Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Maritime Trades Department, Mark Clements, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss efforts to reactivate Port Maritime Councils that went inactive during the pandemic and his journey to his new position with the MTD.
The Maritime Trades Department is a constitutionally mandated department of the AFL-CIO. By promoting a comprehensive legislative agenda and educating Congress, the administration, the international community and the American public about the benefits of the U.S. maritime industry, the AFL-CIO is trying to preserve a vitally important industry. The MTD is a strong supporter of organized labor and the rights of workers worldwide.
The MTD uses a nationwide network of Port Maritime Councils to give maritime workers and those who work for allied industries an effective grassroots presence. During the pandemic, many of these Councils went inactive and have since struggled to get back to their outreach efforts. Currently, Clements is working to revitalize the struggling Port Councils and reinvigorate their outreach efforts. So far, they have successfully restarted Boston and Baltimore’s Port Councils and will begin working south with Norfolk, Mobile and a potential new Port Council in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Clements went on to talk about his upbringing in a union household. The incredible benefits and care his father received after a career-ending accident always stuck with Clements as he began to search for a career. After working as an Archivist with the Seafarers, the MTD asked him to join the department. He decided to move to the MTD and trained under then Executive Secretary-Treasurer Daniel Duncan for a year and a half before he retired in early 2023. That’s when Clements was appointed as the new Executive Secretary-Treasurer.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.
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