Matson in San Francisco Bay, 1958. Matson is one of the few shipping companies that still employs American crews, as required by the Jones Act of 1920 of shipping companies that transport cargo among American ports.
The following is excerpted from a statement by American Maritime Officers; International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots; Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association; and Seafarers International Union on Maritime Administration (MARAD) report comparing U.S. and foreign-flag operating costs:
The U.S. Maritime Administration recently released a highly contentious study of American-flag shipping without any input whatsoever from maritime labor. This inexplicable decision guaranteed that the report would not contain the information that Congress and the Administration would need to develop and implement meaningful maritime policy that strengthens, not weakens, the U.S.-flag merchant marine, provides jobs for American, not foreign, maritime workers, and bolsters, not diminishes, the economic, military and homeland security of the United States. The administrator who approved the report, David Matsuda, should be held accountable.
MarAd should be ashamed of itself for entertaining a study that suggests that beating down American mariners to the level of Third-World labor and lowering their standard of living are good for our industry and good for our country. The findings of this report are an insult to the brave men and women who comprise the U.S. Merchant Marine, including those who sail in harm’s way to deliver vital material to our armed forces.