Unionzed ferry workers are the latest victims of the Bush administration's war on organized labor. For the past quarter-century, the Blue & Gold fleet, manned by union crews, ferried tourists from San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf to Alcatraz Island. That is, until the National Park Service (under the direction of Bush's Interior Secretary) awarded the contract to Hornblower Cruises, a dining cruise operator with no prior experience running a ferry service. No doubt it is just coincidence that Hornblower's owner, Terry Macrae, is a major Bush/GOP donor.
Since Hornblower took over operations late last month, it has been operating non-union. The Inlandboatmen's Union/ILWU and the International Organization of Mates Masters & Pilots have sought to bargain in good faith, but negotiations broke down last week as a result of Hornblower's intransigence.
The unions are calling for a boycott and have been staging protests. Today, they were joined by Native Americans, who usually hold a ceremony at Alcatraz each year in counter-observance of Columbus Day. (News story and video)
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