USMX and ILA Leaders Direct Their Safety Committee To Advise Members On Protections Against Coronavirus

NORTH BERGEN, NJ – (March 10, 2020) At the direction of David F. Adam, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd., and Harold J. Daggett, International President, International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO, the ILA-USMX Joint Safety Committee issued new safety guidelines to protect ILA members and employers against potential risks posed by Coronavirus-infected crewmembers/passengers that may be present in the shipboard workplace.

“We want to make sure everyone working in our industry – from ILA members to employers – are protected against exposure to Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)” said Mr. Adam and Mr. Daggett in a joint statement. “We have directed our ILA-USMX Joint Safety Committee to monitor the situation daily and to devise pro-active policies to keep everyone safe.”

U.S. Coast Guard and CDC Protocol directs the master of a ship destined for a U.S. port to report immediately to the quarantine station at or nearest the port at which the ship will arrive, to report the occurrence, on board, of any death or any ill person among passengers or crew (including those who have disembarked or have been removed) during the 15-day period preceding the date of the ship’s expected arrival or during the period since departure from a U.S. port (whichever period of time is shorter.)
The ILA-USMX Joint Safety Committee is making two recommendations:

1. That ILA workers and members of management avoid close contact (closer than six feet) with any crew members or passengers who appear to be ill (coughing, sneezing, etc.); and

2. That those ILA and management workers obliged to serve aboard passenger vessels be provided with properly fitted NIOSH-approved filtering masks and impermeable gloves.

“The ILA and USMX encourage all our members to continue to visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html) and the World Heath Organization (https://www.who.int/emergen…/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019)

The United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. (USMX) represents employers of the East and Gulf Coast longshore industry. Membership consists of Container Carriers, including the largest carriers and carrier alliances worldwide, all major Marine Terminal Operators, and Port Associations representing each port on the East and Gulf Coasts. USMX’s members are responsible for the transportation and handling of cargo shipped to and from the United States.

The International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO represents 65,000-members working at Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from Maine to Texas; U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes ports; Eastern Canadian Maritime Provinces; major U.S. Rivers and Puerto Rico.