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MTD’s cabotage statement (3/6)

The Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO executive board last week approved the following statement on U.S. cabotage laws. The board met March 1-2 in Las Vegas. Cabotage The election of a new majority party in both the House of Representatives and the Senate brings forth the challenge that comes with every new Congress: the need to educate and inform the newly elected members of the vital importance of the U.S. cabotage laws. Whether by sea, land or air, these laws make sure that cargo and passengers moved within the boundaries of the United States are done under the safety and labor laws of the country. These cabotage laws also ensure that there will be well-trained American workers to handle these jobs. The maritime industry has fought off challenges to alter its cabotage laws for decades. The best known of these – the Jones Act – insists the movement of cargo between two U.S. ports is done aboard U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed, U.S.-owned and U.S.-built vessels. As has been seen most recently with the military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, American civilian mariners were available to answer the nation’s call to supply troops when they were deployed – thanks in part to the Jones Act. Those attacking America’s cabotage laws state they are antiquated and unneeded in this age of globalization. However, more than 40 of the world’s largest maritime and/or industrial nations have some version of cabotage laws on their books. What the opponents of the Jones Act and other U.S. cabotage laws won’t say is they simply want to outsource a sound American enterprise overseas in order to add to their bottom line. The Jones Act and the other cabotage laws work. They work for the men and women employed in the maritime, rail, trucking and airline industries. They work for the safety of all travelers. They work for the security of American citizens. They work for the businesses involved. That is why the Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO, its affiliates and its Port Maritime Councils will continue the fight to keep America’s cabotage laws strong and vibrant. Like our union Sisters and Brothers, these laws are tried and tested, and they work. ###