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BREAKING NEWS: Congress, Administration continue to wrestle with funding levels for the farm subsidy bill as well as proposed changes to the P.L. 480 'Food for Peace' Program.
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The Maritime Trades Department AFL-CIO provides workers employed in the maritime industry and its allied trades a voice in shaping national policy.
The MTD’s network of 19 port maritime councils has given maritime workers a strong grass roots presence in port and coastal cities all across the United States and Canada. Representing a wide array of workers, the councils have given the Department’s 24 affiliates a mechanism to pool their resources on a broad range of issues and projects.
GRASSROOTS ACTION
House Committee Approves the RESPECT Act! The AFL-CIO is asking all trade union activists to educate the American public and their elected officials in Washington D.C. about the RESPECT (Re-Empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradeworkers) Act. The bill, H.R. 1644, recently passed the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee by a bipartisan 26-20 vote... more... |
ON THE RADAR SCREEN
Maritime Labor Expresses Concerns About TWIC Maritime labor continues to express strong reservations about aspects of the new Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC) program. While acknowledging that everyone has a vital interest in enhancing America’s maritime security, the unions believe that a poorly designed and implemented program will place onerous burdens on the industry without providing any real benefits. Maritime unions are most concerned about redundancies in the vetting process and an unnecessary duplication of documents. Some requirements about which maritime labor has expressed concerns already have proven to be unworkable in the time frame given. For example, the federal government has already been forced to push back the starting date on a provision requiring card readers be placed on most vessels.
ILA President Named to ITF Executive Council 05/07/08 ILA President and MTD Executive Board Member Richard P. Hughes has been named to the executive council of the International Transport Workers’ Federation... (more...)Presidents of Maritime Unions Urge Congress to Repeal Tax for Domestic Vessels 05/01/08 Fees imposed upon U.S.-flag vessels making multiple stops at American ports are impeding the competitiveness of the domestic maritime industry vis-à-vis other modes of transportation, according to several MTD-affiliated unions and a number of U.S. maritime research organizations... (more...)Shipping Executive Calls for Marine Highway 04/29/08 A leading U.S.-flag shipping executive outlined a vision for the nation’s marine highway network... (more...)Merchant Mariners Bring Mine-Resistant Vehicles to U.S. Soldiers in Iraq 04/26/08 U.S. civilian mariners are playing an important role in ensuring the safety of American soldiers serving in Iraq, according to information recently released by the USTRANSCOM... (more...)AFL-CIO to Feds: Don’t Tax Health Care Benefits 05/02/08 Trade union activists around the country recently protested efforts to tax workers’ health care benefits... (more...)Bill Would Extend Unemployment Insurance Benefits by 13 Weeks 04/28/08 Pointing to the possibility of a recession or an economic downturn, the AFL-CIO is urging Congress to adopt legislation that would extend unemployment insurance benefits by 13 weeks... (more...)Fallen Steelworker Honored by the Carnegie Hero Fund 05/07/08 The Carnegie Hero Fund recently honored the memory of a Steelworker who gave his life to save a coworker... (more...)Alabama Boilermakers Play an Important Role in Developing New Welding Rod 05/06/08 Boilermakers employed at Hobart Brothers in Birmingham, Alabama played a key role in the development of a new alloy-welding rod... (more...)MTD Board Member Highlights Shipyard Safety Issues 05/05/08 New regulations proposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were the subject of a recent column by Dewey Garland, an MTD board member who is director of railroad and shipyard workers for the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association... (more...)ILA Donates Money, Organizes Blood Drive for Victims of Explosion 05/03/08 The International Longshoreman’s Association recently donated money and organized a blood drive for the victims of an explosion at a sugar refinery... (more...) |
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MARITIME TRADES DEPARTMENT AFL-CIO
815 SIXTEENTH STREET N.W. WASHINGTON, DC 20006-4101
homeport@maritimetrades.org | (202) 628-6300
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Copyright 2008 MARITIME TRADES DEPARTMENT |