There’s no doubt about it,” says IBU President Marina Secchitano, “the COVID virus has had a big impact on workers and communities served by IBU members.” Secchitano represents three thousand workers who belong to the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific – the ILWU’s Marine Division.
Winter in the Pacific Northwest ended on a sad note this year, when many IBU members learned about the passing of Esther Bryant-Kyles, a beloved Seattle-based ferry ticket agent who was struck-down by the virus in March. She served in the Washington State Ferry System for 25 years and was “beloved by co-workers and regular customers alike,” said Puget Sound Regional Director Peter Hart.
Ferry workers: essential workers
IBU ferry workers in the Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay and Alaska Region are continuing to provide essential transportation services while coping with layoffs, severe scheduling cuts and the hazards of working during a dangerous pandemic.
Bay Area cuts
Like all public transit agencies, the Golden Gate Ferry System has slashed weekday service and cancelled weekend operations entirely – although most of the regular workforce remains on the payroll, according to IBU Regional Director Robert Estrada. Many of the nearly 40 IBU members are now doing additional maintenance work, he said.
Golden Gate received $14 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds for operating assistance from the CARES Act that can be used for employee wages and benefits. It was very disappointing to hear that they decided to save 1/3000th of those funds by cutting 5 jobs,” said Secchitano.
The San Francisco Bay Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), which is operated by Blue & Gold Fleet, now carries roughly 2% of their usual passenger count, says Estrada. They also received CARES Act FTA funds, amounting to $10.5 million with 75 IBU members. The WETA Director and Board of Directors expressed their appreciation at an April 23rd meeting by using the federal funds to keep employees on the payroll.
The Red & White Fleet, a private bay cruise and charter company, has been shuttered since mid-March. Their goal is to resume full service as the situation allows. The Blue & Gold Fleet, also a private company, has closed their bay cruise and charter business, resulting in layoffs of IBU members. Blue & Gold has applied for federal paycheck protection funds and expects to receive them soon. The IBU’s newly organized water taxi company, Tideline Marine has shut-down entirely.
Estrada says that passengers who ride any of the boats remaining in operation are required to wear face-coverings at all times. “There’s a lot more maintenance and sanitizing work being done on the vessels now, but far fewer passengers and trips being made each day,” he says, estimating that about 50 steady IBU positions have been lost in the region due to COVID-19, along with casual/fill-in work which supported approximately 70 people. Most of the lost work has been on tour-boats and ferries.
Abrupt unemployment at Foss
Foss San Francisco laid-off 6 steady workers with only 48-hours notice provided to the IBU. The company’s abrupt and unprecedented move left highly skilled mariners suddenly unemployed. The IBU continues pressing Foss to provide some benefits for these members to assist with their transition.
Devastating fire
A massive early-morning fire destroyed portions of San Francisco’s Pier 45 on May 23. The raging fire destroyed much the crab fleet’s equipment along with offices and an engineering shed for the Red & White Ferry fleet. Both Estrada and Red & White Fleet officials described the fire as the latest blow in an already difficult year – but said they were confident the company would recover. ILWU Local 10 member Kelly Kane responded to the disaster by encouraging fellow longshore workers and friends to donate funds to help the devastated crab fishermen, using a “Go-fund-me” page that raised almost $80,000 in the first week.
Washington State Cutbacks
Washington State Ferries have extended their reduced Winter schedules up to June 20 – and they may continue it further into the Summer. Ferries are carrying essential workers who need to reach their jobs and provide supplies to remote communities.
“Right now there are fewer vessels operating – and the busy summer season just isn’t going to happen this year,” says Regional Director Peter Hart. He added that a push for Personal Protective Equipment has resulted in most workers now receiving the equipment they need. Canada’s borders are closed to most traffic, including ferries, which forced the Black Ball Ferry to close and lay-off workers until the border re-opens, but they have applied for and received paycheck protection money from the Feds. The Bellingham terminal for Alaska’s Ferry System is also impacted.
Alaska ferry fight
Alaska’s public ferry system was already hurting from last year’s budget cuts imposed by Governor Mike Dunleavy. He wants a private system that would serve far fewer communities and eliminate good union jobs. As of mid-May, the system was down to one ferry serving Ketchikan, plus the nearly-new “Tazlina,” christened in 2018, that\ now runs from Juneau to remote coastal villages before reaching Haines and Skagway. More vessels may soon be added, but they would still amount to a fraction of normal summer operations.
Communities suffer
“The Governor’s cuts have severely hurt ferry workers and the communities we serve,” said IBU Alaska Regional Director Trina Arnold. She said dozens of communities no longer have ferry service, including ones with little or no road access. She added that many have significant Native populations and small business owners who depend heavily on the ferries.
A vital lifeline
“Ferries are a lifeline to those communities, so when the Governor made deep cuts last fall, it was devastating,” says Arnold, noting that everyone was hoping for a strong Summer season until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“Summer is when many Alaskans make a majority of their income, so now we’re just taking it day-by-day – and pushing hard to restore ferry service that workers and communities desperately need.”
Help from the union
IBU President Marina Secchitano and Regional Director Arnold worked with state legislators, the ILWU’s International Officers and Legislative Office in Washington, DC to secure more funding for the ferries – and help for furloughed ferry workers.
“Without a union, none of this would have been possible,” says Arnold, who thanked the ILWU for the joint effort that succeeded in Congress. Despite the added funding, IBU members still face resistance from management dispatchers at the Ketchikan central office, who “always seem to be searching for new ways to avoid paying crewmembers,” says Arnold. “We won’t stop until all IBU members are paid for what they would have worked, but couldn’t because of the pandemic,” she says.
Airline goes bankrupt
Part of the Governor’s excuse for destroying his state’s Marine Highway system was based on faulty claims that air travel could replace the ferries. That scheme ran aground on April 2 when Ravn Air declared bankruptcy. It was the state’s largest regional carrier with 72 planes and 1,300 employees who served 115 Alaskan communities – including 20 towns with no other carrier. Alaska Airlines has begun serving some, but not all, of Ravn’s previous routes. Ravn initially talked about re-organizing, then liquidated their planes and other assets in late May. One week before declaring bankruptcy, the Trump administration approved a set of bailout grants for the troubled airline. Less help has been available for residents and seasonal workers trying to reach remote communities, including Dutch Harbor and Unalaska on the Aleutian Peninsula.
Dutch Harbor
The IBU negotiated a new contract using Zoom internet video for members in the City of Unalaska. “That was a first – and we reached agreement on a good package for members in just two days!” said Arnold. Valdez
Workers at Alaska Nautical in the remote port of Valdez have been impacted by the lack of cruise ships due to COVID-19, along with a drop in oil production, but IBU members continue to work.
Privatization push continues
Alaska’s pro-privatization governor continues pushing his agenda to replace the public system with one that’s more private with weaker unions. His latest buzzword for privatizing is “re-shaping” and he’s created a business- heavy committee with just one labor representative to carry out his will. Regional Director Trina Arnold monitors the process closely and keeps in contact with the sole union representative in order to make sure IBU members have a voice in the process, even if it appears to be rigged from the beginning.
“Alaska’s IBU members have been through a grueling year, but there’s no alternative except giving-up or giving, and that’s just not in the cards,” says President Marina Secchitano. “Too many people depend on a good public ferry system, both customer and workers, to let it go down the tubes,” she said, vowing to continue the fight, “as long as it takes to win.”
A significant success
An intense public pressure campaign during the past year appears to have resulted in a significant victory: funding is now being restored to Alaska’s Marine Highway System! The IBU joined with labor and community allies to create Friends of the Alaska Marine Highway System. The Friends group contacted hundreds of thousands of Alaska voters with legislative and funding updates. They also pressed legislators to fully fund the state’s Marine Highway System. As The Dispatcher was going to press, 90% of the System’s funding had been secured. Friends is now working with leading legislators to protect funding in the future.
“While the AMHS funding is not yet complete, the danger we faced six months ago has passed. But we must remain vigilant and continue the pressure on state legislators while keeping voters informed with regular updates. We can’t be complacent with this Governor. Although he lost this round, he will keep fighting if we let our guard down. Friends of the Alaska Marine Highway has been successful, and we must continue our support for this important effort,” says Secchitano.
Concern for cannery workers
Five hundred members of IBU’s Region 37 who work in Alaska’s salmon canneries each summer have been unsure whether the COVID-19 pandemic will allow them to work this year. In a typical season, workers begin arriving in early summer, many coming from Seattle and other out-of-state locations.
This year Alaska imposed a two-week quarantine on everyone entering the state, including seasonal workers. Some cannery workers have been allowed to quarantine in Seattle, then fly to work in canneries via special arrangement with state officials, while others are being paid by employers to quarantine in Alaska.
Alaska’s economy has been hit hard by falling oil and gas revenue – along with tourism that vanished this summer as cruise ships shut down. Fishing is another significant source of jobs and income for the state. The IBU is pushing for safe working conditions in fish-processing plants so employees could resume their seasonal jobs without unnecessary risks from COVID-19. One problem is that some of the facilities are in remote areas with minimal medical resources – requiring evacuation if anyone becomes seriously ill.
Hawaii & Southern California
IBU tug and barge workers in Hawaii are trying to hold onto jobs as the local economy is battered byvCOVID-19 and the resulting loss of tourist income. Sause Brothers interisland barge service recently eliminated one barge, resulting in 11 layoffs.
The company provided each laid-off employee with a $4000 lump sum payment to assist with their transition. A one-year contract extension was also signed with a 2% wage increase in 12 months.
Elsewhere on the islands, workers at Foss-Harbor recently agreed to temporary wage reductions in order to avoid layoffs. Young Brothers agreed to nine temporary lay-offs, and no wage reductions. The company applied to the State of Hawaii for $25 million of the State’s $600 million in COVID-19 federal relief funds. They said inter-island service will be cut to local communities unless the company receives more funding. Harris L3 agreed to a 2.25% wage increase for IBU members and a 1-year extension. P & M Services received federal paycheck protection funds and will continue honoring the contract despite the loss of cruise ship assist work this year. As The Dispatcher was going to press, IBU Southern California Regional Director John Skow was meeting with Foss in order to find creative ways to avoid layoffs.
Healthcare
In an effort to assist IBU members who were laid-off due to COVID-19, the union proposed that the IBU Health Plan offer 3 months of coverage at reduced rates for plan members who were covered for May 2020. The discounted rate will cost $250 per month and was approved by a majority of the trustees. IBU President Marina Secchitano says the COVID-19 pandemic “has dramatically changed our lives – especially for members who meet the challenge each day as essential workers on the front line. Their efforts to keep commerce moving is noble and appreciated by our communities and the nation. Wearing masks, and observing social distancing when possible, is how we are going to protect ourselves and others. We will continue fighting to protect IBU members and their families – on the local level and in Congress. This is a difficult time, but we have seen tough times before and we will pull through this.”