Our Beginning

The Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P) had its beginnings in the tragic burning of the steamboat Seawanhaka in New York Harbor on June 28, 1880. The 612-ton, 230-foot side paddle-wheeler, under the command of Capt. Charles P. Smith, suffered an explosion in the boiler room; an event not uncommon in the early days of steam-powered vessels. As flames spread rapidly through the wooden-hulled boat, Capt. Smith was faced with few options in the narrow Hell Gate channel. He stayed at the helm and was burned by the flames while taking the boat aground in shallow waters off the channel where passengers could safely escape the burning vessel. Ultimately, Capt. Smith was recognized for his heroism in handling the situation, but he was first scapegoated. Stated Frank O. Braynard, maritime historian and curator of the American Merchant Marine Museum at Kings Point, NY, "Eventually he was cleared of any wrongdoing, but his shabby treatment, especially since the evidence indicated that he had risked his life, so outraged his colleagues, other pilots and captains that they formed a committee. That committee was the genesis of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots."

Today

Since that fateful day in 1880, the Masters, Mates & Pilots has worked to secure and protect the rights and working conditions of its members and of all persons who work in the seagoing maritime industry. It also works closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and with port commissions around the country to establish safe vessel traffic standards to safeguard the environment, life and property. Internationally, the MM&P is involved in the creation and enforcement of safe and humane standards for vessel safety on third world flag-of-convenience registered vessels whose crews have few advocates for their well-being.

The Masters, Mates & Pilots consists of four membership groups: Offshore, United Inland Group, Pilotage and Government Employees. The union has two international officers: Capt. Timothy A. Brown, President, and Capt. Glen P. Banks, Secretary-Treasurer. There are five vice presidents: Capt. Michael Murray, United Inland Group; Capt. George A. Quick, Pilotage; Capt. Donald Marcus, Offshore Pacific; Capt. Robert H. Groh, Offshore Gulf and Richard W. May, Offshore Atlantic.

In addition to its international headquarters located near Baltimore, Maryland, the Masters, Mates & Pilots maintains:

• Two training facilities -
  • A primary campus, the Maritime Institute of Technology & Graduate Studies, near Baltimore with state-of-
    the-art simulator training facilities, and
  • A secondary training facility, the Pacific Northwest Maritime Institute, in Seattle, Washington;
• An employer-funded, trust-administered health and benefits plan with offices near Baltimore and additional offices around the country;
• 22 separate hiring halls and offices in port cities throughout the continental United States and Hawaii, on the
  Great Lakes, and in Puerto Rico;
• 38 affiliated state and U.S. Navy civil service pilot groups in the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii, and in Puerto Rico.
• A legislative presence through the Maritime Institute for Research & Industrial Development (MIRAID), in Washington, DC.
• A cooperative working relationship with other seagoing and shoreside maritime unions of the AFL-CIO. In addition
  to its affiliation with the AFL-CIO, the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots is a member of the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Department (TTD) and Maritime Trades Department (MTD), and is very active with the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF)