that they could then represent
their departments if any infractions were
noted. A safety committee meeting will be
held and safety hazards discussed. If any­
one knows of any issues for the safety
committee, they should make the bosun
aware of them.

1st LT. BALDOMERO LOPEZ (AM­
SEA), February 11--Chairman Robert
Johnson, Secretary K. White, Educational
Director McKinney, Deck Delegate James
L. Blanchard, Engine Delegate Charles
Smith. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
There is $30 in the ship's fund. Bosun
Johnson noted the captain's appreciation
for a job well done with regard to the last
military operations exercise in January, and
Steward White thanked the crew for their
help in keeping the ship clean. There was
an ethics meeting for all new crewmem­
bers. The ethics meeting is "an hour-long
session dealing with general dynamics pol­
icies." The bosun reminded the crew not
to smoke on the launch until it is a ways
from the ship. The crew expressed an
interest in receiving information on the
status of Sea-Land and also on the new
Seafarers Maritime Union.

INDEPENDENCE (American Hawaii
Cruses), January 29-Chairman Lothar
G.G. Reck, Secretary Ario Klein, Educa­
tional Director Daniel Beeman. Everything
seems to be going smoothly in the de­
partments with no disputed OT reported.
There is some question, however, on
whether a lock can be placed on the engine
mess room to keep those out who don't
belong and to keep the room clean. The
recreation committee is investigating
whether or not the incentive fund still exists.
They have also taken measurements of
the lounges for new furniture. The chairman
encouraged all those members with enough
sea-time to upgrade at Piney Point. He
also reminded them to keep their rooms
neat and tidy and help keep the mess
r
�
rtance of contributing to SPAD to
tn our "constant
battle on the waterfront" was also stressed.
SIU President Frank Drozak and Vice Pres­
ident George McCartney were aboard the
Independence last month and held a meet­
ing with the crewmemoers to bnng them
up-to-date on new issues affecting the
Union.
·

OVERSEAS
VALDEZ
(Maritime
Overseas), February 8--Chairman Louis
W. Hachey, Secretary Ray H. Mann, Ed­
ucational Director T. Preston, Engine Del­
egate Juan J. Patino. Some disputed OT
was reported in the deck department.
Otherwise, all is running smoothly. One
man was fired for not turning to, therefore
the ship sailed one OMU short. The Over­
seas Valdez is also in need of overtime
sheets for all departments-and LOGs!
The vessel will discharge her cargo on or
about Feb. 25. The tanks will then be
cleaned and she'll go to the shipyard in
Singapore for a while. The only beef brought
up pertained to the crew size. There are
five in the engine department, six in the
deck department and three in the steward
department. The steward/assistant has to
make up the officers beds and set up the
crew and officer messes. This practice, it
was felt, is unfair, especially considering
the fact that there is no provision for over­
time in the steward department. Next port:
Singapore.
OMI COLUMBIA (OMI), February 15Chairman Joseph R. Broadus, Secretary
Chester R. Moss, Educational Director Ar­
thur G. Milne.No disputed OT.The captain
said that the ship will pay off this trip. The
chief cook was logged and his overtime
cut off. This will be taken up with the
patrolman at payoff. Otherwise, everything
seems to be running smoothly aboard the
OM/ Columbia. The educational director
stressed the importance of contributing to
SPAD, and he encouraged all eligible
members to upgrade their skills at Piney
Point. There are lots of movies onboard,
"but never enough." The steward depart­
ment was given a vote of thanks. And
thanks were also passed out to all depart­
ments for helping keep the pantry clean.
One minute of silence was obseived in
memory of our departed brothers and sis­
ters-and for those seamen killed recently
in an explosion aboard the OM/ Yukon.

PFC EUGENE A. OBREGON (Water­
man), February 15-Chairman Arthur
McGinnis, Secretary James Carter Jr., Ed­
ucational Director R. Farmer, Deck Dele­
gate B.G. Hutcherson, Engine Delegate A.
Carbajal, Steward Delegate Rudolph Xat­
ruch. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
The chairman commended the' ship's crew
for a job well done on taking staff members
and stores aboard at the same time and
for the successful helicopter operation. A
vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for a job well done. And thanks
were given from the steward to the bosun
and deck department for their cooperation
during the trip. All Welfare Plan bills will
be sent to Union headquarters. An 800
number can be used to check up on indi­
vidual claims and where they are in the
process of payment.
SEA·LAND VENTURE (Sea-Land),
January 18-Chairman Miguel Aquirre,
Secretary Ernie Hoitt, Educational Director
L. Acosta, Deck Delegate R.N. Fulk, En­
gine Delegate Van Joyner, Steward Del­
egate Robert Adams. At this meeting, held
at sea in the crew messhall, the chairman
reported that the ship will arrive at Port
Everglades, Fla. on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
Everything seems to be running smoothly
with no disputed OT or major beefs. The
secretary urged all members to bring up
any beefs they may have at the meeting
so that they can be handled before payoff.
The captain is looking into the subsistance
beef. A Dec. 1, 1986 letter from Vice
President "Red" Campbell was read per­
taining to the shipping rules as amended
through Sept. 15, 1986. A copy will also
be on file in the steward's office for anyone
to look at. Some needed repairs were
brought up including the need for a micro­
wave oven for the pantry and repair of the
new crew's washing machine, dryer and
VCR (which has had no audio for the past
two trips). Following stops in Port Ever­
glades, Fla. and Houston, Texas, the Sea­
Land Venture will pay off in New Orleans
at the end of January.

STAA OF TEXAS (Seahawk Manage­
ment), February 1--Chairman Gene Pas­
chall, Secretary I. Fletcher, Educational
Director P. Bishop. No disputed OT re­
ported. There is $32 in the ship's fund.
Weather conditions permitting, the ship·is
expected to pay off in Norfolk on Feb. 5.
Some hazardous conditions have been
noticed in the engine room. These will be
brought to the attention of the boarding
patrolman, as will a question about the
supeivision of the DEU. The chairman said
this has been a good crew, and reminded
them of the importance of supporting the

political effort of our Union (SPAD) and of
taking advantage of the upgrading oppor­
tunities at Piney Point. A copy of the new
shipping rules was received and is avail­
able to all members for their review. A vote
of thanks was given to the steward de­
partment for a job well done. Next port:
Norfolk, Va.

USNS STALWART (Sea Mobility),
January 24-Chairman Raymond A. Mad­
dock, Secretary C. Gambito. No disputed
OT reported. The chairman explained the
Union contract, benefits and procedures
for payoff. The educational director talked
about eligibility for SHLSS, and a request
was made for training films, particularly
pertaining to the steward department. The
bosun noted that any items in need of
repair should be put in writing and hung
on the bosun's or the chief engineer's door
for action. The incomplete loadout of the
ship caused shortages of many items this
trip. It was felt that the crew should have
more input into the kinds of food ordered.
A request was made for more freezer space
as well as larger, reuseable coffee mugs.
Another request was that meals be seived
on plates with metal utensils and glasses,.
rather than paper goods. And still another
request made was that starting next trip,
the room assignments try to be matched
with watches.
LNG VIRGO (ETC), January 25Chairman Thomas Hawkins, Secretary
Steven R. Wagner, Deck Delegate Rob­
bynson Suy, Engine Delegate lmro Salo­
mons, Steward Delegate Michael Rug­
gerio.No disputed OT. The deck department
sailed short one OS for a trip but will get
a replacement upon arrival at the next port.
A telex was received from ETC Japan
concerning the conduct of crewmembers
ashore. It was read and posted. And the
chairman reiterated the need for all hands
to behave themselves while aboard ship
and ashore.There is $217.30 in the ship's
fund. This money is used for video tapes
and movie equipment. The treasurer also
suggested that arrival pools be set up to
increase this fund. The steward department
was given a vote of thanks for the fine job
they have done this voyage. Next ports:
Nagoya, Japan; Arun, Indonesia, and To­
bata, Japan.
Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
ATUNTIC SPIRIT
GROTON
OMI HUDSON
OMI MISSOURI
OMI SACRAMENTO
OVERSEAS JUNEAU
OVERSEAS MARILYI
SAN PEDRO
SEA·LAllD ENDURANCE

SEA·lAND EXPLORER
SEA·lAND INNOVATOR
SEA·lAND LIBERATOR
SEA-LAID PATRIOT
SEA·lAND PIONEER
SEA·lAND VOYAGER
SUGAR ISLANDER
USNS WYMAN

�

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point ..............Monday, April 6 .....................10:30a.m.
New York ...............Tuesday, April 7 .....................10:30a.m.
Philadelphia ..............Wednesday, April 8 ..... .............10:30a.m.
Balti more ................Thursday, April 9 .. ..... .... ... . .....10:30a.m.
Norfolk .................Thursday, April 9 ....................10:30a.m.
Jacksonville ..............Thursday, April 9 ... ..... . .... ... ....10:30a.m.
Algonac .................Friday, April IO.... ............... ..10:30a.m.
.

Houston .................Monday, April 13 ....................10:30a.m.
New Orleans .............Tuesday, April 14 ....................103
: 0a.m.
Mobile ..................Wednesday, April 15..................103
: 0a.m.
San Francisco ............Thursday, April 16 ...................10:30a.m.
Wil mington ..............Monday, April 20 ....................10:30a.m.
Seattle ..................Friday, April 24......................10:30a.m.
San Juan ................Thursday, April 9 ................. .

.

.10:30a.m.

St. Louis ................Friday, April 17......................10:30a.m.
Honolulu ................Thursday, April 16 ...................10:30a.m.
Duluth ..................Wednesday. April 15..................103
: 0 a.m.
Jersey City ...............Wednesday, April 22 ..................103
: 0a.m.

March 1987 I LOG I 45

..

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory. oi

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

FEB. 1-28, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Frank Drozak, President
Joe DIGlorgio, 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

DECK DEPARTMENT

Port
Algonac .....................

0

19

0

0

9

0

0

4

0

0

0

4

0

33

3

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

Port
Algonac .....................

0

0

5

Ports

0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Port
Algonac .....................

0

0

0

0

9

HEADQUARTERS

ENTRY DEPARTMENT

Port
Algonac .....................

0

19

0

0

0

0

0

61

4

Totals All Departments ....... .

0

51

0

0

9

0

0

120

9

5201 Auth Way
20746
(301) 899-0675

Camp Springs, Md.

ALGONAC, Mich.

*"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.

520 St. Clair River Dr. 48001
(313) 794-4988
BALTIMORE, Md.

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea

1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202
(301) 327-4900

FEB. 1-28, 1987
*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class C
Class A
Class B

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A
Class B
Class C

Port

Trip
Reliefs

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class C
Class A
Class B

DECK DEPARTMENT

Gloucester .... . ... . . . . . .
New York ...............
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk ................ .
Mobile .................
New Orleans ........... ..
Jacksonville . . ........ . . .
San Francisco.............
Wilmington .. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico ..............
Honolulu ................
Houston ................
St. Louis ................
Piney Point ..............
Totals .......... .... .
.

.

.

.

0
49
2
11
15
14
48
25
27
13
18
7
8
32
0
1
270

1
13
4
9
13
2
6
9
1
0
3
1
10
4
0
4
80

0
1
2
0
2
0
0
1
3
1
2
0
9
1
0
0
22

0
39
3
7
6
8
28
15
29
10
18
9
6
16
0
2
196

0
28
4
6
12
9
27
21
16
13
9
7
6
24
0
0
182

0
6
1
3
7
3
6
2
4
3
7
0
13
4
0
4
63

0
0
1
0
0
0
2
1
0
0
4
0
7
0
0
0
15

0
24
2
4
7
6
20
11
9
7
11
8
1
18
0
2
130

Port

0
5
0
7
8
5
5
4
4
1
6
3
10
2
0
4
64

0
1
1
0
0
1
3
0
1
0
3
0
7
1
0
0
18

0
10
1
2
0
3
4
3
7
4
2
0
8
6
0
1
51

2
99
3
10
23
20
84
51
57
36
48
28
10
78
0
3
552

3
22
5
6
11
3
8
16
11
7
8
2
17
6
0
4
129

0
1
2
1
3
0
3
3
15
3
0
0
8
2
0
0
41

0
3
0
4
0
0
1
4
2
0
4
0
8
6
0
0
32

0
66
4
11
13
9
61
4
34
23
32
13
12
45
0
3
369

2
8
0
2
6
4
10
6

0
2
2
0
0
0
2
2
6
1
2
0
7
0
0
0
24

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

Gloucester ..... . .. . . . . .
New York ..............
Philadelphia ............. .
Baltimore .............. .
Norfolk .................
Mobile .................
New Orleans . ............
Jacksonville ... . ..
.. . . . .
San Francisco ............ .
Wilmington .............
Seattle ................ .
Puerto Rico ..............
Honolulu ................
Houston ................
St. Louis ................
Piney Point .... . . .. . .... .
Totals .. ..... ... .. ....
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

0
4
1
1
6
1
7
1
2
2
8
1
10
6
0
1
51

0
0
0
0
0
0
3
2
0
0
3
0
5
0
0
0
13

7
10
1
13
5
0
7
88

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Port

0
25
0
5
7
6
19
12
21
8
18
2
3
16
0
0
142

0
2
2
3
6
1
2
4
3
4
2
0
22
1
0
4
56

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
1
0
29
0
0
0
35

15
2
2
4
4
19
8
17
9
15
4
8
9
0
1
117

1
1
1
4
1
1
0
3
1
2
0
15
1
0
2
33

1
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
2
0
24
0
0
0
29

2
1

2
2
3
2
7
2
5
1
31
2
0
0
60

38
0
8
9
8
38
24
74
19
41
6
2
23
0
1
291

7
2
3
2
1
2
8
11
6
6
1
27
1
0
6
83

1
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
0
0
0
32
0
0
0
41

Gloucester ... .. .. .... . . . .
New York ...............
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk ................
Mobile .................
New Orleans ... ..........
Jacksonville .. ..... . . . . . . .
San Francisco............ .
Wilmington .............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico ..............
Honolulu ................
Houston ................
St. Louis ................
Piney Point ............. .
Totals ................ .

1
16
2
1
9
1
18
3
29
11
18
3
3
11
0
0
126

0
16
6
3
13
5
14
9
15
7
17
7
63
13
0
3
191

1
6
5
0
2
0
16
2
6
2
0
0
173
3
0
18
234

0
15
3
5
2
1
14
3
16
8
17
6
5
7
0
0
102

1
15
1
3
11
2
9
6
4
1
9
1
82
4
0
6
155

0
1
0
0
0
0
20
0
1
1
0
0
152
1
0
14
190

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

1
44
4
3
11
1
30
8
77
24
44
15
8
28
0
0
298

1
29
6
4
5
12
18
10
30
15
34
10
77
16
0
4
271

3
12
6
0
3
1
18
6
27
4
3
0
206
4
0
14
307

Totals All Departments ..... .

720

390

306

545

303

250

143

1,510

571

413

Gloucester .... .. .... ... .
New York ...............
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .................
Mobile .................
New Orleans ........... ..
Jacksonville . . . . . .. . . . . ...
San Francisco .............
Wilmington ...............
Seattle ................ .
Puerto Rico ... . ... . . . . . ..
Honolulu ................
Houston ................
St. Louis ............... .
Piney Point . . . . . . . . . . ...
Totals .... . . . ....... ..
.

.

.

0

ENTRY DEPARTMENT

Port

.

.

*"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 February was down from the month of January. A total of 1,241 jobs were
shipped on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,241 jobs shipped, 545 jobs or about 44 percent were

A seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 143 trip relief
jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 4,639 jobs have been
taken by

"

"

shipped.

46 / LOG I March 1987

CLEVELAND, Ohio

5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-1100
DULUTH, Minn.

705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110
HONOLULU, Hawaii

636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434
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
NEW ORLEANS, La.
630 Jackson Ave.

70130
(504) 529-7546

Toll Free: 1-800-325-2532
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
SEATILE, Wash.

2505 1 Ave. 98121
(206) 441-1960
ST. LOUIS, Mo.

4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500
WILMINGTON, Calif.
51O N. Broad Ave.

90744
(213) 549-4000

�'Taking Care of Our OWn

•

•

•

'

At this time, and a hard time for all unions due to the rise in costs
for medical treatments, I take pleasure in thanking the Board of
aid which I desperately
Trustees for their approval of a hearing
needed.

does not take care of
Don't let it be said that the Seafarers Welfare
much.
the oldtim.ers. Again, thanks very
Fraternally,
Tony Nottage N'-110
Cypress, Calif.

'Paying the BWs ...'
Just a note to let you know that I really appreciate the payments
that you have made on my medical bills.
I hope to be better, but there always seems to be some health
problem.

From that time until Nov. 9, 1986, I worked on SIU ships. Aft.er more
than 40 years in the Union and 31 years of seatime, the pension I had
been working for came true. I received my first checks for the months

of Dec. and Jan., along with the pension supplement in Jan. 1987,

making my seatim.e worthwhile.
I think our pension and welfare plan rate with the best. If I stay
healthy, my pension will be just another benefit that my Union has

Thanks again,
Harold J. Grady

provided for its members which I will be able to enjoy.
I think the SIU will continue to move in the right direction and

San Francisco, Calif.

provide the best for its members.
The best of luck and smooth sailing for everyone.

'Plans Bate with the Best ...'
Aft.er being discharged from the Navy in Jan. 1946 with 39 months
of service, I shipped on the Liberty ship the John T. Holth one month
later as an able seaman with a load of coal to France.

------

Jim Pulliam P 409
Seattle, Wash.

President's Report

(Continued from page 2.)

the AFL­
affiliate with the new union, chartered by
proposal
that
rejected
I
Paul,
know
you
CIO. As
union
ous
autonom
our
that
NMU
the
ed
and nfo
,
o
«'5Uld not agree.
prepared to continue discussions of merger with the
NMU. That was rejected, and the meeting was
·

adjourned.
At the request of Shannon Wall, we met with
Lane Kirkland the following day to see if the
deadlock could be broken, and to seek his sugges­
tions. I asked everyone to remain at Piney Point
until I returned so I could brief them on what
occurred at that meeting. As I was told, Paul, you
had suggested that I could
,
wanted
telephone everyone to brief them on the outcome
of the meeting.

the
discussion about everything except merger,
meeting adjourned.
Paul, we don't need outsiders telling us how to
as
run our business. Each of us has our own rights
resolve
to
able
autonomous unions. We should be
se. But making statements that
our
are only half true and criticizing each other in public
is not and never has been in the best interest of our
International, its affiliates, or anyone else.
tn .
n
Pa'Ut, those
stones.
careful how they throw

In case you didn't know, Paul, it was the Sailors
Union of the Pacific, under Harry Lundeberg, who
set up the first union representing licensed and
unlicensed seamen in one union, and the Sailors
Union of the Pacific still has that concept. In the
early 1950s, the WEST COAST SAILOR and SUP

t of
Your International has been in the forefron
pro­
new
g
includin
these issues and many others,
maritime
grams that would create more jobs for all
is proud
SIUNA
The
unions, not just the SIU A&amp;G.
A&amp;G
SIU
the
but,
of its record and its support;
will
It
anyone.
to
seat
District will not take a back
job
the
and
itself
do whatever is required to protect

security of its membership.
The SIU A&amp;G will, with its International, con­
the interests of its affiliates. But the
r
ttfiue
SIU A&amp;G will not sit idly by and see its structure
destroyed.
Let me mention one other development. After
reviewing all of the facts, and understanding that
no one wanted a merger, the SIU A&amp;G affiliate
Seafarers Maritime Union was created in late November 1986 to create job security for our people

I do appreciate your staying until I returned from

membership minutes reported that the Sailors Union

and preserve our institution. In this way, we re­

the meeting with Kirkland, so everyone would then

of the Pacific signed a contract representing licensed

sponded to the same survival requirements that

have the facts. The meeting with Kirkland, his staff

and unlicensed seamen.

every union, including the SUP, faces. While many

and Shannon Wall went no better than the one at
Piney Point.
The NMU wanted the SIUNA to give up all of
its affiliates, including the Sailors and Firemen, and

As the NMU PILOT reported in the early 1960s,
the National Maritime Union followed by signing
up all licensed seamen on American Export Line

would like to destroy our union, that won't happen
on my watch, and I hope it won't happen to the
SUP on your watch either.

ships. The NMU then represented licensed and

Paul, I could say a lot more, but I will stop here,

unlicensed seamen on all of Export's ships.
The MM&amp;P in the late 1970s and early 1980s
signed contracts representing licensed and unli­

because I only want to set the record straight. The
SIU-AGLIWD and its membership are still on
record as wanting to consider merger with any

proposed there be two co-chairmen until elections

censed seamen. Bill Smith, your port agent, reported
to you the first ship on the run from the West Coast

Pacific and the Marine Firemen's Union. But the

could be held.

to Hawaii, with a crew list. Since then, the MM&amp;P

have the SIU and NMU merge as one seamen's
union. Those who didn't agree would be out of luck,
because it would be the only recognized unlicensed
seamen's union in the AFL-CIO. Shannon Wall

maritime union, including the Sailors Union of the
merger must be fair, and all cards must be on the
table, not half the deck.

I was shocked. At no time before had this been

has acquired several ships top-to-bottom, including

discussed. Furthermore, as you know, there cannot

the ex-Gulf Oil tankers running in the West Coast

We face new challenges as we approach a 21st

be two captains of a ship.

domestic trade, as well as passenger ships which

century marked by automation, high technology,

have never sailed and may never sail.

faster and larger ships with smaller crews, and a

I could not accept that proposal, nor would I
ever. Our International is a good International.

In early April 1986, MEBA D-1 formed PASS as

global marine transportation system. Today, we

While many of us in it have our differences, as far
as I am concerned, that's what gives us our strength.

its affiliate, whose sole purpose was to represent

would not exist except for military cargo supplies

licensed

and government-impelled cargoes.

No one can take our autonomy away unless we

tom-to bid on military work and go after new

want to give it away. It's our International union.
That's the way it should be and that's the way it

business (see Soundings, December 22, 1986).
We recognize these facts, and the disappointing

Our goal, as should be everyone's, is to create a

will be, unless the affiliates decide differently.

level of union interest in mr:rger, including that from

new industry, not fight over the disappearing one

and

unlicensed

personnel-top-to-bot­

The SIUN A intends to continue in the same
fashion as our predecessors--to create, not destroy.

Since our meeting on merger with the NMU, I

your union. You should recognize the responsibility

we have today.

heard nothing until January of this year, when

I have to the membership of the SIU A&amp;G and the

President Kirkland called to say that Shannon Wall

International affiliates (including the Sailors and

Paul, in closing, we will always work with the
Sailors and Firemen to protect and rebuild our

had asked him if he could arrange a meeting with

Firemen). We often get no credit for all the work

maritime industry, and create more jobs for all of

Shannon, Ray McKay and myself. I called Shannon

we do to retain the laws that create jobs, with P.L.

us. As always, I look forward to working with you

and we met in Florida on Saturday, February 14th.

480 cargoes, military cargoes, domestic trade, and

To this day, I still don't know what the meeting

operating subsidy, the latter of which SIU A&amp;G

and all of our affiliates on matters of concern to
each of us. I hope you will print this letter in your

was about. At no time was merger mentioned by

seamen (excluding the three Waterman vessels and

Shannon, nor did I mention it. Since he requested

the Steward Department on the APL vessels) do

the meeting, I was waiting for him to raise the issue,

not enjoy-but your membership and the NMU
does.

but he didn't. After one and one-half hours of

�

paper, so that everyone will have the facts. I intend
Fraternally,
to print it in the LOG.

�

....

Frank Drozak
President

March 1987 I LOG I 47
-

�... AND
�OB

6ECUl&lt;IT'(
,

•

�·

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS SEEK MARITIME SUPPORT&#13;
AUTO CARRIAGE BILL GAINS WISE HOUSE SUPPORT&#13;
DROZAK URGES TRADE REFORM&#13;
TRADE BILLS GAIN BIPARTISAN SUPPORT IN HOUSE, SENATE&#13;
MSC GETS THREE SHIPS&#13;
21 DIE IN ATLANTIC STORM&#13;
SEAFARERS PLANS TRUSTEES MEET&#13;
SEA-LAND, CSX MERGER APPROVED&#13;
SIU’S SHULMAN HELPED MAKE LABOR HISTORY&#13;
MTD BOARD MEETING &#13;
FAIR TRADE POLICY TOPS MARITIME’S PROGRAM&#13;
MTD’S AGENDA FOR PROGRESS&#13;
TRADE POLICY &#13;
GREAT LAKES&#13;
MARITIME INDUSTRY&#13;
NATIONAL DEFENSE AND MARITIME POLICY &#13;
FISHING INDUSTRY CRISIS&#13;
JONES ACT&#13;
PROTECTING OFFSHORE JOBS FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS&#13;
DOMESTIC OFFSHORE DEVELOPMENT&#13;
THE SIU IN WASHINGTON&#13;
THE RACE IS ON&#13;
MARITIME’S MESSAGE&#13;
TRADE&#13;
AUTO CARRIAGE: PART ONE&#13;
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MTD EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING&#13;
LABOR IS BACK&#13;
CC. WEI, FALCON SHIPPING FOUNDER, DEAD&#13;
AIR FORCE LOGISTICS BRASS GETS GOOD LOOK AT SHLSS&#13;
ARMY RESERVE UNIT COMES TO SHLSS FOR CARGO HANDLING TRAINING&#13;
LUNDEBERG SCHOOL TRAINS NAVY GROUP ON HEAVY CRANE&#13;
SEAFARERS LUNDEBERG SCHOO HOSTS FIRST ANNUAL SEALIFT CONFERENCE&#13;
THE SEAFARERS SHIPHANDLING SIMULATOR&#13;
PAUL HALL LIBRARY AND MARIITME MUSEUM&#13;
INSTRUCTIONAL TELEVISION AT SHLSS&#13;
MANPOWER THE NUCLEUS OF THE UNION&#13;
PEPPER SEEKS HEALTH CARE PLAN FOR AMERICA’S ELDERLY&#13;
AFL-CIO HIGHLIGHTS MANY HEALTH ISSUES&#13;
HEALTH CARE COMMITTEE&#13;
HEALTH CARE COVERAGE&#13;
NURSING HOME CARE&#13;
CATASTROPHIC HEALTH CARE&#13;
GRAND CANYON STATE GIVES JOB SECURITY A LIFT&#13;
WASHINGTON REPORT&#13;
COMMISSION ON MERCHANT MARINE&#13;
TITLE XI&#13;
CARGO PREFERENCE&#13;
MTD BOARD SETS MARIITME PRIORITIES&#13;
FLOATING HOSPITAL SAILS TO PHILIPPINE ISLANDS&#13;
MERCY’S MASTERFUL MASTER&#13;
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MSCPAC BULL-PEN UPGRADED TO LOUNGE&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union• Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL-CIO Vol. 49, No. 4 April 1987

Six Week Delay
Makes Payoff Even
Sweeter for
Seatare rs on the
Stonewall Jackson
See Pages 4 &amp; 5

When the Ice Thaws,
It's Time for
Great Lakes Fitout

The M/V Paul Thayer (Pringle Steamship Co.) slips past the breakwater and the last of
the ice field coming into the port of Lorain, Ohio as the shipping season opens on the
Great Lakes. (See pages 9-16.)

Baltimore Boatmen

The sand dredgers are an important part of the building and construction industry around
the lower Great Lakes, and Erie Sand &amp; Gravel has been a leader in the dredge industry
for many years. Pumpman Jerry Bollinger, who has worked for Erie Sand for 17 years,
readies the dredge J.S. St. John for another season. The vessel was fitting out in her
home port of Erie, Pa.

•

•

Trade, Bilateral Bills Advance
Page 3

Inland News

Page 6

Government Services Division
Page 17

SHLSS Offers New Course
Pages 19-21
The Hermes (Baker-Whiteley) is just one of several tugs operated by SIU members in
Baltimore Harbor. See page 6 for more photos.

The SIU in Washington

Page 24

�!

I

President's Report
by Frank Drozak
' ' THE war has taught us a great
lesson! We cannot afford to
be without the world's best merchant
marine! We must have a great merchant marine as our first line of defense! The need for trained seamen is
not temporary-there will be a continuing need for good trained men of the
sea."
During the course of the 45 year
since Admiral Emory S. Land uttered
those words, we have forgotten that
''great lesson.'' The U.S. no longer
possesses the world's best merchant
marine. We are ranked 16th in the
world.
It seems as if we in the maritime
industry, both labor and management,
have spent years trying to warn admini trations of both parties that the merchant marine is essential to national
defense, but it is in serious trouble.

''

its troops and materials anywhere
around the world. The U.S. i · not.
Because of the disastrou decline of
the private U .S.-flag merchant marine.
the Department of Defen e realized

we don't act, and act now, we can
kiss what's left of the U.S. merchant
marine goodbye ... If we should ever
need ships in time of war, maybe we could
charter a few hundred of the Soviets' ... " ·
If

I've had better luck talking to brick
walls.
The United States is down to 360
deep sea ships. The Soviet Union ha
a modern 2,500 ship deep sea fleet. In
addition, 70 percent of that fleet is
scheduled for replacement during their
current five-year plan.
The majority of the U.S. fleet is
containerized, a great way to move
commercial cargo, but almost useless
for military shipments. The Soviet fleet
is the most militarily useful merchant
fleet in the world. Their ships are built
with strengthened deck with adequate tie-downs to accommodate military vehicles, provisions for chemical
warfare, enhanced communications
and crews wh~ are Soviet navy reservists. In addition, most Soviet ships
are of the size that would allow them
to operate in shallow ports and clo e
inshore in most areas of the world.
Our biggest adversary, the Soviet
Union, is very well equipped to move

something needed to be done. It began
building up what will eventually be a
148-ship reserve force. You can stockpile ships, but you can't stockpile
experienced sailors.
Even conservative estimates show
that if tho e hip were needed, there
would be a shortfall of ome 6,000
qualified seamen to operate those ve sets. Some estimates say that as many
as 15,000 billets would go unfilfed.
The only place to develop a trained
pool of qualified seafarers is the private merchant marine. In this decade
alone the number of active eafarers
has dropped 40 percent, from 51,000
to 29,100 in 1986. By 1992, when the
148-ship reserve fleet is complete, there
will only be 22,000 licen ed and unlicen ed active seafarers.
For more than 200 years a healthy
merchant fleet ha been cited as necessary for national defense. We don't
have that today.
Acee s to cargo i the only answer

I know to the problem of how to build
and maintain a merchant marine that
i adequate to develop commerce in
peace time and serve as an arm of the
Navy in war. Make cargo available to
U.S. ships and the industry will rebuild
itself. Cargo begets ships which beget
seafarers.
There are many way to get cargo
for U .S.-ftag ships. It would be simple
(and legal) for the pre ident to declare
that a certain percentage (10, 15, 20
percent, or even all) foreign seatrade
be carried on U.S. ship . But even
though cargo preference is practiced
by many countries, including the U.S.,
we all know that type of cargo preference will not happen.
We could reestablish and refund
construction and operating differential
subsidies. But under this administration it is highly unlikely to occur. Our
two bilateral agreements, with Brazil
and Argentina, are good examples that
bilaterals do work. But there has been
no effort on the part of the administration to enter into uch agreements.
There is another way to generate
cargo. I firmly believe that it is the
respon ibility of the entire citizenry
of a developed maritime nation to pay
for the maintenance of a merchant
marine. One way of doing this is a tax
incentive to exporters and importers
to use U .S.-flag ships. In this way, the
cost is spread equally between all
taxpayers, both individuals and indus-

try. In fact, such a tax incentive should
be substantial enough so that it would
even be po sible to specify not only
U .S.-ftagged ships, but U .S.-built ships
as well. And I have to tell you that I
do not know of another way, short of
a massive construction differential
subsidy, to do something about our
declining shipbuilding industry.
A tax incentive to importers and
exporters would provide a unique
melding of the benefits of both a cargo
preference law and a subsidy without
all the drawback associated with
either.
First, the cost of such a program,
unlike a cargo preference law, is spread
across the entire tax base, and is
offset. at least in part. by increased
tax revenue from the expanding maritime employment base. Second, there
is no direct subsidy to a specific segment of the industry, a concept which
is seemingly distasteful to a country
that likes to pride itself on competitiveness and free trade. Finally, the
provisions would be contained in our
internal revenue tax code, and therefore understood by a wider segment
of our society.
If we don't act, and act soon, we
can kiss what's left of the U.S. merchant marine goodbye. If we should
ever need ships to supply our troops
in time of war, maybe we could charter
a few hundred of the Soviets'.

A Special 'Thank You'
Last year John Cleveland, SIU cafeteria manager and SHLSS instructor,
was killed in an automobile accident.
His friends and employees at Union
headquarters and the SHLSS rai ed
everal thousand dollars to begin a
trust fund for hi son.
His widow Cheryl wrote the following letter to expres her thanks for the
help and support she and her son have
received since her hu band's death.
My Dear Friends,
I have tried a million times to write
this letter, but each time my emotion
have overwhelmed me. The passing
of time has allowed the sorrow at
losing John to lessen to the extent that
I can now handle it, but the generosity
and warmth I received from each and
every one of you is o beautiful I still
cry when I think about it.
When John died I was left with not

only my grief and sorrow but with
problems and debts and a tremendou
fear of the future. And you people
banded together to solve my problems
and ease my fear.
John loved the Lundeberg School
and was proud to be a U.I.W. member
and proud to work at the Seafarers
International headquarters. He would
be so proud if he knew what you have
done for his wife and child.
I wish that I were a poet. I wish I
could find the words to describe what
is in my heart. You honored John with
your good deeds, you gave a little boy
a chance in life, you added sunshine
to my heart when that heart was dark
with pain, and all I can give you in
return is my. thanks and my love.

Off1c1al Publ1cat1on of the Seafarers International Union ol
North Amenca, Atlanuc Gulf. La s and Inland Waters Oistr ct,
Af r1n

Apnl 1987

God Bless You,
Cheryl Cleveland

Vol 49. No 4

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

2 I LOG I April 1987

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Secretary

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 8990675. Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges. Md. 20790-9998 and at addit.ional
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md. 20746.

�Trade and Bilateral Bills Move Out of Committee
Two SIU-backed bills which could
help solve some unfair trading practices and boost the U .S.-flag share of
imported cargo were approved by the
House Merchant Marine and Fisheries
Committee.
H.R. 1290 would set up a system to
combat unfair foreign trade practices
in ocean shipping. If such practices
are found, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) would begin negotiations with that country to eliminate
them. If those talks could not resolve
the issue, the FMC could then impose
civil penalties or e tablish policies
which ''mimic'' those of the offending
country.
''This bill will spur our government

to move aggressively to combat unfair
transportation practices which harm
U.S. flag operators. Teddy Roosevelt
said, 'Walk softly and carry a big
stick.' For too long we have been
remembering only the first part of his
quote. If we pass H.R. 1290 we'll
finally have in our hands that big
stick," said Rep. Walter B. Jones (DN .C.), committee chairman.
Examples of unfair trading practices
include: cargo reservation schemes that
exclude the United States; integrated
supplier-transporter companies that
tend to monopolize trade; prohibiting
U.S. operators from operating trucking or rail links in foreign countries on

the same basis as is available to foreign
operators in the United States; restricting access by U.S. vessels by
imposing unreasonable time and dimension standards that are not applied
to their own carriers.
The bill, introduced by Jones and
with 43 cosponsors, may be included
in an omnibus trade bill Congre s is
expected to draft this ses ion.
The committee also pa sed legislation which would force the admini tration to enter into bilateral trade
agreements in certain circumstances.
H .R. 300 is sponsored by Rep. Mario
Biaggi (D-N.Y.).
The bill would require bilateral
agreements when a nation accounts

for more than 1 percent of U.S. waterborne trade with less than one-third
U.S.-flag carriage of the trade. Under
the plan, one third of the cargo would
be shipped on American vessels, one
third on vessels of the trading partner
and one third for other carriers.
''The primary goal is to assure that
while other maritime nations unfairly
divide up the world maritime business,
the United States is not just left with
the crumbs," Biaggi said.
There are 26 nations which fall into
the categories of the bill, mostly the
indu trialized nations of Europe and
the Far East, plus oil exporting countries.

Seamen's Union Leaders Jailed by Sandinistas
Two of the top leaders of the Nicaraguan Seamen's Union of Bluefields, who were guests of the SIU last
year and visited Union headquarters,
were arrested in Managua by state
security police in February. Their arrest has sparked the AFL-CIO and the
SIU to begin a campaign to win their
release.
The two men, whose whereabouts
are not known any longer but who
remain in custody, are union president
Dennis Britton and secretary of organization David Williams. No charges
have been filed against the pair, and
an attorney from the Confederation of
Trade Union Unity (CUS) has been
prevented from contacting the two.
Their arrest followed a takeover of
the formerly independent union by the
Sandinista government. The governm nt's action, the CUS said, was a
flagrant violation of the new Nicaraguan constitution, that country's labor
code and the covenants of the International Labor Organization.
"We may be able to help free these
two seamen through our efforts, the
efforts of our membership and the help
of U.S. union members. I urge Seafarers to take the time and write the
Nicaraguan government asking for the
release of the two," said SIU President Frank Drozak.
Please write to the following people

protesting the arre t of David Williams and Dennis Britton: President
Daniel Ortega, Casa Presidencial,
Managua, Nicaragua; Cmdte. Victor
Tirado Lopez, Direccion N acional del
FSLN, Barrio EL Carmen, Managua
Nicaragua; Ambassador Carlos Tunnerman, Embassy of Nicaragua, 1627
New Hampshire Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009.
IN ADDITION: Please ask your
Congressional representatives and
other elected officials to write letters
as well, and please send information
about this case to your local media.
Note: Please send copies of your
correspondence to: AIFLD, 1015 20th
St. NW., Washington, D.C. 20036;
and to the Inter-American Commission for Human and Trade Union
Rights, Apartado 6-7734, El Dorado,
Panama.
SAMPLE LETTERS
I am writing to protest the arrest of
two Nicaraguan union leaders on February 18. Their names are Dennis Britton and David William , from the Seamen's Union. Such actions severely
damage your government's claim to
plurali m. Your immediate action is
needed to secure the e men's release.
It is my understanding they are in jail
in Bluefields. I would appreciate hearing your reply.

MTD's Stephen J. Leslie Dies
MTD Vice President Stephen J.
Leslie, the last charter member of the
MTD Executive Board, died March 3.
He had retired in 1986 as first vice
president of the Operating Engineers
and as business manager of its Local
25.
He began his working career as a
wiper aboard a merchant vessel, the
S. S. Columbia, in 1934. He became
a member of the Operating Engineers
when he went to work as an engineer
on a water tunnel project in New York
in 1939.
Leslie became an IUOE organizer
for employees on dredges and floating
equipment along the East Coast and
on the Great Lakes. He was elected
vice president of the MTD in 1979. He
also was a member of the executive
board of the Maritime Port Council of
Greater New York &amp; Vicinity.

* * *
Our organization has been informed
that two leaders of the Seamen's Union
of Bluefields-Dennis Britton and
David Williams-were arrested by
your government on February 18 in
Bluefields. Prior to their arrest, your
Sandinista party organizers intervened
in their union election to insure its
subordination to Sandini ta control.
Your new constitution, a well a the
International Labor Organization,
prohibit uch violations of trade union
rights. We call on your government to
take immediate action to free the jailed
union leader and cease its interfer-

ence in independent unions.

* * *

On February 18, 1987, two union
leaders were arrested in Managua.
They are Dennis Britton and David
Williams from the Seamen's Union in
Bluefields. Isn't it time your government stopped persecuting such people
and started respecting trade union
rights? You rightfully condemn such
actions when they occur in South Africa and Chile. How are your government's actions any different? I would
hope you would move immediately to
ecure the relea e of Dennis Britton
and David Williams.

Cash Transfer Could Mean Cargo
The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a potentially important
amendment to the FY '88 Foreign Aid
bill by a vote of 18-10. If enacted into
law, it would encourage the purchase
of American manufactured goods and
agricultural products.
Widely known as the cash-transfer
amendment, the provision addresses
the manner in which the U.S. government provides aid to certain foreign
countries. Under present law, the U.S.
State Department gives ca h to foreign
nations as a kind of foreign aid. At
present, there is no requirement that
the cash be used to purchase U.S.
goods or services.
The amendment, which was introduced by Rep. Robert Torricelli (DN .J .), would require that the cash be
spent in the United States, and that a
minimum of 50 percent of the goods

purchased be transported on American-flag vessels.
''This is an important step in developing an overall trade policy,'' said
SIU President Frank Drozak. ''Most
other countries tie their foreign aid to
the purchase of goods made in that
country. It just doesn't make sense
for the United States to subsidize Argentinian wheat or Liberian-flag vessels. The Japanese don't do it and
neither should we.''
A similar amendment i pending
consideration in the Senate Foreign
Affairs Committee.
''Enactment of the cash transfer
amendment is a top legislative priority," said SIU Legislative Director
Frank Pecquex. "It is a small but vital
part of a comprehensive plan to stimulate economic development in the
American-flag merchant marine."

Title XI Narrowed In Marad Funding

Stephen

Le~lie

Both the House and Senate are trying
to find ways to overcome admini tration plans to cut the Marad budget
even further in Fiscal 1988.
The administration has proposed
elimination of the Title XI loan guarantee program, aid to state maritime
academies and all research and development funding. The Hou e Merchant
Marine and Fi heries Committee pa sed
its version, H.R. 953, with those items
funded but with some change in the
Title XI program. The Senate Merchant Marine Subcommittee began its
first round of hearings on the authorization.
Last year President Reagan vetoed
the Marad funding because of the loan

program and academy aid. In an attempt to overcome another veto, the
House committee eliminated all offshore oil and gas drilling rigs, support
vessels and river barges from the program.
Estimates show that up to 80 percent
of the loan defaults under the program
were from that segment of the maritime industry. The ban on Joans for
tho e vessels would last until 1990.
Even with the added funding over
the administration's request, the bill
is $11. 7 miJlion less than la t year's
funding. It authorizes $376.8 million
for Marad and $15.3 million for the
Federal Maritime Commission.
April 1987 I LOG I 3

�What Fast Turnaround?

.Stonewall Jackson's Long Trip Finally Pays Off
The Stonewall Jackson (Waterman
Steamship) was about 24 hours west
of Gibraltar on the last leg of its regular
Middle Eastern run last December. It
had been several months since the
crew had seen the States. It would be
a lot longer before they finally got
home.
Major mechanical problems hit the
LASH ship, and it was adrift for nine
days before tugs finally took the Stonewall Jackson to Libson, Portugal for
repairs. Those repairs took another
six weeks.

AB Robert Christensen (left) and Norfolk
Patrolman David "Scrap Iron" Jones finish
up some paperwork at payoff.

"Lisbon is a good city. Everybody
had a chance to see a lot of it. It has
a beautiful harbor. It's a typical old
European city and we had good weather
for December and January," said AB
Ivey Cox who was paying off at Norfolk where the ship was anchored for
a couple days as Seafarers signed on
and off.
While Cox enjoyed the chance to
explore Lisbon, AB Robert Christensen, a Seafarer since 1958, remembered his stay there a bit differently.
"Lisbon is too damn expensive," he
said.
When Norfolk Patrolman David
"Scrap Iron" Jones, with the help of
Seafarer Herbert M. Davis, boarded
the Jackson for the payoff, they found
a few minor beefs to take care of, but
mostly they found a lot of crewmembers who were happy to ee the end
of the voyage.
The Jackson had picked up a couple
of new crewmen in New York, including an energetic and talkative Big
Apple native, ''Big Mac from Bay
Ridge." A steward assistant, "Big
Mac's" voice was easy to pick out of
a group of mostly Southern Seafarers.
When the Stonewall Jackson steamed
out of Newport News in the middle
of March, it was the start of an almost
three month voyage that would take
her to Egypt, through the Suez Canal,
to Pakistan, India, Singapore, turn
around and head back through the
Canal and home in June.
No stop is scheduled in Lisbon this
trip.

... ·:··::·:t·.:·.~

Steward Assistant Nelson Corey Jones sets
a table in the officer's mess. After the long
trip, Jones was looking forward to the next
port, his home--New Orleans.

QMED James "Tidewater" Tyson planned
to use his free time on the voyage to complete
several songs a major song publishing company is interested in.

Launch pilot John Zeroes of the SIU-contracted Virginia Launch Service, checks his
radar on the short, but very foggy trip to the Stonewall Jackson. Zernes has been working
pilot boats for seven years in the Tidewater area.

After a short but foggy trip to the Stonewall Jackson, crewmembers climb aboard.

4 I LOG I April 1987

Franklin Robenson, chief cook (left), QMED James "Tidewater Tyson (back to the
camera) and Herbert Davis share a laugh on the launch deck.

�"Big Mac from Bay Ridge," steward assistant and camera hog, slows down long
enough to have his picture taken.

Launch Deckhand Dean Everton in the
wheelhouse of the Virginia Launch Service
boat. A former Inland Boatman with Dixie
Carriers, Everton also worked for Shawn's
Launch Service before it went out of business and reformed as the SIU-contracted
Virginia Launch Service.

Hoping his trip won't be as eventful as the Stonewall Jackson's last run (nine days adrift
and six weeks in a Lisbon shipyard), Steward Assistant "Big Mac from Bay Ridge" waves
to the crewmembers getting off in Newport News.

After a five minute trip through the Newport News fog, the Stonewall Jackson appeared from the mist.
Launch Deckhand Dean Everton casts away the line as he
readies for the trip to the Stonewall Jackson.

ABs Robert Christensen (left) and Ivey Cox
wait for payoff. QMED James Tyson is on the
couch.
Seafarer Herbert Davis, who assisted on the payoff, and Chief Cook
C.C. Williams pose in the galley.

AB Larry "Stash" Combs and Norfolk Patrolman David
"Scrap Iron" Jones discuss the upcoming trip as they
wait for the launch to take them to the Stonewall Jackson.

April 1987 I LOG I 5

�...

SIU's Baltimore Boatmen
Photos by Frank Paladino

The Kings Point (Curtis Bay).

On the Cape Charles (Curtis Bay), Deckhand Milton Sheckells
takes a break to feed some of the ducks in the harbor.

In Baltimore Harbor, the Hermes (Baker-Whiteley Towing) comes alongside the tug America. On the deck of the Hermes are (I. to r.)
Chief Engineer Manuel Alvarez and Deckhands Ronald Neibert and Bob Macalinski.

Onboard the Cape Charles (Curtis Bay) are (I. to r .) Chief Engineer Herman Mooney,
Deckhands Anthony Roman and Milton Sheckells and Mate V. Clinton Belcher.

6 I LOG I April 1987

Deckhands Ronald Neibert and Bob Macalinski ready to tie up the Hermes to her
Baltimore dock.

�In the Port of Philadelphia

New
Pensioners

ABOVE: Aboard the Cape May
(Curtis Bay) in Philadelphia, Pa.
are (seated I. to r. ) Charles Cappello, steward; Kirk Fr~mmer ,
deckhand, and Jim Flanagan ,
oiler. Standing is Billy O ' Neill ,
mate.

The following Inland members have
retired on pension:
Houston
Benjamin Fitte
Anthony J . Violante
Jacksonville
Harold Moll
Norfolk
Joe T. Daniels
Lawrence G. Fagan
Carlton M. Hodges

In Memoriam
William C. Bryant, 64 , died March
27 of a heart attack. Boatman Bryant
joined the Union in 1956 and worked
for G&amp;H Towing since 1960 as a deckhand. He was buried in Grace Memorial Park in Santa Fe, Texas. Brother
Bryant is survived by his widow,
Odetta.
Robert J. Miller, 52,
died Jan. 25. Brother
Miller sailed with
Sheridan Transportation. Born in Connecticut, he was cremated at Clearwater
Cremation Society
in Florida. Seafarer
Miller is survived by his widow. Jane.
Pensioner John C. Simpson, 66, died
March 8. Brother Simpson joined the
Union in 1961. He sailed in the deck
department and as a tugboat captain ,
last sailing with McAllister Brothers.
Boatman Simpson went on pension in
1982. He was buried at Rosewood
Memorial Park in Virginia Beach, Va.
and is survived by his sister, Connie.
Pensioner August J. Wojciechowski ,
64, died Feb. 6 in Baltimore, Md. of
a heart attack. He joined the Harbor
Inland Waterways (a precursor to the
IBU) in 1957 and sailed with Sonat
Marine until he went on pension in
1980. Boatman Wojciechowski was
buried in St. Stanislaus Cemetery. He
is survived by his widow , Bertha.

• • •

RIGHT : Mike Albaugh, captain
of the Tug McGraw (Taylor Marine Towing) in Philadelphia.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
MARCH 1-31, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED

All Groups
Ciass A Class B

Port
Gloucester ...... . .. . .. . . .. ... . ... .
New York ... .......... . ...... .... .
Philadelphia . . . ..... . . . .... .... .. . .
Baltimore .. . .... . . .. . ... .. .. . .. .. .
Norfolk .............. .. . . ....... .
Mobile . . . ....... . ... . .. ....... .. .
New Orleans . . . .. . . . ... . .. .. . .. ... .
Jacksonville . . ... . ....... ....... .. .
San Francisco . .. . .. .. .. .... .. ..... .
Wilmington .. .. . . . . . ..... .. . .... .. .
Seattle . . . .. .. .. . .......... . . . ... .
Puerto Rico . ............... ... .. . .
Houston ......... . .. . ... .. ....... .
Algonac ............... . . . ........ .
St. Louis ................ ....... . .
Piney Point ....... . ............... .
Totals .. . . . .......... . . . .. . .... . .

TOTAL SHIPPED

Class C

**REGISTERED ON BEACH

Class C

All Groups
Class A Class B

Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

0
0
3
4
48

0
0
0
0
2
0
0
3
3
0
0
63

0
0
0
0
10
1
1
3
0
3
0
0
4
3
1
0

26

0
0

1
0
0
0
0
4
0
10
0
0
4
0
9
0
28

Port
Gloucester .. . .... . ...... . . .. .. . ..
New York .................. . .....
Philadelphia . .......... . ...... . .. .
Baltimore . .......... . ...... .. . . . .
Norfolk ........ . . . ... . ..........
Mobile . . . .. ................ . . . ..
New Orleans ...... . ......... . .....
Jacksonville ......... . ...... . ... ..
San Francisco ..... . .. . ............
Wilmington . ..................... .
Seattle ..... . . . ....... . . . ....... .
Puerto Rico ...... . ...... .. .......
Houston . ............... . . .. .....
Algonac . . .. . ......... . ..........
St. Louis .. ...... . ...... . . . . . ....
Piney Point . . . . .... . . . . . ..........
Totals ......... . .......... . .....

All Groups
Class A Class B

0
0
0
5

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

40

7

0

0
0
1
0
29
0
0
2
0
0
0

0
1
1
0
20
0
0
1
0
0
0

0
1
4
0
11
0
0
0
0
10
0

77

30

0
0
4
4
48
3

0
0

0
16
0
0
6
26
1

1

26

169

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
19

1
0
2

0

14
0

0
4
38
0
0

78

0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0

15

0
0
3
0
6
1
28

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

0
0
0
0
10
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
2
3
0
0
15

0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
2

0
0
8

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

Port

0
0
0
0
7
0

0
0
0
0
2
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0

1

0

0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
8

0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
5

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

15

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
7

22
0
0

0
0
0
0
7
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
3
20
0
0

44

31

0
0
0
0
7
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
16
0
0
1

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

10

6

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0

1
0

0

0
4

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Gloucester ... . ............ ... .. .. .
New York .............. ... .. . ... . .
Philadelphia . ...... ...... . ........ .
Baltimore ... . . .. . . .. . . . .. .... .... .
Norfolk . . .. .. ...... . . . ... .. .... . .
Mobile ....... . .... .. .. . . . ...... . .
New Orleans . . ... . ... . .. . . . . .. .. .. .
Jacksonville .... . ......... .. ... . . . .
San Francisco .. . .... . ........ . .... .
Wilmington .............. . .. .. .... .
Seattle .. . ... ...... . . . . .......... .
Puerto Rico ....... . ... . . .... . . ... .
Houston .. ..... .. ........ .... . . .. .
Algonac . ..... ..... . . . . .. . .. ... .. .
St. Louis .. . .. . . . .. . ... ... . . .. . .. .
Piney Point .. . .... .. ... ... . ... . ... .
Totals .................. .. ...... .

0
0
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

Totals All Departments ... .... . ... . ... .

86

35

0
0
5

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
8

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

34

93

36

27

0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
0

0

0

0
0
0
0
7

0
0
0
0
1

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0

0

0

18

0
23

1
0
6

231

132

32

1
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.

April 1987 I LOG I 7

�Area Vice Presidents' Report

West Coast
by V. P. George McCartney

T

HE SIU has been playing an active role in local elections out
here. The political strength of Los
Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley is being
tested in a series of elections for the
city council and tate assembly. If the
candidates he backs do poorly, then
he can expect heavy opposition in next
year's mayoralty race.
Particularly important i the race for
the council seat in the city's 10th
District, where Bradley and much of
organized labor is backing Homer
Broome Jr. Broome's political resume
bears a striking similarity to that of
Bradley, his political mentor. Like
Bradley, Broome was part of the first
group of black policemen to desegregate the L.A. force 25 years ago.
In other local races, the SIU is
backing Cecil Green for the 33rd State
Senate seat and Lucille Royball Allard
for the 53rd District. Again, the SIU
is involved in these races because
some of these candidates will inevitably go on to higher office. It is an
investment in this Union's future.
The Union also has been supporting
a heavily publicized strike against CBS
Studios by the Writers Guild. This is
just one more instance of how the SIU
practices grassroots labor solidarity.
A local boycott against Miller Beer
proved to be less successful after several unions broke ranks, and Miller
filed a $22 million lawsuit against the
Operating Engineers Local 501. Still,
the SIU stood solid with the Operating
Engineers until they decided to pull
the plug on the strike.
In San Francisco, Nancy Pelosi was
the top Democratic vote-getter in a
special electio°" to succeed the lat~
Sala Burton. Pelosi is practically a
shoo-in to win a run-off against her
Republican challenger.
One final word about Sala Burton:
She was a good friend of maritime and
labor. She and her husband Philip did
all that they could to promote the
American-flag merchant marine. Seamen have lost a good friend.

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

N

EGOTIATIONS have been going
on in the Mobile area with Pilot

81 LOG I April 1987

Service and Radcliffe Materials. We
hope to have these wrapped up shortly.
Shipping has been particularly good
for the entire region. Leading the way,
as usual, has been the military work
that we've been able to pick up.
It is important for our members to
understand that this military work is
the wave of the future. The only new
work that is being created in the maritime industry is onboard Navy vessels
that have been contracted out to the
private sector.
I therefore urge all SIU members to
upgrade their kills at Piney Point.
And remember: Political action is the
key to job ecurity. It gives me great
pleasure to report that seamen shipping out of Houston have one of the
highest rates of SPAD and MDL contributions.

bad." By any other standard than that,
he is one of the most effective governors in the nation.
Nearby in Norfolk, a contract at
Northeast Towing was signed and ratified. Negotiations continue at the
S.T.C. Little Curtis Company.

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike Sacco

N ow

East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

T

HE Seafood Producers Trial is
slowly winding down. We expect
the NLRB to make some kind of
determination within a month or two.
The problems that have plagued the
American fishing industry over the
past two years have not abated. Accidents are at near-epidemic levels.
The cost of liability insurance is prohibitive.
More important, Canadian fishing
products have inundated the American
market. The SIU is therefore closely
monitoring ''free trade'' talks between
the United States and Canada. Canadian fishermen already possess certain
advantages over their American counterparts (do e government cooperation, large sub idies). The wholesale
opening of the American market to
Canadian market might prove to be
the straw that broke the camel's back.
Still, there is some good news. New
Bedford remains the largest American
fishing port. Gloucester remains in the
top 10, despite efforts by local politicians to hand over the waterfront to
real estate interests.
Elsewhere on the East Coast, Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer, who was backed by the SIU in
the last election, is completing a highly
uccessful legislative session. Ninetyfive percent of the bills he placed on
hi priority list were enacted into law,
including a controversial plan to build
two tadiums--one for the Orioles,
the other for a prospective NFL team
to replace the Colts, who ran off to
Indianapolis.
A self-styled perfectioni t, Schaefer
said that this meant he was '' 5 percent

that winter i finally over,
Great Lakes seamen are able to
ship out again. No other region greets
spring with greater enthusiasm.
Still, a cloud hangs over the area.
The Great Lakes maritime industry
finds itself on the wrong end of a
ticking time bomb. Free trade talks
between the United States and Canada
threaten to complicate an already bleak
picture.
Mel Pelfry, a spokesman for the
Great Lakes Task Force, says that
any agreement that opens up domestic
shipping to Canadian vessels could
spell an end to the American maritime
industry on the Great Lakes. As it is,
American vessels carry less than 5
percent of all trade between the United
States and Canada.
The free trade talks have stalled
over disagreements over the question
of acid rain. Meanwhile, the Union
has worked hard to protect the interests of its members on a local level.
We're still in negotiations with a number of companies to secure contracts
for our members. These companies
include the following: Bigane Vessel
Fueling, Dunbar and Sullivan, and
Great Lakes Dredge and Dock_.
One more thing: the SIU in Cleveland is gearing up to support Senator
Howard Metzenbaum' s re-election bid
next year. Metzenbaum, a strong supporter of the maritime industry and
the labor movement, is expecting formidable opposition.

for contracting-out (Circular A-76) MSC
ships to private steamship companies.
Nothing could be further from the
truth.
The facts are, the Reagan administration is of the opinion that the price
of retirement for federal Civil Service
employees is too high, not only for
employees of the Military Sealift Command but for federal employees in all
federal agencies. It is the aim of the
administration to eliminate as many
federal employees as possible, at the
same time, any new or temporary
workers will be and are being put
under the Social Security Retirement
System.
The Civil Service Retirement System will, one day in the near future,
become a thing of the past for all
federal employees. A new retirement
system for all federal employees became effective Jan. I, 1984 with the
passage of Public Law 98-21 which
states in part: Federal employees hired
after Dec. 31, 1983 will be covered by
Social Security. A second law, Public
Law 98-168, provided for a transition
period from Jan. 1, 1984 to Jan. 1,
1986 for employees hired after Dec.
31, 1983. During this period employees
were fully covered under the Civil
Service Retirement System (CSRS)
and Social Security benefits. This period was extended to Dec. 31, 1986
with the passage of Public Law 99-335
which established the new Federal
Employees Retirement System (PERS).
The new Federal Employees Retirement System became effective Jan. 1,
1987 with all new employees hired
after Dec. 31, 1983 automatically covered by FERS. Employees currently
covered by CSRS can make an irrevocable election to transfer to FERS
between July 1 and Dec. 31, 1987;
however, certain transition rules apply. Before making any change, all
employees now under CSRS should
study and compare all information
concerning this subject, and understand thoroughly what it means. The
SIU will forward any and all information to all MSCPAC ships as it is
received.
Another subject that should be addressed is that of retroactive money
due all unlicensed marine employees
in all departments. Retro money on
all premium of 2 percent in two increments, from .April 1, 1985 to Sept. 30,
1986 and from Oct. I, 1985 to June
15, 1986. This money has been promised by the end of April 1987.
Retroactive money on base wages
of 3 1/2 percent due for the period April
1, 1985 to May 15, 1986 will be paid
at a later date.

Welfare Change

Government Services
Division
by V. P. Buck Mercer

T

HERE are still a number of
MSCP AC marine employees who
are under the misapprehension that
labor organizations were the reason

The Welfare Plan rules have
been amended to provide as follows: If an eligible employee has
designated a beneficiary to receive his/her death benefit, such
beneficiary will be entitled to
receive the full benefit payable
under the rules and regulations.
If a beneficiary has not been
designated, the estate of the deceased employee shall be entitled
to receive a $1000 benefit for
funeral expenses.

�Conveyorman Ed Fabian in the workshop.

The MIV Buffalo (American Steamship) readies for the 1987 season at her
dock in Toledo.

Wiper Richard Glowacki signs articles for another season.
The QMEDs take a coffee break. From left are Tim Wallace, Rick Piper and Dave
Sparling.

Fitoot
on the

Great Lakes

g

87
...

Photos by:
CHUCK SVENSON
Algonac Port Agent Jack Allen with the steward department, from left, Chief Cook Duwayne Schoeneck,
Porter Missed Ali and Second Cook Julian Budnick.
April 1987 I LOG I 9

�Fitout makes for hearty appetites. At the lunch table are, clockwise from left, Deckhand
Joe Hance, Watchmen Dave Grigg and Eugene Repko, Wheelsman John Norton, Deckhand
Ron Bochek, Bosun Dave Morgan, Wheelsmen John Church and Conrad Norbotton, and
Watchman Lee Allen.

The American Republic (American Steamship) at port
in Cleveland.

Standing before the massive conveyor boom are Conveyorman Dewey
Sak, left, and Gateman Cliff Kracht.

Algonac Port Agent Jack Allen checks books and clinic cards.
10 I LOG I April 1987

Watchman Eugene Repco on deck.

�Chief Cook Herb Jacobs, right, and Second Cook Harry Petersen make a good team.
Messman Yehiam Kaid ladles out hot soup for the hungry
crew.

Bosun Dave Morgan supervised fitout activities on deck.

Deckhand Joe Hance makes a safety check on fire hoses.

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April 1987ILOGI11

�Watchman Robert Allen, left, and Wheelsman Kenneth Johnson take a
break.

Bosun Jim Shupert checks out the hatch lift.

'

-

..,
The Paul Thayer slips past Lorain Harbor Light on a short trip from
Cleveland.

QMED George Nelson takes a coffee break.
12 I LOG I April 1987

,..

-I

Deckhand Leonard Scott secures the forward line as the Paul Thayer ties up.

�Deckhand Tom Hocking at twilight in Lorain.
QMED Adam H. Smith is going to retire in November after 41 years on
the lakes.

AB Watchman Mohamed Muthana in the messroom.

Donald Maskell is gateman with many years experience.

Deckhand Tom Hocking takes the stern line ashore.

Conveyorman Bill Truax has sailed with Pringle for many years.
April 1987 I LOG I 13

�The Indiana Harbor (American Steamship) at her dock in Lackawanna, N.Y.

Deckhand Rod Smith.

Second Cook Kirk Diener and Porter Roger Flaherty in the galley.

QMED Ed Savickas, engine delegate, signs the SIU Ship's Delegates
Report.

Watchman Nels Johnson, left, and QMEDs Fred Vance, center, and
Gerard Anderson at lunch.

-

14 I LOG I April 1987

Deckhand Saleh Saleh with an abandoned U.S. Steel mill in the background.

�American Steamship's new maintenance crew program is under way, and the first of
those crews was aboard the Indiana Harbor. Deep in the aft tunnel sump area were
QMED Work Leader John Litzner, left, and Helpers Drew Sample, center, and Harold
Walkey.

Gateman Jess MacLeod, left, and Conveyorman Carmen Powell take a
break.

Chief Cook Harry Stockman keeps everybody happy, including the mates,
Ted LaLonde, third mate, and Duane Demby, second mate.

Wheelsman Cliff Cadreau, left, and Chief Cook Harry
Stockman have been shipmates for 12 years.

The Indiana Harbor sailed March 31 for the upper lakes.
April 1987 I LOG I 15

�QMED Michael McCabe gets ready to begin fitout work.

QMED Larry Kaczrowski cleans and readies components of the big diesel engine.

QMED Al Ragnoni at the workbench in the engineroom shop.

Wiper Fred Piotrowski is
back for another season.

-

16 I LOG I April 1987

Second Cook Ali Ahmed, right, and Porter Saleh
Rashid get things organized on their first day
aboard for the new season.

Algonac Port Agent Jack Allen talks with Conveyorman Robert Billman,
center, and Assistant Conveyorman Walter Lesczynski, at left.

�Kilauea Steward Wins Honors
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC

A

POLLO Beltran of the USNS
Kilauea has been elected a winner in the MSCP AC A ward of Excellence category for chief stewards. Capt.
W.T. Dannheim, COMSCPAC , made
the presentation to Beltran in early
April while the Kilauea crewman was
in Oakland. The annual award recognizes sustained superior performance
among mariners in seven different job
categories.
'Tm pleased to recognize the top
performers in the fleet, and Mr. Beltrain is certainly one of them," said
Capt. Dannheim during brief ceremonies at MSCP AC headquarters.
"The USNS Kilauea is a tough, hard
working ship and the morale out there
remains high because of people like
Apollo Beltran."
A 20-year submarine veteran of the
Navy, Beltran joined MSCPAC in 1981
as a steward-utilityman. He served on
nine MSCPAC ships before being assigned to the Kilauea in February
1986. Beltran, in addition to distinguishing himself and his department

with quality food and service , introduced " Pizza Night" every Saturday
aboard the ammunition ship when she
was out at sea and provided popcorn
on the mess decks during weekend
bingo games. The popular chief steward also helps out on ship parties away
from the ship when the vessel is in
port.
"I try to understand the morale of
a ship and contribute my services to
making it better," Beltran explained
after receiving his Award of Excellence. "My priority is making sure our
mariners have three good meals a day.
Then I always try to give them something extra.
"I know the crew is working hard.
If I can give them something good,
everybody's happy, including me."
Other MSCP AC A ward of Excellence winners, each of whom receives
a $2,000 check, include Third Deck
Officer Willard W. Bickford; Bosun
Hans H. Rook; Assistant Storekeeper
Samuel Rosen; Oiler Edward Shirley;
Chief Cook Edward C. Green II, and
Chief Engineer Per R. Tyrin.

Profile: The Kawishiwi's Carpenter
The USNS Kawishiwi (T-AO 146)
was in Oakland recently for repair and
maintenance work after undergoing a
three-month Material Readiness Upgrade Program at a Tacoma, Wash.
shipyard to extend the life of the veteran MSCPAC ship.
Built by the New York Shipbuilding
Corporation at Camden, N.J., where
her keel was laid in October 1953, the
fleet oiler was launched a year later
and commissioned i~July 1955. After
24 years of service with a U.S. Navy
crew, the Kawishiwi was decommissioned in Oakland and turned over to
Military Sealift Command, Pacific, in
October 1979. The 38,000 ton vessel
is one of six Neosho-class oilers and
has a cargo capacity of approximately
180,000 barrels of liquid fuel.
SEAL/FT went aboard the Kawishiwi in April to talk to a sampling of
her talented, interesting crew before
she headed back to her normal operating area in Southern California.

W

ithout hesitation, A. D. Engleman says MSC has allowed him
to have some of the greatest jobs of
I.is life. "If I have a job that to me is
a hobby, what else could you ask for?''
reasons the carpenter aboard the Kawishiwi. "This isn't work. It's a
hobby-and I enjoy it, whether it's
carpentry or working as an able bodied
seaman or a bosun.
"Yessir, these are some of the finest
jobs a man could have. You make
your living from your hobby. What
else could you ask for?''

A.D. Engleman, Ship's Carpenter

For most of his life, Engleman has
asked for little and given a lot. Born
and raised in Waterloo, Iowa, his curiosity about how things worked led
him to a lifelong fascination for puzzles
and a vocation in locksmithing.
''A lock is nothing more than a
puzzle,'' says Engleman, a regi tered,
bonded and certified locksmith. After
retiring from the Navy in 1968 a a
chief bosun ' s mate with 22 years of
military service, he opened up a locksmith company in San Diego. After
seven years of midnight calls to open
up locked cars and dealing with a
sometimes unappreciative public, Engleman called it quits.
"I made lots of money ," he recall ,
''but I never had any time for myself.
Then there were the constant hassles
over payment. I didn't need the problems, so I got out of the business."
Engelman and his family left San
Diego and moved to Carson City,
Nev., where he took a job with the

Chief Steward Apollo Beltran (right) receives award from Capt. W. T. Dannheim,
COMSCPAC.

state prison as sergeant in charge of
the_ culinary division. His work allowed him to interview most of the
burglars in prison where he learned a
few things from the inmates.
"I thought I was a good safe man
until I talked to some of those rascals," he laughed. "They gave me the
cream of my safeopening education.''
Engelman quit his prison job the
day two inmates were killed, then
worked briefly for a Carson City newspaper as a proofreader before accepting a position with MSCPAC in 1980.
He served aboard the USNS Myer,
Taluga and Kilauea until his recent
assignment aboard the Kawishiwi.
His locksmith skills have come in
handy aboard ship. When he was on
the Myer, military department personnel accidentally locked themselve~ out
of radio central when the safe lock on
the door wouldn't turn. "Everybody
panicked," confided Engleman. "They
thought they'd have to get a torch or
cut through the safe. I opened it up
for them after I told everybody to turn
their back to me for a few seconds. I
didn't want to share my secret but it
was easy to open."
Engleman set up the complex master key system on the Kilauea and did
the same thing on the Myer. In Oakland recently, he was called upon to
open a safe at MSCPAC headquarters.
Hi personnel file is filled with letter
of appreciation and commendations
for his locksmith work which has saved
the government thousands of dollars.
His inventiveness in creating ways
to repair locks without destroying them
and making tools to open up locked
cars without damaging them has won
him praise and national awards from
the locksmith industry. And yet, he'
never patented his inventions because
he says he didn't believe there was
any reason to do so.
"I've got all the money I need,"

says the lanky carpenter. "If I had
millions of dollars, I might be the most
evil person on earth 'cause I could
think of more ways to ruin my morals
than any person I've ever known."
An avid reader who estimates he's
read about 10,000 books in his lifetime,
Engleman is always trying to learn
something new. He has A.A. degrees
in mathematics and accounting, and
once taught elementary math to Filipino children through the Navy's
Handclasp Program. He's a licensed
emergency medical technician (EMT) ... _
and a licensed EMT instructor.
"I've got to keep my mind busy,"
he says. "I can't stand being bored."
For those who are easily bored and
restless, Engleman advises them not
to seek a maritime career. "You've
got to be able to stand regimentation
and discipline-regimentation that
comes from your supervisor and discipline that will · have to come from
yourself,'' says the veteran seaman.
"Once you've got the problems of
regimentation, discipline and boredom
solved, the sea's going to be a snap.
You 're going to think it's the nicest
job God ever gave someone on earth."

(Next month this section will profile
Aleck Dorsey, third steward aboard
the Kawishiwi.)

"Here's a NEW
TAX LAW tip"
The new tax law requires that
all employees file a new Form
W-4 before October 1, 1987 ...
but file it now so you can make
sure the right amount of tax is
being withheld. Your employer
or the IRS has the forms and
instructions.

-----A Public S-Vlcr at'U-1-

April 1987 I LOG I 17

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

MARCH 1-31, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac ...... ... .. . .... . . .. .

20

17

3

27

Port
Algonac .... . . . . .. . . ... .. . .. .

9

10

0

15

Port
Algonac . . ........ . .... . ... . .

Frank Drozak, President
Joe DiGiorgio, Secretary
Leon Hall, Vice President
Angus " Red" Campbell, Vice President
Mike Sacco, Vice President
Joe Sacco, Vice President
George McCdrtney, Vice President
Roy A. Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

DECK DEPARTMENT

30

33

4

0

0

19

0

3

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
8
4
0

0

9

2

21

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

0

16

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

Port
Algonac ... . .......... . . . ....

21

4

15

HEADQUARTERS

0

54

6

115
50
35
0
30
Totals All Departments ........
49
8
53
*"Total Registered" means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month.
**"Registered on the Beach" means the total number of men registered at the port at the end of last month.

12

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
MARCH 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 . .. . . ..... . . .. .. .
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

50
6
12
10
15
41
27
25
26
32
16
7
46
0
2

315

37
3
9
5
7
34
29
34
5
23
11
4
26
0
9

236

8
1
10
7
3
5
10
10

6
9
4
12
7
0
5

97

3
2
1
5
3
5

2
5
2
8

1
15
2
0
3

57

17

8

2

1
0
1
0
0
3
4
2
0
0
22
0
0

0
0
0
3
2
3
2
12
4
1
0
4
2
0
0

33

0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
2
1
0
12
0
0
0

18

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Trip
Reliefs

30
28
17
12
24
13
6
34
0
1

DECK DEPARTMENT
11
0
1
0
5
0
2
9
2
2
1
4
7
2
7
10
1
3
4
1
2
0
10
8
1
3
0
0
4
0

11
0
0
1
1
8
3
4
0
3
1
4
7
0
0

24
3
5
6
6
9
29
14
10
17
5
6
18
0
5

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
1
0
0
0
2
0
4
0
2
0
5
2
2
0
4
1
6
0
5
0
0
0
12
9
4
0
0
0
0
2

45
1
6
12
10

399

157

49

30

12

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
12
1
0
1
1
0
1
0
6
4
1
0
1
9
0
10
1
115
6
0
30
1
7
4
7
0
18
2
0
2
8
0
15
18
2
12
0
0
0
0
0
13
0
3

190

218

17

0
1
0
0
0
1
0
7
2
0
0
17
0
0
0

28

137

23
2
6
5
1
14
12
37
8
26
13
7
9
0
1

31
3
3
14
8
18
10
20
8
13
1
91
11
0
9

4
1
1
4
1
22
0
18
9
2
0
145
4
0
27

12
1
1
5
0
13
4
14
6
27
0
6
11
0
0

2
4
9
28
13
47
11
24
5
7
14
0
7

70

Port
New York .. . ... ... . .... .
Philadelphia .... .. ....... .
Baltimore .. .. . ......... .
Norfolk . . .. . ... . ....... .
Mobile .. .... . ..........
New Orleans . ..... .. . . .. .
Jacksonville . . ... .. .. . .. ..
San Francisco ... .... ... . ..
Wilmington . . .. ..........
Seattle ..... . . . ... .. ....
Puerto Rico ..... .. . . . . ...
Honolulu .. .... ... .. . . ...
Houston ...... ... .... ...
St. Louis ... .. .. .. . . . . . ..
Piney Point ............. .
Totals . ..... ...........

164

240

238

100

Totals All Departments ..... .

905

612

317

793

49

26

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
16
2
1
2
2
1
5
3
7
0
13
10
13
1
13
6
2
0
11
1
0
0
99
65
1
6
0
0
4
15

** REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

92
7
12
20
17
84
46
56
42
50
32
10

66
0
3

18
4
9
7
4
9
21
11
6
10

4
15
11
0
1

1
1
1
4
0
3
3
11
5
1
0
4
1
0
0

43

537

130

35

8
0
1
2
0
4
5
3
4
3
1
2
1
0
0

70
5
12

9
2
1
7
4
11
5
3
2
12
1
15
3
0
7

2
1
0
1
0
1
1
2
3
2
0
9
0
0
0

10

8
63
38
43
16
29
23
7
45
0
5

34

374

82

22

5
1
0
0
0
6
5
7
0
8
0
55
2
0
0

37
1
3
8
6
47
20
75
21
38
9
7
22
0
4

13
2
2
2
0
1
4
9
3
2
1
22
0
0

1
1
0
0
0
1
0
6
2
0
0
29
0
0
0

10

89

298

71

40

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

43
3

33
7
4
15
10
26
8
37
18
32
9
93
19
0
7

9
5
0
3
1
30
4
20
12
3
0
223
5
0
25

148

151

0

316

219

166

8

11
2
29
11
82
22
35
12
6
21
0
1

28

318

340

1,495

601

437

*"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 March was up from the month of February. A total of 1,494 jobs were shipped
on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,494 jobs shipped, 793 jobs or about 53 percent were taken by
"A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 166 trip relief jobs
were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 4,805 jobs have been shipped.
18 I LOG I April 1987

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110
HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434
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. 027 40
(617) 997-5404
NEW 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) 441-1960
ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500
WILMINGTON, Calif.
510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�SHLSS Introduces a New Course

The Lavino Sanitation Course
In its continuing efforts to meet
the needs of the industry, the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School
of Seamanship has instituted a
new course titled Lavino Sanitation. This course was designed,
at the request of the Lavina Shipping Company, to further educate
Steward personnel in all phases of
shipboard sanitation, shipboard
safety, leadership and communications.
The
six-week
course
concentrates on nutrition, menu
planning, table service, how to
present food, purchasing and
inventory, and storing and

rece1vmg. There is practical
application in the areas of
supervision, preparation of meals,
clean-up activities and state room
services supervision. First Aid,
CPR and Fire Fighting have been
incorporated into the course to
cover all areas of safety.
This course is a refresher course
for most steward personnel.
Students are hand picked through
the ports, and graduates are
expected to sail on Lavino Ships.
Interested Stewards can contact
their SIU Port Agent for more
information.

Touring the SIU Manpower facilities are (I. to r.) Richard Lemon, Marie
Longo, Ba_rt Rogers, Admiral Tierney and Ken Conklin.

~.\

The Lavino ship De Steiguer, is one of the vessels which Lavino Sanitation
Course graduates can expect to sail on.

Admiral Tierney discusses· the goals of the Lavi no

~

Sa~itation

Course.

==American Institute for Free Labor Development Tour SHLSS========

.•

Bill Hellwege explains the capabilities of the manpower system to
members of AIFLD.

~

».

Members of the American Institute for Free Labor Development pose for a
picture after touring the SHLSS facilities.
April 1987 I LOG I 19

�U.S. Government donates barge to SHLSS

The Army 73rd Transportation Port Group, from Fort Eustis, Virginia,
delivers a 75 foot flat barge to SHLSS. This barge was donated by the U.S.
Government to be used for Sealift training.

-SHLSS COURSE GRADUATE~

Ref rlgeratlon Maintenance &amp; Operations
Front row: (I. to r.)Gregorio Madera, John Day. Second row:
Eric Malzkuhn (Instructor), John Herrlein, Rafael Matos,
Bob Bryant, Donald Cox, Michael Hurst, Buddy McBride.

Seallft Operations and Maintenance
First row: (I. to r.) Rebecca Paullot, Pamela Taylor, Carlos Pineda, Crissy Wright, Pete
Sanchez, Michael Murphy, M. Bolger. Second row: John Ballentine, Doriana Schmeltz, C. T.
Poggioli, Russ Williams, Ray Brown, Cigi Grycko, Mark Trepp, Diana Nason, Robbynson Suy,
Third row: Paul Domes, Werner Becher, John Orr, 0. C. Wiley, Jr., Tim Tierney, Othman Bin
Chik, Marvin Zimbo, Tony Mohammed, Henry Bouganim, Harry Alongi (Instructor).

C'lllege Program
First row: (I. to r.) Brian Krus, M. Lynch Charles Petersen.
Second row: Kenji Hoffman, Richard Robertson, Harry
Berggren, Tom Hogan.
·

FOWT
Able Seaman
First row: (I. to r.) Green Hoskins, Mitchell Santana, Larry
Martin. Second row: John Kolwe, Tim Smith, Tom Dowdell,
Jake Karaczynski (Instructor).

First row: (I. tor.) John LaDuke, John Steeber, Jim Johnson,
James Bloodworth. Second row: Herman Best, Jim Gamache,
Al Verzella, Darrell McDonald. Third row: Michael R.
LasDulce, Jim Longo, Earl J. Mallory, John B. Leiter, Bill
Foley (Instructor).

·-

·-~

,,;~~t-'#"'
, .,........&lt;..-.. '

Marine Electrical Maintenance
(L. to R.) Walt Davidson, John C. Orr, James McDaniel,
Rudolph Salvaggio. Not shown: Chris Beaton, Tony
Mohammed, Mike Murphy.

Steward Recertification
First row: (I. to r.) Dionisio Muyco, Sek Wong, Oswald Jones,
Norman Johnson, Efumiano Magbaleta, Nick Andrews.
Second row: S.C. Edmond, Ray Monette, Bill Seidenstricker,
Joseph Speller, Edgardo Vazquez. Not shown: David Pappas.

20 I LOG I April 1987

Lifeboat
First row: (I. to r.) Abdul M. Hussein, Eufemiano Magbaleta,
Saleh Yafai. Second row: Jackie Davis, Aaron Ruiz, Jeff
Johnson, Jim Tanner, A.R. Alwaseem, Jake Karaczynski
(Instructor).

Third Assistant Engineer
First row: (I. tor.) Steven Byerley, John Nathan, Barry Kiger,
Todd Smith, Rafael Atehorila. Second row: James Davis
Stephen Treece, Steve Miller, Richie Wilson, David Timmons.
Third row: Jim Fonville, Michael Peck, Raymond Brownlee.

~~- ,;

_:·

Bosun Recertification
First row: (I. to r.)Carlos A. Pineda, John Ballentine, Jr., Tim
Tierney, Mike Bolger, Ray T. Brown. Second row: Glen James,
Mark Trepp, Werner Becher, Paul Domes, 0. C. Wiley, Jr.,
Marvin Zimbro, Henry Bouganim.

Ref rlgerated Containers Advanced Maintenance
(L. to R.) Donald Cox, Ed Smith, Bauren Bryant, Joe

Pomraning, Ray Hart, Gregorio Madera, Eric Malzkuhn (Inst.).

Radar
(L. to R.) John Zarroli, Russell Williams, Alide Bijazic, Aldo
Bijazic.

Army Training Group
First row: (I. to r.) Larry L. Mays, Marvin Stewart, Michael C.
Crooms, Rickey L. Patterson, Wilmer Santiago. Second row:
Jim Moore (Instructor), Keith Kornegay, John Ryans, Ross
Schliepmake. Third row: Philip Peacock, Carlton J. Thomas,
Richard Dickerson (Instructor).

�-----------------------------

-

- ---

Deck Upgrading Courses

p rading
·course Schedule
1987

Check-In
Date
May 18
July 13
August 31
September 28
October 26

Completion
Date
July 10
September 4
October 23
November 20
December 18

Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance

July 13
August 10
September 28
October 26
November 23

August 7
September 4
October 23
November 20
December 18

Lifeboat

May 4

May 15

Third Mate &amp; Original
Second Mate

May 4

July 10

Celestial Navigation

July 13
November 2

August 14
December 4

Radar Obsever

August 17
December 7

August 28
December 12

Radar Obsever (Renewal)

Open ended course, however,
must notify SHLSS before
entering this course.

Towboat Operator

September 7

October 30

Deep Sea
Deck Shiphandling Simulator

June 15

June 18

Inland Deck Shiphandling Simulator

October 12

Course
Able SeamanlSealift Operations
&amp; Maintenance

Programs Geared to I prove Job Skills
And Promote U.S. aritime Industry
May 1987 -

December 1987

The following is the current course schedule for May 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.
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.

Course Schedule Notice
* The above courses will be followed by a mandatory fourweek Sealift Operations and Maintenance Course. (If you
already have a Sealift Operations and Maintenance
endorsement you do not have to repeat this course.)

Engine U

ing Courses

Course
QMED • Any Rating
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

Check-In
Date
September 21
December 14

Completion
Date
December 11
January 8

Automation
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
utomation
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 13
August 10
June 27
July 25

August 7
September 4
July 22
August 19

Fireman/Watertender, Oller
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Fireman/Watertender, Oiler
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Fireman/Watertender, Oiler
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

June 8
August 3
August 10
October 5
October 12
December 7

July 31
August 28
October 2
October 30
December 4
December 31

Hldraulics
* ealift Operations &amp; Maint.

May 11
June 8

June 5
July 3

Marine Electrical Maintenance
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Ma int.

July 13
September 7

September 4
October 2

Variable Speed DC Drive
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

September 21
November 2

October 30
November 27

Electro-~draulic

Systems
*Sealift perations &amp; Maint.
Electro-Hydraulic Systems
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

May 18
June 29
November 9
December 21

June 26
July 24
December 18
January 15

Refri"eration Systems Maint. &amp; Ops.
*Sea ift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 20
August 31

August 28
September 25

Refrigeration Containers - Advanced
Maint.
August 31
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
October 12

October 9
November 6

Diesel Engineer - Re~lar
*Sealift Operations &amp; aint.
Diesel Engineer - Regular
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

May 15
June 12
November 20
December 12

April 6
May 18
October 12
November 23

Recertification Programs
Course
Steward Recertification

Bosun Recertification

Check-In
Date
May 5
June 29
August 31
November 2

Completion
Date
June 8
August 3
October 5
December 7

September 21

November 2

October 16

Steward Upgrading Courses

&amp; Maint.

Check-In
Date
July 22
September 8
September 2
October 19
October 14
November 30
November 25
January 11

Completion
Date
Septemb~
October 2
October 16
November 13
November 27
December 24
January 8
February 5

Cook and Baker
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Cook and Baker
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.
Cook and Baker
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 22
September 21
September 2
November 2
October 14
December 14

September 18
October 16
October 30
November 27
December 11
January 8

Chief Cook
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Chief Cook
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Chief Cook
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 8
September 7
September 2
November 2
October 28
December 28

September 4
October 2
October 30
November 27
December 25
January 22

Chief Steward
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.
Chief Steward
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Chief Steward
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 8
September 7
September 2
November 2
October 28
December 28

September 4
October 2
October 30
November 27
December 25
January 22

Course
Assistant Cook
*Sealift Operations
Assistant Cook
*Sealift Operations
Assistant Cook
*Sea lift Operations
Assistant Cook
* Sealift Operations

&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.

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 months of this year, the courses will be six weeks in length and
offered on the following dates:
High School Equivalency (GED)
August 3
September 14
November 2
December 14
Adult Basic Education (ABE) &amp;
English as a Second Language (ESL)

August 3
November 2

September 11
December 11

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes. They will be offered as follows:
FOWT
August 3
August 7
Towboat Operator
September 7
September 11

College Programs
Course
Associates in Arts

Check-In
Date
June 8
August 17
October 26

Completion
Date
July 31
October 19
December 18
April 1987 I LOG I 21

-

�Pensioner Stanley
Bojko, 67, died Feb.
2. Brother Bojko
joined the SIU in
1938. He last sailed
in the deck department as a recertified
bosun.
Seafarer
Bojko went on pension in 1976. His ashes were commended to the deep from the S eaLand Innovator off the coast of California.

Pensioner Marvin Gilby, 74, died
March 20 in Seattle, Wash. Brother
Gilby joined the SIU in 1968, sailing
with Sea-Land Service in the engine
department. He went on pension in
1981. Seafarer Gilby is survived by his
sister, Althea Ramsever.

Pensioner William B. Ferrell died
March I 0 of a heart attack. Seafarer
Ferrell joined the SIU in 1953. He
sailed in the engine department and
later joined MEBA . Brother Ferrell
went on pension in 1981. He was
buried in Clinton, N .C. Surviving is
his son, Jerold and his daughter, Barbara.
Alfred
Winston
Flatts, 62, died recently.
Brother
Flatts, who sailed in
the steward department,joined the SIU
in 1946. He wa active in the Falcon
Carriers beef and in
the General Strike of 1946. Seafarer
Flatts is survived by a on, Alfred.

Pensioner Cruz Negron, 66, died
March 6 of a heart attack in Guayana,
P.R. Brother Negron joined the SIU
in 1944. A member of the deck department, he walked the picket line in
the Wall Street beef and went on
pension in 1974. Seafarer Negron is
survived by his widow, Carmen.

The following SIU member have retired on pension:
DEEP SEA
Algonac
Sta nle y A. Stigen
Baltimore
Robert Stewart
Honolulu
Jack J. Schaeffer
Houston
Eugene J. Blanchard
Harry Granger
Andrew F. Kamedra
Jacksonville
Alfred Case
Jerome Chapkewitz
Edwin M. Felker
Jack Nelson Jr.
Mobile
Jimmie A. Moody
New Orleans
Nicholas L. Pizzuto
Bobbie B. Spears
Stanley Zeagler

KNOW YOUR RIGH

New York
William Karpiak
Ra mon Perez
Norfolk
Rodney D. Borlase
Morris C. Hill
Philadelphia
Thomas J. Henry
San Francisco
Mung How
James A. Shortell
Wilmington
Lester Schrager

Atlantic. Gulf. Lakes and Inland Waters District makes
specific provision for safeguarding the memhership's
money and Union finances. The constitution requires a
detailed audit hy Certified Puhlic Accountants every three
months. which arc to he suhmitted to the membership by
the Secretary-Trea-.urer. A quarterly finance committee
of rank and file members. elected by the memhership.
makes examination each quarter of the finances of the
Union and reports fully their finding and recommendations . Memhers of this committee may make dissenting
reports. specific recommendations and separate finding .

TRUST FUNDS. All trust fund . of the SIU Atlantic.
Gulf. Lakes and Inland Waters District are administered
in accordance with the provision of various tru . t fund
agreement . 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 fund 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.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively hy the contracts hetween the
Union and the employers. Get to know your hipping
rights. Copies of these contracts arc posted and available
in all Union halls. If you feel therl? has heen any violation
of your shipping or seniority right · as contained in the
contracts betv.een the Union and the employers. notify
the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail. return receipt requested. The proper address for this i
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 arc available to
you at all times. either hy \Hiting directly to the Union
or to the Seafarers Appeals Board.
CONTRACTS. Copies of &lt;111 SIU contracts arc availahle in all SIU halls. These contracts ~pecify the wages
aml conditions under which ~.-ou work and live ahoard
your ship or boat. Know ) our contract rights. as well as
your obligations. -.uch as filing for OT on the proper
'&gt;hcets and in the proper manner. 1f. at any time. any SIU

Personals
Mark Holley
Please get in touch with Maemae
at 333 N. Columbus Ave. , Freeport, N.Y. 11520; (daytime tel:
516/227-0697) .
Eddie Puchalski
Anyone knowing of Eddie Puchalski' s whereabouts, please let him
know his mother is ill. He should
contact his sister Stella at 5115
Oak Circle, Moriches, N.Y. 11955.
Tel. (516) 878-6023.

GREAT LAKES
Cleveland
Joanne Kane
New York
Earl F. Burdick
GLOUCESTER FISHERMAN
Gloucester
Judith Senos

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Ronald Vernon Schaeefer
Your dad would like you to contact him at 512 N. 21st ., Escanaba, Mich. 49829.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Cop1e" of the SIU constitution arc availahle in

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The con titution of the SIU

22 I LOG I April 1987

Pensioner Joaquin Nolasco, 69, died
Feb. 1. Brother Nolasco joined the
SIU in 1956. He sailed in the deck
department and went on pension in
1982. Seafarer Nolasco was buried in
El Alto Talara in Peru. He is survived
by his brother, Felix.

l~

1-;+- ·

all Union hall.,. All memher" should oht a in co pies of this
constitution so as to familiarize them-.elves \.\ith its contents. Any time you feel any memher or otlicer i-, attempt ing to deprive you of any con-.titutional right or ohligation
hy any method-, ... uch a' dealing with charges. trial'i. etc ..
a-. \.\ell a' all other details. then the memher ..,,) affected
should immediately notify headquarter'i .

EQUAL RIGHTS. All member-. arc guaranteed equal
righh in cmplo)nH.:nt and a' memhers of the SIU . The-.c
righh arc clc&lt;1rl) set forth in the SIU constitution anJ in
the contrach "'hich the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Cono.;cyuently. no member ma} he di,crimi ·
nated again-.t hccau-.e of race. creed. color. \C'\ and national or geographic origin . It an) mcmhcr feel-, that he i...
denied the equal righh to ~hich he i" entitlcJ. he should
notify Union headquarters .
111111111111Ull1111111ll111111t1111111111111111Ull111111111111111lll1111111ll1111111ll11111111t1111111111111
patrolman or other Union otli:::ial. in your opinion. fails
to protect your contract rights properly. contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditional!) retrained lrnm puhf i..,hing an) article !'&gt;erving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union.
officer or memher. It has al"o refrained from publishing
articles decmeJ harmful to the Union or its collective
member~hip. This e-.tahlished policy has been reaflirmed
by membership action at the Scptemher. 1960. meeting"
in all constitutional ports. The responsihility for Log
policy i-. vested in an editorial hoard which con'&gt;ists of
the E.\ecutive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delcg.1te. from ~1mong its ranks. one indi idual to
carry out thi!'&gt; rc!-&gt;ponsihilit} .
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monic., arc to he patd
to anyone in an) ollicial capacit) in the SIU unle-.s an
otlicial nion receipt i" given tor "ame . Under no circumstances should an) member pay any money tor any reason
unlcs'&gt; he i" giq;n -.uch receipt. In the event anyone
attempt'&gt; to n:4uirc an) ... uch p.t) mcnt he made without
suppl) ing a receipt. or if a memher is rc4uircd to make a
pa} mcnt and is given an otlicial receipt. hut fccl'i that he
should not ha e hccn reyuired to make such payment. this
should immediately he reported to Union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a "eparate segregated fund. Its proceeds arc uo.;ed to further it-. ohjccts and purpo-.e" including. hut not limited to. furthering the political. social and
economic interc-.ts of maritime workers. the preservation
and furthering of the American Merchant Marine with
improve&lt;l emplo1111ent opportunities for seamen and
hoatmen and the adv:incement of trade union concept'&gt;.
In connection \.\ith such ohjccts. SPA)) supplHts and
contribute" to political candidates for cfe(:tive otlice. Ail
contribution-. arc voluntary . No contrihutio11 may he
solicited or received hccause of force. jPh di,crimin&lt;ttion.
1]nanc1al rcpri-.al. or threat ol such conduct. nr a' a condition of mcrnhership in the Union or l)f employment. 11
a contribution i-. made hy rca,on ol thc above improper
'onduct. notif) the Sealarer-. Union or SPAD h~ certified
mail \.\ithin JO da}" of the contribution for im.eo.;tigation
anJ appropriate action and refund. ii involuntar]. Support SPA D to protect and further ~our economic. politic&lt;tl and ... ocial interco.;h, and Amer ican trade uniun
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
ace~ to Union records or information, he should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The addr~ is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

�Diaest Of Ships Nee•inas
AURORA (Apex Marine), March 8Chairman Cesar A. Gutierrez, Secretary
James R. Parker, Engine Delegate C.
Hampson, Steward Delegate Frederick E.
Otto. Some disputed OT was reported in
the deck department. There is $285 in the
ship's treasury. Brother Gutierrez spoke
with the captian about the VCR on C deck
not working. The captain said he would
order a new one from the company. The
crew decided that way would take too long
and so decided to take up a collection and
buy one themselves. Brothers Wilbur Adams and Jerry Bankston were elected to
purchase the new machine in Baltimore-for the exclusive use of the deck, engine
and steward departments. The secretary
reports this to be a "top notch crew, from
top to bottom."
BORINQUEN (Puerto Rico Marine),
February 15-Chairman Donald Wagner,
Secretary C.B. Carter Jr. Some disputed
OT was reported in the deck and engine
departments. These matters of delayed
sailing, disputed holiday OT, port time and
linen allowances will be taken up with the
boarding patrolman. There is $13 in the
ship's fund. A letter from Brother "Red"
Campbell was received pertaining to unemployme11t insurance from Puerto Rico.
It was read and posted on the bulletin
board. The chairman reminded all hands
to take advantage of the upgrading courses
available at Piney Point and to continue to
support SPAD during these lean times. A
vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for a job well done. Next port:
Elizabeth, N.J.
LNG CAPRICORN (ETC), February
15-Chairman Malcolm B.
ods, Sec, ducational Director/
retary J.
glne Delegate Ole J. Mortensen, Deck
Delegate Pete J. Reed, Steward Delegate
William F. Christmas. No beefs or disputed
OT reported. There is $275.38 in the ship's
fund. A discussion was held on safety
aboard ship, and the bosun reminded all
members that "safety is everyone's busiess." A letter was received from Vice
" ed"
ampbell reminding
Preside
members to conduct themselves properly
as an American seaman aboard ship and
ashore. The secretary noted that everything is running smoothly. One steward
department member had to get off due to
medical reasons. A round of applause was
given to the crew on their sportsmanship,
and for the fact that they are a winning
team in their softball games played in
Bontang. Mr. George Reilley, from ETC,
paid the ship a visit while in the port of
Osaka, Japan. A vote of thanks was given
to the crew for a fine job-well done! Next
port: Arun, Indonesia.
FALCON PRINCESS (Seahawk Management), March 1-Chariman Thomas
Walker, Secretary Cesar A. Guerra, Educational Director R. Tims. No disputed OT
or beefs reported. The bosun reminded all
hands that, as per the contract, no one is
to be paid until their room is clean and all

The flight deck fire team aboard the I st Lt.
Jack Lummus during helicopter operations off
Guam are AB Mike Tracey, left, and AB Mike
Bullen.

dirty linen has been returned. Due to the
lay-up of the Princess following payoff, all
ship's movies will be turned over to the
captain. A particular vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for all
their fine work. One minute of silence was
observed in memory of our departed brothers and sisters. Next port: Port Arthur,
Texas.
1st LT. JACK LUMMUS (AMSEA),
March 3-Chairman Luke Meadows, Secretary Kim Darmody, Educational Director/
Engine Delegate Ron Shaw, Deck Delegate Paul Evans, Steward Delegate Steve
Parker. While there were no major beefs
or disputed OT, the steward department
did note that they were having trouble
scheduling upgrading at Piney Point to
coincide with vacation time. The four month
on/two month off rotation doesn't leave
enough time to upgrade, and seamen can
lose their permanent job rotation due to
scheduling. A question was brought up: If
a flight out is unavailable on the date of
payoff, is the crew entitled to one day's
pay and lodging other than onboard ship?
A motion was made to request telex numbers for Union representation, manpower
and upgrading. A request was also made
for the latest rulings concerning requirements to receive an A book on the different
ships (MSC, TAGOS, etc.). Votes of thanks
were given out: to the steward department
for the great barbecues; to the Navy staff
for the movie scheduling, and to the ship's
fishermen for the fresh mahi-mahi, wahoo
and yellow-fin tuna. Next port: Guam.
MOKU PAHU (Pacific Gulf Marine),
F ruary 26'-Chairman Ray Todd, Secretary R. Spencer, Educational Director
D.A. Norris. No beefs or disputed OT.
Brother Todd reported that the ship is
running smoothly and things look good.
The Moku Pahu will pay off in Galveston,
Texas this trip. He reminded all crewmembers getting off to leave their rooms clean
and turn in their soiled linen. He also
stressed the importance of contributing to
SPAD. Brother Spencer reminded all qualified members to upgrade their skills at the
SHLSS in Piney Point, and Brother Norris
urged that members practice safety onboard ship at all times.
OMI MISSOURI (OMI), March 1Chairman Fred C. Cooper, Secretary Lawrence A. Banks. No disputed OT or beefs
reported. The chairman reports that everything is running smoothly. The OM/ Missouri is expected to arrive in Mobile, Ala.
on Feb. 3 with payoff the same day. Several
suggestions were made. First, bigger sheets
are needed for the bunks. The steward will
check with the port steward about the
possibility of getting fitted sheets. There is
also a need for cloth hooks in the forecastle.
A vote of thanks was given to the chief
engineer for a job well done with the
barbecues.
OVERSEAS OHIO (Maritime Overseas Corp.), March 13-Chairman Pete
Garza, Secretary E. Vieira. The steward
department had their compensation disputed for work performed in the feeding
and caring for five extra men. The ship will

AB Mike Bullen, left, and SA Adam E. Martinez
troll for turbot off the stern of the 1st Lt. Jack
Lummus.

pay off as soon as possible on March 15.
The captain paid all those members who
had money coming to them in lieu of time
off. All hands wanting a relief should be
able to get one with proper advance notification. There will be 15 new movies
aboard ship every month. The educational
director urged all trainees to try and upgrade their skills while putting in their six
months training. A number of suggestions
were made. The first was to have the sofa
in the crew lounge repaired. It was also
requested that the patrolman clarify as to
who pays transportation and doctors bills
when a man is on articles and obtains a
masters certificate while in a U.S. port.
There is also the need for some sort of
launch service while in Panama. And a
ruling needs to be worked out so that the
8-12 quartermaster can take a short coffee
break in the morning. It was felt that the
radio operator is spending too much time

and get help! Contact your port agent or
SIU drug and alcohol program at Piney
Point. That treatment doesn't cost you
anything!" It appears that there are bed
bugs and roaches all over the ship. The
master was informed and will wire for an
exterminator upon arrival in port. The ship's
crewmembers thanked the captain for his
cooperation . A vote of thanks was given
to the steward department for a job well
done.
USNS WILKES (Lavino), February 22Chairman Sy Varas, Secretary J. McGill,
Engine Delegate Aaron E. Thompson. No
beefs or disputed OT. The bosun thanked
all hands for their help during the shipyard
period. He also reminded the members
that our jobs with Lavi no are very important
and should be taken seriously. Communications were received regarding negotiations between the SIU and Lavino. Copies

The game was called a tie ( 12-12) after JO innings between the LNG Leo team and the Arun,
Indonesia team. The team photo includes: Ray Bay/er, Tim Olvaney, Jack Davis, Dave Reilly , Z .
Achmad, Pete Pinkerton , Tom Harding , Dave Terry , John Hoskins, Andrea Conklin, Steve and
Lisa.

doing work that the AB is getting paid to
do. It seems that he is on deck chipping
and painting. While docking and undocking, he is handling the lines. Ane while the
ship is maneuvering, he is on the wheel.

were made available for &amp;II interested
members. A question was brought up as
to who pays for firefightintJ classes and
why members weren't sent from Portland
to attend. Next port: San Diego, Calif.

ST. LOUIS (Sea-Land), February 20Chairman David Newman, Secretary Humberto Ortiz. No beefs or disputed OT. The
chairman reported that a new engine delegate is needed for the next trip. Mr.
Martinez, who was acting as delegate, is
getting off. No one in the engine department wanted to take over, so the chairman
will take over until a new delegate is
nominated. The secretary said that Seafarers who become addicted to drugs or
alcohol are lucky in one sense: they can
make use of the Seafarers Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee, Md. "Drugs
are for dunces," he said. "You can stop

Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
ALTAIR
BALTIMORE
CONSTITUTION
GROTON
MOBILE
OAKLAND
OMI CHARGER
OMI WABASH
OVERSEAS NATALIE
PANAMA
PATRIOT
PONCE
SAN JUAN
SAN PEDRO

SEA-LAND ADVENTURER
SEA·LAND CONSUMER
SEA·LAND ECONOMY
SEA-LAND FREEDOM
SEA-LAND LEADER
SEA-LAND MARINER
SEA-LAND PIONEER
SEA-LAND PRODUCER
SEA·LAND VOYAGER
SENATOR
SPIRIT OF TEXAS
STONEWALL JACKSON
THOMPSON PASS

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday May 4 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, May 5 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, May 6 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, May 7 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, May 7 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, May 7 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, May 8 ....................... 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, May 11 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, May 12 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, May 13 .................. 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, May 14 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, May 18 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .................. Friday, May 22 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ................ Thursday May 7 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, May 15 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday, May 14 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, May 13 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, May 20 .................. 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, May 19 ..................... 10:30 a.m.

April 1987 I LOG I 23

�+

m
Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

Washington Report
The past two months have been anything
but quiet.
The Congress and the Reagan administration
squared off over the $87 billion Highway
Transportation Act. Despite an all-out effort
by the White House, the Senate overrode the
president's veto by one vote.
Some political commentators were looking
at the controversy as a prelude for an even
more bitter fight over the trade issue. That
possibility certain!) '"'xists. The new session
is just three month~
and already a number
of trade bills spanning the entire ideological
spectrum from protectionist to free trade have
been introduced.

Presidential Bid
1988 is getting closer all the time. Several
more presidential hopefuls have announced
that they are going to run.
On the Republican side, General Alexander
Haig threw his helmet into the ring (as he
himself said). Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.), one
of the more zealous ''free traders'' in the
House, or anywhere else for that matter,
announced his candidacy as well. He has made
the creation of a tariff-free North American
trading zone one of his top priorities.
As for the Democrats, the list appears to be
growing and shrinking at the same time. New
York Governor Mario Cuomo, one of the
party's leading voices, took himself out of the
1988 race. On the other hand, Rep. Richard
Gephardt (D-Mo.), who has pushed heavily
for enactment of legislation that would promote a fairer trading system, threw his hat
into the ring. In February, Gephardt was one
of three Democratic hopefuls to address the
Executive Council Meeting of the Maritime
Trades Department of the AFL-CIO.

April 1987

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

centage of autos imported into the United
States. It merely states that where the auto
exporting country's vessels are benefitting from
the substantial business generated by the United
States car buyers, then U.S. vessels should
share in the trade.

Title XI
Trade War
Trade tensions between the United States
and Japan rose considerably last month after
the United States slapped a 100 percent tariff
on $300 million worth of Japanese electronics
products. The move was undertaken in response to Japan's failure to live up to a trade
agreement forbidding the dumping of microchips onto the American market.
Despite a precipitous fall in the value of the
dollar, the trade deficit continued to mount.

U.S.-Canadian Trade
Trade tensions were not just confined to
Japan. Talks to bring about lowered tariffs
between the United States and Canada were
mired in frustration, suspicion and bad feelings.
Much of the bad feeling was brought about
by differences over the controversial issue of
acid rain. Canada was pressing the United
States to take more far-reaching steps in cleaning up the environment.
Still, the development had American operators on the Great Lakes breathing a sigh of
relief, if only for a moment. They have expressed fear about a proposed opening of
American and Canadian domestic shipping
trades to free operation by vessels of both
countries.
Such a step, which The Journal of Commerce reports "is being discussed," could
decimate the U.S. domestic fleet.

Drozak Testifies

Further Decline

SIU President Frank Drozak testified before
the House Merchant Marine Subeommittee
last month on the subject of trade. In a 19
pag~ statement, he outlined numerous examples of trade barriers and discriminatory practices that American-flag operators must contend with.

The American-flag maritime industry was
having enough problems without implementation of a free shipping zone between Canada
and the United States. According to statistics
released last month, the U.S.-flag merchant
marine declined by another 42 vessels last
year.
The decline of the American-flag merchant
marine was coming at a time of great turbulence for seamen. According to The Journal
of Commerce, U.S. Lines, this country's largest shipping company, stood little chance of
pulling itself out of bankruptcy.
The lines between deep sea shipping and
other forms of transportation were becoming
blurred by rapid tec!rnological advances. Industry experts were predicting that within 10
years , all surviving American-flag companies
would have extensive intermodal operations.

Fair Maritime Trade
Rep. Walter B. Jones (D-N.C.), chairman
of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries
Committee, introduced H.R. 1290, the Ocean
Transportation Practices Act of 1987. The
legislation provides for sanctions and retaliatory actions against any foreign nation found
to be treating American vessels in an unfair
or discriminatory manner. The bill has been
favorably reported out of committee.
Jones also introduced the Equitable Automobile Transportation Act of 1987. ''The bill,''
he said in an extension of his remarks in the
Congressional Record, ''is intended to balance
our maritime automobile transportation capabilities with those of Japan and South Korea
by requiring those countries to transport an
equal number of vehicles on U.S. vehicle
carriers as on their own.
"The bill," said Jones, "does not mandate
that the U.S.-flag ves els carry a given per-

24 I LOG I April 1987

Aside from the military work that has been
farmed out to the private sector, most cargo
available to U .S.-flag deep sea vessels are
generated by two sources-Alaskan oil and
cargo preference statutes.

Cargo Preference
As has happened in every Congress over
the past 10 years, legislation has been introduced that would severely restrict this nation's
existing cargo preference laws. Sen. John Danforth (R-Mo.) introduced a bill that would
repeal cargo preference requirements for Department of Agriculture Concessional Export
Programs.

In an effort to persuade the administration
to tone down its opposition to the Title XI
Loan Guaranty Program, the House Merchant
Marine and Fisheries Committee voted to
temporarily exclude offshore oil drilli ng rigs,
support vessels and river barges
m the
government's construction loan guar ~ nty program.
According to the Maritime Administration ,
which manages the program , nearly 80 percent
of all loan defaults have involved ves ' els and
drilling rigs used by the depres sed oil industry.

Veterans' Status
Rep. Mario Biaggi (D-N.Y.) intfC'duced a
bill that seeks to redress a long-stand111g wrong
done to American seamen, most of whom have
been denied veterans' status for the ti me they
served in World War II.
The bill, H.R. 1235, "The Merchant Seamen' Benefit Act," would, in Biaggi 's words,
"provide the recognition that those old-timers
deserve in their own right-a recognition that
is not available under existing laws. " Such a
move, said Biaggi, is 40 years overdue.

CDS Payback
Shipping and labor interests ha , joined
forces to try to overturn the Depar nent of
Transportation's program for paybac f Construction Differential Subsidies, ac( ·ding to
The Journal of Commerce.
"This is an issue that never seems to go
away ,'' said SIU Frank Pecquex, director of
legislation for the SIU. "As a result of this ,
12 tankers engaged in carrying Alaskan oil
have been laid up."
The SIU is supporting an amendment to the
FY '87 Supplemental Funding bill which prohibits shipping companies from re-entering the
domestic trade in return for paying back CDS
payments.
''People are always criticizing the merchant
marine for not being unified," said Donald
Yearwood, president of the American Trading
and Transportation Company. ' 'This time
everyone-the shipping companies, labor, the
shipyards-is on the same side."

Support

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
SIX WEEK DELAY MAKES PAYOFF EVEN SWEETER FOR SEAFARERS ON THE STONEWALL JACKSON&#13;
WHEN THE ICE THAWS, IT’S TIME FOR GREAT LAKES FITOUT&#13;
STONEWALL JACKSON’S LONG TRIP FINALLY PAYS OFF&#13;
KILAUEA STEWARD WINS HONORS&#13;
PROFILE: THE KAWISHIWI’S CARPENTER&#13;
SHLSS INTRODUCES A NEW COURSE&#13;
THE LAVINO SANITATION COURSE&#13;
THE SIU IN WASHINGTON&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union• Atlantic, GuU, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL·CIO Vol. 49, No. 5 May 198?

Commission Seeks Crew Shortage Answers

Labor Calls Cargo Key to Manpower Problems
Cargo-an effective maritime policy-bilateral agreements-Jones Act
protection and a host of other suggestions were offered by maritime labor
leaders as ways to ensure the U.S.
merchant marine can fulfill its defense
role.
Officials from seven unions, the U.S.
Merchant Marine Academy and various state maritime academies appeared before the Commission on
Merchant Marine and Defense late last
month. The commission asked the
group for recommendations to ensure
that manpower requirements needed
in a national emergency could be met
in the face of today's crisis-ridden and
dwindling private fleet.
"We may well witness the demise
of the U .S.-flag merchant fleet and the
nation's ability to deliver the required
sealift in wartime ... The key is cargo.
Given cargo, our U.S.-flag merchant

U Names
Two Seafarers and four dependents
of SIU members have been awarded
$55,000 in college scholarships under
the Union's Charlie Logan Scholarship program. Three alternates also
were named by the scholarship committee.
Timothy Hyatt, 29, a deepsea member living in Seattle, Wash., was the
winner of the four-year, $10,000 scholarship. He plans to use the award to
attend Reed College in Portland, Ore.

Timothy Hyatt

marine will rebuild itself," SIU President Frank Drozak told the panel.
''The adoption of a national cargo
policy would be the most effective and
direct way of restoring the Americanflag merchant marine," said NMU
Legislative Director Talmage Simpkins.
Several recent studies have predicted large shortfalls of manpower if
the country were faced with an emergency which required large use of
sealift. Most of the problems stem
from the shrinking size of the U.S.flag fleet. Thousands of licensed and
unlicensed jobs during the past several
years have been eliminated.
The government has purchased dozens of ships for its Ready Reserve
Fleet, but there are serious doubts if
those ships could be manned if needed.
Witnesses agreed that the best way to
provide for wartime requirements is

through a healthy peacetime merchant
marme.
Drozak called for the government
to reaffirm the integrity of the Jones
Act.
"We have operators running obsolete ships who are reluctant to invest
to modernize their Jones Act fleet
because they fear the rug will be jerked
out from under them. Their fears are
perfectly justified, because ships constructed with CDS funds have been
allowed to pay back the subsidy and
enter the domestic trade, and subsidized operators have been allowed
into the noncontiguous Jones Act
routes,'' Drozak explained.
He also called for the extension of
the Jones Act to conform with the
presidentially mandated 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone. That would,
he said, encourage deepsea mining and
preserve that future industry for U.S.-

SIU President Frank Drozak answers questions at defense commission hearing.

flag operators. He stressed the need
to close Jones Act loopholes which
allow foreign-flag ships to engage in
so-called cruises to nowhere from U.S.
ports, lightering foreign tankers just
outside the 12 mile limit and foreign
(Continued on Page 3.)

Winners of Logan cholarship
Hyatt believes that a four-year program at Reed and perhaps a year
abroad is ''without doubt the finest
education, and the best preparation I
could possibly hope for, to meet an
imminent challenge and achieve my
goals." Hyatt hopes to make journalism his career.
James DeSoucey, 28, received a twoyear, $5 ,000 scholarship. DeSoucey,
a 1981 Piney Point graduate who is
now attending Queensborough Community College, was picked as the
four-year, $10,000 scholarship alternate last year. He hopes to continue
classes, focusing his attention in the
area of international cargo transportation.
William McRee, 24, of Virginia
Beach, Va. was selected as the alternate winner of the $10,000 award for
Seafarers. He plans to attend the University of New Mexico in the fall with
the goal of becoming a physical therapist.

Deepsea Contract Talks Continue Page 3
CDS Payback-Fact vs. Fiction
Page 4
Inland-Spotlight on St. Louis Pages s &amp; 1
Army Crane Training at SHLSS Pages a-12
The SIU Washington Report
Page 23

John D. Pennick, 35, of Santa Cruz,
Calif. is the alternate winner of the
$5 ,000 award. A senior at the U niversity of California, Pennick plans to
finish his bachelor's degree in psychology and attend San Jose State
University to attain a master's degree
in social work.

Four dependents of SIU members
were selected to receive four-year,
$10,000 scholarships.
Felicia Brooks, 19, is the daughter
of Alvin and Mattie McCants of Mobile, Ala. Brooks plans to study prelaw at the University of Southern Ala(Continued on Page 19.)

Onboard the Charles Brown-Page 1s

�President's Report
by Frank Drozak

N

egotiations between the SIU and
the American Maritime Association (AMA) for a new Standard
Freightship and Tanker Agreement
were continuing as this issue of the
LOG went to press. The present threeyear contract ends June 15.
So far, it has been a rough set of
negotiations. The AMA has demanded
substantial rollbacks. The cuts would
translate into a 10 percent reduction
in base pay, a 15 percent reduction in
overtime pay, a 28 percent reduction
in vacation pay and a 20 percent cut
in health care and benefits.
The owners have tried to justify
their offer by pointing to the depressed
state of the maritime industry. There's
a certain truth to that claim: during
the last three years, the life of this
contract, the American-flag merchant
marine has declined by roughly 25
percent.
Yet it is my firm belief that the
depressed state of the maritime industry is not the motivating force behind
the owners' offer. Because if it were,
the owners would not have agreed to
wage increases for the licensed personnel aboard their ships.
There is nothing unique about the
plan that has been put forth by the
AMA. It's the oldest trick in the bookpit one set of workers against another.
If management can isolate one group
of workers (women, blacks, newly
hired, unlicensed, "supervisory personnel''), then it is just a matter of
time before it can unilaterally establish
all wages, all benefits.
At this stage of the game, no one
knows what will happen. But just in
case, SIU members at the May membership meeting at headquarters voted
unanimously to support a general strike
if one is called. In every membership
meeting since then, in every port around
the country, the vote has been the
same. Unanimous.
It is a basic rule of economics that
no one wins in a prolonged strike.
That is why this Union has always
chosen its strikes very carefully. I
doubt if many of today's new breed
of managers can remember the last
general maritime strike-it occurred
in 1946. Like all waterfront beefs, it
was brutal. But it involved important
questions of human dignity, so there
was no other choice.

There is no need for a strike. We
are not making extravagant claims.
We are just asking that management
treat all the people who work for it
the same.
And what about the other part of
this equation, the licensed officers?
Where do they fit in?
It is my firm belief that none of the
licensed officers unions can survive
without the support of strong unlicensed unions. During the last six
years, many corporations have tried
to strip their licensed workers of the
right to union representation by unilaterally reclassifying them as ''supervisory personnel." This has been particularly prevalent in the transportation
sector.
The airlines tried to do it; so did the
tug and barge companies. Before the
PATCO strike, the airline companies
tried to split the airline pilots from the
air controllers, and the air controllers
from the mechanics, flight attendants
and ticket handlers.
The companies were successful. And
it led to one of the darkest days in the
history of the modern labor movement, the destruction of PATCO which,
incidently, was an independent affiliate of the National Marine Engineers
Beneficial Association.
More important, the demise of
PATCO led to lower wages and benefits for all workers.
Let me put these negotiations in a
broad perspective. The maritime industry is in desperate shape. It can
only survive if all sides-management
and labor, licensed and unlicensedpull together.

We in the SIU don't mind making
sacrifices if it will help the industry as
a whole. But we have no intention of
being singled out as a sacrificial lamb.
We in the SIU have done all we can
to support the industry. We' re not like
some other unions that take from an
industry and give nothing in return.
Our whole political action program has
been geared to helping our companies
gain more work. It's a matter of being
pragmatic: if our companies do well,
then our members do well.
Yet what the owners' latest offer
tells me is that flexibility is not enough.
Have we reached the point in this
country where Big Business believes
that it doesn't have to answer to anyone? Are we at the point where corporate managers, who are protected
by multi-million dollar "golden parachutes," don't care if they wreck an
industry in their near-total preoccupation with short-term profits?
The SIU has no intention of endangering the job security of its membership. If and when the time comes,
we'll take stock of our options. If we
don't think we can sustain a strike,
then we won't call one.
But everyone has to be aware that
if push comes to shove, we won't "go
gently into that good night." We've
made many friends during our time,
and many enemies.
The enemies we have made have
invariably come in the course of performing our duties. To the officials of
this Union, nothing is more important
than the job security of our members.
The record speaks for itself. Twenty

years ago, the SIU established a comprehensive training program at Piney
Point because we knew that the industry was changing. We knew that
continued employment in the maritime
industry depended upon increased
productivity and improved technical
training.
Six years ago, when the Reagan
administration started gutting every
maritime program it could get its hands
on, we made an all-out push to sign
new military work. This· didn't win us
any popularity contests. Some of our
members were dead set against it. But
we took the heat, because we knew
that if we didn't our members wouldn't
have jobs. And the gamble paid off40 percent of all available jobs are
on board these vessels.
I've been in_the maritime industry
for more than 40 years. I've worked
in every position possible, from AB
to patrolman to union president. .
I've seen just about everything there
is to see, done just about everything
there is to do, been called just about
every name in the book.
Like Paul Hall and Harry Lundeberg before me, I've been called stubborn, iron-willed, ruthless. And like
those two men, I consider all those
adjectives compliments because it
means that I'm serious about protecting my membership.
You see, every trainee is like a son
or daughter to me, and every old-timer
is like a brother. This really is a brotherhood of the sea. And like many
families, if you cross one of us, you
cross us all.

Drozak Warns of Soviet Threat
Editor's Note: Last month SIU President Frank Drozak sent each member
of the House and Senate a Soviet booklet on its merchant marine. The book
outlines the intricate structure between the USSR's commercial fleet and
its military goals. The following letter is from House Armed Services
Chairman Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.).

Dear Mr. Drozak:
Thank you for your letter of April 20, 1987 bringing to my

attention the Soviet publication, The Sea and River Workers Union.
The booklet reinforces the view that I share with you and many
others that the large Soviet merchant fleet is being used not only
to secure economic and political advantages in peacetime, but also
as a potentially significant military factor in time of war.
It is no accident that the Soviets have moved in this direction·
'
we in this country need a strong and viable merchant marine for
similar reasons. I look forward to continuing to work with you and
others in the marine industries to bring this about.
Sincerely,
Les Aspin
Chairman

Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union of
North America, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District,
AFL-CIO

May 1987

Vol. 49, No. 5

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

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union Atlantic Gulf
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 899:
0675. 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.
I

2 I LOG I May 1987

I

I

�Membership Gives Strike Authorization

Talks on Both Standard Agreements Continue
Negotiations between the SIU and
the American Maritime Association
(AMA) for a new Standard Freightship
&amp; Tanker Agreement were continuing
as thi s issue of the LOG went to press.
The present three-year contract ends
June 15.
SIU President Frank Drozak, who
has led the Union ' s bargaining committee since contract talks began last
October, is not optimistic about a
settlement before the June 15 deadline,
but said that the SIU ''would continue
the talks and was open to any fair
and reasonable offers from the companies."
So far, the AMA has demanded
substantial rollbacks in wages, vacations and health care (see box). The
cuts in wages and benefits would
amount to a l 0 percent reduction in
base pay, a 15 percent cut in overtime
pay, a 28 percent reduction in vacation
pay and a 20 percent cut in health care
benefits.
At the same time, the AMA has

agreed to wage increases for the licensed personnel aboard their ships.
Drozak charged that the companies
are not bargaining in good faith. ''There
is a basic question of fairne ss here
that is being trampled upon by the
shipowners," Drozak said. " At the
same time that they are demanding
that their lower-paid unlicensed workers take substantial cuts in wages and
benefits , they are fattening the paychecks of their higher-paid deck and
engine officers."
Faced with the shipping companies'
refusal to consider the SIU's contract
proposals, and their hard-line insistence on deep cuts into the wages and
benefits of unlicensed seamen, Drozak
asked for and got a unanimous vote
at the headquarters membership meeting May 4 which authorized him to
call a general strike if there is no
agreement by June 15. Meetings in all
of the SIU ports also gave the SIU
president unanimous support.
Drozak said he would report to the

membership at the June 8 headquarters membership meeting on the status

of the contract talks , and would announce further action at that time.

The Standard Freightship &amp; Tanker Agreements between the SIU and
the American Maritime Association (AMA) will expire June 15, 1987.
Following are the proposals which were submitted by the SIU and the
AMA at their first contract negotiating session held Oct. 7, 1986 at the
SIU' s offices in Brooklyn, N .Y.
SIU Proposals
• A 3-year contract with wage increases of 2% per year, including
2% per year raises in overtime
rates.
• Cost of Living (COLA) payments
for any increases over 10%.
• Same contribution rate to be paid
to Seafarers Welfare Plan as is
paid to licensed officers' plans.
• There shall be an equal number
of licensed and unlicensed cre.w
in the engineroom.

AMA Proposals
• Effective Jan. 1, 1987 all wages,
regular overtime, premium overtime, and penalty rates reduced
10%.
• Premium rate to be further reduced by 50% of the differential.
• Vacation pay to be reduced to 10
for 30.
• Eliminate gangway watches.
• Delete Longshoremen's holidays
from the contract.
• Health benefits to be cut 20%.

Kuwait Tanker Ref lagging Scheme Draws Fire
The SIU has strongly protested a
scheme by the Coast Guard and the
State Department to reflag half of Kuwait' s 23-ship tanker fleet under the
U. S. flag. The onl y American citizen
required onboard the ships would be
the captain, according to a Coast Guard
interpretation of American maritime
law.
The possible action is ''contrary to
the intent of Congress and dangerous
to our national security. If the law is
interpreted as the Coast Guard apparently has ruled, it is not difficult to
perceive a number of scenarios that
would be disastrous for the U.S. merchant marine," SIU President Frank
Drozak said.
U.S. maritime law requires that all

officers aboard U.S.-ftag ships be
American citizens. If the ships are
subsidized , 100 percent of the unlicensed crew must be American. Nonsubsidized ships are required to carry
a 75 percent U.S. unlicensed crew.
The Kuwaiti attempt to reflag their
tankers comes at a time when tanker
traffic in the Persian Gulf is coming
under increasing attack from Iran which
has been at war for seven year~ against
neighboring Iraq. Because the war has
closed Iraq's main port, Kuwait has
become a stop for ships with goods
for Iraq, which makes those ships
vulnerable to Iranian attacks.
Kuwait is attempting to secure protection from the U.S. naval forces by
having its tankers fly the American

flag. That small country has already
chartered three Soviet tankers to carry
oil, hoping that the Soviet Navy would
protect those ships.
The State Department issued a
warning to Iran recently which said
the U.S. would consider an attack on
any U.S. ship a serious affair and
vowed to ensure the passage of American ships. It has also been reported
that for the first time in years the State
Department's maritime office has been
involved in the reflagging question,
normally handled by the Coast Guard.
''I can certainly understand Kuwait's motivation in trying to secure
American Navy protection for its fleet.
But I can't understand how the Amer-

ican government can simply ignore
American law. Our maritime laws do
not contemplate providing the benefits
and protection accorded to U .S.-flag
vessels to a fleet of foreign ships that
are simply flying a rented American
flag," Drozak said.
The fear among the maritime community is that such a decision could
set a precedent. There is a provision
in the law which waives citizenship
requirements in certain emergency situations, but this is not that type of
situation. Maritime legal experts speculate that the Coast Guard stretched
the law much further than intended in
an attempt to accommodate the Reagan administration's foreign policy decision.

Given Cargo, Fleet Will Rebuild, Panel Is Told
(Continued from Page 1.)
fi sh factories to operate in coastal
waters.
Almost every country has stronger
cargo preference laws than the U.S. ,
and one of the simplest ways to help
the merchant fleet would be stronger
preference laws.
Several witnesses called for the
adoption of the UNCTAD liner code
which reserves trade on a 40-40-20

percent basis.
Drozak also said that current U. S .ftag requirements on certain government shipments should be considered
the floor , or the bare minimum to be
carried .
" Today that percentage is considered a ceiling, and th~ aim of many
agencies is to come as close to that
percentage as possible without going
over it ," he said .

Adm. James L. Holloway III of CASO asks a question during the defense commission
hearing. To his left are commission members John Gaughan, Marad administrator; NMU
President Shannon Wall, and Edward E. Carlson, chairman emeritus, United Airlines.

Current legislation pending in the
House of Representatives could be ''at
least a starting point for the constructive discussion of our present maritime
dilemma," said MEBA-2 President Ray
McKay.
Those bills require negotiation of
bilateral treaties with trading partners ,
stronger action against foreign restrictions on U.S . carriers and reservation
of some car imports for U .S. ships.
Tankers are an important link in the
military needs , but there is a lack of
tankers which worries military planners , Drozak said .
" The easiest way to promote U .S .flag tankers is imposing an oil-import
fee on both clean product and crude
oil , with.an exemption for oil carried
in U .S.-flag tankers," he said .
' 'There is another way to generate
cargo. I firmly believe that it is the
responsibility of the entire citizenry
of a developed maritime nation to pay
for the maintenance of a merchant
marine. One way of doing this is a tax

incentive to exporters and importers
to use U .S ..::flag ships. In this way , the
cost is spread equally between all
taxpayers , both individual and industry ," Drozak said. " In fact , such a
tax incentive should be substantial
enough so that it would even be possible to specify not only U.S.-flagged
ships , but U .S.-built ships as well. I
do not know of another way , short of
a massive construction differential
subsidy, to do something about our
declining shipbuilding industry.
" First, the cost of such a program,
unlike a cargo preference law, is spread
across the entire tax base , and is
offset, at least in part, by increased
tax revenue from the expanding maritime employment base. Second , there
is no direct subsidy to a specific segment of the industry ,'' he said.
The commission' s final report is not
due until 1988. A preliminary report
is due later this year and more hearings
are set to listen to representatives of
other segments of the industry.
May 1987 I LOG I 3

�Fight Over CDS Payback
For Alaska Run Reignites
Despite the fact that the last time
Construction Differential Subsidy
(CDS) paybacks were allowed the government lost some $76 million, seamen
lost hundreds of jobs and 10 tankers
were laid up, the administration is
trying to revive this failed program.
In 1985, despite congressional opposition, the Department of Transportation (DOT) changed its rules to allow
ships built with CDS funds into the
domestic tanker trade if the owners
paid back their CDS. But coastwise
or domestic trade is reserved for U.S.built and nonsubsidized ships.
Earlier this year a federal court
found the DOT's rulemaking invalid
and ordered the department to rescind
it and come up with a new system.
The new system contains CDS payback provisions.
Contrary to DOT' s original estimates that seven tankers would repay
subsidy, during the effective period of
the rule only three vessels elected to
pay back the subsidy resulting in just
over $100 million being returned to
the U.S. Treasury. At the same time,
however, implementation of the rule
cost the government $182 million in
defaults under the Title XI Vessel

Loan Guarantee Program and the Economic Development Administration
loan program. If the rulemaking is
reinstated, DOT has estimated that an
additional $88 million in Title XI defaults will occur.
''Implementation of this rule making
has weakened our defense structure
through the loss of hundreds of seafaring jobs and the layup of more than
10 militarily useful coastwise tankers.
Citing the disruptive effect of this
rulemaking on the commercial fleet
since the proposal's initial inception,
the Navy in comments submitted to
the Maritime Administration on April
28, 1987 opposed reissuance of the
payback scheme pointing out that it
expects to buy a minimum of 20 tankers at a cost of over $200 million to
meet requirements that the private
sector is unable to fulfill," SIU President Frank Drozak said.
Currently the House passed version
of the FY 1987 Supplemental Appropriations bill would prohibit the DOT
from spending any funds on CDS payback. But the Senate version does not.
When the two houses meet in conference, attempts will be made to retain
the House version.

EDITOR'S NOTE: On May 13 The New York Times took a strong editorial stand against
the maritime community's attempt to prohibit the ill-planned and costly scheme to allow
subsidized tankers into the domestic trade. Using erronous information, the editorial
arrived at an illogical and incorrect position. Following is the Times' editorial in its
entirety and SIU President Frank Drozak's response.

Senator Hollings's
Tanker Ploy
Faced with such a big budget deficit,
Congress might be expected to embrace owners of oil tankers who have
voluntarily repaid $142 million in federal subsidies. In fact, many members
of Congress are demanding that the
Transportation Department return the
money. Leading the fight is Senator
Ernest Hollings, who as co-author of
the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings balanced budget law ought to be doubly
embarrassed by the naked defense of
special interests.
In 1970, shipyard interests persuaded Congress to subsidize a new
fleet of very large oceangoing oil tankers. Eleven were built, with Uncle
Sam paying about half the cost. But
even with the subsidy, the tankers
couldn't compete in a world market
glutted with more efficient foreign vessels.
Hope for the idle tankers centered
on the opening of the Trans-Alaska
pipeline in 1977, combined with a prohibition against exports of Alaskan oil.
This generated enormous demand for
tankers to carry crude to refineries in
the lower 48 states. But present law
prohibits use of foreign-built ships or
ships built with government subsidies
to serve the coastal trade when un4 I LOG I May 1987

subsidized domestic vessels are available. These coastal tankers are old,
slow and small. To prevent shipping
rates from soaring, the Transportation
Department permitted a few of the
large ocean tankers temporarily to enter the protected trade.
Overcoming fierce opposition from
coastal shipping interests, the Reagan
administration ruled in 1985 that the
big tankers could repay their subsidies
and join the coastal fleet permanently.
benefited-except
the
Everyone
coastal-ship owners. Earlier this year,
they convinced a federal appeals court
that the administration hadn't adequately documented the case for a
payback.
Most analysts expected the Transportation Department to meet the
court's objections. What they didn't
anticipate was congressional intervention. Without hearings or debate, the
House prohibited Transportation from
spending a dime to rewrite the rule.
But Ernest Hollings, who does much
of the heavy lifting for the rust bucket
fleet, failed with the same ploy in the
Senate. He will still represent his colleagues when the two bills are reconciled.
Coastal shipowners claim they will

go broke if forced to compete and thus
wouldn't be available for military
emergencies. If the vessels were worth
saving, though, the Navy could buy
them at scrap value and put them in
mothballs.
The only real issue is whether Congress will be able to resist the lure of
PAC politics. Shipping interests learned
long ago that it was more profitable to

start political action committees and
invest in "congressional access" than
in more efficient ships or retraining.
In 1985-86, the tiny seafarers' union
alone contributed $1.2 million just to
House members. With money like that
floating around, there's reason to wonder if a majority of conferees will have
the conscience to put the public's
financial interest ahead of their own.

Drozak Replies
May 14, 1987
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
229 East 43rd Street
New York, New York 10036
Dear Editor:
Your May 13 editorial, entitled
''Senator Hollings' s Tanker Ploy,'' is
the latest example of your continuing
misunderstanding of the Transportation Department's efforts to allow
tankers built with federal subsidy to
repay that subsidy in exchange for
access to the domestic trade.
Nearly four years ago (Aug. 4, 1983),
your editorial pages made a similar
argument in favor of construction differential subsidy (CDS) repayment,
using the same sensational descriptions of "old, slow and small" to
characterize the domestic tanker fleet,
while marveling at the impact such
repayment would have on the federal
budget deficit.
You may recall that I responded to
your column by indicating that the
average age of the Alaska trade tanker
fleet was a young 10 years. Since that
time, newer vessels have been added
to the fleet, while more older vessels
have been retired.
I also agreed that CDS payback
would affect the federal budget deficit,
but not in the way The Times envisioned. I predicted that payback money
would be far outpaced by defaults on
federal loan guarantees on domestic
trade tankers. History has proven me
right and you wrong.
When only three vessels repaid their
subsidy under the 1985 rule recently
rejected by a federal appeals court,
loan defaults were $76 million more
than payback revenue. These ships
did, however, displace many smaller
vessels of much greater military utility
and effectively eliminated hundreds of
seafaring jobs, shrinking an already
depleted pool of skilled manpower. It
is difficult under these circumstances
to find the "everyone" who "benefited" from the 1985 rule; unless you
mean the oil companies who stood to
directly profit at the expense of our
national security.
Now we are faced once again with
the same tired arguments, ignoring
both the fiscal and security implications. If the final rule is put into place,
as The Times recommends, even the
Department of Transportation expects
defaults under the Title XI ship construction program to be $88 million,
and that 12 tankers will be displaced.
Additionally, the Navy has already
projected spending more than $200
million for 20 or more tankers to add
to the Ready Reserve Force to make
up for the vessels lost in the domestic
tanker trade; each with an annual
maintenance bill of $1 million. Is this

your idea of tackling the budget deficit?
Given your previous errors in print,
we question The Times abilities at
interpreting budgetary matters. Of
equal concern, however, has been your
failure to balance fiscal concerns with
the need to maintain military capability. The ability to provide adequate
sealift during emergencies has always
been the primary justification for a
strong, healthy American merchant
marine. To displace useful, handy size
tankers for behemoths too large for
use by the Navy contradicts any sense
of defense strategy.
Finally, you ignore the impact on
the skilled labor pool needed to man
merchant vessels in time of war. The
Navy has already predicted a manpower shortfall in excess of 25 percent
by 1992. Individual human tragedies
aside, throwing hundreds of additional
seafarers out of work would further
weaken our national ability to respond
to a wartime emergency.
Perhaps that is why ''the tiny seafarers' union'' and its 85,000 members
have traditionally been sensitive to
legislative issues. Our members feel it
important to play an active role in
such affairs, and since they are often
out to sea, use absentee ballots and
voluntary political contributions to express their views; a course of action
equally open to proponents of the CI?~
payback rule.
It is unfortunate that you have used
this issue to question the integrity of
Senator Hollings, whose leadership as
a budget cutter (e.g. Gramm-RudmanHollings) is beyond dispute. Using his
expertise on budget issues, he has
reasoned that the CDS payback proposal would have a negative impact
on the budget. I suggest that his track
record in this_. regard outshines yours,
and that he is less interested in the
''naked defense of special interests''
than the defense of our country.
The CDS payback rulemaking is
unfair because it benefits only those
few who are in a cash-rich position to
repay their subsidies, and because it
does not take into consideration the
many operators who have made substantial business decisions based on a
different set of rules. The Seafarers
International Union has opposed such
a rulemaking from the outset, especially when it features a blanket repayment policy. The present law which
permits temporary six-month waivers
of domestic trade restrictions on a
case-by-case basis is more than adequate to meet the already overtonnaged U.S. coastwise transport requirements.
Sincerely,
Frank Drozak
President

�In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will
highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national
and maritime policy.

Sen. John McCain

Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin

P

S

RESIDENT Reagan's imposition
last month of a 100 percent tariff
on some Japanese-made electronic
goods came about following the hard
work of many members of Congressamong them Senator John McCain (RAriz.).
McCain, who was elected as one of
Arizona's senators in 1986 after two
terms as a U.S. representative and a
distinguished military career, was one
of 20 members of Congress selected
to serve as a member of the Congressional Semiconductor Support Group.
This group filed a petition complaining
of unfair trade practices on the part
of the Japanese in the semiconductor
areas. In March 1987, in a speech on
the Senate floor, McCain called on the
Reagan administration to invoke appropriate sanctions against Japan for
its failure to live up to an agreement
with the U.S. on the export and import
of semiconductors.
"We cannot reach solemn agreements with our allies, ... " McCain
stated, "have them blatantly violated,
and expect to maintain good relations,
at least the kind we have enjoyed with
the Japanese since World War II.''
In the Senate, McCain also serves
on the prestigious Committee on Armed
Services, the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation,
and the Select Committee on Indian
Affairs. On the Commerce Committee, he is the ranking minority member
on the Consumer Subcommittee. According to The New York Times, Sen.
McCain "seems poised to emerge as
a significant figure in national politics."

TRENGTHENING U.S. trade
laws is one of the priorities of the
1OOth Congress-of which Benjamin
L. Cardin (D-Md.) is a newly-elected
representative.
Over the last six years , an estimated
1.2 million jobs were lost in this country due to unfair trade practices. More
must be done, Congress believes , in
order for the United States to remain
strong in the world marketplace.

Sen. John McCain
McCain is also a strong advocate of
Arizona' s interests such as the Central
Arizona Project, land and environmental issues and Indian affairs.
Born in the Panama Canal Zone to
a family with a prominent military
history, McCain graduated from the
U.S. Naval Academy in 1958. He
received his wings in Corpus Christi
and went on to establish a 22-year
military career. In 1967 he was shot
down over Hanoi, captured and made
a prisoner of war for five-and-a-half
years. McCain received numerous
awards including the Silver Star, Bronze
Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart,
and the distinguished Flying Cross.
After attending the National War College, McCain served as the Director
of the Navy Senate Liaison Office until
his retirement from the service as a
captain.
We look forward to working with
Sen. McCain, particularly in his fight
against unfair trade practices.

Cardin, who is a member of the
House Committee on Public Works
and Transportation, a member of the
House Committee on the Judiciary,
Assistant Majority Whip and vicechairman of the Democratic Class of
1986, is among those members who
believe that the 1OOth Congress must
take action to strengthen U.S. trade
laws, better promote American exports, and consider legislation to support specific industries where national
interests are clearly threatened.
Elected to Congress from the third
congressional district of Maryland,
Cardin is also a member of the
Congressional Maritime Caucus. The
Caucus was established in 1984 by
House Merchant Marine and Fisheries
Chairm.an Walter B. Jones (D-N.C.)
who also serves as its chairman. The
1987 agenda of the 83-member Caucus
is to recruit congressional members
and to educate both members and staff
about the plight of the U.S. Merchant
Marine.
Before his election to the U.S. House
of Representatives, Cardin served in

Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin
the Maryland House of Delegates, from
his election in 1966 to his position as
speaker from 1979 to 1986.
Rep. Cardin attended Baltimore
public schools, received his B.A. from
the University of Pittsburgh and his
law degree from the University of
Maryland, where he was graduated
first in his class. A member of the
American, Maryland and Baltimore
City Bar Associations, he has served
on a number of state and national
commissions and task forces. Cardin
has given of his time in civic activities
and has been recognized through numerous academic, humanitarian and
honorary awards.
The Seafarers International Union
hopes to maintain close ties with Rep.
Cardin and the 1OOth Congress in helping our ships and seamen to play a
vital role in keeping the United States
a great trading nation.

Gephardt Amendment Wins Approval

Maritime Included in House-Passed Trade Bill
Several impoFtant, SIU-backed sections were included in a tough trade
bill overwhelmingly passed by the
House of Representatives late last
month. The House also voted to include the controversial, and White
House-opposed, Gephardt amendment.
"You never know what the end
product will be , but the trade bill, the
way it stands now, is a strong piece
of legislation and a loud warning to
the rest of the world that the U.S. is
not going to play the patsy anymore, "
said SIU President Frank Drozak.
The trade reform bill, passed by a
290-137 vote, includes a section based
on an earlier bill (H.R. 1290) introduced by Rep. Walter Jones , chairman
of the Merchant Marine and Fisheries
Committee.
Title XI of the trade bill would
strengthen the Federal Maritime Commission's power to investigate and
counter unfair maritime trading practices of other countries. The FMC
could either enter negotiations with
other countries or impose similar re-

strictions that American carriers face
in trade with the offending countries.
Also, the bill's Section 197 requires
the president to negotiate trade agreements with each country which exports more than 50,000 cars to the
U.S. a year. The goal of any agreements reached would be to eliminate
unfair or restrictive practices in ocean
shipping of automobiles.
Another section of the bill, 331,
would extend current restrictions on
the export of Alaskan oil to oil pumped
in other parts of the country. Bordering countries would be allowed to
purchase the U.S. oil, but not others.
The domestic tanker trade is a large
part of the SIU-contracted fleet.
''From our point of view,'' Drozak
said, "it's good to know that the House
recognized the burden the U .S.-flag
fleet must function under in the international marketplace. These provisions could let us compete a little more
fairly with the low-paying and highly
subsidized fleets of some of our trading
partners.''

The Gephardt amendment (named
for Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo.)
was the most controversial section of
the trade bill. It passed by only a fourvote margin when voted on separately.
However, when it was included in the
final bill the 290-137 margin showed
it had deeper support than opponents
expected.
The amendment would force countries which are found to have unfair
trading practices and excessive trade
surpluses with the U.S. to alter their
policies through negotiation or automatic restrictions would take effect.
The country would have to reduce its
surplus by 10 percent annually by
either buying more American goods
or exporting fewer of its products to
the U.S.
Gephardt spoke of the fallout from
the mounting trade deficit-the loss of
well-paid jobs, a shrinking middle class
and declining wages. The status quo
isn't good enough, Gephardt insisted
as his House colJeagues gave him an
ovation.

There was strong and substantially
bipartisan support for several other
labor-supported provisions in the trade
bill. The House-passed measure also:
• Strengthens the powers of the
U.S. Trade Representative and directs , rather than merely authorizes,
retaliation by the United States against
specific practices that violate international trade agreements.
• Defines as an unfair trade practice
denial of basic worker rights , including
the right to union representation. Use
of child labor and failure to comply
with other internationally accepted labor conditions would also be unfair
trade practices. Governments that allow such exploitation could be subject
to trade retaliation.
Other new unfair practices would
include "export targeting," which
some countries have used to build up
industries to take over U.S. domestic
markets.
• Strengthens Trade Adjustment
Assistance for workers whose jobs
have been wiped out by imports.
May 1987 I LOG I 5

�...
Around the St. Louis Hall

Gathered for the Gephardt rally in front of the St. Louis Union Station are: (front row,
I. to r.) Dave Vernable, SIU Vice President Mike Sacco, Dave Carter, Lee Roy Laurent,

Rich Turner; (back row, I. to r.) Rick Gantly, Tom Casey, Norman Hancock, Frank
Schlecter.

Seafarers were in attendance at a political rally in St. Louis
for presidential candidate Richard Gephardt.

SIU members at the St. Louis Union hall, preparing to leave for the Gephardt political
rally, are: (front row, I. tor.) Tom Casey, deckmate; David Carter, safety director; Mike
Sacco, SIU vice president; Rick Gantly, deckhand; Frank Schlecter, deckhand; (back
row, I. tor.) Steve Ahrens, deckhand; Norman Hancock, AB.

Brian Jones, left, and Mark Flaherty

61 LOG I May 1987

Boatmen Get $1,000 Pension

Question: Why are Charles Crawford, left, and George Lawrence, right, smiling?
Because they are receiving the first of their monthly $1,000 Seafarer pension checks.
Charlie sailed deepsea with the SIU from 1945 to 1969, and then worked for Curtis
Bay as a deckhand until Feb. 27, 1987. "Happy" Lawrence sailed for Curtis Bay
for 40 years as mate. Presenting the checks are Jim Martin, Norfolk port agent,
and "Scrap Iron" Jones, SIU representative.

Mark Flaherty, Steve Booth and Dennis Pewitt

Ken Hudspeth

�In the Port of Philadelphia .

• •

ABOVE: SIU Port Agent Dave Heindel,
right, with Capt. John Southard aboard
the Cape May (Curtis Bay).

New
Pensioners

RIGHT: Emil Kominsky, cook aboard
the Wagner's Point.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters

The following Inland members have
retired on pension:

APRIL 1-30, 1987

Baltimore
Richard J. Moore
Gerald L. White
Houston
Roy S. Lindley
Mobile
John Fortenberry
Norfolk
Charles W. Crafford
Darcy Y. Etheridge
Bierney R. Kazmierski
George W. Lawrence
Albert Paul Peterson
Philadelphia
Richard E. Repsch

Port
Gloucester . . .......... .... .......
New York ........................
Philadelphia ......................
Baltimore ........................
Norfolk .. .... ........ ...... .....
Mobile ..........................
New Orleans ......................
Jacksonville ......................
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington .......................
Seattle . ........... ....... .... ...
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Houston .... ..... ..... ..... ......
Algonac ..... . ... . ... ..... .......
St. Louis ... .................... .
Piney Point .......................
Totals ..........................

In Memoriam
Pensioner Exum G. Swindell, 76,
died Feb. 2 from Alzheimer's Disease.
He joined the Union in 1961 in the
port of Norfolk, Va. and sailed inland
until his retirement in· 1975. Surviving
is his wife, Margie, of Norfolk. Swindell's body was donated to the State
Anatomical Program of Richmond, Va.
for research.

Steve Votsis, 60,
died Jan. 20 from
heart disease. He
joined the Union in
1972 in the port of
Norfolk, Va. SurVIVlng is his wife,
Ruby. Votsis was
buried at Forest
Lawn Cemetery, Norfolk.

*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

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Port
Gloucester ....................... .
New York ........................ .
Philadelphia .. ........... ......... .
Baltimore ........................ .
Norfolk . .. ........... . . ... .... .. .
Mobile .. ........................ .
New Orleans ...................... .
Jacksonville ....... ..... .......... .
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ... ....... ... .......... .
Seattle . ............ ... .......... .
Puerto Rico .............. . ..... .. .
Houston ......................... .
Algonac ......................... .
St. Louis ..... ............. . ..... .
Piney Point ...... . .. ...... . . ...... .
Totals .... ...................... .
Port
Gloucester ....................... .
New York ...... .................. .
Philadelphia ...................... .
Baltimore . ....... ......... ..... .. .
Norfolk ...................... ... .
Mobile ................. . ... ..... .
New Orleans ...................... .
Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ....................... .
Seattle .......................... .
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Houston ......................... .
Algonac ......................... .
St. Louis ........................ .
Piney Point ....................... .
Totals . ......................... .
Totals All Departments ............... .

0
0

1
6

55
0
0
0
0

6
0
0

4

22

0
0

94

0
0

0
0

0
8
0
1
2
0
5

0
0

2

0
0

3
2
0
0

23

1

1
0
5
0
9

0

0
2
1
16
0
35

0
0
0
6

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

45

9

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

1

3

40

12

13

0

0

0

0
0

0
0

0

0
0

0
0

1

2

6

0
19
0

40

0
0
0

1
1

0

0
13
0

0
8
0

2
14

0

0

4
11
0

2
0
1

2
0
8

6
41
0

106

26

26

107

0
0
47

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0

0

0

0

0
0
1
0
0

1
0

2

0

12

0

0
1
0
14
1
32

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

0
7
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

3
17
0
0
27

0
0
0
0
4
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
6

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

1

0
0
0
11

0
0
0
3

0
0

2

2

0

0

20

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

0
0
0
0

28
0
0

7
' 0
2
0
0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0

1
0
0
0
8
0

3

0

0

0

0

0

0
0

49

18

3

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

0
0
0
0
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0

0

0
0
0
10
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0

0
1

0

0

0

0

0
0
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
0

12

0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3

0
0

11

0
0
0
9

0
0
0
2

0
0
0
0

0
20

15

12

133

32

48

126

31

26

176

80

47

0
0
1
0

0
0

0

0
0
9
0
0
0
1

0

9
1

0

12
0

0
0

0

0
0
0
0
3

0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0
11
0
0
0

0
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.

May 1987 I LOG I 7

�---!!Army Continues to Train at SHLSS-The SHLSS Sealift Staff has
recently taught the key trainers
from the 7th Group, Army
Transportation School m Fort

Eustis, VA.

Richard Dickerson (Instructor) has the
signalman slew the crane to the right.

These soldiers completed
extensive training in crane
operations, cargo handling, safety
and communication procedures.
Returning to Fort Eustis, the
soldiers will instruct other Army
personnel in Hagglund crane and
cargo operations at their own
waterfront facilities.
Since August of 1986, 75
military personnel have trained on
the SHLSS Hagglund crane.

SHLSS Vice President Ken Conklin
trained in crane......operations
.
..· ..·.... ·:·::-:: :·::.-:·:..::.:.:.::

(L. to R.) Larry L. Mays, Marvin W. Stewart Michael C. Cromms, Rickey L. Patterson, Wilmer
Santiago. Second row (I. to r.) Jim Moore (Instructor), Keith Kornegay, John Ryans, Ross
Scmliepmake. Third row (I. tor.) Philip Peacock, Carlton J. Thomas, Richard Dickerson (Instructor).

8 I LOG I May 1987

Army personnel prepare to hoist a jet engine in its container onto a barge.

�To better serve the needs of the
industry the courses offered at
SHLSS are constantly being
updated and revised. New courses
are created as technology advances
and outdated materials are deleted.
In 1987 two of the Engine
Department courses have been
extensively revised and are being
offered under different titles. The

title changes are: Marine Electronics
has been changed to Variable
Speed DC Drive Systems and
Hagglund Crane Maintenance has
been changed to Electro-Hydraulic
Systems.
Following is the course
description, eligibility and
prerequisites for the new courses.

---Variable Speed DC Drive Systems--(Formerly Marine Electronics)
This course consists of electronic
control of direct current drive
systems found in Gantry cranes,
container cranes, constant tension
mooring winches and a variety of
deck machinery.
Systems which require precise
speed I torque control frequently
employ these systems. They are
highly advanced versions of the
Ward-Leonard Speed Control
System. The very latest versions
utilize computer I microprocessor
drive control.
The student learns basic control
systems, casualty procedures, card
pak replacement, system tune-up,
relay logic and development of
system sequence charts. He learns
how to use the manufacturers
instruction book, properly utilizing
troubleshooting procedures and
system maintenance.
A certtticate of graduation will

be issued upon satisfactory course
completion.
Eligibility I Prerequisites
All applicants must hold a
QMED Any Rating endorsement
and must have satisfactorily
completed the Marine Electrical
Maintenance Course. They should
hold an Electricians Endorsement
but must be knowledgeable of DC
machinery, AC machinery, have
good test equipment skills and an
eighth
grade
reading
comprehension. Due to the small
print used on the electrical
schematics, good eyesight is
important. If you have problems
reading small print, you should
consider having your eyes checked
before reporting to class.
The Length of Course
The length of the course is six
weeks.

Don't Miss Your Chance
to
ltnprove Your Skills
How?
SHLSS has self-study materials in many areas. Upon your request;
SHLSS will send them to you to study in your spare time.
You can use these skills:
on your job.
to improve your skills for upgrading.
to further your education.
Please send me the area( s) checked below:

*
*
*

MAlli
Fractions
Decimals
Percents
Algebra
Geometry
Trigonometry
(Plane}
(Spherical)

D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D

STUDY SKILLS
Listening Skills
D
How To Improve Your Memory D
How To Use Textbooks
D
Study Habits
D
Test
Anxiety
D
ENGLISH: Writing Skills
Test Taking Tactics
D
Grammar Books D
Stress Management
D
Writing Business
Notetaking Know-How
D
Letters
D
SOCIAL STUDIES
Geography
D
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
D
U.S. History
D
Tax Tips for Seafarers
D
Economics
D
Basic Metrics
D
Political Science
D
Name
Street
City _ _ _ _ __ State _ _ _ _ __
Zip _ _ _ _ __
Book No.
Social Security No.
Department Sailing In _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Cut out this coupon and mail to:
Adult Education Department
Seafarers Harry lundeberg School of Seamanship
Piney Point, Maryland 20674
Send it today!

-----Electro-Hydraulic Systems-s----(Formerly Hagglund Crane Maintenance)
This course consists of the
principles of Electrical Control of
Hydraulic Systems.
Systems that employ these
principles are cargo winches, deck
cranes, anchor windlass, ships
steering systems, ramps, stern
ramps, fire doors and a wide
variety of ship board systems.
The course reviews the
hydraulic components, and their
functions as well as basic hydraulic
systems. Application of electrical
controls and some typical
shipboard electro-hydraulic
equipment is also covered. The
first weeks are devoted to the
electro-hydraulic deck crane
(Hagglund 16 through 50 ton
cranes), electrical relay sequenced
hydraulic operation together with
trouble
shooting
and
maintenance. The remainder of
the course will be devoted to other
electro-hydraulic ship board
systems.

Eligibility I Prerequisites
All applicants must hold a
QMED Any Rating endorsement
and must have satisfactorily
completed the Marine Electrical
Maintenance Course and should
have completed the SHLSS
Hydraulic course or equivalent.
They should have an Electricans
Endorsement, but must be
knowledgeable of AC and DC
machinery, have good test
equipment skills and an eighth
grade reading comprehension.
Due to the small print used on the
electrical schematics, good
eyesight is imponant. If you have
problems reading small print, you
should consider having your eyes
checked before you repon to class.
Length of Course
The length of the course is six
weeks.

May 1987 I LOG I 9

�Canadia~

Group Tour SHLSS Facilities

George
Simulator Manager Abe Easter explains the functions and capabilities of
the shiphandling simulator.

Returns to SHLSS for Upgrading

John Adam, Member of Trainee Class # 1

~

SHLSS Vice President Ken Conklin
and John Adam.

Fort Eustis Staff Training Officer,
Captain Jeff Blanchard Tours SHLSS

John Adam has seen a lot of
changes in the Seafarers Harry
Lundeberg School since it was
purchased by the SIU in 1966.
Adam, born and raised in St.
Marys County MD, remembers the
school's property as a military
torpedo base and has watched it
evolve over the years.
Adam began working for the
Lundeberg School in 1966 as a
driver with a daily trip from Piney
Point MD to Brooklyn NY. Later in
that year he entered the Trainee
Program becoming the second
person from St. Marys County to
enroll at SHLSS.
After 20 years of going to sea,
Adam now holds the following
licenses: Second Mate, Chief Mate
1600 gross tons, Masters 1000 gross
tons. He is also a member of:MEBA-2
and lives on Long Island NY.

Seallft Operations and Maintenance
Radar
Ed Embry, Al Gobeli, Ted Lukawski, Steve McGuiness, Jon
Richardson, Rob Whytock.

10 I LOG I May 1987

(L. to R.) Alexander Daniluk, Harry Alongi (Instructor), Gil

Manipon, Jackie Paglinawan, Dennis Skretta, Ken Miner,
Michael Cushman, Gary Griswold.

Weld Ing
(l. to R.) Richard Daisley, Steve Kues, Robert Santos,
George Lindsay, Bill Folley (Instructor).

�1987 Upgrading
Course Schedule

Steward Upgrading Courses

Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
June 1987 -

December 1987

The following is the current course schedule for May 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.
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
QM ED · Any Rating
* Sealift Operations &amp; Ma int.

Check-In
Date
September 21
December 14

Completion
Date
December 11
January 8

Automation
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Ma int.
Automation
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 13
August 10
June 27
July 25

August 7
September 4
July 22
August 19

Fireman/Watertender, Oiler
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Fireman/Watertender, Oiler
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Ma int.
Fireman/Watertender, Oller
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

June 8
August 3
August 10
October 5
October 12
December 7

July 31
August 28
October 2
October 30
December 4
December 31

Marine Electrical Maintenance
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 13
September 7

September 4
October 2

Variable Speed DC Drive
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Ma int.
Electro-Hydraulic Systems
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.

September 21
November 2
November 9
December 21

October 30
November 27
December 18
January 15

Refrigeration Systems Maint. &amp; Ops.
* Sealift Operations &amp; Ma int.

July 20
August 31

August 28
September 25

Refri~eration Containers - Advanced
Main enance
* Sealift Operations &amp; Ma int.
Diesel Engineer - Regular
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

August 31
October 12
October 12
November 23

October 9
November 6
November 20
December 12

Deck Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date
July 13
August 31
September 28
October 26

Completion
Date
September 4
October 23
November 20
December 18

Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance

July 13
August10
September 28
October 26
November 23

August 7
September 4
October 23
November 20
December 18

Celestial Navigation

July 13
November 2

August 14
December 4

Radar Obsever

August17
December 7

August 28
December 12

Radar Obsever (Renewal)

Open ended course, however,
must notify SH LSS before
entering this course.

Course
Able Seaman/Sealift Operations
&amp; Maintenance

Towboat Operator

September 7

October 30

Deep Sea
Deck Shiphandling Simulator

June 15

June 18

Inland Deck Shiphandling Simulator

October 12

&amp; Maint.

Check-In
Date
July 22
September 8
September 2
October 19
October 14
November 30
November 25
January 11

Completion
Date
September 4
October 2
October 16
November 13
November 27
December 24
January 8
February 5

Cook and Baker
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Ma int.
Cook and Baker
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.
Cook and Baker
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 22
September 21
September 2
November 2
October 14
December 14

September 18
October 16
October 30
November 27
December 11
January 8

Chief Cook
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Chief Cook
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Chief Cook
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 8
September 7
September 2
November 2
October 28
December 28

September 4
October 2
October 30
November 27
December 25
January 22

Chief Steward
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Chief Steward
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Ma int.
Chief Steward
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 8
September 7
September 2
November 2
October 28
December 28

September 4
October 2
October 30
November 27
December 25
January 22

Course
Assistant Cook
*Sea lift Operations
Assistant Cook
*Sealift Operations
Assistant Cook
*Sea lift Operations
Assistant Cook
*Sea lift Operations

&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.

Recertification Programs
Course
Steward Recertification

Bosun Recertification

Check-In
Date
June 29
August 31
November 2

Completion
Date
August 3
October 5
December 7

September 21

November 2

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 months of this year, the courses will be six weeks in length and
offered on the following dates:
High School Equivalency (GED)
August 3
September 14
November 2
December 14
Adult Basic Education (ABE) &amp;
English as a Second Language (ESL)

August 3
November 2

September 11
December 11

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes. They will be offered as follows:
FOWT
August 3
August 7
Towboat Operator
September 7
September 11

College Programs
Course
Associates in Arts

Check-In
Date
June 8
August 17
October 26

Completion
Date
July 31
October 19
December 18

Course Schedule Notice
* The above courses will be followed by a
mandatory four-week Sealift Operations and
Maintenance Course. (If you already have a Sealift
Operations and Maintenance endorsement you
DO NOT have to repeat this course.)

October 16
May 1987 I LOG I 11

�Apply
Now for an SH LSS Upgrading Course
...............................•.......................................•............•...••••......••...•..................•........•.•.. ,

Name

(first)

(last)

(City)

(State)

Deep Sea Member D

Date of Birth

(Middle)

Telephone -~---.__.....-..-----­
(Area Code)

(Zip Code)

Inland Waters Member D

Mo./Oay/Vear

Lakes Member D

Pacific D

Social Security# _ _ _ _ _ _ Book#_ _ _ _ _ _ Seniority _ _ _ _ _ _ Department _ _ _ _ __
Date Book
Port Presently
Was lssued _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Port lssued _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Registered In _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: 0 Yes
Trainee Program: From _ _ _ _

r'T"""'t_ _ _

to __________

(dates attended)

No D (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __
No D (if yes, fill in below)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

Course(s)Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: 0 Yes No 0

Firefighting: D Yes No D

~

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for Training - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Primary Language Spoken - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
DECK
O
O
O
O
D
O
O
D
0
D
D
O
O
D
0

STEWARD

ENGINE

Tankerman
AB/Seallft Special
AB/Seallft Limited
AB/Seallft Unlimited
Towboat Operator Inland
Towboat Operator Not More
Than 200 Miies
Towboat Operator (Over 200 Miies)
Celestial Navigation
Master Inspected Towing Vessel
Mate Inspected Towing Vessel
1st Class Pilot
Third Mate Celestial Navigation
Third Mate
Radar Observer Unlimited
Simulator Course

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

O FOWT
0 QMED-Any Rating
o Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
o Marine Electrical Maintenance
o Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
O Automation
o Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
O Diesel Engine Technology
o Assistant Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel)
o Chief Engineer {Unlnspected
Motor Vessel
O Third Asst. Engineer &amp; Orlglnal Second
Asst. Engineer Steam or Motor
O Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
O Hydraulics
O Electro-Hydraulic Systems

o
O
O
O
O

Assistant Cook Utlllty
Cook &amp; Baker
Chief Cook
Chief Steward
Towboat Inland Cook

ALL DEPARTMENTS
O Welding
Llfeboatman
D Seallft Operations &amp; Maintenance

o

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
D Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equlvalency
Program (GED)
D Developmental Studies (DVS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)
D ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates In Arts Degree
0 Nautical Science Certificate

RECORD OF EMPLOYMENT TIME-(Show only amount needed to upgrade in rating noted above or attach letter
of service, whichever is applicable.)
VESSEL
RATING HELD
DATE SHIPPED
DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-DATE_~~~~~~~~~~~~~­

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

...............................................................................................................................
Rev

12 I LOG I May 1987

5187

.........\

~=--~

�Pay-Off on the Sea-Land Express
N

Sergio Morales, chief cook, is one of the
best cooks in the business.

ew York Port Agent Kermett
Mangram drives from the Union
hall in Brooklyn to make a morning
pay-off on the Sea-Land Express.
It is a cold, dreary day, suited
more to fall than to late spring, which
it actually is. Kermett has to drive
through the industrial park area of
Elizabeth, N.J. to get to the Sea-Land
docking area.
Everywhere there are containers,
though few are American. Most are
from Japan and other East Asian countries. There isn't an American name
until you get to Sea-Land.
Kermett parks his car in the lot and
takes the Sea-Land shuttle bus to the
vessel. A couple of SIU guys are on
the bus. "How're you doing brother?"
one asks. By now, Kermett is a fixture
on these docks, and most people, even
the bus drivers, know him.
Kermett walks up the ladder. He
goes straight to the crew mess, where
SIU members come in one, two at a
time. Some are in a hurry to make the
most of their port time. Others have
a leisurely lunch.
The pay-off is more informal than
in the past. ''The crew sizes are smaller
these days," explains Kermett.
Everyone wants to know about the
status of contract negotiations with
the new management team at SeaLand. "We haven't heard anything,"

The Sea-Land Express

said Kermett, "except that the first
meetings are just getting under way.''
Kermett tries to settle all beefs.
There is an easy camaraderie between
the port agent and the membership he
services.
The members tell Kermett about
what's important to them. Today they
are concerned about the contract talks
with Sea-Land. Kermett tries to explain developments in a larger context-conditions in the maritime industry, the importance of political
action. The two-way flow of information between member and official
is what keeps the Union strong.

SIU Kermett Mangram is a fixture on the
docks.

Photos by MAX HALL

Chief Electrician Douglas Grenier is a member of the ship's committee.
The shoregang make it possible for members to hit the beach.

Pedro Sanchez makes a phone call home.

AB Howard Yaeger and Fred Tierney can't wait to hit the beach.

May 1987ILOGI13

�Area Vice Presidents' Report
with a plan to generate cargo. I therefore urge all SIU members to continue
their fine support of SPAD.

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

I

attended the Texas State AFL-CIO
Executive Board meeting in Austin
recently. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas)
was one of the speakers.
The main topic of conversation was
trade. Almost everyone in the labor
movement feels that this is the preeminent issue of our time.
Millions of American workers have
had their jobs exported overseas because the present administration has
failed to exert leadership in this area.
Seamen have been particularly hard
hit.
The American-flag merchant marine
declined by 10 percent last year alone.
Still, shipping for Seafarers in the Gulf
area was fairly good last month, mainly
because of the military work that this
Union has been able to sign up.
Increased domestic and international competition in the transportation sector is transforming the nature
of the maritime industry. In the future,
the only unlicensed seamen who can
count on being employed will be those
who have taken the time to upgrade
their skills.
That is why Piney Point is so important. Rapid technological advances
over the past 10 years have resulted
in reduced manning. That is not likely
to tum around any time soon, especially now, when companies are talk...... ing about ''intermodalism'' and the
need to reduce costs.
The fight to protect the job security
of this membership is being waged on
several fronts. In Washington, the
Union is trying to secure legislation to
stimulate job opportunities in the maritime industry.
Yet there is more to this Union than
just its Washington operations. Our
officials and servicing teams try to
handle all beefs. We believe that there
can be no true long-term productivity
gains in the maritime industry unless
the workers believe that they are being
treated fairly.
Given the present economic mood
of the country, contract negotiations
are more difficult than at any time in
recent memory. Still, the SIU was
able to reach a settlement with Crescent Towing, both in New Orleans and
Savannah. Contracts also were negotiated with Pilot Services.
The Union's contract with Radcliffe
Material was extended an additional
60 days to give both sides more time
to come up with a settlement.
There is no secret to obtaining a
good contract. Solidarity is still the
thing that makes this Union work.
Another thing is political action. In
the long run , there can be no real job
security for seamen unless Congress
and the administration take a hard look
at the maritime industry and come up

-

14 I LOG I May 1987

East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

T

O seamen of a certain age, the
port of New York will always be
associated with Big Band music, passenger vessels and the waterfront bars
on the West Side docks. Yet times
change.
It's not just that a growing number
of seamen have discovered AA, or
that musical tastes have shifted. New
York is no longer the center of the
shipping world.
Fifty years ago, when dissidents in
the old International Seamen's Union
wanted to establish their own union
(they eventually wound up forming
the NMU), they could distribute leaflets on the West Side docks and be
confident that a majority of the membership would read what they had to
say.
Today, most of the West Side docks
have been leveled to make way for
parks, highways and condominiums.
Most shipping companies have moved
their operations to New Jersey. Some
like Delta, have moved out of the
region altogether.
Still, maritime is a multi-billion dollar business. The economic vitality of
the city depends in large part on the
maritime industry, which is responsible for hauling imports in and exports
out.
The. SIU maintains an extensive
grassroots base in the area. Many of
the bills that it supports in Washington
wind up having concrete economic
benefits for the people of New York.
During the last session of Congress,
the SIU worked very closely with
senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and
Alfonse D' Amato to get the Port Development bill enacted. The first
dredging projects to be generated by
passage of that bill are expected to be
started later this year in Newark Harbor.
In addition, the SIU has been in
contact with Rep. Guy Molinari's office in order to get a homeport for
Staten Island. The measure is expected to generate millions of dollars
and hundreds of jobs for the area.
The changing face of the maritime
industry in this area is having an effect
on our membership. Many of our older
members and our pensioners find that
the support networks that they used
to take for granted-seamen's clubs ,
Sailor's Snug Harbor-no longer exist
in New York.

Indeed, the closing of Sailor's Snug
Harbor on Staten Island several years
ago had a profound effect on the lives
of retired seamen. The new facility,
located in North Carolina, is far from
the lives that most seamen knew.
The problems facing older seamen
in the port of New York was one of
the reasons behind the Union's decision to open up its training facilities
in Piney Point to pensioners. ''They
don't have to use the program," said
SIU President Frank Drozak. "It's
there for anyone who wants it or needs
it."
Other unions are facing similar problems. The Seamen's Church Institute
in downtown Manhattan has received
such a large amount of feedback on
this matter that it has decided to. hold
a series of informal meetings where
representatives from the various maritime unions can discuss the issue. It
is being held under the direction of
Rev. Donald Kimmick.

igan House to discuss Michigan House
Bill H.R. 4474 which would relieve
merchant seamen who reside in Michigan of the burden of filing their state
income tax returns on a quarterly basis.
Elsewhere in the region, the SIU
was still negotiating with the dredging
companies to come up with a new
contract. In addition, several of our
companies have started on new dredging projects.
Luedtke Engineering began a dredging project on Fighting Island in the
Detroit River. The company is scheduled to begin a light rebuilding project
in Milwaukee, Wis.
Great Lakes Dredging and Dock is
scheduled to begin work on dredging
projects in the Cuyahoga River and
the Cleveland City Harbor. In addition, Zenith Dredging will begin work
on a project in Ontonagon, Mich.

West Coast
by V.P. George McCartney

T

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike acco

T

HE SIU has been working on a
grassroots level throughout the
region to secure federal and state legislation favorable to American seamen.
Union officials in the various MidWestern port cities worked hard to
lobby grassroots support for the Gephardt amendment, which seeks to
~trengthen America's position in the
international trading system. During
the past 10 years, seamen and other
American workers have seen their jobs
exported overseas at an increasingly
rapid rate because this country has
failed to come up with a comprehensive industrial policy.
SIU representatives contacted local
congressional offices in order to make
our views heard. The Gephardt
amendment passed by only four votes.
The effort that the SIU and other labor
organizations took to make their members' views heard probably made the
difference in getting the amendment
passed.
The SIU was also active in state
and local elections. This Union has
always believed that the state and city
elections are fertile breeding grounds
for tomorrow's congressmen and senators.
In St. Louis, Dick Gephardt' s home
city, the SIU worked closely with the
rest of organized labor to help elect
such politicians as Marion Ta co,
Agusta Clark and George Bunnel to
the city council.
In Michigan, SIU Field Rep Larry
Querry met with member of the Mich-

HE fishing industry plays an important roJe in the economy of
the West Coast. Unfortunately, it is
just one of many industries that have
been allowed to decline because the
present administration has failed to
come up with a coherent policy on
trade and economic development.
The fishing industry pumps hundreds
of millions of dollars into the West
Coast economy, and creates tens of
thousands of jobs. Many of these jobs
belong to workers who are SIU members or members of unions affiliated
with the SIU.
The SIU is monitoring a number of
issues that pertain directly to the fishing industry. Earlier this month, SIU
President Frank Drozak submitted testimony to the House Subcommittee
on Trade outlining this organization's
support ofH.R. 1515 which, according
to Drozak, ~·'would restore equity to
the tuna industry by equalizing rates
on all canned tuna imported into the
United States."
Drozak also testified on the loopholes that exist in the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act
of 1976 which enable foreign-flag companies to document their fish processing vessels under the American flag.
The SIU, which believes that a strong
American fishing industry is in the
best interests of the American consumer, wants those loopholes closed.
Many of the issues that this Union
monitors in Washington have a concrete effect on the grassroots level.
We take a stand on these issues because they are important to our member hip and because, in the long-run ,
they are important to the American
people. If the American fishing in.dustry is allowed to decline , then it will
have ramifications that go far beyond
that one industry.
(Continued on Page 22.)

�SIU's Charles

L. Brown Helps
You Phone Home
Most Americans are still having
trouble figuring out whom to call for
phone and phone line repair since the
breakup of Ma Bell. But there is no
question whom to call if the problem
is in your phone line on the Pacific
Ocean's floor-The Charles L. Brown
(AT&amp;T).
The SIU-contracted cable-repair ship
is homeported in Honolulu, but is
responsible for more than 12,000 miles
of ocean-bottom phone lines between
the mainland, Hawaii and other points
in the Pacific.
The Brown recentiy completed her
first two repair jobs on undersea cable .
The SIU crew operated at near perfection, according to the officers onboard and the company. The three
photos of the Brown at sea during the
repairs were taken by Cable AB John
Mansfield and 2nd mate Dave Sherman.
The Brown also pulled into Port
Hueneme, Calif. to take on stores, and
SIU Field Rep. Dennis Lundy snapped
the other two pictures while he was
onboard. The cableship is currently
on standby in Honolulu.

With a stop in Port Hueneme, Calif., the cableship Charles L. Brown had a chance to take on stores. Here the deck department loads
supplies for its next trip.

Bosun George Costango (right) looks on as Wilmington Port Agent Don Anderson
completes some paperwork.

Above, Brown crewmembers recover the buoy. From top to bottom are
C/M Robbie Jones, Bosun Roy Theis and 2nd mate John Dooley. Cable
AB John Mansfield is on the buoy. Below, Mansfield Oeft) and splicer/
joiner Bob Leake splice a section of telephone cable.

,::(\{:':{''':)i\JJfttliiii;iii~;,:~![:,::1;:i;~~~1+:1:~:r·:·t·': · =:·:·;·~ ,·:··;·:·;. ·:·-::~:·1·!!*1'':7'''if • ·&gt;., tt~:
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Crewmembers Jeff Hood (left) and Gary Cardillo coil 8 x 3 dragline in the Brown's #1
cable tank.

May 1987ILOGI15

�Sailors' State Tax Reform Bill Introduced in Michigan
Merchant sailors who reside in
Michigan may soon be relieved of a
burdensome tax provision which currently requires them to file state income tax returns on a quarterly basis.
Most Michigan taxpayers file taxes
only once a year. House Bill H.R.
4474 would amend the tax code to
allow merchant sailors to file state
income taxes once a year. Twentythree House members co-sponsored
the measure.
This problem developed in 1984 when
the federal tax code was revised, creating changes in Michigan tax law as
well. An oversight occurred as state
officials revised the Michigan tax code
to incorporate the federal changes. A
provision in the law dictates that persons who do not have state taxes

withheld are required to pay on a
quarterly basis. This provision is directed to self-employed taxpayers, but
due to the withholding definition, merchant sailors were also included in this
category.
SIU Field Rep. Larry Querry, in
Algonac, presented this problem to
treasury officials and legislators so that
a reasonable solution could be devised
for the benefit of our Michigan members.
''Our Lakes members find it difficult
to comply with the tax code as it now
stands, and after hearing many of them
complain about this burdensome requirement, I initiated meetings with
state officials to design a means to
relieve our members of this problem," said Querry. Querry explained

-

Second Cook David Bartlett (left) on the M/V Belle River (American Steamship Company)
is shown above with Michigan state representatives Ken DeBeaussaert (center) and Jim
Docherty (right) during a recent tour of the 1,000-foot freighter. DeBeaussaert and
Docherty, two co-sponsors of H.R. 4474, took an opportunity to visit the Belle River to
discuss this bill of importance to SIU members residing in Michigan.

Michigan state representatives Jim Docherty (left) and Ken DeBeaussaert (right) discussing
H.R. 4474 with John Clark, an able-bodied seaman on the Belle River, after a meal in
the galley.

KNOW YOU

that it is unreasonable to expect sailors
who may be employed aboard a ship
for extended periods of time to file
state taxes on a quarterly basis.
Hearings on H.R. 4474 are expected
to be conducted before the House
taxation committee as early as midMa y. Querry will present testimony
on behalf of the SIU members. It is
expected that the taxation committee
will report the bill to the house floor
without much deliberation.

-" ·KNOW ·youR RIGHTS

SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively by the contracts between the
Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping
rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available
in all Union halls. If you feel there has been any violation
of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the
contracts between the Union and the employers, notify
the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail, return receipt requested. The proper address for this is:
Angus "Red" Campbell
Chairman, Seafarers Appeals Board
5201 Autb Way and Britannia Way
Prince Georges County
Camp Sprinp, 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 your contract rights, as well as
your obligations, such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, any SIU

16 I LOG I May 1987

Robert Venable
Please contact your wife, Patricia, immediately. She is five months
pregnant.

OU

IGHTS

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 them selves with its contents . Any time you feel any memher or officer is attempting to deprive you of any constitutional right or obligation
by any methods such as dealing with charges. trials. etc.,
as well as all other details. then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The 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 quarter Iy 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 . Members of this committee may make dissenting
reports, specific recommendations and separate findings.
TRUST FUNDS. All trust funds of the SIU Atlantic,
Gulf. Lakes ·a nd Inland Waters District are administered
in accordance with the provisions of various trust fund
agreements. All these agreements specify that the trustees
in charge of these funds shall equally consist of Union
and management representatives and their alternates. All
expenditures and disbursements of trust funds are made
only upon approval by a majority of the trustees. All trust
fund financial records are available at the headquarters of
~he various trust funds.

Personal

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently. no member may be discrimi nated against because of race. creed. color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any member feels that he io,;
denied the equal rights tc) which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
11111n1111111n1111111n11111un1111111n1111111111111111n1111111111111111n1111111111111111111111111111111

patrolman or other Union official, in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly, contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union,
officer or member. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September. 1960. meetings
in all constitutional ports. The 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 responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. 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 he 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 heen required to make such payment. this
should immediately he reported to Union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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 supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contribution may be
solicited or received because of force. joh discrimination,
financial reprisal. or threat of such conduct. or as a condition of membership in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made hy reason of the above improper
conduct, notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD ny 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 bis constitutional right of
access to Union recorm or information, he should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The~ ~ 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

�AMERICAN EAGLE (Pacific Gulf Marine), March 19-Chairman Stanley Krawcznski, Secretary Robert D. Bright. Some
disputed OT was reported in the steward.
department. There is $40 in the ship's fund.
The chairman received a letter from headquarters with answers to each of the questions previously sent in. It will be posted
on the bulletin board for the entire crew to
read. A motion was made and seconded
to find out if it is possible to retire at 62
years of age with 6,000 days sea-time.
This motion will be referred to the Negotiating Committee.
BOSTON (Sea-Land Service), March
17-Chairman J.W. Allen, Secretary W.R.
Burdette, Educational Director R. South.
Some disputed OT reported in the deck
department. Payoff has been scheduled
for the afternoon of arrival (March 19) in
Tacoma, Wash. All disputed OT will be
taken up with the boarding patrolman prior
to payoff. It was suggested that someone
look into the TV antenna situation as the
crew's TV doesn't receive a picture when
the ship is in port. Also, more movies for
the ship's library would be welcomed. A
suggestion was made to build up the ship's
fund by having a docking pool or perhaps
taking up a collection at payoff. A vote of
thanks was given to the steward department for a good job. Next ports: Anchorage
and Kodiak, Alaska.
LNG GEMINI (Energy Transportation
Corp.), March 15-Chairman U. Veach ,
Secretary H. Markowitz, Deck Delegate E.
Brown, Engine Delegate Tyler R. Womack,
Steward Delegate James Robinson. No
beefs or disputed OT reported. There is
$192 in the ship's fund. The bosun reported
to the crew that this will be the last trip
efore going into the shipyard . He thanked
the deck department for their help during
the tank-cleaning operation. He also
thanked the rest of the crew for helping to
keep everything running smoothly. The
steward expressed his appreciation to the
watches for keeping the messhalls and
galley clean at night. Crewmembers were
remi ded of the opportunities available to
them at Piney Point. A vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for a fine
job this voyage. Next ports: Nagoya, Japan
and Bontang, Indonesia.

GROTON (Apex Marine), March 22Chairman Neal D. Matthey, Secretary James
H. Gleaton, Educational Director Alan R.
Gardner, Deck Delegate Errol M. Pinkham,
Steward Delegate Douglas A. Thomas. No
disputed OT or beefs. The chairman told
the crew that the vessel would be going to
the repair berth in Brooklyn. All members
would be paid off there. He also asked that
everyone clean their rooms and mentioned
that survival suits and life jackets would
be collected at payoff. A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department for
the excellent food . More thanks were given
to the deck department from the steward/
baker. And to Captain Tender ("the number
one captain"), who is going on vacation,
the crew wishes him a "happy time." One
minute of silence was observed in memory
of our departed brothers and sisters. Next
port: Stapleton, N.Y.

OAKLAND (Sea-Land Service), March
22-Chairman C. Bankston Jr., Secretary
R. Fagan, Deck Delegate R. Ransome,
Engine Delegate C. Reyes, Steward Delegate G. Grajales. One dispute in the deck
department was raised regarding delayed
sailing. Otherwise, all is running smoothly.
There is about $90 in the ship's fund. The
chairman reminded crewmembers that all
hands must be onboard one hour prior to
sailing and that no heavy drinking is allowed aboard ship. When the ship reaches
Elizabeth, N.J., members said that they
wanted to talk to the boarding patrolman
about the new Seafarers Maritime Union
(SMU) and how it will affect the SIU and
SIU jobs.
OMI CHARGER (OMI), March 14Chairman Frank Schwarz, Secretary Joseph P. Emidy, Educational Director Wiley
Yardor, Engine Delegate Melvin J. Gallier.
Some disputed OT was reported in the
deck department. There is $16 in the ship's
fund. the OM/ Charger sailed from Boston
to the Mississippi River for a split load,
which it then discharged in New Haven,
Conn. Payoff will take place on the Mississippi (in Port Allen, La.). The bosun urged
all eligible members to upgrade their skills
at Piney Point. Several things should be
looked into by the boarding patrolman
including the fact that the chief mate is
discharging ballast without the pumpman's
assistance and that a new washing machine is needed by the crew. Movies should
be stored while in port for security reasons .
A vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for the good food and service.
The steward, in turn, thanked the deck and
engine departments for helping keep the
messhalls and pantry clean.
OMI DYNACHEM (OMI), March 29Chairman C.L. Hickenbotam, Secretary Don
Collins, Educational Director Joel W. Spell,
Deck Delegate M.P. Maseh, Engine Dele
i u ed
OT reported. The chairman reported that

the ship has a year charter with ARCO,
running mostly on the West Coast. The
boarding patrolman in San Francisco stated
that the present contract has been extended for three years. Checks will be
handed out in Hawaii if the captain is able
to get them. LOGs were brought onboard
by the boarding patrolman who also spent
some time talking about the SMU. He also
told crewmembers that those with permanent jobs can register in their home port.
A written clarification on this will be sent
to the ship. Meanwhile, the importance of
contributing to SPAD was stressed. The
educational director noted that each issue
of the LOG carries a section on Piney Point
with the courses and dates available. He
suggested that everyone who has not taken
advantage of upgrading do so as soon as
possible. A discussion was held on the
pension plan and a level of dissatisfaction
was expressed. One suggestion made was
that everyone help keep the laundry, heads,
lounge and all public spaces neat and
clean. A vote of thanks was given to the
steward department for a fine job--especially with the reduction in personnel. The
ship is heading out to Hawaii-its first trip
to the 50th state-and expects to backload
and return to the Long Beach, Calif. area.

ROVER (Ocean Carriers), March 17Chairman Douglas K. McLeod, Educational
Director F.E. Sanderson, Deck Delegate
B. Murphy, Engine Delegate Michael C.
McNally. No disputed OT reported. The
chairman talked to the crew about getting
off ship when their time is up. He explained
that the Negotiating Committee and the
company set these rules and that no one
has the right to make their own agreements. Also brought up at this meeting
was the need to clean the popcorn popper
after each use and about the use of certain
doors when in port. Next port: Singapore.
SEA·LAND PRODUCER (Sea-Land
Service), March 8-Chairman J. Tanner,
Secretary C .C. Hollings Ill, Educational
Director P. Thomas, Deck Delegate David
J. Hood, Engine Delegate G.E. Doyen,
Steward Delegate Robert A. Lang. The
ship will pay off in New Orleans. The
chairman reported hat the captain is aware
that there has been no heat aboard ship

since Jan. 1. For each day that there has
been no heat, crewmembers will get $17.
The chairman will discuss this with the
Union rep at payoff. In the meanwhile, he
urged everyone to sign up for the SPAD
check-off. The secretary noted that upon
arrival in New Orleans, fresh vegetables
will once again be on the menu . He also
said that he has been unsuccessful in
ordering new mattresses for the crew-but
will continue trying. The importance of
upgrading at Piney Point was also stressed
at this time. The steward was given a vote
of thanks for a job well done. Next ports:
Port Everglades, Fla. and Houston. Texasfollowed by payoff in New Orleans.

STUYVESANT (Bay Tankers), April
2-Chairman Mark Davis, Secretary W.
Smith, Educational Director F.A. Pasik,
Deck Delegate M. Freeburn, Engine Delegate Michael Brown, Steward Delegate
Charles Gooch. No beefs were brought up
although some disputed OT was reported
in the engine and steward departments.
The chairman announced that payoff will
take place upon arrival in Long Beach,
Calif. Everyone getting off was asked to
make sure their rooms are clean and new
linen obtained for their replacements. The
educational director talked about the advantages of attending Piney Point's upgrading courses. It was felt that the company should provide a minimum of 12 new
movies for each 30-day trip. A motion was
also made to start arrival pools to raise
funds for additional movies . The steward
department was given a vote of thanks for
a job well done.
Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
UIG AQUARIUS
ARCHON
ATLANTIC SPIRIT
BAY RIDGE
BEAVER STATE
CAGUAS
CAPE HORN
COVE LEADER
COWMBIA
OMI SACRAMENTO
OVERSEAS ALASKA
OVERSEAS BOSTON
VERSEAS U EAU
PHILADELPHIA

ST. LOUIS
SAN JUAN
SEA-LAND DEFENDER
SEA-WO ECONOMY
SEA-LAND EXPRESS
SEA-WO INDEPENDENCE
SEA-WO INNOVATOR
SEA-WO LEADER
SEA-WO MARINER
SEA-LAND PATRIOT
SEA-WO PIONEER
SEA-WO VENTURE
SEA-WO VOYAGER
SUGAR ISLAND

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.

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:

Your home address is your permanent address,
and this is where all official Union documents,
W-2 Forms, and the LOG will be mailed.

Address Correction Department
5201 Auth Way
.·
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746-9971

SIU &amp; UIW of N .A.

-----------------------------~------------------------------

HOME ADDRESS

PLEASE PRINT

Date: - - - - - - - - - - -

Social Security No.

Phone No.
Your Full Name

Street

Area Code

Apt. or Box II

Book Number

0

City

SIU

0

UIW

0

Pensioner

State

ZIP

Other - -

-

-----

UIW Place of Employment - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This will be my permanent address for all official Union mailings.
This address should remain in the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally.

(Signed) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --

Aboard the Overseas Juneau

---- ----- - - --- - - --- - - --------- - - --- - - - -- - - - --- - - -- - - - ---- - -J
May 1987ILOG I 17

�f~~~aaaaaaaaa=a=aii=~~~,~aaaaa~JQ)~o~~R~~~M~~§:@
Irli1lli~ll
&lt;--+~ &gt;
]
Deep Sea
Pensioner Troy
Carver, 74, died
March 27. He joined
the SIU in 1951 in
~t ~
the port of Baltimore.
Seafarer
Carver sailed in the
deck
department,
most recently as a
bosun with Westchester Marine.
Brother Carver retired on pension in
1978. He is survived by a niece, Rosalie Marsengill of Manassas, Va.
Pensioner Carlos
Dall, 81, succumbed
to a heart attack Jan.
9. He joined the SIU
in 1941 in the port of
Texas City, Texas
and sailed in the deck
department,
last
aboard a Sea-Land
Service vessel. Brother Dall was active in the 1946 General Strike and the
1947 Isthmian beef. Retired on pension
in 1971, Dall is survived by his wife,
Enrica, of New York City. He was
buried at Rosdale Cemetery in Linden,
N.J.
Kent Dominguez, 27, died Feb. 13.
Seafarer Dominguez joined the SIU in
1978 in Piney Point, Md. He sailed in
the deck department. Brother Dominguez was-buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, San Diego, Calif. He is survived
by his wife, Gina; his father, Fred,
and his brother, Steve.
Pensioner Francisco P. Panuelos, 95,
died March 15 of respiratory complications. Seafarer Panuelos joined the
SIU in 1951 in the port of New York.
He sailed in the steward department.
Brother Panuelos, who was active in
the General Strike of 1946, went on
pension in 1970. Burial was at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Chesapeake, Va. He is survived by his wife,
Edna, and a son, Dennis.
Pensioner Howard K. Pierce died
Jan. 20. Seafarer Pierce joined the SIU
in 1947 in the port of Baltimore. As a
new member, Pierce was active in the
General Strike. He went on pension
in 1975.
Pensioner Carlos
Ponce, 67,
died
March 8. He joined
the SIU in 1943 in
the port of New
York. Brother Ponce
sailed in the engine
department,
last
shipping out with Interocean Management Corp. Ponce hit
the bricks in the 1946 General Strike
and the 1947 Isthmian beef. He went
on pension in 1984.
Pensioner Robert Rivera Jr. died
Sept. 26, 1986. Seafarer Rivera joined
the SIU in 1949 in the port of San
Francisco. He sailed in the steward
department. Rivera was active in the
General Strike. He retired in 1986.
Brother Rivera is survived by his
18 I LOG I May 1987

brother, William of San Francisco and
a cousin, Roy Skinner, of Newhall,
Calif. Burial was at sea.
Pensioner Harvey
Ridgeway, 65, died
Jan. 29. He joined
the SIU in 1942 in
the port of New
York.
Seafarer
Ridgeway was active in the 1946 Gen, eral Strike. He retired in 1983.
Pensioner Conrado Rolon, 78, died
Dec. 25, 1986. Seafarer Rolon joined
the SIU-merged Marine Cooks and
Stewards Union in 1934 in Seattle,
Wash. He sailed in the steward department. Born in Mexico, Brother
Rolon retired on pension in 1971. He
is survived by his wife, Maria, of Port
Orchard, Wash. Burial was at Sunset
Lane Cemetery in Port Orchard.
Pensioner Troy
Savage, 76, died Feb.
28. Seafarer Savage
joined the SIU in
1947 in the port of
New York. He sailed
in the steward department, most recently in 1973 aboard
the Transeastern (Transeastern Shipping). Brother Savage hit the bricks
in the 1946 General Strike. He retired
on pension in 1973. Savage is survived
by his wife, Marie, of Leakesville,
Miss.
Pensioner John J. Thompson died
Feb. 9 of heart disease. Seafarer
Thompsonjoined the SIU-merged Marine Cooks and Stewards Union in
1951 in San Francisco. He sailed in
the steward department and retired in
1971. Brother Thompson is survived
by a niece, Barbara Della Penna, of
Florida. Burial was at Olivet Memorial
Park in Colma, Calif.
Pensioner Demetrios Vagladjides, 75,
died Feb. 8 ofaheartattack. Rejoined
the SIU in 1969 in the port of Mobile,
Ala. and sailed in the engine department until his retirement in 1984. Seafarer Vagladjides was born in Greece.
He is survived by a sister, Anna, who
lives in Greece. Burial was at Woodlawn Abbey, Sumner, Wash.
Angel Luis Morales Velazquez died
Dec. 22, 1986. He joined the SIU in
1978 in Puerto Rico and sailed in the
steward department. Seafarer V elazquez is survived by his wife, Neyda
Gonzalez.
Pensioner Jose G. Vilasis, 81, died
of a heart attack March 2. Seafarer
Vilasis joined the SIU in 1946 in the
port of New York. He sailed in both
the engine and steward departments
until his retirement in 1966. Brother
Vilasis was active in the General Strike
of 1946. He was buried at Dade Memorial Park in Dade, Fla. Surviving is
a sister, Margot, and a nephew, Joseph
Alvarez, both of Miami, Fla.

Pensioner James
L. Webb, 61, died
March 1 of a heart
attack.
Seafarer
Webb joined the SIU
in 1944 in the port of
Mobile, Ala. He
sailed in the steward
department. Brother
Webb was active in the General Strike
of 1946 and the Isthmian beef in 1947.
He went on pension in 1970. Webb is
survived by his wife, Annie. Burial
was at Whispering Pines in Prichard,
Ala.
,

Pensioner

Ming

t Sing Wong, 74, died

• Feb. 11 of a heart
attack.
Seafarer
Wongjoined the SIU
in 1962 in the port of
New York. He sailed
in the steward department, first shipping out for Waterman Steamship Corp.
in 1951. He last sailed in 1975 for SeaLand and retired on pension in 1976.
Brother Wong is survived by his wife,
Kyoko, and his daughter, Harumi,

DEEP SEA
Algonac
arry cFa
Baltimore
Jean B. Cicconardi
Terralea G. Greeff
Gloucester
John Vaughan Connors

Houston
Jose Ciro Alvarado
George M. Triplett

both of San Francisco. Born in China,
Wong was buried at Fernwood Cemetery in Mill Valley, Calif.
Pensioner Norman E. Wroten, 75,
died Jan. 26. He joined the SIU in
1944 and sailed in the engine department until he retired on pension in
1974. Brother Wroten is survived by
his wife, Vera, and a son, Norman
Jr., both of Chesapeake, Va. Burial
was at Chesapeake Memorial Gardens, Chesapeake.
Pensioner Robert Wroten, 65, died
Jan. 28. He joined the SIU in 1952 and
sailed in the engine department until
his retirement in 1979. Seafarer Wroten is survived by a nephew, Norman
E. Wroten Jr. Interment was at Chesapeake Memorial Gardens, Chesapeake, Va.

Great Lakes
Pensioner Clarence Vinson died Jan.
19. He joined the SIU in 1934 and
sailed the Great Lakes until his retirement in August 1963. Vinson is survived by his wife, Mamie, and a daughter, Nola Raitz.

Jacksonville
Dobromir Kosicki
Robert R. Overton
Mobile
Edward Morris Jr.
Willie Scopolites
New Orleans
Marco T. Mora
New York
Kasmoin Amat
Andrew P. Mazurek
K vetoslav Svoboda

San Francisco
Raymond W. Blethen
Robert W. Ferrandiz
Christos Ferrous
Joseph E. Lujan
Rodolfo S. Pinoin
Ronald Saunders
Seattle
Hernell E. Edwards
Wilmington
John T. Shields

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, June 8...................... 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, June 9 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, June 10 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, June 11. .............. .. ... 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, June 11. ................... 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, June 11. ................... 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, June 12 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, June 15 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, June 16 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, June 17 .................. 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, June 18 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, June 22 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .................. Friday, June 26 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ................ Thursday, June 11 .................... 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, June 19 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday, June 18 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, June 17 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, June 24 .................. 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, June 23 .................... 10:30 a.m.

�19, the daughter of William and Harriet
Beatty Jr. of Sulfur, La. Presently a
freshman at McNeese State University, Sharon would like to enter the
competitive field of finance.
Congratulations to all these bright
young people in their continuing quest
for knowledge.

ogan Winners Announced
Continued from Page 1.)
ama and then go on to law school.

Maria Sanchez

fl
.

.

Gordon Chew
Gordon Chew, 18, will enter the
University of California at Berkeley
this fall as a biochemistry major. The
son of Yak Lim (who sailed in the
steward department) and Yim Ching
Chew, Gordon eventually hopes to
enter medical school and become ''as
good a physician as I can."

Almerian Paminiamo
Almerian Paminiamo, 16, is the
daughter of Julio R. and Apolonia
Paminiano. Originally from the Philippines and now residing in San Francisco, Paminiamo plans to take up premed studies at the University of the
Philippines with an eye to the future
for Harvard, Yale or Stanford.

Summary Annual Report
SIU PD-PMA Supplemental Benefits Fund,
Inc.
This is a summary of the Annual Report for the SIU PD-PMA Supplemental Benefits
Fund, Inc., Employer Identification No. 94-1431246, for the year ended July 31, 1986.
The Annual Report has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service, as required under
the Employer Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, ERISA.
BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Benefits under the Plan are provided by a trust arrangement. Plan expenses were
$8,796,088. These expenses included $208,125 in administrative expenses and $8,587,963
in benefits paid to participants and beneficiaries. A total of 1,856 persons were
partici nt in or beneficiaries of the Plan at the end of the Plan year, although not all
of hese persons had yet earned the right to receive benefits.
The value of Plan assets after subtracting liabilities of the Plan, was $2,528,759 as of
the end of the Plan year compared to $2,692,598 as of the begining of the Plan year.
During this Plan year, the Plan experienced a decrease in its net assets of $163,839.
The Plan had total income of ,6 2,24 inc uding emp oyer contributions o
,2 4,
,
earnings from investments of $267 ,446, lapsed benefits of $55,654, unclaimed compensation of $360 and other income of $14,686.

Summary Annual Report
SIU PACIFIC DISTRICT-PMA Pension Plan
This is a summary of the Annual Report for the SIU Pacific District-PMA Pen ion
Plan, Employer Identification No. 94-6061923, for the year ended July 31, 1986. The
Annual Report has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service, as required under the
Employer Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, ERISA.
Basic Financial Statement
Benefits under the Plan are provided by a trust arrangement. Plan expenses were
$16,167,498. These expenses included $819,483 in administrative expenses and $15,348,015
in benefits paid to participants and beneficiaries. A total of 7 ,495 persons were
participants in or beneficiaries of the Plan at the end of the Plan year, although not all
of these persons had yet earned the right to receive benefits.
The value of Plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the Plan , was $146,940,007
as of the end of the Plan year compared to $127 ,550,292 as of the beginning of the Plan
year. During the Plan year, the Plan experienced an increase in its net assets of
$19 ,389, 715. This increase included unrealized appreciation in the value of Plan assets;
that is, the difference between the value of the Plan's assets at the end of the year and
the value of the assets at the begining of the year or the cost of the assets acquired
during the year.
The Plan had total income of $15, 109, 119 including employer contributions of
$2,298,003, earnings from investments of $10,493,642, net realized gains in the amount
of $2.219,320 from the sale of certain assets, and miscellaneous income in the amount
of $98,154.
Minimum Funding Standards
An actuary ' s statement shows that enough money was contributed to the Plan to
keep it funded in accordance with the minimum standards of ERISA.
Your Rights to Additional Information
You have the right to receive a copy of the full Annual Report, or any part thereof,
on request. The items listed below are included in that report:
I. An accountant's report;
2. As ets held for investment;
3. Transactions in excess of three (3) percent of Plan assets; and
4. Actuarial information regarding the funding of the Plan.

To obtain a copy of the full Annual Report or any part thereof, write or call the
office of the Plan Administrator, 522 Harrison Street, San Francisco, Calif. "i105,

Seventeen-year-old Maria Sanchez
of Tampa, Fla. is a senior at Bay shore
Christian School. The daughter of Jose
and Linda Sue Sanchez, Maria has
chosen Birmingham-Southern College
in which to continue her present interest in mathematics and accounting.

......

Felicia Brooks

The alternate winner of the dependent scholarship is Sharon Ann Barbee,
telephone (415) 495-6882. The charge to cover copying costs will be $5.00 for the full
Annual Report, or $0.10 per page for any part thereof.
You also have the right to receive from the Plan Administrator, on request and at
no charge, a statement of the assets and liabilities of the Plan and accompanying notes,
and/or statement of income and expenses of the Plan and accompanying notes, or both.
If you request a copy of the full Annual Report from the Plan Administrator, these two
statements and accompanying notes will be included as part of that report. The charge
to cover copying costs given above does not include a charge for the copying of these
portions of the report because these portions are furnished without charge.
You also have the legally protected right to examine the Annual Report at the main
office of the Plan, 522 Harrison Street, San Francisco, California 94105, and at the
U.S. Department of Labor upon payment of copying costs.
Requests to the Department of Labor should be addressed to:
Public Disclosure Room N4677
Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs
Francis Perkins Department of
Labor Building
200 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20216

Summary Annual Report
For Seafarers Welfare Fund
This is a summary of the Annual Report of the Seafarers Welfare Fund EIN 135557534 for the year ended December 31, 1985. The Annual Report has been field with "the Internal Revenue Service, as required under the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).
The Trust has committed itself to pay claims incurred under the terms of the Plan.
Basic Financial Statement
The value of Plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the Plan was a (deficit) of
$(16,425,919) as of December 31, 1985 compared to $(18,711,193) as of January 1, 1985.
During the Plan year the Plan experienced an increase in its net assets of $2,285,274.
This increase included unrealized appreciation and depreciation in the value of Plan
assets; that is, the difference between the value of the Plan's asset at the end of the
year and the value of the assets at the beginning of the year or the cost of assets
acquired during the year. During the Plan year, the Plan had total income of $28,039,932
including employer contributions of $27 ,604,790, miscellaneous income of $14,413 and
earnings from investments of $420, 729. Plan expenses were $25,814,171. These expenses
included $4,143,678 in administrative expenses and $21,670,493 in benefits paid to
participants and beneficiaries;
Your Rights to Additional Information
You have the right to receive a copy of the full Annual Report , or any part thereof,
on request. The items listed below are included in that report:
1. An accountant's report
2. Assets held for investment
To obtain a copy of the full Annual Report , or any part thereof, write or call the
office of Mr. Leo Bonser, who is the Plan Administrator, 5201 Auth Way , Camp
Springs, Md. 20746 (301) 899-0675. The charge to cover copying costs will be $1.20 for
the full annual report, or $.10 per page for any part thereof.
You also have the right to receive from the Plan Administrator, on request and at
no charge, a statement of the assets and liabilities of the Plan and accompanying notes,
or a statement of income and expenses of the Plan and accompanying notes, or both.
If you request a copy of the full Annual Report from the Plan Administrator, the e two
statements and accompanying notes will be included as part of that report. The charge
to cover copying costs given above does not include a charge for the copying of these
portions of the report because these portions are furnished without charge. You also
have the legally protected right to examine the Annual Report at the main office of the
plan at 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, and at the U.S. Department of
Labor in Washington, D.C., or to obtain a copy from the U.S. Department of Labor
upon payment of covering costs. Requests to the Department should be addressed to
Public Disclosure Room, N4677, Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington , D.C. 20216.

May 1987ILOGI19

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

APRIL 1-30, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP
DECK DEPARTMENT
0
39
0

0

47

0

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
17
0

0

26

0

0

7

Port
Algonac ......... . ..... . ... . .

0

13

Port
Algonac .....................

0

18

2

Port
Algonac .... . . . ... . ..........

0

5

0

Frank Drozak, President
Joe DIGiorglo, 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

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Port
Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

0

33

0

6

0

HEADQUARTERS

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

4

0

50

4

Totals All Departments . . . . . . . .
0
69
7
0
62
0
0
130
*"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.

5

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
APRIL 1-30, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port
New York ...............
Philadelphia .. .. ..........
Baltimore " .. ... . .. .... . .
Norfolk ...... . ..........
Mobile ...... . ..........
New Orleans . .. ....... .. .
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco .. .......... .
Wilmington ..............
Seattle . .. . ........... . .
Puerto Rico .......... . . ..
Honolulu .. . . . ..... . . . . . .
Houston .............. . .
St. Louis . . ........ . .....
Pine¥: Point ........ . .....
Tota s .................

74
2
3
11
6
39
16
31
16
28
18
10
26
0
1
281

Port
New York ......... . .....
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore .. .............
Norfolk . .. ... . .. .. ......
Mobile .................
New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Francisco. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ... . ..........
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Honolulu ................
Houston ................
St. Louis .. .. .... .. ......
Piner Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tota s .......... . ......

30
2
6
3
4
21
13
12
7
21
6
7
24
0
3
159

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Trip
Reliefs

DECK DEPARTMENT
9
1
3
0
5
0
8
5
1
0
8
3
7
5
9
6
2
2
6
0
1
0
4
4
7
1
0
0
1
0
71
27

14
0
0
4
0
7
1
4
4
4
2
8
4
0
0
52

104
8
8
20
16
83
40
59
33
54
32
11
59
0
2
529

19
2
6
6
6
4
18
14
9
10
3
19
9
0
3
128

0
1
0
2
1
2
2
7
6
3
0
3
1
0
0
28

8
0
1
0
1
2
4

68
6
12
10
8
61
33
39
13
34
22
7
43
0

6
1
0
3
3
13
6
6
9
18
2
9
3
0
9
88

0
1
0
0

13
2
4
7
4
5
9
16
5
7
0
10
7
0
4

1
0
0
4
1
3
5
8
5
3
0
3
1
0
0
34

44
0
6
9
5
26
19
20
18
14
15
8
26
0
0
210

4
0
1
4
1
9
5

5
7
8
0
3
4
0
8
59

0
1
0
0
0
0
0
6
1
1
0
8
0
0
0
17

16
0
3
2
3
15
15
11
7
8

1
1
0
1
0
0
0
6
0
0
0
29
1
0
0
39

10

17

93

6

5
17
0
1
104

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
3
2
0
0
11
0
0
0
8
5
24
4
2
10
1
1
7
0
0
11
0
1
4
15
30
4
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
95
26
38

Port
New York ...............
Philadelphia . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk ........... . .....
Mobile . ... . ...... . .....
New Orleans . .. . ... .. . . ..
Jacksonville . .. ..... . . .. ..
San Francisoo . . ...... .. . ..
Wilmington . .. ..... ......
Seattle . ... . .. . ... ..... .
Puerto Rico .... .... .. . .. .
Honolulu . . ..... ... ......
Houston ... . . . ..... . .. . .
St. Louis ..... . ......... .
Piney Point ... ...... .. . ..
Totals .......... . ......

0
2
141

4
1
2
0
1
1
5
6
1
4
0
26
0
0
5
56

Port
New York ..... . . . .. .. ...
Philadelphia .. ......... . . .
Baltimore ..... . . .. . . ....
Norfolk . . .. . .. .. . . . . ....
Mobile .. .. .. . .... . . ....
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville .. . . .. . .. .....
San Francisco ...... .. . . ...
Wilmington ........ . . . ...
Seattle ....... . . . .......
Puerto Rico ... . ... . . . ....
Honolulu ...... . . ... . . ...
Houston ............ . ...
St. Louis .. . . .. ........ . .
Piney Point ... .. .. .... . ..
Totals ................ .

32
1
2
4
1
13
7
40
11
24
9
5
11
0
0
160

23
0
6
10
5
10
7
16
3
10
8
88
12
0
18
216

8
1
0
5
2
22
4
21
6
1
1
109
3
0
13
196

0
6
6
1
12
6
18
4
9
7
1
6
0
0
93

Totals All Departments . . .. . .

741

373

286

502

16
0
2
6
5
19
9
38
8
20
2
4
10

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
4
0
1
0
3
0
5
1
1
0
5
0
2
0
2
6
·o
0
1
1
1
0
8
4
2
0
0
0
2
0
37
12

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
11
5
0
0
5
0
18
2
3
2
7
10
4
6
11
11
4
6
1
7
2
0
76
110
1
5
0
0
15
0
160
162

294

239

2

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0

1
0
1
3
2
0
10
0
0
0
18

HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434
HOUSTON, Tex.
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
3315 Liberty
(904)
JERSEY CITY, N.J.
99 Montgomery
(201)

St. 32206
353-0987
St. 07302
435-9424

MOBILE, Ala.
1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605
'
(205) 478-0916
NEW BEDFORD, Mass.
50 Union St. 02740
(617) 997-5404

2
2
1
1
5
0
0
29

362

4
0
0
1
1
2
2
7
2
4
0
47

38
1
3
9
8
44
18
70
15
38
5
7

1
73

0
5
286

3
5
0
35
0
0
11
86

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

49
4
0
7
2
28
10
87
21
46
10
9
18
0
1
292

39
6
5
9
12
24
9
36
10
29
12
109
24
0
24
348

5
0
6
1
34
1
19
12
1
1
201
7
0
19
317

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.
350 Fremont St. 94105
(415) 543-5855

154

1,469

650

400

ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500

2
0

6

25

12
1
1
1
1
1
5
10

0
2
0
1
0
1
0
6
1
0
0
26
0
0
0
37
10

*"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 April was down from the month of March. A total of 1,189 jobs were shipped on
SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,189 jobs shipped, 502 jobs or about 42 percent were taken by "A"
seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 154 trip relief jobs were
shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 4,959 jobs have been shipped.
20 I LOG I May 1987

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

NEW 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

SANTURCE, P.R.
1057 Fernandez Juncos St.
Stop 16 00907
(809) 725-6960
SEATTLE, Wash.
2505 1 Ave. 98121
(206) 441-1960

WILMINGTON, Calif.
51 O N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�USNS Hess Pays Off in Oakland
The USNS H.H. Hess, an MSC
oceanographic ship operated by LSC
Marine, Inc., paid off in the port of
Oakland, Calif. on April 17. With the
exception of a few minor agreement
clarifications and a couple of instances
where disputed overtime was sent to
SIU headquarters, the pay-off went
very smoothly.
The ship had paid off in Brazil at
the end of 1986, which was in accordance with the agreement, after which

the voyage continued through the Panama Canal and then on to Guam and
Honolulu, Hawaii. Several crew
changes were made along the way
which, according to the master, Capt.
Billy Jones, were a big improvement.
Service was upgraded as well as the
cleanliness of the ship, and the scientific personnel aboard had no complaints.
The accompanying photos were
taken by SIU Field Rep. John Ravnik.

From left, SIU Business Agent Gentry Moore listens as QMED Electrician Oswald Bermeo
and QMED Reefer Robert Taylor explain their disputed overtime. SIU Vice President
Buck Mercer checks the agreement on the section in dispute.

Profile: The Kawishiwi's 3rd Steward
hird Steward Aleck Dorsey sat at
a table in the Kawishiwi crew
mess and seemed pleased. It was 10:30
i,
orning and his stewards and
utilitymen w re busy preparing for the
next meal. The eating area was spotless and tidy, and everything was in
its place.
"That's what I like to see," said
Dorsey, who supervises 15 people
aboard the Kawishiwi. "A crew always wants a clean ship and we try
to keep this one as clean as possible.''
Dorsey has done everything he can
to maintain the habitability ofMSCPAC
ships since he joined the organization
21 years ago. He enlisted in the Navy
at age 18 and was a bosun mate for
two years aboard a seaplane tender
out of San Diego before he left the
service to return home to Alexandria,
La. After working three years as a
mechanic's helper, he was bored. He
investigated the possibilities of returning to sea and through a friend who
worked for MSCPAC, he applied for
a job with the Command. He went to
work as a waiter and has since held
just about every type of job in the
steward department. He was promoted to third steward four years ago.
"I'm going to try for chief steward
one day but not now," says Dorsey.
"I'm busy enough with this job."
Among his duties are supervising
room stewards and utilitymen and
keeping track of overtime in the department. Dorsey explained his management style aboard the Kawishiwi:
"I try to show the people what their
job is when they report on this ship.
I basically tell them, 'This is your

It's Union dues-paying time. From left are AB/Ship's Chairman Rickie Burgess, Chief
Steward Cyril Spence Jr. and SIU Business Agent Gentry Moore. Standing is Chief Cook
Austin Miles.

An avid reader at sea, Dorsey has
been to just about every port in the
Pacific and claims he loves them all.
Despite satisfaction with his own maritime career, he's not encouraging any
of his seven children to follow in his
footsteps.
"I don't think I'd like to see that

happen,'' says Dorsey, who gets home
every six months to see his wife and
children. "One mariner in the family
is enough!"
(Next month this section will profile
Andy Kovacs, third mate aboard the
Kawishiwi.)

: .....

Alex Dorsey, Third Steward

section and I expect you to keep it
clean.' If I get any complaints, then I
follow through. But most of the people
who report to the Kawishiwi have been
sailing a long time, so they already
know what to do. And that makes my
job easier."
Dorsey figures he must be doing
something right after all these years
because he says he rarely receives
complaints from the ships he's been
on after more than two decades with
MSCP AC. Those ships include a former passenger vessel, the USNS Upshur, along with the Furman, Dutton,
Meteor, Observation Island, and now
the Kawishiwi.
Not a braggart, Dorsey maintains
that he and his crew are doing a fine
job on the Kawishiwi. "How do I rate
myself?," he asked rhetorically. "I
think we're doing an excellent job, I
really do."

USNS Kawishiwi (T-AO 146)

May 1987 I LOG I 21

�VP Reports
(Continued from Page 14.)
Take, for example, what has happened in the port of San Francisco.
The maritime industry there, once the
most robust in the country, has been
allowed to decline to the point of near
extinction.
While San Francisco is one of this
country's leading tourist and financial
centers, the decline of its maritime
industry has resulted in fewer job opportunities for its citizens. Moreover,
the decline of maritime and other such
industries within the city's borders has
threatened San Francisco's standing
as the leading financial center on the
West Coast. That honor now belongs
to Los Angeles, which maintains a
strong industrial infrastructure as well
as a robust port.
The SIU has been working hard in
San Francisco to make people aware
just how important the maritime industry is to the economic health of the
entire Bay area. The SIU, along with
most other maritime organizations,
backed Nancy Pelosi in her recent
attempt to take over Sala Burton's
seat. While Pelosi beat her closest
Democratic challenger by a mere 4,000
votes, she is a heavy favorite to win
the general election this June.
Pelosi has expressed a strong interest in the maritime industry. In my
opinion, she has the potential to become the West Coast version of Helen
Bentley-a strong advocate of the
American-flag merchant marine. Our
organization is working closely with
her to keep her informed of developments in the maritime industry and
how they affect the larger economy as
a whole.
One more thing: the SIU has been
working with the rest of organized
labor in supporting a proposed homeporting plan for the port of San Francisco. There is a great deal of opposition to the plan by environmental
and peace groups. They have legitimate concerns. Still, we want to make
sure that the public at large understands the economic benefits of this
idea.
The Navy vessel in question would
be stationed in Hunter's Point, which
is an economically depressed area of
town. The people who live there could
stand to benefit from the jobs created
by the new facilities. In addition, the
city's hard-pressed ship repair yardsContinental Market, South West Marine, Todd and AAA-would be given
a strong shot in the arm. As it now
stands, it is uncertain if there is enough
work in the area to keep all four going.

22 I LOG I May 1987

ships for posting, the ''beefs" complaining that their promotion requests
were not considered or were not received at MSCPAC, etc., have begun
to come in to the SIU office. Each
complaint will be investigated and an

answer will be sent to the injured
party. In addition, SIU will make specific recommendation , to MSCPAC in
order to further prot d the promotion
rights of MSCPAC steward officers
and non-officers alike.

Correction: Winston E. Battle
The March LOG carried an obituary
of Seafarer Winston E. Battle. It contained incorrect information.

Government Services
Division
by V. P. Buck Mercer

O

NE of the most sensitive subjects
that all MSCPAC mariners are
concerned with is that of promotion
to a higher rating, and, with good
reason. A permanent promotion for
any aspiring mariner, regardless of
department preferenc~, means a higher
base wage as well as higher penalty
and overtime rates which equates to
more take-home pay. Even more than
that, permanent promotions can mean
much more money to the mariner when
it comes time for retirement. Every
MSC mariner (as well as every other
federal Civil Service employee) works
toward their "High Three" average,
which is their highest base wage over
a three-year period. The higher the
three-year average, the higher their
. monthly annuity when they retire. For
that reason alone, the MSCPAC Promotion Board should take every precaution to protect the rights of every
candidate for promotion who aspires
to a higher rating. Promotion consideration should be given candidates
who make written requests for promotion, as well as mariners whom
MSCPAC has temporarily promoted
and have successfully completed at
least one year in the higher position.
The MSCPAC Promotion Board recently concluded its deliberations on
candidates for permanent promotion
in deck, engine , steward departments
as well as steward officers and supply
officers. With the exception of supply
officer promotions , SIU was not (for
the first time in many years) invited
to attend. For that matter, SIU was
not made aware as to when the Board
was to meet. In the past, when the
Promotion Board for non-officers and
steward officers convened, one or two
officials from the Union were always
there to observe, make comments or
recommendations to the Board, but
not so this time around.
Now that the promotion announcements have been sent to all MSCPAC

Brother Battle, 63, died Feb. 14,
1987. He joined the SIU in 1944 and
continued sailing until his death.
Brother Battle sailed in the steward
department, most recently as steward/
baker aboard the OM/ Champion.
He was one of the first World War
II merchant seamen to receive veteran's benefits under the Mulberry Act
for service on certain ships during the

invasion of Normandy.
Brother Battle is survived by his
widow Cora; the couple was married
for 41 years. Other survivors include
his mother, Hattie A. Battle; seven
children: Saundra Alexander of New
York, Winston E. Battle Jr., Linda
Whitaker, both of Gardena, Calif.,
Joyce Montgomery, Michael and
Cheryl Battle, Tamara and Mitchell
King all of Los Angeles, Calif. and
Vance F. Battle (Cynthia) of Compton, Calif.; 14 grandchildren; three
sisters, and four brothers.

Personals
Tommie Bencheck
An old friend, Theodore Sutyak,
is trying to get in touch with you.
You can write him at 15609 Tavern
Rd., Burton, Ohio 44021, or call
at (216) 834-8095.

Gary E. Doyen
Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Gary E. Doyen is asked
to contact his son, Gary, 4116 W.
162nd St., Lawndale, Calif. 90260

(213/214-1121) or his parents,
Leonard and Beverleigh Doyen, at
16710 So. Orange #1'75, Paramount, Calif. 90723 (213/531-0254).

Tommy Matthews
Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Tommy Matthews, please
contact his sister, Mrs. Dannie Mae
Calhoun, at 693 Donald St., Mobile, Ala. 36617, or call (205) 4575478.

It Work
It's been more than 50 years since
that fateful day when Bill Wilson,
sober for only a few weeks, went to a
hospital to talk with Dr. Bob who was
lying helpless in a drunk ward. What
began on that day was one drunk
helping another drunk and through
that process, both of them beginning
on the road to recovery. It was the
beginning of Alcoholics Anonymous,
recognized today as the most effective
way to recover from the disease of
alcohol and drug addiction.
For the hundreds of Seafarers who
have been given the gift of sobriety,
and who began their process of recovery at the Seafarers Alcohol and Drug
Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee,
Md., Alcoholics Anonymous is helping them to stay sober and to lead
happy and useful lives.

Meetings of AA are held throughout
the world. The program of AA, it
traditions and its steps to ard recovery , can be carried with the recovering
alcoholic or drug abu er wherever he
or she goes. And , fellow members of
AA are all around, where you work
and where you play. Chances are good
that there will be one or more AA
members among the crew of your ship
or boat.
A chance encounter between two
AA members aboard ship or ashore
can lead to the same kind of •'AA
meeting" that took place in that hospital in Akron, Ohio in 1935 when Bill
Wilson went looking for another alcoholic so that he, himself, would stay
sober. That's the way the program
works.

�•
Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

Washington Report

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Trade
The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has lost little time in dealing with
the trade issue. It just passed a controversial
trade bill by a two-to-one margin:
The bill contains the controversial Gephardt
amendment which would make it mandatory
for the administration to take retaliatory action
ain c ntries which chronically maintain
huge trade surpluses with the United States
and which fail to take steps to effectively
eliminate unfair trade practices.
The Gephardt amendment, which was
strongly ac e y ganize a
, passe y
a four vote margin, 218-214. "This marks an
important victory for the working people of
this country,'' said SIU President Frank Drozak. "For the first time ever, foreign governmen have reason to believe that the United
States is serious about dealing with its trade
problem."
While there is general agreement that some
kind of trade legislation is needed (even Jack
Kemp, the country's leading proponent of
''free trade,'' has introduced his own trade
bill), there is a split in opinion as to whether
such a trade bill should be "generic" or "industry-specific.''
The Gephardt amendment is an example of
a bill that is "industry-specific." "We in the
SIU back that approach," said SIU Legislative
Director Frank Pecquex, who noted that when
it comes to formulating a trade policy, some
industries are more equal than others, at least
in the eyes of the Reagan administration.
Anyone doubting this should be aware of a
recent attempt by the administration to change
the way that the monthly trade figures are
computed.
Each month, the Commerce Department is
required to release two trade reports. The first
report contains the total trade deficit, which
last year amounted to $170 billion. The second
report, which is released 48 hours after the
first one, does not take into account monies
spent on importing foreign-made goods on
foreign-flag vessels, or insuring them with
foreign-based insurance companies.
If the administration has its way, then the
first report will be dropped altogether or the
two reports will be released at the same time.
The incident says a great deal about the importance, or rather, the lack of importance,
that the administration places on the American
maritime industry. It wants to chop $10 billion
1

••
I

I
I

Trade, politics and the Iran-Contra arms
scandal continue to dominate the news in the
nation's capital.
In many ways, the three are interrelated.
The outcome of the 1988 presidential election
will depend in large part on how Congress and
the administration deal with the festering trade
deficit.
Meanwhile, the nation's attention is centered on the joint hearings that the Senate and
House Intelligence committees are holding on
the Iran-Contra arms scandal. While no one
knows how these hearings will turn out, there
is little doubt in anyone's mind that they, too,
will play an important role in determining who
becomes president in 1988.

•

May 1987

off the trade deficit by pretending that the
American-flag merchant marine doesn't exist.
The trade bill passed by the House was not
"generic." It contained several measures dealing with specific issues of interest to American
seamen.
The House voted to include H.R. 1290, the
Ocean Transportation Act of 1987, in the final
trade bill. This SIU-backed provision specifically deals with unfair trade as it pertains to
the maritime industry. Under its provisions,
sanctions and retaliatory action will be implemented against any country that treats American vessels in an unfair or discriminating
manner.
Also included in the House-passed trade bill
is an admendment which prohibits the export
of Cook Inlet oil. This amendment became
necessary after the Commerce Department
issued a rule authorizing the export of small
quantities of crude oil from Alaska's Cook
Inlet region.
While the amount of oil produced in that
area is not very large, it was felt that the
Commerce Department was trying to establish
a precedent to allow the export of North Slope
oil, which accounts for a much larger amount
of oil. Among other things, North Slope oil
generates enough work to keep 40 Americanflag tankers in operation.
The effects of the ban on the sale of Alaskan
oil abroad can be felt across the country. For
example, SIU Vice President Joe Sacco says
that Alaskan oil accounts for a large.percentage
of all non-military jobs in the port of Houston.

AFL·CIO Review Process
While 1988 seems like a long time away, it
isn't. The presidential election is already under
way.
The Executive Council of the AFL-CIO, of
which SIU President Frank Drozak is a member, has invited prospective presidential candidates to be videotaped. The candidates would
answer questions on foreign trade and other
issues important to the working people of this
country. By doing this, the members of the
Executive Council hope that they can maximize labor unity during a pivotal election year
and come up with the best possible candidate.

CDS Repayment
The SIU continues its fight against a proposed rule by the Department of Transportation to allow certain U .S.-ftag companies to
compete in the domestic trade as long as they
pay back monies received under the now
defunct Construction Differential Subsidy program.
Last month, the SIU was successful in
persuading the House to attach an amendment
to its Fiscal Year 1987 funding bill which would
reverse this rule. But the Senate struck the
House amendment from its version of the bill.

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

used to transport waste products be built in
the United States.
The legislation, introduced by Rep. Mario
Biaggi (D-N.Y.), was drafted in response to a
decision by the city of New York to award a
contract to a foreign shipyard, even though
there are American seamen, steelworkers and
shipbuilders living in the New York area who
could badly use the work.
Under the terms of the contract, four barges
capable of transporting sewage sludge to a
designated Environmental Protection Agency
site within this country's "Exclusive Economic Zone" would be awarded to a foreign - shipyard.
Drozak emphasized that this was a bad
decision. Not only did it violate the spirit of
the Jones Act, but it would transfer jobs
overseas at a time when unemployment rates
for seamen, steelworkers and shipyard workers in the New York area have reached epidemic proportions.

Cash Transfer
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee
has adopted an amendment to the F.Y. 1988
Foreign Aid Authorizations bill which imposes
restriction on cash as a form of U.S. economic
aid. The amendment, offered by Sen. Paul
Sarbanes (D-Md.), is identical to language that
was drafted by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee earlier this month.
"This Sarbanesfforricelli amendment is a
step in the right direction," said Jim Henry,
president of the Transportation Institute. ''It
requires that at least 50 percent of the commodities purchased by foreign nations through
the cash transfer program be transported on
U .S.-fiag ships."

Maritime Commission
When he appeared before the Commission
on Merchant Marine and Defense, Drozak
stressed the importance of the Jones Act and
the need to reaffirm its integrity.
He recommended extending the jurisdiction
of the Jones Act to the presidentially-mandated
200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone. He also
recommended closing some of the loopholes
that currently exist, such as cruises to nowhere, lightering of foreign tankers from just
beyond the 12 mile limit, and foreign fish
factories that operate just beyond our legislative limits, but well within the continental
shelf.

Waste Products
Drozak submitted a statement to the House
Marine Subcommittee urging enactment of
H.R. 82, a bill that would amend the Merchant
Marine Act of 1920 to require that vessels
May 1987 I LOG I 23

�It's Time to Honor Those Who Served
COMMENTARY

H

ypocritical is the only word
for it.
On May 7 the Reagan administration took a strong stand
against granting World War II
merchant seamen veterans' status and benefits.
More than 6,000 were killed
in enemy action. Some were
killed when their tankers were
blown apart and the ocean was
covered with flaming oil, con-

24 I LOG I May 1987

suming anyone who had abandoned the ship. Some were killed
in the frigid waters of the Arctic
on the Murmansk run. Others
died in the broiling sun in the
Pacific. Still more died, trapped
somewhere below decks, fully
aware of the terror of knowing
their ship was going down and
there was nothing to do but ride
it to the bottom.
Thousands and thousands

more were seriously injured, and
everyone who sailed in the merchant marine faced the same
chances of death. Chances that
were higher than the Navy, Air
Corps or Army faced. Only the
Marines had a higher ratio of
dead.
But, this administration-and
to be fair almost each administration since the war-does not
want to grant these aging vol-

unteers the benefits they so richly
deserve. As a token, they magnanimously gave support to two
bills; one which will allow the
issuance of medals to those who
served in the merchant marine
during the war and another which
will allow the use of an old
Liberty ship as memorial.
The next day after backing
these nice, but token gestures,
President Reagan issued his
Maritime Day statement.
''In time of war or national
emergency, merchant seamen
have served with valor and distinction as the lifeline of our
armed forces . . . Every American should give thanks to the
merchant marine' s legacy of
services and sacrifices for our
freedom and prosperity and for
its continuing contribution to
our way of life."
Pretty words and medals are
nice, but to deny veterans' status to old seamen one day and
then praise their bravery and
mourn their deaths the next,
smacks of either ignorance or
hypocrisy.
Since the founding of thi
ry t e erchant marine
has come forward, as volunteers, with the ships and crews
to keep America fight· g. We
are supposedly the Fourth Arm
of Defense yet our elderly
brothers who served with such
bravery are treated more like
unwanted step-children.
That's not new, however.
Early in World War II the governor of North Carolina telegraphed the War Department
with the following message:
''Please do something about
the sinking of ships off our coast,
as the oil and the dead bodies
of the seamen are ruining our
tourist trade."
Well the government doesn't
have to worry about too many
bodies anymore. Only about
90,000 of the 250,000 merchant
sailors who served in World
War II are still alive. But sadly
enough most will probably be
dead if and when the government finally decides to shoulder
its responsibility to those men
who served so bravely.
So this and every Maritime
Day and Memorial Day give
some thought to those who died
and those who faced such horrible deaths on the world's
oceans.

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
LABOR CALLS CARGO KEY TO MANPOWER PROBLEMS&#13;
SIU NAMES 6 WINNERS OF LOGAN SCHOLARSHIP&#13;
ONBOARD THE CHARLES BROWN&#13;
DROZAK WARNS OF SOVIET THREAT&#13;
TALKS ON BOTH STANDARD AGREEMENTS CONTINUE&#13;
KUWAIT TANKERS REFLAGGING SCHEME DRAWS FIRE&#13;
GIVEN CARGO, FLEET WILL REBUILD, PANEL IS TOLD&#13;
FIGHT OVER CDS PAYBACK FOR ALASKA RUN REIGNITES&#13;
DROZAK REPLIES&#13;
SENATOR HOLLINGS’S TANKER PLOY&#13;
MARITIME INCLUDED IN HOUSE-PASSED TRADE BILL&#13;
ARMY CONTINUES TO TRAIN AT SHLSS&#13;
CANADIAN GROUP TOUR SHLSS FACILITIES&#13;
PAY-FF ON THE SEA-LAND EXPRESS&#13;
SIU’S CHARLES L. BROWN HELPS YOU PHONE HOME&#13;
SAILOR’S STATE TAX REFORM BILL INTRODUCED IN MICHIGAN&#13;
USNS HESS PAYS OFF IN OAKLAND&#13;
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AFL-CIO REVIEW PROCESS&#13;
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                    <text>We Protect Our Jurisdiction

Pay Hike on Par With Officers in New Contract
Faced with what could have been
the first SIU deepsea strike since 1946,
management and Seafarer ·negotiators
were able to narrow a wide gap and
reach a tentative agreement on both
the Standard Tanker and Freightship
agreements May 27.
"We had ourselves some tough sessions, and tor a while it looked like
we might be pushed to strike. We were
so far apart until the end," said SIU
President Frank Drozak.
American Maritime Association
(AMA) negotiators had taken a firm
stand in earlier meetings on reducing

all wages 10 percent, slashing vacation
to 10 for 30 and reducing unlicensed
work in the engine room.
"We retained our workjurisdiction,
which is extremely important. On top
of that we got the same 2 percent per.year wage increase the officers got and
the vacation remains the same, 14 for
30," said SIU Vice President Red
Campbell.
Campbell also stressed that if the
pact is ratified by the membership at
their June port meetings, the wage
increases will not go into effect until
July 1. He also said that the Standard

Tanker and Freightship agreements do
not cover SIU -contracted military
ships. Those are separate agreements.

See Pages 12-14
For All Tanker
And Freightship Rates
Seafarers at the Piney Point and
New York monthly meetings overwhelmingly voted yes on the new deal.
The final talley will not be available
until the end of June.

Following are some highlights of the
new contract.
1. Effective July 1, 1987, 1988 and

1989, there shall be a 2 percent
increase on base wages, premium
rates, Monday to Friday overtime
rates, and the off-watch penalty
rates, Monday to Friday.
2. All group 1 day workers will be
offered eight hours overtime for
all Saturdays, Sundays and holidays whether the ship is in port
or at sea.
(Continued on Page 3.)

Of&amp;cial Publication of the Seafarers International Union• Atlantic, GuU, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL-CIO Vol. 49, No. 6 June 198?

Trade-Sealift Highlight Hill Agenda

Persian Gulf Problems Show Need for Merchant Fleet
EDITOR'S NOTE: June marks the halfway point for the first year of the lOOth
Congress. Trade, foreign policy and the
·
East have hared Congr s' ce ter ring. Max Hall, SIU associate editor
and Washington columnist, explores
these issues and the SIU/maritime industry tie-in in this analysis and-review.
by Max Hall
The news coming out of Washington
has a gloomy, almost fatalistic tinge.
The budget deficit refuses to go away.
The AIDS crisis is getting worse. And
many American industries, including
maritime, are finding it difficult to
compete in an international marketplace where trade barriers are the rule
and not the exception.
If all this weren't enough, a joint
committee of the House and the Senate is holding daily hearings on the
Iran-Contra arms scandal which call
into question the administration's honesty and competence.
Nothing, however, underscores this
national sense of uneasiness more than
the debate that is being conducted over

Cramped Quarters?

See Page 20

America's policy in the Persian Gulf
and the administration's response to
developments there.
The deh P t che- n n many issues that this Union has tried to publicize during the past few years, most
notably the decline of this country's
strategic sealift capability and the effect that decline is having on our
national security.

U.S.S. Stark
The debate was set off by an incident
in the Persian Gulf. In May , an Iraqi
jet fired a French-made Exocet missile
which struck the U.S.S. Stark. Thirtyseven sailors were killed.
Iraq blamed the incident on the
inexperience of the young pilot. It took
the unprecedented step of placing an
apology on the front page of its statecontrolled newspaper.
The United States was quick to
accept Iraq's apology. Attention soon
turned to Iran, and the threats it was
making to close the Strait of Hormuz.
The administration vowed to take
"whatever" steps were needed to keep
the shipping lanes open.
Still, the attack on the U.S .S. Stark
had a profound effect. ''The fact that
the tragedy seemed so utterly meaningless,'' wrote Time magazine,
"caused its ripples to swell ... A
nation that had committed itself to
building an expensive 600 ship Navy
began to worry about whether those
ships might be sitting ducks.''
This was precisely the point that the
SIU had been trying to make for years.
No matter how much is spent building
new weapons systems, the union argued, the money will be wasted unless
some effort is made to enhance this

For years SIU President Frank Drozak has warned Congress and the White House of the
military value of a healthy merchant fleet. Recent developments in the Middle East uphold
that argument.

country's conventional sealift capability.

Kuwaiti Reflagging
Several weeks before the Stark was
hit by the Iraqi missile, the United
States had offered to protect 11 Kuwaiti tankers by reflagging them under
the American registry.
Under the administration's proposals, only the captains on these
refl.agged ships would be required to
be American citizens. Under present
law, all licensed officers and 75 percent
of the unlicensed crew must be American.

The reflagging plan, which is still
being debated, was violently opposed
by all segments of maritime labor. "It
would set a dangerous precedent,''
said SIU President Frank Drozak.
''And if the administration is adamant
about escorting these tankers, why
does it feel the need to reflag them?
Why does it have to debase Americanflag manning requirements?"
The SIU was not alone in monitoring
developments on this issue. "The
commercial implications of the reflagging plan are being studied carefully,''
wrote Chris Dupin of The Journal of
(Continued on Page 23.)

Inside:
Alaska Tankers Wait for CDS Decision
Page 3

Questions Slow Kuwaiti Reflagging Plans
Page 3

Baker-Whiteley Back Pay Upheld

Page 7

Special Pullout-The Presidentia Cand"dates

�President's Report
by Frank Drozak

W

~

I

r

e have just completed
negotiations on a new
Standard Freightship and
Standard Tanker Agreement, and
our membership is right now voting
on these contracts at meetings in
our ports and aboard ship.
We started bargaining back in
October. I've been around for some
time, and I've negotiated a number
of contracts. This was absolutely
the toughest bargaining I've ever
been involved with. What was at
stake was our jurisdiction. What
they were after was our jobs. They
wanted to force us off the ships.
Early during our negotiations,
the shipowners signed with the
mates and engineers. In both cases
they gave the officers a 2 percent
pay increase for each of the three
years of the contracts. At the same
time, they demanded that the unlicensed crew take a 10 percent
pay cut, a 20 percent cut in health
benefits, and t~ey even wanted to
reduce your training school, stating that it costs too much.
In the past 10 years or more,
this Union and its membership have
done everything we could to help
our contracted companies be competitive and stay in business. We
have drastically cut the unlicensed
manning scale and tempered our
wage demands to meet the realities
of the industry. During that same
time, the mates and engineers did
nothing to cut manning on the
bridges or in the engine room, and
they continued to widen the economic gap between licensed and
unlicensed crew. You, the membership, said, "Enough is enough!"
You gave us the authority to call
a general strike if the shipowners
did not come back to the bargaining
table in good faith. You gave us
this authority in an open vote and
you did it unariimously. Once again,
this membership stood tall and
stood together.
We got a contract, and it's a
good agreement. One of the most
important features of this contract
is that it protects our jurisdiction.

The contract language specifically
sets out the work jurisdiction of
the unlicensed crew in the engine
room. It is now up to each and
every one of you to make this
provision work by filing a grievance and putting in for overtime
each time an engineer picks up a
tool to do your work. If we don't
do this, we will lose our jobs in
the engine room by default. Believe me when I tell you that the
engineers want your jobs. They
think it is a matter of survival for
them, and they don't care what
happens to you. We have fought
hard and long to keep these jobs
for our members. We don't want
to cede them to the engineers by
default.

•••
The SIU and other maritime labor organizations representing seamen employed on U.S.-flag vessels
recognize the national need to protect the freedom of the seas so that
vessels of all nations may transport
without interference supplies and
commodities vital to their national
interest and security. To that end,
the United States has taken a leadership role, and we think that it is
the right thing to do.
However, we believe that the
Reagan administration is unnecessarily circumventing longstanding maritime law and custom which
require U.S. citizenship for crewing ships that fly the U.S. flag. In
proposing to paste a U.S. flag on
Kuwaiti tankers with a U.S. citizen
captain and a polyglot crew, our
government is fl.outing the law,
compromising our national security, and setting a potentially ruinous economic precedent.
We believe that participation under the sanction of the U.S. flag
must indicate a commitment to the
United States since American-flag
vessels are considered extensions
of U.S. territory. Such a commitment necessarily entails full compliance with the spirit and letter of

U. S. law . Further, U.S.-ftag vessels should be ready and available
for immediate support to our Armed
Forces in the event of a national
emergency.
Foreign crews and foreign owners of reftagged vessels will have
no allegiance to the United States.
Instead, they will utilize the U.S.
registry temporarily as opportunity
and expedience warrant. This
clearly flies in the face of congressional intent in enacting documentation and manning laws which

require U.S. citizen crews on U.S.flag vessels. Certainly , Congress
did not envision a scenario where
for all intents and purposes a foreign-owned and foreign-crewed
vessel would be sheltered under
the umbrella of the U.S. flag. Certainly, twisting explicit maritime
law to fit the needs of a political
situation in the Persian Gulf, or
wherever, is not a viable solution
to the political problem, and in the
end will prove at best a foolish and
at worst a dangerous expedience.

Washlncton Report
(Continued from Page 24.)
the West Coast to East and Gulf
ports. Given little chance of passage, it is representative of a number of bills that have been introduced which seek to weaken this
nation's cabotage laws.

S.?23
Introduced by Sen. John Danforth (R-Mo.), it seeks to effectively
repeal this nation's existing cargo
preference laws which now generate a large share of work available
to American-flag operators. Such
legislation has become commonplace over the past 10 years, and
pose a threat to the continued existence of the American-flag merchant marine. The SIU is monitoring this legislation and others like
it.

S.108?
Introduced earlier this year by
Senator Frank Murkowski (RAlaska), the legislation seeks to
eliminate "unfair, restrictive and
discriminatory foreign practices'' in
the marine transportation of automobile imports by requiring the
president to negotiate trade agreements with those countries exporting over 50,000 automobiles to the
United States. It has been referred
to the Senate Finance Committee.

S.1183
Another of the Union's legislative priorities, S. 1183 seeks to
eliminate unfair trading practices by
foreign countries against Americanflag operators. It also would rehaul

this nation's maritime promotional
laws to make them more effective
and cost-efficient. Drozak testified
before the Merchant Marine Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce
Committee on behalf of the legislation, noting that there ''is an urgent need'' for an overhaul of this
nation's promotional programs and
that S. 1183 "would eliminate many
of the unfair trade practices the
U.S. fleet." Yet he cautioned that
even if the bill were enacted, it
would be only a first step in the
direction of restoring the Americanflag merchant marine to its former
competitive state and that ''many
more steps" are needed.
It was at these hearings that Peter
Finnerty, Sea-Land's vice-president, said that the company would
be forced to consider reflagging ''all
or part" of its operations if Congress and the administration did not
take constructive steps to halt the
decline of the American-flag merchant marine.

S.12?4
S. 1274, the Foreign Aid Authorizations bill, includes language which
would impose restrictions on the
use of cash as a form of U.S.
economic aid. This bill is a priority
of the SIU. A similar bill has been
introduced in the House.
If enacted in its present form, S.
1274 would require that at least 50
percent of the commodities purchased by foreign nations through
the cash transfer program be transported on U.S.-flag vessels.
Neither the House or Senate versions of this bill have been considered on the floor yet.

Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union of
North America, Atlantic, Gulf. Lakes and Inland Waters District,
Afl-CIO

June 1987

Vol. 49, No. 6

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

2 I LOG I June 1987

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Secretary

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 8990675. Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges, Md. 20790-9998 and at additional
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md. 20746.

�CDS Payback Decision Nears, Due July 15
Groups as diverse as Friends of the
Sea Otters and the Shipbuilders Council of America have taken the Department of Transportation (DOT) to task
for its efforts to re-establish the Construction Differential Subsidy (CDS)
payback program.
Under that program, begun in 1985
and judged unlawful by a federal court
last year, the government lost some
$80 million, 10 militarily useful tankers
were laid up and hundreds of seamen
lostjobs. But DOT wants to begin the
program anew, despite estimates that
it could cost the government more
than $200 million.
The proposal, like its predecessor,
would allow ships built with CDS funds

into the domestic trades, even though
the 1936 Merchant Marine Act restricts domestic trade to unsubsidized
ships.
Several labor and industry groups
have written to DOT to protest the
CDS payback scheme. Most of the
protests cited the high cost to government in the form of guaranteed loan
defaults from domestic operators and
the cost to the Navy if it must buy
useful tankers when the ships currently in the trade are scrapped. In
addition, the protests noted that
hundreds of seamen would lose their
jobs and shipbuilding contracts would
grind to a halt.
Only three tankers, huge VLCCs,

paid back their subsidies under the old
rule, but those three ships were responsible for the lost millions, the layup of the other ships and the elimination of jobs. If those ships are allowed
to remain, and one, the Brooklyn, is
crewedbySeafarers,orothersenterthe
trade, the results would be disastrous.
"Many trained and qualified seamen
will be thrown out of work. As a result
our country will not have a sufficient
pool of merchant mariners to meet our
needs should we be faced with an
emergency," said Sen. Paul Trible
(R-Va.).
If the rule is allowed to stand, said
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), the
only concerns which would benefit

Doubts Slow Kuwait Ref lagging
Serious doubts about the political
wisdom of reftagging 11 Kuwaiti tankers under the U.S. flag appear to have
slowed down the administration's attempt to implement the controversial
program.
While Congress debates the political
issues, most U.S. maritime unions and
industry groups have protested the
scheme because the Coast Guard has
waived both U.S. citizenship requirements for manning and various U.S.
safety regulations for the tankers.
Meanwhile it was reported that the
Master, Mates and Pilots would supply
up to 18 captains on a rotating basis for
the ships if all are eventually reftagged.
The International Transport Workers'
Federation's (ITF) Fair Practices Committee meeting in London June 9-10
adopted a resolution finding the Kuwaiti
tankers which the Reagan administration
intends to document under the U.S. flag
as flag-of-convenience ships. The ITF's
seafarers group also urged all its affiliated transport unions to take appropriate
industrial action against these ships
whenever and wherever they are encountered in various ports of the world.
The resolution was introduced by officials of the Seafarers International Union
and the National Maritime Union. In
adopting the resolution, seafarers' union
officials from 34 nations of Europe, Asia,
Africa, Australia, and North and South
America determined that this action by
the Executive Branch of the U.S. government could haV'e disastrous repercussions on the merchant fleet of all traditional maritime nations.

One of the main areas of labor protests against the plan has been the
Coast Guard's waiving the normal citizenship requirements for reftagging.
In most cases that calls for a
100 percent U.S. licensed crew and a
75 percent U .S. unlicensed crew.
The administration says its goal is
to ensure free navigation in the Persian
Gulf, an area where more than 200
tankers have been attacked by warring
Iraq and Iran during the past several
years.
Congressional critics have said the
reftagging could draw the U.S. into the
fighting in the bloody eight-year IranIraq war. They also have expressed
concern over the fact the U.S. , which
only imports about 4 percent of its oil
from the area, is shouldering the major
military and cost burden for tanker
protection. Countries such as Japan
and Germany receive up to 30 percent
of their petroleum from the Gulf.
While the administration claims the
Kuwait reftagging is a special situa-

tion, past practices, including the
waiving of military cargo preference
laws, show that such exceptions to
U.S. law are becoming more common.
"We'll let the politicians and the
foreign affairs experts debate the wis-

dom of reftagging. But if Kuwait or
any other country wants the protection
of the U.S. flag and the U.S. Navy, it
seems only logical that they abide by
U.S. maritime laws," said SIU President Frank Drozak.

Flag of Convenience?
The following editorial appeared in The Journal of Commerce. The SIU
wholeheartedly agrees with the opinion expressed.
IT'S MORE THAN A LITTLE IRONIC that the high-cost U.S. ship
registry has become the latest flag of convenience. For years U.S.
shipowners and operators have been sailing vessels under less expensive
flags, such as those of Panama and Liberia. Now a foreign nation, Kuwait,
has cut a deal with the Reagan administration to register 11 of its oil
tankers in the United States to gain U.S. naval protection against Iranian
attack.
A carefully planned effort to protect commercial shipping in the Persian
Gulf, in concert with our allies, is a sound idea. But precipitously placing
foreign ships under the Stars and Stripes is not. The reftagging agreement
raises important questions about the future health of the U.S. merchant
marine. Unfortunately, the Reagan administration has brushed those
questions aside in its rush to help the Kuwaitis before the Soviet Union
does the same.
Under the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, all officers aboard U.S.-flag
vessels, and at least 75% of the unlicensed crewmembers, must be U.S.
citizens. But on the reflagged Kuwaiti ships, the administration will insist
only that the captains be American. No other U.S. citizens need be on
board.
To offer such loose terms, the administration is exploiting a section of
the law allowing foreign crews aboard U.S. ships in cases where the
ships are "deprived" of American crews. Normally, that means that a
ship operator may hire foreign sailors when no Americans are available.
The foreigners may work as long as the ship is overseas, but must
surrender their jobs to U.S. citizens when the ship returns to the United
States. But now the Coast Guard, which handles ship registrations, claims
that because U.S. sailors are not standing around the docks in Kuwait,
ready to sign on, foreign crews can be hired and kept on the ships as
long as the vessels do not put into a U.S. port.
Casually allowing foreign ships to fly American colors sets an unfortunate precedent that would accelerate the decline of U.S. shipping. If
the Kuwaitis can break the rules. why not others? U.S. ship operators
looking to save money could justifiably demand similar treatment in order
to free themselves of expensive American crews without losing the
benefits of U.S. registry, such as the exclusive right to carry U.S. military
cargo and loads funded by the Food for Peace program. Imaginative
shipowners might even want to operate foreign-crewed, U .S.-flag vessels
between Europe and Montreal, never touching a U.S. port but carrying
government cargoes and civilian loads destined for the United States.
This potential for further erosion of the merchant marine is as important
for U.S. security in the long term as is the maintenance of commercial
shipping in the Persian Gulf. U.S. military planners say the precipitous
drop in seafaring jobs for U.S. citizens is the single biggest obstacle to
adequate resupply of troops in the field. The nation's sea-lift needs would
be greatest in the event of major U.S. military action in the Persian Gulf
area. Ships usually can be obtained in a crisis. But trained U.S. sailors
are more difficult to find.
The administration can achieve its basic objective in this caseprotection of merchant vessels in a troubled region-by agreeing, along
with our allies, to escort Kuwait-registered tankers through the Persian
Gulf. It need not reflag a single ship to protect the right to free navigation.

financially are the interests of three
oil companies, "two of which are not
American.''
The final CDS payback rule is not
due until July 15. But despite the
massive opposition from such wide
ranging groups, observers expect DOT
to ignore the outcry and go ahead.
The SIU and its supporters on Capitol Hill were able to include a provision in the House version of the 1987
supplemental appropriations bill which
would prohibit the use of any money
for CDS payback. The Senate version
does not contain a prohibition, but
supporters are hopeful that when the
two houses meet in conference such
a ban would be included.

New Deepsea
Pacts Protect
Job Security
(Continued from Page 1.)
3. COLA adjustments shall not be
effective unless and to the extent
that increases in the Consumer
Price Index exceed 10 percent calculated on a cumulative year-toyear basis. This is what is agreed
to between the companies and the
licensed officers.
4. Fringe contributions will be paid
on the vessel's manning scale,
subject to reduced manning during
periods of lay-up or shipyard work.
5. The Port Committee provisions
will be amended to provide 90
days from the date a crewmember
leaves the ship or articles are terminated for the filing of a grievance.
6. Due to excessive cost, the cardiotrakers will not be required to be
carried aboard ship.
7. When a seaman is repatriated, or
pays off a ship at the conclusion
of articles or lay-up, the company
will be required to provide the
date of hire, date of termination,
and in the case of repatriation, the
nature of the illness or injury, to
the Union.
8. If the vessel is laid up and recrews
within seven days, the company
has the o·p tion of providing transportation back to the ship rather
than the pay, lodging and subsistence.
9. Wipers and GUD/E's may be required to do general maintenance
during the regular hours throughout the vessel without penalty.
10. On ships with seven or fewer seamen in the deck department, GUD/
E's shall be required to assist in
docking and undocking at all times.
11. Work jurisdictionIt is understood that the preservation of the jurisdiction of the
Union is the essence of this Agreement and that the provisions of
this contract establishing jurisdiction shall be rigorously and strictly
enforced through the cooperation
efforts of the company and the
Union.
Except where previously agreed,
the company agrees to maintain
existing unlicensed manning in the
(Continued on Page 14.)
June 1987 I LOG I 3

�Eternal God, we ask that You keep us ever mindful of
the heroic sacrifice of our Merchant Seamen, that we
always take pride in their valiant striving after peace.
Make it our legacy as they made it theirs.

New York-A memorial service was held aboard the Spirit of New York in New York
Harbor. Participating in the ceremony are (I. to r .) Rear Admiral King, president of the
American Merchant Mariner Memorial, SIU Vice President Leon Hall, NMU President
Shannon Wall, and John Bowers, former ILA vice president. Note in the background
two vessels of the bankrupt U.S. Lines. (Photo by Jack Caffey)

Washington, D.C.-An afternoon memorial service took place
at the Washington Navy Yard aboard the USNS Invincible (an SIUcrewed TAGOS vessel). Military Sealift Commander Vice Admiral
Walter T. Piotti Jr.; a Navy sailor, John M. Parsons, and a civilian
seafarer, Guy S. Bennett, toss the memorial wreath into the water.
(Photo by Deborah Greene)

Washington, D.C.--SIU upgraders attended a morning Merchant Marine Memorial
Service. Pictured are Charles Petersen, June Hughes, Wilhamena Ortiz, Jacqueline Davis,
Saleh Lotti, Steve Parker and Piney Point Port Agent Al Raymond. (Photo by Deborah
Greene)
Honolulu-Maritime Day festivities in the port of Honolulu, Hawaii included a
procession of ·vessels to Diamond Head and a memorial service to seamen lost at sea.
(Photo by Cathie Ballentine)

Washington, D.C.-The Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Piney Point, Md. was well
represented at the morning Merchant Marine Memorial Service. Attending the service were trainees Charles
Bates, Harry Arruda, Don Teixera, Marshall Allen, David Ayala, Karen Bartolo, Cleavon Brown Jr., Paul Bird,
Alan Amado, Eddie McClain, George Champney Jr., Andrew Ditullio, Standford Jones, Eddie Major, Donald
Peterson, William Stallings, Hershey Watson, Charles Walker and Anthony Bedford. (Photo by Deborah Greene)

4 I LOG I June 1987

San FranciscO-Representing the SIU at a memorial
service May 16 aboard the SIS Jeremiah O'Brien is SIU Vice
President George McCartney. The Jeremiah O'Brien is America's last unaltered Liberty Ship in operating condition. (Photo
by John Ravnik)

�In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will
highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national
and maritime policy.

profiles
Sen.
Brock Adams

Rep.
Tom McMillen

C

A

OMPETING effectively with our
foreign trading partners is one of
Sen. Brock Adams' (D-Wash.) hopes
for the lOOth Congress.
Adams believes that through
congressional action, the U.S. can
reduce its trade deficit and improve
the competitive posture of this nation's industry in international competition. But he also realizes there is
no easy answer to our trade problems.
"Improving our performance in international trade will require continuing
action by the Congress .... In addition to amending our trade laws to
open foreign markets to U.S. goods,
we are going to have to reduce our
federal budget deficit. ... Above all,
we must not try to save one industry
by creating trade barriers which hurt
other U.S. industries."
One trade agreement Adams supported last March would open new
markets for the northwest fishing industry. Adams, who has kept close
tabs on this issue since his election to
the Senate on Nov. 4, 1986, said the
new agreement should open markets
in Japan for U.S. harvested and processed pollock and herring. ''The
booming northwest bottom fish industry needs reliable markets like Japan's
to prosper," said Adams. The senator
said he will closely follow implementation of the agreement to make sure
that the Japanese fully comply with
its provisions.
Following two years in the U.S.
Navy, Sen. Adams received a B.A. in
economics from the University of

Senator Brock Adams
Washington and a law degree from
Harvard University. He began his political career in 1951 when he was
appointed U.S. District Attorney for
Western Washington by President John
F. Kennedy. In 1964 he ran for Congress from the seventh congressional
district (Seattle-King County), and
served in that position for 12 years.
In 1977 Adams was chosen U.S. Secretary of Transportation. He resigned
from that post in 1979 and joined a
Seattle-based law firm as an international trade attorney.
In the Senate, Adams serves on the
Committee on Commerce, Science &amp;
Transportation (and its Subcommittee
on Merchant Marine). He also serves
on the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Labor and
Human Resources and the Committee
on Rules and Administration.

Government Shipbuilding
Help Needed to Save U.S.
Yards, Defense Panel Told
To preserve the nation's faltering
shipbuilding and shipping capability,
the government should spur demand
for U.S.-built ships , curb reliance on
foreign shipbuilding, and upgrade domestic shipyards, labor and industry
representatives told the Commission
on Merchant Marine and Defense.
Paul Burn sky, president of the AFLCI O Metal Trades Dept. , told the commission, "We believe that the preservation of a strong merchant marine
and American shipbuilding industrial
base is vital if we are to remain a
world power." Burnsky charged that
deliberate Reagan administration policies are crippling American shipbuilding and shipping capability in defiance
of 50 years of U.S. law and policy.
Burnsky said these administration
policies include doubling , to $9 billion
last year, the number of naval and
other defense contracts awarded to
overseas suppliers contrary to
congressionally-enacted " Buy Amer-

ica' ' programs ; undermining a subsidy
program for shipyard construction and
operation; and, getting Congress to
drastically cut, and now end, federal
support for a shipbuilding industry
research and development program.
"Commercial shipbuilding in U.S.
yards has dried up," Burnsky said.
''New orders for merchant vessels are
non-existent. Many thousands of our
skilled shipyard workers have lost their
jobs; many have left the industry,"
their skills wasted. He said once the
Navy's expanded 600-ship goal is
reached, "our industrial outlook will
become even more grim, the viability
of the U.S. shipbuilding mobilization
base will be seriously jeopardized, and
our national defense inevitably weakened. "
Noting that today less than 4 percent
of U.S. goods are carried on U .S.flag , U .S.-manned ships , he said the
U.S . should adopt ''a modest cargo

S its first legislative act, the lOOth
Congress overwhelmingly passed
the Clean Water Act. With funds provided as a consequence of this piece
of legislation, Maryland will receive
one-half billion dollars over the next
several years that can be used to
combat pollution of the Chesapeake
Bay. This is a good start in the congressional career of Tom McMillen, a
Democrat who represents Maryland' s
fourth district in the U.S. House of
Representatives.
Elected to the lOOth Congress on
Nov. 4, 1986, McMillen also is concerned with a number of other pressing
national issues, particularly the federal
budget deficit and the trade imbalance.
''A recent poll shows that 90 percent
of Americans feel the United States is
losing its competitive edge," McMillen wrote in a recent newspaper
article. "Our children now wonder if
their America will be as prosperous
and as promising as it has been for
their parents."
Being competitive to McMillen
means looking at those industries that
are going to be important to our country's future as well as to the basic
industries that have been the mainstay
of our economy in the past. He further
believes that Congress should look at
U.S. controls and exports and technology which have been too restrictive
and have led to our trade imbalance.
McMillen believes that while Congress can play a major role in regaining
America's competitive edge, the
American system of education is an
even stronger influence and should be
upgraded. "Education is clearly the
key to our future,'' McMillen noted.
"Investing in education is investing in
our most important asset, our children. If America is to compete and
win in the global economy, we must
ensure that our children and education
in our public schools are second to
none. "
Education is also on his mind as a
member of the Congressional Maripreference policy' ' to bring it up to 20
percent. He said the other industrial
and maritime nations have cargo preference and shipbuilding subsidy programs so that a "free market" doesn't
exist. He said the Merchant Marine
Act of 1936 and subsequent laws
"clearly link our national defense to
a healthy merchant marine and a viable
shipbuilding capability. ''
David H. Klinges, president of marine construction for the Bethlehem
Steel Corp., told the commission,
''While the nation focuses on the need
for a 600-ship Navy, how really secure
are we in the face of a contracting and

Representative Tom McMillen
time Caucus. This group of congressional members educates other members and staff about the plight of the
U.S. merchant marine.
Competition is no stranger to Rep.
McMillen. He was a small businessman in the communications field as
well as an 11-year veteran of the National Basketball Association. (He was
the number one draft choice by the
Buffalo Braves and subsequently
played with the New York Knicks and
the Atlanta Hawks. He also was a
member of the Washington Bullets for
three seasons.)
McMillen attended the University
of Maryland, where he was a threetime All-American and was a member
of the 1972 United States Olympic
Team. Graduating in 1974, he was the
first and only student from the university to be awarded the coveted
Rhodes Scholarship, on which he attended Oxford University, where he
received an M.A. in politics, philosophy and economics.
Rep. McMillen serves on the Banking, Finance &amp; Urban Affairs Committee and on the Science, Space &amp;
Technology Committee. He is a member of the Environmental and Energy
Conference, the Congressional Caucus on Women' s Issues , the Democratic Study Group, the Congressional
Competitiveness Caucus and the
Congressional Arts Caucus.
aging merchant marine and debilitated
shipyard mobilization base?''
Klinges said that 30 years ago most
of the work in commercial shipyards
involved the repair of commercial vessels. Today, he said, more than 90
percent of U.S. shipyards are supported by Navy work. "Without commercial work, naval construction cannot support the industry ," he said.
Klinges said employment in the
shipbuilding industry dropped 24 percent from 1982 to 1986, from 122,000
jobs to 85,000. In the same period, he
said the number of shipyards fell from
110 to 74.

Support SPAD
June 1987 I LOG I 5

�Sea-Land Leader
Ends Smooth Trip
With Jersey Payoff

The Sea-Land Leader had a good trip.

Jennings Hockman, AB

AB Al Hill can't wait to hit shore.

SIU Port Agent Kermett Mangram took care of all beefs.

Steward Assistant Ismail Hanapiah, left, and B. Kanguous, electrician, pal around in the
crew's mess.

Bosun Leon Curry, second from the right, kids around with some friends.

AB Joe McGill waits to pay his dues.

6 I LOG I June 1987

AB Jim Manning in a quiet moment.

�..........

, tug/tow I
:harge/dredge

s

...

I

11

fi:-EB!tl···~·~-~~~:::.-=::::::;:~-~~~;~~-~-.:····~~"$S;:.=:::~~~::·

Back Pay in Baltimore-New Pay in Mobile

Baker-Whiteley Owes $2 Million-SIU Firm Wins $36 Million Dredge Pact
SIU members in the inland field
received two pieces of good news
last month.
A federal appeals court has upheld a National Labor Relations
Board order requiring BakerWhiteley Towing to pay $2 million
in back pay and benefits to 27 SIU
members who work in the Baltimore harbor area. And an SIUcontracted company, Great Lakes
Dredge and Dock, was the low
bidder for a $36. 3 million project

In St. Louis

to deepen the Mobile Ship Channel.
The NLRB ruling against BakerWhiteley affirms the SIU's contention that the now-defunct Outreach
Marine company changed hands in
1984 only to circumvent a collective bargaining agreement with the
Union. Twenty-seven members
were thrown out of work at the
time.
''This is an important victory for
all tug and barge workers, not just
the 27 who will receive back pay
and wages," said SIUNA Vice
President Jack Caffey. "If one tug
and barge company is allowed to
set up ~ sham company to evade
its contractual obligations , then it's
a good bet that more will follow

the Gulf of Mexico to the Wallace
Tunnel. Funding for the project
was made possible by the $5 billion
Port Development bill that the SIU
helped get passed during the last
session of Congress.
"In an important sense," said
Caffey, ''both the Baker-Whiteley
ruling and the Mobile dredging
project were made possible because the members of this Union
stood united."
''They certainly stood united in
their fight against Baker-Whiteley
and Outreach Marine," he said.
''And the Mobile dredging project
would not have been possible without the membership's active support of this Union's political action
program."

suit."
Baker-Whiteley was forced to
rehire the tugboat captains, mates,
engineers and deckhands that Outreach Marine laid off in 1984 after
a federal District Court upheld an
NLRB ruling on the issue. But the
firm appealed the payment of back
wages and benefits.
As reported in the December
1986 LOG, the SIU then waged a
successful two-week strike against
the company. They subsequently
ratified a new one-year contract
with the towing firm.
Dredging on the Mobile ship
project is scheduled to begin in
July. It involves 31 miles of the
ship channel and 6.1 miles of the
bar channel that spans an area from

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
MAY 1-31, 1987

Anna Jean Flory, boat delegate and cook
for Orgulf Transport Co., gets her picture
taken at the St. Louis hall when she came
in to get her yearly SIU physical.

New
Pensioners
The following Inland members have
retired on pension:
Houston

John P. Blackmon
Norfolk

Luther R. Davidson

In Memoriam
Pensioner Odis J. Dore succumbed
to respiratory disease March 21. He
was 84. Brother Dore joined the Union
in 1963 in Port Arthur, Texas. He
retired on pension in 1968. Burial was
at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Port
Arthur. Seafarer Dore is survived by
his wife, Rose, and a stepson, Parlis
Trahan, both of Port Arthur.

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

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 ...... ....... . ........... .

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

0
3
6
49
0
0
2
0
16

0
0
3
0
0
0

79

0
0
0
6
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
2
0
2
0
14

0
0
0
0
0
0
10

0

27

0
0
0
0
20
1
38

0
0

0
0

0
0

0

0

6

0

0

39

7

0

37

15

0

0

0

0
0
24

1
0
12

0
0
6
0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1
0

0
0

4
0

45

16

50

0
0
6
0
0

0
0
2
0
0

0
0
0
0
8

0

0

0

97

25

0

62

0

2

0

11

0

0
0

0
0

3
4

0

•

3

0

0
0
79

2
0
35

0
1

0
0

0

34

0
0
0
0

26

2

68

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

0
1
0
10
0
0
1
0
0
0

0

1
0
0
0

13

0
0
0
5
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6

Port
New York ........................ .
Philadelphia ...................... .
Baltimore ........................ .
Norfolk ......................... .
Mobile .......................... .
New Orleans ..... ................. .
Jacksonville ...................... .
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ..... .... .............. .
Seattle .......................... .
Puerto Rico ...................... .
Houston ......................... .
Algonac ......................... .
St. Louis ........................ .
Piney Point ............. ..... .... . .
Totals .......................... .

0
1
0
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8

0
0
0
0
0
7

Totals All Departments ............... .

100

27

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3

0

0
0
0
0
0
3

0
0
0
12
0

0
0
0
5
0

0
0
0
0
0

0

0

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

12

0
22

0
5

0
0

0
1

1

0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
3
0

0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5

0

0
0
0

0

0

0

0

0

27

6

5

0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
1

5

0
0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

0

0

0
0

0

4
0
0
3
0
0

0

0
0
0
0
3
0
2
0
0
0
0

1
0

0
1

0

0

0

10

1

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0

1

6

0
11

0
3

0
3

47

120

33

65

0

0

0
0

0
0

9

4

0

1

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

1

0

0
0
0

0

0

9

6

115

47

0

0

0
4

77
*"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.

June 1987 I LOG I 7

�Third Mate Instructors Brad Wheeler (standing) and Jake Karaczynski
(right, standing) give individual instruction to students.

Mate Courses Geared to Job,
Not Just to Passing Exams
The upper level deck license
courses offered at the Seafarers Harry
Lundeberg School prepare qualified
students for the U.S. Coast Guard
exams for Original Second Mate,
Third Mate, Master or Mate of
Freight and Towing Vessels (not
more than 1000 gross tons).
A vast amount of material is
covered during the basic 10-week
course and requires a serious student
who will average about six hours of
study per night seven days a week.
The deck license courses are geared
to learning the material for the job,
not just to pass the Coast Guard test.
"In preparation for the course I
would advise the student to start
reading "Bowditch Vol. I" and
William Crawford's "Celestial for
the Mariner'' which are two excellent
books," said Deck Instructor Jake
Karaczynski. "Utilize your time
properly on a ship by asking the
matequestionsandgetting involved

&gt;"·: '

..::--:::';'JS~~&gt;

'&lt;. . . ,_. $'~

Dave Brantley (front) and Tim

E~~blifhm~oriyon /!~Y~1 ng ~~~~~~~
~ltitud~s of the sun. 9
·a I LOG I June

1987

with the day-to-day navigation of the
vessel. No prior knowledge is
necessary, but a basic understanding
of the subject matter is most
helpful.''
The complete deck license course
consists of a 10-week basic navigation
course, a five-week Celestial
Navigation course and a two-week
Radar Obsetver course for a total of
17 weeks of training.
Some of the navigational related
subjects covered during the deck
license courses include charts,
instruments and accessories,
magnetic and gyro compasses, dead
reckoning, piloting, lines of position,
electronic navigation, tides and tidal
currents, weather and rules of the
road. Other subject areas covered
include marlinspike seamanship,
shiphandling, cargo gear and cargo
handling, firefighting, first aid, CPR
and the use of various federal
regulations (CFRs).
The 10-week basic navigation
course is followed by a five-week
course in Celestial Navigation.
Subjects covered in this course
include basic nautical astronomy,
time, latitude by observation of
Polaris and noon sights (LAN), lines
of position (LOP) and running fixes
from sun, star and planet
observations, determining compass
and gyro error by amplitude and
azimuth, star indentification,
sunrise, sunset and great circle
sailing.
The Coast Guard exam is usually
taken during the fifth week of the
Celestial course. The exam for
Second and Third Mate lasts three
days. The exam for Master and Mate
of 1000 tons vessels lasts a day and a
half.
While it is helpful to have a good

math background and be able to
solve trigonometry problems, such
knowledge is not necessary in order
to understand and solve most
problems in navigation. A good
understanding of addition,
subtraction, multiplication and
division is all that is required.
The minimum setvice required to
qualify an applicant for license as
Master of Freight and Towing
Vessels of not more than 1000 gross
tons is four years on deck including:
a. One year setvice as licensed
mate; or
b. Two years service as
unlicensed master; or
c. One year service as Operator
of U ninspected Towing
Vessels; or
d. Two years service as
Quartermaster or Wheelsman
while holding a license as
Mate or First Class Pilot; or
e. Two years service as
unlicensed mate while
holding a license as operator
of small passenger vessels
valid within the area for
which application is made; or
f. Three years service as
unlicensed mate.
The minimum setvice required to
qualify an applicant for license as

a.

b.
c.

J.eff Hood (front) determines compass error while Nick Nagy (I.) gets
assistance from lnstructor Jake Karaczynski.

�Annllal P.S.C.A
------Induction of Officers Awards Dinner-No one can put on a feast like a
group of chefs, and the members
of the Professional Seafarers
Culinary Association Incorporated
(P.S.C.A.) really excelled at their
Annual Induction of Officers
Awards Dinner.
The dinner, held on May 3,
1987, was well-attended. The
guest speakers were Jack Braun
and Roland Shaeffer.
Romeo
Lupinacci, SHLSS Certified
Executive Chef, was Master of
Ceremonies. The new P. S. C. A.
Officers are: Greg Herring
-President, Charles Harrison -Vice
President, Arsenio Gusilatar
-Secretary, Leland ''Buck''
Buchan - Treasurer, and Joseph
Zeinda
Sergeant-at-Arms.
Chuck Harrison was presented the

Maryland State 1987 Chef of the
Year Award.
The P.S.C.A. is a chapter of the
American Culinary Federation
Inc. and the only chapter from the
maritime field, providing many
opportunities to both the steward
staff and the SIU Steward
membership.
Interested
SIU
Stewards can join the P. S. C. A.
and take advantage of the
information and opportunities
offered through the American
Culinary Federation Inc.
For more information about the
A.CF. or a request for a
membership application write to;
Greg Herring, Steward Department,
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School of Seamanship
Piney Point, Md. 20674.

Ft. Eustis Personnel Train at SHLSS

(L. to R.) Roland Shaeffer, Romeo Lupinacci, Arsenio Gusilatar, Leland "Buck" Buchan, Charles

Harrison, Greg Herring and Jack Braun.

Jack Braun presents the
"Chef of the Year" award
to Charles Harrison.

==~SHLSS VISITORS~==

SHLSS Vice President Ken Conklin distributes the Certificates of
Achievement.

Students from Hines Jr. High tour SHLSS.

Army Training Group
First row: (I. tor.) Guillermo Mosquera, Dwight Henry, Robert
White, Jacqueline Pickering, Robert Finnie, Russell Sharpe.
Second row: Freddie Ortiz, Juan Cruz, James Mathis, Dwight
Rivers, Richard Dickerson (Instructor}. Third row: Jiles
Baynes, Manuel Flores.

Able Seaman
First row: (I. tor.} Tim Olvany, Terence Franklin, Saleh A. Yafai,
Abdul Hussein, Paul Lucky. Second row: Jim Brown
(Instructor), Pete Troianos, Aaron Ruiz, Alvin Kirksey, Lamont
Lovick. Third row: James Tanner, Joe L. Miller, Frank
Henninger, Michael F. Ortiz, Freddy Collins. Fourth row: Paul
Wade, Kenneth Moore, Jeff Johnson, A. R. Alwaseem.

Diesel Engine Technology
Front row: (I. to r.) Mark D. Field, Perry Boyd, Ken Browning.
Second row: Ray Hart, Eric Malzkuhn (Instructor}, Robert
Rester, Tyler Womack, Joe Pomraning, John Cronan, Buddy
McBride.

June 1987 I LOG I 9

�1987 Upgrading
Course Schedule

Steward Upgrading Courses

Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
June 1987 -

December 1987

The following is the current course schedule for May 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.
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
• Sealitt Operations &amp; Maint.

Check-In
Date
September 21
December 14

Completion
Date
December 11
January 8

Automation
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Automation
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 13
August 10
June 27
July 25

August 7
September 4
July 22
August 19

Fireman/Watertender, Oiler
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Fireman/Watertender, Oiler
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Fireman/Watertender, Oiler
•Sea lift Operations &amp; Ma int.

June 8
August 3
August 10
October 5
October 12
December 7

July 31
August 28
October 2
October 30
December 4
December 31

Marine Electrical Maintenance
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 13
September 7

September 4
October 2

Variable Speed DC Drive
• Sealift Operations &amp; Ma int.
Electro-Hydraulic Systems
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

September 21
November 2
November 9
December 21

October 30
November 27
December 18
January 15

Refrigeration Systems Maint. &amp; Ops.
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 20
August 31

August 28
September 25

Refri?ieration Containers - Advanced
Main enance
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Diesel Engineer - Regular
•Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.

August 31
October 12
October 12
November 23

October 9
November 6
November 20
December 12

Deck Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date
July 13
August 31
September 28
October 26

Completion
Date
September 4
October 23
November 20
December 18

Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance

July 13
August10
September 28
October 26
November 23

August 7
September 4
October 23
November 20
December 18

Celestial Navigation

July 13
November 2

August 14
December 4

Radar Obsever

August 17
December 7

August 28
December 12

Radar Obsever (Renewal)

Open ended course, however,
must notify SH LSS before
entering this course.

Towboat Operator

September 7

October 30

Deep Sea
Deck Shiphandling Simulator

June 15

June 18

Inland Deck Shiphandling Simulator

October 12

October 16

Course
Able Seaman/Sealift Operations
&amp; Maintenance

10 I LOG I June 1987

&amp; Maint.

Check-In
Date
July 22
September 8
September 2
October 19
October 14
November 30
November 25
January 11

Completion
Date
September 4
October 2
October 16
November 13
November 27
December 24
January 8
February 5

Cook and Baker
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Cook and Baker
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Cook and Baker
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 22
September 21
September 2
November 2
October 14
December 14

September 18
October 16
October 30
November 27
December 11
January 8

Chief Cook
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Chief Cook
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Chief Cook
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 8
September 7
September 2
November 2
October 28
December 28

September 4
October 2
October 30
November 27
December 25
January 22

Chief Steward
•Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.
Chief Steward
•Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.
Chief Steward
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

July 8
September 7
September 2
November 2
October 28
December 28

September 4
October 2
October 30
November 27
December 25
January 22

Course
Assistant Cook
*Sealift Operations
Assistant Cook
*Sealift Operations
Assistant Cook
*Sealift Operations
Assistant Cook
*Sealift Operations

&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.

Recertification Programs
Course
Steward Recertification

Bosun Recertification

Check-In
Date
June 29
August 31
November 2

Completion
Date
August 3
October 5
December 7

September 21

November 2

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 months of this year, the courses will be six weeks in length and
offered on the following dates:
High School Equivalency (GED)
August 3
September 14
November 2
December 14
Adult Basic Education (ABE) &amp;
English as a Second Language (ESL)

August 3
November 2

September 11
December 11

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes. They will be offered as follows:
FOWT
August 3
August 7
September 11
Towboat Operator
September 7

College Programs
Course
Associates in Arts

Check-In
Date
June 8
August 17
October 26

Completion
Date
July 31
October 19
December 18

Course Schedule Notice
*

The above courses will be followed by a
mandatory four-week Sealift Operations and
Maintenance Course. (If you already have a Sealift
Operations and Maintenance endorsement you
DO NOT have to repeat this course.)

�pgradi g ou se
LSS
ow
for
an
S
ppl
..........................................................................................................................................
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name

(first)

(Last)

Deep Sea Member D

Inland Waters Member D

Mo./Oay/Vear

Telephone -~-------­
(Area Code)

(Zip Code)

(State)

(City)

Date of Birth

(Middle)

Pacific 0

Lakes Member D

Social Security#_______ Book# _ _ _ _ _ _ Seniority _ _ _ _ _ _ Department _ _ _ _ __
Date Book
Port Presently
Was Issued _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Port lssued _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Registered In _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Are you a graduate of the SH LSS Trainee Program: D Yes
Trainee Program: From ____~_to_---.--....---(dates attended)

No D (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: O Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s) Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: 0 Yes No D

Firefighting: 0 Yes No 0

CPR: 0 Yes No 0

Date Available for T r a i n i n g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Primary Language Spoken - - -- - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
DECK

STEWARD

ENGINE

D Tankerman
o AB/Seallft Special

D FOWT

D AB/Seallft Limited
O AB/Seallft Unlimited
O Towboat Operator Inland
0 Towboat Operator Not More
Than 200 Miies
D Towboat Operator (Over 200 Miles)
D Celestial Navigation
D Master Inspected Towing Vessel
D Mate Inspected Towing Vessel
D 1st Class Piiot
D Third Mate Celestial Navigation
D Third Mate
D Radar Observer Unlimited
D Simulator Course

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

D QMED-Any Rating
D Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electron ics)
D Marine Electrical Maintenance
D Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
D Automation
D Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
D Diesel Engine Technology
O Assistant Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel)
D Chief Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel
O Third Asst. Engineer &amp; Orlglnal Second
Asst. Engineer Steam or Motor
D Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
O Hydraulics
D Electro-Hydraulic Systems

O
O
O
O
O

Assistant Cook Utility
Cook &amp; Baker
Chief Cook
Chief Steward
Towboat Inland Cook

ALL DEPARTMENTS
O Welding
O Llfeboatman
0 Seallft Operations &amp; Maintenance

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
O Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equlvalency
Program (GED)
O Developmental Studies (DVS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)
D ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

COLLEGE PROGRAM
O Associates In Arts Degree
O Nautical Science Certificate

RECORD OF EMPLOYMENT TIME-(Show only amount needed to upgrade in rating noted above or attach letter
of service, whichever is applicable.)
VESSEL
RATING HELD
DATE SHIPPED
DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE~~------------~-DATE~-~----~----~-­

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

June 1987ILOGI11

�FREIGH SH p AGREEME T
1. Article Il, Section 21 shall be changed to read as follows:
SECTION 21. PREMIUM RATES, OVERTIME RATES AND PENALTY RATES

(a) PREMIUM RATES
Effective
7/1/87

Effective
7/1/88

Effective
7/1/89

$17.99

$18.35

$18.72

16.11
14.83
14.83
13.69
12.94

16.43
15.13
15.13
13.96
13.20

16.76
15.43
15.43
14.24
13.46

12.30
11.45
9.61
9.61

12.55
11.67
9.80
9.80

12.80
11.90
10.00
10.00

19.62

20.01

20.41

19.62
18.89
18.89
18.89
17.73
17.73
17.73
17.73

20.01
19.27
19.27
19.27
18.08
18.08
18.08
18.08

20.41
19.66
19.66
19.66
18.44
18.44
18.44
18.44

16.25
15.52
15.07

16.57
15.83
15.37

16.90
16.15
15.68

17.99
16.64
15.15
13.67
16.25
15.52
13.99
15.07
14.19
13.04
12.30
13.23
12.30
12.30
11.44
15.07
13.23
11.44

18.35
16.97
15.45
13.94
16.58
15.83
14.27
15.37
14.47
13.30
12.55
13.49
12.55
12.55
12.55
11.67
15.37
13.49
11.67

18.72
17.31
15.76
14.22
16.91
16.15
14.56
15.68
14.76
13.57
12.80
13.76
12.80
12.80
12.80
11.90
15.68
13.76
11.90

17.99

18.35

18.72

17.99
17.99
16.11
14.35
13.99
12.16
12.16
12.16
9.59

18.35
18.35
16.43
14.64
14.27
12.40
12.40
12.40
9.78

18.72
18.72
16.76
14.93
14.56
12.65
12.65
12.65
9.98

DECK DEPARTMENT
Boatswain (SL18s, D6s, D7s
D9s, Lash)
Boatswain
Carpenter
Carpenter Maintenance
A.B. Maintenance
Quartermaster
Able Seaman
Green
Blue
O.S. Maintenance
Ordinary Seaman
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
Chief Electrician (SL18s, D6s
D7s, Lash)
Q.M.E.D./Electrician D-9
Chief Electrician
Crane Mtce. Electrician
Electrician Reefer Mtce.
Second Electrician
Engine Maintenance
Engine Utility Reefer Mtce.
Refrigeration Engineer
(when one is carried)
Refrigeration Engineer
(when three are carried)
Chief
First Assistant
Second Assistant
Q.M.E.D.
Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Class 4
Plumber Machinist
Unlicensed Jr. Engr. (Day)
Unlicensed Jr. Engr. (Watch)
Deck Engineer
Engine Utility
Evaporator Maintenance
Oiler
Oiler (Diesel)
Watertender
Fireman/Watertender
Fireman
Wiper
Ship's Welder Mtce.
Oiler Mtce. Utility
General Utility Deck/Engine

12.30

Able Seaman
Green
Blue
O.S. Maintenance
Ordinary Seaman

Except as otherwise provided, the Premium Rates set forth above shall be paid for all
work performed on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. When specific rates are provided
in this Agreement for work done on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, those rates shall
not be less than the Premium Rate in effect.
It is further agreed that the Company shall offer to all Deck and Engine Unlicensed
Personnel possessing a Group I rating, a minimum of eight (8) hours every Saturday,
Sunday and holiday whether at sea or in port.

(b) OVERTIME RATES

12 I LOG I June 1987

8.23
8.23
6.52
6.52

10.31

10.52

10.73

10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31

10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52

10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73

10.31
10.31
10.31

10.52
10.52
10.52

10.73
10.73
10.73

10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
7.91
7.91
7.91
7.91
7.91
6.26
10.31
7.91
6.26

10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
8.07
8.07
8.07
8.07
8.07
6.39
10.52
8.07
6.39

10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
8.23
8.23
8.23
8.23
8.23
6.52
10.73
8.23
6.52

10.31

10.52

10.73

10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
7.91
7.91
7.91
6.26

10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
8.07
8.07
8.07
6.39

10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
8.23
8.23
8.23
6.52

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
Chief Steward (SL18s, D6s, D7s
D9s, Lash)
Steward/Cook
Steward/Baker
Chief Steward
Chief Cook
Cook &amp; Balcer
Second Cook
Third Cook
Assistant Cook
Steward Assistant

Except as otherwise provided, the rates set forth above shall be paid for all work in
excess of eight (8) hours Monday through Friday.

(c) PENALTY RATES

(c) 1.
ON WATCH, Monday through Friday

Effective
7/1/87
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3

$ 6.44
4.95
3.91

(c) 2.
OFF WATCH, Monday through Friday

Group 1
Group 2
Group 3

Effective
7/1/87

Effective
7/1/88

Effective
7/1/89

$11.49
9.22
8.20

$11.72
9.40
8.36

$11.95
9.59
8.53

Effective
7/1/87

Effective
7/1/88

Effective
7/1/89

$17.99

$18.35

$18.72

16.10
12.50
9.92

16.43
12.76
10.12

16.76
13.02
10.32

(c) 3.
ON WATCH, Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays

Group 1 (SL18s, D6s, D7s
D9s, Lash)
Group 1 (Standard)
Group 2
Group 3

Except as otherwise provided, the rates specified above shall be paid for such work as
is specified in the Agreement (January 1, 1985-June 15, 1987).

Effective
7/1/87

Effective
7/1/88

Effective
7/1/89

$10.31

$10.52

$10.73

10.31
10.31
10.31
7.91
7.91

10.52
10.52
10.52
8.07
8.07

10.73
10.73
10.73
8.23
8.23

DECK DEPARTMENT
Boatswain (SL18s, ~' D7s
D9s, Lash)
Boatswain
Carpenter
Carpenter Maintenance
A.B. Maintenance
Quartermaster

8.07
8.07
6.39
6.39

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
Chief Electrician (SL18s, D6s
D7s, Lash)
Q.M.E.D./Electrician D-9
Chief Electrician
Crane Mtce. Electrician
Electrician Reefer Mtce.
Second Electrician
Engine Maintenance
Engine Utility Reefer Mtce.
Refrigeration Engineer
(when one is carried)
Refrigeration Engineer
(when three are carried)
Chief
First Assistant
Second Assistant
Q.M.E.D.
Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Class 4
Plumber Machinist
Unlicensed Jr. Engr. (Day)
Unlicensed Jr. Engr. (Watch)
Deck Engineer
Engine Utility
Evaporator Maintenance
Oiler
Oiler (Diesel)
Watertender
Fireman/Watertender
Fireman
Wiper
Ship's Welder Mtce.
Oiler Mtce. Utility
General Utility Deck/Engine

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
Chief Steward (SL18s, D6s, D7s,
D9s, Lash)
Steward/Cook
Steward/Balcer
Chief Steward
Chief Cook
Cook &amp; Baker
Second Cook
Third Cook
Assistant Cook
Steward Assistant

7.91
7.91
6.26
6.26

ARTICLE

m,

Section 1, Wages shall be changed to read as follows:

Section 1. Wages. The monthly rate of pay for the Unlicensed Personnel in the Deck
Department, when the respective ratings are carried, shall be as follows:
Monthly
Rate
7/1/87

Monthly
Rate
7/1/88

Monthly
Rate
7/1/89

$2,091.30

$2,133.13

$2,175.79

Rating
Boatswain (SL18s, D6s, D7s
D9s, Lash)

�Boatswain
Carpenter
Carpenter Maintenance
A.B. Maintenance
Quartermaster
Able Seaman
Green
Blue
O.S. Maintenance
Ordinary Seaman

1,849.68
1,701.79
1,701. 79
1,572.67
1,483.28

1,886.67
1,735.83
1,735.83
1,604.12
1,512.95

1,924.40
1,770.55
1,770.55
1,636.20
1,543.21

1,408.23
1,309.99
1,176.76
1,100. 78

1,436.40
1,336.19
1,200.30
1,122.80

1,465.12
1,362.91
1,224.31
1,145.26

ARTICLE IV, Section 1, Wages shall be changed to read as follows:
Section 1. Wages. The monthly rate of pay for the Unlicensed Personnel in the Engine
Department, when the respective ratings are carried, shall be as follows:
Monthly
Rate
7/1/87

Monthly
Rate
7/1/88

Monthly
Rate
7/1/89

Effective
7/1/87

Effective
7/1/88

Effective
7/1/89

$18.89

$19.27

$19.66

18.18

18.54

18.91

16.55
14.13

16.88
14.41

17.22
14.70

12.45
11.57
11.44
9.87

12.70
11.80
11.67
10.07

12.95
12.04
11.90
10.27

18.89
17.23
15.59
13.97
18.89
17.34
17.34
15.19
14.26
14.27
12.45
12.45
11.44
11.44

19.27
17.57
15.90
14.25
19.27
17.69
17.69
15.49
14.54
14.56
12.70
12.70
11.67
11.67

19.66
17.92
16.22
14.54
19.66
18.04
18.04
15.80
14.83
14.85
12.95
12.96
11.90
11.90

18.89

19.27

19.66

18.89
18.89
17.27

19.27
19.27
17.62

19.66
19.66
17.97

16.62
14.91
14.13
12.16
12.16
9.59

16.95
15.21
14.41
12.40
12.40
9.78

17.29
15.51
14.70
12.65
12.65
9.98

DECK DEPARTMENT
Boatswain (on vessels
constructed since 1970)
Boatswain (25,500 D.W.T.
or over)
Boatswain (under 25,500 D.W.T.)
A.B. Deck Maintenance
Able Seaman
Green
Blue
O.S. Deck Maintenance
Ordinary Seaman
ENGINE DEPARTMENT

Rating
Chief Electrician (SL18s, D6s
D7s, Lash)
Q.M.E.D./Electrician D-9
Chief Electrician
Crane Mtce. Electrician
Electrician Reefer Mtce.
Second Electrician
Engine Maintenance
Engine Utility Reefer Mtce.
Refrigeration Engineer
(when one is carried)
Refrigeration Engineer
(when three are carried)
Chief
First Assistant
Second Assistant
Q.M.E.D.*
Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Class 4
Plumber Machinist
Unlicensed Jr. Engr. (Day)
Unlicensed Jr. Engr. (Watch)
Deck Engineer
Engine Utility
Evaporator Maintenance
Oiler
Oiler (Diesel)
Watertender
Fireman/Watertender
Fireman
Wiper
Ship's Welder Mtce.
Oiler Mtce. Utility
General Utility Deck/Engine

$2,237.43

$2,282.18

$2,327.82

2,237.43
2,176.01
2,176.01
2,176.01
2,034.17
2,034.17
2,034.17
2,034.17

2,282.18
2,219.53
2,219.53
2,219.53
2,074.85
2,074.85
2,074.85
2,074.85

2,327.82
2,263.92
2,263.92
2,263.92
2,116.35
2,116.35
2,116.35
2,116.35

2,086.47
1,854.08
1,729.61

2,128.20
1,891.16
1,764.21

2,170.76
1,928.99
1,799.48

2,091.30
1,920.53
1,749.76
1,579.00
1,865.21
1,779.74
1,602.50
1,725.88
1,625.50
1,490.94
1,408.23
1,515.45
1,408.23
1,408.23
1,408.23
1,308.12
1,746.98
1,625.50
1,308.12

2,133.13
1,958.94
1,784.76
1,610.58
1,902.51
1,815.33
1,634.55
1,760.40
1,658.01
1,520.76
1,436.39
1,545.76
1,436.39
1,436.39
1,436.39
1,334.28
1,781.92
1,658.01
1,334.28

2,175.79
1,998.12
1,820.46
1,642.79
1,940.56
1,851.64
1,667.24
1,795.61
1,691.17
1,551.18
1,465.12
1,576.68
1,465.12
1,465.12
1,465.12
1,360.97
1,817.56
1,691.17
1,360.97

*Effective January 1, 1985, all QMEDs shall be reclassified subject to verification of
having satisfactorily completed the following specified Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School
of Seamanship specialty courses.
QMED
QMED
QMED
QMED

(a) PREMIUM RATES

Class
Class
Class
Class

Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
Diesel Engine Technology
Hydraulics
Hagglund Crane Maintenance
Refrigerated Container
Advancement Maintenance

On all vessels carrying a Q.M.E.D./Electrician, he shall be paid in accordance with his
Q.M.E.D. classification or at Chief Electrician rates, whichever is higher.
ARTICLE V, Section 1, Wages shall be changed to read as follows:
Section 1. Wages. The monthly rate of pay for the Unlicensed Personnel in the Steward
Department, when the respective ratings are carried, shall be as follows:
Monthly
Rate
7/1/87

Monthly
Rate
7/1/88

Monthly
Rate
7/1/89

$2,091.30

$2,133.13

$2,175.79

2,091.30
2,091.30
1,849.68
1,644.06
1,602.49
1,408.23
1,389.20
1,389.20
1,092.20

2,133.13
2,133.13
1,886.67
1,676.94
1,634.54
1,436.39
1,416.98
1,416.98
1,114.04

2,175.79
2,175.79
1,924.41
1,710.48
1,667.23
1,465.12
1,445.32
1,445.32
1,136.32

Rating
Chief Steward (SL18s, D6s, D7s
D9s, Lash)
Steward/Cook
Steward/Baker
Chief Steward
Chief Cook
Cook &amp; Baker
Second Cook
Third Cook
Assistant Cook
Steward Assistant

A KER AG E
1. Article II, Section 21 shall be changed to read as follows:
Section 21. premium rates, overtime rates and penalty rates

'E T

Chief Steward (on vessels
constructed since 1970)
Steward/Cook
Steward/Baker
Chief Steward (25,500 D.W.T.
(or over)
Chief Steward (under 25,500 D.W.T.)
Chief Cook
Cook &amp; Baker
Third Cook
Assistant Cook
Steward Assistant

Except as otherwise provided, the Premium Rates set forth above shall be paid for all
work performed on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. When specific rates are provided
in this Agreement for work done on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, those rates shall
not be less than the Premium Rate in effect.
It is further agreed that the Company shall offer to all Deck and Engine Unlicensed
Personnel possessing a Group I rating, a minimum of eight (8) hours every Saturday,
Sunday and holiday whether at sea or in port.

Effective
7/1/87

Effective
7/1/88

Effective
7/1/89

$10.31

$10.52

$10.73

10.31

10.52

10.73

10.31
7.91

10.52
8.07

10.73
8.23

7.91
7.91
6.26
6.26

8~07

8.07
6.39
6.39

8.23
8.23
6.52
6.52

10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
10.31
7.91
7.91
7.91
6.26
6.26

10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
10.52
8.07
8.07
8.07
6.39
6.39

10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
10.73
8.23
8.23
8.23
6.52
6.52

10.31

10.52

10.73

10.31
10.31
10.31

10.52
10.52
10.52

10.73
10.73
10.73

DECK DEPARTMENT

SHLSS SPECIALTY COURSES
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

(b) OVERTIME RATES

1-QMED with six or more SHLSS specialty courses.
2-QMED with four or five SHLSS specialty courses.
3-QMED with two or three SHLSS specialty courses.
4

1. Automation
2. Marine Electrical Maintenance
3. Refrigeration Systems
Maintenance &amp; Operation
4. Welding
5. Marine Electronics

Q.M.E.D.
Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Class 4
Q.M.E.D./Pumpman
Chief Pumpman
Second Pumpman/Engine Mtce.
Ship's Welder Maintenance
Engine Utility
Oiler Maintenance Utility
Oiler
Fireman/Watertender
General Utility Deck/Engine
Wiper

Boatswain (on vessels
constructed since 1970)
Boatswain (25,500 D.W.T.
or over)
Boatswain (under 25,500 D.W.T.)
A.B. Deck Maintenance
Able Seaman
Green
Blue
O.S. Deck Maintenance
Ordinary Seaman
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
Q.M.E.D.
Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Class 4
Q.M.E.D./Pumpman
Chief Pumpman
Second Pumpman/Engine Mtce.
Ship's Welder Maintenance
Engine Utility
Oiler Maintenance Utility
Oiler
Fireman/Watertender
General Utility Deck/Engine
Wiper
STEWARD DEPARTMENT
Chief Steward (on vessels
constructed since 1970)
Steward/Cook
Steward/Baker
Chief Steward (25,500 D.W.T.
or over)

(Continued on Page 14.)
June 1987 I LOG I 13

�(Continued from Page 13.)
Chief Steward (under 25,500 D.W.T.)
Chief Cook
Cook &amp; Baker
Third Cook
Assistant Cook
Steward Assistant

10.31
10.31
10.31
7.91
7.91
6.26

10.52
10.52
10.52
8.07
8.07
6.39

10.73
10.73
10.73
8.23
8.23
6.52

Except as otherwise provided the rates set forth above shall be paid for all work in
excess of eight (8) hours, Monday through Friday.

3. Refrigeration Systems
Maintenance &amp; Operation
4. Welding
5. Marine Electronics

On all vessels carrying a Q.M.E.D./Pumpman, he shall be paid in accordance with his
Q.M.E.D. classification in effect or at the rate applicable to the Chief Pumpman, whichever
is higher.
ARTICLE V, Section 1, Wages shall be changed to read as follows:
Section 1. Wages. The monthly rate of pay for the Unlicensed Personnel in the Steward
Department, when the respective ratings are carried, shall be as follows:

(c) PENALTY RATES
(c) 1.
ON WATCH, Monday through Friday

$ 6.44
4.95
3.91

(c) 2.
OFF WATCH, Monday through Friday

-

Group 1
Group 2
Group 3

Effective
7/1/87

Effective
7/1/88

Effective
7/1/89

$11.49
9.22
8.20

$11.72
9.40
8.36

$11.95
9.59
8.53

(c) 3.
ON WATCH, Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays

Group 1 (on vessels
constructed since 1970)
Group 1
(25,500 D.W.T. and over)
Group 1
(under 25,500 D. W. T .)
Group 2
Group 3

Effective
7/1/87

Effective
7/1/88

Effective
7/1/89

$18.89

$19.27

$19.65

18.18

18.54

18.91

16.55

16.88

17.22

12.51
9.92

12.76
10.12

13.02
10.32

Except as otherwise provided, the rates specified above shall be paid for such work as
is specified in the Agreement (January 1, 1985-June 15, 1987).
ARTICLE III, Section 1, Wages shall be changed to read as follows:
Section 1. Wages. The monthly rate of pay for the Unlicensed Personnel in the Deck
Department, when the respective ratings are carried, shall be as follows:
Monthly
Rate
7/1/87

Monthly
Rate
7/1/88

Monthly
Rate
7/1/89

Rating

-

Boatswain (on vessels
constructed since 1970)
Boatswain (25,500 D.W.T.
or over)
Boatswain (under 25,500 D.W.T.)
A.B. Deck Maintenance
Able Seaman
Green
Blue
O.S. Deck Maintenance
Ordinary Seaman

$2,219.53

$2,263.92

2,176.01
2,176.01
1,980.37

2,219.53
2,219.53
2,019.98

2,263.92
2,263.92
2,060.38

1,906.44
1,711.26
1,670.88
1,482.08
1,482.08
1,092.19

1,944.57
1,745.49
1,704.30
1,511.72
1,511.72
1,114.03

1,983.46
1,780.40
1,738.39
1,541.95
1,541.95
1,136.31

FREIGHTSHIP AND TANKER
COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT
The cost of living adjustment due on January 1, 1987 under the Agreement is hereby
waived.
Based on the percentage increase between the April 1986 index and the April 1987
index of the Consumers Price Index-United States City Average for Urban Wage Earners
and Clerical Workers or its agreed upon successor-published by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor (1967= 100), effective July 1, 1987, a cost of
living adjustment equal to .6667 percent of such amount of such percentage increase, plus
any unpaid fraction carried over from the cost of living adjustment, effective January 1,
1986 shall be added to the base wage, premium overtime, (Saturdays, Sundays and
Holidays) and Overtime (excess of eight [8] hours, Monday through Friday) specified in
Article II, Section 21, Sub-sections (a) and (b) and the off watch Monday through Friday
penalty rate as specified in Article II, 21(c).
Increases shall be paid on the basis of each full percent increase with any unpaid
fraction carried over to the next period or periods and used in computing the percentage
increase for such later period or periods.
Further cost of living adjustments shall be granted under the same formula at yearly
intervals, based on the Consumer Price Index increases, if any, between the April 1987
index and the April 1988 index, to be effective July 1, 1988 and between the April 1988
index and the April 1989 index, to be effective July I, 1989.
In the event the Extended Contract is further extended pursuant to Section 1 herein,
yearly cost of living adjustments shall be granted under the same formula.

2,011.96

2,052.20

It is understood and agreed that the foregoing adjustments shall not be effective unless
and to the extent that increases in the Consumer Price Index exceed ten percent (10 % )
calculated on a cumulative year to year basis.

1,898.55
1,618.97

1,936.52
1,651.35

1,975.25
1,684.38

The cost of living adjustments provided herein shall not be included in the base wage
for the purpose of computing pension benefits.
Dated: May 27, 1987

1,424.80
1,325.40
1,308.20
1,129.81

1,453.30
1,351.91
1,334.36
1,152.41

1,482.37
1,378.95
1,361.05
1,175.46

Monthly
Rate
7/1/87

Monthly
Rate
7/1/88

Monthly
Rate
7/1/89

$2,176.01
1,988.19
1,800.40
1,612.60
2;176.01
1,990.56
1,990.56
1,762.21
1,602.73
1,642.06
1,424.80
1,424.80
1,308.20
1,308.20

$2,219.53
2,027.95
1,836.41
1,644.85
2,219.53
2,030.37
2,030.37
1,797.45
1,634.78
1,674.90
1,453.30
1,453.30
1,334.36
1,334.36

$2,263.92
2,068.51
1,873.14
1,677.75
2,263.92
2,070.98
2,070.98
1,833.40
1,667.48
1,708.40
1,482.37
1,482.37
1,361.05
1,361.05

1-QMED with six or more SHLSS specialty courses.
2-QMED with four or five SHLSS specialty courses.
3-QMED with two or three SHLSS specialty courses.
4

SHLSS SPECIALTY COURSES
14 I LOG I June 1987

$2,176.01

1,972.51

*Effective January 1, 1985, all QMEDs shall be reclassified subject to verification of
having satisfactorily completed the following specified Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School
of Seamanship specialty courses.

1. Automation
2. Marine Electrical Maintenance

Chief Steward (on vessels
constructed since 1970)
Steward/Cook
Steward/Baker
Chief Steward (25,500 D.W.T.
or over)
Chief Steward (under 25,500 D.W.T.)
Chief Cook
Cook &amp; Baker
Third Cook
Assistant Cook
Steward Assistant

$2,263.92

Rating

Class
Class
Class
Class

Monthly
Rate
7/1/89

$2,219.53

SECTION 1. Wages. The monthly rate of pay for the Unlicensed Personnel in the
Engine Department, when the respective ratings are carried, shall be as follows:

QMED
QMED
QMED
QMED

Monthly
Rate
7/1/88

$2,176.01

ARTICLE IV, Section 1, Wages shall be changed to read as follows:

Q.M.E.D.*
Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Class 4
Q.M.E.D.!Pumpman
Chief Pumpman
Second Pumpman/Engine Mtce.
Ship's Welder Maintenance
Engine Utility
Oiler Maintenance Utility
Oiler
Fireoian/Watertender
General Utility Deck/Engine
Wiper

Monthly
Rate
7/1/87
Rating

Effective
7/1/87
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3

8. Hydraulics
9. Hagglund Crane Maintenance
10. Refrigerated Container
Advancement Maintenance

6. Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
7. Diesel Engine Technology

New Contract Protects Security
(Continued from Page 3.)

engine department and the unlicensed engine department crewmembers shall perform all contractual duties including general
maintenance and repair under the
supervision of a licensed engineer.
12. On those vessels with a three-man
steward department, the Union
and the company by mutual agreement may utilize the ''three-man
guide.''

13. Longshoremen holidays on tankers will be deleted from the Agreement. No other maritime union
has this provision.
14. On tankers, there will be no penalty pay for handling the portable
tank programs. No other union
has this provision.
15. Except as previously specified,
the effective date of the Agreement is June 16, 1987 and terminates on June 15, 1990.

New Pensioners
The following SIU members have retired
on pension:
DEEP SEA
Brooklyn
Lera Terry
Gloucester
James J. Moran
Houston
Lawrence T. Mays
Jesse D. Parrish
Sidney Sokolic
Jacksonville
Norman G. Ebanks
Mobile
Dan Frazier Jr.
New Orleans
Aaron C. Fields
Earl J. Price
Clayton Thompson

Norfolk
Jim L. Spencer
St. Louis
John C. Sandstrom
San Francisco
Egon D. Christiansen
John F. Thommen
Milton C. Thrash
Santurce
Jose M. Castell
Seattle

Hubert Archibald
Charles L. Gard
Dennis J. Manning

GREAT LAKES
Algonac
John E. Malloy

�West Coast
by V. P. George McCartney

S

AN FRANCISCO threw a big party
last month to commemorate the
50th anniversary of the Golden Gate
Bridge.
By coincidence, last month also
marked the 50th anniversary of the
founding of the National Maritime
Union. I'd like to congratulate the
officials and members of that union.
Despite the long rivalry that has existed between the SIU and the NMU,
the history and fortunes of the two
organizations have long been intertwined.
People unfamiliar with the history
of the labor movement or the maritime
industry often ask me why there are
so many different unlicensed unions.
In part, they reflect the haphazard
development of both the maritime industry and the labor movement.
The SUP, which celebrated its lOOth
anniversary in 1985, is the oldest serviving maritime union. It and the
MFOW date their existence back to a
time when most unions were split
along craft lines. Deckhands had their
own union; engineers and cooks had
their own separate unions as well.
A split developed in the labor movement in the early '30s between "craft"
and "industrial" unions. Industrial
trade unionists believed in organizing
workers along industry-wide lines (i.e.,
maritime, steel, auto). While craft
unions were not adverse to organizing
new workers, they felt it was more
important to maintain existing ties with
the members that they had. They also
believed that ties between a union and
its membership would be stronger if
they all belonged to one job classification.
Older unions like the SUP were
more likely to be affiliated with the
American Federation of Labor, which,
like the SUP, was chartered in 1885.
New unions like the NMU tended to
affiliate with the Congress oflndustrial
Organizations-an industrial organization that broke away from the AFL
in the early '30s.
Our Union, the Atlantic and Gulf
District of the SIU, was formed in
1938 by Harry Lundeberg, the secretary-treasurer of the SUP. From the
start, it was intended to incorporate
the principles of both craft and industrial trade unionism. One of the primary reasons for its birth was the
intense rivalry between the AFL and
the CIO.
Though the SIU-AGLIWD was an
AFL union, it organized seamen along
industry-wide lines, much like the
NMU. Internal divisions that plagued
the NMU during the '40s (which were
described in the 50th anniversary issue
of the NMU Pilot) gave our new organization breathing space. The vision
of the SIU's early leaders-Paul Hall,
Al Kerr, Paul Drozak, Cal Tanner,

Sonny Simmons-did the rest, as did
the loyal support of this membership.
Despite their ideological differences, the leaders of the NMU and
the SIU-AGLIWD wanted (and still
want) the same thing-a better life for
all seamen. And indeed, no history of
the maritime industry is complete
without mentioning both Paul Hall and
Joe Curran. Both were towering figures. They just had different approaches, and so did their organizations.
Sadly, the SIU and NMU still do,
though in time we might be able to
bridge these differences. Merger talks
between us broke down earlier this
year over the proposed structure of
the new organization. The NMU
wanted the SIU-AGLIWD to pull away
from its affiliates in the international.
They said unlicensed seamen should
be separate, independent.
We could not buy this (neither, apparently, could the NMU: they've entered into merger talks with D 1MEBA). Because in one important
respect we believe that Joe Curran,
the founder of the NMU, was right.
It is no longer possible in this day
and age for one group of workers to
act independently of others. The international structure of the SIU gives
us a way of reaching out to different
groups of workers in order to build
coalitions that will enhance the power
of us all.
We've never lost sight of our original mandate to improve the lives of
seamen. Everything that the SIU has
been able to achieve on behalf of its
membership has been due to our ability to reach outside of our own sma
world. That is even more important
today as the maritime industry continues to shrink, and the different modes

Government Service
Division
by V. P. Buck Mercer

P

ERIODICALLY, you can depend
on me to discuss the subject of
behavior aboard ship and ashore, particularly in foreign ports. My reasoning is simple. Periodically, disciplinary
actions are taken against members at
a much faster rate than at other times.
It is as if this subject has never been
discussed or that the membership and
other marine employees have not taken
heed to what has been talked about.
The old saying that "Trouble is easy
to get into, but hard to get out of' is
as true today as it ever was. And any
MSCPAC marine employee who has
ever been up on a disciplinary can
attest to that fact. It is no secret that
disciplinary penalties for marine employees are far more severe than pen-

alties for shoreside federal Civil Service employees. Why this is, I don't
know? Perhaps because life aboard
ship is such a close-knit society. CMPI
750, which deals with Disciplinary Actions and Penalties, is written especially for MSC marine employees. Each
ship's purser or department head has
a copy. However, if each marine employee reads or studies the ''Ship's
Orders," which are posted on the
bulletin board of each ship, and abides
by them, as well as follows the orders
of his/her department head or supervisor, and if every mariner would treat
their shipmates as they wish to be
treated, there would be no reason for
disciplinary actions. THINK ABOUT
IT.

nating to SPAD.
Take Jacksonville, for example.
Shipping there is good right now. But
it would be far better if Congress
passed H.R. 1364, the Auto Carrier
Bill. This would ensure that Americanftag shipping companies had a fair shot
at cracking the Japanese auto carrier
trade. Last year alone, more than
600,000 autos were shipped into the
port of Jacksonville. If we had a fair
share of that trade, then we'd be crewing up more than just the Bayamon.

_____ :g£;;.

...._.

East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

T

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

W

E are presently getting ready
to host a symposium on alcohol
and drug abuse at our Houston hall.
Civic leaders from government, business and labor will be attending, as
well as a number of academicians and
medical experts. Members who have
gone through the ARC will share their
insights and experiences.
We believe that if the SIU maintains
a highly visible presence on a grassroots level, then we will be in a better
position to spread our main message,
which is that steps need to be taken
to revive the American-flag merchant
marine.
As head of one of the SIU's constitutionally defined regions, I am aware
of just how important it is for the SIU
to be active on all levels of government. The ties that the SIU makes on
a grassroots level often have important
consequences.
In Houston, for example, we are
close friends of Attorney General Jim
Mattox, who is quite aware of the
important role that the American-flag
merchant marine plays in the defense
of this country. Unlike other politicians who wave the American flag for
their own political ends, people like
Jim Mattox understand that the only
way for the United States to remain
strong is by charting a true course and
staying on it.
This grassroots activity has not interfered with our other tasks. Our
union representatives continue to
service all boats and vessels. In Jacksonville, for example, we helped crew
up the Bayamon.
I believe servicing the membership
involves more than just making the
boats or standing at the counter. We
would not be doing our jobs properly
if we did not try to educate our membership about the importance of do-

HERE were a number of impressive Maritime Day celebrations
up and down the East Coast. At New
York's South Street Seaport, for example, there was a 21-gun salute given
to the brave men and women who died
at sea while protecting this nation.
Delivering the invocation, Rev.
Donald W. Kimmick of the Seamen's
Church Institute had these words to
say:
"Let us come before the Lord with
Thanksgiving for the sea ... (sustain
seamen) in loneliness and boredom
and anxiety about loved ones at home.
In time of unemployment, trouble and
despair, in sickness and pain and at
hour of death."
All in all, it was a moving ceremony.
And of course, the United States government was quick to issue a press
release commemorating the contributions that seamen have made to the
defense of this country.
Yet as columnist Mark Magnier wrote
in The Journal of Commerce, "Some
observers were quick to note the irony
of last week's Maritime Day celebrations. Several hundred yards from the
day's ceremonies-which included
speeches, wreath laying, a 21-gun salute and a musical contest between
tugboat horns and steam whistles at
the South Street Seaport-stood the
giant, gray, idled hulk ofa U.S. Lines
Econoship, a sad symbol of [today's
hard-pressed] U.S. maritime industry.
Indeed, just two weeks before in a
movingly worded press release the
Reagan administration once again
turned down a request to grant World
War II seamen veteran's status.
The truth of the matter is that the
Reagan administration doesn't really
care about seamen or the contributions
they have made to the defense of this
country. It has been up to individuals
to pick up the void left by the administration's indifference.
Rev. Kimmick, for example, has
started an informal project to catalogue the grassroots services available
to older seamen throughout the New
York metropolitan area. The decline
of the maritime industry and the lack
of a humane national policy have left
a void that Kimmick and other com(Continued on Page 22.)

June 1987ILOGI15

-

�Profile: Kawishiwi's 3rd Mate

A

NDY Kovacs, the amiable third
mate on the Kawishiwi, is a man
who has faced obstacles most of his
life and managed to overcome them.
How else do you explain his dream of
becoming a merchant seaman in a
country without an ocean, or surviving
in an English-speaking country without knowing the language, or gradu..._ ating from a maritime academy when
other institutions told him he was too
old? For Kovacs, life has been a long
lesson in humility.
Born and raised in Hungary, Kovacs, after graduating from a mechanical engineering school, decided to
seek a life of adventure on the waters
of the Danube River where he took a
job as third engineer aboard a river
boat. The Danube River, considered
the most important water route in
central and western Europe, flows all
the way to the Black Sea. With his
first taste of the sea, Kovacs decided
he wanted more.
He left Hungary in 1972 and lived
briefly in Austria and Italy before coming to the United States where he
arrived not knowing a word of English.
''I remember when the immigration
officials told me to raise my hand and
to sign papers. I didn't have the slightest idea what they were saying,"
chuckled Kovacs, recalling the ordeal
in New York when he first landed in
this country. "It was weird. I didn't
_. know what I was supposed to say or
sign.''
. He worked for a few months in a
machine shop on Long Island, then
traveled west to California and Nevada where he took a janitorial job at
a Lake Tahoe casino. Confident of his
increasing use of English, he settled
in San Diego and decided to enroll in
college to pursue an American engineering degree. But when he enrolled
at San Diego State University, campus
officials told him he would have to
begin as a freshman, despite his Hungarian education.
''I had lots of courses which were
mostly lectures," he recalled. "I didn't
understand most of them because my
English was still limited."
At the same time he was attending
college, he had heard that only American citizens could work for the U.S.
merchant marine. ''I later learned this
was not true," said Kovacs. "Ilearned
you could easily join the merchant
marine with a green card.'' But reflecting on events at the time, Kovacs said
it was better that he didn't know the
1
truth. He soon took out papers to
become a U.S. citizen and after he
was naturalized, Kovacs headed for
the Texas Maritime Academy at Galveston. At 29, Kovacs learned that
this maritime institution was the only
one in the U.S. that didn't have an
age requirement for prospective ap16 I LOG I June 1987

-

plicants. He graduated three years
later as a licensed deck officer.
"I didn't want to go back down into
the engine room," said Kovacs, explaining his decision to work topside
instead of below deck. ''My first ship
in Hungary was a steamer built in
1867. With her paddle wheel, she was
the fastest vessel on the Danube. But
it was also hot and miserable in the
engine room. After that experience, I
wanted the fresh air.''
Kovacs spoke to MSC recruiters
when they visited the academy in 1982.
''I wanted to work for the [Military
Sealift] Command because I knew it
was the best equipped outfit in the
U.S. merchant marine," he said. But
with a hiring freeze imposed on the
Command, Kovacs looked elsewhere
for employment. He worked as a navigator aboard a seismic ship out of
Texas, then returned to California
where he was hired as an engineer and
deckhand on a commercial tug. He
finally got a chance to work for MSC
in 1984 when he took an ABM job
aboard the USNS Neptune.
"I considered myself very lucky
because it was a real nice ship with a
great crew," said Kovacs. "I immediately noticed a sense of camaraderie
and teamwork among the Neptune
crew that I hadn't observed before in
previous commercial jobs."
From Neptune, Kovacs headed for
the Wes tern Pacific and a tour on
USNS Ponchatoula before his assignment aboard Kawishiwi. "I really love
the fleet oilers," said Kovacs. "These
ships don't sit in port. They're out at
sea doing something very valuable for
the fleet. And the crews are very
professional. They're confident and
get the job done.''
An enthusiastic outdoorsman who
hikes frequently in the mountains of
California, Kovacs will be walking
down the aisle this month when he
marries a Bay Area woman. He expects to continue his sailing career
with MSC.
"Even if the commercial shipping
industry improved, I'd still stay with
Military Sealift Command,'' says Kovacs. "I really consider myself very
lucky to be working for MSC."

New Fleet Oiler Added
The USNS Andrew J. Higgins (TAO 190), a fleet oiler of new construction built at Avondale Shipyard in New
Orleans, La., will be fully crewed by
MSCPAC by the end of September
1978.
The fully automated ship will lift a
crew of 20 officers, 20 CPOs and 56
men from MSCPAC. The military department will consist of 1 officer and
20 enlisted personnel for a total compliment of 117.
The Higgins, designed and built with
the "Quality of Shipboard Life" in
mind, can boast that all crew accommodations were built to commercial
standards with single outboard staterooms for all hands. There are even
some spare crew rooms in the event

the crew is enlarged. There are private
head and shower facilities for all CPOs
and one semi-private head and shower
adjoining each two staterooms for the
nonofficer crew.
Other amenities include three
lounges: officers, CPOs, and crew; a
gymnasium; library; hobby shop, and
a closed circuit TV system.
The master, some of the engineering
officers, chief electrician and electronics technician will be required to
undergo several weeks of training,
after which the full crew will go through
a familiarization onboard phase.
The Marine Placement &amp; Receiving
Section at MSCPAC will have an easy
time crewing this ship, mainly because
of the much improved conditions.

State Senator Supports Workers
Quinten L. Kopp, a former San Francisco city councilman and recently
elected to the California state senate, has taken a positive position in favor of
retaining the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a state
agency that the governor had proposed to eliminate. The following letter
outlines Senator Kopps' position.
Dear Mr. Mercer:
In recent weeks, I have heard from and met with many labor union
members, representatives, and other interested citizens about the
governor's proposal to eliminate the California Occupational Safety and
Health Administration. AB a result, I wanted to take this opportunity
to let you know directly my conclusion on one of the most significant
issues to face California workers in many years.
In short, I oppose the proposal.
I conclude that elimnination of Cal/OSHA would do a disservice to
the health and safety of California workers, and would result in the
diminution of inspection, maintenance, and correction measures which
now prevail with respect to California employers and which are
studiously, effectively administered. Moreover, the advocacy of many
California employers and management organizations on behalf of Cal/
OSHA is evidence of not only the concern over the effect on the safety
of their employees, but also their insurance costs. It would be a
mistake for all concerned parties to eliminate Cal/OSHA. Accordingly, I
voted "aye" on Thursday, May 28, 1987 on the state budget adopted by
the Senate which contains the needed money for Cal/OSHA.
In closing, let me say I have welcomed your thoughts and comments
on Cal/OSHA and invite you to contact me at any time on any other
issues of interest or concern to you.
Sincerely yours,
. Quentin L. Kopp

�MSC Hospital Ship on Humanitarian Mission
Story and Photos by
PHC Chet King, USN
The largest trauma facility and ninth
largest hospital in the United States is
as long as three football fields and
floats.
Manned by a Military Sealift Command crew of 83 and commanded by
Capt. Richard B. Hosey, the 1,000bed hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH
19) is the newest MSC Special Mission
ship and is currently on a five-month
training and humanitarian cruise to the
Republic of the Philippines and other
South Pacific island-nations. Onboard
is a tri-service U.S. military, Filipino
and U.S. Public Health Service medical and support staff of over 600.
The 894-foot long former crude oil
tanker was converted by the National
Steel and Shipbuilding Company in
San Diego into the country's first hospital ship since the Vietnam War. It
was designed to provide mobile, flexible rapid response medical and surgical care for U.S. forces during hostilities.
"What we have here is a 1,000-bed
hospital with a bow, stem and engine
room attached. It is unlike any MSC
ship currently afloat. It was built to
handle passengers comfortably,'' said
Hosey.
A ramp system was installed from
the helicopter deck to the casualty
receiving area four decks below. Nine
elevators also handle cargo and casualties. Passageways are called hallways, wide stairwells replaced ladders
and above the waterline special fire
doors were installed. False ceilings
required a special fire alarm system.
"For a ship of this size it handles
and rides well,'' said Hosey, MSC' s
senior master. "I'm very glad to be
on this mission. The entire crew, MSC
and military alike, worked around the
clock for a week to make sure we met
our sailing schedule.''

"To be sure we have had some
problems, but that's what a shakedown cruise is all about,'' said First
Officer Lawrence D. Carley. Wearing
a pair of black running shoes that may
be worn out by the end of the cruise,
Carley dares anyone to keep up with
him as he dashes around the ship in
an effort to stay on top of things. ''I
hate staying in my office," he says.
Carley's deck personnel are responsible for the general maintenance of
the ship, fire fighting, damage control
and overall passenger safety. An MSC
crewman is in charge of each of the
ten lifeboats.
Chief Engineer Dennis W. Legget
has been with MSC for 18 years. "As
a tanker the ship would carry seven
engineers. Because of the auxiliary
machinery spaces and service areas
added to support the medical facility
I'm now carrying 27 engineers," he
said.
The Mercy has three 2200KW diesel
generators, two evaporators capable
of making 75 ,000 gallons of fresh water
daily and two 800-ton air-conditioning
units. A new 26-foot diameter skewered prop was put on to reduce vibration.
''Our biggest problem is with the
ship's ballasting system which causes
the ship to list up to two degrees,"
Bennet said. "We need to look at
installing a system of partitions, closing off the double bottoms and putting
in some valves in the current U-shaped
ballast tanks."
Communications on an 894-foot ship
can be a problem also. On the Mercy,
all MSC officers and watchstanders
carry two-way radios.
Able Seaman Jesse Hester is a 21year MSC veteran. "I'm a watchstander at the gangway. Security is tight
and all visitors must sign in and out,"
he said. "Traffic tends to get backed
up, but everyone has accepted it."
The Mercy carries the largest galley
afloat and can seat up to 500 people.
It is run cafeteria style, unlike the

Aaron Bland, junior engineer, and Jeffrey Kelley, third assistant engineer, at the main
engine room console aboard the USNS Mercy.

~~,.--

.. :·;:.;.·.-·· ···

-

AB Jessie Hester carries a young Filipino patient up the Mercy's accommodation
ladder in Legazpi, R.P.

galleys on other MSC ships where the
crew sits in more comfortable surroundings.
''That has taken some getting used
to," said Hester. "That and the sparse,
crowded berthing areas.''
Built to get underway within five
days for combat or disaster relief mission, the Mercy's MSC crew will be

reduced to 17 upon arrival in Oakland
in July.
"We're doing a hell of a mission
over here in the Philippines. The people really appreciate our efforts,'' said
Hosey. "If I don't retire first I would hope to take the ship out on another
humanitarian mission in the near future.''

It takes a lot of work to keep the 894-foot-long hospital ship's white decks clean.

June 1987 I LOG I 17

�Deep Sea
Pensioner Frank Bosmentes died
April 27. Born in the Philippines,
Brother Bosmentes joined the SIU in
1942 in the port of Tampa, Fla. He
sailed in the steward department. Bosmentes was active in the 1946 General
Strike and the 1947 Isthmian beef. He
went on pension in 1971. Seafarer
Bosmentes is survived by his wife,
Romana.
Jorge A. Calix, 36,
died April 11 following an automobile
accident in Piney
Point, Md. He had
been attending upgrading classes at
SHLSS at the time.
Brother Calix joined
the SIU in 1968 in the port of New
Orleans and sailed in the engine and
steward departments, most recently
aboard a Sea-Land vessel. Born in
Honduras, Seafarer Calix was buried
at Restlawn Cemetery in Jefferson
Parish, La. He is survived by his
father, Juan, of New Orleans.
Pensioner Berry
Crain Jr., 59, died
of cardiac failure
April 18. Brother
Crain joined the
SIU-merged Marine
Cooks &amp; Stewards
Union in the port of
San Francisco. He

sailed in the steward department, most
recently aboard a Matson Line vessel.
Seafarer Crain went on pension Jan.
1, 1979. Born in Arkansas, Crain was
buried at Greenlawn Memorial Cemetery in Colma, Calif. He is survived
by two sisters, Fraxinella Fennell and
Mary Crain, both of Oakland, Calif.

Geiszler, who resided in Brasschaat,
Belgium, was cremated there. He is
survived by his wife, Ann, of Brasschaat.

Pensioner Ignace Decareaux, 83,
succumbed to heart problems on March
27. Brother Decareaux joined the SIU
in 1938 in the port of New Orleans,
LA. He sailed in the deck department
and retired on pension in 1966. Burial
was at St. Vincent dePaul in New
Orleans. Seafarer Decareaux is survived by his wife, Elsie, and by his
granddaughter, Deborah Hoover.

Melvin H. Gatling
succumbed to acute
myocarditis (heart
attack) March 8 while
aboard the SS Sam
(WaterHouston
man) in Thailand. He
was 28 years old.
Brother
Gatling
joined the SIU in 1980 in Piney Point,
Md. and sailed in the steward department. Buried in Portsmouth, Va., Gatling is survived by his mother, Lillie,
of Norfolk, Va.

Pensioner Leon E. Foskey, 74, died
of respiratory problems April 22. Born
in Maryland, Brother Foskey joined
the SIU in 1943 in New York. He
sailed in the deck department and was
active in the General Strike of 1946
and the Isthmian beef of 1947. Cremation took place in Salisbury, Md.
Seafarer Foskey, who went on pension
in 1980, is survived by a brother,
William, of Salisbury, Md.; a sister,
Evirgiline Elliott, and a nephew , R.
Wayne Elliott.

Pensioner Robert E. King died April
22 following a heart attack. He was
64 years old. Brother King joined the
SIU in 1948 in the port of Norfolk,
Va. He sailed in the deck department.
As a new member, King was active in
the General Strike and the Wall St.
beef. He last sailed with Penn Tankers
and went on pension in 1970. Born in
Virginia, Seafarer King was buried at
Rosewood Memorial Park in Virginia
Beach, Va. He is survived by his wife,
Lucille.

Pensioner Rene Geiszler, 66, died of
natural causes Feb. 25. Brother Geiszler joined the SIU in 1948 in New
York. He sailed in the engine department, first with Alcoa Steamship Co.
and most recently with American
Coastal. He retired on pension in 1985.

Pensioner Billy E. Lynn, 62, succumbed to cirrhosis on April 25.
Brother Lynn first sailed in 1953 with
Waterman and last with Interocean
Management Corp. He retired in 1986.
Burial was in Llano Cemetery in
Amarillo, Texas. He is survived by

revou

ail?

0

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.

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:
SIU &amp; 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.

-----------------------------------------------------------PLEASE PRINT
HOME ADDRESS
Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

his mother, E.T. Lynn, of Amarillo
and a son, Steven, of Escondido, Calif.
Henry P. Mccowan, 66, died of
heart problems on
Feb. 2, 1986. Brother
McCowanjoined the
SIU-merged Marine
Cooks &amp; Stewards
Union in 1969 in San
Francisco. He last
sailed with Sea-Land as a chief steward. Burial was at the Greenwood
Cemetery in Renton, Wash. He is
survived by his daughters, Laura
McCowan, of Seattle, Wash. and Maxine Simmons, of Missouri.
Pensioner Jose Senos died Feb. 11
of respiratory disease. He was 66.
Brother Senos joined the SIU in 1967
in Boston, Mass. and retired on pension in 1984. Seafarer Senos is survived by his wife, Judite, and a child,
Anibal.
James 0. Thompson died Feb. 20
of lung cancer.
Thompson, who was
in the process of getting a pension at the
time of his death, first
joined the SIU in
1968 in Seattle,
Wash. He sailed in the deck department, most recently with Puerto Rico
Marine. Brother Thompson was cremated in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. Surviving is his wife, Marilynn.

Great Lakes
Walter Przewozniak, 59, succumbed
to cancer Jan. 26. Brother Przewozniak joined the SIU in 1964 in Detroit.
He sailed in the deck department, most
recently in 1985 with American Steamship Co. Burial took place at Mt. Olive
Cemetery in Detroit. Seafarer Przewozniak is survived by a sister, Stephanie Szvida.

Personals
William Calefato

Social Security No.

Phone No. (
Area Code

Your Full Name

Apt. or Box #

Street

Book Number

O

State

City

SIU

O

UIW

O

Pensioner

ZIP

Other--------

Please get in touch with John G.
Katsos, 800 Jefferson St., #606,
Seattle, Wash. 98104-2405.

Pam Taylor
Please call John Thompson at
(808) 949-3119.

UIW Place of E m p l o y m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Harold Eady
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) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

------------~----------------------------------------------J
18 I LOG I June 1987

Please contact your daughter,
Suzanne, (904) 268-5829.

�Diaes~

of Ships Nee~inas

AMERICAN EAGLE (Pacific Gulf Marine), April 20-Chairman Stanley Krawczynski, Secretary Robert D. Bright. No
disputed OT or beefs. There is $51 in the
ship's fund. Twelve marines sailed aboard
the American Eagle to Norway. The captain
thanked the whole crew for a job well done ·
with this extra group as well as for the
cooperation on the part of the marines.
With only a three-man steward department,
there was a lot of extra work, but everything
worked out well, thanks to the chief steward. A motion was made to have the
retirement age reduced from 65 to 62 with
5,263 days sea time so that members can
start getting social security at the same
time that their retirement comes through.
LNG GEMINI (Energy Transportation
Corp.), April 6-Chairman Ulus Veach,
Secretary Harold Markowitz, Deck Delegate Eugene Brown, Engine Delegate Tyler
Womack, Steward Delegate James Robinson. No beefs or disputed OT. There is
$192 in the ship's fund. The bosun reported
that the ship will go into the yard on April
8 and that the crew would leave that same
morning. The steward department, however, will remain onboard for a couple of
days for additional cleaning and inventory.
The bosun reminded those leaving of some
of the problems that have occurred in the
past and asked everyone to keep that in
mind. The OS feels that wages should be
raised now that they have been put on day
work. A vote of thanks was given to the
steward department. In its report to the
LOG: "On April 6, an abandoned sailboat
was seen and a lifeboat was sent to take
a closer look. No one was onboard the
sailboat which was then towed back to the
ship and lifted onboard. The following day
we received a telegram stating that the
owner had been picked up by a fishing
boat and was recovering in a hospital."
INDEPENDENCE (American Hawaii
Cruises), April 23-Chairman Thomas W.
Lasater, Secretary John Thompson, Deck
Delegate Doug Hodges, Engine Delegate
Paul Titus, Steward Delegate Anne Gomes,
Treasurer Thomas Hoffman. No beefs. The
new OT system is working well in the deck
department. The bosun noted a small turnout for this meeting, especially with such
a large crew. He announced that Tom Fay
is the new Honolulu port agent and asked
that everyone give him their support. He
also asked members to check in with the
Union after payoff for dues check-off. The
bosun noted that a safety meeting was
held two days previously, and that he would
post the minutes from that meeting. The
secretary urged all eligible members to
take advantage of the courses at Piney
Point. He also talked about the continued
pressure on unions in general and the fact
that unions are perhaps more important
than ever. The membership was advised
to keep abreast of what's going on in the
SIU, paying particular attention to the President's Report in the LOG each month.
Next port: Kana, Hawaii.
OMI CHARGER (OMI), April 26Chairman Franz Schwarz, Secretary Jonathan White, Educational Director Wiley L.
Yarber, Deck Delegate R.W. Rogers, Engine Delegate E. Ladimer. Some disputed
OT was reported by the pumpman in the
engine department. There is $16 in the
ship's fund. The vessel is enroute to Tampa,
Fla. from St. Croix, V.I. No one is quite
sure what happens after that since the ship
is on a trip-to-trip charter. It was recommended that all members take advantage
of Piney Point upgrading courses. "It is to
each member's benefit and the best for
the future." The question as to whether
there would be a raise this year was
brought up. A new washing machine is
needed for the crew, and the aft door to
the house entry on the main deck needs
fixing. Members also were reminded to
keep the noise level down in the TV room
(the bosun sleeps next door). A vote of
thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done.

PAUL BUCK (Ocean Ships Inc.), April
19-Chairman R.M. Parish, Secretary Norman Johnson, Educational Director F.C.
Harris, Steward Delegate M.E. Howell.
There is $258 in the ship's fund from arrival
pools and other sales. No disputed OT or
beefs were reported in any of the departments. The bosun is going on vacation,
and members of the deck department wish
him well and look forward to seeing him in
the next bosun recertification class "as he
is a good Union brother, the kind the
TO:

Steward Department
Sea-Land Patriot

FROM:

Master, Sea-Land Patriot

SUBJ:

Letter of Commendation

steward department, particularly for the
cook-out. Next ports: Tacoma, Wash., then
on to Yokohama, Japan.

2nd LT. J.P. BOBO (AMSEA), April
17-Chairman E. Aldorf, Secretary P.
Stubblefield, Educational Director J. Rizzo.
No beefs or disputed OT. The importance
of contributing to SPAD was stressed, as
was the need for upgrading skills. The
secretary noted that it was good to be back
aboard the Bobo and see so many familiar
faces. He said he hopes to make this trip
as pleasant as possible. A reminder was
given that there is to be no smoking on
deck and in the cargo holds. A vote of
thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done, particularly with
the service they provided to the military

On behalf of the officers and the crew, I would like to thank each of you
for your excellent performance during voyages 73 and 74. It was always
a pleasure to eat the meals that you prepared, as the menus were varied
and interesting and often included specialties such as chicken adabo,
ginger beef, home-made soups and excellently prepared vegetables. The
galley, mess rooms, quarters, dishes and utensils were at all times in
excellent sanitary condition.
During your time aboard, you had the task of preparing the meals for
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. I have had none better in
the last 16 years that I have sailed on Sea-Land ships.
This was all done with seemingly little effort, although a great deal of
well planned work was required. This is the hallmark of true
professionals. In short, you have shown that the food can be good with a
3-man steward department.
Again, I thank you and commend you for your fine efforts.
membership needs." In the steward department, Norman Johnson is back from
the steward recertification class. "He has
brought us much information about the
welfare plans and the Military Sealift Command work." The chairman reports that the
Paul Buck will probably be assigned to the
eastern seaboard for a couple months.
Payoff will be in Manville, A.I., and he
urged all members to support SPAD. "We
need all the clout we can get in Washington,
D.C.-and as with most things-it takes
money." The secretary noted that it has
come to his attention that some dispatchers
are discouraging members from taking certain jobs. As President Drozak stated in
the monthly meeting, the Navy jobs are
the only game in town-so there should
be some positive attitudes in the hall about
these jobs! The educational director urged
the B men to take the sealift course at
Piney Point and other upgrading courses
as well. The steward has forms for all
classes. "Do it today," he stressed. Confusion apparently exists as to the forming
of the SMU. Some brothers believe this is
a plan to undercut the SIU contracts. "We
have a lack of communication in this area
with the membership, and there are some
hard feelings on this point. We feel there
should be some material sent to the ships
on this matter so we, the membership, can
have a better understanding of the situation." A motion was made-that with the
reduced deck department-the AB on the
wheel should be allowed to sit down on
watch when the vessel is not under pilotage. A new microwave will be installed
shortly as will "smoke-eaters". This will
make life more pleasant, especially for the
non-smoking members. A new popcorn
machine also is expected soon. Next ports:
Norfolk; Va. and Houston, Texas.

SEA-LAND FREEDOM (Sea-Land
Service), April 11-Chairman L.W. Watson, Secretary L. Lamphere, Educational
Director L. Morin, Deck Delegate D. Brown,
Engine Delegate R.H. Surrick, Steward
Delegate S.Y. Kassem. Some disputed OT
is still outstanding in the steward department, and this trip the engine department
reported some disputed OT between the
SIU and the engineers. No money is left
in the ship's fund after purchasing a new
VCR in Tacoma, Wash. The chairman
checked with the port agent concerning
clinic cards. They are good from the time
you sign on until you sign off six months
later. A vote of thanks was given to the

during the last operation. A vote of thanks
also went to the deck department. One
minute of silence was stood in memory of
our departed brothers and sisters as well
as for the steward's father who recently
passed away.

USNS LYNCH (T-AGOR-7), April 2(}Chairman Daniel Eckert, Secretary Reynaldo Z. Vanta, Deck Delegate Luis A.
Malave, Engine Delegate Christopher Doyle,
Steward Delegate Willie Green. No disputed OT reported. There is no ship's fund
at the present time, but this will be taken
up at the next meeting. The Lynch still is
receiving very poor TV reception, and the
VCR in the crew mess is in need of repair
as is the stereo. While docked in Gulfport,
Miss., the TV was looked at, but there
seems to be no improvement. There are
also problems with the OT sheets, both
with the proper procedures for approving

them and with receiving them back on
time. This has led to some members being
overdrawn. All members were asked to
improve their work habits and try to work
as a team, especially where sanitary conditions are concerned. Portions of the President's Report in the recent LOG were read
which stressed the importance of military
ships to the Union. Next port: Port Everglades, Fla.

USNS WILKES (Lavino), April 19Chairman Sy Yaras, Secretary John McGill,
Educational Director Aaron E. Thompson.
No disputed OT. There is $65 in the ship's
fund. A new VCR was received for the
crew's recreation and is located in the crew
lounge. The importance of upgrading was
stressed and applications are available
from the educational director. It has been
a fairly smooth operation so far aboard the
Wilkes with no major beefs-at least nothing that can't be resolved aboard ship.
There was a man overboard recently. The
matter was taken care of promptly and
efficiently by the ship's crew. They did a
fine job in retrieving the seaman back safely
aboard ship. Next port: Kodiak, Alaska.
LNG VIRGO (Energy Transportation
Corp.), May 3-Chairman Billy Nuckols,
Secretary S. Wagner, Educational Director
B. Smith, Deck Delegate Mike Said, Engine
Delegate Jerry Johnson, Steward Delegate
James Robinson. No disputed OT reported. There is $373 in the ship's fund,
and $100 was added by a "pilot onboard"
pool. OS Michael Collins was taken off
ship in Singapore with acute appendicitis.
He was operated on three hours afterward.
A telex from the company stated that Collins was in satisfactory condition and would
be sent home April 30. In Arun, Indonesia
this trip, three SIU crewmembers were
caught in a restricted area because they
were allowed to walk from the gate to the
ship. One of them was smoking, and this
caused a problem for the captain. In the
future, "we would like to have transportation to the ship from the gate." This would
eliminate the need for crewmembers to
walk through the plant. Related to this
problem was a discussion on the conduct
of Seafarers while ashore in foreign ports.
Since the dollar is low against the yen,
members shouldn't be surprised at the high
cost of taxis, bar bills, etc. But it should be
remembered that Japan has its laws and
"we must abide by them." A letter from the
company was read stating that all hands
must wear safety shoes. Upon boarding
the ship, members should show the captain
their receipt and he will reimburse them
for the shoes (up to $55). Next ports:
Osaka, Japan and Arun, Indonesia.

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Tuesday, July 7 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, July 7 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, July 8 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, July 9 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, July 9 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, July 9 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, July 10 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, July 13 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, July 14 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, July 15 .................. 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, July 16 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, July 20 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .................. Friday, July 24 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ................ Thur day, July 9 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, July 17 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday, July 16 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, July 15 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, July 22 .................. 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, July 21 ..................... 10:30 a.m.

June 1987ILOGI19

�Shellback Initiation-Crossing a Strange Line
Text and Photography by

Leonard Earl Johnson
Now that the SIU is manning U.S. Navy ships, traditions nearly forgotten
are returing to our members. In 1987 the SIU-crewed USNS Dutton (LSC
Marine) operating out of the port of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil sailed over that
magical divide, the equator. On one side, say some, water swirls down the
drain in one direction; on the other side it swirls down the opposite way. Me,
I've never been able to remember on one side how it entered the drain when
on the other side, but I do know that a person not having ever crossed the
equator is a lowly "Polywog" and will damn well remain one 'til passing
through the initiation that turns "Polywogs" into "Shellbacks."
When Captain Mauro Rivera took the Dutton over that "hump," out from
"The Deep" came Davy Jones, King Neptune and Queen Neptune to oversee
two days of ceremony few have seen before through the camera eye.
The following photographs report the initiation of ''Polywogs'' into ''Shellbacks" on the USNS Dutton somewhere in the Atlantic not far from the
equator.

King Neptune (Navy Commanding Officer Bullfinch) sits next to his Queen (SIU
OS John Grubbs) on their Anchor Throne for the second day's festivities.

-

A "dinner" is served the Polywogs on the second day; SIU engine room Polywog,
Rudy Salvagio smiles, showing his enjoyment.

Davy Jones (Navy Lieutenant Tyson) welcomes "Polywogs" from both the Navy
and the SIU.

At celebration's end the Polywogs are given a final washing before being named
Shell backs.

Navy and SIU Polywogs roll on the deck in watery celebration before the watch
of Shellbacks and King Neptune and his Queen.

20 I LOG I June 1987

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

MAY 1-31, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port

Frank Drozak, President
Joe DiGiorglo, 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

DECK DEPARTMENT

Algonac ...................

0

19

0

13

0

4

0

2

0

24

6

0

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
15
2

0

29

0

0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
11
0

0

5

0

Port
Algonac ...................

Port
Algonac ........... . .......

Port

28

HEADQUARTERS

ENTRY DEPARTMENT

Algonac ...................

12

0

0

2

0

0

0

Totals All Departments. . . . . . . .
O
48
3
0
54
4
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 .

25

6

63

12

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
CLEVELA~D,

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
MAY 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 .................
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
51
3
13
14
15
47
32
26
26
28
13
10
36
0
0

17
3
3
8

9
9
8
7
7
9
3
22
11
0
6

1
2
0
3
1
4
3
9
1
2
1

6
2
0
1

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class 8 Class C
34
2
5
9
10
39
24
22
23
26
15
12
32
0
0

DECK DEPARTMENT
1
15
2
2
2
0
8
1
4
1
3
2
4
5
9
6
0
8
3
2
1
0
20
5
9
2
0
0
1
3
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
4
0
0
1
2
0
0
5
0
3
2
0
4
0
2
1
0
8
7
1
1
0
10
9
3
0
0
0
0
0

314

122

36

253

26
2
5
9
16
32
20
12
17
22
3
2
22
0
2

8
2
3
6
5
6
6
3

0
1
1
1
0
2
2
3
2
2
0
8
0
0
0

23
2
7
5
4
27
19
13
12
15
10
5
16
0
2

9

6
1
13
5
0
2

190

75

22

160

21
3
2
6
5
10
9
39
7
22
2

7
2
2

1
0
0
0
0
1
0
3

12
2
0
5
3
20
7
20
7
20
3
5
11
0
3

9
21
0
4

160

3

0
4
5
4
6
5
0

22
2
0
4

66

0
1
0
21

0
0

0

27

118

Port
New York ...............
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .................
Mobile ....... _.........
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco .............
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . .
Honolulu ................
Houston ................
St. LOUIS ..... ...... . . .
Piney Point ... ..........
Totals ...... ..........

156

225

236

102

......

820

488

321

633

Totals All Department

15
3
3
3
1
22

6
44
10
26
3
6
14

0
0

29
5
3
7
3
13
16
10
10
22
6
8
4
0
11

6
2
0
8

2

13
1
0
5
0

14
3
30

16

3
1
134
3
0
23

23
5

7

5
13

7

6
8
0
0

92

51

27

12

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
1
3
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
5
2
2
0
1
0
0
0
22
24
0
0
0
0
1
0

38

28

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
11
2
3
0
2
0
7
6
1
5
10
10
1
12 •
13
21
6
1
20
1
0
8
141
90
9
0
0
0
6
13

202

197

383

264

Trip
Reliefs
4
0
0
3
1
4
4
4
7

10

2
17
8
0
1

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
120

9
14
20
16
81
44
54
31
52
27
7
60
0
2

18
3
6
6
10
10
15
11
7
11
4
18
8
0
6

0
0
0
2
1
4
2
8
6
3
1
3
1
0
0

65

537

133

31

3
0
0
1

67
3

10
3
2
4
5
14
8
7

0
1
1
1
0
2
2
3
4
2
0
9
0
0
0

2
8
2
6
9
0
4
3
0
1

9
12
17
58

32
31
15
38
11
3
43
0
6

9

11
2
10
6
0
7

39

345

98

25

3

40
1
4

15
2

8

2
1
5
8
8
6
8

0
1
0
1

0
0
2
0
6
2
7
3
8
0

80
1
0
1

10
31
15
82
14
36
4
11
28
0
5

3

46
4
3
4

55
4
6
8

10

8

22
0
0

1
17
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

9

25
12
27

9
27
13
99
14
0
26

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434

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

NEW 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

0

33
2
0
8

101

100
20
41

2
0
5
0

289

30

0

0

113

2

Ohio

· 5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-1100

27

11
3
0
6
2
32
5
25
16
3
1
179
8
0
25

0

301

341

316

217

1,472

673

399

*"Total Registered" means the number o men wno 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.

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. .
1057 Fernandez Juncos St.
Stop 16 00907
(809) 725-6960

SEATTLE, Was
2505 1 Ave. 98121
(206 441-1960

ST. LOUIS,

o.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500

WILMINGTON, Calif.
Shipping in the month of May was up from the month of Apri . A total of 1,497 jobs were shipped on
SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,497 jobs shipped, 633 jobs or about 42 percent were taken by "A"
seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 217 trip relief jobs were
shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 5, 176 jobs have been shipped.

510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

June 1987 I LOG I 21

�A Good (Safe) Shipmate
If you want to pay someone a compliment, you say that he or she
"is a good shipmate." We all know what a "good shipmate" is. It's
someone who does his work as a professional. It's someone who shows
up on time and who is considerate. It's someone you can count on. It's
someone you don't have to worry about on the job: he considers your
safety as well as his own.
For more than 10 years, hundreds of our members have taken
advantage of the opportunity of going through the program at the
Seafarers Addictions Rehabilitation Center to learn how to be better
shipmates. They faced up to their alcohol and drug problems and they
sought the help that was there.
The program at the Seafarers ARC is based on the highly successful
program of Alcoholics Anonymous. That program says that recovery
involves more than just staying away from the bottle or the fix, though
that is the important first step. The program shows the suffering alcoholic
or drug addict how to make some very basic changes which will open
the door to a new way of living. It teaches you how to become a happy
and useful person. It teaches you how to be a "good shipmate," at sea
and ashore.
If you think you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, chances are
good that you do. There is a way out. Contact your port agent. He will
help you to begin the process-and it will be confidential. Believe me,
the program works. I know. It has worked for me for more than 10
years.
The Editor
OIAINELJ

TO THE
BOTTLE?
VN.£0CK
YOVR5F.£F,
GET#E~P.0

CONV1CT
YOU.RPORT

AGENT
OR G:/.U.

AT
PINeY 17
POINTjl

KNOW YOUR RIGHT
,,-

Area Vice Presidents'
(Continued from Page 15.)
passionate people are trying to fill.

'

HIPPING on the Great Lakes is
up slightly from last year.
Since the coal and agriculture industries are depressed, many people
attribute this upswing to a new marketing campaign being waged by the
various ports in the region.
Earlier this year, for example, the
Great Lakes Seaway Development
Corporation sent a trade group to Europe to promote Great Lakes shipping.
Many port officials feel that more such
marketing techniques will have to be
employed if Great Lakes shipping is
to regain its vitality.
Many city and state officials
throughout the region are beginning
to realize the enormous potential of
their waterfront properties. Development projects are sprouting up all
around the region.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively hy the contracts between the
Union and the employer . 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 Seafarer 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 your contract rights. as well as
your obligations. such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If. at any time. any SIU

22 I LOG I June 1987

The SIU is in favor of such redevelopment if it does not interfere with
traditional port activity. This determination has to be done, or course,
on a port-by-port basis.
One more thing: the Union is monitoring the development of ''free trade''
talks between the United States and
Canada. While they have not garnered
much attention, these talks could have
a profound effect on the maritime
industry, especially on the Great Lakes.
Some Canadian officials, for example,
have raised objections to the Jones
Act, saying that it is ''protectionist.''
But it is important to note that the
Jones Act is the bedrock of this nation's maritime policy, and the SIU is
opposed to having its provisions weakened.

KNOW YOUR R GHTS
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in
all Union halls. All members should obtain c ies of this
constitution so as to familiarize themselves with its contents. Any time you feel any member or oftl'cer is attempting to deprive you of any constitutional right or obligation
by any methods such as dealing with charges, trials. etc.,
as well as all other details. then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The 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. Members 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.

The work that our members have
done in the dredging field made many
of these redevelopment projects possible. Over the past few years, for
example, dredging projects on the
Cleveland River have improved the
environmental quality of that body of
water and made it much more suitable
for commercial redevelopment.
Commercial redevelopment of the
waterfront, however, is not without
its problems. Many real estate firms
have tried to overdevelop the waterfront. This has proven to be a problem
all across the country, in such diverse
locations as Gloucester, San Francisco and New York City.

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike Sacco

S

eport

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently, no member may be discriminated against because of race, creed, color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any member feels that he is
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.

11111111m1un11111un1111111n1111111n1111111n1111111n1111111n1111111n11111un1111111n1111111n1111
patrolman or other Union offi::ial. in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly, contact the
nearest SIU port agent.
EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union,
officer or memher. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September. 1960. meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log
policy is vested in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unle s an
official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circumtance should any member pay any money for any reason
unles he i given uch receipt. In the event anyone
attempts to require any uch payment be made without
upplying a receipt. or if a member is required to make a
payment and i given an official receipt. but feel. that he
should not have heen required to make such payment. this
hould immediately he reported to Union headquarter .

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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 supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contribution are voluntary. No contribution may be
solicited or received because of force. job discrimination,
financial reprisal. 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 above 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
a~ to Union records or information, he should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The address is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

�6-Month Hill Report Card Shows Some Hope for Maritime
(Continued from Page 1.) ·
Commerce. ''A highly regulated industry that often bemoans the lack of
coherent U.S. maritime policy, shipping is quick to exploit quirks in laws
and regulations.''

Administration
Judgment
Questioned
Criticism of the Kuwait reflagging
plan went far beyond the narrow confines of the maritime industry. The
administration could not line up support-military, financial or even
moral-from the Gulf countries we
were supposed to be protecting. The
same was true for our allies in Wes tern
Europe and Japan, who are far more
dependent upon Persian Gulf oil for
their energy needs than we are.
Yet in one sense their reticence was
perfectly understandable. The same
administration that had been secretly
selling arms to Iran and diverting the
funds to Central America was taking
steps that might bring the whole Persian Gulf conflict to a head.
Even normally staunch administration supporters like Sen. Richard Lugar (R-lnd.) wanted to know what
would happen if an Iranian missile hit
an American war ship while it was
escorting a "reflagged" vessel. Was
the administration prepared to go to
war? And if it were, could it sustain
its actions over an extended period of
time, and would our allies support us?
For many members of Congress,
the situation conjured up memories of
Lebanon, where 242 American marines were killed because their mission
was not clearly defined.

Trade Stand-Off
The Democratic-controlled Congress and the Reagan administration
were divided over many other issues
besides the Persian Gulf-most notably trade.
The growing trade deficit is perhaps
the most vivid symbol of America's
decline in the world. Within six short
years, Japan and the United States,
whom one political commentator aptly
dubbed ''the Avis and Hertz of the
industrial world," have shifted roles.
By 1987, both Japan and West Germany had eclipsed the United States
in the total volume of their exports.
Their ability to raise capital, an important indicator of economic strength,
was growing in direct proportion to
America's inability to do so.
While Reagan tried to blame this on
the budget deficit and ''free-spending
Democrats,'' former OMB Director
David Stockman had a different story
to tell. Stockman laid the blame
squarely on the shoulders of his old
boss Ronald Reagan and said that
things would have been much worse
had it not been for the ''courage'' of
the 99th Congress in proposing new
taxes and defense cuts.

H.R. 3 Passed
The lOOth session of Congress is, if
anything, more independent than its

predecessor. By the first week of May l
the House had already p~ssed an Omnibus Trade bill, H.R. 3, which calls
for strict sanctions against those countries which chronically run up huge
trade deficits with the United States.
The bill contains the controversial
''Gephardt'' amendment, which would
reduce the discretionary powers of the
president in conducting trade policy.
While the ''Gephardt amendment''
has been vilified by many, it certainly
has had an effect. Within days of the
amendment's passage in the House,
finance ministers from Taiwan and
South Korea were promising to review
their countries' economic policies to
see if they discriminated against American companies.
Increased interest in unfair foreign
trade also had an effect on the way
that many government agencies were
performing their duties. In order to
stave off a trade bill that contained
the Gephardt amendment, many agencies were finally starting to enforce
laws they should have been all along.
Take, for example, the Federal Maritime Commission. It is the agency
responsible for processing unfair trading practices in the maritime field.
During the first six years of the Reagan
administration, ''The FMC was hardly
aware that there was a trade problem,'' said Gerald Snow, director of
agency affairs for the Transportation
Institute.
Yet during the first six months of
1987, the FMC was processing at least
six such complaints, against Japan
(which discriminated against American maritime companies in the autocarriage trade and the high cube field),
South Korea (auto-carriage trade),
Taiwan (intermodal operations), Peru
and Columbia.
Even the administration's rhetoric
was changing. There was less talk
about ''free trade'' and more about
"fair trade." Testifying before the
Senate Subcommittee on Merchant
Marine about a proposed liner reform
bill, Marad Administrator John
Gaughan had these these things to say:
''These hearings are most timely,
as our carriers continue to confront
numerous restrictions on their operations abroad, while their foreign competitors encounter no such restrictions
in the United States ... [One] of the
major elements of the maritime policy
of the United States is to preserve and
promote competition in ocean shipping, and to seek the elimination of
restrictive practices of foreign countries and carriers affecting U .S.-flag
carriers in those countries.''

Comprehensive
Policy Needed
Still, it will take more than just
rhetoric to turn things around for the
maritime industry. ''In my 40 years in
the maritime industry," said Drozak,
"I've never seen things this bad."
Last year alone, the number of vessels
documented under the American registry declined by 10 percent. The
largest existing American-flag company, U.S. Lines, was forced to file
for bankruptcy.
The title of "largest American-flag

shipp~ng company" now belongs to
Sea-Land. Sea-Land, which recently
was taken over by CSX, the railroad
conglomerate, employs SIU members
on its vessels.
The company has a long history of
being an industry leader. For many
years, it was the only American-flag
company to refuse subsidies. It is
presently pioneering changes in its
intermodal operations.
Yet at that same Senate hearing
on subsidy reform, Peter Finnerty,
Sea-Land's vice-president, said that
conditions in the maritime industry
were so bad and the lack of a coherent
government policy so debilitating that
the company might be forced to reflag
part or all of its operations.
Such a development would have a
devastating effect on what remains of
the American-flag merchant marine,
and the administration didn't even bat
an eyelash.
The SIU has been very sens~tive to
the needs of its companies. It knows
that in order to survive today, American-flag operators have to rely on
three areas of business: cargo generated by cargo preference laws; cargo
generated by the ban on the sale of
Alaskan oil, and military work that
has been farmed by the Navy to the
private sector.

Anti-Maritime Bills
Introduced
Yet there are problems in all three
areas. Legislation has been introduced
in this session of Congress to repeal
the cargo preference laws and the ban
on the sale of Alaskan oil. While this
legislation is not given much of a
chance, it still diverts the industry's
attention from the main task at handthe formulation of a comprehensive
national maritime policy.
In addition, applying for charters
under the Navy's Request for Proposals (RFP) process is a frustrating
and time-consuming affair. In order to
win the right to man just one vessel
for a short period of time, private
companies have to file 1,000 page RFP's
that take thousands of dollars and
many months just to process.
Absent any clear direction from the
adminstration, pro-maritime forces in
Congress have tried to fill the void.
Yet while the administration has failed
to come up with a policy of its own,
it can effectively block congressional
efforts by threatening to employ a
veto.

Administration's
Lack of Vision
The administration's greatest failure, many people believe, has been its
inability to see the larger issues involved in the decline of this country's
industrial base. Its approach to the
maritime industry typifies this lack of
vision.
"This nation," said Rep. Norman
Lent (R-N.Y.) earlier this year, "is on
the verge of a total collapse of the
private maritime industry-the vessel
operators are in deep financial trouble,
the ship construction industry has virtually no commercial work, and the

availability of trained merchant seamen is very much in doubt.''
The collapse of the maritime industry would have profound consequences for the people of this country.
"I do not believe," said Lent, "that
our elected representatives, or the
president of the United States-not to
mention the American people-want
to see this nation forced into unthinkable nuclear war just because we do
not have enough ships and trained
seamen capable of supporting and supplying our nation's conventional armed
forces. That is precisely the situation
that we will have if we do not turn
this condition around.''
While the administration has not
come up with a program to revive this
country's declining maritime industry,
it still remains adept at issuing press a.
releases. Administration officials were
on hand to speak at the various Maritime Day celebrations around the
country. They all congratulated the
maritime industry for the important
role that it has played in the defense
of this country.

Veterans Status
Denied
There was a certain irony to these
speeches. Just prior to Maritime Day,
the Reagan administration took a strong
stand against granting World War II
merchant seamen veterans' status and
benefits.
More than 6,000 seamen were killed
during World War II. They suffered
the second highest casualty rate of any
branch of the services.
Writing about the contributions that
SIU seamen made to the war effort,
John Bunker, former head of the SIU's
historical research department, had
this to say:
''Despite the havoc (that was being
caused on the high seas by German
U-boats), no SIU ship was held up for
lack of crew. Many crews steamed
out to meet almost certain death.
''SIU men made the hazardous run
to Russia, including the famous convoys of July and September 1942,
which were hit by subs and bombers
and lost many ships in those cold,
Arctic waters.
''There wasn't a beachhead from
Anzio to the Philippines; from Normandy to Okinawa, where SIU crews
were not on the forefront of war. They
took part in the longest battle of the
war, too-the four-year-long battle of
the Atlantic-the fight to keep England
supplied with food, gas, guns and other
supplies . . . ''
As Bunker suggested in his history
of the SIU, there are certain intangible
things that sustain a nation's greatness. Pride of citizenship is one. A
sense of community is another. The
present administration may talk about
patriotism, but the fact it can so casually disregard citizenship require- .._
ments or write off an entire industry
says a great deal about its lack of
perspective.
In the Persian Gulf, as in the war
against foreign trade, the administration is on a slow boat to disaster. The
captain may be American, but increasingly, the crews are foreign.
June 1987 I LOG I 23

�I

I

I

t

Seafarers International Union of North America , AFL-CIO

June 1987

Legislative , Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

Washington Report

R.R. JOO

The lOOth Congress is six months old. What
follows is a run-down on the major maritime
bills that have been introduced so far.

''The Maritime Agreements Act. '' Introduced by Biaggi , it would promote the use of
bilateral trade agreements . While it has been
reported out of the House Merchant Marine
Committee, the bill has been singled out by
the administration as being an example of
" protectionist" legislation. "That is nonsense ," said Drozak.

H.R. 3
THE OMNIBUS TRADE BILL. A comprehensive trade bill was passed by the House
earlier this year. It includes several SIUbacked provisions which would restore ''fair
trade'' to the world shipping markets.
Title XI of the bill is an "industry-specific"
provision modeled after H.R. 1290, which was
introduced earlier this year by Rep. Walter
Jones (D-N.C.), chairman of the House Merchant Marine Comm.ittee. Among other things,
Title XI would strengthen the Federal Maritime Commission's power to investigate and
counter unfair trading practices.
H.R. 3 also included the controversial Gephardt amendment, which would force countries that maintain excessive trade surpluses
with the United States by engaging in unfair
trading practices to alter their policies through
negotiations. If that did not occur, then automatic restrictions would be implemented.
Section 331 of the bill would extend current
restrictions on the export of Alaskan oil to oil
pumped in other parts of the country.
Section 197 would require the president to
negotiate trade agreements with each country
which exports more than 50 ,000 vehicles into
the U .S. each year. This was based on H .R.
1397, introduced by Rep. Brian Dorgnan (DN .D.). A more comprehensive treatment of
the auto carriage trade is contained in H .R.
1364.
The Senate has yet to pass its version of
the trade bill, although a number of different
approaches are being discussed and several
pieces of legislation have been introduced.

H.R. 82
Introduced by Rep. Mario Biaggi (D-N .Y.),
H.R. 82 would amend the Merchant Marine
Act of 1920 to require that vessels used to
transport waste products be built in the United
States. SIU President Frank Drozak submitted
a statement to the House Merchant Marine
Subcommittee urging enactment of the bill.
The legislation was marked up by the House
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee.
Earlier this year a New York federal judge
handed down a decision which allowed vehicles engaged in the transportation of waste
products to be built overseas.
The decision is being appealed. Hallowed
to stand, it would needlessly weaken this
nation's Jones Act at a time when it needs to
be reaffirmed and strengthened.
On Capitol Hill, the legislation is being
referred to as the "Sewage Sludge Bill" in
honor of the products being carried.

R.R. 298
Rep. Helen Bentley (D-Md.) has introduced
a bill which would require that American mail
going overseas be carried on American-flag
vessels. At present, a significant portion of
this trade is being handled by Communist statesponsored Polish vessels. H.R. 298's counterpart in the Senate, S. 146, was introduced by
Sen. Danial Inouye (D-Hawaii).

24 I LOG I June 1987

H.R. 438
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) has introduced
a bill requiring U.S. ownership, construction
and manning of commercial fishing vessels.
The SIU places a high priority on passage of
this legislation. Hearings have been held at
the House Coast Guard and Navigation Subcommittee at which Drozak submitted testimony. A companion bill, H_.R. 1956, has also
been introduced, and the SIU is monitoring
its development.

H.R. 953

While more than 2 million Japanese and
several hundred thousand Korean automobiles
are exported into the United States each year,
American-flag companies are effectively excluded from competing for this lucrative trade.
The legislation would impose strict penalties
for unfair trading practices in this area. It was
referred to the House Ways and Means and
Merchant Marine Fisheries Committees.

R.R.1397
See H.R. 3 for details.

H.R.ISIS
A bill which seeks to restore equity to the
tuna industry by equalizing tariff rates on all
canned tuna imported into the United States.
In a letter to the House Subcommittee on
Trade (of the Ways and Means Committee),
Drozak urged enactment of the bill. Without
legislative relief, said Drozak, survival of the
American tuna industry is "highly questionable. "

The House has passeQ. the annual Maritime
Authorizations bill. From the Union's perspective , it is inadequate, though it contains
one promising feature : a $48.5 million allotment for increased transportation costs arising
out of the 1985 compromise restructuring the
Cargo Preference " P.L. 480" program.
The bill reflects the administration's shortightedness in two key areas: its determination
to kill the vitally important Title XI Loan
·
·
i ure
Guarantee pr r
to come up with an acceptable plan to reform
the liner subsidy program. Existing liner subsidies have begun to run out and no new ones
have been approved. The administration's failure to come up with a plan to rehaul the
program was cited as one reason behind U.S.
Lines bankruptcy last year and Sea-Land's
recent threat to reftag all or part of its American-flag fleet.

The bill, which was introduced b
e .
Norman Lent R- .Y. i
the Union's
legislative priorities. It would broaden the
FMC's authority to address unfair trading
practices under Section 19 of the Jones Act.
It was recently reported out of the House
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee .

R.R. 1097

R.R. 1827

Rep. Walter Jones (D-N.C.) introduced a
bill which would require repair of government
vessels in U.S . shipyards. The bill went to the
House Merchant Marine Subcommittee where
there has been no action .

Again , one of the legislative priorities of the
Union. While the main body of the legislation
deals with supplemental appropriations for
Fiscal Year 1987, an amendment to the bill
would prohibit DOT or Marad from using funds
to " propitiate , promulgate or implement" any
rules which condone payback of CDS funds.
The amendment, which along with the rest of
the bill, passed the House, is in response to
attempts by Marad to allow four tankers in
the foreign trade to repay their subsidies and
enter the domestic commerce of this country.
This, the SIU has asserted , would destabilize
the domestic trade and further weaken this
nation's ocean-borne fleet.
The Senate considered but failed to include
this amendment in its Supplemental Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 1987. A compromise will have to be reached when representatives from the two bodies meet in conference
later this year.

R.R. 1235
Known as the Merchant Seamen' s Benefit
Act, H.R. 1235 seeks to recognize the contributions that American seamen made to the
war effort during World War II by granting
them veterans' status and benefits. It was
introduced by Biaggi. Drozak urged enactment
of this bill at a hearing of the House Merchant
Marine Subcommittee.

R.R. 1290
Discussed in detail under H.R. 3, the Omnibus Trade Bill. It is considered to be one of
this Union's top legislative priorities.

R.R. 1725
Introduced by Rep. Robert Davis (R-Mich.),
it would take off-shore rigs and vessels out of
the Title XI program. The bill, which is presently before the House Merchant ar· Subcommittee, is an attempt to save the vitally
important Title XI Loan Guarantee Program
by limiting its cost.

. . 1803

R.R. 1364
Known as the Auto Carrier bill, it was
introduced earlier this year by Jones. It seeks
to restore equity to the auto carrier trade
between the United States and Japan and
Korea.

R.R. 1979
Introduced earlier this year by Rep. Ron
Wyden (D-Ore.), the bill would allow foreignflag vessels to transport wood products from
(Continued on Page 2.)

�TheAFL·CIO American

Copyright

©

Federationist

1987 by the AFL-CIO. This material constitutes an internal communication by the AFL-CIO solely to AFL-CIO union members and their families.

The Candidates on the Issues

-~

___

,

.

Bruce Babbitt

Joseph R. BidenJr.

Michael S. Dukakis

Richard Gephardt

Albert Gore Jr.

Governor of Arizona, 1978-1987; Attorney General, 1975-1978; Attorney,
Brown, Vlassis &amp; Bain, 1967-1975; Attorney, Office of Economic Opportunity,
1965-1967.

U.S. Senator (Delaware) 1973-; Chairman, Judiciary Committee; ranking Democrat, Foreign Relations Committee

Governor of Massachusetts, 1974-1978
and 1982-.

Chairman , House Democratic Caucus,
1985-; U.S. Representative (Missouri),
1977-; Board of Aldermen, 1971-1976.

U.S. Senator (Tennessee), 1985-; U.S.
Representative, 1977-1985; Reporter,
Nashville Tennessean , 1970-1976.

Jesse Jackson

Paul Simon

President, National Rainbow Coalition,
1984-; President, Operation PUSH,
1971-1983; Executive Director, Operation
Breadbasket, 1966-1971 .

U.S. Senator (lllinois) 1985-; U.S. Representative, 1975-1985; Lieutenant Governor, 1968-1972; Newspaper Publisher.
1948-1966.

The 1988 presidential election may seem a long way away, but it' s time
for the SIU and the Labor Movement to find a candidate we can throw our
efforts behind and support. I want to know what you think .
Please read these eight pages carefully. The announced and the likely
candidates for both parties' nominations responded to a series of questions
put to them by the AFL-CIO. I think many of the answers are revealing.
Later this year, the AFL-CIO may decide on a presidential candidate to
back. Because I will be involved in that decision, I want to know who
Seafarers believe would help the SIU and the Labor Movement.
After you study the candidates' answers, please write to me and tell me
whom you prefer. Any comments on the candidates or the process will be
appreciated. Mail your selection by August I to:
Frank Drozak, President
Seafarers International Union
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746

Fraternally,
Frank Drozak

George Bush
Vice President of the United States,
1981-; U.S. Representative. 1967-71 ;
Ambassador to China , 1974-75; Director
of Central Intelligence, 1975-77.

Bob Dole

Pete du Pont

Alexander M. HaigJr.

Senate Republican Leader, 1987-; Senate Majority Leader. 1985-86; U.S. Senator (Kansas), 1969-; decorated World
War II combat veteran.

Governor of Delaware, 1977-1985; U.S.
Representative, 1971-1977; State Legislator, 1969-1971.

Secretary of State, 1981-1982; Supreme
Allied Commander of NATO, 1974-1979;
Chief of Staff to President Nixon,
1973-1974; founder IPresident, Worldwide
Associates, 1982-.

Pat Robertson
U.S. Representative (New York), 1971-;
Pro Football Quarterback, American &amp;
National Football Leagues, 1957-1970.

Founder/Chairman, Christian Broadcasting Network, 1959-; founder, Operation Blessing, 1978-; Broadcast News
Analyst, 1975-; Chancellor. CBN University, 1978-.

�The Candidates on the Issues
The AFL-CIO asked 13 declared and potential candidates for the Democratic and Republican Party presidential nominations in the 1988 election
to respond in writing to four questions on key issues. The goal is to help
our members and their families exercise their civic rights and responsibilities, to become more involved in deciding which candidate or candidates
offer the standard of leadership this nation seeks.
The American standard of living is under attack. Persistent unemployment and lower pay scales have strained family budgets. Consumer purchasing power is eroding. The good jobs that formed the basis for a
stable middle class are disappearing in the face of intense and often unfair
foreign competition. At the same time, as the federal role has been re-

QUESfION 1
FOREIGN TRADE
How would you propose to reduce
America's trade deficit and encourage
the fair exchange of goods with other
nations, while maintaining and improving our standard of living?

DE
BRUCE BABBITT

2

duced, an increased burden is being placed on state and local governments
to provide community services and to rebuild deteriorating public facilities.
As the proper role for government continues to be the subject of national debate, American workers and their unions are deeply concerned
about the need to provide better jobs, improved education, equal opportunity for all, affordable housing, access to health care, and all the elements
necessary to give the next generation a chance at a better life than its parents.
These concerns are the basis for the AFL-CIO's questions, which appear
below and on the following pages with the candidates' responses.

agement is going to have to worry more about
building industry for the next decade, and less
about next quarter's profits. Management must
give workers more say in how industries are run
and a share of the profits: workers must accept
this responsibility and help America increase
productivity and product quality.
Finally, we should not ignore the human
costs of trade problems. As President, I would
use tariff proceeds to fund worker retraining and
relocation. And I would support ideas like wage
insurance, plant closing laws, and community
tax base insurance.
I don't want America to withdraw from
world trade-nor do I want us to concede defeat to our rivals. Instead, I want us to prevail in
the world economy, and I know that we can.

MICHAEL S. DUKAKIS
The trade deficit has cost two million jobs,
betraying the hopes and dreams of families and
communities across our nation. Debating "protectionism" versus "free trade" misses the point.
Our goal must be competitive American industries and balanced trade internationally.
Some say America must de-industrialize. I
disagree. We need our basic industries. Our national security cannot become hostage to raw
materials purchased, processed and manufactured abroad.
To win in world competition, we must invest
in education and job training, in first-rate transportation, in clean air and water, and in new
technologies that will help both new and older
industries. And we must work to keep plants
open, help dislocated workers, and provide
older workers with new skills.
We must address unfair trade practices that
subsidize foreign goods and close markets to our
products. Where appropriate, we can provide
limited relief from foreign competition, but we

Free traders tell us, in the face of all the evidence, that there is nothing basically wrong with
the system of international trade. Protectionists
want to pick fight after fight about unfair trading practices and start an unending cycle of retaliation.
My approach is a third alternative entirely. I
call it balanced trade. Balanced trade concentrates on objective results ("balance") rather
than subjective rules (such as "fairness") which
different nations interpret differently.
Balanced trade means simply that every industrial country must keep its multilateral trading accounts, the sum total of all its foreign
trade, in approximate balance. If you export,
you import, and you do it in equal measure. The
overall value of what you sell to the world must
match the overall value of what you buy. If that
is not the case, and you won't balance your accounts, then your victims will balance them for
you-with across-the-board tariffs that increase
every year.
That is balanced trade. It is a new idea in
recognition of an old value: overall parity between exports and imports. All it. needs is a
President who is bold enough to make it
happen.

Finally, we must get our fiscal house in order
by reducing the record deficits which devour
savings, inflate the value of the dollar, attract
foreign capital, make America a debtor nation
and cost millions of American jobs.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

RICHARD GEPHARDT

Today's world is more complicated than the
simplistic choice between free trade and protectionism. Free trade is a myth-something that
never existed. And protectionism would be selfdestruction-a trade war now would be like a
nuclear war: there would be no winners.
Both options are defeatist. Free traders say we
are powerless to change our future. Protectionists say we cannot compete against our rivals
and . win.
Our next President must respond to unfair
foreign trade practices, not with talk, but action.
He should sit down with trading partners and
put "all the cards on the table": negotiating with
them over trade practices, military and foreign
aid support, and the value of our currencies. If
needed, the President should impose tariffs on
those who are unwilling to be fair traders.
Our goal must be not withdrawing from
world competition but entering it to win. Man-

I intend to continue pushing this year, as I did
in 1985, for Congress to enact a tough trade policy. The Gephardt Amendment would give this
country the teeth we need at the bargaining table, in trade negotiations, to open up closed
markets abroad.
Other countries found to be engaging in unfair trade practices would have a chance to negotiate a fair trade agreement with the United
States. But if they won't come to the table, or if
efforts to negotiate fail, or if an agreement is reneged upon by a trading partner, then U.S. sanctions would be systematically imposed under my
policy. And we would keep them in place until
that country acts fairly and agrees to reduce its
surplus by 10 percent per year.
No other country in the world can match the
productivity of American workers, but other
countries are preventing us from competing
head to head. They've erected trade barriers and

must insist that the industries that benefit from
that relief invest and modernize and become
competitive.

they take us for patsies and chumps because our
government won't get tough on trade. We need
to get the handcuffs off American workers that
have been put on us by unfair trade practices
abroad. Just let us compete, that's all, and I
know we'll win. And our standard of living will
rise when we get America back to work.

ALBERT GORE
America is in a trade crisis. Over the past six
years this Administration has spent and borrowed us into a very deep hole. We're tired of
leaders whose idea of free trade is to tell the
world, "Here-we've got lots of jobs. Go ahead
and take as many as you like!" We need a
strong leader who won't tolerate a declining
standard of living or an economy that leaks
$170 billion a year.
What has been lacking is presidential leadership and presidential willingness to back up
words with actions in our dealings with trading
partners. Our government must also stop making America's problems worse by borrowing
more than we can afford.
We should target our resources toward longterm prosperity, productivity, and people for a
change. America should prepare to compete by
making better products than the Germans-not
by paying wages that are lower than Brazil's.
Our next generation of leaders should know that
to win back American jobs, Americans need the
best training programs and schools.
This country practically invented world trade,
and we used it to build a better life for everybody. The next President must inspire this nation to lead the way again-and join with working men and women to bring out America's
best.

JESSE JACKSON
Fair trade is essential to protect our national
interests, our vital indl,lStries, and our jobs. An
effective national trade policy includes aggressive federal initiatives and coordinated programs
to improve competitiveness and increase American exports. We must negotiate trade agreements, through GA TI and bilaterally, that are
fair and mutually beneficial.
Second, the major cause of our trade deficit is
President Reagan's record budget deficits. They
have driven up the value of the dollar and made
our products uncompetitive in the world.
Third, we have lost our industrial and commercial competitiveness in the world because
our research and development monies, over half
of our scientists and engineers, and six percent
of our GNP, goes toward military projects;
whµe the Japanese have 75 percent of their
scientists and engineers, and their research and
development monies, working on industrial,
commercial, and economic development. Anation does best what it does most. We are first in
military development and they are becoming
first in economic development.
Lastly, I support international labor rights.
American workers can never compete with
slave labor markets abroad-nor should we try.
I support efforts to oppose foreign governments'
actions which blatantly suppress workers' rights,
imprison and kill labor leaders, and have virtually no health and safety standards.

�PAUL SIMON
The devastation of America's industrial base
caused by the massive influx of subsidized imports from low wage countries represents the
most serious threat to American industry since
the Great Depression-as every steelworker,
autoworker, machinist, communications and textile worker and every other American worker
knows so well. We are in a trade war right now
and we are losing it.
That erosion of America's industrial base by
foreign imports must be stopped soon.
Franklin Roosevelt wouldn't have stood for
it. Harry Truman wouldn't have stood for it.
And neither will I.
I didn't care what my Republican (and neoliberal) opponents said when I cosponsored the
textile and domestic content bills.
And today, I am a cosponsor of the toughest
trade legislation currently before the U.S. Senate, including the worker rights and bilateral
trade reduction measures.
We must be careful that the rhetoric of
"competitiveness" doesn't become a new code
word for wage freezes, concessionary contracts,
and other anti-worker policies.
Frankly, we must see how the currently proposed trade legislation works to save American
jobs.
If the enacted legislation and its actual execution doesn't work, then newer, tougher legislation may be called for.

REPUBL CANS
GEORGE BUSH
The President should always look out for the
national interest. First, I support strong and
strict enforcement of our trade laws. We must
remember, however, that protectionism helps a
selected group at the expense of all Americans
and overall economic growth. Limiting imports
to reduce the trade deficit would: (a) raise prices to consumers; and (b) invite other countries
to retaliate against our exports. The result? Loss
of American jobs-lots of them.
Yes, trade must be fair. We're working hard
to make sure that other countries do not subsidize or dump their products here. But the best
way to reduce the trade deficit is to expand
exports, not restrict imports. We're pressuring
other countries to open up their markets by
self-initiating unfair trade cases for the first time
ever and pushing for a new trade round to
bring down barriers to our exports.
However, getting our trading partners to
compete fairly is not enough. Even if all
markets were open, U.S. industry must still
work on improving its fundamental productivity. That means resisting efforts to balance the
budget by raising taxes. Increasing taxes on
business at home can only raise the prices of
our products and make them less competitive
abroad.
Improving our fundamental productivity
means making our education system second to
none. It means arming our workers with the
best technology. It means creating a new partnership between labor and management to
strive for excellence and quality in every product we make. If we improve our fundamental
productivity and ensure that everyone competes
by the same rules, I'm confident that we can
keep America number one.

BOB DOLE
I recommend a four-point program. First we
should make our determination clear to foreign
nations that they must open their markets if
they expect access to ours. A current example
is Japan's refusal to provide a larger market
share for American-produced auto parts as well
as the reluctance of Japanese auto producers in
the U.S. to purchase more local components.
This requires a strong President who will not

hesitate to take vigorous action to promote
sales of American products.
Second, we need tougher trade statutes to assure injured industries of swift and effective relief from unfair foreign trade practices. The
emphasis on adjustment should be increased, so
that industry can get back on its own feet and
the jobs of American workers don't become
dependent on perpetual government assistance.
Third, we must address the broader economic issues that contribute to the trade imbalance:
budget deficits, global debt, exchange rates, and
economic growth. The trade problem does not
exist in a vacuum.
Finally, we must improve underlying American competitiveness. This means improving our
research capabilities, such as federally supported laboratories; increasing our stress on education, particularly in the sciences; increasing labor-management cooperation; raising our
savings rate to increase investment; eliminating
unnecessary regulation which hampers business
productivity. In sum, the American worker deserves better than to be cast to the winds of
fate. If workers are allowed to compete fairly,
they will compete well.

PETE du PONT
We should never forget that American
workers are today the most productive workers
in the world. Our high productivity gives us
the highest standard of living in the world, and
we must build on our success by continuing to
improve productivity for all Americans. When
bad government tax and spending policies don't
get in the way, Americans can outcompete,
outproduce, and outperform anybody in the
world. Too often politicians have blamed
American workers when their liberal high tax,
big spending policies have been the real guilty
party.
We must reduce taxes which make American products too expensive in world trade. We
must reduce unnecessary regulations that hurt
our ability to compete.
From a long-range point of view, we must
improve our education system. We simply cannot prepare our young people for the future
with a system designed a century ago. If America is to be competitive, education and training
must continue throughout our lives. We need
to help those who must prepare for second and
third careers-for new work in new industries.
Our goal as Americans is to compete-and
win. We should never hide behind false walls
of protectionism. That is what Herbert Hoover
tried to do, and it brought on the Depression.
We don't need to hide behind tariff walls. If
we insist on open markets, we can win. Some
of these markets are closed to us today. This
must end.
As President, I would negotiate from
strength with those nations that use tariffs and
other barriers that keep out American exports
now. For example, as President, I would refuse
to sign any major trade agreement that did not
include significant reductions in barriers to our
agricultural exports.
The Japanese want access to our American
markets. They can have it if the Japanese
market is opened to Iowa beef and Kansas
corn. It's a very simple message to our foreign
trading partners: no increase in efforts, no increase in exports.

ALEXANDER M. HAIG JR.
I believe that America can compete with the
best on a level playing field. To level that field,
however means much more than the elimination of ~nfair trading practices. Only a small
part of our trade deficit is due to such practices. We need a broad-ranging program that
recognizes the mutual interest of both America
and our partners in a more balanced exchange
of goods, not punitive or protectionist measures.
First, we should get our fiscal act together.
High real interest rates and an unstable dollar
due to massive budget deficit have taken a
heavy toll of our ability to compete abroadand at home.

Second, we should get our industrial act together. Management and labor must forge an
alliance to bring America into the new industrial age of greater efficiency and higher quality. Government can help, for example, through
worker retraining, tax incentives and regulatory
reform.
Third, we must at the presidential level take
the international lead in expanding free and fair
trade rules to cover investment, services, intellectual property and agriculture. The annual
economic summits offer an opportunity to accelerate this process. The President should also
retain the flexibility he needs to enforce fair
trade under current rules.
Fourth, we should make clear to our
partners that just as we are making the hard
economic choices, we expect them to do so as
well.
Fifth, we should work together to reignite
the growth of the less-developed countries,
primary customers for our industrial exports,
not just prolong their economic stagnation by
increasing their debt.

JACK KEMP
I believe the American labor force can compete and prosper in the global economy. America is the most productive nation in the world.
We need to increase our commitment to improving skills, through education and training
and further investment in modern plant and
equipment. As a national leader for lower tax
rates on both wages and investment, I believe
we must take further steps to remove artificial
barriers to U.S. competitiveness in order to reduce our trade deficit.
First, we must take steps to reform the
world's monetary system to provide a stable
dollar and help bring about lower long term interest rates. Our manufacturing productivity has
begun to rise again, but this has been swamped
by the wildly fluctuating dollar, high interest
rates, and the global recession among our trading customers who are buying less of U.S. products.
Second, our goal must not be to raise tariffs
which would add a tremendous burden on
working Americans, but to open markets for
our goods and raise the U.S. standard of living.
To end unfair foreign trading practices, we
must force competition by lowering, not raising
barriers. I have introduced legislation authorizing reciprocal lowering of trade barriers-particularly with the export competitors of countries that refuse to open their markets to U.S.
goods-and requiring consumer and taxpayer
impact estimates for all trade legislation.

PAT ROBERTSON
America is now engaged in a global economic battle. Our steel, our automobiles, our heavy
machinery, our airplanes, and our farm products must fight to maintain in domestic markets
and to gain a share of world markets. No industry can produce its products, purchase its
supplies and components, or pay its labor
without regard to world competition. To win
in this battle, America must:
1. Reduce the federal budget deficit so that
the economy can be free of inflationary pressures, and to achieve lower interest rates. We
must avoid irresponsible lending to foreign borrowers. The dollar must be rescued from the
up-and-down roller coaster of the past several
years.
2. American industry must learn to compete
in the international arena. Our products must
be known as the best in the world. To accomplish this, I propose a partnership between government, management, and labor. Management
must encourage laboring men and women to
teach them ways to improve quality and production techniques. Labor in turn must recognize that wage increases depend on productivity
and sales, not on outmoded techniques and
regulations. Government must provide the tax
incentives for job retraining to encourage modernization and research and development for
America to move ahead.
3. The Smoot-Hawley tariffs sent America
and the world into a terrible depression. I favor

3

�I~

free trade as the best program for the farmers,
the workers, and business. However, I also favor fair trade. If other nations are consistently
cheating on us, I say, "Either open your doors
to American products or we will close our
doors to you."

We must also restore sensible priorities to
federal spending. We need a strong defense, but
we must also eliminate the waste and
mismanagement that weakens our security and
diverts resources from other urgent economic
and human needs.

QUESfION 2

RICHARD GEPHARDT

BUDGET DEDCIT
How would you reduce the federal budget deficit without hurting working
Americans and the poor? Would you
rule out raising federal revenues, including tax increases, as a component of
deficit reduction?

DEMOC
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
The Reagan Administration has amassed the
largest public debt in the history of the nation.
This debt will force our children, and perhaps
many future generations, to pay for our excesses.
We cannot reduce the deficit unless we achieve
economic growth greater than the sluggish rate
we have now. We can increase growth by addressing third world debt problems and reducing
our trade deficits.
We must takes steps to reduce deficits steadily
over the next few years. Specifically, I propose
cutting several billion dollars from the defense
budget. I would also convert trade quotas to tariffs, raising more than $10 billion a year. I
would also seek to eliminate all waste in government spending through better management
and collection practices.
New taxes to reduce deficits should be a last
resort. If we need to find additional revenues,
there are several principles we must apply. First,
any new taxes must be based on "ability to pay"
and must not make the tax system less progressive. Specifically, I would oppose a value added
tax: which would unfairly burden working people. Second, new taxes must not significantly
impair our efforts to compete in the world
economy.
Finally, as a way to ensure future budget control, any proposed new spending programs
should be specific as to how they would be paid
for. We should be honest about the cost of new
priorities. And we must ensure that their burden
falls least on the poor and middle-class Americans, who have lost most of the ground during
the Reagan years.

MICHAEL S. DUKAKIS
We cannot create economic opportunity for
all Americans if we are burdened with $150$200 billion budget deficits.
Record deficits mean record interest payments, an over-valued dollar that damages our
competitiveness, and a reduced standard of living for Americans.
There are two ways to reduce the deficit.
Control spending and increase revenues. We
must do both. No serious presidential candidate
can rule out new taxes. But instead of rushing to
impose new taxes ... on income, on imported
oil, on gasoline . . . we should first collect the

taxes that are already due.
This year, the Internal Revenue Service will
fail to collect $110 billion in taxes owed to the
Treasury, but not paid. America's working people pay their taxes; they must through payroll
withholding. But too many others, including
some corporations, do not.
We can raise $70 billion in new revenue by
bringing tax compliance rates back to where
they were in 1965. That's the quickest- and
fairest- way to reduce the deficit.

4

My goal isn't to raise taxes, it's to get America back on a steady course and moving again.
We absolutely must balance the books. The
budget deficit is throwing our economy out of

whack and mortgaging the future of our children.
Current budget priorities are simply misplaced. I am confident we can strengthen our
national security by investing in people. We
can't put blinders on when the question of defense cuts or revenue increases comes up. Nothing should be eliminated from the budget debate
as long as we make the necessary investments
in people-education, health care, job training,
nutrition, etc. Every program must be reevaluated, but we must not-we will not-swing the
budget axe blindly.
I believe Americans are willing to invest in
the future of their children. But we can't ask
those least able to afford it to do it all. I would
propose a budget that shares the sacrifice among
those who can bear the burden. So I think it
comes down to a combination of cuts and investments, less wasteful spending on things and
better investments in people.

ALBERT GORE JR.
America took 176 years to accumulate a trillion dollar debt. The current Administration
needed only five years to double it. This Administration's borrow-and-spend policies have
made our products more expensive overseas,
cost millions of American jobs, stopped investment in economic growth, and squeezed important social programs.
I believe America is ready to reduce the deficit in a fair and responsible way. My first choice
for reducing the deficit is economic growth, with
more jobs for Americans who will then pay
taxes on their income. But we must have a contingency plan as well. We would be willing to
share the burden equally, with equal contributions from three areas: cuts in military spending,
cuts in domestic spending, and increases in revenue.
A tax increase would be a last resort, but the
President is wrong to rule it out as part of a
comprehensive solution to reducing the deficit.
We should not impose a regressive value-added
tax which weighs most heavily on working
Americans.
Instead of cooking the books with phony
budget proposals, the next President should put
all the facts on the table and lead in the development of a broader consensus on the necessity
for a responsible fiscal policy.

JESSE JACKSON
President Reagan mortgaged America's future
through irrational military spending, unfair tax
cuts, the use of unemployment to fight inflation,
and misplaced national priorities.
I'm not convinced we need new taxesthough I have not ruled them out. For example,
several studies have shown that there may be
annual uncollected taxes up to $100 billion.
We need a FAIRER TAX SYSTEM. If new
taxes are n((eded, I will fight for a fairer tax system for the middle class, workers and the poor.
Second, we need NEW BUDGET PRIORITIES. We need a strong national defense, but
we can shift spending from military to domestic
without hurting our defense. We can have job
creation, job training and retraining, worker
safety, education, health care, housing and a
clean environment with new priorities. A working America is a taxpaying America.
Third, I support an "INVEST AMERICA"
plan where greater use of $2 trillion in private
pension funds can be earmarked for the rebuilding of America's infrastructure; legislation that
gives workers and communities six-month notice before closing plants; workers' option to

purchase such plants with government-guaranteed loans; investment tax incentives to corporations conditioned on their willingness to reinvest
in this market; and encouragement to corporations to joint venture with local and state governments.

PAUL SIMON
This Administration has mounted the most
concerted and broad-scale attack on the role of
government since the 1920s.
The stripping of government's needed revenues, combined with a mean-spirited attack on
public employees is part of a right-wing Republican effort to roll back every progressive program enacted for the benefit of ordinary American families since the New Deal.
That cannot happen.
We must move immediately to restore sufficient revenues to meet our nation's pressing domestic needs. We must reduce the pressure of
budget deficits on our trade deficit. And, we
must reduce the deficit because, as Harry Truman said, deficits only help the rich. The most
effective method of reducing the deficit is to put
America back to work, and increase our tax
base.
I alone among the announced presidential
candidates opposed the 1986 tax bill because of
the unjustified revenue-stripping reduction of tax
rates for the super-rich.
We must move aggressively to close tax loopholes and reverse the Reagan-inspired erosion of
the tax base.
Similarly, I believe public service must regain
its respected role in our country's life. The Republican effort to destroy public service through
privatiz.ation must be stopped!

BRUCE BABBITT
As Governor of Arizona I balanced nine
budgets in a row-simply by saying that some ·
things are more important than others. My
priorities were creating jobs and protecting the
interests of those least able to protect themselves. Even through a national recession, my
government:
• Repealed a regressive sales tax on food.
• Boosted spending on public education,
public safety, health and human services.
• Kept state spending below seven percent of
total personal income.
What you need to know from every presidential candidate is: What are his or her priorities? And how will he or she pay for them? My
priorities are outlined in the following answer. I
would pay for them both with budget cuts and
revenue increases, all of them targeted on some
genuine measure of need. I would not give a
mortgage interest deduction for mansions and
vacation homes. I would not pay subsidies to
corporate mega-farms. I would not build three
new generations of nuclear missiles all at once. I
would not pay the Vanderbilts and the Mellons
the same tax-free social security benefits as a
widow in a cold-water flat. .· In short, I would
balance the budget by setting humane priorities
and standing by them.

BOB DOLE
Working Americans, even those we seek to
help, are especially hard hit by continued
budget deficits. The inability of the Congress to
consider realistic spending cuts seriously
hampers our ability to increase our productivity
and growth.
Getting the deficit under control is critical to
our future. But, in putting together any package of deficit reduction proposals, it is inevitable that someone or some group will feel the
pain of spending cuts. I would propose that we
try to insure that no one group is singled out
unfairly and that we spread the reductions
across the broadest possible base. For this reason, I would exempt very few programs from

�review, including defense. But there are, of
course, some programs which should be given
special consideration as they provide crucial
benefits to the neediest in our communities, for
example Medicaid and the supplemental security income program for the blind, aged and
disabled.
In deciding how best to reduce federal expenditures the federal government should cooperate more fully with states and localities to determine which services would be most appropriately delivered by those governments, utilizing their resources as a complement to ours.
Before proposing the actual reduction of benefits, I would also look at the way our programs are managed in the hopes of reducing
administrative costs and increasing their efficiency.
Revenues may inevitably play a role in any
serious reduction effort. But, I am opposed to
any modification of the individual or business
rate structure which would have us break the
commitment we made to working Americans
last year in the tax reform bill.

PETE du PONT
I have pledged to the American taxpayers,
and I repeat this pledge here: I will not raise
taxes. I will reduce wasteful and over spending.
The federal government must stop thinking of
our tax dollars as its piggy bank.
I served as the Governor of Delaware for
eight years. Before I took office, the state had
run a deficit in four of the previous five years.
By cutting taxes-not raising them-and controlling unnecessary spending, we in Delaware
balanced the budget eight years in a row.
Through lower taxes and deregulation, we built
a solid record: today, one job in five in Delaware was created during the eight years of my
Administration.
As President, I will insist that able-bodied
people-now on welfare-go to work and become productive, self-respecting workers. This
will lower the deficit. And I will end subsidies
to corporations and wealthy individuals that
continue to cost the taxpayers billions-starting
with the $26 billion in farm subsidies that have
enriched large corporations and hurt consumers
and small farmers.
I will not raise taxes. I will control spending.
And we will balance the budget. We did it in
Q,laware, and with your help, we can stop the
lil'&gt;eral high tax, big spending policies that have
brought us the deficit.

ALEXANDER M. HAIG JR.
The federal budget deficit is the product of
long-term growth in programs and conflicting
theories about how best to raise revenues.
Experiments with supply side economics and
monetarism have reduced federal revenues even
though they have contributed to economic
growth and the reduction of inflation. Today, I
believe the deficit can be brought down gradually and safely through the application of these
principles:
1. No one section of the budget should bear
the main burden of reduction.
2. Every area of expenditure should be scrutinized before undertaking additional revenue
increases.
3. The budget process itself should be reformed, so that no President should be faced
constantly with the choice of shutting down the
government or signing a "budget-buster."
Clearly, these principles will require a constructive partnership between Congress and the
Executive. But that is why we elect them. The
alternative, such as constitutional amendments
to balance the budget or arbitrary "automatic"
cuts across the board are abdication8 of responsibility and will never work if the will to carry
them out is not there.

JACK KEMP
I would rule out a tax increase as a component of deficit reduction. I believe the most
compassionate and progressive way to bring the
budget into balance is to concentrate on a

comprehensive economic policy aimed at reducing unemployment, lowering interest rates,
bolstering trade and exports, and eliminating
corporate welfare. Unlike many in both parties,
I believe that the high interest rate policy of the
Federal Reserve is a main cause of the deficit,
not an undertaxed work force. The U.S. budget
cannot be balanced by unbalancing the budgets
of working men and women; therefore, I reject
tax increases. Our government must be committed to full employment without inflation.
Through strong pro-growth initiatives, the unemployment rate can be reduced-a precondition for a balanced federal budget.
Dramatic steps to move our economy to full
employment without inflation and achieve a
balanced budget must include:
First, stable money to bring down interest
rates and arrest the commodity price deflation
hurting our farmers and manufacturers; lower
interest rates would reduce the cost of servicing
the national debt and help our housing, automobile, manufacturing, farming, and other interest sensitive industries;
Second, stable exchange rates and a reciprocal initiative to eliminate unfair barriers to U.S.
exports;
Third, labor and capital must be liberated
from high tax rates so that American industry
can reindustrialize and workers are given the
incentives and tools to compete;
Fourth, a strong commitment to job training,
trade adjustment assistance, and education-to
bolster investment in both human and physical
capital;
Finally, corporate welfare programs must be
eliminated and strict limits should be placed on
government spending; I favor a line item veto
for the President.

PAT ROBERTSON
The most cruel thing that a government can
do to its workers, its retirees, and its young is
to load on such an insupportable burden of
debt that future opportunities in the American
market place are destroyed either by ruinous
inflation, or financial collapse and depression.
On the other hand government serves well
its working people and the poor by doing its
part to supply paying jobs through a vigorous
and expansionist private sector.
The key to cutting the federal budget deficit
is to eliminate waste and mismanagement. Our
people want government services, but they want
a lean and efficient government.
The Grace Commission pointed out that $433
billion of government savings are possible over
a three-year period. This report has never been
implemented.
The Packard Commission pointed out savings and efficiencies that would be possible in
the Defense Department.
Economist Donald Lambro speaking of "Fat
City," identified $100 billion of waste in the
federal budget.
Cuts should be fair and across the board.
The question is not whether they are possible
with minimum pain, the question is whether
we as a nation have politicians with enough
guts to put the interests of America above their
own.

GEORGE BUSH
Congress is now considering reducing the
budget deficit by raising taxes. This approach
cuts against the grain of common sense. Will
taxing Americans more make us work harder?
Will taxing business more make it invest more?
Arguing that higher taxes will be used to reduce the deficit ignores the record of Congress.
In 1982, the Democratic leadership promised
to cut spending by $3 for every $1 increase in
taxes. That promise remains unfulfilled. Pressures for spending in the Congress suggest that
higher taxes will not reduce the deficit, but finance more wasteful spending.
The challenge of balancing the budget illustrates the need to have a president who can
protect the national interest. Many government
programs are well-intentioned. But these programs must be financed by taxes, which hurt

all Americans, or by borrowing, which future
generations of Americans will have to pay back.
The need to protect the national interest-both
now and in the future-requires a president
who can represent all the people by controlling
spending and keeping taxes down.
Yes, there are cases when government needs
to help. One good example is our Administration's proposal for a new $1 billion program to
retrain dislocated workers and help them get
permanent jobs.
But let us not forget our ultimate goal. Let
us balance the budget, but let us do it without
hurting economic growth and weakening the
security of our nation. Keeping this strategic
goal in mind, the President and I have achieved
the following. 13 million new jobs. Inflation
falling from 12 percent in 1980 to just l percent in 1986. Interest rates dropping from 21.5
percent in 1980 to 7.75 percent now. Our defenses strengthened. In sum I believe we can
ensure that our best days lie ahead by controlling spending and keeping taxes down.

-

QUESflON 3
HUMAN NEEDS
What role do you see for governmentsfederal, state and local-in such areas
as: education, training, employment,
health care, housing, equal opportunity,
the environment, and programs for the
elderly? At your first Cabinet meeting,
what instructions would you give to the
heads of departments with responsibilities in these areas?

MICHAEL S. DUKAKIS
Consider the record we built in Massachusetts.
We helped working families, and the elderly,
by balancing our budgets and by cutting taxes
five times in four years. But we also made concern for the most vulnerable members of our society a top priority.
Our employment and training (ET) program
helped welfare families lift themselves out of
poverty and become self-sufficient wage-earning
citizens.
And we helped 30,000 low-income families
find decent, affordable housing.
We were the first to use state funds to supplement the federal nutrition program for women
and infant children.
We quadrupled college scholarship assistance;
and increased funds for public higher education
by a greater percentage than any other state.
We worked hard to provide quality health
and home care for older citizens.
We committed ourselves to battling AIDS,
homelessness, teen pregnancy, adult illiteracy,
drug and alcohol abuse, and the failure to provide child support.
Now the time has come to provide that kind
of leadership from Washington.
That is the message I would deliver during
my first Cabinet meeting.
But I would add that the most important human service program of all is full employment,
and that will be a fundamental goal of the Dukakis Administration.

RICHARD GEPHARDT
Government has one major function, essentially: to protect and defend its citizens. The federal government must act in the national interest, and I would reverse the policies of the past
several years that pit region against region, and

5

-

�which divide America. All governments, at every level, should be working together, pulling
together, instead of shucking responsibility off
onto the next guy down the ladder.
Under a Gephardt presidency this country
would see an unprecedented federal commitment to education. That's the key to building
the future of America. We must, and would, do
more to combat adult illiteracy, prevent dropouts, help people train and retrain for better
jobs, and elevate the aspirations and talent of all
our people.
We will never be a secure nation as long as
our citizens are uneducated, ill-housed, illclothed, ill-fed, and unemployed or underemployed. We will make America first again by
making people-human resources-our first
priority. I see an America where all leaders
share that responsibility, but where the federal
government sets the tone and takes the lead. In a
Gephardt Administration, I would expect the
heads of all departments to lead in that new direction.

-

ALBERT GORE JR.
Americans want a better deal from government. As President, I will set out to find a job
for every American who wants to work, and
make sure the minimum wage is at a level that
assures everyone gets fair pay. I believe we
should invest in people for a change, by creating
better schools and job training programs. We
should launch a national job bank to match jobseekers with job openings, so that if a person is
out of work, he or she will immediately have a
list of all the opportunities available. We should
widen the doors of equal opportunity we fought
so hard to open in the first place.
America must insist on a cleaner environment, by cleaning up hazardous waste dumps
and demanding clean water and clean air. America must guarantee all citizens the right to shelter
and increase the supply of affordable housing.
We should stand up for social security and give
the elderly access to better, less expensive longterm care. And we must make good health care
available to everyone at a price they can afford.
Finally, we should make it easier for Americans to build strong families, with good schools,
quality child care, and meaningful programs
against crime and drug abuse.

JESSE JACKSON
At my first Cabinet meeting I would instruct
Cabinet and Department heads that our government will assume the appropriate leadership in
these areas to ensure responsible, effective and
efficient performance. We will meet our responsibilities to the nation. My priorities include:
President Reagan proposed cutting education
to $14 billion. I proposed raising education to
$25 billion.
Unemployment during the Reagan Administration has averaged 8.1 percent. I propose a
FULL EMPLOYMENT AND BALANCED
GROWTH ECONOMY as the number one
priority of a Jackson Administration.
I support a national health care system that
provides quality health care for all of our citizens based on need and not solely on money;
and a new national housing effort that would
both shelter our people and help put our people
back to work.
I strongly support affirmative action and
would use the full powers of the Executive
Branch of government to firmly, but fairly, enforce the law.
A major role must be played by the federal
government in cleaning up our environment.
We can clean up our environment, create jobs,
and generate new taxes at the same time.
The measure of the moral character of a nation is how it treats its young, poor and elderly.

PAUL SIMON
Some believe our nation has reached its full
potential. I believe there are areas where government action is needed, and needed badly. I
will not wait until my first Cabinet meeting to
put together a program; I will move immediately after my election. At the first Cabinet meet-

--

-

6

ing, we will have a detailed plan to begin implementing.
Quality education must be available to all.
The federal government must provide guidance
and direct assistance where appropriate. We
must raise teacher pay and expand incentives for
attracting and retaining excellent teachers.
We cannot tolerate 7 percent unemployment.
As Franklin Delano Roosevelt did, we need to
put America back to work. We need to expand
private sector jobs, train and retrain young and
old workers, and provide jobs for those who
can't find work.
Housing programs for the poor, the elderly
and those who are handicapped must be revitalized.
The social security system and the Older
Americans Act must remain viable, providing
vital services and support.
There must be access to quality health care
for all. Medicare must be strong. All Americans
must have insurance and be protected from
overwhelming medical expenses that leave them
helpless.
These are the things I stand for.

BRUCE BABBITT
Three major priorities:
1. Children. One American child in four lives
in poverty. That is unacceptable, and I see three
urgent tasks. First, we must extend Medicaid
benefits to every child in poverty-immediately.
Second, we must help make it possible for
working parents to find decent child care. Third,
we must have m~ive improvements in education.
2. Jobs. You create quality jobs with economic growth, and that means giving ordinary
workers a piece of the action. How many times
have.you heard executives push for wage cutsand then reward themselves with bonuses for
their frugality? No American company should
be permitted to deduct an executive bonus as a
business expense unless it offers productivity pay
for all of its employees. I'd say to every American worker: If you make first-rate efforts-if
you pay attention to detail, if you improve the
quality of your product, if you find a better way
to do the job--you'll have first-rate rewards.
3. Environment. We need legislation on acid
rain, groundwater protection, and public lands. I
would tell every polluter: if you poison our water you will go to jail, and your money will be
spent to clean up the mess.

fellow Americans helps all of us. We will need
to tap the full potential and energies of all of our
people if we are to remain a great country into
the next century and beyond.

s
PETE du PONT
The first task for the federal government is
to provide for our national defense. Without a
strong military-second to none-we would
quickly lose all our freedoms. Poland, Afghanistan, Cuba, and Ethiopia are tragic reminders
of wh~t it means to be weaker than the Soviet
Union. ·
America must research, build, and deploy
the Strategic Defense Initiative as soon as possible. Today, we have no defense against Soviet
missiles fired on purpose or by accident. That
is a scandal. Some liberals say we should trust
the Soviets. I say we should place our trust in
the ingenuity, talent, and hard work of the
American people to build a strong defense-the
technology for which will catapult us ahead of
the rest of the world in competitiveness.
Another important task is to get drugs out of
our children's classrooms. The only way we'll
ever guarantee drug-free classrooms is to link
drug use with a driver's license. Now this will
require random drug testing of teenagers in our
schools. But, if we can require vaccinations before kids go to school, we can require drug
testing while they're in school.
Of course, we must provide counseling and
help for young people who need it. But we
have to let them know there are penalties-and
consequences-for drug use. We have to say,
"If you use drugs, you won't drive ... because
you won't have a driver's license."
For a long time, we've gone after drug
pushers. Now it's time to get tough with drug
users too.
Government must provide opportunity-opportunity for welfare recipients to vault out of
poverty, for parents to choose the schools their
children will attend, and for young workers to
save for their own retirement. My campaign
offers specific proposals for changing the policies that keep us from these goals.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

ALEXANDER M. HAIG JR.

Our primary challenge is to end a decade of
the "got mine, get yours" philosophy, and restore our sense of community and common
concern.
For our young, we must insure that all have
decent health care from birth through adolescence. We must give them the best education
system in the world We must expand drug education and treatment programs. And we must
sponsor new plans to put higher education within the reach of teens from all backgrounds.
We must help adults in need by providing
shelter for the homeless and training and opportunities for the jobless. Government must give
these Americans the help they need so they can
help themselves.
We must insure that our elderly have a retirement with dignity. They should have the
health care they need without spending everything they have worked a lifetime to save.
Our next President must lead the government
in addressing these pressing problems. The record of the past seven years-of neglect and irresponsibility-must be ended.
But the President will have to do more: he
will have to challenge the American people to
work for these same goals in their neighborhoods, schools, union halls, and communities.
He must offer moral leadership and a vision of
social justice. He must remind the people that
our less fortunate citizens are not "them"-they
are a part of ••us."
This is not something we should do just out
of compassion for those less fortunate. Helping

At my first Cabinet meeting, I would say
this: the best government is the least government but that which government does, it must
do well. The American people, after trial and
error, have established a social compact. Our
task is to do well, to respect that compact and
to encourage social progress.
In addition, I would say to the Secretary of
Labor that he must always hear the voice of labor. Other Cabinet officials, such as Commerce,
Treasury and Defense must do so as well.
The American system of federal, state and
local government is intended to give us the
flexibility to deal with problems at the most effective level. Over the past decade, we have
seen a strong revival of state and local capacity
to handle such pressing issues as economic development, job training and welfare. Recent
studies show that state "workfare" proposals
offer more promising results than traditional
federal style approaches in the effort to reduce
welfare rolls.
This new federalism, however, does not relieve Washington of responsibility for matters
that it can handle best. Environmental protection goes beyond state or local capabilities. We
urgently need changes in our health care system, not just to contain costs but to make sure
tliat those costs do not lead to a catastrophe for
the elderly and poor. Ultimately, the federal
government must also take the lead in combatting the plagues of AIDS and drugs, both of
which have an important international dimension.

�While education remains a primary task for
state and local jurisdiction, the federal government can and should help to restore to our
schools a sense of discipline, a respect for humane values and a quest for excellence that are
essential to our future as a democratic society.
It should also assemble, monitor and evaluate
standards of education at the national level. I
welcome the new emphasis on mastering the
fundamentals-reading, writing and arithmetic
-and analytical skills necessary to succeed in
our changing society. Our teachers, the custodians of the future, deserve our encouragement
and reward~ they strive to improve education
especially at the grade and secondary school
levels.

JACK KEMP
The most important thing government can
do for people is to provide the ladder of opportunity upon which all can climb, and a
floor of help to those who can't help themselves or are in temporary need of assistance. I
will instruct my Cabinet to follow policies that
will lead to a growing economy of at least 5
percent per year and that will provide a good
job at a decent wage for everyone who wants
to work. I will work to liberate labor, capital
and working families from high taxes and interest rates, and uphold the traditional family
values upon which our nation was founded.
I will commit my Administration to not only
fighting but winning the war on poverty. I will
mobilize the power of the private sector to
create jobs and opportunity in distressed cities
and rural areas through enterprise zones. My
Administration will give public housing tenants
the chance to become homeowners through urban homesteading legislation. My longstanding
and active support for job training, trade adjustment assistance, magnet schools, and protections for workers in the workplace will remain unchanged. I will commit my Administration to ensuring human and civil rights with
equal opportunity for all. I believe the social
security system is the bedrock of retirement security, and I will uphold its integrity and continue to oppose any effort to reduce benefits to
older Americans.

PAT ROBERTSON
In my own organization we have been involved in feeding, clothing, and housing some
13 million needy Americans. We do it with
one-half of one percent overhead. Ninety-nine
and one-half percent reaches the ultimate recipient. Some government programs use 70 percent for administration with only 30 percent
reaching the recipient.
Welfare must be used to bring people into
dignity and productivity. It should never be
used to create dependency.
The greatest problem area of poverty today
centers around single women with dependent
children. I may be old-fashioned, but it is my
feeling that if a man fathers children, it is his
job, not the government's to care for them. I
also feel that, with the exception of women
with children under the age of six, the concept
should be payment for productive employment-"workfare" not welfare.
For efficiency, and for moral and spiritual
support, government should work in partnership with the private medical agencies to care
for those truly needy among us.
My instructions to my Cabinet would be:
"Under no circumstances can a great and
powerful nation fail to provide adequate care
to its elderly, infirm, and handicapped. We can
no longer tolerate the heart-rending sight of
people sleeping on grates at the heart of our
cities.
"Current welfare legislation must be reformed and improved. We must.be compassionate-but that compassion must be tough and
efficient as ste"V ards of the taxpayers of America."
1

GEORGE BUSH
Americans have never been as well off as
they are today. We've created 13 million new

jobs, cut inflation, and brought interest rates
down. At the same time, we've rebuilt our defenses, while strengthening social security and
preserving the social safety net.
I have always believed that the best social
program is a job. That's why the best way to
meet our social needs is to protect the ability of
our economy to produce new jobs.
We .must k~ep moving forward with policies
that ~Ill provide more opportunity, further the
creatmn of new jobs, and keep inflation and interest rates down. We must not reverse course.
We must not make a U-turn to policies of high
taxes and overspending. Those policies failed
before and they would fail again.
e need to build on our progress and keep
movmg forward. Two major challenges we face
are education and AIDS. Our Administration
has led the crusade to reform American education by bringing back basics and emphasizing
achievement and high standards. SAT scores
are now rising again after almost 20 years of
steady decline. I am convinced that education
holds the key to restoring our competitiveness
in the world market. I would also seek new
ways to improving the ability of middle-class
families to meet the rising costs of college.
As ~or the AIDS crisis, I pledge my total
commitment to a comprehensive national effort
to coi;ribat this disease. As President, I would
coordinate the efforts of health care professionals, educators, clergy, parents, and all concerned Americans to work together to end this
threat to our future.

by communicating with their members
on the issues, and by endorsing candidates whose positions further the best
interests of their membership. What are
your views of organized labor's proper
role in the political process?

DEMOCRATS

W.

BOB DOLE
In defining the role of government I begin
with the belief that people at the gr~ roots
level- neighborhoods, church congregations
rank-and-file union members, and small busi~
ness owners-can usually fashion better ways
to meet the needs of their communities than
can Washington's bureaucracy. At the same
time, as a product of depression-era Kansas and
a World War II vet, I understand that there
are situations when the government needs to
step in and lend a hand. Government at all
leyels has a responsibility toward society's less
~ortunate, though the degree of that responsibility and how it is divided among the federal,
state, a_nd local governments can vary widely
dependmg upon the policy objective.
For example, in an area such as civil rights I
believe the federal government should play' a
strong, primary role. This is why I have supported every major civil rights law and was
proud to play a leadership role in the 1982 extension of the landmark Voting Rights Act. On
the other hand, in areas like employment, I feel
the federal government should be a partner
with state and local governments, as well as labor and business, to expand job opportunities
for America's workforce. Similarly, I believe
that the federal government shares an obligation with s~te and. local governments to help
the economically disadvantaged. This is why I
~a~e suppo.rted the Food Stamp program, Med1ca1d, Medicare, increasing access to legal services, and increasing the availability of health
care for the unemployed.
The central theme in my instructions to all
appointees would be to seek out ways to improve the effectiveness and professionalism in
the administration of programs, and to the extent further belt-tightening is needed to reduce
the deficit, fairness in proposing cuts.

QUESfION 4
THE POLIDCAl
PROCESS

Unions, like many other membership
organizations, have historically played
an active role in the political process by
assisting their members in registering,

RICHARD GEPHARDT
Democratic victories are won with the help of
la~&gt;ar, it's as simple as that, and we can't do
without you. I make no bones about the fact
that I would welcome the endorsement of the
A~erican labor movement. I plan on working
with the labor movement to put their membership on delegate slates across the country. I look
toward the labor movement to take an active
role in organizing our campaign, in recruiting
volunteers, and providing financial contributions.
.1 share the concerns of the working people of
this country-always have, always will. Often
as people reach for the stars they forget their
beginnings, but not Dick Gephardt. I'm never
going to forget the hard work my parents had to
put in to provide me with the opportunities I've
had in_ life. I want that same kind of country for
~y children and yours, a nation that is proud of
Its workers, and where hard work yields fair rewards and opportunity. We're setting out to
make America first again by sticking to our
strongest values: honesty, trust in people, regard
for hard work, and caring about our neighbors.
That's what my campaign is all about.

ALBERT GORE JR.
I~

my experience~ unions have always played
an 1mp.ortant role m shaping national policy.
When important legislation is on the line organized labor always comes through with' tremendous grass-roots support. Time after time
that political involvement saves jobs and make~
the system work.
Organized labor has helped me on every one
of my campaigns with advice, support, and volunteers. I would not be in the Senate were it not
for the hard work of working men and women
in Tennessee.
I have long been a strong supporter of union
participation in the democratic process. Unions
help democracy work the way it was meant
to-by harvesting ideas at the grass-roots level.
Democracy is just as important in the workplace. Economic growth will come when working Americans have more pay and say.

JESSE JACKSON
I support the right and ability of all citizens
an~ _labor to participate fully in the American
poht~cal pr~. have spent all of my adult life
fightmg ~nd nsking my life for that right. No
one has nsk~ more, registered more, politically
educated or mvolved more American citizens in
the political process.
Organized labor is a legitimate interest whose
~ncems ~ust be taken into account by any senous presidential candidate.
The rc:&gt;l~ of presidential leadership is to put
forth a vision of where the country needs to go
how he/ she proposes to get there, allow peopl~
an~ group~ .to see their role in the plan, and inspire all citizens and groups to get involved.
I ~av~ fought alongside organized labor all of
my hfe m our shared commitment to full em~loyment, .li~eable wages, worker safety, collective ba.rgamm¥, health care, housing, equal opportumty, ~ot~n~ rights and other programs of
humane pnontles at home and human rights
abroad.
I sup~rt org~nized labor's right to speak and
~ct on mternahonal labor and human rights
ISSues, and I look forward to continuing our efforts in these important fields.

!

7

�PAUL SIMON
American working people and the American
labor movement have been the driving force behind every major piece of progressive legislation
in the United States in this century.
That includes minimum wage, social security,
Medicare, basic health and safety legislation, civil rights. And on and on.
And, any Democratic candidate for President
who doesn't recognize this progressive and central role of the American labor movement does
not, in my opinion, understand our history either as a party, or as a nation.
In 1984, for example, the members of the
AFL-CI 0 provided the Democratic presidential
candidate with a dramatic 61-39 percent margin . .
The simple fact is that the American labor
movement is often way ahead of the Democratic
Party in recognizing the issues which concern
and move ordinary American working people
and voters. The election of 1984 is a dramatic
demonstration of that.
I see my role in this campaign as the spokesperson of the Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy
Democratic tradition of fighting for American
working men and women.
I would be proud to carry the banner of the
American labor movement and the Democratic
tradition into the next election.
And, as Harry Truman showed, when we do
that, Democrats win!

-

in Massachusetts have been an important part of
the extraordinary economic success that we enjoy. With the full participation of organized labor, we have reduced unemployment to less
than 4 percent in Massachusetts.
Labor leaders have been essential partners in
a coalition that has won passage of strong plantclosing legislation; a comprehensive right-toknow bill; and sweeping reform of our workers'
compensation system.
Without national leadership from organized
labor, we would never have achieved the kind
of social and economic progress that is reflected
in federal laws governing the minimum wage,
the eight-hour day, civil rights, Medicare and
Head Start.
I have sought support from organized labor
throughout my political career, and I do so now
as a candidate for the presidency.
We need your involvement; we need y9ur
leadership; we need the active participation of
working men -and women and their families in
the 1988 campaign.
And I will need your active participation and
involvement as President of the United States.

REPUBLICANS

BRUCE BABBITT
The American labor movement has always
stood for the protection of those who could not
protect themselves. You have led the way to
many of this century's most important social
welfare advances. As a Democrat, I welcome
the vital contribution that the labor movement
has made to building my party. There is nothing
narrow or selfish in representing the interests of
working men and women and their families,
and I will be proud to stand with the American
labor movement in this presidential campaign.
There will inevitably be issues on which we disagree, but I welcome your participation and I
intend to work hard for your support.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
Organized labor has always been the bedrock
of progressivity in this nation. But I believe that
1988 will be a watershed election for labor. At
the moment when the standard of living for our
workers is no longer rising, we need strong leadership from labor.
We are seeing many transitions in the economy which will affect workers. We need more
labor protection now, not less, so that the rights
of American workers are not sacrificed in this
transition. For example, many manufacturing
jobs are being lost and are being replaced by
service sector jobs which are not organized. I
believe labor must organize in those new industries in order to protect worker rights.
Over the past six years, business groups have
been waging a war on organized labor-trying
to roll back most of the gains of the past four
decades. The Reagan Administration has tried
to undo the entire structure of labor-management relations in this country. The chairman of
the NLRB bas gone so far as to attack the very
idea of collective bargaining, the most fundamental right of all.
It is time for unions and their members to
fight back. You have a right and duty to play an
active role in politics. You should demand that
basic fairness be done for working people, and
that we get the nation moving again.
I hope that every working man and woman
will get involved in the political process in 1988.
America's unions should do everything they can
to make sure that this happens.

MICHAEL S. DUKAKIS

PAT ROBERTSON
Organized labor has at its disposal vast sums
of money held in trust under a tax free status.
This money comes from the dues of hardworking Americans.

The leaders and members of organized labor

-

JACK KEMP
The proper role of organized labor in the
political process is the same as that of all organizations-to work to promote the best interests of its individual members, of free enterprise, and of our nation. As co-founder and
president of the American Football League's
Players Association, I helped negotiate the first
league-wide pension contract in history. I believe in the sanctity of the contract and the
right to bargain-and I also respect and uphold
individual rights to choose, free of coercion. I
have been fortunate enough to receive the endorsement of many labor unions during my
campaigns for Congress, and I have learned
first-hand that union members vote the candidate, not the political party. The political diversity among American working men and
women and their active involvement in the political process bas been good for labor and good
for our democracy. I welcome the active involvement of labor in the political process on a
bipartisan basis.

I believe that organized labor can and must
play a key role in the American political pro~-

8

ALEXANDER M. HAIG JR.
As Supreme Commander of NATO, I became aware of organized labor's essential international role. In a world often hostile to democracy, American labor leaders have always stood
courageously for the principles of human dignity, individual rights and freedom. Through its
international efforts, the AFL-CIO has written
a unique chapter in the history of human
rights, while making an essential contribution
to the security of the free world.
It is not a question therefore of labor's proper role in the political process. There can be no
democratic political process without a strong
labor role. Every democratic community has a
strong organized labor movement. In countries
not yet free, such as Poland, labor unions are
the leading advocates of a democratic system.
Americans believe that a free people, to be
truly free, must also be educated in their political choices. Democracy is not a spectator sport.
Every participant is a winner. Only those who
fail to participate are the losers. Unions, by assisting their members to understand the issues
and the candidates, help this process.

These dues are not Democratic money or
Republican money, but workers' money.
I feel that unions should have the same
rights and privileges in the political process as
any other non-profit membership organization.
However, never should the leaders of unions
use their power or the union dues for any candidate in a primary or general election. Political
participation is a precious right that should
never be abridged to any American.

GEORGE BUSH
A democracy can only be as strong as its
people. If Americans fail to exercise one of our
most precious rights-the right to vote-the
United States would be a democracy in name
only.
Over the last two centuries, we've had to
struggle, and sometimes even fight, to extend
the right to vote to all Americans, regardless of
race, color, creed, or sex. Now that we have
universal suffrage, we must always protect this
most treasured of rights.
Communist societies allow their subjects the
"right" to vote in theory. Dictators of the leftand the right-ignore what we must never
forget: the vital importance of free people voting freely according to the dictates of their conscience.
Like other organized groups, labor unions
can play an important role in furthering and
strengthening our democracy. By encouraging
members and their families to register and vote,
and by helping to inform them about the issues
and candidates, unions can play a valuable role
in strengthening freedom.

BOB DOLE
As the representatives of nearly 20 million
workers, it is entirely appropriate and desirable
for labor unions to play an active role in the
political process by registering voters and
communicating with union members on issues
critical to their interests.
I think, however, the AFL-CIO's decision to
attempt to become a force only with the Democratic Party in presidential elections is a grave
error that has worked to the detriment of its
members. Union members are a politically diverse group, many of whom are proud to be
members of the Republican Party. In the last
election, 4 7 percent of union households supported the Republican presidential candidate.
Therefore, it is time the AFL-CIO leadership
abandoned its partisan Democratic role and
adopted a more bipartisan approach that better
reflects the views of its members. I would like
to see the AFL-CIO work within the framework of both national political parties to advance the agenda that is critical to its membership.

PETE du .PONT
I would like to thank Lane Kirkland for the
opportunity to share my thoughts with you.
The space here is short, and I hope that as I
travel around this great nation of ours, I will
have the chance to meet and speak with you.
Our Constitution is now 200 years old. It is
the bedrock of our liberties, and it gives us all
the opportunity to take part in our democracy.
Labor unions and other aswciations have an
important role to play in our elections, our
economy, and the quality of our life.
I .do get concerned sometimes when I see
how labor union Political Action Committees
tend to throw their support behind so many
liberal politicians. Many liberal politicians who
receive tens of thousands of dollars from labor
unions-money paid by you-vote for a weak
America. They criticized America when we
liberated the brave people of Grenada. Those
liberal politicians who vote against every defense bill are no friends of patriotic, hard-working Americans. I urge you as members of a labor union to take an active role as an
individual in choosing just what kind of politicians get our dollars.

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PAY HIKE ON PAR WITH OFFICERS IN NEW CONTRACT&#13;
PERSIAN GULF PROBLEMS SHOW NEED FOR MERCHANT FLEET&#13;
CDS PAYBACK DECISION NEARS, DUE JULY 15&#13;
DOUBTS SLOW KUWAIT REFLAGGING&#13;
FLAG OF CONVENIENCE?&#13;
NATIONAL MARITIME DAY 1987&#13;
GOVERNMENT SHIPBUILDING HELP NEEDED TO SAVE U.S. YARDS, DEFENSE PANEL TOLD &#13;
BAKER-WHITELEY OWES $2 MILLION-SIU FIRM WINS $36 MILLION DREDGE PACT&#13;
MATE COURSES GEARED TO JOB, NOT JUST TO PASSING EXAMS&#13;
ANNUAL P.S.C.A INDUCTION OF OFFICERS AWARDS DIINER&#13;
PROFILE: KAWISHIWI’S 3RD MATE&#13;
NEW FLEET OILER ADDED&#13;
STATE SENATOR SUPPORTS WORKERS&#13;
MSC HOSPITAL SHIP ON HUMANITARIAN MISSION&#13;
A GOOD (SAFE) SHIPMATE&#13;
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TRADE STAND-OFF&#13;
COMPREHENSIVE POLICY NEEDED&#13;
ADMINISTRATIONS LACK OF VISION&#13;
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THE CANDIDATES ON THE ISSUES&#13;
QUESTION 3 HUMAN NEEDS&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication ol the Seafarers International Union • Atlantic:, GuU, Lakes and Inland Waters District • AFL-CIO

Congressional Criticism Is Heavy

Few Salute Flag Pole on Kuwaiti Tanker Plan
Maritime labor leaders strongly criticized the administration's plan to reflag 11 Kuwaiti tankers under the
American flag, and politicians of both
parties questioned the plan's political
wisdom at recent congressional hearings. But all indications are that those
ships will be sailing with U.S. Navy
protection this month.
Kuwait requested the reflagging in
an attempt to protect its ships from
Iranian attack in the Persian Gulf,
especially through the narrow Strait
of Hormuz where Iran can control the
area with sophisticated surface-to-ship
missiles and other weapons. Kuwait
has been a long-time ally oflraq during
the seven years of the Iran-Iraq war.
It has allowed its ports to be used for
shipment of commercial and military
supplies to Iraq. Both warring nations
have attacked commercial shipping in
the Gulf.
"We do not propose to address this
issue on a foreign policy basis, we do

feel qualified to discuss the merits of
this scheme as it affects long-established national maritime policy,'' SIU
President Frank Drozak told the House
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee during a day-long hearing on
the issue last month.
Much of the hearing centered around
the manning requirements for reflagging. The administration has used a
loophole in a 100-year-old law to claim
that only an American captain is needed
on each of the reflagged tankers. In
addition, it has granted a one-year
waiver for certain U.S. safety requirements. U.S. maritime law requires that
any ship which flies the U.S. flag must
carry a 100 percent U.S. citizen licensed crew and at least a 75 percent
U.S. unlicensed crew.
During the reflagging paperwork,
the Coast Guard claimed that because
none of the ships would ever enter or
leave a U.S. port, an American citizen
crew would not be required.

SIU's Sealift Conference Studies
RFP's, Manpower and Training

SIU President Frank Drozak tells committee members that U.S. seafarers are ready and
trained to crew any reflagged tankers. With Drozak are (from the left) James Patti
representing the Masters, Mates and Pilots; Ed Kelly, vice president District-2 MEBA,
and Joe Penot of the Radio Officers Union.

"[This] is apparently based on a
provision in the law covering citizenship requirements on U.S.-ftag vessels
which provides that after leaving a
U.S . port an American-flag vessel operating outside the commerce of the
United States can replace both licensed and unlicensed U.S. citizen
crewmembers if the operator is 'deprived' of U.S. citizen personnel. This
exception to the rule is more than 100

years old and was clearly designed to
cover an emergency situation where a
U.S. crewmember would not be able
to physically meet the vessel . . . This
general and temporary exception is
little used in today's world where the
movement of seamen from a point in
the United States to a foreign destination via air transportation is gener(Continued on Page 3.)

Marad OKs CDS Payback

The SIU's second Annual Sealift Conference brought together labor, industry and military
representatives. Military work is the fastest growing segment of the maritime industry,
but it also presents many problems. See pages 15-18 for a special report.

Jones Act Threatened on Lakes
Inland Tug and Tow News

Page 3
Pages 6-7

Onboard the Sgt. Kocak and MIV Arion
SHLSS News
Seafarers Vacation Plan Report

Page 8

Pages 9-14
Page 27

Out of the entire maritime community, Marad and a few owners of large
tankers are the only groups that ever
supported CDS payback. Yet despite
some of the most united opposition
ever mounted against a proposal, Marad
once again approved the CDS payback
concept.
That means three huge tankers which
paid back the CDS funds under a 1985
rule, which a federal judge later declared invalid, will be able to remain
in the lucrative Alaskan oil trade. That
domestic trade, according to American maritime law, is reserved for nonsubsidized ship operators.
In January a federal judge ordered
Marad to revise the rule because it did
not meet legal requirements. A court
will review the new rule and several
groups are expected to file suit or seek
injunctions against the CDS payback
regulations.
In addition, a House-Senate conference committee, days after the Marad
announcement, passed legislation
which prohibits the Department of
Transportation from using any funds
to implement the new rule. The language is included in the FY 1987 supplemental appropriations bill. Because
the rule was issued before the bill was

approved, CDS payback supporters
say the restrictions do not apply. That
issue may end up in court too.
One issue that is not in dispute is
what the payback rule has done since
the tankers were allowed into the domestic trade.
Contrary to DOT' s original estimates that seven tankers would repay
$277 million in subsidy to the Treasury, during the effective period of the
rule only three vessels elected to pay
back the subsidy resulting in approximately $106 million being returned to
the U.S. Treasury. At the same time,
however just as opponents of the rulemaking had predicted, implementation
of the rule cost the government $182
million in defaults under the Title XI
Vessel Loan Guarantee Program and
the Economic Development Administration loan program. If the rulemaking is reinstated, DOT estimates that
an additional $88 million in Title XI
defaults will occur. However, industry
projections indicate that additional defaults will approach $200 million based
on the expected decline of Alaska
North Slope oil production and the
shift in the trade to the West Coast.
Historically, the Navy has relied on
(Continued on Page 4.)

�President's Report
by Frank Drozak
There are many reasons why the
administration's plan to reftag 11 Kuwaiti tankers under the Stars and
Stripes is a bad idea. It has drawn
criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike for various political and
foreign policy reasons. But I'll leave
it to the politicians and foreign policy
experts to debate the wisdom of the
move.
I am concerned with maritime implications of the reflagging. It seems
as if the SIU, and all maritime interests, have been battling to protect our
industry and our job security ever
since the Reagan administration took
office. We have seen attacks on cargo
preference, the Jones Act, subsidies
and now crew citizenship requirements. We are dealing with policy
makers who are either ignorant of
maritime law or are outright hostile to
the U .S.-ftag merchant marine. On
some days I think it's the latter, on
others I hope it's just ignorance.

the various maritime unions have come
together to fight this assault. I appeared with representatives from the
MM&amp;P, D-2, the Radio Officers Union
and the NMU at a recent hearing. In
addition, all other maritime unions
have lobbied against the plan.
This united front, rare as it is, may

"Under the reflagging plan, the only
American citizen who will be required to
be onboard a U.S.-flag ship, sailing with
U.S. Navy protection, paid for by ·U.S.
taxpayers' money, will be the captain.
That's just flat-out wrong"
Under the reflagging plan, the only
American citizen who will be required
to be onboard a U .S.-ftag ship, sailing
with U.S. Navy protection, paid for
by U.S. taxpayers' money, will be the
captain. That's just flat-out wrong.
The administration based the crewing decision on a 19th century law and
even misinterpreted that law. The law
says that when a ship is "deprived"
of an American crewmember while on
a foreign voyage, a seaman of any
nationality can be hired. That made a
great deal of sense in the last century.
Today we can have a Seafarer from
anywhere in the U.S. to a ship anywhere in the world within 24 hours.
On top of that, I can't figure out how
these tankers have been "deprived"
of an American crew. We certainly
haven't turned down any offer to crew
the ships. The NMU hasn't. None of
the officers' unions has.
Maybe the one silver lining to this
reflagging controversy has been that

actually accomplish some good. Congress probably will let the 11 tankers
sail with only an American captain.
But that loophole could very well be
closed thanks to an amendment from
Rep. Mario Biaggi (D-N.Y.).
His amendment to the Coast Guard
Authorizations bill would require 100
percent U.S. citizen crews for U.S.flag ships. It approved, that would
eliminate the possibility of the U.S.
becoming a flag-of-convenience registry. Even today there are 25 U.S.-ftag
vessels which do not call on American
ports; technically some of those American merchant sailors could be replaced by foreigners.
We are hoping that the united support from the maritime industry can
get this vital piece of legislation passed.
Shannon Wall, Gene DeFries, Ray
McKay and I have sent letters to all
House members urging their support.
I think we'll get it.

***

NMU Celebrates 50th
The National Maritime Union is celebrating its 50th anniversary this
year. Formed from the remnants of the old International Seamens Union
in 1937, the NMU has been in the vanguard in the continuing battle to
promote job security and rights for all seamen.
''The NMU has an important and a proud place in the history of
maritime labor. We've gone around and around with each other in these
50 years, but the bottom line has always been the lives and working
conditions of American seamen," said SIU President Frank Drozak.
The NMU's first president was Joe Curran, an AB who led a strike on
the old U.S. Lines California in 1936. At the time West Coast sailors
had established themselves and their union to the point where companies
were using hiring halls. Seamen had won the eight-hour day, cash for
overtime and higher wages than their counterparts in the East in the ISU.
In the fall of that year insurgents within the ISU had grown to a
majority of the membership and a large East and Gulf Coast strike was
called. In 80 days 25 seamen were killed in skirmishes with "goon squads"
and police. But shipowners finally gave in and agreed to pay increases,
overtime and the use of hiring halls.
In 1937, dissatisfied with both the ISU leadership and the American
Federation of Labor (AFL), most members left the ISU and formed the
NMU on May 3, and affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).
In 1938 the SIU was formed and became part of the AFL.
While the two unions differed on some issues, there were times of
cooperation for common goals. Both unions paid a high price in keeping
U.S.-manned ships crewed during World War II. Overall, more than
6,000 NMU and SIU men gave their lives in the war effort.
The early ideological differences that separated the two unions were
part of a larger split within the labor movement. Yet by 1955, many of
those differences had narrowed, as evidenced by the merger between the
AFL and the CIO.
In the late 1950s the unions threw their joint support into trying to stop
runaway, flag-of-convenience ships. A worldwide four-day strike tied up
more than 200 ships. Efforts were made to organize foreign seamen into
the International Maritime Workers Union formed by the NMU and the
SIU.
During those years there was talk of merging the two unions, but while
the NMU and the SIU have been able to unite on the important issues
over the years (the 1970 Merchant Marine Act, Alaska oil ban, Jones Act
protection, CDS payback and most recently the Kuwaiti reflagging
scheme), getting together has proven difficult.
''The n~ture of the maritime industry has changed dramatically,''
Drozak said, "and we all have to change with it or we won't be there.
But the one thing we're both concerned about is the men and women
who crew these ships. We want to make sure there is a healthy merchant
marine and that the workers sailing are given their due in security and
respect. Maybe someday we can set aside our real and imagined differences, but until then we will work together where we can and protect
our memberships where we have to."

Years ago our fights used to be on
the waterfront. Today, this reftagging
issue is another example of why playing the Washington game is so important. What is happening on Capitol
Hill could mean the loss of hundreds
of jobs or the protection of seafaring
rights and law. That is why we are here.
That is also why we need -your
continued support for our Washington

activities. It may not always look it,
but we're talking jobs when the SIU
is talking to congressmen. The Kuwaiti plan is a key example. SPAD is
what finances our presence and gives
us the power to play in the same game
with the corporate giants and the runaway flag millionaires. Keep that in
mind. Donate to SPAD. We're talking
about jobs and job security.

Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union of
North America, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District,
AFL·CIO

July 1987

Vol. 49, No. 7

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

~71

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Secretary

Charles Svenson

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) i~ published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters D1stnc~. AFL-CIO, 5201. Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 89906~~· Sec?nd-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges, Md. 20790-9998 and at additional
~~1.112g ~~~es. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,

7

2 I LOG I July 1987

�Kuwaiti Reflagging Plans Take Heat from All Sides
(Continued from Page 1.)
ally done in less than 24 hours," Drozak said.
Government witnesses from the departments of State, Transportation and
Defense had trouble justifying the interpretation of the law and if the ships
were indeed "deprived" of a U.S.
crew. When questioned, they simply
stated that the since the ships never
will call on a U.S. port, American
crews are not mandated.
Drozak explained to the committee
that the crew requirement laws were
designed to make sure a pool of trained
civilian crews would always be available to the United States in time of
emergency. Several other witnesses
also noted that American merchant
sailors have worked closely with the
Navy in training exercises and are
familiar with Navy operations.
Even James Patti, who testified for
the Masters, Mates and Pilots (who
are providing the captains for the ships),
expressed concern that the Kuwaiti
decision on manning will set a precedent for others to reflag without hiring
U.S. crews.
Some witnesses and committee
members asked why little effort was
made to suggest the Kuwaitis charter
some of the more than 40 modern U.S.
tankers now laid up. While that was
apparently suggested by Marad Administrator John Gaughan, he said he
did not push the idea.

"Operators of U .S.-flag vessels have
told me that they have offered their
services to Kuwait and the administration and been refused," Drozak
said.
Several bills have been introduced
in both houses which would close the
loophole allowing the use of foreign
seamen on American ships. But there
is little indication that any legislation
prohibiting the Kuwaiti deal will pass.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a bill to delay the

''American foreign policy succeeds
when our mission is clear, when the
administration and the Congress act
in concert and when the American
people understand and support our
·goals. None of these conditions are
present in the hastily concocted scheme
to flag Kuwaiti tankers . . . This is a
sham and a deception, a rent-a-Navyscheme," he said.

Drozak and D-2's Ed Kelly confer in the
hallway during a break in the hearings.

During a break in the day-long hearing,
SIU lobbyist Liz DeMato and Marad Administrator John Gaughan trade thoughts.

Jones Act on the Table

a e a s Hed
Between U.S., Canada
If you can answer the following
question, you have a good understanding of the latest threat to the Americanflag merchant marine.
Q: What's the film capital of North
America?
A: Canada.
Surprising? Hardly. The Canadian
dollar is undervalued in relation to its
American counterpart. Any film producer who crosses the border enjoys
an automatic 25 percent price advantage.
What does this mean for American
seamen? A great deal. Right now, the
United States and Canada are in negotiations over a proposed ''free trade''
pact which would eliminate most, if
not all, so-called bariers to ''free trade''
between the two countries. On the list
of topics to be discussed is the Jones
Act, which restricts domestic shipping
to American carriers.
Mel Pelfrey, vice president of District 2-Marine Engineers Beneficial
Association, has met with government
officials to make them understand that
America's cabotage laws "are not barriers to free trade," but rather part
and parcel of this nation's defense and
transportation network. They enable,
Pelfry says, the United States to sustain "a strong merchant marine, able
to carry the nation's commerce and
provide assistance to the U.S. armed
forces in time of emergency.''
Numerous differences have arisen

refiagging, and the House is expected
to consider such a move later. But
congressional leaders say their action
is more an effort to get on the record
opposing the plan than to actually stop
it. They do not believe they have
enough votes to override what would
certainly be a presidential veto.
The major political objections are
that the reflagging would align the U.S.
with Iraq in the war and possibly drag
the U.S. into the conflict, especially
if the tankers or the Navy escorts are
attacked. Critics also say the plan has
been poorly thought out and is mainly
an attempt to counter Soviet influence
in the area. The Kuwaitis chartered
three Soviet tankers earlier.
The oil from Kuwait goes mostly to
Europe and Japan, and some congressional leaders have said those countries should help provide protection
and foot the bills for escorts.
Perhaps the strongest criticism of
the plan came from Rep. Tom Lantos
(D-Calif.) who called it "ill-conceived
and ill-advised."

between the two sides. "With under
four months to go before negotiators
must meet a deadline," wrote Leo
Ryan in The Journal of Commerce
earlier this month, "the U .S.-Canada
free trade talks have entered the critical last phase It promises to be a
long, hot summer as the giant poker
game draws to a close and the players
must close thelf final cards.
''Their deadline is firm: in order for
a trade pact to pass Congress under
President Reagan's fast-track negotiating authority, the document must be
completed by Oct. 5. If it is not,
Congress will be free to amend whatever proposal the negotiators come up
with ...
·Financial services have grabbed
the limelight . . . But Canada is also
pushing its own interests on the transportation front, proposing an extension of each country's airline landing
rights in the other country. The Canadians are also trying to get Washington to agree to modify at least some
aspects of the Jones Act so Canadian
ships could get a share of the U.S.
coastal trade now restricted to U.S.built vessels manned by U.S. crews
and registered in the United States."
If the Jones Act is weakened, predicts Pelfry, the Great Lakes fleet
would be put out of business.
Canada could then seek entry to
other U.S. trades, such as the Alaska
North Slope oil run, by building a

U.S. Runaways-Won't Fly Flag
But Seek U.S. Navy Protection
When the Kuwaiti-reflagging story broke, Chris Dupin of The Journal
of Commerce predicted that shipping companies would waste little time
in exploiting any newly publicized loopholes in maritime law. His
prediction has already been borne out. Days after the administration
announced its decision to reflag the 11 Kuwaiti tankers, the Federation
of American Controlled Shipping (FACS) was gearing up its lobbying
machine.
F ACS, composed of large multi-national corporations which have
grown rich by evading American taxes, safety standards and wage rates,
opposed the reflagging. Unfortunately, it used the occasion to plug two
ofits pet projects: getting the American government to protect Panamanian
and Liberian-flag vessels operating in the Persian Gulf, and asking
Congress to repeal a provision in last year's tax reform bill which required
American owners of foreign-registered vessels to pay taxes on profits
they made from the operation of vessels they had dpcumented under
foreign registries.
F ACS even had the gall to say that these flag-of-convenience owners
should be given protection because they '"paid" American taxes. Yet as
they were asking for repeal of the Tax Reform Act, they had yet to pay
taxes, and they had successfully evaded American taxes, safety standards
and wage rates by relocating their operations overseas.
More than that, they created a serious sealift crisis for the United
States and its NATO allies.
deep-sea fleet or acquiring ocean-going
tonnage abroad.
In the May issue of the American
Maritime Officer, Pelfry reported that
the following items are now on the
table:
( 1) The Merchant Marine Act of
1920-more commonly known as the
Jones Act. The law reserves all domestic waterborne commerce for U.S.
merchant vessels.
(2) U.S. "Buy American" laws,
which require federal, state, and local
government agencies to purchase
goods and services from U.S. suppliers.

(3) The Capital Construction Fund
program-CCF-set up in the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. CCF allows
U.S. shipping firms to defer federal
income tax payments on profits invested in American-flag ships built in
U.S. yards.
(4) The U.S. merchant ship operating differential subsidy program established in the Merchant Marine Acts
of 1936 and 1970. ODSA is not available for ships built abroad.
(5) The Maritime Administration's
Title XI U.S. merchant vessel construction loan and mortgage guarantee
(Continued on Page 4.)
July 1987 I LOG I 3

�July Marks 53 Years Since "Bloody Thursday"
The 53rd anniversary of "Bloody
Thursday" was honored by West Coast
seamen and unions July 3 in San Francisco. The observance was held on
the corner of Steuart and Mission
streets, site of a mural/sculpture honoring Nick Bordoise, Howard Sperry
and all the maritime workers who
stood united during the 1934 Longshoremen' s Strike.
Bordoise and Sperry were the two
trade unionists killed by San Francisco
policemen when employers mounted
a campaign to open up the port which
had been shut down in the summer of
1934 by striking seamen and longshoremen.
As John Bunker, former head of the
SIU's Historical Research Department, wrote, the West Coast strike
marked the beginning of the modern
seamen's movement.
''The Seafarers International Union
of North America (and the National

Maritime Union) were born in the
hectic, strike-ridden days of the Great
Depression, the worldwide economic
slump of the 1930s," wrote Bunker.
The Longshoremen's Strike of 1934
marked a turning point for maritime
workers. Their clout had been weakend by decreased membership roles,
a worsening economic situation and a
bitter defeat during the 1921 general
maritime strike.
"West Coast dockworkers," wrote
Bunker, "had gone on strike May 1934
for more money, a 30-hour week, unionrun hiring halls and a coast-wide contract.
"West Coast seamen walked off
their ships in support of the dock
workers and presented demands of
their own for higher wages, union
recognition in collective bargaining,
and better conditions aboard the ship.
East Coast sailors of the ISU (the
precursor union of both the SIU and

NMU) then decided to support the
strike in all areas ....
"The owners rejected all demands.
''Shipping in San Francisco and other
West Coast ports was soon at a standstill. Within a few days, more than 50
ships were idle at their docks or at
anchor. Piers were filled with cargo.
"Shipowners and other business interests then determined to open the port.
Plans were made through the Industrial
Association to run trucks through the
gauntlet of pickets to get cargo off the
piers, with Pier 38 as a start ...
"On the morning of Thursday, July
3, more than 5,000 longshoremen, seamen and curious onlookers had gathered on the Embarcadero near Pier
38 . . . (The picketers and the police
became engaged in a bitter fight after
a convoy of trucks unloaded dozens
of truckloads of cargo).
''There was no action on Independence Day, but by 8 a.m. on July 5

some 3,000 picketers had gathered on
the Embarcadero. When a Belt Line
locomotive came along with cars for
the pier, the battle began again . . .
"Pickets set cars on fire, hundreds
of policemen charged . . . A full scale
engagement began, with bricks and
bullets, clubs and tear gas on near-by
Rincon Hill, a knoll along the waterfront. When police charged up the hill,
shots were fired and two pickets were
killed. Scores were wounded.
"The unions retaliated by calling a
general strike on July 16. This action
paralyzed the city. Nothing moved.
Stores closed. Only a few restaurants
were permitted to open. Business life
came to a standstill.
"The 1934 strike, which lasted 39
days, resulted in substanitial gains for
both longshoremen and seamen, with
the latter obtaining wage increases, a
three-watch system onboard ship and
better living conditions."

ILA's Teddy Gleason Retires, Led for 24 Years
A little more than 68 years ago
Teddy Gleason joined the International Longshoremen's Association.
In 1963 he was elected ILA president.
The 86-year-old Gleason will retire
Augu st I.
"The SIU and the ILA have had
their differences for years, but I'll tell
you this, Teddy Gleason fought for his
membership. He was a tough, hard
negotiator at an age way past when
most men retire," said SIU President
Frank Drozak.
Gleason began working on the New
York docks when he was 15, in 1915.
He worked steadily as an ILA docker
until the Depression when he was
blacklisted from the piers because of
his union activity. Shortly after Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president

of the U.S. , laws guaranteeing the
right to join labor union were passed ,
and Gleason once again began work
on the docks.
In the 1930s he was elected as a
local union president and business
agent. He advanced through the ILA's
ranks as a general organizer, executive
vice president and was elected international president in 1963. He is the
senior ranking AFL-CIO vice president on the Executive Council. He is
also a vice president of the International Transport Workers Federation
and serves on its board of directors.
Gleason served the ILA during some
very stormy times. In 1953 the union
was expelled from the AFL-CIO following charges of racketeering and
corruption. During that time the SIU

Marad OKs CDS Payback
(Continued from Page 1.)

the privately owned commercial fleet
as the primary source to supply it with
militarily useful, handy-sized tankers
to transport petroleum products dur-

ing a national emergency. Citing the
disruptive effect of this rulemaking on
the commercial fleet since the proposal's initial inception, the Navy in
comments submitted to the Maritime

Senator Honored in Algonac

formed the International Brotherhood
of Longshoremen. After six years of
battling, the ILA was readmitted to
the AFL-CIO in 1959.
Waterfront observers give Gleason
credit for improving dockworkers' status from low-paid laborers to some of
the best-paid and protected blue collar
workers. He was able to begin the
Guaranteed Annual Income program
in 1964, a job security program, and
won wage increases in each contract
until 1986 when the depression of the
maritime industry, a shrinking membership and new competition for jobs
forced concessions and wage cuts for
ILA members.
John Bowers, 61, ILA executive
vice president since 1961, is expected
to be elected to the top post.

Administration on April 28, 1987 opposed reissuance of the payback
scheme pointing out that it expects to
buy a minimum of 20 tankers at a cost
of more than $200 million to meet
requirements that the private sector is
no longer able to fulfill. On top of this
projected outlay, the Navy must spend
an additional $1 million per year for
maintenance of each vessel in the
Ready Reserve Fleet.
In addition to the layup of more than

Teddy Gleason

10 militarily useful coastwise tankers
resulting from the implementation of
this rulemaking, our defense posture
has been further weakened through
the loss of hundreds of seafaring jobs.
Such losses only highlight the conclusions reached in the Navy's 1986 Manpower Study that by 1992 the shortage
of qualified seafarers for a wartime
emergency will amount to more than
8,100 individuals or more than 25 percent of the Navy's requirements.

U.S./Canada Hold Lakes Talks

Pictured above at a reception held at the Seafarers hall in Algonac, Mich. are (I. to r.)
Vernon Wallen, second cook, Lakes member; U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.); John
Stafford, deckhand, Lakes member, and Larry D. Querry, SIU Field Rep. Algonac. The
reception was held in honor of the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners, sponsored
by the St. Clair County Democrats. Levin was an honored guest at the event.

4 I LOG I July 1987

(Continued from Page 3.)
program, also established in the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. Title XI
backs private financing for U .S.-built,
U.S.-flag tonnage.
(6) A 1965 amendment to a military
appropriations bill requiring that hulls
and superstructures ofU .S. Navy vessels be constructed in U.S. shipyards.
(7) The Military Transportation Act
of 1904, which requires that all U.S.
defense cargoes be transported on U.S. flag ships.
(8) Public Resolution 17 of the 73rd
Congress, which requires that all cargoes generated by U.S. loans be carried on American vessels.

The resolution permits waivers to
50 percent when conditions warrant
them.
(9) The Cargo Preference Act of
1954, which reserves 50 percent of all
non-defense government cargoes for
American-flag ships.
(10) The U.S. maritime-agriculture
grain cargo preference pact included
in the 1985 omnibus farm bill.
That just about covers every single
maritime promotional program still on
the books. Is it any wonder that Amerika , ABC ' s widely-publicized miniseries on an imaginary Russian takeover of the United States , was filmed
north of the border?

�In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will
highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national
and maritime policy.

Rep.
Fred Grandy

Sen.
Richard Shelby

R

R

EP. FRED GRANDY (R-Iowa)
was sworn into the U.S. House
of Representatives on Jan. 6, 1987.
Winning the seat vacated by Berkley
W. Bedell, who chose not to seek
reelection due to health problems,
Grandy represents Iowa's sixth
congressional district, a largely agricultural area in the north-northwest
comer of the state composed of 23
counties.
Grandy's entrance into politics began shortly after his graduation from
Harvard College. His career began as
a legislative aide and speech writer for
Rep. Wiley Mayne (R-Iowa) who represented Grandy's home district in
Iowa.
Following his tenure with Mayne,
Grandy took some time off to pursue
a long-time ambition in the theatre.
He has appeared in several successful
off-Broadway plays and two feature
films. Beginning in 1975, Grandy became best known to TV audiences for
his role as "Gopher" in the highly
popular series "The Love Boat."
Grandy also wrote several scripts for
the show.
The congressman serves on the
House Agriculture and Education-Labor committees. Both of these committees deal with many issues that
affect his constituents. House Republican Leader Bob Michel, in commenting on the appointments, called
it "almost unprecedented" that a
freshman member of Congress is
named to two major committees such
as these.
In his first months in office, Grandy
introduced his first piece of congressional legislation and has since cosponsored other bills. "The Agriculture in Transition Program" and the

Rep. Fred Grandy
"Rural Worker Readjustment Act"
were designed to target assistance to
areas heavily impacted by the distressed farm economy, resulting in the
displacment of farmers.
He also mounted a successful charge
against a House Resolution that would
have commended the European Economic Community for the 30th anniversary of its existence. "Now is not
the time to be sending a bouquet to
the Europeans," said Grandy, "considering some of their unfair trade
practices that are hurting Iowa farmers."
Grandy said a host of European
import protections and export subsidies have enabled the Europeans to
''drastically reduce the ability of the
American farmer to compete fairly for
his share of the world market-depressing prices, causing enormous surpluses and expensive storage problems for the American industry.'' It
was a symbolic vote, Grandy noted,
''but a safe way to send a strong
message to our trade partners in Europe that American farmers are tired
of being pushed around.''

ICHARD C. SHELBY of Tuscaloosa, Ala., was elected on the
Democratic ticket to the U.S. Senate
on Nov. 4, 1986, following four terms
as Alabama's seventh district congressman.
With a B.A. from the University of
Alabama and a law degree from the
University of Alabama School of Law,
Shelby began his professional career
as a practicing attorney and small
businessman in Tuscaloosa. After
working as the Tuscaloosa City Prosecutor and Special Assistant Attorney
General for the state of Alabama, he
was elected to the Alabama State Senate in 1970 where he served as chairman of the Legislative Counsel. Following eight years in the Alabama
legislature, Shelby was ready to move
on. He had worked to strengthen laws
against child abuse and child pornography and was strict on the issue of
government ethics.
Shelby was viewed as a progressive
Democrat during most of his Alabama
political career, but after his Nov. 7,
1978 election to the U.S. House of
Representatives, he managed to erase
that reputation, compiling a consistent
conservative record on the floor and
voting the industry position on all
major issues in the Commerce Committee.
During those years, however, Shelby
was able to establish a strong record
of leadership. He sponsored a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget and pushed initiatives to improve Alabama's and
America's business climate. He supported legislation to strengthen the
farm credit system and to ease the
regulatory burden on small businesses. He fought foreign trade prac-

Sen. Richard Shelby
tices and worked to provide funding
for research on cancer and heart disease and to improve our social security
and medicare programs.
As a member of the Senate, Shelby
sits on the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Banking,
Housing and Urban Affairs, and the
Special Committee on Aging. He is
also a member of the Congressional
Competitiveness Caucus.
The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Projection Forces and
Regional Defense, of which Shelby is
a member, recently held a hearing on
the issue of sealift. He attended the
hearing and asked Admiral Walter T.
Piotti Jr., commander of the Military
Sealift Command, what was being done
to build up the merchant marine force
structure.
While the senator believes some
progress has been made in this area
of late, there is still far to go, and
Shelby has given his assurance that
he will continue to work toward solving this problem in the months and
years to come.

E. B. McAuley, Veteran SIU Official, Dies at 63
Eustace "E. B." McAuley, who
waged a 16-year battle against a debilitating spinal tumor, died June 11
at the White Bluff Manor Convalescent Center in Savannah, Ga. not far
from his home. He was 63.
McAuley had served the SIU in a
number of important positions and was
a participant in some of its major
campaigns, including the Isthmian and
Cities Services organizing drives and
the American Coal beef.
From 1954 to 1962 he served as an
administrative assistant to the late Paul
Hall. Along with Lindsey Williams,
Bob Matthews and the late Sonny
Simmons, he was responsible for negotiating contracts that led to substantial improvements in the wages, benefits and working conditions of SIU
seamen.
From 1962 to 1964 he served as this
Union's West Coast representative.
He was later reasshmed to the port of

New York where he helped to train a
whole new generation of union officials.
"E. B. McAuley taught me everything I knew,'' said Jack Caffey, special assistant to SIU President Frank
Drozak. "E.B. had a commanding
knowledge of the contract,'' said SIU
Vice President Mike Sacco. "He was
an incredible teacher.''
McAuley joined the Union in 1946
in Savannah. He was an official observer in the Isthmian elections and
was chairman of the ''Stop Work Committee."
After his retirement, McAuley continued to monitor events in the Union
and maintained a lively correspondence with headquarters. Being laid
up really helped him understand the
benefits that he and the SIU had helped
secure for the membership.
Writing about how important his
Union pension was, McAuley said, "I

was thinking of letting my senator
know that Social Security ain't what
they say it is . . . Without a good
union pension, people in this country
ain't got too much goin' for them."
Known for his sense of humor,
McAuley was well-liked by everyone
who worked with him.
"E. B. was one of the most articulate spokesmen on behalf of the Union's
program who ever climbed a gangway
to make a payoff," said SIU Vice
President George McCartney.
"E.B. McAuley made an important
contribution to the development of this
Union,'' said SIU President Frank
Drozak. "He will be remembered."
A special service for McAuley will
be held at Seafarers Haven Cemetery
in late August where his ashes will be
interred.
McAuley is survived by a daughter,
Janet Dubinski, and two stepsons,
Herbert and Joseph Reyes.

In the early 1960s, McAuley served as the

SIU's West Coast rep, where this picture
was taken.

July 1987 I LOG I 5

�!

lnla
Delta Queen's SIU·Crews
Win Praise for Professionalism
The SIU has always been proud of the fact that this Union produces some of the
best seamen and boatmen in the world. The skills and professionalism come from
our members' hard work and dedication and from the educational and training
opportunities the SIU and the SHLSS provide all Seafarers.
The following letter from David W. Kish, Delta Queen Steamboat Co. vice
president, is further proof that SIU members can crew any type of vessel that floats.

Dear Mr. Drozak:
This letter is to express Delta
Queen's continued satisfaction with
the Harry Lundeberg School of
Seamanship. As time goes by, we
are using the school more and more,
with excellent results.
Back in January 1986, we had an
initial group of four go for a twoweek course in firefighting, first aid,
CPR, safety and seamanship. Last
January, the course expanded to
three weeks and our number of
participants doubled.
Beyond this course, we have had
quite a few of our people enroll in
the standard courses . One crewmember just returned with a QMED

and Electronics endorsement and
we now have another going for the
Fireman-Watertender-Oiler course.
Overall, the school has done a
number of things for our company.
It has improved our operations and
the professionalism of our crew.
Our loss history is better and we
even experienced a decrease in our
P &amp; I premiums. There is a certain
pride in being skilled at what one
does. More than anything, the school
has brought our crews that pride.
Sincerely,
David W. Kish

Marine Contracting &amp; Towing

The tug Samuel A. Guilds is one of the several boats SIU members crew for Marine
Contracting and Towing.

SIU Captain Named
Docking Pilot President
Capt. Henry W. Gamp, a veteran
SIU tugboat captain for Curtis Bay
Towing Co. in Baltimore, has been
elected president of the Atlantic and
Gulf Coast Docking Pilots Association.
"Docking pilots are tugboat captains who board and then dock ships.
We are employed by various tugboat
companies. Most of us in fact work
for SIU-contracted companies," Gamp
said.
Capt. James Register of Cape Fear
Towing was elected vice president and
Capt. George L. Moore of Moran
Towing of Florida was re-elected as
secretary/treasurer.
61 LOG I July 1987

The Atlantic and Gulf Coast Docking Pilots Association is an organization dedicated to strengthening the
common bonds of docking pilots
throughout the Atlantic and Gulf Coast
seaboard of the United States. It encourages the utilization of docking
pilots thus promoting safety in berthing and unberthing in harbor movements. It reviews local, state and national legislation affecting docking
pilots and makes proposals and recommendations. We work to increase
the usefulness of docking pilots to
shipping companies, shipping agents,
stevedores, harbor masters and the
public at large.

SIU Boatman in Charleston, S.C. crew the boats of Marine Contracting and Towing.
Pictured above are (I. to r.) Deckhand Walter Lyon Jr., Capt. Steve Browder and
Deckhand/Engineer Warren E. Fort Jr.

�In Memoriam

Curtis Bay's Macleod to Head Moran Towing

Pensioner Jack Flemming, 86, succumbed to cancer April 23. Born in
North Carolina, Boatman Flemming
joined the Union in 1957 in the port
of Baltimore. He retired in 1969. Burial
was at King Memorial Park in Randallstown, Md. Flemming is urvived
by his wife, Larnice, of Baltimore.
Clyde M. Merryman, an active SIU
member, died Feb. 9 ofa heart attack.
He was 54. Born in Arkansas, Boatman Merryman joined the Union in
1973 in the port of Paducah. He sailed
in the deck department, most recently
with National Marine. Burial was at
Pine Hill Cemetery in Jonesboro, Ark.
Merryman is survived by a daughter,
Beverly J. Hom, and a sister, Rebecca
Parish.
Chesley R. Sabiston, 49, died March
17 ofrespiratory failure. Born in North
Carolina, Boatman Sabistonjoined the
Union in 1980. He sailed in the steward
department. An active member at the
time of his death, Sabiston last sailed
with Steuart Transportation Co. Burial
took place at the Willis Family Cemetery in Williston, N .C. He is survived
by his wife, Elna Inez, of Williston.
Pensioner John C.
Simpson, 65, died of
cancer March 8,
Born in North Carolina,
Boatman
Simpson joined the
Union in 1961 in the
port of Norfolk. He
sailed in the deck department, most recentl y with McAllister Brothers, retiring as a captain
in 1982. Burial was at Rosewood Memorial Park in Virginia Beach, Va.
Simpson is survived by his sister,
Connie H. Leary, of Chesapeake, Va.

New
Pensioners
The following Inland members have
retired on pension :
Baltimore
Adam Wodka
Jacksonville
John S. Williams
Mobile
Jerry Lee Carl Sr.
New York
Robert W. Kutzner
Gerald J. Cooke
Norfolk
Virginia K. Haynie
Julian R. Wilson
Philadelphia
Guenther F. Bischoff
Wilmington
John L. O'Rourke

Malcolm MacLeod (second from left), former president of the SIU-contracted Curtis Bay Towing in
Baltimore, has been named president and chief operating officer of Moran Towing and Transportation.
Moran is Curtis Bay's parent company and is located
in Greenwich, Conn. Pictured are SIU Inland Rep.
Frank Paladino, MacLeod, Bill Ditweiler, president
of Steamship Trade, and Baltimore Port Agent Bobby
Pomerlane.

Negotiations at
Curtis Bay
in Baltimore
This is the 1987 Contract Negotiating Committee for SIU members at Baltimore's
Curtis Bay Towing. They are (front row I.
tor.) Engineer Bill Epps, Shop Rep. Edward
Pfrang, Capt. Roman Jankowiak (back row)
Mate Robert Gordy and Deckhand Robert
Henninger.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
JUNE 1-30, 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
0
6
37
1
1
1
0
4
0
0
6
17
0
0

73

0

0
0

12

0
0
0
5
1
0
7
0

3

32

0

Q

0

0

1
4
0
0

0
6
1

21

0
0
0
3

0
0
0
0

0

0
0
2

0
0
0
1

14

4

0
0

0
0

0

0
3
0
0
0
0
14
0

1

0
0

2

58

0

1
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0

28

9

4

0

0
0
0
2

0
0

1
0
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0

1
1
4
0

1
0
0

0
0
0
0
4

0
4
0
0

0
0
6
42
1
1
1

0
0
0
8
1
1
4
0

51

21

0
1
0
0
0
0
6
0
48

0

0

22

0
4
3

0
2

0
0
11

0
0

0
0

0
2

26
0
0

0

0
0
3

89

42

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0

0
0
15
0
0
0
0

0
0

0
2

0
0

2

0
1
0
0

0

0
0
0

20

1

0
0

0

37

0

4

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0

1

0

7
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0

0
0
1
1
0
3
0

0
0
0

1

0
4
4
40
0
1
0
0

0
0
0
13
0
0
3
0
0
0
3

13

0
6

0
0
0
0
8
0

9

39

7

0

2
0

28
2

0
0
2

60

99

37

85

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0
0
0
3
0
1
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
25

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
16
0
0

0
0
0

4
4
0
0

0
5

0
0

0
0
0
0

0

41

12

5

0

0
0
0
11
0

0
0
0

0
3
0
0
0
0
3
0
6
0
0
0
0
1

0
0
0
0
0

1
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0
4
0

7
0
2

1
0

3

0
0
0
1
0
0

0

0

1
0
0

0
1

4

12

0
6

0
1

0
15

14

0
13

138

52

61

155

63

103

0
13

10

0
9

114

40

71

0
0

0
1
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.

July 1987 I LOG I 7

�All's Well Aboard the Sgt. Matej Kocak
The Sgt. Matej Kocak (Waterman) is a smooth
running ship, thanks to the efforts of a fine SIU crew.
So says Milton J. Phelps, steward/baker, who sent
along these photos.
The voyage started in Rota, Spain, with a stop in
Las Palmas, Canary Islands. The next port of call was
Morehead City, N.C., where the ship will lie at anchor
for approximately one month. Then, following MSC
exercises in the Atlantic, it's up to Boston and back
across to Spain where the present crew will be relieved.
And from the crew: ''A vote of confidence to
President Frank Drozak and the Negotiating Committee for their efforts on our behalf. Keep up the good
work!"
"Speedy" Sal Buzali,
assistant cook

Charles Yancey, GSU pantry (left), and Archie Rowe, GSU
B.R., in a moment of levity.

"Chef Louie"
(Louis Babin, chief cook)

John Kane, bosun

SIU's Arion Pays Off In Tampa

The Arion (Apex Marine), SIU's newly-contracted vessel on a recent visit to Tampa.

Chief Mate Tony Kostalos (a former SIU member), left, and Bosun Richard Wardlaw at
the Arian's payoff in Tampa.

At payoff (I. to r.): Jimbo Padgett, QMED; Willie Harris, steward/baker, and Bill
Connolly, steward assistant.

8 I LOG I July 1987

James Redgate, AB

�Second Annual Sealift Conference

SHLSS Is the Key to Manpower
Training and manpower requirements for the growing military sector
of the Maritime Industry was the thrust
of the second Annual Sealift Conference, held June 22-24, 1987, at the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of
Seamanship in Piney Point, Md.
Participants at the conference included representatives from 15 SIUcontracted companies which have secured military work contracted out by
the Navy; officials from the SIUAGLIWD and District 2-MEBA; ma-

rine transportation and defense specialists from the Transportation Institute , and representatives from the
military and from various government
agencies.
Bill Hellwege, Sealift training coordinator, gave an overview of the
Sealift Maintenance and Operations
course; Bart Rogers, manpower coordinator for the SIU, talked about
the functions of the manpower office
and how this vital operation can be
improved.
But while the focus of the conference was on manpower and training,
it was the Request for Proposal (RFP)
process that elicited the most heated
discussions.
Red Campbell, SIU vice president
of contracts, talked about the RFP
process and the difficulty involved in

obtaining military work that has been
contracted out to the private sector.
He noted that it often takes more than
a year to process such a bid and that
companies can spend anywhere from
$50,000 to $600,000 just to do the
preparatory work on the bid-without
any assurances that they will get the
work.
SIU President Frank Drozak also
addressed the RFP problem. "I don't
know what's going on," Drozak said ,
"but the administrative roadblocks in
the RFP process have been multiplying.'' Drozak summed up by saying,
''The goal of the MSC program is to
have the ships ready for sea at any
time they are needed. It will take
cooperation from all sides of the triangle-government, management and
labor-to make this program work."

Bart Rogers, SIU manpower coordinator,
talks about manpower procedures and requirements.

Bill Hellwege, Sealift coordinator, explains
the Sealift Operations and Maintenance
program at SHLSS.

During the second day of the conference, government and military representatives were asked by Union officials and company representatives
for an assessment of the SIU's training
program and for suggestions on how
to make it more relevant to the military' s needs. "Tell us what you want,"
said SHLSS Vice President Ken
Conklin. "We can do anything here."
The information and ideas exchanged during the second Annual
Sealift Conference pointed the way
toward solving the problems that now
exist with the growing military sector
work. Taking it a step further, representatives agreed that next year's conference would also include panel discussion groups to address specific issues
facing the maritime industry.

~r

~L:~*~i#.
t~-~+i?

Ken Conklin, SHLSS vice president, welcomes representatives to the second Annual
Sealift Conference at SHLSS.

Mickey Lewis, MSC, and SIU Vice President Buck Mercer talk about personnel and
training requirements on MSTU vessels.
Larry Byers, Waterman; Bart Rogers, SIU
manpower coordinator, and Anne Kane,
Ocean Shipholding.

John Hinkell (left), MSC, and Martin Fink,
NAVSEA, discuss training and equipment.

SIU President Frank Drozak makes a point to Captain Frank J ohnson of Strategic Sealift.

Joe Conwell (left), Bay Tankers, and SIU
Vice President Red Campbell speculate on
T AKR operations during a break.

July 1987 I LOG I 9

�-

Ron Spencer (left), MEBA-2, and Captain
Peter Muth, USCG, consider the common
goals of the maritime industry.

Laymond Tucker, director of culinary services, addresses the conference on the SHLSS
culinary department and what it can do for
our companies.

SIU Vice President Red Campbell talks about the RFP process.

SFC Meany (left) and Lt. Col. Edmunds
confer on reserve training at SHLSS.

Bart Rogers, SIU manpower coordinator;
Larry Byers, Waterman, and Bob Holmstead, MAERSK, share a lighter moment.
SIU President Frank Drozak (center left) listens to Lt. Col. Edmunds talk about load-out
procedures on military vessels.

j

From the left: Mike Swayne, Transoceanic Cable; Joe Conwell, Bay Tankers; Bob Rogers,
IOM, and Bill Lockwood, IOM, have a final word following the conference.

Major Carlos Tibbetts (left) and Bob Bryan, Marad, reflect on "Stick Boom" ships left
in the Reserve Fleet.

10 I LOG I July 1987

Richard Evans (left), Puerto Rico Marine,
and Chris Krusa, MSC, reminisce during
a coffee break.

SIU Vice President Red Campbell; Peter
Lawrence, AMSEA, and Bill Fennick,
AMSEA, listen to a point being made at the
conference.

Harry Glennon (left), Sea Mobility, makes a point on manpower requirements for the
TAGOS ships.

�--A High School Diploma Can Open A Lot Of Doors For You
' 'According to statistics, one
third of all American adults over
the age of 16, and out of school,
do not have high school
diplomas.'' Thus, since 1970, the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School
of Seamanship has offered
seafarers the opportunity to earn
their high school equivalency
(GED) degree.
The skills obtained in the GED
program help seafarers in
preparing for their job, for future
upgrading and college courses,
and for their everyday situation.
Recently, six seafarers successfully
completed the SHLSS GED
program . J ohn Davis, Candido
Cas t ro, Ronald Koski, Jay
Anderson, Willie Lindsey and
Glen James have joined over
2 ,000 seafarers who have
completed the GED program.
Three of these six seafarers have
already upgraded since receiving
their diplomas and the rest plan
to upgrade in the near future.
These seafarers recognized the
need to improve their skills for
upgrading. As vocational
education becomes more
advanced and specialized, the
need for academic skills to master
highly technical instructional
manuals is evident.

SHLSS 's GED program offers
skill improvement in the reading
areas of science, social studies,
and literature as well as in the
other content areas of math and
English. Diagnostic tests are given
in the content areas to determine
what the student needs to learn or
review. The GED instructors
evaluate the tests and design a
course of study that will meet each
student's specific needs. Students
work at their own pace through
small group or individualized
instruction. Even though the
GED program is a non-graded
course, the students are given
regular progress reports to
evaluate their GED performance.
These evaluations guide students
in their studies.
Many students have experienced
success in the GED program
because of the special learning
conditions. With personal and
creative approaches used in the
GED instruction, the students
progress confidently through the
course materials. At the same time,
interest and motivatiOn is enhanced
when enthusiastic instructors
demonstrate how basic skills can be
applied to the student's maritime
career. The program also includes
study and test-taking skills which

not only prepares the student to sit
for the one day state administered
test, but also prepares the student
for future courses.
The GED program is only one
of the many successful

These SHLSS upgraders recently completed the six-week GED program
and have gained the skills and confidence for future vocational courses.
Kneeling (I. to r.) Willie Lindsey, Candido Castro, Ronald Koski. Second
row: John Davis, Jay Anderson, Glen James.

Don't Miss Your Chance
to
ltnprove Your Skills

on't Miss Your Chance--

--To Improve Your Skills-Apply now for the Adult
Education program or course that
you would like to take in 1987.
The Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School of Seamanship Adult
Education Department will offer
the Adult Basic Education (ABE),
High School Equilavency (GED),
and English As A Second
Language (ESL) programs two
more times this year. They will be
offered August 3 through
September 14 and November 2
through December 14, 1987.
These six-week long programs are
available to all SIU members who
are in good standing with the
Union and have paid their dues.
It is important to note that
seafarers will be given travel
reimbursement for successful
completion of the Adult
Education courses as they do for
any of the vocational courses.
All the Adult Education
programs have been designed to
help the seafarer reach his
educational goals. The Adult
Basic Education program will help
improve basic English, reading,
writing, math and study skills.
The English As A Second
Language program can help a

seafarer improve his use of the
English Janguage by emphasizing
reading, writing and speaking
skills. The High School
Equivalency program will prepare
him for the GED exam by
studying in the five content areas
of science, social studies, English,
math and literature. All of these
programs stress skills that can be
applied to the seafarer's maritime
career. Interested seafarers may
find it helpful by taking an Adult
Education course prior to a
scheduled upgrading class.
However, seafarers may come
back for the Adult Education
classes at any scheduled times.
In order to register for a course,
it is important to send in your
application as soon as possible for
processing. Applicants can be
pretested and arrangements made
prior to the scheduled course
dates. If you are interested in any
of these programs, look for the
SHLSS course schedule and fill
out the application form in this
issue of the LOG. If there are any
questions, write to:
Sandy Schroeder
Director of Adult Education
SHLSS Piney Point, MD 20674.

educational opportunities offered
at SHLSS to prepare the seafarer
for the future and the program
has already opened doors for
many seafarers.

How?
SHLSS has self-study materials in many areas. Upon your request;
SHLSS will send them to you to study in your spare time.
You can use these skills:
on your job.
to improve your skills for upgrading.
to further your education.
Please send me the area(s) checked below:
MATH
Fractions
D
Decimals
D
Percents
D
STUDY SKILLS
Algebra
D
Listening Skills
D
Geometry
D
How To Improve Your Memory D
D
Tri~onometry
D
How To Use Textbooks
~pane)
D
Spherical)
D
Study Habits
D
Test Anxiety
D
ENGLISH: Writing Skills
Test
Taking
Tactics
D
Grammar Books D
Stress Management
D
Writing Business
Noteraking Know-How
letters
D
D
SOCIAL STUDIES
D
Geography
D
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
D
U.S. History
Basic Metrics
D
D
Economics

*
*
*

Name
Street
City _ _ _ _ __

State _ _ _ _ __

Zip _ _ _ __

Book No.
Social Security No.
Department Sailing In _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11
Cut out this coupon and mail to:
Adult Education Department
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Piney Point, Maryland 20674
Send it today!
July 1987ILOGI11

�Navy Seabees and Army Personnel
Conduct Combined Training at

Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School

Military personnel prepare to lift a 40
foot container with our recently acquired 40 foot container spreader.

Twelve Navy Seabees and two Army
Cargo Handling personnel joined forces
to attend the Hagglund Crane course
at SHLSS.
The Navy men, from the Navy Reserve Cargo Training Battalion in
Yorktown, Va., and the Army personnel, attached to the Army Transportation School in Ft. Eustis, Va., trained

and worked together under the watchful eyes of Richard Dickerson, crane
instructor.
This was the first time that two
military services trained together at
SHLSS. Since June 1986, a total of
105 military personnel have trained on
the SHLSS Hagglund Crane.

A military truck is lifted clear of the
barge as the signalman gives the
slew signal which will move the
crane to the right.

7~;::~
~i

The signalman on the left gives the signal to raise the jib and the
40 foot container clears the pad.

Richard Dickerson instructs his students in
placing a Jet engine in its container on a barge.

One of the Navy Seabees signals
"slew the crane to the right" pnor to
hooking up to a semi-truck.

HLSS COURSE GRADUATE

";}.
Navy Training Group
First row: (I. to r.): CMCA Peter Worthington, CM3 Gary
Vandoren, Richard Dickerson (Instructor). Second row: CE3
Eugene Boucher, E03 Mark Langdon, CM1 Jeffrey Inman,
CM2 Stephen Ohls. Third row: E01 Russell Johnson, SW3
Kurt Searsone, BU1 Steven Miller. Fourth row: CE3 Mark
Phillips, BU1 Patrick View, E03 James Swann.

QMED
Front row: (I. to r.) Jimmy Soto, Chuck Clark, Kenneth Biddle,
Ron Koski, Gary D. Fuller, Jose A. Quinones, Charles D. Lore.
Second row: Ellis Young, David Dunklin, Milton Israel, Ronald
Lukas, Guy V enus, Stephen Mlgllara, Kirk D. Bushell, John
Anderson. Third Row: Charles Polk, L. Craig, Stan Spoma,
Terrance "T" Reed, Mark A. Sundling.

Navy/Army Training Group
First row: (I. to r.) SKSN Bolt, BM2 Downey, BM1 Ford, Richard
Dickerson (Instructor). Second row: EM1 Jenkins, SFC
Mutchie, SN Harvie. Third row: SSG Bellamy, BM C. Schley,
BM3 Blackmon. Fourth row: BM1 K. L. Cross, BM1 D. C. Hatt.
Fifth row: SK2 Hiiiyard, BM2 G. J. Hawkins, BM1 D. R. Morrow.

Lifeboat
(L. to R.) Ben Cusic (Instructor), Richard Femetti, Obaid H. Ali.

Able Seaman
First row: (I. to r.) R. G. Broadway, John Giiiiam, Raymond
Corpus, Ronnie Giangrosso, Steve Schwedland. Second row:
Jim Brown (Instructor), Sherman Hudson, Glen Roy. Third row:
K. L. Kirksey, Biii McNeal.

Seallft Operations and Maintenance
Kneeling: (I. to r.) Glenn Roy, Ralph Broadway, Raymond
Dailey. Second row: Steve Schwedland, John Miranda,
Sherman Hudson, John Gilliam, Charles Smith, Harry
Alongi (Instructor). Third row: K. L. Kirsey, C. D. Polk,
L. Craig, Scott Speed, Ed King.

12 I LOG I July 1987

Steward Recertification
First row: (I. to r.) Emanuel Douroudous, Ruperto Peralta,
Jaime Quinones, Sigrid Connard, James Jones, Joseph
Williams. Second row: Henry Manning, Frederick
Washington Sr., Guillermo Thomas, Larry Ewing, Robert
Brown, Robert Hess, Laymon Tucker (Instructor).

··~~

Lifeboat
(L. to R.) Gebar Ogbe, Ron Giangrosso, June Hughes, Wilhelmina
Ortiz.

�Steward Upgrading Courses

1987 Upgrading
Course Schedule

Course

Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
August 1987 -

December 1987

The following is the current course schedule for August 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 ~hie. Although every effort will
be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs and
the needs of the industry.
SIU Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the
application.

Assistant Cook
*Sea lift Operations
Assistant Cook
*Sea lift 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
*Sea lift Operations
Chief Steward
*Sealift Operations

&amp; Maint.

&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.

&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.

&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.

&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.

Course
QMED · Any Rating
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.
Fireman/Watertender, Oiler
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Fireman/Watertender, Oiler
* Sealift Operations &amp; Ma int.

Completion
Date
December 11
January 8
October 2
October 30
December 4
December 31

Variable Speed DC Drive
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Electro-Hydraulic Systems
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.

September 21
November 2
November 9
December 21

October 30
November 27
December 18
January 15

Refrigeration Containers - Advanced
Maintenance
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Diesel Engineer - Regular
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

August 31
October 12
October 12
November 23

October 9
November 6
November 20
December 12

Deck Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date
August 31
September 28
October 26

Completion
Date
October 23
November 20
December 18

Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance

August 10
September 28
October 26
November 23

September 4
October 23
November 20
December 18

Celestial Navigation

November 2

December 4

Radar Observer

August 17
December 7

August 28
December 12

Radar Observer (Renewal)

Open ended course, however,
must notify SHLSS before
entering this course.

Towboat Operator

September 7

October 30

Inland Deck Shiphandling Simulator

October 12

October 16

Course
Able Seaman/Sealift Operations
&amp; Maintenance

Recertification Programs
Course
Steward Recertification

Check-In
Date
August 31
November 2

Completion
Date
October 5
December 7

Bosun Recertification

September 21

November 2

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 months of this year, the courses will be six weeks in length and
offered on the following dates:
High School Equlvalency (GED)

August 3
November 2

September 14
December 14

Adult Basic Education (ABE) &amp;
English as a Second Language (ESL)

August 3
November 2

September 11
December 11

Engine Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date
September 21
December 14
August 10
October 5
October 12
December 7

Check-In
Date

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes. They will be offered as follows:
FOWT
Towboat Operator

August 3
September 7

August 7
September 11

College Programs
Course
Associates in Arts

Check-In
Date
August 17
October 26

Completion
Date
October 19
December 18

Third Mate Course Update
The Celestial/Terrestrial Navigation-Third Mate course
offered at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School is a quick
paced course and should not be taken unless the student is
prepared to surrender his social life to six (6) hours of study per
night seven days per week. It is not a course that should be
taken lightly, a basic understanding of navigation is needed.
Celestial/Terristrial Navigation is offered prior to the Third
Mates course and it will last approximately six (6) weeks. It is
advisable for the Third Mate candidate to take this course, the
basic Celestial and Terrestrial Navigation are very important
parts of the Third Mates training. Those who feel proficient in
these sections will benefit by this course. They can use the time
to hone their navigation skills.
Following navigation will be Navi~ation General. Deck
General, Rules of the Road and Safety, each section lasting
approximately two (2) weeks. Please keep in mind these dates
are not rigid. They will fluctuate according to the needs of the
student.

Celestial and Terrestrial Navigation Schedule

March 14, 1988 -April 29, 1988
Third Mate Schedule
April 29, 1988 - June 24, 1988

July 1987ILOGI13

�rse
c
Upgradin
ranSHL
S
0
Appl
..........................................................................................................................................
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name

(Last)

(first)

(City)

(State)

Deep Sea Member D

Date of Birth -~~-_.....---­
Mo./Day/Vear

(Middle)

Telephone -.......--,---......------(Area Code)

(Zip Code)

Inland Waters Member D

Lakes Member D

Pacific D

Social Security# _ _ _ _ _ _ Book#_ _ _ _ _ _ Seniority _ _ _ _ _ _ Department _ _ _ _ __
Date Book
Port Presently
Was lssued __________ Port lssued __________ Registered In _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes
Trainee Program: From ____.....r-,.--to_.,_____
(dates attended)

No D (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s)Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.,..__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for T r a i n i n g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Primary Language Spoken - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
DECK
D
D
D
0
D
D
D
D
D
D

o

D
D
D
D

STEWARD

ENGINE

Tankerman
AB/Seallft Special
AB/Seallft Limited
AB/Sealift Unlimited
Towboat Operator Inland
Towboat Operator Not More
Than 200 Miies
Towboat Operator (Over 200 Miies)
Celestial Navigation
Master Inspected Towing Vessel
Mate Inspected Towing Vessel
1st Class Piiot
Third Mate Celestial Navigation
Third Mate
Radar Observer Unlimited
Simulator Course

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

D FOWT
D QMED-Any Rating
D Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
D Marine Electrical Maintenance
D Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
D Automation
D Ref rlgeratlon Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
D Diesel Engine Technology
D Assistant Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel)
D Chief Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel
D Third Asst. Engineer &amp; Original Second
Asst. Engineer Steam or Motor
D Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
D Hydraulics
D Electro-Hydraulic Systems

D
D
D
D
D

Assistant Cook Utility
Cook &amp; Baker
Chief Cook
Chief Steward
Towboat Inland Cook

ALL DEPARTMENTS
D Welding
D Llfeboatman
D Seallft Operations &amp; Maintenance

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

o Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equlvalency
Program (GED)
D Developmental Studies (DYS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)
D ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation
COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates In Arts Degree
D Nautical Science Certificate

RECORD OF EMPLOYMENT TIME-(Show only amount.needed to upgrade in rating noted above or attach letter
of service, whichever is applicable.)
VESSEL
RATING HELD
DATE SHIPPED
DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE~~~~.~~~~~~~~~~-DATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~­

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

14 I LOG I July 1987

c

�Manpower and Training on Agenda but ...

RFP Problems Highlight SIU Sealift Conference
The only way a company can secure
military work is through the Request
for Proposal (RFP) process. Once the
RFP game was just a bit complicated;
now it can be a nightmare.
That was the message from industry
and union delegates at the SIU' s annual Seafiift Conference last month in
Piney Point. While the conference's
focus was on manpower and training
for the growing military sector, the
RFP process elicited the most heated
dialogue.
Participants included representatives from 15 SIU-contracted companies which have secured military work
contracted out by the Navy, officials
from the SIU-AGLIWD and District
2-MEBA, marine transportation and
defense specialists from the Transportation Institute, and representatives
from the military and various government agencies.
The main topic of discussion turned
out to be a recent RFP award. Most
people in the industry believe that the
award raises serious questions about
the RFP process.
The Military Sealift Command (MSC)
put out an RFP to attract bids for
operating a hospital ship. A number
of companies spent more than a year
preparing their bids, only to find out
the MSC had prepared one also and
declared itself the winner.
Many companies questioned the
methods employed by MSC in making
its determination. According to an appeal filed by Marine Transport Lines
(MTL), which is not an SIU-contracted company, the MSC used questionable figures in computing its wage
rates, manning requirements and training costs. MTL also alleged that MSC
did not make public information known
inside the agency.
The MSC turned down MTL' s appeal. While the SIU-contracted companies are competitors for the same
work, they made no bones that all
private maritime companies share a
common concern: to ensure the RFP
process be as fair as possible.
Interested companies spent anywhere from $50,000 to $600,000 in
preparing their bids, only to come

away with the impression that the bid
was not put out in good faith. Toplevel staffmembers-accountants, researchers and lawyers-spent more
than a year preparing the detailed,
voluminous and often confusing RFP's.
''If the MSC was not serious about
making this RFP,'' said one company
representative, "then these people's
time and expertise were wasted."
''This decision should not be allowed to stand," said another company representative. ''If it is somehow
not overturned, then no one in the
business will be willing to spend the
time and money going through a process that is perceived as being inherently unfair."
The ironic thing, said SIU President
Frank Drozak, is that private companies could save the government millions of dollars by operating just one
vessel on a short-term basis. "Multiply that by several years and dozens
of ships, and you're talking about a
potential savings of hundreds of millions of dollars, maybe even billions."
Yet there was more on these delegates' minds than just government
waste. "Let's not kid ourselves," said
one company representative. "The
short-term survival of most Americanftag companies depends on obtaining
this kind of work. There's nothing else
left."

That goes for unions even more so,
because they don't have the option of
re flagging.
During the two-day conference,
union representatives presented figures demonstratingjust how important
this military work is to their survival
and to the job security of their members.
Take the SIU. During the past three
years, the American-flag merchant
marine has declined by 25 percent.
During this same time, the Union has
been able to pick up 58 new vessels
generating more than 700 new jobs.
No other union can make this claim.
As for the stated objective of the
conference, reviewing the training facilities at Piney Point, none of the
company representatives present expressed any dissatisfaction with the
SIU training program.
A few company representatives made
specific suggestions with regard to the
AB Sealift course. A number wrote
comments like "excellent" and "very
good'' on questionnaires they had filled
out before the conference began.
During the conference, one or two
of the company representatives alluded to the letters of commendation
that SIU crews had received in performing support funtions in military
operations and exercises.
Some company representatives

The SIU is willing to go to any lengths to
protect the job security of its members, said
SIU President Frank Drozak.

praised the work that Bill Hellwege
and the rest of SHLSS staff have done
in building the Sealift program from
scratch.
Still, the companies had one major
concern about the training program,
which is that the MSC has not spelled
(Continued on Page 18.)

Bidding for Military Work Is Costly
Not many SIU members understand
the difficulty involved in obtaining military work that has been contracted
out to the private sector. If it wasn't
the only game in town, then most
people would probably rather not be
bothered with bidding for it.
For one thing, even if you get this
military work, it is usually only for a
short period, the average time being
around three years. Once your charter
is up, you have to rebid all over again.
And there's no guarantee that you'll
win.
It often takes more than a year to
process a bid. Companies spend anywhere from $50,000 to $600,000 just

Representatives from various branches of the military discuss the day's events at the
second Annual Sealift Conference.

to do the preparatory work on the bid.
And if a company doesn't get the
work, it's money poured down the
drain.
Lately, there have been a number
of disturbing signs that the RFP process is not being conducted properly.
This adds one more problem to the
Union's list of concerns.
When the Union first got involved
in going after this work, the average
size of a Request for Procurement
(RFP) was 200 pages. Four years later,
it's 800 pages.
"I no longer need to own barbells,"
said SIU Vice President Red Campbell
at the second Annual Sealift Conference. "I now pick up RFP's to stay
in shape."
"I don't know what's going on,"
said SIU President Frank Drozak at
the same conference, "but the administrative roadblocks in the RFP process have been multiplying. The Reagan
administration has to check into this,
especially since privatization of this
kind of work is the centerpiece of its
maritime program.''
Robert Kesteloot, vice chairman of
the Transportation Institute and the
former head of the Navy's Sealift Division, has a plan to revise the present
RFP process to make it more equitable.
Among other things, Kesteloot would
overhaul the present system of procuring RFP bids, which involves what
is known as a two-step process.
The two-step process works like
this: First, a determination is made to
see if a company is "qualified" to
perform the work. Once that is deter-

mined, the contract automatically goes
to the lowest bidder.
Sometimes, says Kesteloot, the
lowest bidder is not always the best
equipped to handle the job. More weight
should be placed in finding a contractor who is both inexpensive and qualified.
What sometimes happens, said one
company official, is that four or five
companies will be dubbed "qualified."
That puts them all on equal footing,
even though one company may have
a great deal of experience with the
kind of work to be performed (i.e.,
cable laying) and another one has little
or no experience.
Still, as the. system now stands, the
work automatically goes to the lowest
bidder, even if the company has never
done the work before.
If the company cannot meet its obligations, then the work goes back to
the military and is lost to the private
sector even though there are qualified
companies capable of handling it.
Kesteloot would prefer a ''one-step''
system which would weigh both the
cost of the bid made by the companies
and their work records.
Of course, none of the companies
could get this work without a ready
supply of skilled mariners.
"Manpower is our greatest need,"
said one company representative. "It
is important that we be able to fill a
slot at a moment's notice."
When making a bid, the company
not only has to put in a resume for
itself, but it has to file separate r.esumes for the crewmembers who are
expected to fill the slot.
July 1987ILOGI15

�SHLSS Makes Sure
Seafarers Have Skills
For New Military Jobs
Several years ago, SIU officials realized that military work was the
only growth area for the private merchant marine. To ensure that Seafarers
would have an opportunity to work these specialized jobs, new training
programs were designed to meet the military's needs. In addition, these
programs provide SIU-contracted companies with reliable and trained
manpower when they bid for the military work.
The goal of the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
(SHLSS) is to provide sealift training to all SIU members. Because of
the reduced manning level found aboard military contracted vessels, it is
necessary that crewmembers from the deck, engine and steward departments be appropriately trained. The SIU presently has under contract or
has bids on 80 ships with various companies. This has led to a need for
a more coordinated effort and cooperation for training.
Since an estimated 60 percent of the work available to SIU members
will be in the military sector by 1990, the training for the military ships
has become essential. As in any new program, there are problems to
solve and new potentials to be explored. This conference is designed to
do both. With the shipping companies, labor and government working
hand-in-hand, this can certainly be accomplished for the benefit of all
concerned. Training is the KEY to the success of this industry, and we
want to make this program the best-and it will be with your help.
The Sealift Operations and Maintenance Program was developed in
early 1984 by the vocational teaching staff at the school. The program
was designed to meet the training requirements to man and operate the
specialized equipment of military-contracted ships. The first program was
developed when a contract was awarded to Inter-Ocean Management for
the Keystone State ACS-I, which was the first heavy lift crane ship.
This type of ship operation was new to all concerned and placed a
unique training requirement upon the school. Personnel have to be trained
to operate the heavy lift cranes. This requirement was met in two ways.
The first was to send a deck instructor from SHLSS to the ship to observe
procedures and collect data that could be implemented in a curriculum
for the crane course. Shortly afterward, a three-day training course for
crane operations was established at the school, and SIU members were
sent to the school prior to reporting aboard the Keystone State. Crewmembers were then given additional classroom instruction along with
hands-on training by SHLSS instructors aboard the Keystone State.
These training procedures established the crane operator pool required
to meet manning needs. The second was to acquire a 32-ton Hagglund
shipboard crane for installation at the school. The crane allowed the
school to conduct training without the constraints or interferences of
everyday shipboard activities.
The next major development in the school's program occurred when
a contract was awarded to Sea-Land forfourT-AKR class ships (converted
SL-Ts) for military use. A need for additional training besides crane
operations became evident. The task then became to train the ships crews
in all phases of sealift operations. This was done in two ways. First, a
deck instructor from the school was sent to these ships to coordinate
training of the crew. Second, members were trained at the school so that
a large manpower pool of trained seafarers would be available to man
these ships.
The program design developed from these two early experiences
includes Underway Replenishment, Helicopter Operations, Damage Control, Fork Truck Operations and Crane Operations. The School's acquisition of the Hagglund crane, in addition to the school's extensive
watertront equipment, optimized the school's training capabilities to
conduct the above listed programs. A large classroom with a capacity
for 40 students was exclusively designed for the use of the Sealift course.

Conferees Impressed
With SIU/D-2 Unity News
NewJ
News

Delegates to the second Annual Sealift Convention were
quick to see the close working
relationship between the SIU
and District 2-MEBA. For
many people, that was the
highlight of the two-day conference.
In an industry where unity
is an often stated but rarely
achieved goal, the working relationship between District 2
and the SIU-AGLIWD offers
an important lesson.
While other licensed unions
have tried to infringe upon the
job security of unlicensed seamen, District 2 understands
that seamen must unite if they
are to protect their interests
in a changing world.
Alone among the licensed
unions, it has encouraged unlicensed seamen to make their
way up the focs'le. A good
number of District 2 members
got their start in the industry
sailing as wipers or ordinary
seamen in the SIU-AGLIWD.
The close working relation-

16 I LOG I July 1987

Only a few years
know Baldomero Lo
Bobo. Now they are
military-contracted sh
others.
The SIU has been a
and ready crews for
While others in the m
moan and groan a
industry, the SIU-i
bership-is forging ah
security and to provide
Following is the list
ships crewed by the S

SHIP
Algol
Altair
American
Cormorant
Alatna
Antares
Assurance
Baldomero Lopez
Bellatrix
Bonnyman
Cape Decision
Cape Douglas
Cape Ducato
Cape Henry
Cape Horn
Cape Hudson
Capella
Chatahoocbee
Contender
Cpl. Louis Hauge
Denebola
Gem State
Grand Canyon State
Gus W. Darnell
Harry Fisher
Indomitable
Jack T. Lummus
Keystone State
Lawrence Gianella

Ron Spencer, director of Marine Engineering for D-2's Navigation School, chats with a representative of the military.
Dwindling crew sizes are making it very difficult to maintain
vessels, he said.

"Let's not kid ourselves," said
Harrison Glennon, president of
Sea Mobility Inc. ''Military
work is the only game in town.''

Curriculum Development
The curriculum development effort has been directed to meet the needs
of our military-contracted companies. In developing the curriculum, the
deck instructors acquired as much written material as possible, visited
the ships to better understand the training needs and equipment and
worked closely with the companie and the military. All areas of needed
training were investigated: Underway Replenishment, Helicopter Operations, Damage Control, Fork Truck Operations and Crane Operations.
A thorough Sealift Operations and Maintenance manual was compiled by
the staff at SHLSS. The manual has been continually revi ed and updated
and is now in its 12th edition. Thirty-one videotapes have been acquired
to supplement all aspects of the Sealift Training Program.
(Continued on Page 18.)

ship between the SIU and District 2 dates back more than
30 years when the Brotherhood of Marine Engineers, the
forerunner of District 2, was
founded as an affiliate of the
SIUNA.
In 1960, the BME became
an affiliate of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association. But the close association
between the SIU-AGLIWD
and the licensed union never
stopped.
Ray McKay, president of
District 2, often alludes to the
close ties between the two
organizations. Two of his sons
made their way up the foes 'le
to become licensed officers.
"I know what Piney Point
did for my boys," said McKay,
"It gave them a chance to
make something of their lives.
It has done the same for
hundreds of other seamen who
have taken advantage of the
SIU' s training facilities and
the close association between
our two unions.''

Robert Holmstead, personnel
manager for Maersk Lines, said
his company spent $600,000
preparing one RFP bid.

2nd Lieutenant J.P.
Bobo
Major Stephen Pless
Nodaway
Paul Buck
Persistent
PFC James
Anderson
PFC William Baugh
PFC Eugene A.
Obregon
PFC Dewayne T.
Williams
Pioneer Contractor
Pollux
Prevail
Regulus
Richard G.
Matthiesen
Samuel L. Cobb
Sgt Matej Kocak
Southern Cross
Stalwart
Triumph
USNS Bartlett
USNS Bowditch
USNS Chauvenet
USNS Desteiguer
USNS Dutton
USNS H H Hess
USNS Harkness
USNS Kane
USNS Lynch
USNS Silas Bent
USNS Wilkes
USNS Wright
USNS Wyman
Vindicator
William R. Butto1

�Strategic Sealift;
A Key to Our
National Defense

kills
bs
hips
go, Seafarers didn't
z from 2nd Lt. J.P.
crewing those two
ps and more than 60
le to supply trained
variety of missions.
itime industry may
ut the state of the
leaders and memd to protect its job
highly trained crews.
f military-contracted
U as of last month.

The following questions and answers are based on an article written
by Capt. Robert Kesteloot, USN (Ret.), for Seapower magazine. Kesteloot is vice-chairman of the Transportation Institute, a non-profit
maritime research organization. His last active duty assignment was as
director of the Strategic Sealift Division in the Strategic Office of the
Chief of Naval Operations.
Q: How important is Sealift?
Cmdr. Michelle L . Lewis, with the Military Sealift Command , speaks with another delegate during a break in the
conference.

COMPANY

IMC
Bay Tankers
PGM
Crowley
IMC
Sea Mobility
Amsea
IMC
Maersk
Barber
Barber
Barber
Barber
Barber
Barber
IMC
Crowley
Sea Mobility
Maersk
Bay Tankers
IOM
IOM
Ocean
Shipholding
Maersk
Sea Mobility
Amsea
IOM
Ocean
Ship holding
Am sea
Waterman
Crowley
Ocean
Shipholding
Sea Mobility
Maersk
Maersk
Waterman
Amsea
IOM
Bay Tankers
Sea Mobility
Bay Tankers
Ocean
Shipholding
Ocean
Shipholding
Waterman
IOM
Sea Mobility
Sea Mobility
La vino
Lavino
La vino
La vino
Lavino
La vino
Lavino
Lavino
Lavino
Lavino
Lavi no
IOM
Lavino
Sea Mobility
Am sea

A: Let me quote Winston Churchill: ''The battle of the Atlantic was the
dominating factor all through [World War II]. Never for one moment
could we forget that everything happening elsewhere, on land, at sea, or
in the air, depended ultimately on its outcome, and amid all other cares
we viewed its changing fortunes day by day with hope or apprehension.''
Q: What does this have to do with sealift?
A: Well the battle of the Atlantic was one great big supply effort to
provide England with the necessary tools, cargo and manpower to fight
the Axis war machine. And the overwhelming majority of that cargo was
carried on commercial merchant vessels.
Q: Do you support the administration's plan for a 600-ship Navy?
A: Yes. To ensure control of the seas requires a strong Navy, composed
of the right kind of ships. But just as important is the means to transport
all of the equipment and supplies of war to the scenes of battle. World
War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and the Falkland conflict all
served to validate the necessity of a strong merchant marine.
Q: What about airlift?
A: Despite the claims of those who advocate the merits of airlift-and
those merits are very real, but very limited-the fact is that in time of
war 95 percent of all dry cargo and 99 percent of all petroleum products
required by the front-line forces must move by sea.
Q: What kind of ships are needed for this resupply effort?

.. ·

·.::.

.· .. . .. .

::·. ··. :·

··.··

Capt. Robert Kesteloot (USN Ret.), vice chairman of the
Transportation Institute, wants to overhaul and streamline
the RFP process.

Mercer Reminds MSC
That Good Crews Are
Backbone of Fleet
SIU Vice President Buck Mercer,
head of the Union's Government Services Division, addressed the second
Annual Sealift Conference. Among
other things, he told the MSC officials
present that they should listen more
closely to suggestions that the Union
makes with regard to conditions and
complaints.
''A member can come to me to talk
about something that's bothering him
quicker than he can go to a captain,''
said Mercer. ''There are a lot of conditions that are bothering the people
out there. You have to correct them."
For one thing, said Mercer, members just don't understand why the
MSC feels the need to hold up their
pay or why it doesn't automatically
give a CIVMAR his shipping card
when he signs off a vessel. While these
are relatively minor matters to the
MSC, said Mercer, they are extremely
important to the individual seamen.

A: Not the haze-gray ships of the Navy, but rather the "black-bottoms"
of the merchant marine. Commercial sealift-or perhaps, the non-availability of that sealift-is going to play a crucial role in any future conflict
involving the United States.
Q: Why is that?
A: Every potential U.S. adversary or ally, except for Canada and Mexico,
is overseas. There is no plan for major overseas military operationswhether it be a contingency operation in some remote corner of the globe
or part of a general war involving the Soviet Union-that does not
postulate use of the seas for the injection of U.S. and/or allied military
forces and the sustaining of an American presence in the area. Former
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Thomas B. Hayward perhaps said it
best: "Without adequate and reliable sealift, none of the military plans
is executable."
Q: How would you describe America's military strategy?
A: The United States relies on and is committed to a "forward defense"
strategy, the rationale for which is to move the nation's front line of
defense to shores as distant as possible from the U.S. mainland.
Q: Is this sensible?
A: Of course-it's in the interest of every American that any potential
conflict be as far away from our shores as possible. But to make this
plan work the United States must possess an assured way to get the
required men, materials and supplies to the war zone and to sustain, on
an indefinite basis, the combat forces there.
Q: Is this being done now?
A: Hundreds of billions of dollars are now spent by the United States
each year on defense, but very little on the sealift needed to transport
the equipment bought with those dollars. The defense strategy of the
United States, in effect, ignores the importance of mobility and, therefore,
lacks credibility.

SIU Vice President Buck
Mercer told representatives
from the MSC that they need
to iron out some problems.
Union officials play an important part in boosting the
CIVMAR's morale, he said.

Mercer pledged to do all he could
to help those MSC members who were
suffering from alcohol or drug addiction to get back on the road to recovery. Again, he asserted, an undertanding union repre entative can make

a big difference to a CIVMAR who is
in trouble.
"'They can talk to us," said Mercer.
"They can go to us for help."
Mercer, like the other delegates
(Continued on Page 18.)
July 1987/LOG/17

�Crews Are Key
(Continued from Page 17.)
present, said that this country needed
to do a great deal more to improve its
sealift capability. Among other things,
said Mercer, this country needs a comprehensive maritime polity to stimu-

late activity in both the governmentcontrolled and private fleets.
Despite the occasional problems that
crop up onboard vessels, said Mercer,
the SIU has the finest sailors in the
world.

(Continued from Page 16.)

Equipment Acquisition
As the curriculum was developed, the need for equipment that would
be necessary for conducting training became apparent. This equipment
is still being acquired through a variety of sources by various means
including company donations, government surpluses and school purchases.
In the Crane program, we now have various military vehicles, boats
and container equipment to instruct and practice the actual lifts that are
required for shipboard load-on and load-off operations.
Two Clark 6000-lb fork trucks are used to simulate shipboard operations
on our extensive obstacle and cargo handling facilities.
Additional UNREP equipment has been acquired and updated to
supplement our extensive inventory in this area.
Actual helicopter equipment has been obtained to better demonstrate
this operation aboard ship.
Damage Control equipment and training aids are still being added and
developed in addition to what has already been acquired.

Student Enrollment
The Sealift Program is a required course for all members at the school.
Union members apply for the program through the SHLSS Admissions
Office. Upon completion of the program, students are given a course
certificate and are placed on the Sealift Trained Personnel Computer
printout. This shows the member's training and the date of course
completion. The list is constantly updated for manpower and is a valuable
tool in supplying our companies with trained sealift members.
The first Sealift class began in January 1985. As of today, 22 classes
have completed training, qualifing over 500 SIU members in the Sealift
Program. In addition, a total of 105 military personnel have completed
the Hagglund Crane Course.

The stories and photographs for this special
report on the SIU's second Annual Sealift
Conference were prepared by LOG Associate
Editor Max Hall.

Specialized Training
The variety of vessels, types of operations and service branches
involved in military operations have created different training needs for
the companies under military contracts and for the military itself. With
Army, Navy and Marine Corps personnel involved in cargo handling for
many of these ships, a mutual goal of supplying trained crane operators
has been realized. The school has conducted crane training on our 32ton Hagglund crane for both Army and Navy personnel. These specialized
training programs were conducted at the school for the Army Transportation School in Fort Eustis, Va., for the Navy Cargo Handling and Port
Group in Williamsburg, Va. and for the 1173rd Transportation group,
Boston, Mass. Continuous training of Armed Forces' personnel is also
conducted on the SS Keystone State on the Lake Shore Crane Operations.
Another specialized type of training that has been conducted by SHLSS
staff is training at sea. A mobile team of instructors has been requested
by the companies and sent to train our members at sea for UNREP,
Damage Control, Fork Truck, and Crane Operations during the last two
years. This mobile team has been well received by our companies and
members. The team supplies the necessary training so that the crews can
make the transition between civilian practices and military requirements
in addition to refresher training in these areas.
To complement the training on our 32-ton crane, a Hagglund Crane
Maintenance Course was developed by the SHLSS vocational staff. This
course offers classroom and practical training in preventive and corrective
maintenance to the Hagglund crane.
A growth area for specialized training in the future is the use of the
SHLSS Simulator, a multifunction bridge with deep sea and inland
simulation systems which can be utilized for training in UNREP station
keeping and bridge watch keeping.
We hope that our specialized training programs can be developed
successfully in the future with the cooperation of the companies, military
and the SHLSS staff.

RFP Problems Highlight SIU Sealift Conference
(Continued from Page 15.)
out a set of concrete training requirements for privately-owned maritime
companies. This, in turn, increases
the companies' training expenses and
makes it difficult for them and the
unions to plan for future development.
During the second day of the conference, representatives from the government and military were asked by
union officials and company representatives for an assessment of the SIU's
training program and for suggestions
on how to make it more relevant to
the military's needs.
''Tell us what you want,'' said
SHLSS Vice President Ken Conklin,
"We can do anything here."
The government officials present
made few remarks about the school's

Manpower and fairness of the RFP process
are the two most important issues, said
D-2 Vice President Jerry Joseph.

18 I LOG I July 1987

training facilities. A few, however, did
express some concern about the dwindling size of American-flag crews.
Union officials and company executives alike stressed that manpower
was the key to making this whole
program work, and that the uncertain
state of the American-flag merchant
marine was making it difficult to maintain an adequate-sized pool of skilled
mariners. Too many skilled mariners,
licensed and unlicensed, are leaving
the field because they can't find work.
Robert Kesteloot, Transportation
Institute vice chairman and former
head of the Navy's Sealift Division,
referred to a study conducted by the
Navy which predicts a serious manpower shortage of skilled mariners
within a few years. ''If something isn't
done," said Kesteloot, "then we won't
have enough men and women to crew
our vessels , if we should choose to
build them."
Kesteloot also talked about ways of
improving the RFP process. Among
other things , he would overhaul the
present system of procuring RFP bids,
which involves a two-step process.
Not enough weight is placed on a
company's previous work experience,
he said.
Mention was made of the government's Ready Reserve Program, which
has become a costly and ultimately
ineffective way of beefing up this country's sealift capability. All the delegates present stressed that the only

way to secure adequate sealift power
is through a long-term program which
provides the American-flag merchant
marine with adequate cargo.
At the end of the first session, Drozak addressed the company delegates
and talked about the Union's commitment to protecting the job security of
the membership. This entails certain
things, he said.
For one thing, it means working
closely with SIU-contracted companies to garner whatever work is available to the American-flag merchant
marine.
Two: It means making sure that the
SIU crews receive the best possible
training in order to be better equipped
to handle the challenges of the future:
intermodal operations, high-technology, sealift support functions.
Three: The government has to enact
a long-range program to create cargo
for the American-flag merchant marine. Unless that is done, Drozak said,
there can be no real job security for
any American seaman. If the American-flag merchant marine is allowed
to decline at its present rate, then
within five years there will be no
industry left to save.
Four: The SIU will make sure that
unlicensed seamen receive a fair shake.
Recently, licensed unions have been
trying to infringe upon the jurisdictional rights of our members. That
must stop:
Five: The SIU will work closely

with any maritime union that respects
the job security of our membership.
Right now, the only union that fits that
description is District 2-MEBA, which
has always encouraged unlicensed
seamen to come up through the foes 'le.
Six: The Union will continue to
invest in programs that will make SIU
seamen more productive and competitive. An example of this is how the
Union has computerized its shipping
records to respond more effectively
to companies' manpower requests. If
we can't man the vessels, we won't
get the jobs.

Recent developments have called into question the fairness of the RFP process, said
SIU Vice President Red Campbell.

�Award to MSCPAC Mariner
by Bob Borden
PAO, MSCPAC
For his superior work and performance aboard the USNS Mispillionfrom
March 1986 th igh the end of last
year, Third Mate Willard Bickford has
been awarded the MSCPAC Mariner
Award of Excellence. He was presented the award, along with a $2,000
check, in ceremonies at MSCPAC
headquarters June 3.
The grandson of a captain in the
merchant marine and the son of a
retired chief steward, Bickford first
went to sea with the Coast Guard after
attending the Oregon Institute of Technology. He was a boatswain mate with
the Coast Guard for four years before
he left the service to sail as an OS and
AB with the merchant marine along
the West Coast and across the Pacific.
He also served as a quartermaster with
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aboard
a survey ship before joining MSCPAC
in 1984. Since then, Bickford has sailed
on the USNS Albert J. Myer, Passumpsic, Chauvenet and Mispillion.
It was his work on the Mispillion
which gained Bickford this prestigious
award. Noted a portion of the nominating message from the ship to
MSCPAC headquarters: "Mr. Bickford's talent, knowledge, and expertise in navigation, CBR defense, damage control and firefighting go far and
above that of the average third mate.
His performance of duties and his
capacity for carrying through assignments surpasses the guidelines of his
job description. He never fails to give
100 percent.''
The Russian nuclear power plant
disaster at Chernobyl last year influenced Bickford to assist in improving
the Mispillion's chemical, biological
and radiological (CBR) defense capabilities.
"I think there's a real need to upgrade our ships' capabilities to defend

themelves against any kind ofattack,"
said Bickford. "I've tried to make
people aware of this and it was a team
effort aboard the Mispillion that helped
us to update the ship's defense to the
highest attainable level.' '
Bickford credits part of his success
aboard ship with the amount of training MSCPAC has provided him and
others ashore and afloat. ''I'm impressed with the amount of training
we've received, especially aboard
ship," he says. "That's where it should
be done.''
Quiet and unassuming, Bickford says
he was surprised to hear he won the
MSCPAC Mariner Award of Excellence. "I really didn't think I did
anything outstanding except what was
required of me,'' he said modestly.

Heroes of the Mispillion Are Rewarded
by Bob Borden
PAO, MSCPAC
Five civil service mariners who
helped correct the extreme list of the
USNS Mispillion when she went
aground last year near Sasebo, Japan,
are being rewarded for their bravery
and heroism.
Second Assistant Engineer Ben
Roybal and Pumpmen Charley White,
Joe Beauchamp and Tenthson Shannon, along with Third Engineer George
Hopkins, are the recipients of the
Navy's Meritorious Civilian Service
Award and MSCPAC Special Act
Awards.
Ben Roybal never expected to receive an award for his actions on
March 15, 1986, when the Mispillion
ran aground while the ship was
undergoing sea trials. In fact, Roybal
didn't expect to survive the wreck,
nor did his three pumpmen or Hopkins. When the ship hit the shoals at
2:24. that Saturday afternoon, the impact of steel against rock shuddered

"Smart Ship" Winners Announced
The following MSCPAC USNS
ships were the recipients of Fiscal
Year 1986 Smart Ship Awards in their
category and are entitled to fly the E
pennant. The ships selected in recognition of their superior performance
during FY 1986 include the USNS
Kawishiwi, winner of the coveted
GANO Award. The Kawishiwi has
been a consistent "Smart Ship" winner of her class and exemplary of the
entire MSCPAC fleet in maintaining a
high degree of readiness.
The USNS Observation Island was
Smart Ship winner in the missile range
ship category. Among other important
facts, the Observation Island met all
her operational requirements, all un-

MSCPAC Engineer Benjamin Roybal, left, receives the Navy's Meritorious Civilian
Service Award, while Third Mate Willard Bickford is presented with the MSCPAC
Mariner Award of Excellence..

anticipated commitments and all additional taskings during FY 1986.
In the towing and salvage category
an award went to the USNS Catawba.
Among other things, the Catawba met
100 percent of her commitments while
maintaining an immaculate appearance.
The USNS Zeus, a cable laying/
repair ship, was also the winner of the
Smart Ship Award for her completion
with ease of the arduous assignments
to which she was commited.
Finally, the USNS Mercury received the Smart Ship Award by meeting or exceeding all requirements for
readiness, maintenance, appearance
and operational proficiency.

the ship for 15 seconds before the oiler
grinded to a halt.
Roybal and his pumpmen, who were
standing on the ship's tank deck, heard
a loud hissing sound after the ship
finally stopped. They believed, correctly, that the noise was from pressure flowing into some tanks, with
ballast going out into the sea through
holes in the bottom of the tanks. Other
tanks, they assumed, must be flooding
with sea water. The four men immediately ran to cargo control where
Roybal called the Auxiliary Machinery
Room (AMR) and ordered an auxiliary
generator to be placed on the line.
A steady starboard list, tilting the
ship at the rate of three degrees a
minute, quickly forced the shutdown
of the engine room, resulting in the
loss of electrical power and lighting
throughout the ship. Even the emergency lighting was out because the
batteries had been removed during the
Mispillion' s overhaul period at the
Japanese shipyard. If there was any
work to be done to save the ship, it
would have to be done in darkness.
Third Engineer George Hopkins
elected to stay in the Auxiliary Machinery Room when Roybal called to
ask for his help in putting a diesel
generator on line so Roybal would
have power for the pumps in the pumproom. Alone in the AMR with no
overhead light and trying to remain
steady on his feet despite a severe list,
Hopkins, using a hand flashlight,
worked on putting a two-story high,
20-foot long auxiliary engine on line.
He was successful. The pump room
now had the power it needed.
Meanwhile, Roybal, White, Beauchamp and Shannon were 50 feet below the main deck inside the Mispillion 's pump room trying to correct the
ship's 20 degree list. Like Hopkins,
they were all working with only their
flashlights.

"I was scared and I felt like running
but there was no place to run to,''
said Roybal, who was at MSCPAC
headquarters in early June to accept
his Meritorious Civilian Service Award.
"We didn't know if anyone was still
on the ship or if the ship might roll
over at any time. We just tried to do
our job as best we could. I guess it
was pride that kept us down there.''
After Roybal and his crew lined up
the large valves in the pump room,
they climbed six decks up to cargo
control to light off the pumps that
would pump ballast to other tanks and
bring the Mispillion back to an even
keel. Roybal and his men returned to
the pump room two more times, and
Roybal went down there a third time
on his own to make sure the valves
were still lined up and the pumps were
working. Within 15 minutes of the
grounding, and with their ship listing
heavily to starboard, five men acting
without regard to their own safety
saved the Mispillion and her crew from
certain disaster. The fleet oiler slowly
righted herself to the point where she
was out of immediate danger.
''I didn't think I was going to come
out of that pump room alive when we
first went down there," said Roybal,
a 22-year veteran of MSCPAC. "The
fear I experienced left me without any
energy. All my muscles were relaxed
and I felt this was the end. Now I
know what a person goes through
when he thinks he's about to die."
MSCPAC Damage Control Officer
Dale Krabbenschmidt, who was aboard
the Mispillion for a training mission
when she went aground, later wrote a
report of the incident and still another
memo recommending awards for the
men who saved the vessel.
Noted Krabbenschmidt, "These men
operated below decks in uncertain
conditions with no certainty that they
would live past the end of the event."

July 1987/LOG/19

~

&gt;-

-

�===========

USNS Wright=

Bosun Jack Pierce, left, and AB Mike Wittenberg, -prepare to give a coat of
paint to the decks of the VSNS Wright.

==USNS Lynch=================
C

REWMEMBERS aboard the Lavina-contracted ship, the USNS
Lynch (T-AGOR-7), were treated to a
tour of the Naval Ocean Research and
Development Activity (NORDA) offices in Bay St. Louis, Miss. recently.
There they were able to view various
pieces of oceanographic equipment including an electron microscope. They
also got to see firsthand the processing
of some of the samples the Lynch
collected on a voyage to the Bahamas
last March and renewed friendships
with some of the scientists who accompanied them on that trip. Thanks
to Daniel C. Eckert, ship's chairman,
for sharing these photos with the LOG.

At an informational meeting at NORDA, crewmembers of the VSNS Lynch include (I. tor.) Christopher Doyle, OMU; Joseph E. Lozen,
DEU; David Peters, S.A.; Ray Snow, AB; Reynaldo Vanta, chief steward; Daniel C. Eckert, AB, and Luis A. Malave, AB.

The USNS Lynch dockside at Gulfport, Miss.

20 I LOG I July 1987

Testing the lifeboats on the VSNS Lynch involves actually lowering the boat into the
water. In the boat are 1st Asst. Eng. Jim White, 3rd Mate Steve Snell, DEU Joe Lozen,
Bosun Howard Knox and OMU Chris Doyle. ABs Bob Trigg and Luis Malave tend the
frapping lines as 3rd Mate Nelson Marshal releases the brake to lower away.

�Dlaest of Ships
BOSTON (Sea-Land Service), June
11-Chairman William Feil, Secretary A.
Burdette. No beefs or disputed OT. A new
treasurer, Paul Lewis, was elected. Minutes of the previous meeting were read.
The crew is awaiting word on the contract
negotiations and believe there should be
some news by payoff. Some repairs are
still needed and should be taken care of
next trip. The chairman said he talked with
the captain regarding safety procedures
aboard ship-and everything is OK. There
was some discussion on the Seafarers
Maritime Union (SMU), and members were
urged to keep an open mind regarding this
venture. Next port: Anchorage, Alaska.
GREAT LAND (TOTE), June 2-Chairman John Nolan, Secretary Jack Utz, Educational Director Larry Hines, Deck Delegate John Noble, Steward Delegate John
Pratt. No beefs or disputed OT. The chairman reported that a new phone booth is
to be put on the TOTE dock for the convenience of all ships' personnel. He also
reminded members to see the patrolman
before leaving ship, and that since he,
himself, was getting off this trip, a new
chairman would be elected. (Russ Caruthers was elected to fill the position.) All
hands must have a passport before signing
on a TOTE ship. It was believed, however,
that when the company or the Union ships
a man through an error, the seaman should
not have to pay whatever expenses are
incurred and thus be penalized for someone else's mistake. Also, when a job is
called from the board, members want to
see the job called correctly. "Too many
times in the past year, a 180-day job is
called when it is only a relief jol:r-and
more often, a job is called as a relief when
it is actually 180 days."
OMI COLUMBIA (OMI), May 31Chairman Joseph R. Broadus, Secretary
C.R. Moss, Educational Director Author G.
Milne. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
The chairman reminded all members that
their Union contract runs out June 15. He
also noted that it's never too late to upgrade
your skills and stressed the importance of
donating to SPAD "to keep these ships
running with American flags." There are
plenty of movies onboard; crewmembers
should just be sure to return the tapes
back to the movie room. On a personal
note, Chester Moss said that he was grateful to the Union for paying his sick wife's
bills. She died Feb. 24 following a long
illness. "She was going to send a thankyou card, but she never got well to do so,
so I thank you." A vote of thanks was given
to the steward department for a job well
done. One minute of silence was observed
in memory of our departed brothers and
sisters.
ROVER (Ocean Carriers), May 24Chairman Douglas K. Mcleod, Secretary
E. Harris, Educational Director Dan Kinghorn, Deck Delegate R. Bolling, Engine
Delegate C. Miles, Steward Delegate A.
Young. No beefs or disputed OT. The
chairman reported on the response received from headquarters regarding the ice
machine, new mattresses and the dollar
rate for deck and engine men cleaning
their own rooms. According to Vice President "Red" Campbell, the company is to
buy new mattresses in Guam; the ice
machine question is still pending because
the engineers told the captain that the

A cake celebrating John Kane's first anniversary "on the wagon." Kane is the bosun on
the Sgt. Matej Kocak.

Neet~nas

machine is making ice to capacity; and the
dollar rate was straightened out. Thre is a
need for blank forms aboard ship-for
ships minutes, OT, vacation, crew listsand any other forms needed for routine
business. Up-to-date LOGs would also be
appreciated. A discussion on the Seafarers
Maritime Union (SMU) was held. Next
ports: Japan and Guam.

SEA·LAND PIONEER (Sea-Land
Service), May 31-Chairman Calvain
James, Secretary Sam S. Brown, Educational Director J. Dellinger. No beefs or
disputed OT. The chairman commented

dinner and cake (John Kane's first anniversary of being "on the wagon"). One
minute of silence was observed in memory
of our departed brothers and sisters. Next
port: Morehead City, N.C.

STONEWALL JACKSON (Waterman), May 31-Chairman Tom M. Nelles,
Secretary Jenry Jones Jr., Educational
Director Lawrence R. Taylor, Deck Delegate Walter G. Koulback, Engine Delegate
Jose Ortiz, Steward Delegate G. Watkins.
Some disputed OT was reported in the
deck department. One man was sent home
sick from Karachi; a replacement was received in Madras. It was stressed that if
any memb'3r has a beef, he should fill out
a beef sheet at the hall. "Don't just talk
about it, do something." A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department for a
job very well done. Next port: New York.

WESTWARD VENTURE (IOM), June
14-Chairman George S. Vanover, Secretary Donald Frounfelter, Educational Director John Ross, Deck Delegate Ray
Ramirez, Engine Delegate Joseph "Red"
Kreb, Steward Delegate William M. Sharp.
No beefs or disputed OT. In the deck
department, the new GUDE missed the
ship in Tacoma. The chairman was advised
to call the Seattle hall from Anchorage.
The chairman noted that a meeting was
held June 12 in Tacoma with Port Agent
George Vukmir presiding. A vote was taken
at that time to accept the new Union
contract. It was unanimously approved by
the rank and file membership present. John
Ross (chief electrician/educational director/treasurer) was welcomed back. He reported $122 in the ship's fund and recommended that the money be used to
purchase new books and magazines for
the library. All members were thanked for
their cooperation in helping make this a
pleasant voyage for everyone. Next port:
Tacoma, Wash.

Official ships minutes also were received from the following vessels:

Aboard the Sgt. Matej Kocak are James Wilson , A.B .; Don Peterson, electrician, and, with his
back to the camera, John Kane , bosun.

that this was a smooth-running ship and
thanked each crewmember for a job well
done. He also thanked the steward department for doing a good job. The secretary said he will talk to the port steward
about the imitation seafood from Japan
that is being stored aboard ship. He also
mentioned that he had the skipper talk to
the company about having enough towels
for one trip so that the steward assistant
doesn't have to wash them all the time.
And the educational director stressed the
importance of contributing to SPAD. Next
port: Elizabeth, N.J.

SEA·LAND VENTURE (Sea-Land
Service), May 10-Chairman Ervin L.
Bronstein, Secretary Charles Corrent, Educational Director Hugh Wells, Engine Delegate Jimmie Ray Graydon, Steward Delegate Robert Lee Scott Sr. No beefs or
disputed OT. There is no ship's treasury.
All needed funds (for movies) are collected
through arrival pools. The chairman said
there was the possibility of a 20-25 day
lay-up in June, but nothing is certain yet.
He also announced that his six months are
up and asked that a new bosun be elected
ship's chairman. (Brother Waiters was voted
in by acclamation.) The secretary said that
this has been a great crew. "It's been our
department's pleasure to accommodate
you brothers and sisters." A discussion
was held about the new SMU, and members will wait for the patrolman to explain
more about it. A vote of thanks was given
to Brother Bronstein for a job well done.
And special thanks were given to the steward department, particularly Brother Robert
(Sweet Mix) Scott Sr. for all his efforts. "A
well-fed crew makes a happier and harder
worker out of all of us." Next port: New
Orleans, La.
SGT. MATEJ KOCAK (Waterman),
June 1-Chairman John J. Kane, Secretary Milton J. Phelps, Educational Director
Donald Peterson, Deck Delegate Pedro
Kratsas, Engine Delegate Michael J. Tremper, Steward Delegate Sal Buzali. No beefs
or disputed OT. Everything is running
smoothly aboard the Sgt. Matej Kocak. A
microwave oven was purchased with money
from the pool and has been set up in the
crew pantry. Movies for the VCR will be
purchased as well. All members were reminded that smoking on open decks is
prohibited. A discussion was held about
other safety procedures. The chairman
thanked all departments for their cooperation and hard work-especially to the
steward department for the anniversary

LNG VIRGO (Energy Transportation
Corp.), May 17-Chairman Bill Nuchols,
Secretary Steven R. Wagner, Deck Delegate Mike Said, Engine Delegate lmro
Salomons, Steward Delegate James Robinson. No disputed OT reported. There is
$373 in the ship's fund. The chairman
would like an SIU patrolman to meet the
LNG ships at least every four months and,
perhaps, even ride a couple of them just
to become more familiar with the problems
onboard. The educational director urged
all members to take advantage of the
upgrading classes offered at Piney Point.
A letter from Arun was posted concerning
crewmembers walking through the plant.
"If you are not on the scheduled bus,
transportation will be available at the main
gate. There will be no more walking through
the plant." A vote of thanks was given to
the steward department for a fine job. Next
ports: Nagoya, Japan; Bontang, Indonesia;
Tobata, Japan.

AMBASSADOR
AMERICAN EAGLE
ATLANTIC
AURORA
BORINQUEN
CAGUAS
CAPE DOUGLAS
LNG CAPRICORN
COVE LIBERTY
1ST LT. B. LOPEZ
GALVESTON
GUS DARNELL
ITB MOBILE
MOKU PAHU
OMI HUDSON

OMI SACRAMENTO
OMI WABASH
OVERSEAS JUNEAU
PONCE
SEA-LAND CONSUMER
SEA-LAND DEFENDER
SEA-LAND DEVELOPER
SEA-LAND FREEDOM
SEA-LAND INNOVATOR
SEA-LAND LEADER
SEA-LAND PRODUCER
STALWART
STAR OF TEXAS
USNS BARTLITT

Personals
John 0. Frazier
Please contact your sister, Dorothy F. Bolling at 103 Steele Rd.,
Slidell, La. 70461; or telephone at
(504) 469-7441.
Jose M. Castell
Please get in touch with your
wife, Margot Castell, 62 Sherman
Ave., Staten Island, N.Y. 10301.

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, August 3 .................... 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, August 4 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, August 5 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, August 6 .............. . .... 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thur day, August 6 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville ....... ., ...... Thursday, August 6 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, August 7 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, Augu t 10 ................... 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, August 11 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, August 12 ................ 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ...... . ..... Thursday, August 13 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, Augu t 17 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Seattle ....... . .......... Friday, August 21 .................... 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ................ Thursday, August 6 ................... 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, August 14 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday, August 13 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, August 12 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, August 19 ................ 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, August 18 .................. 10:30 a.m.

July 1987 I LOG I 21

-

�-

Pensioner Edgar
S. Bagley, 72, died
of leukemia May 8.
Brother
Bagley
joined the SIU in
1973 in the port of
Houston. He sailed
in the engine department. Born in North
Carolina, Seafarer Bagley went on
pension in 1981. His body was donated
to the University of Texas for medical
research.

i

Pensioner George
L. Bales, 77, died
April 21. Brother
Bales joined the SIU
in 1939. He sailed in
the deck department
and was active in the
'- General Strike of
/"la.. 1946 and the Isthmian beef of 1947. Born in Louisiana,
Seafarer Bales retired in 1974. Burial
was at Pine Crest Cemetery in Mobile,
Ala. He is survived by a son, James
P. Bales, of Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Pensioner Warren H. Cassidy died
of a heart attack April 9. He was 65.
Brother Cassidy joined the SIU in 1947
in the port of New York. He sailed in
the steward department and retired on
pension in 1978. Creamation took place
in Rockledge, Fla. Seafarer Cassidy
is survived by his sister, Pat Davis ,
and a niece, Marilyn Kearney, both
of Melrose, Mass.
Pensioner George Craggs, 68, died
oflung disease May 3. Born in Illinois,
Brother Craggs joined the SIU in 1947
in the port of New York. He sailed in
the steward department and was active
in the 1946 General Strike and the 1947
Isthmian beef. Seafarer Craggs went
on pension in 1976. Cremation took
place in West Paducah, Ky. He is
survived by his wife, Eugenia, of West
Frankfurt, Ill.
Pensioner Stephen
E. Emerson, 85, died
of pneumonia March
24. Brother Emerson joined the SIU
in 1951 in the port of
Baltimore. He sailed
in the deck department and was active
in the 1946 General Strike and the 1947
Isthmian beef. Emerson was born in
New Hampshire. He went on pension
in 1964. Burial was at Mt. Pisgah in
Poughkeepsie, Ark. He is survived by
his wife, Maude, of Bentonville, Ark.
Pensioner Roger Gilderman died
March 22 of a heart attack. He was
78. Born in New York, Brother Gilderman joined the SIU (Railroad Marine) in 1960, first sailing in 1942 with
Bush Terminal Railroad Co. He sailed
in the deck and engine departments.
Seafarer Gilderman retired on pension
in 1969. Cremation took place in Hebron, Ohio. He is survived by his wife,
Florence, of Hebron.
22 I LOG I July 1987

Pensioner Theodore Goodman, 69,
succumbed to heart problems April 7.
Born in Louisiana, Brother Goodman
joined the SIU in 1942 in the port of
New Orleans. He sailed in the steward
department, first with Eastern SS Co.,
most recently as a chief steward with
Sea-Land. Seafarer Goodman went on
pension in 1984. He was buried at
Rose Hills Memorial Park in Putnam
Valley, N. Y. He is survived by his
wife, Greta; twin daughters, Karen
and Sharon, and Sheila Wright.
Pensioner Edward C. Grell, 83, died
of natural causes April 26. Born in the
Virgin islands, Brother Grell joined
the SIU in 1939 in the port of New
York. He sailed in the steward department and participated in the General Strike (1946) and the Isthmian
beef (1947). Seafarer Grell retired on
pension in 1970. Burial was at St.
John's Cemetery in Queens, N.Y. He
is survived by a daughter, Elizabeth
Sanchez, of Tampa, Fla.
Pensioner Stanislau Guzi, 70, died of
cancer April 13. Born
Pennsylvania,
in
Brother Guzi joined
the SIU in 1967 in
the port of New
York. He sailed in
the deck department
and retired on pension in 1984. Burial
was in New Jersey. Seafarer Guzi is
survived by a sister, Helen Heck, of
Turners ville, N .J.
Pensioner Nicholas Kondylas died in
an autombile accident April 27. He
was 80. Born in Greece, Brother Kondylas joined the SIU in 1946 in the
port of New York. He sailed in the
steward department. Kondylas hit the
bricks in the 1946 General Strike and
went on pension in 1971. Cremation
took place in Baltimore, Md. He is
survived by his wife, Renate, of Baltimore.
Herbert E. Lane,
65, died of a heart
attack March 16.
Brother Lane joined
the SIU in 1968 in
the port of Seattle.
He sailed in the engine department as
a wiper/electrician,
most recently(1981) aboard a Sea-Land
vessel. Born in South Carolina, Seafarer Lane was cremated at Masonic
Memorial Gardens in Reno, Nevada.
He is survived by his wife, Chong.
Pensioner Hans Lee, 67, died of
cancer March 28. Born in Norway,
Brother Lee joined the SIU in 1968.
He sailed in the deck department, most
recently with Sea-Land Service. Seafarer Lee retired in 1984. Burial was
at Evergreen Memorial Park in Seattle, Wash. He is survived by his daughter, Linda.
Pensioner John F. McGarrigle died
May 4 of pneumonia and lung cancer.
He was 76. Born in Maine, Brother
McGarrigle joined the SIU in 1952 in
the port of New York. He sailed as

an FOWT in the engine department
and retired in 1976. Seafarer McGarrigle was buried at St. Stanislaus
Cemetery in Cheektowaga, N. Y. He
is survived by his wife, Veronica, of
Buffalo, N.Y.
Pensioner Vincent E. Monte, 86,
died April 14 of a heart attack. Born
in the Philippines, Brother Monte joined
the SIU in 1946 in the port of Boston,
but actually first sailed in 1942 aboard
the Ogden Sacramento. His last vessel
was with Sea-Land. He sailed in the
steward department. Seafarer Monte
was active in the General Strike (1946)
and the Isthmian beef (1947). He retired on pension in 1974. Burial was
at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Colma,
Calif. He is survived by his wife, Lily,
of San Francisco.
Pensioner Louis Pinilla died of heart
disease April 24. He was 70. Born in
Puerto Rico, Brother Pinilla joined the
SIU in 1943 in the port of New York.
He sailed in the steward department
and retired on pension in 1981. Burial
was at Rio Grande Cemetery in Rio
Grande, P.R. He is survived by his
wife, Luz M. Diaz, of Puerto Rico.
John P. Quirke
died of respiratory
problems aboard the
OM/ Wabash April
12. He was 36. Born
in Brooklyn, N.Y.,
Brother Quirke was
a graduate of the
Seafarers
Harry
Lundeberg School of Seamanship in
Piney Point, Md. He joined the SIU
in 1973. Burial was in Brooklyn. Seafarer Quirke is survived by his wife,
Audrey; a son, Anthony; a step-daughter, Marie, and a step-son, Christopher.
Pensioner Robert
M. Roberts, 72, died
of lung cancer April
5. Brother Roberts
joined the SIU in
1960 in the port of
Detroit. He sailed in
the deck department. Born in West
Virginia, Seafarer Roberts retired on
pension in 1978. His body was cremated in Green Bay. Surviving is a
son, Phillip D., of Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
Pensioner William
L.Robinson,57,died
May 2. Brother Robinson joined the
SIU in 1950 in the
port of New York.
He sailed in the deck
department and hit
the bricks in the 1946
General Strike and the 1947 Isthmian
beef. First sailing aboard a Waterman
SS vessel, Robinson retired on pension in 1986. He is survived by a
daughter, Tracey, of Seattle, Wash.
Pensioner John Stuffick, 65, died
April 17 of a heart attack. Born in
Pennsylvania, Brother Stuffick joined

the SIU in 1960 in the port of Toledo.
He retired on pension in 1982. Seafarer
Stuffick was buried in Edwardsville,
Pa. He is survived by a nephew, Andrew Stuffick, of Kingston, Pa.
Richard Velez, 42,
died April 8. Brother
Velezjoined the SIU
in 1967 in the port of
New York. He sailed
in the deck department, most recently
with Sea-Land. Born
in New York, Seafarer Velez was buried at Rosehill
Cemetery in Linden, N .J. He is survived by his wife, Becky; two sons,
William and Andrew, and a daughter,
Jeanine.

Atlantic Fishermen
Pensioner Charles A. Rose, 86, died
April 28 of gangrene of the foot. Brother
Rose joined the Gloucester Fisherman's Union (prior to its merger with
the SIU). He retired in 1969. Burial
took place at Calvary Cemetery in
Gloucester, Mass. Seafarer Rose is
survived by his wife, Catherine, of
Magnolia, Mass.

The following SIU members have
retired on pension:
DEEP SEA
Brooklyn
Leonard C. Grove
Georgios M. Kontomatis
Alice de Carvalho Oquendo
William P. Schlueter
Houston
Henry P. Lopez
Frank S. Paylor
Mobile
John S. Burke
John W. Calhoun
George Causey Jr.
Bernice Hudson
New Orleans
Everett E. Kusgen
Gail Viera
John Viera
William L. York
Philadelphia
Alexander Benzuk
San Francisco
Arthur E. Hinz
Stanley A. Schnitzer
St. Louis
Eugenia Craggs
ATLANTIC FISHERMEN
Gloucester
Salvatore Aiello
Salvatore Curcuru
Carlos Gaspar

�Safeguard
Your
Shipping Rights

T

O SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members , there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules , and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

DU ES

Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register .

RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING

When you are relieved, you
must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.

RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION

It is your respon-

sibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.

RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING It is your responsibility to claim
your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.

KNOW Y

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

C O NST ITUTIONAL RI GHTS AND OB LIG ATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in
all Union halls. All members hould 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 obligation
by any methods such as dealing with charges. trials. etc .•
as well as all other details. then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The constitution of the SIU
Atlantic, G ul f, Lakes and Inland Waters District makes
spec ific provision for safeguard in g the membership's
money and Un ion 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. Members of this ~ommittee 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.
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 . T_h e 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 cop ies of contracts as referred to are available to
you at all times, either by writi ng directly to the Union
or to the Seafarers A ppeals 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 your contract rights, as well as
your obligations, such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If. at any time, any SlU

R IGHTS

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently. no member may he discriminated against hecause of race. creed. color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any memher feels that he is
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
11111111n11111t1111111n111111111111111in1111111n1111u1n1111111111111111n1111111111111111111111111111111

patrolman or other Union offi:::ial, in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly. contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionall1 refrai ned fro m publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union.
officer or memher. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September, 1960. meeting
in all constitutional ports. 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 responsibility.
PAYMENT O F MONIES. No monies are to he paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Un io n receipt is given for same. Under no circumstances should any mem ber pay any money fo r any reason
unless he is given such recei pt. ln the eve nt anyone
attempts to require any such pay ment he made without
supplying a receipt, or if a me mber is required to make a
payment and is given an official receipt. but fe els th at he
should not have been required to make such payment. this
should immediately he reported to Union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a seP.arate segregated fund. Its proceeds are u ed to further its objects and purposes including. but not limited to, furthering the political. social and
economic intere ts of maritime workers. the preservation
and furthering of the American Merchant Marine with
improved employment opportunities for seamen and
boatmen and the adv ancement of trade union concepts.
In connection with uch ohjects. SPAD supports and
contribute to political candidates for elective office. All
contribution. are voluntary. No contrihution may be
solicited or received hecause of force. joh discrimination.
financial reprisal. 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 above 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 inte rests. 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.

July 1987 I LOG I 23

�THE AA PROGRAM
Millions of Americans have regained their sobriety and drug-free
status by working the Alcoholics
Anonymous (AA) program. In every
major city around the country, and in
many cities overseas, AA meetings
are held on a daily basis.
The program employs different tools,
including but not limited to literature,
meetings, prayer, meditation and community service. At the heart of the
program, however, lies the Twelve
Steps, which outlines a way of living
that can promote recovery.
During the past year, the LOG has
run articles on various aspects of the
AA program, including the first four
steps. The first three steps entail admitting one's addiction to alcohol or
drugs, realizing that recovery is possible and taking a' 'searching and fearless" inventory of one's life.
The program also calls upon us to
define our own "Higher Power." It
doesn't matter what that "Higher
Power" is-it can be God, community
or a set of ethical principles. All that
matters is that it exists in our own
mind, and that we strive to make it an
integral part of our daily existence.
This brings a recovering alcoholic

to the fifth step, which is, "We admitted to God, to ourselves and to
another human being the exact nature
of our wrongs.''
According to AA, this is ''perhaps
the most difficult" step. It should be
undertaken with a sympathetic person
whose judgment we respect. That person can be a friend, counselor or even
a religious advisor. The identity of the
person isn't as important as whether
or not we take the step.
In the words of AA, "If we skip
this vital step we might not overcome
drinking. Time after time newcomers
have tried to keep to themselves certain facts about their lives. Trying to
avoid this humbling experience, they
have turned to easier methods. Almost
invariably, they got drunk.''
To the hundreds of SIU members
who are working the AA program,
remember that taking the fifth step
doesn't mean you have to go out and
spill your guts to everyone you see.
The only thing it means is that you
should have taken a "searching and
fearless inventory" of your life and
actions, and that you should share
your findings with your "Higher
Power" and at least one other person.

First Aid for Heat Victims
By Phillip L. Polakoff, M.D.
Western Institute for
Occupational/Environmental Sciences

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are
two different things. They differ as to
the conditions which cause them, and
they have different effects on the body.
Perhaps most importantly they call for
different treatment, especially in giving first aid.
Normally, our bodies react to overheating by perspiring. This is one of
many protective mechanisms we have
built into us. As the sweat evaporates,
it carries heat out of the body. This
cooling effect helps to maintain normal
body temperature.
Effective as this mechanism is, it
has one disadvantage: the sweat carries with it a fair amount of salts which
are natural components of body chemistry. A deficiency of these salts causes
weakness and, sometimes, severe
cramps.
In heat exhaustion , the body loses

an excessive amount of water and
salts. This can happen to somebody
who has perspired heavily after long
exertion on a very hot day.
Thanks to the sweating, the patient's body temperature may be normal, or only slightly raised. The skin
is moist and may be pale. But he or
she feels exhausted, faint and sometimes nauseated. Cramps may develop. The pulse is fast, but feeble.
Now, compare that description with
heat stroke.
Again, the situation is hot, but it's
a different kind of heat than the relatively dry conditions which brought
on heat exhaustion.
Heat stroke often occurs in a very
humid atmosphere with little if any
wind or breeze. It's like tropicaljungle
heat.
Since the air is already saturated

AA
AA meetings are one of the most
important tools for recovering alcoholics. They are held in major cities
around the country. What follows is a
list of AA numbers in ports where the
SIU maintains a Union hall.
Headquarters, Washington:
(202) 966-9115
Algonac: (313) 985-9022
Baltimore: (301) 433-4843
Cleveland: (216) 241-7387
Duluth: (218) 624-0501
Gloucester: 1-800-252-6465
Honolulu: (808) 946-1438

Houston: (713) 524-3682
Jacksonville: (904) 399-8535
Jersey City: (201) 763-1415
Mobile: (205) 432-5896
New Bedford: (617) 996-8518
New Orleans: (504) 525-1178
New York (Brooklyn): (718) 339-4777
Norfolk: (804) 490-3980
Philadelphia: (215) 545-4023
Piney Point: 1-800-492-0209
San Francisco: (415) 661-1828
Santurce, Puerto Rico: (809) 727-2470
Seattle: (206) 282-4441
St. Louis: (314) 647-3677
Wilmington: (213) 644-1139

Give Your Blood for LaborSIU Backs National Blood Drive
The need for blood never takes a
vacation. That's why this August the
AFL-CIO is again working with the
American Red Cross to insure that the
blood supply will continue to be adequate throughout the summer months.

Modem medical technology is saving lives, but it needs the continued
support of healthy volunteer donors
to make that blood available. Some
open heart or transplantation operations may require as many as 50 units

of blood, possibly more if complications arise.
According to the Red Cross, myths
have been growing about the possibility of getting AIDS from giving blood.
"The fact is you can't," said S. Gerald
Sandler, M.D., associate vice president for medical operations for the
American Red Cross. The blood supply is well protected from the AIDS
virus and ''there is no chance of a
donor being infected.'' The American
Red Cross tests all donated blood
products for antibodies to the AIDS
virus.
The need for blood is greater than
ever. So take an hour out of your
vacation and give. It is truly the "gift
of life."

with water vapor, sweat is unable to
evaporate into the atmosphere. The
air temperature may be higher than
that of the patient.
The protective sweat-producing
mechanism breaks down. Unable to
lose heat, the body becomes extremely
hot. The body temperature may rise
to 107 degrees F. or higher, from its
normal 98. 6 degrees.
The skin is hot, dry and red. The
pulse is fast and forceful. The victim
of heat stroke is often restless and
confused and may become unconscious.
First aid for heat stroke victims calls .
for fast action. Quickly get the patient
into the coolest place available, indoors if possible. Remove clothing.
Now, start to cool him down by

sponging the body with cold or lukewarm water and by fanning him vigorously. Do not try to bring the body
temperature to normal, but only to
lower it by 2 or 3 degrees.
Heat stroke can be life-threatening,
and you need medical help urgently.
In providing first aid to a victim of
heat exhaustion, get the person into a
cool area and let him lie down. Loosen
his clothing and raise his feet.
Give fluids to drink with some salt
added-about a teaspoon of salt per
glass. Fruit juice is excellent for this.
Make the victim drink slowly, sipping half a glass every 15 minutes.
Recovery from heat exhaustion is
likely to be good, but it's wise to get
medical advice.

From Aug. 1 to Sept. 7, 1987, union
members nationwide are being asked
to give the ''gift of life'' with the hope
that members and their families will
become year-round, active blood donors.

NARCOTICS
ARE FOR

LOSERt57/

IF

YOU ARE
h'OOKE.D
ON DRUGS&gt;
I

I

l

CONTACT
YOLIR PORT
AGE#TOR
YOLIR. llAllOAI
AT PINEY
Pt?~MO.

24 I LOG I July 1987

�Area Vice Presidents' Report

West Coast
by V. P. George McCartney

N

E.XT year will mark the 50th anmversary of the SIU-AGLIWD.
Those old-timers who are still around
from that period can attest to the great
changes that have occurred in the
maritime industry.
This Union has been able to survive
because it has responded immediately
and effectively to jurisdictional attacks
by other unions, and because we have
adapted to new conditions.
Today, the job security of all unlicensed seamen is being jeopardized.
Last year, both the NMU and the
MFOW ran notices in their newspapers warning their members to be on
the alert against any threats against
their jurisdiction by licensed officers.
The SIU-AGLIWD has an Article XX
case pending against District 1-MEBA
on this very matter.
Anytime that a licensed of cer attempts to do work overed by our
established · · ·ction such as electrical
rigeration work, then it is
r responsibility to submit a claim
for overtime as per our agreement: A
new section, article 4, section 43 entitled "work jurisdiction," spells this
out ~ery clearly and very strongly,
and if you fail to do this then you are
placing your own job and future job
sec ri in jeopardy.
The SIU-A LIWD is committed to
surviving. That is not easy in an industry which has declined from 600
vessels in 1980 to 360 today. Much of
the traditional work that we have relied upon is being threatened. Ten
years ago, for example, Sea-Land alone
had 25 vessels in the foreign and feeder
service. Today, not one American-flag
company is able to compete in this
trade.
At a .recent congressional hearing,
~eter.Fmnerty, Sea-Land's vice president m charge of public relations, said
that the company would have to consider reflagging ''all or part'' of its
fleet if Congress did not come up with
a new liner subsidy system to replace
the one t_h at is being phased out. Bruce
Seaton, president of American President Companies, the parent company
of American President Lines, also alluded to the subsidy problem when he
accepted an award at the Containerization and Intermodal Institute last
month. He had these words to say:
"I think people are not generally
aware that the operating differential
subsidy, which is designed primarily
to help us attain crew-cost parity with
foreign operators, does not actually
achieve that aim ... [Even] with subsidy, the U.S.-flag operator works at
a substantial cost disadvantage. We
think it is essential, as a matter of
national interest and security, that we
employ U.S. crewmembers. At the

same time, if we are to do so, it is
obvious that the offset provided by
the ODS program is not only necessary, but that the program should be
modified to more accurately measure
the differentials involved."
As you can see, no maritime union
committed to protecting the job security of its membership can rely solely
on the work that it now has. The SIUAGLIWD is trying to solve that problem by signing up new work in the
military sector. There are problems in
getting this work, yet the alternative
is even worse: no jobs.
There is no guarantee that Congress
or the executive branch will come up
with a new subsidy program. As a
matter of fact, they're going in the
opposite direction. The present administration is dismantling every single
maritime program still in existence.
The Jones Act is presently on the
bargaining table in "free trade" talks
with Canada. Legislation has been
introduced in the present Congress to
repeal the ban on the sale of Alaskan
oil and to gut this country's remaining
cargo preference laws. One shipping
official told me recently that he wouldn't
be surprised to see the American-flag
fleet decline below 200 registered vessels within three or four years. Given
the present administration's indiffer.;
ence to the maritime industry, he just
might be right.
For better or worse, military work
is the only game in town. By signing
up this kind of work, we accomplish
several goals. We replace jobs lost in
other areas. We protect the pension
and welfare benefits of our middleaged members even if they don't choose
to ship on these military vessels. And
more important, we give the younger
members of this Union a chance to
make a living at sea. As outlined elsewhere in this paper, members who
ship on top-to-bottom SIU-District 2
ships have the chance to advance from
~ntry levels to licensed jobs in rapid
time.

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

W

E'VE been very busy on a variety of projects, from negotiating contracts to getting involved in
community projects.
Negotiations have begun with G&amp;H
Towing in Galveston. Our contract
with Radcliff was extended.
Some of our members have had
questions about the Seafarers Maritime Union. President Drozak made a
videotape on this subject, and we've
been showing it every day at the Union

hall. The reaction to the tape has been
extremely positive.
As President Drozak said, the members of this Union are involved in a
life and death struggle to protect their
job security. This fight is being waged
on a number of fronts, from the halls
of Congress to the ships we sail. Members who take the time to upgrade
their skills help more than just themselves: they help every other member
of this Union. A ship is like a football
team. Every member counts.
I will be attending the Texas AFLCIO Convention next month. It is
important that we maintain good ties
to other unions in the area, just as it
is important that we maintain a high
profile in the community. As I mentioned in my last column, the SIU
hosted a drug and alcohol rehabilitation seminar which was attended by
more than 95 people, including a number of important civic leaders. Rick
Reisman, head of the Union's ARC
program, attended. It was a rewarding
experience for everyone involved.

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike Sacco

S

HIPPING is up markedly on the
Great Lakes this year. Whether or
not that pace will continue remains to
be seen. Still, it's a welcome relief to
read that cargo is up 21 percent from
last year.
Our members in the dredging industry also are doing well. We're just
about reaching the height of the season, so many of our companies are
knee-deep in dredging projects.
Dunbar and Sullivan was the low
bidder for a project on the Rouge River
in Detroit, Mich. It is presently involved in a dredging project at Kenosha, Wis.
Great Lakes and Dredging is finishing up a project on the Cuyahoga River
in Cleveland. After that it will go on
to projects in Buffalo, N.Y. and Lorraine, Ill.
Zenith Dredge and Falcon Marine
are also bysy. Much of this activity
can be tra~ed to two factors: last year's
port deveiopment bill and the poor
environmental condition of many harbors and rivers in this area. Some of
these projects can no longer be put
off without incurring serious and perhaps irreversible environmental damage.
One more thing. Right now, the
administration is holding talks with
Canada on a free trade treaty between
the two countries. One of the issues
on the table is the Jones Act. There
would be serious consequences for the
Great Lakes maritime industry and for

all American seamen if the Jones Act
were allowed to be weakened. Make
sure to write your congressional representatives and senators on this issue.
Your job may depend upon it.

East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

T

HE recent retirement of Supreme
Court Justice Lewis F. Powell
gives the Reagan administration one
more chance to reshape the Supreme
Court in a more conservative mold.
This development is of particular importance to our members. In order to
protect their job security and benefits,
the Union often has to go to court.
So far, at least, our record has been
pretty good in this area. The Fourth
Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals recently
upheld a National Labor Relations
Board order requiring Baker-Whiteley
Towing Company to pay $2 million in
back wages and benefits to 27 Seafarers-an average of $74,000 each.
In addition, the Seafarers Pension
Plan recently won an important case
against Sonat Marine. The court gave
the trustees the right to take away the
past service credits and thereby reduce the pensions payable to all licensed retirees of companies who conti~ued working after their employers
withdrew from the plan. While the
decision will probably be appealed by
the company, this puts all tug and
barge companies on notice that there
~ill. be a penalty to pay if they try to
mfnnge on our members' rights.
Our legal system takes great pains
to protect the rights of all ''interested
parties.'' In theory, this means that
everyone has the right to a fair and
impartial trial. What actually happens,
however, is that the side that can stall
the most usually winds up wearing
down the resist.a nce of its opponent.
Most companies which seek to deprive their workers of their contractual
rights bank on the time-consuming nature of the legal system. This Union
won't let them do it. For example, we 're
still in litigation over the status of Sonat' s captains, mates and barge captains.
This, unfortunately, puts a special
burden on those members who work
for companies like Sonat Marine. To
those members, I'd like to let you
know that this Union will leave no
stone unturned in protecting your rights.
. To put the matter in some perspective: the Baker-Whiteley case dates
back to 1984. Yet we hung in there
and were ultimately able to make sure
that all the people who supported us
got a fair shake. Of course, you can't
win every case. But then again, you
don't have to. All you have to do is
make sure that management understands that you won't go gentle into
that good night.
(Continued on Page 27.)
July 1987 I LOG I 25

-

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

JUNE 1-30, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac ... . . . .... . . . ......

0

20

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
45
8

0

Port
Algonac . ..... .. ... . . . . . ...

0

5

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
21
0
2

0

Port
Algonac .. .. .. . . . . . . ...... .

0

2

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
11
0

0

4

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

Port
Algonac .. .. . ... . ....... . ..

16

0

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
7

0
4

HEADQUARTERS
0

Totals All Departments ... .....
42
0
8
77
0
10
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.

15

3

27

5

5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746
(301) 899-0675

ALGONAC, Mich.
520 St. Clair Ri·1er Dr. 48001
(313) 794-4988

BALTIMORE, Md.
1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202
(301) 327-4900

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
JUNE 1-30, 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 . . ........ ... . ...
Port
New York ... ... .. . . . . . ..
Philadelphia ......... .... .
Baltimore ... . . .. .... .. . .
Norfolk .. . . . .... . ... . ...
Mobile ....... . .........
New Orleans .... .. ... . .. .
Jacksonville ......... . ....
San Francisco .. .. . .. .. . ...
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .. .... . .. . ... .. ..
Puerto Rico . ..... .. .. . ...
Honolulu . . . . ...... . . . .. :
Houston ...... . ........ .
St. Lou is.... . . . .... . .. ..
Piney Point ............ . .
Totals . ...... . .........

-

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
50
6
9
11
14
44
32
37
18
41
11
16
44
0
2

335

16
3
3
10
4
2
18
14
8
10
1
13
10
0
5

117

0
0
0
5
1
3
3
17
3
1
0
9
1
0
2

45

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
41
3
8
10
9
34
24
16
13
24
16
8
20
0
1

227

DECK DEPARTMENT
5
0
0
0
2
0
11
4
3
0
7
1
13
1
2
10
3
1
8
1
1
0
16
6
7
0
0
0
4
2

82

26

248

62

22

148

0

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
4
0
0
0
4
0
7
1
1
0
6
0
2
0
4
5
5
2
3
0
1
0
7
7
3
0
0
0
0
0

30
1
4
8
5
30
23
48
10
24
4
11
11
0
4

5
0
1
1
0
0
8
8
2
6
1
15
0
0
6

1
1
0
1
0
1
0

15
0
2
6
6
21
8
27
8
18
4
3
4
0
0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
5
0
1
0
2
0
2
1
0
0
1
0
0
9
3
3
1
0
5
0
1
0
29
25
0
0
0
0
2
0

40
5
7
12

10

29
30
23
12
29
9
8
33

0

1

213

Port
New York ........ . . ... ..
Philadelphia .. . .... . ... . ..
Baltimore ............. . .
Norfolk . .... . .... . ......
Mobile ..... . ...........
New Orleans . .... ..... . ..
Jacksonville . . ...... ... . ..
San Francisco ... . . .. .. . . ..
Wilmington .. ...... .. ....
Seattle . .. . .......... ...
Puerto Rico .. ... . .. . .. . ..
Honolulu ... ... ....... . ..
Houston ................
St. Louis . .. .... . ....... .
Piney Point .. . . . .........
Totals .................

138

Totals All Departments ......

934

19
2
3
4
1
11
8
33

10
20
6
9
12

0

0

10
2
5
3
2
6
4
8
3
6
0
11
2
0
0

53

0
0

0

1
0
2
1
6
2

0
0

17
4
4
10
9
22
17
8
4
15

10

9
1

8
20

0

0

0

10
0
1
1
30
0

0

0

46

122

6
0
0
5
3
28
4
19
9
6
1
161
5
0
1l

13
2
1
0
0
14
3
21
6
16
3
4
10

194

258

93

426

371

590

21
3
7
6
7
14
9
17
6
9
6
76
8

0
5

0

0

47

55

15

35

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
16
2
0
2
0
4
7
3
0
4
12
6
1
8
11
7
1
3
1
5
7
1
79
159
7
2
0
0
11
9

170

198

354

274

Trip
Reliefs
6
0
1
5
1
7
4
8
3
13
2

10
6

0

3

5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-1100

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
11 6
6
12
18
22
77
46
62
28
61
20
13
71
0
2

26
5
5
6
9
6
17
18
11
13
2
15
9
0
4

0
0
0
2
2
5
7
14
5
3
1
4
1
0

554

146

44

3
0

72
5
10
12
17
50
41
33
23
45
8
2
48
0
2

14
4
3
3
5

0
1
1
1
0
4
3
3
3
1
0

4
2
2
2
4
4
5
2
4
6

0
0

10
8
9
9

10
1
13
4

10

0

0

3

1
0

39

368

96

28

4
0

50
2
6
8
7
31
24
91
11
34
3
16
27

8
2
1
1
1
4
6
11
7
8
1
20
2

1
1
0
1
0
2
0
12
0
1
0
18
0

0

2
1
4
1
15
3
4
1
69
2
0
1

0

0

5

9

0
0

107

315

81

36

0

46
4
5
7
3
23

48
3
8
5
7
21
12
27
13
23
11
92
10

12
3

0
0
0

0

0

0

10

0
0
0
0

92
20
39
10
9
21
0
0

0

0
0
0

0

12

705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434

HOUSTON, Tex.
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
3315 Liberty St. 32206
(904) 353-0987

0

70

0

DULUTH, Minn.

0
7
5
44

10
32
17
7
1
163
8
0
21

0

289

292

330

216

1,526

615

438

*" 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 .

JERSEY CITY, N.J.
99 Montgomery St. 07302
(201) 435-9424

MOBILE, Ala.
1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605
(205) 478-091 6

NEW BEDFORD, Mass.
50 Union St. 02740
(617) 997-5404

NEW 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.
Shipping in the month of June was down from the month of May. A total of 1,434 jobs were shipped on
SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,434 jobs shipped, 590 jobs or about 41 percent were taken by "A"
seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 216 trip relief jobs were
shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 5,392 jobs have been shipped.
26 I LOG I July 1987

51 O N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�Seafarers' Vacation Plan

Area Vice Presidents' Report
(Continued from Page 25.)

Government Services
Division
by V. P. Buck Mercer

T

HE Military Sealift Command,
Pacific, has taken the position to
restrict crewmembers to cable ships
that call at the Simplex Wire &amp; Cable
Company in Newington, N .H. for the
purpose of loading cable. MSCPAC
claims that a local labor situation at
Simplex made it necessary to restrict
liberty. They cited as their basis CMPI
630. 7-4a which allows liberty restriction where conditions are obviously
and abnormally unsafe due to civil
strife, military action or natural causes.
The crew of the USNS Zeus (TARC 7) submitted a dispute claim for
premium pay while confined during
the ship's stay in Simplex back in
February 1987. The· aim explained
that visitors
endors were allowed
thro
e picket line to the ship

without mishap and that AT&amp;T sponsor personnel assigned to the ship were
also confined but were allowed sea
pay. Also, personnel from the ship's
crew were allowed to go ashore on
official business. Yet the claim for
restriction of liberty for the crew was
denied by MSCPAC.
By letter dated April 14, 1987, SIU,
Government Service Division appealed the decision of MSCPAC.
Among other things, the SIU pointed
out in their appeal that there was no
civil strife going on outside the Simplex gates at Simplex Wire &amp; Cable
Co., plus the fact that replacements
of crew personnel moved in and out
of the Simplex gates at will and without
incident. To this date, our appeal letter
has not been answered, but other
MSCPAC cable ships have called at
Simplex and met the same fate. Still
other MSCPAC cable ships are scheduled to put-in at Simplex Wire &amp; Cable
Co., and as long as that strike continues, it would appear that the decision
to deny payment by MSCPAC will
continue.
I am informed that the commercial
cable ship Long Lines is scheduled to
call at Simplex Wire &amp; Cable Co. in
the near future. I have learned that
the company, Transoceanic Cable
Ships, Inc., does not intend to restrict
crewmembers. What position will
MSCP AC take then? We do not know,
but we will certainly find out.

SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT FOR SEAFARERS VACATION FUND

This is a summary of the annual report of the Seafarers Vacation Fund EIN 135602047 for the year ended Dec. 31 , 1985. The annual report has been filed with the
Internal Revenue Service, as required under the Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974 (ERISA).
The Trust has committed itself to pay claims incurred under the terms of the plan.
BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT

The value of plan assets , after subtracting liabilities of the plan was a deficit of
$(3,046,762) as of Dec. 31 , 1985 compared to $(621,261) as of Jan. 1, 1985. During the
plan year the plan experienced a decrease in its net assets of $2,425 ,501. This decrease
included unrealized depreciation in the value of plan assets; that is , the difference
between the value of the plan' s assets at the end of the year and the value of the assets
at the beginning of the year or the cost of assets acquired during the year. During the
plan year, the plan had total income of $31,020,159 including employer contributions
of $30,594,843, and earnings from investments of $425 ,316. Plan expenses were
$33,521,057. These expenses included $3,346,335 in administrative expenses, $28,002,040
in benefits paid to participants and beneficiaries, and $2, 172,682 in other expenses
(payroll taxes on vacation benefits).
YOUR RIGHTS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

You have the right to receive a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof,
on request. The items listed below are included in that report:
1. An Accountant's report
2. Assets held for investment
To obtain a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof, write or call the office
of Mr. Leo Bonser, who is the Plan Administrator, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md. 20746, (301) 899-0675. The charge to cover copying costs will be $1.10 for the full
annual report, or $.10 per page for any part thereof.
You also have the right to receive from the plan administrator, on request and at no
charge, a statement of the assets and liabilities of the plan and accompanying notes,
or a statement of income and expenses of the plan and accompanying notes, or both.
If you request a copy of the full annual report from the plan administrator, these two
statements and accompanying notes will be included as part of that report. The charge
to cover copying costs given above does not include a charge for the copying of these
portions of the report because these portions are furnished without charge. You also
have the legally protected right to examine the annual report at the main office of the
plan, 5201 Au th Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, and at the U.S. Department of Labor
in Washington, D.C., or to obtain a copy from the U.S. Department of Labor upon
payment of covering costs. Requests to the Department should be addressed to Public
Disclosure Room N4677, Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs, U .S. Department of
Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. , Washington , D.C. 20216.

Labor's Views Through Cartoons

/

f!IE'S ASSOCIA'Tli'S llK.

~&gt;fo Actq,

" G£f ME OUT{A HER£.'"
July 1987 I LOG I 27

-·

-

��Seafarers Make Team Spirit 87 Exercise a Success
Hundreds of Seafarers helped the
U.S. military successfully complete a
massive sealift exercise from the United
States to Korea. Team Spirit 87 is an
annual exercise involving Military
Prepositioning Ships (MPS) and the
Fast Sealift Ships.
One of the main participants of the
drill was the First Marine Amphibious
Squadron which relied on four MPS
ships to carry most of its heavy equipment and supplies to Korea while the
troops were airlifted to meet them.
The four ships the First Marines
relied on were the I st Lt.
BaldomeroLopez, I st Lt. Jack Lummus, Sgt. William Button and the PFC
Dewayne Williams; all are crewed by
the SIU. Those ships make up-

Maritime Prepositioning Squadron-

3.

MIV 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez

The ships carried enough supplies
and equipment to sustain a 16,500
brigade for 30 days, carrying everything from drinking water to tanks.
They can unload offshore with floating
cargo ramps and the five 40-ton cranes
they carry.
The USNS Pollux also participated
in the exercises. The last of the eight
former SL-7s to be delivered to the
military, the Pollux was operating in
its first exercise. It picked up a load
of cargo in Mobile, Ala. steamed to
Tacoma, Wash. and then on to Korea.
With 30-knot speeds, the Pollux was
able to make up for lost time it encountered in Tacoma where there were
fuel resupply problems.

I Can Speed Your Trip
Through the Bureaucracy
By Benjamin L. Cardin

(Congressman Benjamin L. Cardin
represents Maryland's third congressional district.)
A congressional office is more than
a place to discuss national priorities
and global concerns. Often a congressional office is the last stop for constituents desperately seeking a path
through the confusin
ernment regula ·
and procedures.
One
most rewarding aspects
ng a U.S. congressman is helping
constituents get what they need from
government agencies. Unfortunately,
getting information from the federal
government can often prove time con-

En

suming and frustrating. Therefore, it
is helpful when contacting a federal
agency to follow the e five steps:
1. State your problem simply and
directly;
2. Keep a record of contact with
the agency;
3. Allow for enough time to process
yo r re uest;
4. Provide appropriate identification numbers-for example, Social Security number, VA number, Medicare,
Medicaid, etc., and
5. Clearly print your name, address
and phone number.
Here is a good example of how a
congressional office can tart you on

Voyage

There's a ship ailing on to a
harbor,
To a haven of comfort and rest;
It's a ship of God's fashion and
making
And its voyage by Him will be blest.
It departed with silence and beauty,
With the Master, Himself, in
command;
As with dignity truly majestic
It sailed out of sight of all land.
There will always be clear skies
above it;
There will always be calmness
below;
There will never be storms to harass
it,
For the Master is on it, you know.
And His wisdom will carry it safely
To the port of His infinite peace,
Where the light of His love will
protect it
With a blessing that never will
cease.
You have watched it sail onward and
outward,
With a tear of regret in your eye,
For a loved one was sailing upon it,
And there's grief when you're saying
goodbye.
But your tears would be tears of
rejoicing,
And your heart would be happy and
free,
If you could look for only a rnoment

On that ship that is sailing to sea.
For the one you have loved is at
leisure,
With no worry or trouble or care;
There's contentment beyond
understanding,
In the way God's passengers fare.
And you'd know from your own
observation
That the sailing was joyful-not
grim,
For it means a new life and new
living,
And a sweet, closer contact with
Him.

Subj: Team-Spirit 87
From: Master
To: Officers, Crew, M.C.M.C. (BENDIX)
Through this letter, I personally congratulate all officers, crew and
M.C.M.C. Personnel onboard the MIV 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez for their
outstanding performance of their duties, efforts and experience shown,
thus the Team Spirit 87 exercise became a complete success. Job well
done by all. Please keep the outstanding performance of MIV Lopez for
all functions assigned.
Capt. A.G. Papadopoulos
Master

Got a Story?
We get word from Bosun Bob Austin that he is working with a group
that is planning a book about the "trials and travails" of merchant
seamen. The group, "Port Traveler Productions," is looking for stories,
and says that it will pay royalty fees when the book is published.
Brother Austin, who has been a member of the SIU since 1968, said:
"We are gathering and compiling stories which we will submit to local
and national printing firms. We are looking for personal stories about life
at sea.''
If you are interested, write to "Port Travelers Productions," 306 E.
Cherokee St., Altamonte Springs, Fla. 32751.

afety Shoes

-

vessel. This is in accordance with
ETC safety procedures.

Effective immediately, all
crewmembers assigned to ETC/
LNG vessels must have safety
shoes in their possession when
they report for duty aboard the

Dan Ticher Jr.
You have 30 days from August 1 to
collect your personal possessions or
they will be discarded-Santa Cruz.

the right track. Mr. T. contacted my
Baltimore office on behalf of his elderly father, a veteran who was being
treated at Sinai Hospital. His father
had reached a point where he needed
long-term care at a VA hospital, and
his family wanted him placed in the
one nearest their home.
In one telephone call, my Baltimore
congressional office was able to direct

Mr. T. to the admissions office at the
VA Medical Center. The admissions
office easily found the appropriate hospital for the elderly Mr. T. and arranged his transfer.
If you are having a hard time getting
through the bureaucratic red tape or
if you need any information about the
federal government, contact your congressman.

Personal

"Duke" Wilson Retires
.
. ..

·.·..
:.

:··.

. ··=· .· ...·:=··-=r::-.

..
:

···===:

Oh, the solace there is in the
knowledge,
Life is life and it always will be,
And it's simply a change of direction
When we sail on His ship out to sea.
And the tears that we shed for our
loved ones,
Are in truth shed for us left behind,
For it hurts to give up to the Master,
Tho we know He is gentle and kind.
So Believe in His great and good
wisdom,
Trust in Him, as you patiently wait;
On His ship God is ever the Pilot,
And the one you have loved is the
Mate.

John E. Floyd
Toledo, Ohio

..
Julian "Duke" Wilson (right) went to sea with the SIU more than 40 years ago. Duke
has sailed both deepsea and inland. After that long career he is presented with his first
pension check by Norfolk patrolman "Scrap Iron" Jones.

July 1987 I LOG I 29

-

�Help
A

Friend
Deal
-

With
Alcoholism
and
Drugs

I

I
I

l

would~ ~

Addicts don't have friends. Because a friend
let another man blindly travel a course that has to lead
to the destruction of his health, his job and his family.
And that's where an alcoholic or drug user is headed.
Helping a fellow Seafarer who has an addiction
problem is just as easy-and just as important-as
steering a blind man across a street. All you have to do
is take that Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the
Union's Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee,

.---------------------------------~

l
l

Md.

Addictions Rehabilitation Center

I

I am interested in attending a six-week program at the Addictions :
Rehabilitation Center. I understand that all my medical and counseling I
records will be kept strictly confidential, and that they will not be kept
anywhere except at The Center.
t
1
1

f

I

-

r

!

I

Once he's there, an SIU member will receive the care
and counseling he needs. And he'll get the support of
brother SIU members who are fighting the same tough
battle he is back to a healthy, productive alcohol-free
and drug-free life.
The road is a long one for an alcoholic and drug user.
But because of ARC, an addicted SIU member doesn't
have to travel the distance alone. And by guiding a
brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center,
you 'II be showing him that the first step back to recovery
...__ is only an arm's length away.

:
Name · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Book No. · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

1

Address.........................................................

lI

Telephone No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I

(Street or RFD)

(City)

(State)

(Zip)

I

1

Mail to:

THE CENTER
Star Route Box 153-A
Valley Lee, Md. 20692

1

II

________________________,_________________________________,

t

-

30 I LOG I July 1987

I

or call, 24 hours-a-day, !301! 994-0010

:

�financial institutions see individual retirement investments as a
source of profit for their institutions. They tell young people that no
money will be available for their retirement under Social Security, and
that they should provide for their own future by investing with them.
If individual saving for our retirment had been practical, there would
never have been a Social Security system in the first place. The only
way Social Security will not be around to insure the future of everyone,
is for the con artists who would benefit from its cessation to succeed
in convincing enough people that they will not receive the benefits of
the program in their old age.
The elderly are well organized and are a powerful force in the
politics of this nation. And, we will continue to fight for the Social
Security system, not only for ourselves, but for the young people, too.

Letters
To The

Bditor

Sincerely,
Frank B.eid, B.432
Tampa, Fla.

'Friends in Need ... '
I am most grateful to the Maritime Trades Department and to all
your people of SIU who did such a super job in making yesterday's
luncheon at the Catholic Seamen's Club such an outstanding success. It
was tops!
The food was splendid, and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Thanks to all
the excellent cooks from SID who just did a marvelous job.
The financial side of it for us here at the Club was the best yet; and
we did better than ever before at the raffle.
It is good to have friends like you close by. May the good God
prosper our Maritime Trades. We surely need His help to help our own
people and our own U.S. unions.
With every good wish and prayer, I remain
Very gratefully yours,
Andrew Horgan, OMI
and Staff of the Catholic
Seamen's Club

'Social

Secure

• • •

'Working Together

'The Future of the SIU ... '
As a member of 46 years in the SIU and now in retirement, I would
like to get a few things off my chest about the good conditions that you
enjoy aboard ship ....
There aren't as many companies or jobs anymore. So, brothers and
sisters, the new jobs will have to come from the passage of bills in
Washington. In that case it is do or die.
You have got to donate to SPAD.
It is your pork chops ... and the
only way you are going to see
sunshine in the future of the SIU.

Important Mail?
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.

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:
SIU &amp; 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.

'

On behalf of our members and all interested parties in the southern
California fishing industry, we wish to thank the SIU for prompt
assistance and cooperation in defeating H.R. 1621.
For your information, H.R. 1621 was defeated in the Assembly Ways
and Means Committee on June 3. Hopefully, we have heard the last of
it.
Sincerely,
Terry B.. Hoinsky
Business .Agent
Fishermen's Union of America
Pacific and Caribbean Area
SIUN'A/AFL-CIO

'

Like man
ensioners, my Social Security and Union pension
make
quite comfortable life in these remaining years. At age 73, I
e a sense of security about the rest of my days.
What I am deeply concerned about is the future of our younger
seafarers, because of what I see as an all-out effort by certain forces to
break down confidence in the Social Security system.
One must understand that banks, insurance companies and other

• • •

-----------------------------------------------------------HOME ADDRESS
PLEASE PRINT
Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Social Security No.

Good luck and smooth sailing.
Vince Meehan M-13
Nagasaki, Japan

Personals
MC&amp;S Reunion

There will be an MC&amp;S Reunion
at Doyle Park, Santa Rosa, Calif.Sept. 13, 1987-12 noon 'til ?BYOB-Pot Luck-Bring pictures!
Henry Smiley Woodruff

Phone No. (
Your Full Name

Street

Area Code

City

Apt. or Box#

Book Number

)

0

SIU

0

UIW

State

D

Pensioner

ZIP

Other _ _ _ _ _ _ __

UIW Place of E m p l o y m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This wlll be my permanent address for all official Union malllngs.
This address should remain In the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally.

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Henry Smiley Woodruff,
please get in touch with Christine
Woodruff or Ricky Gearl Woodruff, P.O. Box 1310, Forks, Wash.
98331; tel. (206) 327-3852.
Laurence (Larry) McClellan

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Larry McClellan, please
contact an old friend, Mrs. Elinor
Oldenburg Matchett, RR 1, Box
133, Califon, N.J. 07830.

(Signed)-----------------

-----------------------------------------------------------~
July 1987 I LOG I 31

�financial institutions see individual retirement investments as a
source of profit for their institutions. They tell young people that no
money will be available for their retirement under Social Security, and
that they should provide for their own future by investing with them.
If individual saving for our retirment had been practical, there would
never have been a Social Security system in the first place. The only
way Social Security will not be around to insure the future of everyone,
is for the con artists who would benefit from its cessation to succeed
in convincing enough people that they will not receive the benefits of
the program in their old age.
The elderly are well organized and are a powerful force in the
politics of this nation. And, we will continue to fight for the Social
Security system, not only for ourselves, but for the young people, too.

Letters
To The

Bditor

Sincerely,
Frank Reid, B.432
Tampa, Fl.a.

'Friends in Need ... '
I am most grateful to the Maritime Trades Department and to all
your people of SIU who did such a super job in making yesterday's
luncheon at the Catholic Seamen's Club such an outstanding success. It
was tops!
The food was splendid, and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Thanks to all
the excellent cooks from SID who just did a marvelous job.
The financial side of it for us here at the Club was the best yet; and
we did better than ever before at the raffle.
It is good to have friends like you close by. May the good God
prosper our Maritime Trades. We surely need His help to help our own
people and our own U.S. unions.
With every good wish and prayer, I remain

'Working Together

Sincerely,
Terry ll. Hoinsky
Business Agent
Fishermen's Union of America
Pacific and Caribbean Area
SIUNA/AFL-CIO

Very gratefully yours,
Andrew Horgan, OMI
and Staff of the Catholic
Seamen's Club

'Social

Secure

• • •

'

Like man
ensioners, my Social Security and Union pension
make
quite comfortable life in these remaining years. At age 73, I
e a sense of security about the rest of my days.
What I am deeply concerned about is the future of our younger
seafarers, because of what I see as an all-out effort by certain forces to
break down confidence in the Social Security system.
One must understand that banks, insurance companies and other

'The Future of the SIU ... '
As a member of 46 years in the SIU and now in retirement, I would
like to get a few things off my chest about the good conditions that you
enjoy aboard ship ....
There aren't as many companies or jobs anymore. So, brothers and
sisters, the new jobs will have to come from the passage of bills in
Washington. In that case it is do or die.
You have got to donate to SPAD.
It is your pork chops ... and the
only way you are going to see
sunshine in the future of the SID.

Important Mail?
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.

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:

SIU &amp; 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.

'

• • •
On behalf of our members and all interested parties in the southern
California fishing industry, we wish to thank the SIU for prompt
assistance and cooperation in defeating H.R. 1621.
For your information, H.R. 1621 was defeated in the Assembly Ways
and Means Committee on June 3. Hopefully, we have heard the last of
it.

-----------------------------------------------------------HOME ADDRESS
PLEASE PRINT
Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Social Security No.

Good luck and smooth sailing.
Vince Meehan M-13
Nagasaki, Japan

Personals
MC&amp;S Reunion

There will be an MC&amp;S Reunion
at Doyle Park, Santa Rosa, Calif.Sept. 13, 1987-12 noon 'til ?BYOB-Pot Luck-Bring pictures!
Henry Smiley Woodruff

Phone No. (
Area Code

Your Full Name

Apt. or Box II

Street

Book Number

0

City

SIU

0

UIW

State

D

Pensioner

ZIP

Other _ _ _ _ _ _ __

UIW Place of E m p l o y m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This wlll be my permanent address for all official Union mailings.
This address should remain In the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally.

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Henry Smiley Woodruff,
please get in touch with Christine
Woodruff or Ricky Gearl Woodruff, P.O. Box 1310, Forks, Wash.
98331; tel. (206) 327-3852.
Laurence (Larry) McClellan

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Larry McClellan, please
contact an old friend, Mrs. Elinor
Oldenburg Matchett, RR 1, Box
133, Califon, N.J. 07830.

(Signed)-----------------

-----------------------------------------------------------~
July 1987 I LOG I 31

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
FEW SALUTE FLAG POLE ON KUWAITI TANKER PLAN&#13;
SIU’S SEALIFT CONFERENCE STUDIES RFP’S, MANPOWER AND TRAINING&#13;
MARAD OKS CDS PAYBACK&#13;
NMU CELEBRATES 50TH&#13;
FREE TRADE TALKS HELD BETWEEN U.S., CANADA&#13;
U.S. RUNAWAYS-WONT FLY FLAG BUT SEEK U.S. NAVY PROTECTION&#13;
JULY MARKS 53 YEARS SINCE “BLOODY THURSDAY”&#13;
ILA’S TEDDY GLEASON RETIRES, LED FOR 24 YEARS&#13;
E.B. MCAULEY, VETERAN SIU OFFICIAL, DIES AT 63&#13;
DELTA QUEEN’S SIU CREW WIN PRAISE FOR PROFESSIONALISM&#13;
SIU CAPTAIN NAMED DOCKING PILOT PRESIDENT&#13;
CURTIS BAY’S MACLEOD HEAD MORAN TOWING&#13;
ALL’S WELL ABOARD THE SGT. MATEJ KOCAK&#13;
SIU’S ARION PAYS OFF IN TAMPA &#13;
SHLSS IS THE KEY TO MANPOWER&#13;
RFP PROBLEMS HIGHLIGHT SEALIFT CONFERENCE&#13;
BIDDING FOR MILITARY WORK IS COSTLY&#13;
SHLSS MAKES SURE SEAFARERS HAVE SKILLS FOR NEW MILITARY JOBS&#13;
CONFEREES IMPRESSED WITH SIU/D-2 UNITY&#13;
STRATEGIC SEALIFT; A KEY TO OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE&#13;
MERCER REMINDS MSC THAT GOOD CREWS ARE BACKBONE OF FLEET&#13;
AWARD TO MSCPAC MARINER&#13;
HEROES OF THE MISPILLION ARE REWARDED&#13;
“SMART SHIP” WINNERS ANNOUNCED&#13;
THE AA PROGRAM&#13;
FIRST AID FOR HEAT VICTIMS&#13;
GIVE YOUR BLOOD FOR LABOR SIU BACKS NATIONAL BLOOD DRIVE&#13;
SEAFARERS MAKE TEAM SPIRIT 87 EXERCISE A SUCCESS&#13;
I CAN SPEED YOUR TRIP THROUGH THE BUREAUCRACY&#13;
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                    <text>Sea-Land's New D-7 Sails on Alaska Run
Seafarers will crew the Sea-Land Anchorage Aug. 15 for its first
northbound sailing from Seattle to Alaska. The new D-7 is the first of
three vessels set to replace four 1944-vintage C4X ships currently serving
the Alaska market.
The ships, built in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., have a capacity of 706 40-foot
equivalent units. When all three are on line it will increase Sea-Land's
cargo capacity by 90 percent. The vessels cost about $60 million each
and the Sea-Land Tacoma and Sea-Land Kodiak should be sailing by
November.
Each vessel carries a 21-man crew.
See Page 6

Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union• Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL·CIO Vol. 49, No. 8 August 1987

Drozak-Use American Ships and Crews

Charter of U.S. Ships Could Solve Gulf Problem
If the U.S. government offered
"genuine" U.S. tankers with U.S.
crews to Kuwait, Iran, Iraq or any
other Persian Gulf country, the tanker
war and a dangerous Gulf confrontation could be avoided. Such a plan
has been offered by SIU President
Frank Drozak. (See full text of letter
on page 3.)

The reftagging of the 11 Kuwaiti
tankers has been literally and figuratively running through mine fields. On
the first trip with U.S. Navy escorts,
the tanker Bridgeton was hit by a mine
and suffered damage. Ironically, it was
the Bridgeton which was forced to
lead the convoy because she was able
to withstand more damage if hit again
than the U.S. warships protecting her.
In Congress and around the world,
the plan has drawn fire from several
sources. Late last month bills to prohibit U.S. escorts and to deflag the
Kuwait tankers were introduced in

both houses and have a host of cosponsors.
U.S. allies have refused to help out
in minesweeepig chores. American
planners did not foresee the need for
minesweeping and when the convoy
took off, no American minesweeping
ships or helicopters were available to
clear a path.
The United States has legitimate
goals in the Gulf and in protecting the
sea traffic there, Drozak said.
But ••the policy undeniably tilts toward Kuwait and Iraq and thus risks
making the United States a belligerent," Drozak said.
He said a major dilemma facing the
U.S. in the Gulf is what to do if Iran
attacks a U.S. ship.
"What will be the next American
step in escalation? Iran is no military
match of the United States, but a
military confrontation between the two
countries only plays into the hands of

Court Upholds SIU Plans in
Sonat, Dixie Pension Case
The SIU has won an important case
against two inland companies which
have refused to bargain for their licensed employees. A federal district
judge in Baltimore ruled the Union's
Pension Plan has a right to deduct past
service credits toward pensions when

a company stops making contributions
to the SIU Pension Plan.
The court upheld the Plan's right
to take away the past service credits
(a credit toward a pension for the years
an employee worked with the com(Continued on Page 9.)

Inside:
Trade Talks Threaten Jones Act
Page 3
S~afarers Man Famous Schooner
Page a
Inland Tug &amp; Tow News
Pages 9-11
SHLSS-20 Years Later
Pages 13-18

the Soviet Union, which has long coveted the role of Iran's 'protector.' It
also thwarts a strategic objective of
our last two presidents: to normalize
relations with a post-Khomeini regime
and prevent Soviet hegemony," he
said.
''Little in the administration's history of inconsistent lurching and tiltings in the Iraq-Iran conflict gives
anyone confidence that these issues
have been carefully considered in the
re flagging policy,'' he said.
The plan to charter U.S. tankers to
any country in the Gulf would be
evenhanded, he said.
•The United States tankers and the
United States Navy protecting them

would be strictly neutral. This option
would guarantee the freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf, leave no
vacuum for the Russians and help stop
the tanker war, thus containing the
Iraq-Iran conflict,'' Drozak suggested.
He also said that such a policy would
make U.S. objectives clear and reduce
the risk of attack on both commercial
and U.S. Navy ships.
Earlier this month 0nly two ships
had been reftagged, but four others
apparently were close to sailing the
Gulf under the American flag. A combination of Iranian naval exercises and
the lack of minesweeping capabiJty
has slowed the original schedule of
sailings.

WWII Seamen May Gain Vets Status

DOD Wrong in Denial
The 90,000 surviving merchant seamen who served during World War II
are a step closer to receiving the recognition and benefits they have sought
for 42 years.
The government erred in denying
veterans benefits for the aging sailors,
a federal judge ruled last month. The
ruling came in a suit filed by various
seamen's organizations, a trial during
which the SIU testified for the aging
merchant sailors.
.. I think it's a wonderful, but long
overdue victory. About 250,000 seamen served during World War II and
160,000 have died without their government recognizing their efforts," said
SIU President Frank Drozak.
The suit centered around the denial
of veterans benefits by a special Department of Defense review board. It
was set up in 1977 to process applications from various groups who contributed to the war effort but were not
in any of the armed services. The

Department of Defense Civilian/Military Service Review Board has heard
64 cases and granted veterans status
to 14 groups. The groups range from
the civilians who defended Wake Island to telephone operators and dieticians in World War I.
When the review board was created,
it set up various guidelines to determine if certain groups could be granted
veterans status. Despite the fact that
merchant sailors had a higher casualty
rate than any branch of the service
besides the Marine Corps, and about
6,000 seamen were killed by enemy
action, they have been constantly
turned down for benefits.
The judge, Louis F. Oberdorfer,
ruled that merchant seamen have an
equal or even stronger claim to benefits than many of the groups already
granted veterans status. He said the
guidelines were applied inconsistently
by the review board.
(Continued on Page 4.)

�President's Report
by Frank Drozak
mine exploded in the Persian
AThatGulf
last week.
in itself was not too surprising. Despite the administration's line that we were just an
honest broker trying to keep the
sealanes open, the United States
had for all practical purposes become an active participant in the
Iran-Iraq War the moment it announced that it was going to redocument 11 Kuwaiti tankers under the American registry.
Tensions had been running high
in the area for weeks; the editorial
pages of this country's newspapers
were full of stories predicting that
the Iranians would try something.
The only thing unusual about the
mining-and to most people, it was
a real shocker-was that the
administration had apparently failed
to make any kind of contingency
plans in case something like this
happened.

knows it, whether or not his advisers have told him, the maritime
industry is in desperate straits. As
a result of the cuts that have been
made in the maritime budget over
the past six years, it is not even
certain if there will be a maritime
industry.

" ... Many industries have been
victimized by the administration's
inability to foresee the
consequences of its own
actions ... ''
To many people, this episode
seems to sum up many of the worst
aspects of the Reagan presidency.
During the past six years, the
administration has acted as if it
were more interested in its own
rhetoric than in the consequences
of its actions. This is not only true
of the Persian Gulf, but of unfair
trade, deregulation, OSHA and the
growing budget deficits.
Many industries have been victimized by the administration's inability to foresee the consequences
of its own actions.
Maritime, for example, was told
that the president placed a "high
priority" on the American-flag
merchant marine. That was the
public relations end of it. Yet the
reality has been quite different.
Whether or not the president

In this atmosphere, victories have
been hard to come by. Yet thanks
to the support of this membership,
and the hard work of our legislative
staff, there is some good news,
though it is always tempered by
the knowledge that we are in a life
and death struggle for survival.
Earlier this month, for example,
55 senators co-sponsored a resolution by Sen. John Breaux (D-La.)
demanding that the administration
take maritime off the bargaining
table in the free trade talks that
are being held with Canada. We're
not yet home free on this issue,
but at least Congress has made its
position clear. In effect, what the
Canadians are asking the administration to do is to gut this nation's
entire system of cabotage laws.
And with this administration you

just don't know.
The thing that bothers me most
about the administration is that it
refuses to accept input from the
people and industries being hurt
on a grassroots level. Maritime and
other industries were talking about
unfair trade long before the issue
reached the crisis stage. Yet no
one in a position of authority would
listen.
The same thing is true of the
Kuwaiti reflagging. It will have
severe adverse effects on the commercial viability of the Americanflag merchant marine and the sea-lift capability of this country. Yet
our input has not been solicited.
The SIU-AGLIWD has not gotten to where it is by ignoring reality. We have always looked the
issues squarely in the eye, and
because of this we have been able
to grow. Even now, when the maritime industry has declined by more
than one-third over the past six
years, we have been able to sign
up new work.

* * *

During the past three years, the
SIU-AGLIWD has signed up 58
new vessels representing more than
800 new jobs. No other maritime
union can make this claim. Yet we
have a problem. Some of our members don't want to sail on these
vessels. They'd rather grab a SeaLand vessel or a coastwise run.
But let me be honest with you: any

member who is counting on commercial work for his job security
is out of touch with reality.
The long-term trend in the maritime industry is clear. There will
be fewer vessels and smaller crews.
Work will be less physical and
more technical. And a growing
percentage of jobs available to
American-flag seamen will be onboard military vessels.
In the short-term, at least, there
is no escaping this trend. Anyone
who fails to upgrade his skills and
to gain military clearance is buying
a one-way ticket to the unemployment line.
In the future, there will be fewer
jobs, fewer maritime unions, and
very little commercial work. Members who fail to take jobs onboard
military vessels are not only jeopardizing their own job security,
they are jeopardizing the job security of each and every other
member of this Union.
I'm not one to mince words. It's
a hungry world out there. If we
don't man these vessels, someone
else will. And in the process, they
will gain whatever benefits that
come with manning those jobs.
And those benefits include continued employment for all our members, the ability of our middle-aged
members to protect their pension
rights, and a chance for our younger
members to become licensed officers in record time.

Stewards Complete Recertification

This group of recertified stewards completed their training this month. Pictured above
are William Burdette, Roger Griswold, Maxine Peterson, Jonny Cruz, Milton Yournett,
Dallas Taylor, Gerhard Schwarz, Richard Geiling, Alan Hollinger, David Boone, Donald
Spangler, Udjang Nurdjaja, SHLSS Vice President Ken Conklin and SHLSS Steward
Department Director Laymon Tucker.

Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union of
North America, Atlantic , Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District,

August 1987

Vol. 49, No. 8

AFL-CIO

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

2 I LOG I August 1987

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Secretary

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 8990675. Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges, Md. 20790-9998 and at addi~ional
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Spnngs,
Md . 20746.

�---Sl)e Ne\tr fJork Sime11
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 1987

Letters

Let Them Rent Whole Tankers, Not Just Flags
To the Editor:
President Reagan's decision to
reflag Kuwaiti tankers is founded
on three legitimate policy objectives: (I) to preserve freedom of
navigation in the Persian Gulf; (2)
to avoid a vacuum that the Russians
could fill thus furthering their longtime objective in the region, and (3)
to stop the tanker war, thereby
limiting the Iraq-Iran conflict.
These are laudable goals. But the
policy undeniably tilts toward Kuwait and Iraq, and thus risks making
the United States a belligerent.
If Iran retaliates against the reflagged tankers, United States Navy
forces or some other target, what
wilJ be the next American step in
escalation? Iran is no military match
for the United States, but a military
confrontation between the two
countries only plays into the hands
of the Soviet Union, which has Jong
coveted the role of Iran's "protector." It also thwarts a strategic
objective of our last two presidents:
to normalize relations with a postKhomeini regime and prevent Soviet hegemony.
Little in the administration's history of inconsistent lurchings and
tiltings in the Iraq-Iran conflict gives
anyone confidence that these issues
have been carefully considered in
the reftagging policy. That it was
initiated without a formal intelligence assessment-and that, in the
name of freedom of navigation, it
tilts against Iran, which has been
responsible for only about half as
many tanker attacks as Iraq-simply compounds its deficiencies regarding the three United States objectives.
Congress is caught between two
unacceptable choices. It can allow
the reftagging policy to proceed despite its flaws and dangers. Alternatively, if its stops the reftagging,
it risks undermining the president
by creating an impression of withdrawal from the Persian Gulf, which
would provide a major opportunity

for the Russians. What can be done
to make the best of a bad situation?
There is another option that accomplishes all three objectives,
while avoiding the tilt toward Kuwait and Iraq, thereby reducing the
risk of provoking Iran and making
the United States a belligerent. That
is to offer to charter genuine United
States-flag tankers with United
States crews, of which there are an
ample number available, to both
Kuwait and Iran, to Iraq and to any
other country in the region.
This would be an evenhanded
policy. The United States tankers
and United States Navy protecting
them would be strictly neutral. This
option would guarantee freedom of
navigation in the Persian Gulf, leave
no vacuum for the Russians and
help stop the tanker war, thus containing the Iraq-Iran conflict.
Even if Iran did not accept the
offer, a policy that made our intentions and objectives clear would
reduce the risk of attack on our
ships and the need for subsequent
United States escalation. That
United States-flag commercial vessels have been operating in the area
throughout the war without serious
incident makes it likely that American lives would be far less at risk
in this scenario.
The provocation is not the presence of United States ships. American ships have served the region
more than 40 years. Rather, the
provocation is the thinly veiled reftagging scam that rents our protection to one side at the expense of
the other. Doubts about whether
the United States will in the end
really respond to an attack on the
reftagged vessels as if they were
genuine American ships only
heightens the prospects for confusion, miscalculation and escalating
hostilities.
Undeniably, this plan would put
more American seamen (28 as
against I per ship) at some risk. But
American crews are already vol-

untarily taking that risk in the Persian Gulf. The additional numbers
would be small, particularly compared with the number of Navy
personnel now being put at substantially greater risk.
The use of genuine United Statesflag tankers would cost slightly more
than using multinational refiagged
hybrids. But the expense is insignificant and, after all, renting the

United States Navy should not be
free.
This is probably the best alternative in a bad situation. It could
be the most constructive thing the
United States has done in the sevenyear history of the war.
FRANK DROZAK
President, Seafarers International
Union of North America
Camp Springs, Md., July 22, 1987

T-AGOS Crew
Slams Reflagging
Like most seafarers, the crew of the USNS Indomitable, a T-AGOS
vessel, sometimes falls behind on the breaking news when at sea. But
while these SIU members say they have only heard "bits and pieces" of
the Kuwaiti reftagging plan, their response to it shows they fully understand the dangerous precedent it sets.
Here is their letter.
"Being at sea for extended periods of time, we have been hearing only
bits and pieces of President Reagan's plan to reftag Kuwaiti tankers, but
what news we have received has greatly disturbed us all. To our
understanding, these ships will be under the American flag, with crews
of foreign nationals-something which would set an extremely dangerous
precedent, which might well end up being the final nail in the coffin of
the American merchant marine.
"Since the Reagan regime took power (under a promise to fortify and
rebuild the merchant marine), both the industry and the American seamen
seem to have been.assailed on all fronts-the Jones Act is under constant
attack, Alaskan petroleum products are sought for foreign trade, laws
reserving government and foreign assistance cargoes are only sporadically
enforced. And now, of all things, our own government is endorsing the
manning of American ships with crews of foreign nationals. If this terrible
precedent is allowed to take place, we wonder where the betrayal will
stop. Can we look forward in a year or two to a whole fleet of ships
which nominally fly the American flag but don't have a single American
onboard? We mightjust as well suggest that we reflag five or six American
frigates under the Kuwaiti flag and let them protect their own tankers.
The same common sense logic which dictates that we man our own navy
and other military forces with American citizens demands that we expect
nothing less for our merchant marine.
"The SIU crew of the USNS Indomitable has a universal feeling of
dread and despair concerning this attack on our livelihood. As Union
brothers and sisters, we are bound together to protect our common needs
and common interests. We are most anxious to learn what action our
Union is taking to keep this most atrocious sellout of the American
merchant marine from becoming reality. We are counting on your
leadership to let the self-serving politicians and the American public know
how we feel. Give us action before it is too late."

Canada Wants Jones Act Opened

Trade Talks Draw Fire From U.S. Maritime Industry
American shipping on the Great
Lakes has been in the doldrums for
the past several years. Today there is
a move afoot which some say could
finally kill U .S.-ftag shipping on the
Lakes and all coastwise shipping:
opening up the Jones Act to Canadianftag shipping concerns.
The concern is so great that more
than 120 U.S. maritime-related companies and organizations (including the
SIU) have written all Senate members
urging that the Jones Act be kept
strictly American. In addition, 213
House and Senate members have co-

sponsored a resolution calling on President Reagan to reject the Canadian
proposals.
The controversy began when U.S.
and Canadian negotiators began talks
earlier this year to resolve many of
the trade problems between the two
countries. Canadian negotiators proposed a so-called "North American
Jones Act."
Under the plan, Canadian ships
could be allowed to carry oil and other
products from Alaska to the lower 48
states, cargo between Hawaii and the
U.S. mainland and other shipments

between U.S. ports on the Lakes.
Under current law, domestic coastwise shipping is reserved exclusively
for U .S.-flag ships.
The plan ''threatens to dismantle
longstanding U.S. maritime policy essential to our shipyards, inland tug
and barge industry, the Great Lakes
fleet, the offshore oil and gas service
industry and both our international
and domestic maritime fleets," said
the letter to senators.
In addition to opening markets to
Canadian shipping, the trade talks also
have suggested that U.S. maritime

programs could be open to Canadian
interests. Currently U.S. ship owners,
in the domestic trade must pay added
tax if the ships are repaired in a foreign
yard. That provision also could be
struck down.
The letter from the 120 industry
groups noted that the U.S. falls dangerously short of sealift capability now,
according to a presidential report. If
the Canadian proposals are inclutled
in a trade package, they would further
weaken the nation's defense.
"Considering the advantages Ca(Continued on Page 26.)

August 1987 I LOG I 3

�DOT Offers New Program

Reaction Mixed to New Operating Subsidy Plan
A new plan offered by the Reagan
administration to reform the operating
differential subsidy program (ODS) has
met with mixed reaction within the
maritime community. But praise for
the plan has been faint at best.
The new plan would base a ship
owner's subsidy on labor costs only.
Current ODS payments are based on
a variety of costs, including labor,
insurance, maintenance and repairs
not covered by insurance. The formula
for determining the wages-only subsidy has drawn fire from several
groups.
Under the current program, subsidy
payments are guaranteed for the life
of an ODS contract, usually 10 years
or more. In the administration's proposal, subsidy payments would be authorized for 10 years, but the appropriations must be approved each year.
That type of payment makes long-term
planning uncertain, critics of the plan
said.
The favorable reaction to the program has been limited to the fact that
for the first time in seven years, the
administration has offered something
in the way of a promotional program
for the U .S.-flag fleet. Since taking

office, the administration capped the
current ODS program by not allowing
any new contracts. The construction
differential subsidy plan for shipyards
was scrapped. There have been constant battles over cargo preference.
While the maritime industry has suffered under these cutbacks, the administration has offered no alternatives.
At least this new ODS program is a
start, some say. But most observers
hope that Congress will modify the
plan.
Other aspects of the program:
• A cap on the number of subsidy
''grants,'' as they would now be called,
available to each company.
Those already receiving subsidies
with fewer than 10 ships in operation
(this would include Farrell Lines and
Waterman Steamship Corp.) would
be eligible for up to 10 ship-year subsidies a year. Ten ship-years is the
equivalent of operating 10 ships under
subsidy for one year or one ship for
10 years. The idea is to allow the
smaller carriers to grow within the
program.
Subsidized carriers with more than
10 ships would be limited to 20 shipyear subsidies.

Unsubsidized lines entering the program for the first time would be limited
in the number of ship-year subsidies
they could receive to the number of
ships in their fleet during the two-year
period prior to enactment of the bill,
and no more than 20.
• All carriers also would be allowed
to sell or swap subsidies, thus permitting them to cash in on their subsidy
assets or acquire more subsidy than
they are otherwise entitled to receive
from the government.
• All existing trade route restrictions on subsidized carriers would be
eliminated. In the future, subsidized
lines could deploy their ships wherever they want, an idea consistently
opposed by some of the smaller carriers who fear they'll be pushed out
of their niche markets.
• The payment system would be
changed in an effort to improve the
carriers' cash flow. Instead of paying
at the end of each voyage, the government would pay companies semimonthly.
• No subsidy would be paid for the
carriage of government cargoes reserved for U .S.-flag ships, such as
military cargo or Food for Peace ship-

ments. It appears that the carriers
would have to discount the rates they
charge for such cargoes to reflect subsidy payments expected on the voyage.
• Subsidized carriers would be allowed to operate foreign-flag feeder
vessels, but the capacity of the latter
could not exceed the capacity of the
company's U.S.-flag operations.
There would be no review process,
as there is currently, to ensure the
foreign-flag ships do not compete with
any subsidized services.
• Current law shielding unsubsidized domestic operators from competition from subsidized carriers would
remain unchanged. The l~tter could
trade between domestic points only
with special approval from the secretary of Transportation.
Existing services, however, would
be grandfathered, a provision favoring
Sea-Land Corp., currently an unsubsidized operator with both domestic
and international services.
• Ships built in foreign shipyards
would be eligible for subsidy and for
government preference cargo immediately on being brought under the
U.S. flag.

Oct. Blast Killed 4

NTSB Faults Yukon Safety
Three different safety-related factors led to the blast aboard the Ogden
Yukon (OM/) last Oct. 28 which killed
one SIU member and three other crewmen, a National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) study reports.
The three problems cited in the
NTSB report were: the operator's failure to "establish and enforce" safety
procedures for performing hot work;
the chief engineer's failure to ensure
that all tank vent flame screens were
installed and maintained properly, and
the failure of the refining company to
supply the ship with fuel oil of the
proper flash point.
The report said that flame cutting
was being done above the starboard
fuel oil storage tank before the blast.

The chief engineer told the NTSB that
neither he nor his assistant made any
particular safety inspection of the area
and that he did not discuss any safety
procedures with the welders. He further testified that no fire hoses charged
with water were laid out for use and
that no one was designated as a fire
watch.
In addition, the NTSB found that
the flame screen for the after vent on
the fuel storage tank that exploded
was missing before the accident. The
report said that if the vents had been
checked for flame screens before any
work began it "may have prevented
the fires and explosions.
Also, the NTSB discovered the Yukon was carrying the wrong fuel, with

Safety problems led to the fatal blast aboard the Ogden Yukon (OMI), a government
report says.

a very low flash point. Normally the
ship used No. 6 fuel oil with a flash
point of more than 150 degrees F. The
Yukon was loaded with oil which had
been contaminated by oil with a lower
viscosity and a flash point as low as
22 degrees F.

Vet Fight Brings All Seamen Together
If, 42 years after World War II,
merchant sailors are finally given the
same benefits as military veterans, no
one knows exactly how many of them
are alive today to take advantage of
the recognition.

But there is one thing this crusade
for veterans benefits has brought about
and that is unity-unity between the
various maritime unions. For at issue
is something that affects not only SIU
members who served during World
War II, but sailors in the other maritime unions as well.
Anthony Nottage of Cypress, Calif.
is one SIU pensioner who has personally telephoned his congressman, Rep.
Robert K. Dornan, to express his views
regarding H.R. 1235, the Merchant
Seamen's Benefit Act. He also has
written letters to 44 other congressmen
4 I LOG I August 1987

in California as well as both state
senators.
The 69-year-old pensioner sailed as
chief electrician from 1943 to 1971 and
was part of the Murmansk run to
Russia. Nottage was on the Samuel
H. Walker when it was sunk by German torpedoes. He also served in the
merchant marine during the Korean
and Vietnamese wars.
''There are only a few of us oldtimers left," Nottage writes in his
letters for passage of H.R. 1235, "and
I believe this bill is 40 years overdue.''
And Otis L. Bouchie Jr., who retired
from the NMU in 1966, has gone on
a personal crusade for passage of the
bill. Bouchie, who served in the U.S.
Marine Corps (and therefore already
has veterans benefits), nonetheless
feels the need for all U.S. merchant
mariners who served in World War II

to be recognized. And so this 74-yearold Alabaman who has ''a lot of friends
in the SIU'' writes 30 letters a month' 'to senators, representatives, cabinet
members, mayors, governors, other
maritime unions, trade unions and
anybody else who might help H.R.
1235"-with just one theme: recognition for World War II merchant seamen.
The NMU pensioner has been
pleased with the response he has received so far, about 90 percent, but
continues to press forward in his writing campaign. Bouchie, whose larynx
was removed five years ago due to
cancer of the larynx and who now
speaks through a mechanical voice
box, says he has a lot to be thankful
for. And his personal crusade for benefits for all merchant mariners would
be one more thing to add to his list.

The Yukon was towed to Japan after
the explosion and sold for scrap.

Vets
(Continued from Page 1.)

The suit -concerned two groups of
seamen who had been denied benefits.
The first were seamen who participated in the many invasions during
World War II; the second, others who
sailed during the war. The judge said
seamen who joined the invasions performed military duties under military
control. He also said the denial of
benefits to other seamen was not supported by the review board's decision.
After Oberdorfer's ruling, he ordered both sides to return to court this
month and present recommendations
on what remedies would be appropriate. The government has not said if it
will appeal the case. The judge could
order veterans status for invasion force
seamen or all World War II sailors.
He could also order the review board
to redraft its guidelines.
Most of the war-era seamen probably wouldn't take advantage of college tuition funds or home loans. But
many would qualify for veterans medical benefits, if those benefits are
awarded.

�In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will
highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national
and maritime policy.

Rep. Connie

Rep. Wally Herger

More~la

A

C

THIRD generation rancher and
independent businessman, Wally
Herger (R-Calif.) was elected to the
U.S. House of Representatives from
the second congressional district of
California Nov. 4, 1986.

ONNIE MORELLA (R-Md.),
elected in 1986 to the lOOth Congress, represents Maryland's eighth
congressional district, which covers
the most populous portion of Montgomery County, a wealthy and overwhelmingly Democratic area just outside Washington, D.C.
Although a freshman in the U.S.
House of Representatives, Morella is
no newcomer to elective office. The
former airline reservations clerk turned
college English teacher decided to enter politics 17 years ago. She worked
for the Montgomery County Commission for Women, served eight years in
the Maryland House of Delegates, to
which she was first elected in 1978 and
re-elected in 1982, and won a stunning
victory this past fall to capture the
seat vacated by four-term Democratic
congressman Michael Barnes. In Annapolis, she was a member of the
House Appropriations Committee and
its Subcommittee on Law Enforcement and Transportation.
With a bachelor of arts degree from
Boston University and a master's degree from The American University,
Morella is an educator by profession.
She is currently on leave from Montgomery College where she has taught
since 1970.
Rep. Morella calls herself a moderate, a liberal in the tradition of her
long-time friend, retired Sen. Charles
McC. Mathias, who actively campaigned for her. And her agenda, she
says, is one of "enlightened social
policies balanced by fiscal conservatism.''
She supports aid to the contras (but
adds that there has to be accountability) and supports "Star Wars" and
Medicaid funding for abortions for
some poor women. A Catholic, Morella has consistently voted pro-choice
and is against mandatory drug testing.

The second congressional district
includes all of the counties of Butte,
Colusa, Glenn, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity and Yuba as well
as portions of the counties of Lake,
Napa and Nevada.
Rep. Connie Morella
"I vote my conscience," Morella
said. "I think constituents want a
representative who votes independently."
Although Rep. Morella wasn't appointed to her preferred committeesHouse Ways and Means and Appropriations-she serves on minor committees that matter to her constituents.
In the Committee on Post Office and
Civil Service, she is the ranking minority member. She also serves on the
Science, Space and Technology Committee and on the Select Committee
on Aging.
Morella is not afraid to stand up for
what she deeply believes in. "I think
I have, with all lack of modesty, an
extraordinary, strong eight-year record for issues that I care deeply
about," she said of her years in the
Maryland House of Delegates. "Civil
rights, women's issues, budgetary issues . . . You make a mark by sometimes introducing good legislation that
the majority picks up and then you
end up being the co-sponsor.'' She
hopes to play a similar role in the
House of Representatives. Certainly,
the Republican congresswoman will
be watched very closely as names are
being tossed out as possible opponents
for her seat in 1988.

Ten of the 12 counties in his district
are major timber producing areas (the
1986 national Christmas tree on the
Capitol grounds was grown in Siskiyou
County), so it is appropriate that Herger serve as a member of the House
committee on Agriculture.
What is more important to SIU
members, however, is that he is also
on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries
Committee (chaired by Walter B. Jones,
D-N.C.), and could be an important
ally in future maritime legislation.
The representative, who was elected
vice president of the freshman Republican class of the 100th Congress, also
was chosen secretary of the California
Republican Congressional Delegation.
He majored in Business Administration at California State University in
Sacramento and served three terms in
the California State Assembly. There,
he was on the Ways and Means Committee and was vice chairman of the
Agriculture Committee.
Rep. Herger holds a number of strong
views regarding the defense of this
nation. He stands behind President
Reagan in his support for the Strategic
Defense Initiative (SDI). ''For the past
20 years," Herger states, "the Soviet
Union has increased its strategic nuclear capability, while the United States
has significantly slowed its development ... Therefore, implementation
of SDI would reduce this dangerous
Soviet nuclear superiority and would

Rep. Wally Herger
push us closer to the long-term goal
of elimination of nuclear weapons.
In a similar vein, Herger supports a
limited chemical weapons program and
believes that the U.S. should not be
bound to comply with the unratified,
expired SALT II treaty.
He also believes that the United
States, as a nation, must make a full
commitment to pursuing all the facts
about our servicemen still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia and has
indicated that he "will strongly support efforts to locate and bring home
American MIAs. ''

Savings Bonds Protect Futures

-----Around the New Orleans Hall-----

~~.I

..•

One of the SIU's first organizers, Buck Stevens (right) had chance to renew his Union
ties in New Orleans recently. Shown with his grandson (center) and Rep Nick Celona,
Stevens goes over plans for an upcoming Port Council meeting.

·.

.·

,.__:.~.

When the new standard agreements were ratified recently, Bosun "Scotty" and New
Orleans Port Agent Ray Singletary took time to study the new contracts.

August 1987 I LOG I 5

�'T

Anchorage Sails-

The Sea-Land Kodiak will be the third of the new D-7s. The bow has been strengthened
for the ice encountered on the Alaskan run.

Kodiak, Tacoma Wait
For Final Touches at
Sturgeon Bay Yard

Chief Cook George Gibbons on the Anchorage as it left its Wisconsin shipyard.

This is the view from the Anchorage's bridge as she steams toward the Sturgeon Bay
Bridge into Lake Michigan.

The Anchorage crew was flown into Green
Bay, Wis. to take the ship from the Lakes
to the West Coast. Above is AB Bill Sider
at the airport. The latest technology includes
this computerized navigational steering (below) on the bridge of the Anchorage.

Steward/Baker James
Anchorage.

on

the

QMED Joe Graves (above) at breakfast in
the crew's mess. SI A Michael Bubaker (below) finishes up the lunch dishes.

Recertified Bosun Dave Atkinson takes a break on the third
deck rec center aboard the new
Anchorage.

The Tacoma will be the second D-7 for Sea -Land.

6 I LOG I August 1987

Wright

�Area Vice Presidents' Report

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike Sacco

I

will be heading back East later this
month to attend the triennial convention of the SIUNA.
It will be an important convention.
For one thing, the maritime industry
is confronted by serious problems. In
addition, next year marks the 50th
anniversary of both the SIUNA and
its Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland
Waters District.
Both organizations were born of the
wreckage of the old International Seamen's Union, a loose federation of
autonomous maritime unions formed
in the latter part of the 19th century.
Under the leadership of Andrew
Furuseth, the ISU was able to achieve
many important victories, including
passage of the Seamen's Act of 1915.
Yet the ISU was never able to recover
from an ill-fated strike called in 1921.
By the time the Great Depression
rolled around, it was on its deathbed.
The election of Franklin Delano
Roosevelt in 1932 ushered in a new
era for both the United States and the
labor movement. For the first time
ever, organized labor moved to center
stage of American politics.
Passage of the Wagner Act of 1935
presented the labor movement with
many new opportunities. Yet like the
country from which it sprang, the
American labor movement was not
monolithic. It was split along regional,
economic, ethnic, racial and philosophical lines.
And so it was with the labor movement. Trade unionists everywhere argued about the merits of John L.
Lewis' call to industrial trade unionism. Traditionalists like AFL President William Green rejected this approach.
The waterfront was not immune to
these developments. Indeed, one of
the primary reasons behind the formation of both the SIUNA and the
SIU-AGLIWD were the philosophical
differences that existed between the
American Federation of Labor and the
Congress of Industrial Organizations
(which broke away from the AFL in
1935).
The AFL represented a certain type
of trade unionism. Craft-oriented, intensely patriotic, it concentrated on
bread and butter issues. The CIO, on
the other hand, stressed social issues,
political action and mass organizing.
Harry Lundeberg, the secretarytreasurer of the Sailors Union of the
Pacific, was a strong believer in AFL
principles. In order to counter the
rising influence of the CIO-affiliated
National Maritime Union, which was
formed in 1937 by Joe Curran, Lundeberg requested and received AFL
charters for both the Seafarers International Union of North America and

the Seafarers International Union of
North America, Atlantic and Gulf District.
While the AFL maritime unions had
a strong presence on the West Coast,
they were all but non-existent on the
East Coast and in the Gulf. To counter
this inherent structural weakness,
Lundeberg established the Atlantic and
Gulf District of the SIU. From its
inception, the A&amp;G District incorporated the principles of both industrial
and craft trade unionism. Like the
NMU, it was established along industry-wide lines.
As Lundeberg had planned, the
newly-formed A&amp;G District gave the
AFL a secure base on the East Coast.
This, in turn, transformed the SIUNA
into a viable national organization, a
worthy heir of the old ISU.

There is no guarantee of what will
happen in arbitration. Yet it is exceedingly important for these tug and
barge companies to understand that
we will not back down from a fight.
Any company that tries to abridge the
rights of our members will have to pay
a high price.

The bankruptcy proceedings have
had far-reaching consequences. For
one thing, seamen working for the
company have had to line up with the
rest of the company's creditors in
obtaining contributions to their pension and welfare plans.
The shipping companies that remain
in business on the West Coast are
trying to fill the void left by U.S.
Lines. Sea-Land, an SIU-contracted
company, is interested in picking up
four U.S. Lines vessels which had
been on the U .S.-Hawaii-Guam run.
Sea-Land's bid to procure these vessels had been opposed by Prudential
Insurance, one of U.S. Lines' largest
creditors. Earlier this month, however, Prudential withdrew its objections to the acquisition, which bodes
well for Sea-Land's efforts to buy out
these vessels.

West Coast Report
by V. P. George McCartney

W

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

T

HE contract between the SIU and
Radcliff Materials has been extended while the two sides try to find
ways to bridge the gap that separates
them.
Problems remain. For one thing, the
astronomical increase in medical costs
is affecting the industry. As reported
in previous issues of the LOG, the
SIU is trying to contain these costs.
It even instituted a bonus program
under which it awards members 25
percent of the monies saved when they
alert the welfare plan of unnecessary
billings.
The SIU has always been willing to
work closely with any company that
respects the rights of our members. In
Louisiana, for example, we are monitoring the actions of the legislature as
they pertain to the shell-dredging industry.
For the past six year , there has
been a war on the rivers of this country. Tug and barge companies have
tried to take on the maritime unions.
We have taken a carrot-and-stick
approach to this attack. We will go
out of our way to work with those
companies that respect the rights of
our members. At the same time, we
will leave no stone unturned in fighting
those companies that don't.
Just recently, for example, the Fifth
Circuit United States Court of Appeals
partially overturned a ruling by Judge
Morey Shears in regards to National
Marine.
The judge ruled that the company's
refusal to arbitrate its differences with
the Union over the sham sale to Compass Marine constituted a breach of
contract. The matter must go back to
arbitration.

HEN today's trainees celebrate
the SIU-AGLIWD's lOOth anniversary in the year 2038, they can
say that they entered the maritime
industry during a period of profound
change.
Everywhere you look on the West
Coast, there are signs of change. There
is an intense rivalry among the West
Coast ports to make themselves more
competitive. Intermodalism is more
than a buzz-word out here: it is something that has already happened. And
Wilmington, with its ready-made market of 12 million people, is leading the
way.
Sea-Land and APL, two of the largest carriers out here, are in the process
of connecting their port facilities to
rail lines. They are deadly serious
about "one-stop" shipping, which they
see as the future of this industry.
Throughout history, there has been
an innate connection between trade
and the maritime industry. Things are
no different today. The increasing importance of the Pacific rim countries
to the American economy is having a
profound effect on all aspects of American life.
In a sense, the maritime industry
provides a microcosm of this trend.
The growing trade between the United
States and the countries of the Far
East has far-reaching possibilities. But
as long as East Asian markets remain
closed, the benefits provided by this
trade will all be one way.
Still, things look decidedly better in
that respect than just a year ago.
Pressure brought on the Reagan
administration by the maritime industry and organized labor is having some
effect. Taiwan, for example, has promised to relax restrictions on its intermodal transportation industry, which
has been closed to American operators.
That's not to say that things are
good. Even the toughest and most
committed American-flag shipping
company can find itself in the same
boat as U.S. Lines, which last year
was forced to file for Chapter XI bankruptcy proceedings. U.S. Lines had
been the largest American-flag shipping company in existence, and it had
a legendary name in the industry.

East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

F

a two-week period last month,
it seemed as if everyone in New
York was either listening to or talking
about the Iran-contra hearings.
The hearings ended on an anti-climactic note. What, after all, could top
Ollie North's declaration that he would
go "mano-a-mano" with Abu Nidal,
or George Shultz's chilling reminder
that "nothing ever gets settled in this
town."
Still, I predict that the hearings will
have a subliminal effect on the 1988
elections. If nothing else, they underscore the importance of putting people
into power who respect the proper
function of government.
The spectacular revelations coming
out of the hearings have all but obscured an important national development; planning for the 1988 elections is well under way.
Strong grassroots political organizations will play a pivotal role in deciding who becomes this country's
next president. With the hard-learned
lessons of 1984 under its belt, labor
should be well-positioned to make a
difference.
In New York and elsewhere, representatives from the SIU are meeting
with their counterparts in other labor
organizations to see how they can
better coordinate their efforts.
While the labor movement has not
yet endorsed anyone (and it is possible
that no consensus will emerge), the
bridges that are now being built are
extemely important.
In New York, the SIU joined other
labor organizations in hosting "get
acquainted" meetings for the Paul Simon and Michael Dukakis campaigns.
The SIU, like every other national
union, has so far refrained from enOR

(Continued on Page 11.)
August 1987 I LOG I 7

�The Falls of Clyde: A Little Taste ·of History

The steering station aboard the Falls of Clyde.

TT was quite a sight watching the Falls
Lt Clyde hoist anchor at Pier 7 and
pull into dry dock in Honolulu Harbor's
Pier 41.
Towed by tug for the mile-long trip,
the 109-year-old Falls of Clyde is the last
four-masted square-rigged merchant ship
afloat. The oldest oil tanker in the world,
it is also the last of the first fleet of
Matson ships.

The Falls of Clyde was the first ship to carry the Hawaiian flag,
Jan. 20, 1899.

Needless to say, volunteers to help in
the June 26 move were not hard to come
by. Steve Baker, former SIU member
and now 3rd mate on the Charles L.
Brown, and SIU Patrolman/Recertified
Bosun John Ballentine supervised the
operation as SIU members and other
experienced hands donated their time,
energy and skills just to be a part of this
historic event.

:~\~\, .
SIU crewmembers board the Falls of Clyde and prepare to launch. They are (I. to r.)
Port Agent Tom Fay; Patrolman and Recertified Bosun John Ballentine; Steve Baker,
3rd mate on the Charles L. Brown; Jim Holland; Erowin Udan, and Gary "Doc" Trentz,
corpsman for T-AGOS.

Photos by Cathie Ballentine
AB Chris Delamer readies the heaving line.

AB John Bloodworth pulls in the spring line.

8 I LOG I August 1987

Gary "Doc" Trentz tried his hand at a little deck work.

�~m~-~"'~~~~-

..,

s

.

I
;:$

tug/tow
arge/dredgel

~~~~~·~-~~·@:=:=~~=:=:::~r.tii~~Wfil;;mro~::;&amp;;-t.:!ffu:°'"'ft~

Court Upholds SIU Plans in
Sonat, Dixie Pension Case
(Continued from Page 1.)
pany before it signed a contract with
the SIU) in a case involving employees
of Sonat Marine and Dixie Carriers.
Both companies have refused to recognize the SIU's right to bargain for
its licensed employees, claiming such
workers are so-called "supervisory
personnel.'' Along with the refusal to
bargain, both companies stopped making contributions to the Plan for the
licensed workers.
The Plans, the court said, may
reduce the benefits payable by cancelling past service credits when an
employer stops making contributions
or when the Union is decertified. The
decision does not affect anyone who
retired before contributions were
stopped. It also does not reduce any
service credit for the years the employee worked under an SIU contract.

But it could mean some employees
would not be eligible for early retirement or they could have the benefits
reduced to a lower level.
Licensed inland members who were
faced with Sonat's and Dixie Carrier's
refusal to recognize the Union as their
agent had three choices. First they
could have gone to work for any SIUcontracted inland company and retained their past service credits toward
pension benefits. Second, if they retired before the companies stopped
making contributions to the Plans, they
would have retained their past service
credits. But if they accepted the companies' terms and returned to work
without a contract, the past service
credit was eliminated.
The SIU is still fighting for its rights
to represent licensed workers, but the
court battle could drag on for years.

On the Midas, You Otter
Get to Know Gumbo

McAllister Scheme Leads to Strike

A series of unfair labor practices and grievances at McAllister
Brothers Towing Co. in Norfolk,
Va. has led to a strike there
by SIU crews and pickets at two
other McAllister operations. In
Baltimore and Philadelphia SIU
members have honored the picket
lines set by the striking Norfolk
workers.

The SIU has charged McAllister
with unfair labor practices and circumventing the contract in a scheme
to remove tug captains with docking
pilot licenses from their equipment.
The SIU has filed unfair labor
charges with the NLRB and grievances have also been filed in Norfolk. The contract with McAllister
expires Sept. 30.

Not quite old enough for his standard shellfish diet, Gumbo gets a feeding from the Midas'
crew, (I. to r.) Cliff Robertson, Buddy Prinks, Charles O'Brien and SlU servicing team
member Jim McGee.
Ships pets come in all different shapes, sizes and species, but the crewmembers of Sabine
Towing's Midas may have one of the more unusual--Gumbo the Otter.

Baker Whiteley Committee

Seneca Notice
Attention crewmembers of the Tug "Seneca," Crowley Maritime
Corporation.
Anyone employed aboard the above-named tug since Dec. 15, 1986 is
due a 2.24 percent Economic Price Adjustment (E.P.A.) under the terms
of the military agreement. For any monies due you, please contact:
Mr. John Schiemer
Crowley Maritime Corporation
Military Support Division
Box 2287
Seattle, Washington 98111
Provide your name, rating, social security number and appropriate dates
of employment.

When negotiations begin for a new contract with Baker Whiteley Towing Co. in Baltimore,
these four SIU Boatmen will make up the Contract Committee. They are (I. tor.) Engineer
Joseph Zorbach, Capt. Louis Canavino, Deckhand Steve E. August and Mate Leon J.
Mach Sr.

August 1987 I LOG I 9

�Gerold Harris, cocktail waiter in the Main Saloon

Curtis Carraby, waiter

Waitress Tracey Anderson and bartender Ray Ringwald

Steamboatin' 1987

Allan Hammond, busboy

Karen Murray, cocktail waitress in the Paddle Bar
Crew and staff members on the Mississippi Queen

Mississippi Queen

Matt Young, maitre d 'hotel

In the crew galley: Bobby Werre, Eric Woods, Reggie
Kaiser, Tom Thomson and Edgar Whelan.

Bobby Werre, busboy

10 I LOG I August 1987

�In Memoriam
Pensioner Landsdale J. Madere, 83,
died April 29 of respiratory arrest.
Born in Edgard, La., Brother Madere
sailed inland as an engineer. He went
on pension in 1969. Burial was at
Westlawn Memorial Park in Gretna,
La. He is survived by a daughter,
Joyce Morvant, and two sons, Lansdale Jr. and Louis.

Pensioner Frank L. Pasaluk, 71 , died
April 13. Born in Maryland, Boatman
Pasaluk joined the Union in 1950 in
the port of Philadelphia. He was active
in the General Strike and the Isthmian
beef and retired on pension in 1979.
Surviving is a daughter, Dorothy Mastripolito.

New
Pensioners
The following Inland members have
retired on pension:
Mobile
Jack T. Fillingim
Robert L. Odom
Norfolk
Perrin L. Cudworth

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
JULY 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 ........................
Tota s ...... ... ... ... .. ... . .. . . ..
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 ... . ............

Government Services
Division
by V.P. Buck Mercer

I

N the commercial maritime industry , when a seaman violates the
Ship's Articles while on voyage, he or
she is "logged" and perhaps fired
when the ship returns to the pay-off
port. On occasion, the seafarer may
face a Coast Guard hearing if the
infraction is of a serious nature. Generally, however, the crewmember faces
a labor-management hearing to deter-

0
2
6
28
2
1
4
0
6

0

0
7
21
0
0
77
0
0

0
10
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1

17
0
0

0
2
0
10
0
0
1
0
6
0
0

0
2
2
0

23

0
0
0
4
0
2

1
0
0
0
0
2
6
0
0

29

15

0
0
0
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0

0

4
0
0

2
0
0
0
1
0
0

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
0
1.
0
6
0
35
8
2
0
0
0
2
1
0
0
42
55
0
0
0
0
3
2
31
3
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
6
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
22
9
0
0
0
0

0
2
0
0
0
0
5
0
37

0
0

3
0
3

50

4

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
0

13

4

6

119

42

60

135

31

56

13

0
0
0
0
0
0
4

0
48
0
0
3
0
3

0

72

0
6
4
35
0
1
2
0
10

0

0
10
16
0
0

0
3
0
15
0
0
0
0

0

4

0
0
0
0
1
0

12

44

0
0

0
0

1

4
0

6

4
0

26
0

58

84

41

79

0

0
0
0
13
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
11
0
0

0
0
0

0

0
0

0
0

0

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
1
9

175

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

59

5
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0

0

0

0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

27

9

0

0
0
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0

0
0
0
13
0
2
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0

1
0
0

0

0
1
0

9

16

1

120

66

80

*"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.

Area Vice Presidents' Report
(Continued from Page 7.)
dorsing any one candidate. We are
seeking your input. Accordingly, the
June issue of the LOG contained an
insert discussing the candidates' views
on a number of issues ranging from
trade to social welfare to defense.

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

I

mine further employment with the particular company. Once the ship pays
off, however the crewmember is off
the payroll.
The disciplinary procedure for the
Military Sealift Command, Pacific Civilian Marine Personnel is different.
It is an expensive, long, drawn-out
process that robs MSCPAC of the
shipboard services of its mariners for
weeks or even months on end.
For example (and this is the rule
rather than the exception), an MSCPAC
seaman misses a day's duty for which
there is no excuse. He will be written
up by his supervisor. That paper then
goes to the master of the vessel who
supposedly gets the facts of the incident and writes more paper either
penalizing the seaman anywhere from
a reprimand (which seldom happens)
up to 14 days suspension. He can
recommend more than that, but that
action must be taken by the commander, MSCPAC. If the seaman receives anything other than a reprimand , he is sent back to home port ,
at the expense of the government. That
means a replacement must be sent to
the ship, again at the expense of the
government.
The seaman who has been penalized
and returned to home port is placed
in the Marine Placement and Receiving Branch (POOL) at MSCPAC to

await his fate. In the meantime, the
seaman has the opportunity to appeal
the decision of the master of the vessel
or the decision of shoreside management.
Before the appeal process becomes
effective, the seaman will sit for weeks
or months in the POOL on the payroll,
before the suspension goes into effect.
During this drawn-out process, shipboard services of the affected seaman
are lost. At any given time, there may
be 15 to 20 seamen on disciplinary
actions, sitting in the MSCPAC POOL
drawing wages.

MSCPAC has chosen to use this
same expensive procedure for years,
even though the "log" penalty is in
their Schedule of Penalties.
While these seamen sit around in
the MSCPAC POOL and draw wages,
they cannot be assigned to a ship until
they are cleared and replacement personnel cannot be sent to ships in many
ratings because MSCPAC is not that
deep in manpower.
One would think that the PowersThat-Be at MSCPAC would recognize
their expensive disciplinary problem
and use the "log" process.

U.S., China Sign Rescue Pact
The United States and the People's
Republic of China have entered into
an agreement to cooperate in responding to distress calls at sea.
Under the agreement, the U.S. and
China will set up procedures and communications for requesting and rendering maritime search and rescue assistance and for joint operations when
appropriate. The agreement also calls
for technical cooperation and ex-

change of information on search and
rescue organization, plans and equipment.
The cooperative agreement with
China is the second such agreement
negotiated by the U.S. The first, with
Japan, was signed last month. Both
are responses to the 1979 International
Convention on Maritime Search and
Rescue, which became effective in
1985 and which encourages bilateral
cooperation.

-----Artifacts Wanted----Military Sealift Command Headquarters is developing a historical display
about the development of MSC from the Merchant Fleet, and MSC from 1798
to present. MSC is requesting any individuals or groups who desire to donate
or lend personal or ship artifacts to please contact Mr. Carl Beuchert at
(202) 433-0656. Items should be mailed to Military Sealift Command (M-OOD),
Department of the Navy, Washington D.C. 20398-5100.
August 1987 I LOG / 11

�SIU, MTD Host Boy Scouts
In Labor Education Program
B
OY Scouts from 13 states across the nation were guests of the SIU and
the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department for a two-week program of
sightseeing, recreation and trade union education. The program, now in its
second year, is sponsored by the MTD as part of a program to promote the
trade union objectives of the American Labor Movement.
The Scouts are recruited through the MTD's Port Councils, and offer young
men and women in the Scout Movement two-week all-expense vacations in
Washington, D.C. and at the SIU's Training and Recreation Center in Piney
Point, Md. In Washington, the Scouts tour the headquarters of the SIU, the
MTD and the AFL-CIO, and visit the Capitol Building. In Piney Point, the
Scouts, several of whom are Sea Scouts, learn something of seafaring from
the young men and women in training at the SIU school.
Participating in this year's program were Brian Hite, Florida; Victor Paulus,
Chicago; William Hutchings, Virginia; Chris Moritz, Ohio; Travis Corgey,
Houston; Robert LeBlanc, Mobile; Eric Figueroa, Brooklyn; Dwayne Simmons, Detroit; Chris Alvarado, California; Shawn Lucas, Philadelphia; Art
Mees, St. Louis; Reginal Rhea, New Orleans; Charle Seaman, Baltimore,
and Paul Bensel, Columbia, Maryland.

AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland greets Scouts in the Federation's headquarters.

Alan Bosch, of the AFL-CIO Community Services Department, talked to the
scouts about the importance of the Labor Movement in America today.

Sea Explorer Paul Bensel
Columbia, Maryland

Scout Travis Corgey
Houston, Texas

Scout Chris Moritz
Clay Center, Ohio

During their two weeks at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship, the
Scouts learned the importance of education and training in the maritime industry.

Scout Reginald Rhea
New Orleans, Louisiana

Scout Art Mees
St. Louis, Missouri
12 I LOG I August 1987

Jean lngrao, executive secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department, welcomed the Scouts to AFL-CIO headquarters.

�A PROUD HISTORY ...

SH LSS Celebrates
20 Years
THEY STILL MARCH
THROUGH PINEY POINT!

P

iney Point! After twenty years,
the Seafarer's Harry Lundeberg
School of Seamanship is doing what
it does best-preparing personnel to
crew American ships. From an idea
that began at the SIU hall in Brooklyn, to establish training programs
for entry rating and upgrading seamen, Paul Hall expanded it to various training schools at SIU ports
nationwide. As the HLSS programs
expanded to meet the challenges of
advancing technology, it became
necessary to centralize the training
activities. Thus, in 1967, HLSS was
finally consolidated on 28 acres of a
former marina (which earlier served
as a Navy torpedo test range) in
Southern Maryland at Piney Point.
In the years since the school was
founded, SHLSS has grown to become the largest educational facility
for licensed and unlicensed seafarers
and inland boatman in the United
States.

The first SIU officials on the scene
in 1967 realized that they had their
work cut out for them. Frankie
Mongelli recalled checking the foundations of the buildings and luckily
not finding any snakes. The mosquitoes were so bad that after working outside, you almost needed a
transfusion. Paul Hall seemed to be
protected from them by his cigar
while he directed work from a golf
cart.
The first trainees were given a lot
of on-the-job training. They laid
sidewalks, built docks and piers,

l-IARRY LUNDEBERG
1101~

A FIGHTER F

1,57

EAMAN'S IGHTS ~

painted anything that didn't move
and generally got things in SIU
order. The men that were the first
to march through are the ones that
now lead the Union and most appreciate the accomplishments of the
Lundeberg School. Mike Sacco, who
instituted the food service program
and was vice president of the school
at one time, is now Great Lakes vice
president. His brother Joey, who
supervised the dredging of the school's
waterfront, is now Gulf Coast vice
president. Paul Hall, Earl Shephard,
Frank Mongelli, Paul and Frank
Drozak and other longstanding SIU
officials have .had a close personal
hand in the · development of the
SHLSS through the years. Since those
first exciting days of transforming
Paul Hall's ideas into reality, the
school campus has expanded to more
than 60 acres on the waterfront of
St. George's Creek. In those early
years, when the operations at HLSS
consisted of a course to help Seafarers
get their lifeboat endorsements, there
was at least as much building construction as there was teaching. But
the vision of a unique edl,lcational
institution was never lost. The dream
was to build a school that served the
educational needs of seafarers and
the manpower needs of the maritime
industries. Buildings went up and
new roads went in to accommodate
the rapid expansion of the educational programs.
August 1987 I LOG I 13

�SHLSS Celebrates 20 Years

•

Trainees used to be housed in the small, simple H-barracks.

~You're well on your way to
becoming an old-timer if you
can remember this scene: the
original entrance to the Harry
Lundeberg School of Seamanship. In the background is the
old motel, which was razed to
make way for the Mongelli Recreation Center .

•

PHYSICAL GROWTHBUILDING FOR LEARNING

W

hen the SHLSS Library, located in the former engine
room of the schoolship CHARLES
S. ZIMMERMAN first opened, many
of the shelves were completely empty.
Then in 1981, the Paul Hall Library
and Maritime Museum was dedicated. Since opening, it has become
one of the best sources of maritime
labor research in the United States.
There is a media center to provide
students with audio-visual equipment and software, films, video and
audio cassettes and slides. Also housed in the library are a television
studio and video production facilities. All of the modern facilities of
the library help the instructors and
students in the pursuit of educational
goals.
Originally, the Vocational Education Department was housed aboard
the cargo ship CLAUDE SONNY
SIMMONS, and when the upgrading
programs were first expanded, they
were held aboard a refurbished barge.
In 1977 a new Vocational Education
building was constructed (the Logan
Building and shop area) and soon
thereafter, the Drozak building which
houses academic classrooms and various offices. The largest facility on
campus, which was constructed in
14 I LOG I August 1987

The Paul Hall Library and Maritime Museum
stands at the heart of the Lundeberg School.
Named after the school's founder, it houses
an impressive collection of maritime books,
audio-visual equipment and primary research material on the SIU and the maritime
industry.

1984, is the Seafarers Training and
Recreation Center. A far cry from
the small simple H-barracks, and a
112 room dormitory, in which the
trainees originally lived, the ultramodern center houses all of the Entry
Level Trainees, Upgraders, and their
families. In addition to 300 modern
rooms containing closed-circuit cable TV, the Center boasts a conference center capacity, with a large
auditorium, three conference rooms,
bar and recreation areas, formal and
informal dining areas, health spa,

•

The school has undergone a 20-year period of steady growth. SIU Secretary Joe
DiGiorgio, left, talks with Frank Mongelli, the late vice-president of the Lundeberg
School, about construction that was then under way.

olympic-sized swimming pool, card
and pool rooms. Most recently constructed is the SHLSS Simulator
building which houses a multifunction bridge, deepsea and inland simulator system.

.Most of the Union's top officials served a
stint at the school. SIU Gulf Vice President
Joe Sacco, left, helped dredge the school's
port area. With him is former SHLSS Vice
President Bob Matthews.

Thanks to the fully modern and
comfortable facilities at the
Mongelli Recreation Center, Piney Point is now an easy tour
of duty.

�SHLSS Celebrates 20 Years

.A, A group of seamen receive their lifeboat endorsement.

A comprehensive educational
and vocational program was developed to help seamen meet
a rapidly-

At far left is Tom Brooks, a former

instructor at the school.

.A,

Former SHLSS President Hazel Brown congratulates SIU member Mack White on using
the school's facilities to gain his High School Equivalency diploma. Since the school's
inception 20 years ago, more than 1,800 members have done the same.

The late Paul Hall, who
founded the SHLSS, promoted the school at membership meetings around
the country.

ACADEMIC AND
VOCATIONAL GROWTH

T

The curriculum at the school combines classroom training with hands-on experience.

he school believes that the men
and women who choose careers
as professional seafarers or boatman
must be provided with the knowledge and skills to keep pace with
technological advances within their
industries. As a result, the school
has developed a total program for
professional advancement as a boatman or deepsea mariner.
By bringing together highly qualified educators in the specialized field
of maritime training. Centralization
made possible the rapid expansion
of the school's vocational programs.
As vocational education became more
advanced and specialized, the need
for academic skills to master the
highly technical instructional manuals became evident. To meet that
need, a reading skills program was
established in 1970. The program
proved to be a highly successful
complement to vocational training,
and the academic curriculum has
since experienced the same rapid
growth as the vocational programs.

A landmark in the Academic Program was the graduation of the first
student to complete the GED Program and earn his high school diploma. Since then, 1,805 additional
people have earned diplomas through
the high school equivalency program. Their numbers include men
and women trainees, upgraders, employees, and retired seafarers. County,
state and national educators visited
the SHLSS when the school was
designated a GED test center. At
that time, director of Academic
Studies was Hazel Brown, who later
became president of SHLSS. Today,
an expanded program offers Adult
Basic Education, study skills and
English as a Second Language.
With such strong emphasis ac this
time being placed on the educational
needs of the seafarers, the very first
Seafarers' Educational Conference was
held at the HLSS in 1971. Coming
from fourteen ports around the nation, 250 rank-and-file Seafarers
searched for a new understanding of
their Union and for solutions to their
common problems. They came to
study, to learn, to question and
discuss the problems facing their
Union and the industry.
August 1987 I LOG I 15

�SHLSS Celebrates 20 Years

I

n 1972, the Lundeberg School
recognized the need for trained
personnel aboard the tugs, towboats,
and barges of the inland and coastal
waterways. Again, the school responded to this need, and today
basic vocational training and a complete upgrading program in all licensed and unlicensed ratings are
available to America's professional
boatmen.
The necessity for continual expansion of the educational programs in
response to advancing technology
was recognized in 1977 when a
committee representing the American Council on Higher Education
recommended college credit for the
vocational courses which were offered
at SHLSS. An affiliation between the
school and Charles County Community College was established, and
the two schools developed a higher
education general studies programs
for SIU members leading to an Associate in Arts degree. In preparation
for a review by the Maryland State
Board for Higher Education in 1983,
a modification of the college program
was required. It was agreed that
CCCC would hire and control the

A generation of inland boatmen · received their training
on the Susan Collins.

The late Bill Hall, who was
SIU Headquarters Rep. and
an instructor at school, congratulates this member of the
graduating class. Hall helped
develop the Union Education
Program at the SHLSS.

Janice Smolek, Director of Library
Services, helps a young trainee with
his studies .

•

A class of trainees is addressed by the late
John Yacmola, who was the Union's national
field coordinator and special assistant to the
president.

16 I LOG I August 1987

Prospective members of the Steward Department gain valuable experience in learning how to serve and prepare food.

�SHLSS Celebrates 20 Years
The decline in the maritime industry has
made competition for jobs more intense. The
Union's commitment to education has maximized our members' prospects for employment.

Shephard Falls was named after this man,
Earl "Bull" Shephard, who was one of the
Union's most beloved officials. He is seated
under a picture of Claude "Sonny" Simmon,
who like Shephard, was one of the founders
of the SIU. At left is Paul McGaharn, one
of the first instructors at the school.

'·

""-.

\ ..•

faculty within SHLSS for the program, as well as develop and implement all courses. The conditions
were proposed to the SHLSS Board
of Trustees and accepted. With this
agreement, A Nautical Science Certificate program was developed. This
course of study would supplement
the regular vocational and general
education programs by providing
post-secondary academic training in
Nautical Science. By 1985, SHLSS
had developed its own degree programs in Nautical Science Technology and Marine Engineering Technology. These programs received full
approval from the Mary land State
Board for Higher Education in November of 1985. Since 1985, much
emphasis has been placed on preparing Seafarers for work with military contracted ship companies. The
school has undertaken new programs
for training SIU crews for the Military Sealift Command contracted
ships. Included in this training is
instruction on a twin pedestal sixteen
ton Hagglund crane. This shipboard
crane is the only one in shoreline
service in the United States.

Riding the crest of change, the
Lundeberg School conducted the First
Annual Sealift Conference in 1986
with Union, SHLSS, company, government and military representatives
in attendance. The conference was
designed to provide an opportunity
to review the Sealift Training Program and discuss ideas and goals for
all concerned within the Sealift community. The goal of the school is to
provide Sealift training to all SIU
members. Since an estimated 60
percent of the work available to SIU
members will be in the military
sector by 1990, the training for the
military ships has become essential.
Addressing the seriousness of this
situation, Frank Drozak, president
of the SIU, underscored the importance of the work of this gathering
when he said, "I hope that this
conference will be the beginning of
a joint program between the shipowner, maritime industry and military to better prepare for the future .
Time is running out. (The school
and the SIU) must prepare now in
order to have a future."

Former SHLSS Vice
.· President
Bob
Matthews,
left,
looks over a rare
copy of Wright's
Official History of
the Spanish-American War at the
school's
library,
which used to be
housed onboard the
Charles S. Zimmerman.
The school's curriculum is geared towards employment opportunities in
the maritime industry. Above, SIU
members receive training in sealift
support functions.

The school's top-notch facilities have
been an important selling point in
signing up new jobs. Here, SIU President Frank Drozak shows Navy officials the school's Haaglund crane.

August 1987ILOGI 17

�SHLSS Celebrates 20 Years

A

nd so, as the saying goes, "The
more things change, the more
they remain the same. " Seafarers are
still working hard today in order to
provide for themselves and ensure a
livelihood for their brothers and sisters in the future. The establishment
of the Harry Lundeberg School of
Seamanship twenty years ago was
the ultimate means to fulfilling this
dream of providing fair wages, job
security, and top-notch vocational
and academic training for SIU members. Because of world politics and
economics , the maritime industry
has drastically changed in the past
two decades, making the futures of
seafarers and boatmen appear much
less secure than in the past. However, the Lundeberg School, in conjunction with the SIU leadership, is
addressing the maritime problems of
today with a flexible, forward-looking, practical program; facing the
problems head-on with a no-nonsense approach toward maritime industry growth, development and
management. The Seafarers' Harry
Lundeberg School of Seamanship will
help all of us to successfully navigate
the stormy seas ahead and steer us
onto a promising course for the
future.

Reflections
on 20 Years at the SHLSS
Sitting back and reflecting on the past twenty years of growth and development
here at the Lundeberg School, it is supremely satisfying to see how far we have come.
Many years of long hours and back-breaking labor, initially shouldered by the founders
of the school themselves, have born fruit as evidenced by the impressive modern
·
·:. ·&gt;:·=~
. . facility which we enjoy today.
.~·.&lt;~ ~.
·.·~
? ~ut, however beautiful a campu~ we can build, it all means nothing without
f.·. :·: ·:..;·::~~~·:·_~:"'~·8 ·$... . havmg the stu?ents to benefit from 1t. The heart and backb~ne,_ the ve?' essence of
t~==,:=::,:\{:}::.= . ::. · ··· ··
· ,:~. \=.:· the program, 1s the entry-level student. It was these enthus1ast1C recruits who first

i t·,(';:h·· ·., ..:·

••~\\ilr :~:~:r:~:£:~~~~~::~:~~::i;:~~n~~:;~~:~~:~~~.~~::;::~:~~s
today and are proud that through our past efforts, they can now enjoy the best in vocational and academic
maritime education.
Years back, as a young recruit in the Marine Corps, I learned respect for authority and the value of discipline
and their importance in giving direction to my life. By instilling a respect for strength of character and leadership
through discipline and hard work, we at the SHI.SS hope to do the same for these young men and women. By
simply giving them a chance, guaranteeing them a job and building up their own self-respect and self-confidence
with top-notch training, we ensure the continued growth and betterment of the SIU and the maritime industry
at large.
Paul Hall once said, "Never say that it can't be done until you try." We can do anything we dream of if we
all work toward a common goal. That is, to develop the best trained and knowledgeable seamen to perform
any assigned task on any ship in the most professional and safe manner possible.
Who knows what the future holds for us. However, feel safe in the knowledge that we at the SHI.SS are
ready and able to meet any challenge presented to us.

i

/

Ken Conklin

/

~~
President, SHLSS

SHLSS HISTORY AT A GLANCE
August, 1967

-

The Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship opens;
graduates its first lifeboat classes

January, 1970

-

Reading skills program established for trainees and
upgraders who need assistance with vocational
materials
GED (High School Equivalency) program was
instituted for eligible trainees and upgraders
Training and program begun for Boatmen of inland
and coastal waterways
Alcohol Education Class offered, later expanded to
include drug education, counseling and rehabilitation

September, 1970 -

1972

-

October, 1975

-

.., 1977
1978

-

-

New Vocational Education and Shop buildings
constructed (Charles Logan Building)
New academic, office building constructed (Paul
Drozak Building)
A.A. (Associate in Arts) degree program begun with
Charles County Community College
GED program graduates its I, OOOth student

18 I LOG I August 1987

1981
June, 1983

-

August, 1983

-

January, 1984

-

1984

-

1985

-

Paul Hall Library and Museum dedicated
Developmental Study Skills class offered to SIU
members one week prior to their scheduled upgrading
course
A six week Adult Basic Education (ABE) program
begun for SIU members who want to improve their
reading, writing, English grammar and math skills
English as a Second Language (ESL) course begun for
those SIU members who need to improve their
reading, writing, and speaking skills
Seafarers' Training and Recreation Center completed;
SHI.SS Simulator Building constructed
A.A. degree courses of study added in Nautical
Science and Marine Engineering
Program of training for Military Sealift Command
begun

�Steward Upgrading Courses

1987 Upgrading
Course Schedule

Course

Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
August 1987 - December 1987
The following is the current course schedule for August 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 p&lt;&gt;Bble. Although every effort will
be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs 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 &amp; Maint.
Fireman/Watertender, Oiler
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.

Check-In
Date
September 21
December 14
October 12
December 7

Completion
Date
December 11
January 8
December 4
December 31

Variable Speed DC Drive
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

September 21
November 2

October 30
November 27

Electro-Hydraulic Systems
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

November 9
December 21

December 18
January 15

Assistant Cook
*Sea lift Operations
Assistant Cook
*Sea lift Operations
Assistant Cook
*Sea lift 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

&amp; Maint.

&amp; Maint.
&amp; Ma int.
&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.

&amp; Maint.
&amp; Maint.

Completion
Date
October 23
November 20
December 18

September 28
October 26
November 23

October 23
November 20
December 18

Celestial Navigation

November 2

December 4

Radar Obsever

December 7

December 12

Radar Obsever (Renewal)

Open ended course, however, must
notify SH LSS before entering this
course.

Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance

Towboat Operator

September 7

Inland Deck Shiphandling Simulator

October 12

October 30
October 16

Recertification Programs
Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Steward Recertification

August 31
November 2

October 5
December 7

Bosun Recertification

September 21

November 2

Course

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

Completion
Date ·

For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes for the first six
months 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) &amp;
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:
September 7

September 11

College Programs
Check-In
Date
October 26

Course
Associates in Arts

Completion
Date
December 18

Don't Miss Your Chance
to
Improve Your Skills

November 20
December 12

Check-In
Date
August 31
September 28
October 26

Course
Able Seaman/Seallft Operations
&amp; Maintenance

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

Check-In
Date

Course

October 9
November 6

Deck Upgrading Courses

Completion
Date

Adult Education Courses

Towboat Operator

Refrigeration Containers - Advanced
Maintenance
August 31
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
October 12
Diesel Engineer - Regular
October 12
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
November 23

Check-In
Date

How?
SHLSS has self-study materials in many areas. Upon your request;
SHLSS will send them to you to study in your spare time .
You can use these skills :
on your job .
to improve your skills for upgrading.
to further your education.
Please send me the area(s) check~d below :

*
*
*

MATH
Fractions
Decimals
Percents
Algebra
Geometry
Trigonometry
(Plane)
(Spherical)

D
D
D

STUDY SKILLS
Listening Skills
How To Improve Your Memory
How To Use Textbooks
Study Habits
Test Anxiety
ENGLISH: Writing Skills
Test Taking T aeries
Grammar Books D
Stress Management
Writing Business
Notetaking Know-How
Letters
D
SOCIAL STUDIES
Geography
D
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
U.S. History
0
Basic Metrics
Economics
D
Name
Street
City _ _ _ __

D
D
D
D
D

State

D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D

D
D

Zip _ _ _ _ _ ..

Book No .
Social Security No .
Department Sailing In _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11
Cut out this coupon and mail to :
Adult Education Department
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Piney Point, Maryland 20674
Send it today!

August 1987ILOGI19

-

�ppl
ow for a SHL S Up radi g C urse
.........................................................................................................................................
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamansh·p
Upgrading Application
Name

(LaSt)

Date of Birth --......------------Mo./Day/Vear

(Middle)

(first)

Address-------------------n~=n---------------------

(City)

Deep Sea Member D

Telephone -~---.......-----­
(Area Code)

(Zip Code)

(State)

Inland Waters Member D

Pacific D

Lakes Member D

Social Security#_ _ _ _ _ _ Book#_ _ _ _ _ _ Seniority _ _ _- _ _ Oepartment _ _ _ _ __
Date Book
Port Presently
Was Issued _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Port lssued _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Registered In _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held ___________________________________

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes
Trainee Program: From _ _ _~~-to.----,-.,.---n----(dates attended)

No D (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s)Taken~---------------------------------~

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D

CPR: D Yes No D

Date AvaiJable for Training - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Primary Language Spoken - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
DECK

ENGINE

D Tankerman
D AB/Sealltt Special
0 AB/Sealltt Limited
0 AB/Seallft Unlimited
D Towboat Operator Inland
D Towboat Operator Not More
Than 200 Miies
O Towboat Operator (Over 200 Miies)
D Celestial Navigation
D MHter Inspected Towing Vessel
0 Mate Inspected Towing Vessel
D 1st Class Piiot
D Third Mate Celestial Navigation
o Third Mate
O Radar Observer Unlimited
D Simulator Courae

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

0 FOWT
0 QMED-Any Rating
O Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
O Marine Electrlcal Maintenance
D Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
D Automation
O Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
D Diesel Engine Technology
o Assistant Engineer (Unlnspected
Motor Veaael)
D Chief EnglnHr (Unlnspected
Motor Vessel
D Third Asst. Engineer &amp; Original Second
Asst. Engineer Steam or Motor
o Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
o Hydraulics
o Electro-Hydraulic Systems

STEWARD
O Assistant Cook Utility
D Cook &amp; Baker
D Chief Cook
D Chief Steward
D Towboat Inland Cook

•••=
•
~

ALL DEPARTMENTS
D Weldlng
D Lifeboatmen
D Seallft Operations &amp; Maintenance

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
D Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equlvalency
Program (GED)
D Developmental Studies (DYS)
0 English H a Second Lllnguage (ESL)
O ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Aaaoclates In Arts DegrH
D Nautical Science Certificate

RECORD OF EMPLOYMENT TIME-(Show only amount needed to upgrade In rating noted above or attach letter
of service, whichever is applicable.)
VESSEL
RATING HELD
DATE SHIPPED
DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ DATE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Rev

5117

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

·························································································································~::::::::;;;.............'-i..\

20 I LOG I August 1987

-

�,..--------------------------~-------------

On The West Coast

San Francisco-A Look at a Busy SIU P9rt

Patrolmen Gentry Moore (right) had a chance to service the steward department on
APL's President Buchanan recently. Here (I. to r .) are Chief Ceok Moses Peacock,
Assistant Cook Wah Gong Jue, friend and visitor A. Campenella and Moore.

West Coast Vice President George McCartney gives his report at the monthly membership
meeting.

Dispatcher Tom-Tom Hum gives his monthly report to the San Francisco membership
while Welfare Rep Gilbert Gasch acts as recording secretary.

SIU VP Buck Mercer addresses the members at the monthly meeting.

Chief Cook Steve Aikens (left) receives his first pension check from the SIU after many
years of service. San Francisco Patrolman Gentry Moore presents the check.

SIU Rep Raleigh Minnix mans the counter
at the San Francisco hall.

Last month San Francisco labor forces got together to celebrate "Bloody Thursday."
Here (I. tor.) are SIU VP George McCartney, former SUP President Morris Weisberger
and SUP VP Jack Ryan. Bloody Thursday is so named in honor of the two striking
longshoremen who were gunned down and the many others who were wounded during
the 1934 longshoremen's strike in San Francisco.

August 1987 I LOG I 21

�-

Shaping Up and
Shipping Out
They may not have had Jane Fonda around to whip them into shape, but
the crew of the Gus Darnell (Ocean Shipholding) did their best to shape up
and ship out on a recent trip.
These pictures were submitted by AB Jim Elbe and taken during a run to
the South Pole.

The Darnell can double as a floating driving
range. Here QMED John Anderson keeps
his head down on an iron shot.

It may not be the Boston Garden's parquet, but the deck of the
Darnell doubles as a basketball court. DEU Jim August (left) and

messman Charles Bryant get in a little one-on-one.

AB Jim Higgins pumps up his biceps.

AB Don Piasso jumps rope.

He could row for miles and never get to the other side. QMED Mike L. Mefferd stays in
shape using a rowing machine.

22 I LOG I August 1987

AB Chuck Whitehead finds a jogging path
on the deck of the Darnell.

During the dart games, AB Bob Adams
finds another place to ride.

�-

While in LA Harbor, the OM/ Columbia gets a service call from SIU officials. From the
left: Don Anderson, Wilmington port agent; J.R. Broadus, bosun; R.P. Vicari, AB; T.E.
Anderson, AB; Dennis Lundy, SIU field rep, and Ali Mohamed, steward assistant. (Photo
by Greg Thompson)

OM/ Columbia

LA stopover for Columbia
,,

The OMI Columbia's steward department (I. to r.): Robert Gilliam, steward assistant; Liz Stazio, chief cook; Ali
Mohamed, steward assistant, and C.R. Moss, chief steward.

California Scout Visits SHLSS
(Photos by
Proud father-to-be Robert Pagan, AB, and his wife Lee.

Dennis Lundy)

Each port maritime council of the
Maritime Trades Department, AFLCIO, is sponsoring a deserving boy
or girl scout in their respective area
to participate in a two-week vacation
at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School of Seamanship at Piney Point,
Md. this summer.
The Southern California Ports
Council selected Christopher Alvarado of Carson, Calif. to be the recipient of the 1987 award. The Ports
Council will pay for all air transportation and travel expenses, and
the Seafarer's Harry Lundeberg

School will pick up their stay at Piney
Point. In addition, President Ted
Kedzierski, Southern California Ports
Council, presented a $50 check for
pocket money to Christopher to spend
during the trip.
Eleven-year-old Christopher Alvarado is a member of Troop 205 of
Wilmington, Calif. He was selected
by Scout~aster Estaban Martinez
and Connie Calderon of the Wilmington Teen Center in conjunction
with MTD Field Representative Dennis Lundy.

Ted Kedzierski, president of the Southern California Ports Council, awards 11year-old Christopher Alvarado with a two-week vacation to SHLSS. From the left
are Dennis Lundy, MTD/SIU field rep; Connie Calderon, director of the Wilmington
Teen Center; Fred Alvarado, father of the scout; Chris Alvarado; his sister Crystal;
his mother Aurora, and Kedzierski.
Bosun J.R. Broadus

August 1987 I LOG I 23

�Help

A
Friend
Deal
With
Alcoholism
and
Drugs

I

i

Be~use

would~'t GJ ij

Addicts don't have friends.
a friend
let another man blindly travel a course that has to lead
to the destruction of his health, his job and his family.
And that's where an alcoholic or drug user is headed.
Helping a fell ow Seafarer who has an addiction
problem is just as easy-and just as important-as
steering a blind man across a street. All you have to do
is take that Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the
Union's Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee,
Md.

Once he's there, an SIU member will receive the care
and counseling he needs. And he'll get the support of
brother SIU members who are fighting the same tough
battle he is back to a healthy, productive alcohol-free
and drug-free life.
The road is a long one for an alcoholic and drug user.
But because of ARC, an addicted SIU member doesn't
have to travel the distance alone. And by guiding a
brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center,
you 'II be showing him that the first step back to recovery
is only an arm's length away.

r-------------------------------~

I
I
I
I
l

l
I
lI

Addictions Rehabilitation Center
I am interested in attending a six-week program at the Addictions
Rehabilitation Center. I understand that all my medical and counseling
records will be kept strictly confidential, and that they will not be kept
anywhere except at The Center.

Name · · · · · .. · · · · · · · · · · · · · .. · · .. · · .. · · · · · Book No. · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

:
I Address ........................................................ .
I
(Street or RFD)
(City)
(State)
(Zip)
1

Telephone No.

I

:
I

l
I

Mail to:

THE CENTER
Star Route Box 153-A
Valley Lee, Md. 20692
or call, 24 hours-a-day, (301) 994-0010

L--------------------------'·- -------------------------------24 I LOG I August 1987

�USNS Mercy Comes Home
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC
The USNS Mercy came home to
Oakland 5 Calif. July 13 to a place she's
never been before and with a welcoming ceremony rarely accorded MSC
ships. About 3,000 persons were on
hand to greet the hospital ship after
her 135-day humanitarian and training
voyage that took the vessel to the
Philippines and a few South Pacific
countries.
As the 894-foot white ship sailed
underneath the Golden Gate Bridge ,
colorful flower petals were dropped
onto her deck. A few minutes later,
military cannons from the Presidio of
San Francisco and Naval Station
Treasure Island were fired in booming
salutes to the ship and crew as a biplane with a "Welcome Home" banner passed overhead. Fire boats
sprayed colored water into the air, and
hundreds of red, white and blue balloons were released when the ship tied
up at the North Marginal Pier at the
Supp y Center, ending an historic voyage no one imagined less than a year
ago.
On hand for the ship's arrival was
enough brass to sink the former 90,000
dead-weight ton tanker that was converted over a two-year period into this
nation's first hospital ship in 15 years.
All of the distinguished visitors, many
of whom were flown out to the ship
prior to her pierside arrival , had nothing but praise for the 72 MSC crewmembers and the 550 military medical
staff.

by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC
A familiar face at MSCP AC the past
13 years who never worked for the
command quietly retired in July. Wallace Henderson Jr., the blind vendor
who operated the MSCP AC snack bar
since 1974, closed his shop at the
command to devote more time to his
pastor duties at a local church.

''There's no better foreign policy
than helping to improve the health of
people in other countries," said the
government' s top doctor, U .S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. "The
United States stands tall today because of the humanitarian mission conducted by the USNS Mercy ."
The Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Health Affairs , Dr. William Mayer,
conveyed a message of appreciation
from the president to the men and
women of the Mercy thanking them
for their service aboard the ship over
the past five months.
' This ship represents the best of
marriages between the civilian community and the armed forces,'' said
Dr. Mayer, who oversees health care
within the worldwide U.S. defense
community. ''Getting this ship to the
Philippines under a very tight schedule
was a logistical challenge unlikely to
be duplicated again."
Until last September, the ship was
scheduled to come to Oakland at the
end of 1986 and placed in reduced
operating status. That changed when
President Corazon Aquino of the Philippines visited the United States late
last summer. The U.S. government
made arrangements to have the hospital ship, then under construction in
San Diego, made available for a 1987
training and humanitarian voyage to
the Philippines and the South Pacific.
" What has happened in the past 10
months is a minor miracle ," said ADM
James Lyons, commander-in-chief of
the U.S. Pacific Fleet who first pro-

"I'm going to miss MSCPAC and
all the people I came to know there
over the years," said Henderson,
smartly dressed in one of the many
tuxedos he wore to work the past 4,400
weekdays . "I have a lot of friends
here and everybody's treated me well
but I'm tired and I want to devote
more time to the church."
Henderson's involvement with the

Familes of crewmembers, and well-wishers crowd the pier at NSC Oakland as the hospital
ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) makes its final approach. (Photo by AN Deborah Davis)

posed sending the Mercy to the Philippines. ADM Lyons presented the
Navy's prestigious Meritorious Unit
Commendation to the ship, an award
that's also going to the USNS Sioux
(T-ATF 171) for her assistance to the
Mercy during the hospital ship's recent
deployment.
Philippine Consul General Virgilio
N anagas told the audience he was
delighted to express his government's
appreciation to the men and women
of the USNS Mercy . "Your compassion will long be remembered by the
Filipino people," he said, "and you've
strengthened the friendship between
our two countries."
For Oakland, thearrivelofthe USNS

Mercy was an event exceeded only by
baseball's major league all-star game
hosted by the city the day after the
ship arrived at her new home port.
Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson pesented keys of the city to RADM D.
L. Sturtz, commanding officer of the
Mercy's Medical Treatment Facility,
and then to "Rear Admiral" Richard
Hosey, the MSC master of the ship.
When the mayor realized his mistaken
title, he quipped, "Well, it's a promotion well deserved for the captain!''
The Mercy will remain at her permanent lay berth at NSC Oakland
undergoing maintenance and logistical
work in preparation for a post-shakedown availability in early 1988.

church goes back to 1952 when he was
blinded by a dynamite explosion in
Oklahoma while working for a construction company. He was in the
hospital for two months and was told
he would never see again.
"I took the news very hard initially," said Henderson, 54. "But then
I became active in a church and that
seemed to ease my pain."
Henderson went to work for the
Oklahoma League for the Blind, then
came to California in 1966. While living in San Francisco, he took a job
with the Lighthouse for the Blind making brooms. But Henderson wanted
to get into his own business, despite
his handicap. Frustrated in his attempts to find employment outside
blind agencies, Henderson wrote a
letter to the president of the United
States.
"I told President Lyndon Johnson
that I didn't just want to sit around
and draw blind aid or social security,''
said Henderson, a native of Jackson,
Miss. "I told him, 'Mr. President, I
want a job just like other folks'."
President Johnson, impressed with
Henderson's determination, made
contact with California state officials.
' 'The next thing I knew, state people
were calling me on the phone and

knocking on my door," chuckled Henderson, who was eventually placed in
a disabled business enterprise program
that led to his ownership and operation
of food concessions in federal buildings. At one time, Henderson operated
five snack bars in San Francisco, Oakland and Sacramento. He eventually
retained only his MSCPAC operation
which he ran with his family.
Away from the command, Henderson has kept busy the past several
years with his pastor duties in Richmond and three live church radio
broadcasts every week. Henderson· s
also planning to take the first vacation
he's had since 1974.
Always philosophical, the MSCPAC
vendor said he simply takes life as it
comes. "Blindness won't end up hurting someone too much if a person has
get-up and go," he advised. 'Tve
known some blind persons who are
bitter and just want to sit around all
day. Others only want pity. But I tell
everybody in our church, 'Don't pity ""
me because you can't help me by
pitying me. Tell me what I should do
and how to do it and I'll go from
there'."
Henderson's simple message is a
sermon he's been living much of his~
adult life.
August 1987 I LOG I 25

�Deep Sea
Victor Aviles, 72,
died June 8. He was
buried in Fajardo,
P.R.

'

Pensioner Angel C. Cimiano died
April 3 of cardiopulmonary arrest and
pneumonia. He was 86. Born in Spain,
Brother Cimiano joined the SIUmerged Marine Cooks and Stewards
Union and sailed in the steward department. He first sailed in 1920 and
retired on pension in 1966. Seafarer
Cimiano, who was cremated, is survived by a niece , Albertina Hernandez, of San Diego , Calif.

Pensioner Domenic Di Sei died Feb.
21. He was 73. Brother Di Sei joined
the SIU in 1942 and went on pension

in 1976. His body was cremated. Surviving is a nephew, Anthony Di Sei,
of Bangor, Pa.
Jeronimo Hernandez, 87, died May 9
of a brain infarction
and
pneumoma.
Born in Puerto Rico,
Brother Hernandez
joined the SIUmerged
marine
Cooks and Stewards
Union in l 957 and sailed in the steward
department. Burial was in Rio Piedras,
P.R. He is survived by his wife, Herminia.
Pen ioner Louie E.
Hudson succumbed
to leukemia May 11.
He was 60. Born in
Alabama, Brother
Hudson went on
pen ion in 1986.
Burial was at Lawnhaven in Theodore,
Ala. He is survived by his wife , Bernice, of Mobile, Ala.

Pensioner Alfredo
Morell, 84, died May
16. Born in Ponce,
P.R., he retired from
the SIU in 1969.
Seafarer Morell is
survived by his wife,
Maria Luisa, and a
son, Edwin, both of
Ponce. Burial took place in Ponce.

Harry A. Pruss
succumbed to leukemia April 25. He
was 53 and an active
member at the time
of his death. Brother
Pruss joined the SIU
in 1965 in Philadelphia, Pa. and sailed
in the deck department. He first sailed
with Interocean Management in 1964;
his most recent ship was the Sea-Land
Pacer. Born in Toledo, Ohio, Seafarer
Pruss' body was returned there for
burial at Resurrection Cemetery. He
is survived by a brother, Leonard , of
Toledo.

Pensioner Blaine
S. Rowe, 71, died
June 20 of cardiac
arrhythmia. Born in
North
Carolina,
Seafarer Rowe retired on pension in
1977. Burial took
place at Watson
Cemetery in Lowland, N.C. He is
survived by his wife, Alva, of Lowland.

Pensioner Leroy C. Swiger, 70, died
July 18 following an extended illness.
Born in West Virginia, Brother Swiger
sailed in the engine department, retiring after 28 years service. He was also
a veteran of World War II, serving in
the U.S. Navy. Seafarer Swiger was
a member of Clarksburg Lodge No.
482 B.P.O.E. Elks and Meuse-Argonne Post #573 VFW. Interment was
at Elk View Masonic Cemetery in
Clarksburg, W. Va. He is survived by
his mother, Blanche M. Wright Swiger;
two sons, Boyd "Bud" of Weston,
and Wayne L. of Deep Creek, Md.;
one daughter, Cynda K. Wheeler of
Mt. Clare; 10 grandchildren; one great
grandson , and several nieces and
nephews.

Trade Talks Threaten Jones Ac
(Continued from Page 3.)
nadian maritime interests would enjoy
in economic, promotional, regulatory
and fiscal terms under such an agreement, no objective analysis could argue for the survival of a disadvantaged
U.S.-ftag fleet and vital shipyard mobilization base in such a hostile competitive environment," the letter said.
The industry and congressional
- groups have urged U.S. negotiatiors
to take all talk of opening the Jones
Act off the table. Because the proposed trade treaty between the two
countries is "fast track" legislation,
the Senate will only be able to vote
yes or no on the entire package and
and will not be able to make any
amendments to the treaty. There is an
Oct. 5 deadline for the two sides to
come up with a trade treaty.
The following organizations have
urged the rejection of Canadian proposals to open the Jones Act to Canadian shipping.
Addsco Industries, Incorporated
Aloha Pacific Cruises, Incorporated
Allied Towing Corporation
Amerada Hess Corporation
American Hawaii Cruise Lines
American Heavy Lift Shipping
Company
American Institute of Merchant
Shipping
American Maritime Officers Service
American Pilot's Association
American President Lines, LTD.
American Steamship Company
American Towing &amp; Transportation
Company, Incorporated
American Waterways Operators
Amoco Transport Company
Apex Marine
Arnold Transit Company
Association of Maryland Pilots
Avondale Industries, Incorporated
Bath Iron Works Corporation
Bay Houston Towing Company

26 I LOG I August 1987

-

Bay Shipbuilding Corporation
Bethlehem Steel Corporation
Bigane Vessel Fueling Company
Bob-Lo Company
Bulkfleet Marine Corporation
C.G. Willis, Incorporated
Cape Fear Towing Company,
Incorporated
Capital Marine Corporation
Cement Division-National Gypsum
Company
Central Gulf Lines, Incorporated
Continental Maritime Industries,
Incorporated
Council of American Flag Ship
Operators
Crescent Towing &amp; Salvage Company
Crowley Maritime Corporation
Crowley Towing &amp; Transportation
Company
Curtis Bay Towing Company of
Virginia
Curtis Bay Towing Company of
Pennsylvania
Danahy Marine Service
Delta Queen Steamboat Company
Dixie Carriers, Incorporated
Dunbar &amp; Sullivan Dredging Company
Edward E. Gillen Company
Erie Navigation Company
Erie Sand Steamship Company
Express Marine, Incorporated
Falcon Marine Company
Farrell Lines, Incorporated
G&amp;H Towing
Gastrans, Incorporated
General Dynamics Incorporated
General Ship Corporation
Great Lakes International,
Incorporated
Great Lakes Task Force
Great Lakes Towing Company
Gulf Atlantic Transport Corporation
Hannah Marine Corporation
Higman Towing Company
Ingalls Shipbuilding Division
Inland Boatmens Union of the Pacific
International Longshoremen and
Warehousemen's Union
Island Shipping Line
Jacksonville Shipyards, Incorporated
Joint Maritime Congress
Kinsman Lines, Incorporated

Keystone Shipping Company
Lake Carriers Association
Litton Great Lakes Corporation
Lockheed Shipbuilding Company
Luedtke Engineering Company
Lykes Bros. Steamship Company,
Incorporated
Marine Contracting and Towing
Company
Marine Contracting Company
Marine Oil Service, Incorporated
Marine Transport Lines
Marinetta Marine Corporation
Maritime Engineers Beneficial
Association District 1
Maritime Engineers Beneficial
Association District 2
Maritrans Operating Partners L.P.
Matson Navigation Company
Maritime Institute for Research and
Industrial Development
Master, Mates and Pilots
McAllister Brothers, Incorporated
Medusa Corporation
Metro Machine Corporation
Moran Services Corporation
Moran Towing and Transportation
Company, Inc.
Moran Towing of Texas, Incorporated
National Maritime Union
National Association of Dredging
Contractors
National Steel &amp; Shipbuilding
Company
Newport News Shipbuilding
Norfolk Shipbuilding &amp; Drydock
Corporation
Peterson Builders, Incorporated
Pilot Services Corporation
Pringle Transit Company
Puerto Rico Marine Management
Incorporated
Radcliff Materials, Inc.
Rainbow Navigation
Robert E. Derecktor of Rhode Island,
Incorporated
Seafarers International Union
Sea-Land Service Incorporated
Self Towing Company, Incorporated
Sheridan Transportation Company
Shipbuilders Council of America
Southwest Marine, Incorporated
STC Holly S. Company

The following SIU members have
retired on pension:
DEEP SEA
Baltimore
Persing G. Ordansa
Duluth
John J. McGreevy
Houston
James R. Andolsek
Norfolk
Brantley L. Fowler
Clinton M. Webb
Philadelphia
Paul Warhola
St. Louis
Howard J. Basley
Seattle
Alfred D. Allen
Gerald Elegan
Donald Murray
GREAT LAKES
William S. Gregel
Steuart Transportation Company
Taylor Marine Towing, Incorporated
Textron Marine Systems
The American Ship Building Company
The Baker-Whiteley Towing Company
The Great Lakes Towing Company
The Jonathan Corporation
Todd Shipyards Corporation
Totem Ocean Trailer Express
Trailer Marine Transport Corporation
Transportation Institute
United States Lines, Incorporated
Waterman Steamship Corporation
Western Towing Company

Support

SPAD

�In Houston, SIU Hosts Conference on Drug Abuse
When more than 300 deaths occur
each year as a result of abuse of
alcohol and drugs by workers-as they
do in Texas-then something has to
be done.
When 18,000 of the 22,000 people
serving probation for misdemeanor
crimes in one Texas county are found
guilty of driving under the influence
of drugs or driving while intoxicated,
then something has to be done.
When Texas state taxpayers absorb
a $13 billion annual loss in productivity
due to alcohol and drug abuse, then
something has to be done.
That something came in the form of
a substance abuse seminar sponsored
by the West Gulf Ports Council in late
June. Entitled "Labor-ManagementCommunity: Partners Against Drug
Abuse," the seminar was held in the
Houston SIU hiring hall and was attended by more than 95 persons, in-

eluding a broad range of civic leaders.
SIU Vice President Joe Sacco delivered the opening remarks at the seminar, which also attracted specialists
in a number of fields who talked about
the dangers of alcoholism and drug
addiction. Included in that group was
Rick Reismann, director of the Seafarers Addictions Rehabilitation Center.
One of the subjects addressed was
that of drug testing. While many arguments can be made against these
tests, the Operating Engineers Local
450 announced its willingness to
undergo pre-employment drug tests
last September when nearly one-third
of the South Texas local' s members
were out of work. And the program
appears to be working well for them.
Drug-related deaths and disturbances
also caused C.S. Bellows Construction Corp. of Houston to begin testing

its employees a year ago, also with
success.
A lot more must be done, of course,
to get to the heart of the substance

abuse problem in this country and to
get labor and management working
together with the community. This
seminar was a good start.

ARC Director Rick Reismann addresses the West Gulf Ports Council seminar during a
discussion of labor-management responses to the problem of drug and alcohol abuse.

DRllGt;

KILLi'

IF YOU llAVE

A DRUG
PROBLEM,6ET
1-/EZPf
CAL.L YOUR

PORIAGe;Vr
ORCON7:4CT
YOUR UNION
AlP/N£°Yfl:JINT.

PO/rNoWJ7

re You Missing Important Mail?
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.

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:

SIU &amp; 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.

---------------------~-------------------------------------Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
PLEASE PRINT
HOME ADDRESS

Social Security No.

Phone No. (
Area Code

Your Full Name

City

Apt. or Box#

Street

Book Number

0

SIU

0

UIW

State

0 Pensioner

ZIP

Other--------

UIW Place of E m p l o y m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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)------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------J

Krinsky amed
Merchant School
Superintendent
Paul L. Krinsky was named superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy last month. A
1950 graduate of the academy, Krinsky has served as its deputy superintendent since April 1985 and holds the
rank of rear admiral in the United
States Maritime Service.
Krinsky succeeds Rear Admiral
Thomas A. King who became superintendent in 1980 and retired July 3.
Following his graduation from the
academy, Krinsky served as an officer
aboard U.S.-flag passenger ships, including the SS United States. He also
served on active duty in the U.S. Navy
for three years.
In 1958 Krinsky returned to the
academy as an assistant professor.
Since that time, he has held increasingly responsible positions at the academy, including director of admissions,
assistant academic dean and assistant
superintendent for academic affairs.
In addition to his degree from the
academy, Krinsky earned an MA in
education from New York University
and an MBA from Adelphi University.
He has been awarded the U.S. Department of Commerce Silver Medal
for Meritorious Service and has been
recognized by the academy's alumni
association for his outstanding professional accomplishments.
August 1987 I LOG I 27

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

JULY 1-31, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

18

6

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
37
19

0

7

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
23
6

0

6

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
19
3

0

28

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

Port
Algonac .............. . ....

0

Port
Algonac ...................

9

0

Port
Algonac ...................

0

Port
Algonac ...................

0

8

Frank Drozak, President
Joe DiGlorgio, Secretary
Leon Hall, Vice President
Angus "Reel" 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

8

2
2

4

HEADQUARTERS
5

3

18

8

0

Totals All Departments ........
0
61
22
79
0
28
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 .

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

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
JULY 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 .................
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

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Trip
Reliefs

5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-1100

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

52
6
8
15
10
40
36
27
22
35
13
13
33
0
1

311

6
2
4
4
3
5
14
5
4
7
2
10
9
0
4

79

3
0
0
5
3
3
4
14
8
2
0
11
0
0
0

53

48
8
6
13
18
27
33
20
15
29
10
11
33
0
2

7
2
3
3
5
1
13
8
4
7
1
10
9
0
1

273

74

3
0
0
4
2
1
2
6
1
0
0
10
2
0
0

31

8
2
1
2
0
4
6
2
5
12
3
8
2
0
1

93
3
14
18
13
83
43
60
34
61
24
13
63
0
1

19
4
5
7
5
8
14
9
10
10
2
14
11
0
7

0
0
0
3
2
6
7
18
10
2
1
4
0
0
0

56

523

125

53

2
1
0
4
0
5
3
2
4
1
0
7
3
0
1
33

65
5
6
10
14
45
47
35
24
46
10
3
40
0
1

14

86

0
0
0
2
0
4
2
4
2
0
0
8
0
0
0

22

49
1
9
6
5
34
20

8
2
1
0
0
4
8

86
20
35
6
14
26
0
7

4
8
1
17
1
0
11

0
0
0
0
0
3
0
9
0
2

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

22
3
7
7
8
30
20
11
4
21
8
4
22
0

196

6
2
2
3
2
9
5
3
2
9
1
11
4
0
1

60

0
0
0
2
0
2
0
6
0
1
0
13
1
0
0

25

169

16
0
4
2
8
17
13
36
19
25

8
0
1
0
0
1
6
6
2
7
0
22
0
0
6

2
0
0
1
0
1
0
6
0
1
0
21
0
0
3

14
1
1
4
8
10
13
26
11
18
2
4
10
0
0

26
4
5
5
6
32
31
16
9
25
7
6
22
0
2

5
1
2
6
1
9
4
3
4
4
1
13
2
0

2

2

57

0
0
0
1
0
1
0
5
0
2
0
12
2
0
0

23

351

5
3

2

5
7
10
8
4
10
2
10
4
0
2

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

4

3
13
0
3

163

59

35

122

7
0
1
1
0
1
3
4
2
6
0
21
1
0
1

48

3
1
0
1
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
17
0
0
0

10
0
2

1
0
4
1
10
8
6
2
76
2
0
1

0
3

292

48
5
8
13
6
18
12
24
21
20
14
114
9
0
13

15
2
1
9
6
43
6
21
16
11
1
172
6
0
12

0

45
2
3
9
0
28
13
86
22
39
15
6
24
0
0

212

1,484

610

432

3
0
0
5
4
12
3
16
1
1
1
157
3
0
10

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

166

Totals All Departments ......

36
12
26
12
6
13
0
0

7
13
10
13
11
15
6
107
6
0
13

10
0
1
7
5
20
3
14
4
4
0
177
2
0
8

13
2
2
5
2
9
6
16
7
15
4
9
8
0
0

98

172

216

836

442

368

662

351

297

22

t

1
8
0
20
9

23
4
7
9

244

255

16
2
7
1
6
13
13
8
3
14
4
73
6
0
6

325

636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434

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

NEW 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

0

ENTRY DEPARTMENT

Port
New York ........ .. .....
Philadelphia ... . . . . . . . . . . .
Baltimore ...... .........
Norfolk .................
Mobile .................
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco .............
Wilmington ....... .......
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico ..............
Honolulu ................
Houston ............. ...
St. Louis . .. .. ...........
Piney Point . ........... ..
Totals .................

HONOLULU, Hawaii

19

36

318

705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

0

74

123

27

9

DULUTH, Minn.

PINEY POINT, Md.
St. Mary's County 2067 4
(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) 441-1960

321

*"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.

ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500

WILMINGTON, Calif.
Shipping in the month of July was up from the month of June. A total of 1,522 jobs were shipped on
SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,522 jobs shipped, 662 jobs or about 43 percent were taken by "A"
seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 212 trip relief jobs were
shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 5,604 jobs have been shipped.
28 I LOG I August 1987

510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�=

Safeguard
Your
Shipping Rights

T

O SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

DU ES

Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register.

RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING When you are relieved, you
must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the sm
Union hall.
RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION It is your responsibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.
RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING It is your responsibility to claim
your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in
all Union halls. All members should obtain copies of this
constitution so as to familiarize themselves with its contents. Any time you feel any member or officer is attempting to deprive you of any constitutional right or obligation
by any methods such as dealing with charges. trials. etc.,
as well as all other details. then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

F
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. Members 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 by a majority of the trustees. All trust
fund financial records are available at the headquarters of
the various trust funds.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively by the contracts between the
Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping
rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available
in all Union halls. If you feel there has been any violation
of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the
contracts between the Union and the employers, notify
the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail, return receipt requested. ~he proper address for this is:
Angus "Red" Campbell
Chairman, Seafarers Appeals Board
5201 Autb 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 your contract rights, as well as
your obligations, such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, any SIU

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently. no member may be discriminated against because of race. creed. color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any member feels that he is
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.

11111111m11rn1111111n11111111111111un11111unu111un111111111111111n1111111n11111un11111un1111
patrolman or other Union official. in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly. contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union,
officer or memher. It has als~ refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September. 1960. meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log
policy is vested in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. 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 is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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. SP AD supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contrihution may be
solicited or received because of force. joh discrimination,
financial reprisal. or .t hreat of such conduct, or as a condition of membership in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made by reason of the above improper
conduct. notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD 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
~ 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.

August 1987 I LOG I 29

..,._

-

�•~aest

of Shjps lleetjnas

GUS DARNELL (Ocean Ships), June
21-Chairman Louis Diesso, Educational
Director Jimmie Nicholson, Deck Delegate
Charles Whitehead, Engine Delegate J.
August, Steward Delegate Tom Barrett. No
disputed OT. The crew thanked the ship's
chairman for his help at the cookouts and
for buying and installing a basketball backboard and ping-pong tabl~all on his own
time. Elections were held aboard ship in
which a new chairman (Charles Whitehead), a new secretary (Elston Tensley)
and a new deck delegate (Jim Higgins)
were voted in. On June 10, the Gus Darnell
was engaged in a rescue mission of a
sinking Malaysian vessel. Seventeen of
the 20 victims were saved. Next port:
Singapore.
LNG LEO (Energy Transportation Corp.),
June 14--Chairman Luther V. Myrex, Secretary H. Jones, Educational Director Roy
C. McCauley, Engine Delegate Keith J.
Amos, Steward Delegate Albert A. Fretta.
No beefs or disputed OT. There is $33 in
the ship's fund. The chairman spoke about
the importance of attending upgrading
courses at Piney Point. He noted that many
different courses are now being offered
and advised members to read the LOG to
keep up with what's current at the school
and in the maritime industry. He also
stressed the need to continue contributing
to SPAD to "help keep us working." It was
suggested that the Union check into the
movie problem: the same movies are being
put onboard each voyage. A check also
should be made of the shields and filters
used for chipping. The ones onboard are
not very good. There is an extra dryer on
the Leo. It was suggested that it be put in
use for the crew. A vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for the
good meals and clean messhalls. Members
were reminded that there is no smoking in
the messhall during meals. It was also
mentioned that if members eat in the rec
room, they should remember to return
dishes and silverware to the galley. Next
ports: Himeji, Japan; Arun, Indonesia, and
Tobata, Japan.
OVERSEAS ALICE (Maritime Overseas), June 21-Chairman Steven W.
Copeland, Secretary C. Loper Jr., Educational Director M.W. Roberson. No beefs
or disputed OT reported. There is $150 in
the ship's treasury. The chairman reminded
the crew of the benefits of upgrading at
Piney Point. It's going to take qualified
seafarers to keep our military-contracted
ships, he said, and only by upgrading can
our members attain the necessary skills.
The Overseas Alice now has a three-man
steward department. It will take a little while
to work everything out to satisfaction with
this reduced manning. Until then, the crew's
patience and cooperation would be appreciated. The educational director stressed
the importance of contributing to SPAD.
President Drozak should know that he has
the backing of the SIU membership. And

..•

··:

}·'''.,.:·.

..-.&gt;~:· .,

~::}·"'

__.

W. Marsh, AB, scatters the cremated remains of
Brother Melvin Francis Libby off the Overseas
Harriette.

30 I LOG I August 1987

-

only by donating to SPAD can the members
help him "protect our jobs and benefits."
Night lunch and fruit are at a premiumbut a problem has arisen in that it is all
being eaten by the gangway watch at night
rather than being saved for the crew. Next
port: Subic Bay, P.I.

OVERSEAS HARRIETTE (Maritime
Overseas), June 28--Chairman R. Bradford, Secretary W. Evans, Educational Director Engine Delegate J.W. Badgett, Deck
Delegate Harold Sebring, Steward Delegate C.E. Colston. No beefs or disputed
OT reported. The bosun advised all "B"
book members to take advantage of the
upgrading opportunities at Piney Point. He
also noted that the captain was not yet
sure if the vessel had another charter lined
up. On Friday, June 19, the cremated
remains of Brother Melvin Francis Libby
were put to sea by his Union brothers and
officers aboard the Overseas Harriette (see
photo on this page). Brother Libby, who
joined the SIU in 1948 in the port of Norfolk
and sailed as AB and bosun, retired Nov.
1, 1984. At the time of his death, he was
a resident of Galveston, Texas. "The prayers of his beloved friend, Sally Oliver, and
all of his friends go with him on his final
voyage." A vote of thanks was given to the
steward department for a job well done.
OVERSEAS

JUNEAU

(Maritime
Overseas), June 21-Chairman Errol Pak,
Secretary W. Wroten, Educational Director
J. Fair. No disputed OT. There was a beef
in the steward department regarding the
elimination of the 1830 hr. and 0530 hr.
launch. The steward department must catch
the 0330 hr. launch to get to work on time
and then must wait for the 2000 hr. launch
to get ashore. Communications were received from headquarters in response to
the members' questions about the SMU.
A tape is being prepared to explain the
SMU. It will be sent to all ships and Union
halls. A letter also was received clarifying
a number of beefs. The chairman is completing his relief job. He thanked the crew
for their cooperation and reminded members that the SIU is in better shape than
other maritime unions. One third of the
merchant fleet is under SIU contract. And
while some contracts may be preferable to
others, all "A" books can still sail without
any difficulty. A vote of thanks was given
to the steward department for the good
food and service. Next port: San Francisco,
Calif.

PATRIOT (Ocean Carriers), June 7Chairman Jack Southerland, Secretary
Jennifer K. Jim, Steward Delegate Manuel
Castro. No disputed OT reported. Crew-members believe that a lot of repairs are
needed to make working conditions safer
aboard the Patriot. One specific problem
onboard the ship is the water. It was felt
that the water in the tanks should be
drained and fresh water brought in from
Bahrain. A number of crewmembers are
being sent to the doctor complaining of
sour stomachs due to the water. Another
problem is the mail. Some crewmembers
have not received mait for five months-and letters being sent out from the ship
have not been received at the other end.
Also mentioned was the fact that the crewmembers of the Patriot feel they should be
compensated for traveling in a war zone.
The USNS Stark was the Patriot's escort
recently (three days before the USNS Stark
was attacked). Members believe that they
should be told they are entering a war
zone and be offered the option of remaining
aboard ship or being sent home. The
steward department was given a vote of
thanks for a fine job. Next port: Manila, P.I.
PUERTO RICO (Puerto Rico Marine),
June 14--Chairman Thomas D. Seager,
Secretary J. Colts, Deck Delegate Jack
Rhodes. No beefs or disputed OT. The
chairman informed members of the 2 per-

cent wage increase for the next three years.
A memorandum of understanding was
posted on the bulletin board for everyone
to read. A vote of thanks was given to the
chief cook who is getting off in Puerto Rico
this trip. "We are all going to miss him and
his cooking."

SAM HOUSTON (Waterman), June
7-Chairman James E. Davis, Secretary
G. T. Aquino, Educational Director L. Acosta,
Steward Delegate Ralph Edmonds. No
beefs or disputed OT recorded. The ship's
fund is building; there is now about $100.
Plans are being made to purchase a VCR
to record movies and events of interest
aboard ship when enough money is accrued. The bosun talked about the Navy
ships and the need for qualified men to
secure and hold onto these jobs. He also
reminded crewmembers of the importance
of donating to SPAD. The steward mentioned to all hands that an election year is
close at hand and that now is the time to
search for the politicians who intend to
support a strong and healthy maritime
policy. "We must at all cost get together
as . a strong voting block to elect these
men." A suggestion was made that consideration be given to the idea that when
a seaman has reached 65 years of age
and is vested with 1O years service in the
SIU, he be allowed to retire with a base
amount to increase with each year of
service until the age of 65. The steward
thanked members of the crew who helped
kee·p the messroom and pantry clean. The
steward department, in turn, was given a
vote of thanks for their fine work. One
minute of silence was observed in memory
of our departed brothers and sisters. Next
port of payoff: Norfolk, Va.
SEA-LAND PIONEER (Sea-Land Service), June 28--Chairman Bob O'Rourke,
Secretary Nancy S. Heyden, Deck Delegate Luis A Malave, Engine Delegate Bennie L. Spencer. No beefs or disputed OT.
A message was received from headquarters stating that a settlement was reached
with Sea-Land resulting in a 2 percent
wage increase. The chairman commended
the crew for a good voyage. Some questions were brought up concerning the extent of work a cadet is allowed to perform
on deck and at what point a crewmember
starts getting paid when he has to fly out
for a job. The patrolman will shed some
light on these questions at payoff. A vote
of thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done. Next port:
Elizabeth N.J.

the Union for getting a new contract, especially "because I don't think that anybody
wants to strike -this late in- the game."
Members also were urged to attend upgrading courses at Piney Point for their
own job security. Fresh vegetables will be
put onboard in Port...,Everglades. A new
refrigerator is needed in the messhall. The
one presently aboard ship has never worked
properly. An ice cream box would also be
a nice addition since the refrigerator in the
messhall will not keep butter or milk cold.
The steward department was given a vote
of thanks for a job well done. Next port:
Port Everglades, Fla.

WESTWARD VENTURE (IOM), June
28--Chairman George S. Vanover. Secretary Donald Frounfelter, Educational Director John Ross, Deck Delegate Michael
Willis, Engine Delegate Joseph "Red" Kreb,
Steward Delegate William M. Sharp. Some
disputed OT was reported in the deck
department. A motion was made to use
$40 of the fund to buy blank tapes to record
movies for the crew's library. There is
currently $122 in the ship's fund. Additional
ways to increase the fund was discussed. _
A memorandum and a letter were received
from headquarters in reference to the new
contract. A vote of confidence and thanks
was given to the steward department for
their efficient service and fine meals. Next
port: Anchorage, Alaska.

Official ship minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
ADONIS
AMBASSADOR
ARCH ON
ATLANTIC SPIRIT
AURORA
CONSTITUTION
INGER
LAWRENCE H. GIANELLA
MOUNT VERNON
VICTORY
OAKLAND
OMI COLUMBIA
OVERSEAS MARILYN
OVERSEAS NATALIE
PANAMA

PFC EUGENE A.
OBREGON
SAN JUAN
SEA-LAND
ADVENTURER
SEA-LAND
ENDURANCE
SEA-LAND EXPLORER
SEA-LAND EXPRESS
SEA-LAND LEADER
SEA-LAND
INDEPENDENCE
SEA-LAND
INNOVATOR
SENATOR
USNS BARTLETT

Personals
MC&amp;S Reunion

SEA·LAND PRODUCER (Sea-Land
Service), June 28--Chairman Harry M.
Fisher, Secretary C. C. Holling Ill, Educational Director P. Thomas, Deck Delegate S. Collins. No disputed OT reported.
The Producer will pay off in New Orleans
this voyage. A patrolman is expected aboard
and will answer all questions at that time.
The secretary expressed his gratitude to

Port

There will be an MC&amp;S Reunion
at Doyle Park, Santa Rosa, Calif.Sept. 13, 1987-12 noon 'til ?BYOB-Pot Luck-Bring pictures!

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Tuesday, September 8 ................ 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, September 8 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, September 9 .............. 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, September 10 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, September lO ............... 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, September 10 ............... 10:30 a.m .
Algonac ................. Friday, September 11 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, September 14 ................ 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, September 15 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, September 16 ............. 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, September 17 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, September 21 ... . ............ 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .................. Friday, September 25 ................. 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ................ Thursday, September lO ............... 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, September 18 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday, September 17 ............... 10: 30 a. m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, September 16 ............. 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, September 23 ............. 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, September 22 ................ 10:30 a.m.

�'Thanks For the Help ... '
I would like to thank all of the people at the Seafarers Welfare Plan
office for all of the help they have given to me and my husband,
Antonio Dos Santos. He is a diabetic and has a great deal of trouble
with his eyesight as well as other problems.
Through the years, the people at our Union have been wonderful. I
don't know what I would have done with this help from the SIU. Once
again, thank you.

....,...:..rs
To The

~

Editor

Mrs. Antonio Dos Santos

'Concern for Pensioners . . .'

'Proud of the Union . . . '

Because I am receiving my pension and supplemental checks
without any problem, it's now my turn to extend my sincere gratitude
and appreciation to all of you who take time to see that we pensioners
get our checks no matter where we are.
This all goes to one basic concept: your concern.

I want to thank the Seafarers Welfare Plan office and those
employees that helped expedite my claims with regards to the benefits
due on behalf of my husband....
I want to thank you for helping me and also for sending me
condolences. My late husband was so proud of the Union-and so am I.

Very respectfully yours,
(Mrs.) Placid.a D. Viloria
Houston, Texas

Sincerely,
Marco L. Crespo
Cuenca, Ecuador

Washington R e p o r t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (continued from Page 32.)
made possible the mass exodus of American
shipping companies overseas.
One of the primary reasons behind the decision to grant EUSC vessels War Risk Insurance was the historically close ties between
the United States and the countries of Panama,
Liberia and Honduras. Yet , like Nicaragua
and Iran, which were also considered to be
"client" states of the United States, there's
trouble in paradise .
Between them, Panam
· e · account
y o all American-owned but
foreign-flagged vessels that are classified as
being under "Effective U.S. Control."
The question arise : will these vessels be
available to the United States in case of an
emergency?

Trouble in Liberia
There is great internal opposition to the
present ruler of Liberia, Sgt. Samuel Doe.
While the United States is on record as supporting democratic reforms , many opposition
figures still re ent the United States because
of the abuses of the Americo-Liberian elite
that once ruled Liberia.
Up until 1980, Liberia had been ruled by
the descendants of American slaves who returned to Africa. They constituted roughly 1
percent of the total population of that country.
When Sgt. Doe staged a coup in 1980, he
pledged to maintain close ties to the United
States despite his differences with the previous
regime.
The human rights abuses of the AmericoLiberian elite have not faded from people's
minds. Moreover, Liberians of native and
American descent alike remember this country's segregationist past.

Trouble in Panama
Despite its potential for trouble, discontent
in Liberia remains below the boiling point,
thoughjust barely. Every day, however, brings
the people of Panama closer to civil war.
There is widespread discontent with General
Manuel Noriega (called cara de pifia, or pineapple face, by his countrymen), who took
control of the country in 1980.
Human rights violations are widespread.
What's worse, Noriega is putting his political
henchmen in positions of authority in the
Panama Canal, which is just starting to revert

to Panamanian control. And unlike Marcos of
the Philippines and Chun of Korea, he is not
susceptible to American pressure.
When the United States ambassador protested these human rights violations, Noriega
pointedly met with the Cuban ambassador and
decried ' 'American interference.''

Sewage Sludge
A bill requiring that vessels used to transport.
sewage sludge products be built in the United
States was passed by voice vote in the House
of Representatives.
The bill, H.R. 82, was introduced by Rep.
Mario Biaggi (D-N. Y.) after a Customs Service
judge ruled that the transportation of ewage
sludge to a deep water dumpsite was not
subject to the provisions of the Jones Act.
In response to objections raised by operators
who had relied upon the Coast Guard ruling
when deciding to build four waste carrying
vessels in foreign shipyards, a grandfather
clause was added that would exempt those
four vessels from the domestic shipbuilding
requirements of the act.
Similar legislation has been introduced in
the Senate.

Trade
By a veto-proof 71-27 margin, the Senate
passed a trade bill aimed at restoring America's
competitive edge.
The Senate bill is generally considered to
be less stringent than its House counterpart,
H.R. 3, which was passed earlier this year.
Still, President Reagan has threatened to veto
the legislation if it isn't watered down to suit
his tastes.
Both the House and the Senate bills contain
provisions giving the Federal Maritime Commission tools to counter unfair maritime trade
practices, but the Senate bill is more limited
in scope. Like H.R. 3, the Senate bill contains
a provision which calls for the negotiation of
trade agreements that would allow U.S. companies to transport autos to the United States
from countries that export 50,000 or more
vehicles to the U.S. each year.
Differences in the two bills will have to be
ironed out in joint conference.

Canadian Free Trade Talks
Two hundred-thirteen members of the House
of Representatives have agreed to co-sponsor

legislation introduced by Rep. Walter B. Jones
(D-N.C.), chairman of the House Merchant
Marine Committee, which calls upon Congress
and the administration to reject a Canadian
government proposal to open up the domestic
commerce of the United States to Canadian
vessels.
Representatives from the U.S. and Canadian
governments are meeting to iron out a ''free
trade'' pact which would eliminate most, if
not all, so-called barriers to "free trade."
President Reagan has put these negotiations
under the ''fast-track authority,'' which means
that if both parties reach an agreement before
Oct. 5, then Congress cannot amend the agreement. All it can do is to vote the treaty up or
down.
Maritime is reportedly high on the list of
topics being discussed.
What the Canadians seek is a "North American Jones Act.'' Yet most maritime officials
believe that generous Canadian support to its
maritime industry, coupled with favorable exchange rates, could further depress an already
crippled industry.
"The Jones Act remains the cornerstone of
this nation's maritime policy," said SIU Lobbyist Frank Pecquex. ''To weaken it is to
invite disaster."

Breaking the Strikebusters
The SIU is supporting enactment of H .R.
285, a bill which would prohibit nonimmigrant
aliens from working on American ships or
aircraft when American workers are striking.
There is a loophole in current law which
effectively allows U.S. companies to employ
foreign nationals on their ships and airplanes
to break up a strike. Passage of this legislation
would, for example, protect the rights of American and resident alien fishermen.

Unregulated Fishing Vessels
Two interrelated problems plague the American fishing industry: safety and insurance. In
an effort to revive this badly-depressed industry, the SIU is supporting enactment of H.R.
1841 and H.R. 1836 with modifications, which
seek to impose mandatory safety features on
virtually all unregulated fishing vessels.
Although they take different approaches,
both bills recognize that there are serious
problems confronting this nation's fishermen.
Both bills seek to increase the availability of
liability coverage by upgrading the level of
safety onboard America's fishing vessels.

August 1987 I LOG I 31

-

�I

l
Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

Washington Report
While Washington didn't exactly grind to a
halt last month, most people had their t. v. sets
and radios tuned in on the Iran-contra hearings.
There were visible reminders everywhere that
something out of the ordinary had occurred.
For one thing, "Ollie North" haircuts and
t-shirts became popular among the young conservative set.

Persian Gull

-

The Iran-contra hearings wound up earlier
this month. Events in the Persian Gulf, which
had almost been forgotten in the shuffle, returned to the forefront with a vengence.
In scenes eerily reminiscent of 1979, Iranian
militants marched and chanted in the streets
of Tehran. And once again, the United States,
which has spent hundreds of billions of dollars
beefing up its defense budget so that it can
procure the most advanced weapon money
can buy, was being humiliated because its
conventional military capability is woefully
inadequate.
The first of the reftagged Kuwaiti tankers,
the Bridgeton, was hit by a mine. While no
one claimed responsibility for the incident,
most military experts believe that the mine
had been planted by Iran.
Ironically, the United States has no minesweepers in the immediate area. And the
minesweepers that it does have back in the
States are all of World War II vintage. New
ones are on order, but they have not yet been
built.
Special helicopters were scheduled to be
''rushed" (the operation was expected to take
several weeks) from the United States to the
Persian Gulf to enhance this country's mines weeping capability in that area. Still, the
helicopters were a less-than-ideal alternative
to ocean-borne minesweepers.
For one thing, without landing rights in a
nearby country, these helicopters are vulnerable to attack. And unfortunately, no country
in the Persian Gulf will grant the United States
landing rights, not even Kuwait, whose ships
we are supposed to be protecting.

Thatcher Says No
The administration's Persian Gulf policy has
proven to be extremely controversial.
Both the Senate and the House voted to
delay the reflagging though by margins that
were too small to sustain a veto. And Great
Britain, which was the only European country
to support to the United States when it bombed
Libya, graciously, but emphatically, turned
down the administration's request for minesweepers (Great Britain has the world's most
modern). Said one unnamed British official,
"We don't want to be dragged into a maritime
Vietnam."
''The recent course of events raises serious
questions about the wisdom of allowing our
sealift capability to fall below a certain point,"
said SIU President Frank Drozak. "For instance, it doesn't take too much imagination
to figure out how our NATO allies would
respond if we asked them to provide us with
sealift support in case Israel were attacked.

32 I LOG I August 1987

August 1987

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

"If the West Europeans, who have a vested
interest in keeping the sealanes of the Persian
Gulf open, can refuse to provide the United
States with badly-needed minesweepers during
an international emergency of this magnitude,
they would almost certainly refuse to help
resupply Israel.
''Short of a Soviet attack on Western Europe," said Drozak, "is there any scenario
under which our NATO allies would back up
the United States with anything more than
polite words? And ifthere isn't, how credible
is our sealift capability in theaters outside
Western Europe?
"For years," said Drozak, "defense planners have said that America's sealift capability
could be augmented by "EUSC" and NATO
vessels. Yet increasingly, that seems more like
wishful thinking than anything else."

Drozak Letter
In a letter to The New York Times, Drozak
outlined an alternative policy to the one now
being pursued by the Reagan administration.
''Congress is caught between two unacceptable choices," he wrote. "It can allow the
reflagging policy to proceed despite its flaws
and dangers. Alternatively, if it stops the
reflagging, it risks undermining the president
by creating an impression of withdrawal from
the Persian Gulf, which would provide a major
opportunity for the Russians.
'There is another option that accomplishes
[American objectives in the area], while avoiding the tilt to Kuwait and Iraq, thereby reducing the risk of provoking Iran and making the
United States a belligerent. That is to charter
genuine United States-flag vessels with United
States crews, of which there are an ample
number available, to both Kuwait and Iran, to
Iraq and to any country in the region.
·This would be an even-handed policy. The
U.S. tankers and U.S. Navy protecting them
would be strictly neutral. This option would
guarantee freedom of navigation in the Persian
Gulf, leave no vacuum for the Russians and
help stop the tanker war, thus containing the
Iraq-Iran conflict."

Coast Guard Authorizations
The House passed a $2.8 billion Coast Guard
authorizations bill that could have important
ramifications for the maritime industry.
While the House defeated an amendment
by Rep. Charles Bennet (D-Fla.) to prohibit
the redocumentation of the 11 Kuwaiti tankers,
it did pass by a 222-184 vote an amendment
that would delay the reflagging 90 days or until
Sept. 30, 1987.
While that vote was seen as being largely
symbolic, a potentially important amendment
offered by Rep. Mario Biaggi (D-N.Y.) was
attached to the legislation. Biaggi's amendment would require that all officers and unlicensed seamen on U .S.-ftag vessels be U.S.
citizens-regardless of the port of departure.
This, in effect, overturns the Coast Guard's
interpretation of a 19th century maritime law
which allowed the reflagging to occur in the
first place.
Another amendment, offered by Rep. Rob-

ert W. Davis (R-Mich.), requires that radio
officers serving on U .S.-flag vessels be U.S.
citizens.
The Coast Guard authorizations bill also
contains a "Buy American" provision offered
by Rep. James A. Traficante Jr. (D-Ohio),
which would prohibit any Coast Guard vessel,
and any major component of the hull or superstructure of a Coast Guard vessel, from
being built in a foreign shipyard. It also sets
a 50 percent U.S.-made minimum for components.

Veterans' Benefits
Finally, good news for our old timers who
served in World War II.
A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that
the secretary of the Air Force used "vague,
unstated and inconsistent" criteria in denying
veterans' benefits to merchant mariners who
served in that conflict.
"Although Congress gave the secretary discretion in adopting appropriate legislation,"
said Judge Louis F. Oberdorfer, "it assuredly
did not license the secretary to publish one
set of criteria and apply another.''
A quarter of a million civilian merchant
seamen sailed during World War II, of which
approximately 90,000 are still alive. During
the war, these people suffered the second
highest casualty rate, after the Marines.
Since 1977, 14 of 64 groups that applied for
active military service status have had their
applications approved. According to Judge
Oberdorfer, merchant seamen met many of
the same criteria that those groups met. The
secretary of the Air Force, said Oberdorfer,
tried to differentiate seamen from these groups
on the basis of criteria not mentioned in Section
401 of the 1977 law authorizing the Department
of Defense to evaluate requests for military
benefits.
''By making decisions based on unpublished
criteria," said the judge, "the secretary frustrated the purpose of the implementation of
the regulations and denied plaintiffs a fiar
opportunity to present their case.''
Judge Oberdorfer ordered the parties to file
a supplemental memoranda by Aug. 5, "addressing more fully what remedy, if any, is
appropriate in light of the conclusions stated

Trouble in Paradise
Few people outside the maritime industry
fully appreciate why the SIU and other maritime unions were so concerned by the reflagging of the Kuwaiti tankers. The following
quote from a story by Journal of Commerce
reporter Chris Dupin puts the matter into
proper perspective:
"A highly regulated industry that often bemoans the lack of a coherent maritime policy,
shipping is quick to exploit quirks in laws and
regulations.''
The most notorious of these "quirks" was
the "Effective U.S. Control Doctrine
(EUSC)." After World War II, the United
States offered War Risk Insurance to American-owned vessels registered under the Panamanian, Liberian and Honduran flags. This
(Continued on Page 31.)

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DOD WRONG IN DENIAL&#13;
COURT UPHOLDS SIU PLANS IN SONAT, DIXIE PENSION CASE&#13;
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TRADE TALKS DRAW FIRE FROM U.S. MARITIME INDUSTRY&#13;
REACTION MIXED TO NEW OPERATING SUBSIDY PLAN&#13;
MTSN FAULTS YUKON SAFETY&#13;
VET FIGHT BRINGS ALL SEAMEN TOGETHER&#13;
THE FALLS OF CLYDE: A LITTLE TASTE OF HISTORY&#13;
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                    <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 &amp; 7
Pages 1O &amp; 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&amp;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&amp;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&amp;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&amp;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&amp;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&amp;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&amp;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&amp;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&lt;.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&amp;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

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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&lt;?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&amp;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&amp;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&amp;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&amp;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.

· ~· &gt;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 &amp; 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 &amp; 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&amp;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 &amp; 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 &amp;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 &amp;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

-

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SHLSS comings &amp; 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 &amp;
Assistant Cook
• Sealift Operations &amp;
Assistant Cook
• Sealift Operations &amp;
Cook and Baker
• Sealift Operations &amp;
Cook and Baker
• Sealift Operations &amp;
Chief Cook
• Sealift Operations &amp;
Chief Cook
• Sealift Operations &amp;
Chief Steward
• Sealift Operations &amp;
Chief Steward
• Sealift Operations &amp;

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 &amp; Maint.

Check-In
Date
September 21
December 14

Completion
Date
December 11
January 8

Fireman/Watertender, Oiler
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

October 12
December 7

December 4
December 31

Variable Speed DC Drive
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

September 21
November 2

October 30
ovember 27

Electro-Hydraulic Systems
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

November 9
December 21

December 18
January 15

Diesel Engineer - Regular
• Sealift Operations &amp; 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) &amp;
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
&amp; 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 &amp; 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 &amp; 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

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DELEGATES APPROVE SIUNA RESTRUCTURING STUDY&#13;
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BAYARD RUSTIN CIVIL RIGHTS, LABOR ACTIVIST, DEAD AT 75&#13;
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TI’S HENRY SAYS: GOVERNMENT IS MISSING PARTNER&#13;
FREE TRADE TALKS, CANADA PACT IS NO PLACE FOR MARITIME ISSUES&#13;
TRADE BILL AND 88 ELECTION TOP SIU PRIORITIES&#13;
D-2’S JOSEPH EXPLAINS&#13;
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ITF FIGHTS OPEN FLAGS&#13;
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BARBER’S ROBERT POUCH “SIU IS COMMITTED TO PROFESSIONALISM”&#13;
HUBERT H. HUMPHREY III “THE BLAME FOR MARITIME’S DECLINE DOES NOT REST WITH THE WORKERS”&#13;
SIUNA ADOPTS RESOLUTIONS TO PROTECT WORKERS&#13;
SIUNA ACCEPTS CHALLENGES OF THE 1990’S AND BEYOND&#13;
SCHULMAN RETIRES AFTER 25 YEARS&#13;
MERCER PRAISES MTSU-SIU MERGER&#13;
U.S.-CANADIAN INTERESTS TIED&#13;
GREAT LAKES JOBS MAY JUMP&#13;
SIUNA COMMITTEES MEET TO CHART COURSE&#13;
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REP. JAMES QUILLEN “U.S. FLAG FLEET IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY”&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union• Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL·CIO Vol. 49, No. 10 October 1987

Industry Gears for Tough Senate Fight

U.S.!Canada Pact Threatens Maritime Community
The Reagan administration once
again has ·put the U.S. maritime industry in jeopardy, thanks to the recently negotiated U. S ./Canada free
trade agreement. If approved as is, it
would open any future promotional
programs, perhaps even the Jones Act
to Canadian and other foreign flags.
Already the majority of senators and
House members have lined up against
the maritime provisions in the proposed treaty.
Under the terms of the agreement ,
current U.S. programs such as P.L.
480 and military cargo preference will
remain reserved for U.S.-flag operations. But if there is any future expansion of those programs, or any new
promotional activity, Canadian inter-

ests would be eligible to bid on the
cargo. There is also concern that if
the Jones Act is expanded, for example, to include all shipping activities
within a 200-mile limit of the U.S.
coast , those shipping activities would
be open to foreign competition.
That competition would not be simply Canadian. Under the terms of the
friendship, commerce and navigation
treaties that we have with 37 other
nations, countries which have most
favored nation standing also would be
eligible to participate in those trades ,
according to the Department of Transportation.
"Just when you think there is nothing else that can happen to the U.S.
maritime industry, this administration

hammers you with something new,''
said SIU President Frank Drozak.
"In some respects it's a Catch-22.
Any new program to help the U.S.
merchant marine will really end up
helping the Canadians or other nations, but the only way to help the
U.S.-flag fleet is with new programs.
That doesn't make a lot of sense, "
Drozak added.
In late August, Drozak and Roman
Gralewicz, president of the SIU of
Canada, sent letters to Reagan and
Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney requesting that all maritime issues be removed from the negotiations. The problems of national security
and commercial considerations were
cited. It also was pointed out that

experts on the maritime industry were
not included on the negotiating teams.
''Please rest assured that this matter
is receiving careful attention at the
highest levels of the administration,''
Peter 0. Murphy, the chief U.S. negotiator responded in a Sept. 15 letter
to Drozak.
"If that [the trade pact] is indicative
of 'careful attention' we're in trouble," Drozak said.
In addition to opening up promotional and Jones Act trade, the proposed agreement has opened a door
to exporting Alaskan North Slope oil.
Under terms of the deal, up to 50,000
barrels of oil a day may be exported
to Canada from Alaska. The agree(Continued on Page 3.)

Maritime Labor Pioneer Went to Sea in 1926

Morris Weisberger, Former SUP President, Dies
Morris Weisberger, who succeeded
the legendary Harry Lundeberg as
head of the Sailor's Union of the
Pacific, died last month. He was 80
years old.
Weisberger guided the SUP during
one of its most difficult periods. He
assumed the helm of the union in 1957,
just when containerization and automation were forcing severe reductions
in crew sizes, especially in the deck
department.
Weisberger is widely credited with
preserving the integrity of the SUP's
pension and welfare plans during a
time of retrenchment for the industry.

He was a leading figure in the trade
union movement especially on the West
Coast. He was vice president of the
California Labor Federation, AFLCIO, in San Francisco from 1957 until
his retirement in 1978. Two months
before his death, the California State
Assembly passed a resolution honoring his 80th birthday.
Weisberger was one of the last living
links to the early seamen's movement.
He started sailing in 1926 when the
SUP was still an autonomous affiliate
of the now-defunct International Seamen's Union. As an SUP rep, he met
Andrew Furuseth, the grand old man

FOC Crew Wins N.Y. Fight
Page 4

of the modern seamen's movement.
Weisberger worked tirelessly on behalf of the Maritime Trades Department of the AFL-CIO. He was president of the MTD port council of San
Francisco Bay and Vicinity from 1959
to 1983, and considered the grassroots
political work he did for that organization one of his most important contributions to the maritime industry.
A vocal opponent of the flag-ofconvenience fleets which helped decimate the American-flag merchant marine, Weisberger was the United States'
labor delegate and adviser to the International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland and also to various
international conferences on safety and
life at sea.
He served on numerous commissions aimed at revitalizing the port of
San Francisco. He was appointed a
member of the board of the Pilot Commissioners for the bays of San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun by Gov.
Ronald Reagan in 1971 ; re-appointed
to that post by Gov. Edmund G. Brown
in 1976, and served as president of

Morris Weisberger

that organization from 1973 until his
death.
"Few men or women have made
their journeys through life and left the
significant and lasting impact Morris
has," said SIU President Frank Dro(Continued on Page 3.)

Inside:
Page 6
McAllister, Curtis Bay Beefs
Page 9
Seafarers Excel for Military
Pages 11-14
New T-5 Visits SHLSS
Pages 16 &amp; 17
Government Services Division
Page 18
LNG Crews Ratify New Contract

�Pres·dent's Report
by Frank Drozak
The United States and Canada have
signed a Free Trade Agreement. If
reports in The Journal of Commerce
and other papers are correct, then the
Reagan administration has hammered
yet another nail into the coffin of the
American-flag merchant marine.
The agreement still has to be ratified
by the Senate. Few details are known,
but those that have been made public
do not bode well for the maritime
industry. The Journal of Commerce
reports that ''Canadian carriers would
be included in future changes in U.S.
laws applying to domestic trades, cargo
preference and similar water carrierrelated activities.'· That means that if
the SIU and other maritime unions are
successful in getting Congress to
strengthen the application of this nation's cargo preference laws, then Canadian shipping firms will have equal
access to those jobs.
What this does, of course, is to
create one more disincentive for businessmen to invest money in the American-flag merchant marine. The uncertainty caused by this proposed change
in the Jones Act may scare off the few
remaining sources of capital for maritime, which is a capital-intensive industry.
It also sets a dangerous precedent.
This will be the first time that the 67year-old Jones Act will be substantially weakened, and it will invite more
such attacks.
The final agreement could have been
worse if the American maritime industry had not displayed a united front
on this matter. The Reagan administration made no secret that it considered the maritime industry little more
than a bargaining chip. As reported in
the August-September issue of The
American Engineer, "U.S. trade representatives at the so-called free trade
talks [had] been considering a Canadian proposal to open up the protected
trade to Canadian-flag vessels ... If
the proposal [weren't] so dangerous,
not only to our fleet but to our national
defense sealift, it would [have been]
laughable." This from an organization
which twice supported the same Ronald Reagan who is pushing hard for
the sell-out "free trade" deal.
I am not in the habit of quoting The
American Marine Engineer. It is, after
all, the official publication of District
1 of the Marine Engineers Beneficial

Association. Over the years, the SIU
and District 1 have had our differences. still we have worked together
on programs which affect all of our
membership. Unfortunately, District
I has repeatedly tried to infringe upon
the jurisdictional rights of our members in the engine room, and we've
fought them every inch of the way.
Still, the paper accurately summed up
the danger that the Canadian Free
Trade Agreement posed to the job
security of all American seamen, licensed and unlicensed.
Then sadly, it then went on to make
the following point: "The NMU and
District 1-MEBA, more than any other
maritime union, are strong and effective; able to maintain their gains, while
protecting their members against threats
facing their jobs and the industry."
That's where their arguments get a
little bit cloudy.
What is there to say about two
organizations which supported President Reagan for election, not once but
twice? It's all well and good to complain about the decline of the American-flag merchant marine. When the
ceiling is caving in, it's hard not to
whine a little bit. But please, let's have
a little humility. How can the NMU
and District 1 make grandiose claims
when they've actually given money to
help elect that same administration
which has systematically destroyed
the American-flag merchant marine
and reduced job opportunities for their
members?
Both District 1 and the NMU supported President Reagan for re-election in 1984 after his administration
had taken the following steps:

• Denied merchant seamen World
War II benefits.
• Eliminated Public Health Hospital coverage for merchant seamen.
• Dismantled the Construction Differential Subsidy program.
• Opposed extension of the Operating Differential Subsidy program.
• Tried to dismantle the Capital
Construction Fund.
• Refused to consider enactment of
the UN CTAD Code or implementation of bilateral trade agreements.
And it is still going on. Earlier this
year, the administration waived American manning and safety standards
when it reflagged 11 Kuwaiti tankers.
By the way, the NMU and District 1
are the same two organizations which
have criticized our organization for
forming the Seafarers Maritime Union.
"Panicked by declining cargoes and
vessels,'' The American Engineer
writes, "[some unions] have signed
'sweetheart' deals with companies, offering drastic wage benefits and work
rule concessions out of their own
members' pockets.''
The fact is that unlicensed seamen
face two very serious threats to their
job security.
The most obvious one comes from
the decline of the American-flag merchant marine. As everyone knows,
there are fewer ships and few jobs.
Yet that is only half of the story.
Over the past few years, licensed
unions like District 1 and the MM&amp;P
have tried to protect their self interests
by infringing upon the rights of unlicensed seamen. In other words, they
want to protect their own generous
system of wages and benefits (an average licensed officer makes more than
a U.S. senator or congressman) by
putting you and other unlicensed seamen on the unemployment line. They
may make pious references to maritime unity, but their actions make such
unity impossible.
Long before there was a SMU, the
MM&amp;P and District 1 had formed topto-bottom organizations. They bypassed both SIU and NMU hiring halls
to get their crews. Both the MM&amp;P
and District 1 were willing to drag
people off the street rather than put
accredited seamen from the SIU, SUP,
MFOW and the NMU onboard their
vessels.
Moreover, there has been a disturbing pattern of licensed officers

October 1987

performing duties covered under the
unlicensed labor-management agreements.
The SIU-AGLIWD will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year.
It was born during the golden age of
the American shipping industry, when
the American-flag merchant marine
rose out of the ashes of the Great
Depression to help the United States
win its "Great War Against Fascism."
Maritime leaders like Harry Lundeberg, Paul Hall, Morris Weisberger
and Joe Curran may have had their
personal and political differences, but
they were no fools. In their different
ways, they fought to preserve the job
security of unlicensed seamen. They
had no other bottom line.
Conditions in the industry are getting worse, and it is not possible to
keep on with business as usual. To do
so will mean throwing in the towel.
At the end of 1986, U.S. Lines, the
largest U.S.-flag shipping company then
in existence and the NMU' s largest
source of jobs, went under. They filed
for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of
the bankruptcy code.
During the past 20 years, the trends
in the maritime industry have been
unmistakable. Few ships. More automation. Smaller crews. Other unlicensed unions have been content to
complain about these trends, but from
what I see they don't have any kind
of plan to protect their members' job
security and benefits. Licensed unions
like District 1 and the MM&amp;P have
their own way of coping, and that is
to cut unlicensed seamen completely
out of the picture.
By the end of last year, top-tobottom licensed operations formed by
MM&amp;P and MEBA-District 1 had
reached the point where they could
have become an institutionalized part
of the maritime industry. Their existence posed a serious challenge to the
job security of all unlicensed seamen.
Faced with these threats to the job
security of our membership, the SIU
and District 2 formed an organization
to compete for the new business, most
of which is being created in the military
sector.
The SIU and District 2 were able to
compete against Top Gallant and PASS
for new business, most of which is
being created in the military sector.
SMU was not set up to compete with
existing . SIU or MEBA 2 companies.
It was chartered to go after work that
neither union had or work that had

Off1c al Pub calJO:i of e Seafarers lntemat1ona Umon of
North Amer ca Atlant c G I La es and I land Waters 01stnct
AFL-CIO

(Continued on Page 7 .)

Vol 49 N:&gt; 10

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

~''

2 I LOG I October

987

Secretary

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Editor

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Mike Hall
Max Hall

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Charles Svenson

Managing Editor
Associate Editor

Angus "Red" Campbell

Deborah Greene
Associate Editor

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is. published monthly by Seafarers International Union . Atlantic. Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District. AFL-CIO . 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 8990675 Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges, Md . 20790-9998 and at addit1ona1
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md . 20746.

�Weisberger Leaves Legacy of Labor Victories
(Continued from Page 1.)
zak. "From the time he first shipped
out as a 19-year-old ordinary in 1926
until the time he stepped down as
Sailors Union of the Pacific president/
secretary-treasurer in 1978, he was
constantly fighting to better the lot of
seamen and of working men and women
ashore.''
As New York port agent for the
SUP from 1939 to 1957. Weisberger
played an important role in many of
the A&amp;G Di')trict's early organiLing
drives, including Isthmian and Cities
Service.
·' Paul relied heavily on Morris ~
j udgment and contacts in those early
eefs," said Rose Hall, widow of former SIU President Paul Hall.
"Morris Weisberger was extremely
intelligent, and had an imposing
knowledge of the maritime industry,''
said Herb Brand, chairman of the
board of the Transportation Institute.
"He and Paul were a study in contrasts, but they made a hell of a team."
Born in Cleveland, Ohio on August
IO, 1907, Morris Weisberger first went
to sea as an Ordinary Seaman in 1926.
The power of the maritime unions had
been curtailed by the ill-fated strike of
1921. Shipping markets were severely
depressed.
The maritime industry was then a
hotbed of ideological controversy. The
Wobblies and Communists tried to win
the hearts and minds of seamen, who
were among the most-exploited groups
of workers. They tried to fill a vacuum
filled by the decline of the IS U.
Weisberger was an able-bodied seaman on the Morro Castle, a passenger
vessel which burned off the New Jersey Coast in 1934. He learned firsthand the tragedies that could occur if
adequate safety precautions were not
maintained.
"During the federal inquiry into the
disaster," wrote historian Stephen
Schwartz in his book on the I OOth
anniversary of the Sailor's Union of
the Pacific, ''the Pacific Seamen demanded to know how a fire could make
such progress without a report to the
bridge, why no attempt was made to
beach the ship, why the S.O.S. signal
had been delayed ... ·'
In 1936, Weisberger became a business representative for the Sailor's
Union of the Pacific. He serviced the
ports of Brooklyn, Honolulu and New
Orleans. He became an official at an
historic time in the union's development.
The longshoremen' s strike of 1934
had reinvigorated the seamen' · movement. SUP Secretary-Trea urer Harry
Lundeberg became a major force in
maritime labor by ·tanding up to Victor Olander and the people who had
captured control of the Internat10nal
Seamen 's Union in the twilight of

Andrew Furuseth 's long and distinguished career.
The Great Depression had ushered
in a new era' of militancy for maritime
labor. In 1936, Joe Curran, who later
founded the National Maritime Union,
staged a sitdown strike on the SS
California. Within two years the ISU
was to die an unmourned death. It
was replaced by two unlicensed seamen's unions, the National Maritime

character.''
One of the most dramatic moments
of Weisberger's 21-year term in office
came in 1962 when the Sailor's Union
of the Pacific called a strike against
the Pacific Maritime Association. The
1962 strike went on for a month and
was suspended after President John
F. Kennedy imposed an 80-day truce
on the union and the shipowners.
Known for his acerbic wit, Weis-

Morris Weisberger served almost 20 years as the SUP's New York Port Agent, from 1939
to 1957.

Union and the Seafarers International
Union of North America.
In 1939 Weisberger was elected the
SUP port agent for New York. He
served in that capacity until March
1957, when he was unanimously elected
to the post of secretary-treasurer to
fill the position left vacant by the death
of Harry Lundeberg.
During World War II, Weisberger
was instrumental in helping the SUP
crew a great number of merchant ships
with capable and experienced seamen.
According to historian Schwartz,
Weisberger ''distinguished himself . . .
by going to the highest levels of the
U.S. military" to argue against the
internment of 40 SUP members of
Japanese ancestry. "The authorities
finally acceded, and all the SUP men
of Japanese ancestry were released
and permitted to sail in the Atlantic
theater."
Weisberger was a delegate to the
first convention of the Seafarers International Union of North America,
which was held in 1944. A decade
later, he supported Paul Hall's efforts
to clean up the New York waterfront
in the ILA-AFL beef.
Upon the death of Harry Lundeberg
in 1957, Wei berger was unanimously
elected to fill the top post in the SUP.
Addressing the SUP membership
after the election. Weisberger aid,
"Thi is a grave responsibility to which
you have elected me. I do not con ider
this so much an honor as it L a solemn
respon ibility and a duty of the highest

berger was a popular figure in the
maritime industry. Upon his retirement in 1978, the West Coast Sailor
made the following point: "Morris
Weisberger made a significant contribution to the development of the Sailors Union of the Pacific, and while he
has consented to stand by to assist
and counsel the incoming administration, he will be sorely missed in the
difficult days ahead."
His career spanned nearly the entire
spectrum of the modern seamen's
movement. Speaking at the lOOth anniversary of the Sailor's Union of the
Pacific in 1985, he made the following
observations about the union he had
once led:
"An event like this gives us oldtimers a terrific excuse to ramble on
about how far we've come, to congratulate ourselves, to reminisce a little about the bad old days, and to
recall the struggles which got us to
where we are. We started out on a
pile of lumber down at the pier, and
here we are at the Fairmont Hotel.
We're entitled to crow a little. We
earned it.
·'It is also a time for us to look back
and try to see what it all meant. What
was the single most important contribution the SUP made in these last 100
years? Some would argue for Andrew
Furn eth and his incredible legislative
record. which effectively released the
American ailor from centuries of
peonage and set the standard for maritime worker all over the world.

ew Car Carrier
At the end of October, 12 Seafarer ·
will mark a first for the SIU. They will
hel p deliver Japanese cars to the States
on a U .S.-ftag hip.
The crew will fly to Japan to man
the Overseas Joyce (Maritime Over-

ea ). The 60-day round trip, at a peed
of 18.5 knot , will take the ship from
Japan to Bo ton, New York and Balt1more. The Joyce carries 5.300 Toyotas. It was built e pecially for the
trade and will be operated on a I 0year charter by Maritime Over ea:.

The engineroom officers will be
members of MEBA, District I and the
deck officers are employee of the
company. The 585-foot Joyce is expected to arrive on the U.S. East Coast
in late ~ovember with it first load of
cars.

''Others would point to the strikes
of the 1930s which made the West Coast
into union country, and unionized not
only the waterfront but made possible
the unionization of so many other
workers. Others would look at World
War II, and the truly heroic record of
the members of the SUP during the
war for democracy, as the outstanding
achievement of these last 100 years. I
won't argue it one way or another. All
these achievements deserve the strongest possible recognition.
"But let'~ add to that list of outstanding achievements the creation and
the continued defense of the Sailors'
hiring hall. The hiring hall was a trade
union answer to favoritism. corruption
and violence on the waterfront. It was
a unique method of expressing the
solidanty of workers and their refusal
to be played off against one another
as they had been since time immemorial.
"Harry Lundeberg deserves to be
remembered for many things, but if
you ask me, Harry's defense of the
hiring hall , against the Copeland Fink
Book first enacted into law in 1936,
against the Maritime Commission's
so-called ·recruitment and manning
office' of the World War II years, and
finally, against the anti-hiring hall provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act-these
efforts stand right in there among the
great achievements of this union. That
the hiring hall today remains the cornerstone of our union is a tribute to
Harry Lundeberg and all who worked
with him on these issues."
Weisberger is survived by his wife,
Ann, and two children, Eugene and
Ruth.

U.S./Canada Pact
(Continued from Page 1.)
ment calls for those exports to be
shipped on U.S. bottoms. But there
is some concern that if that cap was
increased, the extra oil could be open
to Canadian ships or ships of most
favored nations.
Congressional reaction to the maritime provisions has been intense.
''Generally a trade agreement, no
matter who it is with or how important
it is, must not impinge on U.S. national
security interests. The transportation
annex to this agreement violates this
agreement. If they consider this a
compromise, they are full of baloney,''
said Rep. Walter Jones (D-N.C.),
chairman of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee.
Jones was the sponsor of a House
resolution, with more than 240 coponsors, asking that maritime issues
be removed from the talks. A similar
Senate measure gained the support of
56 senators.
Currently there are attempts to find
a way to remove the maritime provisions from the agreement. Normally
under the authority of the so-called
••fast track" rule, the entire package
must be approved by the Senate and
House. But only the whole package
can be voted on; congressional members are not allowed to approve one
section or reject another. There is an
effort under way to allow the Senate
and House to vote on the maritime
c:;ections separately.
October 1987 1 LOG I 3

�SIU Part of Coalition that Helped

Skyranger Crew Example of FOC Seamen's Plight
Fifty or 60 years ago, the conditions
and cruelties that the Filipino crew of
the Skyranger had to endure this summer, were almost standard on U.S .flag ships before a strong maritime
labor movement gelled.
The captain of the ship refused to
take on or make enough fresh water
for everyday needs. The crew collected rain water from the boat deck
for their laundry and showers. But the
discharge from the ship's stack contaminated the water with oil and sulphuric soot, and several crewmembers
broke out in painful rashes.
Milk and bread were reserved for
the three Greek officers on the ship
while the 15 unlicensed crewmembers
were served third rate, poor quality
food. No citrus fruits or juices were
available for the crew. With only a
few sets of silverware and dishes
aboard, the crew was forced to eat in
shifts or to grab handfuls of rice. When
the captain was in a good mood (seldom according to crewmembers), he
would send the officers' leftovers to
the crew's mess.
The owners of the Skyranger , a
Greek company that registered this
ship in Cyprus , used a Greek manning
agency (BSR) from Cyprus to hire
crew from other countries such as the
Philippines. The men were required
to sign blank "contracts" and stationery. Later the blanks were filled in by
the local Filipino manning agency with
wages, benefits and terms such as
length and conditions of employment.
These "contracts" were then sub-

mitted to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to obtain official Philippine government approval
of being not less than the minimum of
the ILO (International Labor Organization). Astonishingly, the POEA
stamped their approval of $170 for
monthly base wages for ABs and oilers
with an additional 30 percent of this
base wage ($51.00) for an extra 120
hours of overtime per month that the
crewmember had to work before any
hope of additional overtime money,
and none was paid. The ILO minimum
wages for ABs and oilers is $276.00
per month plus daily overtime of $2.05
per hour and $3.68 per hour on weekends, plus leave/vacation compensation of $11.04 per month.
The captain refused to carry toilet
paper and lacked seats on the toilets ,
as the captain explained this was a
healthier way to avoid transmitting
AIDS by washing with the toilet' s
seawater after flushing! He pointed
out that some Greek ships have simple
holes in the deck with foot pads on
the sides. The crew finally took the
matter. into their own hands and got
their own toilet paper.
The liferafts hadn't been inspected
in 11 years according to the ship's
records, admitted the captain; this
company acquired the ship in January.
The crew complained that the lifeboats
were never tested again after it took
them three hours of continuous, hard
cranking by hand to simply raise each
lifeboat during January, so they hoped
the lifeboats could be lowered if nee-

S , dministration, Back
ILO Maritime Standards
It was an unusual coalition. Representatives from several maritime
unions, the State Department , the Labor Department and various business
associations were all on the same side
of a maritime issue for once.
The issue, aired at a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing
earlier this month . was the International Labor Organization (ILO ) convention 147 , which ets up certain
minimum standards onboard merchant
ships. If those standard were enforced, the crew of the Skyranf?er (see
accompanying story) and of hundreds
of other flag-of-convenience (FOC)
ships could be protected from the
unfair and unsafe conditions under
which many are forced to labor.
''The SIU believes that every human being employed in a shipboard
capacity deserves the highest standards of safety and working environment ... All too often we read about
the inhumane conditions aboard substandard vessels. In many cases, life
aboard these vessels is an exercise in
cruelty. Filthy living conditions, inadequate diet, grueling physical labor,
little pay and lax safety standards,
which are unacceptable to any advanced civilization, are often commonplace aboard these vessels," SIU
Legislative Director Frank Pecquex
testified.

4 I LOG I October 1987

The seafarers who would benefit
most from the ILO convention would
mainly be third-world seamen sailing
FOC vessels. Seafarers from the more
advanced nations are already protected by their own countries ' labor
laws and strong union support.
Pecquex also noted that the enforcement of minimum safety and life standards would improve overall safety at
ea .
"Cost savings achieved by ignoring
standards at sea is a certain formula
for human misery, unreliable crews
and lost ships. Well-trained professionals will not accept such conditions
of employment," he said.
Statistics bear out the fact that most
at-sea accidents, loss of life and injuries occur on FOC ships with little or
no crew restrictions or safety and
training enforcement.
One of the key provisions for enforcement of the standards in the ILO
convention is port control. That gives
the country in which a substandard
vessel from another nation calls on,
some enforcement powers.
The main areas covered in the convention are manning requirements,
safety training. medical care, diet and
social security provision s.
The Reagan administration has recommended the adoption of the convention

Edd Morris (center), the Union's ITF rep, was part of a multi-union and concerned
organization group which helped the Skyranger crew win their strike for basic living and
safety standards on the Greek-flag ship.

essary and not be ''frozen.''
For those reasons and others , crewmembers on the Skyranger wrote to
the SIU earlier this summer and asked
for help. They got it, notjust from the
SIU. But help came from a coalition
of American labor and service groups
who are trying to tum up the heat on
flag-of-convenience (FOC) owners and
trying to improve the lives and working conditions of seamen who are suffering the same indignities American
seamen did decades ago.
When the Skyranger tied up in New
York, Edd Morris, the Union's ITF
rep, and representatives from more
than half a dozen groups were ready.
''They had a pretty lengthy list of
complaints and wanted to settle them
with the company. They went on a
"work-to-rule" strike, sort of a slowdown. But when the company refused
to negotiate, they went on a full strike.
They took a lot of risks," Morris said.
While the crew took a lot of risks ,
they were lucky in some respects because several unions and other organizations have strengthened their stand
against FOC shipowners . The cooperation with the ILO, the International
Transport Workers Federation (ITF)
and American organizations is an attempt to both better the lives of seamen around the world and in some
respects to show Americans what
"cheaper" foreign competition really
means.
Morris said that when the Skyranger
went on strike, members of the ILA
and the Operating Engineers (crane
operators) refused to move cargo off
the ship.
The port police and immigration
office made sure the U.S. laws weren't
unjustly applied. In addition, an ITF
inspector from the NMU (Spiro Varras) joined the effort with participation
of their legal staff to help the crew.
This was a unified action incorporating
broad legal cooperation, pooling skills
and experiences of attorneys from the
SIU, NMU, plus the ITF attorney in
Manila and their Manhattan office, as
well as the ILA. The Seamen's Rights
Center in Port Newark was instrumental , too , with Director Barbara
Crafton being personally involved.
He said that besides the crew signing
the blank contracts for the manning
agent, the crew discovered that the

manning agency was skimming 20 percent off the top of the allotments the
crew had sent home every month.
While the unions and the Seamen's
Rights Center (an arm of the Seamen's
Church Institute) were pressuring the
shipowners and others for the back
pay and to remedy the deplorable
working conditions, the crew got in
touch with the Philippine consulate in
New York and the embassy in Washington. They proved little help.
"All they did was come aboard and
chastize the crew for causing such a
problem. But that's somewhat typical.
Most governments don't do much in
situations like that. If the governments
helped out, these ILO scales and shipping regulations are approved by the
UN, maybe something could be done,"
Morris said.
Some countries , the Scandanavian
countries, Italy, Australia, Israel and
some others with strong labor movements , crack down on ships and conditions like the Skyranger' s , but not
many, Morris said.
Even the U .S. Coast Guard which
had more than two weeks to inspect
the ship when it was tied up , did not
know inspecton was requested.
Eventually, the Skyranger story
turned out to have a happy ending.
The company forwarded $21 ,000 in
back and· rightfully due pay to the
crew . It agreed to meet ILO tandards.
It replaced the captain who had run
the ship with an unfair and iron hand.
The new captain is " a very decent"
guy, Morris said.
There are two major reasons the
SIU has become more heavily involved in cases like this , Morris said.
The first is the most obvious: thousands of sailors from around the world
face similiar and worse conditions and
need help.
The second is that if more and more
ships and crews are brought to higher
standards, even though nowhere close
to American and European standards,
the gap between the cost of U .S.-ftag
shipping and FOC shipping will dwindle.
The FOC shipping companies and
governments supplying seamen for the
FOC trade like to threaten such seamen that the ITF affiliated unions are
only seeking to raise the crew costs
(Continued on Page 10.)

�Area Vice Presidents' Report

West Coast
by V.P. George McCartney

I

was saddened to learn of the death
of Morris Weisberger, who took
over the helm of the Sailor's Union of
the Pacific after the death of the legendary Harry Lundeberg. Morris was
one of the last surviving links to the
early days of the modern seamen's
movement, and he will be missed.
It was an honor for me to serve as
one of his pallbearers. After all, Morris
played an important role in many of
this Union's early organizing drives.
As I noted in my last column, the
Isthmian and Cities Services organizing drives put this Union on the map.
As New York port agent for the SUP,
Morris provided the fledgling A&amp;G
District with valuable advice and contacts.
He developed a strong working relationship with Paul Hall. Despite their
different styles, the two were a dynamic team.
The two men couldn't have been
more different. Hall, a spell-binding
orator from Alabama, had an imposing
physical presence. Weisberger, who
hailed from Cleveland, was known for
his cautious nature, his acerbic wit
and his almost encyclopedic knowledge of the maritime industry.
There were two truly remarkable
things about the Isthmian and Cities
Service campaigns. For one thing, a
handful of rag-tag sailOfS were able to
take on the world's biggest oil companies and win.
In addition, these wins came at a
time when the rest of the labor movement was suffering setbacks in signing
up new members. Congress had passed
the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, which
made it much more difficult for unions
to organize new workers.
One more thing: there are reports
that the historic S.S. Monterey will be
returning to active service. The famous passenger liner will begin a regular schedule of seven-night cruises
through the Hawaiian Islands.
The ship will be manned top-tobottom by an MM&amp;P crew. As President Drozak notes elsewhere in this
issue, top-to-bottom crews were in
existence long before there was a SMU.
Former SUP head Harry Lundeberg
experimented with top-to-bottom SUP
crews in the 1950s. But nothing came
of the idea until a few years ago, when
licensed unions like the MM&amp;P and
District 1-MEBA sought to establish
top-to-bottom organizations like PASS
and Top Gallant.
PASS and Top Gallant were an effort on the part of licensed unions to
protect the job security of their members by bypassing unlicensed hiring
halls. When President Drozak formed
SMU last year, these organizations
were on the verge of becoming an
institutionalized part of the maritime
industry. Had Drozak failed to deal

with this phenomenon, then the job
security of all unlicensed seamen would
have been severely compromised.
History is full of surprises. Few
seamen in World War II would have
predicted that the A&amp;G District would
one day become the largest unlicensed
seamen's union. Yet the fact that we
were an AFL union helped us tremendously, and so did our structure: unlike other AFL maritime unions, we
organized seamen along industrywide
lines.
In a sense, the A&amp;G District was
an historical accident. In 1945 we were
the runt of maritime labor. By 1950
we had become a power on the waterfront. The NMU's internal problems,
which I discussed in my last column,
made it possible for us to survive and
prosper.
The very structure of Top Gallant
and PASS, top-to-bottom unions
formed by the licensed officers unions,
would have given their companies a
competitive edge over those which
employed unlicensed seamen. SMU
evens the playing field. The most important thing about history is that it
often serves as a guide to the present,
if you let it.

discuss our objection to Section 7 of
that document. We pointed out that
the present procedure was and is causing a serious hardship on our members
as well as the deviation from prevailing
maritime practice. We further cited
the unfairness of the policy and pointed
out several instances where our members who were MSCPAC marine employees were stranded in the continental U.S. as well as foreign countries
with no funds to bail out. It was a
lengthy and productive meeting, and
management understood our complaint. However, by necessity, the
decision will have to be made in Washington, D.C., and it will be a while
before we learn the decision.

Workers gained an important point of
leverage in the maritime industry when
''checkerboard'' (desegregated) crews
were introduced onboard Americanflag vessels because seamen could then
mount a truly united front.
Many people view the NFL players
strike as a symbolic test of organized
labor's strength, much the same way
that the PATCO strike was perceived
at the start of the Reagan administration. Organized labor is coming off a
big win with the Bork nomination.
Winning the NFL football players strike
would send out a powerful message
that organized labor is back.
Nineteen eighty-eight will be an important election year. Seamen, more
than most other workers, have suffered greatly at the hands of the Reagan administration. Now, more than
ever, it is important to get politically
involved. That means registering to
vote, donating to SPAD. And yes,
until that football strike is settled, it
means turning off the t. v. on Sundays.
There may be hundreds of different
labor unions, but when it comes down
to it, we all sink or swim together.

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

T

Government Services
Division
by V. P. Buck Mercer

I

N the September issue of the LOG,
I discussed two items of concern to
MSCPAC marine personnel, one of
which has finally come to pass. That
is, the 3.5 percent increase on wages
due since April 1, 1985, has-at lastbeen paid.
The other matter was that of travel
expense money for the MSCPAC mariner when he or she is required to join
a ship in other than the home port.
Remember, the present MSC procedure calls for the mariner to pay travel
expenses out of his or her own pocket,
then submit a travel claim to the ship's
purser or master, then wait weeks, or
even months, to recover reimbursement of the money spent to travel on
behalf of the government. The SIU
believes this procedure to be a glaring
inequity and should be rectified. We
have taken steps to do just that.
The SIU directed a letter to CO MSC
Washington, D.C., via the local
MSCPAC, taking exception to Section
7, ''Travel Claims and Advances'' of
their Civilian Marine Personnel Instruction 4650 which encompasses all
the rules and regulations from A to Z
governing all civilian marine employees of the U.S. Navy. In addition, we
met with MSCPAC management to

HE SIU was able to reach an
agreement with G&amp;H Towing
Company. I'd like to thank the members of the negotiating committee for
the fine work they did in helping us
get a contract.
We're also getting ready for upcoming negotiations with the Delta Queen
Steamboat Company and the Orgulf
Energy Transport Company. We're
looking forward to a united and solid
membership.
These and other negotiations that
I've been in make me even more aware
just how important unions are. Unfortunately, a large portion of the American public doesn't understand the
issues involved. They don't know the
truth about unions.
For instance, I was greatly disappointed to find out that 40,000 fans
attended the Dallas Cowboys opener
the other day. The American public
asks a lot from its football starspeople idolize them, expect them to
be role models, live vicariously through
their achievements. And yet, these
same fans will go to a game played by
scabs.
Many people just can't get past the
fact that some football players get paid
a lot of money. Yet the issues involved
are the same as for other unions.
Management will try to persuade the
public that the workers involved are
overpaid and undeserving of support.
It's the same trick they used in the
P ATCO strike and with the pilots of
Eastern Airlines. And yes, with seamen.
Management's primary objective is
to divide the working people. In the
1950s, Southern populists who opposed segregation tried to point out
that working class whites suffered great
economic harm from segregation because management could play one
group of workers against another.

East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

F

IFTY-THREE senators have announced that they intend to vote
against the confirmation of Robert Bork
to the Supreme Court. This marks an
important victory for organized labor
and civil rights groups.
Despite efforts by the White House
to paint Judge Bork as a moderate,
New Right and fundamental religious
groups viewed the Bork appointment
as a way of drastically rewriting Supreme Court rulings on civil rights and
privacy. While liberal groups geared
up for the fight, it was the failure of
Judge Bork and the administration to
persuade moderates like Arlen Spector, Richard Shelby and William Coleman which doomed the nomination.
Conservative groups have protested
that the confirmation hearings have
unduly ''politicized'' the confirmation
process. Yet liberal and labor group
were only copying techniques perfected by the New Right.
One reason why opposition to the
Bork nomination was so fierce was
that the American people finally woke
up to the fact that many of their rights
are decided in courts. To give one
example of what I am talking about:
workers would be much better off if
they did not have to contend with the
conservative, anti-labor appointments
that President Reagan has made to the
National Labor Relations Board.
Emboldened by these appointments, business groups have had a
field day making hash of workers'
(Continued on Page 10.)
October 1987 I LOG I 5

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InIan

ews

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1

tug/to ~
I~ harge/dredge
I
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·

More than 250 SIU Boatmen at
Curtis Bay and McAllister Brothers
towing companies remain 100 percent
solid on the picket lines in Baltimore,
Norfolk and Philadelphia. They have
been on strike since early this month.
The strike against McAllister (owners of Baker/Whiteley Towing in Baltimore) began Sept. 30 after the company refused to bargain in good faith
for its operations in the three ports.
The SIU has filed unfair labor practice
charges against McAllister.
The Curtis Bay picketing began after
a short contract extension expired Oct.
3, and negotiators from both sides
were unable to reach an agreement.
However, talks between the Union
and Curtis Bay are continuing.
The walkout came on the heels of
outrageous contract concessions demanded by McAllister.
''They want to roll back wages 20
years,'' said SIU President Frank Drozak.
Some of the demands, rejected out
of hand by the membership, included:
• Manning reductions by as much
as 50 percent;

• Elimination of the 8-hour day and
hourly wage rate;
• Institution of a 24-hour day and
daily wage rate which could work
our to as low as $3 .50 per hour;
• Elimination of overtime;
• No holidays;
• No vacation.
''The 8-hour day has been around
for a century, and the last time I
checked even the Right-To-Work
committee gives their employees holidays and vacations. McAllister must
have wanted to start a strike so they
could try to bust the Union. Well the
SIU will be in those ports long after
McAllister goes belly-up, if that's what
it takes," Drozak said.
One McAllister captain in Norfolk
said, "I think the company's offer is
an insult and a slap in the face. I've
spent 17 years here, and when I think
of the years I spent to obtain my
licenses and the expertise needed to
run these boats in some almost impossible positions and learning what
it takes to move ships in and out of
every pier in Hampton Roads, I just
can't believe what they want.''

In Norfolk, striking SIU Boatmen have continually manned picket lines at both Curtis
Bay and McAllister operations since the strike began. Late reports from all three ports
indicate the scab crews have been having trouble operating safely. They are banging ships
and piers and damaging their equipment. In addition, the companies are having to allot
much more time for docking operations because the crews are slow and inexperienced.
Pictured above in Norfolk are (I. to r .) R.L. Ainsley, Port Agent Jim Martin, Bennie
Dize, Eddy Brinn, Randy Cutworth and Billy Williams.

DOCKING PILOTS

We Are in This Together
October 21, 1987
Dear Member:
The SIU is 100 percent behind yoµ in our strike against
McAllister and Curtis Bay. As president of this Union, I will not
allow a few well-heeled company lawyers to dictate the working
conditions of our membership. I have committed the entire
resources of the SIU to this struggle. We are in this strike for the
duration, and with your full commitment we will prevail.
McAllister and Curtis Bay have sent us a message-they want
to bust the SIU. The shallow arguments their lawyers have used
are irrelevant; their motivation is greed, pure and simple. It is
time for the SIU to send them our response; this Union will not
be broken.
These companies want us to crawl back to work for 1960's
wages. This is the 1980s, not the 1960s. Their executives would
not work for 1960's wages. The companies would not reduce their
tariffs tq 1960's levels. Yet when it comes to the crews that man
their tugs, they want to roll the clock back 25 years. This is
ridiculous, and we will not tolerate it.
We are a reasonable Union and we represent reasonable men
and women. In hard times we have sat down with many an
operator and negotiated an agreement that keeps them in
business and keeps us working. We can do that with reasonable
companies.
However, in this case, these companies are not interested in a
reasonable agreement. It's time for a little education. These
companies have forgotten that they need you. This industry needs
people of your integrity, knowledge, experience and skill. These
companies need you back on their tugs.
This Union is pledged to an all-out effort, using every legal
means available to successfully resolve this strike. We are in this
together, and together we cannot be defeated-not here, not now,
not ever.
Fraternally,
Frank Drozak
President

6 I LOG I October 1987

Many SIU tug crewmen are also
docking pilots in the three ports. Their
work as docking pilots is independent
from their jobs onboard the tugs. But
in all three cities, pilots who are also
SIU members have refused work as
docking masters for either company.
Some of the probl'ems reported show
how their skills are sorely missed. In
all three ports striking SIU members
reported that the scab crews were
having a hard time handling the powerful tug boats.
One pier was hit so hard by a tug
in Philadelphia that sparks were visible. Another tug slammed into the
Packer Ave. pier and then narrowly
avoided hitting a U.S. Navy ship.
In Norfolk there have been several
reported groundings by the scab crews.
One tug had its railings knocked down
and another threw her stern into the
pilings at Town Point Park, according
to reports .
As one striker pointed out "They're
having these problems in ideal
weather."
So far the Coast Guard has refused
to investigate the reports. But the SIU
has sent letters to the Coast Guard
commanders in all three areas asking
for investigations into McAllister's operations, particularly its safety shortcomings.
"Many of the new crews are inexperienced in their work. In addition,
the majority of docking pilots currently in use are neither properly licensed to perform the necessary functions of a pilot nor are they qualified

to adequately dock vessels. This has
and continues to create an extremely
dangerous situation,'' Drozak said in
the letters.
Dangerous and toxic cargoes move
in and out of all three ports, and
accidents involving those materials
could be disastrous to the cities and
their citizens. Even docking ships with
safe cargo is an exact and dangerous
operation, and the errors of inexperienced crews could lead to civilian
injuries and the disruption of port
operations.
Drozak warned that if these boats
are allowed to continue to operate
without qualified crews and pilots,
losses are bound to occur. He asked
for immediate Coast Guard investigations.
AFL-CIO SUPPORT
As the strike continued, the AFLCIO and its local councils in the three
ports threw their support to the striking Seafarers.
A rally in Baltimore with hundreds
of labor supporters was scheduled for
Oct. 21 in front of Curtis Bay headquarters.
"I know you've been there for
everybody else, the Steelworkers, the
Machinists-now we will be there for
you,'' said Ernie Greco of the Metro
Baltimore AFL-CIO.
Baltimore City Council John
Schaeffer (an SIU member during
World War II) said McAllister demands ''. . . paint a typical picture of
union busting. I stand ready to help
in any way."

�gineers who want to take over the jobs
of QMEDs and DEMACs. True unity
comes only when there is mutual respect for the rights of all parties involved.

(Continued from Page 2.)
been lost to foreign shipping interests.
It provides our newer members with
good job opportunities and a very real
opportunity for career advancement.
Wages for unlicensed seamen working for SMU-contracted companies are
better or equal than those for NMU
seamen working onboard similar vessels. That's a fact. In addition, SMU
provides SIU members with the following benefits:

e

It provides a member with the
chance to go from wiper to engineer, or from Ordinary Seaman
to captain with no change of
union.

e

It protects your job security from
those who would like to destroy
all maritime unions.

e

e

It allows new work to be obtained which new companies
would have no chance of getting
under existing maritime contracts.

It replaces jobs lost in other areas.

...

New
Pensioners
The following Inland members have
retired on pension:
Baltimore
Harold W. Thompson, captain
Houston
James S. Bacon, captain
James Brunell, engineman
Sibi J. LeBlanc, deckhand
Homer G. Warren
St. Louis
Harold D. Barragan, deckhand

SMU was the first instance of a
licensed and unlicensed maritime union
working out a formal arrangement to
protect the interests of their members.
It was made possible by the close
working relationship between the SIU
and District 2, which has spanned
several decades. It is a full partnership
in every sense of the word.

The about-to-be-merged NMU and
District 1 may try to make a similar
claim, but you have to wonder. There
is nothing in the recent history of
District 1 which would lead one to
suspect that unlicensed seamen, especially in the engineroom, will have
much of a future in a new organization
which includes an association of en-

A MATTER OF STRENGTH

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
SEPTEMBER 1-30, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class 8 Class C

Port
New York ........................ .
Philadelphia ...................... .
Baltimore ........................ .
Norfolk ......................... .
Mobile .......................... .
New Orleans ...................... .
Jacksonville ...................... .
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ....................... .
Seattle . .... ... .................. .
Puerto Rico ...................... .
Houston . ....... ..... .... ....... . .
Algonac ......................... .
St. Louis ........................ .
Piney Point ....................... .
Totals .......................... .

0
2
6

32

1
0

2

0
3
0
0
3
10
0
1

60

0
0
0
12
0
0

2
0

2
0
0
4

2
0

0

22

0
1
0

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
0

0

0
6

0
0

0
0

0

35

7

0

0
0
4
0
26
0
0
3
0
5
0
39 .

0
0
1
0
20
0
0
2
11
1
0
76

0
0
1
0
29
0
0
3
3
2
0
45

0
0
2
0
34
0
0
4
0
0

Port

0

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class e Class C

0
2
4
35
1
2
1

0
1
0
0
0
0
2
0

0
0
0
10
0
0
1
0

0

34
0

5

0
0
0

0
0
3
4

0

6
11
1
1

4
0
8
0

2

0

40

98

25

15

0
0
0
10
0
0
1

0
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
8
0
0
0
2
0
0
18

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

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 ..........................

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class e Class C

0
0
0
15
0
0
1
0

0
0
0

0

1

0
0
0
6
0

0
0
0
4
0
0

0

22

0
0
0
7

0

12

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

0
0
0
15
0

0
0
0
7
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
0
18

2
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0

Totals All Departments ............... .

100

0

0
0
0

0

0
0

0

0
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
4

0
0
0
6
0
1

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

6
0

0
13

0
0
0

0
0
0

4
0

0
0

0
11

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0

0
17
0
0
2
12
0
0

0
0

42

0
0

0
0
0
1)

0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2

0
0
0
18
0
0
0
0
36
0
0
0
3
0
0
57

0
0
0
0
0

10

0
0
5
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
8

0
0
0
15
0

1
0
5

0
0
14
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
17

1
0
28
0
0
0
2
0
0
46

2
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
3

44

48

106

64

42

197

89

18

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
0
0
0

0
0
0
7
0
0

0

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.

I

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IF YOUI/AYE
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PA&gt;OllJ.£M I

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YOURP"RT

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OR
PINEY/
POINT
•

October 1987 I LOG I 7

s.

�In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will
highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national
and maritime policy.

Rep.

Rep.

Tim Johnson

James A. Hayes

A

A

FOURTH generation South Dakotan, Congressman Tim Johnson
(D-S.D.) was elected to Congress in
November 1986 with nearly 60 percent
of the vote.
Johnson is a graduate of the Vermillion (S.D.) High School and earned
a bachelor of arts degree from the
University of South Dakota, where he
was awarded the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor. He also holds a master
of arts degree from that university in
political science. He later studied at
Michigan State University in the post
graduate political science program, and
earned a law degree (J .D.) from the
University of South Dakota in 1975.
In the early '70s, Rep. Johnson
worked as budget adviser to the Michigan State Senate Appropriations
Committee and began private law
practice in Vermillion in 1975. Ten
years later he was Clay County Deputy
State's Attorney.
He was elected to the South Dakota
State House of Representatives in 1978
and was re-elected in 1980. When a
1980 reapportionment left a state Senate seat open, he ran for the state
Senate and was elected in 1982 and
ran unopposed in the election two
years later.
In the South Dakota legislature,
Johnson served on the Joint Appropriations Committee and the Senate
Judiciary Committee. He was the
ranking Senate Democrat on the Appropriations Committee and was regarded as a leading spokesman for his
party on budget issues in the legislature.
The congressman earned a reputation for effectiveness and influence in
the legislature. He received the first
annual Billie Sutton Award for Legislative Achievement from the South
Dakota Democratic Party, and was

Rep. Tim Johnson

named the Outstanding Citizen of Vermillion in 1983, the same year the
South Dakota Education Association
presented him its "Friend of Education" Award.
After election to the U.S. Congress
as South Dakota's only member of the
House of Representatives, Johnson
was named to serve on the Committee
on Agri{;ulture and the Committee on
Veterans Affairs.
The congressman has come out with
some strong viewpoints on the defense
of this country. ''The balance that we
must seek in our defense spending,''
he writes in a defense position paper,
"is to ensure that we are strong enough
that we don't invite military adventures from our adversaries, yet not
spend so much that we cannot fund
our real human needs."
He believes that the Reagan administration's defense requests often exceed what is actually needed and that
it also has misplaced some of its priorities as to where the money should go.
But while he is often critical of large
outlays for certain defense projects,
Johnson does believe that more money
needs to be spent in certain areas,
particularly in military readiness. "If
we cannot respond to problems in the
world in a quick and effective manner,
then we are certainly not doing ourselves or countries that rely on us any
service.''

LIFETIME resident of Lafayette, La., Congressman James A.
"Jimmy" Hayes (D-La.) was elected
to the U.S. House of Representatives,
lOOth Congress, on Nov. 4, 1986 with
57 percent of the vote from his seventh
district.
He was graduated from Lafayette
High School and went on to earn a
B. S. in political science from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and
a law degree (J.D.) from Tulane University School of Law.
Admitted to the Louisiana State Bar
in 1970, the congressman became a
practicing attorney at law, representing primarily business, real estate and
banking interests, and was associated
with several law firms prior to taking
a position as commissioner of Financial Institutions for the state of Louisiana.
He served as a member of the Louisiana Farm Market Commission and
was assistant district attorney in the
parishes of Lafayette, Acadia and Vermilion (the first, third and fourth largest of the nine parishes contained in
the seventh district) for nine years.
As assistant district attorney, Hayes
maintained a slightly better than 96
percent conviction rate. He helped
redraft and rewrite the Louisiana
Banking Code in its entirety, and in-

Rep. Jimmy Hayes

dependently drafted regulations to implement Louisiana securities law. Both
laws were passed by the Louisiana
legislature and have been praised by
national organizations.
As commissioner of Financial Institutions, his office always maintained
a balanced budget and, in fact, returned $7.5 million in the two years
of his service.
In the U.S. Congress, Hayes was
appointed to the U.S. House Committee on Public Works and Transportation and will serve on the subcommittees of Economic Development
and Water Resources. He also was
appointed to the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology and will serve on the subcommittees of Space Science and
Applications; Science, Research and
Technology; and Transportation,
Aviation and Materials.

Kuwait Charters U.S. Tanker
After reftagging 11 of its own tankers
under the Stars and Stripes, the government of Kuwait has come to terms
with Marad to charter an American
tanker, the 265,000 DWT Maryland.
By chartering the Maryland, owned
by Marad, U.S. law concerning crewing will apply. All officers must be
U.S. citizens, and 75 percent of the
unlicensed crew must be Americans.
The reftagged Kuwaiti tankers only
carry an American master.
The reflagged tankers are receiving
U.S. Navy protection in the Persian
Gulf where attacks on shipping by both
Iran and Iraq have increased during
the past several weeks. In addition,

more and more mines have been found
near the shipping lanes.
When those ships were first reflagged, it caused a storm of protest.
The U.S. government waived crewing
requirements, claiming a 100-year-old
law allowed the tankers to carry only
a U.S. captain. Since that time, several
bills have been introduced in Congress
to correct that situation, including one
which would require that all ships
reflagged U.S. carry 100 percent
American unlicensed crews.
There is some expectation that Kuwait will charter other idle U.S. ships.
Glenagle
Shipping
Management
(Houston) will operate the ship and
make crewing arrangements.

-----Personals----Help Needed
If anyone knows the whereabouts of the wife or son of former
Seafarer Ray William Sweeney,
please get in touch with Clarence
E. Free, 12459 Yancy, Houston,
Texas 77015; tel. (713) 453-1693.
The SIU was well-represented at a recent meeting of the East Baltimore Citizens Committee.
The committee, created by Maryland Gov. William Donald Schaefer, keeps the lines of
communication open between government and citizens. Pictured above are William Zenga
of the Operating Engineers, Local 25, Marine Division; SIU Rep. Frank Paladino; Gov.
Schaefer; Baltimore Port Agent Bob Pomerlane, and Ed Harrington of the Operating
Engineers, Local 25, Marine Division.

8 I LOG I October 1987

Paul Pallas

An old shipmate would like to
get in touch with you. Please write
to Clinton A. McMullen, 2 Alfred

Rd., Kingston Township, Wyoming, Penn. 18644.

Dave

Marie, the cabbie in Savannah
(Dec. 1981), would like to hear
from you. Call her at (913) 3399511 or write: 8415 W. 108th St.,
#B, Overland Park, Kansas 66210.

�Presenting their beautiful culinary confection to the birthday girl are members of the
Bonnyman's steward department: Walter Johnson, crew mess; Mohamed Abdelfattah,
3rd cook; Patricia Port, saloon mess; John Hanrahan, chief cook, and Brian Gross chief
steward.

Birthday Aboard the Bonnvman
The M/V 1st Lt. Alex Bonnyman (Maersk) recently spent a couple of weeks
in the port of Bayonne, N.J.
It was a convenient time for the ship's second mate, John A. Denton, to
visit with his family. He writes:
"I would like to thank Chief Steward Brian Gross and his staff for the
gracious way my family was treated when visiting the vessel. My daughter
had a birthday while on the vessel, and the steward department gave her a
birthday party she will never forget.
"The cake that the steward baked could not have been equalled by the
finest bakers ashore.''
And thanks to Alfredo De Luise for sending us the photos commemorating
that special day.

Second Mate John A. Denton with his daughter.

----Pacer Goose 87 Resupply Mission Is A Success-----.
Commendations for a job well done
were given to masters, officers and
crew of the M/V Samuel L. Cobb and
the M/V Lawrence H. Gianella (Ocean
Ships, Inc.) for their participation in
Exercise Pacer Goose 87.
The voyages to Thule and Sondre
Strom, Greenland, were part of the
annual resupply of petroleum product
cargoes to the U.S. Air Force and
NATO Arctic region bases there-and
are vitally important to the security
interests of the U.S.
The NAVGRAM document from
U.S. Navy Captain T.P. McGuire to
the ships is reprinted at right.

TO: MIV Samuel L. Cobb
MIV Lawrence H. Gianella
FROM: Capt. T.P. McGuire
SUBJ: Exercise Pacer Goose 87 Support
1. You and your crew are commended for your professionalism, adept
seamanship and shiphandling proficiency demonstrated during operations
under adverse weather conditions in support of the Pacer Goose 87 resupply
mission.

•

I

2. The professionalism and positive attitude of the officers and crew of the
MIV Samuel L. Cobb and the MIV Lawrence H. Gianella made extremely difficult

cargo discharge operations seem routine.

i

3. It is noted that ice and weather conditions encountered this past season
were the worst on record and that expert seamanship to handle the difficult
maneuvering conditions was required. The accomplishment of your vital
mission was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Military Sealift
Command.

4. Well done.

October 1987/LOG/ 9

�Rare Victory for
Oppressed Crew
(Continued from Page 4.)
on FOC ships so that when the wages
approach that of the developed nations, crews would no longer be gotten
from the evolving nations. Arrogantly,
shipping and P&amp;I insurance companies flatly ask such crews, "Do you
think a Greek shipowner would hire
anyone other than a Greek or other
Europeans if the crew cost was the
same?" Even the Philippine consuls
agreed, adding that "the number of
jobs being lost to other countries, like
Sri Lanka and Pakistan, is due to the
increase of ITF action and contracts
of FOC ships with Filipino seamen;
thus, take what you can get and don't
make any trouble!"
"In some ways it's helping to create
that 'level playing field' and stopping
the 'slave ships'. "Morris said. "It is
refreshing that just recently the marine
insurance companies are finally reaching a similar conclusion by more cautiously insuring FOC ships from countries like Cyprus, Gibraltar and Panama
due to their bad records with losses
twice to triple that of other nations.
This might be just another twist of the
screw to extract higher insurance premiums, but maybe they are acting
responsibly for a change."

VICE PRESIDENTS' REPORT
(Continued from Page 5.)
rights. Workers in the maritime and
transportation sectors have been particularly hard hit.
Six years ago, getting a contract
was a relatively routine matter. Now,
union representatives find themselves
tied up for months and years at a time
in the courts fighting greedy owners.
The latest example of this is McAllister and Curtis Bay. SIU members
are currently striking these two tug
companies which have asked for substantial and unconscionable give-backs.
The workers in these companies
have stood united against the companies. Scab workers now manning the
vessels have run their vessels aground
and have proven generally unreliable.

SIU Joins NFL Players on the Picket Une

Washington Redskin's center Russ Grimm autographs a picket sign for Diane Coleman and Tammy Padgett, SIU headquarters workers
who joined the Skins and some 20,000 other union members and supporters outside Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C. The
massive demonstration was held the first week scab games were played during the National Football League Players Association Strike. At
RFK, NFPLA supporters almost outnumbered the people inside, where the normally sold-out stadium (159 games in a row) was only halffull. After 24 days on strike, the players ended their walkout and filed an anti-trust suit against the owners.

It's important to remember that the
rights of our SIU brothers and sisters
in these companies will ultimately be
decided upon in the courts. The next
president will have a chance to undo
the harm caused by President Reagan's appointments to the National
Labor Relations Board.

GREAT LAKES
by V.P. Mike Sacco

T

HE SIU won its strike against the
Champion Auto Ferry Company
which runs a ferry service between
Algonac and Harsen's Island. The
Union represents the pilots and deckhands on these vessels. I'd like to give
a vote of thanks to SIU Rep Byron
Kelley who handled the negotiations,
and to the members themselves who
stood united.
Michigan House Bill H.R. 4474, also
known as the Sailor's State Tax Reform Bill, would relieve Michigan seamen of the burden of filing income tax
returns on a quarterly basis. Unfortunately, this much-needed bill has run

Finance Committee Completes Work at Headquarters

The Union's quarterly finance committee spent seVeral days at headquarters last month as they went over the SIU's expenses. Pictured
above are Chief Electrician Red Harris, AB Ray Fernandez, Chief Steward Wheeler M. Washington, QMED and committee chairman
Tom Doran, Chief Steward Michael Calhoun and Chief Steward Alexander P. Reyer.

10 I LOG I October 1987

into a little bit of a snag. The governor
and the legislature are at loggerheads
over the bill's wording. SIU Field Rep
Larry Querry, who testified on behalf
of the SIU earlier this year, is monitoring the bill's progress.
Great Lakes seamen have been following the Canadian Free Trade talks
with great concern. Local newspapers
have reported favorably on the pact,
but there has been little, if any, mention of the maritime industry, which
stands to lose a great deal if the pact
is enacted in its present form. At best,
the pact would freeze support to the
maritime industry at its present, depressed levels. Canadian operators
would be able to compete for any new
work generated by changes in cargo
preference laws. Given the generous
system of subsidies that Canadian operators enjoy, this would give Canadian shipping interests an almost insurmountable edge for this new work.
Michigan is one of the target states
for the 1988 primaries. It is a caucus
state, which means that the March 26
primary date will be an important test
of the candidates' organizational
strengths.
So far, at least, the Republicans
have been garnering most of the publicity. The Michigan party has been
torn between the moderates, who tend
to support Vice President George Bush,
and the evangelicals, who have demonstrated a surprising ability to organize. On the Democratic side, organized
labor will play a critical role in determining the winner. Michigan is one of
the most heavily organized states in
the country. To give you an indication
of how strong labor is here, the Detroit
Lions failed to attract more than 5,000
people to the stadium during the first
week of the NFL players strike. Michiganders like their football, but not
if it's played by scabs.

�Piney Point Visited
by New T-5 Tanker
he day was bright and sunny
and the gusty winds whipped
up small whitecaps on the Potomac River as the contingent
of visitors from SHLSS made its way
to the end of Steuart Petroleum's
long concrete pier at Piney Point.
Waiting to receive them was the
U.S. merchant fleet's newest T-5
tanker, the Lawrence H. G ianella,
noisily unloading its cargo of highly
explosive jet fuel. On September 23,
an eager group of SHLSS trainees
and school representatives were treated
to an impressive tour aboard the
tanker. Built in Tampa, Florida and
weighing in at a hefty 30,000 gross
tons, this modern ship will be plying
the waters up and down the Atlantic
coast under a JP4 Military Sealift
Command Time Charter 2MS contract for the next five years. The jet
fuel being unloaded this day was
brought up from Beaumont, Texas,
stored in government-rented tanks
on shore and eventually transported
to power the jets at Andrews Air
Force Base.

T

and manned by a crew of 3 5. Obviously proud of their modern, wellmaimained vessel, several crew
members took turns showing their
guests the entire workings of the
ship from the top of the bridge,
through the galley and the spacious
private crew quarters down into the
lowest level of the engine room where
the noise level reached the 90 decibel
range. One tour leader, Third Mate
Pat Burke, was a 1978 graduate of
the SHLSS. He was obviously delighted with being able to host
visitors from his old school and to
explain the many intricate workings
of the bridge with its state-of-theart CAS (Collision Avoidance System). Captain Sheen was especially
gracious, welcoming the visitors into

...... SHLSS trainees board
the Lawrence H. Gianella.

his office and volunteering as much
information about the ship's operations as possible. He explained that
in addition to trips from Houston,
.Beaumont, and Key West, they are
looking forward to making a possible
December run down to Antarctica.
Orders are generally given one trip
ahead; however, that can change at
any time, depending on the needs
of the military.
In executing its primary duty of
transporting jet fuel for the Air
Force, the Lawrence H. Gianella becomes a part of the Naval Reporting
System. In order to ensure a quick
response in case of national emergency, the Navy is very particular
in requiring the reportage of the
tanker's positioning and scheduling
at all times. This information is

The Lawrence H. Gianella is owned
by Ocean Ships, Inc. (Houston, TX),
captained by Master Robert Sheen,

relayed through a network of satellites positioned around the globe.
At one point, during a regularlyscheduled run, the bridge got a
sudden call to help its sister ship,
the Paul Buck, to refuel at sea. Being
a government-contracted vessel, the
G ianella is also involved in a federal
program which designates it as a
reporting agent in search of stolen
boats or boats used for criminal
intent-(drug smuggling). Naturally, all of this involvement with
the government generates an enormous amount of paperwork for captain and crew; something which they
view as a necessary evil. It's all a
part of being our nation's Fourth
Arm ofDefense--the U.S. Merchant
Marine which now, more than ever,
is relying on government work to
help sustain the industry.

• At left is Piney Point Port Agent Al
Raymond with SHLSS trainees being shown
around by Bosun Al Caulder, on the right.

~
SIU/SHLSS Manpower Coordinator
Bart Rogers (right)
and QMED Bob
Cauldwell inspect
the powerful engine of the Lawrence H. Gianella .

• SHLSS Vice President Ken Conklin presents Captain Robert Sheen with a souvenir
SHLSS/SIU cap.

• Third mate Pat Burke on the bridge of the T-5 tanker
Lau•rence H. Gianella with visitor Chris Tennyson inspecting
the CAS (Collision Avoidance System) radar.

October 1987 I LOG I 11

�Earn Your College
Degree at Piney Point!

M

embers of the SIU sailing in
the deck or engine departments can earn a two-year associate in arts degree by attending classes at the Seafarers
Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship. Degrees in Nautical Science Technology or Marine Engineering Technology can be earned
by combining credits from upgrading classes with credits earned in
general education classes (math,
English, science, etc.). The degree
programs are approved by the
Maryland State Board for Higher
Education.
The program is designed so that

students can come to school for an
eight-week session of the college
general education courses. During
that time, students take two to
three courses in subjects such as
physical science, college mathematics, sociology, composition,
psychology, etc. The choice of
courses is up to the student and is
based on his or her particular needs
and interests. Students return to
Piney Point for courses when their
schedules allow so that they can
complete the number of courses
needed to earn the degree. Most
students are able ro complete the

our First success ...
On July 31, 1987, the SHLSS
graduated its first student to receive an Associate in Arts degree
through its own in-house program,
Jonathan Dierenfeld from Seattle,
Wash. He originally graduated
from the SHLSS as a trainee in
1975. Shipping out of Seattle at
four-month intervals, Mr. Dierenfeld used his time between jobs to
go to school and most recently has
been sailing on a small freighter
out of Alaska.
He found out about the SIU and
the SHLSS in a round-about way.
While in Montana, he picked up a
hitchhiker who wanted to be in

the merchant marine since he was
a boy. This young man told Dierenfeld all about the SIU and got him
to thinking that this might be the
life for him also. After traveling
around to numerous port cities, he
ended up in Baltimore where he
was given an application to the
SHLSS. Graduating in 197 5, he
returned in 1977 and got his ABook. About a year ago Dierenfeld
began taking college freshman
math, English composition and literature, and Industrial Psychology
for his AA degree here at the
SHLSS. He would very much like
to see the program's continued

ALL MEMBERS:
If you have a deep sea deck or engine license please fill out the below
coupon and mail it with a xerox copy of your license to:

Manpower Coordinator

S.H.L.S.S.
Piney Point, Maryland, 20674

FIRST

LAST

MIDDLE

MAILING A D D R E S S : - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

HOME PHONE: _ __
AREA CODE

general education requirements for
the degree in three to four eightweek sessions. Some students have
attended one, two or even three
sessions in a year's period.
The schedule for college program sessions appears in the LOG
each month on the same page as
the upgrading schedule. Seafarers
are encouraged to take advantage
of this great educational opportunity. For more information about
the college programs, contact the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School
of Seamanship, College Programs
Office.

growth and emphasis on quality
education, and he encourages other
SIU members to take advantage of
the program. Mr. Dierenfeld waxes
philosophical when reflecting on
his educational experience in his
"Message to the Next .Watch":
One reason for the failure of many is
the fact that they insist on manipulating

A cooking Lesson!?
riginally from Detroit and
now living in San Diego, seaman Nick Nagy, who enrolled at SHLSS recently as a
third mate student, has obtained
his U.S. Coast Guard licensing.
After first coming to SHLSS in
1981 for the Mates Program and
later for the Recertified Bosuns,
Nagy began studying on his own
to work toward his goal of becoming a licensed seaman. He found
that his independent study, however, was rather haphazard and
lacked direction. Also, it was difficult for him to fit his studies into
his daily schedule of working and
supporting his wife and four children.
Nagy finally decided that the
only way he could adequately prepare for his licensing test would be
to return to the SHLSS. The struc-

0

BOOK NO: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~

TYPE &amp; CLASS OF YOUR LICENSE: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

When would you be available to ship on your license if a job opportunity
was available?

DATE: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

~

12 I LOG I October 1987

reality co conform to personal perception
rather than seeing things objectively. Let's
accept each other for what we are and
appreciate what each of us has to offer.
This is not to say that we should lie back
and do nothing with ourselves, for learning is a lifelong process. It starts with
dedicating ourselves to understanding the
laws of the universe. Once we obtain an
understanding of these natural laws of existence, we arrive at the essence of spirituality and peace.

Third mate Nick Nagy

tured course of study, along with
highly dedicated teachers and a
full-time learning atmosphere, all
worked together to help Nagy concentrate totally on his work. He
credits hard work and lots of "after-hours" attention given by his
instructors for his success in passing his licensing exam. He sums
up his learning experience at
SHLSS this way: "Learning the
material here is just like someone
teaching you how to cook. You
can be given all the ingredients to
a recipe, but the only way you are
going to get a tasty meal is to take
that recipe and try it out yourself.
Here at the school, the instructors
give us all the information we need
to do the job right. It's up to the
student to take that information
and actually take the initiative to
apply it."

�Steward .Upgrading Courses

987 Upgrading
Course Schedule
Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
October 1987 - December 1987
The following is the current course schedule for October 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 po~ble. Although every effort will
be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs and
the needs of the industry.

SW Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the
application.

Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Assistant Cook
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

October 14
November 30

November 27
December 24

Assistant Cook
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

November 25
January 11

January 8
February 5

Cook and Baker
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

October 14
December 14

December 11
January 8

Chief Cook
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

October 28
December 28

December 25
January 22

Chief Steward
•Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.

October 28
December 28

December 25
January 22

Adult Education Courses
Check-In
Completion
Date
Date
Course
For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes for the
first six months 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) &amp;
English as a Second Language

November 2

December 11

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes.

College Programs
Engine Upgrading Courses
Course
Fireman/Watertend r, "ler
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Electro-Hydraulic Systems
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Diesel Engineer - Regular
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

Check-In
Date
October 12
December 7
November 9
December 21
October 12
November 23

Check-In
Date
October 26

Course
Associates in Arts

Completion
Date
December 4
December 31
December 18
January 15
November 20
December 12

Completion
Date
December 18

College Program Sessions Schedule for 1988
January 11
March 21
May 23
August 8
October 17

March 4
May 13
July 15
September 30
December 9

UPDATE OF

Honor Roll of QMED's
Deck Upgrading Courses
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Celestial Navigation

November 2

December 4

Radar Observer

December 7

December 12

Radar Observer (Renewal)

Open ended course, however, must
notify SH LSS before entering this
course.

LAST

FIRST

SSH

1v1IDDLE

BOOK#

Mailing Address

sTREET: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
CITY: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Inland Deck Shiphandling Simulator

October 12

Check-In
Date
November 2

Date You Received QMED: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

SPECIALTY COURSES COMPLETED:

October 16

Recertification Programs
Course
Steward Recertification

STATE: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ZIP CODE _ __

Completion
Date
December 7

Name of Course &amp; Date:

1. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

2.

3. - - - - - - - -

4.

5. - - - - - - - -

6.

7. -

-------

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

October 1987 I LOG I 13

�Apply Now for an SHLSS Upgrading Course
.

·•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••··••········•·············•·•··········•········•················••·················•······•·····•······••

.
I

I

_Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name

(Last)

(first)

Date of Birth

(Middle)

Address

Mo./Day/Year

(Street)

(City)

(State)

Deep Sea Member D

Telephone

(Zip Code)

Inland Waters Member D

(Area Code)

Lakes Member D

Pacific D

If the following imformation is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.
Book#______ Seniority______ Oepartment_ _ _ _ __

Social Security#
Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces 0 Yes

0

Home Port _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

No

Endorsement(s} or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Trainee Program: From _______ to

Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

(dates attended)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s)Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D

~

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for T r a i n i n g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Primary Language Spoken - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I Am interested in the Following Course(s} Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
DECK
D
D
O
D
D
0
D
D

ENGINE

AB/Seallft
Towboat Operator Inland
Celestial Navigation
Master Inspected Towing Vessel
1st Class Piiot
Third Mate
Radar Observer Unlimited
Simulator Course

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

STEWARD

0 FOWT
0 QMED-Any Rating
O Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
o Marine Electrical Maintenance
D Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
D Automation
D Ref rlgeratlon Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
D Diesel Engine Technology
D Assistant Engineer/Chief Engineer
Motor Vessel
D Orglnal 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor
D Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
O Hydraulics
O Electro-Hydraulic Systems

D
D
O
O
O

Assistant Cook Utlllty
Cook and Baker
Chief Cook
Chief Steward
Towboat Inland Cook

ALL DEPARTMENTS
O Welding

0 Llfeboatman

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
D Adult Basic Education (ABE)
O High School Equlvalency
Program (GED)
D Developmental Studies (DVS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)
O ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

COLLEGE PROGRAM

o Associates In Arts Degree
D Nautical Science Certificate

You must list, or supply evidence of, sufficient time to qualify yourself for the course(s) you are requesting.
VESSEL

SIGNATURE

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

DATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:

Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674
..-.-..-...........................................................................................................................
.........

~-

Rev 10187

14 I LOG I October 1987

~--

.....\

~

�APL Crews Don't Go Hungry

SIU Stewards Feed the Presidents

APL's President Garfield in San Francisco.

Chief Cook S. Ghani (left) and Steward/Baker S. G. Wong keep an eye on a large roast.

APL's President Monroe made its regular San Francisco call recently and Patrolman Gentry Moore made the ship. Pictured above are (I.
tor.) Chief Steward Floyd King, Chief Cook Robinson Crusoe Moore, Jake Dusich, APL's asst. food steward, and an MFOW crewmember.

SIU Patrolman Gentry Moore (left) has a chance to help the SIU steward department onboard APL's President
Garfield catch up on the latest Union news. They are (I. to r.) Samuel Smith, assistant cook; S. G. Wong,
steward/baker, and Chief Cook S. Ghani.

Steward/Baker S. G. Wong serves 'em sunnyside up.

October 1987 I LOG I 15

-

�Burial at Sea for Senior Bosun
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC
Relatives, friends and former shipmates of Marty Collins gathered aboard
the yacht Pacific Spirit in late September to pay their last respects to the
senior bosun of MSCPAC. Collins died
of heart complications Sept. 18 in
Oakland.
Known as a strict, no-nonsense mariner aboard ship, he was also remembered as a kind-hearted man ashore
who was everybody's friend. Collins,
a naturalized American who was born
in Nova Scotia, spent almost 44 years
sailing with the U.S. government, first
as an AB with the Army Transportation Service and later as a bosun with
MSTS when it was created in 1949.
During World War II, he was wounded
in the leg bringing troops to Normandy
and was aboard ships in the North
Atlantic that were torpedoed by enemy submarines.
"Marty once told me that when he
died, he wanted to be cremated and
have his ashes tossed into the sea from
the last ship he served aboard," said
Irene Hall, Collins' close acquaintance
over the past several years. Collins'
final hip was the USNS Mercy, currently in Oakland, Calif. undergoing
industrial work. The hospital ship isn't
expected to move from its present
berth until January, so Hall made plans
with a local organization to have Collins' cremated remains put into the
sea beyond the Golden Gate Bridge in
San Francisco. About 75 persons were
aboard the yacht, including five children of the veteran bosun, when it set

sail from Berkeley Sept. 27 for Collins'
final voyage.
' 'He was a good bosun , real hardcore, but a fair man ,' ' 'aid Collins'
longtime friend, AB Edward Palmer,
who first met Collins in t 965 on the
USNS Arnold. "'There's nothing clo er
than a shipmate, and I'm not afraid to
say I wept when I heard Marty died. "
Capt. Tom Savoie, the senior
MSCPAC representative at the memorial service for Collins, spoke briefly
to the mourners before Collin ' ashes
were put into the Pacific.
"I didn't know him personally but
I am kin to him, for we are brothers
of the sea," said Savoie. "'I understand the hardships Marty must have
suffered and the years he spent separated from his loved ones. But the sea
has its compensations, and it's a good,
productive life.
''It's evident he never regretted going
to sea, since his last wish was to be
joined with her after his death. On
behalf of all mariners who have ever
sailed a ship, we honor him and commend his spirit to God.''
Commander Mike Ramming, a
chaplain affiliated with an MSCPAC
reserve unit, conducted the memorial
service. As the friends and relatives
of Collins walked along the starboard
side of the yacht outside of the Golden
Gate Bridge, they tossed single carnations and wreaths into the sea in
tribute to the senior bosun ofMSCPAC.
His former shipmates said it was the
kind of service Marty would have
enjoyed.

MSCPAC Stays On Course
j• :·:. ::.:·.~::.

••

:

~:

, ~·&lt;:::_
·-:~

MSCPAC
AB Barry "Porpoise" Smith, the sailor's artist, recently completed a tour aboard the
USNS Mercy and was placed back in the pool awaiting reassignment. He spent his shore
time creating two impressive posters for MSCPAC, items which are popular in the fleet,
ashore and in the maritime community. Smith also completed work on a series of prints
which captured the spirit of the Mercy's recent humanitarian cruise to the Philippines.
Prints from that series are being reproduced and sent to the various multiservice commands
which were represented on the hospital ship during her deployment.

16 I LOG I October 1987

Mourners at the memorial service for Bosun Marty Collins toss flowers into the
sea in tribute to the former MSPAC mariner as his ashes are committed to the
Pacific.

Containerization Exists in MSC
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC

When containerization of cargo first
began back in the 1950s, many shipping companies believed it was the
greatest advancement in shipping since
the invention of the steamship. Given
the economics of commercial shipping
today, container vans are practically
synonymous with private shipping. If
you don't have them, you're unlikely
to get much business.
It comes as a surprise to some, then,
when they learn that MSC-a government organization-maintains a sizeable fleet of dry cargo and reefer vans,
just like its commercial counterparts.
In a dusty lot across the street from
the main gate of N SC Oakland,
MSCPAC leases three acres of land
from Naval Supply Center Oakland to
survey, repair and stock parts for containers which eventually make their
way up and down the West Coast and
across the Pacific. ''The vans get a
lot of use either on the highway or
aboard ship," says George Holland,
the only person in MCPAC with the
title of container specialist. Holland
oversees van repair work performed

by four employees of the Navy's Public Works Center.
Of the 600 MSCPAC containers,
only about 50 are in Oakland, according to Holland. The remainder are in
Port Hueneme, Honolulu, and Subic
Bay, with some aboard MSCPAC controlled and chartered ships. "We've
even loaned some to the Coast Guard
and the Marine Corps," said Holland,
a 12-year employee of the command.
A neighbor of MSCPAC on the other
side of Building 310, the Navy Resale
and Services Support Office, frequently uses 20-foot containers and
fills them with Navy exchange items
which are then shipped to stores
throughout the Pacific. On other occasions, the versatile vans have been
used as tool and supply storage bins
for ships undergoing repair work , and
they've been spruced up to house
shipping displays at public transportation functions.
Years ago, MSC leased vans from
a commercial firm but then discovered
it was more cost effective to own the
containers. Still, they aren't exactly
(Continued on next page.)

�Small Business Is Good Business
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC
The U.S. government is the largest
purchaser of goods and services in the
world. MSC, for its part, helped the
government maintain that distinction
in fical year 1986 with expenditures
totalling over $1.8 billion. At a recent
small business workshop at MSCPAC
attended by 25 employees who deal
with purchasing and contracts, Small
Business Adminstration (SBA) representatives urged the command to make
sure small and minority-owned businesses get their fair share of the MSC
procurement pie.
Regional SBA representatives told
assembled employees about some of
the basic programs within the SBA
procurement division and how their
organization communicates with the
Department of Defense.
"One of the reasons we encourage
agencies to set aside procurement
awards is to stimulate and increase
the number of small businesses that
could possibly bid on government contracts," said Robert S. Paccione, an
assistant regional administrator with
the SBA in San Francisco. "By doing
this, we can stimulate the industrial
base and hopefully increase the total
number of sources for the government
in different areas."
In general, Paccione says American
small businesses do get a fair percentage of government work primarily
through subcontracts. He estimates
about 40 percent of government sub-

contract awards go to small businesses, with 20 percent of prime contracts going to smaller firms. "The
primary purpose of the SBA in setaside awards is to try and stimulate
the number of awards to small businesses," he says. "We're always trying
to increase that percentage.''
Last year, 28 MSC contracts totalling $51.4 million were awarded to
small business firms, including one on
behalf of the Army for the construction
of four Logistic Support Vessels at a
firm fixed price of $41 million.
COMSC's Diane Mukitarian , an SBA
specialist who helped coordinate the
MSCPAC conference with deputy EEO
officer John Tate, would like to see
more awards going to such firms in
the future.
"It's not only important that the
small businesses get their fair proportion of DOD business, it's a statutory
requirement,'' she emphasized. ''We're
just playing our part and contributing
to the Navy's overall contribution to
the DOD program which is meant to
ensure small businesses get a share of
defense dollars.''
DOD also has contracting goals for
minorities and is aiming for 5 percent
of DOD contract funds in the next two
fiscal years to be awarded to business
firms owned and controlled by socially
and economically disadvantaged individuals. To assist contracting officers to locate small and minority firms

in their area, the SBA has established
a program called PASS (Procurement
Automated Source System) to assist
small businesses to compete for government procurement opportunities.
PASS is a national automated directory of small suppliers of goods and
services. It lists profiles of almost
150,000 companies, including over
26,000 minority-owned and 27 ,000
women-owned firms.
MSCPAC's John Tate, who carries
the formidable title of Deputy for Small
Disadvantaged and Women-Owned
Businesses, has been busy in the San
Francisco Bay Area trying to get the

Containerization
(Continued from Page 16.)
cheap. A 20-foot reefer van, for example, can cost up to $23 ,000. Maintenance work usually runs around
$2,000 per van, according to Holland.
Most of the repair work involves fork
lift damage to container sides, or replacement of bottom rails which bend
when they slide on the deck vf a ship.
A part of his job. Holland inspects
every van when it's returned to his
yard. He's also required to recertify
containers for use every two years.
"I've got more than enough work to
keep me busy for some time to come,''
says Holland.
Though MSCPAC has some 35-foot
vans, it doesn't have any 40-foot containers, a size generally considered
the industry standard. Several years
ago , however, MSC acquired 3,000 of
the larger vans as part of the SL-7

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively by the contracts between the
Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping
rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available
in all Union halls. If you feel there has been any violation
of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the
contracts between the Union and the employers, notify
the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail, return 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 your contract rights, as well as
your obligations, such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, any SIU

procurement package when the command bought eight of the former container ships from Sea-Land. Those
containers have since been sold or
dispersed to military bases in the U.S.
and abroad.
"Our vans may be smaller than the
commercial containers but that doesn't
mean they're lightweights" claims
Holland. At a length of 20 feet, eight
feet wide and just over eight feet high,
an aluminum and plywood van can
carry a gross weight of 44,800 pounds.
''If the door will shut,'' says Holland,
''the chances are pretty good the cargo
inside can be moved."
Bruce Stallings, a cargo specialist
with the transportation office in Building 310, keeps track of MSCPAC van
movements through message traffic.
Eventually, says Stallings, the container transactions will be monitored
by computer.

YOUR RIGHTS
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in
all Union halls. All members should obtain copies of this
constitution so as to familiarize themselves with its contents. Any time you feel any member or officer is attempting to deprive you of any constitutional right or obligation
by any methods such as dealing with charges, trials, etc.,
as well as all other details, then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The 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. Members 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 by a majority of the trustees. All trust
fund financial records are available at the headquarters of
the various trust funds.

word out about MSCPAC and the
procurement opportunities available
from the command. Over the past few
months, he and his staff have participated in small business fairs, held
workshops for a black business exchange and attended an Hispanic business conference.
''MSCPAC is doing extremely well
at the present time in the procurement
area and we're seeing a greater proportion of business now done with
smaller firms," notes Tate, who always likes to remind listeners that 98
percent of all companies in the U.S.
are small firms.

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently, no member may be discrimi·
nated against because of race, creed, color. sex and national or geographic origin . If any member feels that he is
denied the equal rights to whiCh he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
patrolman or other Union official, in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly, contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union,
officer or member. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September. 1960. meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log
policy is vested in an editorial board which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate, from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. 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 i 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 is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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 supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contribution may be
solicited or received because of force. job discrimination,
financial reprisal, 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 above 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 bis constitutional right of
~ to Union records or information, be should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The address is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

October 1987 I LOG I 17

�LNG Crews Ratify New
ConUactForEightShips
Seafarers aboard the eight Energy
Transportation Inc. LNG ships overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year
pact last month in a series of shipboard
meetings.
Each of the distinctive ships carries
an unlicensed crew of 19 on their runs
from Indonesia to Japan. The SIU first
crewed the ships in 1977 when the
company won a 20-year contract to
supply natural gas to Japanese utilities. Indications are the company may

win an extension of the contract which
still has 10 years to run.
SIU Rep. Carl Peth traveled to the
Far East to explain the contract to the
crews. In addition to maintaining the
manning scales aboard the eight ships,
the new contract calls for annual 2
percent wage increases. Also, ordinary seamen onboard the ships received an extra 13 percent increase to
overcome their re-rating to day worker
status.

In the galley of the LNG Gemini are (I. to r.) SA Samuel Concepcion, Steward/Baker
Harold Markowitz, AB Bert Gillis, Chief Cook Michael Ruggiero and SA Monica Kohs.

LNG carriers are familiar to about everyone thanks to the distinctive tanks like
these aboard the LNG Aquarius.

Part of the crew of the LNG Capricorn waits to start a meeting to go over the
new three-year contract.
Four members of the Gemini's deck and engine departments meet
in the lounge to discuss the new contract. They are (I. to r.)

Wiper John Hoskins, QMED Barry Harris, AB Mohamed Rawi
and OS Michael Strickland.

Onboard the LNG Taurus are (I. tor.) QMED Tom Maga, Bosun
Fred Pheler, Steward/Baker Robert Adams and AB Al Pickford.

Onboard the LNG Leo the Ship's Committee meets in the lounge. Standing are QMED James Carnell (left) and
QMED Keith Amos, sitting (I. to r.) are AB Charles Kahl, Bosun Luther Myrex, Steward/Baker Henry Jones
and SIU Rep. Carl Peth.

18 I LOG I October 1987

�D~aest

of Sh~ps Neet~nas

AMERICAN EAGLE (Pacific Gulf Marine), September &amp;-Chairman S. Kranczynzk, Secretary Neville Johnson Jr. No
disputed OT was reported, although there
was some problem noted in the steward
department that the master is keeping track
of the steward overtime (which is the steward/baker's duty). There is $15 in the ship's
fund. Crewmembers feel they need better
clarification of the contract. A motion was
made to reduce normal retirement to 62
years of age with ·the necessary sea time
of 5,4 75 days. This would coincide with
social security and also would be in line
with the boatmen and Great Lakes tug
members. The motion was directed to Vice
President "Red" Campbell. It appears that
the American Eagle is being observed!
"About three days out of Rotterdam, a
helicopter circled our vessel about three
times, shone a search light and made very
good observations. It never did make radio
contact with the bridge. The trip before, an
armed pirate boat observed this vessel. "
Next port and port of payoff: Savannah,
Ga.
FALCON PRINCESS (Seahawk Management), September 13-Secretary Royce
D. Bozeman, Educational Director D.E.
Guajardo. Some disputed OT was reported
in the engine department; otherwise everything is running pretty smoothly. Two chief
cooks onboard the Falcon Princess both
got off for medical reasons, leaving the
vessel without a chief cook for 36 days.
Some problems were noted with regard to
working gear. A new ice maker is needed
as well as a new washer and dryer. "This
has been a pretty good trip, considering
the run-Sudan. " The steward department
was given a vote of thanks for the fine job
they did cooking without a chief cook. Next
port: Boston, Mass.
1 ST LT. JACK LUMMUS (AM SEA),
Chairman Luke Meadows, Secretary Bill
Bragg, Educational Director J. McCraine.
No beefs or disputed OT. There is $86 in
the ship's fund. A vote was taken to send
flowers to the commodore's father who is
in the hospital. All voted in favor. Also
brought up was the question of security
guards roaming the vessel. A suggestion
was made to report to the bridge when the
guards are seen wandering in places other
than the mess hall or gangway post. It was
also suggested that the crew launch no
longer be used to transport ship's stores.
A vote of thanks went to the steward
department and the Navy staff for the great
beach party. Next port: Guam.
LNG GEMINI (Energy Transportation
Corp.), August 16-Chairman Glen Miller,
Deck Delegate Eugene Bousson, Engine

Delegate Mark Freeman.Steward Delegate
Mike Ruggiero, Secretary Harold Markowitz. No beefs or disputed OT were reported. There is $272 in the ship's fund.
The bosun reported that there have been
no problems and that the captain has noted
that everything is running smoothly. He
talked about the OS being underpaid. Now
that they are on day work, he believes that
their base wages and OT rates should be
increased in the new contract. The steward
asked everyone to help keep the lounge
clean and to return all glasses and coffee
cups when finished with them. The educational director reported that he has posted
a map of Japan in the crew lounge. He
also posted a local map of Nagoya with
subway routes and various points of interest. The crew asked about the possibility
of having the cabinets removed from the
crew lounge and more chairs or a couch
added so as to provide enough seating for
everyone. Next ports: Bontang, Indonesia
and Tobata, Japan.

GOLDEN ENDEAVOR (American
Maritime), August 30-Chairman R.L.
Schwander, Secretary E. Tinsley. Some
disputed OT was reported in the deck
department, and the engine department
has a problem about working overtime.
These problems will be taken up with the
patrolman. This special meeting was called
to clarify some misunderstandings aboard
ship. A motion was made for the engineers
or mates not to padlock the engine room
doors or any other doors while on the
vessel. The steward department was given
a vote of thanks for a job "very, very well
done. It was 100 percent better than last
trip." Next port: New York.
PUERTO RICO (Puerto Rico Marine) ,
September 6-Chairman A. Trikoglou,
Secretary J.R. Colls, Educational Director
W. Stevens, Deck Delegate J. Papamanolis, Engine Delegate A.H. Nelson, Steward Delegate R. Cosme. Some disputed
OT was reported in the engine department.
The ship will spend five days in Baltimore
next week. The bosun will check with the
boarding patrolman at that time about some
of the problems aboard ship, and payoff
will be as soon as some of the beefs have
been taken care of. A vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for the
fine job.
SEA·LAND ECONOMY (Sea-Land),
August 30--Chairman J.C. Brooks, Secretary H. Scypes, Educational Director Jose
D. Hipolito, Deck Delegate R. Steele. No
beefs or disputed OT. There is $106 in the
movie fund. Two men got off in England.
One was taken to the hospital. The other,
the bosun, had to fly home to attend to his

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Date

Port

Piney Point .............. Monday, November 2 ................. 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, November 3 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, November 4 .............. 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, November 5 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, November 5 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, November 5 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, November 6 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, November 9 ................. 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, November 10 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Thursday, November 12 ............... 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, November 12 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, November 16 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Seattle ........... ....... Friday, November 20 ................. 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ................ Thursday, November 5 ................ 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis .... ............ Friday, November 13 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday, November 12 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Thursday, November 12 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, November 18 ............. 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, November 17 ................ 10:30 a.m.

wife who just had a heart attack. The
crewmembers took up a donation for the
bosun's wife and sent flowers and a getwell card. The replacements for these two
are supposed to join the ship in Port
Everglades. At that time the chairman will
also check with the boarding patrolman
about OT in the steward department. A
vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for "a good four-man feeder."
One minute of silence was observed in
memory of our departed brothers and sisters. Next port: Port Everglades, Fla.

STAR OF TEXAS (Seahawk Management), September 19-Chairman B.
Cronan, Secretary I. Fletcher, Educational
Director D. Jekot. Everything is running
smoothly with no beefs or disputed OT.
The ship will anchor on arrival in Philadelphia and await docking orders. Payoff will
take place on arrival. The chairman asked
all eligible members to take advantage of
the upgrading facilities at Piney Point. He
also urged everyone to participate in the
SIU's political activities by supporting SPAD.
The steward department was given a vote
of thanks for a job well done. Next port:
Philadelphia, Pa.
STONEWALL JACKSON (Waterman), September 6-Chairman C.T. Lineberry, Secretary C. Rooks, Educational
Director C.E. Hemby, Deck Delgate Donald
M. Hood, Engine Delegate Jose Ortiz.
Some disputed hours were reported in the

steward department and will be taken up
with the patrolman at payoff. The bosun
announced that the ship would pay off in
Newport News, Va. and that all members
getting off should leave their keys with the
bosun or chief steward so that the new
men can get their room keys. All departing
members should also remember to strip
their bunks and take all clean linen back
to the linen locker. The educational director
noted that one safety tape was shown this
trip. The bosun spent $85 of his own money
for tapes, so everyone was asked to put
some money into the movie fund to pay
him back. There are now plenty of movies
on the ship for entertainment. A suggestion
was made to have launch service every
hour instead of every two hours in all U.S.
and overseas ports. One minute of silence
was observed in memory of our departed
brothers and sisters. Next Port: Norfolk,
Va.
Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
BALTIMORE
BEAVER STATE
CHARLESTON
1ST LT. B. LOPEZ
GALVESTON
INDEPENDENCE
LO G BEACH
MOKU PAHU
OMI COLUMBIA
OMI MISSOURI

OVERSEAS

HARR~mE

PONCE
SEA-LAND ADVENTURER
SEA-LAND ANCHORAGE
SEA·WD EXPRESS
SEA-LAND INDEPENDENCE
SEA·WD INNOVATOR
SEA-WO LEADER
SEA-WO PRODUCER
THOMPSON PASS
USNS ALGOL

WESTWARD VENTURE

PAJtAMA

------Sprucing Up the Long Beach

Ir

AB Juan Quing "Picasso" Passapera, works on the SeaLand logo.

Paulino Flores, bosun aboard the Long Beach, supervises
his gang, ''the best deck department I've ever worked
with."

Aboard the SS Long Beach (Sea-Land Service), crew.
members Daniel Hanbury, Felix Santiago and Carlos
Passapera paint the stack as the vessel heads into
Elizabeth, N.J. for payoff.

October 1987 I LOG / 19

�CL

-Company/Lakes

l

-lakes

NP

-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

SEPT. 1-30, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

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

DECK DEPARTMENT

Port
Algonac .. . .. .. . ... . . ..... .

0

27

3

0

7

3

0

3

0

0

11

33

0

18

4

0

10

2

0

2

0

0

37

11

67

17

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

Port
Algonac ............... . ...

0

4

11

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Port
Algonac .......... . ........

5

0

0

HEADQUARTERS

ENTRY DEPARTMENT

Port

0

Algonac ...................

0

15

35

0

0

72
21
49
15
Totals All Departments ........
0
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.

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

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
SEPTEMBER 1-30, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

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 .................
Port
New York ...............
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .................
Mobile .................
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ......... . ....
San Francisco. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Honolulu ................
Houston ................
St. Louis ................
Piney Point ..............
Totals ... . .............

53
1
10
15
12
37
38
31
21
38
14
6
46
0
2

324

12
3
6
12
2
12
13
12
7
9
3
7
8
0
2

108

3
1

0
3
1
3
4
15
3
7
0
0
0
0
1

41

1
1
0
1
0
0
3
7
1
3
0
7
1·
0
0

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

264

5
2
4
7
3
10
2
7
3
9
0
11
2
0
5

70

25

162

21
1
3
4
6
14
16
33
9
23
5
5
11
0
7

5
0
2
5
2
2
6
5
4
7
0
22
2
0
10

0
0
0
1
0
3
0
6
0
2
0
24
1
0
0

17
0
4
2
7
9
10
29
7
20
6
2
9
0
5

158

72

37

Port
New York ...............
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .................
Mobile .................
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico ..............
Honolulu ................
Houston ................
St. Louis ................
Piney Point ..............
Totals .................

139

198

191

Totals All Departments ......

824

448

294

19
5
1
7
1
13
5
32
8
19
6
10
12
0
1

20
3
6

7

6
12
9
11
12
18
4
75
7
0
8

11
1
0
8
4
16
3
20
9
4
0
110
3
0
2

75

127

645

0
1
5
1
7
4
5
5
8
5
5
7
0
0

62

93
1
18
27
19
65
52
50
28
62
25
6
57
0
3

506

16
7
3
10
4
14
17
13
6
8
4
8
2
0
1

113

1
2
0
4

2

5
5
14
9

7

0
1
0
0
1

51

31

304

72

34

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
2
0
6
0
6
2
0
0
2
2
0
0
17
26
1
0
0
0
5
0

7
0
1
5
0
5
3
13
0
3
1
58
2
0
0

37
2
5
5
5
31
17
68
13
33
3
4
19
0
3

10
3
1
5
2
1
9
9
4
10
0
31
3
0
9

0
0
0
2
1
6
1
10
1
0
0
21
0
0
1

15
1
2
6
2
10
5
11
9
12
2
7
10
0
0

92

28

9

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
5
0
2
1
1
0
1
6
1
0
5
1
3
1
2
5
4
0
6
0
2
0
13
2
1
2
0
0
1
0
12
53

20
1
6
9
6
20
20
17
7
18
4
7
27
0
0

28
2
8
14
6
24
26
17
7
24
6
5
34
0
2

203

DECK DEPARTMENT
2
3
2
0
0
6
1
5
3
1
5
4
5
1
6
13
9
1
3
6
1
0
1
10
12
0
0
0
2
1

46
3
5
14
4
31
23
23
21
35
12
7
40
0
0

Trip
Reliefs

42

31

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
15
6
1
2
1
2
4
5
5
0
4
6
3
3
17
8
7
9
13
3
3
0
67
109
2
6
0
0
1
0

144

158

314

229

6
1
0
4
0
3
4
2
1
4
0
4
2
0
0

60
3
12
14
7
43
34
21
17
38
13
3
36
0
3

98

245

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

37
5
2
10
2
30
7
71
18
36
14
9
19
0
1

9
3
4
5
5
14
3
8
6
7
0
7
2
0
4

1
0
1
0
0
3
6
7
2
6
0
7
1
0
0

97

43

36
7
4
12
6
21
17
15
21
25
14
113
12
0
18

13
0
0
13
5
41
7
24
16
5
0
173
3
0
7

0

261

321

305

191

1,316

608

433

*"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 September was down from the month of August. A total of 1,379 jobs were
shipped on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,379 jobs shipped, 645 jobs or about 47 percent were
taken by "A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 191 trip relief
jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 5,957 jobs have been
shipped.
20 I LOG I October 1987

CLEVELAND, Ohio
5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-11 00
DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110
HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434
HOUSTON, Tex.
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
3315 Liberty St. 32206
( 4) 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
NEW 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.
51 O N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�Help

A
Friend
Deal
With
Alcoholism
and
rugs

I

i

l

.
.
would~ ~

Addicts don't have friends. Because a friend
let another man blindly travel a course that has to lead
to the destruction of his health, his job and his family.
And that's where an alcoholic or drug user is headed.
Helping a fell ow Seafarer who has an addiction
problem is just as easy-and just as important-as
steering a blind man across a street. All you have to do
is take that Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the
Union's Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee,
Md.
Once he's there, an SIU member will receive the care
and counseling he needs. And he'll get the support of
brother SIU members who are fighting the same tough
battle he is back to a healthy, productive alcohol-free
and drug-free life.
The road is a long one for an alcoholic and drug user.
But because of ARC, an addicted SIU member doesn't
have to travel the distance alone. And by guiding a
brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center,
you 'II be showing him that the first step back to recovery
is only an arm's length away.

~-------------------------------~

; Addictions Rehabilitation Center :
I

I

t

I am interested in attending a six-week program at the Addictions
Rehabilitation Center. I understand that all my medical and counseling
records will be kept strictly confidential, and that they will not be kept
anywhere except at The Center.

Name .......................... .......... Book No .............. .

Address ........................................................ .
(Street or RFD)

(City)

(State)

(Zip)

Telephone No.
Mail to:

THE CENTER

Star Route Box 153-A
Valley Lee, Md. 20692
or call, 24 hours-a-day, (301) 994-0010

"----------------------------------------------------------October 1987 I LOG I 21

-·

�o1

P~~ASSOCIATES

If«.

~tf~CfQ

Labor's Views
~SS ASsa:..iATES /l'(C

~o~ct&lt;!

"THE ONLY THING GOOD ABOUT 'FREE TR ADE' IS
THAT IMPORTED DOG FOOD IS CHEAPER!"

SIU Member
Retires After
4 Years

1'Hl5 PL.AC£ 15 'JUST F"./NE EXCE:PT FOR. ALL THE
OE8RIS F&lt;.OATIN6 AROUND UP lttERE/

Are

OU

a

Missi QI

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.

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:

SIU &amp; 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.

-----------------------------------------------------------HOME ADDRESS

Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

PLEASE PRINT

Social Security No.

Phone No. (
Your Full Name

Area Code

Apt. or Box#

Street

O

City

SIU

O

UIW

State

O

Pensioner

ZIP

Other _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Juan Otero, who s ·
port of New York as an as
t
steward, has retired after more than
40 years in the industry.
Upon retiring, Otero praised the
SIU and Frank Drozak for protecting
his job security. " Juan is a very strong
union man,'' said New York Port Agent
Kermett Mangram. ''It' s members li
him who have built this organization."
When Otero, 62, joined the Union
in 1947, the SIU was just establishing
itself nationally. When he retired more
than 40 years later, the A&amp;G was a
power on the waterfront. The maritime
industry he had joined had been transformed beyond recognition.
Seamen now enjoy benefits equal or
superior to their counterparts on land.
When Otero joined the Union, things
were different. For one thing, seamen
had no pension plan.
But gradually , through the hard work
and support of people like Otero, the
Union was able to build a life for its
members , one benefit, one ship at a
time . The result is this: a secure retirement.
Many of the companies that Otero
worked for-legendary names like
Isthmian , Moore McCormack and Alcoa-no longer exist.
" Juan lived through all the wars, "
said Mangram , " o he understands
that there is one thing that never
changes in the maritime industry .
Nothing ever stays the same , and you
have to plan for the future .''

Book Number
UIW Place of E m p l o y m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This will be my permanent address for all official Union mailings.
This address should remain In the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally.

(S i g n e d ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

-----------------------------------------------------------~
22 I LOG I October 1987

New Pensioners and
Final Departures
will appear in the
next issue of the
LOG.

�11

'~ E~~ession

of Thanks . .. '

I want to express my thanks to the Seafarers. The insurance coverage has
come through so many times for us ....

Respectfully,
Imorene Cocek
Wimberley, Texas

Letters
To The

'Preventing a Hardship ... '
I am writing to thank the Seafarers International Union for taking care of
the doctors' and hospital bills I accumulated while I was sick. I don't know
how we would have managed. Having surgery four times in two months would
have really been a hardship for us.
Thanks a million and God bless your organization.

Editor

Yours very sincerely,
Mrs. Eugene Hall
Washington Court House, Ohio

'A Positive Scouting Experience ... '
I wish to apologize for my delayed response. Since returning to St.
Louis, I've had to work daily at Ted Drews and simultaneously catch up
on my overgrown lawn jobs. I hope you understand.
The trip was both interesting and educational, fun and relaxing. I
had a splendid time. I met many other adolescents my age and enjoyed
their company. By the end of the two weeks, we were best of friends.
They were a great bunch and I'll miss them.
While staying at the Harry Lundeberg School, I had the privilege of
learning about the SIU and AFL-CIO. I had never really heard much
about unions, with the exception of what was on the news, which is
usually negative. Through the SIU I was able to experience the positive
side of unions. I learned how unions fight for each individual's
personal rights. From my point of view, I see the unions as a vital and
important institution of the United States. The ideas and principles
they are based on are honorable and powerful.
When I look back on those two weeks, all I can do is smile. They
were fun-filled and simply marvelous. The facilities we were given
access to were superb. I took advantage of all that was offered and
enjoyed it all thoroughly.
I wish to express my deepest gratitude for arranging and financing
what I feel were two of the best weeks of my life. I really enjoyed it. I
welcomed the rest and relaxation and was intrigued by the interesting
and thorough education.

'Comfort in the LOG . .. '
The family of William Norman Montgomery all read the LOG each month. We
were looking through the August issue and found a most perfect and
comforting poem ( "En Voyage" by John E. Floyd).
Captain Montgomery at that time was so ill. We found the poem a blessing to
read. We loved it so much that we chose to have our pastor read the poem at
the funeral. It was so perfect for his illness, job and time. Everyone in the
family loves the poem.
Thanks so much for sharing this with us.

God Bless,
Cathryn Montgomery
V. Bae Conner
N. Jean Mager

'Off to a Good Start . . . '
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to your insurance
company. Although this is our first claim, our matters have been taken
care of very promptly and efficiently.
Any questions that we have had were answered politely with
''understandable explanations."
Thank you once again! Job well done!

With heartfelt thanks,
Art Mees Jr.
St. Louis, Mo.

Sincerely,
Lauren Kemp
Orange, Texas

Washington Report
(Continued from Page 24.)

Decline of Merchant Fleet
Top sealift officials in the Navy expressed
grave concern about the "precipitous" decline
in the American-flag merchant marine, reports
The Journal of Commerce.
''In the Persian Gulf," writes the Journal,
''the United States could find itself in a conventional fight with extremely long supply lines
and no guarantees of help from European and
Asian allies."
Jonathan Kaskin, director of the Navy's
sealift division, says that the best solution to
this country's sealift needs is a revitalized
maritime industry.
A potentially critical problem is the present
stand-off between the administration and the
industry over operating subsidies.
"Many existing subsidy contracts will expire
in the next several years," writes the Journal.
"The Reagan administration has indicated that
it will renew and extend the program only if
there are limits to its cost.
·'The industry and unions which it employs
do not like the suggestions offered thus by the
administration and are pressing for a more
generous program .
''Some threaten to take their fleet to another ship registry so the y can build ne w
vessel s in foreign yard s and emplo) foreig n
crews.

The article ends by asking the following
question: How available and reliable are the
merchant fleets of allied nations and ships
owned by U.S. corporations but registered
abroad?
"In a European war," writes the Journal,
"the Navy probably could depend on having
the hundreds of militarily useful ships in the
European fleets at its disposal. In conflicts
elsewhere, however, the Europeans may not
be as reliable.''

Fishing Vessels
The House has voted 404-0 to continue for
one year a program that reimburses U.S.
fishermen for losses of their catches, fines and
up to half of their gross incomes when they
are seized or detained by foreign countries.
The reimbursements cover cases in which
the detention is found inconsistent with international law.

Liner Subsidy Reform
Rep . Robert W. Davis (R-Mich. ), the ranking Republican on the House Merchant Marine
and Fisheries Committee . has introduced a bil
that would extend operating subsidies.

The legislation, H.R. 3297, would limit the
amount of the subsidies. At the same time, jt
would make those subsidies available to all
U.S.-flag liner companies and allow recipients
greater flexibility.
The bill differs from recent legislation introduced in that it would not permit the acquisition of lower cost foreign-built vessels.
"I cannot," said Davis, "bring myself ...
to abandon our domestic shipbuilding base.''
That domestic shipbuilding base has declined even further. Earlier this month, Todd
Shipyards, one of the few remaining American
shipyards, filed for protection from its credi ·
tors under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code.

SCA
The Senate defeated two amendments that
would have effectively killed the Davis-Bacon
and Service Contracts Acts.
The amendments, introduced by Sen. Phil
Gramm (R-Texas), were similar to bills offered
in the last session of Congress. Both the SCA
and the Davis-Bacon Act protect the federal
government from driving wage rates below
community standards. In particular, the Service Contract Act protects the poorest and
most vulnerable groups in the labor force from
exploitation.

October 1987 I LOG I 23

�Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

Washington Report
The winter chill set in a bit early this year.
The temperature dropped nearly 30 degrees
overnight as Washingtonians reached for their
cold medicine and handkerchiefs.
Relief is not yet in sight. A person couldn't
even stay home on Sunday afternoon and enjoy
the Redskins, who were on strike along with
the rest of the NFL players. Twenty-seven
thousand dedicated fans, including 60 SIU
members and headquarters workers, braved
the cold to protest scab football at RFK stadium.

Persian Gulf
Events in the Persian Gulf heated up in
direct proportion to the drop in Washington'
temperature. As the LOG was going to pres ,
U.S. helicopters had just sunk three Iranian
gunboats in the Per ian Gulf.
Earlier in the month, the Japanese sailors
union had considered a re olution to keep out
of the Persian Gulf. American seamen, wh·o
had played a pivotal role in every American
conflict from the War of Independence to
Vietnam, remained on the sidelines.
The Chesapeake Corporation, which operates the 11 reftagged Kuwaiti tankers, announced that it was chartering an Americanflag vessel, the Maryland. Meanwhile, a numberof politicians, including Sen. Lowell Weicker
(R-Conn.) and Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wash.),
caJled upon the administration to invoke the
War Powers Act.

National Maritime Union
While members of the National Maritime
Union were voting on a proposed merger with
District 1-MEBA, officials of the NMU announced the sale of the Joe Curran Annex,
which sits on the corner of Ninth Ave. and
Seventeenth St. in Manhattan.
For years, the Joe Curran Annex has served
as the headquarters building of the NMU. The
sale of the building was yet one more visible
demonstration of the decline of this nation's
maritime industry.

Canada Free Trade
Iranian gunboats were not the only ones to
suffer a direct hit last month. Six minutes
before their deadline was up, American and
Canadian trade negotiators announced that
they had reached an agreement.
The details of the agreement leaked out
slowly. It soon became clear that the maritime
industry has suffered yet another blow to its
integrity.
The Journal of Commerce reported that
.. Canadian carriers would be included in future
changes in U.S. laws applying to domestic
trades, cargo preference and similar water
carrier-related activities." Thi means that if
the SIU and other maritime unions are successful in getting Congres to strengthen thi
nation's cargo preference law , then Canadian
shipping firm will have equal access to tho e
jobs. In light of the generous sub idie · that
the Canadians give their maritime industry.
American shipping companie~ will be at a
decided disadvantage.

24 ' LOG October 1987

October 1987

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

If the Canada Free Trade Agreement is
approved in it present form, it will be the
first time that the 67-year-old Jones Act will
have been seriously weakened. The real danger, say many experts, is that the agreement
will be used as a model in the upcoming GA TT
talks.
For more details, turn to the story on page
1.

Trade
At the start of the lOOth Congress, the SIU
legislative staff and many important Democratic politicians said that eradicating unfair
trade would be their top priority. Within months,
both the Senate and the House had passed
their respective versions of a trade bill.
A Nov. 1 deadline has been announced for
the selection of conferees to a joint SenateHouse Committee to resolve the differences
in the two bills. Still, the main obstacle remains
the administration, which opposes both bills.
In related developments, negotiators from
the United States and Mexico were getting
ready to come up with a trade agreement. Few
people expected it to be anywhere near as
comprehensive as the one negotiated between
the United States and Canada.
Representatives from the AFL-CIO testified
before Congress on the matter of unfair trade.
AFL-CIO Legislative Director Robert McGlotten said that a trade bill "was vital" to
ensure this nation' industrial base. Chief AFLCIO economist Rudy Oswald said that much
of this nation's trade deficit was caused by
American companies "outsourcing" components.
We should, said 0 wald, be trying to improve living standards in other countries, not
cutting our own.
In yet another blow to the maritime industry,
the State Department announced that it would
cut its maritime attaches abroad.

Budget

The development marks a big victory for
organized labor and civil rights groups which
had lobbied heavily against Bork's nomination.
Even moderates and some conservatives were
disturbed by Bork's interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment, which they viewed as
being overly restrictive.
In order to be confirmed, Bork needs the
support of conservative Southern Democrats
in the Senate. He received practically none.
Some traced this development to two trends:
the growing influence of black voters in the
South and a reluctance on the part of Southerners of all political persuasions to reopen
old racial wounds.

ILO Convention
The United States hould ratify the most
recent ILO Convention concerning minimum
standards on merchant ships, said SIU Legislative Director Frank Pecquex at a recent
Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.
"The SIU believes that every human being
employed in a · oard capacity deserves the
highest standards of
and working environment," said Pecquex. '
rofession
that conservatively suffers between on
two thousand fatalities and tens of thou ands
of serious injuries worldwide each year, it is
evident that those high standards are not being
applied universally."
The SIU was not alone in making this
request. A broad spectrum of maritime and
labor officials, including AFL-CIO President
Lane Kirkland, asked that the U.S. end it
isolation from other nations in the area of
human rights. "ILO conventions are treaties
establishing minimum world standards for
working conditions and worker rights,'' wrote
the AFL-CIO News. "They are shaped by
government, worker and employer delegates
under the ILO's unique tripartite structure,
and are submitted to member nations for ratification only after a two-thirds vote of an ILO
conference." For more information on this
story, see page 4.

Economic indicators remained mixed. The
unemployment rate dropped below 6 percent
for the first time in nearly a decade. At the
same time, interests rates were rising, the
trade deficit remained unacceptably high and
the stock market suffered the largest one-day
decline in its history.
Meanwhile, this year's budget process got
bogged down in recriminations between the
White House and Capitol Hill. President Reagan announced his opposition to any kind of
tax increase. He also signed into law ''GrammRudman II," which mandates across-the-board
cuts in the budget in case certain budgetary
goals are not met.

Legislation should be enacted to ensure that
this country has a large enough commercial
fleet and enough skilled mariners to protect
its sealift needs, said the delegates to the
annual forum of the National Defense Transportation Association.
The NDTA, which has 76 chapters worldwide, has been a forum for all sectors of the
defense-transportation for the past 50 years.
It is headed by Rear Adm. Norman C. Venzke,
U.S. Coast Guard, retired.

Bork

DOT to Get New Head

Fifty-three senator announced that they
intend to vote against the confirmation of
Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. A of
pre time, rumor are circulating around Capitol Hill that the administration i quietly looking at other candidate to fill the vacancy left
by retiring Supreme Court Ju tice Lewi F.
Powell .

The Reagan administration has announced
that it intends to name James Burnley as head
of the Department of Transportation. If approved, he will fill the vacancy left by Elizabeth
Dole, who left to work full-time on her husband' campaign for the presidency.

Defense Transportation Forum

(Continued on Page 23.)

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U.S./CANADA PACT THREATENS MARITIME COMMUNITY &#13;
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FOC CREW WINS N.Y. FIGHT&#13;
SEAFARERS CREW NEW CAR CARRIER&#13;
SKYRANGER CREW EXAMPLE OF FOC SEAMEN’S PLIGHT&#13;
SIU ADMINISTRATION, BACK ILO MARITIME STANDARDS&#13;
MCALLISTER, CURTIS BAY STRIKE BUILDS PRESSURE&#13;
KUWAIT CHARTERS U.S. TANKER&#13;
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SIU JOINS NFL PLAYERS ON THE PICKET LINE&#13;
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BURIAL AT SEA FOR SENIOR BOSUN&#13;
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•i ~~f I

Gmcial Publication ol the Seafarers International Union • Atlantic, Gull, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL·CIO Vol. 49, No. 11November198?

A Need for Healthy Merchant Fleet

Defense Report Finds 'Alarming' Sealift Decline
The United States has barely enough
ships or crews to meet military sealift
requirements today. And it's only going
to get worse.
The only way to remedy that is to
maintain a healthy, private U.S. merchant marine, according to a recently
released report by the presidentiallyappointed Commission on Merchant
Marine and Defense.
The seven-member panel, which
conducted hearings and research
throughout this year, presented its 24
''findings'' to President Reagan earlier
this month.
The commission's purpose is to study
U.S. military sealift needs, to determine if those needs can be met and to

Salvage Effort Fails

See Page 7

recommend ways to meet those requirements.
''The principal significance of the
commission's findings is that there is
a clear and growing danger to the
national security in the deteriorating
condition of America's maritime industries. The United States simply
cannot consider itself secure, much
less the leader of the Free World,
without reversing the decline of the
maritime industrial base," wrote former Sen. Jeremiah Denton, commission chairman, in a letter to Reagan.
Denton said that after meeting with
the president for 10 minutes, Reagan
said ''he would do what he could.''
SIU President Frank Drozak said
the findings ''came as no surprise to
anyone who has followed the maritime
industry for the past years. We have
pointed out the national security problems due to a declining fleet for years,
all the maritime industry has. Maybe
because this commission was appointed by the president it will have a
little more clout in policy making decisions, maybe not."
While the merchant marine has
shrunk quite a bit in the past decade
or more, since the Reagan administration came to office the decline has
accelerated. Since 1981 the administration ended ship construction subsidies, placed a moratorium on operating subsidies, opposed expansion of

cargo preference and boosted the buildup of a reserve force run by the Navy.
The commission stated repeatedly
in its report that a private U.S. merchant fleet is the best way to maintain
security. One of the major problems
of the reserve fleet is a lack of adequate
manpower to crew those ships. In a
single theater sealift operation, the
commission predicted a shortfall of
12,500 seamen by the year 2000.
''Of course there will be a lack of
crews, because there is a lack of jobs
today. Where are these people going
to get their training and earn their
livelihoods," Drozak asked.
"A major government effort is urgently required, indeed overdue," to
build the merchant fleet to a level
where it can meet national security
needs, the report said.

''There is no more militarily efficient, cost-effective and reliable way
to provide the majority of the military
sealift requirement now and in the
future than through an active United
States-flag merchant marine," the
commission found.
The commission is due to report
recommendations to the president by
the end of this year.
Following is the list of 24 findings
the commission reported.
1. The commission has found clear and
growing danger to the national security in
the deteriorating condition of America's
maritime industry. The United States cannot consider its own interests or freedoms
secure, much less retain a position of
leadership in the Free World, without
reversing the decline of the maritime industries of this nation, which would de-

(Continued on Page 10.)

Manning Conference
More than three dozen labor, industry and government maritime leaders
gathered at the Merchant Marine Academy to exchange ideas on innovative manning systems for the U.S. merchant marine.
SIU President Frank Drozak said effective manning systems should be
the objective and that competitive manning does not mean simply slashing
crew sizes. He also noted that the U.S. merchant fleet serves two
purposes, commercial, and as a national security asset. The requirements
of the roles are not always compatible.
A series of articles beginning next month will examine the questions
and trends of future manning, innovations and crew training for the U.S.
merchant marine.
The conference established five committees to study the following
areas.
1. Effective Use of Current Manning-Chaired by Arthur Haskell
2. U.S. Legislative and Regulatory Reform-Co-chaired by Frank
Iarossi, Frank Drozak and Admiral William Kime
3. Multiple Unions-Chaired by Stephen Schmidt
4. Cargo Opportunities-Chaired by Robert Elsensohn
5. Ship of the Future-Co-chaired by Richard Soper and Jordan
Truchan

Evan Bayh, secretary of state of Indiana and son of former Sen. Birch Bayh, told the
Maritime Trades Department convention that it is time to "revitalize" politics by electing
men and women who share the concerns of working people around the country. For
complete coverage of the convention, see pages 3-6.

Inside:
Special Report by Drozak

Page 2

Unity Key in Inland Beefs
P.R.O.M. at SHLSS?

Pages 12 &amp; 13

Last Run for Galveston

Pages 15-19
Page 30

�---~------------------· ---- --

-

A SPECIAL REPORT
TO THE MEMBERSHIP
Since its beginning in 1938, the Seafarers
International Union has had one overwhelming
priority: the job security of our membership.
Anyone who's been around maritime for any
length of time knows that the industry is like a
roller coaster. It's either boom or bust, and
nothing in between. Either there are too many
ships or not enough.
Companies come and go. And when they go,
they're gone forever. Many of our younger
members think that they can count on one
company-Sea-Land, APL, Waterman-to take
care of their job security. Well, the maritime
industry just doesn't work that way.
It never has. Just ask any old-timer about
Isthmian or Cities Service, two SIU companies
that no longer exist.
Of course, this kind of thinking is not confined
to our younger members. There were plenty of
NMU seamen who thought that they could
always rely on U.S. Lines, which was known
as the Rolls Royce of the American-flag merchant marine. But to the surprise of almost no
one in the maritime industry, U.S. Lines filed
for bankruptcy last year.
The difference between the SIU and most
other maritime unions is that we are willing to
give our members the hard facts so that we can
work together to protect their job security.
We've found from experience that it doesn't
pay to sugarcoat the facts. The truth of the
matter is that the maritime industry today is
experiencing rough times. Things have never
been worse.
Since 1980, seamen, like millions of other
industrial workers, have seen their jobs exported
overseas. It is no longer possible for anyone to
talk about "business as usual."
Some unions believe that it's enough to sit
back and complain about conditions in the industry. We don't happen to agree with them.
While we didn't cause the present decline in
the industry (unlike the NMU or District 1, we
didn't give money to help elect the Reagan
administration which has gutted every single
maritime program on the books), we feel that
we owe it to our members to confront these
conditions in the best way that we can.
The strongest and most committed unions in
America are looking at non-traditional ways of
protecting the job security of their members.
Examples of this are the contracts that the
United Auto workers recently negotiated with
General Motors and Ford.
Rather than demand large wage increases or

Some German and Japanese shipping companies are experimenting with ships that have
even smaller crews. Manning cuts have come
mainly in the unlicensed berths.
·
That is not to say that unlicensed seamen
have to go the way of the dinosaur. In the past,
the SIU has pioneered new concepts like the
QMED rating which have created new jobs for
our members. And we can do it again.
The decline of America's merchant marine is
part of a larger decline in this country's industrial
base. During the past few years, while some
segments of the American economy have been
doing quite well, industries like auto, steel and
maritime have experienced sharp declines.
While Wall Street was awash in paper profits,
once prosperous communities in the middle west

insist on inflexible work rules, negotiators for
the UAW concentrated on pinning down job
security for their members.
Auto workers went along with this approach
because they were aware of conditions in the
auto industry.
Conditions in maritime are as bad or worse
than those in the domestic auto industry. If you
don't believe it, then here are a few of the facts.
In 1980 there were more than 600 vessels
documented under the American registry. Today, there are fewer than 360 in the active deepsea fleet.
The number of deep-sea billets has dropped
from 18,000 in 1980 to 12,000 today.
Jobs on our rivers and in the harbors are down
30 percent.

"We began to make changes . . •
to prepare for the 21st century"
America's fleet is one of the oldest in the
world. The average age of an American vessel
is more than 25 years. In order for the Americanftag merchant marine to survive, new vessels
will have to be built.
Yet because of the promotional cuts that the
Reagan administration has made over the past
six years, there is no guarantee that the new
vessels needed to keep this industry afloat will
be built.
On Nov. 9, 1987, for the first time in the entire
history of the maritime industry, not one new
merchant vessel was being built in an American
shipyard.
Yet for argument's sake, let's assume that
new vessels will be built, if not in an American
shipyard, then in a foreign one (which is the
preference of the administration and even some
other unions).
Thanks to technological advances in the industry, each new vessel that is built will replace
two or three active ones. So even if the operational end of the industry is able to modernize
and adapt to new conditions, the number of
active deep-sea jobs will continue to drop.
Automation means that fewer seamen are
needed to keep a vessel running. Twenty years
ago, most ships had 48-man crews. Now they
can run with 21 people. The Norwegians are
running ships with crews of 18, top to bottom.
America's next round of new ships will probably
be crewed by less than 21 men, and they will be
all purpose crews at that.

ovem r 1987

became impoverished overnight as American
companies relocated their factories overseas to
take advantage of low wages, minimum safety
standards and non-existent taxes.
Now that the stock market has crashed, and
this country faces a recession, these conditions,
as bad as they are, are going to get worse, not
better.
The maritime industry is a capital intensive
industry. In order to build and operate ships,
you need lots of money. Unfortunately, the stock
market crash threatens to drive foreign investors
away and dry up domestic sources of capital.
For the past few years, the SIU has taken a
lot of heat for our relentless drive to sign up
new military vessels. We began to make changes,
and to prepare for the 21st century.
We apologize to no one for the actions we
have taken to ensure the job security of our
membership in the years to come.
We've had the guts to face the truth: These
military vessels represent the only new jobs
being created in the maritime industry.
Even the most innovative, best-run commercial companies have experienced sharp declines.
At a time when the maritime industry has
shrunk by more than one-third, we have been
able to sign up 70 new vessels representing 1,300
jobs.
We were able to get these jobs even though
licensed unions like District . 1-MEBA and the
MM&amp;P had set up top-to-bottom organizations
(Continued on Page 3.)

Off
Pub!
on of e Seafarers International Un!Oll of
rth Amenca Atlantic Gulf, Lakes and I nd Waters District,

n..r.o

Vol. 49, No 11

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

2 I LOG I November 1987

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Secretary

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union , Atlantic, Gulf ,
lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs , Md. 20746, Tel. 8990675. Second-class postage paid at M.S .C. Prince Georges, Md . 20790-9998 and at additional
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way , Camp Springs ,
Md. 20746.

�·-~- "·\

Maritime Trades Department President Frank Drozak opens the MTD's convention with a stinging attack on the
"devastating economic policies of the Reagan administration," and with a call for "a new unity of purpose within
maritime labor.''

End of 'Disastrous' Reagan ~ra Nears

MTD Maps United Program to Rebuild

U.S. Shipping, Shipbuilding Industries
AFL-CIO Maritime Trades
Department President Frank
Drozak appointed a special
committee to develop a unified
legislative program ''which will
effectively confront the common problems that affect all
workers in American industry
today." That action was taken
during the biennial convention
of the Maritime Trades Department held last month in Miami
Beach.
Despite continued assaults on
the maritime industry and on
the rights of American workers
everywhere, the delegates expressed optimism that the effective end of the Reagan era, the
enhanced role of the Congress
and a new sense of unity within

America's labor movement can
put the U.S. maritime and shipbuilding industries on the road
to recovery.
Drozak made clear in remarks
to the delegates and in the appointment of the special committee that the department is
concerned at the closing of shipyards and the loss of shipbuilding capacity as well as the decline in ships genuinely entitled
to fly the American flag.
AFL-CI 0 Secretary/Treasurer Thomas R. D9nahue addressed both issues in a speech
to the convention.
The United States foolishly
scuttled its once-great merchant
fleet and shut down its shipyards, Donahue noted. It al-

lowed other countries to deliver
its goods "and collect the wages
and profits that once belonged
to Americans.''
Now ''the chickens have come
home to roost'' for those who
argued that the United States
can depend on the ships of other
countries, he said. "Having sold
the ships, they have now been
reduced to selling the flag itself
in order to get other countries'
tankers through the mine fields
of the Persian Gulf.''
A convention resolution protested the reflagging policy and
pointed out that under-used U.S.
tankers, genuinely entitled to fly
the American flag, are available
for Persian Gulf service. It said
all vessels under the American

flag should comply with safety
requirements and have U.S.
crews.
Drozak took the lead in a
sharply critical convention discussion of the maritime '' giveaway" provisions of the proposed free trade agreement
between the United States and
Canada.
The president of the Seafarers
said the pact is strongly opposed
by union members on both sides
of the border.
As the unions affected see it,
laws and bilateral agreements
that the United States and Canada have enacted to keep their
merchant fleets afloat are threatened by provisions that will allow low-wage nations to take
over trade routes served by U.S.
and Canadian vessels.
Drozak termed the treaty proposal ''a calculated attempt by
free trade ideologues to systematically dismantle the maritime
industries of both nations.''
Runaway shipping, sailing
under so-called flags of convenience, is causing unemployment
in all of the world's traditional
maritime nations, a convention
report declared. In both ships
and tonnage, the fleets of North
America, Western Europe and
Japan have diminished substantially while open-registry shipping continues to grow.
One bright spot, the report
cited, was the long-overdue
closing of a U.S. tax loophole
that had enabled American citizens and U.S. companies to
(Continued on Page 5.)

A SPECIAL REPORT TO THE MEMBERSHIP
(Continued from Page 2.)

which bypassed unlicensed hiring halls.
These licensed organizations were willing to
use strangers off the street rather than provide
employment opportunities for members of the
SIU, the NMU, the Marine Firemen or the
Sailors Union.
·
Some of our members didn't want to take
these jobs because they said that they didn't pay
as well as comparable jobs onboard Sea-Land
vessels.
But the number of Sea-Land vessels has been
declining every year. Ten years ago, the company had more than 50 vessels registered under
the American flag. Now it has about 30.
Moreover, some of Sea-Land's top management people have threatened to reflag if Congress
and the administration can't come up with a plan
to restructure the liner subsidy program.
It is now 10 months into the lOOth session of
Congress, and no one-not the administration,
the industry or Congress-has been able to come
up with a liner subsidy plan that meets everyone's expectations.
You put two and two together.
Maritime' s decline has been exacerbated by
the Reagan administration. Not content with the

cuts it has made in federal funding for maritime,
Reagan now wants to hock the industry's future.
The administration recently signed a free trade
agreement with Canada. If the maritime industry
is not somehow excluded from the provisions of
this agreement, then Canadian shipping firms,
which enjoy a competitive advantage because
of Canadian promotional programs, exchange
rates and tax rates, will be able to compete for
any new work generated by changes in this
country's promotional laws. But worse, so will
other countries. This won't help Canada or the
United States, but it will allow third-world nations to compete unfairly against both the U.S.
and Canada.
In effect, this would freeze commercial work
at its present, depressed levels.
So you see, that is why military work is so
important. Because the fact of the matter is that
this country needs some kind of merchant fleet,
whether it depends on military or commercial
work for its survival. And every generation of
Americans has had to learn the hard way that
this country needs an American-flag merchant
marine capable of meeting this nation's sealift
needs.
Twice before in this century, the American

maritime industry was allowed to deteriorate to
the point of near-extinction. And twice before,
the American people were forced to confront
the issue head on.
The American people are beginning to wake
up to the fact that the hundreds of billions of
dollars that they've spent beefing up the defense
budget will be useless unless they have a reliable
way of transporting troops and supplies overseas. And that's where we come in.
We're Americans, and we're seamen. We're
not some hired hands-We can be counted on
m an emergency.
The companies that we work for did not reflag
their operations overseas. They've demonstrated their commitment to this country in the
only ways that count-by paying taxes, by
adhering to internationally guaranteed health and
safety standards, and by employing American
workers.
So you see, there is a future for this industry.
The trick is to hang on long enough to cash in.
The old ways are gone. We have to deal with
the realities of today.
In the short-term, that means making hard
decisions about remaining competitive. With the
help of this membership, we intend to do it.
November 1987 I LOG I 3

�A New Maritime Agenda

TD Is United for

ction

Maritime Policy
In the past 10 years, there has been a 31 percent decline in the
active commercial oceangoing U.S. -flag fleet. The reduction in
the number of U.S.-flag vessels has been accompanied by a sharp
decline in the number of shipboard jobs. The Navy has indicated
that there is now a critical shortage of trained mariners, a shortage
that will continue to grow.
Unlike America, other developed countries that depend on a
strong merchant fleet have ensured that their merchant fleets
expand. Many countries reserve 100 percent of commercial cargo
for national-flag vessels. France reserves 66 percent of oil imports
and 40 percent of coal imports for French-flag vessels. Indonesia
requires 45 percent of all cargoes to be carried on Indonesianflag vessels. Additionally, the United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development Code recommends reserving 40 percent
of international commercial cargo for the national-flag line. America has no similar provisions; as a result, U.S.-flag vessels carry
less than 4 percent of America's waterborne international trade.
Coupled with the lack of support for the U.S.-flag fleet in
international commerce is a failure to support U.S. operators with
financial assistance. One important program which has assisted
American liner companies competing against low-cost foreign
carriers in America's international commerce is the operating
differential subsidy program.
Beginning with this administration, no new subsidy contracts
have been authorized. During this same time, some of the rules
governing existing operating subsidies have been changed unilaterally by the federal bureaucracy. However, none of the changes
has yielded significant benefits for the entire fleet. This ad hoc
approach to an important program has resulted in an inconsistent
and ineffective policy, and is witnessed by the loss of one-half of
America's liner companies since the early 1970s. There is now a
critical need for the renewal of an operating-subsidy program to
encourage the long-term revitalization of the U .S.-flag fleet.
President Reagan's failure to fund the construction differential
subsidy program in 1981 and subsequent years represented the
beginning of the end for a viable domestic shipyard mobilization
base.
It is clear that America's present maritime policy is failing
because of changes in international trade and cutbacks in support
programs for the U.S. maritime industry. This failure must be
reversed quickly, and a comprehensive and well-balanced maritime policy must be implemented. Such a policy would guarantee
America's national security, and would allow the maritime industry to again make substantial contributions to the national
economy.

AFL-CIO Legislative Director Robert McGlotten urged delegates representing 43 national labor organizations to "present a united front" in
seeking congressional support for programs which will protect the job
security of their members.
4 I LOG I November 1987

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Thomas R. Donahue charged that the U.S.
"foolishly scuttled its once great merchant marine and shut down its
shipyards,'' and he lamented that our once great maritime nation is
"reduced to selling the flag itself in order to get other countries' tankers
through the mine fields of the Persian Gulf."

The Jones Act
American cabotage policy is as old as the United States. The
Jones Act provides cost effective domestic transportation for
shippers and productive employment for hundreds of thousands
of U.S. workers. In addition, the Jones Act fleet and seafaring
workforce provide an indispensable national security asset vital
to U.S. interests.
The MTD supports U.S. domestic maritime policy and any
efforts to strengthen or expand its coverage while vigorously
opposing any intrusion into our domestic trades.

U.S.-Canada Free Trade
The trading relationship between the United States and Canada
is the largest in the world. Their bilateral merchandise trade in
1985 totaled $125 billion, compared to $88 billion between the
United States and Japan. President Ronald Reagan and Prime
Minister Brian Mulroney agreed, in March 1985, "to give the
highest priority to finding mutually acceptable means to reduce
and eliminate existing barriers to trade in order to secure and
facilitate trade and investment flows.'' Currently, both nations
are involved in the closed negotiations of what is referred to as
the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Area Agreement (FTA).
The outcome of this bilateral negotiation may significantly affect
future multilateral talks in terms of both its overall prospects for
success and on key individual issues such as rules governing trade
in services and government procurement practices. Furthermore,
the combination of the two markets will have a significant impact
on the labor forces in ooth countries. In particular, the maritime
industries in both the U.S. and Canada will suffer if maritime
services are included in the free trade negotiations.
The Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO, believes that both
U.S. and Canadian maritime policies and promotional programs
serve national security and domestic commerce needs and should
not be a matter of international negotiation. Existing maritime
policies and promotional programs were implemented to serve
national interests and do not impinge on the rights of other nations
to act similarly in their own interests. Therefore, current or future
maritime policies and programs should not be considered as
impediments to international commerce nor subject to free trade
negotiations.
The possible compromise of both nations' maritime policies
and programs could prove extremely detrimental to existing
operations. U .S.-flag and Canadian-flag vessel operators have
invested substantial sums of money and time into the maritime
industry under the assumption that their business environment
would remain relatively stable regarding the legality of operations.
Therefore, the MTD believes that a free trade agreement between
the United States and Canada that includes maritime services
would work only to disrupt current maritime operations on both
sides of the border and result in a negative impact on U.S. and
Canadian maritime industries.

�MTD Plans to Rebuild
U.S. Shipping, Shipbuilding
(Continued from Page 3.)

establish foreign corporations to
register ships in tax-free havens
such as Panama and Liberia,
thus paying no taxes to any
country.
Delegates acted on dozens of
resolutions submitted by the department's 43 affiliated unions
and 30 port maritime councils.
The thrust of the policy statements was reflected in a call on
Congress and the executive

branch to assure that Americanflag carriers transport a significant share of the international
commerce developed by the
American economy, and to restore programs necessary for
the survival of shipyards.
The 200 delegates unanimously reelected the MTD's top
officers-Drozak, Vice President William F. Zenga and Executive Secretary!freasurer Jean
lngrao.

International Trade

The Great Lakes Maritime Industry

There are a wide variety of unfair trade practices restricting
the access of U.S.-flag carriers to international cargo. These
practices take a number of forms including regulatory schemes,
state-owned and operated fleets and the refusal of companies in
some countries to use U.S.-flag vessels for the carriage of imports
or exports.
As a result of the failure to secure cargo, U.S. seafaring jobs
are lost. Unfortunately, the U.S. government has failed to provide
the assistance necessary to prevent those jobs from being lost.
The Maritime Trades Department supports efforts to strengthen
America's trade laws governing international shipping, and asserts
that denial of worker rights in international shipping should
constitute an unfair trade practice.

The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway system represents a
significant natural resource that facilitates efficient waterborne
commerce and provides numerous maritime employment opportunities. Despite the appearance of an upswing in Great Lakes
cargo movements, many problems still exist.
The MTD supports all efforts to increase U .S.-flag service by
reducing steel imports and expanding exports from the Great
Lakes region.
Additionally, the MTD believes the United States and Canada
should work to minimize and, when necessary, equitably apply
all user fees on the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway to encourage
continued and increasing growth in the area.

Flags of Convenience
The proliferation of opportunistic flags of convenience has led
to the wholesale abandonment of national-flag fleets by traditional
maritime nations. Such actions have accelerated the already rapid
decline in vessels and reliable, qualified crews available to the
Western Alliance in a time of crisis.
The U.S. government continues to accord reciprocal tax or
other privileges to nations which, through flags of convenience
and other tax havens, deny the U.S. legitimate tax revenues.
The MTD urges the U.S. government to refrain from granting
reciprocal tax or other privileges to flags-of-convenience registries,
which use these registries as tax havens.
The MTD calls upon the government not to turn the Stars and
Stripes into an opportunistic, dishonorable .flag of convenience.

Citizenship Requirements for U.S.-Flag Vessels

SIU of Canada President Roman Gralewicz, left, and SIU Vice President
Mike Sacco were concerned about the impact of the maritime provisions
in the proposed U.S./Canada Free Trade pact.

Insurance Crisis in the Fishing Industry
One of the most serious problems facing the U.S. · fishing
industry is the availability, affordability and adequacy of fishing
vessel insurance.
Consequently, in the event of an accident and without adequate
coverage, owners or operators of vessels are left with the prospect
of losing everything they own, and injured seamen aboard such
vessels may not be adequately compensated for injuries incurred.
Management and investment policies of insurance companies in
tandem with the high casualty rate in the fishing industry resulting
from an ·absence of stringent safety standards combine to substantially contribute to the ongoing crisis.
The MTD urges enactment of legislation which will address the
safety problem plaguing the fishing industry, with an eye toward
reducing the incidents of accidents and, in tum, lowering premiums
for insurance coverage.

The administration, in allowing the reflagging of Kuwaiti vessels,
effectively ignored longstanding maritime law~ and policies that
require U.S. citizen crews on U.S.-ftag vessels.
The administration's refusal to adequately enforce existing laws
on citizenship manning requires legislation to insure U.S. citizens
on U .S.-flag vessels.
Therefore, the MTD resolves that the laws should be amended
to require that U.S. citizens comprise the crew on U.S.-flag
vessels.

UNCTAD and Bilaterals
The cargo available in international shipping is becoming increasingly controlled through bilateral agreements in accordance
with the UNCTAD Code of Conduct for Liner Conferences and
cargo reservation schemes.
The Reagan administration opposes agreements which would
provide cargo to U .S.-ftag carriers and has failed to enter into
meaningful bilateral agreements.
The MTD believes that legislation should be enacted which
would require the administration to enter into meaningful bilateral
agreements.
(Continued on Page 6.)
November 1987 I LOG I 5

�~New

Maritime Agenda

Port and Inland Waterways Development
The passage of the Water Resources and Port Development
Act of 1987 is the first legislation of its kind in over 15 years,
authorizing the rehabilitation of the nation's waterways. The Act
authorizes construction of 262 Army Corps of Engineer projects
and contains a federal/non-federal cost sharing formula. These
projects, totaling over $16 billion, offer enormous employment
opportunities. The MTD urges the Congress to quickly appropriate
the monies for these projects and eliminate the double taxation
problem that originates from the collection of user fees.

Offshore/Onshore Activities
The exploration and development of our nation's offshore
energy resources is a significant industry that is anticipated to
expand in the coming years.
The MTD, in conjunction with the general presidents' offshoreonshore fabrication and construction unions council chaired by
President Frank Drozak, is of the position that any economic
benefits resulting from offshore exploration and development
projects should be reserved for U.S. citizens.
As such, this resolution supports the establishment of a domestic
built and crewed requirement for all oil and gas exploration and
development projects.

Government-Impelled Cargo
Since the enactment of the Military Transport Act of 1904 and
the Cargo Preference Act of 1954, these cargo promotion policies
have come under attack by federal agency personnel and various
exporting industries which choose to view this policy in a very
narrow sense.
In recent years these attacks have been stepped up and have
required the constant attention of maritime operators and seagoing
unions to insure that the industry receives its fair share of the
cargoes to which it is entitled. The maritime community has had
to battle agriculture interests and most recently the defense
agencies.
The Maritime Trades Department opposes any attempts to
circumvent the cargo reservation statutes. We support positive
efforts to clarify and expand cargo reservation policies.

Deregulation of the Maritime Industry
Deregulation of the maritime industry under the Reagan administration has meant a policy of abandonment, an end to most of
the federal promotional programs. The damage to the industry by
this approach is clear.
Since Jan. 1, 1987, the privately owned active oceangoing fleet
has dropped by nearly one-third, the Great Lakes fleet is 29
percent smaller, and oceangoing shipboard jobs have dropped by
44 percent. Instead of getting out of the shipping business, the
government has been forced to get deeper into it through the
acquisition and maintenance of vessels in the Ready Reserve
Force.
The Maritime Trades Department calls on the administration
and the Congress to review maritime policy as part of a comprehensive approach-one that has as its objective a merchant fleet
capable of meeting commercial and defense needs.

Shipbuilding
The MTD urges the administration to abandon its misguided
policies which have substantially contributed to the depressed
condition of the domestic shipbuilding industry.
The MTD urges the administration to support extension of the
Jones Act to the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone ; a government-sponsored build-and-charter program; fully fund the Title
XI ship construction loan and mortgage insurance program; and
expand regulations requiring Navy ship repair work be performed
in U.S. shipyards.
6 I LOG I November 1987

Civil Rights
Despite the progress attained since the passage of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 toward racial justice and social unity, efforts
to halt and reverse the gains acquired in the areas of equal
opportunity in jobs, housing and education have surfaced.
Through the narrow interpretation and subsequent weakening
of civil rights laws and regulations, budgetary limitations, cutbacks
on social programs, and appointments to key agency and judicial
positions of conservative nominees, the Reagan administration
has contributed to the tide of renewed discriminatory practices
in housing, employment and education in this country as well as
the diminution of workers' rights.
The MTD reaffirms its commitment to all Americans whose
civil rights have been placed on the back burner during the last
six years of the Reagan administration of equal opportunity in
every phase of American life for all our citizens .

Veterans' Benefits
During World War II, the U.S. Merchant Marine suffered
proportionately greater casualties than any uniformed group
except the Marine Corps. Despite this, there has been no G.I.
bill, no honors, and no recognition for their sacrifices.
The MTD applauds a recent U.S. District Court ruling criticizing
the Department of Defense Civilian/Military Review Board's
denial of veterans' status to World War II merchant seamen.
The MTD supports legislation to provide merchant seamen who
have risked their lives for the welfare of this country with the
veterans' benefits they deserve.

Reflagging of Kuwaiti Tankers
The reflagging of Kuwaiti tankers is a questionable strategy
that was handled in a questionable manner. Despite the availability
of U .S.-flag tankers and crews, chartering these vessels was
disregarded. During the process of reflagging the Kuwaiti vessels,
important safety and inspection requirements were waived. The
U.S. government has also allowed the Kuwaitis to ignore longstanding laws and policies that require U.S. citizens on U.S.-ftag
vessels.
The MTD objects to reftagging vessels to the U.S.-ftag that
have not complied with established safety and inspection requirements and that are not 100 percent crewed with U.S. citizens.
The MTD supports full compliance with U.S. maritime law and
urges the U.S. government to require the use of U.S. vessels by
Kuwait.

Reflagging Fish Processing Vessels
To assure continued access to the lucrativ~ U.S. fisheries.,
foreign interests are seeking to reftag their processing vessels
under the American flag.
Certain loopholes exist in current law which permit this reftagging to occur, detrimentally impacting U.S. fishing interests in
the trades and thwarting th~ full Americanization of commercial
fishing, processing and marketing of the available fishery resources
within the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the United
States.
The MTD urges immediate congressional action to close these
loopholes, impeding foreign interests from their reflagging efforts
and restricting a preferential allocation for U.S. fishery resources
exclusively to U.S. processors and harvesters , as envisioned by
the Magnuson Act.

AFL-CIO Acts on MTD Agenda
The AFL-CIO , meeting in convention last month following
the Maritime Trades Department convention, adopted as its
own a number of the resolutions which were acted on by the
200 delegates attending the MTD biennial meeting. Prime among
those AFL-CIO actions were strong resolutions attacking the
Kuwaiti tanker refiagging, and calling for a positive U.S.
Maritime policy.

�SIU Tug on the Scene

Foggy Collision Sinks Liberian Ore Freighter
The crew of the Crowley tug Arthur S came upon the kind of scene all
Seafarers dread. About 15 miles from California's Point Conception, a Liberian
ore freighter was settling from the stem.
The 564-foot Pacbaroness had collided with the auto carrier Atlantic Wing
in dense fog early Sept. 21. No injuries were reported from either ship, and
the Atlantic Wing was able to make it to port under her own power, with a
large gash in her bow.
The Arthur S, captained by W.F. Hunter, arrived on the scene about 8:30
a.m. as the Pacbaroness was listing about 15 degrees with the stem awash on
the starboard side. During the morning some crewmembers of the damaged

ship remained aboard, sealing hatches above the waterline in an effort to keep
her afloat. The last of crew abandoned the ship a little after noon.
The hope had been that the Pacbaroness could be towed and saved, so the
SIU crew put a line to the ship and began towing. By then, Capt. Masters
said, the Pacbaronness' stem and number five hatch was under water, and
the ship was sinking at about a foot an hour.
Finally after three hours of towing, and with the ship sinking rapidly, the
Arthur S slipped the tow line and watched the Pacbaroness sink under 3,000
feet of water.
These dramatic pictures were submitted by SIU member Mike Cresci.

Arthur S. crewmembers work the double braided 8" line before
bringing the Pacbaroness under tow.

The tug Arthur S. with the Pacbaroness under tow.

November 1987 I LOG I 7

�Opposition Mounts to U.S./Canada Trade Pact
Opposition to the Canadian Free
Trade Agreement signed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Canadian
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on
Oct. 4 has brought about the seemingly
impossible: unity in the maritime industry.
A coalition of more than 200 maritime unions and businesses has come
together under one umbrella organization, the Maritime Coalition on the
U.S.-Canadian Free Trade Agree. ment. These organizations have put
aside their differences because they
believe that the Canadian Free Trade
Agreement threatens the survival of
the American-flag merchant marine.
In a letter to the Reagan administration and Congress, the coalition
said, 'This agreement trades away the
maritime industry for advantages in
other commercial sectors, such as financial transactions, that bear no relation to national defense, and it gives
no assurance whatsoever that Canadian vessels and shipyards will fulfill
U.S. defense requirements when
needed."
The coalition is seeking to have the
maritime industry exempt from the
provisions of the Canadian Free Trade
Agreement, much like aviation is.
The coalition berated the agree-

ment's "grandfather" clause, which
would keep existing maritime programs and Jones Act restrictions, but
would include the Canadians in new
or amended programs.
Given the current exchange rates
and the Canadians' generous maritime
subsidies, this would be "disastrous"
for the maritime industry. "[This] will
bring all future maritime programs to
a halt and dry up financing in every
segment of our industry.''
Other provisions in the Canadian
Free Trade agreement were opposed.
According to the coalition, a provision
granting 50,000 barrels of Alaskan oil
to Canada ''would diminish our tanker
fleet. [This] flies in the face of intense
and longstanding congressional opposition to Alaskan oil exports."
The provisions concerning Alaskan
oil make no sense whatsoever, said
the coalition, because America has to
import 40 percent of its oil and Canada
is self-sufficient in that area.
Another provision that bothers the
coalition members is the agreement's
mechanism for annual review and future 'rollbacks' of existing programs.
''This,'' said the coalition members,
"may even jeopardize maritime promotional programs now in existence
and would leave all maritime programs

Work as Art

Joe Vliek of Mentor, Ohio, who sails the Great Lakes, recently boarded the MN Belle
River as a temporary wiper. To keep busy in his spare time, Joe painted a picture of the
1,000-footer on the wall in the paint locker. Here is the artist and his work.

entirely in the hands of U.S. trade
negotiators and the U.S.-Canada Free
Trade commission ... Congress and
responsible executive branch departments will, in effect, become mere
spectators, able to observe but unable
to act.''
Opposition to the Canadian Free
Trade Agreement goes far beyond the
confines of the maritime industry.
Opposition to the Free Trade Agreement in Canada is intense and growing.
According to a poll, only 49 percent of
the Canadian public favors such a treaty,
down from 75 percent a year ago.
While the issue has aroused much
less notice in this country than in
Canada where it is front page news,
there are signs that opposition to the
agreement is growing.
In addition to the maritime industry,
opposition to the Canadian FTA has
been strongest in the energy producing
areas of the Midwest and the West.
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said he
could not support the agreement "unless it is amended to give better treatment to North Dakota and other states
rich in natural resources."
Sen. Wendell Ford (D-Ky.) also indicated that he would not be able to
support the treaty if he finds that it is
harmful to coal industry interests.

SIU President Frank Drozak has
spoken out at great length on this
issue. In addition to sending letters to
the various members of Congress, he
talked about this issue at both the New
York Port Council Dinner and the
Maritime Trades Department Convention last month.
"The agreement," he said, "would
deprive elected officials in both countries of the right to formulate maritime
policies appropriate to meet industrial
and national security demands of the
future."
One of the biggest threats, said Drozak, is that the Canadian Free Trade
Agreement would be used as a model
for the upcoming GAIT talks. If that
happens, then Canadian and American
seamen would find therr jobs exported
overseas because "the United States
and Canada are signatories to multilateral and bilateral trade compacts
and are obligated to provide most
favored nation status to numerous third
world countries.''
"Canadian seamen don't want this
agreement any more than we do,''
said Drozak, who earlier this year
issued a joint letter with SIU of Canada
President Roman Gralewicz urging that
maritime be exempt from the Free
Trade Agreement.

Vets' Case Postponed
After more than 40 years and a court decision declaring the government had
erre.d in not granting veterans' status to World War II merchant seamen,
survivors will have to wait a few more weeks to find out what will be done in
their case.
The judge in the recent successful court decision became ill before he could
rule on the government's process for redressing its action in denying benefits.
Federal appeals court Judge Louis Oberdorfer had ordered the government to
provide a timetable for a rehearing of the merchant seamen's case.
The case involved two groups of seamen. The first was the seamen who
participated in invasions during the war. The judge's ruling indicated that those
seamen had a very strong claim to veterans' status. There was some speculation
that Oberdorfer might have ordered the government to grant those merchant
sailors veterans' status.
The second set of seamen were those who sailed in war zones but did not
take part in any invasions. A rehearing of their case was expected.
The secretary of the Air Force is the head of the Civilian/Military Service
Review Board which has the power to grant veterans' status to civilian workers
who participated in wars. That board denied the claims of both invasion and
war zone seamen. However, it has granted benefits to a wide range of other
workers, including telephone operators and dieticiari·s.
The judge said that the invasion force seamen met the qualifications for
veterans' status and that the other group did not receive a fair hearing because
the review board's guidelines were not followed.
No date has been set for another meeting between the case's participants.

DON'T DRIFT
INTO OBLIVION
WITM

BOOZE I
GET
HELP!!

CONTACT YOUR

PORT AGENT
OR YOUR UNION

AT
PINEY POINT
8 I LOG I November 1987

�In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will
highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national
and maritime policy.

Sen.
Barbara Mikulski

Elton Gallegly

B

C

ARBARA Mikulski (D-Md.) is a
woman of "firsts." The first democratic woman to hold a Senate seat
not previously held by her husband,
the first Democratic woman ever to
have served in both Houses of Congress, and the first woman ever to win
a statewide election in Maryland, Sen.
Mikulski was elected to the Senate in
November 1986, winning 61 percent
of the vote against her Republican
challenger. After being sworn in on
Jan. 6, 1987, Mikulski became the 16th
woman to serve in the Senate.
Born in a Polish neighborhood of
East Baltimore, Mikulski trained as a
social worker at Mount St. Agnes
College in Baltimore and the U niversity of Maryland. Following school,
she went to work for Associated Catholic Charities and then the Baltimore
Department of Social Services.
By 1966, Mikulski was an assistant
chief of community organizing for the
city social services department , working on a plan to decentralize welfare
programs. As a social worker, she
gradually was drawn to the civil rights
movement and a fight over efforts to
desegregate Baltimore neighborhoods. But her first political battle
came in 1968 when the city of Baltimore announced plans to locate a 16lane highway through the city's historic Fells Point neighborhood. She
got involved in the efforts to stop the
proposed highway and soon became
one of its key leaders and spokespersons.
By 1970, the anti-road forces had
won their fight, and Mikulski announced her candidacy for the Baltimore City Council. In her five years
on the Council, Mikulski was known
as an effective representative of the
people. In 1976 she entered the race
for the U.S. House of Representatives
where she remained for 10 years. During her House terms, she served on

Rep.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski

the Merchant Marine and Fisheries
Committee, working on legislation that
would affect the port of Baltimore.
She also left her mark on many important pieces of legislation, including
funding of shelters for battered spouses,
funding for the deep dredging of the
Baltimore harbor to make it internationally competitive, and amendments
to an anti-terrorism bill which improved passenger safety on the high
seas.
In 1985 she announced her intention
to run for the U.S. Senate seat being
vacated by retiring Senator Charles
McC. Mathias Jr., stating that it was
an opportunity to "do more good for
more people.'' And she has already
made a start.
Mikulski urged President Reagan to
pass the Water Quality Act, and she
introduced legislation which will keep
thousands of American couples from
forced poverty if the husband or wife
is placed in a nursing home for longterm care.
As a freshman senator, Mikulski' s
assignments include the prestigious
Appropriations Committee, the Labor
and Human Resources Committee, the
Environment and Public Works Committee and the Small Business Committee.
A force to reckon with in the Senate,
Barbara Mikulski has, however, never
lost sight of her roots.

Rep. Jim Bates (D-Calif.) told the MTD convention that he was "embarrassed and
ashamed of what this country has let happen" to the U.S.-ftag merchant marine.

ALIFORNIA's 21st district, a
collection of far-removed Los
Angeles suburbs encompassing northwestern Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County is the kind of
territory where the Republican candidate with the strongest conservative
credentials normally wins.
Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) was such
a candidate. His election to the lOOth
Congress on Nov. 4, 1986, came with
68 percent of the popular vote from
this region.
Gallegly was born in Huntington
Park and was raised in the southcentral suburbs of Los Angeles. After
attending Los Angeles State College
(now Cal State LA) in the 1960s, he
worked hard to become a successful
businessman and real estate broker.
Gallegly's initiation into public life
came in 1979 with his decision to run
for the Simi Valley City Council. Following his election that August, he
was then chosen by his Council colleagues to serve two terms as mayor,
a position he held from April 1980 to
November 1986.
During his tenure as mayor, Gallegly
maintained the city's tradition of low
taxes (Simi Valley remains one of only
35 cities in California without a general-fund property tax). Over the cour e
of his 6V2 years as mayor, he worked
to expand the city's police depart-

Rep. Elton Gallegly
ment, build and equip a new senior
citizens' center and city hall, and purchase a fleet of buses for local rapid
transit. Through his efforts, Simi Valley gained more than 10,000 privatesector jobs from 1980 to 1986.
Prior to his election to the U.S.
House of Representatives, Gallegly
also served as vice chairman and later
chairman of the Ventura (Calif.) County
Association of Governments, a group
whose task it is to coordinate the work
oflocal municipalities and county government.
Rep. Gallegly was named to serve
as vice chairman of the California
Republican Delegation in the House.
As a representatives, he serves on the
Interior and Insular Affairs Committee
and on the Small Business Committee.

Addressing the issue of reftagging Kuwaiti tankers, Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) told the
convention, ''I support freedom of the .high seas. But I do not support foreign oil from a
foreign country, going in a foreign ship that's foreign crewed, that's selling it to a foreign
country to be used by foreign citizens. That's not an American policy."

November 1987 I LOG I 9

�Defense Report Finds 'Alarming' Sealift Decline
(Continued from Page 1.)
pend so heavily in a protracted war upon
adequate use of oceans for its military
defense and for its economic survival.
2. The commission has addressed itself
to defense aspects alone, but in its studies
and analyses has come unavoidably to
recognize that, although the maritime defense implications are urgent, the decline
of the maritime industries is part of a more
general problem as the United States shifts
increasingly from an industrial toward a
services based economy. The commission
concludes that the United States government
has not yet adequately assessed the developing
and massive defense implications of the shift.
3. The commissioners, at this point,
unanimously agree that major governmental
effort is urgently required, indeed overdue,
to revise our national objectives, policies,
and commitments in order to reverse the
decline of the maritime industries.
4. During recent years, substantial
questions have been raised in some official
quarters about whether the United States
flag merchant marine still fulfills an essential defense role. The commission finds
that, as a matter of fact, the maritime
industries, including the merchant marine,
are and will be for the foreseeable future
an essential component of America's national security capability for the transportation of cargo and personnel for national
defense purposes. The United States flag
merchant marine is an essentia.l direct military asset because, to meet the sealift requirements of the national strategy in time
of war or national emergency, many or
most privately-owned, commercial, United
States-flag merchant ships and their American crews would of necessity be used for
military sealift purposes and integrated
directly into the national military command
structure. Similarly, the shipbuilding and
repair industry and its associated shipyard
suppliers are and will continue to be an
essential national mobilization resource.
5. There is today insufficient strategic sealift, both ships and trained personnel, for the
United States, using only its own resources
as required by defense planning assumptions, to execute a major deployment in a
contingency operation in a single distant
theater such as Southwest Asia. Without
decisive action, the situation will worsen
substantially by the year 2000.
6. Based on its study and analysis, the
commission has concluded that there is no
more militarily efficient, cost effective, and
reliable way to provide the majority of the
military sealift requirement now and in the
future than through an active United Statesflag merchant marine. The ships should be
militarily useful and operating, engaged in
peacetime in carrying commercial cargo,
and manned by United States crews.
7. The maritime industries have been in a
state of decline for many years, but the rate
of decline is now incresing at an ala.rming
rate. Some of the largest ship operators,
shipyards, and shipyard suppliers have
gone out of business, and most of those
that remain face serious financial hardship.
The commission's analysis shows that,
unless actions are taken to reverse the downward trend, the number of merchant ships
and seamen will be reduced by one-half by
the year 2000. Similarly, the shipbuilding
and repair industry will continue to shrink
and will be almost totally dependent on
Navy work for its very existence.
8. The precipitous decline in the size of
the United States merchant marine has
been paralleled by a similar decline in the
size of the merchant fleets of some of our
most important allies, particularly those in
Europe, upon whom we have planned to
rely for provision of sealift to support
United States forces that would be engaged
in their theaters.
9. Maintaining the shipbuilding and repair segment of the industrial base required
to sustain a protracted general war is
essential to deterring or winning such a
war. The base of shipyards and repair facilities, and their industrial suppliers, is currently inadequate in that sense and is continuing to deteriorate at an alarmingly progressive
rate.

10 I LOG I November 1987

10. As with other industries vital to the

national defense, the government should
provide an environment free of artificial,
non-economic, or discriminatory obstacles
that impair the ability of American maritime businesses to compete on a fair basis,
both among themselves and with their
foreign competitors, and to have the opportunity to earn a profit.
11. Much of the challenge for effective
actions to reverse the decline of the American
maritime industries lies with the industries
themselves.
12. Congress and the Executive Branch
have enacted and implemented procurement
policies that have emphasized bid price rather
than value, with uncceptably harmful effects
for both the merchant marine and the shipbuilding and repair industries in the form of
the erosion of industrial capacity and capability, some losses in our traditional lead
in technological and service innovation,
and growing dependence on foreign sources
of goods and services.
13. If the privately-owned merchant fleet
is to be of a size and composition to fill
the requirements of the national strategy,
commercial operators must be able to
acquire vessels on terms that do not impair
their ability to compete in the commercial
trade, and must have access to cargo on
fair economic terms without being disadvantaged by unfair or non-economic policies and practices.
14. "Free trade" in reality does not exist
today because of the prevalence of discrimination and protectionism in internatinal commerce, sometimes involving our
closest trading partners and sometimes in
violation of the spirit and letter of existing
agreements. The United States government has not done as much as it could to
deal with that situation by efforts to provide American flag ship operators with
free access to international markets through
all means, including international trade
negotiations.
15. In today's international business environment, United States ship operators
inherently have higher operating costs than
many of their foreign competitors. If American operators are to be able to compete in
terms of price, some form of the Operational
Differential Subsidy (ODS) program or some
other measure to address some or all of the
difference appears essential.
16. Continuation of and strict adherence
to existing statutory programs to reserve cargo
for United States flag carriers, including the
Military Cargo Preference Act of 1904, the
Cargo Preference Act of 1954, and the Jones
Act, are essentia.l. However important those
programs are, reliance on them alone will
not provide sufficient cargo to support a
United States-flag merchant marine and a
shipbuilding and repair industry of the size
and composition needed for national defense.
17. To ensure the availa.bility of sufficient
trained personnel to man sealift ships in time
of war or national emergency, there is a need
to support and preserve the capability to train
licensed and unlicensed personnel in the
government, state, and industry-la.bor training facilities.
18. The total colla.pse of commercial ship
construction has been a major factor in the
decline of United States shipbuilding capability. Government construction alone,
mostly Navy and concentrated in a small
number of shipyards, is insufficient to
maintain a diversified shipbuilding and repair industry, including shipyard suppliers,
sufficient to meet mobilization requirements in time of war or national emergency.
19. The United States has become
alarmingly dependent upon foreign sources
of critical equipment, ranging from major
propulsion system components to precision bearings, for Navy as well as for
commercial ships. In some cases, the newest, most technologically advanced, and
most important Navy weapons systems
rely upon foreign manufactured components.
20. The decline of the maritime industries has been continuous over the long
term in spite of a number and variety of

"business as usual" fixes and marginal
adjustments. Heroic measures will be necessary if the decline is to be reversed and the
industries restored to the minimum capacity
projected by the Department of Defense
and the Department of Transportation as
necessary to fulfill the requirements of our
current national policy.
21. In the past, many government programs have addressed only parts of the problem. The situation is now so bad that coordinated action is essential. To provide for
the national security, to avoid wasting
private and public funds, and to address
the situation effectively, government leadership is required to ensure the earli~st
possible active, serious, and constructive
public and private cooperation among government, business, and labor to make the
United States merchant marine more productive and competitive in world trade.
22. No government policy or system of
government assistance should guarantee a
profit to the maritime industries or to any
other industries, but the opportunity should
be available. In a capitalistic economy,
profit is the driving force that is essential
for an expanding and improving commercial merchant marine, equipped with modern and efficient ships, and for a healthy
shipbuilding industry capable of competing
effectively in world markets.
23. The rapidly deteriorating situation
cannot be addressed without real costs in
terms of national resources allocated to
pay for the defense aspects of the maritime
industries. Any successful course of action
will have costs; the challenge is to develop
and implement policies that meet the requirements in the most cost-effective manner possible.

24. The needed affirmation and restatement of our national maritime policy should
include seven major points:
• The United States must develop the
sealift resources it needs to meet its national defense requirements and to ensure
its economic security during times of war
or national emergency.
• The United States must take the measures necessary to ensure an adequacy of
ships and seamen and of sufficient shipbuilding and repair capability to meet the
requirements.
• There should be a balance between
the active commercial fleet and inactive
reserve forces, but pla.ns and policies must
emphasize active sealift capabilities.
• Reserve sealift forces ideally should
include only those highly specialized ships
with unique military capabilities that cannot be provided from commercial sources.
• Although United States policy is to
rely on allied shipping to meet that part of
its strategic requirement committed to the
support of our established alliances, nonetheless the United States must be prepared
to "go it alone" if required in geographic
areas not covered by those alliance commitments.
• The shipbuilding mobilization base
must be maintained to ensure that the
demands of the national strategy can be
met.
• New initia.tives requiring expenditures
of federal funds for the maritime industries
should be justified by and directed toward the
acquiring and maintaining of sufficient sealift
and shipyard capability to meet defense and
economic support requirements in time of
war or national emergency, and the costs of
those expenditures should be borne by the
nation as a whole.

Sea-Land and NMU's Wall
Receive AOTOS Awards
One steamship company and a union president were awarded the annual
of the Ocean Sea Award earlier this month. It was the first time a
company had been picked to receive the maritime honor.
NMU President Shannon Wall was cited for his years of service to both his
union and to the maritime industry as a whole.
Sea-Land won its award for being the American-flag carrier which pioneered
containerization in the international trade.
The awards were presented at a charity dinner with the proceeds going to
the United Seamen's Service.
A~miral

Weisberger Laid to Rest

Pallbearers carry former SUP President Morris Weisberger's casket following
funeral services. Weisberger, a maritime labor pioneer, died Sept. 27 (see Oct.
LOG). He was buried at the Sailors Uni9n of the Pacific plot at Olivet Memorial
Park in Colma, Calif. Pallbearers are SUP President Paul Dempster, Jack Ryan,
Gunnar Lundeberg, SIU vice presidents George McCartney and Buck Mercer, and
Brandy Tynan.

�Area Vice Presidents'

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike Sacco

No

group of people follows the
weather more closely than Great
Lakes seamen. Once the cold weather
comes, shipping up here grinds to a
halt.
The recent cold spell has been a
disappointment to seamen. So too have
port development projects. After a
promising start, the number of government-generated projects has tapered off.
The big news up here has been and
continues to be the Canadian Free
Trade Agreement. This is because Great
Lakes seamen know first-hand what
opening up American shipping to Canadian interests can do.
American vessels carry less than 5
percent of all ocean-borne-cargo between American and Canadian ports.
Canadian subsidies and a favorable
exchange rate give Canadian shipping
companies an insurmountable edge.
The only good news up here on this
issue has been the intense opposition
that the treaty has aroused in Canada
itself.
Anyone who wants to know why
Americans run huge trade deficits might
want to consider the amount of publicity that the Canadian Free Trade
Agreement has received in both countries.
In Canada, the issue is front page
news. In the United States, which
stands to lose as much as Canada, if
not more, the issue has elicited little
more than a yawn.
For more information on this issue,
tum to page 8.

change to FERS. For employees afloat
and ashore at MSCPAC, the figures
are even more dismal. Unless there is
a last minute rush in MSCP AC to
change over, PERS must do with the
pitiful few (fewer than 10) who have
made the big decision to switch.
There are two major reasons why
PERS has not been successful in their
recruitment efforts: mistrust and misunderstanding.
Mistrust because many of the civil
service elder statesmen do not trust
the present administration and feel
that benefits under CSRS will be eroded
under FERS. They have observed how
the administration has toyed with Social Security benefits, and they know
that FERS and Social Security are tied
together.
Misunderstanding and confusion because the government's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has not
allowed enough time for employees to
digest all of the material that has been
sent or explained to them, mostly
through videotapes. This has resulted
in confusion among the rank and filenot only with MSCPAC personnel, but
employees in all other government
agencies as well.
While retirement benefits under
FERS may prove advantageous for
federal and postal employees in the
long run, and this is the consensus in
and around Washington, D.C., until
federal and postal employees can absorb all the material that has been
thrown at them in a relatively short
time, the Federal Employees Retirement System will fail miserably.
One can assume, however, that as
more information is learned about
FERS, eligible federal and postal employees will have the option to switch
retirement plans during an open season period.

enough to have strong support in Congress. The maritime caucus is one of
the strongest and most effective on
Capitol Hill. Yet every time that we
try to pass a promotional program to
help the maritime industry, the administration just steps in and vetoes the
legislation.
The Reagan administration has rewritten all the rules on what to expect
from government. When I started out
in the maritime industry, it was not
unusual for the labor officials and shipping executive to bemoan the lack of
concrete action by Washington. The
Reagan administration changed that.
Instead of neglecting the maritime industry, they've actively tried to dismantle it.
This is the first administration which
has failed to implement existing cargo
preference laws. It has gutted every
single maritime program on the books.
And on top of everything, it has demonstrated an outright hostility to the
needs of the working people.
Political action is the only way that
we will be able to save this industry.
The upcoming presidential election offers us our last, best hope for turning
things around. It is no longer enough
to upgrade your shipping skills. Any
seaman who wants to protect his job
security should register to vote, become active in the Union's grassroots
activities and donate to SPAD.

.x k.::.
East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

I

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

H
~·:El
Government Services
by V.P. Buck Mercer

T

HE option for all eligible federal
and postal employees is fast running out for changing their retirement
plan from the Civil Service Retirement
System (CSRS) to Federal Employees
Retirement System (FERS). The deadline date has been set for Dec. 31,
1987; however, there have been few
eligible federal or postal workers who
have made the important decision to
change plans.
The latest figures show that less than
1 percent of all eligible federal and
postal employees have decided to

Re~ort

OUSTON has long been the largest port in the country. But you
couldn't tell that by the number of
American-flag vessels that come in and
out of here.
Not that shipping is bad. Far from
it. There's lots of inland and military
work for our membership. But to tell
the truth, there isn't much commercial
work down here. And what little that
we have is destined to get smaller.
Given the amount of cargo that comes
in and out of Houston, I find this a
downright shame. Yet the only way
that this sorry state of affairs is going
to change is if we elect an administration which shares our commitment to
the maritime industry.
During the past six years, maritime
has learned the hard way that it isn't

T was a busy month on the East
Coast.
SIU members picketed McAllister
and Curtis Bay tugs in Baltimore,
Norfolk and Delaware. Both the Union
and the companies were playing hardball.
More than 100 union members from
other labor organizations supported
the SIU at a demonstration at Baltimore's Rec. Pier.
SIU President Frank Drozak wrote
a letter to the Coast Guard complaining about safety conditions onboard
McAllister tugs. He cited reports of
groundings, and the inexperience of
the scab crews which are manning the
tugs.
In Washington, a coalition of maritime organizations have banded together to protest the Canadian Free
Trade Agreement.
Drozak spoke about this issue at the
annual New York Port Council dinner.
The dinner was a huge success, thanks
to the hard work of Michelle Nardo
and other SIU employees who helped
plan it.
The dinner was held Oct. 17. Two
days later, Oct. 19, the stock market
suffered the largest decline in its his-

tory. In one afternoon, the value of
all the stocks on the Dow Jones had
dropped by one trillion dollars.
The head of the New York Stock
Exchange said that the 508 point drop
in the market was the "closest that he
wanted to come to an economic meltdown.'' The market recovered slightly
over the next two weeks, but a sense
of urgency hung over New York and
the rest of the country.
In a way, it was hard to feel sorry
for the same group of people who have
championed hostile takeover bids and
junk bonds. Millions of working people, including thousands of SIU members on the rivers and inland waters,
have had their pensions and benefits
threatened as a result of these questionable economic practices.
Unfortunately, we 're all in the same
boat. The fact of the matter is that
most stock market declines are followed by recessions. And this was a
crash, not just a downturn.
The televised accounts of the crash
were chilling. No one who saw the
faces of the brokers-the pained
expressions, the utter sense of disbelief-will have any doubt about the
way history will ultimately judge
Reaganomics.
One final note: I'd like to comment
on a new and innovative company that
the SIU recently signed up. It's called
ARCO RP.
As many of our members know, the
New York maritime industry has been
experiencing difficult times. Sea-Land
is the last major operator to be stationed in the metropolitan area, and it
has threatened to reflag if action isn't
taken on reforming the liner subsidy
program.
One of the few areas of growth has
been in auto ferries. Earlier this year,
the SIU signed up a new company,
ARCO RP.
Things are going so well for the new
company that it was recently written
up in The Journal of Commerce.
Alluding to the growing use of ferries along the Hudson River, the article said, "One ferry service exceeding expectations is operated by
ARCO RP.
''From 110 passengers the first day,
the [new] line has grown to more than
2,500 a day."

West Coast
by V. P. George McCartney

I

had to fly back East last month to
attend two important functions. My
first stop was Manhattan for the New
York Port Council's annual dinnerdance. I then went on to Miami, where
the Maritime Trades Department was
holding its convention.
For the past seven years, the New
York Port Council has handed out the
Paul Hall Award of Merit. The award
is given to ''that individual whd has
made significant contributions to the
(Continued on Page 21.)
November 1987 I LOG I 11

�..

...

i
Strike Enters Sixth Week

Boatmen, Families, Other Unions Man Tugboat Picket Unes
Scab crews on Cutris Bay and
McAllister Brothers tugs continued to
"whack" ships and damage equipment in Norfolk, Philadelphia and Baltimore as a three port, two-company
strike entered its sixth week. In the
meantime, the 500 striking boatmen
received picket help from their families and support from other unions in
the three cities.
The captain of the M/V Ocean Princess (Ocean Cruise Lines) sent a letter
to Curtis Bay's Philadelphia office
complaining of the poor handling by
one of the tugs sent to assist in docking.
"Please be advised," he wrote, "that

whilst alongside Penn's Landing pier
... your tug Cape May coming to
make fast at starboard quarter, hit my
ship creating a considerable dent on
the shellplate."
In other ports, local politicians expressed fears that scab-crewed tugs
posed dangers to their ports, especially when handling toxic or dangerous materials.
When a massive snow storm hit
parts of the East Coast in early November, the tugs in Baltimore tied up,
rather than face work in conditions
SIU boatmen have safely handled for
years.

Four-year-old Simone Garayoa accompanied her parents Mark (right) and Cynthia
Garayoa to the Union unity rally in Baltimore last month. Garayoa is a chief
engineer for Curtis Bay.

In Norfolk, wives of the strikers
staged a protest at McAllister's downtown office and at Curtis Bay's dockside operations. More than three dozen
wives participated.
In Philadelphia, several wives
manned a daily informational picket
line in front of Curtis Bay's headquarters.
In Baltimore, strikers and their families rallied at the city's World Trade
Center and gathered thousands of signatures from Baltimore residents on
petitions requesting that the companies return to bargaining and to replace
th scab crews.

The docking of the Queen Elizabeth
II in Baltimore became the scene of a
floating picket when two boat-loads of
striking SIU members shadowed, from
a safe distance, the docking of the
huge liner. One Curtis Bay tug barely
escaped damage when it was slowly
moving between the ship and the
pier.
As the LOG went to press, the
National Labor Relations Board had
not acted on several unfair labor practice charges filed against McAllister
fot\failure to bargain in good faith.
Negotiations had not resumed with
Curtis Bay.

Striking boatmen from all three ports
and both towing companies gathered
at Baltimore's Maritime Exchange for
picket duty last month.

Members of more than two dozen unions
In Norfolk, dozens of wives of the striking boatmen picketed McAllister's offices.

12 I LOG I November 1987

joined in the Baltimore rally.

�.

Near the McAllister docks in Norfolk wives
joined their striking husbands shouting
questions at newly hired security guards
and scabs.

~

lo Philadelphia, Sharon Rafferty (center)
hands a leaflet to a passerby in front of
Curtis Bay's headquarters. With her is
Nancy Weiner. The women and others picketed the company's offices nearly every
day at lunchtime.

With help from the Metropolitan Baltimore
Council of AFL-CIO Unions more than 200
working men and women joined striking
SIU members in a solidarity rally.

..,

When the Queen Elizabeth II called on Baltimore during the strike, SIU boatmen
manned picket boats and shadowed the docking operation.

In Philadelphia, Sidney Faucett and An-

thony Hughes man the hand-made picket
shed at Curtis Bay.

It's never too young to start a good union education as this young girl finds out.

SIU reps and leaders of other unions spoke to the crowd at the Baltimore rally. "The Seafarers are a reasonable union that will work
with a company for the betterment of the port . . . but they are determined not to work in regressive, unsafe conditions," Ernie Grecco,
President of the Baltimore Council of AFL-CIO Unions told the crowd.

November 1987 I LOG I 13

�New
Pensioners
The following SIU members have
retired on pension:
DEEP SEA
Algonac
N arch Krzywda, 3rd mate
Joseph Rollins, 2nd cook
Joseph A. Wilkes, AB
Phillip Williams, engineman
Baltimore
Steve Kolina, chief cook
William F. O'Brien
Edward P. Sinush, GSU
Brooklyn
Santiago Arroyo, chief cook
Richard Chamberlin, QMED
Carroll P. Dwyer
Michael Haukland, steward
William G. Rogers, AB
Houston
Miguel Aguirre, cook/baker
Frank J. Cunningham, AB
John M. Daigle Sr., asst chief cook
Nathaniel P. Davis
Amado E. Diaz, OS
Jimmie L. Jackson, cook

NMC Calls
It Quits
The National Maritime Council, once
an influential maritime labor and industry coalition, has folded.
At one time the NMC enjoyed the
direct support of Marad , hundreds of
companies and most maritime labor
unions. In 1978 its ties to Marad were
cut. Last year the unions left the
organization.
The NMC was formed in 1971 to
promote U .S.-flag shipping by trying
to bring the various maritime groups
together under one umbrella.
The decision to end the NMC was
''taken because of a marked loss of
broad support and a sharp decline in
the number of viable American carriers ," said NMC President William
B. Kelly.
When the NMC was formed there
were 12 U.S.-flag subsidized carriers.
Today there are four.

Theodore Graham Jr.
Donald M. King, 3rd cook

Guillermo Martinez, steward asst.
Napoleon Rivas, OMV
Jacksonville
Peter L. Christopher
John E. Floyd, AB/bosun
Mobile
Wesley H. Foster, bosun
New Orleans
Anthony Benedict, steward asst.
Horace Mayeux
Norfolk
Kenneth Gahagan, bosun
Clyde W. Marriner, AB
Philadelphia
Casimir Bogucki, AB
San Francisco
Wayne M. Evans, GSU
William H. MacArthur, AB
Dionisio T. Muyco, chief cook
Seattle
Kenneth H. Girvan

GREAT LAKES
Harold D. Barragan
John D. Lackey
ATLANTIC FISHERMEN
Michael Orlando
The following Inland members have
retired on pension:
Cleveland
Donald R. Jaegle, deckhand
Jacksonville
Frank W. Robinson, AB
Norfolk
John Becker, deckhand
Bruce E. Knight, mate
Philadelphia
Christian Frederickson, oiler

DOT and Labor Posts Picked
Two cabinet posts which could have
an impact on the SIU and the labor
movement have been filled by President Reagan, subject to congressional
approval.
Ann Dore McLaughlin has been
nominated to take over the Department of Labor. Former Labor Secretary Bill Brock resigned to head up
Sen. Robert Dole's (R-Kan.) campaign
for the presidency.
McLaughlin has held a number of
posts in government, mainly in the
communications field. Her last job in

the administration was as undersecretary of the interior.
Though she has a lack of labor
experience, the AFL-CIO has indicated it will not oppose her appointment.
Last month Reagan nominated James
H. Burnley to become secretary of
transportation. He will be replacing
Elizabeth Dole who also is working
for Robert Dole's presidential bid.
Burnley has served as deputy secretary of transportation since 1983.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
OCTOBER 1-31, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port
New York ..... . ... . .... . .........
Philadelphia ........... ~ .... . .. . ..
Baltimore .. . ..... . ...............
Norfolk .. .... ... . ............. . .
Mobile . . ........................
New Orleans ................ . .... .
Jacksonville ................. . .. ..
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ...... . .......... . .....
Seattle ..........................
Puerto Rico . ................ . ....
Houston ........................ .
Algonac .........................
St. Louis ......... . ........... . ..
Piney Point ...... . . . ... .. ... .... . .
Totals . . . . . . .... . .. .. ... . .. . . .. .

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

0

0

0

6

0
12
0
0
5
0
3

0
0
0
0
6
0
13
0

0
3
4
1
0

8
0
1
0

48

0
2

0

0
5
0
0
7
16
2
0
86

0

28

0

28

Port
New York . . . ................... . .
Philadelphia ..... .. ....... . .......
Baltimore .................... . ...
Norfolk ................. . .... . ..
Mobile ....... . ..................
New Orleans .............. . .......
Jacksonville ........ .. .... . .......
San Francisco .. . ....... . ..........
Wilmington . .. .. . . ..... . ..........
Seattle ...... . ...................
Puerto Rico ......................
Houston ......... . ...............
Algonac .. . . ... . ............... . .
St. Louis . . ......................
Piney Point ............. . .........
Totals . .. . .... . .. . .......... . .. .

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

0

0

0

0
20
0
0

0
6
0
2

0
0
0
0
0
3
8
0
0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

31

0
0
0
0
7
0
0
15

0
0
0
0
1
0
2

0

0

0

0
12
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
2

0
0

0

0

1
2
0
1
0
0
0
3
0
0

0
0
0
1
0
0
0

1

Port
New York . . . .. . ..... ...... . ......
Philadelphia . .. . . ..... . . . . .. ..... .
Baltimore . ...... .... . ........ . ...
Norfolk .. .... . .. . . .. . ...........
Mobile .. . . .. . .... . .. . . ... ...... .
New Orleans ... .. ... ... .. ........ .
Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Francisco . . .. ....... .. . ... .. ..
Wilmington . ... .. . . ..... . .... . .. . .
Seattle ......... . . . .. . ... . . .... ..
Puerto Rico .... .. ...... .. . . ......
Houston .......... .. ...... ... . . ..
Algonac .. ....... . .. .. ........ . . .
St. Louis . . . . .......... .. ........
Piney Point .. . . .. ... . . ... . .... . ...
Totals .... . . . . . . ... . . ...........
THANK YOU FOR NOT
SERVING MARVAL/ROCCO
#P-18 TURKEY FOR YOUR
HOLIDAY DINING.
·~ 2 ,

14 I LOG I November 1987

Support
SPAD

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

0
0
15

Totals All Departments .. . ... .. ....... .

132

3

0
2

9

0
3

52

33

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
DECK DEPARTMENT
0
0
NOT AVAILABLE
6
0
35
8

0

1
0
0
24
0
0
3
12
1
0

82

0

0
1
0
25
0
0
2
3
0
0

39

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0
NOT AVAILABLE
0
0
6
3
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0

0

0

0

0
0

4
65
1
1
0

0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
4
0
2
0

10

45

141

0
25
0
0
4
0
13
0
0
3
5
1
0
51

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0
2
13
0
0

0
15
0
2
0
0
9
0
0

0
0

0
0
1

0
25
0
0
0
0
18

0

0
2
0
38
0
0
4
0
1
0

0

49

0

30

0

0

0

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
5
0
6

0
6
0

0
15
0
1

0
18
0
0
0
5
0
0
29

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0

25

0
1

53

228

106

12

0
0
0
1
0

102

0

58

0

0
0
3
0
0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0
NOT AVAILABLE
0
0
4
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
1
0
1
0
0
6
4

0

2

0

0
1
7
0
0

6

0

45
0
0
7
15
2
1

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1

0

14

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0

0
0

1
3

0
0

2
0
5
0
0
0

2

0
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 .

�Cetting
Ready for
the P.R.0.M.*
very day the consumption
of oil around the world-increases, and with this increase comes a greater demand for tankships and skilled
pumpmen. However, with new
technologies and automation
onboard tankships, the best
pumpmen may find themselves
competing for jobs.
Just as the tanks hip has developed and changed since the
first load of oil crossed the Atlantic in 1886, so has the pumpman. He has adapted to the vast
and rapid changes in the tanker

E

Pump Room Operations &amp; Maintenance*-Course Outline
1. Introduction
2. Tanker Design and
Construction
types of tankers
changes in tanker design
VLCC's
ULCC's
3. How Oil is Measured
units of measure
gauging
gross barrels
net barrels

4. Cargo Piping Systems
direct pipeline system
learning the cargo system
VLCC system

S. Loading
before loading
starting cargo
removing list
stress
6. Discharging Cargo
pre-transfer check-off
the pumpman
discharging procedures
7. Planning the Load
load lines
loading plan and
calculations
loading to final draft

8. Ballasting
the need for ballast
clean ballast
segregated ballast tanks
deballasting

9. Tank Cleaning
why clean tanks
methods and equipment
line, pump and bottom
flushes

10. Fire Prevention
what is fire
the elements
extinguishing agents and
equipment
prevention versus cure
11. Preventing Pollution
what causes pollution
what to do if you have a spill
laws governing pollution
control
12. Inert Gas Systems
basic IG system
IG systems and components
precautions
know your ship
13. Valves
types of valves
valve care and maintenance
automatic controlled valves

14. Pumps
types of pumps
care and maintenance of
pumps
pump bearings and
lubrication
troubleshooting pump
problems

15. Precision Tools
calipers
dial indicators
outside micrometer
inside micrometer
depth micrometer
16. Packing and Seals
types of packing
mechanical seals
17. Hydraulics
pumps
systems
controllers
care of hydraulic systems
18. Lathe
construction
maintenance
safety

industry. The pumpmen of today have found, through training and education, that they may
be better equipped to meet the
challenges of the industry and
competition for jobs.
It is through development and
change in the industry that the
Pumproom Maintenance and
Operations Course has evolved
and can help you meet the demands in the pumpman field
head on.
Guiding the students in this
newly-designed course will be
Jim Shaffer, formerly an instructor at SHLSS in 1978 who
left in 1981 to work as a boiler
plant foreman at the Patuxent
River Naval Air Station. After
a few years, he got tired of doing
a job that he didn't enjoy. Jim
found out that being in the classroom and teaching was what he
loved most, and so he has returned, reinvigorated and enthusiastically planning to welcome his first students on Feb.
1, 1988 for a six-week course.
Jim's professional background is extensive, having
worked in the stationary and
marine engineering field for 27
years, the first 14 of which were
spent in the Navy. One of his
jobs there was an "oil king"the man responsible for loading
supplies and refueling ships at
sea. He traveled all around the
world on a variety of ships from
aircraft carriers to refrigeration
ships. After the Navy, he at- tended Jones College in Nor-

folk, Va. and earned a Management and Administration degree
in their Veterans' Degree Program. From there, he became
operations manager at an oil
terminal in Norfolk, loading all
sorts of liquid products. Handling problems posed by a variety of materials required imaginative solutions. Railcars
filled with hardened animal tallow had to be heated overnight
with steam before they could be
unloaded. Another shipment,
this time of liquid latex, challenged Jim's ingenuity, because
it resisted being unloaded by
clogging every pump he tried
using. Finally, Jim rigged up a
system whereby he could force
the latex out of the tank with
high pressure frvm the outside.
From fetid liquid fish solubles
to delightful Kentucky bourbon,
Jim handled it all!
Jim considers his main field
to be boiler technician, in which
he is certified for feedwater test
and treatment (boilers require
critically balanced water quality
for proper operation). In addition, he is a technician in gasfree engineering-knowing how
to monitor, measure and handle
oxygen levels and explosive
gases in tanks and enclosed
spaces.
In training upgraders as
pumpmen, Jim wants to stress
the safety aspect of their jobs
and go ''overboard'' on learning
all there is to know about the
(Continued on Page 16.)

19. Lathe
tools
accessories
20. Grinders
grinder wheels
dressing grinder wheels
operation and safety
21. Grinder
grinding, lathe facing tools
grinding, lathe turning tools
22. Lathe
set up work
facing
turning
cutting threads
knurling
23. Lathe Skills
class project

SHLSS student practicing his lathe skills.

November 1987 I LOG I 15

�·Effective Dec. 1, 1987, new Coast Guard regulations go into effect regarding
License renewal.
-In order to renew a license, the applicant will be requested to:
present evidence of at least one year of sea service during the past five
years; or
pass a comprehensive open-book exercise covering the general subject
matter required of the license; or
complete an approved refresher training course; or
present evidence of employment in a closely related industry for three of
the last five years.
-The license holder must present a vaiid certificate of completion of a CPR
course.
-Applicant must take a physical or have had one within the past three
years.
Also, effective October 1, 1988, evidence of completion of an approved
firefighting course will be required for all original licenses, upgrade of
licenses, and license renewals.
For those persons needing to certify or recertify in CPR, the SHLSS will
schedule CPR classes during the year to satisfy those needs. Also, a
firefighting course will be made available next year to meet the Oct. 1, 1988
deadline.
NOTE: The third/second mate and engineers courses include CPR, firefighting and first aid in the course schedule.
Name
Soc. Sec. # _ _ _ _ __
Address
Phone # _ _ _ _ _ _ __
License held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date of issue _ _ _ _ __

Instructor Jim Shaffer (center) explains the operation of a lathe to two SHLSS students.

(Continued from Page 15.)

the updating and restructuring
of the entire automation program.
The first three weeks of the
course will cover such topics as
tanker construction, cargoes,
Coast Guard regulations, pipe
systems, valves, pumps and
loading problems, and much
more. The next three weeks deals
with hands-on shop work, such
as precision tools, pump repair
and alignment, packing types,
bearings and lubricating safe and
proper lathe set up and operation. Each student will use lathe
skills to make a class project.

ships they'll be on. Of course,
hands-on experience is always
the most desirable, and he hopes
to use the school's tank barge
as a practical training ground
for application of classroom-acquired knowledge. In hoping that
his enthusiasm as a teacher will
rub off on his students, Jim
states that, "We can cover all
aspects of the pump man's job
so that students will go out of
here motivated to do a safe and
responsible job.'' After establishing the P.R.O.M. course,
Jim's next major project will be

PineyP in

Course needed:

CPR D

First aid D

* More comprehensive information will be published in the Dec. issue of the LOG

oes nte
"The best!", "Wonderful",
"Just can't compare!"; to a man,
these were the type of enthusiastic comments given by the
group of electricians and able
seamen from Canada about their
course of study here at SHLSS.
These Canadian upgraders are
the very first group of many to
come, who will be receiving
training at Piney Point. Their
month-long stay ended October
9. Having returned to Canada,
they'll be shipping out with newly
polished skills to apply on their
new jobs. Our Canadian broth-

T

Canadian Electricians, October 1987Left to right, front row: Jeffrey Dawson,
George Moulton, Fred Bauersfeld, Warren
Anderson, Tim Hallewell; back row: John
Grove, Helmet Fiesel, Joseph Weber (obscured), Robert Wilson, Thomas Shaw, Jack
Parcel (instructor), David McCormack.

I
ers were as impressed with the
quality of instruction as the instructors were with the enthusiasm and intelligence of their
students. Ed Boyer who guided
the AB's, commented that this
was probably ''the best class
I've had in 14 years of training
seamen. I'd be very happy if our
American seamen performed as
well.'' The electricians, led in
study by Jack Parcel, all praised
their teacher highly for his thorough knowledge of his subject
and his effective teaching methods. Electrician Thomas Shaw

T

Canadian ABs, October 1987-Left to
right, front row: Pat Slattery, Phil Popovich, Howard Strowbridge, Bob Smith, Eric
Kehoe; back row: Howard Tulk, Ed Boyer
(instructor), Henry Mullins, Melvin Martin,
Harold Caines, Norman Bryan, Henderson
Scott, Paul McGean, Denis Ferland.

.
..

16 I LOG I November 1987

Firefighting D

said, "Even though several of
us have many years of experience, we · still found ourselves
learning new and better ways of
doing things from Jack." Even
out of the classroom, the Canadians made as positive
impression on all who came ill
contact with them. Sindy Davis,
a trainee from Class #416 Deck
and Engine, had nothing but
praise for these men. On their
free time, a number of the Canadians shared their own hardearned knowledge by helping the
trainees in learning knot-work
and in their other course work
in the library. Summing up the
feelings of all, Phil Popovich
from Nova Scotia said, "I enjoyed the courses here totally.
Before, I was afraid to admit
that I didn't know how to do
something. Now, when Igo back
on the job, I will feel a lot more
confident in my work."

�-

SHLSS course Graduates

Norman Armstrong, Robert Baskin, Andrew Berfein, Timothy Charez, Alonzo
Cyprian Jr., Eric Fullmer, Daniel Hecker, Preston Lauffer, Pablo Luciano, Carlos
Marcial Villabla, Bruce Morgan, Thomas Route, Ben Cusic (instructor).

Jeffrey Amendolia, Peter Atkinson, Rober Baptiste, Tony Cheesebrew, Dean
Ahtujuan, Jarrod Cunakoo, William Harris, Aaron Kamil, Willie Lindsey, Eric
Manley, Ralph Neal, David Partridge, Ivan Passapera, Orab Presley, Marcus
Terry, Robert Thompson III, Charles Touzet, Tony Tudury, John Tweedel, Jake
Karaczynski (instructor).

Sealift Class (Sept. 10}--Left to right, front row: Salvador Baclayon Jr., Alexander
Stankiewicz, Janet Snow, Harry Alongi (instructor), Tracy Blanich, Ralph McKee,
Willy DeLeon; 2nd row: Stephanie Smith, Scott Opsahl, Nancy Manni, Travis
Crow, Guido Santiago, Robert Brown, Richard Wilson, Donald Williams, Ken
Couture, Cutler Wells, William Cooper.

Lifeboat Class (Sept. 23)-Left to right: Jake Karaczynski (instructor), Nancy
Manni, Toni Kiwior, Michael Curtis, Lori Fencl, Johnny Cruz, Ida Prange, Roy
Syring, Tracy Blanich, Richard Cotton, Shari Smithson.

FOWT (Sept. 21}-Left to right, front row: Bill Foley (instructor), John Chinn,
J.P. Murray, Lee Laffitte, Alvin Hom; back row: Kevin Samuels, Steve Du Pre,
F.P. Jaworski.

Recertified Stewards (Sept. 1}-Left to right, front row: Ernest Haitt Jr., Edward
Kilford, Williams Stralley, Richard Gramble; back row: Paul Calimer, Harry
Lively, John Alamar, Ken Rosiek, Melvin Morgan.

Reefer Class-Left to right, front row: Michael Murphy,
Rudy Salvaggio; back row: Eric Malzkuhn (instructor),
Alberto Aguiar, Richard Risbeck, Charles Gallagher.

Lifeboat Class (Sept. 5}-Left to right: E.C. Ammons, Rafael Suris,
Willie Deleson (kneeling), Stephanie Smith, Roy Matteson, Salvador
Baclayon Jr., Ben Cusic (instructor).

Marine Electrical Maintenance Class
(Sept. l}-Left to right: Kenneth Couture and Alexander Stankiewicz.

-·

November 1987 I LOG I 17

�1988 pgr ding
Co rse Schedu e
Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
January - June 1988
The following is the current course schedule for January 1988 - June
1988 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 posmble. Although every effort will
be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs and
the needs of the industry.
SIU Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the
application.

Steward Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Course
Assistant Cook

Completion
Date

Open·ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Cook and Baker

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Steward

Open·ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

*All students in the Steward Program will have 2 weeks of Seallft
familiarization at the end of their regular course.

Engine Upgrading Courses
Course
Conveyorman

Check-In
Date
January 4

Completion
Date
January 29

QMED
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

January 4
March 28

March 24
April 8
June 30
July 15
February 26
March 11
February 19
March 4
March 11
March 25
April 29
May 13
April 1
April 15
April 22
May6
April 8
April 22
May 13
May27
May 27
June 10
June 17
July 1
July 1
July 15

QMED
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

Aprll 11
July 5
Marine Electrical Malnt.
January 4
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
February 29
Refrigeration Systems Malnt. &amp; Operatiol as January 11
February 22
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Pumproom Maint. &amp; Operations
February 1
March 14
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.
March 21
Pumproom Maint. &amp; Operations
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
May2
Refrigerated Containers-Advanced Maint. February 22
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
April 4
Variable Speed DC Drives
March 14
April 25
•Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.
Welding
March 14
April 11
Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Welding
April 18
May 16
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Diesel Engine Technology
April 18
•Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.
May30
Electro-Hydraulic Systems
May 9
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
June 20
Hydraulics
June 6
•Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.
July 5

*All students in the Engine Department will have 2 weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

College Programs Scheduled for 1988
Check-In
Date

Course

Associates in Arts or Certificate Program January 11
March 21
May 23
August 8
October 17

Completion
Date
March 4
May 13
July 15
September 30
December 9

Deck Upgrading Courses
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Towboat Operator

January 4

February 26

Able Seaman

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)*

First Class Pilot (Organized self study)

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

Celestial Navigation

February 29

April 1

Radar

April4

April 15

Radar Refresher/Renewal

Open-ended, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date.)

Radar Recertification

Open-ended, 1 day (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date)

Third Mate &amp; Original Second Mate

April 18

Lifeboat

January 11
January 22
February 19
February 8
March 18
March 7
April 4
April 15
May 13
May 2
May 30
June 10
June 27
July 1
Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
LNG -

·-

Self Study Safety Course

UPDATE OF

on or
SSH

BOOK#

Mailing Address

srnEET: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
CITY: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
STATE; _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ZIP CODE _ __

Date You Received QMED: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

June 24

(This course is not offered as a
separate course, but may be
taken while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)

SPECIALTY COURSES COMPLETED:
Name of Course &amp; Date:

1. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

2.

3. - - - - - - - -

4.
6. _ _ _ _ _ _ __

5. - - - - - - - ?. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

If you are a Class I, QMED, have you applied to SHLSS to sit for your 3rd
Asst. Engineers License?
If so, date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
DAY

*Upon completion of course must take Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance.
18 I LOG I November 1987

o I of

MONTH

YEAR

�Upgrading Course
Apply
Now
for
an
SH
LSS
...............................•...........•.........•...••............................•••••.•••..••.••...••.•...•...••..••...•.•....... ,
Seat are rs Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name

(Last)

(first)

Date of Birth

(Middle)

Address

Mo./DaylYear

(Street)

(City)

(State)

Deep Sea Member D

Telephone

(Zip Code)

Inland Waters Member D

Lakes Member

(Area Code)

o

Pacific D

If the following imformation is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.
Book#_ _ _ _ _ Seniority_ _ _ _ _ Department,_ _ _ __

Social Security#
Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces D Yes

D No

Home P o r t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes
Trainee Program: From _ _ _ _ _ _ to

No D (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completed, _ _ _ __

(dates attended)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: O Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s) Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for Training - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Primary Language Spoken - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here If Not Listed
DECK

ENGINE

O AB/Seallft
D Towboat Operator Inland
D Celeatlal Navigation
O MHter ln•pected Towing Vessel
0 1•t CleH Piiot
O Third Mete
D Radar Observer Unllmlted
D Simulator Course

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

0 FOWT
D QMED-Any Rating
D Variable Speed DC Drive Syatema
(Marine Electronlcs)
D Marine Electrical Maintenance
D Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
D Automation
D Ref rlgeratlon Syatema Maintenance
&amp; Operation•
o DleHI Engine Technology
D Aulstent Engineer/Chief Engineer
Motor Veasel
D Orglnal 3rd/2nd Asslatent Engineer
Steam or Motor
D Ref rlgerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
D Hydraulics
D Electro·Hydraullc Systems

STEWARD
O
O
D
D
D

Aaalatant Cook Utlllty
Cook and Baker
Chief Cook
Chief Steward
Towboat Inland Cook

ALL DEPARTMENTS
0 Welding
O Llfeboetman

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
O Adult Saale Education (ABE)
O High School Equlvelency
Program (GED)
D Developmental Studies (DYS)
D English es a Second Language (ESL)
D ABEJESL Lifeboat Preparation

COLLEGE PROGRAM

o

Assocletea In Arts Degree
D Nautical Science Certificate

You must list, or supply evidence of, sufficient time to qualify yourself for the course(s) you are requesting.
VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ DATE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:

-

November 1987 I LOG I 19

-

�-

A Cooperative Effort

Fire Drill Held Aboard USNS Mercy
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC

-

The quiet of a peaceful Sunday
morning was broken Nov. 1 when fire
trucks with sirens blaring roared into
Naval Supply Center Oakland to put
out a simulated fire aboard the USNS
Mercy (T-AH 19).
The drill was part of ''Operation
Mercy,' ' a hypothetical pierside marine casualty exercise sponsored by
the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office
in San Francisco and the Oakland Fire
Department. In the planning stages for
about a year, the exercise was finetuned after the MSC hospital ship was
selected as the platform to conduct
the drill which provided local Navy
and civilian fire fighting departments
the opportunity to work together to
perform emergency evolutions aboard
ship.
In the incident scenario, the Mercy
was preparing to leave Oakland when,
in the process of firing up the propulsion system, the ship's boiler was
flooded with too much fuel. The excess
fuel ignited, causing an explosion in
the engine room which diasbled fire
pumps and electrical generators. The
explosion also ruptured a salt water
cooling system in the auxiliary machinery space, resulting in flooding
and a potential stability problem for

the ship. For good measure, exercise
coordinators threw in additional situations which required immediate response, including an oil spill, water
pressure problems, an adjacent warehouse filled with hazardous materials,
and a reporter who was knocked overboard into the water.
For more than two hours, firemen
aboard the Mercy battled the simulated fire in the engine room while
others performed search and rescue
and provided first aid to burn casualties. Ashore, the pier which berthed
the USNS Mercy was filled with more
than a dozen fire trucks and special
Coast Guard equipment used to dewater the flooded auxiliary machinery
space. At sea, fireboats from Oakland,
San Francisco and Treasure Island
helped supply additional water to fight
the blaze aboard ship. Smoke bombs
and smoke generators, along with volunteer casualties smeared with charcoal and red dye, helped create a
disastrous atmosphere aboard the
Mercy as weary firefighters with oxygen bottles strapped to their backs
trudged across the decks and deep
into interior spaces of the hospital
ship.
''The exercise showed us we can
expect a very difficult situation if we
assist in fighting a fire aboard ship,"

Retirement for Chief Cook

In ceremonies last July, Isaiah H. Young Oeft) receives a certificate of retirement from
Capt. William T. Dannheim, MSCPAC commander. Young, who sailed as a chief cook,
.._ retired after 33 years of service.

20 I LOG I November 1987

-

Firefighters from cities in the Bay Area participated in the fire drill aboard the
USNS Mercy. A "casualty" is ~isted by some of the firemen aboard the hospital
ship.

said Battalion Chief Andrew M. Stark
of the Oakland Fire Department. ''Fires
that are deep into interior spaces aboard
ship limit your access to fight them.
The heat buildup is tremendous, and
the smoke and heat conditions can be
horrendous. Then there are the problems with manpower. You need to
rotate your manpower effectively to
contain shipboard fires."
Still, the chief was satisfied. "As
far as tactics and strategy' it went very
well. The response was excellent,"
said Stark. "We tested just about every aspect we could under these conditions and it all worked."
First Assistant Engineer Joseph
Watts of the Mercy, who worked with
the Coast Guard and local fire departments on the exercise, assisted the
firemen in locating fire stations on the
ship and guided them to areas where
simulated fires were burning. ''This is
an important drill because it requires
outside coordination in fighting a fire
that's beyond the capabilities of our
small crew aboard ship," said Watts.
On weekends after 5 p.m. until 8 a.m.
the following morning, only a security
guard and a night engineer are aboard
the ship while it's in reduced operating
status in Oakland.

Participating fire departments in the
first drill of its kind at the Naval Supply
Center included civilian units from
Oakland, Alameda, Richmond, Emeryville and San Francisco, along with
Navy firemen from NSC Oakland, NAS
Alameda and Treasure Island. The
Southern Alameda County Chapter of
the Red Cross and a private ambulance
company also participated in the drill.
The Oakland Fire Department, in
cooperation with the Navy, expects
to produce a videotape training film
based upon the "Operation Mercy"
exercise.

�Aboard the USNS Mispillion
When Navy combatant ships of the
U.S. Seventh Fleet get thirsty in the
waters of the Western Pacific, they
usually head for the closest MSC oiler
they can find.
Forward deployed in that area of
the world are the MSC fleet oilers
Mispillion, Hassayampa, Navasota,
Passumpsic and Ponchatoula. These
veteran ships, some almost 40 years
old, are key elements of MSC's Naval
Fleet Auxiliary Force. But without
skilled mariners to crew them, the
ships mean nothing.

Well trained, dedicated and thoroughly professional, the civil service
crews of MSC fleet oilers are known
throughout the world for their expertise in underway replenishments (UNREPS). Steaming side-by-side with
customer ships, MSC oilers provide
them with fuel, JP-5 aviation gasoline,
lubricants and other provisions.

Thanks to Thomas Lopez of the
Mispillion's steward department for
these photos.

-

•

Cargo Mate Pat Nueter signals a Mispillion crewmember while perched atop the
· ship's deck machinery.
ABs Ali (right) and Chester Bernard keep a close watch on UNREP operations aboard
the Mispillion.

(Continued from Page 11.)
maritime industry, labor movement or
port of New York."
This year's winner was Jack Sheinkman. As president of the Amalgamated
Clothing and Textile Workers Union,
Sheinkman has spoken out about the
danger that unfair foreign trade poses
to the workers of this country.
This is an important issue to West
Coast seamen. While ports like Seattle
and Wilmington are bursting at the
seams with foreign-made goods, job
opportunities for American seamen
are declining rapidly. Almost all of the
imports are carried on foreign-flag vessels.
The Paul Hall Award was named
after former SIU president Paul Hall.
In my last column I referred to the
Isthmian campaign, which was one of
his crowning achievements.
Demand for American shipping was
at an all-time high during World War
II. The number of U.S. vessels topped
5,000 in 1945.
Yet anyone with vision could see
that this state of affairs could not long
continue. Once World War II ended,
the demand for American shipping
would inevitably contract.
Because of this, the A&amp;G District
made organizing its top priority. In
1945, Hall, who was the Union's director of organizing, embarked on a
three-year campaign to sign up Isthmian, one of the largest unorganized
shipping companies. Its parent company was U.S. Steel.
Isthmian was eyed by all the major
maritime unions. The NMU had in-

Area Vice Presidents' Report
vested large sums of money in trying
to bring the company under its banner.
Hall had one advantage: he was able
to put together a unified organizing
team. A devoted student of the Civil
War, he transformed the entire New
York hall into a war-room.
The target? 125 vessels. The enemy?
The NMU and Isthmian.
As historian John Bunker wrote in
his history of the SIU, ''The Isthmian
drive was a classic example of success
through planning . . . teamwork . . .
sweat and guts.
"It was successful because scores
of SIU men pitched in to help. They
rode Isthmian ships . . . brought in
pledge cards . . . defied NMU goons
. . . walked picket lines . . . spent
many hours at desks, typewriters , and
mimeograph machines.''
The key to success was unity. SIU
seamen stuck together to support the
campaign because they knew that in
the long run their job security depended upon organizing this company
and others like it.
Hundreds of SIU sailors, accustomed to high-paying jobs on union
ships, flooded the Isthmian halls to
take jobs onboard Isthmian vessels.
Why? So that when it came time to
vote, they could cast their ballots for
the SIU.
The large increases in wages, benefits and working conditions that we
were able to obtain in the 1950s would

not have been possible without the
short-term sacrifices of SIU members
during the Isthmian campaign.
Today, qualified SIU seamen who
take jobs onboard military-contracted
vessels are performing a similar function. By taking these jobs and upgrading their skills, they are making sure
that the 58 new military vessels that
the Union has signed up since 1984
stay under the SIU banner.
It's important that they do. Because
another lesson the SIU learned from
Isthmian is that you can't always count
on commercial work.
Isthmian is no longer in business.
Neither are other legendary shipping
companies like U.S. Lines or MooreMcCormack.
Many of our members are counting
on Sea-Land and other commercial
work to be around forever , but it's
not likely. The only new work that is
being generated today is onboard military vessels. There are good jobs,
even if they pay less than your average
Sea-Land run.
More important, they will be around
for a long time. SIU members who
sail these vessels will be strengthening
the Union, just like their counterparts
in the Isthmian beef.
Moreover, they will be protecting
their own job security. As bad as
things are in the maritime industry
today, they are going to get worse,
not better.

One APL official told me off the
record that he wouldn't be surprised
to see the American-flag vessel decline
to fewer than 200 vessels within a year
or so. Think about it: the Americanflag merchant marine, which had de-...,
dined by more than one-third since
1980, will probably decline by more
than a half within the next few years.
The vessels that remain will require
fewer, more technically-trained seamen.
Next year, the SIU will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. The maritime industry"° that existed at the end
of World War II no longer exists.
I make no great claims about being
able to read the future. There is, however, one prediction that I feel safe
making: the world will continue to
change. Either we adapt to those
changes, or we cease to exist as an
industry or as a union.

PROlECT LIFE AND LIMB

November 1987 I LOG I 21

�Onboard the M/V Ranger
At Diego Garcia

Chief Cook Lau Philip and Chief Steward Linasan Roger are ready in the galley.

Part of the Ranger's deck crew poses for a minute. Left to right
are Bosun Jerry Borucki, AB Darya Marbrook and AB Charles
Bortz.

AB Charles Bortz keeps busy on a sunny day scaling a tank top on the MN Ranger.

Bosun Jerry Borucki looks over
AB Juan Toro's shoulder.

AB Juan Toro (standing) and AB Nelson Dorado
take a little break.

Photos submitted by Jerry Borucki.

AB Juan Toro at the anchor windlass.

22 I LOG I November 1987

All work and no play makes the deck department a dull gang.

�~---eguard

You
Ship

•

gRigh

I

\

j~
!

~/'

·-i

I.,

~--....J-~

T

O SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

-

DUES

Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register.

RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING

When you are relieved, you
must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.

RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION

It is your responsibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.

RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING It is your responsibility to claim
your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.

I

KNO

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and sel}iority are protected exclusively by the contracts between the
Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping
rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available
in all Union halls. If you feel there has been any violation
of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the
contracts between the Union and the employers. notify
the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail. return receipt requested . T_h e 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 your contract rights, as well as
your obligations. such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, any SIU

IGHTS

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in
all Union halls. All members should obtain copies of this
constitution so as to familiarize themselves with its contents. Any time you feel any member or officer is attempting to deprive you of any constitutional right or obligation
by any methods such as dealing with charges. trials, etc., ...
as well a 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 finance . 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. Members 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 by a majority of the trustees. All trust
fund financial records are available at the headquarters of
the various trust funds.

YOU

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU . These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently. no member may be discrimi nated against because of race, creed. color. sex and national or geographic origin . If any memher feels that he is
denied the equal rights to which.-he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
11111n1u111in1111n1111111111n1111111111111111111111111n111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

patrolman or other Union offi :::ial. in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly. contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union.
officer or memher. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September. 1960. meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log
policy is vested in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circumstances should any member pay any money for any reason
unless he is given such receipt. In the event anyone
~ttempts to require any such payment be made without
supplying a receipt. or if a member is required to make a
payment arid 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 is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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 supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contribution may be
solicited or received because of force. joh discrimination,
financial reprisal. 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 above improper
conduct. notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD by certified
mail within 30 days of the contribution for investigation
and appropriate action and refund. if involuntary. Support SPAD to protect and further your economic, political and social interests. and American trade union
concepts.
H 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 information, be should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return n;ceipt requested. The address is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

November 1987 I LOG I 23
-

..

�,

he Ship's Cat
Final Dispatch
By Charles A. Bortz

ONCEIVED in Greece, born in
the Gulf of Mexico, abandoned
by his mother in Carteret, N .J. Howard, the MN Ranger's official mascot
and ship's cat, was done to death by
a truck in Subic Bay last February.
Like so many of his shipmates,
Howard was in confident command
while his paws had contact with a
ship's deck, but was ill-equipped to
face the temptations and dangers of
the shore.
Indeed, he was six months old before he was ever allowed to discover
the shore. That was in Namsos, Nor-

way , where-after much heated debate among the crew-he was permitted his first venture on land. Howard
sniffed the unfamiliar smells, eyed the
unfamiliar sights, and stood stock still
in the middle of the road while a
delivery van bore down on him (an
ominous portent). He then turned tail
and scurried back up the gangway to
the safety of the ship.
That caution would have assured
him a longer life if he had not discovered something else during his next
shore leave in Algeria-the female of
the species. After that he was always
the first one down the gangway andnot infrequently-the last one back
. . . sometimes carried aboard by the
scruff of the neck.
True sailor that he was, Howard
sampled the port's delights whever he
happened to be. Marseilles, Rotterdam, Sasebo or Bahrain-it was all
one to a seagoing tomcat. On more
than one occasion, he straggled back
with missing tufts of hair, signs of an
encounter with a turf-conscious local
tom or a dockyard mongrel.
The next day, though, he was back
on the job-climbing ladders after a
loft-bound A.B., walking carelessly
along the outside of the hull's fish plate,

Qarence Fred Burrowes, 71, died
Oct. 6. He was born in Barbados,
West Indies and was a resident of New
York and Prichard, Ala. Brother
Burrowes joined the SIU in 1948
,.. and retired in 1979. He sailed in the
steward department. Seafarer Burrowes is survived by his wife, Juanita;
three sons, Leander, Freddie Michael

(Pamela) Burrowes and Seafarer
Charles J. Kirksey, III; one daughter,
Gloria K. (Cordell) Burks; three
grandchildren, Courtney Burrowes,
Corey and Kaylah Burks; mother, Mrs.
Malta Burrowes and sister, Ila Austin
of Mt. Vernon, N. Y. Internment was
at Pine Crest Cemetery, Mobile,
Ala.

(This is the final installment in the
brief saga of the Ship's Cat, as given
to us by Charles A. Bortz of Hellertown, Pa. The cat's mother first appeared in the July '84 LOG, and Howard had a cameo spot in 1986 when
he was billeted by a shipyard-bound
crew in a cat motel. Howard is much
missed aboard the Ranger. Bortz said
they looked around Diego Garcia for
a replacement but couldn't find one
with Howard's qualities. probably just
as well-as the Ranger is headed for
the Persian Gulf.)

C

Retire to Piney Point
The Seafarers Welfare and Pension Plans cover a wide range of benefits.
We'd like to remind those of you who are on pension, or planning to retire,
that we have a program/or pensioner housing.
There are a limited number of rooms available for this program, so
room and board at the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship's training
and recreation center is granted to eligible pensioners on a first-come ,
first-served basis.
To qualify for this benefit, a pensioner must be receiving a normal,
regular early normal, or disability pension from the Seafarers Pension
Plan and receive monthly Social Security benefits. You must be able to
pass a pre-admission physical examination at a Seafarers Welfare Plan
Clinic or with a Seafarers Welfare Plan contracted physician or facility .
After admission, you will be asked to submit to and pass a periodic
physical examination (at least once a year), to maintain eligibility.
The contribution for room and board at the school will be two-thirds
of your Seafarers Pension plus your Social Security pension. Your spouse
is included in this benefit. If you should die, and he/she is entitled to a
Seafarers Pension Plan Survivor's Pension, your spouse can remain at
the school under the same terms and conditions.
If it becomes necessary for you to enter a nursing home, the welfare
plan would pay the allowable benefit to the nursing home facility;
therefore, your spouse would have to make other living arrangements,
or pay the costs of room and board at the school.
Application forms can be obtained by contacting the Seafarers Claims
Department at headquarters.

startling a drowsy lookout by rubbing
up against his leg at a midnight hour.
Captain Home, his first skipper,
said that he was always extremely
wary about crossing roads. In Subic,
however, there was rumor of a particularly alluring ball offluffjust the other
side of the highway, and . . .
Actually it was Captain Halbeck
who picked him up from the road, and
it was Captain Halbeck who buried

him. A day out of the Philippines, the
Ranger's official log entry reads:
"1800. Committed the body of
"Howard the Cat," the ship's mascot,
to the deep in a dignified ceremony in
the presence of the crew on the stem.
Sounded one long blast.''
Howard didn't quite make it to his
fourth birthday, but while he lived, he
lived fully. He was a good shipmate.
He'll be missed.

Charles W. Spence, 61, of Corpus
Christi, Texas died Sept. 17. He joined
the Union in 1959 and sailed in the
deck department. Brother Spence is
survived by his wife Consuelo. He
was buried at Memory Gardens in
Corpus Christi.

Union in 1952. Boatman Thomas is
survived by his son George M. Thomas
Jr. and his daughter Patricia T. Arthur.
He was buried at North River Methodist Church Cemetery in Beaufort,
N.C.

Allen R. Ferrel, 54, of Alexandria,
Va. died Oct. 13. He joined the Union
in 1968 and sailed in the steward department. He is survived by his wife
Evelyn.
Delbert E. Shields, 70, of Athens,
Ohio, died Oct. 10. Brother Shields is
survived by his sister Gladys Wilson.
He was buried at Nye Cemetery in
Chauncey, Ohio.
George Murray Thomas, 83, of Carteret, N .C. died Sept. 7. He joined the

John Joseph Silver, 79, of Placerville, Calif., died Sept. 13. He joined
the SIU-merged Marine Cooks and
Stewards Union in 1941. He is survived by a daughter, Regina Schrader.
Brother Silver was buried at Mt. Vernon Memorial Park in Fair Oaks, Calif.
Henry Piedvache, 67, of San Francisco, died Aug. 10. Brother Piedvache sailed in the steward department. He is survived by his sister
Madeline F. Ferreira. His ashes were
scattered at sea.

*

\ BUY UHIOH

I0

*

24 I LOG I November 1987

-

UNION
Union Label •nd Service Trades Deputment, AFL-CIO

MADE

�ADONIS (Apex Marine), September
20-Chairman B.G. Williams, Secretary
Tobe Dansley Jr., Educational Director E.
Figueroa. No beefs or disputed OT. Members were advised by the chairman and by
the educational director to take advantage
of the upgrading opportunities available at
Piney Point. There are always jobs for
those who are qualified. The importance
of contributing to SPAD was also stressed.
The secretary added a word of thanks to
Vice President "Red" Campbell for a job
well done on the new contracts. And the
steward department was given a vote of
thanks for their good work. Next port: Texas
City, Texas.

SIU member Raymond Diaz was given a burial
at sea June 9from aboard the Sea-Land Pioneer.

LNG GEMINI (Energy Transportation
Corp.), September 27-Chairman Glen
Miller, Secretary Harold Markowitz, Educational Director Tyler Womack, Deck Dele u ene A. Bousson. No beefs or
disputed OT. There is $152 in the ship's
fund. SIU Rep Carl Peth was aboard the
Gemini in Nagoya, Japan recently to explain the changes in the contract. The crew
voted unanimously to accept the new contract, and the bosun thanked the Union
negotiators for increasing the wages of
Ordinary Seamen now that they have been
put on day work. The steward reminded
everyone of the importance of donating to
SPAD. He also urged members to write
their local senators or congressmen about
issues affecting the maritime industry. The
educational director posted maps and local
subway information in the crew lounge. to
help make traveling in Japan a little easier.
A vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for the good food. Of interest
to the LOG: "S/A Viveca Echeverio spotted
four people floating in the water one day
after leaving Arun. She reported the sighting to the bridge, and the ship was turned
around to take a closer look. Four fishermen whose boat had capsized in a storm
were picked up. They had been floating
for two days. The four fishermen were
dropped off in Singapore." Next ports:
Tobata, Japan and Arun, Indonesia.
GOLDEN MONARCH (Apex Marine),
October 4-Chairman Joseph Zeloy, Secretary E.M. Douroudous, Educational Director A. Alexakis. No disputed OT or
beefs, although it was noted that the third
mate is doing the AB dayman's work on
deck. The galley will stay open at night
due to the fact that there is no water facility
in the messhall. So all hands were asked
to help keep the galley clean at all times.
Some members still do not have keys for
their rooms. Other items in need of attention: the dryer is out of order and the
potable water has been extremely rusty
since leaving Jacksonville. A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department for a
job well done. Next port: St. Lucia.
LNG LEO (Energy Transportation Corp.),
September 16--Chairman Luther V. Myrez, Secretary H. Jones Jr., Educational
Director James A. Carnell, Deck Delegate
Charles H. Kahl, Engine Delegate Keith J.

Amos, Steward Delegate Albert A. Fretta.
No beefs or disputed OT. There is $223 in
the ship's fund and $40 in the communications fund. New movies came aboard
this trip. Some of the better ones will be
recorded on blank tapes. The Leo is expected to go into the shipyard Oct. 28 and
will be laid up for about 18 days. Members
were reminded to follow safety procedures
when working on deck as well as any place
aboard ship. The chairman stressed the
importance of donating to SPAD. He also
advised crewmembers to read the LOG to
keep up on current events of the Union.
SIU Rep Carl Peth was present at this
meeting. He spoke to the members about
the new contract and answered all their
questions. A vote of thanks was given to
Carl Peth for his hard work. Members were
reminded not to play loud music, slam
doors or smoke in the messhall during
meal hours. "Respect your shipmates."
The steward department was given a vote
of thanks, especially to the chief cook, for
all the good dishes. Next ports: Arun,
Indonesia and Tobata, Japan.

OMI CHAMPION (OMI), October 4Chairman M. Beeching, Secretary R. Fluker. No beefs or disputed OT. The ship will
pay off Oct. 5 in Long Beach, Calif. Each
member should check with the patrolman
before leaving ship. The next trip will run
from Hawaii to Alaska to California. The
secretary noted that times are changing in
the maritime field and that each member
should help the Union with these changes
by upgrading. "Don't let jobs hang on the
board just because the ship is not going
where you want to go. A job is a job (money
is money). That's what we work for." A
special vote of thanks was given to the
steward department from the crew and
officers for the excellent meals and service.
One minute of silence was observed in
memory of our departed brothers and sisters. Next port: Long Beach, Calif.
OMI LEADER (OMI), October 2Chairman Frank Smith, Secretary Paul
Stubblefield, Educational Director C. Durden, Deck Delegate Michael Manon, Engine Delegate Jimmy Gradon, Steward
Delegate Jack Hart. No beefs or disputed
OT; however, one item to be brought up
with the patrolman concerned the breaking
of sea watches in port while handling cargo.
Payoff should be on the West Coast on or
about Oct. 5. The Leader will then go into
the shipyard for approximately 35 to 40
days. If it turns out to be fewer than 30
days, the crew may reclaim their jobs. It
was a fairly smooth trip-hot, but otherwise
OK. All hands were reminded to strip their
linen before leaving and to clean up their
rooms. The steward department received
a vote of thanks for their fine job. Next
port: Singapore.
PONCE (Puerto Rico Marine), October
5-Chairman Angel R. Camacho, Secretary R. Maldonado, Educational Director
William Turner. No beefs or disputed OT.
The Ponce will pay off in San Juan and
will then lay up for an estimated threeweek repair period. A vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for the
good food and service. Members observed
a minute of silence in memory of our
departed brothers and sisters. Next port:
San Juan, P.R.
PFC DEWAYNE T. WILLIAMS (AMSEA), September 27-Chairman Mark
Trepp, Secretary Donald Spangle, Educational Director Milton Sabin, Deck Delegate Howard F. Hare, Engine Delegate
Paul D. Hanley, Steward Delegate Janet
E. Price. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
There is $400 in the ship's fund. With the
arrival in Guam, an additional $100 will be
added from the pilot pool. One question
was raised as to the policy concerning the
ship's elevator. Why are only engineers
allowed to use it? This will be brought to
the captain's attention. The chairman noted

that this has been a good crew all around.
He is ready for vacation and hopes to see
some familiar faces when he returns. The
secretary stressed the importance of returning to SHLSS for upgrading as often
as possible. He also spoke of the need for
SPAD contributions by stating, "Keep in
mind that these AMSEA ships were made
possible by SIU and our contributions to
SPAD." The educational director reiterated
the importance of taking advantage of the
educational opportunities available to SIU
members at the Lundeberg School. 'Think
ahead and make the most of the Union's
programs." It appears that AMSEA, SeaLand and Ocean Carrier ships are calling
in Guam-and a suggestion was made
that a Union hall be opened there. A point
was raised concerning crewmembers traveling to the ship who are stranded on Guam
due to bad weather, etc. These members
are not being P?id, and this creates a
hardship for Seafarers and their families.
A vote of thanks was given to the steward
department-"by far the best in the fleet!"
Next port: Guam.

and magnifying glass so that ABs can steer
more easily. Otherwise, he said, everything
is running smoothly. He also stressed the
importance of contributing to SPAD. A vote
of thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done. Next port:
t=lizabeth, N.J.

RANGER (Ocean Carriers), October
3-Chairman Jerry Borucki, Secretary R.D.
Linasan, Educational Director Tom Hogan.
The Ranger sailed shorthanded for one
month with no AB and more than one
month with no QMED. Despite that, there
were no beefs or disputed OT. "We've got
a good crew." The educational director
reported that many crewmembers are now
familiar with underway refueling, thanks to
the SIU's training in sealift operations and
maintenance. And the food is good-filet
mignon twice a month and fresh red snapper! Members aboard the Ranger give
some advice to other Seafarers heading
for Diego Garcia: "Make sure to bring your
fishing equipment-it's a good place for
fishing." A vote of thanks was given to the
steward department for the work they've
done and for "preparing the best food in
the fleet." The bosun also impressed upon
everyone the importance of contributing to
SPAD. "Thanks to SPAD and to all members who support it so that our Union offices
can create new jobs for all of us. So don't
delay. Sign up now." Next ports: Diego
Garcia and Bahrain.

SEA-LAND PIONEER (Sea-Land),
September 20-Chairman Calvin James,
Secretary Joseph P. Emidy, Educational
Director Jerry Dellinger. No disputed OT.
The chairman asked for donations for the
Seamen's Church for delivering books to
the ship. Everything is in order and running
fine, according to the secretary, and the
educational director urged all eligible members to take advantage of the upgrading
courses offered at SHLSS. A number of
movies are available in the ship's library.
Crewmembers were asked to return each
movie when they're through. The steward
thanked the deck and engine departments
for keeping the messhall and lounge clean.
And a vote of thanks was given to the
steward department for a job well done.
Next port: Elizabeth, N.J.

SEA·LAND DEVELOPER (Sea-Land),
September 27-Chairman Bobby L. Riddick, Secretary E. Vazquez, Educational
Director M. Donlon. No beefs or disputed
OT. There is $80 in the ship's fund. A letter
was received from headquarters explaining
the pension plan. The letter was posted
for all members to read. The chairman
mentioned that some improvements are
needed to the lights on the gyro compass

SEA·LAND LIBERATOR (Sea-Land),
September 20-Chairman A.J. Eckert,
Secretary C.M. Modellas, Educational Director E. Fahie. No beefs or disputed OT.
Everything is going smoothly, according to
the chairman. Payoff will take place in
Oakland, Calif. upon arrival. One QMED
missed the ship in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and
a replacement came aboard in Kobe, Japan. The bosun reminded all crewmembers
to read the new contract and familiarize
themselves with it. The captain made an
inspection Aug. 16 at sea and commented
that the ship is very clean. He was satisfied
with the officers' and crews' messhalls and
passageways and praised the steward utility for having done his job well. Next port:
Long Beach, Calif.

Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
ALTAIR
LNG AQUARIUS
FALCON PRINCESS
GALVESTON
OAKLAND
OVERSEAS BOSTON
SAii JUAN
SEA-LAND ADVENTURER
SEA-LAND FREEDOM
SEA-WO LARK
SEA-WID LEGION
SEA-WID MARKETER
SEA-WID PACER
SEA·WID VENTURE
SPIRIT OF TEXAS
SUGARISl.AllDER

-

Monthly
Membership Me~tings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, December 7 ................. 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, December 8 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, December 9 .............. 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, December 10 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, December 10 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, December 10 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, December 11 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, December 14 ................ 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, December 15 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, December 16.............. 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, December 17 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, December 21 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .................. Monday, December 28 ................ 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ................ Thursday, December IO ............... 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, December 18 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday, December 17 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, December 16.............. 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, December 23 .............. 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, December 22 ................ 10:30 a.m.

November 1987 I LOG I 25

-

�Help
A
Friend
Deal
With
Alcoholism
and
Drugs

I

I

I

l

would~ ~

Addicts don't have friends. Because a friend
let another man blindly travel a course that has to lead
to the destruction of his health, his job and his family.
And that's where an alcoholic or drug user is headed.
Helping a fell ow Seafarer who has an addiction
problem is just as easy-and just as important-as
steering a blind man across a street. All you have to do
is take that Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the
Union's Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee,
Md.

Once he's there, an SIU member will receive the care
and counseling he needs. And he'll get the support of
brother SIU members who are fighting the same tough
battle he is back to a healthy, productive alcohol-free
and drug-free life.
The road is a long one for an alcoholic and drug user.
But because of ARC, an addicted SIU member doesn't
have to travel the distance alone. And by guiding a
brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center,
you'll be showing him that the first step back to recovery
is only an arm's length away.

I~-------------------------------~
.
1

I
I
l

Addictions Rehabilitation Center

I am interested in attending a six-week program at the Addictions
Rehabilitation Center. I understand that all my medical and counseling
records will be kept strictly confidential, and that they will not be kept
anywhere except at The Center.
Name ..................... . .. , .......... Book No .............. .
Address ..................... . .................................. .
(Street or RFD)

(City)

(State)

(Zip)

Telephone No.

Mail to:

THE CENTER
Star Route Box 153-A
Valley Lee, Md. 20692
or call, 24 hours-a-day, (301) 994-0010

'--------------------------·--------------------------------26 I LOG I November 1987

-

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

OCT. 1-31, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac ............ . ......

0

20

5

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
23
2

0

29

0

7

2

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
19
0
4

0

10

0

6

0

0

8

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

0

35

16

82

23

Port
Algonac ............... . ...

Port

Frank Drozak, President
Joe OIGlorglo, 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

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

5

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Algonac ................. . .

0

Port
Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

0

16

12

4

Totals All Depanments. . . . . . . .
o
49
20
o
46
6
o
*"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.

HEADQUARTERS
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
OCTOBER 1-31, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port
New York ..... . .... .. . . .
Philadelphia .......... .. ..
Baltimore ..... . .... . . . ..
Norfolk .................
Mobile .................
New Orleans .......... . ..
Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Francisco .......... . ..
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico . .. .. .... .....
Honolulu ....... . .. .... . .
Houston . ....... . . .. . . ..
St. Louis ... . .. . ...... . ..
Piner: Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tota s . .. ... ... .. . . ....
New York .... . ...... . ...
Philadelphia . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .................
Mobile . .. ......... . .. ..
New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jacksonville .• . ....•.....•

San Francisco .............

Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Honolulu . ....... ... .. .. .
Houston . ......... . .....
St. Louis .. . . ..... . .... ..
PineY: Point ... . ... .. . ....
Tota s .... ..... ........

51
7
7
10
7
31
35
33
15
37
13
8
28
0
2

284

33
5
5
4
2
26
28

14
11

21
6
7
13

0

a

175

13
3
6
9
1
1
10
11
3
4
2
14
9
0
4

90

1
1
3
5
2
4
2
2
4
9

2
9
6

0
6

56

1
1
0
3
1
1
5
9
4
4
1
7
4
0
1

42

0
1
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
1
0

11
1

0
0

20

Port
New York ...... . ........
Philadelphia ........... . ..
Baltimore . . ... ... .. . ....
Norfolk ............... ..
Mobile .. . ........... .. .
New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco . . . .. ........
Wilmington . ..... . ..... ..
Seattle .. .... . . .... . ... .
Puerto Rico ... . .... ... . . .
Honolulu ............ . ...
Houston . . ... ...... . ....
St. Louis . .. . ... .... ... ..
Piner: Point ....... . ... .. .
Tota s . ...... . .........

17
1
0

5
2
19
7
29
10
26
6
5
18
0
3

2
0
2
3
0
0
3
5
2
7
1
18
0
0
6

0
1

0

0
0
0
1
8
0
1
0
19
1
0
0

148

49

31

19
1
4
6

19
4
4
10
4
13
10
19
9
19
3
79
8
0
3

2
3
0
6
2
13
3
16
3
6
0
117
2
0
0

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class

45
2
8
14
2
24
34
24
9
31
17
7
20
0
1

238

20
2
5
5
2
19
20
12

11
19
11
4
11
0
0

141

131

204

173

99

Totals All Departments .. . ...

738

399

266

600

2

DECK DEPARTMENT
1
5
2
1
3
0
2
8
1
1
3
3
6
4
10
8
3
4
7
1
2
1
8
7
7
3
0
0
0
1

8
1
0
3
1
4
4
3
5
5
0
13
6

65

37

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
2
0
1
0
5
0
4
0
1
0
4
1
2
0
4
1
3
1

8
2

10
7
0
1
54

1
0

10
2
0
0

16

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
16
4
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
7
3
0
1
0
0
11
0
0
10
4
0
29
0
4
8
4
0
22
4
0
3
0
0
2
30
23
8
0
0
0
0
0
3
1
0
122
51
27

Port
New York .... . .... ......
Philadelphia . . . . ...... . ...
Baltimore . ..... .. . .... . .
Norfolk ...... . ..... . . . ..
Mobile ... . . .... ... . ....
New Orleans ... .... .... ..
Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Francisco .. . ..... .. ...
Wilmington .. ... .... . ....
Seattle . ... . ...... . . ....
Puerto Rico . . .... .. .... ..
Honolulu .......... . . . .. .
Houston . . ........ ... .. .
St. Louis ... ....... .... ..
Piney Point .......... ... .
Totals ... ... . ..... .. . . .

18
8
21
3
22
13
5
9
0
0

c

Trip
Reliefs

8
0
0
1
0
10
5
24
3
17
11
9
11
0
0

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
16
4
1
1
2
0
9
2
0
1
6
11
6
3
6
5
3
1
14
1
5
0
95
150
6
1
0
0
1
0

0
0

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

96
5
11
23
19

60

50
52
30
64
18
7
57
0
4

22
7
7
14
3
11
15
13
5
4
3
11
6
0
5

2
2
0
4
0
4
5
9
4
8
0
1
1
0
1

53

496

126

41

9
0
0
0
0
3
2

60
7
11
12
4
40
38
21

6
2
1
7
5
12
3
4
6
6
0

1
1
1
0
0
1
5
8
3

1
3
3
0

6
0
0
0

13

36
7
4
34
0
2

5

1
0
9

27

289

67

4
2
0
3

34

6
2
3
4
1

0

4
1
6
4
3
0

85
4
0
0

1
4
2
5
34
14
62
12
35
6
7
25
0
2

1

7
11
1
9
1
18
2
0
9

116

243

75

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

42
6
5
14
4
33
8
54
17
36
13
8
16
0
1

31
8
6
11
9
26
20
21
22
28
11

86

12
0
9

6

0
8

0

0
0
34
0
1
0
2
1
6
2
11
1
1
0
17
1
0
0
43
9
2
0
15
4
33
6
29
14
8
0
118
4
0
2

170

180

0

257

300

244

340

260

196

1,285

568

362

*"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 October was up from the month of September. A total of 1,396 jobs were shipped
on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,396 jobs shipped, 600 jobs or about 43 percent were taken by
"A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 196 trip relief jobs
were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 6, 153 jobs have been shipped.

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110
HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434
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
NEW 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

November 1987 I LOG I 27

-

�t

I

I
l
1

I

I

SIU Legislative Director Frank Pecquex reported on the "hold-the-line"
efforts of MTD affiliates during the Reagan union-busting years, and
suggested that a new day could be dawning for maritime, shipbuilding,
and the many related industries as Reagan's sun begins to set.

f

i

I

I

MEBA-2 Great Lakes Executive Vice President Mel Pelfrey, left, and
Airline Pilots President Henry A. Duffy were active participants at the
convention.

I

Marine Engineers District 2 were represented at the convention by Jack
Brady, Gordon Spenser and Michael McKay.

Are You Missi

National Marine Engineers President C.E. Gene DeFries is an executive board member of the Mare
ep

.Imp

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.

Robert Georgine, pr · t of the
AFL-CIO Building Trades De
ment, promised the continued sup' port of his organization toward
MTD's goal of rebuilding America's
aritime industry.

ail?

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:
SIU &amp; 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.

-----~---------------------~-----------------------~--------

HOME ADDRESS

Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

PLEASE PRINT

Social Security No.

Phone No. (
)
Area Code

Your Full Name

City

Apt. or Box#

Street

Book Number

-

0

SIU

0

UIW

State

0

Pensioner

ZIP

Other-------

UIW Place of E m p l o y m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thia will be my permanent address for all official Union mailings.
This address ahould remain In the Union file unleaa otherwise changed by me personally.

(Signed)-~~~-~--~-~~~~~

~ ---------------~--~~-~-----~----~---~------------~~--------~
28 I LOG I November 1987

-

FOR A BETTER YEAR AND BETTER
FUTURE FOR ALL AMERICANS BUY AMERICAN AND LOOK FOR
THE UNION LABEL

Personals
Sven Regner
Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Sven Regner, please contact his nephew, George J. Anderson, 22576 Lanyard St., Boca
Raton, Fla. 33428.
Edward Kostango
It's very important that you contact Lyda at (516) 584-8973 as soon
as possible.

�November 1987 I LOG I 29

-

�"She was a Good Ship"

After 43 Years, Galveston Ties Up for Last Time
Its first cargo was American Gl's and its last was
containers for Alaska. In
the 43 years between its
first and last trips the Galveston (Sea-Land) carried
millions of tons of goods
and hundreds of Seafarers.
She was laid up in Tacoma,
Wash. last month and is
headed for the scrapyard.
Built in 1944 as a C-4

troop transport, the Galveston ended her sailing on
the ''Salmon Run'' between Tacoma, Anchorage
and Kodiak Island, Alaska.
Chief Electrician Michael
Bagely submitted these pictures from the Galveston's
final run. ''She was a good
ship, and I was sad to see
her go.''

Sea-Land Galveston

Chief Cook Bill Bryley bas learned to do a
goOd job on 43-year-old stoves.

AB Inus Otter shows off his seamanship skills.

Bosun J. W. Allen secures the anchor.

AB Larry Stogner always pulls his own weight.
30 I LOG I November 1987

OS Larry Mills is ready to lend a band.

Part-time messman, but full-time comedian,
Gary Loftin serves up ribs.

�·L etter
To The

Editor
'Grateful SIU Pensioner . . . '
Just a line to say that I thank you for my pension. I am now
working at the First Baptist Church of Kingsland [Texas] part-time. I
have no insurance except workmen's compensation which only covers
accidents. I am really grateful for having been an active member of the
SID for 36 years. I also thank the welfare plan for paying my medical
bills for the past two years.
If I can ever do anything to help the Union to further the cause of
better shippping for my SID brothers in any way, do not fail to call or
write me.
Thank you again. I remain,

Jimmie L. Jackson
Kingsland, Texas

Washington Report
(Continued from Page 32.)
What this does, in effect, is to freeze the
American maritime industry at its present level
and dry up the remaining few sources of
domestic capital.
Since Canadian operators enjoy favorable
exchange rates and substantial subsidies, they
would have an insurmountable edge in obtaining any new work that is opened up by changes
in American romotional laws.
The prospect of this has brought about the
seemingly impossible: unity in the maritime
industry.
More than 200 maritime organizations av
joined forces to decry the agreement. Many
of these organizations have never agreed on
anything in their lives.
In a letter to all members of the House and
the Senate, the Maritime Industry Coalition,
as the 200 maritime groups call themselves,
said that unless maritime issues are removed
from the Free Trade Agreement, that agreement .. will be disastrous for our industry."
Noting that the airline industry was exempt
from the agreement, the coalition said, .. The
agreement trades away the maritime industry
for advantages in other commercial sectors
. . . that bear no relation to national defenses,
and it gives no assurances whatsoever that
Canadian vessels and shipyards will fulfill U.S.
defense requirements when needed."
For a full discussion of this issue, see page
8.

William Brock
William Brock, who restored the Department of Labor's credibility after stepping in
to replace Ray Donavan, has announced that
he is leaving the federal government to head
Bob Dole's presidential campaign.
Anne Dore McLaughlin has been named to
replace Brock, who sought to build bridges
between organized labor and the ideologically
charged Reagan administration.
Given the ideological bent of the Reagan
administration, Brock was not always successful. Yet he was applauded for his highwire act.
At a minimum, he restored a modicum of
confidence in OSHA and the EPA after that
confidence had been destroyed by right-wing
ideologues who headed those departments during the early years of the Reagan presidency.
"If Mrs. McLaughlin is confirmed by the

Senate," said The Baltimore Sun, "she will
face an array of union-backed legislation: trade,
workplace safety, notification of plant closings, minimum wage increases, parental leave.
At this point, the fate of the legislation lies
with Congress: the ultimate question is whether
the president will veto much of it and if so,
whether there will be enough support on Capitol Hill to sustain the overrides."

The Last Ship
Nov. 9 marked a new era in the history of
the maritime indu try. For the first time ever
no merchant vessel was being built in an
American shipyard.
''U.S. shipbuilders regard Nov. 9 as a black
their industry," wrote The Journal of
day
Commerce. "On that day, the last merchant
vessel under construction or on order in U.S.
yards will be delivered to Sea-Land Service
Inc. by Bay Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay,
Wis."
Given the decline in the commercial domestic fleet, Reagan administration officials have
predicted that American shipyards would be
able to rely on Navy shipbuilding and repair
orders. Yet the present budget crisis has raised
a spector of uncertainty over this plan.
"Aggravating the situation," said the Journal, quoting John J. Stocker, president of the
Shipbuilders Association, ''were uncertainties
. . . caused by the government itself.''
These questions include ''whether or not
the export of Alaskan oil will be allowed, the
extent to which construction subsidies will be
allowed to be repaid in return for domestic
trading privil~ges and the impact of the recently negotiated U .S.-Canada Free Trade
Agreement."
The SIU has strongly opposed the export
of Alaskan oil, the payback of construction
subsidies and the maritime provisions of the
U.S.-Canadian Free Trade Agreement.

for

Insurance Crisis
In an effort to solve the insurance liability
crisis which has plagued the American fishing
industry, three subcommittees of the House
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committees
have approved a bill to provide no-fault benefits for temporarily injured fishermen.
The legislation eliminates the $500,000 limit
on claims for temporary injury which was

included in a similar bill that was defeated in
the last session of Congress.
The bill creates a compensation system for
fishermen who suffer ''temporary injury.'' Under the terms of the legislation, vessel owners
must provide compensation to seamen with
temporary injuries within 14 days in order to
win protection against lawsuits written into
the bill.
According to The Journal of Commerce,
few people are satisfied with the bill. Yet
everyone is willing to give a little on this issue
because of the crisis situation in the industry.
A
ep. GI nn Anderson (D-Calif.) said,
under the present situation more than 90 percent of the fishing vessels in his district do not
carry insurance. "Therefore, there is no one
around to pay the bills for work injuries sustained by fishermen," he said.

Safety Standards in the
Fishing Industry
One of the leading causes of the liability
insurance crisis in the fishing industry has been
the lack of adequate and verifiable safety
standards. Therefore, the SIU has supported
congressional and executive moves to improve
those standards.
Last month, SIU President Frank Drozak
wrote a letter to the Coast Guard expressing
his support for the agency's proposed rule to
require uninspected fishing, fish processing
and fish tending vessels operating on the high
seas to carry Emergency Position Indicating
Radio Beacons, or EPIRBS.
The rule is included in a section of the Coast
Guard Authorizations Act of 1986.

Tax Correction Act
One year after Congress passed the historic
Tax Reform Bill of 1986, attempts have been
made to amend the legislation.
Given the present budgetary crisis, such
moves were perhaps inevitable. The SIU has
worked hard to retain the 100 percent deductibility of meals during shipboard conventions
in the House versions of the tax bill.
"We expect to see full floor consideration
of the bill before Congress adjourns at the end
of its sess · n this year," said SIU Director of
Legislation Frank Pecquex.

-

November 1987 I LOG/ 31

•

�Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

Washington Report
During the past month and a half, Washington has been hit by a number of nasty surprises,
some man-made, others natural.
Mother Nature's surprise was the record 16inch snowfall that fell on Veteran's Day. It
took everyone, including the meteorologists,
by urprise.
Another unexpected event wa&amp; the October
19 stock market crash, which erased $1 trillion
worth of paper profits in one hectic trading
session. Black Monday, as the crash was
called, was largely man-made, the result of six
years of back-to-back trade and budget deficits.
The unexpected snow drifts melted within
two days, as the weather in Washington took
a 180-degree turn and returned to Indian Summer levels.
No such luck is expected with the. trade and
budget deficits, though the Reagan administration is still hoping.

Bended Knees: Part One
The stock market crash took almost everyone by surprise. Still, a few analysts were
sufficiently worried before the event to call on
President Reagan and the American people to
reevaluate their priorities.
One of the most perceptive criticisms of
Reaganomics was written by former Commerce Secretary Peter Peterson. In an article
entitled "The Morning After," which hit the
newsstands several days before the crash,
Petersen noted that America ''could not stand
tall on bended knees.''
Petersen compared the situation of the United
States today to that of Great Britain in the
1950s. That country's ability to run an independent foreign policy was severely compromised because it was heavily dependent on
foreign (American) capital.
During the Suez Canal crisis, President
Dwight D. Eisenhower forced the British to
back down by threatening to stop supporting
the British pound on the international money
markets. The same thing, said Petersen, could
happen to America today.
The Washington Post made a similar observation. "Six years of free spending and heavy
borrowing under the Reagan administration
have brought an historic shift of financial
control from this country to its new creditorsand financial control is political power.
''The markets-that vast, restless collection
of investors, traders and speculators-are now
the monitors of American economic policy,
meting out swift and sure punishment of politicians' backsliding.''

Bended Knees: Part Two

..

America can't operate a fully-independent
foreign policy if it is in hock to foreign investors; it also can't run one if it is unable to
transport its troops and supplies overseas.
This country's lack of a credible sealift
capability was cited in the recently released
report by the presidentially-appointed Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense.
The seven-member panel, which ha conducted hearings and research throughout this
year, stated repeatedly that a private U.S.
merchant fleet is the best way to maintain this
country's sealift capability .

32 I LOG I November 1987

•

November 1987

Legislative , Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

Predicting that the American-flag merchant
marine will "decline by one-half" by the year
2000 and that there would be ''a severe manpower shortage of skilled workers,'' the study
stated that "heroic measures will be necessary
if the decline is to be reversed ... The situation
is now so bad that coordinated action is essential.
"Free trade in reality does not exist," stated
the report. ·'If American operators are to be
able to compete in terms of price, some form
of the Operating Differential Subsidy (ODS)
program or some other measure to address
some or all of the difference appears essential.''
For a more detailed discussion of this report,
please turn to page 1.

Liner Reform Subsidies
The report from the Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense was eagerly awaited
by the maritime industry, which viewed it as
a way to spur the administration to act on a
matter affecting the survival of the Americanflag merchant marine: reform ofthis country's
liner subsidy program.
"Since it took office in January 1981," said
The Journal of Commerce, "The Reagan
administration has made clear it opposes subsidies, abhors government intrusion, prefers
to let the competitive marketplace make the
decisions, and isn't willing to see any more
money be spent for maritime subsidies than
now.''
Last year, the operating subsidies that had
propped up many of this nation's remaining
shipping companies started to expire. Industry
experts predicted dire consequences if action
weren't taken.
Nothing was done. At the end of last year,
U.S. Lines, known as the "flagship fleet of
the American merchant marine,'' filed for
bankruptcy.
''A number of factors contributed to the
bankruptcy, ' ' said SIU Legislative Director
Frank Pecquex. "The failure of Congress and
the administration to come up with a liner
subsidy reform program certainly didn't help.''
After much delay, the administration finally
submitted to Congress the details of its liner
subsidy program. But many people in the
maritime industry and on Capitol Hill feel that
it doesn't go far enough in addressing the
industry's problems.
That is where the report comes in. "The
hope is," reports The Journal of Commerce,
''that once President Reagan is confronted
with . . . alarming facts regarding the merchant
fleet and its inability to perform an adequate
defense emergency role, he may change his
mind."

Trade Bill
The Omnibus Trade Bill "continues to languish in the massive House-Senate conference," reports The Journal of Commerce.
The bill, which seeks to restore balance in
America's trading relationship with other
countries, is perceived as having been jeopardized by the Oct. 19 stock market crash.
For one thing, the stock market crash underscores the fact that the United States has
become heavily dependent on foreign investors

to finance the huge trade and budget deficits.
According to The Washington Post, "The
extraordinarily heavy new dependence on foreign governments' support is diminishing this
country's freedom of action ... The final
stages of the trade bill may not be, as Congress
supposes, negotiations with the White House
to avoid a presidential veto, but rather negotiations with Japan and Europe to avoid a
financial veto. As most people know, running
up your debts leads to a loss of control over
your own affairs.''

Canada Free Trade: Part One
Opposition is building in Congress and in
Canada to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement
signed by President Reagan and Canadian
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.
In Canada, the trade agreement is front page
news. There is widespread dissatisfaction with
the agreement on economic and cultural
grounds.
While the agreement will probably be approved by the Canadian Parliament because
of the large Conservative majority there, public
opinion polls how that support for a U.S.Canadian pact has dro
from 75 percent
to 49 percent today.
Opposition has been particularly 1
e
among Canadian labor unions and e ergy concerns. The accord also needs the acquiescence
of a majority of the 10 provinces.
The governments of Ontario, Manitoba and
ri c dward are opposed to the agreement.
Ontario's premier is also critical of the pact,
although he hasn't yet indicated if he will
oppose it.

Canada Free Trade: Part T
While the U.S. -Canada Free Trade Agreement has received much less publicity_south
of the border, a coalition of industry associations is expressing concern about the pact's
possible ramifications.
Several congressmen have indicated that
they intend to vote against the trade agreement. Their opposition to the bill is due to a
variety of reasons.
Some of the most vehement congressional
opponents of the Canadian bill come from
energy states. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.)
said he could not support the trade agreement
''unless it is amended to give better treatment
to North Dakota and other states rich in natural
resources.''
Sen. Wendell Ford (D-Ky.) also indicated
that he would not be able to support the treaty
if it is harmful to coal industry interests.

Canadian Free Trade: Part
Three
Some of the most vehement criticism of the
Canadian Free Trade Agreement has come
from the maritime industry, which perceives
its existence threatened by the proposed agreement.
As reported in this and other issues of the
LOG, the pact would seriously weaken the
Jones Act and allow Canadian shipping companies to compete for any new work created
by changes in the promotional laws of this
country.
(Continued on Page 31.)

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DEFENSE REPORT FINDS ‘ALARMING’ SEALIFT DECLINE&#13;
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FOGGY COLLISION SINKS LIBERIAN ORE FREIGHTER&#13;
OPPOSITION MOUNTS TO U.S./CANADA TRADE PACT&#13;
VETS’ CASE POSTPONED&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union• Atlantic,Gull,LakesandlnlandWatersDistrict•AFL·CIO Vol.49,No.12December 1987

�President's Report
by Frank Drozak
It's time to do a little explaining.
It's time to explain to you that sometimes as president of the entire SIU,
I have to make decisions that some of
you won't like.
In a perfect world, labor and management would sit down at the table
and give a little, take a little. Somewhere along the line, both sides would
find a common ground which would
keep the company profitable and the
workers well paid and protected.
It's not a perfect world. If it were,
we wouldn't have had to face the
situation we did with Curtis Bay Towing Co. The situation has been getting
a lot of attention inside and outside
the SIU. I'd like to take this time and
try to explain why some things have
happened.
The SIU is not just inland deckhands, APL steward departments, TAGOS crews or QMEDs on Sea-Land
ships. Though if you're part of one of
those groups, that might certainly seem
to be the most important aspect of the
Union. But we 're also all the men and
women on the beach who haven't
worked in months. We're the folks
who are approaching retirement age
after decades of long work. We 're the
people on pension. We're a lot of
people who have to count on the
strength of the entire SIU to protect
the benefits and security of each of
us.
When we began negotiations with
Curtis Bay for contracts in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Norfolk this past
summer, we knew it wouldn't be easy.
We knew eventually we would have
to make some concessions. We told
them we were willing to help the company through its financial troubles so
that, in the long run, Curtis Bay would
stay in business and we would stay on
the job.
When the membership in those three
ports saw the final offer from the
company, they said "shove it." I don't
blame them. Over the years, through
their professionalism and the SIU' s
representation, tugboat jobs in those
ports were some of the best paying
blue-collar jobs in the country. Almost
anybody would balk at taking pay and
benefit cuts that could reduce your
income by 50 percent.
The membership voted to strike,
and I supported that action. We felt
that the skills and talents these people

had could not easily be replaced. We
believed the company could not operate efficiently and profitably without
SIU crews.
Well, a strike isn't the weapon it
used to be. Though we had support
from many other unions, legally we
could not shut down the entire port
as we could in the past. If we had
done some of the things we wanted,
we would have put the entire SIU in
jeopardy-open to multi-million dollar

lines today. In fairness, as hard as it
is to admit, some cross picket lines
out of desperation, simply to work.
In the past, when companies used
scabs to replace strikers, they were
usually let go after the strike was
settled. But again, recent court and
NLRB rulings have given strikebreakers certain seniority and preferential
hiring rights if they are brought in as
replacements. Management can now
threaten to replace striking union
members. And even if a contract is
reached, there is no guarantee strikers
will get their jobs back.
We were on strike, and Curtis Bay
was running all their boats and making
money. We got no help from the Coast
Guard when we reported safety and
licensing violations. We knew we would
get no help from the NLRB. So where
were we? In deep trouble.
Unexpectedly, in early November,
Curtis Bay delivered an ultimatum to
its Norfolk crews. Come back to work
or be fired, permanently replaced. The
membership in Norfolk said no, and
Curtis Bay stuck to its guns and fired
the lot of them. Fifty-six people out
of work. They said they would make
the same demand in the other ports.
In addition, if Curtis Bay followed
through on its threat to replace the
striking SIU members, it could have

" ... Since 1981, court and NLRB rulings
have made traditional picket line activities
illegal. Strikers have actually been assessed
damage for name calling ... for having too
many people on a picket line ... ''
lawsuits that could bankrupt us.
Since 1981, court and NLRB rulings
have made traditional picket line activities illegal. Strikers have actually
been assessed damages for name-calling, for trying to block entrances or
for having too many people on a picket
line. Not only are union members
liable for damages, but unions themselves can be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars. Step-by-step, this
administration has weakened unions'
rights.
In better times, experienced crews
are hard to find because they are
working. But the heavy depression in
the inland industry has thrown thousands of tugboat crews out of work.
Curtis Bay knew that. Within days
they had crews, mainly from the Gulf.
People aren't afraid to cross picket

placed their pensions in jeopardy. In
effect, their action would have been a
withdrawal from the pension plan and
our people could have lost their past
service credits.
The Union's Executive Board decided we had to end the situation. We
were losing. It happens. I did not want
anyone else to lose their jobs. Also,
these ports are important to the SIU.
I did not want the Union to lose its
presence in those ports. I wanted to
do what was best for all the individuals
involved and for the Union as a whole.
As a union, the SIU had to maintain
its presence in those ports. If you pack
up and leave, it's doubly hard to reestablish yourself. Just ask any union
which has lost a foothold in an industry. From the United Mine Workers
to the Meat Packers-if you let your

December 1987

jobs become non-union, very seldom
do you get a chance to win them back.
That's why, with the Board's approval, I entered negotiations with
Curtis Bay. It was time to get people
back to work, accept our losses and
be there to fight another day. I wanted
it over quickly. We were able to make
some substantial improvements on their
last offer. But more importantly, we
retained those jobs on those boats.
In hindsight, maybe we could have
done it differently. But that's now
water under the bridge.
I decided that it was time to stop
the losses. In the long run, it would
be better for the members and for the
Union to return to work. I acted under
the authority granted me in the SIU
Constitution to negotiate and sign contracts. It was my decision, and it is
my responsibility.
When the membership in Baltimore
refused to return to work, they lost
their jobs. That is sad, very sad. Just
like I had to make a decision for the
good of the Union, they had to make
theirs. I think they were wrong. But I
understand the emotion of the situation.
In Philadelphia, the membership returned to work, but in their disappointment they filed suit against the Union.

***

The aftermath of a strike can be
bitter. This one is. Boatmen in two
ports lost their jobs. Suits and NLRB
complaints have been filed against the
Union. There is name calling and finger-pointing.
I want to stress that it is not just
the SIU that has had to face these
tough fights. Until the anti-union climate, fed by seven years of the Reagan
administration, changes, until we as
trade unionists are allowed to fight on
equal footing with companies, every
strike will be difficult. But our first
weapon is something no court or president can take away from us: We must
maintain a solid core ofunity and jobs.
In the end, the buck stops at my
desk. I made the decision to end the
strike and sign a contract. We still
maintain SIU jobs on those boats in
Philadelphia and Baltimore. In Norfolk we have problems, but we are not
finished there.
It's simple. We got beat. I hope that
during the next few weeks our members wh~ are upset and unhappy will
realize that the SIU will be around to
fight again. I hope that they will be
part of it. Let's put it behind us, learn
from it and get on with the job of
building a union-together.

Off1c1al Pu cat on of the Sea arers In emat onal Union ol
orth Ar.-er ca
nt c Gu f La es and I land Waters 01stnct

Vo 49

o 12

AFL-CIO

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

Carla Tomaszewski
Contributing Editor

2 I LOG I December 1987

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Secretary

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 8990675. Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges, Md. 20790-9998 and at additional
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG. 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md . 20746.

�Maritime Unity Provides Pressure

U.S./Canada Trade Pact Deletes Maritime Threat
The American maritime industry won
what may be its most important victory in years when U.S. and Canadian
trade negotiators removed all maritime
provisions from a new Free Trade
Area Agreement (FTA).
The action came after months of
continued pressure in what observers
called ''a rare show of maritime unity." Earlier drafts of the FT A would
have opened up almost every U.S.
maritime program-from the Jones Act
to subsidies to cargo preference-to
Canadian ship operators.
''This is wonderful news,'' said SIU
President Frank Drozak. "We were
sitting there with a gun pointed at our
heads. There was a very real possibility that ifthe maritime sections were
not removed, the entire U.S.-flag industry would have been destroyed."
Under the earlier proposals, Canadian shippers would have been allowed to participate in any expansion
of U.S. maritime promotional programs. For example, if the Jones Act
were expanded, that would be open
to the Canadians. If new subsidies or
cargo preference programs were enacted, those would have been fair
game.
While sentiment in the maritime industry had been running against proposed maritime agreements in the FTA
for more than two years, the industry
(labor, management and other groups)
didn't come together until this summer. That was when it became clear
that unless some action was taken,
U .S.~flag ships were at high risk.

The Maritime Industry Coalition on
the U.S. Canada Free Trade Area
Agreement was formed by more than
200 organizations. The coalition, along
with almost 300 senators and representatives opposed to the deal began
a massive education and lobbying effort.
"Over the past months we have had
to mount what can only be called an
educational campaign to explain the
maritime industry to those who see
only ships," said Rep. Walter B. Jones
(D-N.C.), chairman of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee.
In the House, Jones introduced a
resolution calling for the removal of
maritime issues from the agreement.
It gathered 245 cosponsors. In the
Senate, Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) introduced a similar measure which won
several dozen cosponsors.
The coalition sent several letters to
politicians and others outlining why
the agreement would hurt the maritime
industry. It also expressed concerns
to the administration and its trade
experts.
The two issues most heavily stressed
by FTA opponents were that the headto-head competition between U.S. and
Canadian ship operators would be unfair because of the heavily subsidized
Canadian industry, and the defense
role of the U.S. -flag fleet.
''The Canadians have an overwhelming competitive advantage because of the Canadian exchange rate,
government health and pension ben-

Marad Keeps RRF Authority
Marad has won the right to maintain
its control of the 86-ship Ready Reserve Fleet. · The agency had been
involved in a dispute with the Military
Sealift Command over the RRF.
The future of its role as manager of
the reserve fleet of merchant ships,
including the 80-plus vessels in the
Navy's high-readiness Ready Reserve

All Ribbin' Aside . ..

Leonard Earl Johnson, longtime SIU steward department member, won a spicy honor
earlier this year when he was named a judge
for the Chicago Tribune Ribfest 87. Johnson, from New Orleans, is currently sailing
on the MN William Button. When not
sailing, he works as a photographer, and
his pictures have frequently appeared in
galleries around the country and in the
LOG.

Fleet, was at stake in the Senate, but
the agency won out.
The action involved a decision by
the Senate Appropriations Committee
to turn back a Navy-inspired effort to
complete a takeover of the Ready
Reserve Fleet function.
The committee assigned to Marad,
beginning next fiscal year, the roughly
$80 million needed to keep that fleet
in readiness, rather than having the
Navy reimburse Marad for its efforts.
The committee did express concern
that the costs of maintaining the fleet
"are excessive," a Navy contention.
But the committee suggested that because both Marad and Navy have been
involved, there has been little incentive to cut costs.
It is expected that the committee's
report will conclude that "the merging
of the financial and administrative responsibilities will provide such an incentive.''
With the support of an appropriations subcommittee, the Navy also had
pressed for manning the fleet's ships
with naval reservists rather than civilian merchant crews.
The full committee decided to direct
the Navy to submit by May 1 a feasibility study on a plan giving the
Naval Reserve responsibility.
The committee said the study must
''include steps to recruit the entire
private-sector merchant manpower
pool into the Naval Reserve, and that
the manpower pool continue to be

efits, faster depreciation tax schedules
for vessels and numerous other forms
of aid such as interest-free loans, grants
and assistance for new facilities and
equipment. If Canadian-flag vessels
are allowed to penetrate future markets in U.S. domestic waterborne
commerce, U .S.-flag vessel operations will entirely disappear,'' the coalition wrote.
In addition to the competitive advantages the Canadians have, Canadian ships already carry about 90 percent of the bilateral trade on the Great
Lakes. That country's Parliament is
in the process oi tightening Canadian
coastwise laws also.
FT A opponents also pointed out
that if the trade pact were approved
with maritime provisions, other nations could be granted the same rights
under Most Favored Nations trading
pacts.
''The establishment of the Free Trade
Area Agreement with Canada sets an
extremely dangerous precedent that
may result in the total collapse of the
domestic U .S.-flag fleet. Other U.S.
trading partners have the right, under
existing treaties, to demand the same
benefits granted to Canada. The combined political pressure of these nations, coupled with the benefits granted
to Canada, could lead to the eventual
demise of the U.S. merchant marine,''
the coalition wrote.
In addition, Drozak pointed out in
letters to congressional members that
maritime provisions in the proposed

pact could have a disastrous effect on
the nation's defense posture.
Both the "President's National Security Strategy", issued earlier this
year, and the Merchant Marine Commission on Defense and National Security pointed to an alarming decrease
in the number of ships, especially the
number of qualified crewmembers in
the U.S. merchant marine.
''Allowing Canadian operators to
compete in America's domestic and
reserved trades will decrease the demand for American seafarers and will
only exacerbate this trend, damaging
U.S. defense capabilities," Drozak
said.
It was the defense issue that seemed
to gather more support for treaty opponents.
"We believe that a strong merchant
marine and a national sealift capability
are absolutely vital to our national
defense. This is not some hackneyed
sentiment. It expresses a sense of
alarm over the decline of the U.S.-flag
merchant marine and our ability to
fulfill the responsibilities of a great
power," Jones and Breaux wrote in a
letter to The Journal of Commerce.
''You simply do not make national
security part of a trade agreement,''
they added.
Breaux called the removal of the
maritime provisions "a substantial
victory . . . and a reiteration of the
long standing position of this government to maintain its promotional programs that strengthen the merchant
marine for its national defense role."

First SMU Convention
Delegates to the first convention
of the Seafarers Maritime Union
met at District 2' s training school
in Dania, Fla. Nov: 24 and 25 to
lay the foundation for a strong, new
union to meet the challenges and
opportunities of a changing maritime industry.
''The formation of the Seafarers
Maritime Union marks a new beginning," said Frank Drozak, the
newly-elected president of the SMU.
"While there have been other topto-bottom organizations, this is the
first time that licensed and unlicensed seamen have come together
under one roof on equal terms."
Also elected to office along with
Drozak were Executive Vice President I Secretary - Treasurer Ray
McKay and Vice Presidents Jerry
Joseph and Red Campbell.
Delegates to the convention reviewed the events that led to the
formation of the new union, the
most important of which has been
the deterioration of the commercial
sector.
''The maritime industry as we
knew it is dead," said Ray McKay.
"Many large commercial operators
used to the maximum extent practicable."
Civilian mariners will continue,
through Marad' s general agency ar-

still in business have made it known
that they are thinking of reflagging."
Developments over the past year
have reinforced this trend. These
include the inability of Congress to
reform the liner subsidy program,
events in the Persian Gulf, formation of top-to-bottom organizations
by MEBA-1 and MM&amp;P and the
recent stock market crash, which
has threatened. to dry up the few
remaining sources of domestic capital for ship construction.
On a more positive note, the
delegates heard about the considerable progress that had been made
in the areas of organizing, legal,
servicing, manpower, training and
new SMU benefit plans.
''This union represents a real opportunity for unlicensed seamen who
like to think ahead, and who understand that the only new work
being created in the maritime industry today is on military support
vessels," Drozak said.
Both Drozak and McKay stressed
that SMU contracts will not supplant existing SIU or D-2 contracts.
rangements with private operators, to
man such vessels when activated until
Congress evaluates the requested Navy
plan, the committee added.
December 1987 I LOG I 3

�Maritime Unity Provides Pressure

U.S./Canada Trade Pact Deletes Maritime Threat
The American maritime industry won
what may be its most important victory in years when U.S. and Canadian
trade negotiators removed all maritime
provisions from a new Free Trade
Area Agreement (FTA).
The action came after months of
continued pressure in what observers
called ''a rare show of maritime unity.'' Earlier drafts of the FTA would
have opened up almost every U.S.
maritime program-from the Jones Act
to subsidies to cargo preference-to
Canadian ship operators.
"This is wonderful news," said SIU
President Frank Drozak. "We were
sitting there with a gun pointed at our
heads. There was a very real possibility that if the maritime sections were
not removed, the entire U .S.-flag industry would have been destroyed."
Under the earlier proposals, Canadian shippers would have been allowed to participate in any expansion
of U.S. maritime promotional programs. For example, if the Jones Act
were expanded, that would be open
to the Canadians. If new subsidies or
cargo preference programs were enacted, those would have been fair
game.
While sentiment in the maritime industry had been running against proposed maritime agreements in the FTA
for more than two years, the industry
(labor, management and other groups)
didn't come together until this summer. That was when it became clear
that unless some action was taken,
U.S.-flag ships were at high risk.

The Maritime Industry Coalition on
the U.S. Canada Free Trade Area
Agreement was formed by more than
200 organizations. The coalition, along
with almost 300 senators and representatives opposed to the deal began
a massive education and lobbying effort.
''Over the past months we have had
to mount what can only be called an
educational campaign to explain the
maritime industry to those who see
only ships," said Rep. Walter B. Jones
(D-N. C.), chairman of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee.
In the House, Jones introduced a
resolution calling for the removal of
maritime issues from the agreement.
It gathered 245 cosponsors. In the
Senate, Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) introduced a similar measure which won
several dozen cosponsors.
The coalition sent several letters to
politicians and others outlining why
the agreement would hurt the maritime
industry. It also expressed concerns
to the administration and its trade
experts.
The two issues most heavily stressed
by FTA opponents were that the headto-head competition between U.S. and
Canadian ship operators would be unfair because of the heavily subsidized
Canadian industry, and the defense
role of the U .S.-flag fleet.
''The Canadians have an overwhelming competitive advantage because of the Canadian exchange rate,
government health and pension ben-

Marad Keeps RRF Authority
Marad has won the right to maintain
its control of the 86-ship Ready Reserve Fleet. · The agency had been
involved in a dispute with the Military

Sealift Command over the RRF.
The future of its role as manager of
the reserve fleet of merchant ships,
including the 80-plus vessels in the
Navy's high-readiness Ready Reserve

All Ribbin' Aside.

Leonard Earl Johnson, longtime SIU steward department member, won a spicy honor

earlier this year when he was named a judge
for the Chicago Tribune Ribfest 87. Johnson, from New Orleans, is currently sailing
on the MN William Button. When not
sailing, he works as a photographer, and
his pictures have frequently appeared in
galleries around the country and in the
LOG.

Fleet, was at stake in the Senate, but
the agency won out.
The action involved a decision by
the Senate Appropriations Committee
to tum back a Navy-inspired effort to
complete a takeover of the Ready
Reserve Fleet function.
The committee assigned to Marad,
beginning next fiscal year, the roughly
$80 million needed to keep that fleet
in readiness, rather than having the
Navy reimburse Marad for its efforts.
The committee did express concern
that the costs of maintaining the fleet
"are excessive," a Navy contention.
But the committee suggested that because both Marad and Navy have been
involved, there has been little incentive to cut costs.
It is expected that the committee's
report will conclude that ''the merging
of the financial and administrative responsibilities will provide such an incentive.''
With the support of an appropriations subcommittee, the Navy also had
pressed for manning the fleet's ships
with naval reservists rather than civilian merchant crews.
The full committee decided to direct
the Navy to submit by May 1 a feasibility study on a plan giving the
Naval Reserve responsibility.
The committee said the study must
"include steps to recruit the entire
private-sector merchant manpower
pool into the Naval Reserve, and that
the manpower pool continue to be

efits, faster depreciation tax schedules
for vessels and numerous other forms
of aid such as interest-free loans, grants
and assistance for new facilities and
equipment. If Canadian-flag vessels
are allowed to penetrate future markets in U.S. domestic waterborne
commerce, U .S.-flag vessel operations will entirely disappear,'' the coalition wrote.
In addition to the competitive advantages the Canadians have, Canadian ships already carry about 90 percent of the bilateral trade on the Great
Lakes. That country's Parliament is
in the process ot tightening Canadian
coastwise laws also.
FTA opponents also pointed out
that if the trade pact were approved
with maritime provisions, other nations could be granted the same rights
under Most Favored Nations trading
pacts.
''The establishment of the Free Trade
Area Agreement with Canada sets an
extremely dangerous precedent that
may result in the total collapse of the
domestic U.S.-flag fleet. Other U.S.
trading partners have the right, under
existing treaties, to demand the same
benefits granted to Canada. The combined political pressure of these nations, coupled with the benefits granted
to Canada, could lead to the eventual
demise of the U.S. merchant marine,''
the coalition wrote.
In addition, Drozak pointed out in
letters to congressional members that
maritime provisions in the proposed

pact could have a disastrous effect on
the nation's defense posture.
Both the "President's National Security Strategy", issued earlier this
year, and the Merchant Marine Commission on Defense and National Security pointed to an alarming decrease
in the number of ships, especially the
number of qualified crewmembers in
the U.S. merchant marine.
''Allowing Canadian operators to
compete in America's domestic and
reserved trades will decrease the demand for American seafarers and will
only exacerbate this trend, damaging
U.S. defense capabilities," Drozak
said.
It was the defense issue that seemed
to gather more support for treaty opponents.
''We believe that a strong merchant
marine and a national sealift capability
are absolutely vital to our national
defense. This is not some hackneyed
sentiment. It expresses a sense of
alarm over the decline of the U.S.-flag
merchant marine and our ability to
fulfill the responsibilities of a great
power," Jones and Breaux wrote in a
letter to The Journal of Commerce.
"You simply do not make national
security part of a trade agreement,''
they added.
Breaux called the removal of the
maritime provisions "a substantial
victory . . . and a reiteration of the
long standing position of this government to maintain its promotional programs that strengthen the merchant
marine for its national defense role."

First SMU Convention
Delegates to the first convention
of the Seafarers Maritime Union
met at District 2' s training school
in Dania, Fla. Nov: 24 and 25 to
lay the foundation for a strong, new
union to meet the challenges and
opportunities of a changing maritime industry.
''The formation of the Seafarers
Maritime Union marks a new beginning," said Frank Drozak, the
newly-elected president of the SMU.
"While there have been other topto-bottom organizations, this is the
first time that licensed and unlicensed seamen have come together
under one roof on equal terms."
Also elected to office along with
Drozak were Executive Vice President I Secretary - Treasurer Ray
McKay and Vice Presidents Jerry
Joseph and Red Campbell.
Delegates to the convention reviewed the events that led to the
formation of the new union, the
most important of which has been
the deterioration of the commercial
sector.
''The maritime industry as we
knew it is dead," said Ray McKay.
''Many large commercial operators
used to the maximum extent practicable.''
Civilian mariners will continue,
through Marad's general agency ar-

still in business have made it known
that they are thinking of reflagging. ''
Developments over the past year
have reinforced this trend. These
include the inability of Congress to
reform the liner subsidy program,
events in the Persian Gulf, formation of top-to-bottom organizations
by MEBA-1 and MM&amp;P and the
recent stock market crash, which
has threatened. to dry up the few
remaining sources of domestic capital for ship construction.
On a more positive note, the
delegates heard about the considerable progress that had been made
in the areas of organizing, legal,
servicing, manpower, training and
new SMU benefit plans.
''This union represents a real opportunity for unlicensed seamen who
like to think ahead, and who understand that the only new work
being created in the maritime industry today is on military support
vessels," Drozak said.
Both Drozak and McKay stressed
that SMU contracts will not supplant existing SIU or D-2 contracts.
rangements with private operators, to
man such vessels when activated until
Congress evaluates the requested Navy
plan, the committee added.
December 1987 I LOG I 3

�A 1971 Predictwnfor Today

The Stanwick Report:
Manning Revolution
This is the second in a series of commentaries on the evolving
conditions in the U.S. maritime industry. We began last month with a
report from President Drozak on the decline of America's industrial
base, and the loss of focus on the need for a strong U.S. maritime
capability, particularly during the seven years of the Reagan administration.

* * *

I

N December 1971 a report was issued which proposed radical changes
in manning requirements for U .S.-flag merchant ships. The report
was prepared by the Stanwick Corporation at the request of the U.S.
Maritime Administration's office of research and development and the
U.S. Coast Guard's office of merchant marine safety.
The purpose of the report was "to determine crew skills, manning,
and training requirements to provide safe, efficient and economical
operation of U .S.-ftag merchant ships;, in the near future (10 years).
The bottom line of that report was that ''it is possible to operate
present ships safely and efficiently with approximately 50 percent of
present (1971) manning, i.e., present manning as required by union
agreement or company policy.''
To put this report into perspective, manning scales under SIU
Standard Agreements at that time called for 34 unlicensed crewmembers
on standard dry cargo vessels, and crews of from 28 to 34 aboard
tankers.
While it is not possible to assess what direct influence the Stanwick
Report has had on the changes that have taken place in manning
requirements and training of merchant seamen, the fact is that many of
that report's conclusions have come to pass, and some more of them
are imminent.
Here are excerpts of the "principal findings" of that section of the
report dealing with Manning and Skill Requirements:
• ''. . . Present manning and skills of modern cargo vessels do not
match the functional requirements of high-speed, fast-turnaround operations; highly automated engineering plants, or sophisticated electronic equipment.''
• ''In general there is a shortage of personnel adequately skilled in
the operation and maintenance of the more complex systems, and an
excess of personnel with little or no technical skills. With minor changes
in equipment and procedures, cross-utilization of personnel, upgrading
of skills, and transfer of some functions ashore, it is possible to operate
present (1971) ships safely and efficiently with approximately 50 percent
of present manning ... ''
• ·'Systems and equipment expected to be installed in ships during
the next 10 years will be significantly more complex, sophisticated and
automated than at present ... Such ships and systems, designed to be
operated by smaller crews, require personnel with a high degree of
technical skill and operating proficiency ... ''
• "In general, engineering personnel are inadequately trained in the
operation and maintenance of control systems for centralized control
engineering plants, and in effective preventative maintenance ... ''
• ''Much routine engineering preventative maintenance could be
performed by shoreside personnel during in-port stays ... "
• ''There are extensive duplications and overlaps of functions, as
well as excessive idle time among members of the steward's department.
Many functions performed by stewards aboard ship could be performed
more efficiently and effectively ashore.''
• ''The present rigid shipboard departmental organization and restrictive work rules prevent effective use of available manpower. Crossutilization of personnel is one means to obtain more efficient use of
shipboard personnel.''
(It is interesting to note that in the Nov. 1987 issue of FAIRPLAY,

a respected maritime journal published in Great Britain, it was reported
that a recent research study on Technology and Manning for Safe Ship
Operations concluded that one of the most important manning issues
to be addressed is ''Role Flexibility: the need to move away from the
traditional departmental and rank divisions.")

* * *
The Stanwick Report addressed two integrally related aspects of
manning: skills and training requirements, and implementation problems.

The S.S. Steel Age was one of 14 break-bulk ships operated by Isthmian Steamship Co.
in the 1940s and 1950s with an unlicensed SIU crew of 31 Seafarers. Isthmian is gone,
and so are the "stick ships" and the ratings that were needed to sail and maintain them.

Manning Scales/1968
Tanker (55,000 DWT)
(30 Unlicensed)

Dry Cargo/C-3
(34 Unlicensed)
Bosun
Carpenter
Deck Maintenance (2)
Able Seamen (6)
Ordinary Seamen (3)

Chief Electrician
Second Electrician
Engine Utility (2)
Oilers (3)
Firemen/
Watertenders (3)
Wipers (2)

Bosun
AB Maintenance
Able Seamen (6)
Ordinary Seamen (3)

Chief Cook
Galley Utility
Crew Pantry
Saloon Pantry

Chief Pumpman (2)
Second Pumpman/
Engine Maint.
Oilers (3)
Firemen/
Watertenders (3)
Wipers (2)

Steward

Steward
Chief Steward
Cook &amp; Baker
Crew Me~
Saloon Mess

Engine

Deck

Engine

Deck

Chief Steward
Cook/Baker
Crew Mess
Pantry Utility

Chief Cook
Galley Utility
Saloon Mess
BR

BR

It was in this skills section of the report that the most revolutionary
manning concepts were put forth. A "new" unlicensed rating of
Quartermaster would require training to operate radar, perform simple
navigational functions, operate automated bridge helmsman's station,
and related advanced technology bridge duties.
Messmen would be required to act as linehandlers and bow lookout,
and to learn and become proficient in nautical terminology, life-saving
and firefighting apparatus and equipment procedures.
Utilitymen, who would be upgraded messmen or other basic entry
ratings, would be trained to act as lookout/helmsman, and would be
required to have all able seaman and messman skills.
In the engineroom, two "new" classifications are proposed: unlicensed engineer and maintenance technician. These seafarers would
work wherever required to do engineering housekeeping and to perform
preventative maintenance and repairs of marine mechanical, electrical,
hydraulic and pneumatic equipment.
The report observed that training would, of course, be a key
requirement for implementing the proposed manning changes. The
report called for an industry-wide approach to identify the training
needs of the future and to coordinate training programs. The report
said: ''The new skills and ratings proposed will require the establishment
of new courses and curricula, as well as new licensing and certificating
requirements by the U.S. Coast Guard."

* * *
Much of what was suggested in that report 16 years ago was anticipated
by the Seafarers International Union. The emphasis on training and
upgrading began 20 years ago with the establishment of the Seafarers
Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Piney Point, Md. New
courses to keep our membership abreast of technological advances were
developed. The courses are being constantly evaluated, modified and
improved to insure that our members are the most competently-trained
seafarers anywhere.
And, we are looking to the future to insure the continued job security
of this membership. In the real world, jobs are changing, technology is
advancing, new skills and new approaches are needed.
More about this next month.
December 1987 I LOG I 5

�Area Vice Presidents' Report

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

D

ESPITE the upheaval in the tug
and barge industry, we were able
to negotiate a contract with Moran
Towing which included increases in
wages and benefits. A special vote of
thanks to Dean Corgey for the role he
played in these negotiations.
Negotiations are presently under way
for the following companies: Dixie
Carriers, Orgulf and Delta Queen.
Things look especially good for the
Delta Queen.
Shipping has picked up a bit in the
Houston area. This is welcome news,
especially since the near-depression in
the oil industry has caused severe
dislocations up and down the East
Coast.
The slowdown in the domestic oil
industry has thrown a lot of non-union
seamen out of work. They've travelled
as far north as Baltimore and Delaware
to get jobs for wages far below what
is normally paid union members.
This has given companies like
McAllister and Curtis Bay an added
weapon in their efforts to break tug
and barge unions. Some of these nonunion people are even holed up in
crimp joints in Lousiana.
On a brighter note: I went with Dean
Corgey and Vice President Red Campbell to inspect the Overseas Joyce, the
new auto carrier which just made its
maiden voyage. It is an incredible
vessel. And the only reason we have
it is because of the work that our
Washington staff has done in exposing
unfair trade.
Toward the end of last month, I
attended the first convention of the
Seafarers Maritime Union. It was an
historic occasion.
For seamen who are interested in
making a career onboard military vessels, SMU represents an important
breakthrough. Not only do seamen
sailing aboard these vessels have improved job security, but they can use
the opportunity to get a license.

is the instrument that governs wages,
hours, working conditions and a host
of other rules and regulations that
apply to marine personnel. After religiously following their bible (CMPI)
for lo these many years , MSCPAC
and MSC Washington, D.C. have now
begun to interpret their bible in their
favor, regardless as to what is written.
For instance, William H. Smith,
SIU ship's chairman aboard the USNS
Passumpsic, submitted a Premium Pay
Dispute Claim in behalf of the entire
crew, when they and a U.S. Navy
ship's crew were confined to their
ships for three days in Fremantle,
Australia, by the Battle Group Commander. CMPI states in part, "Liberty
may be restricted without premium
pay where unsafe conditions exist,''
and outlines other restrictions where
individuals are concerned. CMPI also
states that the master will deny liberty
without premium pay when Competent
Port Authorities order the restriction
of the crew.
The argument here is whether a
Battle Group Commander is competent port authority. COMSC Washington, D.C. concurs in the fact that a
Battle Group Commander may be considered a competent port authority and
then covers its tracks by going on to
say that the CMPI is a guideline and,
as such, may not encompass all situations. Therefore, what is already in
the written text is open for wide interpretation.
The final chapter of this story has
not been written because the SIU
intends to appeal to a higher authority.
I must say that Bill Smith, ship's
chairman, did an exceptional job in
presenting his case.
As if the federal government had
not already confused the retirement
issue for eligible federal and postal
employees by advising and inviting
them to switch from the Civil Service
Retirement System to the Federal Employees Retirement System, the employees under CSRS are further confused by Alternative Forms of Annuities
(AFA) for eligible CSRS employees
who retire after June 5, 1986, with
certain exceptions.
The Federal Personnel Manual letter which explains the AFA in its
entirety is printed in the Government
Services Section of this month's LOG.
Those members under the CSRS who
are thinking of retiring soon should
give careful study and consideration
to the article.

Government Services

Great Lakes

by V.P. Buck Mercer

by V.P. Mike Sacco

T

HE Military Sealift Command has
always faithfully followed the authority of their Civilian Marine Personnel Instruction book (CMPI), which

6 I LOG I December 1987

N

ow that the Great Lakes shipping
industry has all but shut down for
the winter months, it is time to take
stock of 1987.

It was a difficult year for maritime
workers, with one exception. And that
exception is crucial, because it marks
the single most important victory in
the maritime industry since 1985, when
the SIU and other maritime unions
were able to save the Cargo Preference
Act of 1954.
Thanks to the hard work of such
grassroots organizations as the Maritime Trades Department and the Great
Lakes Task Force, the maritime provisions of the Canadian Free Trade
Agreement have been dropped. I've
discussed this issue at length in my
previous columns. If you want to know
all the details, just turn to the lead
story in this paper. But the most important thing to remember is that we
have been able to save the maritime
industry from extinction.
Since it took office seven years ago,
the Reagan administration has dismantled or cut funding for every single
maritime promotional program on the
books. Yet what it was proposing in
the Canadian Free Trade Agreement
was something different. Things may
be bad now, but if the agreement had
been ratified with the maritime provisions intact, the maritime industry
would have lost something more important than any one program. It would
would have lost all hope for the future.
Hope is what kept us going in the
early days of this Union, and it is what
keeps us going today. Our absolute
belief that we can ultimately improve
the wages and working conditions of
our members is what has enabled us
to make the difficult choices about
staying alive.
Simply put, this Union is not willing
to die. We believe that if we keep our
members informed, if we communicate, then we can avoid what happened to the NMU. And the record is
strong in this regard. By not relying
on one company to provide the totality
of our members' job security, or to
put it differently, by not putting all
our eggs in one basket, we are in a
good position to weather out this storm.
The record bears us out. I and other
officials of this Union have often repeated these numbers: during a time
when the maritime industry has declined by more than one-third, the SIU
has been able to sign up 58 new vessels
representing more than 700 new jobs.
Let me repeat it-58 new vessels, 700
new jobs. And not just any jobs, but
jobs that will enable out members to
upgrade into licensed positions. Jobs
with futures.
It is true that jobs onboard military
vessels do not pay as much as SeaLand vessels. But anyone who wants
to make a career in the maritime industry has to realize that there is no
real future in commercial work. In
order to remain competitive, Sea-Land
is going to have to modernize its fleet.
Every new vessel that it is able to
build (and it is not certain that it can
or will build new vessels under the
American flag) means that two or three
existing ships will be put out of business.
I know it is hard for many of our
members to think about the maritime
industry in these terms. And if I were
shipping on a Sea-Land vessel today,

I guess that I would be reluctant to go
after this military work. Sea-Land jobs
seem secure. They pay well. You don't
have to take the time to upgrade. Why
bother?
Let me put it another way. No one
likes to think about his own death.
But any married man or woman knows
that if you don't think about it, if you
don't buy life insurance and plan for
your family's future, then you are a
fool. By the same token, the maritime
industry is sick, maybe terminal, and
we have to think about the future.
Your future.

~

East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

B

ALTIMORE, Philadelphia and Norfolk, three of our leading East
Coast ports, were recently rocked by
bitter strikes. President Drozak discusses the issues in detail in this month's
President's Report.
The problems that we have experienced with McAllister and Curtis Bay
are part of a larger problem which
threatens all labor unions and, I believe, the entire American economy.
For one thing, a growing number of
companies are trying to sabotage the
labor laws of this country. They have
hired high-priced labor lawyers to muck
up negotiations. In effect, these people
are being paid millions of dollars to
make sure that the process does not
work.
It no longer is possible for American
labor unions to get a fair hearing at
the NLRB. At the bottom, this is a
political issue. At the very least,
American workers have to elect an
administration that is not willing to let
the NLRB become a mouthpiece for
American conglomerates.
This breakdown in managementlabor relations first became apparent
in 1978 when a number of transportation companies, including American
Commercial Barge Lines and Texas
Air, started to challenge the whole
concept of hiring halls. Deregulation
had created a new climate in the transportation industry. · So did the rise in
the number .of hostile takeovers.
More and more, companies, hardpressed for cash, saw pension funds
as potential company assets. By
breaking the unions (be they maritime,
rail, trucking or air), they would be
able to establish their own single-employer pension plans, which were far
less secure than multi-employer union
plans. For instance, several thousand
single-employer plans filed for bankruptcy between 1975 and 1978. During
that same time, not one multi-employer plan went under.
For SIU members, these issues did
not reach a critical point until 1984,
when SONAT Marine unilaterally declared the captains, chief engineers,
mates and barge captains under con(Continued on Page 20.)

�In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will
highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national
and maritime policy.

profiles
Rep.
Louise Slaughter

Sen.
Bob Graham

T

F

he 30th district of New York includes the northwestern quarter
of Rochester and a portion of the city
east of the Genesee River. It is from
this predominantly Republican area
that Louise M. Slaughter (D-N.Y.)
upset a one-term incumbent in her
race for the U.S. House of Representatives. Slaughter was one of only five
challengers, nationwide, to defeat an
incumbent in 1986, and the only woman
to do so.
A native of Harlan County, Ky.,
the congresswoman holds a B. S. in
bacteriology and an M.S. in public
health from the University of Kentucky. One of her first political encounters was leading a neighborhood
environmental fight to save a stand of
rare native trees of environmental significance. Her interest in this sparked
her political career.
In 1975 Slaughter ran for the Monroe
County Legislature, defeating a multiterm incumbent, and was easily reelected in 1977. While a member of
the County Legislature, she also served
as the regional coordinator for the
Department of State under then-Secretary of State Mario Cuomo. In 1978
she managed Cuomo' s upstate campaign for lieutenant governor and, after a successful race , coordinated the
e ·e
ant vem r' upstate regional office.
Congresswoman Slaughter ran for
the New York State Assembly's 130th
District in 1982 and was re-elected in
1984 with 55 percent of the vote, once
again upsetting an incumbent.
During her terms in the state assembly, Slaughter generated legislation on
a number of issues. She was the chair
of the subcommittee on Enterpreneurship, Employee Ownership and
Family Owned Business. She sponsored legislation that cut excess regulation of small business and was the
prime sponsor of the sunshine law on
liability insurance. She also chaired
the Committee of Overcrowding in
New York's detention facilities and

Rep. Louise Slaughter
was a strong advocate of senior citizens.
Slaughter, presently the only woman
in the New York congressional delegation, has already made her mark in
the lOOth Congress. She is one of three
freshmen who have been appointed to
a Majority Whip at Large position by
the House leadership. Members of the
Whip organization work closely with
the Speaker of the House and the
Majority Whip to establish legislative
priorities and to build support among
their colleagues.
Slaughter was instrumental in supporting legislation to address the seriously deteriorating service that airline passengers have been encountering.
The bill requires the Department of
Transportation to publish a monthly
report outlining each airline 's performance record, including information on
delayed flights, lost or damaged luggage, canceled flights, overbookings
and other passenger complaints. She
also co-sponsored a bill that significantly strengthens taxpayer assistance
resources within the Internal Revenue
Service and introduced a bill that would
help many older Americans throughout the country.
Congresswoman Slaughter sits on
the Public Works and Transportation
Committee and is a member of the
Governmental Operations Committee.
She also has been appointed by the
Speaker of the House to the Select
Committee on Aging.

lorida, the nation's fifth most populous state, has been skillful in
promoting itself as a mainland paradise-and its booming growth rate testifies to that. Retirees, high-tech manufacturers, the phosphate mining
industry, Hispanics, citrus agribusinesses, the tourism industry, boosters
of the fast-growing cities and the defenders of the rural Panhandle all bid
for influence in a state where roughly
300,000 new residents are added each
year.
Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) knows
about Florida firsthand, having served
in the Florida House of Representatives, the Florida Senate and then as
38th governor of the state.
Graham comes from a family of
Florida pioneers and gr~duated from
Miami High School. He received a
bachelor's degree from the University
of Florida and a doctor of law degree
from Harvard Law School.
The senator was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1966
and to the Florida Senate in 1970. As
a legislator, Graham was a pioneer in
support for improved education and
authored or helped write almost all of
the state's current environmental laws.
He also focused on more adequate
services for the elderly and community
health programs.
As governor of Florida, Graham
showed strong leadership in times of
unprecedented crises such as the massive Cuban-Haitian influx of 1980.
Enforcement of the law was a priority for the governor. He focused on

Sen. Bob Graham
the need to reduce the overall crime
rate and to provide additional resources throughout the criminal justice system. And because of the state's
unique vulnerability to illegal drug
smuggling and immigration, he advocated a strong federal role in fighting
crime in Florida.
Elected to the governorship in 1978
and re-elected in 1982, Graham was
ineligible to seek re-election in 1986.
Instead, he challenged GOP Sen. Paula
Hawkins for a U.S. Senate seat-and
won.
In the Senate, Graham co-sponsored the Graham-Wirth bill (S.1891)
Nov. 20, dealing with the financial
services oversight commission. Of
special interest to SIU members is the
fact that the senator serves on the
Veterans Affairs Committee and could
be a strong ally for us there. He also
is on the Banking, Housing and Urban
Affairs Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee.

Onboard the USNS Wyman

Washington Report
(Continued from Page 24.)

Cash Transfer
Congress and the administration are
once again examining certain aspects
of this nation's cargo preference laws.
The Maritime Administration is considering cutting subsidy payments to
U.S.-flag vessels that haul cargo purchased by foreign governments using
cash grants provided under the U.S.
foreign aid program.
Marad' s announcement came nearly
one month after the House adopted
an amendment offered by Rep. Robert
Torricelli (D-N .J .), which would require countries receiving U.S. financial aid to purchase U.S. products and

to apply U.S.-flag preference rules for
half of those shipments. While the SIU
lobbied very hard for passage of the
Torricelli amendment, the amendment
was weakened when agricultural commodities were exempted from its provisions.
Debasement of this nation's cargo
preference laws has been a problem
with the present administration, as it
has looked for ways around existing
laws. For example, Marad has a policy
against paying subsidies on U.S. government-generated cargoes which by
law must be moved on U.S.-flag vessels.

The SIU steward department onboard the Wyman (T-AGS 34) is " ... proud of
the work we do," said Chief Steward Mark Skidmore. Pictured above (I. to r.)
somewhere near the equator in the Pacific are: (back row) SIA Jimmie Cooper,
Cook/Baker Rock Young, SIA Bill Beir, SIA George Tatum and SIA Michael Pooler;
(front row) Chief Cook Jesus Laxamana, 3rd Cook Alum Mak, SIA Greg Connite
and SIA Simerjo Arana.

December 1987 I LOG I 7

�SIU Crews New Commuter Ferry Service
One of the brightest spots on
New York's glittering skyline is
ARCORP, the newly-organized SIU
company which carries commuters
from Weehauken, N.J. to Manhattan.
ARCORP revives an old conceptcommuter ferries-and makes it profitable, thanks to the hard work and
dedication of its SIU crews. The company is doing so well that it was
recently written up in The Journal of
Commerce.
"From 110 passengers the first day,
the (new) line has grown to more than
2,500 a day," said the Journal.
Instead of having to pay for parking
(which in New York can run $20 a
day) or riding to Manhattan in a
crowded bus, commuters can ride in
comfort and experience one of the
world's truly beautiful sights: the
New York City skyline.
"I don't know what I did before this
service opened," said one commuter.
"Suffer, I guess."

ARCORP has revived the ferry business in the New York area.

~

Hank Rostek was with the SIU from the beginning.
He provides customers with information about monthly
commuting rates.

SIU shore gang member John Alberti, left, greets Phil Treboe.

Hey good looking! Where'd you get the
shades?

Earl Sandwick commands the ferry!

8 I LOG I December 1987

Three good SIU members: Bob Alburtis, Bill Curran and
Bob Tovay.

Phil Treboe unlashes the gate after a pleasant and quick
commute across the Hudson.

�Baltimore and Philly Contracts Signed

Curtis Bay Boatmen Strikes End in Two Ports
A bitter six-week strike against Curtis Bay Towing in Baltimore and Philadelphia came to an end late last month.
But its after-shocks are still rumbling
through the ports and the SIU.
In Baltimore, strikers refused to
return to work under a contract negotiated by the Union in their behalf.
When they did not return to work,
they were permanently replaced. They
then filed an NLRB complaint against
the SIU.
In Philadelphia, striking boatmen
did return to their jobs under a contract
hammered out by the Union and the
company. But they, too, filed suit
against the Union.
The strike against Curtis Bay continues in Norfolk. But last month the
company issued an unexpected ultimatum to the strikers there: "Return
to work or be permanently replaced."
The surprise demand was turned down,

and the company kept its word-the
56 strikers lost their jobs.
"It is clear that under the present
circumstances, continued strike activity will not accomplish any of our
goals,'' wrote SIU Vice President Angus "Red" Campbell in a letter to
Curtis Bay strikers in Baltimore.
In all three ports, Curtis Bay continued to operate its tugs during the
strike with scab crews, mostly unemployed boatmen from the depressed
Gulf Coast. In addition, legal restrictions prevented any organized attempts to shut down entire ports. The
Coast Guard did little to respond to
safety and licensing complaints. After
replacing its Norfolk workers, Curtis
Bay threatened to do the same in the
other ports.
''Taking all of this into account, the
Executive Board of the Seafarers International Union, AGLIWD, directed

the top officers of the Union to attempt
to re-open negotiations in hope of
resolving the existing dispute. This
was done and the Union was able to
negotiate an agreement that is substantially better than the company's
last offer. In an effort to preserve the
remaining union jobs in this industry
and in the best interests of the membership of this Union, the Executive
Board decided that this agreement
should be signed," Campbell wrote.
Under the provisions of the SIU
Constitution, such action is valid. But
the striking boatmen in Baltimore were
unhappy with the contract and upset
with the action. They refused to return
to work and forfeited their jobs.
''This was not an easy decision to
make," SIU President Frank Drozak
said. ''But to put it simply, we were
getting beaten. In order to preserve
our presence in those ports and to

keep union jobs on those boats, I did
what was necessary and negotiated
and signed a contract in the best interests of the Union and the membership," he said.
Drozak said he understood the disappointment felt by the striking boatmen, but he hoped that situation could
be resolved.
In the meantime, crews for McAllister Brothers Towing in those ports
remained on strike awaiting action
from the NLRB on the Union's unfair
labor practice charges.
In a related development in Philadelphia and Baltimore, the SIU filed
an NLRB complaint against Curtis
Bay over the status of captains and
docking pilots. The company claims
they are supervisory personnel and
not covered by the contract. The Union
contends they are members of the
bargaining unit.

In Memoriam
The foil owing Inland members passed away this year.
FEBRUARY
David C. Beab ey
APRIL
William L. Caulk
Roy A. Schmidt
MAY
Joseph F. Flynn
Luther 0. Harris
Joseph R. Pearson
JUNE
Curl T. Banks
William Blanchard
Thomas Hingle
William P. O'Oonoghue
Victor M. Ortiz
Blain S. Rowe
John Viera
Elbert Welch
JULY
Herbert M. Bernhard
Andrew Carich
Harry J. Farnsworth
AUGUST
Arcadio Alverado
SEPTEMBER
Raymond J. Cocek
Kenneth Rowland
OCTOBER
Joseph Hebert
Elias W. Landrum
Herbert V. Olson
Donald J. Schulingkamp
John G. Sheppard

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
NOVEMBER 1-30, 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 ..... .... ... ...............
•

NOVEMBER
John B. August
Charles C. Miller Sr.
John Rowe
The following Great Lakes
members have p~ away.
Peter J. Brisick
Guy Herbert
Jeffrey A. Derricks
Patrick J. Moran
John Palmer
Angelo Simone
Robert W. Smith
Paul Stepan
Gloucester Fishermen
Joseph Viator

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

•

0

0

I

I

0

I

I

0

0

0

I

I

0

ff

O

O

I

O

t

O

Totals All Departments ......... .......

0
0
6

55
1
1
0

2

0
0
0

12

0
0
77
0
0
0

18

0
0

0
0
0

14

0

1

0

7

0
0
0
6
3
0

31

0
0
0

8
0
0

0

3
0
0
0
0

0

18

17

4

0
0
0

2
1
28

0
0
55

0
0
0
3
0
0

0
0

0

0
0
0
0
0
0

24

11

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
13
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

5
0
0

0

0
0
17

0
0

10

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

118

52

28

4

1

0
0
0

4

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
6
0
28
10
1
0
1
0
NOT AVAILABLE
0
0

13

0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
6
0
0

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0

7

31

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
9
5
0
0
1
0
NOT AVAILABLE
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
2
0
0
0
0

15

8

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
3
0
0
0
0
NOT AVAILABLE
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
10
5

80

44

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

15

0
0
5
0
0
0

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class 8 Class C

0
0

4

69

1
2

0

48

0
0
2

21

2
0

0
0
0

27

0
0

0

15

0
0
3

11
4
0

20

149

60

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0
0
0
0
0
0

28

0
0
0

21

0
0

1
17

18

0

1

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0

4
2
9

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
9
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0

0
1
0

5

2

0
0
67

33

3

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

8
0
0

18

0

1

0

41

49

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

20

257

142

12

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

29

0
0
0

4
0
0

0

27

0
0
0
3
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.

December 1987 I LOG I 9

�A

S the 1988 school season
begins, it's not too early
for high school seniors to
start thinking about college. For
dependents of Seafarers and
Boatmen the financial burden of
college can be greatly eased if
they win an SIU scholarship.
The awards, known as the
Charlie Logan Scholarship
Program, are given each year
under the auspices of the Seafarers Welfare Plan. For dependents, four $10,000 scholarships are offered.
But the Scholarship Program
is not exclusively for dependents. A $10,000 award and two
$5,000 scholarships are available to active Seatare rs and
Boatmen. Also, when there are
exceptionally qualified Seafarers and Boatmen, the Board of
Trustees of the Welfare Plan
may grant a second $10,000
award to an active member.
The Scholarship Program was
begun in 1952 to help members
and their children achieve their
educational goals. Several years
ago it was named after Charlie
Logan, a labor consultant and
arbitrator who died in 1975. He
helped establish the Seafarers
Scholarship Program and then
worked hard to keep it strong
and growing.

Seafarer Requirements
Seafarers and Boatmen who
are applying for scholarships
must:
• Be a graduate of high school
or its equivalent.
• Have credit for two years
(730 days) of employment with
an employer who is obligated to
make contributions to the Seafarers Welfare Plan on the employee's behalf prior to the date
of application.
• Have one day of employment on a vessel in the sixmonth period immediately preceding the date of application.
• Have 120 days of employment on a vessel in the previous
calendar year.
Pensioners are not eligible to
receive scholarship awards.

Dependent Requirements
Dependents of Seafare rs and
Boatmen who apply for a scholarship must be unmarried, under
19 years of age, and receive
sole support from the employee
and/or his or her spouse. Unmarried children who are eligible
for benefits under Plan #1 Major

10 I LOG I December 1987

Don't Wait! Apply Now For

1988 SIU College Scholarships
Deadline - April 15
Medical are eligible to apply for
a dependent's scholarship up to
the age of 25.
Each applicant for a dependent's scholarship must:
• Be unmarried at the time
application is made.
• Be under 19 or 25 years of
age (whichever is applicable).
• Be eligible for dependent
benefits under the Seatare rs
Welfare Plan.
• Be a graduate of high school
or its equivalent.
The applicant's parent must:
• Have credit for three years
(1,095 days) of employment with
an employer who is obligated to
make contributions to the Seafarers Welfare Plan on the employee's behalf prior to the date
of application.
• Have one day of employment in the six-month period
immediately preceding the date
of application.
• Have 120 days of employment in the previous calendar
year.
The last two items above covering worktime requirements of
the applicant's parents do not
apply to applicants who are the
children of pensioners or eligible
deceased employees.

Must Take SAT or ACT
For both active members and
the dependents of eligible members, the scholarship grants are
awarded on the basis of high
school grades and the scores of
either College Entrance Examination Boards (SAT) OR American College Tests (ACT).
The SAT or ACT exam must
be taken no later than February
1988 to ensure that the results
reach the Scholarship Selection
Committee in time to be evaluated. For upcoming SAT test
dates and applications, contact
the College Entrance Examination Board at either: Box 592,

Princeton, N.J. 08540 or Box
1025 Berkeley, Calif. 94 701 ,
whichever is closest to your
mailing address.
For upcoming ACT test dates
and applications contact: ACT
Registration Union, P.O. Box
414, Iowa City, Iowa 52243.
Scholarship program applications are available to active
members or their dependents at
any SIU hall or through the Seafarers Welfare Plan, 5201 Auth
Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.
Scholarship
winners
will
be announced in May 1988.
The deadline for submission of
applications is April 15, 1988.

�coast ouarct Licensin

~~. . . .~r.'"

A New Vear Brings
New Regulations
by Carla Tomaszewski

he U.S. Coast Guard has announced its most sweeping licensing rules revisions in 40 years.
The rule-changing process took
six years, involving 30 public meetings
around the country which elicited over
13,000 comments. By revising the licensing rules and the deck and engine
license structure, the Coast Guard aims
to simplify the entire licensing procedure and make it easier for mariners
to move from one industry to another
within the marine field as their careers
evelop. Over I 00 licenses previously
offered have been reduced to 46.

T

The most notable change to the
Coast Guard's licensing system is to
the license structure itself. Upper level
licenses have undergone the least
amount of change. However, no longer
is there a provision for an original
second mate or second assistant engineer's license. Additionally, beginning Oct. 1, 1988, completion of an
approved radar observer course and
qualifications as an able seaman are

required to obtain a master or mate
license with a tonnage of above 200
gross tons.
The lower level deck licenses have
had all trade restrictions removed, and
are now limited only as to grade,
waters and tonnage. Two grades are
available, master or mate. The waters
available are; oceans, near coastal (200
miles off shore), Great Lakes and
inland, or inland.
The lower level engineer licenses
available are: chief engineer (limited
oceans), chief engineer (limited nearcoastal), assistant engineer (limited
oceans), designated duty engineer
(DDE) of any horsepower, DDE of
not more than 4,000 hp., and DDE of
not more than 1,000 hp. Provision has
been made in the regulations for a
mariner to pursue a career path from
a limited to an unlimited license.

Eliminated are licenses as master,
mate, or engineer of uninspected vessels, however, these licenses are retained for those grades on uninspected
fishing industry vessels.
Licenses for oceans or near coastal
service have been divided into three
gross tonnage ranges; 1600, 500, or
not more than 200. Licenses for Great
Lakes and inland service have been
divided into two gross tonnage ranges;
1600, and not more than 200. Those
licenses of not more than 200 gross
tons are granted in 50-ton increments
based upon the qualifying service. In
addition, the licenses as operator or
second class operator of uninspected
towing vessels, and operator of uninspected small passenger vessels have
been retained.
There are five routes provided for
the operator of uninspected towing
vessels (OUJ'V). They are oceans (domestic), near-coastal, Great Lakes and
inland, Western Rivers, or limited local area. The oceans (domestic) route
would permit service between Alaska,
Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Continental U.S. An individual holding a
license as OUTV, oceans will be permitted to retain that license upon renewal, but is encouraged to obtain a
master oceans not more than 200 gross
tons license to avoid potential difficulties when calling at foreign ports.
Beginning Oct. I, 1988, individuals
using military sea service to qualify
for a license will be required to satisfy

--.
the recency requirements, i.e., three
months service within the last three
years.
In summation, the Coast Guard has
accomplished a number of goals with
this revision of the licensing regulations. The regulations themselves are
simplified, making them easier for the
mariner to read and understand. Extensive use of tables and flow diagrams
make it easier to determine license
requirements, examination subjects,
and available career patterns. The new
regulations make provision for technological advances in the marine field.
For example, provision is made for
designated duty engineers who would
serve on automated vessels which do
not require a continually manned engine room.
Finally, the regulations have been
brought into compliance with internationally recognized standards. By
using a licensing system which meets
the standards of the International Convention on the Standards of Training,
Certification and Watchkeeping for
Seafarers (STCW), 1978, the qualifications of U.S. mariners will be readily
accepted when operating in a foreign
nation's waters.
December 1987 I LOG I 11

�Helpful Hints When Renewing Your License
1. The process of renewing your license can be completed by mail. There
is no need to come to our office. Call
the Regional Examination Center
(REC) at USCG Marine Safety Office
Baltimore, Md. (301-962-5140) and ask
that the appropriate renewal packet
be sent to you.

2. Dealing with the application:
a) After you complete the blocks
dealing with your license, criminal, and narcotics records, initial the blocks by your corresponding answers.
b) Sign the application in the block
where it states that you certify
that all the information you gave
on the application is true, etc.
c) Notarize the application upon
completion.
3. You must submit proof that you
are a U.S. citizen, if it is not already
indicated on your license. An original
or notarized copy of one of the following forms of identification will suffice:

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Birth Certificate
U.S. Passport
Certificate of Naturalization
Baptismal Certificate
Any other method listed in
46 CFR 10.02-5 (c)

4. Physical requirements:
a) Pilots need a complete physical.
b) All other license holders need
to submit the following statement in writing, sign it, and have
it notarized: "I have no known
physical incapacity that would
prevent me from performing my
duties at sea.''
5. After you complete a color vision
test, ensure the doctor lists your name,
the test results, and the test used on
an official form or the doctor's letterhead paper.

6. Recency requirements:
a) All license holders must give
evidence, such as a discharge or
letter from an employer, of having worked in the marine industry for some period within the
last three years.
b) Pilots need a signed and notarized statement that they have
made at least one round trip on
each route of their license in the
last 60 months; or they have
reviewed the appropriate navigation charts, Coast Pilots, Tide
and Current Tables, Local No-

U.S. Department
of Transportation
United States
Coast Guard
RATINC ELICIBILITY:
FIREMAN/WATERTENDER, OILER (FOWT)
Eligibility

All applicants for endorsement as fireman/watertender and oiler must have
discharges showing six (6) months seatime as wiper. Any graduate of the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School entry rating program at Piney Point can
qualify after three (3) months seatime as wiper.

QUALIFIED MEMBER OF THE ENGINE DEPARTMENT (QMED)
Eligibility

All applicants must hold an endorsement as FOWT and have a minimum of
six months seatime in a rating, i.e., 6 months Fireman or 6 months Oiler time.

THIRD ASSISTANT ENGINEER AND ORIGINAL SECOND
ASSISTANT ENGINEER STEAM OR MOTOR
Eligibility

All applicants must have three (3) years seatime in the engine department of
motor or steam vessels one-third of this required service may have been on
steam vessels; two (2) years and six (6) months of which must have been as a
qualified member of the engine department, one (I) year and six (6) months of
which must have been as Oiler or Junior Engineer on motor vessels.
To be eligible for the Original Second Assistant Engineer license, applicants
must have five (5) years of service in the engine department, three (3) years of
which must be watchstanding.
12 I LOG I December 1987

tices to Mariners, etc., for their
specific pilotage routes, within
90 days preceding the period for
renewals.

··:-. .. ,,.,

,. ·

7. 46 CFR 157.20-32 requires anyone
who operates an inspected vessel over
300 gross tons to have a current radar
endorsement on his/her license. You
can obtain this endorsement by submitting proof to the REC of having
passed a Coast Guard approved radar
course.

~NOTlrE
uc~nsed Mates
·
lJ ro
&amp; Engineers
Effective Dec. I, 1987, new Coast Guard regulations go into effect regarding
license renewal.
-In order to renew a license, the applicant will be requested to:
present evidence of at least one year of sea service during the past five
years; OR
pass a comprehensive open-book exercise covering the general subject
matter required of the license; OR
complete an approved refresher training course-; OR
present evidence of employment in a closely related industry for three of
the last five years.
-The license holder must present a valid certificate of completion of a CPR
course.
-Applicant must take a physical or have had one within the past three
years; OR
-All applicants for an original license will be required to submit evidence
of having completed an approved first aid course.
Also, effective October 1, 1988, evidence of completion of an approved
firefighting course will be required for all original licenses, upgrade of
licenses, and license renewals.
For those persons needing to certify or recertify in CPR, the SHLSS will
schedule CPR classes during the year to satisfy those needs. Also, a
firefighting course will be made available next year to meet the Oct. 1, 1988
deadline.
NOTE: The third/second mate and engineers courses include CPR, firefighting and first aid in the course schedule.
Name
Soc. Sec. # _ _ __ _ _
Address
Phone # _ _ _ _ _ _ __
License held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date of issue _ _ _ _ __
Course needed:

CPR

D

First aid

D

Firefighting

* Send completed form to Admissions Dept.-SHLSS, Piney Point, MD. 20674.

D

�our Canadian Brothers &amp; Sisters at Piney Point™
.... In November, Canadian SIU officials visited the SHLSS Manpower Office. They
are (I. tor.) Roman
Gralewicz(Pres., SIU
Canada), Richard
Thomasson (STI),
Alana
Willcocky
(Data
Processing
CLC &amp; STI), Ken
Conklin
(SHLSS
Commandant),
George Miller (V.P.
Canadian Lake Carriers) .
.... Canadian Machinists Left to Right:
Roger Marquis, Andrey Vlasov, Gary
Coady. 2nd Row:
Rene Cardin, Ray C.
Rideout, Dilbabar
Singh.

.... Canadian Stewards
L to R Front Row:
Louise Letourneau,
Judy Maxwell, Alexander Edwards, John
Dunn-Hill.2nd Row:
Paula Smith, Louise
Karlsbad, Sue Bissonnette. 3rd Row:
Douglas
Eaton,
Marion MacDonald,
Jim King, Catherine
Suligoj.

&lt;111111

Canadian AB's Left
to Right, Front Row:
Robert J. Robb,
Samuel J. Potter,
David Specht, Claude
Brosseau. 2nd Row:
Lawrence A. Keating, D. Allen Gunderson, Ernest Rose,
Laurie Simm, Claude
Durand.

SHLSSCourseO~duates ~

'4@12;i1·~
Diesel Engine Deck 11/18/87 From front Left to Right:
Alfredo Gonzalez, Randy McKinzie, Michael Weaver, Eric
Malzkuhn, Ralph Thomas, Larry Clement, Alberto Aquiar,
Rene Vazquez, Rene Rosario, Richard Risbeck.

Able Seamen 10/22/87 1st Row L to R: Luther Wells, Jose
Caballero, Rudy Cox, Dean Chappas, Martin Rosen. 2nd
Row: Andrew Pierros, Mark Griffin, Abdul Hamiel, Larry
R. Viola, Regina Ewing, G.T. MilaboJr., Stephen Johnson,
Woodrow Shelton, Jake Karaczynski (Instructor). 3rd Row:
Steve Baker, Kerry Wright, Karl Williamson, Laurence
Milier, Jack Ullyot II.

Lifeboat 10/24/87 L to R: Patrick Briggs, Noreen Sullivan,
Christie Etie, Cara J. Stinson, James A. Thomas, Silvestre
Bonzolan. 2nd Row: Ben Cusic (Instructor), Al Carpenter,
Mari Lasagna-Short, Jerome A. Johnson, Scott Nelson,
J.P. Murray, Dana Naze.

Sealift 11/10/87 Front Row L to R: Shawn Murray, Dean
Chappas, Larry R. Viola. 2nd Row L to R: Donna Jean
Clemons, Laurence Miller, Jose Caballero, Martin Rosen,
Steve Baker, Harry Alonzi (Instructor), Stephen Johnson.

Sealift 10/30/87 L to R 1st Row: Alex M. Lee, Karreem
Allah, Susan Ponti, Ida Prange. 2nd Row L to R: Steve DuPre,
Kerry Wright, Mike Curtis, Harry Alonzi (Instructor).

Bosun Recert. 10/29/87 1st Row L to R: Larry Kunc, Luis
Perez, Terry Murphy, Steve Parr. 2nd Row: Mark Davis,
Joseph Moore, Shawn Evans, Elex Cary, William Dawson.

Recertified Stewards 11/18/87 1st Row L to R: Larry
Lightfoot, Joe Johnson, Maunakea Wilson. 2nd Row: Jose
Rivera, Aubrey Gething, Jose "Pepe" Bayani, Gerald
McEwen, Dave Cunningham, Willie Harris. Not shown:
Doyle Cornelius.

Lifeboat 11/23/87 L to R: Ben Cusic (Instructor), Paul
Skaar, Tony Miles.

Towboat Operators Class 10/22/87 1st Row L to R: John
Biegalski, Preston Bertrand, Mark Ross. 2nd Row: David
Abell, JohnD. Kolwe, Skip Walsh, Tim Brown (Instructor).

./·-

December 1987 I LOG I 13

�1
Upgr di
Course Schedule
Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
January - June 1988
The following is the current course schedule for January 1988 - June
1988 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 pomble. Although every effort will
be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.

Adult Education Courses
Check-In
Completion
Course
Date
Date
For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes in 1988,
the courses will be six weeks in length and offered on the following dates:
High School Equivalency (GED)

January 4
February 29
May 2
July 5
August 29
October 31

February 15
April 11
June 13
August 15
October 10
December 12

Adult Basic Education (ABE) &amp;
English as a Second Language (ESL)

January 4
February 29
May2
July 5
August 29
October 31

February 12
Aprll9
June 10
August 13
October 7
December 10

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes.
Developmental Studies (DVS)

April 11
April 15
(Offered prior to the Third Mate &amp;
Original Second Mates Course)

ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course
.....

February 15
June 6

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.

Steward Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Course

Completion
Date

Assistant Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
tor starting date)*

Cook and Baker

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
tor starting date)*

Chief Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Steward

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

•All students In the Steward Program will have 2 weeks of Seallft
tamlllarlzation at the end of their regular course.

Deck Upgrading Courses
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Towboat Operator

January 4

February 26

Able Seaman

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)*

First Class Pilot (Organized self study)

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

Celestial Navigation

February 29
June 27

April 1
July 29

Radar

Aprll4

April15

Radar Refresher/Renewal

Open-ended, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date.)

Radar Recertification

Open-ended, 1 day (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date)

Third Mate &amp; Original Second Mate

April 18

Lifeboat

January 11
February 8

Seallft Operations &amp; Malnt.
LNG -

Self Study Safety Course

June 24

January 22
February 19
Ma~h7
Maroh18
Aprll4
April15
May2
May13
May30
June10
June 27
July 1
Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

(This course is not ottered as a
separate course, but may be
taken while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)

*Upon completion of course must take Seallft Operations &amp; Maintenance.
14 I LOG I December 1987

March 4
June 24

This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed to
help seafarers prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which is
scheduled immediately after this course. This class will benefit those
seafarers who have difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not
English, and seafarers who have been out of school for a long time.

College Programs Scheduled for 1988
Check-In
Course
Date
Associates in Arts or Certificate Program January 11
March 21
May 23
August 8
October 17

Completion
Date
March 4
May 13
July 15
September 30
December 9

Engine Upgrading Courses
Course
Conveyorman
QMED
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
QMED
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Ma int.
Marine Electrical Maint.
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Refrtgeration Systems Malnt. &amp; Operatiol as
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.
Pumproom Maint. &amp; Operations
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Pumproom Malnt. &amp; Operations
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Refrigerated Containers-Advn:ed Mainl
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Variable Speed DC Drives
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Welding
Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Welding
•Sea lift Operations &amp; Maint.
Diesel Engine Technology
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Electro-Hydraulic Systems
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Hydraulics
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

Check-In
Date
January 4
January 4
March 28
April 4
July 5
January 4
February 29
January ·11
February 22
February 1
March 14
March 21
May2
February 22
April 4
March 14
April 25
March 14
April 11
April 18
May 16
April 18
May 30
May 9
June 20
June 6
July 5

Completion
Date
January 29
March 24
April 8
June 23
July 15
February 26
March 11
February 19
March 4
March 11
March 25
April 29
May 13
April 1
April 15
April 22
May6
April 8
April 22
May 13
May27
May 27
June 10
June 17
July 1
July 1
July 15

•All students in the Engine Department wlll have 2 weeks of Seallft
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

�ii----------.. . .

---------,....,-...---...--------~~------ - - -

Apply
Now for an SH LSS Upgrading Course
..........................................................................................................................................
Seat are rs Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name

(Last)

(first)

Date of Birth

(Middle)

Address

Mo./Day/Year

(Street)

(City)

(State)

Deep Sea Member D

Telephone

(Zip Code)

tnland Waters Member 0

(Area Code)

Lakes Member D

Pacific D

If the following information is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.
Book#_ _ _ _ __ Seniority______ Department _ _ _ _ __

Social Security#

Home Port _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces D Yes D No

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes
Trainee Program: From _______ to
(dates attended)

No 0 (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s)Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for Training _ _ _ _ _ __ ____ Primary Language Spoken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed

DECK

ENGINE

0 AB/Seallft
D Towboat Operator Inland
D Celestial Navigation
o Master Inspected Towing Vessel
o 1st Class Piiot (organized self study)
D Third Mate
0 Radar Observer Unlimited

D FOWT
D QMED-Any Rating
0 Variable Speed DC Drive Systems

o
D

0
D

ALL DEPARTMENTS
O Welding

O
O

D Lifeboatmen (Must be taken with another
course)

0

D

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

STEWARD

0
D

(Marine Electronics)
Marine Electrical Maintenance
Pumproom Maintenance fr Operation
Automation
Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
Diesel Engine Technology
Assistant Engineer/Chief Engineer
Un Inspected Motor Vessel
Orglnal 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor
Ref rlgerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
Hydraulics
Electro-Hydraulic Systems

D Assistant Cook Utility
D Cook and Baker
o Chief Cook
0 Chief Steward

0 Towboat Inland Cook

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates In Arts Degree
D Certificate Programs

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
D Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equlvalency
Program (GED)
D Developmental Studies (DVS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)
0 ABE/ESL lifeboat Preparation

You must list, or supply evidence of, sufficient time to qualify yourself for the course(s) you are requesting.
A COPY of your clinic card must be submitted with this application. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule
until this is received.
VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE~~~~~~~~~~---~---DATE~~~~~-~~~~~~----­

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

December 1987 I LOG I 15

-

�Alternative Forms of Annuities
All members under the Civil Service
Retirement System who are thinking of
retiring soon should give careful study and
consideration to this section of the Federal
Personnel Manual which explains the alternative forms of annuities in its entirety.

A. INTRODUCTION
1. The Federal Employees' Retirement
System Act of 1986 includes a significant
amendment to the retirement law which
applies to certain employees who retire
under the Civil Service Retirement System
(CSRS). Those employees can now elect,
when they retire, to withdraw their retirement contributions and receive a reduced
annuity (including a survivorship option),
instead of the annuity which they would
otherwise receive.

2. This letter explains how this new provision, entitled "Alternative Forms of Annuities" (AFA), will work. Agencies must
counsel those current employees who are
eligible to elect the new benefits. Employees who have already retired, and who are
eligible to elect AFA, will be contacted by
OPM.
B. ELIGIBILITY

I. Employees who retire under any provision of CSRS, except disability, and
whose annuity entitlement commences after June 5, 1986 may elect AFA, with the
following exceptions:

a. An employee who, at time of retirement, has a former spouse who is entitled
by court order to a survivor annuity or a
portion of the employee's annuity may not
elect AFA, regardless of when the marriage ended.
b. A married employee may not elect
AF A unless the employee's spouse spe-

cifically consents to the election .

2. OPM may waive the spousal consent
requirement if the employee can presenta. a judicial determination that the
whereabouts of the current spouse are
unknown; or
b. affidavits from the employee and two
other persons acquainted with the spouse,
at least one of whom is not related to the
employee, stating that the current spouse's
whereabouts cannot be determined and
detailing all efforts to locate the spouse.
Secondary evidence such as copies of the
employee's separately filed tax returns
should also be submitted; or
c. a judicial determination that spousal
consent is not required based on exceptional circumstances.

C. SURVIVOR BENEFITS
I. Employees who elect AF A are eligible
to make the ame survivor elections as
those who do not.

2. The same post-retirement rights and
obligations (ir,cluding court-ordered former spouse benefits when a marriage ends
after retirement) apply to those who elect
AF A as to those who do not.

3. The amounts of survivor annuity payable to widows, widowers, former spouses,
children, and insurable interest designees
will be exactly the same as those payable
to survivors of employees who do not elect
AFA.
D. COMPUTATION OF THE ALTERNATIVE FORM OF ANNUITY
1. Employees who elect AF A will re-

ceivea. payment of their lump-sum credit
consisting of all unrefunded retirement
deductions, service credit deposits, and
interest on any unrefunded deductions and
deposits made before 1957; and
b. a monthly benefit.
2. The monthly benefit is derived by first
computing the monthly rate that would
have been payable, including all applicable
reductions, had the employee not elected
AF A, and then reducing that rate by an
amount equal to the employee's lump-sum
credit divided by an actuarial factor for
the employee's attained age (in full years)
at the time of retirement. (See attachment
for table of factors.)

3. Example: An employee is age 62 at the
time of retirement and has a total lumpsum credit of $20,000. Assume the employee's beginning rate of annuity would
be $1,000 a month if AFA is not elected.
If the employee elects AFA, that beginning
rate would be $895 a month, calculated as
follows:

a. $20,000 divided by
b. 191.7 (from factor table), equals
c. $105 (rounded up), subtracted from
$1,000, equals
d. $895

Note: All COLA's subsequent to retirement are applied to the AF A-reduced rate.

E. AGENCY COUNSELING
I. Each employee who is eligible to elect
AFA will be notified by OPM after retirement of the exact benefits payable if AFA
is elected, so that the employee can make
a fully-informed decision before OPM
completes adjudication. It is not necessary
for the employee to indicate a choice on
the application for retirement. Agencies

Northwest Marine Iron Works
Awarded New Navy Contract
Northwest Marine Iron Works of Portland, Ore., was awarded a firm, fixedprice contract totaling $5,498,890 on Dec. 1. The U.S. Navy contract is for
the drydocking and overhaul of the USNS Observation Island, a Military
Sealift Command missile range instrumentation ship. The work on the Observation Island will be performed at the contractor's drydock in Portland.
The work to be done on the ship is general ship maintenance and repair to
operational components and equipment and will also include modifications to
the living quarters. The contract performance period is 52 calendar days
beginning Jan. 6 and ending Feb. 28, 1988.

16 I LOG I December 1987

should anticipate, however, that employees who are planning for retirement will
want estimates of the amount they can
expect if they elect AFA.
2. For employees whose entire civilian

service (without breaks) has been with the
current employing agency, that agency will
have a complete record of retirement deductions for use in estimating the AF A
benefit.
3. Employees who have made service credit
deposits or who have retirement deductions for service prior to that at the current
employing agency should be asked to furnish the approximate amounts of those
deposits or deductions from personal records, if possible, for use in estimating the
AF A rate. Estimates can also be made on
the basis of the employee's earnings history.
4. OPM does not provide pre-retirement

annuity estimates. Since retiring employees eligible for the AFA will receive a
specific notice of the availability of the
lump-sum credit and the AF A which they
may elect, employees should not write
OPM for this information in advance of
retirement. OPM is not in a position to
provide this service in addition to processing normal retirement workloads.

Present Value Factors

Present
Present
value of
value of
Age at a monthly
Age at a monthly
retirement annuity retirement annuity
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51

52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65

346.2
339.9
333.5
327.0
320.3
312.0
303.0
292.5
283.9
277.0
269.0
261.9
256.0
249.4
243.l
236.0
229.2
222.9
216.7
210.1
204.6
199.6
191.7
185.2
178.1
171.3

66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90

164.6
158.8
152.7
146.4
140.8
134.6
129.5
123.7
118.1
111.6
107.1
102.5
96.5
90.3
84.7
80.0
76.0
72.4
69.2
66.1
62.3
58.7
55.2
51.9
48.7

Adoption for the USNS Mercy
Four hundred members of the Oakland (Calif.) Council of the U.S. Navy
League are the proud parents of the
USNS Mercy, the MSCPAC hospital
ship. The vessel was "adopted" by
the Council in November during brief
ceremonies aboard the Mercy with
more than 100 persons in attendance.
Capt. William T. Dannheim, COMSCPAC, welcomed the Navy League
group and others to the ship and spoke
briefly about the ship's impressive humanitarian voyage to the Philippines
earlier this year. "You've picked a
great ship to adopt," he told the crowd
assembled in the ship's officers mess.
"The Mercy has done a tremendous
job to support U.S. Allies in the Third

World. Now that the ship's back home,
I know she '11 receive great support
from the Navy League."
Council President John Giblin presented the ship with a plaque noting
the "adoption" of the hospital ship
and a handsome nautical clock. The
gifts were accepted on behalf of the
ship by Capt. Richard Hosey, master
of the Mercy.
The USNS Mercy joins a string of
other ships and commands which
have been adopted by the Oakland
Council over the past few years. The
Navy League is a civilian organization
which supports a strong Navy, Marine
Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant
Marine.

MSC Gets 2nd Hospital Ship
The second Navy hospital ship,

USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), was accepted Dec. 1 by the Military Sealift
Command from 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 support to the Defense Department's Rapid Deployment Joint
Task Force. It will be part of Military
Sealift Command's Strategic Sealift
Force. As a secondary mission, 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 to operate
the
1,000-bed,
12-operating-room
medical treatment facility.

The Comfort will remain in San
Diego for a post delivery availability
which includes outfitting before she
begins her transit, early next year, to
her layberth in Baltimore, Md. No
shakedown cruise has been scheduled.
Vice Admiral Walter T. Piotti, Jr.,
Commander, Military Sealift Command, observed that the new ships
offer American military forces a new
kind of quick and responsive medical
care. "These ships are big, mobile,
fast and flexible," the admiral noted.
"They have the response capability
to provide quick and efficient medical
care in support of amphibious task
forces and forward deployed elements
of the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force
and Navy.
"If called up, these ships will be
able to supply the medical care necessary to support our fighting men in
even the most remote areas of the
world," he said.

�-

-

- -- - -- - - - - - -

-

-

- -

Help
A
Friend
Deal
With
Alcoholism
and
Drugs

I

I

J

(

would~ ~

Addicts don't have friends. Because a friend
let another man blindly travel a course that has to lead
to the destruction of his health, his job and his family.
And that's where an alcoholic or drug user is headed.
Helping a fell ow Seafarer who has an addiction
problem is just as easy-and just as important-as

steering a blind man across a street. All you have to do
is take that Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the
Union's Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee,

Md.

.--------------------------------....._

I

Addictions Rehabilitation Center

:

I am interested in attending a six-week program at the Addictions :
Rehabilitation Center. I understand that all my medical and counseling
records will be kept strictly confidential, and that they will not be kept

l
1
1

Once he's there, an SIU member will receive the care
and counseling he needs. And he'll get the support of
brother SIU members who are fighting the same tough

battle he is back to a healthy, productive alcohol-free
and drug-free life.
The road is a long one for an alcoholic and drug user.
But because of ARC, an addicted SIU member doesn't
have to travel the distance alone. And by guiding a
brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center,

you'll be showing him that the first step back to recovery
is only an arm's length away.

I

I

anywhere except at The Center.

:
I Name · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · '° • · · . . . . . . Book No. · ............ ·
J

I Address ........................................................ .
I
(Street or RFD)
(City)
(State)
(Zip)
1

Telephone No.

I
1

lI
1I

Mail to:

THE CENTER
Star Route Box 153-A
Valley Lee, Md. 20692
or call, 24 hours-a-day, (301) 994-0010

'-------------------------··--------------------------------December 1987 I LOG I 17

-

�e

IP li ill1&lt;&amp;, ll

1

The following deepsea memhers have passed away.
DECEMBER 1986
Knut R. Eliasson
JANUARY
Rufino G. Camantigue
William C. Daniels
Leon R. Drylewicz
Eli Elison
Harvey M. Lee
Gerald K. Lima
Manuel Lopez
James Stuart
FEBRUARY
Charles G. Haymond
Francis A. Lord Jr.
Jerry W. Trayer

-'-.

MARCH
Eufemio C. Agbayani
Hollis W. Beazley
Gibson H. Coker
Edward E. Douglas
Christopher McBrien
Michael Piskun
Joseph H. Riley

APRIL
Ernesto Apac
Joseph L. Cabezas
Laura M. DeLucca
Harry E. Dorer
Anthony L. lanno
William F. King
Wai Ding Lee
Melvin F. Libby
Edward Lombardi
Grant Andrew MacGregor
Frank M. Mangubat
Joseph A. Sanchez
Bud Sidney Tauber
MAY
Benjamin Argumedo
Abraham Carmoega

James Clark
George M. Dacken
Raymond Diaz
Emilio M. Fernandez
Paul E. Garland
Algernon W. Hutcherson
Benjamin Laureano
Alfredo Morell
Robert G. Pattee
Pedro R. Penelas
Sidney Sokolic
Joseph Somyak
Wilbert Wentling
Hugh Williams
Sylvester Zygarowski

JUNE
Anthony Amendolia
Victor Aviles
William Bilger
Raymond J. Blake
Edward J. Boles
Larry Bunnell
Robert R. Coles
James Convery
Nicholas DeLoscantos
Vincente H. Garcia
Augustus R. Hickey
Stefan Kadziola
Robert L. Kinchen
John F. Lee
Frederick E. Lillard
Louis Martoncsek
Joseph J. McAndrews
Thomas 0. McRary
Herbert Muncie
Frank J. O'Malley
Hernando E. Pascual
Raymond C. Pierce
Eldridge J. Rainer
Howard E. Rode
Clyde Smith
George B. Thurmer
Alphonse M. Tolentino
Ernvel F. Zeller

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

JULY
Genaro Bonefont
Vidette Clearman
Vincent deLosa
Bartolome Del Valle
Anthony J. DiBartolomes
Ronald C. Durant
Chariloas Emertziades
John R. Galvin
Ned Hinson
William A. Jordan
John Miller
Michael P. Montemayor
Curtis E. Nelson
John H. O'Rawe
Edward Polise
Thomas T. Pradere
Nathan Shapiro George Steele
Walter C. Summersett
Leroy C. Swiger
Dock D. Wong
Nee Lim Wong
AUGUST
George J. Campbell
Demetrio Daynot
Joseph E. Hannon
John H. KeUy
Herman Miller
William H. Miller
Timothy J. Noecker
Charles Pafford
Leo M. Praza
Reginald A. Preston
Hong Quan
Julian B. Royston
August Sakevich
George E. Swindell
Samuel A. Tate
Louis D. Williams
Anthony J. Zaleski
SEPTEMBER
Robert L. Beale
Joe "Blackie" Busalacki

Vincent E. Kane
Neal L. Kunze
Harold A. Lowmann
Secundino Santorio
OCTOBER
Paul F. Arthofer
George A. Burch
Clarence F. Burrowes
Jake Cobb
Yew Lim Lee
Robert C. Meloy
Hubert B. O'Brien
Newton Paine
Gus Skendelas
Frank A. Tilton
Dudley T. Whitacker
NOVEMBER
Hubert F. Arnett
Leroy Malone
R.E. Smith
Chester L. Sommers
Truman Tustaire
Theodore H. Wright

Pensioners
The following SIU members have
retired on pension:

The following Inland members have
retired on pension:

DEEP SEA

Algonac
John D. Lackey, deckhand
Baltimore
Joseph L. Krause, mate
Brooklyn
Thomas F. Calby (Railroad Marine)
Norfolk
Robert E. Fountain, TB
Willard M. White, ch. engineer
Santurce, P.R.
Vicente Burgos , cook

Algonac
William H. Newhouse, bosun
Baltimore
Robert M. Moore
Brooklyn
Anargyros Korizis, AB
Ralph T. Moore
Houston
Lloyd F. Akin, AB
Mayo J. Mundine

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively by the contracts between the
Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping
rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available
in all Union halls. If you feel there has been any violation
of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the
contracts between the Union and the employers, notify
the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail, return receipt requested. T_h e proper address for this is:
Angus "Red" Campbell
Chairman, &amp;Afare~ Appeals Board
5201 Autb 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 your contract rights, as well as
your obligations, such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, any SIU

18 I LOG I December 1987

-

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in
all Union halls. All members should ohtain 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 obligation
by any methods such as dealing with charges, trials, etc.,
as well as all other details, then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The 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 suhmitted to the membership by
the Secretary·T reasurer. 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. Members 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 by a majority of the trustees. All trust
fund financial records are available at the headquarters of
the various trust funds.

John W. Rielly, steward/baker
Mobile
Ragnar 0. Andersen, FOWT
Warren D. Kaweck, ch. elect.
New Orleans
Harry B. Hastings, port steward
Wallace J. Pratts, stw. utility
Joseph D. Richoux, AB
Norfolk
Ollie Purdy, messman
Kenneth R. Winters
St. Louis
William Hughes, wheelsman
San Francisco
Curry De Vaughn, cook/baker
Giles L. Glendenning, janitor
Seattle
Richard C. Ranly, 3rd engineer
Albert J. Van Dyke, AB
Harold E. Welch, ch. elect.

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently. no member may be discriminated against because of race, creed, color. sex and national or geographic origin . If any member feels that he is
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
111111t1m111n11111unu11111n1111111nu11111n1111111111111111n1111111111111111nu11111n1111111111111
patrolman or other Union official, in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly, contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union.
officer or memher. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to t'he Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September. 1960, meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log
policy is vested in an editorial board which coosists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate, from among its ranks, one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SLU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. 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 he made without
supplying a receipt, or if a memher is required to make a
payment and is given an official receipt. but feels that he
should not have heen required to make such payment. this
should immediately he reported to Union headquarters.

SEAF AKERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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 ohjects. SPAD supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contrihution may be
solicited or received because of force. joh discrimination,
financial reprisal. or ·t hreat of such conduct, or as a condition of membership in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made by reason of the above improper
conduct. notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD 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
~ to Union reconls 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 . .

�AMERICAN EAGLE (Pacific Gulf Marine), October 25-Chairman Stanley
Krawczynski, Secretary Neville Johnson.
No beefs or disputed OT, although the
steward department would like a clarification as to whether they're entitled to one
hour weekly for cleaning of quarters. The
American Eagle was involved in U.S. Army
exercises in Turkey, and is returning from
a 47-day voyage there, carrying 12 Army
Gls both ways. The ship will pay off in
Savannah, Ga. and will then lay up at dock
(but will keep the crew for about a week).

bers who use the exercise room should
secure the equipment when they are finished. A vote of thanks was given to the
engine department for keeping the galley
equipment in working condition. A vote of
thanks also was given to the steward
department for a job well done. One minute
of silence was observed in memory of our
departed brothers and sisters-and in
memory of Bayard Rustin, who paid his
dues as a true laborman, and E.B. McCauley, another veteran who will be missed.
Next port: Arun, Indonesia.

LNG CAPRICORN (Energy Transportation Corp.), October 25-Chairman Don
Rood, Secretary S. Wagner, Educational
Director George Lindsay, Deck Delegate
Francis Smith, Engine Delegate Ole Mortensen, Steward Delegate Richard Worobey. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
There is $1 ,075 in the ship's fund. Some
of the money will go toward the purchase
of video cassettes and some will buy the
popcorn machines now on order. Theeducational director urged crewmembers to
upgrade their skills at SHLSS if they have
the required seatime. A communication
from Vice President "Red" Campbell was
received concerning the handling of food
at the salad bar. Proper utensils are provided and should be used. A motion was
made to have the Stars and Stripes newspaper delivered to the ship. The money for
the subscription will be paid out of the
ship's fund. The motion passed unanimously. The bosun asked crewmembers
to limit all calls while in port to 15 minutes
since time there is limited. He also stated
that the ship is clean, and he urged all
hands to help keep it that way. A new
softball field has been built in Arun, Indonesia. Crewmembers are looking forward
to playing on it on their next trip there.
Next port: Bontang.

OVERSEAS ALICE (Maritime Overseas), October 25-Chairman Christopher
Lopiccolo, Secretary R. Hanson, Educational Director M.W. Roberson, Deck Delegate Russell Haynes, Steward Delegate
Jim Hatfield. No beefs or disputed OT
reported. The chairman talked about the
new contract changes with Maritime Overseas. He also explained the permanent job
status for all eligible crewmembers on the
Overseas Alice and the Overseas Vivian.
A request was made by permanent SIU
rnembers who live in Olongapo (Subic
Bay), Philippines, to find an alternative
solution to flying back to the States to
reregister for their jobs in order to comply
with the shipping rules. They would like
the reply to be sent to the ship's chairman
in Subic Bay. The crew also suggested
setting up a ship's fund in order to pay for
telex messages to and from headquarters
and for a television antenna for the crew's
lounge.

CONSTITUTION (American Hawaii
Cruises), October 23--Chainnan Sil Ablaza
Jr., Secretary David Nian. No disputed OT.
There is $9,374.03 in the ship's fund. The
chairman introducM Tom Fay, SIU port
agent in Honolulu. He also reported that
the wet-dock schedule for the Constitution
will be from Dec. 12-19 in the port of
Honolulu. The Independence will be in
dry-dock in Portland, Ore. He stressed the
need for crewmembers to pay more attention to the care of their rooms as many
rooms were found unacceptable during a
recent inspection. A request was made
tha.t a.II wet-dock information be given to
members by Nov. 19 to allow ample time
to secure accommodations shoreside and
to inform all departments as to which members would be required to work during the
wet-dock period. Mr. Fay then gave a
report, informing the crew of the need to
increase Union membership to staff additional ships now being readied, including
the Matsonia.
LNG LIBRA (Energy Transportation
Corp.), November 15-Chairman M.B.
Woods, Secretary J. Gibbons, Educational
Director TR VanPelt No beefs or disputed
OT. There is $134 in the SIU fund and
$501.60 in the ship's fund. Mr. Rielly of
ETC and an SIU rep were onboard to
discuss the new contract agreement for
the next three years. They also inspected
the sleeping quarters which previously had
been found to be in poor conditions. Mattresses were ordered in May 1987 but
have yet to be delivered. The bosun reminded all hands to read the LOG to keep
up·to·date on the condition of the U.S.
merchant marine. He also noted that 1987
is coming to a close and that he and his
crew wish to send their thanks to President
Frank Drozak and all the SIU officials for
a job well done in keeping jobs flowing for
the members. "Seasons greetings to all."
The educational director stressed the good
practice of thinking "SAFETY" at all times.
It was suggested that during meals there
be no smoking. Also, all those crewmem-

\

OVERSEAS JUN'E_AU (Maritime
Overseas), October 4-Ch~man Errol Pak,
Secretary Norman Johnson, Educational
Director James Fair. No disput~T. There
is still no action on the loss of e 1800
and 1300 launch service, leaving tti steward department stranded onboard. They
would Ike to see it reinstated so they can
go ashore to the hall and pay their dues,
make phone calls, etc. The chairman noted
that shipping is good for the SIU with the
military jobs. "It's nice to see our SPAD
dollars at work." He urged all members to
take full advantage of the upgrading courses
at Piney Point-especially the new sealift
courses which will come in handy down
the road. The ship appears to be having
some problems getting poultry items from
MOS and hopes to have it resolved this
time in port. A motion was made to simplify
the OT rates by adopting two rates of OT
instead of about 11 . This will be referred
to the Contract Department for study. Another request was for lounge chairs for the
entire unlicensed department, not just the
pumpman, bosun and steward. And new
easy chairs are needed in the crew rec
room. On its last voyage, the Overseas
Juneau played host to the winner of the
Propeller Club essay contest whose prize
included one round trip voyage.

retary Glenn C. Bamman, Educational Director Engine Delegate Melvin Layner, Deck
Delegate M.Tewes, Steward Delegate Pedro
Mena. No beefs or disputed OT. There is
no money in the ship's fund at present, but
an arrival pool should generate enough
money for lobster tails and movies. The
chairman reported a smooth trip with few
hassles and a happy crew. The secretary
spoke of sticking together through hard
times, and working for those politicians in
the upcoming elections who will support
the maritime industry. The educational director stressed the importance of upgrading job skills at Piney Point to maintain job
security. A unanimous vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for a job
well done, for meals of superior quality and
for keeping a clean vessel. Next port:
Elizabeth, N.J.

SGT MATEJ KOCAK (WatermanMSC), November 8--Chairman Bill Kratsas, Secretary Lee de Parlier, Educational
Director Ronnie Herian, Deck Delegate
Larry D. Mccants, Steward Delegate Earl
N. Gray, Sr. No disputed OT. The chairman
and the steward both attended the triennial
SIU convention in August and brought back
information which they distributed to the
members. The chairman also mentioned
the new film about the SIU, "On My Watch,"
which will soon be available to all ships.
The secretary reported that the Sgt Matej
Kocak weathered a "killer storm" in midOctober with wind gusts of up to 110 mph
off the coast of France. This storm was the
strongest to hit the English Channel since
records were kept (1705). "If you've ever
heard the expression 'the barometer fell
off the chart,' this is a good example." No
videotapes of the headquarters meeting
have been received aboard ship. But UNREP films have been shown as the vessel
will undergo another UNREP off the Carolina Capes Nov. 9. Next port: Morehead
City, N.C.
USNS WYMAN (T-AGS 34), LSC Marine, Inc., November 8-Chairman George
A. Schuj, Secretary (Purser) Al Sansom,
Educational Director/Engine Delegate Aaron
E. Thompson, Deck Delegate David C.
Bickford, Steward Delegate George A. Tatum. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
There is $185 in the ship's fund. A vote to
hold another arrival pool with the proceeds
to go to the ship's fund was vetoed. In
response to a query from the USNS Wyman, the SIU is looking into whether an
official holiday (Veteran's Day in this case)
is payable under the LSC/SIU contract on
sea time. Also requiring clarification is
whether personal expenses (travel and
living) incurred in attending the firefighting/

Official ships minutes also were
received from the following ves·
sels:
ADONIS
AMBASSADOR
ASPEN
BAY RIDGE
COVE LEADER
CPL LOUIS J. HAUGE JR.
MT. VERNON VICTORY
OAKLAND
QMI MISSOURI
PANAMA
SAN JUAN
SEA-LAND AVENTURER
SEA-LAID DEVELOPER
SEA-WO EXPLORER
SEA-LAND FREEDOM
SEA-WDINIOVATOR
SEA-LAND LEADER
SEA·LAND PIONNER
STAR OF TEXAS
THOMPSON PASS
USNS PREVAIL (T·AGOS 8)

Personals
Tommy (Red) Bolton

Please contact your old shipmate
Mike (Red) Darley at (904) 2350993 or write to P.O. Box 4244,
Panama City Beach, Fla. 32407.

Jack Thommen
Please get in touch with your
brother, Popeye, at (301) 488-1956.

Monthly
Membership Mee.t ings
Deep Sea
Port

SAM HOUSTON (Waterman), October
10-Chairman H. Leake, Secretary G.T.
Aquino, Educational Director P. Walker,
Engine Delegate L. Christmas. No beefs
or disputed OT. There is no formal treasurer, but the captain is holding all monies
collected, almost enough to purchase a
VCR and some blank tapes. The bosun
reported that everything is running smoothly
except for the fact that no mail has been
received from headquarters. He will check
into this matter and will also report on the
condition of one crewmember who was
taken off ill as soon as he finds out anything.
The steward has a tape on sanitary pro·
cedures to show to his department It was
recommended that Waterman be advised
of the poor service they are getting from
the company leasing the VCRs. Two machines in a row have not been in operating
condition, and the movies provided are the
same ones from a previous trip. Next port
New York.

damage control school is reimbursable to
members. It was noted that LSC vacation
requests are in the purser's office. An effort
to upgrade the ship's reference library is
under way, especially study guides for
11pgrading skills. QMED Thompson also
encouraged all crewmembers to take advantage of the classes at SHLSS in Piney
Point. Steward Assistant George Tatus
was congratulated on his good job performance over the past six months as
steward delegate. George goes on a well
deserved three-month vacation. And the
4 x 8 watch (all departments) deserves a
"job well done" for keeping the messroom
clean and picked up.

Date

Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, January 4 ................... 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, January 5 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, January 6 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore . . ..... . .. . ..... Thursday , January 7 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, January 7 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, January 7 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ... . ............. Friday, January 8 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, January 11 .................. 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans . ....... .. ... Tuesday, January 12 ....... . .......... 10:30 a.m.
Mobile ... . ... .. ......... Wednesday, January 13 ............... 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, January 14 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .. . .. ..... . ... Tuesday, January 19 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .................. Friday, January 22 ................... 10:30 a.m.
San Juan .. . ............. Thursday , January 7 ......... . ..... .. . 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, January 15 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday, January 14 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, January 13 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, January 20 ............... 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, January 19 .................. 10:30 a.m.

SEA-LAND EXPRESS (Sea-Land),
November 1-Chairman Carlton Hall, Sec-

December 1987 I LOG I 19

-

�(Continued from Page 6.)
tract to be supervisory personnel, and
therefore ineligible for protection under the labor laws of this country. By
doing this, the company tried to intimidate the licensed people in its operations and drive a wedge between
licensed and unlicensed seamen.
Most important, SONAT wanted to
drag the process on as long as possible
in order to wear down the resistance
ofits employees. By doing this , SONAT
and other companies that chose this
route changed the entire structure of
management-labor relations that had
existed since the end of World War
II. The focus was not on productivity;
it was on obtaining short-term gains.
Stock market prices would then rise
to artificially high levels. Under those
conditions, a smart arbitrageur would
make a killing by stripping a company
of its assets and selling short.
By restructuring labor-management
relations along these lines, companies
- said that they wanted to make their
operations "more flexible." In the
long run, however, they will be doing
just the opposite. It has become crystal
clear to union members and their officials that you have to get everything
down in writing. Or else.
rd like to thank the officials and
members who were involved in the
Curtis Bay beef. Even though things
haven't worked out as we planned,
ultimately, I believe, they will. Yet it
will take patience and communication.
More than that, it will take unity. This
is a new era of labor-management
relations, and in a sense, we're all
finding our way.
The situation in today's labor management relations conjures up images
of the early civil rights movement.
Workers in the transportation sector,
like black Americans before the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, are being denied
their rights. They cannot get a fair
hearing. American conglomerates want
to transform us into second-class citizens, but we won't let them, not as
- long as we understand the issues and
keep "our eyes on the prize."

West Coast
by V. P. George McCartney

T

HOSE of you who have been following my ~olumn over the past
kw months know that 1988 will mark
the 50th anniversary of the SIUAGLIWD.
It has been an honor for me to be
part of that history. I often think about
the men and women who helped form
this Union. Their sacrifices and courage made everything we now enjoy
possible.
So much has happened during these
past 50 years. The maritime industry
has changed beyond rerngnition. At
our inception, few people believed that
there could ever be such things as
ports without water (there now is one,
in Front Royal, Va.); ships without

20 I LOG I December 1987

Area Vice Presidents' Report
crews (the Japanese and West Germans are experimenting with this concept), or U.S. ships without American
seamen (the Kuwaiti reflagging).
Despite these developments, I believe that the essential character of
the SIU remains the same. What makes
us unique, I believe, is our continued
ability to adapt to change, to understand what the long-term trends are
and to act on them.
In a sense, we have come full circle.
We were born in the aftermath of one
stock market crash; in order to survive, we will have to cope with the
effects of another one.
As the record demonstrates, job
security for seamen (indeed, for all
American workers) depends on five
things: communication, education,
solidarity, political action and organizing. If we fall short in any one of
these areas, then management will
control the supply of labor, and we
will have no say in determining our
wages, benefits and working conditions.
Many of the issues that confront us
today have their origins in our early
history. Accordingly, what follows is
a brief chronology of events from the
Stock Market Crash of 1929 to the
Korean War, by which time the basic
structure of this Union had been
formed.
1929: Seamen were far removed from
the mainstream of American society.
Many were uneducated; most were
underpaid. All had to endure harsh
and unsafe working conditions. The
stock market crash of 1929 didn't cause
these conditions, but it did exacerbate
them.
The waterfront was in the process
of being radicalized. The absence of a
strong union to counter the appalling
conditions in the maritime industry
created opportunities for the Wobblies, the Communist Party and organized crime.
1932: The American people turned
to Franklin Delano Roosevelt to lead
them out of the Great Depression. The
economy's collapse transformed the
nature of American politics.
Among other things. it brought the
labor movement from the margins of
American political life to center stage.
1934: A longshoremen's strike engulfed the West Coast maritime industry. The 39-day strike marked a
turning point for maritime workers,
whose power had been weakened by
decreased membership rolls, a worsening economic situation and a bitter
defeat during the 1921 maritime strike.
By closing down the port of San
Francisco, seamen and longshoremen
were able to win substantial gains in
benefits and wages. Also, by bringing
a new generation of labor leaders like
Harry Lundeberg and Harry Bridges
into prominence, the strike marked
the beginning of the end of the International Seamen's Union.
1935: A pivotal year for the labor
movement. The labor movement was
split into two warring factions when
Mine Workers President John L. Lewis
left the American Federation of Labor
to form a new organization (the Congress of Industrial Organizations).
Lewis was an advocate of industrial ·

trade unionism; AFL President William Green objected to Lewis's demands that the AFL set up a separate
industrial department.
Also in· that year, Congress passed
the Wagner Act, which established the
National Labor Relations Board. This
important piece of legislation made it
possible for organized labor to sign up
new workers on a mass scale.
1936: Political conditions in Europe
continue to deteriorate. Discontent in
the maritime industry heats up. Joe
Curran leads a sit-down strike on the
SS California. Congress passes the
Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which
established a system of subsidies and
promotions that helped revitalize the
American-flag merchant marine in time
for World War II.
1937: The NMU receives a charter
from the CIO. The AFL requests the
resignation of the ISU's officers. An
executive committee consisting of AFL
President William Green, ILA President Joe Ryan and Holt Ross looks
into forming an AFL Seamen's international. Green requests the help of
STJP Secretary-Treasurer Harry Lunrieberg, who sends Morris Weisberger
to New York to establish an A&amp;G
District. In December, Robert Chapdelaine is named interim head of it.
1938: Andrew Furuseth, the grand
old man of the modern seamen's
movement, dies. Though the union he
helped found, the ISU, is in tatters,
his legislative accomplishments (the
Seamen's Act of 1915) will live on.
On Oct. 15, at a convention in Houston, the AFL issues a charter to the
Seafarers International Union of North
America. Both the international and
the A&amp;G District are born.
1939: W~rld War II breaks out.
After 10 long years in the dark, the
American economy is set to take off.
SIU crews start walking off ships in
order to obtain War Bonuses.
1941: Though America is still neutral, the S.S. Robin Moor, a Robin
Line vessel, becomes the first SIUcontracted vessel to be sunk by the
Germans. The SIU and other maritime
unions demand action on the War Bonus issue. The National Defense Mediation Board finally recommends a
system of War Risk Bonuses. The J apanese attack Pearl Harbor, and America is dragged into World War II.
1942: The Battle of the Atlantic
begins. In July, SIU seamen risk their
lives to keep Russia supplied during
the Murmansk Run.
1943: Paul Hall walks off his last
ship. He becomes a dispatcher at the
Baltimore hall.
1944: Thousands of SIU seamen
(including SIU V .P. Red Campbell)
take part in the invasion of Normandy.
1945: World War II ends. The United
States is the only industrialized nation
with a full-functioning economy. It has
no economic competitors, and only
one serious military challenger, the

Soviet Union.
Demand for American shipping dramatically decreases. Paul Hall is named
head of the A&amp;G' s organizing department.
1946: A busy year for the SIU. In
August, Lundeberg establishes the

Maritime Trade Council, the forerunner of the Maritime Trades Department of the AFL-CIO. Congress passes
the Ship Sales Act of 1946, under
which hundreds of vessels are sold to
foreign companies and governments
at nominal sums. The SIU holds an
organizing convention which lays the
foundation for the successful Isthmian
and Cities Service campaigns. The
Union unveils its first training and
upgrading program. In September,
there is a general maritime strike,
which was spurred on by actions taken
by the National Wage Stabilization
Board.
1947: In retrospect, a disastrous year
for maritime labor.
Congress passes the Taft-Hartley
Act. Among other things, it contains
provisions on secondary boycotts and
supervisory personnel which would
form the basis of anti-union activity
during the 1980s.
The military formulates the '' Effective U.S. Control Doctrine" which
states that American security interests
can be protected in part by Americanowned vessels documented under flagof-convenience registries. War risk insurance is granted to these vessels,
which prompts a mass exodus of
American ships overseas. In a sense,
the mass exodus of American shipping
would serve as a prototype for something that would occur on a larger
scale 40 years later all throughout the
industrial sector.
1948: A banner year for the SIU.
The SIU of Canada is established. We
win the Isthmian campaign, which was
maritime labor's most important organizing drive of the post World War
II era. The SIU gains national attention by supporting workers in the Wall
Street Strike (film-maker Stanley Kubrick gets his start by filming a documentary on the SIU's role in the incident). The SIU stands up to organized
crime by providing support to the
International Ladies' Garment Workers Union.
1949: The SIU establishes the
Brotherhod of Marine Engineers
(BME), the forerunner of District 2MEBA. Until this time, NationalMEBA had been routinely throwing
work to the CIO-affiliated National
Maritime Union, depriving SIU members of hundreds of potential jobs and
upgrading opportunities.
The SIU saves the Canadian maritime industry from Communist control
in the famous "Battle of Halifax."
The Marine Allied Workers Division,
the industrial sector of the SIU, is
established. At a bitterly-divided convention, NMU President Joe Curran
effectively drives the Communists from
his union. (Murray Kempton, this
country's greatest labor journalist,
wrote that the NMU had been ''the
crown jewel of the Communist Party.'')
SIU President Paul Hall hires Ray
Murdoch and lobbyist Phil Carlip to
set up a Washington office.
1950: The SIU wins another major
organizing drive: Cities Service. The
Korean War breaks out, giving smaller,
unsubsidized SIU operators the chance
to thrive and prosper. The Union is
well-positioned to begin a long and
successful campaign to improve wages,
benefits and working conditions, as
well as to become the leading voice
of maritime labor.

�CL

L

. NP

Directory of Ports

-Company/Lakes

-Lakes

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

-Non Priority

NOV. 1-30, 1987
Port
Algonac .................. .

Class L Class NP
11

0

All Groups

All Groups

All Groups

Class CL

Class CL

Class L Class NP

Class CL

DECK DEPARTMENT
14
0
42

Class L Class NP

4

0

15

5

0

7

3

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
8
a

0

8

7

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

0

23

14

53

20

5

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

TOTAL SHIPPED

*TOTAL REGISTERED

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

Port
Algonac ........... ·....... .

0

9

Port
Algonac ... . .. . . ... .. .. ... .

a

4

Port
Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

0

0

9

23

Totals All Departments. . . . . . . .
o
33
16
O
73
20
O
*"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.

HEADQUARTERS
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 207 46
(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
NOVEMBER 1-30, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class 8 Class C

Port
New York ...............
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .......... . . .... .
Mobile .... .. ...........
New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Francisco. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington . ........ .....
Seattle . . ........... .. ..
Puerto Rico .. .. ... .. .....
Honolulu .. ...... .. .... ..
Houston .. ... ...........
St. Louis ...... . . . . . . . . .
Piner: Point ..............
Tota s ........ .........

35
4

5
21
13
26
25
43
22
35
15
4
28
0
1

277

11
3
3
4
6
5

10
8
6
6

2

18
5
0
4
91

5
0
1
3
2
5
1
15
7

3
0
3
1
0
2

48

Tntals ..... ............

33
1
8

6
10
21
23
23
10

24
8
4
35
0
2
208

5
1
3
7
7
3
5
7
7
4

0
8
4
0
3
64

Totals ..

... -

-

.

-

.

- - - - - ..

17

0

5
1

6

2

4
11
10

0
2
2

2

37

13

17
3
7
10
0
1

1

79
8
12
26
17
55
45
57

4

58

10
29
22
28
18
36
9
6
27
0
3

247

25
1

7
5
19
14
16
9
20
9
1
25
0
1
156

0

9

9
2

5
0
29
0
0
1

138

59

20
1
1
5

23
3

0
0
0

2

1
12

3

0
0
23
0

4

229

Totals All Departments ......

743

409

341

9

30

10
17

4
3
10

0
0

7
8
9

13

6
14
6
82
6
0

8
7
4
157
0
0
1

14

4

15
3

4

13
1
0
8
0

195

g

10

4
1
0
5
2

120

,

3

11
5
24

1
42

Port
New York .. . ..... . ......
Philadelphia .. ....... . ....
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .... . ...... ... ...
Mobile ... . . . . . . . - . - - . . New Orleans ....... . . . ...
Jacksonville ....... ... ....
San Francisco .............
Wilmington ..............
Seanle . . ........... . ...
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Honolulu .. . .............
Houston .. . .. .. .... ... ..
St. Louis ..
Piney Point ..............
Tot1tl$ .................

10

0
2
3
2

12
0
1
101

0

3
24

HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434

4
0
1
2
3
3
0
2

2
0
0
1
0
6
2
3
2
0
0
5
1
0
0
22

0

5
1
0
3
0

DECK DEPARTMENT
13
2
2
0
1
1
12
3
2
3
4
8
4
0
17
9
6
5

43
1
4
11

Port
New York .... . .. .. . .. ...
Philadelphia .... ..........
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk ..... .• ..........
Mobile .................
New Orleans ... . .........
Jacksonville ...... . .. .....
San Francisco .............
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Honolulu .......... ......
Houston ................
St. Louis ............. . ..
Piney Point .......... ... .

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

Trip
Reliefs

Port
r ...............
Philadelphia .. ............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .................
Mobile .................
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco . .. ..........
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Honolulu ................
Houston .... . . .. ... .. ...
St. Louis ................
Piney Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class 8 Class C

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class 8 Class C

6

0
12
7
0
3

86

2

0
5
1
0
2

44

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
4
1
1
0
4
0
4
0
5
0
6
4
2
2
4
2
7
0
4
0
1
0
7
9
3
1
0
0
1
0
55
17
STEWARD DEPARTMENT
6
0

2
3

1

0
3
3
4

1

5
0
29
0
0
0
57

0
0
0
0
0

0
9

0
0
0
24
0
0
0
33

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
17
4
1
0
2
0
2
1
4
5
10
7
3
4
8
2

13

3
12
7
3
8
0
0

9
8

12
2
85
7
0

14

2
4
1
136
0
0
0

2

3
10
7
0
1

29

24

5

55
0
1

19
4
8
6
5
8
17
7
3
5
4
17
6
0
4

5

5
6
5
7
0
0
1
0
0

42

471

113

38

4
0
1

0
0
5
2
3
4
6

53
5
11
10
8
39
43
23
15
35

2
1
0
1
0
2
2
5
4
4
0
6
1
0
0
28

0

2

10

4
3
0
0
35

7
38
0
2
299

5
1
1
11
7
5
5
7
5
3
0
6
3
0
11
70

2
0

35

6

0
0
1

2

0

12

3

9
0
105
6
0
0
140

1
7

2

7
30
19
64

18
30

6
8
21
0
1
249

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

42

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

17

0

5
6
10
3

29

11

60
38
10

5
18
0
1

0
2
3

1

1

5
2
10

1

5

15

3

8
1

24

2

0

6

77

30
7
4
19

10

22

18

25

14
26
11
87
8
0
3

0
0
0

3

1
0
17
1
0
1
41
7
3
0
15
3
33
5
30
12
10
3
140
2
0
1

82

2
166

172

0

255

284

264

586

364

266

217

1,274

544

371

'"'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 November was up from the month of October. A total of 1,433 jobs were shipped
on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,433 jobs shipped, 586 jobs or about 40 percent were taken by
"A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 217 trip relief jobs
were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 6,370 jobs have been shipped.

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
NEW 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.
51 O N. Broad Ave . 90744
(213) 549-4000

December 1987 I LOG I 21

�Trade Unionists Rally Behind United Negro College Fund
Trade unionsts will join in a nationwide rally to provide increased educational opportunities to some 45 ,000
young people, many from union families, through the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) telethon.
This year's UNCF "Lou Rawls Parade of Stars'' telethon will be on Dec.
26. A galaxy of stars will be featured
in this seven-hour spectacular to raise
money for the UNCF.
As in the past, affiliated unions are
encouraging their members to watch

the telethon and assist in fund-raising
efforts. While AFL-CIO support for
the UNCF has always been strong,
this year a special committee, the
AFL-CIO United Negro College Fund
Committee, chaired by SEID President John Sweeney, has been appointed to coordinate labor involvement in fund-raising and promotional
activities.
Other members of the committee
include Associate Actors and Artistes
of American President Frederick

Headquarters Has New Chief

O'Neal, UAW President Owen Bieber, ILGWU President Jay Mazur,
CWA President Morton Bahr, Federation of Professional Athletes President Gene Upshaw, AFSCME President Gerald McEntee, AFf President
Al Shanker, AFGE Women's Department Director Barbara Hutchinson and
UFCW President William Wynn.
"The United Negro College Fund
is a cause worthy of our most vigorous
effort,'' said SIU President Frank Drozak. ''The goal of the labor movement
is the advancement of workers of this
generation and the next-a goal we
cannot achieve unless workers have
access to quality education.''
The UNCF provides funding for its

44 predominantly black colleges and
universities. All institutions are private and fully-accredited.
Funding for the UNCF's member
schools continue to be a growing concern for all UNCF supporters. Each
year, the 44 UN CF colleges must raise
60 percent of their operating budgets
while only 33 percent of the average
annual budget is covered by tuition.
Recognizing this concern, the AFLCIO adopted a resolution at its October 1987 biennial convention supporting the United Negro College Fund
and asking its affiliates to publicize,
support and aid in the fund-raising
efforts of the UN CF.

Kathy Horn, administrative assistant to SIU President Frank Drozak, was recently

promoted to Chief Petty Officer in the Naval Reserves. Among her other Navy duties,
she helped process the paperwork for the survivors of the S.S. Stark.

i g

e

t

?•

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.

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:

Your home address is your permanent address,
and this is where all official Union documents,
W-2 Forms, and the LOG will be mailed.

Address Correction Department
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746-9971

Old-Timers
earner

SIU &amp; UIW of N.A.

------------------~------------------~--------~------------Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
PLEASE PRINT
HOME ADDRESS
Social Security No.

Phone No. (
)
Area Code

Your Full Name

Apt. or Box II

Street

D SIU

City

0 UIW

State

0 Pensioner

ZIP

Other _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Book Number
UIW Place of E m p l o y m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Holiday greetings from Pensioner Reino
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)-----------------

------------------------------~-~~------------~~--~~-------~
22 I LOG I December 1987

-

J.

Pelaso (P-8) of Vallejo, Calif. Once again,
Pelaso has been doing quite a bit of fishing,
including these two sturgeon (25 and 60
lbs.). "I wish to say hello to all my old
shipmates. I hope everyone has a Merry
Christmas and that the New Year will be

good to all my friends."

�c ----

-~-~ --·--

'Boosting Player Morale . . . '
The players and staff of the National Football League Players
Association, an affiliate of the Federation of Professional Athletes, AFLCIO, extend our heartfelt thanks to you and your membership for your
support of our struggle to gain fair treatment on the job from the
owners of the National Football League monopoly.
Your experience and practical advice on the picket line were a big
help. Your public and private statements of support were a big boost to
player morale. Most importantly, your membership, and members of
other unions, responded by the thousands to help us fill picket lines
and rallies at practice and game sites. This union and its membership
will always be grateful that you were there when the NFL monopoly
had so many of the press and the public aligned against the players....

Letters
To The

Editor

Fraternally

Gene Upshaw
Executive Director
:Rational Football League
Players Assodation

SIU members joined striking members of the Washington Redskins on the picket line at
RFK stadium during the NFLPA strike.

'WW II's Gianella .

'

Perhaps some would be interested to know that Mr. Gianella was the
radio operator of the SS PRUSA, a Lykes Bros. ship which was
torpedoed by the Jap sub I -172 on Dec. 19, 1941. He went down with
the ship. He was awarded the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service
Medal posthoumously by President Roosevelt. The following is the
citation:
"For heroism beyond the line of duty.
The ship in which he served was in mid-Pacific when struck by an
enemy torpedo. The explosion blew through the after decks; the engine
and dynamos were completely wrecked; and it was apparent that the
ship would remain afloat only a few minutes. Orders were given to
prepare to abandon ship and instructions sent to the radio operator to
send an SOS. The officer who delivered the message found Gianella
already engaged in rigging an emergency set. Lifeboats were lowered
away and the Master then sent orders to Gianella to abandon ship. But
the radio operator had not been able to get his message through.
Realizing that upon him rested all hope for the rescue of his
shipmates, the pull of duty was too strong to overcome. Gianella
refused to leave his post and chose to face certain death in his stark
devotion to duty."
We, as merchant seamen, should never forget those terrible losses
American seamen suffered in World War II. Those of your membership
sailing today could find themselves in the same position at any time. I
shall continue to remind the American public of the role of the U.S.
merchant marine in World War II at evecy opportunity that presents
itself.
If there are any questions anyone has relating to ships or personnel
involved in WW II, I would be more than willing to answer.
Thank you for sending the LOG to me. I appreciate it.

• •
In reading your article about the SS Lawrence H. Gia.nella, on page

Sincerely,
Arthur B.. Moore
Hallowell, Maine

11 of the SIU LOG October 1987 ed1tion 1 I was wondering 1f the

membership realized who Lawrence Gianella was.

nd
Society's attitudes toward drug
and alcohol abuse have changed
greatly since our Union opened up
the Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee, Md. Ten years
ago, many people considered drugs
to be chic. Now, just about everyone recognizes them for what they
are: killers.
Today, Americans are being
urged to "Just Say No" to drugs

•
Of en

and alcohol. Unfortunately, millions of alcoholics and drug-abusers can't even admit that they
have a problem. So for our members out there who have~ drug or
an alcohol problem and won't admit it, I urge you to just say "Yes"to say "Yes, I have a problem with
drugs or alcohol, and I need help."
Over the past IO years, hundreds
of your fellow Seafarers have done

•

I

a

just that. They've signed up for
the Union's Addictions Rehabilitation Program. Thanks to the expert help of the staff down there,
these SIU members now lead useful and productive lives.
For all alcoholics and drug-abusers, recovery begins when they
stop denying that they have a problem. There's an old AA saying-a
person has to hit bottom before

?•
they can reach out for help. For
those of you who are sick and tired
of the problems that alcohol and
drug abuse are causing, contact
your port agent or call the ARC in
Valley Lee, Md.
For those of you who haven't
reached your bottom, don't worry,
you will. Because once you start
abusing drugs and alcohol, there's
nowhere to go but down.

TODAY./
DO IT TODAY/I
l&lt;ICK THE

DRUG

MABIT/
CONTACT VOUR

PORT A6ENT,

OR YOUR 'UNION
AT
PINEY POINT./

DO \T NOW.
-"

December 1987 I LOG I 23

�Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

Washington Report
After seven years of complex and sometimes
contentious talks between U.S. and Soviet
negotiators in Geneva, Switzerland, Ronald
Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev finally signed
an agreement to limit intermediate nuclear
weapons. Supporters and critics of the INF
Treaty both agree that this will increase pressure for America and Western Europe to build
up their conventional forces.
Part of that conventional capability will be
in the area of sealift, where America is badly
deficient. The maritime industry, which provides the bulk of America's sealift support,
was given a reprieve of sorts when American
and Canadian officials announced that the
transportation provisions had been dropped
from the final version of the Canadian Free
Trade Agreement.

Canadian Free Trade
Agreement
A united maritime industry won its biggest
victory since the Cargo Preference Compromise of 1985 when U.S. and Canadian officials
announced that maritime would be excluded
from the final provisions of the Canadian Free
Trade Agreement.
'Tm too superstitious to break out the
champagne," said one industry official, "but
this marks a great day for the maritime industry ."
According to news accounts, maritime was
''dropped from the pad in response to fier~e
response from maritime interests in both countries. "
Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister Brian
Mulroney signed the agreement Od. 3. When
news of the agreement began to leak out , more
than 200 maritime groups formed a ~oaJition
to get the industry excluded .
Opposition from Canadian seamen was just
as intense. SIU of Canada President Roman
Gralewiczjoined Frank Drozak, his American
counterpart. in writing a letter to Mulroney
and Reagan which said , "We believe that any
free trade agreement which alters current maritime policies is unwise, unjust and unfair."
"Things (in the maritime industry) may be
bad now," said SIU V.P. Mike Sacco, who's
in charge of the Union's Great Lakes region,
"but if the agreement had been ratified with
the maritime provisions intact, the maritime
industry would have lost something more important than any one program. It would have
lost all hope for the future."

Free Trade and All Gatt
The recent stock market crash has dimmed
chances for early passage of the Omnibus
Trade Bill, according to Sen. Lloyd Bentsen
(D-Texas) and other leading members of Congress. Congress will probably focus its attention on resolving sticky budgetary issues before adjourning for Christmas later this month.
Last month' s trade deficit eased somewhat
as the dollar took a plunge on the world money
markets, thereby making American goods and
services more competitive.
Many leading economists are saying that a
lower dollar is at best only part of the solution
to America• s trade crisis. If the dollar falls too

24 I LOG I December 1987

December 1987

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

far too fast then there will be great instability
in the world marketplace.
One solution to the present crisis is increased
use of bilateral trade agreements. That was
the suggestion offered by Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) in the latest presidential debate.
Meanwhile, U.S. Trade Representative
Clayton Yeutter was predicting that the latest
round of international trade talks ''could yield
tangible results as early as the end of next
year."
The GATT negotiations had played a major
role in uniting the often-fragmented maritime
industry. The concern was this: if maritime
was included in a Free Trade Agreement with
Canada, and such an agreement was later
ratified at the General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade talks, then all future improvements
in U.S. promotional programs would have
been open to third world shipping.

Liner Subsidy Reform
There is general agreement among industry
officials that it will be impossible to improve
conditions in the maritime industry without
some kind of reform of the Operating Differential Subsidy program. Earlier this year, the
administration finally got around to presenting
Congress with its ideas for such a program.
By that time, however, operating subsidies
were already starting to expire.
Reaction to the administration's plan was
cool, especially since the administration made
no bones about it desire to put a cap on costs.
Several other plans have been floating around
Congress.
While reform of the subsidy program is a
life-and-death issue to most companies, most
have different interests to protect. Aside from
a general dissatisfaction with the level of benefits being offered under the administration's
plan, there has been no agreement among
American-flag operators on what should be
done.
The Senate Commerce Committee is soliciting comments on two pieces of legislation
dealing with this issue. Because of its heavy
workload and the complexity of the issues
involved, it has extended the period of comment to Jan. 15, 1988.
While the SIU is not wed to any one approach, it would like to see the issue resolved
as soon as possible and in such a way to serve
the interests of all American-flag operators.

Shipbuilding Capability
Despite the important role that shipbuilding
plays in the defense and economy of this
nation, absolutely no progress has been made
toward forging the comprehensive, fair and
workable national shipbuilding and maritime
program that is so urgently needed.
That was the assessment of SIU Legislative
Director Frank Pecquex when he testified
before the House Subcommittee on Merchant
Marine and Fisheries Dec. 8.
The subcommittee had called a hearing to
receive input from industry officials in light of
the report that the Commission on Merchant
Marine and Defense recently released. Among
other things, the report stated that the precipitous decline in this country's maritime and
shipbuilding industrial base poses a serious
security threat.

The decline of this nation's shipbuilding
industry can only be curtailed, said Pecquex,
if we take the following corrective actions:
* Establish a clear requirement for shipbuilding capability for U.S. national security;
* Curtail U.S. government contracts with
foreign companies, both for supplies and research and development, which last year
amounted to $9 billion;
* Broaden the requirements of the Jones
Act to cover all maritime activity within the
200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone;
* Initiate a government-sponsored buildand-charter program that would direct the
government to build vessels to be chartered
to commercial operators in peacetime, but
would be subject to Navy recall during emergencies;
* Fully fund the Title XI ship construction
loan and mortgage insurance program, which
is the last remaining substantial shipbuilding
support program;
* Enforce and expand regulations requiring
that Navy ship repair work be performed in
U.S. shipyards; and
* Replace sealift tankers serving the Navy's
point-to-point oil requirements, whose capacity has been reduced by current regulations
requiring a segregated ballast system.

Tax Correction Act
One of the major accomplishments of the
99th Congress was passage of a comprehensive
tax reform bill . Despite considerable pressure
from special interest groups, most members
of Congress have been loathe to make many
changes in the legislation (i.e. , change tax
rates). They have preferred instead to look at
legislation that would change a few marginal
details.
Maritime has learned the hard way that any
change in the tax laws can have critical consequences for the American-flag merchant marine. Unfortunately, the present budget deficit
has sent Congress back to the books looking
for ways to increase revenues.
The SIU and other maritime groups were
fortunate to have included in the House version
of the Tax Corrections Act language which
would restore full deductibility for meals furnished on commercial vessels. "This is a big
victory for our membership," said Pecquex.

Promoting U.S. Coal
The SIU has joined a coalition of maritime
and energy organizations which supports passage of H.R. 3579, the 1988 Defense Appropriations Act. Among other things, the bill
would mandate the purchase of U.S. coal for
American military installations.in Western Europe.
In addition to the SIU, the coalition, which
is known as the Defense Energy Council,
includes such diverse organizations as the
American Maritime Officers Association , The
United Mineworkers of America, the Transportation Institute, National Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association, Rail Labor Executive Association, the Falcon Shipping Group,
the International Association of Machinists,
and others.
While the House Full Committee has completed action on this issue, the Senate is still
studying it.
(Continued on page 7.)

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U.S./CANADA TRADE PACT DELETES MARITIME THREAT&#13;
MARAD KEEPS RRF AUTHORITY&#13;
FIRST SMU CONVENTION&#13;
THE STANWICK REPORT: MANNING REVOLUTION&#13;
SIU CREWS NEW COMMUTER FERRY SERVICE&#13;
CURTIS BAY BOATMEN STRIKES END IN TWO PORTS&#13;
COAST GUARD LICENSING A NEW YEAR BRINGS NEW REGULATIONS&#13;
MSC GETS 2ND HOSPTIAL SHIP&#13;
NORTHWEST MARINE IRON WORKS AWARDS NEW NAVY CONTRACT&#13;
TRADE UNIONISTS RALLY BEHIND UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND&#13;
THE SIU IN WASHINGTON&#13;
CANADIAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT &#13;
LINER SUBSIDY REFORM&#13;
TAX CORRECTION ACT&#13;
FREE TRADE AND ALL GATT&#13;
SHIPBUILDING CAPABILITY&#13;
PROMOTING U.S. COAL&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union• Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL·CIO Vol.

so, No.

I January 1988

U.S. Ships Must Have U.S. Crews

Kuwait Loophole Closed by New Citizenship Law
Legislation which would strengthen
American citizenship requirements
onboard U.S.-flag vessels and promote the American fishing industry
has been signed into law.
The legislation, H.R. 2598, marked
an important victory for the maritime
industry. ''This and getting the maritime industry exempted from the provisions of the Canadian Free Trade
Agreement have to be considered the
high points of the year,'' said Legislative Director Frank Pecquex.
The legislation (its official title is the
Commercial Fishing Anti-Reflagging
Act of 1987) would prohibit foreign-

built fishing vessels from being redocumented under the American
registry. It also would require owners
of U.S. fishing vessels to build or
rebuild in U.S. shipyards.
Most important to fishermen and
seamen, however, is that the bill would
require vessels registered in the United
States to be manned by American
seamen. This would extend to all vessels in the American-flag merchant
marine, not just to fishing boats.
The U.S. -manning provisions contained in the bill would go a long way
toward closing loopholes in existing
laws which made it possible for 11

SIU's New Overseas Joyce
Page 5

Kuwaiti ships redocumented under the
American flag to be manned by foreign
crews. By reflagging these vessels, the
administration opened up a potentially
dangerous loophole in the law.
The administration contended that
since the 11 Kuwaiti tankers were
crewed overseas and had not yet hit
an American port, existing manning
requirements mandating that threequarters of the crew be American
citizens or resident aliens could be
waived. Of course, the law allowing
the waiver was written in the 19th
century, long before the advent of air
travel. But while technology had
changed, the law remained on the
books.
The problem with the interpretation
was that there exist certain kinds of
American-flag activity where the vessels do not necessarily have to hit an
American port. And through bitter,
first-hand experience, the maritime industry has learned that where loopholes exist, they will be exploited.
Under the terms of the legislation,
the government still retains flexibility
in waiving citizenship requirements.
Yet the chances that manning requirements would be routinely flouted have
diminished greatly as a result of this
legislation.
H.R. 2598 actually improves upon
existing law by requiring 100 percent
of the licensed crew and 75 percent of
the unlicensed crew to be American
citizens or resident aliens. In addition,

it requires that a majority interest of
the ownership in U .S.-flag fishing vessels be composed of American citizens.
The legislation held the promise of
creating several hundred American jobs
in the Pacific Coast fishing industry.
In addition, there was some speculation in Washington, D.C. that American crews would be recruited for the
11 Kuwaiti tankers.
"If that happens," said one SIU
official, "then it would be a matter of
available skilled mariners capable of
crewing these vessels. And that's where
our training program in Piney Point
and our attempts to build a large manpower pool would give us an advantage."
Passage of the legislation marked
one more instance where the maritime
industry was able to mount a united
front. It had been able to mount a
united lobbying effort on the Canadian
Free Trade issue, and it is attempting
to do the same thing in regards to
legislation on the Arctic National Wild
Refuge oil issue.
"In the past, congressional critics
of the maritime industry have complained about the industry's inability
to rise above the collective differences
of its constituents," said Frank Drozak, president of the Seafarers International Union. "The industry's backto-back wins on Canada Free Trade
and H.R. 2598 may mark a turning
point in our efforts on Capitol Hill.''

WW II Seamen Win Vets Case

New Drug Rules Ready
The Coast Guard issued a final rule,
effective Jan. 13, 1988, setting standards and establishing rules designed
to monitor and control alcohol and
drug use in both commercial and recreational vessels.
For the past two years, various
groups-including the SIU-have
worked with the Coast Guard to establish the new guidelines. Originally
the rules included two provisions the
Union strongly opposed-the responsibility of other crewmembers to inform on intoxicated persons or lose
their seamen's papers and to report to
the ship's master their own prescription drug use. Both of these provisions
were deleted from the final rule.
Also, the original proposal did not
include provisions for rehabilitation.

That is now included.
Following are some of the guidelines
of the new rule.
• application to all crewmembers,
whether on duty or not, since each
crewmember has safety-related responsibilities, including emergency
duties;
• prohibition from assuming duties
within four hours of consuming alcohol;
• establishment of .04 percent blood
alcohol concentration, similar to
standards adopted by the Federal
Aviation Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration;
• determination of intoxication based
on personal observation or chemical
test by a law enforcement officer or a
marine employer;

The Defense Department has granted World War II U.S. Merchant
seamen who sailed between Dec. 7, 1941 and August 15, 1945 veterans'
status. The ruling came Jan. 20 as the LOG went to press.
The action ends an eight-year court struggle and 43-year fight for
merchant seamen who served during the war. There is no current estimate
of how many American merchant sailor could benefit by the ruling.
Several years ago the government estimated about 90,000 of the more
than 250,000 seamen who served were still alive.
"The honor and recognition these men deserve is so, so long overdue.
They sailed, they fought and they died, just like other American servicemen," said SIU president Frank Drozak.
Last year a federal judge ordered the government to reconsider its
original denial of veterans' status, saying it had acted arbitrarily in denying
veterans' status.
An attorney for the three seamen who brought the court case said the
surviving merchant sailors could be eligible for medical care, loans and
pensions through the Veterans Administration.
At presstime application forms were being sent to SIU ports for eligible
seamen. Contact your port agent for details. The next issue of the LOG
will carry a full report on the case.
• refusal to submit to a chemical
test request by a law enforcement
officer based on reasonable cause is
admissable in evidence in any administrative proceeding and the individual

will be presumed to be intoxicatedif individual refuses the marine employer's request, evidence of the refusal is admissible in evidence in any
(Continued on Page 21.)

�President's Report
by Frank Drozak
Last year, like every other
one under the Reagan administration, was difficult for the maritime industry and the men and
women who make their living
at sea, and on the Lakes and
nvers.
But just when it seemed as if
1987 was going to be chalked
up as another year of dismal
decline, the sun broke through.
In less than two months-thanks
to a lot of hard work by people
in this Union and other parts of
the maritime community-we
achieved significant victories:
The removal of the maritime
provisions from the Canadian
Free Trade Agreement, and the
new U.S. citizen manning requirements for U.S.-flag vessels, were the biggest wins for
us since the 1985 farm bill.
The odd thing about both those
issues was that once again the
maritime community was forced
to take on the administration.
In the past, some administrations ignored us or didn't understand us, but seldom did they
attack us. It's a sad commentary
when the maritime industry, including workers, shipowners and
shipbuilders, have to band together to fend off attacks and
avoid crippling cutbacks.
During the past several years
we have seen government support for maritime stripped to the
bone. Yet at the same time most
military planners agreed with
our warnings about the decline
of the U.S.-flag private merchant fleet.
It's no secret that our sealift
capabilities are inadequate and
that they will continue to shrink.
If only a handful of maritime
unions or ship operators were
saying that, then some might
think it was only selfish special
interests that were motivating

the industry. But that is not the
case.
Congressmen and senators of
both parties have called for a
strengthening of the U.S. merchant fleet. A special presidencomm1ss1on
tially-appointed
warned of the dire consequences to our military posture
ifthe U.S.-flagfleet was allowed
to shrink any further. Planners
in the Pentagon have expressed
concern.
Despite the reasoned warnings from experts in global military planning, the response from
the administration was to allow
11 U.S.-flag (on paper only)
tankers sail without U.S. crews
and to haul what was left of the
maritime industry up to the sacrificial altar in so-called free trade
talks with Canada. Very simply,
if they had opened up America's
Jones Act trade to other countries, we would have been finished.
Our victories on those two
issues do show that we have a
pretty fair amount of support
outside the White House. Political pressure from Capitol Hill
was instrumental on both issues. We need more friends. We
need more people who understand the importance of the merchant marine.

We have the chance this-yearto put somebody in the White
House who won't turn his back
on the U.S.-flag merchant marine. We want the chance to put
men and women in the House
and Senate who will see that a
private, American merchant fleet
is an asset to this country.
As the year goes on, we will
begin examining the presidential
candidates and those running
for House and Senate seats. We
will give our support when they
give us a commitment.
The SIU will need the help of
every member in this election
year. Our SPAD donations are
one of our biggest weapons. It
really does mean job security.
As the campaigns gear up, we
also will need volunteers in every port for political work. So
be ready to donate your time,
and continue to contribute to
SPAD. You will be helping
yourself and your union.
Not all of our battles are political. Last year, like so many
years, we fought to find work
for our membership. While a lot
of people in this industry cry
and moan about the declining
merchant fleet, they don't do
much. The SIU has been providing experienced and trained
people for hundreds of jobs under military contracts.
The SIU has gained more than
1,000 military jobs. We win that
work because we have the people who can do that work. A
Seafarer's job has changed so
much in the past several years.
It will continue to do so.
As you have read in a series
of articles on manning trends,
your work will be different in
the years to come. That is why
the SIU and the Seafarers Harry
Lundeberg School stress training and skills. We are trying to
stay a step ahead of the industry. Last year hundreds of you
took advantage of the courses
at the school and it paid off. In
the years to come those new

skills will protect your job security.
Last year was a significant
year for the Seafarers Maritime
Union. I know the SMU has
generated some controversy
throughout the maritime community, and even within the
SIU. But to put it bluntly, the
SMU means jobs and that's our
business.
Seafarers now have a much
better chance of climbing through
ranks and improving themselves
because of the SMU. No one is
ever going to force anyone to
sail SMU, but those who do will
be helping themselves.
Through the years, the SIU
has been very active in the international labor movement. We
have been very supportive of
the International Transport
Workers Federation (ITF). As
many of you know, merchant
seamen from many countries
sail under horrible conditions.
The ITF and the SIU want to
correct that.
Last year the SIU joined several other organizations in helping the crew of a Greek-flag
ship, the Skyranger, win back
pay and correct unsanitary and
unsafe conditions on their ship.
We will continue to get involved. The SIU wants to raise
the standards for all seafarers.

* *

A~

*

Finally, I want to thank each
and every one of you for the
support you have given me and
the SIU during the past year. I
always know I can count on the
membership of this Union to
come together and work together when things need to get
done. We would not have been
nearly as successful without the
unity you all bring to the SIU.
We will ·need that kind of bond
for the upcoming year and for
years after. We want to remain
the leading maritime union in
this country.

c Pull cation of e Seafarers n emat on Un on of
orth Ame ca At
c G • La es and In and Waters District

Ja uary 988

*

Vo 50

o 1

-r.IO

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall

Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

Carla Tomaszewski
Contributing Editor

2 I LOG I January 1988

&lt;9 "

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Secretary

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 8990675. Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges,· Md. 20790-9998 and at additional
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md. 20746.

�Lessons from Canada Trade Pact

Unified Maritime Industry Was Key in Victory
" Sometimes it seems as if the people
in this industry wait until they get their
backs pushed against the wall before
they come together and fight back."
That's what one maritime insider
said after an almost six-month battle
to keep the U.S. merchant marine
from being gored by the recently signed
U.S./Canada Free Trade Agreement.
When word leaked out late last spring
that trade negotiators from both countries were willing to open almost all
of America's maritime programs to
Canadian ship operators, shock, then
outrage, spread throughout the community.
But like the 1985 cargo preference
battle over the farm bill, maritime
unions, ship operators, shipbuilders,
politicians and just about anyone remotely connected to the industry put
aside their normal differences to save
their backsides-which once again were
firmly pressed to the wall.
What spurred them to action was
the possible sight of the Canadian
maple leaf flag fluttering from the stems
of tankers steaming south from Valdez
with Alaskan oil-north from Norfolk
with coal to Boston--0r pushing barges
of grain down the Mississippi River.

Sen. John Breaux
At the time, negotiators were considering a "North American Jones
Act." The cornerstone for the U.S.flag domestic fleet is the Jones Act,
which reserves all coastwide trading
for U .S.-flag ships. Because Jones Act
ship operators receive no subsidy, the
act is the only support they receive
from the government.
If the coastwide trade had been
opened to Canadians, maritime leaders were convinced they would be
unable to compete. Canada has several
more programs to help its ship operators than the U.S. does. Construction
subsidies, tax breaks, and the right to
employ low cost non-Canadian crewmembers give the Canadians a large
cost advantage. An example is found
on the Great Lakes where U.S. ships
carry only about 5 percent of the cross
trade between the two countries.
Three other factors were frightening
U.S. interests. The first was the proposal on the table to open up any
future expansion of U.S. promotional
programs, such as cargo preference or
operating subsidies, to Canadian ships.
In effect, that would have shut out
U .S.-ftag ships because of the cost
factor.

The second was the recent decision
by the Reagan administration to allow
the reflagging of 11 Kuwaiti tankers
without a U.S. crew aboard. There
were fears that action could set a
precedent allowing U.S.-flag ships to
sail with few, if any, Americans aboard.
Finally, under the terms of trade,
navigation and friendship treaties that
the U.S. has with 37 other nations,
the door would have been opened for
those countries' participation in the
same trade.
At the SIUNA convention in August, SIU President Frank Drozak and
SIU of Canada President Roman Gralewicz began to lay the groundwork
to bring maritime together on both
sides of the border to fight the proposals.
Private maritime interests began to
come together. More than 120 maritime unions, ship operators, builders
and other groups formed a coalition
to begin pressuring the Reagan administration. The goal was simple-remove all the maritime proposals from
the trade agreement. While the goal
was simple, the battle was not.
Because the proposed treaty was
under so-called "fast track" authority ,
whatever was eventually agreed to by
the negotiators could only be voted
on by the Senate as a whole packagenot section by section. At the time, it
seemed unlikely the entire agreement,
which enjoyed a fair amount of support
for its other areas, could be blocked
because of its maritime provisions.
But, with maritime allie on Capitol
Hill and the unusually united maritime
industry applying pressure, there was
some hope that the maritime provisions could be blocked.
A letter by the coalition, grown to
200 organizations, to every senator
and representative helped line up support.
''This agreement trades away the
maritime industry for advantages in
other commercial sectors . . . that bear
no relation to national defense, and it
gives no assurance whatsoever that
Canadian vessels and shipyards will
fulfill U.S. defense requirements,'' the
coalition wrote.
An appeal to President Reagan and
Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney went out from the SIU's Drozak
and SIU of Canada's Gralewicz. The
two labor leaders warned of the dire
consequences to both countries' national security if the maritime sections
of the agreement were kept.
"The critical problem [dwindling
sealift for defense] will grow more
serious if U.S. and Canadian maritime
policies are sacrificed. This decline in
the maritime industry's ability to serve
as a national security asset is not
limited to the United States. Canadianflag operators also have been crippled
by a similar lack of support by government agencies and presently are
unable to meet Canada's sealift needs.
''The framework of a free trade
agreement is not the proper forum to
fashion well-crafted maritime policies
adequate to fulfill changing national
requirements," the two wrote.
On the House side of Capitol Hill,

If U.S. Jones Act trade had been opened to the Canadians, American takers like
the American Republic would more than likely have been tied up for good. Coastwise
and river trade would have suffered too.

Rep. Walter B. Jones (D-N.C.), chairman of the House Merchant Marine
and Fisheries Committee, began gathering support from members in an
effort to prevent the administration
from going ahead with their dangerous
maritime action.
But despite the coalition's urging

Rep. Walter B. Jones
and the SIU's activity, word came
that the final trade agreement contained the maritime sections all feared.
That did not stop efforts to halt approval of those sections.
Jones was able to gather the majority of representatives in a resolution
to remove the issues from the final
treaty. While only the Senate would
vote on the final agreement, such massive House opposition was felt by the
White House.
In the Senate, which must ratify all
treaties, a majority of senators had
signed on with Sen. John Breaux (DLa.), chairman of the Senate Merchant
Marine Subcommittee, in a resolution
opposing the maritime provisions. In
addition, an effort was under way to

open the proposed agreement to a
debate on the maritime sections.
The Senate Rules Committee backed
Breaux and the House Rules Committee expressed similar concerns. The
White House feared if the agreement
was opened, opposition to other portions of the agreement could bog down
ratification.
In December, word finally came
from the negotiating table. The two
sides had met again and revised the
agreement. The maritime proposals
were eliminated.
"Over the past months, we've had
to mount what can only be called an
educational campaign to the those who
see the maritime industry as only
ships," Jones said.
The campaign worked because of
the strong leadership from the SIU,
other maritime unions and companies
and the maritime industry's allies on
Capitol Hill.
The united front presented by all
involved was enough to make the White
House back down, according to The
New York Times.
"Mr. Breaux's objection had to be
met because with the powerful maritime industry behind him, he could
have opened up the bill," the Times
reported in a piece on the agreement.
''Maybe we can learn a lesson here,''
Drozak said. "If we bring all our
resources together we have a much
better chance of winning than when
all of us are going in different directions. The 1985 farm bill and now this
treaty are great examples of what a
unified maritime industry can do."
The treaty was signed in early January and is expected to be voted on
by the Senate by midyear.
January 1988 I LOG I 3

�Manning Trends-Crews Shrink, Duties Change
This is the third in a series of
commentaries on evolving concepts of manning and shipboard
productivity. Last month we examined the 1971 "Stanwick Report" and its impact on today's
radically different manning requirements. In this article we will
take a look at a study that was
made during the mid-1980s which
resulted in some startlingly new
shipboard manning concepts.

Early in 1985, a study program
was begun under a cooperative
agreement between the U.S. Maritime Administration and Pacific
Gulf Marine Inc. to examine new
watchstanding and ''maintenance
department" concepts. Participating in the 19-month-long study were
the U.S. Coast Guard, the Seafarers International Union, and District 2 Marine Engineers Beneficial
Association/American Maritime

The SIU-contracted American Eagle was the site of a manning efficiency study.

Senate Backs /LO Actions
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee gave its approval to two longpending conventions of the International Labor Organization, a first step
toward ratification by the Senate, which
last adopted an ILO standard in 1946.
The full Senate is expected to take up
the measures in January.
ILO Convention 144, which requires consultation on ILO matters at
least once a year by the government,
worker and employer groups of each
country, was approved in a 15-3 vote.
Convention 147, which requires nations to set minimum labor standards
for seagoing ships under their jurisdiction, was passed unanimously.
ILO conventions are treaties establishing minimum world standards for
working conditions and worker rights.
They are shaped by government,
worker and employer delegates under
the ILO's unique tripartite structure
and are submitted to member nations
for ratification only after a two-thirds
vote of an ILO conference.
The United States has one of the
worst ratification records of the more
than 120 nations that belong to the
ILO. It has ratified just seven of the
162 conventions-one minor procedural standard and the six maritime
conventions.
AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland
in testimony last October urged rati-

fication of the two conventions, and
noted that the United States has been
complying with Convention 144 through
its participation in the regular ILO
meetings held since the measure was
adopted by the United Nations agency
in 1976.
Kirkland endorsed the concern expressed by President Reagan when he
submitted the two conventions to the
Senate for ratification. Reagan wrote,
"We are vulnerable to criticism when
we seek to take others to task for
failing to adhere to instruments we
ourselves have not ratified.''
At that same hearing, SIU testimony
urged ratification of Convention 147,
stressing that even minimal standards
would provide protection ''from unscrupulous shipowners who engage
seafarers from countries with subsistence economies at very low wage
rates.''
Ratification of the maritime convention would be "a first step in a long
journey'' to eradicate crew abuse and
lack of safety standards, the union
said. The convention requires enforcement of maritime laws or regulations
covering safety standards, including
competency, hours of work and manning, along with standards for social
security protections and shipboard
conditions of employment and living
arrangements for crew members.

Sea-Land Buys 5 New Ships
Sea-Land has purchased five former
United States Lines ships and has been
given permission to scrap six World

War II-vintage vessels.
The new ships will be used on a
West Coast, Hawaii, Asia run. They
represent a 42 percent increase in the
line's cargo capacity in the Pacific.
The former USL ships (the company
declared bankruptcy in 1986) are not
4 I LOG I January 1988

the giant econoships which can carry
4,258 TEU s. Those ships have been
purchased by a group of banks at

bankruptcy auctions. They may be
leased soon according to industry insiders.
The six Sea-Land ships set for
scrapping are: the Boston, Galveston,
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Pedro
and St. Louis.

Officers.
The purpose of the project was
to explore ways to improve the
productivity of U .S.-flag merchant
ships ''through organizational,
procedural and manpower improvements both ashore and at
sea." Although not stated, it was
a continuation of and an update of
the "Stanwick Report" which was
published 15 years earlier. Like
the ''Stanwick Report,'' the conclusions of this study called for
basic changes in the use of manpower at sea. This project took it
a step further: some of the proposed changes were to be tested
and monitored at sea with the cooperation of SIU and MEBA-District 2. Early in 1985, during a total
of 30 voyage days aboard the Ml
V American Eagle and the M/V
American Condor, a consultant
group observed and evaluated the
activities and efficiency of the crews
in their traditional three-department, three-watch systems.
From its survey, the project team
proposed a reorganized manning
structure to include a "maintenance department'' consisting of
seven unlicensed dayworkers from
the deck, engine and steward departments who would be routinely
responsible for shipwide maintenance duties, under the supervision of the chief engineer. Under
this system, three ABs would stand
normal at-sea navigation watches,
while three other ABs, together
with two QMEDs, one general utility/deck-engine and one steward
assistant would form the maintenance crew. Both shoreside management and shipboard maintenance were to be evaluated for
efficiency. The report concluded
that one of the keys to more efficient shipboard maintenance was
''cross-departmental utilization of
personnel,'' which was one of the
basic proposals of the ''Stanwick
Report.''
Training was emphasized as crucial to the success of any reorganized manning system. This would
involve upgrading and training so
that unlicensed crewmembers could
work in a cross-departmental
structure. It would also require
shipboard training for both licensed and unlicensed personnel
to prepare them for expanded management and supervisory responsibilities.
The project team which undertook this study-Pacific Gulf,
MARAD and the Coast Guardmet often in Washington, D.C. and
at Pacific Gulf headquarters in New
Orleans through late 1986. They
reviewed and evaluated a number
of surveys of on-shore management and administrative policies
as well as shipboard work habits.
Both SIU and MEBA-District 2
were consulted and kept advised

of the project and its interim conclusions.
Earlier, in December 1985, a
meeting was held at SIU headquarters in Camp Springs, Md.
during which Pacific Gulf and
MARAD sought the formal approval of SIU and MEBA-District
2 for implementation of the maintenance department concept on a
trial basis aboard the MN American Eagle and the MN American
Condor. A wide range of manning
issues were discussed. These included setting up a permanent job
program, setting guidelines for
training and upgrading, cross-utilization of unlicensed crew, rotating ABs between deck and maintenance
departments,
and
establishing procedures for advancement to higher positions
through experience and training.
While the unions were favorable
to the overall proposals for manning reorganization on the two PGM
vessels ''as an experiment,'' approval was withheld pending the
outcome of U.S. Coast Guard
hearings on manning regulations
which could have an impact on
manning throughout the industry.
Meanwhile, the project group
studied the manning structures of
foreign-flag ships and concluded that
the use of ''general purpose crews''
was becoming the accepted practice
throughout the maritime world.

* * *
In February 1987, a final report
on ''Shipboard Productivity Methods" was issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is a
three-volume work examining in
great detail ship productivity, ship
operations, manpower, training,
productivity methods, ship/shore
work/maintenance systems and
personnel organization.
The bottom line? The maritime
industry as we knew it even 10
years ago no longer exists. Technical and 9perational changes have
overtaken most of maritime labor
despite the stubborn resistance of
some of maritime labor's leadership. What was predicted in the
"Stanwick Report" 17 years ago
is already here: smaller and bettertrained crews, cross-utilization of
manpower, and emphasis on underway maintenance of ships, their
structures, equipment and systems. It is a tribute not only to the
leadership, but especially to the
membership of the SIU that we
have been open and responsive to
these changes.

.

SUPPORT

SPAD

�First Run for Overseas Joyce

SIU's New Car Carrier Makes Stop in Houston
On the inside it looks like a massive parking garage and from the outside,
well ... The Overseas Joyce (Maritime Overseas) will never be mistaken for
a sleek liner, but this 635-foot vessel is a thing of beauty to the SIU. It is the
first U .S.-flag and SIU-crewed car carrier to call in the U.S.
The Joyce, with a 12-man crew, can carry 5,300 cars and may be the first
of several U.S. ships taking part in the lucrative Japan to U.S. auto trade.
The Joyce is scheduled to make 60-day round trips from Japan to Gulf and
East Coast ports.

When the Overseas Joyce docked in Houston, it was the first time a SIU-contracted ship
carried Japanese cars to America.

SIU Vice President Red Campbell (left) and Martime Overseas Port Captain Johnson
observe the hydraulic deck lift on the Joyce.

Reports are that the three-man steward department is working well. Pictured above are
Chief Cook Travis Crow, Steward Robert Firth and SA Mostafa Mostafa.

Campbell, Bosun R. Bradford and Houston
Port Agent Dean Corgey take a break on
deck.

Here are Bosun Bradford and SIU VP Joe
Sacco on deck.

Corgey (left) and members of the Joyce's deck department.

January 1988 I LOG I 5

�In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will
highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national
and maritime policy.

profiles
Sen. Harry Reid

Rep. Jim Jontz

S

T

EN. Harry Reid (D-N ev.) represents a state whose economy is
heavily dependent on gambling and
tourism but whose politics are rooted
in conservative traditions and philosophy.
The junior senator from Nevada was
born and raised in that state. In 1959
he received an associate degree in
science from Southern Utah State College, and two years later earned a
bachelor of science degree from Utah
State University. Reid also studied at
the George Washington School of Law
where he received his law degree in
1964. He was admitted to the Nevada
State Bar in 1963-one year before
graduation.
Sen. Reid's political career began
immediately upon graduation from law
school, first as Henderson City Attorney and then as a member of the
Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital
Board of Trustees. He expanded his
involvement into state government
when he served in the Nevada Assembly. In 1970 Reid, then only 29 years
old, was elected to a four-year term
as the youngest lieutenant governor in
Nevada history.
In 1974, a strong Democratic year,
Reid opposed Paul Laxalt in a run for
the U.S. Senate. The Reid-Laxalt race
was conducted under the shadow of
Watergate. But in spite of that, Laxalt
scored a narrow victory (625 votes).
In 1975 Reid sought to rebound with
a campaign for mayor of Las Vegas,
but again he lost by a narrow margin.
Redistricting in 1981 created a House
seat for Las Vegas separate from the
rest of Nevada, and Reid announced
his congressional campaign earlywinning strong support from party regulars, labor, and business and professional groups. He faced Peggy Cavnar,

Sen. Harry Reid
a former state assemblywoman and
won with 58 percent of the vote. In a
1984 rematch, Reid again won, this
time with the advantage of incumbency.
As a member of the U.S. House of
Representatives from the first district
of Nevada, Reid served on the Committee on Science and Technology and
on the Select Committee on Aging.
He was the first Nevadan in nearly
l 00 years to hold membership on the
Committee on Foreign Affairs. Reid
also served as a Regional Whip during
his two terms in Congress.
In 1986 Reid was elected to represent Nevada in the U.S. Senate. Here
he serves on the Appropriations Committee, the Environment and Public
Works Committee and the Special
Committee on Aging.
As a senator in the lOOth Congress,
Reid is a member of the Helsinki
Commission, the United States Air
Force Academy Board of Visitors, the
Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus, the Environmental and Energy
Study Conference and the California
Democratic Congressional Delegation.

Nominations Invited for
Seamanship Trophy
Nominations will be accepted beginning Jan. 1 for the 1988 American
Merchant Marine Seamanship Trophy.
The trophy is awarded-though not
necessarily every year-on behalf of
the maritime industry to U.S. citizens
for deeds which exemplify the highest
traditions of seamanship and maritime
skills demonstrated in the immediate
past calendar year.
The trophy was last given in 1986
to Capt. James E. Bise and the crew
of the integrated tug-barge Baltimore
for their rescue of survivors of two
foundering vessels in hurricane conditions.
Nominees for the 1988 Seamanship
Trophy must be individual U.S. citizens who have performed feats of
distinguished seamanship while aboard
a civilian-crewed U .S.-flag vessel, yacht
or other small craft during calendar
year 1988.
''Distinguished seamanship,'' as de6 I LOG I January 1988

fined by the Select Committee, comprises an act representing the highest
standards of professional competence
at sea in the presence of extreme peril
to life and/or property, or under adverse and severe weather conditions.
Nominations should include the following information: Name of the candidate; vessel and owner; and date,
time, place of incident and weather
conditions. If possible, an abstract or
photocopy of the ship's log, eyewitness reports, Coast Guard reports,
newspapers accounts and other pertinent supporting documents should
accompany the nomination.
All nominations for the 1988 award
must be received by March l, 1988.
They should be addressed to:
Rear Adm. Paul L. Krinsky
American Merchant Marine
Seamanship Trophy
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, N. Y. 11024-1699

HE fifth district of Indiana, in the
northwest part of the state, extends most of the way across northern
Indiana from the suburbs of Gary to
the factory town of Marion and the
much smaller town of North Manchester. It includes distinct political
worlds that share one common element-they vote Republican. That is,
until Jim Jontz (D-Ind.) came along.
At the age of 22, just a year after
graduating from Indiana University,
Jontz was elected to the Indiana House
of Representatives by beating its majority leader by two votes. He won
re-election to the House four times,
always from Republican districts, and
then beat the odds again when he won
a seat in the Indiana State Senate in
1984. The issues he focused on dealt
with environmental protection, health
concerns, utility reform and "people
issues' '-children, the elderly, the disabled.
The Democrat from Brookston also
compiled one of the best attendance
records in the history of the Indiana
General Assembly, never missing a
day of legislative service in 12 years
and missing only three out of more
than 6,500 recorded votes from 1976
through 1984.
With the retirement of Republican
Rep. Elwood "Bud" Hillis in 1986,
Jim Jontz became the first Democrat
to represent Indiana's 5th district since
1960. The aggressive politician said
the secret of his winning in Republican
areas is preaching a philosophy of
helping the average citizen. And he
practices what he preaches by return-

Rep. Jim Jontz
ing to his district as often as possible,
holding town meetings and participating in a weekly phone session where
he takes calls from constituents "to
maintain direct contact with the district."
Jontz is the only Indiana congressman on the House Agriculture Committee which he sought because of the
vast farming areas in his district. He
also serves on the House Education
and Labor Committee and the House
Committee on Veterans Affairs.
Rep. Jontz joined with 28 of his
colleagues in cosponsoring H.R. 1425,
the Family Farm Act of 1987. He is
also involved in legislation to improve
the GI Bill of Rights. Jontz called
passage of the permanent peacetime
GI Bill an important accomplishment,
but said "there are a number of ways
the program can be improved to insure
that additional qualified individuals
choose to participate.''

-----Personals----Craig Haelson
Olive Oil is my girl. Sincerely,
Popeye. P .S. Please eat your spinach.

Benjamin Porter
Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Benjamin Porter, who
sailed as a galleyman onboard the
SS Walter Rice in 1978, please
contact Todd Johnson, 6054 Laurel

St., Apt. B, New Orleans, La.
70118.

Thomas I. Walker
Please contact Mrs. Pauley. In
Florida, call 1-800-342-2074. Outside Florida, call 1-904-398-4600.
~aymond

Grant

Please contact Cynthia re. your
daughter Porchia. Tel. 1-212-6278509.

Pay Off on Spirit of Texas

The crew of the Spirit of Texas paid off in New Orleans recently. They are (1. to r.)
ABS. Wagerik, AB Wayne Pigsers, AB A. Lanes, Chief Cook G. Triguaro, AB
Tommy Benton, QMED C. Langley, SIU Patrolman Nick Celona, Wiper D. Lovejoy,
QMED G. Madroa and Bosun Burt "Blackie" Hamback.

�1987

Busy Political Year brings SIU Major
Victories on Candian Trade and U.S. Crews

1987, the seventh year of the Reagan
administration, was marked once again
by efforts to hold our ground in the
face of continuing anti-maritime actions. While politics played a major
role in the SIU's activity last year (see
the Washington Report, page 24), people, events and ships made the news.
Following is a look at 1987 from the
pages of the Seafarers LOG.

Trade is put at the top of the SIU' s
legislative agenda for the year. Joining
other unions and groups in an effort
to establish , fair trade policies and
reduce the $170 billion trade deficit,
SIU President Frank Drozak says,
''U.S. maritime has suffered from a
variety of unfair trade restrictions . . .
which virtually shut out U.S.-flag vessels in foreign trade. We have to eliminate these unfair foreign trade practices.'' Other important legislative areas
include U.S.-flag participation in the
auto carriage trade , protection of Alaskan oil export ban, subsidy reform and
other areas.

JANUARY
The first hint of what's in store for
the maritime industry comes from the
figures in the Reagan budget. Most
maritime programs are frozen at pre-

from the Interstate Commerce Commission. The move puts together SeaLand' s 47 ships with CSX's railroads,
barge lines and trucking companies.
After years ofleading the fight against
alcoholism, the SIU's Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center adds the curse of
drug abuse to its treatments. The Addictions Rehabilitation Center ''maintains our tradition of Seafarers helping
Seafarers," Drozak says.
An Atlantic storm claims 21 lives
when a Filipino ship capsizes off Cape

AB Jay Thomas sailed on the Pollux (Bay
Tankers) during Operation Reforger '87.

AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland (right) presents SIU President Frank Drozak with the
George Meany Memorial at the SIUNA convention.

vious levels or slightly reduced. One
bright spot, money to pay increased
P.L. 480 cargo costs is included following the previous year's agreement
to raise the U.S. -flag share of that
cargo.
One major difference on Capitol Hill
as the New Year starts, the Democrats
take control of the Senate as the 1OOth
session begins.
After 40 years of service to the
maritime labor movement, SIU Executive Vice President Ed Turner retires. . . Hearings begin on a December explosion in Piney Point at the
Steuart Petroleum depot which killed
four men, including SIU tankerman
Glen Ponder . . . The Japanese announce plans to test new crewless
ships. The robot ships wowd be manned
only when near shore, when small
crews would be helicoptered to the
ships . . . Details of late December
accidents which claimed the lives of
30 British, Icelandic and Greek sailors
are reported. One ship ran aground in
clear weather, while heavy seas were
blamed in the other two sinkings . . .
The ashes of Frank Go mar, 81, former
MC&amp;S assistant secretary/treasurer,
are scattered east of Oahu Jan. 3.

FEBRUARY
A federal judge rules that the CDS
payback program, which the SIU
strongly opposed, is unlawful. The
Department of Transportation began
the program to allow subsidized tankers into the domestic Alaskan oil trade.
Warned that more than a dozen tankers and 800 seamen would be out of
work, the DOT went ahead anyway.
The judge gives the DOT until June
15 to revise the program.

SIU Executive Vice President Ed Turner
retired last year.

May, N .J. and an American fishing
boat sinks off the North Carolina coast.
A daring rescue attempt by a U.S.
Navy submarine saves one man from
the freighter, but is called off when
the sub comes close to swamping in
the heavy seas.
SIU civil service mariners crew the
first of two new hospital ships, the
(Continued on Page 8.)

Charles B. Heyman is named new
counsel for the SIU. He replaces Howard Schulman who retired ... Dr.
Joseph A. San Filippo is appointed
SIU Medical Director ... Longtime
LOG staffer Ray Bourdius retires and
returns to his beloved New York . . .
United States Lines, which declared
bankruptcy in late 1986, announces
plans to sell some of its ships in hopes
of returning to business.

MARCH
A House bill to reserve a percentage
of the $10 billion a year auto import
trade for U.S. -flag ships picks up Democratic and Republican support. ''While
the U.S. public pays for that cost, the
U .S.-flag fleet is shut out of the market. This will give us a fair shot at the
business," Drozak says.
In Bal Harbour, Fla., the Maritime
Trades Department (MTD) forges an
''Agenda for Progress'' which calls for
national commitment in the area of
health care, education, training and
jobs for American workers. "It is
imperative that our fourth arm of defense, the U.S.-flag merchant marine,
be injected with new life and vigor,''
an MTD statement reads.
Three presidential candidatesRichard Gephardt, Gary Hart and Joe
Eiden-address the meeting. Resolutions covering the Jones Act, national
defense and the merchant marine, Great
Lakes maritime industry, shipbuilding, fishing and other areas, pass with
overwhelming support of the delegates.
The merger between Sea-Land, the
largest SIU-contracted company, and
the massive transportation conglomerate CSX Corp. receives approval

DEU Jim August (left) and messman Charles Bryant get a chance for a little oneon-one during the Gus Darnell's (Ocean Ships) run to the South Pole.

January 1988 I LOG I 7

�1987
(Continued from Page 7.)
USNS Mercy, as it sails on a fourmonth training and humanitarian mission.
Steve Leslie, longtime ally of the
SIU and president of Local 25 of the
Operating Engineers, dies in New Jersey. He was an MTD executive board
charter member and MTD vice president.

AB Larry Stogner sailed on the Sea-Land
Galveston's last run. The Galveston was built
in 1944.

APRIL

The U.S.-flag share of P.L. 480
cargo jumps to 70 percent under a
compromise worked out in the 1985
farm bill. Several trade and maritime
bills move out of committee in the
House and Senate, including bills which
would penalize countries for shipping
practices which discriminate against
U.S.-flag carriers and one which would
require bilateral trade agreements with
some nations.
It's spring on the Great Lakes as
the annual tradition of fitout begins.
Hundreds of Lakers get dozens of
large ore, cement and other carriers
ready for another season.

"We may well witness the demise
of the U.S. -flag merchant fleet and the
nation's ability to deliver the required
sealift in wartime . . . the key is cargo.
Given cargo, our U.S. merchant
marine will rebuild iteself,'' SIU
President Frank Drozak tells the
presidentially-appointed Commision on
Merchant Marine and Defense.
The commission listens to representatives from several maritime labor
unions as it continues hearings on the
merchant marine and its ability, or
inability, to meet national defense
needs. All witnesses agree that the
shrinking fleet and dwindling manpower pool pose serious problems if
a national emergency should occur.
Drozak also called for strong en8 I LOG I January 1988

forcement of the Jones Act, its extension to 200 miles offshore, stiffer cargo
preference enforcement, tax incentives and several other items.
Optimisim dwindles as a June 15
deadline approaches for a new contract between the SIU and the American Maritime Association. Both
standard freightship and tanker agreements expire June 15.
Demanding substantial rollbacks, the
AMA' s stance results in the membership's approval of a strike if no agreement can be reached.
The State Department and the Coast
Guard announce a plan to reflag 11
Kuwaiti tankers under the U.S. flag,
but with only an American captain
aboard each ship. The SIU says the
action is "contrary to the intent of
Congress and dangerous to our national security." U.S. maritime law
requires that 75 percent of the unlicensed crew and I00 percent of the
licensed officers be U.S. citizens. An
obscure, 100-year-old loophole in the
law is used by the government to
justify its plans.
Two active Seafarers and four dependents win $55 ,000 in scholarships
as the result of the Charlie Logan
Scholarship program.
The Department of Transportation
issues new rules, which include provisions for CDS paybacks on oil tankers. Earlier a federal judge ordered
the new regulations after the SIU and
other groups argued that CDS paybacks are contrary to maritime law.
Maritime turns its efforts to Capitol
Hill where the DOT appropriations
bill prohibits the department from using any of its money for the payback
scheme.
A House-passed trade bill contains
several SIU-backed sections, including automobile carriage, Alaskan oil
export restrictions, unfair shipping
practices.
The administration takes a strong
stand against granting veterans' status
to World War II seamen. The next
day Reagan issues an annual Maritime
Day proclamation praising merchant
seamen's sacrifice in wars. "Pretty
words and medals are nice, but to
deny veterans' status to old seamen

one day and then praise their bravery
and mourn their deaths the next, smacks
of either ignorance or hypocrisy,'' an
editorial in the LOG states.

JUNE

Armed with a strike vote, SIU negotiators meet with AMA represen-

When the Filipino crew of the Greek-flag ship Skyranger struck over lack of fresh water,
adequate food, poor safety conditions and unpaid wages, the SIU and other unions
involved in the International Transport Workers Federation went to bat for the crew.
The conditions were corrected.

On the Pollux, the SIU steward department kept the crew well fed. The department includes Chief Steward Marvin St. George, Chief
Cook Ike John, Third Cook Howard Ward, GSU Ralph Palmer and BR April Martin.

�-

-

-

............

---------------------~---~-----------------------

panies to pay U.S. taxes. Cynical
hypocrisy at work.
Free trade talks between the U.S.
and Canada begin to concern U.S.
maritime groups. Word leaks out that
the Jones Act will be opened to Canadian ship operators. Several other
key maritime laws are reported "on
the table'' between negotiators for the
two countries.
The SIU holds its annual Sealift
Conference at Piney Point. The problems and red tape of the Request for
Proposal process (RFP) draws heated
response from participants. Some
companies interested in bidding for
government ship work spend $50,000
to $600,000 just to prepare the bids
and come away empty handed thanks
to unclear and changing regulations.
The process is so complicated, the
RFPs so detailed, SIU Vice President
Red Campbell quips, "I don't need to
own barbells. I pick up RFPs to stay
in shape."
The National Maritime Union celebrates its 50th birthday ... ILA President Teddy Gleason retires. He began
working on the New York City docks
in 1915 and was ILA president for 24
years ... E. B. McAuley, who held
several important SIU posts from 1946
until his retirement, dies. He was 63.

maintaining the international' s record
of protecting the job security of its
members.
The SIU and the SIU of Canada
appeal to the president and the Candian prime minister to remove all maritime issues from the free trade talks
between the two countries. SIU's Frank
Drozak and SIU of Canada's Roman
Gralewicz tell the two leaders that the

AUGUST

tatives and hammer out a new threeyear contract. After months of standing pat on giveback demands, the AMA
backs down. "We retained our work
jurisdiction, which is extremely important. On top of that we got the
same 2 percent per year wage increase
the officers got, and the vacation remains the same,·· SIU Vice President
Red Campbell says.
The administration slows down its
efforts to refiag Kuwaiti tankers and
provide them with U.S. Navy protection. Serious opposition from various
groups mounts. The Journal of Commerce opposes the action in a stronglyworded editorial and the International
Transport Workers Federation condemns the move.
More than $2 million in back pay
and benefits is awarded to 27 SIU
boatmen. A federa1 judge upholds the
NLRB' s decision that the Baltimore
towing company, Baker-Whiteley, tried
to circumvent its contract with the

SIU by establishing a new company
and tossing the 27 boatmen out of
work.
JULY

In an unusual display of maritime
unity, leaders of several unions appear
before the House Merchant Marine
Subcommittee to testify against the
Kuwaiti tanker reftagging. The SIU,
the NMU, MM&amp;P, MEBA-2 and the
Radio Officers Union testify against
the reftagging and lack of crew citizenship requirements.
While the reftagging debate goes on,
leaders of a run-away-flag group of
shippers (Federation of American
Controlled Shipping) pleads for U.S.
Navy protection in the Middle East.
Claiming they pay U.S. taxes, the
group says it deserves the protection.
At the same time, F ACS is asking
Congress to overturn last year's tax
reform bill which requires the com-

A federal judge in Washington rules
the U.S. government was wrong in
denying veterans' benefits to World
War II merchant seamen. The judge
said the Civilian/Military Service review Board did not follow its own
guidelines in denying the benefits. He
did not order the government to grant
benefits but asked both sides in the
case to work out an agreement, if
possible.
SIU President Frank Drozak urges
the government to offer ''genuine U.S.
tankers with U.S. crews" to Kuwait
or any other Mid-East country to
charter. Kuwait continues to refiag its
ships one-by-one with only a U.S.
captain.
More than 120 maritime companies
and groups (including the SIU) write
to every member of the House and
Senate urging that maritime issues be
taken off the table in U. S ./Canada
trade negotiations. The issues would
open almost all U.S. maritime markets
to Canadian ship operators. On the
Hill, 213 House and Senate members
cosponsor resolutions to keep maritime out of any agreement.
A new operating subsidy plan submitted by the administration draws
luke warm response from industry . . .
The National Transportation Safety
Board rules that an Oct. 28, 1986
explosion aboard the Ogden Yukon
was the result of several safety problems. The blast killed four crewmen,
including one SIU member . . . Boy
Scouts from 13 states spend two weeks
at Piney Point as guests of the SIU
and MTD.

When the OM/ Columbia tied up in Los
Angeles, AB Robert Pagan had a chance to
visit with his wife Lee.

maritime industries of both countries
are ''being needlessly placed in jeopardy."
The NMU and MEBA-1 announce
they have made plans to merge into
one union. The new union will have a
licensed and unlicensed division. About
a year prior to the announcement, the
SIU and NMU held a series of merger
talks that eventually broke off.
I. W. Abel, a founder and former
president of the United Steelworkers
of America, dies. The son of a blacksmith, he served three terms as president ... Civil rights activitist Bayard
Rustin, 75, dies in New York. His life
was a "commitment to peace, human
dignity and social justice," AFL-CIO
President Lane Kirkland says.
(Continued on Page 10.)

SEPTEMBER

Launch pilot John Zeroes was busy last year in the Norfolk-Newport News area, working
for the SIU-contracted Virginia Launch Service.

Three hundred delegates from the
SIUNA's 18 affiliated unions meet in
Piney Point for their Triennial Convention. The representatives of 80,000
workers vote to study restructuring
the SIUNA with the goal of streamlining operations, reducing costs and

SIU Port Agent Kennett Mangram boards
the Sea-Land Express for a pay-off in Elizabeth, N.J.

January 1988 I LOG I 9

�87
(Continued from Page 9.)
OCTOB R

Morris Weisberger, one of the last
links to the early U.S. seamen's movement, dies in California. He was 80.
Weisberger began sailing with the SUP
in 1926. He replaced the legendary
Harry Lundeberg as leader of the SUP
in 1957.
The Reagan administration announces that it has completed a free
trade agreement with Canada. Despite
strong opposition from the maritime
industry and both political parties, the
tentative agreement opens U.S. maritime programs to Canada. If approved, Canadians could take part in
any future expansion of U.S. maritime
promotional programs, including the
Jones Act, P.L. 480 cargo and others.
Both the House and Senate are ready
to fight the maritime portions of the
treaty.
The first SIU-crewed car carrier
sails from Japan to the U .S. The Overseas Joyce carries 5,300 Toyotas and
will call on Baltimore, New York and
Boston during its 60-day round trip.
In a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the SIU,
along with several other organizations ,
urges Congress to adopt International
Labor Organization resolutions to protect merchant seamen worldwide. The
resolutions would set minimum standards and mainly benefit third world
sailors.
In Norfolk, Baltimore and Philadelphia, 300 SIU boatmen for McAllister
Brothers Towing and Curtis Bay take
to the picket line when contract talks
stall in all three cities.

NOVEMBER

The Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense issues its first ''findings'' report after a series of hearings.
Not surprisingly, it notes that if the
decline of the U.S.-ftag merchant fleet
and the skilled manpower pool continues, the U.S. will not be able to meet
its sealift defense needs.
''A major government effort is urgently required, indeed overdue,'' the
report says.
The Maritime Trades Department
holds its biennial convention in Florida. MTD and SIU President Frank
Drozak appoints a special committee
to develop a unified legislative program '"which will effectively confront
the common problems that affect all
workers in American industry today.''
The strike against McAllister and
Curtis Bay towing companies continues. Rallies and picket activity in Norfolk, Baltimore and Philadelphia increase.
After 43 years of service , the Sea-

Land Galveston, a World War II vintage C-4, makes her last run from
Alaska.
DECE B R

After months of pressure, the
administration backs down and removes all maritime provisions from a
free trade agreement with Canada.
With the majority of senators and
representatives lined up against the
proposal and the possibility of holding
up the entire agreement, negotiators
from both sides finally back down.
Delegates from the Seafarers Maritime Union hold their first convention.
The new top-to-bottom union ''represents a real opportunity,'' says SIU
President Frank Drozak.
Contracts with Curtis Bay Towing
Co. in Baltimore and Philadelphia are
reached, but Boatmen in Baltimore
refuse to return to work, and in Philadelphia they file suit against the Union.
The strike against McAllister continues.

Ken Hudspeth worked the rivers last year
aboard the Joey Choti.n (Orgulf).

~~:/;:. :
SIU Vice President George McCartney represented the SIU during Maritime Day services
aboard the Jeremia.h O'Brien in San Francisco.

Marad Administrator John Gaughan and
SIU lobbyist Liz DeMato confer during a
break at a House hearing.

Seafarers in Honolulu volunteered their
services to move the historic schooner the
Falls of Clyde. The ship is 109 years old
and the last four-masted square-rigged merchant ship afloat.

Richmond Collins (left), relief chief cook,
and Chief Cook Bradford Mack were aboard
the Thompson Pass last year.

Algonac Port Agent Jack Allen (center) checks books and clinic cards during the Great
Lakes fitout.

SIU boatmen aboard the tug Arthur S were called on to help in salvage efforts after the
Pacbaroness, a Liberian ore freighter, was struck in collision. But the damage was so
severe, the Pacbaroness went down off the coast of California.

10 I LOG I January 1988

QMED James "Tidewater" Tyson" shipped
out last year aboard the Stonewall Jackson.

�f.'·'.-

=·-;.., ..·.";.:":·:.-:·.... ·.:..:.· ·''·,- .,.;;;,,. . .. .

L-~~

Pensioners

The SIU-crewed Admiral Semmes (Crescent Towing)
went into dry dock in Mobile, Ala. recently for a few
repairs. At the left are Engineer Clyde Graves and
Patrolman Jeff Libby on the stern of the Semmes. Below,
yard workers paint and scrape the tug.

Union

Sweets for

'
Union

Valentines
• ...._,, Union Label and Service Tradea Depertment, Af'L-C:IO

;j~

•'harge/dredgel

Dry Docked in Mobile

More than 100 professional tugboat
crewmen remain on strike against Curtis Bay Towing of Virginia and McAllister Brothers in the port of Norfolk.
"We'd love to see this thing settled.
But that would take some honest,
good-faith bargaining. We have yet to
see that from either company,'' said
SIU President Frank Drozak.
The striking boatmen walked off the
job in Norfolk last October when both
companies refused to bargain in good
faith with the SIU. The companies'
demands for massive concessions and
their refusal to bargain over the terms
of the contracts caused the strike,
Drozak said.
Various unfair labor practice and
bad faith bargaining charges have been
filed by the SIU with the National
Labor Relations Board . But the NLRB
has not issued any decisions on those
charges.

...•··.·.···= :·•. ~m'¢:::~~~=~

1 tug/tow '~

es

Norfolk Beef
Continues-No Word
From NLRB

~~:

The following Inland members have
retired on pension:
Baltimore
Edward A. Kokoszka
Tony Rossi
Houston
Joseph C. Kilpatrick
Jacksonville
George M. Davis Sr.
Callie Landrum
New Orleans
Bryant J. LeBlanc Sr.
Norfolk
David H. Gibbs
Elmer E. Miller
William L. Owens
Philadelphia
James Clark
Roger A. Gares
Walter L. Schroeder
St. Louis
Ed Smith

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
DECEMBER 1-31, 1987
Port
New York ..... . . ..... . .. ......... .
Philadelphia ... . .. .. . ... . . .. .. .....
Baltimore ..... .. ..... .. .......... .
Norfolk .. . . . .... . . . . ... ......... .
Mobile .. . ... . .. .. . ... . . . . . ... . .. .
New Orleans .. . . ... . . .. .... .... . .. .
Jacksonville .. . . . ... .. .. .... . .. . .. .
San Frar.~isco ... ........ .......... .
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 .. . . .. ...... .. . .. ... . . . . .. .

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class 8 Class C

0
1
6
38
0
2
4
0
5
0
0
2
19
0
0
77
0
0
0
16
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
2
10
0
0

30

0
2
0
11
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
1
13
0
0

31

0
0
0
4
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
8
0
0

14

0
4
0
0
0
0
4
0
15
0
0
3
0
0
0

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
6
0
4
36
0
0
2
0
1
0
0
0
8
19
0
0
0
0
2
1
1
3
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0

26

1

Port
New York ............. . ..... . .....
Philadelphia .......................
Baltimore . . .... . ........ . . . . .. ....
Norfolk . .. ....... . . .. .. . . . . . ... . .
Mobile . . ........ . ... . .. . . . .......
New Orleans ....... . ...............
Jacksonville
San Francisco : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Wilmington ........ . ...............
Seattle . .. .. .. . ........ . ..... . ....
Puerto Rico . . ... .. . . ... .... . ......
Houston ....... . ... . . . ... ... ... . . .
Algonac .. . ... .. ... . .... . . .. . . .. . .
St. Louis . . ..... . .................
Piney Point ........... . ............
Totals .... . ... . . . .. ... . .. .. . . .. ..

20

10

1

Totals All Departments ........ . .......

127

55

28

0
0
0
10
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
8
0
0

0
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
7
0
0

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class 8 Class C

58

10

25

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
18
0
0
4
0
0
0

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0
0
4
68
0
0
3
0
46
0
0
3
28
1
0

0
0
0
21
0
1
1
0
11
0
0
0
16
4
0

0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
3
1

27

153

54

8

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
21
0
0
0
0
28
0
0
2
22
0
0

0
0
0
12
0
2
0
0
4
0
0
0
9
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0

0

73

27

1

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
10
0
0
2
0
37
0
0
0
7

0
0
0
8
0
1
0
0
20
0
0
0
7

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0

0

9

0

0

5

1

0

56

36

73

26

27

282

117

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 .

January 1988 I LOG I 11

�Area Vice Presidents' Report

by V.P. Leon Hall

T

HE SIU was in the forefront in
the battle to enact H.R. 2598,
which was recently signed into law by
President Reagan. It is a badly needed
first step in the formulation of a national policy to promote the American
fishing industry.

The legislation will have an immediate impact on West Coast fishing. In
addition, by tightening up American
manning and ownership requirements,
it will improve the job security of
fishermen back East.
Three years ago, the SIU was able
to reorganize a large portion of the
New Bedford fishermen, who were
represented by the Teamsters. Among
other things, we promised to make the
formulation of a national fishing policy
a top priority of our organization, and
to improve conditions in the region.
It has been a hard three years, but
we have lived up to our word.

In 1986 we called a strike against
the Seafood Producers Association.
Like many other labor disputes, the
matter finally wound up in the courts.
Over the past month or so we have
been narrowing some of our differences with that organization, and are
going over some final proposals they
submitted. We still have to resolve
our problems with the independents,
and with the Teamsters, who are in
control of the old Atlantic Fishermen's
pension and welfare funds.
Henry Francois, the port agent in
New Bedford, is an experienced fisherman with strong ties to the industry
and the community. He played an
invaluable role in the organizing drive.
As a former boatowner, he knows
firsthand the problems facing the industry.
Our legislative department in Washington is monitoring legislation concerning liability insurance and vessel
safety, both of which are serious problems in this region. Finding a common
position that is acceptable to fishermen, boatowners, seafood processors
and the insurance industry has so far
been impossible, but we are working
closely with such people as Gerry
Studds to see if it can't be done.
The issues confronting the fishing
industry are part of a larger problem
of survival facing all maritime-related
industries in this nation. We've been
willing to work on many different levels-in New Bedford, the West Coast,
Geneva (where the ILO convenes) and
in the halls of Congress to make things
better for our members. It has been a
tough struggle to reach this point, and
to some people, the pace is disheartening. But there is no alternative to
solidarity, hard work and patience.
12 I LOG I January 1988

0

by V.P. Joe Sacco

R

Campbell and I paid a visit to
the Overseas Joyce when she
stopped off in Houston a short while
ago. The vessel received considerable
attention in the press because it was
carrying the first shipment of Toyotas
ever to be transported from Japan to
the Gulf of Mexico on board a U.S. flag vessel.
The vessel, which is owned by OSG
Car Carriers, Inc., received considerable praise from industry experts
and from the SIU crew. The exterior
of the vessel couldn't be uglier: with
its pushed-in sides, it brings to mind
a bulldog's face. But the inside is
something else: it comes as close to
perfection as you can get.
The interior is designed to maximize
productivity. Everything is where it
should be: if a QMED or an AB has
to reach for a tool, it is on the wall,
within easy access.
The 625-foot vessel, capable of carrying up to 5,300 vehicles , would probably not have been registered under
the American flag if this Union and
other organizations in the maritime
industry had not worked long and hard
to draw attention to the discrimination
that exists in the lucrative auto carrier
trade between the United States and
Japan. Quite frankly, the Japanese
government was trying to throw a bone
to the Americans in order to stave off
further legislation. We are willing to
take the bone, which means jobs for
our members, but we are still working
hard to see that more is done in this
area.
The administration, however, is quite
content with the bone. That is one
reason why we have emphasized our
political action program. On one level,
at least, the depression in the maritime
industry is a political problem. We
have an administration in power that
just doesn't think it has to promote
the maritime industry. But maritime
is important to the Japanese, and to
the Koreans, who are fast becoming
one of the world's leading economic
powers. Both nations view shipping
as an integral part of their distribution
and marketing networks.
Yet standing onboard the Japanesemade, Japanese-designed Overseas
Joyce, I had to admit that unfair trade
is only part of the problem. The people
who designed and built this ship are
committed to excellence. They refuse
to accept second-rate standards. If
Americans are to compete against a
country like this, then they are going
to have to develop new habits.
Luckily, this is one Union that emphasizes training and upgrading. We
ED

do it even though some of our shipowners forget what they are selling:
service. Companies like McAllister and
Curtis Bay are willing to put inexperienced, unskilled crews onboard their
multi-million dollar investments. In
effect, they are betting that shippers
don't care about the quality of service
they receive.
In the short run this will look good
on the ledger. But in the long run it
will produce drastically lowered safety
standards in the transportation industry, which will inevitably result in a
loss of consumer confidence. This is
what happened in the airline industry,
and it is happening in the tug and barge
industry as well.
Yet there are other companies which
plan for the long run. They know that
maximum efficiency can only be
achieved in an atmosphere of trust and
honesty. For in the final analysis, why
should workers upgrade their skills if
they don't have a stake in a company,
if they know at the first possible moment management will renege on its
commitments? There just isn't any
place for shoddiness in today's maritime industry, not in the quality of
training, the attitude of the workers
or in the ethics of management.

Government Se

ice

by V. P. Buck Mercer

V

OLUMES of important information
have been written about the dangers to one's health caused by drugs
and alcohol. In addition, there have
been, and are ongoing programs sponsored by government, management and
labor that are designed to help employees return to a productive drugfree or alcohol-free life.
While the problem is nationwide,
our concern is for American seamen
in general and MSCPAC seamen in
particular. The SIU does not condone
the use of drugs by its members at any
time. Nor does the SIU excuse the
use of alcohol aboard ship. The fact
that shipboard work is hazardous, to
say the least, and that safety is always
a paramount issue is reason enough
for management as well as labor to
eliminate the problem. When a sailor
is spaced-out on drugs or gassed-up
on booze while on duty, he/she is
definitely a menace and a threat to the
remainder of the crew. The professional seamen go aboard ship to do a
job and do not want to work or live
alongside a shipmate who has no regard for personal safety or proper
shipboard decorum.
There is an opportunity for MSCPAC
marine employees who are addicted

to drugs or alcohol to clean up their
act. MSCPAC has in place the Civilian
Employee Assistance Program (CEAP)
designed to help their employees with
a variety of problems-drugs and alcohol included. Any or all MSCPAC
seamen with these problems should
take full advantage of this program for
the survival of their health and their
job. It is a known fact that drugs and
alcohol are all too often found aboard
MSCPAC ships. Why wait until the
ax falls and you lose your job before
you seek help. DO IT NOW.

s
by V. P. George McCartney

I

last month's column, I gave a
brief rundown on the early history
of the maritime industry. By 1950, the
SIU-AGLIWD had become a leading
voice on the waterfront.
This marked quite a turnaround.
Until Paul Hall came along in 1944,
the East Coast had been the weak link
in the AFL seamen's movement.
The West Coast and the Great Lakes
had long been centers oflabor activity.
The first permanent maritime union,
the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, was formed on the Great
Lakes in 1875. The West Coast, meanwhile, produced such outstanding
leaders as Andrew Furuseth and ''the
two Harry's'' -Harry Lundeberg and
Harry Bridges.
East Coast seamen did not have that
kind of tradition. Competition from
the railroads and such maritime powers as Germany and the United Kingdom had a depressing effect on wages
and working conditions. Shipowners
in this region were fairly successful in
capitalizing on their employees' differences (i.e., exploiting racial tensions).
Conditions for East Coast seamen,
like those of all maritime workers,
deteriorated-· markedly after World War
I.
Throughoutthe'20sand'30s,fringe
groups like the Wobblies and the Communists were able to cultivate substantial followings on the waterfront
by handing out food and second-hand
clothes to down-and-out sailors. They
often held social ''gatherings'' within
short distances of the waterfront.
One such group, the Communistdominated Marine Workers Industrial
Union, played an important role in the
development of the modern maritime
industry. When disaffection with the
now-defunct International Seamen's
Union reached a peak, it provided a
focal point for many East Coast seamen.
It wasn't until Joe Curran called a
sitdown strike on the SS California in
1936 that the East Coast maritime
industry produced a labor leader of
national stature. Within a year, Curran
was able to build a national seamen's
(Continued on Page 17.)
N

�sea-Land seminar:

Better Meat for the Fleet!
very important first"; that's how
Jim Mann, Sea-Land's fleet
commissary administrator, described the three-day port
stewards seminar held at Piney
Point Dec. 2-4, 1987. Mr. Mann organized the meeting to bring together
vessel managers, port stewards, captains and marine managers in order to
discuss a number of topics which, in
the end, will upgrade the quality of
food on Sea-Land's ships, while still
maintaining cost efficiency. With captains, managers and others in attendance, in addition to the port stewards,
Mr. Mann hoped to give management
a better understanding of the problems
which the port stewards face.
Mr. Mann's association with the
SHLSS goes back to 1972 when he
graduated from the steward department. As an upgrader, he eventually
became a chief steward, and during
this time put in seven years sea time.
With the help of a Charlie Logan

A

scholarship awarded by the SIU, Mr.
Mann sent himself through a hotel and
restaurant administration program at
Cornell University. It was through
Cornell that he invited Professor Stephen Mutkoski to give a major presentation at the seminar on meat science and management. Presentations
also were given by representatives of
the George A. Hormel Co. and the
Del Pero Mondon Meat Co. Other
subjects discussed were management
aboard ship, computer applications,
yield and quality concept in food services, cost monitoring, purchasing
function and the competitive bid system.
Mr. Mann spoke enthusiastically
about Sea-Land's recent reorganization in upper management. He stated
that Sea-Land's new parent corporation, CSX, is dedicated to accentuating teamwork, to being more peopleoriented and less authoritarian. This
new openness and willingness to lis-

.. :::·

· {:ft:•~

Seminar participants listen attentively as Professor Stephen Mutkoski (standing) of Cornell
University lectures about cost analysis on brand specification of beef, pork, veal and
lamb. On the far right is Jim Mann, seminar organizer and Sea-Land's fleet commissary
administrator.

ten, Jim feels, will go far in helping
Sea-Land to operate more efficiently.
The SHLSS will use the conference's directives as guidelines in training chief stewards in up-to-date methods, ideas, and menu-planning, with a
long-term·goal of producing an entirely
new steward training manual. SIU official Carl Peth offered use of the
SHLSS's fine video taping facility to

produce training videos on the new
methods discussed.
Reflecting on the successful threeday conference, Jim Mann felt a great
sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in bringing together representatives from such diverse groups-labor,
management and educators, and having them work together for the benefit
of all concerned.

fl~J) Classification Information
The QMED-Any Rating course is 12 weeks long.
The subject breakdown is:
Weeks 1,2 Generals/Pumpman
Weeks 3,4 Machinist
Weeks 5,6,7,8 - Electrician/Deck Engineer
Weeks 9, 10 Refrigeration
Weeks 11, 12 Junior Engineer

THE TEN (10) SPECIALTY COURSES ARE:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Automation-4 wks.
Marine Electrical Maint.-10 wks.
Variable Speed D.C. Drives-6 wks.
Refrigeration Systems Maint. &amp; Op.-6 wks.
Welding-4 wks.
Pumproom Maint &amp; Operations-7 wks.
Diesel Engine Technology-6 wks.
Hydraulics-4 wks.
Electro-Hydraulics-6 wks.
Refrigerated Container Adv. Maint.-6 wks.

THE CLASSIFICATION STEPS ARE:
1. 4th Class QMED--SHLSS QMED certificate
or Coast Guard QMEDAny Rating
2. 3rd Class QMED--QMED with 2 or 3
SHLSS specialty courses
3. 2nd Class QMED--QMED with 4 or 5
SHLSS specialty courses
4. 1st Class QMED--QMED with 6 or more
SHLSS specialty courses
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
1. All SHLSS specialty course certificates will
be retroactive to the dates obtained. Example:
If a member completed a class in 1977, it will
count.
2. No more than two (2) specialty courses can
be taken consecutively. A member needs "onthe-job" experience to go along with the
theory.
3. A test for certification will be given, if the
member can show evidence of a class (es)
taken elsewhere.
4. Any member with an Engineer's License will
be classified as a 1st Class QMED.

5. Any member with more than two (2) years of
discharges from a day workingjob will be able
to take a practical test in lieu of the specialty
course. Example: A member with three (3)
years Chief Pumpman discharges can take the
Pumproom Maintenance and Operations test,
instead of the course. If he/she passes the
test, he/she will receive the certificate.

January 1988 I LOG I 13

�SHLSS comings &amp; Goings
Visitors

Retired

Bidding farewell to the happy retiree, SHLSS Vice President
Ken Conklin presents a plaque to Laymond Tucker, recognizing his 12 years as culinary director at SHLSS.

Guests from St. Mary's Nursing Home enjoyed a festive
day at SHLSS-including a holiday dinner and Christmas
presents.

The end of 1987 saw the retirement of Abe Easter, ship
handling simulator manager. Here he is being presented
with a plaque by SHLSS Vice President Ken Conklin for
his 11 years of service.

SHLSS course Graduates

HARRY

LUNDEBERG

LIFEBOAT
..... ___
----;:::z;,,.,
42~

:::.-~

Lifeboat Class #419 (Nov. 1987): Thomas Foulke, Enoch Elliott, Grant
Lureman, Eric Rodgers, Brett Lammers, James Clifton, Timothy Jasmin,
Terrence Rose, Michael Askins, Eric Johnson, Wardell Brown, Carmine
Barbati, Todd Diaz, Scott Horn, James Williams, Anthony Amendolia.

Celestial Navigation (Dec. 3, 1987): Front row (I. to
r.) Miguel A. Rodriguez, Cheryl Burgess (computer
operator, simulator building). Second row (I. to r.):
Jim Brown (instructor), Christopher Fennell, Francis
Adams, B. Murphy.

''-----...:::.... ..

Lifeboat Class #420 (Nov. 23, 1987): First row (I. to r.) Aaron Aragon,
Margaret Reidsema, Vikki Van Buren, James Gannon, Mark W. Dumas,
Noel Lau, Roy Rivera. Second row (I. to r.): Zachary Ridgley, John
Rodgers, Adam Robbs, Erick Kelynack, Glenn Tate, Oscar Lopez.

QMED (Dec. 7, 1987): First row, kneeling (I. tor.)
Charlie K. Umali, Gebar Ogbe, Tony Ripoll, Chris
Doyle, Bob Hamil. Second row (I. tor.) John Coates,
Cary Pratts, Joe Michel, Ben Conway, Jans Kogler,
Ahmed Ahmed, Lowell Miller. Third row: Willie
Howard, N. Nate, T. McArdle, Aldo Santiago, Bruce
Wayne, Bernie Hutching, Ron Haines, Val Carpi.

Radar Clas (Dec. 15, 1987): Front row (I. to r.)
Milan Fehir, Robert Wiles, Herb Cowant, Ed Boyer.
Second row: Jim Brown (instructor), Carlton Richardson, Jeffrey R. Simenstad.

~­

~

Upgrader Lifeboat (Dec. 23, 1987): Ben Cusic, left,
(instructor) and Robert Art Parker.

14 I LOG I January 1988

Electro-Hydraulic Course (Dec. 17, 1987): Front row
(I. tor.) Tony Mohammed, EMl Ray Jenkins. Second
row (I. to r.) Robert Caldwell, UTl Dennis (Chic)
Brown, Dan Mitchell.

Radar Renewal (Dec. 7, 1987): Carson Jordon (left)
and Atho Gugliotta.

�1988 p ra
Course Schedu e

!

Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
February - June 1988
The following is the current course schedule for February 1988 - June
1988 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 Eduration courses; All Department
,courses and Recertification Programs.
//
Inland Boatmen and deep sea Seafarers who are preparing to upgrade
i
!
are advised to enroll for class as early as ~ble. Although every effort will
"' be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs and
the needs of the industry.
SIU Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the
application.

Steward Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Course

Adult Education Courses
Check-In
Completion
Course
Date
Date
For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes in 1988,
the courses will be six weeks in length and offered on the following dates:
High School Equivalency (GED)

February 29
May 2
July 5
August 29
October 31

April 11
June 13
August 15
October 10
December 12

Adult Basic Education (ABE) &amp;
English as a Second Language (ESL)

February 29
May 2
July 5
August 29
October 31

April.9
June 10
August13
October 7
December 10

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes.
Developmental Studies (DVS)

April11
April 15
(Offered prior to the Third Mate &amp;
Original Second Mates Course)

ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course

February 15
June 6

March 4
June 24

This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed to
help seafarers prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which is
scheduled immediately after this course. This class will benefit those
seafarers who have difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not
English, and seafarers who have been out of school for a long time.

Completion
Date

Assistant Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Cook and Baker

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Steward

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

College Programs Scheduled for 1988
Check-In
Course
Date
Associates in Arts or Certificate Program March 21
May 23
August 8
October 17

Completion
Date
May 13
July 15
September 30
December 9

*All students in the Steward Program will have 2 weeks of Sealift
familiarization at the end of their regular course.

Deck Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Course

Completion
Date

Able Seaman

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)*

First Class Pilot (Organized self study)

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

Celestial Naviga ion

February 29
June 27

April 1
July 29

Radar

April4

April15

Radar Refresher/Renewal

Open-ended, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date.)

Radar Recertification

Open-ended, 1 day (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date)

Third Mate &amp; Original Second Mate

April 18

Lifeboat

February 8
February 19
Mareh7
Mareh18
April4
April 15
May 2
May 13
June 10
May 30
June 27
July 1
Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting dale)

Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
LNG -

Self Study Safety Course

June 24

(This course is not offered as a
separate course, but may be
taken while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)

*Upon completion of course must take Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance.

Engine Upgrading Courses
Course
QMED
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Pumproom Maint. &amp; Operations
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Pumproom Maint. &amp; Operations
*Sea lift Operations &amp; Ma int.
Refrigerated Containers-Advanced Mainl
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Variable Speed DC Drives
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Welding
Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Welding
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Diesel Engine Technology
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Electro-Hydraulic Systems
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Hydraulics
* Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.
Third Asst. Engineer &amp; Original Second
Asst. Engineer Steam or Motor

Check-In
Completion
Date
Date
April 4
June 23
July 5
July 15
March 11
February 1
March 14
March 25
April 29
March 21
May 13
May2
April 1
February 22
April 4
April 15
March 14
April 22
April 25
May6
March 14
April 8
April 22
April 11
April 18
May 13
May27
May 16
April 18
May 27
June 10
May30
June 17
May9
July 1
June 20
July 1
June 6
July 5
July 15
Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for Starting Date)

*All students in the Engine Department will have 2 weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.
January 1988 I LOG I 15

�Apply Now-for an SHLSS Upgrading Course
········································································································································~

Seat are rs Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application

If the following information is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.
Book#_ _ _ _ _ Seniority_ _ _ _ _ Department _ _ _ __

Social Security#

Home Port _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces D Yes D No

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held ______"_J _ _ _' _' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes .
Trainee Program: From _______ to
(dates attended)

No D (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s) Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for Training ___________ Primary Language Spoken - - - - - - - - - - - I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
ENGINE

DECK
D AB/Seallft
D Towboat Operator Inland
D Celestial Navigation
D Master Inspected Towing Vessel
D 1st Class Piiot (organized self study)
D Third Mate
D Radar Observer Unlimited

ALL DEPARTMENTS
D Welding
O Llfeboatman (Must be taken with another
course)

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

STEWARD

D FOWT
D QMED-Any Rating
D Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
D Marine Electrlcal Maintenance
O Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
D Automation
O Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
O Diesel Engine Technology
0 Assistant Engineer/Chief Engineer
Un Inspected Motor Vessel
O Orglnal 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor
0 Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
D Hydraulics
O Electro-Hydraulic Systems

D Assistant Cook Utlllty
D Cook and Baker
0 Chief Cook
D Chief Steward

D Towboat Inland Cook

COLLEGE PROGRAM
O Associates In Arts Degree
D Certificate Programs

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
D Adult Basic Education (ABE)
O High School Equlvalency
Program (GED)
D Developmental Studies (DVS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)
O ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

You must list, or supply evidence of, sufficient time to qualify yourself for the course(s) you are requesting.
A COPY of your clinic card must be submitted with this application. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule
until this is received.
VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ DATE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

16 I LOG I January 1988

�(Continued from Page 12.)

organization that spanned the entire
country and represented unlicensed
seamen in all three departments: steward, deck and engine. It was a remarkable achievement.
The NMU that Joe Curran founded
had many things to commend it. It
was in the forefront in the fight for
racial equality. It was successful in
signing up large numbers of previously
unorganized seamen. Curran himself
was a dynamic figure who inspired
confidence and loyalty.
In retrospect, the NMU had one
insurmountable flaw which would not
be resolved until 1949. Many of its
officials-Jack Lawrenson, Blackie
Meyers, Ferdinand Smith-were
members of the Communist party. So
were the first few editors of its newspaper and a substantial portion of its
staff.
Harry Lundeberg, head of the SUP
and the founder of the A&amp;G District,
believed very strongly that any Communist presence on the waterfront
would spell trouble for American seamen. He felt ·that once an economic
recovery began, ''big business'' would
try to regain the political clout it had
lost by trying to discredit the entire
labor movement just because a small
number of its members and officials
were affiliated with the Communist
party.
This was exactly what happen d.
Even before the end
orld War
II, American b · ssmen were trying
to pa· a trade unionists with a red
brush. This, of course, was just the
opposite of the truth; by providing
workers with a mechanism for effective political action, organized labor
had bolstered democracy in this country at a time when it was facing one
of its most serious challenges-the
breakdown of the capitalist market
sy tern.
Of the two major national labor
organizations, the American Federation of Labor was by far the most
vigorous in its opposition to Communist participation in the trade union
movement. Some of the language used
by APL leaders verged on red-baiting.
Still, the left-leaning CIO unions (of
which the NMU was one) gave as
good as they got. While the West Coast
Sailors and the SIU LOG may have
labelled Curran, Harry Bridges and
John L. Lewis "Communist stooges,"
the NMU Pilot referred to Lundeberg
as a "goon."
Even if their rhetoric was excessive,
I believe that APL leaders like Lundeberg and George Meany saw right
to the heart of an important historical
fact. If the labor movement was to
remain a viable force in America, it
had to be like Caesar's wife, above
reproach, especially on this one issue.
During the '20s, American business,
which was riding high on a temporary
wave of speculatory prosperity, had
beaten the labor movement into the
ground by raising the spector of a
"Bolshevik Revolution" in this country. Given half a chance, AFL leaders
believed that management would use
this "issue" to divert attention from
substandard wages, benefits and working conditions.
Anti-communism in America declined in the wake of the stock market
crash. Communism even achieved a

Area Vice Presidents' Report
certain aura of fashionability after
Russia and the United States joined
forces to defeat a common enemy,
Nazi Germany.
But once the war ended, and American and Russian troops found themselves staring at each other in the
center of Europe, the political climate
started to change.
Labor's opponents made good use
of these developments. By playing on
the public's growing fear of Communism and a widespread irritation over
the spate of post-war strikes, "big
business'' was able to persuade Congress to enact the Taft-Hartley Act of
1947.
Taft-Hartley was a disastrous piece
of legislation whose effects are still
being felt today. During recent years,
tug and barge companies have used
provisions in the act, especially those
dealing with secondary boycotts and
supervisory personnel, to break unions.
The writing on the wall, which had
seemed so clear to APL leaders like
Lundeberg and Meany from the beginning, began to appear to Joe Curran
around 1946 when he started to take
tentative steps to distance himself from
the Communists who dominated his
executive council.
Curran and the party engaged in a
delicate three-year minuet which ended
in a political free-for-all at the NMU's
1949 convention. In a dramatic showdown, the delegates voted to expel the
Communists from the NMU.
While the amendment failed to receive the necessary two-thirds vote to
make the expulsion official, the power
of the Communist-backed faction was
effectively destroyed.
Over the next few years, hundreds
of card-carrying members of the Communist party were driven from the
NMU. Some were hard-core organizers: others, political innocents who
had been caught up in the tide of
history. Many had been with the NMU
from the start and had no life outside
the union they helped build.
The NMU was able to weather this
period because it had a near-lock on
the lucrative passenger vessel industry. Still, this internal power struggle
certainly made things easier for the
A&amp;G District, which had grown by
leaps and bounds after Paul Hall took
control.
Paul Hall was elected port agent of
New York in 1944. He consolidated
his position within the A&amp;G by successfully bringing such companies as
Isthmian and Cities Service under the
SIU banner. Most people in the industry had assumed both were impossible to organize, though many had
tried.
During those drives, Hall assembled
a close-knit ''team,'' the first of many.
This diverse group of people-seamen
such as Lindsey Williams, Sonny Simmons, Al Kerr, Cal Tanner, Bull Shepherd and Joe Algina, and staffmembers
like Herb Brand, Rose Siegel and Sy
Miller-would have followed him anywhere, over a cliff if he had asked.
In his youth, Hall had been an amateur boxer. He was also a Civil War
buff who, in his spare time, read accounts of Robert E. Lee's military
exploits.

Like many other great leaders, Hall
felt free to borrow from the ideas of
his competitors. He emulated the NMU
in the areas where it was strongestsocialjustice, political action-and tried
to learn from its mistakes.
Much has been written and spoken
about the genius of Paul Hall, but he
once told me that he lived by one
principle alone: never make a commitment you can't keep; never desert
a friend in his hour of need.
At times, the principle was impossible to live up to, but Hall did. It
occasionally resulted in bad press
(though usually not; Murray Kempton, this country's leading labor journalist, referred to Hall's ''outrageous''
but "glorious" principle in a moving
tribute written after Hall died in 1980).
The most famous example of this
occurred when Watergate was nearing
its tragic conclusion. Hall was the only
member of the Executive Council of
the AFL-CIO to vote against impeaching Richard Nixon. Why? Because
Nixon was responsible for passage of
the most important maritime bill of
the post-war era, the Merchant Marine
Act of 1970.
During Watergate, Richard Nixon
experienced first-hand something
everyone on the waterfront already
knew. Anyone who threw his lot with
Paul Hall or the SIU could count on
Hall's support.
Like all great strategies, this one
rested on a simple premise: no matter
who you are, or how powerful you
may become, there comes a time in
everyone's life when you need a friend
who just can't be scared off.

Great La e
ver
V.P. Mike Sacco

I

recently came across a few historical documents: government pamphlets that were distributed during
World War II, as well as a magazine
edited in 1944 by SIU historian John
Bunker. Leafing through the magazine, The SIU At War, I soon came
across a familiar name: Rex Dickey.
As many of you old-timers out there
know, Rex Dickey was a long-time
SIU official who worked out of the
port of Baltimore. He was a friend of
mine.
He died last year.
Dickey, like many other SIU members of his generation, served in World
War II. A ship that he sailed on was
hit by a Nazi torpedo. Bunker wrote
about Dickey's harrowing ordeal in
the magazine I came across.
"After trying without success to
unshackle two P. T. boats,'' wrote
Bunker, ''[Rex Dickey and his shipmates] had to jump into the sea."

Bunker quoted Dickey at length.
"We didn't have far to swim [to get
to the raft]," said Dickey, "but ...
we were soaked clear through. The
water was cold and the wind made us
feel like cakes of ice ..
"It took a lot of energy just to hang
onto the raft. Some of those seas
would smash us like a ton of bricks.
Often they'd hit us when we were not
expecting it and nearly throw us off.''
"[Dickey and the other survivors]
were ... thirsty," wrote Bunker, "but
the water beakers had either broken
from the pounding or from rot and
there was no water. When it sprinkled
a little during the day [the men] caught
some rain drops on an oar and licked
the water with their tongues. There
were rations on the raft but they didn't
dare eat for fear of becoming more
thirsty.''
Ultimately, Rex Dickey and his
shipmates were rescued. They were
the lucky ones. Thousands of seamen
died; only the U.S. Marines had a
higher casualty rate.
Despite their sacrifices, most American seamen who served during World
War II have been denied veterans'
status, even through 14 other nonmilitary groups have been accorded
that honor.
Last July, a federal judge overturned a ruling by the Department of
Defense which denied veterans' status
to American seamen who served in
World War II. He said that the DOD
used arbitrary and irrelevant guidelines in reaching its decision.
A final resolution of that case is still
pending. (See page 1.)
Right after I looked over John Bunker's book, I glanced at a pamphlet put
out by the U.S. Maritime Service during· World War II. Though carefully
preserved, it was starting to yellow.
It read as follows:
"The U.S. Maritime Service is a
training organization administered for
the U.S. Maritime Commission by the
U.S. Coast Guard. To meet the pressing and increasing need for trained _
seamen in the American Merchant
Marine, the Maritime Service is expanding its training program and now
offers to young men of good character,
who are eligible, a special course in
training with pay to fit them for a
career at sea . . . A high standard of
discipline will be maintained.
"Enrollment in the Maritime Service Commission is for seven months
as apprentice seamen at $21 a month
... The training course will normally
include two months at a training station and four months aboard a training
ship.
''Men who desire to take advantage
of this opportunity to receive training
should submit their applications to:
U.S. Maritime Service, Washington,
D.C."
Ads such as this one played an
important role in determining the history of the SIU. Many of our most
dedicated members, people like SIU
V. P. Red Campbell and Lou Cirignano, a former instructor at Piney
Point and now a member of the Passaic, N.J. School Board, entered the
Union by chance. During the war, they
were assigned to SIU-contracted vessels upon completion of their training
in centers run by the Maritime Serv(Continued on Page 23.) ..
January 1988ILOGI11

�AMERICAN EAGLE (Pacific Gulf Marine), November 22-Chairman S. Krawczynski, Secretary N. Johnson. Some disputed rate time was reported in the steward
department. The ship is sch~duled to pay
off in Bayonne, N.J. and move on to
Charleston, S.C. before heading back to
Holland. A motion was made for the Union
to reduce the age of retirement from 65 to
62 to be in line with the retirement age for
Social Security. Next port: Bayonne, N.J.
BORINQUEN (Puerto Rico Marine),
December 6--Chairman Benaia Berberena, Secretary Cassie B. Carter, Educational Director A. Quinn, Steward Delegate
Joseph P. Simonetti. No disputed OT, but
clarification is needed in the engine department regarding a day's pay. Rumor
has it that the Borinquen will lay up in the
Jacksonville, Fla. shipyard Dec. 22, but no
definite word has been given. Everybody
is doing a good job aboard ship, especially
with the reduction in crew. A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department for a
job well done and for a great Thanksgiving
Day dinner. Next port: Elizabeth, N.J .
MY COURIER (Ocean Carriers), November 1S-Chairman P. Pinkham, Secretary Rudolph Spingat, Educational Director Markus Serl is, Deck Delegate Vance
Sanderson, Steward Delegate Albert
Westbrook. No beefs or disputed OT reported. The steward assistant was taken
off ship at the last minute for medical
reasons, and it was not possible to replace
him. So the steward department sailed
short for 39 days-and was given a vote
of thanks for all the hard work they put in.
Of note is the fact that the MV Courier was
the first American tanker to pass through
the Persian Gulf in the last seven years.
Next port: Bahrain (with expected payoff
in Kuwait).

INGER (Sea-Lift Inc.), November 15Chairman Stanley J. Jandora, Secretary
Robert S. Hess. No disputed OT reported
but the deck department has requested
rate clarification from the boarding patrolman. Members were advised to get all
supplies at this time because no slop chest
will be ordered due to high prices. Fans
and cots have been ordered, and a repairman is expected to come aboard in
Hawaii to fix the air conditioning. The
secretary informed members about the
upgrading opportunities at Piney Point and
urged that they take advantage of the
educational courses. He also reminded
crewmembers that he has all forms (dental,
medical, vacation, etc.). The bosun asked
everyone to check portholes for leakage.
Next port: Hawaii.
LAWRENCE H. GIANELLA (Ocean
Ships Inc.), November 2-Chairman Pete
Hulsebosch, Secretary Dana Paradise, Educational Director Mark Ruhl, Engine Delegate Earl Owens, Steward Delegate Walter L. Mosley, Deck Delegate David
Clements. No beefs or disputed OT. There
is $17 in the ship's fund. Twenty dollars
was spent to purchase two basketballs for
the ship, and an arrival pool was suggested
to help build the fund. The chairman urged
all members with enough time to upgrade.
"Our Union school has much to offer, so
take advantage of it." The secretary reminded crewmembers that all applications
are available from him. Everyone should
also be sure that the Union has their correct
address. All departments appear to be
running smoothly. The shelves which were
requested at the last meeting for the laundry rooms have been installed, and there
are no complaints to speak of. A vote of
thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done. Next port: Japan.
PANAMA (Sea-Land), November 16---Chairman Paul Turner, Secretary Jonny
Cruz, Deck Delegate Malip Osman, Engine
Delegate Gary Doyen, Steward Delegate
Dimas Rodriguez. No beefs or disputed
OT reported. The chief mate is entrusted

18 I LOG I January 1988

with the ship's movie fund money. The
Panama will lay up in December. The
chairman discussed the fact that shipping
is still going downhill. In order to prepare
yourself for whatever job comes up, he
stressed the importance of upgrading at
Piney Point. "This way, whatever comes,
you will be ready." The secretary said that
he was in Piney Point during the summer
and was impressed with the way the school
has grown. There are many more programs
available that can help you be secure in
your future-especially the drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. The educational
director urged members to help support
SPAD. It not only helps get people in office
who are sympathetic to the maritime industry but it also helps in getting better
safety laws passed. A vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for making
the trip a good one-especially at meal
hours. The steward, in turn, thanked the
crew for helping keep the ship clean. Next
port: Elizabeth, N.J.

An Expression of Thanks
We want to express our thanks
to Captain and Mrs. Benjamin
Moore and to the entire crew of the
MN Aurora. on voyage #24 for
their help and kindness when I
had a stroke aboard the ship while
in port in Haifa, Israel.

Yours very sincerely,
Seafarer and
Mrs. Aden Ezell Jr.
Mobile, .Ala.

PAUL BUCK (Ocean Ships Inc.), November 3~hairman Richard Parrish,
Secretary Kris Hopkins, Educational Director Frederick C. Harris, Deck Delegate
Robert H. Clifford, Engine Delegate Kelly
L. Mayo, Steward Delegate Curtis Brodnax.
No disputed OT. There is $232 in the ship's
fund, and arrival pools have had 100 percent participation. The company has been
notified that the Paul Buck will need a
patrolman at payoff. The pumpman stressed
the importance of upgrading at Piney Point.
He explained how the school is one of the
best maritime training facilities in the country and that all eligible members should
take advantage of it. "It is there for everyone's gain. " The crew feels they should
be able to register or reclaim their jobs in
any SIU port. A question was also raised
as to whether QMEDs will receive additional money with the dropping of the 2nd ·
assistant engineer. Another item brought
up was either to see a decrease in the SIU
dues or have the wages brought up to
present-day pay scales. The ship's chairman asked everyone to please letter all
tapes as you use them as to the type of
movie it is (C =comedy, H =horror, etc.).
A vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for "the fine chow and pleasantness all the way around." One minute
of silence was observed in memory of our
departed brothers and sisters. "The crew
of the Paul Buck wishes all of their brothers
and sisters a very Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year." Next port: New York.
PFC EUGENE A. OBREGON (Waterman), December 12-Chairman Henry
Bouganim, Secretary Paul L. Hunt. No
beefs reported. The bosun thanked the
crew for the hard work performed during
the voyage and for leaving an extra clean
ship for the relief crew. He reminded all
members of the benefits of upgrading their
skills at Piney Point. The secretary gave
his thanks to the crew and officers for all
their cooperation during the voyage. "Things
seem to go much smoother when everyone
works together. " A collection was taken up
for Mr. Lowe, chief cook on the 2nd Lt.
John P. Bobo, who died in the hospital in
Roosevelt Roads, P.R. He will be missed

by all, "and our sympathy goes to his
family." Crewmembers aboard the Obregon also write; "We would like to have it
noted that all ships in our squadron feel
sorrow for the loss of Mr. Lowe. He was a
friend to all of his shipmates and will be
greatly missed by those who knew him and
worked with him. " A vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for the
good food. Next Port: Panama City.

STAR OF TEXAS (Seahawk Management), December 6--Chairman Gene Paschall, Secretary E. Dale, Educational Director Paul L. Painter. No beefs or disputed
OT reported. The chairman noted that it
has been a very good trip, thanks to the
cooperation of all members. Everyone was
asked to clean their rooms for the next
crewmember and to return all dirty linen.
A motion was made to have all vacation
time count toward retirement (and retirement only). This motion will be sent to Vice
President "Red" Campbell and the Negotiating Committee. A vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for a job
well done, especially for the delicious
Thanksgiving Day dinner. Next port: Philadelphia, Pa.
CHARLESTON (Apex Marine), December 18-Chairman C. J. Spielmann,
Secretary Rudy De Boissiere, Educational
Director C. G. Hall. No beefs or disputed
OT. The chairman reminded all crewmembers to see the Union patrolman at payoff.
He also stressed the importance of contributing to SPAD. "Our jobs are at stake."
The educational director noted that it's
important for members to upgrade. "Go to
Piney Point and get in on everything that's
new. Don't be left behind." A vote of thanks
was given to the bosun and deck gang for
cleaning up the ship, and a special vote of
thanks went to Chief Steward Rudy De
Boissiere and Chief Cook Darryl Goggins
for "the best in feeding of all the SIU ships."
The engine department also got a vote of
thanks for being "the best in the SIU." The
crew of the Charleston wishes the whole
ship a very Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year. "And to our Union president,
vice presidents, officers, staff and the LOG:
God bless you all." One minute of silence
was observed in memory of our departed
brothers and sisters. Next port: Providence,

aboard the Virgo, according to the chairman, with the exception of Thomas Brooks
who signed off in Bontang because of an
injury to his foot. The crewmembers aboard
wish him a speedy recovery. The educational director encouraged everyone who
wants to upgrade at Piney Point to submit
an application when they have the required
sea time. He also reminded all those who
are not familiar with LNG vessels that there
are video tapes onboard provided by the
company. The steward department thanked
the deck department for washing the evening dishes, and a vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for a job
well done. "The crewmembers whould like
to wish the Union officials a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year."

OVERSEAS ALICE (Maritime Overseas), December 6--Chairman Steve
Copeland, Secretary C. Loper Jr., Educational Director M.W. Roberson, Steward
Delegate Jim Hatfield. No beefs, although
some disputed OT was reported in the
deck department. There is $150 in the
ship's treasury. The chairman took up a
collection for the victims of typhoon Nina.
By making a small donation, "it will let our
host country and the military know that we
as members of the SIU have compassion
for those who are more unfortunate." The
secretary thanked the crew for their help
in taking care of the new equipment aboard
ship. And the educational director asked
that the crew help bring any unsafe problems to his attention. "With your help we
can keep this a safe ship." A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department for a
job well done. " Keep up the good work."
One minute of silence was stood in memory
of our departed brothers and sisters. Next
port: Subic Bay, P.I.
Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:

ALTAIR
LNG AQUARIUS
BEAVER STATE
1ST l T. JACK LUMMUS
OMI CHARGER
OMI COLUMBIA
PFC WILLIAM 8. BAUGH
PONCE
PRIDE OF TEXAS
PUERTO RICO
SEA-LAND DEVELOPER
SEA-LAID ECONOMY
SEA-WO EXPLORER
SEA-LAID EXPRESS
SEA-W I NOVATOR
EA·WD LEADER
SEA·LAID MARINER
SEA-LAID PACER
SAN JUAN
STONEWALL JACKSON
SUGARISLAJIDER

A.I.
LNG VIRGO (Energy Transportation
Corp.), December 13-Chairman B.K. Nuchols, Secretary David Pappas, Educational Director M.B. Goins, Deck Delegate
B.B. Darley, Engine Delegate I.E. Salomons, Steward Delegate U. Nurdjaja. No
beefs or disputed OT. Due to the success
of the pilot pool, there is now $177 in the
ship's fund. Everything is running smoothly

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, February 8 .......... .. ...... 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, February 9 ................ . . 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia . . ....... .. ... Wednesday, February 10 .............. 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore . . ..... . ........ Thursday, February 11 . . ....... . ...... 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk .. . .............. Thursday , February 11 . . ....... . .. . ... 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday , February 11 ...... . ......... 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, February 12 ... . ....... .. ..... 10:30 a.m.
Houston .......... . ...... Tuesday, February 16 .. . .............. 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, February 16 .. . .... .. ........ 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, February 17 ....... . ...... 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, February 18 . . .............. 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington ...... . ....... Monday, February 22 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Seattle . ................. Friday, February 26 ........... . ...... 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ............ . ... Thursday, February 11 . . ...... .... .... 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, February 19 ....... . .......... 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday , February 18 .... .. ... . ...... 10:30 a.m.
Duluth . .... . ............ Wednesday, February 17 ....... . ... . .. 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, February 24 ....... . ...... 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford . . ...........Tuesday , February 23 .......... . .. . ... 10:30 a.m.

�Green Wave Carries Space Wings
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC
Sometime in the early 1990s, a space
shuttle now known as Orbiter Vehicle
(OV) 105 will blast off from Florida's
Cape Canaveral and travel at a speed
of 17 ,500 miles per hour high above
the earth on a scientific mission for
the United States. At the present time,
however, the unnamed spacecraft is
simply a conglomeration of sophiscated parts waiting to be assembled
by engineers and technicians at the
Rockwell International Corp. in Palmdale, Calif. Rockwell is the prime contractor to build the space shuttle aircraft for NASA.
One of the most important sections
for OV 105 arrived in Southern California Dec. 21 aboard the Military
Sealift Command chartered ship, MV
Green Wave. Carefully packaged in
separate steel mesh containers mea wide
uring 59-feet long and 28were the aircraft .;h
wings, multi· ems made by the Grummillion d
erospace Corp. in Bethpage,
N.Y.

\

billion space telescope built by Lockheed Corp. will be put aboard the
Green Wave in Oakland for the voyage
to Kennedy Space Center in Florida
where it will eventually be lifted into
a 373-mile orbit above the earth.
''In terms of the general cargo we
normally carry on here, there's nothing like the space items to get you all
stirred up," said the Green Wave's
enthusiastic master, Capt. Peter
Stalkus. "It's exciting to know that
when these items are in space, we
played a small role in helping them get
there.''
The last time MSC transported such
wings was in 1982 when the chartered
ship Transcolumbia delivered them to
Los Angeles for the space shuttle Discovery.

The MSC-chartered ship, the Green Wave, unloads space shuttle wings in the port of Los
Angeles, Calif.

USNS Andrew J. Higgens Joins MSCPAC Fleet

A few hours after the ship arrived
on berth in Los Angeles, a barge crane
carefully hoisted the first 50,000-pound
crate from the Green Wave and gently
placed it on a specially-built truck
dolly positioned on the pier. After the
se
ing was off the ship, Rock-

well transpo

officials waited un-

til late in the evening t
a convoy
escorted by the California
way
Patrol to Palmdale about 100 miles
northeast of Los Angeles.
''The sea and highway trips are the
most delicate p~ rt of the operation,"
said Dennis Glaze, manager of Rockwell's traffic and transportation division. ''The wings work fine when you're
traveling in space, but they're not used
to being transported by ships or
trucks.''
Glaze praised the Green Wave's role
with the space wings, noting that
months of careful planning went as
scheduled. ''This ship has really simplified the movement of the wings,''
said Glaze, pointing to the vessel's 80foot hydraulic hatch which easily accepted the load taken on in Bayonne,
N .J. "It only takes a few minutes to
open the holds to begin operations and
to secure them when you're done.
We're very happy with the ship."
Ever since the MSC-chartered ship
came to the attention of NASA officials, space agency personnel have
kept in contact with MSC. The shuttle's wings were the first space items
carried by the Green Wave-but they
won't be the last. In May, the Green
Wave has been selected to transport
the single most expensive item ever
carried aboard an MSC ship. The $1.5

The USNS Andrew J. Higgens (TAO 190) is the latest acquisition to the
MSCPAC nucleus fleet. Of new construction, the Higgens was recently
completed at Avondale Shipyard in
New Orleans and can boast of all the
latest technology in loading and discharging her underway liquid cargo.

Crewmembers aboard the Higgens
are pleased with the fine single quarters-as well as recreation, lounge
areas and beautiful mess facilities.
There is, however, some apprehension
about the small store rooms and laundry facilities.

The Higgens has a total of 96 crewmembers and officers in addition to a
military department of one officer and
20 enlisted men.
The new vessel is undergoing a
shakedown phase before being deployed on her assigned mission.

January 1988 I LOG I 19

�Going for the Big one on the Assertive
On a recent voyage aboard the USNS

Asserrive, the fish were biting. But at
one point, crewmembers caught a little
more than they barga~ned for-a fishing net became caught in the prop,

and the task of breaking loose was not
an easy one. Thanks to Chief Steward
Kimberly Allen for sending us these
photos.

Helping pull the fishing net from the prop involved team effort. From the left are Jim
Morgan, AB; Mike Bautista, steward assistant; Kirk Paulo, OS; Bill Silva, engine utility,
and Tom Addison, bosun.

~~H~Jf
~ii~

"The albacore are running," said Third Mate Scott Carter (left) who believed he had the winning catch, but Al Garry, RCA tech, reveals
the prime catch of the trip.

" Waiting for the big one" are Tom Addison,
bosun, and Mike Deluze, OS.

Aboard the SS Ponce

During a fire boat drill aboard the SS Ponce (Puerto Rico Marine) are Paulino Flores,
bosun; Angel L. Soto, DEU; Algarin Gregorio, AB; Jose M. Gorge, MSS; Kenneth Blair,
AB, and Stephen Bulford, AB.

20 I LOG I January 1988

And what happens to all these tasty morsels? They're prepared by Chief Steward Kimberly
Allen for a delicious feast.

�New Drug Rules
(Continued from Page 1.)

administrative proceeding [however,
wi11 not be presumed to be intoxicated];
• marine employer's determination
of reasonable cause should be based
on the observation of two persons,
when practicable;
• consumption of a legal prescription or non-prescription drug is permissible as long as it does not cause
intoxication;
• personnel entitled to seek rehabilitation prior to being subject to a
proceeding to suspend or revoke license, certificate of registry or merchant mariner's documents; and
• liable to a civil penalty to the U.S.
government of not more than $1,000

or fined not more than $5 ,000, imprisoned for not more than one year, or
both.

Pensioners
The following SIU members have
retired on pension:
DEEP SEA
Houston

Frank A. Nigro
Mobile

Terrill G. Clark
Hubert H. House
Henry W. Roberts
William J. Tarrant
New Orleans

Alex Alexander

GREAT LAKES

Sylvester Monardo
New York

Algonac

Frank Adkins
John F. Higgins

Joseph R. Turner
Brooklyn

Norfolk

Timothy H . Burke

Clarence M. Houchins
Jack E. Long
Kenneth R. Winters
Philadelphia
Edward F. Garrity
San Francisco
William A. Barnes
Carl G. Tebell

Deaths
The SIU has been notified of the
deaths of the following members.
Roger A. Andrulis
Casado Antonio (Gloucester Fisherman)
Leon Krawcyk
Stanley Lechowitz Jr.
Fahar Maswarat
Olle E. Johannisson
Jasper C. Storms (Inland)
Frederick Tonucie

Santurce

Jose Cubano
Joe Spak
Seattle
Salvator J. Alpedo
Thomas A. Martineau
Wilmington
Arne Bockman

THE BOOZER; I
ONE DRINK /6'
I
I TCJO MANy; ANO
A 7HOLl8ANO
DRINKS ARE
NOT ?#OU'6h'
&lt;SET HELP
I

TO

f'

TODAY
CVNTACT YOUR
PORT AGENT

OR YOUR
UNl()N AT

P/NeYPP/NT.
DO/Tf

, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively by the contracts between the
Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping
rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available
in all Union halls. If you feel there has been any violation
of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the
contracts between the Union and the employers, notify
the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail, return 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 your contract rights, as well as
your obligations, such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, any SIU

OUR RIGHTS

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in
all Union halls. All members should obtain copies of this
constitution so as to familiarize themselves with its contents. Any time you feel any member or officer is attempting to deprive you of any constitutional right or obligation
hy any methods such as dealing with charges. trials. etc.,
as well as all other details. then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The constitution of the SIU
Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District makes
provision for safeguarding the membership's
money an
·on finances. The constitution requires a
detailed audit by
Public Accountants every three
months, which are to be su .
d to the membership by
the Secretary-Treasurer. A quarte
nance committee
of rank and file members, elected by the e ership ,
makes examination each quarter of the finances of t e
Union and reports fully their findings and recommendations. Members 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.

0

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently, no member may be discriminated against because of race. creed. color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any member feels that he is
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
11111111m111 1111111n1111111n1111111nuuu1111111111n11111111111111111t1111111111111u1111111111n1111

patrolman or other Union official. in your opinion. fails
to protect your contract rights properly. contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union,
officer or member. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September. 1960. meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log
policy is vested in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. 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 is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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 supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contribution may be
solicited or received ~ecause of force. job discrimination,
financial reprisal. 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 above improper
conduct. notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD by certified
mail within 30 days of the contribution for investigation

and appropriate action and refund. if involuntary. Support SP AD 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 bas been denied his constitutional right of
access to Union records or infonnatioo, he should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The address is 5201 Autb Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

January 1988 I LOG I 21

�Cl
L
NP

-Company/lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

DEC. 1-31, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac ...................

0

9

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

3

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
23
17

0

8

0

0

4

0

Port
Algonac ...................

0

7

2

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
17
0
8

Port
Algonac ...................

0

5

2

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
2
9

0

6

2

9

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

0

8

6

26

8

Port
Algonac ...................

5

0

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

Totals All Departments ........
26
16
49
0
27
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.

HEADQUARTERS
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746
(301) 899-0675

ALGONAC, Mich.
520 St. Clair River Dr. 48001
(313) 794-4988
BALTl MORE, Md.
1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202
(301) 327-4900

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
DECEMBER 1-31, 1987

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

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 .. . ..............
Port
New York .... . . .. .......
Philadelphia . . .. ..... . . . . .
Baltimore . . .. .. . . . ..... .
Norfolk . . ......... . .....
Mobile . . . . . . ... . . ......
New Orleans .. . ..........
Jacksonville ... . ..........
San Francisco .. . . . .... . . . .
Wilmington . . .... .... ... .
Seattle .. .. . ........ . . . .
Puerto Rico . ... .... ..... .
Honolulu ........ .. . .. . . .
Houston . . .. . . ..........
St. Louis . . .... ... . . . ....
Piney Point . . ......... . ..
Totals ..... . ... .. .... . .

70
2
11
14
14
49
37
41
30
49
33
8
50
0
0

15
5
6
4
4
4
9
19
9
9
2
9
9
0
3

4
1
0
8
4
4
4
20
7
4
0
5
3
0
2

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

49
6
8
9
10
32
17
28
19
37
17
3
28
0
0

DECK DEPARTMENT
11
4
3
1
6
0
4
7
5
4
7
3
8
1
11
13
6
6
4
6
2
0
14
5
5
2
0
0
1
2
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
7
1
0
0
2
0
4
0
5
0
4
1
1
1
6
9
5
2
8
0
0
0
3
10
5
t
0
0
0
0

408

107

66

263

33
3
3
12
6
26

9
0
4
4
4
8
8
10
5
1

2
0
0
1
0
1
3
14
0
0
0

8

10

3
0
0

1
0
1

19
3
8
6
5
16
10
21
12
21
8
3
16
0
1

25

35
18
32
15
4
28
0
0

10

89

52

240

74

33

149

16
2
5
4
10
17
13
46
11
26
6
7
17
0
1

6
1
2
1
2
0
9
7
1
9
0
18
1
0
1

0
0
0
3
0
0
3
10
2
1
1
27
2
0
0

18
0
1
1
9
15
6
28
9
15
3
3
7
0
0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
3
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
5
0
5
8
0
3
11
1
0
0
17
26
0
0
0
0
1
0

10
0
2
5
0
11
3
19
8
14
5
3
9
0
0

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
13
6
2
1
4
0
2
4
1
2
5
7
3
4
10
20
10
3
16
2
6
0
76
127
3
2
0
0
1
0

181

58

49

115

Port
New York .. . ............
Philadelphia ... . ......... .
Baltimore . . .. . ..........
Norfolk . ........ . . . . . .. .
Mobile ... . .. .. . ... . . ...
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville .. . ... . . . . . . . .
San Francisco . . . . ... ..... .
Wilmington .... . . . .. . ....
Seattle . .. .. .. . .. .. .... .
Puerto Rico . . . . . ... ......
Honolulu .. .. ... . . .. ... . .
Houston ... . .... . . .. . ...
St. Louis ..... . .· ...... .. .
Piney Point ... . ... .. .....
Totals .. ... . .. . ........

174

212

230

89

Totals All Departments .. ... .

1,003

451

378

616

24
4
2
7
2
18
9
36
13
30
13
4
12
0
0

17
3
8
7
4
17
7
13
14
20
7
81
10
0
4

10
1
0
5
8
14
8
29
9
4
0
135
6
0
1

50

43

25

41

152

178

334

296

Trip
Reliefs

17
1
4
3
1
10
7
8
9
10
3
5
11
0

1

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

91
3
13
28
14
64
54
63
34
63
30
8
64
0
1

90

530

11
1
3
0
0
4
4
2
6
9
4
6

55
4
6
11
7
6
46
34
21
37
16
6
38
0
1

10

0
0

16
4
6
7
3
6
14
14
6
4

2
14
10
0
5
111
5
1
3
7
5
8
11
9
5

6

1
12
1
0
3

3
1
0
4
0
5
5
11
6
3
0

1
2
0
0

41

2
1
0
2
0
2
2
8
2
0
0
2
1
0
1

60

328

77

23

3
0
0
0
1
10
2
11
6
15
1
57
1
0
0

29
2
9
5
4
23
24
70
17
37
6
9
27
0
1

8
0
2
2
2
0
8
15
3
4
1
24
1
0
2

0
0
2
0
1
5
9
2
0
1
24
3
0
0

0

107

263

72

47

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

52
5
4
8
4
33
17
60
18
48
16
5
18
0
0

28
7
8
21
10
30
16
23
15
27
10
102
13
0
4

9
2
0
10
7
31
8
29
14
9
3
147
4
0
2

0

288

314

275

257

1,409

574

386

*" Total Registered " means the number of men who actually reg istered 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 December was up from the month of November. A total of 1,503 jobs were
shipped on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,503 jobs shipped, 616 jobs or about 41 percent were
taken by "A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 257 trip relief
jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 6,627 jobs have been
shipped.
22 I LOG I January 1988

CLEVELAND, Ohio
5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-1100
DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110
HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434
HOUSTON, Tex.
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
3315 Liberty
(904)
JERSEY CITY, N.J.
99 Montgomery
(201)

St. 32206
353-0987
St. 07302
435-9424

MOBILE, Ala.
1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605
(205) 478-0916
NEW BEDFORD, Mass.
50 Union St. 02740
(617) 997-5404
NEW 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) 441-1960

ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500
WILMINGTON, Calif.
510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�Editorial The Lost Fleet
Those of us in the maritime industry
frequently complain that most of the
nation does not understand the need or
the purpose of a strong, U .S.-flag, private merchant fleet. The following editorial from the San Francisco Chronicle
shows that at least someone outside the
industry is paying attention.

Letters
To The

Editor
'It's There When You Need It ... '
I have been a member of the SIU for more than 42 years. I haven't
had to use the Welfare Plan very much over those years. But in May of
this year, I had to have a complete hip replacement.
The Plan took care of all the bills with no problems at all, for which
I am very grateful.
Thanks so much for all the help.

James C. Oliver
La Porte, Texas

'In Sympathy . . .'
In response to the printing in the November issue of the LOG of "The
Ship's Cat: Final Dispatch," I would like to convey my sympathies to
the M/V Ranger. You see, I was an OS aboard the Ranger at the time.
.After a two-month stint in Diego Garcia, I cared for the white cat we
brought aboard from the atoll.
In our first port o'call (Greec
ad an affair with a black tom
and consequently six ki
were born in the midship locker. Only
one survived, w ·
ook care of. .After losing the white mother in
Carter
. ., it's good to hear that after three years she was still
ard. And it was really tragic to hear of how she met her death in
the unfamiliar surroundings of a street in Subic Bay, Philippines. I'm
sure she just froze in the middle of the road, unaware or unaccustomed
to that hunk of steel bearing down on her.
By printing these articles in the LOG, it shows that the Union and us
seamen have a heart. Good-bye, Howard; you'll be missed.
I would also like to convey my sympathies to the family of Willy Lee
Smith (chief cook) whom we lost at sea enroute to Greece. He'll be in
a ers and thoughts every day-a great shipmate.
Bosun Charles J. Spielmann
IT Charleston

Area Vice Presidents'
(Continued from Page 17.)
ices Commission. It was a matter of
fate: they could have just as easily
been assigned to SUP- or NMU-contracted vessels.
While they were in these centers,
these "apprentice seamen" were under the supervision of U.S. Navy and
Coast Guard officials.
Cirignano' s experiences during the
war were not uncommon. His first
assignment was onboard a ship which
had just come in from London. After
leaving Brooklyn, the vessel went
straight to Europe where it became
part of a convoy providing strategic
sealift to our armed forces during the
invasion of Normandy.
Cirignano and his shipmates, who
included SIU Vice President Red
Campbell and Marty Breithoff, the late
port official from Houston, sailed for
seven straight months without any
letup. Many members of the crew were
like Cirignano: impressionable teenagers right out of high school who
found themselves in the position of
being one Nazi torpedo away from
death. And unlike their counterparts

eport

in the Army, they were unarmed and
virtually defenseless.
Ironically, shortly after the federal
judge ruled against the Department of
Defense, the American Legion (over
the objections of some of its local
chapters) said that it would lobby
against granting American seamen veterans' status if asked to take a position.
One veteran was so angry at this
that he wrote a letter to the editor of
a newsletter published by the Texas
Chapter of the American Legion. After
stating that he owed his life to seamen
who transported supplies and ammunition overseas during World War II,
he made the following observation:
not every veteran of World War II
saw action. Many were stationed in
the States or behind the lines. Yet
every seaman who sailed was a potential victim of Nazi U-boats.
After the war, seamen like Rex
Dickey and Marty Breithoff were ineligible to receive the benefits that the
government ladled out to the veterans:
educational benefits under the G.I.
bill, generous pensions (if he worked

It is not all that long ago that big
white freighters with a seahorse-shaped
"S" on their funnels used to arrive
regularly under the Golden Gate Bridge
from exotic ports . They were vessels
of the States Steamship Company returning to their home port of San
Francisco. They could be found along
the waterfront not far from vessels
whose funnels were distinguished by
the California bear, the symbol of the
fleet of Pacific Far East Lines. Both
fleets are mere memories now.
We bring up the disappearance of
familiar funnels because our memory
has been jolted by a recent report by
the President's Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense. It is a
sobering report that prompts much
more than nostalgia. In effect, this
devastating document says, the United
States has ceased to be a power of
great consequence on the merchant
sea lanes of the world.
PFEL and States Steamship are only
two of the casualties of the last two
decades. We cite them because they
were once of substantial importance
to the local economy. In 1970, the
commission reports, States operated
13 vessels; it went bankrupt in 1978.
Also in 1970, PFEL operated 13 ve sels. But eight years later, it also had
been placed in receivership and is no
longer operating.
The two local companies were by
no means isolated examples of what
has happened to the American merchant marine. In 1970, a fleet of 434
commercial vessels operated under the
American flag in foreign freight (nontanker) trade. Today, that figure has
shrunk to 92 vessels operated by major
companies. The sea-going workforce
has shown similar decline.
In 1970, more than 69,000 Americans were employed filling 34,000 sailing billets Gobs). Today, the commission said, some 29,000 seamen compete
for about 11,000 billets. The commission draws an obvious conclusion:

it right, a veteran could accumulate
two pensions), free medical attention
at V .A. hospitals.
Seamen received no recognition of
the contributions they had made to
the war effort. And when they reached
retirement age, the period of life when
they needed medical attention the most,
the government closed the USPHS
hospital system without making any
kind of attempt to find out if seamen
who served in World War II would
have some kind of medical coverage.
The bottom line to all this, as it
always is in the United States, is
power. Veterans number in the tens
of millions; seamen, in the tens of
thousands.
At this very moment, there is talk
of creating a new cabinet department

Ships withdrawn from the ready reserve or ships newly constructed will
be useless unless skilled, experienced
deck officers, engine-room personnel,
radio operators and seamen of a number of other demanding skills are available to take those ships to sea.
Recent developments have worsened this situation as viewed from a
national-security point of view. In the
last six years alone, the number of
active U.S. mariners has declined by
some 40 percent, the commission said.
And approximately 50 percent of the
mariners who remain are 50 years of
age or older.
Skills are disappearing as this workforce ages. This is particularly true of
the skills required to operate some of
the vessels, similarly showing signs of
age, that make up the bulk of the
reserve fleet. The manpower problem
is compounded at both ends of the age
spectrum. Entry of young people, those
20 to 25 years old, is down by 80
percent since 1980.
Shipbuilding is also in decline: By
the end of this year, U.S. shipyards
will not have a single commercial vessel under construction.

* * *
From a defense point of view, the
outlook is bleak. By the turn of the
century, says the president's commission, the United States "will not be
able to meet the requirements of its
national security.''
The country has a proud merchant
marine tradition. For more than two
centuries, American ships have been
familiar in the ports of the world. The
tradition is a proud one, from the
clipper ships sailing to China to the
Liberty ships which played such an
important role in World War II. But
today, the commission reports, American ships carry only about 4 percent '*
of the nation's foreign commerce.
The commission has drawn a grim
picture, a sobering picture, which we
think cries out for attention and, of
course, for additional resources.
Northern Californians, quite obviously, have a special interest in the
future of the merchant marine-if the
nation is to h·a ve one. If it does not
have a future , it will be at the nation's
peril.

of Veterans Affairs. Privately, almost
everyone on Capitol Hill thinks it is a
bad idea. But they are supporting it
publicly because it is good politics.
What bothers me about all this is
the hypocrisy. The American Legion
says veterans deserve preferential
treatment (i.e., a separate cabinet position) because of the sacrifices they
made on behalf of this country. Yet
what about the courage and sacrifices
of seamen like Rex Dickey, Red
Campbell, Marty Breithoff'?
Rex Dickey and Marty Breithoff are
now dead: it's too late to honor their
sacrifices. But Lou Cirignano, Red
Campbell and thousands of other seamen are still living. They dodged Nazi
torpedos so that this country could
remain free. When do they get the
recognition that's due them?

January 1988 I LOG I 23

...

�Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

EDITOR'S NOTE: Max Hall, LOG
associate editor and Washington columnist, takes a look at 1987 and the
politics and legislation which affected
the maritime industry.
by Max Hall

For both maritime and the country,
1987 proved to be one of the strangest
years on record. It was as if someone
had turned out the lights in a crowded
auditorium and yelled "fire!" No one
was seriously hurt by the ensuing chaos,
but then again, neither was anyone
helped.
There was a lot of activity in 1987,
but after all was said and done, there
was no real movement. The stock
market rose to dizzying heights, crashed
and then recovered some.
The same thing happened to the
Reagan administration, except in reverse. Its political standing reached a
low point during the Iran-Contra hearings. Yet once Admiral Poindexter
said that the buck stopped with him,
the administration was able to minimize the political damage. And even
if Reagan no longer was the "Great
Communicator,'' he could still pull an
occasional rabbit out of his political
hat, like the INF treaty he and Russian
leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed
at the end of the year to limit intermediate nuclear weapons.

Time for Tough Choices

..

More than anything, 1987 was the
year that the band stopped playing and
Americans began to realize that they
had to make some hard choices concerning their political and economic
future. It was also the year that some
nasty long-term trends started to affect
those Americans in positions of power.
It was one thing to write about or
engineer a corporate takeover, it was
another thing to lose your job as a
result of one, as a growing number of
people on Wall Street and in the media
found out (CBS News fired 200 members of its staff).
Congress tried to add a bit of stability to the year by repeating its longestablished pattern of waiting until the
final minutes of the session to pass an
authorizations bill and by putting off
action on important issues such as
trade reform and meaningful deficit
reduction. To be fair, it was not really
the fault of Congress. Congress, as we
were constantly reminded during this
200th anniversary year of the American Constitution, was more than just
535 talented, ambitious but all-toohuman legislators; it was "we the
people." The real trouble was with
the 230 million flag-waving, God-fearing Americans who wanted a resolution to the vexing problems facing this
country, but who were perfectly content to leave it up to someone else to
make the sacrifices that were needed
to restore competitiveness to America.
24 I LOG I January 1988

January 1988

Maritime on Defensive
The SIU' s legislative staff produced
some brilliant victories during the year
concerning the Canadian Free Trade
Agreement and citizenship requirements onboard American-flag vessels.
Yet Frank Pecquex, the dean of the
department, pretty much summed up
the feeling of everyone when he said
that he felt oddly let down. Most of
the Union's time was spent putting
out fires that others, mainly the administration, had set. With the industry
always on the defensive, there was
precious little time left over to fashion
a coherent legislative program that
would stimulate shipping. The most
frustrating part was that while the
administration wouldn't do anything
to help the industry, it still had the
power to inflict damage.

Too Little, Too Late
The state of the industry remained
a major cause of alarm, but there was
little agreement on what should be
done to turn things around. The industry-labor as well as management--could not come up with a united
stand on what to do about replacing
the subsidy liner program, though there
was widespread agreement on the merits of the administration's program.
This could be summed up in four
words: too little, too late. The administration had procrastinated on this
issue, even though the number of
American-flag ships continued to decline at a rate of 5 to 10 percent a
year.
The industry was still reeling from
the effects of U.S. Lines' decision to
file for bankruptcy the year before.
Meanwhile, it had to cope with farreaching changes that were transforming its very essence. Maritime became
less of a separate industry and more
of a cog in an increasingly interdependent transportation network. Intermodalism became the industry's new
buzz-word as companies like Sea-Land
and APL wed their port facilities to
their rail and trucking lines.

Military Work Grows
With the decline of the commercial
sector, those committed to survival
had to concentrate their efforts on
signing up military work contracted
out to private companies. The SIU led
the way with 58 new vessels representing 700 new jobs. Yet even in this
area, which many people felt represented the industry's one hope for
survival, things were complicated by
the way that the Military Sealift Command (MSC) conducted its Request
for Proposal (RFP) process. Concern
among industry experts reached a crisis level after the MSC put out an RFP
on a hospital ship, only to declare
itself the low bidder.

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

As Marine Transport Lines (MTL),
an NMU-contracted company, noted
iri its appeal of the award, the MSC
had used questionable methods in determining its costs. For one thing, said
MTL, the MSC was the only bidder
not to include cost projections for the
captain's billet. MSC said if private
companies wanted to include the cost
of that in their bid, fine, but they
weren't required to do so. MTL said
that MSC did not bother making this
vital piece of information available to
the public. "Why would we increase
our cost projections if we didn't have
to?" asked one industry official, who
noted that it took several years to
prepare a bid and that the cost of doing
so sometimes approached $600,000.

No Help from Reagan
Maritime's experiences with the
hospital ship bid was just one example
of why iqdustry officials had trouble
believing that the administration was
truly serious about doing anything to
revive the American-flag merchant
marine. There was a widespread perception that the administration wasn't
being on the up-and-up, and that it
wouldn't be terribly concerned if the
industry were to quietly expire.
Throughout the year, there were
numerous occasions for the administration to assert its commitment to the
industry, but it failed to do so. The
most obvious chance occurred when
the first half of the long-awaited report
of the Merchant Marine/Defense Commission was finally released. It stated
that the national security of the United
States was being jeopardized by the
unrelenting deterioration of the American-flag merchant marine. In other
words, the hundreds of billions of
dollars that the country was spending
on the defense budget would be wasted
unless this country had a reliable way
of transporting its troops and ammunition overseas.

Oops, Wrong War
Former National Security Advisor
Zbigniew Brzezinski alluded to this
development on the Today Show. He
pointed to a recently released study
which stated that the United States
had prepared itself for the wrong war.
Brzezinski said that the major threat
to the United States was not a nuclear
attack by the Russians, but from regional conflicts involving countries like
Iran and Nicaragua. Our conventional
military capability, he said, would be
the determining factor in an altercation
with one of these countries, and it had
been allowed to deteriorate.
The Department of Defense had to
relearn an important lesson about conventional weaponry when the United
States became entangled in the Persian
Gulf War. Despite this nation's costly
and sophisticated naval equipment,
the Navy was initially unable to offer

protection to 11 reflagged Kuwaiti
tankers because it did not have a
minesweeper.

Rubber BoatS
The sight of Iranian revolutionaries
holding the American Navy at bay
with rubber boats and World War II
vintage bombs did little to instill confidence in this nation's military buildup
and helped to put the recently-negotiated INF Treaty in its proper perspective.
The Persian Gulf War also underscored the institutional struggle between the executive and legislative
branches (which has made resolution
of many national problems all but
impossible) by producing a heated debate over the proper interpretation of
the War Powers Act. The maritime
industry took no stand on this issue,
leaving it to the administration and
Congress to iron out their differences.
Yet it was quite vocal in its hostility
to the administration's decision to waive
citizenship requirements onboard these
vessels. This concern produced something rare in the industry: unity. By
the end of the year, the maritime
industry was able to persuade Congress to enact legislation closing up
this loophole (H.R. 2598). Rep. Mario
Biaggi (D-N.Y.) was instrumental in
the initial stage of the fight to establish
citizenship requirements.
For many people in the industry
one of the most telling point in the
year came after Congress passed H.R.
2598. Representatives from the State
Department and Department of Defense noted that this would upset the
"deal we made with the Kuwaitis."
Earlier that year, after the reflagging
had been announced, a bitter and angry House Merchant Marine Committee had questioned administration officials about this very issue. It was
told that ''no consideration'' had been
made of t!ie economic impact of the
reflagging. The administration had
merely pointed out existing loopholes
in the law, they said, and it was up to
the Kuwaitis and the chartering company to decide what they would do
about them.
If there was any good news, it was
that the war in the Persian Gulf never
reached a crisis point, though at several times during the year it threatened
to do so. That was not the case with
the trade deficit, which continued to
set record highs. Even though Congress and the administration had promised to make trade their "number one
priority," no trade bill was passed.
At the end of the year, the new
Japanese prime minister paid a visit
to the United States. Like Yasu Nakasone, his immediate predecessor, he
promised action to open up Japanese
markets to American goods. But the
Americans had to be patient, he said.
To many people, it sounded pretty
much like the same old song.

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
KUWAIT LOOPHOLE CLOSED BY NEW CITIZENSHIP LAW&#13;
NEW DRUG RULES READY&#13;
WWII SEAMEN WIN VETS CASE&#13;
UNIFIED MARITIME INDUSTRY WAS KEY IN VICTORY&#13;
MANNING TRENDS-CREWS SHRINK, DUTIES CHANGE&#13;
SENATE BACKS ILO ACTIONS&#13;
SEA-LAND BUYS 5 NEW SHIPS &#13;
SIU’S NEW CAR CARRIER MAKES STOP IN HOUSTON&#13;
NOMINATIONS INVITED FOR SEAMANSHIP TROPHY&#13;
1987 BUSY POLITICAL YEAR BRINGS SIU MAJOR VICTORIES ON CANADIAN TRADE AND U.S. CREWS&#13;
SEA-LAND SEMINAR: BETTER MEAT FOR THE FLEET!&#13;
GREEN WAVE CARRIES SPACE WINGS&#13;
USNS ANDREW J. HIGGENS JOINS SPCPAC FLEET&#13;
GOING FOR THE BIG ONE ON THE ASSERTIVE&#13;
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TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication ol the Seafarers International Union• Atlantic, Gull, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL-CIO Vol. so, No. 2 February 1988

DOD Claims U.S. Crews Would Hurt National Security

Kuwaiti Tankers Win Waiver from Crewing Law
What at first seemed like a sweet
victory for the maritime industry turned
into bitter defeat this month when the
Department of Defense asked for, and
was granted, a waiver exempting the
11 reftagged Kuwaiti tankers from U.S.
citizenship crewing requirements.
Maritime unions, Capitol Hill supporters and industry leaders reacted
with outrage and threats of legal action.
"We will explore every legal and
legislative avenue open to us to reverse this arbitrary administration slap
at the intent of Congress," said SIU
President Frank Drozak. (See box)
Rep. Walter B. Jones (D-N.C.),
chairman of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, sug-

gested that legal action be taken against
the waiver.
"I am confident that this action by
the administration is unlawful. And, if
I were a merchant seaman ready to
serve aboard a reftagged vessel in the
Persian Gulf, I would certainly sue
and expect to win. I hope that those
who represent merchant seamen who
have been deprived of employment by
this unlawful action will go to court,"
Jones said.
In its waiver request, the Defense
Department outlined no reasons for
the crewing exemptions. It simply cited
national security reasons.
Under the terms of recently passed
legislation requiring American ships to
carry 75 percent unlicensed U.S.

AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Unions
Meet to Set '88 Legislative Goals
BAL HARBOUR, Fla. . . . The
administration's decision to waive
American manning and citizenship
requirements on 11 Kuwaiti tankers
was unanimously condemned by
the Executive Board of the 8.5 million member Maritime Trades Department of the AFL-CIO which
met here Feb. 11-12 to set new
legislative priorities.
MTD President Frank Drozak had
already gone on record as opposing
the Feb. 9th waiver, which was
announced by Defense Secretary
Frank C. Carlucci. Drozak said that
the move would ''do immeasurable
harm to the maritime industry's
continuing effort to meet the national security role that Congress
had established'' for the Americanftag merchant marine. (See story on
this page.)
The Executive Board also reviewed its programs for the remainder of the 1OOth session of Congress, and vowed to make use of
its extensive grassroots political action network of port councils to
make its voice heard in the upcoming primaries and national election.
The Board members analyzed the
success that the MTD had during
the past year in getting transportation removed from the provisions
of the Canada Free Trade Agreement and in enacting H.R. 2598,
the Fishing Vessel Anti-Reftagging
Act.
Special mention was made of the
recent ruling awarding merchant

seamen who sailed during World
War II veterans' status. The MTD
had initiated and led an eight-year
fight to get the Department of Defense to change its opposition to
this long-overdue recognition.
Targetted for action during the
remainder of this session of Congress were the following issues: the
Omnibus Trade Bill, the development of oil reserves in the Arctic
National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR),
preserving the integrity of the Jones
Act, shipbuilding, occupational
safety and health, Social Security,
minimum wage, Medicare, and implementation of recommendations
contained in the Commission on
Merchant Marine and Defense,
which were aimed at reviving this
country's declining sealift capability.
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer
Tom Donahue addressed the meeting and told the Board members
that they had to confront an institutional bias in order to get labor's
message across to the public. Many
people in positions of power in
business, government and the media will never be able to comprehend ''Solidarity ... about the feeling it brings to a trade unionist when
you see a fulfillment of it."
Members of Congress addressed
the meeting, including Sen. Howell
Heflin (D-Ala.), Rep. Don Young
(R-Alaska), Rep. Joe Moakley (DMass.) and Rep. Gerry Sikorski (DMinn.).

crewmen and 100 percent American
officers, waivers may be granted by
the Department of Transportation. But
when DOD requests such a waiver for
"national security" reasons , the waiver
must be granted.
''Time and time again, American
seamen have been called upon to support our national defense requirements. They served honorably and
reliably when called upon.
''To say now that American seamen
on U.S. vessels undermine our national security is simply not supported
by the record," Drozak said.
The reflagged tankers receive American Navy protection in the Persian
Gulf on their runs from Kuwait to
mostly European ports. Iran and Iraq
have been at war in the region for
more than seven years. During that
time planes and small boats from both
countries have attacked shipping in
the Gulf. More than 350 merchant
seamen have been killed in those attacks.
When the reflagging request was
being debated on Capitol Hill, the
representatives of Chesapeake Shipping (the American firm set up by the
Kuwaiti's to handle the ships) said
they would abide by American law
concerning the crewing requirements,
even if it meant using American crews.
At that time the administration
claimed that the ships would only have
to carry an American captain because
of a then-existing loophole in U.S.
maritime law. The SIU and other maritime groups argued that interpretation
was wrong, but to no avail. The tankers were allowed to operate with just
the American captain. Later, U.S.
radio officers were required on board.
In the closing days of the last
congressional session, an amendment
was attached to H.R. 2598, a bill
establishing citizenship requirements

for fishing and fish processing vessels.
The amendment called for citizen crews
on all U.S . vessels. President Reagan
signed it into law Jan. 11.
At the time it was considered a
victory for the merchant marine. But
immediately rumors began that the
Defense Department would ask for a
national security waiver. It had until
Feb. 11 to do so.
While no one in the administration
would comment publicly about a possible waiver, indications were it would
be requested.
In a letter to Secretary of Defense
Frank Carlucci, Drozak strongly urged
that no waiver be asked. He argued
such a waiver would have adverse
impacts on national security.
''The SIU believes such action is
inappropriate and does immeasurable
harm to the industry's continuing effort
to meet the national security role Congress has established for it,'' he said.
Following are excerpts from the letter:
''Waiver implementation by any
government agency would be difficult
to defend inasmuch as American merchant seamen have plied the world's
sealanes with or without naval escort
for 200 years. In war and peace, we
have accepted our role as an integral
part of American national security and
have responded accordingly. One need
only check the nation's military history records to determine the value of
an American merchant fleet manned
by citizen crews. The contributions
American seamen have made over the
years often go unnoticed, indeed decades may pass before the industry's
irreplaceable efforts are recognized
formally. Regrettably, it was only last
month that the Department of Defense
recognized the role American merchant seamen played in World War II,
(Continued on Page 22.)

Ins· e:
WWII Seamen Victorious

Page 3

/LO Measure Passes Senate

Page

NLRB raps McAllister
SHLSS News

s

Page 10
Pages 11-14

�•

res en's

eport

by Frank Drozak

T

HE maritime industry is coping
with some drastic changes.
The NMU has all but closed shop.
The number of deepsea vessels flying
the American flag continues to decline.
Companies are merging their port facilities with their rail and trucking
lines.
The pace of change is expected to
quicken this year. Unions that fail to
adapt can expect to meet the same
fate as the NMU, which was forced
to merge with District 1-MEBA after
U.S. Lines, its largest supplier ofjobs,
filed for bankruptcy.

* * *
Change can be unsettling. Most of
us in the maritime industry have grown
used to a set routine. Yet that routine
is gone forever, a victim of budget
cuts, a worldwide depression in shipping, misguided U.S. trade policies
and far-reaching technological advances.
As your president, I have but one
goal: to promote and protect your job
security. And the best way to do that
is to keep you informed of the facts
so that you can take the necessary
steps to remain employed, keep your
benefits and upgrade your skills.
Understandably, there are a lot of
people in the maritime industry who
don't want things to change. The only
difference between them and me is
that I am responsible for the wellbeing of the 80,000 members of our
International Union. I don't have the
luxury of being a Monday morning
quarterback; if I fail to respond to
changes in the industry, our members
could wind up being stranded on the
beach without jobs.
Any time I find myself refusing to
look reality in the eye, I think of the
3,000 NMU pensioners who have had
their pensions jeopardized by the
bankruptcy of U.S. Lines, or of NMU
members in the engine department
whose jobs may be eliminated so that
District 1 members can remain employed.

* * *
There were a lot of disturbing developments last year. But none bothered me more than the sight of union
leaders not being honest about conditions in the maritime industry.
To give one example: licensed unions
like District 1-MEBA told their mem-

All graduates of the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N. Y.
receive training in deck and engine.
The Harry Lundeberg school is the
first private maritime training center
to set up multi-department training
programs, which gives our members
a competitive edge in manning.
We have been running a series of
articles in the LOG to explain these
developments. If you have the chance,
take a look at the story in this month's
issue. (See page 5 .)

bers that SMU contracts onboard military ships were "sweetheart" deals.
They failed, however, to tell their
members the following things:
SMU contracts are competitive
with those in the industry.
* The lowest wage rates in the
industry were on Top Gallant, a topto-bottom vessel of District 1-MEBA.
At least one Top Gallant contract
doesn't have any provisions for wage
and pension contributions. They may
be included at some later date, but
they aren't there now.
Both Top Gallant and MEBADistrict I PASS, a top-to-bottom organization, were formed to bypass
unlicensed unions.
Industry experts predicted that
most American-flag companies would
reflag unless there was some reform
of the liner subsidy program.
* One of the reasons that Congress
has failed to enact a liner subsidy
program is that it could not justify high
licensed costs. (Some licensed officers
make as much and more as the Congressman who oversee the subsidy
programs.)
* The licensed officers have a plan
to cut costs: eliminate unlicensed jobs,
especially in the engine department.
The only new work being created
in the maritime industry is n milit ry
support vessels that have been contracted out to the private sector.
* The MSC does not want to give
up any of this work, and is actively
trying to disrupt the industry's efforts
to man military vessels.
Several times last year, the MSC
put vessels out to bid, only to bid on
the work itself.
The worst thing about this disinformation is that it makes it impossible
for anyone to take inventory of what
should be done.

Drastic Changes In Shipping Companies and Maritime Unions.
Who could have ever imagined an
American-flag merchant marine without U.S. Lines, or that the NMU
would cease to exist as a separate
entity? Both both developments have
come to pass.
There are many new players in the
game. APL and Sea-Land are vying
for domination of what is left of the
American-flag liner service. Neither of
these organizations views maritime as
a separate industry, but rather as an
interdependent cog in a larger transportation network.
As for maritime unions, look for
new unions, and merged unions to be
major players in the competition to
sign up new military work. Also look
for more established entities like the
newly merged MEBA 1-NMU and the
year-old Seafarers Maritime Union to
concentrate their efforts in this field.

* * *

* * *

Here, then, is a quick rundown of
what I believe will be the major trends
in the upcoming year. We may not
like them, but it is imperative that we
admit that they exist. Otherwise, we
will be unable to mount an effective
strategy.
There Will Be Changes In Manning
Scales. Many of these changes are
already taking place. A number of
companies have experimented with
all-purpose crews and cross-utilization
of departments.

There Will Be Drastic Changes In Technology And Training.
In order to survive, what's left of
the American-flag merchant marine
will incorporate advanced technology
on new ships. This will mean an increased emphasis on training and education.
Schools like our Seafarers Harry
Lundeberg School are on the cutting
edge of a major educational innovation
in this country. But while most exist-

*

* * *

*

*

*

*

*

Our Shipping Procedures Will Be Overhauled. You can't run a 1988 Cadillac
with a 1938 engine.
Our shipping rules are 50 years old
and entirely out of date. As Vice
President "Red" Campbell announced at the membership meeting,
the SIU is looking to implement some
kind of national system of registration-a national hiring hall, so to speak.

* * *

ing educational facilities are geared
toward training entrants into new job
markets, or for retraining people once
their jobs have relocated overseas,
SHLSS is unique in that we are
trying to save an existing American
industry by encouraging technological
advances through upgrading programs.
In effect, we are in the vanguard
of this nation's maritime trade war
with Japan, Western Europe and the
newly industrialized countries of the
Far East.

* * *
There Will Be Changes In Our National
Government.
This represents a great opportunity
for the maritime industry. Maritime
was on the bottom of this administration's priorities. We now have the
chance to elect someone who is more
sympathetic to our needs.
In addition, many of our efforts to
represent our members have been
hampered by the anti-labor policies of
the present administration. The 1988
presidential and congressional elections give us a chance to turn things
around.

* * *
We Are Not Alone: Maritime is not the
only American industry to confront
these changes, and seamen are not the
only workers to look into new ways
of doing things. Workers all across the
country-in automobile plants, factories and even in high-tech service industries-are facing the same problems that we are facing.
Members of the United Auto Workers Union have agreed to flexible work
rules in exchange for guarantees of
increased job security. This represents
a drastic change in bargaining priorities.
These changes have occurred because the challenges facing American
workers are different. It is no longer
possible to use the same old tactics.
The post-war era was a golden age for
American workers, especially seamen. But it is gone, perhaps forever.
The name of the game today is
survival. Anyone who tells you differently is either lying or is stupid. And
yet, in all areas of change, there are
great possibilities. Ifwe play our cards
correctly, members of this Union have
a chance to improve their working
conditions and job security. But it will
take patience, hard work, and above
all else, solidarity. Anything short of
that just won't work.

Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union of
North America, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District,
AFL..CIO

February 1988

Vol. 50, No. 2

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

I

~

Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

Carla Tomaszewski
Contributing Editor

2 I LOG I February 1988

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Secretary

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 8990675. Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges. Md . 20790-9998 and at additional
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md . 20746.

�Vets Win Closes WW II
For Merchant Mariners
A little less than 43 years ago, American merchant seamen could rest a bit
easier. World War II was just over
and the deadly threats from enemy
submarines, aircraft and mines disappeared.
But none of the 250,000 men who
sailed could have guessed that the final
chapter of their war history would not
be written until January 1988. That
was when the Defense Department,
under pressure from a federal judge,
finally awarded the seamen veterans'
status, which had been denied them
for four decades (see January 1988
LOG).
Now the only thing that stands between the surviving seamen (roughly
estimated between 15,000-70,000) and
veterans' benefits are government
forms and paperwork.
But the Jan. 21 decision does not
mean that the WWII-era seamen will
automatically receive a wide range of
benefits, a Veterans Administration
spokesperson told the LOG. Each
benefit is decided on a case-by-case
basis.
Before anyone may apply for veterans' benefits, he must receive a discharge from the branch of the service
for which he sailed (see accompanying
box for details).
All SIU ports have the discharge
request forms available and the forms
are available from the VA. After a
seaman receives his discharge, he may
then be eligible for a variety of VA
benefits.
The possible benefits range from
medical care to pensions to guaranteed
home loans to burial, the VA said.
But eligibility for each benefit is not
automatic. For example, the VA has
what is called a "means test" to determine who qualifies for VA medical
care. It takes into account income,
assets and ability to pay. Some seamen
could qualify for free medical care
while others might be required to make
some payments for the care, the
spokesperson said.
Also, some seamen could qualify
for service-connected or non-serviceconnected disability pensions. But
again, each case must be decided on
its own merits.
Like other organizations, the VA
has no estimate of how many former
seamen might qualify. Nor does it have
an estimate of how long it may take
to determine a person's qualifications
for benefits.
For the most part, reaction to the
decision has been positive throughout
the industry and in the press.
"I'd have to say I was pretty elated,
but I sure didn't think it would take
so long," said Jim McCue who sailed

on SIU ships as a wiper during the
war. He retired in 1969 after becoming
a chief engineer with MEBA-2.
Ironically, McCue said, he and several friends began a short campaign in
1946 to persuade the government to
grant the seamen veterans' status.
"We wrote to the governors of New
York and New Jersey and some senators, but after a few months we sort
of gave up," he said.
McCue, who sailed from 1942 until
the end of the war, said he was one
of the lucky ones. He was never
wounded or had a ship shot out from
under him. But he sailed in convoys
where ships all around were blown
from the water. One time on a Murmansk run, he said about 18 ships in
his convoy were sunk.
SIU Vice President "Red" Campbell is a World War II merchant sailor.
He summed up the feelings of many
of those seamen.
"It's too late and too little," Campbell said.
While he was pleased with the eventual outcome of the fight, he said he
was "definitely angry" that it took so
long.
He was especially critical of some
groups, such as the American Legion,
who opposed veterans' status for merchant seamen.
"We have guys who are more qualified and saw more action than some
of those people who spent the war
guarding a coal pile on Staten Island,''
he said.
''Roughly a quarter of a million
Americans served in the merchant marine between Pearl Harbor and V-J
Day. Some 5,662 of them died-a
higher casualty rate than their counterparts in the Navy. The benefits to
which their status entitles the survivors-including use of veterans' hospitals and burial in national cemeteries-are long overdue," an editorial
in The Journal of Commerce said.
Nationally syndicated columnist
James J. Kilpatrick devoted an entire
column to the merchant marine.
''The merchant seamen who served
so bravely in that conflict finally are
to get the recognition that injustice
has so long denied them," he wrote.
Marad Administrator John Gaughan
said, "We are pleased that, with the
granting of veterans status, the merchant marines' wartime credits are
officially documented.''
"(It) is an extremely and long overdue breakthrough for our heroic seamen . . . It closes a dark chapter in
our military history,'' said Rep. Walter
B. Jones, chairman of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee.

How to Apply
Before any WW II seamen may apply for veterans' benefits, they must
first obtain discharge papers by filing form DD-2168. Those forms are
available at each SIU port office.
Below is the explanation of the requirements to gain veterans' status
and how to gain an Armed Services Discharge Certificate.
Marad Administrator John Gaughan said, "It would be of definite
assistance in processing their applications if they also send copies of their
U.S. Coast Guard Certificates of Discharge or other evidence indicating
the ships they served on and dates of service between Dec. 7, 1941 and
Aug. 15, 1945."
The Department of Defense suggests,
''Include any supporting documents which support your claim. Supporting material may include, but is not limited to, separation discharge
certificates, mission orders, identification cards, contracts or personnel
action forms, employment record, education certificates, diplomas, pay
vouchers, certificates or awards, casualty information, and any other
supporting evidence of membership and character of service performed.''
The SIU does not have individual shipping records prior to 1950.

Application Instructions for an Armed Forces
Discharge Certificate American
Oceangoing Merchant Marine of WWII
On Jan. 19, 1988, the Secretary of the Air Force, Edward C. Aldridge
Jr., determined that the service of the "American Merchant Marine in
W-Oceangoing Service during the Period of Armed Conflict, Dec. 7, 1941, to
Aug. 15, 1945," shall be considered "active duty" under the provisions of
Public Law 95-202 for the purposes of all laws administered by the Veterans
Administration. Although technically not part of the United States Merchant
Marine, Civil Service crewmembers aboard U.S. Army Transport Service
and Naval Transportation Service vessels in oceangoing service or foreign
waters are also included as parts of this approved group.
To be eligible for Veterans Administration benefits, each member of
the group must meet the following eligibility criteria:
1. Was employed by the War Shipping Administration or Office of
Defense Transportation or their agents as a merchant seaman documented by the U.S. Coast Guard or Department of Commerce (Merchant Mariner's Document/Certificate of Service), or as a civil servant
employed by the U.S. Army Transport Service (later redesignated U.S.
Army Transportation Corps, Water Division) or the Naval Transportation Service; and

2. Served satisfactorily as a crewmember during the period of armed
conflict, December 7, 1941, to August 15, 1945, aboard
(a) merchant vessels in oceangoing, i.e., foreign, intercoastal, or
coastwise service (46 USCA 10301 &amp; 1050 I) and further to include
"near foreign" voyages between the United States and Canada, Mexico,
or the West Indies via ocean routes, or
(b) public vessels in oceangoing service or foreign waters.
Before an individual can receive any Veterans Administration benefits,
the person must first apply for an Armed Forces Discharge Certificate
by filling out a DD Form 2168 and sending it to one of the following
offices:
Merchant Marine:

Commandant (GMVP-1112)
United States Coast Guard
Washington, DC 20593-000 I

Army Transport Service:

Commander
U.S. Army Reserve Components
Personnel &amp; Administrative Center
(PAS-EENC)
9700 Page Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63132-5200

Naval Transportation Svc:

Naval Military Personnel Command
(NMPC-3)
Navy Department
Washington, DC 20370-5300

SIU Featured on Public TV
An innovative, 12-part television series entitled "Portraits of American
Labor,'' has been produced for distribution in 1988 to public television and
cable TV networks depicting the heritage and contributions of working men
Hosted by Edward Asner, star of
"The Lou Grant Show," the "Mary
Tyler Moore Show," and "The Bronx

Zoo," this new series provides a relevant and timely view of organized
labor in the United States today that
will educate, motivate and inspire both
the millions of union members in the
nation and the general public as well.
The Seafarers International Union
of North America is one of the halfhour programs scheduled.

Forms are available from Veterans Administration offices, Merchant
Marine veterans organizations, and from the offices listed above.

February 1988 I LOG I 3

�Act Now or Pay Later

Defense Report Outlines Steps to Rebuild Fleet
If the United States doesn't start
right now to rebuild its merchant fleet,
drastic and expensive measures will
be needed later.
That's the gist of the recommendations just released by the presidentially-appointed Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense. The
commission's role was to determine
just how the U.S.-flag merchant marine could meet the nation's sealift and
security needs.
The commission's first report outlined the reasons why the merchant
fleet, in its current state, would fall
short in almost any emergency scenario. The main problems it pointed out
were the shrinking number of ships
and manpower and the lack of any
coherent national maritime policy.
The commission calls for seven steps
to rebuild the U.S. fleet to meet defense needs. The recommendations
range from the simple-defining a national maritime policy-to the more
complex-promotional programs ranging from build and charter to subsidy

reform.
The commission warned that if action is not taken soon, the nation could
be faced with the need to impose
stringent commercial cargo preference
laws and direct construction and operating subsidies.
''At one time or another during the
past several years, the SIU has addressed the issues in the commission's
second report. This Union is looking
forward to working with Congress and
the administration to implement these
recommendations that could establish
a well-rounded· maritime program that
will guarantee a merchant fleet and
shipbuilding base big enough to meet
minimal national security needs for
years to come," said SIU President
Frank Drozak.
Drozak pointed out that the recommendations in the report would be
of "minimum cost but maximum benefit." He said he agreed with the
commission's prediction that if action
isn't taken soon, the cost down the
line will be very high.

''Here is a chance to do something
now. The condition of the maritime
industry is no secret. In addition, defense planners and industry experts
have been warning for years that there
are just not enough ships and seamen
to meet any major needs in a conflict,''
Drozak said.
He praised the commission for declaring that the best way to meet
defense needs is through a healthy and
privately-owned merchant marine.
''The sealift component of the national defense effort must be solidly
founded in a privately-owned commercial merchant marine, operating
profitably in the domestic and foreign
commerce of the United States and
capable of carrying a substantial share
of the United States' imports and exports, and in a shipbuilding industry
with adequate ability to construct and
repair the ships required for rapid
expansion of the nation's sealift capability in time of war or national
emergency,'' the commission said.
"The problems of the maritime in-

dustries are complex and pervasive.
The solutions must be multifaceted
and their implementation must be sustained consistently over time, must be
all-encompassing, and must begin with
the imposition of immediate measures.
The nation as a whole should bear a
major portion of the cost of revitalizing
our maritime industries in order to
enable those industries to play their
required part in maintaining our national security,'' the commission said.
"Let there be no doubt that this
nation can no longer view the United
States merchant marine and our maritime industries as 'nice to have'. A
failure to revitalize the industries at
this juncture may be a grave blow to
the nation's security in the future," it
said.
Commission Chairman Jeremiah
Denton said the recommendations are
intended to "make it possible by 1990
to have established favorable trends
in the capacity of our merchant marine
to meet minimum security needs."

eR co mendation

Following are the recommendations made by the Commission on
Defense and the Merchant Marine. These recommendations were taken
from the commission's executive summary of their report.
In its first report, Findings of Fact and Conclusions, dated Sept. 30,
1987, the commission found "clear and growing danger to the national
security in the deteriorating condition of America's maritime industries."
Subsequent developments have done nothing to change that conclusion;
indeed, reactions to the report have underlined the severity and the
urgency of the situation.
In accordance with the mandate given to them in law, in this, their
second report, the commissioners provide recommendations based upon
the study that led to the first report.
The commissioners make seven principal recommendations for legislative action, action by the executive branch, and action by the private
sector:
First, the commissioners recommend that, as the initial step in reversing
the downward trend in the United States maritime industries, the president,
by executive order, state a national policy. The policy should reaffirm the
need of the United States for a strong merchant marine fleet and shipbuilding and ship repair industry, relate that need to national security
and defense requirements, and assign responsibilities to the applicable
federal agencies to take the requested actions.
In their first report, the commissioners concluded that such a policy
statement should include seven points, and they reaffirm that conclusion
as part of the recommendation. For immediate effect, the commissioners
recommend that the president issue a National Security Decision Directive
to direct all federal departments and agencies to take all steps within
their current authority and discretion to preserve and begin the rebuilding
of the United States-flag merchant marine and its supporting United
States shipyard industrial base.
Second, the commissioners recommend that Congress and the administration act decisively and promptly during the second session of the lOOth
Congress to complete ongoing efforts to develop and enact into law a
meaningful Operating Differential Subsidy (ODS) reform package. The
package should ensure more flexible and competitive United States-flag
carrier service, remain within reasonable budgetary constraints, and
function to sustain and expand the contributions of the commercial
merchant marine to the strategic sealift capability of the United States.
The package should allow authority for limited and controlled worldwide
procurement of ships in parallel with implementation of new domestic
commercial shipbuilding programs.
Third, the commissioners recommend the immediate development and
implementation of a "Procure and Charter" program. The program should
be designed to develop preliminary and detail designs for commercially
viable yet militarily useful dry and liquid cargo ships suitable both for
mobilization requirements and for commercial service, should provide
for the construction of prototypes, and should include multi-year construction and procurement of such ships.

4 I LOG I February 1988

The program should, additionally, include changes for laws that currently limit the length of government charters, and should provide for
design and prototypes construction of mobilization ships optimized for
military utility and speed of construction.
The recommendation includes the possible construction of troop transports to be available as mobilization assets and for maritime training;
continuation of improved versions of existing programs of support for
domestic commercial ship construction; tariffreforms to assist the United
States ship repair industry; and efforts to stimulate and promote the
construction of military ships for foreign military sales.
Fourth, the commissioners recommend that the congress and the administration act to create more equitable competitive conditions for the maritime
industries by removing impediments to trade, either through negotiations
or by the imposition of sanctions against foreign countries that discriminate
against the United States, and that the administration incorporate the
interests of United States-flag ship operators in trade negotiations.
Further, the departments of Commerce and Transportation, along with
other government agencies, should develop and implement programs to
encourage United States firms to increase their participation in foreign
trade; the Congress and the departments of Commerce, Transportation,
and Treasury should develop programs to promote greater use of United
States-flag ships by United States firms, including United States owned
subsidiaries located overseas; and the executive .~ranch and Congress
should strengthen and expand existing cargo reservation programs and
legislation to include all government or government-impelled cargo in
order to increase cargo availability for United States-flag ship operators
and to stimulate merchant ship construction in the United States. The
goal of the efforts should be the sustained growth of the percentage of
American foreign commerce carried on United States-flag ships, from
about 4 percent today to at least 8 percent within 10 years.
Fifth, the commissioners recommend that the administration and Congress
support and improve the existing cabotage laws (commonly referred to
collectively as the Jones Act) and resist any attempts either to weaken or
to eliminate them. Simultaneously, the administration and Congress should
develop and implement measures to provide ship operators in the Jones
Act trade with incentives to improve the quality and military utility of
their ships and should, if the potential benefits are found to exceed the
costs, extend the Jones Act to require the use of United States-flag
tankers for any voyage beginning and ending within the United States
200 nautical mile Economic Exclusion Zone in order to preserve that
essentially domestic trade for United States-flag militarily useful tankers
and their United States citizen crews. In addition, the administration and
Congress should retain and enforce the current laws that effectively
prohibit the export of United States produced oil, and studies should be
made of the costs and benefits of extending the Jones Act to the Virgin
Islands and of extending the Jones Act to cover commercial activities.
(Continued on Page 7.)

�Effective Manning Is the Key to a New
Revitalization Of the U.S. Maritime Industry
This is the fourth in a series of
commentaries on the changes that
have taken place in shipboard manning and new concepts in manning
and productivity.

* * *
On Nov. 2-4, 1987, the U.S. Maritime Administration hosted a conference at the Merchant Marine Academy
in Kings Point, N.Y. which was attended by executives of nearly every
major U.S. -flag shipping company, the
Coast Guard and leaders of maritime
labor organizations. The purpose: to
take a frank and open look at the
competitive position of the U .S.-flag
maritime industry, particularly as it
relates to shipboard manning.
The conference was put together by
Cornell University. In its announcement of and invitation to the threeday meeting, MARAD allowed as how
both industry and some maritime unions
have worked out manning innovations, but suggested that further adjustments are needed if the industry
is to be competitive in the world market.
Unfortunately, not all of maritime
labor attended the meeting: it would
have been helpful to have had their
experience and insights expressed. The
discussions were candid and open.
And while none of those who attended
agreed with all of the opinions and
recommendations that were offered,
it was important that all segments of
our industry have an opportunity to
discuss and debate their viewpoints.

"Effective Manning"
One general consensus that emerged
from the conference, though not unanimous, was that competitive manning
is a misleading label, and that the true
focus of the conference should be on
effective manning. And it was argued
right from the beginning by SIU President Frank Drozak that effective manning does not mean smaller crews, but
rather a more flexible and productive
use of existing crews.
All of the conference participants
were aware of the renewed interest,
particularly among the fleets of Norway, Holland and Japan, in general
purpose manning and the cross-utilization of unlicensed crewmembers who
would be responsible for safe navigation at sea as well as underway maintenance and repair work on deck and
in the engineroom. Much of their focus
centered on this concept of general
purpose crews as one of the ways in
which the industry can become more
competitive. In their conclusions,
however, all of those who attended
the conference recognized that labor
costs are only one element of the
picture.
While they concluded that the implementation of general purpose crewing and the use of riding crews could
offer significant economic benefits to
the shipowners by eliminating the need
for expensive shoreside ''bicycle
shops," they recognized two other

significant factors:
• The U .S.-flag maritime industry
is in a unique position in that it has
both commercial and national defense
obligations. This means that to look
only to reducing crew size to reduce
operating costs runs counter to the
national defense requirement for an
adequate seafaring manpower pool.
• Experience has shown that without enlightened government support
in terms of both cargo and subsidy,
U .S.-flag operators will never be able
to compete against either the flag-ofconvenience fleets with their substandard wages and conditions, or
against the heavily state-supported
fleets of other maritime nations.
Following adjournment, the conference established five on-going committees to further explore the issues
raised during the sessions.
Among the five is the Statutory and
Regulatory Committee, chaired by SIU
President Frank Drozak, Exxon Shipping President Frank Iarossi, and U.S.
Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Kime.
It will explore ways to reduce existing
crossover and three-watch restrictions

as they apply to underway vessel
maintenance and repair. This committee will hold its first meeting March 1,
and Drozak has urged all maritime
labor organizations to attend and participate.
The other committees which were
set up are: Effective Use of Existing
Manning, Multi-Unions, Get Cargo,
and the Ship of the Future.
In urging fuller participation in this
dialogue, Drozak said: "In my judgment, all of us in maritime labor must
take a hard and realistic look at the
current state of our ailing industry. In
order to compete in an increasingly
hostile international world market, the
U.S.-flag maritime industry is in need
of responsible and effective governmental assistance. However, we also
need to look at our own manning
practices. One by one, our foreign
competitors are moving toward a dual
purposes shipboard crew to perform
vessel operation and underway maintenance activities. This is what the
committee intends to address: the role
of flexibility in an effective manning
environment.''

Drozak stressed that there are no
hidden agendas, and that there needs
to be full expression of ideas from all
sectors of maritime labor. He said: "I
do not pretend to have all the answers,
nor do I know what the eventual outcome of these meetings will be. I do
feel that on issues which affect manning it is my responsibility to assume
an active role and to seek the comments and suggestions of the leaders
of all unions, licensed and unJicenced. ,, .

* * *
This, then, is the trend. Whether we
like it or not, changes they are 'acoming. We in the SIU have always faced
the hard facts, and made the right
decisions. We have been able to do
this because our membership is informed and united. Another of our
strengths has been that we have always participated in changes within
our industry rather than avoid our
responsibilities. Pretty much we managed to control our destiny, rather
than be the victims of it.

Senate Ratifies ILO Conventions
With the backing of the SIU, the
Senate, for the first time in 35 years,
overwhelming ratified two International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions. Convention No. 147 sets up
minimum worldwide standards for
seafarers, and No. 144 establishes a
tripartite consultation system of labor,
management and government on matters relating to the ILO.
"By ratifying these two conventions, the U.S. sends a clear signal
that it intends to play a central role in
the ILO efforts to raise living and
working standards worldwide," said
Stephen I. Schlossberg, director of the
ILO's Washington branch.
SIU President Frank Drozak praised
the Senate's action. "The ILO is an
important organization and it's gratifying that after so long, the U.S. can
throw its support behind these conventions. The SIU and other unions
have been active in the ILO for years
and now with this, we can say the
U.S. government is too."
U.S. maritime law supersedes the
minimum seafaring standards set up
in No. 147. But enforcement of these
standards could have a beneficial effect on U.S. seafarers by raising
worldwide safety and pay standards
and narrowing the cost gap between
seamen from traditional maritime
countries and those from the underdeveloped nations.
In a statement prepared for the Senate, Drozak said:
''The SIU welcomes ratification of
ILO Convention No. 147 since it constitutes an acceptable, albeit minimal,
international standard for employment
of seafarers on vessels engaged in
maritime transport. The need for an
international instrument on the maintenance of minimum standards on vessels cannot be disputed. Worldwide
cases of abuse and criminal activity

by unscrupulous shipowners who engage seafarers from countries with
subsistence economies at very low
wage rates and few other social advantages are widespread.
"Cost savings achieved by ignoring
standards at sea is a certain formula
for human misery, unreliable crews
and lost ships. Well-trained professionals will not accept such conditions
of employment; that is the reason that
most substandard vessels or vessels
under fly-by-night registries are often
manned by unskilled, poverty stricken
nationals of developing countries for
whom a job at sea appears to represent
a chance for betterment, but which in
fact often represents further impoverishment.
''The close relationship between
safety at sea and conditions of employment cannot be underestimated.
Vessels registered under traditional
maritime flags have lower loss rates
because of higher training standards
and government enforced operating
regulations. The stark contrast be-

tween the limited losses among traditional maritime nations with high
manning and safety standards and acceptable conditions of employment and
the high-loss record of convenience
registries with no crew restrictions and
little or no safety and training enforcement is perhaps the most compelling
reasons for ratification of minimal international standards as found in ILO
Convention 147."
ILO Deputy Director General David
Taylor, ranking American official in
the Geneva-based organization, hailed
the Senate's "historically important"
action while in the country on official
business.
"One cannot stress how crucial it
is for the United States to show the
rest of the world the importance the
nation attaches to international labor
standards," T_a ylor said. "This decisive action by. the Senate underscores
the U.S. commitment to the ILO and
its broad programs for human rights
and progress."

Pensioners
The following SIU members have
retired on pension:
DEEP SEA
Algonac
Gerard A. Doering
Houston
Marion E. Beeching
Jacksonville
Antonio Llanes
Mobile
Jack A. Olsen
New Orleans
Virgil S. Alford, Jr.
New York
Standmore Bell

Benjamin Freeman
Humberto Ortiz
Peter Semyk
Seattle
Pedro Cortez
Peter E. Dolan

SUPPORT

SPAD
February 1988 I LOG I 5

�•

I

e

The W-2's have been mailed and
April 15 may seem a long way away,
but it has a habit of sneaking up. There
have been some changes in the U.S.
tax laws. Here, from the IRS are the
important changes, also an explanation of long-trip tax problems Seafarers may have.
Consult your tax booklet from the
IRS for step-by-step filing instructions.

Important Tax Law
Changes
These changes are a result of the Tax
Reform Act of 1986. They apply to
tax years beginning after 1986, unless
otherwise noted.
Reduced Tax Rates. Most of the rates
have been reduced and the rate structure has been simplified; for 1987 there
are only .five tax rates ranging from
11% to 38.5%.
Increased Exemption Amount. For 1987
the deduction allowed for each exemption is $1,900 (up from $1,080).
Increased Standard Deduction. The
standard deduction (formerly the zero
bracket amount) has increased for most
individuals.
Age 65 or Over or Blind? The additional personal exemption for individuals who are age 65 or over or blind
is no longer allowed. However, if you
were 65 or over or blind and you do
not itemize your deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040), your standard deduction is generally more than that
allowed to other nonitemizers. See
Standard Deduction for Persons Age 65
or Over or Blind for details.
Social Security Numbers of Dependents. If you claim any person age 5 or
over as a dependent, show that person's social security number on your
return. If your dependent does not
have a number, see the instructions
for line 6c.
New Rules for Children and Other
Dependents. If you can be claimed as
a dependent on another person's return (such as your parents' return),
the following rules apply:
• You may have to file a return for
1987 if your gross income is more than
$500. (See Children and Other Dependents for details.)
• You cannot take an exemption for
yourself.
• Your standard deduction may be
limited. (See Standard Deduction for
Children and Other Dependents for
details.)
Increased Earned Income Credit. For
1987 the income limit is $15,432 and
the credit can be as much as $851. See
the instuctions for line 56 for more
details.
Repealed Tax Benefits. The following
benefits are no longer allowed:
• Dividend exclusion.
• Capital gain deduction of 60% for
long-term capital gains.
6 I LOG I February 1988

•

a

• Partial exclusion of unemployment
compensation.
• Deduction for a married couple when
both work (Schedule W (Form 1040)).
• State and local sales tax deduction.
• Charitable contribution deduction
for nonitemizers.
• Income averaging method to figure
your tax (Schedule G (Form 1040)).
• Partial credit for political contributions.
Maximum Tax on Capital Gains-28%.
If you have a net capital gain, your
tax may be less if you can use the

Alternative Tax Computation on
Schedule D (Form 1040) to figure your
tax. See Part IV of Schedule D to see
if you qualify.
Filing Requirements. Generally, the
amount of income you can have before
you are required to file a return has
increased. See Who Must File for the
new income levels.
Tax on Investment Income of Children
Under Age 14. For 1987 children under
age 14 who have more than $1,000 of
investment income (such as taxable
interest or dividends) will generally
pay tax on such income at their parents' tax rate. The children's other
income, if any, will be taxed at their
own tax rate. See Form 8615 under
the line 37 instructions.
Alternative Minimum Tax. The tax rate
has been increased to 21 % and several
tax preference items have been added
or deleted. See the instructions for
line 49 for more details.
Travel, Meal and Entertainment Expenses. Generally, only 80% of your
qualified meal and entertainment expenses may be deducted. Meals do
not qualify unless certain requirements are met. The rules regarding
travel as education, luxury water travel,
convention expenses and tickets for
entertainment have also changed. Get
Publication 463, Travel, Entertainment, and Gift Expenses, for details.
Employee Business Expenses. Generally, your unreimbursed business expenses are allowed only as a miscellaneous itemized deduction on Schedule
A (Form 1040) and only to the extent
they exceed 2% of your adjusted gross
income. Get Publication 463 for details.
Individual Retirement Arrangements
(IRAs). Generally, if you were not
covered by your employer's retirement plan, you may still deduct up to
$2,000 of your IRA contributions but
not more than your earned income.
However, if you were covered by a
Tetirement plan at work, your IRA
deduction may be reduced or eliminated. Nondeductible contributions
may now be made to IRAs. See the
instructions for line 24a and 24b for
details.
Moving Expenses. Moving expenses
are allowed only as an itemized deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040).
Medical and Dental Expenses. You may
deduct medical and deRtal expenses
that are more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.

Self-Employed Health Insurance Costs.
If you were self-employed, you may

be able to deduct as an adjustment to
income up to 25% of the amount paid
for health insurance for you, your
spouse, and dependents. See the instructions for line 25 for details.
Tax-Exempt Interest Income. If you
are required to file a return, any taxexempt interest income you received
or exempt-interest dividends you received from a mutual fund or other
regulated investment company must
be listed on your return. See the instructions for line 9 for details.
Interest Expense• Home mortgage interest on your
residence is generally fully deductible.
However, interest on a mortgage taken
out after August 16, 1986, may not be
fully deductible. See the Schedule A
instructions for lines 9a and 9b for
details.
• For 1987 only 65% of personal interest (such as interest on car loans
and credit card balances for personal
expenses) is deductible.
• Investment interest (such as interest
on a loan used to buy stock) is generally deductible to the extent it does
not exceed your net investment income.

A major tax beef by seamen is
that normally taxes are not withheld
on earnings in the year they earned
the money, but in the year the
payoff took place.
For example, a seaman who signed
on for a five-month trip in September 1986, paying off in January
1987, would have all the five months'
earnings appear on his 1987 W-2
even though his actual 1987 earnings might be less than those in
1986.
There are ways to minimize the
impacts of this situation. For example, while on the ship in 1986,
the Seafarer undoubtedly took draws
and may have sent allotments home.
These can be reported as 1986 income.
Unfortunately, this raises another complication. The seaman who
reports these earnings in 1986 will
not have a W-2 (withholding statement) covering them. He will have
to list all allotments, draws and
slops on the tax return and explain
why he doesn't have a W-2 for
them. Furthermore, since no tax
will have been withheld on these

Personals

For more details, see the Schedule
A instructions for lines 9a through 13
Allocation of Interest Expense. Whether
your interest expense is subject to the
new limits that apply to personal and
investment interest depends on how
and when the loan proceeds were used.
Special rules apply in determining the
type of interest paid on loan proceeds
deposited in a personal account (such
as a checking account). For more details, get Publication 545, Interest Expense.
Other Changes. The rules regarding
the following items have also changed:
• Depreciation and section t 79 deduction (get Publication 534, Depreciation).
• Office in the home (get Publication
587, Business Use of Your Home).
• Tax treatment of scholarships (get
Publication 520, Scholarships and Fellowships).
Additional Information. If you want
more information about these and other
tax law changes, get Publication 553,
Highlights of 1987 Tax changes, or
Publication 920, Explanation of the
Tax Reform Act of 1986 for individuals.

earnings in 1986, he will have to
pay the full tax on them with his
return, at 11 percent or upwards,
depending on his tax bracket. The
earnings will show up on his 1987
W-2. The seaman then, on his 1987
return would have to explain that
he had reported some of his earnings in 1986 and paid taxes on them.
He would get a tax refund accordingly.
In essence, the seaman would
pay taxes twice on the same income
and get a refund a year later. While
this will save the seaman some tax
money in the long run, it means he
is out-of-pocket on some of his
earnings for a full year until he gets
the refund . .
Ths procedure would also undoubtedly cause Internal Revenue
to examine his returns, since the
income reported would not coincide
with his W-2 forms.
That raises the question, is this
procedure justified? It is justified
only if a seaman had very little
income in one year and very considerable income the next. Otherwise the tax saving is minor and
probably not worth the headache.

PRESERVE UNION BENEFITS

Al Stewart
Please pick up your gear in Las
Vegas.
-Mike Klepies
Steven Cornwell
Please get in touch with Samuel
and Gloria Moore. Very important.
(301) 843-8325.

KEEP ON BUYING AMERICAN

\

�Cheaper by the Dozen-Sea-Land Buys Econships
Seafarers will crew the world's largest containerships starting next month
if Sea-Land's proposal for the 12 former U.S. Lines Econships meets government approval.
Sea-Land bought the 12 giant vessels earlier this month. They had been
idle since U.S. Lines declared bankruptcy in 1986. Reports are that the
company paid about $13-14 million
per ship. The Korean-built containerships originally cost about $47 million each.
An unusual aspect of the deal is the
chartering agreements Sea-Land en-

tered into with two foreign-flag companies, the British Trans-Freight Lines
(TFL) and the Dutch Nedlloyd Lines.
In addition to chartering space on each
ship, TFL will time-charter three ships
and Nedlloyd two. But Sea-Land will
own and manage the five time-chartered ships and each will fly the U.S.
flag and carry U.S. crews.
The new ships, which will be called
Atlantic class vessels, will operate on
three routes--between American North
Atlantic ports and the United Kingdom and Northern Europe; between
the U.S. East Coast and the Mediter-

Coast Guard Budget Cuts
Could Have Safety Impact
Ship traffic in New York Harbor,
Valdez, Alaska and New Orleans is
going to become a little trickier in
April. That's when the Coast Guard,
faced with a $100 million budget cut,
will close its Vessel Traffic Service in
those ports.
In addition to those closings, the
Coast Guard will be forced to close
nine search and rescue stations, cancel
all routine search and rescue patrols
and curtail its drug interception program by 50 percent. Fourteen marine
safety offices will be shut down and
eight others will face reductions. More
than 1,000 people will lose their jobs
by September.
There is a move afoot in Washington

to restore some of the money to the
service's budget, but it has met some
opposition.
The curtailment of the drug smuggling interceptions has caused a stir.
Routine Coast Guard patrols accounted for about 90 percent of the
arrests the service made for smuggling. Those arrests accounted for the
seizure of more than half all the cocaine seized last year.
The effect on New York Harbor
traffic could be large. Currently the
Coast Guard monitors about 700 vessel movements a day by radar, radio
and television in the busy port. If the
Vessel Traffic Service is closed, all
merchant ships, tugs and ~erries will

(Continued from Page 4.)
conducted within the 200 nautical mile Economic Exclusion Zone.
Sixth, the commissioners recommend that the Department of Defense, in
conjunction with the Federal Maritime Commission and the Maritime
Administration, change the method for solicitation for procurement of
ocean transportation services to a stable rate system based on the established
tariff rates use for commercial shippers. The commissioners also recommend that the Department of Defense and the Department of the Navy
review all policies, instructions, and take appropriate actions to correct
and balance the effects of the implementation of programs to the maximum
extent allowed by law.
Seventh, the commissioners recommend that the federal government
initiate and spearhead a joint public and private effort to improve business
efficiency by elimination of unnecessary rules and regulations, by identification of areas for improvement of efficiency and productivity, by advancing
intermodalism, and through development and interchange of ideas. That
effort should take the form of the creation of ''Task Forces'' on American
Maritime Efficiency, on American Shipyard Efficiency, and on Intermodal
Transportation Policy and Development. The commissioners also recommend the encouragement of cooperative and shared research and
development funding efforts between the maritime industries and government, and the establishment of a Department of Transportation
sponsored program for industry interaction and industry and government
consultation.
In addition, the commissioners believe that efforts must be continued
to define and validate the requirements for strategic and economic support
sealift, and to specify the resources existing or needed to meet the
requirement. To that end, the commissioners have stated several specific
areas for examination by the Department of Defense and the Department
of Transportation.
Finally, regarding possible future recommendations, the commissioners
underscore the alarming deterioration in the maritime industries and
emphasize the need for immediate action. If sufficient progress cannot be
made by both industry and government, there may be no alternative to
more drastic and less efficient measures, including the imposition of cargo
reservation measures on commercial cargoes. The commissioners reaffirm
their belief that the sealift component of the national defense effort must
be solidly founded in a privately owned commercial merchant marine
operating profitability in the domestic and foreign commerce of the United
States, and in a shipbuilding industry with adequate ability to construct
and repair the ships required for rapid expansion of the nation's sealift
capability in time of war or national emergency.

ranean and between U.S. Gulf and
South Atlantic Ports and the Mediterranean.
Sea-Land is expected to transfer its
D-9s to the company's Pacific routes
and move other ships in its fleet around.
There is also indication the older C4s may be laid up.
SIU President Frank Drozak said
Sea-Land's purchase of the ships would
not increase the total number of jobs
with Sea-Land but could improve job
security by strengthening the company's economic position.

The company plans to modify each
ship to increase its speed from 16 to
19 knots. One of the criticisms of the
ships when U.S. Lines operated them
was the slowness of the vessels. Also,
the ships will be modified to carry
more 20-foot containers and reefer
boxes. Built originally to carry 4,200
TEUs, the three carriers have agreed
to limit the ships' capacity to 3,400
TEUs.
The Federal Maritime Commission
must approve the plans for the chartering agreements, and indications are
the commission will do so.

WWI I Historian Seeks Help
Captain Arthur R. Moore, World War II Merchant Marine historian,
is looking for survivors of the following ships in an attempt to find out
more details of their loss. He would especially like to find the names of
the four or five men lost when the Cassimir went down.
MS Oregon, sunk in collision with USS New Mexico (17 men lost off
Oregon) on Dec . 10, 1941.
MS Cassimir, sunk in collision with Grace Line SS Lara on Feb. 26,
1942.
SS Dixie Sword, sunk in a gale on Nantucket Shoals on Feb. 12, 1942.
SS Brazos , sunk in collision with HMS Archer on Jan. 13, 1942.
SS San Jose, sunk in collision with SS Santa Elisa on Jan. 17, 1942.

Capt. Moore can be reached at: Rt. #1, Box 210, Hallowell, Maine
04347.
have to rely on each other to avoid
mishaps.
The Coast Guard said that normally
about two-thirds of the ships keep in
touch with the voluntary tracking service each day. In b d weather almost

all ships use the service.
The Coast Guard also plans to decommission two ice breakers, close
the Chicago Air Station and phase out
its Curtis Bay Yard near Baltimore,
Md.

Burial at Sea

Foote, MC&amp;S Stalwart Dies
The crew of the SS Galveston (SeaLand Service) assembled on the fantail
Oct. 1, 1987 to bid farewell to an old
shipmate, George Laurence Foote.
Foote, 76, died Sept. 6, 1987 in Portland, Ore. Before his retirement, the
former Marine Cooks and Stewards
Union official was a patrolman in the
port of San Francisco and a port agent
in Portland. He sailed in the steward
department in all capacities-on passenger and cargo liners alike.
The entry in the Galveston's log for

Oct. I reads: On this day at 1527 while
at latitude 49°-20'N and longitude 126°52'W, the SS Galveston was stopped
to lay to rest at sea the remains of an
old shipmate, George Laurence Foote,
in 74 fathoms of water. The crew was
mustered on the fantail for final words
of farewell. rhree long blasts were
sounded on the ship's whistle.
The service at sea was arranged by
his son-in-law, Chief Mate C. Tinsley.
Foote is survived by his wife, Genevieve K. Foote.

Former Marine Cooks &amp; Stewards patrolman and port agent George Laurence Foote was
buried at sea by the crew of the Sea-La.nd Galveston.

February 1988 I LOG I 7

�Area Vice Presidents' Report

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike Sacco

T

HE Great Lakes maritime industry has all but come to a standstill
with the onset of winter. Many Great
Lakes seamen use this time to upgrade; I use it to take inventory.
All in all, it was a good year for
maritime up here. The Great Lakes
Task Force, led by Mel Pelfry of
District 2, was in the forefront in the
fight to get transportation excluded
from the provisions of the Canada Free
Trade Agreement. Had we not been
successful, the future of the entire
U .S.-flag fleet would have been jeopardized.
Activity on the Lakes was up slightly
from last year. In addition, the heads
of the port facilities in this region made
great progress in marketing the Great
Lakes maritime industry.
Few people outside the region understand how central the maritime industry in this region is to this country's
economic and security interests. Industry in the Great Lakes has been
traditionally recognized as ''The Arsenal of Democracy.'' American ships
and American seamen make that arsenal readily transferable .o verseas.
The economic well-being of the Midwest is tied to its maritime industry,
and vice versa. One of the unresolved
issues facing the industry is the deterioration of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
If the Great Lakes maritime industry
is to reach its full potential, then the
Seaway must be renovated.
One of the big issues facing shippers
in this region is user fees. We continue
to oppose the imposition of any additional fees, especially since shippers
here have to pay for the upkeep of the
St. Lawrence Seaway.
The dredging industry received a
boost in the arm from enactment of
the Port Development Act. Yet the
shipbuilding industry has continued to
deteriorate at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, it does not receive an
equitable share of the Department of
Defense shipbuilding dollars. Only 3
percent of the Navy's construction
budget is spent here.
One of the most satisfying developments of the past year was the
ability of American and Canadian seamen to work together on issues of
importance. The SIU of Canada played
an instrumental role in our success on
the Canadian Free Trade issue, and a
growing number of their members are
using our training facilities in Piney
Point to upgrade their skills.
The issues facing seamen today travel
across international boundaries; the
movement toward flag-of-convenience
registries in developed countries makes
it imperative that we continue to forge
strong ties with our counterparts
abroad.
8 I LOG I February 1988

{;;;..

East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

S

IUNA Vice-President Jack Caffey
has been appointed to the six-man
executive board of the New York State
Federation of the AFL-CIO. This gives
the SIU a strong voice in formulating
grassroots policy.
The group is busy preparing for the
upcoming presidential election. In addition, it takes a stand on local issues,
many of which are important to our
members.
Right now the committee is studying
the problems facing retired workers in
the region. They are looking into such
complex issues as housing and health
care.
These are important issues to many
of our pensioners in the area. No one
can walk into the Brooklyn hall without seeing the familiar faces of George
Alexander and Joe Powers, retired
SIU members who played an important role in many of this Union's early
beefs.
Our retired members are quite proud
of the decision to grant veterans status
to seamen who served in World War
II. The fact that the federal government dragged its heels for 43 years
does not diminish the honor. Vietnam
veterans did not need a memorial to
validate their patriotism; correspondingly, with or without recognition from
the Department of Defense, merchant
seamen who served in World War II
would have been heroes.
Still, the honor is welcome and long
overdue. Columnist James Kilpatrick
said it best when he wrote , "merchant
seamen wrote a valiant chapter in the
history of warfare at sea ... most of
them will get only a flag and a headstone in a military cemetery ... (but)
at last they are to be counted as
veterans."

Government Services
by V. P. Buck Mercer

T

HE OMB Circular A-76 Program,
the process by which private

steamship companies can bid on the
right to operate MSC ships, has had a
drastic, adverse effect on the Military
Sealift Command. So much so that in
their determination to stay in the bid
war against private operators, MSC
has come up with a Management Efficiency Study of Cable Operations
Ships that calls for (1) crew reductions,
(2) licensed officers doing unlicensed
crews work, (3) cafeteria-style feeding, (4) change in working hours and
(5) elimination of most overtime, as
well as other recommendations that if
put into practice would change the
entire concept of the working order of
the maritime industry.
Throughout their efficiency study,
MSC refers to changes that have been
accomplished in the commercial industry. However, MSC failed to mention that changes in the commercial
maritime industry came about because
of new mechanized equipment and
through negotiations-and were agreed
to by the companies and the unions
involved.
The same can be said of shipboard
maintenance where their study has
knocked out maintenance billets and
expects licensed officers to do the
work that rightfully belongs to unlicensed personnel.
Cafeteria-style mess facilities that
have been recommended and put into
practice by MSC are in evidence on
the USNS Albert J. Myer. We have
reports that sanitation aboard that ship
has been forgotten and that when the
vessel left the shipyard, the salad bar
was left on the dock. The USNS Neptune, which has yet to go to the shipyard for cafeteria modifications, is
feeding cafeteria-style with crewmembers trepsing through the galley in
order to pick up their food.
By using the cafeteria-style concept,
MSC figures to reduce steward department personnel as well as eliminate most overtime payments to remaining stewards. Here again, while
commercial steamship companies did
reduce steward personnel by virtue of
cafeteria-style feeding, overtime payments increased considerably.
Their recommendations also included reductions in deck and engine
officer personnel as well as the unlicensed crew, while requiring watch
personnel, officers and crew to perform work while on watch.
The smart boys who sit in their ivory
towers in Washington D.C. and do
these efficiency studies and make their
recommendations probably have never
been in a cable tanker pulling 21-quad
cable for a watch. These highly-paid
efficiency experts use the old meat-ax
approach in their recommendations in
an attempt to reduce overhead costs
of about 2 million dollars per year, all
at the expense of their marine personnel.
If, indeed, all these recommendations were put into practice, just how
long does MSC think their manpower
pool would remain loyal to MSC? If
MSC deserts their marine personnel,
it follows that their marine personnel
will leave MSC.

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

T

HE most striking thing about the
1988 presidential election is that
the 13 declared candidates have agreed
on only one thing: education.
Every single expert agrees that the
United States can remain competitive
in international markets only by improving the quality of its educational
facilities. I have studied most proposals in this area and have found
them lacking.
Almost all the studies deal with
traditional educational facilities. Yet
the question remains, how do you save
beleaguered American industries by
improving the quality of education?
What is the correlation?
Most existing schools are geared to
train students before they enter the
marketplace, or to retrain them after
an industry relocates overseas. Very
few focus their attention on improving
the skills of their students so that an
American industry can remain competitive.
That is why I believe that schools
such as the Harry Lundeberg School
represent the next stage in the development of American education. Our
mission is unique: to train our workers
so that they can enable an American
industry to survive.
Progress has been slow but steady.
It is hard to believe, but 20 years ago
the Harry Lundeberg School was
nothing more than a series of empty
barracks. The officials of this Union
built the school the hard way, with
their own hands.
I spent months dredging the channels of the St. George's River so that
sophisticated maritime training facilities could be anchored at the school.
Each pier was nailed one board at a
time; and the same was true of the
curriculum.
Today, we have a school which
boasts some of the finest maritime
facilities in the country. The Army
and Navy come to Piney Point to make
use of the Haaglund Crane. Our simulator is the most advanced you can
train on.
We have some of the finest instructors in the world. An upgrader who
takes Refrigeration with Eric Malzkuhm is receiving an education second
to none.
Still, it is the responsibility of every
upgrader to make the school work for
him. It is up to you to define your
goals; to understand conditions in the
industry so that you can adequately
prepare for them. No one else will do
it for you.
In order to protect their job security,
seamen today have to be able to operate in both the deck and engine
departments. Cross-utilization is a fact
of life. So are computers and sophis(Continued on Page 19.)

�profiles

In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will
highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national
and maritime policy.

Rep. Joseph E.
Brennan

Rep. Thomas C.
Sawyer

W

T

ITH the exception of one area,
all of Maine's most populous
and Democratic counties lie in the 1st
District-including Portland, Maine's
largest city, and Augusta, the state
capital.
Representing this district in the 1OOth
Congress is Joseph E. Brennan (DMaine), born and raised in Portland.
Brennan served two years in the U.S.
Army and then graduated from Boston
College with a degree in economics.
He returned to Maine to receive his
law degree from the University of
Maine Law School in 1963.
Brennan started his political career
in 1964, serving three terms in the
Maine House of Representatives. He
left the legislature in 1970 for two years
after winning the election as district
attorney for Cumberland County and
then returned to the legislature, serving one term in the Maine Senate.
Following two years as the state's
attorney general, Brennan was elected
governor of Maine, serving two, fouryear terms. In his 1982 re-election,
Brennan became the first Democrat
since the Civil War to win every Maine
county in a gubernatorial election.
As governor, Brennan served three
terms on the National Governors' Association Executive Committee. He
also served as 1982 chairman of the
New England Governors' Conference
and co-chairman of the New England
Governors-Eastern Canadian Premiers. He began his second term by
pushing successfully for partial repeal
of a tax indexing initiative and in 1984
won passage of an expensive educational package. One issue in the legislature at that time was worker com-

Rep. Joseph Brennan
pensation. While there was widespread
agreement among state officials that
the cost of the program had to be
reduced if Maine were to remain an
attractive site for business, there was
a split among the Democrats on how
to proceed-and Gov. Brennan riled
organized labor at that time by advocating a series of changes that limited
worker benefits.
In his first term as congressman
from Maine, Brennan was named deputy Whip for the House Democrats
and was appointed to the House Armed
Services Committee. He also serves
on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries
Committee and is one of 83 members
of the Congressional Maritime Caucus
(established in 1984 by House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Chairman
Walter B. Jones, to recruit congressional members and to educate both
members and staff about the plight of
the U.S. Merchant Marine). Last summer at the Maine Fishermen's Wives
Annual Blessing of the Fleet, Brennan
said, "A fisherman's work is hard,
dangerous, and incredibly important
to our economy and our way of life in
Maine. I want to listen to your concerns and do what I can to help the
fishing industry in my new role as a
member of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee.''

SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT FOR GREAT LAKES
TUG AND DREDGE PENSION FUND

HE rubber capital of the worldthat's the 14th district of Ohio.
For located within the district's confines are the corporate headquarters
of the Goodyear, Goodrich, Firestone
and General Tire companies, as well
as major trucking firms and defense
contractors.
And representing the 14th districtone of the most democratic districts
in the state-is Thomas C. Sawyer (DOhio), a lifelong resident of Akron.
Sawyer received a B .A. and M.A.
degree from the University of Akron.
After graduation, he taught in the public school system and later served as
an administrator at a state school for
delinquent boys.
In 1976 he ran successfully for the
Ohio House of Representatives. As
chairman of the House Education
Committee, Sawyer provided leadership in Ohio's educational policies and
represented the House on the Board
of Regents for the governance of higher
education. He distinguished himself
with a record of achievement in economic development, health and human
services, public utility reform, tax reform, statewide budgeting and civil
service law.
With a good record behind him,
Sawyer was elected mayor of Akron.
Under his administration, the city improved budget practices, boosted the
delivery of police, water, sewer, health,
highway and other municipal services,
and was the only major city in Ohio
not to ask for a tax hike during his
term of office. (In fact, under the
Sawyer administration, property taxes
in the city of Akron were actually
lowered.)

Rep. Thomas Sawyer
In January 1986, Sawyer announced
his candidacy for the 14th congressional district seat being vacated by
retiring Congressman John Seiberling.
In his first countywide race, Sawyer
won the Democratic party's nomination with more than 49 percent of the
vote in a tough eight-way primary
contest-and then won the general
election with 54 percent over a popular
two-term county prosecutor.
Upon his election to the U.S. House
of Representatives, Sawyer was named
to the Committees on Education and
Labor, Government Operations, and
the Select Committee on Children,
Youth and Families. He also was
elected a member of the Executive
Committee of the powerful Democratic Study Group, the oldest legislative support organization in Congress.
Among the pieces of legislation
sponsored or co-sponsored by Rep.
Sawyer is H.R. 1958, which he introduced last spring. H.R. 1958, the Critical Skills Improvement Act of 1987,
would allocate $400 million to math
and science education in our high
schools. It passed the House by a vote
of 401 to 1 and was the first major
piece of legislation sponsored by a
freshman member to be passed by the
lOOth Congress.

it funded in accordance with the minimum funding standards of ERISA.
YOUR RIGHTS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
You have the right to receive a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof, on
request. The items listed below are included in that report:

This is a summary of the annual report of the Great Lakes Tug and Dredge Pension
Fund EIN 13-1953878 for the year ended Dec. 31, 1986. The annual report has been
filed with the Internal Revenue Service, as required under the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).
BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT

Benefits under the plan are provided by the Trust.
Plan expenses were $567 ,341. These expenses included $135 ,033 in administrative
expenses and $432,308 in benefits paid to participants and beneficiaries. A total of 527
persons were participants in or beneficiaries of the plan at the end of the plan year,
although not all of these persons had yet earned the right to receive benefits.
The value of plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the plan, was $11,843,247 as of
December 3 I, I 986, compared to $10,540,242 as of January I, I 986.
During the plan year the plan experienced an increase in its net assets of $1,303,005.
This increase included unrealized appreciation in the value of pfan assets; that is, the
difference between the value of plan assets at the end of the year and the price the
plan originally paid for those assets. The plan had total income of $1,748,997, including
employer contributions of $232, 138, employer contributions of $83 ,055, gains of $652,082
from the sale of assets, and earnings from investments of $781,722.
MINIMUM FUNDING STANDARDS

An actuary's statement shows that enough money was contributed to the plan to keep

1.
2.
3.
4.

An Accountant's reports
Assets held for investment
Transactions in excess of 3 percent of plan assets
Actuarial information regarding the funding of the Plan.

To obtain a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof, write or call the office
of Mr. Leo Bonser, who is the Plan Administrator, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
MD 20746 (301) 899-0675.
The charge to cover copying costs will be $1.80 for the full annual report, or $.10 per
page for any part thereof.
You also have the right to receive from the plan administrator, on request and at no
charge, a statement of the assets and liabilities of the plan and accompanying notes,
or a statement of income and expenses of the plan and accompanying notes, or both.
If you request a copy of the full annual report from the plan administrator, these two
statements and accompanying notes will be included as part of that report. The charge
to cover copying costs given above does not include a charge for the copying of these
portions of the report because these portions are furnished without charge.
You also have the legally protected right to examine the annual report at the main
office of the plan at 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, MD 20746 and at the U. S.
Department of Labor in Washington, D. C., or to obtain a copy from the U. S.
Department of Labor upon payment of copying costs. Requests to the Department
should be addressed to: Public Disclo ure Room, N4677, Pension and Welfare Benefit
Programs, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C.
20216.

February 1988 I LOG I 9

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1
;

NLRB Charges McAllister
With Unfair Labor Practice
SIU boatmen who have been on
strike against McAllister Brothers
Towing operations in three ports are
a step closer to winning that fight. The
National Labor Relations Board has
issued unfair labor practice charges
against the company for the way it
bargained before a strike began last
October.
The NLRB upheld the Union• s
charges that McAllister, which employed about 150 tug crewmen in Baltimore, Norfolk and Philadelphia, refused to provide the financial information needed by the Union so it
could conduct its bargaining with the
company.
The company, which operates as
McAllister Brothers in Norfolk and
Philadelphia and as Baker-Whiteley in
Baltimore, claimed during the negotiations that its financial problems were
forcing it to demand large concessions
from the Union.
Louis D'Amico, NLRB regional director in Baltimore, said the board's
investigation into the SIU' s charges
showed the company had failed to
provide the Union with ''the information needed to bargain intelligently
in light of the position taken by the
company."
The complaint issued by the NLRB
also said the strike ''was caused by
and/or prolonged by the unfair labor
practices."
"This is a big victory for us," said
SIU President Frank Drozak. "The
NLRB went through an entire investigation and found enough evidence to
issue a complaint.''
The next step in the process will be
a June 20 trial in front of an administrative law judge. If the judge upholds
the complaint, McAllister could be
forced to take back all the striking
workers and award back pay.

Pensioners
The following Inland members have
retired on pension:
Baltimore

Jerome J. Lukowski
Joseph E. Mazurek
Houston

James W. Carroll Jr.
Jacksonville

Robert C. Teabout
New Orleans

Stanley Guidry
Norfolk

Myron T. Lupton
Francis P. O'Connell
Carroll L. Smith
Binford L. Snead
Philadelphia

George W. Wothers
10 I LOG I February 1988

When the strike began, McAllister
replaced the SIU crews with scabs in
all three ports. Currently the strike
against McAllister continues in all three
ports.
This is the second time in recent
years McAllister has run afoul of the
NLRB for unfair labor practices. In
1984, 26 Baker-Whiteley crewmen in
Baltimore were fired after the company was sold to Outreach Marine.
The SIU charged Outreach was a
"sham company" created simply to
evade a contract with the Union.
After more than two years and favorable decisions from the NLRB, an
administrative law judge and finally a
federal appeals court, McAllister was
ordered to take back the boatmen and
pay the crewmembers for their lost
wages, about $2 million.
The company did take them back to
work, but has yet to pay any of the
settlement. Now these same boatmen
are on strike again.

SIU VP Mike Sacco (third from left) reads the fuU book oath to (I. to r.) Frank
Schlechter, Daisy Guy, Sacco, Dee Puraze, Terry Talley and Dave Carter. The
swearing in took place in New Orleans.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
JANUARY 1-31, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

New York ... . .................... .
Philadelphia
Baltimore .................... .....
Norfolk .......... .... . ...........
Mobile ...........................
New Orleans . . .....................
Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ........................
Seattle ................... ........
Puerto Rico .......... ....... ......
Houston ..........................
Algonac ..........................
St. Louis .................... .....
Piney Point ........ ...... ..........
Totals ...........................
•

'

•

•

o

•

o

o

t

t

t

Io

o

0

o

o

o

o

o

•

•

•

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 ... ........ .....

0
1

0
1

6

0
15

39
0
0
4
0

6
0

0
3
22
0
0

81

0
0

2
0

4
0
0
1
17
1
0

41

0

2
0
0
1
1
6
0
10

0
0
3
0
2
0

25

0
0

6
20
0
0

18
0
16
0
0
2
3
0
0

65

0
0
0
3

0
1
4
0
35
0

0
0
0

0

0

43

0

0
0
0
0
1

5
0
32
0
0
3
0
0
0

0
0
4

68

0
0

58

0
51

0
0

6
46
1
0

41

234

0

0
0
0
25
0
0

0
0
0

42
0
0
21
0

8
0
0
0

29
4

0

0

0
0
0
1
0
10
0
0
0
0
4
0
4
1

104

20

0

0
0
0
0
1
0
3

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0

1

0

15

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
1

13
0

0

30

0
0
0

10
0

0
0
0
4
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
0
0

18

0
0
0
2
0

0
0
0
0
1
0

1

0
0

0

0
0
0
0
0

2

0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
4
0
0
15
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0

20

0
0
0

1

0

1

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

2

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
1

0

0
0
0
0
1
0
0

0
0
0
0
fr
0

44
0
29
0
0

3

35
0
0

1

136

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
0

0
0
0

12
0
0
36

0

0
15
0
1
16
0
9
0
0
0
19
0
0

0

0
0
0
0

0

1
0

60

5

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
4

0
0
8
0

0
0
0
1
0
0
0
11
1
0
23

0
0

14

0
0
0

2

13

10

5

108

41

4

134

73

29

98

55

47

478

205

29

1

1
0
1
0
0
0
9

8
0
1
0
0
0
1
0

0

9
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

41
0
0

0

0
0

18
1

0

0

0
10

0
12
0

0

0
11

0

0

0
0

0
0
0
0
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.

�Pride, confidence, Hope
for the Future:
SMU Member Praises
SHLSS Training
Steady progress-that is what
characterizes SMU member
Carson Jordan's years of hard
work as a seaman. Having been
introduced to a life of seamanship through the SIU as a 1972
trainee here at the SHLSS, Mr.
Jordan worked his way up the
ladder, first as messman, then
seaman, dayman, AB, and finally in 1978 earned his first
third-mate's license. Last year,
Mr. Jordan became permanent
second mate on the motor vessel
Sea Lion (American Transport
Lines). To sharpen his skills
required for this new position,
he returned to SHLSS at the
end of 1987 for a three-day refresher course to earn his Radar
Renewal certificate. Mr. Jordan
had taken radar at King's Point,
N.Y., but stated that it simply
could not compare with the
SHLSS course. He enthusiastically exclaimed: "Here (at Pi-

ney Point) working with the radar in tandem with the ship
simulator, you get a totally realistic portrayal of what it is like
handling a ship. This is technology-it's here today and here
to stay!"
Currently, his ship. is making
runs to South America, going
as far south as Argentina, transporting refrigerated container
cargo. Mr. Jordan says that the
more skills and knowledge he
can obtain, the more confident
he becomes in being able to do
his job effectively. He finds himself having to work with the
local,
Portuguese-speaking
longshoremen; consequently he
simply cannot tell them how he
wants things done-he must
show them himself. ''We have
brand new automated cranes
which I must show them how
to operate. In supervising these
longshoremen in unloading the

SMU member Carson Jordan takes the Radar Renewal class at
SHLSS (December 1987).

reefer boxes, I'm the one responsible for the cargo until it
hits the dock. Therefore, I make
sure that the job is done properly and safely."
This particular work prompted
him to return to Piney Point for
upgrading at the beginning of
1988 for the Refrigerated Container course. As one can see,

Mr. Jordan is a motivated man
who is looking to the futurealways upgrading his skills to
satisfy the demands of the job
at hand. Licensed as a Master
in Freight&amp; Towing, l,OOOtons,
oceans, Mr. Jordan's goal now
is to become a first mate. We
are confident he will succeed!

The SIU can be proud of the SHLSS community of administrators, workers, upgraders,
and trainees who have demonstrated their selfless desire to help others by giving blood.
Wintertime has traditionally been a time of low-level blood reserves around our nation.
Now, there is an especially acute shortage due to the misconception that you can
contract AIDS from giving blood. There is no way that can happen, because sterile
equipment and disposable needles are used for each individual donor.
The Red Cross bloodmobile visited Piney Point last October and collected 32 units of
blood which turned out to be an excellent response rate of 90 percent. Since the blood
donor drive was such a success, the Red Cross bloodmobile is returning to the SHLSS
this month on February 9.
And so, wherever you live, you know that there most probably will
be a critical need for blood. Please contact your local Red Cross to
find out which blood types are in critical supply in your area, and
then volunteer to "Give the Gift of Life. "
~ Rocky Miles, SHLSS employee, donates blood.
February 1988 I LOG I 11

�HLSS cours crad a
our Apologies ...
In our last issue of the Seafarers' LOG (Jan. '88), two seamen were

inadvertently left out of their class photo (SIU Bosun Recertification
9/29/87) due to a scheduling discrepancy. We apologize to Seaman
Robbynson H. Suy (left) and Seaman Richard Brown (right) for this
oversight.

Left to Right: Tommie Lewis, Kirk Dutton, Brean Lindsley, Luis Arevalo.
Second row: Calvin W. Mosley, Brook Ruxton, Mira Gnoinska, Scott Loehr,
William Trates.

Left to Right: Ricardo Bustamante, Lisa Criate, Johnny Guzman Jr., Jay
Fuqua Jr.
Second row (L. to R.): Ben Cusic (Instructor), Gerald Kirtsey, Michael Riley,
John Johnson, William Stack, James Tolan Jr.

Robbynson Suy

Richard Brown

Left to Right: Nikolaus Keydel, Dwayne Kemsey, Earl Castain, Michael Kelley, Darren
Walker, Walter Berey.
Second row (L. to R.): Ben Cusic (Instructor), Todd Hileman, John Clifford II, Christopher
Derra, Kenneth Lusk, Jerome Williams, Andre Keller, Gary "Doc" Walker, Boyd
Waddell.
~Left

to Right: Patrick
Helton, Liz Leech, Ben
Cusic (Instructor).

Ronald Lawrence (in front).

Left to Right: Raymond Young, Al Fraser, Benjamin Wells, John
Gouthro, Jim Shaffer (Instructor), Leonard Fahey.

~Front row Left to Right: Donald Morrish, Paul Wisdom, Steyne Samuel.
Second row: Rufus Haddock, Theodore Carey, Conrad Spence, Danny
Robinson, Roger Proulx.

~Left to Right: Mary Annetta Fitzger-

Left to Right: Robert Muzzell, Wayne Rendell, Stan Burton, Carl
Hicks, Marcel Laroche.
Second row: John A. Shaw, Paul Graham, Alvin Mallett, Charles
Walsh, Shawn Leonard, Marven Springer.

12 I LOG I February 1988

ald, Claude Gatien, Bibiane Belleftour, Monique Suprenant.
Second row: Benoit Desjardins, Donna
Burton, Jane Williams (Instructor),
Pierre Cote, Cecile Johnston, Carrie
Ann Carey, Irma Mann.
Third Row: Victor Ravenau, Nancy
Susan Kimber, Henri Jacob, Jacques
Poggi.

�1988 Upgrading

Engine Clpgrading Courses

Course Schedule

Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

QMED
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

April 4
July 5

June 23
July 15

Pumproom Maint. &amp; Operations
*Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

March 21
May2

April 29
May 13

Variable Speed DC Drives
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

March 14
April 25

April 22
May 6

The following is the current course schedule for March 1988 - June
1988 at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship.

Welding
Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

March 14
April 11

April 8
April 22

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.

Welding
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

April 18
May 16

May 13
May27

Diesel Engine Technology
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

April 18
May30

May 27
June 10

Inland Boatmen and deep sea Seafarers who are preparing to upgrade
are advised to enroll for class as early as possible. Although every effort will
be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.

Electro-Hydraulic Systems
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

May 9
June 20

June 17
July 1

Hydraulics
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

June 6
July 5

July 1
July 15

The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs and
the needs of the industry.

Third Asst. Engineer &amp; Original Second
Asst. Engineer Steam or Motor

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for Starting Date)

SIU Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the
application.

*All students in the Engine Department will have 2 weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

Deck Clpgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Course

Recertification Programs

Completion
Date

Able Seaman

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)*

First Class Pilot (Organized self study)

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

Celestial Navigation

June 27

July 29

Radar

April 4

April 15

Radar Refresher/Renewal

Open-ended, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date.)

Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Steward Recertification

November 2

December 7

Adult Education Courses
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Admissions Office for starting date)

For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes in 1988, the
courses will be six weeks in length and offered on the following dates:

Third Mate &amp; Original Second Mate

April 18

June 24

High School Equivalency (GED)·

Lifeboat

March 7
April 4
May 2
May 30
June 27

March 18
April 15
May 13
June 10
July 1

May 2
July 5
August 29
October 31

June 13
August 15
October 10
December 12

Adult Basic Education (ABE) &amp;
English as a Second Language (ESL)

May 2
July 5
August 29
October 31

June 10
August 13
October 7
December 10

Radar Recertification

Open-ended, 1 day (Contact

Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

LNG -

(This course is not offered as a
separate course, but may be
taken while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)

Self Study Safety Course

The Developmental Studies Class (DYS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes.
Developmental Studies (DVS)

*Upon completion of course must take Sealift Operations &amp; .Maintenance.

Steward Opgrading Courses
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Assistant Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Cook and Baker

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Steward

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

*All students in the Steward Program will have 2 weeks of Sealift
familiarization at the end of their regular course.

April 11

April 15

(Offered prior to the Third Mate &amp;
Original Second Mates Course)
ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course

June 6

June 24

This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed to help
seafarers prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which is scheduled
immediately after this course. This class will benefit those seafarers who have
difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not English, and seafarers
who have been out of school for a long time.

College Programs Scheduled for 1988
Check-In
Course
Date
Associates in Arts or Certificate Program March 21
May 23
August 8
October 17

Completion
Date
May 13
July 15
September 30
December 9

February 1988 I LOG I 13

�..........................................................................................................................................

•

...
,

Name

,

~,,

.

eaf arer H rr L n eberg Sc ol o
pgrading Appl1ca ion

~

eaman h"p
,

•

...

.
L.

i

(first)

(Last)

(City)

(State)

Deep Sea Member D

Date of Birth

(Middle)

Mo./Day/Year

Telephone ---~~----­

(Zip Code)

(Area Code)

Inland Waters Member D

Lakes Member D

Pacific D

If the following imformation is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.

Social Security#--------

Book #_ _ _ _ _ _ Seniority______ Department _ _ _ _ __

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces D Yes D No

Home P o r t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes
Trainee Program: From _______ to

Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

(dates attended)

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

Course(s)Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __;__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for Training _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Primary Language Spoken _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ _
I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
DECK
0 AB/Sealift
O Towboat Operator Inland
O Celestial Navigation
O Master Inspected Towing Vessel
D 1st Class Piiot (organized self study)
D Third Mate
o Radar Observer Unllmlted

ALL DEPARTMENTS
D Welding
D Llfeboatman (Must be taken with another
course)

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

STEWARD

ENGINE
D FOWT
0 QMED-Any Rating
O Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
D Marine Electrlcal Maintenance
o Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
o Automation
O Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
O Diesel Engine Technology
D Assistant Engineer/Chief Engineer
Un Inspected Motor Vessel
0 Orginal 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor
O Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
0 Hydraulics
O Electro·Hydraulic Systems

D Assistant Cook Utility
0 Cook and Baker
D Chief Cook
0 Chief Steward

*

O Towboat Inland Cook

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates In Arts Degree
O Certificate Programs

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
D Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equivalency
Program (GED)
O Developmental Studies {DVS)

0 English as a Second Language (ESL)
D ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted showing sufficient time to qualify yourse lf for the
course(s) requested.
You must also submit a COPY of the first page of your un ion book ind icat ing you r department and seniority, as we ll
as, a COPY of your clinic card. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is rece ived .
VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE _______________________________ DATE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Rev.
Seafare
rs
Harry
Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point , MD. 20674
2188

..-.-..-..........................................................................................................................

-...-

14 I LOG I Febru ary 1988

............\

~:::;..~

�------------------- -------

Help
A
Friend
Deal
With

-

Alcoholism
and
Drugs

I

I

I

l

~

Addicts don't have friends. Because a friend wouldr.;GJ
let another man blindly travel a course that has to lead
to the destruction of his health, his job and his family.
And that's where an alcoholic or drug user is headed.
Helping a fell ow Seafarer who has an addiction
problem is just as easy-and just as important-as I~---------~---------------------~
steering a blind man across a street. All you have to do I Addictions Rehabilitation Center
is take that Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the II
I am interested in attending a six-week program at the Addictions
Union's Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee, l Rehabilitation Center. I understand that all my medical and counseling
Md.

Once he's there, an SIU member will receive the care
and counseling he needs. And he'll get the support of
brother SIU members who are fighting the same tough
battle he is back to a healthy, productive alcohol-free
and drug-free life.
The road is a long one for an alcoholic and drug user.
But because of ARC, an addicted SIU member doesn't
have to travel the distance alone. And by guiding a
brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center,
you 'II be showing him that the first step back to recovery
is only an arm's length away.

l
I
II

records will be kept strictly confidential, and that they will not be kept
anywhere except at The Center.

Name .. · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Book No. · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

:
I Address ........................................................ .

I
1

(Street or RFD)

lI

l

(Zip)

Telephone No.

I

1

(State)

(City)

Mail to:

THE CENTER
Star Route Box 153-A
Valley Lee, Md. 20692
or call, 24 hours-a-day, (301 J 994-()() JO

I

L--------------------------'·---------------------------------'
February 1988 I LOG I 15

�S the 1988 school season
begins, it's not too early
for high school seniors to
start thinking about college. For
dependents of Seafarers and
Boatmen the financial burden of
college can be greatly eased if
they win an SIU scholarship.
The awards, known as the
Charlie Logan Scholarship
Program, are given each year
under the auspices of the Seafarers Welfare Plan. For dependents, four $10,000 scholarships are offered.
But the Scholarship Program
is not exclusively for dependents. A $10,000 award and two
$5,000 scholarships are available to active Seafarers and
Boatmen. Also, when there are
exceptionally qualified Seafarers and Boatmen, the Board of
Trustees of the Welfare Plan
may grant a second $10,000
award to an active member.
The Scholarship Program was
begun in 1952 to help members
and their children achieve their
educational goals. Several years
ago it was named after Charlie
Logan, a labor consultant and
arbitrator who died in 1975. He
helped establish the Seafarers
Scholarship Program and then
worked hard to keep it strong
and growing.

A

Seafarer Requirements
Seafarers and Boatmen who
are applying for scholarships
must:
• Be a graduate of high school
or its equivalent.
• Have credit for two years
(730 days) of employment with
an employer who is obligated to
make contributions to the Seafarers Welfare Plan on the employee's behalf prior to the date
of application.
• Have one day of employment on a vessel in the sixmonth period immediately preceding the date of application.
• Have 120 days of employment on a vessel in the previous
calendar year.
Pensioners are not eligible to
receive scholarship awards.

Dependent Requirements

-

Dependents of Seafarers and
Boatmen who apply for a scholarship must be unmarried, under
19 years of age, and receive
sole support from the employee
and/or his or her spouse. Unmarried children who are eligible
for benefits under Plan # 1 Major

16 I LOG I February 1988

Don't Wait! Apply Now For

1988 SIU College Scholarships
Deadline - April 15
Medical are eligible to apply for
a dependent's scholarship up to
the age of 25.
Each applicant for a dependent's scholarship must:
• Be unmarried at the time
application is made.
• Be under 19 or 25 years of
age (whichever is applicable).
• Be eligible for dependent
benefits under the Seafarers
Welfare Plan.
• Be a graduate of high school
or its equivalent.
The applicant's parent must:
• Have credit for three years
(1,095 days) of employment with
an employer who is obligated to
make contributions to the Seafarers Welfare Plan on the employee's behalf prior to the date
of application.
• Have one day of employment in the six-month period
immediately preceding the date
of application.
• Have 120 days of employment in the previous calendar
year.
The last two items above covering worktime requirements of
the applicant's parents do not
apply to applicants who are the
children of pensioners or eligible
deceased employees.

Must Take SAT or ACT
For both active members and
the dependents of eligible members, the scholarship grants are
awarded on the basis of high
school grades and the scores of
either College Entrance Examination Boards (SAT) OR American College Tests (ACT).
The SAT or ACT exam must
be taken no later than February
1988 to ensure that the results
reach the Scholarship Selection
Committee in time to be evaluated. For upcoming SAT test
dates and applications, contact
the College Entrance Examination Board at either: Box 592,

Princeton, N.J. 08540 or Box
1025 Berkeley, Calif. 94701,
whichever is closest to your
mailing address.
For upcoming ACT test dates
and applications contact: ACT
Registration Union, P.O. Box
414, Iowa City, Iowa 52243.
Scholarship program applications are available to active
members or their dependents at
any SIU hall or through the Seafarers Welfare Plan, 5201 Auth
Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.
Scholarship
winners will
be announced in May 1988.
The deadline for submission of
applications is April 15, 1988.

�Di8es~

of Sh~ps

COVE TRADER (Cove Shipping), January 8--Chairman Mark Davis, Secretary
Norman Johnson, Educational Director F.J.
Acord. No disputed OT. The ship will pay
off on Jan. 11 in Philadelphia. The chairman reminded crewmembers to support
SPAD in order to help the Union get more
jobs. The secretary noted that the Cove
Trader sailed from Valdez, Alaska to Los
Angeles short one steward. There was
also some problem regarding fresh stores.
The educational director urged qualified
members to take advantage of the sealift
training at Piney Point to expand their job
potential-as well as the other upgrading
courses available at the school. A motion
was made to eliminate the permanent job
status for stewards, bosuns and pumpmen-and make them rotary shipping only.
A new washer and dryer are still needed
after three months. And several men need
new mattresses. Other complaints are that
the VCR (a hand-me down from the engineers) is in poor condition; a microwave
oven is needed in the messroom, new
chairs in the crew lounge, a slicing machine
in the galley, and the steward needs a
typewriter. Next port: Marcus Hook, Pa.
GROTON (Apex Marine), December
20-Chairman Neil Matthey, Secretary
Marvin Deloatch, Educational Director S.
Simpson, Deck Delegate Edwin Ortega,
Steward Delegate Felix Camacho. No disputed OT. The chairman reported that the
ship will pay off in Stapleton, N. Y. He urged
all crewmembers to contribute to SPAD in
order to help the Union fight for a stronger
merchant marine. The secretary reminded
members to take advantage of the courses
available at Piney Point and upgrade for a
better paying job. He noted that college
courses are also part of the school's curriculum, and there are some very good
instructors who take a sincere interest in
each member. A motion was made concerning permanent job status for emergency relief. If a permanent person onboard a ship must return home due to
sickness or death in the family and it is
before his vacation is due, he should be
allowed to take extra time off without losing
his job. It was felt that this rule would create
more jobs for members. It will be referred
to the Negotiating Committee for the next
contract. A vote of thanks was given to
Steward Marvin Deloatch and Chief Cook
Felix Camacho for a very good Thanksgiving dinner. The steward department, in
turn, thanked the entire crew for their
cooperation. Next port: Stapleton, N.Y.
OMI CHARGER (OMI), December 13Chairman Frank Schwarz, Secretary T.
Smith, Educational Director W.L. Yarber,
Deck Delegate Mark S. Downey, Engine
Delegate William L. Smith, Steward Delegate Junious Harris. No beefs or disputed
OT. There is no money in the ship's treasury, but enough money was collected for
cassette tapes for the VCR. Oil was loaded
in Skikda, Algeria for Boston. The chairman
thanked all those crewmembers who helped
clean the tanks in preparation for taking
on the oil. One problem on voyage 167
was the lack of mail-none was delivered
in Tunisia, Gibraltar or Algeria. A problem
also has arisen in that the crew can't send
a telegram without a credit card. Next port:
Boston, Mass.
OVERSEAS

NATALIE

(Maritime
Overseas), January 3-Chairman Ray
Todd, Secretary P. Ray, Educational Director H. Meredith, Steward Delegate Eddie Jackson. Some disputed OT was reported in the deck department, and requests
for clarification were made in the engine
and steward departments. The ship will
pay off Jan. 8 in Corpus Christi, Texas. A
patrolman was requested to deal with the
beefs. One big problem has to do with the
taking on of stores. The ship is getting 15day stores for 30-day trips-and has been
way short on food, linen and detergent.

tlee~lln•s

ROVER (Ocean Carriers), January 1~
Chairman Robert Wilson, Secretary E. Harris, Educational Director T. Woerner, Deck
Delegate Bill Lewis, Engine Delegate
George Darney, Steward Delegate James
Nolan. Some disputed OT was reported in
the deck department, and a number of
beefs were aired from the steward and
engine delegates. The engine department
has been short one QMED for more than
two months. The company hired two men
from Singapore for a three-month period
to fill in-and the crew is concerned as to
why they can't have American seamen on
this ship. The steward department ex-

weren't really clear on the importance of
SPAD. It was also a time to become
acquainted with the new agreement. The
ship's secretary said he was happy to
report that since the conversion to a 12man SIU department on the Sea-Land
Explorer, there have been no major beefs,
and each trip has been a smooth one. A
motion was made to abolish all gangway
watches. The chairman explained the possibility of the vessel going to the shipyard
in May and that members should prepare
themselves for such an eventuality. The
steward department was given a vote of
thanks for a job well done.

SEA-LAND INNOVATOR (Sea-Land
Service), January 3-Chairman V. Ardowski, Secretary R.C. Agbulos, Educational Director Rev. L. Allen, Deck Delegate
John Houlihan, Engine Delegate AR. Lang,
Steward Delegate N. Rodriguez. No beefs

STAR OF TEXAS (Seahawk Management), January 17-Chairman B. Cronan,
Secretary J. Fletcher. No beefs or disputed
OT reported. The chairman noted that it
was a good trip with an excellent crew and
that some necessary work was completed.
He advised all eligible members to take
advantage of the upgrading classes at
Piney Point and also to take part in SPAD
and the Union's political activities. The
secretary instructed the crew to read the
LOG to keep up with what's going on in
the maritime industry. On Dec. 21, the Star
of Texas' chief cook died at sea. Condolences were sent to his daughter. Thanks
were given to the steward/banker and his
assistant for a wonderful holiday meal. And
a commendation was given to Brother Mike
Mulharan for his efforts to "help our radio
officer" in Rotterdam. A minute of silence
was observed in memory of "our departed
brother, Tom Brown." Next port: Philadelphia, Pa.
STONEWALL JACKSON (Waterman), December 6---Chairman C.T. Lineberry, Secretary Courtney Rooks, Educational Director C.E. Hemby. No beefs or
disputed OT. This was a good trip, according to the chairman. The movie fund
is finally in the black-with $125. All those
who are getting off were reminded to return
linen to the steward and to give their keys
to the bosun or steward. The educational
director noted the availability of a new
movie on firefighting and CPR. He also
suggested that members might want to
chip in and donate a couple of dollars to
buy a heavy-duty broiler for the pantry
since the present toaster is on its last legs.
One minute of silence was observed in
memory of our departed brothers and sisters. Next port: Newport News, Va.

-

Official ship's minutes also were received from the following vessels:

The Ponce's four-man steward department at work: Virgilio Rivera, steward assistant;
Jorce Josem, crew messman; Refael Evans, chief cook, and Norman Duhe, steward.
pressed frustration at the sloppiness and
lack of cooperation from the rest of the
crew in bringing back their dirty dishes to
the pantry and helping keep the rec room
and messhall clean. One question was
brought up: If you are on a ship and do
not have a chance to pay your Union dues,
does this affect your application to go to
Piney Point for upgrading? Members also
wanted to know if they would get a bonus
for going into the Persian Gulf? Next ports:
Diego Garcia, Singapore, Subic Bay.

SAM HOUSTON (Waterman), January
16-Chairman H. Leake, Secretary J.
Moody, Educational Director P. Walker. No
disputed OT or beefs reported. There is
about $70 in the ship's fund to be used for
recording movies for the video machine.
The ship will pay off upon arrival in Newport
News, Va. Jan. 18. The chairman said that
it was a good trip. He reminded members
of the need to support SPAD. He also
stressed the importance for eligible SIU
members to upgrade in their line of work
so that more qualified seafarers will be
available for better jobs within the Union.
He also asked that support be given to
those politicians who intend to support the
maritime unions. A new washer and dryer
are needed aboard ship. If anyone needs
a new mattress, they should inform the
steward as soon as possible. A vote of
thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done-especially the
holiday meals.
SEA-LAND EXPLORER (Sea-Land
Service), January 3--Chairman LC. Cope,
Secretary W. Hawkins, Educational Director T. Kroneck, Deck Delegate Robert Smith,
Engine Delegate Frank White, Steward
Delegate George Whiting. Disputed OT
was reported in the deck and engine departments. A collection for the ship's fund
will be taken up at payoff. The ship's
chairman will be on hand to collect all
donations. The chairman explained to the
new crewmembers what SPAD is all aboutwhere the donations go and why it is
important to contribute. The information
was well received because a few members

or disputed OT. It was a good trip. The
chairman reminded all hands to practice
safety and fire prevention at all times and
to take advantage of the upgrading courses
that Piney Point has to offer. A suggestion
was made to raise more money to purchase
additional tapes for the VCR. John Mahoney, AB, was injured during undocking
in Kobe, Japan. He was not hospitalized
until the ship arrived in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

and found that he had some fractured
bones on one of his feet. His relief reported
aboard in Kobe. Next port: Long Beach,
Calif.

AMERICAN CORMORANT
ARCHON
BALTIMORE
BAY RIDGE
COVE LEADER
FALCON PRINCESS
1ST LT. BALDOMERO
LOPEZ
MOKU PAHU
MARINER
OMI COLUMBIA
OMI HUDSON
OMI MISSOURI
OVERSEAS ALASKA
OVERSEAS ARCTIC
OVERSEAS OHIO
OVERSEAS VIVIAN
PANAMA
PONCE
PRIDE OF TEXAS

SEA-LAND ADVENTURER
SEA-LAND CONSUMER
SEA-LAND DEVELOPER
SEA-LAND ECONOMY
SEA-lAND ENDURANCE
SEA.UNO EXPRESS
SEA-LAND FREEDOM
SEA-LAND INDEPENDENCE
SEA·LAND LARK
SEA-LAND LEADER
SEA·LAND LEGION
SEA·LAND LIBERATOR
SEA-LAND LIBERTY
SEA·LAND PIONEER
SEA-LAND VENTURE
SGT. MATEJ KOCAI(
THOMPSON PASS
ULTRAMAR
USNS TRIUMPH

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, March 7 .................... 10:30 a.m.
New York .......... . .... Tuesday, March 8 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, March 9 ................. 10: 30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, March 10 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, March 10 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, March 10 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, March 11 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, March 14 ................... 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, March 15 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, March 16 ................ 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, March 17 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, March 21 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .................. Friday, March 25 .................... 10: 30 a.m.
San Juan ................ Thursday, March 10 .................. 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, March 18 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday, March 17 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, March 16 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, March 23 ................ 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, March 22 ................... 10:30 a.m.

February 1988 I LOG I

17

-

�r

•Ip

g

T

O SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

DU ES

Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register.

RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING

When you are relieved, you
must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.

RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION

It is your responsibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.

RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING It is your responsibility to claim
your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.

NOW YOUR RIGHT

L

~KNOW-

YOUR 'RIGHTS .

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in
all Union halls. All members should obtain copies of thi
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 obligation
by any methods such as dealing with charges. trials. etc.,
as well as all other details, then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The consricution 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. Members 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 by a majority of the trustees. All trust
fund financial records are available at the headquarters of
the various trust funds.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and 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 your contract rights, as well as
your obligations, such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, any SIU

18 I LOG I February 1988

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU . These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently, no member may be discriminated against because of race. creed, color, sex and national or geographic origin. If any member feels that he is
denied the equal rights to ~hich he is entitled, he should
notify Union headquarters.
patrolman or other Union official, in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly, contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union,
officer or memher. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
member hip. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by member hip action at the September, 1960, meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log
policy i vested in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate, from among its ranks, one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SlU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. 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 headquarter~.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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 ohjects, SPAD supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contrihution may be
solicited or received because of force, joh discrimination,
financial reprisal. 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 above improper
conduct, notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD hy certified
mail within 30 &lt;lays of the contribution for investigation
and appropriate action and refund. if involuntary. Support SPA D to protect and f urthcr 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
~ to Union records or information, he should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The add~ is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, · 1d. 20746.

�Vice Presidents
(Continued from Page 8.)
ticated technology. There is a new
maritime industry out there, and we
have to adapt.

West Coast
by V. P. George McCartney

T

HE first memorial Paul Hall lecture will be given Feb. 18-19 on
the Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach,
Calif. The topic of the two-day seminar
will be the Shipping Act of 1984 and
the fate of the American liner industry.
Hosted by the Paul Hall USC Sea
Grant Program of the University of
Southern California, the seminar will
bring together some of the most important names in maritime.
Paul Hall was to this Union what
Harry Lundeberg was to the Sailors
Union of the Pacific and what Joe
Curran was to the National Maritime
Union. He was one of the towering
figures of the modem seamen's movement. He was my friend and my mentor-a complex man who had many
interests and a seemingly infinite capacity for growth.
The SIU today is a product of his
vision and strength. Until his death in
1980 of a cancerous brain tumor, his
name was synonymous with the SIU.
His childhood was filled with illness
and crushing poverty. He lived to see
the Union he helped establish become
one of the bedrocks of the maritime
industry.
He will be remembered for many
things, but chief among them are the
folJowing: the Merchant Marine Act
of 1970, the Cargo Preference Act of
1954, the establishment of the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship, organizing drives such as
Isthmian and Cities Service which put
this Union on the map.
At the age of 14, Paul Hall was
forced to leave home and seek employment. He boxed men twice his
age for a quarter a fight. He hoboed.
He lugged groceries from sun-up to
sun-down. He sent every extra penny
he earned home so that his mother
and younger brother could eat.
His first big break came when he
decided to ship out. He often told
friends that he owed everything to the
maritime industry for giving him the
chance to make something of himself.
As bad as conditions were in the maritime industry 50 years ago, they were
infinitely better than the ones Paul
Hall had to cope with as a fatherless
transient roaming a South plagued by
economic collapse.
He had a Southerner's sense of the
extended family. When he joined the
merchant marine, seamen became part
of his bloodline. Even after he became
maritime's leading spokesman, every

old-timer was his brother and every
trainee his son.
When Paul Halljoined the merchant
marine, it was in a state of turmoil.
The International Seamen's Union had
just broken up; Joe Curran had just
established the National Maritime
Union.
Like Harry Lundeberg, who founded
the SIU, he had profound philosophical differences with Joe Curran. After
World War II, Hall took the A&amp;G
District that Lundeberg had founded
and transformed it into the leading
maritime union in the country.
While poverty cut short his formal
education, it did not cut short his lifelong quest for knowledge. During World
War II, he sailed as an oiler, even
though he had received a second engineer's rating. Years later, when he
would take time to talk to a trainee or
upgrader, he would discuss the war
years and his second engineer's rating:
''I sat for my second engineer's license
because I wanted to prove to myself
that I was as good as any s.o.b. onboard ship. I never had any intention
of sailing as a licensed engineer. I
liked being down in the foes 'I too much
to leave it. For me, a poor Alabama
boy with only eight grades of educa-

tion, getting that endorsement was just
something I had to do. It was a test
of my will."
During the war, thanks to his good
friend Bill McKay, he was appointed
to his first important union positiondispatcher in Baltimore. Within six
short years, he organized Isthmian and
Cities Service, the two largest unorganized shipping companies in the
maritime industry. By 1950, he had
transformed the SIU into a leading
voice in maritime.
Magazines as different in style as
Fortune and Reader's Digest ran articles on him, describing his as a "six
foot blondish Viking who stands out
physically, morally and intellectually.''
Most of the early publicity about
him centered around his efforts to
curtail the power of organized crime
on the waterfront, efforts which made
him a favorite target of would-be assassins. Despite the threats against his
life, he pressed on, for he felt that the
corruption on the waterfront robbed
seamen of their dignity.
The '50s were productive years. His
main enemies, in no particular order,
were the NMU, organized crime, the
shipowners and Congress. By most

people's accounts, he fought all to a
draw or better.
By 1957, the SIU had materially
raised the standard of living of seamen.
During that year, the Pete Larsen
clinic opened in the port of Brooklyn;
seamen saw their first private rooms
onboard containerships. The welfare
plan was in full swing, and a pension
plan was not far away.
In 1957, Hall was chosen to succeed
Harry Lundeberg as the president of
the Seafarers International Union of
North America. By the early '60s, he
was chosen to the executive council
of the AFL-CIO and had established
the Union as a potent force in Washington.
He helped the SIU weather the incredible transformation in technology
during the 1960s. His main accomplishment during that time was the
establishment of the Seafarers Harry
Lundeberg School in 1967.
The capstone to his career was passage of the Merchant Marine Act of
1970, which earned him the nickname
"the father of the modem Americanflag merchant marine.'' Despite its
limitations, this was the single most
important piece of maritime legislation
to be enacted in the post-war era.

------Deaths-----The SIU has been notified of the
deaths of the following deepsea members:
Enrique S. Alvarez
Clarence J. Baker
John P. Carrigan
George L. Esteve
omas Joel
Nathan Goldfinger

Roy Lee McCannon
Thomas Mojica
Herman Rogge
Joseph Righetti
William Schnitzel
Ramon R. Sierra
Franciszek Szwestka
Adolph F. Vante
illip Wolf

Ferdinand Greeff
Wladislow Grohulski
Juan Gomez
Carl Harcrow Jr.
l:,awrence L. Haun
Luis Hernandez
Charles J. Hickox
Robert Keith James
uie E. nman
Joseph Lambert Sr.

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

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:

address.
Your home address is your permanent address,
and this is where all official Union documents,
W-2 Forms, and the LOG will be mailed.

SIU &amp; UIW of N.A.
Address Correction Department
5201 Auth Way
_
Camp Springs, Maryland -20746-9971

-----------------------------------------------------------PLEASE PRINT
HOME ADDRESS
Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Social Security No.

Phone No. (
)
Area Code

Your Full Name

Apt. or Box#

Street

Book Number

0 SIU

City

0 UIW

State

0 Pensioner

ZIP

Other--------

UIW Place of E m p l o y m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

--------~----------~---------------------------------------J
February 1988 I LOG / 19

�CL

L

.......

NP

-Company/Lakes

-Lakes

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

-Non Priority

JAN. 1-31, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac .. .................

0

18

9

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
4
4

0

25

Port
Algonac ...................

0

19

0

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
6
0

0

13

0

5

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0

0

6

2

30

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

0

24

3

68

6

Port
Algonac ...................

0

Port
Algonac ...................

0

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
Glass CL Class L Class NP

11
4
Totals All Departments ........
0
72
3
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.

HEADQUARTERS
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 207 46
(301) 899-0675

ALGONAC, Mich.
520 St. Clair River Dr. 48001
(313) 794-4988

BALTIMORE, Md.
1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202
(301) 327-4900

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
.......

JANUARY 1-31, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

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 .................
Port
New York ........ .. .....
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ........... ....
Norfolk .................
Mobile .................
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco .............
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico ..............
Honolulu ................
Houston ................
St. Louis ........ •· .......
Piney Point ..............
Totals .................

47
5
8
15
10
25
30

29

14
43
16
8

33

0
0

11
1
5
10
4
6
9
10
8
6
1
10
4
0
6

5
1
0
3
4
4
4
10
6
3
0
6

1
0
0

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
DECK DEPARTMENT
40
10
7
4
2
0
12
7
0
14
3
5
2
2
9
11
3
6
16
4
4
11
25
8
17
8
0
5
0
36
16
0
0
13
4
6
25
9
2
0
0
0
5
0
6

288

91

49

236

25

8
0
1
6
2

2
0
0
0
0

16

2
6
6

5

38

6

3

17
21
14
24

4
4

2
6

6
8

2

6
4

21

0
1

1
9
3
0
5

190

63

17

6
0

2
1
7

5
19
8
44
14
28
2
7
16
0
1
. 171

1

0
0
1

3

6
2
2
0

30
1
0

14

66

4
0
10
2
0
0
31

2

0
0
0
1
2
0

5
0
0
0

15
1
0
3

29

Port
New York ...............
Philadelphia ............ ..
Baltimore ... ...... .... ..
Norfolk .................
Mobile ......... .... ....
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville .......... . ...
San Francisco .............
Wilmington ..............
Seattle ................. ·
Puerto Rico ..............
Honolulu ................
Houston .. . .............
St. Louis ................
Piney Point ..............
Totals ............... ..

144

188

231

Totals All Departments ......

793

408

338

19
2
2
3
1
20
7
23
10
24
12
8

13

0
0

16
3

5
7
8

17
4
19
17

7
2
72
7
0
4

7

2
1
3
4
20
5
24
2
4
0
154

4
0
1

2

3

6
5
20

16
17

13
20

10
2
16
0

0

146

85

36

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
7
1
1
0
2
0
6
2
3
0
4
4
0
1
4
5
1
0
4
4
0
0
10
7
1
3
0
0
0
0

43

27

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
4
2
0
0
3
1
0
4
0
0
1
4
1
1
1
6
4
1
5
4
27
8
1
8
0
26
2
0
0
0
0
20
7
31
1
12
0
0
0
0
7
1
0

14
2

119

11
1
4
7
1

12
4
11
9
22
3
4
9
0
0

98

599

60

30

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
1
6
2
0
7
0
8
2
4
5
13
10
5
5
11
9
1
8
1
11
0
4
158
85
2
6
0
0
2
4

170

200

358

293

Trip
Reliefs

10
0
4
4
0
2
3
5
4

7
3
11
4
0
~

CLEVELAND, Ohio

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

92
2
8

18
3
4

25
14
71
56
62
30
65
31
7
67

5
7
16
11
6
6
3
10
5

0

0

1

5

10

2
1
0
3
2
3
4
12
13
6
0
3
0
0
0

59

531

109

49

2
0
0
4
1
7
2
3
2
4
1
4
4
0
0

60
2

8
0
2
6
3
10
14
9
8
6
2

2
0
0
0
0
2

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434

HOUSTON, Tex.
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
3315 Liberty St. 32206
(904) 353-0987

JERSEY CITY, N.J.
10

9
7

55
44
34

18
36

10
7
39
0
1

9
2
0

5

2

0
1

NEW ORLEANS, La.

NEW YORK, N.Y.

84

22

5

32

0
1
0
2

2
5

8
0
1
1
1
0

0
0
0

7

5
4

0
41
4
0
0

9
23
0
0

7
8

3
5
0
23
2
0
8

2

0
2
1
7
2
0
1
18

38

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

49
5
1
6
2
34
16
63
16
45
21
8
19

34
7
5
13
11
27
13
25
17
23
7

13
1
1
6
6
34
8
33
11
10
3
133
5
0
1

0

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

3

67

13
0
4

630 Jackson Ave. 70130
(504) 529-7546

0

281

0

50 Union St. 0274
(617) 997-5404

2

79

84

1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605
(205) 478-0916

6
0

332

5
5

MOBILE, Ala.

NEW BEDFORD, Mass.

34

9
5
34
25
77
17
36
7

99 Montgomery St. 07302
4
(201) 435-

7
2
0
0

0

285

283

265

172

1,429

543

374

*"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 January was down from the month of December. A total of 1,422 jobs were
shipped on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,422 jobs shipped, 599 jobs or about 42 percent were
taken by "A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 172 trip relief
jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 6, 799 jobs have been
shippe'd.

20 I LOG I February 1988

5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-1100

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.
51 O N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�CHECK~OFF

/T's A ~MALL
PRICE TO PAY

~

IT~

dOB

~ECIJR/TY
I .----'

· IT~

POLI 7CAL
AWER
February 1988 I LOG I 21

-

�Reflagged Kuwaiti Tankers Win U.S. Crewing Waiver
(Continuoo from Page 1.)

-

and determined that they are entitled
to veterans benefits for their shipboard
service during this global conflict.
"It is hard to believe that the Defense Department would now deem
employment of foreign seamen as more
necessary to the nation's overall
standing in difficult international situations. While I am certain that this
would not be actually stated in any
contemplated waiver request, it is the
only inference that can be drawn from
the request for a waiver.
"Legitimate concerns must also be
raised about the maintenance of a
trained manpower pool necessary to
meet the nation's continuing need for
strategic sealift. Recent studies, including a 1986 Navy manpower study,
point to the increasing critical shortage
of American merchant mariners. Generally, these studies also have concluded that a robust U.S.-flag commercial fleet and maritime employment
base are necessary to ensure adequate
sealift capability in times of war.
"Consideration of a waiver of the
citizen manning requirements for the
11 tankers reflagged under U.S. registry last year undermines efforts to
provide sufficient shipboard job opportunities. Manpower issues should
not be alien to our nation's defense
planners who continually struggle to
develop methods of attracting young
Americans to serve in the nation's
armed services. Maritime labor, too,
expends considerable energy in accomplishing the same basic goal for
the private sector merchant fleet. Our
purposes in this regard are directly
intertwined: maintenance of adequate
sealift capability. Implementation of
this goal will become difficult if a
waiver is granted.
''American seamen will view this
action in the short term as a loss of
immediate job opportunities. Over the
long pull, it provides another indication that the government-despite its
many studies which decry the shortage
of available American seamen-is talcing no concrete steps to support a vital
domestic industry. The result of such
government action is predictable: the
prophecy of acute manpower shortages becomes self fulfilled."
The Union received no response to
its letter prior to the waiver.
In addition, the SIU was alerted to
the government's intentions by the
action of the ship management company in charge of hiring crews for the
tankers.
More than 250 Seafarers contacted
Gleneagle Ship Management in Houston, Texas, asking for employment
applications for the reflagged ships.
They received a simple one paragraph
reply from the firm's crew manager.
"We have received your letter inquiring about employment on the reftagged Kuwaiti tankers. It has not
been determined how the vessels will
be manned, and at this time we are
not accepting applications for employment on the vessels, nor are we engaged in manning discussions with
your Union. ''
The letters were dated after the law
was signed, but before the waiver was
granted.
22 I LOG I February 1988

•'Maybe Gleneagle knows something we don ~t know,'' Drozak said at
the time. "Maybe they know the waiver
request will be granted and they don't
need American seafarers. You'd think
that if they were going to have fill
several hundred billets soon, they would
want a pool of trained seamen to
choose from.''
Gleneagle apparently did know
something because the waiver was
granted and there was no need to hire
any American merchant seamen.
What baffled most observers was
the reasons cited for the waivernational security. No one could explain how America's national security
could be harmed if U.S. crews sailed
aboard those ships.

''Manning the reflagged vessels with
American crews strengthens our national security now and in the long
term," said Rep. Mario Biaggi (DN. Y .).
He cited a recent report by the
Commission on Merchant Marine and
Defense which pointed to an alarming
and dangerous decline in the number
of trained seafarers available to meet
national security needs. If any emergency would occur requiring U.S.
sealift, there simply are not enough
trained merchant seamen to sail the
ships. That number is continuing to
decline.
''This is the perfect opportunity to
strengthen our beleaguered American
merchant marine and our national se-

curity at no cost to the American
taxpayer," he said.
Jones joined in the condemnation
of the waiver on national security
grounds.
''There is no rationale for requesting
or granting this waiver, a fact made
obvious by the lack of supporting documentation accompanying the request,'' he said.
''How can national security be jeopardized by requiring U.S. crews on
ships carrying oil from Kuwait to Europe? National security would best be
served by requiring even greater numbers of Americans to man the instruments of our national defense," he
added.

Hill Must Act on Last Year's Issues
What follows is a legislative update of some important issues that
transpired last year and must still
be acted on by Cong ess.
A united
maritime industry was able to get
the Reagan administration to remove transportation from the Canadian Free Trade Treaty. As originally worded, the provision had
the potential to open up portions of
both the American and Canadian
shipping industries to Third World
shipping, especially if transportation had been included in the upcoming trade talks in Geneva,
Switzerland. ''Had the industry been
included in the treaty,'' said SIU
V.P. Mike Sacco earlier this year,
''then it would have lost something
more important than any one program'. it would have lost hope for
the future."
Still, the industry isn't totally out
of the woods on this issue. James
Henry, president of the Transportation Institute, noted that the energy chapter of the legislation still
allows the export of 50,000 barrels
per day of Alaskan North Slope Oil
to Canada. The provision, said
Henry, would set a "dangerous
precedent'' that threatens U.S. energy independence.
CANADA FREE TRADE:

TRADE: Despite predictions that unfair trade would be the number one
priority of the lOOth Congress, the
Omnibus Trade Bill was left to die
on the vine. Congressional leaders
said that the October stock market
crash had diminished chances that
the bill would be enacted into law
without undergoing major changes.
Both the Senate and House versions of the bill contained pro-maritime provisions which would beef
up the retaliatory powers of the
Federal Maritime Commission. Even
though Congress and the administration failed to deal with this issue,
it would not go away as the monthly
trade deficits continue to hit record
levels.

Many figures in the maritime industry were
saying that reform of the existing
liner subsidy program was central
to the industry's survival. Yet even
LINER SUBSIDY REFORM:

though the program had started to
elapse, no consensus could be
reached on how a new program
should be constructed.
The administration finally came
up with its own version of the bill,
which was generally opposed by
most of the industry as being ''too
little, too late.'' There was sharp
disagreement, however, in the industry on what approach should be
taken in lieu of the government's
actions.
Toward the end of the year, Rep.
Walter B. Jones (D-N.C.) came up
with another bill to reform the liner
subsidy program, H.R. 3808, which
was co-sponsored by Rep. Mario
Biaggi (D-N.Y.), Bob Davis (RMich.) and Norm Lent (R-N.Y.).

for the American owners of vessels
documented under open-flag registries, tried to get Congress to extend
naval protection to all shipping in
the Persian Gulf and provide War
Risk Insurance to vessels registered
in such countries as the Bahamas.
DEFENSE COMMISSION: The first half
of the long-awaited presidential Defense Commission on Shipping was
released. The commission argued
strongly that the decline of the
American-flag merchant marine
posed a threat to the security of the.
United States .
e second half of
the report, which con ai
ommendations for a national maritime
program, is expected to be released
in the near future.
STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE:

ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE OIL:

Serious attention began to be given
in Congress about the exploration
of oil in the Arctic National Wildlife
Region. Many experts believe that
this area contains one of the most
promising sources of untapped energy.
Opposition to development was
expressed by some environmental
groups. Yet industry figures pointed
to this country's experiences with
Alaskan North Slope oil as being
proof that it was possible to develop
this country's energy resources
without violating environmental
standards.
This has the potential to be a
make-or-break issue for the maritime industry. Alaskan North Slope
Oil is scheduled to decline rapidly
during the next decade, which could
lay up many existing tankers in that
business. And even if Congress does
enact legislation on this issue, it
would take a decade before new oil
started to be shipped to the Lower

Funding for the SPR was reduced
to $438 million in the final rs·
of the year's continui g udget resolution, which meant that the daily
fill rate would be set at about 50,000
barrels per day. Industry experts
argued that this was too low to
protect national security interests
or to help maritime.
SEWAGE SLUDGE: Action on the
House's version of the sewage sludge
bill was delayed until next year
when attempts to attach H.R. 82 to
a continuing budget authorizations
bill failed. Shortly before the year
ended, Sen. John Breaux (D-La.)
introduced a Senate version of the
bill.

Well-Deserved
Retirement

48.
OPEN REGISTRIES: One of the most
disturbing trends in the international shipping community last year
was the debasement of long-standing national registries. Such traditional maritime powers as Norway
established de facto open registries
under their national registries .
The Federation of American
Controlled Shippers, a lobbying front

Ollie "Buzzy" Purday (left), a longtime
member who shipped out of the ports of
Baltimore and Norfolk, receives his pension
check from SIU Patrolman Mike Paladino.

�Editorial
L

ET'S face it. Somebody is not telling

the truth. ls it the U.S. government? Or is it the Kuwaiti owners of
the 11 reftagged tankers who receive
millions of dollars a day in U.S. Navy
protection, but don't have to employ
American crews?
When the question of the reflagging
first surfaced, it was assumed those
ships would carry American crews. After all, American flags and American
crews go together. We thought it was
the law.
Last summer when the debate over
the crewing of the tankers was raging,
the lawyer for Chesapeake Shipping
Company-the nominal owners, the real
owners are of course the Kuwaiti'ssaid his bosses would crew those ships
with whomever the law required.
"The company intends to, and will,
comply with American law in all respects. If the law were to require and
the regulations to require American citizen crews, the company is prepared to
employ American citizen crews."
In addition, attorney Mark P. Schiefer told the House Merchant Marine

Ref lagging-A Waiver of the Truth
Subcommittee that the company did not
ask any government agency for any
special commitments regarding crewing
requirements.
But lo and behold, the administration
said because those ships would not call
on American ports the citizenship crewing requirements did not apply. That
interpretation was based on a section
of maritime law which allowed the use
of foreign crewmen when Americans
were not available. That section was
written in the days of sail and early
steam when it was impossible to bring
a seaman from the States to replace or
relieve a crewmember overseas.
Now, the Secretary of Defense claims
that the use of American crews, as
required under a recently passed law
designed specifically for the reftagged
tankers, would somehow harm American national security.
In his letter requesting a waiver of
the crewing requirements, Secretary of
Defense Frank Carlucci said, "The reflagging is in the national defense interest and continues to be necessary to
facilitate U.S. naval protection of these

Letter To The E- or
'An pen Letter to My Brothers
Of the SIU ... '
Seventy-two years ago I went aboard my first ship (1916). Many
years have rolled by sine
experienced the thr
f
two yea.rs I sailed on the Great Lakes, ta.king time out for a hitch in
the U.S. Army a.nd a.gain in World War Two as a radio engineer at the
Ford Bomber Plant at Willow Run, Mich. I retired in 1966 With wha.t
may be close to a record, 28 years on the last ship I signed on.
Many of you are unta.milia.r with "those good days" of six hours on
a.nd six hours off. I would like to give you some idea. of a. sailor's life
back 1n those days. It was a time when once a week we were gtven a
roller towel of some coarse material. You took a bath with it one day,
and the next day you dried your face with it! It was a time when the
"Old ~an" or the mate took a personal dislike of you and told you to
get your money and get off at the next port. The surest way of getting
fired wa.s to mention the word "vaca.tion," much less ''vacation with
pay"! The galley refrigerator had its padlock, and the cook had the key.
When the cook went to bed, the key went with him. There was no
night cook, the night lunch was set out on the galley table. On hot
summer nights when the midnight crew came on, the sliced meat (if
there was any lefi) was dry and curled up like a leaf on a fall lawn.
The butter had turned to liquid and had drowned a few night bugs. One
could have filled a fountain pen with what was left. in the coffee urn
and written a letter home with it. In making port, Ordinary Seamen

reftagged tankers.
" ... Unless waived, these requirements (citizen crews) would significantly change one of the conditions
existing at the time of reftagging. This
result would tend to undermine the
reflagging arrangement, which continues to be in the national defense interest.''
Going back to Mr. Schiefer' s remarks, it appears that the ships' owners
were willing to employ whomever the
law required. The law now requires
Americans. He also said the company
did not ask for any special consideration, which appears to mean that the
deal did not hinge on who crewed the
ships. After all, it was American military
might these people were seeking.
But looking at Carlucci' s very vague
and brief reasons for the waiver, it reads
that if American crews were required
to sail those ships, then the Kuwaiti's
would back out of the deal. At least on
the public record, crewing regulations
are not part of the deal.
It's hard to imagine the Kuwaiti's
would give up several million dollars a

day in U.S. Navy protection because
of the small increase in cost for American crewmen on those ships. It would
still be a small price to pay for renting
the U.S. Navy.
Of course we can only base our
conclusions on what is in the public
record. And that record indicates someone is not telling the truth.
If there was some sort of backroom
deal cut between the administration and
the Kuwaiti government, why doesn't
somebody just fess up to it. After all,
it seems as if everybody is getting what
they want.
Kuwait has the U.S. Navy in the
Gulf for the cost of filing fees and the
pay of two officers. The administration
now has a legitimate right to show the
flag and rattle its sabers in front of Iran,
and to offset the presence of the Soviet
Navy in the Gulf.
The only folks who didn't get what
they want are the merchant seamen
who could use the work. And the American public which has the right to the
truth.

were called with no thought of overtime pay. "Overtime" was a nasty
word~ only to be thought of behind locked doors.
I could go on and add other things which you probably would not
believe. Suffice it to say, these were the conditions aboard the ship I
was on, when in 1950 an SIU agent came aboard. The story he told
sounded like a fairy tale. There were 20 unlicensed men in the crew.
Have you ever tried to get 20 men to agree wholeheartedly on one
? Some o
ose
ob·
ey joined the Union. Others
would be paying dues just to hold their job. That's human nature. After
many pros and cons, the Union was voted in. And with it the "fairy
tales" spoken of by the sm agent became a reality!
A refrigera.tor wa.s built into the galley wall and wa.s open 24 hours
a day. On the galley wall also was installed a T.V. Now we had clean
linen whenever we needed it. Over time, we got vacations with pay,
recourse to ''beefs" that turn up, a.nd rights that sailors long dreamed
of. What a change in conditions the SIU had made.
But that was only part of it. For 22 years now I have received my
SID pension every month. I was never in a hospital until two years
a.ft.er I retired. Then everything seemed to fall apart. Two strokes, three
heart attacks, and four times surgery for prostate gland. It incurred a
tremendous expense, but the Union has stood loyally by me. Without
their help I could have never made it. Any of you Brothers who feel
you a.re paying dues just to hold your job could never be more wrong!
Value your membership for everything it is. The sm is one Union that
is behind you all the way.
·
Sincerely yours,
John C. Hiller.
Petoskey, Mich.

YOU CANT
WIN USING

DRUGS/
UN5HACKLE
YOU~SELF

TODAY./
KICK TME
HABIT/

r

CONTACT

YOUR UNION
AT PINEY
POINT OR
YOUR

PORT

AGENT.'
February 1988 I LOG I 23

-

�Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

Washington Report
Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.), television
evangelist Pat Robertson and Sen. Robert Dole
(R-Kan.) were the big winners in Iowa's long
awaited caucuses. In addition to winnowing
the field of presidential contenders down to a
more manageable size, the results said a great
deal about the mind of the American electorate.
Gephardt's victory was a testimony to the
importance that the American electorate places
on the trade issue, especially in areas like
Iowa, which have been hard hit by unfair
foreign competition.
Dole based his campaign on two themes:
leadership and the resolution of the budget
deficit. The fact that he came from nearby
Kansas gave his campaign a boost in this
midwestem state.
Robertson's victory offered the most meaningful lesson to labor groups. More than any
other candidate, he demonstrated the importance of grassroots activity in the election
process. Republicans will have to take note of
his concerns if they are to forge a winning
coalition.

Merchant Marine Benefits
Forty-three years after the end of World
War II, American seamen finally have been
given the recognition they deserve for the role
they played in helping to preserve democracy
in the world.
The Defense Department granted surviving
seamen the same rights and privileges that
have been awarded to veterans and 14 other
groups.
"Most seamen have long passed the age
where they ~an enjoy many of the benefits
that other veterans enjoyed," said SIU President Frank Drozak. "For many of our members, it was a matter of principle.
''The Maritime Trades Department started
the ball rolling on this issue many years ago.
We coordinated our efforts with the AFL-CIO
and other seamen's organizations."
The ruling applies to seamen who served in
active, ocean-going service from Dec. 7, 1941,
to Aug. 15, 1945. For more details on this
issue, tum to page 3 of this month's LOG or
see your port agent.

Defense Commission
Unless this country moves quickly to tevive
this nation's merchant marine, it will be forced
to incur substantially higher costs down the
line, said the Commission on Merchant Marine
and Defense.
The deterioration of the U .S.-fiag fleet posed
a "clear and growing danger" to the national
security of this country. said the report, which
was unveiled by Jeremiah Denton, commission
chairman.
The commission outlined a seven-point program which it said should form the basis of
any national maritime policy. Among the points
stressed were the following:

t

* Development of sealift resources the U.S.
needs to meet national defense requirements.
* Enactment of measures to ensure adequate
ships, seamen and sufficient shipbuilding and
repair capabilities.

!

t
t

!

!

24 I LOG I February 1988
-

February 1988

* A "balance" between the active commercial fleet and inactive reserve forces.
* Preparation to ''go it alone,'' if necessary,
to meet strategic requirements.
* Maintenance of the shipbuilding mobilization base.
* Formulation of new initiatives and federal
programs to augment this nation's sealift and
shipbuilding capabilities.
* Restricting the reserve force only to ships
that have military capabilities not required of
the commercial sector.
For more information, turn to page 4.

ILO Convention
The maritime industry reacted with considerable favor to the Senate's decision to ratify
an International Labor Organization (ILO)
convention setting minimum safety and working standards for merchant mariners.
Hailing the 84-0 vote in the Senate, SIU
President Frank Drozak noted that ''this is a
long-overdue step which will give the international maritime community some badly
needed tools to protect the rights of seamen
worldwide."
The Senate's ratification of the treaty expands the ability of unions in signatory countries to take steps to protect the health and
safety of seamen on vessels calling in their
ports.
In testimony delivered last year, Drozak
cited cases where Philippine seamen were
endered virtual laves onboard flag-of-convenience vessels after they had signed blank
contracts which failed to provide for even their
minimal necessities.
Aitide 4 of the ~onvention gives trade unions
in signatory countries the right to look into
grievances filed by FOC seamen when there
is evidence that a ship does not conform to
minimum working and safety conditions.
A more detailed report is carried on page 5.

Coast Guard
Drastic budget cuts in the Coast Guard's
budget request could pose a serious threat to
the safety of many merchant vessels and hamper this country's war on drugs, said Admiral
Paul A. Yost Jr.. the Coast Guard commandant.
According to reports carried in The Journal
of Commerce, the cuts in the Coast Guard's
budget ''will force merchant ships, tugs and
ferries moving about New York harbor to rely
on each other to avoid mishaps''-a dubious
proposition.
In addition, a large portion of this country's
search and seizures in the Caribbean will have
to be halted because there no longer will be
enough federal money to pay for them.

Kuwaiti Reflagging
Rumors have been circulating throughout
Washington that the administration is considering waiving the American citizenship requirements contained in the recently enacted
H.R. 2598 as they relate to the 11 Kuwaiti
tankers.
Responding to these rumors, SIU President
Frank Drozak called upon the government to
commit to using American seamen onboard
these vessels.

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

Gleneagle Ship Management Company, agent
for the Chesapeake Shipping Company (the
"American" owner of the vessels), notified
the SIU that it had not yet decided how to
man the vessels.
"One would think that if they were going
to have to fill some 500 billets soon," said
Drozak, ''they would want a pool of trained
seamen to choose from.''
Several hundred SIU members have expressed interest in manning these slots. if they
become open to American citizens.
"If the government deesn't want to use
American seamen onboard these vessels,"
said Drozak, "then it should re-evaluate its
commitment in the Persian Gulf. The government should take appropriate action and reject
any requests for the employment of foreign
nationals aboard U .S.-flag vessels."
For more information on this story, plea~e
turn to page 1.

OyCanada
The Canadian government is considering
ways to establish a second shipping registry
to promote that country's deepsea shipping
industry, according to reports carried in The
Journal of Commerce.
Several different plans are being floated
about, many of which are ·milar to recent
actions taken by the Danish parli
n .
The recent news reports on this issue put
into stark perspective how important it was
for this country to exclude transportation from
the Canada Free Trade Agreement which was
signed last year between American President
Ronald Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney.
The move to establish second registries has
swept the maritime nations of Europe. Norway
started the trend last year, and France and
Sweden are looking into similar plans.

Liner Subsidy Reform
The shipping industry can make a comeback
this year, said Sally H. Smith, specialist in
ocean carrier stocks, but only if there is some
resolution to the reform of the liner subsidy
program.
While the administration and certain segments of the industry remain split on the best
way to reform the program, the shipbuilding
industry came up with a plan that might help
resolve at least part of the disputed issues.
According to reports carried ir. The Journal
of Commerce, John Stocker, president of the
Shipbuilders of America, is thinking about
"separating the U .S.-flag liner fleet-and maybe
also the bulk carriers-into two parts. The
plan, theoretically, would assure the shipyards
some commercial work and would free owners
and operators to decide under which system
it would be to their advantage to operate."
Stocker is the first prominent shipbuilder to
publicly explore the possibility that at least
some American-flag vessels could be built
foreign.
But he was speaking only for himself and
not the whole council. In addition, other segments of the industry and government remain
divided over other issues.
Operating differential subsdidies, which have
enabled many American-flag companies to remain competitive, have begun to expire.

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
KUWAITI TANKERS WIN WAIVER FROM CREWING LAW&#13;
AFL-CIO MARITIME TRADES UNIONS MEET TO SET ’88 LEGISTLATIVE GOALS&#13;
VETS WIN CLOSES WWII FOR MERCHANT MARINERS&#13;
SIU FEATURED ON PUBLIC TV&#13;
DEFENSE REPORT OUTLINES STEPS TO REBUILD FLEET&#13;
SENATE RATIFIES ILO CONVENTIONS&#13;
CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN- SEA-LAND BUYS ECONSHIPS&#13;
COAST GUARD BUDGET CUTS COULD HAVE SAFETY IMPACT&#13;
WWII HISTORIAN SEEKS HELP&#13;
FOOTE, MC&amp;S STALWART DIES&#13;
NLRB CHARGES MCALLISTER WITH UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE&#13;
PRIDE, CONFIDENCE, HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: SMU MEMBER PRAISES SHLSS TRAINING&#13;
HILL MUST ACT ON LAST YEAR’S ISSUES&#13;
REFLAGGING- A WAIVER OF THE TRUTH&#13;
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                    <text>SIU Appeals to State on Tanker Crew Waiver
The SIU has appealed directly to
Secretary of State George Shultz in
an effort to rescind a crewing waiver
for 11 reflagged former Kuwaiti
tankers. Also, five maritime unions
filed suit in federal court seeking to
have the crewing waiver overturned.
The ships have been a continuing
source of controversy since they
were reftagged last year but were
not required to carry American
crewmen, except for the captain
and radio officer. In January, Congress passed, and President Reagan
signed a bill which required Amer-

and not had a chance to respond to
the letter.

ican crewmen on all U.S. ships. But
under the claim of ''national security,'' those crewing requirements
were waived by the U.S. government.
Last month at the AFL-CIO Executive Board meeting, SIU President Frank Drozak meet briefly with
Shultz who was there to speak before the board. The secretary requested that Drozak prepare a letter
outlining the Union's position on
the waiver. A three-page letter was
prepared and sent to Shultz late last
month.
The secretary has been overseas

''I outlined what our position has
been all along and that the waiver
goes against the intent of Congress.
I stressed that using American seamen does more for national security
than does employing foreigners on
U.S. ships. We are hoping that
Secretary Shultz would begin a review process which could eventually rescind the waiver," Drozak
said.
In the suit, the unions are arguing
that the Department of Transpor-

tation and the Coast Guard acted
in direct violation of law in granting
the waiver. The suit asks that the
waiver be rescinded and that the
DOT be enjoined from taking similiar action in the future.
Drozak said the SIU supports
whatever action is needed to fight
the crewing situation on the Kuwaiti ships. He added that the SIU
decided to explore other avenues
of action besides the courts. The
unions involved in the suit are the
NMU, NMEBA, MM&amp;P, SUP and
MFOW. A hearing on the suit is
set for March 29.

Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union • Atlantic, Gull, Lakes and Inland Waters District • AFL·CIO Vol.

so,

No. J March 1988

Uttle Surprise in FY 89 Budget

Maritime Programs Remain at Last Year's Level
The administration submitted a trillion dollar budget to Congress for fiscal
year 1989 which left funding for maritime programs at essentially the same
levels that they were last year.
The administration has requested
$471.5 million for maritime programs.
On paper, this represents a $334 million increase over last year.
Roughly two-thirds of that increase
can be traced to the administration's
decision to change the way it was
submitting its request for operating
differential subsidies. Most of the rest
of the increase was a bookkeeping
change: programs which had been handled under different appropriations bills
were now being submitted under this
one.
The administration based its budget
projections for maritime on the assumption that its plan to reform the
liner subsidy program would be approved. Yet there has been little movement on the administration's plan, and
many maritime officials believed that
Congress would not get around to
dealing with this vitally important issue before it adjourned.
John Gaughan, head of the Maritime
Administration, told the House Ap-

Scholarships
April 15 is the application deadline for Charlie Logan Scholarships. Active Seafarers are encouraged to apply as well as dependents
of Seafarers. See January and February LOGs for details. Send applications to:
Seafarers Welfare Plan
c/o Charlie Logan Scholarship
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746

propriations Subcommittee that $248.9
million had been set aside to liquidate
existing operating differential subsidies, and that $72.92 million should be
set aside for grant agreements to bring
in new operators under subsidy.
No provisions were contained for
new ship financing guarantees. That
met with widespread criticism from
industry officials. There was reduced
funding for the P.L. 480 program, and
for the Coast Guard, whose budget is
contained in a different category.
Shortly after the administration made
public the provisions of the budget,
Navy Secretary James Webb resigned
in protest. He said that the budget
would make it impossible to go ahead
with plans to build a 600 ship Navy.
Controversy also surrounded funding levels for the Coast Guard. Unless
budget cuts were restored, said Coast
Guard Commander Paul Yost, the
Coast Guard would have to severely
curtail its "search and seizure" drug
raids and close Coast Guard facilities
around the country.
The administration came down on
the side of the Maritime Administration in granting it authority over the
Reserve Fleet. The Navy had contested that authority, and the issue
had aroused considerable attention in
maritime circles.
In testimony before the House Merchant Marine Committee, Gaughan
noted that the administration planned
to continue providing funds for five
state maritime academies, but only if
they agreed to share training vessels
and accept the administration's proposal that all graduates of federally
supported maritime schools accept a
Naval Reserve commitment.
"'It is said that no news is good
news,'' said Frank Pecquex, director

of the SIU's Department of Legislation. ''That may well be the case with
the administration's Fiscal Year 1989
budget.
''The best that can be said is that it

contains no surprises, but it is the
latest chapter in seven years of official
neglect.' '
SIU President Frank Drozak said
(Continued on Page 4.)

Thomas R. Donahue, AFL-CIO secretary/treasurer addresses the Maritime Trades Department. Legislative goals and ways to revitalize the U.S. merchant marine topped the
agenda. With Donahue are (L-R) MTD President Frank Drozak, MTD Secretary/Treasurer
Jean lngrao and MTD National Field Coordinator Frank Pecquex. See pages 5-7 for
details.

I side:
. Manning Standards Examined
SIU Firms Win 42 RRF Ships
Brother to Brother
Inland News_
Government Services
I

1

Page 3
Page 4
Page 8
Pages 9 &amp; 10
Pages 18 &amp; 19

�President's Report
by Frank Drozak
During the past few election
years, politics has become more
and more like a massively-produced sporting event. The networks drench the airwaves with
15-second clips of candidates.
Newspapers run hundreds of column inches on the latest polls and
trends, and the candidates themselves throw slick video-like commercials at viewers.
Sometimes with all that noise
and visual assault, messages get
lost. How much can a candidate
say in a 15-second sound-bite or
half-minute commercial?
The recent primaries and caucuses in some 20 states March 8
was in danger of becoming more
like a made-for-television movie
than an important step in the election process. But as the election
neared, a trend developed-the
problems of America's working men
and women became a popular
theme.
Sometimes it was hard to figure
out where the various candidates
stood on the issues by just watching the news, but a careful reading
of the papers and political analysis
showed that issues were getting an
airing. Issues that concern all
American workers.
Unemployment, underemployment, the prohibitive cost of housing and medical care, education,
drugs, job training andjob security
are all issues that affect all Americans, regardless of political ideology.
I believe those are the issues
which will decide the 1988 elections. Americans are worried. While
unemployment
figures
have
dropped in the past few years, so
have the number of people working
at well-paid industrial jobs. People
know this country cannot continue
to pile up the budget deficit at the
rate the Reagan administration has.
They also know this country cannot sit idly by and watch its manufacturing base sold piece by piece
overseas.

The results from Super Tuesday
seem to have narrowed the Democratic field to three and the GOP
to one. All three of the major
Democratic candidates have appealed to the vast working class.
While the details of their messages
vary, they know that working men
and women will decide the election
on the issues important to them.
When it comes time for the SIU
to endorse a candidate, it will be
only after careful study. Like all
unions in the AFL-CIO, we are
concerned with how the candidates
stand on labor's main issues. We
are also very concerned about
where they stand on maritime issues.
Two of the areas we will be
looking at are:
Rebuilding the U.S. merchant
marine-It's no secret our vital
industry needs help. The recent
report and recommendations from
the president's Commission on
Merchant Marine and Defense is a
good place to start.
The role of the merchant marine
in this country's defense posture
must be reaffirmed. We cannot
allow the merchant fleet's role to
be farmed out to low-wage foreign
countries, like so many American
companies have done with their
plants. The bottom line is not cost,
it is efficiency, competitiveness and
the ability to fulfill the defense role.

its traditional large-scale involvement in the election. We have a
reputation as a union that can be
counted on to tum out the vote
and the volunteers. That's where
each and every one of you comes
in.
Volunteer your time and your
effort, not just in the presidential
race but in the contests in your
own home town. Candidates for
the House and Senate and for state
offices are important to you and
the Union.
Check with your port agents and
field reps. They will have a line on
the best ways you can help your
Union and yourself.
More so than most industries,
our job security is tied to politics
and national policy. Another eight
years of being ignored or attacked
could very well mean the death of
the U.S.-fiag merchant marine.
We cannot let that happen.

We are not simply talking about
dollars, we need leadership and we
need a president with the attitude
that the merchant marine is important.
An important question for the
candidates will be where they stand
on the Defense Commission report.
Fair Trade, Not Free TradeThe trade policies of the last eight
years have led to the biggest trade
deficit this country has ever seen.
But as long as U.S. trade policy
allows American products and
American companies to be shut
out of markets and tariffed to death,
little will improve.
We have to trade with the rest
of the world. But they must trade
with us too. The candidate we
support must support a reasonable
and sound fair trade program.
Between now and the November
election, the SIU will gear up for

SIU's Fay Honored

SIUNA Vice President John Fay (right) was honored in Philadelphia for his contributions
and help to the Deborah Hospital Heart and Lung Center. Fay received the Humanitarian
Award from Jeffrey Gloss, associate chairman of the hospital's executive board.

Off1aal Pubhcat1on o1 the Seafarers International Uruon of
Vol 50, No 3

North Amenca, Atlanbc, Gutt, Lakes and Inland Wa ers D1stnct

March 1988

i:

"'

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

Carla Tomaszewski
Contributing Editor

2 I LOG I March 1988

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe DiGiorgio

Vice President

Secretary

Joe Sacco

Mike Sacco

Leon Hall

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) i~ published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District. AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 89906~~· Sec?nd-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges, Md. 20790-9998 and at additional
ma1hng offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way Camp Springs
Md. 20746.
'
'

�Manning Standards Examined by Maritime Panel
More than 30 labor, management
and government representatives met
in a day-long session earlier this menth
to discuss ways to establish more "effective manning" regulations.
''We're trying to find an area where
labor, the shipowners and government
might be able to work something out,''
said SIU President Frank Drozak.
The meeting was the result of an
earlier get-together last fall at the United
States Merchant Marine Academy in
Kings Point, N. Y.
Some participants expressed concern that new manning regulations
would reduce the number of crew-

members onboard ships, Coast Guard
Admiral J.W. Kime said, "We're not
talking about taking people off, we 're
talking about how to use them better.''
He also said the agency's manning
standards are designed only for safety
and that crew size on any ship is up
to collective bargaining between the
various unions and shipowners.
Most participants agreed on the need
to update manning standards, but few
agreed on exactly how to go about it.
There was discussion about ''crossutilization'' using a qualified crewmember in both the engine and deck
departments. There also was discus-

SIU President Frank Dro7.ak makes his opening remarks at the conference. Coast Guard
Adm. J.W. Kime Oeft) and SIU presidential assistant Mike Neumann take notes.

SUP President Whitey Disley makes a point during the manning conference. With him
are SIU Vice President George McCartney (left) and MFOW President Paul Dempster.

sion of automation and watchstanding
requirements.
The goal of the committee, co-chaired
by Drozak, is to design manning
standards which could be implemented either through legislation or
regulatory reform.
A smaller committee was appointed
to study the issue in more detail and
try to find areas of agreement between
the varied parties.
Unions which took part in the meeting included the SIU, NMU, MM&amp;P,
MEBA-1, MFOW and SUP. APL,
Matson, Arco, Exxon and Sea-Land
sent representatives, and members of
Marad and the Coast Guard attended.

Andrew Boyle, SIU or Canada vice president, was an observer at the conference.

Members Need Modern Rotary System

SIU Studies Ways to Improve Shipping &amp; Registration
The SIU is undertaking a study
to examine ways to improve the
rotary shipping system. The aim is
to expand job opportunities for SIU
members in all ports, and to make
registration and shipping procedures easier for the membership.
In a report to the membership
last month, SIU Vice President Angus "Red,. Campbell said that
''while nothing has been done to
change our system, somewhere
down the line changes are going to
have to be made."
The idea for taking a new look at

registration and shipping procedures developed during meetings
with members attending upgrading
programs at the SHLSS. During
these past four years, SIU President
Frank Drozak met with Bosons and
Stewards in .Recertification Programs as well as members in other
upgrading programs to get their ideas
on how to improve membership
services.
One area which received a great
deal of comment was an idea to
establish a national registration and
shipping procedure. Out of these

SIU Ally Is Top 'Italian'

Long-time SIU friend and supporter (center) Joe Avara, Ret. Baltimore Police Col., was
honored recently when he took command as the national president of the Sons or Italy.
With him are SIU Headquarters Rep. Frank Paladino and Baltimore Port Agent Robert
Pomerlane.

discussions came a general agreement that some kind of national
rotary shipping system might better
serve the needs of our membership.
A national registration system would
improve the rotary job guarantees,
and would expandjob opportunities
to members in all ports.
President Drozak is urging members to write to him with comments

on the concept of a national shipping and registration system, or any
other system which will safeguard
and improve the rotary shipping
system. Members are asked to address their comments to:
Frank Drozak, President
Seafarers International Union
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746

Committee Approves Bill To
Beef Up Fishing Boat Safety
A new fishing vessel safety bill was
approved by the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee last
month that will raise safety standards
for U.S. fishing boats. But part of the
bill dealing with liability and injury
compensation standards was delayed
for future action.
H.R. 1841, The Commercial Fishing
Industry Safety and Compensation Act,
sets new standards for vessel safety.
Introduced by Rep. Gerry Studds
(D-Mass.), chairman of the subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment, H.R.
1841 would require the largest population of fishing boats, documented
vessels (those over five net tons) or
!hose which have more than 16 people
onboard, to carry at least one EPIRB
(Emergency Position Indicating Radio
Beacon), life boats or rafts sufficient
to accommodate all onboard, one exposure/survival suit per crewman, radio equipment which allows the boat
to communicate with the Coast Guard,
certain navigation equipment including charts and compass, and first aid

supplies.
New vessels carrying more than 16
crewmen would face even stiffer requirements including radars, bilge
alarms, and fire fighting equipment.
The Coast Guard is also directed to
develop stability standards for new
vessels and for those whose physical
characteristics are substantially altered in a way which affects the vessel's operating stability.
The Coast Guard is also given two
years to develop a proposal for the
possible licensing of vessel operators.
The bill would, for the first time,
require the inspection of fish processing vessels.
As explained by Committee Chairman Walter B. Jones (D-N. C.), a sponsor of -the bill, the committee's decision to proceed with the markup of
Title II, the safety provisions, and
delay markup of the liability Title was
driven by two facts: "We must make
it very clear that this committee is on
record supporting safety legislation and
that safety legislation is going to be
(Continued on Page 4.)
March 1988 I LOG I 3

�SIU Wins Big Share of RRF Contracts-42 Ships
SIU contracted companies garnered
the lion's share of the contracts awarded
by the MSC to the private sector for
the maintenance of 71 vessels in the
Ready Reserve Force.
SIU-contracted companies will
maintain 42 of the vessels over the
next five years. "This represents literally hundreds of potential jobs for
SIU members,'' said SIU Vice President Angus "Red" Campbell.

The ships make up the Navy's fleet
of emergency use vessels which would
be broken out in case of a national
emergency requiring the use of U.S.
forces and troops overseas.
The announcement had been held
up while the dispute between the Navy
and the Maritime Administration over
who would handle these vessels was
resolved. The administration finally
found in favor of Marad.

In addition to the new awards, nine
other ships will be crewed by SIU
members under the terms of a previous
agreement. Interocean Management
will operate six crane ships in the RRF,
and Crowley Maritime Inc. will operate three T-1 tankers.
What follows is a list of the awards
to SIU-contracted companies:
• American Overseas Marine Corp.,
Quincy, Mass., 12 ships, $1.9 million.

• Interocean Management Corp.,
Philadelphia, eight, $1.6 million.
• OMI Corp., New York City, eight,
$1.2 million.
• International Marine Carriers,
Mineola, N.Y., four, $914,475.
• American President Lines Ltd.,
Oakland, Calif., 10, $1.2 million.
(Steward Department only)

Cooking on the Arctic

·Washington Report
The Overseas Arctic crew got some fine holiday cooking from Chief Cook A. Fachini (left)
and Steward Assistant G. Wheeler. Right Fachini shows off his roasted turkey.

Uttle Change in Maritime Budget
(Continued from Page 1.)
that the administration's budget meant
that many important questions would
have to be put on the back burner.
Commenting on Webb's resignation, Drozak said that the controversy
concerning the budget underscored the
fact that the military had to get the
most out of the money it was spending.
"It is no longer possible," said Drozak, "for federal agencies like the
MSC to underestimate their true costs
when making Request for Proposal

(RFP) bids. Private-sector maritime
companies must be utilized if this
country is to maintain an adequate
sealift capability.''
Also of interest to maritime was the
$62 million in debt authority set aside
for Ocean Freight Differential payments to the Department of Agriculture for the added cost of carrying
additional cargo reserved for U.S.-ftag
vessels as a result of the compromise
reached concerning the P .L. 480 program under the Food Security Act of
1985.

Pensioners
The following SIU members have
retired on pension:

DEEPSEA
Baltimore
Samuel Powell
Duluth
Stephen P. Kolek
Houston
Lester W. LeClair
Jacksonville
Samuel S. Brown
Clifton Jordan
John J. Kruse
Mobile
Edward L. Collins
New Orleans
Tadeusz Zielinski
4 I LOG I March 1988

New York
Donald Ash
Thomas Maga
Reginald E. Melville
Bernard Romanoff

Santurce
John A. Speer
Seattle
Gordon E. Bradford
Wesley T. Christianson
Robert E. Hommel
Edgar Sharp
Wilmington
Robert E. Ladd
· Kenneth H. Roberts

(Continued from Page 24.)
that he and the administration opposed
any new shipbuilding program, and
companies should be allowed to build
foreign and still receive operating subsidies.
''We recognize the trade-off here;
if we are going to make it possible for
U.S. companies to compete, we have
to reduce their capital and operating
costs," he said.

Drug Testing
DOT' s Burnley has introduced a farreaching and controversial program

concerning the testing of all airline
personnel. The program has important
ramifications for the maritime industry
because Burnley has said that it would
be applied to workers in other transportation sectors, including maritime,
trucking and bus.
''The rules for maritime workers
and truck and bus drivers are likely
to include random testing, some regularly scheduled periodic tests, and
special tests after accidents, rule violations, and upon a reasonable suspicion that a worker has used drugs,''
said The Journal of Commerce.

Fishing Safety Bill Advances
(Continued from Page 3.)
enacted by this Congress'' and second, "There is still no consensus as
to how to write Title I."
The committee also approved H.R.
1260, the National Seabed Hard Minerals Act, introduced by Mike Lowry
(D-Wash.), chairman of the Oceanography Subcommittee. The bill establishes a regime for the exploration
and commercial recovery of hard mineral resources found in the seabed
within our 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The committee adopted two amendments to the bill: by Robert Davis (RMich.), requiring mining vessels to be
not only U .S.-ftag but U .S.-built; and
by Patricia Saiki (R-Hawaii) to increase the flexibility of criteria used
to determine if a state is "affected"
by mining activities and therefore eligible to share in the revenues derived

from those activities.
Two amendments were offered and
defeated: by Norman Shumway (RCalif.) that would have eliminated the
federal-state dispute settlement section of the bill; and by Jack Fields (RTexas) that would have eliminated the
requirement that an "affected state"
have an approved Coastal Zone Management program to receive certain
bonus revenues.
The committee also approved two
bills dealing with merchant marine
veterans. H.R. 1430, introduced by
Mario Biaggi (D-N. Y.) authorizes decorations and medals for service in the
merchant marine; and H.R. 2032, introduced by Glenn Anderson (D-Calif.),
authorizes the conveyance of the vessel Lane Victory from the National
Defense Reserve Fleet to a nonprofit
group for use as a merchant marine
memorial.

�Denounces U.S. Flag Sell-Out

Maritime Trades Department
Sets '88 Legislative Goals
Bal Harbour, Fla.-The Reagan administration's decision to waive U .S.-citizen crew requirements on 11 Kuwaiti tankers carrying the
American flag for protection in the Persian Gulf
was unanimously condemned by the AFL-CIO
Maritime Trades Department which met last
month to set legislative priorities for 1988.
The waiver was granted by the Coast Guard
Feb. 9 at the request of the Defense Department
and drew a sharp protest from MTD President
Frank Drozak. He said the move would do
"immeasurable harm to the maritime industry's
continuing effort to meet the national security
role that Congress has established" for the
American-flag merchant marine.
The MTD executive board gave ''unanimous
consent" to the department's officers to "explore every legal and legislative avenue open to
us to reverse this arbitrary administration slap
at the intent of Congress."
Drozak said the resolution on refiagging had
the support of all of the seagoing unions, including those not affiliated with the MTD. Besides the Seafarers, the list includes the National
Maritime Union, Marine Engineers, Masters,
Mates &amp; Pilots and Radio Officers.
Congress had sought to close a loophole that
allowed reflagged Kuwaiti ships to avoid compliance with a law requiring that ships flying the
American flag carry U.S. crews. President Reagan approved the legislation last month, but
Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci found a new
loophole. He claimed that use of foreign seamen
on American-flag ships serves a national defense
interest.

* * *
In an address to the board, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Thomas R. Donahue reviewed
developments since the federation's 1987 convention and legislative prospects in the current
session of Congress on such key labor-supported
measures as the Omnibus Trade Bill.

The trade measure was among the legislative
priorities discussed by the MTD board, along
with development of oil reserves in the Arctic
National Wildlife Reserve, preserving the integrity of the Jones Act, shipbuilding, safety and
health, social security, minimum wage, Medicare, and recommendations of the Commission
on Merchant Marine &amp; Defense aimed at reviving the nation's sealift capability.
The board meeting also hailed the recent
success of maritime unions, working through
the AFL-CIO Ad Hoc Maritime Committee, in
the eight-year battle to persuade the Department
of Defense to grant veterans' status to seamen
who sailed with the merchant marine during
World War II. The meeting also noted that the
department had succeeded in getting transportation removed from the U.S. -Canada Free Trade
Agreement and in enacting the Fishing Vessel
Anti-Refiagging Act.

* * *
The MTD vowed to make use of its extensive
grassroots political action network of port councils during this year's primaries and national
elections.
MTD Secretary-Treasurer Jean F. lngrao welcomed a new affiliate to the department, the
Steelworkers, and USWA Vice President George
Becker was named to the executive board. Also
named to the board was Carpenters President
Sigurd Lucassen, who succeeds his predecessor,
Patrick J. Campbell.
Members of Congress addressing the board
included Sen. Howell Heflin (D-Ala.), Rep. Don
Young (R-Alaska), Rep. Joe Moakley (D-Mass.)
and Rep. Gerry Sikorski (D-Minn.).
Speakers from the AFL-CIO staff included
Department Directors Rudy Oswald, economic
research; John Perkins, COPE; Bert Seidman,
occupational safety, health and social security,
and Robert McGlotten, legislation.

SIU Assumes Leadership Role

c

SIU Executive Vice President Mike Sacco urged the members of the Executive Council of the Maritime Trades
Department to make trade their top priority.

MTD Presid~nt Frank Drozak chaired the two-day session,
which established the department's legislative agenda for
the upcoming year.

SIU President Frank Drozak, left, and Rep. Don Young
(R-Alaska) urged Congress to enact legislation permitting
the development and exploration of oil products found in
the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR).

Election Year 1988
The maritime industry is one of the most
regulated sectors of the American economy.
Additionally, the complex web of maritime laws,
subsidies and policies have made the fate of
maritime highly reactive to decisions made at
the federal level.
All of the maritime trades, and indeed the
entire economy, are affected by government
policy making. Fortunately, workers in the maritime trades have been among the most outspoken in promoting the causes of economic and
social justice.
In recent years, their collective voice has been
amplified through the MTD's Grass Roots Political Program. Through it, we have achieved
significant victories. De~pite consistent anti-labor policies implemented by the present administration, we have actively supported and secured election to office men and women who
share our beliefs and represent our hopes.
An essential key to our success has been the
broad involvement of the 26 port maritime councils throughout the United States, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Their officers have
joined with field representatives and the membership of affiliated unions to make a real difference at the local, state and national levels.
We must, however, guard against the complacency that often accompanies success. The 1988
elections offer unprecedented opportunities for
securing major gains for American workers. The
entire U.S. House of Representatives, one-third
of the U.S. Senate, state legislatures and city
councils, and most importantly, the next administration must be selected. Our future and our
children's futures are at stake. The MTD urges
all affiliated unions and their respective memberships to fully participate in our nation's political process.
March 1988 I LOG I 5

�The National Economy
During the past several years, the U.S. economy has experienced record trade imbalances,
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 manipulations of the financial markets. This economic
turmoil was further exacerbated by the Oct. 19,
1987 stock market crash which literally erased
$1 trillion worth of stock values in one hectic
trading session. Black Monday, as the crash has
now been labeled, and the unhealthy and unsound state of the nation's economy is largely
man-made, the result of seven years of supplyside Reaganomics.
More than investors were jolted by the Wall
Street tremor. The huge plunge and the market's
subsequent uncertainly sent shock waves through
the public at large as well, undermining what
little confidence still remained in the immediate
future of the economy and of Reaganomics per
se. In fact, the administration's accuracy as both
an economic forecaster and reporter has been
proved highly dubious.
The causes of the recent crash are neither
trivial nor transient, arising from the strains and
imbalances in the American economy precipitated by national economic policies which are
based on a naive attachment to free-market
ideology. The American people are indeed paying the piper for the administration's inability to
reduce the huge budget and trade deficits.
Seven years ago, the newly installed Reagan
administration inaugurated the most dramatic
economic package in decades. Two years later,
our economy was limping out of the deepest
recession since the Depression with millions of
Americans out of work, failed businesses, decreased industrial production and social programs established to care for the needy victimized by the ruthless budget ax. At the same
time, the Reagan administration granted tax
breaks for corporations and wealthy individuals
and promoted huge increases in the defense
budget during a period of declining government
revenues.
The next several years witnessed a modest
recovery to the economy and the administration
claimed success for the decline in inflation and
interest rates. On this count, Reaganomics outperformed even its own promises. In February
1981, the administration foresaw a 4.9 percent
inflation rate by 1986. In fact inflation dropped
below 5 percent several years ago. But, the rapid
relief from inflation cannot be credited to sound
economic policy. On the contrary, the rapid
decline in inflation can be directly attributed to
the staggering unemployment levels which hit
this nation during the early eighties. In other
words, the jobs of American workers were sacrificed so that the Reagan administration could
claim a victory in its battle against inflation.
Still, the administration persists in its belief
that jobs are plentiful. True, total employment
expanded by 10.5 million jobs between 1980 and
1986, which sounds good until one realizes that
the U.S. economy generated 12.5 million new
jobs in the previous six years. In February 1981,
the Reagan administration foresaw a falling unemployment rate that would average 6.6 percent
over the coming six years and dip to 5 .6 percent
by 1986. In fact, unemployment has averaged
8.1 percent during the Reagan years and has yet
to touch 6.6 percent. The unemployment picture
is further blemished by the huge trade deficits
resulting from this administration's simplistic
and blind devotion to free-market economic
theory regardless of its cost in human misery
6 I LOG I March 1988

Domestic Cruise Industry

and deprivation. Economists estimate that
America loses some 22 ,500 jobs for every $1
million in imports that enter the domestic market. Since Reagan came to office, more than two
million good paying factory jobs have been
washed away by the rising import tide.
Furthermore, the original Reagan economic
plan promised a budget surplus of $30 billion by
fiscal year 1986, despite massive tax cuts and
an upsurge in defense spending. The administration was going to accomplish this through
strong economic growth and by paring government spending. In reality, however, the budget
deficit mushroomed to just under $200 billion in
1987 while the trade deficit has reached approximately $175 billion-a new national record.
Thus the projected economic boom heralded by
the administration's economic idealogues never
materialized.
The stock market may recover somewhat and
perhaps the message behind its tumultuous plunge
in late October will be heeded. Certainly, supplyside Reaganomics have encouraged Americans
to spend too much, to import too much, to live
beyond its means by relying on foreigners to
finance its massive budget and trade deficits.
But no nation can continue to successfully consume more than it produces, to spend more than
its output, or to pile up international debt on
which interest must be paid without heading for
a painful adjustment. The bill is now coming
due. Inevitably, America's standard of living
will suffer unless its economic national policy is
vigorously addressed and repaired. The nature
of the required repairs will include a smaller
federal deficit, perhaps lower consumption by
Americans, lower trade deficits, lower interest
rates and more investment in American industries and American workers.
The MTD believes that it is imperative for the
seven years of free spending and heavy borrowing of the Reagan administration to stop. National policymakers must begin to provide responsible economic leadership. The stock market
plunge is only a warning of the damage to come
if national decisionmakers return to business as
usual. The clock is still running, the game is not
yet over. With fundamental and far-reaching
changes to prevailing economic practices, the
scorecard can be changed to reflect a winning
and healthy national economy.

The AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department
has consistently supported the development of
a cruise vessel industry in the United States. To
this end, the Maritime Trades Department:
1. shall initiate and support an effort which
requires cruise vessel operators who homeport
vessels in the United States or who do substantial
business in the United States:
a) to construct in a United States shipyard
any replacements or additional vessels for operation in the U.S. cruise trade and that all nonemergency repairs and maintenance on cruise
vessels involved in such trade shall be performed
in an American shipyard; and
b) a percentage of the crew aboard all foreign
flag vessels involved in the U.S. cruise trade
shall be citizens of the United States.
2. shall initiate and support an effort which
eliminates factors that impede the expansion and
operation of U.S. flag cruise vessels in the
domestic trades, including but not limited to
regulations which allow "cruises to nowhere";
that allow foreign vessels to spend more than
24 hours in a U.S. port; and that allow a foreign
vessel to merely touch a foreign port to satisfy
domestic shipping restrictions. This effort shall
also explore incentives for U.S. construction
and operation of domestic cruise vessels, including but not limited to the greater availability
and utilization of the Title XI loan guarantee
program; and conforming restrictions on the
utilization of shipboard gambling devices between U.S. and foreign-flag cruise vessels.

Shipbuilding Industry
The Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO,
in recognition of the nation's shipyard crisis,
supports the following initiatives:
1. The development and support for legislation requiring federal funding of the Construction
Differential Subsidy Program (CDS) at sufficient
levels to fulfill existing and future building needs
of U.S.-flag vessels operators.
2. Reaffirmation of the Maritime Trades Department's commitment and support for existing
maritime policy requiring subsidized vessel operators to construct new vessels in U.S. shipyards, manned by U.S. citizen crews.

AFL-CIO Pledges Support to Maritime

.//::

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L. .:....; ;..
COPE Director John Perkins outlined
organized labor's political strategy
for the upcoming year.

Robert McGlotten, director of the
AFL-CIO's Department of Legislation, urged all trade unionists to become involved on a grassroots level.

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Rudy Oswald, director of Economic
Research for the AFL-CIO, went over
the Reagan administration's sorry
economic record.

�International Trade

lnteniational Affairs

International trade and its effect on America's
economy has been a major concern for the
country. This concern has been aroused by a
stream of recordbreaking trade deficits which
have resulted in the United States becoming the
largest debtor nation in the world. Also, the
stock market crash that the United States experienced last fall was accompanied by similar
crashes in all of the international stock exchanges, and was partly attributable to America's poor international trade position.
Accompanying the stock crash and the tremendous trade deficits is the reality that America
is mortgaging its future prosperity to maintain
present standards of living. Increasing awareness of this problem resulted in omnibus trade
legislation being passed by both Houses of Congress. This legislation is designed to assist America in weathering the current trade crisis and
prospering in future years. It will help improve
America's technical proficiency, aid those workers harmed by international trade, and spur the
administration to reach agreements with our
trading partners in order to eliminate the unfair
trade practices that have led to the decline of
many U.S. industries.
Reinvestment in America through better and
more efficient plants and equipment, and increased training of workers are essential steps
towards America's future prosperity. America's
economic output has lagged in comparison with
many of the countries now heavily engaged in
international trade. This is due primarily to the
lack of investment made in America.
Instead of investing in new plants and job
training, investors have spent money in countless merger and acquisition schemes that leave
a few people extraordinarily wealthy. In contrast, the newly merged corporation is often left
with an enormous debt burden requiring the sale
of assets and the laying off of workers. This
reduces the company's ability to compete in the
future.
During these times of trade deficits, many
companies have also lost their domestic markets
to foreign imports; worker layoffs and plant
shutdowns result. Sometimes the layoff is temporary; all too often, however, the job loss is
permanent. Workers who lost their jobs because
of unmanageable international trade deficits need
the financial assistance to live during the time it
takes to find a new job, to retrain or to relocate.
The omnibus trade legislation pending before
the Congress contains provisions that would
help to provide those workers with trade adjustment assistance and necessary retraining.

One of the International Labor Organization's
(ILO) major functions is the formulation and
adoption ofinternational labor standards through
International Conventions and Recommendations. A feature of major significance is that an
International Convention, following ratification
by an individual nation is a binding international
treaty. Therefore, among the nations which have
ratified various ILO Conventions, there has been
created a recognized body of international law
affecting trade union freedom, human rights,
race and sex discrimination, unemployment, and
conditions of employment. Recommendations
adopted by ILO member nations provide guidance on national legislation, policy and practice.
Since 1919, more than 300 Conventions and
Recommendations have been adopted. They
encompass a very broad spectrum of general
and specific matters ranging from freedom of
association to crew accommodations onboard
ships.
In recent years, actions in the United States
and a number of European countries demonstrate the possibility that enforcement of international standards of work conditions can be
achieved. In 1982, maritime officials of 14 European nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding endorsing the principle of Port State
Control under which each signatory nation accepts the responsibility for enforcing internationally-accepted standards of shipboard operation regardless of the flag of registry and the
maritime practice of that registry.
Among the International Conventions included in the European governments Memorandum of Understanding is the ILO Merchant
Shipping (Minimum Standards) Convention #147.
This Convention requires ratifying nations to
comply with 11 additional ILO Conventions.
These deal with minimum age of seafarers;
medical care and sickness benefits; prevention
of accidents; crew accommodations; food and
catering for crews; officer competency certificates; seamen's articles of agreement; repatriation of seamen; freedom of association; and the
right to organize and bargain collectively.
In July 1985 the Secretariat for the 14 European nations which signed the Memorandum of
Understanding reported that 20 percent of all
ships entering their ports were inspected for
compliance with the requirements of the applicable Conventions. That Third Annual Report
of the Secretariat stated that 428 ships, equaling
5 .5 percent of all ships inspected were detained
or delayed because of deficiencies in safety
conditions or minimum crew standards for food,

- -.

Trade Deficit &amp; Jobs Are Common Concerns

lJA W President Owen Bieber said
that the Canada Free Trade
Agreement should be repudiated.

Andrew Boyle, Executive VicePresident for the SIU of Canada,
praised the ability of seamen north
and south of the border to work
in close alliance.

Jack Otero, vice-president of the
Brotherhood of Railroad and Airline Clerks, chaired an important
meeting concerning the International Labor Organization.

accommodations or work hours.
In 1987, ILO Convention 147 was sent to the
United States Senate by the Executive Branch
of the government with a favorable recommendation for ratification. Public hearings before the
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations were
held in 1987. On Feb. 1, 1988, the United States
Senate ratified the Convention by a vote of 84-0.
With this action of the Senate exists the
necessary legal authority to permit the United
States government to take effective action against
all sub-standard ships which enter U.S. ports
regardless of flag of registry. This would include
authority to detain ships which violate minimum
standards regarding working conditions and
treatment of crewmembers.
In summary, there is some reason for optimism
that in the near future, effective action can be
taken to improve workers' standards on a very
broad range of conditions in the international
work place of the sea. The internationally adopted
and recognized standards include the fundamental workers' rights of freedom of association and
to organize and bargain collectively, as well as
a number of conditions of work and living onboard ships.
On an even broader front, the AFL-CIO has
taken steps to direct the focus of the U.S.
government to internationally recognized workers' rights in a number of developing countries
in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In June of
1987, the Federation and several of its affiliates
submitted petitions to the U.S. trade representative to withdraw duty-free benefits on imports
from specified countries with long-standing, repressive labor policies. The petitions were filed
under the provisions of the Trade and Tariff Act
of 1984 which authorizes the president to withdraw special tariff benefits available to a large
number (140) of developing countries, if any
such country is not ''taking steps to afford
internationally recognized workers rights'' to its
workers. The statute specifically includes 1) the
right of association; 2) the right to organize and
bargain collectively; 3) the prohibition against
the use of any form of forced or compulsory
labor; 4) the prohibition against the employment
of children under a minimum age; and 5) the
provision of acceptable conditions of work with
respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and
occupational safety and health. All of these
workers' rights and standards are founded on a
number of ILO Conventions.
·
In 1986 the administration did take some
actions making trade benefits dependent upon
foreign nations policies toward workers' rights
and allowing trade unions to exist and function.
Nicaragua and Romania lost their benefits and
Paraguay's benefits were suspended.
On Dec. 24, 1987, the United States trade
representative suspended Chile from the U.S.
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program based on practices by the government of
Chile relating to violations of internationally
recognized workers' rights. As a result of this
action, Chilean exports to the United States will
no longer receive duty-free status under the GSP
program.
Trade rights and workers' rights are also linked
in the programs of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Caribbean Basin Initiative. Vigorous enforcement of these laws of
the United States which recognize the applicable
ILO Convention can and will elevate workers'
standards around the world. It will also remove
any competitive advantage which the goods and
services of a country may enjoy through the
repression of workers.
March 1988 I LOG I 7

�From One Brotherhood to Another

Seafarer Finds His Calling Away from the Sea
By MIKE HALL
Cliff Renard was pretty typical of a
lot of young men who started shipping
out in 1967. The high school dropout
from St. Mary's, Pa. was working in
San Diego as the war in Vietnam was
escalating and a steady stream of ships
sailed from the West Coast to Southeast Asia.
He had left the Barnabite Community, a Catholic order of priests and
brothers in Youngstown, N.Y. He had
shelved his dreams of becoming a
priest.
''A good friend of mine got me a
job in San Diego as a baker. I worked
there about a year, and one of the
guys I worked with used to ship out
as a purser. He told me, 'Cliff, why
don't you go on up to Wilmington. I
hear the MC&amp;S (Marine Cooks &amp;
Stewards) needs bakers.'
"I went up there and they told me
what I had to do to get my seamen's
papers, and about four months later I
shipped out on the Lurline,'' the now
48-year-old Renard recalled.
That was the start of more than a
dozen years sailing, interspaced with
a stint as a longhaul trucker and several years of onshore baking jobs.
It was also the beginning of a long
road back to where he had started in
Youngstown with the Barnabites. Last
summer, 20 years after he left, Renard
took his vows and become Brother
Cliff M. Renard, C.R.S.P.

Onboard the Santa Maria in the late 1970s,
Renar d puts the finishing touches on a Dutch
apple pie.

It was a little more than three years
ago when Brother Cliff sold most of
his belongings and began his training
with the Bamabites. Along with the
religious training he received during
his apostlement and novitiate years,
he also earned the high school degree
he didn't get two decades ago.
Now, Renard is attending Niagara
University studying computer science
and business administration. He will
use those skills in administrative work
with the order and will also teach.
His new religious vocation is a long
way from his first job on Matson' s
Lurline, then a passenger ship running
from the West Coast to Hawaii.
"I gradually worked my way up into
the bakery. Became third baker and
then moved up to second baker on the
[President] Cleveland (APL). I was
only a C-card then but sailed several
trips on the Monterey as third and then
first baker. Eventually I became the
pastry chef," he said.
By then, "The priesthood had completely dropped by the wayside. Sailing was going to be my career. I still
had my religious direction in my life.
But I didn't really show it or push.
Like they say, 'Never talk politics or
religion','' Renard said.
But his religious beliefs did have
some outlet aboard the ships. The
passenger ships always carried chaplains aboard for the guests who wished
to attend services, and Renard helped
serve at the Masses.
After dozens of trips aboard the
Matson passenger vessels and some
APL ships, Renard found himself on
something a lot less glamorous , an old
Victory ship headed for Vietnam. "I
sailed on several old Victories for the
MSC, " he said .
He even made the switch from the
clean confines of the gallery to the
engine room as a member of the black
gang.
"I sailed as a wiper on the Arnold.
I got enough time to get my oiler's
endorsement. I wanted to see if I could
do it,'' Renard explained.
As the war in Vietnam began to
wind down, he decided to see if he
could find work ashore. "I got my
Class I license and started driving a
semi across country. I guess I like the

Brother Renard is pictured above (center) shortly after taking his vows with the Barnabite
Order. With him are the Very Rev. Anthony Bianco (left), Provincial of the Order, and
the Rev. John Ducette, Diocesan Director of the Apostleship of the Sea.

8 I LOG I March 1988

challenge of learning new things.''
But he discovered that he liked life
at sea better than life behind the wheel.
Luckily, after about a year of gearjammin', an old friend and MC&amp;S
patrolman, Gentry Moore, called.
"He said they needed a pastry chef
on the old Prudential Line's M-ships.
I made a number of trips to South ·
America on all four of the M-ships, ''
he said.
Those combination passenger/
freighters carried about 70-100 passengers each. Renard became a fixture
aboard those vessels. He said he had
a pretty good thing going for him at
the time. He'd make a run or two to
South America, come home to San
Jose, Calif. and take two or three
weeks off. If he couldn't get a ship or
just wanted to spend some time ashore,
his bakery skills always got him a job
on the beach.
It was during one of those stretches
that Renard became very active in his
San Jose parish. He became a Eucharist minister, a lay person who is
allowed to give communion when a
priest is not available, such as onboard
a ship.
Even though he was performing the
Eucharist on the ship, Renard never
made the effort to "push" his religion
on his shipmates.
Gentry Moore recalled that while
many knewofRenard's devotion, 'LHe
was an all around regular guy. Maybe
sometimes we'd try not to cuss around
him or something.''
Renard described himself as somewhat of a "loner" onboard. Both in
Vietnam and South America, while
some shipmates pursued some of the
more typical shoreside pleasures, he
often visited orphanages, sometimes
with purloined stores from the ships
for the kids there.
After many years at sea, and like
so many other seafarers in the late
1970s, Renard became the victim of a
rapidly shrinking merchant marine.
Prudential laid up the M-ships , and he
came ashore for the last time. He got
a job as a baker with the Safeway
chain of stores and began to become
more active in his San Jose parish.
"I became a volunteer there, and
my pastor told me if I kept working
at it I could become a deacon,'' he
said.
As part of his volunteer work, Renard took care of an elderly priest who
was suffering from terminal cancer.
"He told me, 'Someday, you're going
back to the brotherhood'.''
During his time in San Jose, Renard
attended several religious retreats, and
just before he died, the elderly priest
once again told him he was going back
to the seminary.
"I guess he knew what he was
talking about," Renard said.
In 1983 he headed back to upstate
New York and the Barnabite Fathers,
the last leg of a journey that began
when he was a young boy. He says
he enjoyed the years he spent at sea,
" But I'm truly happy now."
His connection with the sea isn't
completely cut. A priest who knew

Renard created this massive meringue masterpiece for a special buffet aboard the old
passenger ship Monterey in 1977.

Renard when he shipped out introduced the newly ordained brother to
the Port Chaplain of Buffalo. That
Lake Erie port is a stop for several
dozen deepsea ships each year and
even more Great Lakes vessels.
The Port Chaplain offered Renard
the post of associate chaplain there.
Along with his duties at the Barnabite' s Lady of Fatima Shrine, just a
few miles up the road from Buffalo ,
Brother Cliff will still keep in touch
with the men and women of the sea.
He said all those years of sailing
have left a mark on him , and even
today small things can trigger a memory or a feeling.
' •Sometimes when I meditate I can
hear a truck engine or start putting
sounds together and can imagine the
sound of the engine room. Or if you're
in one of those big parking garages,
with all the noise from a lot of cars
and the vibrations as the floor shakes
a bit. It feel.s like being on a ship."
While the sea may have called to
Brother Cliff Renard for all those years,
it wasn't until he put the sea behind
that he found his calling.

�nan

ews

'Joe Ax' Turns BO in New Orleans
Earl J. Schmitt, a former Louisiana
state representative, turned newsman
for the day when several friends honored old time Boatman Joe Rauch on
his 80th birthday. Below is Schmitt's
dispatch from the Crescent City.

It was Saturday, December 19, that
a few "old timers" quietly met in the
office of Cooper-Smith (formerly Crescent Towing Company) on the company barge on the Mississippi River
in New Orleans.
The 10 men met to surprise Joe
Rauch on his 80th birthday. Joe is
much better known as ••Joe Ax' ' and
has been working on the river for more
than 60 years. His friends , who paid
tribute to him, dated back to the W.
G. Coyle Company many years ago.
Although Joe carried numerous licenses to operate vessels of large tonnage, he always preferred to be a

deckhand. He was a most humorous
person and taught many seamen the
art of the trade. A large number of his
protegees are now in the various pilot
associations.
The party included ice cream and
cake. Included in the group (pictured
at the right) were: Arthur Kulp, superintendent of the firm; Milton Rodriguex, retired engineer; "Joe Ax";
Gerald Huber, Crescent River Pilot,
whose deceased father, Captain Stanley Huber, a former river pilot who
worked with Joe; Raymond Hughes,
retired deckhand and former SIU shop
steward; Captain Vic Wright and Earl
Zinc , former Coyle employees ; Captain Gus LeBlanc, retiree of Crescent
who also worked with Joe while at
Coyle; and former State Representative Earl J. Schmitt and his son, Al,
presently with Crescent, who is missing from the picture.

Pensioners
The following Inland members have
retired on pension:
Baltimore
Edward Covacevich

Leon J. Mach Sr.
Hugh L. Stewart Jr.
New York

Jerry Intonti (RMR)
Norfolk

Russell Hubbard
Philadelphia
Omar R. Collins
Arthur Miller

Personals
Howard Hailey

Please get in touch with some
people in Houston, Texas.
Bobby Gene McMichael

Please send your sister your new
address. Write to June Renfrow,
139 Meadowpark Dr., Hattiesburg,
MS 39401, or call collect (601) 5820675.

Roy C. Lundquist

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Roy C. Lundquist-please
get in touch with Price Willoughby,
1650 Iron Springs, Rd., Fairfield,
PA 17320.

Joe "Ax" Rauch (seated, third from left) celebrates his 80th birthday in New Orleans.
Rauch spent more than 60 years working on the rivers.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
FEBRUARY 1-29, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

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 ....... . . . .. .. . .

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

0
2
6
35

0
0
5
0
3
0
0

0
1
0

0

0

0

3

0
0

0
0

0

6
29

0
6

0
0

0

0

0

0

0

0
5

0
28

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

9

0

0

16

7

4
0

1
0
71

0
0

0
0

3

0
0

12

26

44

0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

Port
New York ......... . . . . ..... ..... . .
Philadelphia .... . .. .... .......... . .
Baltimore ..... . ... . . .. ... . ....... .
Norfolk .......... .. . ... . ... .. ... .
Mobile ....... .. .. ...... ......... .
New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington .... . .. ..... . . ....... .. .
Seattle ............ . . . ........ ... .
Puerto Rico ...... . . ......... .. . . . .
Houston ... .. .... .. .. . ....... .... .
Algonac ............. . ... .. ...... .
St. Louis ......... . .... .. . . ...... .
Piney Point ....... ..... ... . ...... . .
Totals .................. . ....... .

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0

19

0

0

40

232

0
0
0
31
3
0
146

20

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
27
0
0

0
0

0
0

37

34

0
0

0
0

0

0
0
2
0
0
0

50

0

0
7
0
0
0
0

0
0
6
57
1
0

21

76

0
0

3
0
48
0

0
21
0
40

4

0
0
0

54

0

58

7

1
0
0

0
3
4

0

0
49

5
0
0
0
0
4
0
4

0

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
17
0

0
0

0
2
0
0
0

9
0
0

0
0
0
0
4
0
0

1

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

28

6

0

0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
0

0

9

0
3

108

35

0
0
0
6
0
0
17
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

23

0
0
0
0
0
2
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

8

33

0
30
0
0
0
37

1

0
0
127

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
14
0
0

0

10
0
0
15

0
9
0
0
0
24
0
0
58

0
0
0
0
3
0
0

0

0
0
0
0
0

3

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0

0
5
0
0
1
0
0
0

0
0
3
0
0

1
0

0
0
0
1
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
6
0

0

0
0
0
0

0

0

13

4

3

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
2
0
0
0
0
0

23

11

0
1
0
0
0
0
0

0
14
0

0
0
47

0
0
5

251

28

3

0
15

0
4

0
5

0
41
0
0
0
16
0
0
94

48

114

62

46

453

0

0
16

5
0
0
0
0
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.

March 1988 I LOG I 9

�profiles

In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will
highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national
and maritime policy.

Rep.
Owen B. Pickett

Rep.
Kweisi Mfume

V

C

IRGINIA'S second district is
composed of adjacent, yet politically different, cities: the fast-growing
residential and resort municipality of
Virginia Beach and the unionized port
city of Norfolk. Virginia Beach is one
of the state's prime strongholds of
conservatism while Norfolk has been
one of the few bastions of liberalism
within Virginia. Owen B. Pickett (DVa.) was elected in 1986 to represent
this district.
The freshman congressman was educated in the public schools of Hanover Country, Va., received a B.S.
from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University and a law degree from
the University of Richmond.
Pickett's election to Congress followed a public career spanning more
than 15 years. He served eight terms
in the Virginia House of Delegates
( 1972-86), two years as the chairman
of the Virginia Democratic Party and
four years as the chairman of the
Second Congressional District Democratic Committee. During his years
as a member of the House of Delegates, Pickett served on numerous
committees and commissions, including the House Appropriations Committee.
An attorney and certified public accountant, Pickett was the senior partner in a law firm prior to his election
to Congress. He also is a member of
the Virginia State Bar, Virginia Bar
Association, American Bar Association, Virginia Beach Bar Association,
Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association,
the American Institute of Certified
Public Accounts and the Hampton
Roads Maritime Association.
The second district is heavily dependent on the massive concentration
of naval installations, shipbuilders and

Rep. Owen B. Pickett

shipping firms in the Hampton Roads
harbor area, which ranks first in export
tonnage among the nation's Atlantic
ports. It is no surprise, then that Pickett, during his first term, requested
and received assignment to the Armed
Services Committee and the Merchant
Marine and Fisheries Committee.
Rep. Pickett has stated, "It is important for strategic and economic
reasons to have a strong U.S. merchant fleet,'' but acknowledges the
fact that the world economy does not
function in a way that allows U.S.
shipbuilders to compete successfully
with foreign shipbuilders who enjoy
significant subsidies and other benefits
from their governments. He also has
said that the United States "can live
with temporary imbalances in our
commerce, but we cannot for one
moment back away from our commitment to defend this nation . . . Where
I come from, it is axiomatic that a
strong defense and a strong merchant
marine go hand in hand.''
Picket has stressed that the United
States must decide as a nation whether
it needs a militarily ready, commercially viable merchant marine. "If we
decide yes, as I believe we should,
then we must establish and pursue a
national merchant marine policy to
achieve this goal.''

ONGRESSMAN Kweisi Mfume
(D-Md.) was elected to the lOOth
Congress from the seventh congressional district in Baltimore. Anchored
in inner-city Baltimore, the seventh
district is overwhelmingly Democratic
and overwhelmingly black. But the
seventh also spreads west from the
downtown area, past tenement neighborhoods that were Jewish before
World War II, then turned black in
the 1950s, on to neat row houses
owned by Baltimore's black middle
class. The district also includes gentrified areas inhabited by white liberals, as well as the Johns Hopkins
University community and the adjacent liberal academic enclaves, racially mixed working-class neighborhoods as well as a large Social Security
complex with its many federal workers, mainly white and Democratic.
Mfume is a magna cum laude graduate of Morgan State University, where
he later taught political science and
communications classes, and holds a
masters degree in liberal arts from the
Johns Hopkins University, where he
concentrated in International Studies
and Foreign Relations.
As a young man, the Baltimore native adopted his African name which
means ''conquering son of kings.'' He
made the change official in 1979 upon
entering public life as a candidate for
the Baltimore City Council, on which
he served for eight years.
Mfume won some important legislative victories in the council, including a bill requiring the city to divest
itself of investments in companies doing
business in South Africa and legisla-

Rep. Kweisi Mfume

tion enhancing minority business in
the areas of bonding and set asides.
In the first month of his first term
in the U.S. House of Representatives,
Mfume was elected treasurer of the
Congressional Black Caucus and deputy whip of the freshman Democratic
class.
He serves on two important committees: the powerful Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee
and the Small Business Committee.
Within those committees, he was
appointed to three banking subcommittees: Housing and Community Development, Economic Stabilization,
and International Development. He
also serves on two Small Business
subcommittees: Minority Enterprise
and Exports, and Tourism and Special
Problems. Additionally, Mfume was
appointed to the Select Committee on
Hunger.
The freshman congressman brings
with him to the l OOth Congress a solid
reputation as an articulate, forthright
advocate for his constituency, and he
hopes to continue the tradition of advocacy on behalf of the people of
Maryland's seventh district.

Inland News

In Wilmington, N.C., three dozen SIU Boatmen recently agreed to a contract extension
at Cape Fear Towing. Above, SIU Rep. Frank Paladino (left) and Norfolk Port Agent
Jim Martin (second from left), met with some of the Cape Fear Boatmen earlier this
month to discuss the extension.

10 I LOG I March 1988

Three of the six Cape Fear tugs at their Wilmington dock.

�Justice for Merchant seamen
M

ore than 40 years overdue,
and welcomed with a great,
albeit bitter, collective sigh
from United States merchant seamen,
recognition has finally been granted
by the U.S. Defense Department of
their heroic contribution to the war
effort from 1941 to 1945. At last, they
are to be counted as veterans. Many
critics of this move may ask, "What's
all this fuss about, for just a few
meager benefits, a flag, and a headstone in some military cemetery?'· Its
ultimate meaning is much more than
that. It is the final acknowledgement
of the merchant seamen's brave and
tireless contributions to the Allied victory of World War II. Having lost over
5,600 lives in the conflict, theirs is
probably the most valiant chapter written in the history of warfare at sea.
Even before the U.S. had officially
entered the war, American ships were
taking a beating out at sea, during
which time the Neutrality Act of 1939
was in force. The German U-boats
were taking a terrible toll of unarmed
U.S. merchant ships in the Atlantic.
President Roosevelt, in declaring that
the nation was dealing with modem
pirates who destroyed defenseless ships
without warning, convinced Congress
in October 1941 to repeal anicle 6 of
the Neutrality Act which banned the
arming of U.S. merchant vessels. And
so began the merchant marine' s total
involvement in the Allied defense effort.
In effect, merchant seamen's duty
was tantamount to military service.
They received special military training, could be ordered "to such ports
and places in any part of the world as
may be ordered by the U.S. government,'' had their shore leave regulated
and discipline for misconduct supervised by military authorities. Seamen
were even subjected to court martial
if they refused to serve.

Their dangerous mission of service
under the aegis of the War Shipping
Administration was transporting Anny
and Navy cargoes all over the globe.
This included not only materiel but
men also-a great majority of the seven
million soldiers were carried overseas
on merchant ships. The more dangerous duty was taken on the old slow
vessels built before and during World
War I which proved to be easy targets.
In both these and the newly built
Liberty ships of the American Victory
Fleet, the U.S. merchant marine hauled
everything from guns, planes, tanks,
and ambulances to fuel oil, gasoline,
stoves for Iceland, powdered eggs and
milk for British and Russian chilcjren
to medicine, games and mail for the
fighting men in every outpost of democracy in the world.
In order to protect themselves from
the prowling Nazi U-boats, Allied supply ships traveled in convoys, averaging 25 ships. The merchant ships,
in addition to having Navy gunnery
crews onboard, were protected by four
Navy corvettes and two destroyer escorts which patrolled several miles
outside the main group. The typical
convoy included mostly cargo ships
carrying raw materials, tanks, planes,
equipment and ammunitiion, seven
tankers and maybe two troop ships.
When the war was over, Admiral Karl
Donitz (head of the German submarine
arm) wrote, ''The German submarine
campaign was wrecked by the introduction of the convoy system.'' (See
box below.)
Naturally, wartime involvement of
the merchant marine meant union involvement. Of the 22 seamen's unions
that existed in the United States around
1942, only seven had truly strong contractural management-labor agreements, among which was the SIU.
Before the war, Harry Lundeberg,
who headed the SIU and the SUP,

SIU veteran seamen-I. to r.: Bierney Kazmierski, Arthur Gilliland, Mario Carrasco,
Sven Regner, Albert Coles.

s:
.u~· S. MERCHANT MARINE

Rt~(lil··h&gt;.r &lt;II .111111r 11e.11rt1~·1 l· ~ &amp;nplo,q111e11 I Serrlce Qf/iee
IJnr Shippi11,f} 1ltlminirln11io11

had a two-masted training schooner
made fast to a deck in San Francisco.
He trained there and later trained
hundreds of young men who went into
the deep-water ships as able-bodied
seamen. According to the wartime
Maritime Commission, his training
schooner boatswains turned out a good
sailor. By 1943, several thousand of
his membership had already made the
Arctic run to the Russian Siberian
ports of Murmansk and Archangel carrying lend-lease cargoes of explosives
and military supplies. (See article,
'Gallant Ship.') Included in this group
of SIU members are several retirees
now living at the SHLSS Mongelli
Training and Recreation Center who
eagerly agreed to tell us about their
wartime experiences. Most of them
were mere teenagers when they signed
up with the union to go to sea and
serve their nation, but they fulfilled a
man-sized responsibility.
Bierney Kazmierski first joined the
powerful NMU in 1943 as a 17-yearold in Detroit, Mich. However, he was

turned off by the heavily socialistic
philosophy espoused by the union.
Even though Russia was an ally, public
sentiment negatively branded the NMU
as "red" and "revolutionary." And
so, "Ski" went to the SIU hiring hall
in Detroit to sign up. He recalls seeing
the union officer throwing the old NMU
books, one after another, into a large
wastebasket. His first wartime assignment was aboard the American Liberty ship, the John P. Poe, out of New
York. The convoy system was worked
out to perfection by that time, but
even so, "Ski" saw two ships behind
him in his group picked off by U-boats
on their way to Scotland. From Dover,
England they became part of the largest, most complex naval operation in
history-carrying supplies to the troops
at Omaha Beach, Normandy on DDay, June 6, 1944. Throughout the
entire trip, "Ski's" duty was to load
20mm shells for the Navy gun crews
onboard.
His second trip on the Felix Grundy
(Continued on Next Page.)
March 1988ILOGI11

�JUSTICE FOR SEAMEN
(Continued from Page 11.)
took him to Antwerp, Belgium when
the Battle of the Bulge began on Dec.
16, 1944, his 18th birthday. His convoy
was right in the middle of ' 'buzz bomb
alley,'' and they had the German V-1
rockets landing all around them. Hauling "blockbuster" bombs to Bristol,
England, bringing hundreds of German POW's back to the States, towing
disabled troop ships and a coal freighter
which had caught fire-" Ski" went
through it all with a professionalism
forged under fire.
Albert Coles had actually been
aboard a Liberty ship at the time it
was sunk. The S.S. Benjamin Harrison had left Norfolk in 1943 andjoined
up with a large 36-ship convoy out of
New York on the North African route
through to the Mediterranean. She was
loaded with munitions, food, machinery and a deck load of tanks and
trucks, and carried a merchant crew
of 43 men and a Navy Armed Guard
of 29. As a 19-year-old on his very
first trip, Albert tasted the bitter dregs
of the war early on, when his ship was
torpedoed on the evening of March 16
about 150 miles northeast of the Azores.
The ship was struck in #5 hold on the
starboard side. Later, luckily, two other
torpedoes missed. After the first hit,
a number of crew abandoned ship by
jumping overboard. Albert remembers
them getting off two lifeboats. In the
confusion, the #4 lifeboat flipped over
while being lowered, throwing its occupants into the sea. Albert was among
the 69 survivors, 66 of whom were
picked up by one of the faster ships
in the convoy-the S.S. Alan A. Dalewhich ]anded in Oran, Algeria on March
24. Having been shipped back home
on an Army transport, Albert was
given 30 days leave and , unperturbed ,
he shipped back out on another mission. His wartime service earned him
three medals; the Merchant Marine
Combat medal, the Atlantic Warzone
medal , and the Mediterranean Warzone medal.
Both Mario Carrasco and Arthur
Gilliland worked the waters around

East and South Africa during the war.
Arthur entered the SIU late in the war
and saw little action. Mario's first
Liberty ship duty was aboard the S.S.
Abraham Baldwin in 1942 as a wiper
and oiler. This time period marked the
most treacherous in terms of U.S.
merchant vessels sunk by the enemy.
He served aboard a number of other
Liberty ships, transporting ammunition, bombs, and troops, and worked
his way up to able seaman and bosun.
Mario decried the pitiful level (in terms
of number of ships) to which our
merchant marine has shrunk and compared it with the poor state of readiness the U.S. was at right before
World War II. "We could put more
seamen to work today, simply by upkeeping the old ships in the reserve/
mothball fleet. If a war would come
now, there is no way our merchant
marine could meet the demand for
service."
All the veterans to whom we talked
expressed bitterness towards a government which refused to recognize
their wartime service for all of 43
years. "Too little, too late" seemed
to be the feelings expressed by these
brave seamen who, we must not forget, also served our Armed Forces
during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.
President Roosevelt compared ''the
beleaguered men of the merchant marine" with our soldiers, sailors and
pilots. They carried out "a vital part
in this global war.'' America now says
"thank you" to our veteran merchant
seamen who risked their lives for freedom and democracy .
_,,.-..,-.-.,. J

J

•

u J

J .J ..-. . . . .

With her guns blazing and her
crew constantly on watch, the
Moultrie accounted for eight enemy planes downed and scored hits
on a dozen more. In addition, on
the last day of battle, an enemy
submarine launched four torpedoes at Moultrie. Skillful gunning
exploded one of the torpedoes in
the water and the three others sank
out of sight.
Through the days of constant
attack, her crew labored to protect
what the Navy stated was "a valuable cargo for an allied nation,''
12 I LOG I March 1988

A

Hied triumph in the Atlantic had to depend on the men who
determined how all the ships, planes and technology could best
be organized and utilized. Problems arose due to the widely
divergent ways in which the British and the Americans traditionally ran
their navies. This lack of coordination had caused a number of convoy
disasters in 1942. So deeply concerned were Roosevelt and Churchill
about this that they called a full-dress conference in Washington of their
military chiefs in 1943. There, proposals were rejected for a unified Allied
antisubmarine command, and instead was set up three co-equal commands: American, British and Canadian-each running its own show,
using its own procedures.
The formula was the brainchild of Admiral Ernest J. King, commanderin-chief of the U.S. Navy. By clearly delineating spheres of responsibility,
Admiral King's solution markedly improved relations within the Allied
camp.
King himself, soon after the D.C. conference, set up a curious entity
which he named the Tenth Fleet. It was a fleet which never went to sea:
it had no ships, only shore-based sailors and comparatively few officers,
among whom was King as commander.
The Tenth Fleet's purpose was to transform the American antisubmarine
effort into a paragon of efficiency by deciding convoy routes, allocating
escort groups, serving as a clearinghouse for U-boat information and
correlating antisubmarine research and materiel development.
Admiral King's flagship was the S. Y. Dauntless which is now docked
at the SHLSS marina in Piney Point. Much of this high level planning
for the sea war of 1942-45 was done aboard this vessel at her berth in
the Washington Navy Yard, and during cruises on the Potomac River
and the Chesapeake Bay.

v..-.

Stamp from the colledion of veteran
seaman Bierney Kazmierski

one of Ou
I
t was a rough ''baptism by
fire" that greeted the S.S. William Moultrie on her maiden
voyage to Murmansk, Russia. The
Liberty ship, operated by Seas
Shipping Co., with an SIU crew
aboard, was part of a large convoy
that came under nearly constant
attack for a week in September
1942.

King of the convoys ...

S.S. WILLIAM MOULTRIELiberty Ship, Emergency Cargo Vessel

and after the battle the Moultrie
reached port with her cargo intact.

A grateful nation recognized the
heroism of the men of the Moultrie

by presenting them with a unit
citation, making the ship for all
time one of the merchant marine' s
gallery of "Gallant Ships."
The SIU remembers those who
gave their lives during World War
II with a set of bronze tablets
located in the entrance lobby of
the Paul Hall Library. The names
of the individual seamen are inscribed there along with a tribute
from their union brothers. These
men helped to man the nation's
cargo carriers long before there
were guns and convoys to protect
them. They were inspired by that
sense of patriotism and p~de of
profession which has characterized the maritime industry and its
merchant seamen time and again
throughout the nation's history.

Wall display in the Paul Hall Maritime Museum at Piney Point honoring the S.S. William
Moultrie.

�SHLSS course oraduates

Advanced Refrigeration Class
Left to Right: Eric Malzkuhn (Instructor), B. Hutching, J.
Orr, Howard Evans, Carson Jordan, Perry Boyd, Jan
Thompson, Clayton Everett, David Dinan.

Upgrader Lifeboat Class
Left to Right: Jon P. Dillon, Sam Johnson, Keith Blowers,
Tom Hocking, Jino Robles, Robert Petko, Ben Cusic
(Instructor).

Welding Class
Left to Right: John Beaushaw, Mike Weaver, Ken Glaser,
Mike Keogh, Kirk D. Bushell, Bill Foley (Instructor).

Trainee Lifeboat Class #423
First rnw Left to Right: Ronnie Fore, David Gibson, Norbert Young, Enrique
Sanabria, Edwin Noel Casiano Jr., Michael Penkwitz, Greyson C. Brantley.
Second row: Gary W. Gillette, William Dixon, Raul Iglesias, Donald 0. Routly,
Troy Fleming, Kevin Cooper, Kenneth Whitfield, Derek Varnado, Johnny Carroll.
Third row: Ben Cusic (Instructor), Reginald Cuffee, Kevin Jackson, Horace L.
Cooper Jr., Dennis K. Clay, Karl M. Friedrich.

Recertified Stewards
Kneeling Left to Right: George Pino, Nazareth Battle, R.G. Connolly; Second row
L. to R.: Leonard Lelonek, Pedro J. Laboy, Earl Gray, Sr.; Third row L. to R.:
George White Jr., Raymond L. Jones, Ivan Zuluaga, Ruben Padilla.

College Program Students
Left to Right: John Thompson, Tim Fitzgerald, Michael Presser, Jeffrey McPherson,
Brian Krus.

Marine Electrical Maints. Class
First row Left to Right: Charles Pomraning, Gregorio Madera, David Veldkamp;
Second row: Ronald Lawrence (Canadian), Timothy Van Pelt.

Canadian Chief Cooks
First row Left to Right: Lucette Lanleigne, Linda Brunet, Dya Letchuk, Darlene Crocker;
Second row L. to R.: Siobhan McDowall, Charles Dupuis, Guy Tardif, John Daley,
Gloria Nardilli, Bertram Dyal.

· 1~ .

Canadian Able Seaman
First row Left to Right: Pierre Rousseau, Harvey Irmscher, Percy Ford, Doug Duffield,
Themistokli Protoulis; Second row L. to R.: Gilles Andre, Ron Alto, Gerard Walker,
Dan Scott, George La Roche, Gary McVannel.

March 1988ILOGI13

�Engine Upgrading Courses

1988 Upgrading
Course Schedule
Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
April - June 1988
The following is the current course schedule for April 1988 - June 1988
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 ~ early ~ pcmible. Although every effort will
be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs and
the needs of the industry.

SIU Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the
application.

Course
QMED
•Seal/ft Operations &amp; Malnt.

Check-In
Date
Aprll 4
July 5

Completion
Date
June 23
July 15

Weld Ing
•Seal/ft Operations &amp; Malnt.

Aprll 18
May 16

May 13
May27

Dlesel Engine Technology
• Sealift Operations &amp; Msint.

Aprll 18
May30

May 27
June 10

Electro-Hydraullc Systems
• Sealift Operations &amp; Maint.

May9
June 20

June 17
July 1

Hydraullca
• Seallft Operations &amp; Maint.

June 6
July 5

July 1
July 15

Third Asst. Engineer &amp; Original Second
Asst. Engineer Steam or Motor

Open4Rded (Contact Admissions
Office for Starting Date)

*All students In the Engine Department wlll have 2 weeks of Seallft
Famlllarlzatlon at the end of their regular course.

Recertification Programs
Course
Steward Recertification

Deck Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Course

Completion
Date

Able Seaman

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)*

First Class Piiot (Organized self study)

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office tor stanlng date)

Radar

April4

Radar Refresher/Renewal

Open-ended, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date.)

Radar Recertification

Open-ended, 1 day {Contact
Admissions Office for starting date)

Third Mate &amp; Original Second Mate

Aprll 18

June 24

Lifeboat

April4
May 2
May30
June 27

April15
May 13
June10
July 1

April 15

Seallft Operations &amp; Maint.

Open-ended {Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

LNG -

(This course Is not offered as a
separate course, but may be
taken while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)

Self Study Safety Course

·

Bosuns Recertification

Completion
Date

Assistant Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Cook and Baker

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Steward

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

*All students in the Steward Program will have 2 weeks of Seallf&amp;
familiarization at the end of their regular course.

14 I LOG I March 1988

June 6
October 7

High School Equlvalency (GED)

May 2
July 5
August 29
October 31

June 13
August 15
October 1O
December 12

Adult Basic Education (ABE) &amp;
English as a second Language (ESL)

May 2
July 5
August 29
October 31

June 10
August 13
October 7
December 10

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes.

Apn111

Apn11s

(Offered prior to the Third Mate &amp;
Original Second Mates Course)
ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course

Check-In
Date

April 25
September 26

Check·ln
Completion
Course
Date
Date
For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes in 1988,
the courses will be six weeks In length and offered on the following dates:

Developmental Studies (DVS)

Course

Completion
Date
August 1
December 7

Adult Education Courses

*Upon completion of course must take Seallft Operations It Maintenance.

Steward Upgrading Courses

Check-In
Date
July 5
November 2

June 6

June 24

This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed to
help seafarers prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which is
scheduled immediately after this course. This class will benefit those
seafarers who have difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not
English, and seafarers who have been out of school for a long time.

College Programs Scheduled
Check-In
Date
Course
Associates in Arts or Certificate Program May 23
August 8
October 17

fo~

1988

Completion
Date
July 15
September 30
December 9

�.........................................................................................................................................

Seafare rs Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name

(Last)

Date of Birth

(Middle)

(first)

Address

Mo./Day/Year

(Street)

(City)

(State)

Deep Sea Member 0

Telephone

(Zip Code)

Inland Waters Member O

(Area Code)

Lakes Member 0

Pacific O

If the following imformation is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.
Book #_ _ _ _ _ Seniority_ _ _ _ _ Department_ _ _ __

Social Security# - - - - - - - -

Home Port _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces D Yes O No

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes

Trainee Program: From _______ to

Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

(dates attended)

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

Course(s) Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes No D

Firefighting:

o

Yes No

o

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for Training ___________ Primary Language Spoken _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __

I Am Interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed

0 AB/S.allft
D Towboat Operator Inland
o ca1aat1a1 Navigation
D Master lns.,.cted Towing Vessel
o 1st Class Piiot (organized self study)
D Third Mate
0 Radar Observer Unlimited

ALL DEPARTMENTS
llfeboatman (Must be taken with another
course)

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

D FOWT
D QMED-Any Rating
D Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
D Marine Electrical Maintenance
D Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
D Automation
D Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
6 Operations
.
Diesel Engine Technology
O Assistant Engineer/Chief Engineer
Un Inspected Motor Vessel
D Orglnal 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor
0 Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
0 Hydraulics
D Electro-Hydraulic Systems

o

0 Weldlng

o

STEWARD

ENGINE

DECK

D Assistant Cook Utility
0 Cook and Baker
o Chief Cook
D Chief Steward
D Towboat Inland Cook

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates In Arts Degree
D Certificate Programs

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
0 Adult Basic Education (ABE)

D High School Equivalency
Program (GED)
0 Developmental Studies (DVS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)

D ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted showing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the
course(s) requested.
You must also submit a COPY of the first page of your union book indicating your department and seniority, as well
as, a COPY of your clinic card. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is received .
VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

DATE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ __
RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:

.................,..~:;::;.a;;:m-.......\

--.....-.-.-••-••~~~~?-!~ •••••••••••••••::.:~~~:~~-~:~~.:~.n.~;.~:~~-~-~?::.~~~?.~:~:;!~!.~~:'!.~~~~~~-~-~~~-~~:~

March 1988 I LOG I 15

�Area Vice Presidents' Report

East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

I

have been involved in the maritime
industry for nearly 50 years now,
and rarely have I seen it in such a
state of turmoil.
In every port along the East Coasi,
tug and barge workers have to battle
an anti-labor bias in the NLRB. They
are not alone: this is a trend that affects
all transportation workers.
Workers at Eastern Airlines are
gearing up for a possible strike sometime this summer. This administration
has allowed Frank Lorenzo to strip
that once-proud carrier of its most
lucrative assets. Things have become
so bad that people are afraid to fly
Eastern.
Maritime companies like SONAT
Marine pioneered this kind of behavior
years earlier when they stripped the
lucrative Green fleet (IOT) of its most
lucrative contracts, equipment and
workers. We in the maritime industry
make a mistake when we view ourselves as some isolated industry. What
happens to seamen soon happens to
workers in other sectors of the American economy.
Under the old rules of the game,
pre-deregulation and pre-Reagan, consumers did not have to worry if their
plane would reach its final destination
in one piece. Tug and barge workers
did not have to worry about their
pension rights and safety.
This is no longer the case.
There is a new spirit in this country.
After seven years of bashing Washington D.C., people are beginning to
realize that the federal government can
play a useful role in protecting the
common good.
Regulation is not necessarily a bad
thing. Timely government action can
make quite a difference.
We in the SIU are working on a
grassroots level to protect the interests
of our members. As I reported in my
column, SIUNA Vice President Jack
Caffey is working through the New
York State Fed to develop state programs for retired workers. The purpose of this is to take up some of the
slack left by cuts in the federal budget.
The SIU has done some revolutionary work in this area. Any retired
member who qualifies can move to the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of
Seamanship. In New York, where rents
can reach $1,000 a month for a studio
apartment, this is an important benefit.
Make no mistake about it: life can
become hell for an older person, especially in New York where drugs and
crime are a daily part of life.
This is behind our decision to relocate our Brooklyn hall to Jersey City.
We are scheduled to move there before
the end of this year.
The Brooklyn hall was only three
blocks away from a methadone clinic.
16 I LOG I March 1988

Many of our members were being
harassed and even attacked. One of
our members was murdered.
The new hall will be in a relatively
crime-free area. More important, it is
within easy access of the Jersey docks
and is on the PATH line.
The Brooklyn hall has been my
home for nearly 30 years. It will be
hard to leave.
But we have to think about the
safety of our membership. The new
hall will be cheaper to run, which
means that we will have more resources to spend on membership services.

closely with such regionally based organizations as the Great Lakes Task
Force on important long-term projects
to help the maritime industry up here.
We have been monitoring an interim
congressional report: the Great Lakes
Connecting Channels and Harbor
Study, which was completed by the
Detroit District of the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers in 1985.
The interim report recommended
that a large replacement lock be constructed in the North Canal at the St.
Mary's Falls Canal in Sault Ste. Marie,
Mich. on the site of the existing Davis
and Sabin locks. The report is under
review at the Office of Chief Engineers
in Washington, D.C.
The Soo locks are a vital link in the
shipments of iron ore, coal, grain and
other bulk commodities between Lake
Superior and the rest of the Great
Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway Navigation System. Any administration serious about improving the economy of
the Great Lakes region would have to
come up with a plan to renovate these
locks.

Great Lakes
by V.P. Mike Sacco

O

ne of maritime's great pleasures
is fit-out on the Great Lakes.
It's a gradual process. Winter starts
to recede; the ice begins to melt. Pretty
soon, our members are scraping,
painting and doing all sorts of things
to get the Great Lakes fleet ready for
action.
So far , 17 vessels have already been
fitted-out. That includes four vessels
owned by American Steamship Company, one by Medusa Cement and one
by Inland Lakes Management.
In its own way, fit-out is a beautiful
sight. Instead of flowers and trees
coming back to life after a long winter's sleep, you have a resurrection of
the basic components of America's
mighty industrial machine'. ships,
dredging equipment, skilled maritime
workers.
The only sad thing about this year's
fit-out is the state of the Great Lakes
fleet: there has been a large decline in
the number of American-flag vessels
up here. Less than 3 percent of the
commerce carried between Canada and
the United States is carried on American-flag vessels.
Part of the decline of the Americanflag merchant marine can be tied to a
general deterioration of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the various locks
and channels up here. The Reagan
administration has tried to tie any
improvements in the infrastructure up
here to the imposition of user fees.
But we in the SIU have argued that
this would make the Great Lakes maritime industry less competitive.
The SIU has been working with our
allies on Capitol Hill to do something
about the decline of this vital industry.
On March 17, we will be attending a
special meeting of the Commission on
Merchant Marine and Defense, where
Dr. Alan Cameron, the executive director of the group, will discuss how
the commission's findings and recommendations relate specifically to
the Great Lakes maritime industry.
In addition, we have been working

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sarco

S

HIPPING in the Gulf has rebounded a bit from last year. There
has been an across-the-board improvement in all segments of the maritime
industry.
SIU members have garnered a share
of this new work, thanks to the military
contracts we have been able to pick
up. In addition, we have been working
hard to maintain the work that we
already have.
Our contract with Crescent Ship
Docking is set to expire in April. We
will be meeting with the company in
a few weeks to iron out a new contract.
Corpus Christi has been chosen as
the home port for the Navy battleship
Lexington. One of our companies,
G&amp;H Ship Docking, helped dock the
battleship when it reached port.
We have been actively involved in
Super Tuesday. Texas is one of the
most valued prizes: whoever wins here
has a good shot at gaining the nomination.
Two candidates for the Democratic
nomination spoke at our Union hall.
Thanks to the active involvement of
this Union, SIU members had a chance
to meet Richard Gephardt and Jesse
Jackson.
We received substantial media coverage. CBS News correspondant Leslie Stahl was at our Union hall, and
so were other major t. v. reporters.
Both Jackson and Gephardt talked
about the failure of the Reagan administration to fashion a coherent policy
on trade. Both were dynamic; both
were well-informed.

We've also had contact with the
Dukakis campaign and have been involved in numerous statewide elections.
Paul Hall, the late president of this
Union, said it best when he said,
"Politics is Porkchops." For seamen,
there can be no true job security without grassroots action.

West Coast
by V. P. George McCartney

T

HE maritime industry is one of
the most competitive in the world.
Rivalries are a daily fact of our existence. Behind the colorlul sea stories,
the graceful pictures of historic ships
and the romantic allure of the ocean
is a dog-eat-dog world that knows only
one thing: the bottom line.
It's the kind of industry where
American companies can wax poetic
about patriotism and democracy, and
then reflag their vessels overseas in
dictatorships like Panama to avoid
paying American taxes or meeting
American wage and safety standards.
And it's also the kind of industry
where long-standing relationships can
evaporate overnight if there's a chance
to make a quick buck: witness this
Union's experiences with SONAT
Marine.
After U.S. Lines filed for bankruptcy last year, the surviving American-flag companies wasted no time in
bidding for that company's 12 econships. Sea-Land, an SIU-contracted
company, recently was awarded those
vessels. As a result, it became the
largest surviving American-flag carrier, and our members gained 144 new
jobs.
Even in its most stable periods,
maritime is boom and bust. This, too,
has a way of exacerbating differences.
When you know that cold times are
ahead, then it's hard not to look out
for number one.
Not all· of the beefs and rivalries
have produced bad results. Our own
Union, the A&amp;G District, was born
out of the rivalry that existed between
the Sailors Union of the Pacific and
the National Maritime Union. The SUP
was an AFL union, the NMU a CIO
one.
In many of our early organizing
beefs, we had to go head-on against
the NMU. This was true in the forties
with Isthmian and it continued
throughout the fifties with the American Coal and other such beefs.
Yet despite their intense rivalries,
the major maritime unions often were
able to overcome their differences and
work towards a common goal. The
most outstanding example of this came
in 1959 when SIU President Paul Hall
and NMU President Joe Curran established the International Maritime
Workers Union in order to sign up
workers onboard flag-of-convenience
ships.
(Continued on Page 21.)

�Safeguard
Your
Shipping Rights
.J;:j

\

,

~ /"

'1
.J ...

~-J'_J.-=:::.

.D- -

T

O SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

DUES Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register.
RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING

When you are relieved, you
must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.

RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION It is your responsibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.
RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING It is your responsibility to claim
your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.

KNOW YOUR RIGHT

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGA·
TIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in

Fl ANCIAL 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. Member!&gt; 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.
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. T.he 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 your contract rights, as well as
your obligations, such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, any SIU

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
all Union halls. All members 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 obligation
hy any methods such as dealing with charges. trials. etc.,
as well as all other details. then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.
EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently. no member may be discriminated against because of race, creed, color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any .. memher feels that he is
denied the equal right to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.

11111111m11lft1111111n1111111111111111n1111111n11111un1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

patrolman or other Union offbal. in your opinion. fails
to protect your contract rights properly, contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union,
officer or memher. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September, 1960, meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsihility for Log
policy is vested in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circumstances should any member pay any money for any reason
unless he is given such receipt. ln 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 heen required to make such payment. this
should immediately he reported to Union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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 supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contrihution may be
solicited or received because of force. joh discrimination,
financial reprisal. 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 above 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. aml. 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
~ 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 Autb Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

March 1988ILOGI 17

�Cape Ducato Participates in Team Spirit 88
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC
Inactive for almost two years while
laid up at a berth in Los Angeles, the
M/V Cape Ducato was broken out of
the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) in
late February to participate in the
annual Team Spirit exercise staged in
Korea. Among other objectives, the
exercise stresses the U. S. commitment to the defense of the Republic
of South Korea against external
aggression.
Sealift has traditionally played a
strong role in Team Spirit since the
exercise first began in 1976, and several MSC ships will participate in the
event this year. The Cape Ducato,
though, is the only ship from the RRF
to be tested in Team Spirit 88. For the
past 21 months, the 680-foot vessel
hasn't left the harbor in Los Angeles.
She's sat idle at her berth, sealed off
and dehumidified to minimize deterioration. Under a contract with the
Maritime Administration, Barber Ship
Management, lnc.-the former oper-

ator of the Cape Ducato--has had a
two-man maintenance team go aboard
the ship five days a week to make
daily rounds, check the dehumidifying
equipment and assist government regulatory bodies with inspections. But
daily checks on idle won't necessarily
guarantee that they are ready to go on
short notice.
"That"s why I was amazed we got
the Cape Ducato going so well," said
the master of the ship, Capt. Charles
T. Shaw, after the vessel returned
from a successful 24-hour sea trial.
''Two years of inactivity for a ship
can be harmful. A modem ship is a
very complicated piece of machinery.
It" s unusual if you can even get a ship
underway in five days when it hasn't
been used for such a long period of
time."
Not only was the Cape Ducato set
to sail after five days; she was also
fully crewed and loaded with subsistence items and spare parts for her 75day role with the Team Spirit exercise.
The ship easily took on her initial
Team Spirit cargo of 250 trucks, tractors, tankers and containers the day
before she set sail on her Pacific voyage.
''It was like a circus when we broke
her out,'' said Capt. Shaw, a veteran
of several exercises with Military Sealift Command. "The ship was crawling
with shipyard workers unsealing the
vessel. We were trying to get dishes
washed so we could eat our first meal.
It was a madhouse but we got the ship
out on time. We always do it on time."
With a little bit of help from their
friends, of course. In this case, the
friend is the ship's agent for Marad,
Barber Ship Management, Inc., of New
York. Barber has a contract with Marad
1

18 I LOG I March 1988

The MN Cape Ducato on berth at Terminal Island, Los Angeles, for her initial loadout
of Team Spirit 88 cargo.

to maintain nine RO/RO ships in the
RRF. In most cases, the two members
of the maintenance teams that are
assigned to each of the nine Marad
ships will be part of the ship's crew
when the vessels are broken out for
exercises.
"They know the ship and they'll be
responsible for subsequent operations
of the vessel," says Barber's operations manager, Kevin P. McMonagle.
''The officers are experienced with
these particular ships and their knowledge is invaluable when the ships are
brought into service for Military Sealift Command.''

The company also gives more responsibility to the crew to run the
ship. The navigator, for example, orders all charts and publications for his
job. The third mate is responsible for
ordering all medical supplies and safety
equipment.
"We back the master and chief engineer in the decisions they make and
the actions they take,'' says McMonagle. "We support them as much
as they support us in the office. The
whole operation is a team effort to
give Military Sealift Command a satisfactory product they can use.''
Barber also keeps a number of con-

sultants around to train American ship
engineers on the intricacies of the
foreign-built diesel engines that power
the vessels. Among the nine ships
Barber manages for Marad, there are
three different classes of vessels-and
even within a class, the ships are
unique.
''The people at Barber are very good
at this," says Capt. Shaw. "They've
built up a team that has really brought
our engineers up to speed on all aspects of the ships. There's something
to be said about the people who, despite ship differences and short timeframes, manage to get the vessel
ready."
How ready the ships crew will be
in the future worries McMonagle. Despite all the training his company offers, he says it's hard to keep a steady
corps of knowledgeable officers for
the ships because RRF ships are used
so seldom.
"We've been lucky in the past," he
says. "We can't always guarantee,
though, that we'll be able to keep
experienced persons sailing aboard
these ships. There's a shortage of
qualified diesel engineers in this country. We 're trying our best to keep our
American crews trained and we've
done a good job so far. I just hope we
can keep them in the future."
[Note: the unlicensed crew aboard
this ship are SIU members.]

Profile of a Mariner:

Lorenzo Ligon
If you're an MSCPAC storekeeper
and you like a challenge, Lorenzo
Ligon thinks you'd probably love the
USNS Higgins. "This is a great ship
to be on for someone in supply,'' says
the yeoman-storekeeper. "We've had
to start from scratch to build up our
own supply system. It seems like
everyone on the ship has their special
supply needs right now.''
Born and raised in Mobile, Ala.,
Ligon was a political science major at
Grambling College in Louisiana for
three years before he left school to
enlist in the Navy in 1972. He spent
the next six years in the Navy as a
ship's serviceman aboard a fleet oiler,
an ammunition ship and a cruiser.
"It was a love-hate relationship when
I was in the Navy," recalls Ligon,
now 36. "Looking back, though, I
really enjoyed it. It was a ball. I made
six back-to-back Mediterranean cruises
in the six years I was in the Navy."
It was the sea life and travel that
eventually led Ligon to MSCPAC.
Now, sometimes to his regret, he can't
break the habit of going to sea. "I
wish I could get it out of my blood
but I can't," he admits. "Even when

I'm home for a while, I start thinking
about the sea. I guess I just love it. I
like the idea than I can get away."
Initially a utilityman with MSCPAC
for two years, Ligon made the transfer
to YN-SK in 1982, then served a oneyear tour aboard the supply ship USNS
Spica. "I think all YN-SKs should
spend some time on that ship," says
Ligon. "Spica's supply department is
completely Navy, so it's an enlightening experience. We worked side-byside with the Navy supply people. I
had to think like a Navy storekeeper,
not as an MSC storekeeper.''
Aboard the Higgins, Ligon is together with supply personnel he worked
with before aboard other MSCPAC
ships. "I've been with the supply officer about a year now and that's been
a great experience. The group of guys
I'm with now have all been together
before. You need a strong team on
these ships and we all get along with
each other and work together well.''
And the ship itself? "I enjoy it. It's
better than anything else we have in
the fleet right now," says Ligon. "I
think it's going to be a good ship to
ride. And I believe a lot of store-

Lorenzo Ligon, yeoman/storekeeper

keepers will want to be on this ship in
the future.''
As far as his own future is concerned, Ligon has mixed feelings. He
wants to keep sailing, but he also
wants to go back to college for one
year to complete his undergraduate
degree.
"It's a confusing situation, I know,"
said Ligon, trying to put his thoughts
in order. ''I guess something will work
out. I just don't want to go through
life saying, 'I wish I would have'."

�MSCPAC Shore Staffers Go to Sea
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC
For a few days in January, 11
MSCPAC shore personnel got a taste
oflife at sea when they rode the USNS
Mercy from Oakland to Portland, Ore.,
where the ship is undergoing a 71-day
yard period at Northwest Marine Iron
Works. The group departed the vessel
with wobbly legs but firm convictions
that the brief voyage will help them
do their shore jobs better.
"Everyone aboard ship has been
courteous, helpful and nice," said Rita
McNally of the comptroller's office,
who, like most of her fellow workers,
had never been to sea. "Now that
we've seen how the other half lives,
it's easier to understand their problems and frustrations.''
"The trip's given me some insights
on what is required to properly man
the positions aboard ship," said Tony
Haro, head of the MSCPAC marine
placement and receiving branch ... You
can't help but be impressed with the
quality of seamanship, ship handling
and support services we've seen on
the Mercy."
The idea of sending supply, comptroller and personnel department employees aboard the Mercy on her coastal
voyage to Portland originated with the
ship's master, Capt. Richard Hosey,

who wanted the shore staff to learn
first-hand what it's like to work aboard
a ship at sea. "Sometimes, the people
ashore doing the detailing of mariners
to ships are not familiar with the jobs
those mariners will be doing aboard
vessels," said Hosey after the Mercy
was berthed in Portland. "It's important that they see the consequence of
their actions.''
During a tour of the Mercy's engineering spaces, First Assistant Engineer Joe Watts led the group on a
watch route that is normally followed
by a junior third engineer. Climbing
up and down stairways over a wide
area, the shore group visited only three
of the six service areas that are checked
by the junior engineer before they
stopped to catch their breath. There
was a lesson to be learned here and
Watts told the visitors what it was.
''A man can be fit for duty,'' he
said slowly, ''but not fit for duty aboard
this ship. When you're on watch,
you've got to be able to climb normal
ladders and vertical ladders. You can't
fake your way out of this job."
Linda Jones, a personnel staffing
assistant who places unlicensed engineers aboard MSCPAC ships, got the
message. "The stairs and ladders on
the Mercy are difficult to climb," said
Jones , relaxing in the crew's lounge.

AB Bob Escue was at the helm when MSCPAC staff personnel took a tour of the USNS
Mercy's bridge.

"If an unlicensed engineer isn't prepared to do what we just went through,
I wouldn't send the person to this
ship."
As the last of the 11 shore personnel
departed his ship, Capt. Hosey hoped
their brief voyage wouldn't be their

last. "Every time an MSCPAC ship
goes up and down the West Coast, we
should try to include some shore staff
on the trip," he suggested. "When
they get out of their environment and
see us in ours, the experience will help
them support the fleet much better.''

USNS Regulus To Return in May

Tolliver Is a Vet-At Last

A military truck is hoisted aboard the USNS Regulus during Team Spirit loading
activities at Tacoma, Wash. The Regulus is one of two Fast Sealift ships crewed by
SIU members to participate in the annual exercise staged in Korea. The ships will
return to the United States in May to discharge Team Spirit cargo before heading
back to the East and Gulf coasts.

Alertness is the K_ey
to Vessel Safety
Tolliver with his seaman's papers: the long wait is over.

by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC

It's been a long wait-more than 40
years-but Theodore Tolliver is finally
going to be recognized for his U. S.
merchant marine service during World
War II. When the Secretary of the Air
Force recently signed a document approving World War II merchant mariners for Veterans Administration benefits, Tolliver, an able seaman with
MSCPAC, learned he was eligible to
receive a discharge certificate from
the Armed Foces and any benefits he
deserved by virtue of his maritime war
service.
Tolliver was 16 when he joined the
merchant marine in 1943. After at-

tending a maritime school on Catalina
Island off the coast of Southern California, he headed for the Pacific war
theatre aboard a converted tanker. By
the time the war ended two years later.
Tolliver had served aboard merchant
ships that were hunted by submarines,
shelled by surface warships and attacked by ,enemy airplanes.
''So many of the fellows I went to
sea with gave up their lives aboard the
merchant ships," recalled Tolliver, 61.
"The merchant ships were the backbone of the supply effort to win the
war. The people who served on them
deserve their overdue recognition.''
Merchant ships and their vital cargo
were prize targets during World War

II. More than 6,000 American merchant seamen died during the war, and
their casualty rate is believed to equal
that of the Marine Corps. There were
about 200,000 U .S. merchant mariners
during World War II and most of them
came under the control of the War
Shipping Administration, which in effect nationalized America's merchant
fleet. Merchant mariners were dispatched to combat zones where they
fired weapons and gathered intelligence. Yet, despite their impressive
record during the war, they were not
treated as servicemen. When the conflict ended, the civilian mariners were
not entitled to any postwar benefits
given to those who served in the armed
forces.
In his files, Tolliver has copies of
letters he and a former shipmate wrote

to congressmen and senators seeking
their assistance to recognize the contributions of World War II mariners
while both men served aboard USNS
Taluga several years ago. It was a
struggle to achieve the recognition but
Tolliver was pleased when the recent
decision by the Secretary of the Air
Force was announced.
•'I doubt if there are that many
mariners who are still around today
who will benefit from this,'' said Tolliver. "It's too late for me to enjoy
most of the benefits the veterans received. But for most of us, all we
wanted was the recognition due us for
the service we performed for our country. I'm not bitter. I'm actually pleased
it finally happened. ljust wish it didn't
have to take 40 years to do it."
March 1988/LOG/19

�LNG ARIES (Energy Transportation
Corp.), January 24-Chairman Robert
Schwarz, Secretary Doyle E. Cornelius,
Educational Director Paul Olson, Deck Delegate Eugene Bousson, Engine Delegate
Brenda Murray-Dye, Steward Delegate
Henry Daniels. No beefs or disputed OT
reported. There is $250.11 in the ship's
fund. The chairman discussed the importance of upgrading at Piney Point and of
contributing to SPAD. On Jan. 24, Capt.
Daniel Spence conducted services for Joel
K. Lodor, a former OS. Brother Lodor
served onboard the LNG Aries from May
1982 to Nov. 1982. At the request of his
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Lodor of Maryland, his ashes were committed to the sea.
A vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for a job well done this voyage.
COURIER (Ocean Carriers), February
14-Chairman A. Pinkham, Secretary A.
Spingat, Educational Director W. Hescip,
Deck Delegate Joseph Mercier, Engine
Delegate Terrance Reed, Steward Delegate Jerome Jordan. No beefs or disputed
OT. Everything is running smoothly aboard
the Courier. Members would still like information on war zone bonuses. This vessel
is on a run from Kuwait to pick up oil to
refuel our Navy ships. It was the first
American tanker with a full American crew
to pass through the Persian Gulf since the
war started in that area. "Everybody is
hoping that we will go on another run for
a change." A vote of thanks was given to
the steward department for a job well done.
GUS DARNELL (Ocean Carriers),
January 2-Chairman William Lough, Secretary James Price, Education Director
Ross Hardy. No beefs or disputed OT. This
is voyage 30-31-32 for the Gus Darnell,
and payoff will be in Bahrain upon arrival.
The bosun thanked the steward department for a job well done. He advised
members not to let jobs hang on the board
just because a ship is not going where you
want to go. "A job is a job, pay is pay."
He also stressed the importance of donating to SPAD. The bosun said it was a
good, safe trip to Antarctica and back to
Bahrain-a very interesting voyage. "In the
Persian Gulf we saw the Bahrain and
United States Navy go into action. we
don't get a. war bonus, but we do get
hazardous duty pay of $4 a day per war.
We went all over southeastern Australia.
Several of us rented cars and even an
airplaM, and we were all well received.
Antarctica was a place we'll never forget.
Going through the packed ice was awesome. We did get around somewhat, but
nobody made it to the South Pole, unfortunately. The trip home was in heavy seas.
We lost our foremast in the furious fifties.
The captain made a video of the trip, and
all hands will get a copy of a memorable
trip."
OMI MISSOURI (OMI Corp.), January
31-Chairman Carl Francum, Secretary
Jonathan White, Engine Delegate C. Jefferson, Steward Delegate David Bond. No
beefs or disputed OT in the deck and
steward departments. In the engine department, however, it appears that the
engineers are doing QMED's work at night
without asking the QMEDs if they wanted
to work overtime. QMEDs were advised to
write down the times that work is being
done by the engineers, and this will be
given to the patrolman at payoff. Some
members of the crew suggested that the
pension increase each year or that an
annual cost of living adjustment be added.
Next port: Tampa, Fla.
OVERSEAS ALASKA (Maritime
Overseas), February 21-Chairman John
Furr, Secretary Carl Woodward. No beefs
or disputed OT reported. A sad note: Raymondo Gomez, DEU, was lost at sea while
working on deck. A search continued all
day but was futile. The captain stated that
an investigation will be conducted upon
arrival in port. Payoff will also occur at that

20 I LOG I March 1988

time, but the ship will not be cleared until
the investigation has been completed. A
monetary collection is being taken from the
officers and the crew. It will be mailed to
Gomez's widow in memory of a shipmate
and fellow seaman.

OVERSEAS HARRIETTE (Maritime
Overseas Corp.), January 24-Chairman
Leon T. Jekot, Secretary E. Hoitt, Deck
Delegate John Roe, Engine Delegate Walter Fey, Steward Delegate Gregory Keene.
No beefs or disputed OT reported. Minutes
of the last meeting (Dec. 13, 1987) were
read and accepted without any alterations.
The chairman announced a possible layup, but said that no details were as yet
available. He also noted that there is no
definite section in the new contract about
awaiting transit. The Overseas Harriette
awaited transit for three days with no shore
leave. There was launch service on a
regular basis to all other ships in the vicinity,
but none for the Harriette. The secretary
has all Union forms available at this time

gate William Cribbs. Everything is running
smoothly with no beefs or disputed OT.
Bosun McCollom spoke to the members
about the advantages of taking courses at
Piney Point to upgrade their QMED status.
He also suggested taking the sea.lift training
since "that is where the jobs are going to
be." As more and more ships leave the
industry, other military ships are coming
in. Brother Velandra reports that several
good men are leaving for vacation after
this trip and expressed the hope that they
will return. "Brother Alicea in the steward
department will be hard to replace." Capt.
T. Brown came down and gave a talk to
the members on the proposed new food
plan Sea-Land is starting. A newsletter will
be sent to all Sea-Land Ships, keeping
them informed about the situations as they
arise. "Mr. E. Young states he has not
seen such a happy ship as this in a long
time. His belly smiles all the time, and the
key word in all departments is cooperation.
Let's keep things going as they are and
bring Brother Young back again." Next
port: Port Everglades, Fla.

SPIRIT OF TEXAS (Sea.hawk Management), February 5-Chairman Bert
Hanback, Secretary Paul Stubblefield. Some
disputed OT was reported in both the deck
and engine departments. A message was

The S.S. Marymar, one ofsix converted c.4 class troopships of the SIU-contracted Calmar
Steamship Co., is seen here as she completed sea trials on the Chesapeake Bay in the late
1940s. Calmar is gone, and so are ratings such as carpenter, watertender, evaporator
maintenance, deck maintenance and plumber.
and has offered to help fill them out for
any member in need of assistance. It was
requested that the LOG go back to including photographs in its "final departures"
section. Most seamen recognize another
seaman by face, not always by name.
Another request made was that members
be compensated for extra work done on
watch, other than their regular duties.
Members would also like to have the Union
look into the matter of the crew's TV
antenna or lack thereof. Chief Cook Terry
White commends the crew for being so
cooperative. And a vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for a job
well done "even though the department is
running short."

sent to Houston requesting a patrolman
for the payoff to answer additional items
regarding overtime and work performed by
the deck department. A vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for a job
well done. "Other than rain, sun, rain, sun
and other conditions, the trip was not too
awfully bad. Good harmony and cooperation existed among the crew for the entire
trip. It was definitely a trip to be remem·

bered ... It is always nice for a trip to end,
whether good or bad." A motion was made
to put pictures of the final departures and
retired brothers and sisters back in the
LOG. "You can remember faces, but not
the names."

LNG TAURUS (Energy Transportation
Corp.), January 24--Chairman Robert J.
Callahan, Secretary Robert H. Forshee,
Deck Delegate Robbyson H. Suy, Engine
Delegate Kevin W. Conklin, Steward Delegate Francis E. Ostendarp. No beefs or
disputed OT reported. There is $955 in the
ship's fund. Capt. Sjokvist addressed the
membership in order to explain the new
W-4 forms. The captain is getting off this
trip and took this opportunity to thank the
SIU crew for their efficient and professional
work. He was given a hearty round of
applause. The bosun then went over the
new contract and expressed his appreciation for the efforts that went into it on the
part of the Union officers. He also stressed
the importance of contributing to SPAD
and to the benefits of upgrading your skills
at Piney Point. A sincere vote of thanks
was given to the steward department for
the excellent food and the homey feeling
during the holidays. Next port: Bontang,
Indonesia.
ULTRASEA
(American
Maritime
Trans.), January 25-Chairman Robert R.
Newby, Secretary E. Hagger. Some disputed OT was reported in all three departments pertaining to the Martin Luther
King holiday. There is $74 in the ship's
fund. A new VCR was purchased with
money from the fund. The chairman said
it was a very good trip. The educational
director advised all eligible members to
upgrade their skills at Piney Point. A motion
was made and seconded that employees
be sent home at company expense when
there is a death in their immediate family.
Also requested for the crew was a new ice
box for the messhall. A vote of thanks was
given to the steward for "the best of food
and the holiday spread, and for the birthday
party and birthday cakes."

Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:

BEAVER STATE
1st LT. J. LUMMUS
INGER
MATEJ KOCAIC
OVERSEAS CHICAGO
PANAMA

PONCE
PFC EUGENE A. OBREGON
PVT HARRY FISHER

Monthly
Membership M~etings

SEA·LAND TRADER (Sea-Land Service), January 1~hairman Anthony J.
Palino, Secretary James A. Jones, Educational Director Dan Kinghorn. There is
$350 in the ship's treasury. The chairman
noted that the Sea-Land Trader is supposed to be automated, "but it is not, yet."
While the number of crewmembers is right
for an automated ship, there are some
problems. There is no refrigerator/freezer,
only one coffee maker for two messhalls,
no VCR for the crew and not enough keys
onboard for the lounge and messhalls. A
microwave oven and meat slicer are needed
as well. There were also some problems
regarding the lack of stores following a
brief lay-up. It was believed that the food
in the cafeteria in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where
the crew had to eat while in port, was not
up to Western standards. And members
had to pay for their own food with their
own money. A vote of praise was given to
the steward department. Next port: Long
Beach, Calif.

SEA-LAND VENTURE (Sea-Land Service), January 31-Chairman John McCollom, Secretary David W. Velandra, Deck
Delegate Tommy Joe Pell, Engine Dele-

RANGER
SEA-LAND ECONOMY
SEA-LAND ENDURANCE
SEA-LAND EXPRESS
SEA-LAND PACIFIC
SEA-LAND PRODUCER
STUYVESANT
USNS ASSERTIVE

Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, April 4 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, April 5 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, April 6 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, April 7 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, April 7 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, April 7 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, April 8 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, April 11 .................... 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, April 12 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, April 13 .................. 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, April 14 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .......... ,c • • • Monday, April 18 .................... 10: 30 a. m.
Seattle .................. Friday, April 22 ...................... 10:30a.m.
San Juan ................ Thursday, April 7 .................... 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, April 15 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Thursday, April 14 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, April 13 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, April 20 .................. 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, April 19 .................... 10:30 a.m.

�Vice Presidents
(Continued from Page 16.)

Much has been made of the personal
rivalries of the various maritime
heads-Joe Curran vs. Paul Hall, Harry
Lundeberg vs. Harry Bridges. But
behind most of these rivalries lay one
thing: job security for their members.
The rivalry between Harry Lundebert and Harry Bridges was legendary.
Yet in a sense, much of the bad feeling
between the two was a result of conflicting jurisdictional claims between
seamen and longshoremen.
The rivalry between longshoremen
and deckhands dates back more than
100 years. There were countless disputes over which group of workers
had jurisidiction over the loading and
unloading of cargo.
There were even divisions among
deckhands who sailed onboard
schooners and steamships. While the
SUP dates its existence to 1885, it
didn't take its modern name until 1892,
when the Coast Seamen's Union and
the Steamshipmen's Union merged into
one organization. Technological advances and the demise of the schooner
vessel rendered their differences moot.
Early maritime unions were created
along regional and craft lines. Increasingly, however, jurisdictional disputes
in the maritime industry have arisen
between licensed and unlicensed seamen.
In the '50s and early '60s, for example, the NMU created the Brotherhood of Marine Officers. The SIUAGLIWD supported the MM&amp;P and
National-MEBA in their dispute against
the NMU. Our members even walked
picket lines on their behalf.
The maritime industry is a little like
the Middle East: today' s friend may
be tomorrow's enemy. During the
Vietnam War, the SIU and District 1
were at loggerheads over an apprentice engineer's rating that District 1
wanted to have placed onboard their
vessels. We forced Delta to have these
ratings removed; in the process , we
protected the job security of our key
personnel in the engine room , mainly
the QMEDs.
Still, no matter how intricate or
byzantine relations between the various maritime organizations may get,
it is impossible to write a history about
the industry without mentioning them
all . There would .be no Harry Lundeberg without Harry Bridges , and no
Paul Hall without Joe Curran.
The SIU-AGLIWD , for example,
owes its existence to the generous
support that SUP officials like Harry
Lundeberg and Morris Weisberger gave
us during our early years. West Coast
seamen like Bill Armstrong, Ed Turner,
Joe Goren and Whitey Seacrest hit the
bricks in many of our most important
beefs.
Turner, who headed the Marine
Cooks and Stewards, even engineered
a merger between his organization and
the A&amp;G District.
Of course the help was always reciprocal.
In October 1950, when the West
Coast Longshoremen' s union launched
an attack against the Sailor's Union
of the Pacific, the SIU-AGLIWD stood
behind the SUP 100 percent.

And after the Marine Cooks and
Stewards were ousted from the CIO
for being dominated by the Communist
Party, the SIU-AGLIWD supported
the SUP' s drive to sign the MCS as
an SIUNA affiliate. Harry Lundeberg
and Ed Turner led the drive for the
SIUNA, and the MCS was restored
to democratic control.

Government Services
by V.P. Buck Mercer

M

ERCHANT seamen who plied
their trade during World War II
and were fortunate enough to have
lived through the rigors of that conflict,
have finally and at long last been
granted veterans' status.
Not only does this apply to commercial sailors but also to those who

sailed with the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service.
Of course, there are certain procedures that must be accomplished before gaining veterans• status and they
are outlined on page three of the LOG
(February 1988).
The reason for this article is to alert
MSCPAC marine personnel who qualify for veterans' benefits and note that
it will make a difference where your
employment with MSCPAC is concerned. Whether or not all veterans'
benefits will be accorded is not yet
known, but they could include (I) 5point veterans preference, (2) Retention rights, (3) Tenure group, (4) Medical care, (5) Guaranteed home loans,
(6) Burial benefit, and the protection
of the Merit Systems Protection Board
(MSPB).
Of particular importance is the fact
that those who do qualify will be
entitled to the services of the MSPB.
This means that under the appeal procedure an adverse action would be
heard by the MSPB rather than the
same agency that brought the adverse
action.
On Jan. 13, 1988, a meeting with
Fleet Preservation Servicers (FPS) was
held on site at the Reserve Fleet at
Suisun Bay, Calif., at which a number

of issues were discussed that needed
resolution.
On Feb. 5, 1988, a meeting with
management was scheduled with Fleet
Superintendent Walter Jaffee to discuss and resolve complaints that had
been voiced at the meeting with FPS
on Jan. 13.
In attendance at the meeting were
SIU Representative Raleigh G. Minix ,
Asst. SIU Fleet Representative Toes
Moala, who furnished valuable input
regarding fleet morale and on-site
working conditions, and SIU Representative Roy "Buck" Mercer. The
meeting was constructive and all complaints were discussed and resolved.
Management has already made a major
improvement to the parking area which
is much appreciated by the crew.

FMC Chief Appointed
Edward J. Philbin was appointed
acting chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission last month. Philbin
replaces Edward V. Hickey who died
in January.
Philbin, an FMC commissioner, previously held the post of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Reserve Affairs
at the Department of Defense. He also
was a law professor at San Diego State
University.

------Deaths-----The SIU has been notified of the
deaths of the following members and
pensioners.
Chester Anti
Ladislas Baldonade
Edward Brown
Harry Burton
Leslie Bryant Jr.
Roger Coleman

Laurence Mays
Lowell M. Moody
Edward Murphy
Juan Wilfredo Pagan
Leslie E. Roberts
Tito Ross
John Smith
Fred 0. Sullins

Charles Connell
David Donovan

Paul Dunbar
Leroy V. Hansen
Thomas Joynes
Randy Kusminski
Laurence McCullough
James McLamore
Carlos artinez
Clarence Maudrie

Ted Wilkosh

Edward J. Wright

ou Missing Important Mail?
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.

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:

Your home address is your permanent address,
and this is where all official Union documents,
W-2 Forms, and the LOG will be mailed.

SIU &amp; UIW of N.A.
Address Correction Department
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746-9971

--~---------------------------~---------------~------------Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
PLEASE PRINT
HOME ADDRESS

Social Security No.

Phone No. (
Area Code

Your Full Name

Apt. or Box#

Street

Book Number

O SIU

City

D UIW

State

D Pensioner

ZIP

Other--------

UIW Place of E m p l o y m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This will be my permanent address for all official Union mailings.
This address should remain In the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally.

(Signed)-----------------

-----------------------------------------------------------~
March 1988 I LOG I 21

�CL

-Company/Lakes

l

-Lakes

NP

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

-Non PrioritY

FEB. 1-29, 1988

"TOTAL REGISTERED

All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port

Frank Drozak, President

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Joe DiGiorgio, Secretary
Leon Hall, Vice President
Angus "Red" Campbell, Vice President
Mike Sacco, Vice President
Joe Sacco, Vice President

DECK DEPARTMENT

Algonac ...................

Port
Algonac ...................

0

6

0

5

0

0

35

2

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0

0

27

0

0

10

0

0

49

8

0

0

121

11

0

16

0

Port

0

George McCartney, Vice President
Roy A. Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Algonac ...................

0

Port

0

0

HEADQUARTERS

ENTRY DEPARTMENT

Algonac ...................

0

15

6

0

Totals All Departments ........

0

42

9

0

0

5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746
(301) 899-0675

*"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.

ALGONAC, Mich.
520 St. Clair River Dr. 48001
(313) 794-4988
BALTIMORE, Md.
1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202
(301 ) 327-4900

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
FEBRUARY 1-29, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port
New York ....... ... .....
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .... .. ...........
Mobile .......... .......
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco ..... ........
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Honolulu ................
Houston ...........•....
St. Louis ................
Piney Point ..............
Totals .................

37
3
7
6
4

8
1
7
6
3

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

2
0
0
3
4

34
2
3

9
9

34

8

6

30

17
36
22
31

6

10
10
10
7
1
8

3
11
2
3
0
7

0
1

0
2

0
2

2

15
20
20
29
12
7
31

45

2
223

12
23

239

5

86

0

Port
New York ...............
Philadelphia ...... ........
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .................
Mobile .................
New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Francisco .. .. .........
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Honolulu ................
Houston ... ... ..........
St. Louis ................
Pinet Point ..............
Tota s .................

24
1
6
4
8

5

0

1
3
2

17

5

19
13
21
6
4
15
0
6

6
3
5
1
13
3
0
3

15

2

0
2

0
1

0
1
0
6
1
2
0
11
2
0
0

28
1
3

4
3
23
18

16
11
13
4
5

159

52

26

19
0
4
151

19

5

1

14

0

0

1
0

0

1

4
7

Pon
New York ...............
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .................
Mobile .................
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ........ . . ... .
San Francisco ......... ....
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico ..............
Honolulu ................
Houston ................
St. Louis ................
Piney Point ..............
Totals .................

2
1

2
1

10
15
8

0

42
12
19
2
5
9
0
2

146

4
3
6
1
7
0
21
2
0
6

58

0

1
0

3
1
0

0
19
0
0
1

28

Port
New York .............. .
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .... .............
Mobile .................
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco .............
Wilmington ..............
Seattle ............... . .
Puerto Rico ..............
Honolulu ..... ...........
Houston ................
St. Louis ................
Piney Point ..............
Totals .................

102

164

214

Totals All Departments .... ..

646

360

313

18
0

13
4
7

4
3
8
3
22
15

4

2

10

8
3

6
0
0

4
4
9
10
7
13
4
72
8

0
5

2

4

1

7
5

0

2
51

7
12
10
2
7
0
0

0

1
1
7
6
8

72

559

2

0

0
11
1
0
0
21

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
3
1
0
0
0

1
4

5

1
0
1

5

25
4
16
3
9
8
0
2

113

39

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
5
1
0
0
2
0
4
1
1
0
7
1
4
0
4
4

1

10
1

150

67

9
10

3
2
1
2
2
20
5
19
3
0

DECK DEPARTMENT
8
2
1
0
2
0
8
4
2
2
9
5
6
3
6
9
5
7
4
1
2
0
6
4
6
1
0
0
2
1

2
1
3
0

12
0

0
5

32

0
0

1
0
2
0
3
1
0
0

13
1
0
4

26

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
11
3
1
1
5
0
4
2
4
0
9
11
4
5
13
3
7
1
6
1
4
0
63
100
1
3
0
0
2
0

127

137

277

223

Tr~

Relies
10
2
1
2
1
12
4
11
6

6
2

12
2
0

0
71
7
0
0
2
0
1

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

91
2
11
22
7
69

56
63
31

62

29
6

56
0
0

15
2
9

7
6
8
16
14
11
8
1
10
4
0
2

505

113

49
2
11
9

6

9

0

1
7
3
11

2
1
0
2
5
2
4
10
4

5
0
7
1
0
1
44

,
2
0
0
0

2
3
0

48
35
35
18
42
13

29

311

82

26

7

9
0
3
1
0
3

0
1

6
4
5

33
2
4
3
7
35
18
81
22
36

3

5

88
2
0

6
20
0
0

0

5

8
1
0
0

0

1
2

0
2
3

0

5
32
0
3

10

8

6

6
2
14
2
0
6

8
10
2
8
0
33
4
0
7

123

272

88

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

47

30

4

8

3

7
11

9

4
32
9
68
21

9

24
14
26
18
24
6

0
0
0
0
0

38

0

0

0

0

6

19
7

18

82

15

0

279

280

223

1,367

563

2
2
5
2
2
0
8
1
0
1

0

2
0
0

0
3
0

0
1
22
0
0
0

29

12
2
2
5

8

31
6
33

11

8

0
178
5
0
1

302

401

*"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 February was down from the month of January. A total of 1,282 jobs were
shipped on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,282 jobs shipped, 559 jobs or about 44 percent were
taken by "A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 223 trip relief
jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 7,022 jobs have been
shipped.
22 I LOG I March 1988

CLEVELAND, Ohio
5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-1100
DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110
HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434
HOUSTON, Tex.
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152
JACKSO VILLE, 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
NEW ORLEA S, 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) 441-1960

ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500
WILMINGTON, Calif.
510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�Letters
To The

Bditor
Was a Rational
" • • • The Injustice
Crime ... "
Recently veterans rights were approved for the merchant marine of
World War II, and I wish to commend the SIU, the greatest union on
earth, for the long fight against opposition like the American Legion.
Few Americans have knowledge of our role in the war. The injustice
was a national crime against American seamen who were 100 percent
volunteers. In 1942 and 1943 our Navy was limited and we sailed
many times without an escort. We slept with our clothes on never
knowing when we would be torpeodoed. On every ship we were
assigned to a gun station.
One ship I will never forget is the SIU Liberty ship the Paul
Hamilton. I bid for a job on that ship in the New York hall in 1944,
but lost out. I was in the same convoy with the Paul Hamilton off
Algiers on April 20, 1944.
The record should show that the SS Paul Hamilton suffered the
worst disaster of any merchant ship in World War IL An ammunition
ship with 604 American troops aboard, plus a merchant crew and a
Naval armed guard, the Paul Hamilton was sunk by a German plane.
There were no survivors. The bombs touched 01! the ammunition it
wa.a carrying.
I Viewed thls sad event while aboard the SB Joshua, Ba.rtlett. OUr
starbo d guns fired at the German pla.n.e which sank the Paul
amilton. But a British gunboat, the Colombo, running near our stern
brought it down.
My point in bringing this up is that our sm brothers who went
down with the ship were at their assigned gun stations. Remember the
American Legion called our men draft dodgers, when most of their
members had to be drafted and escorted to ca.mp.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt said "Damn the torpedoes" because
he knew the real men would deliver.
Due to inJuries aboard ship, I had to retire in 1955, costing me
thouaanas of dollars 1n medical bills. The VA hospital is now a
blessing.
Peter Salvo
McKeesport, Pa.
Book #24342

"Cal Tanner and I Were Shipmates

• • •

,,

I have read with great interest the articles in the LOG about the
beginning of the SIU and its progress. Being a charter member, I
would naturally want to know one's opinion on the history of our
union.
Leaving the Navy I joined the ISU.
Cal Tanner and I were shipmates on an old Hog Island Delta Line
ship when the ISU went under. Cal left for Tampa, I stayed in New
Orleans.
Delta Lines and Waterman Steam Ship Companies assured us that as
long as we could crew their ships, they would recognize us and their
contract with the ISU.

We had. a tough go, the NMU was breathing down our neck, making
it hard for any seaman not belonging to their union. You could look
for a. dumping if caught by their beef squad leaving or returning to
their ship. We were losing men every day. Some quit sailing but the
majority went over to the NMU.
We were still using our ISU books, but we knew we had to have a
name to give us a little recognition. We got together with the
Longshoremen in New Orleans and asked them to let us call our Union
the ILA. They agreed and this took some of the pressure off us.
Our Brothers on the East Coast were holding their own, and things
were looking better when we got the word that if we could raise the
money, Harry Lundeberg and the SUP would get us a charter. Years
later when I was a New York patrolman I was sent to Washington
with John Hawk, the secretary treasurer. In the hotel dining room on
the morning we were leaving to return to New York, I asked Harry,
"When you agreed to get the SIU a charter, did you honestly believe
that handful of seamen with their few ships could raise the money?"
His answer and I quote, "There never was a doubt in my mind that
bunch of guys like these who were fighting for their livelihood would
fail."
It was hard, and as I look back today I wonder what kept the men
fighting when it was so easy to just walk into any NMU hall, throw
your ISU book on the counter and get a NMU work permit.
But they hung on. AB the ships paid off, the men were asked to give
what they could afford, wasn't a hell of a. lot with the wages $72.50
and $62.60 and under. But at last that day arrived after being ISU, ILA
(which was never officially recognized) and the Eastern &amp; Gulf Sailors
Association, we had a union and a charter.
Now we had to start organizing. There were a lot of good men who
helped to get the charter, but it seemed that they were forgotten when
the officials were sent to administer our new union.
Men were sent from the West Coast to run the ports. Men some of us
had never heard of. Like M. Biggs who was sent to New Orleans as
representative. He signed the first agreement with Delta Line and
Waterman and one hell of a job he did. The overtime agreement called
for the overtime to start one hour after the seaman was called night or
day. Watches could be broken on arrival and set one hour before
sa.ili.ng. There was a lot of other clauses that were all for the company.
When some of us beefed and asked Biggs why our aggreement was so
much different than the SUP, he said, ''You see the SIU is a three
department union so we had to give some things in some of the
departments to get some things in other departments." Now I could
not see where that made sense and told him so. He lasted one year in
New Orleans, never went back to the coast, went to Florida, got in the
real estate business.
The shipping rules were all in favor of the mother union. The SUP
had the same shipping rights in our hall as we did, but we did not
have this right on their ships. If a job wasn't taken on the third call
an SIU man could take it, but had to get off at the end of the voyage or
payoff.
AB you stated in your report, in 1944 Paul Hall came along. And
things started to change. Any man who worked for Paul will tell you
he lived every day for the SID. Many a night the lights burned late on
Beaver Street. There would be a memo on the Patrolman's Board on the
third floor at least three times a week. All patrolmen not on a payoff
remained after the hall closed for a meeting. As you stated, Paul
organized a close-knit team and seamen who you named would have
followed him anywhere, over a cliff if he had asked. You said it mildly;
they would have followed him to hell if needed. The reason Paul had
the respect of the men who went down the line with him was that he
would never ask a man to do something he wouldn't do. He couldn't
stand excuses for something that should have been done, and expected
the elected officials to see that the SIU came first and every seaman
got first class representation.
Fraternally yours,
L.S. Johnny Johnston
Brandon, 118

IT 1$

DUMB

••

GET ~ELP!
KICK THE
DRU6
HABIT/
CONTACT

YOUR
PORT AGENT
OR YOUR
UNION.

IF YOU SNIFF /T. ..

IF YOU SMOKE IT •••

IF YOU 5H007 IT •• ~
March 1988 I LOG I 23

�We had a tough go, the NMU was breathing down our neck, making
it hard for any seaman not belonging to their union. You could look
for a dumping if caught by their beef squad leaving or returning to

·L etters
To The

Editor
"•

• •

The Injustice Was a National
Crime ... "

Recently veterans rights were approved for the merchant marine of
World War II, and I wish to commend the SIU, the greatest union on
earth, for the long fight against opposition like the American Legion.
Few Americans have knowledge of our role in the war. The injustice
was a national crime against American seamen who were 100 percent
volunteers. In 1942 and 1943 our Navy was limited a.nd we sailed
many times without an escort. We slept with our clothes on never
knowing when we would be torpeodoed. On evecy ship we were
assigned to a gun station.
One ship I Will never forget is the SIU Liberty ship the Paul
Hamilton. I bid for a job on that ship in the New York hall in 1944,
but lost out. I was in the same convoy With the Paul Hamilton off
Algiers on April 20, 1944.
The record should show that the SS Paul Hamilton suffered the
worst disaster of any meroha.nt ship in World War IL An ammunition
ship with 504 American troops aboard, plus a merchant crew and a
Naval armed guard, the Paul Hamilton was sunk by a German plane.
There were no survivors. The bombs touched o"ff the ammunition it
wa.a carrying.
I Viewed this sad event while aboard the SS Joshua Ba.rtlett. Our
starboard guns fired at the German plane which sank the Paul
amilton. But a British gunboat, the Colombo, running near our stern
brought it down.
My point in bringing this up is that our SIU brothers who went
down With the ship were at their assigned gun stations. Remember the
American Legion called our men draft dodgers, when most of their
members had to be drafted and escorted to camp.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt said "Damn the torpedoes" because
he knew the real men would deliver.
to inJuries aboard ship, I had to retire in 1955, costing me
thousands of dollars in medical bills. The VA hospital is now a
blessing.
Peter Salvo
McKeesport, Pa.
Book #24342

"Cal Tanner and I Were Shipmates

• • •

I have read with great interest the articles in the LOG about the
beg1nn1ng of the SID and its progress. Being a charter member, I
would naturally want to know one's opinion on the histocy of our
union.
Leaving the Navy I joined the ISU.
Cal Tanner and I were shipmates on an old Hog Island Delta Line
ship when the ISU went under. Cal lefi for Tampa, I stayed in New
Orleans.
Delta Lines and Waterman Steam Ship Companies assured us that as
long as we could crew their ships, they would recognize us and their
contract with the ISU.

their ship. We were losing men every day. Some quit sailing but the
majority went over to the NMU.
We were still using our ISU books, but we knew we had to have a
name to give us a little recognition. We got together With the
Longshoremen in New Orleans and asked them to let us call our Union
the ILA. They agreed and this took some of the pressure off us.
Our Brothers on the East Coast were holding their own, and things
were looking better when we got the word that if we could raise the
money, Harcy Lundeberg and the SUP would get us a charter. Years
later when I was a New York patrolman I was sent to Washington
with John Hawk, the secretary treasurer. In the hotel dining room on
the morning we were leaving to return to New York, I asked Harcy,
"When you agreed to get the SIU a charter, did you honestly believe
that handful of seamen with their few ships could raise the money?"
His answer a.nd I quote, "There never was a doubt in my mind that
bunch of guys like these who were fighting for their livelihood would
fail."
It was hard, and

as I look back today I wonder what kept the men
fighting when it was so easy to just walk into any NMU hall, throw
your !SU book on the counter and get a NMU work permit.
But they hung on. As the ships paid off, the men were asked to give
what they could afford, wasn't a hell of a lot with the wages $72.50
and $52.50 and under. But at last that day arrived after being ISU, ILA
(which was never officially recognized) and the Eastern &amp; Gulf Sailors
Association, we had a union and a charter.
Now we had to start organizing. There were a lot of good men who
helped to get the charter, but it seemed that they were forgotten when
the officials were sent to administer our new union.
Men were sent from the West Coast to run the ports. Men some of us
had never heard of. Like M. Biggs who was sent to New Orleans as
representative. He signed the first agreement with Delta Line and
Waterman and one hell of a job he did. The overtime agreement called
for the overtime to start one hour a.tter the seaman was called night or
day. Watches could be broken on arrival and set one hour before
sailing. There was a lot of other clauses that were all for the company.
When some of us beefed and asked Biggs why our aggreement was so
much different than the SUP, he said, "You see the SIU is a three
department union so we had to give some things in some of the
departments to get some things in other departments." Now I could
not see where that made sense and told him so. He lasted one year in
New Orleans, never went back to the coast, went to Florida, got in the
rea.l estate business.
The shipping rules were all in favor of the mother union. The SUP
had the same shipping rights in our hall as we did, but we did not
have this right on their ships. If a job wasn't taken on the third call
an SID man could take it, but had to get off at the end of the voyage or
payoff.
AB you stated in your report, in 1944 Paul Hall came along. And
things started to change. Any man who worked for Paul Will tell you
he lived every day for the SID. Many a night the lights burned late on
Beaver Street. There would be a memo on the Patrolmen's Board on the
third floor at least three times a week. All patrolmen not on a payoff
remained after the hall closed for a meeting. As you stated, Paul
organized a close-knit team and seamen who you named would have
followed him anywhere, over a cliff if he had asked. You said it mildly;
they would have followed him to hell if needed. The reason Paul had
the respect of the men who went down the line with him was that he
would never ask a man to do something he wouldn't do. He couldn't
stand excuses for something that should have been done, and expected
the elected officials to see that the SIU came first and evecy seaman
got first class representation.
Fraternally yours,
L.S. Johnny Johnston
Brandon, MS

IT 1$

DUMB

••

GET ~ELP!
K CKTHE

ORU6

HABIT/
CONTACT
YOUR
PORT AGENT
OR YOUR
UNION.

IF YOU SNIFF /T. ..

II=' YOU S'MOKE IT ...

IF YOU 5H007 IT •••
March 1988 I LOG I 23

�</text>
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              <name>Publisher</name>
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                  <text>Seafarers International Union of North America</text>
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              <elementText elementTextId="39199">
                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
SIU APPEALS TO STATE ON TANKER CREW WAIVER&#13;
MARIITME PROGRAMS REMAIN AT LAST YEAR’S LEVEL&#13;
MANNING STANDARDS EXAMINED BY MARITIME PANEL&#13;
SIU STUDIES WAYS TO IMPROVE SHIPPING AND REGISTRATION&#13;
COMMITTEE APPROVES BILL TO BEEF UP FISHING BOAT SAFETY&#13;
SIU WINS BIG SHARE OF RRF CONTRACTS- 42 SHIPS&#13;
MARITIME TRADES DEPARTMENT SETS ’88 LEGISTLATIVE GOALS&#13;
ELECTION YEAR 1988&#13;
THE NATIONAL ECONOMY&#13;
DOMESTIC CRUISE INDUSTRY&#13;
SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY&#13;
INTERNATIONAL TRADE&#13;
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS&#13;
SEAFARER FINDS HIS CALLING AWAY FROM THE SEA&#13;
‘JOE AX’ TURNS 80 IN NEW ORLEANS&#13;
JUSTICE FOR MERCHANT SEAMEN&#13;
KING OF THE CONVOYS&#13;
ONE OF OUR GALLANT SHIPS&#13;
CAPE DUCATO PARTICIPATES IN TEAM SPIRIT 88&#13;
PROFILE OF A MARINER: LORENZO LIGON&#13;
MSCPAC SHORE STAFFERS GO TO SEA&#13;
USNS REGULUS TO RETURN IN MAY&#13;
ALERTNESS IS THE KEY TO VESSEL SAFETY&#13;
FMC CHIEF APPOINTED&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication ol the SealaJ"ers International Union• Atlantic, Gull, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL-CIO Vol. SO, No. 4 April 1988

Giant Ships Mean Giant Job Opportunities
Sea-Land's addition of 12 huge containershjps to its fleet means nearly
300 new jobs for Seafarers. Originally
built for United States Lines, the SIUcontracted Sea-Land purchased the
ships when U.S. Lines went bankrupt.
The ships, which carry unlicensed
crews of 12, will operate on North
Atlantic, South Atlantic and Mediterranean runs. All will carry SIU crews
sailing under the U.S. flag. But in a
unique arrangement, Trans Freight
Lines and Nedlloyd will jointly operate five of the ships with Sea-Land.
''This is a great opportunity for all
Seafarers and shows the SIU and its
contracted companies can compete and
operate efficiently,'' said SIU President Frank Drozak.
See Page 18 for more pictures of the
Performance and Quality in Houston.

The New Ships

•

Sea-Land Quality
Sea-Land Atlantic
Sea-Land Achiever
Sea-Land
Sea-Land
~ Sea-Land
Sea-Land
Sea-Land
Sea-Land
Sea-Land
Sea-Land
Sea-Land

Commitment
Integrity
Performance
Value
Galveston Bay
Newark Bay
Raleigh Bay
Holland
Hudson

Sacco Named to
Exec. V.P. Post

Inside:
Kuwait Update Page 3
ODS Hearings
Page 3
Inland News Page 8&amp;9
T-AGOS Stalwart Page 4
Page 11-15
SHLSS

SIU President Frank Drozak congratulates Mike Sacco on his
appointment as Executive Vice President.

SIU President Frank Drozak announced the appointment of Mike Sacco
as Executive Vice President at the
headquarters membership meeting this
month in Piney Point. Sacco will be
directing the Union' s field operations,
and coordinating outport and headquarters' activities. Sacco, a long-time
vice president of the SIU, was named
to the executive post effective April 1
by the Executive Board of the SIU,
AGLIWD.

�President's Report
by Frank Drozak

T

HE strength of our Union
has always been that we are
willing to explore new ways to
preserve job security for our
membership when the old ways
no longer work. We have adapted
to meet technological changes
in the industry, and we have
sought new job opportunities for
our members when the traditional job market began to decline.
The U.S. maritime industry
as we have known it is gone.
The number of shipping companies flying the American flag
is dwindling. In 1981 there were
600
commercial
U .S.-flag
freightships and tankers. Today
there are just 360 ships in the
active fleet. As one after another
of our nation's old-line maritime companies goes under, the
number of seagoing jobs sinks
lower. Ten years ago there were
approximately 20 ,500 jobs for
American seamen. Five years
ago that number shrank to
15,400. Today, according to the
latest report from the Marine
Index Bureau, there are just
10,340 deep sea jobs available
to American seafarers.
Even so, our membership today has full job security. How

successful have we been? We
are the only maritime union
which regularly fills a large percentage of its billets with 'B'
seniority ratings. That means
that any member with a full
book can ship if he or she wants
to. The jobs are there. The reason is that we have gone out to
find new job opportunities.
Just last month, the SIU was
able to capture the lion's share
of the 71 Ready Reserve vessels
put up for bid by the Military
Sealift Command. This means

tions--0ur older members
wouldn't have to worry about
losing their welfare coverage,
or incurring a break in service.
They could just throw in for
these good jobs.
Impossible, you say? Nothing
is impossible in today's maritime industry. When U.S. Lines
was forced to file for bankruptcy
in 1986, hundreds of NMU and
District 1 members were left
without any options. I never
want to see the day when SIU
members are put in a similar
position.
Conditions on these vessels
are steadily improving. The base
wages on some of them are

" ... Any member with a full
book can ship if he or she
wants. The jobs are there . "
hundreds more of good job opportunities for our membership.

* **

Even if our 'A' book members
don't want to ship on these
military vessels, they still will
have the security knowing that
they and their families are protected. If something unforeseen
were to happen-if one of our
larger companies were to file for
bankruptcy or reflag its opera-

Stewards Visit Hill

On a tour of Capitol Hill are the recertified stewards, finishing up at Piney Point. The
members are: Pedro Laboy, Ruben Padilla, Ivan Zuluaga, Raymond L. Jones, Nazareth
Battle, George A. White, Earl Gray Sr., Leonard Lelonek, George Pino and R.G.
Connolly.

will be enhanced as a result of
this training. There is no way
to reverse long-term trends. Automation, more complex technology or newer vessels, smaller
crews: all of these are here to
stay. None can be wished away.
But it certainly is possible to
adapt to these trends.
In that way, we are not unique.
Progressive unions like the Airline pilots and the United Auto
Workers are exploring new ways
to protect the job security of
their members. Like the SIU,
these unions are unwilling to sit
back and do nothing while the
number ofjobs available to their
members continues to shrink.
Job security is first and foremost
on their minds.

* **

higher than those found on comparable commercial ships. But
more important, these military
vessels give the SIU something
few maritime unions have today: a future for our younger
members.
From the moment he or she
applies to enter this Union, an
unlicensed seaman has options
open which are unavailable anywhere else. For one thing, training at the SHLSS is free.
Schooling at one of the state
maritime academies can run in
the thousands of dollars per year.
But that is not all. A member
of this Union can get an associate' s degree, free of cost. All
he has to do is plan a little bit
ahead so he can accommodate
the course schedule. What this
does , of course, is to give our
members even more options than
they would otherwise have.
It may take a little extra effort
to see that all our new trainees
are cross-trained. But the job
security of all of our members

There is an old saying: sooner
or later, everything comes back
into style. After seven years of
Reaganomics, people are beginning to reconsider some of their
basic assumptions.
More and more, you hear
people saying that they believe
that government can make a
positive difference in their lives.
Within certain fiscal restraints,
they want to give government
the authority to improve peoples' lives and solidify basic
American industries.
Because we have been able
to adapt and develop new programs these past seven years,
we are now in a position to
benefit from this changed political atmosphere. It is not inconceivable that a new administration-Democrat or Republican. will take steps to implement
some of the recommendations
contained in the report of the
president's Commission on
Merchant Marine and Defense.
By weathering these rough
times-by beefing up our training facilities at Piney Point and
by signing up new military
work-we have positioned ourselves to take advantage of every new opportunity.

Official Publication of the Seafarers lntemat1onal Union of
North Amenca , Atlantic, Gulf, lakes and Inland Waters District,
fl-CIO

Apnl 1988

Vol 50, No. 4

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Joe DiGiorgio
Secretary

Charles Svenson

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe Sacco

George McCartney

Editor

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Jack Caffey

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor
Carla Tomaszewski
Contributing Editor

2 I LOG I April 1988

Mike Sacco
Executive Vice President

9

"

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 8990675. Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges, Md. 20790·9998 and at additional
mailing offices . POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md. 20746.

�Shultz Hints Kuwait Might Add U.S. Crewmen
Kuwaiti officials are ''taking steps
to increase U.S. manning" on the 11
reflagged tankers which have been the
center of maritime controversy for
almost a year.
Secretary of State George Shultz,
responding to a letter from SIU President Frank Drozak, defended the U.S.
government's action in claiming a
crewing waiver for the tankers which
overrode a new law designed to place
American crews on those ships.
But Shultz also said, "We are also
advised that Kuwaiti officials are aware
of our concerns over the manning
issue, and that they are taking steps
to increase U.S. manning. We believe
that our approach with the Kuwaitis
will be effective in addressing the concerns of American seamen and the
immediate needs of the national defense. I will be pleased to keep you
apprised of the progress we are making
on the issue.''
About 500 seagoingjobs are at stake
on the tankers. When the ships were
reftagged last year, the administration
used a loophole in the law to allow
the vessels to sail with only an American captain. Later, after pressure from
the maritime industry, an American
radio officer was added to each ship.
Under the then-current law, a crewing waiver could be granted if a ship
did not call on any U.S. ports. Maritime labor was enraged by the action
and claimed the waiver was a clear
misinterpretation of the law and of the
intent of Congress . But the administration stood fast by its ruling, despite
statements from Chesapeake Shipping
(the vessels' owners) that they would
employ American crewmen if the law
called for it. They also said no previous
deal had been struck to employ foreigners aboard the newly-flagged U.S.
ships.
Late last year after massive maritime lobbying,the House and Senate
passed the Fishing Vessel Anti-Reflagging Act which required U.S.
crewmen on all U.S. ships. Under
provisions of that act, the only time a
waiver could be granted would be if
American seamen were unavailable or
in a presidentially-declared national
emergency.
In January, President Reagan signed
the bill into law. Americ ... n seamen
were available, more than 200 Seafarers contacted the shipping company's
manning agent inquiring about employment. There was no presidentially-declared national emergency.

But in February the Department of
Defense, citing a 1950 law, asked for,
and was granted, a one-year waiver
from the new crewing requirements.
Once again the maritime industry was
outraged.

Bulletin
A federal judge has ruled the
administration has the right to waive
manning requirements on the 11
reflagged Kuwaiti-owned tankers.
Judge George H. Revercomb said
the 1950 law which the administration cited as grounds to waive the
U.S. crewing standards on the ships,
is valid. He said the recently-signed
Anti-Reflagging Act did not repeal
the 1950 Act which says navigation
and vessel inspection laws may
waived if requested on national security grounds. Revercomb said
manning standards are included in
that authority.
Five mant1me unions, the
NMEBA, NMU, MM&amp;P, SUP and
MFOW had filed the suit asking for
an injunction against the waiver.
Five maritime unions, NMEBA,
NMU, MM&amp;P, SUP and MFOW filed
suit in federal court to overturn the

waiver. The SIU took the case to
Shultz and Capitol Hill.
"With the other unions attacking
the case in court, we felt we could put
more of our energy and resources in
a different direction to gain the same
result," Drozak said.
The arguments Drozak presented to
Shultz are basically the same points
lawyers for the five unions are making
in court.
First, they are saying that Congress
intended to require U.S. crews on
those Kuwaiti ships when it passed
the Anti-Reflagging Act. The act contained only the two situations where
a waiver could be granted. Also, Congress did not believe that the 1950 law
under which the waiver was granted
applied to the Kuwaiti case.
Drozak, in his letter to Shultz, said
that the 1950 law was enacted in response to the just-declared Korean
War.
''The authority was deemed necessary by Congress to facilitate the
movement of troops and material to
the warfront. Furthermore, the waiver
was designed to bolster the U.S. merchant marine manpower pool available, not to replace American seamen.
''Examining present conditions to
determine whether any similarity exists, it becomes impossible to justify

extension of the 1950 waiver authority
to the current reduction in n:ianning
requirements. First, no state of national emergency exists. In addition,
the 11 tankers in question are merely
involved in commercial movements of
crude oil and petroleum gas between
Kuwait and other foreign nations. Finally, American seamen are available
and have sought work aboard these
vessels," Drozak wrote.
The government contends simply
that the 1950 act applies and that the
Kuwaiti situation is in the national
defense interest.
Requiring U.S. crews "would have
significantly changed one of the conditions existing at the time of the
reflagging, a.nd thus would have tended
to undermine the refiagging agreement. The arrangement continues to
be in the national defense interest,''
wrote William H. Taft IV, deputy
secretary of defense, in response to a
letter from Drozak.
"As hard as I try, I can't see any
way the employment of foreign seamen on American vessels is in the
national defense interest. The shipping
company is on record saying it would
employ Americans if the law said it
must. The law does," Drozak said.
A decision in the court case is expected shortly.

SIU Joins Anti-Apartheid Rally
SIU trainees and upgraders from
Piney Point joined ranks with 200
other union workers and civil rights
supporters at an anti-apartheid rally
in Washington, D.C. last month.
The demonstrators protested the
Shell Oil Co.'s continuing ties to
apartheid and pressed for stronger
U.S. sanctions against the racist
South African regime.
The rally also marked the 28th
anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, when police gunned down 69
black South Africans demonstrating against pass law restrictions.
Washington Mayor Marion Barry
Jr. read a resolution endorsed by
more than 100 city mayors calling
on Royal Dutch Shell-the parent
company of the Shell Oil Co.-to
completely withdraw from South
Africa. Mine Workers President
Richard Trumka stressed that
American trade unionists can help

by forcing companies like Shell to
leave South Africa because ''that
oppressive regime cannot survive"
without oil and gas.

Following the rally, the protestors picketed the oil company's
headquarters, smgmg "We Shall
Overcome."

Maritime Unions Slam Administration's ODS Bid
Unity is an elusive goal in the maritime industry. Yet four major maritime unions, including the SIU, expressed ''extreme disappointment''
with the administration's proposal to
reform the liner subsidy program.
Submitting a joint written proposal
in the third and final hearing that the
House Merchant Marine Subcommittee held on the line subsidy program,
the unions said, "If enacted in its
present form, (the administration's
proposal) would upset more than five
decades of congressionally mandated
promotion of a strong, privately owned

merchant marine and actually hasten
its demise."

abroad), the five bills take markedly
different approaches.

The other three unions submitting
this testimony were the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, the National Maritime Union and the Masters, Mates &amp; Pilots.

Commenting on the inability of the
maritime industry to take a united
front on this issue, the mari~ime unions
said, "We can detect little or no progress in resolving the differences presented by those bills ... The subcommittee is again examining five widely
divergent pieces of legislation and we
can detect no real conser.sus among
the liner companies.''

The administration's proposal is one
of five bills which has been circulating
around Congress. Despite some similarities (opening up subsidy eligibility
to all qualified U.S. carriers, providing
operating flexibility, allowing the acquisition and construction of vessels

Most experts tie any improvement
in the maritime industry to resolution

of the difficult liner subsidy program.
The program, which has begun to
expire, has become embroiled in the
budget crisis.
The administration remains committed to containing costs. While acknowledging that any new subsidy
program must be cost-effective, the
unions believe that the administration's bill "is an affront to labor." Its
method of calculating subsidies amount
to ''an unwarranted intrusion into accepted collective bargaining practices."
April 1988 I LOG I 3

�On T-AGOS Stalwart

Before leaving for their next slow voyage,
Stalwart crewmembers load stores for the
trip.

In the spring of 1985, Seafarers
found a new type of job opportunity and a new way to advance
their careers-T-AGOS. Since the
first Seafarers manned the USNS
Stalwart, hundreds of others have
taken advantage of this unique program.
Now 10 of these top-secret vessels are in operation; five operate
out of Little Creek, Va. near Norfolk and five from Honolulu.
During the three years of the
program, the SIU and Sea Mobility
Inc. have tried to make T-AGOS
duty as attractive as possible. The
Union established a new program
for B-book members to advance
more quickly to A-seniority and a
program for Seafarers with licenses to give them a chance to gain
valuable seatime and experience
needed for license requirements.
While the T-AGOS voyages can
be long and slow, the crew's amen-

~

QMED Paul Tyson (left) and Norfolk Port Agent Jim Martin discuss things in the crew
mess.

ities have been designed for maximum comfort. Each crewmember
has a private room and shower.
There is a fully-equipped gym
aboard each vessel along with a
large stock of movies and videos.
On the Stalwart, which recently
completed a voyage and tied up in
Little Creek, Chief Steward Herb
Davis completed 18 months of sea
time aboard the vessel.
Davis said he enjoys the duty
aboard because it's steady work
during a time of a shrinking job
market.
These pictures of the Stalwart' s
crew were taken by SIU Rep. Frank
Paladino.

Capt. Norman Cubberly was formerly an
SIU tugboat captain with the Norfolk, Baltimore and Carolina Lines.

..

Pictured above are two members of the Stalwart's steward department, Chief Cook Philip
Orlanda (left) and S/A Llitera.

One of the favorite times of the day-chow.

Chief Steward Herb Davis is a TAGOS veteran. Pictured above with SIU Rep. Frank
Paladino, Davis has been with the program since its beginning in 1985. He has put in 18
months seatime aboard the Stalwart.

4 I LOG I April 1988

Bosun Raymond A. Maddock (left) and Chief Mate Mark Paine stand gangway watch.

�In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will
highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national
and maritim.e policy.

profiles
Rep.

Rep.

David E. Skaggs

Claude Harris

A

T

TTRACTED by plenty of open
space and a sizable white-collar
workforce, the 2nd district of Colorado is rapidly emerging as a Rocky
Mountain version of California's Silicon Valley. A number of major hightechnology firms have established operations in the Boulder area in recent
years, and nearly three-quarters of the
district's voters live in Boulder County.
David E. Skaggs (D-Colo) represents
this district which also includes the
northern Denver suburbs and the
mountains west of Bould~r.
Congressman Skaggs was born in
Ohio and raised in Kentucky, New
York and New Jersey. After active
duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, he
moved to Boulder, where his political
career began. He received a B.A. in
philosophy from Wesleyan University
in Middletown, Conn., attended the
University of Virginia Law School,
and received his law degree from Yale
Law School in 1967.
Skaggs was admitted to the New
York Bar in 1968 and the Colorado
Bar in 1971. He practiced law in Boulder with Newcomer and Douglass
(1971-1974 and 1977-1978) and the
firm of Skaggs, Stone &amp; Sheehy (1978
until 1987 when sworn into Congress).
From 1975 to 1977 he was administrative assistant to then-Congressman Tim Wirth of Colorado. He managed Wirth's 1976 re-election campaign.
In 1980 he, himself, was elected to the
Colorado House of Representatives.
He was re-elected to the state House

Rep. David E. Skaggs
and elected House Minority Leader
by the Democratic Caucus in 1982 and
again in 1984. He then was elected to
the U.S. House of Representatives
Nov. 4, 1986.
In the 1OOth Congress, Skaggs serves
on the House Public Works and Transportation Committee; the Science,
Space and Technology Committee, and
the Select Committee on Children,
Youth and Families.
He has spoken out in support of a
coherent and understandable Mideast
plan that can be supported by the
American people. "Good goals," he
said, "can only be achieved in our
democracy by intelligent policy that
enjoys general public understanding
and support. The administration simply must be in closer consultation with
the Congress on this issue, and through
the Congress, with the American people." Skaggs has also spoken in opposition to the' Reagan administration· s decision to refiag Kuwaiti oil
tankers and its position on Contra aid.

•
(Continued from Page 24.)
latest employment figures released by
the Marine Index Bureau. The number
of jobs onboard deep-sea vessels fell
to 10,344 last year. There were 86,000
jobs in 1951. As recently as 1979, the
number still topped 20,000.
Meanwhile, other nations were beefing up their maritime capability. The
Journal of Commerce reported that
South Korea was fast closing in on
Japan as the world's leading shipbuilder, and that it had actually overtaken that country in several important areas.
Meanwhile, the number of viable
American shipyards had fallen to eight.
Two leading candidates for president, Michael Dukakis and George
Bush, answered questions submitted
by the Shipbuilders Council of America. Both acknowledged that there was
a crisis in the industry, and pledged
to do something about it.
Meanwhile, there were indications
that Congress was finally about to act
on the Omnibus Trade bill that it had

been agonizing over since the start of
the session.
The Senate and House conferees
had already dropped a provision which
would have taken some minimal steps
in opening up the auto-carriage trade.
In addition, there are indications that
the conference bill includes a disturbing provision allowing the export of
50,000 barrels of Alaskan oil a day to
Canada.
On a more positive note for the
maritime industry, there were indications that the conference bill would
include provisions beefing up the powers of the Federal Maritime Commissioner to act on reports of unfair trade.
Most attention has focused on nonmaritime issues, notably the issue of
plant closing. There were reports that
a water-downed plant closing provision will be included.
While the administration has expressed severe reservations about the
trade bill, it is unclear if the administration will employ a veto if the bill

USCALOOSA is the largest city
in the 7th district of Alabama,
with an industrial base centered around
the manufacture of rubber, chemicals
and fertilizers but which is more often
identified as the home of the U niversity of Alabama. It also includes a
number of other counties in the west
central portion of the state, moving
southward from the outskirts of Birmingham.
Although Republicans run reasonably well in most of the district in
national and statewide elections, the
area has kept up its tradition of loyalty
to conservative Democrats at the
congressional level. One such man is
Claude Harris (D-Ala.), born in Bessemer and raised in Shannon.
Harris received a bachelor of science degree from the School of Commerce and Business Administration of
the University of Alabama and went
on to earn a bachelor of law degree
from the University of Alabama School
of Law.
The congressman was admitted to
the bar in 1965 and began his career
in the district attorney's office as assistant district attorney. He worked
with the victims of crime and-with law
enforcement officers to prepare cases
for presentation to the grand jury. He
also prosecuted misdemeanor and f elony cases in the trial courts and particpated in the formation of combined
law enforcement units such as the
West Alabama narcotics Squad and
the Homicide Unit.
From 1977 to 1985 Harris served on
the bench as circuit judge of the sixth
judicial circuit. Here he was able to
help implement the new Judicial Ar-

contains a mild plant-closing provision. The administration has been successful in getting a number of laborbacked provisions dropped from the
trade bill, including the amendment
offered by Rep. Richard Gephardt (DMo.).

ODS Reform
In the eyes of most industry officials,
the most important problem facing the
maritime industry today has been the
inability of the administration to come
up with a program to reform the nation's liner subsidy program. Earlier

MAKE THE SYSTEM WORK

Rep. Claude Harris
tide of the Alabama Constitution, the
new Criminal Code and the revised
Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure,
which in combination represent a complete modernization of Alabama's judicial and legal system. He also served
as presiding circuit judge for three
years.
Since 1967 Harris has served in the
Alabama Army National guard, rising
from private to Lt. colonel. He is
presently assigned to Judge Advocate
General Corps.
Before his election to the I OOth Congress in November 1986, Harris was
a partner in the firm of Harris, Braswell and Shields.
As a member of the U.S. House of
Representatives, Rep. Harris is very
concerned with the present administration's policies in the Mideast-its
strategies and adequate contingency
plans in the event offurther hostilities.
As for the wisdom of President Reagan's foreign policy, Harris says: "The
election of a Democrat to the White
House in 1988 should bring many
changes."
In addition to serving on the Committee on Agriculture in the House,
Harris is also a member of the Committee on Veterans Affairs.

this month, the SIU joined three other
maritime unions in expressing "extreme disappointment" with the
administration's program on this issue.
Five bills, including one formulated
by the administration, are floating
around Congress. In a joint statement
presented at a hearing of the House
Merchant Marine Subcommittee, the
maritime unions said, "We can detect
little or no progress in resolving differences then represented by those
bills . . . We can detect no real concensus among the liner companies."

DANGEROUS? GET CONGRESS

..

TO PASS HIGH-RISK NOTICE

April 1988 I LOG I 5

�Area Vice Presidents' Report

Great Lakes
by Executive V.P. Mike Sacco

R

EPRESENTATIVES from the
SIU recently attended a seminar
on the recommendations that the Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense released last year. Dr. Alan
Cameron, a member of the commission, met with politicians and officials
from the Great Lakes to discuss what
effect, if any, the recommendations
would have on shipping in the region.
It was a productive session. The
Great Lakes maritime industry is central to this country's defense. A good
portion of this nation's industrial capacity is located in the Midwest. At a
minimum, we need to do more to
modernize the St. Lawrence Seaway
so that we can transport that industrial
might overseas.
Luedtke Engineering has been dedared the low bidder on a hydraulic
dredging project near Gary, Ind. Yet
for the most part, the Corps of Engineers has been slow in announcing
new projects.
This will change. Some of the ports
and channels have been so neglected
that the local governments simply can't
postpone taking some kind of action.
Members of the Great Lakes Task
Force have been meeting to publicize
maritime's agenda up here. There has
been a concerted effort to get maritime
officials north and south of the border
to work jointly to come up with a
program to stimulate shipping on the
Great Lakes.
If anything symbolizes-the ability of
Ameri~an and Canadian officials to
work closely to achieve important goals,
it was the joint letter that SIU President Frank Drozak and SIU of Canada
President Roman Gralewicz released
last year requesting that maritime be
dropped from the Canada Free Trade
Agreement. All North American
workers-Americans and Canadi- ·
ans-stand to be hurt by this treaty.
Thanks to the efforts of Gralewicz and
Drozak, seamen can breathe a sigh of
relief.
American and Canadian union members have been working closely on
other fronts. The SIU of Canada has
been sending a steady stream of upgraders and trainees to the Seafarers
Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship. Many of the problems that face
maritime workers north and south of
the border are international in character. It doesn't matter if a seaman
lives in Canada or the United States.
Either way, his job security is threatened through flag of convenience fleets.
One last note: I was recently appointed executive vice president of
the Seafarers International Union. This
is an honor for many reasons.
For one thing, I'll be filling the shoes
of Ed Turner, the former head of the
Marine Cooks and Stewards. Ed was
a great trade unionist. Harry Lunde6 I LOG I April 1988

berg turned to him when the SIUNA
wanted to sign up stewards and cooks
on the West Coast. He played a important role in this Union's history.
I'll now be working closely with
SIU President Frank Drozak in Washington. I welcome this new phase of
my career. There isn't anyone who
knows Capitol Hill or the maritime
industry better than Frank Drozak. It
will be an honor to work with him.
This is a great union. We're celebrating our 50th anniversary this year.
It's been 50 years of hard work, 50
years of blood, sweat and tears. No
one handed the members of this Union
anything on a silver platter. We've
earned it. And we'll continue to earn
it.
Some of our most important battles
are still ahead of us. Unlicensed seamen are in a life-and-death struggle to
protect their job security. Tug and
barge workers have to confront a
growing anti-union bias. Many segments of our industry lay in ruin.
And yet, I believe that we can turn
things around. And so does Frank
Drozak. If the members of this Union
stand united, there isn't anything we
can't accomplish. Our first 50 years
have been pretty damn good, but our
best days are still ahead.

East Coast
by V.P. Leon Hall

W

E'VE reached a tentative
agreement with the Seafood
Producers Association in New Bedford concerning the scallopers and
draggers. If all goes as planned, there
will be a 30-day referendum. During
that time, our members will be able
to cast secret ballots.
There are still, however, one or two
last minute details that need to be
nailed down.
It has been a long, hard two years.
The SIU came back to New Bedford
to improve conditiOns in the fishing
industry. Our members have walked
picket lines, and we've gone eyeball
to eyeball with the company in the
courts. But finally, it's about to pay
off.
No one said that it would be easy
up here, and it hasn't. But I believe
that we've made a good beginning.
Our Washington staff is working full
time trying to come up with some
resolution to the liability insurance
problem that will be acceptable to
_union members, boat owners and insurance companies. We're in close
contact with Rep. Gerry Studds (DMass.) and other officials who share
our commitment to revitalize the fishing industry.
A lot of the progress that we've
made in New Bedford is due to the
hard work and commitment of Jack

Caffey. Jack has dedicated two years
of his life to trying improve conditions
in that port. And all the while, he's
been able to maintain a visible presence in New York and on the rivers.
I don't know any union official who
works harder or more effectively on
behalf of his members than Jack Caffey.
I've been keeping in touch with New
York City Councilman Sam Horowitz
on a bill that would change the name
of Battery Place between Broadway
and West Street to Merchant Marine
Veterans Drive.
In a city of monuments, there isn't
one memorial to the seamen who risked
their lives du~ing World War IL
Many of our members played an
important part in making sure that
American troops and supplies reached
their proper destinations. Without the
efforts of these valiant seamen, World
War II might have had a different
ending.
Of course, the Merchant Marine Act
of 1936 made it possible for this country to develop an adequate-sized merchant marine in time for the war.
Despite its flag-waving, the present
administration has not demonstrated
that it understands the importance of
sealift. And that's where seamen come
in.
The Marine Index Bureau recently
released statistics showing that the
number of seamen's jobs had fallen to
10,000-half of what were available in
1980. The only way to turn things
around is through political action.
This union intends to play an important role in the upcoming election.
Our job security depends upon it.
Whoever is the next president will
have to come up with a comprehensive
plan for stimulating growth and development in the maritime industry.
Maritime isn't the only industry that
has declined: steel, auto, they've all
been affected. Last year, for the first
time, the United States ran a trade
deficit in services.
New York was once the financial
industrial and maritime capital of th~
world. Now, our docks are empty and
our factories have been turned into
lofts. America needs a leader who
understands that we need to rebuild
our infrastructure, we need to stimulate growth.

ruptcy on a number of causes: the
near-depression in the maritime industry, the failure of the Reagan
administration to come up with a coherent program to promote the American-flag merchant marine, and the
decision of U.S. Lines to build 12
econships.
By building these 12 econships, U.S.
Lines had hoped to solidify its position
in the maritime industry. But they
were too costly, and the maritime
industry too depressed, for that to
happen. In addition, many industry
experts questioned their design.
Nevertheless, after U.S. Lines filed
for bankruptcy, the surviving American-flag shipping companies scrambled to sign up those vessels. SeaLand, an SIU-contracted company,
was able to buy the vessels for a
fraction of their original price.
In addition, the company was able
to refit the vessels to substantially
lower operating costs.
Earlier this month, the Sea-Land
Performance became the first of those
econships to reach the port of Houston. The vessel was docked by a G&amp;H
tug. It was an all-SIU affair. G&amp;H is
an SIU-contracted company.
As a result of these developments,
the SIU was able to pick up more than
100 jobs for its members. Sea-Land's
decision to relocate much of its operations in Houston will generate a lot
of new business for the port.
Through a combination ofluck, perseverence and hard work, the SIU has
been able to keep its head above water
during these rough times. No one says
that everything is a bed of roses, but
we have certainly been plugging away.
We have been able to put most of
our contract negotiations to bed. Delta
Queen, Dixie Carriers. G&amp;H Towing,
Sabine Towing and Crescent Towing
(New Orleans and Savannah) have all
been resolved.
Only two negotations are pending:
Gulf Atlantic Transportation and Crescent Towing of Mobile.
In addition to these developments,
the SIU was able to garner the lion's
share of the Ready Reserve vessels
that were contracted out to the private
sector. This is proof that our Union's
program to sign up military work is
right on track.
In most of our outstanding court
cases, we have been able to make
substantiaf progress against the companies. The tug and barge companies
that have decided to take us on have
learned that they will have to pay a
high price. And in most cases, we
have high hopes of ultimately winning
the cases.

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

T

HE bankruptcy of U.S. Lines in
1986 sent shockwaves throughout
the maritime industry. More than 1,600
employees of that company-including hundreds of NMU seamen and
MEBA engineers-were thrown into
the unemployment lines.
Industry experts blamed the bank-

West Coast
by V.P. George McCartney

I

T is impossible to discuss the history of the SIU without touching
upon larger themes. We are seamen,
(Continued on Page 7.)

�Area Vice Presidents' Report
(Continued from Page 6.)
union members and Americans.
The SIU was born out of the despair
and frustration of the Great Depression. The Union reached maturity during World War II, which transformed
the maritime industry and defined a
whole generation of American seamen.
Americans have come to regard the
20 year period between 1945 and 1965
as a Golden Age in this country's
history. Never had the United States
been so strong or so wealthy.
At the end of World War II, 50
percent of the world's industrial output was in the United States. Henry
Luce, founder and publisher of Time
magazine, summed up the prevailing
wisdom when he said that the 20th
century was destined to be known as
''The American Century.''
It didn't quite turn out that way. By
1988, America's share of the world's
industrial output had fallen by onehalf, to 25 percent.
Part of this decline was inevitable.
At the end of World War II, much of
the industrialized world lay in ruin. It
was just a matter of time before countries like France, Germany and Japan
would rebuild or that others, like South
Korea and Taiwan would develop.
Still, there is a group of historians
and policy-makers which believes that
this country's economic decline did
not have to be so drastic, and that it
was hastened by the failure of our
leaders to understand the implications
of several long-term trends.
This is the central theme of an important new book by Paul Kennedy,
The Decline of Superpowers. Columnists such as Jack Anderson have
written at length on this subject.
According to Anderson, while the
leadership class of the United States
has focused all its attention on the
bilateral relationship between the
United States and the Soviet Union,
other nations have placed a priority
on developing their industries.
When asked to make an assessment
of Soviet-American relations last year,
former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said that when the next century
rolls around, the relationship may not
be so important. The balance of power
will probably shift East to Japan, China
and India, all of which have concentrated their efforts on developing their
economic resources.
The relative decline of America's
economic power will adversely affect
its military capability, predicts Kennedy.
America's rise to superpower status
was caused primarily by the explosive
growth of the industrial sector, said
Kennedy. Our overwhelming industrial edge over Germany and Japan
was the deciding factor in determining
the outcome of World War II.
In many ways, events in the maritime industry foreshadowed a different
future for this country than the one
tltat Henry Luce predicted. While the
wholesale export of American industries and jobs overseas did not attract
the public's attention until the 1980s
(Pulitzer-prize winning author David
Halbestram popularized this theme
when he wrote 'The Reckoning,' which

gave a detailed account of the decline
of the auto industry), it was something
that maritime faced as early as 1946.
The first factory that could be easily
transferred abroad was an oceanborne
one-an American-flag vessel.
There is a tendency in this country
to equate the rapid rise of Japan with
the loss of millions of well-paying
industrial jobs.
But Halbestram believed that this
did not tell the whole story.
''Most academics and industrial experts, concerned with the decline of
American heavy industry, were focusing almost exclusively on Japan," he
wrote.
"[Yet some experts] believed that
they were looking in the wrong place.
[They] believed that those who had
become obsessed with Japan were neglecting other changes-subtle but
crucial-such as the export of jobs,
under American corporate seal, to other
countries in East Asia and to South
America, and the coming of high automation both here and abroad.
"Gradually, in the early '80s, [some
experts] came to believe that the Japanese challenge had given many American companies an excuse to do something they had always longed to do,
which was to relocate their factories
in underdeveloped countries, beyond
the reach of American labor unions."
This is exactly what happened in
the American maritime industry.
Many industry officials trace the
decline of the American maritime industry to policies implemented shortly
after World War II. These policies not
only have had a profound effect on
the job security of American seamen,
but also they've effectively destroyed
the maritime industries of our NATO
allies, several of which have been
forced to transform their registries into
de facto flag of convenience (FOC)
fleets.
The most notorious of these policies
was the Effective U.S. Control (EUSC)
Doctrine. In 1947 the Defense Department granted War Risk Insurance
to American-owned vessels that had
been documented in Panama and Liberia. This enabled their owners to
evade American wages, taxes and
safety standards.
It was felt that Panama and Liberia
had a close relationship with the U.S.
and could be easily "controlled." Forty
years later, relations are so ''close''
between the United States and Panama that some people an~ calling for
us to invade that country. If we do
so, we'll have to rely on Panamanianflag vessels to carry American troops
and supplies.
The results have been predictable.
By the beginning of the Korean War,
the number of American-flag vessels
had fallen from 5,000 to 1,700. That
decline continued unabated until the
Vietnam War.
The number of vessels registered
under the American-flag merchant marine stabilized after passage of the
Merchant Marine Act of 1970. Unfortunately, maritime' s decline resumed
with a vengeance after the Reagan
administration gutted most maritime
promotional progtams in the early
1980s. There are now fewer than 400

active deep-sea vessels.
Despite these developments, the SIU
has been able to substantially increase
the wages and benefits of its membership, and materially improve safety
standards and living conditions. This,
many people believe, has been its most
important achievement.
Before World War II, seamen lived
on the margins of American society.
Yet by 1959, they were solid members
of the middle class.
In 1950, the SIU negotiated its first
welfare plan. One year later, it added
a vacation plan to its list of benefits.
In 1959, more than $20 million had
been paid out in welfare benefits. A
pension plan was not too far in the future.
By 1959, vacation benefits were
raised to an average of $400 per seaman. SIU halls were upgraded
throughout the country, and the first
in a nationwide system of clinics was
in operation.
Seamen and their dependents were
now eligible for generous scholarships. The Union's training program,
which was founded in 1946, was constantly being improved.
All this was possible because of the
Union's strong political action program. More than anything else, enactment of the Cargo Preference Act
of 1954 made it possible for maritime
unions like the SIU to continue to
upgrade their members' benefits and
working conditions during a period of
industrywide decline.
For more than three decades, the
SIU has fought all attempts to weaken
that law.
Yet while the Cargo Preference Act
of 1954 has enabled this country to
maintain a minimum maritime base, it
could not, by itself, revitalize the
American-flag merchant marine.
Throughout the 1950s,-the SIU joined
with other maritime unions to take on
the FOC fleets.
During that decade, the National
Labor Relations Board was developing a body of law which would have
enabled AmeriQan maritime unions to
organize flag of convenience vessels
when they hit American ports, providing that there weren't a_ny contacts
between the American company and
the country under whose flag the vessel was registered.
The SIU and its arch-enemy, the
NMU, even formed a joint union, the
International Maritime Workers Union,
to organize flag of convenience fleets.
Yet in 1963, the Supreme Court stopped
this promising development dead in its
tracks by stating that the National Labor Relations Board had no jurisdiction
over flag of convenience vessels.

Basic Agreement with the Military
Sealift Command, Pacific, covering all
unlicensed marine personnel, steward
officers and MSC staff employees.
One section on grievan~es is somewhat incomplete and is being revised.
Of late, MSCPAC has ordered marine employees to emergency shipboard assignments without notice or
gear, which could work a hardship on
the mariner. Consequently, we are
seeking to correct these types of situations by adding a section in the Basic
Agreement dealing with these problems. In any case, if all goes as scheduled we expect to have this Agreement
finished very soon.
As always happens, whenever the
MSCPAC Ad Hoc Promotion Board
meets to select candidates for higher
position, mistakes are made. Then
come the complaints from the mariners: "I am better qualified than he
was,'' which is never a valid complaint. "I have been with MSCPAC
10 years and the guy that was promoted has only been here five years,
therefore, I have seniority.'' This is
another invalid complaint because the
man with five years seniority might
have come into the outfit retired from
the service and doing the same job in
the service that he was promoted to.
But, when a candidate follows proper
procedures, is a veteran, comes hi_ghly
recommended with excellent evaluations, gets his promotion request into
the MSCPAC office ahead of time,
and then receives no consideration by
the Board, he has good reason to
complain. Management, however, is
not anxious to correct these kinds of
iniquities even though they are to blame.
This, too, is a situation that must be
corrected.
Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet: Improvement in the membership rolls at the
Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration installation at the
Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet is noted.
Eight new members are welcomed into
the SIU Government Services Division. They include Reynaldo R. Brace,
Johnny R. Belcher, Marcelino T. Cacao, lreno N. Jose, Helen D. Lotan,
Federico D. Manuel, Gerald L. Scouten Jr. and Raymond W. Vandergriff.
Welcome aboard.
We also want to welcome Robert
A. Bryan, the new West Coast Maritime Administrator who replaced the
recently retir~d Capt. W. Galsten. We
want him to know that he can count
on our cooperation for a successful
tour of duty. Welcome aboard!
The new Assistant SIU Fleet Representative, Toese Maloe, is doing a
bang-up job for the Reserve Fleet
members and for the SIU. Keep up
the good work.

A Correction

Government Services
by V. P. Buck Mercer

S

INCE my last report, we have
proceeded with work on a new

The uriion affiliations of Henry
"Whitey" Disley and Paul
Dempster were incorrectly stated
in a photo caption in the March
issue of the LOG. The editor
regrets the error and any misunderstanding it might have
caused. We reprint the corrected
photo caption: "MFOW President Whitey Disley makes a point
during the manning conference.
With him are SIU Vice President
George McCartney (left) and SUP
President Paul Dempster.''
April 1988 I LOG I 7

�I

Fire Snuffed Out When SIU Boatmen Battle Flames
Fast action by SIU crewmen on two
G&amp;H tugs in Houston prevented "a
serious situation from becoming perhaps a fatal one," the company's director of safety said.
In a letter to SIU president Frank
Drozak, G&amp;H's J. Dan Gribble said
the crews onboard the C.R. Haden,
where the fire broke out, and the
J.Harris Masterson, who helped fight
the blaze, "were involved at risk to
their own personal safety.''
The starboard engine of the Haden
caught fire after the tug was dispatched
on a routine ship handling assignment
about I a.m., March 3. The dense
smoke left Engineer Darrell Camp ''little more to do than shut down the
engine and evacuate the area,'' Gribble said.
Camp informed Mate Eric Corgey

of the emergency, and Corgey rang
the general alarm and called the Coast
Guard. Using the port engine, Corgey
was able to maneuver the Haden to a
safe spot along the bank.
Minutes later the Masterson, which
had been in the area, came alongside,
and both crews took fire hoses from
the Masterson and fought the fire.
Shortly, two fireboats arrived on the
scene and brought the blaze under
control. The Masterson then towed
the heavily damaged Haden back to
the G&amp;H dock.
Onboard the Haden were Corgey,
Camp and deckhands Chris Sachtleben and Jeff Willains. The Masterson
crew consisted of Mate Angel Gonzales, Asst. Engineer Travis Turner
and deckhands Lance Liska and William Carter.
The fire aboard the Haden blew out the glass in the tog's portholes, buckled portions of
the deck and blistered much of the outside paint. The serious damage was to the interior
of the tug.

On the Zimmer

The fire spread from the engine room, and the flames and the heat caused considerable
damage throughout the tug.

Message in a Balloon, 'Just
Say No!'-Memphis to L.A.
When Lakeisha Marie Shields and
Chauncey Washington wrote out
their "Just Say No" to drugs messages and placed them inside a balloon, the Memphis, Tenn. grade
schoolers had no idea that balloon
would find its way to San Pedro,
Calif.
Just seven days later, the crew
of the SIU-contracted tug Spartan
(Crowley) fished the balloon out of
Los Angeles Harbor.
The crew of the Spartan was
impressed with the messages from
the young pair and sent them a
letter. They also were impressed
with the speed that enabled the
balloon to cross the country so
quickly.
8 I LOG I April 1988

"We were as surprised as you
probably are that your message
would be received so far away and
so quickly," they wrote.
LOG editor Charles Svenson was
surprised, too, because as he pointed
out, the prevailing winds across the
country move from west to east.
Certainly the balloon didn't sail
around the world before settling
into L.A. Harbor.
A call to the Lester Demonstration School quickly solved the mystery. Principal Patricia Garrett explained that the school's second and
third graders prepared about 400
balloons with anti-drug messages
from the students. About 300 were
released in the Memphis area. But

Taking time out to pose on Orgulf's Zimmer are (I. tor.) Maurice Reed, Jack Bines and
Mich Lewis. They are waiting to go through Lock and Dam #26 on the Mississippi.

a school official was traveling to
Los Angeles and took about I 00 of
the messages and released them in
balloons there.
Garrett said the kids were ''delighted" to receive the letter from
the Spartan's crew.
Chauncey Washington's message
read "I don't need drugs because I
know it will hurt. And if somebody
gives me some drugs I will just say
NO!!!"

"Just say NO to drugs and alcohol. Do not smoke dope and do
not drink wine. Thank you," Lakeisha Shields wrote.
"What a pleasure it was to see
that you are concerned about others
and the affect of drugs upon them.
"The crew of the Spartan agrees
with you, and "Ye all hope that
children like yourselves will influence others who may be tempted
(Continued on Page 9.)

�Balloon
(Continued from Page 8.)
by drugs to 'Just Say No!' ," the
crew' s letter said .
The Spartan crew is comprised
of Capt. Pat Carson, First Mate Ed
Brady, Engineer Dave Waldblom,
Deckhand Charles Holmes and Cook
Dave Verschoor.

Pensioners
The following Inland members have
retired on pension:
Andrew J. Adams
Timothy H. Burke
William T . Carmean
Henry Collins
John G. Daugerea u
George M . Davis
Peter J . Dwyer
David H. Gibbs
John C . Goodwin
Robert S. Gordy
Carmilite Hebert
Charles L. Horseman
Carl Jupitz
Emil Kominsky
Gordon T. Luckett
Myron T . Lupton
Francis P. 0 'Connell
William L Parks
Walter L. Schroeder
Binford L. Snead
Albert Stampley
Stephen P_ West

SUPPORT

SPAD
Personals
Attention Oldtimers

Frank S. Chance Jr_ would like
to hear from anyone who sailed on
one of the following ships: SS In-

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
MARCH 1-31, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

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 ..........................

0
0
6

0
1
0
10
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
4
1
0

40

1

2
4
0
3
0
0
2

21

0
0

20

79

0
1
0
0
0
1
8
0
19
0

0
4
0
1
0

34

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
3
0
31
5

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0
0
0
0

1

0

0

1

0

0

0
0

0
0
5

60

0
1
4
0

0
0

0
0

28

13

6

49

0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0
3
61

1

0

3

3
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

68

18

39

0
0
0
0
37
0
0
0

26

9

184

0

2
0
104

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0

1

0
0
0
0
0
1
8
0
0
0
0
6
0
3
0

0
0
0

18

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

0
0
0

0

0
0

0
0

15

0
0

3
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
13
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

29

0
0
0
2
0
0
5

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0

0
0
6
0
0
2
0
0

0
0
1
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

Port
New York ........................
Philadelphia ......................
Baltimore ............ . ...........
Norfolk ........... .. ............
Mobile ................. . ........
New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jacksonville ..... ..... ............
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ...... . ................
Seattle . . ....... .... ... . ....... . .
Puerto Rico .. . ... . .. . ............
Houston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • . . . .
Algonac . . . . . . . . - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
St. Louis .................... ....
Piney Point . ... ........ ... .. . . . . . .
Totals .................... . ... . .

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Totals All Departments ...... . ... . ... . .

0
0
7
0
0
15

0
0
0
0
1
0
0
2

2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2

123'

27

36

0

0
0
0
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
10

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

92

33

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
12
0
0
2
0
35
0
0
0
19
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2

20

25

0
0
1
0

28

0
0
0
38
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

8
0
0
0
0
9
0
0
0
16
0
0

1

0

0

0
0
3

0
0
0

0
0
0

68

0
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
12
0
0
0
4
0
0
21

81

18

9

344

158

0
0
0
0

0
0
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.

gersoll, SS John J. Crittenden, SS
Del-Aires, SS William H. Prescott.
You can write him at P.O. Box
111, Tracy City, Tenn_ 37387 _

get in touch with you. Please write:
Billee "Jones" George, 2994 Durand Dr., Hollywood , Calif_ 90068.

Charles R. Gilbert
A dear, old friend would like to

Dear Bubba: Please let me know
how to contact you. No emerg~mcy

··············································································~

SEAFARERS
TRAINING &amp; RECREATION CENTER
Reservation Information

-everything is fine-just want to
know how you're doing and also
to send tax forms. Love, sister.

William Naylor

Your Holidav... at the SHLSS Vacation Center:

What It Will Cost

Name:----------------------S.S.#
Address:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-

Telephone#
Number in Party
Date of Arrival: 1st Choice
2nd Choice
3rd Choice
(Stay is limited to 2 weeks)
Date of Departure

Send to:
Seafarers Training &amp; Recreation Center
Piney Point, Md. 2067 4
(Phone: 301-994-0010)

......••.....•..................................................................

The costs for room and board at the SHLSS Vacation Center have
been set at the minimum to make it possible for all SIU members and
their families to enjoy a holiday in Southern Maryland at your home
away from home.
ROOM RATES:

Member
Spouse
Children

$30.00 per day
$5.00 per day
$5.00 per day

MEALS:

Member
Spouse
Children

$8.50 per day
$4.00 per day
$4.00 per day

NOTE: No lodging or meal charge for children under age 12.
So that as many of our members as possible can enjoy a holiday at
SHLSS Vacation Center, the stay is limited to two weeks.

April 1988 I LOG I 9

�Around Hawaii With the SIU

Deaths
The SIU has been notified of
the deaths of the following mem-

bers.

SIU members in Hawaii rallied behind their union brothers and
sisters in H.E.R.E. Local 5 during their strike. Dozens of Seafarers
turned out at a rally to support the Hotel and Restaurant workers.

il•:,: , : v-:'~ '

l 1i1lil:lil.i,i.i;i,i1i!i1!i!i!:!:;:•::0:::::.1 .,i:..

Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) speaks at the dedication of the
Sea-Land Hawaii. That ship and four others will begin a regular

West Coast to Far East via Honolulu service. The SIU-crewed
ships were purchased from the bankrupt U.S. Lines last year.

John Allman (IBU)
Enrique Alverez (A&amp;G)
Alvin Bausch (MC&amp;S)
Benjamin Constantino (MC&amp;S)
William Davis (A&amp;G)
Michael Drewniak (A&amp;G)
Robert Cunningham (A&amp;G)
Joseph Catalanotto (A&amp;G)
Travis Dean (A&amp;G)
Charles Dixon (A&amp;G)
Victor Egle (A&amp;G)
Harry Erickson (RMR/S)
Apolonio Galacgac (MC&amp;S)
Craig Hannah (A&amp;G)
Leroy Hensen (A&amp;G)
John A. Knapp (MC&amp;S)
Joel Lodor (A&amp;G)
Clifford Longnecker (MC&amp;S)
James R. McLamore (A&amp;G)
Earl McKnight (IBU)
Jorge Martinez (A&amp;G)
Robert E. Matheson (A&amp;G)
David Miles (MC&amp;S)
Thomas Mojica (A&amp;G)
William Nelson (Great Lakes)
Jao S. Norte (Gloucester)
Robert O'Neill (A&amp;G)
Joseph Rudolph (A&amp;G)
Anibal Santiago (A&amp;G)
David Saxon (A&amp;G)
Henry Senvitz (A&amp;G)
Joseph Szpek (A&amp;G)
Melvin Schrade (A&amp;G)
Franciszek Szwestka (A&amp;G)
Joel Thomas (A&amp;G)
Adolph Vante (A&amp;G)

:·

It's retirement time for Chief Engineer Dee Lau on Matson's Manukai, and the SIU steward department helped prepare a festive dinner
for the chief. Pictured above are Capt. Mike Bozzone, Chief Cook Wong Gunn-Ho, Port Agent Tom Fay, Chief Steward Koon Lau,
Patrolman Ray Aldartst, 2nd Cook/Baker Lynn McKulsky and Patrolman Gene Barry.

Candidates Court Union

At one event in the Houston SIU hall, presidential hopeful Rep. Richard Gephardt talked
to a group of more than 300 persons. He is pictured above with SIU Vice President Joe
Sacco. Sacco says the ball is becoming a center of political activity this election year.
Various forums have been sponsored by local labor groups, and organizations such as
the Young Democrats and Democratic Forum are using the hall for receptions and events.

10 I LOG I April 1988

More than 200 trade union members in the Houston area gathered to listen to Democratic
presidential contender Jesse Jackson. The meeting was sponsored by the West Gulf Ports
Council, Building and Construction Trades and the Harris County Central Labor Council.

�Pro ress-our
Mos Important
Product
o you want to advance_
in your profession?
Would you be interested in greatly increasing your chances
for better pay, while at the same
time bettering yourself by
sharpening your mental abilities? If so, then your desires are
the same as those wished for
you by Paul Hall, the founder
of SHLSS. His desire-to advance the seafarer in his vocational skills while also improving the "whole man" through

D

Rafael Gonzalez studies hard.

advanced education-is being
lived out here at SHLSS in one
of the many educational programs available to our SIU
membership.
The SHLSS Adult Basic Education (ABE) program has been
designed to help seafarers upgrade their basic educational
skills of reading, writing and
math. Just recently, two seafarers have taken advantage of this
program. Dirk Adams, a native
Floridian and 1982 SHLSS
graduate, has worked for E.T.C.
(Energy Transportation Corp.),
an LNG shipper, for the past
five years. Now an AB, Adams'
motivation is his goal of becoming a third mate. "I've come
here to upgrade my educational
skills which have become a little
rusty, being away from the
classroom for so long. I am
concentrating on technical reading, basic math, writing skills
and also CPR. Now I can improve my skills and develop
better study habits. This will
definitely help me to prepare
myself to take the third mates
exam.''
Another upgrader, Rafael

AB Dirk Adams prepares for class.

Gonzalez, has the same goal in
mind. Originally a Navy man,
Gonzalez started working for
Crowley in 1980 and so, joined
the SIU and got his AB endorsement. Having returned to
SHLSS a number of times by
last year Gonzalez had completed the third mates course.
Now working with Crowley Tug
and Tow in San Juan, P.R., he
needs to put in some deepsea
time and then hopes, within the
next year and a half, to go for
his third mates license. His ultimate goal is to become a chief
mate five years from now. Enthused with the opportunity to
brush up on his learning skills,
Rafael said, "We are really lucky
to have this opportunity to take
advantage of this program. Because of the nature of our work,
we have a hard time registering
at a regular college due to the

inherent scheduling difficulties.
But at the SHLSS, we don't
have this problem. I can come
here anytime that I can take
time off from my job."
These men are the living embodiment of Paul Hall's dream,
and this same opportunity is
open to all of you out there who
wish to progress and make better lives for yourselves. The
class sizes are always geared to
give each student a great deal
of individualized attention, so
your capacity for learning is
maximized. Fear of learning
breeds nothing but ignorance
and who wants to be ignorant?
The staff at SHLSS encourages
all SIU members to take stock
of their lives and professional
goals, and to then come to
SHLSS for an educational opportunity you simply cannot pass
up.

he College Program at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School
of Seamanship is now in its third year. Since its inception in
1986, 11 sessions of classes have been offered and 50 seafarers
have come to Piney Point to take the eight-week program of
general education courses. Courses in English composition and
literature, mathematics, physics and physical science, and psychology
and social science have been offered during the life of the program.
Students who take these general education courses can round out their
education and combine the credits with vocational courses and job
experience to earn an Associate in Arts degree. Students who have
credits from other colkges or universities may transfer in credits that
are applicable to the degree program at SHLSS.

T
Your
Earn

Degree

The degree programs , which are approved by the Maryland State
Board for Higher Education, aJlow the seafarer an opportunity to earn
an associate degree in Marine Engineering Technology or Nautical
Science Technology. Many seafarers find it difficult to attend college on
a traditional semester basis because their shipping schedules don't allow
that much time off or time off at the right time of the year. The college
continued next page

April 1988ILOG I 11

�Earn Your Degree
continuea
program at SHLSS is offered on
an eight-week basis (half the length
of a traditional semester) at various
times during the year to allow
greater flexibility which better suits
the lifestyle of the seafarer. Students take two to three courses at
a time and return to school for
whatever number of sessions they
need to complete the degree requirements. Another advantage of
the program at SHLSS is that the
class sizes are small, so students
who have been out of a school
environment for a time can readjust to the rigors of academic study
in a relaxed atmosphere where they
can get plenty of individualized
help and attention from the instructors.
The philosophy of the Seafarers
International Union and SHLSS is
not only to train seafarers for the
job they do on a ship but also to
educate the whole person. The
SHLSS College Program is another way that the school and the
union are striving to meet their
philosophical goals. All SIU members are encouraged to find out
more about the College Program
and take advantage of this excellent educational opportunity. The
schedule of classes is printed each
month in the Log, and more information and application forms can
be obtained by writing to:
SHLSSCOLLEGEPROGRAMS
Piney Point, MD 20674

.., .

~~:~~:;1-:,7 :-f:~;~-.-~~·~ ':~ ~·.:.:~~:~:~i.~::W~~~ t~~~~;~~t ;~. ~~~/\; ~: \~-~ .~·; ~:·-:,_~~~:. :~:·.~~~~ ~~~•r

SHLSS

Executive Chef
Honored

Chef Romeo proudly displays his newlyawarded Diamond Jubilee Gold Medal.

~

·:.

..-

r -

~-

nee again, the SHLSS
Executive Chef/Chef-Instructor, Romeo V. Lupinacci, has been honored by his peers. This
time, by being awarded the Diamond Jubilee Gold Medal of the
American Culinary Federation,
Chef Romeo has been singled out
by the Federation as the first one
of 10 other chefs throughout North
America, to be recognized for his
distinguished lifetime achievement.
Having worked at SHLSS since
1981, Chef Romeo specializes in
training crews for luxury liner food
service. He and his students have
staged numerous elegant international-style buffets in the Southern
Maryland region to help local groups
and his own Professional Culinary
Seafarers Assn. to raise funds. This
not only gives students valuable
experience but raises the prestige
of the school in the eyes of the
public. His culinary group is the

..

-.

~.

:

J"

~-

.~

~~

:

-

'J

~~-- ~~~:=; ~~;~~ ~:, ~

""

~

'

;.

~

'

first and only chapter of the A.C.F.
in the U.S. merchant marine.
Back in January, Mr. Lupinacci
was feted at an awards banquet at
the Pittsburgh Country Club in
Pittsburgh, Pa. The A.C.F. president, Jack Brawn, in presenting
Chef Romeo with the gold medal,
spoke to the 300 guests of Chef
Romeo's proud professional record. He proclaimed Chef Romeo
for, "his wisdom and foresight in
establishing and pioneering the
American Culinary Federation into
the largest chefs association in the
world (58,000 members). His fine
record of achievement in culinary
competitions held all over the world,
his outstanding leadership in his
field, and his overall qualities as a
great culinarian serve as an example for all young chefs everywhere to follow.''
Congratulations, Romeo! The
SHLSS is truly fortunate to have
you on its staff.

vocational courses Undergo Evaluation

~

A.C.E. evaluation team listens intently to school representatives Don Nolan, Tracey
Foley and Bill Eglinton-all at right.

T

L-R: Conrad Younger, Ed Foss and Carl Swanson.

12 I LOG I April 1988

"'" -:

he American Council on
Education (A.C.E.) is a
nationally recognized organization which provides many educational
services to the nation. One division
of the American Council evaluates
non-traditional vocational and job
related courses and recognizes them
as being on a college level by
recommending college credits. The
vocational courses at the Seafarers
Harry Lundeberg School certainly
fit into this category. For that reason, ACE has been evaluating the
vocational courses and recommending them for college level
credit since 1978.
The vocational courses just
underwent their IO-year evaluation
by a team of experts sent to the
school by ACE. Dr. Sylvia Galloway, director of the ACE division
was accompanied by Conrad
Youngren from the State University of New York, Edward Foss
from Cape Fear Technical Institute
and Carl Swanson from Southern
Main Vocational Technical Institute to conduct the three-day evaluation. Tracy Aumann Foley, the
director of curriculum at SHLSS
said, ''Overall, we are very pleased
with the outcome of the evaluation.
All courses were given recommendations, with the overwhelming
majority of the recommendations
in the associate or lower division
baccalaureate degree category.''
What the Ace Evaluation means
to seafarers who attend SHLSS is
significant. Seafarers who wish to
attend a college or university can
request an ACE transcript from
the SHLSS College Programs Office and have that transcript evaluated by a college or univer.sity for
possible granting of credits. ACE

A Dr. Sylvia Golloway, A.C.E. division
director.

publishes a national guide which
college admissions officers use to
evaluate courses and credit recommendations for courses.
Vice-President Ken Conklin,
along with all the staff of SHLSS,
gives his full support to the school's
partnership with ACE. "Having
our courses evaluated by ACE is
another way that the school and
the SIU are working together to
provide excellent educational benefits to the members of the SIU,''
he says.
If you are interested in further
information about the ACE evaluation and credit recommendations for vocational courses, contact the College Programs Office
at SHLSS.

�All Eligible OS Seamen
WE WANT YOU!
We really want to help you, but we
can't. Why? Because we have no
applications for our AB classes!
That's why SH LSS is running Special
AB Upgrading classes. If interested,
contact Bart Rogers immediately at
1·800-732-2739 or your port agent.

Able Seamen 319188

Fi.mt row left to Right: Tom Ho&lt;king, Chad.es Collins, Lee A. Sdiw, Abdo S. Mashrah, Tmo
RoblC!i, Tom Nealon, Robert Petko; Semnd row: Freddy Yant, Wayne Stewart, Kenneth L.
Simbler, Sam Johnson, D..ivid A. Kole, Shawn Yakmh, Dana Naze, Jake ~ (Inst.);
Third row: Mike Ga1tagher, Daren M~, Paai~ Dillon

Trainee Lifeboat Class #424
&amp;trow left to Right:VJ.Ctor Rosado, Curtis Aragon, Steve Hamfurd,Jeffrey Aguiar, Christopher
Callahan, Russell Foxvog,John M. Allen, Bryan G. Chan; Second Row: Ben Cusic (imttuctor),
Dean lshimma, Robert Rubio, Jr., Jake Troutwine, Rob Hanna, Mark Smith, James M. Stowell,
Douglas M. Martinson, Oli.6.dio Joe &amp;quire!, Jr., David Gay Stonehu&amp;; Third row: Onille
Zi~, hrad Camacho, Jr., Danid R. Bennett, Devin L. Gl&lt;min, Gerard Walker, Ryan Hall

FOWi' Gass 3/8/88
FiN: row left to Right: Lee R. laurent, Robett A. Sabatano, Ralph B. Gamer, Sonja M.
Cements, Ramon L. Borrero, Guy Hemenget; Second row: Hermenegildo Tomboc, Don K.
Teixeim, Taylor Oear, Chad.es M. Simmons, llive Gade, John H~, Greg Unkous, D. Rush
Ingram, Tho~ Neuwiller, F.ad WJ]]js, Jim Shaffer (Inst.)

Canadian Able Seamen 317188
Fi&amp; Row left to Right: Bema1d Made, Stephane Gamelin, Ldand
Johmton, Van fucde, Don JODC!i; Second row: Kevin Gann, Steven
Crawford, Jamie Scotney, Loukas Ouwuryannis, Ivan Purvis, Ron !be,

Military Sealift &lt;:.ommand, LifeOOat 318188
Fmt row Left to Right: Edward Williams, Elvin Dunmore, Jeffery
Pmish, Scrond row: Ben Cusic (Instt.), Aledc Harrisoo, Rodney Young,
Pedro Perez, Third row: William Halliwell, Hugh Tilson, Jerry Lynch

lifebo~t 318188
Left to Right: Ben Cusic (Instr.), Vernon

Wallen

John Ctoo;

Canadian Seamambip Training Program 2/ 16/88
Fiist row I.fft to Right: Gary aumlm, Donald Bott,John ~ Guy GJte,
Thanas Veyy.:y, Sean Walsh, OJiv Gale; Second row: Rwl Mamijenko,
Lyixla-Marie G.ureau, Guy Robamn, louis V~ Robert~
Jdlrey MacRiee, Duane Dempsey, HucN&gt;n SttMe; Third row: KevinJcncs,
F.dmwxl Bynoe, Maik Suwek, Sean DemerahJohn Simpm, ills Suoch,
Rooald Oowdfr, Jaque; Vad1on, ScqlheJi

Canadian Stewards 3 / 7 / 88
First row Left to Right: Lillian Jodoin, Patricia Shannon, Joanne Sehn,
Judy Maclean, George Marshall; Serond row: Thomas Baxter, Gary
Watson, Paulette MacKay, Christine Tobin, Irene Ihvick&gt;n, Adam
Douglas, Wmston Adams, Wade Ladd

umn

April 1988 I LOG I 13

-

�1988 Opgrading

t

•

Engine (Jpgrading Courses

...{-~ ... Course Schedule
1

•

t

i

Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry

April- December 1988
The following is the current course schedule for April 1988 December 1988 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.

,_

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Q.MED - Any Rating

April 4
September 19

June 23
December 9

Fireman/Watertender &amp; Oiler
.Marine Electrical .Maintenance
Refrigeration Systems Maint. &amp; Op.

May 23
August 22
June 27
October 3

July 1
September 30
August 19
November 11

Refrigerated Cont.ainers-Advanced Maint.

August 8

September 2

Pumproom Maint. &amp; Operations

August 1
September 19

September 9
October 28

Variable Speed DC Drives

September 5

October 14

Electro-Hydraulic Systems

May 9
November 7

June17
December 16

Automation

November 21

Welding

November 21

December 16
December 16

Hydraulics

May 30
October 17

June 24
November 11

Third Asst. Engineer/Steam or Motor

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for Starting Date)

Course

,,,~I \JA 't A"'t-;.\\._. ;._ ·,~

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.
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.

*All students in the Engine Department will have 2 weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

Recertification Programs

PLEASE NOTE: All members are required to take firefighting when
attending SHLSS.

Deck Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

June 13
July 25
September 19
October 31

July 22
September 2
October28
December 9

Radar Observer Unltd.

July 18

July 29

Radar Refresher/Renewal

Open-mded, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Oftke for starting date.)

Radar Rec;;ertification

Open~ded, 1 day (Contact
Admi$Sions Office for starting date)

Course

Able Seaman

April 4
May 2
May 30
June 27
July 25
August 22
September 19
October 1 7
November 14
December 12

Lifeboat

LNG -

April 15
May 13
June 10
July 8
August 5
September 2
September 30
October 28
November 25
December 23

Self Study Safety Course

(This course is not offered as a
separate course, but may be
taken while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)
*Upon completion of course must take Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance.

Steward Upgrading Courses
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Assistant Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Cook and Baker

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Steward

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date) *

*All students in the Steward Program will have 2 weeks of Sealift
familiarization at the end of their regular course.
14 I LOG I April 1988

Course
Steward Recertification

Bosuns Recertification

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

July 5

August 8

April 25
September 26

June 6
November 7

Adult Education Courses
Check-In
Completion
Course
Date
Date
For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes in 1988,
the courses will be six weeks in length and offered on the following dates:
High School Equivalency (GED)

May 2
July 5
August 29
October 31

June 13
August 15
October 10
December 12

Adult Basie Education (ABE) &amp;
English as a second Language (ESL)

May2
July 5
August 29
October 31

June 10
August 13
October 7
December 10

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes.
Developmental Studies (DVS)

April 11
April 15
(Offered prior to the Third Mate &amp;
Original Second Mates Course)

ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course

June 6

June 24

This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed to
help seafarers prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which is
scheduled immediately after this course. This class will benefit those
seafarers who have difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not
English, and seafarers who have been out of school for a long time.

College Programs Scheduled for 1988
Check·ln
Course
Date
Associates in Arts or Certificate Program May 23
August 8
October 17

Completion
Date
July 15
September 30
December 9

�·······························•···••········•··················••············•·····•••••·••······•····•·••••••••·•••••··••••···••••·••·•
Seafare rs Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name

(Last)

(first)

Date of Birth

(Middle)

Mo./Oay/Year

Address
(Street)

(City)

(State)

Deep Sea Member D

Telephone

(Zip Code)

Inland Waters Member D

(Area Code)

Lakes Member D

Pacific D

If the following imformation is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.
Social Security# _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Book#______ Seniority______ Department _ _ _ _ __
Home Port _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces D Yes D No

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~--------------

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Trainee Program: From _______ to

Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

(dates attended)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s)Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes

No D

Firefighting:

o

Yes

No D

~

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for Training _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Primary Language Spoken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
ENGINE

DECK
0 AB/Sealift
D Towboat Operator Inland
D Celestial Navigation
D Master Inspected Towing Vessel
D 1st CIHs Pilot (organized self study)
o Third Mate
O Radar Observer Unllmlted

STEWARD

D FOWT
O QMED-Any Rating
D Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
O Marine Electrical Maintenance
D Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
O Automation

0 Refrigeration Systems Maintenance

ALL DEPARTMENTS

o

Walding
D Llfeboatman (Must be taken with another
courH)

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and 5uccessfully
complete the course.

&amp; Operations

0 Assistant Cook Utility
D Cook and Baker
D Chief Cook
0 Chief Steward

D Towboat Inland Cook

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates In Arts Degree

D Diesel Engine Technology
0 Assistant Engineer/Chief Engineer
Un Inspected Motor Vessel
o Orglnal 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor
0 Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
D Hydraulics
D Electro·Hydraulic Systems

O Cert If lcate Programs

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
0 Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equivalency
Program (GED)
C Developmental Studies (DVS)
C English as a Second Language (ESL)
CJ ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted showing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the
course(s) requested.
You must also submit a COPY of the first page of your union book indicating your department and seniority, as well
as, a COPY of your clinic card. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is received.
VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

DATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rev.

2188

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

.__,.._.-.••
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .._..~--.........111111111...\

April 1988ILOGI15

-

�Top Navy Award Presented to Former MSCPAC Mariner Hopkins
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC
Two years after he helped save the
USNS Mispillion from almost certain
loss after she went aground off the
coast of Japan, George A. Hopkins
was awarded the Navy's highest civilian award in late March. The Distinguished Civilian Service Award was
presented to Hopkins by Capt. William T. Dannheim, USN, Commander
Military Sealift Command, Pacific, in
ceremonies at a small community hospital near Grand Rapids, Minn.
Last summer, Capt. Dannheim recognized other Mispillion civil service
mariners who helped correct the extreme list of the ship when she went
aground in March 1986. They were
awarded the Navy's Meritorious Civilian Service Award for their part in
saving the Mispillion. But Hopkins,
most observers agree, did far more
than anyone aboard ship in rescuing
the vessel and preventing any loss of
life. He remained in the auxiliary machine room after other crewmembers
had exited the machinery spaces to
abandon ship. Moving about in the
dark while the ship listed 23 degrees
to starboard, Hopkins single-handedly
worked to start an auxiliary diesel
generator. Power was eventually restorc:d to the main pump room, allowing cargo pumps to shift ballast and
return the Mispillion to an upright
position. The ship was towed back to
Sasebo for major repairs to her hull
and cargo tanks. Unfortunately, Hop-

Capt. W. T. Dannheim pins the Distinguished Civilian Service Award on George Hopkins.

kins suffered a stroke three months
later aboard the Mispillion which left
him paralyzed on his right side and
unable to speak. He retired from
MSCPAC and returned to his home in
Minnesota.
Hopkins, 68, was scheduled to receive his award at a March 25 banquet
dinner sponsored by four veterans organizations in Itasca County. Four
days before the event, though, he
underwent emergency surgery for a
ruptured appendix and remained in
the hospital to recover from the op-

MSCPAC Employee of the Year
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC

Less than a month after she was
named MSCPAC Employee of the
Quarter for the peri~d ending Dec. 31,
Christine L. Zarate was selected as
the MSCPAC Employee of the Year
for 1987. Zarate competed for the
annual award against three other nominees, all of whom were MSCPAC
Employees of the Quarter last year.
Zarate, a GS-12 assistant division
director for the underway replenishment ship division, is a 1979 graduate
of the U.S. Merchant Marine Acad-

16 I LOG I April 1988

emy at Kings Point who sailed with
commercial firms for almost four years
before she took an engineering position with CO MSC in 1983. The San
Jose native came to MSCPAC in 1985
and worked as a port engineer for the
USNS Ponchatoula and the USNS
Mispillion until she was assigned to
perform similar work for the USNS
Spica and become assistant director
of the UNREP ship division.
It was Zarate's technical and administrative work with the Spica that
helped her win Employee of the Quarter
and Employee of the Year awards.
Her planning for the Spica's regular
overhaul required extraordinary work
because a previous port engineer for
the supply ship left MSCPAC to take
another position in the Bay Area. Zarate' s planning and development of a
viable plan of action for the Britishbuilt ship helped pave the way for an
orderly formulation of the regular
overhaul work package. At the same
time Zarate was involved with the
Spica, she was also overseeing work
packages for several other replenishment ships.

eration. The Deer River Community
Hospital quickly turned a reception
area into an awards room for their
special patient. By the time Hopkins
was wheeled into the area, it was filled
with about 40 friends and relatives of
the former MSCPAC engineer. An
American Legion color guard smartly
saluted their fellow veteran-a World
War II sailor in the Navy who participated in the landings at Normandyand rendered him honors. Capt. Dannheim, who wanted to award Hopkins
with the most distinguished certificate
the Navy offers civilians after he learned
of the third engineer's role in salvaging
the grounded ship, spoke generally of
the organization he heads and specifically about Hopkins' heroic actions
two years ago. With Hopkins in a
wheelchair, Capt. Dannheim leaned
down to pin the blue and gold Distinguished Civilian Service Award to the
chest of the former MSCPAC employee.
''This has been one of the most
thrilling days of our life, .. said Hopkins' wife, June, who was there with
couple's six children, 15 grandchildren
and a score of other relatives when
the award was made at the hospital.
"I like port engineering," says Zarate. "I want to get more time in the
field to the point where I feel very
comfortable with what I'm doing. I
haven't achieved that yet, but I'm
working towards that goal.''
When Zarate isn't working at
MSCPAC, she's usually involved with
a variety of sports, including windsurfing, jogging, snow and water skiing,
soccer and bicycle riding. "Sports help
to keep my mind sharp, especially
since I'm working with men," she
says, adding with a chuckle, "You
don't want them to get ahead of you!''

"We're all so proud of him. He really
deserves the award and the recognition he's received.''
June Hopkins recalled the time about
10 years ago when George leaped onto
an adrift barge on the Columbia River
in Washingtonjust before it was about
to plunge down a spillway. Using a
pole and a pair of oars, he managed
to work the barge ashore where it was
quickly tied up.
Remembering the story, she glanced
at her husband and smiled. "He's
quite a daredevil," she said. "He's
done things most people wouldn't even
consider doing.''
Understandably, most persons
wouldn't want to remain aboard a
listing ship when there's a very real
possibility the vessel will roll over and
sink. On March 15, 1986, when word
was passed aboard the Mispillion for
all hands to prepare to abandon ship,
Hopkins ignored the order.
Capt. Dannheim re-told the story of
Hopkins' heroism to a large audience
in Grand Rapids at the banquet dinner
for the retired MSCPAC mariner.
"Clearly, some are born to greatness
and others have it thrust upon them,''
said Capt. Dannheim in an emotional
speech to 200 friends, relatives and
guests in attendance to honor Hopkins. "An act can be performed, or
alternatively, the cup can be allowed
to pass at no risk to the person. You
can contemplate your alternatives and
arrive at a conscious decision to act
or abstain. You can act or spend the
rest of your life wondering if you
would have made a difference but
chose not to try. This is, I would
contend, an act which goes to the
character of the actor: You have to
be born to it.''
George Hopkins' heroism was the
brilliant tri_umph of the soul over fear,
fear of isolation in a pitch dark auxiliary engine room aboard a rapidly
listing ship, and fear of death. For the
brave MSCPAC engineer who saved
his ship and shipmates, his heroism
was a dazzling and glorious concentration of courage now recorded in
history.
Zarate was praised in a March message from COMSCPAC as the ''best
of the best" from among a particularly
strong field of nominees. Noted Capt.
Dannheim, "This confirms the reputation she has earned throughout the
command as a top-notch port engineer
and administrator.''
Other outstanding employees who
were nominated for MSCPAC Employee of the Year included Charles
McCoy, marine cargo specialist; James
W. McGowan, an MSCPAC accounting assistant; and Beatrice Ridela, a
procurement assistant with MSCO
Honolulu.

�Holland Retires from the Game With Appreciation for Civilian Mariners
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC
Capt. Joe Holland, USN, retired
from the Navy in late March in an
unusual way. He could have gone out
with sideboys standing at attention and
a band playing in the background. But
that wasn't the former MSCPAC chief
inspector' s style. Instead, he bowed
out by playing softball with the staff
and celebrating the post-game activities with hot dogs, hamburgers, soda
and beer.
' 'The people who know me know
I'm a diehard baseball fan and the last
time I was in Subic Bay with the
inspection team, we played a couple
of games against our fleet tugs out
there ," said Holland, a 31-year Navy
veteran. ''The game brought everyone
together and made our association with
the ships much closer.''
From the end of 1982 to early 1987,
Holland was a frequent visitor to Subic
Bay and other Pacific ports where he
and his MSCP AC team performed annual inspections aboard command
ships. He was amazed the first time
he went out on an inspection to view
drills from the bridge of an MSCPAC
vessel. "I looked around and the only
people up there besides myself were
the master, th~ navigator and a helmsman:· he recalled. "When we had the
same type of drill in the Navy, there
were about 30 people up on the bridge.
I appreciated the professionalism of
MSC personnel after that. They got
the job done with a fraction of the
crew a Navy ship has aboard ...

Capt. Joe Holland: pitching for retirement.

Holland wasn't completely unfamiliar with the organization when he first
reported to Oakland. His brother is a
career merchant mariner who spent
several years aboard MSC chartered
ships. And when he was commanding
officer of the USS Gurke (DD 783) for
three years in the early 1970s, he
would occasionally see MSCPAC ships
in Far East ports. "MSC wasn't new
to me," he said, "but it certainly was
different. It took me a while but I
learned to appreciate the civilian mariners and the work they perform aboard
our ships. I can tell you that the
operational Navy in the Western Pacific very much respects and appreciates the jobs MSCPAC civil service
mariners are performing for the fleet.''

Without mentioning names, Holland
says there were always a couple of
ships he inspected that never seemed
to have anything wrong with them.
''A ship sometimes reflects the personality of its master," he says, "and
wherever a couple of our masters went,
their ships would almost always receive outstanding evaluations from the
inspection team. Times change , people change and so do the ships , but
there's a continuing commitment to
excellence by some people that was
passed down the line whenever they
took command. And that excellence
showed up in their ships."
When he reflected on his own
achievements as chief inspector, Holland was most proud of the safety
records attained by several MSCP AC
ships. "We emphasized safety wherever we went, and I believe the fleet
now understands that our safety people are here for a purpose,'' he said,
"and that's to help the ships develop
a good safety program. I think safety

has become one of the most believable
programs we have today. The mariners understand this because they know
safety is in the best interests of their
ships and their lives."
Of his own career in the Navy which
started in 1957 after he graduated as
a chemistry major from Abilene Christian College in Texas , he. says his tour
as commanding officer of a destroyer
and an assignment as the sole U. S.
naval officer to a NATO naval board
in Brussels will always stand out. But
his other sea tours aboard several
destroyers and his shore assignments
at the Pentagon, in Hawaii, San Diego,
Saigon , the Naval Postgraduate School
in Monterey and the Naval War College in Newport were equally interesting.
''Some memories are better than
others,'' he said when he laid down
his bat at the end of the MSCPAC
softball game, "but overall, the Navy
is still the only way to go."

Bellatrix Loads in Oakland

Retail Clerks Celebrate 1OOth

Approximately 1,100 vehicles were loaded aboard the USNS Bellatrix at the Military
Ocean Terminal Bay Area in Oakland, Calif. in March while the ship was in port.
It was the first time a Fast Sealift Ship took on cargo there, an area recently
dredged to allow deep draft ships such as the Bellatrix to berth at the facility. A
week after the Bellatrix left port, the USNS Mercury tied up to take on additional
Team Spirit cargo. (Photo courtesy of MTMC-W A)

-

THE UNITED FOOD AND COMMERCIAL WORKERS are celebrating the lOOth
anniversary of the Retail Clerks, one of several unions that joined forces to create the
over 1 million-member UFCW. The first retail clerks local chartered by the AFL in 1888
was in Muskegon, Mich. Historic photo at the left courtesy of UFCW.

DROWNING
IN BOOZE

?•
llELP

IS
AVAILABLE.

CONTACT
'/OURPPRT

AGENT OR

YOUR
I.INIONAT

PINEY I

POINr,

April 1988 I LOG I 17

�Houston Becomes Regular Stop for New SIU "Atlantic" Ships

T

WO of Sea-Land's new giant containerships, the Performance and
Quality, docked in Houston last month.
Seafarers crew all 12 of the ships, which
Sea-Land recently purchased. In the
face of tough times, these 12 new ships
mean jobs and job security for Seafarers.

Steward/Baker R. Poovey and S/A Hobson
in the Performance's galley.

On the Sea-Land !Juali.I] are S/A Ambramovitch,
Steward/Baker Dube and Assistant Steward Milla.

C.E. Wilson, DEU {left), pays his dues to
Patrolman Joe Perez.

SIU Vice President Joe Sacco and Bosun Henry Jones aboard
the Performance.

AB Ray Short and DEU C. Wilson are ready for the Performance to dock.
(L to R) on the Performance are Houston Port Agent Dean Corgey chatting with Sister
Smith, OSF, from the Seamen's Center and Bosun Henry Jones with VP Joe Sacco.

-

Jones and Sacco
18 I LOG I April 1988

When the Sea-Land Quo.lily called on Houston, she was assisted to the dock by SIU Tugmen on the Eva (G&amp;H Towing).

�r

ts
\

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!

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T

O SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

DUES

Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register.

RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING

When you are relieved, you

must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.

RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION

It is your responsibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.

RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING

It is your responsibility to claim

your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day

before the ship's scheduled arrival.

KNO

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGA·
TIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in

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. Members 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.
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, Seafaren 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 hy 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 your contract rights. as well as
your obligations. such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If. at any time. any SIU

GHTS
all Union halls. All members 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 obligation
by any methods such as dealing with charges, trials, etc.,
as well as all other details. then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights are clear;ly et forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently. no memher may be discrinfr
nated against hecause of race. creed. color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any member feels that he is
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
11111111uunnuuu1n1111111111111111111111111n1111111n11111111t1111111n11111un1111111111111111111111
patrolman or other Union offi:::ial, in your opinion. fails
to protect your contract rights properly. contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union.
officer or memher. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the Septemher, 1960, meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log
policy is vested in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate, from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to he paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circumstances should any member pay any money for any reason
unless he is given such receipt. ln the event anyone
attempts to require any such payment he made without
supplying a receipt. or if a member i required to make a
payment and is gi-ven an official receipt. but feels that he
should not have been required co make such payment. this
should immediately he reported to Union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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 supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contribution may be
solicited or received because of force. job discrimination,
flnancial reprisal. or ·t hreat of such conduct. or as a condition of membership in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made by reason of the above improper
conduct. notify the Seafarers Union or SP AD 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 information, 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.

April 1988ILOGI19

-

�Don't Miss Your Chance

Help

to

Iinprove Your Skills

A

How?

Friend

SHLSS has self-study materials in many areas. Upon your request;
SHLSS will send them to you to study in your spare time.
You can use these skills:
on your job.
to improve your skills for upgrading.
to further your education.
Pkase send me the area(s) check~d below:

Deal

*
*

With

*

MATH
Fractions
Decimals
Perce ms
Algebra
Geometry
Trigonometry
(Plane)
(Spherical)

-

D

and

D
D
D

STUDY SKILLS
Listening Skills
D
D
How To Improve Your Memory
D
How To Use Textbooks
D
Study Habits
Test Anxiety
ENGLISH: Writing Skills
Test Taking Tactics
Grammar Books D
Stress Management
Writing Business
Letters
D
Notetaking Know-How
SOCIAL STUDIES
Geography
D
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
U.S. History
D
Basic Metrics
Economics
D

Drugs

D
D

D
D
D
D

( L,

D
D
D
D

Name
Street

would~ ~ \

Addicts don't have friends. Because a friend
let another man blindly. travel a course that has to lead
to the destruction of his health, his job and his family.
And that's where an alcoholic or drug user is headed.
Helping a fellow Seafarer who has an addiction
problem is just as easy-and just as important-as
steering a blind man across a street. All you have to do
is take that Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the
Union's Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee,
Md.

Once he's there, an SIU member will receive the care

,-------------------------------....,
1

:

i

Addictions Rehabilitation Center

1 Jm micrc,1cd '" ancndmg a "'·wcc~ pmgrnm "' ihc AJdic1 10 n, :
Rchah1l11a11un Ccn1cr I undcr-iand 1ha1 all m) medical and rnunwlmg I
n."1..·on.J, "-•II he kept slriclly confidential. and th~tt they "''II not ht.- t...cpt I
anywhere ex.:cpi at The Ccnicr

:

and counseling he needs. And he'll get the support of
.. . 800 ~ No .. . . . • . • . • . ,
brother SIU members who are fighting the same tough
Name
· •
1
battle he is back to a healthy, productive alcohol-free
and drug-free life.
AdJrc" .. .
• ~irw •~ Ktui
•l ,,\,
.~ •• ;,·,· .... ii,j,i :
The road is a long one for an alcoholic and drug user.
1
But because of ARC, an addicted SIU member doesn't
Tdcph.-nc N"
I
have to travel the distance alone. And by guiding a
Mail w THt: 0:111..-u
:
brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center,
~~.~.:':'.'::. M°:.' 21;;~;
I
1
you'll be showing him that the first step back to recovery
is only an arm's length away,
1
"' "' 11 · 14 1'""''"''"' 1"" 1101 ' vw.ww
l----~~~~---------~L-------------------------------J
1

City _ _ _ _ __

State------- Zip _ _ _ __
Book No.
Social Security No.
Department Sailing In _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ___ ..
Cut out this coupon and mail to:
Adult Education Department
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Piney Point, Maryland 20674

l

i

upport PAD

Send it today!

New Jersey Says
'No' to Sweatshops
New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean
signed a new labor-backed law aimed
at eliminating sweatshops, the Ladies'
Garment Workers reported. Modeled
after a similar New York measure, the
New Jersey law would make it more
difficult for apparel shops to cheat on
state regulations governing child labor, wages and hours, unemployment
and disability insurance. workers'
compensation and payroll taxes.
The bill establishes a special task
force of inspectors for the garment
industry and a registration system for
garment companies.

Ar
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.

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:
SIU &amp; 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.
HOME ADDRESS

Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

PLEASE PRINT

Captain Arthur R. Moore, who
has written a book on the history
of the tremendous losses in ships
and personnel suffered by the U.S.
Merchant Marine during World War
II, would like you to get in touch
with him. Specifical1y, he would
like to know if you know the name
of the master on the SS Benjamin
Harrison when it was torpedoed.
Please call him (collect) at (207)
623-9165, or drop him a line:
RFD#l, Box 210, Hallowell, Maine
04347.
20 I LOG I April 1988

I
I
I

Social Security No.

Personal
Albert Coles

----,

----------------~---------------~-~-------------

Phone No. (
Your Full Name

Street

Area Code

Apt. or Box#

Book Number

0

State

City

SIU

0

UIW

0

Pensioner

ZIP

Other--------

UIW Place of E m p l o y m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This wlll be my permanent address for all official Union malllngs.
This address should remain In the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally.

(Signed)------------------

----------------~------------------------------------------~

�Diaest of Ships Meetinas
COVE LIBERTY (Cove Shipping) ,
February 28-Chairman A. Saylors, Secretary Floyd Mitchell, Educational Director
William Beatty, Deck Delegate Theodore
Bush , Engine Delegate Van Joyner, Steward Delegate David F. Bradley. No beefs
or disputed OT. The chairman reported
that the ship will pay off in Richmond, Calif.
The bosun will put out the new chairs and
couch in the lounge as soon as he has put
tips on them. He asked all hands to help
the assistant cook keep the recreation
room and messroom clean since he already has his hands full with own workload.
There is no ship's treasury, but it was
proposed that the crew establish one or
an arrival pool in the near future to help
build up a movie library. The educational
director urged all members who qualify to
take the time to upgrade at Piney Point.
All eligible Seafarers should prepare themselves for the new skills and ratings that
are becoming the mainstay of the maritime
industry. He also stressed safety in everyone's daily work routine. A reminder was
given for all hands to register and then to
vote. And if a member knows he'll be at
sea during elections, he should plan ahead
and get an absentee ballot. Next port:
Valdez, Alaska.

LNG LEO (Energy Transportation Corp.),
February 1~hairman John Davis, Secretary Stephen Gateau. Educational Director/QMED Brass. No disputed OT or beefs
reported. There is approximately $200 in
the ship's fund . The chairman telephoned
SIU headquarters regarding the use of
epoxy primer on the interior of the ship .
He is awaiting a response. He also mentioned the shortages of fresh fruit and
s ice , problems which will be taken up
with the company in New York. The educational director stressed the importance
of contributing to SPAD and of upgrading
at Piney Point.
LONG BEACH (Sea-Land Service), February 14-Chairman Rafael F. Vega, Secretary James W. Barnett. Educational Direc or Herbert Calloe, Deck Delegate Felix
A. Santiago, Engine Defegate Frederico
Rodriguez. Steward Delegate Rupeno Rivera. Some disputed OT was reported in
the deck department. The chairman thanked
the deck department for such good cooperation and the steward department for a
job well done. Captain Lomoriello requested an opportunity to address the
crew. He talked about the idea of having
an arrival pool so that extra movies could
be rented in Puerto Rico or the ship could
buy fresh fish now and then. He also
stressed the f a(;t that stowaways are a
concern to everyone--to the safety of the
crew and the high cost to the company.
Additionally. it was noted that due to a
possible tug strike, the ship might divert
from Elizabeth, N.J. to Portsmouth, Va.

OMI CHARGER (OMI), February 28Chairman F.R. Schwarz. Secretary N.N.
Jugabi Johnson, Deck Delegate W. Burke.
Some disputed OT was reported in all three
departments, including the question of
whether the SIU recognizes Martin Luther
King Day. The chairman urged all eligible
members to upgrade at the Lundeberg
school. The secretary noted the-necessity
for crewmembers to help keep the messhall
and pantry clean as well as the microwave
oven . The Charger sailed from the Mississippi River, and along the way made water
for the vessel from the river. The question
was brought to the patrolman onboard ,
however, as to whether Mississippi River
water is safe for this purpose. There is $60
from the arrival pool. Next port: New Haven,
Conn.

OMI COLUMBIA (OMI), February 28Chairman Joseph R. Broadus, Secretary
Chester A. Moss, Educational Director A.G.
Milne, Deck Delegate Richard F. Bowen,
Engine Delegate Karl Benes, Steward Delegate James W . Hines. No beefs or dis·

puted OT reported. Payoff will take place
at the dock in Long Beach , Calif., at which
time the captain will be getting off. Everyone was reminded to wait for the partolman
before leaving. The importance of donating
to SPAD was stressed, and members were
also asked to donate to the ship's fund to
help buy a new VCR. The educational
director urged eligible crewmembers to
attend upgrading courses at Piney Point.
Learning new skills is the best job security
you can get. News of veterans' benefits
for World War II merchant seamen reached
the vessel. "We have two members here
who sailed between 1941 and 1945 who
have been waiting a long time." Nevertheless, it was a positive step and something
to be thankful for.

also made the request that any changes
in the launch schedule be properly announced . Watch-standers requested consideration from everyone in keeping the
noise level down. And a vote of appreciation was given to the steward department
for the fine meals. A vote of thanks also
went to the bosun and deck department
for the 250 pounds of freshly caught fish .
In its report to the LOG: " For the third year
in a row, the D. T. Williams is participating
in the "Team Spirit" exercises in South
Korea. This is the second year that all four
ships of squadron-3 are involved . Will forward pictures ASAP." Next port: Pohang,
Korea.

disputed OT reported. The ship will pay off
in New Orleans, but little more than that is
known for the time being. The ship will be
getting port stores in Port Everglades and
then a few more stores in New Orleans.
The educational director urged all eligible
members to go to Piney Point to upgrade
their skills. New skills and endorsements
is " where the money is. " There is $9 in
the ship's fund . At the present time , there
is no air conditioning aboard ship. Crewmembers would like for this situation to be
remedied before it starts getting warm. A
vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for a job well done. Next port:
Port Everglades, Fla.

SEA·LAND LEGION (Sea-Land Service), January 3-Chairman George Bradley, Secretary Nancy Heyden, Educational
Director Sam Beattie, Engine Delegate
Solomon Benjamin, Steward Delegate
George R. Boop. No beefs or disputed OT
reported, although the steward department
feels that there is too much work for one
man to do on a ship with 26 crewmembers

STAR OF TEXAS (Seahawk Management), February 21-Chairman Gene Paschall, Secretary I. Fletcher, Educational
Director G. Thompson. Everything is going
smoothly with no beefs or disputed OT
reported. The chairman urged everyone to
register to vote in the national elections
next November and keep our own political
activity going by contributing to SPAD. He
said the vessel would pay off on arrival in
Philadelphia if it gets in on time. He also
advised all members to take advantage of
the upgrading classes at Piney Point. The
shipping industry is becoming ever more
technical, and those with the skills will get
the jobs. There is no money in the ship's
fund at the present time, but donations will
be solicited next trip. A motion was made
that Seafarers be able to retire with 20
years sea-time at any age. A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department. Next
port: Philadelphia, Pa.

-

~

Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels :

OVERSEAS ALICE (Maritime Overseas) . February 11 - Chairman Steven
Copeland, Secretary Collie Loper Jr.. Educational Director Sebastian Perdon Jr ..
Deck Delegate David Goldberg, Engine
Delegate George Silva, Steward Delegate
Mitchell K. Woodard. No beefs or disputed
OT reported. There is $150 in the ship's
treasury. Everything is running smoothly,
according to the chairman, although there
has been some problem with crewmembers being dispatched to the ship with
permanent jobs when they are actually
relief. "We would like to see this situation
corrected." Another related problem is that
these "reliefs" have not been properly
informed about the new lower pay scales
that went into effect in October of last year.
The secretary thanked everyone for being
so understanding as to why the ship has
been unable to get some of the items that
have been requested, but assured mem·
bers that everything is slowly being taken
care of. Next pon: Subic Bay, P.R.

PFC DEWAYNE T. WILLIAMS (AMSEA), March 13--Chairman Mark Trepp,
Secretary Donald C. Spangle, Educational
Director M. Sabin. No beefs or disputed
OT reported. All LOGs have been posted
as received. The chairman stressed the
importance of contributing to SPAD. "Without forward planning, jobs such as ours
would not exist." The secretary added the
need for upgrading. "With ever changing
conditions in the industry, you may find
your present job no longer available. Having endorsements is your job security."
The educational director said that working
for a company such as AMSEA is ideal in
that when you need the extra time off, they
will reschedule your return to the ship. That
way you can maximize your time to upgrade and still pay the bills. There is $530
in the ship's fund. Anyone bringing video
tapes for the ship's tape library will be
reimbursed from the fund . Under the new
business portion of the meeting, it was
brought up that if a Union hall in Guam is
not feasible, then the SIU should consider
sending a patrolman once a year to supervise payoffs. Otherwise, crewmembers
must wait until the ship returns every two
years for shipyard work. Crewmembers

(including 11 officers). The educational
director reminded all hands to help the SIU
and themselves by contributing to SPAD.
He also reminded everyone of the upgrading opportunities available at Piney Point.
Thanks were given to the steward department: " On behalf of the entire engine
department, we wish to offer a sincere
thank you for the assistance and cooper·
ation shown by the steward department
during the recent plant blackout at sea.
They were also given a vote of thanks from
the entire crew for the delicious food. Next
port Long Beach, Calif.

SEA·LAND PRODUCER (Sea-Land
Service), March 6-Chairman Harry M.
Fisher, Secretary Claude Hollings Ill, Educational Director P. Thomas. No beefs or

LNG ARIES
AURORA
BAY RIDGE
CHARLESTON
GREAT LAND
MARINER
OAKLAND
OMI HUDSON
OMI SACRAMENTO
TALIE
OVERSEAS NEW YORK
OVERSEAS OHIO
PRESIDENT TAYLOR
PRIDE OF TEXAS
SAM HOUSTON

SAN JUAN
SEA-LAND ADVENTURER
SEA-LAND CONSUMER
SEA-LAND EXPRESS
SEA-LAND VOYAGER
STUYVESANT
ULTRAMAR
USNS STALWART
USNS VINDICATOR

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point . . .... . ....... Monday, May 2 ... . .................. 10:30 a.m.
New York .... . .. . ....... Tuesday , May 3 ...... .. ........ . .... 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .. ............ Wednesday, May 4 ..... . ............. 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore .......... . ..... Thursday, May 5 ....... . ............. 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk .... . . . ... . .. ... . Thursday, May 5 ... . ...... ....... . ... 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .. ...... . . . ... Thursday , May 5 . . . . . ................ 10:30 a.m.
Algonac . ..... . .. . . . . .. .. Friday , May 6 .. . . ... . . ... ..... . ... . . 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday , May 9 ....... . . ... . ... ... ... 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ..... . . . . ... .Tuesday , May 10 ..... .. .. .. ...... .. .. 10:30 a.m.
Mobile . .. .. . ....... .. . . . Wedne day , May 11 .... ........ . . . . . . 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday , May 12 ..... . .... .. ... . .... 10:30 a.m .
Wilmington . ........ ... .. Monday , May 16 ... . . . ............ . .. 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .... ........ .. ... . Friday, May 20 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ... ..... ........ Thursday, May 5 . .......... . ......... 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis . . . . ...... .. ... . Friday, May 13 .......... . . . ... . ..... 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu . .. .... . ... . .... Thursday, May 12 ........ . ........... 10:30 a.m.
Duluth ... .. . ..... . .... .. Wednesday , May 11 . . . .. . ..... ....... 10:30 a .m.
Jer ey City .. ... . ... . .. ... Wednesday , May 18 .... ...... . .. .. . .. 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford . ............ Tuesday , May 17 ..... . ............... 10:30 a.m.

April 1988 I LOG I 21

-

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

MARCH 1-31, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port

Frank Drozak, President
Joe DIGlorgio, Secretary
Mike Sacco, Executive Vice President
Angus "Red" Campbell, Vice President
Joe Sacco, Vice President
George McCartney, Vice President
Roy A. Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President
Jack Caffey, Vice President

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

DECK DEPARTMENT

Algonac ....... . .... .. .. .. .

0

7

2

0

10

2

0

7

Port
Algonac .... . .. ... .. . ......

Port

0

0

24

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
14
0

0

20

0

10

0

27

3

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Algonac .. ... . .. . ..........

0

Port
Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

0

29

5

0

HEADQUARTERS

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

10

3

0

Totals All Departments. . . . . . . .
O
53
15
O
46
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.

34

15

88

22

5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746
(301) 899-0675

ALGONAC, Mich.
520 St. Clair River Dr. 48001
(313) 794-4988

BALTl MORE, Md.
1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202
(301) 327-4900

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
MARCH 1-31, 1988
Port
New York ...............
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk ...... ..... ......
Mobile .. . ...... . ..... ..
New Orleans ..... ... .....
Jacksonville . .............
San Francisco .. .. . .. .. . .. .
Wilmington ..............
Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Puerto Rico .......
Honolulu .. .. .. .... ......
Houston .... . ......... . .
St. Louis . ... ............
Piney Point .. .. ........ ..
Tulals .........

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

52

4
11
7

22
29
29
34

21
52

11
10
35
0

14
4

2

5
6
6

4

1
0
5
5
8

12
11

13

6

6

0

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class
56
1

g

12
8

25
13

4

0

8

40
20
43
8

6

5

6

4

4
0
6

321

94

28

9
2
2
2
2
6
5
3
7

6

Tota s .................

14

4

8

3
2
0

4
1

4

28

0
3
61

0

0

2
270

4
91

3
37

1
1

25

1
1
5

4
9
15

6
8

~NGINE

2

4
g
i4

21
21
26
11
15
7

3

4
1
8

0

0

25

3
189

4

10

65

1

0
0
10

24
6

1
0
2
37

4

1

5

2

0
0

4
6

9
14
38

12
19
6
5

15
0
4
155

Port
New York ... _.. . ........
Philadelphia ... ... .. . ... ..
Baltimore . . .. .. ....... . .
Norfolk . . .... ......... . .
Mobile .. . . .............
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ..... . . .......
San Francisco ... .. . . . ... . .
Wilmington ............ . .
Seattle ..... .... ........
Puerto Rico ... . ... . .... ..
Honolulu ...... . .... . ... .
Houston ........ . ..... ..
St. LOU is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Piney Point .. .. . .... . . .. .
Totals ...... ......... . .

2
139

Totals All Departments .... ..

804

15
2
4
7
3

19

5

26

11
21
10
7
7
0

0

8

24
12

17

1

2

3
8
3

Port
New York .. . . ... _..... . .
Philadelphia .. . ......... . .
Baltimore .. . .. . . . . ....
Norfolk ..... .. . .........
Mobile ...... . .. ........
New Orleans ..... ........
Jacksonville ..... ....... . .
San Francisco ..... ........
Wilmington .. .. . .........
Seanle . . . ......... . . . ..
Puerto Rico . .... . . ...... .
Honolulu ...... .........
Houston .. . .. ...........
St. Louis . ... ............
Piney Point ............ . .
Totals ...... . ......... .

DECK DEPARTMENT
16
3
1
1
0
6
5
3
2
6
2
6
10
0

8
2
0

Port
New York ........... .. . .
Philadelphia .... ..........
Baltimore ....... . .......
Nortolk . . . . . . ...........
Mo~ile . . .......... ... ..
New Orleans . .......... . .
Jacksonville . ..... . - - - ... . San Francisco . ........... .
Wilmington ..............
Seattle ............... . .
Puerto Rico ...... . ..... . .
Honolulu ............... .
Houston .. . ....... ... ...
St. Louis ............. ...
Pine¥ Point ... _...... .. . .

17

4
19
0

1

170

1
1

0

2

1
1
3
0
4
0

12
8
22
14

1

14

3
6
3
5

0

25
0
0

7

60
19
1
5

13
5

0

21

0
5
37

3
1

1
5
3

10
6

18
4
17

4
15
7

6

12

73

1

0
142

180

6
0
3
210

399

345

4
0
6

9

15
1
2

5

0

11

2

1

7

1
11
5
12

0

4
6

0
0

1
3
5
2

0
0
0
1

1

3
2
2
6
6
0
13
3

0
10
1

7
59

27

0

2

0

0
2

4
4

1
1
0
28

0

0
0

0
122

47

3

0
7
1
1

0
2

2

0
0
0
0
0

1

0

1
0

27

0
0
5

35

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
4
26
15
1
1
0
1
1
6
5
2
0
1
6
4
5
8
7
1
1
3
16
6
9
10
10
1
18
10
1
10
2
0

55

47
29

55
21
11
49
0

2
1

44

3

0
0

2
4
5
5

4
0
5

12

4

2
1

3

7
2

0
4
8

9
16
5
7
7

4
10

1

0
3

4
3
13

28

13
4

1

(201) 435-9424

4

2

10
7

5
7
3
2
9
4
0
8

1

0
0
5
5
5

3
0
0

9
1

0

2

4

1
6
7
4

27
18
80
19
37
8
7

1
1

31

2
0
0
132

17
0
4

3
0
9

0
0
0

0
0
0

230

0
0

0
3

0
20

1
0
0

87

31

31

25
5
6
20
6
21
14
26
13
20
10
84
9

9

10

55

18

33
16

6

14
0
2
243
1,229

50 Union St. 02740
(617) 997-5404

NEW YORK, N.Y.
675 4 Ave., Brooklyn 11232
(718) 499-6600

NORFOLK, Va.
115 Third St. 23510
(804) 622-1892

4

255

6
7
5
37

NEW BEDFORD, Mass.

(504) 529-7546

0

1

5
9
4
g
0

1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605
(205) 4 78-0916

NEW ORLEANS, La.
630 Jackson Ave. 70130

3

2
1

MOBILE, Ala.

0

0

3

(904) 353-0987

2

7
0

0
0
0
0

1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152

8
1
0

23

1
107

HOUSTON, Tex.

JERSEY CITY, N.J.
99 Montgomery St. 07302

2
0
0
0

4
2

636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434

59

32

0

HONOLULU, Hawaii

90

70

7

705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
3315 Liberty St. 32206

279

2

DULUTH, Minn.

6
8
0
6
3
0
1

33

277

1

28

31
19

0
3

345

0
0

13

43

0
0

ti7Z

148

7
13

31

178

73
5

2

2

0
110

0

5
12
12
18
57

65

0
3
148

8

79

2
452

0
0
0
0
0
0

7

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

DEPARTMENT

6

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
23
3
1
0
0
0

2
1

c

Trip
Reliefs

5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-1100

1

2
7

3

34

6
33
12
5

0

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.

5
264

188
9
0
3
312

511

434

ST. LOUIS, Mo.

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.

2505 1 Ave. 98121
(206) 441-1960
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500

WILMINGTON, Calif.
Shipping in the month of March was up from the month of February. A total of 1,524 jobs were shipped
on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,524 jobs shipped, 672 jobs or about 44 percent were taken by
"A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 230 trip relief jobs
were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 7,252 jobs have been shipped.
22 I LOG I April 1988

510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�Editorial See Rule 1
Everybody's seen the little sign
posted in the boss' office:
Rule 1-The Boss is always right.
Rule 2---If the Boss is wrong, see
Rule 1.
That is the attitude the administration is taking on the refiagged Kuwaiti
tankers. Despite all the evidence that
the boss is wrong, they are living by
Rule 1. They simply say they are right,
no explanation needed, thank you.
No one disagrees with the fact that
the reflagging of the 11 Kuwaiti tankers
under the Stars and Stripes is in the
national defense interest. American
presence in the Persian Gulf is an
important part of American defense
interest.

What no one can understand and
what no one in the administration will
explain is how American merchant
sailors working on American ships is
contrary to American defense interest.
See Rule 1.
American seamen have fought and
died for more than 200 years around
the globe. There is no other group of
industrial workers who have played
such an important part in exercising
American power and foreign policy.
On top of being a pretty patriotic
bunch, American seafarers are by far
the best trained and most reliable in
the world.
Last year when the administration
granted the first waiver of crew re-

Letters
To The

quirements on the tankers, the explanation was very simple. The law says
we can do it, so we did it. There
wasn't any mention of national defense interests being furthered by denying U.S. seamen jobs. The SIU and
others argued that was not what the
law said or meant. Even representatives of the tankers owners said they
would employ Americans if the law
called for it.
But the administration invoked Rule
1.
Thanks to the hard work of many
maritime groups and congressional
supporters, a new law was passed. It
was specifically designed to require
American crews on those tankers. The
drafters of that legislation have said
so in federal court. The only way a
waiver can be granted under the AntiRefiagging Act is if there is a presidentially-delcared emergency-there
is not-or if there are not any American seamen available to crew the
ships-there are thousands.
But guess what? Rule 1 was invoked
again.
A law passed shortly after the out-

break of fighting in Korea in 1950 said
the Secretary of Defense could request
a manning waiver in case of national
security needs. That law was passed
because there were not enough American merchant sailors available then
to move troops and arms to Korea
Citing the 1950 law, the Defense
Department was granted a national
security waiver for those Kuwaiti
tankers. Yet in all the correspondence,
congressional testimony and court appearances, no one from the administration has been able to explain why
U.S. seafarers on U.S. ships would
harm national defense interests.
All that is said is such action would
"change one of the conditions existing" at the time of refiagging. That
sounds a lot like Rule 1 again.
If the Kuwaiti owners of the U.S.
tankers in the Gulf do eventually employ American seamen, as Secretary
of State George Shultz hinted, then
according to everything the administration has said in the past, that would
be against American national defense
interests. Right?
No, see Rule I.

a

Editor

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ove of Sea and Love of Country"
My father Rob@rt J. Burns passed away on Feb. 15, 1988. His
family, which includes his wife Priscilla, his sons James R.
Burns, John P. Burns, Thomas E. Burns, Donald J. Burns, and
daughters Roberta Downey and Rosemarie Collard would like
the LOG to recognize Robert J. Eurns for his devotion and
a
plishments in serving his country for 30 years in the
United S
Merchant Marines. Enclosed are copies of awards
given to him in wartime as well as a letter of honorable
recognition from the then president of the United States.
My father and those other Merchant Marines who served and
who died for their country during wartime, I believe, have not
received sufficient recognition as being veterans. Hopefully, in
the future, more can be done for these men who have done so
much for their love of the sea and their love of their country.
Sincerely,
John P. Burns
Editor's :Note: Brother Burns was awarded the Pacific, the
Atlantic and the Mediterranean War Zone Ears by the War
Shipping Administration. He also received a commendation from
President Harry Truman. Brother Burns retired in 1973.

"Excellent Job on Tacoma"
I recently had the occasion to tour one of Sea-Land's new D-7
oontainerships, the Sea-Land Tacoma, and I wanted to pass on
to you the names of three of your members who did an excellent
job while I was aboard.
Bos'n Ray Ramierz obviously had a work party wash down the
vessel and polish the bright work before my arrival. AB's Greg
Taylor and Dana Cella stayed a.board on their day off in order to
show me the bridge, a.ids to navigation and steering equipment.
All three were outstanding representatives of the union.
I have sent an three brief notes of thanks, but wanted to
formally commend them to you.
I look forward to seeing you in the near future.

Sincerel:y,
John Gaughan
Maritime

Mmtntatrator

Pensioners
The following SIU members have
retired on pension:
DEEP SEA
Edward A. Allen
Joseph 0. Baker
William A. Barnes
Michel Billo
Marion S. Ciaglo
Pedro Cortez
Steve V. Crawford
James R. Curran
Leon R. Curry
Robert W. Delmont

Gerard A. Doering
Eugene B. Flowers
Benjamin Freeman
Edward E. Garrity
Milton R. Henton
Lucian A. Johns
Edwin D. Johnson

Keith Jones
George R. Kosch
Edward A. Krause
Robert P. Kurkerwicz
Carl D. Lowery
Harry E. Luckey
James L. McLamore
Humberto Ortiz
N emesio Quinones
Willie R. Reddic
Frank Sandy
Peter Semyk
Charles L. Shirah
John A. Smith
Joe Spak
Charles E. Taylor
Emmett A. Thompson
GREAT LAKES
Laurence G. Bernard
Loretta Murphy
Joseph R. Turner
April 1988 I LOG I 23

�Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

Washington Report
The national mood is decidedly mixed.
The business pages of the nation's most
respected newspapers reflect this feeling. Stories about the "amazing resilience" of the
economy run side by side with predictions that
we are on the verge of another Great Depression.
One widely-quoted story from The Wall
Street Journal began with the following sentence: ''Just keep telling yourself, it's only a
chart." A graph of the 1987 stock market was
superimposed onto the 1929 Down Jones index. The two were nearly identical.
The presidential election reflects this national schizophrenia. The Republicans have
all-but-annointed George Bush as their candidate. He paints the Reagan administration's
record in glowing terms. The country, he says,
has benefited greatly from the administration's
economic policies.
The Democratic race has taken on a completely different complexion-literally. With
strong showings in Michigan and Wisconsin,
Jesse Jackson has captured the imagination of
millions of Americans, even those who disagree with his policies or don't believe that he
can be elected.
Jackson's America is worlds apart from the
one that George Bush describes. He talks
about .. economic violence," lost jobs, rampant drug use and mounting debts, both fiscal
and moral.
For now, at least, Americans seem unwilling
to make up their minds which assessment is
closer to the truth.

Effective Control?
The situation in Panama has reached the
crisis stage.
The country is near bankruptcy. General
Noriega, Panama's president and dictator, has
been named as a co-conspirator in a drug case
in the United States. Human rights abuses are
endemic.
Support for Noriega grows smaller every
day. The military seems uneasy. The Catholic
Church has condemned him. He has no following among the middle-class.
Everyone agrees that the general has to go.
Spain has even agreed to take him in, to
facilitate the transfer of power. The only problem is, the general won't leave. And short of
an actual invasion, the United States has just
about used up its options.
To seamen, at least, the situation in Panama
is full of ironies.
Some ancient but pertinent history: the decline of the American-flag merchant marine
was precipitated by the formulation of the
"Effective U.S. Control" (EUSC) Doctrine.
In 1947. the American government decided to
grant war risk insurance to American-owned
vessels that had been reftagged under the
registries of Liberia, Honduras and yes, Panama.
As Irwin Heine, a former official of the
Maritime Administration, has pointed out, "the
fact that (foreign registries) play an important
role in U.S. mobilization planning is ba.sed
upon agreements, not treaties. Under international law, only the state of registry has the

24 I LOG I April 1988

April 1988

right to requisition and exercise control of its
national-flag vessels."
For years, apologists for the EUSC doctrine
have side-stepped this issue by stressing the
close connection between the United States
and Panama. If anything should happen to
upset that relationship, they have argued, the
United States can exert pressure.
Recent developments have laid bare the
fallacy of these arguments. Short of actually
invading Panama, the United States has taken
its best shot at unseating General Noriegato no avail. Meanwhile, newspapers run stories
about the growing connection between Noriega, the international drug cartel and Fidel
Castro.
Has this country actually reached the point
where it is willing to pretend that it can rely
on Panamanian-flag vessels to carry American
troops and supplies in case further action is
required to protect our stakes in the Panama
Canal?

Alaskan Oil: Part One
Recent developments in Panama bring to
mind the old Yiddish joke about the schlemiel
and the shlemozzle.
The joke goes like this: the schlemiel is the
person who spills soup on the shlemozzle. If
General Noriega is the schlemiel, then the
hard-luck maritime industry is definitely the
shlemozzle.
Since oil was first discovered in Prudhoe
Bay, maritime unions and companies have
fought to keep Alaskan oil from being exported
overseas.
Several years ago, afte.r a bitter fight, the
industry was able to get the ban extended.
It was an important victory. As many as 40
Ameri(.;an-flag vessels stood to be laid up had
Alaskan oil been allowed to be sold overseas.
Opponents of the ban have used any pretext
they can think of to overturn it. Last month,
after it was reported that Noriega was threatening to close down a Panamanian pipeline,
they renewed their attack.
Few people expect that pipeline will be
turned off. Yet the threat momentarily reopened an issue that everyone in the industry
thought had been put to bed.
The SIU legislative staff has worked closely
with key allies on Capitol Hill to remind people
that the strategic interests which prompted
Congress to ban the export of Alaskan oil are
still operative, and that no hasty action should
be taken.

Alaskan Oil: Part Two
Citing national security reasons, SIU President Frank Drozak urged the Subcommittee
on Fisheries, Wildlife, Conservation and the
Environment to facilitate the exploration and
development of Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) oil.
•'The vast quantities of crude oil developed
on Alaska's North Slope have proved to be
an invaluable asset," said Drozak ... Unfortunately, many oil analysts expect production
from the fields . . . to decline in the near
future.
''The SIU believes that efforts to replace

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

those fields must be undertaken, and that the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain
may contain the vast oil resources necessary
to replace the production from the enormous
Prudhoe Bay field."
Under the best-case scenario, it will take 15
years before ANWR will start to flow. That
does not take into account any delays. Yet a
number of environmental groups have urged
Congress to take its time with this issue.
Meanwhile, American warships are escorting 11 refiagged Kuwaiti tankers up and down
the Persian Gulf. Both sides are threatening
neutral ships. The Iraqis have added a new
weapon to their bag of tricks: poison gas.
There hasn't been one serious environmental problem during the entire operation of the
Alaskan pipeline. Yet the threat of an oil cutoff in the Persian Gulf remains vividly real.
As it is, the price of oil is approaching $18.
Congress should act, and act now.

Kuwaiti Tankers
Kuwaiti officials "are taking steps to increase U.S. manning'' on the 11 reflagged
tankers which have been at the center of a
year-long dispute between the administration
and the maritime industry.
Responding to a letter from SIU President
Frank Drozak, Secretary of State George Shultz
defended the administration's decision to waive
American citizenship and manning requirements. Yet he also added that the administration has been "advised that Kuwaiti officials
are aware of our conems over the manning
issues, and that they are taking steps to increase U.S. manning."
Meanwhile, five maritime unions-the NMU,
District 1-MEBA, the MFOW, the SUP and
the MM&amp;P- expect a decision to be handed
down shortly on a suit they file.d on this issue.
For more details, tum to page 3.

Busting The Strike-Busters
If the SIU has its way, Congress will make
it impossible for shipping and fishing companies to break strikes by importing foreign
workers to man American boats and vessels.
Importing foreign workers to break American strikes is illegal in this country, except in
two industries: aviation and maritime. "We
find it unacceptable that we should be singled
out for this special treatment," said Frank
Pecquex, director of legislation.
The Union won an important victory last
month when the House of Representatives
passed an amendment to the Immigration and
Nationality Act prohibiting the admittance of
aliens planning to work on American ships or
aircraft during a strike by American workers.
The SIU lobbied every member of the House
on this important issue. The vote wasn't even
close: 302-104.

Trade
Anyone who doubts that unfair trade remains an important issue for the American
maritime industry should take a look at the
(Continued on Page 5.)

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SACCO NAMED TO EXEC. V.P. POST&#13;
SHULTZ HINTS KUWAIT MIGHT ADD U.S. CREWMAN&#13;
SIU JOINS ANTI-APARTHEID RALLY&#13;
MARITIME UNIONS SLAM ADMINISTRATION’S ODS BID&#13;
ON T-AGOS STALWART&#13;
ODS REFORM&#13;
FIRE SNUFFED OUT WHEN SIU BOATMEN BATTLE FLAMES&#13;
MESSAGE IN A BALLOON, ‘JUST SAY NO!’ -MEMPHIS TO L.A.&#13;
SHLSS EXECUTIVE CHEF HONORED&#13;
VOCATIONAL COURSES UNDERGO EVALUATION&#13;
TOP NAVY AWARD PRESENTED TO FORMER MSCPAC MARINER HOPKINS&#13;
MSCPAC EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR&#13;
HOLLAND RETIRES FROM THE GAME WITH APPRECIATION FOR CIVILIAN MARINERS&#13;
HOUSTON BECOMES REGULAR STOP FOR NEW SIU “ATLANTIC” SHIPS&#13;
THE SIU IN WASHINGTON&#13;
EFFECTIVE CONTROL&#13;
ALASKAN OIL: PART ONE&#13;
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ALASKAN OIL: PART TWO&#13;
BUSTING THE STRIKE-BUSTERS&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication al the Seafarers International Union• Atlantic, GuU, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL-CIO Vol. 50, No. 5, May 1988

North to Alaska on Seafarers' New Kodiak

Seafarers are seeing Alaska on Sea-Land's new D-7s. Pictured above is the Sea-Land
Kodiak unloading at Kodiak, Alaska. These new ships, four in all, cost about $60

million each and were built in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. These modern ships replaced four
1944-vintage C4X vessels on the Seattle to Alaska run.

Pages 6 &amp; 7

Drop In
On The Great
Lakes Fitout
Pages 11-14

$50,000 in Scholarships

SIU's Logan Awards Open School Doors

Page 4

�'

r

by Frank Drozak

T

HE measure of our strength
as an organization has been
our ability to stand together when
the pressure is on. This has been
our mark throughout the years.
When the rest of the labor
movement looks for an example
of solidarity, they ·look to the
Seafarers.
I am not saying this without
reason, but rather to reassure
you that in this time of trouble
in the maritime industry we are
united and strong and growing.
Despite the loss of 50 percent
of U.S. -flag shipping in the past
10 years, and the drastic reduction in manning, there are full
employment opportunities for
every member of our Union. All
of our benefit plans are in sound
financial condition. Our Union
is solvent and healthy, and we
can stand on our own. We have
not let the problems of the industry overwhelm us or intimidate us. We have not had to run
and seek the cover of some
other organization's umbrella,
nor have we pulled the covers
over our head hoping that the
bad times would just go away.
Instead, with the informed
cooperation of our membership,
we try new things when the old
ways wear out, and we reinforce
those programs that work.
In a time when job opportunities for American seamen are
shrinking, we have managed to
bring job security to our membership. We have done this by
actively seeking new job opportunities in both the commercial
and military support segments
of our industry. We have developed safeguards for our
members' pension and welfare
rights by providing new employm~nt opportunities in our
affiliated Seafarers Maritime
Union.

And, in a time of sharpened
competition in the maritime industry, our contracted companies are winning new charters
in large part because we are
providing them with the besttrained crews available anywhere in the maritime world.
To ensure that we continue
to have the most motivated,
efficient, and highly-trained
membership, we are continually

updating our courses and programs at the Seafarers Harry
Lundeberg School of Seamanship to meet the developing needs
of our industry.

***
It is sad that the NMU, which

just last year celebrated its 50th
anniversary, is gone. I truly regret their disappearance, because they were a great organization.
As we in the SIU move toward our 50th anniversary, there

is a sense of dedication and
purpose and unity among our
membership that you can feel.
And there is a sense of determination among our elected officials that gives confidence in
our future.
We are going to continue to
grow stronger because I believe
that our membership is knowledgeable, and is willing to do
his or her part to ensure that
our contracted companies remain competitive by continuing
to be the best and most reliable
seafarers anywhere in the world.

More Jones Act Tankers Could Sail

Judge Tosses Out CDS Payback
For the second time in a little more
than a year, the SIU' s view on CDS
payback was upheld by a federal judge.
The judge ruled that Marad's decision
to allow huge, subsidized tankers into
the Alaskan oil trade was wrong.
That decision could force out three
VLCCs (very large crude carriers) and
pave the way for several handy-sized
tankers now in layup to get back into
the oil business.
U.S. District Court Judge Charles
R. Richey said in his decision that
Marad acted in complete disregard of
congressional intent, that it acted in
disregard of the 1936 Merchant Marine
Act, and he ordered the tankers out
of the trade as soon as possible.
''This is a victory for everybody,
seamen, the tanker owners and the
taxpayer. We are hoping that when
these ships are removed, some of our
companies can pull their tankers out
of layup and create jobs," said SIU
President Frank Droz;ak.
The SIU has been instrumental in
the years-long CDS payback fight. Enlisting the aid of congressional supporters as far back as 1983, CDS payback was legislatively blocked several
times before Marad tried its end run.
When the current fight came to a
head last year, representatives Bob
Carr (D-Mich.), Neal Smith (D-Iowa)
and Bill Lehman (D-Fla.) played major
roles in writing the language. the judge
cited in the case.
The ruling came in a suit filed by
the Independent U.S. Tanker Owners
Committee against Marad. Under the

rule of former Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole, Marad fought
vigorously for new federal rules which
would allow tankers built with Construction Differential Subsidy funds
into the Jones Act-protected domestic
trades. The Jones Act reserves all
domestic trade for U.S. ships built
without subsidy.
During the debate on Marad's proposal, the maritime industry argued
that the effects could be disastrous.
Testimony by the SIU and others
showed that 800 to 900 jobs could be
lost as the VLCCs replaced many
smaller ships. Even Marad agreed that
some 600 seamen could be put on the
beach by its rule.

While Marad claimed the action could
save some $200 million, projections
showed the rule actually cost about
$76 million in taxpayers' money. While
the tankers did repay their previous
subsidy, Title IX and EDA defaults
cost the government about $ t 82 million.
Also the tankers that were displaced
from the trade were the size and type
that the military could use if needed,
handy-sized tankers with coated tanks.
Last year, another federal judge ruled
that Marad's first version of CDS payback had to be revised. This was after
a suit filed by several maritime groups
(Continued on Page 3.)

Finance Committee Meets

SIU Secretary Joe DiGiorgio (standing) meets with the Union's Quarterly Finance
Committee. The committee includes Ruben Padilla, Earl Gray, Nazareth Battle, Pedro
Laboy, Raymond Jones, George White and Elizabeth Leech.

Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union of
North America, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District,
AFL·CIO

May 1988

Vol. 50 , No. 5

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

Carla Tomaszewski
r.ontributing Editor

2 I LOG I May 1988

~lf

Mike Sacco

Joe DiGiorgio

Executive Vice President

Secretary

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe Sacco

George McCartney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Jack Caffey

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md . 20746, Tel. 8990675 . Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges, Md. 20790·9998 and at additional
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md. 20746.

�r

Maritime Issues at Stake

Plant Closing Rules Fuel Reagan's Trade Veto Threat
President Reagan and Congress are
standing eyeball to eyeball over the
fate of the trade bill.
So far, neither side has blinked.
The confrontation between the
Democratic leaders in Congress and
the Reagan administration is expected
to have important political consequences in this hotly-contested election year.
The House and the Senate have
spent three years of hard work and
intense haggling to come up with a
compromise version of the trade bill.
After the joint conferees released a
final version of the bill, they were
informed that President Reagan intended to employ a veto.
In a radio address, Reagan said that
he objected to the bill on just two
grounds: a plant-closing provision
which would require companies to
give workers a 60-day notification in
the case of a pending shutdown, and
a restriction on the export of refined
Alaskan oil products in excess of 70,000
barrels a day.
Reagan said the plant-closing provision would make the United States
less, not more, competitive. If it were
passed, he alleged, then owners would
be reluctant to close obsolete plants.
Shortly after Reagan's address, the
House passed the legislation by a vetoproof margin. The Senate, however,

passed the bill by 63-36-just three
votes shy of the total needed to override a presidential veto.
In an attempt to win the support of
Alaska's two senators, who had voted
against the trade bill, the House of
Representatives approved a concurrent resolution that would remove the
restriction on the export of refined
Alaskan oil products.
The move failed, however, when
Republicans blocked a similar measure from being enacted in the Senate.
The trade bill will now go to the
president in its original form, without
the House's concurrent resolution.
Still, the political wrangling over
this issue turned the heat up several
degrees, because the plant-closing
measure is perceived as being a relatively popular one, especially among
blue-collar workers who are expected
to provide the swing vote in this year's
presidential election.
The move by Senate Republicans
to block the Alaskan oil measure from
the trade bill was an attempt to deemphasize this issue.
The Democrats in the House planned
to continue to highlight it, however.
The leadership there had scheduled a
new conference with workers who had
been laid off without any notice.
Even those normally supportive of
President Reagan's actions expressed

unease about the wisdom of vetoing
the bill on the plant closing provision
alone.
Conservative colum..'list James J.
Kilpatrick said that the threatened veto
made the Republican Party look like
"the party of wealth and privilege."
The Wall Street Journal, hardly a
bastion of liberal sentiment, carried a
front page story which noted that "as
social reforms go, the plant-closing
provision appears fairly minor."
Moreover, said the Journal, most
other major industrialized nations, including Japan, have similar provisions
on the books.
''The plant-closing language is nothing more than a modest effort to make
sure that the few companies inclined
to do so don't hide plans to close a
plant until the last minute, leaving
workers and communities in the lurch,''
wrote the author of the piece.
"It is squarely in the tradition of
such social reforms as child labor and
minimum wage laws. These act to
soften the social consequences of free
market decisions and thus permit the
market continued public acceptance
without the sort of deep government
involvement often practiced abroad."
The plant closing provision has been
a top priority of organized labor, which
for the past several years has sought
to get such a law passed.

In addition to the restriction on the
export of refined Alaskan oil, which
was dropped, the trade bill that came
out of conference contained several
provisions pertaining to maritime.
Among other things, these provisions
would:

* Beef up the powers of the Federal
Maritime Commissioner to eliminate unfair trade practices in international shipping.

*

Allow the export of 50,000 barrels
of crude oil a day to Canada (a
move strongly opposed by the
SIU organization), and

* Extend

the Export Administration Act one more year.

In remarks delivered at a recent
luncheon of the Propeller Club of
Washington, D.C., Federal Maritime
Commissioner Francis J. I vancie said
that the bill would help make the
American maritime industry more
competitive.
It would give the FMC added leverage to deal with unfair shipping
practices in the U.S. foreign trades.
A $1 million fine per voyage on
foreign carriers could be imposed. In
addition, the agency would have the
flexibility to limit either sailings or the
type of cargo that foreign carriers
would be able to haul.

APL Launches New Ships
American President Lines launched
two of its new C-10 container ships
after christening ceremonies in Germany last month.
These new ships can carry up to
4,300 TEU s, have a new efficient
"wide-body" hull design and are powered at speeds up to 24 knots by the
largest, most powerlul diesels built.
SIU stewards will crew the steward
departments on all five of the new ClOs. SUP and MFOW members will
crew the deck and engine departments.
The 129-foot beam on the ships is
too wide for them to use the Panama
Canal, and APL plans to use the vessels for trans-Pacific service. The wider
beam means containers can be loaded
12 rows across below decks and 16
across above, compared to 10 rows
below and 13 above for traditional
Panamex ships.
The President Truman (pictured at
the right) will be the first of the five
ships in service, followed by the President Kennedy which was dedicated
during the same ceremonies.

CDS Payback
(Continued from Page 2.)
against the action.
But in an ''attempt to outrace Congress on this issue," Judge Richey
said Marad issued new rules allowing
the payback while Congress was specifically drafting legislation to prohibit
it. When those new rules were issued,
the current suit was filed.
''The agency knew that Congress

opposed CDS repayment and that it
was in the process of legislating that
opposition ... Marad is required to
follow a congressional mandate . . .
Rather than heed the command of
Congress, the agency chose to outrace
Congress by issuing a final rule before
Congress could complete the legislative process. The agency's action was
nothing more than an attempt to subvert the will of Congress, and thus,
cannot stand," Richey wrote.
Marad's action also ran contrary to

the objectives of the 1936 Merchant
Marine Act, the judge ruled. The agency
claimed that allowing the VLCC's in
the trade would result in better efficiency and transportation savings.
"The court notes that 'efficiency
and transportation savings' are not
among the enumerated objectives of
the Merchant Marine Act," the judge
ruled.
He noted that Marad admitted its
action would result in the layup or
scrapping of ships and that seamen

would be put out of work.
"The agency decided that the advantages of the efficiency and transportation savings outweigh the net
adverse impact on vessels and seamen
in the domestic trade," he said, and
termed that action "arbitrary and capricious."

!support SPADI
May 1988 /LOG I 3

�2 Seafarers, 4 Dependents Win Scholarships

SIU's Charlie Logan Winners Earn $50,000
Two Seafarers and four dependents
won $50,000 in scholarship awards
from the SIU's Charlie Logan Scholarship program.
Robert K. Seratt, 33, an AB from
Missoula, Mont. will use his $5 .000,
two-year award to finish his language
studies at the University of Montana.
Alexandra D. McLean plans to use
her two-year scholarship to obtain a
degree in p ychology. The 39-year-old
AB who is currently sailing on the SS
Constitution said she would like to
pursue a career in clinical counseling
with an emphasis on drug and alcohol
rehabilitation.
The four $10,000, four-year scholarships were awarded to:
Linda Kay Kelly, of Chesapeake,
Va., is the daughter of Jame R. Kelly
who sails as a mate for Curtis Bay
Towing.
Jennifer Santos, of Brooklyn, N. Y.,
is the daughter of Benigno Santos who
last sailed as a member of the steward
department.
Andrew J. Schmitz of Glenbeulah,
Wis., is the son of Great Lakes member Marvin A. Schmitz whose last
vessel was the Indiana Harbor.
Francis Michael Sheehan of Staten
Island, N.Y., is the son of John Sheehan who works as a member of the
Sea-Land shoregang.
"It's a good feeling to be able to
help these people out," said SIU President Frank Drozak ... If you look at
their records, all six of them are exceptional students."

Alexandra (Alexis) McLean joined
the SIU in 1982 and her first ships
were the Delta and Mississippi Queens.
Since 1983 she has been sailing in the
deck department aboard two American Hawaii ships, the Constitution and
Independence. She completed the AB
program at SHLSS in 1986.
Prior to joining the SIU, McLean
spent eight years counseling and
teaching emotionally disturbed adolescents and young adults at schools
in Penn ylvania, California and London, England. She has attended Penn
State and Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C.

4 I LOG I May 1988

Jennifer Santos is a senior at Bishop

Andrew J. Schmitz

He said he picked Marquette because the university combines a career-oriented program with a strong
emphasis on the humanities. He plans
to earn a degree in electrical engineering.

The Charlie Logan Scholarship Committee is pictured above. They are Dr. Michael
Glaser, Dr. Charles D. O'Connell, Father David Albert Boileau, Ph.D., SIU Executive
Vice President Mike Sacco, Dr. Trevor Carpenter, Dr. Charles Lyons, Dr. Keith Schlender
and Dr. Gayle A. Olson.

"I have a long-standing and deep
interest in the field of drug and alcohol
rehabilitation. I intend to pursue a
degree in clinical counseling; drug and
alcohol rehabilitation will be my specialty area. After completing my degree, my hope is to work somewhere
like the SIU's own Alcohol Rehabilitation Center or the new SIU drug
center in Valley Lee, Md." McLean
said.

Robert Serratt

Serratt joined the SIU in 1975. He
graduated from Noxon High School
in Noxon, Mont. in 1972 and spent
the next three years as a logger and
construction worker. Since joining the
U nicm he has attended SHLSS four
times, the last in 1980 in the A-book
seniority-upgrading program.
He has combined going to sea with
college, attending the University of
Montana since 1977 while he has been
on the beach.
Serratt credits his first ship, the CS
Long Lines, with igniting his interest
in languages. The ship ''went to France,
the Azores and England. Also the crew
was of many different nationalities,
thus spoke many different languages.
All those new languages and the people who spoke them intrigued me, so
I decided to learn Spanish,'' he said.
Since becoming fluent in Spanish,
Serrat has studied Russian and German. He wants to teach all three languages at the high school level in
Montana.

Jennifer Santos

Ford High School in Brooklyn. A
member of the Honors Program, she
has maintained a 96 average in her
courses. She is the treasurer of the
school's National Honor Society. Last
year she was one of 32 New York
students who were selected as part of
an exchange program to visit the Soviet Union for six weeks.
··After high school my plan is to
attend college and pursue a career as
a zoo veterinarian. From all the studies
I have done during my high school
career I have come to realize the
importance to preserve the wilderness
and all the creatures in it. . . . I want
to work toward the conservation of
endangered species," she said.
Andrew J. Schmitz is a senior at
Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah High School
in Elkhart Lake, Wis. He has been
selected as the valedictorian of his
graduating class. He will attend Marquette University as part of special
honors program in the fall.

Francis Michael Sheehan

Francis Michael Sheehan is a senior
at Monsignor Farrell High School in
Staten Island. He has been a member
of the National Honor Society for two
consecutive years. He was also chairman of a Muscular Dystrophy ''Super
Dance'' benefit which raised more than
$58,000.
"In college I will study business, a
field in which I feel my leadership
abilities will enable me to help many
people. I am determined to make a
difference in this world and reach out
and help people who are not as fortunate as I am. As Montaigne said,
'The value of life lies not in the length
of days, but in the use we make of
them,' " he said.

Politics in Baltimore
Linda Kay Kelly

Linda Kay Kelly is a senior at Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Va. with a 3.975 grade point
average. She ranks 10th in a class of
393 students and was named a National Merit Commended Student. She
was a member of her school's Odyssey
of the Mind team which finished first
in world competition, beating more
than 30 other teams in 1986.
"Math, being my favorite subject,
I plan to pursue this interest with a
career in accounting. After obtaining
my bachelors degree, I will work toward getting my masters degree and
becoming a CPA. I would especially
like to work for individuals and small
companies, rather than larger businesses," she said.

Staunch maritime friend and supporter, Rep. Helen Delich Bentley (R-Md.), is pictured
above with SIU Baltimore Port Agent Bob Pomerlane (left) and SIU Rep. Frank Paladino
at a recent rally.

�In its monthly series of interviews and reports, "PROFILES" will
highlight key government officials instrumental in shaping national

and maritime policy.

Rep.

Ben Campbell

Rep.
Amo Houghton

C

T

OLORAoo's third district is a huge,
mountainous area, covering the
Republican-oriented western half of
the state and two predominantly Democratic areas to the east. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D-Colo.) was elected
to represent the third district's residents in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Formerly a self-employed jewelry
designer, teacher and part-time rancher
who raised, trained and showed registered quarter horses and American
paint horses, Campbell was born in
Auburn, Calif., and received a B.A.
degree from the University of California at San Jose. He studied physical
education, fine arts and did graduate
work in education. He also was a
special research student at Meiji University in Tokyo·, Japan and served
with the U.S. Air Force in Korea with
a rank of Airman, 2nd Class.
Rep. Campbell is a man of many
and varied talents and achievements.
He was inducted into the Council of
44 Chiefs, Northern Cheyenne Tribe,
Lame Deer, Mont. He also was an allAmerican in judo and captained the
U.S. Olympic Judo Team in 1964. A
member of the President's Council on
Physical Fitness, Campbell was the
second Indian elected to the Colorado
state legislature.
From 1983 to 1986, the congressman
was a member of the Colorado legislature, serving on the Agriculture and
Natural Affairs Committee and the
Business and Labor Committee. He
was appointed as advisor to the Colorado Commission on International
Trade and the Colorado Commission
on the Arts and Humanities.

Rep. Ben Campbell
Given the Outstanding Legislators
Award in 1984 by the Colorado Bankers Association, and voted one of the
ten best legislators in a 1986 survey
by colleagues for The Denver Post,
Campbell now represents his third district at the national level. As a member of the I OOth Congress, he serves
on the House Committee on Agriculture. the House Committee on Interior
and Insular Affairs, and the House
Committee on Small Business.
Last summer, Campbell cosponsored a House resolution to heighten
awareness worldwide that the United
States has been extremely generous
since World War II in providing more
than its fair share of defending the
democratic bloc nations. He believes
the costs of defending the free world
should be shared more equitably among
our allies and wanted to put Congress
on record as favoring negotiations with
NA TO countries and Japan toward a
more fair apportionment of necessary
defense costs. ''We Americans want
to deal with our allies as full and equal
partners," Campbell said, "not as patsies."

HE long and narrow 34th district
of New York stretches across the
bottom of the state-the Southern
Tier-all the way from Lake Erie to
Elmira. Its hilly rural counties are
favorable to the GOP in most situations. Steuben County, probably the
best , known in the 34th district, is
famous for the Corning Glass Works,
founded in 1951. And the northern
part of the county produces the state's
best known wines, Taylor and Great
Western. Congressman Amo Houghton (R-N.Y.), who represents this district, was elected to office in November 1986.
Born in Corning, he was graduated
from Harvard College in 1950 after
serving in the Marine Corps, and earned
a master's degree from Harvard Business School in 1952.
Houghton is a former chairman of
the board of Corning Glass Works,
which he joined in 1951 as an accountant. In his career at Corning, he
served in numerous capacities, and in
1955 was elected a director of the
company.
Houghton also was involved in a
number of other activities prior to his
election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served on the Grace
Commission, founded the Labor-Industry Coalition for International Trade
(LICIT), and is a former trustee of the
Brookings Institution. He is a member
and past president of the Corning
Chamber of Commerce. His father,

Rep. Amo Houghton

Amory, served as U.S. Ambassador
to France from 1957-1961, and his
grandfather, Alanson B. Houston, was
elected to Congress in 1918 and served
as ambassador to Germany and Great
Britain.
As a representative in the lOOth
Congress, Houghton is a member of
the House Budget Committee, a director of the Office of Technology
Assessment, and a member of the
House Government Operations Committee and its subcommittees on Government Information, Justice and Agriculture, and on Commerce, Consumer
and Monetary Affairs.
In addition, he is a member of two
task forces on trade and competitiveness, the co-chairman of the HighTech Competitiveness Task Force, a
member of the Republican Labor
Council and a member of the Northeast Agricultural Caucus.

Support SPAD

After Years of Service, Well-Deserved Retirements

In San Juan, former Crowley Boatman Francisco Malave
Rivera (right) receives his first pension check from Port
Agent Angel Hernandez.

Houston Patrolman Joe Perez (right) presents retired St&gt;a·
farer Steve Crawford his first pension check.

William Parks (right) receives his first SIU pension check
from Houston Port Agent Dean Corgey.

May 1988 /LOG/ 5

�A Busy Easter Sunday

SIU's L.A. Boatnien Man Crowley's Tugboats

Sea Prince Mate Rick Crowley makes a
quick call home on Easter.

Enjoying a little sun on Easter Sunday are SIU members (I. tor.) AB Tankerman (ABT)
Marshall Novack, ABT John Barrettle, ABT David Scarpeli, AB Gary Smith, Mate Rick
Cavalier and ABT Isador Rancic.

The crew of the Crowley Sea Prince: (I. to·r.) Capt. Larry "Levi" Levison,

Mike Glynn, Cook Larry Jameson and AB John Cox.

61 LOG I May 1988

The Sea Otter leaves the harbor.

SIU-crewed Sea Otter

Photos by Dennis Lundy

Capt. Larry Levison and Sea Robin Mate Rick Cavalier have a gam on the bridge of the
Sea Prince.

�Mate Rick Cavalier onboard the Sea Robin.

On Crowley Barge #24, ABT David Scarpeli (right) checks a
tank as a company inspector looks on.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
APRIL 1-30, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port

Sea Prince AB John Cox cleans his plate
after an Easter Sunday brunch on the tug.

Personals
Maurice Burns
Please get in touch with M.J.
Bennett at (504) 288-5688 , or Betty
at (504) 523-1563.
Alan Campbell

New York ........................
Ph iladelph ia ......................
Baltimore ........................
Norfolk .........................
Mobile ..........................
New Orleans ......................
Jacksonville ......................
San Francisco .....................
Wilmington .......................
Seattle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...
Houston. . ......................
Algonac .........................
St. Lou is ........................
Piney Point .......................

Mitchell Keith Woodard
Please get in touch with your
wife in the Philippines as soon as
possible.

c

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

0
1
8
48
0

0
0

0

0
0
0
3
0
0
3

6
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
7

0

1

Totals .......................... .
Port

90

1
17

New York ........................ .
Philadelphia ...................... .
Baltimore ........................ .
Norfolk . . . . . ............ . ..... . .
Mobile .......................... .
New Orleans ...................... .
Jacksonville . . ................... .
San Francisco ..................... .
Wilmington ....................... .
Seattle .......................... .
Puerto Rico ...................... .
Houston ....... . ................. .
Algonac ... . ... . ................. .
St. Lou is ........................ .
Piney Point ..................... . . .

0
0
0
6
0

Totals ... . ............ . ... . . . . . . .

27

0

0
3
0
0
0
0
10

0
19
0

0

4
0
1
0

37

New York ............... . .... . . .. .
Philadelphia ............... . ...... .
Baltimore . ....... . .... . ...... . .. . .
Norfolk . . ............... . ....... .
Mobile . .. ... . . . ...... . .. . ...... . .
New Orleans .. . . . ....... . . .. ...... .
Jacksonville .... . ...... .... . . ..... .
San Francisco . .. ........ .. ..... . . . .
Wilmington ... . . . ...... . ......... . .
Seattle .. . ..... . ..... . .. . ...... .. .
Puerto Rico ... . ..... . .. . . . ....... .
Houston ..................... . ... .
Algonac . . ....................... .
St. Louis . . . .. . .. . .. ... .. . ....... .
Piney Point . . . . ............... ... . .

0

0

0

4

0

0

26
1
1

4
0
0

0
0
0

0

0

1

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
3
0

1

12
0
0

45

1

0
1
1

7

0

1
0

0
2
6
72
0
0
0
0
49

0
0
4
66

0
3

0

23

0

5
0
0

0
0
0

0
1
9

0
28

0

0
0

0

0
0
0

28

1

1

6
0

0

24
0
0

5

200

0
83

3
0

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

0

0
1

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
1

0

0

0
0

0
0
3
0
0
6

0
0
0

16
0

0
22

0
0
0
2

0
0
0

1

Port

Please contact your daughter,
Colleen, or your son, Alan, at (718)
983-8785.

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class e Class

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
12
0
0

0
0
6
0
1
0

0

5
0

0
5

0
2

0
0

0

0

0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0

0

0

0
0
4
0
0
9

0
0
0
0
0
2

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
19
0

0

42

0

0

0
0
0
20

0

0

73

32

0

0
0
0

0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0

0
0
0

0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

0
0
0

0

3

1

0
0
0
0

0
0

1

0
0

0

9

0
0

0

0
0
0
0
0

3
0

0
0
0
0
0

0

1
0

1
0

0
0
0

Totals .. . .. .. . ............ . ... .. .

15

0

0
4

0
0
2

Totals All Departments .. . ........ ... . .

127

27

40

2

0
0
0
2

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

1

0

0

1
2
0
6

0
0
0
1

0
0
0
1

60

10

6

0

1

1

0
0
10
0

0
0

0

40
0

4

0

0
0
0
9
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0

0

0

0

0

0

7

72

0
0
20

0
0
0
1

345

135

25

0
0
22
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.

May 1988ILOG11

�The SIU and Curtis Bay,
A Baltimore Tradition

The Cape Henlopen guides the bow of the Puerto Rico into her berth in Baltimore.

Capt. Alex Borawick is standing by in the wheelhouse of the tug Kings Point ready to
assist the SIU-crewed Puerto Rico (PRM).
Curtis Bay Employees at meeting at the Rec Pier in Fells Point.

Photos by Frank Paladino

Deckhand John Wodka and Engineer Terry
Toups clown for the camera.

Ready to tie up.

John Zents works as the storekeeper for Curtis Bay.

The Cape Romaine guides the Puerto Rico.

81 LOG I May 1988

Manuel San Pedro is the shop engineer for
Curtis Bay in Baltimore.

�Great Lakes

by Exec. V.P. Mike Sacco

E

VEN though I am now stationed
in Camp Springs, I have been
keeping an eye out on developments
on the Great Lakes and inland waters.
The Great Lakes Dredging and Dock
has been declared the low bidder on
the Cleveland River dredging project
in Cuyahoga County in Ohio.
Dunbar and Sullivan has grabbed
the dredging job in Conneaut, Ohio.
Luedtke Engineering has begun
dredging in the Milwaukee harbor.
B &amp; B Dredging has started work
on an hydraulics project in Lorrain,
Ohio.
There is a long list of dredging projects caused by low water rates, which
makes immediate action necessary.
This sad state of affairs has been
worsened by the neglect that has been
shown to our infrastructure.
Quite simply, if the United States
doesn't dredge its harbors and channels in the near future and maintain
them in better style, then we stand to
lose them forever.
These issues, I believe, are part of
making America competitive. If we
can't transport our goods by rail, truck,
or water, how can we remain competitive against Japan and other rapidly developing nations?
Under the Reagan administration,
this nation's transportation system has
been allowed to deteriorate. Deregulation has had a devastating effect on
safety.
Everyone knows about the airline
industry. Much has been written about
Eastern Airlines and the safety violations there.
This is just the tip of the iceberg,
however. Deregulation has had a devastating effect on trucking, and in the
tug and barge industry.
Companies are more interested in
protecting themselves from unfriendly
take-overs than with developing a
strategy for the Jong term.
These are part of the difficult questions that the next administration will
have to deal with. By being in the field
these many years, by dealing one on
one with our members on these important issues and listening to their
concerns, I believe that I can make a
difference.

East Coast
by V. P. Jack Caffey

T

HERE has been a great deal of
activity on the East Coast this
past month.
In New Bedford, we are close to
resolving our longstanding differences
with the Seafood Producers Association. The association has given us a
list of final proposals, which we are
going over.
We are negotiating with Maritrans,
which many of you may remember as
SONAT's Harbor fleet. I'll keep you
updated on future developments.
The Atlantic Coast Region now has
a new vice president. I've officially
taken over for Leon Hall, who retired
last month after a long and productive
career.
I've known Leon for more than 20
years. He's been like a big brother to
me ever since I joined this Union.
I'm not the only one who feels like
that. Leon has always made himself
available to any member or official of
this Union. He is gracious, helpful, a

Area Vice Presidents' Report
real decent person.
For years, until his wife Charlotte
fell ill, he opened his home to any
official or member of this Union who
happened to be in New York on New
Year's Eve. Any seaman who found
himself stranded in a strange port on
this most festive of occasions didn't
have to feel alone.
Yet this is only one small example
of Leon's kindness. My most vivid
memory of the New York hall will
always be this: seeing Leon sitting in
his glass-encased office behind the
counter, counseling some youngster
or old-timer. Sometimes he didn't even
have to say a word-he'd just lean
back in his big leather chair and listen,
and that would be enough.
Leon was a steward, and proud of
it. He worked his way to the top, to
chief. As long as I've known him, he's
had this love of living, a joie de vivre,
as the French would say, that is typical
of old-time stewards. I'll never forget
seeing Leon and two of his best
friends-John Dwyer and Pete Loleas,
now both retired-heading out for some
restaurant after work. They were like
the Three Musketeers.
Loleas was the one who brought
him into the Union as an official. Leon
had been a member of the SIU since
1939. But it wasn't until Paul HalJ, the
late president of the SIU, started the
food plan in the early '60s that Leon
came ashore for good.
Loleas recommended him for the
job; Leon met Paul, and the two formed
a close relationship.
Both were transplanted Alabamians, Southerners who had made the
long trip North to escape the hardships
of poverty. And both had chosen the
sea as their vehicle to get ahead.
The food plan was a forerunner of
Piney Point, a training program for
young seamen seeking to make a career in the steward department. Leon
so distinguished himself that he was
asked to become a patrolman.
From then on it was a steady rise
up the ladder. 1964: San Francisco
port agent. 1%5: New York port agent,
headquarters representative, and finally, in 1978, vice president in charge
of the Atlantic Coast Region.
During this entire time, the SIU was
able to draw upon Leon's considerable
knowledge of the steward department.
Both Paul Hall and Frank Drozak
consulted with him in devising ways
to deal with the effects of automation.
Leon's career has spanned nearly
the entire history of the SIU. He joined
the Union in 1939, one year after it
was formed. Along with thousands of
other seamen of his generation, he
was exposed to the threat of German
submarines and a watery death at sea.
He was drafted in 1942, but after
the war he returned to sea. He was
involved in many of the Union's early
beefs: Isthmian, Bull Line, Robin LinesMoore McCormack.
When he joined the Union in 1939,
much of America and the maritime
industry was segregated. He joined
millions of other Southern blacks in
making the long trek North.
Even though he was an Alabamian
by birth, he always shipped out of the
port of New York. He was a fixture

at Stone Street and Beaver Street, the
Union's first two headquarters buildmgs.
It was a different world, a different
era, when seamen, like other groups
of disenfranchised Am~ricans, fought
for the chance to have an equal shot
at the brass ring. The maritime industry wasn't perfect, and neither was
New York, but for a young black man
seeking to make something of his life,
it was a sure shot better than working
shoreside in Mobile.
When Leon started shipping, seamen were on the margins of American
life. Wages were low, condition unsafe.
The union that Leon has been associated with during these past 50
years, first as a member, then as an
official, helped change that. By virtue
of his position in the SIU, Leon has
been part of the sailor's age-old struggle for equal rights.
When I learned that Leon was retiring and that I had been named to
take his position, I was filled with
mixed emotions. On a personal level,
I was sorry to see Leon go. No one
can ever take his place.
And yet, while contemplating his
career, I was struck by something
fundamental. Few people outside the
labor movement can understand this,
but there will always be a bond between Leon and me. Both of us have
been officials of this Union, and that
transcends everything.
To become an official in this Union
is to go through a rite of passage. It
is to dedicate oneself to one thingto servicing the membership.
Paul Hall, Leon's friend and mentor, imbued this Union with its sense
and purpose. He set the tone for the
entire organization. To be an official
of this Union was a 7-day-a-week, 24hour-a-day job.
It meant that you had to be willing
to make any sacrifice on behalf of your
membership. It meant that after working a six-day week, you had to get up
at three o'clock on a Sunday morning
and pay off a ship.
Leon found this out right away, in
the Philadelphia beef against the
Teamsters.
Early in the beef, he was asked by
Paul to "go down to Philadelphia for
a few days to help out." He packed
an overnight bag and left that same
day.
Five months later, after walking
picket lines and sleeping on the floor
of the Philadelphia hall, he was able
to go back to the comfort of his apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
After Philadelphia, there were plenty
of other beefs, and many more sacrifices.
The thing is, anyone who sticks
around the SIU for any length of time
winds up making these same sacrifices. That is what binds us all together, what makes being an official
of this Union so special.
Like Leon, you make those sacrifices willingly, because you know that
people like Harry Lundeberg and Paul
Hall made them. You do it because
people like John Dwyer risked their
lives on behalf of this Union, risked

it so that seamen could have a better
life.
Sometimes it gets to be a bit much.
There are days when you've had it up
to your eyeballs. But then you walk
into the Union hall and see some oldtimers playing cards, or talk to a kid
straight out of Piney Point, and realize
that you never wanted anything else.
In his early days in the steward
department, Leon was calJed "Radio"
because of his easy-going, friendly
style. I know that if I should ever hit
a snag in my new position, I can always
pick up the phone and tune in ''Radio''
Hall.
The bonds that exist between us, as
friends and as officials, will never be
broken. I wish him and his wife Charlotte the best of luck in this new phase
of their lives.

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

B

EFORE I begin, I'd like to congratulate my brother Mike on being
named Executive Vice President of
the SIU. From now on, he'll be directing the Union's field operations
and coordinating outport and headquarters activities.
This is an important job, especially
in this election year of 1988. Never
before has the maritime industry been
in such precarious position. We need
to make sure that our message gets
out, both in Washington and on a
grassroots level.
Without a strong Washington presence, there would be no maritime
industry. Even as I write this, opponents in Washington are trying to do
away with restrictions on the export
of Alaskan oil, and to scuttle this
nation's cargo preference laws.
At the same time, this Union needs
to increase its efforts on a grassroots
level if we are to make a difference.
I have made this a priority in the
Houston area. Earlier this year, both
Jesse Jackson and Richard Gephardt
came to the Union hall to address our
membership. Both spoke of the need
to revitalize this nation's maritime capability.
We have not confined our efforts to
presidential politics. Next month, Texas
Supreme Court Judge William Kilgarten will speak at our hall. He is wellknown throughout the state and the
country for having decided the Pennzoil case.
One of our state representatives, Al
Luna, has made a few visits to the hall
to meet with our members. He has
been a strong friend of the SIU and
the maritime industry throughout his
career.
What does grassroots mean? It means
being part of a community. Earlier this
month, Ron Stone, an anchorman at
the local NBC affiliate, came to the
SIU hall to help raise money for Muscular Distrophy.
The days are long gone when the
maritime industry was a self-contained
world. We have to be aware of developments in other areas.
Take what is happening in Houston,
for example. For the past several years,
the local economy has been devastated
by the low price of oil. Now that prices
are slowing creeping back up-they're
now at $18 a barrel-things are a bit
better in the tug and ba~ge industry.
(Continued on Page 10.)
May 1988 I LOG I 9

�In New Bedford

Fishing· With the SIU

Some of the crewmembers (above) of the F/V Brasil: (I. tor.) Antonio Gravato, Remigio
Pereira, Manuel Carroco (Capt. of the FIV Faneca), Aldolfo Simoes and Mario Dias.
Below are some of the crewmembers of another SIU fishing boat, the FIV Beira Litoral.
They are: (I. tor.) Fernando Luz, Dominic Rebelo, Antonio Tesouro and SIU Port Agent
Henri Francois.

"*{'vi'

The FIV Brasil is one of dozens of SIU-contracted fishing boats operating out of New
Bedford, Mass.

(Continued from Page 9.)
As always, we are on the lookout
for new work. I will be meeting with
the Bulk Fleet Marine to see if we can
sign up several boats that have been
turned back to the private sector.
As I mentioned in the last month's
column, Houston is now one of SeaLand 's most important regional hubs.
Last month. the Sea-Land Economy
was in temporary lay-up in Beaumont,
Texas.
One final note: I urge all of our
members to upgrade their skills. We
could use more ABs and electricians
down here.
Signing up new work in today's
depressed maritime industry is a difficult proposition. But through hard
work and determination, we've been
able to weather the decline in the
maritime industry.
The job security of all our members,
however, will be jeopardized if seamen
in one or two key ratings fail to sign
up for new work.
Just as the officials of this Union
have a responsibility to try to sign up
new work, our members have a responsibility to upgrade their skills.

West Coast
by V. P. George McCartney

I

'M a movie buff from way back
when. Whenever l had a few days
in port, I found myself running to the
nearest cinema.
Few people know it, but one of the
best American movies ever made, .. On
the Waterfront," was based on the life
of John Dwyer, who used to be an
official of this Union.
"On the Waterfront" is a powerful
depiction of corruption on the waterfront, and one man's efforts to combat
it. The movie is a skillful blend of fact
and fiction.
It deals with a time when corruption
on the waterfront had reached such
pervasive levels that it endangered the

10 I LOG I May 1988

New York maritime industry and the
integrity of the labor movement.
At the time, Dwyer was a longshoreman. He and other dockside workers
had to confront a hiring system based
on kickbacks and favoritism.
In 1953, the legislatures of New ·
York and New Jersey tried to deal :
with this situation by creating the
Waterfront Commission of New York
Harbor to combat organized crime.
Corruption had reached such a level
that AFL President George Meany felt
compelled to step in. He issued a
charter to a new AFL longshoreman's
union, the American Federation of
Longshoremen. (The name was later
changed to the International Brotherhood of Longshoremen.)
A committee of five union leaders
was appointed to act as trustees for
the new union. They included Paul
Hall. then secretary-treasurer of the
SIU; Dave Beck, president of the
Teamsters; A.J. Hayes, president of
the International Association of Machinists, and William Doherty, president of the National Association of
Letter Carriers.
Not only did corruption on the
waterfront debase the whole concept
of trade unionism, but it jeopardized
the working conditions of all maritime
workers, including seamen.
Paul Hall took the lead in this fight
on a local level. He \\lorked closely
with Morris Weisberger, the SUP's
New York port agent, in trying to
break organized crime's lock on the
New York waterfront.
The only way to do it would be to
organize longshoremen under the banner of the new AFL union. Hall enlisted the aid of John Dwyer, a 38year-old member of lLA Local 895.
Dwyer and his allies risked their
lives fighting for a clean union. Michael Brogan, a vocal supporter of the
new union, was found dead floating in
the river. Others, like Tom Rubino,
were beaten to a pulp.
There were two votes. The first
election was held in December 1953,
with the new union polling 7 ,568 to

the ILA's 9,060. But 4,397 votes were
challenged.
The second vote was held on May
26. 1954. The IBL came within 300
votes of ousting the old regime.
The IBL never again came that close
to winning. In 1958, Paul Hall and
Captain William Bradley, the former
tugboat chief who had become head
of the longshoremen' s union, agreed
to end the fight.
Even though the IBL was never
successful in ousting the ILA, the
waterfront was changed for the better.
"We didn't win the vote," said Paul
Hall, "but we fought for a democratic
union and that was worth the fight.''
The waterfront beef was part of a
larger struggle to ensure that labor
unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO
meet high ethical standards. Many
people rank this as one of George
Meany's finest moments, right after
the merger he orchestrated between
the AFL and the CIO in 1955.
The whole episode has relevance
today. When faced with corruption,
organized labor faced the situation
squarely in the eye.
Compare that attitude with recent
developments on Wall Street. Other
than wait for the federal government
to hand down indictments, the financial community has done literally nothing to ensure a high standard of conduct.
After the beef, Johnny Dwyer joined
the SIU. He became one of the Union's
best-liked officials.
During this episode, George Meany
and Paul Hall formed a close working
relationship. The tie that the two men
formed probably had something to do
with Hall's appointment to the Executive Council in 1962.
And Dwyer? He retired in 1979. His
bravery and dedication marked an important footnote in the history of this
Union.
Of course, he lived to see himself
portrayed on the screen by Marlon
Brando. I keep putting in phone calls
to Robert Redford, but he has yet to
answer any.

Government Services
by V. P. Buck Mercer

T

HE shortage of Able Bodied Seamen has become acute, not only
with the Military Sealift Command,
but in the commercial maritime industry as well. Already, MSCPAC has
experienced problems replacing ABs
in their nuclear ships and, with another
unrep oiler set to crew in August '88,
the search is on for 24 ABs, 5 rig
captains (who must also be ABs) and
two bosuns.
Things are no better in the commercial industry; ABs are almost impossible to find. In order to alleviate
this serious problem, the SIU is requiring all Ordinary Seamen who have
the necessary seatime to attend the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School in
Piney Point, Md. to prepare themselves to upgrade their Merchant Mariner Document from Ordinary Seaman
to that of Able Bodied Seaman.
The critical AB situation in the maritime industry did not just happen; it
was created and is about to be compounded. The Ordinary Seaman billet
has been eliminated on many commercial vessels, while at the same time
the commercial unions lost ABs through
retirement, death and those who have
left the industry. And now the MSC
is threatening to eliminate Ordinary
Seaman billets. This all means that the
possibility of creating the Able Bodied
Seaman is fast coming to an end.
Again, to all Ordinary Seamen, and
particularly to those who have the
qualifying seatime, upgrade as soon
as possible. By doing so, you help
yourselves, your families and the industry.

***

Union Books: There are a number
of members of the SIU Government
Services Division who have not yet
received Union books. I am requesting
each ship's chairman to forward to
this office a list of those members,
along with Social Security numbers,
who do not have their SIU Union
book. This office will make every effort to get their Union books to them.

�ue

Lakers Go Back to Work More Jobs in the Future?
Last year SIU Lakes sailors enjoyed their best season since 1981
as coal and taconite shipments experienced a big jump. With the
demand for iron ore still high, several SIU-lakers began an early season.
Not that long ago, only a little
more than half the Great Lakes'
freighters were running. This year,
ship operators estimate they will
use up to 91 percent of their vessel
capacity.
Mike Sacco, SIU executive vice
president and Great Lakes VP,
said he expects the number of SIU
jobs on the Lakes to increase.
''If more ships are sailing, more
of our guys are working. It's pretty
simple, if the steel industry keeps
up its demand for iron ore and the
stone and coal movements continue, we will have a good season,''
Sacco said.

Last year iron ore cargoes rose

by more than 20 percent, stone
shipments were up 21.8 percent
and coal showed a small increase
of 4 percent.

Onboard the Richard J. Reiss, as it fits out in Erie, Pa., Chief
Steward Ed Heil (left) and 2nd Cook Ali Ahmed are ready to
perform surgery on a roast.

Photos by Mike Hall

Bosun Mike Tounel has been sailing the
Lakes since 1976. This year he is on the
Townsend.

Deckhands Steve Halvaks (left) and Jeff LaLamde are put ashore
to help tie up the Thayer.

The Cuyahoga is a narrow and windy river; it was even trickier for the Paul Thayer because of an inoperable bow thruster as the ship
made its way to discharge cargo in Cleveland.

Deckhand Jeff LaLamde on the Thayer.

May 1988ILOGI11

�New Season
on the Lakes

Porter Robert Rabzieski and 2nd Cook Ali Muthar clean UP. after supper on the Townsend.

Deckhand Saleh Saleh unloads supplies on the Indiana Harbor.

It's time for a little geography lesson from Townsend Oiler Bill Youckey.

Looks like someone called Deckhand Melvin
Dirchoff late for dinner on the Townsend.

After a morning of hard work getting the Reiss ready for the season, lunch is a welcome break for the Reiss' crew.

12 I LOG I May 1988

�Deckhand Jim Smith is lowered to the dock
in Detroit.

The Roger M. Keyes got an early start on the season with a full load. She had to tie up in Detroit to repair a small leak in a fuel tank.

In the engine room is wiper Fred Piotiowski
on the Reiss.

Asst. Conveyerman Walt Lesczynski and Deckhand Baisel Koushinikov on deck of the Reiss.

after securing one of the lines.

Port Agent Jack Allen (left) and Lakes veteran Wheelsman Curt
Southwick complete fitout paperwork on the Reiss.

Deckhand Dean Gilbert climbs back aboard the Keyes after helping tie her up.

May 1988ILOGI13

�Lakes

Bosun Larry Smith helps hoist stores on the Indiana Harbor.

The bosun's a fan of the "Boss." Bosun
John Hickey on the Thayer.

Deckhand James Corbran prepares to work
on one of the Reiss' lifeboats.

The J.S. St. John, a day-trippin' sand sucker, works out of Eire
with an SIU crew aboard.

The Indiana Harbor pulls into Lorrain, Ohio at night to unload and pick up some stores.

Deckhand Ahmed Shohatee (foreground) and Deckhand Mousa Saleh on the Reiss.

14 I LOG I May 1988

Jerry Bollinger (left) and Bill Straub met with Port Agent Jack Allen as they got
the dredge J.S. St. John ready.

�"To· Be IAn ABJ, or Not to Be; That is
the Question."
here is a big waiting
game going on now.
Lots of jobs are out
there waiting for qualified Able Seamen, and
the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School of Seamanship is waiting
to help prepare all of you OSs
to fulfill the task. However, we
at the SHLSS can't fulfill our
mission without your decision
to become an AB. By coming
to SHLSS and upgrading your
skills to that of Able Seaman,
you will guarantee yourself a
good job, and a better paying
one at that!
Through classroom work and
hands-on practical training, our
six-week Able Seaman course
will prepare you thoroughly for
the duties of Able Seaman. In
the classroom, subjects covered
include deck seamanship, marlinspike seamanship, rules of
the road, cargo handling, ship
simulator training, safety, emergency procedures and first aid.
It is during the hands-on training that students learn best by

actually doing: wire and line
splicing, block and tackle rigging, knot tying, cargo boom
operation, underway and vertical replenishment, and crane and
fork truck operations. Day-today maintenance on vessels is
stressed to include surface preparation and painting, and wire
rope cleaning and preservation.
This course is available to
SIU members who ship Deep
Sea/Great Lakes or Inland. To
be eligible for this course, a
seafarer must meet the following requirements: all a l 'can
must be 18 years or older and
pass a U.S. Coast Guard approved physical examination
before entering this course. All
applicants must have normal
color vision and have at least
20/200 vision in both eyes corrected to 20/40 vision in both
eyes. Anyone wishing to qualify
for an Able Seaman endorsement must have either a lifeboatman endorsement or complete the two-week lifeboat
course offered at the school.

Graduates of the SHLSS are
required to present 240 days
seatime as an Ordinary Seaman
to be eligible for scheduling. All
other applicants for endorsement as Able Seaman, Special
(12 months), Limited (18
months), or Unlimited (36
months) must show discharges
totaling the minimum required
seatime-12, 18, and 36
months-as Ordinary Seaman.
Upon completion of this
course, the student must pass a
U.S. Coast Guard exam to receive an Able Seaman endorsement. And so, let's get together
and call an end to this waiting
game. Guarantee your future.
Answer the question posed in
the title of this article by deciding to become an AB and filling
out the SHLSS upgrading application form printed right here
in the LOG, or contact Bart
Rogers immediately at 1-800732-2739.
~ An AB class watches as two students
adjust the stage on the side of the Sonny
Simmons.

Learning to splice an 8-strand rope. .....

May 1988ILOGI15

�course
Graduates

SHLSS

Retired
After 11 years of dedicated
service at SHLSS, three of which
were spent as fork lift instructor for the Sealift Program, Joe
Marshall officially retired April
29. He is shown here, together
with his wife Rebecca, receiving
a plaque of appreciation from
SHLSS Vice President Ken
Conklin.

Abk Seaman Video Self Study 3125/88
Left to right: Keith Blowers, Jake Karaczynski (Instructor).

QMED 414188
First row, left to right: Jessie Robinson, James A. Vieira,
Earl Adams, Robert Tuller. Second row: Audley Green,
Francisco Rosich, Richard Smallwood, Willie Franks, Patrick Patricca, Robert P. Matter, John Bennifield. Back
row: Liz Leech.

Radar Class 4113188
First row, left to right: Joe Morrison, Rick Bumstead,
Doug Stinchcomb, Alan Bodden, Cheryl Burgess (Computer Operator). Second row: Rob Arthur, Eric Corgey,
Bruno Kalmeta, Joseph Brisson, Jose Boevink, David
Goyette.

Military Sealift Command, Lifeboat 414188
Kneeling, left to right: Juan P. Goni, Charles Methvin.
Second row: James P. Johns, James M. Harper, Edward
B. Knutsen, John Britto.

Welding 416188
Kneeling, left to right: Abraham Daif, Orson Lincoln,
Owen Duffy. Second row: Bill Foley (Instructor), Mohararn
Husin, Ronald Dailey, Robert Rester, Bob Layko, Mark
D. Field, Arthur Omdahl.

Navy Crane Class 414188
Left to right: John Dodd, Robert Elwood, Leo Marciniak,
Kenneth Delp, Michael Horton.

Canadian Mechanical Assistants 4114188
First row, left to right: Isidore Charles, Stephen Slack,
Elroy Bobbett, Bruno Beaudoin, Robert Molnar. Second
row: Eric Malzkuhn (Instructor), Ernest Corbett, John
Macklin, Ted Bobrowski, ·chris Donovan.

Canadian Chief Cooks 414188
Left to right: Bernie O'Brien, Robin Lois, Leona Haswell, Kenneth Staples.

16 I LOG I May 1988

Canadian Seamanship Training Program 4112188
First row, left to right: Calvin Ransome, Dana Eisler, Patrick
Lindsay, Raymond Mullin, Linda Penney, Normand Mercier,
Gordon Reeves. Second row: Ambrose MacNeil, Steve Collie,
Grzegorz Perlinski, Rich Bonneville, Mike Bobrowski, Tommy
Marsh, Dan Pelletier, Albert Bannon, Peter Bobrowski, Ben Cusic
(Instructor). Back row: Freddy Wenzel, Bob Burnett, Lindsay
Rock, Gilles Lyrette, Mark Kratynski, Shaun Dolhanty, Martin
Bergeron, Peter Breaker.

Canadian Electricians 414188
First row, left to right: Horace Duke, Peter Karlikowski,
Peter Schuemann. Second row: Ray Reardon, Ross
Tibert, Stanley Orawiec, Joseph Tolan.

�1988 Upgrading
Course Schedule

Engine Upgrading Courses
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

QMED ·Any Rating

September 19

December 9

Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote CJ.S • .Maritime Industry
May-December 1988

Fireman/Watertender &amp; Oiler
Marine Electrical Maintenance
Refrigeration Systems Maint. &amp; Op.

May 23
August 22
June 27
October 3

July 1
September 30
August 19
November 11

Refrigerated Containers-Advanced Malnt.

August 8

September 2

The following is the current course schedule for April 1988 December 1988 at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship.

Pumproom Maint. &amp; Operations

August 1
September 19

September 9
October 28

Variable Speed DC Drives

September 5

October 14

Electro-Hydraulic Systems

November 7

December 16

Automation

November 21

December 16

Welding

November 21

December 16

Hydraulics

May 30
October 17

June 24
November 11

Third Asst. Engineer/Steam or Motor

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for Starting Date)

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.
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.

*All students in the Engine Department will have 2 weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

Recertification Programs
PLEASE NOTE: All members are required to take firefighting when
attending SHLSS.

Deck Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

June 13
July 25
September 19
October 31

July 22
September 2
October28
December 9

Radar Observer Clnltd.

July 18

July 29

Radar Refresher/Renewal

Open-ended, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date.)

Radar Recertification

Open-ended, 1 day (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date)

Lifeboat

May 30
June 27
July 25
August 22
September 19
October 1 7
November 14
December 12

Course
Able Seaman

LNG -

June 10
July 8
August 5
September 2
September 30
October 28
November 25
December 23

Self Study Safety Course

(This course is not offered as a
separate course, but may be
taken while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)
*Upon completion of course must take Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance.

Steward Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Course

Completion
Date

Assistant Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Bak~r

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Cook and

Chief Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Steward

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

*All students in the Steward Program will have 2 weeks of Sealift
familiarization at the end of their regular course.

Course
Steward Recertification

Check-In
Date
July 5

Completion
Date
August 8

Bosuns Recertification

September 26

November 7

Adult Education Courses
Check-In
Completion
Course
Date
Date
For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes in 1988,
the courses will be six weeks in length and offered on the following dates:
High School Equivalency (GED)

July 5
August 29
October 31

August 15
October 10
December 12

English as a Second Language (ESL)

July 5
August 29
October 31

August 13
October 7
December 10

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offe_red one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes.
Developmental Studies (DVS)

April 11
April 15
(Offered prior to the Third Mate &amp;
Original Second Mates Course)

ABE/ESL L;feboat Preparation Course

June 6

June 24

This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed to
help seafarers prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which is
scheduled immediately after this course. This class will benefit those
seafarers who have difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not
English, and seafarers who have been out of school for a long time.

College Programs Scheduled for 1988
Check-In
Date
Course
Associates in Arts or Certificate Program May 23
August 8
October 17

Completion
Date
July 15
September 30
December 9
May 1988ILOGI17

-

�.........•..............••......•••...•.•.....•......••...........•..............•.••••.••••••••••••••.•............••.....•••••••••••.•. .,.
•

H

Name

(Last)

(first)

Date of Birth

(Middle)

Address

Mo./Day/Year

(Street)

(City)

(State)

Deep Sea Member D

Telephone

(Zip Code)

Inland Waters Member D

(Area Code)

Lakes Member D

Pacific D

If the following imformation is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.
Social Security# _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Book#______ Seniority______ Department _ _ _ _ __
Home Port _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces D Yes D No

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes
Trainee Program: From _______ to
(dates attended)

Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s)Taken _ _~~----------------~---------------

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for Training _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Primary Language Spoken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
DECK
0 AB/Sealift
0 Towboat Operator Inland
0 Celestlal Navigation

O Master Inspected Towing Vessel
0 1st Class Pilot (organized self ~tudy)
D Third Mate
D Radar Observer Unlimited

ALL DEPARTMENTS

o

Weldlng

0 Llfeboatman (Must be taken with another
course)

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

ENGINE

STEWARD

0 FOWT
0 QMED-Any Rating
0 Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
D Marine Electrical Maintenance
D Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
D Automation
O Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
D Diesel Engine Technology
O Assistant Engineer/Chief Engineer
Un Inspected Motor Vessel
D Orglnal 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor
D Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
D Hydraulics
D Electro-Hydraulic Systems

D Assistant Cook Utility
0 Cook and Baker
0 Chief Cook
0 Chief Steward

ll

D Towboat Inland Cook

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates in Arts Degree
D Certificate Programs .

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
LJ Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equivalency
Program (GED)
O Developmental Studies (DVS)
O English as a Second Language (ESL)
D ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted showing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the
course(s) requested.
You must also submit a COPY of the first page of your union book indicating your department and seniority, as well
as, a COPY of your clinic card. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is received.
VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
DATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Rev.
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674
2188

.-.,,.-.-.-• •-••• • •• • • • •• • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• •• • • • • •• •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •••••••a•••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • • • • • • • • • •••~::::::::;;;~.......~~\

18 I LOG I May 1988

�AIDS

Growth Rate of Deadly Disease Means AIDS
Impact Will be Felt Into the Next Century

by Elizabeth Reisman, R.N., D.N.Sc.

Editor's Note: Elizabeth Reisman holds
a Doctorate of Nursing Science degree.
She conducted her doctoral research at
the Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. Reisman is
a member of the St. Mary's County
(Md.) AIDS Task Force and has written
extensively about AIDS and other health
issues for various publications. She has
been associated with the SIU since 1978.
This is the first of several articles about
AIDS.
AIDS is rapidly becoming the number one public health problem in the
United States and in the world. The
CDC (Centers for Disease Control)
predicts that by the year 1991 there
will have been approximately 270,000
cases of AIDS in the United States .
The WHO (World Health Organization) also predicts that by 1991 , 5-10
million people in the United States
will have been exposed to the virus
and have antibodies for the virus.
As of Feb. 29 , 1988, the CDC stated
that there were 54,723 known cases of
AIDS in the U.S. and an estimated 11.5 million people wlw have been exposed to the virus and who have antibodies to the virus . The number of
cases of AIDS doubles about every 13
months. If the spread of the disease
continues unchecked at its present
pace, AIDS will clearly be the major
public health problem of the 21st centu . ID , therefore, is a major health
problem not only for us but for our
children and our grandchildren.
Since 1981. when the disease of
AIDS was first recognized in the U.S.,
AIDS has been a disease found mostly
in specific geographic areas. along the
Atlantic and Pacific coastal areas and
major metropolitan areas (such as New
York City, San Francisco, Washington, D. C. , Miami, and others). Although AIDS continues to be found in
major metropolitan areas, AIDS is
now spreading into smaller communities.
AIDS is also a worldwide epidemic
which touches most if not all countries
in the world today. The World Health
Organization reports that there are
150,000 cases of AIDS in the world
today.
What does this mean? It means,
above all else, that we must all learn
the facts about AIDS. Learning the
facts will help to clear up our misunderstandings about AIDS, to reduce
unnecessary fear , to recognize the real
dangers which AIDS poses, and to
learn how AIDS can be prevented.
AIDS , Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome , is caused by an
unusual virus which is currently called
the human immunodeficiency virus or
HIV. In the past , the HIV virus has
also been called HTL V-III or LAV .
AIDS occurs as a result of infection
with the HIV virus and severe destruction of the body's immune system (the
defense system which protects and
defends the body from disease).
Specifically, the HIV virus attacks
the immune system by eating up T
cells (white blood cells essential to

fighting diseases) so the HIV virus can
make many more viruses. Specific antibodies are produced by the immune
system to fight off the HIV virus.
These are called HIV antibodies. This
process is similar to the one which
occurs when your body makes antibodies to fight other viruses, such as
measles, mumps and chickenpox.
These antibodies normally protect the
body from future encounters with these
viruses .
Unfortunately, the HIV antibodies
are not capable of fighting off the HIV
virus or protecting the body from future invasions with the HIV virus. The
HIV viruses, therefore, continue to
live and multiply while the T cells
continue to be destroyed.
This destruction of the immune system leads to the development of major
and unusual infections called opportunistic infections and rare cancers
which overwhelm the defenseless body.
The virus may also affect the brain or

Elizabeth Reisman
nervous system. The recurring illnesses which the persons with AIDS
experience eventually lead to death.
At this point in time, AIDS is a fatal
disease for which there is no cure or
vacl;ine. New treatments are being
researched which may offer some
promise to help persons with AIDS.
AIDS has an unusually long incubation period, the time between initial
infection with the virus and the beginning of symptoms. The incubation period of AIDS is an average of seven
years but may be as long as 15-20
years. The incubation period, however , may be less in those whose
immune systems are already reduced
due to other infections, illnesses (such
as in drug addiction), or immaturity
(as in newborn babies).
Due to this long incubation period ,
not all individuals infected with the
virus have symptoms of AIDS or even
feel sick. In fact, they feel well. At
this point in time , we do not know
precisely how many people who are
infected with the virus will actually
get AIDS five, 10, or 20 years down
the road. Since AIDS is such a new
disease and many questions are still
unanswered, these predictions are difficult to make. These predictions estimate that 50 percent or more of those
who are infected with the HIV virus
or test positive to the HIV antibody
may eventually develop AIDS.
Although some individuals infected

with the HIV virus may feel perfectly
healthy with no symptoms, some may
develop early symptoms often called
ARC, AIDS Related Complex. The
symptoms of ARC are common to
many diseases. In ARC, therefore, the
symptoms are not believed to be caused
by any other illness and last for several
weeks or months. These symptoms
may include: extreme fatigue, chronic
fever, night sweats, diarrhea, loss of
appetite, sudden loss of weight, and
swollen lymph nodes (glands) in the
neck, under the armpits, or in the
groin.
The period of time when one person
can transmit or pass the HIV virus to
another person begins within days after one is first infected with the virus
and continues throughout the course
of the illness. Therefore, all people
infected with the HIV virus are capable of passing on the virus including
those recently infected with the virus,
those who test positive to the HIV
antibody and feel well , those with
ARC, and those with AIDS. This means
that today there are probably 1-1.5
million people in the U.S. who may
be capable of passing on the HIV
virus.
The HIV virus can be passed from
one infected person to an uninfected
person through an exchange of body
fluids, especially blood, semen and
vaginal secretions. This exchange of
body fluids is known to occur through:
1. sexual contact between heterosexuals (man to woman and
woman to man), as well a sexual
contact between homosexual or
bisexual men;
2. direct infection into an open
wound or injection into the blood
stream with HIV infected blood
or blood products, needles , syringes, or other equipment (most
often occurring in IV drug users);
or
3. infection of newborns from their
infected mothers occurring either
during pregnancy, delivery or
from breast milk.
Although CDC statistics tell us that
AIDS has occurred predominantly in
certain high risk groups (homosexual
and bisexual men; heterosexual IV
drug users: homosexual and bisexual
men who use IV drugs; persons with
hemophilia and coagulation disorders;

heterosexual sex partners of persons
with AIDS or heterosexual sex partners of persons at risk for AIDS;
recipients of blood or blood components between 1977 and the spring of
1985), we must understand that these
statistics simply tell us where AIDS
has been and not necessarily where
AIDS is going.
Homosexual and bisexual men, IV
drug users, and homosexual and bisexual men who use IV drugs account
for nearly 90 percent of the AIDS
cases. Heterosexuals account for only
about 4 percent of the cases of AIDS
today. The ratio of women to men in
the U.S. with AIDS is about 1 woman
for every 13 men. In Africa the ratio
of women to men with AIDS is about
1 to 1.
Some experts expect that heterosexuals and adolescents will experience a dramatic rise in the number of
AIDS cases in the future. Although
there is much debate today about the
degree the AIDS virus has infected
and will infect the heterosexual population, the reality is that no one knows
for sure. Since HIV antibody testing
is not mandatory for everyone and
research has not been done to determine the prevalence of HIV antibody
positive individuals in the general society, we can only make educated
guesses.
The risks are real, however, that
the next rise in cases may be in heterosexuals through heterosexual sex.
We are already seeing this rise of HIV
infected individuals in sexually transmitted disease clinics, in sex partners
of infected and high risk individuals,
and among prostitutes.
AIDS must not be viewed as a
disease of one particular group of our
population, but a disease of all groups.
We know that getting AIDS is not a
matter of who you are or where you
live, but what you do (what activities
you do which increase your chances
of getting infected with the HIV virus).
Anyone who has concerns regarding
AIDS is encouraged to contact the
following resources for assistance: State
and Local Health Departments across
the U.S.; US Public Health Service
AIDS Hotline-800-342-AIDS: National Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Hotline, American Social Health Association-800-227-8922.

New NATCO Contract
· 1

Terry Bader (left), licensed delegate, and John Miklos, unlicensed delegate, count
the ballots for the recently negotiated North American Trailing Co. (NATCO)
contract. The pair formed the NATCO Tallying Committee and counted the votes
at SIU headquarters.

May 1988ILOGI19

�Deaths

William Smith

Carmine Caropreso
Alphonse Monahan

Joseph T. Flynn

John Somers
John Mims

Wong Lee
John Shields

James Mullally

Precilo Silva

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS·

Mohasain Ahmed
Antonio Arroyo
Malcolm Barton
Lonnie Baughan
Homer Bonnell
John Burns
Sherrill Campen
Tom Chee
William Cooper
Patric Donovan
Odilion DuBois
Victor Egel
Marcus Evans
Bertha Flygare
Rodney Fontenot
Wilfred Garcia
Sai Chong Goo
Ronald Gray

Thomas Green
Walter Gregory
Earl Griffin
Willie Hardeman
Orlando Hernandez
Eugene Howard
Fred LaPlant
Joseph R. Hales
Victor Lewycky
Alfredo Lopez
John Mccann
Abdel Maameur
Gustavo Martinez
Richard Moore
James Murray
Ernest Mladinich
Thomas J. Henry
Joseph Pagola
James Payton
Michael Pesenak
Kensley Reistad
Sigmund Rothschild
Spurgeon Simpson
Albert Stampley
~· "'· J
Charles Stewart
Jene Legg

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 hy 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 hy writing directly to the Union
or to the Seafarers Appeals Board.

CONTRACTS. Copies of all SIU contracts are available in all SIU halls . These cont mets specify the wages
and conditions under which you work and live aboard
your ship or boat. Know your contract rights. as well as
your ohligations, such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets anu in the proper manner. If. at any time. any SIU

20 I LOG I May 1988

Jay V. Beavers
William Brack
Cullen B. Colbert
Mose E. Coleman
Lawrence J. Crane
Ceasar A. Crespo
Joe J. Justus
Donald McEachern
Wilton H. McNiel
Donald L. Mullins
Colon Rose
Adam H. Smith
Roberto Torrado
Harold J. Warner
Inland
Floyd E. Hudgins, Jr.
Victor G. Lozinak
Johnnie B. Mathews
Anthony F. Maxwell
William Mitchell
Joseph Muscato
Beverly M. Owen
Lawrence Paul
Norman J. Porkruywka
Charles R. Johnson Francisco ivera
John E. Reed

Pensioners
Deep Sea

Maxie L. Curtis

· KNOW ¥OUR RIGHTS

YOUR RIGHTS
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in

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
derailed audit by Certified Public Accountants every three
months, which are to be suhmitted to the membership by
the Secretary-Treasurer. A quarterly finance committee
of rank and file members, elected by the memhership,
makes examination each Quarter of the finances of the
Union and reports fully their findings and recommendations . Members 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 accoruance 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 .

Dewey J. Sack

all Union halls. All memhers should obtain copies oft ·
constitution so as to familiarize themselves wit · . contents. Any time you feel any memher or officer is attempting to deprive you of any constitutional fight or ohligation
hy any methods such as dealing with charges. trials. etc ..
as well as all other details, then th e memher so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

EQUAL RIGHTS. All memhers are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU . These
rights arc clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently, no member may he discrimi nated against hecause of race. creed. color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any mcmher feels that he i'i
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
11u1n1m111n1111111nu111111111111unu111u111111111111111111111111111n11111111111111111t1111111111111
patrolman or other Union offi::ial. in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly. contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refr~_ ined from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union.
officer or memher. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September. 1960. meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsihility for Log
policy is vested in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this rcsponsihility .
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to he paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circumstances should an y member pay any money for any reason
unless he is given such receipt. In the event anyone
attempts to require an y such pa yment he made without
supplying a receipt. or if a mcmher is required to make a
pa) ment and is given an official receipt, but feels that he
should not have heen required to make such payment. this
should immcdiL1tcly he reported to Union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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
hoatmen and the advancement of trade union concepts.
In connection with such ohjects. SPAD supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contrihution may be
solicited or received because of force. joh discrimination,
financial reprisal. or threat of such conduct. or as a condition of memhership in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made hy reason of the ahove improper
conduct. notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD hy certified
mail within 30 days of the contrihution for investigation
and appropriate action and refunu. if involuntary. Support SPAD to protect and further your economic. political and '\Ocial interests. and American trade union
concepts.
If at any time a member feels that any or the above rights have
been violated, or that he has been denied his constitutional right of
acces.s to Union records or information, he should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The addr~ is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

�Diiaesc of Sh~ps NeeClinas
LNG ARIES (Energy Transportation
Corp.), March 20-Chairman Robert
Schwarz, Secretary Doyle E. Cornelius,
Educational Director Richard Robertson,
Deck Delegate Eugene Boussan, Engine
Delegate Brenda Murray-Dye, Steward
Delegate Michael J. Ruggiero. No beefs
or disputed OT reported. There is $264.11
in the ship's fund which has been turned
over to the captain to be locked up in his
safe. The vessel is scheduled to be drydocked, but no information has been given
out. The chairman said he will inform the
crew as soon as he hears anything. He
stressed the importance of the SPAD contribution and also reminded crewmembers

Charger is en route from Corpus Christi,
Texas to New York to discharge and proceed to layup for repair of the generator.
This will take place either in Jacksonville
or Mobile. One particular item of note: "We
must give a vote of thanks to the 4 to 8
watch deck department who responded
quickly to an emergency alarm and performed the rescue extremely efficiently.
The skillful and rapid rescue of the 4 to 8
oiler Mike Woods in combination with first
aid was key to saving Mike Woods' life.
Mike Woods has been a good shipmate
on the OM/ Charger. We have received
information that more than four pounds of
metal was removed from his body and that

The proud crew of the tanker M/V Courier (Ocean Carrier) in the harbor of Kuwait. The Courier
is the only American tanker with a full American crew passing through the Persian Gulf to
Kuwait. (Missing from the photo is Chief Steward Rudolf Spingar.)

that this is a presidential election year, "so
be sure to register and cast your vote."
The secretary asked that all hands clean
out their rooms and return linen and towels
nen oc er. A ote f thanks was
given to tne stewara aepanment for a job
well done. Next ports: Osaka. Japan: Bontang, Indonesia; Nagoya, Japan.

ITB BALTIMORE (Apex Marine), March
29-Chairman Scott Hudson, Secretary
Rudy De Boissiere, Educational Director
Spiros Perdiku, Deck Delegate Alan Barnett, Engine Delegate Thomas Corbell,
Steward Delegate enneth A. Hagan. No
disputed OT reported. A two-week safety
course at sea was held aboard the /TB
BaltimCJre by a representative from Marine
Safety Services Corp. in London, England.
This course put crewmembers through a
5afety test including firefighting, CPR method$, re$CUe$ from the hold with a new
rescue harness, air breathing apparatus,
lifeboat rescue, etc. The "SIU crew scored
100 percent in the safety tests." The educational director noted that "everywhere
we look, the new ships are with us. But do
we all know how to operate them? Some
of us don't. I urge all of you to go to Piney
Point. New ships mean more money. Don't
be left out. Give to SPAD and be a winner."
The fact that this is an election year was
also brought up. "It's up to us to fight for
the ships we deserve and the programs
that we really need. It is the duty of every
seaman to protect our ships, our jobs, our
lives." A special vote of thanks was given
to Scott Hudson and the deck gang for an
excellent job-and also to Chief Steward
Rudy De Boissiere and Chief Cook Kenneth Hagan "for the best food in the world."
Thanks were also given to the engine
department. "They are the best." One
minute of silence was observed in memory
of our departed brothers and sisters. Next
Port: Staten Island, N.Y.
OMI CHARGER (OMI Corp.), April 3Chairman F. R. Schwarz, Secretary N.
Johnson, Deck Delegate Bill Burke, Engine
Delegate Van Joyner. No disputed OT was
reported, but the steward department requested clarification of the steward assistant's performance of daily sanitary on deck
and in the unlicensed engineers' toc'sle.
There is $30 in the movie fund. The OM/

his liver and kidney were seriously damaged. We're all pulling for you, Mike." Next
port: New York.

LNG GEMINI (Energy Transportation
Corp.), April 10-Chairman A.L "Pete"
Waters, Secretary Dana Paradise, Educational Director A. Thaxton. No beefs or
disputed OT reported. There is $52 in the
ship's fund. Arrivals pools have been started
to build the fund. and all members are
encouraged to participate. Things are going
well aboard the Gemini, according to the
chairman, who also asked all hands to chip
in and help keep the ship clean and in
shape. He stressed the importance of contributing to SPAD. "It helps!" The secretary
noted that the ship sailed short last trip.
He thanked S/A Catherine Kohs who was
upgraded to chief cook for the trip and did
an e)(cellent job. He also thanked S/As
Andrea Conklin and Mark Kalmus for handling the extra workload. "A job well done
by all." Next port: Nagoya, Japan.

RICHARD G. MATTHIESEN (Ocean
Ships, Inc.), March 26--Chairman Jerry L
Bass, Secretary Joe Nelson, Educational
Director Al Sczypiorski, Deck Delegate
Johnnie Edwards, Engine Delegate John
Anderson. Some disputed OT was reported
in the steward department. There is $200
in the ship's fund. The bi-annual Coast
Guard inspection was held in Singapore
Feb. 13-17-with no problems. After the
inspection, the ship proceeded to the Gulf
of Oman for Consol-Ops (underway replenishment) with Navy warships. "Crewmembers aboard the Richard G. Matthiesen have been at sea for 45 days during
Consol-Ops with Navy warships in the
Arabian Sea {Gulf of Oman). Every crewmember has shown professionalism and a
good attitude, and has been complimented
for a job well done by the U.S. Navy." The
bosun emphasized the importance of upgrading. A suggestion was made for the
slop chest to carry U.S. stamps. Next port:
Bahrain.
SEA-LAND ENTERPRISE (Sea-Land
Service), April 3-Chairman E. Caryl, Secretary Norman Johnson, Deck Delegate
Kenneth Moore. No beefs or disputed OT
reported. There is $580 in the ship's fund.
With this money, the crew hopes to buy a

ping-pong table and a few other items for
the crew lounge. The chairman notified all
members that a payoff would take place
in the port of Oakland, and to be sure to
check in with the boarding patrolman before leaving the ship. He also stated that
with the present state of the maritime
industry, it's more important than ever for
all eligible members to take advantage of
the sealift course at Piney Point. This
course is a necessity in order to work the
military ships. And who knows-with the
world situation today, there could be a
national crisis and the SIU could be called
on to man more military vessels. The
secretary noted that "all is running smoothly
on the Starship Enterprise" since Sea-Land
took it over from the bankrupt U.S. Lines.
"The NMU did not plan ahead and reduce
the crews on these ships, and they paid
the supreme price. But with our excellent
SIU leadership, we have jobs, jobs, jobs.
And we only have Frank Drozak and his
team to thank for that." The educational
director also stressed the importance of
upgrading at Piney Point, not only to increase your earning power, but also for a
JOb and job security. ''Thanks to SPAD, we
have these job opportunities for the SIU
membership." A motion was made and
seconded to ban all smoking in the crew
rec room and mess halls. This has been
done in all federal, state and city hospitals
to help decrease health risks. Another
request was to get ice boxes put in all
rooms. Other suggestions: more pastry at
coffee time, new washing machine for the
unlicensed crew, keys for the rec room,
new TV antenna, fresh fruit in season. The
bosun will be going on vacation this trip
and will be missed by all. "He is a good
sailor and a good Union brother." Next
port: Oakland, Calif.

SEA-LAND PRODUCER (Sea-Land
Service), April 3-Chairman G.E. Annis,
Secretary c.c. Hollings Ill, Educational
Director P. Thomas. Everything is running
smoothly, with no beefs or disputed OT
reported. The ship will pay off in New
Orleans. Word has it from the captain that
the Sea-Land Producer is going on the
Caribbean Sea run for a few trips and then
will lay-up. Fresh vegetables will be put
aboard in Port Everglades and 28-day
stores will be loaded in New Orleans. The
educational director urged all eligible members to attend upgrading classes at Piney
Point "if you want to move up in this game."
A vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for a job well done. Next port:
Port Everglades, Fla.
SUGAR ISLANDER (Pacific Gulf Marine), March 20--Chairman William Hamp-

Cook-out time aboard the Courier: (I. tor.) are
Chief Cook Jerome Jordan, GSU Arthur Lope&lt;.,
Chief Steward Rudolf Spingat . In the background is Bosun E. Dabney.

son, Secretary J. Bennett, Educational Director C. Hall. Some disputed OT was
reported in the engine department which
will try to be settled aboard ship, if possible.
The ship is expected to pay off in Crockett,
Calif. Members were asked to take note
that the fresh water placed aboard the ship
in Karachi is to be drunk at their own
discretion. It was further suggested that
ships traveling in the Mideast carry a reserve supply of mineral water ... just in
case! The secretary said, "We have one
fine crew; no problems. Everyone, including the officers, enjoy the cookouts. I have
one of the best steward departments I've
had the pleasure of sailing with." Next po:-t:
Singapore.
Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
ADONIS
llG AQUARIUS
ASPEN

AURORA
CHARLES SPIELMANN
RLESTON
COURIER
FALCON PRINCESS
1ST LT. A. BOINYMAlll
GREAT LAID
GUS DARNELL
llllDEPENDENCE
OAll.AJID
OVERSEAS BOSTON
OVERSEAS HARRIETIE
OVERSEAS JUNEAU
OVERSEAS MARILYN
PONCE

RANGER
SEA-WO ADVENTURER
SEA-WO DEVELOPER
SEA-LAID EXPLORER
SEA.WO FREEDOM
SEA-LAND INDEPEllDEllCE
SEA-LAID LEADER
SEA-LAID PACER
SEA-LAND PACIFIC
SEA-LAND PATRIOT
SEA-WO PIONEER
SEA·WD TRADER
STOlllEWALL JACKSON
LfllG TAURUS
THOMPSON PASS
U TRASEA
LfllG VIRGO
WESTWARD VENTURE

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, June 6 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, June 7 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Phila2elphia .............. Wednesday, June 8 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, June 9 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, June 9 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, June 9 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, June 10 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, June 13 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, June 14 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, June 15 .................. 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, June 16 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, June 20 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .................. Friday, June 24 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ................ Thursday, June 9 ..................... 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, June 17 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Friday, June 17 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wedne day, June 15 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wedne day, June 22 .................. 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, June 21 .................... 10:30 a.m.

May 1988 I LOG I 21

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

APRIL 1-30, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac .............. : .. . .

0

Port
Algonac ...................

20

0

9

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

2

DECK DEPARTMENT
25
1
0

0

21

4

3

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
16
1
0

0

15

2

2

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
3
1

0

9

3

8

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

Port
Algonac ...................

2

0

Port
Algonac ...................

15

0

Frank Drozak, President
Joe DiGlorgio, Secretary
Mike Sacco, Executive Vice President
Angus "Red" Campbell, Vice President
Joe Sacco, Vice President
George McCartney, Vice President
Roy A. Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President
Jack Caffey, Vice President

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

HEADQUARTERS
0

44
Totals All Depanments ........
0
46
15
0
3
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.

25

17

70

26

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

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
APRIL 1-30, 1988
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 ........ . . .......
Port
New York ... . ...........
Phlla&lt;1e1pnia ..............
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

41
4
8
14
12
41
40

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

9

5

38

5

2
0
5

2

8

10

7

7
5
4

4

5

13
30

8

34

15

3
13

5

5

18

0

38

29

4

33
0

7

304
22

4

5
10

9
6

15
11
1

5

98

2
2

3

5

1

1

25
13
5
25
0

56

246

0
5
4
3

1

0
0
2
0

4
8

25

3
12

5

7

3

10
1

8
0

6
0

1
0

7

6
1
0

2
60

0
34

6

29
18
21

6
5

32
1
3

194

23

18

2

3

DECK DEPARTMENT
7
4
4
2
4
0
7
4
3
4

5

8

6
1

7

17

5
4
2

5
4
0

12

9
1

4

82

6

4
0

4

61

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
15
5
3
2
1
3
1
0
7
8
5
2
0
1
5
9
17
1
2

16
11

18

5
9
16
0
2

137

5

2
4
0
11

2

0

3

46

6
2
2
0
9
0
0

0
30

Trip
Reliefs

5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-1100

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

(218) 722-4110
4

0

74
6

15
3

7

1

10

6
0
5
6
8
7
8

15

4

16
63
56
54

4

58

5
0
2

22
8
50
0
6

2
10

23

8
13

0
0

HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813

3

(808) 523-5434

2

7
4
3

8

7

8

1
2
0
3
4

8
2

12

3
0

4

0

64

461

99

37

2
0
0
2

48
2
8

5

2

1

1

3

1
1

0

4
15

0
4
3

38

13

4
7
1

9
1

14

5
6
1

4
4
0

1

9

2

40
1

2
0
5

0
0

0

2

2
4

0

11

50
24

15
25

4

6

5
0

1

0
0

0

0
1

20

1
2
7

42

11

1
2
1
5
3
1
0
17
1
0
1

1
0

4

8

13
8
13
2

5
21
1
0

2

6
0
22
0

0
8

13
1
4
4
6

9

3

10

27

1
19
3
1
11
0

2

156

65

33

111

21

8

5

13

1
3

4
2
14

1
0

4
6

5

5
1

3

2

1

0

3

0

1
3
1

2

4
0

0

1
1
2

0

8
2
4

21

24
1

0
4

0

0
96
3
0

0

0

0

50

(6

2

134

155

204

Totals All Departments ... . ..

788

378

327

3

12

10

7

3
13

4

8

3

32

12
11
10

23
6
2

6
61
7
0

0

5

141

4

8

27

3
4

14
0
0

7

2

0
8

7
13
4

3

5
4
30
19
86
22
23
6
9
23
1
0

2

1
4
7
12
3
10

0
34
2
0
9

1

(718) 499-6600

0

1
1
3

2
8
3

2

0
16

NORFOLK, Va.
115 Third St. 23510
(804) 622-1892
PHILAD~LPHIA,

0
1

94

39

35

29
7
4
10

5

2

0
0
0
0
0

3

0

27

Pa.
2604 S. 4 St. 19148
(215) 336-3818

.

1

259

1
4
11
3

4

6
1
0

2

1
1
6
3

0

0

5

15
4
1
0
175
2
0

0

61
20
35
14
5
19
0
1

6
14
16
23
13
18
12

1

0
9
1
28
7

5

2
2
9
11
4
84
4

0
0

95

5

147

4
215

0

0

233

243

288

589

325

335

221

1,247

512

392

15

0

4t0
997-5404

NEW ORLEA S, La.
630 Jackson Ave. 70130

PINEY POINT, Md.
St. Mary's County 20674

ENTRY DEPARTMENT

Port
New York ...............
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ......... . .....
Norfolk .................
Mobile .................
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco .............
Wilmington .......... .. ..
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Honolulu ................
Houston ..... ... ........
St. Louis ................
Piney Point ..............
Totals .................

0

0
0
0
0
0

74

33
12
4

(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

0
175

11
0

7

6

6

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.

Shipping in the month of April was down from the month of March. A total of 1,470 jobs were shipped on
SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,470 jobs shipped, 589 jobs or about 40 percent were taken by "A"
seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 221 trip relief jobs were
shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 7,473 jobs have been shipped.
22 I LOG I May 1988

NEW BEDFORD, Mass.
50 Union St

0

125

29

1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605
(205) 478-0916

NEW YORK, N.Y.
675 4 Ave., Brooklyn 11232

0

2
5

MOBILE, Ala.

0

0
0
0

0

(201) 435-9424

(504) 529-7546

0

0

JERSEY CITY, N.J.
99 Montgomery St. 07

28

8

2
3
7

3315 Liberty St. 32206
04) 353-0987

76

27

1

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.

294

3

2

1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152

32

0
0

3

HOUSTON, Tex.

1

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

18

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802

SEATTLE, Wash.
2505 1 Ave. 98121
(206) 441-1960

ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500

WILMINGTON, Calif.
510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�PRESIDENT'S PRE-BALLOTING REPORT
May 2, 1988
Pursuant to Article X. Section l(e)
of our Constitution, I am submitting
at this regular May membership meeting of this election year, my PreBalloting Report.
The balloting for our General Election of officers for the term 1989-1993
will commence on November l and
continue through December 31, 1988.
The election will be conducted under
the provisions of our Constitution, as
amended and effective January 15,
1985, and such other voting procedures as our Secretary may direct.
I have, in consultation with our
Executive Board and Port Representatives, made a careful appraisal of
the needs of this Union, its membership and its currently existing constitutional ports. We have carefully considered the changes that have taken
place in the maritime industry over
the last few years, with a view toward
meeting the ever changing demands.
It is my recommendation, in accordance with our Constitution, that
the following offices be placed on the
ballot in the 1988 General Election of
Officers for the term 1989 through
1992.

HEADQU
•
•
•
•

ERS

1
I
1
I

President
Executive Vice President
Secretary
Vice President in Charge of
Contra~ts and ·Contract En·
orcement
Vice President in Charge of
the Atlantic Coast
Vice President in Charge of
the Gulf Coast
Vice President in Charge of
the Lakes and Inland Waters
• 1 Vice President in Charge of
the WestJ oast
e I
Services
• 5 Headquarters
Representatives

PINEY POINT
I Port Agent
I Port Employee

Washington Report
(Continued from Page 24.)

Fish Liability and Safety
The House Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee is trying to nudge
two well-heeled special interests to
overcome their longstanding differences.
For several years now, development
of this nation's fishing industry has
been hindered by a liability insurance
crisis. Yet differences between trial
lawyers and boatowners have made it
impossible for Congress to do anything
to alleviate the situation.
Earlier this month, the committee
approved a stopgap workers' compensation plan for seamen who incur temporary injuries while working onboard
fishing vessels. The draft approved by
the committee would give seamen who
suffer injuries on the job the right to

NEW YORK
1 Port Agent
2 Port Employees

PHILADELPHIA
1 Port Agent
1 Port Employee

BALTIMORE
1 Port Agent
1 Port Employee

MOBILE
1 Port Agent
1 Port Employee

NEW ORLEANS
1 Port Agent
1 Port Employee

HOUSTON
1 Port Agent
1 Port Employee

SAN FRANCISCO
l Port Agent
2 Port Employees

DETROITALGONAC
1 Port Agent
1 Port Employee

ST. LOUIS
l Port Agent
1 Port Employee
In accordance with the above-mentioned Article , ection l(e) of our
Constitution, I am required to recommend a bank, a bonded warehouse,
regular office thereof, or any similar
depository, to which the ballots are to
be mailed, no later than the first regular
meeting in October of this year. I will
make such recommendation to the
membership before such deadline.
As provided for in Article XIII.
Section 1, nominations open on July
15, 1988 and close on August 15, 1988.
I wish to further advise the membership that various proposed constitutional amendments which shall be
submitted to the membership and subject to membership action thereon, as
sue only if the injuries are permanent
or if the employer does not comply
with the compensation provisions of
the statute. Otherwise. they would be
compensated at the rate of $30 a day,
or two-thirds of their wage or share
had they stayed employed during the
voyage.
''The clock is running out,'• said
Committee Chairman Walter B. Jones.

Minimum Wage
Raising the minimum wage to $5 .05
an hour and requiring employers to
provide minimum health benefits for
workers would save taxpayers millions of dollars in public subsidies,
according to John Sweeney, president
of the Service Employers Industrial
Union.
Sweeney made his assertion at a
news conference, where he was joined
by Rep. Augustus Hawkins (D-Calif.),

constitutionally provided, will appear
on the ballot at the same time balloting
takes place for the election of officers
later this year.
The proposed constitutional amendments would give the Union's Executive Board, the body with the greatest
expertise and daily knowledge of the
needs of this industry and this Union,
the authority to determine the number
and location of constitutional ports
required at any given time to serve
th~ needs of this membership. The
Headquarters port office would include Piney Point and Camp Springs
and the Constitution would be amended
accordingly. In addition to the constitutional ports, port offices could be
opened and closed based on the Union• s
needs, under the direction and authority of the President with staffing
to be determined by the Executive
Board.
Also to appear on the ballot at the
same time, subject to membership action as constitutionally provided, are
proposed constitutional amendments
to delete the elected position of port
employees. Six (6) assistant regional
vice-president positions could then be
created and they would work under
the direction of the Area Vice Presidents to service the membership in
his/her assigned territory. Therefore,
if the amendments are approved, the
assistant vice-presidents would be
chosen by the Executive Board for
their first term of office. On the current
ballot there would be nine (9) elected
officers who would serve on the Executive Board and twenty-seven (27)
additional elected positions. rr addition, constitutional amendments will
be proposed to change the name of
three elected positions to conform the
duties of these offices with the titles.
The changes would be as follows:
The position of Secretary would be
changed to be titled Secretary-Treasurer.
The position of Vice President Government Services would be changed
to be titled Vice President of Government Services and Fishing Industries.
The position of Vice President in
Charge of Lakes and Inland Waters
would be changed to be titled Vice
President in Charge of Southern Re-

gion, Great Lakes and Inland Waterways.
Lastly, an amendment will be proposed, again subject to membership
action, to change the Union's auditing
procedures from a quarterly review to
an annual review. The annual financial
committee audit could then be held in
conjunction with the year end audit
performed by the Union's independent
certified public accountants.
All of the proposed amendments, if
approved and voted on affirmatively
by the membership, subject to the
Constitution, would become effective
six (6) months after their passage to
enable the union to efficiently effectuate the necessary changes. If the
position of port employee is abolished
by Constitutional Amendment then the
individuals elected to serve in those
positions would serve only until such
time as the amendments become effective. If the position of Assistant
Regional Vice-President is created by
Constitutional Amendment, then the
Executive Board, if approved by membership action, would be granted the
authority to appoint individuals presently on the ballot to fill the newly
created positions until the next general
election. If any of the elected Headquarters Representatives are chosen
to fill an Assistant Vice President position, the Headquarters Representative position so vacated would be abolished. Notwithstanding any changes
in positions, all officers who are elected
by virtue of this election will, if they
so desire, be provided with employment with the Union for the duration
o this term. In addition, if any constitutional or other ports or offices are
closed or relocated by the Executive
Board pursuant to the passage of the
proposed Constitutional Amendment,
the President would have the authority
to reassign any and all elected or
appointed officers.
The foregoing constitutes your President's Pre-Balloting Report and subject to my further recommendation as
to the depository to be made hereafter,
I recommend its adoption.

chairman of the House Education and
Labor Committee, and Rep. Henry
Wax.man (D-Calif.), chief sponsor of
the minimum health benefits bill in the
House.
A similar bill has been introduced
by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.)
in the Senate, where it has been reported to the floor.
According to Sweeney, 11.5 million
workers in the nation make less than
$3. 72 an hour. An additional 24 million
have no health insurance.
As a result, many of these people
are forced to forgo health care or else
use publicly funded emergency rooms
and community clinics.
Organized labor has made enactment of a new minimum wage one of
its legislative priorities, despite threats
from President Reagan that he would
veto such a bill.
Earlier this year, the House Education and Labor Committee, which

Hawkins heads, voted to raise the
minimum wage to $5.05 an hour in
several steps over the next four years.
The bill, H.R. 1834, is awaiting floor
action. The present minimum wage,
$3.35 an hour, took effect in 1981.

Fraternally submitted,
Frank Drozak

American Coal
An amendment which would promote the use of American coal has
been attached to the House version of
the Department of Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1989.
The bill, which was offered by Rep.
Paul E. Kanjorski (D-Pa.), would halt
the conversion of American bases in
West Germany from coal energy to
liquid natural gas pending a four year
study.
According to Kanjorski, relying upon
natural gas would endanger American
security, since most of it would come
from the Siberian pipeline.
May 1988 /LOG/ 23

�Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

Washiqton Report
After racking up successive wins in the
Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio
and Indiana primaries, Michael S. Dukakis has
taken a big step forward in nailing down his
party's nomination for president. He's now
600 delegates shy of the total needed to put
him over the top.
He hasn't won yet, but speculation is starting
to shift towards his choice of running mates.
Cautious as ever, he isn't letting on who he
has in mind. But armchair political strategists-a legion in Washington-are having a
field day formulating their own dream tickets.
Dukakis has truly earned hi new nickname,
"The Marathon Man," for having survived
this year's grueling and unpredictable race for
the Democratic nomination. Still, he has to
clear a few more hurdles before he can claim
his prize.
Jesse Jackson, who nearly rewrote American political history earlier this year, has
vowed to continue campaigning at least until
the California primary on June 6. No doubt
he will continue to articulate the issues he has
raised so successfully-the growing drug epidemic, plant closings, the export of American
jobs overseas by American corporations.
Meanwhile, on the Republican side, it's all
over but the shouting. Vice President George
Bush has demonstrated his political manhood
once and for all by capturing his party's nomination in record time.
Polls indicate that it will be a tight race in
November, with ethnic and blue-collar workers providing the swing vote. Given the widespread perception that neither Dukakis nor
Bush will sail into the White House on the
strength of their charismatic personalities, 1988
may well prove to be one election where issues
really count.

Persian Gull
The Persian Gulf War continues to drag on
with no end in sight.
Events in the region last month threatened
to spin out of control when the United States
and Iran went eyeball to eyeball over mines
that Iran allegedly laid in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States blew up an Iranian oil rig
in retaliation.
The Iranians backed down, but only after
the United States had destroyed half that
country's naval forces in a matter of hours.
The administration went to great pains to
consult Congress before the attack. As a result ,
there was widespread praise for the way the
administration handled the affair.
Shortly after the incident, the administration
unilaterally redefined the American mission in
that region to include all attacks to neutral
shipping done in the presence of American
warships. The Washington Post had this to
say on that development:
"It takes some getting used to that American-owned ships that fled to a foreign ftag to
avoid American maritime union wages can
now slip in under the wing of the U.S. Navy.''

Kuwaiti Reftagging
A federal court judge has ruled the administration has the right to waive manning requirements on the 11 reflagged Kuwaiti tankers.

24 I LOG I May 1988

May 1988

Judge George H. Revercomb said that the
1950 law which the administration cited as
grounds to waive the U.S. crewing standards
on the ships is valid. He said the recentlysigned Anti-Reflagging Act did not repeal the
1950 Act which says navigation and vessel
inspection laws may be waived if requested
on national security grounds. Revercomb said
manning standards are included in that authority.
Five maritime unions, the NMEBA, NMU ,
MM&amp;P, SUP and MFOW had filed the suit
asking for an injunction against the waiver.
The SIU did not join that suit, preferring
instead to concentrate on legislative means to
repeal the law.

CDS Payback
Criticizing the administration for acting arbitrarily and for usurping the legislative powers
of Congress, U.S. District Court Judge Charles
R. Richey ordered four ships removed from
the domestic trade.
The case arose after the SIU appealed a
decision by the Maritime Administration to
allow the owners of vessels engaged in the
foreign trades to enter the domestic commerce
of this country as long as they repaid the
subsidies they had received from the federal
government.
The SIU contended that this action would
cause dislocations in the domestic trades, most
notably in the depressed Alaskan oil routes.
Moreover, t e
sai it was up to ongre
to make such a decision.
Richey agreed. "Rather than await the legislative outcome when it knew Congress was
seriously and actively addressing the issue,"
he wrote, "Marad decided it would determine
merchant marine policy rather than follow
Congress· direction."
Richey also said that the court couldn't
condone new ships entering the trade when
several vessels were already laid up for lack
of work.
The government must now decide what to
do with the $150 million it received from the
owners of four tankers who had decided to
enter the trade.
The four tankers include the Brooklyn, Bay
Ridge, Arco Independence and Arco Spirit.
For more information, please turn to page
2.

Trade Bill
The administration and the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate have squared off
over the fate of the Omnibus Trade Bill.
President Reagan threatened to veto the bill
if it contained two provisions: a 60-day notification requirement for plant closings , and a
prohibition on the export of refined Alaskan
oil in excess of 70,000 barrels a day.
The legislation had passed the House by a
veto-proof margin. The Senate, however, passed
the legislation by a 63-34 margin, three votes
shy of what would be needed to override a
presidential veto.
In order to drum up the necessary three
votes, Democratic leaders in the House dropped
the prohibition on the export of refined Alaskan
oil. It was not clear if they would be successful
in gaining the support of the two Alaskan
senators who voted against the bill.

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

Political experts were saying that Congress
and the administration were involved in political hardball. By dropping the Alaskan oil
provision, Democrats in the House were daring
the president to veto the legislation on just the
plant closing provision.
Congress and the administration have wrangled over the trade issue for the past three
years.
According to newspaper reports, there is
widespread support around the country for the
plant closing provision. The issue, many analysts believe, will come back to haunt the
Republicans in November.

Arctic National Wildlife
Reserve
While American warships were patrolling
the Persian Gulf to keep the sealanes open ,
Congress was debating whether to open up
the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR)
exploration.
A House committee killed three amendments that would have impeded the exploration of ANWR oil. While that came as good
news to supporters of exploration, there was
growing concern that time was running out for
is session
Congress to deal with the issue ·
of Congress.
"There are so many hurdles, so that th
smart money says time is just too short for all
of them to be overcome," aid Janet Hathaway, an attorney for the Natural Resources
Defense Council.
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), a strong supporter of ANWR development, said that holding back exploration "is not rational." _.
Supporters of development stres
e high
e met in deenvironmental standards tha
veloping Prudhoe Bay oil. The fact that no
ecological damage has been reported in all
these years, said House Merchant Marine
Committee Chairman Walter B. Jones (DN.C.), is proof "that wildlife and oil can coexist."
The Prudhoe Bay field, which yields about
25 percent of this country's domestic oil production, will begin to run out over the next 15
years.
Even if Congress were to approve ANWR
exploration, "it would be eight years minimum
before the first drop of oil reached an American
refinery,'' said Young.

Panama Canal
Despite political unrest in Panama, the number of vessels being registered there has risen
over the last year. Me~nwhile, ship registries
in most other nations declined.
Panama continues to have the largest total
gross tonnage of vessels under its flag. This is
because it allows shipowners generous tax
breaks, as well as loopholes to hire foreign
crewmembers.
Earlier this year, The Washington Post reported that the Panamanian government was
selling seamen's papers to non-Panamanians.
The issue did not attract widespread attention
because of all the other news coming out of
that country, including a possible connection
between General Noriega, Fidel Castro and
the drug cartel.
(Continued on Page 23.)

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
NORTH TO ALASKA ON SEAFARERS’ NEW KODIAK&#13;
MORE JONES ACT TANKERS COULD SAIL&#13;
JUDGE TOSSESS OUT CDS PAYBACK&#13;
SIU’S CHARLIE LOGAN WINNERS EARN $50,000&#13;
SIU’S L.A. BOATMEN MAN CROWLEY’S TUGBOATS&#13;
FISHING WITH THE SIU&#13;
PLANT CLOSING RULES FUEL REAGAN’S TRADE VETO THREAT&#13;
APL LAUNCES NEW SHIPS&#13;
LAKERS GO BACK TO WORK- MORE JOBS IN THE FUTURE?&#13;
TO BE AN AB OR NOT TO BE; THAT IS THE QUESTION&#13;
AIDS GROWTH RATE OF DEADLY DISEASE MEANS AIDS IMPACT WILL BE FELT INTO THE NEXT CENTURY&#13;
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                    <text>OIBclal Publication ol the Seafarers International Union• Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District • AFL-CIO Vol. SO, No. 6 June 1988

Spotlight on Inland

East and Gulf Coast Boatmen at Work

Services Mark
Maritime Day
This year's Maritime Day carried a
new spirit of recognition for U.S. merchant seamen who sailed during World
War II. While ceremonies every year
had honored their sacrifices, 1988 was
the first year they could officially be
called war veterans.
Earlier this year, after a decadeslong fight, World War II-era seamen
won veterans' rights. So far, more
than 40,000 seamen have applied for
veterans' status and the benefits that
go with it.
(Continued on Page 4.)

The SIU-crewed Beaufort Belle (Steuart Transportation) pushes a barge in Morehead City, N.C. See pages 12-15 for a special photo
' Section on the East and Gulf coasts.

SIU-Crewed Tanker

Inside:
New Alaskan
Oil Find on
Tap?

Page 3

Govt. SetVices

Pages 6&amp;7

Around the
Lakes

Pages 8&amp;9

Around New
Orleans

Page 11

SHLSS News

Pages 17-20

Golden Monarch Makes San Juan Payoff
see-Page 5

�Pre.s ident's Report
by Frank Drozak
N a few months we will be marking the 50th anniversary of the
founding of our Union, and I have
been reflecting on the many struggles we have endured together, and
the victories and disappointments
we have shared. We care planning
a special edition of the LOG in
October to memorialize this milestone in our history. There will be
features and photographs recounting our long and sometimes turbulent history: our early organizing
victories, our major strikes, our
early leaders, and our major beefs
and breakthroughs. We want to
make this an historical document
that you will be proud to treasure
and to show to your family and
friends.
We want this special issue to do
something else. We hope that it
will validate and affirm the many

I

sacrifices of our older members
who stayed for the long journey as
we struggled to build our organization as one which truly cares for
the well-being of all of our brothers
and sisters. And we hope that it
will ignite these feelings in our
younger members so that we can
continue our traditions and build
for the future.
As I reflect on the many assignments I have had as an official of
this organization, there are some
common threads that are woven
into the tapestry of my memories.
From the very earliest days, when
I came ashore to work as an organizer for our Union in Mobile, I
learned that the SIU was an organization that put the job security
of its membership above everything else. Throughout the years,
as I represented this Union in Phil-

adelphia, San Francisco, New York
and in Alaska, I met and worked
with all of our officials and most
of our membership. I have seen
our membership on picket lines
and at political rallies. I worked
with them through long nights of
contract negotiations and long days
of building our school in Piney
Point. I have seen our members
make sacrifices of their time and
energy when our organization was
being challenged by employers or
by an anti-labor government. I came
to not only respect this membership, but to love them.
Every time we came to this
membership with a new program
or a new challenge, they responded. And that, precisely, has
been and is our strength: that there
is a mutual trust between the leadership and the membership of our
Union, and that when called upon,
we are united as one.
We need look no further than to
what has happened within our industry and our organization in the
past 10 years. The private sector
of our industry has shrunk by nearly
50 percent,and yet every single full
book member of this Union is assured a good-paying job whenever

he or she registers. This is because
we had the foresight to prepare for
the growing numbers of military
support ships by providing training
and upgrading to ensure that SIU
members would be the best-qualified seamen available for these jobs.
And, our members responded by
taking advantage of the training
and upgrading opportunities offered to them at Lundeberg School
in Piney Point.
Today, we are the largest and
strongest labor union representing
unlicensed seamen anywhere in the
world. And we are the best-trained
and most experienced seafarers for
today's fast, high-technology military support vessels.
All of this has been possible
because we have a membership
which is informed and is willing to
take the risks of trying something
new when the old ways no longer
work.
I am proud to be a member of
the Seafarers International Union.
And I am proud and grateful for
the support of this membership.

Sacco Is Named MTD Vice President
Michael Sacco (below) executive
vice president of the Seafarers, has
been appointed vice president of

Pictured in front of the Capitol during their tour of Congress, this group of upgraders
includes Greg Bell, Fred Rubin, Mark Lawrence, Guillermo O'Neal, Mike "!dad Dog"
Clapsahw, Steve Migliara, Mark Field, John Beard, Ralph Thomas, Bob Richard and
SIU Lobbyist Liz OeMato.

LOG
Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Deborah Greene

Max Hall

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

Carla Tomaszewski
Contributing Editor

2 I LOG I June 1988

the MTD by the MTD Executive
Board. Sacco• s appointment came
following the resignation of William
F. Zenga, business manager of Local 25, Marine Division, of the Operating Engineers. Zenga, saying
the pressure of duties at Local 25
required that he vacate the vice
president's post, did agree to serve
as the MTD National Field Coordinator.
Sacco, 51, also serves as secretary-treasurer of the MTD's St.
Louis Port Council. He is a member
of the Executive Board of the Missouri State Labor Council, AFLCI0. A native of Brooklyn, Sacco
joined the SIU in 1959.
Zenga has been a member of the
Operating Engineers since 1941. He
is a member of the Executive Board
of the New Jersey Maritime Advisory Council and the New York
State Coastal Zone Management
Advisory Committee.

Off1etal Pubhcat1on of the Seafarers International Union of
North Amenca, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes nd Inland Waters D1stlict,

June 1988

Vol 50

Afl on

Executive Board
Frank Drozak
President

Mike Sacco

Joe DiGiorgio

Executive Vice President

Secretary

Angus "Red" Campbell

Joe Sacco

George McCartney

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Jack Caffey

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers lnterna~ional Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
Lakes and Inland Waters D1stnct, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md . 20746, Tel.. ~99·
0675. Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges , Md. 20790-9998 and at add1t.1onal
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md. 20746 .

o. 6

�Would Keep SIU-Contracted Tankers Sailing

SIU B cks
The SIU and the rest of the maritime
industry is awaiting action on an Alaskan oil development bill which could
keep the Union's Alaskan tankers in
business well into the next century.
Recently the House Merchant Marine Committee and the Senate Energy
Committee approved legislation which
would open a small coastal strip of the
Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge
(ANWR) to petroleum exploration and
production. Currently the bill is in the
hands of the House Interior Committee.
Some projections show that up to
nine billion barrels of oil could be
recovered in the ANWR coastal plain ,
a strip of land about I00 miles long
and 20 miles wide, some 50 miles east
of Prudhoe Bay. The area accounts
for 8 percent of the total land in the
ANWR.
"Development there is important
for a number of reasons," · said SIU
President Frank Drozak. "The sup-

e
plies of oil on the North Slope are
shrinking. Right now that accounts for
about 20 percent of all domestic oil
production. That oil has to be replaced
for economic and national security
reasons.''
Currently the North Slope fields
produce about 1.5 million barrels of
oil a day. By the year 2000, that is
predicted to drop to only 280,000 per
day.

"We' ve got two choices. We can
replace that oil with foreign oil and all
the problems that go along with depending on a foreign source. Or we
can try to replace it with oil produced
here in the United States," said SIU
Executive Vice President Mike Sacco.
North Slope oil keeps about 40 SIU
tankers sailing, out of a total of about
70 tankers in the Alaskan oil trade.
As less oil is produced, fewer ships
will be needed. But industry experts
hope that if ANWR exploration is

successful and production begins within
the next IO years, the new production
will take up the slack in the demand
for tankers .
" Obviously we are looking to prctect Seafarers' jobs, but we have
broader concerns too. The ANWR has
to play a role in the nation's energy
future. Development there is just one
way to keep us energy self-sufficient, ' '
Sacco said.
The SIU backs efforts to examine
alternate fuel sources and conservation.
Some environmental groups have
opposed the development of the
ANWR. But studies have shown production in the current North Slope
fields has not had a major impact on
wildlife and vegetation in that area.
"Provisions must be adopted which
will maintain the ecology of the Arctic
plain and not substantially interfere
with the wildlife now utilizing that
area," Drozak said.

A study by the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, an Inupiat Eskimo-owned corporation, backs the
development of the ANWR. Its study
shows that Alaskan native people and
the area's wildlife and vegetation can
co-exist with oil production in the
area.
"Congress will be faced with the
problem of reconciling diverse goals
on the national need for additional
dependable energy supplies, the national need and interest in the preservation of wilderness or nearly wild
lands, and the promise to Alaska natives regarding continued availability
of subsistence fish and wildlife resources.
''These goals are not however mutually exclusive,'' the report said.
''Given the oil and gas exploration and
production technology existing today,
the ANWR Coastal Plain can be opened
to leasing that is consistent with all
these important requirements.''

SIU Fishermen in New Bedford

One of the SIU fishing boats in New Bedford is the Elizabet &amp; Victoria. Pictured above
are crewmembers Jose Alho, Joaquim Marques, Jose Vagos ~nd Manuel Afonso.

Deckhand Gilberto Nunes puts a little fresh paint on the Sao Pedro.

In between trips , the Sao Pedro ties up in New Bedford. Above are Engineer Manuel Roda
and Mate Antonio Pimentel.

June 1988 I LOG I 3

�•

Maritime Day-A 1m

acr"fic s

to

(Continued from Page 1.)

But those are the lucky survivors.
More than 5 ,600 seamen died when
733 ships were sunk by enemy action
in the war. That casualty rate was oniy
second to the Marine Corps.
Below is the dedication of the wreath
verse read at the New York and New
Jersey services.
Almighty God, Lord of the storm
and of the calm, the vexed sea and
the quiet haven, of life and death;
accept our prayers on behalf of all thy
servants who have perished infallowing the perilous vocation of the seafarer. Bless this wreath to the memory
of those whom we entrust into thy
eternal keeping. Grant them the unending joys of your glorious kingdom
of light and peace, in the blessed
company of all your faithful people in
every time and place; and grant to us
the grace to abide in your will with
our spirits strengthened and our faith
renewed; in thy Name we ask it. Amen.

In Mobile, Ala. retired MEBA member
Yancy Hall prepares to throw wreath overboard.
In San Francisco, Maritime Day services were held aboard the old Liberty ship Jeremi.ah
O'Brien. Here, with the memorial wreath are SIU V.P. George McCartney (left) and
Father John Heaney, chaplain and director of San Francisco's Apostleship of the Sea.

SIU V.P. Jack Caffey {left), SIU Rep John Leiter (center) and
MEBA-2 V.P. Jerry Joseph at New York's Maritime Day.
Several retired merchant seamen took part in Mobile's ceremony. Pictured above are (I.
to r., front row) J.P. Williams (MM&amp;P), Phil Reyes (SIU) Mobile Port Agent Tom
Glidewell, Ralph Smith (SIU), Charlie Avera (SIU), Jimmy Bartlett (SIU), (back row)
Yancy Hall (MEBA) and Archie Gamble (MM&amp;P)

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Cofor Guard and the U.S.
Navy Band at Washington's observance of Maritime Day.

4 I LOG I June 1988

In New York Harbor on Maritime Day.

�The Golden Monarch In San Juan

Ready for the next voyage are (I. tor.) AB Angel Velez, AB Clemente Figueroa, SIA Jose Jorge, OS Victor
Mondeci and (with his back turned) AB Angel Toucet.

Photos by Angel Hernandez

Coming aboard for the next run on the Golden Monarch are AB
Julio Mattos (left) and Relief Bosun Ruben Morales Jr.

Before the payoff, Monarch crewmembers wait for their books to be checked. They are (I. to r.) SIA Joseph Simonetti, Steward/Cook
Floyd Bishop, AB Benaia Berberena, QMED Genaro Esposito, OS Teodoro Quinones, San Juan Port Agent Angel Hernandez and Assisting
Patrolman Miguel Alicea.

AB Marvin Mason stands gangway watch
on the Golden Monarch (Apex Marine) during its San Juan payoff.

June 1988 I LOG I 5

�Unique Unrep for USNS A.J. Higgins and Royal Yacht Britannia
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC
The newest oiler to join the MSCPAC
fleet, the USNS Andrew J. Higgins,
has a lot of underway replenishments
in her future, but it's unlikely any will
be as unique or memorable as the two
she had in her recent past with a
famous British vessel.
In March, the Higgins performed
unreps with the Royal Yacht Britannia
between Southern California and Hawaii, and then again when the Britannia left Hawaii enroute to Australia.
The Royal Yacht was in Southern
California in late February berthed at
the Long Beach Naval Station while
Britain's Prince Andrew and his wife
Sarah were in town promoting the
United Kingdom to California business executives. When the 412-foot
yacht set sail for Hawaii, the USNS
Higgins left Long Beach at the same
time. The Britannia's ultimate destination while in the Pacific was Australia to help celebrate that country's
200th anniversary. Like any other motor-propelled vessel, she needed fuel
to make her way across the world's
largest ocean and the Higgins was
glad to assist her.
.. This is the first time I've ever had
1

an underway replenishment with a
yacht," said Capt. Michael Watson,
the master of the Higgins and a 26year veteran of MSCPAC. "It's certainly not a normal situation, but it
was quite an experience. There was
good cooperation and communication
between the crews and both replenishment operations
went
very
smoothly.•• In Hawaii, Capt. Watson
and the ship's OIC, Lt. Lon Winger,
attended a reception aboard the Britannia while the ship was berthed at
Pearl Harbor.
Noting that it was the first time in
34 years that the Britannia has taken
fuel underway from a foreign fleet
oiler, the flag officer of the Royal
Yacht, Rear Adm. J. Garnier. said in
a March message to the Higgins that
he was most grateful for the two replenishments.
"The Higgins' very efficient and
smart cooperation has greatly facilitated the execution of a very tight
program," said Rear Adm. Garnier.
.. The efforts of all involved in arranging and conducting this valuable period of bi-lateral cooperation are acknowledged with gratitude and
admiration."

China Delegation Tours Mercy
A visiting delegation of distinguished doctors, scientists and educators from the People's Republic of
China (PRC) toured the USNS Mercy
April 29 on the last stop of their twoweek tour of military medical facilities
in the United States. The tour was
sponsored by Dr. William Mayer. assistant secretary of defense for health
affairs. Last year, Dr. Mayer and other
DOD health officials visited several
medical sites in China.
The PRC delegation, led by Gen.
Liu Mingpu of the PRC People's Liberation Army~ included eight senior
medical and science defense officials.

They were accompanied by Major Gen.
William P. Winkler, Jr., MC. USA,
deputy assistant secretary of defense
for medical readiness, a state department interpreter, and other DOD health
officials.
After being wekomed aboard ship
by Capt. W. T. Dannheim, USN,
COMSCPAC, the visitors carefully
took notes when Capt. Dannheim
briefed them on the history of the ship
and its humanitarian voyage to the
Philippines and the South Pacific last
year. Cdr. James Hanrahan, MC, USN.
officer in charge of the ship's Medical

.· .:~~¥

~~i*~'lt\Ji · ~

CDR James Hanrahan of the USNS Mercy lead~ a group of visiting Chinese military
doctors and scientists on a tour of the hospital ship in Oakland.

6 I LOG I June 1988

The USNS Higgins replenishing the Royal Yacht Britannia. (Photo by PH2/AC J.C. Byrne
m PATSQUADONE)

New Chief Staff Officer at MSCPAC
Capt. James P. Breece, USNR, assumed the duties of chief staff officer
at MSCPAC in early May after relieving Capt. Peter S. Roder, who plans
to retire from the Navy in June.
A 1961 graduate of the U. S. Naval
Academy, Capt. Breece spent 10 years
on active duty until he left the service
in 1971 to work in the maritime shipbuilding and shipping industry on the
Great Lakes. While employed in the
commercial sector from 1971 to early
1974, Capt. Breece retained his commission as a selected reserve.
Designated a Training and Administrative Reserve (TAR) officer when
he returned to active duty, his initial
assignment was commanding officer
of the U.S. Naval and Marine Corps
Reserve Center in Salt Lake City and
the U. S. Naval Reserve Facility in
Provo, Utah. Since then, some of his
assignments have included chief staff
officer with Destroyer Squadron
Twenty Seven; executive and commanding officer of the USS Tulare;
commanding officer of the USS Maultfl
Kea; and most recently, commanding
officer of the USS Vulcan.
Treatment Facility, led the group on
a thorough 90-minute tour of the Mercy
and her floating hospital.
Though the Mercy has hosted a
number of dignitaries since she entered service with MSCPAC in late
1988, this was the first time the hospital
ship has entertained a large delegation
of senior foreign officials.
''The group has enjoyed their United
States tour very much and to see this
very unique ship is a fitting way for
them to end their tour," said Gen.
Winkler, who accompanied Dr. Mayer
to China for 12 days in May last year.
''There's been an exchange of mutually beneficial medical information

Capt. James P. Breece

Before assuming his new position
May 9, Capt. Breece met with Oakland
department heads and toured MSCPAC
offices and ships in Seattle, Long
Beach, San Diego and Honolulu, with
stops at the T AGOS Support Unit at
Pearl Harbor and a meeting with the
MSCPAC representative to CINCPACFLT.
and I think that's very encouraging.
It may lead to a broader exchange
between our countries."
Capt. Dannheim did his part for
diplomacy when he presented Gen.
Liu with an engra.ved USNS Mercy
plaque and Mercy hats to every member of the PRC delegation. In turn,
Gen. Liu gave Capt. Dannheim a handsome emblem of the PRC Navy
mounted on a plaque.

B.B .

!support SPADI

�Annual Operation Cool Barge Under Way to Alaska
The annual tug and barge resupply
operation to Alaska got underway from
Seattle, Wash. in March and April
when the initial loads of .. Operation
Cool Barge'' material were put aboard
barges bound for the nation's largest
and most isolated state. By the time
Operation Cool Barge ends in October, the MSC-contracted operation will
have served 120 remote Alaskan sites
with 14 million gallons of bulk fuel and
about 5,000 short tons of dry cargo.
"We deliver just about everything
from A to Z," says LL Col. Jasper H.
Rogers, USAF, the commander of the
Air Force Water Port Logistics Office
(WPLO) in Seattle. WPLO is the staging site for Cool Barge and other
government cargo headed for Alaska,
North Canada and Greenland. Before
the beginning of the Cool Barge season, the spacious WPLO warehousea former auto factory with the capacity
to store more than five football fields
of material-held enough Cool Barge
dry cargo to satisfy customer needs
for a year. "We've got construction
supplies for sites undergoing renovation, medical supplies for health care
sites and hospitals, and food, consumer products and just about anything else for the many areas served
by Cool Barge," says Lt. Col. Rogers,
who has a staff of 12 full-time and
several seasonal employees to receive,
store and crate all of the cargo that
eventually goes to Alaska and other
northern sites.

Operation Cool Barge cargo waits to be loaded onto a barge bound for Alaska.

MSC's tug and barge contractor for
Cool Barge, Alaska Puget United
Transportation Company (APUTCO),
is responsible for the delivery of the
government cargo to Alaska. Using a
combination of barges, tugs and a
number of lighterage vessels, the company delivers cargo to sites unreachable by ships and only occasionally
resupplied by aircraft.
"Tugs and barges are still the best
way to reach remote sites in Alaska,''
says Bill O'Shea, vice president of
ar~tic operations for APUTCO. "It's
~ertainly the most cost effective and
operationally effective way to resupply Alaska.
"Even though we've been involved
with Cool Barge for so long and make

it look easy, it isn't," says O'Shea,
who's worked with the project for 30
years. "It's still a tough, harsh operation."
Craggy rocks and sandbars along
the 34,000 mile Alaskan shoreline, along
with 80 knot winds in the Aleutian
Islands chain and ice in the Chukchi
and Beaufort Seas above the Arctic
Circle, help bring meaning to O'Shea's
statement. Because timing is absolutely critical to the operation during
the six months of .. good weather" in
Alaska, Cool Barge personnel sometimes work around the clock to meet
their crucial delivery schedule. Operations begin in Southeastern Alaska
in late March and move to the Alaskan
Peninsula, the Aleutian Chain and

Bristol Bay by May. From there, dry
cargo and fuel is moved into the B~~ng
Sea and up the long, shallow Ku.,kokwim River during June and July. The
last part of Operation Cool Barge in
August and September is conducted
in the Arctic before the sea freezes
over for another season. Federal Cool
Barge customers include the Air Force,
Coast Guard and the Navy's Arctic
Submarine Laboratory; the Bureau of
Indian Affairs, the Federal Aviation
Administration and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, along with the National Weather Service and the Department of Health and Human Resources.
For many, the once-a-year tug and
barge arrival to remote areas of Alaska
is a time of joy. ''The people still get
excited when they see their cargo
being delivered," says Kenneth Faris,
APUTCO's administrative manager.
"Whether it's a site along the coast
or a village up a river, a lot of people
come out to greet us, despite the fact
it's become a routine, seasonal activity."
Though the $6.4 million Cool Barge
contract was awarded by MSC headquarters in Washington, much of the
day-to-day work administering the
contract is performed by MSCO personnel in Seattle and Alaska. "We're
in contact with the two offices all the
time during the Cool Barge season,''
says APUTCO's Faris. "Between
them, there's a great deal of corporate
knowledge out there and it's helped
to ensure a very smooth operation."
The people who depend on Cool Barge
deliveries would no doubt agree.

B.B.

u

I

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The constitution of che SIU
Atlantic, Gulf, Lakn and lnlund Water&lt;; District makes
,peeific provision for safeguarding the membership's
money and Union finances. The constitution requires a
detailed audit hy (\:nified Public Accountants every three
month , which are to be submitted to the membership by
the Sccretary-Trtasurcr. A Quarterly fimrnc:e committee
of rank and file members. elected hy the mcmhership.
makes examination cuc:h qu~rter of the finances of the
Union and reports fllll~ their findings and recommendations. Member:. of thi-.. committee may make disscnring
repons. specific: ri;commcndati?m and ~cpnratc findings.
TRUST FUNDS. All lru t f um.Is of the SIU Atlat'ltic.
Gulf. Lakes and lnlaml Water~ District are administered
in accordance wilh ihc provision oi various trust fund
a.grccmenis. All ihese ugreements specify that the trustees
in charge of these funds sh&lt;lll equally consist of Union
and management repre entatives .rnd their alternates. All
expemliturcs aml uishun.ement... of trust funds arc made
only upon i.ipproval hy ~1 majortt} of the trustees. All trust
fun&lt;l financial records are availahic at the hcadquaners of
the various trust funds.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively hy the contracts hetween the
Union and the emplo}crs . Get to know your shipping
rights. Copies of these contracts arc posted and available
in all Union hall~. If you feel thcrl" has hcen any violation
of your shipping or cniority rights as contained in the
contracts between the Union and the cn,ploycrs. norify
the Seafarer Appeal!&gt;. Board hy ccrtifted nrniL return receipt reque~ted. The proper addrtss t"or this is:
Angus "Red" Campbell
Chairman, Seafarers Appeals Bvard
5201 Auth Way and Britannia Way
Prince Georges County
Camp Springs. Md. l0746
Full copies of contracts as referred to are available to
you at all times. either hy writing directly to the Union
or to the Seafarers Appeals Board.
CONTRACTS. Copies of all SIU contracts are available in all SIU halls. These contrncts specify the wages
and conditions under which vou work and live aboard
your ship or boat. Know yt)U; contract rights. as well as
your ohligaliom. such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If. at any rime. any SIU

T

all Union halls. All mcmhers should ohtain copies of this
constitution ~o as to familiarize themselves with its contents. Any time you feel any memher or officer is attempting to &lt;.Jeprive you of &lt;my comtitutional right or ohligation
hy any methods such us dealing with charges. trials, etc.,
as well as all other details. then the memhcr so uffected
should immediately notity headquarters.

EQUAL RIGHTS. All memhers are guaranteed equal
right&lt;; tn emplO) rrnmt and as members of the SIU. These
rights arc clearly sec forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contructs which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently, no memher may he discriminated against hccausc of race. creed, color. sex and nat1lrnal or geographic origin. If any member feels that he i"
denied the e4ual rights to which· he is entitled. he houlJ
notify Union headquarter·11111n1111111f11111111tl1111111n1111111111111111n1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
patrolman or other Union olli...ial, in your opinion, fails
to protect ~our contract right~ properly, contact the
neare~t SIU port &lt;1gent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Lug has
traditionall&gt; refrained from publbhing any artic:le erving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union,
offker or memher. Ir has also refrnme&lt;l from publishing
article deemed harmful to the Union or it!&gt; collective
membership. This esiahlished policy has been reaffirmed
hy memhcr hip action at the Sepremher. 1960. meeting.;
in all constitutional pons. The responsibility for LoK
policy is vcsteJ in an cuitorial ho•m.l whic:h consist of
the E'-ecutive Bo.ir&lt;l of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this rcsponsihility.

PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to he paid
to anyone in :my offici•d capacity in the SIU unks~ an

official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circumstances should any member pay &lt;lnY money for any reason
unless he is given such receipt. In the event anyone
attempts to require any such payment he made without
supplying a receipt, or if a memher is requireu to make a
payment &lt;ind is given an official receipt. hut feels that he
should not h;1vc heen rcquireJ to make such payment. this
should immediately he reported lo Union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds arc used to further its ohjects and purposes including. hut not limited to. furthering the political. social and
economic intere!.ts of maritime workers. the preservation
and furthering of the American Merchant Marine with
improved employment opportunities for seamen and
hoatmcn and the •1Jv;1ncement of trade union concepls.
In connection with such ohjects, SPAD supports and
contrihutes co political Ci.lndiJate~ for elective office. All
contrihutions are volunti.lry. No contrihution may be
solicited or received because of force. joh discrimination.
financial reprisal. or threat of such conduct. or as a condition of membership in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made hy reason of the ahove improper
conduct, notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD by certified
mail within 30 days of the contribution for investigation
and appropriate action and refund. it involuntary. Support SPAD to protect and further your economic. political and 'locial 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
~to Union records or information, he should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The address is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

June 1988 I LOG I 7

�2nd Cook Kirk Diener stocks his galley on the India.na Harbor.

The Paul H. Townsend tied up in Cleveland on the Cuyahoga River.

SIU Lakes Sailors Look to
1988 Shipping Season·as
More Jobs Are on Horizon

TH
Wheelsman Peny Willis waits for the ladder to be secured.

,.~

·"\

..

"'

Soon that small pile would grow to mountain size as the Thayer discharged her first cargo
of the year in Cleveland.

8 I LOG I June 1988

Ray Kline (left) and Port Agent Jack Allen are former shipmates. N-0w, Watchman Kline
sails aboard the Townsend.

�Watchman Robert Allen.

Time for a cup of coffee for Asst. Conveyerman Walt Lesczynski on the Reiss.

De~khand

Melvin Kirchoff on the Townsend.

With the help of a tug, the Thayer nears its dock.

Here the pair of deckhands take a line.

June 1988 I LOG I

a

�East Coast
by V .P. Jack Caffey

W

E have come across some last
minute snags in our tentative
agreement with the Seafood Producers
Association in New Bedford. As soon
as we get all the names and addresses
of the crewmembers there, we will be
sending out a copy of the Union's final
proposals for ratification.
We have reached a tentative agreement with Maritrans. Many of you will
remember the company as Harbor
Towing.
Some good news concerning World
War II veterans. A city bill renaming
Battery Park City in honor of merchant
seamen serving in World War II has
been signed. There will be a ceremony
June 8 at City Hall, where Mayor Ed
Koch will sign the bill.
We are gearing up for the November
elections. This promises to be a landmark election for the maritime industry. The American-flag merchant marine stands at a crossroads. If the next
administration fails to take any constructive steps to halt the decline of
our industry, then there might not be
an American-flag merchant marine left
to save.
The recently released president' s
Commission on Merchant Marine and
Defense stands as a blueprint for the
industry's revival. The chances are
slim that any action will be taken on
the report during this session of Con·
gress. But by being politicalJy active,
we can make sure that whoever be·
comes the next president understands
where we stand on this issue.

Great Lakes
by Exec. V.P. Mike Sacco

T

HE Canadian Free Trade Agreement is running into fierce opposition among Canadian nationalists and
trade union members who see it as a
sell-out of their interests.
Workers north and south of thr;
border have been vigorous in their
denunciation of the treaty. Thanks to
the timely actions of SIU President
Frank Drozak and SIU of Canada head
Roman Gralewii;z;, maritime was removc;d from the treaty.
So for at kast, shipping has picked
up in the region. Much of that has
been due to a turnaround in the steel
industry. But industry experts predict
a slowdown in the near-future. The
only thing in question is the degree.
This. of course, will have important
i;onsequcncr;s for shipping up here.
Meanwhile, SIU members employed on dredging jobs have been
doing quitr; well. Dunbar and Sullivan
is working on two dredging projects
in the Saginaw Bay area, one in Point
Lookout, Mich., the other in Sebewaing.
Meanwhile Leudtke Enginr;cring has
been working on an hydraulic electrical project in Gary, Ind. And bids will
soon be opening up for the Buffalo
River and Harbor Dredging project .
An accident including a Greek-flag
vessel tied up traffic on the Chicago
River recently. Great Lakes Dredging
and Dock won an emergency contract
to free the stranded vessel.
One last thing, the Union is looking
to stimulate; work in the badly depressed tug and barge industry.
10 I LOG I June 1988

Area Vice Presidents' Report
Some industry figures estimate that
$400 million could be generated annually for the industry if the Military
Traffic
Management
Command
(MTMC) were encouraged to use the
tug and barge industry to move military cargo.

Gulf Coast
by V.P. Joe Sacco

S

HIPPING has been very good in
the Gulf. Military work has provided the bulk of our new job opportunities.
The SIU has reached a contract with
Crescent Towing of Mobile to extend
the present contract for another year.
We are also in negotiations with
GATCO Towing. Tom Glidewell is
handling the negotiations for the Union.
The SIU has been active on the
grassroots level. We will participate
in the Democratic State Convention,
which .will be held June 15 in Houston,
Texas. In addition, we have been active in the State Fed and the various
central labor bodies.
Education and political activity remain the keys to turning things around
for the maritime industry. I therefore
urge every member who has not registered to vote to do so. Also, make
sure that you take time out to upgrade
your skills at Piney Point.

Government Services
by V. P. Buck Mercer

T

HERE are two issues of vital
importance to the MSC membership of this organization that are remotely related and should be resolved
with management. The resolution of
the first problem-''reliefs"-will help
curtail the number of "disciplinary
actions" that have begun to pile up,
which is the second issue.
In the recent past, the SIU office
has received a number of requests
from members aboard ships to ••make
sure my relief gets here." This cry is
being heard more and more often these
days. The; ••relief," however, shows
up weeks or months later, if at all.
Crewing of vessels is strictly the
responsibility of MSC and MSCP AC.
as is the furnishing of replacements
and/or "reliefs."
An unlicensed mariner is assigned
to a vessel for a six-month period,
after which he/she is due to be relieved, unless, with the blessings of
the master, they 1;hoose to remain,
thereby extending their tour-of-duty.
Those wanting to be relieved are required to request a relief 30 days prior
to the end of the six-month commitment. All this is fine, except MSCPAC
has been unable to fulfill their commitment and furnish on-time replacements.
The mariner, who possibly has personal obligations at home , cannot or
should not depart the vessel until his
" relier· arrives. If no replacement
arrives at the ship , the mariner begins
to devise ways and means of leaving
the ship. Quite often, thr;y do not use
goodjudgment, and leaving their ships
shorthanded results in a serious "dis-

ciplinary action" which is MSCPAC's
way of dealing with an already serious
problem.
While "disciplinary action" is a necessary shipboard evil, the MSC sailor
must watch his/her every move
ashore-domestic or foreign-and, for
that matter, at home. There is a charge
of ' 'conduct unbecoming a government employee," which applies aboard
ship, ashore or at home .
So, between the MSCPAC's failure
to furnish on-time ''reliefs'' for their
mariners and the heavy obligation the
mariner is under to MSCP AC, it is no
wonder why disciplinary actions are
running at a very high pitch.

West Coast
by V. P. George McCartney

W

ORLD WAR II created an unprecedented demand for American shipping, which made it easier for
maritime unions like the SIU to organize new workers. Wages and working conditions which had been depressed ever since the ill-fated strike
of 1921, improved dramatically.
Yet as the war drew to a close, it
became obvious that maritime unions
would have to work twice as hard just
to stay even. Signs of an anti-union
backlash were becoming apparent. In
addition , the transition from a war to
peace time economy would inevitably
have far-reaching repercussions for
American seamen.
An agent's conference in New York
in March 1945 helped prepare the SIU
for the post-war era. The structure of
the Union was streamlined and
strengthened. A new position was created, Director of Organizing, whch
was filled by New York Port Agent
Paul Hall, who later became president
of the Union.
Under Hall's direction, a strong
foundation was laid. Successful organizing drives were conducted against
such companies as Isthmian and Cities
Service. The Union gradually assumed
a leadership role, both in the maritime
industry and in the labor movement.

Throughout the 1950s, the SIU was
able to build upon the organizing gains
that had been made during the immediate post-war era. Wages and benefits were continually upgraded. New
union halls were erected.
An emphasis was placed on education and training, which made it possible for the Union to adopt to the
technological changes which were
sweeping the maritime industry.
The SIU saw itself thrust into the
national limelight on an issue of central
importance: combatting organized
crime on the waterfront and in the
labor movement. Paul Hall worked
closely with AFL head George Meany
in making sure that American workers
were represented by clean, democratic
unions.
Throughom: the '50s, the SIU often
found itself at odds with its traditional
rival, the National Maritime Union.
The competition between the two outlived the merger between the AFL and
CIO in 1955.
Still, the SIU and the NMU were
able to work together on the more
important issue facing American seamen: the mass exodus of American
shipping companies to flag of convenience registries. Despite some victories in the courts, the unions' promising efforts to sign up FOC vessels
was stopped dead in the water by a
1963 Supreme Court ruling.
Legislation which the SIU helped
pass in 1954, the P.L. 480 " Food for
Peace" program, made it possible for
the SIU to improve the wages and
benefits of its membership during a
time of retrenchment for the maritime
industry. The Union was successful
in beating back efforts to dismantle
the program.
By 1962, the SIU had become a key
player on the national scene. In recognition of the productive role the SIU
had played in numerous areas, the
SIU's president was appointed to the
Executive Council of the AFL-CIO
by the Federation's president, George
Meany. This marked a new stage in
the Union's development. It was the
beginning of the SIU's leadership in
maritime labor-in organizing, in bargaining, in training and education, and
in political action.

.· · ·• .t.

On their way for a tour of Capitol Hill, these SIU upgraders stopped at the Supreme
Court. The group includes Wayne Halsall, Charles Polk, Piney Point Port Agent Al
Raymond, Dan Spooner (Manpower), Jimmy Hendrix, Steve Migliara, Kevin Struzik,
Richard Worthy, Melvin Layner, Tom Warner, Owen Duffy, Mike Peck, Dave McGrath,
Richard Buchanan and Jim Floyd.

�SIU's Sam Houston,
Atlantic Spirit
Pay Off in Busy
New Orleans
The Sam Houston ties up in New Orleans.

Here is part of the Atlantic Spirit's crew. From the left are Chief Cook I. Johns, Chief
Steward Keno, QMED 0. Flores, New Orleans Bosun R. Garay, Patrolman Nick Celona,
and AB Bonefont.

i

m~rt i~

AB Ivey Cox, sailing on the Sam Houston,
is an old friend of Frank Mongelli, the late
vice president of the SHLSS.

part of the rrew of the Sam Houston (Waterman) dudng its payoff in New Orleans,

(I. tor.) AB N. Bryant, ABC. Carter, AB M. Zimbro, AB D. Miller, Messman R. Hall

and Steward/Baker Nick Andrews.

The Atfuntic Spiril.

The counter is always a busy pla&lt;.:e at the New Orleans hall. Here Port Agait Ray
Singletary (right) discusses business with long-time member Mr. Boone.

June 1988/LOGI11

�..,
Healthy· Gulf and East Coas
Is Backbone of Boatmen'

The Monitor (Crowley) is a deepsea tug w
and Puerto Rico. Above are (I. to r.) AB
Hutchins, 2nd Mate Lee Wallace, Cook J
Mate Bill Smith.

Onboard the Peggy S are Asst/Eneineer James Thomas (left) and Mate Alan Thomas Sr.

Shamokin Capt. Hilton S. Foster Sr. (right)
is preparing to retire next year.

The crew of the Titan (Sabine) is pictured above while it is tied up at Lake Chades. The
crew is (I. to r.) Deckhand Larry Gaston, Chief Engineec Allen Bcunet, Capt. Joseph
CourniH and Deckhand Curtis S. Abshire.

12 I LOG I June 1988

In Texas City, the crew of the Joe M. Po
Pictured above are (I. to r.) SIU Rep Jo
Robert Jardell and Sidney Thomas and T

�·::··

' tug/to
:~ harge/dredge ~
a
w: ··~*wr-..:· ;

I

:0:~:~ =·-~· :..; =·::::::;.=:~::";:-i~:·~~::..:?-.::.:J*~~x!~~~w~::::..: ~

Inland Work
Job Security

In Lake Charles, the crew of the Hermes (Sabine) poses (I. to r.) Capt. Richard Mantalvo, Asst. Engineer Gary Boyless and deckhands
Charles Durgin and Kenny Moore.

On the James Justice (Orgulf) are Lead Deckhand Jay Brown
and Deckhand Robert Shaw .

Engineer John Tanner (foregound) and the rest of the Peggy S
crew load new line aboard the tug.

.;;,:;.\3;+;,
Higman) takes a break at the Amco docks.
rnold 1 Tankerman Tom Brown, captains
rm an Dominic Bailey.

June 1988ILOGI13

�East and Gulf Coast
Boatmen at Work

In Morehead City, N.C., the SIU-crewed Beaufort Belle (Steuart Transportation) pushes
a barge into the Texas Gulf Terminal.
Capt. Melvin Willis on the bridge of the Beau/ort Belle.

SIU Boatmen in Morehead City also work fo1: Carteret Towing. Pictured above are
Engineer James E. Willis, Enaineer Linwood A. Calhoun, Capt. Brian K. Willis, Capt.
Mark E. Price and Engineer Morri~ W. Mace •

Allied Marine's Sea Robin recrewed recently after a months-long lay-up. Pictured above
onboard in Norfolk, Va. are (I. to r.) SIU Rep Richie Wilson, AB Thomas Quirante,
Cook Dave Laffan, Mate Mike Forrester and Capt. Erik Eriksen.

...

June Hughes is the cook on the James Juslice.

14 /LOG I June 1988

The crew of the Beaufort Belle is (I. tor.) Capt. Melvin Willis, Deckhand Mike Taylor, Cook Paul Jones, 2nd Engineer Steve Hopkins,
and Mate Wallate Main.

�Aboard the tug Petrel are (I. to r.) Mate Jimmy Taylor, Engineer Jimmy Smith, AB
Willie Owens and Cook James Ambrose.

The tug Petrel, owned by SIU-contracted Allied Marine, is ready to tie up at the Allied
dock in Hopewell, Va.

-

On the Shamokin, the crew goes over some of the latest contract proposals. From the left
are Capt. Hilton S. Foster Sr., Chief Engineer Robert Fulford, SIU Rep Richie Wilson
and AB/Cook Russel Hudgins.
The BC 10 (Texas Gulf Marine) is a spare boat used when needed in Morehead City,
N.C. With the Pamlico laid up for repain, SIU Boatmen operated the BC JO. Pictured
:drove are (I. to r.) SIU Rep Danny Griffin, Engineer Gerald Huneycutt, Capt. Jack
ThomH •md Mate/CMk Ty Saunders.

A pair of SIU-crewed tugs, the Ocean Star (Sheridan Transportation) at the dock and the
Petrel.

Personals

Capt. H.H. Hiss

Salvatore T. Nevola, your chief
mate aboard the SS Mart in Van
Please call or write Blackie San- Buren when she was torpedoed in
chez, Star Rt. 2. Box 753, Satsuma, 1945, would like you to get in touch
Fla. 32089. Phone number: (904) with him. Please call him collect
(516) 959-6177.
328-5916.
Frank Smith

Deckhands George D.-vis (left) and Marshal Saunders Jr onboard
a Texas Gulf Barg~ in Moorehead City.

-

June 1988 I LOG I 15
-:;--

-

�Deaths

Pe
Correction
Due to an editor's error, several
pictures of new pensioners in last
month's LOG were incorrectly placed
in the Deaths column. Below are their
pictures. The LOG regrets the error.

Joseph R. Hales

John James
E. Lewis

Thomas J. Henry
Claude R. Newman
Charles S. Oski
Peter C. Schaefer
John J. Terry
Charles Williams
Joe A. Worrell
Jene Legg
Inland

Gloucester Fishermen
Dominic Parisi

Donald A. Sutherland

James A. Davis

Inland
James Davis
Harold Hess
Alvis Hughes
Arthur Lewin
James Sammon
Charles Ussun

George Tolliver

MAY 1-31, 1988

•TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

New Y{)rk ............. . ......... . .
Pnilaoe1pnia ......•................
Baltimore ............ .......... . . .
Norfolk ..................... .
Mobile .............. . . .. ........ .
New Orleans ...................... .
Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . .
San Francisco •........ , , . , ........ .
Wilmington ....................... .

Se;ittle .............. .

Puerto Rico
....................
Houston ..... .
Algonac _
...... . ............. .
St. Louis ........................ .
Piney Point ....................... .
Totals ........................ , ..

0

Mobile ......•....................

New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jacksonville ............... .

San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ....................... .

Seattle .......................... .

Thomas H. Holt

Puerto Rico ......................
Houston .........................
Algonac .........................
St. Louis ....... ........... ......
Piney Point .......................

.
.
.
.
.

Totals .......................... .

1
7
54

0
1
3
0
3
0
0
3

MQne Jr.

Harry Constantine
Raymond

J. Glespen
James R. Kelly

C.L. Granger
Desmond T. Kenny

CArl E. Lamb

Ralph R. Nay
George E. Pretare
Floyd Simmons

Milton A. Lirette
Harold E. McCoy

16 I LOG I June 1988

Class B

0
0
6

0
2

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

4

0

0
0

0

4
20
0
0

0
2
0
0

0
0
0
0

5

1

0

3

2

0
10
0
0

0

0

0

0

6

4

10

0

0

0

1
0
3
0
0

99

0
0
0

0
0
0

27

0
0

7

,

0
0
0
0
0
0

0

16
0
0

3
0
0

0
1

24

.
.
.

.
Jacksonville ...................... .
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ....................... .

0
0
0

Puerto Rico ......................
Houston . . . . . . . . . .
. .......... ..
Algonac .
. ............... ..
St. Louis ................... . ....
Piney Point .......... . .. .. ........
Totals ..........................

All Groups

Class A

Class

c

0

3
0

3
0
26

63

0
1

60
0
0

0

0

0

12
1

0
0

0
0

66

0

0

0

49

6

14

0
200

4

0

1

2

0

0
19
0
1

1
0
3(;

0
0
0
28
1
0
88

0
5

0
0

0
0
2

0
0
0
0
5

0

3
0
15

1

0
0
0

0
0
0

5

0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
1

0

0
0
0
0
0
1

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

6

2

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

0

1

0
0
0
10

0
0
0

0
0
0
0
27

0
0

0
0
1

5
0

2
5

0
0

42
0
0

0
20
0
0
32

0

0

0

10

2

1

80

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Claren~e

••REGISTERED ON BEACH

5

2
0

0
7
0
0
17

0
0
0
2
0

Baltimore ........................
Norfolk ......... ....... .. .......
. ........
Mobile.... .........
New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0

Pon
New York ........ ................ .
Philadelphia .......•.... ...........

Sammy M. Evans

Support
SPAD

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

New York ............•............
Phila&lt;Jelohia ...................... .

Baltimore , , ...................... .
Norfolk ............ ...... ....... .

William Dean

The use of the nation's domestic
waterways system is once again
recognized as an efficient, cost-effective alternative to the truck and
rail movement of cargoes shipped
by the Military Traffic Management
Command (MTMC), according to a
story _written by Dave Kameras in
the May issue of Currents.
''Some estimates exceed $400
million annually in potential revenues to be earned by water carriers
from MTMC shipments," writes
Kameras. "The industry awaits
these developments eagerly.''

0

Port

Raul Giron

Military Domestic Cargo

DECK DEPARTMENT

Purl

Edward F. Fabian

Treaties ratifying two conventions of the International Labor Organization were signed by President
Reagan. This was the first formal
U.S. adherence to new ILO
standards in 35 years.
The president's action followed
ratification of the two treaties, and
brought success to the SIU's long
fight to win ratification.
One of the two treaties, Convention 147, requires nations to establish minimum standards for working
and living conditions for crews on
seagoing vessels registered under
their flag.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters

Deepsea

J. Albertson

ILO

Ralph Arendian
William Adams
Homer Baldwin
Lawrence Belanger Great Lakes
Ray C. Brue
Arvis Benson
Robert Brunner Barney Dahl
Peter Canessa
Ward Johnson
Herlies A.
Henry S.
Anthony Conti
Robert E. Matheson
Kasprzynski
Evans Jr.
James Derrickson Edward Murphy
Allen Dunn
Pedro Erazo
Herlies Evans
Floron Foster
Raymond Gomez
Charles Gray
Forest Boldrin
Henryk Kasprzynski
Edward Moore King Koo
King Sea Koo
John Kulas
Morinosuke Kamikihara
Walter Laughridge
Way Lee
Richard Leiby
Robert Liegel
Manuel Madarang
Richard Martinez
James Meeks
JQhn J. Kulas James Sammon Jr. Juan Mojica

Great Lakes
Gordon T. Luckett

Lewis

(Continued from Page 24.)

Edward Moore
Frederick Peet
Marcus Peralta
Doyle Platt
Casimiro Raguinan
James Stewart
George Tolliver
Osby Taylor

1

0

0
0
0
1

0
0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0

0

9
0
0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
2

0

0
71

0
20

351

140

17

0

0

0

0

0

0
0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
1
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

12

4

3

0
0
2

Totals All Depanments ............... .

135

26

30

61

0
0
0

0

0

0

.
.
.
.
.
.

3

0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2

0

1

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

8

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

15

8
0
1
0

4

0
1
0

40

0

0
8

0

0

0
0

22

0
0
7

·"'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.

�&lt;

-

.,

~

•

::

• •

~~

~·

•

•

~·,....,

1''

~

•

•

.. .

....

..

•

~

#~ ;~

'~ ~

SHLSS Hosts
Distinguished Guests
On May 24 and 25, SHLSS hosted guests from the U.S. Virgin
Islands Governor's Council. The council's main interest was in
stimulating the Virgin Islands' job market for merchant mariners.
Escorted by UIW officials Steve Edney (National Director), Amos
Peters (UIW Caribbean Region V.P.), and James Coppin (UIW
Caribbean Region Assistant V.P.), were U.S. Virgin Islands officials,
Ms. Gloria Canegata (Dir. of Job Training &amp; Partnership Administration) and Dr. Aubrey Roebuck (Assist. Commissioner of Education). Welcomed by Major Ken Conklin, the contingent was given a
VIP tour of all the SHLSS's facilities, induding the Farm and the
Seafarers Addiction and Rehabilitation Center.

Dr. Aubrey Roebuck and Ms. Gloria 4

Canegata listen attentively as Man· .......
power Coordinator Bart Rogers e plains
the intricate workings of the Manpower
Office.

The Virgin Islands Governor's CQun- llllrii.....
cil delegation tours the Manpower 1111111""'"
Billing Office. Left to right; Bart Rogers,
Gloria Canegata, Amos Peters--UIW, Jamts
Coppin-UIW t Steve Edney- UIW, Jackie
Knoetgen--SHLSS Dean of Edu~ation, Bill
Eglinton-SHLSS Vocational Director, and
Gay Fowler-Office Manager.
~ Gloria Canegata lectu.-e~ SHLSS vo·
...... cational instructors during their Cooperative Vocational Education course. These
instructors are working towards their Advanced Professional Certification in T.-ade
and Industrial Education frnm the Univer·
sity of Ma.-yland.

Officen from Progressive Driver .....
Services, Inc. a11d thtir UIW chief 11111"""""
shop steward toured SllLSS facilities with
Manpower Coordinatu.-, Ba.-t RQgers. Pie·
tu.-ed, left to .-ight are; Brian DohertyAtlantic Coast UIW V.P., John Luttro-UIW Shop Steward, Doug Harmon-Presidtnt of Progressive Driver Services, Inc.,
Michael Reese-Vice President of Progressive Driver Services, Inc.

June 1988ILOGI17

�SHLSS course Graduates

Lifeboat Class #426
First row (I. to r.) Warren Barroner, Darrell Weathenpon, Carlos CaIToll, Anthony Dagy, Francis Dyer,
Luigi Malta, (second row) Ben Cusic (instructor), Troy
Robin, Steven Hoskins, Michael J. Sopczak, William
Thomas, Richard Keenan, Patrick Barton, Jeffrey Fry,
Richard Rose and Byran Shepard.

Upgraders Lifeboat
Kneeling (I. tor.) Muharam Husin, Robert "Pit Bull"
Milan, Abraham Daif, (second row) Ben Cusic (instructor), Jerry Hobbs, Elizabeth Martinetti, Aron McCallon
and Herb Curry Jr.

MSC Lifeboat
Kneeling (I. to r.) Gilbert Galcia, Ali Said, Juan M.
Sanchez, (second row) Ben Cusic (instructor), Lenin
Delgado, Jean Battle, Jose Ocasiom, Angel Luis Perez
Jr., (third row) Gerald Soriano and Joseph Wise.

Recertified Bosuns
Front row (I. tor.} Fareed A. Khan, Bennie R. Hobbs
Jr., Edward M. Cain, Joseph Artis, Mike Russo, Eddy
Stivaeard, (second row) Carrol Heick, James O'Mara,
Robert Newby, Pete Hulsebosch, Louie Zizzo and Claude
Dockery.

Sealift Class
First row (I. to r .) Allen Bright, John McCabe, Keith
Shanaberger, Jim McGinnis, Charles Wharton (second
row) Bill Hellwege (instructor), Eddie Cain, James
O'Mara, Bennie R. Hobbs Jr., Louie Zizzo, Fareed A.
Khan, Eddy Stivaeard, Roy E. Matteson, (third row)
Carrol Heick, Joseph Artis, Pete Hulsebosch, Kevin
Struzik, Joey Clements, Mike Goins, Robert Newby,
Chuck Dockery and A. Hansen.

Sealift Class
First row (I. to r.) V.L. Kirksey, A Ian Bright, John
McCabe, (second row) Harry Alonzi (instructor),
Hansen, Mike Goins, Kevin Struzik and Lorenzo Nelson.

Diesel Engine
Front row (I. to r.) William Behan, Owen Duffy, (second
row) Ede Malzkuhn (instructor), Don Malozzi and Floyd
Acord.

Welding
Front row (I, to r.) Stephen Migliara, Cizi Grycko,
Melvin Layner, (second row) Michael Peck, Charles
Polk, Bob Hamil and Bill Foley (instructor).

~
Scalift Cla.ss
(L t() r_) Stt:pht:n Migliara, Michael Peck, Elizabeth
Martinettit Bobby "Pit Bunt' Milan and Michael Mc-

llwain.

-

College Programs Class
(I.

to r .) Jeffrey L. McPhenon, Greg Linkom and Mike

Harat. NQt pktured are Steve Parker,
and John Thompson.

18 I LOG I June 1988

Ja~k

Freeman

Canadian Seamanship Training Program
First row (I. to r.) Ken LeBlanc, Rickey Kelland, Michele Bertrand, Jill Vance, Gary
Lambert, Daniel Desjardins, Jerry Hryckowian, (second row) Bruce R. Kelland, Mary
Catherine Bonnar, Wieslaw Witczak, Elvis Jones, Fred Gagne, George Finney, David
Power, Brain Laramee, (third row) Lloyd Doe, Terry McCormick, Robert Playford,
Derek Mitchell, Survine Anthony, Stephane Descheneaux, Joseph Clark and Jim Moore
(instructor).

�Engine Upgrading

Check·ln
Date

Completion
Date

July 11

Marine Electrical .Maintenance
Refrigeration Systems .Maint. &amp; Op.

May 23
August 22
June 27
October 3

September 29
July 1
September 30
August 19
November 11

Refrigerated Containers-Advanced .Maint.

August 8

September 2

Pumproom Maint. &amp; Operations

August 1
September 19

September 9
October 28

Variable Speed DC Drives

September 5

October 14

Electro-Hydraulic Systems

November 7

December 16

Automation

November 21
November 21

December 16
June 24
November 11

Course
QMED -·Any Rating

Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote O.S. Maritime Industry
May-December 1988
The following is the current course schedule for April 1988 December 1988 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.

Co~rses

Fireman/Watertender &amp; Oiler

Welding

December 16

Inland Boatmen and deep sea Seafarers who are preparing to upgrade
are advised to enroll for class as early as ~ble. Although every effon will
be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.

Hydraulics

May 30
October 17

Third Asst. Engineer/Steam or Motor

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for Starting Date)

The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs and
the needs of the industry.

*All students in the Engine Department will have 2 weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

SIU Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the
application.

Recertification Programs
PLEASE NOTE: All members are required to take firefighting when
attending SHLSS.

Completion
Date

Steward Recertification

Check-In
Date
July 5

Bosuns Recertification

September 26

November 7

Course

Deck Upgrading Courses
Check· In

August 8

Course

Date

Completion
Date

Able Seaman

June 13
July 25
September 19
October 31

July 22
September 2
October28
December 9

Radar ObServer Unltd.

July 18

July 29

Rada

Open-ended, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date.)

For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes in 1988,
the courses will be six weeks in length and offered on the following dates:

Open-ended, 1 day (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date)

High School Equlvalency (GED)

efresher/Renewal

Radar Rer;ertificatlon
Lifeboat

May 30
June 27
July 25

August 22
September 19
October 17
November 14
December 12

June IO
July 8
August 5
September 2
September 30
October 28
November 25
December 23

LNO - Self Study Safety Course

(This course is not offered as a
separate course, but may be
taken while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)
*Upon com,p lction of course must take Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance.

Steward (Jpgrading Courses
course
Assistant Cook

Check· In
Date

Completion
Date

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office

for starting date)•
Cook and Baker

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chlef Steward

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

A

t E uca ion Co rses

Course

English as a Second Language (ESL)

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

July 5

August 15

August 29
October 31

October 10
December 12

July 5
August 29
October 31

August13

October 7
December 10

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes.
Developmental Studies (DVS)

April 11
. April 15
(Offered prior to the Third Mate &amp;
Original Second Mates Course)

ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course

June 6

June 24

This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed to
help seafarers prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which is
scheduled immediately after this course. This class will benefit those
seafarers who have difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not
English, and seafarers who have been out of school for a long time.

Co ege Pro ra s Sche ule
Check·ln
Course
Date
Associates in Arts or Certificate Program May 23

*All students in the Steward Program will have 2 weeks of Sea lift

August 8

familiarization at the end of their regular course.

October 17

or 98
Completion
Date
July 15
September 30
December 9

June 1988ILOGI19

�,.,._

...............................•........................................................•....•...••••.....•••.......••...••••.•..••••.•.•

Seat are rs Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Ur:grading Application
i
Name

(Last)

(first)

Date of Birth

(Middle)

Address

Mo./Day/Year

(Street)

(State)

(City)

Deep Sea Member D

Telephone

(Zip Code)

Inland Waters Member D

(Area Code)

Pacific D

Lakes Member D

If the following imformation is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.

Social Security II _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Book II_ _ _ _ _ _ Seniority______ Department _ _ _ _ __
Home Port _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces 0 Yes D No

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes
Trainee Program: From _______ to

Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

(dates attended)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No 0 (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s)Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for Training _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ Primary Language Spoken - - - - - - - - - - - -

I Am interested in the Followir'lg Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
ENGINE

DECK

o FOWT

D AB/Sealltt
o Towboat 011erator Inland
D Cel.-tlal Navigation

D QMEO-Any Rating

Cl Mastvr ln,pvct'd Towing Vessel
O bt Class Pilot (orgMizM
o Third Male
o Radar Observer Unllmhed

STEWARD

~elf

study)

ALL DEPARTMENTS
D Welding

D Llfebgatm1m (M\.15t be taken

with another

course)

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

0 Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
D Marine Elvctrlcal Maintenance
O Pumproom Maintanance &amp; Operation
D Automation
D Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
O Diesel Engine Technology
D A~si~tant Engineer/Chief Engineer
un Inspected Motor Vessel
CJ Orglnal 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam gr Mgtor
0 R'frlgerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
O Hydraulics
o Electro-Hydraulic Systems

0 Assistant Cook Utility
D Cook and Baker
o Chief Cook
0 Chief Steward
0 Towboat Inland Cook

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates In Arts Degree
0 Certificate Programs

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
0 Adult Basic Education (ABE)

D High School Equlvalency
Program (GED)
D Developmental Studies (DVS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)

0 ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted showing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the
course(s) requested.
You must also submit a COPY of the first page of your union book indicating your department and seniority, as well
as, a COPY of your clinic card. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is received.

VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

S I G N A T U R E - - - - - - - - - - -- - - DATE _ _ _ __ _ _~-~---RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
R v. 2/U
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

•••••••4! .....................................................................................................................,-::;::;;...~-.........,

20 I LOG I June 1988

�ADONIS (Apex), April 16--Chairman
Carlos Canales, Secretary Frank Costango, Educational Director M.J. Brennan,
Deck Delegate W.T. Byrne, Engine Delegate Robert Johnston, Steward Delegate
Charles Brown. No beefs or disputed OT
reported. The repair lists should be turned
in so that the necessary work can be
completed. There is $42 in the ship's fund .
LOGs were brought onboard at the last
U.S. port by the boarding patrolman and
were passed out to all departments. It was
noted that as soon as the freezer is repaired, ice cream will once again be available. A discussion was held on the rumor
that the Union is going to close some of
the hiring halls, change the shipping rules
and ship by telephone. A vote of the crew
present showed a majority would be against
such a move. Next port: Beaumont, T~xas.

But if members have a beef, they should
go through their department delegate as a
first step. There is $218 in the ship's fund .
Clarification on the clothing allowance for
the deck department was requested as
was clarification on the reimbursement policy for living expenses when caught ashore
due to canceled launches or an early sail.
Members also expressed the desire to
have a Union official visit the ship at least
once every year. They also would like
information on an economic price adjustment for 1987. Repair of the crew VCR is

The captain thanked everyone for the·r
help in cleaning the ship for the Japanese
public health inspection in Okinawa. Out
of a possible 95 points, "we got a perfect
95 and a two-year health certificate. " The
educational director stressed the importance of upgrading at Piney Point. He noted
that the SIU must have enough qualified
members to man the ships, otherwise "we
will lose the jobs to the licensed personnel. "
Next port: Long Beach , Calif.

SEA-LAND KODIAK (Sea-Land Service) , March 28-Chairman William C. Feil ,
Secretary Ken Hayes, Educational Director
C. Cunningham , Deck Delegate Earl Brannan, Engine Delegate Jan Haidir, Steward
Delegate Richard Sanderson. Some minor
beefs in the deck department and some
disputed OT in the engine department was

BAYAMON (Puerto Rico Marine), May
1-Chairman Edward Ellis, Secretary Paul
Stubblefield, Educational Director David
Able, Deck Delegate D. Brown, Engine
Delegate James Combes, Steward Delegate Charles Ratcliff. No disputed OT.
Payoff will be May 3. The chairman is
checking the time of arrival so that a
patrolman can be on hand for payoff as
early as possible. The ship's movies have
not been changed in more than six weeks
and some loose tiles need to be fixed in
the mess area and in the private rooms.
Otherwise, all is running smoothly aboard
ship. A vote of thanks was given to the
steward department for the fine food and
good service. Members were reminded to
return to the ship a little early since it has
been leaving right on time. Next port:
Jacksonville, Texas.

COVET

(Cove Shipping), May
- Chairman C.F. Pryor. Secretary W.
Braggs. Educational Director F. Kiaemgy,
Deck DelegateJ. Poleate. Engine Delegate
T. Koubek, Steward Delegate H. Jones.
Some disputed OT was reported in the
deck and engine departments. The captain
wa
ked to put out the draw before arrival
in Baton Rouge. Th e chairman reminded
cr@wmemb@rs to coop@rate in h@lping ke@p

the ship in tip-top condition and also stressed
the importance of contributing to SPAD.
Two new washing machin@s have be@n
requisitioned for the crew. A reminder also
went out that when traveling, crewmem·
b@rs should ch@ck on transportAtion rtttes

l'.1etore leaving the Union Mii. Ne)lt

port~

Baton Rouge. La.
1ST LT. JACK LUMMUS (A.MSEA.) ,
April 4--Chairman Marl&lt; Stev~ns , se~re­

ta.ry K. oormOdy, Educational Director/Engine Delegate Randy Tannis, Deck Delegate Gary Coats, Steward Delegate Ellen
Jobbers. No beefs or disputed OT reported .

being looked into. Ttte Lummus has been
anchored off the Republic of Korea for one
month and will depart April 15. Next port:
Guam.

PU RT
p
Rco
e.
May 1-Chairman A.. Armada, Secretary
J.R. Colls, Educational Director W. Ste·
vens, Deck Delegate T. Trikoglou, Engine
Delegate R.L. Oppel, Steward Delegate
A..L. O'Neill. No beefs or disputed OT
reported. Payoff will take place as soon as
the boarding patrolman comes onboard.
There has been scme talk cf a layup in
June or July. One man got off sick in
Puerto Rico and remained there in the
hospital. A replacement was called in Baltimore. The steward department was given
a vote of thanks for a job well done. Next
port San Juan, P.R.
SEA-LAND HAWAII (Sea-Land Service) , April 15-Chairman Robert F. Garcia,
Secretary R. Linasan , Educational Director
S. Pardon Jr. No beefs or disputed OT
reported . There is $170 in the VCR fund.

reported. There is $48 in the film fund. The
bosun suggested that all members keep
up to date on the maritime industry situation. He said they should study the issues
and make their viewpoints known to their
ena ors and re rese a ·ves. Any beefs
should be taken to the department delegate
or to the ship's chairman, not directly to
the skipper. Many complaints were voiced
over the life jackets. They ware assembled
in Haiti and appear to be made for very
small people. Members find them useless
and cannot work in them . Clarification is
needed on tying up and on cleaning the
lounge. Also, a copy of the work rules is
needed , and a shelf should be set up in
the library. Next port Tacoma, Wash.

I would like tc apologrne to the Sea-Land crew who made a large
retirement pennant for me that l tlll&gt;ew overboard, besides not
attending the retirement pa.rty.
I had been very uptight about the treatment we were given aft.er
World War II, the innuendos about draft status, pay and other things.
I thought that the two yea.rs retll'ement credit for being in the
military was adding insult to injury.
To my Union brothers who were lost or disabled, God bless you. I
hope you made it to Valhalla.
Tc the mcthers and fathers , your sons were men amongst men.
To the wives and sweethearts, your ma.n had guts.
To the children, I am sorry your dad was not with you while you
were growing up and denied the funds for a. proper education, like the
sons and daughters of the military were given.
Vin.cent J. Meehan

Sasebo, Japan

M-13

STAR OF TEXAS (Seahawk Management) , April 30-Chairman Gene Paschall,
Secretary I.A. Fletcher. No beefs or disputed OT. Three men were logged and
fired in the deck department for refusing
the captain's order to turn to on overtime.
The ship will go into drydock on arrival in
Galveston. The chairman reminded all
members to be sure to register to vote in
the upcoming elections and to support the
SIU's political programs by contributing to
SPAD. Everyone was asked to leave their
rooms in order. A hearty vote of thanks
was given to the steward department for a
fine job. Next port: Galveston, Texas.
USNS H. H. HESS (T-AGS 38), April
10-Chairman David R. Park, Secretary
D.R. Cook, Deck Delegate James Hoban.
No beefs or disputed OT reported. With
regard to contract negotiations, the chairman noted that any changes or alterations
to the contract should be submitted in
writing to Deck Department Delegate James
Hoban, who will then submit it to SIU Vice
President "Red" Campbell. Members were
advised that any trash thrown over the side
should be biodegradable and weighted. It
was further suggested to get rid of styrofoam cups and plastic drinking cups. Other
suggestions made were to have linen
handed out the day before berthing inspection and to change the time of the
Union meeting so that steward department
personnel can attend. Next port: Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii.

Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
AMBASSADOR
ATLANTIC SPIRIT
OVERSEAS NATALIE
SEA-LAllD INDEPENDENCE
SEA·LAllD lllNOVATOR

SEA-LAND PACIFIC
SEA-LAND TRADER
SUGAR ISLANDER

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

'A Public Apology . . . '

SEA-LAND LIBERATOR (Sea-Land
Service), April 17-Chairman R. O'Rourke,
Secretary C. Modellas, Educational Director W.C. Barrineau , Deck Delegate Erik
Jensen, Engine Delegate C. Dunn. No
beefs or disputed OT reported. One wiper
was hurt in the engine room and got off in
Kobe, Japan. His replacement came aboard
in Hong Kong. The chairman talked about
the importance of voting in the upcoming
national elections-especially of backing a
candidate who is pro-maritime. He also
stressed the importance of contributing to
SPAD. Next port: Oakland, Calif.

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point . ..... . .... . .. Tuesday, July 5 . ... .... . .... .. . . ..... 10:30 a.m .
New York .... . .......... Tuesday , July 5 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .......... .. .. Wednesday , July 6 . . ....... .. . . .... . . 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore .......... . .. . .. Thursday , July 7 . ........... . ........ 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, July 7 ........... . ......... 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville ..... .... .. .. . Thursday , July 7 ..... . .. . ............ 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ... . ... ..... .. .. . Friday , July 8 . . . . .. . ... .. .... . ...... 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, July 11 . .......... .... . .. . . . 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans .. . .. . ...... .Tuesday , July 12 .... . . . . .. ... . .... ... 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .... . .... .. ... .. .. Wednesday , July 13 ..... . .... .. ... . .. 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco .. ... . . . ... .Thursday, July 14 .... . ....... . .. . .... 10: 30 a. m.
Wilmington ........ . ..... Monday, July 18 .. . ... . . . ..... . .... . . 10:30 a .m.
Seattle . . ......... . ...... Friday, July 22 ...................... 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ... . .... . .... .. . Thursday , July 7 ... ... . . . ... . ..... .. . 10:30 a.m .
St. Louis ............... .Friday , July 15 .. . . ....... . ......... . 10:30 a .m.
Honolulu . ___ . . .. _.... _ . . Friday , July 15 ..... . ...... . . . .. ... . . 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, July 13 ............ . ..... 10:30 a .m.
Jersey City .... .. . . .. . . ... Wednesday , July 20 ......... . ........ 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, July 19 ..................... 10:30 a.m.

June 1988 I LOG I 21

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

MAY 1-31, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED

All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
0

Algonac ......... . ........ .

DECK DEPARTMENT
a
36
7

28

Port

Frank Drozak, President
Joe DiGiorgio, Secretary
Mike Sacco, Executive Vice President
Angus "Red" Campbell, Vice President
Joe Sacco, Vice President
George McCartney, Vice President
Roy A. Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President
Jack Caffey, Vice President

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

a

16

2

0

10

2

5

2

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

0

7

2

0

Port
0

Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3

10

7

2

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
1O
5
ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

Port
Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

0

11

17

Totals All Departments. . . . . . . .

O

49

22

0

56

O

HEADQUARTERS

19

0

10

16

0

41

22

5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746
(301) 899-0675

""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.

ALGONAC, Mich.
520 St. Clair River Dr. 48001
(313) 794-4988

BALTIMORE, Md.
1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202
(301) 327-4900

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
MAY 1-31, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

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 . . . . . . - . . . . . .
S!i!~ttle ..... - .. - - . . . . . . .
Puerto Rico .
Honolulu.
........ '
Houston . . . . . . - . • • • • • ' ' I
St. LOUIS.
Piner: Point .
•,,

•

•

•

o

.

•

•,

Trl!D ll ....

••••

j

•

•I

I

•

I

I

I

I

I

I

•••'I

I

I

I

I

I

,

,

o

I

I

I

I

I

I

If

It

,

,

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I•

I

53
3

4

8
2
8
7
1
6
10
6
11
6
2
9
8
3
3

285

90

9
9
12
29
29
27
18
38
21
2
31

0

30

6

9

9

9
22
21
21
16

24

6
0

14
0
2

7
2
4

6
0
6
1
7
6

,
4

3
4

0
1

5
8
1

3
1
6
2
14
1

5
0
3
5
0
6

60

0
1
0

1
0

5

•

••

••I

I

I

I

•

o

o

I

I

I

•

•••I

I

I

I

I

It

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

If

I

I

I

12
2
4
9
4

22

18
21
11

0
3
0
0
1

8

15

1
20
1

16

20
0
3

6
1

2

12

,

•

o

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

5

•

•

•

o

I

I

I

I

It

4

I

254

52

•

·••••••I

33
0
2

189

•

•

5

2
150

••

•

37
2
4
12
12
25
34
26
11
30
21

3
0
0
2

Port

New v~rk ..
PhilMelphia .
Baltim~re ..
NMOll&lt; ....
Mobile ...
New Orleans
Jar;ksonville .
..... ....
San Francisco. - . ... . . . . . . .
Wilmington .
. . . . - ...
Seattle ....
Puerto Rir;o . . . . . . - . . . . . . .
Honolulu ................
Houston .. ....... ....
St. Louis ........ ........
Piney Point , ... , .... ... . .
Totals ...
. ........

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

7

8

45

12
23
3

0

1
1
2
6

,

rn

0
0
0
0

1
1
3
1
2
0
22

11

13

5

152

6

62

3
36

110

21

23

5
4

3
1
0
3

14
0
0

8

10

0

0

1

0

14
3
4
13
1
2

Port
New York , , ............
Philadelphia , .. ... . .......
Baltimore , , ....... . ....
Norfolk .. , . , ............
Mobile .. , , , , , . , ......
New Orleans , . , . , , ....
Jacksonville . .... , .. , , , . , .
San Francisco ......... , ...
WilmingtM . . . . . . . . . . ' ' ' .
Seattle ...
Puerto Rico ..............
Honolulu . , , .............
Houston ..
St. LOUIS . . . . . . . . . • , , • , • ,
Piney Point . .............
Totals

111

aepanments ......

737

•

•

•

•Ii

•

•

Totals All
0

•

•

•

•

•.

t

o

t

•

•

t

•

•

I

•

•

I

o

•

I

I

•

I

I

o

•'I

It

If

0

I

•

I

2

3

3

3
10
3
23

12
14

7

3
7
0

0

2
4

6

10
8
5

5

63
8
1

6

2

2
1
6

,

7
17

19

0

12

6

1

137

3

1

88

44

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
3
0
1
1
2
0
3
2
1
0
3
2
2
3
6
2
1
5
1
2
1
0
1
5
2
0
0
0
1
1
34
17

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
1
1
1
1
5
2
1
5
6
1
11
4
1
26

8
1
19
0

4

DECK DEPARTMENT
9
5
2
6
9
0
6
2
1
2
4
6
10
4
5
4
7
1
4
5
3
0
12
5
10
5
1
0
2
2

6

6
3

12
0
0

2

0

1
23

0
17
1
0
3

4

0
0

6

56 .

1

27

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
4
15

2
3
6

3
7
6
7
8

5
6

52

3
0

2

158

1
192

82

125

362

304

596

303

1

0
3

1

7
9
5
1
0

1
99

3
0

Trip
Reliefs

9
0
3
3
2
1
3
9
3
10
4

4
4
0
2

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
80
6
13
17
15
58
47
55
30
62
20
6
43
0
7

57

459

0
0
0
0

53
4
11
11
14

0
2
1
2
1
1
0
0

2
0

0

41

27

34
19
31

10

1
33
0
2

9

291

4

33

0
0
1
0
3

0
13
0
4
2

69
3

5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-1100

,
4

6
3

25
16
78

22
29

6
9

24
0
3

16

3
5
7
5
8
12
8
9

4

1
10
2
2

3
95
9
1

5

4

2
16

3
10
6
7

0
6
4
0
3

76
6
1
2
2
1

3
6
15
4
10
0

2
2
1
4
5
0
16
1
2
0
2
3
1
4
46
2
0
1
1
0
7
4

5
0

2
2
0

0
27

2
0
0

0
0
3
2
7
3
3
0

27

0

1

0

259

83

0
1
47

0

34

33
5
5
8
7

3
0
0
8
1

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

3
4
7
3
28
5

56
20

34
11

6

0
0

14

0

0

15
10
23
13

15

rn

95
11

1

22

4

37

13
3
0
208
7
1
4

136

0
0

226

256

311

224

165

1,235

510

431

2

1

5

HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434

HOUSTON, Tex.
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
'·

3315 Liberty St. 32206
(904) 353-0987

JERSEY CITY, N.J.
99 Montgome
. 7302
(201) 435-94

MOBILE, Ala.
1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605
(205) 478-0916

NEW BEDFORD, Mass.
nion St. 027 40
(617) 997-5404

3
0

25

6

705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

3

0
99

0

DULUTH, Minn.

*"Total Registered .. means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month.
"Registerea on the Beach" means the tMal number of men registered at the port at the end of last month.

NEW 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

SEATILE, Wash.
2505 1 Ave. 98121
(206) 441-1960

ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500

WILMINGTON, Calif.

Shipping in the month of May was down from the month of April. A total of 1,266 jobs were shipped on
SIU-contracted deep gf!a vessels. Of the 1,288 jobs shipped, 596 jobs or about 46 percent were taken by "A"
seniority members. The rest were tilled by " B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 165 trip relief jobs were
shipp~d- Sinee the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 7,638 jobs have been shipped.
22 /LOG I June 1988

51 O N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�On Columnist, Shaken, 0

~

(Editor's Note; The following series
of articles was written by San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll. We are publishing them here
with permission of the writer and
the Chronicle in the hope that the
message will help someone to recover
from alcoholism.)
On Saturday, April 9, accompanied by my wife and mother-inlaw, I checked into the Center for
Chemical Dependency at Alta Bates
Hospital in Berkeley. (The center
has since moved to Herrick Hospital.) At the time of my admission,
it was suggested by the nurse that
I might want to register under a
pseudonym.
I chose "Herman Melville."
An hour later, half-drunk and all
scared, I was greeted by my roommate, a young black musician.
"Herman," he said, jovially. I had
by that time forgotten all about my
pseudonym. I thought he was introducing himself.
"Jon," I said, sticking out my
hand. He looked at .me.
"Kenneth," he said.
At that moment, I believe we
were both convinced that we were
about to share a room with a crazy
person.
At the time of my admittance,
my blood pressure was 188/120,
despite the fact that I was already
taking medicine for hypertension.
Both my red blood cell count and
white blood cell count were substantially below normal. My liver
enzyme numbers, on the other hand,
were somewhere above the ozone
layer and approaching outer space.
The nurse gave me enough Valium to sedate an elephant and sent
me to bed without supper.
My self-diagnosis at the time was
that my diffo;ulties were caused
largely by the consumotion of large
amounts of vodka per day. Medical
expert~ were quick to confirm my
assumption _
Hi, I'm Jon. I'm an alcoholic.
I don t like the phrases .. recover·
ing akoholic or ••recovered alcoholic. Akohoism is a progrt;ssivt;,
im;urable and fatal disease. You
would no more speak ofa "recover1

11

11

ing alcoholic'' than you would of a
··recovering diabetic.
(I don't want to enter the newly
heated debate about whether or not
alcoholism is a disease; that's not
what this column is about. But I
would present three pertinent facts:
(First alcoholism is the nation's
No. 3 killer, ranking behind only
heart disease and cancer on the
Malady Hit Parade_ Second, the
American Medical Association has
recognized alcoholism as a disease
since 1954. Third, the largest group
of sober alcoholics in the world,
Alcoholics Anonymous, which has
more than I million members, bases
its program on the disease model.)
But this column, and the ones subsequent, is not about AA. Anonymity is a good idea; I do not choose
to mess with it. The Center for
Chemical Dependency is not run
by AA; indeed, AA runs no treatment centers of any kind.
CCD does use the 12-step program developed by AA, but it also
uses everything from aerobics to
psychotherapy.
Nor will these columns detail the
history of my chemical dependency. I figure that's pretty much
my own business. If you're looking
for spicy details, God knows there
are enough drunk celebrity as-toldto horror stories in your local bookstore.
Finally, these columns are not
about temperance. My only reaction to real social drinkers is one of
envy . If you can stop whenever you
want, if you can leave a wine glass
half-full or have just one cocktail,
more power to you. I can't.
Thirty-one days later, when I left
the hospital, my blood pressure was
106/72. My red and white blood cell
counts were normal. One liver enzyme count was still slightly elevated; there's a lot of cleaning up
to do down there. I had gained five
pounds and the rest of my life.
What happened in between?
1

'

My Short Time In the
Big House
I did not know what to expect.
There I was at the Center for Chem-

the Rocks

ical Dependency at Herrick Hospital, a voluntary and indeed grateful patient, just coming out of two
and half days of alcohol detox.
(Note to beginners: Try never to
get yourself into a situation in which
you have to endure detoxification
from alcohol. It's sort of like 48
hours of continuous dentistry, only
all over your body.)

If I thought about it at all, I
supposed that we would wander
around in bathrobes sipping tea. We
would sit in the day room and watch
television and quarrel over soap
operas. We would be taught some
sort of craft, perhaps, like knitting.
Nope.
CCD was a cross between a very
good high school and a very bad
summer camp, with a little bit of
ashram thrown in. I found out later
that it had a reputation as a tough
program, and it was. Not tough in
the Synanon sense-you didn't have
to sit in a chair while people
screamed ''slime-sucking hairball''
at you for long periods of timebut strict and demanding.
You had to be at every scheduled
event on time-late twice, and you
lose your precious five-hour Sunday pass. No smoking or drinking
coffee during meetings or other
events. No leaving the room during
meetings or lectures. Nurses could
and would report overheard conversations; nurses could and would
enter rooms at any time.
No caffeine. No chocolate. No
television. Outgoing calls between
6 and 11 in the evening only. No
leaving the unit unescorted except
to visit a halfway house or go to a
funeral-no weddings; they drink
at weddings.
In other words. the Constitution
as we kow it was suspended at
CCD. We were being brainwashed,
and they needed our undivided attention. And the loony thing is; We
gave it to them.
We ~ould have walked out of

there whenever we wanted. Pack
·your clothes; snap your wrist band;
by-by. But we didn't; we stayed
there and went to all the lectures
and group meetings; did the homework; read the literature; carried
out assignments that went against
some of our strongest instincts for
social self-preservation.
Because our lives had become
unmanageable; because we were
addicts; because we wanted to alter
that situation.
Naturally, there was a certain
amount of, uh, ambivalence about
this lifestyle, a certain amount of
circular self-doubt; Remind me once
again what the hell I'm doing here
. . . oh, yeah, right, vodka and
despair. Gee, but I feel fine now
... oh, yeah, right, that's because
I'm here.
When a likely target of opportunity appeared on the horizon, however, the therapeutic community
(that was us) did take the opportunity to fire a few shots across its
bow.
Like the food. The food was not
good. The food was bad. Every
week a dietitian would lecture us
on good nutrition; she would hand
out documents. Some particularly
healthy vegetables rated five stars
on the chart.
None of these vegetables ever
appeared on our menus. Sometimes, what we ordered on our menus
did not appear on our plates. Sometimes, the plates themselves did not
appear. It was like the hospital was
at war with itself.
I finally figured out why the food
was so lousy: It was supplied by
Marriott, which owns Host International, the people with a stranglehold on airport cuisine, the masters of captive audience cookery.
©Copyright San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved.
Next month: The democracy of
addiction •

.
;·······································:······································~
I

SEAFARERS
TRAINING &amp; RECREATION CENTER
Reservation Information

Your Holiday at the SHLSS Vacation Center:

What It Will Cost

Name: -------'----------------~

S.S.11 _____________ Book 11 _ _ _ __
The costs for room and board at the SHLSS Vacation Center have
been set at the minimum to make it possible for all SIU members and
their families to enjoy a holiday in Southern Maryland at your home
away from home.

Address:~~------------------------------Telephone#

• Number in Party
Date of Arrival: 1st Choice

ROOM RATES:

Member
Spouse
Children

$30.00 per day
$5.00 per day
$5.00 per day

MEALS:

Member
Spouse
Children

$8.50 per day
$4.00 per day
$4.oo per day

2nd Choice

3rd Choice
(Stay is limited to 2 weeks)
Date of Departure
Send to;

NOTE: No lodging or meal charge for children under age 12.

Seafarers Training &amp; Recreation Center

Piney Point, Md. 20674
(Phone: 301-994-0010)

•.•••••.....•......•............................................................

·

So that as many of our members as possible can enjoy a holiday at
SHLSS Vacation Center, the stay is limited to two weeks.

June 1988 I LOG I 23

�Seafarers International Union of North America AFL-CIO

Washington Report
More than 100 of the nation's top maritime
leaders gathered for this year's annual Merchant Marine Memorial Service at the Department of Transportation. The service coincided with the official observation of National
Maritime Day.
National Maritime Day was created in 1933
to promote public awareness of this nation's
maritime heritage. It marked the anniversary
of the first transatlantic voyage by a steamship,
the SS Savannah, May 22, 1819.
The Merchant Marine Memorial Service is
the only national memorial which honors those
American seafarers who lost their lives in
service to their country. During World War II
alone, 733 American vessels were sunk, and
5 ,638 merchant seamen and officers were lost
as a result of enemy action.

June 1988

skilled mariners within the next few years.
One of the most damning criticisms came
from Dr. Alan Cameron, a member of the
president's Commission on Merchant Marine
and Defense, which recently issued a set of
recommendations aimed at reviving this nation's flagging maritime industry.
Noting that the members of the commission
had spent a year collecting information on the
American-flag merchant marine and interviewing representatives from all segments of the
maritime industry, Cameron was astonished
that the Fletcher study did not even refer to
the COMMAD report. A former dean of the
Fletcher School, Cameron noted that "if this
study had been presented to me, I would have
sent it back, because it does not display even
a minimal acquaintance with maritime literature or sources, either at the primary or secondary level."

Fletcher Study

Defense Commission

The timing could not have been more ironic.
On the same day that the nation was honoring
the contributions that American seamen have
made to the defense and economic development of this nation, the Fletcher School of
Law and Diplomacy unveiled a study which
called for the elimination of all federal subsidies to the American-flag merchant marine.
The report, entitled "New Directions for
United States Merchant Marine Policy: Problems and Perspectives," said that this country's maritime industry had declined to the
point where it was no longer feasible to pump
any more money into subsidies.
The authors of the report, two graduate
students from the prestigious Fletcher School
of Law and Diplomacy in Medford, Mass.,
called for an expanded role for the Effective
U.S. Control fleet. Emphasis was placed on
repealing Subsection F of last year's Tax
Reform Act, which made American-owned but
foreign-registered vessels subject to federal
income tax for the nrst time.
The recommendations contained in the study
were fairly predictable in light of the fact that
it was funded by the (Ole) Skaarup Foundation,
a flag·of·convenience think tank. What was
not predictable was the near-unanimous rejection of the study by most segments of the
maritime industry .
"It's full of more holes than a well used
dart board," wr6te The Journal of Commerce
in a front page story on the seminar.
Many members of the audience and some
panel members were even more blunt ... It's
categorically bad, amateurish, biased, an undergraduate piece of work and most disappointing," said Admiral Harold E. Shear, for·
mer head of the Maritime Administration.
One b ight note emerged from the day's
proceedings~ many of participants praised the
high quality of American crews and the successful efforts of American maritime unions
in improving shipboard productivity.
Andrew Gibson, former head of Marad and
now the chairman of Automar, an SIU -con·
tracted company, said that American seamen
were "the ft.nest in the world, bar none." Two
representatives from the military, Brig. General Edward Honor and Ret. Navy Vice Admiral and former MSC Commander Kent Carro11, also praised the quality of American
seamen, but warned of a possible shortage of

Another major criticism of the report wa
its failure to adequately discuss the strategic
role played by the American-flag merchant
marine in the defense of this nation.
It was a busy Maritime Day. On the same
day that the Fletcher study was unveiled,
hearings were being held on Capitol Hill concerning the recommendations issued by the
president's Commission on Me:-chant Marine
and Defense.
It was the second of four scheduled hearings.
While there was mixed reaction to certain
recommendations (i.e., shipbuilders were
against allowing American operators to build
foreign, while many operators strongly supported the concept), there was overwhelming
support for the report's central thesis:
'There is a clear and growing danger to the
national security." said the report, "in the
deteriorating condition of America's maritime
industries.
'There is today insufficient strategic sealift,
both ships and trained pesonncl, for the United
States using only its own resources as required
by defense planning assumptions, to execute
a major deployment in a contingency operation
in a single distant theater such as Southwest
Asia. Without decisive action, the situation
will worsen substantially by the year 2000.
''Major government effort is urgently required , indeed overdue, to revise our national
objectives, policies and commitments in order
to reverse the decline of the maritime industries."

24 /LOG I June 1988

Trade
Before embarking to the Soviet Union for a
summit with Mikhail S. Gorbachev, President
Reagan found time to veto the Omnibus Trade
Bill because it contained a modest plant closing
provision.
The veto was easily overriden in the House.
Most observers believe, however, that the vote
in the Senate will fall short by one or two
votes.
The legi lation had contained a number of
important provisions relating to the maritime
industry. ''Despite our objections to one or two
provisions in the bill," said Frank Pecquex,
director of the SIU's legislative department.
"we were strongly in favor of it being pa sed.
Something has to be done to reduce the inequities in the international trading system."

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

"We have a tremendous anomaly," said Al
May, executive vice president of the United
Shipowners of America. "Never in the past
20 years have the U.S. carriers been in as
good a position to expand and prosper."
What is needed, in the opinion of May and
most other maritime officials, is an effective
maritime policy and a more equitable trading
system.

Sewage Sludge Bill
Despite efforts to weaken ex1stmg cargo
preference laws, the House of Representatives
joined the Senate in strengthening the provisions
of the Jones Act by passing S. 1988 which was
signed into law June 7.
The legislation spells out Jones Act coverage
for the transportation of sludge and other
"valueless" material within the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
•The SIU strongly supports expanding this
promising area of employment opportunities,''
said Augie Tellez, headquarters representative, at the Union's June membership meeting.

Alaskan National Wildwife
"It is hard to see why absolutely pristine
preservation (of the Alaskan National Wildlife
Reserve) should take precedence over the
nation's energy needs," said The New York
Times in a lead editor.al.
The editorial, written after news of a negative Interior Department study was leaked to
the public, made the following observation:
''The amount of oi that could be recovered
from the Wildlife Refuge is not known. But it
seems likely that the coastal plain ... CO!Ilt(yrts~rJ!!!!l"-­
several billion ba
.. Most [members of Congress] are willing
to accept a little environmental damage in
return for a lot of oil. Hence the relevance of
the experience at Prudhoe Bay, which now
yields 20 percent of total U.S. oil production.
"No species is reported to be endangered.
No dramatic permanent changes in ecology
are forecast. Much of the unpredicted damage
has arisen because more oil has been produced
than originally predicted. Even so, the total
acreage affected by development represents
only a fraction of 1 percent of the North Slope
wilderness.''

Liner Subsidy
There is near-unanimous agreement that any
improvement in the maritime industry is tied
to resolution of the liner subsidy question. Yet
according to The Journal of Commerce, ''prospects for passage of maritime subsidy reform
legislation this year appear to be very dismal.
..Five bills, including a Reagan administration proposal, are pending, but sources on
both sides of Capitol Hill say the legislation is
dormant.
'•Earlier this year, the House Merchant
Marine and Fisheries Committee held a series
of hearings on the reform proposals that underscore the differences and difficulties of
achieving a consensus ... The only remaining
glimmer of hope for action on subsidy reform
this year appears to be the effort by the
Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense
to get an endorsement of its recommendations
from executive agencies."
(Continued on Page 16.)

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EAST AND GULF COAST BOATMEN AT WORK&#13;
SERVICES MARK MARITIME DAY&#13;
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SIU FISHERMAN IN NEW BEDFORD&#13;
MARITIME DAY- A TIME TO HONOR THE SACRIFICES&#13;
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UNIQUE UNREP FOR USNS A.J. HIGGINS AND ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA &#13;
NEW CHIEF STAFF OFFICER AT MSCPAC&#13;
CHINA DELEGATION TOURS MERCY&#13;
ANNUAL OPERATION COOL BARGE UNDER WAY TO ALASKA &#13;
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ONE COLUMNIST, SHAKEN, ON THE ROCKS&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication of the Seafaren International Union

•

Atantlc, GuU, Lakes and Inland Walen District

•

AFL.CIO Vol. 50, No. 7 July 1988

MICHAEL SACCO IS NAMED
PRESIDENT OF SIU
he executive boards of the Seafarers International Union of North America and the SIU's
A&amp;G District unanimously elected Michael
Sacco president to fill those offices which were
left vacant by the death of Frank Drozak. Sacco, who is
51, will fill out the remainder of Drozak's SIUNA term,
which expires in 1992. Elections for officers of the
A&amp;G District will take place in November and December this year. He also assumed the presidency of the 8.5
million member Maritime Trades Department of the
AFL-CIO under that organization's constitution.
The SIU executive board also named Joseph Sacco,
50, as executive vice president. Others named to the SIU
A&amp;G executive board were Thomas Glidewell, now in
charge of the Gulf region, and John Fay, who will head
up the Great Lakes and Inland Waters District.
Other member o the executive board of the SIU · elude Joe DiGiorgio, secretary, and the following vice
presidents: Angus "Red" Campbell, Contracts; Jack
Caffey, East Coast; George McCartney, West Coast;
Roy "Buck" Mercer, Government Services, and Steve
Edney, United Industrial Workers.

Michael Sacco

Before being named executive vice president earlier
this year to coordinate the activities of headquarters
and the ports, Michael Sacco had served as vice president of the SIU's Great Lakes and Inland Waters
division since 1976. He also served as vice president of
the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Schol of Seamanship
during that institution's most important period of
growth, 1968-1978.
As vice president of the SHLSS, Sacco was involved
in every aspect of the school's development, from
fashioning curriculums to teaching and counseling.
Among other things, he helped establish an inland
boatman's division and a steward and bosun recertification program.
Sacco is an executive board member of the Missouri
State AFL-CIO, and served as the secreatary-treasurer
of the MTD's St. Louis Port Council.
Sacco joi ed the SIU in 1959 and shipped on U.S.flag merchant vessels during the early years of the Vietnam War. After serving in a succession of union posts,
he was named vice-president of both the SIUNA and
the SIU, where he worked closely with former presidents Paul Hall and Frank Droz.ale.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Sacco served in the U.S.
Air Force from 1954 to 1958. He is married. He and his
wife Sophie have five children.

Frank Drozak Dies at 60

Inside

rank Drozak, SIU president since 1980, died at

Merchant Marine
Memorial Dedicated
Page 3

his home June 11 following a long bout with
cancer. He was 60 years old.

Drozak's career with the SIU spanned more than 40
years. He first shipped out from Mobile, Ala. in 1945.

Elizabeth Means
See SPECIAL TRIBUTE
Pages 13-20

Payoffs
Pages 4 &amp; 5

In the Gulf With
The American Eagel
Pages 8 &amp; 9
SIU, UIW, SIU-Pacific

District Pension and
Welfare Reports
Pages 28 &amp; 29
r;, -

. ,- . ·-

-_ -,.- •

-. -.

.

The former bosun fought in organizing drives in the
1950s, including the Cities Services and Isthmian beefs.
He worked as a port agent in New York and Philadelphia.
He spent several years on the West Coast coordinating the SIU's Vietnam sealift programs and became an
SIU vice president in 1972. He as.sumed the Union's
presidency in 1980 following the death of Paul Hall. He
was re-elected to the post twice.
He is survived by his widow, Marianne Rogers
Drozak; a daughter, Sarah Frankie Bell; three grandchildren; a brother, David, and a sister, Mary Alice
Walraven. Drozak was buried June 16 at the Seafarers
Haven Cemetery in Piney Point, Md.

Frank Drozak as he addressed the SIUNA Convention
last August in Piney Point, Md.

�Presiden 's Report
by

ichael Sacco

SIU Mourns Its Loss

We will remember him as a seaman and unionist
with great heart and dedication.

HE passing of Frank Drozak is a great loss
to the Seafarers International Union of
North America, to all of its members in the
._,eafaring, fishing and allied trades and to the
trade union movement generally. We will remember Frank with gratitude for his unswerving efforts to call attention to the need for
preserving this nation's maritime capability and
for his constant search for ways and means to
protect and expand job opportunities for his
Union's membership.
Frank assumed the leadership of our Union
in a most difficult period, one in which U.S.
shipping declined as a result of abandonment
by the Carter and Reagan administrations. He
recognized that the changing character of world
shipping required recognition of the need for
the industry to be competitive - not always a
popular stance but a courageous and honest
one.
Frank tackled his responsibilities witllall his
heart in the best traditions of his legendary
predecessors, Harry Lundeberg and Paul Hall.

* * * * *
A Time To Move

T

As the ships were disappearing, the guts and
spine were being removed from the Maritime
Administration, which in effect went from being
the watchdog of the nation's maritime interests
to liquidator of what was left.
Here we are now at the brink of a new
administration. At this point, no one can tell
what's in store for U.S. shipping. In these days
of non-issue campaigning, no one knows where
candidates stand on specifics.
But that doesn't mean that the industry can
afford to sit still and wait. It had better get
itself together, and I mean all of it-all of
management and all of labor-and begin discussing and examining ways and means of using
all resources available, to be certain U.S. shipping is not allowed to continue downward
without a mighty effort on our part to tum
things around.
It can be done, it's been done before. It's
going to take good sense and hard work on the
part of every section of the industry. The
alternatives make it an absolute must for us to
take a good hard shot at the challenge. We of
the SIU stand ready to do our share!

With the Reagan administration winding down
eight years of handling the nation's affairs, the
maritime industry has got to feel a sense of
relief. Coming on the heels of the Carter administration which never could live up to expectations that it understood the importance of
private shipping as an element of the nation's
strength, the Reagan years have seen the industry suffer what undoubtedly was the worst
overall decline in history.
From a few months of promise in 1980 and
1981, when Ronald Reagan himself spoke of
the essentiality of a strong U.S. maritime industry and issued a 7-point program for its
survival, the picture turned to gloom and despair as his administration quickly and methodically set about dismantling this vital asset.
The numbers tell the story. The U.S. private
shipping fleet tumbled from 531 vessels in 1981
to 387 as of this year.

Teamsters' Presser Dies
Jackie Presser, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
the nation's largest union, died July 9. He was 61 years.
Presser had been suffering from brain and lung cancer. His death was
attributed to cardiac arrest, according to officials at the Lakewood, Ohio
hospital where he died.
Just last fall, Presser led the Teamsters back into the fold of the AFLCIO, after more than 30 years outside the Federation.
The former jukebox delivery boy had recently taken a leave of absence
from his post due to illness.
Presser took his first union job after he returned from Navy service in
World War II. He became a Teamsters' organizer in 1952 and rose through
the ranks in Ohio Teamsters locals and in 1976 joined the International
leadership. He became Teamster president in 1983.
Late last month the U.S. government filed suit against the Teamsters
seeking to oust Presser and others and put the union under control of a
court-appointed trustee (see editorial page 31).

AMERICA WORKS BEST
WHEN WE SAY...

July 19 8

No

Otho Pu icat1on ol
Seaarers I rnatJOna Lruon of
, A ntic. Gu I. Lakes d lnlmd W ers 0 strict
Afl.r 0

Vol. 50, No. 7

Executive Board
Mike Sacco
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

2 I LOG I July 1988

Joe Sacco

Joe DiGiorgio

Angus "Red" Campbell

Executive Vice President

Secretary

Vice President

John Fay

George McCartney

Thomas Clidewell

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Jack Caffey

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf.
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746, Tel. 8990675. Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges, Md. 20790-9998 and at additional
mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md. 20746.

�Navy Honors SIU Crews
The crews of three SIU-contracted ships have been cited for their
meritorious service to the 6th Marine Amphibious Brigade.
The unit conunendation for the entire brigrade includes the SS Sgt.
Matej Kocak, SS Major Stephen Pless and SS PFC Eugene Obregon,
all three operated by Waterman Steamship Corp.
The award covers the period from July 1983 to July 1985.
The citation, from the Secretary of the Navy reads:
"For meritorious service in connection with the stand-up of the first
Maritime Prepositioned Ships (MPS) Squadron from 26 July 1983 to 19
July 1985. During this period, the 6th Marine Amphibious Brigade, Fleet
Marine Force, Atlantic, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina enacted plans
for receiving, unloading and, subsequently, embarking 9,000 primary end
items and 2,862 containers aboard the ships of MPS- I. Through the
Management Decision Support System, MPS-1 ships were strategically
loaded and provided time saving steps to match up personnel and
equipment during the off-load phase. The unit's personnel established
plans that would integrate MPS effectively and efficiently into the Marine
Corps mission in any global real world contingency. Through the concentrated and dedicated efforts of the 6th Marine Amphibious Brigade,
a unique new "Force in Readiness" was provided to the Navy/Marine
Corps Team for use by the National Command Authority in the defense
of freedom worldwide. By their resolute determination, professionalism,
and complete devotion to duty, the officers, enlisted personnel, and
civilian employees of the 6th Marine Amphibious Brigade, Fleet Marine
Force, Atlantic, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina reflected credit upon
themselves and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and
the United States Naval Service.
Those cited include:

Rooks, C.
Sanders, D.
Seymour, L.A.
Sholar, J.M.
Von Rabenstein, C. P.
Wells, E. A.
Zisis, W.
Obregon

Kocak

Ashman, W. E.
Clements, J. W.
Deparlier, E. L.
Downey, M. S.

Fachini, A.
Gailas, T.
Grimes, Jr., A. J.
Hawker, P. M.
Higginbotham, B. D.

Bartlett, F. L.
Bouganim, H.
Bowers, P. L.
Brown, M. B.
Corelli, G.

Holmes, M. C.
Huggins, W. C.
Jensen, H. C.
Kelly, L.
Perdikis, S.

Dinnes, S. J.
Johnson, G. F.
Lofton, C. J.
Lukacs, R. F.
Martin, C. H.
Martinez, F. V.
McDuffie, F. L.
Stiller, J. R.
Strickland, M. W.
Todd, J.E.
Walker, Jr., W. A.
Weekley, W. C.
West, D.R.
Zeagler, S.

Pless

Babin, Jr., L. C.
Briggs, Jr., J.
Bush, T. J.
Byrne, W. S.
Callahan, W. T.
Davidson, W. L.
King, P. G.
Martinez, A. E.
Mazzara, G.
Pierce, J. J.
Sosa, J. A.
Sparra, A. W.
Timmons, D. L.

Merchant Marine Memorial
Site Dedicated in California
Ground was broken in San Pedro,
Calif. for a major U.S. Merchant Marine Memorial site, financed in part by
a $10,000 donation from the SIU. The
groundbreaking took place during
Maritime Day ceremonies.

The sculpture, which will be the
centerpiece of the memorial site, was
designed by the late Jasper D' Ambrosi. He died after finishing the model
of the statue, but his two sons, Mark
and Michael, completed the work. The
17 Y2-foot bronze statue will sit on a 5foot base. The sculpture ~epicts two
merchant seamen climbing a Jacob's
Ladder following their rescue at sea.
The statue will be placed in the John
S. Gibson Jr. Park in San Pedro, in
front of the Los Angeles Maritime
Museum and the entrance to the Ports
of Call Village.
~

This is model of the statue which will be
placed at the San Pedro memorial site •

....

In theme with the ceremonies, an anchor
was used to break ground for the Merchant
Marine Memorial.
This an artist's rendention of what the
memorial will look like when it is completed.

T

July 1988 I LOG I 3

�Port Elizabeth Means
Payoff for Seafarers
On Sea-Land's Many Ships

The Sea-Land Long Beach
On the Sea-Land Long Beach at payoff are (seated, I. tor.) FWT Padilla, FWT Alicea,
(standing) FWT Miranda, AB Jordan, Oiler Graydon, Oiler McAneney, Electrician Calloe
and AB and Deck Delegate Santiago.

Here's part of the crew of the Sea-Land Leader at payoff. They are (I. to r.) Chief Cook
Clarence Wiley, AB Tom Kilbride, Vassilios Catranos, QMED Douglas Cooper, QMED
Edgar Nattiel III, DEU Joseph Bonefont, QMED Vincent Carrao, S/A Ernest Dominguez
and Bosun Leon Curry.
On the Sea-Land Adventurer are (I. to r.) Bosun Arthur Harrington, AB Bill
Dawson, AB Herb Mink and DEU Ali Mohsin.

Onboard the Sea-Land Expedition are Chief
Steward Lovell McElroy (left) and Chief
Cook Raul Gotay.

4 I LOG I July 1988

On the Sea-Land Expedition are (I. tor.) Bosun John Le Vasseur, Electrician W. Walter, DEU George Vistakis, DEU Charles Jackson.
Eng. Utility Alfonso D. Bombita Jr., AB J.R. Cavanaugh, AB Jimmie Leaz, OMU E. "Loggy" Young and AB Jim Foley.

�Part of the crew of the Sea-Land Integrity at payoff. They are (I. tor.) AB Ishmael Bryab,
AB P. Sambula, Partolman John Leiter, QMED Marvin Lamberth and GSU Jackson
Fong.

The Sea-Land Integrity

Rigging the gangway on the Sea-Land Integrity .

..............................................................................

SEAFARERS
TRAINING &amp; RECREATION CENTER
Reservation Information
Name:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-

Your Holiday at the SHLSS Vacation Center:

What It Will Cost

S.S.#
Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Telephone#

The costs for room and board at the SHLSS Vacation Center have
been set at the minimum to make it possible for all SIU members and
their families to enjoy a holiday in Southern Maryland at your home
away from home.

Number in Party
Date of Arrival: 1st Choice

ROOM RATES:

Member
Spouse
Children

$30.00 per day
$5.00 per day
$5.00 per day

MEALS:

Member
Spouse
Children

$8. 50 per day
$4.00 per day
$4.00 per day

2nd Choice

3rd Choice
(Stay is limited to 2 weeks)
Date of Departure
Send to:

Seafarers Training &amp; Recreation Center
Piney Point, Md. 20674
(Phone: 301-994-0010)

NOTE: No lodging or meal charge for children under age 12 .
So that as many of our members as possible can enjoy a holiday at
SHLSS Vacation Center, the stay is limited to two weeks.

......•..•••............•.•......................•............••.•...••..•.....
July 1988 I LOG I 5

�Program Can Cut Expenses

A Look at SIU Preferred Provider Health Care
•
For several years, the Seafarers
Welfare Plan has been implementing
an overall medical benefits cost con..ainment effort. The program includes
the Claims Department Medical Audit
Program, participant audits and the
Seafarers Preferred Provider Program.
The purpose of these cost containment programs is to ensure that Seafarers and their families continue to
obtain quality medical care and, at the
same time, help the Plan combat the
continuing rise of hospital and medical
costs.
The various cost containment programs will be explained in periodic
articles in the LOG. This month the
Seafarers Preferred Provider Program
will be examined.
The Seafarers Welfare Plan has chosen clinics and hospitals in the ports
of Seattle, San Francisco and Honolulu to participate in the programs. In
the near future, this network will expand and eventually include the majority of ports across the United States.
WHAT IS A PREFERRED
PROVIDER HOSPITAL?
For the purposes of this project, a
Preferred Provider Hospital is a medical facility which agrees to provide
services to Seafarers and their families
for a negotiated reimbursement rate.
Generally, there will be only one Preferred Provider Hospital in each port.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE
PREFERRED PROVIDER
ORGANIZATION (PPO)?
The purpose of a PPO is to give
Seafarers and their families an opportunity to be served by one facility
which will become aware of the needs
of men and women working in the
maritime industry, and the particular
needs of their families _
This arrangement will allow mem·
bers and their dependents who are in
need of medical attention to use a
hospital which is familiar with the
Seafarers Welfare Plan and the claim's
payment procedures.
This arrangement also allows the
Plan to have a continuing relationship
with a hospital, so that if there are
disputes which come up concerning
payment of claims, they may be resolved quickly and with a minimum
involvement of the members or their
dependents.
Since the closing of Public Health
Hospitals in 1981, Seafarers have used
many different facilities in their home
ports as well as when they were in
unfamiliar U.S. ports. Establishing a
PPO arrangement with one hospital
will offer Seafarers the opportunity to
get medical treatment at a hospital
which will provide excellent care and
will welcome Seafarers and their families .
HOW WILL TIDS PROGRAM
WORK?
As with any other hospital admission, in order to use a particular facility
you must use a doctor who has priv6 I LOG I July 1988

ileges at the hospital. Most of the PPO
hospitals will have outpatient clinics
as part of their facility. By choosing a
doctor from that clinic, should it become necessary for you to be admitted
to a hospital, you should have no
trouble being admitted to the PPO
facility.
For example, if you are having back
trouble, you would go to the clinic at
that facility and ask to make an appointment with an orthopedist. If you
feel this doctor suits you, he would
become your regular doctor. And if
you should need to be admitted for an
operation, you would receive treatment at the PPO facility.
If your doctor does not have privileges at the PPO facility, the chances
are you will not be able to use the
PPO hospital when you or your family
need in-patient treatment. As the PPO
hospitals are among the biggest in the
city, there will be many doctors in
each specialty to choose from.
In non-emergency admission situations, you or your dependent would
go down to the hospital's admissions
section to check into the hospital. At
that time the hospital staff would provide you with a Seafarers benefit application to be filled in. Once this
application and other hospital forms
are complete, in most cases, this would
be all that is required of the member
or his dependent. The hospital will
forward all forms and bills directly to
headquarters _
At the time of admission, the member's eligibility will be checked by
telephone with headquarters in Camp
Springs. By checking eligibility before
services are provided, it will be determined at the outset who will be responsible for payment, and this will
prevent disagreements later on.
In some instances, the PPO hospital
will also be the clinic performing the
fit-for-duty and other employment-related physical examinations. Your Port
Representatives will notify you of any
changes concerning the clinics.

• using a facility which is familiar
with our organization and whose
staff is familiar with the unique
needs of our membership and their
families.
• streamlined claims procedures for
members and dependents using
this facility.
• use of these hospitals will allow
the Plan to monitor the claims to
make sure the hospital is offering
their services efficiently and
maintaining high standards of
quality of care.
• if the hospital sees that many
Seafarers and their families are
using the facility, the hospital and
Plan will be able to maintain the
reasonable rates for services. This,
in tum, will allow the Plan to keep
a lid on rising health care costs
and use these savings to the benefit of members and their dependents.
The following hospitals have contracted with the Seafarers Welfare Plan
to provide clinic and hospital services;
Virginia Mason in Seattle, St. Mary's

Hospital in San Francisco and Straub
Clinic and Hospital in Honolulu. Future LOG articles will feature these
facilities to inform Seafarers and their
families of the services and special
features of each preferred provider
facility.
This program is an ambitious one,
and in order to make it work it needs
the full support of the SIU membership
and their families. The Welfare Plan
would like to hear about your experience with the existing clinics or your
thoughts about this type of program.
Please write to:
PPO Coordinator
SIU Headquarters-4th Floor
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746

~

Personals
Larry Albert Lynch
Please contact Floyd Mullins
collect at (209) 537-2717.

In Memoriam
DEEPSEA

Wilfred
Bennerson

William Anderson
Harry Bammarito
Joseph Basch
Gay Bentley
Frederick Brown
John Calhoun
Curtis Clark
William DeGroat
Daniel Enos
Frank Gages
Ramiro Gonzales
Norman Hall
Dobromir Kosicki
Francisco Nadal
Raymond Orso
Leo Strange
Edward Sellers
Robert Smith
Reginald Thomas

Chester Miller

WILL I BE ABLE TO USE THIS
HOSPITAL IF I DO NOT HAVE
ELIGIBILITY FOR WELFARE
COVERAGE?
It is possible for you to use the PPO
facility if you do not have eligibility
for welfare benefits; however, you
would be responsible for the payment
of the hospital bills just as you would
be at any other facility.

INLAND

Niblet Oliver

Guy Reagan

MUST I USE THE PREFERRED
PROVIDER HOSPITAL?
The use of the PPO hospital is voluntary. If a member or dependent
chooses a facility other than the PPO
hospital, there is no effect on the
benefits which will be provided by the
Plan.
There are, however, many advantages to using the PPO hospital such
as:
• obtaining services at a facility
which offers quality care for a
reasonable cost.

Stanley Marvel Glen Wheeler

Patrick Scanlan Larry Walker

Norfleet Burke
Anthony Conti
William Culpepper ·
Albert Windley

GREAT LAKES
Edward Murphy
John McDonald

�~

I

11

I

i

~i

·~ .;.~· ·

a geA re

ge~

,. . .="·".:;;:;r-:=~::'&amp;.~!r:rmxx:·~;.:;;.::;...:,:;~i....,~~ID

Rivers Shrink in Face of Massive Drought
The worst drought in years has seen
the Mississippi River shrink to some
20 feet below normal levels, and dozens of tugs and barges have become
stuck, halting traffic up and down the
river.
••It's having a tremendous effect
here, slowing down shipments, and
some boats have been laid up," said
St. Louis Port Agent Tony Sacco.
Most of the problems have happened on the upper portions of the
river. New Orleans Patrolman Nick
Celona said operations around that
Gulf port are pretty much normal.
Channels in the river have become
both more narrow and shallow as the
lack of rain dries up the river. New
limits on the number of barges allowed
in a tow have gone into effect.
The Army Corp of Engineers has
seven dredges working the river. As
tows become stuck, traffic is tied up
along the river. At one time late last
month, more than 1,800 barges were
trapped on the Mississippi near Greenville, Miss. after a tow hit a sandbar.
Most of the navigation problems are
at sharp, Z-shaped turns in the river
where tows must move to the extreme

Dixie Orders New
Chemical Barges
SIU-contracted Dixie Carriers has
ordered three modern and sophisticated chemical barges which could
boost their business on the Gulf-Intercoastal Waterway.
The barges are the ··most unique in
the inland trade, .. said Dixie President
Joe Pyne. They will be able. to carry
any type of non-pressurized chemical.
The barges are basically scaled-down
versions of parcel tankers. Each barge
will be double-skinned with a capacity
of 2,000 meteric tons and will be 218
feet long and 52.5 feet wide. They will
have six stainless steel tanks. which
is the preferred tank material because
it cleans easily. Also each tank will
have its own pump, further reducing
the chance of contamination.
Dixie will operate the barges under
contract from a Norwegian shipping
company. Pyne said the use of these
parcel barges could be a growth area
for the inland industry.

side of a navigable channel in order
to change direction. As they make that
move, they risk running aground into
the side of the channel and destroying
the channel wall.
Some problems have been reported
along the Ohio River, but the Corps
of Engineers said that river's system
of locks and dams, along with water
released from various flood control
reservoirs, has helped keep barge traffic
moving. Barges have been forced to
carry lighter loads, however.
There is little relief in sight, and
both rivers will probably drop even
further unless major rainfalls occur.
One barge industry leader said it would
take a hurricane to bring the river
levels back to normal.
While most attention has focused
on the rivers, the Great Lakes have
also been affected by the drought. No
where near as serious as the river
levels, lower lake levels have forced
ships to reduce their loads by about

a foot to 15 inches less to be able to
navigate along the Cuyahoga River
and other Lake Erie terminals.

3,500 tons in some areas.
In Cleveland, vessels hauling ironore, stone and coal are loading about

Orgulf's Peter Fanchi

Onboard Orgulf's Peter Fanchi are (front, I. tor.) Tom Baver, lead deckhand, deckhands
Paul Sturmamatc and Doug Haston (rear) Deckhand Darren Curry and Cook Dorlis
Armstrong.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
JUNE 1-30, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port
New York ...... ... .. ..............
Philadelphia .......................
Baltimore .. __ .....................
Norfolk
Mobile ...........................
New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _.
Jacksonville .... . . . . . . . . . - . . - . - - . - .
San Francisco ............... _. .....
Wilmington ........................
Seattle ......... _.................
Pueno Rico
Houston ..........................
Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
St. Louis .........................
Piney Point ... .................. ...
Totals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
o

o

o,

o

o

o

o

o

o

•••••••

o

,

o

,

o

,

o

o

o

o

o

o

I

o

I

o

I

o

I

o

I

o

I

I

Io

I

I

I

I

I

I

Port
New York ...... ... ............. . ..
Philadelphia
Baltimore .........................
Norfolk
Mobile ...........................
New Orleans .......................
Jacksonville .......................
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ........................
Seattle ...........................
Puerto Rico
Houston ........................ - .
Algonac ..........................
St. Louis ...... ....... ........ ....
Piney Point ........................
Totals .. ... ................. .....
o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

O

o

I

I

I

I

If

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

Oto

o

0

I

I

I

I

I

I

If

I

I

I

I

O

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

If

f

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

It

It

Port
New York .........................
Philadelphia .......................
Baltimore .........................
Norfolk ..........................
Mobile ...........................
New Orleans .......................
Jacksonville .......................
San Francisco ......................
Wilmington ........................
Seattle ...........................
Puerto Rico
Houston ..........................
Algonac ..........................
St. Louis .. _......................
Piney Point ........................
Totals ...........................
I

I

I

If

I

I

I

I

0

0

0

O

0

O

O

''

•''

''

0

2

7
47
0
0
0
0
3
0

0

1

22
0
0
82

0
1
0

6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

14
0
0

0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0

0

1

0
0
0
0
5

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class 8 Class C
DECK DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
3
0
28
5
0
0
1
0
0
1

0

1

15

0
6

0

0

0

9
0

1
0

5
0

0
0
54

0
0
15

0
0
4

0
0
2
0

8

28

0
0
0
2

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0

22

3

0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
0
0

0
0
0
1
0
0

1
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0

2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

11

4

2

115

15

30

0
0
16

0
0
0

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
0
0
0
0
0
1
16
STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
20
0
0
4
0
1

0

'"'"REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

0
4
5
58
0
0
0
0
50
0
0
2
54
0
0

28

173

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
2
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

14

0
0
0
0
25
0
0
0

31

0

1
0

22

0
0

0
0
31
0
0
0
17
1

0
72

0
0
0
6
0
1
0
0
6
0
0
0

11

0
0

0
0
24

0
0
0
7
0
0
0
0

0
0
0

72

3
0
0
0
0

0
3
0
0
0
0

21

0
9
0
0
3
0
6
0
42
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
2

0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0

4

1

0

2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

2

56

20

16

74

17

30

301

116

60

0

33

0
0
0
16
0

0

13

0
0
0
4
0
0

11

0
0
0
0
0
0

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
Totals All Departments ................

Support SPAD

*"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.

July 1988 I LOG I 7

�Gulf ·convoy
American Eagle's Dangerous Voyage
Includes Look at Life in the Middle East
Being part of a 15-ship convoy in
the Persian Gulf was all in a day's
work, said Michael Meany, who recently signed off the American Eagle
after a six-month stint as chief steward.
Still, it got a little hairy at times,
especially when the Syrian-flag tanker
nearby was under attack from an Iranian frigate.
The 15-ship convoy (3 Americanflag, 12 foreign) was part of an effort
by the American government to relocate a base from Sudan to Bahrain.
The American Eagle had to travel
through the Suez Canal down the Nile
to get to Sudan.
"It was an incredible trip," said

Meany, who took pictures of his experiences: the Suez Canal, a picturesque Sudanese marketplace, and most
vividly, a helicopter mission onboard
the American Eagle.
"I'm really glad we had that sealift
course at Piney Point,'' said Meany.
"Everything wound up being pretty
much routine, and we didn't have to
use much of our training, but it sure
was good to know what to do in case
there was a real emergency.''
The warship accompanying the convoy was the Samuel Roberts, said
Meany. He became friendly with one
of the crewmembers who came onboard, Signalman Serge Kingery, who
was on the ill-fated S.S. Stark.

During a stop in the Sudan, crewmembers went ashore and visited this marketplace.

The Seafarers onboard tht Attttrican Eagle worked closely with its U.S. Navy escorts
during tbe Gulf voyage. Here a sailor is transferred back to the escort ship Samuel
Roberti via helicopter.

Photos by
Mike Meany
Not every vessel in the Gulf is a commercial or warship.

Chief Steward Mike Meany (left) and Chief Cook Brantley
Young.

8 I LOG I July 1988

�The U.S. Navy warship Samuel Roberts protected the convoy.
GSU Larry Aldries takes a break on deck.

A mosque in Bahrain

AB F. M. Rose

Crewmen from the Roberts come aboard the Eagle.

Life along the docks is a world apart from modern American ports. Above, workers find
shade for an afternoon break. Below, it takes dozens of workers to move cargo by hand.

Chowtime's a welcome break on the Eagle.

July 1988 I LOG I 9

�This Bud's for the USNS Navasota
by Bob Borden, PAO, MSCPAC

I

a tough way to earn a cold beer,
but the crew of the USNS Navasota
recently took advantage of an MSCPAC
instruction that allows the consumption of beer while on high-tempo operations in the Indian Ocean.
Since early February, the Navasota
has been underway supporting ships
operating in the waters of the Arabian
Sea and those headed for the troubled
Persian Gulf. Her performance has
drawn praise from units refueled by
her, including a personal note to the
ship's master, Capt. C. L. Becker,
from Commander, Cruiser Destroyer
Group Three, who said: "Many thanks
to you and the outstanding crew of
the 'Battle Oiler.' Truly, without you,
our operations would not have been
possible."
T'S

After the Navasota completed her
first 45 consecutive days at sea operating in the Indian Ocean, the ship
held a fantail cookout. In accordance
with MSCPAC Instruction 4440.7A,
which explains the policy of consuming beer at sea, the crew and military
detachment were allowed a maximum
of two beers. Navasota personnel had
to wait another 45 days at sea before
they could enjoy one more cookout
with beer. The final event took place
in mid-May before the ship returned
to Subic Bay in the Philippines. Capt.
Becker said both cookouts with beer
and soft drinks were a success and a
welcome break from the ship's busy
operational schedule in the Indian
Ocean.
Key parts of MSCP AC Instruction
4440. 7 A include the following guidelines for drinking beer at sea:

MSCPAC New Briefs.
-Chief Cook Calvin Williams, a longtime MSTS and MSCPAC employee,
retired in May after 42 years of government service. Williams will always
remember his first month of employment with MSTSPAC. A couple of
weeks after he was hired in August
1950, he was serving on the hospital
ship the USNS Benevolence. when it
was struck by another ship and sunk
five miles west of the Golden Gate
Bridge. Williams stayed afloat in a life
preserver for two hours before he was
picked up by a rescue boat. After that
incident. he wasn•t sure if he wanted
to remain with the maritime organization. He finally returned to his Bay
Area hotel, only to see it burning to
the ground with all hi possessions
inside his room. LLWith no money and
no clothes, I didn't have a choice about
a career after that,•• joked Williams.
"I had to stay with MSTS."
Williams was joined in a small cer·
emony at MSCPAC in May with Nina
J. Olsen and Donald L. Gould. Olsen ,
a computer specialist at MSCPAC ,
received a pin and certificate for her

• •

20 years of government service. Olsen's entire government career has
been spent at MSCPAC. Gould, a deck
engine machinist, was recognized for
his 40 years of government service.
After spending a few years in the
Navy, Gould joined MSTSPAC in 1951
as a fireman. He spent the next 18
years aboard the USNS Sultan until
the troop ship was laid up in 1969.

-Comptroller employees Robert Sciba
and Eva Lee were named that department's Employee of the Month for
April and May, re pectively. Sciba, a
five-year MSCPAC purser who ' s
served aboard the Mispi/lion, Ponchatoula, Passumpsic , Mizar and Mercy,
was praised for training new junior
purser candidates in "real" purser
situations. Ms. Lee, a fiscal accountant. was selected for Comptroller Employee of the Month because of her
quality work performance, her pleasant manner and her willingness to
assist ashore and afloat customers.

-Capt. Nathan E. Smith, who served
as temporary master aboard the USNS

Joining in a small retirement ceremony at MSCPAC are (I. tor.) George Grier, Capt.
W.T. Dannheim, Calvin Williams and Donald Gould.

10 I LOG I July 1988

USNS Navasota

• The instruction applies only to
MSCPAC vessels operating in the Indian Ocean.
• Before a ship departs for Indian
Ocean operations, the beer is purchased from a Navy exchange. The
amount of beer purchased depends on
the ship's complement and the 45 day
increments of the underway schedule.
• Beer is issued only after the ship
has accumulated 45 consecutive days
at sea and is not scheduled to arrive

in a liberty port prior to 50 days at
sea.
• Only two beers per person will be
issued during "Beer Call." Beer is not
allowed to be traded or sold among
crewmembers. A list is used to record
all beer issues .
• Issuance of beer at sea is normally
accompanied with a cookout or barbecue. Beer is opened when issued.
Canned soft drinks are made available
to non-beer drinkers.

Kilauea while the ship was deployed
to the Indian Ocean from October to
January, received a Special Act award
from MSCPAC in recognition of his
outstanding performance aboard the
ammunition ship. During the Kilauea 's Indian Ocean voyage, the ship's
air operations moved 2,078 passengers, 780 tons of freight and 389,905
pounds of mail without a single accident or incident. The Kilauea and
HELSUPPRON FIVE DET FOUR
received Battle Group Alpha's "Most
Valuable Player" award during the
ship's deployment. Capt. Smith was
at MSCPAC headquarters in early June
to receive his Special Act award and
a $1,500 check for his superb performance aboard the Kilauea.

engraved MSCPAC plaque and 72 hours
of special liberty.

-MSCPAC's Sailor of the Quarter for
afloat and ashore billets (January-March
1988) was announced recently by Capt.
W. T. Dannheim , USN , COMSCPAC.
ETI John Gemmell of the USNS Passumpsic was recognized for his revitalization of an undermanned electronics shop. Through Gemmel's
training of work center personnel to
get them thoroughly familiarized with
shipboard systems, the Passumpsic
was prepared for a high level of operational readiness. RM2 Cynthia L.
Hughes was named the ashore SOQ
for her outstanding performance of
duty while serving as communications
leading petty officer and NWPL custodian at MSCP AC. Her knowledge
of the NWPL enabled her to assist in
the establishment of several military
department libraries. Both sailors received a certificate of achievement, an

-The second annual MSCPAC golf
tournament was held in Alameda June
I. Low gross winner was Lt. Rod
Linville who shot an even par 71. Low
gross runnerup was Bob Borden with
a 74 . Linville also captured low net
honors. His l I handicap gave him a
net 60. Low net runnerup Was Capt.
Harry Lara, the former MSCPAC
transportation chief, with a 61.
-MSCPAC staffer George Bruno, head
of the tanker branch and a Naval
reserve captain in command of MSCO
Concord 220, participated in the Navy's physical readiness test in early
June and showed why he's getting
better with age. Bruno , 46, surpassed
the " Outstanding Level" for 17-19
year-olds males, the highest mark on
the physical readiness test. He completed 96 situps, 73 pushups and ran
1.5 miles in 11 minutes.
-Chief Engineer Steve W. Cox, a 27year federal employee, died May 22
after a bout with cancer. Cox, 60, is
survived by his wife, Anita, who resides in Incline ViJlage, Nevada.
-Utilityman John J. Wilson, with three
years of federal service, suffered a
stroke aboard the USNS Ponchatoula
and died May 22. Wilson, 69, is survived by his two children.
-AB Earl W. Sandidge Jr., a 30-year
federal employee, drowned near Norfolk, Va., on April 14. Sandidge, 58,
was last assigned to the USNS Zeus.
He is survived by his two children.

�MSCPAC On Exhibit in Oakland

Labor Briefs
JOSLIN, Ill. (PAl)-IBP, Inc. agreed
to recognize the Food and Commercial
Workers as the representative of l, 700
workers at IBP's meatprocessing plant
here after the Illinois Labor Dept. said
a majority of workers had signed union
authorization cards. UFCW President
William H. Wynn expressed hope that
IBP' s acceptance of the card check
rather than forcing a more time-consuming election process "heralds the
start of an improved relationship between the union and IBP, built on
mutual cooperation and understanding
and benefiting both the workers and
the company.'' The UFCW aJso represents 2,800 workers at IBP's Dakota
City, Neb., plant.

..... A 20-foot MSC container which displayed
captioned photos telling the story about
the Military Sealift Command was used at
two separate events in May. Hundreds of
people attending Oakland's World Trade
and Maritime Day on May 21 took a look
inside the van and left with a colorful MSC
poster. In the spirit of the Unified Transportation Command, MSCPAC shared
space inside the container with MTMCWA. Earlier in the week, the same display
was used at the National Defense Transportation Association's symposium held
at the Presidio in San Francisco.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (PAl)-Workers at Anheuser-Busch's new brewery
here voted 222 to 53 for a union shop.
The Teamsters said the victory was
particularly rewarding because Colorado is a right-to-work state. Colorado
is the only right-to-work state in the
nation that allows a union shop when
employees under contract approve it
by a 75 percent margin. AnheuserBusch recognized the IBT as bargaining agent in February 1988 after the
union provided proof that a majority
of the workers sought its representation.

Personals
Mike Bullen

Please contact John Thompson-bosun, USNS Antares, Sealift Terminal,
9810 August Rd., Jacksonville, Fla.
32226.
Cecil Ayers

Perry Ellis would like to get in touch
with you. Please write him at P.O.
Box 123201, Ridglea Post Office, Fort
Worth, Texas 76121.
Raymond Hill

MADRID, Spain (PAl)-The International Metalworkers' Federation OMF)
Central Committee meeting here expressed support for the striking Inter-

Raymond Hill would like to hear
from any of his seafaring friends. Please
write to him at Route 3, Box 4444,
Hagerstown, Maryland 21740.

national Jai-Alai Players Association,

Jack Sommers

the Auto Workers' "'Washington Re-

Please contact an old shipmate,
James Peterson, at 1483 Judson Way,
Chula Vista, Calif. 92011.

port" said. The IJAPA voted to affiliate with the UAW in June after striking eight

companies

in

Florida,

Connecticut and Rhode Island in midApril. The UAW said unfair labor
pradic;es against the players have included threatening Basques with the
loss of their visa status and return
airline tickets to Spain. About 70 percent of the UAW-represented Jai Alai
players come from the Basque country.

WASHINGTON (PAl}-The AFL-CIO
Industrial Union Dept. 's Committee
on Pension and Benefit Fund Policy
has commissioned a study of benefits
in the 21st century. Clothing and Textile Workers President Jack Sheinkman, who chairs the committee, said
the study will be directed by Howard
Young, an actuary who recently retired from the Auto Workers and now
teaches at the University of Michigan.
The study will focus on the impact of
political, population and other changes
on benefit structures and needs as the
proportion of Americans over age 65
greatly expands in the next century.
WASHINGTON (PAl)-The Associated Clerical, Office, Laboratory and
Technical Staff of the University of
Maine (ACSUM), a National Education Association affiliate, won $2.7
million in pay equity raises for most
of the 1,000 clerical workers at the
university. After an ACS UM study
demonstrated sex and race bias in the
university's job classification system,
the employees worked with the university administration to develop a
bias-free system with pay equity raises
that will be implemented this summer.

Are You M·ssing lmpo ant Mail?
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.

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:

SIU &amp; 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.

------------------------------~---~------------------------Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
PLEASE PRINT
HOME ADDRESS
Social Security No.

Phone No. (

Your Full Name

Street

Apt. or Box#

Book Number

)

Area Code

D

State

City

SIU

D

UIW

D

Pensioner

ZIP

Other--------

UIW Place of Employment _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

This will be my permanent address for all official Union mailings.
This address should remain In the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally.

(Signed)------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------~
July 1988ILOGI11

�Where to Find WW II Vets Information
The Veteran's Administration has issued the following list of agencies
and their addresses for WW II merchant marine veterans seeking disability
compensation and medical benefits for service-connected injuries and
illnesses.

Records of merchant seamen trained by the U.S. Maritime Service.
Requests for information should include the name the seaman used during
training, date of birth, and social security number.
Write: National Personnel Records Center
Civilian Records Branch
111 Winnebago Street
St. Louis, MO 63118

Information Sources for World War II Merchant Seamen Seeking Benefits
and Services from the Veterans Administration for Service-Connected or
Service-Aggravated Injuries or Illnesses.
The Veterans Administration (VA) may pay disability compensation
and provide medical services to World War II merchant seamen with
veterans status under Public Law 95-202. Merchant seamen must be able
to document their claim for compensation by providing substantiating
information.
The following is a list of facilities that maintain merchant seamen
records. The records may contain material relevant to a compensation
claims case.
Medical information on merchant seamen treated at U.S. Public Health
Service Hospitals (former marine hospitals). Requests for information
should include the name the seaman used as a patient, date of birth,
social security number, Z-number, location of hospital where treatment
was received, approximate date(s) of treatment, kind of information being
requested, how it is to be used and where the information should be sent.
If request for information is on behalf of a merchant seaman who is
deceased or incompetent, a death certificate or proof of incompetency
must be provided. Requester should al o state their relationship to
seaman.
Write: Health Data Center
GWL Hansen's Disease Center
Carville, LA 70721

The U.S. Coast Guard has information on specific vessels a merchant
seaman may have served on. Requests for information should include
u:s. Coast Guard Z-number, date of birth and name the seaman used
when sailing.
Write: Commandant
U.S. Coast Guard (GMVP·l)
2100 Second Street, SW
Washington, DC 20593

Academic, medical and training records of seamen who were enrolled
as cadets at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Requests for information
should include name the seaman used as a cadet, date of birth, social
security number and dates of enrollment.
Write: U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, New York 11024-1699
Attn: Director of External Affairs

Attn: Director
Information on merchant seamen who received medals and decorations.
Government files may contain information about the basis for which the
medal award was given. Requests for information should include the full
name of the seaman, U.S. Coast Guard Z or Book number, and World
War II home address.
Write: U.S. Department ofTransPQrtation
Maritime Administration-MAR 250
Office of Maritime Labor &amp; Training
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington~ DC 20590

Vessel Status Cards that identify vessels owned or operated by the
War Shipping Administration (WSA) and articles of vessels owned or
controlled by WSA that suffered war damage may be available at Maritime
Administration. Requests for information should include the name of the
vessel.
Write: U.S. Department of Transportation
Maritime Administration-MAR 573
Chief, Division of Statistics
400 Seventh Street SW
Washington, DC 20590

Attn; Seamen Awards

Seafarer. International Union of North Amcnca. AFL-CIO

July 1988

LccJJlalivc . lldmini&gt;trativc Dnd Regulatory Happening&lt;

(Continued from Page 32.)
differential subsidy funds for 12 foreign-built container vessels.
The bill is ''vitally necessary if the
U.S. merchant marine is to be competitive for the essential trades of the
United States," said Inouye, who noted
that the bill would not hurt other U.S.
liner operators nor would it affect
e.xisting cargo preference laws. It is
not, he emphasized. a substitute for
reform of the liner subsidy program.

Minimum Wage
The House of Representatives is
expected to vote on the Fair Labor
Standards Amendments of 1988 later
on this month. The legislation would
raise the minimum wage to $4.55 in
three stages by 1991.
The minimum wage has remained
static since 1981 while inflation has
increased dramatically. "It is only fair
that this legislation be passed," said
SIU's Sacco. "The SIU strenuously
opposes any move to weaken the bill
through the passage of amendments
authorizing a sub-minimum youth
wage.''
12/LOG/July 1988

Procedure and
Charter Bill
The House Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee has been holding
hearings on H.R. 4662, which would
authorize the federal government to
build vessels for charter to private
industry.
The legislation has divided the maritime industry. Some operators feel
that it could give the industry a badlyneeded boost in the arm. Others are
convinced that it would upset the domestic trades.

Sewace Sludge
At the very same moment that seg, ments of the maritime industry were
celebrating passage of a bill clarifying
the Jones Act to include the transportation of sewage sludge, legislation
outlawing the carriage of such products was being introduced in both the
Senate and House of Representatives.
The SIU has strongly backed enactment of the Sewage Sludge bill.
The Union also felt that there was

a tremendous opportunity for growth
in the industry. In addition, the legislation marked the first time that the
Jones Act was unequivacably applied
to the 200 mile exclusive economic
zone.

Trade Bill
Prospects for passage of a trade bill
picked up dramatically when Democrats in the House and Senate decided
to introduce a separate piece of legislation dealing with the issue of plant
closings.
Most Democrats, as well as the
labor movement and many local governments, remain committed to the
concept of plant closing legislation.
The political reality, however, is that
the Democrats can't muster the necessary two-thirds vote to override
President Reagan's veto of the Omnibus Trade Bill.
By separating the two bills, Democratic leaders are convinced that they
can win the necessary two or three
votes needed from Republican lawmakers who face difficult re-election

campaigns this year and who won't be
on record as opposing plant closing
legislation.
The stripped down trade bill contains several items of interest to the
maritime industry, including one which
would enhance the powers of the Federal Maritime Commissioner to pursue
matters involving unfair trade against
American shipping companies.
Unfortunately, the legislation does
not contain an auto-carriage provision,
which was deleted injoint conference.
And it does not contain a ban on the
export of refined Alaskan oil, which
was dropped in the unsuccessful attempt to gain the three votes needed
to override the president's veto in the
Senate.

�Frank Drozak
Is Dead at 60
F

rank Drozak, the tenacious, twofisted bosun who led the
Seafarers Union during one of
maritime's most tumultuous periods, died of cancer at his home in
Alexandria, Va. on June 11, 1988. He
was 60 years old.
Drozak was buried in a simple
ceremony at Seafarers Haven, a
cemetery for seamen which he had built
across the river from the Seafarers
Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship.
He now rests alongside such friends and
co-workers as Frank Mongelli, E.B.
"Mac" McAuley, Jimmy Golder and
Bob Vahey. "Piney Point was his port,
his safe haven," said SIU SecretaryTreasurer Joe DiGiorgio in a moving
graveside eulogy.
"Frank Drozak's leadership, compassion and guidance will be sorely missed,"
said Mike Sac.co, who was sworn in as
president of the SIU after a unanimous
vote of the Union's executive board on
June 15.
HHis death will leave an immense
void in the maritime industry," said Rep.
Walter B. Jones (D-N.C.), chairman of
the House Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee.
"We are better and thi5 labor movement is strong because he came among
us, 11 AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer

Thomas R. Donahue said in his heartfelt eulogy during final service~ at the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School.
"I am sure that Frank Drozak will
take his place among such figures as
Paul Hall, Joe Curran and Harry Lundeberg," said Shannon Wall, executive
vice president of District 1-NMU.
"Maritime has lost one of its own,"
said Rep. Helen Bentley (D-Md.) in a
statement included in the Congressional

Frank Drozak

Record.
"Frank's death brings sorrow to trade
unionists around the world, at sea and
ashore," said AFL-CIO President Lane
Kirkland. "He will be remembered by
the national leaders who relied on his
counsel, as well as by union members in
every craft whom Frank helped rescue in
a thousand strike emergencies."

uring his eight years as SIU
president, Frank Drozak was a
leading
spokesman
for
workers' rights. He opposed
the administration's repeated attempts
to cut federal spending for maritime
and social programs, saying that this
would weaken this nation's sealift
capability and create a two-tiered
society of haves and have-nots.
His agenda was shaped by an historical accident. He asswned office during

D

the 1980 presidential campaign. He died
just as the Reagan "Revolution" was
winding down, when the shipping industry was still mired in a decade-long
depression.
Under Drozak's stewardship, the SIU
was able to sign up hundreds of new jobs
for its members in the military sector,
expand membership services through
the implementation of innovative
programs and upgrade its training and
educational facilities in Piney Point.
These accomplishments occurred during
a time when the American-flag merchant marine had declined by more than

one-third, from 600 vessels in 1980 to

360 today. Institutions like U.S. Lines
and the National Maritime Council,
which many in the maritime industry
thought would last forever, have simply
ceased to exist.

nder Drozak's stewardship,
"the SIU operated a formidable political apparatus,''
wrote Robert F. Morison in
The Journal of Commerce. "The
Seafarers, small in number compared to
the other national unions, ~onsistently

U

- continued next page

With Joan lngrao, exqcutive

necretary-treaaurer of the AFL-CIO Mmitimo

At the Democratic National Committee's Platfonn Committee in January 1980
urging a commitment to a strong national maritime :policy.

Trades Department, one of his mentors,
his strongest ally in tho labor
movement, and a close friend.

In Nicaragua in 1982 meeting with l~bor
leaders and pledging support for a free
and democratic trade union movement
in Central America.

Special Section

At the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee in 1984 urging
national support for ailing U.S~flag merchant marine.

July 1988 / SEAFARERS LOG/

13

�What They Are Saying...
rank Drozak guided the Maritime Trades Department through
eight of the most difficult years we have ever encountered. He
never wavered from our true course of bringing a better life to
working people through the trade union movement.
He was particularly effective in the legislative and political fields,
which are so vital to the MID and its 44 affiliated unions. Time and
again his testimony was instrumental in convincing Congress of the
rightness of our cause.
His contributions to the MID, as well as the entire labor movement, will long be remembered.
-Jean Ingrao, Executive Secretary-Treasurer

F

Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO
ranked high on the list in dollars
donated to congressional and presidential campaigns." Because of this, the
SIU played an important role in
preserving the ban on the export of
Alaskan oil and in fighting back
repeated attempts to weaken the Jones
Act.
Drozak was considered one of the architects of the Cargo Preference Compromise of 1985, which preserved the
P .L. 480 program in the face of fierce attacks from agricultural groups. As a
result, American-flag cargo preference

With Riley Regan of the National
lrultitute on Alcoholiam At the

SIU-SJ)Omored seminar on alcohol
nddietton mid treatment at Piney
Point in February 19'76.

requirements for certain kinds of
government-impelled cargoes were
raised from 50 to 75 percent, safe-guarding thousands of jobs for American
seamen and shoreside workers.
During the last two years of his life,
Drozak was instrumental in forging
coalitions to remove transportation from
the provisions of the Canada Free Trade
Agreement, in fighting for a Trade Bill
that would give American shipping companies equal access to foreign markets
and in speaking out against attacks on
the integrity of the American registry,
most notably, the reflagging of 11
Kuwaiti tankers.

rozak was a vice president of
the AFL-CIO and a valued
member of the Federation's ex·
ecutive council. He was also
head of the 8.5 million member
Maritime Trades Department. He was
only the third person to head the
Seafarers International Unio11 of North
America, following two legendary leaders, Harry Lundcberg and Paul Hall.
He was ~lso president of two SIUNA

D

With Mrs. Harry Lundeberg and west coast maritime labor leaders Paul
Dempster, SUP president and Ed Turner, former president of the Marine
Cooks and Stewards at the rededication of the memorials to Lundeberg
and Andrew Fureseth in San Francisco in March 1981.

affiliates - this
Union,
the SIUAGLIWD, and the United Industrial
Workers Union, which represents workers in a diverse number of fields, from
the service and industrial sectors to
transportation, government, fish canning and steel.
In his various capacities, he was an
ardent spokesman for working people
both here and abroad. At the request of
AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland, he
traveled extensively to other cowitries Nicaragua, Australia, Zimbabwe, among
others. He was a member of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, the Coalition

Against Apartheid and the United Way.
He received a life achievement award
from Histadrut, the Israeli organization.
As president of the MTD, Drozak led
a successful 11-year fight to gain recognition for the role that American seamen
played in World War II. He worked tirelessly for ratification of ILO Convention
147, which set minimum international
standards for seamen. It was the first
ILO convention to be signed by the
United States in more than 35 years.
He was a leading spokesman for the
fishing and fish processing industry. He
helped reorganize the Atlantic Fisher-

With national labor leaders at the
White House for a briefing by

President Ronald Reagan
in July 1981.

With Presidential
candidate Walter
Mondale at
SIU headquarters
in August 1984.

With President Jinuny Carter on the White House lawn
in the Summer of 1980.

14 /SEAFARERS LOG/ .July 1988

Special Section

�With NMU President Shannon
Wall at SIU-sponsored unity
meeting in Miami Beach in

February 1982.

men,s Union in New Bedford, incorporating it directly into the SIU
He led a long and bitter strike in New
Bedford to protect the rights of the
newly-reorganized fishermen there. At
the same time, he worked with allies in
Congress to try to resolve thorny
problems relating to vessel safety,
liability insurance, and fishing rights on
the Grand Banks.

He strenuously opposed attempts by
tug and barge companies which tried to
deprive certain groups of workers of
their legitimate right of union representation by unilaterally reclassifying
them as supervisory personnel. He
worked for passage of a port development bill to stimulate activity in the
dredging industry and opposed the imposition of user fees, which he viewed as
posing a serious threat to the economic
health of the inland waterways industry.
He worked to enact legislation to
reduce the burdensome requirements
heaped on the maritime industry, which
is regulated by more than 75 federal
agencies. At the same time, he opposed
the administration's broader policy of
deregulation, saying that it would lead to
a breakdown of safety standards in the
transportation industry.

With SUP President Paul Dempster, left, and Marine Firemen President
Whitey Disley at a San Francisco Port Council meeting in April 1984.

With upgrading Seafarers at

rozak was a strong proponent
of grassroots political activity.
During one battle to save the
Cargo Preference Act of 1954,
he flooded Capitol Hill with dozens of
whitecapped seamen who made unannounced visits to their elected representatives. He was constantly seeking
new ways to bring labor's message to
the public at large. It was a message he
had spent his whole life trying to communicate.

D

e started his career in 1945 in
the port of Mobile, Ala. He
was one of four children. Both
he and his twin brother Paul
sought to escape the poverty of Coy,
Ala. by going to sea in the waning days
of World War II.
Drozak joined the SIU in its first
decade of existence, when Paul Hall,
then director of organizing, was in the
process of transforming the Union into
one of the most powerful forces on the
waterfront.
Drozak upgraded to bosun, the
highest unlicensed rating in the deck
department. He participated in many of
the Union's early beefs, including the
Isthmian and Cities Service organizing
campaigns. He caught the attention of
Cal Tanner, then port agent in Mobile,
who assigned him to the shore gang in
that port. From then on, it was a steady
rise through the ranks of the SIU.
In 1959 he came to New York as acting port agent. In 1962, at the request of
SIU President Paul Hall, he headed the

H

SHLSS in April 1979, where
he was keynote speaker

at the launching of the
SIU's industrial
relations program.

SIU's fight against the Teamsters in the
port of Philadelphia.
The Teamsters had just been expelled
from the AFL-CIO by George Meany.
SIU head Paul Hall was in the forefront
of the fight to prevent the Teamsters
from developing a lock on the transportation industry through raids on unions
affiliated with the APL-CI 0.
Steve "Blackie,, Cardullo, national
director of the SIU-affiliated United Industrial Workers Union, had just gone
over to the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters, taking six other UIW and
SIU officials with him. Drozak and a
team of SIU stalwarts spent months
sleeping on the floor of the Philadelphia
hall and walkiilg picket lines. They were
exposed to the daily threat of physical
violence. They persevered, and as a
result of their efforts, hundreds of industrial workers in the port of Philadelphia remained covered by SIU/UIW
contracts.
In 1963, Drozak briefly headed the
Union's lifeboat training program in
Brooklyn, N.Y. He was named Philadel-

- continued on next page

With the recertified Bosuns at SIU
headquarters in October 1984 in

one of his continuing dialogues
with the membership.

Special Section

July 1988 I SEAFARERS LOG

I 15

�phia port agent in 1964. In 1965 he went
out to the West Coast to oversee the
Union's Vietnam sealift, where he
developed a program to insure qualified
crewing of SIU-contracted vessels.
His experiences during this vital
period in our nation's history was to lead
to a lifelong commitment to developing
procedures to enhance the SIU's manpower system. "It doesn't make a difr ~rence if we have the contract," he
would often say. "If we can't man the
vessels, then we won't get the jobs."

n 1972 he moved to SIU headquarters, then in Brooklyn, where
he became vice president in charge
of contracts. His close personal
relationship with SIU President Paul
Hall continued to grow. He assumed
many of the day-to-day duties of running the Union, which freed Hall to
work on a national and international
level.
One of the reasons why Hall had
called Drozak to headquarters was ·that
he had suffered a near-fatal heart attack
two years before. Though Hall fully
recovered from that ordeal, he was
determined that nothing should interfere
with the smooth operation of the SIU,
not even his own death.
When Dro7.ak fell ill in 1988, he was
to repeat this process by calling SIU
Vice President Mike Sacco to

I

What They Are Saying...
he passing of Frank Drozak is a great loss to the Seafarers International Union of North America,
to all of its members in the seafaring, fishing and allied trades and to the trade union movement
generally. We will remember Frank with gratitude for his unswerving efforts to call attention to the
need for preserving this nation's maritime capability and for his constant search for ways and means to
protect and expand job opportunities for his union's membership. Frank assumed the leadership of our
union in a most difficult period, one in which U.S. shipping declined as a result of abandonment by the
Carter and Reagan administrations. He recognized that the changing character of world shipping required
recognition of the need for the industry to be competitive--a not always popular stance but a courageous
and honest one.

T

- Mike Sacco, President
Seafarers International Union of North America
Washington to coordinate the activities
of headquarters and the ports.
In his capacity as vice president of the
SIU, Drozak attracted nationwide attention for his efforts to mobilize support
for the re-opening of the Seatrain
Shipyard in Brooklyn. Robert Blackwell,
former head of the Maritime Administration, ranked this as one of
Drozak's "most remarkable accomplishments."
In 1978 Drozak's brother Paul, who
had led the fight to sign up workers in
the tug and barge industry, died of cancer at the age of 50. Later, as president
of the SIU, Frank Drozak would fight to
preserve his brother's lega~y when tug
and barge companies like ACBL, Dixie
and SONAT Marine tried to rid themselves of union workers.
When SIU President Paul Hall was
felled by an inoperable brain tumor in

1979, Drozak gave this Union a strong
presence during a potentially troubling
period. Because of their close relationship, there was a smooth transition.
Drozak immediately stepped in for
Hall on the national level. Within
months, he was playing a leading role in
securing support for Jimmy Carter, who
during his tenure as president had
demonstrated a strong. commitment to
the maritime industry. Among other
things, Carter had come out in support
of a cargo preference bill, signed into
law legislation redocumenting the S.S.
Independence under the American flag,
consistently backed a healthy maritime
budget, established the Strategic
Petroleum Reserve, signed the Deep
Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act
with "man-American" provisions intact
and worked hard for the enactment of
the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act

art er lost the 1980 election to
Reagan by a substantial margin,
in large part because of a sense
national frustration brought on
by the Iranian hostage crisis. Control of
the Senate passed to the Republican
Party for the first time in more than 20
years. The combination of these two
events helped pave the way for the socalled Reagan "Revolution," which
transformed the face of American
politics during the early part of the
decade and which had profound implications for American seamen.
The entire labor movement was faced
with a new environment distinctly unfavorable to the interests of the working
people. Federal programs which had
promoted numerous American industries and provided a minimum safety
net for millions of American workers

C

Explaining the need for a Fair
Trade policy to a young citizen
during hearings on U.S.-Japan
bilateral agreements.

Speaking at Maritime Day
memorial services in Washinaton.
D.C. in May 1980.

With MEBA-2 President Ray McKay, SIU of Canada President Gralewicz
and SIU of Canada Executive Secretary Andrew Boyle at a meeting of the
ILO Maritime Commission in Geneva in October 1984.

16 I SEAFARERS LOG I .July 1988

Leading the Seafarers on a march to support the United Mine Workers in
Washington, D.C. in May 1980.

Special Section

�Participating at maritime
meetings of the
International Labor

Organization in Geneva
in the Summex- of 1984
with Ake Selander,
deputy secretary general
of the International
TransportV\Torkers

Federation.

were axed. The National Labor Relations Board was packed with conservative appointees, which made it impossible for workers to receive an impartial
hearing.
Maritime, like many other American
industries, was hard hit. The Construction Differential Subsidy Program died.
In addition, the administration tried to
gut the Title XI Loan Guarantee
Mortgage Program and the Capital Construction Fund.
The USPHS hospital system, which
for 200 years had provided seamen with
quality medical care, was shut down.
Under Drozak's direction, the Union
looked into imaginative ways to effect
savings within the Seafarers Welfare
Plans without having to cut back on the
benefits provided seamen. In New Orleans
Seattle, for example, a
preferred provider program was set up

which guaranteed seamen in those ports
better medical coverage for less money.
From the moment he took office,
Drozak was aware that the maritime industry was faced with a grim prospect
for the future. The shipping boom of the
'70s, which grew from the Vietnam War
and was nurtured by the Merchant
Marine Act of 1970, was nearing an end.
A depression in the oil industry and an
explosion of corporate takeovers would
soon create a desperate situation in the
tug and barge industry as well.
In the early part of the decade, before
the scope of the Reagan "Revolution"
became truly known, Drozak lobbied for
a plan to revive the near-moribund bulk

trade. He called on Congress to enact
the Boggs Bulk Bill, which would have
set aside a certain percentage of bulk
products for American-flag carriers. The
Reagan administration strenuously opposed this bill as well as other efforts to
stimulate the bulk trade. It dismantled
existing programs aimed at stimulating
domestic coal production and tried to
discourage the use of bilateral trade
agreements.
Drozak also moved to revitalize the
passenger vessel industry, which the
Carter administration had helped to
resurrect. He was successful in enacting
legislation to reflag the S.S. Constitution,
thereby creating several hundred more

jobs for SIU seamen. In addition, the tax
code was revised to allow the deduction
of expenses incurred on shipboard conventions.
Disunity in the maritime industry,
however, prevented passage of legislation which would have added more passenger vessels to the American registry.
Lack of unity was also a major stumbling
in the enactment of a new liner subsidy
reform program.

- continued next page

and

With SIU President Paul Hall,
Johnny Yarmola and Bob Vahey
at the AFL-CIO Convention
in May 1976.

With other members of the Nationwide Coordinating Committee in
Washington in .June 1968. It was his first national political involvement. At

right is former SIU legislative representative Phil Carlip.

With NMU Vice President Mel Barisic and IIA President Teddy Gleason at
Maritime Day ceremonies in New York in May t 976.

Special Section

Being installed (4th from left) as a vice president of the SIUNA at the
Union's 12th Convention in 1965.

.July 1988 I SEAFARERS LOG /

17_

�Eulogy
In a lighter moment with his wife,
Marianne (top photo) and best
friends Ray and Dolly McKay.

At a meeting of the MTD
Executive Board in February 1982
(bottom photo).

hile fighting to protect his
members from jurisdictional
attacks by other unions,
especially the licensed ones,
Droza.k was determined to narrow
whatever differences he could. Albert
E. May, executive director of the
United Shipowners of America, said
that lithe big thing Frank did in
Washington was to pull everyone
together. That's something he'll be

W

remembered for,"
Drozak sought to extend that sense of

unity to its logical conclusion. The ILA
rejoined the Maritime Trades Department in 1981, and the Military Sealift
Transport Union merged with the SIU
in 1982.
Merger talks with the NMU were
entered into in 1986. When these talks
fell apart because of the NMU's insistence that the A&amp;G District break its
formal ties with the other affiliates of the
SIUNA, Drozak responded by forming
the Seafarers Maritime Union. His goal
always was to promote and protect the
job security of the membership of the
SIU.

uilding upon the legacy of Paul
Hall, he made education a
priority. During his tenure as
president, the SHI.SS instituted
a new associate arts program and expanded the alcoholic rehabilitation center to include treatment for drug addiction. Sophisticated new equipment like
the Haaglund Crane and a bridge
simulator were installed. The Army and
Navy and other groups started to train
at the school.
In his speeches, columns and taped
messages, Drozak urged our members to

B

18 /

am standing in today for Lane Kirkland, who would certainly be here if he could to say farewell to a
friend and colleague who was also a fellow seaman, and to express more eloquently than I, his affection
for Frank and his deep sympathy to Marianne, to the other members of Frank's family, and to the
union and the sailors he served.
Lane once remarked that the brotherhood of the sea rests on a deep understanding of the basic facts of
life that also underlie trade unionism. Seamen understand more readily than others, he said, how much
human beings have to depend on each other; they see in their daily life how each member of the crew is
responsible to some degree for the lives of his shipmates, the safety of the vessel and the success of the
voyage.
Nobody ever had a more highly developed sense of the brotherhood of the sea than Frank Drozak. He
learned in his teens, shipping out in time of war, that all of us are in the same boat and that the only way to
keep it afloat and on course is to make it sea worthy for all.
He carried that view ashore with him when he began his career of service to his fellow Seafarers. He extended it, as he grew in experience and responsibility, to include workers in every craft and trade and all the
members of our society, the whole family of man.
It is a credit to the members of the Seafarers International Union that they keep electing leaders like
Frank Drozak - and Paul Hall and Harry Lundeberg and Andrew Furuseth-who are determined never to
permit this organization to become an exclusive little parish, but to make it as inclusive as possible, to keep
it right in the center of the channel of trade unionism, and to make it a force for strengthening democracy
throughout the land.
One expression of that determination is this Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship, which is not merely
one of the finest trade schools in any industry, but a rescue operation that gives youngsters from city ghettos
and rural backwaters a chance to learn and to become full-fledged participants in this society. This school
and those opportunities were among the abiding prides and passions of Frank's life.
Another expression of that determination to keep the SIU a strong, central, trade union force, is the unfailing support that this Union's officers and members give to the work of the labor movement as a whole,
from the highest councils of leadership to the loneliest picket lines. I recall no plea for help, at the local,
state, national or international level that didn't have Frank's and the SIU's quick response.
And I know of no union that has devoted more of its resources, or used them more effectively, in labor's
legislative and political campaigns - and in that, as in everything they shared, Frank and Marianne were
clearly an effective team.
In all areas of trade union activity, because of the quality of its leaders and the solidarity of its members,
the SIU has exerted influence far beyond its apparent strength, and I have no doubt that that will continue.
This is an institution that was built for long hauls and heavy weather, and each of its leaders has
strengthened it and left behind leadership capable of taking the helm.
Frank Drozak was a dear and strong voice on the AFL-CIO Executive Council and its committees not
just on maritime issues (though surely he was clear on those) but equally on matters of defense policy, international affairs, economic policy, trade, organizing, pension investment, and a host of other concerns.
In the International Transport Federaton and at the ILO, he was a voice for America and for American
seamen within the world fraternity of sailors, and in our AFL-CIO Ad Hoc Maritime Committee he worked
with his fellow maritime leaders to try to find unity of action. Frank always called it the Ham Hock Committee.
He was by any measure a leader--tough, energetic and hard- working, and a staunch ally of every friend of
working people.
He'll be sorely missed on our Executive Council, in the Maritime Trades Department, in this great Union
and throughout this trade union movement. But we are better and this movement is stronger because he
came among us.
- Thomas R. Donohue

I

AFL-CIO Secretary- Treasurer
upgrade their skills. In order to make
upgrading more palatable, he improved
the facilities at the Seafarers Harry Lundcberg School. A beautiful new hotel
and recreation center was built. So was a
new library and a museum to house the
records of our Union's rich history. Lectures were videotaped and piped into
the students' rooms, so that they could
more readily absorb the material they
had to learn.
Conscious of the fact that the Reagan
administration was cutting back benefits
for American workers, Drozak toiled to
pick up the slack. Among other things,
he implemented a new program to house
pensioners at Piney Point.
Shortly after taking over the helm of
the SIU, Drozak took steps to improve
services to the members. He relocated
the headquarters building to Camp
Springs, Md. He completely computerized the Union's records. Not only

SEAFARERS LOG I July 1988

did this facilitate the processing of
claims, but it laid the foundation for a
stronger, more efficient Manpower and
Shipping department.

t was Drozak's belief that the
problems facing the American
maritime industry were part of a
larger problem. He felt that the international trading system was inherently unfair and that something needed to
be done to protect the security of
American workers.
He called on Congress and the administration to enact an industrial
policy. If they didn't, he predicted a
mass exodus of jobs overseas. All that
American workers would be left with, he
said, were "Mickey Mouse jobs in places
like McDonald's paying minimum wage
rates." The prototype for this, he said,
was the formulation of the Effective U.S.

I

Control Doctrine, which decimated the
American-flag merchant marine and
jeopardized the fleets of our NATO allies.
He was one of the authors of an historic study calling for the reorganization
of the American labor movement: "The
Changing Situation of American
Workers and Their Unions." Acting on
the recommendations contained in the
report, he made a concerted effort to
beef up the Union's organizing department.
During his long career in the
maritime industry he had witnessed
firsthand drastic changes in automation
and technology. Unless the SIU and the
members of the Union adapted to the
rapid changes that were engulfing the industry, he said, they would be left behind.
Absent help from the federal government, he believed that the only avenue

Special Section

�...

With AFL-CIO President
Lane Kirkland and

Secretary-Treasurer
Thomas Donahue

at his election
to the AFL-CIO
Executive Council
in November 1981.

At one of the SIU Crews
Conferences at Piney
Point in 1975.

With Stephen Leslie on his
election as president of the
Maritime Trades Department,
AFL-CIO, in February 1980.
on a hospital ship only to declare itself
the winner. There was a widespread
feeling in the private sector that the
procurement process had not been conducted properly. Marine Transport
Lines, an NMU-contracted company,
filed suit on this issue. Drozak joined
others in the maritime industry in calling

for a reform of the procurement process.
open for growth was in the mi1itary sec·
to.r. He .rcpc"tcdly Q!kd on the kderal
government to contract work out to the

private sector. This would have a threefold effect, he said. le would ina-ease the
sealift capability of this wuntry by securing an adcquatdy·sizcd pool of skilled
mariners. It would save the American
taxpaye.rs hundreds of millions of dollars. And it would save che AmericanOag merchant marine.

R

ed Campbell, vi~ president in
charge of contracts, said,
uFrank
Drozak's
enduring

legacy is chat he enabled chis

Union to stay afloat during one of the
darkest periods in the history of the
maritime industry. The United States is
quickly approaching the point whe.re it
will have co decide if it wants a mer-

he turning point came in 1984,

chant fleet capable of meeting its
security needs. n
This same conclusion was reached by
the Commission on Merchant Marine

when an amendment attached
to the Department of Defense
authorizations bill mandated
that the Military Sealift Command go
through an A-76 bidding process. As a
result of this, the Union was able to sign
up hundreds of new jobs on more than
70 military vessels.
It was a slow process, made possible
by the high quality of SIU crews. In
1984, for example, an SIU crew onboard
the Southem Cross made a strong impression on the military, earning a letter

and Defense, which recently released a
seven-point program aimed to revitalize
the maritime industry. "There is a clear
and growing danger to the national
security," it said, "in the deteriorating
condition of America's maritime industries."
Echoing a theme that Drozak continually hit upon, the report noted that
uThere is today insufficient strategic
sealift, both ships and trained personnel,
for the United States using only its own
resources as required by the defense

of commendation for its flawless performance in NATO exercises.
Drozak did everything he could co
cake advantage of the job opportunities

planning assumptions, to execute a ·
major deployment in contingent operations in a single theater such as South-

T

that were opening in this area. The
SHLSS retooled its curriculum to include a sealift course incorporating
training for helicopter operations and
underway replenishments. New trainees
were cross-trained so that they could
handle chores onboard deck and in the
engine room. Drozak brought management, labor and government together at
Sealift conferences, the first of which
was held in May 1986 at the SHL5S.

One potentially disturbing development occurred late last year when the
Military Sealift Command put out a bid

Special Section

west Asia. Without decisive action the
situation will worsen substantially by the
year2000.

"Major government effort is urgently
required, indeed overdue, to revise our
national objectives, policies and commitments in order to reverse the decline of
the maritime industry."
"There is a great deal of irony in the
timing of Frank Drozak's death," said
SIU Vice President George McCartney.

"The man who did so much to promote
the interests of merchant seamen
through political action will not be
around for what will probably be the
most important election in the history of
the maritime industry."
"Whatever administration replaces
this one will almost certainly decide the
fate of the American-flag merchant
marine," said Joe Sacco, executive vice
president of the SIU.
- continued next page

Speaking at the Metal Trades
Department meeting in Anaheim,
California in October 1985 with
Metal Trades President Paul
Burnsky (top photo).

With Jack Otero, vice president of

the Transportation
Communications Union at the
AFL-CIO Convention in October
1985 (bottom photo).

July 1988 /SEAFARERS LOG/

19

�At his last Union meeting on
April 4, 1988 in Piney Point
as he welcomed Mike Sacco
aboard as executive
vice president.

P

......

erhaps the most moving tribute
to the memory of Frank Drozak
occurred on Maritime Day,
several weeks before his death.
On the same day the nation was
honoring
the
contributions
that
American seamen have made to the
defense and economic development of
this nation, the Fletcher School of Law
and Diplomacy unveiled a study which
called for the elimination of all federal
subsidies to the American-flag merchant
marine, a development that would doom
the maritime industry.
The report was denounced by almost
all segments of the maritime industry.
"It's full of more holes than a well used

dart board,» wrote the The I oumal of
Commerce in a front page story.
The study was unveiled at an all-day
seminar. Many of the members of the
audience were blunt. "It's categorically
bad, amateurish, biased, an undergraduate piece of work and most disappointing," said Admiral Harold E .
Shear, former head of the Maritime Administration.
For SIU members, the high point of
the day came when Andi;ew Gibson,
former head of the Maritime Administration and now chairman of
Automor, an SIU-contracted company,
said that the American Seafarers who
crewed his vessels "were the finest in the
world, bar none."

If that is true, it is because of the
vision and determination of one man:
Frank Drozak, who kept alive the legacy
handed to him by Paul Hall and Harry
Lundeberg.

rank Drozak is survived by his
wife Marianne Rogers Drozak, a
daughter, Sarah Frankie Bell;
three grandchildren, one of
whom was born just days before his
death; a brother David; and a sister,
Mary Alice Walraven.

F

A solemn bles sing
11s he lli laid to ra;t.

And a last tribute from
an old and trusted friendSIU Secretary-Treasurer
Joe DiGiorgio.

20 I

SEAFARERS LOG I July 1988

Special Section

�Dliaes• of Ships Nee•inas
BELLATRIX (T·AKR 288), lnterna·
tional Marine Carriers), May 20-Chairman
Hurmon B. Butts, Secretary Vincent Sanchez Jr., Educational Director Alfred Ragas. No beefs or disputed OT reported,
although there was some disputed division
of wages in the steward department. Because of poor mail service, no communications have been received from headquarters. A motion was made for the
company to have sufficient amount of money
on hand for draws in all ports and to forward
mail to the ship. Members would also like
clarification, in writing, as to the maintenance requirements and the 12-hour clause
that's in the contract. As it presently stands,
the members are confused. A vote of
thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done. Next port: New
Orleans, La.
GROTON (Apex Marine), May 15Chairman Neil Matthey, Secretary Marvin
Deloatch, Educational Director Alan Gard·
ner, Deck Delegate Lionel Shaw, Engine
Delegate Ricardo Vasquez, Steward Delegate Abduh Azez. No beefs or disputed
OT reported. Everything is running smoothly
aboard the Groton. The ship will pay off in
Stapleton, N.Y. on May 18. The chairman
stressed the importance of contributing to
SPAD to help keep our political activities
moving forward. And the secretary urged
all members who qualify to attend the
upgrading courses at Piney Point to learn
new skills-your key to job security. The
educational director reminded members to
vote this year in the presidential election.
He also said that if members know that
tMy will M at sea. during tM elections,
they should plan ahead to get an absentee
Mlll)t. TM erew gave rM steward aM
chief cook a vote of thanks for the fine
food they. serve. And the steward. in turn.
gave a Vl')te l')f tMnt&lt;s tl') tM crew for tMir
great cooperation. Next port: Stapleton.
N.Y.
OMI WABASH (OMI), May 1-Chair·
man H. Thrower, Secretary P. Shauger,
Deck Delegate J. Cunningham, Engine
Delegate G. Venus, Steward Delegate C.
F@urtado. No b@@fs or disputed OT r@·
ported, although there was some problem
with the launch service in Panama and
being restricted to the ship there. There is
$117 Trom arrival pMls wn1en nas Men
given to the captain to put in his safe.
There will be a payoff this trip. The repair
list will be posted on the board. A request
was made for more milk in the night lunch
(so that members can have dry cereal at
midnight when getting off watch). Next port:
Bayway, N.J.

OVERSEAS

JUNEAU

(Maritime
Overseas), May 12-Chairman Errol Pak,
Educational Director James Fair. No beefs
or disputed OT reported, although there
was a question in the engine department
regarding earning rest period on weekends
and holidays. Is rest period payable on
premium days? A Question also was brought
up about the sanitary for the crew. A letter
from HeadQuarters Rep Carl Peth was
read. However. the eaptain has said he

will have to dispute any OT claims in lieu
of sanitary. The chairman urged all crewmembers to respond to the proposal (March
'88 LOG, p. 3) on shipping and registration.
He also urged all members to become
politically active in this election year. Any
information on candidates, registration and
volunteer work can be obtained from the
field rep at any SIU port. The educational
director stressed the importance of upgrading at Piney Point to further job opportunities. A vote of thanks was given to
the steward department. Next port: San
Francisco, Calif.

SAM HOUSTON (Waterman), May
22-Chairman H. Leake, Secretary G.T.
Aquino, Educational Director P. Walker.
No beefs or disputed OT reported. There
is $140 in the ship's fund. The bosun
stressed how important it is for all jobs
aboard a ship to be filled so that the ship
does not have to sail short. The amount of
money lost in this manner affects all members with regard to benefits and reflects
poorly on the Union. The steward read and
posted the notice regarding pollution of the
seas by ships. Many changes will be made
beginning January 1, 1989. No more plastic
of any kind may be discharged less than
three and often up to 12 miles from shore.
This will also include material that floats
and any food waste or non bio-degradable
products. All members were reminded that
this is an election year. "We need the help
of any politician who will work for us. If you
can give these people even a few hours
of your time, they will appreciate it very
much." A vote of thanks was given to the
stewa.rd department. TM stewa.rci ciepanment, in turn, thanked all hands who helped
keep tne rec room. mess room aM pantry
clean. One minute of silence was observed
in memory of our departed brothers and
sisters. Next pM'. Ale&gt;&lt;a.nctria. Egypt.
SEA·LAND FREEDOM (Sea-Land),
April 30-Cl'1alrman LE. Watson. Secretary L.A. Lamphere, Educational Director
D.L. Struthers. No beefs or disputed OT
reported. One man i$ getting off in tM
deck department after one relief trip, and
th@ r@gular AB is du@ back. Som@ clarifi·
cation is needed from the patrolman regarding watchstanders. Payoff will take
place upon arrival in Tacoma, Wash. There
is no snip's fund at present. but it was
agreed that a collection . should be taken
up for an arrival pool in Yokohama so that
money will be available for some new
movies. It was mentioned that the vents
by the gangway give off a toxic gas and
are a health hazard. Something should be
done about the problem. Members were
asked to be considerate of others aboard
ship, and the crew members voted unanimously against national shipping . They
want to leave the jobs in the respective
ports and not have to compete nationwide.
A request was also made to put the photos
of the deceased members back in the LOG.
Next port: Yokohama, Japan.

SEA.LAND MARINER (Sea-Land),
May 2&amp;-Chairman David B. Atkinson,
Seeretary Lois v. Ware, Educational Di-

To the crewm.embers of the OMI Charger:

I want to express my a.eep heartfelt gratitude to a group of professional,
q_Uick thinking men who were instrumental in bringing me out of the engine
room after the generator explosion on March 25, 1988, in Corpus Christi.
I thank God, the doctors of Memorial Medical Center and the crew for me
being alive today. All of you who stopped by the hospital Intensive Care Unit

and. met W1tn my W1fe an.a father, many thanks for your concern.
I would like to hear from you guys. Please drop me a. line.
Your Shipmate,

Michael wooa.s
9905 woodland Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20902

rector A. Bell, Deck Delegate Robert E.
McGonagle. No disputed OT. The steward
department did have a beef regarding the
shortage of soups put onboard, necessitating the chief cook to spend many extra
hours making soup. The crew would like
to stand on record that they would like the
shipping rules to remain as they are-with
no national registration. Crewmembers also
requested a microwave for the rec. room.
A vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for the excellent soup and
salad bar and the good menus this voyage.
Next port: Tacoma, Wash.

SEA-LAND QUALITY (Sea-Land),
May 8-Chairman B.G. Williams, Secretary Norman Duhe, Educational Director
D. Baker. No beefs or disputed OT reported, althoµgh some clarification was
requested by the engine department as to
the duties of the QMED and DEU on
docking and undocking. The chairman said
that the crew had taken over the Sea-Land
Quality in the shipyard in Vancouver, British
Columbia, and it has been a hard job. It's
a big ship with a small crew, "but as usual,
nothing a good SIU crew cannot handle."
A vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for a job well done.
LNG TAURUS (Energy Transportation
Corp.), May 22-Chairman Ulus S. Veach,
Secretary J. Gibbons, Educational Director
Bruce Smith, Deck Delegate John Wells,
Engine Delegate Barry Harris, Steward
Delegate W. Watson Ill. No beefs or disputed OT reported. There is $950 in the
ship's fund. Funds are being raised to
purchase a refrigerator for the crew's quarters and a scale for the exercise room.
While passing through Singapore this trip,
prices will be checked on these items. The
bosun discussed the importance of adhering to safety procedures at all times while
working a.Mard ship. He noted that the
company had sent out a videotape on the
threat oT AIDS aM urgM all to see it. He
also reminded members to upgrade their
skills at Piney Point. The secretary asked
the erew to help in keeping the lounge
elean and to help maintain the sanitary
condition of the galley. "This is your home
away Tram name." The educational director
talked about the importance of contributing
to SPAD and to the Maritime Defense
Fund-to keep jOb$ flowing. A vote of
thanks was given to the blackgang for
installing the new washer and dryer. A vote
of thanks also went to the steward department for a job well done, and for the
pool party. The members aboard the Tau·
rus ask tl'1at the LOG reinstate the practice
of using pictures in the final departures
and pensioners sections. Next port: Arun,
Indonesia.

STUYVESANT (Bay Tankers). May
22-Chairman Robert Whytock, Engine
Delegate Richard Groening, Steward Delegate L. Taylor, Secretary Henry Manning.
No beefs or disputed OT reported. The
chairman noted that everything is running
pretty smoothly at this time. The secretary
said he would be getting off this trip. "It's
been nice sailing with all of you." There is
now a refrigerator in the crew lounge for
use by all crewmembers. The educational
director reminded all eligible members to
upgrade. They should fill out the proper
forms and send them to the school at Piney
Point. The repair list has been filled out,
but three months have passed and still a
number of repairs haven't been made from
last time. The TV and VCR both need
repair, and the variety and quality of movies
onboard have been poor. The steward
department was given a vote of thanks for
a job well done.
USNS DUTTON (LSC Marine), May
8-Chairman Frank Coburn, Secretary
Tracey McFarlane, Deck Delegate Robert
Carson, Engine Delegate Jim Scott, Steward Delegate Michael Baker, Treasurer Bill
Ware. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
The new Coast Guard ruling on alcohol
was received at the last port and was
posted on the bulletin board for all to read.
The two washing machines for the unlicensed crewmembers should have been
fixed in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, but the price
was too high and the wiring was different,
so they will be fixed in Rio, the next port.
A motion was made and seconded to
renegotiate the new LSC contract to a fourmonth tour of duty instead of a six-month
tour. A question was asked regarding survival suits and why they were no longer in
the rooms. The answer was that since the
ship is on the equator, the water is warmer.
When the ship returns to the 33rd parallel
or above, survival suits will again be issued.
A number of other questions were askedregarding painting of the lower decks, replacing the door to the generator room to
the crew·s lounge and putting a water
fountain in the gym room. A motion was
made to hold the next meeting in the Navy
crew mess. Next port: Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil.
Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
ALTAIR

PATRIOT

AMERICAN CORMORANT
AMERICAN EAGLE
ASPEii
CONSTITUTION
COVE TRADER
FALCON LEADER
GOLDEN MONARCH
OMI CHARGER
OMI MISSOURI

PRIDE OF TEXAS
ROBERT E. LEE
SAii JUAN
SEA-LAND INDEPENDENCE
SEA-WO INTEGRITY
SEA-LAID LEADER
SEA-LAID PERFORMANCE
SEA-LAND PRODUCER
ULTRAMAR

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland

Port

Date

Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, August 8 .................... 10:30
New York ............... Tuesday. August 9 ................... 10:30
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, August 10 ................ 10:30
Baltimore ................ Thursday, August 11. ................. 10:30
Norfolk ................. Thursday, August 11. ................. 10:30
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, August 11. ................. 10:30
Algonac ................. Friday, August 12 .................... 10:30
Houston ................. Monday, August 15 ................... 10:30
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, August 16 .................. 10:30
Mobile .................. Wednesday, August 17 ................ 10:30
San Francisco ............ Thursday, August 18 .................. 10:30
Wilmington .............. Tuesday, August 23 .................. 10:30
Seattle .................. Friday, August 26 .................... 10:30
San Juan ................ Thursday, August 11. ................. 10:30
St. Louis ................ Friday, August 19 .................... 10:30
Honolulu ................ Friday, August 19 .................... 10:30
Duluth .................. Wednesday, August 17 ................ 10:30
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, August 24 ................ 10:30
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, August 23 .................. 10:30

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.

-

July 1988 I LOG I 21

-

�Safeguard
Your
Shipping Rights

T

O SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

DUES

Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register.

RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING

When you are relieved, you
must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.

RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION

It is your respon-

sibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.

RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING

It is your responsibility to claim

your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The constitution of the SIU
Atl~ntic,

Gulf, L~lc.es ;md Inland Waters District makes
specific provision for safeguarding the membership's
money and Union finances. The consritution requires a
detailed audit by Certified Puhlic Accountants every three
months, which are to be suhmineu to the membership by
-- the Secretary-Treasurer. A quarterly finance committee
of rank and file mcl'r\bers. elected by the membership ,
makes eKamination each quarter of the finances of the
Union and reports fully their findings und iecommenda·
tions. Members of this committee may make dissenting
reports, Sl'CCific recommendations and separate findings .

TRUST FUNDS. All trust funds of the SIU Atlantic.
GulL Lakes and Inland Waters District are administered
in acconlance 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 .
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 Boanl hy certified mail. return receipt requested . The proper address for this is:
Angm "Rtd" Camp~ll
Chairman, Seafarers Appeab 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. eirher hy writing directly to the Union
or to the Seafarers Appeals Board.

CONTRACTS. Copies of all SIU contracts are available in all SIU halls. These comrncts specify the wages
and conditions under which you work and live aboard
your ship or boat. Know your contract rights. as well as
your obligations. such as tiling for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If. at any time. any SIU

22 I LOG I July 1988

NOW YOUR RIGHTS
all Union halls. All memhers should ohtain 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
hy any methods such as dealing with charges, trials. etc ..
;i.s well as all other details. then the memher so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

EQUAL RIGHTS. All memhers are guaranteed equal
rights in employmt!nt and as members of the SIU. These
rights arc clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently, no memher may he discrimi·
nated against hecause of race. creed. color. sex and national or geographic origin . H any memher feels that he is
denied the equal rights to whkh he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
11111111mu1 1111111n1111111n1111111n1111111n1111111111111111n1111111111111111n1111111n1111111111111
patrolman or other Union offi:ial, in your opinion. fails
to protect your contract rights properly. contact the
nearest SIU port &lt;igent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Lug has
traditionally refr~_ined from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union.
officer or memher. It ha~ 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. I 960. meetings
in all constitutional pons. The responsihility for Log
policy is vested in an e&lt;litorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union . The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to he paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circumstances should any memhcr pay any money for any reason
unless he is given such receipt. In the event anyone
attempts to require any such payment he nrnde without
supplying a receipt. or if a memher is required to make a
payment um.I is given an official receipt. hut feels that he
should not have heen required to make such payment. this
should immediately he reporteJ to Union heaJquartcrs.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its ohjects 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
hoatmen and the advancement of trade union concepts.
In connection with such ohjects. SPAD supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contrihution may be
solicited or received because of force. joh discrimination,
financial reprisal, or threat of such conduct. or as a condition of membership in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made hy reason of the above improper
conduct. notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD ~y 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 fttls that any of the above rights have
been violated, or that he has been denied his constitutional right of
access to Union records or information, he should immediately ootify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The address is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

�In Memoriam • • •

F

rank Drozak always wanted seafarers to better themselves but realized that their
lifestyles and educational needs were unique and required a flexible school setting
to meet those needs. Frank believed that the SHLSS was the best way to provide
seafarers of all ages with the education they required. He wanted the membership
to be professional seafarers and to have the respect which they deserved from the
industry.

Frank was an innovative planner and a pillar of strength in recommending new
courses at the school to enable the Union to provide highly trained and skilled personnel to meet the
requirements necessitated by automation and technological changes in the industry. This far-sighted
planning enabled the SHLSS to meet the multiple demands of both the commercial and military fleets
under SIU contract.
To provide top quality vocational training, Frank pushed for the development of new vocational courses to meet industry needs. He also understood and encouraged the tie between vocational and academic education, and took pride in the school's adult education, GED and college
programs.
Frank continually stressed that education for seafarers was their key to the future. These were
more than words to Frank; he put these words into action at SHLSS.

--------------- ~~
~/~ ~~

Frank Drozak and the SHLSS . . .

Ken Conklin
SHLSS Vice President

.&amp; At the microphone, SIU President Frank
Drozak welcomed more than I 00 union

and university educators to the Annual
AFL-CIO Education Conference at the

SHLSS on March 18, 1986. At right is
Dorothy Shields, AFL-CIO education
director.

Shown here ftanked by SIU officials,
Frank Drozak was present at the 1981
dedication of the SIU's new library and
museum named in honor or his late
predecessor, Paul Hall. Left to right:
Jimmy Mllrtin, Cllrl Peth, Augie Tellez, Jack Caffey, Leon Hall, Tom
Glidewell, Jack Allen, Joe Sigler, un·
identified, Ed Kelly, Mike Sacco, Frank
Drozak, Joe DiGiorgio, Leo Bonser,
Ed Turner, George McCartney, Angus
"Red" Campbell, Frank Mongelli, Ken

Conklin, Buck Mercer.

At the Second Annual Sealift Confer· .....
ence in June 1987, Frank Drozak made
his point to Capt. Frank Johnson of
Strategic Sealift.

Lane Kirkland speaking at the 1981 ......
dedication ceremonies. Left to right:
Mrs. Hugh Carey, Gov. Hugh Carey
(D•N.Y.), Frank Drozak, Lane Kirk·
land, Irena Kirkland, Mrs. Paul Hall.

July 1988 I LOG I 23

�SHLSS Upgrader Achieves
onny Herrera is a man who knows
what he wants and then goes
after it with gusto! This may
sound like the typical line you
may hear in a beer commercial, however, it aptly describes this remarkable
man and his recent experience here at
Piney Point. Sonny, who is from Galveston, Texas, and went through his
Bosun Recertification in 1985, recently
completed the SHLSS GED (High
School Equivalency) course of study.
The following interview gives a good
insight into Sonny's new experience of
being a student and achieving a life-long
goal.
Q. What motivated you to enter the
program?
A. Well, you see, I only have an
eighth grade education, and I felt a little
ashamed about that. Most people nowadays have at least a couple of years of
high school behind their belts. Anyway,
I thought about it a lot and came to the
conclusion that my shame was actually
the result of my own pride and my fear
of learning. That fear simply disappeared once I really got into the pro-

S

-"'

gram, because here at the school I am
with my peers, and the teachers made
for a really supportive atmosphere.

Q. Has your learning experience been
anything at all like you thought it would
be?
A. At the very beginning there were
everal times when I really wanted to
back out. It was hard getting used to
studying again and I was really having
a hard time with the math. But I'm not
a quitter. I had something to prove to
myself. Eventually it got easier as I
progressed. The instructors were very
understanding by not giving me any
more than they knew I could handle.
During my six-week course of study I
was surprised at the number of guys
who expressed curiosity about the program to me. It was like they wanted to
have that knowledge, but were afraid
to take the plunge-just like me at first.
Q.

What is your advice to others who
only thought about the possibility of
taking the course?
A. I'd say go ahead and take it. It's
better to at least try than not to do

GED student Sonny Herrera (left) listens as instructor Robert Wheeler emphasizes a
point in his lesson.

anything at all. I found that it raised my
self esteem and took away my fear of
learning. With that fear gone, I found
myself taking an interest in a wider
range of things. I was naturally drawn
to the library and learned how to find
all kinds of information which interested
me. With advancing your education,
you not only improve yourself as a
person, you also improve your everyday skills of math and reading which

SH LSS Shows its Colors
nder the experienced guidance of SHLSS instructor
Casey Taylor. three SHLSS
trainees; Ed Ott. Mario Amalfitano and John Morales participated
in an SIU/SHLSS Industrial Display

tT

by the Washington , D.C. Recreation
Department during the maritime
"Sail-By" which also included the
Revolutionary War Sloop Replica
Providence and Barquentine Galeza
of Philadelphia. These three young

and knot-tying demonstration at the

men represented the school and the

Annual Alexandria (Va.) Waterfront

Union in an exemplary fashion.

Festival on June 11-12. 1988.
The festival, sponsored by the
American Red Cross and the American Sail Training Association, drew
about 100~000 people over two days.

SHL

helps you perform better on the job.
So, if you are interested, the GED
program at the SHLSS is open to all
SIU members who do not have a high
school diploma. Since the program was
developed, more than 2,000 SIU members from ages 16 to 76 have taken the
GED exam at the school. Over 90
percent of those students have successfully passed the exam and earned a
Maryland State High School Diploma.

Proudly
representing the SHLSS
at the Alexandria
Waterfront Festival were, at left,
John Morales and,
at right, Ed Ott.

cour

The American Sail Training Asso·

ciation (ASTA) sponsors the American Tall Ships through various mar-

itime training programs. The trainees

demonstrated splicing, various knots
and fabricated "bag-o-wrinkk, " a
form of sail chafing gear used on
square rig ships. They also manned
the Capt. Purce, a towboat operated

Upgrader Lifeboat 6/7/88
First row, left to right: William Heaton, Luis R. Morales,
John A. Morales, Ricky Simien, Beverly A. Lee, Steve
Churchya, Ronnie Carson. Second row: Ben Cusic (instructor), Tina C. Terry, William P. lrlbeck, Frank J. LaBruzzo,
Daniel J. Crean, Stan Kazmierski, Elias Bonefont. Third
row: Reid M. Scheidt, Keil O. Klipfel, Mario Amaltifano.

First row, left to right: Miguel Palacios, Gheorghe
Savencu, T. Abulenda. Second row: Dave Carpenter,
John Sanchez, Martin Ramos, Les Stringer, Mike Vittitow, David Mills, Charles Alston, Bill Tadios. Third
row: Chris B. Salvaterra, D. Brinkley, Doug Neubauer,
C.A. Gittens, R. Volkart, Philip Howell, Mohsin Ali,
P. Durnin, Jr.

Canadian Chief Cooks 5/15/88
SMU Lifeboat 6/7/88
Mario Amaltifano, left, and John Morales demonstrate
how to make "bag-o-wrinkle" for the amusement of
fairgoers.

24 I LOG I July 1988

First row, left to right: Albert Dussault, Lynn Meeks,
Cay Manning, Benjamin Berry. Second row: Ben Cusic
(instructor), Gary Nagel, Dan Borowski, Fernando Caballero.

Front row, left to right: Donald E. Kelly, Joanne Allen,
Kathleen Jones, Wayne Fester. Back row: Andree
Bouthillier, Adde V. Baer, Felix Kalainikas, Eleonore
Bruneau, F. Sally Barton, Claire Forgeron, Rick Sandiford.

�1988 Upgrading
Course· Schedule
Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
July - December 1988
The following is the current course schedwe for July 1988 - December
1988 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 Progcum.
Inland Boatmen and deep sea Seafarers who are preparing to upgrade
are advised to enroll for class as early as possible. Although every effort will
be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's needs and
the needs of the industry.

Deck Clpgrading Courses
Check· In
Date

Completion
Date

Able Seaman

July 25
September 19
October 31

September 2
October28
December 9

Radar Observer Clnltd.

July 18
September 12
November 7

Radar Refresher/Renewal

Open-ended, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date.)

Course

July 29
September 23
November 18
*Minimum number of students required for radar class to be held is four (4).

Radar Recertification

Open-ended, 1 day (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date)
*Minimum number of students required for Celestial Navigation class to
be held is five (5).
Lifeboat

July 25
August 22
September 19
October 17
November 14
December 12

LNG -

(This course is not offered as a
separate course, but may be
taken while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)

Self Study Safety Course

SIU Representatives in all ports will assist members in filling out the
application.

PLEASE NOTE: All members are required to ·take firefighting when
attending SHLSS.

Engine Upgrading Courses

August 5
September 2
September 30
October 28
November 25
December 23

* Clpon completion of course must take Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance.

Recertification Programs

CuurH
QM D - Any Rating

Check-In
Date
September 19

Completion
Date
December 9

Course
Steward Recertification

Check-In
Date
July 5

Completion
Date
August 8

Flreman/Watertender &amp; Oller
Refrigeration Systems .Malnt. &amp; op.

August 22
October 3

September 30
November 11

Bosuns Recertification

September 26

November 7

R.mi~

August 8

September 2

August 1
September 19

September 9
October 26

Containers-Advanced Malnt.

Pumproom Maint. &amp; Operations
Varia~le

Speed DC Drives

September

5

Odober 14

Check-In
Completion
Course
Date ·
Date
For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes in 1988, the
.;ourses will be six weeks in length and offered on the following dates:
High School Equivalency (GED)

Eledro-Hydraullc Systems

November 7

December 16

Automation

November 21

De&lt;=ember 16

Welding

November 21

December 16

Hydraull~s

October l 7

November 11

Third Asst. Engineer/Steam or Motor

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for Starting Date)

*All students in the Engine Department will have 2 weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

Steward Opgrading Courses
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Assistant Couk

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
fur starting date)•

Cook and Baker

Open·ended (Contad Admissions Office
for starting date)•

Chief cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for. starting date)*

Chief Stew•ud

Adult Education Courses

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)•

•All students in the Steward Program will have 2 weeks of Sealift
famlliariz:ation at the end of their regular course.

July 5
August 29
October 31

August 15
October 10
December 12

July 5
August 29
October 31

August 13
October 7
December 10

Adult Basl&lt;: Education (ABE)
English as a Second Language (ESL)

The Developmental Studies Class (DYS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes.
Developmental Studies (DVS)

(Offered prior to the Third Mate &amp;
Original Second Mates Course)

ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course

June 6

June 24

This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed to help
seafare rs prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which is scheduled
immediately after this course. This class will benefit those seafarers who have
difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not English, and seafarers
who have been out of school for a long time.

College Programs Scheduled for 1988
Check-In
Course
Date
Associates in Arts or Certificate Program August 8
October 17.

Completion
Date
September 30
December 9
July 1988 I LOG I 25

-

�..........................................................................................................................................

Seafare rs Harry Lunde berg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name
(Last)

Date of Birth

(Middle)

(first)

Address

Mo.may/Year

(Street)

(City)

Deep Sea Member O

Telephone

(Zip Code)

(State)

Inland Waters Member 0

(Area Code)

Pacific D

Lakes Member 0

If the following imformation is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.

Social Security# - - - - - - - -

-

Book # _ _ _ _ _ _ Seniority______ Department _ _ _ _ __
Home Port _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces 0 Yes 0 No

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: O Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Trainee Program: From _______ to

Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

(dates attended)

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

Cours~(s)Tak~n--------------------~----------------

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D

CPR: 0 Yes No D

Date Available tor Training _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Primary Language Spoken - - - - - - - - - - - I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed

DECK

o

AB/Seallft
Operator Inland
D Celestial Navigation
D Master ln3pected Towing Vassal
0 1st Class Piiot (organized self study}
D Third Mate
D Radar Observer Unlimited
D

TowbO~lt

ALL DEPARTMENTS
0 Welding
D Lifeboatmen (Must be taken with another
course}

No tran5portation will be paid

unless you present original
rACAipts and successfully

STEWARD

ENGINE
0 FOWT

D Assistant Cook Utility

D OMED-Any Rating

D Cook and Baker

O Variable Speed DC Drive Systems

D Chief Cook

(Marine El@ctronics)

0 Marine Electrlcal Maintenance
D Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
0 Automation

0 Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; operauons
o Dleael Engine Technology
o Assistant Engineer/Chief Engineer
Un Inspected Motor Vessel
D Orglnal 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor
0 Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance

D Hydraulics
O Electro.Hydraulic Systems

o
o

Chief Steward

Towboat Inland Cook

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates In Arts Degree
O Certificate Programs

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
O Adult Basic Education (ABE)
O High School Equivalency
Program (GED)
C Developmental Studies (DVS)

0 English as a Second Language (ESL)
D ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

complete the course.

With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted showing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the
course(s) reQuested.
You must also submit a COPY of the first page of your union book indicating your department and seniority, as well
as, a COPY of your clinic card. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is received.

VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE-- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - DATE_~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~
RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Rev.
Seafarers
Harry
Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674
2188

---~-~-.... . . .~\

-....................
""'!:
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .., . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26 I LOG I July 1988

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

JUNE 1-30, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port

Michael Sacco, President
Joseph Sacco, Executive Vice President

"'*REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Angus "Red" Campbell, Vice President
Joe OIGiorglo, Secretary
Jack Caffey, Vice President
Thomas Glldewell, Vice President
George McCartney, Vice President
John Fay, Vice President
Roy A. Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President

DECK DEPARTMENT

Algonac ... . .... . . .. .......

0

19

Port
Algonac ... ... ..... . .. .....

0

5

Port
Algonac ...................

0

5

Port
Algonac ...................

2

0

0

49
21
0
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
25
7
0
STEWARD DEPARTMENT
11
0
3
ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

8

0

0

6

0

3

0

0

3

0
HEADQUARTERS

0

11
0
29
85
31
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.

Totals All Departments ........

9

6

18

10

5201 Auth Way

Camp Springs, Md. 20746
(301) 899-0675
ALGONAC, Mich.
520 St. Clair River Or. 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
JUNE 1-30, 1988
Port
New York ...............
Philadelphia ..............
Baltimore ...... . ........
Norfolk .... ....... ......
Mobile .................
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico ...... ·-Honcilulu .. _ ... . . ........
HOUS on ................
St. Louis ...•............
Piney Point ........ - . - . . .
Totals . • . . . . . . , . , , , • • , •
~

*TOTAL REGISTE~ED
All Groups
Class A Class B trass C
59
7
12
16
16
42
46
32
18
38
11
8
40

i

0
345

12
1

0

4
2
0
3
1
6
4
17
1
5
0
8
4
2

108

62

5
12
3
10
8
11
11
10
2
10

7

8

5

Pon

New vorK . , .............

Philadfllohia ............. _
altimore ....... .. ......
NOl10lk _. - . - - - - - - - - . - .
Mobile ... . . . . . . . - - - - - .
New Orleans . • . , . . . . . . . . .
Jack11onville . • . , . , , . . , . , . •
S;in Fr~nci11co .... , , . , , , , ..
Wilmington . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seattle ...... ........ . ..
Pue11~

Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Honolulu . , , , ••..........
Houston .... , . , .. , ......
St. Louis ...... . . . .......
Piney Point . . . . . - - ... . . ..
Total! . . . . . . - . - . .. . ... -

37
2
5
12

4
3
2
7

7

6

26

28
26

12
20
8

5

8
6
2
6
1

9

12

0

6
0
6

26

4

222

74

0

0
1

"""••••'I

I

I

If

I

I

I

22

2

4
1

4
11

2
1

11
21

13

39
11

23
5
7
19
1

2
6
4

9
4

5

0

7
4
0
2

36

1
139

Totals All Oepartments ......

897

4
3
4
3
21
4
23

7

20
10
6
12

0

2

0
0

2
0
3
2
2
1
1

0
8

,,

New York ...... . . - - - . - - Philadelphia ... . .... _.....
Baltimore ...............
NQrfQlk .......... .......
Mobile .................
New Orleans ......•.. .. ..
Jack5onville _ - . - - - - - - - - - - San Francisco .............
Wilmington .. _ - . . - . - - - - - Seattle ......... .. ......
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . , . . . . . .
Honolulu ........... . ... .
HQuston ................
St. Louis .. . . . - - - - - - - - - - Piney Point ..............
Totals ......... , .......

3
6
7

7
10

5

11

7

8

9
60
4

2

10

2

6

4

5

2
5
2

11

7

0
11

21

Port

2

1

12

0
17

67

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
24
1
0

10

6
0
16
1

2
191

DECK DEPARTMENT
4
10
0
3
5
0
7
4
9
8
5
3
29
8
3
4
20
6
28
13
8
11
7
1
32
10
5
7
3
0
3
17
6
25
7
3
1
1
0
1
7
8
223
103
58
32
2
9

1
1
1
1

Port
New York .. . ......... , ..
Pnilatielphia ........ - .... .
Baltimore . - - - - . - . . . - - - Norfolk_
MMile .. _. . ............
New Orleans , . , ..... , . , ..
Jacksonville ........ . - - . - San Francisco .............
Wilmington ..............
Seattle ....... ..........
Puerto Rico . , ............
Honolulu ......... , ......
Houston ............. . ..
St. Louis ....... .........
Piney Point . - ... - - - - - - Total~ ...... . . - - - - - ....

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

1

20

2i

0
1

2

14

5
4

15

145

133
3

0

2
0

ltiO

87

409

350

574

10

2

1

10

7

12

6

2

1

46

1

7

0

35
10
5

3
4
1
7

2
1

0

6
0

5
0

57

312

78

31

5
2

40
2
6

6
0

3
0
0
2
0
5
2

0
0

329

4
0
0

0

2
1

7
1
12
3
6
0
70

3
0
1

38

4

12

8
27
19

85

17
33
8
16
23

1
5

5

3

2

2
6
7
18
4
7

0
17

1
0
6

113

302

79

0

38

26

0

4

9

0

4
5
31
4
57

0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0

5

17

3

8

6
14
12

19
13

4

2
0
2

3
3
0
18

1
0
4

48

5

NEW BEDFORD, Mass.
50 Union St. 02740
(617) 997-5404

NEW 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.

6
40

SANTURCE, P.R.
1057 Fernandez Juncos St.
Stop 16 00907
(809) 725-6960

17

0
0
0

0

240

240

284

220

1,370

490

409

9

4
1

2

170
5
1
4

13

MOBILE, Ala.
1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605
(205) 478·0916

1
0
6
5
19

81
12

0

-

7

36
14
8
16
0
1

13

JERSEY CITY, N.J.
99 Montgomery St. 07302
(201) 435-9424

1
0
1

31

0
0

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
11
4
4
0
1
0
5
5
7
1
12
9
1
4
10
14
5
0
5
0
7
1
74
162
2
2
1
0
1
6
14ti
208

361

2

4
93

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
3315 Liberty St. 32206
(904) 353-0987

5

22

2
0
5
32

0

2

6

7
4

0
0
8

7
213

56
4
8

0

7
4
1

2
8
1

12
0

0

7

0
0

0

6
8

22

10

516

1
1

39
32
21

29

5
1
9
4
13
5
17
4
4

50

4

HOUSTON, Tex.
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152

0

3

2

5
5

8
52
1
1

17

9

HONQLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434

6

5

0

,

2

66
54
30
56
24

9

1
1
0
0

1

66

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

2
1
1
2
1

2

2
5
2
6
0

12

13
24
20

15
3
6
9
2
11
10
10

12

8

63

5
0
0

9

38

3

0

2
5

96

4

13
28
15
18

6
0
4
1
0
5
2
7
3
7

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

6
2

,

7
1
0

2
1

49

0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
11
3
1
0
2
0
2
0
4
1
0
1
5
0

119

8

6

2
6
0
10
2
0

39

11
4
26

5

0
0
1

Trip
Reliefs

""Total ReoisterM " 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 eno of last month.

Shipping in the month of June was up from the month of May. A total of 1,484 jobs were shipped on SIU·
contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,484 jobs shipped, 574 jobs or about 39 percent were taken by "A"
seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 220 trip relief jobs ·were
shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 7,858 jobs have been shipped.

,.

350 Fremont St 94105
(415) 543-5855

SEATTLE, Wash.
2505 1 Ave. 98121
(206) 441-1960

ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) '7 52-6500

....

WILMINGTON, Calif.
510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

July 1988 I LOG I 27

•

�SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT FOR SEAFARERS PENSION PLAN
This is a summary of the annual report of the Seafarers Pension Plan for the year
ended December 31, 1986. The annual report has been filed with the Internal Revenue
Service, as required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
(ERISA).

America Welfare Fund EIN 13-5677156 for the year ended December 31, 1986. The
annual report has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service, as required under the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (BRISA).
The Trust has committed itself to pay claims incurred under the terms of the plan.
BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT

BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Benefits under the plan are provided by the Trust.
Plan expenses were $23,913,676. These expenses included $3,314,315 in administrative
expenses and $20,599,361 in benefits paid to participants and beneficiaries. A total of
20,205 persons were participants in or beneficiaries of the plan at the end of the plan
year, although not all of these persons had yet earned the right to receive benefits.
The value of plan assets , after subtracting liabilities of the plan, was $381 ,089,746 as
of December 31, 1986, compared to $343,248,323 as of January 1, 1986.
During the plan year the plan experienced an increase in its net assets of $37 ,841,423.
This increase included unrealized appreciation or depreciation in the value of plan
assets; that is, the difference between the value of plan assets at the end of the year
and the price the plan originally paid for those assets. The plan had total income of
$49,250,438, including employer contributions of $8, 151,476, gains of $14,107 ,084 from
the sale of assets, and earnings from investments of $26,677 ,352 and other income of
$314,526.
MINIMUM FUNDING STANDARDS

-

An actuary's statement shows that enough money was contributed to the plan to
keep it funded in accordance with the minimum funding standards of ERISA.

The value of plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the plan was a (deficit) of
$(776,325) as of December 31, 1986 compared to $(240,101) as of January 1, 1986.
During the plan year the plan experienced a decrease in its net assets of $536,224. This
decrease included unrealized appreciation and depreciation in the value of plan assets;
that is, the difference between the value of the plan's assets at the end of the year and
the value of the assets at the beginning of the year or the cost of assets acquired during
the year. During the plan year, the plan had total income of $4,891 ,968 including
employer contributions of $4,797,288, earnings from investments of $94,146 and gain
on sale of investments of $534. Plan expenses were $5 ,416, 754. These expenses included
$491,006 in administrative expenses and $4,925,748 in benefits paid to participants and
beneficiaries.
SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT FOR UNITED INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF
NORm AMERICA PENSION PLAN
This is a summary of the annual report of the United Industrial Workers of North
America Pension Plan EIN 11-6106805 for the year ended December 31, 1986. The
annual report has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service, as required under the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT FOR SEAFARERS WELFARE FUND

BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT

This is a summary of the annual report of the Seafarers Welfare Fund EIN 135557534 for the year ended December 31, 1986. The annual report has been filed with
the Internal Revenue Service, as required under the Employee Retirement Income Act
of 1974 (ERISA).
The Trust has committed itself to pay claims incurred under the terms of the plan.

Benefits under the plan are provided by the Trust.
Plan expenses were $450,730. These expenses included $120,750 in administrative
expenses and $329,980 in benefits paid to p&lt;gticipants and beneficiaries. A total of 4, 190
persons were participants in or beneficiaries of the plan at the end of the plan year,
although not all of these persons had yet earned the right to receive benefits. The value
of plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the plan, wa $28,290,670 as of December
31, 1986, compared to $24,423,505 as of January 1, 1986. During the plan year the plan
experienced an increase in its net assets of $3,867,165. This increase included unrealized
appreciation in the value of plan assets; that is, the difference between the value of
plan assets at the end of the year and the price the plan originally paid for those assets.
The plan had total income of $4, 121,316, including employer contributions of $949,625,
gains of $1,189,742 from the sale of assets, and earnings from investments of $1,981,949.

BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT
The value of plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the plan was a (deficit) of
$(25 ,205 ,351) as of December 31, 1986 compared to $( 16,425 ,919) as of January 1, 1986.
During the plan year the plan experienced a (decrease) in its net assets of $(8,779,432).
This (decrease) included unrealized appreciation and depreciation in the value of plan
assets; that is, the difference between the value of the plan's assets at the end of the
year and the value of the assets at the beginning of the year or the cost of assets
acquired during the year. During the plan year, the plan had total income of$23,331,217
im;:ludiog i;mployer contributions of $22 ,962,505 , miscellaneous income of $15 ,254 , and
earnines from investments of $3.53.4.58. Plan expenses were $32, 174,471. These expenses
included $3.015.522 in administrative expenses and $29,1.58,949 in benefits paid to
participants and beneficiaries.

MINIMUM FUNDING STANDARDS
An actuary's statement shows that enough money was contributed to the plan to
keep it funded in accordance with the minimum funding standards of ERISA.
YOUR RIGHTS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT FOR SEAFARERS VACATION FUND
This is a summary of the annual report of the Seafarers Vacation Fund EIN 135602047 for the year ended December 31, 1986. The annual report has been filed with
the Internal Revenue Service, as required under the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).
The Trust has committed itself to pay claims incurred under the terms of the plan.
BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT

.,...

The value of plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the plan was a deficit of
$(4,716,641) as of December 31, 1986, compared to a deficit of $(3.046,762) as of
January 1, 1936. During the plan year the plan experienced a decrease in its net assets
of $1,709,880. This decrease included unrealized depreciation, amounting to $34,260,
in the value of Dian assets; that is, the difference between the value of the plan's assets
at the end of the year and the value of the assets at the beginning of the year or the
cost of assets acquired during the year. Durin~ the plan year, the plan had total income
of $28,115,002 including employer contributions of $27,871,668, and earning~ from
inve:ltments of $243.334. Plan expenses were $29,790,622. These expenses included
$3,617 ,526 in administrative expenses. $24.287.664 in benefits paid to participants and
beneficiarie~, and $ t ,885,432 in other expenses (payroll taxes on vacation benefits).
SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT FOR UNITED INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF
NORTH AMERICA WELFARE FUND
This is a summary of the annual report of the United Industrial Workers of N()rth

You have the right to receive a copies of the full annual reports, or any part thereof,
on request. The items listed below are included in that report:
L An Accountant's report

2. Assets held for investment
3. Transactions in excess of 3 percent of plan assets
4. Actuarial information regarding the funding of the Plan
To obtain a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof, write or call the office
of Mr. Leo Bonser who is the Plan Administrator, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, MD
20746 (301) 899-0675. The charge to cover copying costs will be $2. 10 for the full annual
report, or $.10 per page for any part thereof. You also have the right to receive from
the plan administrator, on request and at no charge, a statement of the assets and
liabilities of the plan and accompanying notes, or a statement of income and expenses
of the plan and accompanying notes, or both. If you request a copy of the full annual
ret'Ort from the plan administrator, these two statements and accompanying notes will
be included as part of that report. The charge to cover copying costs given above does
not include a charge for the copying of these portions of the report because these
portions are furnished without charge. You also have the legally protected right to
examine the annual report at the main office of the plan at 5201 Auth Way, Camp
Springs, MD 20746 and at the U. S. Department of Labor in Washington, D. C., or to
obtain a copy from the U. S. Department of Labor upon payment of copying costs.
Requests to the Department should be addressed to: Public Disclosure Room, N4677,
Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue,
N.W., Washington, D. C. 20216.

IT 1$

DUMB

••

GET MELP!
KICK THE

DRUG
HABIT•'
CONTACT
YOUR
PORT AGENT
OR YOUR

-

UNION.

IF YOU ~N/FF IT• ••
28 I LOG I July 1988

�Upgraders Visit Hill

Don't Miss Your Chance
to

Improve Your Skills
How?
SHLSS has self-study materials in many areas. Upon your request;
SHLSS will send them to you to study in your spare time.
You can use these skills:
on your J ~ to improve your skills for upgrading.
to further your education.
Please send me the area(s) checked below:

**
*

MAffi
Fractions
Decimals
Percents
Algebra
Geometry

D
D
D

STUDY SKILLS
Listening Skills
How To Improve Your Memory
Tri~onometry
How To Use Textbooks
~pane}
Spherical)
Study Habits
Test
Anxiety
ENGLISH: W riling Skills
Test
Taking
Tactics
Grammar Books D
Stress Management
Writing Bm"ness
Notetaking Know-How
Letters
D
SOCIAL STUDIES
D
Geography
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
D
U.S. History
Tax Tips for Seafarers
D
Economics
Basic Metrics

D
D
D
D
D

D

D
D
D

D
D
D
D
D
D
D

Name
Street

Cir.L.,.-_..;.:,,,:;;.____

State

Book No.

Zip _ _ _ _ __
Social Security No.

Department Sailing I n - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cut our this coupon and mail

to:

Adult Education Department
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Piney Point, Maryland 20674
Send it toda !
SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT FOR
SIU PAC C DISTRICT-PMA PENSION PLAN

his is a ummar of the Annual Report for the SIU Pacific District-PMA
Pension Plan, Employer Identification No. 94-6061923, for the year ended July
31. 1987. The Annual Report has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service
as required under the Employer Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, ERISA .
BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Benefits under the Plan are provided by a trust arrangement. Plan expenses
were $15,961,792 . Thes~ expenses included $946,019 in administrative expenses

and $15,015,772 in benefits paid to participants and beneficiaries. A total of7,045
persons were participants in or beneficiaries of the Plan at the end of the Plan
Year, although not all of these persons had yet earned the right to receive benefits.
The value of Plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the Plan, was $147,776,716
as of the end of the Plan Year compared to $146,940,007 as of the beginning of
the Plan Year. During the Plan Year, the Plan experienced an increase in its net
assets of $836,709. This increase included unrealized appreciation in the value of
Plan assets ; that is, the difference between the value of the Plan's assets at the

end of the year and the value of the assets at the beginning of the year or the
cost of the assets acquired during the year.
The Plan had total income of $19,360, 157 including employer contributions of
$2,952,870, earnings from investments of $8,685.740. net realized gains in the
amount of $7, 713,486 from the sale of certain assets, and miscellaneous income
in the amount of $8.061.
MINIMUM FUNDING STANDARDS

An actuary' s statement shows that enough money was contributed to the Plan
to keep it funded in accordance with the minimum standards of ERISA.
Labor Building
200 Constitution Avenue. N.W.
Washin~ton.

D.C. 20216

SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT FOR
SIU PD-PMA SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFITS FUND, INC.

This is a Summary of the Annual Report for the SIU PD-PMA Supplemental
Benefits Fund , Inc ., Employer Identification No. 94·1431246, for the year ended
July 31 , 1987. The Annual Report has been filed with the Internal Revenue

Service, as required under the Employer Retirement Income Security Act of
1974, ERISA.

The Union education program continued last month with FOWT and Hydraulics upgraders
' 'n ro of the Supreme Court are: Hermus Patrick,
' a o o ap' o i .
Owen Richards, Joe Saxon, Clyde Hall, Cleo Helm, Wilfredo Lawigan, Samuel Davis,
Larry Flores, Roy Matteson, Edgar Hantsche, Donald Droste, C.L. Wilson, Kevin
Daughtey and Piney Point Port Agent Al Raymond.
BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT

Benefits under the Plan are provided by a trust arrangement. Plan expenses
were $8,771,828 . These expenses included $225,543 in administrative expenses
and $8,546,285 in benefits paid to participants and beneficiaries. A total of 1,609
persons were participants in or beneficiaries of the Plan at the end of the Plan

Year. although not all of these persons had yet earned the right to receive benefits.
The value of Plan assets, after subtracting liabilities of the Plan, was $2,529 ,344
as of the end of the Plan year compared to $2,528,759 as of the beginning of the
Plan Year. During this Plan Year, the Plan experienced an increase in its net
assets of $585. The Plan had total income of $8,772,413 including employer
contributions of$8,449,l l l, earnings from investments of$21 l,368, lapsed benefits
of $111 ,696, unclaimed compensation of $188 and miscellaneous income of $50.
YOUR RIGHTS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

You have the right to receive a copy of the full Annual Report, or any part
thereof, on request. The items listed below are included in that report:
1. An accountant's report;
2. Assets held for investment; and
3. Transactions in excess of three (3) percent of Plan assets.

To obtain a copy of the full Annual Report or any part thereof, write or call
the office of the Plan Administrator, 522 Harrison Street, San Francisco, California
94105, telephone (415) 495-6882. The charge to cover copying costs will be $5.00
for the full Annual Report, or $0.10 per page for any part thereof.
You also have the right to receive from the Plan Administrator, on request and
at no charge , a statement of the assets and liabilities of the Plan and accompanying
notes, and/or statement of income and expenses of the Plan and accompanying
notes. or both. If you request a copy of the full Annual Report from the Plan
Administrator. these two statements and accompanying notes will be included as
part of that report. The charge to cover copying costs given above does not
include a charge for the copying of these portions of the report because these
portions are furnished without charge.
You also have the legally protected right to examine the Annual Report at the
main office of the Plan , 522 Harrison Street, San Francisco, California 94105 ,
and at the U.S. Department of Labor upon payment of copying costs.
Requests to the Department of Labor should be addressed to:
Public Disclosure Room N4677
Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs
Francis Perkins Department of
Labor Building
200 Constitution Avenue , N.W.
Washington , D.C . 20216

July 1988 I LOG I 29

�One Columnist, Shaken on the Rocks-Part II
(Editor's Note; This is the setond
and final installment of a series of
articles by San Francisco Chronicle
columnist Jon Carroll. We are publishing them here with the permission of the writer and the Chronicle
in hopes that the message will help
someone recover from alc9holism.)

The Democracy
Of Addiction
Addiction is not a bigot. It does
not care about race, creed or color;
it is blind to wealth or poverty.
Good deeds will not save you from
it, nor a college education, nor large
donations to the symphony.
It may be that some nationalities
have a genetic predisposition to
alcoholism, but that evidence is
entirely statistical; no one has yet
rooted out the appropriate chromosome.
Nor does your body know whether
a drug is legal or illegal. It does not
believe that cocaine is ''bad'' and
alcohol is "good." It just takes
what it craves; it is not rational, the
chemically addicted body. If it were
rational, it would not have allowed
the brain upstairs to get into this
situation in the nrst place.
Which is why the Center for
Chemical Dependency at Henick
Hospital in Berkeley, where I recently ~pent 31 fun-filled days kickin~ my habit, does not distinguish
between drugs either. We had drunk~
and dope ftends and crack heads
and Valium freaks.
We had a cross·scdion of America self-selected by two criteria'.
(a) an acknowledgment of their addiction1 and (b) their access to a
satisfactory insurance plan.
We had high bottom" drunks
Hke me (the most common reaction
to my situation was 1 •'Gee, I knew
you drank, but I didn't know you
had a problem. to "low bottom"
addicts like the guy who had literally lost everything- marriage,
family~ house, car, money, friends-in his pursuit of booze and crack.

""'

.,,

lL

11

)

Some examples, heavily disguised to preserve anonymity but
nevertheless accurate in essence:
The tennis professional from Napa
who said he played some of his best
games after an all-nighter with the
crack pipe and a case of beer.
The night shift security guard, a
woman, who once unplugged her
home phone for a year because the
calls interrupted her drinking.
The ghetto street kid whose parttime job was breaking the ribs of
slow-paying crack customers, and
who turned out to be one of the
most intelligent and sensitive people I'd ever met.
The rock 'n' roll keyboard player
who kicked heroin by himself only
to find that he was addicted to
Valium.
We had blackout drunks and cocaine freaks who would frequently
stay up, and indoors, for a week,
peering out of windows. We had a
guy who'd been mugged and throwr1
in a dumpster and a woman who'd
embezzled money to support her
habit.
We were all liars, of course; addicts start out lying to themselves
and quickly get hooked on the habit.
Almost all of us came from dysfunctional families, one way or another. We had different tastes in
everything~ food, movies, music.
politics, sex.
And we loved each other. Sounds
corny; true anyway. We had a sort
of backwards relationship with each
other. We knew each other's dark
secrets. but not the more ordinary
stuff. I knew the victim of incest,
but I never did find out where she
lived. I knew the bigamist. but not
what he thought about the Giants'
chances this year.
We had no small ~alk, really;
nothing but big talk. If I had known
going in that I would be crying in
front of strangers, hugging strangers,
earnestly talking about different
concepts of God with strangers, I
probably wouldn't have gone. But
it seemed natural, even inevitable.
Secrets want to come out; secrets
are miracles waiting to happen.

The Age of Miracles
and Wonder

for the first time about her alcoholism; I saw a man come back almost
from the dead; I saw a husband and
wife fall in love all over again.

They don't let you get away with
much at the Center for Chemical
Dependency. They call it ''tough
love''; the phrase has a bit too much
swagger for my tastes, but it's accurate enough.
None of your laid-back Viennese
''what do you think about what you
think about" gentility for them. My
counselor would say things like ''I
don't buy that" or "What makes
you so special?" or just plain
"Bull-."
And most often she was right. I
came to believe that if my counselor
said something was cow dung, it
would be inadvisable to use it as a
cheese spread.
This attitude was particularly refreshing because it served as an
antidote to the rest of the world, to
a government that sends Nancy
Reagan and her constipated "Just
Say No" smile out to ghetto schools
while her husband continues to support drug-running terrorists and dictators so long as they're not Communists; to a society that sends
cocaine abusers to jail and alcohol
abusers to Congress.
(No wonder so many cops are
alcoholics. How would you feel if
you discovered that your own government was financing the very activities you were risking your life
to prevent?)
Honesty is the only defense against
that kind of hypocrisy. Sanity within
meets insanity without. Sometimes
it loses; even so, there's no other
weapon.
If there was an important urgency
to their approach, it was only because of a compassionate rage to
get the message across. They took
every shortcut and burned every
bridge. A month is not a long time
stacked against the habits of a lifetime.
And it worked. I saw miracles,
friends. I saw a woman tell her son

I saw the shock of recognition
reflected in many eyes.

Pensioners

Deep Sea

To the people in the program, it
did not seem that these things would
be possible. They did not seem
possible to me. I saw things in the
faces of my wife and daughters that
I had never expected to see again.
The mechanism is a mystery, to
me at least. But mysteries are real,
and miracles happen.
I can't say that I will never drink
again; I can say with some assurance that I will not drink today; I
have some fragile confidence that I
will be able to say the same thing
tomorrow. That's 19 steps further
than I had gotten before.

And that's the reason for these
columns. I know that someone out
there is reading this column at 8 in
the morning already half in the bag
or still cruising in the middle of a
five-day crack run.
The paper may be several days
old by then, picked up with the
front-porch litter or found crumpled
at the end of the bar. And I know,
because I have shared the feeling
of hopelessness and powerlessness.
And I am saying: It need not be.
At almost every hour of the day,
somewhere in the Bay Area, there
are groups of men and women observing a moment of silence in your
honor. You are among friends,
whether you know it or not.
You have free will, of course;
hasn't done much for you lately,
though, ha it? You already know
your doctor's number; Alcoholics
Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous
are in the book.
Ifit doesn't work, you can always
get loaded again.
©Copyright San Francisco Chron·
icle. All rights reserved.
Angel L.O. Morales John F. Tubman
John R. Nuckols
Steve West
Donald L. Rood
Aubrey G. Wilson

Inland

Leonard C. Suchocki

David A. Norris
James P. Hoffman Peter J. Hopeland

Raymond J. Nugent

Willie L. Smith
Jose Aguiar
Gervase Bartholmey
Alexander Brousseuk

Leon R. Curry

James Demetrios
Herbert W. Ehmsen
Amy Evans
Fraser C. Falt
Victor Garcia
Glen R. Graham

...
Thomas Liles Jr.

Fred A. Morishige

30 I LOG I July 1988

-

Carlos RQdriguez

Michael Ruta

Glen H. Watson

Jacinto G. Guilles

Robert E. Anglin

Patsy J. Frango

Milton H. Atherton Kenneth Godeke
Louis A. Canavino James T. Malone
Charles C. Cappello Hobert J. Snyder

�TeamstersW

Government Has No
Business Running Unions

criminal acts ranging from extortion
to violence and bribery. It charges
that the union is controlled by organized crime which allegedly rigged
union-wide elections.
Those are serious charges, which,
if the government has the proof, it
should be made to prove those charges
''beyond a reasonable doubt.''
Last year, using the same evidence,
the government could not prove its
case "beyond a reasonable doubt" in
a New York City criminal trail involving some of the same charges.
In a civil case the burden of proof
is less stringent. A Justice Department
spokesman even admitted that the suit
would use some of the same evidence
it used last year, but hoped that the
less stringent burden of proof rules
could make those charges stick.
"If the Justice Department has evidence sufficient to prove that the officers of the International Brotherhood
of Teamsters or any other union have
committed federal -offenses, the de-

the Reagan administration-that great friend and protector of working men and women and
stalwart supporter of organized laboris at it again. They want to take over
the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters.
Yes siree, the same folks who busted
PATCO, stacked the NLRB with right
wing, anti-labor members, gutted health
and safety laws and campaigned for a
sub-"human" mm1mum wage now
claim they are looking out for the
welfare of the 1. 6 million Teamsters.
Late last month the Justice Department filed civil, not criminal, charges
against the entire Teamsters' executive board, including president Jackie
Presser. Filed under the so-called
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO), the suit asks
that board members be removed and
a trustee appointed to run the union
until the government decides that ''fair
and free elections'' can be held.
In a nutshell, the suit claims that
those named have been engaged in
ELL,

Editorial

partment should proceed against those
individuals directly under the laws
which forbid convicted criminals from
holding union office,•• said AFL-CIO
President Lane Kirkland.
We agree. If the government can
prove criminal charges against somebody, fine, toss the bum out of union
office. But where in the world is it
written that the government, through
a court-appointed trustee, can take
over an entire union? Running a labor
union is no business of the government. It has every right to police an
organization and enforce laws, but
unions are run by men and women
elected by the membership.
Only in totalitarian countries can a
government step in and run a union.
Even Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah),
ranking Republican on the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee
and someone organized labor has butted heads with over many issues, said
the government's action "smacks of
totalitarianism . . . I don't think the
government or any court in this nation

is capable of being a trustee over a
union."
If the government is granted its
trusteeship of the Teamsters, a terrible
precedent will be set.
The administration already has
PATCO's scalp on its belt.It's now
after the Teamsters. Who will be the
next target?
It would be interesting, however, to
see how the administration would react
if the shoe was on the other foot.
While few criminal charges have
been filed against administration officials, the Justice Department, Defense
Department and other administration
agencies have been plagued by scandal, sleaze and rumors of corruption.
Perhaps using the same less stringent
rules of proof available under civil
law, a trustee could be appointed to
make sure the government runs honestly until "fair and free elections"
are held.
Or we could just wait until November 8.

IELL HIM THE

'REMl.ICAN PARTY
~OMIS€S

To 6ET

GOVERNMENT Off
HIS 8AC.K A5

SOON AS
we CAN ffNP

To The

• • •

APUTTY KNIFE!

B.over Bescues 24 . . .

En.rout@ to the Philippines on S/23/88, the MN Rover rescued

twentyees from tnet.r unseawortny vessel.
The refugees had been Without ood and water for several days. Aid
was rendered, the M/V Rover's engineers determined the boat motor
was not repairable, and twenty-four men, women, and children were
brought onbca.rd the MN Rcver for aa.fety.

~0~CKJ

The boat people -were a.Ho-wed refuge at the vessel's next port of call
in Bataan, Philippinea.

~

mss l'~OCAA't'S ;iN(..

This is not the fil'at incident of the kind. of personal involvement

exhlbited by SID members, nor do we suspect it Will be the last. We
enclose a. list of the personnel onboa.rd a.t the time and extend our

commendations along with the United Nations High Commissioner for
Rerugeea, Jea.n-Pier-:te Hecke. A ccpy of Oommiaaioner Hocke'a telex of
appreciation is enclosed for your review and files.
Very truly your11,
M.Anne Kane
Manager-Marine Personnel

twenty-four Vietnamese men, women, and children while en-route to
the Philippines on May 23, 1988, and for the subsequent care and

kindness provided these unfortunate people.
As always 1 American seam.en, regardless of rating, or Union

affiliation are ready to exhibit the true meaning of the Brotherhood of
the Sea.
Fraternally yours,
Mike Sacco

Ocean Carriers Inc.

Houston., Texas

President-SIU
M/V Rover Crew

To Captain W.H. Anderson III. Master of the M!V Rover from Jea.nPierre Hocke. United Nations High Commissioner for refugess.
I

I warmly commend tne action or yourself and your crew m rescUing
24 rerugees 1Il rustress at sea. Suon numarutarian aee&lt;l8 of oonduot
upholcl tlle best marltl.me traW.tions. My sincere best Wishes to you ancl
all who voyage on the M/V Rover.

Jean-Pierr Hocke
(UNHCR Geneva)

Dear Capt. And.arson:

Anderaon, W.H. III-Captain

Leri, Robert P.-Ch. Mate
Wheeler, Bradford L.- 2nd Mate
Conlon, Thomas J.--3rd Mate
Dias, Junior R.-R.E.0.

Daniels, Ray T.--Qmed

Hale, Leonard C.-Ch. Engr.

Koski, Ronald 8.-Qmed

Seales, Walter-1st Engr.
Sepe, Thomas NMI-2nd Engr.

Myint, Maung IDa-Emm
Majaducon Elias M .-Emm

Fagan, Micha.el S.--3rd Engr.

Ferguson, Vernon Jr.-StwdJBkr

1

John, Furr- AB/Bosn

Payton, Floyd E.-Ch. Cook

Marchione Demetrio-AB

Williams, Russel 8.-GSU

1

We Wish to commend you, the otticera and crew for the reacue of the

Sutherland, John-AB
Santana, Mitchel-OS
Boone, Harold-OS
Christian, Donald---Q/Pumpman

Nunez, Fred-AB

July 1988 I LOG I 31

""

�July 1988

Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

ANWR
Representatives of the maritime industry are
calling on the federal government to open up
the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR)
to exploration and development.
Failure to explore the reserve for oil could
"have dire consequences for the U.S.-flag
tanker fleet," according to Neil Dietz of the
Seattle Port Council of the Maritime Trades
Department. ''The 60 tankers operating [in the
Alaskan trade] constitute two-thirds of the
U.S. [tanker] fleet. But [the number of tankers]
could drop to 20 without exploration of the
Arctic plain."
The issue of ANWR exploration has aroused
considerable debate. The Journal of Commerce predicts that Congress will probably
not get around to dealing with this issue during
this session.
"It just doesn't make sense to have American servicemen risk their lives in the Persian
Gulf to protect the flow of oil and then not do
anything to develop what many people believe
is a major source of energy right in our back
yard," said SIU President Mike Sacco.

APEX
The Maritime Administration has tentatively
approved part of Apex Resources Inc.'s plan
to sell a 1mrtion of its fleet of tankers and bulk
carriers.
Apex had to getMarad's permission because
two of the company's six vessels are affected
by subsidy and the other four were built
ovcr~ca~ with ~pecial permission. In addition,
the prospective buyer has links to foreign-flag
shipping interests.
Marad has decided to let the buyer. the
Liberty Shipping Group, acquire the four foreign-built dry bulk carriers on the condition
that it can demonstrate that it is a U.S. shipping
company under the shipping statutes.
The sale of a fifth vessel will be considered
later on. Sale of the sixth, the Aurora, will be
put off until Odober when its charter runs
out.

registry shippers to gain acceptance for their
services in traditional maritime nations.
Typical of the trend was the symposium
held in Washington D.C. last month by the
Skaarup Foundation to unveil what turned out
to be a widely discredited study on maritime
policy.
These efforts are occurring worldwide. In
West Germany, for example, adherents of
open registry shipping are trying to persuade
the government there to open up a second
registry.
West German trade unionists are opposed
to the establishment of a second registry because it would cost 37 ,000 German seamen
and marine-allied workers their jobs.

Drug Testing

Moremac Marine Group Inc. has joined a
growing number of U.S.-flag companies who
have put in applications to Marad for permission to shift American registered vessels to
foreign flags.
The failure of Congress, the administration
and a sorely divided maritime industry to come
up with a new plan of action to revitalize the
maritime industry has left many Amercian-flag
operators and their aging vessels with a dilemma: what do they do if they can't receive
construction differential payments or build
foreign? How can they plan for the future
when they don't know if there will still be an
ODS program?
ome of the perator putting in applications
may have valid reasons. Most, however, are
obviously trying to take advant ge o t e
present situation.
The inability of the maritime industry and
the administration to unite behind a common
plan will continue to cause difficulties for the
American-flag mere ant marine.

The Department of Transportation has issued regulations requiring drug testing for
seamen onboard commercial vessels. Similar
regulations concerning aviation and railway
workers were issued earlier this year.
Those mariners who test positive for drug
use could lose their licenses or have their
certifications and jobs revoked, said DOT
Secretary James Burnley.
·The SIU is committed to a drug-free en·
vironment,'' said Headquarters Representative Augie Tellez at the Union's July membership meeting. "We will take a close look
at these proposed regulation to ensure that
our members ' rights are protected.

Fishing Salety

Governor Alexander Farrelly of the U.S.
Virgin Islands has expressed concern over a
proposed expansion of the Caribbean Basin
Initiative.
"The CBI is a constant threat, and we have
to stay alert," said Farrelly. The United In·
dustrial Workers Union, an affiliate of the
SIU, represents more than 4.000 workers in
the territories, including many who work for
the government.
Farrelly is particularly concerned that Congress might expand the present scope of the
CBI to include rum which is one of the
territory s chief sources of income. Rum accounts for roughly $30 million of the approximately $200 million worth of products that
the U.S. Virgin Islands ships to the United
States.
In addition. a good portion of the territory's
budget is generated by an excise tax put on
the sale of rum products.

Drought

Flags ol Convenience

1

1

-

this summer has caused droughts in some
areas. This development has had a disastrous
effect on the inland maritime industry. Traffic
on the Mississippi River was briefly held up,
and rates are expected to soar.
There is some concern among industry officials that levels of government-impelled P.L.
480 cargo will drop as a result of the drought.
This will inevitably have ramifications for deepsea sailors. Under cargo preference laws, 70
percent of all such cargo must be carried on
American-flag vessels (that figure will be increased to 75 percent next year as a result of
the Cargo Preference Compromise of 1985).
"It's sort of like reform of the liner subsidy
program," said one maritime official. "You
find yourself praying for something to happen
and nothing ever does.''

Provisions that would have caused drastic
changes in the liability insurance industry have
been dropped from a fishing safety bill.
Among other things, the bill would have put
a cap on the amount that could have been
awarded to fishermen in exchange for the
establishment of a streamlined system of com·
pensation payments for seamen who were
temporarily injured.
Legislators had sought to reach a compromise between trial lawyers and fishing boat
owners on the matter, but that just was not
possible. "In the final analysis," said Rep.
Gerry Studds (D-Mass.), "the lawyers could
not agree with the fishermen.''
Now that the legislation has been shorn of
its most controversial provisions, passage is
expected within a short period.
Passage of the bill is still important, said
SIU Legislative Director Frank Pecquex, because it would establish minimum safety
standards in the fishing industry. Under the
proposed bill, vessels would have to be outfitted with radio beacons, emergency locator
equipment life rafts, safety or immersion suits
and similar equipment.
While most insured vessels carry this equipment vessels that don't have insurance often
'
sail without
it.
The fishing industry is one of the few that
is exempted from the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. It
has one of the nation's highest accident and
death records.

CBI

The unusually warm weather we are having

32 I LOG I July 1988

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

1

There is a growing effort on the part of open

Foreign ·ReDagging

lntermodal Seminar
Intermodalism is the most important development to hit the maritime industry since
containerization changed the face of the industry in the late '50s.
This was the conclusion of the participants
at the Containization and Intermodal conference which was held in Oakland, Calif. last
month.
Intermodalism has changed the face of the
transportation industry, linking as it does shipping, railroads and trucking. It has created
vast new opportunities for companies like SeaLand and APL. which bring together separate
modes of transportation under one corporate
roof. At the same time, it has created huge
capital investment problems for companies
seeking to adapt to these changed conditions
and has altered the market for transportation
services in ways that are not yet apparent.

Liner Subsidy
Reform of the liner subsidy program is not
likely to be achieved any time in the near
future reports The Journal of Commerce. The
failure of Congress and the administration to
resolve this issue has led Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) to introduce legislation that
would allow Sea-Land to apply for operating
(Continued on Page 12.)
1

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MICHAEL SACCO IS NAMED PRESIDENT OF THE SIU&#13;
FRANK DROZAK DIES AT 60 &#13;
SIU MOURNS ITS LOSS&#13;
A TIME TO MOVE&#13;
TEAMSTERS’ PRESSER DIES&#13;
A LOOK AT SIU PREFERRED PROVIDER HEALTH CARE&#13;
RIVERS SHRINK IN FACE OF MASSIVE DROUGHT&#13;
NAVY HONORS SIU CREWS&#13;
MERCHANT MARINE MEMORIAL SITE DEDICATED IN CALIFORNIA&#13;
THIS BUD’S FOR THE USNS NAVASOTA&#13;
MSCPAC NEW BRIEFS&#13;
MSCPAC ON EXHIBIT IN OAKLAND&#13;
LABOR BRIEFS&#13;
THE SIU IN WASHINGTON &#13;
MINIMUM WAGE&#13;
PROCEDURE AND CHARTER BILL&#13;
SEWAGE SLUDGE&#13;
TRADE BILL&#13;
SHLSS UPGRADER ACHIEVES&#13;
SHLSS SHOWS ITS COLORS&#13;
TEAMSTERS- GOVERNMENT HAS NO BUSINESS RUNNING UNIONS&#13;
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                    <text>Offic:ial Publication of the Seafarers International Union• Atlantic:, GuU, Lakes and Inland Waters District • AFL-CIO Vol.

so, No. 8, August

1988

Special Report
New FOG Operations
Mount Another Threat
To U.S.-Flag FleetJones Act Bent by
OK to Foreign Buy
Of U.S. Barge Line

SIU Fishermen
In New Bedford
OK New Pact

Flags of convenience (FOC) and the cheap foreign
labor which goes along with them have been threats
to the U.S. merchant marine since the end of World
War II.
At one time referred to as ''fink-flags'' or runaway
flags, these registries in Panama, Liberia, Cyprus
and dozens of other countries siphoned American
ships and American jobs. They continue to do so
decades later.
With U.S. ships and seagoing jobs at an all-time
low, these vultures are not finished. On page 3 read
about the two newest threats to the U.S.-flag fleet.
This time there is a new twist.
An American maritime consultant has set himself
up as an expert and offers a ''one-stop-shop'' for
U ~S. shipowners to find a foreign-flag registry. He
claims to have 32 flags to offer.

In an even stranger scenario, U.S. taxpayers are
footing a large part of the bill for a former U.S.
territory to become the newest flag of convenience
operation. On top of that, one of the key players in
its set-up is a close friend and major fund raiser for
the George Bush presidential campaign, the Associated Press reports.
In a related development, foreign interests are
threatening the Jones Act. A Japanese company
has purchased a U.S. barge company, and the Coast
Guard, despite being made aware of the lack of
U.S. citizen owners, approved the operation.
The Jones Act was designed specifically as protection for American ship companies operating in
our domestic trades, with no subsidy whatsoever.
This matter is now in court. Read about it on
page 3.

Bellatrix-An Example of SIU Job Security

It took almost three years, but a
strong united front by SIU fishermen in New Bedford has paid off.
The last group of SIU-crewed fish.
ing boats has won a new contract.

Bulletin
Fishermen working on some 2.5
boats. whose owners are part of the
New Bedford Seafood Producers
Association (SPA), ratified a new
contract Aug. 8 said SIU Port Agent
Henri Francois.
"We were able to reach this
agreement because everyone in the
Union stood united. This settlement
is fair to both sides. Now we can
all work together to get this industry
back on its feet,•• Francois said.
In December 1985 SIU fishermen
struck over a number of issues which
couldn't be resolved through negotiations. As the strike wore on in
the nation'~ busiest fishing port,
more than 50 contracts with independent boat owners were reached.
But the SPA representing about 25
boat owners dragged its feet.
"Now that this is settled," said
SIU President Mike Sacco, ''we
can get on with organizing more
fishing boats in New Bedford. I'm
real proud of the sacrifices every·
body made. n
See page 5 for an earlier-written
story.
1

1

1

The Seafarers who crew the USNS Bellalrix (above) are just another example of the highly trained and prof~ional .men and women the
SIU provides for a large variety of ships. Currently Seafarers crew more than 60 ships with military functions; those ships provide jobs
and job security, This picture was taken by Seafarer Le.&lt;l· Farrell in Mobile, Ala. For more photos of Seafarers, see page 15.

Inside:

Seafarers In Banner Freedom
Page 6

SIU Files Charges In
Kuwait Charter Crewing

School Plays Host to Scouts
Page 4

Tough Coast Guard
Drug Rules Proposed

Page 11

AIDS-Protect Yourself
Page 4

Page 16

�President's Report
by Michael Sacco
The Rover Crew - A
Credit to the U.S.
e have always maintained
that American ships, registered under the United States
flag, are a vital asset to the
nation in many, many ways.
Aside from the essential role the
privately owned fleet, manned
by citizen seamen, plays in times
of national emergency and in
the carriage of cargo in peacetime, there are other distinct
benefits from a big presence of
U.S . merchant ships on the high
seas.
Not the least of these benefits
is that of the prestige that comes
from having the U.S. flag visible
in ports in every section of the
world. Our friends and our enemies should know that America
has all of the equipment-in this
case ships flying our flag-that
is the mark of a world power
and the number one trading nation.
In addition to making the flag
visible throughout the world,
American ships and seamen are
continually involved in humanitarian acts and heroism as they
ply the seas.
A case in point, and one that
gives me great pride, is the attention given recently to our
own SIU crew aboard the MV
Rover operated by Ocean CarR
riers. While the Rover was en
route to the Philippines several
weeks ago, it spotted a small
vessel adrift with 24 Vietnamese
men, women and children
aboard. For several days the
refugees were drifting without
food or water.
The Rover drew alongside and
the Americans boarded the
stricken vessel with emergency
provisions. When the Rover's

W

engmeer determined that the
boat's motor was beyond repair,
the refugees were brought aboard
and cared for until the vessel's
next port of call in Bataan, the
Philippines.
This act was commended by
the United Nation's High Commissioner for Refugees, JeanPierre Hocke, in Geneva,
Switzerland, who hailed the
company, the master and the
crew "of the MV Rover which
has again rescued refugees, and
in doing so has carried out the

to capture a larger share of cargo
transport is intensifying among
the nations of the world.
Wherever you look, the third
world countries, the lesser developed nations, and the traditional maritime nations are hard
at it. All are guided by what
they deem is their national interest.
China, for example, is on a
real push. The China Ocean
Shipping Co., which is a stateowned fleet, carries 80 percent
of China's water-borne com-

of payments.
The Australian effort is the
result of three-way cooperation.
Management is investing in the
ships, the Australian maritime
unions have trimmed manning
scales and set maximum crew
sizes, and the government is
giving 7 percent of the purchase
price to buyers of new or used
ships.
No matter how well-intentioned or determined management and the unions were to get
Australia back in the maritime

" ... As long as some governments deem it in their
national interest to provide various supports to their own
shipping, it is essential that the United States develop and
implement a realistic policy that will assist our own
shipping to compete in a contest that is otherwise stacked
against us ... "
best traditions of the sea.'' The
owners of the Rover were cited
by Commissioner Hocke for the
previous res&lt;;ues performed by
Ocean Carriers' vessels and
crews.
And Anne Kane, manager of
marine personnel for Ocean
Carriers, told me that ''This is
not the first incident of personal
involvement by SIU members
nor do we suspect it will be the
last."
The SIU crew on the Rover,
its owner and officers have one
again brought credit to America's merchant marine, and we
salute them for it.

Food For Thought
Hardly a month goes by without evidence that the struggle

merce. Figures published recently show that in 1961 the
company had 25 ships totaling
229 ,000 dead weight tons. Today
the line has 600 ships of over 13
million deadweight tons.
The government's support is

a primary reason for the company's spectacular growth. It
has grown because it undercuts
rates very substantially, aided
by the Chinese government,
which is determined to have a
major merchant marine.
Now Australia, whose shipping industry has been steadily
dwindling, is stepping into the
&lt;;on test for cargo, with the first
of a new group of ships with
which they intend to compete.
Among the reasons for the move
is the determination to stop the
drain on the country's balance

0111cu1 Pub cation of
Augu t 1988

picture, it would have been impossible without the government's very positive participation.
As long as some governments deem it in their national
interest to provide various supports to their own shipping, it
is essential that the United
States develop and implement
a realistic policy that will assist
our own shipping to compete
in a contest that is otherwise
stacked against us.
That's why we must continue
to make every effort to convince
the legislative and executive
branches of the government of
the urgent need to revitalize
U .S.-ftag shipping. Keep that in
mind as -·w e prepare to go to the
polls in the national election in
November!

e Seafarers International Union of

orth Amcnca A a~ c Gu I, La cs and lnlan&lt;J Waters Orstnct

Vol 50. o B

AFL..CIO

Executive Board
Michael Sacco
President

Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

2 I LOG I August 1988

Joseph Sacco

Joseph DiGiorgio

Angus "Red" Campbell

Executive Vice President

Secretary

Vice President

John Fay

George McCartney

Thomas Glidewell

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Jack Caffey

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf,
lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 5201 Autn 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 ,
MO. 20746 .

�Pick

a Flag, Any Flag

U.S. Company Opens 'One-Stop' Flag Shop
An American maritime consultant has given a

whole new meaning to "convenience" shopping.
He offers some 32 foreign-flag registries for ship
owners who want to flee the U.S. flag, taking their
ships and jobs with them.
U.S. companies now operate about 400 ships
under foreign flag, about the same number they
operate under the Stars and Stripes. But if Julian
Padilla has his way, even more American seafaring
jobs and ships will be lost.
Padilla claims to have drawn on a family background in the foreign registry business to open the
so-called International Shipping Bureau in New
Jersey. Padilla, who is chief executive officer of the
company, says he has 90 foreign representatives.
He says his company is designed to help U.S. firms
in deciding to shift part or all of their ships to
foreign flags.
According to The Journal of Commerce, he has
set up shop to serve what he's betting will be a
growing U.S. market for potential "open registry"
operations. He says his operation may well be the
first such one-stop "open registry" operation in the
United States.
Foreign registrations in this country usually are
handled by an attorney who specializes in shipping
matters, who is often familiar with only one of the
countries of registry.
The growing interest worldwide in less-costly

operations has generated a competition among various countries offering ship registration opportunities at lower cost and with fewer obligations on the
owner than in his home country.
With the virtual shutting-down of subsidies and
a shift of U.S. government policy toward competition and less help from the federal government, the
28-year-old Padilla thinks the time is ripe for his
venture.
The requirements of the 32 different countries
offering this sort of flag sanctuary do vary. He said
the plethora of requirements make a decision about
choice of flag both difficult and important.
There are a variety of special requirements and
even some restrictions attached to most of the flags
of choice.
Foreign flags, in general, can permit an operator
to cut costs immediately by 30 percent to 75 percent,
principally by using far less costly foreign crews,
he said.
There are fees and taxes that also vary. Tax laws
in the United States in recent years have removed
some of the previous advantages enjoyed, but many
other onerous U.S. requirements are avoided.
''This is just outrageous,'' said SIU President
Mike Sacco. "I guess with the lack of any meaningful maritime program in the last eight years, you
shouldn't be surprised when the vultures start circling.''

No one denies, in the short term, that FOC
operations are cheaper. "But you get what you pay
for,'' Sacco said. He cited the low level of training
and professional expertise of many of the cheap
foreign crews.
"You call safety regulations onerous standards?
If you examine accident statistics, you'll find that
poorly maintained ships and poorly trained crews
play big roles," Sacco said.
There is always one part of the equation these
'flag-busters' forget. Do they reaJly believe that
U.S.-owned, Liberian-flag ships with Malaysian
crews can be counted on in case of a national
emergency?
Recent studies from the Merchant Marine Commission on National Defense and by other federal
agencies all point to a large shortfall of ships and
crews if the U.S. ever needed to gear up for an
emergency. Today, the U.S.-flag fleet is barely
above the 400 ship level. Because fewer ships mean
fewer job opportunities, there won't be enough
trained seagoing crews to man reserve fleet ships.
"If dollars were the simple bottom line, there
probably wouldn't be many U.S.-ftag ships today.
But with the right combination of good management,
the most professional crews in the world and a solid
national maritime policy that recognizes the vital
need for the U.S. merchant marine, I know, and
shipowners know, the American merchant marine
can compete with anyone,'' Sacco said.

U.S. Tax Dollars Help
Barge Line Takeover Puts
Fund Latest FOG Registry Jones Act in Jeopardy
If you asked most American taxpayers where their tax dollars wound
up, few would have any idea that
part of their tax bill goes to the
Marshall Islands where it's used
to lure Americatl merchant ships
away from the U.S. flag and tax
laws.
The former American territory
gained its independence from the
U.S. in 1986 but maintains close
ties to the U.S. which contributes
to the Marshall Islands' $76 million
annual budget. The i:shrnd:ii cover a
tohtl of 70 :'iquarc miles in the Western Pacific.
This small group of island:1 is
using part of its budget tc set up
the latest Hag of convenience registry in the world. It's using its ties
with the U.S. and the possibility of
U.S. Navy protection for Marshall
Island-flag ships as a lure to ship
owners.
In addition, the Associated Press
reports that a close friend and campaign fund raiser for George Bush
played a key role in setting up the
registry.
The chief negotiator of the compact wiu Fred Monroe Zeder II, a
close friend of Vice President George
Bush, a Bush campaign fund raiser
and frequently reported to be in line
for a top job in a Bush administration.
Zeder s son Howard Blood
Zeder is wearin8 two hats in the
Marshal1s registry, heading it as the
republic's maritime commissioner
and serving as an officer and partowner of the private company that
is operating the registry.
Neither Howard Zeder nor Peter
Watson, a Washington lawyer who
1

1

1

1

speaks for the Marshalls about the
registry, will reveal the arrangement's financial details or even how
much Zcder is being paid as maritime commissioner.
When the federal government negotiated the pact with the Marshall
Islands. two congressmen tried to
include a provision that would have
made such arrangements an illegal
conflict of interest. But the Reagan
administration-with Fred Zeder as
its point man- managed to scuttle
the proposal in the House Interior
Committee.
For a small nation, a ship registry
is big business. akin to a motor
vehicle registry, keeping computerized re~ords 1 shuffling papers and
having relatively low operating costs.
The Marshall Islands, a former
U.S. Trust territory with an annual
budget of $76 million, is stressing
its political stability and the compact with the United States in its
efforts to break into the ship registry business.
The 1.5-year compact requires the
United States "to defend the Marshall Islands . . . and their people
from attack or threats thereof as
the United States and its citizens
are defended.''
Watson says that in trying to get
shipowners to switch to a Marshalls
flag, the republic "is making no
representations to anyone it would
be entitled to U.S. defense rights."
However, he said it is providing
copies of the compact to shipowners, allowing them to "make their
own interpretation.·'
Howard Hills. a State Department lawyer who helped Fred Zeder
(Continued on Page 7.)

A Japanese takeover of an American
barge line may put a serious crack in
the Jones Act, which could open the
door to foreign ownership of U.S.
domestic shipping companies.
In May, the Consolidated Grain and
Barge Co. (CGB) was purchased by
two Japanese companies. CGB is engaged in two businesses. First is the
storage. transportation and sale of grain.
But it is also a barge line which uses
about 635 barges and seven towboats ,
according to court records.
While much of the company's barge
fleet is used to move its own grain, it
is also a ••tor-hire" barge line which
transports coal. ores, steel, sand, grain,
salt and other products. That is where
the conflict comes in.
The Jones Act, the cornerstone of
American domestic shipping, requires
that any company which transports
cargo between any two U.S . destinations be owned by U.S. citizens.
The one, narrow exception allows
a foreign-owned company to transport
its own product. In other words, if a
foreign-owned automobile company
wished to ship some of its cars made
in an American plant, it could use its
own ships or barges. But it could not
hire out those ships to transport any
other goods within the U.S.
Restrictions on foreign-ownership
of shipping lines are spelled out in the
Jones Act, and more recently, in the
1980 Vessel Documentation Act. The
U.S. Coast Guard is charged with
issuing or denying Certificates of Compliance in such cases.
In this case, despite the overwhelming evidence that CGB would continue
its operations, both to transport its
own grain and to operate as a "forhire" barge line, the Coast Guard

refused to investigate the case before
issuing a compliance certificate.
Another barge company, Ingram
Barge Co ., got wind of the takeover
of CGB. It alerted the Coast Guard in
April and asked for an investigation if
CGB requested a certificate of citizenship compliance.
Ingram supplied the Coast Guard
with evidence it said showed CGB's
intention to continue to operate its
fleet of boats and barges as before ,
i.e., to move its own grain and to hire
out its equipment to move other products. That is in clear violation of the
Jones Act.
However, the Coast Guard refused
to investigate the situation and issued
the certificates in May. That was when
Ingram went to court seeking an injunction against the Coast Guard action.
The fear among domestic ship operators in this case is that it will open
the door to foreign competition in a
trade that is reserved exclusively for
U.S. citizens and companies.
Among the issues of concern are:
• Harmful precedent in alJowing an
obvious violation of U.S. Vessel Documentation laws especially in view of
the U.S./Canada FTA dispute and the
ongoing GATT negotiations.

• The refusal of the U.S. Coast
Guard to investigate the validity of
claims made by the purchaser regarding citizenshipship requirements for
the Certificate of Compliance. The
Coast Guard has stated they will investigate after the fact if potential
inaccuracies are alleged. The refusal
to investigate before issuance is apparently in violation of Coast Guard
regulations.
August 1988 I LOG I 3

�i-i---------..--------------------------- -Fink Ship Breaks Down at Sea

SIU Charges Seamen Denied Jobs Due to Union Ties
In a blatant case of anti-union bias , two Houston,
Texas companies, a ship manning agency and a ship
management firm refused to hire qualified seamen
because of their union affiliations, the SIU has
charged.
The Union filed its charges with the National
Labor Relations Board against Offshore Personnel
Inc . and Gleneagle Ship Management Inc. The
action came after both companies placed ads in
Houston and Galveston newspapers seeking qualified seamen.
It is believed the two firm s were hiring crewmen
for the newly-chartered tanker Maryland. The 268,000
deadweight ton vessel was one of three ships recently bought by Belmont VLCC II. The ships were
acquired from Marad.
Belmont has agreed to charter one of the ships
to Kuwaiti interests for 24 months. Marad announced its approval of the chartering by Belmont
to Chesapeake Shipping Inc. Chesapeake is the
company established to operate 11 tankers Kuwait
reftagged under the Stars and Stripes last year.
Under U .S. maritime Law, the Maryland, or the
other two tankers, must carry a U.S. citizen crew.
Gleneagle crewed the 11 reftagged tankers for Chesapeake and provided the captains and radio officers
for those ships. Offshore Personnel Inc. provides
maritime workers for various companies.
When the ads appeared in the Houston papers,

more than 20 Seafarers contacted Offshore Personnel and Gleneagle seeking employment. They were
told, the Union claims in its NLRB charges, there
was no chance they would be hired if they had any
union affiliation.
Offshore employees told the SIU members that
if they were union members they would not be
hired, the Union has alleged.
One Seafarer was told outright that he was I 00
percent qualified for the job, but because of his SIU
membership , he couldn't be hired, according to the
NLRB charges .
Also, Offshore employees allegedly told the SIU
members it was under the shipowner's instructions
to bar any crewmen with union affiliation. However,
they would not identify the owner.
In the case of Gleneagle, SIU members submitted
employment applications, but none received replies,
despite meeting qualifications. The Union has charged
both companies because it believes both were seeking crewman for the Belmont tankers. Both newspaper ads were worded the same and sought the
same qualifications.
The Maryland, renamed the Ocean Wizard, was
crewed and sailed from Portland, Ore. earlier this
month. However, it suffered engineroom difficulties
about 800 miles offshore and was towed back to
Portland. Also in the shipyard is the former New
York, renamed the Ocean Challenge . The other

tanker owned by Belmont is the former Massachu-

setts _
" We're convinced our people were not hired
simply because they belonged to the SIU. Why
anyone would be so blatantly anti-union is hard to
figure out. If you were crewing a ship, where is the
best place to find professional and qualified seamen?
The maritime unions, of course,'' said SIU President
Mike Sacco.
Sacco said the SIU will vigorously pursue the
charges against the two companies.
The case is the latest chapter in the Kuwaiti
reflagging story. The reftagging battle started last
summer and dragged into this past spring when a
federal court ruled against the maritime unions.
By using a loophole in U.S . law , Kuwait reftagged
its ships last summer, but was only required to
carry an American captain. Later an American radio
officer was added to the crews.
Unions and other maritime groups lobbied Congress to close the loophole , based on 19th century
maritime practices. The bill was passed and signed
into law. But the Department of Defense, under the
claim of "national security" reasons , waived the
U .S. crewing requirements for the reftagged ships.
Later a suit was filed seeking to overturn the
waiver, but that , too , failed. Shortly after, Kuwait
hinted that it might charter U.S. tankers , a path
suggested last year by the SIU.

Sea-Land Subsidy Bill Introduced
Legi~lation which would grant
operating subsidy eligibility to 12
foreign-built Sea-Land ships was
the subject of a recent Senate hearing.
The bill. S-2-'IO. introduced by
Sen. Daniel K. lnoyue (D-Hawaii),
would allow Sea-Land's 12 D9J ships
.;urrcntly operating in the Pacific
trades to become eligible for Operating Differential Subsidy (ODS)
payments. It would not however,
grant subsidy; that would be up to
the Maritime Administration.
Operating subsidy paymenb arc
normally limited to U.S.-flag ships
built in U.S. shipyards. However,
in the early 1980s a window was
opened for a short time where
American carriers could build ships
abroad and still gain subsidy payments. Sea-Land is the only m~jor
U.S. steamship company which operates vessels in the foreign commerce without subsidy.
The major opposition to the sub1

sidy bill came from s~a-Land's
competitors and the Reagan administration. The recent announcement
of the formation of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Shipping Co.
(A&amp;P) and the proposed chartering
to A&amp;P of 24 vessels by Sea-Land
generated some criticism of the bill.

Robert L. Hintz, chairman of
Sea-Land, said passage of the bill
is "vitally important to Sea-Land
remaining competitive in foreign
commerce_
11

He said the subsidy would cover
only the 12 D9J vessels, which were
built in Japan and Korea in the
early 1980s. He said Sea-Land has
no plans to seek subsidy on its other
~hips operating in the Pacific or in
the Caribbean. The company's 12
Atlantic class ships are eligible for
subsidy.

Hintz said Sea-Land, '"despite
the cooperation of our sea-going
unions" in reducing operating costs,

is at a cost disadvantage competing
with foreign-flag carriers and with
its major Pacific rival, American
President Lines.
He noted that the two U.S.-flag
companies have many similarities
in the areas they serve and the size
of their fleets. But APL receives
about $60 million annually in operating subsidies_
But representatives from APL,
Crowley, PRM, Central Gulf Lines
and Marad labeled the bill ·'special
interest" legislation which would
benefit only Sea-Land. While all
agreed they could support legislation which would make subsidy
available to all U .S.-tlag, foreignbuilt vessels, they opposed this legislation because only Sea-Land
would benefit.
APL President Timothy J. Rhein
testified that while Sea-Land was
building its D9J ships at lower costs
and with fewer operating restric-

tions in overseas shipyards, APL
was building its ships in American
yards at much higher costs.
He estimated that APL spent
about $23 million more per ship for
its comparable C-9 class vessels
built in a U.S. yard. In addition, he
said the operating restrictions placed
on subsidized firms make it much
more difficult to compete.
"Sea-Land made its choice not
to be subsidized: now it believes it
made the wrong choice and seeks
to be subsidized . . . It seeks this
special legislation which in effect
would reward Sea-Land for having
built the D9s abroad at roughly the
same time that APL was building
C9s in the U.S. at a far higher cost,''
Rhein said.
Most other witnesses called for
Operating Subsidy reform which
would incl ··de all U .S.-flag companies and allow the acquisition of
vessels overseas.

All Seamen Face Drug Tests

Coast Guard Issues Tough New Drug Testing Proposal
The Coast Guard has issued a set of stringent
drug testing proposals which could subjer;t every
member of the U.S.-flag meri;hant marine to regular
random drug testing.
The rules are expected to be administered and
paid for by the maritime industry, and the first -year
i;ost has been pegged at $62.3 million.
While the new rules are at the proposal stage
now , maritime observers expect the regulations will
be adopted with little change by the Coast Guard .
Interested parties have until Sept. 6 to submit
comments. The SIU currently is preparing its comments on the proposals.
((The Union has always taken a strong stand
against drug and alcohol abuse. We have also
stressed rehabilitation. The key is to curb substance

41 LOG I August 1988

abuse without violating peopte•s rights," said SIU
President Mike Sacco.
Following are some key points to the proposed
rules:
•periodic drug testing-as part of required examinations , pre-employment testing. random sampling programs , post-accident and reasonable-cause
testing. Mandatory alcohol testing also would be
required in post-accident and reasonable-r;ause situations.
• implied consent provision-any mariner accepting employment on a U.S. merchant vessel on
which any individual is required by law or regulation
to hold a license, certificate or merchant mariners
document is deemed to have given consent to be
tested. Refusal or failure to submit to sampling is

considered a violation of regulation and will subject
the individual to suspension or revocation of license
or document or termination of employment.
•suspension or revocation-of license or document, denial of employment, and denial of job
applications for illicit drug use and ineligible for
seagoing employment until successful completion
of rehabilitation and reissuance of license or document. However. employees who are identified as
having used dangerous drugs on the job are not
required to be afforded an opportunity for rehabilitation or to be retained or rehired.
• rehabilitation-is recommended for those individuals who are detected as drug users for the
first time. If an individual has a second confirmed
(Continued on Page 5.)

�25 Boats Vote

Long New Bedford Struggle Could End with Contract OK
SIU fishermen on some 25 boats in
New Bedford are voting on a contract
proposal which could finally lay to rest
several years of troublesome negotiations in the nation's largest fishing
port.
The crewmen are working boats
owned by Seafood Producers Association (SP A) members, an owners
group. In late December 1985, fishermen struck in New Bedford over a
number of serious issues including the
way each boat's catch is divided between crewmembers and owners, documentation of crew expenses and work
rules.
The strike resulted in improved conditions for fishermen working on independently-owned boats. Currently
more than 50 fishing boats owned by
non-SP A members are under SIU contract; most signed contracts in the
spring of 1986.
But a series of court battles, National Labor Relations Board hearings
and foot-dragging negotiations marked

the battle with the SPA.
"We kept at it and because of that
we are pretty close to returning to
normal here," said New Bedford Port
Agent Henri Francois.
Balloting should be completed by
early August, Francois said. If approved, the SIU-fishing fleet would be
close to pre-strike numbers. In addition, Francois said organizing of independent boats is continuing.

********
On a lighter note, the Portuguese
community recently celebrated Day of
Portugal on June 10. PortugueseAmericans make up a large portion of
SIU members in New Bedford.
The festival, "a little bit like the
Fourth of July," Francois said, was
marked by music and speeches and
rides on SIU fishing boats around the
harbor.
Several hundred persons attended
the·event, and the SIU helped organize
the celebration.

The .Am~ona is a SIU·contracted vessel in New Bedford. Above is Capt. Armando Estrela.

SIU on T. V.
"Portraits of American Labor," a television series celebrating the
heritage and contributions of the nation's working men and women , will
air this fall on The Learning Channel , a national cable network.
Starting Sept. 11. "Portraits of American Labor" will air every Sunday
evening from frOO to 6'.30 EST. The SIU is sponsoring two of the
segmcnh. Entitled "Whither the Maritime Industry. Part I and Part II,''
they are scheduled to air Oct. 16 and Oct. 23, respectively.
The 11 half-hour programs will touch on topics such as how unions
are combatting drug and alcohol abuse on the job, how unions use
television advertising to get their message across, and the leadership role
of unions in coping with a rapidly changing economy.
Check your local cable guide for listing of air dates and times in your
area.
'

The Sea Siren was one of several SIU-fishing vessels involved in the celebration of the
Day of Portugal.

Hundreds of people gathered at New Bedford's fishing piers to celebrate the Day of
Portugal, June 10. Many SIU members played a big part in the day's festivities.

MV American Eagle
There is an economic price adjustment (E.P .A.) due any crewmember
who was employed aboard the above
named vessel between July 1, 1987
and June 30. 1988.

Please submit verification of employment to the Contract Department
at Union headquarters to process the
additional monies due you.

AMERICA WORKS BEST
WHEN WE SAY...

Drug Testing
(Continued from Page 4.)
positive test, he will be subject to suspension and revocation of license or
document. regardless of rehabilitation options.
•marine employer- would be required to have a blood and urine sampling
and shipping kit. Evidential breath testing (EBT) devices also are required
onboard a vessel at all times, operated by trained and qualified personnel.
Marine employers must ensure that appropriate vessel personnel receive formal
insLrudion in specific subject areas prior to being considered qualified operators
of EBTs and in the practical application of the proposed requirements.

Personals
Michael R. Palmer Shipmates

J. R. James Lee Rogers

Mkhael R. Palmer would like to
hear from any ex-shipmates and friends.
Please write to him at 113974 Rain-2,
Route 2 Box 500, Angie, La. 70426.

Please send a postcard to Pete and
Betty Burris at 44 Greenmeadow Drive,
Timonium, MD 21093. They'd like to
hear from you.
August 1988 I LOG I 5

�Seafarers -Play an Important Role in Banner Freedom
Anchored off of Port Townsend, Wash., the crew of the
SIU-contracted PFC Dewayne
T. Williams was ready for a
payoff.
The Williams had just finished
hauling troops and material from
Korea, deploying them at Indian
Head Island Naval Depot and
then reloading for a trip to Florida.
The exercise, dubbed Operation Banner Freedom, involved more than 6,000 military
personnel and several SIU-contracted ships. These pictures
were taken by Seattle Field Rep.
Neil Dietz.

PFC Dewayne T. Williams

Bosun Linwood Rich

After the trip from Korea, Williams' crewmen are ready for payoff. Pictured are (I. to
r.) Utilityman Fernando Vega-Mercado, AB Alvin McCants and Patrolman Bob Hall.

Crewmembers unload their personal gear before boarding the harbor launch.

..

,
The deward department is headed by Steward Cheryl
Plyle.-·Crnz (rlght) 1 with able help from S/A Lisa Ham-

iltQD.

Tony Mohammed works

6 I LOG I August 1988

abo~rd

the Williams as a pumpman.

�Old Uberty Ship Finds a Home in Baltimore
Dozens of current and retired Seafarers, along with many members of
other maritime and shipbuilding unions,
have volunteered to tum a rusting, 46year-old Liberty Ship into a maritime
museum in Baltimore.

LIBERTY SHIP!

A spokesman for the group said
hundreds of people, from as far away
as Iowa, have volunteered their time
and money for the project, but more
help is needed.
The goal is to refurbish the Brown
to the point where it can serve not
only as a maritime museum and a
monument to those who sailed Liberties in World War II, but also to the
point where she will steam again.

The John W. Brown, built in Baltimore in 1942, is scheduled to be towed
from a Norfolk, Va. shipyard to Baltimore in early August. The ship will
be rededicated at a special Labor Day
ceremony in Baltimore.

The only fully operational Liberty
Ship is the Jeremiah O'Brien in San
Francisco. Several times a year volunteer crews get her under way for
trips around San Francisco Bay.

Sponsored by Project Liberty Ship,
the effort to acquire the John Brown
has taken several years. In 1985 the
Brown, which participated in the invasions of Anzio and southern France,
was placed on the National Registry
of Historic Places. But no space could
be found in New York to berth the
former New York City maritime high
school.

The Brown was built at Bethlehem
Steel's Fairfield Shipyard and named
after a founder of a shipyard workers'
union. She was launched on Labor
Day 1942.
For more information on the John
W. Brown, contact:
Project Liberty Ship
c/o Marserv Inc.
744 Dulaney Valley Court, Suite 14
Towson, Md. 21204

In 1986 Marad agreed to transfer
the vessel to Project Liberty Ship. The
Brown was towed to the James River
Reserve Fleet, where it has been since.
Earlier this summer a group of Baltimore volunteers helped get the Brown
into shape for the tow to Baltimore.

SIGN ON NOW!

(301) 583-9137

A Toast to our Merchant Seamen
He travels many a nautical mile
Sometimes away from home a very long while.
He visits lots of countries and see lots of things
Can't wait to get home for there he is king.
His days are real busy but the nights get lonely
He lies in his fo'c's'le thinking of his one and only.
There is lots of good food, movies and t.v.
And on special occasions they will have a party at sea.
Now as they start home they are all real happy
Washing up clothes and getting ready.

Marshall Islands
(Continued from Page J.)

steer the compact through Congress, says that "Marshall Islands
vessels fall within the class of vessels which. like U.S. vessels. are
entitled to U.S. protection ... we
seek to protect U.S. vessels every·
where in the world."
When the compact was pending
before Congress, the House Interior subcommittee on public lands
approved tough conftict-of-interest
rules for implementing the legislation.
The rules would have prohibited
any U.S. official who participated
in compact negotiations and imple-

Ar Yo

As they tie up the ship they are looking arond
For a friend or a loved one or a ride into town.
So let's drink to our Seaman who's a real different breed
Just hand him a sea-bag ... that's all he will need.
By Sue Wright
Pasadena, Texas77540
(Written in memory of my brother-in-law Ross F. Lyle and my cousin
Carl (R.C.) Harcrow. Both deceased merchant seaman with many

years service.)

gl

0

ant

We want to make sure that you receive your
If you are getting more than one copy of the
copy of the LOG each month and other important LOG delivered to you, if you have changed your
mail such as W-2 Forms, Union Mail and Welfare address, or if your name or address is misprinted
Bulletins. To accomplish this, please use the or incomplete, please fill in the special address
address form on this page to update your home form printed on this page and send it to:
address.
SIU &amp; UIW of N.A.
Your home address is your permanent address,
Address Correction Department
5201 Autb Way
and this is where all official Union documents,
W-2 Forms, and the LOG will be mailed.
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746-9971
----------------~-------------~-----------------------~~---Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
PLEASE PRINT
HOME ADDRESS

mentation -and their immediate
families-from benefiting even indirectly from U.S. dollars flowing
to the Marshalls under the compact.
The prohibition was opposed by
the administration and was dropped
before the legislation was approved
by rhe full Interior Committee.

I0t1e~ieoonts 1

.,,
a.

Social Security No.

Phone No. (
Area Code

Your Full Name

Stroot

Apt. or Box#

Book Number

D

State

City

SIU

D

UIW

O

Pensioner

ZIP

Other--------

UIW Place of E m p l o y m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thi• wlll be my permanent address for all official Union mailings.
Thll addren should rem''" In the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally.

(Signed)----------------~

--------------------------------------~------------~-------~
August 1988 I LOG I 7

�...
SIU Boatmen in Mobile
SIU boatmen have been crewing
inland equipment in the Gulf area for
decades, and Mobile is one of the
important Gulf ports.

SIU Patrolmen Al Caulder and Jeff
Libby were in Mobile recently and
took these pictures of SIU members
working for Higman Towing, Crescent

0

. ..

• "!:-... !-!-

• •

•

. .

0

•

•••

A

•

::;:~',:t:'·'.,i• ;~
The Dr. E.W. Brown is another Higman boat. Pictured on deck are Mike Molina, a pilot;
Al Caulder, SIU Rep, and Tankerman David Carriere.

Towing and Pilot Services. The patrolmen were on hand to keep the
members informed about Union business and to take care of any questions
or problems the crews may have had.

Eric Simon is a boat handler for the SIUcontractcd Pilot Services in Mobile,

The continuing drought in the
midwest will cost the tug and barge
industry more than $150 million by
September if conditions don't
change. Already inland operators
estimate it has cost them more than
$60 million in additional expenses.
While some rain fell in mid to
late July, raising water levels on
the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, the
effect is expected to be temporary
as August and early September are
the traditional dry months.
The extra costs, according to the
American Waterways Operators
(A WO) association, comes from
slower transit times, reduced tow
sizes and drafts and delays on parts
of the rivers while channels are
dredged.
Normally a barge load of com
can be towed from Minneapolis to
New Orleans in about 16 days.
Today the trip takes 32 days.
''For an industry just now emerging from the savage depression of
the early and mid-1980s, the drought
is a sledgehammer blow, many
companies might not survive,'' said
Joseph Farrell, AWO president.
Marad Administrator John Gaughan said if the drought persists,
''we may need to find a way to
provide a broad-based equitable
formula for temporary cost relief to
the inland waterway transportation
industry.''
"It might start to get more critical
in September," said Joe Clayton, a
Mississippi River pilot, "If it doesn't
move by then you'll see some
screaming. And there ain't a hell of
lot anybody can do about it."

NOTICE
National

Marine Service
Ex-Employees
A settlement has been ~~ched with
National Marine Service.

All ex-employees with two (2) or
IDQTe yean Qf service immediately
prior to the lay-off in October 1985

are to contad in writing: SttretaryTreasurer Joe DiGiorgio, Seafarers
International Union, 5201 Auth Way,
Camp Springs 7 Md_ 20746 and pro•

foll&lt;&gt;wing information.
I-Name.
l-Mailing addr~.

vide the

~ial

Security No.

4-Book No.
5-Job classification.
6--Perivd worked for National
Marine Service_
You must have at least 125 days of

service in each of the two consecutive
years prior to the lay-oft in October
1985.
Note: After all of the information
is compiled, the Union will

be able to determine the en•
titlement, if any, for benefits.
Benefits will be calculated on the

basiS of the number or years of uninterrupted senice with National Marine.

8 I LOG I August 1988

Tug Industry
Say~· Drought
Could Cost
$150 Million

Deckhand Charles Saranthus works for Crescent Towing.

�Mobile

Inland Deaths
Ron Amick, 34

St. Louis, Mo.
Died June 24, 1988
Joined Union 1987
Reuben Berry, 72
Chesapeake, Va.
Died June 12, 1988
Joined Union 1961

Aubert Windley, 64
Chesapeake, Va.
Died June 6, 1988
Joined Union 1973

Karl Dlabich, SS
Baltimore, Md.
Died January 20,
1988
Joined Union 1956
William Meekins, .81
Columbia, N.C.
Died May 11, 1988
Joined Union 1955
John Morgan, 87
New Point, Va.
Died May 23, 1988
Ronald Pauley, 73
Glen Burnie, Md.
Died May 5, 1988
Joined Union 1956

Cabot

Alexander Cabot, 87
W. Palm Beach, Fla.
Died July 10, 1988
Joined Union 1960

Williain Caldara, 79
Galveston, Texas
Died October 1, 1987
Joined Union 1967

Onboard Higman Towing's Karl G. Andren are Deckhand Calvin Elliot, Capt. Steve
Elliot, SIU Rep Jeff Libby, Tankerman Tom Nolan and Deckhand David Evans.

Zein

Ahmed Zein, 63
Seattle, Wash.
Joined Union 1980

Buford Rogers, 76
Orange, Texas
Died May 17, 1988
Joined Union 1970
Thomas Ryan, 86
New Brunswick, N.J.
Died May 2, 1988
Joined Union 1960

GREAT LAKES
John Werda, 53
Alpena, Mich.
Died June 6, 1988
Joined Union 1953

Albert Tatum, 68
Buena Park, Calif.
Died June 4, 1988

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
JULY 1-31, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTl:RED
All Groups

Class

c

Class A

Class B

0
0
7
41

0
0
0

0
0
0

2

0

0

0
0
0
0

0

Port
New York ........................ .

Pnilac1e1pn1a ... ........... . ....... .
Baltimore , ...................... . .
NorfolK ......................... .
Mobile . ................... ...... .
New Orleans ............ . . .. ...... .
JMk5MVi lie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Francisco .....................
Wilmington .......................
Seattle ............... . ..... . . .. .
Puerto Rico .. ...... . .... .. .......
Houston ................ .. . . .....

.
.
.
.
.

Aloonac ......................... .

St. Louis ....................... . .
Piney Point .... .................. . .
Totals .. .. . ..................... .

2

2

0
4

2

0

0

0
2
16
1

0
0
7
0
0
11

0
75

1
13
0
14
0
0

4

0
2
0
34

Port
New YorK ........................ .
Philadelphia ...................... .
Baltimore ........................ .
NOrfOIK . , .......... , .......... , ..
Mobile .......................... .

0
1
0
4
0

New Orleans ..................... . .

0

Jacksonville .. , . , .. , , . ............ .

0
0
0
0
0
0
11
0
0
15

Sitn Fnmcisco .. .

Wilminoton ............... . ... .... .
Seattle ................... .. ..... .

Puerto Rico ....... . ..... .. ...... . .

Houston ......................... .
Algonac . , , ...................... .

St. Louis .. . ..... . ..... ... ...... . .

Piney Point .. .. .. ................ . .

Totals .............. .. ... ....... .

Philaoelphia ...................... .

Crescent Towine, a long-time SIU-contracted company 1 operates in Mobile. Pictu.-ed above is Englnee.- Mike Ya.-brnugh.

Support
SPAD

Baltimore ... .... . ............... . .
Norfolk ......................... .
Mobile .. . ....................... .
New Orleans . ... .. ... ... ..... ..... .
Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San FranciMo ..................... .
Wilmington .............. . ........ .
Seattle .......................... .
Puerto Rico ..•.•..................
Houston ........... . ............. .
Algonac ... .... ... . .............. .
St. Louis ...................... . . .

0
0
0
~

0
0
0
0
1
0
0

0

4
1
0

Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0

0
3

0

5
49
0
1

3

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

7

9

9

17

21

1

0
0

2

0

0
0

0

0
0

0

0

0

22
0

2
0

0
3

0
14

0
31

1

0
57

1

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0

4

0
0
0
0
0

0

0
3
0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0
1
0

0

0

0

4
1

0
0

0
1

0

15

0
0
0
0
0

0
1

0

9

Totals All Departments ............... .

99

17

0
0

0
0

2
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
9
0

0
11

0

0
0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

1
0

0
1

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0

0
0
0

0

a

4

7

38

75

0

0

0

0

0
0

0

o

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class

0
0

0
0
0
1
0

Totals .......................... .

. ........... .

Class B

0
4

0
2
0

0
2

Pin@y Point . . . . . .

Class A

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Pon
New York . . ................... .. . .

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups

0
0
0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0

1
0

48

0
0

0

18

0
0
0
0

25

0
0
2
19
0
0
128

0
0
0
1
1
0
45

0
1
0
10
0
0
0
0

0
0
0

23
0
0
0

14
0
0
48

5

0
0
0

0
10

0
0

0
1

0
0

16

c
0
0
0
0

0

1
21
0
15
0

0

4
0

5
0
46

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
36
0
0
1
2

0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
12
0

3

0

47

0
15

20

34

223

76

66

1

0
0

1

o

0

0
0

1

0

0
6
0
13

0
0
1
0

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.

August 1988 I LOG I 9

�FALCON
DUCHESS
(Seahawk
Mgmt.), June 22-Chairman Leo Paradise,
Secretary C.N. Johnson, Educational Director LP. Wright, Deck Delegate John A.
Neff. No beefs or disputed OT. Brother
Wright reported to the crew that SIU President Frank Drozak passed away. He added
that Drozak will be missed by the many
men and women who had the privilege of
sailing and working with him. The chairman
noted that the crew payoff would be on
June 26 and that it has been a smooth
voyage with everyone getting along very
well. A vote of thanks was given to the
steward department for a job well done.
FALCON LEADER (Seahawk Mgmt.),
June 15-Chairman Joseph Caurso, Secretary Veronica Ercolano, Deck Delegate
Joseph Elkins, Engine Delegate Paul Moran.
The crew of the Falcon Leader, stationed
in Diego Garcia, send their deepest condolences to the family and friends of Brother
Frank Drozak. They also took up a collection as a gift to the American Cancer
Society in Drozak's name. The chairman
noted that members appreciate the prompt
reply to their previous beefs. A microwave
and toaster have now been installed. And
a dart board is up. A scoreboard is on the
way. It was suggested that a CPR and first
aid course be taught aboard ship. There
was also some discussion about the provisions (or lack therof) that are available
to the ship in Diego Garcia.
LNG GEMINI (Energy Transportation
Corp.), June 2~hairman Eugene Bousson, Secretary Dana Paradise, Educational
Director Aaron Thaxton, Dei;k Deleg~te
Anthony M. Heincldt. Engine oe1eaate Ramon Ali, Steward Delegate HMty Daniels.
No b@@fs or disputed OT. The crew was
s~dd@n@d to h@ar of the passing of Presid@nt Frank Droz:ak. Flowers were 5ent for
th@ funeral services, and all members hope
that the Union continues with his efforts to
keep the U.S. merchant fleet alive and
prospering . The chairman stressed the
importance of donating to SPAD and also
asked memb@rs to support the ship's fund
by participating in arrival pools. There is
$89 left in the fund . A suggestion was
mad@ to mak@ th@ AB green tickets' base
pay equal to the low@st rat@d man in other
oepartments. Some members also w@r@
wonaerlng why there were no pool parties.
Also expressM was a desire for a more
even di$tribution of reading materials received and for the cleaning of tM crew
lounge to be shared by all departments. A
vote of thanks was giv@n to the steward
department for a job well done. And a
sp@cial vote of thanks wa5 given by the
steward to S/As Mark Kalmus, Catherine
Kohs and Andrea Conklin. Their performance was excellent this trip. " Mess halls
wer@ n@v@r less than spotless and topside
was as cl@an as a w@IL It's been a plea5ure
to sail with people who care about their
jobs, and th@ extra effort really shoW$. "
Next ports : Himeji, Japan and Bontang,
lnoonesia.

GROTON (Apex Marine), July 3Chairman Nell Matthey, Secretary Marvin
Deloatch. Educational Director J. Shuler.
No beets er disputed OT reported. Tne
chairman reported that the 5hip Will pay Off
in Stapleton, N.Y. on July 4. He stated that
the ship received a telex regarding th@ n@w
raise effective July 1, which was good
newa. He alao stressed the importance of
contributing to SPAD. A motion was made
and ~econd@d that permanent member5
shoulo be able to reclaim their jobs in their
home pons when returning back to work
from vacation . The members would llKe
this motion to be considered when the
snipping rules are revised. Next port Sta·
pleton , N.Y.
NEDLLOYD HUDSON (Sea-Land
Service), May 29-Chairman John Sorel,
Secretary Lee de Parller. Educational Director Erik Bain . Some disputed OT was
reported in the deck and steward depart·

10 I LOG I August 1988

ments. There is $130 in the video film fund.
The chairman noted that although this is a
new ship and a new crew, everything is
going as well as can be expected. Most of
the problems are being ironed out, and it
helps having a lot of oldtimers as cre\'.lf.
Members were asked to be ready for customs inspection in Felixstowe, England.
"They count the used tea bags ... Declare
everything including your dentures, and

Delegate Antonios Trikoglou, Engine Delegate William Cachola, Steward Delegate
Virgilio Rivera. No beefs or disputed OT
reported . The crew of the Puerto Rico
wants to welcome Brother Mike Sacco as
the new SIU president. "Good luck to him
and his working team." The ship will lay
up July 16 in San Juan for seven to 1o
days. The steward asked that everyone
return their extra linen before the lay-up.
All of the ship's movies will be kept locked
up in the crew recreation room. The bosun,
electrician and chief steward have the keys.
Members will have to sign out movies and
be responsible for them. A vote of thanks
was given to the entire steward department
for the fine food and good service. The

At 1300 hours on May 29, 1988, onboard the Overseas Natalie (Maritime Overseas), the ashes of SIU
member Nathan Evans were committed to the deep during a brief service. Evans, who was 75, died
March 26. Bosun John Frazier and AB Patrick Ray were the urn bearers; Chief Mate Ronald Ward
conducted the service.

make sure you have the right amount of
teeth listed." The secretary said that this
is a major election year, and all members
should be aware of what is at stake. "After
seven years of famine, we face a difficult
election in order to put in office those who
will support a credible national maritime
policy that will rebuild the U.S. merchant
marine and preserve and expand the cargo
rights so that our job security will be
strengthened. Your SPAD donation is more
important now than at any other time in
our existence. This election can either
maKe or break our steadily declining industry ... The eoucational director stated
that no training films, either from Sea-Land
or Piney Point, are aboard ship, and that
he hopes to receive some next trip. Many
other minor items were discussed, and the
crew is working together in harmony to
work out the kinks in this new ship. Next
port: Charl8ston. S.G.

OVIRSEAS JUNEAU (Maritime
Overseas), June 22-Chairman Errol Pak,
secreta.ty Tom Marshall, Deck Delegate/
Treasurer Jim Crane. Some disputed OT
was reported in the deck department concerning sanitary. The chairman offered his
condolences on b@half of the entire crew
to the family of Frank Drozak. He further
noted that, thank5 to Drozak and the other
SIU leaders, shipping has been good for
SIU members, with 12 more ships being
aaaea to Sea-Land fleet work. All is going
smoothly aboard the Ovt1rseas Juneau. It
especially helps that the Juneau has a top
SIU crew; all are experi@nced members
who know their jobs. The educational director remindsd members that upgrading
Is very important-in fact it is the key to
the fUture! There is $81 in the ship's fund.
A motion was made and seconded to
repeal the 8-months shipping rule (SAB
action 327) . The chairman explained that
this was only on a six-month trial basis.
Next port: San Francisco, Calif.
PFC EUGENE A. OBREGON (Waterman) , June 18-Chairman MarK T. Trepp,
Secretary P .L. Hunt, Educational Director
Ralph Griffon, Deck D@legate Thomas
Bonner. Bosun Trepp held one minute of
silence in memory of Brother Frank Drozak.
He r@minded all hands of the benefits that
Orozak worked so hard to obtain for all
seafarers , and noted that he will be missed
by all. Donations were received from the
officers and crew for flow@rs in memory of
the late SIU president. Next port: Portland,
Ore.
PUERTO RICO (PAMMI), July 24Chairman Nick Kratsas, Secretary Jose
Calls, Educational Director Tagliaterri, Deck

Puerto Rico will head out to San Juan and
then Baltimore, with payoff scheduled for
Aug. 9 in San Juan.

SEA·LAND ENTERPRISE (Sea-Land
Service), June 18-Chairman Leroy Temple, Secretary Norman Johnson, Educational Director Frank Hall. Disputed OT
was reported in the engine and steward
departments. There is $100 in the movie
fund . The members of the Sea-Land En terprise expressed their d@ep regrets at
the passing of Brother Frank Drozak_"May
he rest in peace." A payoff is scheduled
In Oakland, Calif. June 22. There have
been some serious problems aboard ship
with the chief mate. These will be referred
to the patrolman at payoff. The educational
director stressed the need to upgrade your
skills at Piney Point. Many jobs have been
secured for the membership by our leaders,
and we need qualified men and women to
fill these jobs. Attending courses at Piney
Point Is pain less. The Union pays for trans·
portatlon costs as well as room and board.
" All you have to supply is the desire to
l@arn and better yourself."

SEA·LAND LIBERATOR (Sea-Land
Service), June 5--Chairman Bob O'Rourke,
Secretary C.M. Modelles, Educational Director W.0. Barrineau. Some disputed OT
was reported in the engine department and
will be taken up with the boarding patrolman at payoff. The chairman talked about
the working conditions in the ship and
stressed the need for all members to report
any hazardous conditions they may find
while working onboard the vessel. He also
encouraged all eligible members to take
advantage of the upgrading courses at
Piney Point and to render their support to
SPAD, "one of our main tools in fighting
our enemies in the halls of Congress." The
educational director reminded crewmembers to read all issues of the LOG in order
to keep current with what's happening in
the SIU and in the maritime industry. Payoff
is scheduled for June 9 upon arrival in
Oakland, Calif.
SEA·LAND PATRIOT (Sea-Land
Service) , June 12-Chairman John W.
Curlew, Secretary Adrian Delaney, Deck
Delegate James Haines, Engine Delegate
Frank E. White. There was some problem
reported in the engine department with the
engineers doing the work of the QMED.
This problem has been brought to the
attention of the patrolman and the Union
on many occasions, and all members at
the meeting agreed that the matter should
be resolved as soon as possible. The
bosun asked that all crewmembers report
any safety or repair items since there is
no repair list posted. The steward brought
to the attention of the crew the lack of
portion controlled items aboard the vessel.
Among the many items not onboard was
soup. This is the second voyage that soup
has not been put on the ship. Also, many
of the prepared items were not included in
the stores. These problems will be brought
to the attention of the patrolman and the
Union. "On June 16, the United States
ensign was flown at half mast from 0800
hours until sunset in honor of SIU President
Frank Drozak, on the day of his funeral."
Official ships minutes also were received from the following vessels:
AURORA

SAN JUAN

ITB BALTIMORE

SEA-LAND DEFENDER

GREAT LAND
UIG LIBRA
NEDLLOYD HOLLAND
OMI HUDSON
OMI WABASH
OVERSEAS CHICAGO
OVERSEAS HARRIETIE
OVERSEAS MARILYN
OVERSEAS VALDEZ
PRESIDENT TAYWR
ROBERT E. LEE

SEA-LAND EXPRESS
SEA-LAllD HAWAII
SEA-LAID INTEGRITY
SEA-LAND PACIFIC
SEA-LAND PRODUCER
SEA-LAID VALUE
SfNATDR
STONEWALL JACKSON
LNG TAURUS
ULTRASEA

Monthly
Membership .Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Tuesday, September 6 ..... ........... 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, September 6 . . . ... .. ........ 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .. .. . . . .. ... .. Wednesday, September 7 .............. 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ..... . ..... . .... Thursday, September 8 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ........ , ........ Thursday, September 8 . . .. - .. . - ..... . . 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville ..... . .. .... .. Thursday , September 8 .... _.. . ........ 10:30 a.m.
Algonac .. . . . .. . .... . . . __Frid~y , September 9 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Houston . . . .... .. . . .. . .. . Monday, September 12 ................ 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans . .. ..... . .... Tuesday, September 13 ........ . ....... 10:30 a.m.
Mobile ................ , . Wednesday, September 14 . . .. . . . ...... 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday , September 15 .. . . . . . ........ 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday , September 19 . . .. . . .......... 10:30 a.m.
Seattle ......... . . . ...... Friday , September 23 . . ............... 10:30 a.m.
San Juan .... . ...... . .. .. Thursday , September 8 ........ . ....... 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis .. ... . .. .. .... . . Friday , September 16 ... . ............. 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu .... .. . .. .. .. _.. Friday , September 16 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Duluth ... . .. .. _.. .. . .. . . Wednesday, September 14 ............. 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City . .. . ........... Wednesday, September 21 ............. 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford . . .. . .. .. .... Tuesday, September 20 ................ 10:30 a.m.

�SIU/SHLSS Hosts
MTD Award scouts

T

he SHLSS, in conjunction
with the AFL-CIO Maritime
Trades Department, was
honored to host another fine
group of Award Scouts chosen to participate in a two-week program of trade union education, recreation and sightseeing. Initiated three
years ago, the program is designed to
promote the trade union objectives of
the American Labor Movement.
Chosen through the MTD Port
Councils, the Scouts are offered a twoweek all-expense paid vacation in
Washington, D.C., using the SIU's
Training and Recreation Center in Piney Point as a home port. The 17 boys
and girb from 12 different 5tates, including one scout from Hawaii, weathered the ovvressive heat and humidity
in true Scout fo:shion. Their three days
of touring Washington included visits
to SIU headquarters, the MTD and
the AFL-CIO. Capitol Hill, and the
Smithsonian Museum, in addition to
the usual visits to our national monuments. The group and their two counselors were also treated to a trip to
Baltimore to visit the National Aquarium and Harbor Place.
The Scouh learned much about
maritime life. not only in the SHLSS
tradition, but also in the regional,
Southern Maryland tradition. Their
excursions to local historic points reminded them constantly of the intimiate binding of St. Mary's county history to that of ships and the water.
Having been given the rudiments of
knot tying and navigation by several
SHLSS instructors, the Scouts were
treated to a tour of St. Mary's waterways on two of the school's boats: a
rescue boat, and a 28ft. cabin cruiser.
Applying their newly acquired navigational knowledge, each of the Scouts

was given a chance to be helmsmanmotoring past various points of interest along St. George's Creek, St.
Mary's River and Patuxent River, and
disembarking at Old St. Mary's City.
They arrived just in time to view the
historic replica of the pinnace, DOVE,
which originally brought the first settlers to Maryland's shores in 1634. For
a unique diversion, the Scouts were
given a quick lesson in "chicken necking," that is catching blue crabs-a
favorite regional pastime. After returning to the SHLSS grounds from
their touring, the Scouts had much to
keep them entertained at the Training
and Recreation Center including use
of the game room, spa, tennis courts,
swimming pool, and the arts and crafts
center where they fashioned a number
of attractive items to take back home
with them.
Staying at the SHLSS and being
exposed to the trainees and upgraders
gave the Scouts a taste of what the
seafaring life is all about and how the
Union fits into that life. No doubt,
their experience through this MTD
program has made a lasting imvres-

At AFL-CIO Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

sion.
Congratulations go to these exemplary young people: John Norman,
Florida: Ricardo Hassan. New York;
Raymond Tanabe, Hawaii; Bernard
Rogers, Louisiana; Christian KowaJko, Pennsylvania; Scott Hill. Texas;
Travis Corgey, Texas; Kevin Nolan,
Illinois; Michael Willis, Illinois; Christopher Wells, Virginia: John Below,
Ohio; Timothy Hendrix, Missouri;
Cindy Fu. California; Courtnee Scoggins, Maryland; Cara Butterworth,
Maryland;
Nakeesha
Arrington,
Maryland; Aura Lande~, Maryland.
Counselors were: Ms. Barbara Ezelle
and Ms. Kathy Roberts.

Christian Kowalko at the helm of the D-2

~

~

Travis Corgey, Ricardo Hassan and
counselor Kathy Roberts enjoy a relaxing
moment in Arts and Crafts.

A visit to Southern Maryland is not
complete without the traditional crab

feast.

~

Far left: the group posing in front of the
historic replica, DOVE.

August 1988 I LOG I 11

�Retired

Visitor

• • •

....

~
After 12 years of service as
chef for the SHLSS galley,
LeLand "Buck" Buchan
retired. Pictured left to
right; Don Nolan, Buck
Buchan, his wife Virginia,
and Ken Conklin-SHLSS
Vice President.

A close friend of the SIU,
Father Manion, toured the
SHLSS facilities with
SHLSS V.P., Ken Conklin.

TMT, Trailor Marine Transport,

.A a Crowley Company, is sending

T.M.T. Class 7/6/88
Eddie Gall, Charles Collings, Tom Gildersleeve, John Gildersleeve (instructor), James Anderson, James McAnany, James Grosse.

men and women to the SHLSS for
a two-week course in truck driving.
The course, being taught by John
Gildersleeve, gives the students experience in basic truck handling and
also the specialized technique·s of
loading and offloading trailor
barges-simulating the type of facility operations used by TMT in
Philadelphia. Course work also includes night time operations, and
working with the Haaglund crane,
loading and unloading 20 and 40 ft.containers on and off the truck
beds. So far, two groups have graduated and a third group is just now
beginning its training.

M.S.C. Lifeboat 7/5/88
Left to Right, Ben Cusic (Instructor), Neal Doucet, Paul
Thomas, and Dianne Lupton

·.(l
Hydraulics 6/20/88
1st RQW Left tQ Right, Clayton Everett, Melvin Layner,
Joe Saxon, John Day, Hermus Patrick, 2nd Row, Bill Foley
(lnstnadfJr), JQhn Tn;mt, P1ml Titus and Charles D. Polk

Upgraders Lifeboat 7/5/88
Front Left to Right, A. Mullings, J. M. Owens, 2nd Row,
Melvin W. Hite, L. Timothy Stent, Wendell Jones, Ben
Cusic (Instructor)

Recertified Steward~ 7/7 /H
1st Row Left to Right, Jennifer Jim, Klm Dormody, R.
Mora, :Znd Row, Kenneth m1gan, Willh1m Sharp, Michael
Meany, Ilavi&lt;I Edwar~s, '8ack Row, Floyd Payton, Mu·
bame&lt;l Sani, Steve Apodnca, Kim DeWitt, Franklin Roh·
ertson

QMED 6/20/88
ht Row Left to Right, J, W. Bass, Frederic S. Rubin,

Jr.,

Phil We§t, Mike Clapshaw, Guillermo O'Neill, 2nd Row,
Mark D. Field, Craig V. Bell, Robert Lientak, Mark
Li\wrente~ Bill Waddell, R. D. Thomas, 3rd Row, Jon
Beard, Pete Sanchez, Bob Richer.

~:\X-~4
12 I LOG I August 1988

Canadian Chief Cooks 6/13/88
1st Row from Left to Right, Joanne Semaon, Steve Calivocas, Bernadette Abel, Robert Wright, Andrew Cumberbatch, 2nd row, Mark Gawley, Barb Wall, Helen Hill,
Susan Titan, Denise Mailhot, Roy Hoffe

Sealift 7/11/88
Kneeling Left to Right, Eric Perez, Neal Doucet, Darwin
Hand, 2nd Row, Harry Alongi (Instructor), Danielle M.
Gettys, Larry Flores, Curtis Phillips, 3rd Row, Owen
Richards, James W. Donahue Ill, Clyde Hall, Francis E.
Ostendorp, Sheng·Jen Hsizh

Able Seaman 6/20/88
1st Row Left to Right, Christopher D. Janics, Gheorghe
Savencu, T. Abulencia, John Sanchez, H. Morante, J,
Negron, lnd Row, B. Spencer, Donald Smith, Scott Grider,
Les Stringer, Richard L. Volkart, Mark W. Carpenter,
3rd Row, Donald Rezendes, Charlie Williams, Kassim
Shaibi, Martin Ramos, Ali A. Mosad, Ken Heller, Mohsin
Ali, Jake Karaczynski (Inst.), 4th Row, J. Jan-Etten, Carl
Vincent Paige, William Ray Capps, Leonte Cordova, Jeff
Engebretson

Lifeboat Class #428 7/5/88
1st Row from Left to Right, Bill Kovach, Joseph Daigle,
Vincent Larimer, Rick Thaxton, Henry C. Hall, Eric J.
Perez, 2nd Row, Ben Cusic (Instructor), Steve Condron,
Warren Cobbs, Melvin Knox, Bruce Auman, Demetrius
L. Crump, Bill Beamer, William .G. Pitts, R. Theodore
Block, Donald T. Cunningham, Harry Massa, 3rd Row,
Alex Simmons, Mark Thomas, Mitch Godwin

�,..

1988 Upgrading
Course Schedule

Deck apgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Able Seaman

September 19
October 31

October28
December 9

Radar Observer Unltd.

September 12
November 7

September 23
November 18

Course

Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote a.s • .Maritime Industry
July - December 19.8 8

*Minimum number of students required for radar class to be held is four (4).
Radar Refresher/Renewal

The following is the current course schedule for July 1988 - December

1988 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;
St~d Department courses; Adult Education courses; All Department
courses and Recerri.6.01tion Programs.
Inland Boatmen and deep sea Seafarers who are preparing to upgrade
are advised to enroll for class as early as ~ible. Although every effon will
be made to fill the requests of the members, the classes are limited in
size - so sign up early.

Radar Recertification

Open-ended, 1 day (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date)
*Minimum number of students required for Celestial Navigation class to
be held is five (5).
August 22
September 19
October 17
November 14
December 12

Lifeboat

LNG -

Self Study Safety Course

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.

Open-ended, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date.)

September 2
September 30
October 28
November 25
December 23

(This course is not offered as a
separate course, but may be
taken while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)

*Upon completion of course must take Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance.

PLEASE NOTE: All members are required to take firefighting when
attending SHLSS.

Engine (Jpgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

CuurH
"

Recertification Programs

Completion
Date

Flreman/Watertender r. Oller
R~frlgeration Systems Malnt. £. Op.

August 22
OdQber 3

September 30
November 11

Refrigwated CQn~-~ Malnt.

August 8

September 2

Course
Steward Recertification
Bosuns Recertification

Pumproom .Maint. &amp; Operations

August 1
September 19

September 9
Octuber 28

Variable Speed DC Drives

September 5

October 14

E:lec:tro-Hydraullc Systems

NovembM 7

December 16

Automation

NQvember 21

December 16

Welding

rfovember 21

December 16

Hydraulics

OdQber 17

November 11

Third Ant. Engineer/Steam or .Motor

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for Starting Date)

*All students in the Engine Department will nave 2 weeks of Sealift
f'~mllhulzatlon

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

September 26

November 7

Adult Education Courses
Check-In
Completion
Cuurse
Date
Date
For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes in 1988, the
~ourses will be six weeks in length and offered on the following dates:
High S&lt;:hool Equivalency (QED)

August 29
October 31

October 10
December 12

August 29
October 31

October 7
December 10

Adult Basic Education (ABE)

i!lt the end of their regular course,
English as a Second Language (ESL)

Steward Upgrading Courses
Completion
Date

Check-In
Date

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office

The Developmental Studies Class (DYS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes.

Developmental Studies (DVS)

(Offered prior to the Third Mate &amp;
Original Second Mates Course)

for starting date)*
Cook and Baker

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for $tarting date)•

Chief CQQk

Open·endM (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)"'

Chief Steward

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
tor starting date)*

*All students In the Steward Program will have
familiarization at the end gf their regular c;;our$e.

2

weeks of Sealift

College Programs Scheduled for 1988
Check-In
Course
Date
Associates in Arts or Certificate Program August 8
Odober 17

Completion
Date
September 30
December 9

August 1988 / LOG / 13

�..........................................................................................................................................
i

S af rers Harry Lundeberg Sc ool of
Upgrading Application
Name

(first)

(Last)

eama

....

..,:

h"p

Date of Birth

(Middle)

,

"

/,.

Mo./Day/Year

Telephone _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _
(City)

(Zip Code)

(State)

Deep Sea Member O

(Area Code)

Inland Waters Member D

Pacific D

Lakes Member O

If the following imformation is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.

Social Security# _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Book#_ _ _ _ __ Seniority _ _ __ __ Department _ _ _ _ __
Home Port _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ __

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces O Yes D No

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ __

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: O Yes
Trainee Program: From _ _ __ ___ to

No O (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

(dates attended)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: O Yes

No O (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s)Taken _~---------------~-----------------

Do ycu ncld a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes

No D

Firefighting:

o

Yes

No D

CPR: D Yes No D

Date AvAilable for Training _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Primary Language Spoken _ _ _____________
I Am interested in the Following Cours@(s) Ch@cked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed

DECK

o
o

Third Mate
Raaar Observer Unlimited

ALL DEPARTMENTS

o

STEWARD

ENGINE

0 AB/Stalm
0 Towboat Operator Inland
D CtlHtlal Navigation
D Mut•r lnsp•d•d Towing Vessel
D 1$1 Class Piiot (organized self study)

Welding

0 FOWT

o OMED-Any Rating
O
D
D
O
D

0
D

D Llfeboatmim (Mm•t ba t11kan with 11nothar

cour9e)

0

0

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original

receipts and succ@ssfully

0
D

V~rlabl&amp;

Sp••d DC Orlve Systems
{Marine Elgctronics)
Marine Elec:trlc:al Malnhmanc•
PUmDroom Malntenancv &amp;t Operation
Automation
Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
01...1 Engine Technolooy
Assiotant Engineer/Chief EnginHr
Un ln&amp;pected Motor vessel
Orginol 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor
Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
Hydraulics
Electro-Hydraulic Systems

complete the course.

D Assistant cook Utility
D Cook and Baker
D Chief Cook
o Chief Steward
O Towboat Inland Cook

COLLEGE PROGRAM
D Associates in Arts Degree

O Certificate Programs

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
D Adult Basic Education (ABE)

0 High School equlvalency

Program (GED)
O Developmental Studies (DVS)
O English as a Second Language (ESL)
D ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted showing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the
course(s) requested.
You mu$f also submit a COPY of the first page of your union book indicating your department and seniority, as well
as, a COPY of your clinic card _The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is received .
VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

SIGNATURE ~~~~~--~--~~----- DATE ~--~--------~~-~

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

..-.....................................................................................................................

~.-.-.-

~ev. 2188

14 I LOG I August 1988

.......

----~::::;,...,.-.

\

�From coast to coast and
around the world, Seafarers work
and participate in many activities, from politics to charity to
union solidarity.
Here is just a sample of recent
photos that members and officials have sent to headquarters.
The LOG welcomes all pictures
and will try to use as many as
possible. So if you have taken
any photos you think we could
use, send them to the LOG
office.

Honolulu

The dredge Sugar Island is working in South Amboy, N.J. Above, dragtender Luis Green
keeps an eye on discharging operations.

South Amboy, N.J.

In Honolulu when members of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of
Television and Radio Artists were on strike recently, SIU members from Honolulu showed
their support on the picket line.

Port Elizabeth, N.J.

Here iS nart Of the SIU-crew on the Sugar /Siana:

(I, lQ r.) Dragtender Bob La Pointe,
Ncssmon Jomes Steward. AB Grif McRee, Cook David Strickland and AB Ed Broadus.

San Francisco

The International Longshoremen and Warehomemcn's Union held a memorial service
July 5 to mark 66 810ody Thursday," a 1934 maritime drike where two strikers were shot
:and killed and several others wounded. This year, SIU Vice President George McCartney
b~iime the fird SIU official to speak at the services. He stressed solidarity and unity
among labor unions and welcomed the lLWU back into the "House of Labor." That
union's membership recently voted to affiliate with the AFL°CIO.

When the Sea-Land Quality hit Port Elizabeth, it was time for payoff. Pictured above is
part of the "Quality" crew: (I. tor.) Bosun B.G. Williams, Chief Cook Brantley Young,
DEU Ed Padilla, Engine Delegate Chris Beaton, Electrician Dennis Baker and AB and
Deck Delegate Jimmy Ocot.

August 1988 I LOG I 15

�·Protect Yourself

Be SAFE-You Don't Have to be an AIDS Victim
Editor's Note; This is the second in a series of articles about AIDS and its impact.
The LOG is publishing these articles in an attempt to educate Seafarers about
this deadly disease and to help SIU members and their families reduce their risk
of contracting AIDS. These articles are written by Dr. Elizabeth Reisman as
part of the Seafarers AIDS Forum for Education (SAFE). Reprints of the first
article and this one are available by writing to:
AIDS Information Office
Dr. Elizabeth Reisman
SHLSS
Piney Point, Md. 20674.

"SET A SAFE COURSE"
LEARN THE FACTS ABOUT AIDS
Man has always been the victim of infectious diseases and epidemics. Yet,
today we find ourselves in a state of shock while we muster our forces to fight
what seems like the greatest epidemic the world has ever known, AIDS. For
many of us this is the greatest epidemic we have ever known. Others, however,
can clearly remember other devastating epidemics during their lifetimes, such
as tuberculosis and polio.
The Battle Against the Spread of AIDS
The field of medicine has come a long way in its ability to control the spread
of infectious diseases. The 20th century has brought us important tools. These
include an understanding of infectious diseases (their causes, how they are
spread, and how to prevent their spread), antibiotics, and vaccines. These
great advancements have certainly improved the public's health.
Unfortunately, these advancements have also given us a false sense of
security about infectious diseases-that we have nothing to fear from infectious
diseases-that we have conquered the old and shall conquer the new. Herpes
was the first clear challenge to this notion. And today we are even more
surprised and challenged by AIDS. Few realize how great a challenge this
disease poses due to hs uniyueness in nearly all aspects of its activity.
AIDS is a newly recognized disease (1981) caused by an unusual virus, a
retrovinrn. There are at least 17 different types of AIDS viruses, most of which
ar~ found in Afri.;a. The antibodies which the body produces in response to
the AIDS virus are unable to fight off the AIDS virus and protect the body
from future attacks from this virus.
Many people infected with the AIDS virus feel well and experience no
symptoms of AIDS. yet can pass it on to others. Others infected with the
AIDS virus experience severe damage to the immune system (the body's
defense system), unusual infections (opportunistic infections), unusual cancers.
and damage to the brain and nervous system.
Now we have no vaccine to protect the body from the AIDS virus and no
magic bullet to kill the virus in those who are infected. Neither a cure nor a
vaccine are expected in the near future despite great efforts in these areas.
Smaller advancements are being made, however, in the treatment of opportunistic infections in persons with AIDS and prolonging the lives of AIDS
victims.
Today the best and the only means which we have to use in the fight against
the AIDS virus is education-education about the nature of the di:sea:se, how
it is passed on from one person to another, and how it c;an be prevented. We
could stop or dramatically slow the spread of the AIDS virus by educating
people and by people changing what they do to prevent infection with the
AIDS virus.
HOW THE AIDS VIRUS IS NOT SPREAD
Many other infectious disectses are passed on by casual contact, such as
coughing. sneezing or close contact. Such diseases are hard to prevent simply
through education and prevention. We all know how hard it is to prevent the
spread of a cold or chickenpox.
AIDS, however, is different. After nearly seven years of studying persons
with AIDS, nonsexual family members who have lived with and cared for
AIDS-infec;ted individuals, and health care workers treating AIDS patients,
we have learned much. AIDS i:s not passed from person to person by casual.
:social contact (e.g., sneezing, coughing. hugging, touching. shaking hands,
using swimming pools. sitting next to an infected person, using public toilets,
eating at restaurants, etc.) at work, school or other public; plac;es.
The AIDS virus is not passed to humans by insects. Although we do know
that malaria and yellow fever are passed to humans by mosquitoes, studies
have shown that mosquitoes do not pass the AIDS virus to humans.
In addition, you will not get AIDS from donating blood since new. sterilized
equipment is used each time a person donates blood. Since the spring of 1985,
all donated blood in the United States has been tested for the presence of
antibodies to the AIDS virus. and the donors have been closely screened.
When donated blood shows AIDS antibodies. the blood is thrown out. The
blood in the blood banks today is as safe as our current technology can make
it (Surgeon General's Report) and far safer than it was before the spring of

1985.
16 I LOG I August 1988

What You Need to Know
About Condoms
1. Avoid natural membrane condoms. These are made from
lamb intestines. They have small
holes which let the very small
AIDS virus pass through but
not a sperm which is much
larger.
2. Only latex condoms should be
used. Latex condoms will
greatly reduce the chances of
infection with the AIDS virus.
There is no guarantee, however, that the latex condom will
provide 100 percent protection.
3. Not using a latex condom is
guaranteed to be risky.
4. The more a user knows about
how to use condoms and the
more often a user uses a condom, the more effective the
condom will be at preventing
infection. Failures of condoms
to prevent pregnancy are often
due to the incorrect and inconsistent use of condoms by the
user.
5. Don't make excuses not to use
a condom.
6. Buy American brand latex condoms and take them with you
on the ship. Condoms sold in
the U.S., whether American
made or foreign. must meet
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) standards. Foreign
made condoms sold in foreign
countries otherwise do not have
to meet these high standards.
Some foreign made condoms
have failed the FDA leakage
tests which prevented their sale
in the U.S.
7. Use a latex condom only once.
8. Read the package directions
carefully. Follow the directions
so the condom is used correctly.
9. The purpose of the condom is

to prevent contact with possibly infected semen or vaginal
secretions, therefore, use the
condom from start to finish.
10 • .The condom may break without
some lubrication. For lubrication use only K-Y jelly (waterbased) or contraceptive (spermicidal) cream, jelly, or foam.
11. Don't ever use oil-based jelly
or creams (such as petroleum
jelly, hand lotion, or oil). these
will damage the latex and lead
to condom breakage.
12. Condoms containing the spermicide nonoxynol-9 may provide added protection because
the spermicide kills the AIDS
virus. Condoms can be bought
already containing the spermicide or you can apply the spermicide yourself to the inside tip
and around the outside of the
condom.
13. The vaginal use of a spermicide
containing 5 percent nonoxynol-9 (cream, jelly, or foam)
with a latex condom will provide the greatest protection.
14. Store latex condoms in a cool,
dry place away from sunlight
and heat. Sunlight and heat will
break down the latex and lead
to condom breakage.
15. Latex condoms placed in a hip
pocket should be replaced every month because of the body's heat.
16. Damaged and old condom
packages should not be used.
Check the package for the expiration date. Do not use after
that time.
17. When a latex condom breaks,
the woman should immediately
insert a spermicidal cream, jelly,
or foam containing 5 percent
nonoxynol-9 into the vagina.
18. Latex condoms are also believed to prevent many other
sexually transmitted diseases.

The safety of donated blood in foreign countries, however, varies dramatically. One should not assume that donated blood in a foreign country is tested.
This is an important question to ask before receiving blood in a foreign country.
A second imponant question to ask is, how important is the transfusion of
blood to my recovery? In a life-threatening emergency one may have to risk
receiving potentially infected blood to survive. The financial costs of testing
donated blood for the AIDS antibody are too great for many poor, developing
countries.
HOW THE AIDS VIRUS IS SPREAD
We have learned that the AIDS virus can be passed from one person to
another in three ways: 1) sexual contact between heterosexuals (men and
women) and between homosexual or bisexual men; 2) direct transmission of
infected blood or blood components into the bloodstream through an opening
in the skin or injection with a needle; or 3) infection of the newborns of infected
mothers occurring in pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding.
How to Prevent the Infection with the AIDS Virus
How can AIDS be prevented? 1. Know the facts about AIDS. 2. Stop high

risk activities or stop doing things which increase your chances of getting
infected with the AIDS virus. 3. Continue or begin behavior which lowers
your chances of getting infected with the AIDS virus.
Don't use IV drugs or share needles and syringes since they may be infected
with the AIDS virus. Say .. no" to all mind-altering drugs because they alter
judgment and may lead to activities which increase the chances of getting
(Continued on Page 17.)

�SIU Stewards
on the Matsonia
Onboard Matson Line ships, an historic West Coast company, Seafarers
man the galleys . The Matsonia , recently refurbished and overhauled, was
in Los Angeles Harbor at the end of
June when photographer Dennis Lundy
took these pictures.
~ In the galley are Chief Cook

George White (left) and Assistant Cook Justo V. Lopez.

Billy Sisto is the offi- .....
cers' B.R. on the Matsonia.

Part of the SIU Steward
Department on the Matsonia includes (I. to r.)
Ruben P. Siclot, crew
messman; Justo V. Lopez,
assistant cook; SIU Reps
Jesse Solis and Mark Federici, and Chief Steward
John Wriggins.

(Continued from Page 16.)
infected with the AIDS virus. Seek treatment for your addiction if you can't
say .. no" to drugs or quit. This is an impDrtant sien of addiction and indicates
the need for treatment. Contact your Pon Agent for referral to the Seafarers'
Addiction Rehabilitation Center if you are in need of treatment.
If you are Mt reMy for treatment of your addiction and you use IV drugs ,
don't share needles and syringes. Use only sterilized needles and syringes.
Dispose of needles and syringes carefully out of the reach of children and
where other~ cannot be injured and accidentally infected.
Use caution whM selectirt~ A. plc'lce to &amp;et ears pierced or to get a tattoo .
Go only to a reputable establishment which uses only sterilized equipment.
The reuse cf needles which break the skin present a possible risk of infection
with the AIDS virus.
To prevent infection with the AIDS virus through sexual i;onta~t, individuals
must take greater responsibility for how they act sexually. Abstinence (no sex)
is the only way to be completely protected. A monogamous relationship (one
s~xual oartner) of at lea.st five years or more is ~enernlly considered safe
assuming neither partner has been infected with the virus. both partners have
been and continue to be absolutely faithful, and neither partner uses IV drugs.
Those who decide not to be abstinent and who do not have a long-term
monogamous relationship should look at their sexual practices to lower their
chances of infection with the AIDS virus. The following are recommendations
Which will make sex _.safer: n

1. Be selective about who your sexual partners are.
-Avoid casual se~.
-Take time to get to know potential sexual partners before c;;onsidering a
5eXUill rellltionship (ask them questions about their sexual histories , previous
sexual partners. drug use . AIDS antibody test results etc.) , but remember
that many lies have been told in the bedroom.
-Don't have sex with multiple partners (more than one) since the more
partners you have, the greater your chances are of getting infected with the
AIDS virus. Remember. however. that you may get AIDS from just one
partner and just one sexual experience.
-Avoid sex with persons with AIDS, persons with a positive AIDS antibody
test, IV drug users, persons with several sex partners, persons who engage
in anal sex, or other persons believed to be at high risk for infection with
the AIDS virus, or the sexual partners of any of these persons. You c;;annot

2.

3.
4.

S.

tell if a person is infected with the AIDS virus simply by looking at him or
her.
-Avoid sex with prostitutes in the U.S. and throughout the world. The
AIDS infection rate among prostitutes in the U.S. and the world is very
high , reaching as high as 80-90 percent.
Use latex condoms carefully according to their instructions to prevent
contact with semen and vaginal secretions. Latex condoms are believed to
greatly reduce your chances of getting infected with the AIDS virus when
properly used but may not totally eliminate this risk.
Avoid oral-genital contact .
Avoid practices which injure body tissue, such as anal sex. Anal sex is
risky both with and without a condom.
Ask yourself whether this sexual experience is worth _dying for.

People who believe they are at risk for having been infected with the AIDS
virus should not donate blood , semen or body organs since such a gift may be
infected with the virus and infect another person. People at risk for infection
should recognize that if infected they could unknowingly pass the disease on
to others. Therefore , they need to take precautions (such as using latex
condoms) to protect others from contact with their body fluids (especially
blood, semen, cervical and vaginal secretions, and breastmilk) until they decide
to be tested and know for certain that they are not infected.
Women who believe they are at risk for having been infected with the AIDS
virus and who want to become pregnant should consider having the AIDS
antibody test since an infected mother can pass the virus on to her baby. The
stress of the pregnancy on an infected mother may also cause the mother's
disease to progress more rapidly to AIDS. Women who choose to become
pregnant by artificial insemination should be certain that the donor has been
tested.
Although AIDS is a devastating epidemic, AIDS is a preventable disease.
We do not have a cure or vaccine, but we do know how to keep from getting
infected with the AIDS virus. If we don ' t learn how to keep from getting
infected and change how we act, we may lose the most precious things we
have , our lives and our loved ones.
Anyone who has concerns regarding AIDS is encouraged to contact the
following resources for assistance: State and Local Health Departments across
the U.S.: U.S. Public Health Service AIDS Hotline-800-342-AIDS: National
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Hotline, American Social Health Association-

800-227-8922.
August 1988 I LOG I

11

�Marines Invade
Pacific Northwest
With the assistance of a Maritime
Prepositioning Ship, the Pacific Northwest served as a mock invasion site
in mid-June during a major exercise
testing rapid deployment of Marines
and their equipment.
The MV Pfc . Dewayne T. Williams ,
filled with more than 600 tanks , trucks ,
artillery pieces and other equipment,
sailed into Puget Sound June 16 for
her role in "Freedom Banner 88 ," an
exercise that involved 1,000 Marines
and 300 Navy cargo handlers from
Southern California. The objective of
the exercise was to test the ability to
offload cargo from an anchored ship
and deliver it to the units ashore for
use in combat operations. Supplementing the sealift load were C-14 lB
and C-5 cargo planes bringing in most
of the troops to McChord Air Force
Base and Whidbey Island Naval Air
Station, airfields in the vicinity of the
military reservation near the Indian
Island Navy Depot where the Williams
was anchored 700 yards offshore.
·The ship· s role in the exercise was

The SIU-crewed Pfc Dewayne T. Williams participates in "Freedom Banner 88" exercises in the Pacific Northwest.

very successful," said marine cargo
specialist Charles McCoy of MSCO
Seattle. "There were few problems
with the offload. The Marines got their
cargo as planned."
Because the Williams is a commercial ship, it is subject to agricultural
inspections like any private vessel entering the United States from over·

Purses .ED1ptied, Hearts Filled
In the Philippines, there's the official U.S. embassy in Manila where
the American ambassador lives . And
then there's Subic Blly Ltbout 50 miles
northwest of Manila where many
American ambassadors of goodwill reside. Composed of mOlny ~ivil ~ervice
mariners , one former M SCPAC mas·
ttr and hjs wife , the ambassadors in
the latter category recently got together to strengthen the friendship
between Americans and Filipinos by
donating money and materials to build
a day care center for the children of
local fishermen.
Over a three-month period beginning late last year. a 30-foot by 40foot buildini: was constructed to house

about 120 children a day while their
parents fished for a living in the South
China Sea. The completion of the
Matain Fisherman· s Association Child
Day Care Center marked the first time
in the history of Zambales Province
that a building had been donated for
community development.
The driving forces behind the building were Josh Johnston and his wife
Nellie. Johnston, a former MSCPAC
master who's now a harbor pilot in
Subic Bay , enlisted the aid of his
former shipmates aboard several MSC
vessels operating out of the Subic Bay
area to make the project a reality.
Money to purchase i;onstruction ma·
terials, along with items no longer

A Filipino crowd Qbserves the opening of a child day care center near Subic Bay.

18 I LOG I August i 988

1

seas. But through the efforts of McCoy,
the Williams was able to have its
agricultural inspection in Guam where
the ship is normally part of MPS
Squadron Three, thus avoiding a delay
in an exercise that had been planned
months before.
"Freedom Banner 88" was directed
by Rear Adm. Francis P. Donovan.

commander of Navy Amphibious
Group Three in San Diego. The Marines involved in the exercise were
part of the 7th Marine Expeditionary
Brigade, headquartered in Twentynine
Palms. Calif. The brigade already has
equipment and supplies aboard Maritime Prepositioning Ships at Diego
Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

useful aboard such ships as the USNS
Spica, Kilauea, Ponchatoula, Passumpsic. Hassayampa, Misoillion,
Navasota, Sioux and Catawba, were
collected and donated to the fishermen's association. Skilled and unskilJed laborers , working under the
supervision and coordination of Nellie
Johnston, built the day care center.
During the 90-day construction period,
fishing boats donated part of their
catch and the sale of fish to help buy
rice and vegetables to feed the workers
and their families.
''Life in the fishing village is grim,
to say the least," says Johnston, a
retired Naval officer. ''The people live
in squatter shacks that most Americans wouldn't use as a tool shed. Their
life is one of day-to-day existence
without the amenities we take for
granted."
Donations of money to buy food,
along with fish from the association,
continue to help feed the children at
the day care center who range in age
from 3 to 7 years old.
Last Christmas, through additional
donations of cash and foodstuffs from
MSCPAC ships in port at Subic Bay,
more than I ,000 packages containing
rice, oranges and apples, assorted nuts,
milk, potato chips and hard candy
were distributed to families in the
fishing village. Under Mrs. Johnston's
help and guidance. women from the
village worked all day to put the food
packages together. Other community
projects coordinated through COMSCSEA last year with the cooperation
of MSCPAC ship crews included the

painting of three schools, the restoration of two churches, and the installation of lights for two basketball
courts.
"'We realize we can't take the weight
of the world's problems on our shoulders ," says Johnston, speaking on
behalf of his former shipmates and
other Navy units in the Subic Bay
area, "but we try to do what we can.• •

MSCPAC
News Briefs .

• •

. . . Capt. Peter Roder, who served
as acting chief staff officer for MSCPAC
from January until May when he was
relieved by Capt. James Breece, retired
from the Navy June 16 after 30 years
with the service. In a low key retirement ceremony held at MSCPAC
headquarters in Oakland, Capt. Roder
admitted he knew little about the command when he went to work for
MSCPAC earlier this year. But Roder,
the former commanding officer of Naval Station Treasure Island in San
Francisco, was a quick learner. By
the time he left in June, he said he
was impressed with the civilian mariners and the shore staff he worked
closely with the past few months. A
native of Michigan who graduated from
the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958,
Capt. Roder and his family intend to
return to their permanent home in
Virginia.
(Continued on Page 19.)

�(Continued from Page 18.)
. . . MSCPAC mariners Loren E.
Massey and Harry Kaspszak were each
given LLMSC Mariner Award of Excellence .. citations and $2,000 checks
recently for their outstanding service
to the command. Massey, a chief engineer aboard the USNS Mizar, was
given the award for his work aboard
the scientific ship that has brought her
up to a level that makes the ship meet
her mission requirements with her own
propulsion plant, as well as specialized
sponsor equipment. Massey, an 11year employee of the command, has
been described as a ''mission-ori;nted
person who can't be satisfied with a
mediocre situation.'' Kaspszak, a refrigeration engineer aboard the USN S
Zeus, has demonstrated sustained superior proficiency in his job the past
three years. Kaspszak has been labeled ''reliable, safety-conscious, loyal,
and imaginative" by his chief engineer, J. Curtin, who nominated Kaspszak for the award. Noted Curtin, "In
my 18 years of sailing as an engineer
for MSCPAC, I've never seen a better
refrigeration engineer and very few
unlicensed engine department personnel who can compare with Kaspszak's
performance.''
... The USS Kirk was impressed
by her recent underway replenishments with the USNS Kilauea in the
Wes tern Pacific. In a brief message
June 12, the Kirk said it appreciated
the outstanding logistic support rendered by the ilauea. " Both CONREPS
e one UNREP scheduled
your ship were smanly and
professionally e x ecutcd 1 11 said the de·
stroy~r. '' Kirk looks forward to our
next time alongside the Pacific Fleet's
finest AE.''
. . . The USNS Pas.sump.sic became
the first MSCPAC ship in almost five
yc-.t to undergo an INSURV underwny mnt ·al inspection when she
hosted an IN U V inspection team
in June . The fled oiler's overall per•
formance during the INSURV WM
1
~onsidered excellent. 'The master, of-

ficers and crew of the Passumpsic are
commended for their performance
during the INSURV inspection," said
COMSCSEA's June 17 message to
MSCPAC. "The energetic efforts of
the ship are recognized and most noteworthy. The Passumpsic has set a fast
pace for the rest of our ships to match.''
Preparations for the inspection made
by LCDR J. Holland, Dale Krabbenschmidt, Jack Reich, Christine
Zarate and Gene Welch of MSCPAC,
along with MSCSEA's D. Shibuya,
were also commended in the message.
... The MV Cape Ducato, broken
out of the Ready Reserve Force last
February to participate in Team Spirit
88, returned to San Pedro in late May
and was turned back over to the Maritime Administration. Two FSS ships
that also participated in Team Spirit
88-USNS Regulus and Bellatrixmade stops at Tacoma and San Pedro
in May before returning to Mobile.
. . . YN2 Carol Martinez of MSCO
Honolulu used the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor as the site for
her four-year reenlistment in the Navy
recently. Martinez, an MSCPAC Sailor
of the Quarter last year, received a
flag that flew over the memorial.
. . . The commanding officer of
MSCO Alaska, Lt. Cdr. K. B. Chamberlain, along with operations officer
Ron Kahlenbeck, attended a U.S. Coast
Guard pollution response drill in Anchorage recently. A Soviet contingent
was also present for the simulated oil
spill drill.
... In early 1une 7 Oakland held its

13th annual awards ceremony honoring volunteers who work in the local
community. MSCPAC s Sandra Jo n§on was cited as a volunteer Oakland
Association Recreation Employee
Service Director.
... Former MSCP AC Port Steward
Raphael A. Silva, 63 ~ who retired from
the command earlier this year with 45
years of federal service, died June 19

after suffering a heart attack. Silva

and his wife were in Los Angeles on
Father's Day to see their son Chris
ordained as a minister. On the drive
back to the Bay Area, Silva died near
Patterson, Calif. A World War II veteran of the Navy who went on to stay
in the service 20 years, he joined
MSTSPAC in 1963 as a cook. A few
years later he was promoted to steward-baker and then chief steward. Silva
came ashore in 1984 when he was

named MSCPAC port steward. A big,
burly man with a booming voice, Silva
frequently bragged about his son to
his shipmates-and for good reason.
As a member of the UCLA swim team,
Chris Silva held an NCAA record at
one time and nearly made the 1984 U.
S. Olympic team. Over 30 former shipmates and co-workers of Silva attended his funeral and burial June 24
near San Francisco.

Pulver, Tellez Win N.J. AFL-CIO Posts
Edward B. Pulver, a member of the
SIU since 1958, was re-elected by
acclamation to a four-year term as
secretary-treasurer of the New 1ersey

term of a departing member. He was
re-elected secretary-treasurer in his
own right in 1980, 1984 and again this
year.

State AFL-CIO. Augustin Tellez was

Currently a regional director of the

also elected to the Executive Board.
Delegates to the 21st Constitutional
Convention, held April 11, also reelected State AFL-CIO President
Charles H. Marciante to serve his sixth
full term as president.
They were joined by a 46-member

International AFL-CIO, Pulver served
as the area COPE director prior to his
election as secretary-treasurer. He also
serves on the Governor's Commission
for Private Industry Committees in
New Jersey and was recently appointed to the new state commission

slate of candidates selected by the

on employment and training. In addi-

federation's nominating committee and

tion, Brother Pulver serves as presi-

elected without opposition to serve on

dent of the Hudson County Central
Labor Council and is a member of the

the State AFL-CIO's Executive Board.
Pulver was appointed by the Executive Board in 1977 to fill the unexpired

national Executive Board of the Latin
American Council on Labor Affairs.

M•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••····················

SEAFARERS
TRAINING &amp; RECREATION CENTER
Reservation Information
Name'.

~~~~--~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

S.S. It

-------------------------BOOk# ________~

Address~------------------------------~~~~~~~

Telephone II
Number in Party
Date ot Arrival: i st Choice

Your Holida.'Y at the SHLSS Vacation Center:

What It Will Cost
The costs for room and board at the SHLSS Vacation Center have
been set at the minimum to make it possible for all SIU members and
their families to enjoy a holiday in Southern Maryland at your home
away from home.

ROOM RATES:

Member
Spouse
Children

$30.00 per day
$5.00 per day
$5.00 per day

MEALS:

Member
Spouse
Children

$8. 50 per day
$4.00 per day
$4.00 per day

2nd Choice
3rd Choice
(Stay is limited to 2 weeks)

Date of Departure
Send to;
Seafarer5 Training &amp; Recreation Center
Piney Point, Md. 20674
(Phone: 301-994-0010)

NOTE: No lodging or meal charge for children under age 12.
So that as many of our members as possible can enjoy a holiday at
SHLSS Vacation Center, the stay is limited to two weeks.

................................................................................
August 1988ILOGI19

�CL
L

NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Prioritv

Directory of Ports

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

JULY 1-31, 1988

"'TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac . ... . .... . . . .......

0

11

7

0

4

4

0

5

3

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac .. ............ .....

Port
Algonac ... . . ...... . .......

13

0

Jack Caney, Vice President

DECK DEPARTMENT
19
0
38
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
13
0
8
STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
5
9
ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

Port
Algonac .. ... . . ... ... . .. . ..

18

Michael Sacco, President
Joseph Sacco, Executive Vice President
Angus "Red" Campbell, Vice President
Joe DIGlorglo, Secretary

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP
0

4

0

2

0

3

Thomas Glidewell, Vice President
George McCartney, Vice President
John Fay, Vice President
Roy A. Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President

2

0

HEADQUARTERS
0

Totals All Depanments ........
0
0
32
33
56
36
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 .

7

7

16

10

•

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

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
JULY 1-31, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED

TOTAL SHIPPED

All Groups

All Groups

Class A

Class B

Class C

Class A

48

8
3
6
14
8

5

43

Port

Class C

DULUTH, Minn.

**REGISTERED ON BEACH

All Groups

Reliefs

Class A

Class B

94
4

13
4
5
7
6
9

Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

New York ..... . .. . .. . ..
Philadelphia ...... . ... . ..
Baltimore .. . ........ . ..
Norfolk . . ..... ..... ... .
Mobile . .. .. .... . . .. ...
New Orleans .. ...... . ...
Jacksonville .. . ..........
San Francisco .... . . . .....
Wilmington ........... . .
Seattle . ..... ... .......
Puerto Rico .............

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

2
11
18
13

34

21
31
18
41

23

Honolulu .... .. ..... . . .. .
Houston . , .. .... . .. .

7
31

Piney Point . • ........ ... .
Toh1l1 . ... .. ...... . ... ,

0
6
J02

St. Lou i ~ ............... .

Port
New York .. . .. . .. . ..... .

Pn11aoe1pn1a ............. .

Baltimore ..... . . ... , , , , ,
NOrfOll&lt; . .. ... .. ........ .
MOtllle ... . . , , , .... , , , ..
New Qrlg;ms
..... . .
Jacksonville ..... . , , .. ... .
San ~rancisco ........... . .

Wilmington .. , .... ...... .

Seattle ... .. .... . . . .... .
filuerto Rico ........ ... .. .

Hon{llUIU ' ' ' ' ' . ' . ' ' ' ... .

Houston .......... .

St. LOUIS ••••••• .....

Pin@y Point . .. ..... . . . .. ,

Totals . ........ ..... .

24

2

6

8

7
14

15
20

6

28

5
5
29
1

2
2
9
1

8
2
8
1

5
7
8

11

6
1
5
7
1

9
A4

2
3
2
0
9

1

3

5

0

4
0
9
4
1
4

15
6

242

80

55

73

21
0

7

2

11

0
3

7

17

7
19
13
i3
5

3

is

1

173

45

az

17

0
0

14

3

7
0
l

6
9

0

0

0
0
1
1
3
1
1
0

3

4

0
2
4
2

2
144

6

5

6

4
2
0
3

2

7

7

22

18

6
2

12
5
34
,
5

0

,

8

16
4

25

2

4

24

17
16

3
3

6

13
0
0

5

5

11

1
5

0
4
4
2
4
61
2
1
0

3

0
0
5
3

7

10
1
2
6
1
5
8
4

6
3

s

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
4
0
1
0
1
0
B
1
1
0
2
4

2
2

2
4

1
6
4
0
6

44

9
2

,
0

2
0

3
1

0
2

2
9
1

4
4

3

7
3
7
2
0
0
38

0

g

2
0
3
28

17

23

16
70
57
49
30

66
29
9

45

0
1
506

54
6

6

11
10
31
43
30
14
39

2
0

9
9

1

0
7
7
0
3

3
0
3
3
1
1

11

4

Pn11aae1cn1a .••.. ... . .

Baltimore ..... . .... ... , ,

NOrfOll&lt; • , • , •• , , ........ .

0

0

Mobile ... . ... . ....... . .
Ntw Orleans ...... .. , .. . .

15

Wilmington ............. .

,,
,

5
9

3

16
1

13
0

s

0
3

Jacksonville • , . , . .. .. .
San fomci3co ............ ,

Seattle . ...... . .... . .. , ,
Puerto Rico ........ . .
Honolulu . ...... .. , , , , , , ,
Hou~ton ...... . ........ .

St. Louis ........ .. . .. .. .
Piney Point ... . ...... , , , ,
1a1a111 .... ......... .

13

39

23

15
0
4

Fr~nclsco .

............

WilmingtM .. . ... , , , , , , , ,
Seanle ............... . .

1
0
0

0
0
0

5

3

0

35

11

2

2

15
18

2
5
10

0

13

0

1
2
6

5
3

12
5
30
5
18

St. LOUIS . .. , , .... ...... .

3
5
0

Piney Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1

113

1
6
5
13

1a

9
12
5
55
5

5
1
139

0
4

0
5

5

2

0
14
0
5
24

13

1
9
3
16
11

0
18
0

1
1

0

n

2

2
6

1

3
57

17

1

2

1

25

Honolulu .............. . .

Totals All Depa11men1a .... , .

4
11
4

55

s

Totals . .. ...... .. . ... . .

0

0

155

Puerto Rioo .... . .. , , , , , , ,
Houston ............. . . ,

4
3
0

0

0

4
118

Port
New York .............•.
Phila&lt;lelohia . ..... ...... . .
BJltimore .............. .
Norfolk ............... , ,
Motllle . .. . . . .. .. .. ... .
New OrleJns .
. ... .
Jacksonville . . ... , , . , . , , , .

2

9

1

0

1

4
2
9
1

ENTRY oePAATMENT
11
6

2

0

5

0

9
3
9
7

19
7
12

7
12
7

4

6

4

65

8

2

0
1

2
8

147

230

85

155

341

348

589

336

3
3
6

4
11
1
2
1
178
1
0
2

705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434

0
3
1
8
2
17

HOUSTON, Tex.
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
3315 Liberty St. 32206
(904) 353-0987

93

45

JERSEY CITY, N.J.
99 Montgomery St. 07302

9
2
0
6

2
1

(201) 435-9424

7
8

1
2
2

6

g
6
4

1

2

MOBILE, Ala.
1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605
(205) 478-0916

3

NEW BEDFORD, Mass.
so Union St. 02740
(617) 997-5404

a10

5
77

0
2
30

NEW ORLEA S, La.
630 Jackson Ave. 70130
(504) 529-7546

6
0
1

39

5

3

2
0

7
14

1

29

6
3
8
0

76
17
35
5

2

6
27
1

3

12

0

7

10
4

43

0

4

1

8

0

0
5
1

SUWARD D~PARTMENT

l'ort
N@w York ......... . .... .

San

Class B

Trip

5443 Ridge Rd. 44129
(216) 845-1100

2

88

0

1
119

0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

1

5

25

4

0
4
0
2

0
0
2

0

4

5

4

5
3

9
12

4
0
17
2
0
6

3

0
0
2

39
5

33
3

6

5
5

12
3
1
10

5

5

12

29

13
36

7

18
11

15

10

33

17

5

1
132
5
0

7
77
12

218

0

15
7
10
0
1

ll

229

217

267

325

230

1,336

456

381

0
7

115 Third St. 23510
(804) 622-1892

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.
2604 S. 4 St. 19148
(215) 336-3818

0

39

30
7
53

NORFOLK, Va.

15

&amp;g

5

675 4 Ave., Brooklyn 11232
(718) 499-6600

2

291

2

NEW YORK, N.V.

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) 441-1960

4

•"Total Registered " means the number of men who actually reg istered 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.

ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500

WILMINGTON, Calif.
Shipping in the month of July was down from the month of June. A total of 1,480 jobs were shipped on
SIU·contraeted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,480 jobs shipped, 589 jobs or about 40 percent were taken by "A"
seniority members. The rest were filled by 8" and "C" seniority people. A total of 230 trip relief jobs were
shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 8,088 jobs have been shipped.
11

20 I LOG I August 1988

510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�Final Departures-Deep Sea
•••

Edwin Alston
Died July 5, 1988

John Cole, 79

Jerry Phipps

Bellevue, Wash.

Slidell, La.

Raymond Anders()n,

Died April 15, 1988
Joined Union 1937

Died June 11, 1988
Joined Union 1969
Roy Pritchett, 75

55
Sumterville, Fla.
Died May 23, 1988
Joined Union 1970

Sing Dea, 66
San Francisco, Calif.
Died May 30, 1988
Joined Union 1955

Mobile, Ala.
Died June 21, 1988
Joined Union I964

Schueter

Heimila

William Schueter, 66
Orchard Park, N.Y.
Died June 21, 1988

Erik Heimila, 73
Ronkonkoma, N. Y.
Died June 25, 1988
Joined Union 1968
Johnny Johnson, 69
San Francisco, Calif.
Died May 31, 1988
Joined Union 1942

Fegan
Balderston

James Balderston, 95
Burlingame, Calif.
Joined Union 1946

Daniel Fegan, 70
Sparks, Nev.
Died June 21, 1988
Joined Union 1956

Early Joyner, 79
Woodside, Del.
Died July 9, 1988
Joined Union 1955

Harry Bammarito, 66
Glouchester, Mass.
Died December 12,
1987
Joined Union 1980

Virginia Burley Strite
Died April 28, 1988

San Francisco, Calif.
Died April 28, 1988
Joined Union 1956

San Francisco, Calif.
Died May 2, 1988
Joined Union 1951

Fleming

George Fleming, 78
Springhill. FJa.

\Villiain Lewis, 73

Hot Springs, Ark.

Died June 6, 1988

Died June 10, 1988
Joined Union 1958

Joined Union 1940

Pedro Flores, 79

McDonal~

Newport News , Va.

Herbert

Died June 9, 1988
Joined Union 1947

70
San Francisco, Calif.
Died June 9, 1988
Joined Union 1973

Rome Flowers, 84
Los Angeles, Calif.
Died May 16, 1988
Joined Union 19.51
Bu~klOY

mbeth G.-eenberg

Evelino Zugna, 71
Trieste, Italy
Joined Union 1946

Milton Thrash, 63
Lockesburg, Ark.
Died April 16, 1988
Joined Union 1965
Quartararo

Joseph Quartararo,
72
Stroudsburg, Pa.
Died June 26, 1988
Joined Union 1957

Howard Ross, 63
Bald Knob. Ark.
Died July 2, 1988
Joined Union 1960

Auldeon Sharp

Hilario Misay

Died May 27, 1988

Died February 23,

Jack Shishido, 71

1988

Alameda, Calif.

1

Princess Ann, Md.
Died December 5,
1987
Joined Union 1961

Thrash

Harry Leng, 74

Loreto Bello, 77

George Waller, 73

San Francisco, Calif.
Died May 11, 1988
Joined Union 1946

Antonio Pubill, 65

Sweden
Died December 6,
1987
Joined Union 1957

Seattle, Wash.
Died May 13, 1988
Joined Union 1951

Wallen

George Wiley, 65
Pu bill

Curt Larson, 82
V astra Frolunda,

Gordon Barnard, 76

San Francisco, C
Died May
8
Joi
nion 1946

~'A'!'

William VanArkel,

86
Rotterdam, Holland
Died May 3, 1987
Joined Union 1940

Jack E. Sweeny

San Francisco
Gustavo Vides
New Orleans

Pazely VanMillican,
71

Tampa, Fla.
Died June 4, 1988

Houston R. White
Jacksonville

Joined Union 1943

Stanley Zebrowski
Philadelphia

Hubert Whaley, 67

INLAND
Cecil R. Evans
Jacksonville

John Buckley, 65
New Orlean~ 1 La.
Died June l4, 1988

34

Richard Miyahira, 75

Died May 14, 1988

Annapolis, Md.
Died July 5, 1988

Honolulu, Hawaii
Died-April 16, 1988

Joined Union 1950
Charles Shirah

Died April 29, 1988

Joined Union 1944

Joined Union 1988

Joined Union 1939

Died June 10, 1988

Joined Union 1942

Los Angeles, Calif.

Sidney Faucett

Pensioners

Arthur J. McGinnis
New Orleans
William L. Osborne
Jacksonville

DEEPSEA
Thomas L. Arnutrl)ng
Jacksonville

Esper Perdi
New Orleans
James A. Hollen
Houston

Michael G. Kovenz
Seattle

Eusebio Rodriguez
Santurce

Mack Carruthers

Enrique R. Gonzalez
Houston

Leon R. Curry
New York

Guillermo Grajales
Santurce

Robert J. Henninger
Baltimore
Joseph W. Istre
New Orleans
James M. Meekins
Norfolk

Stanley J. Paul

Anthony Goncalves
Nodolk

Florian R. Clarke
Baltimore

Adell Gauthier
Mobile

Norman B. Nelson
Algonac

Seattle

James Botana
Jacksonville

Philadelphia

Norfolk
James F. Shannon
New York
Charles W. Shores
Philadelphia

Donavan J. Hughes
San Francisco

Vincent McCloskey

Peter A. Siems

San Francisco

Jacksonville

John C. Ward

Baltimore
August 1988 I LOG I 21

-

�Ship of Fools
''Oh sailors, sailors,
why do you sail the ocean blue?''
"We sail in search of afar away
land,
though a barstool and bed would
do.
We turn to long days,
and stand watch all night,
with stars in the heavens burning
so bright
(we quietly pray for a guiding
light).
The Lord takes care of sailors
and fools
..
who work those ships like two/egged mules,
and who don't know when
those mighty storms will fall upon
them.
Some on the ship will cry infear,
and others will laugh though
death is near,
knowing sailors and ships consigned to the
deep
will have Davey Jones there to
lull them to
sleep!"

Leonard Ching receives his
first pension check from
Honolulu Port Agent Tom
Fay (left). Ching sailed
with the old Matson ships
in the steward department.

Charles "Sonny" Herrera
GED Student, SHLSS.

Personal
William Seiderhoff
Alexander Brooseuk (left) is handed his first retirement
check by Wilmington Port Aeent Don Anderson. Brosseuk,
who liYcJ in Long Beach, Calif,, sailed as QMED.

William Brack (left) is handed his first pension check by
New York Port Agent Kcrmett T, Mangram.

Please contact Margie Hastings, 7001
96th Ave., Seabrook, Md. (301) 5779430, regarding a reunion of the Class
of 1943.

KNOW YOUR RIG

s

'.

-

~ KNOW~. YOUR

RIGHTS
\

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBL
TIONS. Copie" of the SIU constitution are availahle in
all Union hall~. All mcmher~ should ohtain copies f this

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The constitution of the SIU
Atluntic, Gulf. Lake~ and Inland Waters District makes
specific provi~ion for ~afeguarding the membership's
money :md Union finances . The constitution requires a
&lt;SetuilelJ uuc.tit h Ceninnl Puhlic Accountants every three
rnontns. wnich ure to be whmiued to the membership by
the Sccrctary-Trcasurer. A quarterly finance committee
of rnnk and file members. elected by the memhcnhip.
nnlcn cu.mim:ition each quarter of tne finances o( the
l.Jnion :ind reportl\ lully their findings and recommen&lt;.lattons. Member(, of this committee may make dissenting
rcporb, 81.'C&lt;:ific recommend~tion!&gt; :o1ml separate findings.
TRUST FUNDS. All tru!;t funds of the SlU Atlantic.
Gulf, Lakes :.rnJ Inland Watfrs Disrricc are aumini~tered
tn accoru~nce with the provi"ions of variom trust fund
agreements. All the8C ugr~~nwnt!&gt; ~pee if y th&lt;:t.t the trustees
in chur~c of these funds shall equ~lly com:ist of Union
:rnJ management representatives und tneir alternate!&gt;. All
t;&gt;xpemJitures an&lt;l &lt;lishuncmcnb of trust funds are made
only upon approv::il hy :i majority of the trustees. All trust
HmtJ fimmcbl recor&lt;lx lire: i1Vilih1blc llt the headquarters of
the various m.1st funds.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively hy the contracts between the
Union ::ind the employcr5. Let to know your shipping
rights. Copies of these contract:\ ilre posted and available
in 411 Union halls . If you feel th~r\' has been any violation
Of YOUr &amp;hipping Or ~cniority righb as contained in the
contracts netw11en the Union ~m&lt;l the employers. notify
the Scutarers Appeals Bmml tly certified nuiL return receipt requested. The proper address for this is:
Angw "Red" Campbell
Chairman, Seiafaren Ap~ Board
!lOI AUlb Way imd Brilllnniia Wlly

Prince Georaes County
Camp Springs, Md. l0746
Full copies of contracts as referred to are available to
ybu at o.11 times, ~ilher \ly writing directly to the Union
or to the Seafarers Apprnls Board.

CONTRACTS. Copies of all SIU contracts are available in all SIU htills. These contracts specify the wage:s
and conditions under which vou work and live aboard
your i;hip or bo:At. Rnow you; contract rights. as well as
your ohligaticns. such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper milnner. If. at any time, any SIU

22 I LOG I August 1988

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
constitution so a~ to familiarize themselves with its contents . Any time you feel any memher or officer is attempting to ueprive you of any comt1tut1onal right or ohligation
by any methods such :t '- dealing with churgcs. trials. etc ..
u'.i well us all o ther uetail!., then the memhcr '!O uffected
shoul&lt;l immediately notit"y headquarter'- .

EQUAL RIGHTS. All memoers are guaranteed equal
rights in employment an&lt;l as memhers of the SIU. The~e
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts v..hich the Union has ncgotiutcd with the
employers . Consequently, no men1her may he Ji&lt;;enmi nateu against hecam.c of ruce. creed. color. sex and national or gcogrnphic origin. If any mcmher feels that he i&lt;;
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquurters.
11111111u1111t111111nll111111lll1111111ll1111111H1111111111111111111111111n1111111111111111111111111111111
patrolman or other Union offi~ial, in your opinion, f:ails
to protect your contruct rights properly, contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY -THE LOG. The Log has
trnditionully refr~ine~ from puhlis.hing any article serving
the political purposes or any individual in the Union.
officer or mernher. It has al'\o refrained from publishing
articles deemed hurmful to the Union or its collective
membership . This cstublished policy hus been reaffirmed
by memhcrship action at the Scptemhcr. I 9fi0. meetings
in ull constitutional ports . The responsihility for Log
policy is vested in an cuitoriul hoaru which consists of
the Executive Boan.I of the Union. The Executive Board
may uelegate, from among its ranb. one individuul to
carry out this rc8ponsitiility.

PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to he paid
to anyone in ;.m~ official capacity in the SIU unless an

official Union receipt is gi en for same. Under no circumstances should any memher puy any money for any re~1son
unlcs5 he is given such receipt. In the event anyone
attempts to require any such payment tie made without
supplying a receipt. or if a mcmher 1'.i required to m~fkc a
payment anu is given an otlicial receipt. but feels that he
should not have hcen rcquircu to make such payment. this
shoulu immeJiately he reportcJ to union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its ohjects and purposes including. but not limited to, furthering the political. social and
economic interests of maritime worker~. the preservation
and furthering of the American Merchant Marine with
improved employment opportunities for seamen and
hoatmcn and the advancement of trade union concepts.
In connection with such ohjects. SPAD supports and
contrihutes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions ure voluntary. No contrihution may be
solicited or received hccuuse of force. joh discrimination.
financial reprisal. or threut of such conduct, or as a condition of membership in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made hy reason of the ahove improper
conduct. notify the Seafarers Union or SPAD hy certifie&lt;l
mail within 30 Jays of the contribution for investigation
and appropriate action and refund. if involuntury. Support SPAD to protect and further your economic. political and ~ocial interests. and American trnde union
concepts.
It at any time a member feels that any of the above rights have
been violated, or that he has bttn denied bis constitutional right of
acces.s to Union records or information, he should inunaliately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquar1ers by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The add~ iS 5201 Auth way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

�'And a Special Thanks to the Steward Dept.... '
June 30, 1988
The Crew of the USNS INDOMITABLJ!J ('ragas 7)
Se/darers hlte.rnat1anal Union
BBOB Jl'1rst Ave.
Seattle, 'Wash.9BlBl

From:
':Po:

Ch1e:t Cook, James B. Willey S4B 4B 4839

Subj:

SIU member s1n.ce 1970 Inland

'~"

If you have any more 18-year tug boat veterans like Jim, get them
out here on the deep sea ships. They are a welcome change from the
"can opener and fresh frozen" cooks that have been finding their way
into the galley.

The Crew
S.H. Shields
Ship's Chairman

book

#WB443

Gentlemen:
We are writing in regards to Chief Cook James E. Willey who has
been aboard our ship for the past 60-day voyage. He has recently
shipped-out of the Seattle hall as a DEEP SEA "C" group steward
department member.
Mr. Willey is the most talented chef With whom we have ever sailed.
We have found, as the trips are long and without port calls, that well
prepared meals are the high points of otherwise repetitive and routine
days. His inventive menus consist of homemade soups: vegetable,
chicken, cream of celery, cream of potato, oyster and fish chowder
(New England or Southern style). All his main entree vegetables,
whether canned or fresh, are enhanced with other ingredients to
produce an appealing flavor. His deep fried foods are always cooked in
clean oil with a batter which produces that golden brown appearance.
(Favorites being his special recipes for fish cakes, or banana fritters).
Another favorite is his home made cakes, pies and Sunday morning
baked specialities.
The only complaints we have (crews always have complaints) is
that everyone is getting too fat; maybe the finest compliment a cook
can receive.

Chief Cook James E. Willey (third from left) is an 18-year Inland veteran who
recently shipped as C-card aboard the T-AGOS Indomitable. His culinary skills
wowed the crew, and they sent the accompanying letter. He is pictured above
with the captain, chief mate and Sea Mobility Inc. representative.

Scouts Get Chance to
'Talk Union' at MTD

'A Personal Thanks

• • •

'

I w1sll. to tak.., thi~ time to pemonally thank you for the aid given me
for my brother TraviB F. DMn during rus stay 1n Hlllllaven
ConvaJaaoant ana. Nurslllg Home in Mobile. Without your help , I could
not nave a.rtorclecl 1t.
Thanks again, ancl ma.y &lt;lod bless and ca.re for you.

st.neerely,
Beulah Dean Brooks
Mobile, Ala.

'SIU Forward, Always .•. '

Seventeen young Scouts, both boys and girls, recently completed a two-week stay at the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship. The program is sponsored by the
Maritime Trades Department and the SIU. It is designed as a "learning" vacation. The
all-expenses paid trip aives the Scouts a taste of the seafaring life, labor history, the union
movement and chance to see the sights of the nation's capital. Above, SIU President Mike
Sacco speaks to the Scouts about the SIU. Below, Robert Harbrant, president of the Food
and Allied Service Trades Department, meets with the Scouts.

I Wlsll to tha.llk the Seafarers Pension Plan and iM lea.derarup for
sending me my pension check on time every month. Wltnout lt, my
wife and I wouldn't be having the quality of llfe that we are enjoying

now.
I also would like to thank the Seafarers Welfare Plan for paying all
of my medical billa tha.t Merucare a.oesn't pay. We clo not know what
kind of llfe we woUla nave Without the help of the SID.
We nave oome a long way since I became a member bMk 1n February
1944. I was always proud to have been a. member of a flne UIUon such
as the Seafarers.
When my wife and I gc to the pons to vote on November 8, we will
keep 1n mllld aJl of the U.S. Publlo Health hospitals and clinics that the
Rea.gan ad!runistratlon has closed down, denying us our health care
that was rightfully ours !or many, many years.
We W1ll vote for the party that will go to bat for the naionaJ

maritime industry- and labor.
Wiahing an pensioners and active members a good life. SIU forward,
always.
Sincerely,
Johll. N. Ch1orra C-41 o

Dougiassvtne, Pa.
August 1988 I LOG I 23

�Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO

Washington Report
Democrats united behind a Dukakis-Bentsen
ticket at an electric four-day convention which
highlighted the themes that the party intends
to use in this year's presidential campaign.
Stressing his commitment to public service
and ethical standards in government, Mass.
Gov. Michael Dukakis castigated the Reagan
administration's record on drug abuse and
foreign policy. He promised to focus his energies onjob creation, family care and economic
growth if he is elected president in November.
One of the highlights of the convention was
the speech delivered by civil rights leader Jesse
Jackson who urged Democrats to find "common ground." Saying that we are all "patches
in a quilt," Jackson promised to campaign on
behalf of the ticket.
Aside from three relatively minor skirmishes
over the platform, there were few controversies. While they maintained a relatively lowkey profile, unions affiliated with the AFLCIO sent a record number of delegates.
The Democrats left the convention convinced they had projected a winning image.
Both the polls and political commentators
tended to bear this out.
''This is a party hungry for victory,'' said
Tom Brokaw of NBC News. Polls had Gov.
Dukakis and Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas)
running 18 points ahead of Vice President
Geor.ee Bush.

Dukakis
Touring Sea-Lanct•s massive container facilities in Tacoma, Wash., Dukaki:s accused
the administration of squandering huge amounts
of money in Pentagon scandal~ at a time when
military commanders in Eurooe can't get
equipment because the government has failed
to maintain adt:quate sea-lift capability .
Dukakis made a dramatic entrance. He rode
a tug to a waterfront rally where he was 2reeted
by interested members of the maritime community as well as Indian leaders who wanted
to hear his views on matters dealing with their
tribal claims.
Dukakij al:so used the occasion to reiterate
his SUJ'tmrt of a plant closing bill, which had
passed bQth the House and Senate by vetoproof margins after it had been introduced
separately from the trade bill.
Commenting on that issue, the AFL-CID
News said that Hefection-jittery Republicans
[are appealing] to President Reagan to let the
plant closing notification bi11 become law.••

Democrats and Maritime

-

Dukakis will release a detalled maritime
position paper soon, according to reports from
his &lt;;amp.
He has met with Sen. John Breaux (D-La.),
chairman of the Senate Merchant Marine Subcommittee. The party platform adopted at the
Atlanta convention did not deal with specifics
on maritime.
Earlier in the campaign, Dukakis said he
was disturbed by the decline in the U.S.
merchant marine and pledged to work with

August 1988

Congress to develop a national maritime policy.

International Registries
The maritime industry has an important
stake in the outcome of this year's presidential
election. "Whoever is elected the next president of the United States," said Joe Sacco,
executive vice president of the SIU, .. will
determine the fate of the American-flag merchant marine.''
One of the most pressing challenges facing
the maritime industry is a worldwide debasement of national registries. All over the globe,
from the Far East to Western Europe, there
is a move to relax existing national standards.
Last year Norway unveiled a second national registry. Other European countries have
been studying its development with interest.
This past month, Japan's Ministry of Transportation recommended that domestic shipping companies in that country hire foreign
crews to slash operating costs.

Sea-Land
Sea-Land is actively seeking support for
legislation S. 2510, which would grant operating subsidy eligibility to 12 foreign-built SeaLmd ships. The bill was introduced by Sen.
Daniel Inouye ( - awaii .
Robert L Hintz, chairman of Sea-Land,
said passage of the bill is LLvitally important
to Sea-Land remaining competitive in foreign
commerce."
The subsidy would cover only the 12 D9J
vessels which were built in Japan and Korea
in the early 1980s.

Canadian Diversion
The diversion of American cargo through
Canadian ports has once again become a matter
of concern to officials in the maritime industry,
according to reports carried in The Journal of

Commerce.
The Maritime Administration has reported
that the value of American import and export
shipments routed through Canadian ports hit
a record high in 1986.

Legislative, Administrative and Regulatory Happenings

Drug Testing ·
The Coast Guard has unveiled a plan to test
virtually all American seamen for drug and
alcohol abuse. Interested parties have until
Sept. 8 to comment on the proposal.
The plan would cover all phases of a mariner's employment: pre-employment testing,
random tests after employment, tests for those
people where there is ''reasonable cause to
suspect abuse'' and routine tests after accidents.
''The problem [of drug and alcohol abuse]
in the maritime industry is increased by the
fact that personnel often Ii ve onboard their
vessels for long periods of time," said one
Coast Guard official, who estimated that the
use of alcohol and drugs contributed to 75
deaths between 1981 and 1986 and caused $6.5
million in damages.
The SIU is going over the proposal and
readying a response before the Sept. 8 deadline.

Fishing Talks
South Korea has promised to reduce tariffs
on 16 different kinds of U.S. fish products by
1993, but has rejected U.S. demands to open
up its domestic markets to other kinds of fish
imports.
The talks between the United States and
South Korea were part of a larger effort to
curb the $10 billion trade deficit that South
Korea enjoys with this country.

Minimum Wage
Action on the minimum wage bill is expected
before the end of this session of Congress.
Meanwhile, the list of supporters grows long_er
every day.
The latest institution to back an increase in
the minimum wage is The Washington Post,
which noted that "as a matter of simple justice
the minimum wage can and should be increased
now.''
Dealing with the argument that' 'most people
don't stay at minimum wage jobs for long,"
the Post noted that this ''looks through the
wrong end of the telescope. It's true that most
people on the minimum wage aren't poor. It's
also true that an awful lot of poor people are
at or near the minimum wage."

S111ar Imports
The Reagan administration has eased restrictions on the amount of sugar that can be
imported into this country. This has caused a
great deal of concern to domestic sugar-growing interests, including the Sugar Workers
Union, which is an affiliate of the Seafarers
International Union of North America.
The administration took this step as a result
of the drought in the midwest. Fifty percent
of all domestic sugar comes from North Dakota, Minnesota and Michigan, all of which
have been hard hit by the drought.
The rest of American sugar comes from
Florida, Louisiana, Hawaii and Texas. SIUNA
members of the Sugar Workers Union are
employed mainly in processing plants in California.

Support

SPAD

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THE ROVER CREW- A CREDIT TO THE U.S. &#13;
U.S. COMPANY OPENS ‘ONE-STOP’ FLAG SHOP&#13;
U.S. TAX DOLLARS HELP FUND LATEST FOC REGISTRY&#13;
BARGE LINE TAKEOVER PUTS JONES ACT IN JEOPARDY&#13;
SIU CHARGES SEAMEN DENIED JOBS DUE TO UNION TIES&#13;
SEA-LAND SUBSIDY BILL INTRODUCED&#13;
COAST GUARD ISSUES TOUGH NEW DRUG TESTING PROPOSAL&#13;
LONG NEW BEDFORD STRUGGLE COULD END WITH CONTRACT OK&#13;
OLD LIBERTY SHIP FINDS A HOME IN BALTIMORE&#13;
SIU BOATMEN IN MOBILE&#13;
TUG INDUSTRY SAYS DROUGHT COULD COST $150 MILLION&#13;
NOTICE NATIONAL MARINE SERVICE EX-EMPLOYEES&#13;
SIU/SHLSS HOSTS MTD AWARD SCOUTS&#13;
MARINES INVADE PACIFIC NORTHWEST&#13;
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                    <text>Official Publication of the Seafarers International Vnion • Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District• AFL-CIO Vol. SO, No. 9, September 1988

AFL-CIO Endorses Dukakis-Bentsen Ticket
Military Sealift Command Charter

SIU Crews Constellation

Seafarers crewed another new ship late last month, the MN Maersk Constellation. The
ship can carry roll-on/roll·off, container or breakbulk cargo. She will be chartered to
the Miliuary Sealift Command for West Coast sailings to Far East stations. {See page 9.)

S -Bae ed Fish1n oat
Safety Bill Ready o Sign
U.S.-flag fishing vessels and their
crewmembers will see safety upgraded if President Reagan signs a
new bill which will toU€hen safety
regulations in the nation's most
dangerous oi;i;u pation.
As the LOO went to press, HR
1841 had passed both houses of
Ccn~ress and was ready for Reagan's signature. He is expected to
sign the bill.
The bill is a result of more than
two years of work to strengthen
safety in the industry. It requires
fishing, fish processing vends and
fish tender v~ssels to carry lifeboats, immersion suits, radio equipment, navigation equipment, first
aid gear and other safety items the
Coast Guard determines is necessary.
The SIU backed the strong safety
provisions in the bill and sought

additional regulations. ''This is a
good starting point, but should be
thought of as a minimum, not the
ultimate in safety said SIU Pres·
ident Mike Sacco.
Studies show that more than 250
fishing boats a year are lost, almost
one every working day. Those type
of casualties make the fishing industry even more dangerous than
coal mining.
In addition, larger boats, carrying
16 or more people, will be required
to carry emergency position indicating radio beacons, radar, fire
protection and fire fighting equipment, along with several other
safety-related requirements.
Rep. Gerry Studds (D-Mass.),
Rep. Mike Lowry (D-Wash.), and
senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and
John Chafee (R-RI.) were key figures in the passage of the bill.
1• •

WASHINGTON Democratic
presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis welcomed the endorsement of
the 14.1 million-member AFL-CIO,
including the SIU, and asked labor to
join in his goal of forging ''a new era
of greatness for America.''
Dukakis was cheered and applauded
frequently as he addressed the federation's General Board in a crowded
hotel ballroom here.
When the Massachusetts governor
finished to a standing ovation, AFLCIO President Lane Kirkland responded by saying labor enters the
campaign ''with_enthusiasm and confidence," adding: "We know the stakes
and we are ready for the challenge."
Earlier, after the delegates discus sed the endorsement issue, AFLCIO Secretary-Treasurer Thomas R.
Donahue announced the results of
the rollcall of unions; 12,032,815 for
the Dukakis-Bentsen ticket; zero for
the Bush/Quayle slate; and zero for
no endorsement. Three unions abstai ned. They are t he Airline Pilo ts,
Teamsters, and the ational Marine
Engineers.
Dukakis scorched the Reagan-Bush
record on the economy. He said more
people may be working today, but the

real income of the average family is
"right where it was 20 years ago"
even though husband and wife both
work in most families.
Between 1979 and 1985, Dukakis
said, the average weekly wage of jobs
which have been lost was $440, to be
replaced by jobs paying an average of
one-third less.
The recent rise in interest rates represents ''the legacy of eight years of
borrow and spend and borrow and
spend, another tax on middle America," he said. He put the tax at $1,000
more a year for families with adjustable rate mortgages, $300 more on
every car loan, and a billion dollars in
new costs for farmers.
Dukakis criticized the Reagan-Bush
policies as having created "a Swisscheese economy that's booming on
the two coasts and full of holes in the
heartland." He said the nation has
shifted from an $18 billion trade surplus in 1981 to a trade deficit of $150
billion in 1987. He said the nation's
trade and budget deficits will burden
coming generations.
The Democratic contender said the
nation cannot settle for the ''slowgrowth, high inflation economy we are
(Continued on Page 5.)

New Puerto Rico Marine
Ships-Jobs fqr Seafarers
Seafarers have just crewed one of the five new Puerto Rico Marine Lancerclass ships, the Guayama, as it was getting her final touches in a Tampa
shipyard.
The Guayama was one of the Lancer-class ships the company acquired at
a recent auction. The ships are former United States Lines ships. That former
shipping giant went bankrupt in 1986.
The Maritime Administration gave Puerto Rico Marine permission last month
to use three of the ships in domestic trades between San Juan and the U.S.
East &amp; Gulf Coasts. Marad permission was needed because the ships had been
built with Construction Differential subsidy.

Inside:
SIU A&amp;G Election:
Credentials Committee Report

Pages 11-13

1

Coast Guard s Drug Testing Program
Is Faulted by Labor and Industry Pages 2 and 4

SIU Aids Inland Industry

Page 7
The MIV Guayama tied up in Tampa shipyard. (See photos on page 5.)

�President's Report
by Michael Sacco
The Coast Guard's Testing Proposals

A

s the nation's drug crisis continues to deepen in the absence of a
clear, carefully considered, comprehensive national policy for
dealing with it, there is a danger that hasty, ill-considered and inappropriate solutions will be sought by an administration anxious to show
that it's doing something.
That's exactly what seems to be the case in the Coast Guard's
proposed programs to require chemical testing of seamen, which the
agency says it "expects to discourage drug and alcohol use by merchant
marine personnel" and "should also reduce the potential for marine
casualties related to drug and alcohol use.''
First off, it should be noted that our union, virtually since its inception,
has maintained safety programs in its entry-rating training and upgrading
courses at the Lundeberg School of Seamanship. Secondly, the SIU
pioneered in the establishment of educational campaigns against drug
and alcohol abuse, and with the support of the industry, set up
rehabilitative programs at the Piney Point facility which have been very
successful over the years.
So we are in complete accord with the Coast Guard's objective of
discouraging drug abuses in the maritime industry. The problem we
have with the Coast Guard testing plan is that it would burden an
already battered industry with a highly complex, expensive plan without
any evidence that such a program is warranted by existing conditions.
In its haste to meet administration timetables for a show of action on
the nation's drug problem, the Coast Guard offers no statistical evidence
to support the proposal.
The agency estimates that the initial annual cost of the program will
be $62.3 million paid for by the industry. Industry estimates the figure
in the hundreds of millions. Meanwhile, foreign-flag competition would
be free of any such additional cost of operations, making our ships less
competitive and wiping out all the efforts that have been made in that
direction by American-flag ships. In a nutshell, if these proposals were
to be adopted, the maritime industry would come out of the situation
in considerably worse shape that it was when it went in, because the
Coast Guard is trying to fix something that they haven't proved needs
fixing.
Beyond that is our fundamental concern with the protection of an
individual member s privacy rights. which surely would be in danger
of violation as the proposal currently reads. We have gone into
considcrnbk: detail in jointly submitting with the Marine Engineers
Beneficial Association our comments on the Coast Guard proposals.
SIU members will be kept advised of developments in this situation.
Meanwhile. they should be assured that while we accept our responsibi1ities to hell' in protecting society against the damage done by drug
and alcohol abuse. we are also committed to protecting the individual
rights of our members and the ability of the industry to stay afloat.

Rep. Sullivan became Chairman of the Merchant Marine Committee
in 1972. We of the SIU will 'never forget her effective leadership in
winning House passage of the Energy Transportation Security Act of
1974, othe.rwise known as the "cargo preference bill," which would
have guaranteed U.S. tankers carriage of ultimately 30 percent of oil
imports. The Senate, where the fight for the bill was led by Senator
Russell Long of Louisiana, had already adopted the legislation. It
appeared almost certain that this bill would be signed into law by
President Ford because he had indicated to Senator Long and others
that he intended to do so. Great pressure was put on Ford by his top
cabinet officers, notably those from the State Department. Ford succumbed and went back on his word and pocket-vetoed the bill.
In his autobiography, President Ford referred to "Paul Hall, president
of the Seafarers International Union of North America ... a long-time
personal friend ... I knew that my decision would come as a blow to
Hall and when I telephoned him from Vail, our conversation was
strained. He was terribly disappointed ... "
Rep. Sullivan shared the disappointment that we of the SIU all felt
after playing so important a role in that cargo preference battle.
We remember, too, that Mrs. Sullivan also championed causes of
the consumer and the disadvantaged and was frequently honored for
her intensive efforts in the enactment of protective legislation such as
the truth-in-lending law, which she wrote in J968.
But this fine lady will be remembered especially by Seafarers for her
outstanding contributions to the well being of the marine transportation
industry and the men and women who depend upon it for their
livelihoods.

Upgraders Visit Capitol Hill

1

Leonor Sullivan, A Good Friend of Seafarers
Seafarers have lMt a. truly great friend in the passing of former
Congresswoman Leonor Sullivan, who died at the age of 85 in her
native St. Louis on September I.
This gracious lady was a consistent fighter for a viable American-flag
deep sea shipping capability throughout her years in Congress and as
a member of the House M~r~hant Marine and Fisheries Committee.
And no one fought more aggressively and with more determination in
support of an etfec;tive inland waterways transportation system.

Last month members of the QMED class had chance to visit the Capitol as part of their
Union Education week. Pictured above are James Bloodworth Ill, Robert Butler, Frank
Coburn, David Cuffee, Riley Donahue III, Rafael Figueroa, Laurence Gilley, Richard
Grosso, Sam Hacker, Edgar Hantsche Jr., Francis Jaworski, Michael LasDulce, Michael
Lawson, Alberto Matos, Roy Matteson Jr., Wilmer McCants, Luong Ngo, Elwood Perlie,
John PhiUips, Pedro Santia20, James Scanlon, Michael Scardina, Leroy Williams, John
Wilson, Melvin Brumftied, Ronald Giannini, Raymond Doody and SIU Legislative Rep.
Liz DeMato.

Vol. 50. o. 9

September 1

Executive Board
Michael Sacco
President

~lt

.Charles Svenson
Editor

Mike Hall

Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

2 I LOG I September 1988

Joseph Sacco

Joseph DiGiorgio

Angus "Red" Campbell

Executive Vice President

Secretary

Vice President

John Fay

George McCartney

Thomas Glidewell

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Jack Caffey

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

The LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf.
Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL·CIO, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Md . 20746, Tel. 8990675. Second-class postage paid at M.S.C. Prince Georges, Md. 20790-9998 and at additional
mailing offices. POSTMASTER : Send address changes to the LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,
Md. 20746.

�SIU Leads Labor Coalition to Protect Jobs

GAIT Could Put U.S. Maritime Up for Grabs
Last year, when American maritime programs such as the Jones Act
and cargo preference were threatened by the Canadian Free Trade
Agreement (FTA), the SIU went to work to conquer that threat.
A coalition led by the Union, the SIU of Canada and other maritime
groups, was able to pressure U.S. trade negotiators into removing those
maritime threats from the treaty.
That same group now has a bigger fight on its hands, and if it doesn't
win. some 97 countries could find the door open to U.S. maritime
promotional programs.
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is a worldwide
trade agreement established after World War II to govern economic and
trade relations. Over the years it has covered many areas of trade. But
now, for the first time, maritime services could be included. And the SIU
is ready to protect the U.S.-flag merchant marine.
As in the case with the FTA. there is fear that liberalized trade rules
could open the door to foreign-flag participation in domestic shipping and
cargo preference, the last two remaining major maritime promotional
programs in the U.S.
''Our experience with the Ff A has heightened awareness and concerns
about including shipping in the GATT agenda," said SIU President Mike
Sacco.
"This is a complicated and long-term process, but we have to stay on
top of it, because for us, the bottom line is protecting the jobs of our

membership. Things are tough enough as it is, and the last thing we need
to see is a Sri Lankan ship hauling military cargo or somebody from
Vanuatu moving coal from Norfolk to Boston," Sacco said.
During the Canadian talks, there had been some mention of allowing
Canadian shipping firms many of the same rights U.S. companies have.
Not only would that have been a major blow to the American maritime
industry, it very easily could have opened the door for other countries
into the same areas.
Because of individual trading agreements between the U.S. and countries which hold a "most favored nation" trading status, once one nation
is granted certain trading rights, those "most favored" countries may
automatically qualify for the same privileges.
"What we have now is basically the same fight, but on a much larger
scale. The GATT talks have not focused specifically on maritime programs
yet. We have to be prepared," Sacco said.
Currently those talks have focused on an overall framework for an
agreement, negotiators for the United States Trade Representative told
a recent meeting of more than a dozen maritime groups.
In December, when the next round of GAIT talks begins, it is expected
that maritime will be included. According to reports, the U.S. negotiators
do not favor including major U.S. maritime programs in the talks.
However, no assurances have been given that maritime services will be
completely excluded.

Seafarers Benefit in New Twist on Flag Switch as Foreign
Owners See Advantages in Stars and Stripes Re/lagging
Since the end of World War II, thousands of
American-owned ships have abandoned the Stars
and Stripes to sail under flags of convenience.
When asked ''Why?'' the answer was, invariably,
the high cost of doing business under the American
flag. Crew costs were too high and regulations too
strict_
The SIU has spent decades fighting the runaway·
flag phenomenon. Now according to a recently
released Coast Guard document, there may a revenal of that trend on the horizon.
Since 1980 ~ome 60 ships have switched from
other nations· flags to the U.S. flag. A quick count
shows that Seafarers ar·e crewing 40 percent of those
ships which Mc sailing on a regular basis.
Of the ships re.flagged, 11 are the Kuwaiti-owned
tankers which carry only an Amercian master and
radio officer_ About a dozen others are in the R~ady
Reserve F1eet.
SIU Vice President Red Campbell said the reftagging trend can be attributed tc increased competitiveness_
' Tm convinced we offer the best trained crews
anywhere in the world and during the past several
years we have worked to keep costs down, but not
at the expense of the working Seafarer.
"You know it's odd. We've been beaten over the
head for years about the so-called high price of
U .S. crews and U.S. -flag operations and these
~eo~le come in and reftag because they can see a
profit. Maybe it's time for the administration to take
a look and realize what's hurting us is not the cost.
but the lack of any maritime policy at all ... Campbell
said.
"We welcome almost anything that can help our
membership find good jobs. If this is a trend. great.
But it's still no substitute for a full-scale maritime
1

1

policy. The industry-labor and management-has
done its part; now it's time for the government to
do theirs," said SIU President Mike Sacco.
The Coast Guard has issued a Navigation and
Vessels Inspection Circular (NA VIC), which is a
sort of handbook for reflagging under the American
flag.
"We had very few requests for reftagging inspections until the late 1970s' said Lt. Cmdr. John
Venjture of the Coast Guard's inspection bureau.
''But in the late '70s a trend seemed to be developing
so we issued the NA VIC and make it available to
companies who arc interested,'' he told the transportation magazine Traffic World.
The NAVIC applies to foreign-built vessels between two and I 0 years old.
"American shipyards are aware before they begin
r;onstrur;tion of the standards they must meet,' said
another Coast Guard officer, ''and our people are
on hand or available through the entire process.
Ships built abroad are another story. That's not to
say they aren't as well built or less safe. They may
even be better. But they usually weren't built with
our specific requirements in mind."
Venjture said the 10- and two-year limits stated
in the NAVIC are not absolutes for passing an
inspection ultimately.
''But ships built less than I 0 years ago are more
likely to conform to our standards than older ones,
while ships that have been at sea two years have
more or less proven themselves in service.··
The certmcation process simply takes longer for
older than newer vessels, he said.
The usual practice said Venjture , is for a shipowner, NA VIC in hand to put his vessel in drydock,
and have the shipyard incorporate whatever changes
in structural characteristics, equipment, operating
1

1

1

1

fixtures and whatever else makes the vessel conform
to NAVIC specifications. Then the Coast Guard
performs a shipboard inspection and certifies the
vessel or directs more revisions.
Maritime observers said there are several reasons
a company might wish to reflag its ships. One pointed
to by several people was legislation introduced in
the House of Representatives last year which would
have required that a certain percentage of cars
shipped to the U.S. be carried on American ships.
The SIU strongly backed that bill, but it did not
make it to the House floor.
However, several car carriers, including the SIUcontracted Overseas Joyce, are now sailing under
the American flag.
While reftagged ships are barred from the domestic trade under the terms of the Jones Act and from
carrying P.L.480 cargo for three years after reflagging, government-impelled cargo is a big draw.
Many of the current ships hauling cargo for the
Military Sealift Command are reftagged. including
the Maresk Line ships now crewed by Seafarers.
''More and more seem to be getting into it for
their own reasons. whatever those reasons may
be," said a Coast Guard officer who has been
observing the trend.
"Some factors in their decisions are the declining
dollar, I think, and the fact that American crew
costs are leveling out and becoming more competitive with European and Japanese crews. Also,
International Maritime Organization standards for
various aspects of the industry have come to more
closely match American standards.
"Somewhere along the line," the officer said,
"they just decide that the advantages of flying Old
Glory outweigh the disadvantages."

Kirkland's Labor Day Messag.......
e-8 Years Is Enough
By Lane Kirkland
President, AFL-CIO
Traditionally, in even-numbered years, Labor
Day begins the countdown to Election Day.
On Labor Day 1988 America's working men and
women are preparing to reassert the proposition
that government is an instrument of all the people,
enabling them to ar;hicvc collectively things that arc
beyond their reach individually.
To every candidate for every office, our message

•

is the same: It is time to restore government to its
rightful place alongside its citizens. helping to pull
the load and lead the way to a better life for all.
The present administration preached that government is the enemy of the people and gained votes
by promising to diminish its role in their lives.
But for eight years government power has been
asserted as strongly as ever-but only on behalf of
some of the people. not all of them.
After eight years. the lesson has been learned:

Americans are saying Yes to each other, Yes to the
quest for fairness, Yes to the idea of government
as an ally and not an adversary of the people.
Experience over the 107-year history of the federation that is now the AFL-CIO has shown the
absolute necessity of countervailing institutions-a
watchful government and strong trade unions-to
restrain predatory profit-seekers and ensure that the
interests of workers and consumers are not sacrificed.
(Continued on Page S.)

September 1988 I LOG I 3

�Union Seeks fairness in Coast Guard's Program

New Drug Testing Plan Draws Maritime's Fire
(See PRESIDENT'S REPORT, Page 2)
Several maritime groups, including the Sl U, have
criticized a Coast Guard drug testing proposal which
calls for random mandatory drug testing of all marine
employees, with the bill to be footed by the industry.
Some estimate the cost as high as $150 million a
year.
The proposal also has drawn fire for its lack of
statistical evidence on drug use and safety in the
maritime industry and for the haste the Coast Guard
used in presenting it, leaving affected groups little
time to study the proposal and respond.
Normally, the federal rulemaking process is a
time-consuming affair. An agency will study a problem and issue a set of proposals. The industry and
groups affected will then have up to several months
to respond through public hearings and very detailed
written comments.
Then the agency which issued the proposals
normally takes several more months to study the
responses and issue final rules, usually including
many of the suggestions from the hearings and
written comments. For example, the proposals on
Construction Differential Subsidy payback for tankers seeking entry into the Alaska oil trade took
almost two years before a final rule was issued.
That was eventually challenged in court and overturned.
While no group disagreed that a drug and alcohol
free workplace is a desirable goal, there is little
evidence indicating drug use is a cause of injury,
accident or death. In its proposed rulemaking, the
Coast Guard admits its data ''do not specifically
identify the use of drugs or alcohol as a major causal
effect in commercial vessel losses or casualty damage.'' The agency also acknowk:dgcs that what data
it does have is "sparse and not conclusive ...
ult is an understatement to say we are dismayed
that a federal Mency would propose a program of
such economic and soi;ietal effect while concomitantly acknowledging that it has no data which
:mggcst the program will address an identified need
in a regulated industry," said Thomas Allegretti,
vice president of operations for the American Waterways Operators.
He suggested the Coast Guard and the Department of Tramportation conduct a thorough study

to determine what role, if any, intoxicants play in
marine casualties.
"We consider anything less to be irresponsible,"
he said.
When the proposal was issued this summer, word
around the industry was that it would be implemented despite whatever protests might arise. With
the reduced amount of time to comment, some
believed the drug testing proposal was part of
.. election-year fever." The Coast Guard's haste to
implement the program has left many holes, according to observers.
Ernest J. Corrado, president of the American
Institute of Merchant Shipping, said that "We would
like to see an effective and efficient program. It is
better to take the proper time now to do the job
correctly rather than invite litigation or other forms
of review."
The Coast Guard has been instructed to issue its
final rules within two weeks of receiving industry's
comments, Allegretti said at the hearing. That part
of the process normally takes months.
"We believe the rush to regulate will assure that
the Coast Guard will not have sufficient time to
consider fully the comments which we do provide.
We can foresee no way that the agency will be able
to craft practical and effective regulations within
that wholly unrealistic schedule," he said.
There is a great deal of concern within the industry
that Coast Guard's regulations would not pass legal
muster, based on recent court decisions involving
similar random testing programs.
Recently a federal judge upheld employees of the
Justice Department who challenged a random drug
testing program which the Department tried to
implement. In another case, a group of federal

The Coast Guard's proposed drug
regulations have come under
fire. Following are some key points in
the proposal.
• periodic drug resting-as pa1i of
required examinations, pre-employ-

ment testing. random sampling programs, post-accident and reasonablecausc testing. Mandatory alcohol testin~ also would be required in postaccident and reasonable-cause situations.
• implied consent provision-any
mariner accepting employment on a
U.S. merchant vessel on which any
individual is required by law or regulation to hold a license. certificate or
merchant mariners document is deemed
to have given consent to be tested.
Refusal or failure to submit to sampling is considered a violation of regulation and will subject the individual
to suspension or revocation of license
or document or termination of employment.
• suspension or revocation-of license or document, denial of employment, and denial of job applications
for illicit drug use and ineligible for

41 LOG I September 1988

(Continued on Page 5.)

~~--------------~--~~--~--------~-~-~--,
J

Drug TestingYour Opinion

A
Seafarers

LOG Special
Report

The Proposed Rules
te~ting

employees at the National Weather Service went
to court to stop a random drug testing program and
won that case.
The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear
two drug testing cases during its next session.
The Coast Guard estimated that the program could
cost as much as $62.3 million a year; some inside
the industry expect its cost to be closer to $150
million and charge that the Coast Guard has seriously underestimated the price tag .
Other arguments against the drug testing proposal
include:
• Many of the pending drug testing proposals
may conflict with rights protected by the Constitution, raise issues of fairness and evenhandedness in
the treatment of employees, create concerns for
employers about the cost of comprehensive testing
programs, engender conflicts among jurisdictional
requirements, and provoke civil liability suits.
• Drug testing may be viewed as an intrusion in
the right to privacy and a violation of the constitutional prohibition against unreasonable search and
seizure by the government once the government
requires employers to test workers for durgs. Courts
universally have held that urinalysis or blood testing
for substance use constitutes a "search" under the
Fourth Amendment.
• The administration's "drug-free workplace"
campaign represents a striking departure from the
administration's professed eight-year effort to free
business from government meddling. But the government, having failed to cut off the supply of i11egal
drugs, is simply foisting the job of drug enforcement
and rehabilitation onto employers. The cost of
testing, treatment and rehabilitation will affect the

seagoing employment until successful
completion of rehabilitation and rei.ssuance of license or document. However, employees who are identified as
having used dangerous drugs on the
job are not required to be afforded an
opportunity for rehabi.litation or to be
retained or rehired.
• rehabilitation-is recommended
for those individuals who are detected
as drug users for the first time. If an
individual has a second confirmed positive test, he will be subject to suspension and revocation of license or
document, regardless of rehabilitation
options.
• marine employer-would be required to have a blood and urine sampling and shipping kit. Evidential breath
testi.ng (EBT) devices also are required
onboard a vessel at all times, operated
by trained and qualified personnel.
Marine employers must ensure that
appropriate vessel personnel receive
formal instruction in specific subject
areas prior to being considered qualified operators of EBTs and in the
practical application of the proposed
requirements.

The Coast Guard has proposed very strict, mandatory drug testing
regulations for maritime workers (see the accompanying stories and page
4 in the August LOG).
The SIU would like to know how you feel about the new proposals,
about drug testing in general and whether you believe there is a drug
problem onboard U.S.-flag vessels.
Please take the time to answer the following questions and return your
answers to:
The Seafarers LOG
Questionnaire # 1
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746

Yes
No
Every Seafarer should be required to
undergo mandatory and random drug testing as proposed by the Coast
Guard.
2 Yes
No
Drug testing programs should be a matter
for collective bargaining between management and labor with no
government intrusion.

3 Yes
No
Drug testing should only be required when
there is reasonable cause to suspect an individual is using drugs which
impair him while on duty.
4 Yes,_ _ _ _ No._ _ _ _ There should be no drug testing whatsoever.

No
Some claim drug use on board merchant
vessels is a widespread and serious problem. From your experience,
do you:

5 Yes

Strongly agree_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Agree_ _ _ _ __ __ __
Disagree._ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _
Strongly disagree._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Other

comments.~-----------------------

~-----~-~------------------------------~

�AFL-CIO ENDORSES DUKAKIS-BENTSEN TICKET
(Continued from Page 1.)
heading towards.''
Dukakis listed a series of ''invest in
America" priorities:
• Earlier this year, Dukakis said he
was "disturbed by the massive decline
of both the merchant marine and our
domestic shipbuilding capability." He
also said one way to help the merchant
marine would be to "fully and fairly"
enforce cargo preference laws.
• He said passage of the National
Economic Development Act would lead
to job-creating, economy-building
partnerships in high unemployment
communities.
• Investment in education would
bring about the "best-educated" children in the world, and teaching must

be restored as ''a valued and honored
profession," along with a National
Teacher Corps. He said every student
qualified to do college work should be
admitted, and he praised Michigan's
new College Opportunity program,
saying every state should have one.
• He pledged to invest in workers,
noting he recently visited a worker
assistance center in Lynn, Mass., where
General Electric and the Electronic
Workers united to retrain hundreds of
workers after a plant layoff. Backed
by a state industrial stabilization program, he said, workers were placed in
new jobs at an average $10.52 an hour.
"That's what Lloyd Bentsen and I
mean when we talk about good jobs
at good wages," he said, referring to
his running mate.

Under the new trade bill, he added,
such retraining will be possible across
the nation. The new plant closing notice bill also will be implemented to
save companies and jobs, he said.
• Investment in people will be carried out with welfare reform legislation
to enable families to escape poverty
through training for jobs and with day
care for the children, he said.
Dukakis repeated a pledge to enact
basic health insurance for every family
in America and to pass a minimum
wage bill.
He also drew applause when he
called for a National Labor Relations
Board ''that will insist on justice and
fairness'' and federal job safety and
health inspectors who will inspect fac-

tories as if their own lives dependec.
on it.
" I want a future," Dukakis concluded, "where Americans are investing in America; where American
ideas ".re working for America; where
American jobs stay in America; and
where American productivity and
workmanship are the best in the world."
Kirkfand, in opening the board
meeting, said the Reagan administration's policies resulted in trade and
budget deficits ''of staggering proportions and the elimination of goodpa ying jobs in return for minimum
wage jobs." He said Reagan's veto
pen frustrated the majority will in
Congress. He promised labor would
pursue its get-out-the-vote drive with
vigor.

Onboard SIU's New Guayama as She Crews in Tampa
See Page 1
For Complete Story
on Puerto
Rico Marine's New
Ships
Photos by
Al Caulder
Chief Steward Paul Stubblefield

Posing for a photo are (I. tor.) AB Thomas Vain, Chief Cook Theodore Quamme, SIA
James Wadsworth and QMED/Electrician Rex Bolin.

Here are Seafarers Wayne Driggers, Theodore Quamme and
Curtis Lang.

Chief Steward Paul Stubblefield (front left) and DEU Curtis Lang checking in supplies.
In the back (1. tor.) are crewmembers Wayne Driggers, Joe Gavin, and Edward Ellis.

------Labor Day

Drugs

(Continutd from Pagt 3.)

(Continued from Page 4.)

It is no accident that today's children are the first generation in history who
cannot reasonably expect to do as well as the generation before.

profitability of companies.
• Drug testing can be used to discriminate against and harass individual
employees; sanctions can be punitive and unfair to employees, while information obtained from mandatory drug testing can be used to prosecute an
individual for illegal drug possession.
• Inaccurate test results from the rampant incompetence and faulty procedures of laboratories and their uneven regulation can damage an employee's
career and be stigmatizing.
• Drug testing is unfair because it creates a presumption that a worker is
on drugs unless proven otherwise.
• Drug testing does not ensure eradication of the problem.
• The proposed rulemaking under consideration is incomplete and leaves
many concerns unanswered. Furthermore, the statutory basis for authority to
promulgate this proposed regulation is questionable.

That is the legacy of the 1980s, years when those in control of government
said Yes only to the pursuit of private wealth and allowed ''free market forces''
to

put the nation's future at risk.

It is time to say Yes to even-handedness, Yes to a level playing field, and
Yes to the kind of teamwork between employers and workers and their unions,
aided and promoted by a responsible government that best serves the national
interest and the interests of all the people.
It is time to say Yes to quality jobs, to an optimistic future for our families
and to the fulfillment of community needs.
To candidates who say Yes to those goals, workers will say Yes at the polls
in November.

September 1988 I LOG I 5

�Onboard the SIU's M/V Ranger

Time to Celebiate a Deserved Retirement for a Hardworking AB
Thanks to Bosun Jerry Borucki, who took most of these photographs. Earlier this year longtime AB Melvin Skipper made his last run as a working Seafarer. The MIV Ran&amp;er (Ocean
Carriers) was on her way to the Philippines, about a day out, when the crew of the Ranger honored
Skipper with a little party. We're sure everyone who has sailed with him wishes him more smooth
sailing.

Look out, he's got a knife ••. This voyage on the Ranger
was the last for long-timr Seafarer AB Melvin Skipper.
During a party to celebrate his retirement, Skipper readies
to cut a cake the crew presented him.

The "Skipper" congratulates Skipper . . • Ranger Capt.
Richard Fasano wishes AB Melvin Skipper luck on his
retirement.

Here's a large part of the Rangers crew; GSU Frederick Saffo, AB Walter Harris, QMED
Clifford Miles, AB Melvin Skipper, Steward Vic Harper, AB Jean Visier, QMED Manuel
Alvarez, QMED Bradford Gilbert, AB Eric Johnson and Chief Cook Bertrand Wri21tt •

.~:,·~Bf
AB Melvin Skipper, QMED ClilTord Miles and AB Jean Visier.

6 I LOG I September 1988

AB Larry Lee

Practice, practice, practice ... crewmembers on the MN Ranger take part in the weekly
drill on the ship's stern underway-replenishment station.

Coffee time brings deck mates AB Arnold Sebring, Bosun Jerry Borucki, ABs Terrance
Hill and Scott Lovison together in the crew mess.

�~

..

a

es

..... .......
~

tug/tow
i'.

harge/dre 91

~

litl?.~··t~
.. D~·~~...;·:=~~~:mw:w.wr··

oQ

··::.·

Two Minor Items Show Need for Vigilance
11

11

SIU and Allies Fight to Help Maritime
on Food and Fuel Tax Problems
Usually it's the big-time issues such as cargo preference, the Jones Act or
safety which draw a lot of attention from the maritime industry.
But many times it's the smaller, more mundane issues the Union and the
industry have to keep an eye on. Following are two stories showing how the

Fuel Tax Change
Costs $300 Million

Crew Meals Caught
In Martini Fight
Remember the flap over the '' 3martini lunch''? In 1986 Congress
passed the Tax Reform Act which,
among other things, reduced the
amount of deductions from I 00 percent to 80 percent a person or business could take for so-called business-related meals.
In one of those strange legislative
twists, Boatmen and merchant seamen, known more for ''coffee-time''
than dry martinis got caught up in
the tax reform.
It turns out that vessel owners
and Ol)erators had their meal deductions reduced to 80 percent also,
even thou~h by law they must provide meals to their crewmembers.
Now a coalition of the SIU and
many of its contracted companies
and others are fighting to get this
mistake corrected . It1s not one of
1

the glamorous battles, but in a time
when jobs and job security are tied
directly to a company's profitability, recovering 20 percent of food
costs could make a big difference.
.. Meals for merchant seamen are
just as necessary an expense as
lifejackets for those seamen and
fuel for the vessel," said SIU President Mike Sacco.
The lobbying efforts by the SIU
and the coalition have led to an
effort to restore the full deductibility of onboard meals. A section
covering the issues has passed the
House Finance Committee. in its
version of the Miscellaneous Revenue Act.
It is expected that the bill, including the meal deductibility, will
pass both houses and become law
by the end of the year.

River Traffic Moves as
Drought Withers Up
Barge traffic on the Mississippi River,
slowed earlier this year by shallow
water, has rebounded due to rain in
the upper Midwest, government
spokesmen said.
Although parts of the river remain
below norma.1 early-August rainfall
added enough water to allow traffic to
return to normal or above-normal levels, they said.
In Memphis, Tenn., where low water
in June and July caused officials to
restrict barge movements, a Coast
Guard official said the number of barges
on the river has risen sharply in the
past week.
((There's more traffic out there than
at any time in the five and a half weeks
I've been on the river/' said Lt. Commander Janice Gray, who tracks barge
activity for the Coast Guard in Memphis.
In St. Louis, a Corps of Engineers
spokesman said barge traffic is ''a little
higher than last year."
Spokesman Clyde Wilkes said that
although the water level is nine feet
below normal, about 200 barges a day
1

SIU tries to stay on top of massive amounts of legislation which normally go
unreported to the public.
In both cases, the inland industry, which is just now beginning to rebound
from years of hard times, would have been severely affected, which in turn
means Union jobs could have been threatened.

are moving through St. Louis, many
of them carrying grain. At the same
time last year, about 180 barges daily
moved through the Missouri port.
And farther upriver in Minneapolis
the Corps of Engineers said rain in
northern Minnesota has raised lake
levels to the point that the Corps was
forced to release water to return the
lakes to their normal level.
''There has been enough rainfall that
we are releasing additional water from
several reservoirs to regulate their levels," said Corps spokesman Kenneth
Gardner.
In late July, the level of the Mississippi had fallen low enough that Minnesota's governor asked the federal
government to release water from one
of the lakes to raise the river level in
1

Minneapolis.
But heavy rains fell before officials
decided whether to follow the governor's recommendation. The river has
been rising since.
"We were saved by Mother Nature
again," said Mr. Gardner.

Last year, just a small change in
the way taxes on diesel fuel are
collected cost inland waterways operators some $300 million. But
thanks to a coalition including the
SIU, that money may be recovered
through legislative effort.
Currently there is a 15. I cents a
gallon tax on diesel fuel which goes
into the federal Highway Trust Fund.
Water carriers and other non-highway users have always been exempt
from that tax .
But beginning last April, inland
operators were forced to fork over
that tax and then apply to the government for a refund because of the
way the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 changed the
collection procedure.
In the past, the tax was levied
"at the pump. " which means that
when a barge line purchased its fuel
from a retailer, the I 5 .1 cents a
gallon was not included in the price.
The new law requires that the tax
be paid at the wholesale level. In
other words, that tax bite has already been added to the price of
the fuel a barge line pays Hat the

pump'' because the retailer must
pass along his extra cost.
Even though the operators will
apply for a quarterly refund of the
tax , it puts a serious dent in their
operating cash flow, which in turn
could have an impact on the crews
working those boats and barges.
The American Waterway Operators estimate the tax cost at $300
million which, in effect, is an interest-free loan to the government,
instead of money which could be
earning interest for the barge compames.
The same coalition which is leading the apparently successful attempt to restore tax deductions for
crew meals (see the accompanying
story) is now fighting for a change
in the fuel tax law.
With help from Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) 1 chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, a Tax Correction Act will include an
amendment to exempt water carriers from the tax at the pump.
Congress is expected to take up the
matter when it returns from its Labor Day recess.

Court Protects Jones Act,
Barge Line Sale On Hold
The takeover of an American barge
company by a Japanese firm has been
put on hold by a federal judge until
the Coast Guard can determine if
American citizen-ownership requirements are met.
Earlier this year Consolidated Grain
and Barge Co. (CGB) was purchased
by two Japanese firms. At the time,
the Coast Guard approved the sale,
despite protests from Ingram Barge
Co. that the Jones Act was being
violated by a foreign takeover (see
August LOG).
Except for a very narrow set of
circumstances, the Jones Act requires

that the ownership of any domestic
shipping venture be American. CGB
claimed it fit into that narrow definition; Ingram said it didn't.
After the Coast Guard ignored Ingram's plea to deny the takeover, the
company went to court. A federal
judge issued an order which, in effect,
overturned the Coast Guard's Certificate of Compliance (with the Jones
Act) and ordered the Coast Guard to
complete a full investigation of the
sale. CG B has appealed.
Maritime interests fear that if the
sale is approved, it would open the
door to dismantling the Jones Act.

Register-Vote/ 11
September 1988 I LOG I 7

�The SIU-Crewed American Heritage in St~ Croix

~
A Shuttle Run
To Africa from
The Virgin Islands

I

t's a 26-day voyage from St. Croix
in the U.S. Virgin Islands to the
African Congo and return with crude
oil for the island refineries. The crew
of the SIU-manned American Heritage (Apex Marine) cleans tanks on
the trip across and maintains the ship
in the high standards of SIU crews.
Pictured here are some of the crew
during a recent payoff in St. Croix.

The American Heritage tied up in St. Croix.

At payoff are (I. tor.) QMED Federico Rodriguez, Patrolman Miguel Alicea and Port
Agent Angel Hernandez.

Heritage shipmates Bosun Raul Iglesias (right) and Third Asst. Thomas Munster.

Togetherness ••. crewmembers (I. tor.) Chief Cook Henry Simmons, Utility A.Cyprian,
Bosun Raul Iglesias and QMED Federico Rodriguez.

8 I LOG I September 1988

AB R. Bailey standing gangway watch on the American Heritage in St. Croix.

�On the MV Constellation

el Done

o her SIU Jo

SIU West Coast Vice President George McCartney met with the crew of the MN
Consiellaiion as she prepared fo£ he£ maiden voyage under the SIU banner to the Far
East. Above with McCartney are Able Seamen John Griffin and Paul Jagger, and Bosun
Sal Ciciulla. (Also, see photo on page I.)

..----- -

--

~

Cleaning the tanks on the LNG Capricorn (Energy Transportation Corporation) involves
a lot of teamwork. And that is what AB Amin Ben Rajah depicts in his drawing entitled,
"Bosun Fred Pehler and His Band of Merry Men. " Can you pick out any of these SIU
members? From the left: AB Ed Gontha, OS Dave Endom, OS Norman Olinger, Bosun
Fred Pehler, AB Royce Kauffman, AB Ron Carraway, OS Reggie Cuffee. Coming out of
the tank you can see half of the head of the artist, Amin Rajah " Jr.", and AB Mike
Scaringi. AB Mike Dehnert is the one almost out of the tank. Thanks to Deck Delegate
AB Ron Carraway for sending this to the LOG.

The MN Constellation's steward department is in the capable hands of Steward/Baker
John Hanrahan, second from left, and Chief Cook Jesse James with Steward Assistants
Timothy King and Patrick Hewitt.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
AUGUST 1-31, 1988

· rorAL REGISTERED

All Groups
Class A Class B

Class C

Port

And I Must
Go To Sea
When I w11s just

t1

I 1hought rd like

little boy.

lO

go

A sailing on the ocean
And to sea,
Someday I would go.
So when I became a young man,
I started sailing on the ships.
And don't you know?
I'm glad I did all of this.
I've seen a lot of countries
of the world,
I otherwise would have missed.
And I could never have done ir
If it were not
For the ships.
And now rm at the middle of my
life,
I give thanks for all of this.
For the tattoos on my arms,

My hair
Ha.s turned gray ,

0
0

Norfolk ... .. .................... .

32

Baltimore ..... .. ................. .
. _................ .

New Orleans ...................... .

0
1

0

0

0
0
1
0
0
0
3

1
0
0
0
0
14
0
19
0
1
0
1
0

2
0

Wilmington .. . .. . .. . ..............
seanle . . . .. . .......... . .........
Puerto Rico ............ . .... . ....
Houston ................... . .....

.
.
.
.

4
0
0

St. Louis ........................ .

17
0
0

0
0
5
0
0
9

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

Norfolk . . . .. .......... . ...... . .. .

2

1

0

Mobile .......................... .
New Orleans . ..................... .
Jacksonville .... . . ................ .
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington .................... . .. .
Seattle ........................ . . .

0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
9
0
0

0
1
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

San Francisco .... .. . . ............. .

Aloonac .... . . . .. . ........ . ...... .
Piney Point ......... ... .... . . .... . .

Totals . .. .. ..................... .

1

64

0

0

36

0
0

0
0

0
0

4
18

0
3

0
0
0
1
4

0
1
0
0

0
0
6

40

0
0
0
14
0
0
1
0
21
0

0
1
0
0
0
0

,
0
0
0

0

14

10

24

0

0

0

1

1

0

4
0
0

3
0
0

0
0
0

42

18

29

113

40

0
1
0
0
1
0
6
0
35

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0

0

0

0

0

0
3

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0

0

0
0
1
0

47

0
0

3
16
0

0

0
1

2
1
0

26

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

Port

New York .. ........ . . ............ .

Philadelphia .... . . ......... . ... . .. .
Baltimore .. . ... ... .. ............. .

Puerto Rico . ...... . . .. .... . ...... .

Houston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .

Algonac ......................... .
St. Lou is ........................ .

Piney Point ....................... .

Totals ............ .. ....... . .... .

13

0
0
0

2
0
0
4

0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
0
0
10

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

10

0
0
0
0

23

0

0
1
0
0
11
0
0
0

0
1
7
0
0
41

0
0
16

0
0
0
6
0
0
0
0
34
0
0
1
2
0
0

0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
11
0
0
1
0
0
0

1

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

Port
New York ........................ .
Philadelphia .. . ... . ............... .
Baltimore . .

So what can I say?
r II just keep on sailing
Until the day
That I come home.
But what can I say?
For a sailor belongs on ships,
and ships belong at sea.
For I am a sailor,
And I mu.st go to sea.

Mobile .......................... .
New Orleans . ..................... .
Jacksonville ...................... .

USNS Stalwart (T-AGOS-1)

7

0

Jacksonville .............. . ....... .

And I have no teeth,

Albert Austin, bosun

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

New York . ....................... .
Philadelphia . ....... . ........•.....

Mobile .

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

. .................... .

NOrfOIK •.... . ... . ................

San Francisco ..................... .
Wilmington . ...................... .
Seattle . ......................... .

Puerto Rico ...... . ............... .

Houston .. . ..... . ................ .
Algonac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
St. Louis ........................ .
Piney Point . . . . . .. ......... . . . .... .

Totals ......... . ........... . .... .
Totals All Departments ............ ... .

0
0

0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
4
0
0
8

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
3

0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5

85

16

41

0

1

0
0

0
2

0
0
0
0
2

0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0

0
0
0
0
1
0
1

0

0

0

0

0

1

8

0

3

43

13

60

18

32

197

69

0
0
4
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
9
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
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.

September 1988 I LOG I 9

�·.W~~!r:~;!;!;'.t
;'; , ;; '.;::.

/;'.

David Backovitz

Adolf Heinsaar

Arnold B. Harnblett

J.B. Saranthus

Gary Shaneyfelt

Harold Welch

The ashes of J.B. Saranthus were scattered over the Houston Ship Channel July 28.
Saranthus, who died July 15, sailed as a mate for G&amp;H Towing Co. for 20 years. A
popular and well-liked man, he will be missed by many, especially his long-time fellow
crewmembers on the tug Trojan. Pictured on the Trojan are (I. tor.) Gerry Victor, G&amp;H
safety engineer; Shelley Eddins, a daughter; Capt. Aaron "Salty" Williams, captain of
the Trojan; Lori Wilson, another daughter, and George "Limey" Champion, AB on the
Trojan.

Deep-Sea
David Backovitz
Philadelphia, Pa.
Joined Union 1956

Arthur Jacobs

Lawrence A. Lynch

Henry Blide
Bellport, N. Y.
Joined Uaion 1943
William Brogan, 60
Virginia Beach, Va.
Joined Union 1961

Charles H. Brown

Edison Brown, 77
Reisterstown, Md.
Joined Union 1948

Glenn Conrad

Quenton Brown, 68
Wilmington, N.C.
Joined Union 1964
Robert G. Mason

Floyd W. Mullens
Ralph Bullard, 66
Philadelphia, Pa.
Joined Union 1955

Herbert B. Daugherty

John P. Dolan

Robert W. Oslin

Frank W. Smith
INLAND
Charles H. Brown, 62

Jacksonville, Fla.
Herbert B. Daugherty, 62
Jacksonville , Fla.
George J. Finnerty, 61

Leonard Y.C. Ching, 63
Honolulu, Hawaii
James C. Collins, 65
Jacksonville, Fla.
Henry Connolly, 60

New York, N.Y.
Aden Ezell Jr., 60
Mobile , Ala.
Floyd W. Fritz, 60

Jacksonville. Fla.
Eldon A. Froese, 65

Houston, Texas
Alfred P. Hargis, 65
Norfolk , Va.
Ken Hayes, 67

Lawrence A. Lynch, 65

San Francisco, Calif.
Robert G. Mason, 60

Jacksonville, Fla.
Mortimer T. Morris, 61
Mobile, Ala.
Floyd W. Mullens, 65

San Francisco, Calif.

Inland
James Baggott, 63
Charleston, S.C.
Joined Union 1976

Baltimore, Md.
Charles Young, 65

New Orleans, La.
GREAT LAKES

Glenn Conrad, 60
John P. Dolgan, 62
Algonac, Mich.

New York, N.Y.
Robert W. Oslin, 61

Wilmington, Calif.
Fred Piotrowski, 65
Algonac, Mich.
Joseph Pozzuoli, 65

Baltimore, Md.
Melvin Skipper, 65

Baltimore, Md.
Frank W. Smith, 60

Seattle, Wash.

Mobile, Ala.
James Stathis, 65

Jacksonville, Fla.

James H. Tutwiler, 60

Alfred O'Krogly, 63

Marvin E. Howell
Mobile, Ala.
Arthur Jacobs, 65

Philadelphia, Pa.

Anthony Vilanova, 59
Eugene, Ore.
Joined Union 1960

George Waller, 73
Princess Anne, Md.
Joined Union 1961

Norfolk, Va.

Alfred Seiler, 62

10 I LOG I September 1988

Dobremir Kosicki, 65
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Joined Union 1968

Joseph Landry, 58

Houston, Texas
Marvin E. Howell

Leonard Jones, 87
Jacksonville, Fla.
Joined Union 1945

Harold Welch, 65
Fremont, Calif.
Joined Union 1969

Stanley Prusinski, 67
Chicago, Ill.
Joined Union 1948

New York, N.Y.

Alfred P. Hargis

William Hudgins, 80
Mathews, Va.
Joined Union 1960

Glen Whitehead, 82
Toledo, Ohio
Joined Union 1959

Thomas Cox Jr. 62
San Francisco, Calif.
Joined Union 1956

Dominick Brancoccio, 57

Ray Gimbert, 60

Adolf Heinsaar, 61
San Leandro, Calif.
Joined Union 1962

Joseph Pozzuoli

Floyd W. Fritz

Cleveland, Ohio

Gary Shaneyfelt, 46
Mobile, Ala.
Joined Union 1962

J.B. Saranthus, 55
Mobile, Ala.
Joined Union 1962

New Orleans, La.

Ken Hayes

Arnold Hamblett, 75
Yokohama, Japan
Joined Union 1968

Marcellus Padgett, 71
Houston, Texas
Joined Union 1951

DEEPS EA

Eldon A. Froese

Edward Rokicki, 38
Bayonne, N .J.
Joined Union 1969

Edwin Davis, 67
Houston, Texas
Joined Union 1955

Milton Armstead, 52
A.den Ezell Jr.

Andrew Ecker, 27
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Joined Union 1979

San Francisco. Calif.
Ivan D. Steffey, 65
Norfolk, Va.

Brother Harry "Catfish" Granger (right)
receives his first pension check from Houston Port Agent Dean Corgey. Granger sailed
as chief pumprnan out of Houston.

�Report of Credentials Committee On
Candidates for 1988 General Election of
Officers, 1989-1992
Seafarers lnte

o a
nion of North
Amer· ca-Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes an nland
Waters District

The SIU A&amp;G Credentials Committee, elected at the headquarters membership meeting
in August, examined the records of candidates for the elections which will be held in
November and December, and certified those who qualified. From left are William

Following is the complete text of the Report of the Credentials Committee
which examined the credentials of candidates for elective office or job in the
Seafarers International Union, AGLIWD, for the years 1989-1992.
The report was presented to the membership initially at the regular membership
meeting in the port of Piney Point on Sept. 6 and was acted on affirmatively by
the membership. The same procedure will take place at all regular membership
meetings in the month of September.

W

e, the undersigned members of the Credentials Committee, were duly
elected at the regular membership meeting held in Headquarters-Port
of Piney Point on August 8, 1988. We have examined the credentials of
candidates for elective office or job in the Seafarers International Union of
North America-Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District for the years
1989-1992, in accordance with Article XI, Section 1, and submit the following
report.
Your Committee qualified or disqualified those members who submitted for
office based upon the Union Constitution, particularly those provisions contained in Articles XII and XIII. The applicable constitutional provisions are
as follows:

ARTICLE XII - Qualifications for
Officers, Headquarters Representatives,
Port Agents, Port Employees and Other
Elective Jobs
Section 1. Any member of the Union is eligible to be a candidate for, and
hold, any office or the job of Headquarters Representative, Port Agent or
Port Employee provided:
(a) He has at least three (3) years of seatime in an unlicensed capacity
aboard an American-flag merchant vessel or vessels. In computing time, time
spent in the employ of the Union, its subsidiaries and its affiliates, or in any
employment at the Union's direction, shall count the same as seatime. Union
records, Welfare Plan records and/or company records can be used to determine
eligibility; and
(b) He has been a full book member in continuous good standing in the
Union for at least three (3) years immediately prior to his nomination; and
(c) He has at least one hundred (100) days of seatime, in an unlicensed
capacity, aboard an American-flag vessel or vessels covered by contract with
this Union or one hundred (100) days of employment with, or in any office or
job of, the Union, its subsidiaries and its affiliates, or in any employment at
the Union's direction or a combination of these, between January 1, and the
time of nomination in the election year, except if such sea time is wholly aboard
such merchant vessels operating solely upon the Great Lakes or, if such
seatime is wholly aboard tugboats, towboats or dredges and contractual
employment thereon is for fixed days with equal amount of days off, he shall
have at least sixty-five (65) days of such seatime instead of the foregoing one
hundred (100) days; and

Seidenstricker, Franklin Robertson, Daniel Johnson, Committee Chairman Tom Brooks,
Todd Smith and Calvain James.

(d) He is a citizen of the United States of America; and
(e) He is not disqualified by law. He is not receiving a pension from this

Union's Pension Fund, if any, or from a Union-Management Fund ro which
Fund this Union is a party or from a company under contract with this Union.
(j) He has not sailed in a licensed capacity aboard an American-flag
merchant vessel or vessels within 24 consecutive months immediately prior to
the opening of nominations.
Section 2. All candidates for , and holders of, other elective jobs not specified
in the preceding sections shall be full book members of the Union.
Section 3. All candidates for , and holders of elective offices and jobs,
whether elected or appointed in accordance with this Constitution, shall
maintain full book membership in good standing.

ARTICLE XIII - Elections for Officers,
Headquarters Representatives, Port
Agents and Port Employees
Section 1. Nominations.
Except as provided in Section 2(b) of this Article, any full book member
may submit his name for nomination for any office, or the job of Headquarters
Representative, Port Agent or Port Employee, by delivering or causing to be
delivered in person, to the office of the Secretary at Headquarters, or sending,
a letter addressed to the Credentials Committee, in care. of the Secretary, at
the address of Headquarters. This letter shall be dated and shall contain the
following:
(a) The name of the candidate.
(b) His home address and mailing address.
(c) His book number.
(d) The title of the office or other job for which he is a candidate, including
the name of the Port in the event the position sought is that of Agent or Port
Employee.
(e) Proof of citizenship.
(j) Proof of seatime and/or employment as required for candidates.
(g) In the event the member is on a vessel, he shall notify the Credentials
Committee what vessel he is on. This shall be done also if he ships subsequent
to forwarding his credentials.
(h) Annexing a certificate in the following form, signed and dated by the
proposed nominee:
"I hereby certify that I am not now, nor, for the five (5) years
last past, have I been either a member of the Communist Party or
convicted of, or served any part of a prison term resulting from
conviction of robbery, bribery, extortion, embezzlement, grand
larceny, burglary, arson, violation of narcotics laws, murder, rape,
assault with intent to kill, assault which inflicts grievous bodily
injury, or violation of Title II or III of the Landrum-Griffin Act, or
conspiracy to commit any such crimes."
(Continued on Page 12.)
September 1988 I LOG / 11

�Report of Credentials Committee
(Continued from Page 11.)

Dated ..................................................... .
Signature of Member

VICE-PRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF
THE GULF COAST

Book No .................................................. .

Thomas L. Glidewell, G-467

Printed forms of the certificate shall be made available to nominees. Where
a nominee cannot truthfully execute such a certificate, but is, in fact, legally
eligible for an office or job by reason of the restoration of civil rights originally
revoked by such conviction or a favorable determination by the Board of
Parole of the United States Department of Justice, he shall, in lieu of the
foregoing certificate, furnish a complete signed statement of the facts of his
case together with true copies of the documents supporting his statement.
Any full book member may nominate any other full book member in which
event such full book member so nominated shall comply with the provisions
of this Article as they are set forth herein, relating to the submission of
credentials. By reason of the above self nomination provision the responsibility,
if any, for notifying a nominee of his nomination to office, shall be that of the
nominator.
All documents required herein must reach Headquarters no earlier than July
15 and no later than August 15 of the election year.
The Secretary is charged with safekeeping of these letters and shall turn
them over to the Credentials Committee upon the latter's request.
In order to ascertain the meaning of the term "member in good standing"
which is used in Article XII, Subsection l(b), the Committee referred to Article
XXIV, Section 9 of our Constitution which reads as follows:

"Section 9. The term, 'member in good standing', shall mean a member
whose monetary oblit,ations to the Union are not in arrears for thirty days or
more, or who is not under suspension or expulsion effective in accordance
with this Constitution. Unless otherwise expressly indicated, the term, 'member,'
shall mean a member in good standing."
Your Committee also referred to Article XXIV, Section 13 for the definition
of the term "seatime". This section reads as follows:

"Section 13. The term 'seatime' shall include employment upon any navigable waters, or days of employment in a contracted employer unit represented
by the Union."
We also noted in Article XXIV, Section 14, the meaning of the term "in an
unlicensed capacity aboard an American-flag merchant vessel or vessels."
This portion of the Constitution reads as follows:

"Section 14. The term 'in an unlicensed capacity aboard an American-flag
merchant vessel or vessels,' shall include persons employed in an unlicensed
or licensed capacity aboard dredges, tugboats, towboats and similar vessels
used to tow, propel, or push barges or other conveyances or assist merchant
vessels in docking or undocking, or persons otherwise employed in a contracted
employer unit represented by the Union."
After full and careful deliberations, the Committee made its decisions and
sent appropriate notification to candidates. The ultimate decisions of this
Committee are later set forth. In arriving at these ultimate decisions, the
Committee was most concerned with carrying out a stated principle of our
Union which is that "every qualified member shall have the right to nominate
himself for, and, if elected or appointed, to hold office in this Union."
In connection with the foregoing, we have also consulted with the Secretary
who, under our Constitution, has the obligation to insure appropriate election
procedures as legally required (Article XIII, Section 7). Our Secretary has
further consulted with the Union's Counsel as to the law applicable in Union
nominations and elections.
The following is a complete listing of all men who submitted their credentials
to the Committee. Their names and the office or job for which they submitted
such credentials are listed in the order in which this Committee feels they
should be placed on the general ballot, that is, in alphabetical order under the
office or job for which they run, anclthat the Ports, following the Headquarters
offices, beginning with Piney Point, be arranged on the ballot geographically,
as has been done in the past. After each man's name and book number is his
qualification or disqualification, followed by the reason for that decision.
PRESIDENT
Leo Cronsohn, C-801
Michael Sacco, S-1288

Qualified-Credentials in order.
Qualified-Credentials in order.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Joseph Sacco, S-1287

Qualified-Credentials in order.

SECRETARY
Joseph DiGiorgio, D-2

Qualified-Credentials in order.

VICE-PRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF CONTRACTS
AND CONTRACT ENFORCEMENT
Qualified-Credentials in order.
Angus Campbell, C-217

12 I LOG I September 1988

VICE-PRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF
THE WEST COAST
George McCartney, M-948

Qualified-Credentials in order.

VICE-PRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF
THE LAKES AND INLAND WATERS
John Fay, F-363

Qualified-Credentials in order.

VICE-PRESIDENT
GOVERNMENT SERVICES
Roy A. Mercer, M-25001

Qualified-Credentials in order.

HEADQUARTERS REPRESENTATIVE
Leo Bonser, B-1193
Byron Kelley, K-12039
Carl Peth, P-755
Robert Pomerlane, P-437
George Ripoll, R-708

Qualified-Credentials
Qualified-Credentials
Qualified-Credentials
Qualified-Credentials
Qualified-Credentials

in
in
in
in
in

order.
order.
order.
order.
order.

PINEY POINT PORT AGENT
James A. Martin, M-5290

Qualified-Credentials in order.

PINEY POINT PORT EMPLOYEE
Hom, Kwong Jin, H-8002

Qualified-Credentials in order.

NEW YORK PORT AGENT
Augustin "Augie" Tellez, T-764

Qualified-Credentials in order.

NEW YORK PORT EMPLOYEE
Trevor "Robbie" Robertson, R-723
Robert Selzer, S-1258

Qualified-Credentials in order.
Qualified-Credentials in order.

PHILADELPHIA PORT AGENT
Harry L. Dennis III, D-5377
David Heindel, H-1443

Qualified-Credentials in order.
Qualified-Credentials in order.

PHILADELPHIA PORT EMPLOYEE
Kermett T. Mangram, M-2394

Qualified-Credentials in order.

BALTIMORE PORT AGENT
Allen P. Raymond, R-670

Qualified-Credentials in order.

BALTIMORE PORT EMPLOYEE
James P. McGee, M-5945

Qualified-Credentials in order.

MOBILE PORT AGENT
George Vukmir, V-269

Qualified-Credentials in order.

MOBILE PORT EMPLOYEE
Edward "Edd" W. Morris, M-1358

Qualified-Credentials in order.

NEW ORLEANS PORT AGENT
Ray Singletary, S-2260

Qualified-Credentials in order.

NEW ORLEANS PORT EMPLOYEE
Nick Celona, C-1578

Qualified-Credentials in order.

HOUSTON PORT AGENT
Dean Corgey, C-5727

Qualified-Credentials in order.

HOUSTON PORT EMPLOYEE
Frank Gill, G-8002

Qualified-Credentials in order.

SAN FRANCISCO PORT AGENT
Donald C. Anderson, A-5244

Qualified-Credentials in order.

SAN FRANCISCO PORT EMPLOYEE
Thomas J. Fay, F-514
Gentry Moore, M-8001
Ted A. Tolentino, T-486

Qualified-Credentials in order.
Qualified-Credentials in order.
Qualified-Credentials in order.

ST. LOUIS PORT AGENT
David M. Carter, C-12088

Qualified-Credentials in order.

ST. LOUIS PORT EMPLOYEE

VICE-PRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF
THE ATLANTIC COAST
Jack Caffey, C-1010

Qualified:.._Credentials in order.

Jesse Solis, S-8001
Qualified-Credentials in order.

Qualified-Credentials in order.

(Continued on Page 13.)

�Report of Credentials Committee
(Continued from Page 12.)
DETROIT-ALGONAC PORT AGENT
Jack Allen, A-674
Richard "Dick" Gordon , G-943
William G. Truax, T-715
DETROIT-ALGONAC PORT EMPLOYEE
Andrew J. Goulet, G-1221 (See NOTE at
end of report.)

M. Joseph Sigler, S-2101
HAWAII PATROLMAN
Eufemiano Magbaleta, M-8018

*

Qualified-Credentials in order.
Qualified-Credentials in order.
Qualified-Credentials in order.
Disqualified-Was not in continuous good standing for three (3)
years prior to time
of nomination.
Qualified-Credentials in order.
Disqualified-Position of Patrolman Port of Hawaii not on ballot.

As you will note in the foregoing sections of the Committee's Report, the
provisions of the SIU Constitution governing election procedures made it
mandatory that some of the nominees be disqualified. In light of these
circumstances, the Committee wishes to call to the attention of all members
the necessity of following all requirements and procedures which are established
by our Constitution to govern eligibility to candidacy to Union office. However,
at this time, the Committee particularly desires to point out the provisions of
Article XIII, Section 2(c) of the Constitution, which spell out in detail the right
of a disqualified candidate to appeal from the decision of the Credentials
Committee and how he does it.
In compliance with Article XIII, Section 2(b) of our Constitution, and in an
attempt to give every nominee every consideration and to try to prevent any
disqualifications by this Committee, Samuel T. Brooks, Book B-1196, and
William Seidenstricker, Book S-1531, of the Credentials Committee, remained
at the entrance of the Headquarters building of the Union until midnight of
Monday, August 15, 1988, to receive any credentials that might h·a ve been
delivered either by mail or by hand after the closing of business hours by the
Union.
The Committee points out that in the President's Pre-Balloting Report
approved by the membership as per the Constitution and published in the May
SEAFARERS LOG the exact offices and jobs for which nominations were to
be made was set forth.
In passing upon the credentials for certain of the nominees, this Committee
had to make two (2) disqualifications, and the following are the details relative
to each of those disqualifications:
1. Andrew J. Goulet, G-1221-Candidate for Port Employee-Port ofDetroitAlgonac.
Union records indicate that Brother Goulet paid his dues for the First
Quarter of 1987 on March 31, 1987, whereas they should have been paid no
later than January 30, 1987. Brother Goulet was, therefore, disqualified under
the provisions of Article XII, Section l(b), which reads as follows:
"ARTICLE XII, SECTION 1. Any member of the Union is eligible to be a
candidate for, and hold, any office or the job of Headquarters Rep.r esentative,
Port Agent or Port Employee provided:
(b) He has been a full book member in continuous good standing in the
Union for at least three (3) years immediately prior to his nomination;"
Based upon the provisions of Article XII, Section l(b), and further supported
by Article III, Section 3; Article V and Article XXIV, Section 9, previously
carried herein, the Committee disqualified Brother Goulet for the job of Port
Employee-Port of Detroit-Algonac.
In accordance with the requirements of Article XIII, Section 2(c) of our
Constitution, and in order to assure adequate notice of its decision, the
Committee informed Brother Goulet of his disqualification by mailgram sent
on August 18, 1988 to the address stated in his letter of nomination. Moreover,
the mailgram was followed by a Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested letter
dated August 18, 1988 from the Committee to Brother Goulet that set forth
the reason for his disqualification. A copy of the Union Constitution was
enclosed with the aforementioned letter so that Brother Goulet would have
available the procedure to be followed in appeal from the disqualification
decision of the Committee.
2. Eufemiano Magbaleta, M-8018 *--Candidate for Patrolman-Port of Hawaii.
The Committee received a letter on August 15, 1988 from Eufemiano
Magbaleta, which was dated August 8, 1988, to be a candidate for Union
Patrolman in Hawaii. Brother Magbaleta was disqualified by the Committee
in that no such position exists on the ballot. Brother Magbaleta was advised
of his disqualification by mailgram sent on August 17, 1988 to the address
stated in his letter of nomination. Moreover, the mailgram was followed by a
Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested letter dated August 18, 1988 from the
Committee to Brother Magbaleta that set forth the reasons for his disqualification. A copy of the Union Constitution was enclosed with the aforementioned
letter.

Subsequent to our mailgram and letter to Brother Magbaleta, the Committee
received a letter on August 25, 1988 from Eufemiano Magbaleta which was
dated August 19, 1988 in which Brother Magbaleta appealed the decision of
the Credentials Committee. Brother Magbaleta was adviseG by a Certified Mail
Return Receipt Requested letter dated August 26, 1988 that there is no position
on the ballot of Union Patrolman in the Port of Hawaii, and, therefore, an
appeal is not appropriate.
The Committee reviewed the credentials of Richard (Dick) Gordon, G-943,
and noted that the appropriate certificate was not included with his letter of
nomination. By letter dated August 18, 1988, the Committee advised Brother
Gordon that a certificate should be mailed to the Committee immediately. The
Committee received by return mail the missing certificate and Brother Richard
(Dick) Gordon was deemed qualified to appear on the ballot as a candidate for
Detroit-Algonac Port Agent.
The membership can readily see from the foregoing report that your
Committee has made every effort possible within the confines of our Constitution to qualify every nominee.
All credentials received as of August 9, 1988, were turned over to the
Committee in good order at 9:00 A.M. on that date, and those received by
mail subsequently, but not later than August 15, 1988, have similarly been
furnished to the Committee in good order. All credentials have been examined
in strict accordance with the Constitution. Any defect in the credentials
disposed of by the Committee has been the sole responsibility of the sender
and no person adversely affected by such defect hc;:s denied this to the
Committee.
The Committee, in closing out its report, had turned over to it the credentials
of Brother James E. Tyson, T-744, for nomination for Patrolman in the Port
of Norfolk. Brother Tyson's letter of nomination was dated January 27, 1988
and was received in the office of the Secretary on February 8, 1988. By letter
dated February 19, 1988 Brother James E. Tyson was advised that there would
be no position on the ballot of Patrolman in the Port of Norfolk. Brother Tyson
was sent a copy of the Constitution to aid him in his desire to nominate himself
for a position on the ballot at the appropriate time. He was further advised
that Article XIII, Section 1 of the Union Constitution states the following:
"All documents required herein must reach Headquarters no earlier than
July 15 and no later than August 15 of the election year."
Under the Constitution, any candidate has more than sufficient time for
nomination to office. He has almost unlimited time to file his credentials as
long as they are received within the thirty-day period, July 15-August 15. In
view of the clear constitutional language and most liberal opportunity for a
member to timely nominate himself, we find Brother James E.' Tyson unqualified.
Regretfully, the Credentials Committee has not received any further communication from Brother James E. Tyson.
Fraternally submitted,

August 26, 1988

CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE

Samuel (Tom) Brooks, Chairman, B-1196

Calvain A. James, J-3

Daniel Johnson, J-577

Franklin Robertson, R-1307

William Seidenstricker, S-1531

Todd Smith, S-2318
* * *
NOTE:
Subsequent to the completion of the Credentials Committee Report, Andrew
J. Goulet, G-1221, appealed his disqualification on the basis of the fact that his
Union dues for the First Quarter of 1987 were inadvertently not deducted from
his vacation pay as previously authorized. The membership voted to grant the
appeal and qualify Brother Goulet as a candidate for Detroit-Algonac Port
Employee, and his name will appear on the ballot accordingly.

September 1988 I LOG I 13

�Bar-B-Que
Tillle
On the

Darnell

Steward Philip Lav

What better way to spend a summer evening than a cookout, and if
you don't have a backyard, a fantail
in the middle of the Pacific will do.
The crew of the SIU-contracted
Gus Darnell (Ocean Ships Inc.),
thanks to the efforts of Chief Cook
Simon Shargabian and Steward
Philip Lav, had the chance for a
break from the ordinary. Thanks to
AB J. Elbe for the pictures.

Ready at the grill, Chief Cook Simon Shargabian cooks 'em to order.

Chief Cook Simon Shargabian and Messman Tom Route at the
bountiful table.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in

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 . Members of this committee may make dissenting
reports, specific recommendations and separate findings.
TRUST FUNDS. All trust funds of the SIU Atlantic.
Gutt. 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 an&lt;l 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.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and seniority are protected exclusively by the contracts between the
Union and the employers . Get to know your shipping
rights. Copies of these contracts are posted and available
in all Union halls. If you feel then~ 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 hy 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 ref erred 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 your contract rights. as well as
your ohligations. such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If. at any time. any Sl U

14 I LOG I September 1988

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
all Union halls. All members 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 as dealing with charges, trials. etc.,
as well as all other details. then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights arc clearly set forth in the ·SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently. no member may he discrimi nated against because of race. creed. color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any member feels that he i-;
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
11111111m111 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111n1111111111111111nu11111111111111n1111111111111

patrolman or other Union offi::::ial. in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly. contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refr~ined from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union.
officer or memher. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September. 1960. meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsihility for Log
policy is veste&lt;l in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES.- No monies are to he paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. Um.ler no circumstances should any member pay any money for any reason
unless he is given such receipt. l n the event anyone
attempts to require any such payment he 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 heen requireJ to make such payment. this
should immediately he reportcJ to Union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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 supports and
contribute to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contrihution may be
solicited or received hecause of force. joh discrimination,
financial reprisal. or threat of such conduct. or as a condition of membership in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made hy reason of the above improper
conduct, notify the Scatarers Union or SPAD hy certified
mail within 30 days of the contrihution 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 information, he should immediately notify
SIU President Frank Drozak at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The address is 5201 Auth Way and Britannia
Way, Prince Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

�SHLSS Keeping the Industry
ROiiing - TMT Driver Training at SHLSS
ore recent evidence of the SIU' s
commitment
to
seeking out new job
opportunities in the
industry was the creation of the
TMT Driver Training course held
here at the Lundeberg School.
In this case, the training was for
new UIW members, showing
once again that the SIU/UIW
recognizes the need to supply
skilled people for new areas of
the maritime industry.
The skills learned by the men
and women in the driver training
course will be applied on the
job for Crowley Trailer Marine
Transport. The company's
unique and trend-setting barge
operation dictates the need for
specialized driving skills. The
700-foot-long, triple deck barge
uses carefully orchestrated
movements of tractor trailers to
load and unload simultaneously.
During the two-week program, the students learned several types of skills: backing down
a 40-foot container for a 700foot-long stretch, parking trailers, and ship and barge driving.

• by John Gildersleeve

As with all dock-related jobs,
safety was stressed heavily as
part of the curriculum. Additionally , the students learned of
the important role the Union
plays in advancing their job opportunities and security. With
the help of the excellent crane
facilities at the SHLSS, the students were given the opportunity for some real life "OJT";
further adding to the advanced
skills the students needed to
successfully execute all maneuvers required on the docks.

The SIU /UIW and the Crowley Corporation, in establishing
this program, have shown how
labor and management can unite
in a common effort and show
their commitment to the industry's future workforce through
responsive action that benefits
all. With the help of the newly
trained UIW drivers, Crowley
TMT and the SIU/UIW, I am
sure that we are all driving toward the same goal, and that is
to be successful at any new
challenge that comes our way.

A Left to right: John Wozunk (Inst.), Joseph J. Zemek, David Appel, Billy Brown, Tom
McCormick, James D. Roman, Mark Gray, John Gildersleeve (lost.).

Special thanks go to Ken
Conklin, Bill Eglinton, Bill Hellwege, and Eddy G. for helping
us to make this program the
success it was.

A Instructor John Gildersleeve (right) congratulates top student, Billy Brown.

A Instructor John Gildersleeve puts a student driver through the paces.

September 1988 I LOG I 15

�SHLSS course craduates
Chief Cook &amp; Baker 8/3/88
~
Left to right: Hayes Johnson, Doug Neubauer, Mike Northrup, Willie Rose, James
H. Smith.

-

Canadian Chief Cooks 8/12/88
Left to right: Bill Eglinton (Dir. of Voe. Education), Jean
MacDonald, Ken Conklin (V.P. SHLSS), Marilyn Warrell,
Gary Johnson, Bill Hellwege (Sealift Coordinator), Edward
White (Steward Instructor).

Marine Electrical Maintenance 8/17/88
Left to right: Paul M. Titus, Joe Saxon, Valerio F. Carpi,
Kevin Bertel.

Crane Training 8/8/88
Left to right: Tom McNear, Roy Yarling, Craig Holben, Ken
Conklin (SHLSS V.P.), David Cabrera, Victor Bell, Darin
L. Zabor.

Canadian Wheelsmen 8/8/88
First row, left to right: Sean Flaherty, Christian Noel, Jacques
Gelderblom, Lawrence Kisser, Vince Faries. Second row:
Luc Boughner, Andrew Macintosh, Karl Farnell, Alex Bell,
Larry Carlsner, Michael Morrissette.

Sealift 8/10/88
First row, left to right: Kas.sim Shaibi, Gina Lightfoot,
Donald Smith, William Capps. Second row: Bill Tadios,
Glenn D' Ambrosio, Steve Sylvia, Ahmed Hussain, Alberto
Matos, Harry Alongi (Inst.). Third row: Leonte R. Cordova, Craig A. Luoto, Jerry Beaubren, Charles Betz.

T.M.T. Driving Clas.s 8/25/88
First row, left to right: Steve Chmielowski, William Taylor,
Jerry Stine. Second row: Bill Murray, James Lightcap, James
Flanagan, John Wozunk (Inst.).

HARRY

LUNOEBERG

UFt.BOf.\T

CLASS

429
,, .. x ...- ...... ::: _. .....

-

Lifeboat 8/4/88
First row, left to right: Darwin L. Hand, William Capps, Linda Ray, Manfred
Mueller, Donald Smith, Leonte R. Cordova. Second row: Charlie Betz, Donald
Rezendes, Joey Clements, Jeff Engebretson, Mark Davis.

16 I LOG I September 1988

Trainee Lifeboat Clas.s #429 8/4/88
First row, left to right: Wendell Bloodsworth, Essick Moses, Esther Wilkes,
Robin Swanson, Daniel Zealberg, Mark Billiot. Second row: Ben Cusic (Inst.),
Albert R. Sweetman, Brian Wolfe, Marcus Hemenway, Daniel Vazquez, Le
Barron West, Ernest B. Perreira, David Partikian, Jayson Joyce.

�1988 Upgrading
Course Schedule

Deck Upgrading Courses
Course
Able Seaman

Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote O.S. Maritime Industry
September - December 1988
The following is the current course schedule for Sept. 1988 December 1988 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.

Completion
Date

September 19
October 31

October28
December 9

September 23
September t 2
November 7
November 18
*.Minimum number of students required for radar class to be held is four (4).

Radar Observer &lt;Inltd.

Radar Refresher/Renewal

Open-ended, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date.)

Radar Recertification

Open-ended, 1 day (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date)

*.Minimum number of students required for Celestial Navigation class to
be held is five (5).
Lifeboat

September 19
October 17
November 14
December 12

LNG -

(This course is not offered as a
separate course, but may be
taken while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)

Self Study Safety Course

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.

Check-In
Date

September 30
October 28
November 25
December 23

*Upon completion of course must take Sealift Operations &amp; .Maintenance.

PLEASE NOTE: All members are required to take firefighting when
attending SHLSS.

Engine Opgrading Courses
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Refrigeration Systems .Maint. &amp; Op.

October 3

November 11

Recertification Programs
Course
Steward Recertification
Bosuns Recertification

Pump room

ain • &amp; Operations

ep em er
September 5

October 14

Electro-Hydraulic Systems

November 7

December 16

Automation

November 21

December 16

Welding

November 21

December 16

Hydraulics

October 17

November 11

Third Asst. Engineer/Steam or .Motor

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for Starting Date)

*All students in the Engine Department will have 2 weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

September 26

November 7

Adult Education Courses
Check-In
Completion
Course
Date
Date
For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes in 1988, the
courses will be six weeks in length and offered on the following dates:
High School Equlvalency (GED)

Steward Upgrading Courses
Completion
Date

Assistant Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Cook and Baker

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office

October 31

December 12

October 31

December 10

Adult Basic Education (ABE)
English as a Second Language (ESL)

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

co er

Variable Speed DC Drives

Course

Check-In
Date

The Developmental Studies Class (DYS) will be offered one week prior to
some of the upgrading classes.
Developmental Studies (DVS)

(Offered prior to the Third Mate &amp;
Original Second Mates Course)

for starting date)*
Chief Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Steward

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

•All students in the Steward Program will have 2 weeks of Sealift
familiarization at the end of their regular course.

College Programs Scheduled for 1 g·aa
Check-In
Course
Date
Associates in Arts or Certificate Program August 8

Completion
Date
September 30

September 1988 I LOG / 17

-

�..........................................................................................................................................

Seafare rs Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Upgrading Application
Name

(Last)

(first)

Date of Birth

(Middle)

Address

Mo./Day/Year

(Street)

(State)

(City)

Deep Sea Member D

Telephone

(Zip Code)

Inland Waters Member D

(Area Code)

Lakes Member D

Pacific D

If the following imformation is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.
Social Security#--------

Book#______ Sen iority______ Department _ _ _ _ __
Home Port _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces D Yes D No

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: D Yes
Trainee Program: From _______ to

Last grade of schooling completed _ _ _ __

(dates attended)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: D Yes

No D (if yes, fill in below)

Course(s)Taken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: D Yes

No D

Firefighting: D Yes No D

CPR: D Yes No D

Date Available for Training _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Primary Language Spoken _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
I Am interested in the Following Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated Here if Not Listed
ENGINE

DECK
D AB/Seallft
O Towboat Operator Inland
D Celestial Navigation
0 Master Inspected Towing Vessel
D 1st Class Pilot (organized self study)
0 Third Mate
O Radar Observer Unlimited

ALL DEPARTMENTS
D Welding
0 Llfeboatman (Must be taken with another
course)

No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

STEWARD

0 FOWT
0 QMED-Any Rating
D Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
O Marine Electrical Maintenance
O Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
O Automation
0 Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
0 Diesel Engine Technology
O Assistant Engineer/Chief Engineer
Un Inspected Motor Vessel
0 Orginal 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor
0 Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
D Hydraulics
O Electro-Hydraulic Systems

D
D
0
0
D

Assistant Cook Utility
Cook and Baker
Chief Cook
Chief Steward
Towboat Inland Cook

COLLEGE PROGRAM
O Associates In Arts Degree
D Certificate Programs

ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTP.1ENT
D Adult Basic Education (ABE)
D High School Equlvalency
Program (GED)
0 Developmental Studies (DVS)
D English as a Second Language (ESL)
O ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted showing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the
course(s) requested.
You must also submit a COPY of the first page of your union book indicating your department and seniority, as well
as, a COPY of your clinic card. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is received.
VESSEL

RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

DATE OF DISCHARGE

DATE~~---------~--~

RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

Rev.
.
2188
,__,.-.-.-..-.................................................................................................................
·--·

18 I LOG I September 1988

.....

·~·~_;:-...

.....

~

\

�LING ARIES (Energy Transportation
Corp.), July-Chairman John Davis, Secretary D.A. Pappas, Educational Director
M.B. Goins, Deck Delegate AC. Pickford,
Engine Delegate R. Robertson, Steward
Delegate B.T. McEleney. No beefs or disputed OT reported. There is $410.28 in the
ship's fund. The treasurer noted that the
captain donates all slop chest profits to the
fund. Several crewmembers suggested that
a new exercise bicycle be purchased since
the one onboard is in poor shape. Also
suggested were a new ping-pong table and
darts. The treasurer will approach the captain with these suggestions. Everything is
running smoothly, according to the chairman. He reminded the membership not to
slam their doors and wake those who are
off watch. Since there are three new members on board, the educational director took
the time to talk about the importance of
upgrading at Piney Point and of taking full
advantage of the courses there, including
the associates degree. The entire crew
offered their condolences to the family of
Brother Frank Drozak. "We are all appreciative of the efforts he made to make this
a better union. We also wish Mike Sacco
the best. We're behind him 100 percent."
A vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for being such a good feeder,
and "especially to Brian McEleney, chief
cook, for the fine quality of food he prepares." Next ports: Nagoya, Japan and
Bontang, Indonesia.
OMI MISSOURI (OMI), July 24Chairman Carl Francum, Secretary Kris
Hopkins, Educational Director John Penrose. The engine department had quite a
bit of disputed OT which will be taken up
with the boarding patrolman. Apparently,
the chief engin r has been performing
work that should be done by the QMEDs.
There is $260 in the ship's movie fund.
The chairman reported that two QMEDs
left the ship in India for personal reasons.
One replacement came aboard in Singapore, and the ship sailed short one man
on the return trip. The crew was very
saddened by the news of President Drozak's passing. "He will surely be missed
by all of us." Everyone chipped in and sent
flowers to the funeral. "We would like to
thank Sparky Dole for his assistance" in
getting all the arrangements made. Crewmembers were urged to take advantage of
the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of
Seamanship. "Upgrading your skills makes
for good job security." A vote of thanks
went to the steward department for "an
exceptional job with the chow. It is by far
the best feeder in the SIU fleet." The
steward, in turn, thanked the entire crew
for helping to keep the vessel clean, especially the 12-4 watch. The OM/ Missouri
reports to the LOG that it conducted a
burial at sea for a retired master on May
29. "He went to Davy Jones's locker with
all present. May he rest in peace." Next
port: the Philippines.
OVERSEAS ALICE (Maritime Overseas Corp.), July 27-Chairman Steve
Copeland, Secretary Collie Loper Jr., Educational Director M.W. Roberson. No beefs
or disputed OT. There is $240 in the ship's
fund. The chairman reminded the crew to
help take care of the movies and return
them, in their cases, to the movie locker.
He also stressed the importance of upgrading at Piney Point. 'The SIU must
have enough qualified members to man
the ships." The secretary pointed out the
benefits of contributing to SPAD, and the
educational director underlined the need
to maintain a high SIU standard at all
times-and to keep the ship a safe one.
The crew was saddened to learn of the
death of SIU President Frank Drozak. One
minute of silence was stood in memory of
our departed brothers and sisters, and an
additional minute was stood in memory of
Brother Drozak. Next port: Subic Bay, P.R.
SEA·LAND ANCHORAGE (Sea-Land
Service), July 26-Chairman E.J. Duhon,

Secretary J. Wright, Educational Director
M.L. Frizzel, Deck Delegate S. Ackley,
Engine Delegate J. Trauth, Steward Delegate R. Maddox. No disputed OT was
reported. The engine department, however, would like to get a response from the
company on the use of shoreside laborers
to do jobs that should be OT for the black
gang. Thanks were given to all hands for
helping keep the ship clean. "In this election year, let's make sure that we are all
registered to vote and that we put people
in office who will help the entire maritime
industry." A vote of thanks was given to
the steward department, especially to Chief
Cook Bob Maddox "for the fine chow."
Next port: Tacoma, Wash.

SEA·LAND ENTERPRISE (Sea-Land
Service), July 17--Chairman E. Cary, Secretary A. Reasko, Educational Director F.
Hall. Copies of the last LOG were received
in Hawaii; the next payoff will take place
in Oakland, Calif. on July 27. Everything
is running pretty smoothly with no major
beefs. There was, however, some disputed
OT in the steward department which will
be taken up with the boarding patrolman
at payoff. There are no fans in the crew
quarters-as provided for in the agreement. One minute of silence was observed
in memory of our departed brothers and
sisters.
SEA·LAND EXPLORER (Sea-Land
Service), July 3-Chairman LC. Cope,
Secretary W. Hawkins, Educational Director/Engine Delegate S. Tellech, Deck Delegate William Murphy, Steward Delegate
W. McWilliams. No beefs or disputed OT
reported. The chairman discussed what
had been taken care of in the shipyard and
how all the safety rules had been observed
and carried out. He thanked everyone for
their cooperation. All communications received from headquarters have been posted.
The safety meeting was well represented
by all departments. M mber abo rd the
Explorer appear to be very safety-conscious. A motion was made and seconded
that all vacation time be credited toward
retirement. This will be discussed with the
boarding patrolman at payoff. The chairman advised all members that if they have
any questions pertaining to current Union
activities, they should talk with the Union
representative. A special moment of silence was observed in memory of our
departed president, Frank Drozak.
SEA·LAND INDEPENDENCE (SeaLand Service), June 29-Chairman Joseph
San Filippo, Secretary Charles E. Taylor,
Educational Director Jimmie Nicholson. No
beefs or disputed OT. There is $95 in the
ship's fund. The crew of the Sea-Land
Independence expressed sorrow at hearing of the death of President Drozak. They
also gave congratulations and support to
Mike Sacco in his new job as head of the
SIU. The educational director reminded
everyone of the importance of getting a
good education, and that "there is no place
finer for Seafarers than the facilities at
Piney Point". Several suggestions were
brought up to help in a smoother running
operation. First, the gangway net should
be in place or a storing crane used when
taking on stores. The work light on the
starboard side should be fixed. As it is,
crew are unable to see the mate for signals
to operate the mooring winches. Also, the
chief mate should leave the handling of
the lines to the ABs. Next port: Tacoma,
Wash.
SEA·LAND PATRIOT (Sea-Land
Service), July 28--Chairman John W. Curlew, Secretary A. Delaney. No beefs or
disputed OT reported. The bosun reminded
the crew to report any unsafe or hazardous
conditions to their department head, as
well as any needed repairs. He also posted
the wage increases on the bulletin board
for all members to take a look at. As
requested by the captain, the steward advised the crew of Sea-Land's new food

plan for vessels. The crew agreed that it
would be a good plan if Sea-Land would
put the food onboard. As yet, many of the
items have not been included in the stores.
A motion was made and seconded that the
steward utility should receive the wages of
a third cook pantryman because of the
many jobs combined in his. It was approved
by the members and will be brought up in
a discussion at payoff. All hands were
asked to make an effort to keep the crew
lounge area clean and to "leave it as you
find it." The steward department received
a vote of thanks for a job well done.

SEA·LAND VOYAGER (Sea-Land
Service), July 16-Chairman R. Murry,
Secretary C. Gibson, Educational Director
D. Johnson. Some beefs were reported in
the deck and engine departments. Payoff
is scheduled for July 24 in Tacoma, and it
was requested that a patrolman be present
at payoff. The educational director stated
that "the recent loss of our president will
be felt for a long time. But if our membership
stands behind our new leadership, we
should gain in strength and members." He
also noted that upgrading at this time is
very important for all eligible members. A
vote of thanks was given to the steward
department for a job well done. Next port:
Tacoma, Wash.
STUYVESANT (Bay Tankers), June
24-Chairman Bob Whytock, Secretary Ed
Kilford, Educational Director Tony Smith,
Deck Delegate William Kleimola, Engine
Delegate Richard Groening, Steward Delegate Linton Taylor. No beefs or disputed
OT reported. Upon hearing of the death of
President Drozak, members of the Stuyvesant said, "We are truly sorry to report
the passing of President Frank Drozak,
and would like to send his wife and family
our prayers and sympathy." New door
locks have come onboard and have been
installed wherever needed. Any problems
should be reported to the bosun. The
chairman noted that both national and
Union elections are coming up in November. "As to the national-keep in mind that
grassroots campaigning starts with your
vote. Let's beat the Reagan-Bush machine." With regard to the Union elections,
he said "Constitutional changes are not
to be taken lightly. Think, then vote. " The
educational director talked about the critical
shortage of able seamen. Anyone with the
necessary seatime should contact Manpower Coordinator Bart Rogers or their
port agent to upgrade. The crew tape player
has been broken four times this trip. Members were reminded to treat it gently. There
is only one ice machine onboard the Stuyvesant that can be used by the crew. The
captain has allowed it to be padlocked and

no one can get ice. This problem will be
taken up with the patrolman at payoff. Next
port: Long Beach, Calif.

USNS DUTTON (LSC), June 16Chairman Frank Coburn, Secretary Tracey
Mcfarlane, Engine Delegate Jim Scott,
(Temporary) Deck Delegate Pat Dillon,
(Temporary) Steward Delegate Brian Gauthier. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
There is $149.03 in the ship's fund. The
chairman checked with the captain and
Coast Guard to make sure the Dutton is
not required to carry survival suits. A notice
was read and posted on the bulletin regarding the death of President Frank Drozak. A telex was sent back to headquarters
expressing the crew's sympathy. Copies
of the LSC contract are available in the
secretary's office at any time. The responsibilities of a delegate were explained and
port draws were clarified. The crew lounge
TV was fixed and the water fountain for
the gym is still being looked into. Someone
should also look into seeing if the soda
machine can be fixed. Next port: Curacao.
Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
AMERICAN CORMORANT
AMERICAN HERITAGE
BAYAMON
BAY RIDGE
LNG CAPRICORN
CHARLESTON
COVE LIBERTY
COVE TRADER
FALCON LEADER
GALVESTON BAY
GOLDEN MONARCH
GREAT LAND
LIBERTY SUN
LNG LIBRA
NEDLLOYD HOLLAND
OMI COLUMBIA
OVERSEAS JOYCE

OVERSEAS JUNEAU
PAUL BUCK
PONCE
SAN JUAN
SEA-LAND ACHIEVER
SEA-WO CRUSADER
SEA-LAND DEVELOPER
SEA-LAND ENDURANCE
SEA-LAND EXPEDITION
SEA-LAND KODIAK
SEA-LAND LIBERATOR
SEA-LAND MARINER
SEA-LAND NAVIGATOR
SEA-LAND PRODUCER
THOMPSON PASS
ULTRASEA
USNS WILKES

Personals
Jim Bishop
"I have your videotape." Contact
John Steeber Jr., 24 Grant Place, Irvington, N .J. 07111.
Francisco Rivera
Please call Marie Martin in North
Carolina at 1-800-334-0118
Henry L. Scott
Call your mother. She has a message
for you.

-

Monthly
Membership Me~tings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, October 3 ................... 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, October 4 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, October 5 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, October 6 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, October 6 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday, October 6 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, October 7 .................... 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Tuesday, October 11 .................. 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, October 11 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, October 12 ............... 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, October 13 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, October 17 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .................. Friday, October 21 ................... 10:30a.m.
San Juan ................ Thursday, October 6 .................. 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, October 14 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Friday, October 14 ................... 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday, October 12 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, October 19 ............... 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, October 18 .................. 10:30 a.m.

-·

September 1988 I LOG / 19

�CL

L

NP

Directory of Ports

-Company/Lakes

-Lakes

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

-Non Priority

AUGUST 1-31, 1988

"TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac ...................

0

15

14

DECK DEPARTMENT
31
17
0

0

9

Port
Algonac ...................

a

12

4

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
20
5
0

0

10

Port
Algonac ... ................

a

4

4

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
4
0
8

0

3

Port
Algonac ...................

9

4
HEADQUARTERS

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

25
47

14

0

Michael Sacco, President
Joseph Sacco, Executive Vice President
Angus "Red" Campbell, Vice President
Joe DIGiorgio, Secretary
Jack Caffey, Vice President
Thomas Glidewell, Vice President
George McCartney, Vice President
John Fay, Vice President
Roy A. Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

3

20

25

34

0

26
0
59
0
45
Totals All Departments ........
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 .

5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 207 46
(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, 1988
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 .................
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 8 Class C

52
4
9
17
11
37
23
35
14
38
13
7
45
1
2

308

20
2
6
11
10
31
23
20
16
19
4
9
15
0
5

14
3
8
9
5
8
12
12
6
6
2
13
12
3
3

117

7
0
3
4
2
3
1
8
4
6
0
6
0
1
8

9
1
0
3
3
10
6
9
2
8
0
5
7
1
5

69

1
1
1
5
0
4
1
3
1
0
0
9
1
0
4

191

53

31

20
2
4
4
6
16
11
48
10
21
8
5
16
0
7

2
2
1
2
1
3
5
8
3

0
0
0
1
1
0
0
3
0
1
1
19
3
1
2

8

0
22
0
0
12

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Trip
Reliefs

DECK DEPARTMENT
7
5
0
0
5
0
0
9
2
3
10
8
7
4
10
9.
2
5
6
7
0
0
8
5
7
7
2
2
2
4

7
0
0
3
0
4
2
10
1
8
4
10
5
0
0

28
5
7
18

9
33
28
20
16
30
16
8
31
1
3

253

25
2
3
8
5

19
22
10
7
12
3
11
26
0
4

157

32

126

21
0
5
4
2
11
3
23
5
15
7
5
11
0
0

10
0
8
12
5
12
4
10
13
9
4
68
11
2
7

10
0
0
10
1
11
13
14
11
7
1
170
7
0
6

11
0
1
1
3
13
6
8
5
9
7
7
7
0
0

614

175

261

Totals All Departments ......

789

414

393

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
4
1
1
0
2
1
1
5
3
0
1
5
2
2
3
3
1
0
5
0
0
0
9
9
2
2
2
0
3
4

39

32

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
3
1
0
0
1
0
1
2
1
0
5
13
2
1
9
0
10
30
9
1
6
3
1
18
1
0
4
0
0
19
8
18
1
0
8
0
0
0
2
1
9

69

112

56

12
1
4
5

178

Port
New York ...............
Philadelphia ...... ........
Baltimore .......... ~ ....
Norfolk ... ..............
Mobile .................
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
San Francisco .............
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico ..............
Honolulu ............ ....
Houston ................
St. Louis ................
Piner Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tota s .................

80

78

58

26

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
17
10
0
2
4
0
9
9
1
1
11
15
1
8
5
14
9
10
7
4
1
6
169
63
5
3
0
0
2
7

140

253

317

367

55

4
0
1
2
1
0
4
3
0
7
0
9
6
0
0

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

104
3
15
19
13
63
49
62
21
66
21
7
55
0
0

18
7
7
8
8
7
12
13
6
3
3
14
12
1
2

6
1
0
6
2
5
4
8
1
3
0
4
3
0
2

498

121

45

39
4
8
13
13
37
33
33
18
40
12
6
31
0
2

10
1
2
7
6
8
4
12
8
4
0
8
2
0
10

2
2
1
1
1
1
1
8

1
2
0
6
1
0
2

37

289

82

29

5
1
0
2
2
5
5
9
1
2
1
95
5
0
2

35
2
5
3
12
28
23
78
19
29

2
2
4
1
1
4
4
10
3
11
0
23
1
0

1
0
0
2
1
3
2
5
1
1
1
15
3
1
1

8

4
31
0
6

8

135

283

74

37

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

43
3
5
8
3
19
4
54
9
39
14
4
15
0
0

20
2
8
9
7
12
8
17
14
17
5
82
15
2
9

11
1
1
10
4
23
14
20
13
10
2
150
7
0
2

0

220

227

268

227

1,290

504

379

*"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 up from the month of July. A total of 1,525 jobs were shipped on
SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,525 jobs shipped, 614 jobs or about 40 percent were taken by "A"
seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 227 trip relief jobs were
shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 8,315 jobs have been shipped.
20 I LOG I September 1988

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110
HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434
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
(508) 997-5404
NEW ORLEANS, La.
630 Jackson Ave. 70130
(504) 529-7546
NEW YORK, N.V.
675 4 Ave., Brooklyn 11232
(718) 499-6600
NORFOLK, Va.
115 Third St. 23510
(804) 622-1892
PHILADE~PHIA,

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) 441-1960
ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500
WILMINGTON, Calif.
510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�Letters
To The

Editor
Life's Road
We learn many lessons as each day goes by.
There are son.gs to sing and a few tears to cry.
There are blessings to count, happy memories, too.
And sometimes disappointment in things that we do.
There are cups that run over and years that are lean.
With bright days and dark days and long nights between.
Blit one choice we can make as we carry life's load.
If we look toward the sun, how it brightens the road!
-Shirley Harvey

'Reflections on Life's Road ... '
Congratulations to you [Mike Sacco] and to your brother Joe. I
awoke this early a.m. with many reflecting memories. I remember
June 7, 1947-my first old Liberty ship beL.'1.g dispatched by Robert
Jordan from the hall in Mobile. The Liberty William F. Cody was an
Alcoa Steamship Co. vessel. She lay at Pensacola, Fla. where I boarded
her as ordinary seaman under the command of Capt. Ju.mp (with a
load of coal to France).
Life's Road began then with me, at a tender age of fifteen years, eight
month
a ife's Road! And the many fond and not so fond
emeries. As I look back and reflect upon them, I cry in part and
laugh in others.
As I read of Frank's [Drozak] death in the recent LOG, I silently
cried with a heartfelt hurt. Recalling some forty odd years in
acquaintance with and even previous to Paul Hall's presidency. It was
no secret to me, as with others, and certainly no disrespect to the late
Paul Hall whom we came to know, respect and brotherly love as the
Great White Father-for he was exactly that in his loyalty and
devotion in membership to and for us in the early periods of the SIU
up until his death. We were blessed with his selective successor, Frank
Drozak, whom he prepared well to carry on the continuity through
leadership. To Frank, I can heartly salute "a job well done." He filled
the shoes well. As I am equally sure you as president will do. When I
first came to know you as vice president of SHLSS, I think the most
outstanding impression was at a Union class you held in the old
library in 1974 when I attended for a QMED certificate.
Joe, too, appeared in my Life's Road at that time.
Yes, I have come to know, respect and brotherly love the many
officials of our great Union-Red Campbell, Cal Tanner, Chuck Svenson,
Bull Sheppard, Harold Fisher, Blacky Neira, Robert Jordan. The list
just seems endless ... and my latter friend Ken Conklin whom I came
to know in 1974 over trainees at that period.
There are many persons who have contributed much and who I
haven't even scratched the surface to name that helped to enhance,

educate and make our Union one of uniqueness. I can only hope our
younger brothers can be grateful and constructively add to a
continUity of greatness that they inherited through the bloody-bitter
battles preceding even the 1947 Isthmian strike and the 12" fans per
foc'sle (an upgrade even) from the natural draft system we once had.
To the 16" fans if we had three or more persons per room. (Like the
Virginia Slims cigarette advertisement, Yes, we've come a long, long
way.)
From classrooms on barges at SHLSS to the modern facilities not
boasted. From Mobile to New York to Washington, D.C. headquarters.
Therefore, as I read the enclosed poem, certainly I could not help but
reflect upon memories of Life's Road and to include a late last friend to
every seaman in the Union, Frank Mongelli, whom Paul Hall entrusted
to help make SHLSS what it is today-along with wisdom and dreams
of many.
From Paul to Frank and now to you, Mike-yes, I stand proud. Not
only to be an American seaman but a member of the greatest Union in
the maritime history and of the labor force.

Fraternally yours,
Robert C. Goodrum

Eufaula, Ala.

'Recognition for All Vets

• • •

'

At long last, those of us who served in the United States merchant
marine have begun to gain recognition from our country for the
service we provided in times of war. Unfortunately, this recognition
now only extends to service during World War II. Those of us who
served during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts have not received
recognition, although we made substantial contributions to our
country's efforts during those war years ....
We are forming a Committee to Secure Recognition for U.S. Merchant
Marine Service in Korea and Vietnam. We are compiling a list of those
who qualify. Anyone who shipped out in the Pacific during 1950-53
(Korea) or 1965-1973 (Vietnam) should contact the committee at:
2525 N.E. Columbia Blvd.
P.O. Box 11245
Portland, Ore. 97211
Sincerely,
Ken Beckerich

-

Union Label &amp; Service Trades Dept., AFL·CIO
-

-

-

I

- --

DONT

I

Bl-OW UP

I

YOUR BRAIN

'

WITJ.I

I

I
I

Ct&lt;ACI&lt;!

I

HELP IB

I

AVAILABLE
CONTACT YO{IR

i

PORT AGENT
OR YtJUR UNldN
AT PINEY Pd/NT/
I

I
-

-

-

-

-

I
I

I

September 1988 I LOG I 21

•

--

�Change of Command at MSCPAC

-

In change of command ceremonies
held Aug. 18 on the flight deck of the
USNS Mercy, Capt. William T. Dannheim, USN, was relieved by Capt.
James S. Schultz, USN, as Commander, Military Sealift Command,
Pacific. Ashore and afloat MSCPAC
employees, along with representatives
from the commercial maritime sector,
labor and neighboring military commands, were in attendance at the ceremony which featured Vice Adm. W.
T. Piotti, Jr., COMSC, as the guest
speaker.
Highlighting his accomplishments the
past 24 months-which included the
vigorous implementation of the MSC
ACTION 88 program and the close
oversight over all phases of the Mercy's conversion to her successful humanitarian voyage to the Philippines
last year-Vice Adm. Piotti said Capt.
Dannheim' s two years at MSCPAC
resulted in many significant contributions to fleet support and MSC's effectiveness in the Pacific that will be
felt for many years to come.
"Captain Bill Dannheim has provided the positive and dynamic leadership demanded by this command,''
said Vice Adm. Piotti, praising the
officer who led MSCPAC's l,900 mariners, 400 civilians ashore, 200 military
personnel and the command's 22 ships
and five offices. Though he didn't have
it with him because of a paperwork
delay, Admiral Piotti said Capt. Dannheim will be awarded the Navy's prestigious Legion of Merit for his outstanding service as COMSCPAC.
In his farewell speech, Capt. Dann-

heim paid tribute to the MSCPAC civil
service mariners, his headquarters staff
and the five MSCPAC offices for the
jobs they performed during his tenure
in Oakland. ''The Military Sealift
Command is in the business of providing service at sea, and our mariners
conduct this business very well,'' said
Capt. Dannheim, who also lauded his
shore staff and offices for their efforts
with the fleet. "I've come to appreciate the breadth and depth of the total
support effort required to man and
maintain our ships." From Oakland,
Capt. Dannheim headed back to
Washington where he'll serve as deputy director of the Naval Center for
Cost Analysis in the Pentagon.
Capt. James S. Schultz assumed
command of MSCPAC following almost three years as COMSCSEA, and
he reminded the 200 guests in attendance of his many friendships with
MSCPAC mariners. "I'm extremely
pleased to be able to continue and
maintain the relationships with
MSCP AC masters, mates, mariners
and employees whom I've become
associated with the past 36 months in
Southeast Asia,'' said Capt. Schultz.
''The people who spend half their lives
at sea to carry out our sealift, fleet
and special mission responsibilities deserve the very best we can provide.''
Capt. Schultz, a 24-year veteran of
the Navy, has served in a variety of
positions aboard several ships, including a tour as commanding officer of
the USS W. S. Sims (FF 1059). Ashore,
Capt. Schultz has served as a Soviet
naval analyst in Japan and has com-

Celebrating the change of command are (I. tor) Capt. William T. Dannheim, Vice Adm.
W. T. Piotti Jr., and Capt. James S. Schultz.

pleted a tour with the Intelligence
Directorate of the U. S. European
Command in West Germany. During
another European assignment, Capt.
Schultz served with the Royal Navy
as head of navigation at Britannia
Royal Naval College in Dartmouth,
Devon, England. He also served as
director of officer promotions, appointments and enlisted advancement
with the Naval Military Personnel

Navajo Leads Recovery of Helo

The USNS

-

After 42 years of government service, Ollie King finally decided to retire. King received
a retirement plaque and a congratulatory handshake from Capt. WiUiam T. Dannheim,
COMSCPAC, for his faithful service to the federal government. A 20-year veteran of the
Navy who retired as a First Class Steward, King went on to serve 22 more years with
MSCPAC where he worked aboard 18 different ships as a chief cook. His last ship with
MSCPAC was the USNS Sioux (though he says his favorite was always the USNS
DeSteiguer). Shortly after he joined MSCPAC, King was one of the first members to sign
up with the SIU. He credits his wife Dorothy for keeing things orderly at home while he
was absent so much at sea.

22 I LOG I S$tember 1988

Command in Washington, D.C.
Capt. Schultz, a native of Philadelphia, holds a B. S. degree in engineering and business administration
from Pennsylvania State University.
He's also a graduate of the Naval War
College in Newport, R.I. Capt. Schultz
and his wife Elizabeth have two children, Carolyn and Jeffrey. The family
resides in Novato, Calif.

Navaj~the

key ship in helicopter salvage operations near San Francisco.

In the aftermath of a tragic helicopter accident off the coast of San Francisco in July which left eight Naval
airmen dead, the USNS Navajo relieved the minesweeper USS Excel to
become the lead ship in retrieving and
salvaging key sections of the downed
helicopter to determine why it crashed.
The MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter
plunged into the Pacific 11 miles southwest of the Golden Gate Bridge July
18 while on a routine mine-sweeping
exercise.
Capt. Phil Rosten, master of the
Navajo, ordered his ship into a threepoint moor when he arrived at the
scene of the crash site. A sophisticated
mini-ranger tracking system onboard
the Navajo and coordinated ashore
assisted the ship to position itself directly over the helicopter debris 60
feet below the surface. The fleet tug,
with 16 Navy divers and aircraft investigators aboard, was transformed
into a diving and recovery station
during operations which lasted more
than two weeks. The Navajo frequently shuttled back and forth to

Naval Air Station Alameda where a
Navy Aircraft Mishap Board was set
up to study the salvaged parts of the
aircraft.
"We basically turned a towing ship
into a salvage ship, and the Navajo
turned out to be as good as any ship
built for that job," said Capt. Rosten,
who commended his crew for the work
they performed. "The mates showed
excellent seamanship skills and our
crane operators were outstanding."
Assisting the Navajo in the salvage
operation was the commercial ship M/
V Laney Chouest, a vesel similar in
size to a fleet tug which is frequently
used in oceanographic research work.
In late August, the Navajo returned
to her normal operating area off Southern California and was one of two
vessels selected to pull a former target
ship off the beach of San Miguel island.
At the request of the National Park
Service, the grounded LST was towed
off the beach and sunk in deep waters.
-B.B.
(Continued on Page 23.)

�O SAFEGUARD your tights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

T

DUES

Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register.

RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING When you are relieved, you
must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.
RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION

It is your responsibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.

RELIEF JOBS/SHIPPING

It is your responsibility to claim
your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.
inued from Page 22.)

MSCPAC News Briefs
. . . Two MSCPAC ships that were
part of Commander Task Group 75.1
were praised for their role with the
bi ateral COBRA GOLD exercise
staged in Southeast Asia recently.
"Every ship , from the USNS contingent of 'Killer Tug' Sioux to the 'Fast
Attack Oiler' Mispillion, to the DESRON FIFTEEN tin cans Oldendorf
and Towers, has contributed significantly to our overall mission to represent our nation in highly visible operations ," said the Aug. 5 message
from CTG 75.1 which praised the training given to the Royal Malaysian Navy
and the Royal Thailand Navy. "It's
been a pleasure to steam with professionals, and I look forward to meeting
you again at sea in the pursuit of our
national objectives."
... Three employees of MSCPAC who
helped the USNS Spica fill key crew
vacancies were singled out in a message of appreciation from the fleet
supply ship to the command in Oakland. "As Spica's Indian Ocean deployment draws to a close, we'd like
to thank the shore side staffs for their
timely support these past four months,''
said Spica's Aug. 26 message. "Special thanks go out to Barbara Chapman, Lou Jones and Gloria Burns of
the personnel office. The responsiveness demonstrated in finding replacements for repats was appreciated by
all."
... RMC Frank P. Moller, USN, a
member of the USNS Kilauea's military department, received word July
11 from the Chief of Naval Operations

• • •

that he was the recipient of a Navy
Commendation Medal, along with a
citation and certificate, for his meritorious service while serving with the
U.S. Naval Communications Area
Master Station in Guam from April
1986 to April 1988. Chief Moller, who
was the satellite communications division leading chief at the Guam site,
was instrumental in maintaining systems reliability consistently above 99.95
percent for one of the .Navy's largest
Super High Frequency (SHF) satellite
communications facilities. "Chief Petty
Officer Moller's superb technical
knowledge of both personnel and material resources contributed significantly to the facility's exceptional material readiness and outstanding mission
accomplishment record,'' said the
CNO's citation for Kilauea's chief
radioman.
... YNC Catherine A. Lawrence, an
assistant to the MSCPAC chief of
staff, was named the Naval Air Station
Agana "Federal Woman of the Year"
for her service at the Guam facility
last year. ''Through your diligence and
dedication to duty and the mission of
the Naval Air Station, you have demonstrated the finest qualities desired
of our military workforce,'' wrote Capt.
Paul A. Cassiman, USN, commanding
officer, N AS Agana, in a July 29 letter

of appreciation to YNC Lawrence.
Following her assignment in Guam,
Chief Lawrence reported to MSCPAC
last December.
. . . Personnel Staffing Assistant Margaret DeJan has been named the P-2

Employee of the Quarter for her work
as promotion board coordinator. ' 'Her
efforts have been invaluable to the
promotion boards," says her boss, D.
D. Dysthe, "and because of her attention to detail, they've become a morale
booster to the fleet." DeJan, a 15-year
MSCPAC employee, enjoys an excellent reputation among shore employees and civil service mariners for her
work at the command.
. . . Donald E. Brown has been selected as the MSCPAC Professional
Comptroller of the Month for August.
A fiscal accounting clerk, Brown was
praised for his substantial improvements in quality, quantity and timeliness of afloat fiscal accounts.
. . . The Jack London Chapter of the
Naval Reserve Association (NRA) has
been seleted as the best local NRA
group in the country. The president of
the Jack London Chapter is Capt.
George Bruno, USNR-R, commanding
officer of MSCO Concord 220 and
head of the tanker branch at MSCPAC.
Bruno will attend the NRA national
conference in Atlanta at the end of

September to represent his group and
accept the Rear Admiral John S. Lewis
award. A number of MSC reservists
are affiliated with the NRA Jack London Chapter.
... Retirements: Assistant Cook Alfonso Lucas, 31 years, who began his
federal career in 1942 as a laborer at
Fort Mason in San Francisco. Lucas
worked as a laundryman, waiter, utilityman , messman and storekeeper with
MSTS and MSCPAC aboard 28 different ships before retiring July 1 ...
Mechanical Engineer George Hooper,
40 years, who began federal service
in 1947 as a draftsman at the old San
Francisco Naval Shipyard. The recipient of several awards during his lengthy
career, Hooper came to MSCPAC in
1983 and was · involved in port engineering work with several fleet replenishment ships ... Ruth Jacques, 18
years, an employee relations clerk who
had been employed at MSCPAC since
1980. Initially a transportation clerk,
Jacques was reassigned to the personnel office a year ago until her Aug. 1
retirement.

SIU Vessels Join Reforger 88
Three SIU-contracted ships, the
USNS Algol, USNS Denebola and
USNS Altair, began their role in "Reforger 88,'' one of the largest U.S.
military exercises, late in July.
'' Reforger,'' which stands for Return of Forces to Germany, will involve nearly 100 U.S. and European
military personnel. It encompasses all
the logistical and administrative aspects of moving large numbers of forces
from the United States to Europe.
U.S. operations in the ports of Sa-

vannah, Ga. and Beaumont, Texas will
see the loading of more than 2,700
pieces of equipment onto the Military
Sealift Command vessels for the voyage to Europe. Upon arrival in Antwerp, Belgium, the equipment will
move by air, highway and railroad to
West Germany.
The three fast sea-lift ships, former
Sea-Land Service Inc. vessels, are
converted combination roll-on/roll-off
and containerships, capable of speeds
of more than 30 knots.
September 1988 I LOG I 23

�I

l

I

l

·~n

Addicts don't have friends. Because a friend wouldn't ~ LI
let another man blindly travel a course that has to lead
to the destruction of his health, his job and his family.
And that's where an alcoholic or drug user is headed.
Helping a fell ow Seafarer who has an addiction
problem is just as easy-and just as important-as I~-------------------------------~
steering a blind man across a street. All you have to do I Addictions Rehabilitation Center
is take that Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the lI
I am interested in attending a six-week program at the Addictions
l Rehabilitation Center. I understand that all my medical and counseling
Union's Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee,
I records will be kept strictly confidential, and that they will not be kept
Md.
I anywhere except at The Center.
Once he's there, an SIU member will receive the care I
and counseling he needs. · And he'll get the support of II
brother SIU members who are fighting the same tough I Name ................................... Book No .............. .
battle he is back to a healthy, productive alcohol-free II
f Address ........................................................ .
and drug-free life·.
I
(Street or RFD)
(City)
(State)
(Zip)
The road is a long one for an alcoholic and drug user.
I
Telephone No.
But because of ARC, an addicted SIU memb~r doesn't I
Mail to: THE CENTER
have to travel the distance alone. And by guiding a I
Star Route Box 153-A
brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center, :
I
Valley Lee, Md. 20692
you'll be showing him that the first step back to recovery
:
or call, 24 hours-a-day, (301) 994-0010
is only an arm's length away.
~-------------------------------24 I LOG I September 1988

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
AFL-CIO ENDORSES DUKAKIS-BENTSON TICKET&#13;
SIU-BACKED FISHING BOAT SAFETY BILL READY TO SIGN&#13;
NEW PUERTO RICO MARINE SHIPS-JOBS FOR SEAFARERS&#13;
GATT COULD PUT U.S. MARITIME UP FOR GRABS&#13;
SEAFARERS BENEFIT IN NEW TWIST ON FLAG SWITCH AS FOREIGN OWNERS SEE ADVANTAGES IN STARS AND STRIPES REFLAGGING&#13;
KIRKLAND’S LABOR DAY MESSAGE- 8 YEARS IS ENOUGH&#13;
NEW DRUG TESTING PLAN DRAWS MARITIME’S FIRE&#13;
THE PROPOSED RULES&#13;
SIU AND ALLIES FIGHT TO HELP MARITIME ON FOOD AND FUEL TAX PROBLEMS&#13;
CREW MEALS CAUGHT IN MARTINI FIGHT&#13;
FUEL TAX CHANGE COSTS $300 MILLION&#13;
RIVER TRAFFIC MOVES AS DROUGHT WITHERS UP&#13;
COURT PROTECTS JONES ACT, BARGE LINE SALE ON HOLD&#13;
SHLSS KEEPING THE INDUSTRY ROLLING-TMT DRIVER TRAINING AT SHLSS&#13;
CHANGE OF COMMAND AT MSCPAC&#13;
THE KING RETIRES&#13;
SIU VESSELS JOIN REFORGER 88&#13;
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                    <text>Security

October 15
1988

In

Uniry

OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION • ATLANTIC, GULF, LAKES AND INLAND WATERS DISTRICT • AFL-CIO

"You can put
me in jail, but you
cannot give me
narrower quarters
than as a seaman I
have always bad.
You cannot give me
coarser food than
I have always eaten.
You cannot make me
lonelier than I have
always been. "

"Tomorrow
Is Also
A Day"
-Andrew Furusetb

-Andrew Furusetb

The
Seaman's
Struggle for
Equality
'There is also the
dignify that comes
to him who stands
on bis own two feet,
looks the world
in the eye and takes
on all comers
in the battle
for what be might
believe is just. "

''We

Have To
Educate
The
Whole
Person"

-Tribute to Harry
Lunde berg

''Politics
Is
Porkchops"
-Paul Hall

-Paul Hall

"You can have
the best contract
in the world,
but ifyou don't
have any work,
it doesn't mean a
thing."
-Frank Drozak

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�Few, if any, of the gains of the past 50 years would have been possible without the seamen's hiring hall (51 Beaver Street).

"Bloody Thursday" reinvigorated the seamen's movement.

Introduction:

SIU Celebrates Fiftieth Anniversary
T

In 1938, Harry Lundeberg, center, received
a charter from the American Federation of
Labor to form a new international seamen's
union, the SIUNA.

he SIU is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The union
was born during the Great Depression, one of this nation's darkest
periods.
War clouds were gathering over
Europe and Asia. Despair and poverty
still stalked the globe nine, long years
after the Stock Market Crash of 1929.
The American labor movement
was split into two hostile camps.
Conditions for seamen and many
other workers remained intolerable.
Yet there was hope . The New Deal
had given workers a mechanism to
make their voices heard.
Industry by industry, workers were
being organized on a scale never
before imagined.

The A&amp;G District Was Called the SIU
From the beginning, the Atlantic and Gulf District of the SIUNA was known
simply as the SIU.
It was not an easy birth. The new union had 500 members, few resources and
only nine-contracted companies. Since then, the small, struggling affiliate that
Harry Lundeberg established has become a powerful force in the labor movement. The SIU now represents a wide spectrum of workers: fishermen, cannery
workers, tug and barge workers, service employees, office workers, wire and rope
workers, and many, many more.

The SIU's Story Dates Back Hundreds of Years
October 15, 1938

On October 15, 1938, at a convention in Houston, Texas, the American
Federation of Labor presented Harry Lundeberg with a charter to form a new international seamen's union, the Seafarers International Union of North America
(SIUNA).
Lundeberg was already head of the Sailors Union of the Pacific, a union of
West Coast sailors which traced its origins back to 1885. Morris Weisberger, a top
Lundeberg aide, took a month's leave so he could go to New York to help set up
operations for a separate, autonomous affiliate of Atlantic and Gulf seamen.
A skeletal structure was already in place. An interim charter for the new international had been issued in 1937. Robert Chapdelaine had been named acting
The Wall Street Strike of 1948. Members of the SIU have
consistently supported their fellow trade unionists.

2

chairman. The interim union didn't even have a name. It had a number: AFL
Seamen's Union 22124. Matthew "Duke" Dushane was the acting chairman of
~he new A&amp;G District. John "Whitey" Hawk was in charge of the Atlantic Region;
Matthew Biggs headed up the Gulf Coast.
At first there was little interaction between the two regions. Members shipped
out on either a Gulf or an Atlantic Coast book. That wouldn't change for a number of years.

Still, the seaman's age-old struggle for equality and justice lies at the core of
the union's existence. It has a universal appeal that speaks to the experiences of
all Americans.
At its most basic level then, the history of the SIU is the story of a group of
workers who used the labor movement to achieve equality under the law and
dignity in the workplace.
It is the story of great leaders, committed members and the bond they were
able to forge.
.·
It is also the story of the American-flag merchant marine. Its continued survival
presents our members with their greatest challenge as the union faces its second
50 years.

The SIU became a power on the waterfront after Paul Hall was named director of organizing in 1945. He immediately targeted
the Isthmian and Cities Service companies for organizing and set a successful blueprint for the union's future growth.

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�Chapter One:

The Seaman's Struggle For Equality
"I must go down to the sea again
to the lonely sea and the sky
And all I ask is a tall ship
and a star to steer her by''
-john Masefield

T

oday's Seafarers lead lives virtually indistinguishable from the vast majority of Americans.
They are middle-class wage earners who work onboard vessels that have to meet stringent safety
standards.
Yet seamen were once among the most brutalized
of American workers. In at least one important
respect, they were little better than slaves.
Once a seaman signed the ship's articles, he was
tied to a vessel for the duration of the voyage.
"From the earliest historical period, the contract of
seamen has been treated as an exceptional one, involving, to a certain respect, the surrender of his
personal liberty during the life of the contract,'' said
the Supreme Court in Robertson v. Brown (165 US
275).
Leaving a ship before the end of a journey was
tantamount to desertion. Under an early sea code,
desertion was punishable by death. In some jurisdictions, it was punishable by branding.
The seaman's unique legal status put him at a
decided disadvantage in his fight to secure a better
way of life. No matter how bad conditions were for
workers in other industries, they at least had the
right to quit and seek employment elsewhere if they
were dissatisfied with their wages or job conditions.
For someone who knew a skilled trade or who lived
in an area where there was a labor shortage, this
could be a powerful tool.

Seamen lived, slept and ate in one big forecastle. Diseases swept a ship like wildfire.

But as one judge put it, "a single act of assault and
battery, though exceeding the bounds of moderation,
will not justify a desertion."
Even in the most sympathetic court of law, a
seaman being charged with desertion was at a considerable disadvantage. No matter how brutal a mate
or captain was, he still was a more credible figure
than a seaman, who was lumped in with "Indians

The Law Was Stacked
Against Seamen
The first American statute to restrict the mobility
of seamen was passed in 1790. It stated that a merchant seaman who absented himself from a vessel
for more than 48 hours without leave from his captain, forfeited "all his wages due to him, and all his
goods and chattel on board of said ship or vessel, or
in any store they may have been lodged at the time
of his desertion to the use of the owners."
The penalties for desertion were made more
stringent in 1872, when Congress passed the Shipping Commission Act. Imprisonment for a period of
not more than three months was added to the list of
possible penalties that could be taken against a
seaman who had left his vessel in mid-voyage.
A seaman who "correctly" feared for his life had
the right to leave a ship. Yet a seaman who feared
"only" physical abuse from his shipmates did not
enjoy that right.
"Seamen, as a class, are an injudicious group
often given, on shipboard, to frequent and violent
quarrels ... A black eye, lacerations and bruises are
not too uncommon a sight," wrote a nineteenth
century judge.

Bucko Mates and Cruelty at Sea
In court cases and early seamen's journals, there
are numerous accounts of a dreaded maritime
phenomenon: "bucko" mates who took delight in
torturing the people who worked under them.
Congress passed its first anti-flogging statute in
1850. Yet it wasn't until passage of the White Act in
1898 that an officer could be held personally liable
for the physical and mental damages he inflicted on
a seaman.
Under American law, a captain never did have the
right "to beat a man with unreasonable severity"

October 1988

The Pilgrim inspired Richard Henry
Dana's 1Wo Years Before the Mast.

Two Years Before The Mast
Publication in 1840 of Richard Henry Dana's masterpiece, Two Tuars Before the Mast, marked a pivotal moment
in the seaman's struggle for equality. Before that time, most
Americans had no idea of the brutal conditions which existed on board American-flag vessels.
The book has lost none of its power. In the following
passage, Dana describes his reaction to a flogging at sea:
"Sam, by this time, was seized up, as it is called; that is
placed against the shrouds, with his wrists made fast to
them, his jacket off, and his back exposed. The captain
stood on the break of the deck, a few feet from him, and a
little raised, so as to have a good swing at him, and held
in his hand the end of a thick, strong rope. The officers
stood t·ound, and the crew grouped together in the waist.
All these preparations made me feel sick and almost faint,
angry and excited as I was. A man--a human being, made
in God's likeness-fastened up and flogged like a beast! A
man, too, whom I bad lived with, eaten with, and st&lt;&gt;0d
watch with for months, and knew so well! If a thought of
resistance crossed the minds of any of the men, what was
to be done?...If they resist, it is mutiny; and if they succeed,
and take the vessel, it is piracy. If they ever yield again,
their punishment must come; and if they do not yield,
what are they to be for the rest of their lives? If a sailor
resists his commander, he resists the law, and piracy or
submission is his only alternative. Bad as it was, they saw
that it must be borne. It is what a sailor ships for. .. "

and idiots" as being a special ward of the American
state. In addition, a captain had access to the ship's
log, where he made all the entries.

Notorious Crimp System
This institutionalized pattern of legal discrimination reinforced abuses that were rampant in the
maritime industry. In order to be employed on a
ship, a seaman had to submit to the notorious
"crimp" system, where the owners of bars and
rooming houses were given liens on his future earnings. The system was rigged to keep a seaman permanently in debt.
The crimp often had an understanding with a
captain of a ship. His rooming house or bar served
as an unofficial hiring hall.
The crimp system made it almost impossible for
seamen to organize. In order to gain employment, a
seaman had to patronize or live in one of these
crimp joints. Since he often stored his goods in
these places, a seaman risked losing every single
material possession he owned if he lef.La vessel becaue of poor conditions.
There were numerous instances of seamen being
shanghaied (the term was coined in San Francisco in
1855 when seamen increasingly found themselves
on runs to the Orient against their will). It was not
uncommon for a crimp to get a seaman drunk to get
him to sign on a vessel that was about to sail shorthanded. This was particularly common if a captain
had a reputation for running a "hell-ship."

Life at Sea
If a seaman's life on land left much to be desired,
so did conditions onboard ship.
Voyages often lasted two, three years. There was
a constant danger of death by drowning. There was
no way of reporting unsafe conditions; no
mechanism to appeal arbitrary and even dangerous
conditions by one's superiors.
Seamen often slept in one large forecastle. Diseases like tuberculosis often swept a ship like
wildfire.
Even under the best of circumstances, life at sea
was claustrophobic. "Life onboard ship calls for
close contact and confinement of the men with little
chance, until they reach port, for recreation," wrote
a nineteenth century judge.
The seaman's debased existence at sea and on
land was tied closely to his legal status. Before he
could improve his working conditions, he had to
win the fight for equality under the law.

3

�Chapter Two:

Seamen's Act of 1915 Brings Freedom
T

here were three pivotal developments in the seaman's early fight for
equality under the law.
The first came in 1840 when Richard Henry Dana published his classic novel,
Two Thars Before the Mast. Before that time, Americans were not aware of the
abuses that existed in the maritime industry.
The next important development occurred gradually over a 30-year period. It
was the formation of permanent seamen's unions strong enough to protect the
rights of their members.
Finally, there was the rise of leaders within the ranks of the seaman's movement.
The early seamen's unions were blessed with an abundance of talented and
selfless people: Dan Keefe, Sigismund Danielewicz, Burnette Haskell. But it was
Andrew Furuseth who gave the
seaman's movement its unique voice.

Seamen Get
A Spokesman

modes of transportation, mainly railroads. In addition, Great Britain enjoyed an
overwhelming advantage because of its access to low-priced steel.

Mahan Shapes the Debate;
America Needs Superior Merchant Marine
By the end of the nineteenth century, America's presence in the foreign trades
had declined so precipitously that it was a source of great concern to military
planners, most notably Admiral Alfred Mahan, who is generally considered to be
one of the nation's most brilliant naval tacticians.
Mahan alleged that the United States would never be a first-class power unless
it developed and maintained a superior navy and merchant fleet.
Throughout history, said Mahan,
there had always been a close connection between a country's maritime
capability and its status as a world
power. His observations gave seamen
a more receptive audience than they
might otherwise have enjoyed when
they argued for reform of the maritime
industry.

The formation of the International
Seamen's Union in 1892 out of a
group of bickering, unaffiliated unions
gave the seamen's movement a veneer
of unity to the outside world. More
Seamen Win
important, it gave them a respected
Legislative Victories
spokesman, Andrew Furuseth, who
could represent their interests in
In 1895, Congress enacted the MacWashington, D. C.
Guire Act, which did away with the
There has never been anyone more
worst abuses of the crimp system and
effective in making the public aware
abolished the penalty of imprisonabout the need to reform conditions
ment for seamen who had "deserted"
in the maritime industry. To the outtheir vessels. This was a monumental
side world, Furuseth, with his stooped
step forward in the emancipation of
shoulders, lined face and eloquent
seamen.
speech, was the living embodiment of
Yet two years later, the Supreme
the American sailor.
Court handed down a case, Robertson
He was born in 185 4 in Furuseth,
v. Brown (165 US 275), which seemed
Norway. Forced to leave school at an
to reverse at least part of the Macearly age, he was a self-taught scholar,
Guire Act. The court upheld the confluent in English, German, Dutch,
viction of seamen who had "deserted"
French and Norwegian. Like many
the S.S. Arago on a coastwise run.
other Scandinavian seamen of his era,
Writing a vigorous dissent, Justice
he eventually made his way to the
John Harlan called the decision "Dred
West Coast of the United States, sailScott II," and said that instead of
ing, for the most part, on the elegant
hunting runaway slaves, Americans
schooners which were being rendered
could now hunt runaway seamen.
obsolete by new technology.
Furuseth's Coast Seamen'sjournal
Furuseth became secretary of the
was even more concise. It said that
Coast Seamen's Union in the 1887,
the difference between a slave and a
two years after that union was formed .
seaman
was about $15 a month.
The Seamen's Act of 1915, known as the Magna Carta of American seamen, set minimum
One of the first things he did was to
By this time, Furuseth was spendsafety standards and removed many remaining legal restrictions. It was sponsored by Senator
Robert La.Follette (right inset above), a long-time ally of Andrew Furuseth (left inset above).
establish the Coast Seamen 's]ournal.
ing a good portion of his time in
The seamen's bill provided a two-watch system for the deck force and a three-watch system
He understood the importance of
Washington, D.C. lobbying Congress.
for the engine gang, plus a maximum nine-hour working day in port. It set a more liberal
communication and the power of the
In 1898, Congress passed the White
schedule for rations and a minimum 100 cubic feet of space per man in the forecastles.
written word.
Act. Amopg other things, it made
Previously, each man had been allotted 72 cubic feet, which Furuseth described as "too large
for a coffin, too small for a grave." Also, the law specified that bunks in forecastles could be no
He had the ability to make people
licensed officers liable for their acts of
more than two high.
sit up and listen. "Tomorrow is also a
brutality.
The law also decreed that 75 percent of the crew must be able to understand the comday," he said after a bitter defeat. "You
mands given in the English language. It decreed that the sailor could no longer allot part of his
can put me in jail," he once said, "but
wages to creditors before signing a vessel. And he could no longer be imprisoned on charges
Political Climate Helps
of desertion if he left his ship before the end of a contracted voyage .
you cannot give me narrower quarters
Progressive Causes;
than as a seaman I have always had .
Seamen's Act of 1915
You cannot give me coarser food than
Enacted
I have always eaten. You cannot make me lonelier than I have always been."
Meanwhile, Americans were slowly but surely expanding the rights of the
working people. There was a widespread backlash against the conglomerates
Maritime in Turmoil
which now controlled the economic life of the nation.
Furuseth came to prominence during a troubled period in the history of the
Tragedies like the Triangle dress factory fire, where hundreds of innocent immaritime industry:
migrants-mainly young women-were killed, created an upswell of support for
Seamen and other workers were just beginning to establish permanent unions
more stringent safety standards.
capable of protecting their rights. The gradual transformation of businesses into
A turning point in the maritime industry came in 1912 with the sinking of the
corporations had created an impetus for a national labor organization. This led
Titanic. The highly publicized deaths of so many prominent people made Americans
to the creation of the American Federation oflabor (AFL) in 1881.
aware of the perils that seamen faced on a daily basis.
Furuseth (who in 1908 had been named president of the ISU) and his closest
Wages for West Coast sailors were slightly higher than those of their East Coast
ally in Washington, D.C., Robert Lafollette, the progressive senator from Wisconcounterparts. Still, the depressed conditions in the maritime industry created
hardships for all seamen. Many of the early strikes and organizing drives called by
sin, were able to capitalize on this changed public mood. In 1915, Congress
the ISU and Coast Seamen's Union ended in failure.
enacted the Seaman's Act of 1915, which abolished many of the remaining legal
restrictions against seamen.
The United States merchant marine reached its zenith in the decade before the
Civil War. With its beautifully designed schooner ships, it was on the cutting edge
Woodrow Wilson signed the bill into law. His motives were not entirely altruistic. World War I had created an insatiable demand for America's neutral shipping.
of modern technology.
Yet this was to change. The Civil War and the switch to steamships ushered in
While Wilson intended to keep this nation out of the war, he felt that this nation
a dark era for American shipping. This decline was accentuated by America's
needed a reliable source of sealift just in case. In 1917 America was dragged into
preoccupation with its vast internal markets and by the growth of alternative
the conflict. American seamen were the first to die for their country:

4

·.

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�Important Dates
In Maritime Labor
1803: The seamen of New York go on strike and win a $7
increase from their base pay of $10 a month .
18 37: Seamen in Boston go on strike.
185 4: The first union of marine engineers is formed on
the Great Lakes. It quickly fades but is revived in 1863
and 1875 to become the National Marine Engineers
Beneficial Association.
1863: Seamen on the Great Lakes form the Seamen's
Benevolent Union of Chicago. It does not engage in
collective bargaining, but concentrates on taking care
of the sick and indigent.
1866: The Seamen's Friendly Union Society is formed in
San Francisco. It elects Alfred Enquist as president and
George McAlpine as secretary. It doesn't last very long.
1875.: The National Marine Engineers Beneficial Association is formed .
1877: Longshoremen on the Great lakes organize.
1878: The Seamen's Benevolent Union of Chicago is
revived under the name Lakes Seamen Benevolent Association. Dan Keefe heads this organization, which
tries to engage in collective bargaining.
1878: The Seamen's Protective Union in San Francisco is
formed . It boasts 800 members but doesn 't last long.
1883: The Marine Firemen 's Union is formed .
1885: A group of disaffected seamen meet on the Folsom
Street wharfand form the Coast Seamen's Union. Billy
Thompson is elected president.
1886: The Steamship Sailors Protective Association is
formed.
1887: Andrew Furuseth is elected secretary of the Coast
Seamen's Union. He stares printing the Coast Seamen's
journal, a union publication.
1891: The Coast Seamen's Union and the Steamship
Sailors Protective Association merge, creating the
Sailors Union of the Pacific.
1892: The National Longshoremen's Association is
formed in Detroit. This eventually becomes the International Longsh~~emen's ~sociation in 1895.

1892: A convention of seamen is held in Chicago, with
delegates from the various unions now organized on
the West Coast, the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico
in attendance. East Coast unions are too poor to send
delegates.
The convention gives birth to the National Seamen 's
Union, which is later rechristened the International
Seamen's Union . Charles Hagen is the first president;
Thomas Elderkin is the first secretary and James Mclaren is the first national organizer.
1908: Andrew Furuseth is elected president of the ISU.
1915: Congress enacts the Seamen's Act of 1915, which
abolishes most remaining legal restrictions against
seamen.
1919: The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) establishes the Marine Transport Wbrkers Union No. 510.
1921: The ISU, which now boasts a membership of
115,000 seamen , is dealt a near-fatal blow during an ill.fated industry-wide strike.
1928: The Marine Workers Progressive League, a communist-dominated organization, is formed . It later becomes the Marine Workers' League (MWL) and then
the Marine Workers Industrial Union.
1929: The membership of the ISU now stan ds at 3,000.
1934: The West Coast Strike of 1934 reinvigorates
maritime labor.
1937: The National Mariti me Union is formed . The ISU is
forced to disband . A tern porary AFL seamen's union is
established on the East and Gulf coasts. Robert Chapdelaine is acting chairman.
John "Whitey" Hawk heads up the Atlantic region;
Matthew Bi~ is in charge of the Gulf Coast.
1938: The American Federation of Labor presents SUP
head Harry Lundeberg with a charter to form a new international seamen's union, to be composed of
autonomous affiliates. Matthew " Duke" Dushane is
named acting chairman of the A&amp;G District. Morris
Weisberger, a top Lundeberg aide, takes a month's
leave to go to New York to help set up operations for
the new union.
1948: The SIU of Canada is established. Within three
years, its membership grows from 200 to more than
6,000.
1949: The Brotherhood of Marine Engineers (BME) , a
forerunner of District 2-MEBA, is formed .
1951: The American Federation of Labor presents a
charter to the Marine Cooks &amp; Stewards, AFL.

Chapter Three:

Maritime Enters Dark Age
T

he period between 1916 and 1934 is routinely described in the history books as the "Dark Ages of the
maritime industry."
The era started out on a promising note. Congress had just enacted the Seamen's Act of 1915; World War I
made it possible for seamen to dramatically improve their wages and working conditions.
Maritime's lobbying machine in Washington, D.C. remained effective. In 1920, Congress passed a piece of
legislation, the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, which established the Federal Maritime Commission and
strengthened existing restrictions against foreign participation in the domestic trades.
This bill became known as the Jones Act. Had it not been enacted into law, there might not be an Americanflag merchant marine today.
In 1919, the International Labor Organization was created as part of the Versailles Peace Treaty. This gave
seamen and other groups of workers an international forum to improve worldwide conditions.

Red Scare Sweeps Country
Seamen were able to win impressive increases during a strike in 1919. Yet there was an ugly new mood in
this country which would have important ramifications for all workers.
The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917 had created a serious backlash amongAmerican voters. America
was now gripped with a "red scare."
For the moment, strikes and other legitimate forms of job action smacked of revolution in the minds of
average Americans.
Many of the gains that workers had made during the previous 20 years were now in jeopardy. An example
of this was the ill-fated Maritime Strike of 1921.

An Ill-fated Strike Breaks the ISU
By now, demand for American shipping had decreased substantially from its peak in World War I. This gave
the shipowners the upper hand.
Even though the owners were forced to capitulate in the Strike of 1919, the general trend was on their
side.
They prepared diligently for the next round. When the next set of contract negotiations came around, they
played hardball. After an all-ports strike was called by the ISU on May 1, 1921, the shipowners set up their
own hiring halls. The strike was broken and the ability of the ISU to act as an effective bargaining agent for
seamen was destroyed.
While ISU President Andrew Furuseth retained the overwhelming respect of American seamen, he became
increasingly removed from the day-to-day operations of his union.
The numbers tell the story. In 1921, the ISU had a war-inflated membership of 115,000 seamen. By 1929
there were fewer than 3,000.

Shipping companies like the International Pacific Marine Co. set up their own
hiring halls after the ill-fated 1921 Maritime Strike.

The IWW made great strides among disaffected seamen.

The Growth of Rad ical Organizations On th e Waterfront
During the 1920s, radical groups like the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the communistdominated Marine Workers Industrial Union tried to make inroads among the rank and file, who suffered terribly during this period.
Indeed, during the '20s and early '30s, "the ISU's major adversary... was not the shipowner, but the IWw,"
wrote Philip Ross, labor historian at Cornell University.
"The Wobblies made no bones about where they stood," wrote Ross. " (Their mono was that) the employer
class is a class of social bloodsuckers ... (They felt there was) no such thing as a good boss or a bad wage
earner."
" The overriding precept of the IWw," said Ross, "was the necessity for workers led by their unions to
respect all picket lines, a principle which led to the condemnation of all bargaining contracts. War with the
AFL unions was inevitable since the essence of American unionism was the getting and preserving of gains in
such bargaining agreements whose quid pro quo for the employer was a no strike clause.
''As a group consisting largely of nomadic single men whose working life offered them much opportunityto
read, reflect and argue, many seamen were attracted to IWW ideology with its emphasis on worker solidarity
and the spirit of an injury to one is an injury to all . In particular, seamen were tempted by the advantages of
industrial unionism despite the fact their unions from their origin were organized on a craft basis."
Despite their strong pro-worker stance, the Wobblies did not pose much of a threat to the ISU. Their innate
distrust of any kind of bureaucratic structure made it impossible for them to build a union capable of organizing on a mass scale.

-continued next page

_October 1988

5

�AFL President William Green
issued a charter to the SIU.
John L. Lewis changed the face of the labor movement.

FDR pledged a New Deal for Americans. He revitalized the American-flag merchant marine.

The First American-Owned,
Panamanian-Registered Vessels

Seamen were not the only group of workers to be hurt during this period.
Most industrial workers suffered reductions in living standards.
Still, some groups, especially those in the skilled trades, actually prospered
during this period.

Conditions for seamen were exacerbated by the decline of the maritime industry. Still, things could have been much worse .
In 1917, American companies made use of a lax registry system in Panama to
evade the modest provisions of the Seamen's Act of 1915 . But while the Harding,
Coolidge and Hoover administrations could not reverse the decline of the
American-flag merchant marine, they did nothing to encourage the mass exodus
of American shipping companies overseas.
In part, this was because of the bad reputation of Panamanian-registered vessels. In this era of Prohibition, they were linked in the public 's mind with "rumrunning'' expeditions.

The Great Depression
For many Americans, the 1920s were a period of great prosperity. Yet the glittering boom was built on a shaky foundation .
Much of the nation's new-found wealth was not real : it existed only on paper.
It was fueled by speculation and easy credit.
The whole system came crashing down on October29, 1929, "Black Tuesday,"
when the value of all stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange fell almost
by 20 percent in one day.
This ushered in one of the darkest periods in American history, the Great
Depression.
During the next three years, the total net worth of the United States fell by
one-half, from $82 billion to $40 billion. Despair and poverty gripped the nation.
Wages plummeted; unemployment soared. America's industrial machine
ground to a virtual halt.
The Great Depression was not just confined to the United States. There were
severe political and social dislocations in every part of the globe. War clouds
gathered over Europe and Asia.
Democracy and freedom were on the run. Yet in one important respect, it was
an era of hope.
During the darkest days of the Great Depression, the American people voted
overwhelmingly for New York Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In his acceptance speech on January 20,. 1933, he made the following promise:
"I pledge you ; I pledge myself, a new deal for the American people."

The 1929 Stock Market Crash ushered in the Great Depression. Despair gripped the nation.

The 1917 Russian Revolution sent shockwaves through the nation. Strikes became suspect.

The New Deal ushered in an era of hope for Americans. Workers' rights were expanded.

6

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�Chapter Four:

The Seaman's Movement Is Reborn
pon taking office, Franklin Delano Roosevelt immediarely began laying the
foundation for a national recovery. He introduced legislarion aimed at improving the living standards of all Americans and providing the ten million
people without jobs wirh temporary relief
Within two years, he had passed the Social Security Act, the Civilian Construction Corps, the Work Progress Administration, the National Industrial Recovery
Act and a host of other legislation.
Having served as assistant secretary of the Navy during World War I, Roosevelt
had a keen interest in the maritime industry. Alarmed by rhe decline in the
American-flag merchant marine, he persuaded Congress to enact the Merchant
Marine Act of 1936.
This historic piece of legislation established a system of subsidies which
reversed the decline of the American-flag merchant marine and enabled this
country to enhance its badly-deteriorated sealift capability.
He also signed into law the Wagner Act of 1935, which made it possible for
unions to organize workers on a scale
never before imagined.
Indusrry by industry, workers flocked to organized labor. Yet this period
was not without its difficulties.

U

Split in Organized Labor
In 1935, organized labor splir into
two hostile camps: the American
Federation of Labor and the Committee of Industrial Organizations (later
named the Congress of Industrial Organizations).
The CIO was founded by
Mineworkers PresidentJohn L. Lewis,
who believed that organized labor
had to embrace industrial trade
unionism. Yet only 16 of the 109
unions which were affiliated with the
AFL were industrial unions; the rest
were craft unions which represented
one type of worker (plumber; cigarmaker).
When the AFL voted against organizing workers on an industrial
basis in October 1935, Lewis resigned
from the AFL executive board and
formed the Committee of Industrial
Organizations.
This split had important consequences for organized labor. For one
thing, it was a leading ca use for the
establishment of the SIU. "I am convinced,'' said George Meany, who
took over from Green in 1952, "that
these differences of opinions that
caused the split could have been
worked out within the framework of
the American Federation of Labor.
There was no need for a split."
Yet according to Meany, there was a
bright side to this development. "The
fact that the CIO was set up had a
tremendous effect on industrial
workers. When this split came, the
old AFL conservatives were under attack, and they got off their butts and
went to work."

cargo through the picket lines on Pier 38 on the Embarcadero in San Francisco.
On July 3, more than 5,000 seamen, longshoremen and other workers
watched as a convoy of loaded trucks tried to make their way through the picket
ines on Pier 38. All hell broke loose. OnJuly 5, the banle began again. This day
became known to future generations of seamen as "Bloody Thursday."
According to SIU historian John Bunker, ''pickets set cars on fire, hundreds of
policemen charged the mass pickets, and a full-scale engagement began, with
bricks and bullets, clubs and tear gas on nearby Rincon Hill, a knoll along the
waterfront ... 1\vo picketers were killed; scores wounded."
On July 16, a full-scale general strike was called. "This ... paralyzed the city.
Nothing moved. Stores closed. Only a few restaurants were permitted to open.
Business life came to a standstill," wrote Bunker. The strike was called off on July
19 when the Joint Strike Committee representing 120 striking unions agreed to
put all demands to arbitration. Maritime workers made substantial gains.
Historian William Cahn said that "the West Coast maritime strike was a harbinger of things to come in other industries: steel, auto, rubber. It set an
example of union solidarity.. . that
proved unbeatable."
Seamen were among the first group of
workers to respond to the changed political
conditions brought about by the Great
Depression (bottom photo). In 1934, they
rose up en masse to support striking
longshoremen on the West Coast. The
authorities responded with police barricades to keep seamen from their ships
(top photo). Even though they were clubbed
and jailed (inset), their resolve was
strengthened (middJe photo). 1\vo seamen,
Howard Sperry and Nick Bordoise, died in
what future generations of seamen have
called "Bloody Thursday." This marked the
resurgence of the seamen's movement,
which had been in a state of decline since
the ill-fated strike of 1921.

Bloody Thursday
Seamen were among the first
group of workers to respond to the
changed political situation in this
country brought about by the Great
Depression. On the West Coast, they
rose up en masse to support striking
longshoremen, who were seeking an
increase in their pal try S10 a week
salary. The strike began on May 9,
1934. Within days, shipping in San
Francisco and other West Coast ports
was at a standstill. The shipowners
and port officials were determined to
break the strike. They decided to run

October 1988

7

�Chapter Five:

The SIU Is Born Out of the Ashes of ISU
T

he revival of union fervor on the waterfront spelled trouble for the International Seamen's Union. Its leadership was weak and divided. The organization had ceased to have any credibility with seamen.
The day-to-day operations of the ISU had passed from Furuseth to Victor
Olander, Dave Grange, Paul Scharrenberg and a number of other officials. These
officials were not exactly what one would call militant: they had to be coerced
into supporting the longshoremen during the 1934 strike. Many, including
Furuseth, favored government hiring halls.
In 1934 Harry Bridges, president of the Pacific District of the International
Longshoremen'sAssociation, formed the Maritime Federation of the Pacific. The
new federation sought to provide a forum for maritime unions to discuss issues
of common interest. The leaders of the International Seamen's Union strongly
opposed this organization. But the MFP had attracted a great deal of support
during the 1934 strike. Its militant stand during that period contrasted sharply
with the one taken by the ISU. As a result, the ISU leaders suffered a serious blow
to their prestige.
By 1935 discontent within the ranks of the ISU had become rampant. Dissidents within the union started printing a newsletter which later became the official organ of the NMU. The headline on the first issue became a rallying cry for
CIO seamen: "It's time to go I heard them say, I heard them say it's time to go."
The leadership of the ISU found itself increasingly isolated. In 1936, they
pushed through a constitutional amendment which permitted the revocation of
an afftliate's charter at any time and for any reason. Afraid of the growing
popularity and militancy of SUP head Harry Lundeberg, they revoked the charter
of the Sailors Union of the Pacific.

Sailortown during the 1936 strike. The strike marked the beginning of the end of the ISU.
Harry Lundeberg's militant stand in favor of the hiring ball attracted widespread support.

1936 Strike Breaks Out
The beginning of the end for the ISU started in 1936 when a West Coast strike
broke out. ISU officials resisted calling a sympathy strike on the East Coast. For
the few remaining faithful, this proved to be the last straw.
Bridges tried to fill in the vacuum on the West Coast, but he had little luck.
Longshoremen and seamen had historically been at odds out there, and besides,
Bridges' well-known left-wing sympathies were out of sync with the political
mood of most West Coast sailors.
The ISU attempted to establish an alternative West Coast sailors union, but it
attracted virtually no support. West Coast sailors remained overwhelmingly loyal
to the SUP.
On the East Coast, the situation was fragmented. There was no strong,
autonomous seamen's union capable of providing leadership.

NMUFormed
A sitdown strike on the S.S. California in March 1936 thrust Joe Curran, an
unknown bosun, into the national limelight. He soon formed a close alliance
with Bridges and other CIO officials. A new union, the National Maritime Union,
was formed in May 1937. Within a year, the NMU was able to pick up a majority
of the contracts of the old ISU.
"Curran was aggressive, articulate and ambitious and the times suited him
well," wrote SIU historian John Bunker. "It was evident, judging by those who
surrounded and supported him, that Curran was willing to front for the strong
cadre ofleft-wingers in the new union."
Large numbers of East Coast seamen refused to join the NMU. Many felt that
the NMU was dominated by left-wing elements; others remained Joyal to Andrew
Furuseth and the AFL and blamed the ISU's decline on Victor Olander, Dave
Grange and Paul Scharrenberg.
The NMU applied for membership in the newly-formed CIO. This prompted
the AFL, which was in a life-and-death struggle with the CIO, to respond.
"By 193 7 the dispute with the CIO really got hot; (in May) there was a closed
convention of the AFL in Cincinnati, with no press and no outsiders," recalled
George Meany in a taped interview with Archie Robinson. "It was at this point
that the AFL really started to move; all the AFL unions started to organize." Fearing that the AFL might be shut out of the waterfront, AFL President William Green
requested the resignation of the ISU's top leadership. A temporary charter was issued in August 1937. Green, ILA President Joe Ryan and AFL organizer Holt Ross
were named to the executive committee.
In December 1937, a new committee, headed by Harry Lundeberg, was put
together. Robert Chapdelaine was named temporary head of the new union.
On October 15, 1938, at its convention in Houston, Texas, the AFL presented
SUP head Harry Lundeberg with a charter to form a new international seamen's
union. Morris Weisberger, a top Lundeberg aide, took a month's leave to go to
New York and help set up operations for an autonomous affiliate, the Atlantic
and Gulf District.

A skeletal structure was already in place. Matthew "Duke" Dushane was acting
chairman of the new A&amp;G District. John "Whitey" Hawk was in charge of the Atlantic region; Matthew Biggs headed up the Gulf Coast.
At first, there was little interaction between the two regions. Members shipped
out on either a Gulf or an Atlantic Coast book. That wouldn't change for a number of years.
From the beginning, the Atlantic and Gulf District of the SIUNA was known
simply as the SIU.

8

An AFL hiring hall during the 1936 strike. The white caps symbolized support for Lundeberg.

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�Chapter Six:

SIU Lays Strong Foundation for Future
T

he SIU did not have an easy birth. The new union had 500 members, few
resources and only nine contracted companies. "In the beginning," said Ted
Babkowski, book number B-1 and a charter member of the union, ''there was
virtually nothing.''
"I started shipping in Baltimore," said Babkowski. "The first union hall was on
Pratt Street. We had one desk. One bench. No money.
"Bill McKay was the port agent there. We had to move be~ause the rent was $7
and we couldn't make it."

The SIU Has a Tough Go
The NMU, by contrast, had organized a majority of the companies under contract with the ISU. By 1939, it claimed a membership of 35,000.
"We had a tough go," said charter member LS. Johnny Johnston. "The NMU
was breathing down our neck, making it hard for any seaman not belonging to
their union. You could look for a dumping if caught by their beef squad leaving
or returning to your ship.
"It was hard, and as I look back today I wonder what kept the men fighting
when it was so easy just to walk into any NMU hall, throw your ISU book on the
counter and get an NMU work permit."
Still, the nucleus for a new union was there. "The AFL was able to hold onto
Delta and Waterman Steamship and a number of other companies," said
Johnston.
There was an intense rivalry between AFL
and CIO unions. The split between the two
organizations was a leading cause for the
formation of the A&amp;G District of the SIUNA.

The union hall at 51 Beaver Street in N.Y.
was like a second home to many Seafarers.
SIU members welcome a friend back from a
dangerous run during World \v.lr II.

Battle With CIO Heats Up
The SIU, like all other unions during this period, was preoccupied withJohn
L. Lewis's decision to break away from the AFL and form the CIO.
Dual unionism, as it was called, was the single overriding reality for all trade
unionists until 195 5. That was the year that George Meany engineered an historic
merger between the two national organizations.
In order to remain a viable force on the waterfront, the AFL needed to re-establish itself on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. It already had a solid base on the
West Coast with the SUP.
Early editions of the Seafarers LOG devoted a lot of space to the rivalry between the two national organizations. There was a constant barrage of unflattering stories aboutJohn L. Lewis, Joe Curran, Harry Bridges and other leading CIO
figures. Needless to say, there was no love lost on either side, and the compliments were returned in style.

The Hunter and the Dog

The SIUNA held its first convention in San Francisco, Calif. in 1942. Great progress had been
made since the union's inception in 1938. World War II had created many new jobs.
Seafarers writing home from the union hall at 51 Beaver Street just before the war's end.

In his later years, when asked to put the split into perspective, Meany would
say that the CIO had made several important contributions to the labor movement.
He felt that the CIO had forced the AFL unions to "get off their butts and organize new members." In addition, he lauded the CIO's commitment to political
action and racial equality.
Yet he and many other AFL leaders had one overriding problem with the CIO
which they were never able to reconcile.
"Lewis brought in all the hot-shots, the radicals and the Communists that
were in other unions . They all flocked to Lewis and he took them all in. They
were outstanding organizers; they could get people to join. They were not very
good at conducting the affairs of the union.
" When (Ladies Garment Workers President David) Du bi~sky would argue with
Lewis about using Communists as organizers, he said to Dubinsky, 'Well, who
gets the bird-the hunter or the dog?' In other words, the communist organizer
was the dog and Lewis was the hunter."

Lundeberg and Curran
In a sense, the differences between SIUNA President Harry Lundeberg and
NMU President Joe Curran mirrored those of William Green and John L. Lewis,
the heads of their respective national organizations, the AFL and the CIO.
In taped conversations with Archie Robinson towards the end of his life,
George Meany pretty much summed up the AFL position on this issue. He differentiated between a member's individual beliefs and the wisdom of allowing
the entire administration of a union to fall under the control of non-democratic
forces.
Meany's views were shaped by the times. He and other AFL leaders had witnessed from a distance the rise of Fascism in Germany. They had seen trade
unionists and others put to death for their commitment to democratic principles.
This was not just a theoretical issue to them.
"In the final analysis," said Meany, "no matter what type of dictator takes over
a country, the first thing he does is destroy worker freedom. If he's going to dictate, he has to have control of the workers. That's the reason every dictatorwhether military, right wing or left wing-begins by wiping out the freedom of
workers. They wipe out free trade unions.
"The Communist Soviet philosophy back in those days was to try to bore into
the American industrial scheme and they looked upon communication and
transportation as being very important.
-continued next page

October 1988

9

�"They would have liked to get control of the radio system-anything to do
with communications. They would have liked to get control of trucking if they

could; city transportation was very important to chem.
"They did get control of radio operators on ships that union became strictly
under the control of the Communists. They had control of certain shipping; they
had control of the National Maritime Union."

SIU Members Help Fuel the War Effort

Communist Presence in the NMU
The Communist Party has never played a prominent role in American political
life. After the McCarthy era, its influence became negligible. But during the Great
Depression and World War II, it achieved a certain respectability which it sought
to convert into power.
For a while, it exerted a considerable influence in a number of CIO unions,
one of which was the NMU. ''The NMU was the crown jewel of the Communist
Party,'' wrote Philip Ross in his history of the SIU.
Five out of six members of the NMU's executive council were members of the
Communist Party. The only one who wasn't was NMU President Joe Curran, and
he flared AFL resentments by marching in the 1936 May Day parade.
"The Party had become the vehicle for the young man of conventional ambitions, f• wrote Murray Kempton, one of this nation's most respected journalists, in
his classic book on the era, Part Of Our Time. "The Communists made the
decisions and assigned the offices. Membership in
the waterfront section of the party had become
more necessary for the careerist in the NMU than
the Rotary Club ever hoped to be in more ordinary
societies."
The NMU Pilot had a communist editor, and it
pretty much followed the Party line. After Hitler and
Stalin signed a non-aggression treaty, the Pi,/ot was
strongly in favor of the United States remaining
neutral. Yet the week after the Germans invaded the
Soviet Union, the Pilot strongly urged the United
States to enter the war on the side of the Allies.

Wobs Played a Role
A good many of the early members of the SIU
were former Wobblies who staunchly opposed what
they perceived was the communist domination of
theNMU.
"As individuals," wrote Ross, "many Wobbly
members played important roles during the stirring
organizing years of the middle and later 1930s. By
and large, Wobs were to be found closely allied with
Harry Lundeberg in his battles with the Communist

demand for its services. World War II transformed the American merchant marine
into the largest in the world and defined a whole generation of seamen.
World War II created so many new jobs for American seamen that the SIU was
forced to move out of its cramped quarters at 2 Stone Street into a new union
hall at 51 Beaver Street.

In the beginning, there weren't enough seamen or ships to carry on the war
effort. Once again, America had been caught short.
The federal government ran advertising campaigns trying to persuade seamen
to enlist. Shipyards were on an all-out schedule to meet the unexpected demand
for vessels.
"I remember seeing a government poster for the American-flag merchant
marine," said Jim McCue, a former member of the SIU. "I decided that this would
be a good way to help my country."
Some seamen, determined to serve their country, joined the merchant marine
because they couldn't pass the physical for the armed services. "They wouldn't
take me," said SIU Vice President Red Campbell, "so I joined the merchant
marine. For a while, I was the only male between the ages of 16 and 60 on my
block."
"With the outbreak of war," wrote columnist James J. Kilpatrick, "merchant
seamen received additional military training. Shipping articles were changed so that seamen could be
ordered to such ports and places in any part of the
world as may be ordered by the U.S. government. A
War Shipping Administration took over the merchant ships for service consistent with strategic
military requirements."
Seamen suffered the second highest casualty
rate of the war. President Roosevelt talked about
extending G. I. benefits to seamen, but he died
before he could take action on that issue.
Still, seamen had at least the satisfaction of
knowing they had served their country. And it made
for some truly wonderful sea stories.

Torpedoed Seven Times

Asst. Sec.-Treas.J.P. Shuler handles this member's beef.

Party.''

"There were ships sailing SIU during the
war, "wrote Ross, "which were crewed from master
down to ordinary seamen, top to bottom, with only
Wobs."

The new union organized companies like calmar.

SUP Gave A Helping Hand
For the first few months of its existence, the SIU
was little more than a shell organization. Until 1940,
the union was run by SUP organizers.
But the stated goal of Harry Lundeberg was to
enable the A&amp;G District to become a fully
autonomous member of the SIUNA. Right before the
first election, the SUP organizers returned to the West Coast.
Speaking about this at the first SIUNA convention in 1942, john Hawk, the
first popularly-elected secretary-treasurer of the SIU, had this to say:
"The SUP men when they came east had promised the seamen that the SUP
was not moving in to control the new organization, but only to give it fraternal
support until it got off its feet. Now that the District was obviously on a sound organizational basis, the SUP brothers wisely decided to tum the leadership over to
the men elected from the rank and file."

Security In Unity; Brotherhood of the Sea
Helping to build up the A&amp;G District was consistent with Lundeberg's
philosophy of trade unionism. He believed that affiliates of an international
should be free to run their own affairs, but that they should band together on
larger issues.
Above all, Lundeberg believed that the various affiliates had an obligation to
support one another. Simply put, he believed in the two mottos of the SIUBrotherhood of the Sea and Security In Unity.

Organizing Drives
The new union won a number of important organizing drives and strikes against
Alcoa, P&amp;O, Calmar, Ore, Robin, Bull Line, Eastern Steam Ship and other companies.
But more than anything, the outbreak of World War II turned the new union into
a viable organization.
In a sense, it was a repeat of what happened during World War I. America was
once again the world's largest neutral shipper, and there was an explosive

10

"One of our members, Bobby Burton, set a
record for being onboard seven vessels hit by German torpedoes and still surviving," said SIU
Secretary Joe DiGiorgio.
"He became something of a celebrity among
seamen. I remember going onboard a ship and
seeing him. I got right off. Damned if the vessel
wasn't torpedoed."
"They wouldn't let us use electric razors onboard ship because they thought that we might
send signals to the Germans with them,'' said Red
Campbell. "We had to go to bed with our clothes
on in case we got hit by German torpedoes. When
that happened, every second counted."

Liberty Ships and Hog Islanders
In the early days of the war, the United States
was lucky to have a supply of Hog Islanders left
over from World War I. The Hogs, named after the
shipyard just outside Philadephia, Pa. where they
had been built, were the first
-"els mass-produced ~n American shipyards. They
were the inspiration for a w!£
new generation of World War II vessels, the
Liberty vessels, which Presi&lt;lcnt Roosevelt dubbed the "ugly ducklings" of the
American-flag fleet.
American seamen developed a strong attachment to these old ships . They may
not have been the most beautiful vessels, but they were sturdy and dependable.
T

SIU Wins War Bonus Benefits
Throughout the war, the SIU attracted growing attention because of its tough
stands. It was able to win impressive wage increases for its members, and took
the lead in fighting for War Bonus benefits.
In 1939, SIU crews started walking off ships to gain this important benefit for
its members. The United States was neutral, but American ships were still at risk.
In September 1941, before America was engaged in the war, it tied up 20 ships
on this issue. Roosevelt stepped in and said that "the ships must sail or else."
Hearings were held in Washington , D .C. before the newly-created National
Defense Mediation Board (NDMB) to resolve the dispute. The NDMB granted an
immediate increase in war bonuses for unlicensed seamen.
By the end of World War II, the SIU had established itself as a presence on the
Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.
Speaking about these early days, Ted Babkowski had this to say, "Help from
the SUP was critical. Then World War II came along and created a lot of jobs for
us.
"Afterwards, Paul Hall took over as director of organizing. He signed up
Isthmian and Cities Service and turned the SIU into the most powerful union on
the waterfront."

SIU ·Fiftieth Anniversary

�Chapter Seven:

The SIU Fights For Democracy In WWII
The SIU bad barely been formed when World War II erupted. SIU seamen played a pivotal role In that war, carrying troops and ammunition overseas. John Bunker, former bead of tbe union's historical research department, wrote the following article on tbat Important period In our nation's
history. It appeared In tbe LOO as part of 26-part series on the b'lstory of the union (check Individual issues from 1980-1982).
Bunker, a former reporter for The Chris · n Sc ence Monitor, started writing/or the SIU In the 1940s. He Is best known to SIU members/or The SIU
at War, a pamphlet be wroti during World W4 II wblcb chronicled tbe heroic efforts of SIU members.

M

embers of the Seafarers International Union were on the front lines of batdeath. The Alcoa Pilgrim, loaded deep with 9,500 tons of bauxite for Mobile,
tle in World War II. They carried guns, planes, gas and "ammo" to a dozen
caught a "tin fish" and went down in 90 seconds with heavy loss of life.
SIU men made the hazardous run to Russia, including the famous convoys of
beachheads and to supply ports and island bases all over the world from the
Aleutians to Algiers.
July and September 1942, which were hit by subs and bombers and lost many
ships in those cold, Arctic waters. SIU
Even before the United States had
crews made all the hazardous war
officially entered the war against Gerruns---all the bloody beachheads. Unmany, Italy and Japan, SIU sailors
sung "heroes," in a way, were the
knew what it was like to be torcrews who spent months on tedious
pedoed and put adrift in open boats
trips to supply bases behind the tides
hundreds of miles from the nearest
land.
of the battle.
On May 21, 1941, long before Pearl
Harbor, a submarine stopped the unInvasion of Normandy
armed S.S. Robin Moor of the Robin
There wasn't a beachhead from
Line on route from New York to
Anzio to the Philippines; from NorSouth Africa. Captain William Myers
mandy to Okinawa, where SIU crews
was given 20 minutes to abandon
were not in the forefront of war. They
ship, after which the U-boat's gunners
took part in the longest battle of the
put 33 shells into the freighter and
war
too--the fight to keep England
sank her. After the sub disappeared,
supplied with food, gas, guns and
the 45 survivors struck out for land in
other war supplies.
four boats. Fortunately, all four were
Thousands of SIU seamen took
picked up but not until the fourth
part in the greatest resupply in the
boat had traversed 700 miles of open
ocean.
history of the war---the invasion of the
When the first survivors were
French coast in June of 1944.
larided and news of the sinking stirred
They had an important role in
the nation, President Roosevelt sent a
landing the 2,500,000 troops, the 17
special message to Congress in which
million tons of ammunition and suphe said that American ships would not
plies and the half million trucks and
be intimidated. "We are not yielding,"
tanks that were put ashore there in
he said, "and we do not propose to
Survivors of tbe Robin Moor, the first American-flag vessel to be hit during World War II.
the first 109 days after D-Day.
yield."
There were myriad tales of heroism
as SIU ships steamed their embattled
Government recruiting posters promoted
American seamen suffered the second highemployment onboard American vessels.
est casualty rate of World War II.
way across sub-infested seas.
German U-Boats
Take the case of the S.S. Angelina
Prowl Seas
of the Bull Line. This SIU freighter
When German U-boats brought the
was westbound in October of 1942
war to the very coasts of the United
across the North Atlantic where it beStates early in 1942, SIU seamen were
came separated from the rest of its
among the first to feel the brunt of it.
convoy in a violent storm. Wind
The City of Atlanta was northdriven waves over 30 feet high conbound off Cape Hatteras on January
tinuously wracked the ship. Just
before midnight on the 17th, a Ger19, 1942, when it was torpedoed by a
German submarine. The ship sank so
man torpedo exploded in the engine
fast that there was no time for the
room, killing the black gang and
crew to launch the lifeboats. Only
flooding the engine spaces.
three men survived; 39 were lost. The
Only one boat could be laur.lched
three survivors were rescued by the
and, being overloaded with crewmen
SIU-contracted S.S. Seatrain Texas.
and Navy armed guard gunners, it was
Less than a week after this, the SIUsoon capsize_~ in tremendous seas.
manned S.S. Venore, an ore carrier,
Some managed to hold on to the grab
rails on the bottom of the boat, but
was torpedoed off Cape Hatteras with
one by one they were swept away by
the loss of 18 men. Following quickly
New Yorkers thronged Times Square to celebrate VE Day. World War II was nearly over.
the numbing cold and the battering
in the wake of this sinking were a
waves, until only a few remained.
long list of SIU ships, all of them unThese would have died, too, were
armed and unescorted.
it not for the heroic efforts of the
There were the Robin Hood, the
ship's carpenter, Gustave Alm. It was
Alcoa Guide, Pipestone Country, the
Alm who urged the weary desperate
Major Wheeler, the Mary, and many
men to "hang on ... hang on." When
more as U-boats enjoyed a field day
one of them would drop away from
along the Atlantic Coast, in the Gulf of
exhaustion, he would bring him back
Mexico and in the Caribbean.
and help to hold him on until he
Two boats from the Pipestone
revived. When someone said, "I've
Country were adrift for 16 days before
had enough," and wanted to die, Alm
being picked up. The Major Wheeler
would slap him on the face and yell,
completely disappeared. The Robert
"Keep on ... keep on."
E Lee, a passenger ship, was sunk alWhen a destroyer finally found
most inside the Mississippi Delta.
them many hours later, it was Alm
who grabbed the lines thrown from
No SIU Ship Held Up
the warship's deck and made them
fast around his exhausted comDespite this havoc, no SIU ship was
panions so they could be hoisted onheld up for lack of a crew. Many crews
board. Alm was the last to be saved.
steamed out to meet almost certain

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

11

�----------------~---------------------------The hiring hall was threatened by the Taft-Hartley Act.

An FOC hiring hall.

--

----

Unlike the U.S. fleet, Soviet shipping experienced a rapid expansion after World War II.

Chapter Eight:

SIU Faces Ominous Post-War Trends
F

or most Americans, the post-war era loomed large with possibilities. The
United States was now the most powerful nation in the world. In 1945, it accounted for half of the world's industrial output.
Seamen, however, were not so lucky. They could no longer take their job
security for granted. Hundreds ofAmerican-flag vessels were laid up when World
War II ended.
Moreover, seamen were not eligible for the same kind of education and job
retraining benefits that enabled millions of veterans to enter the middle class.
A seaman who had served his country in World War II-who had been onboard a vessel that was torpedoed by a German U-boat and survived the chilly
waters of the North Atlantic-&lt;:ould not apply for a G.I. loan for his college
education. He was ineligible for low-cost mortgages. And yet only the Marines
had suffered a higher fatality rate during the war.
Despite these and other disturbing developments, the se~man's life had
changed dramatically from the dark days of the mid '30s. As a result of gains won
by seamen's unions in collective bargaining negotiations, members of the SIU
and other maritime unions were beginning to achieve a standard of living comparable to their counterparts on shore.

Under it, the companies promised to make their vessels available in case of any
international emergency. The nations under whose registries they reflagged
agreed to that condition.
The rationale for this was that American shipping companies could no longer
compete against the merchant fleets of other nations-merchant fleets that the
American government had rebuilt from scratch with enactment of the Ship Sales
Act of 1946!
The EUSC Doctrine was supposed to be a way to balance the nation's security
needs with the economic needs of the owners. Yet, as Irwin Heine, a former official in the Maritime Administration, has noted, "the fact that (EUSC) registries
play an important role in U.S. mobilization planning is based upon agreements,
not treaties, with Panama, Honduras and Liberia. Under international law, only
the state of registry has the right to requisition and document under flag-of-convenience registries."
A good many of the ships sold overseas under the Ship Sales Act found their
way to these newly-formed FOC fleets. The transfer of American vessels overseas
had a dynamic all its own. It began over the heated protests of American
maritime unions. Once it started, it proved impossible to stop.

Taft-Hartley Poses Threat to Hiring Hall

Easily Exploitable

Towards the end of World War II, American corporations began campaigning
for a law to restrict the rights of labor unions. In 1947, after a spate of post-war
strikes, Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act. The legislation sent a shiver
throughout the labor movement.
For 12 years, the Wagner Act had created a favorable legal climate for unions
to organize new members. Enactment of Taft-Hartley marked a major political
shift.
Taft-Hartley made organizing more difficult by allowing states to enact right-towork laws. It tightened restrictions against secondary boycotts and outlawed the
hiring of workers through hiring halls.
In order to preserve the seaman's hiring hall, SUP President Lundeberg met
with Robert Taft, one of the sponsors of the legislation, to secure an exemption
from the ruling.
Saving the seaman's hiring hall was one of Lundeberg's most important contributions to the maritime industry, said Paul Hall, who succeeded Lundeberg as
president of the SIUNA. "Taft-Hartley posed a special threat to seamen. The
hiring hall had been at the heart ofall their gains."

· Neither Panama nor Liberia had particularly impressive maritime ·traditions.
They did, however, possess certain qualifications that made them attractive to
American corporations.
Both were poor and easily exploitable. Americans have always looked upon
both countries as "de facto" colonies. When setting up an open registry system
to evade American standards, it was not surprising that the shipping companies
would have chosen these countries.
A lax system of registration already existed in Panama. After World War II
ended, American shipowners and former government officials met with the
leaders of Liberia and drafted a Liberian registry tailored to the demands of
American shipowners.

Ship Sales Act and EUSC Doctrine
Decimate American Fleet
In a sense, the post-war maritime industry was out of sync with the rest of the
country. By 1980, the wholesale transfer of American companies overseas would
become a commonplace occurrence. But in 1945, the only factory that was easily
transferrable overseas was an ocean-borne one, an American-flag vessel.
Congress started this process by enacting the Ship Sales Act of 1946, which
authorized the sale of American vessels abroad at cut-rate prices. Now that World
War II was over, there was a surplus of American vessels.
Policy-makers tended to equate the Ship Sales Act with the foreign aid
programs like the Marshall Plan. Maritime unions felt that the program posed a
serious threat to the job security of their members.
Between 1946 and 1948, foreign buyers snatched up 1,159 American ships.
These vessels enabled many foreign fleets to startup at rock-bottom prices. In effect, Congress had subsidized maritime's competition.
Ironically, foreign competition was not the most serious threat to the job
security of American seamen. It was the actions of American owners and the
federal government.
In 194 7, the government decided to offer War Risk Insurance to American
companies which had reflagged their vessels under the registries of countries
deemed "under the effective control of the United States." This later became
known as the EUSC Doctrine.

12

Soviet Build-Up
The post-war decline of the American fleet coincided with a build-up of the
Soviet maritime industry. Starting with a few of our lend-lease vessels in World
war II, the Soviets have built their fleet to more than 7,poo vessels.
The decline in the American-flag merchant marine was so quick that by the
beginning of the Korean War there were only 1, 700 vessels under our registry,
roughly 40 percent of what we had during the height of World War II. This was
just enough to meet our sealift needs during that conflict.
Meanwhile, there was an explosive growth in the number of vessels registered
under flags of convenience. This would have profound consequences for
seamen, not just in this country but all around the globe.

Seamen Were the First to be Abandoned
The wholesale exodus of American shipping companies after the war was a
prototype for something that would become commonplace throughout the
American economy during the 1980s. Writing about the decline of the American
auto industry, Pulitzer prize-winning author David Halbestram had some keen
observations to make about the motives of American automobile companies in
the early part of the decade. He could just as easily have been writing about the
shipping industry of the late '40s.
"The Japanese challenge had given many American companies an excuse to do
something they had always longed to do, which was to relocate their factories in
underdeveloped countries beyond the reach of American labor unions. Until
then only the most labor-intensive industries, such as the garment industry, had
been able to escape the nation's borders. Abandoning the American worker had
been socially and politically unthinkable. But now, because of the coming of the
Japanese, the tactic had become acceptable."

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

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Chapter Nine:

Paul Hall Takes Over the Helm of SIU
P

aul Hall is to the SIU what John L. Lewis was to the Mineworkers: an inspirational leader who shaped the union in his image.
The SIU's rise to power during the post-war era was largely a result of his
determination and foresight. After he was named director of organizing in 1945,
the union began to play a leading role on the waterfront.
It was Hall's leadership qualities that made the difference for the SIU. Although World War II had made it possible for the A&amp;G District to survive and
even prosper, it was not particularly
well placed to assume a leadership
role in the maritime industry.
The membership of the NMU still
outnumbered the A&amp;G District by a
large margin. It had most of the big
companies and a near-lock on the
lucrative passenger vessel and tanker
trades.

Shipping Gave Him a
Break
Like many other charter members
of the SIU, Hall's early years were
filled with poverty. His father, a railReader's Digest said Hall was "morally, inroad conductor, died when he was
tellectually and physically superior."
just 11 years old.
He was forced to leave home at 14
years old to seek employment. He worked at numerous odd jobs, none of which
paid very much.
He lied about how old he was and boxed men twice his age for a quarter a
fight. His brother Pete, 12, was his manager.
He often told friends that his first big break came when he decided to ship
out. His oldest brother, whom everyone knew as "Sailor," had been the first in
the family to take the plunge.

Seamen Were His Family
As bad as economic conditions were in the maritime industry 60 years ago,
they were infinitely better than the ones that Paul Hall had to cope with as a
fatherless transient roaming a South plagued by economic collapse.
He had a Southerner's sense of the extended family. When he joined the merchant marine, seamen became part of his bloodlines. Even after he became
maritime's leading spokesman, every old-timer was his brother and every trainee
his son.
Though he was intensely proud of his Southern heritage, he was no bigot. His
life had been too hard, he had seen too much, for him to look down on anyone.

Moved to Integrate the SIU
Immediately after he became head of the SIU in 1948, he took steps to integrate the union. Until that time black members were confined to one department.
It was not a popular stand by any
means, and it could have cost Hall his
position. But by 1951 the process was
complete: the SIU was no longer a
"checkerboard union."
Like the good boxer that he was, he
knew how to improvise, how to learn
from his competitors. The NMU's
strong stand on racial equality was

Isthmian was his most important campaign.

October 1988

one of its most important contributions to the maritime industry.
Besides, Hall's family history-his father had been a union member in a region
and at a time when unions were frowned upon-had made a strong impression
on him . In those pre-CIO days, the union that Hall's father belonged to, the
Brotherhood of Local Engineermen, was one of the few to take an unequivocal
stand in support of desegregation.
While poverty and family tragedy cut short Hall's formal education, it did not
cut short his life-long quest for knowledge. During World War II, he sailed as ·an
oiler, even though he had received a second engineer's rating.

First Union Position
In 1943, he was elected to his first important union position-dispatcher in
Baltimore. Speaking of Hall's first election, Ted Babkowski had this to say:
''A few of us-Red Baron, Alex Jakowski, myself-motioned Paul for the
dispatcher's job in Baltimore.
"It was the ideal spot. Baltimore was just about the biggest shipping port in
the country. Everyone went through there. You could get to know everybody.''

Boxing Strategy
Hall's campaign for dispatcher was marked by an astute sense of timing and a
strong attention to detail that became his trademarks.
Invariably, the one image that people use to describe Paul Hall is that of the
boxer, the lonely warrior who goes one on one with his opponent. The good
boxer is almost by definition a good strategist because if he isn't he has to endure
immediate pain, immediate punishment.
"Paul loved to talk strategy," said Bobby Pomerlane, special assistant to the
SIU president. "He used to say that the one thing a boxer should have is a good
left hook, because your opponent can't see it coming."

The Chief
Many of the officials who worked with Paul Hall called him "the Chief,"
though in many respects he was more like a general.
He had a great fondness for Civil War history. In his later years, he would collect antique books on the strategies of Robert E. Lee. Like Lee, he stood alongside
his troops on the front lines of battle.
The first thing he did at the start of every campaign was to assemble a closelyknit team. He instinctively realized that every person had some skill or idea that
could be utilized. More often than not, he said, it was the person everyone else
overlooked who made the crucial difference.
In 1943, he was virtually unknown outside a small circle of friends. Within a
decade, he would be attracting nationwide attention.
Writing about Hall in a widely-publicizedReader'sDigest article that appeared
in 1953, labor reporter Victor Reisel made the following observations:
''Paul Hall, husky six foot secretary-treasurer of the Seafarers, stands out physically, mentally, morally and intellectually. At 39, this blondish Viking from
Alabama has shown old-line unionists how to keep faith with the rank and file
and at the same time roll up millions of dollars in assets ... he is one of the few
honest labor leaders on the New York waterfront."

The people who worked with Paul Hall called him ·;che Chief." Like the good general he was, he scood alongside his troops on the from lines.

13

�CHAPTER TEN:

The SIU Becomes a Waterfront Power
P

aul Hall and the other officials of the SIU set the union's strategy for the
post-war era at a port agent's conference in March of 1946. Isthmian and
Cities Service were targeted for action.
With more than 100 vessels, Isthmian was the largest American-flag steamship
company. I twas a worldwide operator whose parent firm was the huge U.S. Steel
Corporation.
Cities Service was singled out because it had 16 tankers representing 300
potential jobs under its corporate seal. As such, it marked an inviting target for
the SIU's entry into the tanker industry.
The NMU had tried to organize these companies for years, with little success.
Within four years, both were to sign contracts with the SIU.
By organizing Isthmian and Cities Service, the SIU was able to establish itself
as a power on the waterfront. "Who would ever have thought that a handful of
rag-tag sailors could have taken on two of the largest conglomerates in the world
and won?" said SIU Secretary Joe DiGiorgio.
Both campaigns were stirring, the stuff of labor history. But neither company
exists under the American-flag today, which highlights the most important lesson
of both campaigns. No union can be content to rest on past victories and survive.
It has to continually organiz.e new companies or else face extinction.

Cities Service a Dogfight All the Way
"In some ways," wrote John Bunker, former head of the SIU's Historical
Research Department, "the Cities Service campaign was tougher than the
Isthmian campaign that came along about the same time. The Isthmian fleet was
many times larger than Cities Service and its ships were engaged in worldwide
trading, which posed more challenging organizational problems . But with Cities
Service, the SIU was up against an outfit that was bull-headedly anti-union and
was determined to throw every roadblock and baffie that it could before signing
on the dotted line.
"Organizing efforts on Cities Service began in 1946 ... signing up the men on
the ships was the easy part of it. The real fight came against company
shenanigans.
"There were no Marquis of Queensbury rules in this organizing drives. No
punches were held back by either side. It was a dogfight all the way.
"Cities Service had become so fearful of SIU men infiltrating its ships through
its New York hiring hall that it began hiring crews from such places as the Red
Lantern Cafe in Boston, the Rialto Cafe in Bayonne, Paddy Keane's gin mill in

Bayonne and other such joints, where men frequently even paid to get shipped
on Cities Service tankers ." And in another desperate attempt to keep SIU sympathizers out of its fleet, the company built up an elaborate spy system.

Cities Service Sets Up Spy System
''A former Coast Guard officer, John Dugan, was hired to set up this spy system
in an attempt to spot SIU men on the ships. One private eye hung around the
Citco hiring hall in New York, fingering any SIUers who came in applying for a
job. Another detective shadowed the company's own marine employment
manager because higher-ups didn't trust him. They even tapped the phone in his
office and his home."
The company's tactics were so unorthodox that the United States Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare felt compelled to hold hearings into the matter.
The committee, which was headed by Sen. Warren Magnuson (D-Wash.) ,
reached the following conclusion:
"It is almost unbelievable that any union could continue in the existence of
this combination of legal stalling and violent anti-union activity. Certainly a
smaller, poorer and less persistent union would have been destroyed."

Isthmian Was the Typical Paul Hall Campaign
As colorful and exciting as the Cities Service Campaign was, Isthmian remains
the prototypical "Paul Hall campaign." It was the one where Paul Hall put
together his first "closely-knit team."
Writing about this campaign, John Bunker noted, "New York Port Agent Paul
Hall had been named ... to head up the drive.
"Earl 'Bull' Shepard was in charge of the field work, assisted by Cal Tanner,
Lindsey Williams, Per Lykke and Eugene Dauber. Secretary-Treasurer J.P. Shuler
was also part of the team (as were LOG editor Herb Brand and Hall's administrative assistant Rose Siegel, who coordinated the voluminous flow of information).
Among the others who deserved credit were organizers Johnny Arabasz, Al Kerr,
E.S. Higdon, William Rentz and Charles Sterling. They worked 18-hour days,
seven days a week during this vital campaign.
"(But Paul Hall always said that the real heroes were the SIU seamen who)
rode the Isthmian ships despite their lower wages and lack of other benefits.
These men would infiltrate the Isthmian fleet as volunteer ship organizers.

Gties Service hired seamen from bars and tapped phones.
The sru came to the aid of striking Wall Street workers in
1948 (below and top-right). The beef made front page news.

TRI
The Isthmian campaign put the union on the map. The SIU beat out the NMU in signing up the largest unorganized company.

14

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�"(One of many SIU members to come to the aid of the union) was SIU Vice
PresidentAngus 'Red' Campbell, who rode Isthmian'sStee/Inventory as a volunteer organizer on a five-month trip from New York to Shanghai and back. He
remembers having all of 28 hours in overtime and paying off with $750."

Headquarters Turned Into a Battlefield

Throughout the rest of Hall's career, education would remain a priority. He
would continually improvise, moving the union's training facilities first to Mobile,
then to Brooklyn and finally to Piney Point, where they remain today.

Maritime Strike of 1946

Despite the drop-off in post-war shipping, the SIU was able to win important
increases in contract negotiations with Waterman and Mississippi Shipping inJ uly
The important thing in any campaign is to instill people with a sense of misof 1946. These gains were threatened later that year when the National Wage
sion. Hall did this by putting the entire New York union hall on war footing. No
Stabilization Board cut the union's wage scale down to a lower level won by the
maner where you turned, you could not escape the Isthmian campaign. Writes
NMU.
Bunker:
A general strike was called in September 19~6,
"The Isthmian drive was directed from Paul
which the uhion won. "This strike," said John
Hall's organizational headquarters at 51 Beaver
Hawk, "is being directed against the National Wage
Street in New York, where the operations
resembled field headquarters for a wartime military
Stabilization Board and their autocratic infringement of the rights of free labor unions to bargain
command.
collectively with the operators for wages, hours and
"Here complete reports were received daily on
working conditions."
the position of Isthmian ships all over the world
and detailed information on those in American
ports or due shortly to arrive. There was a file on
MTD Established
each ship, including such things as the names of key
As the A&amp;G District gathered strength, it began to
men aboard and the reaction of crew members to
play a more prominent role in the SIUNA's national
SIU organizing; when and where the SIU literature
had been placed on board; where and when the
campaigns. The SIU was no longer a weak link in
the AFL seamen's movement; it was a strong ally for
ship had been contacted by SIU organizers ; effectiveness of the NMU competition on board; atSUP President Harry Lundeberg. In August of 1946,
titudes of crewmen toward the company, and
the SIU and the SUP jointly established the
similar useful data.
Mari time Trades Council of the American Federation
of Labor. Later, under the direction of Paul Hall and
" Large charts on the walls in this operations cenPete McGavin, it would develop into the powerful
ter showed the status of the drive in colorful
Maritime Trades Department, a constitutional
graphics, so that headquarters would have a daily
SIU white caps march in behalf of Detroit phone workers.
department of the AFL-CIO consisting of 44 internapicture of the worldwide effort. If one port seemed
tional trade unions representing 8.5 million memto be falling behind in the drive, organizers could
be shifted from strong to weak points on short
bers.
The MTD and its numerous port councils gave the SIUNA a strong grassroots
notice . The tempo of activity never slackened. The New York combat information
center, as it could be called, operated 24 hours a day, with someone always on
presence around the country. It played an important role in securing support for
hand to take messages, give orders and make decisions.
seamen in their organizing drives and legislative banles.

Hall Lays a Blueprint for the Future

Affiliates Established

Yet the Isthmian and Cities Service campaigns were just the tip of the iceberg.
During the same time, Hall was laying a blueprint for the SIU's future .
In 1946, the SIU came up with its first training program. This was particularly
important to Hall, who regretted that his own education had been cut short.

Hall was elected to the SIU's top post, secretary-treasurer, in 1948. Building
on the union's commitment to organizing, he worked with Lundeberg in chartering three new SIUNA affiliates, each of which represented an important area of
growth for the union.
--continued next page

he
", (;

fficers were refused
Licensed O
a secret ballot election
tor heir free choice of

col\ective bargain· g representative

1be New York limes praised "the white-capped Seafarers" during this 1948 rally. The ILGWU was fighting organized crime.

Such an election is absolutely

necessary to prevent a further

insure safe efficient ferr

The SIU gained attention by helping more than 100 other trade unions in the post-war years.

October 1988

Paul Hall showed solidarity.

Seafarers marched on behalf of their licensed brothers.

15

�This sad state of affairs was exacerbated by the actions of the Canadian
Seamen's Union, which was dominated by the Communist Party. The union was
wreaking havoc on the waterfront.

International Trade Unionism the Key
Speaking of the troubled situation on the Canadian waterfront at the SIUNA's
1947 Convention, William McLaughlin of the British Columbia Seamen's Union
had this to say:
"It is a period of foreseen and unforeseen events. It is a period that will make
exacting demands on the endurance ... and the common sense of each member of
the movement.
"We in Canada look forward .. . to a militant movement awake and alive to the
working class needs. We see it in the nature of the values of international trade
union solidarity, and, say, speed the day when all labor will be in the one house,
with one set of ideals and principles, and united under the one banner.
"International representation in the final analysis, is the only guarantee that
will assure seamen the world over of the maintenance and success of any struggle in the defense of their rights."

Battle of Halifax
The 1946 General Strike enabled the SIU and other maritime unions to achieve gains.

In 1949, the Inland Boatmen's Union of the Pacific was formed. This gave the
international its first entry into the tug and barge field.
In 1949, the SIUNA chartered the Brotherhood of Marine Engineers and the
Marine Allied Workers Division (MAWD).
The BME was formed to create an alternative to licensed seamen who did not
want to be part of the CIO-affiliated Marine Engineers Beneficial Association and
who were still working for unorganized lines.
From its inception, the MAWD was perceived as being the organizing arm of
the SIU (it was unique in that it was chartered under both the international and
the Atlantic and Gulf District). In order to be fully effective, the A&amp;G District
needed to establish a base among shore-side workers.

Helping Other Unions
Increasingly throughout the decade, the SIU began to establish a nationwide
reputation by supporting other unions in their beefs and organizing drives.
Working through the SIUNA and the MID port councils, the SIU supported
striking members of the United Financial Employees Union, Local 205, AFL,
during the bitterly-contested Wall Street Strike of 1948. In 1946, the union went
to the aid of the Masters, Mates and Pilots, the Marine Firemen, Oilers and Watertenders, the International Longshoremen's Association and the CIO Shipbuilders.
When organized crime tried to infiltrate the Ladies Garment Workers Union,
white-capped SIU seamen stood by their union brothers at a rally, held in midtown Manhattan, that was attended by more than 50,000 people.
"Scattered through the crowd," said The New York Times, "were hundreds of
white-capped Seafarers who drew enthusiastic cheers and applause for the aid
they were giving the ILGWU in its war on the gangster hoodlums."
And when Canadian shipowners asked SIUNA President Harry Lundeberg to
help them fight the Communist element on the Canadian waterfront, SIU
seamen joined their SUP brothers as full partners in this campaign.

Writing about the battle to establish an independent Canadian affiliate of the
SIU, SIU historian John Bunker had this to say:
"The Canadian District of the SIU was formed in September of 1948.
"When the contract between the Canadian Shipping Federation, which included most of the Canadian operators, and the Canadian Seamen's Union expired, the Federation signed contracts with the new SIU.
''As the SIU began taking over the ships according to the agreement, the CSU
called a strike in March 1949. About 80 ships were affected ... The strike spread as
far as Great Britain, Europe, Australia and New Zealand as left-wing longshore
unions were brought into the beef in support of the CSU.
"The famous battle of Halifax erupted on April 8, 1949, when some 300 SIU
and CSU men came together in a head busting confrontation on the waterfront
there, with a number being hurt by shotgun blasts, bricks, rocks, bottles and
other missiles.
"The SIU finally prevailed and the CSU faded away in what one writer called
'one of the worst defeats to be suffered by communism in North America.' "
With the Canadian beef, the SIU had come full circle. It had started the decade
under the trusteeship of the SUP. Within 10 years, it had become a full-fledged
partner in the international and was able to offer support to other affiliates when
they needed it.

Seafarers relish a quiet moment during the General Strike of 1946. Hundreds hit the bricks.

Canadian Beef
Conditions for Canadian seamen deteriorated rapidly after World War II. Although still sizeable, the Canadian deep-sea fleet was being decimated by that
country's colonial relationship with Great Britain. Canadian shipping companies
were free to reflag under the British flag, and they did.

A Canadian union hall. The SIU of Canada enabled seamen to win important gains.

16

SIU supports striking New Orleans telephone workers. The help was much appreciated.

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�Chapter Eleven:

NMU Embroiled In An Internal Fight
T

he SIU's rise as a power on the waterfront was greatly helped by internal
the NMU Pilot, the battle came to a head over a resolution which stated:
problems that were embroiling its main competitor, the NMU.
"Resolved that this convention of the American seamen reaffirms its faith in the
The Communist Party had played an important role in the administration of
United States and what is stands for and makes it clear that we will defend our
the NMU since its inception in 1937. Yet relations betweenJoe Curran and the
country against any enemy including the Soviet Union.''
Party started to sour towards the end of World War II.
The delegates adopted this resolution by a vote of 448 in favor, 56 against with
Publicly, at least, Curran took great pains to underplay the differences. And the
53 abstentions.
A second vote was taken on expelling Communists from the NMU. Although it
DailyWorker, the official organ of the Communist Party, continued to write glowing pieces about him.
failed to gain the necessary two-thirds vote, it marked the end of the Communist
"Curran worked at his job as few of the others
Party as a major force on the waterfront.
did," wrote Murray Kempton. "The Communists
Today, it would be unconstitutional to expel a
still held him up as a stately monument of the
member for his political beliefs. Yet the fact remains
proletarian. But in those years, he must have felt
that roughly 20 percent of the delegates to the 1949
that his office as president of the NMU had about it
NMU Convention refused to vote for an innocuous
aspects of reign without rule.''
resolution saying that they would defend their
Yet behind the scenes, there was a byzantine
country.
struggle for control of the union.
To a country that was about to be engulfed in a
In 1946, a number of high ranking NMU officials
bitter confrontation in Korea, this was bad news.
were expelled from the Communist Party. At the
Had such a state of affairs been allowed to continue,
same time, a number of Communists were dropped
the whole justification for government subsidies to
from the NMU's higher echelons.
the maritime industry would have been underBy the summer of 1948, not one Communist
mined.
remained on the NMU's executive council. Despite
The NMU was not the only CIO union to go
these developments,' 'the Communists ... continued
through this kind of ordeal. In 1949, the leadership
to exalt Curran as a symbol," wrote Kempton.
of the CIO expelled 11 unions because they were
At one time, five out of six members of the NMU's executive
"They thought of themselves as his creator."
"masquerading as labor unions" and were "effeccouncil held cards in the Communist Party. The only one who
tively Communist-dominated." The NMU was not
didn't was NMU President Joe Curran, center at bottom.
expelled because by this time Curran had already
The Inevitable Showdown
won his fight with the Party.
Eventually, Curran was forced into a public showdown with the Communist
In the eyes of many, though not all, AFL labor leaders, the issue wasn't the
members of the NMU's higher echelons. The political realities of the post-war
beliefs of the individual members. After all, many of the early members of the SIU
era-the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, the rising tide
had been former members of the IWW
of anti-communism in this country-made such a confrontation inevitable.
The real issue was the wisdom of handing over the administration of a union
Ideology aside, the most devastating charge that could be levelled against the
to non-democratic forces. Speaking of the practical effect of that decision, ShanCommunists who played a leading role in the NMU was that they were less
non Wall said in the May 1987 edition oftheNMU Pilot:
militant than their AFL counterparts in fighting for the rights of their members.
"In the beginning, the professed principles of the Communists seemed to line
According to Kempton:
up with the idea of working seamen-like wanting a strong union and wanting to
"Nobody noticed that somewhere at the core, people were going soft and that
wipe out discrimination. As long as the Communists said that they wanted the
it was harder and harder even to pay men to go out and organize whatever ships
same thing the rank-and-file members knew they wanted, there seemed to be no
remained outside the union. For there were things that you could not buy.
problem.
Blackie Meyers spent $170,000 to unionize the Isthmian Steamship Line and
"But by the beginning of World War II, the goals of the Communists began to
ended up with nothing. A reformed and resurgent AFL sailor's union was shamopenly diverge from the goals of the membership. The working seamen naturally
ing the NMU wherever there was a contest."
wanted England and France to win the war. But when Russia and Nazi Germany
Communist domination of the NMU was broken once and for all at the
briefly became allies, NMU Communists, utilizing petty strikes and isolation
union's 1949 convention. According to Shannon Wall in the May 1987 edition of
slogans, tried to put every obstacle in the way of aid to the democracies.''

Chapter Twelve:

SIU Seamen Mount Sealift in Korea
The followl1 ig a
ry o the SIU

lbe

b
~lfilrcrs

26 part-~..~ on
LOG.

L

ess than five years after the end of World War II, the United States was suddenly faced with another major conflagration. On June 25, 1950, more than
60,000 North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel behind a phalanx of Russian tanks and invaded South Korea.
The United States reacted immediately, dispatching troops and supplies from
bases in Japan to aid the Republic of South Korea. The United Nations supported
the American action and some of its members later sent combat forces to Korea,
too.
This Korean invasion emphasized, probably more than any other in history,
the vital importance of a merchant fleet being ready to support a war effort. It
proved that the "bottom line" in an emergency is not a fleet on blueprints but a
fleet that is already in service and ready for "full speed ahead."
Even though our involvement in World War II was gradual, there was enough
lead time to prepare sea transport for ourselves and our allies. The invasion of
South Korea came suddenly and without any warning. In order to keep South
Korea from falling into Communist hands, war supplies of all kinds had to be
sent quickly.

SIU crews carried American troops and arms (left) to safety in a huge sealift in Korea. At
right, an SIU crew takes care of displaced civilians and army personnel.

Reversal of Fortunes
During the summer of 1950, United Nations forces threw the (North Korean)
invaders back across the 38th parallel and pushed them all the way back to the
Chinese border at the Yalu River.
Then in November of 1950, more than 200,000 Chinese troops crossed the
Yalu and drove back the UN forces, with the merchant marine preventing the UN
retreat from becoming a military disaster. When it appeared that the UN forces

-continued next page

October 1988

Seafarers provided the United States with a reliable source of sealift during the Korean War.

17

�would be overwhelmed, every available ship was sent to H ungnam and other
North Korean ports to evacuate civilians, troops and military supplies.

SIU-Manned Vessels Part of Amazing Sealift
American-flag ships, including many manned by the SIU, accomplished one of
the most amazing sealifts in the world at Hungnam. In only two weeks time,
freighters without any regular troop or passenger accommodations evacuated
105,000 troops, 100,000 civilians, 14,500 vehicles and 350,000 tons of guns,
tanks, ammunition and other baule equipment. This was a tremendous logistical
achievement, the full scope of which seemed almost unbelievable.
The last ship to leave the embattled port of Hungnam was the Madaket of
Waterman S.S. Company, carrying a full SIU crew. She steamed out of the shell
spattered harbor carrying no less than 11,000 men, women and children. The
Waterman Line's Choctaw left just a few hours before the Madaket, jammed with
troops and supplies.
Able Seaman Florenz Paskowski of the Madaket said that the night sky was lit
up like the Fourth ofJuly. "It was like the Normandy beachhead," he recalled.

"Refugees and troops streamed onboard while shells from our warships
thundered overhead toward the enemy. Dead-tired soldiers and marines came up
the gangplanks with hand grenades still pinned to their uniforms. They were
covered with dust and mud."

SIU Crews Sail Well Prepared
All SIU ships crewed up and sailed on time. This was because of the union's
foresight in setting up manpower comminees. The comminee accumulated a list
of skilled sailors to man the ships soon after the war broke out. SIU-manned
ships won many plaudits from the military for a job well done in the Korean War
supply efforts.
One example was the Sea Wind. "Your performance," wrote Vice Admiral C. T.
Joy, commander of naval forces in the Far East, to the ship's captain, "has been
notable throughout the Korean campaign. The merchant mariners who performed for you did so silently, but their accomplishment speaks loudly. The
cooperation and assistance of the merchant marine adds but one more page of
glory in our maritime history.''

Chapter Thirteen:

The Fifties: SIU Makes Rapid Progress
T

he 1950s were a period of tremendous growth for the SIU. The union was
working on many different levels to protect the interests of its membership.
The union continued to pick up new work. While the NMU still had most of the
subsidized operators, the Korean War had given the SIU an opportunity to grow.
"The Korean War swung it around for the SIU," said Ray McKay, president of
District 2-MEBA. "It created an opening for small operators, entrepreneurs who
otherwise wouldn't have had a chance. Some of the companies that got started
during this period developed into important sources of jobs for SIU and BME
seamen. Morris Weisberger, who was then the SUP's Port Agent for New York,
had a lot of contacts with these people. He was instrumental in helping the SIU
sign up new work."
The union explored all kinds of new areas for growth. In 1954 it became one
of the first unions to recognize the potential of Puerto Rico. Keith Terpe, the
union's director of organizing, was
sent to that island to establish the
Puerto Rico division of the A&amp;G District. By 1970, the unit had 20,000
members employed in 82 different industries.

for the members but for their dependents-they were not taxed as income. As required by law, the activities of the welfare plan were overseen by a board oftrustees, which was composed of an equal number of representatives from labor and
management.

Vacation Plan, Scholarship Program, Clinics

Other benefits were introduced. A vacation plan was started in 1952. And in
accordance with Paul Hall's commitment to education, a scholarship program for
SIU members and their dependents was started.
In 1955 the union signed another agreement with its operators to set up a
nationwide system of clinics. Dr. Joseph Logue, a retired admiral who served in
World War I, was named to head the new program. The first clinic opened in
1957. The whole operation was
geared towards the needs of the
seaman. "Doctor Logue had a special
rapport with the membership," said
Florence Penny, his administrative assistant. "They felt comfortable with
him. Seamen no longer had to put up
with long delays at hospitals. They
SIU Moves Into New
weren't dependent upon the whims
Headquarters Building
of a company doctor. Moreover, the
The union's new position on the
clinics stressed preventive medicine.
We weren't specialists, but we could
waterfront was underscored by its
move to a new headquarters building.
catch something early on. We had a
close connection with certain hospiThe union had outgrown the old
tals, like Lutheran Medical in Brookfacilities at 51 Beaver Street.
Paul HaJl directed a top assistant,
lyn, so a seaman just wasn't another
Alphonse "Frenchy" Michelet, to find
face in the crowd.
a new building and oversee the move.
"Doctor Logue was a deeply compassionate man. But he ran a tight
Michelet spotted a building on the
ship. If a member had to lose weight
corner of Twentieth Street and Fourth
Avenue in Brooklyn, N.Y. "Formerly
or get his blood sugar count down,
the Doc told him in no uncertain
Job opportunities for SIU members expanded so rapidly that the union was forced to move to
Public School Number 60, this large,
a new headquarters building in Brooklyn. "Frenchy" Michelet oversaw the repairs (inset).
terms. for a lot of seamen, it was althree story building was gutted and
most like having their own personal
renovated to become one of the finest
union halls and union administration centers in the country," wrote SIU hisphysician."
torian John Bunker.
"In addition to offices and hiring hall, the new building featured a bar in the
Improved Conditions
shape of a Viking ship, a cafeteria seating 250 with a modern, stainless steel galley
Throughout the decade, conditions for seamen onboard ship were upgraded.
designed for use in a stewards training program. The hall also had a barbershop
and a slop chest where seagoing gear was available to members at cost prices. For
Barely 20 years earlier, seamen were forced to sleep in one large forecastle. In
a while there was also a nightclub, with dancing and entertainment for union
1956, the Cities Service Baltimore became the first American-flag vessel to give
members and their friends.''
unlicensed seamen their own private rooms.
The new headquarters building was in a constant state of motion. "Paul
Towards the end of the decade, Paul Hall started the Food Services Plan, a
understood how important it was for seamen to have a place they could call their
training program for stewards. The program served a two-fold purpose: to help
own. Back then, a union hall was a seaman's second home," said Secretary Joe
cut costs for the operators and to improve the quality of life onboard ship.
DiGiorgio, who in his early days used to run the Sea Chest.
The union also started a lending library that it put on all ships. In their spare
"The union hall was where a seaman went to play cards on his time off, where
time, seamen could now read anything from Zane Grey westerns to the classics.
Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., the union argued for improved safety standhe connected with old friends. Paul was constantly making improvements--tearards onboard ships. It went one-on-one with government agencies like the Coast
ing this wall down or putting a new carpet in, anything to make things better for
Guard in protecting minimum manning standards. It tried to make sure that the
the membership."
job security of its membership wasn't jeopardized by some arbitrary regulatory
change.
Welfare Plan Started
The Fifties had barely begun when the SIU signed a contract with nine
operators which authorized the formation of a new welfare plan. This was part of
a larger national trend. For the first time ever, unions began targeting benefits as
a priority in contract negotiations.
Throughout the decade, the union would win impressive gains in this area.
Since the benefits furthered an important national goal-better health, not only

18

Cargo Preference Act of 1954
Still, improvements in wages, benefits and conditions would have been impossible without a steady source of cargo. "You can have the best contract in the
world," said Frank Droza.k, the late president of the SIU, "but if you don't have
any work it doesn't mean a thing."

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�An SIU dependent wins 1955 scholarship.

SIU seaman makes good use of the union's new clinic by passing an EKG with flying colors.

The union played an instrumental role in enacting the Cargo Preference Act of
1954, which set aside 50 percent of all government-generated cargo for
American-flag vessels. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Warren Magnuson (DWash.), maritime's leading spokesman on Capitol Hill. A good portion of all the
work that remains available to the American-flag merchant marine today is
generated by this one piece of legislation.

The AFL and CIO Merge; NMU and SIU Still Battle
In 1955, George Meany engineered an historic merger between the AFL and
the CIO. This marked a new era for the labor movement.
Throughout the next 30 years, the
SIU ~nd NMU would intermittently
enter into merger talks. On several
different occasions the two unions
came close to tying the knot, but they
were never able to surmount their differences. Throughout the '50s and
early '60s, the NMU and SIU were
embroiled in numerous beefs: Robin
Lines, Moore-McCormack. American
Banner Line . But probably the
famous, and certainly the most unusual, was the one involving the
American Coal Company.

American Coal Beef
The American Coal Company was
established by Mineworkers President
John L. Lewis . According to SIU historianJohn Bunker:
"The new company was a means
The union gained new benefits for Seafarers and
whereby Lewis hoped to get a strong
foothold in maritime because if the
The SIU and NMU fought FOC vessels.
predictions about the coal boom became true it would have required
hundreds of Llberty ships a year to
supply the European demand for coal.
This would mean a huge fleet of ships
and thousands of jobs.
"In order to acquire ships from the
RJPS//111111/JlflS I
AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE
government's reserve fleet, it had to
AND NATIONAL SECURITY
show that it was in the shipping busiPROTEST
AGAINST
(i NIE ONLY /
ness, so it brought a Liberty ship
called the China Trader and renamed
it the Coal Miner.
"But more impressively, it also
bought out the 68-year-old Bull Line,
one of the SIU's oldest companies .
Bull operated 15 ships at the time.
"While MEBA and the MM&amp;P were
negotiating with the new outfit for a
contract, the company signed an
agreeement for officers with the Brotherhood of Marine Officers (BMO), which
was affiliated with a UMW catch-all union called District 50.
"For unlicensed men, the company signed a contract with the NMU , although
it didn't have a single ship at the time of the signing."
The battle between the two unions would rage on for several years . Responding to a request for labor unity fromAFL-CIO President George Meany, the SIU offered to give up the right to crew these vessels . In exchange, the NMU had to
recognize the right ofMEBA and the MM&amp;P. "When the NMU'sJoe Curran tried

RllKJWJY

October 1988

The NY mermaid became an SIU landmark.

to make it appear that the SIU had refused to cooperate," wrote John Bunker,
"Meany sent him a strong rebuke." A drastic decline in the coal industry in the
early '60s rendered the whole beef moot.

Old-Timers Come Out of Retirement
To Help Their Union
But before that happened, "a federal judge entered the dispute with a ruling
that all hiring must be done through the unions and that the crewmen had to be
hired on a seniority basis," wrote Bunker.
"This unusual situation turned union hiring halls at Savannah, Norfolk,
Philadelphia and New York into oldtimers conventions. Both the SIU and
NMU beat the bushes for old-salts
with wads of discharges."
SIU members as old as 79 came out
of retirement to man the ships. The
average age of most crews was well
over 60. Said retired official Ted Babkowski:
"Paul Hall told me to look out for
the old-timers and get them onto the
ships. Those characters didn't need
any nursemaids. They were as salty as
sea biscuits and tough as old marlin. I
offered to help one old SUP guy up
the ladder with his gear. He acted like
I had called him a fink. 'Hey junior,'
he said. 'I could lift you and the sea
bag, too.' "

their families throughout the decade.

NMU and SIU Unite
To Fight FOCs

In one important area, the SIU and
NMU were able to overcome their differences and forge a united front.
Towards the end of the decade they
formed a joint union, the International Maritime Workers Union, to organize flag of convenience vessels .
By the mid-1950s, the EUSC
Doctrine had decimated the American
maritime industry. Most of the work
that remained to American-flag
operators was in the protected Jones
Act trade or was generated by the
Cargo Preference Act of 1954.
Throughout the decade both the
SIU and NMU had tried to draw attention to this issue. Hearings were held
on Capitol Hill, but no action was
ever ta.ken.
Both unions tried to organize the
FOCs on a ship by ship basis . This posed a unique legal question. Could unions
organize vessels owned by American companies if those vessels were technically
registered under foreign flags?

living conditions onboard ship improved.

Supreme Court Finds in Favor of FOCs
The NLRB grappled with this question. By the early part of the 1960s a
definite trend had emerged. The courts applied a "contacts-test" to the vessel.
--continued next page

19

�•

The fewer contacts that an FOC vessel had with the nation of registry, then the
more likely the NLRB would say that it fell under the jurisidiction of American
labor laws.
For example, if a vessel registered under the Panamanian flag paid no taxes,
had a British crew and was owned by a company that was incorporated in
Delaware, the NLRB was more likely to say that it was governed by American laws
than if it employed Panamanian citizens and paid taxes to Panama.
This whole promising trend was stopped dead in its tracks in 1963 when the
Supreme Court handed down a decision, Belzer vs. United States , which said the
NLRB had no jurisidiction over FOC vessel regardless of what kind of contacts
they had with the nation of registry.

SIUNA Continues to Gain Strength

.
'

,

. . . of

"Dignity is not always a matter of manners or dress or a cultured speech.
There is also the dignity that comes to him who stands on his own two feet,
looks the world in the eye and takes on all comers in the battle for what he might
believe is just.
"Such a dignity belonged to Harry Lundeberg of the Seafarers International
Union of North America and the Sailors Union of the Pacific. His speech was as
salty as the seas he sailed, and his manner matched his speech . Hats and coats
were not for him: a cap and shirtsleeves or a sweatshirt were his trademarks.
"He went to sea in the age of sail and left in the age of steam-but he never
left his shipmates. For them he stood always ready to fight against the
shipowners to win fair wages and decent working conditions and, later, against
the Communist Party, who infested the waterfront.
"Because he fought with whatever weapons were at hand, thousands of his
fellow seamen found a new pride in their calling and a dignity denied to them
before.
"Harry Lundeberg left a mark on San Francisco, indeed on every American
ship that sails the seven seas, a mark his death did not erase and cannot erase.
Maybe he was not a gentlemen in the shallow and generally accepted use of the
term; but dignity he had in plenty, and no one could say that he was not a man."

Throughout the decade, the SIU remained actively involved in the affairs of its
international, the SIUNA. Under Ludeberg's leadership, the SIUNA continued to
gain strength.
By 1951, the SIU of Canada had established itself as a full-fledged member of
the international. The union's membership had grown from 200 to 6,000.
The union now had 80 companies
under contract. It was able to improve
conditions and wages for Canadian
seamen. Hal Banks, who headed the
union, began an organizing drive
aimed specifically at French-speaking
seamen, many of whom remained unorganized.
The Marine, Cooks and Stewards
attended its first SIUNA Convention in
1953; the MFOW in 1955 .
The MCS was headed by a protege
of Harry Lundeberg, Ed Turner. The
union had been chartered to compete
against the communist-dominated National Union of Marine Cooks and
Stewards. After a heated organizing
drive, Turner and his AFL allies re-esSen. Warren Magnuson (D-Wash.) introtablished order.
duced the Cargo Preference Act of 1954.
At the 1953 SIUNA Convention,
Turner talked about the union's early
The SIU started a book drive for all ships.
SIU seaman reads the Seafarers LOG to learn about the important maritime issues of the day.
growth:
"On April 5th, 1952, the Marine
Cooks &amp; Stewards, AFL, opened an office and hiring hall at 100 First Stree t,
Sa n Fran cisco. We had trouble fo r
some time keeping this office open,
due ..to the .. goon squad from the
NUMC&amp;S . But we were successful.
''At the time the office was opened
we had a membership of 200. (Today,
a year later) ...we have issued 2 ,600
membership books. The organizers
who worked on this drive up and
down the coast for the Marine Cooks
&amp; Stewards had to work under the
most adverse conditions.
"The organizing drive as it exists
today would not have existed were it
not for. .. the various branches of the
international."
One of Turner's major accomplishments during this early period was the
establishment of a training school in
New job opportunities became available because of the union's political action program.
Santa Rosa, Calif. Paul Hall would
later use this as a prototype for the
The new headquarters building became a second home to many seamen. It was where they ate, met their friends and threw in for a job.
Harry Lundeberg School in Piney
Point, Md.

Harry Lundeberg Dies
In 1957 the man who had guided
the SIUNA from its inception died .
Harry Lundeberg was mourned by
seamen from one coast to another.
Morris Weisberger was named
president of the SUP. Paul Hall was
elected head of the SIUNA. Speaking
of the man he had replaced: Paul Hall
had these things to sayat the 1959
SIUNA Convention, ''Before the convention gets under way, I would like
to do something I did at the last convention, which is to read an article
pertaining to Harry Lundeberg which
appeared in one of the San Francisco
papers upon his death. It is called,
'The Dignity of a Man.'

20

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�Chapter Fourteen:

SIU Fights for a Democratic Movement
F

ew leaders leave such an impression on history that their names become
synonymous with a movement or a cause. George Meany, the earthy, cigarsmoking plumber from the Bronx, was such an individual. For many, he remains
the personification of the American labor movement.
The members and officials of the SIU served as footsoldiers in one of his most
stirring campaigns. Throughout the 1950s, Meany fought for a democratic trade
union movement. The fight began on the New York waterfront, where corruption
had become so pervasive that it threatened the integrity of the entire labor movement.
"We have to have a clean movement in these United States," he said,
"and not only because we think it
proper but also because of the
paramount obligation to serve the
members."

Waterfront Commission
Highlights Abuses
In 1951, the New York Waterfront
Commission began investigating
crime on the waterfront. It uncovered
an extensive pattern of graft and intimidation. After much soul-searching,
Meany moved to expel the main
culprit, the International LongshoremensAssociation, from theAFL. "That
was the first time that the AFL had
ever injected itself in any way into the
internal affairs of a union," he said.
Although autonomy was the most
fundamental principle of trade
unionism, "we were not going to let
them use it as a cloak for things that
were wrong, basically corrupt.''
After expelling the IIA, Meany
chartered a new union, the American
Federation of Longshoremen (the
name was later changed to the International Brotherhood of Longshoremen). SIU Secretary-Treasurer Paul
Hall was named director of the new
organization.

John Dwyer, left, was the inspiration for the Marlon Brando character in Ott the Waterfront.
He's talking to Bill McMahon, whose brother was found dead in the Hudson River (1953).
SIU official Ted Babkowski reads about corruption on the waterfront in an old AFL paper.

John Dwyer
According to SIU historian John
Bunker, "a key figure in the new
union was 38-year-old John Dwyer, a
rank-and-file leader in Village Local
895, a second generation longshoreman on the Manhattan docks and a
long-time fighter for a clean and
democratic union.
"The alliance of dissident longshoremen with the SIU occurred at a meeting at the St. George's Hotel in Brooklyn, where Dwyer (and several other members of the ILA) metwith Paul Hall and
Morris Weisberger.
" 'I told them we would help all we could, provided they would go with us all
the way,' said Dwyer. 'We go all the way on everything,' Hall told us. 'The SIU
never quit a fight yet. We go to the last bell.' "

On the Waterfront
Dwyer, who later came to work for the SIU as an official, was the inspiration
for the Marlon Brando character in "On the Waterfront." A writer, Bud Schulberg, became interested in Dwyer 's struggle. He wrote a series of articles which
he later adapted into a screenplay.
SIU organizers began signing pledge cards for the new union in large numbers. In December 1953, an election was held, but the new union fell short:
7,568 votes to the IIA's 9,060. But there was so much violence and coercion that
the NLRB ordered a new election.

Thousands Gather at the SIU Hall
"Intimidatio~, beatings and murders dominated this whole campaign, for the
racketeers were fighting for survival on the waterfront," wrote Schulberg. "But
on election night, May 26, 1954, the rebels were in a victory mood. With no
union hall of their own, thousands of them gathered at the Seafarers Union Hall
in Brooklyn to await the election returns. Paul Hall, the formidable ex-sailor
president of the SIU, was the ranking AFL officer in this war against the IIA.

October 1988

"Beer was on the house that night for the men who had stood up to the
danger, ostracism and starvation in their effort to wrench control of the
'Waterfront from the racketeers.''
Yet the new union was to lose bya small margin out of the more than 16,000
votes cast. ''A mere 319 votes separated the old order from the new," wrote
Schulberg. "In Jersey City alone, buses scheduled to carry anti-II.A dockworkers
to the polls mysteriously failed to show up. One of the AFL organizers responsible for this transportation was promptly rewarded by the ILA-promoted to
hiring boss. That one defection-and
there were others--cost this tragic
photo-finish defeat."
The battle between the SIU and the
ILA was to continue for several more
years. In June 1958, Paul Hall met
with Captain William Bradley, the new
leader of the IIA, and reached an
agreement to end the five-year dispute. A year later, the ILA was readmitted into the AFL-CIO.
"We gave it all we had," said Hall.
''Like anything we go in for, we go in
'til the final bell. For the sake of peace
on the waterfront we took off the
gloves.
"We didn't win the vote, but we
fought for a clean union for
waterfront workers and that was
worth the fight."

Paul Hall and Georse
Meany Cement Their
Friendship

The new ILA that emerged from
this fracas was a cleaner, more
democratic union. Certain locals of
the ILA have emerged as important allies of the SIU in fighting for the rights
of seamen. And as a result of the beef,
Paul Hall and George Meany formed a
close, life-long friendship.
Meany knew that anytime he had a
tough campaign, he could depend on
Paul Hall's support. And Hall was a
strong admirer of Meany, perhaps because the two of them shared a common quality: leadership. Speaking
about the AFL president years after
this beef, Hall said: "George was ideally equipped at a time when he was
called upon to put together varying
personalities. You give me one good
guy on a ship who knows what he is
doing, and I'll give you a united crew
with a single purpose.
"If Meany comes into the room and nobody knows who he is, he has the
quality to attract the attention of other men. If you go aboard a ship and meet in
the mess hall over a cup of coffee, you'll soon see who the leader is. They call
that built-in leadership quality, and this Meany has.''

Fighting the Teamsters
The IIA beef wasn't an isolated incident. Meany would battle corruption in
the trade union movement throughout the rest of the decade. The issue had
aroused considerable publicity, and Sen. John L. McClellan was holding hearings
on the matter.
There was a political dimension to the issue. As UAW President Walter Reuther
noted, "Failure to eliminate corruption would lead to a law that would make
Tuft-Hartley look like a liberal, pro-labor law by comparison."
The McClellan Committee uncovered extensive abuses in the Teamsters. In
1957, by a 25-4 vote, the executive council voted to expel the union.

Teamsters Raid AFL-CIO Unions
Unlike the ILA beef, the AFL-CIO made no attempt to set up an alternative
union to the Teamsters. "It would have been impossible for us to take on the
Teamsters and try to destroy their union,'' said Meany.
The federation's courageous decision to expel the Teamsters came at a high
cost. Outside the "House of labor," the Teamsters were free to engage in raids on
other unions, which they did with increasing frequency.
-continued next page

21

�Thousands gather at an outdoor rally held at the SIU hall in Brooklyn in support of the newly-formed AFL Longshoremen's Union. The fight for a free labor movement was in full swing.
Paul Hall pledges to support the dissident longshoremen.

The SIU came to the aid of small unions who were being raided by the Teamsters. Below, the Chicago taxi fleet.

When this happened, AFL President George Meany and the heads of small, vulnerable unions who didn't want to be gobbled up by the Teamsters knew that
they could turn to the Seafarers for support.

Battle Lines Drawn in Puerto Rico
The battle lines were drawn in
Puerto Rico when Meany and Luis
In Puerto Rico ...
Munoz, governor of Puerto Rico, re"In Puerto Rico the SIU took on the
quested help from the SIU. The fight
biggest with a directive from Meany to
continued stateside, in Chicago,
'stop Hoffa.' Hoffa retaliated with 'Bust
Philadelphia, Detroit and St. Louis,
the SIU in Puerto Rico!'
where the SIU was on the front lines
"The Seafarers soon discovered that
the Teamsters were muscling in on SIU
in the fight to keep AFL-CIO unions
contracts and the fight was on Before it
from being raided by the Teamsters.
ended some nine years later there were
Wrote John Bunker, "In the early
hundreds of bitter confrontations bepart of the '60s, the International
tween SIU and the Teamsters all over the
island, with head-busting picket line batBrotherhood of Teamsters had more
cles where white-capped sailors and
than one and a half million members,
green-capped Teamsters mixed it up
plus a bank roll that even Chase Manwith clubs, chains, fists and baseball
hattan would have envied. The membats. There were bullets and fire bombs,
too.
bership of the SIU at the time did not
"SIU Representative Keith Terpe once
exceed 75,000, including all its afstepped out of his house in the morning
filiates .
to be met by shots from a waiting car
"Compared to Jimmy Hoffa's
that then quickly sped away. The bullets
missed him by inches."
mighty Team ters, Paul Hall's SIU was
a David with a slingshot. But little
David took on Goliath and stung him
with defeats from Puerto Rico to San Diego and other points in between.
"The Teamsters' most decisive and embarrassing confrontation with the SIU
came in Chicago where the sailors helped rebellious cab drivers (from being
swallowed up by the Teamsters). " Joe Abata formed the Democratic Union Or-

22

ganizing Committee to oust Teamster Local 777 from control. After a hard and
bitter campaign, the SIU and Abata won.
"For the first time in 12 years," wrote Bunker, "the drivers received an increase in pay, plus benefits. And for the first time each driver received a copy of
the union contract and could attend regular monthly membership meetings."

Hoffa Wanted to Control the Waterfront;
Great Lakes Seamen Endangered
In Chicago ...
"Hall's outspoken opposition to the
Teamsters' chief almost cost him his life
in Chicago in 1960. After a meeting of
the AFL-CIO Executive Council, Hall and
Steve Leslie, head of the Operating Engineers, were seated at a restaurant table
when the head of a Chicago Teamster
local came up, took out a gun concealed
in his hat and said to Hall 'Do you want
it now or outside?'
"Leslie distracted the gunman's attention and brushed his arm aside, enabling Hall to take the gun. When they
managed to get around the table and
grab the intruder, other leamster goons
invaded the joint and a real donnybrook
erupted.
" 'We fought our way out,' said Leslie,
'but it was a close call-a real knucklebusting brawl.'
"Later that evening Hall walked into a
meeting of Teamster big-wigs at a nearby
hotel, gave them a revolver and said,
'Here's your gun. I don't want any
leamster property!' "

"It should be remembered," wrote
Bunker, "that Paul Hall and the SIU
had a special reason for wanting to
climb into the ring against the Teamters. In 1960 Hoffa cooked up a grandiose
scheme
to
bring
all
longshoremen and marine workers
into the Teamsters through a
proposed Conference of Transportation Unity. This plot included alliances with Joe Curran's National
Maritime Union and Harry Bridge's
International Longshoremen's and
Warehousemen's .A.s.5ociation.
"As part of this plan, Hoffa moved
into la.kes shipping and tried to take
over one of the SIU fleets there. He
also set up the Marine Officers Association to raid the Masters, Mates
and Pilots and the Marine Engineers
Beneficial Association jurisdictions.
He was unsuccessful.. .but it was a
strong signal of his overall intention.

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�"'James Hoffa,' said the Chicago American, 'is determined that the Teamsters
shall boss the waterfront workers and the seamen, thus controlling all of the
nation's transport facilities for freights except the railroads and the airlines.' "

Defection in Philadelphia

to labor's highest council. "The battle for a democratic trade union movement
was one of the most stirring in this union's history," said current SIU President
Mike Sacco.
"Many of the people who participated in those battles are still alive today.
Whenever I come across someone who was active in one of those beefs, I think
to myself, here is someone who was willing to risk his life for the trade union
movement.
"Ultimately," said Sacco, "it all boils down to the actions of one individual. A
lot of young people today take a lot of things for granted. They just don't understand the sacrifices that the people
who came before them made."

One of the biggest fights against the Teamsters occurred in Philadelphia,
where Steve "Blackie" Cardullo, national director of the United Industrial
Workers Union (the new name for the Marine Allied Workers Division) , defected
to the Teamsters.
At stake were the democratic rights
of hundreds ofUIW members working
In Philadelphi?....r: ,
in such shops as Hussman Refrigeration. It was a tough and bitter fight,
·~ut noon time on Feb. 24, 1962, Red campbell was waiting fot lunch and watching a
basketball game on t.v. Suddenly there was a shattered glass and ~bottle came sailing through
but the SIU won. The SIU almost won

Teamsters Re-admitted
To AFL-CIO

the big front window of the union hall.
Even though the battle with the
another fight. It had backed the Voice
uMoments later there was a crash and a shock ·that rocked the btiitding as the rest of the
Teamsters
had been long and bitterly
of the Teamsters Organizing Commitwindow splintered in aU directions and the front end of a truck nosed into the bah, followed
fought, SIU President Frank Drozak in
by a barrage of bricks and bottles.
tee (VOICE), a dissident group of
"George McCartney had been there sining a few feet away writing a report and wishing he
1988 joined a united executive counTeamster members committed to
alUld be home th.at night for his wife's birthday.
cil of the AFL-CIO in voting to resecuring a democratic local in the
" 'I knew right away what had happened,' he said. 'The Teamsters had come to call. I grabbed
admit the Teamsters into the "House
Philadelphia area. The SIU was given
a bat and rushed -Out the door-li.ke the charge of the Light Brigade. I ran into four gorillas
loaded with bricks and bats. 1 swung my bat and they backed away. Then I realized I was the
of Labor."
practically no chance of winning this
only one in McCartney7s charge. l got back inside somehow without catching any bricks or
''Times change and so do
one. But the final vote was 3,870 to
bottles.'
priorities," said Frank Drozak. "If any
3,27 4. "It was," said Business Week,
By that time big Ralph Qninnonez bad charged out the door with Tom Gould, Steve Troy
union had the right to vote against ad"the first real challenge to Hoffa."
and some othets. The 'R!rtmstets jumped inr.o a car and sped away.n
mitting the Teamsters, it was this one.
The battle for a democratic trade
''And yet it was vitally important for
union movement had several importhe
Teamsters to be re-admitted.
tant consequences. Most were good;
During
the
'50s,
the
big
battle
was
to
clean
up
the labor movement. George
one, unfortunately, was not, and it still plagues trade unionists today. In 1959
Meany, Paul Hall and others did so.
Congress enacted the Landrum-Griffin Act, which imposed severe new regula'fuld now the federal government wants to go far beyond the Landrum-Griffin
tions on the labor movment and created a bureaucratic nightmare.
Act in its fight against the Teamsters. They say that this is a special case : don't
"The entire labor movement was punished for the actions of a few, " said Arworry.
chie Robinson. The SIU was luckier than most. Under the watchful eye of
Howard Schulman, a one-time president of the 12,000 member Labor Law sec"If the labor movement has learned anything these past eight years of the
tion of the American Bar Association, the SIU was able to minimize the effects of
Reagan administration, it is that if there is any kind of loophole it will be abused.
"If Ronald Reagan can appoint James Watt as Secretary of the Interior or put
"harassment" suits that became commonplace after enactment of the legislation.
Ann Buford in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency, then sure as I stand
here, any precedent taken in connection with the Teamsters will be abused. In
Hall Named to the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO
the early '60s, we went to war with the Teamsters to protect the concept of
democratic trade unionism. It's now the '80s, and we'll support them every inch
In 1962, Paul Hall was named to the executive council of the AFL-CIO. Hall's
of the way for the same reason."
courageous actions during this period played an important part on his elevation
•

4

In 1957, George Meany expelled the Teamsters to ensure a democratic labor movement.

Paul Hall and George Meany joined forces in the battle for a democratic labor movement.

-

As a result of the sacrifices made by the SIU, Chicago taxi drivers made important gains.

i.A\\ MEMBERSHIP MEETING

October 1988

23

�Chapter Fifteen:

Fight to Save the Maritime Industry
B

y the early '60s, technological advances were so rapid and far-reaching that
they posed a serious challenge to the job security of American seamen.
The rise of cross-Atlantic air travel killed off the lucrative passenger vessel
industry. Eight of the few remaining American-flag passenger vessels were sold
overseas or laid up in 1969. They were all under contract to the NMU, and their
demise put a serious strain on that union's pension plan.
In 1958, the SIU had made an attempt to create new work for its members in
this area when it became involved in
the American Banner Lines beef. The
union implemented an innovative
training program, but the company
lasted only one year.

training school in Brooklyn, N.Y In 1968 , the SIU got into a beefwith District 1MEBA over an apprentice engineer rating that District 1 wanted to have introduced on its Delta ships. The SIU said that it violated its jurisdiction; after a brief
confrontation the rating was dropped from all SIU-contracted vessels.
The apprentice engineer rating was particularly important because it represented an attack against the SIU's future. The SIU had introduced a new rating in
the engine room, the QMED. During the Vietnam War there were plenty of jobs

Containerization
Changes Maritime

l

-

Other changes were just as farreaching. In 1957 a new era in shipping was ushered in when the
Gateway City became the first fullycontainerized vessel in the world. The
technology had been pioneered by
two North Carolina trucking brothers,
James and Malcolm Mclean, who had
bought Waterman Steamship Company in 1955.
Containerization changed completely the face of the maritime industry. It placed a premium on space,
which rendered ports like Manhattan
obsolete. By wedding trucking and
shipping it ushered in a new era of intermodalism. And it drastically cut
down the amount of time that a ship
needed to spend in a port.
Other changes were revol utionizing the maritime industry. Automation
cut down the number of people
needed to crew a vessel. It also put a
premium on workers who could
handle sophisticated computerized
equipment.
Generous subsidies and favorable
tax laws enabled foreign fleets to get a
jump start with diesel technology.
This substantially reduced their
operating costs, making them more
competitive. The first American company to introduce that kind of sophisticated equipment was the Falcoln
Group, an SIU-contracted company
headed by the visionary C. C. Wei.

Richard Nixon gave maritime a reprieve with the 1970 Merchant Marine Act.

In 1976,jimmy Carter pledged sup p ort for a cargo preference bill.

Ford vetoed cargo preference, Paul Hall vetoed Ford.
SIU lobbyist Phil Carlip w as a fix t u re on Capitol Hill.

Vietnam War Creates
New Jobs for American
Seamen

.L:..

American shipping was given a
reprieve of sorts by the Vietnam War.
Once again, demand for shipping increased. Once again, it was a mad
scramble to provide properly trained
crews for all the vessels. Manpower
became the catch-all phrase among
port officials . "We didn't actually
shanghai anybody," said one SIU official, "but there were times when I wished it were a viable option."
The battle to man all the vessels was two-fold. If vessels consistently sailed
short-handed, an operator would argue that the manning scales were out of line.
And if the work were done by licensed officers, the SIU would lose the slot altogether.
A lot of new members came into the SIU during this time. The demand for
shipping made it possible for many members to gain 'il books and advanced
ratings in record time . Bobby McKay became the youngest deck officer in the history of the maritime industry. He had started with the SIU as a teenager and
worked his way up.
Other members made good use of the opportunities. john Adams was from
Southern Maryland. "I was hanging around with no place to go . If it hadn't been
for the SIU and the opportunities it presented me, I don't know what would
have become of me," he said. He became a captain in 1986. In order to handle
this increased demand for shipping, the SIU and District-2 MEBA opened a joint

24

for all American seamen. But everyone knew that once the war ended, the
decline in shipping would resume unabated. FOC fleets did not pay taxes, nor
did they have to meet the same kind of minimum safety and health standards that
American companies were required to meet. Coupled with automation and other
technological advances, this meant that the number of jobs available to American
seamen would inevitably shrink.
SIU President Paul Hall realized that the long-time job security of American
seamen depended on just two things: political action and education. Throughout
the sixties and seventies, he made both a priority.

SPAD Gets Results for American Seamen
Under Hall's direction, the SIU developed one of the most effective political
action programs in the country. A new program, the Seafarers Political Action
Donation program, or SPAD, was introduced. The members were told that their

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�job security depended on political action. Under American law the general funds
of a union could not be used for lobbying; this meant that seamen had to make
direct contributions to a separate fund. ''Politics is Porkchops" ran the headlines
in the SIU LOG. The union made an all-out effort to communicate to its membership the importance of political action.
The members responded in style, making voluntary contributions to the
union's political action program. Thanks to their generosity, SPAD became one of
the largest programs of its kind. The SIU then used it to lobby for programs that
would create a steady source of cargo for American seamen.
The government challenged the legality of SPAD in the courts. A federal judge
eventually dismissed the case, saying that the government's actions amounted to
"legal harassment" of the union, thus clearing the way for further action. The
program continues to give the SIU a solid political base in Washington, D.C.

place the Maritime Administration into the Department of Transportation, where
he felt it would get lost in the shuffie.
Like the Isthmian and Cities Service fights, Hall made political action an all-out
campaign. The MID was turned into a war room, complete with charts and
graphs showing how a particular senator or congressman had voted on an important issue. He again assembled one of his famous "teams." The MTD team
consisted of Pete McGavin,Jean Ingrao, Phil Carlip, 0.W "Bill" Moody, John Yarmola, and a few others.

New Research Center Formed
In this new ballpark, knowledge was power. Hall then persuaded SIU-contracted companies to develop an independent research center, known as the
Transportation Institute. It opened in
1969 under the direction of Herb
Brand, one-time editor of the
Seafarers LOG.

SIU Becomes Leading
Political Player
Hall became a leading player on
the national political scene. AFL-CIO
President George Meany asked him to
direct Hubert Humphrey's presidential campaign in California. A confident of New York Governor Hugh
Carey, Hall was ranked among the 10
most powerful people in the stateh by
New lf&gt;rk Magazine.

Paul Hall with two members of his "MID team." Jean Ingrao, center, John Yarmola, right. In the '70s, the MID played a pivotal political role.
lbe SIU developed a sophisticated political action program.

Paul Hall talking to industrial workers at a UIW membership meeting.

On the executive council of the
AFL-CIO, Hall was a consistent supporter of George Meany. He broke
with Meany just once: in 1973 when
the council voted to impeach Richard
Nixon. Meany understood why: aside
from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, no
president in this century had done
more to promote the American-flag
merchant marine.
Nixon had signed into law the Merchant Marine Act of 1970, an ambitious shipbuilding program which
extended Title XI loan guarantees to
tankers and inland equipment. Hall's
role in passage of the bill earned him
the title of "Father of the modern
American merchant marine ."

Merchant Marine Act of
1970 Only Half of the
Solution

MTD Plays an Increasingly Important Role
During this time the Maritime Trades Department played an increasingly important role in protecting the job security of American seamen. Under the direction of MTD President Paul Hall and Secretary-Treasurer Pete McGavin, the MID
vvas a major player on the national political scene.
The MTD consisted of 44 international unions representing 8.5 million members. Hall had realized that there was little that 100, 000 seamen could do alone.
But by engaging shore-side workers into the struggle for a stronger, more secure
merchant marine, the battle lines were more evenly drawn.
Throughout the sixties and seventies, the MTD became a leading voice in the
fight to secure a steady supply of cargo for American companies. It was on the
front lines in preventing the government from closing down the USPHS hospital
system. Lyndon] ohnson once complained that the only man he couldn't beat on
Capitol Hill was Paul Hall. Hall had continually frustratedJohnson's attempts to

October 1988

The Merchant Marine Act of 1970
was supposed to have created 300
new ships. Fewer than one-third that
amount were actually built. "People
forget,'' said MTD Secretary-Treasurer
Jean Ingrao, "that Paul Hall envisioned the Merchant Marine Act of
1970 as one-half of a comprehensive
program. The other half was securing
a steady source of cargo for the
American-flag merchant manne.''
Hall spent the last nine years of his
life pursuing this one goal. He came
close to achieving it in 1974 when
Congress
enacted
the
Energy
Transportation Act, which would have
set aside a certain percentage of
petroleum and bulk cargoes for
American-flag vessels. He had received
an assurance from President Gerald Ford that he would sign the bill into law if it
passed both houses of Congress. But when it did, Ford reneged on his promise.
"For years," wrote Victor Reisel, "Hall dealt in presidents and with presidents.
He knew Jerry Ford when most labor leaders didn't know the Michigan congressman from a Pinto. In 1976 Hall could have re-elected Ford because he always played arithmetic politics. He had the votes to throw to his old friend Ford.
But the ex-president, after having invited Paul to Vail, Colo . for a conference,
refused to back a cargo preference bill which would have put considerable oil ,,..
and grain tonnage in American vessels.
"Jerry Ford vetoed that on principle. Hall vetoed Ford, as he had vetoed other
presidents ... Hall made certain that Jerry Ford would lose New York state. But
first, Hall got candidate Jimmy Carter to sign a long letter at the Park Sheraton
Hotel promising to deliver a cargo preference bill."
Hall urged Congress to implement bilateral trade agreements and to develop steady sources of cargo for American-flag vessels. During the early years of

25

�Officers of the SIUNA are sworn in at the 1975 convention. Throughout the decade. the SIU remained active in the affairs of the international by helping other affiliates and pursuing mergers.

detente, the United States and the Soviet Union signed a bilateral trade agreement allowing the American-flag merchant marine to carry one-third of all grain
cargo to the Soviet Union.

Pension Plan Adopted
There was much more than just politics during these years. In 1961, in
negotiations with deepsea companies, the SIU got its first pension plan.
"If you ask me, this was the most important thing that Paul Hall ever did," said
Vice President Red Campbell. "The other maritime unions had their pension
plans long before we did . Paul waited until he knew that ours would be financially secure. He took a lot of heat on that one. But he was right, and today the
members have the finest pension plan in the industry."
"Paul's mother had been left destitute after a union pension plan she was supposed to have received went bust," said Rose Hall, his widow. "This made him
determined to make sure that any benefit he offered the membership be secure.
He didn't want his membership to be in the position that his family was put in.
They had relied on the pension for their sole means of support, and when it
went under they were left virtually penniless."

The facility was forced to close when ship construction from the Merchant
Marine Act of 1970 failed to meet projected goals. Still, the project had earned
the respect of trade unionists and civil rights leaders around the country. It
served as a model for other programs aimed at promoting minority employment
in the highly skilled construction trades. After the SIU entered into a merger
agreement with the Marine Cooks and Stewards, hundreds of culinary workers
employed on the Queen Mary Hotel joined the UIW This marked a turning point
in the UIW's efforts to sign up new workers in the service sector.

ERISA

-

During this period the whole nature of union administration was changing.
Congress and the government were piling one regulation on another. Sometimes, the regulations flatly contradicted one another. "On Labor Day of 1974,"
wrote Caroline Gentile, former administrator of the SIU Pension Plan, "Congress
passed a revolutionary piece of legislation that would have a profound effect on
the way employee benefit funds such as pension plans and medical plans were
run. The statute was called the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
(ERISA). It was obvious from the beginning that ERJSA was a very complicated
statute that would require a good deal of examination and careful analysis before
any action could be taken, but within 12 months of the Act's passage each
Seafarers employee benefit plan would have to be changed.
"Unlike many other plans that would require major amendments, the
Seafarers' plan had already provided for many of the protections that Congress
sought to guarantee by the passage of ERISA ... Although many of the rules (mandated by ERISA) seem simple and familiar today, the statue was confusing and difficult to interpret when it was first enacted. The problems were worsened by disagreements about the meaning of the legislation between the Department of
Labor and the Internal Revenue Service."

SIU Vice President Lindsey Williams, left, presents SIU member with his pension check.

Olroline Gentile, former administrator of the SIU Plans, outlines ERISA for the trustees.

SIU Active in International's Affairs
The union continued to be active in the affairs of the international.
Throughout this period, the A&amp;G District actively pursued merging with other affiliates. In 1976, the Inland Boatmen's Union became part of the A&amp;G District. A
similar agreement was reached in 1978 with the Marine, Cooks &amp; Stewards. The
SIU continued to offer support to the other affiliates. It strongly supported the
SUP and the MFOW in their dispute over the manning of the Valerie F And when
the SIU of Canada was embroiled in the bitterly-contested Upper Great Lakes
beef, the A&amp;G District did everything it could to help its sister affiliate.

The SIU made sure that all benefits offered under the Pension Plan were secure.

United Industrial Workers Union Continues to Grow

-

Throughout this period, Hall supported development of the United Industrial
Workers Union, which was directly affiliated to both the international and the
A&amp;G District. It had been chartered in 1949 under the name of Marine Allied
Workers Division, but changed its name in 1961 to reflect a change in the composition of its membership. For the first few years of its existence, the UIW concentrated its efforts on signing up workers in marine allied trades. Gradually,
however, it began to sign up more and more workers in industrial shops. In
1962, it played a pivotal role in Hall's campaign against the Teams~ers.
The UIW gave the SIU an important base among shore-side workers whose
support seamen needed if they were to continue to remain an important political
force. Some locals of the urw, such as the one in Columbus, Ohio, were quite active in grassroots activities. In 1970, under the direction of Frank Drozak, the
UIW's national director, and Ralph Quinnonez, the union's Atlantic Coast director, the UIWwas able to sign up more than 2,000 new members on the U.S. Virgin Islands. Later in the decade, the UIWwas active in getting the Brooklyn Navy
Yard reopened.

26

Throughout the '60s and '70s, wages and benefits for UIW members continued to improve. In a sense, the UIW's growth was proof that the seamen's ageold struggle for equality and justice could stir workers outside the maritime industry. Later, in the 1980s, the UIW would serve as a focal point for the union's
fight for legislation to promote fair trade in the international marketplace.

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�Chapter Sixteen:

Lundeberg School Gives Thousands
Of Seamen a Chance for a Better Life
I

n 1967, a small group of teenagers became front-line soldiers in a campaign
that would occupy Paul Hall's attention for the last 13 years of his life. None
had ever been employed onboard an American-flag vessel.
Some had been born and raised in New York City ghettoes; others were from
Appalachia. Few had any real job prospects for the future. They were the first
group of trainees to be admitted to
the union's new training school in
Piney Point, Md.
They were greeted by union officials who had spent nearly two years
preparing for this moment. After signing in, the trainees were issued
regulation uniforms-jeans, work
boots, levi shirts. Their heads were
shaven and they were put up in a
makeshift dormitory in a rundown
motel. They got up at dawn, marched
in formation, learned how to tie knots
and earned their lifeboat certificate.
After six weeks, they were given
their first job onboard an Americanflag vessel. Their careers as merchant
seamen had officially begun .

Came Upon the Land

By Chance

"They all have a special memory of Paul Hall. He met personally with every
upgrader and trainee. He oversaw every detail of construction.
"SIU men remember seeing him tour the base for hours on end in his electric
golf car: checking, prodding and sparing no rebuke to get things done.''

Educate the Whole
Person
From the beginning, Paul Hall had
a clear perception of what he wanted
the school to become. "We want to
train seamen to meet the job opportunities of the future," he said. "We
have to educate the whole person."
,.-In 1970, the school began offering
courses in basic education. Within
eight years, more than 1,000 seafarers
were able to receive their high school
equivalency diplomas. Many were in
their fifties and sixties; some had put
off upgrading for years because they
were embarrassed to admit that they
couldn't read.
In 1978, the school reached an
agreement with St. Charles Community College to offer college-level
courses. By 1985 , the school had
developed its own degree program so
that students could earn associate in
arts degrees in Nautical Science Technology and Marine Technology.
Yet Piney Point was not just
another school. Its curriculum was
fashioned with two goals in mind: to
make the American-flag merchant
marine more competitive and to
enable seafarers to take advantage of
any new job opportunities in the
maritime industry.

This marked the beginning of the
Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship. For several years, the union had
been exploring ways of consolidating
its various training programs. The
drastic changes that were engulfing
the maritime industry had convinced
Paul Hall that the union needed to
upgrade its commitment to education.
The SIU had come upon the land
for the school by chance. New York
Port Agent Joe DiGiorgio had gone to
Piney Point to meet with a representative of Steuart Petroleum. Close
by was a rundown vacation resort that
New Programs,
had once been a torpedo testing staNew Job Opportunities
tion for the Navy.
The union bought the land
In 1972, the Lundeberg School
through a trust set up by its conrecognized the need for trained pertracted companies. Frank Mongelli
sonnel aboard the tugs, towboats and
and Tom Soresi were sent down to get
inland barges. In order to provide
the school in shape. For several
seamen with the training to take admonths, they did nothing but hard
vatage of th~se new opportunities, a
labor, bulldozing land, draining the
special program was designed. When
swampy land and working on making
job opportunities arose onboard LNG
the facilities habitable.
ships and diesel powered vessels, it
They were soon joined by other
crafted a program of study to
SIU officials: Bob Matthews, Mike and
promote job opportunities in those
The Harry Lundeberg School at Piney Point was the culmination of a dream for Paul Hall.
Joe Sacco, Bob Clinton, Tom Brooks,
areas.
Bill Hall and others. When the school
In recent years, emphasis has been
SIU trainees were given the tools to compete in an increasingly complex maritime industry.
was ready to accept students, Ken
on training seafarers for employment
Conklin, a retired marine, was put in
onboard military vessels, which have
charge of the trainees.
provided the only new jobs in the
It was rough duty. Work days lasted
maritime industry. A large cargo han14 hours or more. Officials were
dling crane was installed, enabling
separated from their families for
the school to offer a comprehensive
months at a time. And yet for many it
sealift mobility course. The Army and
was the high point of their careers.
Navy began sending people to the
Within a few years Piney Point had beschool to take advantage of these
come a showplace for the SIU and the
facilities.
maritime industry
A multi-functional bridge deep-sea
The growth was gradual. At first,
and inland simulator is now in opera- ~
the school taught only lifeboat and
tion, one of the few in the nation .
basic seamanship. But by the mid
This gives seafarers a chance to ac'70s, the school had a full-fledged curcumulate necessary, realistic, "handsriculum.
on" experience while still in the classroom.
"Hundreds of SIU members and officials have a special feeling for the school,"
The most important thing about the school is its adaptability. When the union
wrote John Bunker, "because they helped to build it in the hot, humid days of
signed a contract to crew S.S. Independence and Constitution, the SHLSS was -summer and in the frigid winter when the base was swept by winds from iceable to train skilled chefs and food-handlers to make these passenger vessels a
choked St. Mary's Bay. Many a youngster who sweated there as a trainee is now
culinary delight for their passengers .
sailing as a mate or engineer.
--continued next page

October 1988

27

�I

I

I
t

The Lundeberg School was conceived with the aim of "educating the whole person." The anchor in front of the hotel, center, became a symbol for the entire school.

"The union's commitment to education has been carried on through three different administrations," said Ken Conklin, vice president of the school. "First
with Paul Hall, then with Frank Drozak and now with Mike Sacco."

ARC Program

side organizations now book conventions and seminars at the school. 1\vo years
ago, SIU pensioners started living there on a full-time basis.

Culmination of a Dream

For Paul Hall, the Lundeberg School was a culmination of a dream. Deprived
of an education, he enabled thousands of seamen to gain theirs.
In 1979, a few days before he was to give the seconding speech for Lane
Kirkland at the convention of the AFLCIO, he had a seizure. It was an inoperable brain tumor.
He fought off dea1:h for several
Lee.
months. He drifted in and out of a
coma; he barely knew where he was.
The union ran a series of conferenThe last year of his life had been one
ces on alcohol abuse at Piney Point in
of his happiest. He had nurtured his
1974 to publicize this problem. There
beloved wife Rose to health after a
was a lot of resistance to the new
serious illness. Her recovery had
program, especially from those who
brought him great joy.
needed it the most. Yet as a result,
When he fell ill she rarely left his
lives have been saved.
side. Every day for eight months, 12
"When I came to the ARC," said
hours a day, sometimes more, she was
Bill Eglinton, who now is a counselor
at the hospital guarding him. Long
there, "I was down to 150 lbs. I was in
bad shape. I had a bleeding ulcer and
after he lost consciousness, members
of the hospital staff came to visit, for
was experiencing black-outs.
he had mesmerized them with his
"I started losing jobs. I was wrinen
presence. In SIU union halls across
up a few times. Finally, I just couldn't
the nation, old-timers would grab offitake it any more. I got off a ship and
cials and ask, "How is Rosie? How's
went straight to the union hall.
''I talked to Philadelphia Port Agent
the Chief?"
The union's Addictions Rehabilitation Center provides recovering seamen with support.
When he died, there was a sense of
Joe Air. He had someone pick me up
loss at the hospital. Even people who
and drive me down to Baltimore,
had barely known him could feel their lives diminished in some unexplained way.
where I went into a detox center.
In many ways, that last, tragic campaign was his finest. Once, when he came
"I then went to the ARC. We were one of the first groups. There were 12
out of a coma, he gave a speech, one of the best he had ever delivered. He was
others guys. Afterwards, I took the A.A. books with me onboard ship. They gave
going to build a town for seamen, a place that they could call their own, where
us tapes to listen to.
they could live and work in dignity.
"There usually was another guy onboard ship who had been through the
Of course, he had already done that. It vvas called Piney Point.
program. No maner what _IX)rt we hit, we were usually able to get to an AA.
His
last lucid moment came in January 1980. A picture of George Meany
meeting."
flashed on the television screen. The Grand Old Man of Labor was dead at 85.
"There's George," he said right before he slipped back into a coma. It was
No Longer Hard Duty
truly the pas.sing of an era, for maritime and for labor.
At his funeral, Lane Kirkland said it best. "That big, red Alabama heart of Paul
_
Piney Point is no longer hard duty. A beautiful new hotel and recreation center
Hall is now still, but the strong beat of it carries on in the love of his family, in the
was constructed in 1981. A library, named after Paul Hall, opened at the same
memories of his friends, in the union he built, in the solid works that he did, and
time. The Lundeberg School is located in an historic section of Southern
in the brighter and richer lives of thousands of young people who got a bener
Maryland. The school's crowning glory is its waterfront section: Piney Point is lochance in life because of him.'•
cated close to where the Potomac River empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Out-

The SIU was one of the first unions in America to recognize the serious threat
posed by drug and alcohol addiction.
More than 700 seafarers have
_regained their sobriety and drug-free
status by making use of the Addictions
Rehabilitation Center in nearby Valley

28

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�Chapter 17

The '80s: SIU Adjusts to Sweeping
Changes, Plants Seeds of Hope
B

y 1979 Paul Hall had reached the zenith of his career. As senior vice president of the AFL-CIO, he was one of the most influential labor leaders in the
nation.
He had taken the small, struggling affiliate that Harry Lundeberg established
on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and built it into one of the most powerful unions
in the nation. He had battled organized crime on the waterfront and beaten the
world's largest conglomerates. The wages and working conditions of American
seamen, who had been among the most exploited of workers, now compared
favorably with their counterparts on shore.
Just one accomplishment had escaped his grasp:
persuading Congress and the American people to
implement a national maritime policy.

1980 Presidential Election Pivotal

The USPHS hospital system, which had provived seamen with quality medical
care for nearly 200 years, was shut down. The administration procrastinated in
coming up with a new liner subsidy program, even though the program, which
was central to the continued survival of the American maritime industry, had
begun to expire. The program it eventually unveiled has failed to generate much
enthusiasm.

Maritime's Survival is at Stake
In 1980, when the Reagan administration took
power, there were 600 deep-sea vessels registered
under the American flag, which was barely enough
to meet this nation's sealift needs. Today, on the eve
of the union's 50th anniversary, that number has
fallen to just 360.
The maritime industry has undergone a wrench- . ,.,...
ing restructuring. Once-proud companies like U.S.
Lines no longer exist. Automation has reduced manning scales.
Conditions have been made worse by a decadeIong depression in the shipping industry. In order
to stay afloat, shipping companies and labor unions
have been forced into frenzied bidding wars.
Worldwide trends for seamen and other maritime
workers are ominous. In order to compete with
open registries, traditional maritime nations like
Norway have begun setting up their own second
registries.
Clearly, the continued survival of the Americanflag merchant marine presents the members of the
SIU with their greatest challenge as the union faces
its second 50 years.

He viewed the upcoming presidential election as
maritime's last chance to gain a steady supply of
cargo. He was gearing up for the election when
tragedy struck. Just before he was to deliver Lane
Kirkland's seconding speech at the AFL-CIO Convention, he was felled by an inoperable brain
tumor.
FrankDrozak, his long-time associate, immediately stepped in and gave the union a strong presence
during a potentially troubling period. Because of
their close association, there was a smooth transition.
Within months, Drozak was playing a leading
role in securing support for Jimmy Carter, who was
publicly committed to signing a cargo preference
b. l.
Carter lost the 1980 election by a wide margin, in
part because of a sense of national frustration
brought about by the Iranian hostage crisis. Control
Chaos in the Tug
of the Senate passed to the Republican Party for the
and Barge Industry
first time in more than 20 years. The combination of
these two events helped pave the way for the soDeep-sea sailors were not the only maritime
The Keystone State, one of the union's first military vessels.
called Reagan Revolution, which transformed the
workers to experience difficulties during this
face of American politics.
period.
A depression in the oil industry and an explosion of corporate takeovers
At first, many in the maritime industry had great hopes for the new administration. During the campaign, Reagan had issued a seven-point program to
created a desperate situation in the tug and barge industry as well. A pattern
"revitalize" the American-flag merchant marine. Yet this turned out to be nothing
soon emerged. A company that had a long-standing relationship with the union
more than an empty campaign promise.
(ACBL, SONAT Marine) would be taken over by a conglomerate. Almost im· ._
mediately, the new management team would start making moves to break the
union. That way they could gain access to the funds stored in multi-employer
Reagan Revolution Sweeps America
plans, reduce wages and welfare benefits and eliminate job descriptions, work
The labor movement was faced with a new environment distinctly hostile to its
rules, the seniority system and other improvements the union had won.
interests. The administration made its intentions clear early on when it broke the
Tug and barge companies began unilaterally reclassifying certain groups of
Professional Air Traffic Controllers (PATCO) Union in a bitterly contested strike.
workers as "supervisory personnel." This made good-faith bargaining nearly imIronically, PATCO had been one of the few unions to
possible and threw what should have been routine
support Reagan during the 1980 election.
negotiations into the courts. Workers were left in
Federal programs which had provided a minilimbo while the appeal process took two, three
mum safety net for millions of American workers
years to play itself out.
were axed. The National Labor Relations Board was
"It used to be that you would sit across the table
packed with conservative appointees, which made it
from an owner and talk to him as one human being
difficult for unions to receive an impartial hearing.
to another," saidSIUVicePresidentJohnFay. "Now,
Business groups began holding seminars on how to
he has his lawyers and his accountants, and you
break unions. The percentage of the American
have yours. Everything has to be in writing; even if
workforce holding membership in a union dropped
you trust a particular management team you know
below 20 percent for the first time in the post-war
that any company today can wind up being a pawn
era.
in some takeover bid. The flexibility and trust has
Pension funds were under attack. Companies
gone out of labor-management relations."
sought to pull out of secure, multi-employer plans
and establish their own single-employer plans. Not
Jones, Cargo Preference
The S.S. Constitution, one of two SIU-crewed passenger ships.
one multi-employer plan has ever filed for
Acts AttacK:ed
bankruptcy, but in the three-year period between
1974-1977 alone, more than 8,000 single-employer plans went under.
During the Reagan years, repeated attacks have been made against the two
most important maritime promotional programs-the Jones Act and the Cargo
Preference Act of 1954.
Maritime Programs Axed
In 1985, agriculture groups mounted their most serious challenge to the Initially, many maritime officials believed that their programs would escape the
Cargo Preference Act of 1954. Right before one critical vote, SIU President Frank
axe because of the Reagan administration's strong commitment to defense. After
Drozak flooded Capitol Hill with whitecapped seamen who made unannounced
visits to their elected representatives.
all, they reasoned, the American-flag merchant marine plays a pivotal role in
providing sealift.
He later played a leading role in bringing about a compromise between
They were wrong. The American-flag merchant marine was hard hit. Funding
maritime and agricultural groups on this issue. This led to the restructuring of
the Cargo Preference Act. Certain types of cargo were removed from the act's _
for the Construction Differential Subsidy program was halted. In addition, the administration tried to gut the Title XI Loan Guarantee Mortgage Program and the
Capital Construction Fund.
--continued next page

October 1988

29

�jurisdiction. In return, the cargo preference requirements for other types of
government-impelled cargo were raised from 50 to 75 percent over a three-year
period.

SIU Vice President Jack Caffey noted that management and labor could now
mount a united front to resolve thorny problems relating to vessel safety, liability
insurance and fishing rights in disputed international waters.

Administration Seeks to Export Alaskan Oil

Services Beefed Up

The administration made no secret of its desire to export Alaskan oil overseas
despite a ban contained in the Export Administration Act. This would have had
the effect of laying up 40 tankers in the domestic trades. The maritime industry
was able to gamer enough support in Congress from preventing that from happening.

Many Gains Recorded

Shortly after taking over the helm of the SIU, Frank Drozak took steps to improve services to the members. In order to give the union a more visible presence
in the nation's capital, he relocated the headquarters building to Camp Springs,
Md. He completely computerized the union's records. Not only did this facilitate
the processing of claims, but it laid the foundation for a stronger, more efficient
Manpower Department. Building upon the legacy of Paul Hall, Drozak made
education a priority. He continued to upgrade the facilities at the Seafarers Harry
· Lundeberg School. In his speeches, columns and taped messages, he urged SIU
members to upgrade their skills.

Under Drozak's direction, the union looked into imaginative ways of dealing
with a radically changed maritime industry. The abrupt closing of the USPHS
hospitals created a crisis for most welfare plans. The trustees effected savings in
Unfair Trade Plagues America
the Seafarers Welfare Plan without having to cut back on the benefits provided
seamen. In New Orleans and Seattle, for example, a preferred provider system
It was Frank Drozak's belief that the problems facing the American maritime
was set up which guaranteed seamen in those ports bener medical coverage for
industry were part of a larger problem. He felt that the international trading sysless money.
tem was inherently unfair and that something needed to be done to protect the
As president of the 8.5 million member Maritime Trades Department of the
security of American workers.
AFL-CIO, Drozak led a successful 11-year fight to gain recognition for the role
He called upon Congress and the administration to enact an industrial policy.
that American seamen played in World War II. He worked tirelessly for ratification
If they didn't, he predicted a mass exodus of jobs overseas. All the American
ofILO Convention 147, which set minimum international standards for seamen.
workers would be left with, he said, "were Mickey Mouse jobs in places like
It was the first ILO Convention to be signed by the United States in 35 years.
McDonald's paying minimum wage rates." The prototype for this, he said, was
The SIU worked for passage of a port development bill to stimulate activity in
the formulation of the Effective U.S . Control Doctrine, which decimated the
the dredging industry and opposed the imposition of user fees, which were
American-flag merchant marine and the fleets of our NATO allies.
During his long career in the maritime industry-he had started sailing in the
viewed as posing a serious threat to the economic health of the inland waterways
industry.
deck department in the waning days of World War II- Drozak had witnessed
drastic changes in technology and automation. Unless the SIU and the members
It supported efforts to reduce the burdensome requirements heaped on the
of the union adapted to the rapid changes which were engulfing the industry, he
maritime industry, which is regulated by more than 75 agencies. At the same time,
the
union
opposed
the
said, they would be left behind.
administration's broader policy of
Absent help from the federal
deregulation, on the grounds that it
government, he believed that the only
would lead to a breakdown of safety
avenue of growth was in the military
standards in the transportation insector. He repeatedly called upon the
dustry.
federal government to contract work
out to the private sector. This would
The union joined others in the
have a three-fold effect. It would inmaritime industry in strenuously opposing the reflagging of 11 Kuwaiti
crease the sealift capability of this
tankers. Rep. Helen Bentley (R-Md.)
country by securing an adequatelysummed up the feelings of many in
sized pool of skilled mariners. It
the industry when she said that the
would save the American taxpayers
administration had debased the
hundreds of millions of dollars. And it
maritime laws of the country and
would save the American-flag merturned the American registry into a
chant marine.
flag of convenience.
In order to protect the rights of
SIU Garners Military
New Bedford fishermen, the SIU
Work
called a strike against the Seafood
During a period of industry-wide
..,. Producers Association in 1985. A setdecline, the SIU was able to sign up
tlement was finally reached two years
hundreds of new jobs for its members
SHI.SS Vice President Frank Mongelli (left) met with representatives of the Army and Navy.
later. In announcing the agreement,

-.

11ic SIU-contracted American Eagle was
pan of the convoy foe the Grenada invasion.

Member shows souvenir from invasion.

30

The SIU-contracted Falcon Leader was one of the last vessels to be built with CDS funds. Shipbuilding came to a virtual halt in U.S. yards.

SIU Fiftieth Anniversary

�'~
·

onboard military vessels that had been contracted out to the private sector.
The turning point came in 1984, when an amendment attached to the Depart·
ment of Defense authorizations bill mandated that the Military Sealift Command
go through an A-76 bidding process.
It was a slow process made possible by the high quality of SIU crews. In 1984,
for example, an SIU crew onboard the Southern Cross made a strong impression
on the military, earning a letter of commendation for its flawless performance in
NATO exercises.
The SHLSS retooled its curriculum to include a sealift course incorporating
training for helicopter operations and underway replenishments. Students admitted to the school were trained to chores onboard deck and in the engine
room. Drozak brought management, labor and government together at a sealift
conference, the first of which was held in May 1986 in Piney Point.

Frank Drozak Dies
The various affiliates of the SIUNA met in August 1987 at one of the
intemational's regularly scheduled conventions to deal with the many problem's
facing the maritime industry. On the first day of the convention, SIUNA President
Frank Drozak fell ill.
It was cancer. By April 1988, his condition had become so grave that he called
SIU Executive Vice President Michael Sacco to headquarters to begin taking over
the helm of the union. Speaking at the union's April membership meeting, Sacco
praised Drozak for his many accomplishments. He also urged the membership to
reflect upon the meaning of the union's upcoming 50th anniversary
He said that the labor movement had enabled American seamen to materially
improve the quality of their lives. The wages and conditions that workers now
take for granted were gained over the course of several decades. People had given
their "blood, sweat and tears" so that future generations would have a benerway
of life.

Seamen's Struggle Enters a New Phase
The struggle, said Sacco, is not
over. It is just entering a new phase.
Today's members are writing a new
chapter. History will record their
sacrifices and battles, just as it has
recor ed those made by the SIU memrs who served in World War II and
built a new union out of the ashes of
the ISU.
In June 1988, Frank Drozak died.
His agenda had been shaped by an
historical accident. He assumed office
during the 1980 presidential campaign. He died just as the "Reagan
Revolution'' was winding down, when
the shipping industry was still mired
in a decade-long depression.
Red Campbell, vice president in
charge of contracts, put his career in
perspective. "Frank Drozak's enduring legacy is that he enabled this

Frank Drozak

union to stay afloat during one of the darkest periods in the history of the
maritime industry. The union signed up hundreds of new jobs in the military sector and upgraded its services and training program. Unlike others in the maritime
industry, it never gave up hope."

A Plan For Maritime's Survival
"The point is rapidly approaching when the United States will have to decide
once and for all if it wants a merchant fleet capable of meeting its security needs,"
said Campbell. The same conclusion was reached by the Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense, which recently released a seven-point program aimed
at revitalizing the maritime industry.
"There is a clear and growing danger to the national security," said the report,
"in the deteriorating condition of America's maritime industries.
"There is today insufficient strategic sealift, both ships and trained personnel,
for the United States using only its own resources as required by the defense
planning assumptions, to execute a major deployment in contingent operations
in a single theater such as Southwest Asia. Without decisive action, the situation
will worsen substantially by the year 2000.
"Major government effort is urgently required, indeed overdue, to revise our
national objectives, policies and commitments in order to reverse the decline of
the maritime industry"

Maritime Must Unite
In his first report to the membership, SIU President Michael Sacco had this to
say on the maner:
"We are now at the brink of a new administration. At this point, no one can tell
what's in store for U.S. shipping. In these days of non-issue campaigning, no one
knows where candidates stand on specifics.
"But that doesn't mean that the industry can afford to sit still and wait. It had
better get itself together, and I mean all of it-all of management and labor-and
begin discussing and examining ways
and means of using all resources available, to be certain U.S. shipping is not
allowed to continue downward
without a mighty effort on our part to
tum things around.
"It can be done, it's been done
before. It's going to take good sense
and hard work on the part of every
section of the industry. The alternatives make it an absolute must for us
to take a good hard ~hot at the challenge. We of the SIU stand ready to do
our share!''

Michael Sacco

...

...
i

Anniversary Supplement Editor
Max Hall
Special thanks to Herb Brand, George
McCartney, Red Campbell, and the staffs
of the Paul Hall Archives, the SIU Hiscorical Research Deparcment and the
Seafarers LOG.

SIU Executive Board
Michael Sacco
President

Joseph Sacco

Joseph DiGiorgio

Exec11t11ie Vice President

Secretary

Angus "Red" Campbell

John Fay

Vice President

Vice President

George McCartney

Thomas Glidewell

Vice President

Vice President

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Vice President

Vice President

Jack Caffey

SIU President Frank Drozak was able to improve SIU services during a period of industry-wide decline. The new headquarters building.

October 1988

Vice President

31

�----------•a
1-'

i'i

"We have
an educated
and informed
membership.
Together
we will forge
new programs
to meet the challenges
of the future. "
-Michael Sacco

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THE LAW WAS STACKED AGAINST SEAMEN&#13;
BUCKO MATES AND CRUELTY AT SEA&#13;
LIFE AT SEA&#13;
SEAMEN’S ACT OF 1915 BRINGS FREEDOM&#13;
MARITIME ENTERS DARK AGE&#13;
RED SCARE SWEEPS COUNTRY&#13;
AN ILL-FATED STRIKE BREAKS THE ISU &#13;
THE GROWTH OF RADICAL ORGANIZATIONS ON THE WATERFRONT&#13;
THE FIRST AMERICAN-OWNED PANAMANIAN-REGISTERED VESSELS&#13;
THE GREAT DEPRESSION&#13;
THE SEAMEN’S MOVEMENT IS REBORN&#13;
SPLIT IN ORGANIZED LABOR&#13;
BLOODY THURSDAY&#13;
THE SIU IS BORN OUT OF THE ASHES OF ISU&#13;
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PAUL HALL TAKES OVER THE HELM OF SIU&#13;
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SIU SEAMEN MOUNT SEALIFT IN KOREA&#13;
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SIU FIGHTS FOR A DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT&#13;
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LUNDEBERG SCHOOL GIVES THOUSANDS OF SEAMEN A CHANCE FOR A BETTER LIFE&#13;
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                    <text>SIU Urges Protection of Rights

C.G. Drug Rules Draw Withering Fire on Hill
Displaying a unified front, the SIU and the maritime industry sharply
criticized an administration drug testing proposal for all maritime workers.
At a hearing before the House Merchant Marine Subcommittee late last
month, the SIU presented a joint statement with NMEBA, the MM&amp;P and
the IBU. It charged the Coast Guard has not established any cause and effect
relationship between possible drug use and maritime accidents, that the program
could place a more than $200 million burden on the industry and that it would
open the door to massive, multi-million dollar lawsuits.

At the hearing, 15 maritime and other organizations opposed the Coast
Guard proposals. In addition, most members of the subcommittee lambasted
the yet-to-be adopted regulations.
The only witnesses testifying in favor of the drug policy were from the
Department of Transportation and two of its agencies, Marad and the Coast
Guard.
The SIU pointed out that the Coast Guard has admitted it has no evidence
(Continued on Page 3.)

Official Publication ol the Seafarers International Union• Atlantic, Gull, Lakes and Inland Waters District• Al'L·CIO Vol. SO, No. 10, October 1988

Dukakis Calls for 'New' U.S. Maritime Policy
Stressing the need to ' 'get the American merchant fleet back under full
steam,' ' Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis unveiled a
comprehensive maritime plan as the
LOG went to press.
Dukakis, who has the backing of
the SIU and the AFL-CIO, outlined
several points which the union and the
maritime industry have said are cornerstones to any revitalization of the
U. ~ -'fag fleet
"Within the first 90 days of my
administration, I will convene a conference of leaders from the House,
Senate and the maritime industries,
together with my administration, to
draw up a comprehensive plan to help
the maritime industries compete in a
global economy.

"And I will work with Congress ,
industry and labor to develop a plan
for a cost-effective, military capable
fleet of fast sealift and merchant ships.
I will also direct the National Security
Council staff to help develop, oversee
and coordinate a new national maritime
policy," Dukakis said.
SIU President Michael Sacco said
Dukakis ' statement on rebuilding the
maritime indus~ry is "an outstanding
reaffirmation of long establi hed maritime policy.''
He also said the SIU is looking
forward to wo_rking with a Dukakis
administration on other important
maritime issues, including "existing
export controls on Alaskan oil, development of the Arctic National Wildlife
(Continued on Page 2.)

SIU President Michael Sacco (left) and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis
following the SIU's and AFL-CIO's endorsement of the Massachusetts governor.

SIU Blasts Jones Act
Waiver Bids by Alaska
The Jones Act is under fire, again.
Two Senate bills would waive U.S.flag requirements on coal shipments
to Hawaii and on passenger service
between U.S. ports and Alaska.
'The SIU strongly opposes both of
these bills as flagrant violations of the
meaning and intent of the Jones Act,"
SIU President Mike Sacco said in his
prepared testimony before the Senate
Merchant Marine Subcommittee.
Along with the SIU, Marad, other
maritime labor unions and several U.S.flag operators attacked the two bills,
introduced by Sen. Frank Murkowski
(R-Alaska), at a hearing late last month.

When originally introduced, the first
bill, S-2728, was intended to allow
foreign-flag ships to carry coal between Alaska and Hawaii. The second, S-2729, would allow foreign-flag
passenger ships to operate between
ports in Alaska and between Alaska
and Seattle, Wash.
But at the hearing, Murkowski said
he intended to reintroduce the legis(Continued on Page 4.)

Seafarers made their presence felt on the campaign trail when they joined a crowd of
3,000 to hear Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in Annapolis, Md.

50 Years Ago the SIU Was Born.
Read About the Union's Struggles and
Its Victories in a Special 32-Page
Anniversary Edition Inside.

SIU A&amp;G Election Information-Rules and Sample Ballot-Pages 8-12

�President's Report
by Michael Sacco

This month's LOG contains a special section commemorating our
union's 50th anniversary. It tells a remarkable story-the seamen's
struggle for equality. It is a compelling story that reaches out to touch
the heart of every SIU member.
There was a time, not so very long ago, when American seamen were
forced to work for substandard wages under unsafe conditions. There
was no such thing as a union hiring hall. In order to ship out, you had
to curry favor with cr:mps and shipping agents, and the vessel was a
floating plantation.
Thanks to the vi ~ ion of giants like Andrew Furuseth and Harry
Lundeberg, and the per.'onal sacrifices of thousands of seafarers, today's
merchant mariner can hold his head high with dignity and enjoy better
wages, benefits and working conditions than at any time since before
men and women first set sail. It is incumbent on us who enjoy the present
to learn from the past and honor the brave maritime workers who came
before us.
These were the men and women who achieved legislation to emancipate
the seaman from near slavery, who fought on the waterfront to keep the
trade union movement free and democratic, who had been on the
Murmansk run, transporting the supplies that enabled America's allies
to fight off Fascist aggression, who risked their lives during the Korean
Conflict and the Vietnam War. Their sacrifices in the past are our
inspiration for the future.
There is a clear chain of events tying today's trainees with the brave
men and women who founded this union. Every member and official in
the SIU today is a part of the history of the union, and what we do
today will have an effect on those who follow.
Even during the most difficult periods, the SIU has always progressed.
During the past eight years , while the American-flag merchant marine
has declined by more than one half, the SIU under the leadership of the
late Frank Drozak signed up hundreds of new jobs onboard military
vessels, providing job security to thousands of seamen.
The union has continually upgraded its servic€s and training facilities.
Earlier this month, I was at a groundbreaking ceremony for our new
union hall in Brooklyn, which will be serving our New York members
and pensioners by next summer. Our union and school have always led

the way in providing alcohol and drug rehabilitation services to our
members. We are now once again in the forefront by being the first to
recognize the severity and importance of the AIDS problem, and are
working with the industry to develop a program to effectively deal with
the AIDS epidemic as it affects our membership.
The SIU has been successful because its membership is an informed
membership, willing and able to change with the times. While the only
real growth in maritime has been in the defense sector, our members
have obtained the skills necessary to man military vessels of all types.
Our union has made this commitment possible through opportunities
offered at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship.
Less than half a mile away from the new Brooklyn hall is Greenwood
Cemetery, where Paul Hall, the late president of this union, and my dear
friend and mentor, is buried. I remember that when the Lundeberg
School was still on the drawing board, Paul said the seaman's biggest
problem was understanding the challenges facing the maritime industry.
Education was to be the key to informing our membership and providing
them with the tools to meet those challenges.
Paul Hall's spirit still lives on in the hearts and memories of every
member, and in the hopes and aspirations of new trainees. He has been
often in my thoughts these past few months. We should use the occasion
of our anniversary to rededicate ourselves to his vision as we sail toward
the 21st century.
We owe this commitment not only to our members and their families
but to our country as well. It is disgraceful when a U .S.-flag ship pulls
into a foreign port utterly alone, with no other stars and stripes in sight.
In order to meet our nation's needs and continue to obtain jobs, the SIU
must continually be progressive and look to the future. We must continue
to change as the industry itself changes.
To that end, we will continue to seek cooperation between labor,
management and government to help overcome our adversities. We will
continue to pursue jobs for our membership in the defense sector and
wherever opportunities seem promising. Finally, we will continue to
develop benefits and services for our members that will sustain the
Brotherhood of the Sea as a source of pride and accomplishment for
another half-century.

Dukakis' Maritime Policy-''A Positive First Step"
(Continued from Page 1.)

Refuge and revitalization of the U.S.flag passenger fleet." (See box for
Sacco's complete statement.)
•'The sealift capability provided by
America's merchant marine is essential to our security . . . The United
States is a global power-and if we
are going to meet our responsibilities
around the world, we need the airlift
and sealift capacity to get our forces
and their supplies to the battlefield, to
deter war if we can, and to fight
effectively if we must. And we need
the security that a healthy U.S.-ftag
merchant fleet will provide,'' the Mas-

sachusetts governor said.
Dukakis noted that in ''the last eight
years, the number of U.S.-flag ships
has dropped 28 percent, and 10,()00
oceangoing shipboard jobs have gone
to foreign competitors. . . . Unless we

act soon, this shortfall in sealift will
grow even more serious in the next
decade. ' '
Dukakis said that along with establishing a comprehensive national maritime policy as president he would:
• "Preserve existing programs designed to promote the competitiveness of U .S.-flag carriers in
the operation of their vessels.
These programs are a cost-effective way to sustai n modern, U.S.fl.ag merchant hips that would be
immediately available with trained
crews to serve our nation in conflict or crisis. ' '
• As part of a " new partnership"
between the merchant marine and
the country , Dukakis will ''fully
enforce exi ting laws" that provide cargo fo r U S.-ftag ships.
• Dukaki ' will pre erve the integ-

Executive Board
Michael Sacco
Pre

Joseph Sacco
E.-ecUllYC Vrce

Pre~r:Jenr

.cen'

Joseph DiGiorgio

Angus " Red " Campbell

Socr~t•ry

Vice Prel#denl

Frank Margiotta
Director of Public Relaflons &amp; Publicatoons

•

~

Charles Svenson

John Fay

George McCartney

Vice President

Va PreSldent

Vice PreSldent

Roy Mercer

Steve Edney

Jack Cattey

Vice PreS1dent

Vice Pre!Ji.ldeni

\!'ice P~wenf

Thomas Glidewell

Editor

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

Max Hall

Deborah Greene

Associate Editor

AsSOClate Editor

2 I LOG I October 1988

rity of the Jones Act and other
laws requiring that passengers and
cargo transported in the U.S.
coastwise trade be carried on U.S.fl.ag vessels."
• He pledged to ·•enforce laws which
require the use of American carriers at fair rates when moving
government-impelled cargo."
• Make sure that parts of the new
Trade Act designed to protect
U.S. -flag shipping from unfair foreign practices (and in some cases
which call for penalties against

countries that discriminate against
American shipping) will ''be vigorously enforced."
• In any negotiations between the
U.S. and other countries which
could have an impact on the
merchant marine, Dukakis will
"make sure that its (the merchant marine 's) interests are
protected.''
• Dukakis said he would expand
the use of the merchant marine
to perform peacetime Naval auxiliary functions.

Complete SIU Statement on Dukakis' Policy
"Presidential candidate Michael
Dukakis' statement on rebuilding
the maritime industry is an outstanding reaffirmation of long-established maritime policy. It is a
positive first step toward revitalizing
a strategic industry to our nation's
defense and economy. When put into
place, it wiU permit the industry to
address growth potentials instead of
concentrating its energie on enforcement of existing policies which unfortunately has been the case in recent administration .

•'The SIU is pleased with this
strong maritime position. We look
forward to working with a Dukakis
administration on a number of maritime-related issues, including the
critical necessity of maintaining existing export controls on Alaskan
oil, development of an Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and revitalization of a U.S.-flag passenger
fleet."
Michael Sacco

President SIU

�C.G. Drug Rules Draw Withering Fire on Hill
(Continued from Page 1.)
that drug or alcohol use is a major cause for maritime accidents.
Yet with few facts to support its position, the Coast Guard proposals would
establish pre-employment testing, mandatory-random testing, post-accident
testing and reasonable cause testing. In addition, the proposed rules would
force the industry to foot the bill for both the· testing process itself and the
cost for any rehabilitation programs. It also would override many of the current
and successful anti-drug programs established through collective bargaining.
Several witnesses charged that the timing of the proposal was keyed to an
election-year effort to show the administration is taking a "tough" stand on
drugs.
'The industry was given a 60-day comment period in which to evaluate a
proposal of such massive proportions. This limited time frame ... was less
than adequate for this pervasive and major rule making, leading us to believe
that the proposed regulations are politically motivated in an election year,''
said Jim Henry, president of the Transportation Institute.
While the Coast Guard could not point to evidence suggesting a major drug
problem within the maritime community, other witnesses provided facts
showing that the make-up of American crews could actually lead to less drug
use than in society as a whole.
"At the present time, the average age of licensed crewmembers on our
vessels is 45 years old and that of our unlicensed seamen is 51 years. All
existing statistics point to the fact that abuse of illegal drugs in this age category
is not significant and certainly not a national problem," said William P. Verdon,
president of the United Shipowners of America.
The drug testing rules would apply only to U.S.-flag ships, even though
more than 90 percent of the cargo moving through American ports is carried
on foreign-flag ships.
Rep. Norman Shumway (R-N.Y.) pointed out that U.S. ships already face
unfair competition from foreign-flag vessels.
"You are adding another straw on the camel's back," he said.
Several government-sponsored, mandatory drug testing plans have been
overturned by the courts. Also, employees have filed lawsuits against similar
plans.
The Coast Guard's proposal will probably fail to "accomplish its goal," said
Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Walter B. Jones (D-N .C.). He said the rules
would probably be subject to lawsuits and that ''would set back everyone's
efforts against drugs."
The rules would ''impose on the private sector and the operator the role of

Which Side
Are ·You On?

surrogate law enforcement officer, responsible for the actions of employees in
and out of the workplace, subjecting the employer to possible civil liability
actions," said TI' s Henry.
Because much of the proposed testing would be done onboard the ships,
questions were raised as to the competence and qualifications of those doing
the testing and to what that would do to shipboard relationships.
"Random testing aboard vessels would create chaos. Who would do the
testing? It must be remembered that a ship's. crew is a small, tightly built
society with definite levels of authority. The very fabric of this needed structure
would be fractured with subordinates taking and administering drug tests of
their superior officers," said Verdon.
Along with the procedures , the logistics of onboard testing were questioned.
How would the samples be stored? Would the testing be done in foreign labs,
not under the same rules as American facilities? Would seamen who tested
positive in a foreign port be liable for prosecution in that country?
The constitutionality of mandatory drug testing was raised.
Several groups said that the proposal could have an adverse impact on
rehabilitation programs. While most unionized maritime workers have rehabilitation programs available through collective bargaining agreements, the
proposed rules do not mandate such programs. Plus the entire cost of any
such program would be borne by the industry.
While specific legislation to halt the Coast Guard's proposals was not
requested, the subcommittee was urged to work with the industry and Coast
Guard to come up with a more workable and feasible plan.

A Note to Our Readers
This special anniversary edition of the Seafarers LOG highlights the
SIU' s half-century of history. In order to provide the space 50 years of
history so rightfully deserves, several regular Seafarers LOG features
have been put on hold until November.
Next month we will resume our regular and complete coverage of
Inland and Government Services news, dispatcher's reports, the Seafarers
Harry Lundeberg School, final departures and other regular features.

Personals

Robert Miller
Please contact Philip Livingston,
c/o Harold Strauss, 3090 Winterbrook
Dr., West Pittsburg, Calif. 94565.

Larry Vouga
Please call Steve collect at (808)

924-1439.

Ground Broken For New Brooklyn Hall

These groups testified against the
Coast Guard's drug testing proposal.
• Seafarers International Union
of North America
• National Marine Engineers'
Beneficial Association
• International Organization of
Masters, Mates and Pilots
• Inland Boatmen's Union
• Transportation Institute
• The American Institute of Merchant Shipping
• The American Waterways Operators
• United Shipowners of America
• National Association of Passenger Vessel Owners
• Maritrans Operating Partners
L.P.
• Rowan Companies Inc.
• Offshore Marine Service Association
• American Maritime Association
• American Civil Liberties Union
• National Fisheries Institute
The proposals were backed by:
• The Department of Transportation
• The Maritime Administration
• The Coast Guard

Vote!!!

October 4 was an historic day for the SIU in Brooklyn; groundbreaking ceremonies for a new hall were held. After 37 years at 675 Fourth
Avenue, the Union will be moving, but only down the street. The new Fourth Avenue hall will be able to provide more efficient services
for the thousands of Seafarers and retirees in the New York area. Pictured above (center foreground, J. tor.) are "Flattop" Koflowitch,
SIU Secretary Joe DiGiorgio, SIU President Michael Sacco, SIU Vice President Jack Caffey, construction consultant Al Casella and
Seafarer Robert Gorbea.

October 1988 I LOG I 3

�Cruise Ship &amp; Coal Waivers Sought

SIU Defends Jones Act From Alaskan Attacks
(Continued from Page 1.)
lation in the next session of Congress
and would expand the bills to cover
all coal shipments to Hawaii and passenger sailings from any U.S. port to
Alaska.
Murkowski's statement underlined
one of the main points the unions and
other opposition witnesses have
stressed time and time again-once
the Jones Act door is opened slightly,
it's only a matter of time before someone tries to kick it in entirely and
repeal the cornerstone of U.S. shipping laws.
"After all, if this exception is granted,
why not forest products or anything
else where cut-rate foreign flags can
undercut the U.S. flag? Where do you
stop?" asked National MEBA representative Karl Landgrebe.
As if to underscore the fear, a rep-

NOTICE
NATIONAL MARINE
SERVICE
EX-EMPLOYEES
The Union has negotiated a severance benefit settlement with National Marine Service and the following ex-employees of National
Marine Service may be due settlement money.
If your name appears below please
contact in writing: Secretary Joe
DiGiorgio, Seafarers International
Union, 5201 Auth Way, Camp
Springs, Md. 20746 and provide the
following information:
I. Name
2. Mailing Address
3. Social Security No.
4. Book No.
5. Job classification
6. Period worked for National
Marine Service
Benefits will be calculated on the
basis of the number of years of
uninterrupted service with National
Marine.
Name
R. Azar
R. Benoit
C. Bryant
S. Burnap
M.J. Chapman
J. Gomez
R. Hernandez
K. Larsen
C. Lovett
D. Marcus
C. Merryman
E. Moore
F. Newton
G. Pruitte
J. Riggs
R. Salvaggio
D. E. Shubert
R. Spangler
F. Stanley
G. Strickland
E. Stringfellow
J. White
J. Wiley
C. Wilson
G .R. Williams
R.K. Williamson
W.M. Wortham

Soc. Sec. No.
487-62-4016
438-74-2192
340-30-3539
264-49-2951
437-34-1983
078-50-1040
584-86-6787
536-58-2162
427-74-2872
466-42-8549
429-38-9982
459-56-6788
457-48-6789
494-76-0611
563-17-5731
428-25-3773
240-17-5591
418-92-8091
438-34-1858
455-82-2602
425-44-7154

104-42-2927
492-64-9859
441-38-3014
424-84-5314
587-13-1591
323-60-0442

4 I LOG I October 1988

resentative of the Alaska governor's
office said politicians in that state will
make every attempt to repeal the entire Jones Act.
''The reasons for supporting the
Jones Act have not changed since its
passage,'' Sacco said in his statement,
"national security and the economic
stability of the domestic maritime industry.''
He also noted that the recent report
from the presidentially-appointed
Commission on Merchant Marine and
Defense recommended that one way
to counter the decline of the U.S.-fiag
fleet is tough enforcement of the Jones
Act.
''. . . Cabotage laws are still needed
. . . They contribute significantly to
providing the ships and merchant seamen required for our national defense
and economic security . . . the admin-

istration and Congress should resist
any attempt to weaken them,'' the
commission reported.
Alaskan coal mining interests were
instrumental in having the coal-to-Hawaii waiver introduced. The islandstate currently imports its powerplant
coal from abroad but plans an expansion of its coal use. Of course the
Alaskan coal companies want a piece
of that pie. They claim there are no
U.S. ships available, and if there were,
they would be too expensive.
But Marad Deputy Administrator
William Creelman noted that oceangoing barges are available. Another
witness said at least two deepsea colliers could be used in the trade.
"Without the Jones Act, the U.S.
domestic trades would likely be dominated by foreign-flag vessels, built
abroad, manned by foreign workers

Seafarers Log Wins Major
Labor Press Contest Award
The Seafarers Log was once again cited for journalistic exellence by
the International Labor Communications Association. The Seafarers Log
won the Second Award: General Excellence in a nationwide contest this
year in which there were 1,276 entries from 155 labor union publications.
In singling out the Seafarers Log for this award, the judges said:
"The Seafarers Log is particularly notable for photographs that give
it a very human touch. The Log ensures that its readers are not adrift
when it comes to important shipping news."
This year's ILCA Journalistic Awards Contest judges were: John
Barry, former managing editor of the AFL-CIO News; Bob Cohn,
contributing editor of Newsweek; Joseph Foote, writer and journalism
lecturer; Barbara Griffith, Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Donna
Hulsizer, education policy director, People for the American Way; Stuart
Kaufman, George Meany Center for Labor Studies; Joyce Murdock, The
Washington Post; Bob Rodden, editor/writer Machinists International
Union (retired); and Lee White, editor/writer Communications Workers
of America (retired).
The Seafarers Log staff includes Charles Svenson, editoc Mike Hall,
managing editor; and Associate Editors Max Hall and Deborah Greene.

and operated by companies that pay
no U.S. taxes and owe no allegiance
to the United States," Jim Henry,
Transportation Institute president said
in a prepared statement.
In the case of the Alaskan cruise
ships, Sacco said a waiver of U.S.flag requirements would "have a chilling effect" on any operator who might
have plans to enter the trade.
"I would respectfully suggest that
in the absence of the Jones Act, no
operator would risk competing against
foreign-flag fleets, sailing substandard
vessels manned by Third World crews
paid substandard wages," the SIU
president said.
No action is expected on either bill
before the close of Congress. But if
the bills are reintroduced in the next
session, the SIU will mount a campaign to protect U.S.-ftag ships and
American seagoingjobs.

Laker's Daughter
To Teach in China
Kenneth Shorkey, an AB aboard
the M/V Belle River, has reason to
be proud. His daughter Carolyn will
have the honor of representing the
President Carter Center in Atlanta
during a five-month trip to China.
Ms. Shorkey has been assigned
to Qingdao, where she will conduct
teacher training in special education
for visually impaired children. Thirty
Chinese teachers have been selected from throughout China to
attend her classes and will then take
their newly acquired skills back to
their home schools for the blind.
A 1970 graduate of Algonac High
School, Ms. Shorkey is also a graduate of Michigan State University
and received her masters degree in
learning disabilities from Georgia
State University.

Jones Echoes SIU Warning on GATT and Maritime Issues
Last month the SIU warned that
upcoming GATT talks could result in
the opening of U.S. Jones Act trades
to foreign-flag ships, if the industry
and its allies aren't vigilant (see Sept.
LOG).
Now, Rep. Walter B. Jones (DN.C.), chairman of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, has sent his House colleagues a
letter outlining the same concerns.

others are concerned about.
Last year when similar threats were
contained in the U .S.-Canada Free
Trade Agreement, pressure from maritime interests was able to remove
those sections.
Jones has drafted a resolution, sup-

ported by the SIU, calling on the
administration not to submit any proposal that ''would in any way consider
maritime .activity as being within the
scope of' areas covered by the GATT.
The Union is closely monitoring the
situation.

SIU Backs Humphrey

There is "no room" in the GATT
talks for proposals ''which would encourage entry by the Third World and
East bloc vessels into maritime trades
now reserved, for security reasons, to
vessels of the United States.
''Allowing such participation would
ultimately and irrevocably spell the
end of the U.S.-flag merchant marine,'' Jones wrote.
GAIT, the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade, is a worldwide trade
agreement which covers many areas
of international trade. There is some
indication the next round of talks on
GATT will include maritime services,
and that is what the SIU, Jones and

Following in his father's pro-labor footsteps, Hubert "Skip" Humphrey is the
Democratic candidate for one of Minnesota's U.S. Senate seats. Humphrey (above
center) is shown with SIU Duluth Field Rep. Wayne Brandt (left) and Byron Kelley,
SIU Great Lakes headquarters rep.

�Monthly
Membership Meetings
FALCON LEADER (Seahawk Management), August 28-Chairman Joseph
Caruso, Engine Delegate Paul Moran. No
beefs or disputed OT. The deck department
reports it finally has a full deck gang-and
there's still unlimited OT! The ship will pay
off at sea on Aug. 31 . The Falcon Leader's
enroute to Bahrain-with a 60-day MSC
extension to its contract. The educational
director stressed the importance of upgrading at Piney Point. The ice machine is
still broken after two months. If it can't be
fixed, members request a new one be
ordered. The crew received Marianne Drozak's thank-you card for their condolences
on Frank Drozak's death. The crew got a
donation together and sent it to the SIU
for the cancer society. Next port: Bahrain.
LNG LIBRA (Energy Transportation
Corp.), August 14-Chairman B.B. Darley,
Secretary H. Markowitz, Educational Director C. Dahlhaus, Deck Delegate F. Smith,
Engine Delegate D. Terry, Steward Delegate G. Taylor. No beefs or disputed OT.
There is $1,065.20 in the ship's fund and
$134 in the SIU fund . The bosun reported
that a letter had been received from headquarters with some answers to previous
questions. The letter mentioned better security at the Union halls, gave a job description for an OS, and clarified the question of the chief mate working on deck.
The steward reported that this is his first
trip on the Ubra. He is happy to see that
everything is in good shape and running
smoothly. He also thanked the crew for
helping keep the lounge and galley clean
at night. A vote of thanks was then given
to the steward department for a job well
done. Next ports: Arun, Indonesia and
Tobata, Japan.
PFC DEWAYNE T. WILLIAMS (AMSEA), September 4-Chairman Alvin C.
Mccants, Secretary Don Spangler, Educational Director/Engine Delegate M. Sabin, Deck Delegate Howard F. Hare, Steward Delegate Antoinette M. Spangler. No
beefs or disputed OT. There is $140 in the
ship's fund, and there will be a pilot pool
for Jacksonville. The chairman stressed
the importance of the no smoking regulation while docked in Jacksonville. Smoking
is allowed only in the crew mess-nowhere
else (including toc'sles). The ship will pay
off in Norfolk and the crew will be laid off
prior to a three-week shipyard period.
Members might want to make the most of
this time by attending the three-day firefighting course. "You will not have to incur
any expenses, and you won't have to use
any of your vacation time. " Just be sure to
save your receipts and submit them to
AMSEA for a refund. Members were also
reminded that there will be no eating or
drinking on deck while in Jacksonville. The
Coast Guard will be very strict about garbage going over the side, especially styrofoam cups. A repair list has been posted
for everyone on the crew bulletin board. A
vote of appreciation was given to the steward department, especially to the two fine
cooks onboard. "Each and every meal is
too tempting to pass up and our waistlines
show it." In its report to the Seafarer's
LOG, the Williams says: "Just left the
Panama Canal heading East. Passed one
of our sister ships, the MN Button in Gatun
Lake as they are heading back to the
Pacific after their shipyard period."
ROVER (Ocean Carriers, Inc.), August
28-Chairman Robert Wilson, Secretary
E. Harris, Educational Director J. Parkhurst, Deck Delegate Jerry LaDuke, Engine
Delegate P. West, Steward Delegate L.
Razo. No beets or disputed OT reported.
There is $165 in the ship's fund. All communications received aboard ship from
headquarters were read. They concerned
the ship's movies, bad drinking water,
shortage of QMEDs, dying ice machine,
Persian Gulf bonus, shortage of American
seamen on the Rover, and aJ"ohol abuse

aboard American vessels. A topside maintenance report from OCI also was read.
Each member has a copy of the new wage
and overtime increases, effective Aug. 21.
The educational director reminded everyone to be careful when wearing rubbersoled shoes on an oily deck. The Rover
still has two foreign men working aboard
ship, one AB and one QMED. "Please
send us SIU men and we will train them
ourselves. The foreign men that come
aboard have to be trained, so why not train
our own brothers?" Next port: Bahrain.

Port

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Date

Piney Point .............. Monday , November 7 . . .. . ..... . . . .... 10:30 a .m.
New York . . ............. Tuesday , November 8 .. .... . .......... 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday , November 9 .. . ........... 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ................ Thursday, November 10 . ........... . .. 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ............... . . Thursday , November 10 . .............. 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday , November 10 . ... . .......... 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ............... . . Monday, November 14 . . ... .. . . ....... 10:30 a.m.
Houston ............. . .. . Monday , November 14 ................ 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ........... .. Tuesday, November 15 ........ .. ... . .. 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .. . ... . .. ..... . . .. Wednesday , November 16 .... .. . . ... .. 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday , November 17 . .......... . . . . 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, November 21 ........ . ... .... 10:30 a.m.
Seattle ......... . .. . ... . . Friday , November 25 ................. 10:30 a.m.
San Juan . . .... . ...... . . .Thursday, November 10 .. . . . ... . . .. .. . 10:30 a.m .
St. Louis ............ . ... Friday , November 18 ............. . .. . 10:30a.m.
Honolulu ....... .... ..... Friday, November 18 . . . . ..... . ....... 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday , November 16 ........... . . 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............. . .Wedne day , November 23 ............. 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford .. . . . ........ Tuesday , November 22 ............ . ... 10:30 a.m.

SAM HOUSTON (Waterman), July 24Chairman Herbert D. Leake, Secretary G.T.
Aquino, Educational Director P. Walker.
No beefs or disputed OT. There is about
$140 in the ship's fund. The chairman
stressed that this is an election year and
how important it ts for SIU members to
contribute to SPAD. These donations assist in the passage of any legislation that
will help the maritime industry. " It is imperative that we pass as many bills in our
favor-as soon as possibl&amp;-in order to
keep our level of income as high as possible. " The secretary added that it is not
only the right, but the duty, of every member
to vote. "As union members, we also must
assist any politician who may be supporting
the maritime industry. Get out, fellow members, and do a little leg work. You meet
nice people and learn a lot. After the
election you can go to Piney Point and
upgrade to a better paying job. You won't
be sorry you did. " The steward thanked all
hands for helping to keep the messroom
and pantry clean. He also gave a vote of
thanks to P. Walker, chief electrician, for
keeping the galley equipment in working
order. The steward department, in turn,
was given a vote of thanks for a fine job
and a good menu. "This has been a good
trip and a good crew." In its report to the
Seafarer's LOG, the Sam Houston says:
"We would like the LOG to note that the
demonstrations put on by members of the
crew with survival suits are very good and
informative." One minute of silence was
observed in memory of our departed brothers and sisters. Next port: Newport News,
Va.

ULTRAMAR (A.M.T.), August 14-Chairman K.W. Craft, Secretary D.S. Smith,
Educational Director D.D. Dobbins, Deck
Delegate G. Khan, Engine Delegate G.
Jackson, Steward Delegate D. Camacho.
Some disputed OT was reported in the
engine department and will be taken up
with the patrolman on arrival. There is $150
in the ship's movie fund. The chairman
reminded all crewmembers to cooperate
in keeping the ship in good condition.
"There is a lot of work to be done aboard
ship and everyone should do their best to
maintain and upgrade its condition." A
discussion was held on the possibility of
closing some of our Union halls and being
shipped by phone from Manpower. A vote
was taken and all crewmembers voted
against such a move, stating that it would
mean that there is no longer a need for a
union or union officials. It will be discussed
with the boarding patrolman at payoff. The
educational director reminded all crewmembers to register to vot&amp;-and to support the SIU's political programs by con-

tributing to SPAD. The Ultramar is in need
of a new ice machine, a refrigerator for the
crew's messhall, a new VCR and a new
TV. The steward and his department were
given a vote of thanks for their fine food
and service given during the voyage. Next
port: Vancouver, Wash.
Official ships minutes also were received
from the following vessels:
ADONIS
AMERICAN EAGLE
LNG AQUARIUS
BAYAMON
FALCON PRINCESS
1ST LT. B. LOPEZ
LNG LEO
LI ERTY WAVE
NEDLLOYD HOLLAND
NUEVO SAN JUAN
OMI CHAMPION
OVERSEAS CHICAGO
OVERSEAS HARRIETTE
ROBERT E. LEE
SEA-LAND ACHIEVER
SEA-LAND ATLANTIC
SEA-LAND CHALLENGER

SEA-WO COMMITMENT
SEA-LAND CRUSADER
SEA-LAND EXPLORER
SEA-WO EXPRESS
SEA-LAND HAWAII
SEA-LAND INDEPENDENCE
SEA-LAND INNOVATOR
SEA-LAND INTEGRITT
SEA-WD MARINER
SEA-LAND NAVIGATOR
SEA-LAND PACIFIC
SEA-LAND PERFORMANCE
SEA-LAND TRADER
SEA-LAND VALUE
USNS DUTTON
USNS STALWART
LNG VIRGO

INLAND

James H. Corder, 62
Jacksonville , Fla.

Erik R. Fischer, 65
New York
Henry W. Owen Jr., 65 John D. Pennell, 62
New Orleans , La.
Houston , Texas

Harry Chromiak, 62
Philadelphia, Pa.
Walter Hinko, 61
New York
Thomas R. Hunt, 61
Philadelphia, Pa.
Rudolph J. Jadrich, 62
Algonac , Mich.
Wesley A. Kirk Sr., 62
Norfolk, Va.
John H. McCormick, 62
Philadelphia, Pa:
William Parisi, 63
Gloucester, Mass.
GLOUCESTER FISHERMEN

Harry L. Frierson, 53 Robert C. Gartman, 65
Mobile , Ala.
Duluth , Minn.
Donald L. Thompson, 67 Orie A. Wilson, 65
San Francisco, Calif.
Mobile , Ala.

Wiltz Fontenot, 61
Houston, Texas
Osiris E. Martinez, 62
Santurce, P.R.
Osiris E. Martinez, 62
John S. Higgins, 68
Santurce , P.R.
San Francisco , Calif.

Joseph Zeloy, 62
Jacksonville, Fla.

John J. Pierce, 60
Philadelphia, Pa.

Giacomo Rallo, 50
Gloucester, Mass.
Ambrose P. Parisi, 62
Gloucester, Mass.

GREAT LAKES
John P. Dolan, 62
Algonac, Mich.
George J. Finnerty, 61
Algonac, Mich.

October 1988 I LOG I 5

�The Seafarers Hany
Lurufe6er9 Schoo( of

Seamanship Saf:utes tile
Seafarers International
Union of North America
on its Goeden Atmiversary ...
50 prowlyears OJstewardship in

protecting tfze fabor interests
!2Lmerica$ mercliant seamen

6 I LOG I October 1988

of

�'

•

I

•• !..

,

-;.

1989 Upgrading
Course Schedule

.~~·=," ..
~

~'JJ ., ._,...,,,,,

Radar Refresher/Renewal

Open-ended, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date.)

Radar Recertification

Open-ended, 1 day (Contact
Admissions Office for star1ing date)

Celestial Navigation

February 29
June 27

~

I

Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
January - June 1989

The following is the current course schedule for January - June 1989 at
the Seafarers Harry Lunde berg School of Seamanship.

*Minimum number of students required for Celestial Navigation class to be
held is five (5).
Third Mate &amp; Original Second Mate

January 16

April 14

Lifeboat

January 9
February 6
March 6
April 3
May 1
May 29
June 26

January 20
February 17
March 17
April 14
May 12
June 9
July 7

Tankerman

May 15

June 9

LNG -

(This course is not offered as a
separate course, but may be taken
while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)

PLEASE NOTE: All members are required to take firefighting when
~
attending SHLSS.

Engine Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date
January 9

Completion
Date

April 17

July 7

Marine Electrical Maint.

January 9

March 3

Refrigeration Systems Maint. &amp; Op.

April 3

May 12

~ated

June 12

July 7

Course
QMED - Any Rating

GJntainers-AdvancEd Maint.

April 1
July 29

Self Study Safety Course

March 31

* Upon completion of course, must take a four-week Sealift Operations &amp;
Maintenance Course.

Pumproom Maint. &amp; Operations

April 3

May 12

Variable Speed DC Drives

March 20

April 28

Welding

February 6

March 3

Recertification Programs
Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

May 1

May 26

Course

Diesel Engine Technology

February 6

March 3

Steward Recertification

January 30

March 6

Electro-Hydraulic Systems

May 15

June 23
April 14

March 27

May 8

March 20

Bosuns Recertification

Hydraulics
FOWT

February 6

March 17

June 12

July 21

June 26

July 21

Automation

Adult Education Courses
ourse

* All students in the Engine Department will have two weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

Check-In
Date

Assistant Cook

High School Equivalency (GED)

January 3
April 3
July 3
September 4
October 30

February 13
May 13
August 14
October 16
December 11

Adult Basic Education (ABE)

January 3
April 3
July 3
September 4
October 30

February 11
May 13
August 12
October 14
December 9

English as a Second Language (ESL)

January 3
April 3
July 3
September 4
October 30

February 11
May 13
August 12
October 14
December 9

Completion
Date

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Cook and Baker

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Cook

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Chief Steward

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

* All students in the Steward Department will have two weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

Completion
Date

For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes in 1989, the
courses will be six weeks in length and offered on the following dates:

Steward Upgrading Courses
Course

Check-In
Date

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to some of
the upgrading classes.

Deck Upgrading Courses

Developmental Studies (DVS)

January 30
June 5

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Able Seaman

January 23
March 20
May 15

March 3
April 28
June 23

First Class Pilot (Organized self study)

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

Radar

April 17

Course

April28

*Minimum number of students required for radar class to be held is four (4).

February 3

(Offered prior to the FOWT Course)

June 9

(Offered prior to the FOWT Course)

April 10

April 14

(Offered prior to the QMED Course)

ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course

Februaryl 3
March 13

March 3
March 31

April 10

April 28

This three-week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed to help
seafarers prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which is scheduled
immediately after this course. This class will benefit those seafarers who have
difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not English, and seafarers who
have been out of school for a long time.

October 1988 I LOG I 7

-

�Voting Procedures, Sample Ballot,
Other Information for 1988 General
Election of Officers, 1989--1992
Seafarers International Union Atlantic,
Gulf, Lakes &amp; Inland Waters District

S

ecret ballots, for the election
of officers and job holders for
the term 1989-1992, will be available to members of the Atlantic,
Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters
District of the Seafarers International Union of North America
from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. The
ballot will contain the names of all
qualified candidates as was determined by the Union's Credentials
Committee and membership in accordance with the Union's Constitution.
The election will be conducted
by a mail ballot as provided by the
Union's Constitution. Secret ballots, together with self-addressed,
stamped envelopes for mailing, will
be available to full-book members
in good standing at union halls.
A full list of cities and street
addresses where ballots will be
available accompanies this story.
Election procedures are spelled
out in detail in Article XIII of the
SIU Constitution which is printed
in this special supplement of the
Log.
Seafarers may pick up their ba -

able to members who believe they
will be at sea during the voting
period and unable to secure a ballot. Requests for absentee ballots
must be made by registered or
certified mail postmarked no later
than midnight, Nov. 15 and must
be delivered no later than Nov. 25,
1988. The requests must be mailed
to the Secretary's office at SIU
Headquarters in Camp Springs,
Maryland. Seafarers requesting
absentee ballots are cautioned to

include with the request the address where they want the ballot
to be mailed.
Once he receives his ballot and
envelopes, the member's vote becomes completely secret since, after he marks his ballot in secret,
he inserts it into the envelope
marked ''Ballot,'' seals it and places
it into the mailing envelope already
addressed to the bank depository,
seals the mailing envelope and mails
it.

Notice On Unopposed Candidates
One part of the article of the SIU
Constitution which deals with rules
for elections concerns the election
of candidates who are unopposed
for office. The section states that
those candidates who are unopposed
for any office or job shall be considered elected to that office or job,
and that the Tallying Committee
shall not have to count the votes for

any such candidate.
The entire section, contained in
Article XIII, Section S(a) of the SIU
Constitution, reads as follows:
"A candidate unopposed for any
office or job shall be deemed elected
to such office or job notwithstanding
that his name may appear on the
ballot. The Union Tallying Committee shall not be required to tally

-

lots and mailing envelopes from 9

a.m. until noon, Monday through
Saturdays, except on legal holidays, at any of the designated portcity locations from Nov. 1 through
Dec. 31.
Mailing envelopes containing
ballots must be postmarked no later

than midnight, Dec. 31, 1988 and
must be received by Jan . .5, 1989.
Only full-book members in good
standing are eligible to vote. Each
member must present his book to
the port agent or the agent's designated representative when the
member secures his ballot, his ballot envelope and a postage-paid,
pre-addressed enveloped in which
to return the ballot envelope containing the ballot. When the member receives his ballot, his book
will be stamped with the word
"voted" and the date.
The top part of the ballot above
the perforated line will be retained
by the port agent.
In cases where a member does
not produce his book, or where
there is a question about his being
in good standing or otherwise eli- gible to vote, the member will receive a mailing envelope of a different color marked with the word
"challenge," and his book shall be
stamped "Voted Challenge" and
the date.
Absentee ballots will be avail8 I LOG I October 1988

While he must sign his name on
the first line of the upper lefthand
corner of the mailing envelope, and
print his name and book number
on the second line, the secrecy of
the ballot-which is encased in an
unmarked ballot envelope-is
complete.
No ballot will be opened for
counting until all envelopes containing valid ballots have first been
opened, the ballot envelope removed intact, and all ballot envelopes mixed together. In no way
will there be any connection between the mailing envelope-containing the member's name-and
the ballot envelope or the ballot
itself.
Ballots will be counted by a
rank-and-file Union Tallying Committee consisting of two members
elected from each of the Constitutional Ports. They will be elected
in December.

I

-

completely the results of the voting
for such unopposed candidate but
shall certify in their report that such
unopposed candidate has been elected
to such office or job. The Election
Report Meeting shall accept the
above certification of the Union Tallying Committee without change.''

�NOTICE OF 1988 ELECTION
FOR ELECTION OF 1989-1992 OFFICERS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA·
Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District
Election will be conducted by secret mail ballot.
Ballots may be obtained at the following locations from 9:00 AM. to 12 Noon, Mondays through Saturdays, excluding holidays, during
the voting period. The voting period shall commence on November 1st, 1988 and shall continue through December 31st, 1988.

VOTING LOCATIONS
675 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232

BALTIMORE

1216 E. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

NEW YORK

DETROIT-ALGONAC

520 St. Clair River Drive, Algonac, Ml 48001

NORFOLK

115 Third Street, Norfolk, VA 23510

PHILADELPHIA

2604 South Fourth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148

PINEY POINT

Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship,

DULUTH

705 Medical Arts Building, Duluth, MN 55802

HONOLULU

636 Cooke Street, Honolulu, HI 96813

HOUSTON

1221 Pierce Street, Houston, TX 77002

JACKSONVILLE

3315 Liberty Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206

JERSEY CITY

99 Montgomery Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302

SAN FRANCISCO

350 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

MOBILE

1640 Dauphin Island Parkway, Mobile, AL 36605

SEATILE

2505 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121

NEW BEDFORD

50 Union Street, New Bedford, MA 02740

ST. LOUIS

4581 Gravois Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63116

630 Jackson Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130

WILMINGTON

510 North Broad Avenue, Wilmington, CA 90744

NEW ORLEANS

Piney Point, MD 20674
PUERTO RICO

1057 Fernandez Juncos, Stop 16, Santurce, PR 00907

(SANTURCE)

SIU Constitution Rules on Election
Article XIII
Elections for Officers, Headquarters
Representatives, Port Agents and Port
Employees
Section 1. Nominations.
Except as provided in Section 2 (b) of this Article. any full
book member may submit his name for nomination for any
office, or the job of Headquarters Representative, Port Agent or
Port Employee , by delivering or causing to be delivered in
person, to the office of the Secretary at Headquarters, or sending
a letter addressed to the Credentials Committee, in care of the
Secretary at the address of Headquarters. This letter shall be
dated and shall contain the following:
(a) The name of the candidate.
(b) His home address and mailing addres
(c) His book number.
(d) The title of the offfice or other job for which he is a
candidate, including the name of the Port in the event the
position sought is that of Agent or Port Employee.
(e) Proof of citizenship.
(f) Proof of seatime and/or employment as required for candidates.
(g) In the event the member is on a vessel, he shall notify the
Credentials Committee what vessel he is on. This shall be
done also if he ships subsequent to forwarding his credentials.
(h) Annexing a certificate in the following form. signed and
dated by the proposed nominee:
"I hereby certify that I am not now, nor, for the five (5) years
last past. have I been either a member of the Communist Party
or convicted of, or served any part of a prison term resulting
from conviction of robbery, bribery, extortion, embezzlement,
grand larceny, burglary, arson, violation of narcotics laws,
murder, rape, assault with intent to kill, assault which inflicts
grievous bodily injury, or violation of Title II or lll of the
Landrum-Griffin Act, or conspiracy to commit any such crimes ...
Dated .................................................. .

Signarure of member
Book No. . ............................................. .
Printed forms of 'the certificate shall be made available to
nominees. Where a nominee cannot truthfully execute such a
certificate, but is, in fact. legally eligible for an office or job by
reason of the restoration of civil rights originally revoked by
such conviction or a favorable determination by the Board of
Parole of the United States Department of Justice . he shall. in
lieu of the foregoing certificate, furnish a complete signed
statement of the facts of his case together with true copies of
the documents supporting his statement.
Any full boak member may nominate any other full book
member in which event such full book member so nominated
shall comply with the provi~ions of this Article as they are set
forth herein relating to the submission of credentials. By reason
of the above self nomination provision the responsibility, if any,
for notifying a nominee of his nomination to office shall be that
of the nominator.
All documents required herein must reach Headquarters no
earlier than July 15 and no later than August 15 of the election
year.
The Secretary is charged'\Vith safekeeping of these letters and
shall tum them over to the Credentials Committee upon the
latter's request.
Section 2. Credentials Committee.
(a) A Credentials Committee shall be elected at the regular
meeting in August of the election year at the Port where
Headquarters is located. It shall consist of six (6) full book
members in attendance at the meeting with two (2) members to
be elected from each of the Deck, Engine and Stewards Departments. No officer, Headquarters Representative, Port Agent
or Port Employee, or candidate for office of the job of Head-

quarters Representative, Port Agent or Port Employee, shall be
eligible for election to this Committee except as provided for in
Article X, Section 4. Jn the event any Committee member is
unable to serve, the Committee shall suspend until the President
or Executive Vice-President or the Secretary, in that order, calls
a special meeting at the Port where Headquarters is located in
order to elect a replacement. The Committee's results shall be
by majority vote with any tie vote being resolved by a majority
vote of the membership at a special meeting called for that
purpose at that Port.
(b) After its election, the Committee shall immediately go into
session. It shall determine whether the person has submitted his
application correctly and possesses the necessary qualifications.
The Committee shall prepare a report listing each applicant and
his book number under the office or job he is seeking. Each
applicant shall be marked ''qualified'' or ''disqualified'' according
to the findings of the Committee . Where an applicant has been
marked " disqualified," the reason therefor must be stated in the
report. Where a tie vote has been resolved by a special meeting
of the membership, that fact shall also be noted with sufficient
detail. The report shall be signed by all of the Committee
members and be completed and submitted to the Ports in time
for the next regular meeting after their election. At this meeting,
it shall be read and incorporated in the minutes and then posted
on the bulletin board in each Port.
On the last day of nominations, one member of the Committee
shall stand by in Headquarters to accept delivery of credentials.
All credentials must be in Headquarters by midnight of closing
day.
(c) When an applicant has been disqualified by the Committee,
he shall be notified immediately by telegram at the addresses
listed by him pursuant to Section t of this Article. He shall also
be sent a letter containing their reasons for such disqualification
by air mail. special delivery. registered or certified, to the mailing
address designated pursuant to Section l(b) of this Article. A
disqualified applicant shall have the right to take an appeal to
the membership from the decision of the Committee. He shall
forward copies of such appeal to each Port where the appeal
shall be presented and voted upon at a regular meeting no later
than the second meeting after the Committee's election. It is the
responsibility of the applicant to insure timely delivery of his
appeal. In any event, without prejudice to his written appeal,
the applicant may appear in person before the Committee within
two days after the day on which the telegram is sent to correct
his application or argue for his qualification.
The Committee's report shall be prepared early enough to
allow the applicant to appear before it within the time set forth
in this Constitution and still reach the Ports in time for the first
regular meeting after its election .
(d) A majority vote of the membership shall. in the case of
such appeals, be sufficient to overrule any disqualification by
the Credentials Committee in which event the one so previously
classified shall then be deemed qualified.
(e) The Credentials Committee, in passing upon the qualifications of candidates, shall have the right to conclusively presume
that anyone nominated and qualified in previous elections for
candidacy for any office, or the job of Headquarters Representative, Port Agent, or Port Employee has met all the requirements
of Section 1 (a) of Article XII.
Section 3. Balloting Procedures.
(a) Balloting in the manner hereafter provided shall commence
on November 1st of the election year and shall continue through
December 31st, exclusive of Sundays and (for each individual
Port) holidays legally recognized in the City of which the Port
affected is located. If November 1st or December 31st falls on
a holiday legally recognized in a Port in the City in which that
Port is located, the balloting period in such Port shall commence
or terminate, as the case may be, ·o n the next succeeding business
day. Subject to the foregoing, for the purpose of full book
members securing their ballots, the Ports shall be open from

9:00 A.M. to 12 Noon, Monday through Saturday, excluding
holidays.
(b) Balloting shall be by mail. The Secretary shall insure the
proper -and timely preparation of ballots without partiality as to
candidates or Ports. The ballots may contain general information
and instructive comments not inconsistent with the provisions
of this Constitution. All qualified candidates shall be listed
thereon alphabetically within each category with book number
and job seniority classification status.
The listing of the Ports shall first set forth Headquarters and
then shall follow a geographical pattern commencing with the
most northerly Port of the Atlantic Coast, following the Atlantic
Coast down to the most southerly Port on that coast, then
westerly along the Gulf of Mexico and so on, until the list of
Ports is exhausted. Any Port outside the Continental United
States shall then be added. There shall be no write-in voting and
no provisions for the same shall appear on the ballot. Each ballot
shall be so prepared as to have the number thereon placed at
the top thereof and shall be so perforated as to enable that
portion containing the said number to be easily removed to
insure secrecy of the ballot. On this removable portion shall also
be placed a short statement indicating the nature of the ballot
and the voting date thereof.
(c) The ballots so prepared at the direction of the Secretary
shall be the only official ballots. No others may be used. Each
ballot shall be numbered as indicated in the preceding paragraphs ~
and shall be numbered consecutively, commencing with number
l. A sufficient amount shall be printed and distributed to each
Port. A record of the ballots, both by serial numbers and amount.
sent thereto, shall be maintained by the Secretary who shall also
send each Port Agent a verification list indicating the amount
and serial numbers of the ballots sent. The Secretary shall also
send to each Port Agent a sufficient amount of blank opaque
envelopes containing the word, "Ballot" on the face of the
envelope, as well as a sufficient amount of opaque mailing
envelopes, first class postage prepaid and printed on the face
thereon as the addressee shall be the name and address of the
depository for the receipt of such ballots as designated by the
President in the manner provided by Article X. Section 1, of
this Constitution . In the upper left-hand comer of such mailing
envelope, there shall be printed thereon, as a top line, provision
for the voter's signature and on another line immediately thereunder, provision for the printing of the voter's name and book
number. In addition, the Secretary shall also send a sufficient
amount of mailing envelopes identical with the mailing envelopes
mentioned above, except that they shall be of different color,
and shall contain on the face of such envelope, in bold letters,
the word, "Challenge." The Secretary shall further furnish a
sufficient amount of "Roster Sheets" which shall have printed
thereon. at the top thereof. the year of the election, and
immediately thereunder, five (5) vertical columns designated
date, ballot number, signature full book member's name, book
number and comments, and such roster sheets shall contain
horizontal lines immediately under the captions of each of the
above five columns. The Secretary shall also send a sufficient
amount of envelopes with the printed name and address of the
depository on the face thereof, and in the upper left-hand corner,
the name of the Port and address, and on the face of such
envelope, should be printed the words. "Roster Sheets and
Ballot Stubs". Each Port Agent shall maintain separate records
of the ballots sent him and shall inspect and count the ballots
when received to insure that the amount sent, as well as the
number thereon, conform to the amount and numbers listed by
the Secretary as having been sent to that Port. The Port Agent
shall immediately execute and return to the Secretary a receipt
acknowledging the correctness of the amount and the numbers
of the ballots sent, or shall notify the Secretary of any discrepancy. Discrepancies shall be corrected as soon as possible prior
to the voting period. In any event, receipts shall be forwarded
for all the aforementioned election material actually received.
The Secretary shall prepare a file in which shall be kept

October 1988 I LOG I 9

�SIU Constitution Rules on Election
memoranda and correpondence dealing with the election. This
file shall at all times be available to any member asking for
inspe~tion of the same at the office of the Secretary and shall
be turned over to the Union Tallying Committee.
(d) Balloting shall be secret. Only full book members in good
standing may vote. Each full book member may secure his ballot
at Port offices from the Port Agent or his duly designated
representative at such Port. Each Port Agent shall designate an
area at the Port office over which should be posted the legend
"Voting Ballots Secured Here." When a full book member
appears to vote he shall present his book to the Port Agent or
his aforementioned duly designated representative. The Port
Agent or his duly designated representative shall insert on the
roster sheet under the appropriate column the date, the number
of the ballot given to such member and his full book number,
and the member shall then sign his name on such roster sheet
under the appropriate column. Such member shall have his book
stamped with the word, "Voted" and the date, and shall be
given a ballot, and simultaneously the perforation on the top of
the ballot shall be removed. At the same time the member shall
be given the envelope marked "Ballot" together with the prepaid postage mailing envelope addressed to the depository. The
member shall take such ballot and envelopes and in secret
thereafter, mark his ballot, fold the same, insert it in the blank
envelope marked "Ballot", seal the same, then insert such
"Ballot" envelope into the mailing envelope, seal such mailing
envelope, sign his name on the upper left-hand corner on the
first line of such mailing envelope and on the second line in the
upper left-hand comer print his name and book number, after
which he shall mail or cause the same to be mailed. In the event
a full book member appears to vote and is not in good standing
or does not have his membership book with him or it appears
for other valid reasons he is not eligible to vote, the same
procedure as provided above shall apply to him, except that on
the roster sheet under the column "Comments", notation should
be made that the member voted a challenged ballot and the
reason for his challenge. Such member's membership book shall
be stamped "voted challenge", and the date, and such member
instead of the above-mentioned mailing envelope, shall be given
the mailing envelope of a different color marked on the face
thereof with the word, "Challenge". At the end of each day,
the Port Agent or his duly designated representative shall enclose
in the envelope addressed to the depository and marked "Roster
Sheets and Ballot Stubs", the roster sheet or sheets executed
.by the members that day together with the numbered perforated
slips removed from the ballots which had been given to the
members, and then mail the same to such depository. To insure
that an adequate supply of all balloting material is maintained in
all Ports at all times, the Port Agent or his duly designated
representative, simultaneously with ·mailing of the roster sheets
and ballot stubs to the depository at the end of each day, shall
also make a copy of the roster sheet for that day and mail the
same to the Secretary at Headquarters. The Port Agent shall be
responsible for the proper safeguarding of all election material
and shall not release any of it until duly called for and shall
insure that no one tampers with the material placed in his
custody.
(e) Full book members may request and vote an absentee
ballot under the following circumstances: while such member is
employed on a Union contracted vessel and which vessel's
schedule does not provide for it to be at a Port in which a ballot
can be secured during the time and period provided for in Section
3 (a) of this Article or is in an accredited hospital any time during
the first ten ( J0) days of the month of November of the Election
Year. The member shall make a request for an absentee ballot
by registered or certified mail or the equivalent mailing device
at the location from which such request is made, if such be the
case. Such request shall contain a designation as to the address
to which such member wishes his absentee ballot returned. The
request shall be postmarked no later than 12:00 P.M. on the 15th
day of November of the election year, shall be directed to the
Secretary at Headquarters and must be delivered no later than .
the 25th of such November. The Secretary shall determine
whether such member is eligible to vote such absentee ballot .
The Secretary, if he determines that such member is so eligible,
shall by the 30th of such November, send by registered mail,
return receipt requested. to the address so designated' by such
member, a "Ballot", after removing the perforated numbered
stub, together with the hereinbefore mentioned "Ballot" envelope, and mailing envelope addressed to the depository, except
that printed on the face of such mailing envelope shall be the
words "Absentee Ballot" and appropriate voting instructions
shall accompany such mailing to the member. If the Secretary
determines that such member is ineligible to receive such
absentee ballot, he shall nevertheless send such member the
aforementioned ballot with accompanying material except that
the mailing envelope addressed to the depository shall have
printed on the race thereof the w·oros .. Challenged Absentee
Ballot. .. The Secretary shall keep records of all of the foregoing.
including the reasons for determining such member· s ineligibility,
which records shall be open for inspection by full book members
and upon the convening of the Union Tallying Committee,
presented to them. The Secretary shall send to all Ports the
names and book numbers of the members to whom absentee
ballots were sent.
(f) All ballots to be counted must be received by the depository
no later than the January 5th immediately subsequent to the
election year and must be postmarked no later than 12 midnight
December 31st of the election year.
Section 4.

(a) At the close of the last day of the penod for

· 10 I LOG I October 1988

securing ballots, the Port Agent in each Port. in addition to his
duties set fonh above, shall deliver or mail to Headquarters by
registered or certified mail. attention Union Tallying ~ommittee,
all unused ballots and shall spe1;ifically set forth by serial number
and amount the unused ballots so forwarded.
(b) The Union Tallying Committee shall consist of 20
full book members. Two shall be ·selected from each of the 10
Ports of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Mobile, New
Orleans, Houston, Detroit-Algonac, San Francisco, St. Louis
and Piney Point. The election shall be held at the regular meeting
in December of the election year or, if the Executive Board
otherwise determines prior thereto, at a special meeting held in
the aforesaid Ports, on the first business day of the last week of
said month. No officer, Headquarters Representative, Port Agent,
Port Employee, or candidate for office, or the job of Headquarters
Representative, Port Agent or Port Employee shall be eligible
for election to this Committee except as provided for in Article
X, Section 4. In addition to its duties herein set forth, the Union
Tallying Committee shall be charged with the tallying of all the
ballots and the preparation of a closing report setting forth, in
complete detail, the results of the election, including a complete
accounting of all ballots and stubs, and reconciliation of the
same with the rosters and receipts of the Port Agents, all with
detailed reference to serial numbers and amounts and with each
total broken down into Port totals. The Union Tallying Committee
shall have access to all election records and files for their
inspection, examination and verification. The report shall clearly
detail all discrepancies discovered and shall contain recommendations for the treatment of these discrepancies. All members
of the Committee shall sign the report, without prejudice,
however, to the right of any member thereof to submit a dissenting
report as to the accuracy of the count and the validity of the
ballots, with pertinent details.
In connection with the tally of ballots there shall be no counting
of ballots until all mailing envelopes containing valid ballots have
first been opened, the ballot envelopes removed intact and then
all of such ballot envelopes mixed together, after which such
ballot envelopes shall be opened and counted in such multiples
as the Committee may deem expedient and manageable. The
Committee shall resolve all issues on challenged ballots and then
tally those found valid utilizing the same procedure as provided
in the preceding sentence either jointly or separately.
(c) The members of the Union Tallying Committee shall, after
their election, proceed to the Port in which Headquarters is
located, to arrive at that Port no later than January 5th of the
year immediately after the election year. Each member of the
Committee not elected from the Port in which Headquarters is
located shall be reimbursed for transportation, meals, and lo&lt;;iging
expenses occasioned by their traveling to and returning from
that Port. Committee members elected from the Port in which
Headquarters is located shall be similarly reimbursed, except
for transportation. All members of the Committee shall also be
paid at the prevailing standby rate of pay from the day subsequent
to their election to the day they return, in normal course, to the
Port from which they were elected.
The Union Tallying Committee shall elect a chairman from
among themselves and, subject to the express terms of this
Constitution, adopt its own procedures. All decisions of such
Committee and the contents of their report shall be valid if made
by a majority vote, provided there be a quorum in attendance,
which quorum is hereby fixed at ten. The Committee, but not
Jess than a quorum thereof, shall have the sole right and duty to
obtain all mailed ballots and the other mailed election material
from the depository and to insure their safe custody during the
course of the Committee's proceedings. The proceedings of the
Committee, except for their organizational meeting and their
actual preparation of the closing report and dissents therefrom,
if any, shall be open to any member provided he observes
decorum. Any candidate may act as an observer and/or designate
another member to act as his observer at the counting of the
ballots. In no event shall issuance of the above referred to
closing report of the Committee be delayed beyond January 31st
immediately subsequent to the close of.the election year. In the
discharge of its duties, the Committee may call upon and utilize
the services of clerical employees of the Union. The Committee
shall be discharged upon the completion of the issuance and
dispatch of its report as required in this Article. In the event a
recheck and recount is ordered pursuant to this Article, the
Committee shall be reconstituted, except that if any member
thereof is not available, a substitute therefor shall be elected
from the appropriate Port at a special meeting held for that
purpose as soon as possible .
(d) The report of the Committee shall be made up in sufficient
copies to comply with the following requirements: two copies
shall be mailed by the Committee to each Port Agent and the
Secretary no later than January 31st immediately subsequent to
the close of the election year. As soon as these copies are
received , each Port Agent shall post one copy of the report on
he bulletin board in a conspicuous manner and notify the
Secretary, in writing, as to the date of uch posting. This copy
shall be kept posted until after the Election Report Meeting
which shall be the March regular membership meeting immediately following the close of the election year. At the Election
Report Meeting, the other copy of the report shall be read
verbatim.
(e) Any full book member claiming a violation of the election
and balloting procedure or the conduct of the same, shall within
72 hours of the occurrence of the claimed violation notify the
Secretary at Headquarters, in writing by certified mail, of the
same. se' ' ,1g forth his name, book number and the details so
that appropriate corrective action. if warranted, may be taken .

The Secretary shall expeditiously investigate the facts concerning
the claimed violation, take such action as may be necessary, if
any, and make a report and recommendation. if necessary. a
copy of which shall be sent to the member and the original shall
be filed for the Union Tallying Commiltee for their appropriate
action, report and recommendation, if any. The foregoing shall
not be applicable to matters involving the Credentials Committee's action or report, the provisions of Article XIII, Sections 1
and 2 being the pertinent provisions applicable to such matters.
All protests as to any and all aspects of the election and
balloting procedures or the conduct of the same not passed upon
by the Union Tallying Committee in its report, excluding therefrom matters involving the Credentials Committee's action or
report as provided in the last sentence of the immediately
preceding paragraph, but including the procedure and report of
the Union Tallying Committee, shall be filed in writing by certified
mail with the Secretary at Headquarters to be received no later
than the February 25th immediately subsequent to the close of
the election year. It shall be the responsibility of the member to
insure that his written protest is received by the Secretary no
later than such February 25th. The Secretary shall forward
copies of such written protest to all Ports in sufficient time to
be read at the Election Report Meeting. The written protest shall
contain the full book member's name. book number. and all
details constituting the protest.
(f) At the Election Report Meeting the report and recommendation of the Union Tallying Committee, including but not limited
to discrepancies, protests passed upon by them, as well as
protests filed with the Secretary as provided for in Section (e)
immediately above shall be acted upon by the meeting. A majority
vote of the membership shall decide what action, if any, in
accordance with the Constitution shall be taken thereon, which
action, however, shall not include the ordering of a special vote,
unless reported discrepancies or protested procedure or conduct
found to have occurred and to be violative of the Constitution
affected the results of the vote for any office or job, in which
event the special vote shall be restricted to such office, offices
and/or job or jobs, as the case may be. A majority of the
membership at the Election Report Meetings may order a recheck
and recount when a dissent to the closing report has been issued
by three (3) or more members of the Union Tallying Committee.
Except for the contingencies provided for in this Section 4(f),
the closing report shall be accepted as final. There shall be no
further protest or appeal from the action of the majority of the
membership at the Election Report Meetings.
(g) Any special vote ordered pursuant to Section 4(f) shall be
commenced within ninety (90) days after the first day of the
month immediately subsequent to the Election Report Meetings
mentioned above. The depository shall be the same as designated
for the election from which the special vote is ordered. And the
procedures shall be the same as provided for in Section 3, except
where specific dates are provided for, the days shall be the dates
applicable which provide for the identical time and days originally
provided for in Section 3. The Election Report Meeting for the
aforesaid special vote shall be that meeting immediately subsequent to the report of the Union Tallying Committee separated
by one calendar month.
Section 5. Elected Officers and Jobholders.
(a) A candidate unopposed for any office or job shall be
deemed elected to such office or job notwith landing that his
name may appear on the ballot. The Union Tallying Committee
shall not be required to tally completely the results of the voting
for such unopposed candidate but shall certify in their report
that such unopposed candidate has been elected to such office
or job. The Election Report Meeting shall accept the above
certification of the Union Tallying Committee without change.
Section 6. Installation into Office and the Job of Headquarters
Representathe, Port Agent or Port Employee.
(a) The person elected shall be that person having the largest
number of votes cast for the particular office or job involved.
Where more than one person is to be elected for a particular
office or job, the proper number of candidates receiving the
successively highest number of votes shall be declared elected.
These determinations shall be made only from the results deemed
final and accepted as provided in this Article. It shall be the
duty of the President to notify each individual elected.
(b) The duly elected officers and other job holders shall take
over their re pective offices and jobs and assume the duties
thereof at midnight of the night of the Election Report Meeting,
or the next regular meeting, depending upon which meeting the
results as to each of the foregoing are deemed final and accepted,
as provided in this Article. The term of their predecessors shall
continue up to, and expire at that time, notwithstanding anything
to the contrary contained in Article XI, Section I . This shall not
apply where the successful candidate cannot assume his office
because he is at sea.
In such event, a majority vote of the membership may grant
additional time for the assumption of the office or job. In the
event of the failure of the newly-elected President to assume
' office the provisions of Article X, Section 12 shall apply until
the expiration of the term. All other cases of failure to assume
office shall be dealt with as decided by a majority vote of the
membership .
Section 7. The Secretary is specifically charged with the
preservation and retention of all election records, including the
ballots. as required by law, and is directed and authorized to
issue such other and further directives as to the election procedures as are required by law, which directives shall be part
of the election procedures of this Union.

�VOTING PERIOD NOVEMBER 1st, 1988 THROUGH DECEMBER 31st, 1988
INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTERS-In order to vote for a candidate, mark a cross (X) in
voting square to the left of name. If you vote for more candidates for office than specified
herein, your vote for such office will be invalid.
MARK YOUR BALLOT WITH PEN AND INK OR INDELIBLE PENCIL.
~71

HEADQUARTERS REPRESENTATIVE
Vote for Five

PRESIDENT
Vote for One

1

D

2 D

11

Michael Sacco, S-1288

12 D

Byron Kelley, K-12039

13 D

Carl Peth , P-755

14 D

Robert Pomerlane, P-437

15

George Ripoll, R-708

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Vote for One
3

D

Joseph Sacco, S-1287

D

16

Joseph DiGiorgio, D-2

D

17

18 0
VICE-PRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF
THE ATLANTIC COAST
Vote forOne

6

D

19 D

Trevor " Robbie" Robertson, A-723

20 0

Robert Selzer, S-1258

21

CJ

22 0

23 D

g

24

John Fay, F-363

0

SAN FRANCISCO PORT AGENT
Vote for One
32

0

Donald C. Anderson, A-5244

SAN FRANCISCO PORT EMPLOYEE
Vote for Two

33 0
34

0

35 D

Harry L. Dennis Ill, D-5377

Thomas J. Fay, F-514
Gentry Moore, M-8001
Ted A. Tolentino, T-486
ST. LOUIS PORT AGENT
Vote for One

David Heindel, H-1443

David M. Carter, C-12088
ST. LOUIS PORT EMPLOYEE
Vote for One

Kermett T. Mangram, M-2394

37 0

Jesse Solis, S-8001

DETROIT-ALGONAC PORT AGENT
Vote for One

BALTIMORE PORT EMPLOYEE
Vote for One

39 0

Richard "Dick" Gordon, G-943

40

William G. Truax, T-715

James P. McGee, M-5945

26 0

D

Jack Allen , A-674

DETROIT-ALGONAC PORT EMPLOYEE
Vote for One

MOBILE PORT AGENT
Vote for One

Roy A Mercer, M-25001

Frank Gill, G-8002

38 0

25 D

0

D

Allen P. Raymond, A-670

0

VICE-PRESIDENT
GOVERNMENT SERVICES
Vote for One

10

31

BALTl MORE PORT AGENT
Vote for One

VICE-PRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF
THE LAKES AND INLAND WATERS
Vote for One

Dean Corgey, C-5727
HOUSTON PORT EMPLOYEE
Vote for One

PHILAOELPHIA PORT EMPLOYEE
Vote for One

George McCartney, M-94S

D

D

36 0

VICE·PRESIOENT IN CHARGE OF
THE WEST COAST
Vote for One

8

30

PHILADELPHIA PORT AGENT
Vote for One

Thomas L. Glidewell, G-467

0

Nick Celona, C-1578
HOUSTON PORT AGENT
Vote for One

James A. Martin, M-5290

Augustin "Augie" Tellez, T-764

VICE-PRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF
THE GULF COAST
Vote for One

7

29 D

NEW YORK PORT EMPLOYEE
Vote fo T o

Jack Caffey, C-1010

Ray Singletary, S-2260

NEW ORLEANS PORT EMPLOYEE
Vote for One

NEW YORK PORT AGENT
Vote for One

Angus Campbell, C-217

0

28 D

Hom, Kwong Jin , H-8002

D

Edward " Edd" W. Morris, M-1358

NEW ORLEANS PORT AGENT
Vote for One

PINEY POINT PORT EMPLOYEE
Vote for One

VICE-PRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF CONTRACTS AND CONTRACT ENFORCEMENT
Vote for One

5

D

27 D

PINEY POINT PORT AGENT
Vote for One

SECRETARY
Vote for One

4

Leo Bonser, B-1193

Leo Cronsohn, C-801

D

MOBILE PORT EMPLOYEE
Vote for One

George Vukmir, V-269

41

0

Andrew J. Goulet, G-1221

42

0

M. Joseph Sigler, S-2101

PROPOSITION
Are you in favor of amending the Constitution of the Seafarers International Union of North America,
Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, in accordance with proposed amendments
outlined in the resolution mailed to you which included revisions in the title and duties of the offices of
Secretary, Vice-President in Charge of the Lakes and Inland Waters, and Vice-President Government
Services; expanding the location of the Union's Headquarters to include Camp Springs, Maryland; deleting
the position of port employee and establishing six assistant vice president positions; providing the
Executive Board with the authority to change the number of constitutional ports; changing the Quarterly
Financial Committee to an annual one; as well as making multiple housekeeping constitutional changes;
all to be accomplished within six months from the date of certification by the Union Tallying Committee?
YES

D

PLACE "X" IN BOX OF YOUR CHOICE

NO

D
October 1988 I LOG I 11

-

�Complete Text of Ballot Propositions
Whereas, the Executive Board of the Seafarers International Union of North America, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District, met on March 24, 1988 to discuss the current
needs and conditions of the Union, its membership and the maritime industry in this country; and
Whereas, among their discussions and deliberations was the subject of proposed revisions in the Union's Constitution which would enable the Union to function more efficiently and
to continue to fulfill its obligations to the membership; and
Whereas, the recommended changes included: providing the Union's President and Executive Board with the authority to determine the number and location of constitutional ports;
providing the President with the authority to open and close other port offices as needed; clarifying that the Headquarter's office includes Piney Point and Camp Springs, Maryland;
deleting the position of port employee; establishing the position of assistant vice-president; changing the title of several existing positions to cor:lform with their responsibilities and
changing the Union's auditing procedures from a quarterly to an annual review; and
Whereas, the Executive Board, understanding that the proposed changes will need time to implement, suggested that the amendments, if approved by the membership, become
effective six (6) months after their passage; and
Whereas, the Union's Executive Board unanimously concurred on all proposed constitutional revisions,
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS RESOLVED:
THE FOLLOWING CONSTITUTIONALLY ADOPTED PROPOSITION, TO BE VOTED UPON, IF ADOPTED, WOULD AMEND THE CONSTITUTION AS FOLLOWS:

PROPOSITION

Amend Article VII, Sections 1and 2 to read as follows:
··section 1. This Union and all Officers. Assistant Vice-Presidents, Headquarters Representatives, Port Agents. and members shall be governed in this order by:
(a) The Constitution
(b) The EKecutive Board
(c) Majority vote of the membership
Section 2. The Headquarters of the Union shall be located in Camp Springs, Maryland and Piney Point, Maryland or at such places as the Executive Board may determine from time to time. The Headquarters officers shall consist of a President,
an Executive Vice-President. one Vice-President in Charge of Contracts and Contract Enforcement, a Secretary-Treasurer, one Vice-President in Charge of the Atlantic Coast, one Vice-President in Charge of the Gulf Coast. one Vice-President in
Charge of the West Coast, one Vice-President in Charge of Government Services and Fishing Industries and one Vice-President in Charge of the Southern Region, Great Lakes and Inland Waters."
Amend Article VIII to read as follows :
Officers, AsSistant Vice-Presidents, Headquarters Representatives and Port Agents
"Section 1. The officers of the Union shall be elected as otherwise provided in this Constitution. These officers shall be the President. an Executive Vice-President. one Vice-President in Charge of Contracts and Contract Enforcement, a Secretary·
Treasurer, one Vice-President in Charge of the Atlantic Coast , one Vice-President in Charge of the Gulf Coast, one Vice-President in Charge of the West Coast, one Vice-President in Charge of Government Services and Fishing Industries, and
one Vice-President in Charge of the Southern Region, Great Lakes and Inland Waters."
"Section 2. Assistant Vice-Presidents, Port Agents and Headquarters Representatives shall be elected, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution ...
Amend Article IX, Section 1(2) to read as follows:
(2) Annual Financial Committee
Amend Article X, Section 1 (e) to read as follows :
" (e) Subject to approval by a majority vote of the membership and the Executive Board, the President shall designate the number and location of a// Ports, the jurisdiction , status and activities thereof, and may reduce and/or relocate such Ports,
and may reassign Vice-Presidents, Assistant Vice-Presidents and the Secretary-Treasurer without reduction in wages. He may also reassign Headquarters Representatives and Port Agents to other duties without reduction in wages . Where Ports
are opened between elections. the President shall designate the Union personnel thereof.
The President may designate. in the event of the incapacity of any Headquarters Representative or Port Agent, or any officer other than the President, a replacement to act as such during the period of incapacity, provided such replacement is
qualified under Article XII of the Constitution to fill such job.
At the regular meeting in May of every election year, the President shall submit to the membership a pre-balloting report. In his report he shall recommend the number and location of Ports, the number of Headquarters Representatives and Port
Agents which are to be elected . He shall also recommend a bank, a bonded warehouse. a regular office thereof, or any similar depository, to which the ballots are to be mailed. except that the President may. in his discretion. postpone the
recommendation as to the depository until no later than the first regular meeting in October.
The report shall be subject to approval or modification by a majority vote of the membership."
Amend Article X, Section 1(j) to read as follows :
"(j) Any vacancy in any office or the Job of Assistant Vice-President, Headquarters Representative or Port Agent shall be filled by the President by temporary appointment of a member qualified for the office or job under Article XII of this Constitution
except in those cases where the filling of such vacancy is otherwise provided for by !hrs Constitution."
Amend Article X, Section 3 to reflect the change in title in the office of Secretary to Secretary-Treasurer.
Amend Article X, Section 4 to read as follows :
" Section 4 . Secretary-Treasurer
The Secretary-Treasurer shall pe11orm any and all duties assigned him or delegated him by the President. He shall be responsible for the organization and maintenance of the correspondence, files, and records of the Union, setting up. and
maintenance of. sound accounting and bookkeeping systems ; the setting up, and maintenance of, proper office and other administrative Union procedures; the proper collection . safeguarding. and expenditure of all Union funds. Port or otherwise.
He shall submit to the membership, for each annual period, a detail~ report of the entire Union's f1n.ancial operations and shall submit the Annual Fi.nancial C°"!mittee_ .report for the same period. The SecretfJry-Treasurer ·~ report s~all be prepared
by an independent certified pubhc accountant. He shall also work with all duly elected finance committees . The Secretary- Treasurer shall be responsible for the tlmely f1hng of any and all reports on the operatrons of the Union. f1nanc1al or otherwise,
that may be required by any Federal or state laws. The Secretary-Treasurer with the af'proval of the President shall employ a person who by profession and/or employment shall qualify to perform the functions and duties of a Comptroller. Such
person shall be_responsible for the m~intenance, safeguard and verification of the Unions financial affairs and recor~s under the supe~ision and direction of. the Secretary- Treasurer. The responsibility for sue~ functions shall be that of the. Secret~ry­
Treasurer notwithstanding the delegation to such Comptroller. In order that he may properly execute his respons1b1ht1es, he 1s hereby instructed and authorized to employ any help he deems necessary, be it legal, accounting , or otherwise, subject
to approval of the Executive Board.
The Secretary-Treasurer shall be a member of the Executive Board and may cast one vote in that body.
The Secretary-Treasurer shall be a member ex-officio of the Credentials and Union Tallying Committees. In addition , he shall make himself and the records of his office available to the Annual Financial Committee."
.Amend Article X, Section 8 to read as follows :
.
.
.
"Section 8 . Vice President in Charge of the Southern Region, Great Lakes and Inland Waters
The Vice-President in Charge of the Southern Re!JiOn, Great Lakes and Inland Waters shall be a r:nember of the Execl;Jtlve Board and shall be entitled to C?St on~ vote !n that ~y .
. ..
He shall supervise and be responsible tor the activities of all the Ports and the personnel thereof m the Southern Region, Great Lakes and Inland Waters 1ncludmg their orgamzmg act1V1t1es.
In order that he may properly execute his responsibilities he is empowered and authorized to retain any technical or professional assistance he deems necessary., subject to approval of the Executive Board."
Amood Afflclg x, SgctJon g to maa as follows :
"Sgction 9 . VicQ-Prgsidgnt in Char9g of Government Services and F1shin!J lndustnes.
.
.
.
The Vice-President in Charge of Government Services and Fishinq Industries shall be a member of the Executive Board and shall be entitled to cast one vote 1n that body.
He shall supervise and be responsible for the activities of the Urnon i_n . the representation of individuals employed in fishing industries and _civilian seamen employed by the federal government including but not limited to the negotiation of the
collective bargaining agreements. processing wievances and the adm1nislrahon of collective bargaining agreements and shall direct the act1v1t1es of the Union personnel assigned to him by the President and carry out such other funct10 s as e
President may assign to him from time to time. ·
•
Amend Article X by adding a new Section 10 to read as follows :
"SeGtion 10. Assistant ViGe-President.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
There shall be six (6) Assistant Vice-Presidents as follows: Assistant Vice-President in Charge of Contracts and Contract Enforcement; Assistant V1ce-Pres1den_t m Charge of the Atlantic Coast; Assistant V1ce-PreS1dent m Charge of the Gulf Coast;
Assistant Vice-President in Charge of the West Coast; Assistant Vice-President in Charge of the Southern Re~pon, Great Lakes and ln!a.n_d Waters; and As_s1stant V1ce-Pres1dent m Charge of Government Services and_F1sh1r!g Industries. Each
Assistant ViGe-President shall work with and under the direction of the appropriate Vice-President. He shall assist, as dtrected, m all activities of the approprtate V1ce-Pres1dent and shall be responsible to such V1ce-Pres1dent.
Amend ArtlGle X by renumbering the ex1:;ting oeGt1on 70 to be 11.
Amend Article X by renumbering the existing Section 11 to be Section 12 and to read as follows :
" SeGtion 12. F'ort Agents.
.
. .
.
(a) The Port Agent snail be in dire¢! eharqe of the administration of Union affairs in the Port of his jurisdiction subject to the direction of the Area Vice-President.
nstitution. the policies of the Union. and the rules adopted by the Executive Board . and by a ma1or1ty vote of the membership. Wherever there
(b) Me shall , within tM 1urisd1ction of his Port, M msponsible for the 1mforcgment and execution of the Co_
are time restrictions or other considerations affecting Port action. the Port Agent shall take appropriate action to insure observance thereof.
c;) He :;hall be prepared to ac;c;ounl. financially or otherwi:;e, for the activihea of his Port, whenever demanded by the President, the Vice-President of tM area i_n Whi_ch his Pon is located, or_ by the Secretary-Treasurer.
d) In any event, he :;hall prepare and forward to the Secretary-Treasurer a weekly financial report showing ! in _detail, weekly income and expenses and complying wrth.. all other accounting d1rect1ons issued by the Secretary-Treasurer.
e) TM Pon AgMt sl'lall i!M19nate wn1cn members at tM Port may serve as mpresentanves to otner organizanons. ar1111a11on with which has been properly authorized.
lvntJnd Art1cl1J X by deleting the exi:;ting Section 12, Port £rr.ployees.
lvnend the firat two paragraph:; of Article X. Section 13 to read a::; follows :
" Section 13. Executive Board .
The _Exec1.1tive Board shall consist of the Presiderit. the E~ecutiye Vice· President. the Vice-President in Charge ~f Coi:itracts and Contract Enforcement . the Secretary- Treasurer, the Vice-President in Charge of the Atlantic Coast Area, the Vice_Pre:;rdent in Charge of the Gulf Coa:;I Area . the V1c;e-Pre:;1dent 1n Charge of the West ~ast Area. the .V~ce-Pres1dent m Charge of the Southern Region. Great Lakes and Inland Waters . the Vice-President m Charge of Government Services and
f:i~"'"9 lflfJU§tfll~§, al'ld tl'le National D1re¢tor lor chief executive officer) of each :;ubordmate body or _d1v1:;1on created or chartered by the Union whenever :;uc;h :&gt;ubordinate body or division has attained a membership of 3,200 members and has
m;;unt;unoo th:;it mgmbgrshrp for not lm:s than thrng (3) months . Such National Director (or chief Gllecut1ve officer) shall be a member of the respective subordinate body or division and must be qualified to hold office under the terms of the Constitution
of such division or subordinate body.
The Executive Board ::;hall m~et no less than twice each year and at such tim~s as the President and/or a majority of the Executive Board may direct. The President sMll be chairman of all Executive Board meetings unlgss absent. in which case
tl'le Ellecut1ve Board shall.designate the chairman .. Each member of the Executive Board shall be entitled lo caat. one vote in that body. Its dec_ision :;hall be determined by majority vote of those voting, providing a quorum of three is present. It shall
be the dut¥ of the Executive Board to de_velop policies. stra~eg1es and rule~ which will advance and protect the interest and welfare of the Union and the members. It shall be the duty of the Secretary-Treasurer or, in his absence, an appointee of
eetings . The Exec1,1tive Board shall determine per. capita t~ to be lev_ied and !)!her terms ~nq conditior:is of affi.fiation for any.group of workf!rS desiring affiliation : The Executive
the Execulrve Board, lo ke_ep ac;curate m1nut~s of all. Exec;ut1ve _Board m_
Board may direct the adm1n1strat1on of all Union affairs, properties, pohc1es and personnel 1n any and all areas not otherwise spec1f1cally provided form this Conslrtulron. Notwithstanding the foregoing . the Executive Board may act without holding a
formal meeting prov1doo all members are sent notice of the proposed action or actions and the decision theron is reduced to writing and signed by a majority of the Executive Board ."
AmeneJ Affl~le X, Section 14(a) to read as follows :
" (a) 1:he term "dgl~ates ". shall mean those members of the Union and its subordinate bodies or divisions who are elected in accordance with Frovisions of this Constitution to attend the Convention of the Seafarers International Union of North
America. The foll(!wing. officers . and io!? holder~ . upo!1 their election to office or job shall. during the term of their office or job be delegates to al Conventions of the Seafarers International Union of North America in the following order of priority:
President; Executive V1ce-Pres1dent; V1ce-Pres1dent m Charge of Contracts and Contract Enforcement; Secretary-Treasurer; Vice-President in Charge of the Atlantic Coast; Vice-President in Charge of the Gulf Coast; Vice-President in Charge of
the West Coast; V1ce-Pres1dent m Charge of the SouthtJrn RtJg1on, Grear LaktJS and Inland Waters ; Vice-President tn Charge of Government Services and Fishing Industries; Assistant Vice-Presidents· Headquarters Representatives with priority
to those most senior in full book Union membership: and Port Agents with prionty to those most senior in full book Umon mlJITlbgrship...
'
'
Armmd ArtiCIQ X, SIJCtion 1!'J(C) to road a!l 10llOWS'.
" (c) Annual Financial C001mitte1J.
1. The Annual Financial Committee. shall make an examination for each annual period of the finances of the Union and shall report fully on their findings and recommendations . Members of this Committee may make dissenting reports. separate
recommendations and separate f1nd1ngs.
2. The findings and recommgnaations of this Committeo shall oo completed within a roasonable time atter tM election of the members thereof, and shall be submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer who shall cause the same to be read in all Ports, as
set forth herem .
3. All officers. Ui;iion perspnnel and member~ are responsibl@ for complying with ;ill demands m;ide for records. bills. vouchers . receipts . etc .. by the said Annual Financial Committee. Thg Committgg shall also have available to it the services of the
·
independent cert1f1ed public; ac;c;ountanl::i retained by the Union.
4. Any action on the said rePort :;hall be as determined by a majority vole of the membership.
5. The Annum Financial Committee shall consist of $~Yen (7) full IX&gt;&lt;&gt;I&lt; members in good standing to be elected at Headquarters. No .Officer, Headquarters Representative or Port Agent shall be eligible for election to this Committee. Committee
members s~:;iU t&gt;e electQd at the mgular Headquarters mGet1ng designated by the Secretary-Treasurer. In the event such regular meeting cannot be held for lack of quorum, Headquarters' Port Agent shall call a special meeting as early as possible
for. t~e election of Commmee memfl@rs to serve on the Annual Financial Committee. On the day following these elections and continuing until the Committee has completQd its report, each Committee member shall be paid for hours worked at the
ex1st1ng AB Seaman standby rate of pay, but in no event shall they be paid less than eight (8) hours per day.
They snail be furmshQd room and board during tho pariOd they are parforming their duties.
In the e,vent a Commmee member ceases to act. no rgplacgment ngQd t&gt;e glectoo unless therg arg less than three (3) Committee members . in which event they shall suspend their work until a special election for Committee members shall be held
aB provided above for such number of CA:&gt;mmittee members as shall be necessary to constitute a Committee of not less than three (3) members in good standing ...
Amend Article XI. Section 1 to read as follows :
"Section 1. The following elected officer:; and job:; :;hall be held for a term of four years ; except the term of officers and jobs elected in balloting conducted in 1975 shall be for five years: President, Executive Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer,
V1ce-Pres1dents. ASS/Stant V1ce-Pres1dents. Headquarters Representatives. Port Agents.
The term of years set forth here is expressly subject to the provisions for assumption of office as contained in Article XIII. Section 6(b) of this Constitution ."
Article XII shall havg its titie and the first sontoneo of Section 1 amended to read as follows :
"Ou~lifications tor Officers, Assistant Vic1J-Prgsid1Jnts, HeadquarttHs Representatives, Port Agents and Otl'ltJr Elective Jobs.
Section 1. Any member of the Union is eligibl@ to be iii candidate for. and hold. ;my office or thg job of Assist;;mt Vicg.Pr1Js1dent, H1Jadquart1Jrs Reprgsgntative or Port Agent prov1dgd:"
Article XIII sh:;ill have its titlQ amended to read as follows:
"Elections tor Officern, JWsistant Vice-P1e~idents, Headqua11e1s Representatives afld Poff Agents"
In addition, _Article XIII, Section~ 1 through 7 inclu:;ive. :;hall be amended by changing the office and title of Secretary to read Secretary· Treasurer wherever the term Secretary appears. by deleting all refe~ence to Port Employee and by inserting the
off1ee and title of Assistant V1ce-Pres1dent wherever the term Port Employee had appeared.
Article XIII. Section 4(b) shall be amended by exp;;mding the Piney Point Port location to "Piney Point- Camp Springs ...
Article XIV. Section 1 shall oo amendoo by deleting the referenee to Pon EmployM and inserting the position of Assistant Vice-President.
Anicte XXlll, Sect10n 1 Shall l:&gt;G amended by expanding the Piney Point Port location to "Piney Point - Camp Springs".
Article XX/V, Suc;tion 8 :;hall be amended to read a::; follows :
"Seetion 8. The terms "this Constitution" and "thia amended Conatitution" shall be deemed to have the same meaning and shall refer to the Constitution as amended which takes the place of the one adopted by the Union in 1939. as amended up
through January, 1989."
Amend Article XXV, Section 3 by changing the office and title of Secretary to read Secretary-Treasurer.
These amendments, if approved, shall become effective within six months from the date of certification by the Union Tallying Committee.

~

12 I LOG I October 1988

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C.G. DRUG RULES DRAW WITHERING FIRE ON HILL&#13;
DUKAKIS CALLS FOR 'NEW' U.S. MARITIME POLICY&#13;
SIU BLASTS JONES ACT WAIVER BIDS BY ALASKA&#13;
JONES ECHOES SIU WARNING ON GATT AND MARITIME ISSUES&#13;
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SIU CONSTITUTIONAL RULES ON ELECTION</text>
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                    <text>Vol. 50

November
1988

No. 11

OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION • ATLANTIC, GULF, LAKES AND INLAND WATERS DISTRICT • AFL-CIO

Half a Century of Progress

Seafarers Young and
Old Celebrate SIU's 50th

SIU Sues
To Stop

Fink Ship
Compared to 103-year-old pensioner Joseph Merjudio (center), the SIU is still a
pup. Merjudio and Joseph "Old Joe" Tooma (left) helped celebrate the SIU's SOth
anniversary at the Brooklyn hall last month. Thousands of seafarers, their families
and friends joined in the celebrations at all ports and at Piney Point. See pages 1114 for complete coverage.

Bill Signed to Correct
Two important tax provisions which
could have cost inland operators
hundreds of million of dollars were
corrected last month by congressional
action.
Following a drive spearheaded by
the SIU and Crowley Maritime Corp.,
the House and Senate voted to restore
100 percent deductibility for crew meals
and to exempt tug and barge owners
from a l 5 percent diesel fuel tax.
The two measures were contained
in H.R. 4333, the Miscellaneous Revenue Act, which the president signed
in November.
In the case of the meal deductibility,
ship and boat operators were caught
in the old "Three Martini Lunch" tax
change in the 1986 tax reform act
which reduced from I00 percent to 80
percent the amount a business could
deduct for "business" meals. That
provision was meant to put a damper
on expensive "business lunches." But

o

em

it was applied across the board.
By law, ship operators must provide
meals to their crews, but under the
old law they could only deduct 80
percent of the cost. H.R. 4333 restores
the .full deductibility.
For some reason luxury-cruise vessels were not included in the act,
though the SIU fought to have those
ships included.
There is a 15 cents a gallon tax on
diesel fuel, but all non-highway users
of the fuel are exempt from the tax,
which is used for federal highway
projects. Under the old law, all marine
op rators had to pay the tax when
they purchased the fuel and apply for
a refund.
Because of the delay in the refund,
operators said they could lose as much
as $300 million. Under the new law,
the tax is simply not levied on the fuel
for non-highway use .

Inside:
Drug Tests Raise Issue of Privacy
SIU and Industry Seek AIDS Policy
Onboard the Inger and Sgt. Button
Around the Port of Philadelphia

Page 2

Page4

Pages 6 &amp; 7

News from the Lundeberg School

Pages

Pages 15-18

A shipowner whose anti-union hiring practices led the SIU to file charges
with the National Labor Relations
Board in August, is now at the center
of another controversy and a lawsuit.
In October, Belmont VLCC II, the
company which now owns the former
VLCC New York (renamed Ocean
Challenger) was awarded a contract
to carry 200,000 tons of P.L. 480 grain
to Pakistan. Several SIU-contracted
companies bid on the award, along
with other ship operators.
The SIU and OMI Corp, which
operates the OM/ Sacramento and
Missouri in the grain trade, have jointly
filed suit in federal court to overturn
the award. The suit contends Belmont
has an unfair advantage because it
purchased the ship for a bargain basement pnce, that Marad did not follow
the 1936 Merchant Marine Act and
that the ship is not suitable for the
grain trade. District I MEBA and Liberty Maritime Corp. have filed a similar suit.
The suit was filed against Belmont,
Marad, the Department of Transportation and the Agency for International
Development (AID).
Belmont does have a big advantage.
The company bought the New York
from Marad for $6 million, reportedly
less than the ship's scrap value. The
ship originally cost about $83 million
when it was built with CDS and Title
XI loan guarantees in 1976.
Marad acquired the New York, along
with the other VLCCs Maryland and
Massachusetts, when their owners defaulted on the loans. Belmont also
bought the other two ships from Marad
for similarly low prices.
Under the l 936 Merchant Marine
Act, Marad can sell such ships, but if
it does, '"such vessel shall not be
operated in the foreign commerce of
United State within the period of JO
years after the date of the sale, in
competition with any other vessel
owned by a citizen or citizens of the
United States."
The 265,000 DWT Maryland was a
bargain for Belmont. By the time Marad
sold the ship , the government had paid
$28.5 million in loan guarantees under
Title XI and had absorbed some $16
million in unamortized CDS fund .
Because Belmont had so little invested in capital costs of its ship , the
suit contends that Marad did not de-

A federal judge has granted an
SIU request for a special inspection of the Ocean Challenger
(former New York). The inspection request was part of the suit
filed to overturn the grain deal.
The Union has charged the ship
is not suitable to carry grain. The
inspection will take place before
any loading will be allowed.
termine ''fair and reasonable rates''
for the award.
Even with that advantage , plus the
cut-rate cost of a non-union crew,
Belmont' bid wa ac ually highe per
ton than four other bidders. But the
company said that if it was allowed to
carry all the grain in one load, it would
cut its costs to 2 percent under the
lowest bid.
On top of that, estimates show that
Belmont's freight reven for the single voyage would be two-and-a-half
times the purchase price of the ship.
The suit also contends that the ship
is not suitable for the trade, that the
former oil tanker is just not built for
the carriage of grain, whereas many
other U .S.-flag bulkers are.
Under the terms of the original bid,
Pakistan did not want the entire shipment at once·, but under reported pressure from AID, agreed to accept all
the grain on one voyage , and Belmont
got the contract.
·
But the former oil tanker is o big,
it would have to be lightered to be
unloaded and would tie up all of Pakistan's lightering services for months.
On top of that, the country is not sure
how it would store such huge amounts
of grain. The shipments are usually
spaced over several months.
The holds are so deep in the tanker,
that current suction pumps may not
be able to get the grain out of the fivestory holds. Previously the biggest
ships to haul grain were only about
half the size of the former New York,
and those hips had serious problems
with the cargo.
The ship was cheduled to load by
Nov . 22, if its holds are cleaned and
ready. The SIU and OMI have asked
the court to inspect the hip prior to
loading.

�President's Report

Maritime Industry Needs High
Priority, SIU Says to Bush

by Michael Sacco
A Challenge to the Bush Administration
s George Bush gets ready to take over the lea.dership. of our natio~ as t~e
41st president of the United States, all Amencans will want to wish him
well and trust that he will set a course that will strengthen America across the
board. This country has plenty of problems that need fixing.
Among the challenges to President-elect Bush is one that carries over from
the previous administrations of presidents Reagan and Carter: how to make
sure that the United States flag flies over a viable, balanced fleet of merchant
vessels capable of carrying a substantial portion of our commerce in peacetime,
and available to serve in any national emergency.
We would hope that the president-elect will be able to focus on a role for
shipping that is consistent with the needs and responsibilities of a world power,
much in the manner that the Soviet Union has given priority to its merchant
shipping for economic, political and national security reasons.

A

Not an Easy Task
Achieving that goal may not be the most simple of tasks , but it can be done.
What is needed is the direct involvement of the White House and the Congress
and, of course, the cooperation of the entire maritime industry-management
and labor.
To make the task easier, it is essential that the industry concentrate, and
agree, on uncomplicated proposals that will be of help to every segment of
shipping so as to encourage support among members of Congress and the
administration on what should clearly be a united objective.
The maritime industry cannot afford any longer to discourage action in the
Congress or the Executive branch that could lead to its recovery because of
an inability to unite in the interests of all. That inability appears to have b~en
one of the impediments to our efforts over the past several years, accordmg
to every reliable authority. Even if only partially true, it is a factor we must
deal with very positively, as we once again attempt in the coming year to seek
a solution to the nation's maritime problem.
As a union of seamen concerned with the well-being of all of its members
and as Americans concerned with the well-being of all the nation, we can do
no less than strive for that solution with all our might. We will be in there
pitching!

The China Maritime Agreement
The current talks between representatives of the United States and China
to arrive at a maritime agreement can be a big help to this nation's shipping
industry or it can be a lost opportunity. From the standpoint of U.S. shipping,
it all depends on how firm the negotiators are in demanding a cargo-sharing
agreement that gives a fair share of the trade between the two nations to
American-flag liner and bulk operations-at rates that will allow profitable
operations for both.
In the previous agreements, now lapsed, with the Chinese in 1980 and the
one with the Russians in 1978, sharing of cargo provided one-third for U.S.
flag ships, one-third for the trading partner and one-third for third-flag vessels.
In the case of the agreement with Russia, a way was found to enable U.S.
bulk operators to operate profitably, although their participation was minimal
because of greater opportunities in other trades.

Difference in Approach
A significant difference in the approach to the current negotiations and that
which the Nixon administration handled with the Soviet Union is that the U.S.
negotiating team, led by then Assistant Secretary of Commerce Andrew
Gibson, included American operators as advisers who were able to contribute
to the talks. That is not the case at present, and we wonder if our cause would
not have been better served by having the shipowners involved, including
someone like Katherine Wei, chairman of the board of the companies that
make up the Falcon Shipping Group, as an adviser to the U.S. team . Mrs.
Wei ' s extensive knowledge of China and its language would have been a great
asset. We can be sure that the Chinese team includes shipping people as well
as those from the bureaucracy.
In any case it is our fervent hope that the negotiators will stick with it until
a genuine cargo-sharing agreement is reached that will give all bulk and liner
operators an opportunity to participate in the U.S.-China trade on a fair and
equitable basis.

Eaecutiv• Board
Miellael Sacco
PreS1chnt

Joseph Sacco
Uetu UYC Vte;t

p,..~*nt

Joseph OIGlorglo

Angua " Red" C•mpbell

S.Cntl•ty

VIC&amp; PtesJOem

Frank Margiotta
Director ol Public Relauons &amp; Puoucauons

Charles Svenson

GC9rgo McC.rtney
VICe PreSKJenl

Roy Mercer

St1v1 Edney

Jack Caffey

~c Pte~Qool

Vice Pre1'dMI

VIC@ Pr&amp;s108IJI

Mike Hall
Managing Editor

MHHllll

Deborah Greene

A5soclate Editor

2 I LOG I November 1988

~12111

E!11tor

Thom111 Glidewell

Jonn Fay
V.ce Pres.dent

Editor

Va

f'Te~Qoot

The " dire condition of U .S.-ftag shipping" needs to be addressed by the incoming
Bush administration , SIU President Mike Sacco said in a letter to the presidentelect.
" The purpose of this message is simply to wi h you well and to ensure you of
our sincere support in all your efforts to increase the strength and well-being of our
country and its people," Sacco said.
"We respectfully submit that the state of merchant shipping requires a high
priority by your administration. The industry has tightened operations considerably
over the past few years and we are increasingly more competitive," he said.
Sacco said the SIU is "available to assist in every way possible in the formulation
of a long-needed program to give the United States a shipping capability consistent
with its pre-eminent position as a world power. "
The SIU did not support Bush because ''we felt we had been misled by the
Reagan administration, which in 1980 advanced an eight-point program intended to
revitalize U.S. shipping (which) was not implemented in the years that followed,"
Sacco said.

From a Presidential Commission:

A Detailed Blueprint for
Rebuilding U.S.-Flag Fleet
While the decline of the Americanftag merchant marine poses a grave
threat to this nation's military capability, it is not irreversible. The problem could be corrected by the adoption
of a comprehensive maritime policy.
The savings and benefits derived from
implementing such a program would
substantially exceed the costs to the
government.
These are the conclusions reached
by the President's Commission on
Merchant Marine and Defense (COMMAD), which released the third in a
series of four reports on Sept. 30.
Without timely and decisive action
on the part of government, however,
the number of merchant ships and
seamen will "be further reduced by
one-half . . . by the year 2000," according to the study. Indeed, in the
year that has expired since the Commission's first report was issued, "the
decline has continued and the peril to
our country has grown commensurately," said Jeremiah Denton, chairman of the Commission.
Referring to the recently ratified
INF treaty between the United States
and the Soviet Union, Denton said,
' 'This very accomplishment and the
burden that it places on our conventional forces make it even more important that our maritime capability
be sufficient in terms both of ships and
crews reliably available to the United
States and of a shipbuilding base to
sustain and expand the civilian as well
as military fleets in time of need.''
"Otherwise," he said, "our potential adversaries will know that the
United States does not have the capacity to fight a prolonged and general
conventional war, and deterrence will
not exist against a series of possible
Soviet aggressions deemed unlikely to
provoke a nuclear response from the
United States. "
Present efforts to deal with the decline of this nation's sealift capability
by increasing the number of inactive
reserve ships "is an in ufficient and
inadequate response,,, said the Commission. Moreover, the problem has
been exacerbated ''by a similar decline
in the size of the merchant fleets of
some of our most important allies."
"Much of the challenge, " aid the
Commis ion, ''lies with management
and labor. Tendencies for the various

segments of the industries to contend
with one another rather than cooperate
together are increasingly evident,
deeply disturbing and an obstacle to
effective action.''
Still, said the Commission, "it is up
to the government to provide an environment that will enable American
shipping companies to prosper.''
Noting that "Free Trade, in reality,
does not exist today," the Commission said that "if the privately owned
merchant fleet is to expand to the level
required to carry out the national military strategy, operators must ... have
access to cargo on fair economic and
commercial terms.''
Were Congress and the next administration to implement the recommendations outlined in the Commission's
first two reports, then Americans could
expect the following economic and
military benefits by the year 2000:
• 181 militarily useful ships, as well
as 200 ships not militarily useful but
suitable for economic support;
• 6,570 billets on oceangoing merchant ships , providing jobs for n, 140
merchant seamen;
• An annual average of 37, 110 jobs
for American workers constructing and
repairing merchant ships in United
States shipyards;
• An increase in the Gross National
Product of over $81 billion during the
11 year period, and
• Total gross costs to the federal
government of $16,765 million during
the 11 year period, offset by total
federal government revenues of $13 ,318
million.
The Commission was established by
Public Law 98-525 of Oct. 19, 1984. It
wasn't until December 1986, however,
that all the members of the Commission were picked.
The Commission was entrusted with
coming up with a comprehensive maritime policy after thoroughly studying
the following issues:
• The problems relating to the
transportation of cargo and personnel
for national defense purposes in time
of war or national emergency;
• The capability of the United States
merchant marine to meet the need for
such transportation, and
• The adequacy of the shipbuilding
mobilization base of the United States
(Continued on Page 9.)

�Poll Shows Anti-Drug Testing Stance

Privacy Question Concerns Seafarers
By an almost 4-1 margin, Seafarers
oppose mandatory, random drug testing. But, almost two-thirds of those
who responded to an informal Seafarers LOG survey said some sort of
limited drug testing policy would be
acceptable.
The survey, which was included in
the September LOG, is an unscientific
sampling, but the responses touched
all sides of the controversial issue.
Last summer the Coast Guard proposed stringent rules which would re-

"I feel that mandatory drug testing
is unconstitutional. If an employee is
not performing his or her job as required, he or she should be dismissed.
If alcohol or drug abuse is suspected,
counseling should be recommended,"
another seafarer wrote.
If drug testing programs are implemented, and some have been in the
maritime industry, 61 percent of the
respondents said they believed it should
be a matter between the unions and
management, with no government intrusion.

". . . Drug testing is wrong, illegal and
degrading to any person, union or not . . . "
quire random and mandatory drug
testing of all seagoing personnel. Maritime labor and management were
overwhelmingly opposed to the proposals. But despite that heavy opposition, the Coast Guard is expected to
implement the rules. Indications are
that the issue eventually will be decided in the courts.
Seventy-eight percent of those who
responded opposed mandatory random testing. Only 22 percent said they
supported uch testing.
"If you do not use drugs, you have
nothing to fear from testing,'' one
seafarer wrote.

The same number of people responded that drug testing should only
be required if there is reasonable cause
to suspect someone i using drugs
while on duty.
While the vast majority oppose mandatory drug testing as called for under
the Coast Guard's proposals, only 34
percent of those polled said there should
be no drug testing at all.
"Drug te ting is wrong, illegal and
degrading to any per on, union or
not," said one member.
"Labor unions should be the leader
in guaranteeing a drug-free work force,''
wrote another seafarer who supports

mandatory testing.
Almost the same percentage, 23 percent, of those who support mandatory
testing, believe drug abuse is a serious
and widespread problem aboard ships.
But 77 percent say drug abuse is not
a serious problem.
Broken down, 14 percent said they
strongly agreed that drug abuse was a
problem; 9 percent agreed, while 36
percent disagreed and 41 percent
strongly disagreed drug abuse was
widespread.

Many of those who took the time
to comment, said that drug use has
actually declined in recent years.
••I might have agreed a few years
ago. However, I have seen a change
in attitude recently. Perhaps due to
publicity about health issues," one
member wrote.
"I've been an SIU member for 15
years. In the mid- '70s the use of marijuana was not uncommon on some
ships I worked on. Today I rarely see
thi , " another seafarer said.

Government Orders Drug Tests,
Long Court Battle Expected
More than 4 million transportation workers, including thousands of
seafarers, will be forced to undergo random and mandatory drug testing
if a Department of Transportation program survives an expected legal
challenge.
The new regulations, which both unions and management have severely
criticized, were issued by DOT as the LOG went to press. The drug tests
would require workers in maritime, trucking, aviation, railroad, bus, mass
transit and pipeline industries to be te ted and removed from their jobs
if tested positive.
The SIU, along with other maritime unions and employers, testified
against the proposal earlier this year. At presstime, the SIU was preparing
its response to the new rules.

Model of New SIU Brooklyn Hall
Goes on Display for Members

SIU Stewards on APL's Polk

Onboard the Polk, the SIU steward department is (I. to r.) Chief Cook Luis Laupati,
GSU Danny Guerrero and Steward Baker Alfonso Campanella.
' ·;

fr.&gt;;~:"'

SIU stewards crew the President Polk, one of the APL ships.

Seafarers Medical Director Dr. Joseph San Filippo points to the model of the new Siu
Hiring Hall and Clinic which will be built in Brooklyn to replace the aging facilities
presently being used. Looking on with a group of Seafarers are, from left, Dr. San
Filippo, Florence Penny (RN), SIU Vice President Jack Caffey, SIU Secretary-Treasurer
Joe DiGiorgio and Joe Logue Jr., son of the late Dr. Joseph Logue, former medical
director.

Coast Guard Adds Vets Staff
Last Jan. 19, when merchant mariner who sailed between Dec. 7, 1941 and
Aug. 15, 1945 were given veteran's benefits, the U.S. Coast Guard wasn't
sure how many applications it would receive. About 900 applications now are
arriving weekly. And since there is no deadline on applying, Coa t Guard
officials estimate the total eventually could exceed 70,000.
To help process the applications, Secretary of Transportation Jim Burnley
has requested the Coast Guard to triple the number of people working on the
project, which he hopes will help wipe out a backlog of 43,000 applications by
mid-November.
Di charge papers (a di charge certificate and a document detailing the
veteran's service) have been ent to nearly 12,000 applicants. The staff goal
is to mail 6,000 completed applications every week. The document, known a
DD Form 214, must be presented to a Veterans Administration office to obtain
benefits.
Although the backlog has cau ed delay in proces ing many applications,
the Coast Guard has given priority to those requiring immediate medical care
and those requiring death benefit for urviving spou e .
If you qualify for veteran's benefits and have not yet applied, send a
completed DD Form 2168 (available at Coa t Guard and Veterans Administration offices) to Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters (G-MYP-1),
Washington, D.C. 20590-0001. Be ure to include copies of upporting documents such as awards received and discharge slips from qualifying voyages,
if available.

November 1988 I LOG I 3

�SIU AIDS Seminar Seeks An Industry Policy
Q: What do Atlantic City, N .1.,
Fayettesville, Ark., Concord, N.H.
and Galveston, Texas have in common?
A: The population of each city is
smaller than the number of Americans
who have been officially diagnosed
with AIDS.
The first case of Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was diagnosed less than 10 years ago. As of
August this year, more than 55,000
Americans were diagnosed as having
this deadly disease.
By 1991, the Centers for Disease
Control predicts that between five and
10 million Americans will have been

exposed to the AIDS virus. It is hard
to overestimate the potential consequences.
Last month, the union hosted a daylong seminar on the disease for its
contracted companies. The goal was
to come up with an industry-wide
policy.
AIDS confronts each American with
difficult choices on many different levels: as an individual who is responsible
for his or her own behavior, as a
taxpayer, as a member of a community
or family, and as a worker employed
in a particular industry.
So far, the only effective tool in
controlling the spread of this disease

SIU Begins AIDS Education
In an effort to meet the health and safety need of its membership, the
SIU will begin an in-depth and comprehensive AIDS education program.
In addition to articles in the LOG, the union will be providing written
information to its membership about how to prevent the spread of the
AIDS virus. Videotapes and informational meetings with SIU safety
directors at hiring halls and aboard vessels will be used to educate SIU
members.
The SIU is working with its contracted companies to put together an
effective education campaign. President Mike Sacco has said that education of the SIU membership about this deadly disease is a top priority
for the union. He hopes all SIU members will learn as much as they can
because with education comes protection.
Remember-you are in control. With common sense, you can prevent
the spread of AIDS. Play it safe. Use condoms and DON'T use drugs.
If you have any questions about AIDS and your health or workplace
safety, you can write to:

has been education. The SIU has been
in the forefront of unions trying to
educate its members, officials, employees and contracted companies
about this deadly disease.
During the seminar, Liz Reisman,
R. N., D.N.Sc., discussed the disease
itself-what it is, how it is spread,
precautions against transmission, HIV
antibody testing, occupational risk and
prevention. Deborah Kleinberg, an attorney for the union, discussed the
ramifications of the disease as they
relate specifically to the employment
policies for the maritime industry.
Reisman is a member of the St.
Mary's County AIDS Task Force. She
also sits on the national Institute of
Health Confidentiality Committee. She
went over much of the same material
that she has discussed with nearly
1,000 SIU members over the past year
and a half. Two of her articles have
appeared in the LOG.
The operators discussed the eco-

nomic and legal consequences of the
disease, and such things as testing,
counseling and the possibility that foreign countries may require seamen to
present an ''AIDS'' certificate before
coming ashore (the Philippines recently discussed this idea, though it
did not go through with its proposed
program).
The important thing, said Kleinberg,
is for everyone involved-management and labor-to come up with a
comprehensive and humane policy on
this issue. Over the past year and a
half, she has met with representatives
from other unions-the AFL-CIO, the
Firefighters, the· SEID-which are
grappling with this issue. The SIU is
the first maritime union which is developing an industry-wide policy with
its contracted companies.
A second meeting between the Union
and its contracted companies was
scheduled for early December at Piney
Point.

SAFE (Seafarers AIDS Forum for Education)
Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Piney Point, MD. 20674
Liz Reisman addresses the AIDS seminar held at SIU headquarters.

Jones Ac:t Does Not Harm Alaska's Economy
The estimated cost of maintaining
the Jones Act restrictions in the Alaskan trade have been greatly exaggerated, said a recently released report
by the General Accounting Office.
The Jones Act should be retained,
said the GAO, "because it helps maintain the nation's capability for military
shipbuilding and sealift in time of war.''
The two-year study of the Jones
Act's impact on Alaskan trade concludes that of 74 U.S.-flag tankers
carrying Alaska North Slope Oil, 56
have direct military utility, and the
deep-draft dry cargo vessels in the
trades are also important national defense assets. The remaining tankers
and tug and barge fleet provide e sen- ·
tial logistical support to sustain the
U.S. economy in times of crisis.
The report was undertaken at the
request of Sen. Ted Stevens CR-Alaska),
who felt that Alaska was forced to
bear an unfair part of the cost of the
Jones Act.
Yet according to the GAO, estimating Alaska's share of the burden relative to the oil companies, the federal
government and shippers in the lower
48 states "cannot be estimated."
"Analyzing who ultimately bears
these Jones Act costs is complicated
because there are plentiful opportu4 I LOG I November 1988

nities for passing these costs on to
others," said report.
The GAO found that the economic
impact of the Jones Act on the Alaska
economy is likely to decline. The estimated additional cost of U.S. construction above foreign-built equivalents is $163 million, representing about
2 percent of the total $9.5 billion personal income of Alaskans. The dry
cargo liner and tug and barge fleets
which carry consumer products northbound represent only $20.2 million in
additional costs, or $6. 73 per ton on
the 3 million tons shipped northbound
annually; in other words, less than
two cents per day per ton.
What can be measured, said the
GAO, is the role that the Jones Act
plays in securing this nation's sealift
base.
The Jones Act fleet employed in the
Alaskan trade represents 21 percent
of the militarily useful U .S.-ftag fleet
and nearly 40 percent of the militarily
useful U.S. tanker fleet.
Twenty-two percent ofalljobs available to U.S. seamen are generated by
the protected Jone Act trade in Alaska.
"This study confirms the national
defense and economic positions we in
the maritime ~ndustry have been maintaining all along," said Tran portation

Institute President James L. Henry.
''Preservation and enforcement of the
Jones Act are essential to bolster
America's defense."
The Jones Act tanker fleet has been
judged critically important to national
defense by many prestigious public
and private study groups, including
the Commission on Merchant Marine
and Defense appointed by President
Reagan. Sealift will carry 90 percent
of all dry cargo and 95 percent of all
petroleum products, which will outweigh all other cargoes combined. The
GAO stated that the Alaska Jones Act
tanker fleet is the source of 39 percent
of militarily-useful tanker tonnage and
8 percent of the militarily-useful dry
cargo capacity.
Additionally, the Jones Act fleet
makes a substantial contribution to
the seafaring manpower pool, which
Navy and private sector studies have
described as inadequate. The Alaska
trades fleet provides 86 percent of the
tanker billets and 17 percent of the
dry cargo billets.
Rescinding the Jones Act would not
lead to any immediate co t savings,
because U.S. companies have already
built their vessels in U.S. shipyards.
The GAO study was released just
as the Jones Act was under attack.

Last month, two Senate bills were
introduced which would have waived
U.S.-ftag requirements on coal shipments to Hawaii and on passenger
service between U.S. ports and Alaska.
While supporters of the two bills
said that these were special circumstances, industry officials were afraid
that passage of the two bills would
inevitably result in the whole-scale
dismantling of the Jones Act. "After
all, if this exception is granted, why
not ... anything else where cut-rate
foreign flags can undercut the U.S.
flag?" asked National MEBA representative Karl Landgrebe.
"The GAO report confirms a lot of
things that the maritime industry has
said over the years," said Henry.
No action is expected on the two
Senate bills before the end of the
session. "The GAO report will be a
useful tool in fighting off attacks against
the Jones Act in the next session of
Congress," said SIU President Mike
Sacco.
The departments of Defense and
Transportation strongly concurred with
the GAO analysis. The agency said
that the Defense Department "supports the existing scope of the Jones
Act and the importance of the tankers
that operate in the Alaskan trade."

�Company Pleads Guilty to
Sinking of Marine Eledric
The U.S. attorney's office in Norfolk has closed its books on the tragic
sinking of the Marine Electric.
Five years after 31 American seamen and licensed officers lost their
lives in the cold waters of the Atlantic,
Marine Transport Lines, the ship's
operator, pleaded guilty to a single
criminal misdemeanor charge.
U oder the arrangement, the company admits that it violated the law
by not reporting outstanding ship defects to the U.S. Coast Guard. As a
result, it will have to pay the maximum
fine of $10,000, which The Journal of
Commerce reports as the first criminal
punishment of an American shipowner
since the 1940s.
In addition to filing its guilty plea
on the criminal charge, the company
agreed to pay a $10,000 civil fine to

Federal Judge
Upholds CDS
Payback Rule
The Reagan administration's CDS
plan suffered another setback
last month when a federal judge ruled
that any company operating in the
protected Alaskan trades contrary to
an April 29 ruling was doing so illegally.
U.S. District Court Judge Charles
Richey refused a request from two
companies- Atlantic
ichfield and
American Petrofina-to stay the April
29 decision on the grounds that neither
would suffer any irreparable harm and
that the public good would not be
compromised.
There was a ready supply of alternative shipping available, said Judge
Richey, on board smaller tankers which
stood to be displaced if three VLCC
(Very Large Crude Carriers) tankers
were allowed to compete in the domestic trades.
The ruling was the latest chapter in
the SIU's five-year battle to prevent
implementation of the administration's plan to allow subsidized operators to participate in the Alaskan
trade in exchange for paying back
monies received under the now-defunct Construction Differential Subsidy (CDS) program. At stake were
up to 900 SIU jobs.
The judge reaffirmed his earlier decision by saying that the administration had tried to subvert the will of
Congress as expressed in two pieces
of legislation-the Merchant Marine
Act of 1936 and Section 505 of the
Supplemental Appropriations Act of
pay~ack

the Coast Guard for operating the
vessel without effecting adequate repairs.
The Coast Guard has announced
that it will not pursue any further
action against the company, or any of
its officials or subsidiaries.
While some of the families of the
dead seamen were bitter about the
size of the fine, some safety experts
said that the case marked an important
precedent.
"It's a significant thing," said Paul
Esbensen, a veteran maritime investigator for the National Transportation
Safety Board. "For the first time I can
remember a criminal action ha been
taken, a fine paid and it is clear that
the company did something wrong.''
The company failed to report repairs
that had been made in the ship's hull
10 days before the vessel flooded and
sank.
The hull of the ship had been punctured by a bulldozer at the dock in
Brayton, Mass. The incident was never
reported to the Coast Guard.
In a 1985 report on the accident, the
Coast Guard concluded that the poorly
repaired hull could not withstand the
pounding from the seas. It caved in,
allowing water to enter the hold and
capsize the ves el.
Only three crewmembers onboard
the 34-man vessel survived. Many survived the sinking only to die in the icy
waters off the coast of Virginia.
The Coast Guard also noted that the
patch-work repair done to the hull was
·ust one of man defect .
As a result of the case, the Coast
Guard beefed up its safety inspections
of aging ships. The Marine Electric
was 38 years old at the time of the
incident, and in obviously poor repair.
In addition, rules were developed
requiring American shipowners to provide cold water survival suits for seamen. Had they been onboard the vessel, many more crewmembers might
have been able to survive.

SIU Election Under Way

Balloting began November 1 for the election of SIU officers and a proposition. The
voting period runs through December 31. Check with your port agent or see
October's LOG for information about voting. Above (I. tor.) members Bob Fraizer,
Frank Costango and M.T. St. George after they were the first to cast ballots at
Piney Point.

U.S. and China Near
Bilateral Shipping Pact
The United States and the People's
Republic of China (PRC) have made
substantial progress towards negotiating a new maritime agreement,
acording to the Department of Transportation.
While James Burnley, Secretary of
T an ortation, aid that the conce sions won in negotiations so far represented "a very significant breakthrough," at least one American-flag
bulk operator expressed strong reservations about the proposed agreement.
The new agreement, said Katherine
Wei, chairman of the board of the
Falcon Shipping Group, bestows only
a "co metic benefit to the bulk carrying segment of the American fleet.''

On the West Coast

1987.
The purpose of Congress in both
pieces of legi lation was to foster a
stronger merchant marine. The administration's CDS plan would have resulted in fewer jobs for American seamen and a fewer American-flag vessels,
said Richey.
The counsel for Atlantic Richfield
Company confirmed that the company
had appealed Judge Richey's decision
in the U.S. Court of Appeals.

SIU Patrolman Gentry Moore (left) chats with the steward department's Joe Freeman
on APL's President Truman in Oakland, Calif.

A U.S. delegation headed by John
Gaughan, Maritime Administrator, met
with its counterpart from the People's
Republic of China in Washington, D.C.
Oct. 18-20. Agreement was reached
on a number of issues. According to
Burnley, U.S. operators will now have
the right to do the following things:

** open
business offices in China
operate feeder vessels to consolidate and transship cargoes

* deal directly with the organizations that control cargo shipments
(Continued on Page 10.)

Waterman Sold;
Will Keep Sailing
With SIU Crews
Long-time SIU-contracted Waterman Marine Corp. has been sold for
$34 million to International Shipholding Corp (ISC). But the six Waterman
vessels now in service will continue
to operate with SIU crews.
The sale is subject to approval by
the Maritime Administration and the
Department of Justice.
The deal, announced late last month,
will make Waterman a subsidiary of
International Shipholding. It will retain the name Waterman Marine.
The parent company is the owner
of another subsidiary, Central Gulf
Marine. With Waterman's six ships
and eight U.S.-flag ships and 10 foreign-flag ships, ISC will operate a fleet
of 24 vessels.
''The Waterman operation is going
to continue as it is now. We plan to
make no changes in that respect,"
said ISC Chairman Neils W. Johnson.
Waterman operates three LASH
hips in Middle Eastern service and
three RO/ROs under charter to the
Military Sealift Command.
November 1988 I LOG I 5

�Sealift's Inger Loads Up With Sugar

Jim Farley, 1st assistant engineer (left), and Charley Williams, DEU, aboard the S.S. Inger (Sealift
Bu~ers, Inc.) during a stopoff at C&amp;H Sugar in Crockett, Calif.
···:
.... •.
. . ...:&lt;

·:·:·:::.
..........
..
.... .

···="·.·::·:·:=·::::::.::··

.-.. ··:"··:'/·r·:,,:3'·

..

,
I

Stanley Giandora, bosun

Wilmington Port Agent Don Anderson, center, with ABs Dino
Chappas, left, and Kenneth Simbler.

In 1985 Reynolds Metals Company owned and operated
the SS Inger. But Reynolds was leaving the maritime
industry due to the fact that bauxite and alumina pellets
were being brought into the United States on foreign-flag
vessels at rates cheaper than could be done aboard the
Inger . The fate of the bulker was uncertain.
Reynolds had three options at that point: (I) make one
more voyage and scrap the Inger, (2) convert it to an
unmanned barge with a loss of 21 jobs, or (3) sell it to a
buyer who would agree to keep the ship running.
With hard work and determination, the SIU was able
to find a buyer, Sealift Bulkers, and the ship has been
running ever since with an unlicensed crew of 17.

~ With the nice California weather, part of the Inger's crew

gathers on deck for a meeting alfresco.

6 I LOG I November 1988

�On the S9t. W.R. Button in the Pacific

Seafarers Enioy Their Off-Duty Hours
Text and Photographs

by
Leonard Earl Johnson
A ship is a floating place where Seafare ~ live and work. American Overseas
Marine of Quincy, Mass. keeps four ships crewed by SIU people, chartered
to the U.S. Marine Corps, positioned off Guam and Saipan.
These photographs show the crew of the M/V Sgt. William R. Button working
and relaxing just before departure for the shipyard in Norfolk. Layup in the
shipyard! A bittersweet event for a seafarer, it means an early return home,
but it also means an early end to your paycheck.
For Doren Molise and Al Lautermilch it meant ship's bell to wedding bells.
They married in Hawaii. During layup.
Editors note: Leonard Earl Johnson lives in New Orleans and often contributes to the LOG. He is an award winning photographer whose series "The
Sea" will be exhibited by the government of Guam 's CARA Gallery, Jan.Feb. 1989.

Sunday barbecues are a highpoint for the SIU crew on the Button.

Tying 3 difTerent kind of knot, Button crewmembers Doren Molise and Al Lautermilch
will get hitched while the Button is in fayup. The couple met aboard ship.

AB Tom Stagg paints down the house aboard the Button, anchored off Saipan .

. . ..........
'""""""&gt;...:..

}
.

·::....

:'.&gt;···.

f=i-'
&lt;

Steward Assistant Santa Paturzo watches the sun rise.

Chief Cook Herb Hollings mans the grill during a cook-out.

November 1988 I LOG I 7

�Tugs, Barges Help Keep Philly Busy
SIU members in Philadelphia find work on the dozens
of tugs and barges under SIU contract in that busy port
city. Maratrans operates about 30 tugs and barges, while
Express Marine, Moran and Swann Oil run several
dozen more pieces of inland equipment there.
These pictures were provided by former Philadelphia
Patrolman Richie Wilson, who has been lured back to
sea. He is waiting to ship out.

.., " l f.·~
,. ~rr:·J-~,,·~:ll!llr
· ·-»·t'·i·~~·~f;+.·

Boatmen aboard the Interstate Transport tug Schuylkill head down river from the refinery.

In the Philadelphia hall it's job dispatch time.

Pensioner Billy Smith (left) spins a few tales of the "old days" to younger seafarers Victor
Harper (center) and David Diammond at the Philadelphia hall.

Onbi;mrd M~m1tram; tug E nterprise veteran Boatmen Robert Taylor (left) and BUI Delesline
(ri1:ht) talk about their upcoming retirements with SIU Rep. Richie Wilson.

Seafarer Lou Lolli (left) listens to Tom Gildersleeve explain the
job situation.

8 I LOG I November 1988

SIU Rep. Richie Wilson (left) and AB Tankerman George Tanner aboard Swann Barge #20.

�Lone Star Boatmen Visit Port Arthur
Tug and barge traffic along Texas' Gulf Coast provides hundreds of
jobs for SIU Boatmen. Port Arthur is one of the many inland ports
frequented by SIU-crewed tugs. Below, Houston Port Agent Dean
Corgey (right) meets with the Mary Moran's Chief Engineer Cliff
Champagne (left) and Capt. Glenn Arnaud. The Mary Moran
(right) ties up at Port Arthur.

Defense Report-Time
To Rebuild U.S. Fleet
(Continued from Page 2.)
to meet the needs of naval and merchant ship construction in time of war
or national emergency.
The Commission previously presented seven major recommendations.
They were as follows:
1. PromuJgate a national policy
statement that reaffirms the maritime
policy contained in the Merchant Marine Acts of 1920 and 1936.
2. "Congress and the administration should act decisively and
promptly ... to complete ongoing efforts to develol' and enact into law a
meaningful Operating Differential
Subsidy (ODS) reform package that
ensures more flexible and competitive
United States flag carrier service, remains within acceptable budgetary restraints, and functions to sustain and
expand the contributions of the commercial merchant marine to the strategic sealift capability of the United
States."
3. Implementation ofa national program for merchant ship construction
in United States shipyards.
4. Ensure greater access to international trade and cargo through trade
promotion and reservation of United
States government cargo.
5. Ensure preservation, enforcement and strengthening of the current
cabotage laws.
6. Change major Department of Defense and Department of the Navy
regulations, policies and practices. C'To
that end, the Department of Defense
and the Department of the Navy should
review policies and practices that address procurement, contracting, and
industrial base mobilization.'')
7. Initiate and spearhead a publicprivate effort to improve business efficiency in the maritime industries.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
OCT. 1-31, 1988

"TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class 8

Class C

Port
New York . ....................... .
Philadelphia .. .. .................. .
Baltimore ........................ .
Norfolk . . . . . ................... .
Mobile ..................... ... . . .
New Orleans .... .. .... ... ......... .
Jacksonville ...................... .
San Francisco .................... . .
Wiimington ...................... .
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 ......................
Hoi.:ston .........................
Algonac .........................
St. Louis ........................
Piney Point .......................
Totals. ..
. ..................

0
1
0

0
1
0

36

13

1
0
2
0

3

0
0

1

0

2
0

0
0
1
19

0
0
7

0
63

0
24

.
.
.

0
0
0
17
0

0

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
11
0

0

0

0

2
0
0
0
0

5
0
10

0
0

2
0
0
0

19

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups

Class A

Class B

""REGISTERED ON BEACH

All Groups

Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
0

0
0
20
1

0

0
0
6

0
0
0

0

0

0
4

0
0

0

0

0

2

26

7

0
0

0
0

3

0

0
2

0
0
3

5
0

2
0

0
0

40

10

31

0

0

0

Class A

Class 8

Class C

0
1

0

0
0
0
0
0
0

1
64
0

1
3
0
58
0
0
3
18
1
0
150

1

1
30
0
0
2
0
29
0
0
2
2
0
0
67

19
0

1

0

0
3
0
3
0
26

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

.

0

28

0

0
5
0
0

0

0

0
0
0
0
3
0
0
8

0
0
0
0
0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Pon
New York ........................ .
Philadelphia ...................... .
Baltimore ......... ... ............ .
Norfolk ......................... .
Mobile .......................... .
New Orleans ... ... ..... ........... .
Jacksonville ...................... .
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wilmington ....................... .
Seattle
.
. ............ . .
Puerto Rico ...................... .
Houston .... ..................... .
Algonac ......................... .
St. Louis ........................ .
Piney Point ....................... .
Totals . . .. .. .................... .

Totals All Oep:utments _ .............. .

0
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
20
0

0
0
0

27

0
0
1
9
0
0

0
0
0
10
0
1
0
0
6
0
0
0
2
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0

7
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

15

2

0

57

18

0
0
0
0
2

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

0
0
0
10

0

0

0
0
1
0

0
0
5

0

0
0
3
0

0

0
0
0
0

0

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0

0
0
0
7
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0

0

0
0
0
8
0
0

1

0

0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
3

0
0
1

53

25

0
10

15

32

260

110

38

1
0

16

0
0
4

0
0

4

0
0
- 14

107

36

23

69

0
0

0
8
0
0
0
0
17
0
0

0
0
0

0

1

0

16
0
0
0
0
34
0
0

6

0

0

0
3
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
1

0
1

*"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 .

November 1988 I LOG I 9

�New SIU Pensioners
DEEP SEA
Floyd G. Allen, 65
Philadelphia
Harold L. Austin, 66
Seattle
Michael Bakos, 67
Duluth

Luis F. Rivera, above, receives his first pension check from
the port agent of Puerto Rico, Angel S. Hernandez. At right,
Domingo Ortiz Almodovar is given his first pension check.

Cosme R. Ballesteros
Cosme R. Ballesteros, 59
Houston
Jerry W. Blan, 60
Houston

Robert E. Pickett, 54
Houston
Claudie B. Pickle, 61
Mobile
Luis F. Rivera, 60
Santurce

Joseph R, Turner, 61
Algonac

RAILWAY MARINE
REGION
John Calby, 63
Wilmington

Cecil T. Terry, Jr.
Cecil T. Terry Jr., 59
Norfolk
Henry P. White, 51
Norfolk
John T. Cherry
John T. Cherry, 67
New Orleans
James 0. Chianese, 59
New York
Blewett Davis, 65
Houston
Julio D. Delgado, 62
Santurce
Antonio Diacci, 6S
Algonac
Adrian G. Donnelly, 66
New York
William E. Foley, 69
New York
Donato Giangiordano, 65
Philadelphia
Stanley T. Grooms, 57
Jacksonville
Richard Heikus, 64
Seattle
Roy E. Jones, 65
Baltimore
John L. Lincoln, 6S
Norfolk
Royal McClintock, 62
Algonac
Konrad E. Norbotten. 57
Algonac
Domingo A. Ortiz, 63
Santurce
Efthimios A. Pappas, 62
New York

Laureano C. Perez
Laureano C. Perez, 55
Baltimore
1O I LOG I November 1988

Jose L. Romero
Jose Luz Romero, 59
Houston
Thomas J. Smith, 62
Algonac
Thomas Snead, 58
New Orleans
Frederick R. Sullivt,n, 61

New Orleans
Rudy Tjong, 64
San Francisco
Ronald E. Voss, 65
Houston
Stephen Wagerik, 61
Philadelphia
Hugh F. Wells, 62
Houston
Malcolm B. Woods, 63
San Francisco

INLAND
Joseph F. Bachmann, 62
Philadelphia
Edward Balajewski, 62
Philadelphia
Charles L. Bazemore, 45
Norfolk
ThQmas L. Dunton, 65
Baltimore
Edward Kaszubinski, 62
Algonac
James E.W. Pritchard, 65
Jacksonville
Charles H. Rogers, 54
Baltimore
Grover C. Rowell, 62
Mobile
Joseph S. Simone, 63
Philadelphia
Earl E. Talbott, 62
Houston
John Weiner, 59
Philadelphia

GREAT LAKES
Paul Greco, 62
Duluth
Rudolph J. Jadrich, 62
Algonac

Howard G. Hudgins
Howard G. Hudgins, 59
Norfolk
Joseph N. Lewis, 59
Norfolk

U.S./China Maritime
(Continued from Page 5.)

*
*

employ U.S. citizens and local
nationals
import and own vehicles and office equipment essential to their
operation

''A one-third cargo reservation to
the liner segment of the American
merchant marine may well promote
their interests," said Katherine Wei,
"because liner cargo in the trans-Pacific trades, including the liner trade
between the United States and the
People's Republic of China, traditionally moves under conference rates
which are set high enough for the
highest cost operator to make a profit.
''Such is not the case with respect
to bulk cargo operations, where rates
are determined by free and open competition, which has caused bulk cargo
rates to be seriously depressed for the
past decade.
"If the one-third reservation to our
bulk carriers is predicated on world
rates, not a single pound will move
U.S. bulk vessels," Wei said.
.. The proposed maritime agreement
with the PRC will provide significant

economic and political benefits to that
country. The PRC should be required
to reciprocate and provide a benefit to
our bulk operators by paying a reasonable rate premium on the bulk
cargo moving between our two countries as was done in the 1970s when a
similar arrangement was contained in
the U.S./USSR maritime agreement,"
she said.
The previous bilateral trade agreement between the two countries, which
was reached in 1980. elapsed in 1983.
Disagreement over these and other
issues prevented ratification of a new
agreement. U.S. operators contended
they couldn't make money due to PRC
restrictions and because of a decline
in trade between the two countries.
Both sides agreed that ocean freight
rates should be negotiated by shippers
and carriers. Cargo sharing and the
opening of specific ports in both countries for normal entry remain to be
solved.
The 1980 agreement between the
two agreements gave U .S.-flag carriers one-third of the cargo, the People's Republic of China one-third, and
the remaining one-third remaining to
third-flag vessels.

Support SPAD

�Hundreds Gather at Piney Point

SIU Celebrates 50th Anniversary in the Ports
On October 15, Seafarers around
the country flocked to their union halls
to celebrate the 50th anniversary of
the SIU.
Old-timers who could trace their
union roots back five decades mixed
and mingled with younger members
who ·are banking on another 50 years
of SIU security and progress.
Like family reunions everywhere,
stories of the old times filled air. Tales
of early organizing drives that helped
put this union on the map were told.
Oct. 15 marked a dual anniversary.
Fifty years ago on that date, at a
convention in Houston, Texas, the
American Federation of Labor presented SUP head Harry Lundeberg
with a charter to form a new international seamen's union, the Seafarers
International Union of North America.

The SIU traces its beginning to that
date as well.
Speaking at the Brooklyn hall, SIU
President Mike Sacco talked about the
union's many accomplishments and
thanked the people who had built this
union with their "blood, sweat and
tears."
It was not just a celebration of the
union's past, he said, but a reaffirmation of its future.
"It is a time of building and of new
beginnings," said Sacco. "This union
has an educated and informed membership, and that is our strength.
"Together we can forge new programs to meet new challenges. There
is no limit to what we can do. Education will be the key to developing
the new ideas we will need to insure
the future of our membership, and our
unity will make them possible."
(Continued on Page 14.)

In Philadelphia the ritual cutting of the anniversary cake included (I. to r.) charter
member Al Pietrowski, Guy Pagano, William Smith, Secretary Jerri-Dee Falk, and Harry
Smith, with Vince Lanza watching from behind.

Toasting the long and f)roud history of their union at the San Francisco hall are, from
left. Al Finocchio, Carmelo Aste, Sam YQ~.mg, Joe Favilli and Dolly Talaga. Al, who
sailed as barber. Carmelo as a cook, Sam as photogrnpher and Joe as a baker are all
retired from the old SIU-contracted Pacific Far East Lines. Dolly is still sailing as waitress.

What's a birthday without cake? Mark Frederickson (right) and friend chow down in
Brooklyn. Mark is the son of Seafarer Eric Frederickson.

Lindsey Williams cuts the ribbon to formally open the Lindsey
J, Williams Ship Simulator Building. Giving him a helping hand
is his wife Cordelia Williams as SIU President Mike Sacco smiles
his approval.

Io New Bedford, home tq hundreds of SIU fishermen and their families, many gathered at the SIU hall there
for an afternoon party, Above, Port Agent Henri Francois, holding the cake, and Patrolman Eugenio A.
Desousa (left).

November 1988 I LOG I 11

�PHILADELPHIA-Capt. Thomas Doherty (left), Chief Engineer
Joe Reeder and Deckhand Bobby Van Blunk mix it up at the
50th anniversary celebration.

PHILADELPHIA-Chef Hollywood and the star of the buffet, "Porky Pig."

some
th
Rf
WILMINGTON-The California sun was evident at the SIU hall where they celebrated
the 50th anniversary with a cookout. SIU Patrolman Trevor Robertson (left) chats
with SUP Branch Agent Bill Berger; SIU Chief Cook Ron Fluker turns the ribs.

NORFOLK-Pensioners Flavius Clasz and Fred Hicks help themselves to the fine
food.

BALTIMORE-Headquarters Rep Bob Pomerlane (left) and Port Agent Al Raymond
start the rood preparations for the .soth anniversary party.

HONOLULU-Seafarer Edd Harris and his family enjoy
the festivities.

SANTURCE, P .R.-Brother Julio Matos enjoyed the day with
his family.

12 I LOG I November 1988

SANTURCE, P.R.- Members and SIU officials celebrate the union's 50th anniversary. From
left are Osman Bin Malip, Ruperto Rivera, Abraham Aragones, Bill Doak, Roberto Escobar
and Angel Hernandez.

�......

,

SAN FRANCISCO-Enjoying the good food and companionship are, from left, Chief Cook Eddy
Nicholas, Assistai:it Cook Gilbert Rodriguez and GSU John Bernard.

of Charles Se-

eds of Seafarers
nd the country
red at their local
to help the SIU
brate its SOth
rsary. Pictured on
two pages are
of the festivities
t took place.

SAN FRANCISCO-Chief Steward Sammy Smith ("Smitty"),
at right, supervises the sumptuous buffet line. Hundreds attended
the festive celebration.

1!i!:l!:i il l l [l1il !i!l l! :i1l1l1l!l'![!i.1!1 :1 il i!l !l:l l!l!i!l il ilil l l i l l l l !l lfi l l 1 ! 1! !1i·!f!:!lililili l ! !l! !li!l!:l!l!~!l!lil l !l!ililifil!i:~:1: :~1

SAN FRANCISCO-Old-timers had a lot of memories to share at the celebration. Two
of them are Chief Cooks Johnnie McCree, left, and Alvin Westbrook.

JACKSONVILLE-Pensioner Clarence Brock
enjoyed the fine buffet.
JACKSONVILLE-QMED William Dillon, left, Steward Jack Morgan, center, and
retired SIU member Jose Descamento enjoyed the day at the Jacksonville hall.

N~afarer Robert Hurk fills bis plate at the butTet.
yllis and young Dinette look on.

BROOKLYN-Two very well-known former officials were on hand for the festivities.
Former SIU Vice President Leon Hall (left) and former long-time patrolman Teddy
Babkowski prepare to cut the birthday cake.

BROOKLYN-The tall and the short of
it ••• SIU President Mike Sacco and Mark
Frederickson, son of Seafarer Eric Fred·
erickson, enjoy the celebration.

November 1988 I LOG / 13

�50 Years of SIU Progress Toasted
(Continued from Page 11.)
A celebration honoring the 50th anniversary of the SIUN A was held at
the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Piney Point, Md. on Oct.
29. Representatives from the 18 autonomous unions affiliated with the
SIUN A were there including Gunnar

Lundeberg, son of the late Harry Lunde berg, as was Lane Kirkland, president of the AFL-CIO.
Many officers from the dozens of
SIU-contracted companies attended.
Herbert Brand , chairman of the board
of the Transportation Institute and
former editor of the Seafarers LOG ,

AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland recounted proud moments in the SIU's long history
when he spoke at Piney Point.

Here's a lineup of who's who among the SIU old-timers who attended the celebration in
the port of Piney Point. From left is SIU Vice President Angus "Red" Campbell, and
retired SIU officials Leon Hall, Tony Kastina, Pat Marinelli and Scotty Aubusson.

served as master of ceremonies.
To underscore the connection between the union's past and its future ,
the union's Shiphandling Simulator
Building was dedicated to former SIU
Vice President Lindsey Williams, who
played an instrumental role in making
the union what it is today.
Williams talked about the early years
and of the people he had worked with
to make the union strong. Looking out
at the audience, he singled out Rose
Hall , Paul Hall's widow, and thanked
her for her friendship and support.
' 'Few people know what this woman
did to help the union ," he said. "During the Isthmian and Cities Service
beefs she put herself on the line and
paid off ships."
Williams' wife Cordelia stood alongside him , with their two childrenEstelle and Lynn.
The road leading to the simulator
and recreation center was named after
the late Frank Mongelli, former vice
president of the Harry Lundeberg
School. Mongelli' s widow Liz cut the
ribbon.
'' Frank Mongelli was the embodiment of the SI U's commitment to
education and training," said Sacco.
"When the SIU built the Harry Lundeberg School, it was Frank Mongelli
who was called on to turn that dream
into reality.''
Speaking at a short ceremony before
the dedication , AFL-CIO President
Lane Kirkland , a former officer in the
merchant marine, made the following
observation:
" I'm delighted to be here at this
celebration of your 50th anniversary
... My heritage, like yours, springs
from the sea. It was there , in that
dose-knit society , that I learned the
principle of solidarity that is at the
heart of American trade unionism.
''The Seafarers have always been
willing to help out sister unions when
they were outnumbered and out-financed in struggles that threatened
their livelihoods_ Be they shipyard

workers, airline pilots, health care
workers, insurance agents, or members of any other union fighting for
justice, you have never asked the color
ofanotherworker's collar. You simply
turned to whenever you heard a call
for help.' '
Also speaking at the ceremony were
two long-time SIU friends , Ray McKay,
president of District 2-MEBA, and
William F. Zenger, vice president of
the Maritime Trades Department and
business agent for Local 825 of the
Operating Engineers.
McKay talked about the close personal relationship he had with many
SIU officials-Cal Tanner, Paul Hall,
Al Kerr, Frank Drozak, Joe DiGiorgio
and Michael Sacco-and of the tremendous gains made by seamen during
the past 50 years. He then presented
the union with a crystal globe shaped
like the one which stands in front of

Norfolk Port Agent im Martin and his wife
show off the fancy cake honoring the SIU.

the SIU headquarters building.
Zenga praised the SIU for the strong
leadership it has exerted over the years,
and said that he felt honored to be
associated with such a union. He reminisced about his mentor. Steve Leslie,
who had worked closely with the SIU
in many of its toughest beefs, and
presented the union with a clock.

Headquarters. Representative George Ripoll and Port Representative Anthony McQuay
pose with the cake cel~bniting the SIU's 50th anniversary in the port of Jacksonville.
From left are Monica McQuay; Ripoll; Joe Frazier; Pastor Paul Fowler, Bible Baptist
Church; McQuay. and Mrs. Chris Ripoll.

Retired SIU Executive Vice President Ed Turner, left, joins with Bosun Joe Touart and
SIU Vice President George McCartney in a toast to the continued success of their union.

14 /LOG I November 1988

�Lindsey Williams, Frank Mongelli
Honored at Anniversary Memorial
n Oct. 29, 1988, the
SIUNA held a grand celebration of its Golden
Anniversary here at the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship.
Throughout the years, the union
has recognized the contributions
of its most outstanding leaders
through numerous dedications and
memorials. This 50th anniversary
celebration was no exception. This
time, the SIUNA honored Lindsey
Williams and Frank Mongelli.
In the tradition of Paul Hall ,
Charlie Logan , Al Kerr, and Paul
Drozak, Lindsey Williams and
rank Mongelli dedicated their lives
to the cause of unionism in the
turbulent organizing years after
World War II.
For many years Lindsey Williams was the SIU~s right arm in
the Gulf. A pioneer in organizing
inland boatmen and deepsea sailors, he forged the boatmen and
sailors of the Gulf into a potent
political force. Lindsey began
working on towboats on the Mississippi in 1935, and very soon
after, he began organizing river tug

O

and towboat men. He went to sea
during World War II, and sailed in
virtually every combat zone. After
the war, he was involved in every
major organizing beef, including
the Isthmian organizing campaign,
the El Mundo beef in Puerto Rico,
the organizing drives of the SIU of
Canada, and the Cities Service organizing drive , among others.
Until he retired in 1979, Lindsey
was a vice president of the SIU,
president of the Greater New Orleans AFL-CIO Central Body, and
president of the New Orleans AFLCI O Maritime Trades Council.
During his long and honorable career Lindsey Williams won many
awards and honors. In 1968 he
received the Greater New Orleans
AFL-CIO Community Service
Award, and in 1978 he received
the A. Philip Randolph Institute
Award.
The dedication of the SHLSS
Shiphandling Simulator Building in
his name is in recognition of Lindsey Williams' belief in education
and his long and active support of
the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School of Seamanship.

Mongelli Memorialized at Piney Point

Accepting the dedication honor at the podium is Lindsey Williams with his proud wife
Cordelia at his side. Background standing-Mike Sacco, SIU president; Ken Conklin,
SHLSS vice president.

The Shiphandling/Radar Simulator at the SHLSS represents the
latest state-of-the-art technology in
ship type computer driven simulators.

***

Dedication of the Frank Mongelli Memorial Drive on the campus of the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
recognizes his commitment to the
education and training of Seafarers. Frank came into the SIU in
the early 1940s and from the beginning worked closely with Paul
Hall in organizing and building the
Union.

Also dedicated was the main road on campus, Frank
Mongelli Memorial Drive, in memory of the late Frank
Mongelli, former SHLSS vice president. Pictured accepting
the honor and a dozen yellow roses is his widow, Mrs. Liz
Mongelli. At left is Ken Conklin, SHLSS vice president.
Mike Sacco, SIU president, is at podium.

With Hall, he began the first
seamen's training program in
Brooklyn. When the SHLSS facility in Piney Point began to take
shape in 1968, Frank Mongelli was _
called upon to build a training school
for Seafarers that would be the
best in the world.
With pick and shovel, and with
dedication and a belief in potential
of our membership, Frank Mongelli literally built SHLSS from the
ground up, and rose to become
vice president of the school and to
develop and direct its many educational programs.

The Sailors Union of the Pacific and the Marine
Firemen were represented at the SIU's 50th anni·
versary celebration by Gunnar Lundeberg, right,
SUP business agent, and "Whitey" Disley, president
of the MFOW.

November 1988 I LOG I 15

�SHLSS course Graduates

BOSUN RECERTIFICATION, 10/19/88-First row left to right: Jim Hassan,
Pedro Sanchez, Winston Shanks. Second row: Andy Anderson, Eugene Grantham, George Costango, Richard Bynum, John R. Neff, Clay Lisenby. Third
row: Ron Wolf, Chris Broerman, Michael Whitsitt.

ABLE SEAMAN, 8/30/88--First row left to right: Ali Mosad, Quinton Caruthers,
Richard Paturel, Marc Cella, James W. Donahue III. Second row: Mike Shinpoch,
Timothy Brandt, Eric J. Perez, David Gray, Neal Doucet, Donald Peterson,
Steve Ahrens. Third row: Lee Collins, Raymond J. Nowak, John Lee Davis,
Stephen Barry, Royce C. Brown. Not shown: Tony Bennett, Derrick Robrecht.

QMED, 9/26/88--First row left to right: James H. Bloodworth III, Leroy
Williams, Richard Grosso, Frnnk Jaworski, Melvin F. Brumfield, Mike Scardina.
Second row: W .B. Mccants, Alberto Matos, Riley Donahue, Luong Ngo, John
J. PhilJips. Third r&lt;&gt;w: S. Hacker, R. Doody, Frank Coburn, Mike LasDulce,
Roy Matteson~ Ed Hantsche.

FOWT, 9/26/88-First row left to right: C. Banga, Dennis Jones, Jim Beland,
Mel Sison, Bobby "Pit Bull" Milan. Second row: Bill Foley (Instructor), S.
Baclayon Jr., Andy Ditullio, Bob Powers, Craig A. Luoto, Preston Lauffer,
Leonardo P. Papa. Third row: Kevin Rice, Alan King, G. Matthews, T. Branconi,
James Stowell, Christopher J. Derra, Charlie Betz.

PUMPROOM MAINTENANCE &amp; OPERATIONS, 9/7/88-Left to right: Coy
Herrington, B. Hutching, John Orr, George B. Veldkamp, Jim Shaffer (Instructor).

RADAR, 9/21/88-First row left to right: Richard Baker, Phil Maquire, Peter
Popour, Cheryl Burgess (Simulator Computer Operator). Second row: Julian
Saunders, Wallace Cumbest, Paul Grepo, Tom Warner, Jim Brown (Inst.)

VARIABLE SPEED D.C. DRIVE, 10/31/88--Left to right: Tom Ball, David B.
Veldkamp, Mike Scardina.

~

16 I LOG I November 1988

COOK AND BAKER-Lori Fencl.

�SHLSS course Graduates

CANADIAN COOKS, 1017/88-Left to right: Linda Aaqish (Chief Cook), Alvin
Patrick (Chief Cook), Bill Eglinton (Vocational Director), Catherine MacDonald
(Chief Cook), Winnifred Butts (Asst. Cook), Ken Conklin (Vice Pres. SHLSS),
Tracey Brown (Asst. Cook), Zohara Mosih (Asst. Cook), Bill Sidenstricker (SHLSS
Steward Inst.), Angela Freeman (Asst. Cook), John Smith (CPR Inst.), Leonore
Doucette (Asst. Cook), Lewis Madol (Asst. Cook), Stephane Durocher (Asst. Cook).

LIFEBOAT, 8/30/88--First row left to right: Steve Sylvia,
Steve Roberts, Jeff Ward, Mike Northrup, Cecil Edwards.
Second row: Thomas Earl Davis, Theron Williams, Harry
Toadvine, Jerry Beaubien, Daniel Pickelheirner, Ahmed
M. Hussain, Ben Cusic (Inst.).

·:.·:.._.,,_)~ --:
SEALIFT OPERATIONS &amp; MAINTENANCE, 8/31/
88-Front left to right: Michael L. Baker, Second row:
Leonte R. Cordova, William S. Rose, Kevin Bertel.

CANADIAN CHIEF COOKS, 9/9/88--First row left to right: Clida Arrieta, Sandra
Parent, Hubert Griffith, Second row: Bobby Clinton (Asst. Vice Pres. of SHLSS),
Bill Eglinton (Vocational Director), Jean Sawvagean, John Maynard, Bill Ross (VIP
Canada).

LIFEBOAT, 9/27/88-First row left to right: B.J. Clemons,
Anthony Bryant, David Gray, Elisa Schein, Jack R. Smith,
Quinton Caruthers. Second row: Ben Cusic (Inst.), Jerry
Galletta, Carl Crigger, Steve A. Soofi, Donald Larsen,
Tony Bennett, John Lee Davis. Third row: Royc,e Brown,
Steve Ahrens, Carlton Griffin, Lee Collins, Michael Pooler,
James W. Donahue III.

SEALIFT OPERATIONS &amp; MAINTENANCE, 9/15/88-First row
left to right: Steve Roberts, Jerry Beaubien, Eric J. Perez, Wally
Lau, Anthony Bryant, Thomas Murphy. Second row: Steve Sylvia,
Michael Pooler, Harry Alongi (Inst.) S. Hacker, R.A. Butler, B.J.
Clemons, Paul Limback, David Lee Sundling, Jack R. Smith.

SEALIFT OPERATIONS &amp; MAINTENANCE, 10/15/88---First row left to right: Billie J,
Peoples, William Ford, Darci Williams, Harry Alongi (Inst.), Elisa Schein, John J.
Phillips, Second row: James Harper, Christopher Derra, Alan King, T. Branconi, Mel
Sison, Luong Ngo, David Niau. Third row: W.B. Mccants, Kevin Smith, G. Matthew,
Laurence Gilley, Cari Crigger.

TRAINEE LIFEBOAT CLASS #430, 8/30/88--First row
kneeling, left to right: Leo Battiste, Joseph Robinson, Asher
Liss, Steve Bennett, Jared Parker, Brad Dexter, Geroy
Williams, Theodore A. Stack, Second row: Doris Feliceano,
Cox Owen, Tim Kosturko, Miguel Rodrigues, David B.
Kinard, Matt Holley, Michael Underwood, Matt Ryan,
Tim Adams, Brendon Gannon, Kathleen Moxey, Ben Cusic
(Inst.), Third row: John E. Copeland Jr., Joseph Letang,
Joseph Campbell, John A. Moore.

SEALIFT OPERATIONS &amp; MAINTENANCE, 9/19/
88-Front left to right: Marc Cella, Darci Williams.
Second row: William Ford, Donald Peterson, Daniel
Keao, Harry Alongi (Inst.).

SEALIFT OPERA TIO NS &amp; MAINTENANCE, 10/5/88---First row left to right: C. Banga,
L. Papa, D. Jones, Harry Alongi (Inst.), J.A. Galletta, M.F. Brumfield. Second row: J.
Scanlon, Eddy Usmany, Michael Pooler, Larry Pittman, T. Townsend, Preston Lauffer,
John Blasquez, Steve Soofi, Johnny August.

November 1988 I LOG I 17

�1989 Upgrading
Course Schedule

Radar Refresher/Renewal

Open-ended, 3 days (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date.)

Radar Recertification

Open-ended, 1 day (Contact
Admissions Office for starting date)

Celestial Navigation

Programs Geared to Improve Job Skills
And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
January - June l989
The following is the current course schedule for January - June 1989 at
the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship.

April 1
February 29
June 27
July 29
*Minimum number of students required for Celestial Navigation class to be
held is five (5).

Third Mate

January 16

April 14

Lifeboat

January 9
February 6
March 6
April 3
May 1
May 29
June 26

January 20
February 17
March 17
April 14
May 12
June 9
July 7

Tankerman

May 15

June 9

PLEASE NOTE: All members are required to take firefighting when
attending SHLSS.

Engine Upgrading Courses
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

QMED - Any Rating

January 9

March 31

April 17

July 7

Marine Electrical Maint.

January 9

March 3

Refrigeration Systems Maint. &amp; Op.

April 3

May 12

Refrigerated Containers-Advanced Maint.

June 12

July 7

LNG -

Self Study Safety Course

(This course is not offered as a
separate course, but may be taken
while attending any of the
regularly scheduled courses.)

* Upon completion of course, must take a four-week Sealift Operations &amp;
Maintenance Course.

Pumproom Maint. &amp; Operations

April 3

May 12

Variable Speed DC Drives

March 20

April 28

Welding

February 6

March 3

May 1

May 26

Diesel Engine Technology

February 6

March 3

Electro-Hydraulic Systems

May 15

June 23

Hydraulics

March 20

April 14

FOWT

February 6

March 17

u

July 21

June 26

July 21

June
Automation

Recertification Programs
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Steward Recertification

January 30

March 6

Bosuns Recertification

March 27

May 8

Adult Education Courses
Course

+ All students in the Engine Department will have two weeks of Sealift

Familiarization at the end of their regular &lt;'.Ourse.

High School Equivalency (GED)

January 3
April 3
July 3
September 4
October 30

February 13
May 13
August 14
October 16
December 11

Adult Basic Education (ABE)

January 3
April 3
July 3
September 4
October 30

February 11
May 13
August 12
October 14
December 9

English as a Second Language (ESL)

January 3
April 3
July 3
September 4
October 30

February 11
May 13
August 12
October 14
December 9

Che~k-ln

Completion
Date
Date
Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office

Assistant Cook

for starting date)"'
Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office
for starting date)*

Cook and Baker

Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office

Chief Cook

for starting date)*
Open-ended (Contact Admissions Office

Chief Steward

for starting date)"'
"' All students in the Steward Department will have two weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

Completion
Date

For students who wish to apply for the GED, ESL, or ABE classes in 1989, the
courses will be six weeks in length and offered on the following dates:

Steward Upgrading Courses
Course

Check-In
Date

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to some of
the upgrading classes.

Deck Upgrading Courses

Developmental Studies (DVS)

January 30
June 5

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Able Seaman

January 23
March 20
May 15

March 3
April 28
June 23

First Class Pilot (Organized self study)

Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

Radar

April 17

Course

...

April 28

*Minimum number of students required for radar class to be held is four (4).
18 I LOG I November 1988

February 3

(Offered prior to the FOWT Course)

June 9

(Offered prior to the FOWT Course)
April 10
April 14
{Offered prior to the QMED Course)

ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course

February13
March 13
April 10

March 3
March 31
April28

This three-week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed to help
seafarers prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which is scheduled
immediately after this course. This class will benefit those seafarers who have
difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not English, and seafarers who
have been out of school for a long time.

�Diaes~

of Ships llee~inas

The following ships minutes are just a sampling of the many meeting
reports the SIU receives each month from its ships around the world.
LNG AQUARIUS (Energy Transportation Corp.)", September 18-Chairman
Robert Schwarz, Secretary Doyle Cornelius, Educational Director Steve Miglira,
Deck Delegate Leon Pierce, Engine Delegate Patrick Coppola, Steward Delegate
Joe Frantini. No beefs or disputed OT.
There is $1,616 in the ship's treasury and
movie fund. The bosun expressed his opinion that the members of all SIU-crewed
ships should be flown out on American
carriers instead of on foreign airlines-in
the spirit of union solidarity. A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department for a
job well done. "Everybody really enjoys
the pool parties. " Next port: Arun, Indonesia.

I~

ITB BALTIMORE (Apex Marine), September 29-Chairman Allan Rogers, Secretary Rudy De Boissiere, Educational Director S. Perdikis, Deck Delegate M.
Romero, Steward Delegate Franklyn Cordero. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
The chairman asked that headquarters pay
attention to the fact that some members
who take relief jobs are not completing the
full time, forcing the permanent man to
return to the ship before his proper vacation
is complete. The educational director
stressed the importance of taking advantage of the upgrading courses available at
Piney Point in order to move up the ladder.
"The money is there, so why throw it away."
He also discussed SPAD and the need to
contribute to that fund. This is an election
year "where the issues and the future of
the maritime and your jobs" are at stake.
Members were urged to call or write their
senators and representatives in Washington to let them know that they "are in for
a real fight when it comes to the maritime
ships and jobs." A special vote of thanks
was given to Bosun Allan Rogers, "the
best in the SIU." And a special vote of
thanks also was given to Chief Steward
Rudy De Boissiere and Chief Cook Frank
Ccrdero "fer five-star feeding these three
months." One minute of silence was ob::ierved in memory of our departed brothers
and sisters. Next port: Staten Island. N.Y.

COVE LIBERTY (Cove Shipping), October 2-Chairman John Stout, Secretary
Floyd Mitchell Jr., Educational Director Wil·
!iam Beatty, DecK Delegate Mark Pesola,
Engine Delegate Edward Ezra, Steward
Delegate Armanda F. Suncin. The steward
department sailed short one man, but there
were no reports of beefs or disputed OT
in any of the departments. The chairman
stated that the ship will pay off in Long
Beach, Calif. this trip. He relayed a message from the captain that members must
have receipts in order to collect transportation . Any problems with that will have to
be taken up by the patrolman . The educational director reminded all members that
they have the privilege of voting and that
they should be sure and do so. They were
also advised that with winter approaching ,
the seas get very rough in the Alaska trade
route, "so, if you have a leaking port hole,
don't wait 'til your room is full of water to
report it." It was noted that a couple of
members were not present at the meeting.
They were reminded that no beefs are to
be brought to the patrolman's attention that
weren't presented at the meeting. Next
port: Long Beach, Calif.
FALCON CHAMPION (Seahawk
Management), September 25-Chairman
George Cruz, Secretary R. Hicks, Educa·
tional Director H. Green. Some disputed
OT was reported in the deck department
regarding a delay in sailing. A motion was
made and seconded to have the union
lobby against any change in the Cf Rs that
would require unlicensed seamen to work
a mandatory 84-hour work week. It was
suggested that all deck showers be painted.
The crew appreciates the captain taking
the steward's VCR and returning it to the

crew. In its report to the Seafarers LOG,
Falcon Champion members thank the
"Seafarers LOG for its interesting format."
A vote of thanks was given to the steward
department-and a special thanks went to
Chief Cook Hazel Johnson for a job well
done.

H.H. HESS (TAGS-38) (LSC Marine),
September 18-Chairman James Hoban,
Secretary K. Erkenbrack, Educational Director B. Young Ill, Deck Delegate Richard
Young, Engine Delegate Richard Ramirez,
Steward Delegate Gregory Lee. Some disputed OT was reported in the deck department concerning penalty rates vs. regular OT rates. The steward department
also had numerous beefs concerning proper
checking of submitted OT. This has been
brought to the attention of the department
head and the master. The chairman encouraged the membership to become more
involved in the union process and to follow
proper grievance procedures. He also
stressed the importance of upgrading. The
educational director reminded everyone
that NA VO has now opened its PACE
courses to LSC crew. There is $95 in the
ship's fund. Since the purser is not a union
member, the secretary will hold and administer this fund. There is to be no smoking during meetings, and crewmembers
were asked to be more considerate about
picking up after themselves in the common
areas of the vessel. The short wave radio
for the crew is still unresolved and the
drinking fountains on deck are still nonexistent. Of special note is that the month
of September saw the promotion of S.A.
Terry Royal to 2nd cook and baker. Congratulations! One minute of silence was
observed in memory of our departed brothers and sisters. Next port: Rio de Janeiro.
LAWRENCE H GIANELLA (Ocean
Ships). September 14-Chairman Pete
Hulsebosch Jr., Secretary D.E. Edwards,
Educational Director Douglas Turner. No
Oeefs or disputed OT. There is presently
no money in the ship's fund, but the steward
has volunteered to start an arrival pool to
generate funds. The repair list which was
posted after the last meeting was given to
the captain. The crew toaster and GSU
sink have been repaired. No action has
yet been taken on the galley pressure
cooker. The chairman reports that there
are two Filipino crewmembers onboard the
Gianella. one who relieved a QMED after
he was not able to get a relief after trying
for two months; the other who relieved an
AB who was called home on a family
emergency. Neither man is an SIU member. The educational director informed
everyone that all deck and engine upgraders will be cross-trained in both departments while at Piney Point. He further said
that "it looks like cross-utilization of crews
will be the way of the future. " A motion
was made and seconded to increase the
dental benefits on essential work (not cosmetic work) and increase benefits for eye
examinations and glasses.
OMI DYNACHEM (OMI Corp.), September 25-Chairman Lawrence L. Kunc,
Secretary Donnie W. Collins, Educational
Director Edward Smith. Deck Delegate
Tommie E. Howell, Engine Delegate Karl
Benes, Steward Delegate Francis B. Howard. The only beef brought forward is with
the QMED being put on day work. This will
be brought to the attention of the boarding
patrolman at payoff in Houston. There is
$168 in the ship's video fund. The secretary
noted that "we are all, or most of us, are
ready to move ahead with our new leadership, " and offer "nothing but good sailing
to the president and executive vice president on their new and hard tasks ahead. "
A hearty vote of thanks was given to the
steward department and a big welcome to
the steward/baker upon his return to the
ship. Next port: Houston, Texas.

SEA-LAND ACHIEVER (Sea-Land),
October 9-Chairman Carlton Hall, Secretary R. Gary Griswold, Educational Director K. Linah, Deck Delegate M. Rodriguez, Engine Delegate J. Negron, Steward
Delegate Stanley J. Krystosiak. No beefs
or disputed OT. It was agreed a ship's fund
needs to be started so there will be some
money with which to purchase movies.
Many crewmembers will be getting off this
trip and were reminded to leave their rooms
clean for the next person. The importance
of attending Piney Point was stressed.
Upgrading is a way to help both the union
and the individual. A motion was made to
return to six-month shipping and to allow
permanent positions to request relief after
60 days or two roundtrips. In its report to
the Seafarers LOG, the Sea-Land Achiever
notes that as part of its cargo, they carried
an elephant and his caretaker from Livorno,
Italy to Elizabeth, N.J. A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department for a
job well done. Next ports: Elizabeth, N.J.
and Norfolk, Va.
SEA·LAND ANCHORAGE (SeaLand), September 7-Chairman Ernest
Duhon , Secretary James Wright, Educational Director M.L. Frizzell, Deck Delegate
G. Christianson, Engine Delegate J.T.
Trauth, Steward Delegate R.L. Maddox. In
the engine department there is a discrepancy between the QMED and the bosun
concerning duties before and after docking
and undocking. Traditional SIU overtime is
still being performed by shoreside personnel. This will be taken up with the boarding
patrolman at payoff. The bosun reminded
all hands to check with the patrolman
before leaving the vessel. Crewmembers
were reminded that the elections are fast
approaching and that anyone who hasn't
registered to vote should do so in order
"to put people in office who will lend an
ear to the maritime industry." A vote of
thanks was given to the steward department for a job well done. Next port: Tacoma, Wash.

New lounge furniture is to be delivered this
trip in Oakland. This vessel usually ties up
at 0100 hours and does not pay off until
0700. A suggestion was made to pay off
on arrival "so we can get home. As it is, if
you go home at 0100 hours, you must
return at 0700 for payoff."

LNG TAURUS (Energy Transportation
Corp.), September 11-Chairman Robert
J. Callahan, Secretary Robert H. Forshee,
Deck Delegate Peter C. Pinkerton, Engine
Delegate Daniel A. Brass, Steward Delegate Francis E. Ostendarp. No beefs or
disputed OT. There is $1,253 in the ship's
fund. A discussion was held on the drug
problem aboard ships, and the action being
taken by the Coast Guard. The bosun
emphasized the importance of taking advantage of the various upgrading courses
at Piney Point and stressed the need to
continue to support SPAD. The bosun
mentioned that he is checking into the
possibility of obtaining small refrigerators
for all unlicensed members. He and the
captain will go ashore at the next port and
see what's available. The members feel
that transportation to and from the vessel
should be via an American carrier (for
safety's sake and to avoid a language
barrier in case of emergency). All departments were given a vote of appreciation.
Next ports: Arun, Indonesia and Nagoya,
Japan.
In addition to the minutes published
above, the SIU received official ships minutes from the following ships.
BROOKS RANGE
GALVESTON BAY
GOLDEN ENDEAVOR
GROTON
INGER
LIBERTY SUN
OMI WABASH
OVERSEAS ALASKA
OVERSEAS BOSTON
OVERSEAS NEW YORK
PHILADELPHIA
PONCE
PRESIDENT TAYLOR
PFC JAMES ANDERSON
SEA·lAND CHAU.ENGER
SEA-LAND COMMITMENT
SEA-LAND CRUSADER
SEA-LAND EXPEDITION
SEA·lAND EXP ESS
SEA-LAND INDEPENDENCE
SEA-LAND INTEGRITY
SEA-LAND NAVIGATOR
SEA-LAND PATRIOT
SEA-lAND PERFORMANCE
SEA-lAND TRADER
SEA-LAND VALUE
SENATOR
SGT. MATEJ KOCAK
STONEWALL JACKSON
STUYVESANT
SUGAR ISlANDER
LNG VIRGO

SEA-LAND ENTERPRISE (SeaLand), September 28--Chairman Alex Cary,
Secretary Norman Johnson, Educational
Director Frank Hall, Engine Delegate Michael A. Hartung. No beefs or disputed OT
reported. The bosun stressed the importance of registering to vote in the upcoming
elections. The Enterprise will pay off in
Oakland Oct. 5. All eligible members were
encouraged to attend upgrading classes
at Piney Point, especially for an AB rating .
The crew of the Enterprise would like to
know what the union is doing to provide
catastrophic medical insurance, mentioned
some time back. "We have heard nothing
on this matter and would like to see some
form of this insurance for the membership."

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point .............. Monday, December 5 ................. 10:30 a.m.
New York ............... Tuesday, December 6 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia .............. Wednesday, December 7 .............. 10:30 a.m.
Baltimore ... ..... ........ Thursday, December 8 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ................. Thursday, December 8 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville .............. Thursday , December 8 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Algonac ................. Friday, December 9 .................. 10:30 a.m.
Houston ................. Monday, December 12 ................ 10:30 a.m.
New Orleans ............. Tuesday, December 13 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Mobile .................. Wednesday, December 14 .............. 10:30 a.m.
San Francisco ............ Thursday, December 15 ............... 10:30 a.m.
Wilmington .............. Monday, December 19 ................ 10:30 a.m.
Seattle .................. Friday, December 23 ................. 10:30 a.m.
San Juan ................ Thursday, December 8 ................ 10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................ Friday, December 16 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Honolulu ................ Friday, December 16 ................. 10:30 a.m.
Duluth .................. Wednesday , December 14 .............. 10:30 a.m.
Jersey City ............... Wednesday, December 21 .............. 10:30 a.m.
New Bedford ............. Tuesday, December 20 ................ 10:30 a.m.

November 1988 I LOG I

.

19

-

�The Cold Fads About Colds

-

Sorry to say, but there's still only
cold comfort in the cold facts about
the common cold.
Chilliest fact of all, perhaps, is that
medicine-for all its brilliant breakthroughs in many other areas of disease-still can't cure the common cold.
Warmest fact, relatively speaking,
is that medical science is rapidly piling
up information about the hordes of
viruses that cause colds, and how to
blunt their effects-someday, maybe,
even defeat them.
Meanwhile, America will continue
to suffer a billion colds a year. That's
more than three apiece for every individual, give or take a few hundred
thousand. Children, on the average,
get more than their share-about six
~olds a year per child.
And the cost, if you'll pardon the
expression, is nothing to sneeze at: $5
billion a year in medical expenses plus
sick days off work.
Colds are caused by viruses which
come in some 200 or more varieties.
A single family of contagions called
rhinoviruses accounts for about 40
percent of all colds. The other 60
percent are caused by a wide variety
of other viruses, including the flu bug.
That's what dims the prospects for
a single vaccine to combat colds. Those
viruses are coming at us in such numbers and in so many disguises.
The usual route cold-causing viruses
travel is from the nose to the hands,
from hands to surfaces, and from those

By Phillip L. Polakoff, M.D.
Director, Western Institute for
Occupational/Environmental Sciences

surfaces to other noses or eyes, and
so on and on.
Winter helps the spread of colds,
although it's not exposure generally
that's to blame, researchers have found.
Cold weather makes even healthy noses
run more. That can lead to more nose
wiping and more chance of spreading
cold viruses. Also, in bad weather
people tend to congregate more closely
inside, increasing the opportunity for
contact with cold sufferers.
A single sneeze releases between
10,000 and 20,000 virus particles into
the air.
So, if medical miracles aren't coming to your rescue any time soon, what
can you do when you catch a cold?
The old advice is still the best so
far: Rest, aspirin (or other relatively
mild medication), and lots of fluids.
Vitamin C in large amounts-a gram
or more a day-has been highly touted
and a lot of people swear by it. But
most studies fail to show any consistent effects.
Chicken soup? Don't laugh! A study
published in 1978 by a medical research team from Mount Sinai Medical
Center in Miami Beach concluded that
sipping hot fluids speeds the clearing
of mucous from the nasal passages.
Furthermore, hot chicken soup seems
to work a little better than plain hot
water. Score one for Mom!

Some things won't work, so save
your money. Antibiotics are no help
against a virus. Antihistamines work
well against the runny noses and watery eyes of allergies, but seldom help
much with a cold.
"One thing I would steer clear of
are the so-called shotgun remedies
with five or six ingredients," says Dr.
Ron Finley, an assistant clinical pro-

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 thert&gt; has been any violation
of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the
contracts hetwecn the Union and the employers. notify
the Seafarers Appeals Board hy certified mail, return receipt requested. The proper address for this is:
Angus '"Red" CampbeU
Chairman, Seafarers Appeals Board
S201 Auth Way and Britannia Way
Prince Georg~ County
Camp Springs, Md. 20746

Full copies of contracts as referred to are available to
you at all times, either hy 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 your contract rights, as well as
your obligations, such as filing for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time. any SIU

20 I LOG I November 1988

A dose of philosophical acceptance
may help, too. After all, if doctors
could cure all diseases in a week or
so, that would be considered a miracle.
So remember, most colds go away
that fast all by themselves.

SIU on Sabine's Titan

·· . .

GHTS
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in
all Union halls. All memhers should obtain copies o
.
constitution so as to familiarize themselves
ns contents. Any time you feel any member or officer is attempting to deprive you of any constitutional right or ohligation
hy any methods such as dealing with charges, trials, etc.,
as well as all other details. then the memher 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 submit1ed 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. Members 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 acconfance 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.

fessor of pharmacy at the University
of California at San Francisco Medical
Center. "These really are all drugs,
and they all have an effect, so don't
subject your body to them unless they
will really help."

EQUAL RIGHTS. All memhers are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights arc cle~\rly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently, no memher may be discriminated against because of race. creed, color. sex and national or geographic origin. If any memher feels that he ii\
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled. he should
notify Union headquarters.
11111111m111R1111111111111111n1111111111111111n1111111n1111111n1111111n1111111nu11111n1111111111111
patrolman or other Union official. in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly. contact the
nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY - THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union.
officer or memher. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemcJ harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This estahlished policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September. 1960. meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log
policy is vesteJ in an editorial hoard which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate. from among its ranks. one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. Un&lt;ler no circumstances shoul&lt;l any memher pay any money for any reason
unless he is given such receipt. In the event anyone
attempts to require any such payment he made without
supplying a receipt. or if a memher is required to make a
pa} mcnt and is given un official receipt. but feels that he
should not have been required to make such payment. this
should immeJi~\tely he reported to Union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
-SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to further its objects 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 ohjects. SPAD supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contributions are voluntary. No contribution may be
solicited or received because of force. joh discrimination,
financial reprisal. 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 information, he should immediately
notify SIU President Mike Sacco at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The address is 5201 Auth Way, Prince

Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

�SIU Crew Cited for Heroism

Sen. Hollings and Tom Crowley Honored
Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.)
and Thomas B. Crowley, chairman of
the Crowley Maritime Corp., were
presented with Admiral of the Ocean
Sea (AOTOS) awards last month.
Also, the SIU crew of the Overseas
Vivian (Maritime Overseas Corp.) were
honored for their rescue of seven people during a Pacific typhoon in 1987.
The crew and captain of the Vivian
were cited for rescuing seven people
who were clinging to bamboo poles in
the South China Sea following Typhoon Betty.
They battled Force 6 winds and sixfoot waves as several crewmembers
took to a lifeboat to pluck the victims

from the water. The visibility was so
poor the captain had to communicate
with the lifeboat via radio.
The award said the crew and captain
"displayed remarkable seamanship and
resourcefulness.''
"We all know the American merchant marine has been declining at a
rapid rate, but today we are starting
to see a new era develop with cooperation of labor, management and the
customer,'' Crowley told the 600 guests
at the New York City event.

Thomas Crowley

Sen. Ernest Hollings

He said there was need for new
legislation to ''update the carrying out
of the policy of our country to trans-

port a much greater portion of imports
and exports of this country, of which
American-flag ships are only handling
Y25 of the business today.''
Crowley was recognized for his
leadership of Crowley Maritime, a privately owned marine transportation
company which was founded by his
father at the turn of the century. The
company presently has 42 operating
divisions engaged in tug and barge
work, marine contract transportation,
ferry and tour boat services, vessel
repair, marine salvage and offshore oil
field support, common carrier liner
and roll-on/roll-off services.
Recently the company has expanded into transatlantic and transpacific liner services, in addition to adding to its overseas services in the
Caribbean. The company presently has
more than 4,000 men and women employees and offices and agents in some
100 major ports and cities worldwide.
Hollings told the dinner guests,
"History has demonstrated time and
again that a nation's commercial maritime fleet is a critical strategic asset
in time of war. Even more important
today, however, the U.S.-ftag maritime fleet is in the front line of America's fight to compete in world markets. We neglect that fleet at our peril."

Hollings has served on a number of
Senate committees and is chairman of
the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. He is recognized in the Senate as a person who
can "make things happen." He has
had more major pieces of legislation
enacted into law than any other sitting
senator and serves on budget and appropriations committees as well as the
Commerce Committee.
His work as committee chairman
includes the responsibility for guiding
the committee through legislation which
serves to strengthen the American
maritime fleet and its worldwide presence and in steering such legislation
into law.
Similar citations were made to several other ships' crews for their heroism and other acts of bravery at sea.
The Admiral of the Ocean Sea award
is presented each year following a
national poll of maritime industry, labor and government leaders, many of
whom served on the National Committee for the event. The United Seamen's Service (USS) has presented
the award annually since 1970. Proceeds benefit USS's community services abroad for the U.S. merchant
marine, the military and seafarers of
the world .

. j
Guenther Bischoff, 63
Willingboro, N.J.
Joined Union 1945

Richard Comstock, 70
Coventry, R.I.
Joined Union 1944

Julian Henson, 85
New York City
Joined Union 1941

Daniel James, 31,
Baltimore, Md.
Joined Union 1977

Royal McClintock, 61
Alpena, Mich.
Joined Union 1949

Charles Miller, 83
Cleveland, Ohio
Joined Union 1958

John Tilley, 67
San Francisco, Calif.
Joined Union 1943

Kermit Green, 71
Jacksonville, Fla.

Marshall Hawton, 50
Houston, Texas
Joined Union 1945

Henry Jankoski, 44
Galveston, Texas
Joined Union 1965

Adan Martinez, 44
Metairie, La.
Joined Union 1978

Jesse Parrish, 57
Houston, Texas
Joined Union 1958

John Turner, 71
Chester, Ill.
Joined Union 1964

William Hart 84,
Wilmington, Del.
Joined Union 1960

Brian Hubbell, 38
New Orleans, La.
Joined Union 1971

Robert Lawrence, 40
Portsmouth, Va.
Joined Union 1973

George Mattair, 78
Joplin, Mo.
Joined Union 1942

Homer Ringo, 78
Gulfport, Miss.
Joined Union 1945

Robert Broadus, 64
Mobile, Ala.

Frank Camara, 65
San Francisco, Calif.
Joined Union 1961

November 1988 I LOG I 21

-

�CL
L
NP

-Company/Lakes
-Lakes
-Non Priority

OCTOBER 1-31, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac ...................

0

10

8

DECK DEPARTMENT
14
0
33

0

19

10

Port
Algonac .................. .

0

9

8

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
19
0
6

0

9

4

Port
Algonac ...................

0

4

6

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
7
1
0

0

6

7

10

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

Port
Algonac ...................

0

18

0

25

34

59

55

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

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
OCTOBER 1-31, 1988

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

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 ................

..

Michael Sacco, President
Joseph Sacco, Executive Vice President
Angus "Red" Campbell, Vice President
Joe DiGiorgio, Secretary
Jack Caffey, Vice President
Thomas Glidewell, Vice President
George McCartney, Vice President
John Fay, Vice President
Roy A. Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President

HEADQUARTERS

21
59
0
Totals All Departments ........
41
32
0
0
*"Total Registered" means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month.
H"Registered on the Beach" means the total number of men registered at the port at the end of last month.

-

Seafarers International
Union Directory

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

St.

. . . . . ..

LOUIS .

Piney Point
Totals ..

•

•

'

''

o'

t

f

Io

o

o

I

POl1
New York ...............
Philadelphia ........... ...
Baltimore ...............
Norfolk .................
Mobile .................
New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jacksonville .......... ....
San Francisco .............
Wilmington ..............
Seattle .................
Puerto Rico ... ... ........
Honolulu ................
Houston .. . . . - . . . . . . ....
St. Louis ................
Piney Point ..............
Totals .................

45
1
8

14

13

34

29

38

24

50

9
7
27
0

8
5

8
6
4

11
11
11

11
7
3

7

5

2

6
0
0
5
5

13

4

8
3
3
1
4

3
5
5

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Trip
Reliefs

DECK DEPARTMENT
4
8

8

43
1

2

11

9
22
24
22

14
31

16
12
31
0

2
301

102

65

2
240

27
1

6
1

2
2

14

5

0

0

6
25

6
4
5

0
4

3

1
4
5

6
3

13
8
6

7
1
8

8
0

2
80

0
0

0

2

3
6

4

7
2

2
3
4

1
7
3
3
5

47

0

1

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

89

18

7

2

8
8
7

55

12
12
15
9

2
0
4
5

16
22
15

2

46

3
9

68

7

2

7
3
0

63
29

17
6

53
0

6

4
3

8
7
2

1
52

4
485

2
121

5

54

8
1
1

13
4
13

HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434
HOUSTON, Tex .
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713) 659-5152

5
6
0
4

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
3315 Liberty St. 32206
(904) 353-0987

0

JERSEY CITY, N.J.
99 Mo ornery St. 07302

9
2

74

(2

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

7

16

23

10
15

1
1

6
1
6
1
10

4

13

1
1

23

2

0
4

0
7
59

19

9
2

0
0

2

1

0

1

171

1
7

1

8

1

1

21

2
5
8
3

16

3

0
1
2
3

6

0

0

4

38
13
7
11

3
4

4

0
9
0
2
3
30

5
4

0

3
15
23

0

32

15

1
0
9

0
0

8
17
8
7
17
0
3

135

24

112

16

16

3

1
1
6

12
2

4
3

0
5

9
9

11

New York ...............
Philadelphia ..... . . . . . . . . .
Baltimore . .. .... .. ......
Norfolk .............. ...
Mobile .................
New Orleans ...........
Jacksonville ..............
San Francisco .............
Wilmington ... . . . . . . . . .
Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . Honolulu ................
Houston ................
St. Louis ................
Piner Point ..............
Tota s ..... . ...........

9
0

1

81
4
0
4

124

182

Totals All Departments

752

420

1

14

7

1
3

19

15

9
24

11

13

12

9

4

1
0

6
18
6
5

2
161

4
3
3
3
3

1
2

0
2

1
1

9
3

5

3
0

0

1
1

4

46

61

1

8
12
6
16
7
3
7

2
8
4

4
3

0

0
4

0

1
0

12

1
3

32

35

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
13
3
0
0
1
2
0
4
7
2
1
4
1

6

1

3

3

8
4

1

0
0
0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
4
1
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
5
1
i
6
4
0
8
11
4
1
1
27
3
1
8
3
11
3
0
0
0
6
4
31
28
1
0
12
0
0
0
2
5
0

77

1

6
0

13

0
3
156

Port

7
6
9

4

1

5

1
0
169
0

0

4

11

14
11
36
27
44
19

31
7
4

31
0
1

7
3
9

5

11

2

2
1

0

1
0

3
3
5
1

0
10
5
0

0
4

9

2
1

2

31

294

82

25

6

31

8

0

1
0

2

3

0

4

4

0

8

0

7

0
2
1

1
0

2

34

5

2
5

76

11

2
2

0

65
1
0

11

18
27
6
8
25
0
4

4

3
9
0
40
2
0

13

2

1

35

21

8

0
0
0
0

18
7

0
0

1
22
5
44
15
34

9
6
4

21

9
24
18
18

11

0

3

0
10

1

21
14
28

10
10
3

0

4
84
5
1

2
143

2

0

204

0

1
208

8

224

0
83

242

1
282

343

570

234

318

169

1,248

547

415

3
1
2

1

12

0

75
12

161
12

1

NEW YORK, N.V.
675 4 Ave., Brooklyn 11232
(718) 499-6600
NORFOLK, Va.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.
2604 S. 4 St. 19148
(215) 336-3818

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

4
9

NEW ORLEA
630 Jackson Ave. 70130
(504) 529-7546

0

2
1

34

5

50 Union St. 02740
(508) 997-54

115 Third St. 23510
(804) 622-1892

261

1

NEW BEDFORD, Mass.

2
2
8

12
102

0
86

424

MOBILE, Ala.
1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy. 36605
(205) 4 78-0916

0

11

0

•""Total Registered .. means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last month.
0
"Reoisteree1 on the Beacn ·· means ttie total number of men registered at the port at the end of last month.

Shipping in the month of October was down from the month of September. A total of 1,291 jobs were
shipped on SIU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,291 jobs shipped, 570 jobs or about 44 percent were
taken by "A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 169 trip relief
jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 8,685 jobs have been
shipped.

22 I LOG I November 1988

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218) 722-4110

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
SEATILE, Wash.
2505 1 Ave. 98121
(206) 441-1960

ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500
WILMINGTON, Calif.
510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

�'Letter of Commendation ... '
Recently the M/V Paul Buck was engaged in "Teamwork '88," a naval
exercise in the North Sea. During inclement weather and rough seas,
the officers and crew of the M/V Paul Buck participated in several
successful refueling at sea operations.
We enclose a copy of a letter of commendation from the Master to
the entire crew, noting the key roles of Bosun Alejandro Ruiz-Tirado,
AB Joel Lechel, QMED/Pumpman Fred Harris, QMED Richard Parrish
and QMED Kelly Mayo [see following letter].
It is our pleasure to also recognize these individuals for a job well
done.

Letters
To The

Editor

Very truly yours,
M.AnneKane
Manager, Marine Personnel
Houston, Texas

'Winning the Long Battle ... '
I was very glad some months ago to learn through the LOG that
WWII merchant seamen were now considered veterans and would be
awarded our honorable discharges upon completing the proper
documents. This I have done, and am now in possession of my
discharge. I am aware of the efforts of all people involved in winning
this long battle, and they can't be thanked enough.
Like many other former seamen, I am now 63 years old, mostly
retir.ed and taking life a bit easier.
When I retired my book as an AB in 1946, I asked to be put on the
mailing list for the Seafarers LOG. I doubt if I missed reading a single
edition since that time, and each time my urge to ship out seems to
come right back.
Most certainly, I extend my very best wishes for the sm in the
future.

Sincerely,

Richard 'l'.

Harrison

Bloomsbury, N.J.

'A B.eal Veteran ....
Hooray! I'm finally a veteran. I filled out the form I got from the SID,
sent it to Washington, D.C. last February, got my discharge the other
day.
Retired from the SIU in Aug. 1976 with 29 years sea-time in the SIU.
Went all through World War II (made two trips to Murmansk,
Russia).
Shuttled for 7 months in northern China in 1946 and 1947 while
the Communist Chinese were ta.king over China.
A number of trips to Korea during that war, carrying ammunition,
etc. Carried ammunition and trucks to Saigon.
Carried grain and planes to Israel during three of Israel's wars.
I already knew I was a veteran.
Thanks for all the SIU has done for me.
Smooth sailing,
Edward J. Rogg

TO:
FM:
ATTN:
SUBJ:

OSI/OPS
MASTER, M/V PAUL BUCK
PERSONNEL
LE'ITER OF MERIT

The successful completion of "Teamwork '88" without serious injury
or damage was a combined effort of the entire crew. However, the
attitude, keen seamanship, and just plain heads up work by seven key
individuals formed the nucleus that allowed the operation to be successful.
These men were: Louis Hartmann C/M
Patrick Phillips
3/M
A. RUiZ-Tirado
Bosun
J.Lechel
AB
F. Harris
Pumpman
R. Parrish
QMED
K.Mayo
QMED
I would be negligent if I did not acknowledge their efforts and
leadership. Please note the same on their files.

-

Regards,
D. M. Hockenberry
Master
MfV Paul Buck

Personals
Andrew Julius Batill

Anyone having information on Andrew Batill's whereabouts, p1easeconra
0
following addresses:

Chamita Apt. 10
La Joya Apartments
Espanola, New Mexico 87532

~~~~~-~~~"""'-f....r-if-M~-t

1700 Cerrillos Road

Santa Fe. New Mexico
or

Alfred William Franklin

Please contact your sister, Eleanor
Franklin Likmess, at (206) 441-0801.

Dayton, x:v.

Algol, Altair, Denebola Win Praise ...
AB YOU make your final voyage in support of the major exercise
Reforger 88, you can be proud of your superior perfo:rmanoe. You have
brought credit to the MSC a.no. the U.S. Navy ana enhanced the
re1mtat1on of the Fast Seallft Squadron and the merchant marines who
so ably sail the TAKRs.
Well done.
Capt. E.L. Giboson
Fast Bealift Squadron

Bew Orleans, La.

Correction
In the special 50th Anniversary supplement of the October 1988
Seafarers Log, Bill Eg1inton was incorrectly identified as a counselor at

the Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Piney Point. Bill Eglinton is Dean
of Vocational Education at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of
Seamanship, and has no connection with the ARC. The counselor should
have been identified as Bill Eckles. We regret any inconvenience.

I

-

----~

---

-

-

DON'T
DIG
YOUR

I

OWN
GRAVE
I

a

0

NARCOTICS
RLllN YOUR
L!FE7 AND
CAN END

YOUR

ir

SEAFARING
CAR££R
[]
0

I

I,
I

I

November 1988 I LOG I 23

�Help
A
Friend
Deal
With
Alcoholism
and
Drugs

-

I

II

l

would~ ~

Addicts don't have friends. Because a friend
let another man blindly travel a course that has to lead
to the destruction of his health, his job and his family.
And that's where an alcoholic or drug user is headed.
_Helping a fellow Seafarer who has an addiction
problem is just as easy-and just as important-as
steering a blind man across a street. All you have to do
is take that Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the
Union's Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee,

.--------------------------------...,

i
:

Md.

Once he's there, an SIU member will receive the care
and counseling he needs. And he'll get the support of
brother SIU members who are fighting the same tough
battle he is back to a healthy, productive alcohol-free
and drug-free life.
The road is a long one for an alcoholic and drug user.
But because of ARC, an addicted SIU member doesn't
have to travel the distance alone. And by guiding a
brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center,
you'll be showing him that the first step back to recovery
is only an arm's length away.

Addictions Rehabilitation Center
I am interested in attending a six-week program at the Addictions
Rehabilitation Center. I understand that all my medical and counseling
records will be kept strictly confidential, and that they will not be kept
anywhere except at The Center.

l
:

I
1
1

I

:
Name · · · · · · · .. · · · · · .. · .... · .. · .......... Book No. · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

1

;
Address . . . .. .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . .. . ..
(City)

(Street or RFD)

(State)

(Zip)

Telephone No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mail to :

THE CENTER

Star Route Box 153-A
Valley Lee, Md. 20692

I

or call, 24 hours-a-day, 1301; 994-0010

l
I
1
I
1

II
I

t.--------------------------'·- --------------------------------'
24 I LOG I November 1988

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                <text>Headlines:&#13;
SIU SUES TO STOP FINK SHIP&#13;
BILL SIGNED TO CORRECT FUEL TAX- MEAL PROBLEM&#13;
MARITIME INDUSTRY NEEDS HIGH PRIORITY, SIU SAYS TO BUSH&#13;
A DETAILED BLUEPRINT FOR REBUILDING U.S.-FLAG FLEET&#13;
PRIVACY QUESTION CONCERNS SEAFARERS&#13;
GOVERNMENT ORDERS DRUG TESTS, LONG COURT BATTLE EXPECTED&#13;
DRUG TESTING IS WRONG, ILLEGAL AND DEGRADING TO ANY PERSON, UNION OR NOT…&#13;
MODEL OF NEW SIU BROOKLYN HALL GOES ON DISPLAY FOR MEMBERS&#13;
COAST GUARD ADDS VETS STAFF&#13;
SIU AIDS SEMINAR SEEKS AN INDUSTRY POLICY&#13;
SIU BEGINS AIDS EDUCATION&#13;
JONES ACT DOES NOT HARM ALASKA’S ECONOMY &#13;
COMPANY PLEADS GUILTY TO SINKING OF MARINE ELECTRIC&#13;
FEDERAL JUDGE UPHOLDS CDS PAYBACK RULE &#13;
U.S. AND CHINA NEAR BILATERAL SHIPPING PACT&#13;
WATERMAN SOLD; WILL KEEP SAILING WITH SIU CREWS&#13;
SEALIFT’S INGER LOADS UP WITH SUGAR&#13;
TUGS, BARGES HELP KEEP PHILLY BUSY&#13;
LONE STAR BOATMEN VISIT PORT ARTHUR&#13;
DEFENSE REPORT-TIME TO REBUILD U.S. FLEET&#13;
U.S./CHINA MARITIME&#13;
SIU CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY IN THE PORTS&#13;
THE COLD FACTS ABOUT COLDS&#13;
50 YEARS OF SIU PROGRESS TOASTED&#13;
LINDSEY WILLIAMS, FRANK MONGELLI HONORED AT ANNIVERSARY MEMORIAL&#13;
SEN. HOLLINGS AND TOM CROWLEY HONORED&#13;
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OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION • ATLANTIC, GULF, LAKES AND INLAND WATERS DISTRICT • AFL-CIO

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Union Seeks to Halt Drug
Test Rules
New Problems MU»unf
for Grain Ship

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AIDS-The Most
Common Questions
Page 6
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Scholarship Application Time

President's Report
by Michael Sacco

The Drug Testing issue

This might be a good time to remind
Seafarers and the children of Seafarers
who have the qualifications and who are
thinking about Continuing their education at the college level that they ought to
examine the Union's scholarship program.
Applicatioi/s are now being accepted from qualified SIU members and
qualified dependents of SIU members who wish to compete for the seven
scholarship awards which will be announced in May for use in the school
terms beginning in the fall.
These annual awards consist of seven scholarships, four of which are worth
$10,000 over a four-year period at colleges chosen by the winners. In addition,
three scholarships are reserved annually for SIU members themselves: one is
a four-year coUege scholarship of $10,000; two are two-year scholarships of
$5,000 each for study at a vocational school or community college.
The awards are made by an impartial committee of professional educators
from colleges and universities.
Since the start of the program, 178 scholarships have been awarded. It has
produced from SIU ranks, doctors, lawyers, engineers, pharmacists, teachers,
librarians, computer specialists and scientists. Most importantly, most of them
have pointed out that without the help of the SIU program they might never
have had the opportunity to pursue their education.
It is a program in which all of us in the SIU can be proud.
Any Seafarer or son or daughter of a Seafarer who is interested, is urged to
pick up an application at any SIU hall or write for an application to:

Few problems that confront our nation
are as difficult and complicated as that
surrounding the use of drugs. The news­
papers, radio and television are saturated daily with some aspect of this frustrating
issue. In one form or another it comes into conversation daily.
The views and opinions on how to deal with the drug problem vary across
the board. In our own union there are differing points of view on how to make
headway in the fight to beat the use of drugs.
In fact, in our own union we recognized the dangers of drug use to the
physical and mental well being of seamen a long time ago, just as we did in
dealing with alcoholism long before that.
We deal with both these problems in a Very organized manner. Our collective
bargaining agreement many years ago created a program that has effectively
fought alcohol and drug abuse through preventive and rehabilitative means.

*. •. As an organization of workers whose history is
fuii of rights^ abuses and periods of second-closs
citizenship, we can do no /ess than fight with
everything we have against ony Ill-considered one/
arbitrary attempt to unnecessariiy suspend
seamen's rights.'nr
So we were very disappointed when the federal government through the
Department of Transportation ordered a screening program for seamen as well
as other transportation workers. The reason cited for the action was the need
for safety. There certainly can be no argument with that purpose.
But the order was issued without any supporting facts that show a pattern
of accidents or lack of safety in maritime, arising out of drug use.
So the SIU has taken action (see story below) in federal court, against the
government program to screen seamen for drugs by a random process whose
ftill cost must be borne by the industry itself. We feel this random testing and
other features of the program could violate seamen's rights of privacy, and
could include the government in the collective bargaining process.
As an organization of workers whose history is full of rights' abuses and
periods of second-class citizenship, we can do no less than fight with everything
we have against any ill-considered and arbitrary attempt to unnecessarily
suspend seamen's rights.

New Drug Test Regs Challenged

Seafarers Welfare Plan
Charlie Logan Scholarship
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746

Season's
Let me take this opportunity to wish each and every member of the SIU
and its affiliated organizations my best wishes for good health and happiness
this holiday season and throughout the year ahead, and to their families as
well.

CJ-O:--

SIU Sues To Protect Seamen's Rights
post accident and probable cause.
In addition, the testing must be con­
ducted by employers. Any worker who
tests positive for drugs must immedi' ately be removed from the job and will
not be allowed back to work until he
or she has completed a rehabilitation
program and has been cleared by a
medical officer.
But the new regulations do not re­
quire companies to establish any type
of rehabilitation program.
Sacco pointed out the SIU has op­
erated a drug and alcohol abuse pre­
vention and rehabilitation program for
more than 20 years. Many other in­
dustries also have been fighting drug
abuse through programs set up vol­
untarily by labor and management.
The cost of the testing and any
rehabilitation programs would be left
entirely up to the industry. The gov­
ernment estimates the 10-year cost of
the program at more than $2 billion,
but some in the industry believe-4t
would be many times that.
While the Coast Guard claims that
safety is the main issue, even though
it admits it has no evidence tying drug
use to maritime accidents, the regu­
lations won't cover any foreign-flag
ships.
"This exclusion of individuals aboard
foreign-flag ships renders the pur­
ported safety justifications for the rules
illufiory, given that 95 percent pf all
U.SVe^ort and import cargo is car-

The SIU became the first transporand further asks for preliminary and
tation union to challenge new federal
perinanent injunctions forbidding the
drug testing regulations when it fileS^x^ Coast Guard from implementing those
rules.
suit in Washington, D.C. to have the
"The SIU, along with the entire
new rules declared unconstitutional.
maritime industry, is committed to an
The rules, issued last month by the
alcohol- and drug-free workpl^ice,"
Coast Guard, require mandatory ran­
SIU President Mike Sacco said.
dom drug testing for more than 4
million transportation workers.
"The Coast Guard rule, which tram­
.. The Coast Guard
ples Upon individual privacy and dig­
admits it has no evidence
nity, enlists private employers as un­
willing foot soldiers required at their
tying drug use to
own expense to violate employees'
maritime accidents. •
rights. The rights of the employer and
employee are thus sacrificed at great
"We reject the notion that the op­
financial and huriian cost, even though
erators must now( in effect, become
the Coast Guard acknowledges an in­
police officers to ui)hold the govern­
ability to 'specifically identify the use
ment's possible violation of the rights
of drugs or alcohol as a major causal
of American workers," Sac^o said.
effect in commercial vessel losses or
The rules have been broadly criti­
casualty damage'," the suit charges.
cized by maritime labSr and manage­
The suit, filed in the U.S. District
ment since the proposal was an­
Court in the District of Columbia, asks
nounced earlier this year.irhey require
the court to declare the rules which
five types of testing: pre-employment,
require pre-employment, periodic and
random unannounced, periodic with
random drug testing unconstitutional
government required physical exams.

frmik
OfeMor ol IHMc ReMtora a PuUMiora

JeliiiFay

CtMriMSvMMn

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MmgmgEdlar
Otbonli Gi««w
AIMOMH Edttir

ried on foreign-flag vessels," the suit
says.

. Operators must
now become police
officers to uphpid the
government's possible
violation of the rights of
American workers.
Other unions have expressed thenoutrage at the rules.
The Transportation Institute, which
represents 140 maritime companies that
would be forced to begin drug testing
programs under the new rules, joined the
SIU in the suit.
Outlining operators' objections to the
regulations, TI President James Henry
said, "This new burden would seriously
impair our ability to concrete in the world
trades. The red tapP, implementation
costs and redundancy to efforts already
undierway in our industry would be more
economic blows to our struggling mer­
chant marine."
The more than $2 billion cost of the
program, will add to an already unfair
cost advantage foreign-flag operators
enjoy.
"U.S. deep-sea shipping companies
must often compete with subsidized
foreign fleets alr^y benefiting from less
restrictive health, safety and ^nployment
regulations, fleets that would now gain
an iinfiair cost advantage in dmg miforcement as well," Heriry said.

2 / LOG / December 1988
•

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�®«iln Ship's Probi

„ '

theant^^rin o^^o/®'^ weeks for
that they are
^^

SSSFSH

further Xse of'
Coast Guard Capt j
dered. Calhoim ; •!. ' Calhoun orPolofS.'^'^^P'e-nofthe

'SscftiS'Sw:

J--*,
missed two sailinrn

has

subje:n?t?otf

gation for poJIufino D
mvestiharbor. Its
of duty and !?f L ? ''"®"
filed by the SIUrs«&gt;
target of a suit
SeafarmLoS
'• November

oil. oil residue. Nl s^S^3""''''•^'
"«terial, banels and otSebris^®"'
been removed from Tf. H , '
vessel and a renrf. • •
®f the
office has been abZdT''^
removal is complete "
'

he ordered.

Ocean CfZl

^hat the

pi%:#5
Tt7hrw''--'^v':ifr-rtr

toloi^ tb^

prly to carry grain Th^^
P^opinspection But that
Passed
on^8ood„e""V»lX.:'~"' '••«
The ship had h^I
f P ® owners.
fof Pakistan on Nov'22^^?^'"
that date. A second
""ssed
set for Dec. 7
^''"® •'"'e -"as
arose and not a ««« ? f Prob/ems
" been loaded onto the^sh
IJecember.
''"P of early
tbatal^SIga^dS^^^"^^ ordered
for the
^ter -comZ.^f t u^f
""W
tatives of the vessels
''opresen^
® owners presents

were built in 1976
ow«n''wl"''"™^ ""too the ships-

'he'!wfi;rS?C''°d"''

Ther,a hrsa ^

a contraci to deliver 200^^'

^s Missed

'P"" inijn

on appeal.

wh^cottd^tnrr""^''''"^-^-

nue more Ln of ' ?»npany revetlie SIU and others'medtV^" suit Charged BetaonfvL'STJ"
Ooenn CWe„ger-s owne^b^d t

"•here. As the SeJareia Lor"''
press, it was ren.^.a?.
"'®»t to
Challenger had he
Ocean

sl.ipats;.^'"p;C'™''"yl/«the
t scrap Prices TK^
®
contends that Mar A J!?
^'^o
the 1936 Merchant"
'"How
tkat the SWN
and
grain trade.
suitable for the
•oh^^^he WspiH^
other as^mcts of Sf Sel tter"""
cfeaTtL^sL^s
immigrants in the work ?
also rounding up hom^ ^
a Portland shtlS^f^T
^om
work.
^ the dangerous

Altenflon Seafai

""kt'ally scheduled

•andtfe™rffri"'"''°-

&lt;^ase is

=v«:SAa5fe

Those of voii u/hrs »i
Lundeberg School of

^
^^^^^^^ f^^' ^^iasses at the

r

loading IrPortia^g" r*""'''"''«»»

shape of the sh^n^k ,®°'®"se of the
list could have lesultedln ""^^'^us
token place in Portf f
It®*!

"ttit^S^^

-aybeflnrfo^oilb^""'''•"lis
^'^"ot designed

OfSce
"'^ f"'tsC"stom House
40 South Gay Street
Baltimore, Md. 21202

to cany g,i°

sail to sSe'"to"^''^'''''P"'8l't
loading facility.
^^ferent grain

Whenv

if

^

I

SeXS^H' " "^""^"on

its sister sWps wtreSa^sed
'^'' ^™P
slop was purchase
puichased for

BcI^^^rbJ""^'»'^«on Safety

'im

o imn^"l5?f.."«^«ladrive
fishing industry wWeh^f^\® the
accident and^th mte ? ,b
f"®"
Emphasizing that the
voluntary saferv
^

r^rSSsr?
for in the past.

"

fia^^?^i' Sl^

vessel safetv «•

"^od

'•'^

.fc™cnt in fishing

'^»says^tMris''rnr1986 and 1987 have deeiea^J""
the board's r^nrart .. '^'"^^ased, said
oident investi^o^ iSe'Z'""
a
®ta®S'
Rep Lh DeMato (right) led the
Rosenda Afredond^ilzL .
JJul Afarra, AbduBa

'^wcrs, Harvev SmStia

®e Ptamproom
Celona (2?rS"c«''°®™m ^tb
Enrolled in
Legisiatiw
P««rf Limba/rSiS"^^

-Ai^el Perez Jr

fian* • **/

'January 197# unfi r , ooacased Irom
tlie d^ rate b' . "''' "**• =»'! that
montte^"'®''^'"&lt;=«ascd in recent

^cCormiHr

GtSSta&amp;^ffiattheCr^st
feet on vessels bein
®f"

K"^S''e.^'f?-sS:::"

Sdfe/K
"'?b";5^™»sels
l"f5^.™»sels are members.

'^'sseti!'t!ZZlT'T''^'^-

•-ytil-v

and five to seven
fordeepsea vessels

fic^i!Jmo!Sr™I"'r'^"fi&lt;'Ashing
for
'.mm

industry Such
"
comSble
•he towir^'h^^X

votoX7;„X!^'sh''t"K®'" '••'

more time fmni
be given
ficensing and^S"""""® niandatory
would &amp; f fj?"""® retirements
says woXcoSfmSr""
«
and $800,000 a year
"P
The NTSR
^1™""®fer.
J978
^Xi, '
maior fishing ve!Ll
207
mvolved the loss of I47"i"""
SS-tPertylos-^XXn-jL"

said th7flM "r
reduced,
"tents had beei inXS""^

ssSS'-^sc

".OOOofthenaUo^SlS.r':

(Ololiniied on ftge 15.,

Decembgpjaag^l,

'.-nymI
"'L-'-Pf!&lt;

•

''' 'U'

• t.

I

�'Kl.

Iffeboof Races Across Heavy Sects

Seafarers Rescue 27 From Sinking Bilker
Twenty-seven members of a Pana­
manian ship owe their lives to the
fast action of the SlU-crewed LNG
Capricorn (Energy Transportation
Corp.).
Four Seafarers and two officers pi­
loted one of the Capricorn's lifeboats
across t^g^miles of 10-15 foot seas
and towed the 27, whose lifeboat's
engine wasn't working, to safety.
The rescue occurred in the South
China Sea, west of the Philippines on
Oct. 22. AB and deck delegate Bert
Gillis provided these pictures and in­
formation to the LOG.
At about 6:35 a.m., the Capricorn
received a Mayday from the Evpo
Agspyr. Gillis said the captain in­
creased the ship's speed, and less than
an hour later they spotted the sinking
bulk carrier.
As the Capricorn came into posi­
tion, Bosun Pete Waters lowered its
lifeboat #1 with ABs Larry Sims and
Donovan Christie, Ordinary Seamen
Ken Lusk and Michael Riley, along
with 3rd Mate Ronald Flowers and
3rd Asst. Engineer Brian McAdle.

When the lifeboat pulled alongside
the sinking ship, its decks were
swamped. The crew of the Panama­
nian vessel were in their lifeboat, but
its engines were not operable, Gillis
said. They then towed the other boat
through the heavy seas to the Capri­
corn.
"We began to bring the rescued
seamen aboard. Only one man had to'
be hoisted aboard with a bosun's chair,"
Gillis said.
"The Capricorn's lifeboat #1 was
ready to be hooked up to the falls and
winched aboard," Gillis said.
"Sounds easy. But due to the state
of the wind and seas, I believe that
the training we received at SHLSS
and weekly fire and boat drills, plus
Bosun Waters' seamanship knowledge
made recovery of boat #1 a safe and
rapid operation. But by no means
easy," he said.
There were no injuries during the
rescue, and the 27 crewmembers were
taken to Arun, Indonesia for flights
home.

With Bosun Pete Waters (far right) ready at the winch, Seafarers (I. to r.) AB Larry
Sims, OS Ken Lusk, OS Mike Riley and AB Donovan Christie are ready to launch the
iifehoat. Third Mate Ronald Flowers and 3rd Asst. Eng. Brian McAdle are onboard.

;siis

^

V.

V

With the towline secured, lifeboat #1 (foreground) nears the Capricorn after its two-mile
run to the sinking hulk carrier.

The rescued crewmembers of the Evpo Agspyr pose on the Capricorn's deck.

At Sea
Dolphins to the Rescue
Most of us have heard of man's
recent rescue of two gray whales,
stranded in the frozen waters off Pt.
Barrow, Alaska. Through the united
efforts of Americans, Russians, Es­
kimos and environmentalists world­
wide, the two whales were freed from
the ice to swim southward to warmer
waters.
Something similar happened in the
Indian Ocean last month, but this time
men were the victims and dolphins
were the liberators.
Two sailors from the tanker Elpina

(owned by the Indonesian state oil
company), which sank in the Indian
Ocean in rough seas, were guided to
the safety of a small island off the
Indonesian wildlife reserve at Ujung
Kulon by a school of dolphins which
nudged them along in the right direc­
tion.
The men, who were wearing life
vests, were then able to call for help.
Rescue teams rushed to the area and
were able to pluck another nine crew­
members from the sea. One man was^
found dead; two are still missing.

New Regs Ban Plastic
Trash Dumping at Sea
New Coast Guard regulations will
make the United States the leader in
an international effort to control a
growing threat to marine life.
"We are taking a major step to clean
up the world's oceans," said Secretary
of Transportation Jim Burnley, in an­
nouncing a proposed rule to prohibit
the dumping of plastic refuse at sea.
"Marine birds and animals ingest

plastic debris, or become entangled in
it," said Bpmley, causing the deaths
of one million birds and more than
100,000 marine mammals and sea tur­
tles each year.
The rule would also restrict the
dumping of other ship-generated gar­
bage and require that adequate facili­
ties for receiving garbage from ships
be available at U.,S. ports and termi-

4 / LOG / December 1988

...

&lt;1;., ,V -L --.v-.ii-X'

nals, including recreational marinas.
The proposed regulations will go
into effect Dec. 31, 1988 and apply to
U.S.-flag vessels anywhere in the world
and foreign-flag vessels in U.S. waters
out to the 200 mile limit. This includes

commercial, recreational and fishing
vessels of any size and type, as well
as the facilities that serve them.
Violators of the new regulations will
be given a stiff fine—up to $50,000
plus five years in jail.

Tanker Sinks—27 Missing
No sign has been found of the 27
crewmen from an oil tanker which
broke in two last month and caught
fire in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Liberian-registered Odyssey split
in half 900 miles off the coast of
Newfoundland in stormy weather with
winds of 44 miles an hour and waves
of up to 25 feet.
Fifteen (Jreeks and 12 Hondurans
were onboard the British-owned tanker
which was carrying a million barrels
of crude oil at the time.
Rescue officials reported no sign of
the men, although two burned and
empty lifeboats were sighted.
This was the second incident this
year of a tanker breaking in two and
burning, in the mid-Atlantic. In April,
a Greek tanker went down off New­
foundland, killing all 24 Polish crew­

men and five of their wives.

Studds Visits SIU

Rep. Gerry E. Studds (right) (D-Mass.)
visited the New Bedford hall recently. The
member of the House Mechant Marine and
Fisheries Committee has been instrumental
in battles to help the fishing industry. He is
pictured above with New Bedfratl Port Agent
Henri Francois.

�Learn the Facts

Questions and Answers About AIDS
This is another in a series of articles
on the AIDS crisis and its impact. The
Seafarers LOG is publishing these ar­
ticles in an attempt to educate Seafar­
ers about this deadly disease and to
help SIU members and their families
reduce their risk of contracting AIDS.
These articles are written by Dr. Eliz­
abeth Reisman as part of the Seafarers
AIDS Forum for Education (SAFE).
Reprints of previous articles and this
one are available by writing to:
AIDS Information Office
Dr. Elizabeth Reisman
SHLSS
Piney Point, Md. 20674
I have been giving lectures about
AIDS for nearly two years. During
this time I have spoken not only to
upgraders and trainees, but also to
public school teachers, parents and
the general public. It doesn't matter
whom I talk to, they all ask me the
same questions about AIDS and how
it's spread. Studies have shown that
people from all backgrounds lack an
understanding of the facts about AIDS.
These are many of the questions which
I get.
Q. Is AIDS really a serious problem
today? Why should I be concerned
about it?
A. AIDS is the number one public
health problem in the U.S. today.
As of Oct. 31, 1988, there have
been 76,932 cases of AIDS re­
ported in the U.S. By 1992 it is
expected that this number will rise
to 365,000 or 380,000 cases. We
do not know exactly how many
people are infected with the virus
who are not sick. It is estimated
that 1 to 1.5 million people are
infected with .the virus today. By
1991 this number may be 5 to 10
million. Everyone who reads these
statistics should be concerned. By
1992 it is likely we will all know
someone who is or has been in­
fected with the virus.

Q. How is the AIDS virus transmitted
(passed on from one person to
another)?
A. 1) Having sex (oral, anal and va­
ginal) with an infected person.
2) Injecting infected blood into the
bloodstream (most often by
sharing needles/syringes in IV
drug use).
3) Infected mothers to their newbom infants.
Q. How is the AIDS vims not spread?
A. The AIDS virus is not spread by:
1) insects;
2) donating blood;
3) everyday contact at work,
school, stores, restaurants, boats
or swimming pools;
4) social contact with others such
as hugging, sneezing, coughing
or shaking hands;

5) sharing telephones, tools, chairs,
desks, pens, papers, offices or
bathrooms.
Q. Can I get AIDS through a blood
transfusion?
A. Before May 1985, some people in
the U.S. got AIDS from infected
blood transfusions. Now, all do­
nated blood in the U.S. is tested
for the AIDS antibody. If the blood
is shown to be infected, it is thrown
out. Donated blood today in the
U.S. is far safer than before 1985.
If you plan to have surgery, talk
to your doctor about donating your
own blood ahead of time in case
you need it.
,
Not all foreign countries test
donated blood. Receiving blood
transfusions in countries that do
not test for the AIDS antibody is
risky. In a foreign country it is
important to ask if the donated
blood has been tested before it is
given to you. Also ask how im­
portant the transfusion is to your
recovery and what other options
you have.

.. Yoii can^'ttell if
a person is infected
with the AiDS virus
by loolrlng at him or
her.,/'
Q. Can I get AIDS by giving blood?
A. No. In the U.S. new sterilized
equipment is used for each person
who donates blood.
Q. Can I get AIDS from a mosquito?
A. No. AIDS is not spread by mos­
quitoes. No cases of AIDS have
ever been linked to mosquitoes.
Scientists have studied mosquitoes
in different communities in the
country. They have repeatedly
found nothing to indicate that mos­
quitoes transmit the AIDS vims.
Areas of the country where mos­
quitoes are common do not have
more cases of AIDS than other
areas of the country. If mosquitoes
transmitted AIDS we would see
people of all ages (birth to 100
years of age) infected more equally.
We do not.
Q. Should I share razors or toothbmshes on the ship?
A. Sharing razors and toothbmshes
have not been directly linked to
transmitting the vims. Household
members of persons with AIDS
have not become infected with t|ie
vims, except through sexual con­
tact or sharing needles/syringes in
IV dmg use. We do know that
equipment containing infected blood
can possibly transmit the vims
through ah opening in the skin or
mucous membranes.
So it seems theoretically possi­
ble that sharing razors and tooth­
bmshes might transmit the vims
this way. Such a risk is easily
avoided by not sharing razors or
toothbmshes. It is also good per­
sonal hygiene not to share them.
Ear piercing, tattooing and acu­
puncture also present a risk of
infection through the use of con-

-

t

taminated equipment with infected
blood. Choose a reputable place
which provides these services. Ask
about how. the equipment is steri­
lized or whether new, sterile needles
are used.

You shouid be
selective about your
sexuai partners ...
• •

Q. How can I know if a person is
infected with the AIDS virus?
A. You can't tell if a person is infected
by looking at him or her. Some
infected people will be sick with
AIDS. Many more infected people
feel and look well. The AIDS an­
tibody test is the only way to test
if someone has been infected.
Q. What body fluids can transmit (pass
on) the virus?
A. The AIDS virus has been found in
several body fluids. BloOd, semen,
vaginal secretions and breast milk
are the fluids which are known to
transmit the virus. These fluids
contain the most virus, therefore,
are most likely to lead to infection.
A few scientists have found the
AIDS virus in saliva and tears in
very small amounts in rare in­
stances. Since the amount of the
virus is so small, it is unlikely to
be of risk to anyone. To infect ^
someone, the AIDS virus would
have to get into the bloodstream
and be of large enough quantity to
do harm.
Q. What is AIDS?
»
A. This is the late stage of infection
with the AIDS virus. It seems to
occur on the average of seven to
eight years after being first infected
with the virus. The body's immune
system (defense department) is
weakened by the virus. Unusual
infections, rare cancers and dam­
age to the brain and nerves occur.

Aii donated
blood In the United
States is tested for
AIDS. If the blood is
infectedr it is thrown
out.
Q. What is ARC?
A. ARC stands for AIDS Related
Complex. It is a term which is not
often used today. It is the second
stage of infection with the AIDS
vims. It is often called pre-AIDS.
Some symptoms of this stage in­
clude: chronically swollen lymph
nodes (neck, armpits or groin),
weight loss, chronic fever or fever
which comes and goes, night sweats
occurring for weeks, diarrhea, and
extreme fatigue. These symptoms
occur for two or more months and
are not due to other illnesses. Since
these symptoms are general and
may suggest other illnesses, it is
important to seek medical atten­
tion promptly for a proper diag­
nosis. Early diagnosis and treat­
ment are important in AIDS as
well as other illnesses.
Q. What is an "AIDS carrier?"

A. All individuals infected with the
AIDS virus are carriers. People
are carriers from the time they are
first infected with the virus and
throughout all the stages of the
illness (positive AIDS antibody test,
ARC/pre-AIDS, and
AIDS).
Therefore, people carry and can
pass on the AIDS virus to others
from the time of infection for the
rest of their lives until a cure is
found. Unless a person has been
tested or diagnosed with AIDS or
ARC, that person would not know
that he or she is aP carrier. Many
people, therefore, do not know
they are carriers. People con­
cerned about whether or not they
are infected witfi the virus should
consider having the AIDS antibody
test done.

H •w •

.•

. No cases of
AIDS have ever
been linked to
mosquitoes . •
Q. I don't have sex with prostitutes,
can I still get infected?
A. A great number of prostitutes in
the U.S. and the world are infected
with the AIDS virus. Women other
than prostitutes are infected, es­
pecially IV drug users, sex part­
ners of IV drug users, sex partners
of bisexual men, and sex partners
of other high risk persons.
Any sex partner (male or female)
presents a possible risk of infec­
tion. The safest sexual partner is
one who you are certain is not
infected, who has not and will not
use IV drugs, and who has been
and will be absolutely faithful to
you. Other sexual partners must
be viewed as possibly infected.
You should be selective about your
sexual partners. Limit the number
of sexual partners. During sexual
activity precautions need to be taken
to prevent contact with vaginal
secretions,, semen and blood. La­
tex condoms can reduce your
chances of infection with the virus.
To be effective i condoms must be
used properly from start to finish.
Read and follow the package in­
structions carefully.

^'... A great number
of prostitutes in the
U.S. and the world
are infected with the
AIDS virus.
Q. Where can I go to get more infor­
mation about AIDS or to ask my
personal questions?
A. 1) Your family physician may be
helpful if he is familiar with
AIDS.
2) Your local or state health de­
partment.
3) Your local chapter of the Amer­
ican Red Cross.
4) The AIDS hotline 1-800-342AIDS.
5) The VD Hotline 1-800-227-8922.

- -

December 1988/LOG/5

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The upper level deck courses of­
fered at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship are de­
signed to prepare qualified upgraderS
to take the U.S. Coast Guard exams
for the various licenses up to either
Third Mate any gross,tons, or Master/
Mate, 500/1600 gross tons—both for
oceans and coastal waters.
The Third Mate (Oceans) is the first
of many courses to undergo revision
under the direction of instructor Chuck
Spence, and will include Firefighting,
CPR and First Aid. Because of the
mass of material needed to be mas­
tered, the 13-week course requires a
serious student who will average at
least two hours of study per night.
"This course of study is geared to
learning the material for the job, not
just to pass the Coast Guard, test,"
says deck instructor Jim Brown.
The Third Mate course is a 13-week
concentrated course of study consist­
ing of classroom instruction in all areas
of terrestrial navigation, deck seaman­
ship, nautical rules of the road, ship­
building, ship stability, cargo handling
and federal regulations (CFR's). Ad­
ditional emphasis is placed on the
basics of marine meteorology and nav­
igation where the student is expected
to master the subjects of chart con­
struction, instruments and accesso­
ries, magnetic and gyro compasses.

identification, sunrise, sunset and twi­
light.
In the final week of the course, the
student will take the U.S. Coast Guard
exam. The Third Mate (Oceans) exam
lasts three days. Students who pass

dead reckoning, piloting, lines of po­
sition, electronic navigation, tides and
tidal currents, and weather.
Finally, this course's extensive
training includes instruction in ele­
mentary celestial navigation. This ma-

contact the SHLSS admissions office
for starting dates. The Piney Point
Third Mate course is designed to take
the studeht on the Third Mate (Oceans)
career path. To be eligible, applicants
must have discharges showing: (1)
Three years in the Deck Department:
Two-and-one-half years as Ordinary
Seaman and six months as Able Sea­
man, Quartermaster, or Bosun, OR
(2) All three years as Able Seaman,
Quartermaster or Bosun.
Third Mate instructor Chuck Spence
expresses great enthusiasm for this
newly restructured course. Back in
September of this year, he was pleased
with the U.S. Coast Guard's release
of their entire Merchant Marine test
bank to the Vocational Department at
Piney Point. Mr. Spence explained
that "This material consists of more
than 18,000 questions which can be
used as an effective tool to strengthen
all the Merchant Marine programs here
at SHLSS, as well as enhancing stu- ^
dent performance on exams."

Instructor Jim Brown lectures on terrestrial navigation.
terial consists of basic nautical astron­
omy, time, latitude by observation of
Polaris and noon sights (LAN), lines
of position (LOP), and running fixes
from sun, star and planet observa­
tions, determining compass and gyro
error by amplitude and azimuth, star

this exam must then pass the Flashing
Light exam and the Radar Certification
course in order to finally receive their
Third Mate license. Flashing Light
study tapes are available in the Paul
Hall Library. Radar Certification
courses are scheduled throughout the
year and interested students should

For all those interested in becoming
a Third Mate, the best advice is to
begin your career by getting an AB
certificate as soon as you are eligible.
You will need it to advance to any
license beyond 200 gross tons, and by
getting it early you will be in a position
to move to the 1,600 ton category
when you choose.

«. This course of study is geared to
learning the material for the job, not just
to pass the Coast Guard test..

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the Season
AM) BEST WISHES FOR THE

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Swm

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Stwlaits reviewing Celestial NavigaliQa material of Third Mate course.
6 / LOG / December 1988

&amp;

�Reduced Manning WoHd-Wide Trend

;r

Swedish Ship Will Test 9-Person Crew
The Swedish Shipowners' Associ­
ation recently released a study which
contends that it is possible to operate
a large boxship with as few as nine
seamen. The concept will be tested on
a Swedish vessel operated by Atlantic
Container Line.
Next spring, Hapag-Lloyd, a West
German shipping company, will begin
operating two vessels with crews of
only 13 on its ^ross-Atlantic trade
routes.
Other companies are rushing to keep
up. The Nippon Liner System, Nippon
Yusen Kaisha and Evergreen Marine
Corp. have been operating with se­
verely reduced manning schedules.
These sweeping technological
changes in foreign registries could have
important ramifications for seamen
worldwide, including those in the
United States.
These changes are expected to af­
fect the way seamen live onboard ship,
the job skills they need to cultivate if
they are to remain employed and even
their job security.
During the past decade. West Ger­
man and other foreign shipping com­
panies have poured millions of dollars
in developing highly automated ves­
sels that can sail with crews as small
as nine people.

Over the past few years, HapagLloyd has gradually readjusted its
manning scales downward in antici­
pation of its new "Ship of the Future"
and erased the distinctions between
work done in the engine room and
work done on deck.
Hapag's two new vessels, which will
have crews of 13, were originally
scheduled to sail without a steward
department. Experiments were run on
its existing vessels where seamen were
provid^ with frozen dinners that they
could heat in microwave ovens.
But the company found that this
created a severe morale problem among
the remaining crewmembers, and de­
cided to keep a two-man steward de­
partment on its new "Ships of the
Future." Otherwise, these vessels
would be scheduled to run with crews
of 11.
Many industry experts are afraid
that technology is far outstripping the
maritime industry's ability to utilize it
properly. Just because it is possible to
operate automated vessels with crews
of nine doesn't mean that it is wise to
do so.
Low manning levels are beginning
to stretch the limits imposed by safety
and sound economics.

NOTICE
NATIONAL MARINE
SERVICE
EX-EMPLOYEES

J

The Union has negotiated a sev­
erance benefit settlement with Na­
tional Marine Service and the fol­
lowing ex-employees of National
Marine Service may be due settle­
ment money.
If your name appears below please
contact in writing: Secretary Joe
DiGiorgio, Seafarers International
Union, 5201 Auth Way, Camp
Springs, Md. 20746 and provide the
following information:
1. Name
2. Mailing Address
3. Social Security No.
4. Book No.
5. Job classification
6. Period worked for National
Marine Service
Benefits will be calculated on the
basis of the number of years of
Uninterrupted service with National
Marine.
Soc.Sec. No.
Name
487-62-4016
R. Azar
264-49-2951
S. Bumap .
437-34-1983
M.J. Chapman
J. Gomez
i 078-50-1040
R. Hernandez ; 584-86-6787
536-58-2162
K. Larsen
427-74-2872
C. Lovett
466-42-8549
D. Marcus
429-38-9982
C. Merrymah
457-48-6789
F. Newton
494-76-0611
G. Pruitte
J14P-17-5591
D.E. Shubert
E. Stringfellow ^5-44-7154
im2-2927
J. White
441-38-3014
C. WUson
W.M. Wortham 323-60-0442

While worldwide manning scales are
much smaller than they used to be
(they are down to roughly 22 people
per ship from about 34 a decade ago),
many companies find it economical for
safety reasons to keep one or two
extra crewmembers onboard even if
they aren't required to do so. They
don't want to be caught short in case
of an illness or injury.
The fear among many shipping in­
dustry experts is that once a company
like Hapag-Lloyd operates with se­
verely reduced manning scales, there
will be increased pressure for all others
to do so.
For the men who work at sea [re­
duced manning schedules] will mean
an even more lonely life filled with the
tensions and pressures of running a
giant ship with the minimum number
of hands needed.
One captain who is presently sailing
with a reduced crew that is still larger
than the one that Hapag-Lloyd envi­
sions called his ship a prison. "Yoii
know it is a very clean jail, with very
nice accommodations, but it is still a
kind of jail," he said.
Reduced manning rates on the scale
envisioned by Hapag-Lloyd will mean
that seamen will find it virtually im­

Port
New York...
Philadelphia .
Baltimore...
Norfolk ....
Mobile
New Orleans.
Jacksonville .
San Francisco
Wilmington..
Seattle.....
Puerto Rico .
Houston....
Algonac....
St. Louis ...
Piney Point..

'TOTAL REGISTERED

C

What's This?

V lA vrf;.,; /:•
A'-'i-

Long before LASH ships were &lt;
ed, one of the SIU's contracted com­
panies solved the problem of carrying
haiges aboard one of their vessels. Can
you name the company? The ship? The
year? Answer next month.

ii

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 ...
Point.
To
Totals All Departnwals.

'REGISTERED ON BEACH

TOTAL SHIPPED

All Groups
Class A Class B

All Groups
Class A Class B

Class C

0
1
2
32
0
0
2
0
4
0
0
3
19
0
0
63

0
1
0
10
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
2
7
0
0
22

0
1
0
0
0
0
6
0
18
0
0
3
0
0
0
28

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
18
0
0
ay
1
0
0
15
1
0
0
0
0
0
4
5
2
0
0
0
0
10
43

0
0
0
15
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
11
0
0
26

0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
7

0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
0
0
0
0
13
2

Port

0
0
0
9
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
15

0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
4

104

33

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
.

31

Class A

All Groups
Class 0

ClassC

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
28
0
0
2
0
0
0
30

0
1
2
60
0
0
4
0
53
0
0
' 3
18
0
0
141

0
0
0
22
0
0
1
0
17
0
0
0
2
0
0
42

0
0
0
0
0
0
19
0
3
0
0
4
0
1
0
27

0

0
0
0
18
0
0
0
0
19
0
0
0
9
0
0
46

0
1
0
16
0
1
0
0
9
0
0
0
2
0
0
29

Class C

1i

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
12
2
68

'

possible to get any time off in port.
And life onboard sWp will be difficult:
there won't be much chance for any
kind of interaction with other members
in the mess hall.
The rush to automation will place a
higher premium on education and
training.
And it will also accentuate already
severe sealift problems. Were these
manning levels to become the norm,
then many seamen would be forced
out of the industry. The manpower
pool—already inadequate to meet sealift
needs—^would grow smaller.

Dispatchers Report for inland Waters
NOV. 1-30, 1988

I;

15

32

,

0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3

.
•

0
0
0
15
1
0
0
0
42
0
0
0
3
0
•0.
61

0
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
14
0
0
0
0
0
0
22

0
0
0
0
0
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
7

248

93

37

'"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 atthepr^attheendoflast month.

ember 19^/LOG/7

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Seafarers Take on Grain
Ir.'

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Sid's Aurora Sets Sail for Trip to Israel
The SlU-crewed MA^ Aurora (Liberty Marine) tied up in New Orleans
recently to load grain. The bulk carrier, which makes frequent stops in New
Orleans, was on her way to Haifa, Israel. These photos were supplied by New
Orleans Patrolman Danny Griffin.
The voyage was to be marked by a somber moment, the scattering of the
ashes of a Seafarer who died recently. The ashes of AB Brian Hubbel, 38^
were brought aboard for thie mid-ocean ceremony. Hubbel, who lived in New
Orleans, joined the SIU in 1971 at the port of Jacksonville.

:i-r

•.

The deck crew bii^ on stores for the voyage.
• 1.

At the shipboard meeting are Bosun Cesar Gutierrez (front) and (l.sto r.) Steward/Baker
Claude Hoilings, AB Charlie Merida, AB Wilber Adams and GSU Wilmer Jack.

•• Ir-'V • •

fSKSsisss?;^^
wssiSf

New Orleans Patrolman D^y Griffin turns the ashes of AB Charles Huhhd over to
Capt. Samual Schweigart. Huhbei had asked that his ashes he scatter^ at sea.

The deck crew cover and seal rose boxes in preparation for cargo,

a/LOG/December 1988

••

Taking a hreak firam hmchtline duties is the steward department, 0- to r.) GSU Wilmer
Jack, Steward^Baker Clande HoDh^ and Chief Cook James Thac^.

AB Gaiy Gambrd standing gangway watch.

QMED Victor M. Conde while flie ABTOTU takes on hunkers.
ssr:.-'-

�Elvdyine a pool party are Ftafrick Cdppola, QMED; Steve Migliara, QMED; Sam Reed,
AB, and LCOB (l^iiccrer) Pieree, AB, and Randy Wiute, w^icr. Look at flrase shrinqi!

by Energy Transportation
Co. These special ships
carry LNG from Indonesia
to Japan and provide
sfeody work for the 5eafarers who crew them.

Bosnn Robert D. Sdndvlz fctunis ids disiies
tothegaO^.

•
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PSrt of the steward department are, from the left: Mark Adley, SA; Doriana Sduneitz,
SA; Perry McCaB, SA, and Joe Frtitini, chief cook.

Memhors of the Aquarius use the laundi service while at andior in Bontang, Indonesia.

December 1988/LOG/9

AC?

-

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Digest of Ships neetinss
77iS following ships minutes are Just a sampling of the many meeting
reports the SlU receives each rrmnth from /is ships around the world.

ATLANTIC SPIRIT (PRMMA), No­
vember 13—Chairman D. Wagner, Sec­
retary James Keno, Educational Director
8. Wala, Deck Delegate G. Israel Bonefont,
Engine Delegate Femando Valle. No beefs
or disputed OT. "From the fine cooperation
between Port Agent Angel Hemandez and
Vessel Operations Manager Peter Patrick
in Elizabeth and Angel Bauzo in San Juan,
the crew is awaiting the company purchase
of a new 3-speed VCR. Many thanks." The
chairman thanked an exceptional crew which
"understands the traditions of the SlU."
The three departments work well together,
and "there is mutual respect between top­
side and below. A fine ship." The educa­
tional director reminded all members of the
benefits of attending upgrading courses at
Piney Point and explained the importance
of continuing to support SPAD. The ashes
of retired MM&amp;P member John DeRocco
were scattered at sea. A motion was made
to ask headquarters for an explanation as
to how unemployment insurance from the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is deter­
mined. And for information purposes,
members.would like to ask headquarters
for a book of clarifications pertaining to
PRMMA. The copy would be shared by all
and kept in the educational director's safe­
keeping. The entire steward department,
headed by James Keno and ably assisted
by Brother Felix Camacho, was given a
unanimous vote of thanks for a job well
done. Brother Keno, who will retire soon,
was wished a happy retirement "with smooth
sailing always." Next port; Jacksonville,
Fla.
GROTON (Apex Marine), October 6—
Chairman Neil Matthey, Secretary Marvin
Deloatch, Educational Director Allan Gard­
ner, Deck Delegate Juan A. Loper, Engine
Delegate Ricardo Vasquez, Steward Del­
egate Sergio Morales. No disputed OT.
Everything is running smoothly, with a
payoff scheduled for Nov. 6 in Stapleton,
N.Y. All crewmembers were urged to con­
tribute to SPAD and to help the union fight
for a stronger merchant marine. The sec­
retary added that it is not only the right,
but the duty, of every member to vote. "As
union members, we must assist any poli­
tician who supports the maritime industry."
The educational director wished good luck
and smooth sailing to the SlU's new pres­
ident, Mike Sacco. "May he continue to
work for our goals." The crew welcomed
the permanent bosun and permanent stew­
ard back from vacation. A vote df thanks
was extended to Steward Marvin Deloatch
and Chief Cook Sergio Morales for the fine
food they prepare and serve. The steward,
in tum, gave a vote of thanks to the crew
for their cooperation in keeping the ship
clean. And a final word from the crew of
the Groton: "Congratulations from the crew
of the Groton to the SlU on its 50th anni­
versary. The union has come a long way.
Also, congratulations to the union officials
for their hard work to make it possible that
we still have jobs."
LNG LIBRA (Energy Transportation
Corp.), October 2—Chairman B.B. Darley,
Secretary H. Markowitz, Educational Di­
rector C. Dahlhaus, Deck Delegate Francis
H. Smith, Steward Delegate George Tay­
lor. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
There is $1,065.20 in tiie ship's fund and
$134 in tfie SlU fund. The bosun reported
that the Libra will be going to the shipyard
Oct. 23. He thanked the deck department
for their help in making the tank-cleaning
period a safe one. He also reported that
the captain expressed concern about deck
department members switching watches
and adv»ed all deck department persqnnel
to make sure that the proper
are being followed. A vote of thanks
given to the steward department Next I
Osaka. Japan.

NEWARK BAY (Sea-Und Service),
October 17—Chairman C. James, Secre­
tary Jonny Cmz, Educational Director Tom
Herbert, Engine Delegate V. Carrao, Stew­
ard Delegate L.S. Dukes. No beefs or
disputed OT. The chairman discussed the
crew's responsibility to maintain the ship's
living areas and lounge. He noted that with
Mike Sacco at the helm of the union, we
have a capable leader to take us into the
21st century. The secretary thanked the
crew for keeping the ship clean. He re-

A Seaman's Burial

First and second officers and various members of
the crew of the Sea-Land Explorer attended serv­
ices Oct. 9 to commit the ashes of Henry E. Caswell
to the sea.

minded memtsers to try to get out the vote
this election day, not only by voting but
also by urging family and friends to vote
as well. The educational director noted that
crews are getting smaller and that the way
to be ready for any job is tolake advantage
of the upgrading classes at Piney Point. It
was suggested that an emergency ladder
be installed aft of the house, from the main
deck to the 06 level. A vote of thanks was
given to the steward department for a job
well done. Next port: Elizabeth, N.J.
OMI DYNACHEM (OMI Corp.), No­
vember 13—Chairman Charles D'Amico,
Secretary Donnie W. Collins, Educational
Director Edward Smith, Deck Delegate
Thomas E. Howell, Engine Delegate Willie
J. Franks, Steward Delegate Francis B.
Howard. Some disputed OT was reported
in the deck department, and a beef about
QMED sougee time for all the days workers
came from the engine department. One
QMED got off in the Panama Canal due
to injury. Otherwise, all is running fairly
smoothly. The new 50th anniversary issue
of the LOG came aboard in San Francisco
so there will be lots of good reading for
the month. One movie ("E.T.") was pur­
chased in Rodeo, Calif, for $21.10, leaving
a total of $308.38 in the ship's fund. A vote
of thanks was given to the steward de­
partment for their fine work. Next port: ffow
York.
OVERSEAS HARRIETTE (Maritime
Overseas), October 16—Chairman Leon
T. Jekot, Secretary E. Dale, Steward Del­
egate James Robinson. No beef^ or dis­
puted OT. There was quite a bit of old
business to discuss at the meeting. For
some reason, the company has refused to
replace the chairs in the lounge and has
not ordered new movies. The mates are
still ignoring Article 16 of the contract by
doing ABs work, and no response has
been received from headquarters regard­
ing overtime for this work. The chairman
announced that there will be a payoff this
voyage. However, he rxited, ttiose men
who boarded the vessel on 8/27/88 or were

10 / LCX3 / December 1986

9sa

shipped on that date will be paid from
8/28/88, according to the captain. Several
suggestions and motions were made. One
was to reduce SPAD, regular dues and
working dues in accordance to the pay
scale of SCA-contract vessels. Another
was to reduce the retirement age to 15
years sea-time (at any age). This would
be similar to the percentage scale used by
Social Security. Next port: Norfolk, Va.

Beach, Calif. Oct. 20. with payoff on arrival.
A request was made for a technician to
come aboard to clean and check the TV
and VCR equipment. A "big vote of thanks"
was given to the steward department for a
"fantastic job. They have really put an extra
effort into the job." The deck department
was also complimented for the terrific job
they've done to make the vessel "look like
new." Next port: Long Beach, Calif.

ULTRASEA
(American Maritime
ROVER (Ocean Carriers), November
Trans.), October 30—Chairman Robert R.
13—Chairman G. Hemandez, Secretary
Newby, Secretary E. Hagger, Educational
E. Harris, Educational Director J. Parlfc__ -Direptor Herman Bergeron Jr. No beefs or
hurst. Deck Delegate William Ashman, En­
disputed OT. There is $65 in the ship's
gine Delegate R. Butler, Steward Delegate
fund. Three men got off in Israel; two were
Lorenzo Razo. No beefs or disputed OT.
replaced. Payoff will be Nov. 4 in Galves­
There is $196 in the ship's fund, $100 of
ton, Texas. The educational director talked
which was collected from the arrival pools.
about the opportunities available at Piney
Payoff will take place in Singapore. The
Point for upgrading your skills. A vote of
ship will take on about three weeks worth
thanks was given to the chief steward and
of stores in the six-hour layover. The stew­
his department for a job well done. "His
ard will leave the ship in Singapore. It has
food spreads every day are like a holiday."
been a good four months that he's been
Members especially enjoyed all the fancy
on, during which time things have gone
dishes he prepared, including the Creole
very smoothly. It was suggested that a
and Cajun style meals.
new popcorn popper be purchased for the
crew lounge and that everyone should chip
LNG VIRGO (Energy Transportation
in for a new videocassette player. A vote
Corp.), October 16—Chairman Billy K.
of thanks was given to the steward and
Nuckols. No beefs or disputed OT. There
chief cook for doing such a good job, even
is $267.70 in the ship's fund. Mr. Foran,
with one man short. Next ports: Singapore
the ETC safety director, is onboard this
and Guam.
voyage. The bosun asked everyone to be
extremely cautious during nighttime fire
drills.
"Stay healthy, be alert, work safely."
SAM HOUSTON (Waterman S.S.
He also noted that night drills are payable
Corp.). October 30—Chairman H. Leake,
in overtime to crewmembers off watch.
Secretary Ernest Hoitt, Educational Direc­
There previously had been some problem
tor Glenn Watson. One hour disputed OT
with the wake-up call from the bridge to
was reported in the steward department.
the steward department. Everything has
There is about $350 in the ship's movie
since been resolved satisfactorily. Next
fund. No LOGS or other correspondence
port: Tobata, Japan.
have been received aboard ship this voy­
age. The chairman stressed the impor­
In addition to the minutes published
tance of donating to SPAD "so that we can
above,
the SlU received official ships min­
get some more ships and jobs." He also
utes from the following ships:
urged all eligible members to go to Piney
OMIMISSOUN
Point to upgrade their job skills. The sec­
IRQ AQWARMW
OVERSEAS ALASKA
retary has all sorts of union forms available:
LHOAMES
OVERSEAS KEW YORK
vacation, health, Piney Point, etc. A vote
PERSISYEHT
of thanks was given to the steward de­
COHSTITVIIOH
PHHAOOPHU
partment for a job well done. The steward
OGIHUER
RAHGER
also thanked the deck department for keep­
SFA4AHft AHCHORAOE
GALVESTOHBAY
ing the pantry and messhafi clean at night.
mwHMCH
SEA-LAHO CRUSAOER
Members were reminded to leava their
IRGLEO
SEA-IAMD RnEORITY
room keys on the ship if they're getting off
LIRERTYWAVE
SEA-IAHO LBERATOR
SEA-IAHO PHIFORIIIAIIGE
while on the coast. Next ports: Newport
ONI
SEA-IAHD QUALITY
News, Va.; Pascagoula, Miss.; New Orle­
SPIRIT OF TEXAS
ans, La.
THOMPSON PASS (I.O.M.), October
16—Chairman F.A. Khan, Secretary G.F.
Thomas, Educational Director A. Hansen,
Engine Delegate James S. Martin, Deck
Delegate Joseph A. McDougall, Steward
Delegate James W. Hines. No beefs or
disputed OT. The vessel is due in Long

NOTICE
Final Departures
The Final Departures column
will resume in January.

Monthly
Meiiiiiership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point
..Tuesday, January 3.....
.10:30 a.m.
New York ...............Tuesday, January 3
.10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia
.Wednesday, January 4
.10:30 a.m.
Baltimore....
.......Thursday, January 5
.10:30 a.m.
Norfolk ......
......Thursday, January 5
... .10:30 a.m.
Jacksonyille ..............Thursday, January 5 .......
......10:30 a.m.
Algonac
.Friday, January 6
.... .10:30 a.m.
Houston.
... .Monday, January 9
.10:30 a.m.
New Orleans
Tuesday, January 10
10:30 a.m.
Mobile
Wednesday, January 11
10:30 a.m.
San Francisco
.Thursday, January 12
.10:30 a.m.
Wilmington
—
Tuesday, January 17
,
.10:30 a.m.
Seattle
......... .Friday, January 20
.............. .10:30 a.m.
San Juan
Thursday, January 5
10:30 a.m.
St. Louis
Friday, January 13
.10:30 a.m.
Honolulu
Friday, January 13
.10:30 a.m.
Duluth
Wednesday, January 11
.10:30 a.m.
Jersey City.
Wednesday, January 18
......(.10:30 a.m.
New Bedford
Tuesday, January 17
10:30 a.m.

�::P(:-:,
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Seafarers in Seofffe Cefebrafe SlU^s 50th
It must have been the time differ­
ence on the West Coast. These pic­
tures from Seattle showing Seafarers
and their families enjoying the SIU's
50th anniversary arrived too late to
include in last month's issue.

Old-timer Frank Airey is president of the
Seattle SIU Pensioner Club.

Pensioner Dave Awankuni (foreground) is a two-fisted eater. Behind Awankuni is pensioner
Sammy Nelson and other SIU members in the serving line.

Cook and Baker Anthony Myers brought
his newborn son to the festivities.

SHLSS Course Graduates
fsj,;

•; V
'M.'

ABLE SEAMEN, 10/25/88—Front row, left to right; James McCormick, Edward Kauf­
man, Joseph Clayton, Steve Sylvia, Ahdulla A. Mohssin, Paul Limback, Jake Karaczynski
(Inst.), Jerry Beaubien, Marcus Hemenway. Second row: Daniel L. Pickleheimer, Angel
Luis Perez, Jr., Harvey Smith, Robert Ashcom, Jr., Steven Fisher, Paul Marra, Mike
Strickland, Jr., David Lee Sundllng.

PUMPROOM OPERATIONS &amp; MAINTENANCE, 10/25/88—Left to right: WlUle How­
ard, Mike Wells, Thomas Davis, Bruce Smith, Jim Shaffer (Inst.)

iipis;®

HYDRAUUC, 11^/88-^^ to right: Richard Dalsley, David Bryan Vddkamp, Coy
Herriii^ton, Jun Hagner, J&lt;dui J. Phillips.

REFRIGERATION, 11/8/88—First row, left to right: Frank Cohnm, Mark D. Field.
Second row: Michael Peck, Gary Gatean, John Anderson, Eric Malzkhun (Inst.).

December 1988/LOG/

^

�-

CL
L
NP

—Company/Lakes
—Ukes
-Non Priority

*TOTAL REGiSTERED
Aii Groups
Ciass CL Giass L Ciass NP

Port
Algonac...................
Port
Algonac...
Port
Algonac...................
Port
Algonac.
.......

16

4

0

4

1

0

2

2

0

10

TOTAL SHIPPED
Aii Groups
Giass GL Giass L Giass NP
DEGrOEPARTMENT
0
46
22
ENGINE DEPARTiWENT
0
25
5
STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
9
7
ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

19

'^REGISTERED DN BEAGH
Aii Groups
Giass GL Giass L Glass NP
0

3

0

4

0

3

1

V

'5' •

0

18

23

28

30

• 5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746
(301)899-0675
ALGONAC, Mich.
520 St. Glair River Dr. 48001
(313)794-4988

p^
«

BALTIMORE, Md.
1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202
(301) 327-4900

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
NOVEMBER 1-30, 1988

'TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port
NewYork
Philadelphia....;......:....
Baltimore..........;...;
Norfolk.................^
Mobile
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville.......
San Francisco.
.
Wilmington....
Seattle
Puerto Rico.
;
Honolulu
Houston ......... .r. , ; .
St. Louis
. . . . . ....
Piney Point

Totals

-I •

•f
!{•
•'t:t

::f.

Mictiael Sacco, President
Joseph Sacco, Executive Vice President
Angus "Red" Campbell, Vice President
Joe DlGlorgto, Secretary
Jack Caffey, Vice President
Thomas Glidewell, Vice President
George McCartney, Vice President
John Fay, Vice President
Roy A. Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President

HEADQUARTERS

Totais Ali Departments....
0
32
26
0
80
34
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.

••&gt;. V'V:.'.

Seafarers International
Union Directory

Dispatchers Report for Great Lakes

NOVEMBER 1-30,1988

'•l/v',..:-'i;.'

• • •' •

1 '' ; • • "

.

Port
New York
Philadelphia...
Baltimore
Nortolk............:..;.
Mobile
NewOrleans ..............
Jacksonville..............
San Francisco
Wilmington............;.
Seattle..
;.....
Puerto Rico
Honolulu
............
Houston
St. Louis
...........
Piney Point............;.
Totals.................

.

46
1
4
12
18
33
32
23
26
37
16
8
36
1
0

8
2
3
5
2
7
8
12
10
7
1
4
9
2
7

4
0
1
3
4
9
8
9
6
6
1
2
8
3
3

41
2
5
16
7
19
\ 24
25
18
27
14
6
26
0
1

23
3
4
3
4
11
13
20
11
11
3
4
13
0
1
124

293

87

67

24
4
10
4
8
18
18
16
8
19 ,
8
1
27
2
1
168

4
3
4
6
4
6
2
6
8
7
0
5
1
1
2
59

4
1
0
2
0
4
3
6
4
. 2
0
9
2
0
1
38

Port
New York
Philadelphia..............
Baltimore................
Norfolk.......
Mobile
NewOrleans
Jacksonville
..........
San Francisco.
Wilmington.........
Seattle.
............
Puerto Rico..............
Honolulu
............
Houston.."..............
St. Louis. ...
.......
Piney Point
Totals

19
6
3
1
1
0
2
1
0
8
1
0
4 '
3
1
8
3
3
13
4
0
43
5
9
17
4
4
23
0
0
8
0
D
5
19
14
15
0
2
1
0
0
292
169
56
38

Port
New York .......;
Philadelphia.
.........
Baltimore
Norfolk................
Mobile
NewOrleans .............
Jacksonville..............
San Francisco
Wilmington
Seattle
Puerto Rico... ........ ..
Honolulu................
Houston
St. Louis.
.
Piney Point
Totals

18
1
2
6
1
3
7
24
12
14
9
6 .
11
0
0
114

18
0
1
8
.6
9
2
9
10
9
4
64
7
3
3
153

9
1
0
5
3
19
11
14
7
4
2
143
4
0
2
224

744

356

367

Totals All Departments

A

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

231

DECK DEPARTMENT
6 *
7
3
0
3
1
6
3
2
3
4
6
8
5
8
6
7
4
4
3
4 \
0
4 'X 3
9
^ 8
3
1
5
2

76

12
0
1
3
1
5
5
4
2
5
2
2
5
1
0

52

90
1
12
17
22
58
53
49
37
75
20
6
54
1
0

.

IS
4
4
1
7
0
5
3
3
4
15
13
13
6
17
12
10
6
5
9
1
1
5
4
7
7
1.4
4
1

48

495

112

75

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
4
3
3
1
0
0
0
0
1
5 ;
0
0
3
0
1
1
2
5
3
0
3
4
0
2
6
1
5
7
1
6
0
0
0
5
6
3
3
D
5
1
0
0
1
10
44
14
34

47
4
13
12
13
36
31
34
14
39
11
1
42
2
1
300

7
*3
5
8
5
13
3
9
5
8
0
9
4
0
5
84

3
1
0
2
0
5
6
9
3
2
0
ID
4
1
0
46

28
10
1
2
2
1
ID
2
9
3
25
5
17 .
8
68
8
22
3
31
6
"&lt;9
0
10
35
26
2
1
0
38
262
93

1
0
0
1
D
5
2
11
6
0
D
18
2
D
0
46

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
16
3
2
1
2
0
4
3
j)
6
0
1
2
0
1
12
1
D
8
0
0
28
6
2
10
3
0
14
2
0
4
0
0
4
21
11
12
0
0
O
D
D
3
10
2
124
51
19
ENTRY DEPARTMENT
15
13
7
0
2
2
0
5
0
7
4
2
0
D
2
3
7
8
2
2
3
13
11
9
4
6
3
11
2
1
8
4
1
4
70
135
10
2
0
01
0
0
2
2
77
131
175
556

"REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Trip
Reliefs

302

260

1
0
0
1
D
2
2
16
3
6
0
71
8
0
0
111

.

.

D
34
D.I
0
4
D
9
D
2
D
19
D
9
0
44
D
20
D
35
0
18
0
8
0
12
0
0
0
^
0
216
193

1,273

26
3
3
9
8
18
8
19
16
22
10
73
12
2
^
236

6
2
0
ID
2
25
16
27
9
8
4
165
10
0
1
285

523

452

"'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 November was up from the month of October. A total of 1,311 jobs were shipped
on SlU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,311 jobs shipped, 556 Jobs or about 42 percent were taken by
"A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 193 trip relief jobs
were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on Aprii~1&gt; 1982, a total of 8,878 jobs have been shipped.
12/LOG/December 1988

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218)722-4110
HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808) 523-5434
HOUSTON, Tex.
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713)659-5152
JACKSONVILLE, Fia.
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
(508)997-5404
NEW 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) 441-1960
ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500
WILMINGTON, Calif.
510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213)549-4000

4=.

�-^V-&gt;

••

'p,

1989 Upgrading Course Schedule
Progmms Geared to Improve Job Skiffs And Promote U. S. Maritime Industry
January — March 1989
The following is the current course schedule for Januaiy — March 1989 at the Seafareis Hany
Lundeberg School of Seamanship.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's and industry's needs.
PLEASE NOTE: AH members are required to take firefighting when attending SHLSS.

—Deck Upgrading Courses
Check-In
Date

Completion
Date
January 23
March 3
March 20
April 28
Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

Course
Able Seaman
Kcst Class Pilot (Organized self study)
Radar Refresher/Renewal
Radar Recertification
Celestial Navigation
•Minimum number pf students required for
Third Mate
Lifeboat

Check-In
Date

Course

LNG — Self Study Safety Course
(This course is not offered as a separate course, but may be taken while attending any
of the regularly scheduled courses.)
*Upon completion of course must take fou\^ (4) week Sealift Operations &amp; Maint. Course.

Course
Associates in Arts or Certificate Progcam
Check-In
Date
January 30
March 27

Course
Steward Recertification
Bosuns Recertification

«•

(Last)

!

(City)

•

Deep Sea Member •

(State)

Lakes Member •

Pacific •

• FOWT
• Automation
• QMED—Any Rating • Hydraulics
• Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
• Marine Electrical Maintenance
• Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Operation
• Refrigeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
• Diesel Engine Technology
• Assistant Engineer/Chief Engineer
Motor Vessel
• Orginal 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor
• Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
• Electro-Hydraulic Systems

I If the following information is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.

1 Social Security

f
f^

I

JDepartment.

Home Port

I Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces • Yes • No
I Endorsement(s) or
I License(s) Now Held

S«

Seniority.

Book

"

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: • Yes
to
Trainee Program: From.

No • (if yes, fin in below)
Last grade of schooling completed.

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: • Yes

No • (if yes, fill in below)

(dates attended)

Course(s) Taken
STEWARD
Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat:• Yes

No •

Firefighting: • Yes

No •

CPR: • Yes

No •

/t \... .-,i

•i-'W

ENGINE

I

I

-aW.
•U- .

• ..•

• AB/Sealift
• Towboat Operator Inland
• 1st Class Pilot • Celestial Navigation
• Third Mate
• Simulator Course
• Radar Observer Unlimited
•Master Inspected Towing Vessel

(Area Code)

Inland Waters Member •

Completion
Date
March 3
May 12

DECK

Mo./Day/Year.

Telephone.

(Zip Code)

Check-In
Date
January 9
March 20

1 Am interested in the hollowing
Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated
Here if Not Listed
^

(Street)

I
I

i

Date of Birth

(Middle)

(first)

jo, .

I

Completion
Date
March 6
May 8

Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship «||
^
Upgrading Application

I
I
* Name
I
».
I
« Address

.

Completion
Date

College Programs-

•Recertification Programs-

I«
I

f : , .O/..,- '

The Adult Education Courses for 1989 will be six weeks in length.
High Schml Equivalency (GED)
January 2
February 13
Adult Basic Education (ABE)
January 2
February 11
English as a Second Language (ESL)
January 2
February 11
The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be oflFered one week prior to some of the
upgrading classes.
Elevelopmental Studies (DVS)
January 30
February 3
I
(Offered prior to the FOWT Course)
ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course
February13
March 3
March 13
March 31
This Three week course is an Inuoduction to Lifeboat and is designed to help seaforers
prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat coiuse which is scheduled immediately after this
course. Tte class will benefit those seafarers who have diflSculty reading, seafarers whose first
language is not English, and seafarers who have been out of school for a long time.

*A11 Steward Upgrading Courses are open-ended. Contact the
Admissions Office for starting dates.
* All students in the Engine and Steward Departments will have 2 weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

•

„

•Adult Education Courses-

"
February 29
April 1
Celestial Navigation class to be held is 5.
January 16
April 14
January 9
January 20
February 6
February 17
March 6
March 17

-Steward Upgrading Courses

Completion
Check-InCourse
Date
Date
QMED - Any Rating
March 31
January 9
Marine Electrical Maint.
March 3
January 9
Variable Speed DC Drives
April 28
March 20
Welding
March 3
February 6
March 31
Diesel Engine Technology
March 6
Hydraulics
April 14
March 20
FOWT
March 17
February 6
* All students in the Engine and Steward Departments will have 2 weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

•

' 1

'r:

• Assistant Cook Utility
• Cook and Baker • Chief Steward
• Chief Cook
• Towboat Inland Cook

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Date Available for Training
'
Primary Language Spoken .—_—
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«
ALL DEPARTMENTS
I
With this application"COPIES of your discharges must be submitted showing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the course(s) requested.. • Welding
I
You
also submit a COPY of the first page of your union book indicating your department and seniority, as well as, a COPY of your • Lifeboatman (Must be taken with
I
another course)
clinic card. The Admissions Office WDl NOT schedule until this is received.
«
I
DATE OF DISCHARGE
DATE SHIPPED
VESSEL
RATING HELD
ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT I
I
• Adult Basic Education (ABE)
«
I
• High School Equivalency
• «
I
Program (GED)
I
• Developmental Studies (DVS)
I
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
I
• ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation
I
DATE
SIGNATURE
COLLEGE PROGRAM
I
•
Associates
in
Arts
Degree
I
RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
No tranqxMlation wiU be paid
• Certificate Programs
I
Seafarers
Harry
Lundeberg
Upgrading
Center,
Piney
Point,
MD.
20674
unless you ptesent original receipts
%
Rev 2/88
and successfully complete the course.
I

• • '"-13
' - p.

f. • -

•

:':n •

•

•

•

•

•

•

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.•

December T988 / LOG /13

n

'

�New SlU Pensioners
DEEPSEA

.'5^ ..,.^

•' "• ' ^•" ' •'.-•

•'ft-djf-:; ^,.
•V V. i • i.- • • ;••
i- A: ;,

n-..--i'-." ' ••"'- •

Enos E. Allen, 66
San Francisco, Calif.

Peter F. DiCapua, 66
Seattle, Wash.

William P. GofF, 59
Piney Point, Md.

Pablo Gorizalez, 62
Santurce, P.R.

Laureano C. Perez (right), 55, received his
first pension ch^k from Baltimore Head­
quarters Rep Bob Pomerlane Nov. II. Perez,
who was born in Pontevedra, Spain, has
been with the SIU for 35 years. He started
Aiidy Reasko (left), who saUed as chief steward, and Steve Krkovich (center), sailing out of the port of Baltimore in 1955
who sailed as QMED/electrician, receive their first pension .checks from SIU in the engine department as a FWT and
Vice President George McCartney in the San Francisco hall. Both have been oiler and later as a QMED. Perez is married
SIU members since World War II, and are originally from Pennsylvania.
and has three children and one grandchild.

4'ci;:;;V: r
•r, -'v
";'V;'y.. -•

-I • ••/

•li;;-":

' ...

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:

3- Glenn Weist, 65
Algonac, Mich.

Victor Hernandez, 66
New Orleans, La.

Steve Krkovich, 64
San Francisco, Calif.

Earl D. WiUis, 65
Norfolk, Va.

Kd" ; ' •

James J. Mulcahy, 65
San Francisco, Calif.
^
Harold H. Nelli, 61
New Orleans, La.
George M. Papamanolis, 65 •
.
Baltimore, Md.
Laureano C. Perez, 55
Baltimore, Md.
Floyd E. Perkins, 62
Jacksonville, Fla.
Henry L. Perkinson, 58
Houston, Texas
Andrew H. Reasko, 62
' •• , yj
San Francisco, Calif.

~

^

V;

n;.'

T/.r

Murphy P. Martin, 60
Houston, Texas
_c'

Raymond W. Collins, 60
Philadelphia, Pa.
Rumildo Colon, 66
Santurce, P.R.
Dorris W. Malear, 65
St. Louis, Mo.
John Malloy, 60
Algonac, Mich.
Elhridge K. Mann Jr., 59
Norfolk, Va.
Robert E. Righy, 59
New Orleans, La.
John T. Taylor, 61
Philadelphia, Pa.

INLAND

Howard S. Lindsey, 61 Charles A. MacDonald, 62
Mobile, Ala.
Algonac, Mich.

Paul M. WuoriJ 65
Duluth, Minn.
'iH-..-

WiUiam Cher, 61
Seattle, Wash.

GREAT LAKES
Thomas M. Braddy, 65
Norfolk, Va.

Elmer N. Goff, 62
Norfolk, Va.

Edward Kaszuhinski, 60
Algonac, Mich.

Old-Timers
Corner

Charles F. Ries Jr., 59
Seattle, Wash.

Seamon Wyres, 61
New Orleans, La.
I

Hurmon B. Butts, 60
Mobile, Ala.
Leopold Faulkner, 63
New York
Leon Kleinman. 65
Robert L. Rudolph, 61 Willard A. Smith Jr., 47
Orleans, La.
Jacksonville, Fla.
New York
Claude C. Lanier, 65

7

Roy S. Thdss, 65
Mobile, Ala.

Jacksonville, Fla.
Charles L. Lesto*, 50
Houston, Texas
John P. Lyons, 68
Wilmington, Calif.
Jesse F. Macleod, 55
Algonac, Mich.
Esko Makila, 66
San Francisco, C^.
Gumersindo Triquero, 65 John J. McHale, 62,"^
Jacksonville, Fla.
New York

14/LOG/December 1988

Rich Hefjfiey of Heasantville, N.J., pictured
here with two &lt;d his grandchildren, is happy
to report that he finally received his veter­
ans' benefits, thanks to the SIU. He is also
grateful "for 43 years of good sailing."

Fishing was good this year for Reino J.
Pelaso. He brought home 17 salmon (from
four to 32 pounds) and 90pounds of rockfish
from his fishing spot outside the Golden
Gate Bridge. Pelaso, who lives in Vailejo,
Calif., wishes to say hello to all his old
shipmates. "I hope everyone has a Merry
ti New Year will be
Christmass and^hqt
and^hq^ the
good to all.
II."
^

�SUMMARY ANNUAL BETOll

jmn Manual

«.e ««.-r.R«'«

David A*

Acyi

'^8"""

^

„„ 20 1937,

Sr.t'e.i^SH.y AC .«
BASIC FINANOAL STATER

^S1.4B0.IH«.
"4-,'

after 6 p.m.
William Schakelford Jr.
Stephen J. McGurgan
Please contact Greg Haynie at (602)
«tdpt Hueh T. McGurgan,
278-7523. important!
^
call collect (607) 732-8304.
Attention Old-Timers

&gt;»

all of these persons had y

^ ^

assets, after sub^^gF ^ ^

^as $10y955,

^

»•'T'
j^^n

l\ 1^27 Stacrease Included unrediz^

X«iatio« in the

• ,.•,». .•
•h:m.

price
•Si:.

Harvey Mills
Please contact your brother Mike at
^&gt;928-4822.

oC$654,648,gauisof$52V2»«
SS-;-'7i;4 •: 7- •

please get m touch.

r'oin Rt 2

cmman Wil«»

MINIMUM WNDBIGSTANDA^
.

39175, or call

nease contact Mr. Frost a
i-1239.

.4

..Wv:,-4'

aaioc mnl

^ta.cu.ry'ss.ccu'j^^"':^^^^

(601) 885-6213.

Safety
body was identified as a crewmember
1 An Accountant's rei^rt
2 Assets held for Investment

°'J^l"iSons revealed that
of the "Stability, characistics" of their
•^ssed a
Earlier this V®'^ongesa Pa
? The SlU supported passage of

.h^SseuI^ l«a» I" P""' '""P® " H
'that the crew
^llofarry cmeryncy ponot required to
beacons
sition indicating
^
_ rrpw
said th;

T. obUdn a cmy «« «"

rl^h' '» rfZ

^^hB'h"

piSTcIudoislrann, tl^

Statement of the asseK^
^^port from me^ _
xne
If you request a
_oa„ylng notes wlB be
a charge for the copying
two statements and a^ P
above does not m
j ^nished without charge,
r^rge to cover copymg
.^^„se these portions are *»
^ at the mam
of th«« Pf""®j\2^7^rotect^ right to
Jjo 2tr746, and at me U.S.
Yon also have the leg y F
Wav, Camp Sprmgs»
conv from the U.i».

irillSe,In safgy," and that ntuch
'^SgSshte^erv^sgs^

'°lSe NTSB

4V-S44

^h.^$w5

Srlet'L^W-nts and deaths and
,fe« highly
,he

W^rrnTen'SleftKodiak, Alaska

other maritime

. )&lt;•

NTSB,

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The c^nsut^ District makes
antic. Gulf. Lakes and
memberships
dfic provision for '^^'^^^""f.onstitution requires a
,ney and Union
public Accountants
®
lailed audit by Cerufied Publ. A
membershj by
5ntbs, which are to ^'®^7" ,,„-tcrly finance committee
Secretary-Treasurer. A q
rnemhership,

KNOW
YOUR RIGHTS
n
CONTRACTS. Copies of "JJ
able in all SlU h»"s- T.hM'j,

nearest SlU por' agent.

„

„

—;

EQU AL RIGHTS All

,.,F LOG. The Log has

TeonSuufionaf porfs.

IVV W vested in an editorial board

•-.U'i

notify Union headquarters.

me S.U, These

'••"a

„ONATION

.'•; V ••f:h '

SEAFARERS EOLITH AL AT ^
p„,.
__SPAD. SPAD IS a
.,nd purposes includ-

Atlantic.

rmtrsbip. Tftis e«abl.sW

all other defaifs. .hen .he n,ember so rifieefed

.^i :

"y the wages
work and live atard

EDITORIAL POLICY --1 H _
;ports. specific recom

- ;'-U.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

p'"-

KNOW YOUR RIGNTS ^

v5; •v:'4

.i.;

„^gs
kreonstsfs of

ISlsisI

-^rm tongTr-s. one indivfdna. fo
^atm'ibisrespons.bi.dy.
the various
,arious trust funds.
iunds.

,iel,ts and senior-

p,d

PAYMENT OF M»7«-,S;T.^e SIU unless an
evm.v in any ofticia! capacity
i inder no circumSiS unmn receipt is
any reason
•'.:-' -•i

ssr-S'rSrrr,;s~

oll-S'V 'iSbis r —ToSv
Ss'be^ThnrbT-hW"", Seafarers APP=f h°'';,Vgecss for Sns ts:
,p.reHues,ed.T^..P^„^^
Ch.lrn«m,Serf.re«A^B^
5201 AuthWny end Bri^
Prince Georges C«^

A C«np Springs,
Full copies of contracts
au at all times,
r to the Seafarers Appeals B

^ ^o are availaWe to
directly to the nion

ind appropriate action an

is

,ncepii».'
concepts

shonid imntcdrafely

P

CONSTITUTION A
conslimlion are svadaWc ^
XIONS. Copies ot the SlU
copies ot thu

ssss^sii

economic, pol
:&lt;.'M

.

,f at any time a member right
J„ vloiated, or thai he h^
he should Imm^-t^ly
of access to Union records or mf ^ „--uarters hy certified n»il,
notify SlU President MAC ^c
^
pnnce
return receipt
Md. 2«746.
Georges County, Camp Springs,

December 1988 (LOG/15

�7^

.--vs

—

—T 7^

'.iH'

•.-' 'A: ;- •;

While the M/V Samuel L. Cobb was In port at Thuie, her sister ship, the M/V Paul Buck
was laying at anchor. The T-5 class tankers carry jet aircraft fhd to U.S. Air Force
installations around the world.

Able Seaman Bobby Clinton Jr. stands watch OD the bii^ in Tbuie as ftie MIS James
L.
discharges cargo. ,

Our Noflon^s Fourth Arm of Defense«•.

On Top of the World

Steward Aasisiant Andre W. Gee at the "Top
of the World." Brother Gee is presendy npgrading to Chief Cook at the Seabrers Harry
Lnndeberg School of Seamandiip in Piney Point,
Md.

It's relaxing time for Steward Assistant Aaron Bernard,
left, and Steward/Baker Raymond Crawford as thdr
ship is secured at the dock in Greenland.

Smne of dw Air Force persmmel were welcomed aboard while
the CoM was in port. Sharii^ happy times with their new
friends are Chief Cook Hubert Curry, AB Bobby Clinton Jr.
and AB Tyrone Bnrrdl.

Abie Seaman Jesde Thomas posed for tUs j^mto with the sun low mi the horizon in the
icenlolted harbor at Hinle.
7

Hiis.recendy-calved "growler" was ^MtogF^hed 1^ Andre Gee as it was beh^ carried
seaward on the ebbii^ tide.

16 / LOG / December 1988
:
-• v."

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SIU SUES TO PROTECT SEAMEN'S RIGHTS&#13;
GRAIN SHIP'S PROBLEMS MOUNT, TWO SAILING DATES MISSED&#13;
SAFETY BOARD BACKS SIU CALL FOR FISHING BOAT SAFETY&#13;
SEAFARERS RESCUE 27 FROM SINKING BULKER&#13;
AT SEA&#13;
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT AIDS&#13;
LUNDEBERG SCHOOL PREPARES SEAFARERS FOR THIRD MATE LICENSING WITH REVISED 13-WEEK COURSE&#13;
SWEDISH SHIP WILL TEST 9-PERSON CREW&#13;
SIU'S AURORA SETS AIL FOR TRIP TO ISRAEL&#13;
SAILING ABOARD THE LNG AQUARIUS&#13;
SEAFARERS IN SEATTLE CELEBRATE SIU'S 50TH&#13;
ON TOP OF THE WORLD</text>
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SEAFARERS
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE SEAFARERS INTERNATIONAL UNION • ATLANTIC, GULF, LAKES AND INLAND WATERS DISTRICT • AFL-CIO

Anti'Union Operator Slapped with 640G Fine

U*S. Agency Finally Acts to Penalize Fink Ship
Mots^^an $640,000 in fines have been levied against the anti-union owners of an aging oil tanker that they are trying to convert to
carryy one^ the largest grain shipments ever.

w

/•

K

1^
I^

i.

y

The Agency for International De­
velopment (AID) got off the seat of
its pants and slapped the fine on the
owners of the fink ship Ocean Chal­
lenger. The vessel has been dogged
by problems ever since AID and Marad
irresponsibly allowed the ship to enter
the grain trade.
AID levied the fines because the
Ocean Challenger, which was due to
sail in early December, was still tied
up as of mid-January, delaying indef­
initely the arrival in Pakistan of 207,637
metric tons of wheat.
Beginning with the Ocean Challengers's discrimination of union sea­
men in its hiring, the ship's operator
has run into one problem and one
delay after another.
The supertanker had to hire a sec­
ond company to clean the ship's tanks
after the first cleaning outfit hired in­
experienced illegal aliens and home. less people.
Then, as a result of not paying the^
second tank-cleaning company, the
U.S. Marshal's Office seized the ves­
sel, ordering it to remain in Elliot Bay,
Ow. tifilfl tlie claim for $725,000 was
settled.
Because the Ocean Challenger
leaked oil into ihe water, the U.S.
Coast Guard also got into the act. The
troubled tanker was forced to stay in
port until "all oil, oil residues, oil
soaked absorbent material, barrels and
other debris" were removed from the
ship's deck.
Throughout the course of the con­
troversy, the SIU has charged that
ship is not suitable to carry grain
because of its configuration and be­
cause of its size.
Articles in one of Pakistan's leading
newspapers have raised these same
questions.
The Ocean Challenger's holds are

'

- v"'"

I

More on Ocean Clililleiigor

A fink Is a fink fs a fink
1Pbf«laiiBl, Qre&gt;—rubbed
Oif on Houston
(HSI), the fii^t company hired
to clean the vessel's tanks. This month, the Immigration
and Naturalization Service (INS) hit HSI with a $278,000
fine for continued flagiant violations of the country's
immigation laws. INS officials believe the proposed fine
is one of the largest ever levied against an employer for

76 feet deep, and though an inspection
cleared the loading of the grain after
an immense clean-up of the holds,
there is concern about what shape the
wheat will be in when it arrives.
The holds must sometimes be filled
with water for ballast so the ship can
be maneuvered into place at the ter­
minal. The same holds are used for
the grain.
"We believe the tanks cannot be
dried properly on this ship," said Philip
Shapiro, president of Liberty Ship­
ping, one (rf filer i^inliifs, along with
the SIU in the lawsuit.
The Pakistanis are concerned that
much of the wheat could spoil, if the
tanks are not dried properly. Because
the ship is large, it will have to be
lightered outside of port, a process
that could take as long as 40 days. In
addition, the port does not have stor­
age facilities for 200,000 tons of wheat.
Even if the ship eventually does
sail, the lawsuit filed by the SIU, D2, and two shipping companies, hopes
to prevent any future sailings of the
Ocean Challenger and its two sister
ships.
Belmont bought the three ships from
Marad last year at near scrap prices

A&amp;G Eledion Results Announceci
SIU Crews Make TAGOS Succeed

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On the Rfcfiord G. Mofflilesen
FogeS

Highlights of Sty's 50th Year
Pages 11-14

Supplemental Health Plan Described
Page 18

hiring illegal aliens.
Reports to INS demonstrated the company's polic
hiring only Spanish-speaking workers. iNS investigat
revealed illegal aliens were employed by HSI to
the Ocean Challenger. Because of HSI's repeated
lations and refusal to play by the rules, the raaxiii
fines were set.

and observers expected the company
to sell the tankers for scrap. Instead
the company bid on the wheat ship­
ment.
Pakistan originally wanted the grain
delivered in more than one sailing
because it does not have the facilities
to store such huge amounts of wheat.
But under reported pressure from the
SID, it reluctantly accepted the deal
when Belmont's bid was slightly lower

than other companies.
At the time, the SIU and shii
ers said Belmont had an unfair
tage because of the bargain ba; &gt;1:
-c;
price it paid for the ships. Th&lt;
cost more than $80 million each
built with Construction Diffe /t
Subsidy funds. Marad took the oback when the previous compan
bankrupt and then sold the ships for
about $6 million each to Belmont.

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U,S. Ylag but Foreign Crews

SIU Hits DOD Kuwaiti
Tanker Reflagging Poiicy
SIU President Michael Sacco
condemned the government for its
failure to immediately put U.S. sea­
men aboard Kuwaiti tankers flying
the American flag.
SacCo's criticism came as the
Department of Defense (DOD) an­
nounced an extension of the current
policy to allow use of the U.S. flag
as protection on Kuwaiti tankers in
the Persian Gulf.
DOD said six of the 11 ships are
being returned to the Kuwaiti flag.
The remaining five under the U.S.
flag will keep foreign crews aboard.
DOD will allow a gradual switch­
over to full U.S. crewing over a 10month period.
Sacco said, "We fail to under­
stand just what justification there is
for prolonging full American crew­
ing for 10 more months when U.S.
maritime unions have the trained,
skilled manpower to fill all positions
on all five ships."
Congresswoman Helen Bentley
(R-Md.) also attacked the DOD de­
cision. She said, "The extension
defied the will of Congress." By
enacting the Commerical Fishing
Anti-Reflagging Act of 1987 (HR
2598), Congress expressed "loud
and clear" its intention that aU U.S.-

flag vessels be manned by U.S.
citizens. Bentley accused the gov­
ernment of "abusing American
laws . , . and turning the American
flag into a flag of convenience."
The controversy over the 11 Ku­
waiti tankers has been going on
since 1987, when the U.S. govern­
ment unilaterally reflagged the ves­
sels and waived American manning
and shipbuilding requirements.

..4-

We fail to
understand what
justification there is
for prolonging full
American crewing
for 10 more
months^. /
The government's decision to al­
low foreign seamen onboard Amer­
ican vessels was roundly criticized
in Congress and by maritime unions.
But an obscure loophole in the law
gave DOD the right to waive man­
ning requirements because the ves­
sels were not expected to call on
any U.S. port.

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Govemment Foul-ups

^^^^^^^Pr^sident's Report
by Michael Sacco

The case of the oil tanker Ocean Chal­
lenger {Provides a perfect example of how
govemment foul-ups are a big factor in
the weakening of the American-flag shipping industry. Whether these foul-ups
are deliberate or unintentional hardly miakes any difference. The consequences
are the same: the ability of the industry to get on its feet is severely affected.
In the case of the 265,()()()-ton tanker Ocean Challenger, two govemment
agencies allowed, perhaps even encouraged, a situation whereby a Boston
businessman grabbed off three govemment-owned ships at bargain-basement
prices, and then through a complex series of maneuvers and manipulations,
had a huge contract for the shipment of grain dumped in his lap that would
make him a killing.
What is especially sad about the Ocean Challenger mess is that it was
obvious from the beginning that the operation was not to become a bona-fide
part of the U.S.-flag maritime industry.

A Disgraceful Story

-• • '¥-'•'• '

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the Pakistanis to accept the vessel to
carry some 200,000 tons of wheat from
the West Coast. Several U.S.-flag car­
riers with smaller vessels, suited to the
Pakistanis, were available at only slightly
higher cost, which would aUoW the cargo to be delivered directly to the various
ports without the necessity of the more costly method of offshore discharging
the cargo onto lighters and then into port.

This disgraceful story began last summer when the Maritime Administration
approved the sale from the govemment's layup fleet of three very large crade
carriers (VLCC), including the Ocean Challenger, at a price slightly more than
the ships , would have brought in for scrap. Under the circumstances of the
.
^.........4,.. v/ould be scrapped,
rr —
sale, it was rightly presumed
that the Ocean Challenger
okpite the\arg^n basement price, the Maritime Administration placed li^
restrictions on the use of the ship. That was the first of a series of events that
set the Ocean Challenger enterprise apart from the conventional, good-faith
maritime operation.
Despite objections by the govemment of Pakistan to the use of the Ocean
C/ia//cngcr, the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) leaned on

Bad Management and Bad Faith
From the outset, the Ocean Challenger operator demonstrated bad manage­
ment and bad faith. It refused to hire American seamen who had sailed on
union-contracted ships. It brought aboard and exploited unskHled illegal entry
aliens ahd homeless people to clean the vessel's tanks, touching off a storm
of protest throughout the Portland, Ore. community. And then it came under
fire from the Coast Guard for causing an oil slick in the Portland harbor.
The SIU, along with the MEBA and two shipping companies. Liberty
Maritime Corp. and OMI Corp., stepped in with a suit in federal court
challenging the&lt;;harter of the Ocean Challenger on the grounds that the ship
had been sold by Maratl at just above scrap prices. The suit also charged that
Marad had allowed use of the VLCC in the grain trade without proper
consideration of the impact it would have on the existing bulk fleets
According to the AID, the vessel is now scheduled to sail with its cargo
around mid-January, some two months late.
No wonder, then, that the use of the vessel and the role of the government
^ agencies have attracted the attention and concern of key members of Congress,
All of us concerned with protecting the job security of seafaring workers
and promoting the well-being of the merchant manne must fight against the
bdmbling bureaucracy which aUows an Ocean C/ia/Zenger situation to happen.
These agencies have a responsibility to promote the interests of U.S. shipping,
not to undermine it.

Congress Gefs Reagan^s
Last Maritime Budget

••f•

In one of its final official acts, the
Reagan administration submitted a
$1.15 trillion budget for fiscal yem1990. It would leave funding for most
maritime programs at essentially the
same levels as last year.
In announcing the budget, the
administration expressed confidence
that it would make headway in reform­
ing the Operating Differential Subsidy
(CDS) jpro^am. The program, which
is sc^duled to increase from $218
million in 1989 to $236 million in 1990,
has begun to expire. Although coming
up with a new CDS program ranks
high on everybody's list of important
issues, reform of the program has so
far proven elusive.
The administration also reiterated
its desire that legislation be enacted
for oil and gas exploration and devel­
opment of federd lands in Alaska's
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
(ANWR). This is an important job
security issue for seamen because sup­
plies of Alaskan North Slope oil are
expected to diminish in the years ahead,
and more than 40 American tankers
are employed in the trade. But envi­
ronmental groups are expected to
mount a fierce challenge to the explo­
ration of ANWR oil, as they did in the
last session of Congress.
The big winner in this year's budget
from a maritime point of view is the
Coast Guard, which will have its budget
raised by 17 percent from last year.
Most of the increase will be devoted
to increased drug enforcement pro­
grams.
Few expect that the Reagaf budget
will be enacted in its present form,
especially since there will be a change
in administration Jan. 20. Democratic
leaders have said that they will i^ore
2/LOG / January 1989

this budget and wait for one from the
incoming Bush administration.
This Reagan budget seeks to dis­
continue two programs which have
come under attack in recent years: the
Construction Differential Subsidy Pro­
gram, which has not been funded since
the 1980 budget, and the Title XI Loan
Mortgage Program. The Reagan
administration tried to officially end
the Title XI program last year, but
Congress would not go along with the
proposal. However, no new funds are
allotted for it in the proposed budget,
though two applications for Title XI
funds are still pending.
The Reagan administration would
make sharp cuts in farm programs.
Under the proposed Reagan budget,
agricultural programs are scheduled to
be cut by almost 25 percent. Luckily,'
the P.L. 480 program, which generates
a large share of jobs for American
seamen, is scheduled to be funded at
roughly the same level. More than $47
million have been allotted for payment
to the Agriculture Department for the
cost of carrying additional cargo under
the 1985 Farm Act which increased
P.L. 480 requirements for certain kinds
of cargo from 50 to 75 percent. ,
The administration also proposed to
increase the fill rate for the Strategic
Petroleum Reserve from 50,000 bar­
rels a day to 75,000 barrels a day iii
1990 and create a separate 10 million
barrel petroleum inventory for defense
purposes. The oil for the increase
would result from the administration's
proposal to sell the government-run
oil fields at Elk HUls and Teapot Dome,
wherie the purchaser would be re­
quired to m^e oil available as part of
the sale agreement.

Maritime Quiz

Were you able to identify this ship in last month's LOG? She was the S.S.
American Hawk (Isthmian/State Marine), sailing out of San Francisco Bay
for the Far East in the late 60's. Long before the advent of LASH vessels,
this C-3 was rigged to carry barges as deck cargo.

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Mloiing Panel Announces Results of A&amp;G Vote
Sacco Elected
To Presidency
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-•41-••

As the LOG was going to pjress, the
Union Tallying Committee released
the list of successful candidates in the
Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters
District election, which began Novem­
ber 1 and concluded December 31,
1988.
The conunittee's report, which will
be submitted for action at the next
membership meeting in all ports, shows
Michael Sacco overwhelmingly elected
as president of the SIU District Union
for a four-year term.
Joseph DiGiorgio was relected to
the Secretary-Treasurer's post.
Also elected to four year terms were:
Joe Sacco, Executive Vice
President;
An^s "Red" Campbell, Vice
President for Collective Bargain­
ing;
Jack Caff(by, Vice President,
Atlantic Coast;
Thomas Glidewell, Vice Pres­
ident, Gulf Coast;
George McCartney, Vice Pres­
ident, West Coast;
John Fay, Vice President,
Lakes and Inland Waters, and
Roy Mercer, Vice President,
Government Services.
Headquarters Representatives and
Port Officials elected were:
Headquarters
Representa­
tive—Leo Bonser, Byron Kelley,
Carl Peth, Robert Pomerlane and
. George Ripoll.
Piney Point—^James Martin,
Port Agent; Kwong Jih Hom,
Port Employee.
New York—Augustin "Augie"
Tellez, Port Agent; Trevor
"Robbie" Robertson and Robert
Selzer, Port Employees.
jniiladelphia—David Heindel,
Port Agent; Kermett T. Mangram, Port Employee.
Baltimore—-Allen P. Ray­
mond, Port Agent; James P.
McGee, Port Employee.
Mobile—George Vukmir, Port
Agent; Edward "Edd" Morris,
Port Employee.
New Orleans—^Ray Singletary,
Port Agent; Nick Celona, Port
Employee.
Houston—^Dean Corgey, Port
Agent; Frank Gill, Port Em­
ployee.
San Francisco—Dopald C. An­
derson, Port Agent; Thomas J.
Fay and Gentry Moore, Port Em^
ployees.
St. Louis—^David M. Carter,
Port Agent; Jesse Solis, Port Em­
ployee.
Detroit-Algonac—Jack Allen,
Port Agent; M. Joseph Sigler,
Port Employee.
* • • •

In addition to the election of offi­
cers, there was one proposition on the
ballot calling for an amendment to the
SIU Constitution, "pjc proposition,
which passed by airbwrwhelming vote.

I

:'

JS'I I'''''''

The Union Tallying Committee paused during their count to pose for this photo with SIU Secretary-Treasurer Joe DlGlorgio, seated; his
administrative aide, Joanne Herrlein, left, and Seafarers House Counsel Leslie Tarentola, right. The committee included Tom Dowell,
Alex Reyer, Calvaln James, Frank Rodriguez, Joseph Power, Harreid Reed, Nick Kratsas, Harry Jones, Richard Forgays, Richard
Gimpel, Peter Garza, Revels Poovey, Andrew Lewis, Milton Phelps, James Slay, Edouard DeParlier, Joseph Morrison, Tinitali Tinitaii,
Maurice "Duke" Duet and Nicholas Tagliamhuris.

revises the title and duties of the of­
fices of Secretary; Vice President,
Lakes and Inland Waters and Vice
President, Government Services; ex­
pands the location of the Union's
headquartes to include Camp Springs,
Maryland; deletes the position of "Port
Employee" and establishes six "As­
sistant Vice-President" positions; pro­
vides the Executive Board with the
authority to change the number of

Membership OKs
Changes to SIU
Constifution
constitutional ports; and changes the
Quarterly Financial Conunittee to an
annual committee. The new constitu­
tional amendments also provide for
multiple housekeeping constitutional
changes. All of the changes are to be
accomplished within six months from
the date of Certification by the Union
Tallying Committee.
The election was conducted by se­
cret mail ballot as provided for under
the SIU Constitution. The ballots were
counted at SIU headquarters by an
elected Union Tallying Committee
consisting of two full-book members
from each of the SIU's 10 constitu­
tional ports.
A complete report of the election
Tallying Committee will be posted this
month in all the ports.

House Ship Ponef
Sets First Meeting
The House Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee will meet for the
first time this year on Feb. 2.
The 42-member committee has ju­
risdiction over ocean and inland ship­
ping, the Marine Administration, the
Federal Maritime Commission, the
Coast Guard, Great Lakes, fisheries
and the Panama Canal.

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0rug Decision Could Help SIU Suit
...

Bans
Testing of
A federal judge's rulit^i barring
tMdlom drug testing of the nation's
truck dri^^s could have a positive
bearing on the SIU's suit to block
such testing for maritime workers.
The judge issued an injunction
ag^rt such testing, saying the govemment had failed to prove that
drug abuse is a serious problem in
the trucking industry. In its suit,
the SIU cites the Coast Guard's
own adiniission that it has little evi­
dence linking drug use to maritime
safety problems.
Over the objections of the entire
maritime industry and most of the
fram^mrtation industiy, the Depaifrttent of Transportation issued
sweeping drug testing regulations
late last year.
Last month the SIU became the

fit^ fransportati^ u^

aj^nst the goveiument to overturn
the pre-employment, periodic and
random drug testing rules.
The regulations went into effect,
but actual testing in the maritime
mdustry wiil not t^gin until later
this year unless the courts put. the
drug testing on hold.
M[aritime employers vrith 50 or
more employees have six nionths
to b^n pre-employment testing and
a year to implement the other as^pects of the program. Companies
with 11-50 workers have six months
to implement pre^mployment, perictdic, post-accident and reason­
able cause testing, but two years to
begin random testing progrmns.
Employers with fewer than 11 em­

VS.-

.A visAr

ployees hav two years to 11
ment the entire program.
Because of the lead time involved
for maritime drug testing, court ac­
tion on the SIU's suit is not ex^
pected soon.
In the trucking case, U.S. Fe# ^
eral District Court Judge Marilyn
Hall Patel said random and postaccident drug testing raised serious
constitutional questions under the
Fourth Amendment which bars un­
reasonable search and seizures.
"The government has cited only
two studies, each having dubious
merit and weight, to justify the
intrusive testing contemplated by
both random testing and post-ac­
cident testing," she wrote.
In the case of the maritime in­
dustry, the government cited no
studies of drug use to back its call
for drug testing.
"Tbese (DOT) regulations are not
supported by particularized reliable *
findings about rampant drug use"
in the trucking iiulustry, Patel wrote.
She also said, "Random drug
testing tinder the new regulations
lacks the requisite element of indi­
vidualized suspicion."
The new regulations cover almost
all trmisporation workers, and legal
action has been taken in the aviation
and rail industries, along with mar­
itime and trucking.
In addition to the suits filed over
the recent DOT drug testing rules,
two court cases concerning drug
testing will be heard by the U.S.
Supreme Court this year.

January 1989/LOG/3
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•100th Mission Marked

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With a colorful Hawaiian lei draped
over her bow, the USNS Contender
(T-AGOS 2) arrived here Oct. 20 for
pierside festivities commemorating the
100th operational mission among the
10 ocean surveillance ships now in
service with MSG.
On Jan. 7,1985, the Contender, with
an SIU crew, left Pearl Harbor on the
first mission of these very special ships
which have since proven their worth
to Pacific and Atlantic fleet commanders.
On hand to greet the Contender
when she berthed at Bishop Point's
Pier Alpha was Rear Adm. Edwin R.
Kohn Jr., deputy commander in chief,
U.S. Pacific Fleet, along with more
than 100 military and civilian guests.
The Contender crew employed by Sea
Mobility, Inc., not used to such atten­
tion, seemed pleased by the warm
reception and recognition their ship
received when it tied up.
On typical T-AGOS missions in the
Pacific and Atlantic, the all-white, 224foot surveillance ships sail alone, mov­
ing at the snail's pace of three knots
on voyages that average 80 days in
length. It's easy to feel forgotten when

*

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ypu're away from port for almost three
months. But out of sight doesn't nec­
essarily mean out of mind.
"Few ships are watched more care­
fully than T-AGOS vessels," said Adm.
Kohn, directing his remarks to the
Contender crew standing by the railing
of their , ship. "You're not lonely.
You're getting lots of attention. The
mission of T-AGOS ships precludes
them from moving too far from the
'front' where they produce a critical
product for the Navy." .
In brief remarks, Cdr. Rick Hardy,
commanding officer of T-AGOS Sup­
port Unit, Pacific, recognized the two
unions which crew the T-AGOS ships,
SIU and MEBA District 2. Present at
the 100th voyage celebration were Tom
Fay, SIU port agent in Honolulu, and
Jerry Joseph, vice president of MEBA
District 2.
Since coming into fleet service in
1985, the unique ships operated by the
Military Sealift Command and crewed
by commercial mariners and civilian
technicians have won widespread praise
and respect from their fleet command­
ers as kfey players in the Navy's anti­

The SlU-crewed f/SiVS Contender was the first of the T-AGOS vessels to complete an
operational mission. The Contender recently completed the 100th T-AGOS voyage.
submarine warfare (ASW) program.
Noted the Chief of Naval Opera­
tion's Oct. 18 message to the T-AGOS/
SURTASS community in recognition
of the 100th mission of the worldwide
ocean surveillance fleet, "These ves­
sels have made a significant contri­

bution to meeting the Soviet challenge
on the high seas. Everyone involved
has great reason to be proud of these
accomplishments. The Navy will con­
tinue to rely on your successes to
ensure its ability to execute its mis­
sions successfully."

Two Key Cabinet Posts Announced by Bush
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Skinner Named to DOT; Dole Wins Labor Post

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There will be a number of new faces
in the federal agencies and congres­
sional committees which determine
the fate of the American-flag merchant
marine.
iSamuel Skinner, a senior partner in
the Chicago law firm of Sidley &amp;
Austin, has been named Transporta­
tion Secretary. Elizabeth Dole, who
headed the Department of Transpor­
tation from 1983-1987, has been named
the new Secretary of Labor. Both
departments will have to deal with
issues that are important to American
seamen, both as workers employed in
the maritime sector and as members
of trade unions.

'C,

In announcing his selection of Skin­
ner as DOT head. President-elect
George Bush said the proposed nom­
inee is "a visionary" who would be
able "to get all the legs of our trans­
portation system—air, land and sea—
working together." He also said that
the budget deficit would make it im­
perative for the new secretary to work
within tight fiscal constraints.
As head of the DOT, Skinner will
have to deal with a wide array of
issues, including reform of the liner
subsidy program and the serious de­
cline of this nation's sealift and ship­
building capabilities.

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Skinner is a long-time associate of
Illinois Gov. James Thompson. He
served as head of the Chicago Transit
Authority and is widely credited with
restoring that agency to financial sta­
bility.
He also served as U.S. Attorney for
the Northern District of Illinois. One

of the first issues he will have to deal
with is the court challenge to the
DOT'S proposed drug-testing rules.
Transportation unions have objected
to those rules as being too broad and
sweeping.
Despite his extensive public record
and a reputation for being a first-class
manager. Skinner has not worked ex­
tensively with transportation issues.
He acknowledged that in his first press
conference, and said that he would
take pains to surround himself with
the best qualified people he could find.
This makes the staffing of such posi­
tions as Marad chief even more im­
portant.
Unlike Skinner, Elizabeth Dole has
an extensive record of service in the
federal government. As head of the
DOT, she received high marks for her
work on issues like the passage of
seatbelt laws and the transfer of Na­
tional Airport to a regional authority.
She received some criticism, however,
for the way she responded to dereg­
ulation of the nation's airlines and to
her inability to promote a more com­
prehensive maritime policy.
Her appointment was well-received
in labor circles, since she is perceived
as being more moderate and more
conciliatory than some of her prede­
cessors. Sen. Edward Kennedy (DM£»S.) says that "President-elect Bush
saved one of his best appointments
until the end," and AFL-CIO Presi­
dent Lane Kirkland noted that "she
is a person of proven stature and wide
experience in public life who will give
the Labor Department an important
voice in the affairs of interest to work-

ing Americans."
The Journal of Commerce reports
that at least five incoming Democrats
and two Republicans have indicated
interest in joining the 42-member House
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Com­
mittee! The committee will have at
least five vacancies because five for­
mer members, three Democrats and
two Republicans, will not be returning
when the new session of Congress
convenes.
The Senate has already made infor­
mal assignments to committees. Join­

Adm. Bufdier To Head
/WIHary Sealift Command
Rear Admiral Paul D. Butcher
took the helm of the Military Sealift
Command at ceremonies Dec. 19 in
Washington, D.C. He succeeds Vice
Admiral Walter J. Piotti who served
in the post from 1985.
Butcher, a West Virginia native
and graduate of Marshall Univer­
sity, joined the Navy in 1948. He
was commissioned as ensign in 1953
when he finished college.
Before taking over the MSG, he
served as Deputy Commander in
Chief and Chief of Staff, U.S. At­
lantic fleet.

Adm. Butcher
The MSG Butcher takes over employs more than 2,000 merchant
mariners under contract to the Navy, many of whom are SIU members.
They sewe on ships such as the Fast Sealift ships. Afloat and Maritime
Prepositioning Ships, T-AGOS vessels and others. In addition, some
6,400 civil service and military employees are part of the MSG.
•

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4 / LOG / January 1989
P

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ing the Senate Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee will be
newly elected Democrats Richard
Bryan of Nevada and Chuck Robb of
Virginia.
On the Republican side will be Con­
rad Burges from Montana, Trent Lott
of Mississippi and Slade Gorton of
Washington. All five are newly elected,
though Gorton served on the Com­
merce Committee in his first term in
the Senate. He was defeated in his
election bid, and 1988 marked a per­
sonal comeback.

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Tanker Brings a Full Load off Fuel

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SlU Ship Kraps Amy From Kunhirig on Empty
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Seafarers crewing the T-5 tanker
Richard G. Matthiesen found them­
selves in Charleston, S.C. last month
with a load of fuel for a nearby Army
base.
The Matthiesen is one of five T-5s
operating on a 25-year charter to the
Navy. The 30,000 DWT vessel is op­
erated by Ocean Carriers Inc. Seafar­
ers first crewed the tanker in 1986.
All the T-5s are named for civilian
merchant mariners who were cited for
heroism during World War II. Richard
G. Matthiesen was an AB aboard the
S.S. Marcus Daly. He was killed dur­
ing the initial invasion of the Philip­
pines in 1944.

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In the crew lounge, some of the folks who keep the engine room running smoothly are (1. to r.) QMED Leon Fountain, GUD/E Sean
Walker, QMED Eugene Thompson and Steward Assistant Eric Gray.

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AB Billy Joe Lockhart loads two drums for
the engine room.
Just before he signed off the ship. Chief Cook William Knorr
(left) poses with Steward Assistant P.G. Ordanza (center) and
Steward/Baker Richard Geiling.
Bosun Jerry Bass (left) and AB William Johnson.

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ABs Rodney Ennls (left) and BiUy Joe Lockhart take a break from their deck duties.

Getting ready fm- lunch in the galley are Steward^aker Richard Geiling (left) and Chief
Cook Gina Lightfoot. She came onboard when the MeMiesen arrived in Charleston.

January 1989/LOG/5
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Arijfrei Sakharov, tFamed Soviet Dissident,
Given AFL-CiO Human Rights Award
Andrei Sakharov, the Soviet scien­
tist honored by the AFL-CIO as "one
of the towering moral figures of our
century," accepted the George Meany
Human Rights Award in a ceremony
at the federation's headquarters re­
cently.
SIU President Michael Sacco at­
tended the ceremony and ld|er had a
chance to meet Sakharov. "His ded­
ication to freedom and his strength in
the face of repression should be a;n
inspiration to everyone," Sacco said.
The award presented by AFL-CIO
President Lane Kirkland had been
voted by the Executive Council on
May 21, 1986, Sakharbv's 65th birth­
day. At the time, Sakharov was con­
fined to a harsh "internal exile,"" in
isolation imposed by his country's
rulers.
"I am grateful," Sakharov said,
speaking not just of the award but of
the years of public support for his
cause from "the trade union move­
ment in America."
He spoke of the "great changes"
taking place in his country, and of the
need to continue the process. Sak­
harov stressed that the liberalization
of Soviet society is still far froip com­
plete. He spoke of dissidents still in
prison, such as Vazif Meilanov and
Mikhail Kukobaka, and of others re­
leased from prison who have not yet
had their fiill rights restored.
Neither the United States nor groups
like the AFL-CIO that have pressed
the cause of human rights should relax

their efforts and prodding, Sakharov
urged.
Sakharov spoke hopefully of the
independent worker movements that
have started to spring up in the Soviet
Union.
The next likely step, he said, will
be efforts to achieve "consolidation"
of the worker groups. "Everyone in
the USSR expects fhat they can count
on the support of the free trade unions"
of the West, Sakharov added.
With Sakharov was an ally in the
human rights crusade, Sergie Kovalev, who had served a 10-year term
in prison, forced labor and internal
exile for refusing to be silent to injus­
tice. Now he had been given lastminute permission to join Sakharov in
the United States.
Speaking for those who have been
in prison and those still in prison,
Kovalev said, "We have constantly
felt this help" from the AFL-CIO.
In the struggles ahead, Kirkland
assured Sakharov, "You can count on
the American trade union movement
as a resource" in striving for "a greater
degree of freedom and democracy."
Kirkland noted that 1986 wasn't the
first time Sakharov had been pre­
vented from accepting an AFL-CIO
invitation or barred by the Soviet gov­
ernment from leaving the country.
Sakharov wasn't allowed to travel
to Norway to accept the Nobel Peace
Prize awarded him in 1975 for his
defense of universal human rights.

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Andrei Sakharov (left) and SIU President Michael Sacco exchaAge greetings after the
Soviet human rights leader vras presented with the George Meany Human Rights award.
And he and other human rights ad­
vocates invited to the AFL-CIO's 1977
convention in Los Angeles were de­
nied exit visas.
Sakharov sent the speech he had
planned to deliver through "unofficial
channels" and Kirkland's predeces­
sor, George Meany, read it to the
convention.
It was, as Kirkland noted at the

awards presentation, "a moving
expression of the aspirations of the
human spirit."
Sakharov then referred to the "ir­
reversible moral victory of the ideol­
ogy of human rights over the ideology
of totalitarianism." Asking the AFLCIO's help, he stressed that "the only
weapon in our struggle is publicity,
the open and free word."

United States and China Sign Shipping Pact
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The United States and China have
signed a maritime trade agreement. It
marks an important hew step in the
trading relationship between the two
countries and presents the American
maritime industry, especially the liner
segment, with a potentially lucrative
source of new cargo.
While the agreement covers only
the regular, common carrier liner serv­
ices, officials fi-om both countries noted
that future talks will be held to "fa­
cilitate the substantial participation of

U.S.-flag bulk vessels in the bilateral
bulk trades."
The immediate beneficiaries of the
new maritime agreement are two U.S.flag carriers, Sea-Land and American
President Lines, both of which employ
SIU seamen onboard their vessels.
Sea-Land has disclosed plans to open
three offices in China by the early part
of this year, making it the first U.S.flag operator to do so since the fall of
the Nationalist government some 40
years ago.

Apply Now for SlUSelmkn0tips
To those of you thinking about college, for yourselves or your
dependents, the SIU's Charlie LOgan Scholarship Progiam is.one way to
ease the financial burden often associated with higher learning. But you'd
V better think quickly-^cause Friday, April 14, 1989 is the deadline for
Ivsubmissipn of applications. ,
= The Scholarship Program was begun in 1952 to help members and their
I childremtfchieve their educational goals. These annual awaids consist of
"^j^even scholarships, four of which are worth SfO,000 over a four-year
jMjriod at collets chosen by the winners, jtn additionv three scholarships
5| are reserved annually for SIU members themselves: one is a four-year
college scholarship of $10,000; two are two-year scholarships of $5,000
each for study.
Scholarship grants are awarded on the bs^s of high school grades and
the scores of either College Entrance Examination Boards (SAT) or
f,J^erican College Tests (ACT).
©onT put It off any longer. Applications are still available to active
llidiembers and their dependents at any SIU hall or through the Seafarers
Welfare Plan, Charlie Logan Scholarshipv520l Auth Way, Camp Springs,
:Md.20746. ' , . .
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The bilateral trade agreement was
signed in the Treaty Room of the State
Department, where Deputy of State
John Whitehead called the agreement
an "important step in our bilateral
trade relations."
Qian Yongchang, China's minister
of communication, agreed, saying that
"trade can't be conducted without
shipping."
Maritime relations between the two
governments had been governed by a
bilateral trading agreement that was
signed in 1980, but it elapsed five years
ago. As a result, American maritime
companies have been virtually shut
out of the trade.
With the economic and political lib­
eralizations undertaken 10 years ago,
trade between the United States and
China has undergone an explosive
growth. The present maritime agree­

ment gives both the Americans and
the Chinese greater access to each
other's ports, and streamlines proce­
dural matters.
The agreement is for four years. It
contains cargo-sharing provisions to
provide for parity in bilateral liner
cargo carriage and to ensure vessels
of each nation at least one-third of
such cargoes.
U.S.-flag vessels may enter 40 listed
Chinese ports upon 24-hour advance
notice, and Chinese-flag vessels may
enter all U.S. ports, except 12 specif­
ically listed.
The agreement also deals with such
maritime matters as vessel documen­
tation, crew identity documents and
shore leave, handling of maritime ac­
cidents, convertibility of payments,
and equal treatment with respect to
the assessment of tonnage duties.

Notice
SGT. MATEJ KOOK, PK EUGENE
OeREGON, MM. SIEPHEN PIESS
All crewmembers who sailed aboard
the Kocak in 1986 and/or 1987 are to
submit copies of their Coast Guard
discharges or pay vouchers to the
Contract Department at headquarters
in order to collect their economic price
adjustment (E.P.A.).
Crewmembers who sailed aboard
the Obregon and the Pless in 1987 are
to submit copies of their Coast Guard

discharges or pay vouchers to the
Contract Department at headquarters
for their economic price adjustment.

M.V. GUS DARNELL
Crewmembers who sailed aboard the
above named vessel in 1987 are due an
economic price adjustment (E.P.A.)
Forward copies of your Coast Guard
discharges or pay vouchers to the
Contraci^Departm^nt at headquarters
for proMssing.

6 / LOG / January 1989

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AIDS Holf/nes—Ififormofroii Is Just a Call Aw€iy
AIDS hotlines are made available
to the public by a number of different
organizations and agencies. Calls to
these hotlines can be made anony­
mously (without giving your name).
The caller, therefore, may be able to
talk more openly about his or her
concerns. The caller may, however,
be asked to give the state and zip code
of the place where the caller is calling
from.
These hotlines are a valuable source
of information. They may be helpful
to people who have questions and
concerns about AIDS, family mem­
bers and friends of individuals with
HIV/AIDS infections, individuals who
believe they might be infected with
the AIDS virus, individuals who feel
healthy but are AIDS antibody posi­
tive, as well as individuals who may
have ARC or AIDS.
NATIONAL AIDS HOTLINES
The national hotlines can be dialed
from anywhere within the U.S. They
provide trained people capable of giv­
ing information, answering questions,
and making referrals to programs, or­
ganizations and services in your area.
The 800 numbers are free. To call the
other numbers you will have to pay
for the long distance call.
1. National AIDS Hotline (Compre­
hensive AIDS information and re­
ferral source for support groups,
AIDS antibody testing sites, and
other services in your area)
7 days a week, 24 hours a day
800-342-AIDS
2. National Drug Ahuse Hotline
M-F 9am-3am; S&amp;S 12 noon-9pm
Eastern Time
800-662-HELP
3. AIDS Information Hotline, National
Gay Task Force
M-F 5pm-10pm; Sat. lpm-5pm
Eastern Time
800-221-7044
212-529-1604 New York
4. National Sexually Transmitted Dis­
eases Hotline

M-F llam-llpm Eastern Time
800-227-8922
5. Free AZT Program (For those un­
able to afford AZT)
. 800-542-2437 in New York only
For numbers in other states call the
National AIDS Hotline
800-342-AIDS

STATE AIDS HOTLINES
The 800 numbers can only be dialed
fi-om within that particular state. These
numbers provide trained individuals
capable of giving information, an­
swering questions, and making refer­
rals to programs, organizations, sup­
port groups, HIV/AIDS antibody
testing sites, professional and other
services.
1. Alabama AIDS Hotline
800-228-0469
2. California AIDS Hotlines
800-367-AIDS Northern Califor­
nia (English/Spanish)
800-922-AIDS Southern Califor­
nia (English)
800-222-SIDA Southern Califor­
nia (Spanish)
3. Florida AIDS Hotline
800-FLA-AIDS

6. Project Inform (Experimental drug
information for all stages of HIV/
AIDS infection—newsletter, pam­
phlets, and information)
10am-2pm Pacific Time; Recording
other times
800-822-7422
800-334-7422 in California only

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9. Minnesota AIDS Hotline
800-248-AIDS

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10, Missouri AIDS Hotline
800-533-AIDS
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11. New Jersey AIDS Hotline
800-624-2377

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12. New York AIDS Hotline
800-462-1884
13. Ohio AIDS Hotline
800-322-AIDS

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14. Pennsylvania AIDS Hotline
800-692-7294

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15. Puerto Rico AIDS Hotline
809-765-1010

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16. Texas AIDS Information and Re­
ferral Line
800-248-1091
17. Virginia AIDS Hotline
800-533-4148

5. Louisiana AIDS Hotline
800-999-4379

18. Washington AIDS Hotline
800-272-AIDS

7. Massachusetts AIDS Action Line
M-F 9am-9pm; Sat. 10am-4pm;

....

8, Michigan AIDS Hotline
800-872-AIDS
/ •"

4. Hawaii AIDS Hotline
800-321-1555
922-1313 Oahu

6. Maryland AIDS Hotline
9am-9pm
800-638-6252

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Sun. 12 noon-4pm
800-235-2331

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For more information:
Elizabeth Reisman
SAFE
P.O. Box 75
Piney Point, MD 20674

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Upgraders Tour CapHol Hill

7. Gay Men's Health Crisis
212-807-7035
For the number of the locsd group
in your area call the National AIDS
Hotline 800-342-AIDS
"7 •

8. National Association of People with
AIDS
202-483-7979
For the number of the local group
in your area call the National AIDS
Hotline 800-342-AIDS

• "'b •

SAFE Steering Committee
Sets AIDS Policy Goals
This article is the second in a series of periodic articles which will
report on the Seafarers AIDS Forum for Education (SAFE) steering
committee activities. As reported in the November 1988 LOG, the SAFE
steering committee will be developing an industry-wide policy to deal
with the various issues involving the AIDS virus.
The key components of the maritime industry's AIDS policy will cover
four areas—education, health and safety, employment practices and
health care cost cont^toent.
That was the program/mapped out by the SAFE steering committee at
a two-day meeting in 1&amp; November at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School of Seamanship.
SIU President Mike SaCqo and Executive Vice President Joe Sacco
along with Secretary Joe DlGiorgio and Vice President Ken Conklin
opened the meeting. EmployeiOancJ union representatives reviewed draft
policies concerning AIDS education and health and safety.
The committee chose three subcommittee chairpersons to coordinate
some of the committee's activities. Those selected were Mike DiPrisco
of Crowley Maritime for health and safety policies; Anthony Naccarato
of OMI Corporation for employment practice policies and David Schultz
of American Steamship Co. for the AIDS education program. The
committee is scheduled to meet again in early March in Camp Springs,
Md. to discuss and develop employment policies.

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Following the Thanksgiving Day holiday, npgrading members from the Able Seaman
class, as well as from the Welding and Automation classes, continued their union education
program with a tour of the Capitol. Taking part in the day's events were Jersald Gailetta,
Jose Gonzalez, Julio Ramos, Richard Rankin, Gary Tauro, James Templeton, Alfred
DeSimone, William Eden, Juan Iglesias, Robert Johmwn, Jack Pegram, Mohamed Saleh,
Arthur Miller, John Day, Gary Pratts and James Bates.

7 ti

January 1989/LOG/7

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Glen Dickens, 64
Cut-N-Shoot, Texas
Joined Union 1955

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Lawrence EUand, 78
Mlllbrook, Ala.
Joined Union 1947
Julius Fekete, 84
PhUadeiphIa, Pa,
Joined Union 1954

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Wayne Ard, 37
Husser, La.
Joined Union 1969

Louis Galuska, 69
New Orleans, La.
Joined Union 1947

Julian B. Royston, 70
Royston, Ga.
Joined Union 1951

Santiago Pena, 87
Bayslde,N.Y.
Joined Union 1950

Felipe Ferrer, 62
New York, N.Y.
Joined Union 1953
Bepjamln Freeman, 67
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Joined Union 1962
Thomas Garrity, 85 &gt;,
New Orleans, La.
Joined Union 1948
David GIbbs, 65
Belhaven, N.C.
Joined Union 1962

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Raymond Bdswell, 84
Gretna, La.
Joined Union 1946

William Koltonok, 70
Camden, N.J.
Joined Union 1958

Vernon Porter, 68
Norfolk, Va.
Joined Union 1938

WlUle Tomllnson, 68
Baltimore, Md.
Joined Union 1960
Charles Brezler, 75
Baltimore, Md.
Joined Union 1957

James Davis, 64
Seattle, Wash.
Joined Union 1945

Joseph McPhee, 66&gt;
• Gretna, La.
Joined Union 1944

Salvador Rodriguez, 71
Cacus, P.R.
Joined Union 1964

-

Howard HInnant, 36
Hampton, Va.
Joined Union 1975
Marshall Howton, 60
Houston, Texas
Joined Union 1956
jrNathan Johnson, 25
^ DuncanvUle, Ala.
Joined Union 1987

Perry Bullock, 49
Baycllff, Texas
Joined Union 1963

R.B. Kelley, 68
Houston, Texas
Joined Union 1977

Henry Caswell, 78
Alpena, Mich.
Joined Union 1960

Harold Knipp, 80
Toledo, Ohio
Joined Union 1960

Daniel Dean, 79
Neptune, N.J.
Joined Union 1952

Edward Klhn, 76
Herron, Mich.
Joined Union 1950
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o SAFEGUARD your rights and the shipping rights of all SIU
members, there are certain requirements that must be followed.
These requirements are spelled out in the Shipping Rules, and they
are there so that the rights of all members will be protected and
furthered fairly and impartially.

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DUES Your current quarter Union dues must be paid at the time
you register.
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RELIEF JOBS/REGISTERING When you are relieved, you
must re-register for your job within 48 hours by reporting to the SIU
Union hall.
RELIEF JOBS/CONTACT WITH UNION It is your respon
sibility to keep in contact with the Port Agent at the port in which
you are registered.
JOBS/SHIPPING
is your responsibility to claim
your job from the hiring hall shipping board no later than one day
before the ship's scheduled arrival.

J• •

8 /LOG/ January 1989

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First Went to Sea In 1915

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90-Year-Old Seafarar Wins WW II Discharge
Editor's Note: Hundreds cf Seafarers
who sailed in World War II have been
granted their WW II discharges and
veterans' benefits, some 43 years after
the last shot was fired. We salute ail of
these men who served their country and
wish there was room to tell each story.
Roughly a quarter of a million Amer­
icans served in the merchant marine
between Pearl Harbor and V-J Day.
Some 5,662 of them died—a higher
casualty rate than their counterparts
in the Navy. The benefits to which
their status entitles the survivorsincluding use of veterans' hospitals
and burial in national cemeteries—are
long overdue—43 years to be exact.
On Jan. 21, 1988, a federal court
decision gave veterans status to World
War II U.S. merchant seamen who
sailed between Dec. 7, 1941 and Aug.
15, 1945. It came after a 43-year fight
with the Defense Department and an
eight-year struggle in the courts.
One such survivor is Geronimo B.
Gapac, now 90 years old. A resident
of Savannah, Ga., Gapac went through
all the necessary paperwork and gov­
ernment forms, and this past Novem­
ber received his honorable discharge

New Sea Litter
Laws Take Effect
An international treaty banning the
'dumping of plastics at sea and tough­
ening the rules on other garbage took
effect in early January.
No plastics, such as synthetic ropes,
fishing nets or plastic trash bags can
be tossed overboard. In addition, other
forms of garbage, such as packing
materials, can't be disposed of within
25 miles of land. Food wastes cannot
be dumped within 12 miles of shore
unless they have been processed
through a grinder.
Even stricter rules apply in the Med­
iterranean, Baltic and Black seas, which
face huge pollution problems.

U.S. Extends
Territorial
Waters
The United States has extended its
territorial waters to 12 miles offshore.
The U.S. is the 105th country in the
world to mark the 12-miIe limit. Pre­
viously it claimed a three-mile limit.
The biggest benefit, a State Depart­
ment official said, "will be to make
foreign intelligence gathering more dif­
ficult and less effective."
The new limit does not ^ect U.S.
fishing or mineral rights.

certificate from the U.S. Coast Guard
and a certificate of service from the
U.S. Merchant Marine. With the cer­
tificates comes the long-awaited and
well-earned honor of being a U.S.
veteran. But it's been a long road for

Geronimo Gapac proudly displays his
World War discharge certificate.
Gapac in getting to this point.
Geronimo Bilbao Gapac was bom

Sept. 30, 1898 in the Visaya Islands
in the Philippines. He struck out on
his own at 17 to become a merchant
seaman. And for the next 46 years he
saw the beautiful cities of the world
and the brutality of action in two world
wars.
Gapac was working as a cook aboard
ship when he married his wife Infanta
in 1935. He left when his son was only
seven months old and didn't see them
again for six years.
On March 16, 1943, Gapac joined
the SIU in the port of Norfolk, Va.,
sailing in the steward department until
his retirement in 1968 at the age of 70.
His voyages took him to Tunisia
and Africa with supplies for General
George Patton and his troops. He
remembers seeing other merchant ships
torpedoed ks they delivered the needed
supplies to our allies in Russia on the
"Murmansk Run." One of his last
wartime assignments found him in the
Pacific where he witnessed some of
the most dangerous action between
the Japanese and the U.S. Navy.
Gapac and his wife and son were
reunited in Shanghai, China in 1946

and moved to Savannah in 1950, where
they still reside.
Many merchant seamen have long
passed the age where they can enjoy
most of the benefits that other veterans
enjoyed following the war. For some
SIU members, the recognition is merely
a matter of principle. Gapac's wife
Infanta said the only thing her husband
might get out of being a veteran is a
flag and a tombstone when he dies.
But for Gapac, the certificates grant­
ing him veterans' benefits are "a sou­
venir," just two of many awards and
Other memorabilia now hanging on the
walls of his Savannah home—among,
them certificates from the War Ship­
ping Administration testifying to his
active service in the Atlantic, Pacific
and Mediterranean Middle East war
zones, as well as a Merchant Marine
Combat Bar certifying that he faced
"direct enemy action in a service of
vital importance to the nation,"
Gapac is anxious to meet with cap­
tains, officers and other surviving
crewmembers from the war, and hopes
they, too, have gotten their long over­
due recognition. You may write to
Gapac in care of the LOG.

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Feast Makers
icals, passed through the last lock.
Both the Seaway and Canada's Welland Canal have been shut.
The Seaway, which links the Great
Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, will
undergo routine maintenance and im­
provements.

2 Feriy Boat
Sinkings Claim
More Than 100
At least 59 people died when a
Guatemalan ferry boat sank off that
country's Caribbean coast Jan. 1. A
ferryboat carrying party-goers off the
beaches of Rio de Janeiro sank, claim­
ing at least 51 lives New Year's day.
In the Guatemalan tragedy, the boat
apparently ran out of fuel in the middle
of a 16-mile trip across Amatique Bay.
Witnesses said when a naval tug boat
came alongside to secure a tow, most
of the passengers ran to one side of
the boat and it sank.
In Rio, a 100-foot boat was carrying
131 people, including crewmembers^
to watch fireworks off the beach. But
the boat which normally takes tourists
on trips around the bay, was not
equipped for the open seas that face
the Copacabana beach.
Rou^ seas apparently caused the
boat to capsize. Authorities said the
boat was overloaded.

St. Lawrence
Seaway Season
Ends

A Piece of
History Faces
Eviction

The navigation season on the St.
Lawrence Seaway ended Dec. 23, when
a Liberian tanker, loaded with chem-

One of the most famous American
passenger ships, the United States,
may be evicted from its berth in Nor-

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When Thanksgivuig roiled around, the crew aboard the SlU-contracted Stephen
Pless had the "best Thanksgiving Day feast I have ever seen," said QMED Robert
Rester. He wanted to make sure the steward department (pictured above) received
recognition for their work. They are (1. to r.) S/A Jessie Robinson (kneeling), 3rd
Cook Charles T. Yancey, Chief Cook Patrick Helton, Chief Steward Earl Gray Sr.
and S/A Donald Gehhia (kneeling).

folk, Va. because its berthing fees
have not been paid. The port is owed
more than $500,000.
The ship has been tied up in Norfolk
for 20 years. In 1981 a company hoping
to refit the ship and operate it in the
West Coast to Hawaii trade bought
the vessel from Marad for $5 million.
But the firm has not been able to raise
the $200 million to get the United
States under steam again.
"Our feeling is we're in the cargo
business, and that ship is taking the
place of a cargo vessel," said Joseph

Dorto, general manager of Virginia
International Terminals Inc.

WWIIMinesSHIi
A Shipping Threat

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Some 2,000 mines left over from
World War II are still believed to pose
a deadly threat to commercial shipping
in the Kanmon Channel in Japan.
The mines were dropped by U.S.
bombers to disrupt Japanese shipping,
but not all have bee^ accounted for.
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The Mess in Y6ur
Medfdhe Cabinei
Health Line

This is one of a series of occasional
articles on personal health. It was pre­
pared hy Dr. Elizabeth Reisman.

p';-- '.•.,

Detroit Labor Leader Honored

Our medicine cabinets today con­
tain all the seemingly essential overthe-counter (medicines bought from a
drug store shelf without a prescription)
and prescription medicines we believe
we need to get through pur everyday
injuries: rashes, itches, aches and pains,
coughs, stuffy noses, and bouts of
constipation and diarrhea.
One trip through your bulging med­
icine cabinet will show you, however,
that you fall far short of what you
expect. Why is it, with such a fine
assortment of pharmaceutical prod­
ucts, that you probably can't even
properly treat a cough or diarrhea?
Actually, the reason is really quite
simple. Many of your medicines are
probably old and out of date.
All medicines have a limited life on
the shelf during which the full effect
(potency) of the drug can be depended
on. After this time the drug becomes
less able to do what it is supposed to
do. Because of this, expiration dates
must now be present on all prescrip­
tion and over-the-counter medicines,
including ointments and antiseptics
(except isopropyf'alcohol which is good
for at least 3 years).
For prescription medicines the ex­
piration date is written directly on the
prescription label prepared by your
pharmacist. The expiration date on
over-the-counter medicines is placed
somewhere on the product label or
product itself by the manufacturer.
You may find, however, that the ex­
piration date on over-the-counter med­
icines are much more difficult to find.
The location of the date seems to vary
from product -to product and manufac­
turer to manufacturer.
Checking the expiration date on an
over-the-counter medicine before you
buy it gives you a good start to stock­
ing fresh medicines. By checking the
expiration date you can avoid the mis­
take of buying a medicine which is out
of date or will soon be out of date.
It is also important that you check
your medicine cabinet every few
months for out-of-date medicines to
discard. Check with your pharmacist
before using a medicine with no ex­
piration date, with a date which you
are unsure of, or which does not look
or smeU right. Medicines you wish to
discard should be done carefully so
that children or pets do not discover
them and poison themselves. Com­
munity or ship regulations may pro­
hibit you from flushing them down the
toilet.
Medicines should always be stored
in their original containers. The orig­
inal container has the medicine's proper
name, the strength, the amount to
take, when to take the medicine, how
to take the medicine, the expiration
date, the number of refills left on the
prescription, the name and phone
number of the pharmacy which holds
the original prescription (this is re-

quired if you need to obtain a refill
from a different pharmacy), and other
important information (such as warn­
ings and unusual effects to watch for).
Keeping medicines in their original
containers assures you that you have
the medicine that you think you have
and that you know how to take it.
Another important problem with
medicine cabinets is their location.
The high heat and humidity of bath­
rooms cause the deterioration of pills
and powders. Bathrooms, therefore,
are not good spots to store medicines.
A cool, dry place away from direct
heat and sunlight is the best. Since
some medicines must be stored in the
refrigerator, check the label to find
out if it needs to be refrigerated.
Always consider the safety of chil­
dren when storing medicines. Infants
and young children are very curious
about medicines. They're brightly col­
ored, they look like candy, and chil­
dren see others eating them. Even
small amounts of medicines may be
extremely dangerous to a child. There­
fore, if young children are around be
sure the medicines are in child-resist­
ant containers, the medicine cabinet

Robert "Bobby" Holmes, left, Teamsters vice president and a long-time leader in
the Detroit-area labor movement, was honored recently for his SO years of service
in the advancement of labor's causes. SIU Headquarters Representative Byron
Kelley made the keynote address at the Testimonial Dinner and presented Bobby
Holmes with a ship's wheel, maritime labor's highest award. More than 100 of
Michigan's labor leaders attended the dinner.
riodic job every few months, espe­
cially before getting on a ship. Be sure
the medicines which you pack in your
seabag are not out of date and won't
become out of date while on the ship.
Finally, keep all your medicines in a
cool, dry place which is also out of
the reach of young children.

is out of the reach of children, and the
medicine cabinet is locked. Remember
to include antiseptics, sprays and oint­
ments in the medicine cabinet since
these are also dangerous in young
hands.
Don't stock pile out-of-date medi­
cines. Make checking the dates a pe­

Dispatchers Report for inlanci Waters
DEC. 1-31, 11™
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Port
New York...........;. 4,.
Philadelphia ................,..
Baltimore ........
; .i..;;.
Norfolk ........
,
Mobile.. . ............ i v.....
New Orleans........:.........
Jacksonville ..............,,..
San Francisco- ......;........ *
Wilmington....
....
Seattle................
Puerto Rico ................
Houston.
.........
Algonac.................:...
St. Louis .............. . . ...
PIney Point.........
Totals .....................
Port
New York.... j.......;
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 All Departments......

'TOTAL REGISTERED
Ail Groups
Class A Class 8 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
2
2
30
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
1
19
0
1
58

0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
7
0
0
13

0
0
0
d
0
0
12
0
17
0
0
0
0
0
0
29

0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
11
0
0
15

0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
5

0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
3

0
2
0
4
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
5
0
0
14

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1

0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
4

0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
6
0
0
9

87

19

36

44

0
1
0
3
0
0
2
0
12
0
0
1
5
0
0
24

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
0
0
0
2
0
0
8

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
60
0
0
0
0
0
0
60

0
1
2
64
0
0
4
0
61
0
0
1
18
0
0
151

0
0
0
18
0
0
0
0
16
0
0
0
2
0
0
36

0
0
0
0
0
0
21
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
27

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
11
0
1
STEWARD DEPARTMENT

0
1
0
9
0
0
0
0
18
0
0
0
9
0
0
37

0
1
0
3
0
0
0
0
32
0
0
0
2
0
0
38

0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
5

0
0
0
7
0
0
1
0
52
0
0
0
3
0
0
63

0
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
13
0
0
0
0
0
0
16

0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
3

251

90

35

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
4

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.

10/LOG/January 1989
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Sill's 50th Year Marked by New
Leadership and Direction
1988 was a ytear^change and chal­
lenges for the SlU~^d the maritime
industry. It was markra hy victories, a
few defeats and som^tandoffs. Follow­
ing is a wrap-up
1988 taken from
the pages of the ea/h month's Seafarers
LOG.

JANUAI
The year starts out on a promising
liote. The maritime industry is ex­
empted from the provisions of the
Canada Free Trade Agreement. H.R.
2598, the Commercial Fishing AntiReflagging Act of 1987 is signed into
law. And after 43 years, the Depart­
ment of Defense finally decides to
grant merchant seamen veterans' sta­
tus for the heroic role they played in
World War II.
WORLD WAR n SEAMEN: The
decision to award World War II sea­
men veterans' status comes only after
the SIU and other maritime unions
mounted an eight-year court struggle.
The issue is an emotional one for
seamen, especially since 14 other nonmilitary groups already had their con­
tributions to the war effort honored.
H.R. 2598: The original purpose be­
hind H.R. 2598 is to implement badly
needed reforms in the fishing industry.
Backers of the bill, however, had hoped
to use it as a vehicle to close a loophole
which had enabled the government to
reflag 11 Kuwaiti tankers.
The administration's decision to reflag 11 Kuwaiti tankers under the
American flag is denounced by most
industry figures. Under an obscure
19th century law, the operators are
able to crew these vessels with foreign
nationals. This poses a special threat
to the job security of American sea­
men.
Enactment of H.R. 2598 proves bit­
tersweet: within a month, the govern­
ment would issue a waiver which al­
lows the operators of the Kuwaiti
vessels to continue manning those ves­
sels with foreign crews. Still, the leg­
islation corrects serious problems in
the fishing industry and demonstrates
just how much the maritime industry
can accoifiplish if it stands united.
CANADA FREE TRADE: Trade is
one of the most important issues facing

workers in 1988. Increasingly, North
American workers find their jobs being
exported overseas as a result of unfair
foreign competition.
Two trade issues dominate the year.
Organized labor pushes hard for pas­
sage of some kind of Omnibus Trade
Bill. Meanwhile, the Reagan admin­
istration seeks to eliminate trad^ bar­
riers between Canada and the United
States.
The Canada Free Trade Agreement
poses a serious threat to the cabotage
laws of Canada and the United States.
Government officials north and south
of the border make no secret of their
desire to expand the scope of the
agreement in upcoming trade negoti­
ations.
Getting maritime removed from the
Canada Free Trade Agreement proves
to be a major victory for the SIU.
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS; SeaLand purchases five new vessels that
had been owned by U.S. Lines. The
vessels, which were to be used on the
company's West Coast, Hawaii iand
Asia runs, represent a 42 percent in­
crease in the line's cargo capacity in
the Pacific . . . The Overseas Joyce
(Maritime Overseas) leaves Houston
on its maiden voyage. It is the first
U.S.-flag and SlU-crewed car carrier
to call in the United States . . . The
Coast Gu^d issues new drug and al­
cohol rules. The SIU and others in the
maritime industry are successful in
having two objectionable provisions
dropped from the'final version: sea­
men are no longer subject to losing
their seamen's papers if they fail to
report a co-worker who is intoxicated,
and they do not have to report their
prescription drug use to the captain of
the vessel . . . SIU awaits NLRB de­
cision on unfair labor charges it filed
in connection with strikes against Cur­
tis Bay Towing of Virginia and Mc­
Allister Brothers in the port of Nor­
folk.

--

Toasting the long and proud history of their union at the San Francisco hall are, from
left, A1 Finoccbio, Carmelo Aste, Sam Young, Joe Favilli and Dolly Taiaga.

waive American manning and citizen­
ship requirements on 11 Kuwaiti tank­
ers . . . Stressing the vital role that
America's merchant fleet plays in the
defense of this nation, the president's
Commision on Merchant Marine and
Defense recommends that the admin­
istration adopt a seven-point program
aimed at revitalizing the Americanflag merchant marine . . . With the
backing of the SIU, the Senate, fgr
the first time in 35 years, overwhelm­
ingly ratifies two International Labor

pact. . . George Laurence Foote, for­
mer Marine Cooks &amp; Stewards port
agent, is dead at the age of 76. His
ashes are scattered at sea by the crew
of the SS Galveston . . . SIUNA Vice
President Jack Caffey is named to the
six-man executive board of the New
York State Fed . . .

.j

The presidential race gets under way
in Iowa and New Hampshire . . . The
Canadian government considers es­
tablishing a second registry . . . The
SIU is featured on public television as
part of a series on the American labor
movement. Entitled "Portraits of
American Labor," The series is hosted
by Ed Asner . . . The NLRB issues
unfair labor practice charges against
McAllister Brothers.

•i'--

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MARCH

FEBRUARY
J'he Maritime Trades Department of
the AFL-CIO meets in Bal Harbour,
Fla. to set its legislative agenda for
the year. The delegates strongly con­
demn the administration's decision to

SIU President Michael Sacco at the SIU's 50th

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Tom Skagg Kelps ready the Sgt. W. R.
Button just before she laid up for repairs.

AflrCIO lhrcridl«nt Uuie Kirfcland i
fumiversary..,

I X

Organization (ILO) conventions. Con­
vention No. 147 sets minimum world­
wide standards for seafarers, and No.
144 establishes a tripartite consulta­
tion system of labor, management and
government on matters relating to the
ILO.
American seamen who served in
World War II react to news that they
have been granted veterans' status
with great enthusiasm. The Veterans
Administration issues instructions on
how to apply for , veterans' bene­
fits .. . The Coast Guard faces a $100
million cut in its budget. Experts issue
dire warnings about the safety im-

The SIU appeals directly to Secre­
tary of State George Shultz in an effort
to rescind the crewing waiver for 11
reflagged Kuwaiti tankers. Also, the
NMU, NMEBA, MM&amp;P, SUP and
MFOW file suit in federal court seek­
ing to have that waiveroverturned . . .
The administration submits a trillion
dollar budget to Congress for fiscal
year 1989 which leaves funding for
maritime programs at essentially the
same levels that they were last year . . .
More than 30 labor, management
and government representatives, in­
cluding SIU President Frank Drozak,
meet at the United States Merchant
Marine Academy to discuss manning
standards for the American-flag mer­
chant marine ...
H.R. 1841, which seeks to improve
safety onboard fishing vessels, is ap­
proved by the House Merchant Marine
and Fisheries Committee. The bill also
seeks to address the liability insurance
problem and would require that the
Coast Guard develop a mandatory li­
censing plan for vessel operators. While
there is a general consensus that some­
thing needs to be done about safety
onboard the vessels (the fishing indus­
try has the highest accident rate in the
nation), the provisions regarding lia­
bility insurance and mandatory licen­
sing are quite controversial. . . The
Omnibus Trade Bill remains stalled in
(Ctmtinned on Page 12.)
January 1989/LOG/II

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(Continued from Page 11.)
joint conference between the House
and Senate.
The American Maritime Privatiza­
tion Coalition calls for the reform of
the MSC procurement process . . ,
DOT Secretary James Burnley testi­
fies at the House Merchant Marine
Fisheries Committee that reform of
the liner subsidy program is essential,
but that the administration is commited to making sure that "the pro­
gram is fiscally responsible"...
SIUNA Vice President John Fay is
honored for his contributions and help
to the Deborah Hospital and Heart
Lung Center in Philadelphia . . . SIU
contracted companies garner the lion's
share of contracts awarded by the
MSC to private sector for the main­
tenance of the Ready Reserve Force
(42 out of 71 vessels) ...
SIU boatmen at Cape Fear Towing
in Wilmington, N.C. agree to a con­
tract extension . . . Representatives
from the SIU attend a special meeting
of the Commission on Merchant Ma­
rine and Defense on Capitol Hill, where
Dr. Alan Cameron, the executive di-

that they are taking steps to increase
U.S. manning" ... In response to a
suit filed by five maritime unions, a
federal judge rules that the adminis­
tration has the right to waive manning
requirements on the 11 reflagged Ku­
waiti-owned tankers.
SIU trainees and upgraders from
Piney Point join ranks with 200 other
union workers and civil rights sup­
porters at an anti-apartheid rally in
Washington, D.C. . . . Five bills are
introduced to refoim the liner subsidy
program. The SIU joins the NMU,
MM&amp;P and NMEBA in expressing
"extreme disappointment" in the
administration's plan . . . The Omni­
bus Trade Bill is still in joint confer­
ence, where Senate and House con­
ferees drop a provision which would
have taken minimal steps in opening
up the restricted auto-carriage trade.
Also, the conferees are reported to be
looking intoi a provision that would
allow the exjport of 50,000 barrels of
Alaskan oil a day to Canada.
The SIU reaches a tentative agree­
ment with the Seafood Producers As-

Dragtender Luis Green keeps an eye on operptions onboard the dredge Sugar Islander.

rector of the group, discusses how the
commission's findings and recommen­
dations relate specifically to the Great
Lakes maritime industry . . .
Corpus Christi is chosen to be the
home port for the Navy battleship
Lexington. An SIU company, G&amp;H
Ship Docking, helps dock the battle­
ship when she reaches port», . . Two
candidates for the Democratic presi­
dential nomination, Richard Gephardt
and Jesse Jackson, speak at the SIU
hall in Houston, Texas.

APRIk
Michael Sacco is named-executive
vice president of the SIU at the union's
membership meeting in Piney Point,
Md. ... In a letter to Drpzak, Sec­
retary of State George Shultz defends
the government's action in claiming a
crew waiver for the 11 Kuwaiti tank­
ers. But he adds, "We are also advised
that Kuwaiti officials are aware of our
concerns over the manning issue, and

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sociation in New Bedford concerning
the scallopers and draggefs . . ; A bill
is introduced in the New York City
Council to change the name of Battery
Place between Broadway and West
Street to Merchant Marine Veterans
Drive . . . The SIU's Government
Services Division seeks to clarify the
union's basic agreement with the Mil­
itary Sealift Command of the Pacific
to correct longstanding griev­
ances , . . SIU crewmen onboard two
G&amp;H tugs in Houston, the C.R. Haden
and the /. Harris Masterson, are praised
by the company for their courageous
and quick action in extinguishing a
fire.
Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii)
speaks at the dedication of the SeaLand Hawaii, which is one of five
vessels that is scheduled to begin a
regular West Coast to Far Ea^t^n
via Hawaii . . . The SIU ujges the
House Subcommittee on .Fisheries,
Wildlife, Conservation and Environ­
ment to facilitate the exploration and

development of Arctic National Wild­
life Reserve (ANWR) oil . • • The
House passes an amendment^tp the
Immigration and Nationality Act pro­
hibiting the admittance of aliens plan­
ning to work on American ships or
aircraft during a strike by American
workers ... SHLSS Executive Chef/
Instructor Romeo V. Lupinacci is
awarded thie Diamond JubUee Gold
Medal of the American Culinary Fed­
eration . . . The American Council on
Education begins a routine 10-year
evaluation of the vocational courses
offered at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship.

MAY
For the second time in a little more
than a year, the SIU's view on CDS
payback is upheld by a federal judge
who rules that Marad's decision to
allow huge, subsidized tankers into
the Alaskan oil trade is wrong . . .
President Reagan threatens to veto the
Omnibus Trade Bill because it con­
tains a provision requiring companies
to give their employees 60 days notice
in case of a plant closing. In order to
gain enough votes to override a pres­
idential veto. Democrats drop a pro­
vision from the bill prohibiting the
export of refined Alaskan oil in excess
of 70,000 barrels a day.
American President Lines launches
the President Truman and the Presi­
dent Kennedy, two of five new C-10
container ships it has added to its
fleet ... Two Seafarers and four de­
pendents win $50,000 in scholarship
awards from the SIU's Charlie Logan
Scholarship program ; . . Long-time
SIU official Leon Hall retires after
nearly 50 years with the SIU. Hall
played a pivotal role in many of the
union's most important beefs and was
instrumental in establishing the SIU's
Food Service Plan, a training program
for stewards. He is replaced by Jack
Caffey, who is-named vice president
in charge of the Atlantic Coast . . .
Shipping is in fiill swing on the Great
Lakes, where seamen hope to improve
on last year's promising figures. Dur­
ing 1987 iron ore cargoes rose by more
than 20 percent, stone shipments were
up 21.8 percent and coal showed a
small increase of 4 percent . . . Jqe

The Shiphandllng Simulator Building at
Piney Point is named after SIU pioneer
Lindsey WUIiams, center.

Marshall, a fork lift instructor for the
but the vote in the Senate is expected
SHLSS's Sealift Program, retires after
to be close . . . S. 1988 is signed into
7W11 years of dedicated service ... SIU
law. Known as the Sewage Sludge
members negotiate a new contract with
Bill, the legislation spells out Jones
Act coverage for the transportation of
North American Trailing Co.
sludge
and other "valueless" material
The first in a continuing series of
within the 2()0-mile Exclusive Eco­
articles dealing with the deadly AIDS
nomic Zone . . . The Journal of Com­
crisis appears in the Seafarers LOG.
merce reports that "prospects for pas­
Elizabeth Reisman, the author of the
sage of maritime
article and a mem­
subsidy reform leg­
ber of the St.
islation
this year
Mary's
County
appear to be dis­
AIDS Task Force,
mal."
stresses that edu­
President Rea­
cation is the most
gan
signs two con­
effective weapon
ventions of the ILO
we have . . The
into
law, including
Persian Gulf War
one which requires
heats up as the
nations to establish
United
States
minimum standards
blows up an Ira­
for working and
nian oil rig in retal­
living
conditions for
iation for mines that
crews on seagoing
Iran allegedly laid
vessels registered
in the Strait olFHorunder their flag . ..
muz. Commenting
The Transporta­
on the develop­
tion Institute esti­
ment, The Wash­
mates
that the
ington Post notes,
Military
Traffic
"It takes some getr
Management
Com­
ting used to that
mand could save as
American-owned
much as $400 mil­
ships that fled to a
lion by utilizing this
foreign flag to avoid
nation's domestic
American
mari­
waterways as an
time union wages
alternative
to
can now slip in un­
railroads
and
der the wing of the
trucks
.
.
.
The
SIU
U.S. Navy" . . . A
reaches a tentative
House Committee
with
agreement
kills three amend­
Maritrans,
for­
ments that would
merly
known
as
impede the explo­ The fit-out on the Great Lakes is under way as deckhands
Towing
ration of ANWR Steve Halvaks (left) and Jeff Lalamde help tie up the Paul Harbor
.
.
.
Great
Lakes
Thayer.
I
oil . . .
House
Dredging and Dock
Merchant Marine
wins
an
emergency
contract to free a
Chairman Walter B. Jones (D-N.C.)
Greek-flag vessel tM was broken down
warns that "the clock is running out"
in the Chicago River ... The SIU
on passage of a Fish Liability and
reaches a contract with Crescent Tow­
Safety law . . . Labor leaders across
ing of Mobile . . . The SHLSS plays
the country speak out forcefully in
host to a distinguished group of gov­
favor of passage of a bill that would
ernment officials from the U.S. Viigin:
raise the minimum wage to $5.05. .
; -^B;.
'j,I: • ••

JUNE
Michel Sacco, executive vice pres­
ident of the SIU, is appointed vice
president of the MTD ... Maritime
Day celebrations are held around the
country. The holiday was created in
1933 to promote public awareness of
this nation's maritime heritage, and
coincides with the anniversary of the
first transatlantic voyage by a steam­
ship, the SS Savannah, May 22,
1819 ... A report issued by the
Fletcher School of Law and Diplo­
macy is condemned by maritime offi­
cials around the country. Among other
things, it recommends that all mari­
time subsidies and cabotage laws be
discontinued . . . Hearings are held on
Capitol Hill concerning the recom­
mendations contained in the Presi­
dent's Commission on Merchant Ma­
rine and Defense.
President Reagan vetoes the Om­
nibus Trade Bill because it contains a
modest plant closing provision. The
veto is easily overridden in the House,

JULY

I :•
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-I-'-

12/LOG/January 1989

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Frank Drozak, 60, SIU president
since 1980, dies at his home June 11
following a long bout with cancer. The
executive board of the Seafarers In­
ternational Union of North America
and the SIU's A&amp;G District unani­
mously elect Michael Sacco presi­
dent ... Hundreds of friends, seamen
and dignitaries attend Drozak's fu­
neral at Seafarers Haven, a cemetery
for seamen which he had built across
the river from the Seafarers Harry
Lundeberg School of Seamanship.
"Frank's death, brings sorrow to trade
unionists around the world, at sea and
ashore," says AFL-CIO President Lane
Kirkland.
The crews of SS Sgt. Matej Kocak,
SS Major Stephen Pless, and SS Pfc
Eugene Obregon are cited for their
meritorious service to the 6()th Marine
Amphibious Brigade. All three vessels
are (grated by Waterman Steamship
Company . . . Ground is broken in

San Pedro, Calif, for a major U.S.
Merchant Marine Memorial site, fi­
nanced in part by a $10,000 donation
by the SIU . . . The worst drought in
years brings the inland industry to its
knees. The Mississippi River shrinks
to some 20 feet below normal levels,
and dozens of tugs and barges become
stuck, halting traffic up and down the
river . . . Dixie Cariiers orders three
modem and sophisticated chemical
barges which they hope will boost their '
business on the Gulf-Intercoastal
Waterway ...
The Department of Transportation
issues regulations requiring drug test­
ing for seamen onboard commercial
vessels. They are similar to the ones
that the Department issued earlier in
the year concerning aviation and rail­
way workers . . . Provisions that would
have caused drastic changes in the
liability msurance industry are dropped
from a fishing safety bill . . . In West
Germany, adherents of open registry
shipping try to persuade the govern­
ment there to open up second registry.
West German trade unionists oppose
the idea because it would cost 37,000
seamen and marine-allied workers their
jobs ... Participants at the Containerization and Intermodal conference
in Oakland, Calif, call intermodalism
the most important development to hit
the maritime industry since containerization in the 1950s . . . Sen. Daniel
Inouye (D-Hawaii) introduces legis­
lation to allow Sea-Land to apply for
operating subsidies for 12 foreign built
containerships . . . The House Mer­
chant Marine and Fisheries Commit­
tee holds hearings on H.R. 4662, which
would authorize the federal govern­
ment to build vessels for charter to
private industry . . . Legislation seek­
ing to outlaw the carriage of sewage
sludge is introduced in the House of
Representatives.

AUGUST
Fishermen working on 25 boats,
whose owners are part of the New
Bedford Seafood. Producers' Associa­
tion, ratify a new contract. . . New
flag of convenience operations pose a
renewed threat to the U.S-flag fleet.
An American maritime consultant
hangs out his shingle; for the right
price, he can offer a "one-stop-shop"
for U.S. ship-owners seeking
to find
a foreign-flag registry.
He claims to have 32 flags to offer . . ,
U.S. taxpayers are footing a large
part of the bill for the Marshall Islands,
a former U.S. territory, to become
the newest flag of convenience.
One of the key players in the set­
up is a close friend and.major fond
raiser for the George Bush presidential
campaign ... A Japanese company
purchases a U.S. barge company, and
the Coast Guard, despite being made
aware of the lack of U.S. citizen own­
ers, approves the operations.
The SIU files chmges with the NLRB
against Offshore Personnel Inc. and
Gleneagle Ship Management Inc. for
refusing to hire qualified seamen be­
cause of their union affiliation. The

two firms, one a ship manning agency
and the other a ship management firm,
were hiring seamen for the newlychartered tanker Maryland, one of
three ships recently bought by Bel­
mont VLCCII. Belmont signs a deal
to charter one of the ships to Kuwaiti
interests for 24 months . . . Senate
hearing is held on legislation to grant
operating subsidy eligibility to 12 for-

S)^ President Frank Drozak dies in June
at age 60.
eign-built Sea-Lfoid ships &gt; . . The
Coast Guard issues a set of stringent
drug testing regulations which could
subject every member of the U.S.-flag
merchant marine to regular random
drug testing . . . Tug industry experts
predict that the drought could cost the
industry $150 million.
Seventeen young boys and girls spend
two weeks at Piney Point and the
union's headquarters building as part
oftheMTD's Sea Scouts program . . .
The SIU establishes the S^^arers AIDS
Forum for Education in an effort to
combat this, deadly disease . . . SIU
member Edward Pulver is re-elected
by acclamation to a four-year term as
secretary-treasurer of the New Jersey
State AFL-CIO. Augustin Tellez is
also electedto the Executive Board . . .
Democrats unite behind a DukakisBentsen ticket at an electric four-day
convention which highlights the themes
that the party intends to use in this
year's presidential campaign . . .
Touring Sea-Land's massive container
facilities in Tacoma, Wash., Dukakis
pledges his support for a plant closing
bill, which had passed both the House
and the Senate by veto-proof margins
after it had been introduced separately
fi-om the trade bill . . . The Reagan

administration eases restrictions on
the amount of sugar that can be im­
ported into the country, causing con­
cern to the Sugar Workers Union, an
affiliate of the SIUNA.

SEPTEMBER
Michael Dukakis is endorsed by the
AFL-CIO ... Seafarers crew the
Guayama, one of five new Puerto Rico
Marine Lancer-class ships . . . Sea­
farers crew the M/V Maersk, which is
chartered by the Military Sealift Com­
mand . . . Leonore Sullivan, former
chairman of the Merchant Marine
Committee, is dead at the age of 85.
An ardent supporter of the maritime
industry, she helped win passage of
the Energy Security Act of 1974, which
was pocket-vetoed by President Ger­
ald Ford . . . SIU President Michael
Sacco warns the maritime industry
about the upcoming General Agree­
ment on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
talks . . . The SIU reports on a small
but growing trend: the reflagging of
foreign vessels under the American
registry. Many of these vessels are
engaged in carrying cargo for the Mil­
itary Sealift Command.

11

�^"fewiiiiiiJ.iiiiiii'M

m.

• -&lt;! ."^1
..

198&amp;-^ear in Review

Kr

(Continued firom P^e 13.)
Several maritime groups, including
the SIU, severely criticize the admin­
istration's drug testing proposal . . .
The SIU joins a coalition of maritime
unions and companies seeking to re­
store the full deductibility of onboard
meals . . . The SIU seeks to correct a
diesel tax procedure which costs the
industry $300 million ... The take­
over of an American barge company,
Consolidated Grain and Barge Co., by
a Jap^ese company is put on hold by
a federal judge until the Coast Guard
can determine if American citizenownership requirements are met . . .
Barge traffic on the Mississippi River,
slowed earlier this year by shallow
water, rebounds after rainfalls in the
upper Midwest.
The SHLSS begins a driver train­
ing course for Crowley Trailer Marine
Transport . . . Three SlU-contracted
vessels, the USNS Algol, USNS

ternational Labor Communications
Association. It wins second place:
General Excellence in a nationwide
contest in which there were 1,276
entries from 155 labor union publica­
tions . . . Rep. Walter B. Jones (DN.C.) sends a letter to his colleagues
stating that there is "no room" in the
upcoming GATT talks to encourage
entry by the Third World and East
bloc vessels into maritime trades re­
served, for security reasons, to vessels
of the United States . . . The SIU
negotiates a severance benefit settle­
ment with National Marine Service.

NOVEMBER
Thousands of Seafarers, their fam­
ilies and friends join in celebrations
held at headquarters and the ports
commemorating the union's 50th an­
niversary ... A Shiphandling Simu-

SIU Vice President Jack CafTey (second from left) joins other maritime figures at 19W's
Maritime Day ceremony in New York Harbor.
Denehola and USNS Altair, begin their
role in "Reforger 88," one of the
largest U.S. military exercises.

OCTOBER
At a hearing before the House Mer­
chant Marine Subcommittee, the SIU
presents a joint statement with
NMEBA, the MM&amp;P and the IBU
condemning the Coast Guard's pro­
posed drug testing regulations . . .
Stressing the need "to get the Amer­
ican-flag merchant fleet back under
full steam," Democratic presidential
candidate Michael Dukakis unveils a
comprehensive maritime plan . . .The
SIU strongly opposes two bills that
would weaken the Jones Act. The first,
S. 2728, would allow foreign-flag ships
to carry coal between Alaska and Ha­
waii. The second, S. 2729, would allow
foreign-flag passenger ships to operate
between ports in Alaska and between
Alaska and Seattle, Wash. . . . The
Seafarers LOG puts out a special edi­
tion commemorating the 50th anniver­
sary of the Seafarers International
Union of North America and its affil­
iate, the Seafarers International
Union . . . The Seafarers LOG is cited
for journalistic excellence by the In-

lator Building at Piney Point is named
after former Vice President Lindsey
Williams . . . The SHLSS dedicates
Frank Mongelli Drive, named after the
late vice president of the school.
A federal judge grants an SIU re­
quest for a special inspection of the
Ocean Challenger . . . The SIU and
OMI Corp. jointly file suit to overturn
Marad's decision to award a contract
to Belmont VLCCII. The suit con­
tends that Belmont has an unfair price
advantage because it purchased the
ship for a bargain basement price, that
Marad did not follow the 1936 Mer­
chant Marine Act and that the ship is
not suitable for the grain trade . . .
The House and Senate vote to restore
100 percent deductibility for crew meals
and to exempt tug and barge owners
from a 15 percent diesel fuel tax.
SIU President Michael Sacco sends
a letter to President-elect George Bush
congratulating him on his victory and
urging him to give shipping a high
priority in his upcoming administra­
tion . . . The president's Commission
on Merchant Marine and Defense is­
sues the third in d series of four reports
which reaches the following conclu­
sion: while the decline of the Ameri­
can-flag merchant marine poses a grave

threat to this nation's military capa­
bility, it is not irreversible. The prob­
lem could be corrected by the adoption
of a comprehensive maritime policy.
And the savings and benefits derived
from implementing such a program
would substantially exceed the costs
to the government . . . Secretary of
Transportation James Burnley re­
quests that the Coast Guard triple the
number of people handling applica­
tions from World War II seamen seek­
ing veterans' status. There is now a
backlog of 43,000 such applications,
and about 900 are arriving weekly.
The SIU holds an AIDS seminar for
its contracted companies in order to
come up with an industry-wide policy
to combat the deadly disease . . . The
Government Accounting Office re­
leases a study stating that the esti­
mated cost of maintaining the Jones
Act restrictions in the Alaskan trade
have been greatly exaggerated and that
they should be retained because they
"help maintain the nation's capability
for military shipbuilding and sealift in
time of war" . . . Marine Transport
Lines, the owner of the ill-fated Ma­
rine Electric which sank five years ago
at the cost of 31 lives, pleads guilty to
a criminal misdemeanor charge . . .
The Reagan administration's CDS
payback plan suffers another setback
when a federal judge rules that any
company operating in the protected
Alaskan trades contrary to an April
29 decision is doing so illegally.
The United States and the People's
Republic of China make substantial
progress towards negotiating a new
maritime agreement. Katharine Wei,
chairman of the board of the Falcon
Group, says that the proposed agree­
ment would bestow only "a cosmetic
benefit to the bulk carrying segment
of the American fleet" . . . Long-time
SlU-contracted Waterman Corp. re­
quests Marad approval to sell its in­
terests to International Shipholding . . . Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (DS.C.) and Thomas B. Crowley, chair­
man of the Crowley Maritime Corp.,
are presented with Admiral of the
Ocean Sea (AOTOS) awards.

DECEMBER

The SIU becomes the first trans­
portation union to challenge new fed-

Joining the crew of the Golden Monarch are
AB Julio Mattos (left) and Relief Bosun
Ruben Morales Jr.
eral drug testing regulations when it
files suit in Washington, D.C. to have
new drug testing rules issued by the
Coast Guard declared unconstitu­
tional. . . Even though VLCC's Ocean
Challenger passes an inspection re­
quested by the SIU, the vessel misses
two sailing dates and is the subject of
a Coast Guard inspection for polluting
Portland, Ore.'s harbor ... The Na­
tional Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) spearheads a drive to improve
safety standards in the fishing indus­
try, which has the highest accident
and death rate in the world. It says
that H.R. 1841, a fish safety bill passed
earlier this year, is only a minimum,
and that the Coast Guard should im­
plement a mandatory licensing pro­
gram . . . Seafarers from the LNG
Capricorn (Energy Transportation
Corp.) rescue 27 from a sinking Pan­
amanian-flag vessel . . . The Swedish
Shipowners' Association releases a
study which contends that it is possible
to operate a large boxship with as few
as nine seamen. Hapag-Lloyd, a West
German shipping company, puts the
final touches on two new vessels which
are scheduled to begin cross-Atlantic
runs with crews of only 13 people.

..

,

Engineer Manuel Roda and Mate Antonio Pimentel in a quiet moment onboard the Sao
Pedro, tied up on the New Bedford waterfront.
*

14/LOG/January 1989
w,. __
•

T*.

^

�DEEPSEA

• Ira J. Jesse, S3-,
TComw I - ^
WUmington
I.. '
Thomas T. Kirby Jr., 64
•Midi
'Mr
'
Houston
'
WiUiaiiorKuiiak, 61
1- JBaltimore
William Lovett, 65
New York
Herbert R. Mmiek, 63
^
v
Jacksonville
Albert N. Ringuette, 65
f:
' Seattle
^ ^
Bernard Shapiro, 65
. New York
V-

Arturo I. Aguilar, 66
Houston

Charles E. Bell, 65
San Francisco

INLAND

—New SlU Pensioners

.-Sy-- -V

Jacksonville Port Employee Jim Koesy
(above right) presents Joseph Zeloy with
his first pension check in the Jacksonville
haU. Below, Bosun James Corder also
joins the retirement ranks with his first
pension check from Koesy.

.

M'''

. ^ ' y";

-:-xir

Frank T. Conway, 67
New Orleans

Esko Makila, 66
San Francisco

James W, Gard, 61
Jacksonville

John M. Cossman, 62
Houston
Robert S. Cropper Jr., 59
Philadelphia
Lawrence Dugas, 62
New Orleans
Siegfried R. Gibbs, 55
Philadelphia
Paul P. Greco, 62
Duluth
Lloyd O. Montgomery, 62
Jacksonville
Edwin Welch, 56
Houston

Elmer P. Moran, 61
Wilmington

Joining the retirement ranks is Manuel
"Manny" Ledesma, right, receiving his first
pension check from Honolulu Port Agent
Tom Fay. Manny sailed as cook and baker
aboard the Matson Line vessels. Aloha and
smooth sailing, Manny.
'

LIFEBOAT—MILITARY SEALIFT
COMMAND, 10/25/88

.

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.

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-'4

RAILWAY MARINE
REGION
r "•• :-S-

HoUis W. Maupin, 63
New York

tv

'•S!

James J. Mulcaby, 65
San Francisco

Ralph W. Murray, 63
Wilmington

GLOUCESTER
FISHERMAN

r'-

Benjamin A. Cbianrola
Gloucester

'• rM'''
• '.4:X

First row, left to right: Luis Ronchaquira, Jose F. Rivera, Bruce Zenon, Rkhard Allen,
James Noble. Second row: Ben Cusic (Inst.), Antonio Soares, Dennis Rapp, Christina
Sofia Ramos, Jose A. Montes.
George I. Prasinos, 65 Roberto A. Principe, 65
New York
San Francisco

mm.
ri
I-:#-.-,

•••amm

WELDING, 12/16/88

Personals
Leon Jack LaRocbe

EmmaniiPi Rapitb, 66 James R. Tbom[^n, 62
"
"
'
.Mobile
Seattle

Percival Wicks, 78
• San Francisco

George E. Aimis, 59
New Orleans
John Bekiaris^61
New York
Samuel JE. Bossard, 67
St. Louis'
John T. Cherry, 67
^ew Orleans ,
Carlos Gpmez, 61
New; York" '

Please contact your daugh­
ter, Maiy Jane Karg. This
concerns important medical
information she needs. Any­
one who coiild help Mary Jane
Karg find her father may call
jQQ

jjig

jljg Tide.

water, sailed from Brooklyn
in late 1943 or early 1944. Call
collect (618) 763-4974.
D.R. White
D.R. White (SS# 038-361546): Please contact the Jack­
sonville hall to reclaim a Sea- .
{.and check dated Novembk . Uft to right: BiU Foley anst.), J.J. Cooper, Jim Hagner, Tom Dowell, Keith Shamberger,
* • &gt; . " Chuck Miller, Mike Wells, Angel Luis Perez, Jr., Scott Horn, John Day.
20, 1987.

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15. ®''j'--^si

Olg^st of Ships Nootinps
The following ships minutes are just a sampiing of the many meeting
reports the SiU receives each month from iU ships around the worid.

r^l'l

COVE TRADER (Cover Shipping), No­
vember 13—Chairman C.E. Pryor, Secretaiy W. Braggs, Educational Director N.C.
Aguilora, Deck Delegate Robert Lambert,
Engine Delegate W. Miles Jr., Steward
Delegate L. McGivens. Several hours of
disputed OT were reported in the deck
department. Three men aboard s|iip were
repatriated to the States due to illness.
Two members came aboard as replace­
ments. Otherwise, everything is running
pretty smoothly, although it was requested
that the patrolman look into the matter of
allotment checks being late. The chief mate
has some films on safety in his office for
any interested members. A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department for a
"very nice job." Next port: Houston, Texas.

s-;'

Calvin Hazzard, chief cook aboard the Sam Hous­
ton (Waterman), shows hew a steak should be cut.
(Photo by Ernest Hoitt)
1st LT. BALDOMERO LOPEZ (AMSEA), November 13—Chairman W. John­
son, Secretary Milton Youmett, Educa­
tional Director/Engine Delegate Q. Duffy,
Deck Delegate Heniy Gable, Steward Del­
egate Clancy Hennigan. No beefs or dis­
puted OT reported. Notification was re­
ceived from headquarters that engine cadets
are not to do any maintenance work that
would adversely affect the QMEDs over­
time. Regarding transportation cost§jof
flying to the ship, AMSEA will pay $75 per
day. The secretary noted that the UNREP
training went well. He remirided all crewmembers of the importance of donating to
SPAD and of taking advantage of the
upgrading opportunities available at Piney
Point. A vote of appreciation was given to
the steward department for a job well done.
GUAYAMA (PRMMI), November 24—
Chairman Paul Domes, Secretary Paul
Stubblefield, Educational Director R.
Tompkins, Deck Delegate R. Pace. No
beefs or disputed OT reported. There is
$1 in the ship's fund. No communications
have been received from headquarters.
Payoff will be Friday, Nov. 25 in San Juan.
"We have a happy ship. She Is a speeder
and a feeder." It was requested that some­
one with the proper authority talk to the
longshore boss about the longshoremen
coming into the lounge and messroom.
"After all, this is our home and we don't
like havir^ it made into a mess." A vote
of thanks was given to tlie steward de­
partment for a job well done and for the
delicious Thanksgiving Day dinner. In its
report to the LOG, the Guayama notes:
"We are slowly getting the ship cleaned
up. It is rough, but things are shaping up.
We are a happy little crew."

5.

LAWRENCE H. QIANELLA (Ocean
Ships), November 14—Chairman P. Hulsebosch. Secretary D.E. Edwards. The
ship sailed short from Scotland one AB
and one pumpman. Reliefs are due on
arriva) at Kfior Fakkon, U.A.E. Tfiante to

the success of the arrival pools, there is
$130 in the ship's fund. Almost all items
on the previous repair list have been taken
care of. The condiment boxes that the
steward requested have been made, thanks
to the cooperation of the deck department
and the chief mate. Things are going
smoothly, although there has been some
question as to why the company has been
reluctant to send reliefs for some crewmembers in the past. The importance of
filling the jobs on the board, as well as
waiting for proper relief before leaving a
ship, was discussed. The stores situation
has been pretty good, and additional pro­
visions are expected at Khor Fakkon. The
chairman noted that the union is short of
ABs right now, so anyone with enough
time should take advantage of the school
and upgrade as soon as possible. A motion
was made to increase the $8 per day
currently being paid for maintenance and
cure. A vote of thanks was given to the
steward department for a job well done.
Also, the GSUs and DEUs were compli­
mented on the fine job they've been doing
to help keep the decks and passageways
clean. It was suggested that some of the
money in the ship's fund be used to buy
some new movies and a basketball net. ^
OMI WABASH (OMIK November 1&amp;Chairman G. Matillio, Secretary J. Price,
Educational Director J. Spell. A number of
beefs were brought up by the steward
department. The ship is not equipped with
enough cleaning gear, and the messhall is
not being properly cleaned or stocked. Also
there is not enough chocolate milk or hot
chocolate available to the crewmembers.
[Four days following this meeting, a dele­
gates meeting was held with the steward
and the messman. All beefs were settled
without having to involve the captain.] There
is $115 in the ship's fund. The money is
kept in the captain's safe. The chairman
reports that the vessel's runs will continue
to be trip-to-trip. The Wabash is currently
headed for Galveston Bay to await orders.
The educational director encouraged eli­
gible members to take advantage of the
courses offered at Piney Point.
OVERSEAS MARILYN (Maritime
Overseas), November 6—Chairman Rob­
ert Tillman, Secretaiy J. White, Educational
Director R.W. Scrivens, Deck Delegate
Daniel Laitinen Jr., Engine Delegate James
McCrary, Steward Delegate Jorge A. Bernardez. No beefs or disputed OT reported.
The chairman stressed the importance for
every memlser to go to Piney Point to
prepare for the jobs of the future. "Tomor­
row is here right now; don't be left behind
in waiting for tomorrow." When leaving the
ship, each member should make sure that
his room is clean for the next person. A
suggestion was brought up to have some
kind of identification card when going to
the doctor or hospital so that they know
the kind of insurance members have. A
motion was also made to get something in
writing about the "A" men doing eight
months and the "B" men, six months. The
crew was reminded to get an absentee
ballot when there is a major election going
on. "Your vote can make a difference to
you." A vote of thanks was given to the
steward department for a job well done.
Next port: Durban, South Africa.
(Sea-Land),
November 17—Chairman LE. Watson;
Secretary L.A. Lamphere, Educational Di­
rector D. Struthers, Deck Delegate E.R.
Umon, Engine Delate F. Fulmer, Stew­
ard D^egate T. Markham. No beefe or
disputed OT. There is $4 in the ship's fund.
The pilot pool for Tacoma will go toward
the fund as well. The ship arrives in Tacoma
on Sunday, Nov. 20 and will sail Nov. 22.
Tfie crew has been a b^ help in keeping
tfie rec room dean. New mattresses are

needed in some of the rooms; the present
ones are now about eight years old. The
50th anniversary edition of the Seafarer's
LOG was well received. Crewmembers
believe a special vojte of thanks should be
given to those members responsible for
"making the SIU what it is today. Some of
these old-timers are still with us and should
be thanked for the work they did to get us
what we benefit from today." The steward
department was also given a vote of thanks
for a job well done. Next ports: Tacoma,
Wash, and Yokohama, Japan.
SEA.LAND INDEPENDENCE (SeaLand), November 4—Chairman Virgil C.
Dowd, Secretary Geprge W. Gibbons, Ed­
ucational Director Gene Speckman. No
beefs or disputed OT reported. It was a
sad voyage aboard the Sea-Land Inde­
pendence. Able Seaman Joseph SchOell
died onboard ship. The second mate and
cadet did all they could to help, and were
praised for their valiant efforts. No beefs
or disputed OT reported. Three new men
joined the ship, and all is running fairly
smoothly. A motion was made to return to
the six-month shipping rule. "It would be
better, instead of the present rule of eight
months." A vote Of thanks was given to
the entire crew for keeping the ship clean
and to the steward department for their
fine work. One minute of silence was ob­
served in memory of our brother, Joseph
Schoell.
SEA-LAND VOYAGER (Sea-Und),
November 26—Chairman R. Murray, Sec­
retary L. Lightfoot, Educational Director D.
Johnson, Deck Delegate L. Stogner, En' gine Delegate D. Campor, Steward Dele­
gate S. Thomas. No beefs or disputed OT
reported. All hands were cautioned to keep
watertight doors dogged . during rough
weather. The secretary reported that the
ship will arrive in Tacoma, Wash. Nov. 27.
Due to the heavy weather, payoff should
take place between 1600-1800 hours. Each
department was asked to let the electrician
know of any safety conditions needing
attention. Following this voyage. Bosun
Ralph Murray will be retiring. "All hands
agree we will be losing a fine shipmate."
A question arose concerning the 240-day
shipping rule. All unlicensed crew showed
their support for retuming to the 120-day
employment period. They will send their
concerns to the Negotiations Committee.
LNG TAURUS (Energy Transportation
Corp.), November 20—Chairman Robert
J. Callahan, Secretary Robert H. Forshee,
Deck Delegate James A. Desoucey, En­
gine Delegate Daniel A. Brass, Steward
Delegate Francis E. Ostendarp. No beefs

On Aug. 31, at 1830 hours aboard the Sam
Houston, burial services were conducted for Janet
Withers Parker, the mother-in'law of Herbert
Hannsan (retired marine operating manager for
Waterman Steamship Corp.). Capt. John Morris
conducted the ceremony as other crewmembers pay
their final respects. (Photo by Ernest Hoitt)
or disputed OT reported. There is $1,071
in the ship's fund (in the captain's safe).
The chairman re-emphasized the impor­
tance of upgrading your skills at Piney
Point and of the part SPAD plays in pro­
tecting your jobs. Capt. Kedenburgh was
invited into the meeting and addressed the
crew on the topic of drugs in the Orientand to avoid them. He also talked about
the Coast Guard's proposed drug testing
plan as well as the drug policies of Energy
Transportation Corp. The secretary ex­
pressed his appreciation to all departments
for keeping the ship clean. A total of six
refrigerators have been bought for the
crew's use. More will be purchased as
money builds up in the ship's fund. Next
ports: Bontang, Indonesia and Tobata, Ja­
pan.
In addition to the minutes published
above, the SIU received official ships min­
utes from the following:
ANTJUES
MYRNNE
CHAMLMION
FALCON
1st LT. JACK LUMMUS
GALVESTMRAT
URBHYSUR

', - -

OMRYRAGHEM
OMIIEAOBI
JOYCE

,

-)£

RORaiTE.IB
SEA-LAND OEVBOnER
SEA4ARD HAWAII
SEA4ARD RAVBATOR
SEA4AND TRAOBI
STALWART
SniYVESAHT
THONPSON PASS

Monthly
Membership Meetings
Port

Date

Deep Sea
Lakes, Inland
Waters

Piney Point ............. .Monday, February 6
...... .10:30a.m.
New York .......
.Tuesday, February 1.....
..... .10:30 a.m.
Philadelphia ....,.........Wednesday, February 8
....; .10:30 a.m.
Baltimore................Thursday, February 9................ .10:30 a.m.

Norfolk

.Thursday, February 9.................10:30 a.m.

Jacksonville
........Thursday, February 9................ .10:30 a.m.
Algonac ..........
.Friday, February 10
.10:30 a.m.
Houston....... . ..
.Monday, February 13
.....
10:30 a.m.
New Orleans
.........Tuesday, February14;
10:30 a.m.
Mobile
.Wednesday, February 15
.10:30 a.m.
SM Francisco ........
Thursday, February 16......
.....10:30a.m.
Wilmington
.Tuesday, February 21.
10:30 a.m.
Seattle
.Friday, February 24
....... .10:30 a.m.
San ^an
Thursday, February 9
.10:30 a.m.
St. Louis ................Friday, February 17 .......
.\ ... .10:30 a.m.
Honolulu
Friday, February 17 ..................10:30 a.m.
Duluth
.Wednesday, February 15 ............ . .10:30 a.m.
Jersey City
iWednesday, February 22
.10:30 a.m.
New Bedford
.Tuesday,. February 21
10:30 a.m.

16/LOG/January 1989
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4 -

Military Transport Chief issues Warning

Cassidy CHes Sealift as Biaaest Need
"The most serious transportation
need today is our need for a national
sealift policy," said the Air Force
general who is in command of the
entire joint armed forces transporta­
tion network.
Gen. Duane H. Cassidy, com­
mander in chief of the U.S. Transpor­
tation Command, and also commander
of the Military Airlift Command, told
the New York Propeller Club last
month, "We have a crying need for
more sealift and a viable merchant
marine."
The U.S. Transportation Command
is a little more than a year old. Cassidy
is its first chief and is responsible for
all land, air and sea transportation for
all American fighting forces. It's his
job to make sure the troops and ma­
terials get to the front.
Since taking over the command,
Cassidy has become a familiar figure,
in maritime circles. He has been an
outspoken supporter of the U.S.-flag
fleet and of its need for revitalization.
"1 went to Piney Point with Mike
Sacco and saw first hand what great
capabilities there are to train merchant
seamen," he said.
Following are highlights of Cassidy's remarks:
"Obviously, sealift is a critical part
of this country's strategic mobility—
but—Is that so obvious?
"1 am surprised to find that there
are those to whom that is not so
obvious—those who don't care, either
through ignorance or apathy.
"1 know 1 am preaching to the choir
here, but historically, this country has
relied on the commercial merchant
fleet with U.S. mariners in time of war
or national emergency, and this effort
has been supported by promotional
laws (industry subsidies, preference
cargo, etc.).
"Until recent years, we have always
had a sufficient pool of ships and
mariners in time of emergency to draw
from (Korea, Vietnam).
"However, now all the segments of
this industry are declining and the
traditional pool of ships, mariners,
ship building and ship repair is shrink­
ing—let me be more blunt, IT HAS
SHRUNK!
"We have just reached the end of a
two-year presidential commission on
merchant marine and defense, which
clearly described the weakened con­
dition and predicts a further precipi­
tous decline if national level action is
not taken soon.
"It said that "there is no more
militarily efficient, cost effective or
reliable way to provide the majority
of the sealift requirement now and in
the future than in a U.S.-flag merchant
marine."
"Unfortunately, the past predic­
tions of dire straits in the U.S.-flag
merchant marine have now come true.
"We have come to a moment in
time when we can no longer ignore
the situation.
"We have a crying need for more
sealift and a viable merchant marine.
"We will soon have a new admin­
istration—and a new Congress—^which

offers you and me a great opportunity
for a fresh effort.
"We have the beginning of a more
open dialogue between the major play­
ers in the industry. i
"And we now have a unified trans­
portation command that has attained

Gen. Duane H. Cassidy
some status and a charter to bring
attention and focus on the need for a
more viable industry—and I intend to
do just that!
"This is one moment in time we
can't ignore.
"Our current 'hands off policy on
maritime trade really demonstrates a
lack of policy for our maritime indus­
try while our foreign competition re­
ceives support.

"You know more of the facts and
figures of these industry trends than
I...
"I believe that in order to get suf­
ficient high level attention, we must
have a national sealift policy now which
will reaffirm the need for a strong
American-flag merchant marine—cer­
tainly for defense—but also because
it's right!
"This country, the world's largest
and leading trade nation, must not
accept second place in its ability to
move that trade.
"Secondly, we need to level the
playing field.
"For this problem we must turn to
a combination of actions.
"One of those is some type of re­
structuring of our government sup­
port.
"As an Air Force general, I don't
know all the specific ways of doing
that, but I do know from the expert
testimony and advice I have heard this
year that we need to restructure that
support.
"We need to make some tough de­
cisions now—maybe some gains could
be made from timely investments in
technology—technology which will in­
crease productivity and our competi­
tiveness.
"No other national characteristic
has helped this country more than our
ability to be innovative and be crea­
tive.
"Americans need to apply some of
that creativity4o t/iis situation.
"I am confident that there is lots of

untapped original thought out there in
U.S. industry.
"After all, American companies de­
veloped Roll On/Roll Off container
ships, and are on the leading edge of
intermodal transportation and Elec­
tronic Data Interchange (EDI) inno­
vation.
"But I know it will take a united
industry with practical short-term goals
and ambitious long-term goals,

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hove a citing need

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for more sealift and a
viable merdhonf marine/

"An active DOD, government agen­
cies, and a congressional coalition,
"A supportive administration.
"And increased public awareness of
the current plight. . . and the resulting
support to correct the current decline.
"Without a national policy, what
happens will come by default, rather
than by design.
"We will have a national sealift
policy. The only question is whether
it will be done now in a deliberate,
timely fashion (by seizing this one
moment in time) or be forced upon us
later by sudden travail.
"I think the Choice is ours—and I'm
proud to be a part of it."

i).:-

Are You Missing important Mail?
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.
Your home address is your permanent address,
and this is where all official Union documents,
W-2 Forms, and the LOG will be mailed.

PLEASE PRINT

I HOME ADDRESS

'

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:
SIU &amp; UIW of N.A.
Address Correction Department
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746-9971

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Phone No. (
)
Area Code

Your Full Name

Street

Apt. or Box#

Book Number

• SIU

City
• UIW

State
• Pensioner

Other.

UIW Place of Employment
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This will be my permanent address for all official Union mailings.
This addfsss should remain in the Union file unless otherwise changed by me personally.

(Signed).

ZIP

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January 1989/LOG/17

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'Notice: Seafarers
In December of 1988, the Seafarers Welfare Plan sent a letter to all plan
participants describing a new program called "COBRA." COBRA allows an
employee to purchase health care benefits when he or she becomes ineligible to
receive health and welfare from the Plan.
This benefit program is part of a law called The Consolidated Omnibus Budget
Rehabilitation Act or COBRA. Congress passed COBRA to provide individuals
with the opportunity to purchase their health insurance in the event of losing
eligibility for benefits under health care plan.
The law spells out what events have to happen before a person can buy the
health benefits. Participants who lose plan coverage after January 1, 1989 will be
able to purchase benefit coverage for themselves and their dependents. Under
certain circumstances it is also possible for dependents to purchase health.plan
coverage for themselves.
Dear Participant:

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A new law requires the Seafarers Welfare Plan to give you and your dependents
the opportunity to extend your health care coverage in situations where you have
lost your eligibility for benefits. These situations are called "qualifying events.'
This letter will explain how the new law applies to you and your family and how
to use this program should you become ineligible for benefits under the Seafarers
Welfare Plan.
In order to understand the new law, you need to know a few special terms.
Please make sure that you and your spouse read this letter carefully so you will
be able to take advantage of this program should you need it.
DEFINITIONS
1. COBRA—The short name for the federal law which gives Plan participants
the right to purchase Welfare Plan coverage.
2. QUALIFYING EVENT—A situation which causes the employee to lose Welfare
Plan coverage because they no longer work for an employer who must make
contributions to the Plan on their behalf. A list of qualifyting events will be
explained on the following pages.
3. ELECTION—An election is your decision to tell the Plan whether you would
like to purchase Welfare Plan coverage under the COBRA program.
4. COST OF CONTINUING COVERAGE—^This is the amount of money you are
required to send to the Plan office so your health care coverage will be
continued. This payment is like an insurance premium. It is necessary because
the employer for whom you worked before the qualifying event happened, is
no longer required to make contributions on your behalf.
WHAT TYPE OF SITUATION IS A QUALIFYING EVENT UNDER COBRA?
The next part of this letter will Explain what type of situations will allow you
to continue your health care coverage under the COBRA program of the Seafarers
Welfare Plan. As explained above, these situations are called "qualifying events."
When one of these events happens to you, it means that you,,your wife or
dependent children will lose coverage under the Plan and can elect to continue
coverage by purchasing benefits.
The "qu^ifying events" are:
1. Your being fiyed from your job. YoU may elect to continue your health benefits
if you were fired for any reason unless you were fired for gross misconduct.
2. You were unable to continue to work enough time to be eligible to continue
your benefits under the Rules and Regulations of the Plan.
3. Your death, which would entitle your spouse and dependent children to
continue coverage.
4. Your divorce, or legal separation from your spouse which would entitle your
spouse and dependent child to continue coverage.
5. Your eligibility to receive Medicare benefits. For example, you are age 65 but
still actively employed, making the Seafarers Welfare Plan the provider of
your welfare benefit coverage rather than the Medicare program.
6. Your dependent child loses eligibility under the Plan because (1) he or she
reaches age 19 or (2) he or she does not fall into the category of dependents
under the age of 25 and enrolled in a full time school program leading to a
college degree.
HOW WILL I KNOW IF I AM ELIGIBLE TO CONTINUE WELFARE PLAN
COVERAGE UNDER THE COBRA PROGRAM.
When the Plan receives notice from you or your employer that one of the
"qualifying events" listed above has happened, the Plan office will send you a
letter with complete instructions about how to continue coverage.
In the event of death, divorce, legal separation, receipt of Medicare benefits
or when a dependent child is no longer eligible for Welfare Plan coverage, you
or your spouse should notify the Plan at the address given at the end of this
letter. Your employer will notify the Plan if you are terminated, if your job with
the company has ended, or if your hours have been reduced.
If any of the "qualifying events" happens to you, it is also important that you
notify the Plan of the change. Since seafaring employees are able to end jobs and
get other work without generally notifying the Plan, it is very difficult to determine
when a participant will lose his or her eligibility. The Plan is here to serve you,
but we need your help.
IF YOU HAVE NOT WORKED AND YOU KNOW YOU ARE INELIGIBLE
FOR PLAN BENEFITS, CONTACT THE PLAN'S COBRA DEPARTMENT TO
SEE IF YOU CAN ELECT TO CONTINUE YOUR WELFARE BENEFITS
UNDER THIS PROGRAM.
WHAT TYPE OF BENEFITS WILL I RECEIVE IF I ELECT TO CONTINUE
BENEFITS UNDER THE COBRA?
If you elect toi participate in the COBRA program and pay the costs, you will
receive the same type and level of benefits as you did before you lost your
eligibility. You wUl receive these benefits as long as you are not already receiving
Medicare benefits from the government, or you are not working for another
employer who has a medical benefits program.

18 / LOG / January 1989
/

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Plan

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HOW LONG WILL HEALTH CARE COVERAGE THROUGH THE COBRA
PROGRAM LAST?
The maximum period of time you, your spouse or dependent children will be
able to continue health care behefits under the COBRA program depends on your
"qualifying event."
If you lose eligibility because you were fired or laid off from your job or did
not work enough time to establish eligibility, your maximum coverage period is
18 months from the date of the event. If you lose your eligibility for any other
"qualifying event," the maximum coverage period will be 36 months from the^
date of the qualifying event.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I HAVE TWO QUALIFYING EVENTS?
If you experience two "qualifying events," it is possible to extend your
coverage through the COBRA program for up to 36 months instead of 18 months.
The time period is measured from the date of the first qualifying event.
In order to receive an extension of participation in the COBRA program the
following must have happened:
1. Your first "qualifying event" must have been a termination of employment
or a reduction in your days of employment which caused you to lose your
eligibility.
2. Your second "qualifying event" must take place while you are receiving Plan
benefits which you have purchased through the COBRA program.
3. Your second "qualifying event" must also be (1) the death of your covered
spouse; (2) divorce or legal separation; (3) your eligibility for Medicare; (4)
your dependent child's loss of eligibility under the Seafarers Welfare Plan
because he or she has reached the maximum age for benefit coverage.
CAN MY COBRA COVERAGE END BEFORE THE 24tli OR 36th MONTH
MAXIMUM PERIOD?
Yes. Your COBRA coverage can end before the maximum period if the
following events take place:
(1) Your monthly payment to the Plan for the COBRA coverage is not timely.
(2) You get another job which has health care benefits for you. Even if those
benefits are less complete than those you are receiving from the COBRA
coverage, you can no longer receive benefits from the COBRA program.
(3) You become entitled to receive Medicare benefits.
WHAT IS THE ELECTION PERIOD AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
Once again, the "election" is your decision to tell the Plan whether you wish
to purchase COBRA benefit coverage in the event you lose Seafarers Welfare
Plan coverage. Depending on the "qualifying event," the Plan will send you
notice, or you or your family member will send a letter to the Plan.
Once the "qualifying event" has happened and the Plan sends you an "election"
letter, you and your family will have 60 days to decide whether to purchase
benefits through the COBRA program. The election period will end 60 days from:
(1) The date you experience your "qualifying event" which caused you to lose
eligibility time for benefit coverage from the Seafarers Welfare Plan or
(2) the date the Plan tells you that you have a right to participate in the COBRA
program, whichever date is later.
HOW MUCH WILL COBRA COVERAGE COST?
The cost of COBRA benefit coverage depends on what level of Plan benefits
you were receiving at the time you or your dependents lost eligibility for Seafarers
Welfare Plan coverage. Because the cost to participants will vary, you will be
notified of the cost to you, or if you are married, for you and your family.
After notification of a "qualifying event," the Plan will send you a letter which
contains specific information for yoiu* situation. This letter will explain the cost
of the COBRA benefit coverage and other important information. If you choose
to buy benefit coverage through the COBRA program, the first payment you
make will cover the cost of your benefits, for the period before your election.
After that, you will make a payment once a month.
CAN MY SPOUSE ELECT TO CONTINUE HEALTH CARE BENEFITS?
Yes. Each family member is entitled to make an election. If you make the
election, your spouse and dependent children will be automatically included. If
your spouse makes the election it will automatically include dependent children.
WHAT IF MY PAYMENT FOR COBRA COVERAGE IS LATE?
If you choose to participate in the COBRA program, your first check must be
received by the Plan no later than 45 days after you elect to participate in the
program. You then must pay a premium every month to keep your COBRA
benefits.
You do have a 30-day grace period for making late payments. The grace period
expires 30 days from the first day of the month during which your coverage is
extended. If you do not pay within this grace period you will lose welfare benefit
coverage.
WHEN WILL THE PROGRAM START?
The COBRA program will be in effect on January 1, 1989. If you need more
information you can call Membership Services at 1-800-CLAIMS-4 (1-800-2524674). You may also write to COBRA Program, Seafarers Welfare Plan, 5201
Aiith Way, Camp Springs, Maryland 20746.
Leo Bonser
Plans Administrator

'•"v.,

�After 45 Years of Sea
Editor's Note: The crew of the SS
Independence (American Hawaii Cruises)
sent the Seafarers LOG th^ pictures
and story about the retirement of their
shipmate and friend Edgar *'Tiny" An­
derson.

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Edgar '*Tiny" Anderson cuts into the spe­
cially-prepared cake at his retirement party
aboard the Independence.

The officers, staff and crew of the
SS Independence, Honolulu, Hawaii,
wished Edgar "Tiny" Anderson a fond
and warm aloha, to begin his retire­
ment Dec. 10, 1988.
To those who sailed with Tiny, his
endless wit and constant humor will
never be forgotten. Edgar Anderson
started his sailing career on the troop
ship Maraposa, Feb. 11, 1944. Tiny
saw action in both the European and
Pacific theaters during World War II.
He continued sailing during Korea and
Vietnam, and has logged more sea
miles than Captain Cook and Chris­
topher Columbus. "I think he sailed
with Christopher Columbus" ... Oh
well.
After nearly 45 years of tying knots,
salt air and coffee breaks. Tiny is
banking his oars. Though he can't see
his glasses without contact lenses, he's
still a super duper trooper.
To Tiny Anderson, carpenter/joiner,
able bodied seaman, master haipoonist and notary public, we wish you fair
winds and following seas. Aloha and
all the rest.

Wishing him "smooth sailing" are (I. to r.) 3rd Steward R. Witowich, AB T. Williams,
AB R. Cahill, "Tiny" Anderson, Carp/Joiner W. Anderson and Bosnn K. "Whitey"
Tankersiey..

Eight Die When Storm Sinks Ship—Three Saved
A fiO-foot wave, combined with storm
winds of 50 mph and 30-foot seas, sent
eight crewmen to their deaths and sank
their small containership, the Lloyd
Bermuda, 160 miles south of Nan­
tucket, Mass., Dec. 28.
, Four crewmen survived several hours
in the cold Atlantic waters before a
cargo ship plucked two from the seas.
A Coast Guard helicopter saved two
others, but one m^ died enroute to
hospital.
The 240-f66t siiip'with a 109 TEU
capacity had left Elizabeth, N.J. with

70 containers headed for Hamilton,
Bermuda, when it encountered the
heavy weather. The Lloyd Bermuda
was owned and flagged in Cyprus, but
was chartered to an American com­
pany, Trans-Mars Agencies Inc.
According to accounts the survivors
gave to the C^loast Guard, the ship was
making headway in the heavy winds
and seas when a wave estimated at 60
feet crashed over the port bow and
tore four containers loose. The boxes
were swept over the side.
The Lloyd Bermuda took an im­

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
FINANCIAL REPORTS. The constitution of the SlU
Atlantic. Gulf. Lakes and inland Waters District makes
specific provision for safeguarding the membership's
money and Union finances. The constitution requires a
detailed audit by Certified Public Accountants every three
months, which are to be submitted to the membership by
the Secretary-Treasurer. A quarterly finance committee
of rank and file members, elected by the membership,
makes examination each quarter of the finances of the
Union and reports fully their findings and recommenda­
tions. Members of this committee may make dissenting
reports, specific recommendations and separate findings.
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 di.sbursements of trust funds are made
only upon approval by a majority of the trustees. All trust
fund financial records are available at the headquarters of
the various trust funds.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights and senior­
ity are protected exclusively by the contracts between the
Union and the employers. Get to know your shipping
rights. Copies of these contracts arc posted and available
in all Union halls. If you feel there has been any violation
of your shipping or seniority rights as contained in the
contracts between the Union and the employers, notify
the Seafarers Appeals Board by certified mail, return re­
ceipt requested. The proper address for this is:
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.

mediate list to starboard "with a trim
down by the bow that was very no­
ticeable," a Coast Guard officer said.
The general alarm sounded, and the
crew, clad in life jackets, gathered on
the port boat deck but couldn't launch
the lifeboat because of the list.
Before they could launch an inflat­
able life raft, the Lloyd Bermuda sank,
less than 10 minutes after the giant
wave battered the ship.
The exact cause of the sinking has
not been determined, but the Coast

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
CONTRACTS. Copies of all SiU contracts are avail­
able in all SIU halls. These contracts specify the wages
and conditions under which you work and live aboard
your ship or boat. Know your contract rights, aS well as
your obligations, such as tiling for OT on the proper
sheets and in the proper manner. If, at any time, any SIU
patrolman or other Union official, in your opinion, fails
to protect your contract rights properly, contact the
nearest SIU port agent.
EDITORIAL POLICY —THE LOG. The Log has
traditionally refrained from publishing any article serving
the political purposes of any individual in the Union,
officer or member. It has also refrained from publishing
articles deemed harmful to the Union or its collective
membership. This e.stablished policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September. I960, meetings
in all constitutional ports. The responsibility for Log
policy is ve.sted in an editorial board which consists of
the Executive Board of the Union. The Executive Board
may delegate, from among its ranks, one individual to
carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are to be paid
to anyone in any official capacity in the SIU unless an
official Union receipt is given for same. Under no circum­
stances should any member pay any money for any rea.son
unless he is given such receipt. In the event anyone
attempts to require any such payment be made without
supplying a receipt, or if a member is required to make a
payment and is given an official receipt, but feels that he
should not have been required to make such payment, this
should immediately be reported to Union headquarters.
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGA­
TIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution are available in
all Union halls. All members should obtain copies of this
constitution so as to familiarize themselves with its con­
tents. Any time you feel any member or officer is attempt­
ing to deprive you of any con.stiiutional right or obligation
by any methods such as dealing with charges, trials, etc..

. .. 'j.r;, •

}

r

Guard said a 4,800 pound Bobcat, a
small bulldozer, could have broken
loose below decks and torn a hole in
the ship's hull.
"Given the fact that the vessel as­
sumed a starboard list and the list
continued to increase rapidly, it would
have to indicate that the vessel was
taking on water fi-om some other source
than over the top," a Coast Guard'
spokesman said.
One body was found, the remaining
bodies have not been recovered.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
as well as all other details, then the member so affected
should immediately notify headquarters.
EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guaranteed equal
rights in employment and as members of the SIU. These
rights are clearly set forth in the SIU constitution and in
the contracts which the Union has negotiated with the
employers. Consequently, no member may be discrimi­
nated against because of race, creed, color, sex and na­
tional or geographic origin. If any member feels that he is
denied the equal rights to which he is entitled, he should
notify Union headquarters.
SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION
—^SPAD. SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its pro­
ceeds are used to further its objects and purposes includ­
ing. but not limited to, furthering the political, social and
economic interests of maritime workers, the pre.servation
and furthering of the American Merchant Marine with
improved employment opportunities for seamen and
boatmen and the advancement of trade union conCe;pts.
In connection with such objects. SPAD supports and
contributes to political candidates for elective office. All
contribufions are volunfary. No contribution may be
solicited or received because of force, job discrimination,
financial reprisal, or threat of such conduct, or as a con­
dition of membership in the Union or of employment. If
a contribution is made by reason of the above improper
conduct, notify fhe Seafarers Union or SPAD by certified
mail within .fO days of the contribution for investigation
and appropriate action and refund, if involuntary. Sup­
port SPAD to protect and further your economic, poli­
tical and social interests, and American trade union
concepts.
If at any time a member feels that any of the above rights have
been violated, or that he has been denied his constitutional right
of access to Union records or information, he should immediately
notify SIU President Mike Sacco at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The address is 5201 Auth Way, Prince
Georges County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

January 1989/LOG/19

InHH

�CL
L
NP

—Company/Lakes
—Lakes
—Hon Priority

Dispatciiero Report for Groat Lakes

DECEMBER 1-31, 1988

F

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i^l *

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Seafarers International
Union Directory

"TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class CL Glass L Class NP

""REGISTERED ON BEACH
TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP Class CL Class L Class NP
Port
DECK DEPARTMENT
Algonac
.JS./k 0.
14
4
0
31
18
0
5
0
Port
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
Algonac
0
14
9
0
3
; 0
er- 7 •. ; 1
Port
STEWARD DEPARTMENT
Algonac....... . . . ...
0
9
3
• .
3;; • 2
Port
' ''
'
ENTRY DEPARTMENT
Algonac
12
15
0
0
0
0
8
;13
Totals All Departments ......
0
37
21
0
54
30
0
19
15
""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.
/

MiehasI Sacco, President
Joseph Sacco, Executive Vice President
Angus "Red" Campbell, Vice President
Joe DIGIorgio, Secretary
Jack Caffey, Vice President
Thomas Glldewell, Vice President
George McCartney, Vice President
John Fay, Vice President
Roy A. Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President

V,
HEADQUARTERS
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Md. 20746
(301)899-0675

I.;

'

'

.

'iiJ

ALGONAC, Mich.
520 St. Glair River Dr. 48001
(313) 794-4988

1.

BALTIMORE, Md.
k
1216 E. Baltimore St. 21202
(301) 327-4900

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea
DECEMBER 1-31, 1988

"TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
ClassA ClassB ClassG

Pon
New York
60
Philadelphia
.4
Baltimore.......,;......
8
Norfolk.
16
Mobile
14
New Orleans ....; . v ::.....
35
Jacksonville.
.
34
San Francisco.
:
34
Wilmington
,
23
Seattle
. .; .
50
PuertoRico..
16
Honolulu
............
10
Houston
41
St. Louis
1
Piney Point ........
0
Totals
346

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
ClassA ClassB Class C

;

Trip
Reliefs

DECK DEPARTMENT
9
6
3,1
3
0
6
3
5
1
9
4
9
4
7
10
9
6
3
8
2
1
6
8
7
14
0
0
3
6
81
72

6
0
0
3
.3
8
3
4
6
14
0
6
9
0
1
63

ICQ
3
12
26
23
48
48
56
37
72
24
9
63
^ ;i 1
0
522

18
3
7
12
4
12
12
18
9
9
2
10
6
1
1
124

3
.1
1
4
6
12
4
10
4
7
1
5
3
- 5
0
66

44
4
11
12
18
39
20
31
20
36
12
5
-44
2
3
301

12
2
6
6
6
9
2
6
2
2
0
8
5
0
4
70

2
1
1
3
0
6
1
10
4
1
0
9
3
0
0
41

2
OT
i It
7
26
13
78
20
30
11
6
24
1
4
273

16
2
4
4
5
3
5
9
6
5
0
22
1
0
6
88

0
0
0
3
1
3
0
7
6
1
1
24
3
0
0
49

26
4
3
13
11
20
11
20
16
16
11
84
8
2
3

7
1
0
9
5
20
14
24
10
8
3
146
10
0
2

16
2
4
11
7
9
10
12
8
5
3
13
5
0
2
107

5
2
1
4
4
6
3
9
5
8
1
10
14
1
6
79

35
2
5
10
10
35
34
20
22
36
10
7
28
1
0
255

Port
New York
28
11.
Philadelphia..
4
1
Baltimore
7
6
Norfolk
....i
8
6
Mobile
16
5
New Orleans
. . . . •&gt;
24
8
Jacksonville..............
18
5
San Francisco. . . ; ; . v^A.. .v.:
19
7
Wilmington.........,...;
19
2
Seattle
29
4
PuertoRico.
7
0
Honolulu.6
13
Houston
30
5
St. Louis.;
10
Piney Point .............
3
4
Totals
.
219
77

0
1
1
1
0
4
1
5
4
0
0
10
1
1
0
29

ENGINE DEPARTMENT
25
4
0
4
2
1
5
4
0
7
7
0
6k
3
0
15-A
9
2
23
4
3
20 '
7
2
13
6
3
17
7
1
6
0
0
1
15
13
18
3
0
10
2
1
3
0
162
74
27

10
'iV 1
: 1
2
, 2
5
1
7
3
7
0
9
4
0
0
52

Port
NewYork
.
Philadelphia..............
Baltimore .............. .
Norfolk ........ A . . .
^
Mobile
J
New Orleans .............
Jacksonville..............
San Francisco.
.
Wilmington..............
Seattle
Puerto Rico
. ., . . ..
Honolulu. ............. .
Houston
St. Louis.
,
Piney Point ...............
Totals

6
O
0
0
2
8
1
9
8
5
3
75
1
1
1
120

Port
NewYork ............ . .
Philadelphia.......;.....:
Baltimore:..;...;;;.;..;;Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans
Jacksonville.............
San Francisco
.........
Wilmington.........
"..
Seattle
....;.
....
Puerto Rico
Honolulu
........
Houston
St. Louis.
Piney Point

,

20
2
4
6
7
22
8
39
12
18
s 6
5
16
1
3
169

8
3
3
2
3
3
3
9
6
6
0
21
2
0
7
76

0
1
0
2
1
1
0
4
1
1
1
26
2
0
3
43

12
1
0
4
6
17
8
19
12
16
2
5
14
1
1
118

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
2
1
1
1
0
0
0
D
1
0
5
1
6
0
4
5
2
1
3
0
0
0
24
16
3
1
0
0
5
3
56
29

21
4
2
6
3
18
3
24
9
22
9
2
11
0
0

12
3
2
7
6
16
7
10
8
12
8
72
9
2
4

6
4
0
6
6
9
5
15
3
3
1
180
5
1
4

11
5
0
3
0
9
5
5
7
18
8
7
10
0
0

ENTRY DEPARTMENT
8
4
0
3
2
0
2
3
2
3
10
12
3
1
4
7
9
3
14
2
5
1
61
197
11
2
2
1
3
3

Totals.

134

178

248

08

Totals All Departments

868

438

399

623

""REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
ClassA ClassB ClassC

;

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

38
0
5
11
4
22
7
54
19
33
17
3
12
0
0

136

242

0

225

248

259

347

378

235

1,321

538

415

""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 December was up from the inonth of November. A totai of 1,575 jobs were
shipped on SiU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,575 Jol» shipped, 623 jobs or about 40 percent were
taken by "A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A totai of 235 trip relief
Jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 9,113 |ot&gt;s have been
shipped.
20/LOG/January 1989

DULUTH, Minn.
705 Medical Arts Building 55802
(218)722-4110
HONOLULU, Hawaii
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808)* 523-5434
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
(508) 997-5404
NEW ORLEANS, La.
630 Jackson Ave. 70130
(504) 529-7546
NEWYORK, 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)441-1960
ST. LOUIS, Mo.
4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
(314) 752-6500
WILMINGTON, Calif.
510 N. Broad Ave. 90744
(213) 549-4000

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don't have friends. Because a friend wouldn't
Ilg letAddicts
another man blindly travel a course that has to lead
v.

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to the destruction of his healthy his job and his family.
And that's where an alcoholic or drug user is headed.
Helping a fellow Seafarer who has an addiction
problem is just as easy—and just as important—as
steering a blind man across a street. All you have to do
is take that Seafarer by the arm and guide him to the
Union's Addictions Rehabilitation Center in Valley Lee,
Md.
Once he's there, an SIU member will receive the care
and counseling he needs. And he'll get the support of
brother SIU members who are fighting the same tough
battle he is back to a healthy, productive alcohol-free
and drug-free life.
The road is a long one for an alcoholic and drug user.
But because of ARC, an addicted SIU member doesn't
have to travel the distance alone. And by guiding a
brother Seafarer in the direction of the Rehab Center,
you'll be showing him that the first step back to recovery
is only an arm's length away.

• f-v,':

• • "ftf" •'!'-V - -, •

• ...

Addictions Rehabiiitation Center
1 am interested in attending a six-week program at the Addictions
Rehabilitation Center. I understand that all my medical and counseling
records will be kept strictly confidential, and that they will not be kept
anywhere except at The Center.
Name
I

Address...

•-; •ig'g|#. v.

Book No.
,..^,...

a)'.

(State)

(City)

(Street or RFD)

/

(Zip)

(

Telephone No.
• V- • 9 •••.•'%

MaU to: THE CENTER
Star Route Box 153-A
VaUey Lee, Md. 20692

i:

or call, 24 hours-a-day, (301) 994-0010

r " '• •' * •

• • :•

January 1989/LOG/21
I.-:"'J:.:

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-Engine Upgrading Courses-

1989 upgrading Course Schedule

Completion
Check-In
Date
Date
Course
March 31
January 9
QMED - Any Rating
March 3
January 9
Marine Electrical Maint.
April
28
March 20
Variable Speed DC Drives
i •March 3
February 6
Welding
March 31
March 6
Diesel Engine Technology
April 14
March 20
Hydraulics
March 17
February 6
FOWT
*A11 students in the Engine and Steward Departments vrill have 2 weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

Programs Geared to Improve ]ob SkiUs And Promote U.S. Maritime Industry
January — March 1989
The following is the current course schedule for January — March 1989 at the Seafarers Harry
Lundeberg School of Seamanship.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's and industry's needs.
PLEASE NOTE: All members are required to take firefighting when attending SHLSS.

Deck Upgrading Courses

—

^—

Check-In
Completion
Course
Date
Date
Able Seaman
January 23
March 3
March 20
April 28
First Oass Pilot (Organized s^ riwfy)
Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)
Radar Refresher/Renewal
"
Radar Recertification
"
Celestial Navigation
February 29
April 1
*Minimum number of students required for Celestial Navigation class to be held is 5.
Third Mate
January 16
April 14
Lifeboat
January 9
January 20
February 6
February 17
March 6
March 17
LNG — Self Study Safety Course
(This course is not offered as a separate course, but may be tiaken while attending any
of the regularly scheduled courses.)
*Upon completion of course must take four (4) week Sealift Operations 8c Maint. Course.

^Steward Upgrading Courses

•

Adult Education Courses—
Check-In
Date

Course

—

Recertification, Programs

—^'

Check-In
Date
January 30
March 27

Course
Stevirard Recertification
Bosuns Recertification

Address

DECK

Mo./Day/Year

• AB/Sealift
• Towboat Operator Inland
• 1st Class Pilot • Celestial Navigation
• Third Mate
• Simulator Course
• Radar Observer Unlimited
•Master Inspected Towing Vessel

(Street)
(City)

(State)

Deep Sea Member •

Telephone.

(Zip Code)

Inland Waters Member •

(Area Code)

Lakes Member •

Pacific •

ENGINE
• FOWT
• Automation
• QMED—Any Rating • Hydraulics
• Variable Speed DC Drive Systems
(Marine Electronics)
• Marine Electrical Maintenance
• Pumproom Maintenance &amp; Opetation
• Refngeration Systems Maintenance
&amp; Operations
• Diesel Engine Technology
• Assistant Engineer/Chief Engineer
Motor Vessel
• Orginal 3rd/2nd Assistant Engineer
Steam or Motor
• Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
• Electro-Hydtaulic Systems

If the following information is not filled out completely your application will not be processed.
Social Security *

Book *_

. Seniority.

JDepartment.

Home Port.

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces • Yes • No
Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held
Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program: • Yes
to
Trainee Program: From.

No • (if yes, fill in below)
Last grade of schooling completecL

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses: • Yes

No • (if yes, fill in below)

(dates attended)

Completion
Date
March 3
May 12

1 Am interested in the Following
Course(s) Checked Below or Indicated
Here if Not Listed

Date of Birth.

(Middle)

Check-In
Date
January 9
March 20

Completion
Date
March 6
May 8

•• Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship •..l
Upgrading Application
(first)

?

College Programs

Course
Associates in Arts or Certi^te Program

* All students in the Engine and Steward Departments will have 2 weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

(Last)

Completion
Date

The Adult Education Courses for 1989 will be six weeks in length.
High School Equivalency (GED)
January 2
February 13
Adiilt Basic Education (ABE)
January 2
- February 11
English as a Second Language (ESL)
January 2
February 11
The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior to some of the
upgrading classes.
I)evelopmental Studies (DVS)
January 30
February 3
(Offered prior to the FOWT Course)
ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course
Februaryl3
March 3
March 13
March 31
This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifoboat and is designed to help seaEueis
prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which is scheduled immediately after this
course. This class will benefit those seafiuers who have difBculty reading, seafiuers whose first
language is not English, and seafiuers who have been out of s^ool for a long time.

*A11 Steward Upgrading Courses are open-ended. Contact the
Admissions Office for starting dates.

Name.

—

Course(s) Taken

I
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I

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•

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I
I
I
I
I
I
I
•

STEWARD
Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: • Yes

No •

Firefighting: • Yes

No •

CPR: • Yes

No •

With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted showing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the coursc(s) requested.
You must also submit a COPY of the first page of your union book indicating your department and seniority, as well as, a COPY of your
clinic card. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is received.
RATING HELD

DATE SHIPPED

ALL DEPARTMENTS
• Welding
• lifeboatman (Must be taken with
another course)

DATE

SIGNATURE
No tianqxKUtion will be i^d
tinlew you present original ieoeq&gt;ts
and successfully complete the couise.

22 / LOG / January 1989
•C

i
1

I
«
I
DATE OF DISCHARGE
ADULT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT I
• Adult Basic Education (ABE)
• High School Equivalency
Program (GED)
• Developmental Studies (DVS)
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation

Sev2/8S

m

I

Primary Language Spoken

Date Available for Training

VESSEL

• Assistant Cook Utility
• Cook and Baker • Chief Steward
• Chief Cook
• Towboat Inland Cook

RETURN COMPLETED APPUCATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center, Piney Point, MD. 20674

COLLEGE PROGRAM
• Associates in Arts Degtee
• Certificate Progtams

I

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I
I
•

I
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!
I

I
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I
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�• ---I'V/

• •

In Pursiiit of a Dream

• •

Before too mucli more time goes l^r, I would like to thiLTiTr taie Charlie
Logan Scholarship Committee for awarding me a scholarship for 1988.
I am using the scholarship to pursue a degree In mininai pE^chology
at Antloch University in Santa Barbara, Calif, with the hope of
realizing my long-held dream of becoming a p^chotheraplst. The
Scholarship Committee's assistance is greatly appreciated.
To those of you I have sailed with: I miss you but trust thatr I wUl
see you again when the time is right.
Sincerely,
Lena McGlean
V- v'r'
Ctoleta, Calif.

Letters
To The
Editor

r

'

h '

'Grateful to the SXU ..
IVe been an SIU man since 1949. In those days, I was young and
enjoyed the life of a merchant seaman. However, today is another '
story. Due to many factors, all our American unions are fighting an
uphill battle for our very existence.
I've been unfit for duty for over foTir months and have incurred
about $10,000 In medical bills! (Lots of expensive tests and one
operation.) Thanks to our Seattle port agent and the SIU, about $6,000
have already been paid, and I don't have to worry about the remaining
$4,000 being paid—^not to mention the sickness and accident money
paid to me.
It's hard to believe the cost of being sick. (Getting old doesn't help})
Let's just say I'm grateful to belong to the SIU. It's good to realize the
SIU wUl protect me fromunreasonable medical costs in the future, too.
Sincerely,
Joseph A. Gibbons G-694
Huntingdon, Pa.

'In Praise of the Real Heroes .. .&lt;
I am writing this letter to give thanks to all those who helped us
receive veteran's status for the U.S. merchant marine in the big oneWWII: Senator Blchard Shelby, Senator HoweU HefUn and Rep. Somyr
Callahan, and to our Commander-in-Chief, President Reagan.
As we were the first ones In combat and the last to be honored. It
was about par for the course. But better late than never. I hope that
before the president leaves ofQce, he can find time to meet with some
real "unsung heroes" who delivered the goods to all theaters of action
on all fronts.
I also want to give praise to three of the finest men that I've ever
sailed with: Captain Paul Heller, Mr. Clarence A, Lott Sr. and Mr.
George Bales.

Now here are some of the real heroes: Mr. Lish Taylor was on the
first ship that was boarded by the crew of a German sub before we got
Into the big one. Also he and his son George Taylor were torpedoed on
the S.S. Maiden Creek. I think it was history that father and son were
on the same ship. Some of the other men who were toiTpedoed were
Tommy Jenkins, Leon Branch Sr., Charles Mitchell, Ervtn Bradley,
Warden Hendricks, Willie "Htimp" Palmer, Lloyd Yo\ing, Big Joe
Henderson and Leslie Taylor.
So all of the old salts can now hang their Honorable Discharges on
the wall, and when their grandchildren ask What they did in the big
one, they can point to it...
Bloris B. Tart T-849
Mobile, Ala.

'Keep Up the Good Work • . .'
After 21 years, you, with the help of God, have made the other
unions come in out of the cold! My hat's off to you.
I want to thank you for getting me on the new ship Nedlloyd
Holland. It is a wonderful ship.
Paul Hall would be proud. I know I am. If there is anything that I
can do to make your task a little easier, feel free to call on me, and I
win do my best.
In your next meeting, please remind the members to vote. Keep up
the good wprk. I am praying for you and your staff.
Tours truly.
Oscar Wiley
Nedlloyd Holland

News From Labor
SAN FRANCISCO—^Twelve unions
representing Southern California Kai­
ser Health Plan employees have joined
forces to "aid and assist our afhliated
labor organizations in their individual
and collective dealings to secure im­
proved working conditions and other
economic advantages for our mem­
bers, to assist in the settlement of
labor disputes, to safeguard and pro­
mote the principles of collective bar­
gaining and workers' rights."
The coalition will also "battle man­
agement programs which are nothing
more than thinly veiled attempts to
diminish or destroy union strength in
the workplace." The group is headed
by Jim Zellers of SEIU's Local 399,
and includes locals of the Service Em­
ployees, the Food &amp; Commercial
Workers, the Operating Engineers and
the Los Angeles District Council of
the Carpenters.
NEW YORK—The Food &amp; Commer­
cial Workers have started a hard-hit­
ting recognition campaign in upstate
New York to focus public attention
on the non-union status of food mar­
kets.
UFCW District One President Jo­
seph C. Talarico is leading the way
with the "We're Up Front, Protecting
Union Jobs" program, which encour-

ages consumers not to spend their food
dollars at non-union markets where
often workers are not treated fairly by
their employers. The campaign in­
cludes Do Not Shop leaflets; "Shop
Union" lawn signs; prominent Union
Store Card displays in organized su­
permarkets; and heavy media public­
ity.
WASHINGTON—Four union repre­
sentatives were named to the 15-member Occupational Safety and Health
Administration's advisory panel to up­
date federal shipyard safety standards.
They are Russel Axom of the Steelworkers, Louis D'Ambrosio of the
Boilermakers, Bedros Dostoomian of
the Sheet Metal Workers and Frank
Terranova of the Plumbers. James D.
Bishop of the Painters was named an
alternate.
OSHA's shipbuilding
standards have not been updated since
the agency's inception 17 years ago.
WASHINGTON—AFL-CIO Associ­
ate General Counsel David Silberman
will head the federation's Union Priv­
ilege Benefit Programs. He is suc­
ceeding Ray Denison, who will retire
Feb. 28. Silberman, 37, was a partner
at the Washington law firm of Bredhoff
&amp; Kaiser and taught law at George
Washington University prior to joining

the AFL-CIO's legal department in
1985. Denison, 65, headed the UPBP
since its creation in 1986. UPBP's first

benefit was offering low-interest credit
cards to members of participating
unions.
January 1989/LOG/23

: ,

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Now For

J!''}

Don't Wait!

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IS

S the 1989 school season
begins, It's not too early
for high school seniors to
start thinking about college. For
dependents of Seafarers and
Boatmen the financial burden of
college can be greatly eased if
they win an SlU scholarship.
The awards, known as the
Charlie Logan Scholarship
Program, are given each year
under the auspices of the Sea­
farers Welfare Plan. For de­
pendents, four $10,000 schol­
arships are offered.
But the Scholarship Program
is not exclusively for depend­
ents. A $10,000 award and two
$5,000 scholarships are avail^ able to active Seafarers and
Boatmen. Also, when there are
exceptionally qualified Seafar­
ers and Boatmen, the Board of
Trustees of the Welfare Plan
may grant a second $10,000
award to an active member.
The Scholarship Program was
begun in 1952 to help members
and their children achieve their
educational goals. Several years
ago it was named after Charlie
Logan, a labor consultant and
arbitrator who died in 1975. He
helped establish the Seafarers
Scholarship Program and then
worked hard to keep it strong
and growing.
Medical are eligible to apply for
a dependent's scholarship up to
Seafarer Requirements
the age of 25.
Each applicant for a depend­
Seafarers and Boatmen who
ent's scholarship must:
are applying for scholarships
• Be unmarried at the time
must:
application is made.
• Be a graduate of high school
• Be under 19 or 25 years of
or its equivalent.
age (whichever is applicable).
• Have credit for two years
• Be eligible for dependent
(730.days) of employment with
benefits under the Seafarers
an employer who is obligated to
Welfare Plan.
make contributions to the Sea­
e Be a graduate of high school
farers Welfare Plan, on the em­
or its equivalent.
ployee's behalf prior to the date
The applicant's parent must:
of application.
• Have credit for three years
• Have one day of employ­
(1,095 days) of employment with
ment on a vessel in the sixan employer who is obligated to
month period immediately pre­
make contributions to the Sea­
ceding the date of application.
farers Welfare Plan on the em­
• Have 120 days of employ­
ployee's behalf prior to the date
ment on a vessel in the previous
of application.
calendar year.
• Have one day of employ­
Pensioners are not eligible to
ment in the six-month period
receive scholarship awards.
immediately preceding the date
of application.
Dependent Requirements
• Have 120 days of employ­
Dependents of Seafarers and ment in the previous calendar
Boatmen who apply for a schol­ year.
arship must be unmarried, under
The last two items above cov­
19 years of age, and receive ering worktime requirements of
sole support from the employee the applicant's parents do not
and/or his or her spouse. Un­ apply to applicants who are the
married children who are eligible children of pensioners or eligible
for benefits under Plan #1 Major deceased employees.

• A,.:"..
' v'N,..,;

'

1989 SlU College Scholarships
Deadline - AprlM4

24/LOG/January 1989

»' ^

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Must Take SAT or ACT
For both active members and
the dependents of eligible mem­
bers, the scholarship grants are
awarded on the basis of high
school grades and the scores of
either College Entrance Exam­
ination Boards (SAT) OR Amer­
ican College Tests (ACT).
The SAT or ACT exam must
be taken no later than February
1989 to ensure that the results
reach the Scholarship Selection
Committee in time to be evalu^
ated. For upcoming SAT test
dates and applications, contact
the College Entrance Exami­
nation Board at either: Box 592,

_

J,

_

„

Princeton, N.J. 08540 or Box
1025 Berkeley, Calif. 94701,
whichever is closest to your
mailing address.
For upcoming ACT test dates
and applications contact: ACT
Registration Union, P.O. Box
414, Iowa City, Iowa 52243.
Scholarship program appli­
cations are available to active
members or their dependents at
any SlU hall or through the Sea­
farers Welfare Plan, 5201 Auth
Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.
Scholarship winners will
be announced in May 1989.
The deadline for submission of
applications is April 14, 1989.

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U.S. AGENCY FINALLY ACTS TO PENALIZE FINK SHIP&#13;
SIU HITS DOD KUWAITI TANKER REFLAGGING POLICY&#13;
CONGRESS GETS REAGAN’S LAST MARITIME BUDGET&#13;
BALLOTING PANEL ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF A&amp;G VOTE&#13;
JUDGE BANS RANDOM TESTING OF TRUCKERS &#13;
MEMBERSHIP OKS CHANGES TO SIU CONSTITUTION&#13;
HOUSE SHIP PANEL SETS FIRST MEETING&#13;
SIU CREWS MAKE TAGOS PROGRAM A SUCCESS&#13;
SKINNER NAMED TO DOT; DOLE WINS LABOR POST&#13;
ADM. BUTCHER TO HEAD MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND&#13;
SIU SHIP KEEPS ARMY FROM RUNNING ON EMPTY&#13;
ANDREI SAKHAROV, FAMED SOVIET DISSIDENT, GIVEN AFL-CIO HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD&#13;
UNITED STATES AND CHINA SIGN SHIPPING PACT&#13;
SAFE STEERING COMMITTEE SETS AIDS POLICY GOALS&#13;
90-YEAR-OLD SEAFARER WINS WW II DISCHARGE&#13;
NEW SEA LITTER LAWS TAKE EFFECT&#13;
U.S. EXTENDS TERRITORIAL WATERS&#13;
ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY SEASON ENDS&#13;
2 FERRY BOAT SINKINGS CLAIM MORE THAN 100&#13;
A PIECE OF HISTORY FACES EVICTION&#13;
WW II MINES STILL A SHIPPING THREAT&#13;
THE MESS IN YOUR MEDICINE CABINET &#13;
SIU’S 50TH YEAR MARKED BY NEW LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTION&#13;
1988- A REVIEW OD THE SIU’S 50TH YEAR&#13;
1988- YEAR IN REVIEW&#13;
CASSIDY CITES SEALIFT AS BIGGEST NEED&#13;
AFTER 45 YEARS AT SEA, ‘TINY’ BANKS HIS OARS&#13;
EIGHT DIE WHEN STORM SINKS SHIP-THREE SAVED&#13;
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OFFiaAt ORGAN OF THE SEAFARERS INTlRNATlOlliAL UNION • ATLANTIC, GULF, LAKES AND INUND WATERS DISTRIG • AFL-CIO

TAX TIPS
TOR SIAMTN

SEAE^KERS

SIU members and their
a families receive quality
medical care in San
Francisco.

r

he LOG, continuing a tradi­
tion of providing valuable in­
formation to SIU members, cov­
ers important tax information in
this issue.

5

Harry Lundeberg School
a offers new course in
Marine Electronics.

4 O Your rights under
H £$ a COBRA, the new
health care Jaw.

WHAT'S NIWIH 1988?
TAX LAW CHANGES TO APPLY TO
THE 1988 RmPN
Reduced Tax Rates
Effective 1988 there are only two
tax rates, 15% and 28%. The tax
table and tax rate schedules use
the reduced rates—with a phaseout of the lowest rate for higher
income individuals.
Increased Deduction for
Exemptions
The deduction for each exemp­
tion—for you, your spouse and
dependent s-r-has increased to
$1,950.
Standard Deductions Increased
For many individuals, the stan­
dard deduction has increased.
Because of this increase, it may
be to your benefit to take the
standard deduction for 1988 even
though you itemized deductions
in past years.
Interest Deductible
On the 1988 return, 40% of per­
sonal interest is deductible. This
includes interest on items like
car loans and credit cards.
Turn to Page 11 for
• How to get tax info by
phone
• Additional Information

•

'V 1-

&gt;•.» •

Volume 51, Number 2

February 1989

'• A''' * •

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11-t7=0

SIU SPEEDS UP lEGAl PROCESS IN
DRUG TESTING SUIT VERSUS DOT
JjJ oving swiftly through the leffl gal maze, the SIU has expe­
dited consideration of its drug
testing suit against the Depart­
ment of Transportation. As a re­
sult of the SIU's action, and
with agreement of the US Justice
Department, the federal district
court has scheduled immediate
consideration of the SIU's case
against the US government's
mandated drug testing proce­
dures of maritime workers. The
union expects the lawsuit
against DOT to come before the
courts in early March.
Avoiding legal delay is vitally
important since the govern­
ment's drug testing regulations
became law in December of 1988
and must be implemented by
June 21, 1989.

The lawsuit was jointly filed by
the SIU, the Transportation Insti­
tute (TI)—a federation of US-flag
shipping companies—and two in­
dividual merchant seamen.

The SIU is
'^committed to
protecting the
individual rights of
its members .
The SIU portion of the case
declares an individual's constitu­
tional right to privacy and rights
to be free from unreasonable
search and seizure are violated

Crewed by SIU members, the OMI Columbia (OMl) is one of the 56 US-flag
tankers in the Alaska oil trade. The Alaska pipeline was built and US-flag tanker
transport has been used becausi%:e United States wanted to rktmn American oil
from Alaska reserves for AmericanU:onsumption.
%-

indefinitely extends the period of
time in which.Alaska oil is re­
served for domestic use.
Alaska oil, reaching the lower
48 states via pipeline and US-flag
tankers, has saved West Coast

consumers billions of dollars at
the gas pump, decreased our na­
tion's reliance on imported oil
and preserved a domestic mer­
chant fleet.

by the new drug testing rules.
SIU President Mike Sacco ex­
plained, "While we accept our
responsibilities to help in pro­
tecting society against the dam­
age done by drug and alcohol
abuse, we are also committed to
protecting the individual rights of
our members and the ability of
the industry to stay afloat."
TI, voicing the concerns of
US-flag shipping companies, as­
serts the testing law forces pri­
vate enterprise to act unwillingly
as government agents. In addi­
tion, TI challenges a law which
places the cost of administering
and implementing drug testing on
the employer. TI points out the
unfair financial burden placed on
beleaguered US operators who
compete head-to-head with for­
eign flag companies. Foreign flag
vessels are excluded from the
drug testing law, while US oper-ators are required to pay for the
entire cost of testing, enforce­
ment and reHabilitation, cur­
rently estimated to have a price
tag of over two billion dollars.
The new drug testing regular
tions were part of a last minute
push by the Reagan administra­
tion to secure compulsory drug
testing of workers in the trans­
portation industry. The Coast
Guard, in its haste to meet the
administration's timetable, drew
up proposals with no considera­
tion of effectiveness or cost.
Election-year hysteria added to
the lack of reasonable and con­
scientious Congressional debate.

COMPAHIES, UNION GET SET
TO COMPLY WITH DRUG LAW
labile the SIU law suit seeks
Iflf to abolish the new drug test­
ing rules, ship operators are re­
quired to prepare for mandatory
pre-employment testing which
the new regulations dictate must
be in place by June 21, 1989.
Because SIU members work un­
der a 90 day registration and
Continued on page 4

-- -

•

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O

UNWN GIRDS FOR BATTU OVER AUm
OIL EXPORT
w

ashington—The SIU is
working to continue the pro­
hibition of exporting Alaska oil.
The union began developing its
campaign, in conjunction with
other groups in the maritime in­
dustry, when there were signs
from Congress that legislation
would be introduced repealing
the ban on Alaska oil export.
Alaska oil from the North
Slope was reserved for domestic
consumption by a provision of
the Export Administration Act
(EAA). Those who want to ex­
port our oil to Japan and other
countries would like to eliminate
the U.S.-use-restrictions. The
expiration of the EEA in Sep­
tember of 1989 gives export pro­
ponents a chance to push for an
opportunity to sell Alaska oil in
foreign markets.
SIU supported legislation
would head export advocates off
at the pass. If ^proved. House
of Representatives bill No. 567

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�SUFARiKS LOG

President's
Report
A®':

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•;• • • • -j:;";.. • .

Mfo American worker must be more vigilant than he or she
11 who goes to sea for a living, especially when it comes to
keeping an eye on the efforts of governmental action. Not only
must the Seafaring man and woman be concerned with the im­
pact of the range of social and labor legislation, they must be
deeply involved with federal policies and regulations as well as
congressional initiatives affecting every aspect of marine trans­
portation.
Hardly a day goes by without a decision or action being taken
somewhere in Washington that directly touches on the well-being
and security of shipboard workers. Besides the Congress and its
scores of committees with jurisdiction over maritime matters,
there are the government agencies and departments whose ac­
tions can directly influence our job opportunities, our security
and the stability of our industry. Departments like Commerce
and Transportation and State and Justice and Defense and Inte­
rior. Agencies like the Maritime Administration and the Coast
Guard and the Agency for International Development and the
Interstate Conunerce Commission and the Office of Management
and_Budget, to cite a few.
Constant monitoring and vigilance is the order of the day. And
our people have to visit with and talk with those who are
involved. It is a full plate, which we readily accept because we
believe strongly that the Union must keep its eye on Washington
and the political and legislative process. No one will do it for us
in the manner we think is necessary—by working hard from bell
to bell.
In addition to the Congress and the agencies, we often have to
go into the federal court system to protect the welfare—^and the
rights, as in the drug testing case at the moment—of our Union
membership.
As 1989 gets under way all signs point to a busy calendar in
Washington for us in Maritime. With a new administration that
has given no sign yet as to what its thinking is in respect to the
American flag shipping industry, we are going to have to be on
our toes. We must make every effort to convince the administra­
tion and members of Congress that it is in the national interest to
revitalize and maintain a strong maritime capability. We must

The SID in WMtalnglim
IN THE HOPPER

•

The following bUls have been introduced in the 101st session of
Congress. The SIU is carefully tracking legislation which affects
membership jobs and rights.

: '•^^;;; |;e.v ••'

ALASKAN OIL: H.R.
567, which would extend
the ban on the export of Alaskan
oil indefinitely, was introduced
in the House of Representatives.
The bill was sponsored by Rep.
Howard Wolpe (D-Mich.) and

Olympia Snowe (R-Me.). The
ban, which is contained in the
Export Administration Act
(BAA), is scheduled to expire on
September 30, 1990.
ALIEN STRIKE-BUST­
ERS: Rep. Maige Rou-

••JKi. ir-i'' .V''- • •

Volume 51, Number 2

February 1989

'he LOG aSSN0160-2047) is puUished monthly by the S^ifarers Internatioiiai
Union; Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District; AFL-CIO; 5201
Auth Way; Camp Springs, Maryland 20746. Telephone (301) 899-0675.
Second-class postage paid at MSG Prince Georges, Maryland 20790-9998 and
at arfHirinnal mailing ofiBces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the
LCX}, 5201 Auth Way; Clamp Springs, Maryland 20746.
President, Michael Sacco; Secretary-Treasurer, Joe DIGIorgio; Executive
Vice President, Joe Sacco; Vice President Ccdlective Bargaining, Angus
"Red" Campb^; Vice President Atlantic Coast, Jack Caffey; Vice President
Gulf Coast, Thomas Giidewefl; Vice President West Coast, Gemge McCartney;
Vice Pkesident Lakes and Inland Waters, John Fay; Vice President Government
Services, Rpy Mercer.
Communicates Department Director, Jessica Smith; Editrn-, Charies Svenson;
Managing Editor, Mike Hall; Associate Editors, Max Hall mA Deborah
Greene; Design Consultant, Dennis Goris.
~

f

also offset the efforts in the opposite direction by opponents of
" Yo'^r"ulSn representatives with responsibility for SIU legislaUvrsL governmental matters wUl pay stnct attention to their
tasks There wiU be times when the membership can be of
asSance on critical issues. On those occasions, all hands will
be advised as to how they can help. .
oii r.ortc
We are intent on improving communications among afl parts-of
the union structure. That is one the many ways m which we will
be working full time to mice the union an effective force for the
well-being and security of Seafarers.
Drug Testing
It may be repetitive, but we cannot stress the issue of the
government's drug testing program too much. If anyone is won­
dering why plans are being made now to comply with the order
to have a testing procedure in place, it is because the program
has to be in operation by June 21.
_
However, we have questioned the government s action and we
are party to a suit in Federal Court to halt the testing on the
grounds that it can violate the privacy rights of Seafarers. We of
course, support the notion that the drug issue should be dealt
with, but the present scheme not only threatens a member's
right but also puts US-flag ships at a serious competitive disad­
vantage, since the ship operators must pay for all costs, and
foreign-flag ships are not required to comply with the order.
Unfortunately, the Department of Transportation issued its or­
ders without any consultation with the industry nor did it gather
any figures to justify its extreme actions. It would have been
intelligent to have explored the matter with those involved—the
union and the ship owner—in an effort to arrive at a reasonable
solution. Since it didn't, in our minds we had no alternative but
to seek a stay and have the issue put back on the drawing board.

kema (R-N.J.) has introduced
H.R. 285, which would prevent
aliens from assuming the jobs of
striking air and maritime indus­
try employees.
ANWR: Rep. Don Young
(R-Ak.) introduced H.R.
49, which would authorize devel­
opment of the Alaskan National
Wildlife Reserve (ANWR). Leg­
islation which would prohibit ^
such development has also been
introduced in the House.
CARGO PREFERENCE:
During the past several
sessions of Congress, cargo pref­
erence has proven to be a con­
tentious issue. It is expected to
be one in this session as well.
Several bills have already been
introduced. Two, H.R. 440 and
H.R. 444, were introduced by
Rep. Helen Bentley (R-Md.).
They would provide for fuller
compliance of existing cargo
preference laws.
A third bill, H.R. 597, would
repeal the 1985 compromise
reached between maritime and
agriculture groups. Introduced
by Rep. James Oberstar (DMirm.), it would repeal the extra
25 percent U.S.-flag requirement
for humanitarian food aid and
the Great Lakes ports allocation.
MARITIME EMIS­
SIONS: Rep. A1 Swift (DWash.) has introduced H.R. 99.
The bill contains language pro­
hibiting states from regulating

marine emissions until federal
regulations are promulgated.
MERCHANT MARINE
MEMORIALS: Rep. He­
len Bentley (R-Md.) has intro­
duced H.R. 441, which would
permit vessels from the National
Defense Reserve Force (NDRF)
to be sold and used for merchant
marine memorials.
WWII VETERANS: Rep.
Jack Fields (D-Tex.) has
introduced H.R. 44, which
would clarify the eligibility re­
quirements for veterans status
for World War II seamen. Sea­
men servirig before Dec. 31,
1946 would be eligible to apply.
The legislation would also
permit the transfer of title
of obsolete NDRF ships for mer­
chant marine memorial projects.
:

SIX Miw KimBEK mrniD n
HOUSE MEKHMHT HUdNHE
COEIMmEE
Six new members have been
named to the House Merchant
Marine Committee. Republicans
assigned Rep. James M. Inhofe
(Okl.) and Porter Gross (Fla.) to
take over two of the six vacan­
cies that had been left open.
Democrats named to the Com­
mittee include Greg Laughlin
(Tex.), Nita Lowey (N.Y.),
Frank Palone (N.J.J and Jolene
Unsoeld (Wash.).

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�FSBRUAKY, 1989

SlU tKDiaU. PUN BIG SUCCESS

SAN FRANCISCO HFAITH UNIT
SERVICES 1200 IN 1988
S

an Francisco—Quality health
care, individual attention and
administrative efficiency were
enjoyed by 1,200 SIU members
and their families who used St.
Mary's Hospital and Medical
Center in San Francisco in 1988.
St. Mary's was designated a Prefered Provider Organization
(PPO) in October of 1987 by the

Chief Cook, added, "I've re­
ceived a very good, complete
exam. The St. Ma^'s st^ has
been very responsive and help­
ful."
St. Mary's Hospital and Medi­
cal Center opened the Compre­
hensive Health Center, also
known as the "Howard Street
Clinic," to meet the needs of
SIU members and dependents.
The Howard Street Clinic con­
ducts required pre-employment
and annual physicals for mem­
bers as well as providing out­
patient care and administering
examinations and tests.
St. Mary's assi^ed Pamela
Fallo to the position of Clinic
Administrator. Ms. Fallo comes
to the Howard Street Clinic with
a total of fifteen years of medical
experience, nine of which were
spent as nurse practitioner in the
field of internal medicine. Com­
menting on her clinic experience
over the past fifteen months, Ms.

"St. Mary's is the
best clinic I've
visited. I've been
treated very well.99

—^Alphonso Davis,
Steward and SIU Member

:^S|5-'y,

To a member, a PPO means one
health center which understands the
needs of his or her family.
population."
In addition to being refered to
the Howard Street Clinic, Sea­
farers and family members are
occasionally sent to St. Mary's
main location for specialized
testing or hospital admittance.
St. Mary's is one of the largest
hospitals in San Francisco.
Founded in 1857, it has 531 hos-

St. Mary's offers many unique
services. The hospital's Western
Heart Institute gives the most
technologically advanced care
available to cardiac patients.
Special programs have been es­
tablished for seniors. St. Mary's
extra touch can be seen in the
wide range of additional mater­
nity services the medical center

Seafarers Welfare Plan (SWP).
The SWP's PPO program is
designed to establish an ongoing
relationship with one provider of
health care in a geographic area.
To a member, a PPO means one
health center which understands
the needs of a seaman and his or
her family. The PPO's, in turn,
become familiar with the SIU's
welfare plan resulting in more
responsive administrative proce­
dures. As demonstrated by St.
Mary's, the program provides
first-rate medical care with an
extra touch for SIU members
and their families.
Seafarers have welcomed the
San Francisco PPO. "St. Mary's
is the best clinic I've visited.
I've been treated very well,"
said Steward Alphonso Davis.
Adel Ibrahiin, APL Steward and

Fallo said, "I enjoy working
with the SIU membership and
their families. As a group they
are personable and very interest­
ing. The staff here receives cards
and gifts from around the worid
sent by SIU patients. Seamen
have very basic concerns about
their health and their life situa­
tions. It is very rewarding to
woilc with this type of patient

$:•

pital beds, hundreds of physi­
cians on staff practicing in all
areas of medicine and Offers a
wide range of health care and
social
services.
Deborah Kleinberg, Associate
Counsel for the Seafarers Wel­
fare Plan, explained why the
SIU chose St. Mary's. "We
looked at many hospitals in the
San Francisco Bay Area and St.
Mary's was one of the finest. St.
Mary's truly has the interests of
every patient at heart. The hos­
pital h^ worked closely with the
Seafarers Welfare Plan. We've
established an excellent working
relationship which has resulted
in effective administration and a
very high level of quality health
care.

;

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7 J,:

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•

Nurse Sandra Sprii^ynan (left) and Administrator FaUo (right) consult on test
results.

Other SWP design^ed PPO's in­
clude: Straub Clinic and Hospital
in Honolulu and Virginia Mason
Hospital in Seattle. The PPO's
purpose is to bring the best pos­
sible medical care and operating
efficiency to SIU members and

. • -rtj-'

Lab technician Susanna Israel studies a
Nood sam^.

provides: labor, delivery and re­
covery in one room; a free con­
sultation with an obstetrician;
24-hour hot line for patient ques­
tions; personal nursing care; free
pre-natal classes; 24-hour con­
sultation with neonatal doctors;
discounts on maternity clothes
and "craving coupons" which
offer discounts on food.
For additional information on
St. Mary's services, programs
and classes, call the St. Mary's
Health Connection number:
(415) 750-5785.

PROVIDERS IN OTHER Mm

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By SIU arrangement, Seafarers in
the San Francisco Bay area are
getting quality medical care for
themselves and their families through
the novel Prefered Provider
Organiziotion.

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their families. If you have any
comments on the PPO program,
please let us know. Write to
PPO Coordinator; SIU Head­
quarters—4th Floor; 5201 Auth
Way; Camp Springs, Maryland
20746.

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FINK SHIP UPDATE
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lURRONE TO HUD
SlU WKHINGTON
OPEMTIONS
Micholas J. Marrone, a SeaIw farer who graduated from the
Harry Lundeberg School of Sea­
manship and sailed as an AB,
has been appointed Director of
the SIU's Department of
Congressional and Government
Relations.
Marrone has gained an under­
standing of the goals and objec­
tives of the maritime industry
through his experiences both as
an SlU member and representa­
tive, and as an professional in
the industry.
^er signing off his last two
ships—the SS Overseas Marilyn
(Maritime Overseas) and the SS
George Withe (Waterman)Marrone served as Port Agent in
Piney Point, and taught a course
in industrial relations at the
school. He also worked as an
SIU port official in St. Louis and
Paducah, Kentucky.
For two and one-half years
Marrone was a marketing repre­
sentative for American President
Lines in St. Louis. In 1985 he

Nkk Marrone, Hu SIU's new Director
of Congressional and Governmental
Relations, meets witit Ed Welch, chief
counsel for the Home Merchant Ma­
rine and Fisheries Committee.

accepted a position with Lykes
Brothers Steamship Co. as sen­
ior account executive, and later
was promoted to District Man­
ager for Sales and Operations.
As head of the Seafarers legis­
lative and political arm, Marrone
will execute the Union's political
goals and legislative agenda.

wo months after the original
sailing date, the troubledogged Ocean Challenger (Bel­
mont VLCCII, Inc.) finaUy is on
its way to Pakistan. The fink
ship's difficulties have included a
levy of $640,000 in government
fines for not meeting the agreedupon sailing date, a court or­
dered payment of $725,000 to a
tank-cleaning company. Coast
Guard halting of the loading
process until oil leaks were
cleared and a lawsuit filed
jointly by the SIU and other
maritime interests. Ocean Chal­
lenger's bad luck rubbed off on
one of its tank-cleaning compa­
nies. Houston Ship, Inc., hired
by Belmont, was slapped with a
$278,000 fine for using illegal al­

iens in the tank-cleaning opera­
tion.
The Ocean Challenger, a
260,000 deadweight-ton super­
tanker, was awaMed a U.S. gov­
ernment contract to carry grain
to Pakistan. Pakistani officials
have voiced concern about the
Ocean Challenger's size. Not
only does the coun^ not have
enough storage facilities for such
huge amounts of wheat arriving
at one time, but there are also
no ports capable of berthing the
supertanker. The grain must be
shuttled to shore.

The court challenge by die SIU
and other maritime groups still
leaves the controversial Ocean
Challenger's fature in doubt.

S KUWAm TANKERS UNDER US-FUG

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SPAD Means Security
Contribute Now!

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NEW DOT SECRiTARY
PROHIUSES STRONG US-FLAG
MERCHANT MARINE
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S

amuel Skinner, President
Bush's designee for Secretary
of the Department of Transpor­
tation (DOT), pledged to work
towards implementing a national
transportation policy that would
include a strong US-flag mer­
chant marine.
Speaking at a confirmation
hearing held by the Senate Com­
mittee on Commerce, Science
and Transportation, Skinner
agreed to implement existing
cargo preference staitutes and
preserve the integrity of the
Jones Act.
Noting that "cooperation be­
tween government and industry
is long overdue," Skinner prom­
ised to examine the report issued
by the President's Commission
on Merchant Marine and De­
fense and foUow up on its rec­
ommendations.
When asked about reform of
the liner subsidy program. Skin­
ner said the way the program is
presently structured posed prob­
lems for the industry. "It does

not appear to provide sufficient
operating flexibility in a rapidly
changing market, and it lacks in­
centives for cost efficiency that
are adequate to make the US
fleet competitive in the worid
market."
Conunenting on a proposal to
build US-flag vessels overseas.
Skinner said he had not yet had
time to review the proposal, but
"there is no question that ship­
building and associated indus­
tries are essential mobilization
resources.
Skinner consented to review a
campaign commitment by Presi­
dent Bush to name an executive
branch maritime liaison to coor­
dinate the vmious federal mari­
time programs and to serve as an
advisor on military sealift.
Skinner, a former US prosecu­
tor, told the committee he is in
full agreement with the new drug
testing regulations enacted in the
last days of the Reagan adminis­
tration.

l^ashington—^The Maritime
WW Administration officially re­
ceived a request to allow five of
the eleven reflated Kuwaiti
tankers to remain under the
American flag.
Last month the SIU and other
maritime interests were advised
by Mar Ad that the application
was imminent. At that time, the

SIU also learned that full US •
crewing of the vessels would
take 10 months. The SIU favors
immediately crewing the tankers,
citing the availability of qualified
US personnel.
The SIU condemned the gov­
ernment for, once again, drag­
ging its feet on this issue.

cfmrum, ums RCUY PUN

fOR DRUG ffiSnNG

' yM-

continued from page I

shipping system, it will be neces­
sary to begin pre-employment
drug testing in March, 90 days
before the implementation date.
Under the new drug testing
regulations, shipping companies
are legally obligated to hire em­
ployees who have been screened
and cleared of any drug use be­
ginning June 21, 1989. The oper­
ator must be able to prove the
employee has been tested some­
time in the 6 months prior to
signing on.
As a result, commencing in
March, before being dispatched
to a vessel, an SIU member will
have to have the necessary proof
of drug clearance. To make the
process as convenient as possi­
ble, SIU clinics will serve as col­
lection sites for the drug screen

exams. The law requires all anal­
ysis of test samples be con­
ducted by laboratories approved
by the National Institute for
Drug Abuse (NIDA). Test out­
comes will be sent to a Medical
Review Officer. The individuals
working as Medical Review Offi­
cers will be agreed upon jointly
by the union and the employer.
To ensure fair and equitable
testing, to reduce chances of er­
rors in reporting of results and to
prevent unwarranted dissemina­
tion of information, the SIU cur­
rently has its legal counsel work­
ing with medical professionals
examining NIDA approved labo­
ratories, studying testing proce­
dures and drawing up guidelines
which will protect and preserve
the member's rights during the
drug testing process.

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FCBRUARY 1989

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Harry Lundeberg School of Soamanship

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RIVERBOAT SAFETY IS TOR PRIORITY
pects of the crewmembers' train­
ing was to learn that safety was
their responsibility 24-hours a
day.
"I've learned a lot about
safety and concern for others
that 1 didn't take^into considera­
tion before. 1 now have the
Sense of responsibility and con­
sideration for every individual
Delta Queen crewmembers, left to riffU, first row. Bill Collins, Brian Murray,
Alonat. Talbert; second row, Arturo Nunez, Edward Goodman, Blake Ingraham;
Mrd row. Instructor Jim Moore, WUUam Pritas and Bobby Shepherd.

Queen, they do it for the com­
fort and relaxation a slow cruise
along the Mississippi brings.

he Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
S(
School
of Seamanship is
proud to announce the creation
of a new position: Marine Elec­
tronics Technician. The Marine
Electronics Technician will be
able to repair the complex electronics equipment found aboard
ship. Advances in technology
have brought automation to the
maritime industry, and these ad­
vances have established a heed
for trained persons in order to
keep this sophisticated equipfhent in top operating condition.
' To satisfy foe need for trained
technicians, foe school has es­
tablished foe Marine Electronics
Techniciah course at foe Lundei^erg Sch^
FOint, Md.
This is rn intensive eight-week
course in AC and I&gt;G theory,
basic and advanced Olcetronic
circmts, digital logicy a^
and trouble-shOotihg. There will
as well.
be hands-on e:q)e^
Startiiig MeuOh 20, this new
course will be taught by Russell
Levin, M.S., who has n^
yeara of teaching experience and
an excellent background in elec­
tronics.
Applicants fOr this course will
have had some background in al­
gebra and will have demon-

I-"'-'"-'- . •

What they probably don't real­
ize is, that ^ong with the good
meals and fine service, the SIU
crew on the Delta Queen is
looking out for their safety, 24
hours a day.
To make sure safety onboard
America's last authentic riverboat is first rate, the SIU has set
up a special program for Delta
Queen crewmembers at the Sea­
farers Harry Lundeberg School
of Seamanship.
The three-week course in­
cluded sessions in basic deck
seamanship and safety, with
hands-on use of standard deck

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Crewmembers practice tying knots.

This is the second year of the
special training for the Delta
Queen crewmembers. The train­
ing will continue to ensure the
safe and smooth operation of
one of America's floating historic
landmarks.

NEW MARINE OEORONICS

IJfhen most people board the

historic, SlU-crewed Delta
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onboard my vessel,'' said Stew­
ard Joseph Blake Ingraham.

Brian Murray and Albert Talbert
equipment. First aid and CPR
were covered. Students also
learned firefighting techniques,
damage control procedures and
water survival.
One of the most important as-

Aboard the Sonny Simmons.

SIU School Oraduatos

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\iWm nuf^yearsp^
field, Russitil Levin Will teach the new
Marine Electronics Technician coune
id Piney PoiWt.
strated a technical ability. Appli­
cants who do not meet the
requirements will still be consid­
ered on an individual basis.
Once a student passes the
course, he or she should be able
to sit for the Federal Communi­
cations Commission's exam for
General Radiotelephone Opera­
tors' License with Radar En­
dorsement. No knowledge of
Morse Code is required.
For more information about
this course, please contact the
Lundeberg School at (301) 9940010, ext. 274.

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I AM INTERESTED

''T- ••;:••' .r",-r'p:''" '. '••'' ••-•

(This is not a formal application)
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Please put me on your list as interested in future enrollment in the
new Marine Electronics Technician course.
Name
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Telephone

RJ. Johnson, Irving Tacoronti, Jr.,
Alfred DiSimone, Juan E. Iglesias,
Jack E. Pegram, Jr., Muhammed Saleh, Jose A. Gonzalez, James D. Templeton, Jr., Johnny August.

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Dept.

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A recent graduating class of Able Sea­
men at the lAindeberg School. First
row, l^ to right: Bill Eden, Julio Ra­
mos, Jose F. Rivera, Pablo Hernan­
dez, Gary Tauro, Jake Karaczynski
(Inst.); Second row: Richard Rankin,

of Birth Aw/day/yr

OfiMIe)

Address __

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Book No.

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iSkk:';.RETPBJ^ COMPLETED CCHjPON TO:
Dnector Volitional Edat^ion
Seaforers Harry Lundel
Rney Pmnt, MD 20674

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Deep Sea News
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AMERICAN EA6LE IN MOBILE

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eafarers onboard the Ameri­
can Eagle (Pacific Gulf Ma­
rine) have found steady work,
thanks to a long-term charter to
the Military Sealift Command.
The RO^O made its first call
ever at the Port of Mobile to dis­
charge and load a variety of mili­
tary gear, including tanks,
trucks, jeeps and other equip­
ment.
SIU Patrolman Jeff Libby took
most of these pictures when he
boarded the ship for payoff. The
Eagle was scheduled to sail the
next day for Panama and then to
Norway.

••rf-

In the galley of the "Et^le" are (L-R)
Messman Alphonso Davis, Chief Cook
Charles Williams and Steward Lincoln
Finn.

Here's most of the "Belle's" Deck Department, (L-R) ABs Marcus Hemenway, Dewey Jordan and Ken Smith, SIU Patmbnan Jeff Libby and Bosun
Benedict Bom.
AB Marcus Hemenway ffefl) helps out
Messman Atpkonso Davis (center) and
Steward Lincoln Finn as they food
stores for the tr^ to Panama.

i Vp--'0

"iUSMUp
'•^i' ';"i-^''••''v'-''''' "" •'
•

'•••ip-i,.!' ' •:• '

Bosun Benedict Bom operates the
ship's crane during cargo operations
while the "American Eagle" was in
Mobile.

m
'lipp[p'.

. .w&gt;. -0"..•;.&lt;.

^4
i1

.

^''

AB Michael St. Angela takes a welldeserved break.

The A-1 "B" TEAM

'

Nona
(JIBRA Cimhiiuarim HtiiMi
Jf you or your dependents lose your eligibility for health care
i coverage under the Rules and Regulations of the Seafarers
Welfei^ Plan, you and yoiir dejkindents may^^
purchase, at a premium. Welfare cbveigge directly fro^
Plan.
. If you find that you have lost your eligibility for Plan coverage,
you must notify the Pjto office iminediately to find out ytlrether or
not you or your dependents may elect to continue your besnefits
under this pipgraiji.
If you want more information concerning this program you can
call the membership services office.

i'W ^

7..;6i(Srfe: .

Deck crew of the "Eagle" at work.

1-80040^^^
.or-write'

,

Seaferers Welfare Plan
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746

The Waterman "B" team on the "SGT Mdtej KocaJc" is never hungry with
Chief Cooks Ritdy Xatrich (left) ami Lonnie Gamble (right) in the galley.

NOTE: A detailed article explaining this program appeared
in the January and February 1989 issue of the "LOG".
You may want to refer to it.

"
iS'i:7'

�mmm, im

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&lt;^«£^-w'fe4fea

^..i:;-:""
-J i,&lt;vi&gt;-r.i...-.1.* ».-tJ

CONGRATUUmONS TO NEW
SlU UNION PENSIONEia

WIS

//In as much as retirement action IS an important event
that we all await with suspense,
it is a pleasure to advise you that
your application was today ap­
proved by the Board of Trust­
ees," wrote Paul Hall in 1975 to
a new pensioner. Paul Hall was
President of the SIU for twentyfive years up until his death in
1980.
Paul Hall's words in 1975 are
just as relevant today. Retire­
ment can be an exciting time for
seamen used to a maritime way
of life. Years ago a seaman

could only look forward to pov­
erty if he stopped shipping. Pen­
sions for seamen were not
handed to seamen as a gift, the
union fought for retirement
benefits and won. And it was a
hard fight. Many of the men re­
tiring now help^ win these bene­
fits. Their pensions are well
deserved.
The Seafarers International
Union extends its warm congrat­
ulations to this month's pension­
ers and wishes them well in their
golden years.

71

' "I,/— -3S&gt; '[••.''O,/'^''-. ""

Deep See

.• .

::.vs^:5:'sr

:ir

\_v' ^ ,',
r. '

PETE GARZA

PETER L . KRUPINSKI

Pete Garza, 61,
retires after an
outstanding ca­
reer with the
SIU. Brother
Garza, a recerti­
fied Bosun, re­
cently served on
the Tallying Committee. Al­
though Brother Garza's effective
pension date is December 1,
1988, in his devotion to the
union he'll never retire. Making
his home in Texas City, Brother
Garza joined the union in 1955 in
the Port of Houston.

Peter L. Krupinskk 62, joined
the union in 1950
in the Port of
New York.
Brother Krupinski sailed in the
Deck depart­
ment. Making his home Whiting,
New Jersey, Brother Krupinski's
effective date of pension is De­
cember 1, 1988.

SAMUEL A. SMITH, JR.
Samuel A.
Smith, Jr.,. 64.
His effective
pension date is
September 1,
1988. Brother
Smith joined
the union in
1958 in the Port of San Francisco.
He sailed in the Steward depart­
ment. Brother Smith is a resident
of San Francisco, California.

' V

''

•rt'"-"-V'---,o;&gt;si-

DEEP SEA JOBS

FOR SIU MfMlf15
ON THE INCREASE
ncreased employment opportu­
/ nities for SIU members, means
class "A" individuals can now
stay onboard a vessel for up to
240 days. The SIU Vice Presi­
dent of Contracts' office reports
there have been many questions
on this modification of the ship­
ping rules. The change was
brought into effect as a result of
action taken by the Seafarers
Appeals Board (SAB). SAB is
the joint labor-management com­
mittee responsible for adminis­
tering the shipping rules.
For several years in the early
1980's, a shortage of jobs led the
SAB to modify the length of em­
ployment a member could have
on one ship. At that time class
"A" individuals, excluding per­
manent ratings, were limited to
180 days and class "B" to 120

days before the seaman would
have to leave the ship and re­
register for another job.
With the recent SAB modifica­
tions, along with the increase in
allowable time for class "A,"
class "B" members can now
stay with one vessel for up to
180 days. If a round trip voyage
is longer than 240 days for a
class "A" member or 180 days
for a class "B" member, the in­
dividual may stay on the vessel
until the voyage is complete.
Citing the increase in jobs for
SIU members, the SAB noted,
"various contracted employers
have been successful in respond­
ing to Requests for Proposals
(RFP's) from the Military Sealift
Command or the Maritime
Administration ..."

ROBERT H. SAMPSON
Robert H. Samp­
son, 63, sailed in
the Deck depart­
ment after join­
ing the union in
1960 in the Port
of Detroit.
Brother Samp­
son currently resides in Supe­
rior, Wisconsin and becomes a
pensioner on December 1, 1988.
Duluth, Minnesota was Brother
Sampson's last Port.

v.-i^

^

ROBERT E. CROTTY
Robert E. Crotty, 62, lives in
Calumet City, Illinois and has
shipped from Algonac. Effective
December 1, 1988 he becomes a
pensioner. Brother Crotty began
shipping with the union in 1962
in the Port of Chicago. Brother
Crotty sailed in the Engine De­
partment.

If

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Ger
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i
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•' •
• • ,V-' '

. .

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Groat Lakes

CECBL E. FERRELL
Cecil E. Ferrell,
62, lives in Cor­
pus Christi, Texas
Brother Ferrell's
pension is effec­
tive December 1,
1988. Seafarer
Ferrell shipped
out of the port of Houston and
joined the union in 1968. Brother
Ferrell retires from his position
of Captain.

liii^

•. .V&gt;- •

members

SAMUEL E. BOSSARD
Samuel E. Bossard, 67, began
shipping with the SIU in 1962 in
the Port of Duluth. Brother Bos­
sard sailed in the Deck depart­
ment. Living in South Range,
Wisconsin Brother Bossard's
port was Algonac. His effective
date of pension is December L
1988.

WmM'' .

FOR CIASS "A" AND ClASS "D" MmBiRS:

-

- "yoursi.
n: y-o.

®- w

�T.y-

.ifil:
:MX.y

Dispatchers Report fei Inland Waters NUBSefe
HcAl^er
Trial Dale

si:.

'14 '

JANUARY 1-31, 1989

-•• -

•^ •

V--

SfAMfffilS lOG

:.

- •-.-

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

TOTAL KEGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

••REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

r

he National Labor Relations c
Board (NLRB) announced the
many SIU charges against har­
bor towing company McAllister
will be brought before an Ad­
ministrative Law Judge on April
24. The trial is expected to con­
tinue for over a month.
McAllister is accused of failing
to bargain in good faith during
the contract talks of 1987. Mc­
Allister's illegal behavior at the
bargaining table resulted in a
strike and scab crews on the
boats.
The trial will also take up the
back-pay case from the 1984
Outreach decision. Outreach was
the "alter ego" company Mc­
Allister established attempting to
go non-union. The SIU caught
them in the act and brought legal
action. The courts have ruled
Outreach was a sham. The April
24 trial will consider how much
McAllister owes its SIU employ­
ees from the period of time it
was operating as Outreach.

•=SvS'-^-

•

Totals

•
••. J.« .'•ir,.. '^v"

I'. ."•

.

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

Port
- New YcH^
liiladeli^^

.w

tltosM '

Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans

"Jacfcsonvilie
?San Bi^iieiscb

!-,S;

IS:?
, • 1 . „•• p-r,,,ir . -.

1-,

;.

,,, r .

Seattle
Puerto Rico
Houston
St. Louis
Piney Point
.Totals :,

f

'

NSW COAST GUMD
RULC5 IN SFFSaON
Um, RIVSRS

r STEWAiiil DEPARTMENT

Port

I

0
0
5

2
0
0
0 •

Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans

1
0

' '•• "• -

0
^,6 •
0
0
0
4
6
•Ml
0
ioyi
0
0 '
'25'~''if

''• •"• •,S"r,V«'^^ -V

; .ISV; .;-..-SS,.&lt;:::

'alSis SrtSSS3&amp;i- ?.
• . ii

\'l

-'-

! -'

49
293
39
118
45
52
16
114
Totals All Departments
•"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.

CL—CompanyAakes

• 'U-

JANUARY 1-31, 1989 •TOTAL REGISTERED

•iiV:

n February 3 the seven-year
process of updating Coast
Guard licensing regulations will
go into effect. Maritime workers
will be subject to new regula­
tions covering limited tonnage li­
censes for the Great Lakes and
inland waters. Merchant seamen
who have not been actively ship­
ping will find the renewal proce­
dures have changed. The SIU
has incorporated the new rules
into its course material at the
Harry Lundeberg School of Sea­
manship.

Dispatchers Rsport for Dreat Lakss

If,,

ir}i •

O

,

*.:Sr

L—Lakes

HP—Hon Priority

TOTAL SHIPPED

••REGISTERED ON BEACH

All Groups
All Groups
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP Class CL Class L Class NP Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
Algonac
Port
Algonac
Port
Algonac
Port
Algonac

0

16

1

0

17

0

8

0

0

.-!y r.

Jf' ^
tf... •.

^___

Port

• .-••'a:

f-..

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
2
3
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
7
1
STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
2
0
ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0

0

36

0

17

0

0

13

0

0

63

13

Totals AU Departments
0
45
8
0
11
4
0
129
16
•"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,
'•LV- --

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•XiK

'V'M

�BPISSI
SSsaaa

FCBRUm, 1989

.'-I

*!sr

Know Your Rights

mn ftttemathnal
Un'm D!re€loiY
MldUidl SKGO, President
Joo^ii Sacco» Executive Vice
President
Angus ^'Red'" Campbell,
'
Vice President
3oe1iHGimi^t*i Secretary
Jack CafTey, Vice President
Tbomas GUdewcil, Vice President
George McCartey, Vice President
StOmVuf f Vice President
Roy A Merasr, Viiee President
sieve Edmy^ Vice President
HEABQUARTERS
5201 Auth Way
CaiQp Springs, Md. 20746
{301)899-0675
ALGONAC, Mteh.
520 St. Clair River Dr. 48001
(313)7^M988
BALTIMORE, Md.
1216 E. Baitimote St. 212(E
(301) 327-4900
DULOTH,Mmn.
Medicail Arts Building 55802
ai8) 722-4110
HONOLULUvHai^i
636 Cooke St. 96813
(808)523-5434
HOUSTON, Tex.
1221 Pierce St. 77002
(713)659-5152
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
3315 Uberty St. 32206
(904) 353-&lt;»87

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 Account­
ants every three months, which are to be
submitted to the membership by the Secre­
tary-Treasurer. A quarterly finance commit­
tee 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. Mem­
bers of this committee may make dissenting
reports, specific recommendations and sep­
arate 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 agree­
ments. All these agreements specify that the
trustees in charge of these funds shall equally
consist of Union and management represen­
tatives and their alternates. All expenditures
and disbursements of trust funds are made
only upon approval by a majority of the
trustees. All trust fund financial records are
available at the headquarters of the various
trust fimds.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights
and seidority are protected exclusively by the
contracts between the Union and the employ­
ers. Get to imow your shipping rights. Copim
of these contracts are posted and available in
all Unkm hails. If yon feel there has been any
vioiathm of your shipping or senh^ty rights
as contained in the contracts between the
Union and the employers, notify the Seafarers
Appeals Board by certified mail, return re­
ceipt requested. The proper address for this
is:
Angus "Red" CampheU
Chairman, Seafarers App^ Board
S201 Anth Way and Britannia Way
Prince Georges Comity
Camp Springs, Md. 20746

JERSEY CITY, N.J.
tMontf|i9!Bry St

^•4

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.

MOBILE, Ala.
Dauphin Island Bri#;
:
36605
If t (205) 478-0916

CONTRACTS. Copies of all SI U 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 your contract rights, as well as your
obligations, such as filing for OT on the
proper sheets and in the proper manner. If,
at any time, any SIU patrolman or other
Union official, in your opinion, fails to pro­
tect your contract rights properly, contact
the nearest SIU port agent.
EDITORIAL POLICY—THE LOG. The
Log has traditionally refrained from publish-ing any article serving the political purposes
of any individual in the Union, officer or
member. It has also refrained from publish­
ing articles deemed harmful to the Union or
its collective membership. This established
policy has been reaffirmed by membership
action at the September, 1960, meetings in
all constitutional ports. The responsibility
for Log policy is vested in an editorial board
which consists of the Executive Board of
the Union. The Executive Board may del­
egate, from among its ranks, one individual
to carry out this responsibility.
PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are
to be paid to anyone in any official capacity
in the SIU unless an official Union receipt
is given for same. Under no circumstances
should any memberpay any money for any
reason uidess he is given such receipt. In
the event anyone attempts to require any
such payment be made without supplying a
receipt, or if a member is required to make
a payment and is given an official receipt,
but feels that he should not have been
required to make such payment, this should
immediately be reported to Union head­
quarters.
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLI­
GATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution
are available in all Union haUs. All members
should obtain copies of this constitution so
as to familiarize themselves with its con­
tents. Any time you feel any member or
officer is attempting to deprive you of any
constitutional right or obligation by any
methods such as dealing with charges, trials,
etc., as well as all other details, then the

member so affected should immediately n&lt;^
tify headquarters.
EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guar­
anteed equal rights in employment and as
members of the SIU. These rights are clearly
set forth in the SIU constitution and in the
contracts which the Union has negotiated
with the employers. Consequently, no mem­
ber may be discriminated against because of
race, creed, color, sex and national or geo­
graphic origin. If any member feels that he
is denied the equal rights to which he is
entitled, he should notify Union headquar­
ters.

/'•'v.;,:'

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY
DONATION—SPAD. SPAD is a separate
segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to
further its objects 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 im­
proved employment opportunities for sea­
men and boatmen and the advancement of
trade union concepts. In connection with
such objects. SPAD supports and contrib­
utes to political candidates for elective office.
All contributions are voluntary. No contri­
bution may be solicited or received because
of force, job discrimination, financial re­
prisal, 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 above improper conduct, notify
the Seafarers Union or SPAD by certified
mail within 30 days of the contribution for
investigation and appropriate action and re­
fund, if involuntary. Support SPAD to pro­
tect and further your economic, political and
social interests, and American trade union
concepts.

4r::--4 %

•S

I'

it

If at any tune a member feels that any of
die above rights have been violated, or that
he has been denied his constituthmal right of
access to Union records or information, he
should immediately notify SIU President Mike
Sacco at Headquarters by certified mafl,
return receipt requested. The address is 5201
Auth Wayai^Britannia Way, Prince Georges
County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.
i •-

" W BEDFORD, Mass.
50 Union St 02740
(508)997-5404
NEW ORLEANS, La.
630 Jackson Ave. 70130
(504) 5^-7546

ARE YOU MISSING IMPORTANT MAIL?

NEW YORK, N.Y.
675 4 Ave., Brooklyn 11232
(718)499-6600

|l#e want to make sure that
Iflr 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.
Your home address is your
permanent address, and this is
where all ofhcial Union docu­
ments, W-2 Forms, and the LOG
will be mailed.
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 ^dress is misprinted or incom­
plete, please fill in the special
address form on this page
and send it to:

NORFOLK, Va.
115 Third St. 23510
(804)622-1892
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.
2604 S. 4 St. 19148
(215)336-3818
PINEY POINT,
St. Mary's Clounty 28(^4^#'
001)994-0010
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.
350 FremcHil St. 94105
(415)^3-5855
..... SANTUMCE.m •
I0S7 Fernandez Juncos Sti
Stop 16 00907
(^) 725-69^
SEAITLE, Warn.
m$ 1-Ave. 98121:"
(206)441-1960
. \ ST. LOUES, MD. , 4581 Gravois Ave. 63116
, (314) 752-6500' •
WILMINGTON, CaiL'
510 N. Broad: Ave. 90744

•r^K

SIU
Address Correctioii Department
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs,
Maryland 20746-9971

r

r

i

HOME ADDRESS
PLEASE PRINT
Date:.
Social Security No.
Your Full name
(
)
Area Code &amp; Phone No.
Apt. or Box 8

Street

City

" sV,''*

•

V-'

Tip

State

• SIU • Pmisioner SIU • Other
Book Number
SIU Place of Employment.
This will he my permanait addms for all official Union mailings.
Thb address shooid remain in the Union ffie unless otiierwise chained by me
personaBy.

(Signed)

•&gt; •
J.'•

i,

•

•';«.•

./•

�=E==::=r::=5ssi5a.^^

"

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/1:..

-•^.- •,

• •••.-

•

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^

_-_v. _•...• •.!.•• y.^-*'!'-..

? "5

=
^

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,
-7

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^

MoBthfy
M0mbeisMii

JANUARY 1-31, 1989
i; SMiy^ -

•

i?

-..JC.-J»-KI «i^-?».

Dispatchers Report for Deep Sea

.v-i,

-ifV

iole^

'. - •" • _
? u

lubUitl MMf

•^f;,-•''•*• " •' •

WBSmU''
•4

Port

Kriey Poiiit A
Mcmday , Mareh 6

' ?&amp;'•• •, ".'',v?ir '":^:!r--/''^

/;;3*AAA .

ANewlfo^
l\ies&lt;teiyr 1^
Philadid^

'IA-:
• ii' ': •-A^A,'"

7

W^naadayy March 8

'::• yjWxrr-.r^-^- :.^h'
^••-v•: -1•;

'•m
Thtoi^^r
Norfolk
Thursday, February 9
jacksonville
4 Thursday, March 9 ;!
Algonac
Friday , March 10
Houston
Monday, March 13
NewOrleans A;
Tuesday, March 14.
Mobile
Wednesday , March 13
A 'PVAp-A
San Francisco
AHiu^
Its
Vii^lniington
Monday, March 20
Seattle
AAp
Friday, March 24
. . b .....i SanJuaa
Thursday, March 9
M/l-ouis
Friday^ MdinEhlp;
Hohdlulu
B^dayvl^^
A::3&gt;uluthA-AAA;;v^
WediiOs^AM^^
Jersey Gity
Wednesday, March 22
New Bedford
-.Vv ilA
Tuesdayi March 21

liiill!:.'
&amp;'AA;«^AA;AA:t A

:|A:'?®»AAAAA;
l4a.v

.. '•."'] "' '&lt;f '

r- A

• ?f ••.' ' j:,'-^"t'-:\-f'-J':!' '^%t-r\ •' •

{

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®sS-'A,..,... .

fcA-::^

|®ili
?

.

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HA
i;A-Al^AV'A

ii"AA«''^^'A:Av -.A'

u AA'A',A,

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^4

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V

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•A'"A'A' •„ A-AA-A

fail'imttMui starik .«#:•T:'
4 4

KNOWm
m or OMflKs?

|:;-A®.S|prAy:

•'^IpipAA^A;:

The SIU is looking for seamen
with ratings. If you know any
former SIU AB's or QMED's,
tell them to get in touch with the
SIU Secretary's office or MAN­
POWER.

mmrnm:.
JAA AA -'%:-' , ;4

IP •'

• •.^'- .'"y.
•H'VHA .iA&gt;-.AH'4 'A ' •

4:€:'A44
AAAAV;:

-

A-ASIA'H

' ' -44iiArg

-&gt;"fc.;-

238

f ..A '

244

271

Totals AU Departments
702
437
405
564
315
324
230
1,274
565
429
•"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.

wmaosED

Shipping in the month of January was down from the month of December. A total of 1,433 johs were
shipped on SlU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,433 jobs shipped, 564 jobs or about 39 percent were
f,^irk.n by "A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 230 trip
relief jobs were shipped. Since the trip relief program h^an on April 1, 1982, a total of 9,343 jobs have
been shipped.

President's Day will be observed
Monday, February 20. Head­
quarters and the ports will be
closed.

fmmY20

5 -A-,.-" • •' . A

s

�••

FEBItUAKY, 1989

1

imfii le mt

You should file as SG^h as you
can but not later than Monday ^
Apiil 17, im If you file late,
you may have to p^y penalties
and interestl

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If you know you cannot file by
the due date, you should ask for
an extension using FORM
#4868, Application for Auto­
matic Extension of Time to File
US Individual Income Tax Re­
turn. Form #4568 does not ex­
tend the time to pay your income
tax. Read the instructions on
Form #4868 carefully.

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If you are a US citizen or resi­

dent, you may qualify for an au­
tomatic extension of time to file
if, on the due date of your re­
turn, you meet one of the fol­
lowing conditions:
• You live outside the US and
Puerto Rico AND your main
place of business or post of duty
is outside the US and Puerto
Rico.
• Or you are in military or naval
service on duty outside the US
and Puerto Rico. The extension
gives you an extra two months
to file and pay the tax, but inter­
est will be charged from the
original due date of the return on
any unpaid tax. You must attach
a statement to your return show­
ing that you meet the require­
ments.

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Since Forms 1040EZ and 1040A
are easier to complete than Form
1040, you should use one of
them unless using Form 1040 lets
you pay less tax. You may be
able to use the following foms if
you meet the outlined condi­
tions.
I040EZ
• You were sin^e and do not
claim any dependents.
• You were not 65 or older or
blind.
• You had ONLY wages, s^aries, tips, taxable scholarships
and fellowships and not more
than $400 of taxable interest in­
come.
• Your taxable income is less
than $50,000,
• You do not itemize deductions
or claim any adjustments to in­
come or tax credits.
1040A
• You had income ONLY from
wages, salaries, tips, taxable
scholarships and fellowships, un­
employment compensation, in­
terest or dividends.
• Your taxable income is less
than $50,000.
• You do not itemize deduc- ,
tions.

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Your taxable income is $50,000
or more.
• You itemize deductions. •
• You received or paid accrued

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intere$t On seciirities ti^sferred
between interest payment dates.
• You received any nontaxable
dividends or capit^ gain distri­
butions.
• In addition, you are required
to fill in Part III of Schedule B
for foreign accounts and foreign
trusts.
You may want to file these fcHrms:
• Form 1040ES, Estimated Tax
for Individuals, for 1988 (or if
you want to apply any part of
your 1988 overpayment to esti­
mated tax for 1989).
• Form 2210, Underpayment of
Estimated Tax by Individuals.
• Form 2555, Foreign Earned In­
come.

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• Welfare benefits.
Disability retirement payments
(and other benefits) paid by the
Veterans Administration.
• Workers' compensation bene­
fits, insurance damages, etc., for
injury or sickness.

• Child support.
•Gifts, money Or other property
you inherited or that was Willed
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•Dividends on vetgrafrs' life insuraiice.J":7'-. •
•Life iiKiirance proceeds re­
ceived because of a person's
death.
• Amounts you received from in­
surance because you lost the use
of your home due to fire or other
casualty to the extent the
amounts were more than the
cost of your normal expenses
while Uving in your home.

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• Amounts received in place of
wages, from accident and health
plans (including sick pay and
disability pensions) if your em­
ployer paid for the policy.
• Life insurance proceeds from a
policy you cashed in if the pro­
ceeds are more than the premium you paid.

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O make your tax calculations
easier, the Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) has information
and material available by phone.
^ General Information
1-800/424-1040 can be
called for general information.
IRS staff answer questions from
8:30 am to 4:45 pm, Monday
through Friday. Until the April
17 deadline, the information of­
fices will be open until 7:00 pm
on Monday and Tuesday ni^ts
and two Saturdays, February 4
and April 15.
Publications
TOT 1-800/424-3676 operators
will take orders for publications.
On a touch tone
dial:
100
150...
200
250..............
300.............
350.............
400..............
450............
500 ,. ...
550.
600.............
650...... • .. • •
700.........
750
goo

You may want to request: #553
Highlights of 1988 Tax Changes,
#933 Major Tax Law Changes
Enacted in 1987, #552 Record
Keeping for Individuals.
Automated Information
1-800/554-4477 is the IRS's
24 hour automated "teletax"
system. When calling remember
the
sign will repeat the topic
you are listening to and the
sign will stop the message. When
you Jiear the initial recording,
dial 323 from a touch tone to
hear the categories of informa­
tion. Of use this guide to imme­
diately connect to the message
of interest once you have dialed
the number and the recording
has begun.

Subject matter covered:
^
•
IRS Procedures and Services
Filing Requirements, Filing Status, Exemptions
Types of Income
Adjustments to Income
Itemized Deductions
Tax Computation
Tax Credits
General Information
IRS Notices and Letters
Basis for Assets, Depreciation and Sale of Assets
Employer Tax Information
Magnetic Media Information
Tax Information for Aliens and US Citizens
Living Abroad
Spanish Topics
Tax information for Puerto Rico Residents

• Gains from the sale or ex­
change of real estate, securities,
coins, gold, silver, gems or other
property.
•Gains from the sale of your
main home.
• Prizes and awards (contests,
raffles, lottery and gambling win­
nings).

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Many Seafarers complain when
taxes are not withheld on earn­
ings in the year when employed,
but instead are deducted in the
year the payoff took place.
For example, a seaman who
signed on for a five-month trip in
September of 1987, paying off in
January of 1988, would have the
entire five-months earnings ap­
pear on his 1988 W-2 (which
would be filed in 1989), thus not
reflecting the money earned in
1987.
To minimize the impact of 4
having to pay taxes on incomei
earned over a period of time
which falls within two sequential
years, the Seafarer can pay in­
come tax on income received
through allotments and draws.
While onboard the vessel in
1987, the allotments sent home
and draws taken may be re­
ported as 1987 income. Unfortu­
nately, the 1987 W-2 will not re­
flect these earnings. The
Seafarer should list all allot­
ments, draws and slops on the
tax return and explain why there
is no accompanying W-2. Since
no tax has been withheld on
these earnings, the Seafarer
should pay the full tax deter­
mined by his/her tax bracket.
When the emnings do show up
on the 1988 W-2, received in
1989, the Seafarer can explain
how he reported some of these
earnings on the 1987 return filed
in 1988. Thus, he would get the
appropriate tax return.
This process will save the sea­
man some tax money in the long
run, but it means he/she will be
out-of-pocket on some of his/her
earnings for a full year until the
refund is received. This proce­
dure will undoubtedly cause In­
ternal Revenue to examine the
Seafarer's tax returns, since the
income reported would not coin­
cide with the totals on his W-2
forms.
This raises the question, is this
procedure worth the bother? It is
justified only if a seaman had
very little income in one year
arid very considerable earnings
in the next. Otherwise, the tax
saving is minor and probably not
worth the headache.

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SEAFMEItS LOG

12

COBRA: A WAY TO COiimNW HCALTH COWRAOE
n December of 1988, the Seafarers Welfare Plan sent a letter to all plan
participants describing a new program called "COBRA." COBRA allows
an employee to purchase health care benefits when he or she becomes
inel^Urle to receive health and welfare from the Plan.
This benefit program is part of a law called The Consolidated Omnibus
Budget Rehabilitation Act or COBRA. Congress passed COBRA to provide
individuals with the opportunity to purchase their health insurance in the
event of losing eligibility for benefits under health care plan.
The law spells out what events have to happen before a person can buy
the health benefits. Participants who lose plan coverage after January 1,
1989 will be able to purchase benefit coverage for themselves and their
dependents. Under certain circumstances it is also possible for dependents
to purchase health plan coverage for themselves. Below is the complete text
of the letter.

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Dear Participant:
A new law requires the Seafarers Welfare Plan to give you and your
dependents the opportunity to extend your health care coverage in situations
where you have lost your eligibility for benefits. These situations are called
"qualifying events." This letter wUl explain how the new law applies to you
and your family and how to use this program should you become ineligible
for benefits under the Seafarers Welfare Plan.
In order to understand the new law, you need to know a few special
terms. Please make sure that you and your spouse read this letter carefully
so you will be able to take advantage of this program should you need it.

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1. COBRA—The short name for the federal law which gives Plan partici­
pants the right to purchase Welfare Plan coverage.
2. QUALIFYING EVENT—situation which causes the employee to lose
Welfare Plan coverage because they no longer work for an employer who
must make contributions to the Plan on their behalf. A list of qualifying
events will be explained on the following pages.
3. ELECTION—An election is your decision to tell the Plan whether you
would like to purchase Welfare Plan coverage under the COBRA pro­
gram.
4. COST OF CONTINUING COVERAGE—This is the amount of money
you are required to send to the Plan office so your health care coverage
will be continued. This payment is like an insurance premium. It is
necessary because the employer for whom you worked before the quali­
fying event happened, is no longer required to make contributions on
your behalf.

What tme of situation is a quatifying event under COBRA?

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The next part of this letter will explain what type of situations will allow
you to continue your health care coverage under the COBRA program of
the Seafarers Welfare Plan. As explained above, these situations are called
"qualifying events." When one of these events happens to you, it means
that you, your wife or dependent children will lose coverage under the Plan
and can elect to continue coverage by purchasing benefits.
The "qualifying events" are:
1. Your being fired from your job. You may elect to continue your health
benefits if you were fired for any reason unless you were fired for gross
misconduct.
2. You were unable to continue to work enough time to be eligible to
continue your benefits under the Rules and Regulations of the Plan.
3. Your death, which wouldLentitle your spouse and dependent children to
continue coverage.
4. Your divorce, or legal separation from your spouse which would entitle
• your spouse and dependent child to continue coverage.
5. Your eligibility to receive Medicare benefits. For example, you are age 65
but still actively employed, making the Seafarers Welfare Plan the pro- '
vider of your welfare benefit coverage rather than the Medicare program.
6. Your dependent child loses eligibility under the Plan because (1) he or
she reaches age 19 or (2) he or she does not fall into the category of
dependents under the age of 25 and enroUed in a full time school program
leading to a college degree.

How ml! I know if I am eligible to continue welfare plan coverage
under the COBRA program?

When the Plan receives notice from you or your employer that one ot the
"qualifying events" listed above has happened, the Plan office will send you
a letter with complete instructions about How to continue coverage.
In the event of death, divorce, legal separation, receipt of Medicare
benefits or when a dependent child is no longer eligible for Welfare Plan
coverage, you or your spouse should notify the Plan at the address given at
the end of this letter. Your employer will notify the Plan if you are termi­
nated, if your job with the company has ended, or if your hours have been
reduced.
If any of the "qualifying events" happens to you, it is also important that
you notify the Plan of the change. Since seafaring employees are able to end
jobs and get other work without generaUy notifying the Plan, it is very ,
difficult to determine when a participant will lose his or her eligibility. The
Plan is here to serve you, but we need your help.
If you have not worked and you know you are ineiigiUe fw plan benefits,
contact the |dan's COBRA department to see if you can elect to continue your
welfare benefits under this pn^ram.

What type of benefits mil I receive if I elect to continue benefits
under the COBRA?
If you elect to participate in the COBRA program and pay the costs, you•v.

will receive the same type and level of benefits as you did before you lost
your eligibility. You will receive these benefits as long as you are not
already receiving Medicare benefits from the government, or you are not
working for another employer who has a medical benefits program.

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The maximum period of time you, your spouse or dependent children wiu
be able to continue health care benefits under the COBRA progam depends
on your "qualifying event."
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If you lose eligibility because you were fired or laid off from your job or
did not work enough time to establish eligibility, your maximum coverage
period is 18 months from the date of the event. If you lose your elipbility
for any other "qualifying event," the maximum coverage period will be 36
months from the date of the qualifying event.

yilhat happens if I have two qualifying events?

If you experience two "qualifying events," it is possible to extend your
coverage through the COBRA program for up to 36 months instead of 18
months. The time period is measured from the date of the first qualifying
event.
In order to receive an extension of participation in the COBRA program
the following must have happened:
1. Your first "qualifying event" must have been a termination of employ­
ment or a reduction in your days of employment which caused you to
lose your eligibility.
2. Your second "qualifying event" must take place while you are receiving
Plan benefits which you have purchased through the COBRA program.
Your second "qualifying event" must also be (1) the death of your
covered spouse; (2) divorce or legal separation; (3) your eligibility for
Medicare; (4) your dependent child's loss of eligibility under the Seafar­
ers Welfare Plan because he or she has reached the maximum age for
benefit coverage.

Can my COBRA coverage end before the 18th or 36th month
maximum period?

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Yes. Your COBRA coverage can end before the maxunum period if the
foUowing events take place:
(1) Your monthly payment to the Plan for the COBRA coverage is not
timely.
(2) You get another job which has health care benefits for you. Even if
those benefits are less complete than those you are receiving from the
COBRA coverage, you can no longer receive benefits from the COBRA
program.
(3) You become entitled to receive Medicare benefits.

What is the election period and how does it work?

Once ^ain, the "election" is your decision to tell the Plan whether you
wash to purchase COBRA benefit coverage in the event you lose Serfarers
Welfare Plan coverage. Depending on the "qualifying event," the Plan will
send you notice, or you or your family member will send a letter to the
Plan.
Once the "qualifying event" has happened and the Plan sends you an
"election" letter, you and your family will have 60 days to decide whether
to purchase benefits through the COBRA program. The election period will
end 60 days from:
(1) The date you experience your "qualifying event" which caused you to
lose eligibility time for benefit coverage from the Seafarers Welfare Plan
or
(2) the date the Plan tells you that you have a right to participate in the
COBRA program, whichever date is later.

How much will COBRA coverage cast?

The cost of COBRA benefit coverage depends on what level of Plan benefits
you were receiving at the time you or your dependents lost eligibility for
Seafarers Welfare Plan coverage. Because the cost to participants will vary,
you will be notified of the cost to you, or if you are married, for you and
your family.
After notification of a "qualifying event," the Plan will send you a letter
which contains specific information for your situation. This letter will ex­
plain the cost of the COBRA benefit coverage and other important informa­
tion. If you choose to buy benefit coverage through the COBRA program,
the first payment you make will cover the cost of your benefits, for the
period before your election. After that, you will make a payment once a
month.

Can my spouse elect to continue health care benefits?

Yes. Each family member is entitled to make an election. If you make the
election, your spouse and dependent chUdren wiU be automatically included.
If your spouse makes the election it will automatically include dependent
children.

What if my payment for COBRA coverage is late?

If you choose to participate in the COBRA program your first check must
be received by the Plan no later than 45 days after you elect to participate in
the program. You then must pay a premium every month to keep your
COBRA benefits.
You do have a 30-day grace period for making late payments. The grace
period expires 30 days from the first day of the month during which your
coverage is extended. If you do not pay within this grace period you will
lose welfare: benefit coverage.

When will the program Start?

The COBRA program will be in effect on January 1, 1989. If you need more
information you can call Membership Services at 1-800-CLAIMS-4 (1-800252-4674). You may also write to COBRA Program, Seafarers Welfare Plan,
5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Maryland 20746.
Leo Bonser
Plans AdmlnKtrator

Correction

In the January, 1989 issue of the LOG, page 18, the question reading "Can
my COBRA coverage end before the 24th or 36tfi month maximum period?"
should have read "Can my COBRA coverage end before the 18th or 36th
month maximum period?"

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FIBRUMY, 1989

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75

Final Departures
ADOLFO ANAVITARTE

Seattle, Washington and his
stepson, Samuel L. Ewing of
Sacramento.
BENJAMIN LEf liW

Pensioner Adolfo
Anavitarte, 69,
passed away on
December 17,
1988. Brother
Anavitarte had
retired in 1984.
Brother Anavi­
tarte joined the union in 1944 in
the Port of New York and sailed
in the Deck department. He
walked the picket line of the
1%1 strike. Seafarer Anavitarte
was bom in Puerto Rico and
lived in Brooklyn, New York.
Brother Anavitarte is survived
by his widow Ada Anavitarte of
Brooklyn, New York.

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Benjamin L. Freeman carried his
picket duty card with pride.

Pensioner Benjamin L. Freeman,
68, passed away from cirrhosis
of the liver on September 18,
1988 in his home in Brockton,
Massachusetts. Brother Freeman
joined the union in the Port of
New York in 1962 and sailed in
the Engine department. Seafarer
Freeman walked the picket lines
of the Tidewater, Atlantic Oil
and Moore McCormack beefs.
Brother Freeman became a pen­
sioner in late 1987. His last ship
was the LNG Libra in 1986.
Brother Freeman had attended
the Harry Lundeberg School of
seamansMp in 1975 for QMED
and 1978 for LNG upgrading.
Brother Freeman is buried in the
Melrose Cemetery in Brockton,
Massachusetts. Surviving
Brother Freeman are his sister
Bessie Hunt of Brockton, Mas­
sachusetts and his daughter
Catherine Freeman Kahler of
Brockton, Massachusetts and his
other children, Pamela, Michael,
Barbara, Betsy and Doris.

PRESTON H. ANDERSON
MCS Pensioner
Preston H. An­
derson, 65, suc­
cumbed to heart
failure in the
Presbyterian
Hospital of San
Francisco, Cali­
fornia on December 5, 1988.
Bora in Texas, Brother Ander­
son enrolled in the union in 1956
and retired in 1983. Seafarer An­
derson sailed out of the west
coast in the Steward department.
He lived in Alameda, California.
Brother Anderson sailed primar­
ily on APL vessels. Surviving
Seaman Anderson is his brother
Robert H. Anderson.

WILLIAM G. HAMILTON
Pensioner Wil­
liam Garland
Hamilton, 74,
passed away
from cardiac pulmanary arrest on
January 1, 1989
at the Fairview
Park Hospital. Brother Hamil­
ton joined the SIU in 1943 in
the port of Savannah and sailed
in the Steward department.
Bora in North Carolina, he
lived much of his life in Hous­
ton, retiring to Dublin, Georgia.
Brother Hamilton retired in
1976. He is survived by his
wife Essie R. Hamilton.
CHRISTIAN T. HUNT
Active member. Christian (Chris)
T. Hunt, 38, passed away on
December 30, 1988. Upon gradu­
ation from the Seafarers Harry
Lundeberg School of Seaman­
ship in 1979, Brother Hunt be­
came an SIU member and
shipped in the Deck department.
Brother Hunt graduated from
many Lundeberg School
courses, including AB in 1979,
Celestial Navigation in 1984 and
Quartermaster in 1985. Also in
1985, Brother Hunt was awarded
a certificate for Basic Radar and
Simulator. Bora in Annapolis,
Maryland Seafarer Hunt made
his home on the West Coast,
shipping out of Long Beach.
Brother Hunt also had inland
"B" seniority. Surviving Brother
Hunt is his father James R. Hunt
of Villa Park, Illinois.

JOSEPH E. BURTON
MCS Pensioner Joseph E. Bur­
ton, 80, died on November 26,
1988 from cardiac arrest. Brother
Burton, bora in Texas, shipped
for 42 years. He sailed out of the
Port of San Francisco in the
Steward department. Brother
Burton lived in the country of
Contra Costa, California.jJurviving Brother Burton are his
widow Cheryl Burton of Rich­
mond, California; two daughters,
Mrs. Ola Dean Miller of Seattle
Washington and Valare Byers of
Oakland, California; a brother,
D. L. Burton of Dallas, Texas
and a grandson, Anthony.
ABEL DIAZ
Pensioner Abel Diaz, 78, passed
away from heart disease on
November 4, 1988. Brother Diaz,
an MCS pensioner retired in 1972,
lived in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Seafarer Diaz had sailed in the
Steward department out of the Port
of San Francisco. Brother Diaz is
survived by his daughter Jane
Boilon on Honolulu, Hawaii.
SAMUEL LUTHER EWBMG
MCS Pensioner Samuel L. Ewing, 75, succumbed to cancer on
November 22, 1988. Brother
Ewing, bora in Nashville, Ten­
nessee, joined the union in 1955
in the Port of Seattle and sailed
in the Steward department.
Brother Ewing had retired in
1974. Surviving Brother Ewing
are his wife Vivian B. Ewing of

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AMADO LATO

SAMUEL A. SMITH

MCS Pensioner, Amado Lato,
71, passed away on December 7,
1988 in St. Lukes Hospital in
San Francisco, California.
Brother Lato had been sufiTering
chronic congestive heart failure.
Seaman Lato joined the Pacific
District in 1955 in San Fran­
cisco. He retired in 1984.
Brother Lato is buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park in San
Francisco. He is survived by his
widow Dorotea Quiambao Lato
of San Francisco and daughter
Remedies Lato.

Pensioner Samuel A. Smith, 64,
passed away in the Seton Medi­
cal Center of San Mateo, Cali­
fornia on November 10, 1988.
Brother Smith died of congestive
heart failure. Brother Smith re­
tired on pension in August of
1988. Brother Smith sailed in the
Steward department for over 43
years, starting his union career
with MCS. Seafarer Smith's last
ship was APL's President Eisen­
hower. Brother Smith is survived
by his widow Dezorah E. Smith
of San Francisco, California.

THOMAS BANER McGURK

DANNY TACUB

Pensioner Thomas Banner McGurk, 46, passed away on Sep­
tember 11, 1988 of liver/kidney
failure while on a rotation of
APL's President Toft. Brother
McGurk joined the union in 1970
in San Francisco. Before the
merger, McGurk graduated from
MCS's training school in 1966.
Brother McGurk was bora in the
Philippines and made Daly City,
California his home. Surviving
Brother McGurk is his wife Judy
M. McGurk.

Pensioner Danny
Tacub, 76,
passed away on
January 10,
1989. Brother
Tacub had re­
tired from ship­
ping in 1975.
Seaman Tacub joined the union
in 1944 in the port of New York
and sailed in the Steward depart­
ment. Bora in the Philippines,
Brother Tacub made New York
City his home for most of his
life. Tacub participated in the
Isthmian beef. His last ship was
the Sea-land Fairland. Surviving
Brother Tacub are his widow
Kathleen Tacub of New York
City and children Theresa and
Barbara.

THEODORE MARIS
Pensioner Theo­
dore Maris, 67,
passed away on
September 18,
1988. Brother
Maris joined the
union in the Port
of New York in
1964 and sailed in the Steward
department. Brother Maris lived
in New York. Seafarer Maris be­
came a pensioner in 1986. Sur­
viving Brother Maris is his sister
Mary Brady of New York, New
York.
LEE A. MURRAY
Brother Lee A. Murray, 64,
passed away in late 1988.
Brother Murray joined the union
in 1959 and sailed in the Steward
department. Bora in Haslam,
Texas Brother Murray later lived
in Vallejo, California. Brother
Murray is survived by his wife
Doris Murray.
AUGUSTIN SANCHEZ PAGAN
Augustin (Alvin)
Sanchez Pagan,
61, passed away
on December 29,
1988. Brother
Pagan's union
book was issued
in 1972 out of
the port of New York. Seaman
Pagan was bora in Puerto Rico
and made his home in New York
City and Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
An active member. Brother Pa­
gan sailed in the Steward depart­
ment and upgraded in 1985 to
Assistant Cook through the
Harry Lundeberg School of Sea­
manship. Surviving Brother Pa­
gan are his widow Amanda; his
sister Carmen Nieves; his chil­
dren Javier, Edgar, Merlin, Mar­
ina and Alex.

JAMES H. WALLIS
Brother James H. Wallis, 61,
passed away on June 25, 1988.
Brother Wallis joined the union
in 1958 in the Port of Seattle and
sailed in the Deck department.
His last vessel was the Sea-land
Freedom in 1987.
GRAYDON WILSON
MCS Pensioner Graydon Wilson,
80, passed away on December
10, 1988. Brother Wilson had a
cardiac arrest in the West Ad­
ams Convalescent Hospital iii
Los Angeles, California. Bora in
Texas, Seafarer Wilson began
his shipping career on the west
coast, sailing in the Steward de­
partment. His last ship was
APL's President Cleveland in
1971. He retired that year.
Brother Wilson is survived by
his widow Phyllis W. Wilson of
San Francisco.

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SAMUEL P. BONNETTE
Pensioner Samuel P. Bonnette,
59, passed away on January 5,
1989. Brother Bonnette retired in
1985 after shipping in the Deck
department with Interstate
Transport, Marine Towing &amp;
Transport and Sheridan Trans­
port. Seafarer Bonnette joined
the union in 1973 in the Port of
Philadelphia. Brother Bonnette
lived in Brooklyn, New York
and retired to Boynton Beach,
Florida. Surviving Brother Bon­
nette are his widow Joanne Belfiore Bonnette of Boynton
Beach, Florida and daughter
Christine Bonnette.

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QiUtUSJOM (Apex Marine), January
1—Chairman A. Maben, Secretary
Frank Costango, Educational Direc­
tor E. Macom, Deck Delegate E.
Santana, Engine Delegate B. Bukis,
Steward Delegate W. Lau. No beefs
or disputed OT reported. In accord­
ance with an international treaty
banning the dumping of plastics at
sea. Apex has requested that con­
tainers be placed about the quarters
and messrooms for all plastic items.
These containers will then be dis­
carded ashore and not over the side.
A question about transportation for
relief persons will be taken up with
the boarding patrolman at payoff.
Next port and port of payoff: Stapleton, N.Y.
CmUKBY (Cove Shipping), De­
cember 7—Chairman R. G. Maixero,
Secretary Floyd Mitchell Jr., Educa­
tional Director William Beatty, En­
gine Delegate Danielle Gettys, Stew­
ard Delegate Amanda Suncin. No
disputed OT, although some beefs
were reported in the steward depart­
ment which will be taken to the pa­
trolman upon arrival in San Fran­
cisco. A response to a member's
letter was received pertaining to ri­
ders working aboard ship. It stated
that these men are on the ship in a
maintenance capacity, and some­
times with short crews it becomes
necessary for them to work in var­
ious areas to help keep the ship run­
ning. Next port: New York.
MlOMrffOaeS (Seahawk Manage­
ment), December 11—Chairman D.
Manson, Secretary Norman Evans,
Educational Director L. P. Wright,
Deck Delegate K. H. Combs, En­
gine Delegate F. Adams, Steward
Delegate D. Bond. No beefs or dis­
puted 6T reported. The captain
thanked the crew for doing a good
job. He mentioned that pay vouch­
ers will be issued approximately 24
hours prior to payoflf. Anybody in
need of transportation money should
check with the captain. Before ar­
rival in port, members were asked to
turn in ^movies and strip their
beds. A vote of thanks was given to
the steward department. The crew
of the Falcon Duchess wishes our
new president, Mike Sacco, much
success in the future.

mvssm Mr (Sea-Land Service),
December 18—Chairman Robert Dil­
lon, Secretary Terry Smith, Educa­
tional Director A. Rhymes, Deck
Delegate K. Thompson, Engine Del­
egate Daniel J. Campbell, Steward
Delegate Fredrick E. Otto. Some
disputed OT was reported in the en­
gine department as well as some
problems with engineers having the
DEU perform the work of the
QMED. It was requested that the
steward try to get fitted sheets for
the mattresses. The present sheets

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IM iUNES (Energy Transportation
Corp.), December 12—Chairman
Willie Mitchell, Secretary Dana Par­
adise, Educational Director G. Lindsey, Deck Delegate John Wells, En­
gine Delegate Dastil Panko, Steward
Delegate Robert Brown. No beefs or
disputed OT. There is $580 in the
ship's fund. The football pools are a
big success. The Super Bowl pool
should be a good one for the fund.
A letter was received from head­
quarters regarding complaints about
J.A.L. The complaints were re­
ported to George Reiley who will
meet with J.A.L. representatives in
New York to resolve the issues.
"All is well aboard the Aries. We
have a good bunch of guys top to
bottom, and all are enjoying this
tour." A vote of thanks was given
to the steward department for a job
well done.

^

are too small. Also, it appears the
heat has been left on too long be­
cause the ship is "too hot." Being
shorthanded in aU departments,
many aboard the Galveston Bay be­
lieve it is unsafe. A request was
made to have the ship's chairman
accompany customs officials during
room searches if the member cannot
be in his room at the time. Next
port: Charleston, S.C.

GROTOM (Apex Marine), December
19—Chairman Neil Matthey, Secre­
tary Marvin Deloatch, Educational
Director J. Schuler Deck Delegate
Rainey Raymond, Engine Delegate
Ricardo Vasquez, Steward Delegate
Christopher Mosley. No beefs or
disputed OT. The chairman reported
that the ship is due to arrive and pay
off Dec. 23 in Stapleton, N.Y. He
also reported that AB Juan A. Lo­
pez had to leave the vessel in St.
Croix Dec. 12. There was no time to
get a replacement, so the ship sailed
shorthanded. It was noted that the
ship may undergo some repairs
while at Stapleton, N.Y. anchorage
this trip. A vote of thanks was ex­
tended to the deck department fi-dm
the steward for their good coopera­
tion. In return, the steward and
chief cook were praised for the good
food served, especially the great
Thanksgiving Day dinner. Next port:
Stapleton, N.Y.

gine Delegate Ralph Gosnell, Stew­
ard Delegate Louis Garcia. No beefs
or disputed OT. There is $1065.20 in
the ship's fund and $135 in the SlU
fund. The bosun welcomed all train­
ees from SHLSS who are making
their first trip. He discussed the im­
portance of safety onboard ship.
Safety shoes are a requirement of
the company and must be worn at
all times; hard hats and appropriate
clothing must be worn when needed.
He explained to them that if a mem­
ber is going to get someone else to
stand their watch when in port, they
should make sure that the mate on
watch knows what is going on.
There has been a problem with OS's
standing cargo watch and not getting
overtime. A letter was sent to the
union requesting clarification about
this. The secretary reminded the
crew to clean up after themselves,
especially in the lounge and mess
hall. A vote was taken and unani­
mously passed for the use of an
American airline to fly members
back and forth to Japan. "We all
belong to the U.S. merchant marine
and work for a U.S. company, so
we think an American airline should
be used." Two softball games were
held while the ship was in Arun.
The Libra's 2^bras won one game
and the Arun Ex Pats won another.
"A good time was had by all." The
steward department was thanked for
the fine holiday meals and for having
all the quarters clean when the crew
arrived. Next port : Himeji, Japan.

garbage will be limited to special
dumping areas. The cooperation of
everyone, especially the steward de­
partment, is appreciated. A motion
was made to lower the pension re­
quirements to 5,(K)0 days seatime at
the age of 50 instead of 7,300 at 55.
It was also suggested that the benefit
days be reinstated to 80 rather than
100 and that dental coverage be cov­
ered 100 percent. Next port: Hous­
ton, Texas.
m OVMCNEM (OMl Corp.), January
8—Chairman Lany Kunc, DeckDelegate Terry L. Thomas, Engine
Delegate Ollie E. Webber, Steward
Delegate Gordon D. Wheeler. The
only beefs reported were in the
steward department and pertains to
repairs. The galley and pantry drains
are stopped up, necessitating having
to bail water from the drains and
from the galley deck all day. There
is $238 in the ship's fund. The chair­
man noted that one QMED was paid
off in Long Beach and that there
was no time to get a replacement.
The secretary stressed the impor­
tance of upgrading one's skills at
SHLSS. "Let's look ahead for
1989." A discussion was held about
the new garbage system. No plastic
bags are to be used, and all trash is.
to go into bags and aU wet food into
the garbage disposal. A vote of
thainks to the steward department
for"a fine Christmas Dinner and for
the decorations." Next pqrt: Hous­
ton, Texas.

PK mm JL OBRmB (Waterman

Digest of
Ships Meetings
The following ships minutes are just a sampling
of the many meeting reports the SlU receives
each month from its ships around the world.

fits OUmi (Ocean Ships, Inc.), Jan­
uary 2—Chainnan William Lough,
Secretary James Price, Educational
Director Ross Hardy. No beefs or
disputed OT. The Gus Darnell will
pay olBT in Bahrain upon arrival.
Members were advised not to let
their jobs hang on the board just
because a ship is not going where
they want it to go. "A job is a job,
and a paycheck is a paycheck." The
importance of contributing to SPAD
was also stressed. It was a very
good and safe trip to Antarctica and
back to Bahrain, "a varied and in­
teresting voyage." In the Persian
Gulf "we saw the Bahrain and
United States Navy go into action.
We don't get a war bonus, but we
do get hazardous duty pay. We went
all over Southeast Australia. Several
of us rented cars and even an air­
plane. Antarctica was a place we'll
never forget. Going through the
pack ice was awesome. We got
around somewhat, but nobody made
it to the South Pole, unfortunately.
The trip home was in heavy seas.
We lost our foremast in the 'Furious
Fifties.' The captain made a video of
the trip, and all hands will get a
copy of a memorable voyage." The
bosun and steward department were
given a vote of thanks for jobs weU
done.
IMG IWM (Energy Transportation
Corp.), January 8—Chairman B. B.
Darley, Secret^ S. Wagner, Edu­
cational Director W. Kimbrough,
Deck Delegate George Bruer, En-

UWG UirfS (Transoceanic Cable
Ships), January 13—Chairman J. Ol­
son, Secretary K. Rosiek, Educa­
tional Director Smitko. Some dis­
puted OT was reported in the deck
department pertaining to the long­
shoremen's rate for discharging ca­
ble. The ship is scheduled to arrive
in Honolulu Jan. 14, and a reduction
in crew is expected Jan. 15. There is
$212 ill the ship's fund, this after the
purchase of four cases of soda for a
crew cook-out. The bosun thanked
the crew for helping to separate all
plastics from garbage—in coinpliance with new federal regulations.
All crewmembers were asked to try
and keep their voices down while
watching movies so that others can
hear. A vote of thanks was given to
the steward department for the out­
standing holiday meals, as well as
the delicious everyday fare. Next
port: Honolulu, Hawaii.
OHf (mm (OMI Corp.), December
11—Chairman F. R. Schwarz, Sec­
retary Joseph Bennett Jr., Deck Del­
egate Robert Eugene Allen. No
beefs or disputed OT. The vessel is
enroute to Houston, Texas. The ship
currently has a one-year charter run­
ning coastwise. A vote of thanks
was extended to the deck depart­
ment for butterworthing dimng un­
pleasant weather. The chairman and
all the crewmembers join together in
wishing a happy new year to all
their MU brothers and sisters. As of
Jan. 1/1989, all plastic materials are
to be eliminated, and dumping of

Steamship Coip.), November 14—
Chairman Nick Kratsas, Secretary
Paul L. Hunt, Educational Director
Charles A. Henly, Engine Delegate
M. Hill, Steward Delegate Albert
Henricks. No beefs or disputed OT
reported. Bosun Nick Kratsas noted
that it was a long trip, but it "was a
pleasure to sail with everyone." The
crew of the Obregon gives a big
welcome "to our new president,
Mike Sacco," and wishes him great
success throughout the coming years
with a hope for better things to
come. Members would like to find
out about the 6V2 percent raise, if
there is anything new to relate. A
vote of tha^s was giyen to the
steward department for a job well
done; also to the entire crew for
keeping everything under control.
Next port: Pwama City, Fla.
SFIR/r OF lEMS (Seahawk Manage­
ment), December 4—Chairman S.
W. Parr, Secretary C. Johnson.
Some disputed OT was reported in
the deck department and will be
taken up with the boarding patrol­
man. The captain informed the
chainnan and crew that following
the Coast Guard's fireboat drill in
Jacksonville, the Spirit of Texas vnh
be laid up for approximately 30
days. All meml^rs who want to re­
ck^ their jobs should register in
Jacksonville. Hie crew would like to
thank the U.S.M.C Emluissy Guard
detachment in Conakry, Guinea, for
their hospitality while the vessel was
docked there in November.
In addition to the minutes pub­
lished above, the SIU received offi­
cial ships minutes from the following
ships:

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FEBRUARY, 1989

15

1989 UPGRADING
COURSE SCHEDULE

Engine Upgnding Courses
Course

Pngnms Geand to Improve Job Skills And Promote U.5.
lAaritime Industiy
February—April 1989
The following is the current course schedule for February—April 1989 at
the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's and industry's
needs.
PLEASE NOTE: All members are required to take firejighting when attending
SHLSS.

Check-In
Date

Able Seaman
First Class Pilot (Organized self study)

Completion
Date

March 20
April 28
Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

Lifeboat

February 6
February 17
March 6
March 17
LNG—Self Study Safety Course
April 3
April 14
This course is not offered as a separate course, but may be taken while
attending any of the regularly scheduled courses.)
Upon completion of course must take four (4) week Sealift Operations
&amp; Maint. Course.

Steward Upgrading Courses
All Steward Upgrading Courses are open-ended. Contact the Admis­
sions Office for starting dates.
All students in the Engine and Steward Departments will have 2 weeks of
Sealift Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

SEAFARERS HARRY LUNDEBERG
SCHOOL OF SEAmNSHlP
Upgrading Application
(First)

(Last)

Address.

Mo./Day/Year

(Street)
(State)

(City)

Telephone.

(Zip Code)

July 7
May 12
May 12
June 6
March 31
April 28
May 12
March 17
have 2 weeks of

, (Area Code)

Deep Sea Member •
Lakes Member •
Inland Waters Member •
Pacific •
If the following information is not filled out completely your applica­
tion will not be processed.

Completion
Date

DepartmenL

Seniority

February 13
March 13

ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course

This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed
to help seafarers prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which
is scheduled immediately after this course. This class will benefit those
seafarers who have difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not
English, and seafarers who have been out of school for a long time.

Coilege Programs
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Associates in Arts or Certificate Program

March 20

May 12

Recertification Programs
Course

Check-In
Date

Completion
Date

Bosuns Recertification

March 27

May 8

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: • Yes
Firefighting: • Yes

NoQ

CPR: • Yes

• .

No •

No •

Date Available for training

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With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted
showing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the course(s) requested.
You must also submit a COPY of the first page of your union book
indicating your department and seniority, as well as, a COPY of your
clinic card. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is
received.
VESSEL

RATING
HELD

DATE
SHIPPED

DATE OF
DISCHARGE

, .0SIGNATURE.

DATE.

^^

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held.

I Am interested In the Following
Course(s) Checked Below or
Indicated Here if Not Listed

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program:
DECK

• Yes

• No

(If yes, fill in below)
Trainee Program: FromLast grade of school completed.

— to

—
(dates attended)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses:
• Yes
• No
(if yes, fill in below)
Course(s) Taken.

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March 3
March 31

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces • Yes • No
Home Port

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The Adult Education Courses for 1989 will be six weeks in length.
High School Equivalency (GED)
April 3
May 25
Adult Basic Education (ABAE)
April 3
May 25
English as a Second Language (ESL)
April 3
May 25
The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior
to some of the upgrading classes.
Developmental Studies (DVS)
April 10
April 14

Book #.

Social Security #.

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Check-In
Date

Primary Language Spoken_
Date of Birth.

(Middle)

April 17
April 3

April 3
May 8
March 6
April 4
March 20
February 6
All students in the Engine and Steward Departments will
Sealift FamUiarization at the end of their regular course.

Course

99
Radar Refresher/Renewal
99
Radar Recertification
Celestial Navigation
February 29
April 1
Minimum number of students required for Celestial Navigation class tO be
held is 5.

Name.

Completion
Date

Aduit Education Courses

Deck Upgrading Courses
Course

QMED—Any Rating
Refrigeration Systems, Maint. &amp;
Operations
Variable Speed DC Drives
Welding
Diesel Engine Technology
Hydraulics
Marine Electronics Technician
FOWT

Check-In
Date

• AB/Sealift
• 1st Class Pilot
• Third Mate
• Radar Observer Unlimited
• Master Inspected Towing
Vessel
^ Towboat Operator Inland
• Celestial Navigation
• Simulator Course

ENGINE
• FOWT
• QMED—Any Rating
• Variable Speed pC Drive
Systems (Marine Electronics)
• Marine Electrical
Maintenance
• Pumproom Maintenance &amp;
Operation

• Refrigeration Systems
Maintenance &amp; Operation
• Diesel Engine Technology
• Assistant Engineer/Chief
Engineer Motor Vessel
• Original 3rd/2nd Assistant
Engineer Steam or Motor
• Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
• Electro-Hydraulic Systems
• Automation
• Hydraulics
STEWARD
•
•
•
•
•

Assistant Cook Utility
Cook and Baker
Chief Cook
Chief Steward
Towboat Inland Cook

SP,

ALI bEPARTMENTS
• Welding
• Lifeboatman (Must be taken
with another course)

ADULT EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT
• Adult Basic Education (ABE)
• High School Equivalency
Program (GED)
O Developmental Studies (DVS)
• English as a Second
Language (ESL)
• ABE/ESL Lifeboat
Preparaiion
-rii, •

COLLEGE PROGRAM
• Associates in Arts Degree
• Certificate Programs
No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.
RETURN COMPLETED
APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
Upgrading Center.
Piney Point. MD. 20674

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US-FLAG AND UNION CREWS MAKE AHC
ATTRACnVE TO AFL-CIO MEMBERS
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t's "Union Made" and it's
perfect" in every way. That's
the way the AFL-CIO is promot­
ing a special holiday package for
union members and their families
aboard the SS Constitution and
the SS Independence (American
Hawaii Cruise Lines).
The two luxury cruise ships
are SlU-crewed and are being
billed as a good way for Ameri­
can workers to enjoy a first-class
holiday at "union privilege re­
ductions" aboard tf.S.-flag
ships, with U.S. safety standards
and all-union crews.
The promotion by the AFLCIO is a part of its Union Privi­
lege Benefit Program (UPBP),
and is aimed at the 13 million

active union members in the
United States as well as the 27
million related family members
and retired unionists. The SIU
worked to arrange inclusion of
U.S.-flag, union crew cruise ves­
sels in the UPBP's travel pack­
age.
. In highlighting the luxury holi­
days aboard the two SlU-contracted cruise vessels, the pro­
motion program emphasized the
professionalism and quality of
service that are standard aboard
the ships.

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Thb advertisement is cu^ntly appear­
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the country.

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STAMP HONOK A. PHIUP RANDOLPH

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he great trade union and civil
rights leader, A. Philip Ran­
dolph, has been chosen as the
twelfth honoree of the United
States Postal Service's Black
Heritage Series.
The official First Day of Issue
Ceremony will be held in New
York on February 3 in celebra­
tion of Black History Month.
The 25-cent stamp will then go
on sale at all U.S. post offices
the next day.
As a young man, A. Philip
Randolph organized the Brother­
hood of Sleeping Car Porters and
later became the organization's
President. Although Randolph
was a Vice-President of the
AFL-CIO, his leadership ex­
tended beyond the trade union
community to the civil rights
movement.
As a black American, Ran­
dolph dedicated his life to ad­
vancing the condition of his peo­
ple. "I consider the fight for the
Negro masses the greatest serv­
ice I can render to my people
and the fight alone is my com­
plete compensation," said Ran­
dolph.
Randolph believed the struggle
for dignity extended beyond
abolishing racial barriers. As or­
ganizer of the March on Wash­
ington in 1963, Randolph recog­
nized the first step was
eliminating laws which segre­
gated blacks from whites on the
basis of the color of their skin.
But the struggle could not end
there. Randolph was convinced
that it was not enough to do
away with the law preventing a
black man from sitting at a res­
taurant table. Randolph as­
serted our society should allow
the same man the opportunity to
earn enough to eat at that table.

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APPLY NOW

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SCHOLARSHIP
DEADLINEAPRIL 14,1989
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Having enough td buy the meal
brought white and black working
people together. Social injustice
was not a racial fi^t, it was a
common cause which united all
peoples.
Whether fighting to end racial
discrimination or eradicating
poverty, Randolph conducted his
struggle with dignified militancy.
Although Randolph died in 1979
at the age of 90, his legacy lives
on in the work of the A. Philip
Randolph Institute, an organiza­
tion of black trade unionists
working around the country to
increase participation of the
black community in the political

process and in the labor move­
ment.
"Salvation for a race, nation,
or class must come from within.
Freedom is never granted; it is
won. Justice is never given; it is
exacted. Freedom and justice
must be struggled for by the op­
pressed of all lands and races,
and the struggle must be contin­
uous, for freedom is never a fi­
nal fact, but a continuing evolv­
ing process to higher and higher
levels of human, social, eco­
nomic, political and religious re­
lationships."
—^A. Philip Randolph

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he submission deadline for the
1989 Charles Logan Scholar­
ships is April 14, 1989. These
annual awards consist of seven
scholarships.
Four, worth $10,000 over a
four-year period at colleges cho­
sen by the winners, are awarded
to dependents of SIU members.
Three scholarships are re­
served for SIU members them­
selves, one four-year college
scholarship of $10,000 and two
two-year scholarships of $5000.
For further information con­
tact your SIU hall or Seafarers
Welfare Plan; Charles Logan
Scholarship; 5201 Auth Way;
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746.

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
TAX TIPS FOR SEAMEN&#13;
SIU SPEEDS UP LEGAL PROCESS IN DRUG TESTIONG SUIT VERSUS DOT&#13;
UNION GIRDS FOR BATTLE OVER ALASKA OIL EXPORT&#13;
SIU MEDICAL PLAN BIG SUCCESS&#13;
SAN FRANCISCO HEALTH UNIT SERVICES 1,200 IN 1988&#13;
FINK SHIP UPDATE&#13;
NEW DOT SECRETARY PROMISES STRONG US-FLAG MERCHANT MARINE&#13;
COMPANIES, UNION READY PLAN FOR DRUG TESTING&#13;
RIVER BOAT SAFETY IS TOP PRIORITY&#13;
SIU SCHOOL ESTABLISHES NEW MARINE ELECTRONICS COURSE FOR TECHNICIANS&#13;
AMERICAN EAGLE IN MOBILE&#13;
DEEP SEA JOBS FOR SIU MEMBERS ON THE INCREASE&#13;
NLRB SETS MCALLISTER TRIAL DATE&#13;
NEW COAST GUARD RULES IN EFFECT ON LAKES, RIVERS&#13;
US-FLAG AND UNION CREWS MAKE AHC ATTRACTIVE TO AFL-CIO MEMBERS&#13;
STAMP HONORS A. PHILIP RANDOLPH&#13;
UNION SETS SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE- APRIL 14, 1989&#13;
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Congressman Richard Gephardt

Lane Kirkland
AFL-CIO President

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COURT TO HEAR
SlU DRUG SUIT M
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SEEN FOR LAKES
SlU MEDICAL UNIT
SAVES BIG BUCKS
WAR MEMORIAL
TO HONOR SEAMEN

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Senator John Breaux

Major General John Piatak

j|||Tf| Executive Board memtwi f 1/ bars heard representa­
tives of labor, government and
the military speak on the impor­
tance of a strong and healthy
American merchant marine.

Working over a two-day session,
board members developed a se­
ries of proposals to present to
Congress and the administration.
(See story on page 3.)

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ON THE CARIBBEAN RUN

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SlU-affiliated fisiiennen on the West Coast are catdung giant tuna. The fish
are dght to 20 times iaigor than nmmal, we«|iii^ 800 pounds or more.
Pictured ahove with one d^the hi^ fish is the crew oi the Af/V Afargarvt F.
They are Skq^m* Antonio b^rande, Salvatore D'Orio, Saivatore Sanflqppo,
Saivatore Terram^ra, Tommy Manzdia, GiuseHie Orlando and Antonio
Ce&amp;hi. (See story on page 6.)

Sea-Land ChaUenger arrives in Port Elizabeth. (See story on page 10.)
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President's Repert
t was most encouraging to observe the strong expressions of support
/ for revitalization of the American maritime industry that emerged
from the executive board meeting of the AFL-CIO's Maritime Trades
Department a few weeks ago. The well-attended sessions were informa­
tive and productive, with a range of issues being addressed that are of
concern to American workers generally, as well as those of prime
importance to the shipping industry.
Two experienced and exceptionally knowledgeable national figures.
Senator John Breaux (D-La.) and Congressman Richard Gephardt CDMo.), spoke on the issues affecting American well-being and stressed
the importance of an adequate U.S. shipping capability to the national
security. And a new member of the House Merchant Marine Commit­
tee, Congressman Frank Pallone, was impressive in relating how he
intended to help inform and educate his constituents to the need for an
effective maritime policy.
Among the many reports and position papers acted on, considerable
interest was shown in a presentation on the legal fight being waged by the
SIU against the government's plan to institute a costly drug testing
program for American seamen. It was made clear that the SIU's principal
interest in attacking the plan in court stemmed from its concern over
invasion of privacy rights of all seafarers. Additionally, the program
discriminates against U.S.-flag ships because foreign seamen sailing ves­
sels into American ports are not subject to the provisions in any way.
Besides seafaring and shipbuilding workers, the MTD board members
present represented a broad spectrum of American union members: steel,
automotive, airlines, railroad, government as well as the manufacturing
and service fields.
Since it was first established under charter from the American Federa­
tion of Labor in 1946 by Harry Lundeberg, Paul Hall and representatives
of the International Longshoremen's Association, the Federation of Grain
Millers, the Radio Officers Union, and the Masters, Mates and Pilots
Association, the Department has built a fine record of support for the
maritime and the other workers whose unions are affiliated with it.
All signs indicate that the MTD will intensify its commitment to the
interests of its member organizations and the trade union movement
generally.
Tightening-up Process B^n
These are times to tighten up and increase the efficiency of the union
machinery in every way possible. With foreign shipping competition
getting tougher and no sign as yet that our government is conscious of
the plight of the American-flag industry, we've got to sharpen our
ability to wage intelligent efforts to bring about a change.
We've already embarked on a program to do just that, and initial
reports indicate that we're on the right road.
We also have instituted a number of changes in the union's structure
in order to assure that all of our operations and functions are carried
out with maximum efficiency. This has resulted in streamlining of
procedures and in communications throughout the organization. All
these moves are calculated to make this union as responsive as possi­
ble to the needs of the membership.
Other changes and improvements will be made as they are deemed
necessary. There are no better union memberships than the SIU's, and
its representatives are determined that the security of Seafarers and
their families are well served.
The Seafarers LOG
Response to the changes in the appearance of the Seafarers LOG
since it appeared in its revised format has been very favorable. The
changes were made to make the stories and other material easier to
read, more attractive and better organized. As with every other facet of
the union's operations, improvement of the LOG will be a continuing
objective.
Support for Eastern Machinists
The SIU has joined the AFL-CIO in support of International Associ­
ation of Machinists now on strike against Eastern Air Lines. The strike
is being honored by the pilots and flight attendants. Both the I AM and
ALPA, the pilots' union, are fellow members of the MTD. The machin­
ists say this strike is not about wages—at issue is whether management
has the right to dismantle a healthy union company to transfer assets to
a non-union operation. SIU members and representatives are and will
be part of the united union effort to save the jobs of Eastern employees.

SIU SdMusUp

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14: fHe lhw

The deadline for scbolandiips for seafhrers and their children is
April 14. There are seven sdioiarsiiips available. Fm* fkirther informatifMi cwntact the onion hall or write to the Seafarers Welfare Plan,
Schoiarship Program, 5201 Auth Way, Cartip Springs, MD 20246.

The Buffalo (American Steamship), a mid-sized self-unloader, is crewed by SIU
Great Lakes seamen. Vessels like the Buffalo, with their ability to navigate all
kinds of waterways, are the backbone of the Great Lakes fleet.

GOOD YEAR SEEN FOR lAKES JOBS
^ LGONAC . . . Every availiMable piece of SlU-contracted
equipment that could float was
used last year on the Great
Lakes, as Lakes seamen found
their best job opportunities in
five years.
Iron ore, coal and stone ship­
ments all showed increases over
1987. The nine SlU-contracted
companies all worked at near
100 percent capacity from July
until mid-December.
Ore shipments totaled almost
68 million tons, up 10 percent
from 1987. Coal shipments were
up 7.3 percent to 40.5 million
tons and stone totaled 27.8 mil­
lion tons, a jump of 6.6 percent^
"We expect the same or better
this year," said Algonac Port
Agent Byron Kelley.
He said that any SIU Lakes
member who wanted a job last
year found one.
The Great Lakes season came
to an official close Jan. 17 when
the Sault St. Marie, Mich, locks
were closed. Shipping on the
Lakes usually remains shut
down until early April, when
ships begin to fitout for another
season. But Kelley said some
shipping could resume as soon
as early March, as utilities begin
to stockpile coal.
New Contracts
The 1989 season will be busy
in more ways than one. While
SIU members should be enjoying
Volume 51, Number 3

another year of increased job se­
curity, SIU officials will be
working hard on dozens of new
contracts.
The Bob-Lo passenger boats
contract is currently in negotia­
tions and all the Great Lakes in­
land contracts must be ham­
mered out.
In addition, the SIU's Lakeswide contract with the Great
Lakes Association of Maritime
Operators is subject to negotia­
tion this year. That pact covers
all the jobs on the large Great
Lakes ships.
Earliest Fitout
in 20 Years
The SIU Great Lakes fleet will
begin its earliest fitout in two
decades this month. A few
Lakes ships began their fitouts
March 1. The rest are expected
to be sailing by the end of the
month.
There are predictions that the
1989 sailing season will top last
year's, which was the best sea­
son on the Lakes in five years.
Last year any SIU Lakes mem- '
ber who wanted a job, found
work.
The demand for durable goods
has been on the upswing for the
past two years. That demand has
required increased steel produc­
tion. The Lakes vessels are the
main form of transportation in
delivering the coal, iron ore and
stone used in the steel making
process.
March 1989

he LOG (ISSN 0166-2047) is published monthly by the Seafarers International
Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District; AFL-CIO; 5201
fAuth'Union;
Way; Camp Springs, Maryland 20746. Telephone (301) 899-0675.

Second-class postage paid at MSC Prince Georges, Maryland 20790-9998 and
at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the
LOG, 5201 Auth Way; Camp Springs, Maryland 20746.
President, Michael Sacco; Secretary-Treasurer, Joe DiGlorgio; Executive
Vice President, Joe Sacco; Vice lYesident Collective Bargaining, Angus
"Red" Campbell; Vice President Atlantic Coast, Jack Caffey; Vice President
Gulf Coast, Thomas Glidewell; Vice President West Coast, George McCartney;
Vice President Lakes and Inland Waters, John Fay; Vice President Government
Services, Roy Mercer.
Communications Department Director, Jessica Smith; Editor, Charles Svenson;
Managing Editor, Mike Hall; Associate Editors, Max Hall and Deborah
Greene; Design Consultant, Dennis Goris.

-• ,i

�MARCH, 1989

MTD URGES PROMPT AOIOM TO ROISTER
AMERICAN-flAG MERCHUIT MARINE
xpressing concern over the dangerous state of the nation's private maritime industry,
members of the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department (MTD) urged Congress
fandboard
the administration to adopt legislation aimed at bolstering the U.S.-flag fleet to protect
the nation's economic and national security interests.
The MTD executive board,
representing 43 national

Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), a
new member of the House Committee
on Merchant Marine and Fisheries,
says he'll support a strong U.S.-flag
merchant marine.

unions and more than eight.
million workers in maritime and
related fields, heard speakers
from Congress, the military and
labor during the two-day session
held in February prior to the
AFL-CIO's Executive Council
meetings.
/S"

Sacco stresses
union
cooperation

George Becker, vice president—admin'
istration of the United Steeiworkers of
America, speaks on revitalizing the
American steel industry.

Transportation Communications Union
vice president Jack Otero thanks MTD
executive board members for their sup­
port of his election as vice chairman
for voter registration of the Democratic
National Committee.

MTD vice president, and International
Union of Operating Engineers, Local
25 business manager, William F.
Zenga reports on the dreeing indus­
try.

With the board acting on is­
sues of concern to MTD affili­
ates representing manufacturing,
shipbuilding, service, govern­
ment and maritime sectors, MTD
President Mike Sacco, who also
heads the SIU, noted that "we
get together to discuss mutual
problems and how we can help
one another, how we can coop­
erate as fellow trade unionists."
Lane Kirkland, president of
the AFL-CIO and a former
member of the U.S. merchant
marine, spoke of our national
economic and security interests.
Kirkland said, "A nation of
fewer than 400 merchant vessels
cannot secure its future as a
world trading power. And be­
cause more than 90 percent of
men and material needed to sus­
tain a war effort would still have
to be carried onboard ships,
such a nation certainly cannot
adequately protect the security
of the free world."
Breaux Wants New Policy
Senator John Breaux (D-La.),
chairman of the Senate Subcom­
mittee on the Merchant Marine,
told the MTD executive board
that the time was now to pro­
mote and enact a vigorous na­
tional maritime policy. The de­
fense build-up over the Reagan
years had completely overlooked
the merchant marine and its de­
cline must be turned around,
said Breaux.
Addressing the need for fair
trade. Congressman Richard Gep­
hardt (D-Mo.) outlined his legis­
lative package to promote Ameri­
can industry and produce good
paying jobs for American work­
ers. "The truth behind the glossy
headlines of low inflation and low
unemployment is that American
workers are suffering through
wage stagnation and wage de­
cline. It must be our goal to get
wages up and improve the stan­
dard of living for all Americans,"
Gephardt said.
Freshman Congressman Frank
Pallone (D-NJ), a new member

MTD western area executive board member and International Association of
machinists vice president Justin Ostro (left) and Gene Upshaw, president of the
National Football League Players Association, follow the proceedings.

of the House Merchant Marine
and Fisheries Committee,
pledged to educate his electorate
on the importance of a strong
domestic merchant marine as
part of the campaign to rebuild
the U.S.-flag fleet. MTD vicepresident William F. Zenga
thanked Congressman Pallone
for being such a good friend to
the dredging industry.
Further advocacy for a strong
fourth arm of defense came

1"'

Transportation Command
(TRANSCOM). General Piatak
told the MTD executive board,
"Defense transportation is es­
sential to U.S. national strategy
because it provides a credible
deterrent to war as well as the
safety net for national emergen­
cies.
..

General says
transportation
capability essential
for peace

m• 1\'- v

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Michael Sacco, MTD president, wel­
comes board members.

from Major General John Piatak,
director of Plans and Resources
of the United States Military

Noting the Bush-Quayle Cam­
paign's promise to "restoring the
United States maritime industry
in the interests of economic and
national security," MTD board
members urged immediate
congressional and administration
action to reverse the industry's
backslide.
The MTD executive board
called for:
expanding the Jones Act to incontinued on page 4

MTD eastern area executive board member and president of the Seafarers
International Union of Canada Roman Gralewicz (r^ht) and Jean Ingrao, MTD execu­
tive secretary-treasurer review a policy statement.

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dude all work within the na­
tion's 200 mile Exclusive Eco­
nomic Zone,
• enforcing existing cargo pref­
erence laws,
• requiring foreign cruise ships
operating out of U.S. ports to
use domestic crews and to per­
form repairs and shipbuilding in
U.S. yards and
• negotiating bilateral access to
cargo movements, reserving a
substantial share of U.S. trade
for U.S.-flag carriers.

tion of the American textile and
steel industries. Board members
also urged that the National La­
bor Relations Board once again
becorhe the neutral government
agency which allows for peaceful
resolution of disputes involving
employers and their employees.
The MTD executive board asked
Congress to expand unpaid leave
time for employees with young
families.
Jean Ingrao, MTD executive
secretary-treasurer, provided
board members with a report of
the department's activity over
the past year and announced
changes in the make-up of the
executive board. Ingrao told the
board that they face many chal-

- 'V''' '

Ray McKay, president of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association District 2 (left)
with Joe DiGiorgio, Seafarers International Union secretary-treasurer.

of the AFL-CIO's Committee on
Political Education and Robert
McGlotten, director of legislation
spoke on how labor's political
lobbying operation could help
put working people's concerns
back on the top of the legislative
agenda.

^"v!,

••'iv •'• '•/•-

Owen Bieber, president of the United
Automobile Workers, speaks on the
importance of a fair atul neutral Na­
tional Labor Relations Board.

A sound energy policy, en­
couraging national production for
national consumption was advo­
cated by the MTD executive
board. Today domestic oil pro­
duction is down and continuing
to fall, the board said, cailling on
Congress and the administration
to extend the export ban on
North Slope Alaska oil, thereby
ensuring domestic oil for U.S.
markets.
The board also urged explora­
tion and development of the oil
fields located in the y^rctic Na­
tional Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
in order to meet continuing U.S.
consumption when the North
Slope oil tapers off.
MTD board members called
for legislative initiatives designed
to increase fair trade and protec-

samm m

President of National Marine Engi­
neers' Beneficial Association C.E.
(Gene) DeFries (left) and Air Line Pi­
lots Association president Captain
Henry A. Duffy listen to the speakers.

lenges, particularly in the areas
of trade and protection of work­
ers' rights. "Unless the Admin­
istration does a complete turna­
round, we are going to see new
assaults on the rights of working
people to exercise their rights
and we're going to see a further
expansion of unfair trade prac­
tices," she said.
Stanley Brand, former general
counsel of the House of Repre­
sentatives, addressed the board
members. Brand is the attorney
in the lawsuit jointly filed by the
SIU and the Transportation In­
stitute against the government's
drug testing regulations affecting
maritime workers.'
Brand told the meeting that
through the drug testing regula­
tions, government had intruded
into the most private affairs of
working men and women. Brand
said, "The Reagan-Bush admin-

John J. Barry, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
(left), Alfred K. Whitehead, president of the International Association of Fire
Fighters and Jacob F. West, president of the International Association of Bridge,
Stmctural and Ornamental Iron Worlurs during the board meeting.

International Longshoremen's Associa­
tion president John M. Bowers listens
to the NLRB policy statement discus­
sion.

istration has run on and pro­
moted the idea that government
ought to get off the backs of its
citizens ... this program piits
the government in our bath­
rooms—a breach of the Reagan
administration's promise to
lessen government intrusiveness."

Julius Isaacson, president of the Inter­
national Union of Allied, Novelty and
Production Workers, asks union mem­
bers to follow a "Buy American Made
Products" policy.

Julius Isaacson, president of
the International Union of Al­
lied, Novelty and Production
Workers called on all MTD ex­
ecutive board members to "urge
American sports teams to wear
and use American made prod­
ucts."
Thanking board members for
their support of his successful
candidacy for vice chairman of
voter registration for the Demo­
cratic National Committee, Jack
Otero, vice-president of the
Transportation Communication
Union, pledged to use his new
position to further the interests
of working people.
AFL-CIO Economic Research
Department Director Rudy Os­
wald and Bert Seidman, director
of Occupational Safety, Health
and Social Security, addressed
the delegates on the effects of
eight years of Reagan economic
policies. John Perkins, director

James Hatfield, president of the Glass,
Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied
Workers International Union intro­
duces MTD statement mourning the
loss of Frank Drozak.

Dr. John Calhoun Wells, pres­
ident of the Gray Labor/Manage­
ment Institute in Beaumont,
Texas, spoke on the future of
unions and collective bargaining.
"Companies must realize that
unions are partners in growth,
productivity and change. The ad­
versarial relationship of the past
must make way for cooperation
between unions and employers
in the future," he said.

Stanley Brand, attorney of the law firm
Brarul ami Lowell, explains why the
shipping industry is united in its oppo­
sition to the new drug testing regula­
tions.

Addressing the issue of health
and safety concerns on the job,
Donald Elisburg, executive di­
rector of the Occupational
Health Legal Rights Foundation,
said unions can play an impor­
tant role in helping workers pro­
tect themselves before or after
exposure to toxic materials
where they work.

�C-\h

MARCH, 1989

• ••--- -'•:7fa.-—'j-;

'--'J-"&gt;^t;;'!.;•-:;,_i^l-V:'A---rs

SUNUWARY OF MTD ACTIONS
Franis Drozafc
Mourned the loss of a friend and
leader. Frank Drozak, who
served as MTD president until
his death in 1988, provided
steadfast leadership during the
maritime industry's darkest and
most difficult years.
A Maritime Policy
Urged the administration and
Congress to commence immedi­
ately the task of developing pro­
grams that will bring about ex­
pansion for all segments of the
industry. Expressed willingness
to develop a broad coalition nec­
essary to secure adoption of a
beneficial maritime policy.
Commitment to the Jones Act
Urged that the Jones Act be ,
strengthened and extended to re­
alize a U.S.-flag fleet capable of
serving the nation's defense and
economic interests. Waivers and
other attacks to weaken the Act
were condemned. The Jones Act
should be broadened to include
all work completed within the
United States Exclusive Eco­
nomic Zone.
Cargo Preference Enforcement
Called upon Congress to under­
take steps which will bring about
maximum U.S.-flag participation
in existing cargo reservation pro­
grams. Ui^ed increasing the
law's scope to include 5ll goods
moved by or at the government's
request.

''•r'y''&gt;.-.""'^'..&gt;--.v:

Foreign-Flag Cruise Ships
Called for enactment of legisla­
tion that will place the American
cruise industry on an equal com­
petitive level with its foreign
competition. The government
must assist in the development
of a healthy U.S.-flag industry in
the United States, particularly to
meet troop transport capabilities
in the event of a nation^ defense
emergency.
Export Ban on Alaska Oil
Recognizing the benefits of a
plentiful domestic supply of oil,
the board called for extension of
export restrictions covering
crude oil produced in Alaska's

North Sytope.

•l.'fri

•

DCyeldpinem of Oil In ANWR
Urged exploration and develop­
ment of oil reserves contained in
a small portion of the Arctic Na­
tional Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
By extending the export ban on
North Slope oil and by develop­
ing ANWR oil, the United States
sends a clear message to OPEC
that the 1970 shortages will not
be relived.
Great Lakes Developniimt
Federal funding and an acceler­
ated construction schedule was
urged for the building of a new
1,000-foot Soo lock. Asked for
immediate authorization and
funding for dredging of the St.
Mary's River connecting Lake
Superior with Lake Huron.

Maritime Out of GATT Talks
The General Agreement on Tar­
iffs and Trade (GATT) has in­
cluded maritime services on its
agenda. Reiterated its opposition
to maritime being part of GATT
approved international regula­
tions, citing the danger inclusion
in the talks would pose to sub­
sidy programs, loan guarantees,
cargo reservation and cabotage
laws.
MSC Procurement Policies
Called for congressional and
administration examination MSC
procurement procedures which
focus exclusively on obtaining
the lowest possible cost without
any consideration of the impact
that depressed charter hire rates
have on the maritime industry.
Government must develop mu­
tually beneficial policies between
MSC and the industry in order
to further our national defense.
National Labor Relations Board
Called upon the administration
to appoint individuals to the
NLRB who will act in a fair and
neutral manner in order that
worklrs rights to join a union,
bargain and strike are restored
and onCe again protected.
Voluntary Restraint Agreements
(VRA's) for Steel
Supported a five-year extension
of VRA's which require 29 na-;
tions to hold their steel exports
to a negotiated percentage of our
domestic consumption. Called
for enactment of legislation to
assist the steel industry in its ef­
forts to modernize and retrain
laid-off workers.

John Perkins, Director
Cfunniittee on Piditical
- Educ^

Robert McGlotten, Director
Department of LegMation

r

••

• • • • • • • •' •

racing the disastrous policies of the Reagan Administration, AFLCIO department directors outline a program to turn the country
mxiUhd

•

MTD PHOTO ROUNDUP

I, :

' :i

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• 4- •
''

Minimum Vif^ Inc^
Expressed outrage that the mini­
mum wage of $3.35 an hour has
not increased since 1981, when
over the past eight years it has
lost 30 percent of its real value;
Called for expeditious enactment
of legislation to restore the na­
tional minimum wage to a level
of dignity for all minimum wage
earners.
Protecting Domestic Textiles
Recognizing the threat of in­
creased foreign import penetra­
tion in the domestic textile trade,
the board called upon Congress
and the administration to COOJJerate fully to develop a legisla­
tive package providing relief to
the American textile and apparel
industry.
Social S^urity and Medicare
All social security and medicare
commitments should be fespected by Congress. Opposed
any efforts to tax social security
benefits or abolish cost-of-living
adjustments. Medicare should be
expanded to cover long-term cat­
astrophic health care expenses.
Congress was urged to pass leg­
islation prohibiting physicians
from charging Medicare patients
far in excess of Medicare-ap­
proved rates.
CoiUit^d on page 9

Frank Lonardo (left). President of Local 1814 International Longshoremen's
Association, Teddy Gleason, president emeritus of the.lLA, Ed Panerello, secrer
tary-treasurer of the Maritime Port Council of Greater New Tork and Vicinity,
Ed Turner, executive vice president emeritus of the SlU and Gilbert Gauthier,
president of the Canadian Marine Officers Union.

.V ,

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MM'S
' J',

1
Lenore Miller, president of the Retail,
Wholesale Department Store Union.

Joe Sacco, executive vice president of
the SlU.
• \

r
3 -

•l •

•I

Page Groton (left), vice president of the International Brotherhood of Boilermak­
ers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers, Bernard Puchalski,
president of the Greater Chicago and Vicinity Port Council and Dominic Camevale, administrative assistant to the president of the United Association of the
Plumbing attd P^ Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada.

Continued on page 9

v' ' • - u

'•

�SOfARERS 106

S/[/ Wfsr COAST FISHERIAEN
CATCH RECORD TUNA

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IUNA fishermen of San Pedro
have closed out one of the
best fishing years in a long time,
thanks to the giant tuna.
After a lull of many years, the
giant tuna suddenly appeared
and no one seems to be able to
explain the cause of this phe­
nomenon. The giant tuna, which
are eight to 20 times larger than
those normally caught in these
waters and weighing 800 pounds
and more, enabled the San Pedro
fishermen to enjoy a dramatic in­
crease in wages.
The San Pedro fishermen are
members of the Seafarers Inter­
national Union of North America
affiliated Fishermen's Union of
America. The Fishermen's
Union represents fishermen of
San Diego and Monterey as well
as those in San Pedro. The union
was the result of a merger in
1975 of three SIUNA west coast
fishing unions including the
Seine and Line Fishermen of
Monterey, an original 1938 affili­
ate of the international union.
Terry Hoinsky, president of
the Fishermen's Union, says the
union is concerned with the
problem arising out of the liabil­
ity insurance crisis which is crip­
pling the industry. She said the
union is exploring several possi­
ble methods for bringing about
reduction in high premium costs
which are discouraging boat
owners in the industry.

^

Hoinsky, who is a vice presi­
dent and executive board mem­
ber of the SIUNA, reports that
the union has restructured its
three ports to improve member­
ship services and is conducting
an organizing drive among non­
union boats in San Pedro.
The Fishermen's Union, says
Hoinsky, has also upgraded the
death benefit paid to members in
the San Diego region, bringing
its level to parity with Monterey
and San Diego fishermen.

jit 12:01 am, Saturday, March
/14 Eastern Air Lines mechan­
ics and ramp operators repre­
sented by the International As­
sociation of Machinists went on
strike. Eastern pilots, members
of the Air Line Pilots Associa­
tion, and flight attendents from
the Transport Workers Union re­
fused to cross the picket line,
forcing Eastern to halt opera­
tions. The SIU quickly demon­
strated its support by helping to
man picket lines at Eastern
hubs.

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The Seafarers LOG first appeared on February 10,1939 and has been continually
publishing for fifty years. The front page of the first issue shown above generally
reflected the SlU's intense organizing activities and its battles against communist
efforts to control U.S. waterfront unions. After the union was founded on October
15, 1938, and urttil the LOG commenced publication the following February, union
members were informed and served through hundreds of bulletins.

Terry Hoinsky (right), president of the
SWNA-affiliated Fishermen's Union
of America, with Augistine Felando, •
President of American Tunaboat Own­
ers, at a fisheries conference in Wash­
ington, D.C.

asKRN's m KuuuGmm
nmm macHiNisTS STRIKI
PILOTS REFUSE TO CROSS
PICKET LINES

8ROTHKBHOOD

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Itthi/niihoaa! Unkm
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The Machinists union has
done everything in its power to
avoid the current strike. In 16
months of bargaining. Eastern
management refused to move
from its initial wage reduction
demands. The. union agreed to
binding arbitration which would
have meant continual negotia­
tions until an agreement was
reached. In addition, the union
has solicited President Bush to
call a Presidential Emergency
Board to make recommendations
leading towards a settlement.
Action by President Bush would
stop the strike. Eastern, on the
other hand, refused to agree to
binding arbitration and asked the
President not to get involved.

SIU member Captain ton Flade talks with Eastern pilot and SIU seaman
Charles Collins walks with a striking machinist at PhUadelphia's airport.

IRVING BROWN DIES: LED EIGHT AGAINST
COmiES IN POST-WAR EUROPE
RVING Brown, whose anticommunist
activities in post­
/
war Europe made him a legend­
ary figure in the free trade union
movement, died in Paris at the
age of 77.
The son of a representative of
the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters, Brown was bom in
New York. After graduating
from college in 1932, he became
an organizer for the United Au­
tomobile Workers, becoming a
national organizer for the AFL
in 1940. In 1942 Brown was ap­
pointed as a labor representative
to the War Production Board.
Brown's major contribution
occurred in the 1950s and 1960s
when he set up and led cam­
paigns to prevent communist
takeovers of European and inter­
national labor organizations.
Brown's efforts helped rebuild
democratic unions in post-war
Europe.
During the post-war recon­
struction effort when the United
States was delivering Marshall
Plan aid cargoes to the democra­
cies, communist-controlled
unions attempted to block deliv­
ery from the ships at the water­
front.
Brown set up headquarters in
Brussels from where he orga­
nized committees of dock and
other maritime workers to fight
the Communist Party calls seek­
ing to block the American aid
program. In that period the
World Federation of Trade
Unions was controlled by com­
munist-led national labor bodies.
In 1949 Brown helped create the

International Confederation of
Free Trade Unions which broke

Irving Brown
away from the communist-con­
trolled body.
It was during this time that
Paul Hall and other representa­
tives of the SIU developed a re­
lationship with Brown. At the
time, the SIU of Canada was en­
gaged in a bitter battle to break
communist control over Cana­
dian seamen and shipping.
Brown was executive director
of the African American Labor
Center from 1965 until 1973,
when he returned to Paris to
head the AFL-CIO's European
office. He became director of in­
ternational affairs for the AFLCIO in 1982.

�wm

MARCH, 1989

INFORMATION ON PRE-EMnOYMENT DRUG TESNNG
P

re-employment drug testing
will go into effect June 21,
1989, unless the SIU and Trans­
portation Institute's jointly filed
lawsuit halts the government's
action.
Because the outcome of the
lawsuit is unknown and subject
to appeal to a higher court, the
SIU is currently taking all neces­
sary steps to protect the individ­
ual member's employment rights
during the drug testing procedure
required by the regulations.
Therefore, until there is a rul­
ing that the regulations are in­
valid, all maritime workers, in­
cluding SIU members, must
comply with the drug testing
rules if they are to be employed
on U.S.-flag commercial vessels,
deep-sea. Great Lakes and in­
land waters.
What follows are questions
and answers on the procedure
for pre-employment drug testing
required by Final Rule: COD 86067, issued Nov. 21, 1988 by the
Department of Transportation,
United States Coast Guard and
which went into effect Dec. 21,
1988.
Who is affected by the regu­
Q. lations?
^All individuals employed
/lupon U.S.-flag commercial
vessels are affected by the regu­
lations. This means licensed and
unlicensed alike. The Depart­
ment of Transportation reported
in its introduction to the regula­
tions that the drug testing provi­
sions governing maritime indus-

try personnel will affect an
estimated 120,000 maritime
workers serving on all types of
commercial vessels.

0

1 When did the pre-employ• ment drug testing regula­
tions go into effect?
M The regulations went into
#•• effect Dec. 21, 1988. The
regulations stated that pre-em­
ployment drug testing was to be
put into operation by June 21,
1989. As a result, by June 21,
1989 operators will only be able
to crew vessels with individuals
who have complied with the
drug testing procedures and
whose tests are negative.

O

Hcw will the 90 day regis• tration and shipping system
be affected by the drug regula­
tions?
M Since drug clearance is now
nm required by the government
as a condition of employment for
maritime workers on U.S.-flag
vessels, the individual shipping
through the hiring hall must, by
federal regulation, show proof of
a negative drug test result. The
drug test must be taken in ac­
cordance with the procedures
outlined in the regulations.
Because of the SIU's 90 day
system of registration and ship­
ping, drug testing for SIU mem­
bers will become effective tenta­
tively the first week of April. On
that date, an individual register-

ing in the hiring hall must show
proof of a negative drug test re­
sult along with the other re­
quired documents. Thus, every
seaman who will be sailing after
June 21, 1989 will be in compli­
ance with the regulations.

0.

What will the pre-employ­
ment drug tests analyze?

M The regulations ask the drug
M testing laboratory to test for
appearance in the urine speci­
men of the following substances:
• Marijuana,
• Cocaine,
• Opiates,
• Phencyclidine (PGP) and
• Amphetimines.

0

Beginning tentatively the
• first week of April how does
a SIU deepsea seaman take a
drug test?
M Seafarers Welfare Plan Clinnm ics and contracted physi­
cians will serve as collection
sites for urine specimens. An
SIU member can go to the clinic
or contracted physician to pro­
vide a urine specimen for the
laboratory.
The SWP clinic will not exam­
ine the sample. The clinic will
simply function as a collection
site, insuring that a member's
rights are protected during the
collection process.
What will the clinic do with
»the individual's specimen?

M Once the specimen is taken
M* at the clinic, the specimen
will be sent to the drug testing
laboratory.
The drug testing laboratory
must be certified by the Depart­
ment of Health and Human
Services (DHHS). DHHS, in
turn, is working with the Na­
tional Institute on Drug Abuse
(NIDA). A laboratory only ob­
tains DHHS certification if it
meets the highest standards and
has a track record which in­
cludes no errors in testing re­
sults.

i'ta, I'—
.• , ^

,1

&gt;

What wUi happen to the ur-,
Q• ine
specimen at the labora­
tory?
-It'

M The specimen will be subMo mitted to an initial testing.
If the result is positive, the spec­
imen will go, through a confirma­
tory testing.

0.

What will the laboratory do
with the drug test results?

M The results of the drug tests
#•# will be sent by the labora­
tory to the Medical Review Offi­
cer (MRO). The MRO will re­
view all results.

Q.

' y..

After taking the test, what
should the seaman do next?
Continued on page 8

.jj-

Jf;

SIU SUIT AGAINST DRUG TESTING NEARS HEARING
7

he United States District
Court is expected to consider
the SIU's charge that the current
drug testing regulations are un­
constitutional within the next
couple of months. By filing a
motion for summary judgement
with the court on Feb. 28, the
SIU is keeping the case on a le­
gal fast track. The government is
expected to respond to the SIU's
action around March 10. The
Union anticipates a court hearing
date in April. After the court
considers the case, a final deci­
sion will be issued.
When the United States Coast
Guard, a federal agency in the
Department of Transportation,
introduced sweeping drug testing
regulations for the maritime in­
dustry on Nov. 21, 1988, the
SIU and the Transportation In­
stitute joined in instituting a suit
in federal court to set aside the
government-forced procedures.
Nonetheless, the Coast Guard's
regulations went into effect on
Dec. 21, 1988.
The SIU maintains that the
drug testing regulations trample
on fundamental individual con­
stitutional rights. By allowing
unwarranted searches and sei­
zures, the fourth amendment is

violated. The drug testing law
also disregards the fifth amend­
ment protection of an individu­
al's privacy, the Union charges.
Representing U.S.-flag compa­
nies engaged in foreign and do­
mestic shipping, the Transporta­
tion Institute charges the Coast

Foreign-Flag Ships
Not Covered
Guard with unnecessarily bur­
dening the U.S.-flag operator
with the cost of implementing
the drug testing program while
allowing foreign-flag vessels, not
covered by the regulations, to
get away scott free. The costs of
implementing the drug testing
regulations must be entirely
borne by U.S.-flag operators,
and are variously estimated from
64 million to 150 million dollars
annually.
The lawsuit also says the
Coast Guard rule "enlists private
employers as unwilling foot sol­
diers required at their own ex­

pense to violate their own em­
ployees' rights."
The Coast Guard, in issuing
the regulations, admitted that the
agency could not "specifically
identify the use of drugs or alco­
hol as a major causal effect in
commercial vessel losses or cas­
ualty damage." Yet the Coast
Guard contended that it "is rea­
sonable to assume that because
there is a drug problem in soci­
ety, there is also a potential drug
problem in the merchant ma­
rine." The Coast Guard to date
has failed to provide any statisti­
cal evidence of high drug usage
in the maritime industry.
Prior to issuing any drug test­
ing regulations affecting maritime
workers, the Department of
Transportation had promulgated
drug testing procedures for land
and air transportation workers.
Legal battles involving these reg­
ulations have focused on random
testing.
In a trucking case, the federal
district judge issued an injunc­
tion against random testing, stat­
ing that the regulations "lack the
requisite element of individual­
ized suspicion." The judge also
pointed out that the trucking
drug testing regulations "are not

supported by particularized relia­
ble findings about rampant drug
use."
Compared to the drug testing
regulations affecting land and air
transportation workers, the rule
covering the maritime industry is
far more extensive. Testing of
employees in other transporta­
tion sectors was limited to safety
and security related personnel,
while in maritime the regulation
is directed at "all individuals en­
gaged onboard a vessel."
The Nov. 21, 1988 drug testing
regulations affecting all seamen
employed on U.S.-flag commer­
cial vessels were brought about
as part of the Reagan administra­
tion's symbolic "war on drugs."
Congess, however, in its Omni­
bus Drug Initiative Act of 1988,
specifically refrained from au­
thorizing drug testing for safetysensitive transportation workers.
The SIU does not oppose drug
testing when handled as part of
the collective bargaining process
where an individual member's
rights can be protected. The
Seafarers Addictions Rehabili­
tation Center has been dealing
effectively with substance abuse
problems without forsaking an
individual's constitutional rights.

• ,•

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•

�S^iStSy''^

SOFARERS LOG

8

MEMORUU 7D HONOR SEUREN LOST IN US. WARS
4

prototype of a new memorial
which will honor merchant
seamen who lost their lives in
the defense of their nation was
unveiled at a luncheon in Man­
hattan last month. The memor­
ial, which was largely funded
through donations by merchant
seamen and private organiza­
tions, is scheduled for comple­
tion in 1990.
Like the much-publicized
Vietnam War Veterans Memorial
in Washington, D.C., this me­
morial is. intended to correct an
historical oversight. Forty-four
years after the end of World War
II and 213 years after the found­
ing of this nation, there is no
marker to dignify the burial site
of those merchant seamen who
lost their lives at sea.
In every war since the incep­
tion of this nation, merchant
mariners have been in the fore­
front of the fight to preserve
American liberty. In the War of
Independence, for example, this
nation had no Navy: private
merchant vessels added greatly
to the war effort by engaging the
British fleet at sea.
The War of 1812 was fought
over one issue: the impressment
of American seamen by British
warships. The private merchant
fleet was so important to the
economic well-being of the new
nation that Americans went to
war to defend the concept of
freedom of the seas.
In recent times, thousands of
American seamen lost their lives
at sea while manning America's
"bridge of ships," which Win-

Pictured above is an artist's rendition of the war memorial, which honors merchant mariners who died while
defending their country. Ail American seamen who gave their lives, from the War of Independence to modem
times, are honored.

ston Churchill said turned the
tide for the Allies in World War
II. But the contributions of those
brave men and women were
never properly recognized: for
43 years after the war, American
seamen were denied veterans'
status.
The new monument will be lo­
cated at the southern tip of Man­
hattan, south of Pier A, a cityowned Victorian landmark build­
ing on the breakwater extension.

The Pier A breakwater was con­
structed nearly 90 years ago and
provided a safe landing for the
Ellis Island immigrants being fer­
ried over to the isle of Manhat­
tan.
The design for the new me­
morial is a result of a competi­
tion held by the Battery Park
City Authority. The winner,
Marisol Escobar, was chosen out
of a field of more than 200 con­
testants.

Escobar's winning design re­
creates a moving scene depicting
four figures of surviving mariners
whose ships were lost; one of
the seamen is being saved from
the sea by a shipmate. The ship
will be made of stainless steel.
AFL-CIO President Lane
Kirkland, a former officer in the
U.S.-flag merchant marine,
spoke at the luncheon. SIU Vice
President Jack CaflFey repre­
sented the SIU.

PRE-IMPIOYMENT DRUG nSnNG QUlSnONS AND ANSWERS
continued from page 7

.

4

From the date the test is
• taken, within three to seven
working days, the seaman can
pick up a card from the SWP
clinic or contracted physician
which will serve as proof of the
individual's negative drug test
result. The card will indicate the
seaman is in compliance with Fi­
nal Rule: CCD 86-067. The MRO
will have provided the clinic or
designated physician with in­
structions on which individuals
should receive the card.
The card can then be submit­
ted, along with all other docu­
ments required by law and the
shipping rules, at the time of
registration at the hall.

a

How long is the clearance
'• card good for?
A The clearance card, indicat/!• ing the seaman is in compli­
ance with Final Rule: CCD 86067, is good for a six-month pe­
riod.

Q.

What does the MRO do with
a positive result?
M The drug testing regulations
.nm reqiiire that a Medical Re­
view Officer evaluate all positive

confirmatory tests. Each individ­
ual who tests positive has the
right to speak with the MRO by
telephone to discuss the test re­
sult. The MRO will personally
call the individual. It is very im­
portant that individuals filling
out the drug test form include
their phone numbers. During the
telephone discussion with the
MRO, the individual can explain
any medical circumstances
which may have caused a posi­
tive result. After the discussion,
the MRO will make a decision as
to the accuracy of the test result.
Only the MRO makes this deci­
sion. Neither the Union or the
employer is involved in the re­
view of additional medical evi­
dence or deciding whether the
result is correct.

O

lf the confirmatory test is
• positive after MRO evalua­
tion, what does the MRO do?

M The MRO is required by the
regulation to report the pos­
itive test result to the employer
or the employer's designated
agent.

O

What does the employer do
• with the confirmed positive
drug test?
The employer is required by
• the regulation to report the
4results
in writing to the nearest
Coast Guard Office in Charge,
Marine Inspection (OCMI). The
individual who tested positive
shall be denied employment as a
crewmember or removed from
duties which directly affect the
safety of the vessel's navigation
or operations as soon as practic­
able and shall be subject to sus­
pension and revocation proceed­
ings against his or her license,
certificate of registry or mer­
chant mariner's document.

0

1 If a seaman, boatman or
• dredgeman tests positive,
how can he or she be reemployed
on a U.S.-flag commercial vessel?
M An individual who has
Jnw tested positive may not be
reemployed aboard a vessel until
the Medical Review Officer de­
termines that the individual is
drug free and that the risk of
subsequent use of drugs by that
person is sufficiently low to jus­
tify his or her return to work. In

addition, the individual must
agree to be subject to increased,
unannounced testing for a period
determined by the MRO of up to
sixty (60) months.

O

ff an individual is interested
• in rehabilitation programs,
who should be contacted?

M The Seafarers Harry Lundenw berg School of Seamanship
Addictions Rehabilitation Center
(ARC) offers programs for sub­
stance abusers who no longer
want to be dependent on drugs
or alcohol. To apply for ARC,
contact your Union hall or write
to SHLSS Addictions Rehabili­
tation Center, Piney Point,
Maryland 20674. In addition, re­
habilitation programs are offered
in many local communities.

0

What about other kinds of
• drug testing?
M The regulations require prenw employment testing to be in
place by June 21, 1989. The
other forms of drug testing re­
quired by the regulations—ran­
dom, periodic, reasotiable-cause
and post-casualty (which also in­
cludes testing for alcohol use)—
are to be implemented by Dec.
21, 1989.

�MUlCHr 1989

9

lytl'

MID SiSSION PHOrO ROUND-UP Letters to the Editor
continued from page 5

U

'^•fl

Laundry and Dry Ckaning Interna­
tional Union president Frank Ervolino,
who also serves as secretary-treasurer
of die Buffalo Port Maritime Council,
reads MTD's CATT statement.

International Chemical Workers Union
president Frank Martino lists MTD's
energy policy priorities.

Dr. John Calhoun Wells (left), president of the John Gray Institute of Beaumont
Texas, Larry Jackson, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Grain
Millers and Donald Etisburg, adnunistrator of the Occupational Health and
Legal Rights Foundation.

To the Editor:
I need you to do me a big
favor.
A fellow SIU deepsea member
and very good friend of mine,
Dan Bradley, passed away this
summer in August.
Everywhere Dan went he
made friends. Dan sailed on both
the east coast and west coast
and made friends in both places.
Dan was liked and loved by
everyone who had the pleasure
of knowing him.
Dan left behind a beautiful
wife and beautiful baby girl,
three months old at the time of
his departure.
So Dan, may your body and
soul rest in peace.
You will be missed by a lot of
people, your wife especially and
me. We love you and we will all
miss you.
Fair sailing on that big ocean
in the sky.
John C. Cox
Book C-1779
Los Angeles, CA

Editor's Note: The family of the
late brother Daniel Bradley III
has asked the LOG that any of
his old shipmates who wish to
call and talk about Dan to con­
tact the family at 301/725-4699.
Brother Bradley died in a
traffic accident August 13, 1988.
He was 30 years old.
He was born in Washington,
D.C. and grew up in Laurel,
MD. He graduated from the
Harry Lundeberg School of Sea­
manship and he made many
friends among his union brothers
during his sailing years.
Surviving are his wife, the for­
mer Nancy Corbitt, and a daugh­
ter, Alaina Clarke Bradley, both
of Hampstead, MD, his parents,
Muriel and Daniel Bradley, Jr.,
and a brother, Andrew, all of
Laurel, MD, two sisters, Lydia
Umlandt of Sevema Park, MD
and Sheila Geist of Laurel, MD,
and a grandfather. Mason E.
Wallace, Sr. of Silver Spring,
Md.

United Industrial Workers national di­
rector Steve Edney asks a question on
the new drug testing regulations.

SUMMARY Of MTD ACTIONS

continued from page 5
Marine Emissions
Called for an amendment to the
Clean Air Act to establish uni­
form national standards for ma­
rine emissions.

Jaimn Air Lines
Japan Air Lines (JAL) was
blasted for violating the rights of
employees who work in Chica­
go's Nikko Hotel, a JAL-owned
operation. Vowed to bring pres­
sure on JAL through contact
with U.S. representatives en­
gaged in trade negotiations with
Japan.
Staten IiMand Navy Base
Adopted the Maritime Port
Council of New York's resolu­
tion to support the Navy's new
surface action group base at Stapleton, Staten Island.
FamUy and Medical Leave
/Supported legislation which ^dresses the heeds and aspirations

of modern American families,
such as a congressional proposal
for a national leave policy pro­
viding job-protected, unpaid time
off to meet parental responsibil­
ities and health conditions.

Dan Bradley III and his wife Nancy at the wheel of the family sailboat on the
Chesapeake Bay.

SIU Scholarship Deadline is April 14
Apply New

Occupational pishases
Legislation which promotes early
detection and treatment of occu­
pational diseases should be en­
acted by Congress.
Maritime and National
Defense Report
A detailed analysis of the mari­
time industry's critical rule in se­
curing a strong national defense
was released at the MTD meet­
ing. The report cited the contri­
bution seagoing personnel, ship­
builders, longshoremen and
industrial workers would make
in the event of a national emer­
gency.

The application
deadline for scholar­
ships for seafarers and
their families is April
14. Four scholarships

\ '

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Vice president emeritus of the Americ&amp;n Federation of Grain Millers Peter
Rybka, Mel Pelfry (left), president of the Toledo Port Maritime Council and Richard
Mantia, president of the Greater St. Louis Area and Vicinity Port Council.

Vice president of the United Food and
Commercial Workers Union, Doug
Dority.

: •T-:'-.; -

of $10,000 each are of­
fered to dependents.
One $10,000 and two
$5,000 scholarships will
be awarded to union
members. Scholarship
awardees will be an­
nounced in May. To
receive information on
eligibility requirements
call 301/899-0675 or
write Seafarers Welfare
Plan Scholarships, 5201
Auth Way, Camp
Springs, Maryland
20746.

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he Sea-Land Challenger is one of several Lancer class vessels
'-^giyysyigSI
!Sea-Land acquired from the bankrupt U.S. Lines three
years ago.
The Challenger recently finished one of its regular runs, San
,
;
Juan, P.R. to Rio Hana, Dominican Republic to Jacksonville
to Port Elizabeth. SlU Patrolman Kermett Mangram met the
crew for a payoff, where these pictures were taken.

CARIBBEAN RUN

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AB Tuck Beutz has been goii^ to sea
for 36 years. The deck delegate on the
Challenger nudtes sure the gai^wi^ is
secured.

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With more Bum 70 years of exj^rience
•4[|| tunong them, the ChaUenger's steward
department knows how to keep a crew
well-fed. They are (i. to r.) Chief
Steward George Gibbons, Chief Cook
Darryl Goggins and Steward Assistant
I ^Jose Santiago.

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^:yas

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DEV Jose Rodr^uezgets ready to
throw a heaving line. Rodriguez hask ,
been saUing for 28 years.
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Ohfl/ Ralph Gonzalez takes rea^ngs
in the et^me room. The San Juan
redderU has been going to sea for nine
years.

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vtOres. A ship*s deles^, the New
Yorker has been sailing for 14 years.

OMU James Sieger, a 15-year deej^ea
veteran, cheeks a fuel oU straiiur in
the Challenger's ermine room.

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Jose Santiago, AB Tuck Bentz, New Ymk Patrvhnan Kermett Mai^frath, Basun
Roy Williams and DEV Ehdio Cruz.
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Union Directory

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SnWARDS GRADlUn ADVANCED CUSS

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en SIU members successfully
completed the Stewards Recertification Course held from
January 31 to March 3 at the un­
ion's school in Piney Point. The
graduates now join the top-of-theline ranks of union stewards.
The stewards completed
classes which will enhance their
computer and typing skills. The
group learned new techniques
for menu planning, portion con­
trol and food costs. Microbiol­
ogy and sanitation classes were
also part of the course curricu­
lum. Ice carving, a culinary art
form, was taught by Executive
Chef Romeo Lupinacci.
Union education was a top
priority for the stewards through
meetings with representatives of
the various plans, the contract
department the political depart­
ment and the LOG, stewards had
an opportunity to ask questions
and learn more about their union.
The stewards also visited Cap­
itol Hill, to track legislation vi­
tally important to the SIU and
the maritime industry. The trip
included a tour of the Capitol
building and an explanation of
the legislative process.
Executive Chef Lupinacci said
of the group, "They have been
an excellent class. They are pre­
pared to put out an excellent
meal while running an efficient,
cost-conscious operation.
The recertified stewards are
skilled at menu planning and
portion control, an important
part of a modem-day steward's
duties, Lupinacci said.

Recert^ed stewards (first row, left to right) Roderick Br^ht, Janet Price, Cyril
Spence, Jr., Romeo Lupinacci (executive chef), (second row) Joseph P. Emidy,
Pedro SeUan, Peter Schulz, (third row) Nathaniel Thomas, John A. Pratt,
Jimmie Russell, D.A. Brown, Robert L. Scott, Sr.

Recert^ed stewards brave wind and rain to learn the art of ice carving from
executive chef Romeo Lupinacci.

Stewards try their hand at ice carving.

UFCBOkT OASS COMPUnS COURSE

Chris FarreU(left), Dave Cameron ami Ralph Alexander completed the tough lifeboat
course tai^ht by instructor Ben Cusic. The course, which lasts two weeks, can
be particularly difficult during the late winter months which can be very cold and
wet in Piruy Point. At least three hours each day are spent outdoors in the
Iceboats doing practical exercises such as rowinglcoxwain training, and davit
operations.

COOK AND BAKER
GRADUATE

Shane Preston, a graduate of the Cook
and Baker course at SHLSS, proudly
Splays the cake he decorated for the
Graduatii^ Trainee Class #434. Cook
and Baker instructor Bill SeidenStrieker, invites his advanced students
to create a specially decorated cake as
an extra credit project which is added
to the studerOs' final grade. The cake
decorating project allows the student to
exercise both his creativity and profes­
sional expertise.

Mfchael Sacco, President
Joseph Sacco, Executive Vice
President
Joe DiGiorgio, Secretary-Treasurer
Angus "Red" Campbell,
Vice President of Contracts
Jack Calfey, Vice President
Thomas Glidewell, Vice President
Cieorge McCartney, Vice President
John Fay, Vice President
Roy A Mercer, Vice President
StsvcEAmy, Vice President
HEADQUARTERS
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, MD 20746
(301)899-0675
ALGONAC
520 St. Clair River Dr.
Algonac, Ml 48001
(313)794-4988
BALTIMORE
1216 E. Baltimore St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
(301)327-4900
DULUTH
705 Medical Arts Building
Duluth, MN 55802
(218)722-4110
®SlliSSvi
HONOLULU
636 Cooke St.
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808)523-5434
iiig'
HOUSTON
1221 Pierce St.
Houston, TX 77002
(713)659-5152
JACKSONVILLE
3315 Liberty St.
Jacksonville, PL 32206
(904)353-0987
JERSEYCITV
99 Montgomery St.
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(201) 435-9424
p
MOBILE
•
1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy.
Mobile, AL 36605
(205) 478-0916
NEW BEDFORD
50 Union St.
^
New Bedford, MA 02740
;
(508)997-5404
NEW ORLEANS
630 Jackson Ave. g
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 529-7546
-'mm.
NEW YORK
675 Fourth Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11232
(718)499-6600
NORFOLK
115 Third St.
Norfolk, VA 23510
(804) 622-1892
:
PHILADELPHIA
2604 S. 4 St.
Philadelphia, PA 19148
g
(215) 336-3818
PINEY POINT
St. Mary's County
Piney Point, MD 20674
(301) 994-0010
SAN FRANCISCO
350 Fremont St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 543-5855
SANTURCE
1057 Fernandez Juncos St.
Stop 16
Santurce, PR 00907
if
(809) 725-6960
•gSEATFLE;;;..^': tma
2505 First Ave.
Seattle, WA^ 121 .. ... g.
(206)441-1960
, g,.:.
.-i;/-ST. LOUIS
-.js i
4581 Gravois Ave.
/ ,^1^;
St. ;Louis, MO 63116
/ «ii
(314) 752-6500
WILMINGTON
;gg"V
510 N, Broad AvCx
Wilmington, CA 90744
: (2i3)549-4O00
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HUROI, 1989

13

Know Your Rights
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 Account­
ants every three months, which are to be
submitted to the membership by the Secre­
tary-Treasurer. A quarterly finance commit­
tee 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. Mem­
bers of this committee may make dissenting
reports, specific recommendations and sep­
arate 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 agree­
ments. All these agreements specify that the
trustees in charge of these funds shtdl equally
consist of Union and management represen­
tatives and their alternates. All expenditures
and disbursements of trust funds are made
only upon approval by a majority of the
trustees. All trust fund financial records are
available at the headquarters of the various
trust funds.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights
and seniority are protected exclusively by the
contracts between the Union and the employ­
ers. Get to know your shipping rights. Copies
of these contracts are ported and available in
aU 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 recd^ 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 your contract rights, as well as your
obligations, such as filing for OT on the
proper^sheets and in the proper manner. If,
at any time, any SIU patrolman or other
Union official, in your opinion, fails to pro­
tect your contract rights properly, contact
the nearest SIU port agent.
EDITORIAL POLICY—THE LOG. The
Log has traditionally refrained from publish­
ing any article serving the political purposes
of any individual in the Union, officer or
member. It has also refrained from publish­
ing 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 constitution^ ports. The responsibility
for Log policy is vested in an editorial board
which consists of the Executive Board of
the Union. The Executive Board may del­
egate, from among its ranks, one individual
to carry out this responsibility.

WEU KNOWN SEAFARER

PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are
to be paid to anyone in any official capacity
in the SIU unless an official Union receipt
is given for same. Under no circumstances
should any memberpay any money for any
reason unless he is given such receipt. In
the event anyone attempts to require any
such payment be made without supplying a
receipt, or if a member is required to make
a payment and is given an official receipt,
but feels that he should not have been
required to make such payment, this should
immediately be reported to Union head­
quarters.
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLI­
GATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution
are available in all Union halls. All members
should obtain copies of this constitution so
as to familiarize themselves with its con­
tents. Any time you feel any member or
officer is attempting to deprive you of any
constitutional right or obligation by any
methods such as dealing with charges, trials,
etc., as well as all other details, then the
member so affected should immediately no­
tify headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY
DONATION—SPAD. SPAD is a separate
segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to
further its objects and purposes including,
but not limited to, furthering the political,
social and economic interests of maritime
workdrs, the preservation and furthering of
the American Merchant Marine with im­
proved employment opportunities for sea­
men and boatmen and the advancement of
trade union concepts. In connection with
such objects. SPAD supports and contrib­
utes to political candidates for elective office.
All contributions are voluntary. No contri­
bution may be solicited or received because
of force, job discrimination, financial re­
prisal, 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 above improper conduct, notify
the Seafarers Union or SPAD by certified
mail within 30 days of the contribution for
investigation and appropriate action and re­
fund, if involuntary. Support SPAD to pro­
tect and further your economic, political and
social interests, and American trade union
concepts:

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guar­
anteed equal rights in employment and as
members of the SIU. These rights are clearly
set forth in the SIU constitution and in the
contracts which the Union has negotiated
with the employers. Consequently, no mem­
ber may be discriminated against because of
race, creed, color, sex and national or geo­
graphic origin. If any member feels that he
is denied the equal rights to which he is
entitled, he should notify Union headquar­
ters.

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 information, he
should immediately notify SIU President Mike
Sacco at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The address is 5201
Auth Way and Britannia Way, Prince Georges
County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

SIU HONORS Rl, L KING

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Retired seafarer Joe Powers, one of the union's legendary old timers, cotrtinues
to lead an active life. An avid New York Metsfan, he is pictured second from the
left with some friends at the Diamond Club in Shea Stadium. Joe, a long time
correspondent of the Settfarers LOG, has also been among its mq/or contributors.

In San Francisco, the SIU and other maritime unions nutrched in that city's
Martin Luther King Day parade. Pictured above (L-R) SIU Vice President
George McCartney, SUP President Paul Dempster, Seafarer Vince Coss and SIU
Patrolman Gentry Moore.
WW:

IV BEUfORU SIU FISHERMEN

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SEAFARERS WELFARE PIAN

Nona

COBAA: CoHtinuation Health Covengu

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•f you or your dependents lose your eligibility for health care coverage under the
f Rules and Regulations of the Seafarers Welfare Plan, you and your dependents .
may be eligible to purchase, at a premium. Welfare coverage directly from the
Plan. If you find that you have lost your eligibility for Plan coverage, you must
notify the Plan office immediately to find out whether or not you or your
dependents may elect to continue your benefits under this program.
If you want more information concerning this program you can call the
membership services office.
1-800-CLAIMS-4 (1-800-252-4674)
or write
COBRA Program
Seafarers Welfare Plan
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746
SIU fishermen in New Bedford help secure vast quantities of our ruUiori's
seafood supply. Pictured above, by the FIV Alem-Mar, are the boat's rrtate,
Antonio Pereira (left) and New Bedford SIU Port Agent Henri Francois.

NOTE: A detailed article explaining this program appeared in January, February:
and March 1989 issues of the "LCXi". You may want to refer to it for future
information.
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limN SUfARERS JOIN
UNION'S PENSION RANKS

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'he SIU Pension Plan an­
nounced that 11 seafarers
became retirees. The mem­
bers, ten from the deepsea
division and one from the
inland waters, are the
union's most recent retirees.
HASSIN ALEIDAROOS
Hassin Aleidaroos, 55, joined the
SIU in December 1965. He re­
ceived his book May 10, 1971 in
the port of Baltimore. Brother

i

Aleidaroos sailed as a FOWT in
the engine department, shipping
out of the port of New York.
Born in Saudi Arabia, Aleida­
roos, formerly of Detroit, Mich.,
now makes his home in Brook­
lyn, N.Y.
GEORGE W. ALEXANDER
George W. Alexander, 58,
started sailing as a messman
with the Marine Cooks and
Stewards Union in 1957 and got
his SIU book in 1%3 in the port

of New York. Bom in Perqui­
mans County, N.C,, Brother
Alexander later sailed as an AB,
shipping out of the port of Nor­
folk, Va. Alexander makes his
home in Elizabeth City, N.C.
GRADY K. BROWN
Grady K.
Brown, 65,
joined the SIU
July 23, 1947 in
the port of New
York. He sailed
in the engine de­
partment as an
OMU, most recently out of the
port of Houston. Brother Brown
now lives in Bremond, Texas.

Dispatchers Report for Inland Waters
FEBRUARY l-28i^ 1989
•TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups .
Class A Class B Class C

••REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

Baltimore
l4orjfbIk
Mobile

JAMES D. McCART
James D. McCart, 66, sailed out
of the port of San Francisco,
where he presently resides.

TELESFORO VAZQUEZ
Telesforo Vaz­
quez, 60, sailed
out of the port of
Houston,.Texas
as an AB.
Brother Vaz­
quez, now re­
sides in Pasa­
dena, Texas.

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PAUL E. HOLLOWAY
Paul E. Holloway, 63, began
sailing in the deck department
out of the port of New York in
1964. Born in North Carolina,
Brother Holloway will continue
to live there in retirement.

WILLIAM S. RUDD
William S. Rudd, 60, joined the
SIU in 1955 and sailed both in­
land and deepsea out of the port
of Norfolk, Va. Born in Norfolk,
Brother Rudd resides in Virginia
Beach, Va.

H' •'•'•••
11-••-'&amp;•'

.^•'

JOSEPH A. GRBAC
Joseph A. Grbac, 65, sailed out
of the port of Houston since
joining the Union in 1951.
Brother Grbac continues to live
in Houston.

JAMES H. MOORE
James H. Moore, 59, sailed out
of the port of Wilmington, Calif.
Brother Moore, who lives in Las
Vegas, Nev., sailed as an AB in
the deck department.

.'i •/,'

if.

FRANCIS BUHL
Francis Buhl, 62,
started sailing in
the deck depart­
ment in 1946.
His membership
book was issued
in 1947 in the
port of Balti­
more. Bom in Boston, Mass.,
Brother Buhl lives in Orlando,
Fla. He sailed out of the port of
Jackonsville, Fla.

Totals

' ••,

Port

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

ladelphia
Itimore

\f

Mobile
New Orleans
iSaii Francisco
Wilmington
Seattle
Puerto Rico
Houston
Al^nac
St. Louis
[Piney Point
Totals
Totals All Departments
80
14
35
23
9
37
157
65
76
•"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.

-^0

••' *--•- 1

*)

ROLAND B. MASON
Roland B. Ma­
son, 64, sailed as
a captain out of
the port of Nor­
folk, Va. Brother
Mason received
his book in 1965
in that port and
now makes his home in Chesa­
peake, Va.

-I

Keep yeur tlaimshOs nmber
handy
1-800/CUIIMS-4
0-800/252-4874}
answer is a

iff.

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iUFSSl

�HUUKH, 1989

75

Dispatchers
Report
lot
Deep
Sea
FEBRUARY 1-28, 1989
*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Trip
Reliefs

^•REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

New York
Philadelphia

Miothfy
Membershifi
HkeHngs 0«ep

'tf €
.r

$80, takes.

Inland Waters

' -f-

PIney Point
Monday, April 3
New York
Tuesday, April 4
Phlladeipilia

Wednesday, April 5
«
Baltimore
Thursday, April 6
Norfolk
Thursday , April 6
Jacksonville
Thursday, April 6

|JV &lt;
•-*

... •

i,. c

AlgMMW

Friday, April?
Houston
Monday, April 10
New Orleans
Tuesday, April I I
Mobile
Wednesday, April 12
San Francisco
Thursday, April 13
Wilmington
Monday, April J? r

••Vy

'

V1

Seattle
Friday, April 21

'-•••'T

San Juan

; Thursday, April 0
St. Louis
Friday, April 14
Honolulu
Friday, April 14
Duluth
Wednesday, April 12
Jersey City
Wednesday, April 19
New Bedford
Tuesday, April 18

• r.i'/-:;
' '1

mm.
'

.

Personals
Kevin Bertel
Please contact Chris Killeen
(2nd pumpman. Cities Service
Miami), 83 Wetmore Ave. #2,
Morristown, N.J. 07960, or call:
(201) 292-0155.

r":

James FelLv Clark
Anyone knowing the where­
abouts of James Felix Clark is
asked to get in touch with his
son, James Felix Clark Jr. You
may write him at 4102 Orange
Ave., Long Beach, Calif. 90807
or call (213)427-6831.
Totals

Totals All Departments
657
358
336
482
288
282
161
1,303
572 ' 421
*"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 February was down from the month of January. A total of 1,213 jobs were shipped
on SllJ-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,213 jobs shipped, 482 jobs or about 40 percent were taken by
"A" seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 161 trip relief jobs
were shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 9,504 jobs have been shipp^.

Hubert Joshua Hale
Your niece, Valerie Hall Zack,
would like to get in touch with
you. Please call her at (919) 4674348 or write her at 11()4 Ralph
Dr., Cary, N.C. 27511.
Joe Zeloy
Please call Dempsy Burleson
at (817) 924-6310.

• 1
sis.

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16

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SEAFARERS LOG

'' • '.

COBRA: A WAY TO CONTINUt HtALTH COmRAOl

I

n December of 1988, the Seafarers Welfare Plan sent a letter to all plan
participants describing a new program called "COBRA." COBRA allows
an employee to purchase health care benefits when he or she becomes
ineligible to receive health and welfare from the Plan.
This benefit program is part of a law called The Consolidated Omnibus
Budget Rehabilitation Act or COBRA. Congress passed COBRA to provide
individuals with the opportunity to purchase their health insurance in the
event of losing eligibility for benefits under health care plan.
The law spells out what events have to happen before a person can buy
the health benefits. Participants who lose plan coverage after January /,
1989 will be able to purchase benefit coverage for themselves and their
dependents. Under certain circumstances it is also possible for dependents
to purchase health plan coverage for themselves. Below is the complete te.xt
of the letter.
Dear Participant:
A new law requires the Seafarers Welfare Plan to give you and your
dependents the opportunity to extend your health care coverage in situations
where you have lost your eligibility for benefits. These situations are called
"qualifying events." This letter will explain how the new law applies to you
and yoUr family and how to use this program should you become ineligible
for benefits under the Seafarers Welfare Plan.
In order to understand the new law, you need to know a few special
terms. Please make sure that you and your spouse read this letter carefully
so you will be able to take advantage of this program should you need it.

Definitions
1. COBRA—The short name for the federal law which gives Plan partici­
pants the right to purchase Welfare Plan coverage.
2. QUALIFYING EVfiNT—A situation which causes the errtployee to lose
Welfare Plan coverage because they no longer work for an employer who
must make contributions to the Plan on their behalf. A list of qualifying
events will be explained on the following pages.
3. ELECTION—An election is your decision to tell the Plan whether you
would like to purchase Welfare Plan coverage under the COBRA pro­
gram.
4. COST OF CONTINUING COVERAGE—This is the amount of money
you are required to send to the Plan office so your health care coverage
will be continued. This payment is like an insurance premium. It is
necessary because the employer for whom you worked before the quali­
fying event happened, is no longer required to make contributions on
your behalf.
&gt;

Viniat type of situation is a quaiifving event under COBRA?
The next part of this letter will explain what type df situations will allow
you to continue your health care coverage under the COBRA program of
the Seafarers Welfare Plan. As explained above, these situations are called
"qualifying events." When one of these events happens to you, it means
that you, your wife or dependent children will lose coverage under the Plan
and can elect to continue coverage by purchasing benefits.
The "qualifying events" are:
1. Your being fired from your job. You may elect to continue your health
benefits if you were fired for any reason unless you were fired for gross
misconduct.
2. You were unable to continue to work enough time to be eligible to
continue your benefits under the Rules and Regulations of the Plan.
3. Your death, which would entitle your spouse and dependent children to
continue coverage.
4. Your divorce, or legal separation from your spouse which would entitle
your spouse and dependent child to continue coverage.
5. Your eligibility to receive Medicare benefits. For example, you are age 65
but still actively employed, making the Seafarers Welfare Plan the pro­
vider of your welfare benefit coverage rather than the Medicare program.
6. Your dependent child loses eligibility under the Plan because (I) he or
she reaches age 19 or (2) he or she does not fall into the category of
dependents under the age of 25 and enrolled in a full time school program
leading to a college degree.

V-Si'.'•'&gt;••,

•' •". • 'V

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%{

How will I know if I am eligible to continue welfare plan coverage
under the COBRA program?

When the Plan receives notice from you or your employer that one of the
"qualifying events" listed above has happened, the Plan office will send you
a letter with complete instructions about how to continue coverage.
In the event of death, divorce, legal separation, receipt of Medicare
benefits or when a dependent child is no longer eligible for Welfare Plan
coverage, you or your spouse should notify the Plan at the address given at
the end of this letter. Your employer will notify the Plan if you are termi­
nated, if your Job with the company has ended, or if your hours have been
reduced.
If any of the "qualifying events" happens to you, it is also important that
you notify the Plan of the change. Since seafaring employees are able to end
jobs and get other work without generally notifying the Plan, it is very
difficult to determine when a participant will lose his or her eligibility. The
Plan is here to serve you, but we need your help.
If you have not worked and you know you are ineligible for plan benefits,
contact the plan's COBRA department to see if you can elect to continue your
welfare benefits under this program.

What type of benefifs will I receive if I elect to continue benefits
under the COBRA?

If you elect to participate in the COBRA program and pay the costs, you
will receive the same type and level of benefits as you did before you lost
your eligibility. You will receive these benefits as long as you are not
already receiving Medicare benefits from the government, or you are not
working for another employer who has a medical benefits program.

How long will health care coverage through the COBRA program last?
The maximum period of time you, your spouse or dependent children will
be able to continue health care benefits under the COBRA progam depends,
on your "qualifying event."
If you lose eligibility because you were fired or laid off from your job or
did not work enough time to establish eligibility, your maximum coverage
period is 18 months from the date of the event. If you lose your eligibility
for any other "qualifying event," the maximum coverage period will be 36
months from the date of the qualifying event.

What happens if I have two qualifying events?
If you experience two "qualifying events," it is possible to extend your
coverage through the COBRA program for up to 36 months instead of 18
months. The time period is measured from the date of the first qualifying
event.
In order to receive an extension of participation in the COBRA program
the following must have happened:
1. Your first "qualifying event" must have been a termination of employ­
ment or a reduction in your days of employment which caused you to
lose your eligibility.
2. Your second "qualifying event" must take place while you are receiving
Plan benefits which you have purchased through the COBRA program.
Your second "qualifying event" must also be (I) the death of your
covered spouse; (2) divorce or legal separation; (3) your eligibility for
Medicare; (4) your dependent child's loss of eligibility under the Seafar­
ers Welfare Plan because he or she has reached the maximum age for
benefit coverage.

Can my COBRA coverage end before the 18th or 36th month
maximum period?

Yes. Your COBRA coverage can end before the maximum period if the
following events take place:
(1) Your monthly payment to the Plan for the COBRA coverage is not
timely.
(2) You get another job which has health care benefits for you. Even if
those benefits are less complete than those you are receiving from the
COBRA coverage, you can no longer receive benefits from the COBRA
program.
'i
(3) You become entitled to receive Medicare benefits.

What is the election period and how does it work?
Once again, the "election" is your decision to tell the Plan whether you
wish to purchase COBRA benefit coverage in the event you lose Seafarers
Welfare Plan coverage. Depending on the "qualifying event," the Plan will
send you notice, or you or your family member will send a letter to the
Plan.
Once the "qualifying event" has happened and the Plan sends you an
"election" letter, you and your family will have 60 days to decide whether
to purchase benefits through the COBRA program. The election period will
end 60 days from:
(1) The date you experience your "qualifying event" which caused you to
lose eligibility time for benefit coverage from the Seafarers Welfare Plan
or
(2) the date the Plan tells you that you have a right to participate in the
COBRA program, whichever date is later.

How much will COBRA coverage cost?
The cost of COBRA benefit coverage depends on what level of Plan benefits
you were receiving at the time you or your dependents lost eligibility for
Seafarers Welfare Plan coverage. Because the cost to participants will vary,
you will be notified of the cost to you, or if you are married, for you and
your family.
After notification of a "qualifying event," the Plan will send you a letter
which contains specific information for your situation. This letter will ex­
plain the cost of the COBRA benefit coverage and other important informa­
tion. If you choose to buy benefit coverage through the COBRA program,
the first payment you make will cover the cost of your benefits, for the
period before your election. After that, you will make a payment once a
month.

Can my spouse elect to continue health care benefits?
Yes. Each family member is entitled to make an election. If you make the
election, your spouse and dependent children will be automatically included.
If your spouse makes the election it will automatically include dependent
children.

What if my payment for COBRA coverage is late?
If you choose to participate in the COBRA program your first check must
be received by the Plan no later than 45 days after you elect to participate in
the program. You then must pay a premium every month to keep your
COBRA benefits.
You do have a 30-day grace period for making late payments. The grace
period expires 30 days from the first day of the month during which your
coverage is extended. If you do not pay within this grace period you will
lose welfare benefit coverage.

When will the program start?
The COBRA program will be in effect on January I, 1989. If you need more
information you can call Membership Services at I-800-CLAIMS-4 (1-800252-4674). You may also write to COBRA Program, Seafarers Welfare Plan,
5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Maryland 20746.
Leo Bon^r
Plans Administrator

Correction

^

In the January, 1989 issue of the LOG, page 18, the question reading "Can
my COBRA coverage end before the 24th or 36th month maximum period?"
should have read "Can my COBRA coverage end before the 18th or 36th
month maximum period?"
.

i. ^ •

I, •

•r;

�, j.-- •

MARCH, 1989

-•
..

• i'

Cn LOUIS J. HAGUE, JR., ( Maersk
Lines), December 6—Chairman
April de Bourgiinuere, Educational
Director Michael Martin, Deck Del­
egate Edward C. Kaufman, Steward
Delegate John Stoster. Some dis­
puted OT was reported in the deck
and steward departments. Denis
McGuiness vvas elected ship's treas­
urer. He will try to get an anchor
pool going to add to the $38 now in
the ship's fund. It was requested
that the Huufie be sent booklets
about the Union's pension and
health and welfare plans, as well as
shipping rules and more copies of
the LOG. In its report to the Seafar­
ers LOG, the
crew writes,
"We are proud to announce the first
female ship's chairman for Maersk
Lines in Diego Garcia. She is April
de Bourgiinuere who sails in the
steward department out of the port
of New Orleans. Fellow brothers
and sisters, we have arrived! " Next
port; Diego Garcia.
GALVESTON BAY (Sea Land Service),
January 22—Chairman Paul Butterworth, Secretary Terry Smith, Edu­
cational Director A. Rhymes, Deck
Delegate Keith Thompson, Engine
Delegate Donald Bush, Steward Del­
egate Fredrick E, Otto, Some dis­
puted OT was reported by the en- •
gine department delegate. There is
$.'^0 in the ship's movie fund. Sev­
eral suggestions were made to im­
prove life aboard ship. One was to
get a microwave oven and a new riig
for the crew lounge. Another was to
have the 12/4 watch do sanitary
again A third was to talk to the
captain about having early breakfast
when arriving in port and to check
with him about the bad timirig in
putting out the draws. It was also
requested that each crewmember's
room have a phone installed. .[In
each of these cases, the issue has
been addressed and, if not already
corrected, is in the process of being
so.) Next ports: Charleston, S,C.
and Port Everglades, Fla,
UBERIY SPIRH (Liberty Maritime
Corp,), January 22—Chairman Bob
O'Rourke, Secretary Joe L, John­
son. The chief mate is keeper of the
video fund which currently has $219.
The chairman reports excellent co­
operation by all hands during this
voyage. Several problems were
noted, however. One was that there
are two stowaways from Karachi
aboard ship, and the chief mate in­
sists that they work on deck each
day. Another was that the captain
has said that the company does not
use DEUs for docking or undocking,
nor does it recognize Martin Luther
King Day as a holiday at sea. [In
response to these beefs, a dispatch
was sent out from headquarters, in­
forming the ship's chairman that a
letter has been sent to the company
requesting that they advise the cap­
tain that he is in violation of the
contract.[ A safety consultant spent
several weeks aboard the Liberty
Spirit. His lectures and drills on
safety and firefighting were interest­
ing and informative.. All hands were
urged to apply for upgrading courses
at Piney Point. A special vote of
thanks was given to Joe L. Johnson
and the steward department for a
job well done. Next port: Capetown,
South Africa.
UBERIY WAVE iUhcrxy Maritime
Corp.), January 22—Chairman A.
Campbell, Secretary R. Kennedy,
Deck Delegate W. Pepney, Engine
Delegate M. Lawrence, Steward
Delegate W. Bloodworth. Some dis­
puted OT was reported in the stew­
ard department. [At payoIT, this was
settled by the boarding patrolman as
per the three-man steward depart­
ment guide.] The QMED was of the

17
opinion that he did not have to paint
and chip. [This, too, was squared
away at payoff, with the patrolman
clarifying that the QMED is required
to do painting in the engine room as
per the memo of agreement with
Liberty Maritime Corp.] There is
$380 in the captain's safe, ear­
marked for the ship's treasury. A
question was raised regarding cost
of living raises. And it was felt that
the crew needs the rules of agree­
ment for Liberty Maritime Corp.
[These items were discussed and
squared away.) A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department
which, despite a foul-up in stores,
continued to feed the crew through
the end of the voyage.
OVERSEAS CHICAGO (Maritime Over­
seas), January 29—Chairman Ervin
Bronstein, Secretary/Deck Delegate
Clyde Kreiss, Educational Director
M. Williams, Engine Delegate C.
Pickren, Steward Delegate Charles
Hall. No beefs of disputed OT re­
ported. The chairman announced
there would be a payoff on arrival in
Nederland, Texas. He requested
each crewmember to do his part in
making sure that plastic items are
separated from other trash and
placed in (he compactor in accord­
ance with the new regulations. He
also reminded all hands to help keep
the common areas clean. A motion
was made by one member to raise
the pension according to the cost of
Ijving. Another motion was to make
Martin Luther King's birthday a
Union holiday since it already is
with the longshoremen in port. The
steward department was given a
vote of thanks for a Job well done.

cook for the good menus and food
preparation. Next port: Jacksonville,
Fla.
$fil-f4WD DfVrtOPflKSea-Land Serv­
ice), January 14—Chairman Roger
Pinkham, Secretary L. Ware, Edu­
cational Director Mike Donlon,
Deck Delegate James Frost, Engine
Delegate Domingo Milla, Steward
Delegate Joseph Gibbons. There is
one day's wages ifl^dispute in the
deck department. The ship's movie
fund contains $150. While the chief
electrician is on vacation, the money
will be turned over to a responsible
person for safekeeping. Several sug­
gestions were made. One was to
have three entrees on the menu for
lunch and dinner. Crewmembers re­
quested the "old fashioned type of
prime rib" as an option, .stating,
"We prefer the bone with the prime
rib." Another was that members
would like the old shipping rule of
six months to be reconsidered, in­
stead of the new eight-month ship­
ping rule. Crewmembers also re­
quest that the Union grant
emergency trips (relief) in cases of
death, sickness of close family mem­
bers and official court and govern­
ment business. Next port: Tacoma,
Wash.
SEA-UHD ENDURANCE (Sea Land Serv
ice), January 8—Chairman Ted Tolentino. Secretary D. G&lt;iNung, Edu­
cational Director G.Evosivich,
Deck Delegate J. Debos, Engine
Delegate R. Jones, Steward Delegate
Fagalilo Maliga. No beefs or dis­
puted OT reported. AB Scotty Boatright lost two fingertips by trying to
stop a door from the wrong end dur-

D.L. McCorvey, Secretary T.
Wybo, Educational Director H.
Smith, Steward Delegate Adolphus
Brown. No beefs or OT reported.
Everything is running pretty
smoothly onboard the
how­
ever, the ship has not received any
reports from headquarters in a long
time, with the exception of the Sea­
farers LOG. A motion was made an()
seconded to rai.se the retirement to
$l,0()0 per month plus any cost of
living increases.
Next port: Port Everglades, Fla.
STAR OF TEXAS (Seahawk Manage­
ment), January 29—Chairman Gene
Paschal, Secretary H. Jones, Educa­
tional Director G.K. Darney. No
beefs or disputed OT reported. The
voyage went very well, according to
the chairman, who also announced
that the ship will pay off Feb. 2,
1989. All eligible members were
urged to attend upgrading courses at
Piney Point. Also, if any member
has a drinking or drug problem, the
Union's Addictions Rehabilitation
Center can help. A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department
for a job well done. Next port:
Beaumont, Texas.

'.'A

r.V'"

In addition to the minutes pub­
lished above, the SIU received offi­
cial ships minutes from the following

conuAoa
Minor
sa-iAnOi
su-uum apiaaa
SU-UUm UAVIGATOn
su-uum PAOTK
su-uum m»na

'•

MflMliff

Digest of

Ships Msstings
. 4/

fko Mhwing ships minutos m just a sampling
of the manp moating nports the SlU foceives
Ottih month horn its
amunil the woriil.
Ships minutos anm^od hy the Union's
Contrua UopatUnont, nose issues requiring
attention or rosaluthn are addressed hy the
Uniott upon nce^t of the slnps minutes.

PRESIDENT TAYLOR (under charter to
Waterman), December 11—Chair­
man Joe Moore, Secretary Lee de
Parlier, Educational Director Lauren
Bryant. No beefs or disputed OT re­
ported. The ship delivered a full
load of bagged wheat to Ethiopia as
part of the famine relief. It was the
third such trip for the President Tay­
lor. There is no news yet about the
next cargo, if any. The vessel will
arrive in Jacksonville, Fla. on the
13th for repairs and payoff. At that
time, it was stressed that members
go to the Union hall and vote for the
election of our Union officials. The
educational director noted that there
are a number of younger members in
this crew and they should be urged
to take advantage of the upgrading
opportunities at Piney Point. It was
requested that those members
watching TV in the lounge try to
keep the noise level down as
watchstanders rooms are in the area.
The steward asked the Union to see
the company about providing a daily
news sheet and sport scores since
the Armed Forces Radio Service has
gone satellite and no longer broad­
casts shortwave. The deck crew was
thanked by the steward delegate for
cleaning up the messroom in the
morning. And a vote of thanks was
returned to the steward and chief

ing a heavy roll. The ship had to
return to 'Yokohama after being at
sea for two days. Scotty held up
really well, thanks to the support he
received from a lot of the crew. All
crewmembers were cautioned to
watch out for their safety aboard
ship. The bosun urged all eligible
Seafarers to consider the opportuni­
ties available at Piney Point to up­
grade their skills. Information on
courses and schedules is available in
each month's Seafarers LOG. The
educational director reported that
there is a rumor going around the
ship stating that Union members
"have lost the one day and a quarter
for every day after 3,()()0 in the pen­
sion." [Vice President "Red"
•
Campbell responded that these ru­
mors are unfounded. There is no
change in the rule since it was pro­
posed by the members attending the
Crew's Conference in Piney Point in
April 1984. The credit of an addi­
tional quarter day applies to all days
worked after June 16, 1984, above
3,000 days.) One minute of silence
was stood in memory of our de­
parted brothers and sisters. A vote
of thanks was given to the steward
department for all their hard work.
SENATOR (Coordinated Caribbean
Transport), January 22—Chairman

I'-'

WANT TO BE
HEARD?

" '
'-y

/I

Send your Letters-to-the-Editor,
articles, photographs, cartoons"
and questions to the LOG.'

• : •

Politics is Porkchops
Contribute to SPAD

.V

i
%j

�CHARLES L. ALDRIDGE
MSG Pensioner Charles L. Aldridge, 74, passed away on No­
vember 12, 1988 at the Gardena
Memorial Hospital in Los Ange­
les, Calif. Brother Aldridge be­
longed to the Sailors Union of
the Pacific and later the Marine
Cooks and Stewards. He began
sailing in 1951 and retired in
March 1978, Seafarer Aldridge is
survived by his sister, Rebecca
A. Thomas of Los Angeles.

W-m
;
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'•

•'

"

• •, i'"' '

' •• •' '•

GERARD ARREDONDO
Gerard Arredondo, 31, died Oc­
tober 18, 1988. He joined the
SIU in July 1979 in the port of
Piney Point, Md. Seaman Arre­
dondo sailed in the steward de­
partment on many Sea-Land
ships. Brother Arredondo at­
tended Cook &amp; Baker Classes at
SHLSS in Piney Point in No­
vember 1987, MSG Firefighting
in December 1987, Sea Lift Op­
erations and Maintenance course
in January 1988 and Chief Cook
classes in April 1988. Seafarer
Arredondo was bom in East
Chicago, Ind. and resided in San
Pedro, Calif. Surviving is his
mother Evelia Arredondo of San
Pedro.
KATHRYN McFAUL ELDER
MCS Pensioner Kathryn McFaul
Elder, 87, died December 31,
1988 at Whidbey General Hospi­
tal in Coupeville, Wash. She be­
longed to the Marine Cooks and
Stewards Union and retired in
March 1969. Yeoman Elder was
bom in Wisconsin. She sailed
with Oceanic Steamship Lines
and Matson. Services were held
at Burley Funeral Chapel, Oak
Harbor, Wash. She is survived
by her son, Hiel Van Campen of
Oak Harbor.

M-

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V-f V •

•iSrV'.#::l, •

- •-'»- .•

JAMES W. GALLOWAY
James W. Gallo­
way, 51, died
Jaituary 24,
1989. He was
born in Winches­
ter, Va. and re­
sided in Berryville, Va.
Brother Galloway joined the SIU
in September 19M in the port of
New York. He sailed in the deck
department and last sailed as
Quartermaster. He sailed with
Puerto Rico Marine Management
and Interocean Management.
Seaman Galloway served in the
U.S. Navy and the Virginia Na­
tional Guard. He is survived by
/Hfis widow, Mary Taylor Gallo­
way, and a nephew. Randy Rog­
ers. Funeral Services were held
at Omps Funeral Home in Win­
chester.
MARVIN G. JOHNSON
Pensioner Marvin G. Johnson,
71, died January 23, 1989 at the
Presbyterian Medical Center in

San Francisco, Calif. Brother
Johnson belonged to the Marine
Cooks and Stewards Union and
he sailed in the steward depart­
ment. He shipped primarily with
Matson and retired in June 1978.
He served in the U.S. military
from 1942 to 1952. Brother John­
son was born in Texas and re­
sided in Hay ward, Calif, for 20
years. Surviving is his widow,
Leila Johnson. Funeral services
were held at the Thompson Fu­
neral Home, and burial took
place at the Valley Home Ceme­
tery in Escalon, Calif.
JOSEPH MOUTON
Pensioner Joseph
Mouton, 79, died
January 31,
1989. He joined
the SIU in Octo­
ber 1972 in the
port of San
Francisco. Prior
to that time he was a member of
the Marine Cooks and Stewards
Union. Brother Mouton sailed in
the steward department and re­
tired in March 1985. He resided
in San Francisco. Brother Mou­
ton was born in Louisiana and
served in the U.S. Army from
February 1941 to April 1946.
Surviving is his sister, Lilian L.
Mouton of Greydan, La.
RICHARD F. ROBERTS
Pensioner Richard F. Roberts,
61, died February 2, 1989.
Brother Roberts joined the SIU
in October 1947 in the port of
Norfolk, Va. and sailed in the
deck department. He last sailed
aboard the Sea-Land Producer.
Brother Roberts served in the
U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1945.
He was born in Michigan. Sur­
viving is his brother Donald E.
Roberts of Three Rivers, Mich.
JOHN P. O'TOOLE
Pensioner John
P. OToole, 69,
passed away
February 1, 1989
at his home in
Baltimore, Md.
Brother OToole
joined the SIU in
April 1953 in the port of Balti­
more. Born in Maryland, Sea­
man OToole sailed in the engine
department and retired in 1975.
Surviving is his widow, Dorothy
L. OToole. Funeral services
were held at the George F.
Gonce Funeral Home, and burial
took place at Glen Haven Me­
morial Park in Glen Bufnie, Md.
BILLY RAY SCOTT
Billy Ray Scott,
60, died January
2, 1989. He be­
gan sailing in
1953 and joined
the SIU in 1964
in the port of
Wilmington,
Calif. Brother Scott sailed in the
deck department and served as
Ship's Chairman on the vessels.
Seadarer Scott attended the Edu­

cation Conference at Piney Point
in 1972; completed both the Bo­
sun's Recertificjation course at
Piney Point and the MSG Firefighting School at Earle, N.J. in
1976. Bosun Scott was born in
Texas and was resident of Cali­
fornia. He is survived by his
widow. Donna Jean Scott of
Compton, Calif.
ISIDORE C. WEISBROT
Pensioner Isi­
dore C. "Curly"
Weisbrot, 68,
passed away De­
cember 8, 1988
at Tulane Uni­
versity Medical
Center in New
Orleans, La. Brother Weisbrot
joined the SIU in September
1955 in the port of New York.
He sailed in the steward depart­
ment. After retirement in August
1981, he worked as a volunteer
bar-tender at dinners in the SIU
hall. Seaman Weisbrot was born
in New York and was a resident
of New Orleans. Surviving is his
brother. Jack Weisbrot of Camarillo, Calif.

Inland
JOHN O. JOHANSEN
Pensioner John O. Johansen, 95,
died January 3, 1989 at the Palm
Garden Nursing Home in Port
St. Lucie, Fla. He joined the In­
land Boatman's Union of the
SIU in June 1961 in the port of
Philadelphia. Prior to this time
Brother Johansen had sailed as a
derrick captain for Philadelphia
Derrick &amp; Salvage Corp. and
Merritt Chapman &amp; Scott Corp.
Brother Johansen retired in Feb­
ruary 1963. He was born in
Fredrikstad, Norway; became a
U.S. citizen and resided in Phila­
delphia. Funeral services were
held at Aycock Funeral Home in
Jensen Beach, Fla. and burial
took place at the All Saints
Cemetery in Jensen Beach. Sur­
viving is his daughter, Anne
Schwartz of Port St. Lucie, Fla.
ARVID VALENTINE KUUN
Pensioner Arvid V. Kuun, 81,
passed away on September 19,
1988 in Bayside Hospital in Vir­
ginia. Brother Kuun was born in
Estonia and made his home in
Virginia. He retired as a Captain
with Curtis Bay, the company he
began working for in 1948.
Brother Kuun is buried in the
Forest Lawn Cemetery in Nor­
folk, Va. Survivors include his
wife, Eleonara Klaus Kuun of
Virginia Beach, Va. and daugh­
ter, Aimi Kuun Brown of Flagler
Beach, Fla.

dan. La., Brother Lege joined
the Union in Port Arthur, Texas
in 1964. Brother Lege worked in
the steward department for Higman and Slade towing compa­
nies. He made Louisiana his
home. Surviving Lege are his
widow, Margie Lege, and his
daughter Linda.
JAMES MURRAY
Brother James Murray, 83,
passed away in late 1988.
Brother Murray joined the Rail­
road Marine division of the
Union in 1963 when he worked
in the deck department of Erie
Lackawanna. Born in Liverpool,
England, Brother Murray later
made New York City his home.
He is survived by his wife Jane
Murray of New York City.
ANTHONY ORLANDO
Fisherman Anthony Orlando, 76,
died December 12, 1988 in Bev­
erly Hospital, Beverly, Mass.
Brother Orlando fished out of
the port of Gloucester, Mass.
and retired before the merger.
Brother Orlando is survived by
his wife, Jeannie Orlando of
Gloucester.
ARIEVISSER
Pensioner Arie Visser, 75,
passed away in late 1988.
Brother Visser was bom in Rot­
terdam and made Baltimore his
home. He joined the Union in
1960 in the port of Baltimore.
Brother Visser shipped in the
steward department. He worked
primarily for Harbor Towing and
later Interstate Oil. Surviving
Brother Visser is his wife, Eliza­
beth Visser.
TOLIVER P. WARD
Brother Toliver P. Ward, 71,
passed away in late 1988.
Brother Ward joined the Union
in 1964 in the port of St. Louis.
He worked in the engine depart­
ment of Inland Tugs Co. and
later ACBL. Bom in Spartenburg, S C., Brother Ward made
his home in Pearlington, Miss.
Prior to joining the SIU, Brother
Ward had been a member of
MEBA. Surviving Brother Ward
are his widow Nona and chil­
dren, Jeren D. Williamson and
Donna F. Oman.
CHARLES YATES
Brother Charles Yates, 64,
passed away in late 1988.
Brother Yates joined the Union
in 1957 in the port of Houston.
Brother Yates worked in the
deck department of G &amp; H Tow­
ing. Born in Cape Girardeau,
Mo., Brother Yates made his
home in Houston. Brother Yates
also shipped briefly in the SIU
Deepsea District in 1950.
Correction

JOSEPH O. LEGE
Joseph O. Lege, 67, passed
away in late 1988. Bom in Guey-

The January LOG incorrectly
spelled the last name of Brother
Theodore Macris.

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Apnl—June 1989
,
The following is the current course schedule for April—June 1989 at the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship.
^
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership s and industry s
needs.
PLEASE NOTE: All members are required to take firefighting when atten^ng
SHLSS.

QMED—Any Rating
Refrigeration Systems, Maint. &amp;
Operations
Refrigerated Contitoers Advanced Maint
Variable Speed DC Drives
Welding
IMesel Engine Technology
Hydraulics
Electro-hydraulics
Pumproom Maint. &amp; 0|ra
All students in the Engine and Steward
Sealift Familiarization at the end of their

Completion
Date

Check-In
Pate

May 15
June 23
Open-ended (Contact Admissions
Office for starting date)

Able Seaman
First Class Pilot (Organiied self study)
Radar Refresher/Renewal
Radar Recertification
Tankerman
Lifeboat

June 9
May 15
May 12
May 1
June 9
May 29
April 14
April 3
a sepa«.e-course, bu. may b4 «.Ken white

Stoworrf Uptn^ Comes
All Steward Upgrading Courses are open&lt;nded. Contact the Adnussions Office for Starting dates.
All students in the Engine and Steward Departments will have 2 weeks of
Sealift FamUiarizatkm at the end of their regular course.
^

Address.

Telephone.
(Zip Code)

(State)

I*

Completipn
Date

Com
The Adult Education Courses for 1989 will be six weeks in length.
High School Equivalency (GED)
Adult Basic Education (ABAE)
English as a Second Language (ESL)

April 3
\
Apn^

i

25
12

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be.offered one week prior
to some of the upgrading classes.
Developmental Studies (DVS)
April 10
April 14

College Piegnm
Completion
Date

Check-In
Date

Course

NoD

CPR: • Yes

No •

No •
—

—

Primary Language Spoken.

(Street)

(City)'

:

Departments will have 2 weeks of
regular cou^

Date Available for training —_—

Date of Birth. Mo-ZDay/Year

(Middle)

••id'

Check-In
Date

Firefighting: • Yes

Upgruding Appiicution
(First)

July 7
May 12
June 2
March 31
April 28
June 30
May 12

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: • Yes

SiAFARiRS HARRY LUNDEBERG
SCHOOL OF SEAMANSHIP
(Last)

June 12
April 3
May 8
March 6
April 4
May 22
April 3

AIBE/ESL Lifeboat Preparatiwi Course
April 10
April 28
This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed
to help seafarers prepare themselves for the ""egu^ar Lifeboat course
is scheduled immediately after this course. This class will benefit those
seafarers who have difficulty reading, seafarers whosb first Jang^ge is not
English, and seafarers who have been out of schooljorajongt^^

&amp; Maint. Course.

Name.

July 7
May 12

Adult Edutation Courses

Detk UpgmilHig Crams
Course

ApH117
April 3

(Area Code)

Lakes Member •
Deep Sea Member •
Pacific •
Inland Waters Member •
If the following information is not filled out completely your applica­
tion will not be processed.

With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted
showing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the course(s) requested.
You must also submit a COPY of the first page of
indicating your department and seniority, as well as, a COPY of your
clinic card. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is
received.
DATE OF
DATE
RATING
DISCHARGE
SHIPPED
HELD
VESSEL

•' 'i.L

Book #-

Social Security #.

Department.

Seniority-

• Yes

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces:
Home Port

1 Am inleresled in the Following
Course(s) Checked Below or
Indicated Here if Not Listed

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held.

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program:
• No

(If yes, fill in below)
Trainee Program: From
Last grade of school completed.

(dates attended)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses:
• Yes
• No
(if yes, fill in below)
Course(s) Taken.

• No

—

• Yes

DATE.

SIGNATURE-

DECK
• AB/Sealift
• 1st Class Pilot
• Third Mate
• Radar Observer Unlimited
• Master Inspected Towing
Vessel
• Towboat Operator Inland
• Celestial Navigation
• Simulator Course
ENGINE
• FOWT
• QMED—Any Rating
• Variable Speed DC Drive
Systems (Marine Electronics)
• Marine Electrical
Maintenance
• Pumproom Maintenance &amp;
Operation

• Refrigeration Systems
Maintenance &amp; Operation
• Diesel Engine Technology
• Assistant Engineer/Chief
Engineer Motor Vessel
• Original 3rd Engineer Steani
or Motor
• Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
• Hectro-Hydraulic Systems
• Automation

• Hydraulics
• Marine Electronics
Technician
STEWARD
• Assistant Cook Utility
• Cook and Baker
• Chief Cook
• Chief Steward
• Towboat Inland Cook
ALL DEPARTMENTS
• Welding
• Lifeboatman (Must be taken
with another course)

ADULT EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT
• Adult Basic Education (ABE)
• High School Equivalency
Program (GED)
• Developmental Studies (DVS)
• English as a Second
Language (ESL)
• ABE/ESL Lifeboat
Preparation
COLLEGE PROGRAM
• Associates in Arts Degree
• Certificate Programs
No IransporUlioa wW be
onlcss yoo prcscnl orisiaal
receipts and successfully
complete the course.
RETURN COMPLETED
APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
Upgrading Center.
Piney Point. MD. 20674

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StAFAKRS LOG
Vif-'

AURT sui mm SAm mm PIAHS BIG BUCKS
4

crack watchdog unit which
monitors medical and hospital
bills submitted for care of Sea­
farers and their families is saving
the SlU Welfare Plan hundreds
of thousands of dollars annually.
Thanks to the constant vigi­
lance and expertise of the SIU's
medical audit staff, the enor­
mous savings on improper and
erroneous billings help to assure
the Welfare Plan's continued sol­
vency. Money trimmed from
bills in this manner is then avail­
able for proper and legitimate
expenses.
With hospitalization and medi­
cal expenses reaching all time
highs, the SIU's Welfare Plan
pays out millions of dollars a
year to cover treatment of Sea­
farers and their families. In Jan­
uary of this year, the medical
audit staff reviewed close to
$500,000 in medical bills of
members. As a result of inten­
sive investigation, detective
work and battling with hospitals
and doctors, the SIU medical
audit staff pared $45,000 from
the bills that otherwise would
have gone through undetected.
Dr. Maria Dumlao, who heads
the medical audit team, and her
two assistants, Mary Warren and
Pat Ametti, both nurses, flag ev­
ery bill that looks suspicious or
is in the high figures. Then with
the benefit of their medical back­
grounds and knowledge, they
thoroughly examine every item
and intensively check out all
facts.
A stirring example of how Dr.
Dumlao and her staff perform
was demonstrated recently when
bills were submitted for treat­
ment of an SIU member who
was hospitalized with heart
problems.

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charges. In many cases. Dr.
Dumlao says they will negotiate
for more acceptable charges.
She recommends that SIU
members, for their own protec­
tion, especially if they face hos­
pitalization, should check the
SIU Welfare Plan booklet to see
what is covered and the extent
of its benefits. The booklets are
available at all SIU halls, or may
be obtained by writing to the
Administrator, SIU Welfare
Plan, 5201 Auth Way, Camp
Springs, Maryland 20746.

rouRmam
IMis-siii nxusaf
isMff/NQNir

When the Plans receive a mescal bill the SIU's medical audit staff automatically
investigates the charges to make sure the Union and the member are not being
overcharged. Above, (L-R), Pat Ametti, Dr. Maria Dumlao and Mary Warren,
who comprise the aueUt staff, look over a bill.

During the course of his treat­
ment, a pacemaker was inserted
in his chest to keep his heart .
beating in regular rhythm. When
the Seafarers patient was dis­
charged from the hospital, a bill
was submitted for hospitaliza­
tion, surgical procedures and the
pacemaker. The charge for the
pacemaker was listed on the bill
at $21,000.
The bill, of course, was sub­
ject to the scrutiny of Dr. Dumlao's medical audit team and, not
liking what they saw, the team
went to work. "Pacemakers,"
they agreed, "don't cost
$21,000." They took a hard look
at the other charges.
A direct call to the manufac­
turer revealed that the pace­
maker sold for $4,850. Dr. Dum­
lao got on the phone to the
hospital and demanded to know

80 IN HOUSE CO-SPONSOR
BAN ON ALASKA OIL EXPORT
CONGRSSS MOm
ON JdASRR on
aPORTBRM

S

lU-backed legislation to indef­
initely extend the ban on the
export of Alaskan oil has won
more then 80 co-sponsors in the
House of Representatives.
The SIU is playing a major
role in the campaign to keep this
valuable cargo and energy re­
source from foreign exploitation.
Now, all the oil from Alaska
must be transported on U.S.-flag
tankers. The SIU is fighting to
keep the U.S.-flag requirement.
The representatives, from all
around the country, are backing
the bill (HR 567) which would
protect hundreds of SIU jobs on
the tankers working in the Alas­
kan oil trade.
The oil from the 49th state has
saved West Coast consumers bil­

how a $4,850 pacemaker could
be billed at $21,000. Moreover,
she wouldn't approve payment.
As a result of the audit staffs
work, the Seafarer's bill was re­
duced by $16,000, a substantial
salute to the efforts of Dr. Dum­
lao and Nurses Warren and Arnetti.
In 1988, the medical audit unit
Was able to reduce the bills sub­
mitted by hospitals and doctors
by $358,000. During the four
years the audit system has been
operating. Dr. Dumlao says they
have developed "a good idea of
which hospitals are pretty
straightforward and the ones you
have to watch carefully."
Doctors' fees are watched just
as closely. In most cases where
fees are questioned, the audit
team is successful in winning
agreement to reductions in the

r

HE SIU's medical audit unit saves
you and the Union Welfare Plan
hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
You can do the same, on a smaller scale,
and put some money back in your pocket
for your efforts.
The program is called Self Auditing
and it applies to hospital bills under
$10,000. Here's how to participate:
* Make sure the hospital gives you a
daily bill which includes all your
charges.
* Take a close look at the bill. If you
think you are being charged for medi­
cation, treatments or tests you did not
receive, contact the Welfare Plan's
medical audit staff.
* After the medical audit unit contacts
the hospital, and the hospital agrees a
mistake was made and takes it off the
bill, you will receive 25 percent of the
savings, up to $500.
Monitoring your hospital bills will pay
off. Studies show that more than 90 per­
cent of all hospital bills contain some
kind of error.
The medical audit staff has drawn up
some guidelines to use in checking hospi­
tal bills. If you are interested in receiving
a copy, contact the Medical Audit Unit,
Seafarers Welfare Plan, 5201 Auth Way,
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746.

m RIDGE SHIP'S COmmEE

lions of dollars at the gas pumps,
decreased the nation's reliance
on imported oil and preserved a
domestic merchant fleet.
New Exploration of Oil
In a related development, the
SIU is backing a bill introduced
by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska)
which would allow careful and
tightly regulated oil exploration
in the Alaska National Wildlife
Reserve (ANWR).
Exploration of the ANWR
would show if there are large
and valuable oil reserves there,
which could be used to replace
North Slope oil, which is ex­
pected to dwindle in the coming
years.
The administration supports
the careful exploration of the
ANWR, but some environmental
groups, have said they will fight
any exploration in the ANWR.

In Long Beach, Calif., the big tanker Bay Ridge (Bay Tankers Inc.) paid off
after a voyage from Alaska. The Bay Ridge is one of many SlU-crewed tankers
which depends on the Alaskan oil run. Pictured above is the Ship's Committee.
They are (I. to r.) Deck Delegate Abdul AH, Engine Delegate Alex Stankewiscz,
Bosun Terrel Anderson, Steward Delegates Aedulaziz Omar and Jack Spencer
and Engine Delegate Angeleo Psomos.

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
GOOD YEAR SEEN FOR LAKES JOBS&#13;
MTD URGES PROMPT ACTION TO BOLSTER AMERICAN-FLAG MERCHANT MARINE&#13;
SUMMARY OF MTD ACTIONS&#13;
SIU WEST COAST FISHERMAN CATCH RECORD TUNA&#13;
IRVING BROWN DIES: LED FIGHT AGAINST COMMIES IN POST-WAR EUROPE&#13;
EASTERN’S BAD MANAGEMENT PROVOKES MACHINISTS STRIKE&#13;
INFORMATION ON PRE-EMPLOYMENT DRUG TESTING&#13;
SIU SUIT AGAINST DRUG TESTING NEARS HEARING&#13;
MEMORIAL TO HONOR SEAMEN LOST IN U.S. WARS&#13;
FIRST SIU RUN FOR GREEN VALLEY &#13;
STEWARDS GRADUATE ADVANCED CLASS&#13;
ALERT SIU UNIT SAVES MEDICAL PLANS BIG BUCKS&#13;
80 IN HOUSE CO-SPONSOR BAN ON ALASKA OIL EXPORT&#13;
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OrHClAL ORSAN OF iHi SEAFAiraS INTIRIUTIOItlU. UNION • ATUimC OWf. UUB AND INIAND WAFERS DiSI»a • AH-CIO

SEAEARERS
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Commission Reports
Volume 51f Number 4

April 1989

UNmU SIGHS THRU WG COHmCTS

Panel Gtes Need
For U.S. Ship Mity

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SIU Opposes Plan

Keep Maritime Service &lt;
of GAIT Trade Talks
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Pictured above are Sabiue Towu^'s union and management negotiating teams.
Representing the Union are SiU Area Vice President Thomas GUdeweU (left),
Houston Port Agent Dean Corgey, Houston Patrolman Joe Perez, Harbor Engi'
neer Dave Griggs, Harbor Deckhand Ken Moore, Camd CtqU^^tiZomand
Harbor Captain Frank Jewell. Present for Sabine Tovring arePetsoMsrWanager Paul Moore (left), En^doymepf Agent Dot^ Thomas, Company President
Gerald Friesz and Dennis Paese, director of Labor Relations. Symbolically, in
the center of the table, side-by-side, are two caps—one has an SW logo and the
other an "S" for StMne. For a round-up of tiu three settled ti^ contracts, see
page 5.

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Strike Halts
Eastern
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Lakes Seafarers Start Season

eafarers, in traditional white
caps, joined with striking
Eastern machinists. Also on the
picket line were Eastern pilots
and flight attendants, who hon­
ored the strike.
Pictured right is Sea&amp;ier
Steve Biles and below are Law­
rence Scott behind striking ma­
chinist, (left); Nick Celona, Port
Agent of Piney Point, and SIU
members Paul Gottor and Larry
Arnold. Trainees and upgraders
from the Harry Lundebeig
school have provided daily pick­
ets at Washington, D.C.'s Na­
tional Airport. See pages 6-7.

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Ike SW-contmcted H. Lee White sits ready for her first trip of the 1980-90 season
^ier winteru^ in Toledo. She left bkvdh 21 for Marquette, Mich, to load taconite for
the blast furnaces of Aditabula, Ohio. With a record number of Great Lakes bulk
carriers fitting out, it looks tike a record shaping season is in the making with fuU Job
appmtnnities for SIU sdSors. See Great Lakes photo story on pages 11-14.

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President's Report

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here was a time when the forces affecting a seaman's livelihood,
although most difficult, were less complicated and wide-ranging
than they are these days. For the most part it was simply the basic
matters of employment, wages, shipboard working conditions and
treatment by the ship's officers that concerned the seafaring man.
Today, the seafarer faces a much more complicated world. The
issues affecting his livelihood spring from a great variety of social,
economic and political factors, most of which occur at levels and at
times that are fully removed from the workaday world of shipping.
New Round of GATT Talks
Take, for exaniple, GATT, an abbrevia­
tion that is unfamiliar to most Americans
but which has an important bearing on
their lives. GATT stands for General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, a group
which consists of 96 nations that meet
periodically to try to reduce barriers to
free trade. An important round of GATT
talks is about to begin. Traditionally,
GATT talks have focused on manufac­
tured goods. But in the current round of
talks, services have been placed on the
agenda. These services include banking,
insurance, telecommunications and, most important to us, marine
transportation.
Why is the SIU concerned about this development? We are con­
cerned because the U.S. trade representatives who will be negotiat­
ing for this country want marine transportation on the agenda but
not because they are interested in helping U.S. shipping improve its
position in world trade. What is more likely, is that they wish to use
this country's maritime industry as a bargaining chip to gain conces­
sions for services industries like banking and communications that
appear to rate higher in the administration's priorities.
Unless we succeed in getting maritime services removed from the
GATT agenda, all of the programs that are the underpinnings of the
U.S. private shipping fleet and are practically the basis of all of
American seamen's jobs, ard in absolute danger of being smashed by
an invasion of cheap and slave labor foreign ships. And with it
would go another vital area of our national security.

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tions shall be provided with a pre-determined policy statement re­
garding the U.S. maritime industry."
Until that pledge is put into practice, we must continue to support
the efforts of those senators and representatives who are leading the
fight to preserve America's shipping industry and the vital role it
plays in the national security.
GATT certainly is on our agenda.
* * *

The Presidential Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense ^
has issued its fourth and final report, entitled "A Plan for Action.
This completes the work of the commission, and the results of its
findings and recommendations have been submitted to the White
House.
The report confirms the fears that are continually being expressed
by those who are knowledgeable about the defense posture of the
United States: our merchant marine capability is dangerously insuffi­
cient to fulfill its role as an instrument of national security.
In submitting the final report to President Bush, the committee
chairman. Admiral Jeremiah Denton, a distinguished Navy veteran
and former U.S. senator, said "the commission reached the indis­
putable conclusion that there are today insufficient strategic sealift
resources—in terms of numbers and types of ships, trained person­
nel to operate them, and shipyards to maintain and replace them—to
carry out the national military strategy. Without decisive action the
situation will worsen substantially by the year 2000.
"Certainly there is no acceptable alternative," the commission
chairman continued, "to taking immediate action to remedy the
shortfalls in strategic sealift, in the shipbuilding and shipyard sup­
pliers, and in the available pool of qualified seamen and skilled
shipyard workers."
Then the commission chairman put his finger on what has to be
the most essential element if there is to be a reversal of the present
condition: "Only the president," Admiral Denton said, "can break
the log jam that has prevented action to address the strategic sealift
needed for our security."
Only two presidents—Roosevelt and Nixon—^in modern history
have possessed both an understanding of the role of merchant ship­
ping and the leadership qualities to do something about strengthen­
ing it. Let us hope that President Bush will now address this prob­
lem.
•

Threat to the Jones Act

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Immediately threatened would be the Jones Act, which protects
our domestic shipping, the nation's cargo preference statutes, and
what is left of the operating subsidy program—^to cite just a few of
the most obvious danger points.
Efforts to have the the trade representative remove maritime serv­
ices from the talks have not been successful, and it looks as though
we are facing a repeat of the battle last year over the attempts to
open our domestic shipping to Canadian vessels.
Fortunately, the Congress has demonstrated its feeling that the
U.S. maritime industry is essential to the economy and national
security and should not be the subject of any trade negotiations.
That is why the Canadian venture failed.
What remains to be seen is how the Bush administration actions
will square with the pledge that was made during the presidential
campaign last fall. That pledge said: "Preservation of the integrity of
the U.S. maritime industry shall be a priority in all international
trade negotiations, including the General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade. All United States representatives involved in trade negotia-

Inland Industry Reviews Impaif
of Drug Testing Regulations

We were saddened to learn that one of the great fighters in the
cause of Seafarers has passed on. Phil Carlip, who was the SIU's
very effective Washington representative for almost 30 years, until
his retirement in 1978, died on March 25 at the age of 94.
"Uncle" Phil, whose trademark was a chewed cigar, was the
SIU's "man on the Hill," who never tired of walking the halls of
Congress as he sought support on issues important to the well-being
of Seafarers.
Uncle Phil was known to hundreds of people in the Congress—
both members and staffers—^as a man of principle and an astute
observer of the political scene.
To many,'many SIU members he was an .unselfish friend, always
ready to lend a helping hand.
Phil Carlip made a great contribution to our way of life and he will
always have a place in our hearts.

yolume 5], Number 4

April 1989

LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by the Seafarers International
Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District; AFL-CIO; 5201
fAuth'heUnion;
Way; Camp Springs, Maryland 20746. Telephone (301) 899-0675.

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fw J attd inland con^any representatives listen to us Coast Guard and
fy Customs Service spokesmen present information on each agency's anti­
drug programs. The meetings called by the union, is the first of a series.

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Second-class postage paid at MSG Prince Georges; Maryland 20790-9998 and
at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the
LOG, 5201 Auth Way; Camp Springs, Maryland 20746.
President, Michael Sacco; Secretary-Treasurer, Joe DiGiorgio; Executive
Vice President, Joe Sacco; Vice President Collective Bargaining, Angus
"Red" CampbeU; Vice President Atlantic Coast, Jack Caffey; Vice President
Gulf Coast, Thomas Giideweli; Vice President West Coast, George McCartney;
Vice President Lakes and Inland Waters, John Fay; Vice President Government
Services, Roy Mercer.
Communications Department Director, yciwca Smith-, Editor, Charles Svenson;
Managing Editor, Mike Hall-, Associate Editors, Max Hall and Deborah
Greene-, Design Consultant, Dennis Goris.

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Sacco Deplores Ship Decline Under DOT, Seeks
Improved Status for Maritime Administration

PHIL CARLIP
DLAD AT 94
Phil Carlip, who served as the
SIU's chief Washington repre­
sentative from 1950 until 1978,
died on March 25 at the age of
94. A familiar and respected fig­
ure on Capitol Hill for close to
30 years, he played a pivotal role
in helping the Seafarers Union
secure passage of scores of mari­
time-related bills, including the
Merchant Marine Act of 1970,
Active in New York City and
state politics for more than a
generation before coming to
work for the SIU, he was named
by SIU President Paul Hall to
present maritime's case to Con­
gress.
Known affectionately to
everyone who worked with him
as "Uncle Phil," Carlip achieved
a near-legendary status in Wash­
ington, right down to his trade­
mark, an ever-present cigar.

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Played A Major Role
As the SIU's chief Washington
representative, Carlip played a
key role in every major legisla­
tive battle, including the Cargo
Preference Act of 1954, the Mer­
chant Marine Act of 1970 and
the Energy Transportation Act
of 1974, which failed to become
law only after a presidential
pocket veto.
At the 1986 convention of the
AFL-CIO Maritime Trades De­
partment, former Speaker of the
House Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill
Jr. spoke of his deep friendship
with Carlip. He said Carlip was
the most respected lobbyist of
his generation, and recounted a
famous story involving former
President Lyndon Baines John­
son.
Johnson had called Represen­
tative Frank Thompson (D-N.J.)
to gain his vote in the presi­
dent's effort to move the Mari­
time Administration from the
Department of Commerce to the
Department of Transportation.
Thompson apologized but said
he could not support the presi­
dent, he had already promised
his vote to Phil Carlip.
The president, who was not
accustomed to hearing the word
"no," looked straight at Thomp­
son and roared, "Who the hell is
Phil Carlip?" Despite the roar,
Thompson resisted the presi­
dent's pressure. Johnson lost the
issue in both the House and the
Senate.
Carlip is survived by a son,
Alfred, a professor at the State
University of New York in
Binghamton, a daughter, Sylvia
Secunda of Bethpage, N.Y., and
six grandchildren.

MM ichael Sacco, president of
iwE the Seafarers International
Union, criticized the Department
of Transportation (DOT) for "al­
lowing the gradual liquidation"
of the U.S. merchant marine.
Speaking before a Propeller
Club audience of diverse ship­
ping groups, Sacco pointed to
the decline of active U.S.-flag
vessels from 612 in 1981 to fewer
than 360 today. He suggested
that the maritime industry
"ought to be considering plans
and strategies for getting out of
our solitary confinement" by
moving the Maritime Adminis­
tration (MarAd) out of DOT.
As alternatives, Sacco pro­
posed switching MarAd back to
the Department of Commerce or
giving it independent agency sta­
tus.
He said, "My experience is
that the industry has trimmed its
sails, has substantially increased
its efficiency and has done vir­
tually everything within its
power to become more and more
competitive." Despite the ef­
forts, Sacco continued, "we
have faced a continuing lack of
critical and essential support
from our government that the
fleets of virtually every other na­
tion receive from their govern­
ments."
Sacco listed the results of
eight years of neglect from "the
agency that once served as a
watchdog and advocate of the
private shipping fleet." In addi­
tion to a loss of more than 250
vessels in 1981 there were 25,000
seafaring jobs; in 1989, 13,000.
In 1981 Construction Differential
Subsidy (CDS) amounted to
$871.6 million. Today there is
zero CDS funding. Finally, the
Reagan/Bush budget proposes
complete elimination of the Title
XI loan guarantee program.

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SW President Michael Sacco speaking to the Golden Gate Propeller Club.
"Further," Sacco pointed out,
"the Department of Transporta­
tion sits by idly as other admin­
istrative departments and agen­
cies continually seek to disregard
cargo preference statutes."
Even the courtesy of consulta­
tion is missing, noted Sacco, re­
minding the audience that DOT's
draconian drug testing regula­
tions were dropped unexpectedly
on the U.S.-flag fleet while ex­
empting foreign ships and alien
seamen.
A striking example of MarAd's
failure to promote the industry
was the "shameful decision to
allow 11 Kuwaiti tankers to fly
the U.S.-flag while the vessels
were manned by foreign sea­
men," Sacco recalled.
But "One of the most con­
vincing proofs of DOT'S deter­
mination to downgrade the role
of U.S. shipping," Sacco noted.

Gen. Duane H. Cassidy

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"was its decision to eliminate
the four maritime attache posts
in the American embassies in
Great Britain, Brazil, Greece and
Japan" which served as "physi­
cal reminders to the world of
America's position as a maritime
nation and a world power."
"Their closing," warned Sacco,
"signaled to the world that the
U.S. was continuing on the slide
down to a second-rate power."
After reviewing MarAd's "in­
ability to carry out the policies
and objectives of the Merchant
Marine Act," Sacco remembered
the late Paul Hall's classic battle
to defeat the Johnson adminis­
tration's plan to transfer MarAd
out of Commerce and into
Transportation. After the SIU
Won that round. Hall came back
to Congress with a bill to make
MarAD an independent agency.
Continued on page 10

Gen, Cassidy: 'Coaiition Can Revive Maritime'
S
peaking to the Greater St.
Louis Area and Vicinity Port
Council, General Duane H. Cas­
sidy told the audience of labor,
industry and military leaders,
"We just simply believe, with
the right kind of leadership and
the right kind of coalition, we
can do something that is so
badly needed—and that is turn
the maritime industry of our
countiy around. We absolutely
need it for national defense."
General Cassidy, who began
his military career in the Air
Force and who currently serves
as commander-in-chief of the
U.S. Transportation Command
n^RANSCOM), talked about the
importance of a coalition effort
to bring about the revitalization
of the U.S.-flag merchant ma­
rine. TRANSCOM is the Depart­
ment of Defense entity responsi­
ble for coordination of land, air
and sea transportation of Ameri­
can fighting forces and military
supplies.

.... i

Calling it a "disgrace" when
the largest trading country in the
world carries only 4 percent of
its cargo. General Cassidy
added, "And for an airman to
stand up here and say that—I
think it's fairly significant."
The importance of the labor
movement in supplying maritime

manpower in the event of a cri­
sis, was cited by General Cas­
sidy as one factor which is
bringing together a coalition of
military officials, operators and
unions to fight for a strong na­
tional defense.
"We have a moment in time,"
said Cassidy, "when we have
the right people in the right
places" to help build the na­
tion's sealift capacity.
The Greater St. Louis Area
and Vicinity Port Council hon­
ored General Cassidy for his ef­
forts to build a strong and secure
America.
In addition, the St. Louis affil­
iate of the Maritime Trades De­
partment, AFL-CIO, honored
three community leaders: Mi­
chael F. Shanahan Sr., CEO and
chairman of Engineered Air Sys­
tems; George R. (Buzz) Westfall,
St. Louis prosecuting attorney,
and Gerald Thomas Feldhaus,
business manager for the Asbesr
tos Workers, Local 1.

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DEFENSE COMMISSION URGES 'DECISIVE AOION' TO UPGRADE
NATION'S FLEET, CITES LACK OF SEALIFT RESOURCES
n epeating its earlier warnings
n that the United States faces a
critical shortfall in its sealift ca­
pacity, the blue-ribbon Commis­
sion on Merchant Marine and
Defense completed its two-year
mission by recommending a joint
venture by the government and
industry in rebuilding the na­
tion's maritime strength.
The Commission emphasized,
as it has previously, that there
presently are "insufficient stra­
tegic sealift resources—in terms
of numbers and types of ships,
trained personnel to operate
them, and Shipyards to maintain
and replace them—to carry out
the national military strategy."
And, the panel added point­
edly, "without decisive action
the situation will worsen sub­
stantially by the year 2000."
Underlying all four of the re­
ports} issued by the Commission
has been the same basic mes­
sage: that America must have a
merchant marine actively in­
volved in its peacetime com­
merce if the nation expects to
have a military sealift capacity in
time of crisis.
"The deteriorated condition of

America's maritime industries
presents a clear and growing
danger to the national security,"
said the Commission headed by
former U.S. Senator Jeremiah
Denton (R-AJa.), a retired Navy
admiral.
It painted this picture of the
situation:
"It is well established that
fully 95 percent or more of the
supplies needed to support our
fighting forces overseas would
have to travel by sea. Sealift
would play a central role in the
execution of our national mili­
tary strategy in time of war or
national emergency, but a large
proportion of the resources
needed for strategic sealift would
of necessity be drawn from
among the militarily useful com­
mercial ships of the United
States-flag merchant marine ...
"Despite a historical national
policy of drawing on the 'Fourth
Arm of Defense' in time of war
or national emergency, and de­
spite a series of legislative mea­
sures, dating virtually from the
beginnings of the nation, that
have been intended to support
the merchant marine and ship­

yard industries in peacetime, the
maritime resources of the United
States have been and still are
eroding."
Earlier, the Commission had
flatly rejected the claims of runa­
way-flag operators that America
could rely on them both for
peacetime commerce and mili­
tary sealift capability, warning
that the nation "cannot be held
hostage to foreign economic
strangulation."
It addressed this issue again in
its final report, declaring:
"The merchant fleets and
shipyard industries of our allies
are also in dramatic decline; they
are not now and will not be suf­
ficient to offset the inadequacies
of the United States maritime in­
dustries. In any case, the United
States cannot in policy or prac­
tice depend on foreign assets,
alone or in part, for assistance in
situations where there are no
commitments from our allies."
The Commission concluded
that it has fulfilled its mandate to
recommend a program "to foster
and maintain a United States
merchant marine capable of
meeting national security re­

quirements." Officially ending its
work on March 31, the Comission laid out its "Plan for Ac­
tion" and declared:
"It is now the responsibility of
the nation's leaders in the Exec­
utive Branch, the Congress, and
the private sector to take the
necessary action to respond to
the challenge presented by the
deterioration of our maritime in­
dustries and capabilities."
Established by Congress in
1984, the Commission formally
came into being with the swear­
ing of its members in late 1986
and early 1987. It spent two
years conducting public hearings
throughout the country, taking
testimony from government offi­
cials, union representatives, in­
dustry leaders and other inter­
ested in the nation's maritime
capability.
Prior to its final report, the
Commission submitted three in­
terim reports to the president
and Congress, all emphasizing
the same basic theme—that the
maritime industry was in serious
decline and that a major national
commitment was necessary to its
revitalization.

PAHEl SAn COSTS WOUIO BE TRIVIAl' COMPARED JO TOTAL DEFENSE $'s
At a time when the government's
defense expenditures are more than
$300 billion, the total federal outlay
of $13 billion between now and the
year 2000 to correct the nation's
sealift shortfall would be "trivial,"
the Commission on Merchant Ma­
rine and Defense emphasized. To
fully implement the Commission's
"Plan of Action" a cost analysis es­
timated total government expendi­
tures would be about $13 billion.
In a letter to President Bush,
Chairman Jeremiah Denton, con­

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ceded that the money involved is
"significant in an era of federal defi­
cits and budget constraint." But, he
emphasized, "the possible costs of
failing to provide adequate sealift
would be much greater."
Beyond the contribution that a re­
vitalized inerchant marine would
make to national defense, Denton
told the president that there are
added domestic economic benefits to
be derived from the proposed pro­
gram. He said:
"We estimate that the implemen­

tation of our recommendations
would add 244 merchant ships to our
sealift capability; provide reasonably
well for a shipbuilding and supplier
mobilization base by causing con­
struction of 194 of those ships in
United States shipyards; create
nearly 100,000 new jobs in the
United States; generate more than
$43 billion in Gross National Prod­
uct and $6 billion in federal tax rev­
enues; and help to continue the na­
tion's economic expansion through
the 1990's.

"When the economic benefits are
considered, we estimate that the net
investment cost to the federal gov­
ernment of the Commission's rec­
ommended program would be less
than $6 billion over eleven years,
and of course most of the economic
and defense benefits produced by
the expansion and growing health of
our merchant fleet and our ship­
building industrial base would con­
tinue for many years beyond that
period."

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What the
Executive
Branch
Should Do
The Commission urged the
president to reaffirm and restate
a maritime policy clearly ac­
knowledging that a strong mer­
chant marine fleet and shipbuild­
ing and repair industry are vital
to national security.
In addition, the Commission
called for a full-scale review of
the way existing federal depart­
ments and agencies handle mari­
time-related matters; urged that
the National Security Council
take a hard look at the extent to
which America relies on the socalled "eflfective-controlled"
ships and foreign-flag vessels in

meeting strategic and economic
sealift requirements; and recom­
mended meaningful reform of the
Operating Differential Subsidy
(CDS) to ensure that the U.S.fl^ fleet is able to compete on
the commercial sealanes of the
world.
The Commission also urged
the administration to implement
a national program for ship con­
struction in U.S. yards; enforce
existing cargo preference laws;
develop new programs to stimu­
late use of the U.S.-flag fleet in
international commerce, includ­
ing encouragement of greater use
of U.S.-flag ships by American
firms and their overseas subsidi­
aries; and preserve, enforce and
strengthen current cabotage
laws.
The Commission emphasized
that presidential leadership is
"absolutely essential" if revitali­
zation of the merchant marine is
to continue.

• Developing a design and
build a prototype of ships opti­
mized for military utility and
speed of construction.

What the
Legislative
Branch
Should Do
• The report urged Congress to
accept its responsibility for legis­
lative initiatives in a number of
areas, including:
• "Reforming the OperatingDifferential Subsidy program.
• Reestablishing a "procureand-charter" fund to design and
construct commercially viable
and military useful vessels in
U.S. yards.
• Allowing the Defense De­
partment to obtain new cargo:
ships through a "build-andcharter mechanism.

• Limiting the loan guarantee
program to oceangoing ships
with potential military use.
• Extending the scope of Cap­
ital Construction Fund.
• Restoring the investment tax
credit for shipowners and ship­
yards to levels in effect before
the 1986 Tax Reform Act.
• Strengthening ship repair
provisions of the 1930 Tariff Act
to limit foreign conversions or
rebuilding, while at the same
time providing a waiver of the
duty if, within a five-year period,
a ship owner spends in American
yards an amount at least equal to
the amount of duty.
ContitiEted on page 24

•

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JOINT KUNAGlMiNT/UNION COJUmtt
pum AIDS maam CAMPAIGM
M n industn'-wide policy for
#1 distributing information on
AIDS was announced by the
Seafarers AIDS Forum for Edu­
cation (SAFE) steering commit­
tee, a cooperative group made
up of both employer and union
representatives.
The SAFE steering committee,
which held its second meeting at
the union's headquarters in
Camp Springs, also developed
guidelines for handling AIDS re­
lated work-place issues. The four
areas addressed by SAFE are
education, safety and health,
employment practices and health
care cost containment.
Committee members reviewed
the programs SAFE has imple­
mented since its inception last
year: articles about AIDS and
HIV infection in the LOG, AIDS
education classes for upgraders
and trainees enrolled in the Liindeberg school, AIDS educational
materials for members who make
an information request and refer­
ral lists of AIDS community re­
sources for interested seafarers.

Division
Signs Pocti
With ThFee
Tug Boat

'' '

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•&gt; ,• • •

The Seafarers AIDS Forum for Education (SAFE) steering committee, comprised
of union and employer representatives, holds its second meeting to review current
programs and develop guidelines on work-related issues.
Over the next few months
SAFE will tackle the sensitive
issues of confidentiality, testing
and the right to employment and

job benefits for AIDS/HIV in­
fected individuals, reported Liz
Reisman, the program's coordi­
nator.

•

W:-:-

"'^1W-

SIU DRUG sum UaRING DAK IS APRIL 24 IN FEDERAL COURT
Federal District Judge Thomas
Hogan set April 24 for a status
hearing on the SIU's lawsuit
against the Department of Trans­
portation's drug testing regula­
tions for the maritime industry.
Filed in federal court by the
SIU and the Transportation In­
stitute, the lawsuit states that the
government's regulations are un­
constitutional and illegal. While
violating individual privacy
rights, the regulations also force
U.S.-flag companies to police

their workforces and bear the
cost. The regulations do not af­
fect foreign-flag operators.
On April 3, the government
filed its response in court, argu­
ing that the Supreme Court has
symbolically approved broad
government mandated drug test­
ing programs. The Department
of Transportation and United
States Coast Guard, the govern­
ment says, are required to main­
tain safety on navigable waters.
Drug testing prevents accidents

and is therefore in the realm of
public safety, claims the govern­
ment.
The April 3 response was orig­
inally scheduled for March 10.
However, the government re­
quested, and received two exten­
sions. The extra time was
needed, said the lawyers, to re­
view the new administration's
position on all drug testing pro­
grams and secondly, to evaluate
the Supreme Court's decirions.

SUPRtm COURT UPHOLDS DRUG-HSTING
FOR RAILROAD AND CUSTOIRS WORKERS
While the Federal District
Court is considering the SIU's
case against the Department of
Transportation's drug testing
regulations affecting maritime
workers, two Supreme Court de­
cisions were made concerning
screening and post-accident test­
ing.
The Supreme Court ruled that
the government regulations
which allow railroad companies
to test employees after an acci­
dent for drug and alcohol usage
were allowable under the Consti­
tution and the Secretary of
Transportation's statutory au­
thority. The high court also up­
held regulations which allow
U.S. Customs to make a drug
test mandatory for individuals
being considered for promotions.
The two decisions, announced
in March, are the first rulings by
the Supreme Court to determine
the Constitutionality of manda­
tory drug testing programs for
workers in jobs involving public
safety and law enforcement.
Neither case addressed the is­
sue of random drug testing.

In the railroad case, the Su­
preme Court noted that evidence
existed demonstrating that se­
vere alcohol and drug abuse by
the industry's employees had
caused or contributed to a num­
ber of significant train accidents.
Because of this record, the
court declared that no require­
ment of warrant or a reasonable
suspicion that a particular em­
ployee is impaired is necessap',
concluding that "the compelling
governmental interests served by
the regulations outweigh employ­
ees' privacy rights."
Delivered by Justice Kennedy,
the court's opinion on manda­
tory post-accident drug and alco­
hol testing of railroad employees
was supported by seven justices
with two dissenting.
The Customs workers case
was not as clear, as demon­
strated by the 5 to 4 vote of the
supreme court justices.
In order to obtain a transfer or
promotion, customs service em­
ployees are required to pass a
drug test. The court upheld the
drug-screening program which

requires a urinalysis test.
In the courts opinion, pre­
sented by Justice Kennedy, drug
screening did not violaite the
fourth Amendment because "ex­
traordinary safety and national
security hazards" could exist, if
customs workers used drugs.
Four on Court Disagree .
Justice Scalia, in a scathing
dissent, said there was no evi­
dence showing a drug problem
among customs workers. "I do
not believe for a minute that the
driving force behind these drug
testing rules was any of the fee­
ble justifications put forward by
counsel here and accepted by
the Court," Scalia wrote. "The
only plausible explanation" is,
as Customs itself has said, "im­
plementation . . . would set an
important example ..." contin­
ued Scalia.
The four dissenting justices in
the customs employees case did
not believe that the Fourth
Amendment should be tossed
out the window in the name of
"setting an example."

- •ii.v'.l-.
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Mate CharlQi O'Bnan on the Tug
Devon.'

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h^ SIU's inland Division ' : •
wrapp€^ up negotiations with:
three towing companies—Turecamo Coastal &amp; Harbor Towing
of Philadelphia, C.G. Willis, Inc.
and Sabine Towing &amp; Transpor­
tation Co., Inc.
Turecamo, a new SIU com­
pany, signed an agreement cov­
ering wages, hours and working
conditions for crewmembers em­
ployed on company vessels in
the port of Philadelphia.
Originally a family business j
Turecamo Coastal &amp; Harbor
Towing is now a leading towing
company on the eastern sea­
board. Turecamo recently
bought Taylor Marine, Inc., a
75-year-old Philadelphia harbor
towing company.
The Union's negotiating team
from Norfolk signed an agree­
ment with C.G. Willis, Inc. The
company operates a barge line
serving the Atlantic Intracoastal
waterway. Willis's covered hop­
per barges and towboats shuttle
from Philadelphia to Jackson­
ville, Fla.
A collective bargaining agree- A
ment between the SIU and Sa- 1^;
bine Towing &amp; Transportation
Co., Inc. was ratified by crew- A
members. Sabine, now a subsidi-A
ary of SEQUA Corporation, op­
erates harbor docking and coast­
wise towing vessels in navigable
waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
Each contract covers the up­
coming three-year period. Each
negotiating team overcame hur­
dles and produced labor agree­
ments which will benefit crewmembers and their families.

I
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SIAFARIRS100

EflSIERN mm HONG TOUGH

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*

n an effort to break a strike by
mechanics and ramp crews
represented by the International
Association of Machinists (JAM)
at Eastern Air Lines, manage­
ment resorted to the bankruptcy
route—^a favorite union-busting
tactic of corporate raider Frank
Lorenzo, who took over the car­
rier's helm three years ago. In a
move that shocked the nation,
Lorenzo used bankruptcy to bust
Continental Air Line's unions in
1983. But with Eastern, it's dif­
ferent. This time, the unions are
, ready.
In a message to all Eastern pi­
lots who are honoring the ma­
chinists picket line. Captain John
Bavie, chairman of the Eastern
Air Lines pilots' council, said:
"Chapter II bankruptcy envi­
sions continued existence of a
corporation, under revised oper­
ating conditions, and in many
cases, under new leadership. So
instead of the continued slow
dismantling of Eastern under
Texas Air's plan, which would
have resulted in the ultimate de­
mise of Eastern anyway, we
have an opportunity to perform
reconstructive surgery on the pa­
tient now, while it still has a
chance to survive."
Ironically, Eastern's unions
"have never been more in con­
trol of their own destiny than
they are right now," said Farrell
P. Kupersmith, a financial con­
sultant to ALFA.
"As long as the planes are
parked, Lorenzo will have a
very hard time dismantling Eastem . . . His choices are either to
settle the strike and secure the
airline on terms acceptable to
Eastern's employees and credi­
tors—and the courts—or sell the
airline to someone who will. In
the end, it is because of the soli­
darity of Eastern employees that
Lorenzo is, at long last, faced
with some rough choices," Ku­
persmith said.

, -."•i-l'';'I.:;',.;

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Lormzo's Bag of Tricks

After engineering the misuse
of the nation's bankmptcy laws
to bust unions at Continental
Airlines, Lorenzo looked to ex­
pand his airline empire. After
purchasing Eastern in 1986, Lor­
enzo presided over the system­
atic dismantling of Eastern Air
Lines. He sold Eastern's most
profitable assets and siphoned
off hundreds of millions of dol­
lars from Eastern to Continental
and the parent company, Texas
Air. Now Lorenzo claims pov­
erty at Eastern.
Since the notorious unionbuster acquired Eastern Air
Lines, firings and other forms of
harsh discipline have reached as­
tronomical levels. In 1985, be­
fore Lorenzo took over, 36 ma­
chinists were fired. With
Lorenzo at Eastern's controls,
there were 900 firings from 1986

1

••I

ated in 1938, the NMB has re­
quested an Emergency Board on
32 occasions. In each case, the
president of the time, whether
Democrat or Republican, has
followed the NMB recommenda­
tion. This time, when the NMB
proposed such action, the union
urged the White House to act.
But Lorenzo, a Bush campaigncontributor, objected and the
president became the first to re­
ject an NMB recommendation.
As AFL-CIO President Lane
Kirkland said:
"All of the travelling public
should understand that they have
only Frank Lorenzo to blame for
the inconvenience they suffer.
The unions accepted arbitration,
Frank Lorenzo said no. The
unions asked for a Presidential
Emergency board and Frank
Lorenzo said no."
How Lorenzo Basted
ContinentaPs Unions

to 1988. This included a number
of stewards, chief stewards and
local union officers.
To justify management de­
mands for extreme pay cuts,
elimination of pension fund con­
tributions and dirt low wages for
new employees, Lorenzo cited
Eastern's $517.2-million loss
over the past two years. But his
other carrier—Continental—lost
even more in the same period. It
went into the red to the tune of
$573.6 million despite having a
non-union workforce.
The Real issue Is Not Un^
Wages
Over the past decade. Eastern
employees continually demon­
strated a willingness to save the
airline, voluntarily giving up $1.5
billion in wages. In negotiations
preceding the strike, the I AM
agreed to a pay freeze, major
work rule changes and reduc­
tions in new entry pay scales.
Eastern management has tried
to portray the salaries of the
company's baggage handlers and
mechanics as way out of line.
Yet other airlines pay better
wages and make a profit.
Lorenzo also refers to ramp
and ground personnel as being
merely "baggage handlers." But
that ignores their vital role in
fueling planes, positioning air­
craft and making crucial deci­
sions on weight and balance so
that planes can fly safely.
Eastern's ramp service work­
ers start at an hourly wage of
$9.32 (about $19,000 a year).
Their top salary after more than
seven years on the job is $15.60
(about $31,000 annually). In a
public relations barrage, Lorenzo
talked about wages of $45,000 a
year. To earn that much, a ramp
worker would have to put in an
additional 536 hours of overtime
in a year. It's management that
schedules overtime—not workers.
Lorenzo wanted veteran ramp
workers to accept a wage of
$11.60—an $8,000-a-year pay
cut—and a five-year wage
freeze. This contrasts sharply
with what's happening at other
airlines. Ramp personnel eam up

to $15.51 an hour at American,
$15.93 at USAir, $16.53 at
Northwest, $16.57 at United and
$17.14 at Delta. And all of these
carriers showed profits in 1988.
Eastern Dismantled, Continental
Expanded
What is at stake, say Eastern's
unions, is the survival of the air­
line as a separate company.
They contend that Lorenzo's
real purpose is to transfer Eastem's assets, routes and wealth
to non-union Continental.
As soon as it acquired Eastern
in 1986, Texas Air extracted
more than $700 million in financ­
ing, fees, loans and deposits
from the carrier. Eastern directly
provided Continental with more
than $180 million in loans and
payments. Texas Air, in turn,
fimneled $800 million into Conti­
nental.
One of the techniques used by
Lorenzo was to force Eastern to
sell its valuable computer reser­
vation system to Texas Air at a
bargain-basement price. Al­
though outside financial analysts
valued the reservation system at
as much as $500 million, Texas
Air bou^t it for only $100 mil­
lion—with a six-percent note
that doesn't come due until the
year 2012.
While Lorenzo slashed Eastem's size by laying off more
than 13,000 employees, he dou­
bled the size of non-union Conti­
nental.
Lormzo Ti%g»s Strike

Labor-management relations in
the airline industry are govemed
by the Railway Labor Act
(RLA). This law makes it possi­
ble for a National Mediation
Board (NMB) to assist in resolv­
ing contract negotiation differ­
ences. When labor and manage­
ment exhaust all avenues and
still are unable to reach an
agreement, the MNB can pro­
pose arbitration. The lAM
agreed to have the Eastern issue
arbitrated, but Lorenzo balked.
The NMB also has the power
to ask that the president estab­
lish an Emergency Board. Since
the Railway Labor Act was ere-

Lorenzo created Texas Air
Corp. in 1980 as a shell: a hold­
ing company. Almost immedi­
ately, he began secretly buying
Continental stock and, aided by
a Civil Aviation Board (CAB)
ruling, acquired 48.5 percent of
the carrier.
Continental's unions proposed
an Employee Stock Ownership
Plan (ESOP), which, in effect,
would have allowed the workers
to purchase control of the com­
pany. Continental's president
agreed to the ESOP and pre­
sented the plan to the sharehold­
ers. But Lorenzo, with the lion's
share of Continental stock, was
able to block the ESOP. Conti­
nental's president shot himself to
death. Texas Air and Loreiizo
had won.
By late 1982, Continental
claimed it was losing money.
Lorenzo personally persuaded
pilots to forgo pay raises. The
flight attendants' union offered
to absorb $35 million but Lor­
enzo turned it down.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo was ac­
cumulating cash through aircraft
sales, loans and a Continental
stock offering. As a result, de­
spite Continental's $84 million
loss in the first half of 1983,
Texas Air had close to $80 mil­
lion in the bank.
In September 1983, Lorenzo
put Continental into Chapter 11
bankruptcy. The airline shut
down, laid off 8,000 employees
and reneged on its union con­
tracts. Continental management
announced that the carrier would
resume operations in three days,
but that employees returning to
work would face pay cuts of 50
percent or more—flight attend­
ants from $29,000 to $15,000, pi­
lots from $89,000 to $43,000.
A bankruptcy judge ruled in
January of 1984 that Continen­
tal's bankruptcy was carried out
in good faith, and the next
month the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled that Chapter 11 companies
could cancel union contracts.
Later that year. Congress
passed a law making it tougher
to use bankruptcy as a shield for
invalidating union contracts. But
it was too late to affect Loren­
zo's actions at Continental.

•

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APRIl, 1989
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Joining Eastern unionsV picket lines around the country, the
SIU demonstrated its solidarity with the International Associa­
tion of Machinists (lAM), a fellow affiliate of the AFL-CIO
Maritime Trades Department. The lAM represents Eastern
Air Lines ramp and ground personnel.
At airports around the country, the unity of Eastern's em­
ployees was in evidence. The machinists' strike was whole­
heartedly supported by Eastern's pilots, represented by the 1
Air Line Pilots Association, and flight attendants who are
r, !•/.• . &gt;1'
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represented by the Transport Workers Union.
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• ••

Maritiine Traies Sept.
AFL-CIO

SIU

ipons

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SUPPORTS

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Undaunted by die Mt^or who blocked a union demonstration at Jacksonville's
airport, the AFL-CIO rallied in a nearby field and turned the event into a picnic.
The SIU had a large presence at the rally. Pictured here, left to right, are:
Tommy Wright, R. Hassan, Tony McQuay, M. Mostapha, Dan Duncan, Ed
Haber, Bill Sharp, Robert Dillow, SIU Headquarters Representative George
Ripoll, Dimitrios Pappiannio and John Dmochowski.

• •:; jV •

^ Joining Gus Tsoilis, a member of the Machinists Lodge 1018 (left), are Teamster
Local 810 Field Representative Jay Silverman and SIU Sea-Land shoregang
member Charles DK)annio on the Eastern picket Une at LaGuardia Airport in
New York.

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OrnDIElectmim iWiMy^right and
Bosun Robert Dillon represent the SIU
In Philadelphia, Captain Lou Flade (third from left) and Seaman Charles ColUhs
at a Jacksonville labor raUylpicmc
(r^l0 join Eastern pUoks on the picket line,
supportu^ Eastern machinists.
. x'''KS7l7S' N

SIU member Francisco SalmSem (l^
and UIW Rep Ruth Fernandez on the
lAM Los Angeles picket line.

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SIU men rallied at the San Francisco Airport where despite heavy rain, AFLCIO unions stewed a poweifid demonstration of st^port for Eastern's machinists,
pilots and flight attendants. PardciprUmg in the rtdty on behalf of the SIU were
(1st row, left to right) OS Kyle Martin, ILWU member, SUP Patrolman Andy
Anderson, (2nd row, left to right) Chief Steward Samuel ("Smitty") Smith, SIU
Business Agent Gentry Moore, IBU member Doug Crute, SIU Steward Wilton
Dominguez, ILWU Regiotud Director Leroy King, and Buck Mercer, SIU Govemment Services Division Vice President.

At Washington, D.C.'s Natiottal Airport,
SIU member Oscar Lopez walks the
picket line. The SIU has supplied daily
pickets for strike activity at National
Airport.

ITIIIYA
Deepsea SIU men John Fleming (left),
Dennis McKendal, Carlito Episioco,
Dave Gordius, James Francis at the Los
Angeles airport.

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�StAfARCRS 106

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BI6 OIL SPILL SLOWS
SHIPPING FROM
VALOa

i •

S

hipping out of the port of Valdez, Alaska has been cur­
tailed by new procedures re­
quired in the wake of the Exxon
Valdez oil spill. Immediately af­
ter the accident the port, from
which 24 percent of domestically
consumed oil originates, was
shut down for five days.
After reopening for the Alaska
oil trade, tankers leaving Valdez
can only do so in daylight and
escorted by two tugs. On both
incoming and outgoing tankers,
pilots must have state and fed­
eral certification to navigate the
entire Prince William Sound. In
the past local pilots remained
onboard only through the Valdez
Narrows.
The port of Valdez shipped an
average of two million barrels of
crude oil per day. As a result of
diminished traffic, the current
average is 1.2 million barrels
per day.
Q'
SIU contracted com­
panies reported that
ALYESKA—the combined own­
ers of the Alaska pipeline—has
implemented breathalizer testing
procedures for any nonALYESKA employees entering
their property. In addition, be­
fore a vessel is allowed to leave
the Valdez docks, the captain
and Chief Engineer will be re­
quired to undergo a breathalizer
test.
The new regulations result
from the Exxon Valdez running
abound and creating the largest
oil slick ever in U.S. waters.
On March 24, a few minutes
past midnight, the 987-foot su­
pertanker carrying a full load of

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4:; 4

1.26 million barrels of oil, hit a
reef while piloted by the third
mate, it was reported. With
USCG approvd, the vessel had
changed to an inbound lane to
avert ice chunks spotted in out­
bound lanes. A few minutes later
the vessel hit Bligh Reef, creat­
ing six to eight openings in eight
of the 13 cargo tanks.
While trying to get back into
the shipping lanes, it was re­
ported that the ship turned
sharply back toward the main
channel and struck the reef
again, leaving about 30 percent
of the vessel's bottom resting on

a flat shelf area about 36 feet
below the surface and spilling
more than 10 million gallons of
Prudhoe Bay crude oil.
The accident, which occurred
about 25 miles south of the en­
trance to the port oif Valdez, is
being investigated by the Na­
tional Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB).
The NTSB will try to deter­
mine why the ship strayed so far
off course in an area with rocks
marked on charts and buoys.
While the Coast Guard claims it
is not responsible for continually
monitoring a ship which is rou­

tinely skirting ice from the
nearby Columbia Glacier,
the NTSB will investigate C~y\
whether a warning could
\ I
have prevented the accident. ^ \
Fishermen have orgaN\
nized to protect their live^
lihoods, organizing more
than 40 boats to assist with
boom deployment.
Exxon Shipping Company
licensed officers have no
union affiliation. Radiomen
and unlicensed crewmembers are covered by a contract
with a company-sponsored
union.

U5w Shipping Wins Amendment to Keep
New Aki^a Oil ^ Domestic Gmsumption
4

coalition of maritime inter­
ests, including the SIU,
sought export restrictions for
any oil found and developed in
the Arctic National Wildlife Re­
serve (ANWR). In a Senate Enr
ergy and Natural Resources
Committee vote, senators voted
by a 12-7 margin to allocate oil
found in ANWR for domestic
use.
The vote was an important
step toward keeping Alaska oil
for consumption by U.S. con­
sumers. Alaska oil has been car­
ried to the lower 48 states on
U.S.-flag tankers.
The export restriction amend­
ment was offered by Senator
Bennett Johnston (D-La.) to leg­
islate authorizing oil exploration
and development on the coastal
plain of ANWR.

'ii.

-

.

President Bush favors produc­
tion from oil reserves in ANWR.
As a result of the Exxon tank­
er's oil spill, 14 environmental
groups have asked the adminis­
tration to further study the ex­
ploration plan. However, Bush
remains steadfast in his commit­
ment to explore ANWR, and ex­
plore it soon.
On the House side. Merchant
Marine and Fisheries Committee
Chairman Walter Jones (D-N.C.)
introduced legislation authorizing
the controlled leasing of the
ANWR coastal plane, located 70
miles east of Prudhoe Bay. The
bill sets aside 260,000 acres for
wildlife preservation, where ex­
ploration will be completely
banned.
Both the full Senate and
House anticipate final action on

legislation to authorize oil and
gas exploration and drilling by
early summer.

• •

''V

ergy independence by allowing
continued development of
Alaska oil.
Natknai Sccnrity at Risk

Development of ANWR oil
becomes increasingly important
as oil recovered from the North
Slope declines throughout the
decade. Without ANWR oil for
domestic consumption, oil im­
ports will rise and nation secu­
rity interests will be threatened,
the SIU has warned.
The amount of imported oil
has risen from 27 to 42 percent
in the years 1982 to 1987. The
cost of 1987 oil imports was $43
billion, the largest commodity in
the year's huge $167 billion trade
deficit. ThCiSIU has asked Con­
gress to defend the nation's en­

Also at stake is the nation's
tanker fleet. As North Slope pro­
duction drops, so will the num­
ber of usable U.S.-flag tankers.
Oil analysts estimate that fewer
than 20 Alaska-trade tankers will
be employed by the year 2000
unless new sources of crude oil
are in production.
ANWR oil would keep U.S.flag tankers in business and help
meet the country's national se­
curity and strategic sealift needs,
the SIU has argued. Providing
fuel to military forces overseas is
essential to any military maneu­
vers.

�APRU^1989

Letters to the Editor
FROM A RFTIRFD SEAFARER

'• .

I'i '

To the Editor:
At this time, I would like to
express my thanks to the offi­
cios and my many friends in the
SIU. I would also like to give
my blessings to the ones who
have passed on.
1 have never been more proud
of anything in my life as I have
of being a member of the Seafar­
ers International Union. I am
now retired for the past five
years. I have no idea how I
would make it without the help
of the Union's pension and the
Union's Welfare Plan in picking
up the part that Medicare
doesn't pay. For a person on a
fixed income, those medical bills
are something else.
Being a member of the SIU
and now a retired member of the
SIU is a love I will enjoy to the
end.
My very best wishes to all.
Leroy E. Joseph
Sarasota, Florida

StICK wm IHC SHIP
To the Editor:
In the early '80s, we lost our
Med-Persian Gulf and Mediterra­
nean shuttles largely due to
members flying home due to
mostly phony medical reasons to
collect unearned wages. They
are now under foreign flag.
Now that we have re-acquired
the Manila, Subic, Kaoshiung
shuttle, we are having the same
problems and will lose them,
too, if this continues.
At a time when we are losing
ships every year, we sure don't
need that. There are a lot of us
who would ride those runs. So
please don't sell us down the
river. If you don't want the jobs,
don't take them.

In the long run, you and I will
be out of a job, and there are
some of us supporting families.
Please consider what I've'said.
Richard B. Sanderson
Seattle, Washington

LIKES WELFARE PLAN
To the Editor:
Coming across the notice in
the January issue of the LOG,
"Want to be heard," is the rea­
son for this letter, hoping it will
appear in the LOG informing the
membership of the price of get­
ting sick and what the Welfare
Plan has done for me.
Having been a member from
1951 to the year of retirement in
1986, I have no regrets and
never realized how good it is 'til
I got sick about six months after
retirement.
I was doing just great when I
suffered a very serious back
problem. Having unbelievable
pain, I went to one hospital for
ten days and transferred to an­
other for six weeks as a bed pa­
tient ... After spending six
weeks to the day, I was released
and doing great, wearing a spe­
cial brace 24 hours a day for
about six months.
Getting blurry vision of the
right eye, I went to the Eye
Hospital and was told'I have 16
have an operation right away,
right then and there . . The op­
eration was a success where pic­
tures were taken to be put in
medical books. After spending
three days as an in-patient, I was
released and have been an out­
patient to the present day . . .
The main purpose of this letter
is NOT to feel sorry for me, but
to inform the member what the
Union has done for me as to my
medical bills. Also you never fig­
ure it would happen to you, it's

always the other person, but this
time I was the other person.
The Welfare Plan went
through all the medical bills
making sure that the bills paid
by the Plan were called for by
the doctors. It seems there was a
bill of $500 the Plan questioned
for medication that wasn't called
for which wasn't paid by the
Plan or by myself.
The Plan does a wonderful job
in paying the bills and sending
me a statement for it.
Being an out-patient to the
present day, I have to pay when­
ever I have to go for treatments
for which I'm reimbursed.

I have heard patients talk of
how they have to pay a percent­
age of the bills or paying into a
medical plan, and I say to my­
self, "What a great union I be­
long to when the Plan pays
100%."
The bills paid in my behalf are
well over $55,000 and if I had to
pay any part I'd be wiped out
and be another person on the
Street . . .
I could continue, but feel I
make my point stating I'll always
be grateful to the Union for­
ever ...
Walter Karlek
Woodside, NY

'FEMAU MARINEIS
EXaLLEMT IN JOB
PERPNIMANCE'

and provide support for their t) &lt;
families.
I'm not denying the fact that
there are some misfits out there
but they are few and far between
and they are gradually removed
by their own action. We have a
shipboard committee consisting
of one delegate from each de­
partment (deck, engine and
steward) headed by a ship chair­
man, usually the "Boatswain,"
to deal with any kind of problem
that may occur aboard ship. This
committee meets on a weekly
basis and all crewmembers are
required to attend. Any problem
that cannot be solved aboard
ship is referred to our union rep­
resentative that boards the ves­
sel on arrival in home port. If
the problem cannot be solved by
the union representative, a port
committee hearing will be ar­
ranged consisting of a union rep,
two company representatives
and two independent delegates
from the union rank and file. The
case is also reported to the U.S.
Coast Guard on arrival so appro­
priate action will be taken by
them immediately.
For somebody to label all mer­
chant marines a bunch of misfits
that perpetuate sexual attacks on
female mariners at will, is totally
untrue and unfair. Since it is
only in the last 12 years we have
had female mariners on mer­
chant ships those alleged as­
saults need to be examined on a
case to case basis. . .
I can also assure you that 98%
of all female mariners are excel­
lent in their job performance and
that they are definitely morale
boosters. There is no substitute
for a warm smile. Women mari­
ners will always be welcome in
our world and I'm sure I speak
for the majority.
John B. Lundborg
Seattle, Washington

Editor's Note: in March, the Tacoma, Washington Morning
News Tribune ran an article enti­
tled "Women at Sea." The arti­
cle discussed a report by the
General Accounting Office of
Congress on sexual harassment
experienced by female mariners
and contained interviews with
women who have worked on
vessels. SIU member John
Lundborg responded to the arti­
cle vvilK a letter to the editor/ ''
Brother Lundborg, who has
spent 37 years in the merchant
marine, asked the LOG to re­
print his comments.
***

In response to the article
"Women at Sea" ... it particu­
larly rankles me since the story
is totally lopsided. It is a total
discredit to the hardworking men
that go down to the sea and sac­
rifice their family life for a life
on the high seas away from
home, in order to earn a living

JV£Xr Of KIN OF DECIASED SEAMEN
CAN OBTAIN mill CERTIFICATES
Mext of kip^eeking honorable
Iw dischap^ certificates for de­
ceased y^rld War II merchant
marinersNcan fill out Department
of Defense form DD 2168. Ac­
cording to form DD 2168, a
spouse, widow, widower, next of
kin or legal representative can
apply on behalf of a deceased
mariner.
Application form DD 2168 is
available from the United States
Coast Guard. The form requires
the applicant to provide legal
proof of the merchant mariner's
death.
The U.S. Coast Guard proc­
esses form DD 2168 and deter­
mines that the merchant mariner

served in WWII between De­
cember 7, 1941 and August 15,
1945. A seaman who meets the
Coast Guard's criteria who
served in the merchant marine in
oceangoing service during WWII
is sent form DD 214, "Certificate
of Release of Discharge from
Active Duty." At the bottom of
form DD 214 will be the word
"Honorable." He will also get
the Coast Guard's honorable dis­
charge certificate.
The Coast Guard forwards the
names and addresses of recipi­
ents of honorable discharges to
the Maritime Administration
(MarAd) of the Department of
Transportation. MarAd in turn

sends a special "Certificate of
Service" to the WWII merchant
mariner who received form DD
214.
To date, MarAd reports that
27,000 WWII veteran merchant
mariners have received the spe­
cial certificate. MarAd's "Certif­
icate of Service" came about by
a law passed by Congress in
1988.
This information was revealed
in a letter to Brother Eloris B.
Tart from the Maritime Adminis­
tration. Brother Tart has passed
MarAd's response to the LOG in
order to advise survivors of de­
ceased seamen of the application
process.

The Seafarers LOG welcomes Let­
ters to the Editor from all union
members and retirees. On occa­
sion, due to space limitations, it
may not be possible to run a letter
in its entirety.

r;

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SEAFARERS LOG

10

'"A-.f.

Amm CRCW RESCUES SAILBOAT FROM 50 MPH
GULF STORM DURING TRAINING EXERCISE

.

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On the day of an underway
replenishment exercise, the Antares responded to a "May
Day" call from a 46-foot sail­
boat. Despite 15-foot seas and 50
knot winds, the Antares stayed
with the craft for 12 hours. The
U.S. Coast Guard then relieved
the Antares of operational con­
trol.
The "May Day" call came
while the IMC Antares crew was
engaged in sea trials in the Gulf
of Mexico. An underway replen­
ishment drill had just been can­
celed due to high seas when the
Antares received the sailboat's
call for help.

BUSINESS
AGENT
GRIER
RHIRES

With her sails blown out and a fouled screw, this craft issued a "May Day" call.
SlU crewmembers aboard the Antares responded. The Antares came across the
sailboat during sea trials.

•' f ,

MOBILE SEALIFT TRAINING TEAM VISITS
WAnRMAN AND I.M.C SHIPS
Lundeberg School instructors
conducted specialized sealift
training for Waterman and IMC
while each company had vessels
docked in Northern Florida.
Instructors Bill Hellwege and
Jeff Swanson conducted courses
for Waterman crewmembers on
Chemical, Biological and Radia­
tion Defense (CBRD); Damage
Control, and Helicopter Opera­
tions. Hellwege noted that all
three of Waterman's ships

•
GOV! DIVISION MEMBERS WELCOME NEW SHIP

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SIU members in the Govern­
ment Services Division will crew
the newest ship to join the fleet
of Military Sealift Command, Pa­
cific (MSCPAC).
Named after a pioneer of aero­
dynamics and hydrodynamics,
the USNS Walter S. Diehl will
be based in Oakland, Calif. It is
a 677-foot fleet replenishment
oiler, capable of carrying 180,000
barrels of fuel for combatant
ships and aircraft.
The new oiler will carry a ci­
vilian crew of 93 and a navy
communications department of
21 men. It will be part of MSC's
Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force, one
of the components of the navy's
larger Combat Logistics Support
Force.

The USNS Walter S. Diehl is
the newest member of the
MSCPAC fleet. The vessel's ci­
vilian crew will be members of
the SlU's Government Services
Division.

JTC*

Mi

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,

George T. Grier, SIU Govern­
ment Service Division business
agent, has retired after a 44-year
career serving his fellow seafar­
ers.
During 20 years of shipping
with MSC, Brother Grier was in­
strumental in organizing the Mil­
itary Sea Transport Union
(MSTU), the forerunner of the
Government Service Division.
In 1964, Brother Grier came
ashore to work as a business
agent handling beefs and provid­
ing union services to seamen
employed on MSC vessels.
Buck Mercer, SIU Govern­
ment Services Vice President,
had high praise for Grier's suc­
cessful efforts in assisting mem­
bers and their families in filling
out complicated annuity and
death forms. In addition. Mercer
said, he was adept at negotiating
with management on behalf of
MSTU members and was able to
resolve the most difficult disputes
to each party's satisfaction.
Vice President Mercer noted
that Grier will be missed by
members and union officials
alike. But, he added, "after 20
years on MSC ships and after 24
years as a union business agent,
Grier has earned a well-deserved
rest."

DORSS MORAN AND MARITRANS LIBERTY IN FLORIDA

'More MarAd Ouf

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"showed a great improvement in
Damage Control since our visit a
year ago."
The Antares crew practiced
underway replenishment (UNREP) while sailing at 36 knots
per hour in 15-foot seas and 50
knot winds. Although this was
the crew's first UNREP, the
government observers on the
vessel told the seamen they had
performed well. "The crew was
excellent and praised by all

aboard," reported Hellwege.
SIU members on the Antares
successfully completed "man
overboard" and fire drills and
also received instruction in Dam­
age Control and CBRD.
The Lundeberg School's mo­
bile sealift training team program
was established in 1984 to assist
SIU companies and crews make
the transition from civilian prac­
tices to military sealift require­
ments.

•

['-•

Continued from page 3
Although both houses of Con­
gress passed the bill. President
Johnson effectively killed it by
using a pocket veto. Under
Nixon, MarAd was substantially
upgraded. The agency became
part of the Department of Trans­
portation when Reagan assumed
office.
On behalf of the SIU, Sacco
said, "Our Union means to
move . . . and is sharpening its
tools for the effort. We will cer­
tainly welcome the opportunity
to work with all who share our
view that America must have a
viable shipping capability."

ABITankerman Dave Summer has
been working for Maritrans for two
years. Brotiter Summer is pictured on
the tug Liberty whUe it was tied to the
GATX dock in Tampa, Florida.

When tug Doris Moran pulled into Tampa's Gulf Marine Repair Yard, SIU reps
met the vessel. Normally, the Doris Mpran works out of the Gidf. Pictured are
Assistant Ei^ineer Lu LeToidevin (left), OS James Amaud and Chief Engineer
Wallace Ashwood.

�...:••

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APRIL, 1989

FOR ANOmER RECORD SEASON

uRUtsr mm m 20 YORS, FIRST vtsstis AUIUDYSUUMG

ITOUT began March 1 for SlU-contracted bulk carriers on the
Great Lakes. It was the earliest fitout in 20 years, and with the
number of vessels being broken out, this year promises to be an
even better year than last which was the best season in more than
:fiveyears.
^
A stronger deniaiul for steit and lighter than nbrnial icing on
&lt;)ie Lakes prompited the earlier than normal opening of the ^son.

F

The first ore port open was Marquette, and the MA^ Buffalo left
Toledo March 20 to lead a fleet of four other American Steamship
Go. vessels which followed her up the following day.
All in aU, it should be another good year for our membership on
the Lakes with sb^ger job oppoitunifies and the pronii^
increasing job security in the coming years.
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f^tiecfdtand joe Hance, left, and
Able Seaman Ron Vandercook
await next dr^'s first salmg. (Note
saiUng board announcement:
"ASAP after CG Inspection."
'-'

J

partment in the ASC fleet is seen
here in the spodess gaUey of the
American Republic. From left is
Steward Herb Jacobs, Porter Yehia
Raid and Second Cook Harry Pe­
tersen.

^ Able Seaman Larry Dudek and Bosun Terry Henretta take a coffee break ftrui^
duirfirudJUotU chores.

£A0WSSff^SanJ^ttJto^n,Con-,:
veyomtan Tm Orban and Abie
Seaman Ron Bochek waii oid tkie
CoasI Guard inspection in die
warrrdh of the memwm.

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J^JdhhCtiUrd member of the ASC
Maudermnce Team, left, and AB
Wheelsman Charlie Richardson
compare notes as fitoUt mndis
•• down.

IPs teamwork that keeps

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and electrical plants op­
erating efticiendy and
sttfefy. A part of that
team is seen here in
dte ermine console
room. From left are
OmOJirnBeland,
First Assistard En^neer Eric Norton
andQMEDMike
Budnik.

S

TAe M/l^ American RepiiUic
f^r^^ her dock in Cleveland as
die Coast Guard competes
dteiratmmlmspection,aii0'
her crew prepares the b^
bidk carrier for
herfirsttripof
the season.

J^Gedeman Alan Jidinson and Wiper
Bidt Ereftetaan take ten m the
messroomti

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JA^ AUe SeiiattitiH Ihury Kawka is Imi^^
chailenges even the best of the Great lAdtes saUorauH vHko ham to wmk om ttte
-k

"JA,. W^rMohseh Ehka^ toiA a
aunu^for^l^w^
ginermm of the Clmles E. WM-

QfHED Willis Evans posed for this
photo in Uu eonstde roem.
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lUfihadJustcoikd
a heaving Une when hepaused to
have this jdteht taken agemst Oie
t^erhouse pn a wet aod windy de^.

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k dtdte readyt Gateman Pat Patrieca, left, and
CimvigwiiMM
Bemn Mldar LaE^lte on de^
eaathe"amnmalritmalifthefitonL"

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staiaBmg,
nhdl^hmdBockerttalK cdtetf
••{[•nhiMhnmuss vdAA^onacPorf^
^gmtjack AUen.

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MPRIk 1989
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^ While the Coast Guani jettf fuushu^ thev onaual ia^pec^km. Boson Bob Mas-^i
ten, left, AB Bmat Kkm^eeiebBriamd DiecU^^
took a break. !
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^ Algonae PortAgent Jack AUen meets with some of the deck crew dwing a coffee
bratk. Prom left are Able Seamen Tom Palmer, Doi^ WafieU and Brettdan
• • biurphy. i'v

^ Steward Jim Badnick and Wiper
Bk^ Rosso are bodt veterans of
Bu Great Lakes.

s."'

Jj^ A cm^ of ej^rienced SlV and MEBA'2 er^fturnom hands stnile for the LOG
fkoUi^epher in the es^ute console room. At left is QMED Jim Reilly, and at
right is C^fEt^meer POMUBaker who sailed with the SlU in Bte early 1960%

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^ Snow cottus early and stays late on
the Lakes, so it's no surprise to
have a bUzzard roar in from the
northeast on the day before the fint
scheduled sailing of the season.
The Roger M. Keyes lays idottg
ode a dock in Toledo while last
minute preparations are being
rturde for her trip to the Upper
Lakes.

.

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�SOFARERS LOG

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^ Dm Bihkmvsld, conveyorman,Uitfl, andAB Wheelsman Bob Emvold are veter0ns of the Great

'

11 The gtJtey crew ineludes one of the veterans of the SlU who will be retiring
April 5 wUh 32 years on the Lakes. He is Second Cook James Thompson,
center, who began his seqfaring life on the West Coast with the SIU in the eariy
: I950's. He sailed most of his career on deck. With him are Steward Pood
Bodamer, r^la, and Porter Ray Buzwah, at left.

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Jll^ QlHED Kerin Riee pritudfy exhibits his Welding Cert0cate from the Seafarers
Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship to QMED Herb Brandt who has 18
years sailing rime on the Great Lakes. Seafarer Rice earned his cert^ate after
succesefulfy compfridr^ Ae Welding course in February and March during the
winter htyup.

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at r^ht, andAB David Kole take a
tJu nemMsgi's acHviries on deck.
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^ The Mrv WilHam R. Roesch is one
of the newer buUc carriers on the
Great Lakes, and is one of the
proud vessels of the Prit^le Transit
fleet. Here, she lies alongside her
dock in Cleveland during her an­
nual fltout.

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15

APRIL, 1989
_

Know Yoiil Rights
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 Account­
ants every three months, which are to be
submitted to the membership by the Secre­
tary-Treasurer. A quarterly finance commit­
tee 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. Mem­
bers of this committee may make dissenting
reports, specific recommendations and sep­
arate 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 agree­
ments. All these agreements specify that the
trustees in charge of these funds sh^I equally
consist of Union and management represen­
tatives and their alternates. All expenditures
and disbursements of trust funds are made
only upon approval by a majority of the
trustees. All trust fund financial records are
available at the headquarters of the various
trust funds.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights
and seniority are protected exclusively by the
contracts between the Union and the employ­
ers. Get to know youi^ 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 mall, return re­
ceipt 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
Fiill 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
^e available in all SIU halls. These contracts
specify the wages and conditions under which
you work and live aboard your ship or boat.
Know your contract rights, as well as your
obligations, such as filing for OT on the
proper sheets and in the proper manner. If,
at any time, any SIU patrolman or other
Union official, in your opinion, fails to pro­
tect your contract rights properly, contact
the nearest SIU port agent.
EDITORIAL POLICY—THE LOG. the
Log has traditionally refrained from publish­
ing any article serving the political purposes
of any individual in the Union, officer or
member. It has also refrained from publish­
ing articles deemed harmful to the Union or
its collective membership. This established
policy has been reaffirmed by membership
action at the September, 1960, meetings in
all constitutional ports, the responsibility
for Leg policy is vested in an editorial board
which consists of the Executive Board of
the Union. The Executive Board may del­
egate, from among its ranks, one individual
to carry out this responsibility.

PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are
to be paid to anyone in any official capacity
in the SIU unless an official Union receipt
is given for same. Under no circumstances
should any memberpay any money for any
reason unless he is given such receipt. In
the event anyone attempts to require any
such payment be made without supplying a
receipt, or if a member is required to make
a payment and is given an official receipt,
but feels that he should not have been
required to make such payment, this should
immediately be reported to Union head­
quarters.
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLI­
GATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution
are available in all Union halls. All members
should obtain copies of this constitution so
as to familiarize themselves with its con­
tents. Any time you feel any member or
officer is attempting to deprive you of any
constitutional right or obligation by any
methods such as dealing with charges, trials,
etc., as well as all other details, then the
member so affected should immediately no­
tify headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY
DONATION—SPAD. SFAD is a separate
segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to
further its objects 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 im­
proved employment opportunities for sea­
men and boatmen and the advancement of
trade union concepts. In connection with
such objects. SPAD supports and contrib­
utes to political candidatesfor elective office.
All contributions are voluntary. No contri­
bution may be solicited or received because
of force, job discrimination, financial re­
prisal, 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 above improperconduct, notify
the Seafarers Union or SPAD by certified
mail within 30 days of the contribution for
investigation and appropriate action and re­
fund, if involuntary. Support SPAD to pro­
tect and further your economic, political and
social interests, and American trade union
concepts.

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guar­
anteed equal rights in employment and as
members of the SIU. These rights are clearly
set forth in the SIU constitution and in the
contracts which the Union has negotiated
with the employers. Consequently, no mem­
ber may be discriminated against because of
race, creed, color, sex and national or geo­
graphic origin. If any member feels that he
is denied the equal rights to which he is
entitled, he should notify Union headquar­
ters.

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 Information, he
should immediately notify SIU President Mi­
chael Sacco at Headquarters hy certified mall,
return receipt requested. The address Is 5201
Auth Way and Britannia Way, Prince Georges
County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

mUAMim: FINl CRIW, GOOD FOOD

;

j... •

:• •

''-v.

• t,i- . . ; v/i

u-m. :

When the OMI Willlamette sailed into Charleston, SIU Patrolman
Anthony McQuay was there for the payoff. The crew told McQuay
the food had been excellent on the Willamette. The tanker was on
its way to Texas. Patrolman McQuay, who works out of the SIU
hall in Jacksonville, told the LOG that the Willamette had anhexcel- '
lent crew.

•f •

Bosun Marvin McDuffie (left) and AB
Walter Hildabrant on
deck after checking the
vessel's lines.

Chief Cook Joe Clark fixes a meal of oxtails, steak,
potatoes, rice, gravy and vegetables.

After payoff in the galley AB Marvin Henry (left), OMU David Ballard, SIU
Patrolman Anthony McQuay and GSU Larry Griffin take a moment for a photo.
Steward Baker John Samuels before
preparing lunch.

QMED/Pumpman Joe Martin comes
out of the engine room.

SHIPPING WORKS BEST WHEN WE SAY:
"Union Yes" is the message
being heard by millions of people
around the country on television,
radio, billboards. In nationally
televised spots, celebrity spokes­
persons Tyne Daly, Jack Lemmon, Howard Hesseman and .
Edward James Olmos provide
personal testimonials on how
unions have made a difference in
their lives. Individual unions
have tailored the "Union Yes"
message for their communities.

A

Clerical workers organizing at
Harvard University used the
"Union Yes" message to com­
municate the positive aspects of
union membership. The Brick­
layers union created "Union
Yes" spots for its organizing
drive. The union reports in one
city over 500 responses to its ad,
signing up over 300 people and
14 contractors. The SIU hhs its
own version of the "Union Yes"
theme.

Corrections from March
Issue: On page 6, Terry
Hoinski appears on the
left and Captain Flade's
first name is Lou. On
Page 13 Joe Powers is
lectured third from the
left.

y

�«iEK^i«jS3

Jh.

SEAMfffJIS LOG

lUHDlBlKG

New Shiphandling Coutse
voawm
Established at Lundeberg Schoo/, DinmsiHi
Buuim

First Classes to Start May 15

• •:
" '• 'T»M;'-.;

I'

Pictured here is a futt view of the SHLSS ship simulator bridge, as the students see it, with radar scopes, helm controls, radio
and navigation aids. Not pictured is a rear projection screen which allows students to see what's happening aft.

%• :'••.'
i-'

•i;. '•

'•

,•

r

he first formally established
Shiphandling course ever held
at the Seafarers Harry Lunde­
berg School of Seamanship is
planned to begin May 15 of this
year. This course has been de­
signed to provide realistic bridge
watchstanding training for stu­
dents preparing to obtain one of
the various Coast Guard Deck
licenses.
When final approval is granted
by the Coast Guard, students
will receive credit for up to a
maximum of 60 days of sea time
on vessels of unlimited tonnage.
However^ time gained from this
simulated training can only be
used once but cannot be used as
recent time.
The 10-day course curriculum
includes classroom lectures and
simulated underway watchstand­
ing. Special areas of skill devel­
opment will include: basic shiphandling, restricted waters
shiphandling, emergency shiphandling, underway watch-stand­
ing management, vessel-to-vessel
communications, review of the
rules of the road and lateral and

I ALA buoyage systems, review
of the use of radar—including the
use of collision avoidance radar.
The SHLSS simulator is capa­
ble of providing the student with
six different types of ships to op­
erate, ranging from a 2,400 horse­
power pusher tug to a 250,000
DWT diesel tanker. Three auxil­
iary bridges are available to pro­
vide interaction among traffic
ships. Each of these bridges can
be maneuvered independently of
all other vessels in an exercise.
Immediately rfter an exercise
is completed, the students re­
view their actions to learn from
their mistakes. The geographic
plot shows all the exercise ma­
neuvering data. The time-based
graphs present data indicating
speeds, courses, RM of engines,
and other technical information.
In order to successfully com­
plete the Shiphandling course,
the student must pass a multiple
choice examination on the basic
theory and principles involved in
shiphandling as well as demon­
strate this knowledge on the ship
simulator.

For the maximum benefit of
the student, class size is limited
to six students. If you are inter­
ested in this new course, contact
the SHLSS Admissions Office.
For further information on the
class curriculum talk to the
school's Director of Vocational
Education.

Lundeberg School Instructor Jim
Brown with students on the smulator's
bridge.

M new Limited License ProFl gram has been instituted by
the Vocational Department at
SHLSS. This progam will cover
original and upgraded licenses,
inland and near coastal for: 500/
1600 Ton Mate, Operator, and
Second Class Operator Unin­
spected Towing Vessels
(U.T.V.), 100/200 Ton Mate and
Master, Limited Assistant and
Limited Chief Engineer courses.
This will be an eight-week cur­
riculum with CPR, First Aid and
Firefighting also included. The
first course will be offered from
July 17 to September 8. Classes
will be limited to 12 students,
accepted on a first come first
serve basis.
Members applying for this
program require an evaluation of
sea time by the U.S. Coast
Guard and cannot be accepted in
the course until their sea service
is approved by U.S. Coast
Guard, Baltimore, Md. The ad­
dress is as follows:
United States Coast Guard
Marine Safety Office
United States Customs House
40 South Gay Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
When your application for li­
cense is sent in for review, a
handwritten note must accom­
pany it requesting that Seafarers
Harry Lundeberg School of Sea­
manship be notified that your ap­
plication has been reviewed and
accepted. Upon notification by
the Baltimore Regional Examin­
ing Center we will schedule you
for the next available class.
SHLSS will require you to fill
out the Upgrading Application
featured in the LOG, listing any
current licenses or certificates
held. You must also have a cur­
rent SIU clinic card and have
your dues up to date.

Graduating This Month From the Lundeherg Schooi

•&gt; f

li V

4;

-Vr

i-Vf

STANDING IN FRONT of the SHLSS's automation board are this month's FOWT
class graduates. Taught by Jim Shaffer (standing, far left) the six-week course
covers a wide range of topics ittcluding engitte-room equipment, boiler parts, fire
fighting, starting and securing main engines. These men having fittished the course
are now prepared for the Coast Guard's General Safety, Oiler and Fireman!
Watertender tests. First row left to r^ht: Nelson M. Roman, Kevin G. Wade, Curtis
K. An^on, Lawrence Thorboume. Second row: Hector Frederick, Jeffery Parrish,
Hamid Hizam, Steve Hansford, Ramon R. Urag, DeMyron Walker. Third row: Jim
Shtffer (Instructor), T.C. Shaddox, Paul J. Duguette, Donald A. Thornton, Dean
Klenkc, Uoyd Nelson, Troy L. Fleming, Terry Hapmon. Fourth row: Troy Sw^er,
Bryan G. Chan, Terry Busk, Rich Natoli, Dennis Ctoy, Julio M. Tapia, Jeff
Robertson.

ANYONE WHO HAS a rating in Oteir department, whether FOWT, AB or even
Assistant Cook, can take the four-week long Welding course. These men have
acquired a valuable skill. In addition to classroom work, their practical training in
the SHLSS vocational shop includes electric arc weldmgicutting and oxy-acetylene
brazu^, weldmgicutting. First row kneeling left to right: Earl Chappel, Willie
Franks, Ken Booker III, Dan Thomas. Second row: Bill Foley (Instructor), Michael
Kelly, Charles D. Lore, Kevin A. Rice, Mark G. Lawrence:

I:-

�Anai,i9S9

Dtspatcheis Report for fofond Waters
MARCH 1-31, 1989
•TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port
New York
Philadelphia
Mtiiiwm
Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans
Jacksonville
San Francisco
Wilmington
Seattle
Puerto Rico
Houston
Aigonac
St. Louis
Pinev Point
Totals

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Meetings Deep
Sea, lakes.
Inland Waters

••REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

"•*

Port
I New York
1 Philadelphia
IjgBltimor^
Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans
I Jacksonville
I San Francisco
ISPmingfcpii
Seattle
Puerto Rico
Houston
I Aigonac
St. Louis

'

't'

Pfney Point
Monday, May 8
New York
Tuesday, May 9
Philadelphia
Wednesday, May 10
Baltimore
Thursday, May 11
Norfolk
Thursday, May II
Jacksonville
Thursday, May it
Aigonac
Friday, May 12
Houston
Monday, May 15
New Orleans
Tuesday, May 16
. Mobile
Wednesday, May 17
San Francisco
Thursday, May 18
Wiimingtott
jMonday, lyiay 22 ,
Seattle
Friday, May 26 ?
San Juan
Thursday, May 11
^ ^
dii
St. Louis
,,
Friday, May 19^
Hmidiulu
Friday, May 19
Duluth
Wednesday, May 17
Jersey City
Wednesday, May 24
New Bedford
Tuesday, May 23

• r'V-

mrnk'
,

Totals

Port
i^eivYork
Philadelphia i
Baltimore,
Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans
Jacksonville^
San Francisco
llplmington
Seattle
Puerto Rico
Houston
lAlgonaC
iSt. Louis

i

-

IftJPiyM.

PmiMids

iPiney PoinL ^
Totals
59

130

49

44

58

16

66

164

97

•"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.

Dispatchers Repert for Great Lakes
CL—Company/Lakes

U-Lakes

MARCH 1-31, 1989
Port
Aigonac
Port
Aigonac
Port
Aigonac
Port
Aigonac

NP—Hon Priority

•TOTAL REGISTERED

All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

0

21

2

0

8

1

0

3

1

b

TOTAL SHIPPED

All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

DECK DEPARTMENT
0
36
1
E29G1NE DEPARTMENT
0
26
1
STEWARD DEPARTMENT
0
9
0

••REGISTERED ON BEACH
Ail Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

0

29

3

0

8

1

0

16

1

30
44
97
35
25
55
0
'Total Registered" means the number of men who actually re^stered 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.

23

21

0
0

0
71

0

0
0

Please get in touch with
George J. Anderson, 22576 Lan­
yard St., Boca Raton, Fla.
33428.
Stanley Corenski is trying to
get in touch with you. Please
write him at 15031 Chatsworth
St., #18, Mission Hills, Calif.
91345, or call him at (818) 3611926.

VII

An old friend, Brenda Yahes,
is trying to get in touch with
you. Please write her at 6023
N.W. Expressway, San Antonio,
Texas 78201.
Please contact your parents at
:(817) 482-6427.
CaiU your mother at (301) 342:9288.;V-

m: ^

�^awjiiasii
-• '••,••"-

''y' '•" •' ' '• - 'i-'\

'iv' •••'••.

SOFAReHS 106

:-r"p-

,-a:FFW.

TWiNtYONI
SUfARm
BlCOMt
PENSIONtRS
"«tfi

iim

Retiring this month are 21
SIU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes
and Inland Waters seafarers.
The pensions, which will be
received monthly, were ap­
proved by the Seafarers Pen­
sion Plan. The pensioners are
entitled to receive a pension
check every month for the
rest of their lives.

I't'
' ilffhiir'':'. • i'
-4;-J

Deep Sea
4';•

'A:/:"'' •

' . i. • •" •' % , •••^'•' •• ' •'"'

KICHAlID W. ANSiiilSOPi
Richard W. An-^
derson, 65,
joined the SIU in
1952 in the port
of New York. A
graduate of the
SHLSS entry
program,
Brother Anderson sailed as a
chief electrician, but has held all
ratings in the engine department.
Bom in Jersey City, N.J., Sea­
farer Anderson is a veteran of
the U.S. Ar Force, serving from
1946 to 1949. He shipped out of
the port of New York and makes
his home in Elizabeth, N.J.

jiMHe Bianyiius

^l:i'

cently as a bosun. Brother Car­
roll was born in the Bronx, N.Y.
and shipped out of the port of
San Francisco, where he now
lives. Seafarer Carroll also
served in the U.S. Navy froih
1943 to 1947.
CALVIN L. CHERRY
Calvin L.
Cherry, 64, was
bom in Fulbright, Texas.
He joined the
SIU in Houston
in 1960, receiv­
ing his class A
seniority in 1971, although he
started sailing as early as 1943.
Brother Cherry sailed as a GSU
out of the port of Houston,
where he still lives.
StEVEN L. CC»KER
Steven L. Coker, 65 joined the
Union in 1967 out of the port of
Norfolk, Va. He sailed in the
deck department. Brother Coker
first sailed on the C.S. Long
Lines (Isthmian) as an AB in
1965. Born in Roanoke Rapids.
N.C., Seafarer Coker was a vet­
eran of the U.S. Air Force from
1945 to 1946. He also completed
the bosun recertification program
at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School in 1982. Pensioner
Coker now lives in Scotland
Neck, N.C.
PATJ.COLmWA
Pat. J. Colonna, 65 joined the
SIU in the port of New York in
1954, but had been sailing since
1947. Seaman Colonna was born
in Jersey City, N.J. Brother Co­
lonna sailed in the engine depart­
ment, first as an oiler with the
Isthmian Steamship Co. Seafarer
Colonna also served in the U.S.
Navy from 1943 to 1946. He now
resides in Apollo Beach, Fla.

John Bekiaris, 61 joined the
Union in 1964 in New York and
upgraded to class A seniority in
1964. Brother Bekiaris graduated
from the Andrew Furuseth
Training School in New York in
1960 and sailed in the deck de­
partment. His first SIU vessel
was the SS Steel Surveyor (Isth'
mian Lines), where he sailed as
an OS. Seafarer Bekiaris, who
was bom in Corinth, Greece, be^
came a naturalized U.S. citizen
in 1963. He now lives in Athens,
Greece.
MMOSSmwmCE
James H. Bruce,
65, was born in
Galvez, La. He
joined the SIU in
the port of
Houston in 1964
and received his
full book mem­
bership, class A seniority, in
1971. Brother Bmce, who sailed
in the deck department out of
the port of New Orleans, La.,
also served in the U.S. Coast
Guard from 1942 to 1953. Sea­
farer Bmce resides in Prairieville. La.

CHRISTOIS D. fUM&amp;OlIS
Christos D. Florous, 55, started
sailing in 1968 with Hudson
Waterways and joined the SIU
in 1970 in Yokohama, Japan.
Brother Florous attended Quar­
termaster and LNG training
courses at the SHLSS in 1978,
and in 1981 completed the bo­
sun's recertification program.
Bom in Greece, Seafarer Flo­
rous became a naturalized U.S.
citizen in 1974. He now resides
in Astoria, N.Y.

JOSEiil M. CASRQLL
Joseph M. Car­
roll, 63, joined
the SIU in 1943
in the port of
New York, He
sailed in the
deck depart­
ment, most re­

OaUSTCmER R. fLOIVERS
Christopher R.
Flowers, 62,
joined the Union
i|fl952 in the
port of New
York. He sailed
in the deck de­
partment. Bom

Calvin T. DeSilva, 62, started
sailing with the
Union in 1951 in
the deck depart­
ment. Bom in
Trinidad, Bro­
ther DeSilva be­
came a naturalized American cit­
izen. Sailing out of the port of
Jacksonville, Fla,, most recently
as a bosun. Seafarer DeSilva
makes his home in Orlando, Fla.

in Aurora, N.C., Brother Flow­
ers also served in the U.S. Navy
from 1944 to 1946. Seafarer
Flowers shipped out of the port
of Houston and lives in Channelview, Texas.
MIES Kim
James Keno, 71, started sailing
with the SIU in 1943 in the port
of Norfolk, Va. Born in Ala­
bama, Brother Keno sailed in
the steward department where ,
he was chief cook and master
baker. Seafarer Keno partici­
pated in the Moore McCormackRobin Line beef in 1962. He at­
tended the SHLSS Piney Point
Educational Conference in 1972
and completed the steward re­
certification program there in
1981. Brother Keno shipped out
of the port of New York and
makes his home in New York
City. •
•
William Y.
Mims, 65,
started sailing in
1945 and joined
the SIU in 1953
in the port of
New Orleans,
La. A member
of the deck department, Brother
Mims was bom in West Point,
Miss. He now resides in Sun,
La.
CONLIN M. MURPHY
Conlin M. Mur­
phy, 66, was a
member of the
Marine Cooks
and Stewards
Union and joined
the SIU in 1952
in San Francisco
when the two unions merged.
Born in El Dorado, Miss.,
Brother Murphy also served in
the Army from 1941 to 1944. He
presently resides in San Fran­
cisco, Calif.

£NasE.fyrr
Enos E. Ott, 65,
•was bom in Vir­
ginia and joined
the SIU in 1947
in the port of,
Baltiimore. He
sailed as an AB.
In 1975 he at­
tended the SHLSS Quartermas­
ter upgrading course. Upon
moving to the West Coast,
Brother Ott shipped out of the
port of Seattle, Wash., where he
now lives.
IHMtEirr T. REIfEZ^
Robert T. Rentz, 44, joined the
Union in the port of Baltimore in
1964. He sailed in the engine de­
partment. Born in Glen Bumie,
Md., Brother Rentz first started
sailing in 1963 aboard the Alcoa
Commander as a utility. He
presently resides in B^timore,
Md.
PAiILM.ROI»WBCH9
Paul M. Robinson, 65, started
sailing with the SlU in 1973 in
the port of Duluth, Minn. He
sailed in the engine department.
Brother Robinson served in the
U.S. Army from 1946 to 1949.
Seafarer Robinson shipped out

of the port of Algonac, Mich.
and now lives in Georgetown,
Ky.
IplllLBSR. SAWYER •
Charles R. Saw­
yer, 63,joined
the Union in
1955 in the port
of Baltimore, but
had been sailing
since 1945. Bom
in Stockbridge,
Mass., Brother Sawyer sailed in
the deck department. He makes
Houston, Texas his home.

|fS%

JOANNES SOREL
Johannes Sorel,
65, joined the
SIU in New
York in 1952, al­
though he began
his sailing career
prior to that
time. Born in
Rotterdam, Holland, Brother So­
rel sailed in the deck depart­
ment. He participated in the
1962 Moore McCormack-Robin
Line beef. Seafarer Sorel com­
pleted the recertified bosuns
course at SHLSS in 1975. A res­
ident of Pensacola, Fla., Sea­
farer Sorel shipped out of the
port of Jacksonville, Fla.
GLEN C, STANFORD
Glen C. Stan­
ford, 62, started
sailing with the
SIU in 1955 out
of the port of
New Orleans,
La. Born in Poplarville. Miss.,
Brother Stanford shipped out in
the deck department, most re­
cently as bOsun. He completed
the bosun recertification course
in Piney Point in 1975. Seafarer
Stanford also served in the U.S.
Army from 1945 to 1946. He
makes his home in Slidell, La.
FRED VANCE
Fred Vance, 61, joined the SIU
in 1953 in the port of Cleveland,
Ohio. He formerly worked on
the Great Lakes. Brother Vance
sailed in the engine department.
Born in Pennsylvania, he served
in the U.S. Army from 1945 to
1950. Seafarer Vance upgraded
at Piney Point. In 1976 he com­
pleted the QMED seniority pro­
gram and in 1977, the diesel
class. He resides in Mpnessefi^ S

bdanil

^

^ -

' '' "I
MANIifELlLAi^^
Manuel R. Alvarez, 55 was is­
sued his SIU book in 1957 in the
port of Baltimore. He sailed for
21 years with Baker-Whiteley
Towing Co. and was licensed as
a chief engineer. Bom in Balti­
more, Brother Alvarez served in
the U.S. Coast Guard from 1952
to 1956. In 1985 he took the re­
frigeration systems course and
the welding course in Piney
Point. Seafarer Alvarez makes
his home in Linthicum, Md.

fi-l

�APRIL, 1989
-—

IHspatfdieis Report for Deep Sea

Seahtm brim&amp;lhMl

MARCH 1-31, 1989

Port
New Yprfc^°^^
Philadelphia
iBaltimore
Norfolk ^
Mobile
New Orleans
Jacksonville
San Francisco
Wilmington
Seattle
Puerto Rico
Honolulu
Houston .
St. Louis
Piney Point
Totals

rj:

p^56|i^2::
11 ^

is'

PPxP'A'- :
6
4
4

13
30

m:

w
PAX •yx '3
XA' "
551

5 '
91

-•

. itV -

:3Lmpx-Ps' '
'•X2x pPppPA. \
PA Px-P'-S 'P
6
7
0
12
8
18

10
12
2
1
13
10
2
7

1
0
2
2
2
7
2

0
0
5
8
3

' 0
^ 3
5
3
5
..2- V.

5
10
29
16
52

0
1
.... ^
2
2

10 'r'- 62
34
1
67
10
20
1
5
11
54
8
0 •'-•; I
0
505
58

M'4-

5
0
9
5
'gvO.' •.••,
1
4
0
7
60
75
233
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
\'5XPX:
0
.4 :'^''-3V:;,46 •
18
6
0
XXxxPxA'
•• -O'^
1
•PPXPPS.
0
11
3
13
7
3
1
2
13
2
0
10
2
35
0
2
10
4
29
10
2

.19
'n,//.10

5
0
13

5
. 5.

r.

1

4
:2

' 42
20

.

2
8
8
12
8
14

3
.Of
5
4
8

7
17
2
1
7
10
1• •
0
••• 3,.:.;3;: 4
83
133
• 5
11
4
12

7
5
• -2
10
5
13

0
'•; 0
1
0
2

7

STEWAim, DEPARTMENT

Port
New
Philadelphia
IBaltimorei
Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans

B

0
11
11
21

ij-

San Francisco
Wilmington
Seattle
Puerto Rico
Honolulu
r Ubifstoffl
St. Louis
Piney Point
Totals

10
25
15
28

-..

49
•••14 :
26 ••&gt;;•'• 5
48
4
13
2
13
8

Port
New York
Philadelphia
Baltimore
Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans
Jacksonville '
San Francisco
Wilmington
Seattle
Puerto Rico
Honolulu
'Hdustohf®
•St. Louis
Piney Point
Totals

1
5

1
0
7
9
3

t 44

' ZU ,, - J
7R
/o

.i,v f «T

,n

''

• 1
6
2

4:
If:

19
5
8

7
0
25

.'io'*

1

0

P'2
'•
p 3.

164

70

.

8
7

11
0
34

1
1
3

M
0
15

p,
'

26

i.!. ^

123

48

27

-

102

274

mm
101

31

7
0
4

10
0
5

ENTRY DEPARTMENT

Port
New York
Philadelphia
Baltimore m
Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans

; Jacksonville •
^ San Francisco
I Wilmington
Seattle
Puerto Rico
Honolulu
J^Hiluston
i 1st. Louis
Totals
Totals AO DqHuHneiits
821
367
365
575
281
276
190
1,292
556
471
•"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 March was up from the month of February. A total of 1,322 jobs were shipped on
SlU-contracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,322 Jobs shipped, 575 jobs or about 43 percent were taken by "A"
seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 190 trip relief jobs were
shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 9,694 jobs have been shipp^.

'

Midnel Sacco,
Joseph Sacco, Executive Vice
President
^
Joe DiGiorgio, Secretary-Treasurer
Angus "Red" Campbell,
Vice President of Contracts
Jack CafTey, Vice President
Thomas GHdewell, Vice President
George McCartney, Vice President
John Fay, Vice President
Roy A Mercer, Vice President
Sitye EAntyy Vice President

••REGISTERED ON BEACH
TOTAL SHIPPED
Trip
All Groups
All Groups
ReUefs Class A Class B Class C
Class A Class B Class C
DECK DEPARTMENT

•TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

^

;i-1 -J) V

HEADQUARTERS
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, MD 20746
(301)899-0675
ALGONAC
520 St. Clair River Dr.
Algonac, MI 48001
:
(313) 794-4988
BALTIMQRE
l2l6 E. Baltimore St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
(301)327-4900
DULUTH
705 Medical Arts Building
Duluth, MN 55802
(218) 722-4110
HONOLULU
z.' .
636 Cooke St.
3
Honolulu, HI 96813
/
(808)523-5434
HOUSTON
, "
1
1221 Fiercest.
Houston, TX 77002
(713)659-5152
/'fc 'i-:
JACKSONVILLE
3315 Liberty St.
,
V,
1? Jacksonville, FL 32206
?
(904) 353-0987
JERSEVCITY
99 Montgomery St.
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(201) 435-9424
,• / MOBILE
4640 Dauphin Island Pkwy.
Mobile, AL 36605 ;
(205) 478-0916
NEW BEDFORD
50 Union St.
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 997-5404
.'f
'•S.:
NEW ORLEANS
630 Jackson Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 529-7546
-.5 .
NEW YORK
675 Fourth Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11232
(718)499-6600
NORFOLK
115 Third St.
Norfolk, VA 23510
(804) 622-1892
•m
PHILADELPHIA
2604 S. 4 St.
Philadelphia, PA 19148
(215) 336-3818
PINEY POINT
St. Mary's County
Piney Point, MD 20674
(301)994-W10
SAN FRANCISCO
350 Fremont St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 543-5855
SANTURCE
1057 Fernandez Juncos St.
Stop 16
Santurce, PR 00907
(809) 725-6960
SEATTLE
2505 First Ave.
SeatUe, WA 98121
(206)441-1960
ST. LOUIS
4581 Gravois Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63116
(314)752-6500
WILMINGTON
510 N. Broad Ave.
WUmington, CA 90744
(213) 549-4000

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n December of 1988, the Seafarers Welfare Plan sent a letter to all plan
participants describing a new program called "COBRA." COBRA allows
an employee to purchase health care benefits when he or she becomes
ineligible to receive health and welfare from the Plan.
This benefit program is part of a law called The Consolidated Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act or COBRA. Congress passed COBRA to provide
individuals with the opportunity to purchase their health insurance in the
event of losing eligibility for benefits under health care plan.
The law spells out what events have to happen before a person can buy
the health benefits. Participants who lose plan coverage after January I,
1989 will be able to purchase benefit coverage for themselves and their
dependents. Under certain circumstances it is also possible for dependents
to purchase health plan coverage for themselves. Below is the complete text
of the letter.
Dew Putkqpant:

A new law requires the Seafarers Welfare Plan to give you and your
dependents the opportunity to extend your health care coverage in situations
where you have lost your eligibility for benefits. These situations are called
"qualifying events." This letter will explain how the new law applies to you
and your family and how to use this program should you become ineligible
for benefits under the Seafarers Welfare Plan.
In order to understand the new law, you need to know a few special
terms. Please make sure that you and your spouse read this letter carefully
so you will be able to take advantage of this program should you need it.
1. COBRA—The short name for the federal law which gives Plan partici­
pants the right to purchase Welfare Plan coverage.
2. QUALIFYING EVENT—A situation which causes the employee to lose
Welfare Plan coverage because they ho longer work for an employer who
must make contributions to the Plan on their behalf. A list of qualifying
events will be explained on the following pages.
3. ELECTION—^An election is your decision to tell the Plan whether you
would like to purchase Welfare Plan coverage under the COBRA pro-,
gram.
4. COST OF CONTINUING COVERAGE—This is the amount of money
you are required to send to the Plan office so your health care coverage
will be continued. This payment is like an insurance premium. It is
necessary because the employer for whom you worked before the quali­
fying event happened, is no longer required to make contributions on
your behalf.

WiRrf Iff9 9f shwalhH b a mMlihm§ emd mJtf (OBUi?

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The next part of this letter will explain what type of situations will allow
you to continue your health care coverage under the COBRA program of
the Seafarers Welfare Plan. As explained above, these situations are called
"qualifying events." When one of these events happens to you, it means
that you, your wife or dependent children will lose coverage under the Plan
and can elect to continue coverage by purchasing benefits.
The "qualifying events" are;
1. Your being fired from your job. You may elect to continue your health .
benefits if you were fired for any reason unless you were fired for gross
misconduct.
2. You were unable to continue to work enough time to be eligible to
continue your benefits under the Rules and Regulations of the Plan.
3. Your death, which would entitle your spouse and dependent children to
continue coverage.
4. Your divorce, or legal separation from your spouse which would entitle
your spouse and dependent child to continue coverage.
5. Your eligibility to receive Medicare benefits. For example, you are age 65
but still actively employed, making the Seafarers Welfare Plan the pro­
vider of your welfare benefit coverage rather than the Medicare program.
6. Your dependent child loses eligibility under the Plan because (1) he or
she reaches age 19 or (2) he or she does not fall into the category of
dependents under the age of 25 and enrolled in a full time school program
leading to a college degree.

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COBRA: A WAY TO COmiNUE HEALTH COVERAGE

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When the Plan receives notice from you or your employer that one of the
"qualifying events" listed above has happened, the Plan office will send you
a letter with complete instructions about how to continue coverage.
In the event of death, divorce, legal separation, receipt of Medicare
benefits or when a dependent child is no longer eligible for Welfare Plan
coverage, you or your spouse should notify the Plan at the address given at
the end of this letter. Your employer will notify the Plan if you are termi­
nated, if your job with the company has ended, or if your hours have been \
reduced.
If any of the "qualifying events" happens to you, it is also important that
you notify the Plan of the change. Since seafaring employees are able to end
jobs and get other work without generally notifying the Plan, it is very
difficult to determine when a participant will lose his or her eligibility. The
Plan is here to serve you, but we need your help.
If you have not worked and you know you are ineligible for plan benefits,
contact the plan's COBRA department to see if you can elect to continue your
welfare benefits under this program.

HiBf ffpo of itmfils oOl l nam if I etecf H aalmoo htmfUs
CMM?

If you elect to participate in the COBRA program and pay the costs, you
will receive the same type and level of hospital and some medical benefits as
you did before you lost your eligibility. To find out what benefits you should
be entitled to, call 1-800 252-4674. You will receive these benefits as long as
you are not already receiving Medicare benefits from the government, or
you are not working for another employer who has a medical benefits
program.

"•

•

How ho§ wH kootk mo {omogt iftniffc lit COtBi jwwrwi losff

The maximum period of time you, your spouse or dependent children will
be able to continue health care benefits under the COBRA progam depends
on your "qualifying event."
If you lose eligibility because you were fired or laid off from your job or
did not work enough time to establish eligibility, your maximum coverage
period is 18 months from the date of the event. If you lose your eligibility
for any other "qualifying event," the maximum coverage period will be 36
months from the date of the qualifying event.
MM—« »

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If you experience two "qualifying events," it is possible to extend your
coverage through the COBRA program for up to 36 months instead of 18
months. The time period is measured from the date of the^irj/ qualifying
event.
In order to receive an extension of participation in the COBRA program
the following must have happened:
1. Your first "qualifying event" must have been a termination of employ­
ment or a reduction in your days of employment which caused you to
lose your eligibility.
2. Your second "qualifying event" must take place while you are receiving
Flan benefits which you have purchased through the COBRA program.
Your second "qualifying event" must also be (1) the death of your
covered spouse; (2) divorce or legal separation; (3) your eligibility for
Medicare; (4) your dependent child's loss of eligibility under the Seafar­
ers Welfare Plan because he or she has reached the maximum age for '
benefit coverage.

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oROMimm forioif

Yes. Your COBRA coverage can end before the maximum period if the
following events take place:
(1) Your monthly payment to the Plan for the COBRA coverage is not
timely.
(2) You get another job which has health care benefits for you. Even if
those benefits are less complete than those you are receiving from the
COBRA coverage, you can no longer receive benefits from the COBRA
program.
(3) You become entitled to receive Medicare benefits.

Illif s tko ohdioa forioi oo9 iww 9oo$ it woik?

Once again, the "election" is your decision to tell the Plan whether you
wish to purchase COBRA benefit coverage in the event you lose Seafarers
Welfare Plan coverage. Depending on the "qualifying event," the Plan will
send you notice, or you or your family member will send a letter to the
Plan.
Once th6 "qualifying event" has happened and the Plan sends you an
"election" letter, ybu and your family will have 60 days to decide whether
to purchase benefits through the COBRA program. The election period will
end 60 days from:
(1) The date you experience your "qualifying event" which caused you to
lose eligibility time for benefit coverage from the Seafarers Welfare Plaii
or
(2) the date the Plan tells you that you have a right to participate in the
COBRA program, whichever date is later.

Mrar oHodR wiH COBttH tovongo tost?

The cost of COBRA benefit coverage depends on what level of Plan benefits
you were receiving at the time you or your dependents lost eligibility for
Seafarers Welfare Plan coverage. Because the cost to participants will vary,
you will be notified of the cost to you, or if you are married, for you and
your family.
After notification of a "qualifying event," the Plan will send you a letter
which contains specific information for your situation. This letter will ex­
plain the cost of the COBRA benefit coverage and other important informa­
tion. If you choose to buy benefit coverage through the COBRA program,
the first payment you make will cover the cost of your benefits, for the
period before your election. After that, you will make a payment once a
month.

Coo ow spooso otod to tooliooo heohk can kooofhs?

Yes. Each family member is entitled to make an election. If you make the
election, your spouse and dependent children will be automatically included.
If your spouse makes the election it will automatically include dependent
children.

Wtmt if otp popoRoot for €0999 totongo is toto?

If you choose to participate in the COBRA program your first check must
be received by the Plan no later than 45 days after you elect to participate in
the program. You then must pay a premium every month to keep your
COBRA benefits.
You do have a 30-day grace period for making late payments. The grace
period expires 30 days from the first day of the month during which your
coverage is extended. If you do not pay within this grace period you will
lose welfare benefit coverage.

MIIM wff ffce pnprooi start?

The COBRA program will be in effect on January I, 1989. If you need more
information you can call Membership Services at I-800-CLA1MS-4 (1-800252-4674). You may also write to COBRA Program, Seafarers Welfare Plan,
5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, Maryland 20746.
Leo Bonser
.
Plans Administrator

ComctMo

In the January and
1989 issues 6f the LOC^~'Pi©g 18, Ifie'lp'estloW"*
reading "Can my COBRA coverage end before the 24th or 36th month
maximum period?" should have read "Can my COBRA coverage end be­
fore the ISth or 36th month maximum period?" The April issue of the LOG
clarifies the answer to the question "What type of benefits will 1 receive if I
Select to continue benefits under COBRA?"

'

�-tr-rei-

APRIl, 1989

• • -,;, Mfc^..;.

•iteSA-

MONIS (Apex Marine), January 15Chairman Richard K. Wardlaw, Sec­
retary G, Marzett, Deck Delegate T.
Richardson, Engine Delegate O. Espinoza. Steward Delegate W. Con­
nolly. Some disputed OT was re­
ported in the engine department.
The ship is due to discharge its pres­
ent load of grain in Chittagong,
Bangladesh. If no backload is avail­
able, the vessel will go to the Singa­
pore shipyard. The crew wishes to
express its desire to pay off in the
United States rather than in Singa­
pore. Two men were taken off the
ship due to illness, one at Southwest
Pass and one in the Azores. Both
had joined the ship in Galveston,
Texas. Next ports: Chittagong and
Singapore.
BAY RIDGl (Bay Tankers), January
30—Chairman T.E. Anderson, Sec­
retary Robert A. Brown, Steward
Delegate Hank Spencer Jr. The
steward department delegate re­
ported many hours of disputed OT.
It was requested that a patrolman be
present when the ship arrives in San
Pedro, Calif, to settle the issue. Two
injuries occurred in the engine de­
partment. Both the pumpman and
the wiper were repatriated from
Puerto Armuelles, Panama. Fresh
provisions such as onions, carrots,
apples, tomatoes, potatoes, etc.
were in short supply this voyage. It
was felt that the quality of the stores
has deteriorated recently. Crewmembers were given a vote of
thanks for their support of the Mari­
time Defense League this trip.
SJNKMIS RMIGl (Interocean Manage­
ment), Chairman R. Edwards, Sec­
retary J. Pitetta, Educational Direc­
tor J. Scutieni. No beefs or disputed
OT. The chairman reported that the
ship probably will not go to Panama
for a few more months. In the
meanwhile, it will head for Los An­
geles to discharge cargo. All men
were advised not to leave the ship
until the patrolman holds a meeting.
At that time he will also talk about
the importance of contributing to the
Maritime Defense League. The crew
thanked Patrolman Robbie for com­
ing aboard and helping them at pay­
off. The educational directbr advised
members to take advantage of the
upgrading opportunities available at
Piney Point. The steward was
praised for doing an outstanding job
after the chief cook took ill. He car­
ried the galley by himself, putting
out at least 15 sandwiches each
afternoon and a great salad bar.

I:
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IMG aPRKORM (Energy Transporta­
tion Corp.), January 29—Chairman
Aubrey L. "Pete" Waters, Secre­
tary John L. Gibbons, Educational
Director Fabious M. Ricord. No
beefs or disputed OT reported.
There is $380 in the ship's fund. The
bosun reports a most joyful 120 days
'at sea. A special thanks goes out to
the steward department—and to the
entire crew for working together
during this tour. All crewmembers
were asked to comply with the new
federal regulations requiring the sep­
aration of plastic goods from gar­
bage. Dumping plastic overboard is
polluting our waters and destroying
our sea life. Members were cau­
tioned about the new dock in the
port of Bontang, Indonesia. The
launch service is very poor, and
many safety hazards have been
noted. The matter has been brought
to the captain's attention. Safety is
of prime importance on this vessel.
The LNG Capricorn had a good
safety record in 1988. Crewmembers
were asked to keep up the good
work in this new year. Next port:
Tobata, Japan.

aHOUMA (PRMMI), January 23Chairman James D. Cunningham,
Secretary Rafael R. Maldonado, Ed­
ucational Director David E. Sim­
mons, Deck Delegate James P. Por­
ter, Engine Delegate Bobbie Clark.
Everything is running smoothly with
no beefs or disputed OT reported. A
vote of thanks was given to all de­
partments for keeping the crew
messroom and pantry clean. One
minute of silence was observed in
memory of our departed brothers
and sisters.
C$ LONG UHSS (Transoceanic Cableship), January 13—Chairman Joseph
J. Olson, Secretary K. Rosiek.
Some disputed OT was reported in
the deck department in regards to
the Ipngshoremen's rate for dis­
charging cable. There is $212 in the
ship's fund after the purchase of
four cases of soda for the crew
cook-out. Estimated arrival in Ho­
nolulu is Jan. 15: The bosun thanked
all the crewmembers for complying
with the new federal law requiring

bers at Piney Point. A vote of
thanks was given to the 2nd assist­
ant engineer for installing new TV
antennas. Some problem was noted
in the food requisition process. The
steward said that if he has the food,
he will put it out, but items such as
butter and white bread are not in
plentiful supply. Next port: Stapleton, N.Y.
OMf aiARGtR (OMI Corp.), January
29—Chairman F.R. Schwartz, Sec­
retary Neville N. Johnson. No beefs
or disputed OT. There is $10 in the
ship's treasury. The vessel is sched­
uled to sail from New Orleans, La.
to Tampa, Fla., discharge its cargo
and then proceed to Corpus Christi,
Texas to take on a load for New
York.' There will be a payoff in Cor­
pus Christi. The chairman noted that
the garbage situation needs to be re­
viewed. The educational director
stated that the new federal laws reg­
ulating the dumping of plastics
should make the company more
aware of what types of stores are

SmpsMeetings
The Mhwkig d^t mml9$ an iust a smpiiMg
of the moof moolbig nports He SlU recehes
ooA mwrik from its slups oromul the worfd.
Skips' minutes are reviewed by the Union's
Xontma Department, Jhose issues requiring
attmition or resolution are addressed by the
l/uhn upon rereipt of the ship's minutes.
the separation of plastics from gar­
bage. All hands were asked to keep
their conversations down while
watching movies so that other mem­
bers can hear. Crewmembers were
asked to clean up after themselves
in the crew rec room. Two cobkouts have been planned for the run
from Honolulu to the Panama Canal.
A vote of thanks was given to the
steward department for these cookouts as well as for the outstanding
holiday and daily meals.. Next port:
Honolulu, Hawaii.
GRUT lAMD (Interocean Manage­
ment)—Chairman George Vukmir,
Secretary Jesus Laxamana, Educa­
tional Director Steve Sentenney,
Deck Delegate Jack W. Edwards,
Steward Delegate William Sharp.
The chairman discussed the drug
testing situation, the Cobra medical
plan recently written up in the Sea­
farers LOG and the upcoming con­
tract negotiations in 1990. A sugges­
tion was made to raise $5 from each
crewmember to start an emergency
and communications fund. A vote of
thanks was given to the steward de­
partment for a job well done.
GROTOH (Apex Marine), January 31—
Chairman Neil Matthey, Secretary
Marvin Deloatchf Educational Di­
rector J. Shuler, Deck Delegate
Raymond Rainey, Engine Delegate
Thomas CorreU, Steward Delegate
Christopher J. Mosley. The chair­
man announced that payoff would
be Feb. 3 in Stapleton, N.Y. at
which time a new captain will take
over. The deck and engine depart­
ments reported some disputed OT .
regarding Martin Luther King Day.
A telex was received from the com­
pany stating that Martin Luther
King Day is not a holiday at sea. It
is, however, a holiday in those ports
where the longshoremen observe it.
This information will be taken up
with the boarding patrolman. A re­
pair list is being made up for the
shipyard. The chairman urged
everyone to take advantage of the
upgi^ing courses available to mem-

•.

put onboard. In order to eliminate
non-biodegradable plastics, tin
should be used whenever possible,
juice should be stored in paper car­
tons and milk in 2.5 gallon con­
tainers. There are many such ways
to help control pollution. The educa­
tional director advised crewmembers
to attend upgrading courses at Piney
Point and gain as much knowledge
as possible. He also noted that it is
possible for the ship to get films on
firefighting, first aid and CPR to
show to the crew. A suggestion was
made to post the Coast Guard clear­
ance in the messhall. Crewmembers
would be grateful if they could get
the latest literature on the SIU pen­
sion and welfare plans. Next ports:
Tampa, Fla.; Coipus Christi, Texas,
and New York City.
OMf SNaMMIIiriD (OMI Corp.), Janu­
ary 22—Bosun William Baker, Sec­
retary Nancy Heyden. No beefs or
disputed OT. There is $120 in the
ship's movie fund. The chairman ex­
plained to the crew how the payoff
will be handled at JFK Airport and
how to reclaim jobs at the New
York hall. Before leaving the ship,
members were reminded to return
survival suits and life jackets to the
lounge.
Sa-IAMDAOnmR (Sea-Land Service),
January 22—Chairman Norbert
Prats, Secretary Glen Dambrosio,
Educational Director C.M. Devonish. Engine Delegate Terry Green,
Steward Delegate Stanley J. Krystosiak. Some disputed OT was re­
ported in the engine department by
the chief mate. This matter was re­
solved prior to payoff. The educa­
tional director stressed the impor­
tance of going to Piney Point to
upgrade. A motion was made and
seconded to request information on
emergency relief or medical relief
for permanent members. It was felt
members should have a say on the
choice of months of employment.
This will be sent to the contract ne­
gotiating committee for evaluation.
A safety meeting was held at which

time the crew requested new lines
for the ship. Crewmembers also
stated that they have been waiting
patiently for four months for a TV
antenna and for the VCR to be
fixed. Next ports: Elizabeth, N.J.;
Portsmouth, Va., and Charleston,
S.C.
[Editor's note: An antenna and a
new VCR will be brought aboard ship
this trip.]
Sa-IAMD CRUSMER (Sea-Land Serv­
ice), January 30—Chairman Gerald
Corelli, Secretary H. Fielder. No
beefs or disputed OT reported. A
repair list has been put out to all
departments. Payoff will be in New
York this trip, and the ship will then
sail for San Juan, P.R. on Feb. 2.
Members were reminded of the im­
portance of upgrading their skills at
Piney Point in order not to be left
behind. Crewmembers were asked
to keep the noise down in the pas­
sageways, make sure that clothes
are dry when taking someone else's
laundry from the dryer, and gener­
ally help keep the ship clean. A vote
of thanks was given to the steward
department.
SEA-IAND DISCOViRY (Sea-Land Serv­
ice), January 17—Chairman Harry
M. Fisher, Secretary Jose R. Colls,
Deck Delegate Carlos Garcia, En­
gine Delegate Valentin Martinez,
Steward Delegate Leon Butler. No
beefs or disputed OT. Everything is
running smoothly. Payoff will take
place as soon as the patrolman
comes onboard. A safety meeting
was held with some of the crew­
members. The captain wants an ex­
tra AB in addition to the regular
watches to help keep stowaways off
the ship. The deck department
wanted to bring this up to the pa­
trolman, but the matter was settled
onboard before payoff. Plastic items
which had previously been thrown
overboard now must be disposed of
in a new way, according to a recent
law. Trash cans have been placed on
all decks for plastic. Everyone's co­
operation was requested on this is­
sue. A vote of thanks was given to
the steward department for the good
food and a job well done. Next port:
San Juan, P.R.
SIA-UMD BOmnOM (Sea-Land Serv­
ice), January 24—Chairman Mark
Zimbro, Secretary E. Vazquez, Ed­
ucational Director David Dukehart,
Engine Delegate Johnny Hall. Some
disputed OT was reported in the en­
gine department. Everything is run­
ning smoothly. The importance of
donating to SPAD was stressed. A
motion was made by the chairman
to add one able-seaman and one util­
ity. This motion will be sent to the
negotiating-committee for evalua­
tion. A vote of thanks was given to
the steward department by Brother
Dukehart for a job well done. Spe­
cial thanks also were given to utility
Eusebio Gonzales for keeping a
clean ship.
IMG VIRGO (Energy Transportation
Corp.), January 2—Chairman John
P. Davis, Secretary Franklin Robert­
son, Educational Director/Engine
Delegate Aaron J. Thaxton, Deck
Delegate James Fletcher, Steward
Delegate Udjang Nurdjaja. No beefs
or disputed OT. The secretary noted
that at this time the crew list and
ship's meeting forms were being
sent to headquarters. All other com­
munications were posted. A vote of
thanks was given to the steward de­
partment for a job well done. Next
ports: Tobata, Japan and Arun, In­
donesia.
In MHipn to tho mioytos poUhM tbon,
tho SIU ntoiood oKtU skips mmolos from
Iko foHowiop skips; Omsoos Homolto, SoaImid Kodmk, Soo-lmd Padfk, Soo-lood
Volin, Soaotor, aad Uhraamr.

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SEAfARCIlS LOG

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Deep Sea
JOHN E. FLOYD
John Elmer
Floyd, 75,
passed away
Feb. 28 at home
in Toledo, Ohio.
Born in St.
James, Mich.,
Brother Floyd
sailed with the Boland Cornelius
Lines as a fireman from 1940 un­
til 1960, when he joined the SIU
in the port of Detroit, Mich. He
then sailed aboard the Adam E.
Cornelius (American Steamship
Co.) from 1961 to 1974, retiring
in 1975. Burial was at Woodlawn
Cemetery in Toledo. Seafarer
Floyd is survived by his wife,
Mary M. Floyd.

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MV.;

^.,.1

- • •• •

GERONIMO B. GAPAC
Geronimo B. Gapac, 90, died
Feb. 11 at the
Veterans Admin­
istration Hospital
in Dublin, Ga.
after a long ill­
ness. Brother
Gapac was featured in the Jan.
1989 issue of the Seafarers LOG
as one of hundreds of Seafarers
who sailed in World War II who
was finally granted their WWII
discharges and veterans' bene­
fits. Bom in the Philippines, Sea­
farer Gapac struck out on his
own at 17 to become a merchant
seaman. For the next 46 years
he saw the beautiful cities of the
world and the bmtality of action
in two world wars. In 1943 Ga­
pac joined the SIU in the port of
Norfolk, Va., sailing in the stew­
ard department until his retire­
ment in 1968. Burial was in Hillcrest Memorial Park. Surviving
are his wife. Infanta S. Gapac of
Savannah; a son, William S. Ga­
pac of Ellabell; two grandsons;
two granddaughters, and three
great-grandchildren.
EMIL J. GLASER
Emil J. Glaser,
66, died March 7
in Los Angeles,
Calif. Bora in
Disputanta, Va.,
Brother Glaser
joined the SIU in
1944 in the port
of New York. He last sailed on
the Trans Indiana (Hudson
Waterways). Seafarer Glaser,
who was also a meniber of Dis­
trict 2-MEBA, retired on j^nsion
in 1974. Burial took place in Val­
halla Memorial Park, North Hol­
lywood, Calif. Surviving is his
wife. Rose M. Glaser.
JOSEPH J. KEMP
Joseph J. Kemp,
73, died Feb. 26
at the Northshore Regional
Medical Center
in SlideU, La.
Bora in Key
West, Fla.,

Brother Kemp joined the Union
in 1940 in the port of Tampa,
Fla. He sailed in the deck de­
partment. Seafarer Kemp last
sailed aboard the Delta Uruguay
(Delta Steamship Lines) in 1979
and went on pension in thht
year. Burial took place in Me­
morial Gardens, Picayune, Miss.
Surviving is his wife, Voncile
Warner.
STEPHEN KRAPSHA
Stephen Krapsha, 75, died of
lung cancer Jan.
18. Born in Laflin. Pa., Brother
Krapsha joined
the SIU in the
port of Buffalo,
N.Y. He sailed in the deck de­
partment until his retirement in
1978, last aboard the M.V. Peckinpaugh (Erie Navigation Co.).
A resident of Plains, Pa., Sea­
farer Krapsha is survived by his
daughter, Leocadia L. Snyder.
JOSE MARTINEZ SR.
Jose Martinez
Sr., 64, passed
away March 6.
Bora in Spain,
Brother Martinez
had sailed since
1953. He joined
the Union in
1958 in the port of New York,
sailing in the deck department.
Seafarer Martinez last sailed on
the S.S.
(Hudson Water­
ways Corp.) and retired in 1976.
Martinez was a resident of Balti­
more, Md. He was buried at Oak
Lawn Cemetery in that city.
Surviving is his wife, Sophia
Martinez, and a son, Jose Jr.
LEONARD W. PARADEAU
Leonard W. Paradeau, 77, died
March 14 at
Mercy Hospital
in New Orleans,
La. Brother Paradeau was bora
in Minneapolis,
Minn. He joined the SIU in 1938
in Norfolk, Va., sailing in the
engine department. Seafarer Paradeau last sailed on the Overseas
Progress (Maritime Overseas) in
1970. Surviving is his sister,
Blanche Arnold of New Orleans.
STEPHEN A. SLONESKl
Stephen A. Sloneski, 71, passed
away Feb. 26 in
Kissimmee, Fla.
Born in New
York City,
Brother Sloneski
joined the SIU in
1949 in the port of New York.
He sailed in the deck depart­
ment. Seafarer Sloneski went on
pension in 1982. He last sailed
on the C.S. Long Lines (Trans­
oceanic Cable Ship Co.) in 1982.
Cremation took place at the
Grisson Funeral Home and Cre­
matory in Kissimmee. Sloneski

is survived by his wife, Meleana
Dora of Kissimmee.
WILLIAM J. TARRANT
Pensioner William J. Tarrant, 63,
passed away December 22, 1988.
Brother Tarrant joined the SIU
in January 1949 in the port of
New York and sailed in the deck
department. He last sailed in
April 1987 aboard the Sea-Land
Venture. He retired in Novem­
ber 1987. Brother Tarrant served
in the U.S. Navy from January
1943 to August 1946. He was
bora in New Orleans, La. and
resided in Metairie, La. Surviv­
ing is his sister. Beryl Baumgartner of Metairie.
HAROLD WARNER
Harold Warner,
63, died March
20 of lung can­
cer. Bora in Sa­
ginaw, Mich:,
Brother Warner
joined the Union
in 1%7 in De­
troit, Mich. He sailed in the
deck department, most recently
aboard the Medusa Challenger.
Seafarer Warner lived in Deland,
Fla. and was buried in Deland
Memorial Gardens in that city.
Surviving is his wife, Audrey.

Great Lakes
JOHN L. FLINT
John L. Flint,
71, succumbed
to pneumonia
Feb. 13 at the
Huron Medical
Care Facility in
Colfax Town­
ship, Mich. Bora
in Whiting, Ind., Brother Flint
started sailing with the SIU in
1968 out of Detroit in the deck
department. A resident of Bay
Port, Mich., Seafarer Flint re­
tired on pension in 1979. He last
worked on the tug Margaret M.
Hannah (Hannah Inland Water­
ways, Inc.) in that year. Crema­
tion took place at Sunset Valley
Crematory in Bay City, Mich.
Flint is survived by his wife,
Dorothy Wallace.
ADOLF F. KALISCH
Pensioner Adolf Frederick Kalisch, 75, joined the Union in
1948 in Toledo. He was bora in
Alpena, Mich, and shipped out
from there. Kalisch^pent many
years working on Huron Port­
land Cement vessels. He last
shipped on American S.S.'s J.T.
Hutchinson, Brother Kalisch
worked in the engine depart­
ment, retiring in 1977. He died at
his home on December 2, 1988.
He was buried in Evergreen

Cemetery in Alpena, Mich. His
widow, Martha E. Kalisch, sur­
vives him.
WILLIAM I. KINSELLA SR.
Pensioner William I. Kinsella
Sr., 75, passed away December
28, 1988 at Lykes Memorial
Hospital in Brooksville, Fla.
Brother Kinsella joined the In­
land Boatmen's Union, Great
Lakes Tug &amp; Dredge Division,
in August 1961 in Sault Ste.
Marie, Mich. He sailed in the
deck department with Great
Lakes Dredge &amp; Dock Company
and retired in June of 1976. Sea­
farer Kinsella was born in Michi­
gan and resided in Brimley,
Mich. Surviving is his widow.
Myrtle Wilcox Kinsella. Brother
Kinsella's body was moved from
Merritt Funeral Home in
Brooksville to Hillcrest Ceme­
tery in Superior Township,
Mich, for burial.
GEORGE H. LAMONT
Pensioner George H. Lamont,
79, passed away January 22,
1989 at the Benzie County Medi­
cal Care Facility in Frankfort,
Mich. He joined the Union in
November 1953 in Frankfort and
sailed in the deck department.
Brother Lamont retired in March
1974. He was born in Michigan
and resided in Arcadia, Mich.
He is survived by his widow,
Paula Hovis Lamont. Burial took
place at Conway Cemetery in
Arcadia.
FRANK E.MAY
Pensioner Frank E. May, 71,
passed away January 22, 1989 at
the Munson Medical Center in
Traverse City, Mich. Brother
May joined the Union in Decem­
ber 1953 in Frankfort, Mich. He
sailed in the deck department.
He last sailed with Ann Arbor
Railroad, a car ferry service.
Lakes seaman May retired in
May 1974. Brother May was
bora in Michigan and resided in
Frankfort. Surviving is his
widow, Zelda E. May. Funeral
services were held at the Bennett-Jonkhoff Funeral Home in
Beulah, Mich, and burial took
place at the Blaine Twp Ceme­
tery in Blaine Twp. Mich.
PAULM. WUORI
Pensioner Paul M. Wuori, 65,
passed away February 7, 1989.
Brother Wuori joined the SIU in
October 1960 in the port of To­
ledo, Ohio. He last sailed in No­
vember 1987 in the engine de­
partment aboard the Harry
Steinbrenner owned by Kinsman
Lines. He retired in October
1988. Prior to joining the Union,
seaman Wuori sailed for 10 years
as a marine fireman. Seafarer
Wuori was bora in Maple, Wis.
and resided there. Surviving is
his sister, Alice O. Walamaki of
Maple.

I

�..

APRIL, 1989

1989 UPGRADING
COURSE SCHEDULE

xmr:.

Check-In
Date
June 26
September 18
June 12
July 10
May 15
July ,31
September 18
Variable Speed DC Drives
September 18
August 21
Hydraulics
Limited Assistant/Chief Engineer
July 17
*AII students in the Engine Department will have two (2)
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.
Course
Automation
QMED—Any Rating
Fireman/Watertender and Oiler
Marine Electrical Maintenance
Refrigerated Containers Advanced Maint.
Pumproom Maint. and Ops.

June through September 1989
The following is the current course schedule for June—December 1989 at
the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's and industry's
needs.
PLEASE NOTE: AU members are required to take firefighUng when attending
SHISS.

Deck Upgrading Courses

Firefighting: • Yes

Date Available for training

Mo./Day/Year

(Area Code)

Deep Sea Member •
Lakes Member •
Inland Waters Member •
Pacific •
If the following information is not filled out completely your applica­
tion will not be processed.

VESSEL

^

No G
.

-

•

RATING
HELD

DATE
SHIPPED

DATE OF
DISCHARGE

" t•.

Department.

Seniority^

SIGNATURE.
• Yes

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces:

DATE.

GNo
A*' • • • •

^—

Endorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held.

I Am intercs)ed in (he Following
C'oursc(s) Checked Below or
Indicated Here if No( l.is(ed

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program:
DliCK

• Yes-

GNo

(If yes, fill in below)
Trainee Program: From_
Last grade of school completed.

to
(daics atlcndcd)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses:
• Yes
• No
(if yes, fill in below)
Course(s) Taken.

CPR: G Yes

Book #.

Social Security #.

,'. /•

&lt;, V

With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted
showing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the course(s) requested.
You must also submit a COPY of the first page of your union book
indicating your department and seniority, as well as, a COPY of your
clinic card. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is
received.

Date of Birth.

Telephone.

Home Port.

NoG

Primary Language Spoken

(Zip Code)

Completion
Date
November 6
July 3

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat: • Yes , No •

(Street)
(State)

Check-In
Date
September 25
May 29

Course
Bosun Recertification
Steward Recertification

Upgradiug Appliaitioa

(City)

i' •

Recertification Programs

SEAFARERS HARRY LUNDEBERG
SCHOOL OF SEAMANSHIP

Address.

i

The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior
to some of the upgrading classes.
Developmental Studies (DVS)
June 5
June 9
(Prior to FOWT)
July 31
August 18
ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course
September 25
October 13
This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed
to help seafarers prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which
is scheduled immediately after this course. This class will benefit those
seafarers who have difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not
English, and seafarers who have been out of school for a long time.

Check-In
Completion
Course
Date
Date
Assistant Cook, Cook and Baker
All open-ended (Contact Admissions
Chief Cook, Chief Steward.
Office for starting date)=*=
'''All students in the Steward Program will have two (2) weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

(Middle)

I-': x:

Check-In
Completion
Date
Course
Date
The Adult Education Courses for 1989 will be six weeks in length.
High School Equivalency (GED)
July 3
August 14
September 4
October 16
October 30
December 11
July 3
August 12
Adult Basic Education (ABAE)
September 4
October 14
October 30
December 9
August 12
English as a Second Language (ESL)
July 3
September 4
October 14
December 9
October 30

Steward Upgrading Courses

(Kirsi)

Completion
Date
July 21
December 8
July 21
September 1
June 9
September 8
October 27
October 27
September 15
September 8
weeks of Sealift

1989 Aduit Education Scheduie

Check-In
Completion
Course
Date
Date
Able Seaman
July 10
August 18
September 4
October 13
Third Mate
July 10
October 13
Radar Refresher/Renewal
Open-ended, 3 days
(Contact Admissions for starting
date)
Radar Recertilication
Open-ended, 1 day
(Contact Admissions for starting
date)
Limited Inland Licen^
July 17
September 8
Lifeboat
July 24
August 4
August 21
SeptemL&gt;c.° 1
September 18
September 29
(This course is not offered as a
LNG—Self-Study
separate course, but may be taken
while attending any of the regu­
larly scheduled courses.)
*Upon completion of course, the Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance
course must he taken.

(I.asl)

•' •

Engine Upgrading Courses

Pngnm Geand to Improve Job Stkills Ani Prombto US
MarUimo Industiy

Name.

23

•
•
•
•
•

AB/Sealil'(
Is) Class Pilot
Third Mate
Radar Observer Unlimited
Master Inspected Towing
Vessel
• Towboat Operator Inland
• Celestial Navigation
• Simulator Course
FNOINF

• FOWT
• QMliD—Any Rating
• Variable Speed DC Drive
Systems (Marine Flectronics)
• Marine Flectrical
Maintenance
• Pumproom Maintenance &amp;
(Operation

• Refrigeration Systems
Maintenance &amp; Operation
Q Diesel Fngine Technology
• Assistant Fngineer/Chief
Fngineer Motor Vessel
• Original 3rd lingineer Steam
or Motor
• Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
• FTectro-Hydiaulic Systems
• Automation
O Hydraulics
Q] Marine Flectronics
'technician
•STIiWARD
•
•
•
•
•

Assistant Cook Utility
tiaiok and Baker
Chief Cook
Chief Steward
fowboat Inland Cook
ALL DFPAR'rMliNTS

• Welding
• Lifeboatman (Must be taken
with another course)

ADUI T I;DU( ATION

DI;PARTMI;NT
[J Adult Basic Fiducalion (ABIi)
• High School liquivalency
Program tCil-.D)
• Developmental Studies (DVS)
I I Finglish as a Second
Language tliSI.)
• ABi;/i;SI. Lifeboat
Preparation

dm
COI.LIiOF PROORAM
• Associates in Arts Degree
• Certificate Programs
No transportation will be paid
unless you present original
receipts and successfully
complete the course.

Rii i uRN COMPLF:TI;D
APPl.lt ATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
Upgrading Center.
Piney Point. MD. 20674

f ,

�jj

d . ' ••••' '

•.

24

saatasioe

SlU URGES REMOVAL OF MARIOME SERVICES wmismrf
FROM CURREHT ROUND OF IRADE TALKS
F
7

.

" 'V: . :

'he SIU voiced strong otgections to the inclusion of mari­
time services in the current
round of international talks being
conducted under the auspices of
the General Agreement on Tar­
iffs and Trade (GATT). The
Union is urging Congress to pass
legislation specifically excluding
maritime services from GATT's
agenda.
The union warned that any ne­
gotiated agreement dealing with
the maritime industry could wind
up invalidating U.S. laws gov­
erning everything from coastwise
trade to operating subsidies for
U.S.-flag carriers.
In its more than 40Tyear his­
tory, GATT has focused its at­
tention exclusively on trade in
goods. The inclusion of services
in the current round of negotia­
tions in Uruguay marks a dra­
matic departure from that prac­
tice.
This marks the second time
that the Union has been forced
' to oppose efforts to open up the
U.S maritime services to as­
saults from abroad. The first
time was during the negotiations
that led up to the U.S.-Canada
Free Trade Agreement. Maritime
services were on the agenda dur­
ing the early stages of those
talks, too. But they were re­
moved in the end because an
aroused Congress made clear it
would not deal away historic
protection of the merchant ma­
rine.
In calling for exclusion of mar­
itime services from the Uruguay

round of GATT negotiations, the
SIU pointed out that efforts to
abolish international trade bar­
riers could:
• Invite a free-for-all in which
foreign competition would apply
pressure to open up the re­
stricted U.S. coastal trade.
• Endanger the Jones Act by
forcing the United States to
repeal existing cabotage laws
that bar foreign vessels and air­
lines from providing service be­
tween two destinations in this
country.
• Encourage third-worid and
East-bloc countries to engage in
these domestic trades, thus pos­
ing a grave threat to national se­
curity.
• Risk forfeiture of protec­
tions extended to U.S.-flag ship­
ping through cargo preference
laws which reserve a percentage
of government-generated ship­
ments for American ship opera­
tors.
• Force the United States
government to drop existing op­
erating subsidies designed to
help U.S.-flag carriers offset
competition from low-wage for­
eign-flag shipping that does not
have to meet U.S. standards for
manning or safety.

ices in the on-going GATT nego­
tiations.
In addition, the nationally ac­
claimed Commission on Mer­
chant Marine and Defense,
which has just completed its
two-year study of the industry,
made clear that it opposes in­
cluding the maritime sector in
the GATT negotiations.
And just prior to the close of
the 100th Congress, Sen. John
Breaux (D-La.) and Rep. Walter
Jones (D-N.C.), introduced legis­
lation in their respective bodies
not only reaffirming strong sup­
port for the Jones Act but also
expressly stating objections to
making maritime transportation
part of the Uruguay found of
talks.
The Union pointed out that
because maritime is the oldest
form of international trade, it is
already highly regulated. On the
world scene, it is subject to the
overview of the International
Maritime Organization (IMO)
and the United Nations Confer­
ence on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD). On the domestic
scene, it is regulated by the De­
partment of Transportation
(DOT) and the Federal Maritime
Commission (FMC).
Under the circumstances, the
SIU stressed, it would be not
only unnecessary but unwise to
force maritime's involvement
with anot^r multilateral
agency—^particularly one that
has no experience in, or under­
standing of, the complexities of
international shipping.

The SIU pointed out that the
Omnibus Trade Bill of 1968
reaffirmed the principle that
maritime services should be
treated independently from other
trade issues. Title X of that leg­
islation si^ifically prohibited
the inclusion of maritime serv­

Commission
Recommottdatioas
continued from pt^e 4
• Receiving reports on gov­
ernment agency efforts to pro­
mote maritime industries.
• Raising to 100 percent the
percent of government-owned or
government-impelled cargo that
must be carried on U.S.-flag
ships.
• Improving the quality and
military utility of ships engaged
in Jones Act trade.
• Ensuring that rates paid for
Defense Department caigo are
fiilly compensatory.
• Establishing a National
Maritime Industries Research
and Development Program.
• Requiring secretaries of De­
fense and Transportation to re­
port annually to Congress on
sealift capability.
• Updating the Longshore­
men's and Harbor Workers'
Compensation Act so that its
benefits are comparable with
those paid under industrial work­
ers' compensation programs.
• Allow greater flexibility in
use of maritime personnel.

and labor must be heard in the
deliberations undertaken by a
number of different government
task forces which will be needed
to address the interrelated prob­
lems of building and maintaining
an adequate merchant marine,
and sending it to sea to compete
in peacetime and be prepared to
serve the national defense in
time of crisis.
Emphasizing that cooperation
is vitsd between the government
and the maritime industries, the
report said that failure to achieve
this "mutually beneficial" rela­
tionship could end up with the
government becoming "more de­
pendent on its own resources,
such as inactive reserve fleets
and public shipyards," to meet
national defense needs.
"Such a course might sQund
the death knell for the American
maritime industries as we know
them, to the disadvantage of our
trade and commerce as well as
of our fundamental national se­
curity in both peace and war,"
the commission concluded.
The commission advocated es­
tablishing a maritime forum
sponsored by the Secretary of
Transportation in which all ele­
ments of the industry's private
sector would meet with govern­
ment representatives. The forum
could bring cohesion and unity
on maritime public policy among
all concerned parties.

What the
Private
Sector
Should Do
The Commission acknowl­
edged the unique role of the
American merchant marine as "a
private industry required to per­
form a public Action." Under
these circumstances, its report
said, "subsidies paid to the mar­
itime industries must never be
regarded as a gratuity . . . They
are investments by the American
people, through their govern­
ment, for the nation's well-being.
For their part, the shipping,
shipbuilding and ship repair in­
dustries must realize that "the
government expects a 'return' on
its investment in the form of ad­
equate, readily available, stra­
tegic sealift assets."
One way that this goal can be
accomplished, the report said, is
through cooperation among op­
erators, unions, shipyards and
shipyard suppliers to "reduce
and eliminate counterproductive
competition and disagreements
and to enhance' development of
coordinated and concerted ac­
tion."
And, the commission said, the
voices of maritime management

'

•.

br more than four decades, 94
governments have attempted
to liberalize world trade and
place it on a secure basis that
win contribute to global eco­
nomic growth and development.
This ambitious program is c?u-lied out under the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT)—a multilateral treaty
first drawn up in 1948 and now
subscribed to by 94 countries.

WHAT IS GATT^S
PURPOSE?
Its stated purpose is to
put mi end to discrimi­
natory trade practices,
reduce trade b^ers and get rid
of other devices which distort
competition in the worid market.
WHAT ARE 'ROUNDS' OF
NEGOTIATIONS?
PeriOdicaUy, ministers
from participating
countries sit down in
wlmt are referred to as "rounds"
fff multilateral trade negotiations.
In the early days, these discus­
sions lasted only a few months
CHT, at most, a year. But as Uie
number of participating countries
j^w, and the issues became
more complex, negotiation
rounds have stretched over
longer and longer periods of
time.
The discussions that opened in
Geneva in 1954, for example,
weren't completed until 1967;
the Tokyo round ran from 1973
to 1979; and the current round of
talks, launched in Umguay in
1986, is still going on and isn't
expected to wind up until next
year.
WHYISGATT
IMPORTANT?
^
ITie present GATT ne^gotiations come at a
time when trade imbal­
ances have developed into a
source of increasing tension in
the world economy and when
governments are playing a grow­
ing and important role in deter­
mining the flow of commerce.
The continued deep U.S. trade
deficit, for example, is directly
traceable to the fact that many
recent actions by foreign govern­
ments—especially in the form of
export subsidies, voluntary ex­
port restraints, other non-tariff
barriers to imports, and bilateral
agreements—contradict the
GATT principles that have at­
tempted to supervise interna­
tional conunerce since the end of
World Warn.
WHAT DOES GATT MEAN
TO A SEAMAN?
On the agenda for the
current round of GATT j
talks in Uruguay are
"services." Included in this catetgory is shipping. If maritime is
included in GATT, the negoti­
ated agreement could wipe out
existing U.S. laws governing
coastwise trade and operating
subsidies.

. ••(
V- '/•-;! S

4

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                <text>HEADLINES&#13;
PHIL CARLIP DEAD AT 94&#13;
SACCO DEPLORES SHIP DECLINE UNDER DOT, SEEKS IMPROVED STATUS FOR MARITIME ADMINISTRATION &#13;
GEN. CASSIDY: ‘COALITION CAN REVIVE MARITIME’&#13;
DEFENSE COMMISSION URGES ‘DECISIVE ACTION’ TO UPGRADE NATION’S FLEET, CITES LACK OF SEALIFT RESOURCES&#13;
PANEL SAYS COSTS WOULD BE ‘TRIVIAL’ COMPARED TO TOTAL DEFENSE $’S&#13;
JOINT MANAGEMENT/UNION COMMITTEE PLANS AIDS EDUCATION PROGRAM&#13;
SIU DRUG SUIT: HEARING DATE IS APRIL 24 IN FEDERAL COURT&#13;
SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS DRUG-TESTING FOR RAILROAD AND CUSTOMS WORKERS&#13;
SIU’S INLAND DIVISION SIGNS PACTS WITH THREE TUG BOAT COMPANIES&#13;
EASTERN UNIONS HANG TOUGH AS LORENZO TRIES CHAPTER 11&#13;
SIU GOES ALL-OUT FOR MACHINISTS&#13;
BIG OIL SPILL SLOWS SHIPPING FROM VALDEZ&#13;
U.S. SHIPPING WINS AMENDMENT TO KEEP NEW ALASKA OIL FOR DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION &#13;
NEXT OF KIN DECEASED SEAMEN CAN OBTAIN WWII CERTIFICATES &#13;
ANTARES CREW RESCUES SAILBOAT FROM 50 MPH GULF STORM DURING TRAINING EXERCISE &#13;
MOBILE SEALIFT TRAINING TEAM VISITS WATERMAN AND I.M.C. SHIPS&#13;
GOV’T DIVISION MEMBERS WELCOME NEW SHIP&#13;
BUSINESS AGENT GRIER RETIRES&#13;
DORIS MORAN AND MARITRANS LIBERTY IN FLORIDA &#13;
SIU CREWS ON LAKES READY THEIR BOATS FOR ANOTHER RECORD SEASON&#13;
EARLIEST FITOUT IN 20 YEARS, FIRST VESSELS ALREADY SAILING&#13;
CHARLES E. WILSON&#13;
ROGER M. KEYES&#13;
WILLIAM R. ROESCH&#13;
WILLIAMETTE: FINE CREW, GOOD FOOD&#13;
NEW SHIPHANDLING COURSE ESTABLISHED AT LUNDEBERG SCHOOL. FIRST CLASSES TO START MAY 15&#13;
SIU URGERS REMOVAL OF MARITIME SERVICES FROM CURRENT ROUND OF TRADE TALKS&#13;
WHAT IS GATT?&#13;
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                    <text>Cruz Survives 20-foot Plunge

Shipmates' Ingenuity, 24-Hour Care
Save AB's Life on M/V Baltimore

SEAEiMCEMSS

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May

Volume 51, Number 5
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A Coast Guard helicopter lifts the ipjured Seafarer from the MA^
Baltimore in waters off the Carolinas' coast.
Aboard the MA^ Baltimore, an Apex Marine integrated tug/
barge tanker, the SIU's Brotherhood of the Sea is more than a
slogan. It is a way of life to which Seafarer George Cruz says
he owes his survival.
placed the damaged wrist in a
A heartwarming demonstra­
splint.
Bosun George Kahn and
tion of the real stuff of which
the deck crew fashioned a
the Brotherhood is made took
stretcher of plywood so that
place when Brother Cruz, who
Cruz could be moved from the
was about to paint the ladder,
deck to his room.
suddenly plunged more than 20
Unable to move his head or
feet from the port side of the
limbs. Brother Cniz could not
stack deck to the boat deck. Ap­
take nourishment, so his ship­
parently in critical condition,
mates in the black gang manu­
with a broken wrist and severe
factured
a special drinking straw
back injuries, Cruz could not
that
enabled
him to take in liq­
move.
uids. Chief Steward TohyTDei
Boissiere handled the stricken
Seafarer like a baby, lifting and
holding his head as he spoonfed
Cruz with specially-prepared
food.
The injured Seafarer was never
left alone. A virtual intensive care
The mishap occurred a little
unit was set up as fellow Seafar­
after 0900 on March 29, as the
ers
of the deck crew maintained
vessel was returning to New
an
around-the-clock
watch to
York from St. Croix on a regular
keep
Cruz
in
stable
condition
until
riin. The Coast Guard was noti­
arrival of the Coast Guard which
fied immediately of the accident
got to the scene on noon of the
and scheduled a rendezvous with
following
day.
the Baltimore to transfer the in­
(Continued on Page 18)
jured Seafarer to a hospital.
Later Cruz stated that, "I was in
more pain than I ever dreamed
possible."

A War-Time Hero Comes Home to Baltli

The injured
Seafarer was never
left alone . ;.

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•

Crew Moves Quickly
Meanwhile, the crew went to
work to do everything that could
be done to make Brother Cruz
as comfortable as possible, and
to prevent his body from going
into shock. Captain Ed Bise

fm
r,-n '-

One of a few remaining Liberty ships, which played such a heroic part
in the WWII victory of democracy, is towed into the port of Baltimore
hy SlU-crewed tugs. Onboard the Liberty ship are volunteer mariners,
including r^BT^ i^U nieinbers. See page 6.

T-AGOS Performance Cited

Is'

Navf Honors Sea MoMhy
Company and SU Crew
Panel Announces Award Winners

Geoige Cruz

Union Schdaishlps Awarded To
2 Secddieis, 4 SlU Dependents
Page 2 and 24

Inside:

M/V Baltimore Bosun George Kahn (right) and Chief Steward Tony
DeBoissiere.

Lundeberg School Offers
New Inland Curriculum
Page 2
'Zero Tolerance' Policy Means
Seizure, Halt of Operations
Page 3

•ik:-

Union Industry Prot&gt;e
•t'
Drug Testing Problem
Page 5

\

SIU Crews Cape Horn
in San Francisco, CA
Page 13

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President's Report
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The priority which the Soviet Union gives to its merchant fleet
offers a marked contrast to the neglect and indifference that charac­
terizes the United States' attitude toward its shipping capability.
An article in The Journal of Commerce by its Moscow correspon­
dent reports that the Soviet Ministry of the Merchant Marine has
begun "a massive modernization program that could cost the state
treasury more than $4 billion under the 1991-95 five year plan."
If the plan is fully completed. The Journal of Commerce story
says it would give the Soviet Union one of the most up-to-date fleets
in the world by the mid-1990s. Shipping ex­
perts also are urging the Merchant Marine
Ministry to purchase new ships and equip­
ment which is intended to reduce the de­
pendence on chartering of ships.
The Journal of Commerce reports that the
Soviets have 1,650 ships with a total of 20.2
million tons of carrying capacity. Of them,
65.9 percent are dry cargo ships, 27.2 per­
cent are tankers, 6.4 percent are combination ships and 0.5 percent
are passenger vessels. The Soviet ministry says that last year, Soviet
ships carried 256 million tons of cargo, 77 million of which was in
the coastal trade.
Soviet Shipping Aims at Larger Share of Commerce
The massive fleet modernization program is a clear signal that the
Soviets are still committed to their objective of carrying a major
share of their own exports and imports and to expand their activity
in the cross trades. They are motivated both by economic considera­
tions, among them the desire to earn hard currency, and the allimportant national security consideration. The Soviets understand
too well the danger of dependency on foreign shipping. Meanwhile,
here in the U.S., the merchant fleet fails to get even minimal atten­
tion. It appears that only the people responsible for the national
security are worried about our lack of a sufficient merchant fleet.
The big hope is that the people in the Defense establishment who
are attempting to wake up the nation to this national deficiency will
be able to turn the situation around.
The people over at the Department of Commerce are stepping up
activity designed to promote the export of American products. In­
creasing our exports to the foreign markets is one of the best ways
to reduce the massive trade deficit which has been hanging over the
nation for too long. The lower valued dollar makes it easier to sell
U.S.-made goods abroad. The experts tell us that for every $1 billion
dollars in U.S. exports, 25,000 jobs are created.
The push on exports, referred to as the Export Now program, got
under way last year. It is being handled by the Commerce Depart­
ment's U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, which is responsible
for trade promotion both domestically and abroad. This office is
operating an elaborate network made up of 48 district offices and 19
branch offices throughout the U.S.
Particularly interesting to us is the fact that the directors of the
program are making a strong effort to promote the use of U.S.-flag
ships in conjunction with their export promotion activities, and they
are seeking the cooperation and input of the industry in determining
how best to crank up the use of American vessels.
This Commerce Department activity on behalf of U.S. shipping
underscores some of the reasons behind our suggestion several
weeks ago that perhaps it was a mistake for our industry to have
agreed to be transferred from the Commerce Department to the
Department of Transportation without some assurance that the prob­
lems of the industry would be appropriately addressed.
We suggested further that the industry might well consider
whether it might be better served by moving the Maritime Adminis­
tration back to Commerce or giving it independent agency status.
Commerce is in effect promotion-oriented, while Transportation
does not stress promotion but is regulatory in its approach.
We think the Export Now program and its inclusion of U.S.
shipping promotion is further evidence of the point we were making.
While seamen the world over are very special people in our
judgment. Seafarers are the very best. The best qualified, best
trained, gutsy and caring^ And we point with pride to the crew of
the tanker MV Baltimore (Apex Marine) as an example of what
we're talking about. Had it not been for the devoted care and
attention of his shipmates when AB George Cruz suffered a very
serious fall, he feels he might not have been around to tell the story.
To all hands, especially Bosun George Kahn, Chief Steward Tony
DeBoissiere, and Captain Ed Bise, our deep thanks and a big salute
for their ingenuity, skill and kindness in, as George Cruz put it,
saving his life.

Seafarers, Dependents
Win SIU Scholarships
Two Seafarers and four chil­
dren of SIU members have been
named winners in the 1989 SIU
scholarship program, it was an­
nounced by the impartial panel
of educators. The awards were
chosen on the basis of previous
academic performance.
The two SIU members
awarded scholarships are:
AB WiUiam McRee, 26, of
Santa Fe, NM who will receive a
$10,000, four-year scholarship
and AB Laura Kay Morgan, 29,
of North Hampton, NH who
won a two-year, $5,000 scholar­
ship.
The four dependents who were
awarded four-year, $10,000
scholarships are:
Sandra Chew, 17, of San Fran­
cisco, CA. She is the daughter of
SIU pensioner Tak Lim Chew
and Yim Ching Chew;
John E. Costango, 19, of
Mohnton, PA. He is the son of
Seafarer George Costango and
Barbara Snyder;
Glen D. Gontha, 16, of Brook­
lyn, NY. He is the son of deepsea member Edward J. Gontha
and Sientje Gontha;
Tamara Greene, 18, of Valdosta, GA. She is the daughter
of Seafarer Ray E. Greene and
Paula P. Pena.
In a communication to all win­
ners, SIU President Michael
Sacco extended the best wishes
of the union as they pursue new
studies. He said the union is
proud of their achievements.
Since the SIU started the
scholarship program in 1952, 185
scholarships have been awarded.
The Scholarship Award Com­
mittee consists of six profes­
sional educators. They are Dr.
Trevor Carpenter, director of
physical education and intercol­
legiate athletics at Charles
County Community College in
LaPlata, MD and Dr. Michael
Glaser, professor of English at
St. Mary's College in St. Mary's
City, MD.
Also Dr. Charles Lyons Jr.,
senior consultant for the Ameri­
can Association of State Col­
leges and Universities; Dr.
Charles D. O'Connell Jr., special
assistant to the president at the
University of Chicago; Dr. Gayle
A. Olson, professor of psychol­
ogy at the University of New

Orleans, and Dr. Keith Schlender. Department of Pharmacol­
ogy, Medical College of Ohio,
Toledo, OH.
For more information on the
SIU's scholarship program win­
ners, see page 24.

New Inland
Courses Set
The SIU's tradition of provid­
ing increased job opportunities
for its members continues with
new courses at the Seafarers
Lundeberg which will give inland
boatmen a chance to obtain or
upgrade their licenses.
These new courses, on top of
the already extensive inland
training available at the school,
will give SIU inland members
the skills and qualifications the
towing industry is seeking.
The eight-week courses will
cover original and upgraded li­
censes for: 500-1,600 ton mate,
operator and second class opera­
tor uninspected towing vessels
and 100-200 ton mate and mas­
ter, limited assistant and limited
chief engineer courses.
The first course is scheduled
for July 17 through September 8.
It will be filled on a "first come,
first serve" basis. Along with
course work relating to the par­
ticular license being sought,
CPR, first aid and firefighting
classes will be required.
School officials stressed that
before anyone may be accepted
for the programs they must have
a U.S. Coast Guard approved
evaluation of their seiatime.
To receive an evaluation of
seatime, one must contact:
United States Customs House
40 South Gay St.
Baltimore, MD. 21202
Applicants must meet this and
other normal school requirements.
When the application for a li­
cense is submitted to the Coast
Guard, it must include a hand­
written note requesting that the
Seafarers School be notified the
application and review has been
accepted by the Coast Guard.

Volume 51 Number 5

f

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May 1989

(I

'he LOG (ISSN 0160-2047) is published monthly by the Seafarers International
Union; Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District; AFL-CIO; 5201
Auth Way; Camp Springs, Maryland 20746. Telephone (301) 899-0675.
Second-class postage paid at MSG Prince Georges, Maryland 20790-9998 and
at additional maUing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the
LOG, 5201 Auth Way; Camp Springs, Maryland 20746.
President, Michael Sacco; Secretary-Treasurer, Joe DiGiorgio; Executive
Vice President, Joe Sacco; Vice President Collective Bargaining, Angus
Vice President Atlantic Coast, Jack Caffey; Vice President
Gulf Coast, Thomas Glldeweil; Vice President West Coast, Geoige McCartney;
Vice President Lakes and Inland Waters, John Fay; Vice President Government
Services, Roy Mercer.
Communications I^partment Director, Jessica Smith; Managing Editor,
Mike Hall; Associate Editors, Max Hall and Deborah Greene; Design
Consultant, Dennis Goris.

,I

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SlU-Maanetl T-AGOS Pacific Vessels Honored
by Navy for 'Suporb Oporations^
M avy Secretary William L.
fW Bell III, said the crews of the
Pacific T-AGOS fleet "demon­
strated exceptional professional
competence, resourcefulness, in­
novation and dedication in sup­
port of Pacific Fleet ASW opera­
tions while conducting consis­
tently superb daily operations,
numerous special ASW tasks
and the development and em­
ployment of new systems."
Secretary Bell's remarks were
part of the citation accompany­
ing the celebrated Navy Unit
Commendation pennant and cer­
tificate presented to the five
SlU-crewed T-AGOS vessels op­
erating in the Pacific.
^

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T-AGOS Critical to Defense
T-AGOS is the name used to
describe the surveillance-towedarray-sensor-system $hips which
coordinate antisubmarine war­
fare (ASW) operations. The ves­
sels, although operated by a pri­
vate company and crewed by
civilians, play a key role in the
national defense of the United
States.
SIU members crew the five
vessels which make up the Pa­
cific T-AGOS fleet: Triumph,
Contender, Assurance, Indomi­
table and Assertive. Officers on
T-AGOS vessels are represented
by District 2, Marine Engineers
Beneficial Association-Associ­
ated Maritime Officers.
On hand for the April 21 pres­
entation of the pennant were Sea
Mobility Vice Resident Mike
Clarity and the USNS Triumph
crew. Sea Mobility, a private
maritime services company, has

Underway in Pearl Harbor, OS
Chad Piianala (left), AB Ted Dodson and Chief Mate John Yeskewicz bring up the anchor.

T-AGOS vessel master Wade Armstrong (left) receives the prestigious
Navy Unit Commendation pennant from Captain Alan R. More, com­
mander, Ocean Systems Pacific. Sea Mobility Vice President Mike Clarity
looks on.
been responsible for the opera­
tion and management of
T-AGOS vessels for the past
four-and-a-half years.

Upon their return to port, the
Contender, Assurance, Indomi­
table and Assertive will be pre­
sented pennants and certificates.

Bosun Sam Wooten (left) and OS
Darren Williams rig the gangway.

'Outstanding Knowledge'
Concluding the citation. Navy
Secretary Bell said: "By their
outstanding knowledge, technical
expertise, determination and to­
tal devotion to duty, the officers,
enlisted personnel and civilian
employees . . . reflected great
credit upon themselves and up­
held the highest traditions of the
\h«
nited States Naval Service."
The Navy Unit Commendation
was awarded to the T-AGOS Pa­
cific fleet for "exceptionally
meritorious service from January
1, 1986 to September 30, 1987."

Alongside the USNS Triumph: AB Lael Schmidt (left). Bosun Sam
Wooten, AB Ted Dodson, QMED Don Cooper and OS Darren Williams.

Any Amount of Drugs Leads to Vessel Seizure^ Says Gevernment
A

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ff ffnder the zero tolerance, poli1/ cies of the Coast Guard and
U.S. Custom Service, any
amount of drugs—no matter how
miniscule—^may lead to seizure
of the vessel and the arrest of
those in possession. This very
severe penalty, affecting U.S.flag vessels, can be devastating
to a ship operation.
Zero tolerance, as well as
other anti-drug measures, have
followed the enactment of the
Omnibus Drug Initiative Act of
1988.
In response to the narcotics
crisis, both the SIU and the
shippers have pledged their co­
operation with legitimate law en­
forcement. But the sweeping na­
ture of the new zero tolerance
policy of the Coast Guard and
U.S. Customs is excessive, say
maritime industry representa­
tives.
No Innocent Owners
Under the zero tolerance pol­
icy, the Coast Guard and Cus­
toms do not hold any owner to
be innocent.
On Jan. 8, 1989, Coast Guard

and Customs officials seized and
held the tug/barge Adrienne/L,
because there were 2.3 grams of
marijuana found on the vessel.
Customs also seized a large
California-based research ship
near Honolulu, since agents
found a small amount of per­
sonal-use drugs. Federal authori­
ties charged a crewmember with
importing and possessing one
gram of marijuana.
In view of these federal ac-

pany's operation.
Under the zero tolerance pro­
gram, the Coast Guard escorts a
seized vessel to port and turns it
over to the Customs Service.
Then Customs initiates adminis­
trative procedures to determine
whether to fine the owner and
release the vessel, or whether to
take additional action. The Cus­
toms Service issues notice of all
penalties imposed and informa­
tion on how to contest them.

The cost of a seizure is high . . . a seized
tow could cost $20,000 a day and could
jeopardize a shipping operation.
tions, the shipping industry
would prefer to get back to the
legal assumption of the innocent
owner.
The cost of seizure is high.
For example, a seized average
tow would cost an operator
$20,000 per day. Over a period
of three weeks, the cost would
amount to $420,000, and possibly
the permanent loss of shipping
customers, jeopardizing a com-

Carrier Agreements May Help
Agreements between Customs
and the carriers may solve some
of the problems raised by zero
tolerance. The purpose of these
carrier agreements is to develop
government-industry cooperative
efforts to deter illegality.
While these agreements cannot
exempt a company from the law.

the Customs Service agrees to
take into account the extent to
which the participant has shown
compliance with the agreement's
terms.
Fishing Vessels Exempt
One segment of the maritime
industry, fishing, has won a vic­
tory on the seizure question. The
Omnibus Drug Initiative Act of,
1988 exempts commercial fishing
vessels from seizure for trace
elements of drugs found on­
board.
Also, under a proposed rule
by the Coast Guard, personaluse quantities of illegal drugs
discovered on fishing vessels
would subject owners to a sum­
mons, not a seizure. The Cus­
toms Service would determine
penalties or forfeiture. If the
vessel failed to appear at the
designated local Customs office
after the summons, the vessel
could be seized and the owner
subjected to prosecution.
These provisions for fishing
vessels show the government has
some understanding of the indus­
try.

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�SUF/Utm 106

Industry Fights to Keep Maritime Out of Trade Talks
Alarmed by the administra­
tion's reluctance to remove mar­
itime services from the General
Agreement on Tariff and Trade
(GATT) agenda, over 150 organi­
zations—including the SIU—
have formed an impressive
united, industry coalition. Mov­
ing quickly, the coalition repre­
senting "all those who operate,
crew and build U.S.-flag ves­
sels," has launched a program to
keep shipping from being used as
a government bargaining chip in
the GATT Uru^ay talks sched­
uled to begin this summer.
In a letter to Ambassador
Carla Hills, the U.S. Trade Re­
presentative, the maritime indus­
try coalition said, "We strongly
and unequivocally urge the

United States government not to
proposei and not to accept, the
inclusion of waterbome trans­
portation in any services agree­
ment reached during the current
Uruguay round of GATT negoti­
ations."
The proposals on GATT's
agenda "would restrain and re­
strict the ability of our govern­
ment to strengthen maritime pro­
motional measures or to adopt
new measures promoting the
fleet in the future," the coalition
stated.
The industry group reminded
Ambassador Hills that Congress,
when facing a decision on
whether to include maritime
services in the Canada Free
Trade Agreement, strongly voted

MID Urges Trade Rep.
to Protect Shipping
The Maritime Trades Depart­
ment, AFL-CIO, in a communi­
cation to U.S. Trade Represen­
tative Carla Hills, voiced its
"strong opposition to inclusion
of maritime services in any
agreement coming out of the
Uruguay round of the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT) negotiations."

Don't gamble with
nation's maritime
laws, it's not worth
the risk . . .

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Representing 43 national and
international unions and 8.5 mil­
lion workers engaged in maritime
and maritime-related trades, the
MTD opposes any use of ship­
ping as a bargaining chip ia the
trade talks. The administration's
belief that it could protect exist­
ing national maritime laws is a

gamble not worth taking, notes
. the organization.
"To exclude existing programs
on a piecemeal basis would
serve no practical purpose, ex­
cept to mask the consequences
of a services agreement," MTD
President Sacco told Ambassa­
dor Hills.
The MTD noted that GATT's
framework services agreement
provides for the exclusion of
sectors should they meet "cer­
tain overriding considerations."
If any sector "cries out" for ex­
clusion, it is maritime, states
Sacco, especially in view of its
national defense role.
Furthermore, says the MTD, it
is alarming that "U.S. negotia­
tors have been and are at the
forefront of efforts to place and
keep maritime services on the
agenda." The administration's
role, urges Sacco, is "to hold
the line against any provision
under GATT . . ; which would
adversely impact the U.S. mer­
chant marine."

Secretary Skinner, Sacco Discuss Shipping
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The plight of U.S.-flag shipping and the need for corrective measures
were among matters discu!»^ by SIU President Michael Sacco (second
from right) in a meeting with Secretary of Transportation Samuel
Skinner (third from right). Participating in the discussion were Herbert
Brand (left), chairman of the Transportation Institute's hoard of directors
and James Henry (right), president of the Transportation Institute.

to keep the matter out of the
legislation.
Any GATT agreement on mar­
itime services could have dire
consequences for the American
flag merchant fleet. If water­
bome transportation is governed
by an international trade proto­
col, protection and promotional
legislative initiatives could be
negated.
At stake is the Jones Act
which bars foreign vessels from
providing service between two

destinations in the United States,
cargo preference laws which re­
serve a percentage of govern­
ment-generated cargo for U.S.flag carriers and operating subsi­
dies designed to make American
waterbome transportation glob­
ally competitive.
In its 40 years of history,
GATT has concentrated exclu­
sively on the trade of goods. The
inclusion of services in the cur­
rent round of talks is a dramatic
change from that practice.

Commerdal Ships Need New
IjfesavHig Equjpniieiit, USCG Soys
The Coast Guard called for a
major overhaul of lifesaving
equipment aboard the nation's
merchant fleet, issuing proposed
regulations that would require
SlU-contracted vessels in ocean­
going service and in the Great
Lakes trade to modify existing
lifesaving gear.
The mles are designed to
carry out recommendations of
the National Safety Transporta­
tion Board and would bring the
United States into compliance
with the intemational treaty
known as "Safety of Life at Sea
Convention (SOLAS)."
The Coast Guard proposed
that large cargo and tank ships
carry totally enclosed lifeboats
to protect passengers from heavy
seas. The enclosed lifeboats
would be self-righting or would.
be outfitted with escape means.

New lifesaving gear
complies with
international law
Large passenger ships in
ocean service would be required
to use partially enclosed life­
boats, to provide more protec­
tion than the open lifeboats cur­
rently in use. Under the
proposed mle, lifeboats would
be enclosed with rigid canopies
at each end and an open area in
the center that could be quickly
closed with a foldable cover.
Other new lifesaving systems
proposed in the mles include:
• Free-fall lifeboats whose de­
sign and angle of entry into the
water would allow the craft and
passengers onboard to survive
the impact of the fall. Free-fall
lifeboat users would receive spe­
cial training before using this
equipment.
• Marine escape slides, like
the inflatable ones used on air­
craft, which would allow passen­
gers to quickly evacuate a sink­
ing ship onto a platform.
• Inflatable platforms designed
to handle a large number of pas­
sengers at one time.
In addition, all large commer­
cial ships would be required to
carry a new type of Emergency
Position Indicating Radio Beacon
(EPIRB) which operates on a
worldwide satellite frequency.
The updated EPIRB improves

search and rescue operations
throughout the world.
The Coast Guard announced it
would permit a four-month com­
ment period, which mns through
Aug. 6, 1989, before final imple­
mentation of the proposed mles.

House Panel OUr's
Ship $ Bills
The House Committee on
Merchant Marine and Fisheries
has completed action on major
maritime appropriations bills.
The committee approved five
amendments to H.R. 1486,
which authorizes MarAd's ap­
propriations for fiscal 1990. They
include:
• Changing the authorization
level for Operating Differential
Subsidies from $250 million,
based on a "best guess" of the
government's obligations, to
"any amounts necessary." The
amendment, sponsored by Chair­
man Walter Jones, also changes
funding for state maritime acade­
mies to maintain the status quo.
• Re-authorizing the War Risk
Insurance Program.
• Ensuring that the federal
govemment itself maintains the
ships in the National Defense
Reserve Fleet.
• Authorizing operation of the
current five training vessel fleets
at state maritime academies. The
amendment, proposed by Rep.
Gerry Studds (D-MA), also
would require MarAd to study
how best to meet at-sea training
requirements, and would prohibit
ship-sharing until the study is
complete.
• Establishing a National
Maritime Enhancement Institute
at a non-profit institution of
higher learning. The amendment
was offered by Rep. Roy Dyson
(D-MD) on behalf of Rep. Billy
Tauzin (D-LA).
The committee also approved
H.R. 840, authorizing $16.35 mil­
lion for the Federal Maritime
Commission in the next fiscal
year. The bill includes an
amendment by Chairman Jones
to regulate the FMC's new Au­
tomated Tariff Filing and Infor­
mation System, and an amend­
ment by Rep. Norman Shumway
(R-CA) to eliminate the require­
ment that tariffs be posted under
glass on vessels.

�UNION, INDUSTRY SttK ANSWIRS TO DRUG TTSTING PROBUIH
SlU-elected officials and rep­
resentatives of 35 maritime com­
panies met to develop strategies
for implementing the govern­
ment's mandatory drug testing
regulations. Conference partici­
pants—representing deepsea.
Great Lakes and inland compa­
nies—also reviewed governmentproposed rules requiring a drugfree work place.
In opening the May 2 confer­
ence, SIU Executive Vice Presi­
dent Joe Sacco noted the high
turnout. He said, "The large at­
tendance demonstrates that co­
operation between the union and
its contracted companies is the
best way to ensure that individ­
ual employees' rights are not vi­
olated and that operators can
continue to compete despite the
new government-imposed
costs."
The one-day conference, held
at the Lundeberg School, cov­
ered the following points:
U.S. Coast Guard Drug Testing
Regulations
Promulgated in November of
last year, the rule set June 21 as
the day when pre-employment
drug testing would be mandatory
for all individuals working on
U.S.-flag vessels.
The regulation also requires
periodic, random, post-accident
and reasonable cause drug test­
ing to be in place by Dec. 21 of
this year.
The meeting participants re­
ceived a report on the jointlyfiled SIU and Transportation In­
stitute lawsuit—due to be heard
in court on June 14.
DOT Drug Testing Procedures
Union and company represen­
tatives heard a step-by-step de­
scription of the Department of
Transportation's drug testing
procedure rules. The agency has
outlined specific procedures for
collection of urine samples, and
analysis and reporting of results.
Participants reviewed the
mechanisms established by the
union and its contracted compa­
nies to comply with the cumber­
some requirements outlined in
DOT'S rule.
Federal Contractors Drug-Free
Work Force Regulations
Attendees heard a report on
the interim final rule which af­
fects private companies who bid
on federal government contracts.
The regulations state that any
bid worth $25,000 or more must
be awarded to private companies
who certify that they will main­
tain a drug-free work force.
DOD Drug-Free Work Force
R^ulations
Department of Defense policy
now requires that all subcontrac­
tors show proof that employees
comply with drug-free work re­
quirements, the meeting was
told.

Pictured above in counter-clockwise order; SIU Ex­
ecutive Vice President Joe Sacco opens the conference.
Great Lakes participants during a break—(on left
hand side of table) David Schultze of American Steam­
ship Company and the Great Lakes Association of
Marine Operators (standing left), Norman O'Neill of
Cement Transit Company (standing center), Bill Lockwood of Interocean Management (standing right),
David Updegraff of Hannah Marine Corporation (seated
left), Joseph C. Barnes of OLS Transport (seated
right), (on right hand side of table) Sltl Headquarters
Carriage of Contraband Aboard
Vessels Rules
What does an operator do to
ensure that no drugs are smug­
gled aboard? Conference partici­
pants discussed government-pro­
posed precautionary procedures
which are designed to avoid drug
smuggling.

Representative Byron Kelley (seated left), Donald Pfohl
of American Steamship (standing center) and William
E. Bolton, Jr. of Pringle Transit Company. SIUNA
Vice President Augie Tellez reviews the collection
materials used to comply with the drug testing proce­
dures. Pat Postiglione (left) of Maritime Overseas and
Edmund Davis of Sea-Land. Carmine Bracco (right)
of Bay Tankers and American Maritime Association
and SIU President Mike Sacco. Captain Robert John­
ston (left) and Eric Linsner of Energy Transportation.

COURT SETS JUNE 14 HEARING
FOR DRUG TESTING lAWSUIT

Vessel Forfeiture Regulations
Information was provided on
vessel forfeiture rules proposed
simultaneously by the U.S. Cus­
toms Service, the Attorney Gen­
eral and the Coast Guard. The
forfeiture regulations establish a
process for the prompt return of
commercial vessels seized for
discovery of personal-use drugs.
The return of the carrier would
be based on the owners' ability
to establish innocence.

Federal District Court Judge
Thomas Hogan set June 14 for
the second hearing of the SIU
and Transportation Institute law­
suit against the Department of
Transportation's mandatory drug
testing regulations.
The June 14 hearing date was
scheduled during the April 24
conference with Judge Hogan
and Department of Transporta­
tion lawyers. Judge Hogan sugpsted the hearing date because
it would fall before the June 21
date when the pre-employment
portion of the regulations goes
into effect.

The participants also heard
from Donald Reusch, formerly
with the U.S. Customs Service.
He reviewed Custom's role in
enforcing the Jones Act and ex­
plained the considerations in­
volved in granting exemptions.

Other Decisions Considered
In addition, between now and
June 14, the judge anticipates a
ruling by the court of appeals on
another random drug testing
case. The decision on that case
may provide guidance on the

'• 'h" 1 s

SIU and TI lawsuit, said Judge
Hogan.
The random case before the
court of appeals involves civilian
army personnel.
While awaiting the outcome of
the lawsuit, the SIU has begun
to implement the pre-employ­
ment drug testing procedures re­
quired by the government regu­
lations.
SIU Members Are Testing
Pre-employment testing began
May 1 for SIU members. The
regulations require all employees
working on U.S.-flag vessels to
prove drug-free status after June
21, 1989. The other types of drug
testing outlined in the regula­
tions—periodic, random, reason­
able cause and post accident—do
not go into effect until Decem­
ber, 1989.

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W¥ni Woikhoise Ship Hnds Home

SlU 'Cievi' and Tugs Gets Liberty Ship Underway
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Most of the "crew" climbing
aboard the Liberty Ship John W.
Brown hadn't walked the deck
of a troopship since they went
off to war on one. On April 27, a
volunteer crew, including some
who sailed with the SlU during
World War II and two SIUcrewed tugboats from Moran
Towing Co, got the Brown un­
derway for a short trip across
Baltimore Harbor.
This piece of America's and
the SIU's history was tied up at
Baltimore's Clinton Street Pier.
The Brown is one of just a hand­
ful of surviving Liberty Ships
from World War II.
More than 2,700 of these
workhorse cargo and troop ships
were turned out by men and
women who worked in the huge
shipyards on America's coasts.
Thousands of SIU members got
their first taste of the sea, and
the dangers of war, aboard these
so-called "Ugly Ducklings."

^^You can see it in
their eyes. This
means a lot to
them.^^
Today, thanks to the efforts of
hundreds of volunteers under the
Project Liberty Ship banner (see
accompanying story), the Brown
lives on as a memorial to the
men who sailed and died in the
U.S. Merchant Marine in World
War II, and as a tribute to the
men and women who built the
ships.
Many of the volunteers on­
board had sailed on Liberty
ships either as crewmen, or as
GI's on the way to war. This
time many brought their wives
with them and as they waited for
the arrival of the SIU tugs there
was a reunion atmosphere in the
air.
Charlie Cox who sailed with
the SIU during the war as a
messman, and later as a member
of the Black Gang, roamed the
decks with his video camera.
Cox left Illinois to join the mer­
chant marine.
"When they needed someone

for certain jobs, they would ask
for volunteers and then go 'you,
you and you'," he said explain­
ing how he ended up in the
steward department.
Near the bow, a group of four
volunteers was struggling with a
line. Once the line was freed and
moving smoothly, Lester Gatton
found himself working the deck
and flaking the line. Gatton
sailed from 1936-1946 as an
MFOW member.
Moran's tug Cape Romain ar­
rived at the pier and tied up,
waiting for the tug Kings Point
to begin the short haul across
the harbor. Deckhand Butch Arabaski, an eight-year SIU mem­
ber came aboard. It was his first
visit to a Liberty ship.
"There's a lot of history
here," Arabaski said looking at
the SIU pensioners. "For these
guys it's like they're going back
to the old schoolyard. You can
see it in their eyes. This means a
lot to them."
One of the first things Arabski
noticed were the hundreds of
rivets holding the Brown to­
gether. Today's modern welding
techniques have eliminated the
need for rivets, but during the
war years riveting produced
stronger and cheaper ships.

Charlie Cox records the voyage of the
Brown. Cox was a messman on several
SIU ships during the war. He later
sailed as member of the Black Gang.

•; ?:

•1:. • .••.•:

Deckhand Butch Arabaski readies some protective canvas aboard Moran's tug
Cape Romain. The canvas was used to protect the recent paint job on the
Liberty Ship.

Lester Gatton (third from left), who sailed on Liberty ships in World War H,
lends a hand on a stubborn line. Gatton sailed with MFOW during the war.
The other volunteer crewmen are Richard Bauman, Bob Sumner and George
Locke. Locke and Sumner are Chesapeake Bay pilots.
"That's what probably held
her together so long. You
don't see that anymore," he
marveled.
As the Brown neared the end
of its journey, one of the volun­
teer deckhands readied one of
the lines. While he had more
than 40 years of experience at
sea, it had probably been a long
time since Ret. Coast Guard Ad­
miral Dick Bauman had carried
out AB duties.

Bauman called himself, "one
of those 18-month wonders-out
of high school to 3rd mate to
Normandy," on a Liberty ship.
He entered the Coast Guard af­
ter the war.
"It scares me. Do you know
the trouble we'd be in if we had
to make an effort to build this
number of ships today. They
built 2,710 of these," said Bau­
man.
(Continued on Page 18)

Goal—A Uving National Monumettt
When the U.S. government
signed oyer the John W. Brown
to Project Liberty Ship last year,
it was just a beginning of a very
ambitious project:
"The preservation of the Lib­
erty Ship John W. Brown as a
national monument and a living
reminder of the miraculous
teamwork of labor, industry and
government which won the war
and saved the peace."
The Brown, launched on La­
bor Day 1942, had been tied up
in Newport News for years, ne­
glected and rusting. She hadn't
sailed under her own power for
decades. The ship had been
stripped of many parts, fixtures
and machinery. Parts of the deck
were covered with inches-thick
layers of paint. There was no
onboard power. The Brown was
46-year-old hunk of floating
steel.
Volunteers Helpful
Today, thanks to the volunteer
work of hundreds, including
many union pensioners from the
Baltimore area who sailed under
the SIU banner during the war,
the Brown is beginning to resem­
ble to the troopship she once
was.
A new coat of paint cove^^s the
ship. The armed guard quarters
aft have been refurbished to the
point that lifejackets and helmets
hang from each bunk. Work has
begun on some of the crew quar­
ters, the bridge and other work­
places.
If all goes according to plans,
the Brown will be steaming un­
der her own power next sum­
mer. Capt. Brian Hope, the Proj­

ect Liberty Ship vice chairman
said more than 400 tickets have
been sold for the first voyage.
He hopes to have some 800 or
more people aboard. That voy­
age will be an eight-hour trip
down the Chesapeake Bay, past
Annapolis and back.
Currently some historical dis­
plays have been set up through­
out the ship. When the work is
finished the Brown will serve as
a merchant marine museum ded­
icated mainly to remembering
the role of the merchant marine
in World War II. A permanent
anchorage has not been decided
upon.

/I

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'A Great Tool for Teaching'
Hope said, "The ship will be a
great tool to teach our children
about the merchant marine and
Baltimore's role in world trade."
The Brown is on the Register
of National Historic Places. "In
a few short decades," Hope
said, "no one will be here who
experienced first hand the hero­
ism and sacrifice of World War
II. This fine old ship, which rep­
resents the very best the Ameri­
can spirit, must be preserved
now, while so many of those
men and women who knew that
time can walk her decks and re­
member. And tell us how it
was."
Anyone who is interested in
donating their labor, money or
equipment may get in touch with
the project's secretary, John
Crabbin (301) 661-1550, or may
write to: Project Liberty Ship;
P.O. Box 8; Long Green, Md.
21902.

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MAY, 1989

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SlU'Crewed River Queens: the Delta Looms as Historic
Landmark While the Uississippi Gets a Brand New Look
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The 63-year bid Delta Queen Is being considered for designation as a
national historic landmark by the federal government.
Two SlU-crewed vessels are making news
this season. The Delta Queen may be named a
national historic landmark, and the Mississippi
Queen has a new look for 1989.
The National Park Service is considering
adding the Delta Queen to the list of 50 ves­
sels accorded landmark status because of their
unique contribution to America's history and
culture.
If the steamboat wins the designation, it
will join such historic vessels as:
• The Charles W. Morgan, the last Ameri­
can whaler, now based at Mystic, CT.
• The C.A. Thayer, the last American com­
mercial ship under sails, San Francisco.
• The Star of India, a former Alaskan fish­
ing vessel, San Diego, CA.
• The Arthur Foss, an e^rly American tug­
boat, Kirkland,WA.
The Park Service is making a serious effort
to add merchant vessels to the many land­

mark warships set aside to honor the nation's
maritime heritage.
Completed in 1926, the Delta Queen was
built in Glasgow, Scotland. Used originally for
trips on the Sacramento River between San
Francisco and Sacramento, the vessel ferried
military personnel to and from ocean ships
during World War II. Greene Line Steamers
(now Delta Queen Steamboat Co.) retrofitted
the steamboat after the war.
The rebuilt vessel had its maiden voyage
between Cincinnati, OH and Cairo, IL in
1948. Today the Delta Queen has a variety of
itineraries available on voyages between New
Orleans, LA. and Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN.
Fresh Make-up for MQ
The Delta Queen's sister vessel, the Missis­
sippi Queen, has a new look for the 1989
sailing season after the upgrading of the out­
side of the boat and the redecoration of inte­

LOG Editor Svenson Retires

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Charles Svenson, editor of the
Seafarers LOG for the past
seven years and a 20-year vet­
eran of the SIU, retired April 28.
During his tenure, the Seafar­
ers LOG won four general excel­
lence awards from the Interna­
tional Labor Communications
Association and was also hon­
ored for editorial and feature
writing.
Svenson began his career at
the SIU in 1969 as director of
publications and public relations
at the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship. In
1974, Svenson worked with the
union's legislative and political
action team in Washington, DC.
He then returned to the Lundeberg School to direct the com­
munications department there.
A Michigan native, Svenson
earned his AB ticket on the
Great Lakes. He was a World
War 11 fighter pilot who flew P51 Mustangs. Svenson earned his
law degree from Wayne State
University.
Svenson's work in the labor
movement started in the mid1950s. He served as an organizer
for the Textile Workers and as a
writer and editor for the Hotel
Workers, AFSCME and the
•• V •

• .• .

The Mississippi Queen, the Delta Queen's much younger sister ship,
has undergone a large scale renovation for the 1989 sailing season.

Service Employees.
A former sailing instructor at
the Lundeberg School, Svenson
plans to single-handedly sail his
28-foot boat, Flicka, across the
Atlantic in 1990.
Svenson's wife. Sue, is an em­
ployee at SIU headquarters. He
is the father of a daughter and
son.

Joe Sacco, SIU executive vice
president, presents former Sea­
farers LOG editor Charles Sven­
son a ship's wheel during Sven­
son's retirement party at SIU
headquarters.

rior public and private areas by her owner.
Delta Queen Steamboat Co.
Commissioned in 1976, the Mississippi
Queen has such new exterior features as
fluted twin smoke stacks and wrought iron
treatment for the railings on the open stair­
cases and decks. The port and starboard gal­
leries have been redesigned, offering great
vantage points for enjoying the river scenery.
At the bow, on the observation deck, the
passenger wheel house has a replica of the
instrument panel found in a steamboat pilot
house. The room also has an authentic
wooden ship's wheel, an antique speaking
tube and clock, barometers, and an engine
room telegraph. The effect of the changes is
to make the boat reminiscent of the "Great
Steamboat Era."
The Mississippi Queen sails between New
Orleans, Memphis, St. Paul, Cincinnati and
Pittsburgh.

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.JUiout the Riverboat Queens
The Delta Queen and Missis­
sippi Queen continue a proud
American riverboat tradition.

. . . original teakwood handrails and
Tiffany stained
glass windows . . .
As the last of the great, oldtime riverboats, the Delta Queen
has carried over 1.5 million pas­
sengers since the late 1940's.
Steaming through 14 states on
the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers,
she offers vacation cruises for
180 people at time. The Delta
Queen has a variety of itineraries
available on voyages between
New Orleans and MinneapolisSt. Paul.
The newer Mississippi Queen
carries 420 passengers to and
from New Orleans, Memphis,
St. Paul and Pittsburgh. River­
boat tunes sound out from her
giant calliope, bands and famous
orchestras play in her grand sa­
loon.

Points of interest on the
Queen's routes include historic
waterfront communities, man­
sions, plantations, museums and
civil War battlefields. Moving at
a leisurely pace of eight miles
per hour, the riverboats give
passengers and chance to relax
and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Travellers may admire the wil­
derness of Louisiana, the ante­
bellum homes of Mississippi or
the skylines of Northern cities.
Each vessel is outfitted with
brass fittings and historical art.
The Delta Queen's original teakwood handrails and Tiffany
stained glass windows make her
a living period-piece. The Mis­
sissippi Queen, while housing
modern conveniences like a jacuzzi, gynmasium and sauna,
also portrays the Great Steam­
boat Era with exterior features
such as fluted twin smoke stacks
and wrought iron railings.
Traditionally, on the last night
of a cruise, the vessel's Captain
hosts a dinner. After the meal,
SIU crew and other staff mem­
bers put on a show, briefly put­
ting aside their normal duties
and becoming entertainers for an
evening.

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SlU Gov't Division Welcomes
Vessel After 14 Years at Sea

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The USNS Mispillion, one of the Military. Sealift Command Pacific
fleet vessels, at sea.

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After a 14-year deployment,
the USNS Mispillion, returned
home to Oakland, CA. Operating
out of Subic Bay in the Philip­
pines, the vessel has carried a
civilian crew made up of SIU
Government Services Division
members.
To welcome the crew and ves­
sel home, SIU Business Agent
Raleigh Minix and SIU Building
Manager Arthur Henderson sup­
plied pastries and coffee. Cap­
tain J.S. Schultz, commodore of
Military Sealift Command, Pa­
cific, wrote SIU Vice President
Buck Mercer, "Our MSCPAC
employees and the crew of the
USNS Mispillion appreciate the
SIU's contribution to the warm
welcome home the ship re­
ceived ..."
In early 1975, with SIU men
aboard, the USNS Mispillion set
sail for the Western Pacific. The
ship's first underway replenish­
ment (unrep) with a civilian crew
took place on Feb. 15, 1975 and
its most recent unrep was with
the USS Halsey on Oct. 6, 1988.
While operational, the USNS
Mispillion carried fuel and

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Bentley Says Nix Canal Pact

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chilled items in its five tanks and
two freight stations. During un­
derway replenishment, all hands
participated, including cooks and
stewards.
Nicknamed "The San Miguel
Express," the vessel was built in
1945 and named after Mispillion
Creek in Delaware. In the early
1950s the ship was assigned to a
Navy task force off the coast of
Korea.
During an assignment to Tai­
wan, the Mispillion rescued 42
survivors from a ship that sank
in the Formosa Straits.
In the mid-1960s the vessel
was "jumboized" with the addi­
tion of a new mid-body section
added to the ship to increase
cargo capacity.
SIU Government Services Di­
vision members began sailing the
USNS Mispillion in 1973 when
the vessel was transferred to the
Military Sealift Command, Pa­
cific.
The vessel will continue serv­
ice after undergoing a lengthy re­
pair period in which the reduc­
tion gears will be replaced.

;• ' '1.

Congresswoman Helen Delich
Bentley (R-MD) has renewed her
demand that the U.S. nullify the
1979 Panama Canal Treaty.
Bentley told a hearing of the
House Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Subcommittee on the
Panama Canal/Outer Continental
Shelf that "turning the Panama
Canal over in 2000 to the Pana­
manians jeopardizes the United
States' future ability to utilize
the Canal, which is one of the
most strategic and vital water- ,
ways in the world."
The subcommittee heard testi­
mony that the Panamanians are
not keeping up the roads and
highways in the Canal Zone.
This has caused the Panama
Canal Commission to contract
with bus companies and to buy
high speed launches to get em­
ployees to work.
Bentley wants the United
States to act "promptly and de­
cisively" to overturn the Carter
administration's treaty. The

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Maryland lawmaker believes that
unless the treaty is cancelled,
"present and future generations"
would be unable to act quickly
to "isolate the Western Hemi­
sphere from further communist
intrusion, which is certain to
happen if we sit idly by and do
nothing."

Congresswoman Helen Bentley
shown here with SIU Headquarters
Representative Robert PomerlaUe.
(right)

ssAFAnmm
Letters to the Editor
-'''T

HOT wacoME mm
To the Editor:
Please find an enclosed letter
from the VFW office saying we
are veterans, but as we lack a
certain medal we are NOT veter­
ans.
My wife and I want to join the
VFW. We received applications
to do so, but were turned down.
So, fellows, if you care to
write your congressman, possi­
bly some day we shall rightfully
be classed as veterans.
Smooth sailing and God bless
you.
Eugene Hall
Washington Court House, OH
Editor's Note: See article on
page 9 concerning the letter
Brother Hall received from the
VFW.

INFO SOUGHT
To the Editor:
Enclosed please find a fullpage ad from a local swap-andsell weekly. Although the weekly
is statewide and has a circulation
of about 30,000 (estimated), it
can in no way be called mari­
time-oriented.
Never having heard of Combat
Merchant Mariners WW II, I
was wondering if it is a worth­
while organization or a ripoff
deal.
Either way, I would like to
know for myself, and feel that
the membership should be in­
formed, as I have the impression
that the ads might be appearing
over a wide area.
Herbert LIhhy
Union, ME

and 1950s. The bureaucrats de­
stroyed their heart and soul.
It has been documented by the
Coast Guard and the Maritime
Commission that the merchant
marine suffered the second high­
est casualties of the war, losing
733 ships and yet never faltering
in delivering cargo for our armed
forces.
Our merchant service also was
the only all-volunteer service.
Their qualification was"men
only ..."
So, to the writer again: When
you march in Memorial Day pa­
rades with your good conduct
medal, think about our thirdclass citizens—the merchant
mariners of World War II.
Peter Salvo
McKeesport, PA

Ed Turner Active
In Vet Group
Ed Turner, former SIU execu­
tive vice president, has not re­
tired his organizational skills. As
executive officer of the Golden
Gate chapter of the American
Merchant Marine Veterans,
Brother Turner is involved in the
fight to ensure that civilian
WWII mariners are awarded
state veterans' benefits.
On a national level, merchant
mariners who served in ocean­
going service during WWII be­
tween Dec. 7, 1941 and Aug. 15,
1945 can now receive honorable
discharges and veterans' bene­
fits. Yet many states have not
followed suit.

Editor's Note: The SIU has re­
quested information from Com­
bat Merchant Mariners World
War II, and will be able to send
it to anyone interested. Member­
ship in that organization is open
to those who served in combat
and war zones during World War
II. According to its executive of­
ficer, Kermit Haber, Combat
Merchant Mariners World War
II members are recipients of war
zone or combat bars.

mRINFHS PRAISED
Editor's Note: SIU pensioner Pe­
ter Salvo sent the following let­
ter to SEA HISTORY magazine,
which had published a letter be­
littling merchant mariners' con­
tributions to WWII. Brother
Salvo asked the Seafarers LOG
to reprint his comments respond­
ing to the SEA HISTORY letter.
To the Editor:
In answer to the writer who
criticized the recognition given
our merchant marine of World
War II, I have news for him.
Having sailed on 25 ships from
1942 to 1955, I am aWare the
American public was never in­
formed until January 19, 1988 of
the role of American seamen in
WW II, and that they were de­
nied veterans' status for 43
years. Many who survived be­
came street people of the 1940s

Ed Turner
In California, Brother Turner
and his organization have been
lobbying the state legislature to
allow WWII merchant mariners
the right to veterans' housing
- benefits. If approved by the
state, California WWII merchant
mariners would become eligible
for housing loans with 7 percent
interest rates.
Brother Turner reports that
the Golden Gate American Mer­
chant Marine Veterans has been
holding monthly membership
meetings in the San Francisco
SIU hall. "The men really ap­
preciate the hospitality the SIU
has shown our group," said
Turner.
Former WWII mer|hant mari­
ners residing in the ^n Fran­
cisco area are welc^e to join
the organization. Brother Turner
says.

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MY, 1989

Wiy// Merchant Marine Veterans
Not Welcome in VFW Organization
SIU retiree Eugene Hall and
his wife attempted to join the
Ohio Veterans of Foreign Wars
(VFW), but the state chapter
turned them down. The VFW's
policy towards WWII merchant
mariners was provided to Pen­
sioner Hall, and in turn. Brother
Hall provided the LOG with a
copy. (See Eugene Hall's letter
to the editor on page 8.)
According to the VFW mate­
rial sent to Brother Hall, the
VFW national office told its local
posts that merchant marine vet­
erans are "NOT ELIGIBLE
FOR MEMBERSHIP IN OUR
ORGANIZATION!!!!" (The em­
phasis is recorded as it appeared
in the VFW document.)
Furthermore, the VFW's di­
rective states that local VFW,
groups who have "already ac­
cepted any of these Mdrchant
Marines as members" into the
Post should "remove them at
once" in accordance with the or­
ganization's bylaws and manual
of procedure.
The VFW statements admit
that merchant seamen who were
in active oceangoing service dur­
ing U.S. involvement in World
War II are now eligible to apply
for veterans' benefits.
The VFW's membership, how­
ever, is limited to honorably dis­
charged veterans "whose service
is recognized as campaign medal
service by the issuance of a
campaign medal by the govern­
ment of the United States,"
states the headquarters commu­
nication. The directive contin­
ues, "merchant marine service
does not meet the VFW mem­
bership requisite of honorable
service with the armed forces of
the United States as listed
above."
Pensioner Hall is disturbed by
the contradictory tone of the
Ohio VFW "saying we are vet­
erans but as we lack a certain
medal we are not veterans."
Brother Hall urges fellow mer­
chant marine veterans. "So, fel­
lows, if you care to write to your
congressman, possibly some day
we shall be rightfully blessed as
veterans."

VFIV Magazine Says
Group Supports
U.S.-Flag Shipping
At the same time that mer­
chant mariners have been turned
down for membership in the
VFW, the organization acknowl­
edged the important role civiliancrewed, U.S.-flag merchant ships
play in our current national de­
fense needs.
VFW Magazine says, "VFW
Resolution 448 puts the organi­
zation on record as supporting
efforts to upgrade U.S. air and
sealift capability . . ."the same
resolution concludes that every
effort must be made to ensure
the "Congress and the Adminis­
tration approve funding needed
to raise the U.S. merchant fleet
from 14th place in the world to
first."
The issue also carries an arti­
cle by a former merchant mari­
ner, Vice Admiral Albert J. Herberger, deputy commander-inchief of the U.S. Transportation
Command. Herberger points out
that "... our ability to move
men and material worldwide in
sufficient time to be either a
credible deterrent to war or to
be available for combat in a ti­
mely manner is paramount to
U.S. national strategy."
Airlift and sealift infrastructurie, siays Admiral Herberger,
are a vital component in our
ability to meet global threats.
"From a historical perspective,
the hard lessons learned in
World War II, Berlin, Korea and
Southeast Asia have demon­
strated repeatedly the necessity
for a strong, vigorous and re­
sponsive transportation sys­
tem ..." concludes the admiral.
Herberger also cites the short­
age of trained mariners to man
U.S.-flag ships and the nation's
eroded ship construction and re­
pair facilities.
The article, entitled
"Strengthen U.S. Merchant Ma­
rine to Counter Global Threats,"
appeared in the Jan. 1989 issue
of "VFW." The SIU received a
copy from SIU retiree C. Maniaregina of Erie, PA.

George McCartney

Henry "Whitey" Disley

Father Bartholomew

Sea Unions Seek Recognition
for 7 Seamen Killed in Vietnam
Maritime unions and their al­
lies in California are working to
pass a bill to honor seven sea­
men who were killed in the Viet­
nam War. State Senator Milton
Marks introduced legislation
(Senate Bill 43) which seeks to
add the seven names to the
state's Vietnam Veterans' Me­
morial.
On May 19, 1966, the seven
merchant mariners were sailing
with military supplies aboard the
S/S Baton Rouge Victory, when
a Vietcong mine exploded in the
Lung Tau Channel near Saigon.
The explosion flooded the fire
and engine rooms, killing five
members of the SIUNA affiliated
Marine Firemen's Union and
two members of the Marine En­
gineers Beneficial Association.
At the time oif the attack.
States Line operated the vessel,
which was in the Military Sealift
Transport Service.
Disley Testifies
Henry "Whitey" Disley, pres­
ident of the Marine Firemen's
Union, testified before the Cali­
fornia State Senate on Veterans'
Affairs. He pointed out that the
U.S. government "frankly ac­
knowledged the area . . . was a
treacherous passage, subject to
mining of the waters and shoreside artillery attacks." In Execu­
tive Order 11216, the president
had designated these waters as a
combat zone.
Under the criteria established
by California's Veterans' Me­

morial Commission, U.S. Navy
seamen killed in the same way
would have been included in the
memorial. Disley testified that
"there is an understandable
sense of bitterness by American
seamen who voluntarily enter
into perilous war zones in the
absence of any military compul­
sion, particularly when the risk
is high."
This was the case in 1966,
when the Baton Rouge Victory
entered an area over which the
Vietcong had substantial control.
Since the merchant seamen won
no official government recogni­
tion for their sacrifices, Disley
said, "We appear before the
committee to request this recog­
nition."
McCartney Urges Recognition
Other witnesses joined Disley
in making the seamen's case;
George McCartney, SIU West
Coast vice president; Rear Ad­
miral Tom Patterson (Ret.); Cap­
tain Carl Otterberg, U.S. Naval
Reserve and Mar Ad, and Father
Bartholomew, Greek Orthodox
priest and three-war veteran.
Although the American Legion
invites WWII Merchant Mariners
to apply for membership, the
group opposed the proposed rec­
ognition for the seven Vietnam
war seafarers.
Representatives of the Ameri­
can Legion and other veterans'
groups testified in opposition to
including the merchant seamen
in the memorial.

American Legion invites WWII Merchant Marine Veterans to
The Veterans of Foreign Wars
(VFW) will continue to exclude
merchant marine veterans from
its ranks, but the American Le­
gion invites them to apply. The
membership department at the
Indianapolis-baSed organization
told the, LOG that the American
Legion was "happy to have"
qualified merchant marine veter­
ans as members.
Civilian mariners with honora­
ble discharge certificates from
active service for the wartime
period of 1941-1945 can apply
for American Legion member­
ship.

According to the Legion's
Washington, DC office, the
group has accepted World War
II merchant marine veterans on
a case-by-case basis. The Ameri­
can Legion's policy went into ef­
fect when the government ap­
proved veterans' status for
WWII merchant seamen.

Legloii Magazine
Recalls Heroic Actions^
of WWH Seafarers
The April 1989 issue of the
American Legion's magazine

•.{' ' i,

carried a tribute to merchant
sailors of WWII in an article en­
titled "Heroes of the High
Seas." The author, James N.
Sites, served for nearly four
years in the merchant marine
during WWII.
Sites said there "are endless
examples of how American mer­
chant mariners made uncommon
valor a common virtue during
World War 11." The author
notes that 2.8 percent of the
merchant seamen who were reg­
istered with the U.S. Maritime
Service died. This casualty rate
was second only to that of the

U.S. Marine Corps, which suf­
fered a slightly higher rate of 2.9
percent.
After describing the harrowing
situations which confronted mer­
chant ship. Sites concludes his
article with the following:
"U.S. merchant seamen were
marked men in thankless jobs.
But their heroic service contrib­
uted significantly to America's
victory at sea."
SIU pensioner Myron Healman brought a copy of the
American Legion magazine's
article to the union's San Fran­
cisco hall.

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SOfMERS 106

LAKES FITOUT CONTINUES
SIU ships and Seafarers on the Great Lakes are in for one of the
busiest seasons in memory, A big demand for steel will keep SIU
Lakers on ore carriers working throughout the season. These job
opportunities will greatly expand the job security for the union's
Sweetwater sailors.

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Si-.

^ The H. Lee White is known as "a good feeder" and much of the cre^t
for that reputation goes to the galley crew, from left, Robert Hedric,
porter; Augustine Kuhl, second cook, and Salim Ali, steward.

is:-

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A It was morning coffee break, and the crew takes a breather from
working on deck in a typical early spring snowstorm on the Great
Lakes. From left are Saif Shagira, gateman; D. K. Witt, AB watch­
man; Lee Allen, AB wheelsman; Jeff Johnson, AB watchman; Rich­
ard Perry, bosun; Tim Bell, AB watchman, and David Morgan, AB
wheelsman. See Great Lakes photo story on pages 11-14.

H, Iff WH/TC

^The M/V H. Lee White sits
ready for her first voyage of the
season after wintering in To­
ledo. She left March 21 for
Marquette, MI to load taconite
for the blast furnaces in Ash­
tabula, OH.

A Working together to keep the
plant running smoothly and
safely are QMED John Knopf,
left, and Third Engineer Tim
Brenna, a member of MEBADist. 2.

PAUL THAYER
Conveyorman Bill Truax and
Able Seaman Robert Allen
take a break from ''getting
her ready" for another sea­
son.

A Gateman Donald Mackell has
one of the toughest jobs on a
self-unloader: working in the
tunnel as cargos of iron ore,
stone or coal are carried on
heavy belts from the ship's
hold up to the offloading
booms. It's noisy and it's dirty
and it's dangerous.

SB

J.

• TheMA^
Paul Thayer lies
shrouded in mist
and snow at her
berth on the Cuyahoga
River in Cleveland as fitout
gets under way.

�my, 1989

?-vt

• . • ': • .

SIU Boatmen Kept Busy
in Tampa Bay Area
When crewmembers of a
Tampa-bound tanker heard
voices in the water, a search re­
vealed two men and three boys
struggling in the water off the
ship's stern. Immediately, the
Tampa Bay Pilot's Association
was contacted. The pilot's sta­
tion is manned by boatmen rep­
resented by the SIU.
The SlU-affiliated boatmen re­
sponded and pulled the hypothermiated victims, who were still
alive 14 hours after their power
boat had capsized, and brought
them to the shore and safety.
Although that particular event
happened six months ago, the
boatmen never know when
emergency calls will be added to

pilots' station, an hour's trip in
good weather.
Complicating the boatman's
decisions are inclement weather
conditions and the approach to a
ship. Avoiding a wake which
would bounce the pilot boat
against the ship is accomplished
by running under the stern. A
boatman also must properly ma­
neuver the ladder so a pilot can
safely board the vessel.
Track Ship Traffic
At the pilots' headquarters on
Egmont Key, the boatmen main­
tain the three 52 to 54-foot pilot
boats—the Tampa Bay Pilot,
Manatee and Tampa. The boat-

Senior boatman Jerry Mammano (left) and a pilot head to a waiting
vessel on the pilot boat Tampa.
their routine duty of ferrying the
Tampa Bay pilots to incoming or
outgoing vessels.
Working 12-hour shifts, two
boatmen or relief boatmen at a
time, the SlU-represented men
take dispatch calls from all ves­
sels requiring pilotage in Tampa
Bay. The boatman is responsible
for obtaining all relevent infor­
mation: the vessel's speed, draft,
berth time. Added to the boat­
man's calculations are tides and
weather conditions.
Bad Weather Complicates Job
After providing the vessel with
an arrival time and instructions
on how to handle the ladder, the
boatman takes the pilot to the
vessel. For incoming carriers,
the rendezvous point is a sea
buoy located 13'/2 miles from the

Boatman Jonathan Nye

The Tampa Bay Pilot, one of the association's vessels, on its way to meet
an inbound carrier.
ends, however, hundreds of
beach enthusiasts come to enjoy
a day in the sun.
Last year, the boatmen joined
Sam Gibbons, the area's con­
gressman, in a campaign to clean
up Egmont Key. Trash, left by
the island's visitors, was
scooped up in a weekend sweep
by hundreds of volunteers.
Rescue Storm Victims
After storms hit the area, the
boatmen find themselves rescu­
ing stranded vacationers. Some­
times they have more than peo­
ple on their hands. One storm
last year threw more than 20
boats on the island's beach.
Frequently, the boatmen are
asked to rescue injured passen­
gers or crewmembers. A few
weeks ago, the pilots' boatmen
hastened to a foreign-flag cruise
ship when a stroke victim was

reported. The boatmen arranged
for paramedics and an ambu­
lance to meet the pilot boat.
Shift change for the Tampa
Bay Pilots' Association boatmen
and relief boatmen takes place
on the public pier of Mullet
Key's Fort De Soto Park. Mullet
Key is connected to the main­
land by highway, allowing the
boatmen from the two daily
shifts access to their homes.
SIU Since 1983
Tampa Bay Pilots Association
boatmen and relief boatmen have
been represented by the SIU
since 1983, when crewmembers
voted "yes" for union represen­
tation.
Boatmen who are not pictured
include Careran "Mac" McDougle, Mark Lewis (relief),
Jerry Lane (relief) and Tim
Baten.

men eilso keep the station's log
and track the comings and
goings of vessels in the Tampa
Bay area.

• -

Pictured on one of the Tampa Bay Pilot Association's boats are (L-R)
relief boatman Matt Lester, a pilot, and boatman Randy Huth.

i;

Boatman Jim Heatherly sailed
deepsea before joining the Tampa
Pilots.
The pilots' dispatching center
has been on Egmont Key since
1886, making it one of the earli­
est occupants of the island.
Now, what was once the island's
garrison, is a collection of
ruins—including a jail, officers'
quarters and gun mounts.
Sharing the two-and-a-half
mile-long and half mile-wide key
with the pilots and boatmen are
Coast Guard lighthouse attend­
ants and a few naturalists from
the federal wildlife reserve which
dominates the island. On week-

li. t.

Boatman Charles Thompson (right) and SIU Patrolman Al Caulder.

�SSAFARlRSlOG

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Pre-employment Drug Testing
Works Smoothly in all Ports

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he pre-employment drug test
procedures mandated by the
government's regulations issued
last November, went into effect
on May 1 for all SIU members.
In the first few days of testing,
no serious problems were re­
ported.
Seafarers employed aboard
U.S.-flag vessels are required to
show proof of a negative drug
test taken in accordance with the
procedures mandated by the
government.
The SIU, while trying to over­
turn the regulations through a
lawsuit in federal court, is none­
theless complying with the regu­
lations.
Prior to registration for ship­
ping, SIU members can pick up
a drug test appointment form at
any union h^l counter. With the
appointment form in hand, the
member goes to a Seafarers Wel­
fare Plan clinic or contracted
physician to provide a urine
sample.
The SWP clinic or physician,
following the steps outlined in
Coast Guard rule CO D 86-067,
sends the sample to the labora­
tory.
The laboratory tests the sam­
ple for the following substances:
marijuana, cocaine, opiates,
phencyclidine (PGP) and am­
phetamines. If a sample tests
positive, a confirmatory test is
run.
Next, the Medical Review Of­
ficer (MRO) selected jointly by
the union and employer, studies
the test results. The MRO sends
the negative results to the SWP
clinic in Brooklyn. Anyone with
a positive test is called directly
by the MRO.
Negative results are entered

into the Registration and Ship­
ping computer system at the
Brooklyn clinic. Approximately
five days after the drug test is
taken, the clearance will appear
in the system. Thus, individuals
with negative pre-employment
drug tests will be cleared to reg­
ister and ship.

r

he joint union/management
committee, the Seafarers Ap­
peals Board, has enacted Action
Number 335, instituting pre-hire
drug testing prior to registration
for shipping beginning May 1,
1989.
The action was brought about
by the Coast Guard's drug test­
ing rules (CG-D-86-067) which
took effect Dec. 21, 1988. The
regulations state that no seaman
is eligible for employment on a
U.S.-flag vessel without possess­
ing verification that he has suc­
cessfully passed a pre-hire drug
test.
In addition, effective June 21,
1989, says the SAB action, no
seaman can be shipped to a con­
tracted vessel without having
passed the pre-hire drug test.
The exceptions, according to
the SAB, are seamen who pos­
sess permanent status aboard a
specific vessel and are returning
to the same vessel in the same
job classification. This accords
with the Coast Guard's interpre­
tation of its own pre-hire rule
transmitted to the union and
contracted-operators.

Alyeska Establishes New Rules
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Responding to the Exxon Valdez disaster, tUtomaior owner
companies of th^klyeska Pipe­
line Service Co. announced that
shipowners and operators using
the Valdez terminal will be re­
quired to institute random drug
and alcohol testing on all ves­
sels.
The pipeline consortium
. stressed that the policies of each
vessel will be examined to en­
sure compliance with all federal
regulations. This is part of a new
program by the owner compa­
nies to improve their ability to
prevent and deal with oil spills.
Alyeska operates the Valdez
terminal and the Trans Alaska
Pipeline System on behalf of the
major oil companies.
No Test, No Entry
All employees seeking entry to
the Valdez terminal will have to
submit to breathalyzer tests, the
pipeline operators said. Those
failing such tests will be denied
entry. Alyeska will administer
the tests on board tankers, in. the
presence of the Coast Guard.
At least one of the owner

companies, BP, stated that
Alyeska will not tell the police
about failure to pass the test
"unless the individual concerned
becomes a nuisance at the gate."
The pipeline owners promised
Alaska Governor Steve Cowper
that they would institute testing
on all vessels loading out of Val­
dez. This will provide an early
start on federal testing programs
due to be introduced July 12.
Early implementation also will
involve pre-employment drug
tests and periodic urine tests of
all workers in the Valdez serv­
ice, Alyeska said.
In addition to the drug and al­
cohol testing, the oil companies
stated that tug escorts will be
provided and pilotage will be re­
quested on all incoming and out­
going vessels to a point beyond
Bligh Reef. Alyeska will ask the
Coast Guard for additional radar
responder capability to the exist­
ing Bligh Reef buoy and other
points within Prince William
Sound. Finally, Alyseka indi­
cated it will acquire more skim­
ming and booming capacity to
supplement existing spill contin­
gency equipment.

Inquiring Seafarer
Question: What was your fa­
vorite trip?
(Asked of Seafarers in the SIU
union hall in Brooklyh, NY.)
Hugh Woods,
FOWT, W5729—The Con­
stitution. I was
on her maiden
voyage. I felt
that I was part
of something
historic. The crew was really
great, and George McCartney
came out to service us. He
ironed out a lot of problems so
that the ship could run smoothly.
Thomas Her­
bert, QMED,
H-1357—I took
one of the D-9's|
over to the
West Coast last
year on the first
leg of an
around-the-world voyage. It was
fantastic. We stopped off at the
Mediterranean, Singapore, Japan
and all the West Coast ports.
Hazel Johnson,
Steward, J-25—
My last trip,
which was on
the Falcon
Champion. The
weather was
nice—not too
cold, just right. We hit Greece,
Italy, Sardinia, Spain and
France.
Edward Collins,
Chief Steward,
C-1185—My fa­
vorite trip was
to St. Croix—I
love the is­
lands. I just got
off the Golden
Monarch in January. Besides, it
was a short trip—11 days and
you're home.
Terry Mouton,
QMED, M1669—You
know how long
I've been sail­
ing? Forever. I
used to like the
trips to Thai­
land during the Vietnam War.
You're not going to put down
my age, are you?
Omar A. Omar,
Oiler, 0-371—

The one I took
to Santo Do­
mingo, because
it is close to
home. That
way, I can get
to see the wife and family.
Don Hicks, Bo­
sun (retired),
H-694—The old
Robin Line
ships, I guess.
But that was
before I got
married to the
greatest woman in the world.
The weather was great; the
crews were terrific.

George Alex­
ander, Chief
Steward (Re­
tired)—A Rot­
terdam to Aus­
tralia run. But
this was a long
time ago. World
War II. Fused to make big ship
models and raffle them off for
$300. Back then, these were long
trips, and you had a lot of time
on your hands.
A! Austin, Bo­
sun, A-853—
The time I went
to Sri Lanka on
the Golden
Phoenix. Few
boats ever get
there; it was
virtually untouched by tourists.
We were tied up at an old World
War II base.

Capricorn Trip Wos
One To Remember

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he LNG Capricorn ship's min­
utes of January 29 contained a
special message from one mem­
ber, who says:
"I would like to report that
this tour has been an educational
experience in itself. Together,
we have learned the true mean­
ing of brotherhood at sea as well
as ashore. We've shared good
times together ashore, wining
and dining and having fun—al­
ways looking out for one an­
other. We've niade good friends
and shared good times—a tour to
remember,"
The LNG Capricorn crewmembers' meeting was held
while sailing between Bontang,
Indonesia and Tobata, Japan.

Reporter Calk Crew
of Robert f. lee
'Best in Business'
M n article in the Athens, Ala#1 bama Post Courier reports the
crew of the Robert E. Lee as
"among the best in the busi­
ness."
The reporter rode aboard the
Waterman vessel to collect ma­
terial for a series of articles on
the U.S. merchant marine.
He wrote that crewmembers
wereJ'well-rounded, well-read
and well-aware of what is hap­
pening in the world," and added
this important note: "All are
union members. Patriotism runs
deep with these men."
The article said that conditions
onboard the vessel were "clean
and comfortable . . . meals are
well prepared and varied."
The Post Courier series dis­
cussed the decline of the U.S.
merchant marine, and empha­
sized that the lack of sealift ca­
pacity has endangered the stra­
tegic security of the nation.
SIU members on the Robert
E. Lee provided the Seafarers
LOG with a copy of the article
along with the ship's February
12 ship's meeting minutes.

�r

MAY, 1989

SIU am JOINS CAPE HORN
IN PORT OF SAN FRANaSCO
M former Barber Line ship,
" the Cape Horn has been
broken out for a voyage to
Indonesia. On the way she
will stop in Portland, Hono­
lulu and Subic Bay for load­
ing. The Cape Horn will then
spend five weeks in Sattahip,
Thailand.
Crewed by 31 merchant
mariners, the Cape Horn's
current trip is her first in two
years. The vessel has been
docked at Hunters Point
Shipyard in San Francisco.
The Cape Horn is operated
by Inter-Ocean Management,
a Philadelphia-based ship
management company. The
company handles several
commercial vessels and a
number of military contracts.
Pictured on this page are
SIU members who joined the
Cape Horn in San Francisco.
Not pictured is Chief Steward
James Venables.

Business Agent Gentry Moore lis­
tens to Master Charles Shaw.

Oiler Warren Wright at work in
the engine room.

Steward Assistant Oiga "Connie'
Velasquez at work between meals.

Electrician John Harlan relaxes
with Oiler Gary Mitchell.

AB George Kirksey, OS Louis
Sorito, OS Salvatore Reinosa, Bo­
sun Howard Gihhs, and AB Ron­
ald Dailey take a break from deck
duty.

Chief Cook John Chaney with
Steward Assistant Winston Wal­
ter, the fourth Piney Point gradu­
ate on board.

• .."'4 J

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SIU San Francisco Business Agent
Gentry Moore looks on while
AB's Fred Knappman, Roy Oliphaht, and William Capps enjoy
a meal.

Steward Assistant Olga "Connie'
Velasquez serves lemonade to
Wiper John Grisler and Electri­
cian John Harlan.

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Ordinary Seamen Salvatore Reinosa and Louis Sorito stand with Business
Agent Gentry Moore, while Bosun Howard Gibbs and AB Ronald Dailey
sit at table.

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Chief Cook John Chaney readies
the meat for the oven.

i

Fire drill exercises aboard the Cape Horn.

The Cape Horn was docked at
Hunter's Point in San Francisco
when SIU Business Agent Gen­
try Moore paid a visit. A former
Barber Line vessel, the Cape
Horn recrewed at San Francisco
en route to the Far East.
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SUFAKCItSiOG

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After participating in classroom learning and practical training,
seven SIU members were graduated from the Lundeberg Schoors
Marine Electrical Maintenance class. Curriculum covered by the
students included: electrical theory, power circuits, schematics, test
equipment and maintenance and trouble-shooting of AG and DC
motors and controllers. Pictured left to right are graduates (back
row) Robert Zientak, Don"the Machinist" Malozi, (middle row)
Rikk Parker, Owen ^ufify^ (fix^
Hans Kogler, Gary Praitts and
^Ben Conway.'•

Celestial navigation class graduates join instructor Jim Brown
(left) after completing a course which included: latitude observations
by sun and Polaris; celestial running fixes by sun, star, planets;
compass error by amplitude and azimuth; star identification, and
care and use of a sextant. Graduating students are Roger A. Foote
Jr. (second from left), James R. Stinson Jr. and Johp T. Thompson. -

COOirilMD AllffV a4ss
Chief Cook Learthur Jordon (left). Cook and Baker Wilmer Jack
Jr. and Chief Cook Tanya Walker. The Cook and Baker class gradu­
ates display the products of their class work. While learning the
Cook and Baker skills, students help prepare more than 650 meals a
day at the Lundeberg School.

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QUAUHED MEEEBER OF WE EHGIHE DEPmMEHT CiASS
Completing an intensive 12-week training course are: (back row)
Frank Bemer Jr. (left), John J. Thomas, Matt McGeehan, John
Hoskins, Thomas Neuwiller, Lonnie I. Carter, Herman Best, Ocie
Jones III, Nathan Hollander, Mike Novak, (front row) Randal
Firestine (left), Charles Mispagell, Pedro Santiago, Jerry J. Thomp­
son and Sonja M. Clements. The Lundeberg SchooPs curriculum
aimed at QMED certification and endorsement leads to many ratings
in the engine department.

Pictured above are Sherman
Anderson (top) and Patrick Rawley..
,

Upgrader Alvin Johnson (left)
with instructor Jim Moore.
Brother Johnson learned aban­
don ship procedures, hypother­
mia prevention, helicopter res­
cue procedures, emergency radio
and distress signals and other
survival techniques.

Dim EH&amp;HE TECHMOIOOY CIASS
All aspects of diesel engine technology were studied by (back
row, left to right) Mark G. Lawrence, Rikk Parker, Charles Polk
Bob Layko, B. Hutching, Chris Doyle, Instructor Eric Malzkuhn
Michael Scardma, (front row, left to right) Steve Miller, Willie
Franks, Frank Jaworski, Mike Harat and George Lindsay Fellow
class member Frank "The Chief Foster is not pictured, tlie course
covered theory, construction, operation, maintenance and repair of
low, medium and high speed diesel engines.

,

�IN

AUn 1989

New Red Cross Procedures Added
to Lundeberg Training Programs
I V..iS

CPR is demonstrated by a Lundeberg instructor.
I^hen the Red Cross updated
If If its first aid and cardiopulmo­
nary resuscitation (CPR)
courses, Lundeberg School in­
structors Jim Hanson and Jim
Moore were among the first in
the state of Maryland to learn
the new material. As a result,
SIU members taking first aid and
CPR classes are learning the
newest techniques developed by
the Red Cross.

Instructors Hanson and Moore
have been certified in three new
areas: upgraded standard first
aid, community CPR and basic
life support for the professional
rescuer.
Community CPR
Respiratory and circulatory
problems in persons of all ages
are discussed by Lundeberg

School instructors in this portion
of the class. The kind of aid that
should be administered in the
event of choking, heart attacks
and cardiac arrests is learned by
course participants.
The most common childhood
injuries and their prevention also
are covered.
Basic Life Support
In addition to reviewing mate­
rial from the previously men­
tioned courses, a student is pro­
vided with more detailed
information on the respiratory
and circulatory systems. Stu­
dents also are taught the proper
method of performing two-per­
son CPR and how to use resusci­
tation masks. Rescue breathing
for drastic situations such as
near drowning, electric shock,
traumatic injury and hypother­
mia is taught.
Upgraded Standard First Aid
New material covers one-man
CPR, rescue breathing and aid to
a choking person. The instructor
also teaches how to detect the
difference between cardiac arrest
and a heart attack and what aid
is necessary in each case.
The curriculum includes what
to do in the event of any of the
following medical emergencies:
bleeding, shock, fractures,
bums, diabetic attacks, stroke,
seizures, effects of extreme heat
or cold, poisonings, bites, stings,
eye and nose injuries.

Chief Mate Ron Chavers.
Brother Santana works in Crow­
ley's San Juan operation, while
boatmen MacKnight, Weikert
and Chavers are based in Phila­
delphia.
Former Trainee Says
Instruction Excellent

In class, Ray MacKnight charts
a course.

Brothers Chavers, a trainee
graduate of the union school and
the recipient of the 1983 Towboat Scholarship, expressed full
satisfaction with the course. He
said, "The instmctors should be
commended for their constant
and diligent attention to the
needs of each student." Chavers
noted that despite the busy
schedule, each course participant
had spent a great deal of time
with the instructors.
The class participants learned
radar theory, including observa­
tion, operation and use, interpre­
tation and plotting, collision
avoidance. Navigational exer-

M fter accumulating 62 college
n course credits, SIU member
Albert Jules Schmitt graduated
from the Lundeberg School's
college program with an associ­
ate in arts degree in nautical sci­
ence, inland concentration.
Brother Schmitt, employed
aboard Crescent Towing and
Salvage Company equipment in
New Orleans, first attended the
union's school in 1979 when he
enrolled in a diesel engineering
technology course.
What made the degree possi­
ble, says Schmitt, is the spirit of
cooperation and assistance an
enrolled student receives from
the college program faculty . In a
letter to the school. Brother
Schmitt said, "My heartfelt
thanks go out to all those in­
volved in creating the business­
like atmosphere of the college
program. I encourage everyone
to take advantage of this great
eductional opportunity."

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The inclusion of the Red
Cross's upgraded first aid and
CPR techniques in the Lunde­
berg School's curriculum pro­
vides SIU members an opportu­
nity to be among the most
knowledgeable and trained Sea­
men in the world.

Four Seafarers Earn Radar Endersements at Union's School
sistant Boat Captain Ray Macour inland division SIU mem­
bers
completed
the
Radar
En­
Knight, Assistant Boat Mate
fdorsement course at the Lunde­ Mike
Weikert and Linehaul
berg School. The Seafarers sail
on vessels of the Caribbean and
North Atlantic divisions of the
Crowley Transportation and
Towing Company.
Graduating with their radar
endorsements were: Assistant
Boat Captain Julio Santana, As­

SIU Member
Graduates from
Union's College
Degree Program

Jullo Santana (right) and Radar
Endorsement candidate Pete Ryerson review a radar reading.
cises were conducted on simula­
tion equipment. Working on the
Lundeberg School's simulator,
students practiced plotting a
course and safely manuevering
their "vessel" without jeopardiz­
ing the safety of others.

Congratulating SIU member Al
Schmitt (pictured third from the
left) are: College Program Coor­
dinator Tracey Foley, Port Agent
Nick Celona. (left), Lundeberg
School Vice President Ken Conklin.
Boatman Schmitt acquired the
necessary credits by taking vo­
cational and college courses at
the Lundeberg School and trans­
ferring credits from Louisiana
State University and Nichols
State College. He also was
awarded credit for work experi­
ence upon documentation of his
knowledge.
The Lundeberg School began
its college degree program in
1986. The program is open to all
SIU members. Courses are of­
fered in eight-week sessions, five
times a year. Jnstruction is avail­
able in the following subject
matters: English, mathematics,
social sciences, physical science
and physics.

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Marine Electronics
Course Dates

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September 4^November 24
November 13-February 2
On next page is a clip-andsend for more information.

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�SEAFARERS 106
TWO LIFEBOAT CLASSES

School's Marine Electronic Technician
Classroom Is Open for Business

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Participating In the rIbbon-cuttIng
ceremony of the new Marine Elec­
tronic Technician classroom are:
Liindberg School Vice President
Ken Lonklln (left), SIU Secretary-

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he recently constructed Ma­
rine Electronic Technician
course classroom was officially
open for business after a ribboncutting ceremony at the Seafar­
ers Harry Lundeberg School of
Seamanship.
The classroom was built for
the new course to assist mem­
bers in learning to use the in­
creasingly complex electronics
found onboard today's vessels.
The classroom, located in the
Charles Logan Vocational Build­
ing on the grounds of the Lunde­
berg School, is equipped with
state-of-the-art electronic train­
ing aids.
* -

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Treasurer Joe DIGIorglo, Instruc­
tor Russ Levin, Course Advisor
NIck Marrone, Sr. and Vocational
Director BUI Egllnton.
Course instructor Russ Levin
says students perform a mini­
mum of two hours a day in lab
work. Trouble-shooting exercises
give students an opportunity to
use the electronic training aids
and provide close to real-life ex­
perience, reports Levin.
The Marine Electronic Techni­
cian course covers 480 hours of
instruction over a twelve-week
period. Students who complete
the course, says Levin, should
be able to sit for the Federal
Communications Commission's
exam for General Radiotele­
phone Operators' License with
Radar Endorsement or a Second
Class Radio Operators License.

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Graduating from the Lundeberg School's lifeboat classes are: (pic­
ture above, back row, left to right) Frederick Mills, Allen "Dutch"
Noltensmeier, Samuel Cox Jr., Robin B. Anderson, (front row, left
to right) Darwin Peguese, Kevin Hare, Victor F. Weber and Sam
Minor, (picture below, third row, left to right) Fred L. Colston Sr.,
Eric D. Johnson, John W. Bertrand, Bob Omilanowicz, Chris Maye,
Kevin "Cash" Starkey, Earl Hargraves, A1 Schmitt, Adrienneh Ev­
erett, Curtis L. Small, Todd Ruffin, Instructor Jim Moore, (second
row, left to right) Patrick Legg, Lawrence Israel, Eric Selberg, Sean
Ryan, David Bailey, Ed Aldrete, (front row, left to right) Robert
Zepeda, Michael S. Gomes, Anna F. Buyvid, Kelly A. Wood and
Ronald Corgey.

Explaining course material to SIUNA Vice President Angle Tellez (left)
are Marine Electronic Technician course students Danny Johnson (center)
and Joe McGee. On the desk sits the electronic training aids used for
class lab work.

I Am Interested in The
Marine Electronics Course
1 Please put me on your list as interested in future enrollment in the
1 new Marine Electronics Technician course.
1
I
1 Name
Date of Birth
(Last)
(First)
mo/day/yr
(Middle)
1
I Address _
1
I
Telephone
(area code)
1
I Soc. Security No.
Seniority _
Book No.
1
I Dept
—
Home Port
1
I Date available for training
I
1 RETURN COMPLETED COUPON TO:
1
Director Vocational Education
1
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg Upgrading Center
I
I
Piney Point, MD 20674
I
1

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ABLE SEAMEN CLASS
Deck seamanship, liiles of the road, marlinspike seamanship,
helmsmanship, safety, fire fighting, emergency procedures, first aid,
underway and vertical replenishment, crane and fork truck opera­
tions were subjects covered by the graduating Able Seaman class.
Pictured above are: (back row, left to right) Frederick W. Mills, Eric
D. Johnson, Marshall A. Boice, Frank E. Vogler, Reginal D.
French, Robert Murray, Samuel Cox Jr., Steve Welder, (second
row, left to right) Instructor Jake Karaczynski, N. Allen Orrmins,
Allen "Dutch" Noltensmeier, Norman K. Armstrong, Victor F.
Weber, Robin B. Anderson, Sam Minor, Rodriguez Gonzales, (first
row, left to right) Darwin Peguese, Paul Bird, Devin Hare, John D.
Caron, Noel Lau and Juan Melendez.

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�MAY,J989

Twenfy-eight
Seafarers
Retire
The Seafarers Pension Plan
approved monthly pensions for
28 deepsea and inland members.
These monthly pensions, which
each member will receive
throughout his lifetime, will help
these dedicated linion men enjoy
a secure retirement.

Deep Sea
BIN AHMAD
Bin Ahmad, 60, shipped out of
New York as an AB. He retired
effective October 1, 1988, and
makes his home in New York,
NY.
WALTER E. BAUER
Walter E. Bauer,
61, joined the
union in 1951 in
the port of New
Orleans, LA. He
sailed in the
deck depart­
ment. Brother
Bauer now lives in Marrero, LA.
TRAVIS H. BREWER JR.
Travis H.
Brewer Jr., 65,
retired as an
oiler, effective
March 1, 1989.
His home port
was Houston,
and he lives in
Texas City, TX.
HOWARD COLE
Howard Cole, 64, of Houston
sailed as an OS and AB in the
deck department. Bom in
McKinney, TX, he joined the
union in 1959. Previously an
aircraft sheet metal worker.
Brother Cole worked on such
vessels as the Achilles and the
Aleutian.

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JAMES E. CONNOR
James E.
Connor, 65,
retired as an
AB, effective
February 1,
1989. A resident
of
Cheektowaga,
NY, he shipped out of New
York.
ARTHUR DE CHAMP
Arthur De
Champ, 72, of
Seattle, WA
worked in the
steward
department.
Brother De
Champ sailed as
a second cook/baker and a chief
cook. A native of
Massachusetts, he joined the
union in 1962 and received his
"A" seniority book in 1970. He
had numerous voyages with
Colmar, Isthmian, Waterman,
and Sea-Land.
*

EDWARD ELLIS
Edward Ellis,
65, of
Jacksonville, FL
sailed as an AB
in the deck
department.
Born in
|
Georgia,
Brother Ellis joined the union at
Jacksonville in 1962 following 19
years in the Navy. He had
voyages with Suwannee,
Halcyon, and Empire Transport.
Ellis served as a ship delegate
for the SIU, and the union
thanked him for staying in
frequent touch with
headquarters.
FRANK FLYNN JR.
Frank Flynn Jr.,
65, of Norfolk,
VA sailed as an
OS, a fireman/
watertender/
oiler, and a
deck engineer.
An Ohio native.
Brother Flynn worked for the
Transoceanic Cable Ship Co.
JOSEPH A. GIBBONS
Joseph A. Gibbons, 60, of
Huntingdon, PA worked in the
steward department. Previously
a meatcutter, he sailed as a
messman and later as chief cook.
Brother Gibbons joined the
union in 1960, and had voyages
with the Robin Line and the Bull
Line.
GILBERT GONZALES
Gilbert
Gonzales, 59, of
San Antonio,
TX sailed as a
chief cook. His
home port is
Houston.
GARLAND JACKSON
Garland
Jackson, 62, of
Seattle, WA
shipped out as a
chief cook.

PAUL G. LUTEMAN
Paul G.
Luteman, 62, of
San Francisco
sailed as an OS
and AB in the
deck
department.
Bora in
Cumberland, MD, he joined the
union in New York in 1958.
Seafarer Luteman had voyages
with Waterman, Victory
Carriers, and Sea-Land. He
completed an AB course in 1979.
DONALD E. MURPHY
Donald E.
Murphy, 64, of
Jacksonville, FL
sailed from
1951-59 before
joining the SIU.
A native of
Norfolk, VA, he
worked as an electrician, an
oiler, and then a QMED.
Brother Murphy had Voyages on

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siich vessels as the New York
and the Mount Vernon.
GAETANO MATTIOLI
Gaetano Mattioli, 65, of Toms
River, NJ retired from deepsea
sailing effective February 1,
1989. His home port was New
York.
CHARLES W. PALMER
Charles W.
Palmer, 68,
sailed as a third
assistant
engineer. He
makes his home
in Mobile, AL.
WILLIAM L. PETERSON
William L. Pe­
terson, 61,
started sailing in
1961 out of the
port of Philadel­
phia, PA. He
shipped out in
the engine de­
partment. Bora in Brooklawn,
NJ, Brother Peterson is a vet­
eran of the U.S. Army from 1945
to 1947. He makes his home in
Seminole, FL.
VICTOR F. PLACEY
Victor F.
Placey, 65,
worked in the
deck department
as an OS and an
AB. His book
was issued in
New York in
1943. A resident of Youngwood,
PA, Brother Placey is a graduate
of the SHLSS LNG upgrading
course. He had voyages with the
Del Caribe, the Del Sol, and the
Ft. Hoskins.
HUGH W. RILEY
Hugh W. Riley,
68, worked as a
messman in the
steward
department. He
joined the union
in Wilmington in
1962. Brother
Riley sailed with such major
companies as Waterman,
Isthmian, and Sea-Land. A
native of Virginia, he makes his
home in San Francisco.
RICARDO RODRIGUEZ
Ricardo Rodriguez, 59, sailed in
the deck department as an OS.
He joined the SIU in Houston in
1957, and shipped out with
Bloomfield, Waterman, and
Cities Service. Brother
Rodriguez resides in Galveston,
TX.
CHARLES ROSS
Charles Ross,
65, retired from
deep sea
shipping on
February I,
1989. A resident
of Bothell, WA,
he shipped out
of Seattle.
TROY D. SMITH
Troy D. Smith, 61, of Moncks
Corner, SC sailed as a wiper and
FOWT. He received his book in
1950 in Tampa, FL. Brother

Smith's career included voyages
with the Sea-Land Consumer,
the Humacao and the Ponce.
HAROLD V. WALKER
Harold V.
Walker, 69,
joined the union
in 1952. He
sailed as a
steward/baker
and chief
steward. He
worked on all company vessels
of Cities Service from 1953
through 1975, and also sailed
with Interocean Management
Corp. He holds a certificate in
marine fire fighting from the
Military Sealift Command
School, and attended the
steward recertification program
as a steward at Piney Point in
1981. Brother Walker lives in
Knoxville, TN.

Inland
COLBOURNE H. AUTRY
Colbourne H. Autry, 62, retired
as an assistant engineer. A
former carpenter's helper, he
sailed aboard the Holly S with
Steuart Transportation. Brother
Autry received his book in
Baltimore in 1970, and resides in
Tangier, VA.
STEPHEN BIONDO
Stephen Biondo, 62, retired as
an AGLIWD fisherman. He
makes his home in Gloucester,
MA.
FRANCESCO P.
BRANCALEONE
Francesco P. Brancaleone of
Gloucester, MA, retired after
ye^s of service as a member of
the AGLIWD fishermen's union.
ROBERT GILES
Robert Giles, 65, sailed as a
senior captain. Born in Kansas
City, MO, he served in the Navy
before joining the SIU in
Baltimore. At the SHLSS in
1973, he upgraded to ocean
operator-inland waters. A
resident of Sanford FL, Brother
Giles worked for Interstate Oil
Transport and Gulf Atlantic
Towing.
EDWARD GOETZ
Edward Goetz,
62, of Sault Ste.
Marie, MI sailed
as a tug
deckhand. A
native of
Marquette, MI,
he worked
previously as an operating
engineer. Brother Goetz's
employers were Massman
Construction and Peter Kiewit
Sons.

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JOHN A. HOWLAND
John A. Howland, 58, sailed as a
chief engineer for Curtis Bay
Towing. A Boston native, he
received his book in Baltimore in
1957. Brother Howland lives in
Timonium, MD.

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SEAFARERS LOG

St. Louis Port Council Honors
Three Community Leaders
The Port Council of the
Greater St. Louis Area and
Vicinity honored a labor leader,
a businessman and an elected
official at its April dinner dance.
The St. Louis affiliate of the
Maritime Trades Department,
AFL-CIO, presented its Labor
Man of the Year Award to
Gerald T. Feldhaus, business
manager of Asbestos Workers
Local 1. A union member since
1965, Feldhaus joined the local's
executive board in 1977. He was
elected business agent and
financial secretary 1985 and
business manager in 1986.
Feldhaus serves on the executive

Michael F.
Shanahan
attorney. Westfall is former
assistant prosecuting attorney for
St. Louis County and past
special prosecuting attorney for
the City of St. Louis. He was
elected to his current position in
1978, and was
re-elected
unopposed in
1982 and 1986.
Dinner speak­
ers included
Richard Mantia,
president of the
Port Council
George "Buzz" and Robert
Westfall
Sansone, an
executive board member of the
Port Council and president of
Teamsters Joint Council 13.
Robert Sansone

• :-|.y; •;

iKyy't.-:-;:"-;

rT-

n .

Gerald T.
Richard Mantia
Feldhaus
board of the Missouri State
Building and Construction
Trades Council.
Michael F. Shanahan,
chairman and CEO of
Engineered Air Systems and
chairman of the St. Louis Blues
Hockey Club, accepted the Port
Council's Management Man of
the Year award. Shanahan
serves on the boards of
numerous educational and
charitable organizations,
including St. Louis University
and the American Heart
Association.
The maritime group gave its
Able Helmsman award to
George "Buzz" Westfall, the St.
Louis County prosecuting

Rescue at Sea

{Continued from page I)
A Coast Guard helicopter then
transported Cruz from the BaltL
more to the port of Norfolk
where a waiting ambulance took
him to a local hospitkl. He re- mained there for a day and a h£il^
before being transferred to a
IStew York hospital.
Dr. Joseph SanFelippo, medical
director of the SIU Welfare Plan,
who was kept informed of Cruz's
^ condition, arranged for the injured ?

scAFjam mum FLAN
Nona
COBRA: Continuation Hoaith Covongo
f you or your dependents lose your eligibility for health care coverage under the
/ Rules and Regulations of the Seafarers Welfare Plan, you and your dependents
may be eligible to purchase, at a premium. Welfare coverage directly from the
Plan.. If you find that you have lost your eligibility for Plan coverage, you must
notify the Plan office immediately to find out whether or not you or your
dependents may elect to continue your benefits under this program.
If you want more information concerning this program you can call the
membership services office.
I-800.CLAIMS-4 (1-800-252-4674)
or write
COBRA Program
Seafarers Welfare Plan
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, Maryland 20746
NOTE: A detailed article explaining this program appeared in the April 1989
issue of the "LOG". You may want to refer to it.
,

Seafarer's personal physician to
meet him in the New York hos­
pital emergency room when Cruz
arrived. Following consultations,
specialists prescribed physical
therapy treatments', which are
continuing at the present time.
Cruz is profuse in his praise of
his M/V Baltimore shipmates. "I
really have to thank the whole
crew. They saved my life," he
said. He had special praise for
Captain Bise who, he added,
"did a fabulous job. His sense of
humor and his knowledge of
what had to be done made me
feel a lot better."
Everyone had a hand in caring
for him, Cruz said. He gave high
marks to Bosun Kahn, Chief
Steward DeBoissiere and said,
"the deck department took care
of me around the clock. With the
engine department's special sip­
ping straw and the steward de­
partment's special food, I was
able to retain some strength.
"The teamwork is what pulled
me through," said Cruz.

Liberty Ship Home
(Continued from page 6)

During the war, with the ship­
yards working full-tilt, workers
used to joke, "We build 'em by
the mile and cut them off by the
yard." Baltimore's Bethlehem
, shipyard, where the Brown was
constructed, turned out 32 miles
of ships.
After the last line was secured
and the gangway lowered, Capt.
Herb Groh, the Brown's skipper
for the day, said he was im­
pressed with the day's turnout
and the support the John W,
Brown has received.
' '&lt;
"You look around here and
see all kinds of people. They're
not all seamen or veterans. This
has brought a lot of people to­
gether. You don't want them to
forget what the merchant marine
contributed to the War, and you
don't want them to forget that
today the merchant marine is a
valuable asset," he said.

Know Your Rights
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 Account­
ants every three months, which are to be
submitted to the membership by the Secre­
tary-Treasurer. A quarterly finance commit­
tee 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. Mem­
bers of this committee may make dissenting
reports, specific recommendations and sep­
arate 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 agree­
ments. All these agreements specify that the
trustees ip charge of these funds shall equally
consist of Union and management represen­
tatives and their alternates. All expenditures
and disbursements of trust funds are made
only upon approval by a majority of the
trustees. All trust fund financial records are
available at the headquarters of the various
trust funds.
SHIPPING RIGHTS. Your shipping rights
and seniority are protected exclusively by the
contracts between the Union and the employ­
ers. Get to know your shipping rights. Copies
of these contracts are posted and available in
all Union halls. If you feel there has been any
violation of your shipping or seniority rights
as contained in the contracts between the
Union and the employers, notify the Seafarers

Appeals Board by certified mail, return re­
ceipt requested. The proper address for this
IS:

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 your contract rights, as well as your
obligations, such as filing for OT on the
proper sheets and in the proper manner. If,
at any time, any SIU patrolman or other
Union official, in your opinion, fails to pro­
tect your contract rights properly, contact
the nearest SIU port agent.
EDITORIAL POLICY—THE LOG. The
Log has traditionally refrained from publish­
ing any article serving the political purposes
of any individual in the Union, officer or
member. It has also refrained from publish­
ing articles deemed harmful to the Union or
its collective membership. This established
policy has been reaffirmed by membership
action at the September, I960, meetings in
all constitutional ports. The responsibility
for Log policy is vested in an editorial board
which consists of the Executive Board of
the Union. The Executive Board may del­
egate, from among its ranks, one individual
to carry out this responsibility.

PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are
to be paid to anyone in any official capacity
in the SIU unless an official Union receipt
is given for same. Under no circumstances
should any memberpay any money for any
reason unless he is given such receipt. In
the event anyone attempts to require any
such payment be made without supplying a
receipt, or if a member is required to make
a payment and is given an official receipt,
but feels that he should not have been
required to make such payment, this should
immediately be reported to Union head­
quarters.
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND OBLI­
GATIONS. Copies of the SIU constitution
are available in all Union halls. All members
should obtain copies of this constitution so
as to familiarize themselves with its con­
tents. Any time you feel any member or
officer is attempting to deprive you of any
constitutional right or obligation by any
methods such as dealing with charges, trials,
etc., as well as all other details, then the
member so affected should immediately no­
tify headquarters.
EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guar­
anteed equal rights in employment and as
members of the SIU. These rights are clearly
set forth in the SIU constitution and in the
contracts which the Union has negotiated
with the employers. Consequently, no mem­
ber may be discriminated against because of
race, creed, color, sex and national or geo­
graphic origin. If any member feels that he
is denied the equal rights to which he is
entitled, he should notify Union headquar­
ters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY
DONATION—SPAD. SPAD is a separate
segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to
further its objects 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 im­
proved employment opportunities for sea
men and boatmen and the advancement of
trade union concepts. In connection with
such objects. SPAD supports and contrib­
utes to political candidatesfor elective office.
All contributions are voluntary. No contri­
bution may be solicited or received because
of force, job discrimination, financial re­
prisal, 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 above improper conduct, notify
the Seafarers Union or SPAD by certified
mail within 30 days of the contribution for
investigation and appropriate action and re­
fund, if involuntary. Support SPAD to pro
tect and further your economic, political and
social interests, and American trade un-on
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 information, he
should immediately notify SIU President Mi­
chael Sacco at Headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The address is 5201
Auth Wayand Britannia Way, PrinceGeorges
County, Camp Springs, Md. 20746.

�ii ^lE^'

HUY, m t

Dispatchers' Report for Deep Sea

KHembership
Reelings Deep
Sea, Lakes,
lulaad Waten

APRIL 1-30, 1989
TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

*TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port
New York
Philadelphia
Baltimore
Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans
JBfck^dnviliig
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
Port
•New York
Philadelphia
Baltimore
Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans
Jacksonville
1 San Francis
iTOninj
"Seattle
Puerto Rico
Honolulu
I Houston'
•iSt. Louis''.;f

iSiWjSssI
Totals
Port
I New York = r

I Philadelphia II
i Baltimore
Norfolk
MobUe
New Orleans

Seattle
Puerto Rico
Honolulu
|Hpu$ton
ISt. Loiiis
Kney Point
Totals

**REGISTERED ON BEACH
Trip
All Groups
ReUefs
Class A Class B Class C

DECK DEPARTMENT

9
4
4
' 4
6

8

10
16
7
7
2
10
9
1
7
104
21
0
8
5
11
12
28
14
12
6
2
24
0
5
ISO

4
1
3 .
7
3
3
3
5
4.

•5
0
10

57

33
1
3
18
10
27
19
19
16
37

2
3
0
7
5
15
3
9
3
6
1
5
6
2
5
72
3
0

n

7
28
0
, H *' ^ ft

229

•

16
2
.4,:s^
4
5
15
9

6
0
2
7
9
5
4
7

ZS.'
8
2
12
3
i:l'
^

75

'

3
3

0

9
1
5
i

1
1
1
T'.

9

mi
3 ••••••" 14

2

5
3

0
10

3
2
0
9

4
1
4

k-sm
y'-m:&gt;sSi'19 ' . yi
0
11

2

0 ' 0

6

4

53

120

3
9
13
10
26
28
43
25
22

2

49

3

10
1
1
0
28

7'
3

39S
0
4:
272

0
0
28

?62
2
7
2
8
8
5
5
11
0
9

a-30
rf'

2
0
5
6
10
4
3
0
11
1

4
78

56

STEWARD DEPARTMENT
r-':

4
6
3
15
16
2
6
17
0
0
139

•

Piney Point
Monday, June 5
New York
Tuesday, June 6
Philadelphia
Wednesday, June 7
Baltimore
Thursday, June 8
Norfolk
Thursday, June 8
Jacksonville
TTiursday, June 8
Algonac
Friday, June 9
Houston
Monday, June 12
New Orleans
Tuesday, June 13
MobUe
Wednesday, June 14
San Francisco
Thursday, June 15
Wilmington
Monday, June 19
Seattte
Friday, June 23
San Juan
Thursday, June 8
St. Louis
Friday, Juiie 16
Honolulu
Friday, June 16
Duluth
Wednesday, June 14
Jersey City
Wednesday, June 21
New Bedford
Tuesday, June 20

'kr •
•".V,/ •

f'.
i'

*' i
CI'

H'm

--V: I
.Jf.

:1

'OV

/'i'Vv

3^n'-'2

IOSSDSUK,

0
27
1
1
12
76

Personals
ENTRY DEPARTMENT
0
0
0
0
0
0

30
1• •

3 •
5
3
'

20

55
13
21
11
5
17
1
192

26
2
5
10
^4
15

15
2
1
7
1
27

20
19
15
14
80
10

29
8
1
137

1
fsmmmm
232
261
0

Totals AU Departments
639
374
346
546
278
321
203
1,212
551
437
*"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 AprU was up from the month of March. A total of 1,348 jobs were shipped on SIUcontracted deep sea vessels. Of the 1,348 jobs shipped, 546 jobs or about 40 percent were taken by "A"
seniority members. The rest were filled by "B" and "C" seniority people. A total of 203 trip relief jobs were
shipped. Since the trip relief program began on April 1, 1982, a total of 9,897 jobs have been shipped.

Bob Carroll IV
A good friend is looking for
you. Please write Vittoria John­
son, Rt. 5, Box 155, Savannah,
TN 38372.
Thomas L. Dodd
Please get in touch with your
family. They're worried about
you. Write Doris Hamaker, 413
E. Bradford, Marion, IN 46952.
Benjamin Porter
Todd Johnson would like to
know your whereabouts. He
would also like to hear from
anyone who knows where you
are. Johnson identified you as a
galleyman who sailed aboard the
S.S. Walter Rice in 1978. Todd
Johnson can be reached at 6054
Laurel Street, Apt. 8, New Orle­
ans, LA 70118,
Terry Sniifh
Please get in touch with Beiilah Farmer, Rt. 3, Box 150-4-5,
Buna, TX 77612 (tel. #409/9945837). She has your photo al­
bums.

•-.V-T :

, i.-j-uJ-VI

�m

SOfARCKS 106

20
•kW'

Dispatchers* Report for Inland Waters

Seahnn lateniatiottal
UnmdinOoif

APRIL 1-30, 1989

i:

•TOTAL REGISTERED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

Port
pew YOTk
iPhU^elphy
iBaltimore
Norfolk^
Mobile
New Orleans
Jacksonville
|San Francisco
^Wilmington
Seattle
Puerto Rico
Houston
lonac
5t. Louis ^
*iney Point ®
Totals

i.,i,'•

•.
•.

Port

^nw Yorii.,

TOTAL SHIPPED
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C
DECK DEPARTMENT

Mtchael Sacco, President
Joseph Sacco, Executive Vice
President
Joe DIGiorgio, Secretary-Treasurer
Angus "Red" Campbell, .
Vice President of Contracts
Jack Caffey, Vice President
Thomas Giideweil, Vice President
George McCartney, Vice President
John Fay, Vice President
Roy A Mercer, Vice President
Steve Edney, Vice President

••REGISTERED ON BEACH
All Groups
Class A Class B Class C

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

^0

0

0

0

^

0~T7r^ Q-

|p)uladelphi^
^Baltimore
koifolk^
Mobile
New Orleans
Jiacksonville'"
San Francisco
Wilmington
Seattle
Puerto Rico
Houston
Algonac
St. Loiiis
[Piney Point j
Totals

: If.

IIS:
"I--''

;• i: • . V:

'.•^' • ••' -"• .•;

i:::

Port

•

STEWARD DEPARTMENT

ll^wTOTk
V '

iBdtinn^
Norfolk
Mobile
New Orleans
p^ksonvflle
|San Francisco
iWilmington
Seattle
Puerto Rico
Houston
plgonac :v,-^
|St. Louis
i^ney Point
Totals
Totals All Departments
104
44
56
48
11
38
178
83
103
•"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.

Dispatchers* Report for Great Lakes
CU-Company/Lakes
L—Lakes
NP—Hon Priority
•TOTAL REGISTERED
APRIL 1-30, 1989
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP

••REGISTERED ON BEACH
TOTAL SHIFFED
All Groups
All Groups
Class CL Class L Class NP Class CL Class L Class NP

Port
DECK DEPARTMENT
0
19
1
0
32
2
0
25
4
Algonac
v
Port
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
0
16
3
0
13
5
0
13
2
Algonac
STEWARD DEPARTMENT
Port
0
4
1
0
10
4
0
7
1
Algonac
ENTRY DEPARTMENT
Port
0
19
27
0
0
0
0
35
43
Algonac
Totals All HqMurtments
0
58
32
0
55
11
0
80
^
•"Total Registered" means the number of men who actually registered for shipping at the port last nionth.
••"Registered on the Beach" means the total number of men registered at the port at the end of last month.

, A'.:.;' .'{"r-wV i.

HEADQUARTERS
5201 Auth Way
Camp Springs, MD 20746
(301) 899-0675
ALGONAC
520 St. Clair River Dr.
Algonac, MI 48001
(313) 794-4988
BALTIMORE
1216 E. Baltimore St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
(301) 327-4900
DULUTH
705 Medical Arts Building
Duluth, MN 55802
(218) 722-4110
HONOLULU
636 Cooke St.
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 523-5434
HOUSTON
1221 Pierce St.
Houston, tX 77002
(713) 659-5152
JACKSONVILLE
3315 Liberty St.
Jacksonville, PL 32206
(904) 353-0987
JERSEY CITY
99 Montgomery St.
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(201) 435-9424
MOBILE
1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy^
Mobile, AL 36605
(205) 478-0916
^
NEW BEDFORD
50 Union St.
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 997-5404
NEW ORLEANS
630 Jackson. Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504)529-7546
NEW YORK
675 Fourth Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11232
(718)499-6600
NORFOLK
115 Third St.
Norfolk, VA 23510
(804) 622-1892
PHILADELPIHA
2604 S. 4 St.
Philadelphia, PA 19148
(215)336-3818
PINEY POINT
St. Mary's County
Piney Point, MD 20674
(301)994-0010
SAN FRANCISCO
350 Fremont St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415)543-5855
SANTURCE
1057 Fernandez Juncos St.
Stop 16
:: Santurce, PR 00907(809) 725-6960
SEATTLE
&gt;
2505 First Ave.
Seattle, WA 98121
(206)441-1960
ST. LOUIS
4581 Gravois Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63116
(314) 752-6500
WILMINGTON
510 N. Broad Ave.
Wilmington, CA 90744
(213) 549-4000

•

;

fV:s-

�'V'

mm

mirn

MY/im
IMB MRUS (Energy Transportation
Corp.), February 5—Chairman Wil­
lie Mitchell, Secretary Dana Para­
dise, Educational Director G. Lindsey. Deck Delegate John Wells,
Engine Delegate Dasril Panko,
Steward Delegate Robert Brown. No
beefs or disputed OT reported.
There is $534 in the ship's fund. A
new exercise bike was purchased
with some of the money, and a
Christmas gift from Burma Oil was
added to the account. The treasury
will be turned over to the new stew­
ard upon arrival in port. The chair­
man reported that a new dryer for
the crew's laundry is expected this
trip. The secretary informed those
members getting off at the end of
the voyage that he has all vacation,
up^ading and other union forms
available. The mate is cataloging the
videotape library, all members were
asked to cooperate by rewinding the
tapes after use and returning them to
the storage shelves. There will be a
big changeover of crew this trip.
The chairman reminded everyone to
leave a nice clean room and a set of
linen for the next crew. The steward
thanked his gang for a good tour,
and a vote of thanks was given to
the steward department for a job
well done and for all the great pool
parties. Next ports: Osaka, Japan
and Arun, Indonesia.
illliliniCSFWfr(PRMMI), February
5—Chairman Donald Wagner, Sec­
retary R. Mora, Deck Delegate G.
Israel Bonefont, Steward Delegate
Roberto Feliciano. No beefs or dis­
puted OT reported. The educational
director noted that crewmembers
would like the company to purchase
a new VCR. It was requested that
the oilers call the wiper by knocking
on his door. The patrolman will
check about time off for the messman, eight hours relief every 30
days. The importance of contribut­
ing to SPAD was stressed, as was
the recommendation that all eligible
members upgrade their skills at Piney Point.
FMLCOH aUUUnOH (Seahawk Manage­
ment Co.), February 5—Chairman
John Chermesino, Secretary M.P.
Cox, Educational Director Haywood
Green, Deck Delegate John Thomp­
son. No disputed OT reported. The
balance in the movie fund is $175.72
to be used to purchase additional
videotapes. Tfos is the first time the
ship has been back to the United
States in five years. Payoff is sched­
uled for Feb. 8. The educational di­
rector suggested the SIU start ship­
board educational programs for its
members. The captain has been
asked to contact the union for per­
mission to pay off at sea this voyage
and to have a patrolman bo£U'd the
ship on arrival in port. A recommen­
dation was made that another wash­
ing machine be put aboard and that
copies of new contracts be furnished
to all crewmembers. the steward
department was given a vote of
thanks—with a special thank-you to
Hazel Johnson from Haywood
Green for feeding him so well. Next
port: Mobile, AL.
mCOH DUCHBS (Seahawk Manage­
ment), February 26—Chairman Leo
Paradise, Secretary Richard Gracey,
Steward Delegate David Bond.
Everything is running smoothly in
all departments. Some beefs were
noted in the deck department which
will be brought to the patrolman's
attention. The chief engineer is very
happy with the DEU and said he's
the best he's ever had. The pump­
man called a safety meeting on Feb.
19. A motion was made and sec­
onded to have an emergency clause
put in the contract whereby if a man
must get off the ship due to sickness
or a death in the family, he can get

his job back. It was suggested that
someone from the union check the
stores. The ship seems to be running
out of a lot of items, and no bulk ice
cream has been loaded. Crewmem­
bers also would like a new washing
machine to be put aboard.
fALCOU IBIDER (Seahawk Management
Co.), February 5, 19 and March 5—
Chairman Clarence Burgo, Secretary
William Justi, Deck Delegate Theo­
dore Bush, Engine Delegate Archie
Bligen, Steward Delegate Philip Liv­
ingston. No beefs or disputed OT
reported. The Falcon Leader is
again running in the Far East. The
vessel has left Guam heading toward
Kwajalein in the Pacific and went to
Japan. There may be a lay-up in
Malaysia. Until it is known whether
the ship will get a charter, there is
no ship's fund. The crew would like
to have more items for sale onboard,
especially cigarettes. Crewmembers
also would like more fresh fruits and
vegetables, and better soap to wash
clothes with. The soap in use now
bums the hands and makes them
itch. The steward department was
given a vote of thanks for a job well
done.
IMG UO (Energy Transportation
Corp.), Febraary 19—Chairman
F.A. Pehler, Secretary Henry Jones
Jr., Deck Delegate C.H. Kahn, En­
gine Delegate R. Robertson, Stew­
ard Delegate George Taylor. No
beefs or disputed OT reported.
There is $281 in the ship's fiind and
$40 in the SIU communications
fond. The chairman spoke about the

days to reclaim their jobs. The next
payoff will take place in New York
Feb. 17.
OMI MISSOURI (OMI Corp.), Febmary
23—Chairman John Picciolo, Secre­
tary Johnnie B. McGill, Educational
Director/Engine Delegate R.J.
Baumgardner, Deck Delegate Fred
Collins, Steward Delegate Jay An­
derson. Everything aboard the OMI
Missouri is running smoothly with
no beefs or disputed OT reported.
All previous disputed OT in the en­
gine department has been resolved.
Estimated arrival in Portland, OR. is
early Saturday, Feb. 25. Payoff will
be around noon. Arrangements will
be made by the patrolman in the
Portland area for layup and payoff.
OMI WMBMSH (OMI Corp.), February
14—Chairman J. Hasson, Secretary
P.L. Shauger, Educational Director
J. Spell, Deck Delegate L. Ramirez,
Engine Delegate R. Rodgers, Stew­
ard Delegate A. Algazzali. Some
disputed OT was reported in the
deck department. A payoff is sched­
uled in Houston this voyage. A pa­
trolman has been requested. A new
dryer for the crew laundry was or­
dered. And a suggestion was made
to have an arrival pool or request
donations in order to build up a fund
for the purchase of video movies.
Next port: Houston, TX.
RMHGBt (Ocean Cairiers), Febmary
25—Chairman Jerry Bomcki, Secre­
tary Vemon Ferguson Jr., Educa­
tional Director/Engine Delegate Jon

Digest of Ships Meetings
The Mhwing ships minutes are just a sampling of the many meeting
reports the SIU receives each month from its ships around the world.
Ships' minutes are reviewed hy the Union's Contract Dopartment. Jhose
issaos requiring attention or resolution are addressed hy the Union upon
receipt of the ship's minutes.
need for all seamen to participate in
SPAD, noting that contributions to
SPAD give the union a voice in
Washington and give every member
job security. The upgrading program
at Piney Point is another way to get
job security since better jobs mean
better pay. The educational director
stated that new books have been or­
dered and should be received this
voyage. A letter from headquarters
was received onboard ship regarding
the fact that mail from the company
office of ETC is three to six weeks
in coming to the vessel. The re­
sponse was that the mail is sent out
from the office twice a month by
regularly scheduled courier service.
Crewmembers were reminded that
there is to be no dumping of plastics
overboard. The company and the
Japanese ports are working together
to come up with a plan to offload all
plastic from the ship until they in­
stall a special plastic bumer in the
shipyards. A vote of thanks was
given to the crew for keeping the rec
room clean. A vote of thanks also
was directed to the steward depart­
ment for the great meals and clean
messhalls. Next ports: Himeji, Ja­
pan; Bontang, Indonesia; Osaka, Ja­
pan, and Amn, Indonesia.
UBERIY SSM (Liberty Marine), Febm13—Chairman Cesar A. Gutierez. Secretary James Tucker, En­
gine Delegate Leroy C. Williams,
Steward Delegate Anthony St. Clair.
It has been a good trip with no beefs
or disputed OT. The vessel will en­
ter the shipyard in Malta. Crew­
members will be called back in 15

P. Beard, Deck Delegate Michael
Moore. No beefs or disputed OT.
The deck department was particu­
larly proud that during the last trip,
the ship passed inspection of the
tanks with a grade of "A." The ship
received a new ice machine. It
should now produce enough ice for
everybody. Thanks go to the SIU
rep for his quick action in getting
this for the crew. There is $450 in
the ship's fond. The money was
raised from the pilot pool. All crew
and officers were thanked for their
support of the pool. A few men will
be getting off in Singapore. They
were reminded to sign up for up­
grading courses at Piney Point.
While getting an education at the
school in Piney Point, members still
have time to relax at the beautiful
facilities and partake of some of the
best food around. The chief mate
gave the deck department a video
cassette about underway replenish­
ment. Everyone can now watch that
film in the crew TV room. Should
the Ranger be involved in refueling
at sea, this tape wUl help refresh
members' memories. One minute of
silence was observed in memory of
our departed brothers and sisters.
This ship's meeting took place at sea
enroute to Okinawa, Japan. Next
ports: Kuwait and Singapore.
ROBCRT L Iff (Waterman Steamship
Corp.), February 12—Chairman
John Kelso, Secretary Bennie J.
Guarino, Educational Director Mi­
chael Frizzel. Some disputed OT
was reported in the deck depart­
ment, but it's been a very good voy­

age with no beefs. The ship's chair­
man suggested crewmembers take
advantage of upgrading at Piney
Point and read the Seafarers LOG as
much as possible to keep up with
the latest news on what is going on
with the union. Mike Sacco was
congratulated on his election as
president. The captain is holding all
the money to the movie and ship's
fond for safekeeping. The chief engi­
neer will be asked to check why the
water is so hot in the shower. Also,
the laundry room drains need to be
unclogged. One minute of silence
was observed for our departed
brothers and sisters. Next port:
Newport News, VA.
ROVSR (Ocean Carriers), February
12—Chairman Hugo Dermody, Sec­
retary Ernest E. Harris, Educational
Director/Engine Delegate J. Parkhurst, Deck Delegate Robert Clif­
ford, Steward Delegate J. Robinson.
No beefs or disputed OT. There is
$156 in the ship's fund, but members
were asked to please contribute to
the fund so that another VCR can be
purchased for the crew. A new cap­
tain is aboard. A repair list will be
prepared. The vessel will arrive in
Subic Bay early on Feb. 13. Crew­
members were advised to keep their
rooms locked at all times since there
will 6e 20 shoreside workers on­
board the ship around the passage­
ways. After Subic Bay the ship will
sail on to Bahrain via Singapore to
replace some crewmembers. Crew­
members were urged to always prac­
tice safety first. A suggestion was
made to have larger tables in the
crew mess so that four people can
eat comfortably without bumping el­
bows. There will be an extra crewmember onboard to and from Bah­
rain who will sougee each room.
Everyone was asked to make sure
their rooms are made available to
him. A vote of thanks to the steward
department was given. Following
stops in Singapore and Bahrain, the
ship will sail to Pohang, Korea.
SCM-IAHD MMCHORMGC (Sea-Land Serv­
ice), February 22^—Chairman John
Ballentine, Secretary James Wright,
Educational Director A. Jaramillo,
Deck Delegate D. Brown, Engine
Delegate A. Aguiar, Steward Dele­
gate J. Lubach. No beefs or dis­
puted OT. Everything appears to be
running smoothly aboard ship. The
chairman mentioned that Sea-Land
has acquired eight new ships, for a
total of 39. The crew requested a
hot water pot ifor coffee and tea. A
discussion was held concerning the
cleaning of the crew lounge. It was
decided that all three departments
would take turns. A vote of thanks
was given to the steward department
for a fine job. Next port: Tacoma,
WA.
Sa-IAMD BIPRCSS (Sea-Land Service),
March 3—Chairman J.M. Ard, Sec­
retary Louise Martin, Educational
Director A. Bell. No beefs or dis­
puted OT. The educational director
said that the union should find- out
what the paymaster has to do with
the crew's time off. Members
thanked the radioman for the use of
his videotapes.
[Editor's note: The patrolman in­
formed the crew that the paymaster
has nothing to do with time off for
SIU crews.]
SSM-IAND llimRIJY (Sea-Land Serv­
ice), Febniary 19—Chairman" E.F.
Wallace, Secretary Pedro Laboy,
Steward Delegate Sergio Morales.
Everything is running smoothly with
no bfeefs or disputed OT. A vote of
thanks was given to the steward de­
partment for being such a good
feeder. Next ports: Boston, Mass.
and Elizabeth, N.J.

•ri i-j'

A'.

&lt;1

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�22

SCAFARCRS LOG

Final Departures
Deep Sea
PASQUALE DI NINO
Pensioner
Pasquale Di
Nino passed
away on
January 27,
1989. A
Pennsylvania
native. Brother
Di Nino joined the union in
Seattle in 1965. He sailed as an
OS and an AB on such ships as
the Seafair (Colonial Company),
the Cottonwood (Oriental), and
the Steel Navigator (Isthmian).
He retired in 1981.
JOHN GENER
Seafarer John
Gener, 30, died
on March 3,
1989 in
West wood, NJ.
A resident of
River Edge, NJ,
he attended the
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School in 1983. Brother Gener
worked in the engine
department. He sailed as a
wiper, fireman and oiler on the
Constitution with American
Hawaii Cruises.
WILLIAM GOFF
Pensioner
William Goff,
59, passed away
on February 17,
1989. A resident
of Gray, ME,
Brother Goff
received his
book in New York in 1947. He
worked in the steward
department, and sailed last
aboard the Overseas New York
in 1988. He is survived by his
nieces, Bonnie and Patricia
Bruns, also of Gray.
HOBART LEE GARDNER
Pensioner
Hobart Lee
Gardner, 60,
died March 7,
1989 of
congestive heart
failure. Born in
North Carolina,
Brother Gardner received his
book in New York in 1952.
Gardner served as chief steward
on such vessels as the LNG
Aries, the Delta Panama, and the
Merrimac (Ogden Marine). He
retired in 1983. He is survived
by his wife, Marie, of Trussville,
AL.
JOHN KACKLR
Pensioner John
Kackur, 74,
passed away on
February 20,
1989, following
a
cerebrovascular
accident. A
resident of Schellsburg, PA,
Brother Kackur joined the SID
in Baltimore in 1943. He worked
in the steward department as a
chief cook and baker on the

X •:

Anji, the Gateway City, aind the
Olga.

was cremated, and his ashes
were committed to the sea.

GEORGE MELTZER
Pensioner
George Meltzer,
74, died
December 23,
1988. Born in.
New York,
Brother Meltzer
was a U.S.
Army cook before he joined the
merchant marine. An SIU
member since 1944, he sailed as
a cook/baker on such vessels as
the Ft. Hoskins, the Atlantic,
and the Bradford.

STANLEY R. YODRIS
Stanley R.
Yodris, 80, died
of heart failure
in Baltimore on
March 10, 1989.
The Maryland
native joined the
union in Mobile
in 1938. He sailed as an AB and
a bosun. Brother Yodris served
on such vessels as the
Monticello Victory and the
Alcoa Pilgrim.

GEORGE MEADEN
Pensioner
George Meaden,
63, died in
Weyrnouth, MA
on March 25,
1989. A retired
chief pumpman.
Brother Meaden
sailed with Seatrain, Isthmian,
Hudson Waterways and Cities
Service. Before joining the SIU,
he was a member of the Painters
Union. Brother Meaden is
survived by six children.
ALVIN O. PAGAN
Seafarer Alvin
O. Pagan, 28,
died in
Bayamon, PR
on December
29, 1988. A
former resident
of the Bronx,
NY, Brother Pagan worked in
the steward department. He
sailed last in October 1988
aboard the PFC Dwayne T.
Williams (American Overseas).
His mother, Margarita, and his
son, Alvin, survive hini.
JOHN RENSKI
Pensioner John
Renski, 74, died
of heart failure
in Philadelphia
on October 26,
1988. A
Pennsylvania
native. Brother
Renski joined the union in
Philadelphia in 1954. He sailed
as a fireman/watertender on such
vessels as the Merrimac, the
Over Travel, and the
Philadelphia.
BILLY RAY SCOTT
Brother Billy
Ray Scott, 60,
of Gardena, CA,
died of a heart
attack aboard
the M/V SeaLand Patriot on
February 1,
1989. The vessel was at sea near
Yokohama, Japan. Born in
Texas. Bosun Scott started
sailing in the merchant marine in
1944, and joined the union in
1970. Seafarer Scott sailed as a
bosun. He is survived by his
wife of 40 years. Donna; a son,
Richard; a daughter, Kathleen;
seven grandchildren, and one
great-grandson. Brother Scott

if
,•5;:

'I'"
' . i-. •

••

Lakes
GORDON E. AIKENS
Pensioner
Gordon F.
Aikens, 78,
passed away
February 22,
1989, in
Ossineke, MI.
He had been
suffering from upper gastro­
intestinal bleeding. A native of
Alpena, MI, Brother Aikens
joined the union there, and
sailed the Lakes in the steward
department. A porter and second
cook, he worked last for
National Gypsum in 1983.
Brother Aikens is survived by
his sons, Ron and David.
HOWARD J. BARSEN
Pensioner
Howard J.
Barsen, 79, died
of a heart attack
in Long Rapids,
MI on March 7,
1989. Born in
Leer, MI,
Brother Barsen joined the union
in Alpena in 1956. He sailed the
Lakes as a wheelsman, and
served on the J.A. Fnglehardt
for Huron Cement. He is
survived by his wife, Mary.
BERNARD H. BAKER
Pensioner
Bernard H.
Baker, 73, died
March 18, 1989
in Marine City,
ML He had
suffered from
cancer. Born in
Michigan, Brother Baker joined
the union in 1952. He served in
the deck department as a
wheelsman. Brother Baker
worked on the Niagara for Erie
Sand. His wife predeceased him.
FRANK E. MAY
Pensioner Frank
E. May, 71, of
Crystal City, MI
died on January
22, 1989. A
Michigan native.
Brother May
joined the union

at Frankfort-Flberta in 1953.
Employed by the Ann Arbor
Railroad, he sailed as an AB in
the deck department of railroad
car ferries. He is survived by his
wife, Zelda.

Inland
ROBERT M. SMITH
Pensioner
Robert M.
Smith, 67,
passed away in
Melbourne, FL
on March 16,
1989. He had
cardiovascular
collapse. An inland boatman.
Brother Smith joined the union
in Baltimore in 1972. Following a
naval career, he worked as a
tankerman for the Steuart
Transportation Company. The
Illinois native sailed on the STC
007 and the Papa Guy. His wife,
Beverly, survives him.
RUSSELL E. SNOW
Pensioner
Russell F.
Snow, 72, died
in Bavon, VA
on March 28,
1989. He had
congestive heart
failure. The
inland boatman joined the union
in Norfolk, and worked as an
oiler and engineer for the
Virginia Pilot Association. He is
survived by his wife. Hazel.
VINCENT VILLA
Pensioner
Vincent Villa,
85, died in
Honolulu on
February 1,
1989. Born in
the Philippines,
Brother Villa
suffered from a respiratory
disease. A cook on inland
waterways, he worked for G &amp;
H Towing. He retired in 1965.
Brother Villa is survived by his
wife, Lorifa.

Corrections
PAUL M. WUORI
In the obituary of Pensioner
Paul M. Wuori (April 1989
LOG), it was incorrectly stated
that he had one sister surviving.
Brother Wuori is survived by
ive brothers; Giva of Maple,
WI; Sam of Seattle, WA, Ernest
of New Richmond, WI; Ray­
mond of Wentworth, WI, and
John of Superior, WI, and three
sisters: lija Larsen of Eugene,
3R; Alice Walimaki and Ellen
Hill, both of Maple.

�23

MAY, 1989

1989 UPGRADING
COURSE SCHEDULE

.V,'h'

.

June through September 1989
The following Is the current course schedule for June—December 1989 at
the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship.
The course schedule may change to reflect the membership's and industry's
needs.
PLEASE NOTE: All members are required to take firefighting when attending
SHLSS.

Completion
Date
June 26
July 21
Automation
September 18
December 8
QMED—Any Rating
June 12
July 21
Fireman/Watertender and Oiler
September 1
July 10
Marine Electrical Maintenance
September 8
July 31
Pumproom Maint. and 0|K.
October 27
September 18
October 27
September 18
Variable Speed DC Drives
August 21
September 15
Hydraulics
July 17
Limited Assistant/Chief Engineer
September 8
*AII students in the Engine Department will have two (2) weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

Deck Upgnding Courses

1989 Adult Education Schedule

Completion
Check-In
Date
Date
July 10
August 18
Able Seaman
September 4
October 13
July 10
October 13
Third Mate
Open-ended, 3 days
Radar Refresher/Renewal
(Contact Admissions for starting
date)
Open-ended, 1 day
Radar Recertification
(Contact Admissions for starting
date)
September 8
July 17
Limited Inland Licenses
August 4
Lifeboat
July 24
September 1
August 21
September 18
September 29
(This course: is not offered as a
LNG—Self-Study
separate course,but may be taken
while attending any of the regu­
larly scheduled courses.)
*Upon completion of course, the Sealift Operations &amp; Maintenance
course must he taken.

Cbeck-ln
Completion
Date;
Date
Course
The Adult Educatiqn Courses for 1989 will be six weeks in length.
August 14
July 3
High School Equivalency (GED)
October 16
September 4
December 11
October 30
August 12
Adult Basic Education (ABAE)
July 3
October 14
September 4
December 9
October 30
August 12
July 3
English as a Second Language (ESL)
October 14
September 4
December 9
October 30
The Developmental Studies Class (DVS) will be offered one week prior
to some of the upgrading classes.
June 9
Developmental Studies (DVS)
June 5
(Prior to FOWT)
August 18
ABE/ESL Lifeboat Preparation Course
July 31
October 13
September 25

Check-In
Date

Course

Pngnms Geared to Improve Job SfuHs And Promote &lt;1.5.
Maritime ladustry

"• i'A - '

Engine Upgrading Courses

'SiMi •

Course

Steward Upgrading Courses
Completion
Cbeck-ln
Date
Date
Course
Assistant Cook, Cook and Baker
All open-ended (Contact Admissions
Chief Cook, Chief Steward.
Office for starting date)*
*AII students in the Steward Program will have two (2) weeks of Sealift
Familiarization at the end of their regular course.

This Three week course is an Introduction to Lifeboat and is designed
to help seafarers prepare themselves for the regular Lifeboat course which
is scheduled immediately after this course. This class will benefit those
seafarers who have difficulty reading, seafarers whose first language is not
English, and seafarers who have been out of school for a long time.

Recertification Programs
Completion
Date
November 6
July 3

Check-In

Dafe^

Course
Bosun Recertification
Steward Recertification

September 25
May 29

Do you hold a letter of completion for Lifeboat : • Yes
Firefighting: • Yes

NoQ

CPR: • Yes

Date Available for training

Upgrading Application

Primary Language Spoken

Date of Birth-

Name.

(Ust)

(First)

Address.

Mo./Day/Year

(Middle)
.(Street)

Telephone.
(City)

(State)

(Zip C^e)

"

(Area Code)

Deep Sea Member •
Lakes Member •
Inland Waters Member •
Pacific •
If the following information is not filled out completely your applica­
tion will not be processed.

—

No •
:

^

i
.

With this application COPIES of your discharges must be submitted
ishowing sufficient time to qualify yourself for the course(s) requested.
You must also submit a COPY of the first page of your union book
indicating your department and seniority, as well as, a COPY of your
clinic card. The Admissions Office WILL NOT schedule until this is
received.
VESSEL

RATING
HELD

DATE
SHIPPED

DATE OF
DISCHARGE

Book #-

Social Security #.
Seniority

:

No •

. !•

DepartmenL
• Yes

Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces:

DATE-

SIGNATURE.
• No

Home Port
Ehdorsement(s) or
License(s) Now Held.

I Am interested in the Following
Course(s) Checked Below or
Indicated Here if Not Listed

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS Trainee Program:
• Yes

DECK

•No

(If yes, fill in below)
Trainee Program: FromLast grade of school completed.

to
(dates attended)

Have you attended any SHLSS Upgrading Courses:
• Yes
•No
(if yes, fill in below)
Course(s) Taken.

si3srjSic-vi;'!2£ciaaaDEs®4gB!iaJir'.,iii5
• ,AB/Sealift
• 1st Class Pilot
• Third Matt
• Radar Observer Unlimited
• Master Inspected Towing
Vessel
Towboat Operator Inland
Celestial Navigation
Simulator Course

ENGINE
• FOWT
• QMED—Any Rating
• Variable Speed DC Drive
Systems (Marine Electronics)
• Marine Electrical
Maintenance
• Pumproom Maintenance &amp;
Operation

: sf "-"

• Refrigeration Systems
Maintenance &amp; Operation
• Diesel Engine Technology
• Assistant Engineer/Chief
Engineer Motor Vessel
• Original 3rd Engineer Steam
or Motor
• Refrigerated Containers
Advanced Maintenance
• Electro-Hydraulic Systenis
• Automation
• Hydraulics
• Marine Electronics
Technician

STEWARD
• Assistant Cook Utility
• Cook and Baker
• Chief Cook
• Chief Steward
• Towboat Inland Cook
ALL DEPARTMENTS
• Welding
• Lifeboatman (Must be taken
with another course).

ADULT EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT
• Adult Basic Education (ABE)
• High School Equivalency
Program (GED)
• Developmental Studies (DVS)
• English as a Second
Language (ESL)
• ABE/ESL Lifeboat
Preparation

COLLEGE PROGRAM
• Associates in Arts Degree
• Certificate Programs
No transportalion will be paid
unless you present otriginal
receipts and successfully
complete the course.
RETURN COMPLETED
APPLICATION TO:
Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
Upgrading Center.
Piney Point. MD. 20674

'

I.'-;;;

�Panel Annountes 1989 SlU Scholarship Winners

(fi,

Tlie two Seafarers and four dependents of SIU mem­
bers who won the union's scholarships have expressed
an interest in a variety of careers.
The awards were announced by the impartial panel of
educators who reviewed each applicants' documentation.
Five of the scholarship winners will receive a total of «
$10,000 over a four-year period and one individual will ||
receive a total of $5,000 in a two-year span.
The union's scholarship program was established in
1952 by former SIU head Paul Hall. Since then 185
awards have been granted to Seafarers and children of
SIU members.
Brief sketches of the award winners follow.

S,V

in West Lawn, PA, Costango is
the editor of the school's literary
magazine, vice president of the
school's chapter of the Natioi^l
Honor Society and a key memb^
of the debate team.
"When I see John debate, I see
evidence of extensive research,
the ability to use logic and a ma­
ture deportment which never per­
mits him to belittle an opponent
in a match," his debate coach
wrote in a letter of recommenda­
tion.
His parents are Seafarer George
Costango and Barbara Synder.

GLENN GONTHA
WILLIAM McREE
V r. _•;

• »•: • '

SIU member
William McRee
did not give up
after being se­
lected as an al­
ternate for a
union scholar­
ship two years
ago. Instead, he followed the
union's urgings and kept reapply­
ing. This year he succeeded, win­
ning a four-year $10,000 scholar­
ship.
He attended the University of
New Mexico for a year, but was
forced to leave and return to sea
to earn money for his education.
McRee, who last sailed on the
Spirit of Texas, is a graduate of
the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School of Seamanship and earned
his AB ticket there.
"On a ship at sea, there is plenty
of time to think. As I contrasted
my shipboard life and my life at
the university, I realized how much
I enjoyed the scholastic achieve­
ments I had accomplished. I truly
enjoyed learning," McRee wrote
in his scholarship application.
McRee is back at the University
of New Mexico where he is study­
ing physical therapy with the goal
of specializing in rehabilitation of
severely injured patients.

it.

•.? •?•

li\ •

(;

LAURA MORGAN

^•

i-

;•

Laura
Kay
Morgan, an SIU
member who is
currently sailing
as an AB aboard
the LNG Virgo,
received a twoyear
$5,000
scholarship. SIU member Morgan
intends to study civil technology
and surveying and plans to matri­
culate to the University of New
Hampshire.
The 1984 graduate of SHLSS
has been shipping out on the LNG
vessels for the past five years.
Her interest in surveying started,
Morgan said, after she shipped out
and began learning about celestial
navigation. "From those twink­
ling specks in the far, far distance
the navigators were able to deter­

mine exactly where we were on
the charts."
Morgan said her reading led her
to discover that similar techniques
and math were used in navigation
and surveying.
"Surveying is important in the
development and use of the Earth's
resources. A way of organizing,
cataloguing and planning what we
have around us to make intelligent
and sensible decisions that will
affect all of us in later years,"
Morgan said.

SANDRA CHEW
Sandra Chew
will use her
scholarship to
help pay her tu­
ition at the Uni­
versity of Cali­
fornia's Berk­
eley campus.
She plans to earn a degree in
architecture.
During her high school career,
she was active in community and
school groups. Chew has been a
tutor to many recent immigrants,
teaching social studies, math and
English.
"The most rewarding moment
is watching their f^ces light up
after they realize the answer," she
said.
She has also been active in the
Shield Honor Society, the Cali­
fornia Scholarship Federation, the
Architecture and Engineering Club
and the Chinese Club.
She is the daughter of Tak Lim
and Yim Ching Chew. Her father
retired in 1987 and last sailed in
the steward department aboard
APL's President Cleveland.

Glenn
D.
Gontha is a sen­
ior at the highly
competitive
Brookjyn Tech­
nical
High
School, where
his interest in ar­
chitecture has blossomed into a
career goal.
He plans to use his scholarship
award to further his architecture
goals at one of three schools, the
Rhode Island School of Design,
the Cooper Union or the Univer­
sity of Buffalo.
Active in the school's architec­
ture club, Gontha is also president
of his church's youth organiza­
tion. He also has been a member
of the Parks' Shakespeare Com­
pany, an after school program
sponsored by the New York City
Department of Parks and Recre­
ation. Last year he won the role
of Sebastian in Twelfth Night.

"My desire is to attend a college
that will stretch my design capa­
bilities and constantly challenge
me," Gontha wrote in his schol­
arship application.
He is the son of deep sea mem­
ber Edward J. Gontha and Sientje
Gontha.

TAMARA GREENE
Tamara
Greene said her
interest in sci­
ence
started
when she re­
ceived a micro­
scope for her
ninth birthday.
"I thought it was really neat to
see tiny bugs and plants close up."
Ten years later, that interest in
science has turned into a tough
chemical engineering major for the
freshman at Valdosta State Col­
lege in Georgia. She is in a special
program there that will allow her
to transfer to Georgia Tech, one
of the finest engineering schools
in the country.
Greene won awards for the
highest chemistry grades in her
junior and senior years at Thomasville High School in Thomasville, GA. She has carried that
type of achievement to college.
She is one of only eight freshmen
admitted to the 50-person special
engineering program and the only
freshman with a perfect 4.0 grade
point average.
Her parents are Ray E. Greene
and Paula A. Pena.
Her father currently ships aboard
the dredge Dodge Island.

REVISED DATES FOR RADAR CERTIFICATION
AND SHIPHANDLING COURSES
Following are the revised dates| set for the Radar Certification ^d
Shiphandling courses for the remainder of 1989.
The Radar Certification course has shortened to five days, with
approval of the U.S. Coast Guard.
July
September
November

1989 Radar Certification Course Schedule
10-14
11-15 (Follows Limited License Course)
13-17

May
June
July
August
September
October
December

1989 Shiphandling Course Schedule
15-26
19-30
24-August4
21-September 1
{
18-29
0
23-November3
4-15

JOHN COSTANGO
In Septem­
ber, John Costango will use his
scholarship to
begin studies in
international re­
lations/law and
language studies
at, Georgetown University, Bucknell University or Dickinson Col­
lege.
A senior at Wilson High School

fmiiiiiinr

SPAD Means Security
Contribute Now!

•

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SEAFARERS, DEPENDENTS WIN SIU SCHOLARSHIPS&#13;
NEW INLAND COURSES SET&#13;
SIU-MANNED T-AGOS PACIFIC VESSELS HONORED BY NAVY FOR ‘SUPERB OPERATIONS’&#13;
ANY AMOUNT OF DRUGS LEADS TO VESSEL SEIZURE, SAYS GOVERNMENT&#13;
INDUSTRY FIGHTS TO KEEP MARITIME OUT OF TRADE TALKS&#13;
COMMERCIAL SHIPS NEED NEW LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT, USCG SAYS&#13;
MTD URGES TRADE REP. TO PROTECT SHIPPING&#13;
HOUSE PANEL OK’S SHIP $ BILL&#13;
UNION, INDUSTRY SEEK ANSWERS TO DRUG TESTING PROBLEM&#13;
COURT SETS JUNE 14 HEARING FOR DRUG TESTING LAWSUIT&#13;
SIU ‘CREW’ AND TUGS GETS LIBERTY SHIP UNDERWAY&#13;
GOAL- A LIVING NATIONAL MONUMENT&#13;
SIU-CREWED RIVER QUEENS: THE DELTA LOOMS AS HISTORIC LANDMARK WHILE THE MISSISSIPPI GETS A BRAND NEW LOOK&#13;
LOG EDITOR SVENSON RETIRES&#13;
ABOUT THE RIVERBOAT QUEENS&#13;
SIU GOV’T DIVISION WELCOMES VESSEL AFTER 14 YEARS AT SEA&#13;
NOT WELCOME IN VFW&#13;
ED TURNER ACTIVE IN VET GROUP&#13;
BENTLEY SAYS NIX CANAL PACT&#13;
WWII MERCHANT MARINE VETERANS NOT WELCOME IN VFW ORGANIZATION&#13;
SEA UNIONS SEEK RECOGNITION FOR 7 SEAMEN KILLED IN VIETNAM&#13;
AMERICAN LEGION INVITES WWII MERCHANT MARINE VETERANS TO JOIN&#13;
SIU BOATMEN KEPT BUSY IN TAMPA BAY AREA&#13;
PRE-EMPLOYMENT DRUG TESTING WORKS SMOOTHLY IN ALL PORTS&#13;
ALYESKA ESTABLISHES NEW RULES&#13;
REPORTER CALLS CREW OF ROBERT E. LEE ‘BEST IN BUSINESS’&#13;
SIU CREW JOINS CAPE HORN IN PORT OF SAN FRANCISCO&#13;
NEW RED CROSS PROCEDURES ADDED TO LUNDEBERG TRAINING PROGRAMS &#13;
SIU MEMBER GRADUATES FROM UNION’S COLLEGE DEGREE PROGRAM&#13;
FOUR SEAFARERS EARN RADAR ENDORSEMENTS AT UNION’S SCHOOL &#13;
SCHOOL’S MARINE ELECTRONIC TECHNICIAN CLASSROOM IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS&#13;
ST. LOUIS PORT COUNCIL HONORS THREE COMMUNITY LEADERS&#13;
PANEL ANNOUNCES 1989 SIU SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS &#13;
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