L E T T E R S   T O   T H E   E D I T O R

Will a Union Unite Us?

Involvement with the union is a bad choice for our industry. It will create a division among our fleet and community.

The representatives of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) and Aerospace Workers are not fishermen. They have a poor understanding of the industry. How could they not? They’ve only been in involved with us for a few months. The commercial fishing industry is not easy to navigate. It takes years of hard work and experience to develop an understanding of the issues we’re facing. I want representatives with much more knowledge than IAM has to offer.

We’ve been told when they recruited enough members and established a local chapter they would be a voice for fishermen in Augusta. What concerns me is that they are already there acting on our behalf. Who are they representing? There is no established local chapter. They’ve held very few meetings to converse with us. I take great issue with any organization acting on the behalf of our fishing communities without our consent. When I asked why they had proceeded in this manner here is the response I received from their director, Joe Flanders.

“Genevieve, please understand what I am saying and take it in the light it is intended. Unless you are a member of this Union, I as the director of this Union, nor any of my staff are concerned with what you think. This Union is for it’s members to have say. If you are not a member you have no say in what this Union does.” 

Keep in mind as of yet there is no formal fishermen’s chapter to have a vote in. He went on to accuse me of being an industry insider sent to infiltrate them. Nice guy. I guess he’s not very eager for members. I have attended numerous industry meetings and have never had my questions answered with this level of distain. I am not a member of the MLA, but when I’ve disagreed with David Cousens he’s never told me that because I’m not a member my opinion doesn’t matter. Fishermen ask challenging questions, we are not known for being easily lead along. If Joe Flanders thinks we will all follow along blindly he’s in for a surprise. 

The union has very few fishermen members, out of that only a handful are commercial license holders – 200 is a very small portion of our fleet considering their membership includes sternmen. We’ve been told that Vinalhaven and Jonesport are strongly in support and we must be as well or get left behind. That’s a lie. Talk to other captains in those areas and you’ll hear a different story.

The IAM is a huge organization based out of Maryland and 60% of the dues we’d pay go out of state. We would be very valuable clients. Their most recent accomplishments are organizing the workers of IKEA. We are not a group of workers. We are independently owned and operated businesses. We are stubborn, opinionated and capable of making our own decisions. We are not vulnerable to intimidation or scare tactics. It takes more than showing up, asking for money and making promises to get my support. 

The union is an opportunistic, out of state organization trying to take advantage of our situation for their own gain. They claim protection under the Fishermen’s Collective Marketing Act. That is the law that protects our co-ops. We already have the largest co-op in the state right here in Stonington. They claim they can speak for us in Augusta. We already have a number of associations that do that, most notably the Down East Lobstermen’s Association and the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. You may not agree with them but there’s no guarantee you’ll see eye to eye with IAM’s approach either. We’re also welcome to go to Augusta and speak on our own behalf as business owners. There is nothing the union can offer us that we don’t already have, at little to no cost.

Everyone should form their own opinions. I wanted answers and when I found them I didn’t like what I learned. Their level of ignorance about the issues facing the industry is dangerous and they are likely to do more harm than good. They have a smooth talk but when you get to the core it’s a rotten deal for the fishermen.

Genevieve Kurilec McDonald
F/V Hello Darlin’
License #11370
Stonington, Maine

Fees, Clauses and a Way of Life

The MLA and DELA are going to lose memberships if they don’t get proactive. Let me be clear. By proactive I don’t mean supporting the all too numerous groups professing to protect us from some dire calamity or as I like to call it, “the sky is falling” mentality. Some of us can still remember Chicken Little.

Don’t you find it interesting that for 40 years (yes, 40 years) biologists, scientists, politicians and so called environmentalists have been predicting a “collapse in the lobster industry” (their words not mine). Just stop and think how many millions of dollars have been invested “studying” the lobster industry. How many colleges and universities, environmental groups all across this country are funded by the fact that a few lobstermen go to work without subsidies every day? How many more “experts” are we going to be asked to fund? Has anyone noticed how large the DMR has gotten? Give them a call someday with a question about some new regulation and see if you can find someone who can give you a real answer.

The lobster industry needs a break. It is no accident that the most productive lobster fishery is fished and protected by traditional fishermen. By tradition, I mean that your grandfather lobstered and your grandson lobsters and everyone in between lobsters. We are stewards and farmers. We want this way of life to continue for our descendants. We have invested a lot of blood sweat and tears in this industry. It will not benefit the industry to let “late comers” in, while keeping traditional fishing families out. How do you folks who closed your zones like it? Now you are going to have politicians decide who goes fishing and who doesn’t.

How about we stop with all the studies, promotion councils, regulations, predictions and give the fishermen and taxpayers a break. After all, I don’t know one lobsterman who asked for all this “help.” Let’s leave the industry alone for about ten years.

How long have we been giving money to the Lobster Promotion Council? How did that work out? After ten years let’s take a look at how we are doing.

I have fished from the late 50’s to sometime in the 90’s without any help (remember trap limits and what happened in the 90’s). Anybody want to bet we can’t go ten years without dire predictions, regulations, promotion councils and studies that all cost money and have not helped the lobster industry in any way shape or manner.

I think the very same fishing families that fought for the V notch program, against the advice of scientists and biologists, and kept working through the lean years notching tens of thousands of female lobsters, feeding and protecting hundreds of millions of juvenile lobsters will succeed and flourish without all this so called “help.”

I agree with Leroy Bridges’ statement at a recent DELA meeting. There needs to be a sunset provision on the new Lobster Promotion Council as well as all the rules and regulation programs out there. In reference to the lobster promotion council as the old saying goes,” Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, same on me”. The fact that we are even considering a new more expensive lobster promotion council is ridiculous. As Leroy said, the millions of dollars we have already provided the old promotion council resulted in lower prices to the fisherman and higher prices to the end customer.

If the DELA and MLA don’t change their philosophy of appeasement to the politicians and so called environmentalists, then the fishermen will find someone who will fight for our cause. There is growing support for the union concept. We need someone to go to Augusta and stop all this foolishness and educate the public as to what we are doing and why this fishery is so productive. I feel we are the last owner-operated industry in this country. We are successful because of that fact and the fact that most of us are traditional family fishermen who have invested their lives in this business, this way of life.

David Haskell
F/V Mollyryan
License #9967
North Haven, Maine