Maritime Programs Remain at Last Year's Level
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SIU Appeals to State on Tanker Crew Waiver The SIU has appealed directly to ican crewmen on all U.S. ships. But and not had a chance to respond to tation and the Coast Guard acted Secretary of State George Shultz in under the claim of ''national secu the letter. in direct violation of law in granting an effort to rescind a crewing waiver rity,'' those crewing requirements the waiver. The suit asks that the ''I outlined what our position has for 11 reflagged former Kuwaiti were waived by the U.S. govern waiver be rescinded and that the been all along and that the waiver tankers. Also, five maritime unions ment. DOT be enjoined from taking sim goes against the intent of Congress. filed suit in federal court seeking to Last month at the AFL-CIO Ex iliar action in the future. I stressed that using American sea have the crewing waiver over ecutive Board meeting, SIU Presi Drozak said the SIU supports men does more for national security turned. dent Frank Drozak meet briefly with whatever action is needed to fight than does employing foreigners on The ships have been a continuing Shultz who was there to speak be the crewing situation on the Ku U.S. ships. We are hoping that source of controversy since they fore the board. The secretary re waiti ships. He added that the SIU Secretary Shultz would begin a re were reftagged last year but were quested that Drozak prepare a letter decided to explore other avenues view process which could eventu not required to carry American outlining the Union's position on of action besides the courts. The ally rescind the waiver," Drozak crewmen, except for the captain the waiver. A three-page letter was unions involved in the suit are the and radio officer. In January, Con prepared and sent to Shultz late last said. NMU, NMEBA, MM&P, SUP and gress passed, and President Reagan month. In the suit, the unions are arguing MFOW. A hearing on the suit is signed a bill which required Amer- The secretary has been overseas that the Department of Transpor- set for March 29. Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union • Atlantic, Gull, Lakes and Inland Waters District • AFL·CIO Vol. so, No. J March 1988 Uttle Surprise in FY 89 Budget Maritime Programs Remain at Last Year's Level The administration submitted a tril propriations Subcommittee that $248.9 of the SIU's Department of Legisla contains no surprises, but it is the lion dollar budget to Congress for fiscal million had been set aside to liquidate tion. ''That may well be the case with latest chapter in seven years of official year 1989 which left funding for mar existing operating differential subsi the administration's Fiscal Year 1989 neglect.' ' itime programs at essentially the same dies, and that $72.92 million should be budget. SIU President Frank Drozak said levels that they were last year. set aside for grant agreements to bring ''The best that can be said is that it (Continued on Page 4.) The administration has requested in new operators under subsidy. $471.5 million for maritime programs. No provisions were contained for On paper, this represents a $334 mil new ship financing guarantees. That lion increase over last year. met with widespread criticism from Roughly two-thirds of that increase industry officials. There was reduced can be traced to the administration's funding for the P.L. 480 program, and decision to change the way it was for the Coast Guard, whose budget is submitting its request for operating contained in a different category. differential subsidies. Most of the rest Shortly after the administration made of the increase was a bookkeeping public the provisions of the budget, change: programs which had been han Navy Secretary James Webb resigned dled under different appropriations bills in protest. He said that the budget were now being submitted under this would make it impossible to go ahead one. with plans to build a 600 ship Navy. The administration based its budget Controversy also surrounded fund projections for maritime on the as ing levels for the Coast Guard. Unless sumption that its plan to reform the budget cuts were restored, said Coast liner subsidy program would be ap Guard Commander Paul Yost, the proved. Yet there has been little move Coast Guard would have to severely ment on the administration's plan, and curtail its "search and seizure" drug many maritime officials believed that raids and close Coast Guard facilities Congress would not get around to around the country. dealing with this vitally important is The administration came down on sue before it adjourned. the side of the Maritime Administra John Gaughan, head of the Maritime tion in granting it authority over the Administration, told the House Ap- Reserve Fleet. The Navy had con Thomas R. Donahue, AFL-CIO secretary/treasurer addresses the Maritime Trades De partment. Legislative goals and ways to revitalize the U.S. merchant marine topped the tested that authority, and the issue agenda. With Donahue are (L-R) MTD President Frank Drozak, MTD Secretary/Treasurer had aroused considerable attention in Jean lngrao and MTD National Field Coordinator Frank Pecquex. See pages 5-7 for Scholarships maritime circles. details. April 15 is the application dead In testimony before the House Mer line for Charlie Logan Scholar chant Marine Committee, Gaughan ships. Active Seafarers are encour noted that the administration planned I side: to continue providing funds for five aged to apply as well as dependents Page 3 of Seafarers. See January and Feb state maritime academies, but only if . Manning Standards Examined ruary LOGs for details. Send ap they agreed to share training vessels SIU Firms Win 42 RRF Ships Page 4 plications to: and accept the administration's pro Seafarers Welfare Plan posal that all graduates of federally Brother to Brother Page 8 c/o Charlie Logan Scholarship supported maritime schools accept a Inland News_ Pages 9 & 10 5201 Auth Way Naval Reserve commitment. "'It is said that no news is good Camp Springs, Md. 20746 1 Government Services Pages 18 & 19 news,'' said Frank Pecquex, director I We are not simply talking about its traditional large-scale involve President's Report dollars, we need leadership and we ment in the election. We have a need a president with the attitude reputation as a union that can be by Frank Drozak that the merchant marine is im counted on to tum out the vote portant. and the volunteers. That's where During the past few election An important question for the each and every one of you comes years, politics has become more candidates will be where they stand in. and more like a massively-pro on the Defense Commission re Volunteer your time and your duced sporting event. The net port. effort, not just in the presidential works drench the airwaves with Fair Trade, Not Free Trade race but in the contests in your 15-second clips of candidates. The trade policies of the last eight own home town. Candidates for Newspapers run hundreds of col years have led to the biggest trade the House and Senate and for state umn inches on the latest polls and deficit this country has ever seen. offices are important to you and trends, and the candidates them But as long as U.S. trade policy the Union. selves throw slick video-like com allows American products and Check with your port agents and mercials at viewers. American companies to be shut field reps. They will have a line on Sometimes with all that noise out of markets and tariffed to death, the best ways you can help your and visual assault, messages get little will improve. Union and yourself. lost. How much can a candidate We have to trade with the rest More so than most industries, say in a 15-second sound-bite or of the world. But they must trade our job security is tied to politics half-minute commercial? with us too. The candidate we and national policy. Another eight The recent primaries and cau support must support a reasonable years of being ignored or attacked cuses in some 20 states March 8 The results from Super Tuesday and sound fair trade program. could very well mean the death of was in danger of becoming more seem to have narrowed the Dem Between now and the November the U.S.-fiag merchant marine. like a made-for-television movie ocratic field to three and the GOP election, the SIU will gear up for We cannot let that happen. than an important step in the elec to one. All three of the major tion process. But as the election Democratic candidates have ap neared, a trend developed-the pealed to the vast working class. problems of America's working men While the details of their messages and women became a popular vary, they know that working men SIU's Fay Honored theme. and women will decide the election Sometimes it was hard to figure on the issues important to them. out where the various candidates When it comes time for the SIU stood on the issues by just watch to endorse a candidate, it will be ing the news, but a careful reading only after careful study. Like all of the papers and political analysis unions in the AFL-CIO, we are showed that issues were getting an concerned with how the candidates airing. Issues that concern all stand on labor's main issues. We American workers. are also very concerned about Unemployment, underemploy where they stand on maritime is ment, the prohibitive cost of hous sues.