Friday Harbor dock workers unionize

Workers at the Friday Harbor ferry dock voted Thursday to join the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific. The vote took place in Friday Harbor with six full time dock workers present and was witnessed by Paul Bigman, a representative of International Longshore Warehouse Union.

The Longshore Union is affiliated with the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific, which will represent the Friday Harbor dock workers in negotiations with their company, Aeronautical Services Inc.

David Freiboth, president of the Inlandboatmen's Union, said in 1997 his union tried to organize in Friday Harbor and the workers turned them down. The Orcas dock workers voted to unionize in 1998.

“This time they came to us,” Freiboth said. “This is a new bunch. They looked around, looked at Orcas and at people who work directly for the Washington State Ferry Service, and realized that we were responsible for substantial increases in wages and benefits.”

Dave Ross, president of Aeronautical Services, disagreed with that claim.

“We met with the ferry service in Seattle in November to discuss our contract with them, and they said our wages were comparable to those on Orcas,” Ross said.

Coy Shipley, a traffic enforcer at the Friday Harbor ferry landing, agreed that ASI’s wages were “comparable for those working in the marine division.” But their union affiliation would standardize procedures, and offer them a way to address grievances.

The fact that the San Juan Island dock workers have joined their Orcas counterparts in union affiliation, said Freiboth, points out the precariousness of subcontracts with private companies for dock services.

“It questions the whole subcontracting scheme for all the San Juans,” the union president said. “We talked to the ferry service and they maintain the only reason they do this is to keep their costs down. They tell us ‘If they’re going to do this, we might as well bring it in house.’ ”

The other privately owned ferry dock operations include Lopez and Shaw Island. Asked if the union had done any organizing on Shaw where the ferry dock is run by the Franciscan nuns on the island, Freiboth laughed.

“We’re a little concerned about taking God on,” he said. “But if those Shaw Island workers want it, we’re here for them.”

Ross said the vote won’t change much in terms of operations. “It really doesn’t affect us much,” he said. “We have been operating without a contract (with the WSF) since Nov. 30, 2002. They have discussed a cost of living increase with us and we told them we’ll need at least $13,000 to make it work.”

Ross explained his company needs to operate at a 10 percent rate of return on their investment because of the labor-intensive nature of the Friday Harbor landing.

“Maybe someone else could do it for 5 percent, but I doubt it. We have three lots to manage out of there. We have to block and control traffic. We have more of a problem than any of the other islands,” he said. “I’d be really surprised to see the state tackle something like that.”

Currently, Ross said, ASI’s six full time workers are paid up to $14 an hour with full benefits, including medical, dental, vacations, holidays and sick leave. The company hires six additional workers during the spring and summer.

Ross admits that the dock workers have had some legitimate complaints.

“We’ve had a lot of communication problems down there, and whether they are union or non-union, we’ll be working on the issues that caused unrest,” he said.

Union involvement will mean less flexibility, Ross commented. “When the ferry is late, we reschedule people. With union representation, that’s going to change.

“For the $65 a month they will spend (in union dues) are they really going to see a big improvement? This takes away our control, and now we have to use a shop steward in Seattle talk to their negotiator. We have a say, but all the screaming is all down behind closed doors in Seattle.”

According to their website, the Inlandboatmen Union is one of the largest maritime Unions on the west coast. Founded in 1918 primarily by ferryboat workers in San Francisco, it now represents about 4,000 workers on both passenger carrying and commercial vessels that sail along the Pacific coastline and to Hawaii.

— Associate editor Robin Hamilton reports on social issues, health care and entertainment for sanjuanjournal.com and The Journal of the San Juan Islands, sister publications of islandsweekly.net and The Islands’ Weekly. She can be reached at (360) 378-4191 ext. 16 or email.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.