Lobbying for Merchant Mariners

Is there a lobbying group that one can donate to in support of US Mariners?

With all the the negative media that has fallen on the Merchant Marine, I just want to do my part even if it is only a few bucks at a time. TBH as someone who works in the gulf, there seems to be very little discussion among employees here about the broader industry and the threats that face the US Merchant Marine. It’s almost like a bubble, but the way I see it we ride on the lobbying coat tails of larger stronger organizations such as defense contractors, maritime unions, etc.

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Which Union are you in?
Most have a PAC

http://usamaritime.org/

Im not in any union. Just a work boat company. But it just seems like gulf workers should do more to keep a strong merchant marine.

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They should, but I doubt many will, in fact they may work against their own interests.

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Ccaptain would have been all over this in years past but he must be fatigued with the whole situation now.

BTW whatever happened to the vaunted US Merchant Mariners association or whatever it was called? The one with the foreign flag box boat as their homepage background? And offered financial planning in addition to supposedly being a promariner advocacy group…

https://www.americanmariners.org

APMA looks like what I wish CAMM looked like. I get it, CAMM walks into congressional offices and lobbies for mariners, but in today’s day and age there needs to be a larger approach that influences the instagram generation. CAMM is so dated. I see so many mariners with amazing instagram pictures, and pilots like @hicapted have one of the most entertaining feeds I’ve seen. There has to be in impact that an instagram campaign could make. So many people are on a phone that was shipped by water, yet they are at risk of being brainwashed by a billboard and the news when any hurricane comes near the US.

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Post has been withdrawn due to those who don’t recognize an advocate when they see one.

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I don’t think we have time for all that.

“By the way, if people want to show the IMPORTANCE of Jones Act, we must first show the IMPORTANCE of privatized shipping and how it WON WWII for us.”

Sheila, I think advocacy by collective groups is great, and it’s praiseworthy that you’re working to support people.

But let’s not try to change history. “Privatized shipping”? Two months after Pearl Harbor, the government stepped in with the formation of the War Shipping Administration, who, in concert with the Maritime Commission built and operated the ships, trained the Mariners, operated the ports, coordinated and innovated a worldwide transportation network–the US flag was for all intents and purposes nationalized for the period of the war (and heavily subsidized before and after).

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/ATO/Admin/WSA/MMatWar-44/index.html

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Post has been withdrawn due to those who don’t recognize an advocate when they see one.

Well yes, in order to have a fleet to nationalize in time of war, a nation must first possess a functioning merchant marine.

Thank you for your efforts, Sheila.

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In this case a ‘functioning’ fleet in decline since Post WWI bump, starting to be reinvigorated by the 1936 Act and the US Maritime Commission and kicked into overdrive after 1942 under more direct control.

"When the European war began in September, 1939, the U.S. merchant fleet consisted of only 1,150 vessels aggregating approximately 10,500,000 deadweight tons. By December 7, 1941, that fleet was only 1,375 ships of nearly 12,000,000 deadweight tons. (And by July of 1942 enemy attack had reduced that number to less than 1,300 ships.) But by the end of 1944 the estimated tonnage of the American Merchant Marine in all types of ships had grown to approximately 50,000,000 deadweight tons. On that day there were 3,800 vessels under control of the War Shipping Administration, and in the peak year of 1943 the United States Maritime Commission delivered 1,896 ships-or more than 500 more than the entire United States Merchant Marine of December 7, 1941. "

http://www.usmaritimecommission.de

that is such an understatement…

very simply without some loud voice within our government advocating for a strong US flagged merchant fleet it and those who are hoping to serve in it are basically doomed to scraps. A very few will win but a great many will end up begging and ultimately get out never to return. As the status quo is, virtually every business interest has no reason to choose to fly the US ensign on their ships and without any incentive (or protection) given for them to, then we have what we have which is less than pathetic. All it would take is a president to say in a State of the Union (or inaugural) speech that is will be this Nation’s goal to double its merchant fleet in 5 years and boom, it would be done especially if it were done in a manner that did not require funding from the treasury such as John Garamendi’s proposed legislation HOWEVER there is no such President in sight anywhere (even Joe Biden never once made a strong statement for rebuilding the fleet when he as a senator or VP although I would think he is our best hope in 2020). As far as the Congress goes, absolutely forget any Republicans in leadership roles and I see very few on the Democrat side ready to step up to get some new legislation going. The level of apathy on Capitol Hill is nauseating and thus my wanting to just quit fighting. If you have no leader to get behind all you are doing is shouting to the wind for all it matters and I am sick to death of doing that.

Post has been withdrawn due to those who don’t recognize an advocate when they see one.

that is true when you compare total men in uniform for all the services but not when you compare those who served in combat units. those Marines who were on Tarawa, Peleliu or Okinawa suffered vastly greater casualty percentages than the Merchant Mariners who brought them their bullets and beans. Similarly heavy bomber crews suffered tragic losses because they had no long range fighter escort just as the tin can sailors at Guadalcanal who went to the bottom in great numbers. In the Hurtgen Forest late 1944 many infantry units suffered 90% casualty rates as they took their turn in the meatgrinder. The closest the USMM came to facing a meatgrinder was during the first half of 1942 when the US Navy was caught utterly flatfooted and hapless while U-Boats slaughtered our coastal traffic within sight of those ashore where the hotel and nightclub lights all burned bright for the festive merrymakers.

the reality that makes the total merchant marine have the greatest per capital loss rate was that for every one man in combat at the front there are eight in support units sometimes thousands of miles in the rear. Not to denigrate the service of the US merchant mariner in WWII but to say they suffered more than the other services is a bit of misinformed math.

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Great instincts! Individual contributions are not going to decide anything, though. The problematic shipping unions are correct about that basic fact. The best thing you can do is try to unionize your rig, preferably with a strong, real union like USW. I realize that is an impossibly tall order for one person but those are the stakes here. One cannot do this alone. It’s also not totally random, other sectors of the oil industry are unionized with USW. Your only power is your labor power. Your employer is taking the profits you generate and likely plowing them in to anti-Jones Act lobbying, no amount of wage you can contribute or off-time advocacy you can do will compete with that.

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Post has been withdrawn due to those who don’t recognize an advocate when they see one.

Post has been withdrawn due to those who don’t recognize an advocate when they see one.

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Yada, yada, yada…in every uniformed service during WWII there was many times more who did not face combat than did. That is what skews your math. WWII servicemen who were in combat units suffered far more than 1 on 26 loss rate. I believe bomber crews in the European theater lost 1 in 5.

Btw, most here already know I am a WWII and USMM historian. I also must ask why are you shouting at us? I am just pointing out a misconception you have. I am not saying WWII US merchant mariners did not deserve veteran status. The fact slugs like Walter Winchell and Westbrook Pegler prevented them from getting it was a terrible travesty and slap in the face to all those who manned our merchant fleet.

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