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'Queen' paddlewheel fleet to resume service
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| AMO, new owner negotiating pact as union mans first of three cruise vessels |
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American Maritime Officers at press time was in contract negotiations with Delaware North Companies Inc., the company that recently purchased the Delta Queen, Mississippi Queen and American Queen. One of the three U.S.-flagged paddlewheel cruise vessels previously operated by Delta Queen Steamboat Co., the Mississippi Queen, has returned to service employing American Maritime Officers members. The remaining two are expected to resume service in the near future. AMO is confident that the union will have a new long-term agreement in place in the near future covering members working aboard the three paddlewheelers, said AMO National Executive Vice President Tom Bethel. The three cruise vessels, which operate under the Passenger Vessel Services Act offering cruises on America's heartland rivers, were purchased by Delaware North Companies Inc. in an auction supervised by the U.S. bankruptcy court. American Classic Voyages Co., the parent company of Delta Queen Steamboat, filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code in October 2001, citing a steep decline in cruise tourism following the Sept. 11 attacks. "We are extremely pleased to have our members returning to work aboard the paddlewheelers and to see the revival of the former American Classic Voyages fleet begin," said AMO National President Michael McKay. "The return of these cruise vessels to the Passenger Vessel Services trades could be the first step toward reconstructing the foundation of a revitalized American cruise industry." Delaware North purchased the vessels, along with the reservation system and trademarks, for $80.9 million, according to the Cincinnati Post. The purchase included payment of $500,000 to creditors and $47.3 million to the Maritime Administration for loan guarantees on the construction of the American Queen. Delaware North Companies Inc. is the parent of several companies involved in domestic tourism and concessions, including operation of the Fleet Center in Boston, Mass.; management of visitor services at Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, Niagara Falls and the Kennedy Space Center; and stadium and airport food services at Cinergy Field and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The company's chairman and chief executive officer Jeremy Jacobs, who owns the Boston Bruins and stadium concessionaire Sportservice, said that Delaware North plans to run the three paddlewheelers "as they were in the past." The company also plans to keep the vessels' base of operations in New Orleans, La. Delaware North at the time of the purchase expressed interest in retaining a majority of the operation's employees. As the cruise vessels begin to ply their regular itineraries, AMO is working to see that the members working aboard them will enjoy wages and benefits very similar to those provided in the previous contract, Bethel said. "As the union that has manned these vessels in the past and the only officers' union that has extensive experience in the U.S. cruise industry, the company was interested in keeping us onboard," Bethel said. "We hope to negotiate a good contract that will extend beyond five years for the members working aboard the paddlewheelers." American Classic Voyages Co. had other Passenger Vessel Services Act qualified vessels, including the coastal cruise vessel Cape May Light, which was operating on the East Coast. At the time of the time of the company's bankruptcy, the Cape Cod Light, sistership of the Cape May Light, was nearing completion at Atlantic Marine Inc. in Florida. Additionally, American Classic had two deep sea cruise ships under construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi. One of the two was 40 percent complete and has been put up for sale. The Passenger Vessel Services Act is the U.S. cabotage law that reserves the transportation of passengers directly between points in the U.S. for vessels built in the U.S., manned by U.S. citizens, and owned and operated by companies for which a majority of stakeholders are U.S. citizens |
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