They may well not want to be undercut, and good for them (us, me, I guess?), but when there’s a nation-wide political movement to repeal the Jones Act (similar to what we just saw in New Jersey, only serious this time) then it won’t matter what any of us piddly little mariners think. No maritime union, or a union of any type, can stand up to a national referendum to a repeal a law that the nation’s talking heads have demonized. If we were the most predominant merchant fleet in the world then we would have a leg to stand on, but the USMM in its current state of impotence will stand up to neither politics nor economics. In the end we’ll have no real allies on either front, it’s time we started appreciating the fact.
[QUOTE=PaddyWest2012;133425]They may well not want to be undercut, and good for them (us, me, I guess?), but when there’s a nation-wide political movement to repeal the Jones Act (similar to what we just saw in New Jersey, only serious this time) then it won’t matter what any of us piddly little mariners think. No maritime union, or a union of any type, can stand up to a national referendum to a repeal a law that the nation’s talking heads have demonized. If we were the most predominant merchant fleet in the world then we would have a leg to stand on, but the USMM in its current state of impotence will stand up to neither politics nor economics. In the end we’ll have no real allies on either front, it’s time we started appreciating the fact.[/QUOTE]
That’s the way a special interestworks, a small group that cares with a lot to loose vs the general public with a little to loose and little interest. Most people have bigger fish to fry.The NJ thing has died away.
The pendulum has swung back the other way. People no longer believe that shipping jobs overseas is going to benefit a large percent of the population regardless of what economic theory says.
[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;133427]That’s the way a special interestworks, a small group that cares with a lot to loose vs the general public with a little to loose and little interest. Most people have bigger fish to fry.The NJ thing has died away.[/QUOTE]
Don’t be so short sighted, I know from the thoughts and opinions that you’ve shared here on the forum over the years that you’re smarter than that. No one cares about the NJ thing, you’re right. But what happens when we have even fewer ships than we do now and it becomes 10 states crying havoc instead of 1? Let’s not forget, of course, that Hawaii has been shaking their baby’s rattle over the Jones Act for years now. There’s Puerto Rico too, not that they count for much, only being a territory and all. As the fleet has perished more and more over the years the cries to disband this practice of protectionism have become louder and louder. They will not be drowned out by special interest groups forever, whether they’re right or wrong.
[QUOTE=PaddyWest2012;133425]They may well not want to be undercut, and good for them (us, me, I guess?), but when there’s a nation-wide political movement to repeal the Jones Act (similar to what we just saw in New Jersey, only serious this time) then it won’t matter what any of us piddly little mariners think. No maritime union, or a union of any type, can stand up to a national referendum to a repeal a law that the nation’s talking heads have demonized. If we were the most predominant merchant fleet in the world then we would have a leg to stand on, but the USMM in its current state of impotence will stand up to neither politics nor economics. In the end we’ll have no real allies on either front, it’s time we started appreciating the fact.[/QUOTE]
Paddy,
Believe it or not, the maritime unions and their outreach organizations HAVE successfully defended the interests of US flag shipping for many years against the ceaseless efforts of Big Ag and others to gut the Jones Act and any cargo preference laws.
This “defense” effort is often behind the scenes, and a little can be seen described in the union publications. As a union person at the time, I participated in a lot of the run up to the MSP legislation. What happens is not so transparent, and there is an entire industry of influencing legislation. Right or wrong, it is what happens.
The efforts of MEBA, Jesse Calhoun, Leon Shapiro and many others were political mastery in earlier times, and resulted in a lot of government support and legislation and US flag shipping. AND what happened was most exceptionally vigorously supported by the companies at the time, who contributed to the AMC, the lobbying arm of MEBA and its contracted companies.
yeah, it is too bad that too many people sitting there mindlessly swallowing the fair and balanced line for 15 or 20 years now has helped special interests of a few to diminish union participation and support in the US.
But hey, as long as the secret money of Big Ag and a few individuals can NOW buy the process or sway the minds of the uninformed, who needs the money and support of maritime labor. Right? Nice to be hoodwinked and taken hook, line and sinker ---- but they finally did that too for a lot of little people that now suffer the results.
All we are seeing now (The NJ thing) is just a continuation of those efforts …
There are a lot of forum readers that know a lot about how unions supported and strongly and tirelessly promoted the US flag. Is your comment (more or less summarized as) they have “no juice left nowadays” at least partly correct? Probably, and sadly, at least partly yes.
But man the union teams gave (and still give) it their very best for a long, long time my friend, working day and nite and weekends and doing exactly what needed (needs) to be done on YOUR behalf.
A big part of what little US flag shipping we have nowadays is a result of those efforts