Hey all, new to gCaptain and MMP… just a question about my first day at the hall…
I hear they have one of those pin-pads on the door you have to key in for some reason. Is there a reason why they lock people out during the day? Can anyone PM me the code to get in or is this some kind of security measure? Classmates of mine say no one on the east coast has a locked door at any point during the weekday unless they are closed and I’m just looking for a heads up before going down.
Ya got me dude. I sail from the east coast only and never heard of any problems out there. I doubt they keep it locked all day as that would be a serious violation of rules and seen as protecting locals.
The MEBA hall used to be in that same building. After they moved the hall, I asked the (MEBA) dispatcher why they did it. She said because the violence in that area had become too much to stomach and there was a drug related murder on the sidewalk right outside the gate in broad daylight. That might be a reason to keep the door locked.
LA MM&P hall info:
Wendy Karnes
Representative
310-834-7201
Wkarnes@bridgedeck.org
Pacific Coast VP is J. Lars Turner but he doesn’t list his number. He is located in Seattle though.
Seattle hall info:
Kathleen O’Mara
Representative
206-441-8700
Call and ask to speak to the Vice President Pacific.
No secrets in the MM&P. If no one will let you in the union hall, press it up the ladder and fix it. Even as an applicant, remember that these people work for you because without you showing up to work and manning the ships, they wouldn’t have jobs.
Good luck
Or a reason for these unions to pick better locations for their hiring halls.
That was a rough section of town where the hall was. It’s been a few years since I last went there.
It also serves to work both ways… it protects those inside but if a new guy showing up there for a shot at a job with no idea how things are in that hood gets stuck outside with some shady business going on you essentially create a dangerous situation for them if they have no way to get to help and safety quickly.
So I understand why they might do it, but if you gotta barricade yourself inside your hall in order to safely conduct job calls, mmmmmmmaybe it’s time ya move. Just saying…
Maybe they got tired of all the drunk OS and wipers in the parking lot…
To the OP, definitely call Lars… I went to school with him and he’s a stand up guy that’ll listen and check in to the issue you’re having.
The code is no big deal at all, especially for someone shipping out of there. It is a rough neighborhood. Wendy and Yvette (now just Wendy) the dispatchers are often there alone. If that was your wife wouldn’t you want that door locked?
There is a buzzer and a camera. I’ve never not been let in before I was a member. I see people constantly being let in. Once your an applicant everyone in there will gladly give you the code, just ask anyone in there.
I always laughed when people asked me why union halls were in such sketchy areas. I suppose they could have an office in a nice office building but that costs the members more. So they go low rent. Funny thing is no matter the lousy neighborhood the office was in when I pulled into the parking lot or onto the street in front the ne’er do wells in the neighborhood looked the other way. Never had a problem. I guess they figured I was just another working guy looking for a job.
Yeah people talked about Jersey City like it was the bombed out ruins of Stalingrad when I got started. Never had any problems there or saw anything out of the ordinary. Some (not all) of the folks who talked about issues they had tended to be those who went looking for trouble or were just stupid.
The old MEBA hall in San Francisco wasn’t in too bad of a neighborhood. Just kind of industrial . . now the MM&P hall. . . well, skid row all the way. . . …
After the OP’s post I did google map checks to see where the other halls were at using that street view function. Maybe it’s just because I have never been there but the MMP hall in San Fran seemed to be in a nice area.
It is in a nicer, more residential area now. . …
Oops, I meant the MEBA D1 Hall. I see now that the MM&P Hall, like the MEBA Hall is in Oakland. The old MM&P Hall was on Howard Street. . . intersection with 2nd Street, I think. There job calls were at different times than ours, and we used to visit from time to time. . . . but man, it has been a loooong time. . .