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

MEBA TELEX TIMES           OCTOBER 24, 2008

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 43

In this issue...
TWIC news...NOAA to upgrade fleet...AMC trustees meet...You'll be floored as we stay close to the ground, cut a rug and install a plush new issue padded with wall-to-wallmaritime coverage. With every fiber, we walk all over synthetic, fringe newsletters and tell them to 'shag off.' Laying down an anti-static, loom-woven edition at your feet, the stain-resistant Telex Times rolls out the red carpet!

FINAL COTP ZONE TWIC COMPLIANCE DATES ANNOUNCED
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration announced Wednesday that April 14, 2009, is the Transportation Worker Identification Credential compliance date for owners and operators of facilities located within the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Zones of Houston-Galveston, Texas, Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif., San Juan, Puerto Rico and Guam. The TWIC compliance date for owners and operators of facilities located within U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Zone Port Arthur, Texas, has been extended until April 14, 2009, from the original compliance date of Nov. 28, 2008. This extension was granted due to disruption of enrollment and port activities in the wake of Hurricane Ike. Compliance will continue to be phased in by Coast Guard Captain of the Port zones through April 15, 2009, after which all ports must be in compliance and all credentialed mariners must be in a possession of a TWIC.

The Coast Guard is set to enforce new security measures at port facilities located on the Great Lakes Oct. 31, 2008. Starting December 1, port workers must have a TWIC to gain unescorted access to facilities in all Florida port facilities.

To learn where and how to enroll, call the TWIC enrollment hotline at 1-866-347-8942 or go to the Web site www.tsa.gov/twic.

TWIC PROGRAM OFF TO A GOOD START "DOWN EAST"
The Coast Guard announced that things have run relatively smooth in Captain of the Port Zones which began early TWIC compliance. In their first week of enforcement, only 23 denials of entry to port facilities resulted in Coast Guard COTP Zones in Northern New England, Boston, and Southeastern New England. Those zones involve nearly 20,000 port workers, longshoremen and truckers who were required to comply with the program by the region's enforcement deadline of Oct. 15, 2008. Coast Guard field units in the region reported a successful kick-off of the compliance phase of the national maritime security program, noting that regulated port facilities in New England continued business as usual as they complied with regulations requiring all personnel needing unescorted access to secure areas of facilities carry a TWIC.

"The Coast Guard applauds owners and operators of regulated facilities for their tireless efforts in meeting this challenging mandate in addition to the thousands of transportation workers who were ready for compliance with a TWIC in hand," said Capt. Mark O'Malley, chief of the U.S. Coast Guard's Office of Port and Facility Activities. "We fully expect that this success will be realized across the country due to the diligence and fidelity of workers associated with the marine transportation system."

NOAA PLAN TO UPGRADE FLEET
NOAA has completed a detailed plan to modernize its marine operations by replacing nine research ships and refurbishing a 10th in the next 15 years. M.E.B.A. engineers serve on the vessels in the NOAA fleet. NOAA deck officers are represented by the MM&P.

"Seagoing vessels are a key source of observational data used by NOAA scientists. A modern, more capable fleet will ensure we can meet the ever changing demands of the science community," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, Jr., Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "When I arrived at NOAA in 2001, the average age of our fleet was 32 years. Today, it is 27, and at the end of this ambitious program the age will drop to 17."

NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations conducted an assessment of the 19 ships in the fleet, and determined that 10 of those vessels will reach the end of their useful service life over the next 15 years. The fleet replacement plan is a comprehensive program to systematically replace or upgrade the fleet. The fleet supports a wide range of marine activities, including fisheries and coastal research, nautical charting, and long-range ocean and climate studies. NOAA's ships are specially equipped and designed to support the agency's programs, and have some capabilities not found in the commercial fleet.

Nine vessels have entered into service since 2001, including OKEANOS EXPLORER, the first NOAA vessel solely dedicated to ocean exploration, on Aug. 13. Two additional ships are scheduled to enter service within the next year: PISCES, which will be homeported in Mississippi, and BELL M. SHIMADA, which will be homeported on the West Coast.

AMC TRUSTEES MEET
American Maritime Congress trustees, made up of Union and company officials, met this week at M.E.B.A. Headquarters. M.E.B.A. Executive V.P. Mike Nizetich took part in the meeting after newly taking over as a trustee. Other AMC trustees from the M.E.B.A. side include Chairman of the Board Don Keefe (M.E.B.A. President) and board members Bill Van Loo (Secretary-Treasurer), Bill McHugh (Atlantic Coast V.P.) and Marc Huber (Gulf Coast V.P.).Trustees filled the lone vacancy on the company side with Central Gulf President Chris Johnsen. He joins Phil Shapiro (Liberty), Phil Fisher (Keystone), Jordan Truchan (American Ship Management) and William Kenwell (Maersk Line.

Among many other things, trustees discussed some of the legislative initiatives AMC has been tackling along with recent changes in law that will affect the industry. It was noted that the recent Defense bill signed into law helps fortify some important maritime statutes. The DOD bill gave the Maritime Administration a strengthened hand in determining if programs administered by other agencies are subject to the cargo preference requirements under the 1954 Cargo Preference Act. Previously, such determinations were made by the administering agencies under regulations promulgated by MarAd. In addition, the new law provides for penalties of up to $25,000 per day for those in violation. Enforcement of the Jones Act was also bolstered via the DOD funding bill.

MarAd must now approve any decision to waive inspection and navigation laws. This would prevent an easier route toward circumventing the Jones Act without a prior evaluation of the compelling need for such waivers or the availability of U.S.-flag ships to handle those cargoes. The previous law permitted the head of each department or agency responsible for the administration of the navigation and inspection laws the authority to waive those laws when they deemed it necessary. Matt Dwyer heads up the AMC which helped secure these important new changes to the law.

LOUISIANA RESIDENT PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGAL LICENSE USE
A 45-year old resident of Sorrento, Louisiana pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a one-count indictment for using a forged Coast Guard license to work as a tugboat captain. Mark Millien got away with his crime for over a year until his employer, KC Boat Co. Inc. of Marrero, LA uncovered his scheme. Millien previously held a valid license for five years before it was revoked, shortly before he began work with the forged document.

The maximum statutory penalty he faces is five year's incarceration, a $250,000 fine and not more than three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced in January.

UNION PLUS OFFERS "10 WAYS TO COPE WITH FINANCIAL UPHEAVAL"
The AFL-CIO's Union Plus benefits program has offered a few pointers to follow during these tough times:

1. Pay down debt. The more you owe, the more vulnerable you are.
To pay off credit cards and other debt faster, consider cutting back on your spending. If you need information to put together a plan, go to www.uniondebthelp.org for tips on digging out of debt, answers to common questions, and repayment calculators.

2. Don't sink deeper into a financial hole.
Swamped with bills? Need a budget? Take advantage of the Union Plus Credit Counseling program. Experienced credit counselors will listen to you and your needs, then help you develop a plan of action you can follow. For a free credit counseling session, budget analysis, and advice to help get your finances on a firmer footing, fill out the online request form or call the 24-hour toll-free line, 1-877-833-1745.

3. Cut your expenses.
From eating in instead of eating out to slashing what you spend on incidentals, cutting back on spending lets you keep more of what you earn. Union Plus offers discounts on everything from AT&T wireless service to car repairs to clothing to make it easier.

4. Don't fixate on market fluctuations.
If your goal is to build up a nest egg over time, don't let daily ups and downs panic you into bailing out of the stock market. Most financial advisers say don't cash-in your stocks or make any other drastic changes. You still may have the opportunity to benefit from its historic long-term growth potential. Tip: Instead of constantly checking your investments, look at your balance once a month (or even just once a quarter) to get a clearer view of the big picture.

5. Diversify your investments.
This involves putting together a balanced mix of stocks, bonds, and money market funds or other short-term investments, with the aim of offsetting "downs" in one asset category with "ups" in another - a strategy, while not working right now with all the downs, can help reduce risk and promote growth through good times and bad. To see if your investments are well balanced, learn more about asset allocation here.

6. Retirees: Be sure you have enough cash for living expenses.
If you're retired, the stock market decline could hit you hardest. Make sure you have enough cash to cover two or more years of retirement expenses in a safe place, like FDIC-insured bank certificates of deposit or a money market fund.

7. Refinance to a fixed-rate mortgage, if you can.
With a fixed-rate mortgage, you know how much you'll pay every month - no need to worry about interest rates resetting or a balloon payment coming due. (As a union member, you have access to mortgages through Union Plus.) If you're overwhelmed and in danger of missing mortgage payments, call the Union Plus Save My Home hotline now at 1-866-490-5361!

8. Find out if your savings are fully protected.
If a bank or federal credit union fails, up to $250,000 in deposits or shares per owner are protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) or the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). Check to make sure your bank is a Member FDIC or your credit union belongs to NCUA. This newly increased level of insurance covers all of your funds on deposit as of October 3, 2008, and is valid through December 31, 2009.

Protections for investors are different:

*The $1 net asset value of shares in a money market fund is supported by the financial strength of the mutual fund company. As a temporary measure to reassure investors, the U.S. Treasury will guarantee all assets held in eligible money market funds on September 19, 2008. If you're concerned, ask your fund company if it has signed up for the Treasury plan.

*Mutual funds and their management are structured as separate companies with fund assets held by a custodian, according to the Investment Company Institute. This means that even if your mutual fund manager goes out of business, creditors cannot come after the fund's assets.

*If a brokerage firm fails, up to $500,000 worth of stocks and bonds in an investor's account are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), an industry-funded organization. To make sure your broker is a Member SPIC, check its Web site or ads.

9. Know who stands behind your life insurance.
If you have life insurance or an annuity (an insurance contract that pays you income), check the issuer's financial strength on the A.M. Best website. (After registration, the search is free.) Your state's insurance guarantee association offers protection if an insurance company goes out of business. Most state associations cover at least $300,000 in death benefits and $100,000 in cash surrender value for life insurance, and $100,000 in withdrawal and cash value for fixed annuities. Union members can get accident, hospital and life insurance protection from Union Plus.

10. Remember to vote on Tuesday, November 4.
No matter how else you respond to what's happening today, don't forget that tomorrow is in your hands. Be sure to vote!

AFL-CIO LAUNCHES BIGGEST EVER "GET OUT THE VOTE" EFFORT
The AFL-CIO has launched its largest, most targeted Get Out The Vote (GOTV) effort in history, deploying an army of 250,000 volunteers in 20 presidential battleground states for the final two weeks before the election. The effort - focused on turning out 13 million union voters, with emphasis on 12 Senate races and more than 60 House contests, in addition to the presidential race - combines advanced, new targeting techniques with unprecedented grassroots energy. The AFL-CIO GOTV program is the largest independent turnout program in the nation, aimed at electing candidates who will champion working families' priorities.

"Union members are determined to create a sea change in American politics that will benefit working families for generations to come," AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said "We've mounted our largest, broadest grassroots effort ever to elect Barack Obama and candidates at all levels who are committed to putting our nation back on track after eight years of failed Bush policies."

The 2008 GOTV effort relies heavily on sophisticated targeting designed to increase voter turnout among exurban and rural voters in key states. The effort comes on the heels of a months-long targeted approach to these voters through mail, phones, front porch visits and email. Since identifying more than 3 million undecided voters in August, the AFL-CIO's intense communications among swing groups like retirees, veterans and gun owners have shifted the landscape in states such as Ohio. According to internal polling, among union voters who are gun owners, veterans and retirees, Sen. Obama now leads substantially in key states.

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday, November 3 - Boston, Jacksonville, Seattle;
Tuesday, November 4 - Baltimore, Houston, San Francisco;
Wednesday, November 5 - Calhoon School, Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, November 6 - L.A., New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, November 7 - Honolulu.

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