Convening for the second straight year at AFL-CIO headquarters, the Maritime Trades Department (MTD) Executive Board had no shortage of red-hot topics to address on May 7 in Washington, D.C.
MTD President David Heindel, summarized the conflicting emotions felt by many MTD affiliates. In his opening remarks, he pointed out that although the U.S. maritime industry seems on the verge of exceptionally noteworthy gains, the labor movement is battling against unprecedented attacks on federal-sector unions.
“I’ve been part of the maritime industry and the labor movement for a lot longer than I care to admit, and through all those decades, I’m not sure there’s been another moment that has held so much promise on the maritime industry side while simultaneously carrying so many threats to workers’ rights,” he said.
The MTD is a constitutionally mandated department of the AFL-CIO. Formed shortly before the General Strike of 1946, the MTD currently includes 25 affiliated unions (the SIU is one) and a network of 21 port maritime councils in the U.S. and Canada.
Guest speakers addressing the board during its most recent meeting were, in order, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) (via video); AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler; American Maritime Partnership (AMP) President Jennifer Carpenter; Michael Wessel, maritime advocate and head of The Wessel Group; U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-New York); and Eric Bunn Sr., national secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
The board approved statements backing the SHIPS for America Act; the Jones Act; cargo preference laws; maritime-related recommendations from the United States Trade Representative (USTR); and federal workers’ rights.
Kelly had been scheduled for an in-person appearance but was called away on other business. In the video, he thanked the MTD and its affiliates for supporting the bipartisan SHIPS for America Act, which had been reintroduced in Congress a week earlier.
Shuler provided a comprehensive review of the AFL-CIO’s efforts to stand up for workers’ rights, particularly in the face of an executive order that, at least for now, has removed collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees, including some members of the SIU Government Services Division. She also answered several questions from meeting attendees.
Carpenter offered an overview of AMP’s ongoing work to promote and protect the Jones Act, America’s freight cabotage law, while Wessel reported on the most recent plans unveiled by the USTR to curb China’s maritime dominance.
Following a midday break, Suozzi reinforced his support for the American maritime industry and for workers’ rights. He also stressed the importance of clearer pro-worker communication from Democrats, along with the benefits of respectful dialogue.
Bunn wrapped up the guest speaker remarks with a sobering recap of the effects of the aforementioned executive order. He also explained how AFGE and other unions are pushing back, including through the courts.
The MTD is scheduled to conduct its next quadrennial convention June 4-5, 2025, in Minneapolis.