Published: August 15th, 2009 07:12 PM
Last Modified: August 15th, 2009 07:12 PM
Last Modified: August 15th, 2009 07:12 PM
KODIAK -- A project that aims to collect labor data on Alaska's deckhands will be on the agenda when state lawmakers convene in January.
An estimated 20,000 deckhands work on Alaska fishing boats, but as self-employed workers, they don't provide typical wage and employment data to the state. That's left a whole work force largely unaccounted for in terms of its economic input and importance.
"The people who work as crew members on fishing boats are one of the only groups of laborers in Alaska that are not counted in some way by the state. It's high time this important sector of the industry gets credit for what they do," said Jan Conitz, director of the labor data project for the state Department of Fish and Game.
"All we know is that someone buys a........... http://www.adn.com/money/welch/story/899889.html