In this issue...
Maersk swaps three older ships out...WWII Mariner bill moving?.... News from the Hill...Roadwork in Seattle...ILWU workers get deal...Breaking away, we shift into a higher gear as we peddle the latest issue in our weekly news cycle. Dont fly over the handlebars and get huffy with off-pace, juiced-up newsletters that pull your chain. We put the brakes on them and set the wheels in motion, as we race ahead with a yellow-jersey edition. Come pop a wheelie with the ten-speed Telex Times its a Tour-de-Force!

SWAP-OUT MAKING MAERSK MSP FLEET YOUNGER
Maersk Line, Ltd. is changing out a trio of aging containerships from its U.S. fleet with larger, more modern vessels that will bring down the average age of the ships enrolled in the Maritime Security Program. Three E-class vessels are being swapped out for G-class ships from Maersks foreign fleet. The M/V ENDURANCE headed off for overseas service this week. Her M.E.B.A. crew disembarked and boarded the MAERSK GUERNSEY which will be renamed to the MAERSK MONTANA. In early August, the M/V ENDEAVOR will wrap up its U.S. service and will be replaced by the MAERSK GOSFORTH a vessel to be rechristened as the MAERSK OHIO. In late August, members will vacate the M/V ENTERPRISE and crew up the MAERSK GREENOCK. The GREENOCK will soon be known as the MAERSK IOWA.

MM VETERANS BILL MAY GET GOOD NEWS NEXT WEEK
M.E.B.A. has received word from sources on Capitol Hill that H.R. 23, the Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II, may be considered on the House Floor next week. The bill was introduced by Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA),

After languishing for nearly a year since it was reintroduced, the bill finally received a Congressional Budget Office cost analysis, known as a 'score', that indicated that the expected costs for the program were significantly lower than previous estimates had concluded. As written, CBO states that H.R. 23 should cost $120 million in its first year, and a total of $485 million through 2012.

While this is an important step, H.R. 23 still has a considerable way to go before enactment. The Senate has not touched their version of the bill since it was introduced earlier in the year by Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE). Despite having 43 co-sponsors, it is uncertain when the Veterans Committee in the Senate will take up the legislation. M.E.B.A., along with the rest of maritime labor, has sent letters supporting the bill, and will be closely monitoring its progress.

TWIC PROVISIONS IN HOMELAND SECURITY BILL
As Congress furiously tries tovwrap up work before the August recess, a variety of maritime issues have been addressed on a number of bills.

As of press time, the House of Representatives had almost completed its debate on the conference report to H.R. 1, the Implementation of Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission bill. This bill originally passed the House back in January as part of the Democrats' "100 Hours" program. It passed the Senate on July 9. Included in the bill are a number of provisions that affect the maritime industry. One of these provisions codifies the list of disqualifying crimes that would make an individual ineligible to receive a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). Other provisions would require 100% screening for security and terrorism risks of maritime cargo over the next 5 years. Maritime labor and the rest of the maritime industry have been working diligently with members of the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees to ensure that whatever provisions are enacted into law do not disrupt commerce or cost mariners their jobs while providing little increase in overall safety. It was expected that the House would clear the conference report today, with the Senate taking it up next week. Once both Houses approve the legislation, it will be on its way to the President's desk.

MONEY FOR MSP IN APPROPS BILL
On July 25th, the House passed the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill for FY 2008. Included in the bill was $156 million for the Maritime Security Program, which represents full funding for the program. This was a major victory for the M.E.B.A. and for maritime labor, which led the efforts to secure full funding for the program. The President's budget request asked for $154.45 million for the program, which represented a 1% cut. Under the provisions of the program, any funding shortfalls could result in a decrease in the number of ships in the program, which would have meant lost jobs for maritime labor. Thanks to the hard work of the maritime unions, that 1% was restored in both the House and Senate versions of the bill. The Senate's version was reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 16th.

FARM BILL PASSES WITHOUT WATERED-DOWN FOOD AID
The House today also passed the 2007 Farm Bill, which reauthorizes a variety of farm related legislation. For the past few weeks, the maritime industry has been working behind the scenes to defeat a number of attempts by some members of Congress to divert money from the PL-480 Food for Peace program to create a cash-based pilot program. The food aid generated by PL-480 is key piece of preference cargo that helps to maintain the U.S. Merchant Marine. Proponents of the cash-based pilot program claim that providing cash will be quicker and more efficient than providing the U.S. grown and shipped commodities that PL-480 currently requires. However, these proponents ignore the inherent risks associated with providing large direct cash payments to third world countries, such as corruption, and the market distorting effects that cash can have on struggling economies. After a strong push by the M.E.B.A., American Maritime Congress and the rest of a coalition of maritime and agricultural interests and thanks to the work of a bipartisan group of members of Congress, the Farm Bill passed Thursday night without this pilot program. The Senate is expected to take the Farm Bill up after the August recess.

MAJOR ROADWORK MAY HAMPER VISTS TO SEATTLE HALL IN AUGUST
Major construction on a freeway that feeds into the Seattle union hall will likely delay travelers visiting the hall for a 2 ½ week stretch in August. Washington State is getting the word out early about this roadwork admitting that it will have significant effects on traffic in the Puget Sound area. At 10 p.m. on Friday, August 10 through Wednesday, August 29, there will be round-the-clock lane closures on northbound I-5 between Spokane Street and I-90.

Work crews are repairing and replacing expansion joints along the route and removing lead-based paint from the underside of the I-5 bridge. At night, they will be closing lanes in both directions of I-5 to install signs, locate unstable concrete on northbound lanes and repair southbound expansion joints.

The hall will be operating on a normal business schedule throughout the closures. From August 10 through the 17th, Mike Bass from the Plans Office in Baltimore will be helping out at the hall from 8 a.m. each morning. Its a good idea to call ahead when visiting the hall. You can visit the Washington State Department of Transportation website at www.wsdot.wa.gov to learn more about the road closure.

WEST COAST HALLS HONOR HARRY BRIDGES
West Coast union halls were closed today in honor of the birth of labor giant Harry Bridges. Bridges was born on July 28, 1901. He was a larger-than-life figure who was active on the waterfront for well over 50 years. He was a looming presence during the events surrounding Bloody Thursday in 1934 that resulted in vastly improved labor conditions and established the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union (ILWU) in 1937. He died in 1990.

NEW DEAL FOR ILWU OFFICE WORKERS PENDING RATIFICATION
Negotiators for almost a thousand members of the Office Clerical Unit of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union's Local 63 (ILWU-OCU) reached a tentative labor deal with shippers this week thus averting a strike at the Ports of L.A./Long Beach. Local 63 handles bookings for the export of cargo and other transport documents. The old agreement expired on June 30th but both sides doggedly pursued a new deal. The rank and file authorized their leaders to call a strike after the old deal expired and the ILWU and other maritime unions prepared to stand by Local 63 in that event. Local 63 President John Fageaux Jr. who led the unions negotiating team said that, "Both sides worked very, very hard in an effort to not have a strike. The last thing the union wanted to do was to put people out of work and have such a devastating effect on the local and national economy."

The new language adds more punch to workers health care and pension protections, gives them a raise for the life of the contract and inserts a no lay-off clause into the contract. The new agreement must still be ratified by members.

The ILWU is getting an early start on its own negotiations for a new contract with the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA). Their current six-year deal expires in July 2008. Those agreement talks in 2002 almost sparked a national crisis after the PMA locked out the union leading to federal intervention.

ILWU President Bob McEllrath and his counterpart at PMA Jim McKenna have agreed to begin talks in early 2008, hoping to provide enough time to address the substantive issues on the table well in advance of the contract's expiration.

The contract covers wages, benefits and conditions of employment for ILWU members working at 29 West Coast ports in California, Oregon and Washington. The PMA and its member companies are committed to good faith negotiations with the ILWU that will result in a win-win contract for management, for workers and for the U.S. economy," said McKenna, whose organization represents cargo carriers, terminal operators and stevedores operating on the West Coast. "We're pleased the ILWU has agreed to sit down with us early to pursue a waterfront contract agreement without interruption."

STEWART HINDLEY MAKES FINAL VOYAGE
Stewart Hindley, a popular West Coast M.E.B.A. member who recently retired after a productive career, has died following a diving accident off the Channel Islands.

Perceptive and dynamic, Stewart Hindley shaped an identity for himself as seaman, professor, writer, photographer, engineer, visionary, naturalist, activist, filmmaker, and explorer. Above all, Stewart lived life as both a keen observer and an ardent participant. He worked his way up through the focsle, beginning as a wiper in the engine room and eventually earning his Chief Engineers License for Steam, Motor, or Gas Turbine Vessels of Any Horsepower. After a hiatus from the sea, he returned as a port engineer in Oakland and Puerto Rico and served as senior port engineer for the Port of Tacoma for nine years until his retirement in 2005, commuting between Washington and California so as not to uproot his family.

A charismatic, generous, and outgoing person, he savored life and filled all who knew him with a contagious enthusiasm. His spirit lives on with those whose lives he touched. A celebration of Stewarts life is planned later this summer. His family suggests that memorial donations be made to the Sonoma Ecology Center or Bouverie Preserve.

OMB WEBSITE PRAISES THREE MARAD PROGRAMS
In its ExpectMore.gov website, the Office of Management and Budget has praised three programs run by the Maritime Administration. The website was set up to detail which federal programs are meeting success and which are falling short of their goals. It also enumerates what solutions the agencies are taking to improve performance.

The site pinpointed MarAds Maritime Security Program, its efforts on ship disposal and its support of state maritime schools as Effective earning the highest marks.

Regarding MSP, ExpectMore.gov called it an effective program that targets its resources to vessels that are militarily useful in times of need. It replaced complicated reimbursement schemes in a predecessor program with a set per vessel subsidy capped by law. The site did note, however, that the MSP needs to employ a better metric to track program execution. To improve the program, the site says, the Government is tracking MSP's contribution to DOD's commercial sealift requirement through the use of MSP performance measures to aid evaluation of the program's vessel mix. They are also monitoring MSP agreements and, when appropriate, modifying those agreements, including substitution of vessels with DOD approval, to ensure that the MSP is meeting DOD's needs.

The Ship Disposal Program was lauded for its effectiveness in removing the high priority ships from the Ghost Fleet and for helping to bring down the average costs of dismantling contracts. The agency plans to continue seeking innovative ways to rid the rotting ships from their watery graveyards.

MarAds partnership with state maritime schools in its quest to continue to fuel the nations Merchant Marine with new blood was also praised. The State Maritime School program effectively targets Federal resources, the website reveals, in a well-defined, cost-shared partnership with the State maritime academies to produce highly qualified officers for the US Merchant Marine. Of the 370 graduates in 2005, 29 accepted tuition aid stipends requiring post-graduate commitments for maritime industry employment and active military reservist status.

MERPAC SCHEDULES SEPTEMBER MEETS AT CALHOON SCHOOL
The Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC) has scheduled a two-day meeting in September at the Calhoon M.E.B.A. Engineering School. The Committee plans to discuss various issues relating to the training and fitness of merchant marine personnel. MERPAC advises the Secretary of Homeland Security on matters relating to the training, qualifications, licensing, and certification of seamen serving in the U.S. merchant marine.

The meetings are set for on Tuesday, September 11, 2007, from 8:30 a.m.  to 4:30 p.m., and on Wednesday, September 12, 2007, from 8:30 to 3:30 p.m. Both meetings will take place in the auditorium and will be open to the public.

For further information contact Mark Gould at (202) 372-1409.

NEXT REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday August 6 - Boston, Seattle;
Tuesday, August 7 - Baltimore, Houston, Jacksonville, San Francisco;
Wednesday, August 8 - Calhoon School, Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, August 9 - L.A., New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, August 10 - Honolulu.