Marine Firemen's Union

What Marine Firemen's Union does

The Pacific Coast Marine Firemen, Oilers, Watertenders and Wipers Association, operating as the Marine Firemen's Union (MFOW), is a California-chartered labor union founded in October 1883 in San Francisco. It represents unlicensed merchant mariners working in the engine department of commercial and government vessels, including billets such as Electrician/Refrigerating Engineer, Pumpman/Machinist, Junior Engineer, Oiler, Wiper, and Shore Mechanic. MFOW is affiliated with the Seafarers International Union of North America (AFL-CIO) and forms part of the SIU Pacific District alongside the Sailors' Union of the Pacific and Marine Cooks and Stewards.

MFOW's core offering is a seniority-based rotary dispatch system that places members into billets aboard contracted shipping companies, conducted through union-controlled hiring halls in San Francisco, Wilmington (Los Angeles/Long Beach), Honolulu, and Seattle (operated jointly with SUP). Job calls are held twice daily. The union also administers pension, welfare, medical/dental, and death benefit plans for active members, pensioners, and dependents, and delivers maritime certification training (QMED endorsements, STCW, High Voltage Safety, IECEx CoPC, government vessel courses) through a partnership with the Maritime Institute. A monthly newsletter, The Marine Fireman, serves as the union's communications organ.

MFOW is a private, membership-controlled non-profit; it is not publicly traded and has no external investors or shareholders. Revenue derives from member dues and collectively bargained fringe benefit contributions from maritime employers including APL Marine Services, Matson Navigation Company, Patriot Contract Services, and Military Sealift Command. The organization operates under approximately 30 employees across its headquarters, three branch offices, and shared Seattle hiring hall.

Name

Marine Firemen's Union

Legal name

Pacific Coast Marine Firemen, Oilers, Watertenders and Wipers Association

Website

https://mfoww.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1883

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Marine Firemen's Union (founded 1883) is a San Francisco-based labor union representing unlicensed merchant mariners in the engine department, dispatching members to billets aboard contracted shipping companies via union-controlled hiring halls and administering pension and welfare benefits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Labor Union Services

NAICS

Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (48839), Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (488390), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Maritime & Port Labor (Dockworkers/Longshore) Staffing (BPACAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine Engineering & Engine Room Operations (EDAOANAB), Marine Service Provider Coordination (Diving, Inspection, Class/Survey Support) (TLAHAJAI)

Keywords

• Maritime labor union
• Merchant mariner dispatch
• Collective bargaining services
• Maritime training programs
• Union hiring halls

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: The union generates revenue through membership dues from its represented workers. The union negotiates collective bargaining agreements, wages, and working conditions on behalf of members and dispatches them to maritime employment.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Marine Firemen's Union operates a seniority-based rotary dispatch system that places unlicensed engine room merchant mariners into billets aboard contracted U.S.-flag shipping companies. It negotiates collective bargaining agreements covering wages, working conditions, and benefits, and dispatches members to positions including Electrician/Refrigerating Engineer, Pumpman/Machinist, Junior Engineer, Oiler, Wiper, and Shore Mechanic. The union also delivers maritime certification training through the Maritime Institute and administers pension, welfare, medical, and supplemental benefits for active members and pensioners.

Product overview

The Marine Firemen's Union (MFOW) operates as a labor union representing unlicensed merchant mariners working in the engine department. The organization provides union dispatch services through a seniority-based rotary hiring hall system, connecting members with employment aboard various contracted shipping companies. The union offers a training program that prepares mariners for certifications including QMED ratings, Able Seafarer-Engine, and High Voltage Safety. MFOW also manages pension and welfare benefit plans for members, and publishes a monthly newsletter called 'The Marine Fireman'. Key employment billets include Electrician/Refrigerating Engineer, Pumpman/Machinist, Junior Engineer, Oiler, Wiper, and Shore Mechanic positions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Dispatch Services Seniority-based rotary dispatch service that sends union members to billet positions aboard contracted U.S.-flag shipping companies. Positions covered include Electrician/Refrigerating Engineer, Pumpman/Machinist, Junior Engineer, Oiler, Wiper, and Shore Mechanic. Service is available to union members and entry-level non-seniority applicants registered at hiring halls.
• Hiring Hall Operations Physical hiring hall locations in San Francisco, Wilmington (Los Angeles/Long Beach), Honolulu, and Seattle where job calls are conducted twice daily (10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday) to dispatch mariners to vessel billets under collective bargaining agreements.
• Collective Bargaining Representation Negotiation of collective bargaining agreements covering wages, overtime, working conditions, living conditions aboard ship, vacation benefits, welfare, and pension contributions with contracted U.S.-flag shipping employers and government vessel operators.
• MFU Training Program Maritime certification training program offering MSC Government Vessels Course, QMED Oiler, QMED Electrician/Refrigerating Engineer, Able Seafarer-Engine, High Voltage Safety, and IECEx CoPC Certification, delivered through the Maritime Institute at San Diego, California, and Everett, Washington.
• Pension and Welfare Fund Administration Administration of supplemental benefits, money purchase plans, supplemental pension, death benefits, and medical/dental coverage for active members, pensioners, and dependents through Kaiser, Health Net, and Blue Shield plans.

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and regulatory.

• Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 1883The Marine Firemen's Union is affiliated with the Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO. The MFOW was part of the SIU Pacific District formed in October 1954, combining the Marine Firemen's Union, Sailors' Union of the Pacific, and Marine Cooks and Stewards into a three-union combine under the SIU banner.
• Sailors' Union of the PacificcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sailors' Union of the Pacific (SUP) is an affiliated maritime union and part of the SIU Pacific District together with MFOW and Marine Cooks and Stewards. MFOW shares the Seattle hiring hall with SUP.
• Marine Cooks and Stewards AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Marine Cooks and Stewards Association is an affiliated maritime union that was part of the SIU Pacific District combine formed in October 1954 with MFOW and SUP.
• APL Marine ServicesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAPL Marine Services is a major maritime employer operating U.S. flag container ships covered under MFOW collective bargaining agreements. The union dispatches mariners to APL vessels including the MV CMA CGM Phoenix, MV President vessels, and other containerships.
• Matson Navigation CompanymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMatson Navigation Company is a major Hawaiian trade shipping company operating container ships and freight vessels. MFOW has a longstanding collective bargaining agreement with Matson dating back decades and dispatches mariners to vessels including SS Manulani, SS Lihue, SS Kainalu, and others.
• Patriot Contract ServicesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPatriot Contract Services operates government vessels for the U.S. Maritime Administration Ready Reserve Force. MFOW dispatches mariners to Patriot-operated vessels including the TS Kennedy training ship and various RRF vessels.
• Maritime InstitutesupportingTechnology or IntegrationThe Marine Firemen's Union Training Program partners with Maritime Institute to conduct training courses at facilities in San Diego, California, and Everett, Washington. Training includes QMED certifications, STCW endorsements, and specialized government vessel courses.
• Seafarers' Medical CentersupportingTechnology or IntegrationThe Seafarers' Medical Center issues Q-cards (annual physical examinations) required for MFOW members to maintain eligibility for sea service and training programs.
• United States Coast GuardregulatoryOthersThe USCG National Maritime Center handles licensing, certification, and credentialing for merchant mariners. MFOW training programs help members obtain required endorsements and qualifications approved by the Coast Guard.
• Military Sealift CommandmajorOthersMilitary Sealift Command operates government vessels covered under MFOW contracts. Mariners are dispatched to MSC vessels after completing required government vessel training including Damage Control, Environmental Protection, and CBR Defense courses.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P): AFL-CIO maritime union representing licensed deck officers (Masters, Mates, Pilots) on U.S.-flag vessels. Operates a similar hiring hall / dispatch model for its members and negotiates CBAs with many of the same employers as MFOW.
• Sailors' Union of the Pacific: Affiliated maritime labor union and part of the SIU Pacific District combine alongside MFOW. SUP represents unlicensed deck personnel, the deck-department counterpart to MFOW's engine-department jurisdiction, and shares MFOW's Seattle hiring hall.
• Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association (MEBA): Represents licensed marine engineers on U.S.-flag vessels, sitting directly alongside MFOW's unlicensed engine-room personnel. MEBA and MFOW both dispatch into Matson and government-contracted vessels, making them the closest functional peer in the engine-room labor ecosystem.
• American Maritime Officers (AMO): Represents licensed deck and engineering officers on U.S.-flag oceangoing vessels. AMO negotiates CBAs with overlapping employers (Patriot Contract Services, Military Sealift Command, APL) and is therefore a natural structural peer within the U.S. maritime labor system.
• Marine Engineers Beneficial Association — Pacific Coast District: Pacific district of MEBA covering licensed marine engineers on the U.S. West Coast. Crews overlapping Pacific Coast employers (Matson, APL, Patriot) alongside MFOW and operates a comparable dispatch and collective bargaining framework.
• Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific (IBU): Marine division of the International Union of Operating Engineers representing unlicensed mariners on tugboats, barges, and other coastal vessels. Operates a parallel hiring hall / dispatch model on the U.S. West Coast for unlicensed maritime ratings.

Broad incumbents

• International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU): West Coast longshore and maritime labor union that historically competed with the SIU Pacific District for representation of unlicensed Pacific Maritime Association personnel (lost the 1955 NLRB election 1,064 to 3,931). Represents dockworkers and is the broader incumbent in West Coast maritime labor.
• Seafarers International Union of North America (SIU): Parent federation / affiliate of MFOW under the AFL-CIO banner. SIU aggregates multiple U.S. maritime unions and provides the political and bargaining infrastructure through which MFOW operates; comparable as a broader maritime labor incumbent.

Regional players

• Transportation Workers Union (TWU): Adjacent transport-sector union with maritime representation outside the Pacific Coast core, including ferry and harbor craft operators in other U.S. regions. Comparable as a peer union leveraging hiring hall and CBA models in maritime-adjacent transport.

Others

• Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU): General AFL-CIO affiliate representing professional and office workers. Comparably relevant as an ecosystem peer because some maritime unions and union-adjacent staff (pension fund administrators, controllers) fall under OPEIU or similar general labor locals, reflecting the broader union ecosystem MFOW sits within.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marine-firemen's-union

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Marine Firemen's Union