Strike by Alaska ferry workers snarls travel plans

The first strike by Alaska ferry workers in over 40 years has snarled travel plans for thousands of people during the busy tourist and fishing season, leaving some stranded and catching the attention of a Democratic presidential candidate.

Members of the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific went on strike Wednesday after failing to reach agreement with the state on contract terms, bringing Alaska's ferry system to a halt.

State transportation Commissioner John MacKinnon said the department had canceled reservations for more than 3,000 travelers as of early Friday and refunded more than $1 million in fares.

Alaska Marine Highway System workers assemble next to the AMHS ferry Columbia for an Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific strike after failing to reach agreement on a contract with the state of Alaska, Wednesday, July 24, 2019, in Ketchikan, Alaska. (Dustin SafranekKetchikan Daily News via AP)

About 225 passengers and about 90 vehicles had been stranded in ports that aren't their final destination, he said. He noted this is a peak travel time and that other options, including barges for vehicles and planes, have limited space.

A tweet Friday from former Vice President Joe Biden, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president, calls on Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy to immediately restore full funding to the system, which lawmakers this year cut by more than $40 million. The cut was seen by some as a compromise with the Dunleavy administration, which initially proposed a deeper cut and has said it wants to find ways to reduce the cost of the system to the state.

State funds and fares are key components of the system's budget, and July, August and September are important revenue months, MacKinnon said.

Alaska Marine Highway System sewards Jeff Chapman, right, and Jay Beasley picket Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific after failing to reach agreement on a contract with the state of Alaska, Wednesday, July 24, 2019, in Ketchikan, Alaska. (Dustin SafranekKetchikan Daily News via AP)

The ferries, an important transportation link for many small communities not connected to Alaska's road system, run along 3,500 miles of coast from Bellingham, Washington, through southeast Alaska and the Gulf of Alaska to the Aleutian island chain. Some communities are only accessible by air or water, and even those options can be limited.

Residents of some southeast Alaska communities put their vehicles on a ferry to Juneau, a larger city of around 30,000 people, so they can load up on supplies at places like Costco. Some fish processors use ferries to transport refrigerator vans, MacKinnon said.

The last strike by ferry workers occurred in 1977 and lasted 20 days, said Meadow Bailey, communications director for the transportation department.

Alaska Marine Highway System workers strike with the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific after failing to reach agreement on a contract with the state of Alaska, Wednesday, July 24, 2019, in Ketchikan, Alaska. (Dustin SafranekKetchikan Daily News via AP)

By email, she said the department is letting stranded passengers in Ketchikan with no other lodging options stay on board an idled ferry that had been bound for Bellingham until they can make alternate arrangements. It wasn't immediately clear how many travelers had accepted that offer, which includes access to beds and showers.

Earlier this week, MacKinnon questioned the timing of the strike, coinciding with the Southeast Alaska State Fair. "We're disappointed that they chose this time to do it," he said. "I think there was probably some calculation behind that."

The union says the dispute goes back nearly three years and cites health care, pay and cuts in ferry service as sticking points. Robb Arnold, a union spokesman, said workers are frustrated by a lack of communication on what the cuts could mean for them.

State Administration Commissioner Kelly Tshibaka has called the strike unlawful and called on the union to meet with the state and a federal mediator.

The state said starting Aug. 1, striking employees will be responsible for paying their health insurance premiums.

Patti Mackey, president and CEO of the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, called the strike a big deal. Many in her community work on ferries or they know someone who does, Mackey said. Ketchikan gets several thousand visitors a year who come by ferry, some with RVs, she said.

State Sen. Jesse Kiehl, a Juneau Democrat, called the ferries essential infrastructure. He said it's important for the two sides to resume talks and try to reach a resolution.

"There are people stuck and businesses hurting, and there's already economic damage happening," he said. "Anyone who thinks that this is painless and someone else is filling the void has not yet seen the whole picture."

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s parliament on Tuesday approved a measure that criminalizes a broad range of activities that can hinder navigation and commerce in the South American country, such as the seizure of oil tankers.

The bill — introduced, debated and approved within two days in the National Assembly — follows this month's seizures by U.S. forces of two tankers carrying Venezuelan oil in international waters. The seizures are the latest strategy in U.S. President Donald Trump's four-month pressure campaign on Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro.

The tankers are part of what the Trump administration has said is a fleet Venezuela uses to evade U.S. economic sanctions.

The unicameral assembly, which is controlled by Venezuela's ruling party, did not publish drafts on Tuesday nor the final version of the measure. But as read on the floor, the bill calls for fines and prison sentences of up to 20 years for anyone who promotes, requests, supports, finances or participates in “acts of piracy, blockades or other international illegal acts” against commercial entities operating with the South American country.

Venezuela's political opposition, including Nobel Peace laureate María Corina Machado, has expressed support for Trump's Venezuela policy, including the seizure of tankers. Machado and Trump have both repeatedly said that Maduro's days in power are numbered.

The bill, which now awaits Maduro’s signature, also instructs the executive branch to come up with “incentives and mechanisms for economic, commercial and other protections” for national or foreign entities doing business with Venezuela in the event of piracy activities, a maritime blockade or other unlawful acts.

The U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday seized a Panama-flagged vessel called Centuries that officials said was part of the fleet moving sanctioned cargo. With assistance from the U.S. Navy, it seized a rogue tanker called Skipper on Dec. 10. That ship was registered in Panama.

Trump, after that first seizure, said the U.S. would carry out a “blockade” of Venezuela. He later demanded that Venezuela return assets that it seized from U.S. oil companies years ago, justifying anew his announcement of the blockade against sanctioned oil tankers traveling to or from the South American country.

At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council called by Venezuela, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz on Tuesday stressed that sanctioned oil tankers “operate as the primary economic lifeline for Maduro and his illegitimate regime.”

“Maduro’s ability to sell Venezuela’s oil enables his fraudulent claim to power and his narco-terrorist activities,” Waltz said. “The United States will impose and enforce sanctions to the maximum extent to deprive Maduro of the resources he uses to fund Cartel de los Soles.”

Maduro was indicted in 2020 on narcoterrorism charges in the U.S. and accused of leading the Cartel de los Soles, which the Trump administration designated as a foreign terrorist organization last month. But the entity is not a cartel per se.

Venezuelans began using the term Cartel de los Soles in the 1990s to refer to high-ranking military officers who had grown rich from drug-running. As corruption expanded nationwide, its use loosely expanded to police and government officials as well as activities like illegal mining and fuel trafficking.

At Tuesday's meeting, Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada accused the U.S. of acting “outside international law” and its own domestic laws, by demanding that Venezuelans vacate the country and hand it over to the Trump administration, including all its oil fields.

“What right does the United States government have to appropriate, to date, almost 4 million barrels of Venezuelan oil?” Moncada asked, referring to the cargo of the two seized tankers. “This alleged naval blockade is essentially a military act aimed at laying siege to the Venezuelan nation, degrading its economic and military apparatus, weakening its social and political cohesion, and causing internal chaos to facilitate aggression by external forces.”

Many countries expressed concern about violations of international maritime law and adhering to the United Nations Charter, which requires all 193 member nations to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every other country. The United States’ actions were supported by a few countries, including Panama and Argentina.

Associated Press writer Edith Lederer in New York contributed to this report.

Lawmaker Giuseppe Alessandrello gives a speech during an extraordinary session at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Evana, an oil tanker, is docked at El Palito port in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)