|
|
|
|
MARINE
ENGINEERS' BENEFICIAL ASSOCIATION (AFL-CIO)
"On
Watch in Peace and War Since 1875"
MEBA TELEX TIMES SEPTEMBER
04, 2009
The Official Union Newsletter
NUMBER
36
In
this issue...
Labor Day notices…4MF auction…CG
ballast water proposal…Aker newbuild update. WALLY SCHIRRA delivered…Captain of
the industry, we take charge, earn our stripes and crack the whip in a big
cheese, head honcho edition. Getting the upper hand, we outrank lackey,
bootlicking newsletters, give them their marching orders and show those
apple-polishing minions ‘who’s the boss.’ Hail to the maritime chief! Exerting
our authority, the
Telex
Times is in command!
A hardworking Irish-American named Peter J. McGuire is credited with heading up the effort to create "Labor Day." He was the founder of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, and he helped work toward the eight hour day and was a driving force toward the creation of the American Federation of Labor. As the August 1969 edition of the M.E.B.A.
American Marine Engineer stated, "It was on May 8, 1882 that the 29-year old McGuire, speaking at a labor meeting in New York, urged Americans to set aside a festive day, between summer’s last official holiday and Thanksgiving, in public tribute to the nation’s toilers and to those before them "who from rude nature have delved and carved the grandeur we behold."On September 5, four months later, the first Labor Day was observed in New York. "Few were the workers who got the day off, for employers took an exceedingly dim view, some threatening dismissal to paraders. But over 10,000 people showed up to march along Fifth Ave. with McGuire and other labor leaders to the stirring strains of "Killarney." On that day, picnicking and dancing, as well as speechmaking by McGuire and others set the pattern for Labor Days to come. The idea of a Labor Day holiday spread rapidly, and the Knights of Labor adopted a resolution that the first Monday in September be considered Labor Day and set about having it recognized as a holiday. Colorado and Oregon made it a legal holiday in 1887, and New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts soon followed. On June 28, 1894, a bill passed Congress with little opposition making Labor Day a legal holiday in the union and the territories. By 1923, all the states had fallen into line and Labor Day became legal throughout the country…"
M.E.B.A. halls and offices will be shuttered for Labor Day, Sept. 7, and reopen on Tuesday. Union halls which usually have their regular membership meetings on the Monday of meeting month (Boston, Jacksonville, Seattle) instead will conduct their meetings on Tuesday, September 8.
OSG NEEDS CHIEFS & 1st A/EsM.E.B.A.-contracted OSG Ship Management needs Chiefs and 1
st A/Es for four of their product tankers. Members MUST be qualified with Tankerman PIC or Tankerman Engineer for these positions.Resumes can be e-mailed to OSG Crew Manager Fred Meyer
at FMeyer@OSG.com. You can also fax them to (813) 221-3179. They can be snail mailed to Fred at OSG America, Inc., Two Harbour Place, 302 Knights Run Avenue - Suite 1200, Tampa, FL 33602. For further information please contact Fred Meyer at (813) 209-0683. LABOR DAY CELEBRATION AT THE SEATTLE HALLThe Seattle M.E.B.A. Hall is celebrating Labor Day on Tuesday September 8, 2009 (Membership meeting day). In addition to a barbeque, Pacific Northwest Historians Guild member Ron Magden will give a talk between 12:30 job call and meeting start. Dr. Magden is considered one of the foremost authorities on Puget Sound maritime and labor history. He has recently been researching M.E.B.A.'s early days in the Northwest and is the author of several books, including: The Working Waterfront: The Story of Tacoma's Ships and Men.
4MF AUCTION ANNOUNCEDThe M.E.B.A. Merchant Marine Memorial Foundation (4MF) has announced a special "Auction & Fall Celebration" to take place at the School in late October to benefit the Memorial Park. As you know, the Memorial located at the Calhoon M.E.B.A. Engineering School in Easton, MD was created to honor fallen seafarers who have delivered the goods and answered the call of this country since 1775.
This festive affair will take place on Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 5 to 11 p.m. in the Calhoon School Lounge. In addition to the auction, there will be food, music and raffles among other things.
Donations of auction items would be appreciated.
If you have an item of value that you feel could raise money for this great cause, please contact the Foundation. The proceeds from this auction will help usher in additional improvements and necessary maintenance of the Memorial. Contributions made to the 4MF are tax deductible.To donate an item or for more information contact Anne Higgins at (410) 822-9600 ext. 338. Her e-mail address is ahiggins@mebaschool.org.
COAST GUARD RELEASES BALLAST WATER PROPOSALThe Coast Guard has issued its proposal to establish national ballast water management standards which limit the allowable concentration of living organisms in ships' ballast water discharged in U.S. waters. The proposal also would create a system to approve engineering equipment by establishing an approval process for ballast water management systems. These new regulations would aid in controlling the introduction and spread of non-indigenous species from ships discharging ballast water in U.S. waters.
The agency is accepting comment on the new proposed rule through November 27, 2009. You can view the text of the proposal and submit electronic comments by visiting www.regulations.gov. The docket number is USCG-2001-10486. For further information contact John Morris, Project Manager, Environmental Standards Division, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, telephone 202-372-1433, e-mail John.C.Morris@uscg.mil.
AKER NEWBUILD UPDATEAker Philadelphia Shipyard continues to craft the next four MT-46 Veteran Product Tankers in a series of 12 new ships to be crewed up by M.E.B.A. engineers. The first seven vessels in the series, including the latest –
OVERSEAS NIKISKI – have already been delivered.Ship 012, to be named
OVERSEAS MARTINEZ, is currently in the Building Dock with all of its hull sections set. Painting is ongoing, and preparations will soon begin in advance of the ship‘s launch from the Building Dock and transfer to the Outfitting Dock, a move which is expected to take place before the end of next month.Ship 013, which will be the
OVERSEAS ANACORTES, continues to develop in the Building Dock. The engine room is formed and is temporarily covered to protect it from the elements. Superblock E51 is nearing completion just north of the Building Dock, and will soon be mounted to the vessel. E51 is comprised of both a port and starboard upper engine room section which are joined and fully outfitted in advance of dock mounting. On the earliest vessels in the series, this section was mounted as two separate units, but productivity improvements were quickly implemented which ultimately improved testing and commissioning efforts in that area.Ship 014, the
OVERSEAS TAMPA, is now over 20% complete, with a number of the vessel‘s engine room and double-bottom sections now advancing from the yard‘s section assembly shop to the nearby Grand Block Shop. Additional sections are currently being staged adjacent to the Building Dock. The ship is scheduled for delivery in the middle of next year.Steel cutting for the eleventh tanker vessel in the series continues, with the first plates to be used in the construction of engine room sections for the vessel. The vessel is scheduled to be named
OVERSEAS CASCADE. MSC TAKES DELIVERY OF WALLY SCHIRRAThe Military Sealift Command took delivery of the latest dry cargo/ammunition ship from San Diego’s NASSCO shipyard. All the vessels in the series are crewed with expert M.E.B.A. officers. The
USNS WALLY SCHIRRA is the eighth ship in the Lewis and Clark-class of underway replenishment ships that deliver ammunition, provisions, spare parts, potable water and petroleum products to U.S. Navy ships underway.SCHIRRA
is named in honor of astronaut Walter "Wally" Schirra. In September, the 689-foot vessel will go on a short "shakedown cruise" where the ship's crew will test a range of shipboard operations. SCHIRRA is anticipated to begin conducting missions for MSC in May 2010AFL-CIO CONVENTION
Pres. Barack Obama is scheduled to speak before the big AFL-CIO National Convention that runs from September 13-17 in Pittsburgh, PA. M.E.B.A. officials will take part in the week of discussions and speeches that will also include a meeting of the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department. Other speakers scheduled for the AFL-CIO Convention include NAACP President Ben Jealous, Caroline Kennedy, Former Pittsburgh Steelers Player Franco Harris,
Pennsylvania Senators Bob Casey and Arlen Specter and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis among many other union officials. AFL-CIO Sec.-Treas. Richard Trumka who is running unopposed to succeed John Sweeney as the next AFL-CIO President will be elected as the Convention winds down. CORCORAN MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULED FOR SEPT. 18thM.E.B.A. members will be supporting a fallen brother on September 18th for the 8th annual Jay Corcoran Memorial Golf Tournament. Jay was a popular M.E.B.A. member for 22 years who sailed out of the West Coast. On September 11, 2001, he was on his way back to catch his ship, the
APL THAILAND, when his airplane was hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center. Since then, a memorial golf tournament has been set up in his name to benefit Norwell, Massachusetts high school students. Norwell was Jay’s hometown. The Foundation has awarded $230,000 in grants over the last eight years. This year’s tournament takes place on September 18th at Bay Pointe Country Club in Onset, Massachusetts. You can sign up for the tournament and/or attend the dinner that evening. Members can also sponsor golf holes for the tournament at $100 apiece. To help support the event, organizers are asking for donations of goods or services for the raffle and silent auction that evening. The Jay Corcoran Memorial Scholarship Foundation is a non-profit organization, and donations are tax deductible. Checks should be made payable to the Jay Corcoran Memorial Scholarship Foundation and mailed to Laura Lundstedt, 112 Pond View Dr., Kingston, MA 02364. For more information call Laura at (781) 585-3318, Tom Piepenbrink at (781) 585-2667 or M.E.B.A. Boston Union hall Rep. Bill Campbell at (617) 261-2338. Bill can be e-mailed at wcampbell@mebaunion.org. SUPPORT THE M.E.B.A. "GOOD & WELFARE" FUNDM.E.B.A. members are encouraged to continue their support of the Good & Welfare Fund. The Fund is used to help active and retired members and their families in case of crisis. It proved very useful following Hurricane Katrina when money from the fund helped members recover from the devastating aftermath of the storm. Strengthening the fund will allow additional assistance to members and retirees in their time of need.
M.E.B.A. has dispatched Good & Welfare receipt books to each of the Union halls and offices. The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that the Good & Welfare Fund is exempt from Federal Income tax. Your contributions to the fund are tax deductible so please give liberally in order to help a Union brother or sister in need. Seek out your local Union hall for further details.
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGSMonday, September 7 –
Labor Day – No Meetings--------FINISHED WITH ENGINES---------
