OSG signs with AMO

OSG enters recognition agreement with AMO to provide representation for OSG’s Deck Officers. The agreement was signed in February. MEBA has filed an Unfair Labor Practice with the National Labor Relations Board this morning.

Brothers and sisters,

MEBA wanted to address last week’s emails regarding the company’s approaching another labor organization to provide representation for OSG’s Deck Officers. MEBA has learned that OSG has indeed agreed to bring in a different union, without any input from or consultation with Deck Officers. A reliable witness has informed MEBA that this agreement is in writing and that it was signed in February. Significantly, the recent written communications from Mr. Norton and Mr. Mote do not, when read carefully, directly deny that this agreement (written or oral) exists.

Because the other union does not have majority support among the Deck Officers and the company has no basis for contending otherwise, this agreement is illegal. Luckily, the company has not yet agreed to force a full collective bargaining agreement on the Deck Officers.

MEBA is taking all steps necessary to ensure that the illegal recognition agreement is rescinded and that the selection of a union is made by the Deck Officers themselves pursuant to well-established, democratic procedures. As of this morning MEBA has filed an Unfair Labor Practice with the National Labor Relations Board for entering into this illegal agreement and MEBA will hold Mr. Mote to his public statement that, “YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS thoughtfully and in your own time.” MEBA welcomes the opportunity to support and fight for the Deck Officers if they give us the honor of serving as their exclusive collective bargaining representative.

The Union will continue its mate-driven organizing drive, including collecting pledge cards.

As the longtime representative of OSG’s Engine Department Officers, MEBA believes it is the best choice, and respectfully asks for the Deck Officers’ support.

Anyone, deck or engine, with questions should feel free to call me on my cell phone listed below.

Adam Smith
MEBA Gulf Coast Vice President

Wow! This is big news! I bet OSG tried to preemptively sign with AMO to prevent MEBA from organizing the deck officers. OSG saw an opportunity to get rid of the threat of a potential MEBA organization of deck officers, and cut wages. AMO wants to keep all the tanker contracts between all their companies the same and those contracts are a lot less than the current OSG wages. I don’t think AMO knew that MEBA had pledge cards out and got themselves involved in a legal issue but I bet OSG tried to pull a fast one.

I believe if MEBA holds a vote and the deck officers vote NO then OSG can follow through with their agreement with AMO.
The deck officers will essentially be voting if they want to be MEBA or AMO.

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Or they can just vote no to all.

They’d be foolish to join AMO and take a 30% paycut to get in line with Crowley.

And they’re never going to sign with MEBA.

Or this could just be MEBA bullshit and this is all to do with the tug fleet, and not with the ship fleet at all.

:man_shrugging:

There won’t be a vote for joining AMO if they vote no to MEBA then the company has the right to and will establish an agreement with AMO (for lower wages) and require all future employees to be AMO members. However, former employees might be able opt to stay non union but will still be covered under the collective bargaining agreement (for again lower wages).

What? A company can’t choose a union. That’s not how it works.

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Here’s to a rising tide floating all boats. Id hope they could negotiate for an above average contract like some of the other tanker folks like USMMI have. Given “but OSG is paying this much more than you are offering” was our best bargaining chip, not sure how that’d work out for them.

With OSG reflagging for the far east and TSP trades, i could see why it would make sense to pool manpower resources with the Union at a time where PICs are hard to come by.

Tug fleet is already full AMO

No, they’re not. They only have benefits through AMO and that’s it.

Nope they signed several months ago for full recognition for all officers on the tug fleet with AMO

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Yea, and that’s most likely what this is all about.

Ive seen the jobs on the AMO board with my own eyes, And i know folks over there who report they recently got full representation.

I heard about that but I hadn’t seen it published anywhere so I wasn’t going to say anything about it. But MEBA is just blowing smoke signals like usual.

I know the industry is hurting for PICs but I know many who have PICs but are choosing to work on other vessels. It’s simply who pays more right now

It is posted on AMO’s news current the full representation for ATBs.

“Previously, only the assistant engineers in each ATB crew had full recognition under the contract between the company and AMO, and the other officers on the vessel were participants in the AMO benefit plans.

Under the new contract, the company will recognize all licensed mariners working aboard each ATB as AMO members/applicants.

The new agreement also provides for bonuses, additional contract holidays, and all required contributions to the AMO Plans.”

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Yes they can.

“May I enter an agreement with the union requiring employees to join the union?

Yes, The NLRA allows employers and unions to enter into union-security agreements, which require all employees in a bargaining unit to become union members and begin paying union dues and fees within 30 days of being hired.”

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They signed in 2022.

It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out. There have been attempts over the years for unions to break into the Mates side of things and it has been met with pretty strong resistance, especially from the CMs. The “Me Too” clause with Engine ensures they get the raises and any perks that come with it. They get parallel pay without the Working Dues or the Pension MOU. Why change that?

If OSG wanted to increase the size of the pool of Mates during the manning shortage, this could do that. I don’t see anyone with tenure willingly go union. At least with the current talk going around. If anything I think the younger guys may consider it because they get jerked around with no regard for what they want. AMO has more jobs. MEBA pays more. They may look at AMO as more choices to land on their feet vs the pay. PIC’s? No idea. They want nothing to do with it. A lot of the old captains were AMO in the past. That may help AMO sway some. But most are walking around like zombies with the news.

I also heard the Crowley tanker engine guys just got a 20% bump to compete with MEBA. No idea if that’s true…

They can teach a monkey to ride a bike, they can’t teach him to fix it. Have some respect for your engine guys Capt.

Plenty of respect for the engine guys. Zero respect for MEBA and how they have treated their members over the last 15 years.

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No older OSG guys have “tenure” like teachers do where they can’t get fired.

I could see OSG cutting off wages maybe not 30% to match Crowley but by maybe 20%. This would allow them to not only cut wages but also attract mates from other AMO companies. I suspect that young Captains or Chief Mates might be at risk for keeping their positions and especially young mates. If the company gets interest from older AMO guys with experience that fit the Matrix they obsess about then they will be gone for sure.

MEBA having less ships may work in their favor because everyone would keep their permanent job. And they would have little to no competition.

If MEBA wants to keep or attract the senior guys they should propose that the company funded MPB contributions would be substituted for 401k contributions for the mates.