In this issue...
Staten Island Ferry contract...STOCKHAM rescues 20...Hearing on mariner Thank You bill...Horizon's Raymond calls for Short Sea Shipping action...Providing an outlet of great utility, we power ahead and generate a high voltage issue that gets you current with energy-boosting items from the M.E.B.A. circuit. Get amped up and plug into a surging, maritime dynamo overloaded with a gigawatt of news. A real live wire, you'll get a charge out of the Telex Times - it's an electrifying experience!

M.E.B.A. NEGOTIATORS NAIL DOWN CONTRACT FOR STATEN ISLAND FERRY MEMBERS, PRISON BARGES
New York Union hall officials along with a sizeable rank and file group, working under the direction of Atlantic Coast V.P. Don Keefe, have hammered out a new contract for members sailing in the Staten Island Ferry system. At the same time, contract terms were worked out for the five engineers and deck officer who work on the prison barges in New York. The contract was ratified by a large margin by members working under it.

The deal provides wage and annuity fund increases for our members retroactive to November 26, 2006 and going forward to November 2008. Negotiations were primarily handled by M.E.B.A. Representatives Erik Barton and Michael OToole along with shop stewards and other members sailing in the fleet.

NEED A MOLA BALLOT? AAA HAS TOLL-FREE NUMBER
Any members in good standing who have not received a mailing containing a referendum on the new Merchant Officers Labor Alliance (MOLA) can use a handy toll-free number to get one.

The MOLA is an agreement between the M.E.B.A. and the MM&P that formalizes the cooperation that the two unions already enjoy. It charts out a system for us to work together on items of mutual interest. If you did not receive the referendum or yours was lost or destroyed, you can call 1-800-273-0726. The number was set up by the American Arbitration Association which is overseeing the ballot count.

The 90-day mail ballot must be returned by June 14, 2007. A rank and file tally committee will be elected at the regular June membership meetings and will join the Impartial Administrator to tabulate the ballots on June 15th. They will pick the ballots up from the depository on the morning of June 15th, so make every effort to mail your ballot well in advance.

M.E.B.A. PREPO SHIP RESCUES 20
Helicopters from Military Sealift Command afloat prepositioning ship USNS GYSGT FRED W. STOCKHAM, managed by Keystone Shipping and crewed with M.E.B.A. deck and engine officers, rescued 20 people from a Taiwanese-flagged freighter that ran aground on a coral reef in the Solomon Islands on April 12. Most of those rescued were New Zealand Red Cross and aid workers who were in the area to provide assistance to victims of the tsunami that struck the region April 2.

Earlier in the week, STOCKHAM was directed to the Solomon Islands to be ready to support and assist relief efforts on the ground. The crew received a distress call from the Gizo port authority requesting they provide assistance to a 200-foot freighter named Young Fu 1. After running aground, the vessel was foundering in nearly 12-foot waves and had become unseaworthy. The Gizo port authority requested that STOCKHAM provide helicopter assistance to rescue the aid workers and one severely injured crew member.

When the distress call was made, the ships crew and military detachment were quick to respond and well prepared to handle the crisis, said STOCKHAMs M.E.B.A. master, Capt. Perry Seyler. Im very proud of the ships surgeon and the members of the helicopter detachment who put themselves in harms way to rescue the aid workers and the crew member.

STOCKHAMs surgeon left on the ships seven-passenger HH-60 helicopter within an hour of the distress call, and minutes later arrived in the vicinity of Young Fu 1. He treated injuries, and the 20 people were brought aboard the helicopter using the helicopters external hoist. The helicopter then flew to Gizo, where the passengers were met by local police and medical personnel to receive further assistance.

OAKLAND HALL TO OPEN ON MAY 2nd
The finishing touches are being made to M.E.B.A.'s San Francisco/Oakland hall and medical clinic. The Union hall will be open on May 2nd in time for job call. Over the past several weeks, the M.E.B.A. clinic has been scheduling appointments for May. The long-awaited opening will be officially celebrated on Tuesday, June 5 after the monthly union meeting. All are welcome. The final job call is May 1 at our temporary offices in the Seafarers' Union of the Pacific Hall in San Francisco. Special thanks go out to our brothers and sisters at the SUP who graciously hosted us for the past several months.

The address of the new hall is 548 Thomas L. Berkley Way, Oakland, CA 94611. The phone number, (415) 421-9620, fax number (415) 543-2022 and Dispatchers number (415) 362-8510/11, are the same as those at the old location. E-mail addresses also remain the same.

REP. FILNER CONDUCTS HEARING ON BELATED THANK YOU MARINER VETERANS BILL
After several years of lobbying by the maritime community and veterans groups, a bill to provide long overdue help for merchant mariners who sailed in World War II, has had its day on the Hill. Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) introduced identical versions of a bill, in the House and Senate respectively, that would provide $1,000 per month, tax-free, to World War II merchant mariners or their widows. The bill, called the Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2007, would also grant them veteran status boosting their monthly credit by $160, thus increasing their monthly Social Security check. The Filner bill is numbered H.R. 23; the Nelson bill has been tagged as S. 961.

Rep. Filners newly designated position as Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee helped bring about the hearing, the first one since Filner first introduced the bill in 2004. Four panels of witnesses delivering testimony before the Committee included Sen. Nelson, former Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, and Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Benefits Admiral Daniel L. Cooper. Also testifying were Bruce Felknor, author of Merchant Marine History 1795-1950, representatives from Merchant Marine veterans associations and a slew of U.S. Merchant Marine combat veterans among others.

Merchant Mariners suffered a higher fatality rate than any other branch of the Armed Forces. Despite this, the U.S. Merchant Marine was not included in the 1944 G.I. Bill of Rights. In 1988, they were finally granted veteran status, but some portions of the G.I. Bill have never been made available to merchant mariners and the lost benefits can never be recouped. While it is impossible to make up for over forty years of unpaid benefits, H.R. 23 will acknowledge the service of the veterans of the Merchant Marine and offer compensation, said Chairman Filner. A wrong has existed for too long and it must be corrected.

M.E.B.A. President Ron Davis, along with the presidents of MM&P, SIU and AMO signed onto a statement submitted for the record praising the bill and urging its passage. The statement pointed out that each of our organizations is lucky to count many of our retirees as World War II merchant mariners -- truly representative of the Greatest Generation. The statement reads that, we are extremely proud of them and the example they have set for all merchant mariners who continue to respond to our Nations call whenever and wherever they are needed.

The maritime union presidents stated that the time has come to make up for the snub to merchant mariners. We believe our country has an obligation to the remaining World War II merchant mariners and to the descendents of those who died during the War and since, to fully acknowledge their service and to give them the measure of benefit called for in H.R. 23. We ask you and your Committee to take the first step in righting this wrong by favorably reporting H.R. 23 to the House of Representatives for its consideration."

M.E.B.A. SHIP FEATURED ON DISCOVERY CHANNEL DEADLIEST CATCH
The M.E.B.A.-crewed car carrier OVERSEAS JOYCE, a vessel managed by OSG, was featured on a recent episode of the Discovery Channels Deadliest Catch series. The high-rated reality show spotlights a series of fishing boats doing their thing in dangerous Alaskan waters. In two recent episodes broadcast this month, the story of the 58-foot fishing boat F/V Ocean Challenger is recounted after it succumbed to a fierce storm in October and sank. The OVERSEAS JOYCE was near Alaskas Aleutian Islands when it picked up the Ocean Challengers mayday call. The JOYCE immediately relayed the call to the Coast Guard which deployed a C-130 airplane, an HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter and a cutter.

The OVERSEAS JOYCE was in sight range of the fishing boat and watched in horror as the 50-knot winds and 30-foot seas took a toll on the Ocean Challenger forcing the four-person crew to spill out of the boat. The Coast Guard soon closed in but were only able to save one life.

The story was told in two parts on the "Deadliest Catch" in episodes entitled A Tragic Beginning and The Unforgiving Sea. The station has rebroadcast the episodes several times and will continue to do so. A Tragic Beginning will next be shown on April 28th and 29th. The Unforgiving Sea can be viewed on the Discovery Channel on April 24th and April 28th. Check your local listings.

FRAUDULENT ACTIVITY IN AMO UNVEILED MEMBERSHIP DECEIVED
Based on trial transcripts of the recent criminal trial involving union officials of the American Maritime Officers (AMO), it appears several AMO membership elections for officers and ballot referendums were illegally manipulated and fraud was committed. The following is a synopsis of what the transcript revealed related to the election fraud for which AMO President Michael McKay was convicted. McKay will begin serving his 6 ½ year prison sentence at the end of April.

The criminal trial transcripts detail that an AMO tallying committee consisting of rank-and-file members would meet at the AMO training facility in Dania, Florida. The tallying committees would generally meet for a two-day period. For instance, in the 1993 AMO general election for union officers, the tally committee reported to the second floor ballroom of the of the AMO Star Center where the ballots were held. The first day was spent reviewing the sealed ballots to determine voter eligibility.

At the end of the first day of review, according to the transcripts, all the ballots were placed into a wooden box which was locked-up and wrapped in tape. The second floor ballroom at the Star Center is encased with a glass wall that faces a long hallway and a tall glass door. There are curtains for the glass walls. These curtains were drawn and blinds on the widows of the room facing to the outside of the building were closed. Then the lights were dimmed and the door to the hallway was locked. In addition, in an apparent show of high security, the AMO leadership would hire a Broward County Sheriff to stand watch at night so that nobody could tamper with the ballots. The police officer was placed at the end of the hallway where there is an entrance to the second floor leading to the ballroom. The police officer was not placed outside the door leading directly into the ballroom.

Below the second floor ballroom are three rooms called Tornado Two, Tornado Three and Tornado Four. In Tornado Four, according to the transcripts, sat at least three union officials and/or AMO employees placed to tamper with the election. Tornado rooms Two and Three were ordered to be left empty. In Tornado Four the union officials possessed all the equipment and tools with which they could fix the election in favor of the incumbent union officials. The equipment and tools included extra ballots and ballot envelopes that were printed in order to stuff the ballot box; a high powered set of lights that was rigged so that the ballots could be read through their envelopes; numerous colored and styled pens and pencils with which fraudulent ballots would be marked; and an extra key to the locked ballot box.

The transcripts disclose that once the building was cleared for the evening, one of the union officials participating in the fraudulent activities would walk up to the second floor ballroom and engage the Broward County police officer in conversation. While the police officer was distracted, one of the officials would sneak-up to the second floor ballroom through an internal fire escape that lead to the room where the ballot box was held. Once in the ballot room, the official would slit the ballot box tape with a straight-edged razor and use the extra key to unlock the box. Then, every ballot was removed from the box and taken back down through the fire escape and into the room where the ballots would be reviewed and in some cases altered.

According to the criminal trial transcripts, the officials would then go to work on reviewing and in some cases changing the ballots. The transcripts expose and show how this was accomplished: The individual ballots were bundled in groups of fifty. The ballots were held in front of the rigged three bulb high-powered light mechanism that would allow the officials to see how each ballot was marked. If the ballot was marked in favor of the incumbent officials then it was placed in one pile. If the ballot was not marked in favor of the incumbents, it was placed in another pile. Once this process was completed, the ballots that were not marked in favor of the incumbents were counted and thrown into a bag. The exact amount of discarded ballots were replaced with the counterfeit ballots which were marked in favor of the incumbent officials and then rebundled. Finally, the same process for removing the ballots from the supposedly secure ballot room was replayed in order to put the ballots back into the ballot box (i.e., engage the sheriff in conversation, post a watch, climb up the internal fire escape and put the ballots back into the box and lock it). The bag of discarded membership ballots were then handed to Joe Gremelsbacker, the current AMO deep sea vice president. According to the transcript, Gremelsbacker would take the ballots to a remote outdoor location, dig a ditch, burn the ballots and then fill in the hole.

The transcripts disclose that the same ballot tampering process that was used in membership elections was also used in ballot referendums like AMOs disaffiliation from National M.E.B.A. A similar process was alleged to have been used to fix collective bargaining agreement ratification votes. Current AMO President Thomas Bethel appears to have been a direct beneficiary of the ballot tampering as were many of the current AMO officials.

Despite this documented history of ballot tampering, fraud and abuse of the membership revealed in the recent McKay criminal trial, it is not obvious that things have changed at AMO. As has been widely reported, the AMO under the leadership of current President Thomas Bethel, has refused to count disqualified ballots in the recent election of officers that appear to be legitimate AMO member ballots. Also worthy of note is that the AMO constitution was changed in order to make Thomas Bethel the appointed president of the union. A picture of shadowy practices, election tampering and leadership abuse has emerged from the transcripts. It appears that AMO members over the years were disqualified from appearing on the ballot and/or fined or thrown out of the union for exercising their democratic rights. It is possible that some of these members would probably be union officials now but for the flagrant actions of the incumbent AMO officials.

HORIZON LINES BOSS CALLS FOR ACTION ON SHORT SEA SHIPPING
Chuck Raymond, President and CEO of M.E.B.A.-contracted company Horizon Lines told a recent industry conference gathering that it is time for action on developing a short sea shipping system in this country before we are overwhelmed by looming intermodal congestion. Raymond spoke before the Journal of Commerce Short Sea Shipping conference in Orlando, FL. M.E.B.A.s Jacksonville Representative Tom Suneson attended the conference for the Union.

Raymond said that the maritime industry is ready to move ahead if regulatory hurdles can be overcome. Container imports are expected to double to more than 30 million TEU in the next decade, which will place tremendous pressure on an already strained transportation infrastructure. It is no longer a question of if our nations transport infrastructure will start to fail, but when, Raymond noted.

As major port gateways and the intermodal rail and highway networks that support them become overly congested and burdened by larger vessels and increased container traffic, short sea shipping services can move cargo from congested ports to ready ports with available capacity. Instead of allowing highway and rail congestion to slow economic growth and harm the environment in the United States, short sea shipping can bring economic growth to new areas. This would add thousands of well-paid trade-related jobs to communities hungry for growth, while at the same time protecting the environment.

This is sustainable development. This is the win-win, Raymond said. We grow the industry. We improve the economy. And we use ocean transportation to protect the environment. Ocean shipping continues to be the most environmentally-sensitive and cost-efficient mode of transportation. Lets use it.

Horizon Lines is adding new ships to its fleet this year, freeing up vessels that could be used as early as 2008 to launch short sea shipping services on the East and Gulf Coasts.

UNIONS GET READY FOR WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY APRIL 28th
On April 28, 2007, the labor movement will once again observe Workers Memorial Day to remember workers who have been killed or injured on the job and to renew the fight for strong safety and health protections. The unions of the AFL-CIO have observed Workers Memorial Day since 1989. Events will be held in communities and workplaces across the country. In addition, trade unionists around the globe are also observing Workers Memorial Day.

The theme of this year's Workers Memorial Day is "Good Jobs, Safe Jobs, It's Time." This year, organizers are highlighting that the promises of safe jobs for American workers has not been met and that key deficiencies in safety and health protections must be addressed.

On an average day, 152 workers lose their lives as a result of workplace injuries and disease, and another 11,507 are injured. Check the AFL-CIOs webpage located at www.aflcio.org/issues/safety/memorial   to see how you can participate on Workers Memorial Day.

NEXT REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday May 7 Boston, Seattle;
Tuesday, May 8 Baltimore, Houston, Jacksonville, San Francisco;
Wednesday, May 9 - Calhoon M.E.B.A. School, Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, May 10 - Los Angeles, New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, May 11 - Honolulu.