What is the seafarers international union (SIU) and what do they do?

Question

Kind of interested in a career on a ship, to a certain extent. Does anyone know what the SUI is or what they do? Is it like a military branch?

Answer 1

The Seafarers' International is a labor union primarily for merchant seamen created in the late 1920s. The other union is the National Maritime Union.
Neither of them is a merchant service organization. They exist to support and protect the rights of merchant seamen under existing labor laws and collective bargaining agreements. They also have a small role in manning merchant ships and that is done through the "shape-up" system used at their various union halls in port cities. But, you have to be a member of the union in good standing to participate in the "shape up" process.
My father was one of those who helped create this union.