AMC-MEBA FORM JOINT LABOR-MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIP

AMC-MEBA FORM JOINT LABOR-MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIP    The American Maritime Congress and the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association have established a new labor-management partnership, which is expected to benefit the U.S. merchant marine.
   Ron Davis, president of MEBA, has become AMC’s new chairman and Thomas E. Murphy of Marine Transport Corp. will serve as vice chairman of the organization.
   Gloria Cataneo Tosi continues as president of AMC and John Gaughan, former U.S. maritime administrator and former president of First American Bulk Carrier Corp., recently joined AMC as vice president of government affairs.
   The new AMC will have a 12-member board, evenly divided between six directors from AMC member companies and six MEBA union officials.
   The new partnership between AMC and MEBA will improve communications and working relationships between labor and management in the U.S.-flag vessel industry and other transportation modes. It will also improve the nation’s economic development and establish stronger ties to government agencies.
   “The reorganization is a giant step forward and marks a new milestone in our union’s history, as we form a unified working relationship on maritime industry issues with our U.S.-flag shipping lines,” Davis said.
   “This partnership will allow us to work together in a seamless effort, at a time when unity and maximum effectiveness are at a premium, as the U.S. maritime industry moves forward on a number of vital issues, including reauthorization of the Maritime Security Program,” Tosi said.