MARINE ENGINEERS' BENEFICIAL ASSOCIATION (AFL-CIO)
         "On Watch in Peace and War Since 1875"

MEBA TELEX TIMES       JANUARY 09, 2009

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 2

In this issue...
Solis confirmation hearing...Fight looms on Employee Free Choice Act...AFL-CIO & Change to Win could reunite...Piracy task force created...Fresh off our manicure, we spoil you with a suave and sophisticated ivy-league issue for the upper crust that you can read on your yacht. We turn up our noses at unmannered, Neanderthal newsletters that failed to evolve and send those ill-bred barbarians back to the stone age. They're so bourgeois! Have your chauffeur pass the Grey Poupon along with a debonair edition of the high-society Telex Times. Reading anything less would be uncivilized!

OBAMA PICK FOR LABOR SECRETARY NAVIGATES THROUGH NOMINATION HEARING
Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) is one step closer to confirmation as the next Secretary of Labor after the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee considered her nomination today. The Committee is chaired by the pro-labor Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA). Solis is a 51-year old Member of Congress who is seen as a strong worker and union advocate. She is the daughter of a Mexican Teamsters shop steward and the AFL-CIO has given her a 97% lifetime rating for her votes on labor issues. The AFL-CIO released a statement yesterday saying, "As Secretary of Labor, she will be a strong and effective voice for working men and women in the crucial changes our country must make. And after eight years of woeful mismanagement at the Labor Department, Solis will bring energy, experience and dedication to help lead working families back to prosperity."

At times, during the hearing, she faced some pointed questions, especially from Republicans, who urged that she maintain a healthy balance without being a shill for "big labor." However, the tone of the hearing never became testy and the nominee deftly handled all questions put before her. Despite any concerns, it does not appear that there will be any real opposition that could derail her nomination and she is expected to be confirmed when the full Senate gathers for a vote.

LOOMING BATTLE ON EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT
The Solis nomination foreshadows the looming battle that will likely be waged in the 2009 legislative session on the Employee Free Choice Act. Like President-elect Barack Obama, the Labor nominee is a proud co-sponsor of the Act which would establish a system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations and to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing drives. According to the AFL-CIO more than half of U.S. workers - 60 million - say they would join a union right now if they could. However, the Federation says that last year alone more than 31,000 workers had their union rights violated by their employer.

The Solis nomination has unnerved some business interests which are wary of her pro-labor stance and support for the EFCA. The pro-business lobbying group Coalition for a Democratic Workplace said that "her strong ties to organized labor suggest old-school style politics will be alive and well in Washington. Unfortunately, this time it will be at the expense of worker rights." The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has called the nominee's pro-labor voting record "disconcerting." The bill passed the House in the last session of Congress but fell short of the votes needed in the Senate to move the bill toward final passage. It is expected that the legislation will be reintroduced early in this 111th Congress but it is uncertain whether the battle on the bill will be waged early on in the Obama administration. The incoming President has pledged his support for the bill and is on record saying that, "We need to strengthen our unions by letting them do what they do best-organize our workers. If a majority of workers want a union, they should get a union. And that is why I'll fight for and why I intend to sign the Employee Free Choice Act when it lands on my desk in the White House."

Bill supporters say that the Act is needed to level out the current broken system that allows intimidation of workers who try to form unions. They also say that the Act will help serve as part of an economic stimulus package aiding workers. Opponents claim that the legislation will allow unions to coerce workers into joining and say that the act would negatively impact the economy and job growth.

STUDY SHOWS PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT
Nearly four in five adults (78 percent) favor legislation that "makes it easier for workers to bargain with their employers for better wages, benefits and working conditions," according to new opinion research conducted by a respected polling firm. 73 percent specifically support the Employee Free Choice Act, legislation that would give workers the freedom to bargain collectively for a better life. The survey of 1007 adults, conducted by Hart Research Associates from Dec. 4 to 10 and commissioned by the AFL-CIO, shows overwhelming support for the Employee Free Choice Act and its three main provisions.

"In today's economic squeeze, workers need the freedom to bargain their way into the middle class more than ever," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "This new research confirms that the vast majority of Americans support workers' freedom to form unions to improve their lives and support the Employee Free Choice Act, which is key to making our economy work for everyone."

Support for the Employee Free Choice Act is broad across political party and state lines. Three-quarters of moderate/liberal Republicans, 87 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of Independents support the legislation. Opposition is confined to Republicans who identify as conservatives (36 percent of them support the Employee Free Choice Act.

Of the three parts of the Employee Free Choice Act, the broadest public support is for the majority sign-up provision, which puts the choice of how to form a union in the hands of workers, not corporations. Seventy-five percent of adults favor allowing employees to have a union once a majority of employees in a workplace sign authorization cards saying they want one, including 44 percent who strongly support the idea. Strong majorities also support strengthening penalties for companies that illegally intimidate or fire employees who try to organize unions and they support establishing third party binding arbitration if necessary to ensure that workers who choose to form a union can get a contract.

AFL-CIO/CHANGE TO WIN LOOKING TO REUNITE
Barack Obama's transition team has indicated that it prefers to deal with a unified voice of labor rather than the separate factions that exist following the splintering of the AFL-CIO. This desire has spurred new deliberations between the AFL-CIO and Change to Win Coalition to reunite.

The Change to Win breakaway alliance, which includes SEIU, Teamsters, LIUNA, UFCW, UNITE HERE, Farm Workers and Carpenters, left the Federation in 2006 to pursue a different path toward reversing membership decline.

Former Congressman David Bonior, who is part of the Obama economic transition team, helped broker a meeting this last Wednesday between some of the major union presidents on each side. The union leaders are optimistic that an agreement to bring the renegade unions back into the fold can be approved by mid-April. Bonior pledged to follow up his efforts and see the deal through to completion.

American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten said that, "there was a real sense of commitment to unifying our movement again. It was clear that many of us felt that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and we really want to do things to help American workers get their rightful place in society."

However, there will be many hurdles to clear if a reunification is to take place. Some in the Change to Win want to predicate their return on a reorganization of the AFL-CIO such as leadership structure and a greater focus on organizing. UNITE-HERE's Bruce Raynor said that, "There is a strong mutual desire to have a united labor movement but there is no desire...to return to the [same unchanged] federation we left."

Added to the mix is the expectation that AFL-CIO President John Sweeney will step down from his post this Fall. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka would be a leading candidate for the job but likely would face stiff competition from one of the returning Change to Win presidents.

WAGE DISCRIMINATION BILL PASSED IN HOUSE
The House passed two measures that are designed to make it easier for workers to sue for wage discrimination. The first bill (HR 11), which passed 247-171, would clarify that the 180-day statute of limitations applies anew to each discriminatory paycheck. The second (HR 12), which passed 256-163, would put the onus on employers to prove that pay discrepancies between women and men doing the same jobs are the result of non-discriminatory business considerations. The two bills were combined into HR 11 upon passage.

U.S. WILL LEAD NEW INTERNATIONAL COUNTER-PIRACY TASK FORCE
The United States will be heading up an international force that has been designed to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia and other hotspots. Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) was established by the Combined Maritime Forces a group comprised of naval ships and assets from more than 20 nations. U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Terry McKnight has been named the commander of the new task force which will be fully operational by the middle of January.

The CMF created the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) in the Gulf of Aden in August of 2008 to support international efforts to combat piracy. Coalition efforts included CTF-150 assets patrolling the area with ships and aircraft. However, the charter for CTF-150, established at the outset of Operation Enduring Freedom, was for the conduct of Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Operations included the deterrence of destabilizing activities, such as drug smuggling and weapons trafficking. The establishment of CTF-151 will allow CTF-150 assets to remain focused on those activities, giving CTF-151 the ability to focus solely on the counter-piracy mission. "Some navies in our coalition did not have the authority to conduct counter-piracy missions," said Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, CMF Commander. "The establishment of CTF-151 will allow those nations to operate under the auspices of CTF-150, while allowing other nations to join CTF-151 to support our goal of deterring, disrupting and eventually bringing to justice the maritime criminals involved in piracy events."

Vice Adm. Gortney highlighted the reduction in piracies in the region due to merchant mariners' proactive measures. He also continued to caution that the efforts of Coalition and international navies won't solve the problem of piracy. "The most effective measures we've seen to defeat piracy are non-kinetic and defensive in nature. The merchant ships have been doing a great job stepping up and utilizing these methods to defeat piracy attempts. That's a great first step. But the problem of piracy is and continues to be a problem that begins ashore and is an international problem that requires an international solution. We believe the establishment of CTF-151 is a significant step in the right direction."

INOUYE BILL WOULD REPEAL TONNAGE TAX LIMITATION THAT HINDERS SOME DOMESTIC OPERATORS
Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) is making another attempt to eliminate the "30-day limitation" provision in the Tonnage Tax law that provides a burden on domestic operators who also operate internationally. The three-year old tonnage tax was created to help level the playing field for U.S.-flag ships competing in international trade. It taxes the tonnage of a vessel rather than international income. However, a provision in the law states that a U.S. ship cannot use the tonnage tax on international income if that vessel also operates in U.S. domestic commerce for more than 30 days per year.

Sen. Inouye said that this 30-day limitation dramatically limits the availability of the tonnage tax for those U.S. ships that operate in both domestic and international trade and, accordingly, severely hinders their competitiveness in foreign commerce. Ships operating in U.S. domestic trade already have significant cost disadvantages. He noted that the inability of these operators to use the tonnage tax for their international service is a further, unnecessary burden on their competitive position in foreign commerce. Congress previously repealed the 30-day limit on domestic trading for about 50 ships operating on the Great Lakes that also carry cargo to Canada. Sen. Inouye's bill, S. 58 introduced earlier this week, would institute a complete repeal of the tonnage tax's 30-day limit on domestic operations. The bill was referred to the Committee on Finance.

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday, February 2 - Boston, Jacksonville, Seattle;
Tuesday, February 3 - Baltimore, Houston, San Francisco;
Wednesday, February 4 - Calhoon School; Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, February 5 - L.A., New York, Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, February 6 - Honolulu.

--------FINISHED WITH ENGINES---------