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Safe Cruise

Project Safe Cruise Press Release: See www.projectsafecruise.blogspot.com & details below. Leave a message if you have experienced incidents involving poor security & safety practices of cruise lines. Hearings are scheduled; we will provide them to Congress. We must act to insure passenger safety. The current lack of safety & security is not acceptable especially after 9/11. On 5/12/05, we were on the Carnival Destiny near Aruba when an elderly couple disappeared without a trace.

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Thursday, August 18, 2005

Couple Vanish from Cruise Ship on May 12, 2005



Our prayers are with all families that have suffered any
type of loss during a cruise.

On May 12, 2005, we were passengers on the Carnival Destiny traveling between Barbados and Aruba when an elderly couple disappeared without a trace. The crew searched all cabins on the ship the next morning around 3:00 AM, There was no investigation that we were made aware of and the only information Carnival would give us was that they turned the ship around 8 hours after the people were found missing and we searched for them in the water for a couple hours. We had enough time to stop in St. Maarten but not Aruba. We saw and heard from no law enforcement. Three days later when we got off the ship in San Juan all passengers were given a flyer to report anything they knew to the FBI. We did not know if there was foul play or an accident. If you were on that cruise please post a message. If you have had similar experiences involving poor or non-existent safety and security procedures on a cruise please post a message. Some of the passengers were passing around a petition to complain about how Carnival handled the incident. We are concerned that this is similar to other incidents where cruise lines have covered up or failed to proper investigate disappearances whether they were accidents or crimes. Our goal is to promote better safety and security procedures. More to come soon.

You can also share comments, questions, and pictures by sending an email to safecruise@hotmail.com

Wishing everyone a safe passage!

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Letter Sent to Senator Levin Asking for Investigation on Cruise Safety and Security

July 29, 2005
The Honorable Senator Carl Levin:
Attention: Dusty Houser
Thanks again for the service you provide to all Americans.
My wife and I started a seven day cruise in San Juan on the Carnival Destiny, May 8, 2005. On the evening of May 12, the information desk used the public address (PA) system 7 or more times throughout the evening asking for Hue Pham and Hue Tran to report to their counter. We were awoken by several of the announcements. Then around 3 AM the next morning we were awoken abruptly by a knock on our cabin door. The steward flashed a photocopy of the couple's passport pictures to us and asked if we had seen them on the ship. He then asked to search our cabin. And it was clear he was not trained for this. He did not do a very thorough search. We went back to sleep and the next morning we awoke around 8 am the time we were supposed to dock in Aruba, but there was no land in sight. We also felt that the ship was going the wrong direction. The entertainment director did not make the normal announcement early that morning but he did make an announcement on the PA after 9 am that the shipped had turned around and headed back to the location where the couple was last seen. They expected to arrive at the location around 1 PM. The ship would be assisting the US Coast Guard and the Venezuelan Navy in the search. He seemed to be mostly concerned that we would have to cancel our stop in Aruba and that the ship would search until the Coast Guard released them to leave the area. If the ship was released by 2:30 PM, we might be able to stop in St. Maarten instead of Aruba. He said they would get a revised list of fun-time activities out to the passengers as soon as possible. In a later announcement, he said that the ship was released in time to make a stop in St.Maarten instead.The mystery of the missing couple was the talk of the ship the rest of the cruise. No one really knew if there was foul play and whether anyone else might be in danger. Since we continued on to St. Maarten, everyone assumed that they found the couple or their bodies. Some were so concerned that that had a petition for people to sign complaining to Carnival about how they handled the situation. We got no more information from Carnival about the status of the couple until we got off the ship at San Juan on May 15. We got flyers to report anything we knew to the FBI office in San Juan. And there was a poster at the customs counter saying the same thing.
Several concerns that my wife and I have are:We would like to obtain a copy of the FBI report and status of the investigation involving the couple that disappeared from our cruise ship on May 12, 2005.
Please let us know which Federal government authorities and protocols are available for”
1 – Immediately starting an investigation when such an incident occurs,
2 – Reviewing and monitoring security and safety plans and procedures developed by cruise lines and other travel companies,
3 – Accepting complaints when citizens believe the investigations of such incidents have been mis-handled,
4 – Maintaining statistics and databases of known incidents along with the final results of any investigations,
The lack of safety and security for American travelers and passengers are increasing and congressional oversight and/or hearings may be warranted. What steps is the government taking to prevent deaths and injuries in the future? We believe that someone in the government should also maintain a database of criminal, safety, and health problems involving crew members. Steps should be taken to improve their situation also as it eventually will affect the safety of the passengers. How many deaths or injuries involve crew members each year? If the federal government cannot improve the safety and security of American passengers on cruise ships having American ports of call, then travelers should be advised to avoid them.
We think that all travelers to the Caribbean and South and Central America should be educated by the US Government and the airlines, travel companies, hotels, or cruise lines about what security measures are in place while they are traveling. During the balance of our cruise we heard nothing from official government law enforcement officials or security staff from the cruise line. We believe that security/safety staff should advise the captain and crew what measures to take and what information should be given to travelers. It is very sad that all we heard from were the entertainment staff. It did not make passengers feel very safe or secure. We still do not know what happened to the missing couple. Was there foul play? Was a crewmember involved? Were there any suspects? Who is in charge of the investigation? If they cannot tell us anything they should at least tell us that they are working on it and cannot release info at this time. Based on the fact that the couple did not show for an event and they had no history that would suggest suicide, the ship should have been turned around much sooner and maybe all the passengers should have been asked to help watch the ocean. Just like all of the people in Aruba have helped in the search for the missing student. What if we had fallen overboard, would Carnival have turned the ship around soon enough to make an honest search for us? It doesn't seem so. It makes us feel selfish and hedonistic if the Cruise Company thought all we cared about were playing, drinking and eating. The last night of the cruise is the big bingo game where one of the prizes is another cruise. I suggested to the assistant entertainment director that Carnival should tell the passengers that all proceeds from the bingo game would be donated to the missing couple's family. This would at least alleviate some of the pain and anguish that we now have about not being able to help the family in some way. It is a loss for all of us. The cruise staff treats the passengers on board like we are all one family and we should be able to act as such. The entertainment should not be in charge until after the situation was resolved.
Some unanswered questions:
What do security and safety experts say about the possibility of two people going overboard from a large ship unless it was deliberate act such as foul play or suicide?Did the Captain or trained law enforcement personnel make a decision that foul play was not involved? It would be a conflict of interest for Carnival to make this determination. They would lose business if the incident were a result of lax safety procedures or security protocol or a crime,Could Carnival be covering up bad or inferior work done by their crew?Having been a passenger on the ship, I could not think of anyplace on the ship where two elderly people could get in a situation to fall overboard. Could Carnival be covering up lack of safety and maintenance? From a blog at Cruise reviews.com the Carnival Destiny did not make it to the Aruba on the next trip either because there was a problem with the ship's computer and the whole ship was without power, lights, air-conditioning and had only limited food for an 8 hour period during the day. (http://cruisereviews.com/CarnivalCruiseLines/
CarnivalDestiny28.htm


Where and how could they have gone overboard both at the same time?How many security cameras were on the ship and what did they show?Why did the Captain wait so long to turn the ship around to look for them if they were reliable stable individuals?Why were passengers allowed to get off the ship in St. Maarten the next day without questioning a sample of passengers?What passengers got off the ship in St. Maarten and did not back on?Why did the Captain wait three days before informing passengers to contact the FBI? (And right during the confusion of disembarking?)Why was the local newspaper unaware of the problem until I called them on 6/10/05?Is the family upset at how Carnival has handled the incident?Shouldn't the FBI have interviewed random groups of passengers before we disembarked? There was no sign that law enforcement was involved until three days later when we got off the ship in San Juan.Should the FBI be contacting some of the passengers by phone or mail? Shouldn't there be more publicity to get more information to solve the mystery and help prevent future occurrences whether it is a crime, an accident, or lax safety or security procedures? 14 or more persons have ended up missing from ships since 2000. What kind of criminal background checks are done by Carnival before they hire crewmembers?Why was none of the luggage checked by law enforcement before we got off the ship?Too much time has elapsed before a proper investigation was done, just like Aruba took too long to question, and arrest the persons who were actually seen with the missing teen and before vehicles and other evidence was gathered..The media and the government has done part of the 1st two I's but what about the last 2: . Instruct . Improve. Incidents like these should be extremely rare and we should do everything in our power to make it so such as educating the public about security and safety on ships and in other countries in our hemisphere. Perhaps, all travelers should be given a pamphlet on what to do in certain situation to prevent or report criminal and safety problems. And who is responsible to investigate or solve them. I am asking you to have the government take steps to prevent these accidental and/or criminal deaths in the future.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8659573

A good resource for facts and statistics on cruise accidents and deaths and for a better overview of the growing , widespread problem of safety and security for cruise passengers is located at
http://www.cruisejunkie.com/
In real life Cruise Junkie (Ross Klein) is a Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Newfoundland. His academic training is in sociology and his interests include conflict resolution, nonviolent alternatives to war, and of course the cruise industry. His c.v. is available online at: www.ucs.mun.ca/~rklein/vita.html
6 People Die on Carnival Cruises in 1 yr
On 7/23/05, Big Story Weekend on Fox News Channel interview couple who were passengers when Honeymooner George Smith disappeared: Then, we'll talk with Larry and Linda Bruck and Tim Sears, all passengers on the cruise George Smith disappeared from.
http://www.foxnews.com/
story/0,2933,158537,00.html

This is the exact same thing that happened to us while we were on a Carnival cruise in May of this year. An elderly couple disappeared on May 12 and they were not drinking or engaging in any type of risky behavior. The cruise company tried to sweep it under the rug. They were more concerned about making money than the safety, security, health or emotional status of their customers. The Big Story did not get the Big Picture: 6 people of disappeared off Carnival cruise ships in the last year. And they continue to cover it up and no law enforcement gets involved soon enough to find out what happened and help prevent future deaths. We would be willing to be interviewed to explain that this is a growing and a widespread problem.
Even though I do not believe that this is the work of a serial killer, I suggest that it be investigated as if it might be by cross-checking passenger and crew member lists and suppliers, vendors, etc. You should also get statistics on the number of extent of violent and non-violent crimes reported by and among crew members of the cruise ships. What kind of background checks and security clearances are maintained. The cruise lines should have millions of minutes of security camera videos not to mention spending logs and photos of all passengers, including in-depth data on social security numbers, passport numbers, emergency contact names, phones and addresses. These could be run against international crime and identity theft data bases. Perhaps, some patterns might emerge and point to a common thread including systemic problems with ineffective or non-enforced security action plans and safety procedures. I think it also important to see if any agencies or groups keep statistics on the amount of crime, health problems, or accidents involving crew members. They work for low pay under slave like conditions. The media and the government must do what they can to prevent future deaths of travelers. The bottom line is the cruise and travel companies are liable whether the deaths were caused by security or safety problems. Pay particular attention to cruisejunkie.com and stories written by Bryan Harris carried by the Miami Herald.
6 People Die on Carnival Cruises in 1 yearScarborough Country Covers: 2 more People Vanish from Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Ships:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789
Mediterranean mystery
Jul. 14: George Smith and Jennifer Hagel where a young Connecticut couple on a Mediterranean cruise for their honeymoon. The 26 year-old Smith vanished as the ship sailed between Greece and Turkey. Is this a crime or an accident? Joe Scarborough investigates with Hartford, Connecticut’s NBC Station WVIT reporter Lisa Salvati.
The Houston Chronicle reports that a 40-year old woman traveling with her husband and three teenaged children went missing off the Caribbean coast of Mexico at 11 AM. The ship conducted a full search where she was presumed to have gone overboard but was not successful in finding her. Though not explicitly stated, news reports imply she committed suicide. Unrelated is that the ship lost power and was adrift for an hour around mid-day on Saturday (June 25).
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20050713-12451400-bc-us-honeymoon.xml

Blood found in missing man's boat cabin
American honeymooner vanishes on Mediterranean cruiseUSA Today - 9 hours ago... of Aruba for an Alabama teen missing since May 30, an American honeymooner has disappeared under mysterious circumstances while on a Mediterranean cruise. ...
Court rules for disabled cruise passengers: (07 June 05) A divided U.S. Supreme Court Monday ruled 5-4 foreign cruise lines that use U.S. waters must improve access and facilities for disabled passengers.

Science Daily (press release) - Jul 13, 2005... Court rules for disabled cruise passengers (June 6, 2005) -- A divided US Supreme Court Monday ruled 5-4 foreign cruise lines that use US waters must improve ...

Therefore, the U.S. should be able to force cruise ships to establish and follow effective security & safety plans.

Relatives and loved ones seek cruise lines' support
John Mizener recently found a letter from Carnival Cruise Lines in his mailbox offering his wife a chance to win a free cruise. Annette Mizener, 37, has been missing since she disappeared off the Carnival Pride Dec. 4 as the ship sailed near Ensenada, Mexico.
http://www.bizjournals.com/account/sign_in?uri=/jacksonville/stories/2005/06/06/story2.html

I am also interested having Congress take action to improve safety and security procedures for customers of travel companies in the Caribbean and South America. The entertainment director on our cruise bragged that the US Health Department had examined the kitchens and food service on the ship a few days earlier, yet we see no involvement by US authorities when two people disappear. We saw no involvement by any type of law enforcement for the final 3 days of our cruise until leaving the ship on 5/15/05 when we were all given flyers about the missing couple. What security/safety plans and or personnel existed to prevent incidents like these in the future and were they followed. Who is in charge of our safety and security?Please encourage broaden your coverage of tourist safety and security: Investigate, inform, instruct, and improve. The increase in the drugs coming through the islands has caused a sharp increase in crime. While in St. Maarten, the local people talked to us about the problems caused by the growing drug trade in the islands. The islands seem to be the halfway point for a lot of the drugs coming to the U.S. This coupled with the news reports by Bryan Harris of JTA Global News Service for Jewish People:ACCIDENTS, CRIME TAINT TOURISMSource: BRIAN HARRIS, Special to the Miami Herald Costa Rica has just closed the books on its most successful tourist high season - November through April - on record. But the crush of tourists also kept police and morgue authorities busy. The latest deaths came May 4 when David and Carole Mahkne of Cape Carancua Bay, Texas, drowned after their sport fishing boat was apparently tossed by a wave. Details of the incident are sketchy but apparently neither was wearing lifejackets despite being in a treacherous river mouth.Published on May 16, 2005, Page 13A, Miami Herald, The (FL) ELDERLY_COUPLE_
DISAPPEAR_AT_SEA_DURING_CARIBBEAN_CRUISE


Note: Senator Levin has asked the Coast Guard for information and Congressman Stupak has asked the FBI for information.>

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Things We Think Congress Should Investigate

Please post any incidents that have happened to you or your family or friends involving poor security and safety practices of cruise lines. Congress should act to assure the safety of all passengers in the future by requiring background checks for some passengers and all crew members. Perhaps an "Amber" type alert for everyone on the ship and nearby ships within minutes of someone going overboard. Perhaps a sea marshall program like the air marshall program. Vacationing and retired cilvilian and military law enforcement personnel could have free cruises to help monitor and investigate security and safety problems. They should have authority to deal directly with the FBI or other government agency. There currently is no central database of crimes and accidents experienced by passengers or crew. Give us a note about problems you are aware of and any suggestions you have for improving the security and safety of all. The current lack of safety and security is not acceptable especially after 9/11. I have already asked our Congressman and Senators to look into a solution.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Congressional Hearings Needed on Cruise Ship Safety & Security

On Scarborough Country on 10/04/05, Congresssman Shays says hearings may be needed on cruise ship safety and security:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9600766/
While my wife and I were on the Carnival ship Destiny, traveling to Aruba on 5/12/05, an elderly couple vanished without a trace. We are interested in pushing for congressional hearings on what safety and security procedures exist for customers of travel companies in the Caribbean and South America. We saw no involvement by any type of law enforcement for the final 3 days of our cruise until leaving the ship on 5/15/05 when we were all given flyers about the missing couple. What security/safety plans and or personnel existed to prevent incidents like these in the future and were they followed. Who is in charge of our safety and security? While in St. Maarten, the local people talked to us about the problems caused by the growing drug trade in the islands. The islands seem to be the halfway point for a lot of the drugs coming to the U.S. The increase in the drugs coming through the islands may have caused a sharp increase in crime.
Our hearts go out to all the families who have lost loved ones. I hope to speak on behalf of the thousands of passengers who have suffered indirectly by being on Cruise ships with inadequate safety and security procedures. Our cruise was ruined because of the lack of concern and action by Carnival to assure our safety. We feared for our own safety during the last three days of our cruise. We are sure that crewmembers looked through our drawers and our safe while we were out of the room but we found nothing missing. I also wish to represent the tens of millions of future passengers who could be put at risk if corrective action is not taken. It is important to help solve the individual cases but we need to look at the big picture and work towards prevention. We sent a letter to Senator Levin and Congressman Stupac on July 29, 2005 asking for Congress to get involved. I have left messages asking for status with Mike Noblet at the Senator’s office (202-224-6221) and Jason Walsh at the Congressman’s office (231-348-0657). Mike asked for information from the FBI and Jason contacted the Coast Guard. I also left a message with Matt Meyer at Congressman Shay’s office (202-225-5541) to let him know how to contact Mike and Jason. We believe that congress should have hearings on passenger security and safety while on ship and on shore.
1 - We have created a blog for us to post information about the problem with safety and security on cruises. Hopefully, other people who were on our cruise or other cruises with similar experiences involving lack of security will post information. Feel free to give it out. It is:
http://safecruise.blogspot.com
2 – As mentioned on the Scarborough Country, the Cruise Lines are quick to blow off the idea of foul play and point to drinking or suicide as the cause. The elderly couple who vanished were not engaging in any risky behavior, unlike Natalie Halloway and George Smith. There was nothing in their history that pointed toward a double suicide. Their passport and clothes were folded neatly and left by their cabin door.
3 - Coincidentally, our local NBC station had a cruise in January 2005 arranged by a local travel agent. The cruise line cancelled one of their ports of call at the last minute because a couple had gone on a sanctioned shore excursion a few weeks before and disappeared while on shore in Venezuela. This seems to be an ongoing policy by the cruise lines to cover-up crimes and accidents involving their customers.
4 - Six people have vanished from Carnival ships alone in the last year. This does not include George Smith. And it does not include those that have disappeared while on shore excursions or at ports of call. No government or organization maintains statistics on crimes reported by passengers or crewmembers. This must be started.
5 - On a previous show Joe stated that Cruise ships should be required to be flagged in the United States if they have American Ports of call. Unfortunately, this will never happen. They don’t even pay taxes. Will Carnival provide better safety and security for those housed on board the ships contracted by FEMA for six months than they do for regular cruises? It might be worth interviewing some of the people staying on board for several months. Carnival, which is headquartered in Miami but incorporated for tax purposes in Panama, paid just $3 million in income tax benefits on $1.9 billion in pretax income last year, according to company documents. This is the same as if I made $100,000 last year and only had to pay $75.00 in taxes. "That's not even a tip," said Robert S. McIntyre of Citizens for Tax Justice. U.S. companies in general pay an effective income tax rate of about 25 percent, analysts say. That would have left Carnival with a $475 million tax bill. No wander the FBI does not want to investigate incidents on Carnival ships. If Carnival paid the $475 million in taxes they should pay, the FBI could afford to have an agent on each cruise to monitor safety and security. (Personally, I believe that state, local, and Federal government agencies should not give any contracts for Hurricane repairs or anything else or do business with any companies that have headquarters outside the United States and funnel their profits off shore to avoid taxes)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9507503
Maybe we should charge them increased fees for each American passenger and use the funds to put a safety and security program in place. Congress should act to assure the safety of all passengers in the future by requiring background checks for some passengers and all crewmembers. Perhaps an "Amber" type alert for everyone on the ship and nearby ships within minutes of someone going overboard. Perhaps a sea Marshall program like the air Marshall program. Vacationing and retired civilian and military law enforcement personnel could have free cruises to help monitor and investigate security and safety problems. They should have authority to deal directly with the FBI or other government agency.

6 - Someone seems to be getting away with murder. If I ran a bar and called 911 to report that a gentleman fell against the wall in the back of the bar, split his head open and died, do you think I could ask them just to send over a hearse and take the body to the morgue? I do not think so, but that is what the cruise line is getting a way with. I will go to jail for tampering with a possible crime scene. Even if it were an accident, I might be liable and I am not the one to make such a judgment. The cruise company seems guilty of aiding and abetting criminals. They are an accessory before and after the fact and should be prosecuted as such. It they are preventing countless crimes and accidents from being solved they are also permitting criminals to go free and commit additional crimes and they are avoiding liability for lax safety and security measures. We must demand through our Congressman that charges be filed against the Cruise lines. They are liable if the destroyed evidence and the crime cannot be investigated. Even if there was no crime they are liable because of safety problems. The only pressure these large corporations might respond to is money. Perhaps if they were sued and forced to refund the fares paid by all passengers on cruises where people disappeared, they might think twice about not following the law. A class action similar to the one filed against the tobacco companies might be in order. They continued to disregard the law and put the health and safety of thousands of passengers at risk and then they conspired to cover it up. A small portion of the proceeds could go as refunds to passengers and to compensate family members of the missing. The balance could go to establish a reporting, monitoring, and compliance mechanism to make them report all crimes and accidents involving passengers and crew members and follow all laws pertaining to preserving crime scenes and evidence and allowing real law enforcement agencies to investigate.
7 - Joe Scarborough had excellent quests on his show. However, the people who do know what actually happened on the ship before, during, and after Mr. Smith's disappearance would be the crew members, including stewards, bartenders, waiters, etc. There’s is always at least a half dozen crewmembers and stewards working each floor at any one time. They watch everyone as they come and go, know their habits and patterns and have access to the cabins. Waiters always know what is going on between guests in a restaurant, bartenders always know intimate details about bar patrons, and hotel staffs always know what is going in the hotel. We could now prove it but we were sure that the stewards were looking through our closets and drawers during our cruise as things would be out of place. We could not find anything specific missing. What kind of background checks are done for crewmembers? The government should also ask for and analyze statistics on the number of crimes and accidents that happen to crewmembers. If the crew is not safe in the under belly of the ship then the passengers will not be safe either. I will bet you that the crewmembers working on the ship when Mr. Smith disappeared have since been fired and their records destroyed. Since 6 people have disappeared from Carnival ships in the last year, I think it would be appropriate to cross check and compare the list of crewmembers and passengers between the ships involved. It is just not those directly involved in the disappearances that are affected. Every passenger on each ship had their vacation ruined by the cruise line ability to ignore common law enforcement and safety procedures. We spend three more days on the sip after the couple disappeared on May 12, and we did not feel safe and we felt a little guilty that not more was done to help them and their families.
TIM ALBRIGHT2600 Deerfield St.WEST BRANCH, MITIMALBRIGHT@HOTMAIL.COM 989-345-3109 home
Will Carnival provide better safety and security for those housed on board the ships contracted by FEMA for six months than they do for regular cruises? It might be worth interviewing some of the people staying on board for several months. Carnival, which is headquartered in Miami but incorporated for tax purposes in Panama, paid just $3 million in income tax benefits on $1.9 billion in pretax income last year, according to company documents. "That's not even a tip," said Robert S. McIntyre of Citizens for Tax Justice. U.S. companies in general pay an effective income tax rate of about 25 percent, analysts say. That would have left Carnival with a $475 million tax bill. No wander the FBI does not want to investigate incidents on Carnival ships. If Carnival paid the $475 million in taxes they should pay, the FBI could have an agent on each cruise to monitor safety and security.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9507503
Part of the safety problem might result from the low wages and benefits paid to crews on the ships. With the suspension of the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage act, those working on the ship will not only be non-Americans but they will not receive a decent wage. As the death toll across the Gulf Coast rises, one of the largest reconstruction efforts in American history begins. An estimated 400,000 jobs have been lost, and 1 million Americans have been displaced from their homes. Workers who have found the courage to return to their devastated communities suffered another blow last week when President Bush suspended the Davis-Bacon Act.
Davis-Bacon ensures that workers who perform similar jobs for government contractors are paid the local prevailing wage. In New Orleans, where a quarter of the residents lived in poverty before Hurricane Katrina, that wage was $8.49 an hour for service workers and slightly above $10 an hour for most construction workers: not an excessive wage by any stretch. In fact, if the minimum wage had kept up with inflation, it would be $8.88 today.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/letters/cst-edt-vox19a.html
Bush suspended the Davis-Bacon Act, which obligates contractors working on federal projects to pay the prevailing wage of the area. It’s $9 an hour in New Orleans and vicinity. The suspension must be sweet to those who have been trying for years to wipe Davis-Bacon off the books. The labor law has been around much longer than the present federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour.
http://wvgazette.com/section/Business/2005092611
Carnival does not want to see that tax status jeopardized just because three major ships are clearly operating in the United States. After it won the FEMA bid, Carnival appealed to Treasury Secretary John W. Snow for a waiver of U.S. taxes. "We do not want to jeopardize our tax exemption, nor do we want to interrupt our relief efforts for failure to secure this assurance from the Treasury Department," wrote Howard Frank, Carnival's chief operating officer.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9507503
So Carnival wants to keep their tax exempt status, continue to pay their worker's low wages, and employ non-Americans at at time when the most important thing Katrina victims need are decent paying jobs. If Carnival wanted such a sweet deal they should be employing American hurricane victims, paying their fare share of taxes, and providing decent wages and benefits which might help improve safety and security on their ships. Instead of a care package for hurricane victims, it looks like American taxpayers are paying for another dose of corporate welfare. There is a story here somewhere. What do you think?

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