C. R. Hafling v. Inlandboatmen's Union

CONNOR, Justice. OPINION. The issue presented by this appeal is whether the Public Employment Relations Act (hereinafter PERA), AS 23.40.070 et. seq., applies to employees of the State Division of Marine Transportation. 1 We hold that it does. In 1962, AS 23.40.040 was enacted as part of Chapter 40 (Labor Organizations), Article 1 (Local Organizations and Ferry System Employees), authorizing the commissioner of public works to engage in collective bargaining with ferry system employees. 2 Pursuant to this authorization, the commissioner of public works and the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific (hereinafter IBU) have successfully reached collective bargaining agreements over the years. PERA was enacted in 1972, as Article 2 of Chapter 40, to give all public employees the right to organize and bargain collectively with their public employers. At the same time, the legislature repealed one section of Article 1, but left other provisions of Article 1, such as AS 23.40.040, intact. 3