(Juneau) - Licensed deck officers, state pilots and other marine personnel of the Alaska Marine Highway System are one step closer to a new contract under a bill passed Thursday by the Senate State Affairs Committee.

"The Alaska Marine Highway provides a critical transportation link not only to my district of Southeast Alaska, but between outlying coastal areas and the Interior of the state. The Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots play a vital role and I wanted to get the terms of this agreement approved by the Legislature as quickly as possible," said Sen. Bert Stedman (R-Sitka), sponsor of the bill and a member of the State Affairs Committee.

The bill approves the monetary terms of the States' recently concluded collective bargaining agreement with the Masters, Mates and Pilots (MMP). It now goes to the Senate Finance Committee, where it will likely be included in the Governor's supplemental appropriation bill, Senate Bill 314.

The union's contract with the state expired in July of last year and MMP has been operating without one. The contract will increase the State's per employee health care contribution to the MMP members by $75 per month. The new contract is retroactive to January 1. Because this is a new contract, the Legislature must approve the terms.

The International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots, Pacific Maritime Region, represents licensed deck officers, state pilots and other marine personnel employed by the Alaska Marine Highway System.

# # #