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Opportunity for Justice For those of us in the labor movement, or, really, for anyone familiar with our work, the awful irony was impossible to miss. Vandals extensively damaged the lobby and other first-floor areas of the AFL-CIO headquarters building late on May 31. They broke windows and doors and set fires in the facility…

United States Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao released a video statement on May 7, in which she expressed her gratitude to the men and women of the American maritime industry. “During these challenging times, I want to send a grateful message to everyone in…

U.S. Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) and Elaine Luria (D-Virginia) are reminding fellow members of Congress that the U.S. Merchant Marine is vital to national, economic and homeland security. Luria on May 5 hosted a press call featuring Hoyer along with American maritime industry leaders, including SIU Executive Vice President Augie Tellez; Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association…

Editor’s note: The COVID-19 pandemic remains a constantly changing situation. Accordingly, SIU members are encouraged to check the union’s website and stay in touch with the halls for the latest information. There is a prominent COVID-19 section on the home page at www.seafarers. org. For major announcements, the SIU also sends text alerts linking to…

Watch the video HERE The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and its Maritime Administration (MARAD) definitely made the best of a challenging circumstance for this year’s National Maritime Day celebration in the nation’s capital. The agency produced a half-hour video and posted it on the MARAD YouTube channel the morning of May 22. Viewer comments…

Since the founding of our great Nation, we have relied on merchant mariners to deliver goods to market and strengthen our national security. On National Maritime Day, we recognize the United States Merchant Marine for all it does to facilitate our commerce and protect our interests at sea. Our Nation’s merchant mariners enable peaceful trade…

June 5 marked the 100th anniversary of the passage of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920. Within this important legislation is the language that governs America’s waterborne freight cabotage – the Jones Act. Named for the bill’s primary sponsor – U.S. Senator Wesley Jones (R-Washington) – the Jones Act simply states that cargo moved from…

“The Jones Act has been and remains critical to supporting U.S. mariner jobs and our maritime industry, not to mention bolstering our national security. Over its 100-year history, the Jones Act has been critical in times of war, national emergencies and natural disasters, and global crises such as the current pandemic.” --- U.S. Rep. Peter…

When Bernabe Pelingon finished a 20-year stint in the U.S. Navy in 1997, he earnestly considered an array of second careers. But it…

Elections for the SIU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters are scheduled for later this year. As in past SIU election years, a comprehensive guide will be published in the Seafarers LOG prior to the balloting. In the case of members eligible to vote who believe they will be at sea during the Nov. 1…

As demonstrations for just treatment of minorities spread across the country, two SIU-affiliated organizations spoke out in strong support of the peaceful protesters’ goals – most if not all of which are shared by organized labor. Many union members and their families were part of the grassroots mobilizations, often under the banner of Black Lives…

After five months of being detained and abandoned, the crew of the Liberian-flagged M/V Evolution has finally been paid their due wages, and those who wished to be repatriated were sent home, thanks to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). The 505-foot, runaway-flag cargo vessel was first detained by the U.S. Marshals Service on Jan.…

Editor’s note: This is the third installment from a 1951 booklet titled “The Seafarers in World War II.” Penned by the late SIU historian John Bunker, the publication recapped SIU members’ service in the war. More than 1,200 SIU members lost their lives to wartime service in the U.S. Merchant Marine. The first two installments…