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Denali bus drivers OK strike as negotiations over wages continue

PRESSURE: Vote of 110-2 comes at height of tourist season.

By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com

Published: July 22nd, 2008
Last Modified: July 22nd, 2008 at 12:48 AM

Embroiled in a long-running dispute over pay rates and unpaid wages, the bus drivers who ferry visitors into Denali National Park and Preserve have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike that could cripple the park's transportation system.

The final vote tally Monday came to 110 in favor of the strike and two opposed, said Ken Wilbert, president of the Denali National Park Professional Drivers Association, which is part of Teamsters Local 959.

The vote authorizes a strike in the event that ongoing negotiations between the union and Doyon/Aramark -- the joint venture that runs lodges, bus tours and other services in the park -- reach an impasse.

"We're really trying our best to work out our differences with the company," Wilbert said. "Negotiations are ongoing, and we don't have any immediate plans to strike at this moment."

The strike vote comes at the height of the tourist season -- the time when the drivers can muster the most leverage, said Rick Boyles, president of Teamsters Local 959.

Each summer, thousands of visitors flock to the park to see Mount McKinley, North America's tallest peak. Motor vehicle access is restricted at Mile 15 on the single road into the park, with the buses being many visitors' only means of access. So once the season ends Sept. 14, a strike won't bring the same amount of urgency to the table, Boyles said.

Park spokeswoman Kris Fister said the park has been following the developments but is not involved in the dispute. Having a contingency plan in the event of a strike is the responsibility of the contractor, she said.

Such plans are in place, said Kristine Grow, a Philadelphia-based spokeswoman for Aramark. She would not elaborate on what they might entail, nor would she discuss the details of the negotiations.

"We're still focused on coming to a new agreement that works for everyone, and we're still hopeful that we will be able to do that," Grow said. "We have been cooperating with an arbitrator regarding a wage increase and back-pay issues, and we have agreed to both of those. The issue appears to be more an interpretation of the arbitrator's decision."

The arbitrator decided May 2 that the drivers had not been paid at the rate required under federal law and were due back pay to make up the difference. None has seen that money yet, Boyles said. In addition, the most recent agreement between the drivers and Doyon/Aramark expired Feb. 1, and efforts to renegotiate the wage contract have so far been unsuccessful, he said.

Union negotiators are scheduled to meet with Doyon/Aramark officials this morning, Boyles said. He said he was expecting communication to continue through the week. Should officials reach an impasse, union negotiators will call a strike, he said.

"We certainly don't want to impact the tourists at the park, but at some point in time you have to say, hey, we have to get this resolved, and that's what we're trying to do right now," Boyles said.

"This has been a very patient group. They're very fond of the park, and certainly they don't want to strike. But they certainly gave a clear message today with a vote count of 110 to 2 that if that's what it takes to get the final issues resolved, then that's what we'll do."

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.