Maritime Labor Wins Big On OCS Bill See Special Supplement Pages 19-22 Official Publication of the Seafarers International Union • Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District • AFL-CIO VOL. 40 NO. 7 JULY 'J • SeoforersI Crew LNG Paso Southern e . See Pages 12-13 •V / . X-A-T-. - ' X- fit"-' rv-'' , r ' r - • v' * r ' X A-;,..-'- . '*•/•• """-'I - -.-•'v ;• J '•: V:.. "'V--. '•' .'^^t,-.. V;;- . The liquid natural gas carrier,F/ Paso Southern, is the 4th U.S.-flag LNG ship to be manned by Seafarers. Milestone Pact Signed With Great Lakes Operators Page 2 SlU Blasts Navy's Non-Use of Private Tugs Page 3 Hall Says 50,000 Maritime Jobs Endangered Page 5 SlU Boatmen crewed the new tug, Seahawk, this month in Norfolk, Va. The tug is owned and operated by Allied Towing. r Milestone Pact Signed With Great Lakes Operators Great Lakes area SIU members are 90 days at a time during the shipping increases, retroactive to August I, 1977* The Great Lakes Association of Ma­ now in the process of ratifying a new season without time off the vessel. The and a hike in extended season compen­ rine Operators covers most of the SIU- contract between the Union and the crew also has the option to waive all or sation. The agreement also provides a contracted companies on the Lakes. In­ Great Lakes Association of Marine part of the vacation time which is com­ jump in transportation and daily sub- cluded in GLAMO are: American Operators (GLAMO). Contract nego­ ing to them. The only circumstance that sistance money. Steamship Co., Cement Transit Co., tiations were wrapped up last month allows the company to delay a scheduled Some work rule changes are included Erie Sand Steamship Co. and Erie Nav­ and the ship-by-ship ratification vote is vacation is "an unforeseen emergency in the new contract. These are mostly igation Co., Huron Cement Co., Litton expected to be concluded by the end of beyond the control of the company." clarification of onboard duties and pro­ Great Lakes Corp., and Pringle Transit July. Though the vacation plan is the major visions for compensating crewmembers Co. The agreement covers about 58 The highlight of the new three-year innovation in the Great Lakes contract, doing work other than the job descrip­ ships and the 1200 SIU members who agreement is the new vacation plan for the agreement also provides substantial tion layed-out in the contract. crew them. Great Lakes seamen. Effective Jan. 1, increases in benefits. The contract calls 1979, the vacation plan will give crew- for a $100 jump in pension benefits. On members 30-days-off with pay every 90- Jan. 1, 1979, pension checks will go up EUgibiUty Rules For Benefits days-worked. $50 per month with a second $50 hike to The 90-days-on/30-days-off vacation take effect on June 16, 1980. package is a breakthrough both in the Several improved welfare benefits are Changed to 125 Days industry and for the SIU. Algonac Port covered under the new agreement. The Agent Jack Bluitt noted this was "the biggest increase is in death benefit cov­ All Seafarers and Boatmen ceding the date of claim. first time ever any unlicensed union rep­ erage. Active employees' death benefit should be aware that as part of Under the Vacation Plan, a resenting merchant seamen negotiated coverage will now range from $5,000 to the changes in the Seafarers Va­ Seafarer or Boatman must now paid time-off for their members." $20,000, depending on seatime. Under cation, Welfare and Pension accumulate 125 days seatime or Under the agreement, crewmembers the old contract, the maximum death will not be required to work more than benefit was $5,000. Plans made to improve benefits boat-time before filing for vaca­ Another important welfare benefit is resulting from our recent con­ tion benefits. In addition, to be eligible for As the Log goes to press, SIU improved Major Medical coverage for tract negotiations, the Trustees Great Lakes Headquarters in dependents of Seafarers. Under the old have changed the eligibility rules. the Early Normal Pension (20 Algonac, Mich, reports that the benefit schedule, the Welfare Plan Now, to be eligible for benefits years seatime at 55 years of age. new three year pact has been would not pay more than $600 for any under the Seafarers Welfare Seafarers only), or the Disability major medical expense. All charges Plan, a Seafarer or Boatman Pension (12 years service at any accepted by the membership. SIU above that amount came out of the Sea­ representatives visited the farer's pocket. must accumulate at least 125 days age), an eligible employee must Union's contracted Great Lakes The new major medical plan will pay seatime or boat-time in the previ­ accumulate 125 days seatime or vessels one by one to tally the up to $600 of doctor or hospital bills and ous calendar year and one day boat-time in the calendar year votes. The acceptance vote was then pay up to 80 percent of any charges seatime or boat-time in the six immediately preceding his pen­ 553 in favor and 51 against. above that amount. month period immediately pre­ sion application. Great Lakes Seafarers also won pay [= rUx vities. Over the years, we have worked successfully on legislation affecting all areas of the U.S. maritime industry. We have won some very important fights in Congress. And we have taken our licks as well. But the important thing is we are in there punching in the political battleground—an area that is growing in importance to us every day. Another thing about politics. It is an area that is becoming more and more difficult to work in,effectively with any degree of consistency or continuity. The reason is that with every election, more and more new faces are Paul Hall n'O- OXO, popping up in the House and Senate. These are people that have little or no U Lb background or knowledge concerning maritime. These people are replacing a lot of old line Senators and Congressmen whom the SIU considered among our friends. More Political Action Needed In the face of these new happenings, the SIU is in the process of estab­ lishing a new and more comprehensive approach to politics to insure that the changing faces of the nation's legislators are friendly faces concerning Next to health and home, the most important thing to a working man in maritime. this country is security. By security, I mean the ability to get and hold a job All along, our political arm has been SPAD. For years, SIU officials have at decent wages without the constant fear that the job could be gone in the been asking for voluntary contributions to SPAD. And SIU members have morning. always come through for the Union in this respect. Some American industries have a high degree of security built into the The problem, plain and simple, is that the Union needs a larger political system for their workers. Unfortunately, our industry—maritime—is not fund to continue to work effectively in this area. However, it is not fair to one of them. ask SIU members to dig deeper for out-of-pocket donations. In fact, American maritime has traditionally been an industry with one of This is where our new program comes in. Basically, it is a checkoff the highest degrees of insecurity built into it. Merchant seamen have always program for political contributions. A lot of unions already have such a been the first to feel an economic crunch brought on by recession. And system. But this is a new concept for us. among the last to benefit from economic recovery. The program is only a month old. But already, nearly 1,000 SIU members It would be easy for us to sit back and accept anything that comes along have signed the SPAD checkoff authorization, (see back page for more and hope that things don't get too bad for maritime. But this has never been information). the way in the SIU. And if it had, there would be no SIU today worth talking Essentially, what you are doing when you sign one of these forms is about. authorizing the Seafarers Vacation Plan to deduct 30 cents per day from the The SIU has always worked hard to try and build a degree of security vacation benefit for each day worked, with the money being transferred to within our Union that will stand up to the toughest possible test. It has not the SPAD fund. been the easy way, but it has paid off for us. Thirty cents a day is a very small amount, and it may not seem like much. Right now, the SIU possesses the highest degree of job security in our It may also seem a very small amount for a member to invest in his future history. We also possess the highest degree of job security of any other sea­ security. However, with every SIU member supporting this program, the going union in the nation. Union will be able to build a bigger and more effective political program We have been able to achieve this not only because we have worked than ever before—a program that is absolutely essential for the SIU to hard. But because wc have worked hard in the right areas. continue to be effective in politics. We have worked in the area of education through the Lundeberg School The job of protecting our interest in all areas has always been a very in Piney Point.