In an effort to protect and ensure the continued job security of the SIU membership, the contracts department has negotiated tentative new standard freightship and tanker agreements that will be effective from June 16, 2006 through June 15, 2011, pending ratification. The contracts will be voted on at SIU halls and aboard ship beginning this month (July).In negotiating the new five-year pacts, the union carefully reviewed recommendations made by Seafarers in minutes of shipboard union meetings, in minutes of monthly membership meetings at the various halls, in communications to the contracts department and in sessions with Seafarers attending upgrading classes at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education.
Not surprisingly, health care costs dominated the negotiations—and offsetting those costs was a huge challenge, according to SIU Vice President Contracts George Tricker. Nevertheless, the standard agreements maintain medical benefits at the top level offered by the Seafarers Health and Benefits Plan (known as the Core Plus level).
Also, despite the looming specter of insurance costs, the SIU negotiating team secured wage increases in each of the contracts’ five years.
More details of the new agreements and the ratification votes will be published in an upcoming issue of the LOG.
Also, a number of other SIU contracts—many of which in part are patterned after the standard agreements—were expected to be finalized late last month or in early July.
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