a draft form letter to be used to send to members of Congress

Please feel free to use this draft letter in whole or in part. Those words in [brackets] are for use if being sent to a member of the House of Representatives.



date

The Honorable Senator [Congressman/Congresswoman]_____________________
State of _______________, [___th Congressional District]
United States Senate [House of Representatives]
Washington, D.C.


Dear Mr. Senator / Madam Senator [Mr./Madam] _______________

In this time of severe economic recession in our Nation the importance of employment for U.S. citizens is of critical importance. The loss of employment for Americans means reduced spending by families for goods and services which supports our economic health. Further, fewer working Americans means reduced revenue to our Government from payroll taxes. Of no less importance, Americans with good honest work to perform are prouder citizens which makes for a stronger and better country.

I mention all of this because there is a situation occurring in the U.S. today where good skilled jobs which are by statute and regulation reserved for U.S. citizens are being filled by foreign nationals. These are high paying industrial jobs in a sector of our Nation’s economy which is critical for both energy and military security. I speak of the U.S. offshore energy maritime support industry in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico from which 25% of our domestically produced oil and natural gas come.

The specific situation is that in recent years at least 25 vessels from foreign countries (mostly Norway) have been brought into the Gulf of Mexico to work as specialized support ships for oil and gas exploration, development and production. Foreign built and even foreign flagged vessels are not prohibited from working in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) waters , but within the applicable laws which govern the employment of workers on the OCS are specific restrictions that such workers including officers and crew of the vessels working in its waters are to be U.S. citizens just as with any employment on land in the U.S.A. However through legal loopholes and subterfuge on the part of the owners of these foreign vessels, and/or lack of enforcement by the Federal Agencies responsible to enforce the law, these particular foreign vessels are operating in our sovereign territory with 100% foreign national crewmembers. This is directly contrary to the intent of the employment protections provided in the Outer Continental Shelf Act (43USC1331 & 33CFRpart141). As a result, no fewer than 1000 U.S. Merchant Mariners are denied high paying skilled employment. One means the vessel owners use to get through loopholes in the law is the use of the old excuse that there are no American workers with the skills to man these ships. This is a falsehood and as a certified and experienced American Merchant Mariner, I am available and ready to serve given the opportunity presently denied to me.

To close, I need not emphasize more the loss which occurs when U.S. citizens are unemployed. It greatly harms our economy, our families and the very fabric of our great Nation. I urge you as a member of The Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety & Security [House Subcommittee on Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation] you have oversight in this matter and can investigate the U.S. Coast Guard Foreign and Offshore Vessel Division in the Coast Guard’s Washington D.C. headquarters. Look into how it is granting foreign manning waivers to vessel owners without investigation on their part and how both foreign and domestic vessel owners are circumventing the intention of the law and allowing this harm to come to American workers.

Thank you very much for your time to read this letter and for giving this matter your due consideration.


Yours sincerely,