James Given Email & Phone Number

Moving forward to renew our commitment. Every new leader of any organization comes into his position with fresh ideas and an agenda to move things forward. I would like to take a minute to reflect on our past first, which of course shapes the future with the building blocks in place for success. The SIU of Canada has had only a handful of leaders and we have forged our place in Canadian history as the largest and strongest maritime union in the Country. We have had our era of turbulence, and we have had ups and downs in the industry. We have built Hiring Halls, and our very own Medical Plan, which we are all proud of and are the envy of the Maritime Community. None of this came without a cost in terms of monetary value and in waterfront battles that although decades ago, are still remembered in the industry. We fought hard to gain what we have, nothing was handed over, and nothing can be taken for granted. The past leaders of our Union put their heart and soul into building what we have and they still contribute today, we thank them for their service.Moving forward we must renew our commitment to organizing the non-union companies that share the waterways with us. Although these non-union seafarers seem like “outsiders” we share more than they think. Industry safety standards are championed by unions. Hours of work and rest, overtime and every benefit extended to the non-union mariner are passed on to them because of the hard work of unions. It’s the trickle-down effect. Through your hard work, and the dedication of the Union officials negotiating your contracts, union gains trickle down to the non-union seafarer one way or the other. The one thing they will never have until they join us, is the Brotherhood of the Sea. That is all ours.

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  President

  The Seafarers International Union Of Canada

  Dec 2012 - Dec 2022