The labor union representing operating personnel for the White Pass & Yukon Route in Skagway authorized a strike after nearly six years of unsuccessful negotiations with the railroad.
SMART Transportation Division Local 1626 says the dispute involves wages, healthcare, workforce reduction, and safety.
The strike, if carried out, could have an impact on the early fall travel period in Alaska. But the union must first go through mediation with the railroad, and if that doesn’t work, it must still wait for a 30-day cooling-off period before it can go on strike. That would mean the earliest the strike would be may land at the end of August, but it could still disrupt the plans of cruise ship operators and tourists who are booked on the train.
The railroad is in its 125th year. Built during the Klondike Gold Rush with construction starting in 1898, White Pass is a narrow gauge railroad that is an “International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark,” traveling between Skagway and Whitehorse, Yukon. It also stops at Lake Bennett and Carcross.
The Fraser Meadows Steam Excursion trip is on a steam-powered train that chugs to the summit and back.
During the Covid pandemic, the train was only able to go to the border, since Canada was closed to visitors. This year is one of the biggest years for tourism that Skagway has ever seen.
The union is interested in higher wages that reflect the cost-of-living increases observed over the past six years, since its last labor agreement was signed in 2017. The union says that stagnant wages make it hard for workers to cover their living expenses.
In addition, the union says the railroad is going to shift some healthcare costs back to workers.
Also, the union says that White Pass may eliminate brakemen positions on the trains, something the union opposes because it would add more work to conductors. The union says that brakemen are needed as a safety concern.
Over the Independence Day weekend, a mediation session took place but was unsuccessful and no future dates for mediation meetings were set.ate for future meetings following the conclusion of the recent discussions.
Shut the railline down. State’s so broke they have to steal PFDs, no need to keep this line running, just for tourists.
Hand the entire line over on a quick claim deed to any local community that wants it.
It’s a private entity.
A quick review of state licensing and entities shows this organization is in private ownership. However, the filings do reveal confusing indications as to the precise identity of the holding company.
It’s not state owned, it’s owned by a combination of Bob Berto (Temsco/Coastal Helicopters), Blackstone, and Carnival.
It’s a private company; the State has no control over it. It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to type and remove all doubt.
Are you a CPA? Do they have an open/closed sign? A place to wait? Do they advertise to the public? Do they have a till on premisses? If yes they operate in “the public”. US Constitution applies. The King’s stare decises have already been applied many times also. Take your pick. They are not a private gentlemen’s club. They do not operate in the private. .
Word salad.
As I said, it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to type and remove all doubt.
This is actually the test for exactly this question. It Is mistaken to say businesses need not apply the US Constitution. If they invite the public, have hours they are open posted, closed/open signs, a place for the public to wait, have signage and advertising, have a till to conduct dailycash transactions on premisses they are NOT operating in the private (have a private address, by invitation only, no open closed signs, no advertising then they operate in the private). these people are often architects, appraisers etc. But I am a native woman. How can I know these things. I’m not too proud to study. These guys have knowledge dropped on their heads by virtue of the luck of the Irish I guess. They are wrong and believe what is wrong. They like the carrying on of lies. Who cares.
That’s not how the world works. You confuse the words “PRIVATELY OWNED BUSINESS” with a private club or institution like a golf club or tennis club. I like you playing the race card and virtue signaling. Your status as a female or a native alaskan has zero to do with the case at hand. What you are trying to do is called The Personal Incredulity Fallacy, its sorta sad that you have to result to using logical fallacies to feel better
Sounds to me like there is a power play here. The unions all over this state should be brought to their knees and do what us right not what is profitable.
Things I’m curious about:
-what is the rationale for eliminating brakemen?
-I’m sympathetic to cost of living. Skagway is great, but not cheap. What standard are they trying to peg to, national or Seattle?
-interesting concept to strike (if they do) in the shoulder season. Won’t have near the impact as striking in June of next year would. Warning shot?
-the union needs to be realistic about healthcare. More and more businesses are shifting more and more cost to employees. If they want to keep the current system, the union has to give big elsewhere.
-are the Canadians giving pushback one way or the other? A strike will be a major hit to the economy of Carcross.
Messy.
MA, I’ve got a call in with White Pass but have not heard back. – sd
The brakeman has been just a featherbedded position on through trains since the automatic air brake was mandated in the early 20th Century. Most trains these days are basically conveyor belts going from one point to another. The old days of small, short trains working their way from point to point picking up and setting out cars have been gone for the better part of a century with a few remote, rural exceptions. The switchmen who set the switches and brakemen who set the brakes are long gone as well.
I think WP&Y is a US company based in Skagway and as such would bargain under the US Railway Labor Act. The union is probably well aware that it can’t save the brakemen and can only get the best severance deal it can for them. Those five mile long double stack container trains traversing the Lower 48 don’t have brakemen. There has to be money on the table since the rest of the industry has gotten a lot of money since the end of the Scamdemic, so there is room for agreement, pay some money, send the brakemen away, and life goes on.
There is no objective measure of cost of living differential for Skagway. Juneau’s COLD is 5%, but that is simply a fiction to pay a little more to Juneau employees to keep them sullen but not mutinous. Also, like the AMHS few of the WP&W employees live in Skagway year-round so it is hard to calculate a differential.
See now there is logic and details that make sense and are we laid out so even someone who doesn’t work in the railroad industry can figure out. Thanks Art
One of the few ways to escape a union contract is bankruptcy.
Since they’re a private company, they can do as they please as long as they’re following regulations. If a brakeman isn’t required, it’s probably best to slim down that position. Especially if the Union is fighting it. The union isn’t the boss they don’t own this railroad. Sounds like they need a slap in the chops.
In the early 1980s, when the White Pass routinely ran between Skagway and White Horse, there was a long strike. Eventually the RR started back up but it never again went to White Horse. It now goes nowhere; just goes up to a place above Skagway and returns to Skagway. That strike stopped the RR from ever again being a transportation feature of the economy. The RR never again connected any place of business or place where people live in the Yukon with tidewater. Yukies never again took the train to Skagway to then take the ferry to Juneau or WA. That is what Big Labor did for us.
I will go on. Who regulates trains in Alaska? Their board of directors. The FRA HQ in New York denies regulating train businesses in Alaska. The FRA legal office in NY says the State of Alaska has the obligation to regulate it. If they don’t do it it is still their literal authority. Why? Because the state of Alaska issues business licenses. Perhaps that’s been done. If so the state may do inquiries how fast are they going in populated areas on wetlands. Etc. Oh no one is doing that? Does the state hire any hydraulogists to evaluate anything at all regarding train transporting faster and heavier through Anchorage which also could regulate speeds and other directives and has not. Does the judiciary have subject matter and personal jurisdiction in any of the train operation jurisdiction? I’m guessing the subject matter jurisdiction of the judiciary is proper court rules. Are notices sufficient etc. Alaska might correspond with other states about how exactly to adequately regulate this transportation industry in Alaska.
Department of Transportation does ‘https://dot.alaska.gov/railplan/docs/Rail-Plan-Final-draft.pdf). Instead of just flinging accusations maybe you should talk to people about it, yes H&H studies as well as a ton of other engineering permits go into railwork , also EPA and other agencies have to permit work in wetlands, etc. You aren’t looking to be part of any solution because working on problems is difficult and causes migraines. You just want to sit and sling insults.
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