With a mixture of well-earned insightfulness and typical directness, the union’s newest class of recertified bosuns offered plenty of noteworthy comments last month as they graduated from the top curriculum available to deck-department Seafarers.
Addressing the November membership meeting in Piney Point, Md., the 14 graduates encouraged the unlicensed apprentices enrolled at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education. They also described the SIU and the Paul Hall Center as offering great opportunities for those willing to dedicate themselves to their careers.
Completing the month-long recertification class were Oliver Balico, Evan Bradley, Manolo Delos Santos, Timothy Girard, Barry Hamm, Weldon Heblich, Michael Keogh, David Martz, William Mulcahy, Edward O’Connor, Clarence Poore, Michael Presser, Kissinfor Taylor and James Walker.
The graduation was an historic occasion in more ways than one. Heblich is believed to be the first former NMU member to complete the course, while Keogh and Mulcahy are believed to be the first Great Lakes division Seafarers to finish the class.
The course itself includes a mixture of classroom and practical training. Students met with representatives from the union’s various departments and the Seafarers Plans, both in Piney Point and at SIU headquarters in Camp Springs, Md. They closely studied information about contracts, training record books (TRBs) and computers. They completed training in health and safety (including fire fighting), government vessels and simulators. Additionally, the bosuns examined various international maritime conventions and helped unlicensed apprentices with hands-on training aboard the vessel Osprey.
Brotherhood
Walker joined the union in 1982 in Baltimore and currently sails from the port of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He cited computer training, fire fighting and first aid and CPR as being among the more useful segments of the recertification class.
Addressing the apprentices, he stated, “This is a brotherhood. You’re part of the brotherhood. Our officials have worked their [backsides] off for us, and you’re our future. Work hard and don’t be afraid to ask questions.”
Mulcahy joined the SIU in 1977 in Detroit and sails from the port of Algonac, Mich.
He told the membership that his father also sailed with the SIU and that the Paul Hall Center instructors are “exceptional.”
Mulcahy’s advice to the apprentices was straight to the point: “Work hard and pay attention.”
Delos Santos joined the union in 1980 and currently sails from the port of Wilmington, Calif. He began his SIU career on the “white ships” (the cruise vessels Independence and Constitution).
“I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve found with the union,” he said. “I’m grateful for all the help and success, and I thank (SIU Wilmington Port Agent) John Cox along with the staff in Wilmington and here at Piney Point.
“To the apprentices, make the most of the wonderful opportunities the SIU gives you.”
Girard signed on with the SIU in 1991 in New York, from where he still ships.
He said the course included numerous highlights, such as reviewing the impact of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, studying the workings of the Seafarers Plans, learning about computers and brushing up on safety and fire fighting training.
Girard described the union as “a family and a real team. Since joining the SIU I have never lacked for work. The union’s constant growth and record of success are testimony to its leadership, its members and its commitment to being second-to-none!”
Turning toward the apprentices, he concluded, “The best thing you can bring to class and each day aboard ship is a good attitude.”
Poore joined the Seafarers in 1997 in Norfolk, Va., which remains his home port. Previously, he served in the U.S. military for 32 years.
He said the recertification class helped provide him with “more detailed and in-depth knowledge, and more precise information to pass along to the crew. My experience at Piney Point was a very good one.”
He advised the apprentices to “take a good work ethic and the knowledge you gained here when you go aboard ship. There’s no limit to how far you can go.”
Keogh joined the union in 1978 in Frankfort, Mich. and now sails from the port of Algonac.
He noted that before joining the SIU, he sailed out of Liverpool for 10 years. “I was then lucky enough to join the SIU, and have enjoyed every minute of it.”
Speaking to the apprentices, he stated, “You have a great career to look forward to. The union expects you to comport yourselves in a professional manner, learn your trade and upgrade on a regular basis. You have to know your stuff, otherwise the shipowner doesn’t need you.
“From your union, you can expect brotherhood and the respect of your peers. You’ll make friends who’ll be lifetime friends. You’ll call them brother and truly mean it.”
Taylor joined in 1981 in Tacoma, Wash. He said he enjoys being “part of the team” that is the SIU.
Bradley joined the union in 1975 and also comes from a family of Seafarers.
He is a frequent upgrader, and pointed out that “after 9/11, we have to know more and work closer together than ever before. That’s one reason upgrading is so important.”
He told the apprentices that the Paul Hall Center “gets better every time I come back. It helps keep our family going, at sea and ashore.”
Balico signed on with the SIU in 1992 in New York, still his home port. He said the class contained lots of valuable training, including communications skills, safety and vessel security.
He described his overall experience at the school as “interesting and fun. I come here every year for vacation with my family.”
Balico credited the union “for giving me the opportunity to work and achieve the American dream, which has become reality. I’m grateful to the leadership of the SIU and to you, my brothers and sisters.”
He told the apprentices to “make the most of what’s being taught here. There is no substitute for knowledge and training.”
Hamm joined the Seafarers in 1989 and currently sails from the port of Tacoma.
He said the union “has improved my life, and I’m grateful to those who made it possible. To the apprentices, study hard, work smart, show initiative and you can go far.”
Martz completed the trainee program in 1974 and now sails from the port of Baltimore.
“I came in here 30 years ago with a seventh-grade education, so this was a great opportunity,” he recalled. “I thank the union and our officials—they keep us working. To the UAs, take advantage of the opportunity. Listen and learn.”
O’Connor, who joined the SIU in Philadelphia in 1991 and now sails from New York, said he had looked forward to the recertification course for many years.
“My time here at the Paul Hall Center was a fast-paced educational experience,” he said. “My classmates were top-of-the-line, and that made this time even more rewarding.”
He urged the apprentices to “absorb all the knowledge and education this school and staff have to offer. Keep a positive attitude and it will pave the way for you professionally and personally. This union is the best, and if you believe that in your hearts, you’ll go places.”
Heblich, who began his maritime career with the NMU in the 1980s, sails from the port of Tacoma.
“I’m honored to be the first NMU bosun to be recertified,” he said. “Since the merger (in 2001), the SIU has become the dominant union in the industry. I’m glad to be part of history.”
With a nod toward the apprentices, he concluded, “Have a good attitude and ask plenty of questions.”
Presser, the final speaker, started his SIU career in Hawaii in 1980 before enrolling in the trainee program in Piney Point. Currently sailing from Baltimore, Presser gave an especially passionate speech in which he quoted Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln to reinforce the importance of the labor movement and the U.S. Merchant Marine.
“We’re the fourth arm of defense,” he declared. “We go where they (the armed forces) need us.”
Presser thanked the union’s headquarters officials along with SIU Baltimore Port Agent Dennis Metz and the staff at the Baltimore hall. He commended the union for maintaining good medical benefits for Seafarers at a time when health care costs are out of control.
Sizing up both the SIU and the U.S. Merchant Marine as a whole, Presser stated, “We make a significant and valuable contribution to national defense of this great country. It is our responsibility to rise up and take pride in our work because we are engineered for dependability.”
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