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

MEBA TELEX TIMES                          MAY 5, 2006

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 18

In this issue...
PRODUCER crew exposed to fungicide...Members respond to warehouse blaze...Great Lakes news...Abercrombie saluted...Port bills pass...¡Ay Caramba! We get loco and go south of the border in a macho Cinco de Mayo edition. A hot tamale, we bust open a piñata full of news as busy as a Mexican jumping bean and pure as the virgin of Guadalupe. ¡Don't drink the water! Get some sangría, tip back your sombrero and strike up the mariachi band for a maritime fiesta. ¡Viva la MEBA - The Télex Times gives you the whole enchilada!

CONGRESSMAN ABERCROMBIE SALUTED AT MARITIME AWARD FUNCTION
Congressman Neil Abercrombie was the honoree at the prestigious Salute to Congress award ceremony held at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD this week. The U.S. Propeller Club sponsors the event that honors lawmakers who have shown strong leadership on behalf of the Merchant Marine. Rep. Abercrombie is a more than worthy recipient of the honor. He is highly knowledgeable about the issues and has been a champion of the maritime industry for the almost two decades he has served in office.

He delivered a passionate acceptance speech crediting the industry as an essential facet of national security and calling for the full restoration to prominence of U.S.-flag shipping. He vowed to battle on behalf of the industry until his dying breath.

He noted, "This is the maritime industry's premier award, and I'm honored to receive it. When everything is said and done, the U.S. maritime industry is a critical component of U.S. national security.  I'm very grateful for this recognition of my efforts on behalf of the working men and women who make up the backbone of our nation's Merchant Marine in peace and war." Quite a few lawmakers were on hand in support of Rep. Abercrombie including the Hawaii Senators (Sen. Akaka, Sen. Inouye), Rep. John Larson (D-CT), Rep. Marty Meehan (D-MA), Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) and Rep. Don Young (R-AK) who introduced Abercrombie at the podium. Past recipients of the "Salute to Congress" award include Senator Daniel Inouye, Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA). Abercrombie has been extremely active on maritime issues in Congress, where he served on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee and on the Armed Services Merchant Marine Panel.  He is a strong supporter of the Jones Act. He secured House passage of legislation in 2003 that allowed Norwegian Cruise Lines to re-flag passenger ships which now carry tourists between Hawaii ports and provide jobs to approximately 4,000 Hawaii residents.  He has also backed programs which provide loan guarantees and other forms of support for the U.S. shipping and ship building industries.

HALF OF HORIZON PRODUCER CREW TREATED AND RELEASED AFTER FUNGICIDE INCIDENT
The Coast Guard continues to investigate a hazardous leak from a container aboard the HORIZON PRODUCER which caused half of the ship's crew to require medical attention.

While en route to New Jersey from Puerto Rico, a report was forwarded to the National Response Center on Tuesday afternoon that approximately 30 gallons of an unknown liquid substance had leaked from a container aboard the ship. Upon investigation of the leak, 15 of the 30 crewmembers were reportedly exposed to the substance and were suffering from respiratory and mucous membrane irritation.

The vessel's master changed course to return to San Juan, Puerto Rico to offload the leaking container at the Puerto Nuevo pier, and have the affected crew members receive medical assistance. Coast Guard response teams from San Juan deployed to the scene to investigate the source of the leak and monitor the completion of the clean-up process. A Coast Guard spokesman reported that the leak was said to be a fungicide - Fungitrol 420. A quick internet search reveals that Fungitrol 420 "is used primarily as a dry-film mildew protector for paint, coatings, stains, etc. Other applications include adhesives, metalworking fluids and printing inks."

The spokesman noted that following treatment, all crewmembers were able to return to their ship and sail for New Jersey. MEBA engineers serve aboard the vessel though it was not known if any of them were adversely affected from the fungicide.

MEMBERS ON NYC FIREBOATS RESPOND TO WAREHOUSE BLAZE
Five New York City fireboats responded to a raging warehouse fire in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York this week at a complex of warehouses along the waterfront. The fireboats, with MEBA members aboard, were working nonstop to supply large water streams for difficult to reach hot spots. The 10 alarm fire erupted on Tuesday morning and took nearly 36 hours to snuff out completely. The flames laid waste to seven historic warehouses. 14 firefighters received minor injuries but their quick response made it unnecessary to order evacuations and no serious injuries occurred. An arson investigation is underway.

HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN CONCERNED ABOUT OVERLY-BROAD TWIC DISQUALIFIERS
Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King issued a statement this week expressing his concern that a plan to begin background checks on port workers might be overly discriminating. His comments echo those of unions in the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Dept. (TTD) that are wary about overly restrictive security measures at U.S. seaports. The Department of Homeland Security recently announced they are conducting background checks on the almost 400,000 port workers in the U.S. The announcement was hailed as a step toward implementing a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. The TWIC is a tamper-resistant credential that contains biometric information about the holder that renders the card useless to anyone other than the rightful owner.

In his statement, Chairman King pointed out that it is essential that the list of criminal offenses that will disqualify port workers from being able to carry a TWIC card should be honed to accurately reflect that the worker is actually a security risk. "He noted, "The proposed list of disqualifying offenses appears to go significantly beyond the already existing mandate of exclusion and we hope that TSA and the Coast Guard, as it finalizes its rules, will narrow and limit the list of disqualifying criminal offenses to more accurately identify individuals that pose a terrorism security risk and who are therefore unworthy to hold a maritime transportation security card."

GREAT LAKES GROUP TAPS LEVIN AS LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR
Senator Carl Levin has been honored for his efforts to ensure Great Lakes shipping remains a driving force in the nation's economy. Senator Levin (D-MI) was named Great Lakes Legislator of the Year by the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF), a labor/management coalition that promotes waterborne commerce on the Lakes. Levin received the award in D.C. at a Great Lakes function this week attended by MEBA Pres. Ron Davis and other MEBA representatives.

"Senator Levin has been a champion of Great Lakes shipping throughout his long career in the Senate," said James H. I. Weakley, President of GLMTF and President of Lake Carriers' Association. "Whatever the issue or need, be it constructing a second Poe-sized lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, or ensuring the U.S. Coast Guard has adequate ice breaking resources stationed on the Lakes, Senator Levin has taken up the cause and done whatever is necessary to keep Lakes shipping safe and efficient."

GREAT LAKES DREDGING CRISIS DISCUSSED
The dire need for dredging in areas of the Great Lakes could soon hit shippers in the pocket book, a Great Lakes group said recently. The topic of dredging on the Lakes dominated a breakfast meeting of the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force this week.  Fred Shusterich, President of Midwest Energy Resource Company in Superior, Wisconsin pointed out that the continuing inability to maximize vessel carrying capacity is jeopardizing Lakes coal shipping.

"In order to keep pace with the coal-generated energy demands of the Great Lakes basin, Congress must fund a comprehensive plan to restore the Great Lakes system to its project depth as quickly as possible and subsequently maintain the project depth into the future," he said.

He noted that the dredging situation is causing his company to leave as much as 18 inches of loaded draft during a St. Marys voyage which translates into about 4,500 tons of coal left at the dock, or as much as 6.5 percent of their carrying capacity on each and every trip.

It was noted that the reason dredging on the Great Lakes is inadequate to meet the needs of commerce is one of funding. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' budget has been declining or static for decades. It was estimated that it will cost more than $200 million just to restore the Great Lakes navigation system to project depth. The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, which funds the Corps' dredging budget with revenues generated by a tax on cargo movement, has a surplus of $1.8 billion.

Further compounding the problem is the way in which the Corps' dredging budget is allocated, they noted. Inequities in the funding formula channel more money to the inland rivers than the Great Lakes, even though total waterborne commerce on the Great lakes often tops 200 million tons a year.

HOUSE CHECKS OFF ON SAFE PORT BILL; GREENLANE BILL ADVANCES
The House passed port security legislation this week with only two dissenting votes out of 423 cast. Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King said that the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act of 2006 "is comprehensive legislation based upon a layered security strategy that builds on existing initiatives to improve port and cargo security both abroad and here at home. It seeks to put provisions in place to protect ports by preventing threats from ever reaching U.S. soil.

The Act provides $7.4 billion in federal funding to enhance port security, fully authorizing and codifying the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO), and requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deploy nuclear and radiological detection systems at all domestic seaports. The bill also improves port security communication and information sharing at the federal, state, and local levels.

The bill advanced through the House in rare bipartisan fashion. Introduced by Reps. Dan Lungren (R-CA) and Jane Harman (D-CA) it was hailed by port groups as "a comprehensive plan to improve maritime cargo and facility security while maintaining an efficient flow of commerce through America's ports."  

The SAFE Port Act is the House companion to the GreenLane Maritime Cargo Security Act (S. 2459) that the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs approved earlier this week, The GreenLane bill was introduced by Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patty Murray (D-WA) and is expected to go to a full Senate floor vote next week.

In the area of cargo security, the SAFE Port and GreenLane bills authorize and strengthen many on-going cargo security programs, such as Operation Safe Commerce, the Container Security Initiatives and C-TPAT (Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism). The bills also set an implementation date for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program.

DHS INTRODUCES MARITIME INFRASTRUCTURE RECOVERY PLAN
The Department of Homeland Security has announced the release of the Maritime Infrastructure Recovery Plan, one of eight plans supporting the National Strategy for Maritime Security.  Key elements of the plan include guidelines for coordinated, national-level efforts to restore the flow of cargo and passenger vessels in response to a major disruption to the maritime transportation system. The plan also describes an exercise program that would be conducted periodically to assess the plan's effectiveness and the maritime community's ability to plan for, respond to, and recover from a national transportation security incident or incident of national significance.  Originally completed in late 2005, the Maritime Infrastructure Recovery Plan's public release was delayed to allow additional review in light of the national response to Hurricane Katrina. 

The Maritime Infrastructure Recovery Plan would be implemented by the Secretary of Homeland Security in the event of a significant national transportation security incident.  Such an incident is defined as having a "high impact requiring an extensive and well-coordinated response by federal, state, local, tribal and nongovernmental authorities to save lives, minimize damage, and provide the basis for long-term community and economic recovery."

The plan focuses on all forms of cargo, including those that are likely to hold perishable items in immediate need of unloading, or items that are key components in the production of consumer goods.  As part of an integrated effort to protect the economy from the effects of a maritime transportation security incident, the Maritime Infrastructure Recovery Plan was developed
in close coordination with the Maritime Transportation Systems Security Recommendations and the Commerce Security Plan. All three plans incorporated insights from the maritime industry and state, local, tribal, and territorial stakeholders. 

As with other plans created under the National Strategy for Maritime Security, collaboration is critical.  Key stakeholders who would be called on to work together include the maritime industry; state and local governments; existing bodies, such as Area Maritime Security Committees and the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee; and government agencies that have jurisdiction over areas that may be affected during an incident. 

POPULAR MEMBER MAKES FINAL VOYAGE
Popular MEBA member Alex Schizas sailed into the sunset this week after a struggle with cancer. A longtime member who sailed as a deck officer aboard LNG ships and vessels in the Ready Reserve Force fleet, Alex was only 48 years old. He cared passionately about the maritime industry, was a staunch labor activist and a good person. He was a graduate of SUNY Maritime College in New York and a resident of James Island, SC.

His funeral will take place in Charleston tomorrow. Friends and shipmates can leave messages in an online guestbook about Alex that you can access on the web at www.legacy.com.

You can find a nice picture of Alex on the web at www.labournet.net/docks2/0003/charprev.htm. In the photo he is seen with ILA Local 1422 President Kenneth Riley in support of ILA's battle against an anti-union shipping company that resulted in the Charleston Five ordeal.

SUPPORT THE MEBA MERCHANT MARINE MEMORIAL PARK
The MEBA Merchant Marine Memorial Foundation will be placing the next order for memorial bricks on July 5th.  Anyone interested must complete and return a donations form and monies prior to this date.
 
For more information and to obtain the form please visit the following link:
www.mebaschool.org/memorial?SESS=96986ed9337d90f199720a3b602942b5&time=11462
30221 or go to the homepage (www.mebaschool.org) and click on the Memorial logo at the bottom right of the page. You can also contact Jessica Milligan at (410) 822-9600 ext. 306 or email her at:  memorial@mebaschool.org.

NEXT REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
Monday, May 8 - Boston, Seattle;
Tuesday, May 9 - Baltimore, Houston, Jacksonville, San Francisco;
Wednesday, May 10 - Calhoon School, Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, May 11 - Los Angeles, New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, May 12 - Honolulu.

CAA Reunion is June 30th-July 2, 2006. Plan accordingly and support the CAA!

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