This is the next post in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 65 of our affiliates. Next up is the Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P).
Name of Union: International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots
Mission: To protect the rights and working conditions of members of the seagoing maritime community.
Current Leadership of Union: Don Josberger is the international president of Masters, Mates & Pilots. He was elected president in 2024, after serving as international secretary-treasurer for five years and Offshore Atlantic vice president for six years. From 1999 to 2013, he sailed as captain and chief mate on Sea-Land, CSX and Horizon Lines vessels. He graduated from the State University of New York Maritime College in Fort Schuyler in 1989.
J. Lars Turner serves as international secretary-treasurer. MM&P has eight vice presidents: Tim Ferrie (Pilots), Jeremy Hope (Offshore Gulf Ports & Government Contracts), Thomas Larkin (Offshore Atlantic Ports), Ed Lulko (United Inland - Great Lakes & Gulf Region), Dave Narby (Federal Employees), Keith Poissant (Atlantic Maritime), Daniel Twohig (United Inland - Pacific Maritime Region) and Melany Velleca (Offshore Pacific Ports).
Number of Members: 5,500
Members Work As: U.S. Coast Guard-licensed masters and mates on U.S.-flag commercial vessels on international voyages, on the inland waterways and on civilian-crewed ships in the government fleet; masters, mates and other marine personnel on tugboats, ferries, dredges and harbor tour vessels throughout the United States, including in San Francisco Bay, in New York Harbor and state ferry systems in Alaska and Washington state.
Industries Represented: The U.S. maritime industry
History: On June 28, 1880, a boiler exploded on the side paddle-wheeler Seawanhaka in New York Harbor. Captain Charles P. Smith maneuvered the ship to shallow waters so passengers could escape safely. While his heroism would later be recognized, local politicians initially sought to make him the scapegoat for the fire. Other pilots and captains were so outraged, they formed a committee that would become the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots.
Current Campaigns/Community Efforts: MM&P publishes the Wheelhouse Weekly electronic newsletter and the Master, Mate & Pilot magazine. MM&P has a Women's Caucus, a Disaster Relief Fund, training through The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS), a mental health committee, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and the MM&P Federal Credit Union.