David Heindel is President of the Seafarers’ International Union (SIU) of North America since February 2023 and chair of the ITF’s Seafarers’ Section since 2010. He began his career with the SIU in 1973 when he graduated from a mariners’ training programme at the union’s affiliated facility. He sailed primarily on deep-sea vessels as a member of the engine department before coming ashore in 1980 to work as a patrolman in his native New Orleans. In 1997, David became secretary-treasurer of the SIU, a post he held until 2023. In 2002, he was elected vice president of the ITF Seafarers’ Section and has participated extensively in international forums on matters relating to seafarers’ rights, shipboard safety and port security. David also serves as president of Maritime Trade Department, AFL-CIO (the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations).