COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS FIRST SESSION 69-954 HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, MAY 13, 1993 Serial No. 103-9 Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON 1993 For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402 ISBN 0-16-041166-1 COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR WILLIAM D. FORD, Michigan, Chairman WILLIAM (BILL) CLAY, Missouri MATTHEW G. MARTINEZ, California ROBERT E. ANDREWS, New Jersey ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California RON KLINK, Pennsylvania RON DE LUGO, Virgin Islands ENI F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American Samoa SCOTTY BAESLER, Kentucky ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD, Guam WILLIAM F. GOODLING, Pennsylvania CASS BALLENGER, North Carolina BILL BARRETT, Nebraska JOHN A. BOEHNER, Ohio RANDY "DUKE” CUNNINGHAM, California HOWARD "BUCK" McKEON, California Hearing held in Washington, DC, May 13, 1993..... Balderas, Deacon Robert M., National Director, Apostleship of the Sea; Terry Turner, National Governmental Relations Director, Seafarers International Union of North America; John A. Sansone, Jr., U.S. Inspectorate FOC Coordinator, International Transport Workers Feder- ation, International Longshoremen's Association; and Thomas J. Schneider, Esq., O'Connor & Hannan, Washington, DC, Counsel to the Estes, John T., President, International Council of Cruise Lines, accompa- nied by Duncan Hoopes, Price Waterhouse, Washington, DC; and Jean C. Godwin, Vice President, Government Relations, American Associa- Prepared statements, letters, supplemental materials, et cetera: American Petroleum Institute, prepared statement of... Clay, Hon. William L., a Representative in Congress from the State of Godwin, Jean C., Vice President, Government Relations, American Asso- 91 Letter to Thomas J. Schneider requesting information relevant to Parise, Louis, President, AFL-CIO Maritime Committee, prepared state- Schneider, Thomas J., Esq., O'Connor & Hannan, Washington, DC, Coun- sel to the AFL-CIO Maritime Committee, prepared statement of. Reply to Hon. Austin J. Murphy's letter. Turner, Terry, National Governmental Relations Director, Seafarers HEARING ON H.R. 1517, FOREIGN FLAG SHIPS THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1993 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR, Washington, DC. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:30 a.m., Room 2261, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Austin J. Murphy, Chairman, presiding. Members present: Representatives Murphy, Andrews, Faleomavaega, Fawell, and Ballenger. Staff present: Jim Riley, chief counsel and staff director; Adrienne Fields, deputy staff director, Education and Labor; Ted Martin, professional staff; Vicki Nimmo, clerk; Molly Salmi, minority professional staff; Gary Visscher, minority professional staff; and Tim Butler, minority staff assistant. Chairman MURPHY. Good morning. We are here this morning to discuss the ramifications of H.R. 1517. The subcommittee has been working with this legislation for a number of years, and I am hopeful that our new President will be interested and supportive of our efforts, which I believe that he will. The success of foreign ship lines cannot be disputed. For years now, they have been freely operating in American ports, being the beneficiaries of our free market economy, and have earned millions of dollars in profits. But we wonder whether simple business acumen is fully accountable for this success. It is fair to say that much in the way of profits enjoyed by foreign shipping companies are earned at the expense of shipboard employees. Foreign maritime workers do not enjoy the same statutory protections and benefits as American seamen. What we are here for this morning is to answer the question, "Is there an unfair advantage that foreign operators have over American ship operators? Will H.R. 1517 improve America's competitive edge and the lot of the seaman?" This legislation, we believe, will help legions of people from less fortunate nations working on the sea by stopping, if they exist, exploitative labor practices in American territorial waters. The bill also may help more American workers find gainful employment. [The prepared statement of Hon. Austin J. Murphy follows:] (1) |