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DOT: Alaska Marine Highway faces crew shortages and wage gap with competitors
Summary
DOT officials told senators the system is short on licensed officers and engineers, has a recruitment/retention gap versus competitors, and that wage adjustments will be considered in broader executive branch compensation work.
Craig Tornga, Marine Director for the Alaska Marine Highway System, told the subcommittee the system is “short” in licensed positions and faces a significant vacancy rate that affects service: “that’s really where we have the most pain right now” in mates and masters, Tornga said.
Tornga and Dom Pinone said AMHS currently operates with a reduced number of vessels and that ship availability directly influences which routes can run. Tornga said in recent months the system has typically had about four vessels in service and noted the department is bringing a seventh vessel back into rotation to improve coverage.
Committee members raised pay and bargaining questions. Tornga said department negotiators supplied wage‑comparison information to the executive branch negotiators and that the department has not been given direction to limit what bargaining units seek. “No, I have not, but I'm not at the negotiating table either,” Tornga said when asked whether he had been told to hold down increases.
Senator Dunbar pushed on the cause of staff shortages and whether constraints on bargaining authority were limiting the department’s ability to hire and retain licensed crew. DOT staff said the Department of Administration and Department of Law are involved in collective bargaining and that DOT has provided staffing and wage data to those offices.
Why it matters: DOT said licensed crew shortages constrain service and can prevent the department from restoring routes even when demand exists. Multiple senators warned that without pay adjustments the system risks losing more employees to competing employers, including Washington State Ferries and other operators.
Other clarifying points from the hearing: - DOT presented pay comparison charts showing AMHS wages trailing regional competitors; staff said closing that gap would aid recruitment and retention but that funding and bargaining authority affect outcomes. - DOT referenced union hiring halls (for example, the AMHS hiring hall) that have helped fill some gaps, but said shortages remain, particularly for licensed mariner positions and junior engineers. - Senators and DOT staff discussed cross‑gulf service: Tornga said cross‑gulf runs such as Haines–Whittier require a seventh vessel and sufficient crew; “that’s our challenge there still is being able to cruise 7 and do a cross Gulf,” he said.
No formal labor decisions were made in the subcommittee; senators asked DOT staff to continue providing wage data and evidence to negotiating offices and to the subcommittee when available.
