From the San Francisco Chronicle, Saturday, February 23, 2008

A Suisun City man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of falsifying documents and neglecting duty in connection with an incident in which a Hornblower ship rammed a San Francisco pier in 2006, court records show.

Shawn Keith Cox, 44, had a U.S. Coast Guard merchant mariner license that was issued in 1996 but had been altered to make it look as if it were issued in 2006, said the indictment handed down Thursday by a federal grand jury in San Francisco.

On Dec. 4, 2006, Cox "failed to maintain the proper attention required" to prevent the M/V California Hornblower, a vessel that can accommodate 1,000 guests, from ramming Pier 3 in San Francisco, the indictment said.

Four days after the accident, Cox made a false statement in a report to the Coast Guard about whether he possessed a license, the indictment said.

The author of the previous story, Amy Langfield, writes

Thanks for the link to my story about the new ferry service at Statue of Liberty. Though I'm curious as to why you're advocating a boycott of them. Is it because they're non-union?

Many thanks,

Amy

George S., a longtime bay area IBU member and maritime worker responds:

Yes. They took over the Alcatraz ferry contracts using non union labor. They won the contract making promises they couldn't possible keep.

They promised a Solar/Sail powered ferry by 2008! Not happening.

They were supposed to build a gateway destination--not happening.

They were forced to pay their non-union employees prevailing wages--their health benefits and retirement are lacking.

The previous company that had the Alcatraz contract (Blue and Gold) asked the National Park service if they could raise the rates to take passengers to Alcatraz. They were always turned down by the NPS because they would be gouging the public. As soon as Hornblower was granted the contract they were able to raise their rates substantially (something rotten here).

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