By the Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO.
Delegates to the 41st International Convention of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in San Diego sent a strong message of support for the Jones Act and the American shipbuilding industry.
On Sept. 24, delegates adopted two maritime resolutions submitted by IBEW Local 58: Resolution No. 45, which commits the IBEW to opposing any attempt to weaken or dismantle the Jones Act and Resolution No. 44, which commits the union to rebuilding domestic commercial and defense shipbuilding.
Resolution No. 44: Rebuilding American Shipbuilding
Resolution No. 44 encourages the IBEW to work with stakeholders to revitalize and strengthen domestic commercial and defense shipbuilding. It also calls on the union to redouble its efforts to train and support the industry’s workers.
The resolution commits the IBEW to:
- Support legislation and funding for American shipbuilding
- Oppose efforts to send shipbuilding and ship repair work overseas
- Speak out on the global importance of rebuilding the shipbuilding, ship repair and maritime industries
Modern vessels depend on skilled electrical work from keel to wheelhouse. That makes the IBEW a key partner in any efforts to restore and defend American shipbuilding. Local 58 President Kimberly L’Heureux addressed the delegation in support of Resolution No. 44.
Resolution No. 45: Standing Up for the Jones Act
Resolution No. 45 encourages the IBEW to oppose attempts to weaken or dismantle the Jones Act. The Jones Act is the foundational labor law of the U.S. maritime industry. It requires that cargo moved between U.S. ports travel on vessels that are American-built, American-owned, American-flagged and American-crewed. The law supports good-paying union jobs on the water, in the shipyards and in the many trades that build and maintain the fleet. IBEW electricians are among those workers.
In March, the Trump Administration issued a 60-day Jones Act waiver which was extended for 90 days in May and again in August. The waiver is now set in place until November while studies have shown the waiver unnecessary and ineffective. The MTD has strongly opposed the waiver and any extension, noting that studies show the waiver’s effect at the pump to be less than a penny per gallon while opening U.S. waterways to nonunion foreign competitors.
Michigan Port Council President Jeanette Bradshaw rose in support of Resolution No. 45.
“Sisters and brothers, I don’t have to tell you that we haven’t received any relief at the gas pump,” she told the more than 2,000 delegates. “But what we have seen is American mariners lose work, American vessel operators lose cargo, and an injection of uncertainty in the U.S. maritime industry — an industry that employs over 650,000 U.S. workers.”
Read the full piece on the Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO website.
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