After careful consideration of the resources that would have been required to continue, the Seafarers International Union is dropping its lawsuit against Robert Swanson of DeWitt, Iowa.This is not a lightly made decision and the union still stands by all of its claims dating to the origin of the legal action two years ago. However, when weighing the ongoing expenditure of union resources versus the potential impact of Swanson’s false accusations, the SIU believes that the decision to drop the suit is in the union’s best interests.
One of the key points in this process was a judge’s ruling that SIU President Michael Sacco legally is considered a “public figure.” Based on that standard, it is very cumbersome to win a case involving slander and defamation. That is true even in a case involving outrageous lies like those told by Swanson about the SIU, its officials and its membership.
In that narrow circumstance, the judge’s ruling complicated the lawsuit. However, in the bigger picture, the ruling clearly points to the fact that President Sacco is doing his job in promoting the SIU and the entire U.S.-flag maritime industry. He is considered a public figure because he has met with legislators, members of the administration and others and also generated favorable publicity to benefit the U.S. Merchant Marine.
From the beginning, this suit strictly has been about the overall good of the membership. Specifically, the misinformation propagated by Swanson, primarily through a web site, had a limited but negative effect on some organizing campaigns conducted by SIU-affiliated unions. It is our understanding that the workers in those respective campaigns – being unfamiliar with the SIU and also being fed limited doses of Swanson’s material that were used by the companies as scare tactics – were hesitant to vote “yes.” Frankly, we learned a tough lesson about combating lies and are much better prepared to deal with such circumstances in the future.
It’s also worth mentioning that throughout the years, the SIU membership largely has dismissed or ignored Swanson’s bogus and poorly presented claims that the union is corrupt and its leaders are members of organized crime. It has been a case of considering the source.
The SIU remains proud of its role as part of America’s “fourth arm of defense,” supporting our troops while contributing to the U.S. economy. The union stands by its record of achievement, including the work of its officials.
This is an exceptionally busy time for the SIU. Seafarers are supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom even as they continue to meet the shipboard manpower needs of the rest of the U.S.-flag fleet. They are doing so despite an unprecedented level of federal regulation spurred by amended international maritime conventions and post-September 11 security initiatives. All things considered, the SIU has more productive ways to use its time and energy than to continue quarrelling with a source whose motives are open to question and whose suppositions would be laughable if they weren’t so vicious and untrue.
###
Printer Friendly Page