Seafarers Log
SIU Answers the Call We have all heard variations of the saying, if you can do what you say you can do, it’s not bragging. In that spirit, I begin this month’s message with heartfelt thanks and congratulations to our entire team for your response to last month’s turbo activations.…
Seafarers Log
Shortly before Labor Day, the AFL-CIO publicized what it described as “record public support and unprecedented activism and organizing.” In late August, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond delivered an inaugural “State of the Unions” address where they released new polling which underscores the American people’s support of…
Seafarers Log
Seafarers, pensioners and their families have packed the hiring halls for a series of benefits conferences that are scheduled to continue into early next year. To date, conferences have taken place in Norfolk, Virginia; Oakland, California; Honolulu; Tacoma, Washington; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Severe weather led to the postponement…
Seafarers Log
Many of the attendees are pictured next to the meeting facility at the SIU-affiliated school in Maryland. The SIU and its affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education (PHC) recently hosted a regularly scheduled meeting of a high-level committee that is crucial for the U.S. maritime industry. SIU…
Seafarers Log
Seafarers-contracted companies have been selected for the first wave of enrollments in the new U.S. Tanker Security Program (TSP). The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently announced the first nine ships for the program. According to DOT, those vessels (plus one that has yet to be selected) will serve as…
Seafarers Log
Seafarers may be aware of recent news reports concerning American Shipping Company (AMSC) selling its fleet of Jones Act-compliant tankers to Louisiana-based Maritime Partners. Some of those vessels are operated by Overseas Shipholding, while the others are operated by Keystone Shipping. The sale is expected to be completed later this…
Seafarers Log
SIU officials were among the hundreds of attendees at the U.S. Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) most recent change-of-command ceremony, which took place Sept. 8 in Norfolk, Virginia, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Representing the union were Vice President Government Services Division Nicholas Celona, Assistant Vice President Joe…
Seafarers Log
U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minnesota) The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) recently saluted U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minnesota) “for his staunch support of the Great Lakes navigation system.” The coalition (whose members include the SIU) recognized Stauber with its Legislator of the Year Award. A ceremony took place Aug.…
Seafarers Log
Editor’s note: The U.S. Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center has issued the following news item: As of August 25, 2023, Regional Exam Centers (RECs) will no longer maintain separate fax lines. In accordance with 46 CFR 10.217(a), the Coast Guard is designating the following fax numbers as locations to which…
Seafarers Log
The labor movement coordinated a national “Day of Action” on Aug. 22 to support the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in their strike against the major television and movie studios. Rallies took place in five major…