Law Protecting Unions Hinders Gulf Cleanup

[Patranus]

Interesting.

Foreign companies possessing some of the world’s most advanced oil skimming ships say they are being kept out of efforts to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf because of a 1920’s law known as the Jones Act -- a protectionist law that requires vessels working in US waters be built in the US and be crewed by US workers.

http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/06/10/jones-act-slowing-oil-spill-cleanup/?test=latestnews

The United States is turning away help from other countries because of a law designed to protect union jobs.

The Jones Act says that ships operating off the U.S. coast must be crewed by US union workers.

There are ship coming in from other countries yet they cannot help because of this regulation.

Thank you labor union bosses you once against have helped this country.

 

[cubby1223]

You lie, boy! Fact is there are no unintended consequences of any liberal government action, only of conservative actions.

 

[theeedude]

Obama should never have signed that law in the 1920s

 

[waggy]

IF true that is disgusting. Though i am surprised patranus didn't come out and blame obama..

 

[Red Dawn]

IF true that is disgusting. Though i am surprised patranus didn't come out and blame obama..

Give him time.

 

[Jaskalas]

IF true that is disgusting. Though i am surprised patranus didn't come out and blame obama..

Like speed limits and stop signs, if you don't enforce it then it won't matter. So who the hell, today, is stupid enough to enforce The Jones Act?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I thought this was going to be about clean-up workers only being allowed to actually clean 20 minutes per hour. I'm no stranger to working in heat for long periods, and they absolutely need to take breaks and have access to the proper facilities in these conditions, but this strikes me as a little too cautious given the severity of the situation.

 

[1prophet]

Obama should never have signed that law in the 1920s

But he could do like Bush after Katrina and suspend the law.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/08/AR2005090802037.html

 

[Linflas]

Obama should never have signed that law in the 1920s

Well if you want a serious response Obama could suspend the law much like Bush did for the post Katrina response. No one is claiming he is responsible for the law.

 

[dahunan]

and if one ship was held back even one mile per hour slower because of this supposed law then whoever caused it needs to be held accountable

that includes ANY one person or more people

I hear BP has ships that aren't even there to complete the skimming anyhow.. so they just keep letting it flow

 

[waggy]

I thought this was going to be about clean-up workers only being allowed to actually clean 20 minutes per hour. I'm no stranger to working in heat for long periods, and they absolutely need to take breaks and have access to the proper facilities in these conditions, but this strikes me as a little too cautious given the severity of the situation.

there was a interview with a worker. he said they work a 15 min on then off and have "breaks" every other hour plus a half hour lunch (starts when they got to the place to eat) etc.

i was amazed at how little they actually work..

sure its hot. but you can work a little more then that!

 

[Patranus]

Hey, I wasn't even going to make this about Obama just about how unions are continuing to screw over this country.

 

[dahunan]

Hey, I wasn't even going to make this about Obama just about how unions are continuing to screw over this country.

If one ship was slowed because of it then I WILL blame him

 

[dahunan]

the gulf doesn't belong to Obama.. it doesn't belong to BP etc..

IT IS YOURS and MINE and WE THE PEOPLE'S

 

[Patranus]

the gulf doesn't belong to Obama.. it doesn't belong to BP etc..

IT IS YOURS and MINE and WE THE PEOPLE'S

Well the Jones Act says it belongs to the unions.....

 

[spidey07]

But he could do like Bush after Katrina and suspend the law.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/08/AR2005090802037.html

Good find. I would expect Obama to do the exact same thing. But he won't, we all know he won't.

 

[Bowfinger]

Well if you want a serious response Obama could suspend the law much like Bush did for the post Katrina response. No one is claiming he is responsible for the law.

It doesn't appear anyone had asked for this waiver until Florida did so today, presumably because it wasn't yet needed (though that should be investigated):

When asked about this by Fox News, Admiral Allen said, “If it gets to the point where a Jones Act waiver is required, we're willing to do that too Nobody has come to me with a request for a Jones Act waiver.”

Based on a very quick look around, it appears the waiver has been routinely granted in such circumstances in the past. I even found the waiver application form available on-line. If the Obama administration drags its feet now that the request is made, that would be a major story and a real black eye.

 

[Bowfinger]

Good find. I would expect Obama to do the exact same thing. But he won't, we all know he won't.

Can we trust you'll come back to publicly admit your partisan hatred was wrong (again) if Obama does approve it ... now that the waiver request has been submitted?

 

[waggy]

Can we trust you'll come back to publicly admit your partisan hatred was wrong (again) if Obama does approve it ... now that the waiver request has been submitted?

hahahahahhah ohh hahahahah ohhh...yeah when pigs fly

 

[Patranus]

Can we trust you'll come back to publicly admit your partisan hatred was wrong (again) if Obama does approve it ... now that the waiver request has been submitted?

Ug. Now I am being dragged into an Obama conversation when that wasn't the original intent.

The fact of the matter is that there shouldn't need to be a waiver request. The ships are there and it has been what, 50 something says since this happened?

Its called being an executive. Its not called the executive branch for nothing.

 

[Jhhnn]

Get the troll spray.

 

[dahunan]

I still say the whole world better come up with some contingency plans and help any area that this ever happens to .. we need to be prepared to protect the planet from mans mistakes MUCH FASTER and

United We Stand Divided We Fall pertains to all .. not just USA

 

[DaveSimmons]

> The United States is turning away help from other countries because of a law designed to protect union jobs.
> There are ship coming in from other countries yet they cannot help because of this regulation.

Actually even the Fox blog does not say that, it just states that there are ships around the world that could be used if a waiver is requested and applied.

(It could be true, but this blog doesn't support that claim.)

I have no idea whether BP has access to US ships that it isn't using either. The blog just says ships are out there and oil is piling up, not whether there is any shortage of US ships.

 

[Bowfinger]

[ ... ]
The fact of the matter is that there shouldn't need to be a waiver request. The ships are there and it has been what, 50 something says since this happened? ...

That's why I said this should be investigated. *IF* in fact the ships are there and willing to help, and *IF* in fact they have been kept sidelined due to the Jones Act, I absolutely agree somebody screwed up and should be held accountable. If that somebody is Obama, i.e., he knew about the need but refused to act, he should be held accountable. If it was some lower level flunkie in the administration who didn't pass the need up to Obama, he should go. So far we only have a partisan allegation the ball was dropped, and we don't yet know who dropped it.

 

[Bowfinger]

> The United States is turning away help from other countries because of a law designed to protect union jobs.
> There are ship coming in from other countries yet they cannot help because of this regulation.

Actually even the Fox blog does not say that, it just states that there are ships around the world that could be used if a waiver is requested and applied.

Exactly. It reeks of the usual Fox technique of smearing through innuendo. I'd like some credible digging to find out how much actual fire is behind that smoke.