Posted on 04/26/2008 5:38:41 AM PDT by iowamark
U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, R-OH, blamed labor unions and partisan politics for a U.S. House vote this week rejecting an amendment that could have kept the Delta Queen riverboat from having to phase out its overnight cruise packages.
The historic riverboat has been operating with a special Congressional exemption from the federal Safety at Sea Act since 1968, an exemption that has been renewed eight times. The safety act bans the use of wooden vessels for overnight cruises. Backers of the exemption claim the Delta Queen deserves special treatment because of its historical significance and recently upgraded fire-safety systems. With the exemption scheduled to expire this year, local Congressional delegates have been pushing for an extension for months. Last year, the house passed the exemption, but the Senate rejected it.
Some of the opposition to the exemption comes from a labor dispute involving the company that bought the Delta Queen in 2006. Majestic America Line, a subsidiary of the publicly traded Ambassadors International Inc., did not renew a collective bargaining agreement after taking over management of the Delta Queen.
This week, a House rules committee voted 9-4 against allowing the amendment to reach the House floor. All nine votes against the proposal were cast by Democrats, Chabot noted in his remarks on the floor of the House yesterday. He used a parliamentary maneuver to bring the amendment to a floor vote, but lawmakers defeated the measure by a vote of 208-195.
"I can only conclude from this that the opposition we're seeing is not so much about the Delta Queen but more about a labor dispute," Chabot said. "If this is true, why should the American people be the victims, losing access to a national landmark? Why should American jobs be lost? Why should local businesses be ruined? All because of a labor dispute? I hope that unions do not have that type of influence here in Washington."
Majestic America said it is "evaluating strategic alternatives" for the Delta Queen, which could include the sale of the boat after the current cruise season, which ends in October. In the meantime, it's still hoping for another Congressional reprieve.
"We're still asking interested parties to contact their representatives in the House," said Vanessa Bloy, director of public relations for the company.
Liquor wholesaling.
Earlier links discussed it. The General Slocum was a vessel much like the Delta Queen. It caught fire long ago and burnt to a cinder quickly. It had a ghastly scene where women tossed babies overboard in cork lifesavers only to watch the children drown as the lifesaver broke apart.
There is a presumption that a wooden superstructure is inherently more flammable than steel.
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