... but not the crews

[proud_ionian]

source: The Province

B.C. Ferries tries to get 500 crew to leave union

B.C. Ferries is trying to force 500 crew members out of their union and into management ranks - a move the union says could lead to a massive loss of scarce workers.

The request has already angered members enough that some might begin turning down overtime shifts critical to keep the fleet sailing on time, one union official told The Province.

The push comes as the company grapples with acute labour shortages, a situation company president David Hahn has publicly bemoaned.

The positions at issue include all captains, chief officers (or mates, on smaller vessels), second officers, chief stewards, second stewards, chief engineers, first engineers, terminal supervisors, terminal operations supervisors and night-shift supervisors - more than 10 per cent of the union's membership.

A letter dated Feb. 12 from Glen Schwarz, vice-president of human resources, to Jackie Miller, president of the ferry workers' union, says the move is needed because the company doesn't have "adequate control" aboard vessels or in terminals.

The letter also says:

. Four reports on the 2006 sinking of the Queen of the North all say that the "current structure and system of management" leaves the company unable to "efficiently and effectively manage its assets and resources." One of the reports cited is the Transportation Safety Board's report on the sinking. It hasn't been released publicly.

The letter fails to note that on the night of the sinking, the captain of the ferry was non-union, as was the marine superintendent who was aboard.

. In 2005 and 2006, there were incidents involving "attendance issues, fitness for work, and performance" and "inconsistent practices and insufficient direction."

The letter refers to several cases involving consumption of alcohol. Last October, the TSB said it was concerned that crew aboard the sunken ferry smoked marijuana.

. As safety and security programs ramp up, the company needs "more tightly controlled and efficient" management. It describes captains as CEOs of their ships while at sea and says they are clearly managers.

The letter says B.C. Ferries would like to negotiate the exemptions with the union but will apply for them if need be to mediator Vince Ready, who has reserved jurisdiction over the contract.

Company communications director Mark Stefanson declined to comment on what he called an internal labour issue.

Gregg Dow, spokesman for the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers Union, called the push for exemptions misguided, given acute labour shortages and an aging workforce.

Dow, a catering attendant on the Queen of Nanaimo, said at least one sailing a day out of Saltspring had a crew member making double time and working extra hours, a scene he said was common across the fleet.

"It's February and we're already asking catering attendants to work double time. That's a shortage of people. The chief steward on the Queen of Nanaimo is sailing the next two days on their day off just so they can keep the cafeteria open. It's crisis management."

Dow also predicted that many of the people working the jobs that could be reclassified are senior crew - "you have to be to have those jobs" - with large banks of overtime.

The contract allows them the option of a severance package if their jobs are exempted, meaning they could collect large amounts of pay for the banked overtime, a preretirement bonus and as much as a year's pay in severance.

"It's going to be expensive [for the company if it does that] and it's going to be expensive to replace them," Dow said.

He said he wasn't clear what the company hoped to accomplish with mass exclusions - other than create a lot of managers who aren't paid for overtime hours.