The International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots or MM&P is a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

labor union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

representing

licensed mariner A licensed mariner is a sailor who holds a license from a maritime authority to hold senior officer-level positions aboard ships, boats, and similar vessels. Qualification standards for licensed mariners are universally set by the STCW Conventi ...

s. MM&P represents licensed deck officers on U.S.-

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

commercial vessels sailing offshore, on the inland waterways and on civilian-crewed ships in the government fleet; state-licensed marine pilots; marine engineers; mariners who work on tug, ferry and harbor tour vessels in New York Harbor and throughout the Northeast; licensed and unlicensed mariners who work on dredges; and maritime industry shore-side clerical and service workers. In addition, it operates two training facilities: th
Maritime Institute of Technology & Graduate Studies
near Baltimore, Maryland; and th
Pacific Maritime Institute
in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. It operates

hiring hall In organized labor, a hiring hall is an organization, usually under the auspices of a labor union, which has the responsibility of furnishing new recruits for employers who have a collective bargaining agreement with the union. It may also refer ...

s in port cities in the continental United States and Hawaii.

History

MM&P's historical roots lie in the frustration felt by steamship

pilots An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

who were criminalized for marine accidents but had no voice in policy. They organized in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 1887, forming the first local of the American Brotherhood of Steamship Pilots. As more locals were founded, shipmasters expressed interest in joining. As a result, in 1891, the fledgling union changed its name to the American Association of Masters and Pilots of Steam Vessels.

20th Century

In 1900, it expanded once again to include all deck officers, and changed its name to the American Association of Masters, Mates, and Pilots of Steam Vessels. On January 9, 1919 MM&P Local, Harbor No. 1 participated in the 1919 New York City Harbor Strike, as one of six unions that made up the Marine Workers Affiliation of the Port of New York, shutting down the port for weeks. MM&P was active in the

1934 West Coast waterfront strike The 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike (also known as the 1934 West Coast Longshoremen's Strike, as well as a number of variations on these names) lasted 83 days, and began on May 9, 1934 when longshoremen in every US West Coast port walked out ...

, joining in along with the

Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association The Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association (MEBA) is the oldest maritime trade union in the United States still currently in existence, established in 1875. MEBA primarily represents licensed mariners, especially deck and engine officers work ...

(MEBA) on 19 May 1934.De La Pedraja Tomán, 1994, p. 377. Together, in 1937 the two unions became part of the Maritime Federation of the Pacific (MFP). The alliance, however, was short-lived. In July 1938, MM&P withdrew from the MFP, along with the

Sailors' Union of the Pacific The Sailors' Union of the Pacific (SUP), founded on March 6, 1885 in San Francisco, California, is an American labor union of mariners, fishermen and boatmen working aboard US flag vessels. At its fourth meeting in 1885, the fledgling organizati ...

and the Marine Firemen, Oilers, Watertenders, and Wipers of the Pacific Coast Union. In 1954, the union added

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

locals, and changed its name to the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots. In 1971, by becoming an affiliate of the

International Longshoremen's Association The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) is a North American labor union representing longshore workers along the East Coast of the United States and Canada, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and inland waterways. The ILA h ...

, MM&P was able to distance itself from the fight between the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutu ...

's (AFL)

Seafarers International Union 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 orga ...

on one side and the

Congress of Industrial Organizations The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in 1935 as a committee within the American Federation of ...

's (CIO)

National Maritime Union The National Maritime Union (NMU) was an American labor union founded in May 1937. It affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in July 1937. After a failed merger with a different maritime group in 1988, the union merged w ...

(NMU) on the other. The link has sometimes been tenuous: some 17 years later, when NMU joined MEBA, MM&P very nearly followed suit.

21st Century

In 2017, members of the union approved MM&P's affiliation with the Panamanian Union of Captains and Deck Officers (Union de Capitanes y Oficiales de Cubierta-UCOC). UCOC is the exclusive representative for the bargaining unit covering all licensed deck officers of the tugboat fleet, dredges and related vessels operated by the Panama Canal Authority. In 2020, Masters, Mates & Pilots separated from the ILA and once again became an affiliate of the AFL-CIO. In 2021, members of Masters, Mates & Pilots approved MM&P's affiliation with the Mexican merchant marine union, Orden Mexicana de Profesionales Marítimos y Portuarios, Similares y Conexos (Orden Maritima).

History

20th Century

21st Century

See also

Notes

References

External links

Archives