Congressman Duncan Hunter Emphasizes Importance of Jones
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Organized 1885 Official Organ of the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific Volume LXXIX No. 12 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Friday, December 23, 2016 Legislation to boost U.S.- flag fleet introduced by Congressman Duncan Hunter Congressman Garamendi ongressman John Garamendi (D-California) introduced legis- emphasizes importance of Jones Clation on December 7, that would require up to 30% of exports of strategic energy products travel in U.S.-flagged vessels. Garamendi, Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, has consistently been a Act in letter to President-elect strong advocate in Congress for the American Merchant Marine. Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-California), Chairman shipbuilding, ship operations and His bill, “Energizing American Maritime Act (H.R. 6455),” was of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime maintenance, providing stability offered on a bipartisan basis with Rep. John Duncan (R-Tennessee). Transportation, sent the following letter dated December 2, to our commercial U.S. water- “The state of the American maritime industry is in crisis-level to President-elect Donald Trump: borne transportation industry. It decline,” Garamendi says. “After World War II, our oceangoing provides access to U.S.-flag ves- write to you today high- mestic economic prosperity, and fleet of U.S.-flagged ships numbered 1,200. Today, it’s fewer than “ sels and U.S. merchant mariners lighting the importance provided critical sealift capabili- 80. This isn’t just an economic concern, it’s also a national security that provide critical capabilities to ty for our military. risk. We can’t rely on foreign-flagged vessels to provide the neces- of United States domestic cabotageI laws in keeping Amer- our national defense sealift needs. Changes to the Jones Act would sary movement of strategic materials in a time of war. Requiring Changes to the Jones Act would ican jobs in America. These result in the elimination of tens even a minority of strategic energy asset exports to be carried on also cause irreparable harm to the laws, found in chapter 551 of of thousands of good American U.S.-flagged ships will compel us to rebuild the technical skill to U.S. merchant marine, a critical Title 46, United States Code, and jobs by allowing foreign vessels, man these vessels, and with that come good, high-paying, maritime asset to our national defense popularly known as the Jones vessels constructed in foreign jobs. We’re the greatest nation in the world, but 99% of our trade sealift readiness. Any loss to this Act, require that merchandise shipyards, or vessels crewed by travels on foreign-flagged ships,” Garamendi says. “I believe that commercial base would be both and passengers that move by foreign seafarers to be used in in- needs to change, and we can start right here.” costly and time consuming for “Enactment of this legislation will both ensure that at least water between two points in the ternal U.S. waterways. We simply United States do so on U.S.-built, cannot allow our economy to lose the U.S. government to replicate some of the jobs associated with the export of LNG will go to on its own. American maritime workers and help guarantee that we will -owned, -flagged, and -crewed these jobs to foreign shippers and As you move forward in your have the civilian maritime manpower needed to support Amer- vessels. Simply put, the Jones shipbuilding interests. The loss transition, I look forward to ica’s national security requirements in time of war or other in- Act protects and creates good of these jobs will affect every working with you on returning ternational emergency,” said SUP President Gunnar Lundeberg. American jobs – jobs that would state and will result in the loss of billions of dollars in investments American jobs back to America, “A healthy U.S.-flag Merchant Marine and a strong shipbuilding have otherwise fled our shores. made by Americans and will and in the case of the Jones Act, industry are tied to our national security and economic prosperity,” Like so many others, I support- protecting current American says Navy League National Executive Director Cari Thomas. “The ed your campaign because of place at risk hundreds of millions Department of Defense depends on the U.S. Merchant Marine for your commitment to protecting of dollars in federal loans that jobs from foreign threats. As over 95% of our national defense sealift needs in times of war or American jobs. You can carry finance American ship construc- you work to reverse the disas- national emergency. Replacing this sealift capacity would cost the out this promise by protecting tion. Moreover, losing these jobs trous policies that have led to the Department of Defense billions of dollars. This bill will help ensure the Jones Act from attempts, would result in a decrease of outsourcing of American jobs, I we can depend on the U.S.-flag Merchant Marine for years to come. It initiated and funded by foreign American wages, taxes and less urge you to promote policies and supports American jobs, national security and our national interests.” corporations, to dismantle or re- overall economic activity. retain the Jones Act. The Act Garamendi has also introduced separate legislation, HR 6454, peal it. Throughout our history, Historically, the Jones Act helps grow a strong and robust requiring that the same percentage of strategic energy exports the U.S.-flag fleet has provided has allowed the United States to U.S. shipbuilding industry and be carried on ships that are not only U.S.-flagged but also built in American jobs, protected do- retain a base level of expertise in U.S. mariner workforce.” American shipyards. U.S. approves flag-of-convenience airline over strenuous opposition he U.S. Transportation of the world’s maritime nations, “This decision betrays Ameri- “Norwegian is a virtual air- Department (DOT) an- including the United States. ca’s aviation workers by granting line, set up under a flag of con- Tnounced on December 9, Transportation labor, U.S. a rogue, flag-of-convenience venience to exploit weak labor it will allow Norwegian Air and European airlines and many airline a permit to serve the Unit- laws in other countries like International (NAI) to freely op- members of Congress have op- ed States,” said TTD President Singapore, save money, and erate its controversial cut-rate air posed allowing NAI to operate Edward Wytkind. undercut competition.” service from the United States. from the United States, saying “Unless reversed, it threatens Congressman Frank LoBiondo NAI has been vigorously op- it would violate international a generation of U.S. airline jobs (R-New Jersey), called the deci- posed by U.S. and European air aviation treaties and undercut and tells foreign airlines that sion a “slap in the face.” carriers and aviation workers labor standards in the U.S. and scour the globe for cheap labor DOT gave tentative approval because its “business model” in- European airline industries. and lax employment laws that to the scheme in April and final- Periodicals’ postage paid at San Francisco, CA (USPS 675-180) postage paid at San Francisco, CA Periodicals’ cludes hiring flight attendants and The Airline Pilots Associa- America is open for business.” ized the decision on December 2. pilots at bargain-basement wages tion, the AFL-CIO Transporta- “DOT’s decision has guaran- “Regardless of our apprecia- in low-labor-cost countries. tion Trades Department (TTD), teed a race to the bottom in our tion of the public policy argu- The scheme has been lik- American, Delta and United TransAtlantic aviation market,” ments raised by opponents, we ened to the flag-of-convenience Airlines have fought strenuously said Congressman Peter DeFazio have been advised that the law (FOC) system that has decimat- since 2013 to block NAI from (D-Oregon). ed the national fleets of many competing in the U.S. market. continued on page 2 ESU News: Page 7 Page 2 WEST COAST SAILORS Friday, December 23, 2016 Peruvian longshore workers lured U.S. approves FOC airline into drug smuggling are often killed over strenuous opposition Drug trafficking from Peruvian ports has risen in recent years as criminal networks continued from page 1 groom dockworkers to smuggle packets of cocaine into shipping containers, the and our bilateral obligations leave us no aviation industry.” country’s new anti-narcotics agency, Devida, said last month. avenue to reject this application,” Jenny “On behalf of the nation’s several Some 90 dockworkers in Peru have been killed in the past two years in crimes Rosenberg, DOT Acting Assistant Sec- million transportation workers, and believed to have been linked to smuggling, said Devida’s president, Carmen Masias. retary for International Affairs, wrote in especially the men and women who Traffickers lure dock workers by getting them hooked on drugs or offering lavish pay the nine-page decision. form the backbone of U.S. aviation, I to gain access to ships bound for ports around the world, where their counterparts pick In reference to concerns about hiring appeal to the President to reverse this up the cocaine in a sophisticated cross-border smuggling ring, Masias said. “When and employment practices, she said NAI’s decision by the U.S. Department of they’re no longer useful, they’re killed.” CEO had offered “a number of voluntary Transportation,” Wytkind said. Peru is virtually tied with Colombia as the world’s biggest cocaine producer and is practices” to address them. “NAI’s business model clearly and bla- also a leading exporter of copper, gold, fishmeal and coffee. In recent years, cocaine Critics were outraged at a decision tantly violates Article 17 bis of the 2010 has been seized from containers holding goods ranging from paprika to industrial they warned will allow airlines to mir- U.S.-EU Open Skies Agreement, which ovens, according to local media reports.