The Senate Health Care bill as currently written would unfairly target union medical plans to help pay for the proposed overhaul of the system. Members are sorely needed to help pepper their Senators with urgent requests to discard this overreaching plan. The Senate version of the bill levels a tax on so-called "Cadillac" health plans. Most union medical plans, including the M.E.B.A.’s, would be included under the Senate’s definition of that term. That proposal was designed to tax corporate chief executives but it would end up hurting unions which often forego wage increases during contract negotiations in order to help solidify their medical plans. Specifically, the Senate’s health care bill would set a tax on health plans worth more than $8,500 per year for individuals and $23,000 per year for families. For workers in high-risk occupations, for retirees 55 or older and for residents in the 17 highest-cost states, the bill would tax plans worth more than $9,850 for individuals and $26,000 for families. The Health Care bill passed by the House does not contain this provision. Senators are expected to continue discussion of their version of the bill on Monday. Majority Leader Harry Reid is hoping to get the final version of the Senate plan passed by Christmas. If a Senate bill is passed, it would need to be reconciled with the House version by appointed Conferees.

AFL-CIO has launched a series of advertisements decrying the taxation of health benefits. M.E.B.A. is asking you to contact the two U.S. Senators in your state and insist that they dispense with this proposal that harms the health plans of hardworking men and women. M.E.B.A. has a feature on our website to better help you connect with your State’s legislative delegation. Go to our homepage (www.mebaunion.org)  and click on "Write To Congress" located both under the "Political" tab at top, as well as all the way at the bottom of the homepage.

M.E.B.A. promotional products are now easier for active and retired members to obtain with the addition of our new online shop. You can access it from our webpage www.mebaunion.org and click on the "Union Store" icon at top right.

To start, seven items are being offered for sale, including the "Pirates Beware – M.E.B.A. Onboard" T-shirt, logo hats and a steak knife set. The prices were set not to make a profit, but to help cover the cost of the item and offset online store expenses. The main goal of the store is to allow our members to obtain logo merchandise and display it proudly.

User feedback will help shape the future direction of the online store. Those offering constructive input and suggestions for future items offered can e-mail mebahq@mebaunion.org.  Obviously, higher selling items will become mainstays on the site while poorly selling items will be discontinued.

Just in time for the holiday season! Go to the M.E.B.A. homepage and check it out today!

M.E.B.A. was represented in Florida this week as U.S. maritime unions, joined by numerous international labor representatives, met to work on vital mariner concerns that will be forwarded to the International Maritime Organization. The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Maritime Safety Committee met in Dania Beach to make sure important mariner issues are addressed by the world community. STCW was one of the topics that dominated discussion as well as protecting mariners from piracy, and a slew of other issues including manning, training and the criminalization of mariners. M.E.B.A. Secretary-Treasurer Bill Van Loo represented the Union at the meetings which were chaired by AMO National V.P. Mike Murphy. MM&P was represented by Pilotage V.P. George Quick and MITAGS Director Glen Paine. Assistant Calhoon M.E.B.A. Engineering School Assistant Director for Academics Barry Van Vechten also took part in the meetings. The Committee also includes John Bainbridge, the Permanent ITF Rep. to the IMO.

The holiday gathering at Headquarters on Thursday was a well attended affair complemented by an excellent contingent of M.E.B.A. members, retirees and Calhoon School Instructors. In addition Hawaii Congresswoman Mazie Hirono and Rep. Frank Kratovil, who represents the Maryland district where our training facility is located, were in attendance. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler and AFL-CIO’s Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker took part in the festivities as well. Among other things, they were treated to incredible mambo and salsa dancing performances by 14-year old Jonathan Gaylan and 10-year old Alexandra Gutkovich who are on tour with Marvin Hamlisch and the National Symphony Orchestra Pops. The entertainers were in town playing multiple dates at the prestigious Kennedy Center in downtown Washington D.C. Jonathan is the son of M.E.B.A. Chief Engineer Fil Gaylan who enabled this tremendous treat for HQ partygoers. Acting CMES Director Chuck Eser and many School Instructors, Plans Administrator Allen Szymczak and staff and MM&P’s Captain Tim Brown, Richard Plant (Special Projects), Comptroller Bev Gutmann and MIRAID President Jim Patti also stopped by. SIU's Govt. Fleet Rep. Kate Hunt and Legislative Director Terry Turner were there as well as U.S. Navy labor relations officials Frank Vitacco and Tom Crane and Coast Guard Rear Admiral Kevin Cook. MSC representatives included Rear Admiral Robert Wray and Lt. Dan Sullivan, Personnel Director Mike Morris and Labor Relations Director Renee Desrosiers. Among many company officials attending were Tom Murphy (MTL) and Eric Smith (OSG) as well as numerous other guests representing management, Government and labor.

Apply for Vacation and Port Relief Benefits early to avoid the year-end rush.

Any member who requires that his/her check be dated in 2009 must file before this deadline. Remember, December 25, 2009 and January 1, 2010 are holidays and the outports and the Plan Office will be closed. It is always wise to plan ahead, so you may want to verify your specific outport holiday schedule with the plan office representative.

Please contact the Vacation Plan staff in Baltimore at 800-811-6322 or 410-547-9111 if you have any questions.

President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate David Matsuda as the permanent Administrator of the Maritime Administration. Matsuda is currently MarAd’s Deputy Administrator and has been serving as Acting Administrator since July of this year, a few months after the retirement of Sean Connaughton. Matsuda is a transportation professional with more than a decade of experience in federal transportation policy, programs and oversight. Prior to his current position, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), where he was chief policy advisor and focused on issues including surface transportation reauthorization, maritime matters, labor issues and high-speed rail, and oversaw key projects including the rollout of two new infrastructure grant programs. Previously, Matsuda spent more than seven years working in the United States Senate, helping to draft and secure passage of critical pieces of significant federal transportation legislation, including modernization of oil pollution prevention and response programs, an overhaul of our nation’s passenger rail system, and security improvements at U.S. seaports.

The Coast Guard has set the calendar year 2010 minimum random drug testing rate at 50 percent of covered crewmembers. The minimum random drug testing rate is effective January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010.

For further information contact Robert Schoening, Drug and Alcohol Program Manager, Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis (CG–545), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, telephone 202–372–1033.

The National Maritime Center (NMC) has launched a new service that will automatically send an email notification to mariners informing them of the status of their credential application as it is being processed by the Coast Guard. Mariners who provide an email address with their credential application will receive an email when their application passes through the following states of processing:

Sent from an REC to the NMC; Awaiting Medical Evaluation; Being Evaluated by Medical; Awaiting Professional Evaluation; Being Evaluated for Professional Qualifications; Awaiting Information; Approved to Test; Approved to Print; Issued; Confirmation of delivery and request for feedback.

Additionally, there will be reminder emails while in "Awaiting Information" or "Approved to Test". The information sent by email will be as close to real time as possible. In fact, due to the timing of data updates, it will likely be a day ahead of information currently found on the online Application Status Checker. Due to security and privacy concerns, emails regarding "Awaiting Information" and "Approval to Test" will not contain all of the information that will be in the hardcopy letter sent to the mariner via the postal service but will refer to the Application Status Checker and/or the hardcopy letter.

To go to the form, visit the Coast Guard homepage at https://homeport.uscg.mil, click on "Merchant Mariners" in the alphabetical list at left, then click on "Merchant Mariner Application Status."

Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes reached their highest level so far this year in November. The trade totaled 4.6 million net tons, an increase of 27 percent over the preceding month. The upturn reflects higher operating rates at the nation’s steel mills that, in turn, have required the sailing of some U.S.-Flag lakers that had been idled. Comparisons with a year ago and the month’s 5-year average illustrate the depth of this recession. November loadings were 6 percent off the pace of a year ago, and nearly 14 percent behind the month’s 5-year average.

For the year, the Great Lakes iron ore trade stands at 27.5 million tons, a decrease of 50.1 percent compared to a year ago. The decrease is only slightly less when compared to the trade’s 5-year average for the January-November timeframe – 49.3 percent.

Coal shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 3 million net tons in November, a decrease of 19 percent compared to the previous month, and 25 percent below the level of a year ago. Only one port, Thunder Bay, Ontario, exceeded its total of a year ago. Toledo, Ohio, was essentially on pace with a year ago, but all other ports saw their shipments drop. The biggest fall-off came in loadings of western coal at Superior Midwest Energy Terminal ("SMET") in Superior, Wisconsin. Shipments were down nearly 30 percent compared to a year ago. While there were some vessel availability issues, SMET, and the other coal-loading facilities, continue to be impacted by generally low demand from utilities. Year-to-date, coal shipments stand at 27.3 million tons, a decrease of 24 percent compared to a year ago. The trade is 25.5 percent off the 5-year average for the January-November timeframe.

Monday, Jan. 4 – Boston; Jacksonville; Seattle;
Tuesday, Jan. 5 – Baltimore/Calhoon School@CMES, Houston, San Francisco (Oakland);
Wednesday, Jan. 6 – Charleston, New Orleans;
Thursday, Jan. 7 – L.A. (Wilmington), New York (New Jersey), Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, Jan. 8 – Honolulu.