Workers at the Delta Western Fuel Terminal, the largest in the remote Alaskan port of Dutch Harbor, voted to unionize in April through the ILWU’s marine division, the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific (IBU).

Fuel for the “Deadliest Catch”

Located on the rugged and isolated Aleutian Islands, Dutch Harbor is America’s largest fishering port with a seafood fleet that’s become famous – thanks to the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” show. Most of the fishing vessels depend on the Delta Western’s fuel to run constantly during peak harvest seasons.

Celebrating the victory

“This is a huge victory for us,” said Delta Western employee Leo Dacio. “We are really excited that we stood up for our rights and our families as we built our strength to confront serious issues on the job together.”

“While it’s been a long time coming, I’m proud of my co-workers and me for using our power to win respect at work,” said Robin Marquez, another Delta Western employee. Dacio first contacted Dutch Harbor longshore Unit 223 leader Randall Baker and Alaska Longshore Division President Chuck Wendt about six months ago to discuss a possible organizing campaign. After some discussion, it became clear that workers organizing into the IBU would be the strongest approach.

Strategic benefits

Delta Western’s parent company is Saltchuk Resources Inc., which also owns both Foss Maritime— one of the IBU’s longest-standing and biggest signatory companies—and Cook Inlet Tug and Barge, another company where workers are currently organizing in Anchorage to form a union through the IBU.

“Helping Delta Western fuel workers organize will allow them to negotiate improvements, and it also makes strategic sense,” explained IBU President Alan Coté. Coté noted that IBU members were working the tugs and barges that delivered fuel to the terminal, so there was already a natural and direct connection with the Delta Western workers. Another important connection was with ILWU Longshore workers at Unit 223 who handle containers at Dutch Harbor.

The longshore workers provided encouragement and important support on picket lines during the bitter winter months. And the win at Delta Western may encourage workers at Cook Inlet Tug and Barge to stay strong as they take steps to organize their own union. Finally, the victory will help all IBU members who are employed by Foss, especially during the next contract negotiations. “Having more union members and greater union density at Foss is important,” said Coté.

The little town of Dutch Harbor now has three different groups of workers connected to the ILWU: the Delta Western workers, Harbormasters affiliated with the IBU, and the largest longshore local in Alaska.

Building the foundation

Leo, Robin and five other coworkers laid the foundation for a winning union campaign when the group decided to confront serious and persistent management abuse. All but one of eleven employees employed at the beginning of the campaign were Filipino-American – while almost all managers were white. The workers kept organizing despite constant threats of firing, unsafe conditions and substandard pay scales.

Alan Coté, Randall Baker, Chuck Wendt, International Organizer Jon Brier, and IBU Region 37 Business Agent Isagani Angeles met with workers throughout the campaign in various planning sessions and check-ins.

Adam Dalton, longtime IBU member in Southern California with experience leading strikes and union recognition campaigns, stepped up to coordinate daily campaign efforts on the ground in Dutch Harbor as an IBU Project Organizer.

Employer violations & worker strikes

Over the next six months, Delta Western workers filed federal charges against the company for violating labor laws and went on strike in February. The same thing happened again in March when the company committed more labor law violations. Company managers were targeting union supporters for harassment, removing access to critical safety equipment and threatening to deny eligibility for the company retirement plan.

Each “lightning strike” disrupted company fueling operations at critical times when a barge was present, costing the company serious daily losses while boosting workers’ sense of collective strength. Picket lines were bolstered with large numbers of Unit 223 and Filipino-American Society members, who stood in solidarity to ensure that the strikes maintained critical mass and high spirits.

Before managers could react, Delta Western workers were back working on the job each time, safely resuming operations while management scrambled to get control. The next time a fuel barge was scheduled to arrive in late March, frantic managers spent tens of thousands of dollars flying in extra personnel, only to see it wasted because no strike had occurred.

Decision to hold an NLRB election

Eventually, the group consulted with union leaders and decided it was time to switch gears from demanding voluntary recognition to filing for an election through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

“Any time we have a chance to win voluntary recognition for the union, we want to fight for it,” said Coté. “Sidestepping NLRB election rules – which are stacked against workers to benefit employers – is always the better way to go when you can do it. We realized about a month ago, however, that it was time to file for a vote. If any group of workers had the strength and unity to outlast management’s union-busting through the election process, it was these folks who had been through two strikes and multiple confrontations on the job.”

Resisting anti-union pressure

As expected, there was no shortage of management dirty tricks before the vote. The company tried to pass-off managers as workers in order to stack the vote. Then they said some workers should be classified as managers in order to exclude pro-union voters.

They recruited anti-union employees from Anchorage and hired them to work at Dutch Harbor. Their final effort involved flying corporate executives from Seattle to conduct weeks of “captive” audience meetings, in whichworkers were forced to listen to union busting messages on every shift.

“In spite of company attempts to scare us or buy us off from joining together, we believed in each other,” observed Eli Ashbeck, a Delta Western worker. “We decided it was time to speak with one voice for fair treatment for all employees.”

When the NLRB conducted the election with ballots written in English and Tagalog on April 10, a majority of employees voted to form a union.

“I’m inspired and thrilled by the courage, resolve and tenacity that our newest members have shown,” said Adam Dalton. “Delta Western workers have set an example for everyone who values fairness, respect and dignity on the job.”

Hope for the future

Delta Western employee Erwin Riodil noted that the victory’s significance goes beyond the fuel terminal itself. “I’m glad we could show our fellow Dutch Harbor residents that we care about securing decent lives for all our families—this is really a win for our community.”

“What a great feeling to know we will get on with sitting down as equals with management to bargain and decide on some fair rules for our workplace,” added Dacio. “We’re really looking forward to helping this company become a model employer for Unalaska and beyond.”

ILWU International Vice President (Mainland) Ray Familathe said, “This victory resulted from a joint effort by the Delta Western workers, International Organizing Department, Inlandboatmen’s Union, Alaska Longshore Division and community supporters in Dutch Harbor.”