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AMO picketing three Wisconsin & Michigan vessels
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American Maritime Officers will continue picketing three vessels in an ongoing strike against Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company now that the company is attempting to operate the vessels with non-union officers.
The David Z, Earl W and Wolverine have been idled in Sarnia, Ontario, since the strike began. The AMO-represented officers and stewards walked off the vessels in May when the union and the company reached an impasse during negotiations provided for under an economic re-opener clause in the collective bargaining agreement, which expired in July 2007. "Job and benefit security, and the continued representation of the officers and stewards on these vessels by AMO, are the primary issues in this dispute," said Don Cree, AMO national vice president, Great Lakes. "This strike will continue until the company accepts the terms of the AMO pattern agreement as the basis for a contract and acknowledges this union as the exclusive bargaining agent for the officers and stewards onboard these vessels." In a conference call by Rand Logistics Inc. in August, a plan by subsidiary Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship to operate the David Z, Earl W and Wolverine with non-union officers was announced. The Wolverine got underway last month with non-union officers onboard. "AMO is the only stable source of officers with the unique skill set and practical experience required for the safe and successful operation of Great Lakes vessels," Cree said. "This protracted struggle is evolving into a hard lesson for the company in that reality." The AMO strike against Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship resulted in a $1 million loss for the Rand Logistics Inc. subsidiary in the second quarter of 2007, according to a report in Trade Winds. |
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