In this issue...
Excelerate expands fleet...M.E.B.A. testifies at LNG hearing... TWIC, MMC news...FRC wraps up work...In a true original, peerless edition we authenticate the bona fide, genuine articles of the maritime week, chapter and verse. Don't let bogus competitors masquerading as legit fake you out with phony, knock-off news. Accept no substitute! Often imitated but never duplicated, the one-of-a-kind Telex Times is the real McCoy!

EXCELERATE FURTHER EXPANDS ITS LNG FLEET
M.E.B.A.s newest contracted company Excelerate Energy has announced that they have reached an agreement with Exmar N.V. of Antwerp, Belgium to take an equity interest in three additional Energy Bridge vessels capable of shipboard regasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG). This move would expand Excelerate Energys fleet to a total of nine vessels worth nearly $2 billion - essentially giving the company control of 2.5% of the worlds LNG shipping fleet. The Unions agreement with the company puts M.E.B.A. deck and engine officers aboard LNG vessels in the Excelerate fleet. M.E.B.A. President Ron Davis called Excelerate a forward-thinking company that is becoming a player in the global LNG market. They are making an investment in the future and the future looks bright.

Excelerate Energy currently has three Energy Bridge vessels and one conventional LNG carrier in service, with two additional Energy Bridge vessels under construction and slated for delivery in the spring of 2008 and 2009, respectively. The specially designed regasification vessels use Excelerate Energys proprietary Energy Bridge technology that allows LNG to be revaporized to gas onboard the ships so that it can be directly fed into natural gas pipelines.

The agreement between Exmar and Excelerate Energy includes two ships ordered by Exmar in 2006 as well as an order for an additional ship. These three ships will be delivered between the third quarter of 2009 and the second quarter of 2010 and be named EXQUISITE, EXEMPLAR, and EXPEDIENT. Excelerate Energys growing fleet will be used to serve the proprietary LNG market access points in the Excelerate GasNet, the companys trading and logistics platform.

These additions to our fleet demonstrate Excelerate Energys commitment to remain a leader in worldwide LNG floating regasification, said Kathleen Eisbrenner, President and CEO of Excelerate Energy. This expanded fleet, combined with our ship-to-ship transfer capabilities, increases our unparalleled flexibility and access to markets around the world.

Growing our fleet is critical as we look to supply our Northeast Gateway project in Massachusetts Bay while we expand our operations in Asia, South America and Europe, said Rob Bryngelson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Excelerate Energy. With all nine ships in operation, we can serve multiple market access points at any given time.

Excelerate Energys fleet is operated by Exmar NV, an independent shipping company serving the gas and oil industries, based in Belgium. The ships will be built in South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd (DSME).

"Increasing Excelerate Energys shipping assets will provide additional job opportunities for U.S. mariners as we progress our initiative toward integrating U.S. mariners into the crews of the Energy Bridge fleet," said Jonathan Cook, Vice President - Operations and Marine Services for Excelerate Energy.

In addition to traditional land-based LNG terminals where Excelerate Energy can deliver its cargo, the company continues to build a network of proprietary facilities that take advantage of its flexible Energy Bridge technology, including Gulf Gateway Deepwater Port 116 miles off Louisiana coast (deliveries began March 2005), Teesside GasPort in Northern England (deliveries began Feb. 2007) and Northeast Gateway Deepwater Port 13 miles off the Massachusetts coast (deliveries to begin Dec. 2007)

Excelerate Energy is also the only company to have successfully performed commercial ship-to-ship transfers of LNG. The ability to transfer LNG ship to ship, at traditional offloading facilities or by on-board regasification directly into gas networks gives the company a competitive advantage over other LNG carriers.

The Excelerate GasNet provides its Members the equivalent of a flexible, global pipeline that can transport LNG from virtually any point and reliably ensure delivery to the highest value markets around the world; flexibly, efficiently, reliably and safely.

M.E.B.A. RELATES NEED FOR U.S. MARINERS IN LNG INDUSTRY AT CONGRESSIONAL FIELD HEARING
M.E.B.A. testified before a Congressional subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this week at a field hearing staged in Baltimore, MD. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) chaired the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation subcommittee hearing, that focused on the safety and security of LNG and its impact on port operations. M.E.B.As Deputy General Counsel William Doyle, who is also an M.E.B.A. member, testified at the hearing. He pointed out that there is a worldwide shortage of qualified LNG personnel outside of the U.S. and that as the global fleet expands, concerns about the quality of education and training standards for the international LNG mariner pool are on the rise. That dangerous combination could help foster an upswing of accidents on the high seas. M.E.B.A. also testified that the current system of vetting foreign mariners is so feeble that Americans cannot be certain that foreign crews are as trustworthy and safe as they claim to be. Doyle testified that, U.S. merchant mariners, on the other hand, receive their credentials to work from the U.S. Coast Guard foreign seafarers do not. U.S. mariners undergo extensive background checks through the FBI foreign seafarers do not. U.S. mariners are vetted through the National Driver Record Database. Foreign seafarers are not. Soon, U.S. mariners will be subject to terrorism background checks through the TSA. Foreign seafarers will not. Finally, U.S. merchant mariners are U.S. citizens or persons lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residency. The mariners crewing most of these LNG tankers are not.

The solution that Brother Doyle presented to the Subcommittee is to use U.S. mariners on LNG vessels calling on U.S. ports. Immediately this step would go a long way to resolving many of the security concerns tied in with an LNG industry that is rapidly expanding. He took the opportunity to extend praise to foreign-flag LNG operators who reach out to incorporate U.S. mariners into their crewing practices. In particular, he cited one such company, Excelerate Energy, which is ahead of the curve with its recent agreement with our Union to utilize M.E.B.A. deck and engine officers aboard their vessels.

The Maritime Administration, under the leadership of Sean Connaughton, has worked hard to open up avenues facilitating such cooperation. The agencys role in promoting a U.S. presence in the international LNG industry has been invaluable. Doyle recommended that Congress legislate a role for MarAd for the oversight and permitting of land based LNG terminals.

Lawmakers who attended the field hearing included, Chairman Cummings, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-OH), and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD). Others speaking before the panel included Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Maryland Governor Martin OMalley. M.E.B.A.s Baltimore Branch Agent Bill McHugh attended the hearing and networked with the large contingent of Maryland legislators and staff members among others.

The hearing was the second in a span of just over a month in which M.E.B.A. spoke before Congress concerning LNG. In late March, M.E.B.A. President Ron Davis testified before the House Homeland Security Committee advocating an enhanced presence for Americans aboard LNG vessels.

FRC WRAPS UP WEEK OF WORK
The six-person rank and file Financial Review Committee, elected by members at the April meetings, wrapped up a full week of work at M.E.B.A. Headquarters on Friday. The Committee signed off on a report that will be sent to each of the Union halls and voted upon at the regular monthly membership meetings in May. In one of the Democratic safeguards adopted by the M.E.B.A. in the mid-1990s, an annual FRC gathers at Headquarters to review union finances. This year, the committee consisted of Claude Pfeffer (Baltimore), Travis Ellis (Houston), Charles Feist (New Orleans), Joe McElhinney, Jr. (New York), Colin Murray (San Francisco) and Courtney Lamm (Seattle). Brother McElhinney served as Committee Chairman. Brother Ellis was randomly picked as the alternate and he served as the Secretary of the Committee.

ELECTRONIC CARD READERS WONT BE READY FOR START OF TWIC PROGRAM
Representatives of three agencies within the Homeland Security Department told Congress this week that the implementation of electronic card readers to verify Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) cards is behind schedule and that the launch of the TWIC program will commence without them. The TWIC is a biometric credential that will be issued to transportation workers to allow them unescorted access to secure areas of vessels and terminal facilities. TWIC implementation is scheduled for September 2008.

In a joint statement of Customs, Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration officials acknowledged that technological problems have slowed down the schedule for implementation of the card readers at ports across the country. They noted that the readers would have to undergo additional field tests, technology approvals and additional public comment. They did not offer up a timeline for the introduction of the readers but pointed out that until the technology is fully realized and available the cards would be checked the old-fashioned way. In the interim, workers seeking unescorted access to secure areas will present their cards to authorized personnel, who will compare the photo, inspect security features on the card, and evaluate the card for signs of tampering. They also pointed out that, At facilities with various sophisticated access control systems, the magnetic stripe on the credential could be used to grant or deny access at entry gates. The Coast Guard will also institute periodic unannounced checks to confirm the identity of the holder of the TWIC.

MARITIME UNIONS FORWARD ADDITIONAL MMC CONCERNS
Although M.E.B.A. and other unions have forwarded individual comments concerning the implementation of the new Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC), the unions have signed onto joint comments filed with the Coast Guard in order to emphasize areas of particular importance. The Coast Guard plans to consolidate all of the current merchant mariner documents the Merchant Mariner Document (Z-card), License, STCW endorsement and Certificate of Registry into a single document that would be used in conjunction with the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).

M.E.B.A. President Ron Davis, along with the Presidents of SIU, SUP, MFOW, MM&P & AMO signed onto the statement that, among other things, expressed concerns that the MMC effective date may be a little optimistic. Because the MMC proposal is so intertwined with TWIC, the presidents recommend that MMC implementation be delayed until well after the implementation of TWIC. They say that the full effect of TWIC will not be fully understood for many months after it comes into effect and that the agency should hold off on the MMC implementation for at least one year.

Another concern is that the MMC should be modified with a biometric identifier to make it compliant with international conventions, especially the ILO. They said that, Such a modification would allow the MMC to serve as the Seafarers Identity Document under ILO C-185, important to U.S. mariner shore leave in foreign ports and for which the TWIC will not suffice.

Another point made in the comments is the unions belief that the Coast Guard should think about excising from the MMC the application requirement of self-disclosure of criminal history. Since the TWIC will now add a new criminal background check to existing checks, and since all applications now undergo these checks, the Coast Guard needs neither self-disclosure nor its expansive definition of conviction to ensure the safety and suitability of the mariner. The unions wrap up their thoughts by commenting that the development of the MMC represents an opportunity to make the mariner credentialing system more transparent, predictable, and fair.

USCG ACCEPTANCE OF PRIVATELY PRODUCED CERTIFICATES OF DISCHARGE
M.E.B.A. has recently learned that some of the membership may be experiencing difficulty where the local U.S.C.G Regional Examination Center (REC) is not accepting the computer generated Certificates of Discharge (CoD) privately produced on board the vessel by the Ship Operating Company.

The regulation that prescribes the form for a CoD may be found at 46 CFR Chapter 1§14.307. This regulation allows for computer generated CoDs provided they are in the same general format and contain the same information as the present form CG-718A (Rev. 3-85).

M.E.B.A. has been notified that Mr. Stewart A. Walker, Chief of the Guidance & Quality Assurance Division at the National Maritime Center has already advised the RECs of the regulation requirements. Mr. Walker goes on to recommend that if the mariner is still having a problem, the mariner should request to speak to the supervisor at the REC and state his/her case. Failing that, the mariner has the right to appeal the decision of the REC.

M.E.B.A. will follow-up on these developments and report additional information/guidance as it becomes available. If a member has computer generated CoDs from your employer in your possession, the member may want to make a copy of the attached CFR regulation to bring with them to the REC as supporting documentation.

AMO BENEFIT PLAN CONTRIBUTIONS PILFERED FOR LAVISH ITEMS
In our continuing review of criminal trial transcripts of disgraced American Maritime Officers President Michael McKay, who recently resigned from that post, and his brother Bobby McKay, it was revealed that the duo milked AMO Plans for tens of thousands of dollars which were then spent on luxury items such as decorative china-table settings among many other items. The pair is set to go up the river on Monday to begin their respective prison sentences.

Briefly, benefit plans monies include contributions that are made into accounts by employers for the benefit of union members. Mariners spend months at a time at sea away from home in order to provide for their families. Working under a collective bargaining agreement, mariners receive medical coverage through contributions placed into the benefit plans accounts. They also received pension credits for each day of employment while working on a vessel. The monetary contributions paid into medical and pension plans are part of mariners compensation package. For instance, for each day of back-breaking work aboard ship a mariner has monetary contributions paid into an account for their benefit whether it be for medical coverage, pension credits or otherwise. Benefit Plan contributions are strictly regulated by federal law. Benefit contribution accounts are to be utilized for training, health and welfare purposes and are not to be dipped into for the purposes of purchasing lavish items. According to the criminal trial transcripts, it appears the AMO leadership crossed this sacred line.

There are numerous examples of AMO benefit plans money being used for illegal purposes in the criminal transcripts. By way of just one example, the transcripts reveal the following with respect to AMO Plans monies being used to purchase china:

In 1999 the AMO was gearing up for its 50th anniversary. As part of this gala event, the AMO decided to purchase commemorative china that would have the AMO emblem placed in the middle of each place setting. At first, the proposed purchase of the lavish items for tens of thousands of dollars with AMO plans monies was rejected. However, according to the transcripts, it appears that the AMO union-side officials and trustees cooked up a plan to have the Board of Trustees approve the expenditure for new china, glassware and gold-tipped silverware. A Board of Trustees, for labor purposes, usually consists of an equal number of representatives for the union and signatory companies. According to the transcripts, the AMO union officials who approved the expenditure of benefit plans monies for the lavish items included, Thomas Bethel, Daniel Smith and Robert Kiefer. Thomas Bethel now serves as the non-membership-elected but controversially-appointed President of the AMO. Daniel Smith now serves as the executive vice president and Robert Kiefer serves as the national assistant vice president at large.

The transcripts continue with story after story of luxurious items being purchased by benefit plans money such as illegal bonuses being paid; parties being thrown including a bachelor party that included female entertainment; sporting event season tickets; boats; scuba equipment and so on. The members at AMO work hard to put food on the table like all mariners and deserve better from their leadership.

THREE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS GREET FRC AT HQ
A strong relationship with many lawmakers coupled with the location of our building at the doorstep of Capitol Hill has made it convenient for Members of Congress to stop by M.E.B.A. Headquarters for visits. While the six-person FRC was in town this week, three labor and maritime-friendly Members of Congress came by Headquarters to talk with officials, staff and the rank and file Committee. Congressman Mike Michaud (D-ME), serving in his third term, is a lifelong union member (paper mill workers who are now part of the Steelworkers). He represents Bangor and part of the eastern coast of Maine. He serves on the Transportation & Infrastructure, Veterans Affairs and Small Business committees. Rep. Michaud (pronounced Me-Shoo) discussed trade, LNG issues and the Employee Free Choice Act among other things. He has been a strong supporter of M.E.B.A. and the maritime industry and told members that he is grateful that M.E.B.A. has be there for him and that his door is always open to us.

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) also stopped by on Tuesday soon after Rep. Michaud arrived. His district includes Aker Philadelphia Shipyard. Rep. Murphy took time out from the ongoing debate on the recent Iraq funding bill to join our members. Members had an interesting conversation with Rep. Murphy on a variety of issues and in fact it was discovered that FRC member Travis Ellis served on one of the vessels that helped carry troops and equipment for the 82nd Airborne to Iraq. Rep. Murphy was a captain with the 82nd Airborne and later received a Bronze Star. The Congressman had to cut his visit short so that he could dash back to Capitol Hill to continue the Iraq debate. Because Rep. Murphy is the only Iraq War veteran in Congress, he was quoted extensively in the national press later that day concerning his opinions on the Iraq funding bill.

On Wednesday, M.E.B.A. welcomed Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA) who represents parts of Los Angeles County. A card-carrying member of the IBEW, her father was with the machinists and she is a strong labor union advocate. She is one of the funniest members of congress and members at the meeting reveled at her bawdy humor. Rep. Sanchez is the chair of a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee and is helping to oversee the probe of the Attorney-General firings. In addition, pension and labor issues were among other topics of discussion.

M.E.B.A. VESSEL FEATURED IN UPCOMING HISTORY CHANNEL OFFERING
M.E.B.As Government Fleet Representative Randi Ciszewski informed the Telex Times that the USNS GRAPPLE, a salvage ship for the Military Sealift Command, is featured in an upcoming cable TV show. The vessel is crewed by M.E.B.A. civilian mariners in the engine room. The History Channels Modern Marvels program in an episode entitled Deep Sea Salvage will be broadcast on May 2nd at 10 P.M. ET/PT. The show will also feature the USS SALVOR, which was then a Navy salvage ship that has since been turned over to the MSC, renamed to the USNS SALVOR and crewed with M.E.B.A. officers. Check your local listings.

MARAD MOVES ITS OFFICES
The Maritime Administration moved out of its offices in LEnfant Plaza in Washington D.C. to its new location near the Washington Navy Yard. The new address is: Maritime Administration; West Building, Federal Plaza Center; 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE; Washington, DC 20590. The e-mail addresses wont changer but new phone numbers will be assigned. They can still be reached at 1-800-99-MARAD.

WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY IS TOMORROW
Tomorrow is Workers Memorial Day, a day set up to commemorate workers who died or were injured in the past year. As part of the day of remembrance, community and union members from around the world will participate in hundreds of events to remember local workers and draw attention to the "unfulfilled promise" of worker safety.

This week, two hearings were held in Congress to investigate current job safety protections in the United States. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives had a hearing on whether OSHA standards are keeping up with workplace hazards. On Thursday, the Senate held a hearing on the state of workplace safety and health protections.

In 2005, 4.2 million workers were injured and 5,734 workers were killed due to job hazards. Another 50,000-60,000 died due to occupational diseases. On an average day, 152 workers lose their lives as a result of workplace injuries and disease, and another 11,507 injured. Visit the special Workers Memorial Day page set up off AFL-CIO website and accessed directly at www.afl-cio.org/issues/safety/memorial.

S.F. HALLS LAST DAY ON HARRISON STREET IS MAY 1
The San Francisco hall will have its last job call at its present location at 450 Harrison Street on Tuesday May 1. Officials and staff will then shift over to the new location in Oakland that afternoon and be ready for job call the next day at 548 Thomas L. Berkley Way. The hall has been completed and furniture is being moved in. 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 are also unchanged. The Diagnostic Center, too, retains its phone number, (415) 974-6810.

The official christening party for the long-awaited hall will be on Tuesday, June 5 following the regular membership meeting. Everybody is welcome to attend.

Special thanks go out to our brothers and sisters at the Sailors Union of the Pacific (SUP) who graciously hosted us on Harrison Street for the past several months. Their hospitality is very much appreciated! M.E.B.A. officials and members in San Francisco have been unanimous in their praise for the SUP and the strengthened relationship between our two unions.

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.