Seafarers International Union of North America

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SIU

Seafarers International Union
Founded	1938
Members	35,498 (2005)
Country	United States
Affiliation	AFL-CIO
Key people	Michael Sacco, president
Office location	Camp Springs, Maryland
Website	www.seafarers.org

The Seafarers International Union (SIU) is an organization of 12 autonomous labor unions of mariners, fishermen and boatmen working aboard U.S. or Canadian flag vessels. Michael Sacco has been its president since 1988. It currently has an estimated membership of 35,498 mariners and is the strongest maritime labor organization in the U.S. to date.

A highly active organization in the political arena, the SIU states that its primary focus is to maintain safe working environments for men and women working aboard vessels, and to ensure very high standards of training among its membership.

Contents 1 Controversy 2 Presidents 3 Affiliated unions 3.1 Recently terminated affiliate unions 4 See also 4.1 Related organizations 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Controversy

In 2005, SIU and the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education were successfully sued for age discrimination by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In the opinion on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, "throughout this appeal, and in the proceedings before the district court, the center and the union repeatedly assailed the wisdom of the EEOC's position. They maintained that age-barriers to entry are a hallmark of apprenticeships and complained that the EEOC’s regulation effectively guts that employment practice by erasing its defining characteristic." ^[1].

In testimony before the Canadian Parliment in 1996^[2], David Broadfoot of the Canadian Merchant Navy Association recalled that in 1946, "Our government imported a thug, a real heavy-duty gangster from Brooklyn (Hal C. Banks), to smash our union and bring in the Seafarers' International Union... which was no different from the Teamsters at its worst and no different from the longshoremen's association at its worst... They came on our ships with baseball bats and bicycle chains. That's how they introduced their union to Canada."

[edit] Presidents

• Harry Lundeberg (1938-1957)
• Paul Hall (1957-1980)
• Frank Drozak (1980-1988)
• Michael Sacco (1988-current)

[edit] Affiliated unions

Seafarers International Union is short for Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO. According to its 2005 report at The Department of Labor, total membership of all 13 affiliated unions^[3] is 35,498. Information for affiliated unions follows:

Union	Website	Data Source	Total Assets	Total Membership
Seafarers International Union of North America-Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes & Inland Waters District/NMU	http://www.seafarers.org	2005 Report	$19,868,333	11,714
American Maritime Officers	http://www.amo-union.org	2006 Report	$15,228,913	3,921
Fishermen's Union of America Pacific & Caribbean	None[4]	2005 Report	$10,525	45
Industrial, Professional, Technical Workers International Union	Unknown	2005 Report	$416,930	1,064
Marine Firemen's Union	http://www.mfoww.org/	2005 Report	$3,675,662	802
Sailor's Union of the Pacific	http://www.sailors.org	2005 Report	$2,811,294	736
Seafarers Entertainment and Allied Trades Union	N/A	2005 Report	$195,316	3,421
Seafarers International Union of Canada	http://www.seafarers.ca	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Seafarers International Union of Puerto Rico, Caribbean and Latin America	N/A	2005 Report	$252,361	637
Seafarers Maritime Union	Unknown	2005 Report	$1,200,432	110
Sugar Workers Union No. 1	Unknown	2005 Report	$280,209	332
United Industrial, Service, Transportation, Professional and Government Workers of North America	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown

[edit] Recently terminated affiliate unions

• Seafarers' Professional Security Officers Association was terminated in 2004.^[5]
• Seafarers AFL-CIO Local Union 5 Chauffers and Industrial Workers was terminated in 2000.^[5]
• Seafarers AFL-CIO Local Union 300 United Industrial Workers - Midwest was terminated in 2000.^[5]
• Seafarers AFL-CIO Local Union Marine Staff Officers Pacific District was terminated in 2002.^[5]

[edit] See also

• Harry Lundeberg
• Paul Hall
• Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education
• Michael Sacco
• Frank Drozak
• United States Merchant Marine

[edit] Related organizations

• American Maritime Officers
• National Maritime Union
• Marine Engineers Benevolent Association
• Maritime Trades Department
• Sailor's Union of the Pacific

[edit] References

1. ^ Appeals from the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, at Baltimore. Marvin J. Garbis, Senior District Judge. (CA-02-3192-MJG). Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Retrieved on March 16, 2008.
2. ^ Tuesday June 18, 1996. http://www.parl.gc.ca. Retrieved on March 16, 2008.
3. ^ Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO, Affiliate Unions. seafarers.org. Retrieved on March 16, 2007.
4. ^ FUAPC 2005 Form 990. fdncenter.org. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Union Detail. US Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration. Retrieved on March 16, 2007.

[edit] External links

• Election contributions at OpenSecrets
• SIU 2006 PAC Summary Data
• MARAD Administrator's Remarks at 2002 SIUNA Convention

		Typical ship transport occupations
←Junior    Unlicensed				Senior→    Licensed
Deck:	Ordinary Seaman	Able Seaman	Boatswain • Carpenter	3rd Mate • 2nd Mate • Chief Mate	Captain • Pilot
Engine:	Wiper • Oiler	QMED	Electrician	3rd Engr • 2nd Engr • 1st Engr	Chief Engineer
Steward:	Steward's Assistant	Chief Cook	Chief Steward	Purser