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

MEBA TELEX TIMES               OCTOBER 27, 2006

The Official Union Newsletter

NUMBER 43

In this issue...
New School Director named...Members crew up St. Louis Express... Panama Canal expansion...We gamble on another gum-snapping, smoking edition littered with the nail-biting news of the week. Don’t tailgate nose-picking, thumb-sucking competitors that belch out gossip. Come eavesdrop on the addictive new knuckle-cracking Telex Times. It's a hard habit to break!

TRUSTEES OUTFIT SCHOOL WITH NEW DIRECTOR
Longtime MEBA member Lou Marciello will become the next Director of the Calhoon MEBA Engineering School succeeding Joyce Matthews who announced her retirement earlier this month. Lou was a unanimous selection by the MEBA trustees.

Lou graduated from the Calhoon School cadet program in 1971 and began shipping out as a 3rd A/E. He earned his Chief Engineer’s license (steam) in 1980 and later his Chief (motor) license. He has sailed aboard all types of commercial vessels and spent many years aboard Ready Reserve Force fleet vessels as 1st A/E and relief Chief Engineer. He has also worked ashore as Port Engineer, Purchasing Agent and in a research and development project with the Maritime Administration dealing with shipboard and shoreside use of computers. He also established a retail business for years which he operated successfully and eventually sold.

In 1975, Mr. Marciello received an undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University (B.U.) and four years later earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with honors at B.U. He also enrolled in the Calhoon MEBA School/Thomas Edison State College of New Jersey academic curriculum. Lou became the first Calhoon School graduate to earn a college degree through Edison by successfully completing additional core collegiate courses and applying credits earned from the Calhoon cadet program. In September of 1995 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering Technology specialization.

In 1996, he began serving as Dispatcher and later as Representative in the New Orleans hall gaining 5 years of experience in that capacity. In the 2001 MEBA election he was voted in as the Branch Agent in Houston where he won reelection three years later. As Branch Agent, Lou also served as an alternate MEBA Plans Trustee. His negotiation and leadership skills honed during his 10 years working out of MEBA union halls will be put to good use in his new job. Lou has extensive experience in the government procurement of vessel operating agreements. He has been intricately involved with developing economic proposals for all MEBA-Government contracts with MarAd and MSC over the past 10 years. In 1997, Lou produced the LMSR training manual while temporarily working at the Calhoon School.

Lou is a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, National Defense Transportation Association and the Propeller Club.

To fill the gap left by Brother Marciello in Houston, M.I. “Moose” Mallini has been called on to take over as Branch Agent in that port. Brother Mallini has been a reliable force in responding to the call where needed. He began his elected term in New Orleans, recently took over the top post in Seattle and now returns to the Gulf area where he has spent many years serving the membership. His familiarity with the region and experience with negotiations along with his ability to adapt to new situations helped solidify the decision.

Karol Kingery, who is currently serving as the Patrolman in Seattle, will take over as Branch Agent there with Jeff Duncan remaining as the Washington State Ferry Representative. Though Karol began his career shipping out deep-sea following his Calhoon School graduation, he spent 23½ years in the Washington State Ferry (WSF) system concluding as Chief Engineer. He is believed to be the first Seattle Branch Agent with substantial Washington State Ferry sailing time – sure to be an asset with the hundreds of MEBA WSF mariners.

Joyce Matthews has spent the last 4½ years presiding over the School and can look back at a tenure marked by beneficial changes to both the facility and the curriculum. The campus upgrades, including general refurbishments as well as the additions of the Merchant Marine Memorial, auditorium and ship simulator among other things, will further enrich the value of the School for our members for years to come. Sister Matthews plans to return to her home in Florida to enjoy her retirement.

A popular and effective Union official, Lou will arrive at the School next month to work with Joyce to ensure that he hits the ground running when he takes over the position on December 1.

ST. LOUIS EXPRESS NOW PART OF THE MEBA FLEET
MEBA members took over the ST. LOUIS EXPRESS this week in Houston as the vessel hoisted the Stars and Stripes and prepares to take over the itinerary of the aging CP DISCOVERER. As reported a few weeks back, Hapag-Lloyd is trading out two older Maritime Security Program vessels for newer ships plucked out of their international fleet. The vessel is managed by MEBA-contracted Marine Personnel and Provisioning, also known as MTL.

The ST. LOUIS EXPRESS had been sailing under the name CP YELLOWSTONE and just recently had the new name painted on in Houston after arriving at the port from Brazil. MEBA’s permanent crew transferred to the new ship and the rotary crew shipped off the board and joined the vessel on Monday. The MEBA crew includes Chief Engineer Fred Price, 1st A/E Todd Williams, 2nd A/E J.P. Thomas and 3rd A/E Leo Williams.

PANAMA CANAL EXPANSION APPROVED
Panamanians voted "Si" this week on a national referendum to expand the Panama Canal. By law, expansion, or the "third set of locks project," had to be put to a vote in a popular referendum. The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) presented its formal proposal to the Panamanian government in April. In the end, 78 percent voted for expansion.

Dr. Ricaurte Vasquez Morales, chairman of the ACP's board of directors and concurrent minister for Canal affairs said, “We spent years studying, researching and preparing and we are ready. This project will be done efficiently and transparently. With this vote, the Canal will be able to grow with demand, improve service, spur economic growth in Panama and maintain the Canal's competitive advantage.”

The expansion will accommodate surging demand for the Canal's routes and services, particularly the rapid growth in traffic from Asia, through the Canal, to the United States and back -- known as the "All-Water Route."

Expansion will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, which will double capacity and allow more traffic and wider ships. The Panama Canal is nearing maximum capacity and needs to grow with demand. The result of comprehensive analyses and studies by the ACP, expansion is estimated to cost $5.25 billion and will be paid by Canal customers through a system of graduated toll increases. It was noted that the project will not interfere with or disrupt current Canal traffic.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS THIS WEEKEND
The Transportation Department issued a notice reminding everyone that daylight saving time will end at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29, Next year the daylight saving time period will begin earlier and end later for most of the United States.

Daylight saving time is currently observed from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. As a result of legislation enacted by Congress in 2005, beginning next year daylight saving time will begin the second Sunday of March and end the first Sunday of November. As a result, in 2007, daylight saving time will run from March 11 to Nov. 4.

When daylight saving time ends, clocks will be set back one hour, providing an additional hour of daylight in the morning.

Federal law does not require any area to observe daylight saving time. But if a state chooses to observe daylight time, it must follow the starting and ending dates set by the law. In those parts of the country that do not observe daylight time, no resetting of clocks is required. Those states and territories include Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.

AFL-CIO ILO COMPLAINT OVER "KENTUCKY RIVER" NLRB DECISIONS
Saying the National Labor Relations Board's "Kentucky River" decisions "destroy workers' collective power by denying their right to form and join trade unions and to bargain collectively, in violation of the principles of freedom of association," the AFL-CIO has filed a complaint with the International Labor Organization (ILO) of the United Nations. In the complaint, the AFL-CIO alleges that the international labor law standards were violated in the "Kentucky River" decisions - a set of NLRB rulings that may strip millions of workers of their union organizing and bargaining rights.

The complaint to the ILO's Committee on Freedom of Association challenged the NLRB's September 29 decision expanding the definition of "supervisor" in U.S. labor law. By a 3-2 vote, the NLRB majority transformed workers with sporadic oversight over coworkers into "supervisors" even when such oversight is far short of genuine managerial or supervisory authority.

The NLRB decision involved the status of "charge nurses" who coordinate the work of other nurses in a hospital unit. But the decision has ramifications for millions of workers who act as group leaders, line leaders, lead persons and other non-management workplace coordinators, as well as professionals who work alongside non-professionals. The two dissenting NLRB members said, "Today's decision threatens to create a new class of workers . . . who have neither the genuine prerogatives of management, nor the statutory rights of ordinary employees."

The AFL-CIO told the ILO Committee the NLRB's will allow employers fire such "supervisors" for any trade union activity, such as helping to organize a union at their workplace, holding union office, or merely joining a union.

Employers could take such action with complete immunity under the law because employees classified as supervisors are not "employees under the Act" – that is, workers protected by the NLRA against discrimination for union activity or membership.

BIMCO RELEASES US PSC GUIDE FOR SEAFARERS
In an effort to enhance compliance with MARPOL and SOLAS requirements and thereby reduce the frequency of related violations at US ports, BIMCO has made its Guide to prepare for Port State Control Inspections in the United States globally available on its website (www.bimco.org). BIMCO is the Baltic and International Maritime Council - the world's largest organization of shipowners, brokers and agents with over 2,600 members in 110 countries.

When presented with the BIMCO guide, Rear Admiral Craig E. Bone, Assistant Commandant for U.S. Coast Guard Prevention Operations said, “Use of this guide will raise awareness amongst seafarers regarding compliance with Port State Control measures implemented on board ships.”

The guide represents the first achievement resulting from the new USCG/BIMCO cooperation agreement signed on September 7, 2006 at USCG Headquarters by Rear Admiral Bone and BIMCO President Knud Pontoppidan. Two versions of the guide will be available for download, one a high-resolution PDF file for quality printing purposes and the second a low-resolution PDF version that will facilitate quick transmission via e-mail to ships. The high-res version is available at www.bimco.dk/upload/us_psci_folder_high.pdf.  The low-res version can be accessed at www.bimco.dk/upload/us_psci_folder_low.pdf.

NEXT REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Monday November 6 – Boston, Seattle;
Tuesday, November 7 – Baltimore, Houston, Jacksonville, San Francisco;
Wednesday, November 8 – Calhoon MEBA School, Charleston, New Orleans, Portland;
Thursday, November 9 – Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, Norfolk, Tampa.

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