Maritime Accident News

Alaska longshoremen picket cruise ships for disregarding the law

Members of a Juneau, Alaska stevedore union picketed the waterfront Monday in protest of major cruise lines’ alleged violations of labor laws, the Juneau Empire reported.

The companies are accused of blatantly disregarding INA: Act 258, Immigration and Nationality Act 258 (Limitations On Performance Of Longshore work By Alien Crewmen) which requires foreign vessels to contract U.S. longshoremen to conduct stevedore functions such as tying up and letting go lines, transporting and moving cargo aboard the vessel and operating equipment necessary to the cruise vessels, said Alaska Longshore Division Local 200 Unit 16 President Dennis Young.

According to Young, the industry has blatantly ignored form I-418 in INA: ACT 258 that must be filled out and turned in to Customs and Border Patrol at the first port of entry. That form asks the question, “will any crew aboard this vessel perform U.S. longshore work. Yes or no?”

The cruise lines have always checked no “since the dawn of time,” Young said, which according to him means they have been giving false information because they have not hired U.S. longshoremen or contracted stevedores for required duties going back as far as five years ago.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union was to have picketed in Juneau and other parts of the state

Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska port manager Andrew Greene responded that the ships have been using U.S. personnel to tie up. However, he conceded that those workers were not members of a longshoremen’s union.

Young says the cruise ships claim to be in compliance by using Americans on board to perform longshore duties. He said the CBP admitted two weeks ago that cruise vessels have been filling out the I-418 forms incorrectly.

“The law is specific, it is U.S. longshoremen’s work, and it isn’t the American crew.”

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