SIU Vice President Gulf Coast Dean Corgey has been appointed as the primary voting labor representative to the Houston-Galveston Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC), a group ultimately directed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Corgey has worked with the AMSC for the past two years. He accepted the four-year appointment as primary voting labor representative late last year.
“It’s exciting to serve on the committee, and we’ve managed, through a lot of hard work and teamwork by all the stakeholders, to figure out ways to make our port more secure while maintaining the flow of commerce,” Corgey stated. “It’s also important to recognize that this appointment already has helped the SIU membership, because we were successful at the Kinder-Morgan Marine Terminal negotiating crew changes and shore leave for mariners for the first time since before September 11 (2001).”
Among other stipulations, the Kinder-Morgan agreement requires that a vessel captain or agent provide 24-hour written notice of crew change; identify crew members and approved visitors; and supervise the crew change. The agreement took effect this year.
U.S. Coast Guard Captain Richard M. Kaser, Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, congratulated Corgey in a letter dated Nov. 25, 2003.
“I have been extremely pleased with the steady progress the committee has made on numerous fronts over the last two years. Your contributions in this effort have been critical to the committee’s success,” Kaser wrote. “In fact, the AMSC’s accomplishments and initiatives have served as a model for other ports throughout the United States.”
Kaser described the AMSC’s work as “an aggressive port security planning agenda that has undoubtedly enhanced the area’s overall security. The committee has cultivated private and public sector relationships and initiated extensive dialogue that have led to numerous security-related work products.... The AMSC, as the port security planning committee for the ports of Houston, Galveston, Texas City, and Freeport, has an overarching goal of hardening the ports through comprehensive security planning while striving to maintain economic viability. In this effort, I look to you (Corgey) to continue your invaluable committee work....”
Corgey also serves as a vice president of the Texas AFL-CIO; as secretary-treasurer of the West Gulf Ports Council of the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department; and on the executive board of the Harris County (Texas) AFL-CIO.
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