Who We Are:

We are rank & file, union workers who used to work on the Alcatraz Ferry or at the Pier 41 docking facility when it was run by Blue & Gold Fleet. We are captains, deckhands, engineers, groundskeepers, ticket sellers, greeters, and more.

We are members of the Inland Boatmen's Union of the Pacific (IBU), the Marine Division of the ILWU (AFL-CIO) and/or members of the International Order of Masters Mates and Pilots (MM&P), the Marine Division of the ILA (AFL-CIO).

A Little History:

IBU and MM&P crews have worked the Alcatraz ferry for a long time. Some of us have done the work for over thirty years. During that time, the work has been performed first by Red & White Fleet and later by Blue & Gold Fleet.

In fall of 2005, the George W. Bush appointed bureaucrats who run America's National Park Service (NPS) awarded the exclusive and lucrative ferry contract, hitherto held by Blue & Gold Fleet (a union employer) to non-union Hornblower Yachts.

Although legal proceedings and challenges held up the changeover of service, Hornblower finally prevailed and began operation of the Alcatraz ferry on September 25, 2006, nearly one year after the NPS announced its selection.

Our Demands:

We plan to fight Hornblower Yachts and the National Park Service until the agree to the following conditions:

• (1) Agree to hire all predecessor (Blue & Gold Fleet) employees;
• (2) Recognition of the Unions under the successorship doctrine;
• (3) Restoration of the status quo terms and conditions of employment under the expired Collective Bargaining Agreement's;
• (4) Make-whole remedies of backpay, lost benefits and contributions to the Union funds;
• (5) A bargaining order under which the expired CBA's may be renegotiated or modified;

Why is it in everyone's best interest to support the union:

If you are a union worker - we needn't remind you that an injury to one is an injury to all. Hornblower's attacks on union workers will not stop at Alcatraz. In fact, Alcatraz is not the first blow. Hornblower Yachts has been setting up shop all over the world, paying workers less than living wages, and always thwarting the rights of employees to organize. If we lose this fight, the attacks on labor, especially maritime labor, will continue.

If you are a Bay Area resident - Hornblower's refusal to honor union labor is a blow to the Bay Area economy. If workers do not receive a living wage, they cannot contribute to the local economy. Lower wages mean less spending. Less spending means a weaker economy. Since the vast majority of Bay Area residents are workers, the attacks on workers weaken the overall economy. A weaker economy means an overall decline in the quality of life!

If you are a environmentalist and conservationist - Hornblower's refusal to hire experienced, trained workers increases the risk of accidents, sewage spills, fuel spills, mishandling of garbage, and potential health risks. Remember that over one million visitors experience Alcatraz every year. The stakes are very high!

If you are a potential visitor to Alcatraz - nonunion workers are less skilled and less trained. Union captains and deckhands are rigorously trained in safety practices, including man-overboard drills, fire suppression, and abandon-ship situations. Although such emergencies are rare, they can happen at any time. Furthermore, nonunion workers tend to have higher (and often illegal) demands placed on their workload. Keep in mind that over forty trips to-and-from the island can take place every day. You run the risk of being in the charge of an unqualified, untrained, and quite possibly overworked crew. In short, if you use nonunion Hornblower Yachts, Your lives are in danger!

How Hard Do We Work?

For many of you, union workers are (unfortunately and wrongfully) stereotyped as lazy, incompetent, unmotivated, and selfish boobs. This is a lie, no doubt spread by greedy employers like Hornblower.

The truth is that the Alcatraz run is one of the most difficult jobs on the waterfront.

Here is just a typical day for some of the union employees who hitherto do the work:

• Captains - Drive the Alcatraz ferries to and from the rock from San Francisco, as many as twenty times per day, ten minutes each way. They have to navigate through often choppy waters with a powerful, six-knot current, and steer clear of huge container ships, oil tankers, tugs and barges, hundreds of sailboats, kayakers, windsurfers, swimmers, and wildlife. Sometimes they have to do this in thick tule fog that frequently obscures their vision. They have to land the boat at least twenty times per day (no easy task on Alcatraz with the current). They are responsible for the safety of as many as 350 passengers per trip, 20 trips per day.
• Engineers and Maintenance Workers - Maintain the very heavily used boats, a constant, 24-7, round-the-clock task. They are responsible for making sure boats work properly and safely so that they do not break down in the middle of the bay, or catch fire, especially with hundreds of passengers on board!
• Deckhands - Secure and let loose ropes and lines that hold the boat to the dock (which is the case half of the time), a potentially very dangerous job with many safety risks. They also pump sewage off the island and on to the boats and pump water on and off the boats. They clean the boat from top to bottom after every trip (at least 20 trips per day sometimes). They count passengers to make sure that Coast Guard safety regulations are adhered to. They assist passengers in cases of emergencies, including man overboard situations, fires, or in the case that the boats must be abandoned.
• Ticket Agents and Customer Service - Make sure that tickets are sold and passengers are treated in the most professional and courteous manner possible, despite the constant rush of thousands of guests each day. They also answer questions about transit connections to and from the ferry terminal, places to eat, places to lodge, and so much more.

Often these jobs can involve 11-1/4-hour days! We, the workers who are trained and qualified to do these jobs deserve to keep them, but Hornblower Yachts and the National Park Service refuse to hire us! They'd rather hire nonunion employees with little or no experience doing these jobs whatsoever!