MM&P Women's Caucus

Your Shipmates Are Counting on You: Building a Respectful Maritime Workplace

Click the Image Below to Access the PDF Version of the Resource Guide

Resource Guide

The MM&P Women’s Caucus has published a resource guide to further its mission of effecting change to assure equal rights, respect and safety for all mariners and workers in the maritime industry.

The new guide, “Your Shipmates Are Counting on You: Building a Respectful Maritime Workplace,” includes links to organizations that offer help and support to those who have experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination, as well as advice on what actions to take in the event that you experience bullying or harassment, or witness others being bullied or harassed.

The MM&P Women’s Caucus actively supports women’s rights, professional development, networking, and the discussion of all issues specific to women in maritime, including cisgender and transgender women, femmes, and nonbinary people within MM&P and throughout the maritime industry.

MM&P Women’s Caucus membership is free and open to all MM&P members and delegates.

Membership will initially be limited to women, including cisgender and transgender women, femmes, and nonbinary people within MM&P and ultimately, subject to the decisions of the Women’s Caucus, open to all workers throughout the maritime industry interested in promoting women’s issues, empowerment, and professional development.

Join the effort by sending an email to womenscaucus@bridgedeck.org.

The Coast Guard issued a list of frequently asked questions on compliance with anti-SASH regulations:

Frequently Asked Questions on Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, and Harassment Reporting Requirements.

Click here to view the 12/29/23 MSIB.

Warmline

410-691-8196

Meeting Dates for Women’s Caucus – 2024

Join Our Next Meeting

The Women’s Caucus Committee meets at regular intervals throughout the year to share information and move our mission forward.

Email womenscaucus@bridgedeck.org if you are interested in joining and want to be sent a meeting link. The meetings are typically held at 1300/1000 EST/PST.

Coast Guard Issues Marine Safety Information Bulletin

REPORTING SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ON U.S. VESSELS – OPEN THIS LINK

The Coast Guard has issued a Marine Safety Information Bulletin regarding reporting sexual misconduct on U.S. vessels.

The MSIB highlights recent changes to the law that require the responsible entity of a vessel—defined as the owner, master, or managing operator—to report to the Coast Guard any complaint or incident of harassment, sexual harassment, or sexual assault.

The MSIB, which the Coast Guard has posted online (link in red above), states as follows:

Sexual misconduct that occurs onboard U.S. flagged vessels harms mariners, interrupts safe operations, and often leads to accidents, lost careers, and a lifetime of trauma for the survivors who endure the abuse.

The Coast Guard is committed to investigating and pursuing appropriate enforcement actions for all reports of sexual misconduct on U.S. flagged vessels.

This MSIB supersedes the Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy’s MSIB 11-21, “Reporting Sexual Assaults on U.S. Vessels,” which was issued on Dec. 16, 2021.

Recent changes to the law now require the responsible entity of a vessel, defined as the owner, master, or managing operator, to report to the Coast Guard any complaint or incident of harassment, sexual harassment, or sexual assault that violates company policy.

To help facilitate reporting, the Coast Guard has consolidated reporting for all types of sexual misconduct and established multiple reporting options as detailed in the link above.

The reporting options include a CGIS Tips App, and/or the email address CGISTIPS@uscg.mil, which can be used by all reporting sources, including bystanders and survivors, who have access to a smart phone or the internet.

The reports, which can be anonymous or for attribution, are received and reviewed by the Coast Guard Investigative Service. An investigation will be initiated for all reports received and someone will provide follow-up communications with all reporting sources who provide contact information.

The Coast Guard also maintains a 24/7 watch, which can field reports of sexual misconduct via the National Command Center phone number at 202-327-2100.

CGIS will leverage all available resources to immediately initiate a criminal investigation for a sexual crime occurring on a U.S. flagged vessel anywhere in the world.

Formation of Women’s Caucus – Together We Will

The mission of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots Women’s Caucus is to effect change to assure equal rights, respect and safety for all mariners and workers in the maritime industry.

We will advocate for and actively support women’s rights, professional development, networking, and the discussion of all issues specific to women in maritime, including cisgender and transgender women, femmes, and nonbinary people within MM&P and throughout the maritime industry. Our focus is to listen and take critical steps to make necessary adjustments. We will take purposeful action to demand a safe, harassment-free work environment and culture that is designed to protect all workers in our industry and support them in reaching their full potential. This will inspire new business practices that must be implemented throughout every corner of our Organization to enhance mariners’ rights and interests throughout our industry.

Statement on the Supreme Court Ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

Statement of the MM&P Women’s Caucus Committee, With the Unanimous Support of MM&P Leadership, on the Supreme Court Ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

The MM&P Women’s Caucus Committee, with the unanimous support of MM&P leadership, affirm our commitment to the principle that everyone in the maritime workplace has the right to control their own bodies. This includes the right to make personal decisions regarding reproductive health care. All means of reproductive health care should be available across the continuous US in ports that our members are working and states where they live.

As a Union we must stand together to advocate against regulations and laws that adversely affect working conditions. A restriction on abortion can affect a worker’s entire life including the ability to retain or seek employment.

MM&P members can apply for financial assistance to the Members’ Welfare Fund if they have a financial hardship in receiving medical care, including if they need to travel out of state to access the healthcare.

In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade deprives individuals of a fundamental human right. The ruling will continue to have devastating consequences for many families.

This reversal puts female seafarers at grave risk, in terms of health and safety at sea as well as employment conditions and continued employment opportunity. It has left our members with an inability to receive a standard level of care that now depends on their geographic location. This inconsistency state by state is compounded by a lack of standard accepted definitions shared by patients, doctors, and lawmakers.

As AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler has stated in response to the ruling: 

“This is just the latest in a harmful string of attacks on our fundamental rights, including the right to vote and to collectively bargain in the workplace, and points to an alarming trend that other well-settled rights like marriage equality may be taken away. The current conservative majority of the Supreme Court is bent on limiting bodily autonomy, freedom and self-determination to a select few, and that is fundamentally undemocratic. America’s unions remain committed to the fight for gender justice and economic equity for all people.”

The MM&P Women’s Caucus Committee remains committed to effecting change to assure equal rights, respect and safety for all mariners and workers in the maritime industry.

Please continue to communicate: You can reach the Chair of the Women’s Caucus Melany Skippen at 410.691.8194 or WomensCaucus@bridgedeck.org.

We Want to Hear From You

Only through your insight can we discover ways to improve working conditions, confidentially report issues or concerns. Please keep your feedback coming.

Help us ensure a safer work place for all mariners and contact us at womenscaucus@bridgedeck.org to join in this effort.

Join Us! MM&P Women’s Caucus membership is free and open to all members and delegates. Membership will initially be limited to women, including cisgender and transgender women, femmes, and nonbinary people within MM&P and ultimately, subject to the decisions of the Women’s Caucus, open to all workers throughout the maritime industry interested in promoting women’s issues, empowerment, and professional development.