Representatives from the SIU and its affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education continue meeting with government and industry officials to help protect merchant mariners’ rights relative to the upcoming Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) and its related Merchant Mariner Qualification Credential (MMC). At press time in late September, the industry still awaited the Department of Homeland Security’s final rulemakings on the aforementioned documents. Those regulations are expected to be issued in the very near future.
After issuing notices of proposed rulemakings in May, the government reportedly received 1,950 formal comments on the TWIC and relatively few on the MMC. The SIU issued comprehensive comments on both items and continues working with other U.S. maritime unions as well as the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department to ensure fair treatment for mariners.
“Naturally, the SIU will immediately and carefully deliberate on the final rulemakings when they are delivered,” stated SIU Secretary-Treasurer David Heindel. “We have treated this situation with utmost seriousness and urgency and will continue to do so.”
As reported last month, the comment period only has been extended for one component of the TWIC and MMC proposed rulemakings —specifically, the sections pertaining to ID card and reader technology. Ports and other businesses won’t have to install and use the card readers as quickly as first proposed, even though the government apparently will proceed with issuing TWICs to workers.
In its formal comments and in other communications, the SIU has emphasized that it completely backs the worthwhile goal of effective security aboard ship and in port, but has very legitimate concerns about certain aspects of the proposals for both the TWIC and the MMC.
Basically, the SIU (individually and also along with other maritime unions) recommends that a biometric identifier be added to the existing merchant mariner document, in accordance with requirements of the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, and that such a modified card should be recognized as both a TWIC and an MMC. The rationale for such a proposal is clear-cut: Mariners already undergo strict background checks equal to or greater than those proposed for the TWIC and MMC programs, and the merchant mariner document itself is a proven, time-tested credential.
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