Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer tourist season, but it could pose a threat to one of San Francisco’s biggest attractions: boat tours to Alcatraz Island.
Boat tours of Alcatraz draw more than 1.5 million tourists to the island each year, but on Saturday morning, striking cruise ship workers picketed at Pier 33 in San Francisco, halting boat tours for four hours.
The union strike forced Alcatraz City Cruises to evacuate its ships until the strike was over.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors Chairman Aaron Peskin was there to voice support for union members who say management has not negotiated fairly and has allowed talks to drag on for a year and a half.
“This is a working man’s waterfront. It has been that way for 100 years, but it’s time for Alcatraz Cruises to stop stagnating,” he said.
But union president Robert Estrada said management has failed to deliver any concrete results and continues to drag out discussions without progress on key issues.
“We have been waiting for a response on the economic package for months and were told at the last meeting that we would get a response to our economic proposals,” he said.
The ship departed again for Alcatraz just after noon, but Estrada said a full strike was possible. The two sides are due to return to the negotiating table on June 4, by which time the union hopes management will reach an agreement.
“There are stakeholders that are directly involved with Alcatraz City Cruises and we expect that discussions are now taking place between those stakeholders and the people with the authority to carry this out,” he said.
Alcatraz Cruises passengers said they know it’s tough to make a living in the Bay Area and they hope management comes back with better pay and benefits.
“I think if they need it, they should probably get it, right?” Oakdale resident Dylan Hanson said.
“If they can’t live on the salary they’re making, it’s only natural that they’d ask for more,” said George Perez of Los Angeles.
A spokesperson for Alcatraz City Cruises released the following statement on Saturday:
“It is disappointing that the union would threaten our passengers, partners and local communities with potential disruptions to these services. Please be assured that there will be no impact on our operations.”
We remain committed to continuing to negotiate in good faith and are working diligently with the crew to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.”
