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

MEBA TELEX TIMES           DECEMBER 05, 2008

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 49

In this issue...
Next round of T-AKE's are named...TWIC deadlines approaching... WSF slowly upgrading fleet...Without stopping for directions, we belch out a macho, testosterone-driven issue of masculine maritime snips, snails and puppy dog tails. Don't get all duded up with sissy, mama's boy newsletters that suffer from male pattern blandness. Leave the toilet seat up, take control of the clicker and grab the sports-loving, broad-shouldered newsletter that'll put hair on your chest. The Telex Times will make a man out of you!

NAVY NAMES NEXT ROUND OF M.E.B.A.-CREWED MSC T-AKE NEWBUILDS
Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter announced the names of four new Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ships (T-AKE) that will be built at San Diego's NASSCO Shipyard and crewed with expert M.E.B.A. officers. All of the Lewis and Clark ships are named in honor of American explorers and pioneers. The names selected for the next four ships will be USNS MATTHEW PERRY, USNS CHARLES DREW, USNS WASHINGTON CHAMBERS and USNS WILLIAM McLEAN.

The selection of MATTHEW PERRY, designated T-AKE 9, honors Navy Commodore Matthew C. Perry (1794-1858), who led a squadron of ships to Japan in 1853 with the aim of opening that nation to trade. He served during the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War, and was sent to suppress piracy and the slave trade in the West Indies.

The selection of CHARLES DREW, designated T-AKE 10, honors Dr. Charles R. Drew (1904-1950), a physician and medical researcher whose pioneering work in the late 1930s and early 1940s led to the discovery that blood could be separated into plasma. The model for blood and plasma storage developed by Drew has saved untold lives and is the same process used today by the Red Cross. In 1943, he became the first African-American surgeon to serve as an examiner on the American Board of Surgery. T-AKE 10 will be the first Navy ship named after Drew.

The selection of WASHINGTON CHAMBERS, designated T-AKE 11, honors Navy Capt. Washington Irving Chambers (1856-1934), a pioneer in naval aviation. Responsible for the Navy's nascent aviation activities, Chambers arranged the world's first airplane flight from a warship. The Nov. 14, 1910, flight by aviator Eugene Ely on the light cruiser the USS BIRMINGHAM (CL-2) confirmed the potential of carrier-based naval aviation. T-AKE 11 will be the first Navy ship named after Chambers.

The selection of WILLIAM McLEAN, designated T-AKE 12, honors William Burdette McLean (1914-1976), who conceived and developed the heat-seeking Sidewinder air-to-air missile while serving as a physicist for the Navy. During World War II, McLean worked on ordnance equipment and testing at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C. Following the war, he moved to the Naval Ordnance Test Station in China Lake, Calif., where he led the project team developing the Sidewinder missile. T-AKE 12 will be the first Navy ship named after McLean.

The T-AKEs are 689 feet in length, have an overall beam of 106 feet, a navigational draft of 30 feet and displace approximately 42,000 tons. Powered by single-shaft diesel-electric propulsion systems, the T-AKEs can reach a speed of 20 knots.

VACATION BENEFITS - AVOID THE YEAR END RUSH!
Apply for vacation early to avoid the year end rush. The deadline for filing for Vacation and Port Relief Benefits in the Outports is Friday, December 26, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. EST. The deadline for filing at the Plan Office in Baltimore is Monday, December 29, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. EST.

It is always wise to plan ahead, so you may want to verify your specific Outport holiday schedule with the Plan Office Representative.

Split Your Vacation Payments Between 2008 and 2009

Remember that you may submit an Application for Vacation Pay prior to the end of the year and request that your vacation wages be split between 2008 and 2009. It MUST, however, be a continuous vacation period. Please contact the Vacation Plan staff in Baltimore at 800-811-6322 or 410-547-9111 if you have any questions.

TWIC DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR SOUTH FLORIDA PORTS
The Coast Guard and TSA are urging maritime workers who have not yet applied for a Transportation Worker Identification Credential to get their act together as soon as possible. There is just over a month left before unescorted access to U.S.-regulated waterfront terminals in South Florida including the ports and terminals of Palm Beach, Fla., Fort Pierce, Fla., Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Miami, and the Miami River will be prohibited without a TWIC.

Beginning Jan. 13, 2009, maritime workers including terminal employees, longshoremen, truck drivers, agents and contractors must have a TWIC to gain unescorted access to secure areas of any waterfront terminal regulated by the Coast Guard under the Maritime Transportation Security Act.

It can take four to six weeks from the time of enrollment to the time that an applicant receives their TWIC, so maritime workers need to enroll as soon as possible to meet the Jan. 13 enforcement date.

Enforcement of TWIC is being implemented in stages throughout the country to avoid a rush to enroll. The Jan. 13 deadline applies to all Coast Guard regulated terminals from Fenholloway River, Fla., southward to Key West, Fla., on the west coast of Florida and continuing northward to include Melbourne Beach, Fla., on the east coast of Florida. To date, more than 590,000 people nationwide have applied for a TWIC.

Violations of the TWIC regulations range from on-site education and correction to letters of warning to civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation per day. In addition, operations could be secured at a particular facility depending on the situation. TWIC enrollment centers may be found at http://twicinformation.tsa.dhs.gov/twicinfo/schedule.jsp.

To view additional information regarding TWIC, visit the Coast Guard's Homeport web site at http://homeport.uscg.mil/twic or the Transportation Security Administration's web site

WSF PLANS TO UPGRADE FLEET
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division announced that it is awarding a contract to Todd Pacific Shipyards to build one 64-auto ferry. Todd Shipyards submitted a $65.5 million bid last month to build one 64-auto ferry. With the contract award, the new ferry is on an 18-month construction timeline. Expert M.E.B.A. officers crew the vessels in the Washington State Ferry system.

The ferry will serve the Port Townsend to Keystone route that has been without a state-owned auto ferry since the Steel Electric Class ferries were taken out of service in November 2007. Since then, various temporary solutions have been in place, including a leased auto ferry, the STEILACOOM II, from Pierce County.

"It's important for the long-term health of the ferry system that we get on with the business of building new vessels and replacing our aging ferry fleet," said Paula Hammond, Secretary of Transportation. "These vessels fit with our plan that includes identifying a sustainable long-term funding source to support the ferry system into the future."

The new 64-auto ferry will hold up to 750 passengers. The next steps toward construction include a signed contract and contract security returned from Todd Shipyards. Once that is received, the state will issue a notice to proceed, followed by delivery of the vessel 540 days later.

"I greatly appreciate the efforts of the Port Townsend and Keystone communities, state lawmakers and Todd Shipyards to get a new vessel into construction," said David Moseley, WSDOT Ferries Division Assistant Secretary. "If there is one thing we know, it's that there will be many challenges ahead to service and replace the state's aging fleet."

MAKE SURE YOU CONTRIBUTE TO THE P.A.F. BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR!
It's a good idea for applicants, members and retirees to contribute to the M.E.B.A.'s Political Action Fund before the end of the year that will both help keep our Union strong AND earn you a special gift from the new enhanced P.A.F. rewards program.

M.E.B.A. uses the Fund to educate Members of Congress about the importance of our industry, broaden our relationship with maritime-friendly politicians and to help elect those who recognize the significance of the U.S. Merchant Marine.

However, less than 20% of the membership currently contributes to the P.A.F. If the U.S. Merchant Marine is to continue to remain healthy, we need greater participation in this important Fund.

In an effort to enlist more participation and encourage members to contribute, the P.A.F. announced that it has expanded the rewards program that gives special mementos to those members who make generous contributions to the Fund. If you have helped out the P.A.F. in THIS calendar year, you may want to contribute just a little bit more before December 31, 2008 so you can be eligible for the following fabulous prizes:

Contribution Special Gift

$100-$249 Silver M.E.B.A. medallion (challenge coin)

$250-$499 Gold M.E.B.A. medallion (challenge coin)

$500-$999 Logo Painted Gold M.E.B.A. medallion (challenge coin)

$1,000 + M.E.B.A. custom watch OR a great M.E.B.A. multi-tool/mag-lite set OR a set of M.E.B.A. Meat Lover's steak knives (Your choice).

To help guarantee the future of our Union, please contribute to the M.E.B.A.'s Political Action Fund!

UN EXTENDS CALL TO INTERNATIONAL NAVIES TO COMBAT PIRACY
The Security Council of the United Nations this week called on all countries and regional organizations with the necessary capacity to deploy naval ships and military aircraft off the Somali coast to fight rampant piracy that is impeding United Nations efforts to feed millions of hungry civilians in the strife-torn country. In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council asked Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to report within three months on ways to ensure long-term security off the coast of Somalia, notably for UN World Food Program (WFP) deliveries, and on a possible coordination and leadership role for the UN in rallying Member States and regional organizations for such a goal.

Acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter authorizing the use of force, the 15-member body called for the "seizure and disposition of boats, vessels, arms and other related equipment" used or suspected of being used for piracy, which has recently reached a peak off the coast of the Horn of Africa country with the hijacking of a Ukrainian arms ship and a Saudi oil tanker. The Council said it continued "to be gravely concerned by the threat that piracy and armed robbery at sea against vessels pose to the prompt, safe and effective delivery of humanitarian aid to Somalia, to international navigation and the safety of commercial maritime routes, and to other vulnerable ships, including fishing activities in conformity with international law."

Responding to the UN Security Council's unanimous passing of Resolution 1848 on piracy, International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) General Secretary David Cockroft noted that, "this is a very welcome response to the efforts we've all made to get this resolution and the action it legitimizes approved. We're also glad to see the UN backing an enhanced EU naval force and hope that while those ships will be safeguarding the desperately needed World Food Program cargoes for the hungry of Somalia that they will also use the mandate this resolution gives them to pursue and arrest pirates."

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday, January 5 - Boston, Jacksonville, Seattle;
Tuesday, January 6 - Baltimore, Houston, San Francisco;
Wednesday, January 7 - Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, January 8 - L.A., New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, January 9 - Honolulu.

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