Regional Public Information
Session and Hearing

Join
Director of Labor George E. Noel
and
Members of the Joint Task Force
on the Underground Economy

Event Details:
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
9:30 am to 11:30 am
Barnstable Town Hall

Second Floor Hearing Room
367 Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601

For general questions or to RSVP your attendance and participation, please contact Linnea Walsh by close of business Monday, September 21, 2009 at linnea.walsh@state.ma.us or call 617-727-4900 x224.

Please join us to see how the Commonwealth of Massachusetts helps businesses, workers, consumers and taxpayers by tackling workplace fraud.

The general public, businesses, labor organizations, and community groups are invited to attend and participate. The Joint Task Force on the Underground Economy welcomes your testimony about workplace fraud and employee misclassification. How has your workplace, business or community been impacted?

If you do wish to testify at this event, please bring extra copies of your written remarks for the Joint Task Force to keep. If you cannot attend, but would like your testimony to be included at this meeting, please send it in advance.

All testimony relevant to the work of the Joint Task Force
can be sent on an ongoing basis to:

Heather Rowe,
Deputy Commissioner,
Division of Occupational Safety, Charles F. Hurley Building,
19 Staniford St., 2nd floor,
Boston, MA 02114 or e-mailed to: heather.rowe@state.ma.us .

For media inquiries about this session or the Joint Task Force, please contact Alison Harris, Director of Communications, Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development at 617-626-7121 or alison.harris@state.ma.us .

Shortage of Seafarers Sends
Shipping Industry Searching for Sailors

There is a shortage of seafarers in the international shipping industry, according to the International Maritime Organization. The shortage is especially pronounced for ship officers. There was a shortfall of 34,000 officers in 2008, and this figure is expected to increase to 83,900 by 2012. The industry has launched "Go to sea!," a campaign that seeks to attract people to die shipping industry.

In addition to officer positions (captain, first mate, second mate, third mate, radio officer, etc.), there are opportunities in the engine room and the steward department (cooking and care of the living quarters).

Aspiring merchant mariners can train for the field by attending the US Merchant Marine Academy, where they take one of seven programs: maritime operations and technology, marine transporta­tion, logistics and intermodal transportation, marine engineering, marine engineering systems, marine engineering and shipyard man­agement, and dual license (a combination of marine engineering and marine transportation studies for advanced students). Merchant marine training programs are also available at state academies in California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and Texas.

Pros of working as a merchant mariner include the ability to travel the world and relatively good pay (median hourly earnings for ship and boat captains and operators were $29.79 in 2008, according to the US Department of Labor; ship engineers earned $29.18/hour and sailors and marine oilers earned $l6.53/hour). The drawbacks include the long hours, the fact that merchant mariners are away from home for long periods of time, and the risk of hijacking by pirates (although the ship­ping industry is taking steps to reduce these incidents by adding armed security forces, installing non-lethal weapons such as high-powered water cannons on ships, and encouraging nations to increase their military presence in areas, such as the Gulf of Aden, where there is high pirate activity).

Visit the following websites for more information on careers in the field:
www.bls.gov/oco/ocos247.htm and www.imo.org/includes/blastDataOnly.asp/data_id%3D24745/STUD-IESANDCAREERSINSHIPPING9.02.09.pdf.

Upcoming Meetings

• WIB Board of Directors Meeting: Tuesday September 22nd 8:00am Career Opportunities
• WIB Executive Committee Meeting: Thursday October 8th 8:00am WIB Office
• YC Mentoring Committee Meeting: Tuesday October 13th 1:00pm WIB Office
• WIB Planning Evaluation Committee Meeting: Wednesday October 14th 1:30pm WIB Office
• YC Graduation Committee Meeting: Monday October 26th 11:00am WIB Office
• YC Executive Committee Meeting: Tuesday October 27th 9:00am WIB Office