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MARINE ENGINEERS' BENEFICIAL ASSOCIATION
(AFL-CIO)
"On
Watch in Peace and War Since 1875"
MEBA
TELEX TIMES
DECEMBER 19, 2008
The Official Union Newsletter
NUMBER
51
In
this issue...
DOT, DOL picks
announced...REC hours standardized...Further info on Medical NVIC...Who’s your
daddy? It’s all relative in a thicker-than-water, mom-and-pop edition for
everybody and their uncle. Divorce yourself from illegitimate, black sheep
competitors that bear no relation to the truth. We disown their old wives tales,
stomp them like aunts and kick those once-removed, son-of-a-guns in the family
jewels. Oh brother! A chip off the old block, the next-generation Telex Times is
the mother of all newsletters!
LABOR,
TRANSPORTATION PICKS ANNOUNCED
The AFL-CIO is hailing President-Elect
Barack Obama’s announcement that Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) will be the next Labor
Secretary pending Senate confirmation.
“We're thrilled at the prospect of having
Rep. Hilda Solis as our nation's next labor secretary,” AFL-CIO President John
Sweeney said in a statement. “We're confident that she will return to the labor
department one of its core missions – to defend workers' basic rights in our
nation's workplaces. She's proven to be a passionate leader and advocate for all
working families -- in fact, she's voted with working men and women 97 percent
of the time. The AFL-CIO looks forward to working with Rep. Solis as she charts
new territory for our nation's working men and women.”
A 51-year old Latina, Solis is a member of the United Rubber Workers and is the
daughter of a Teamsters shop steward in Mexico. She is a co-sponsor of the
Employee Free Choice Act, serves on the board of the pro-labor American Rights
at Work and is a critic of Bush Administration labor policies. Her Congressional
District which she has served since 2001 includes East Los Angeles and the San
Gabriel Valley. She has also served in the California Senate and State Assembly.
President-Elect Obama also announced his selection of 63-year old Congressman
Ray LaHood to be the next Secretary of Transportation. Rep. LaHood, a
Republican, has served Illinois in the house since 1994. He is a member of the
House Appropriations Committee and has gained a reputation for getting things
done in a bipartisan manner. His District includes Peoria and the rural
downstate area.
He doesn’t appear to have a maritime background but has led efforts to improve
infrastructure in his district. LIUNA President Terence M. O'Sullivan hailed the
nomination saying, “Congressman Ray LaHood has been a friend to our union when
it comes to construction and transportation issues.”
Current Transportation Secretary Mary Peters called Rep. LaHood “an excellent
choice to lead and support America’s transportation future.”
“There will be challenges,” she continued,
“but there are also incredible opportunities to continue work to improve
transportation safety, tackle congestion and promote mobility, expand global
transportation opportunities, rebuild transportation systems after disasters,
and continue fundamental transportation reform. I’m confident our nation’s
transportation network will be in good hands under the leadership of Congressman
LaHood.”
AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department President Edward Wytkind pointed out
that, “During his career in Congress, Rep. LaHood sought to bring civility and
bipartisanship to the House of Representatives and earned a well-deserved
reputation as a leader who worked with both sides of the aisle. It was this
approach that led Rep. LaHood to break from his own leadership and stand with
transportation workers on a number of important issues.
"Our transportation system and its workers face daunting challenges. Chronic
under-investment in our transportation infrastructure must be reversed; the
rights of workers must be restored and strengthened; trade policies affecting
our industry must protect American jobs; and long overdue safety and security
improvements must be implemented. President-elect Obama has vowed to take on
these challenges and to embark on an unprecedented effort to put people back to
work and rebuild our nation's decaying infrastructure. We look forward to
working with the President-elect and his Transportation Secretary to restore our
transportation system as an engine of economic growth and job creation."
REC
HOURS STANDARDIZED
In an effort to improve customer service,
the Coast Guard has announced that it has standardized operating hours of all
Regional Examination Centers (RECs). Effective January 5, 2009, all RECs will be
open for continuous service Monday through Friday during an eight-hour core
operating period. The RECs will remain open for continuous service during these
core operating hours.
Furthermore, to reduce the time mariners must wait for service, an Internet
based appointment system is being established at all RECs. This system will be
available for mariners to make an appointment, guaranteeing a specific period in
the day to either submit an application or to take an exam. Mariners that don't
have an appointment will still receive service. The NMC will test this web-based
system with a few selected RECs and then establish a plan to implement these
changes at all RECs at a later date.
You can view the notice and hours by
visiting the following web link:
www.uscg.mil/nmc/Whats_new_to_NMC/standardized_operational_
hours_and_appointment_scheduling.pdf
LMRDA
SUMMARIZED
As a courtesy, M.E.B.A. has posted a
summary of member rights under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
(LMRDA). It is available on the “Hot Site” press release page accessed from the
M.E.B.A. website www.meba.us. As always, M.E.B.A. continues to provide a link to
the complete text of the LMRDA accessed from the bottom of our home page.
DEADLINE
FOR VACATION & PORT RELIEF BENEFITS IS NEXT WEEK
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.
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.
HQ
CLOSED ON THURSDAY & FRIDAY
M.E.B.A. Headquarters will be closed on
both Thursday and Friday of next week following an Executive Order from the
White House closing the Federal Government on December 26, 2008. Headquarters,
which is located at the foot of Capitol Hill, aligns its holiday schedule with
that of the Federal Government. Christmas is already a regularly scheduled
federal holiday, but when it falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, the White House
often decides to close the Government for an additional day. As a result, doors
will be shuttered on that day.
COAST
GUARD ANSWERS QUESTIONS ON NEW MEDICAL REGS FOR MARINERS
The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a short
“guide” to its new medical Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular that
answers probing questions mariners may have. NVIC No. 04-8, provides guidance
for evaluating medical and physical conditions of applicants for merchant
mariner documents, licenses, certificates of registry and STCW endorsements. The
new two-page release discusses the intent of the new NVIC, answers questions
like “Why are mariners being denied?” and contains contact info should you need
to seek out additional information. You can visit this link to see the guide:
www.uscg.mil/nmc/Whats_new_to_NMC/Guide%20to%20Medical%20NVIC%2004-08.pdf
DEADLINE
FOR TWIC ENFORCEMENT APPROACHING
The Coast Guard continues to urge maritime
workers who have not yet enrolled for a Transportation Worker Identification
Credential (TWIC) to apply as soon as possible before unescorted access to
U.S.-regulated waterfront terminals is prohibited. Beginning Apr. 14, 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 a TWIC, so maritime workers need to enroll as soon as
possible to meet the Apr. 14 enforcement date. Since the commencement of the
national TWIC program, there have been 149 fixed enrollment centers and more
than 180 mobile sites opened nationwide. More than 674,900 workers have enrolled
to date and thousands more are processed each week.
The Coast Guard will be responsible for enforcing TWIC rules, and will be
assisted by facility owners, port police and other federal, state and local
partners to achieve the security goals of the program. To ensure that all port
facilities are complying with the TWIC requirements, Coast Guard and other
law-enforcement agencies will conduct routine inspections and random spot
checks. Violations of the TWIC regulations may result in a variety of
enforcement actions that 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.
Don't be caught on April 14, 2008 without your TWIC card; it could affect your
ability to work or conduct business within the ports.
For more information, the TWIC Program Help Desk can be reached at
1-866-DHS-TWIC (1-866-347-8942). The help desk is available Monday through
Friday from 8 a.m. until 12 a.m. EST. The TWIC Help Desk can also be contacted
via email at credentialing@dhs.gov.
For U.S. Coast Guard TWIC enforcement questions, please contact 1-877-MTSA-AID
(1-877-687-2243).
UN
SECURITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZES FORCE AGAINST SOMALI PIRATES
The United Nations’ Security Council has
unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing states and regional organizations
to undertake all necessary measures in combating piracy in Somalia. The Council
called on countries – that are able to do so – to help defeat piracy by
deploying naval vessels and military aircraft, and through seizure and
disposition of pirate boats and arms.
The Council affirmed that the authorization provided in the resolution applied
only to the situation in Somalia and did not affect the rights or obligations or
responsibilities of Member States under international law, including under the
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, with respect to any other
situation.
Following adoption of the resolution, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, briefing
the Council on the political and security situation, said he shared the deep
concern of Member States at the escalation of piracy and armed robbery off
Somalia’s coast and he welcomed the Council’s actions, adding that he was
particularly impressed by the actions of Member States and international
organizations to pool their efforts and resources to fight that scourge.
However, he said that everyone must be mindful that piracy was a symptom of the
state of anarchy that had persisted in Somalia for more than 17 years.
Anti‑piracy efforts, therefore, must be placed in the context of a comprehensive
approach that fostered an inclusive peace process in Somalia and assisted the
parties to rebuild security, governance capacity, addressed human rights issues
and harnessed economic opportunities throughout the country.
He appealed to the leaders and Somali people to give peace a chance and put the
17 years of war behind them, and to the international community to send a
positive signal today to the Somali people and the African Union that it was
willing to provide a security path that would complement the political
compromises reached through the Djibouti process, he said, adding “we must act
before it is too late”.
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---------
