Index

New ‘MarAd Update’ available (1/1)

The U.S. Maritime Administration has posted the December edition of its online newsletter MARAD Update. This issue includes a piece on the new Mariner Outreach System.

Click HERE to go to the index on the agency’s web site. It includes a link to a PDF version of the newsletter.

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Wishing you Fair Winds for the Holidays and Calm Seas for the New Year

The USNS Rappahannock, crewed by members of the SIU’s Government Services Division, rescued three fisherman near the Philippines on Dec. 19, according to the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC). The agency issued the following news release:

USNS Rappahannock rescues three Filipino fishermen

The crew of Military Sealift Command ship USNS Rappahannock rescued three Filipino fishermen found clinging to their overturned boat off the coast of the Philippines on Dec. 19.

Rappahannock, a fleet replenishment oiler, was operating in the South China Sea when the ship’s crew spotted flashing lights from a small, overturned vessel just minutes before midnight.

Rappahannock crew members were dispatched in a rigid-hull inflatable boat to pull the three fishermen from the rough waters.

Once aboard Rappahannock, the rescued men were examined by medical personnel, clothed and fed. All three were reported uninjured.

“It’s like a miracle. They were all lucky to survive for several days,” said Jeremy Guida, one of 85 civil service mariners who crew Rappahannock.

The men were transferred from the ship to authorities at Subic Bay on the morning of Dec. 19.

Rappahannock is one of MSC’s 14 fleet replenishment oilers, which provide fuel to deployed Navy ships, dramatically extending the time a Navy battle group can stay at sea. In addition to Rappahannock’s civil service mariner crew, a small Navy contingent is also on board to support supply coordination and helicopter operations.

At the time of the rescue, Rappahannock was conducting routine replenishment operations in the area.

Military Sealift Command operates approximately 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, chart ocean bottoms, conduct undersea surveillance, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move military equipment and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces.

-USN-

Click here for a (PDF) printable form to request the 2007 SIU Scholarship Program booklet.

No matter an individual’s qualifications or needs, no one can be awarded an SIU scholarship without filling out an application and mailing it to the Seafarers Health and Benefits Plan by April 15.

That leaves roughly three months in which to apply for one of the eight scholarships being given in 2007 so don’t put it off any longer.

First, obtain a scholarship program booklet, which spells out eligibility requirements and procedures for applying. It also includes a copy of the application form. You may get the booklet in any SIU hall or by requesting one by completing the coupon at the link above and mailing to the address listed.

The application form is very straightforward. But the entire application package contains a number of additional items that must accompany the form and may take a little time to collect. They include: autobiographical statement, photograph, certified copy of birth certificate, high school transcript and certification of graduation or official copy of higher school equivalency scores, college transcript, letters of reference and SAT or ACT results.

This is a great opportunity for Seafarers or their dependents who would like to continue with their education at the college level.

Don’t delay. Send for your program booklet today.

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Earlier this week, the AFL-CIO reported that the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (part of the Laborers) has rejoined the federation. A news release issued by the AFL-CIO appears below. The release also is available on the AFL-CIO web site HERE

National Postal Mail Handlers Union Rejoins National AFL-CIO

December 12, 2006

The National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) – which is part of the Laborers union – returned to the AFL-CIO today when AFL-CIO President John Sweeney presented a charter to the union’s officers.

The Mail Handlers are the first union to take advantage of the AFL-CIO Executive Council’s decision in August to authorize President Sweeney to re-issue charters to unions which were once independent affiliates and now want to return to the AFL-CIO, even though they are part of unions that recently disaffiliated.

“The union movement is strengthened by the Mail Handlers’ decision to rejoin the AFL-CIO, which will bring together all the major postal workers’ unions and benefit working families nationwide,” said Sweeney. After the Mail Handlers expressed interest in rejoining the Federation, Sweeney consulted with the union leadership, the Laborers, the AFL-CIO Executive Council and the other postal unions to make their reaffiliation possible.

NPMHU National President John Hegarty said that he is delighted with this direct affiliation agreement, indicating that he is “confident that nearly 50,000 Mail Handlers across the country will benefit from this continuing partnership between the NPMHU and the AFL-CIO.” Hegarty added, “Mail Handlers have a long history with the Federation, with our first affiliation beginning nearly 70 years ago, and we certainly look forward to a long and productive relationship well into the future.”

The Mail Handlers are a major postal union, with more than 47,000 regular members and more than three times as many associate members.

The Mail Handlers’ Union’s original affiliation with the AFL-CIO dates back to the 1930s. They continued that affiliation through the Laborers, following their merger with the Laborers in 1968, up until the time the Laborers left the AFL-CIO in May of this year.

The AFL-CIO represents 10 million working men and women nationwide and has 54 affiliate unions, including the Mail Handlers.

The Executive Council statement authorizing the re-issuing of national charters can be found HERE

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