National Park Service

From the San Francisco Chronicle, Saturday, February 23, 2008

A Suisun City man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of falsifying documents and neglecting duty in connection with an incident in which a Hornblower ship rammed a San Francisco pier in 2006, court records show.

Shawn Keith Cox, 44, had a U.S. Coast Guard merchant mariner license that was issued in 1996 but had been altered to make it look as if it were issued in 2006, said the indictment handed down Thursday by a federal grand jury in San Francisco.

On Dec. 4, 2006, Cox "failed to maintain the proper attention required" to prevent the M/V California Hornblower, a vessel that can accommodate 1,000 guests, from ramming Pier 3 in San Francisco, the indictment said.

Four days after the accident, Cox made a false statement in a report to the Coast Guard about whether he possessed a license, the indictment said.

The author of the previous story, Amy Langfield, writes

Thanks for the link to my story about the new ferry service at Statue of Liberty. Though I'm curious as to why you're advocating a boycott of them. Is it because they're non-union?

Many thanks,

Amy

George S., a longtime bay area IBU member and maritime worker responds:

Yes. They took over the Alcatraz ferry contracts using non union labor. They won the contract making promises they couldn't possible keep.

They promised a Solar/Sail powered ferry by 2008! Not happening.

They were supposed to build a gateway destination--not happening.

They were forced to pay their non-union employees prevailing wages--their health benefits and retirement are lacking.

The previous company that had the Alcatraz contract (Blue and Gold) asked the National Park service if they could raise the rates to take passengers to Alcatraz. They were always turned down by the NPS because they would be gouging the public. As soon as Hornblower was granted the contract they were able to raise their rates substantially (something rotten here).

Disclaimer: - The following article is copied in accordance with Fair Use Guidelines

Ferry Saga Slogs On - Bay Crossings, October 2007

Controversy continues to simmer around the National Park Service’s decision to award the lucrative Alcatraz ferry contract to proudly non-union ferryboat operator Hornblower Cruises. On September 18, players on one side of the issue testified before the House Natural Resource Committee’s Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. Notably absent was Terry MacRae, Chief Executive Officer of Hornblower.

Latest Hornblower Dustup at Congressional Hearing

The hearing was titled "Management of the Statue of Liberty National Monument." This was referring to the fact that Hornblower Cruises has also been awarded the Ellis Island / Statue of Liberty ferry contract in New York, much to the consternation of union and environmental activists. In his opening statement, Chairman Raul Grijalva (D-WV) said his committee was interested in "not only the new contract at the Statue of Liberty but also…the track record of the new concessioner at other NPS sites."

News From Speaker Nancy Pelosi -
Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Pelosi: 'Park Service Should Have Considered Hornblower's Performance in San Francisco Before Awarding Company Another Major Contract' Washington, D.C.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today following testimony today from Port of San Francisco Executive Director Monique Moyer on the National Park Service's procurement process for ferry service to Alcatraz Island. Hornblower Cruises, the Park Service's operator of ferry service to Alcatraz, has now been selected to provide ferry service to Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty:

”Today, the Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held an oversight hearing on the management of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Alcatraz Ferry service. Port of San Francisco Executive Director Monique Moyer testified concerning significant weaknesses in the procurement process by which the National Park Service selected Hornblower Cruises to provide service to Alcatraz, as well as subsequent performance problems.”

“Every year, more than 1.6 million people visit Alcatraz Island, one of the San Francisco Bay Area's most recognized landmarks. Unfortunately, since being selected by the National Parks Service to operate the Alcatraz ferry, Hornblower Cruises has failed to deliver on basic contract requirements, including enhanced visitor facilities in the boarding area, lower-emission ferries, and a new hybrid-electric ferry maximizing the use of solar and wind energy.”

"While Hornblower has sought fare increases from ferry riders, it has unjustly replaced a unionized workforce with nonunion workers. The Department of Labor has ruled that the ferry workers should receive the same pay and benefits as they did under the previous contractor, but Hornblower has appealed the decision.”

“While Hornblower Cruises' contract obligations remain unfulfilled, the National Park Service has been unwilling to enforce contract deadlines and has approved increased fares for Hornblower. The result for families visiting Alcatraz Island has been increased costs and diminished quality of ferry service. Hornblower should focus its resources on fulfilling its contract obligations, not on replacing unionized employees and charging visitors higher fares. The National Park Service should have considered Hornblower's performance in San Francisco before awarding the company another major contract."

March 27, 2007.

Dear Superintendent Brian O'Neil, National Park Service, Golden Gate National Recreation Area:

Thank you for your response to the questions we raised about the environmental, health and safety issues of the new operator of the Alcatraz Ferry Service. We "took your statement about facts being misrepresented very seriously and spent the last month verifying several points that you raised in out offices. After doing so, we remain concerned over the National Park Service's ability to objectively evaluate the safety and environmental performance of the new Alcatraz Ferry Service. Regrettably, your letter did not show us that the National Park Service (NPS) conducted a thorough investigation of the reported sewage incidents. We will continue to ask for independent investigations by the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) and other enforcement agencies like the US Coast Guard.

In our initial letter, we cited October 13[, 2006] as the date of an alleged sewage spill based on the Ca1/EPA complaint. Your letter disputes the reported October 13 sewage spill at Alcatraz Island by informing us that it was a leak from a saltwater line and not sewage. This claim is supported by the February 7, 2007 statement from Facilities Manager, Mr. Jim Adams. However, there is a discrepancy in the dates between Mr. Adams' statements, which refers October 17 as the date of the saltwater spill, not October 12 as documented in The log by Mr. Cooke right after the incident occurred on October 13 as cited in the Cal/EPA complaint. Your letter also omits any reference to the "Dock Office Log Book" of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (GGNPC) staff which documents sewage spills on October 9 & 12. Mr. Dan Cooke, the GGNPC Educator/Historical Interpreter on Alcatraz Island, documented the October 12, 2006 spill as follows:

This article has been removed.

The web editor neglected to check the (unedited) article for inaccuracies, and regrets that oversight.

By Amanda Witherell - San Francisco Bay Guardian, December 27, 2006

For more than three months, captains, deckhands, and union sympathizers have been protesting on the Embarcadero in front of Alcatraz Cruises' new operations at Pier 33.

But a few blocks away on Market Street, the battling companies have been wrangling inside the offices of the National Labor Relations Board. In early October, Alcatraz Cruises filed a complaint against the protesters for "visitor harassment."

"Nobody was getting hurt, but there was behavior that wasn't necessarily appropriate," Alcatraz Cruises spokesperson Tegan Firth told the Guardian. She said protesters have used foul language around the tourists and the complaint included a compilation of video footage gathered over several weeks as evidence.

In response, Masters, Mates, and Pilots and the Inland Boatmen's Union filed their own complaint with the board based on hiring discrimination. "We countered their charges with our own charges of discrimination," captain Ray Shipway told us. "They interviewed a lot of people, but they didn't hire them. They hired junior crewmembers over the experienced ones."

By Amanda Witherell - San Francisco Bay Guardian, December 27, 2006

Trips to Alcatraz Island have become a little more unpredictable since Sept. 25, when a new contractor assumed the ferry service from Blue and Gold Fleet, which did the job for the past 12 years. Since the changeover the new company, Alcatraz Cruises (a subsidiary of Hornblower Yachts), has endured regular protests and has had a handful of minor maritime mishaps.

A Guardian review of operation logs kept by the National Park Service (NPS), which runs the island, shows some less than graceful landings on the docks, a few scheduling snafus that stranded confused tourists on the island, and a sewage spill that had to be reported by outsiders.

Such incidents aren't uncommon for a company growing into a new job, but they're all being closely scrutinized by the union captains and deckhands who were displaced by the nonunion Alcatraz Cruises. They see the incidents as proof that more of their experienced crew should have been hired to operate the boats.