Seafarers Logs

Elections Past and Present Depending on where you live, you may be exhaling now that you’re not being swamped with off-year election ads, or you may not have noticed much about the races and ballot initiatives in other states that largely were decided Nov. 7. But no matter what, I…

The off-year elections proved favorable for America’s working families. Among other gains, the Virginia legislature flipped to a pro-worker majority; Kentucky voters elected Democrat Andy Beshear as governor; and former state Rep. Sara Innamorato (D) won the election for Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) Executive. Innamorato “framed her campaign around those...‘left behind’…

SIU members recently received accolades for their respective roles in three different rescues that took place earlier this year. Pictured from left are SIU Exec. VP Augie Tellez, SIU President David Heindel, Bosun Paul Altenor and OSG President/CEO Sam Norton. Bosun Paul Altenor was one of three mariners who, on…

A broad coalition of American maritime and transportation unions, including the SIU, has registered its strong opposition to a proposal that would promote the operation of U.S.- owned vessels with foreign crews. The proposal, part of a report issued by the Hudson Institute, would create a second United States ship…

Four members of the most recent apprentice class at the SIU-affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education (PHC) proudly represented the union and the school Nov. 11, bearing our nation’s flag and the U.S. Merchant Marine flag during the annual Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Xavier…

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the American Maritime Officer, monthly publication of the Seafarers- affiliated AMO. It is reprinted here with permission, and with strong encouragement from the main subject, who comes from an SIU family. “The SIU holds a very special place in my heart and life,”…

One of the most fervent supports of the U.S. maritime industry recently reintroduced a bill that would benefit American workers. U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-California) in mid-October submitted a bill titled “Close Agency Loopholes to the Jones Act,” which would eliminate nearly a half-century of gaps that disadvantage American workers…

One day before Halloween, SIU members employed by NY Waterway helped start a new service that could be described as a treat for local commuters in South Amboy, New Jersey. The passenger service – which was decades in the making – provides direct routes between South Amboy and two stops…

Delivering the Goods As this edition went to press, SIU members stepped up to deliver vital cargo for the war in Israel. This type of voyage is never taken lightly, and while there’s no way to know how many additional trips may occur, I want to publicly thank those Seafarers…

Inspectors from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) continue making a big difference in the lives of mariners around the world. That point seems clear in the immediate aftermath of a new report showing that the inspectors recovered more than $118.5 million in wages owed to mariners between the years…