Hello to all MEBA & ARA folks,
What and why: This is an announcement about what has occurred over the past few years, and what is happening now. The reason for this message is the fact that ARA members are quite aware of this potential merger, but MEBA members/affiliates may be in the dark about these issues.
Summary: MEBA and ARA leaders have been discussing a potential merger since 2020 at the latest, probably earlier. Leadership’s stated main reason is to save ARA’s supposedly “failing” pension plan, with secondary reasons being to merge memberships.
There was so much drama that happened in 2025 alone. That can be discussed based on comments to this announcement. Hoping there is not a lack of interest about this!
Issues on ARA’s side:
- ARA Leadership has failed the union by focusing purely on this proposed merger rather than growing the union by aggressively pursuing new contracts.
- ILWU, the present backbone for all things ARA, was not approached until a certain member outed ARA leadership by contacting the ILWU president himself. NOTE: ARA is a direct affiliate of the ILWU.
- Many members are old enough to remember MEBA’s shady dealings in the past, particularly surrounding pension plan issues. I personally was a young UMOA member back in the early 90s. I can remember all the details surrounding the events in David Whiteley’s book “In Peace and War: The True Story of a Maritime Union’s Fight for Democracy.” It was tough times, and times I will never forget. In Peace and War: The True Story of a Maritime Union's Fight for Democracy: Whiteley, David: 9781961641426: Amazon.com: Books
- The loss of the present ARA training benefits, which are spectacular at the least. Who wants to lose this just to a “brick and mortar” school existing as mainly a hotel/center for external conference attendees. Big deal.
- ARA’s legal counsel/director is a 91-year-old attorney out of New York. A growing consensus of ARA members have been looking to oust this relic for years. It is the belief that present ARA leadership, ARA President in particular, have been blinded and led astray. They’re all ex-Radio Operators anyway! Clueless.
- ARA members: Keep an eye on payouts and payoffs. Severance will certainly come in the form of LARGE payouts if a merger goes through.
- ARA President has informed internal membership that he had a new planned role as (ETO Advisor, or the like) if/when the merger went through. Fair?
- Why this total focus on MEBA? Why not have discussions with other unions or organizations?
Issues on MEBA’s side:
- Who wants Radio Operators in MEBA?
- Why have we been kept in the dark about this?
- Has that union push for the ETO endorsement been about this issue all along?
Issues on both sides:
- Segal Marco Advisors (or their umbrella organization) sits on both sides of the fence. They “manage” or monitor both MEBA and ARA pension plans. How fair or unbiased can they be in this position? Also, they will certainly be billing each union for their assistance.
- The present ARA/Matson contract is up for renewal in a few years. What will happen without ILWU’s backing? MEBA does not have the backbone for West Coast contracts that ILWU can offer. Those Radio Op billets may just disappear without any ETO billets to replace them. Matson would love to see this for sure.
- Lack of transparency throughout. How much do you know about any of this?
- Any extension of the Jones Act waiver may just screw everybody.
The Future:
- Supposedly there will be a surprise MEBA guest at a forthcoming ARA zoom meeting to discuss these things. Rex Rexha?
- This is NOT a dead issue.
Hoping the best for all union members.
Good luck.