{"id":51033,"date":"2019-07-24T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/ferry-workers-strike-continues-state-says-strike-illegal\/"},"modified":"2019-07-25T17:51:25","modified_gmt":"2019-07-26T01:51:25","slug":"ferry-workers-strike-continues-state-says-strike-illegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/ferry-workers-strike-continues-state-says-strike-illegal\/","title":{"rendered":"Ferry workers strike continues; State says strike ‘illegal’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t

Commissioner Kelly Tshibaka announced in a teleconference Thursday the state was working to bring the Inlandboatman’s Union of the Pacific back to the negotiating table after IBU workers went on strike, mooring the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway System to their piers, engines cold.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

Ferry workers picketed the Auke Bay Terminal in Juneau Thursday morning after the IBU declared that negotiations with the administration had run aground. Many cars and trucks passing the picketers could be heard honking their horns as they passed, possibly in solidarity with the workers. Picketers seemed unphased by dreary weather and disappointed with the administration’s failure to negotiate in earnest.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

“One of the provisions they are striking is illegal, which means the strike is illegal and unprotected,” said Tshibaka. She said this threat had been communicated to the IBU via letter at 12.30 p.m. on July 25.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

[Ferry workers go on strike<\/a>]<\/ins><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

“There are different consequences for that,” Tshibaka said, mentioning that taking this affair to court would be the next level of escalation. Her claim that the strike is illegal is tied to the IBU’s request pertaining to a cost of living differential. When this was communicated to the IBU, they amended their statement to bring it within the boundaries of protected strikes, but the state refused to recognize this and still holds the position that the strike is illegal.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

<\/a>

The Alaska Marine Highway System ferries LeConte, left, Malaspina and Tazlina, hidden from view, are tied up at the Auke Bay Terminal on Thursday, July 25, 2019. The Inland Boatmen’s Union of the Pacific called a strike on Wednesday over failed negotiations with Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

“What they’re offering doesn’t cover our health care,” said Rob Arnold, vice chairman with the IBU. Ferry workers don’t receive an automatic yearly increase on their wages to deal with health insurance cost increases like other state employees, said Arnold, forcing them to negotiate for the small increase every year.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

“I hope the governor puts his heart in it and thinks about the people, not about his agenda,” said Jerry Slackey, a member of the picket line. “This isn’t just about our jobs, this is about our communities. This is their lifelines to hospitals and grocery stores. This is what gets them back and forth.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

Both the IBU and the state seem to agree that the incident is halting a crucial service in keeping the communities in southeast Alaska functioning and viable. “I think for our coastal communities this is a really significant incident,” said Tshibaka. “I think whether we call it crisis depends on how much someone depends on the AMHS. For our coastal communities, this is a major crisis.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t