Addressing fellow Seafarers and unlicensed apprentices during the May membership meeting in Piney Point, Md., the union’s newest class of recertified bosuns urged one and all to take advantage of the opportunities available through the SIU and its affiliated school.The following bosuns (listed in the order in which they spoke at the meeting) completed the four-week recertification class at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education: John Knox, Burkley Cooper, Raymond Henderson, Ray Tate, Albert Williams, John Grosskurth, Thomas Grose and Rick James .
The course, considered the top deck-department curriculum at the Paul Hall Center, blends hands-on training and classroom instruction. It also includes meetings with representatives from the Seafarers Plans and various SIU departments. Topics include fire fighting and other safety training; sealift operations; the amended STCW convention; small arms; computer skills; water survival; other international maritime conventions; the Seafarers Plans, and more.
At the membership meeting (which took place May 7), Knox kicked off the graduation speeches by noting he joined the union in 1969 and has sailed around the world numerous times. He described his overall experience at the school as beneficial and noted it will help him do a better job aboard ship.
Cooper, who has sailed with the union since 1996, thanked the Paul Hall Center instructors for doing “an excellent job. They were all great to work with and I learned a lot.”
Henderson, a frequent upgrader who joined in 1994, said going all the way back to his experience as a member of trainee class No. 553, “The courses here are great and the teachers understand the subjects. Beyond that, the union has taken care of me and given me a job in which I can take pride and grow. The SIU has been great to me.”
He cited the conflict resolution training as an especially valuable component of the recertification course.
Tate first signed on with the SIU in 1986, sailing four years in the inland division before switching to deep sea. “I thank the instructors, administrators, fellow members and our union leadership,” he stated. “Our union gets stronger every year. The SIU has given me a good life.”
He added that safety training was a highlight of the course— fire fighting, first aid, and small arms.
Williams, who first sailed with the SIU in 1967, said the union remains “an important part of my life because of the job opportunities and the benefits.”
He also described the school as “a comfortable learning environment for all mariners. The training I got here is everlasting and will help me perform my job better. I would encourage everyone to come here and take the training that’s offered.”
Grosskurth joined the union in 1990. During his most recent experience at the Paul Hall Center, “I learned new skills and developed a deep respect for all those who make the SIU great. I enjoyed my stay and learned a lot.”
Since joining the union in 1990, Grose had upgraded a half-dozen times before enrolling in the recertification class. “Piney Point is a family-friendly school,” he pointed out.
“The SIU has helped me live a life of travel and adventure,” he continued. “Most people could only dream of such a life, and I wouldn’t trade the experience. Thanks to our union leadership, we have job security, a great medical plan, and working conditions that are safe and reliable.”
James, also a frequent upgrader and a Seafarer since 1991, described the SIU as “an institution that actually stands behind its membership. I thank our union leadership as well as the instructors here at the school.”
He called the recertification training “the high mark for me in the SIU. It took years to get here and I feel I’ve gained the knowledge to do a better job on board ships.”
###
Printer Friendly Page