Update: On Jan. 23, workers at Alcatraz Workers United approved the proposed contract with 94 percent support.
After two years of bargaining, numerous picket lines and a strike, the union representing Alcatraz ferry workers reached a tentative agreement on their first contract this week.
The agreement would raise the Alcatraz ferry workers’ salaries to be in line with other captains, boathands, maintenance supervisors, and other ferry workers on boats across the Bay Area, according to the union.
The union, Alcatraz Workers United, represents workers for the sole provider of ferries to Alcatraz Island, and was officially certified in October 2022. In January 2023, it kicked off the contract-bargaining process with Alcatraz City Cruises.
Tristan Senft, a first officer at Alcatraz Cruises and member of the union’s bargaining committee, said, “Our employer pushed hard on us to give in, but my coworkers had the strength and courage to stand their ground. It is an honor to work alongside them, and I look forward to what the future holds.”
Antonette Sespene, general manager of Alcatraz City Cruises, said in a statement to Mission Local that the company anticipates the tentative agreement to be approved by union members promptly.
“This tentative agreement is the result of a comprehensive negotiation process to achieve a fair and equitable resolution that supports both our crew and the continued success of Alcatraz City Cruises,” Sespene said.
Evan McLaughlin, an organizer with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the union with which Alcatraz Workers United is affiliated, said that the ferry company was “refusing to have workers at Alcatraz paid the same as other ferry workers on the bay.”
Among other benefits, the tentative agreement would ensure that Alcatraz ferry workers are paid at the same level as unionized ferry workers employed by other companies in the region. This would result in a wage increase of up to 35 percent during the contract, according to the union, though the union did not share the exact salaries.
“To us, that’s a pretty gigantic achievement. It’s been a really long fight and a really long time to get there,” McLaughlin added.
According to McLaughlin, the union’s approximately 100 members will vote on whether to approve the tentative agreement by the end of next week.
From a proud member of AFSCME Local 3299, congrats, brothers and sisters!