Return of food service to ferries awaits union approval of offer

By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter

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Other links Ferry routes and their status on food contracts

"All we can do is hope for the best," said Nove Meyers, whose Seattle-based company won the bid to provide food on the Seattle-Bremerton, Seattle-Bainbridge and Edmonds-Kingston ferry routes. "Our offer will be on the table Monday afternoon. I think we're offering a fair benefit-and-wage package."

Negotiations have been acrimonious. Dennis Conklin, regional director of the Inland Boatmen's Union (IBU), sent a letter to Washington State Ferries director Mike Thorne last week saying, "the possibility of Cascade and the IBU coming to an agreement is about the same odds as me winning the Lotto on Saturday (and I don't even buy tickets)."

Thorne said in response: "Good-faith bargaining requires more than buying a lottery ticket. I am even more disappointed by your apparent lack of interest in negotiating an agreement with them (Cascade)."

Meyers won't say what he is offering in Cascade Concessions' proposal, but a sticking point has been the union's insistence that health, pension and seniority protections workers had under their old contract be protected.

Not enough profits

The galleys went dark Jan. 1 after no one bid on the ferry concession. Sodexho, which had taken over a contract initially signed by Marriott Management Services, pulled out with four years to go on the 10-year deal, saying it wasn't making enough money. About 130 employees were given pink slips.

Contracts were put out to bid again, and Cascade was selected for the major routes.

"They scored higher than anyone else because they came in with energy and ideas about what they could accomplish," said Brian Volkert, business-development manager for the ferry system.

Meyers said he knew winning IBU's cooperation wouldn't be easy, but he denied assertions by the IBU that he's refusing to honor the Sodexho contract in terms of health, welfare, pension benefits and seniority.
 
Negotiations with Cascade Concessions have "totally broken down," said the IBU in a message to its workers. "They tried to bring us an offer with no benefits."

Meyers said that "two months after we were awarded the contract, this is our only holdup, the labor agreement. We're fully committed to having Sodexho employees as our work force. We've never indicated anything other than that. I have no problem working with union workers."

Still, Meyers said, Sodexho left because it wasn't making enough money and he doesn't want to get into the same bind.

If IBU accepts his proposal, or if the two sides agree to a compromise, Meyers said he should be able to have food on the ferries within a month. He plans to offer fresh salads and deli sandwiches, Ivar's clam chowder, pizzas, cookies, popcorn, beer and wine.

Volkert, with the ferry system, said issues separating the IBU and Sodexho include severance pay and whether Cascade could use part-time workers.

He realizes that the summer months are crucial and if an agreement isn't reached, Cascade has the option of backing out.

Vashon routes

Meanwhile, the contract for the Vashon-Southworth-Fauntleroy run has the union's blessing. Bill Dorn, with Sound Food Cafe, Bakery & Wine Bar on Vashon Island, said he hopes to have food onboard the ferries by Memorial Day weekend.

"We worked really hard building trust (with the union), and it worked," said Dorn, who said he will pay his workers about $16 an hour. His company has an agreement with the ferry system that if it doesn't make money it could pull out after Labor Day.

A possible sticking point is insurance, which is difficult because the company is so small. Volkert said insurance is possibly a "deal-killer" for Sound Food. The insurance would cover employees injured on the job and provide liability coverage.

Insurance is also an issue with another company, CDX, which has the food contract on the Mukilteo-Clinton route. That company has not reached an agreement with the IBU.

The only route that has no food vendor chosen is Port Townsend-Keystone, although Volkert said there are interested companies.

Even if food is restored on the routes, it's not clear that passengers will buy it, said Volkert.

"One of the business problems is getting the customers back," he said. "If a commuter developed a new habit, what will it take to get him to buy his coffee aboard, rather than bring it on?"

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com