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Holidays Greetings to All Hands at Sea and Ashore from the Sailors' Union

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Holidays Greetings to All Hands at Sea and Ashore from the Sailors' Union Organized 1885 Official Organ of the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific Volume LXXVI No. 12 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Friday, December 20, 2013 Holidays Greetings to all hands at sea and ashore from the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific Artwork by: William Gilkerson Acting Maritime Administrator calls for U.S. Merchant Marine revitalization at confirmation hearing Paul N “Chip” Jaenichen, will result in a significantly and to ensuring the existence of pool of qualified U.S. mariners the acting head of the Mari- higher portion of U.S. overseas a domestic maritime industry of is critical to meeting the nation’s trade being carried on U.S.-flag shipbuilders, vessels and mer- security needs. Programs and time Administration (MarAd), vessels. This increased trade for chant mariners.” policies such as the National told the Senate Committee on U.S.-flag vessels would provide Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) Commerce, Science, and Trans- “Without the Jones Act we greater demand for additional would not have what is on the and its component Ready Re- portation that if he is made the ships and more U.S. mariners to orderbook,” he said. “We have serve Force (RRF), the Mari- permanent Maritime Admin- crew them.” 18 ships –the first time in three time Security Program (MSP), istrator he intends to focus on Jaenichen was named the decades that we have the con- cargo preference, the Jones identifying ways to revitalize the Deputy Administrator at MarAd struction in our shipyards of Act and training at the U.S. U.S. Merchant Marine. in July 2012 and the Acting Ad- that magnitude. Plus, we have Merchant Marine Academy and At a nomination hearing on ministrator in June of this year options for nine more ships. That state maritime academies are November 21, Jaenichen said, when David Matsuda resigned. is significant, and the only reason all key to ensuring this pool of Periodicals’ postage paid at San Francisco, CA (USPS 675-180) postage paid at San Francisco, CA Periodicals’ “The U.S. Merchant Marine en- Jaenichen joined MarAd after a that has taken place is because of mariners is ready and available gaged in international trade has 30-year career in the Navy. the Jones Act.” (Jaenichen was when needed to support military steadily declined since World During the hearing, Jaenichen speaking about deep sea vessels.) sealift requirements. “Without War II and currently carries less expressed support for the Jones “Policies must be supported these programs,” he continued, than 2% of our nation’s overseas Act, saying it is “critical to main- that will protect U.S. mariner “we will not have the skilled trade. We need a strategy that taining reliable coastwise trade jobs,” he said. ‘’Sustaining a personnel needed.” continued on page 3 ESU News: Page 7 Page 2 WEST COAST SAILORS Friday, December 20, 2013 Western Workers Labor Heritage Festival Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s contribution to the civil rights and labor movements - a weekend of solidarity in January 17-19, 2014 an era of hard times, hope, and change. 28th Annual Festival Sunday, January 19 9-10 am Muffins, juice, coffee available - donations please; informal song swap/ Tentative schedule of event arts exchange 10-noon Workshops Workshop presenters and other performers that have not been finalized are indicated “The Almanac Trail Project” with George Mann www.almanactrail.com by (invited). When available, related websites are included. 10-11:30 Film: “Dirty Wars” (90 minutes) 11-11:45 Workshop Art Display: Posters from the Shelly Kessler collection (many available for purchase). Poetry from San Francisco students (invited). “Black Cowboys,” with Jimmy Collier 12-1 pm Lunch - Sandwiches and salad available at a reasonable price Friday, January 17 1:15-2:30 pm Mid-Day Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -Free to the public. 6 pm Registration opens Civil rights songs, with Jimmy Collier, civil rights songs Sharecropper’s Troubadour: John L. Handcox, the Southern Tenant Farmer’s Union, and the African American 7-10 pm (Machinists, Main Hall) Solidarity Circle: Song, poetry, and story swap Song Tradition (he is the author of “Roll the Union On” and other songs), with Mike Oney www.http://books.google.com/books/about/Sharecropper_s_Troubadore. Saturday, January 18 html?id=qbvsuQAACAAJ 9-10 am Muffins, juice, coffee available - donations please; informal song swap/ 2:45-4:30 pm arts exchange (Transport Workers Hall) Chorus group practice for concert performance 10-noon Workshops Film: “Playing for Change” “James Connolly: Irish Songs of Freedom,” with Mat Callahan, Owen Murphy, and 4:30-5:30 pm Dinner (for Sunday Festival participants only) - Hot meal available others. www.pmpress.org at reasonable price. Film: “Freedom Riders” (120 minutes) 7 pm Benefit concert for workers in need. Elise Bryant, MC; performers to be 10-10:50 Performance by New York City Labor Chorus. www.nyclc.org announced 11-noon Domestic Workers, with Bill Shields and members of Work Tales. 12-1 pm Lunch - Sandwiches and salad available at a reasonable price 1:15-2 pm General session - Featured Performance: “We Were There,” with Bev Festival Rates $85 for the full weekend; $15 Friday night; $40 Saturday only; $65 Saturday-Sun- Grant and colleagues day; $10 single workshop; $20-$35 sliding scale for the concert. No one turned away 2:15-3:30 pm Workshops for lack of funds. - “The Great Migration,” Performance by Rockin’ Solidarity Labor Heritage Chorus, The Festival hotel is the Crown Plaza Hotel, 1177 Airport Blvd., Burlingame CA. directed by Pat Wynne” Call the hotel directly at 650-342-9200 and ask for Bertha. Request the Western Work- - Community Organizing and Alliance Building,” with Angela MacWhinnie, Conny ers Labor Heritage Festival rate: $89 per night. Rate NOT available through the 800 Ford and Francisco Herrera. number; must call the hotel directly. Parking charges are $1 per hour or $18 overnight. 2:15-3:40 pm Film: “Brother Outsider” (about Bayard Rustin, 83 minutes) Shuttle from Millbrae BART and Caltrain station available; call (650) 796-7648 3:45-5 pm Workshops for pickup. Our shuttle cannot accommodate motorized wheelchairs, but the county - “Freedom Riders,” with Jerry (Moore (original Freedom Rider) paratransit can. If you are eligible for paratransit at home, fax a copy of the certifica- - Canadian labor history, with the Resisters from Vancouver, B.C. tion to SamTrans and you will be eligible for RediWheels, their paratransit branch. RediWheels requires reservations at least 24 hours in advance, and asks that you allow - “The Sitka Project,” with Joe Moore 45 minutes for a ride under 5 miles (either to the hotel or Millbrae BART or CalTrain). 5:30-7 pm Dinner - Hot meal available at a reasonable price The cost is $3.75 each way, with a reduced low income rate. For the fax number and 7-10 pm (Machinists, Main Hall) Arts Exchange (song, poetry, and story swap) details on how this works, contact Elly Colwell, Customer Relations Specialist, at Featured performers to be announced (650) 508-6241. For other ADA assistance, call (650) 572-8848 before January 3. Please mail this part of the registration form and payment to: WWLHF, P.O. Box 7184, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 Registration fee enclosed: ___Whole weekend $85 (includes concern admission) ___Saturday only $40 Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone(s): _______________________________________ email: _____________________________________________________ Group or union affiliation (if any): __________________________________________________________________________________ Need housing? _____ Willing to provide local housing? __________________________________________________________________ Tickets for meals are available Saturday and Sunday at the registration desk on a first-come, first-served basis. Low income rates and scholarships available based on need. Please ask for Kendyll Stansbury when registering at Festival. For additional information, call (831) 426-4940 or (408) 666-3011 Final Departures Long Beach ousts Harbor Clarence Haynes, Book No. 5708. Born in Illinois in 1929. Joined SUP in 1951. Died in Lewiston, Idaho, December 2, 2013. (Pensioner) Commission president The Long Beach City Council fired Harbor Commission President Thomas Fields, SUP Meetings last month, despite appeals from the maritime community about the potential damage These are the dates for the regularly to one of the biggest ports in the United States. scheduled SUP meetings in 2014: The city council voted six to three to remove Fields from his post with Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster leading the criticism against the commissioner. Foster said Fields’ Hdqs. Branch high travel expenses were the principal reason for the move to oust Fields, but the January 13 Tues. 21 mayor’s intervention has caused an outcry to some circles locally. February 10 Tues. 18 The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA), which represents both shipping March 10 17 SUPPORT lines and terminal operators, had defended Fields and warned of the risks to the port April 14 21 of this very public spat. “Mayor Bob Foster... has not given the council, the public or May 12 19 port customers any reason for proposing to remove Fields, who is well-respected in June 9 16 THE SUP maritime and logistics circles,” PMSA President John Laurin said. “How the port is July 14 21 governed and managed –and its reputation– matters a lot,” Laurin warned.
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