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

MEBA TELEX TIMES           SEPTEMBER 19, 2008

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 38

In this issue...
New contract with Samson...BRASHEAR christened...Houston hall reopens...Renewed push for Veterans' bill...Absentee ballot info...Easy as pi! In a perpendicular, geometric issue, we go on a tangent, bisect the maritime perimeter and put you on a higher plane. We draw the line on oblique, rhombus-loving competitors that knock you off your axis. Don't let those obtuse, irrational squares get you bent out of shape. Problem solved! "Sine" up for a congruent, Euclidian newsletter with perfect symmetry. According to our calculations, the Telex Times covers all the angles!

M.E.B.A. WRAPS UP NEW CONTRACT WITH SAMSON TUG & BARGE
M.E.B.A. has hammered out a new three-year contract with Samson Tug and Barge covering about 41 of our members. Samson, based in Sitka, Alaska, has terminals and employees stretched out between Seattle and Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands. In a recent ratification vote, the bargaining unit enthusiastically embraced the terms of the new deal which bring them pay increases each year along with bumps in pension and 401K. In addition, vacation will start accruing with each paycheck rather than on an annual basis for shoreside personnel. Talks with Samson owner George Baggen were headed up by M.E.B.A.'s Juneau Representative Ben Goldrich who was aided by shop stewards Ben Rehmer, Mike Hill and Guy Easom along with membership input.

USNS CARL BRASHEAR CHRISTENED
The latest vessel to enter the M.E.B.A. fleet was christened yesterday in a ceremony at San Diego's NASSCO Shipyard. The USNS CARL BRASHEAR is the seventh dry cargo ammunition ship in the Navy's T-AKE program. Upon completion, the vessels are transferred to the Military Sealift Command and crewed up with M.E.B.A. engineers. The Chief Engineer aboard the vessel is M.E.B.A.'s Charlie "Bo" Hurt. MSC will use the T-AKEs to deliver food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions to Navy combat ships at sea.

The selection of the ship's name honors Master Chief Boatswain's Mate (Master Diver) Carl M. Brashear, who joined the Navy in 1948. He was a pioneer in the Navy as the first black deep-sea diver, the first black master diver and the first Navy diver to be restored to full active duty as an amputee, the result of a leg injury he sustained during a salvage operation. After 31 years of service, Brashear officially retired from the U.S. Navy on April 1, 1979. He was the subject of the 2000 movie "Men of Honor" starring Cuba Gooding Jr and Robert DeNiro. DeNiro took part in yesterday's ceremony. Our Government Fleet Representative Randi Ciszewski attended for the Union.

AS HOUSTON RECOVERS FROM IKE, M.E.B.A. HALL REOPENS
The City of Houston and the surrounding area recovered slowly after the damaging Hurricane Ike washed through Texas last weekend. Although officials had intended to reopen the hall this last Monday following the storm, the power outages and flooding prevented a normal workweek and the hall remained closed. However, by Thursday the power was back and phone and fax service was restored. Computer and e-mail service are also functional and staff and officials have returned to their posts.

The hall took minor water damage but is in relatively good shape. Ship traffic at the Port was restarted although it was proceeding at a slower pace than usual. MM&P's Houston hall was severely damaged as the roof blew off in the storm. Building engineers were examining their space to decide whether to repair it or order its demolition.

In the meantime M.E.B.A. will be sharing 316 Broadway with the Masters, Mates & Pilots. We have an excellent relationship with them and are happy to share our space.

MEMBERS, RETIREES URGED TO MAKE PUSH FOR MARINER VETERANS BILL
With Members of Congress and Senators distracted by the upcoming elections, it would be easy for a bill benefiting courageous World War II mariners to get lost in the shuffle. But even as the days begin running out on the current Congressional Session, there is new optimism by advocates of the "Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act" that the Senate bill has a chance to receive a floor vote by the end of the year.

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.

H.R. 23 sponsored by Rep Bob Filner (D-CA) and its companion bill in the Senate S. 961, sponsored by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), would provide a monthly cash benefit to qualified World War II veteran merchant mariners. H.R. 23 passed the House by voice vote in July 2007. S. 961 has been stalled in Committee.

You can visit http://www.govtrack.us on the web, type in the bill number "S. 961" or "H.R. 23" to see the status of the bills and their co-sponsors. If your legislator is NOT a co-sponsor, we ask you to whisk off a letter to that person urging them to join in on this noble cause. To make your letter writing even easier, you can visit www.ttd.org and click on the "Tell It to Washington" link near the bottom. This provides you with a head start to contact your local lawmaker. By typing in your zip code, the search engine isolates your Senators and Member of Congress and provides their pertinent information such as e-mail, phone numbers and address. It also enumerates the Committees they serve in, provides biographic facts and other useful information. Try it out!

COUPLE HIJACKED BY PIRATES FREED BY FRENCH
Two hostages held captive by Somali pirates for more than two weeks have been freed by a French military operation. The hostages, both French nationals, had been held since their sailboat was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on September 2nd. The operation left one pirate dead while six more were captured.

International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Director Pottengal Mukundan said, "We commend the actions of the French military in helping to end this incident. In our view this is exactly what should be done when a vessel is hijacked and the coastal state, by its own admission, is unable to control this crime. We call upon the international community to use this intervention as a springboard for a more proactive approach to protecting shipping in this region."

The IMB's Piracy Reporting Center has reported over 50 attacks so far on vessels this year in Somali waters, predominantly in the Gulf of Aden. Of these there have been over 20 successful hijackings. Over 340 seafarers have been taken hostage. The most recent attack saw a Hong Kong-registered tanker hijacked on September 16th along with a crew of 22. This ship was reportedly in the Maritime Security Patrol area, a safe corridor for shipping that was set up by coalition forces in the Gulf of Aden.

The IMB Director called on a renewed emphasis to combat piracy. "If we do not respond robustly against the pirate gangs, these incidents which are now occurring with an alarming frequency are only set to further increase. The coalition navy units in the Gulf of Aden are playing an important role in the prevention of attacks, despite their numerous other duties. We call upon the governments with naval vessels in the area to give greater priority in protecting shipping in this major waterway."

According to the Piracy Reporting Center, ten vessels are currently held captive by pirates. 221 crewmembers of these hijacked ships remain hostages.

VOTER REGISTRATION/ABSENTEE BALLOTS OBTAINED THROUGH WEBSITE
Members and retirees should be aware of a website that makes it easy to register to vote and obtain absentee ballots for the National Election in November.

www.longdistancevoter.org is a great resource for U.S.-based absentee voters. The website has forms, provides deadline dates and easy-to-follow directions for registering to vote and getting an absentee ballot for those voting within the U.S. They also provide links for those who need to cast their vote while outside the country.

Most states close down voter registration at certain dates in October. If you are not yet registered to vote, you can use this site to create a legal form that can be mailed to your Secretary of State before the deadline.

There is a "voter guide" at the bottom of the main page where you can click on your state. A slew of information will pop up and will allow you to obtain the right forms, view deadlines and get all the information you need to make your vote count in November.

OKEANOS EXPLORER JOINS NOAA FLEET, COBB RETIRED
While one of the hallowed vessels of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fleet was recently retired, a new NOAA vessel was commissioned and crewed up with expert M.E.B.A. officers. The JOHN N. COBB was the oldest and only wooden-hulled ship in the NOAA fleet and had been conducting fisheries and oceanographic research.

The original engine of the 58-year old ship suffered a catastrophic failure in June necessitating the vessel's decommissioning ahead of schedule. At a ceremony for the COBB, there were few dry eyes in the audience as the flag was lowered and the bell was rung for the final time.

But at a much cheerier event in Seattle, NOAA family and colleagues gathered to commission an exciting addition to the fleet - the OKEANOS EXPLORER. The vessel is the first federal ship dedicated solely to exploring the ocean. A former U.S. Navy surveillance vessel, the EXPLORER was transferred to NOAA in 2004 and converted to perform ocean exploration. The ship will use telepresence - satellite and high-speed Internet-based technology - to enable scientists on shore at any of five Exploration Command Centers to participate in and direct real-time exploration while viewing live images and other ocean data.

M.E.B.A. MEMBERS RESCUE DROWNING TEACHER
A Manhattan teacher, off her medication and missing for weeks, was spotted and hauled out of the water by crewmembers including M.E.B.A. officers aboard the ferry SENATOR JOHN J. MARCHI about a mile from shore near Robbins Reef. The New York Department of Transportation said that the MARCHI was en route from Manhattan when Capt. Chris Covella saw a figure in the water on the New Jersey side of the boat. After confirming with binoculars that this was a person in the water, Captain Covella set a course for the person and alerted the crew to rescue stations. A rescue launch aboard #1 Rescue Boat (which was lowered from the ferry), staffed by deckhands Michael Sabatino and Ephriam Washington, recovered a woman, found floating facedown, from the water. She took a gasp and made some noise, but was otherwise unresponsive. The rescue boat went straight to shore with the woman. The total time from Capt. Covella's sighting the woman and docking at St. George was eight minutes. FDNY and EMS personnel handled it from that point. The rescue was the second for Deckhand Sabatino, who was in the rescue boat that plucked a man from the water in August 2007. Several oilers and engineers on the MARCHI were involved in getting the MARCHI to St. George in a safe and timely manner.

City transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan stated that, "The safety of passengers is the top priority for our staff at the Staten Island Ferry. Today's rescue is something that every Staten Island ferry crew member trains for, but hopes they will never actually perform. I commend the ferry crew for their heroic efforts."

23-year old Hannah Upp disappeared on August 29th though she had been spotted briefly several times since then checking her e-mail at local computer stores and showering at various sports clubs around town. However, she'd flee before friends or authorities closed in on her. Following the rescue, while at Richmond University Medical Center, she was reported in stable condition and was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. The family has denied she is mentally ill. Police asserted that she may be bipolar and was off her medication.

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

--------FINISHED WITH ENGINES---------