Fourteen Seafarers recently completed their respective climbs to the summit of the merchant mariner culinary training ladder when they graduated from the steward recertification course offered at the SIU-affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education.
In recognition of their individual achievements, each of the graduates received a certificate during the Aug. 4 union membership meeting at the school in Piney Point, Md.
Meeting and favorably satisfying the demands of their instructors were Chief Stewards Paul Isherwood, Leesther Collins, Alvin Major, Luis Caballero, Fidelis Oliveira, Donna Sailing, Robert Bostick, Francisco Delgado, Tina Knox, Rudolph Daniels, Clyde Thompson, Kenneth Mitchell, Eddie Taylor and Jack McElveen.
Each of the recertified stewards spoke to the audience of SIU officials, fellow Seafarers, family members, friends and guests who attended the membership meeting.
In addition to making complimentary remarks about the instruction they received and the training center staff and facilities, the recertified stewards collectively lauded the SIU leadership and offered words of encouragement to the unlicensed apprentices and upgraders who were in the audience.
First to take the podium was Isherwood, who sails out of the port of Boston. “I joined the union in 2001 and have been going to sea for 30 years,” he told those in attendance. “I have learned a lot since being here for the steward upgrading course. The whole experience of being here this time (he upgraded at the school one other time) has opened my eyes to lot of things that I did not know before.”
Specifically, he cited the course’s food safety block as being especially valuable. “It is essential in our jobs as chief stewards to keep up with food sanitation standards and keep everyone healthy aboard the vessel,” he said. “I can now implement the safety practices that I learned here on a daily basis aboard my vessel.”
Isherwood expressed praise for the exceptional job the school’s vocational staff did and said all instruction was presented in a highly professional manner. He also thanked union officials for the exemplary fashion in which they are leading the union.
“To the trainees, study and work hard while you are here,” he concluded. “There are a lot of opportunities out there for you.”
Next to address the audience was Collins, whose home port is Jacksonville, Fla. “First of all, I’d like to thank God for this accomplishment,” she said. After thanking SIU President Mike Sacco, the SIU executive board, union administrators and everyone else who made her upgrade training possible, she reflected on her Piney Point experience.
“I feel blessed to have gone through the SIU steward recertification program,” Collins said. “It has been an awesome experience for me and the instructors were great. They all were very patient with all of us and took time to answer all of our questions.
Of particular importance, Collins said, was the knowledge she gained about the functions of the AFL-CIO, how the union’s pension and vacation plans work and the role SPAD plays in the political process with respect to the longevity and success for the maritime industry. She also noted that she was pleased to gain a broader prospective on the intricate duties of the chief steward aboard a vessel.
“Be the best that you can be,” Collins told the trainees and other upgraders present. “Do your jobs with dignity and pride.” She concluded, “Thank you SIU, I love you.”
Major has been going to sea for more than 40 years and currently ships out of the port of Boston. “I have been a proud member of the SIU since 2001,” he said, “and I am extremely proud to be a member of this steward recertification class. “Having completed this advanced training, I am now more aware of how the union works and I am now able to do a much better job aboard ship.”
Major enjoyed the experience of meeting department heads and staff members during his visit to SIU headquarters. “I had an opportunity to visit the SIU headquarters at Camp Springs and I am totally impressed with the organization, its efficiency and the dedication of everyone I met, especially our leadership.”
Major said he was impressed with all of the programs that the Paul Hall Center has to offer and encouraged everyone in the audience to take advantage of them. “To the trainees, you have a great opportunity here,” he said. “You have great classes and great instructors who can help you make your dreams come true, but it’s up to you to make it happen. Do your jobs with pride and always be safety conscious, not just for yourselves but also for your shipmates.”
Caballero joined the SIU in 2001 and calls New York his home port. “I would like to thank the union membership and the instructors at the school for all that they did for us in making it possible for us to be graduating today,” he said after taking the podium. “Training is very important for all of us. The training I received during my time here has helped me a lot and with it, I am sure I can now do a better job aboard the ship,” he said.
“To the trainees, please study hard while you are here,” he continued. “Learn from your instructors and learn to work together with your classmates. When you get out to sea, work hard and never be afraid to ask questions. Remember, you are the future of our union.”
Oliveira was next to address the audience. He sails out of the port of Boston, and like most of his steward recertification classmates joined the SIU in 2001.
“I learned a lot and all of the instructors did a wonderful job,” he said.
Reflecting on the quality of the Paul Hall Center’s programs, facilities and vocational staff, Oliveira noted, “The union officials have made this institution great and they deserve a great deal of credit. Being here and undergoing this training has been a very, very exciting experience for me, and I thank everyone involved.”
Directing his attention to the trainees and other upgraders, he said “You have great instructors here and I urge you to take advantage of it.”
Sailing is home-ported in Houston, Texas. Filled with elation, she took the podium. “It’s very nice to be here, finally,” she said. “Completing steward recertification training is a big step for all of us.”
After welcoming her classmates who were former members of the NMU, she shared her Piney Point experience with those in the audience. “The experience of being here has been pretty amazing for all of us for sure,” Sailing said. “We gained an incredible amount of knowledge in a very short amount of time. And I am here to say thanks to all of our instructors and our leaders. We know that our union will stay strong because of these people who back us on every front and work for us,” she said. “They all do a tremendous job.”
“To the trainees,” she concluded, “congratulations, you’re here. Stay strong, work hard and have a great career.”
Former NMU member Bostick began his presentation by expressing his gratitude to those responsible for the SIU-NMU merger.
“I’d like to thank the leadership of the SIU for giving us the opportunity to be a part of this union,” said the New York home-ported mariner. “I have been a part of this union since 1989 and have been out there [at sea] for a long time.
“I am very glad to be a part of the SIU because I think it is a very strong organization,” Bostick continued. “The people here are good people, they treat me and my family good and the same goes for all of my other family members [his classmates and their families].
“I would like to thank the rank-and-file as well, because without you all, I would not have gotten the opportunity to go through this training. I want to say to the trainees, I know you will make it because you are now in the same place I once was,” he said. “I encourage you to keep you heads up, stay sharp and focused and I’m sure you will achieve your goals.”
Delgado sails out of the port of Boston and was next to address the audience. “I’ve been a proud member of the SIU since 2002 and have been going to sea for 30 years,” he said.
He expressed this thanks to the union officials for making his upgrade training possible and lauded the school’s vocational staff for a job well done. “My experience here was great and I found the campus atmosphere to be very relaxing.”
Delgado said that aside from his actual training, the most interesting part of his upgrading experience was the opportunity to visit SIU headquarters. “It was exciting to go around and meet all of the staff members who work in the different departments,” he said.
“They all did a wonderful job explaining what they do…. It was nice to be able to put faces with names.”
Knox hails from the port of Houston. “As everyone knows, I am no good reading from a paper so I’ll just go from my heart,” she told members of the audience. “I am so glad and honored to be a part of the SIU and to have been given the opportunity to come here to learn and grow.
“Those who came up here before me have already said most of the things the things I wanted to say, so I won’t keep you,” Knox continued. “But to the trainees, I want you to stick together, believe in yourselves and if you have a handicap, don’t worry because this school is a great organization with great instructors. Don’t be too proud to step out and ask for help and above all else, help one another.”
Daniels ships out of the port of New York. “I am former member of the NMU,” he said, “and I have been around for a long time.”
Daniels said that his current trip to Piney Point was his second and that all of his experiences have been excellent. “The school offers a great opportunity for all of us to learn and upgrade our skills,” he continued, “and all of the instructors are willing to assist anyone who needs it. I’m thankful for this opportunity to be a member of the SIU and to be able to be here to improve myself.”
Thompson, who sails out of the port of New Orleans, was the next to take the podium. “I’m a former NMU member who has been sailing for 19 years, 15 as chief steward,” he said. “Being here was a tremendous educational experience for all of us, and I think all of the instructors did a wonderful job.”
He then acknowledged his classmates and spoke about the closeness they enjoyed as a group. “I love you all and I’ll never forget you,” he said.
Thompson added that found the food safety aspects of the training especially beneficial and that the entire upgrading program gave him a lot to take back to his ship.
“To the trainees, take your experience here seriously,” he said. “Take the training seriously and you will never be let down by any of your crew members aboard the ships. The steward’s door is always open to you, and when you hit the ship look for us.”
Mitchell is home-ported in Wilmington, Calif., and has been sailing for nearly 30 years. “Becoming a member of a labor organization was probably the best thing that ever happened to me,” said Bostick, who donned the Seafarers colors with the 2001 SIU/NMU merger “It has given me the opportunity to add value to my life. Value because it provides me an opportunity to travel the world, to take care of my family, put my children through college and see things that I thought I’d never be able to see.
“I would like to say specifically to the trainees that your union leadership is totally professional,” Mitchell continued. “You are truly blessed to have a leadership that has a vision for your future as well as mine. Value the fact that what ever you do here today will add value to your life…. It’s imperative to be as professional a seaman as you possibly can so that people can say to someone else: ‘Go for SIU seamen,’ because they know that you are professional.”
Taylor was next to address the audience. A veteran of more than 32 years at sea, he sails out of the port of New Orleans.
“I thank God for the opportunity to come here to upgrade and to become part of the SIU family,” Taylor said. “I’d like to thank all of my classmates, the instructors, assistants and especially the galley department for all of your efforts and support.
“I really want to say that before the merger, I heard many things about the SIU from NMU people,” Taylor said. “I must say, though, that I am very, very impressed with everything about the organization and how it runs.”
Turning his attention to the trainees, he said, “Always remember that when you come out to the ship, don’t be scared of anything. Ask questions while you are there. All of us had to go the through the same thing that you are now experiencing – whether there was a training program or not. We all still had to learn our way to come up.”
McElveen was the final recertified steward to address the audience. He sails out of New Orleans, has been going to sea for nearly eight years and has seen many ports around the world.
After declaring himself as the youngest of the group, McElveen thanked his classmates for their support and encouragement. “We stuck together as a team and as a family during our training,” he said to them, “I am blessed to have been your presence and I will always remember each of you.”
Focusing on the role which the union has played in his life, he said, “The union has been important. It has provided me a sense of value and a better understanding of my job.
“I knew at an early age that I loved to cook, but a career in the traditional food industry was very unappealing,” McElveen continued. “But the union gave me a new interest and a greater desire to use my passion because it helped me along the way. The union has always been here to help protect each of us…. I believe in the union wholeheartedly and I think we all need to believe in them.”
He advised the unlicensed apprentices to “continue to strive and do whatever it is that you need to do in order to be successful. It’s going to be hard and challenging, but anything in life worth having is worth fighting for.”
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