Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Oct 21/05) - With replacement workers operating the Liard River ferry, six picketing crew members must hope for positive developments from any mediated bargaining session.

At deadline, union negotiators and representatives from contractor Rowe's Construction were trying to work out dates for new talks.

Strike captain Shaun Cli acknowledged that he and his co-workers took a calculated risk by forsaking their pay cheques and walking off the job on Oct. 12, as the ferry season was winding down. But he said they had to do it on principle as their wages hadn't risen in too long.

On Oct. 14, Rowe's found other workers willing to take their place.

Should winter pass without a negotiated resolution, Cli sounded less than optimistic.

"If that's the way it ends, it doesn't look good," he conceded. "Who knows if we're going to have a job to come back to... hopefully (the federally-appointed mediator) can get something accomplished. The contractor has just been side-stepping, side-stepping.

"They just don't seem to want to bargain."

As he stood on the picket line watching replacement workers shuttle vehicles across the river, Jean Francois Des Lauriers did not deny that Rowe's Construction had gained the upper hand.

"That's why we wanted anti-(replacement worker) legislation," said Des Lauriers, regional vice-president for the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

Jack Rowe, an owner of Rowe's Construction, didn't offer much solace if a settlement isn't reached before spring.

"We have to look long and hard as to whether we want to be involved with individuals who don't want to be involved in our organization," he said Tuesday.

Prior to trying to unionize, ferry workers had been receiving incremental pay raises - to at least match the cost the living - and a pension plan had been instituted, he said.

"I don't think there's a whole lot of people in Fort Simpson that get the same type of compensation as these fellas," Rowe said. "They're somewhere in that $50,000-$60,000 a year (range), and you're working six months of the year."

The union is essentially seeking benefits that a GNWT employee might have accrued over the past 20 years, according to Rowe. There's probably room for building those demands into future contracts but it would make the existing contract, which extends one more season, unfeasible, he maintained.

Des Lauriers countered that the union is demanding the industry standard.

As for some people perceiving his business in a bad light, Rowe said his company has sponsored many community groups and has made a long-term investment in Fort Simpson since 1984.

"At the end of the day, if we're not part of the ferry contract that's not the end of the world," said Rowe. "But we're still going to be part of the community."

The ferry is currently operating from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. instead of until midnight.

Brad Okrainec, a captain who went on strike, contended that Fort Simpson residents are being shortchanged by the reduced hours.

Bob Kelly, public affairs manager for the Department of Transportation, acknowledged that the GNWT is allowing flexibility within the contract. But he said Rowe's Construction will not be compensated for the hours when the ferry is down.