Fresh graduate and wondering your allowed to join multiple unions? Obviously would love to sail as a 3m straight out but I’ll take what I can get just to get money during this time. Are you allowed to join both mmp and sup at the same time?
Absolutely. Did it myself as did many other MMP guys I’ve worked with. They are non-competing unions. This arrangement goes back to the very early days. You’ll have no issues except possibly with some old timer SUP guys, but they are bluffing and just tryin to mess with you, don’t pay attention to it.
But…it won’t be that easy to get your first SUP job, so there’s that.
I’ve known a few who do it, but it seemed like a waste of time to me personally… unless you really need the money.
I’ve sailed with a few East coast grads that signed up with MMP then came to work on the lakes for 4-5 months working for local 5000 steelworkers as deckhands and ABs. As soon as they aged their applicant card enough to get a Third Mate job we never saw them again. When you know it’s gonna be that hard to ship outta the MMP hall, you might as well go make 6-8k a month and age your card.
I worked with a guy who was both MEBA and IBU. When on vacation from the MEBA he worked on a dredge that was IBU contract. He was working to get pensions from both…I sometimes wonder if he was able to swing it.
Edit: To my knowledge neither union was aware of his active dual membership. It was something he kept on the down low.
Not sure if I can contribute to this conversation. I went to Piney Point in the early 70’s as “IBU 16”. SIU patrolman picked me up for my first job after “graduation”. Some shit was going on between the different unions then. I was glad to have a job after my short tenure at the school… Really didn’t give a shit at the time. , but glad I stayed union when I could. Company deemed me “management” for a time… Ended up with AMO and damn glad of the benefits and newer leadership. Not fat, but satisfied with the way I was treated by both SIU and AMO.