MARINE ENGINEERS' BENEFICIAL ASSOCIATION (AFL-CIO)
         "On Watch in Peace and War Since 1875"

MEBA TELEX TIMES       MARCH 27, 2009

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 13

In this issue...
M.E.B.A. to crew up two ships new to the U.S.-flag...Direct deposit for Vacation Plan...EFCA news...MSC ships on the move...In a mechanized, automatic edition, we weld together a high voltage issue that springs to life and gets down to the industry nuts and bolts. Don't lose your bearings with rusted-out, robotic newsletters that have a screw loose. They'll make you blow your fuse! Plugging in, we change gears, get you wired up and turn on the maritime power. The smooth-running Telex Times is a well-oiled machine!

APL BRINGS IN TWO M.E.B.A.-CREWED U.S.-FLAG SHIPS
Highly skilled M.E.B.A. officers will crew up two vessels that American President Lines, Ltd. is bringing into the U.S.-flag fleet after APL won a recent government bid. The APL AGATE and the APL JAPAN will be crewed up with M.E.B.A. and MM&P officers and will include an unlicensed crew of SIU, MFU and SUP mariners. The AGATE is a 5,020 TEU, fully cellular containership built in 1997. The vessel is scheduled to be flagged into the Stars and Stripes on April 20th in Charleston. The 4832 TEU C-11 APL JAPAN was built in 1995 and is the sister ship to the APL THAILAND and APL CHINA. The same unions as the AGATE will represent the crew. The vessel is scheduled to flag into the U.S. fleet on May 18. The ships will allow APL to have a weekly U.S.-flag Suez service. The vessels will be operated by APL Marine Services for the benefit of APL Ltd. Further details will be available in next week's issue.

DIRECT DEPOSIT COMING TO VACATION PLAN
On your way to a ship? Filing for Vacation? Don't worry about running to the bank to deposit your check; let the Vacation Plan do it for you!

As of April 1, 2009, M.E.B.A. Vacation Plan Participants will have the option of receiving their Vacation and Port Relief Benefits as a paper check or as a direct deposit into their designated bank account. Once you complete a bank authorization form, either option may be chosen each time you file for benefits.

Some Highlights of the Program
- Authorization forms must be completed by the Participant and the Participant's bank.
- The banking system requires all new direct deposits and changes to be verified. This verification, called a pre-note process, may take up to 30 days after receipt of your Authorization.
- Forms and "Guidelines and Instructions" are available from the Plan Office, Plan Outport Offices and at the Plan's website - www.mebaplans.org (Forms, Vacation).
- Participants are encouraged to complete the Authorization form to get your bank information on file so the direct deposit option will be available to you when you are ready to use it.
- You will file for Vacation and Port Relief Benefits the same way you always do.
- You must choose each time you file whether you want your entire benefit paid by check or by direct deposit. You cannot split a claim to receive part in check form and part as a direct deposit. Be sure to check the appropriate box on the Vacation Application.

For more details about the program and to access the "Guidelines and Instructions" on how to participate, or the Authorization form, go to the Plan's website at www.mebaplans.org.  All Outport Plan Offices and the Plan Office in Baltimore will also have this information.

Any questions, contact the Vacation Plan staff in Baltimore at (800) 811-6322 or at vacation@mebaplans.org.

PUSH FOR EFCA CONTINUES DESPITE WITHDRAWAL OF SPECTER SUPPORT
Proponents of new legislation to aid union organizing continue to drum up support for the bill, especially Republican lawmakers, following the announcement this week that a top GOP senator has backed down on his previously stated approval of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). EFCA would amend the National Labor Relations Act to establish an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations and to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing drives. After co-sponsoring the original EFCA bill, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) delighted corporate and conservative groups by announcing that he will now vote to block the legislation. The reversal may help Sen. Specter earn back some Republican support that he has lost over the years from staunch Republicans unhappy that he has reached across the aisle to work with Democrats. Specter faces a tough re-election bid for a sixth term. However, his new disdain for EFCA will likely change the minds of labor-friendly Pennsylvania voters who would have embraced Specter's re-election bid based on his support for EFCA. The EFCA will likely need 60 yes votes in the Senate to avoid a filibuster and Specter's earlier support would have been very helpful.

Across the country, working people are ramping up their grassroots efforts to show the importance of passing the Act for a balanced economic recovery. Over the next few weeks, thousands of workers will participate in dozens of rallies, letter writing parties, roundtables, and other events to show their outrage against our corporate-dominated economy and the broad public support for the Employee Free Choice Act.

Grassroots activists will be talking to their communities and their Representatives through letters, phone calls, and emails communicating the importance of passing the Employee Free Choice Act in states from California to Maine, Florida to Alaska. In Pennsylvania, workers are calling and writing Sen. Specter to ask why he turned his back on working people; they are gathering to greet him with their questions as he arrives home from Washington. In the coming days, workers will gather in public meeting places and town squares to express outrage at corporations for creating the house-of-cards economy and calling for an economy that works for everyone through health care reform and the Employee Free Choice Act. Next week, union members will hold roundtables with small business owners, showing that many small businesses recognize that workers' freedom to bargain means stronger communities and consumers. Owners will discuss the corporate campaign and their opposition to the campaign being waged.

Religious, civil rights, and women's groups will also continue to join union members in calling for the Employee Free Choice Act, pointing out that when women and people of color are in unions, they earn better wages and benefits and are much less likely to experience discrimination. The actions lead up to the two weeks of Congressional recess, where workers and community members will meet with Representatives and deliver hand-written cards showing support for this vital legislation.

NEW ADDRESS FOR AMC
The American Maritime Congress is settling into new offices that will allow them to save money without compromising their vantage point at the foot of Capitol Hill. The AMC is a research and education group comprised of U.S.-flag ship owners and operators that have collective bargaining agreements with the M.E.B.A. AMC is switching offices within the same building (444 North Capitol Street, N.W.) in Washington D.C. and now will be located in Suite 800. AMC maintains its familiar phone and fax numbers and their e-mail addresses remain the same.

COMFORT READIES FOR NEW FOUR-MONTH MISSION
The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS COMFORT, crewed with expert M.E.B.A. officers, will depart Norfolk, VA on April 1 for a four-month deployment to the U.S. Southern Command area of focus in support of Continuing Promise 2009. Continuing Promise is an equal partnership mission designed to combine partner nation and U.S. relief capabilities to demonstrate the lasting bonds and shared interest among neighbors. While in the area of focus, COMFORT will be under the operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet, which are the main planning and coordination commands for the Continuing Promise mission.

This is the fourth humanitarian and civic assistance mission to the region and follows COMFORT's 2007 deployment to the region. In total, more than 169,000 patients have been treated and more than 1,500 surgeries completed during the three deployments. Embarked aboard COMFORT as part of the Continuing Promise 2009 team will be partner nation military medical personnel and representatives from various non-governmental organizations, the U.S. Armed Forces, U.S. interagency organizations, and the MSC, Continuing Promise 2009 has been coordinated with partner nations in the region and planned hand-in-hand with a variety of other governmental and non-governmental organizations. Specific locations for the ship's relief operations include Antigua, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Panama.

USNS BIG HORN DELIVERS BOOKS TO DJIBOUTI
A donation of approximately 15,000 educational books from the non-government organization Books for Africa, located in St. Paul, Minn., arrived at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, (CLDJ) March 20. MSC vessel USNS BIG HORN (T-AO 198), a Henry J. Kaiser class underway replenishment oiler crewed with highly skilled M.E.B.A. officers, transported the 20 pallets of books more than 8,000 miles from Norfolk, VA., to Camp Lemonier while conducting integrated logistics supply missions throughout the 2nd, 5th and 6th Fleet Areas of Operation.

The books, ranging from first-grade to college-level curriculum will be distributed to five different schools. They go to primary and secondary schools across Djibouti, as well as the University of Djibouti in the city.

SUPPORT THE M.E.B.A. MARINER MEMORIAL!
As we begin to thaw out from a long winter and people begin to re-emerge from their cocoons, it might be a good idea to check out the latest changes at the M.E.B.A. Memorial for merchant mariners located in beautiful Easton, MD at our training school. The Calhoon Alumni Association continues to accept orders for memorial bricks and benches that will further beautify this tribute to fallen mariners. Memorial bricks can be engraved with names of loved ones and are part of the retreat at the Memorial Park. The park is shaped like a 600-foot merchant vessel complete with 5-ton anchors, a ship's bell and a stern section with a six-bladed, 22-foot diameter bronze propeller.

You might also be interested in purchasing a memorial bench in honor of a departed loved one. There are several new benches there but plenty of room for more so start up a collection and pay tribute to a shipmate, instructor or friend who deserves a place in the park. A bench is a perfect vantage point to gaze around the site and reflect upon the contributions of mariners who have sailed into the sunset. Anyone wishing to purchase a brick or bench must complete and return a donation form and monies. Please continue to help the cause - donations are greatly needed for the maintenance of the park!

For more information and to obtain the form please visit the School's website at www.mebaschool.org and click on "What's New" or contact Jessica Milligan at (410) 822-9600 ext. 306. Checks should be payable to MMMMF, Inc, P.O. Box 2443, Easton, MD 21601. Visit the Memorial section of the School's website at www.mebaschool.org. The e-mail address is memorial@mebaschool.org.

PAY YOUR DUES!
Any member or applicant two or more years in arrears on their dues and/or service charges will be put under review by the District Investigating Committee (DIC) and WILL BE DROPPED from the membership or applicant rolls. If you are in arrears and desire to retain your membership or applicant status, you must contact Headquarters immediately to make payment on your arrearage to return to good standing.

NAVY MEMORIAL HOSTS 18TH ANNUAL "BLESSING OF THE FLEETS"
As a tribute to our nation's rich naval heritage and the men and women who have contributed to its growth and success, the Washington D.C. U.S. Navy Memorial will host its eighteenth annual Blessing of the Fleets on Saturday, April 4, at 1:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public and is an official event of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Passed down through generations of mariners and navies around the world, the centuries-old "Blessing of the Fleets" ceremony is intended to safeguard crews and ships from the danger of the seas through a traditional blessing given by a clergyman at the water's edge. At the United States Navy Memorial, the ceremony's highlight occurs when Sailors from the U.S. Navy's Ceremonial Guard proceed across the Memorial Plaza's "Granite Sea" to pour water from the Seven Seas and the Great Lakes into the surrounding fountains, "charging" them to life and ushering in the spring season.  The event coincides with the launch of The Year of the Seabee, the Navy Memorial's salute to the Navy's engineering community, the dedicated men and women who make up the Navy's Construction Battalions and civil engineers, those proud professionals who build roads, schools, hospitals, bases and runways all over the world in support of the U.S. military. In addition to the opening of an interactive exhibit, the year-long program will include lectures, book signings, symposia, films, awards ceremonies, concerts and youth activities designed to educate the public about the history and rich legacy of the Navy's Seabees (a nickname for the initials "CB" or "Construction Battalion") - which dates back to World War II. In honor of the series of activities that kicks off on April 4, the guest speaker at the Blessing of the Fleets will be Rear Adm. Wayne G. Shear, Jr., USN, Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command and Chief of Civil Engineers. Call (202) 737-2300 or visit www.navymemorial.org for more information.

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday, April 6 - Boston, Jacksonville, Seattle;
Tuesday, April 7 - Baltimore, Houston, San Francisco;
Wednesday, April 8 - Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, April 9 - Honolulu; L.A., New York, Norfolk, Tampa

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