Members and applicants will have the convenience of paying dues and service charges online as well as setting up a schedule to automatically take care of their payment needs. A secure area has been set up on the M.E.B.A. website, through Sun Trust Bank, enabling safe online transactions. The site can also be used to pay vacation dues or initiation fees as well as to make a tax deductible contribution to M.E.B.A.’s Good & Welfare Fund.

Members and applicants can now stay timely without missing a beat. It is especially helpful for those at sea who may face logistical difficulties in keeping up with their payments. Built-in security features provide a private and secure online experience that will assign you a confirmation number and help you print a payment receipt for your records. The site will also allow members to view their transaction history and account statements online in a secure manner.

Members can go to the M.E.B.A. Home Page (www.mebaunion.org) and click on the "Dues" dollar sign icon on the far right about halfway down on the page. After registering, you can easily navigate the site to make single or recurring payments drawing from your checking or savings account. M.E.B.A. Secretary-Treasurer Bill Van Loo pointed out that "this is another step to take advantage of technology to cater to the needs of the M.E.B.A. workforce. We’ll be looking to expand and upgrade this new capability to better serve our hardworking membership."

"Due to Maersk Alabama following maritime industry's best [anti-piracy] practices such as embarking security teams, the ship was able to prevent being successfully attacked by pirates," said Navy Vice Admiral William E. Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet. "This is a great example of how merchant mariners can take proactive action to prevent being attacked, and why we recommend that ships follow industry best practices if they're in high-risk areas."

"These ships’ successful defense against pirates should serve as a reminder to the maritime industry of the best practices that can keep crews safe on the seas," said Secretary LaHood. "Mariners should heed the lessons learned from past attacks and review defensive measures so that they are prepared when traveling through high-threat areas. The U.S. government will continue to work with ship operators to protect U.S. citizens in regions where piracy still poses a serious threat."

Every member who has taken a course at the Calhoon M.E.B.A. Engineering School or dealt with our training facility in Easton, MD has likely had the pleasure of dealing with the longtime School Registrar with over two decades of service under her belt – Shirley Shelton. Members and retirees as well as staffers gathered en masse at the School on Sunday to wish Shirley well following her recent retirement after 21 years at CMES. Secretary-Treasurer Bill Van Loo was in attendance as well as Current School Director Chuck Eser and several former Directors including Henry Phillips, Larry O’Toole and the venerable Roy Luebbe. In addition, Art Newberry, who was the right hand man for many School Directors made the trip along with a slew of friends and co-workers grateful for Shirley’s service. As one of the longest serving employees at the School, she was also the go-to person when someone had a question about CMES internal affairs. Shirley will have time to enjoy a well-deserved retirement and dedicate even more attention to her Doberman and Boston Terrier. The M.E.B.A. is truly appreciative of what Shirley brought to the table for so long. Tracy Pinheiro, who has been working with Shirley for 20 years, officially assumes the duties of Registrar.

With five U.S.-Flag lakers being reactivated in October, the Great Lakes fleet carried 8.7 million net tons of cargo, an increase of nearly 25 percent compared to the preceding month. The five vessels that returned to service in October have a combined per-trip capacity of 245,000 tons and mostly carry iron ore and coal. Nonetheless, the U.S.-Flag float in October was down 21 percent compared to a year ago. Eight vessels remain tied to the dock because of reduced demand for raw materials. One small tug/barge unit in the limestone trade has likely concluded its efforts for the year.

Through October, U.S.-Flag carriage stands at 51.3 million tons, a decrease of approximately 40 percent compared to both a year ago and the 5-year average for the January-October timeframe. Iron ore shipments on the Lakes totaled 3,657,881 net tons in October, an increase of 500,000 tons compared to September. The upturn was not enough to erase the negative comparisons with a year ago. The October ore float represents a decrease of more than 35 percent compared to October 2008. The downturn is slightly more pronounced when compared to the month’s 5-year average: 36.7 percent. For the year, the Great Lakes iron ore trade stands at 22.9 tons, a decrease of 55.38 percent compared to a year ago. The decrease is slightly less when compared to the trade’s 5-year average for the January-October timeframe – 53 percent.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka hailed the introduction of the health care reform bill in the Senate presented this week by Majority Leader Harry Reid. Health care has dominated the agenda of Congress this year. The House recently passed its own version of the bill a few weeks back after sometime contentious debate. The Upper Chamber’s version will likely push aside all other issues as Senators try to hash out an acceptable compromise that could gain a majority vote. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka weighed in on the new legislation and lauded Sen. Reid for putting forward the health care legislation. He noted, "We commend Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for bringing forward a health care bill that moves us closer to the historic goal of health care for America – high quality, affordable health care for all in our rich nation. The Senate leadership bill takes the strongest steps yet to bring down costs. But the bill is not perfect. It retains a version of the excise tax from the Senate Finance Committee bill. We continue to believe that a tax on working families’ benefits is the wrong way to finance health care and we will work hard to eliminate this provision as the bill heads to the floor."

"The bill’s inclusion of a public insurance plan option to hold private insurance companies accountable is a tremendous step. And the legislation should be praised for its other fair financing plans, including an increase in the Medicare tax on the wealthiest and an employer responsibility requirement, which we believe should be expanded to include more employers. The bill would expand access by covering 94 percent of Americans and reduce the deficit by $130 billion over 10 years. Today another hurdle is cleared and we are optimistic that good, affordable care for working families will soon be law."

M.E.B.A.-contracted OSG Ship Management needs Chiefs and 1st A/Es for four of their product tankers. Members MUST be qualified with Tankerman PIC or Tankerman Engineer for these positions. Resumes can be e-mailed to OSG Crew Manager Fred Meyer at FMeyer@OSG.com.  You can also fax them to (813) 221-3179. They can be snail mailed to Fred at OSG America, Inc., Two Harbour Place, 302 Knights Run Avenue - Suite 1200, Tampa, FL 33602. For further information please contact Fred Meyer at (813) 209-0683.

"Ardent’s dedication to producing top-of-the-line American-made products is something we at the USA greatly appreciate," said USA Executive Director Fred Myers. "Our members understand the importance of supporting a company like Ardent and what it means not only for them but for future generations. We are proud to join forces with Ardent, and we look forward to working with them in the future to make membership in the USA an even greater value."

The partnership between the USA and Ardent will extend across all communications platforms of the USA and target the millions of union members throughout North America who are passionate about fishing. It also is a great example of how the USA extends union benefits beyond the workplace, to the woods and water. One of those benefits is an exclusive holiday offer from Ardent.

When USA members purchase an Ardent XS1000 or XS600 reel this holiday season, they get their choice of a free SmartCull, Reel Kleen Cleaning Kit or Professional Parts Cleaning System along with an Ardent baseball hat. Ardent was founded on the principle of creating high performance fishing reels that can endure the test of time. Since its inception in 2003, Ardent has been committed to offering high quality reels with expert craftsmanship and is proud to be the only manufacturer of freshwater casting and spinning reels that are made in the United States.

For more information about USA and Ardent, visit www.unionsportsmen.org and www.ardentreels.com.

Monday, Dec. 7 – Boston; Jacksonville; Seattle;
Tuesday, Dec. 8 – Baltimore/Calhoon School@CMES, Houston, San Francisco (Oakland);
Wednesday, Dec. 9 – Charleston, New Orleans;
Thursday, Dec. 10 – L.A. (Wilmington), New York (New Jersey), Norfolk, Tampa;
Friday, Dec. 11 – Honolulu.