Posts: 14,084
Threads: 424
Joined: Aug 2012
dismal situation with education in this country demands we bring in bright people from elsewhere
H1B isn't about "talent", it's about "money": employers prefer the indentured servitude afforded by H1B visaholders, who dare not complain about being paid a pittance for 80-hour workweeks, lest they be summarily deported.
To the original question: how is it any less a "national security" issue when foreign nationals are allowed run the power grid instead of pilot a cargo ship? Does the shipping industry just have better unions and more lawyers? Because I'm not buying the "security" excuse.
Posts: 789
Threads: 14
Joined: Oct 2013
Agreed, it seems counter intuitive as far as security is concerned. Always follow the money in everything.
Posts: 1,930
Threads: 71
Joined: Jun 2012
Jones Act was passed in the 1920 Congress, mainly to protect Merchant Marines. Of course, this was also the beginning days of unions having political influence. They did see back then that America's Merchant Marines was declining, mostly because of Mafia takeover of all the ports and port traffic during the mid 1920's, with the rise of longshoremen and unions. Basically, all the original reasons for the Jones Act are gone.
It would still be difficult. If the Jones Act were repealed, that would leave Matson and Pasha stuck with All American built container ships, builders and crew, union wages, benefits, etc. Meanwhile, foreign flagged ships would be allowed to compete, not having to leave American ports, puts even more US longshoremen out of jobs. It remains to be seen if a repeal would result in lowering cost of living in Hawaii by the amount added from having to ship everything in. It would be a big battle in Congress if it gets picked up as one of the campaign issues.
"Mahalo nui Pele, 'ae noho ia moku 'aina" - kakahiaka oli
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
Posts: 1,175
Threads: 12
Joined: Jun 2008
A little side issue- with an end to the Jones Act, with more ships from wherever, we would likely be exposed to more invasive species and such.
Posts: 789
Threads: 14
Joined: Oct 2013
Sounds like the Hawaii solution would be more inspectors at the dock watching for the nastiness.
Don't they run most of the stuff through a neutron beam to completely sterilize them anyway? Seemed like I read about one they would run whole sipping containers through.
Posts: 4,857
Threads: 83
Joined: Feb 2009
Here is a little more of what is involved.
Philadelphia Energy Solutions and Aker Philadelphia Shipyard are practically neighbors in South Philadelphia, but they are worlds apart when it comes to a 1920 merchant-marine law known as the Jones Act.
For the refinery, formerly owned by Sunoco, the federal law requiring that ships transporting cargo between two U.S. ports be built in the United States, staffed by U.S. crews, and primarily owned by U.S. citizens drives up the costs of shipping crude oil from the Gulf Coast. The refinery gets oil from multiple sources: by rail, by barge from other U.S. terminals, and from ships delivering from overseas.
A few miles away, at the Navy Yard, Aker Philadelphia builds tankers and container ships to meet the American-made requirement. Clients include Exxon Mobil. With a workforce of 1,100, Aker has a backlog of new ship orders through 2018. Without the Jones Act, Aker would go out of business.
After World War I, Congress barred foreign carriers and crews from cruising domestic water routes, to help guarantee the United States had a maritime fleet, shipyard manufacturing, and merchant mariners to bolster national security and the economy.
More here :
http://articles.philly.com/2015-03-02/bu...bor-unions
