The views I am about to express are of my own, and not representative of my employers or unions, past or present.
I worked for the City and Borough of Wrangell for approximately six years,
two as a Harbor Security/Maintenance, and four as a Water/Wastewater Treatment Operator. Last year my family and I had to make the hard decision to move to Petersburg. The main contributing factor for us was, as in most cases, money. While working for the borough in those six years, there was no true C.O.L.A. (cost of living adjustment.) We received a $750 check July 1 starting a few years after my employment, as an “adjustment.”
The problem with this is it’s not permanent. It doesn’t affect any overtime, callouts, and overall didn’t make any significant change to our daily lives. The real kick in the pants was that even after the union had agreed to the last contract, anything that was positive that we had bargained for was immediately given to non-union employees. The reason being, from what I was told was, “to make sure no one is left out, and for there to be no hard feelings around the city.” If that was the case, and you can make that adjustment strictly on people’s feelings, why has it gotten so bad that the union is on the verge of a strike?
The cost of living has risen dramatically and there had been no attempt by management to take care of its blue-collar employees. The general message was “you are replaceable, so shut up and take what we give you.” That kind of attitude does nothing but breed malcontent and makes your workers not want to put in their best effort. Just at public works there are countless years of personalized experience that they can’t get from someone they just pull off the street. You ask someone “what kind of pipe did they lay up Pine Street when it was under construction?” and the average man or woman would look at you with befuddlement. Then you can ask the guys at the city shop and they can tell you off the top of their head. Ask a lineman where the nearest cutout is to your house, and they will answer immediately. It is like that throughout the city, and don’t even get me started on the inner workings of the water plant. These men and women have had years of on the job training that you can’t find anywhere else. Replaceable they are not.
As many can tell, this strike has been a long time in the making, as it has taken three uncontracted years for the union employees to finally say enough is enough and to take a stand. I hope for everyone involved and for the city of Wrangell in general that they can reach a solution sooner rather than later.
Jeffry L Davidson
Petersburg
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