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

MEBA TELEX TIMES       JANUARY 18, 2008

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 3

In this issue...
Wages upped for members on two M-Ships vessels...Congress takes up Defense bill again...Jobs on HAYES & WATERS...M.E.B.A. license plates for Texas members...Smile! We zoom in on a candid snapshot of the industry in a wide-angle issue of news flashes suitable for framing. Don't ruin your image with unphotogenic, negative newsletters that make you lose your focus. Come see what develops as we make them shutter and expose those red-eyed, pixilated posers with a close-up of the latest maritime Kodak moments. Say cheese! Always camera-ready, the Instamatic Telex Times is picture perfect!

NEWLY INKED MOU SECURES WAGE INCREASES FOR MEMBERS ON M-SHIPS MSP VESSELS
M.E.B.A. President Don Keefe finalized an agreement with M-Ships today securing wage increases for members sailing aboard two vessels operating in the Maritime Security Program. The ALLIANCE NORFOLK and the ALLIANCE ST. LOUIS are two brand new pure car/truck carriers crewed by expert M.E.B.A. deck and engine officers. The Memorandum of Understanding provides for a 3% total labor cost increase effective January 1, 2008. It also includes a bump up in the Medical Contribution Rate effective July 1, 2008.

HALLS, OFFICES CLOSED ON MONDAY FOR MLK DAY
M.E.B.A. Union halls and offices are closed on Monday in honor of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. The following statement was issued by the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Department and its President Edward Wytkind. M.E.B.A. is a founding member of the TTD which represents 35 member unions in the maritime, aviation, rail, transit, trucking, highway, longshore, and related industries.

"Martin Luther King, Jr.'s message of courage and conviction is no less relevant today than it ever was. His prophetic teachings continue to inspire generations of Americans to fight for social and economic justice, for better lives, and for a better America. On the holiday to remember Dr. King, it is right that Transportation Labor renew its commitment to fight the battles that need fighting. Years of neglect have ushered in an era of ignored needs and weakened rights of workers, and a focus on a privileged few at the expense of many. We must always choose the right path, never the path of least resistance.

"It is up to us to choose between investing in our economy and infrastructure or watching it crumble beneath us; between justice for all or privilege for the few; between a voice for all Americans or domination by the powerful; and between restoring the American dream or acquiescing to the destruction of our middle class. Dr. King famously stated that 'the time is always right to do what is right,' and that 'our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.' As we honor Dr. King, let his words continue to inspire our work to lift the lives of working men and women."

DEFENSE BILL A STEP CLOSER TO LAW - IMPORTANT PROVISION PROTECTS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
A $696 billion Defense Reauthorization bill subjected to a Presidential pocket veto several weeks back is close to Congressional passage after a provision objectionable to the White House was removed.

The President exercised the veto based on language in the bill he felt could be used to help freeze Iraqi assets in the U.S. due to legal action. The provision was rewritten and this week, the House checked off on the revised bill. The Senate won't convene until Tuesday but it is expected that the rewritten bill will gain quick approval in the upper chamber before being sent to the President for his signature.

Unfortunately included in the bill is a Defense Department vessel leasing provision that the maritime industry opposes. This would create an additional layer of paperwork involved in Military Sealift Command vessel contracting further complicating the process for companies bidding for MSC work.

One of the beneficial provisions in the Defense bill is a rewrite of the National Security Personnel System (NSPS) that will help protect collective bargaining rights. M.E.B.A. has been fighting for this protection ever since the original enactment of NSPS in 2003.

HOUSTON HALL GAUGING MEMBER INTEREST IN M.E.B.A.-TEXAS LICENSE PLATE
M.E.B.A.'s Union hall in Houston would like to root out members, applicants and retirees who live in Texas who might be interested in a special M.E.B.A. license plate. A specialty plate is already available to members in Maryland. You can take a look at that one by visiting the following website: www.marylandmva.com/VehicleServ/SpecialtyPlates/displayPlateDetails.asp? PLAT EID=753. The cost for such a plate in Texas would be $30 a year.

If you have a valid driver's license for the state of Texas and want an M.E.B.A. license plate on your family vehicles, please contact the Houston Hall's Branch Agent Dana Woodruff by e-mail at dwoodruff@d1meba.org. 

POSITIONS AVAILABLE ABOARD USNS HAYES & WATERS
Patriot Contract Services, LLC is accepting resumes for positions on the USNS HAYES and USNS WATERS. The HAYES will turn over to Patriot operation on approximately February 28th. The vessel operates in and out of Port Canaveral, FL. The WATERS will turn over to Patriot on approximately April 30th. The vessel splits time between the Pacific and Atlantic, operating from Hawaii and Southern California when in the Pacific, and from Port Canaveral, Florida when in the Atlantic. Completion of the Government Operations Course, HAZMAT, Damage Control, MSC Environmental Programs, CBRD and CPR & AED Certification are required for these positions. Individuals must be eligible for a SECRET security clearance. For further information, send questions or a resume by e-mail to john.howe@asmhq.com,  or fax your resume 877-573-1094.

NEW TWIC CENTERS KEEP POPPING UP
Another slew of TWIC Centers have come on line since last week as the September 25th, 2008 date approaches when transportation workers must carry a TWIC. Opening up this week were centers in Huntington, WV; International Falls, MN; Morehead City, NC; Ontonagon, MI; Victoria, TX; Kahului, Maui, HI; Port Canaveral, FL; and Portland, OR. Next week, following the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, centers will open in Bourne, MA; Green Bay, WI; Pittsburgh, PA; Texas City, TX and Kauai, HI. Before the end of the month, centers are scheduled to open in Salisbury, MD; Toledo, OH; Miami, FL; Muskegon, MI and Vicksburg, MS.

As M.E.B.A. mariners well know, the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program was implemented to ensure that any individual who has unescorted access to secure areas of port facilities and vessels has received a thorough background check and is not a security threat. Nationwide, more than 1 million workers with unescorted access to secure areas will apply for TWIC during the rest of 2008.

Some 50 ports are currently enrolling people through the program, which began on Oct. 16, 2007. Ultimately, established fixed enrollment centers will be in place at 147 ports along with mobile enrollment centers at dozens of other locations as needed.

Members can pre-enroll for TWIC online at www.tsa.gov/twic or the Coast Guard's Homeport site, http://homeport.uscg.mil. Pre-enrolling speeds up the process by allowing workers to provide biographic information and schedule a time to complete the application process in person. This eliminates waiting at enrollment centers and reduces the time it takes to enroll.

ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY FLOATS TOUGHER BALLAST RULES
Regulations proposed by the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) would require all oceangoing ships entering the U.S. sector of the St. Lawrence Seaway beginning with the start of the 2008 navigation season to take new measures to prevent the introduction of invasive species. The new proposal would require vessels to flush ballast tanks containing only small amounts of water or sediment with saltwater in an area 200 nautical miles from any North American shore before entering the Seaway.

The proposal also would increase the number of ship inspections for ocean-going vessels performed in Montreal by inspectors from the U.S.-Canadian Seaway Corporations, the U.S. Coast Guard and Transport Canada. Additional inspections would be required for these 'salties' making secondary transits and the percentage of tanks subject to inspection would increase. And it requires all ships entering the Seaway to measure the salinity levels of their tanks to assure that there is a sufficiently high concentration of salt in the ballast water to {blocked} invasive species.

Under the proposed rules, ships that fail to saltwater flush may either return to the open ocean to conduct a ballast water exchange or must retain the ballast in their on-board tanks. Non-compliant ships could be fined up to $36,625 per incident by the SLSDC, Johnson added.

The public will have until January 30 to comment on the notice of proposed rulemaking. A final rule will be published in late March, prior to the start of the 2008 navigation season. The notice of proposed rulemaking can be found online at www.regulations.gov. 

LAST CHANCE TO PAY DUES BEFORE DIC MEETS
The District Investigating Committee (DIC) will be meeting next week and are prepared to deal harshly with members who haven't been paying their dues. Any member or applicant two or more years in arrears on his or her dues and/or service charges WILL BE DROPPED from the membership or applicant rolls. If you are in arrears and desire to retain your membership or applicant status, you must contact Headquarters immediately to make payment in order to return to good standing.

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday, February 4 - Boston, Seattle;
Tuesday, February 5 - Baltimore, Houston, Jacksonville, San Francisco;
Wednesday, February 6 - Calhoon School, Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, February 7 - L.A., New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, February 8 - Honolulu.
 

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