Bus mechanics, radio technicians and warehouse workers at Denali National Park went on strike Wednesday afternoon when negotiations with employer Doyon/Aramark didn’t result in better pay and benefits.

The 17 workers are responsible for the bus fleet maintenance and are organized under the union International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, (or IBEW) Local 1547. On Wednesday afternoon, they formed a picket line and demonstrated at the park entrance and at the visitor center.

The union’s business manager Larry Bell told KTNA that the workers joined the IBEW Local 1547 in October and negotiations with Doyon/Aramark started in January. Not going into details, Bell said the sticking points in negotiations are wage increases and coming up with a defined benefits package for the workers. He added that the parties are still communicating and that he hopes to reach a reasonable agreement soon.

Kris Fister,  spokeswoman with the National Park Service, said that the bus drivers are not affected by the strike and that the Park Service is not involved in the contractual issue between the bus mechanics and Doyon/Aramark Joint Venture, the park’s largest concessioner. Fister said that Doyon/Aramark has called in their corporate fleet mechanics and some other Alaska-based mechanics to continue bus maintenance while the workers are on strike.

Bus tours in the park continue uninterrupted as bus drivers are organized in a different union.

Story by Diana Haecker