Latest Updates

SUP ELECTION INFORMATION

SUP ELECTION INFORMATION

The SUP Balloting Committee concluded its oversight of the SUP Election and reported the following nominees elected: 

• Matt Henning was elected President/Secretary-Treasurer.
• Sam Worth was elected Vice-President/Assistant Secretary-Treasurer.
• Brendan Bohannan was elected Seattle Branch Agent.
• Leo Martinez was elected Wilmington Branch Agent.  
• Pat Weisbarth was elected Honolulu Branch Agent.
• Roy Tufono was elected San Francisco Business Agent.  
• Trustees of SUP Building Corporation are Matt Henning, Roy Tufono, Sam Worth and Berit Eriksson. 
• Delegates to the SIUNA Convention are Matt Henning and Sam Worth. 
• The initiative to increase the quarterly dues failed. 

More to come in the February President's Report and the West Coast Sailors.

SUP ELECTION INFORMATION
 

If for any reason a member in good standing does not receive a ballot, or has spoiled the ballot he/she may request a duplicate ballot by calling the Impartial Balloting Agent, Unilect Election Services at 866 466 6455. This is the best method to ensure rapid delivery of a duplicate ballot to a valid address. SUP hiring halls are not valid addresses. Requests for duplicate ballots must be made by January 24, 2025 at the latest. Again, the number is 866 466 6455.
 

Call 866 466 6455 if you are eligible to vote and did not get a ballot.

If there are any questions, or if any assistance is needed, please contact SUP Election Coordinator Martha Vizcarra, at 415 777 3400 or dispatcher@sailor.org.
-- SUP Committee on Election

Project 2025 Endangers Jones Act

SUP REACHES HISTORIC DEAL WITH APL

Late in the last week of September the SUP Negotiating Committee reached a tentative agreement with American President Lines on new labor contract. The five-year deal, subject to ratification, includes increases in base wages, overtime and the supplemental benefit wage known as vacation. It has new overtime guarantees, ensures improved internet connection, provides a new cost-of-living adjustment, and secures ongoing maintenance of benefits. The Committee recommended ratification at the October membership meetings.  

SUP ELECTION 2024

Instructions for Candidates

As per Article XII of the SUP Constitution, all members nominated for elective office at the September coastwise meetings and who desire to become candidates for the 2025-2028 term of office shall have their acceptance in the office of the Committee on Candidates at Headquarters (450 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94105) prior to midnight Wednesday, October 14, 2024. 

The acceptance shall be by letter which shall be dated and shall contain the following: a) The name of the candidate; b) His/her home address and mailing address; c) his/her membership number; and d) the title of the office or other position sought, including the name of the Port in the event the position sought is that of Branch Agent or Business Agent. No one may be a candidate for more than one office apart from the positions of the Trustee of the SUP Building Corporation and delegate to the SIUNA Convention. Nominees who fail to comply herein with shall be regarded as having declined the nomination. 

Candidates for office may request and require the Union to distribute campaign literature at the candidate’s request, provided that the candidate makes such request at least five working days prior to the intended date of mailing and/or distribution and provided that the candidate pay the actual cost of mailing and/or distribution at the time of each request. The cost of mailing and/or distribution shall be at the hourly rate of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 29. 

Campaign literature that the candidate requests to be mailed must be ready for mailing; stamped and envelopes stuffed and sealed; or flyers stamped, folded and sealed. Candidates for office are entitled to submit a photograph and a statement of 100 words or less regarding Union issues for publication in a special election supplement to the West Coast Sailors that will be published in November. 

The statements and photos should be sent to the special editor of the West Coast Sailors prior to November 10 for inclusion in the special election supplement. Each candidate may also post campaign material on a bulletin board to be set up in each SUP hall for that purpose. The candidate shall be allotted space for one legal-size page (8 ½ x 14) on a first-come, first-served basis. 

The secret mail balloting for officers for the 2025-2028 term will begin on December 1, 2024, and end on January 31, 2025. Depending on the recommendation of the Impartial Balloting Agent, we expect the ballots will be counted on January 31, 2025. The Committee on Election will turn to at Headquarters at 0900 on October 16 to verify the receipt of nominee acceptances, the findings of the Committee on Candidates on the initial eligibility of the candidates, review the recommendations of the Committee on Constitution, select, and recommend for membership approval an Impartial Balloting Agent and otherwise prepare the ballot. See more on the Elections Page. 

IMPORTANT SUP ELECTION INFORMATION 

Members are reminded to update their mailing address to receive a ballot in the 2024-2025 SUP Election which is conducted entirely by mail. Contact SUP Election Coordinator Martha Vizcarra at 415 777 3400 or at dispatcher@sailors.org.

Additionally, the SUP Committee on Election and the Committee on Candidates met on September 19, 2024 to review nominations for SUP elected office. They reviewed membership records and determined the nominees in good standing and included them in their report. Then they advised those members and the general membership of the nominees by posting and distribution of the list of nominees, and the nominated candidates themselves by letter. The letter also described the steps necessary to accept the nomination and appear on the SUP ballot which will be mailed for voting in the election beginning on December 1. Candidates must accept the nomination by October 14, 2024 and must follow the instructions in the Constitution and repeated in the letter. The report is as follows: 

UPDATE MAILING ADDRESS FOR IMPORTANT ELECTION INFORMATION

The pending SUP election is conducted entirely by mail ballot. As a result, having a valid mailing address on file at SUP Headquarters is an important aspect of participation in the election. Members are urged to update their address, if necessary, by contacting their Branch Agent or other Union official, or directly with SUP staff including the manager of the of the mailing list, SUP Election Coordinator Marth Vizcarra at SUP HQ at dispatcher@sailors.org or 415 777 3400. 

Branch Agents can be reached at the Wilmington Branch at wilmington@sailors.org, at the Seattle Branch at seattle@sailors.org, at the Honolulu Branch at honolulu@sailors.org, or at Headquarters at dispatcher@sailors.org. Members can also ask agents in person or by phone with updated address information for forwarding on to SUP HQ. Phone numbers and other email addresses are available on this website and in the West Coast Sailors. A correct address is necessary to receive a ballot. 

SUP NOMINATIONS OPEN IN SEPTEMBER

Nominations for elected office in the Sailors' Union of the Pacific begin in September. Specific information and instructions are posted in the Union Halls and can be accessed here.

Matson to Restart Aloha-class New-Builds!

Matson Navigation appears to be on track for the order to build three new Aloha-class ships to join its Hawaii and China-Long Beach Express (CLX) services by the end of 2027. The first ship will be named Makua, with a keel laid in October of 2024 in Philly Shipyard. With Matson’s announcement to begin cutting steel, the three-vessel project hits an important milestone. The other two Aloha-class ships will be named Malama and Makena. Deliveries are scheduled for October 2026, April 2027 and December 2027. The ships will come in at 854 feet long with a carrying capacity of 3,600 TEU, but are outfitted for a variety of container sizes and operate at speeds exceeding 23 knots. 

Aloha Makua!

SUP Celebrates Juneteenth

General Order No. 3, issued by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger in Galveston Texas on June 19, 1865, was the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation made by President Lincoln two years yearlier. Today the federal holiday commemorates the official ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday's name is a portmanteau of the words "June" and "nineteenth" and is known as the National Independence Day. Texas was the most remote state of the former Confederacy and enforcement was sorely needed. Importantly, as throughout all slave societies, it is the terms and conditions of employment that replace slavery, and are encoded in the order. "“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that of employer and free laborer. The freedmen are advised to remain at their present homes and work for wages.”   

SUP Remembers and Honors Those That Died in Service to the Nation

Memorial Day got its start as "Decoration Day" after the Civil War, but for the U.S. Merchant Marine the idea stretches back to the birth of the nation. U.S. mariners have served the national defense since before Revolutionary War and in every major military action since then. Most famously, in 1941, when England was on the verge of being invaded by Germany, President Roosevelt convinced an isolationist U.S. Congress to pass the Lend Lease Bill to send food, oil and munitions to England to stave off an invasion. The U.S. Navy did not have cargo ships so the Maritime Commission was created to charter ships from commercial shipping companies to deliver the essential materiel in time to save England. The Lend Lease Bill was also deemed vital to the defense of our country.

After Pearl Harbor, every ship was put into action, including Matson and APL's luxury liners. But the new internationally known and hastily built Liberty ships delivered troops, planes, food, ammunition and fuel oil and became emblematic of the Merchant Marine at war. They suffered horrific casualties in the early years of WWII, as submarines targeted the Allied supply-chain in these slow moving ships.

SUP crews were attacked in the Far East, the West and East Coasts of America, in the Mediterranean and the Murmansk run, and rode at anchor off Normandy the night before D-Day. When censors lifted the informational blackout The New York Times noted it right away, reporting from London on Saturday, June 9,1944 that “D-day at the Normandy Beach head would not have been possible without the U.S. Merchant Marine. Now landed in France, it is permitted to indicate the part played by these intrepid civilians, whose deeds for the most part have gone unsung. It is not generally known that the Merchant Marine suffered the largest ratio of casualties of any branch of the services, and many of the names on the list are not classified “wounded” or “missing” in March 1941 because their graves are at the bottom of the oceans.”

SUP Honors Mariners on National Maritime Day, May 22, 2024

May 22nd is set aside by a joint act of Congress and by proclamation of the President of the United States to honor the sacrifices and contributions of U.S. merchant mariners during times of peace and war. The day was chosen in 1933 at first to commemorate the American ship Savannah’s first successful steam-powered crossing of the Atlantic. Since then it has grown to recognize much more. The roots of the U.S. Merchant Marine predate the founding of the nation, and was critical to the spirit of independence and winning of the Revolutionary War. Throughout the decades, mariners and maritime policy have been integral to the nation. In World War II, more than 250,000 members of the American Merchant Marine served their country and more than 6,700 gave their lives as 800 ships were sunk. Athought it is neither a national nor contract holiday -- yet -- it is the only day that recognizes merchant mariners as key figures advancing our national prosperity and security.  

Workers Memorial Day - April 28, 2024

Each year on Workers Memorial Day, unions and working people throughout the world remember those who were hurt or killed on the job. We also remember that 50 years ago on April 28, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, promising every worker the right to a safe job—a fundamental right. No one goes to work to get hurt or killed. More than memoriam, however, on this day organized labor renews its struggle for safe workplaces, wherever they may work.

It was the labor movement that organized for safer working conditions and it was the labor movement that demanded action from the government to protect working people. Since then, unions and allies have fought hard to make that promise a reality— and although those that work on ships do so outside technical OSHA jurisdiction, the standard is still set high by the law, and our jobs are safer as a result. But there is far more to do.  

Each day, more than 340 workers are lost and more than 6,000 suffer injury and illness because of dangerous working conditions that are often preventable. “The best way we can honor the people killed or injured at work is to recommit to fighting for safer workplaces,” said April Sims, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. “If you have a union, you can join together with co-workers to demand safe and healthy conditions. If you don’t, you must rely on state and federal safety laws that, too often, aren’t enforced or have penalties that are too weak. Washington’s union movement will continue to fight to improve workplace safety laws, but if you really want a voice in making your workplace safer, form a union.”

Tragic Bridge Collapse in Baltimore

The Key Bridge in Baltimore was struck by a ship and collapsed killing workers trying to make the roadway safe. Our thoughts are with them and their families; we grieve along with Baltimore their loss. We recognize and thank the US Coast Guard, Baltimore's Police and Fire Department, and other first responders who acted fast to save lives and secure the horrible scene. The enormous risks that maritime workers undertake everyday - and work hard to mitigate - are suddenly obvious to the world. Exposed too is the vulnerability of the U.S. supply chain that relies on low-cost, lightly-regulated foreign shipping as much as shaky and aging maritime infrastructure. In the recovery and awaiting the findings of the investigation, the SUP and maritime labor will continue to insist on the highest levels of safety across the wide spectrum of global maritime operations. We will persist in our efforts to better protect workers and their communities against the risks of crippling and catastrophic failures made more likely by the profiteers of international shipping.

SUP Celebrates 139 years

The Sailors’ Union of the Pacific was organized on March 6, 1885, on Folsom Street Wharf in San Francisco. It is one of the oldest maritime unions in the world. Because of the dedication of its members, and the opportunities brought about by collective action, it has survived and flourished, through good times and bad, for nearly 14 decades. Back in the 1880's it was a bold and dangerous proposition to organize a union, since there were no laws that allowed for the collective bargaining and no protections for workers. Fifty years later, in 1935, the National Labor Relations Act would attempt to both recognize and replicate what sailors took it upon themselves to organize long before that, at a meeting of sailors speaking and listening, in the fog and rain on the old Embarcadero. 

They had no rights. Under federal law they were serfs at the beck and call of the shipowner, the crimp, bucko masters and mates. Recognition, respect and improved conditions did not come easy. Men bled, and some died for it. During World War I and particularly World War II, hundreds of SUP members faced enemy attacks and went down with the ships. The SUP today remains a vital part of America’s “Fourth Arm of Defense,” solidly committed to U.S. sealift capability. Whether it is pay, conditions, or opportunities, the SUP still fights for fairness, still stands up for what's right, and continues to carve out a better life for its members and workers everywhere.

SUP Halls Closed for President's Day

All SUP hiring halls will be closed on February 19, 2024 for President's Day, a national and SUP contract holiday. 

U.S. Maritime Labor Requests Red Sea Communications Upgrades 

On National Maritime Day, 2021 President Biden declared that "We must protect those who protect our country..."

"Since the first days of our Republic, America has been a proud maritime Nation.  To this day, the United States Merchant Marine is a pillar of our country’s prosperity, playing a vital role in the maintenance of our economic and national security.  Through every period of peace and war, our merchant mariners have been dedicated to protecting our freedom and promoting commerce." Now he has made good on that promise by responding to the Union's request for greater protections in contested waters such as the Red Sea.

A broad coalition of U.S. maritime labor unions joined a January 19th letter to request greater coordination between naval forces and U.S.-flag merchant ships off Yemen and in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait of the Red Sea. Writing to TRANSCOM's General Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, they expressed thanks for the efforts already made to protect U.S. shipping and urged further cooperation. Labor noted the potentially catastrophic nature of the attacks on ships and agreed that the United States had a right to protect its sovereignty when threatened. In particular, to make it safer for American sailors to do their work, the Unions made special appeal for secure communication links between U.S. commercial vessels and the naval vessels in the region. 

The incomparable value of the logistical capability of U.S.-flag ships and sailors in contested and treacherous waters is famous. The United States Merchant Marine has operated side-by-side with the United States military in every conflict in the nation's history. U.S. naval assets have historically protected U.S. ships and crews as they sail into harm’s way to providing materiel and supplies to the warfighter. The improved communication link will strengthen that bond and should deter other adversaries from taking unwise action against American targets. A demonstration to other carriers that the United States is committed to protecting its own shipping, might also also incentivize other carriers to put their vessels under the U.S.-flag, enhancing the appeal of the United States Merchant Marine, the letter said.

Union members in U.S. merchant ships continue to deliver the goods, as the United States Merchant Marine has done, in peace and war, since 1775.

See the letter from maritime labor here.

Pentagon Says U.S. Will Protect Its Merchant Ships and Sailors 

As waves of attacks aimed at commercial ships came from Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen months of defensive action shot down dozens of drones and missiles aimed at unarmed merchant ships in the Red Sea and other Mideast waters. Now, U.S. and British military took the first offensive action against the Houthis to defend the international sea lanes. The Pentagon issued a statement saying that it would protect U.S. sailors and ships and others that transit the area.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote "In light of the illegal, dangerous, and destabilizing Iranian-backed Houthi attacks against U.S. and international vessels and commercial vessels from many countries lawfully transiting the Red Sea, today the militaries of the United States and the United Kingdom, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, conducted strikes against military targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. This action is intended to disrupt and degrade the Houthis’ capabilities to endanger mariners and threaten global trade in one of the world’s most critical waterways. Today’s coalition action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will bear further costs if they do not end their illegal attacks.

Today’s strikes targeted sites associated with the Houthis’ unmanned aerial vehicle, ballistic and cruise missile, and coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities. The United States maintains its right to self-defense and, if necessary, we will take follow-on actions to protect U.S. forces.

Since November 19, the Houthis have launched more than two dozen attacks on vessels, including commercial vessels, creating an international challenge that demands collective action. Today, a coalition of countries committed to upholding the rules-based international order demonstrated our shared commitment to defending U.S. and international vessels and commercial vessels exercising navigational rights and freedoms from illegal and unjustifiable attacks.

We will not hesitate to defend our forces, the global economy, and the free flow of legitimate commerce in one of the world’s vital waterways."

Election Season Begins with Labor's Primary Endorsements 

The election season in the run up to the presidential election in 2024 officially started yesterday, December 5th, when the California Labor Federation held its 2023-2024 Pre-Primary Convention in Oakland. Elected delegates endorsed a full slate of candidates for primary season and beyond. They also took action to support Califonia's Ballot Measure 1, the Behavioral Health Services Bond Measure to support mental health. The full endorsement list for California Labor endorsements for State Assembly, State Senate, U.S. Congressional House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate can be accessed HERE: 

SUP Recognizes New SASH policies in NDAA

The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023 introduced important updates to various laws within Title 46 of the United States Code to enhance crew safety and address sexual assault and sexual harassment. Key changes include mandated surveillance systems, crew training, reporting procedures, and master key controls on select vessels. The U.S. Coast Guard has released policy documents to provide guidance for compliance. These changes underscore the commitment to fostering a safer and more respectful maritime environment through the elimination of sexual assault and sexual harassment from the workplace.

The SUP neither condones nor tolerates Sexual Assault or Sexual Harassment in any form. We aim for 100% compliance with the law, regulations and recently developed industry guidelines. See the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Bulletin on SASH policy as a starting point. For more information, refer to Maritime Safety Information Bulletin (MSIB) 13-23. Also, see MSIB 1-23 for further information on reporting sexual misconduct on U.S. vessels. You can view those documents on the SUP website in the Related Documents section of the Delegate’s Resources page. Questions can be directed to cgcvc@uscg.mil

SUP Honors American Veterans

On Veterans Day, the Sailors' Union of the Pacific honors generations of American men and women who have served the nation in time of war. We pay tribute to their valor, courage and sacrifice. As merchant mariners we understand too how such service can be overlooked or misunderstood. For us, it's not an empty holiday, not a formality, not a ceremonial tribute. The U.S. merchant marine has always helped defend democracy. And today as much as ever we remain grateful heirs to a tradition that keeps the supply lines open to deliver safety and victory at home and abroad. 

SUP Opposes Second Register Proposal

Along with a broad coalition of American labor and U.S. maritime Unions, the SUP signed onto a letter denouncing a second U.S.flag ship registry. Forces inimical to the U.S. merchant marine and American mariners, this time represented by a Washington think tank called the Hudson Institute, pushed for a second ship register, which would allow for a separate set of regulations while still claiming American status. The scheme would allow for U.S. naval protection while at the same time lowering wages, safety and environmental standards, and outsourcing of American jobs. Effectively an American flag-of-convenience, it would hollow out American shipping as it endangers our national security and attempts to bust our Unions. Accordingly, the SUP joined a letter in opposition urging the Biden Administration to soundly reject the notion.

SUP Remembers Bloody Thursday

Union strikers amid the tear gas, including members of the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific confront police armed with billy clubs and firearms, as spectators watch from safety atop Rincon Hill in San Francisco, on the morning of July 5, 1934.

The Big Strike, as it was known, came in May of 1934, when maritime workers in every US West Coast port walked out for better wages, conditions and Union hiring halls. It reached a momentous turning point with the death of two strikers on July 5, 1934, which was instantly known as "Bloody Thursday." It led to a giant funeral procession and a general strike in San Francisco, where all work was stopped for four days, eventually turning the tide toward Union recognition and control of the hiring process.

A pivotal moment in hard times, a time of deprivation and depression, when workers had no rights: The Big Strike was one of the most important events in world labor history. It had many cascading effects of worker empowerment, making West Coast ports Union havens, and soon became the driving force behind the legislative effort of the Wagner Act in 1935. Known as the National Labor Relations Act, that law recognized the rights of nearly all workers to form or join a Union, the “Magna Carta” of American organized labor still elemental to employment today. They fought and died, and created a better America. 

SUP Celebrates Juneteenth

On June 17, 2021 President Biden signed legislation that made Juneteenth (June 19th) a federal holiday. The holiday's name is a blend of the words "June" and "Ninetheeth," the date of its celebration. The new holiday officially commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States. It derives from the arrival date of Union troops in geographically isolated Galveston Texas on June 18, 1865, when General Granger announced emancipation in the form of "General Order No. 3" which read in part: 

"_{The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor}."

The national recognition of the pain and suffering of generations of Black Americans is monumental enough, but the holiday also speaks to honest employment relationships, as the proclamation says. A day's work for a day's pay, and for that, as well as all of the deep historical and social motivations, the SUP celebrates Juneteenth. 

Maritime Labor Opposes Shipping Reform that Undercuts Workers

On March 17, the Transportation Trades Dept of the AFL-CIO, of which the SUP is a member, officially opposed the Ocean Shipping Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2023 (H.R. 1696) to repeal the limited antitrust immunity afforded to foreign ocean carriers and dissolve the three major foreign shipping company alliances. This would have serious unintended consequences for dockworkers and other maritime workers that service these foreign ocean carriers at U.S. ports. We urge lawmakers to consider the adverse impact that this legislation would have on U.S. maritime workers.

Eliminating this limited antitrust immunity would undermine the ocean carriers’ ability to form vessel sharing agreements, which enable carriers to share space on one another’s ships. Shared vessel space benefits both carriers and shippers by ensuring that vessels sail as full as possible, providing customers with more frequent service at more ports at a lower cost. The effect on maritime labor is considerable since these carriers are members of coastwise multiemployer bargaining associations that negotiate and administer offshore and longshore collective bargaining agreements. By operation, this means they have employer status, even though they do not directly employ the longshore workers who service their vessels.

In addition, many dockworkers who work at small to medium-sized ports will suffer a decrease in man hours due to the elimination of vessel sharing agreements, as carriers will likely concentrate their services at larger ports because demand in these regions is higher and, in turn, vessel space can be filled more quickly. As a result of fewer sailings to smaller and medium-sized ports, there will be less consistent work at these ports, and a significant percentage of dockworkers will likely experience a decrease in work opportunity.

We stand in solidarity with our longshore brothers and sisters, and all others in maritime labor by opposing the passage of H.R. 1696 and urge lawmakers to consider the adverse impact that this legislation will have on maritime workers.

SUP Employee Assistance Resources

The SUP Welfare Plan provides access to high quality and free employee assistance services including confidential counseling, financial help, online peer group support, 24 hour crisis help including suicide prevention, among many other things. Our provider, Uprise Health, has a more complete list of services and resources at www.uprisehealth.com or our SUP-specific benefits and the Uprise brochure is available on this site under the SUP Welfare Plan tab above and dropdown list heading at EAP. If there are any problems or questions on access, contact the SUP Welfare Plan at 415 778 5490 or the SUP at 415 777 3400. 

Matson Returns to Aloha-class

Matson struck a deal to build three new 3,600 TEU Aloha-class containerships for an aggregate price of approximately $1 billion. The first vessel is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2026 with subsequent deliveries in 2027. The new vessels will join two Aloha-class ships previously built for Matson that entered service in 2018 and 2019 -- the Daniel K. Inouye and the Kaimana Hila. Like their sisterships, the new vessels will be equipped with dual fuel engines that are designed to burn cleaner LNG fuel. The 854-foot Aloha-class vessels are the largest containerships ever built in the U.S. and are designed to operate at speeds in excess of 23 knots. They will be built in Philadelphia and operate in the Jones Act trade.

TSA launches new online TWIC renewal process

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) enhanced the renewal process for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential or TWIC to help support critical transportation workers. Starting August 11, 2022, TSA enabled current TWIC holders to renew online, which eliminates the need to go to an enrollment center and makes the five-year renewal process more convenient.

Please visit TSA’s enrollment provider website for information on TWIC enrollments and renewals. If applicants encounter difficulty renewing online, they may contact customer service at (855) 347-8371. For more information on the TWIC program, visit the TSA TWIC website or the Coast Guard TWIC website.

AFL-CIO Backs Up the Jones Act

At the June Convention, delegates passed a strong and historic resolution backing the Jones Act, America's main maritime law. The Maritime Trades Department of the AFL-CIO had drafted and earlier passed the resolution referring it on to the highest policy making body in organized labor. The action reinforced labor's long-time support fo the centruy-old law that is the legal foundation of the the U.S. merchant marine. More in the July edition of West Coast Sailors. U.S. Maritime Labor Stands Up For Ukraine

In a letter to President Biden, America's seagoing unions condemned the attack on Ukraine and pledged their full support for freedom and democracy around the world. The Russian invasion of that country has drawn widespread condemnation and poses the most serious threat to U.S. friends and allies in Europe since World War II. It has also called the American military and its support infrastructure to attention. Speaking on behalf of American mariners, the Union presidents announced their readiness to provide the sealift services they are typically called on to provide, by long history and proud tradition, in times of war and national emergency. The full text of the letter can be view here.

USNS SISLER Arrives in Norway 

The MSC ship USNS SISLER arrived in Norway as part of an allied joint exercise called Operation Cold Response 22. The ship departed the pre-positioning home port of Diego Garcia in January and arrived in Hammernesodden Norway on February 14 after a brief logistics stop in Spain at Rota. The SISLER carries cargo in support of US Marine Expeditionary Force II. Operation Cold Response will include a total of 28 nations and approximately 35,000 troops including 14,000 land troops, 13,000 sailors and navy personnel, while the remaining 8,000 participants are air force troops and various staff officers based at various military bases in Norway. SISLER is crewed on deck by the SUP. 

SUP Provides New EAP Benefit

A new Vendor for the SUP Welfare Plan's "Employee Assistance Provider" services (EAP) was contracted by the Trustees of the SUP Welfare Plan to begin on December 1, 2021. The benefit was previously administered by Human Behavior Associates and will now be managed by Uprise Health, Inc. The EAP benefits are avialble to all employees and their families at no cost. Uprise offers a confidential advice and support program along with a broad range of physical and mental health services. Those services include:

Confidential Counseling: up to 3 face-to-face, video or telephonic counseling sessions for relationship and family issues, stress, anxiety, and other common challenges.

Online Peer Support Groups: Online support groups for addiction recovery, anxiety, depression, frontline workers, grief and loss, parenting and more.

24 hour Crisis Help: toll-free access for you or a family member experiencing a crisis. 

To contact Uprise health call 866-949-3667. There is also a digitally enabled platform available at Uprise Health that includes a lot of detailed information and additional benefits. Or you can download the Uprise Health app at Google Play or the Apple App Store. Active members who are enrolled in medical coverage through the Plan or another group health plan have additional access to a Supplemental Substance Abuse Benefit.