Seafarers Log
Despite a congressional setback in late January, the AFL-CIO and other proponents of voting-rights legislation will continue the fight. As you may know, our efforts are focused on two bills: the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would reinstate federal power to review some state voting laws in order…
Seafarers Log
A ceremony late last year signaled good news for U.S. shipbuilding. Philly Shipyard – a union facility – on Dec. 10 conducted a keel-laying event for the first of up to five state-of-the-art training vessels for the nation’s state maritime academies. SIU Executive Vice President Augie Tellez attended the ceremony,…
Seafarers Log
It remains an uphill climb, but new dates have been set for a rerun vote for union representation at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Jan. 11 announced that ballots will be mailed Feb. 4 and counted March 28. Last year, the Retail, Wholesale…
Seafarers Log
Given the sometimes-exhausting nature of persevering through the COVID-19 global pandemic, it occasionally may seem as if the novel coronavirus has been around forever. However, March 11 in fact will mark two years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19, the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome…
Seafarers Log
As part of a much larger rescue effort, Seafarers sailing aboard the Maersk Line-operated Maersk Peary pulled a man from the Aegean Sea on Dec. 22. The SIU crew aboard the Peary, which was en route to deliver vital fuel and supplies to McMurdo Station in Antarctica, included: Bosun Damon…
Seafarers Log
Editor’s note: This article is provided by the union’s legal department. You’ve probably heard about serious data breaches that have occurred in recent years across the globe. These incidents have affected millions of people worldwide, crippled businesses and government agencies, and caused huge financial losses. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security…
Seafarers Log
A hefty chunk of the world’s mariners soon will be able to safely join ships despite unpredictable changes to government border policies internationally. That’s according to a joint press release dated Dec. 16 from three international maritime organizations. The release states that shipowners, mariner unions and maritime employer groups are…
Seafarers Log
Stan Barer U.S. maritime industry stalwart Stanley H. Barer, 82, passed away peacefully at his home in Seattle on Dec. 13, 2021, following a decade-long battle with pancreatic cancer. Widely regarded as a brilliant attorney, dedicated philanthropist and successful entrepreneur, Barer co-founded Saltchuk Resources in 1982, a family of transportation…
Seafarers Log
The COVID-19 pandemic surely has induced innumerable “bah, humbug!” moments, but nothing has diminished the SIU’s enthusiastic backing of an annual philanthropic project benefiting U.S. military families at Christmastime. Seafarers load gifts into trucks and vans for transport to a Santa's Castle distribution center. The yearly outreach known as Santa’s…