The actions of the Puget Sound Inspector from the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) with support from members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 23 helped to protect a group of vulnerable seafarers who were being grossly underpaid and who feared for their safety after receiving threats for standing up for their rights. On February 7th, seafarers aboard the ASL Uranus (IMO: 9317511), an ocean-going grain ship docked at an export grain facility in the Port of Tacoma, contacted ITF Inspector Jeff Engels to report that they were not being paid the proper wages.
Engels communicated with the ship’s owner and agent to secure the payment of back wages for the crew, and on February 8th, the company agreed to pay the improperly withheld wages. Engels said that before receiving their pay, the crew reported to the ITF that their families had already been contacted by the shipping line and hiring agents and told that they would need to “return the money.”