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Official Pubiication of the Seafarers Internationai Union • Atlantic, Guif, Lakes and Inland Waters District • AFL-CIO NO.VOL 5 40 1978 >»—SlU Scholarship Winners for 1978—v. See Page 3 Seafarer Patrick Graham Seafarer James Mann Seafarer John Merriam SlU Members Crew New Towboat I •'> 1 ; Seafarers Man Tanker Brooks Range . -1 • See Pag^ 10 The 165,000 dwt tanker Brooks Range, shown in graving dock at Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans during christening ceremonies last year, will run between Valdez, Alaska and Panama. SlU members took the ship on her maiden voyage May 15,1978. Mii'T A 5IU Fought for Measure Carter Signs Private Dredging Legislation into Low Legislation that is expected to create PL 95-269 allows the industry to has been reserved for the Army Corps lion, split-hull hopper dredge, was a boom in the private dredging indus competitively bid for Federal dredging of Engineers. recently built by SlU-contracted North try was signed into law by President work. It will enable the private sector The SIU has fought for this measure American Trailing Co. The company is Carter on Apr. 26. to perform work which traditionally from its inception because it would cre building a second hopper dredge in an ate new jobs for our members and bring American shipyard for delivery next widespread economic benefits. It was year. Three more hopper dredges will passed by a wide margin in the U.S. be built by other American companies SIU, ACLIWD Approves House of Representatives and by unani this year at a total cost of $100 million. mous consent in the Senate. The Corps of Engineers has the re Corps Retires Four Merger With MC&S sponsibility for maintaining and im proving the nation's waterways. Up On May 9 the Corps announced that By an overwhelming majority the until now, it has carried out most dredg it will soon retire four obsolete dredges SIU, AGLIWD District membership ing work with its own large fleet of in its fleet. Gen. J. W. Morris, chief of has approved a merger with the dredges. As a result, private industry engineers, said that these dredges are Marine Cooks and Stewards Union. did not have enough business to justify being retired because "private industry Balloting for MC&S members will investment in expensive dredging is now able to take over more of the continue until June 9. equipment. Its growth almost came to dredging previously done by Corps of The SIU vote was counted on a standstill. Engineers equipment." He said that the May 23 by a Union-elected tallying The Union maintained that the trial projects, officially known as the in committee. Out of a total 3,520 Corps' large fleet was a waste of tax dol dustry capability program, "has proved ballots cast, 3,338 were in favor of lars since the work it performed could very successful and these four vessels the merger and 170 were opposed. be carried out by private firms at sav are no longer needed in our dredge Nine ballots were voided and three ings to the Government. Trial projects fleet." registered "no vote." and the Marine Firemen's Union— which the Corps let out to private com The final MC&S tally, and further tabled the proposal. The Executive panies had shown this to be true. When these four dredges are retired details on the possible merger will Board of the MC&S approved it for the Corps will have available 34 be carried in the June issue of the a membership vote. Allowing private industry to com dredges. These will accomplish about Log. A merger agreement has to be pete for Federal dredging jobs makes one-third of the annual navigation Events leading up to the merger approved in a secret ballot by both even more economic sense for the coun dredging workload. The remaining two- referendum began in February 1977 the SIU, AGLIWD and the MC&S try. Moreover, new dredge construction thirds will be performed by industry. when the SIU's Executive Board pro memberships. would bring additional benefits to ship The four dredges are; the Dredge posed mergers to the SIUNA's three Voting for SIU members ran from building and related industries. Black, operated by the Kansas City affiliated Pacific District Unions. Apr. 17 through May 16. MC&S Anticipation of the new dredging act Corps District; Collins, Mobile District; Two of the West Coast affiliates members began casting ballots on has already reaped some of these bene Davwon, Jacksonville, and Kewaunee, —the Sailors' Union of the Pacific Apr. 10. fits. The Manhattan Island, a $13 mil Chicago. The SIU has been working hard at organizing new companies coming into the industry. This has been an important factor in our success. "K But if we are to achieve the goal of total job security, the burden will fall squarely on the shoulders of the membership itself. We must realize that as a labor union, we have a product to sell. And that product is skilled manpower. No new company is going to sign a contract with the SIU because they think we're nice guys. These companies enter into agreements with us because they feel that SIU members can safely and competently man their new ships. When you consider that some of these vessels cost as much as $170 million each to build, you can see that the job Paul Hall of safe manning is the most critical aspect in merchajnt shipping today. The key, then, in our fight to achieve ultimate job security will be our ability to provide a skilled, well-trained manpower force for our present and future contracted operators. Upgrading Needed for We already possess the means to do this through the Lundeberg School in Piney Point, Md. For more than 10 years, SIU members have been using the Lundeberg School as a springboard for higher rated and higher paying Crowing Fleet jobs. In that same time, the staff at Piney Point has worked to expand the educational opportunities and course offerings for SIU members. As a result of this total effort, we now have the largest, most utilized school American seamen have always had to deal with the unpredictable ups and for maritime workers in the country. And we have the most highly trained downs of the shipping industry. A year will go by when shipping is especially unlicensed membership in the maritime labor movement. good and everybody works. Tlien there'll be a period when more seamen are on the unemployment lines than out working the ships. As it stands now, the SIU membership is capable of supplying all the That's the way it's been. When times were good, we prospered. When manpower needs of our present contracted fleet. But again, our fleet is times were tough, we struggled along with the rest of the .seagoing unions. expanding each month. And with the prospect of offshore drilling and ocean The SIU, however, is now on the verge of changing this. In fact, we mining jobs for American seamen, we can expect our expansion to escalate. are well on our way to establishing a balanced job structure that will provide To insure that we get our share of the new opportunities in the industry, solid job security for all SIU members at all times no matter what is going on we must prepare for the expansion. Each and every SIU member must take it jobwise in the rest of the industry. upon himself to participate to the fullest in the Lundeberg School's programs. Since passage of the 1970 Merchant Marine Act, the SIU has succeeded For every member who upgrades from the entry level to a rated job, we in bringing under contract the vast majority of new companies investing in can bring in another entry student to the School. American-flag shipping. The individual member will be gaining new skills, a better job, and wider In 1977, SIU members boarded an average of one new vessel each month. job opportunities. At the same time, the Union will be building a solid, well Before 1978 is over. Seafarers will be manning as many as 20 vessels more trained manpower pool for our future needs. than the year before. More than at any time in our history, the opportunity to secure a better Some of our new ships, of course, are replacements for old worn out future for ourselves is staring us in the face. vessels in the contracted fleet. But most of them are new additions to the By more fully utilizing the educational tools we already possess, the SIU fleet, which translates to more jobs for our members. can make the most of this opportunity. It is important to recognize, however, that as the SIU's contracted fleet is It will take a total effort. The isooner each SIU member contributes his increasing, the total U.S. merchant fleet is barely holding status quo. share to this effort, the better for everyone. Change of address cards on Form 3579 should be sent to Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf Lakes and Inland Waters District, AFL-CIO, 675 Fourth Ave. Brooklyn, N.Y. 11232. Published monthly. Second Class postage paid at Brooklyn, N.Y. Vol. 40, No. 5, May 1978. 2/ LOG / May 1978 For Is/ Time, 6 Members Applied for d'Year Award 3 Seafarers^ 4 Dependents Win SlU Scholarships For the 26th year the SIU has awarded college scholarships to Sea Skinner of Pasadena, Tex. \ farers and dependents of Seafarers. This The alternate is Kathryn Wherrity, year, for the first time since the awards daughter of Seafarer Francis Wherrity were instituted in 1953, six SIU mem of Philadelphia, Pa.