American Maritime Officers
Encyclopedia
American Maritime Officers (AMO) is a national labor union affiliated with the Seafarers International Union of North America
. With an active membership of approximately 4,000, AMO is the largest union of merchant marine officers in the U.S. and primarily represents licensed mariner
s working in the United States Merchant Marine
aboard U.S.-flagged merchant and military sealift vessels. AMO also holds an expanding presence in the international fleet.
AMO officers work in the Military Sealift Command
fleet of large medium-speed roll-on/roll-off vessels (LMSRs), and aboard military prepositioning ships, fast sealift ships, T-5 tankers, Ready Reserve Force ships and several others operated by private-sector ship managers for MSC and the Maritime Administration.
AMO has pioneered new job opportunities for American officers in the international fleet. AMO officers work aboard international liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and tankers operating worldwide. The Simulation, Training, Assessment & Research (STAR) Center, operated by the AMO Safety & Education Plan, is the only U.S. maritime training institution with a Coast Guard approved LNG program certified to the standards of the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO). With developed international equivalencies, AMO officers can crew vessels registered with more than a dozen flag states.
AMO represents the engine and deck officers and stewards for the vast majority of the U.S. Great Lakes dry bulk fleet. AMO contracts on the Great Lakes provide wage and benefit packages, guaranteed family leave and job and benefit security.
AMO has collective bargaining agreements covering scores of inland vessels, including ocean-going and harbor tugs, ferries and excursion vessels.
The AMO fleet roster also includes the only U.S.-owned cable installation and repair vessels in service.
AMO members and their families draw employer-paid benefits from the AMO Medical, Vacation, Pension and Money Purchase Benefit Plans, as well as from individual accounts through the AMO 401(k) Plan. The AMO Safety & Education Plan provides AMO members and applicants with comprehensive maritime training, license upgrading and STCW certification programs at the STAR Center in Dania Beach, Florida. The former STAR center in Toledo, Ohio was closed in 2008 and training for AMO officers has been consolidated at the site in Florida.
AMO was chartered on May 12, 1949 as the Brotherhood of Marine Engineers by Paul Hall
as an affiliate of the Seafarer's International Union
of North America. The original membership consisted entirely of civilian seafaring veterans of World War II
. In 1953 at the SIUNA's Sixth Biennial Convention of the SIUNA the BME gained autonomy, which would allow it to adopt its first constitution and elect officers for the first time.
The first constitution was drafted by Edward Reisman, Rudolph Wunsch, James Wilde, Everett Landers, Peter Geipi, and William Lovvorn, who "wanted to craft a document that would provide for free and fair elections, set the terms of office for official positions, specify the duties of union officials, provide for charges, trials, and appeals, permit rank and file membership inspection of the union's financial records, and permit amendments by rank and file vote." The constitution, allowing for the election of a president, two vice-presidents, and a secretary-treasurer, was adopted with 96 percent of the membership voting to adopt it. Wilbur Dickey was elected first president on December 15, 1953.
In September 1954, the American Federation of Labor
(AFL) recognized the fledgling union, by granting it "exclusive jurisdiction within the federation over 'licensed engine room personnel on self-propelled vessels.'"
The BME Welfare Plan was growing at an impressive rate under the care of Director of Welfare and Special Services Ray McKay. In August 1954, he reported its assets to be in excess of $100,000. The plan offered a number of progressive benefits, such as full surgery coverage for members and their families, and full coverage for seeing a physician. In February on 1955, the union began pursuing the "first pension plan ever for U.S. merchant marine officers," which was well underway by November 1955.
In 1957, Wilbur Dickey resigned the union's presidency and Ray McKay took the position on January 17, 1957. Later that year, on October 29, 1957, McKay and then-president of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association H.L. Daggett signed an accord leading BME to merge with several MEBA locals. The newly formed entity was known as MEBA's Great Lakes District Local 101. In 1960, after an internal reorganization of MEBA, this entity was now known as "District 2 MEBA."
In 1992, while functioning as an autonomous union within MEBA, "District 2" reverted to its original name of "American Maritime Officers." AMO finally withdrew from MEBA in 1994 and resultingly lost its AFL-CIO affiliation This was restored after approximately a decade, on March 12, 2004 when Michael Sacco
presented AMO with a charter from SIUNA
.
Today, AMO thrives as a national union representing licensed officers in all sectors of the United States merchant fleet—including ocean-going, Great Lakes and inland waters—aboard a wide range of commercial and military support vessels, as well commercial vessels operating in the international energy transportation trades.
Tom Bethel was elected national president of AMO in June 2008, defeating challengers Jack Hearn and Paul Cates in the election.
On January 8, 2007, Tom Bethel was appointed by the AMO national executive committee to fulfill the term of former president Michael McKay
. Bethel was at that time serving as AMO's national executive vice president. He was first elected national executive vice president January 1, 2001, by a margin of 796-421 over challenger Richard Ouellette.
In the 2006 union election, Bethel ran on a slate of candidates, which included then-incumbent national president Michael McKay and then-incumbent national secretary-treasurer Robert McKay. In the election, Michael McKay was re-elected national president and Robert McKay was defeated.
On Friday, January 5, 2007, Michael and Robert McKay were convicted of racketeering charges. Michael McKay was convicted of "three counts of mail fraud and two recordkeeping offenses. He was found not guilty of embezzling from an employee benefit plan.".
McKay's brother, former AMO National Secretary-Treasurer Robert McKay, was convicted of two counts of mail fraud, embezzlement, and two recordkeeping offenses. The father served as AMO president for 36 years.
On May 9, 2007, the AMO went on strike against the Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company. The dispute focused on three Great Lakes 'river class' self-unloading bulk carrier
s: the M/V David Z, the M/V Earl W, and the M/V Wolverine.
The ships, nearly identical in appearance, are owned by Wisconsin and Michigan Steamship Company. Headquartered in Lakewood, Ohio
, the company is a subsidiary of Sand Products Corp. The ships were purchased from Oglebay Norton for $18.7 million in 2006. They were operated under time-charter agreements with Lower Lakes Transportation Co., a division of Rand Logistics Inc.
The strike was called on May 9, 2007 when the company "refused to sign a pattern agreement already agreed to by three other Great Lakes operators." The union stated that job security and benefits were the key unresolved issues. AMO members, including deck officers, marine engineer, and stewards walked off the ships on May 10, 2007. The strike delayed the Wolverine's arrival in port.
The ships stood idle in Sarnia, Ontario
for some time. The strike cost the company some $1 million in losses in the second quarter of 2007, according to Trade Winds. The collective bargaining agreement covering these ships expired in July 2007.
All three vessels were sold by Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company in early 2008 to Rand Logistics. One of the three, the Wolverine, was subsequently removed from the U.S. fleet and transferred to Canadian registry.
AMO is named as a respondent in a charge before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in New York. As of the filing of this form, the outcome of this litigation is not known.
During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006, AMO discovered that the former National Vice-President Deep Sea, Thomas Kelly, entered into a plea agreement with the United States government. In the agreement he pled to one count charging him with embezzlement from a labor organization in the approximate amount of $32,500 through the submission of false and inflated expense vouchers through the years 1996 through 2001. The labor organization has initiated steps to recover the amount of the loss.
Seafarers International Union of North America
The Seafarers International Union or SIU is an organization of 12 autonomous labor unions of mariners, fishermen and boatmen working aboard vessels flagged in the United States or Canada. Michael Sacco has been its president since 1988. The organization has an estimated 35,498 members and is the...
. With an active membership of approximately 4,000, AMO is the largest union of merchant marine officers in the U.S. and primarily represents licensed mariner
Licensed mariner
A licensed mariner is a person who holds a license issued by one or more countries to hold senior positions aboard ships, boats, and similar vessels. The United States Coast Guard grants licenses to members of the United States Merchant Marine in five categories: deck officers, engineers, staff...
s working in the United States Merchant Marine
United States Merchant Marine
The United States Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of U.S. civilian-owned merchant vessels, operated by either the government or the private sector, that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is...
aboard U.S.-flagged merchant and military sealift vessels. AMO also holds an expanding presence in the international fleet.
AMO officers work in the Military Sealift Command
Military Sealift Command
The Military Sealift Command is a United States Navy organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's...
fleet of large medium-speed roll-on/roll-off vessels (LMSRs), and aboard military prepositioning ships, fast sealift ships, T-5 tankers, Ready Reserve Force ships and several others operated by private-sector ship managers for MSC and the Maritime Administration.
AMO has pioneered new job opportunities for American officers in the international fleet. AMO officers work aboard international liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and tankers operating worldwide. The Simulation, Training, Assessment & Research (STAR) Center, operated by the AMO Safety & Education Plan, is the only U.S. maritime training institution with a Coast Guard approved LNG program certified to the standards of the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO). With developed international equivalencies, AMO officers can crew vessels registered with more than a dozen flag states.
AMO represents the engine and deck officers and stewards for the vast majority of the U.S. Great Lakes dry bulk fleet. AMO contracts on the Great Lakes provide wage and benefit packages, guaranteed family leave and job and benefit security.
AMO has collective bargaining agreements covering scores of inland vessels, including ocean-going and harbor tugs, ferries and excursion vessels.
The AMO fleet roster also includes the only U.S.-owned cable installation and repair vessels in service.
AMO members and their families draw employer-paid benefits from the AMO Medical, Vacation, Pension and Money Purchase Benefit Plans, as well as from individual accounts through the AMO 401(k) Plan. The AMO Safety & Education Plan provides AMO members and applicants with comprehensive maritime training, license upgrading and STCW certification programs at the STAR Center in Dania Beach, Florida. The former STAR center in Toledo, Ohio was closed in 2008 and training for AMO officers has been consolidated at the site in Florida.
History
Paul Hall (labor leader)
Paul Hall was an American labor leader from Inglenook in Jefferson County, Alabama. He was a founding member and president of the Seafarers International Union from 1957 to 1980...
as an affiliate of the Seafarer's International Union
Seafarers International Union of North America
The Seafarers International Union or SIU is an organization of 12 autonomous labor unions of mariners, fishermen and boatmen working aboard vessels flagged in the United States or Canada. Michael Sacco has been its president since 1988. The organization has an estimated 35,498 members and is the...
of North America. The original membership consisted entirely of civilian seafaring veterans of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1953 at the SIUNA's Sixth Biennial Convention of the SIUNA the BME gained autonomy, which would allow it to adopt its first constitution and elect officers for the first time.
The first constitution was drafted by Edward Reisman, Rudolph Wunsch, James Wilde, Everett Landers, Peter Geipi, and William Lovvorn, who "wanted to craft a document that would provide for free and fair elections, set the terms of office for official positions, specify the duties of union officials, provide for charges, trials, and appeals, permit rank and file membership inspection of the union's financial records, and permit amendments by rank and file vote." The constitution, allowing for the election of a president, two vice-presidents, and a secretary-treasurer, was adopted with 96 percent of the membership voting to adopt it. Wilbur Dickey was elected first president on December 15, 1953.
In September 1954, the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
(AFL) recognized the fledgling union, by granting it "exclusive jurisdiction within the federation over 'licensed engine room personnel on self-propelled vessels.'"
The BME Welfare Plan was growing at an impressive rate under the care of Director of Welfare and Special Services Ray McKay. In August 1954, he reported its assets to be in excess of $100,000. The plan offered a number of progressive benefits, such as full surgery coverage for members and their families, and full coverage for seeing a physician. In February on 1955, the union began pursuing the "first pension plan ever for U.S. merchant marine officers," which was well underway by November 1955.
In 1957, Wilbur Dickey resigned the union's presidency and Ray McKay took the position on January 17, 1957. Later that year, on October 29, 1957, McKay and then-president of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association H.L. Daggett signed an accord leading BME to merge with several MEBA locals. The newly formed entity was known as MEBA's Great Lakes District Local 101. In 1960, after an internal reorganization of MEBA, this entity was now known as "District 2 MEBA."
Michael Sacco
Michael Sacco is an American labor leader from Brooklyn, New York. He was appointed as the president of the Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO in June 1988 by the SIUNA Executive Board....
presented AMO with a charter from SIUNA
Seafarers International Union of North America
The Seafarers International Union or SIU is an organization of 12 autonomous labor unions of mariners, fishermen and boatmen working aboard vessels flagged in the United States or Canada. Michael Sacco has been its president since 1988. The organization has an estimated 35,498 members and is the...
.
Today, AMO thrives as a national union representing licensed officers in all sectors of the United States merchant fleet—including ocean-going, Great Lakes and inland waters—aboard a wide range of commercial and military support vessels, as well commercial vessels operating in the international energy transportation trades.
Tom Bethel was elected national president of AMO in June 2008, defeating challengers Jack Hearn and Paul Cates in the election.
On January 8, 2007, Tom Bethel was appointed by the AMO national executive committee to fulfill the term of former president Michael McKay
Michael McKay (labor leader)
Michael McKay is a convicted racketeer and former labor leader from the United States. He was president of American Maritime Officers from 1993 until his conviction in 2007....
. Bethel was at that time serving as AMO's national executive vice president. He was first elected national executive vice president January 1, 2001, by a margin of 796-421 over challenger Richard Ouellette.
In the 2006 union election, Bethel ran on a slate of candidates, which included then-incumbent national president Michael McKay and then-incumbent national secretary-treasurer Robert McKay. In the election, Michael McKay was re-elected national president and Robert McKay was defeated.
On Friday, January 5, 2007, Michael and Robert McKay were convicted of racketeering charges. Michael McKay was convicted of "three counts of mail fraud and two recordkeeping offenses. He was found not guilty of embezzling from an employee benefit plan.".
McKay's brother, former AMO National Secretary-Treasurer Robert McKay, was convicted of two counts of mail fraud, embezzlement, and two recordkeeping offenses. The father served as AMO president for 36 years.
Great Lakes Strike of 2007
Bulk carrier
A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...
s: the M/V David Z, the M/V Earl W, and the M/V Wolverine.
The ships, nearly identical in appearance, are owned by Wisconsin and Michigan Steamship Company. Headquartered in Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area, and borders the city of Cleveland. The population was 52,131 at the 2010 making it the third largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland and Parma .Lakewood, one of Cleveland's...
, the company is a subsidiary of Sand Products Corp. The ships were purchased from Oglebay Norton for $18.7 million in 2006. They were operated under time-charter agreements with Lower Lakes Transportation Co., a division of Rand Logistics Inc.
The strike was called on May 9, 2007 when the company "refused to sign a pattern agreement already agreed to by three other Great Lakes operators." The union stated that job security and benefits were the key unresolved issues. AMO members, including deck officers, marine engineer, and stewards walked off the ships on May 10, 2007. The strike delayed the Wolverine's arrival in port.
The ships stood idle in Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
for some time. The strike cost the company some $1 million in losses in the second quarter of 2007, according to Trade Winds. The collective bargaining agreement covering these ships expired in July 2007.
All three vessels were sold by Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company in early 2008 to Rand Logistics. One of the three, the Wolverine, was subsequently removed from the U.S. fleet and transferred to Canadian registry.
Controversy
In August 2002, AMO was served with a summons and complaint by a former Plan employee alleging that AMO tortiously interfered in his employment. After a trial in 2009, the jury cleared AMO of the tortious interference charge.AMO is named as a respondent in a charge before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in New York. As of the filing of this form, the outcome of this litigation is not known.
During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006, AMO discovered that the former National Vice-President Deep Sea, Thomas Kelly, entered into a plea agreement with the United States government. In the agreement he pled to one count charging him with embezzlement from a labor organization in the approximate amount of $32,500 through the submission of false and inflated expense vouchers through the years 1996 through 2001. The labor organization has initiated steps to recover the amount of the loss.
Presidents
- Charles KingCharles King-Academics:* Charles King , former president of Columbia University* Charles King , Georgetown University professor and author* Charles Spencer King ,Baba Awo and author-Arts:...
(1953) - Wilbur Dickey (1953 - January 19, 1957)
- Raymond McKayRaymond McKayRaymond T. McKay was an American labor leader. He was president of American Maritime Officers from 1957 until his death in 1993.After World War II, McKay sailed as a second engineer on a Sinclair Oil tanker...
(January 19, 1957–1993) - Michael McKayMichael McKay (labor leader)Michael McKay is a convicted racketeer and former labor leader from the United States. He was president of American Maritime Officers from 1993 until his conviction in 2007....
( 1993 - January 8, 2007) - Tom BethelTom BethelThomas J. Bethel is an American labor leader. He was elected national president of American Maritime Officers in 2008. He was reelected as AMO National President in 2010. He had been appointed as the national president of the American Maritime Officers union on January 8, 2007 by the union's...
(January 8, 2007 - current)
See also
- Seafarers International Union
- National Maritime UnionNational Maritime UnionThe National Maritime Union was an American labor union founded in May 1937. It affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations in July 1937...
- International Seamen's UnionInternational Seamen's UnionThe International Seamen's Union was an American maritime trade union which operated from 1892 until 1937. In its last few years, the union effectively split into the National Maritime Union and Seafarer's International Union.-The early years:...
- MEBA
- Raymond McKayRaymond McKayRaymond T. McKay was an American labor leader. He was president of American Maritime Officers from 1957 until his death in 1993.After World War II, McKay sailed as a second engineer on a Sinclair Oil tanker...
- Michael McKayMichael McKay (labor leader)Michael McKay is a convicted racketeer and former labor leader from the United States. He was president of American Maritime Officers from 1993 until his conviction in 2007....