For those of us in the SIU who worked closely with John Fay, this is a bittersweet time. The holiday season always brings a certain amount of joy, but at the same time we definitely miss our union brother and good friend, who passed away on November 8.The people who knew John the best understand what he meant not only to the SIU but really to our entire industry. Most recently serving as the SIU’s executive vice president, he was everything you could hope for in a co-worker and friend: intelligent, dedicated, fair. He was a good guy to have on your side, and I will always be grateful for the support he gave me from the moment I became president of our union. John was someone I turned to more than once, and I never regretted doing so.
For some of our newer members who may not have known John quite as well, let me just say that while he brought his own unique contributions, he very much fit the mold of so many of our officials and members who truly devoted their lives to this organization. He also did outstanding work through the International Transport Workers’ Federation on behalf of all mariners.
There is a saying in sports that when a player turns in a particularly strong effort, he “didn’t leave anything on the field,” meaning he gave his all. When it came to his work, which he performed for nearly a half-century as an SIU official, John Fay didn’t leave anything on the field.
It may sound a little bit corny to say that we can honor John’s memory by building upon our union’s success, but, knowing his strong faith and his love for the SIU, I’m sure he would expect nothing less. In fact, at this point I can almost picture him peering over his glasses and with a wry smile saying, “Thanks for the tribute, but don’t you guys have work to do?”
And of course the answer would be yes. Our union continues to take great strides, but not without smart, sustained effort. We have made numerous gains in the past year alone, but none happened by accident. Whether we’re talking about the new Maritime Security Program ships, or the latest Alaska Tanker Company vessel, or NCL America’s newest cruise ship, or IUM’s new car carrier or any of a number of other new SIU-contracted ships or tugboats, we have succeeded because of hard work. We have succeeded because of rock-solid support from the membership. We have succeeded by not being afraid to make difficult decisions. We have succeeded because of men like John who are committed to our team—to our SIU family.
I will always remember his fine example as our union moves forward. I extend our union’s deepest thanks and sympathy to John’s wife, Phyllis, and to his entire family.
Season’s Greetings
To all of our union brothers and sisters, our retirees and their families, may you have a happy, safe and healthy holiday season. Whether you’re at sea or home for the holidays, I hope you can enjoy the spirit of this time of year, and I hope we all get to experience at least one or two quiet moments in which to count our blessings.
Once again I also would ask that you join me in reserving some of your thoughts and prayers for our SIU brothers and sisters still sailing in support of our armed forces. They continue to do outstanding, important work as part of America’s fourth arm of defense, and it goes without saying that we all wish safe returns for every one of them along with all of our troops.
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