I still say that one of the reasons Boeing flew the coop to Chicago was that it was sick and tired of negotiating with surly and disrespectful union bosses. Every time there was a contract on the table, it seemed, the negotiators for the union were shooting their mouths off to the media about what they would or would not accept.

It just didn’t seem to get through to them that while, true, Boeing couldn’t build its airplanes without its employees, and those employees wouldn’t have those well-paying jobs without the managerial abilities of their employers. Showing a little courtesy and respect would have gone a long way toward settling their frequent differences sooner.

And you can blame the attitude of the Inlandboatmen’s Union when you board a Washington State ferry after the turn of the year and find the hot food galleys closed. Longtime concessionaire Sodexho informed WSF months ago that when its contract ran out Oct. 17, it would not seek a renewal. Considering wages it had to pay and decreased ridership, it wasn’t worth it.

WSF persuaded Sodexho to hang in there until the end of the year, and put out a request for bids for a new concessionaire to take over as of Jan. 1, but not as the IBU, which represents the current crew of about 150 Sodexho ferry workers, had demanded.

“From the very beginning, “ said WSF’s Pat Patterson, “The Inlandboatmen’s Union wanted a clause in the call for bids that the new concessionaire’s workers had to be represented by the IBU. We did not want to do that. We deal with 13 unions and eight bargaining units and they could be represented by any one of them or a food service workers’ union. This isn’t about being in a union, it’s whether we should be saying it has to be this union. We didn’t think that was our place.”

WSF also wanted to take a new approach to concession services by having a variety of vendors instead of one over-all concessionaire. But when it failed to put the IBU membership requirement in its request for bids, national IBU president Dave Freiboth came unglued. “We are outraged,” he said, “truly upset.” They expected the current employees to be hired by the new concessionaire, “because they’re qualified, and if they don’t, things could get ugly.”

If they’re qualified, they’ll probably get hired, soothed WSF.

Anyway, the call for bids went out in seven segments, four of which were responded to, fast food at Pier 52, cold beverage vending, hot beverage and snack vending, and games. No bids were received for on-board or on-shore food service; news, books and convenience stores. Prospective bidders queried as to why they didn’t follow through, said they didn’t like the length of the contract, 10 years, and they were nervous about the union issue. I mean, would you like being warned by the union boss that if you didn’t take on the former concessionaire’s employees and his union that “things could get ugly?” Or his statement that the new company will definitely hire at least some of the old work force, and then IBU expects to sit down and hammer out a new contract with the new company?

WSF repackaged the three leftover segments in the face of accusations by the IBU that they were union busting and trying to replace people with vending machines and put them out for bid again, asking for letters of intent back by Jan. 9. An unfair labor practice complaint has been filed, claiming ferry food workers are quasi-state employees, which WSF says they are not. The current ones are employees of Sodexho, and WSF has no intention of making them or their successors state employees as per the IBU request. “We haven’t got the money,” said Mrs. Patterson, “ and the people don’t want to see government grow.” As of Jan. 1, food and drink will be via vending machine but no galley hot food.

WSF is flexible to all suggestions on how to restore the galleys, shorter contract, smaller state cut, etc. but don’t expect to see them reopen before next spring. Thanks, IBU.

(Adele Ferguson can be reached at P. O. Box 69, Hansville, WA., 98340.).