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Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association warned of the dangers of bigger cargo vessels and smaller crews not at par with US levels

A top labor union for maritime engineers has sounded the alarm against corporate profiteering in the wake of Tuesday’s cargo ship crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, claiming the industry is “probably the worst offender”.

The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (Meba) warned of the dangers of growing vessels and shrinking crews – claiming that those from overseas are “not up to the standards” required in the US.

Roland Rexha, its secretary treasurer, argued that significant safety improvements and standards were required across the global maritime sector following the collapse of the Baltimore bridge earlier this week. Six construction workers were declared to be dead following the disaster, which brought one of America’s busiest ports to a halt.

    • d00phy@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      8 months ago

      I would say it’s mostly a good thing, but there can be serious downsides. They’re still run by executives, just like the businesses their members work for, and there’s just as much chance for corruption. Biggest difference is the union members can vote the board out whereas they have no say on the exec suite where they work unless they own stock. And even then, they don’t really have a say!

      I would argue that, despite anecdotal instances of waste, and the obvious Jimmy Hoffa-esque cautionary tales, unions have been a net good for workers.