By Willie Barrere
National President
2025 was an excellent year for AMO.
We improved in many areas we deem important to our membership. Among them:
- More vessels in new trades
- More jobs
- Higher wages, improved benefits
- More of our contracts with shorter rotations
- Improved shipboard communications and connectivity throughout our AMO-contracted fleets.
We have seen an increase in our membership, with many AMO applicants paying off their initiation prior to January 1 and the conclusion of the membership drive. Our recruitment efforts are bringing in more applications every week.
Although we increased dues last year and added a few staff positions at headquarters, the Executive Board chose not to raise dues in 2026. As can be seen on the chart below, our dues amounts are, by far, the lowest amongst the three officer unions. This results in thousands of dollars in savings to our members every year.
We have leased and will furnish an AMO office in Traverse City to better service our membership residing within a few-hours’ drive. It will also serve as a much better base for recruiting (located across the street from the Great Lakes Maritime Academy).
In 2025, we added some unique vessels to our fleet. The Crowley-operated LNG carrier American Energy entered service and is the only Jones Act LNG tanker supplying Puerto Rico. Another Crowley-operated vessel, the cable laying barge Marmac 306, installed the first three miles of cable in New York Harbor for the wind farm project Empire Wind. The Dominion-owned, Atlas-operated wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) Charybdis began operations in Portsmouth, Virginia.
As 2026 gets underway, we have numerous conversations in progress with companies involving additional vessels. Our focus will be to increase the total amount of U.S.-flagged vessels – and the new Maritime Administrator, Steve Carmel, has this in mind as well. As of this writing, I am waiting on updates on a few of those opportunities, and they will be announced to the membership throughout the year as more information becomes available.
Crowley is building an SOV in Sturgeon Bay and we expect sea trials and operations to commence in the second and third quarters of this year.
Our relationships with MEBA and SIU continue to be strong as we work together to keep our ships sailing and prepare for fleet expansion. The AMO-MEBA pass-through process has been going well. At the same time, our relationships with the other unions will improve.
AMO has exceptional partnerships with our companies. All entities are looking to expand and we continue to work together for the strength of the U.S. maritime fleet.
2026 also begins with a few changes to our medical benefits, as has been outlined in recent articles we have posted.
For the first time, there is an annual cap on out-of-pocket medical expenses for retirees who are not yet enrolled in Medicare. This is very significant for anyone considering retirement before the age of 65. These caps will allow our non-Medicare retirees who so choose to get what is essentially “gap insurance” at a very good rate. Insurance companies love having a fixed price ceiling.
Unfortunately, medical costs have gone up roughly 25 percent over the last two years. This has put a strain on our Medical Plan, but the union and employer AMO Plans trustees have been working diligently to maintain benefits without interruption. The five-dollar increase in co-pays for medical office visits will help with this. It’s the first co-pay increase in over 20 years.
During ship visits, and in conversations with members, I remind our officers that we do not pay a medical premium. This is a significant savings for all of us on an annual basis. Many organizations charge a hefty premium to be in a medical plan, ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 a year. AMO also does not charge a premium for retiree medical, which saves AMO pensioners thousands annually and tens of thousands of dollars over the course of retirement.
In addition to our Medical Plan, the rest of our plans are in excellent shape under the leadership and management of AMO Plans Executive Director Barbara Skrak. Jerry Pannell and his team at the STAR Center – a MARAD Center of Excellence – continue to lead the industry in training. Our TECH and OICEW programs are expanding. If you know someone interested in either opportunity, please recommend them and encourage them to apply.
With nearly 3,500 members, 200 vessels, and work with over 25 shipping companies, AMO is continuing on our course of growth.
We can’t do any of this without our membership and the excellent reputation AMO officers have earned over the years. Thank you all for your dedication and professionalism. I, along with the AMO Executive Board and staff, look forward to working with you in the coming year.
We are always looking for images and videos for our social media platforms and publications – visual ways to show off our unique industry and our amazing careers. We continue to develop our footprint on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. We are also looking for excellent photos for next year’s calendar. As usual, AMO members and applicants will receive an email later in January with a link to upload photos and videos for posting and publication. Help us share the AMO story.
Thank you all and let’s have a safe and prosperous 2026.