Vol. 53, No.4 The International Marine Division of ILA/AFL-CIO July | August 2017 Official Voice of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots Matson Announces New Marshall Islands Service Tug Gretchen Dunlap Aids Maersk Ship in Alaska Victory for Brusco Mates in 20-Year Battle to Join MM&P The Master, Mate & Pilot is the Table of Contents official voice of the International Vol. 53, No. 4 July | August 2017 Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (International From the President 1 Marine Division of the ILA), AFL-CIO. © 2017 IOMMP. News Briefs 2 The Master, Mate & Pilot (ISSN 0025-5033) is published bimonthly MM&P expresses support for those affected by by the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots. MM&P Hurricane Harvey; victory for MM&P in Brusco mates’ Headquarters: 700 Maritime Blvd., Suite B, Linthicum Heights, MD 20-year battle for representation; Matson announces 21090-1953. new U S -flag Marshall Islands service; TugGretchen Dunlap Phone: (410) 850-8700 helps keep Maersk ship in Alaska from running aground E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.bridgedeck.org Periodicals Postage Paid at MM&P Health & Benefits Plans 16 Elkridge, MD and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send Offshore scholarship winners; be a wise consumer: address changes to The Master, Mate & Pilot, 700 Maritime using contracted medical service providers can save Blvd., Suite B, Linthicum money for you and the Plan Heights, MD 21090-1953 Don Marcus Chairman, Editorial Board News From MITAGS 18 Lisa Rosenthal Communications Director MITAGS-PMI recognizes four key staffers for 20 or more years of service INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS Don Marcus, President Steven Werse, Secretary-Treasurer Pensioners 19 VICE PRESIDENTS Thomas Bell, Great Lakes & Gulf Stephen H. Doherty, Atlantic Maritime MM&P Directory 20 Don Josberger, Offshore Atlantic Klaus Luhta, Offshore Gulf & Government Affairs Cross’d the Final Bar 24 George A. Quick, Pilots Randall H. Rockwood, Federal Employees Thank You Contributors to the MM&P PCF! 25 Timothy Saffle, Pacific Maritime Region Lars Turner, Offshore Pacific About the Cover Connect with Us! APL Gulf Express. The newest APL ship MM&P is on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Like us. Follow us. delivers cargo to U.S. service members Re-post and re-tweet. Every time you do, you help MM&P build stationed throughout the Persian Gulf. Aboard the ship when the photo was taken an essential online community of members and allies. Connect with were MM&P members Captain Albert us today. And if you have news or photos you want to share with Balister, Chief Mate Michael Jessner, Second everyone, send us an e-mail: [email protected]. Mate Steven Partridge, Third Mate Daniel Canham and Third Mate Ian Falkenberg Facebook.com/IOMMP @MMP_Union MastersMatesPilots — PHOTO MICHAEL JESSNER FROM THE PRESIDENT Helping Our Community, Strengthening Our Nation Union Sisters and Brothers: t is difficult to observe events around the country or, indeed, Iaround the world without being concerned for the state of our nation and the future of our children. As we go to press, Masters, Mates & Pilots is using the funds we have available for that purpose to assist members who are in distress because of Hurricane Harvey. Many members have been displaced from their homes, our hiring hall is not accessible due to flooding and our long-time dispatcher had to be evacuated from her home by boat. We are reaching out to those affected by the storm and pledge to do everything we can to assist in the rebuilding. More information on what you can do to help is on page 2. Taking a step back from the situation on the Gulf Coast, a North Korean missile flying over the Japanese Island of Hokkaido brings home the sobering reality of the wartime role of the U.S Merchant Marine, while events closer to home provide distressing insight into how far we have to go as a nation. The disgraceful events in Charlottesville, Va., demand admonition from all right- thinking Americans, who realize that it would be far better to devote our energies to promoting understanding and cooperation MM&P members at a march for national unity in San Francisco among the citizens of our country rather than to sowing hatred in August. (Left to right) Ryan Leo, Jeremy Hope, Don Marcus and division. and Darrin Muenzberg. What has often been left unsaid in the recent debate about race and division in America is that, while we have a long way to go, What does have an increasingly important place in our national we have also made great strides. Ninety years ago, Masters, Mates dialogue are concerns about the ability of the U.S. Merchant & Pilots, like many American Federation of Labor craft unions Marine to respond to the potential conflicts looming on the of the era, had racial and religious covenants in our Constitution. horizon. Key developments indicate the increasing interest of It took the Second World War and its aftermath for pioneers like the federal government in assessing the availability of qualified Captain Hugh Mulzac, the first black captain of a modern U.S.- mariners to respond to a national emergency. A new Maritime flag merchant ship, to slowly break down the barriers that were Workforce Working Group, including MM&P Vice President once in place. Klaus Luhta and other representatives of maritime labor, is in Labor, like the nation generally, has its share of shortcomings. the process of developing recommendations for improving the The work is far from over, but if history, including labor history, capabilities of the U.S. deep sea maritime workforce. The effort proves nothing else, it proves that caving in to appeals for division includes a formal submission by maritime labor to the Federal and hatred is a losing response, one that breeds nothing but Docket (Docket No. MARAD 2017-0117). poverty and devastation. It is clearly recognized not only by the U.S. Maritime I am happy to say that an MM&P contingent joined 20,000 Administration but also by the Department of Defense and, specifically, by USTRANSCOM, that there are not enough other Americans in the anti-fascism march down Market Street in qualified deep-sea mariners to support extended military San Francisco on August 26. As one of our MM&P participants, operations: the shortfall is approximately 2000. While the current Captain Darrin Muenzberg, told a local reporter: “Union sailors labor pool is sufficient to maintain peacetime levels of activity, in the U.S. Merchant Marine fought fascism in World War II. the difficulty would be sustaining our military in the event of We’ve been doing it ever since and we’re here to show that isn’t extended military operations or national emergency. going to change.” As trade unionists, mariners and U.S. citizens, we are proud to affirm that intolerance, racism and bigotry have no place in our national dialogue. continued on page 2 www bridgedeck org - The Master, Mate & Pilot 1 FROM THE (CONTINUED) PRESIDENT From the President, continued subject. If given adequate support from the White House and Congress, these experienced leaders will be able to take steps to Enhancing government programs to generate the additional strengthen the Merchant Marine in the area it is needed most: cargo that would warrant new commercial investment in U.S-flag developing good, sustainable jobs. ships—and the resulting jobs—is essential to turning our industry Filling the two-thousand-mariner gap recognized by around. As may be readily appreciated by everyone who works USTRANSCOM and MARAD requires action: action that for a living, expending the time, money and effort to obtain and is entirely consistent with the mantra of “America First.” This maintain professional credentials makes sense only when jobs would include enhancing the capabilities of our merchant marine appear to be available, now and in the future. and national defense by facilitating the carriage of crude oil Absent the prospect of ready employment at sea, mariners and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports aboard U.S.-flag will continue to leave the job market to pursue other lines of vessels, negotiating bilateral cargo-sharing agreements with our work. Young people will not enter an industry with declining major trading partners, fully enforcing our Cargo Preference laws employment opportunities and, at best, stagnant wages and and putting an end to destructive and dishonest attacks on the working conditions. Today skilled mariners, the most critical of Jones Act. whom take ten to fifteen years to fully train, are continuing to Masters, Mates & Pilots is doing our part to assist members leave the industry due to diminishing prospects. devastated by Hurricane Harvey, and to promote our jobs, our Maintaining personnel levels in the U.S. Merchant Marine is time-honored profession and national unity. no less critical to national security than is maintaining personnel levels in the Army, Navy or Air Force. National security is a Sincerely and fraternally, team effort. We are fortunate that both our Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao, and our Maritime Administrator, Don Marcus Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, are extremely well-versed on this MM&P International President Hurricane Harvey The entire Masters, Mates & Pilots community extends its sincere Ports-Government Affairs Klaus Luhta ([email protected]) condolences to everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey. for information on how to petition for assistance from one of Our hearts go out to those who are suffering because of the these funds. hurricane itself and the floods that have occurred in its aftermath. Other members, please consider making a contribution to the MM&P Members Welfare Fund. You can make a contribution by credit card on our website: http://bridgedeck.org/members-welfare-plan-donation/ To make a contribution by check, please make your check payable to the MM&P Members Welfare Fund and send it to: MM&P Members Welfare Fund c/o Juli Rodriguez MM&P 700 Maritime Blvd., Suite B Linthicum Heights, MD 21090-1953 Please note that contributions to the MM&P Members Welfare Fund are not tax deductible.