Bay Area ferry workers strike

Chanting “No contract, no work!” Inlandboatmen’s Union (IBU) ferry workers went on strike May 26. The picketers stopped the departure of three scheduled ferries from Larkspur, Calif., to San Francisco.

Strikers demanded compensation for the increased duties that were assigned to terminal workers after the district eliminated ticket seller positions; a limit on the number of bicycles allowed on each ferry; break rooms for the deckhands; and maintenance needed to reduce unsanitary conditions on some of the older ferries.

The workers, who did not have a contract for most of the year, also went on strike for one shift on May Day, May 1. Since then, the negotiating team has accepted a proposed master contract, but each local has the right to strike over their own particular issues. The IBU is one of 14 unions associated with the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.

Gov. Jerry Brown issued a statement saying he was appointing a three-member panel to investigate the strike, as it had created “a significant disruption to public transportation services and endangered the public’s health, safety and welfare.” (Associated Press, May 27) The strike was held on a Saturday, the day before celebrations in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge.

— Report and photo by Terri Kay