Robb Arnold, chief purser on the Alaska Marine Highway’s Malaspina ferry, talks about the proposed cuts to the ferry system on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Robb Arnold, chief purser on the Alaska Marine Highway’s Malaspina ferry, talks about the proposed cuts to the ferry system on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Unions prep to push back against proposed ferry cuts

Hundreds of marine highway union jobs could be cut

The Alaska Marine Highway System could be facing up to 253 union job losses under Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budget, according to Robb Arnold, a member of the Inland Boatman’s Union. The IBU is one of three unions that work with the ferry system.

That job reduction would include 100 jobs in Juneau and 81 in Ketchikan, Arnold said. Arnold said he and other union members learned that this during a meeting with Department of Transportation officials last week.

The ferry system is facing a $97 million cut — 75 percent of its budget — under Dunleavy’s proposed budget for fiscal 2020. The ferry system may only operate seasonally instead of year-round.

AMHS union advocates are gearing up to push back.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The AFL-CIO, a union which represents many state employees, is hosting a rally at the Alaska State Capitol steps next week. Arnold said he and other IBU members have been invited to participate, along with members of the other two ship-side unions: the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots, and the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association.

Arnold will be distributing posters that say “We support full ferry service, keep Alaska connected.” He hopes businesses will display the posters in their windows.

“If they shut down a highway up north for six months could you imagine the public outcry?” Arnold, who has worked for the ferry system since 2006, said in an interview. “It’s not a normal state. If you take part of the system away the rest of the system will not work.”

Southeast Alaska relies on the ferry system to connect remote islands in the archipelago; without it, there only way to access other islands is by personal boats or plane. The system serves as a marine transport highway, shipping food, people and heavy equipment for construction projects. It also provides residents in remote areas access to urban stops, such as Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka, for health care and other services.

Earlier this week, lawmakers from Southeast — especially Republican Sen. Bert Stedman of Sitka — pressed the governor’s Office of Management and Budget on the proposed cuts.

[Senators want more answers on Marine Highway closure]

These three ferry-side unions have signed a memo in solidarity, vowing to save the Marine Highway.

“If the Governor’s proposed budget were enacted the impact on Alaska’s South East communities would be devastating,” the memo states. It assures the members that union leadership is “working together on this issue along with our state and local representatives, the national union and our lobbyists.”


• Contact reporter Kevin Baird at 523-2258 or kbaird@juneauempire.com. Follow him Twitter at @alaska_kev.com.


More in News

University of Alaska President Pat Pitney speaks during a meeting of the UA Board of Regents at Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 22, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Pitney: UA, KPC seeing momentum, attendance growth

The university president described KPC as “a leader of the pack” in enrollment growth at the university

University of Alaska Board of Regents Chair Ralph Seekins speaks during a meeting at Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 22, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘Where does this end?’: University of Alaska to strip diversity and inclusivity language from programs, policies

The board was clear during the meeting that they were responding to pressure from the federal government.

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich holds a telephone town hall on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (Screenshot from the Facebook page of U.S. Rep. Nick Begich)
Murkowski, Begich host telephone town halls to address constituent concerns

Both events were inaccessible to some, who grew frustrated at technical problems

Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, speaks on the House floor on Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Education funding bill unexpectedly advances again, nears House floor vote amid affordability concerns

HB 69 clears Finance Committee at first hearing as minority says discussions there are not worthwhile.

The front of the Kenai Police Department as seen on Dec. 10, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai accepts federal grant for police vests

The funds entirely cover the purchase of three ballistic vests this fiscal year.

Soldotna High School student Ethan Anding asks a question during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
District discusses $17M deficit at community meeting

More than 100 people gathered in the KCHS auditorium.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Man found dead near Kasilof roadway on Tuesday

He was found off Pollard Loop Road near Reindeer Lane in the Kasilof area.

Fire Marshal Jeremy Hamilton gives a tour to students during Job Shadow Day at Kenai Fire Department in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Roddy Craig/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai students try on careers for Job Shadow Day

Roughly 100 students from Kenai Central High School scattered to more than 30 businesses to get a feel for the workforce.

A 2015 Ford Explorer that was stolen from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce before crashing into a tree near Wells Fargo Bank is loaded onto a tow truck in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Car stolen, crashed in Kenai

The car was reportedly taken from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.

Most Read