International Solidarity
Having just returned from the International Transport Workers’ Federation’s 46th Global Congress, I am as mindful as ever about the critical need for the SIU to remain engaged with our fellow trade unionists around the world.
Our union’s affiliation with the ITF is one of our most important connections, right up there with being part of the AFL-CIO. If you’re new to our industry or otherwise unfamiliar with the ITF, the federation is a London-based organization with affiliates from more than 150 countries, collectively representing millions of transportation workers.
In simplest terms, the ITF – much like the AFL-CIO – gives us strength far beyond our own numbers, and helps us speak with an effective voice that’s too loud to ignore when we’re weighing in on particularly crucial issues.
Very honestly, none of this was fully on my radar when I joined the SIU and began sailing many years ago. But eventually, I learned from two of the best: the late SIU President Mike Sacco, and the late SIU Executive Vice President John Fay. John passed away back in 2005, but for those who don’t know the history, he was a true trailblazer for U.S. involvement in international maritime affairs. John was active not only with the ITF but also the International Maritime Organization and the International Labor Organization starting in the mid-1970s. He was the first American ever to serve as chairman of the ITF’s Seafarers’ Section, a position he held from 1995 to 2002 – and one in which he helped make groundbreaking strides not only for the rights of U.S. mariners but for foreign seamen, too. Mike’s leadership helped sustain our involvement and our gains.
Specifically regarding the ITF, I don’t think it’s possible to overstate the importance of the federation’s work. I wish we didn’t have the Covid 19 pandemic as a recent example to underscore that point, but I can’t think of a better illustration of how the ITF stands up for seafarers and gives them a voice. The pandemic was an extreme circumstance, but can you imagine how helpless the world’s seafarers would have been without the ITF and our affiliates?
The ITF’s work is no less important during routine times. We secure millions of dollars a year – or more – in unpaid wages for crews around the world. We provide the security of a collective bargaining agreement for tens of thousands of mariners. We give them a voice in international forums, and we aggressively fight against the scourge of crew abandonment. Those are crucial responsibilities.
During the recent ITF Congress, I was honored to be reelected as Chair of the Seafarers’ Section. Throughout the proceedings, the various delegates, officials and guests took clear-eyed looks at the challenges facing our industry, and we sharpened our strategies.
One of the most significant considerations is that the global maritime industry faces massive changes related to new fuels. The ITF is helping make sure mariners’ voices are heard throughout what undoubtedly will be a decades-long process.
One way we’ve taken positive steps on this front is the formation of what is called the Maritime Just Transition Task Force. Formed by unions, vessel owners and United Nations entities a few years ago, the group’s mission statement underscores that its objective is “to ensure that shipping’s response to the climate emergency puts seafarers and communities at the heart of the solution.” Obviously, that’s a big assignment, but we are up to the task.
We’re also staying vigilant when it comes to unjust criminalization of mariners, substandard working and living conditions, and other forms of mistreatment. Navigating a positive way forward for seafarers was at the heart of plans confirmed at the gathering in Morrocco. International solidarity is foundational to our progress and our future success. Working together, we will get the job done.
Looking Ahead
We are wrapping up this edition a couple of weeks before Election Day, but I realize that some of our dedicated readers won’t see this column until after November 5.
Since our union was chartered in 1938, the United States has seen 14 individuals serve as president – eight Republicans, and six Democrats. The SIU has worked with every single one of those administrations, and we’ll do the same with the next one, regardless of how this year’s votes turn out. As always, we’ll look for common ground on as many issues as possible, and where none exists, we’ll find other channels to promote and protect your job security.
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