Orcas Ferry Workers Okay First Union Contract
ORCAS ISLAND-The workers who load and unload the Washington
State Ferry and sell ferry tickets on Orcas Island have voted unanimously to
ratify their first union contract. The agreement between the Inlandboatmen's
Union of the Pacific (the marine division of the International Longshore and
Warehouse Union) and Russell's at Orcas covers 11 employees, including temporary
summer help.
The contract provides wage increases ranging from 10 percent
to 62 percent, as well as signing bonuses of $500-1500. The average hourly rate
will rise about 32 percent, from about $10.27 to about $13.59, not including the
bonuses. Starting pay will increase from $8.50 to $11.01 an hour. The raises
will be retroactive to July 15, with the contract expiring on November 1, 2001.
The contract also establishes a 401(k) retirement fund. Russell's will match 50
percent of an employee's contribution to the fund up to 6 percent of the
employee's pay.
"I think this is a landmark event for all ferry workers
in the Islands," said Jack Goula, IBU Union Steward for the newly organized
workers.
Examining the Washington State Ferry contract and financial records during
negotiations led workers to question the way the operation does business.
"It was obvious that a considerable amount of money, year
after year, was not being passed on to the employees as intended," said Jim
Frank, the senior employee at the operation. "But with the right to
collective bargaining, we were able to address these problems through
negotiations."
Despite the substantial economic gains in the contract, Frank
emphasized that the most important gain was "the protection that we won by
joining with the ILWU-a collective voice, and the ability to make decisions
about our own work lives."
Poor working conditions and a lack of consistent policies
moved the workers to elect representation by the IBU in April 1999. "We
were at the whim of the employer," Frank said. "There was no fairness
on a day-to-day basis, and no job security of any kind."
"We have such a small number of employees in our group, and the ILWU fought
like crazy to help us," Goula said. "We didn't believe such a large
organization would pay so much attention to our needs. I'd like to see workers
throughout the San Juan Islands get organized, too."
The IBU already represents
most employees of the Washington State Ferry, as well as other ferry and tugboat
workers
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