White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad ‘abolishes’ dozens of jobs

A White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad train in Skagway in 2017. (File photo by Emily Files/KHNS)
A White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad train in Skagway in 2017. (Emily Files/KHNS)

White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad sent a letter to 27 employees on Feb. 5 terminating their employment and “abolishing” their jobs. It’s the latest blow to Skagway’s tourism-dependent economy after the Canadian government announced cruise ships will not be welcome in its waters until 2022.

Many of the employees who were laid off had been with the tourist rail for decades, including Jackie Schaefer, a coach cleaner.

“I got a phone call that my job was gone,” she said. “I could reapply when jobs opened back up, but I would lose all my seniority and all my insurance and everything.”

Schaefer said she’s in a better position than most. Her husband is still employed by the railroad. She said she’s grateful the company paid her health benefits through the last year, but she’s not financially ready for retirement.

Skagway’s leisure sector lost 82% of its jobs between the summers of 2019 and 2020. Mayor Andrew Cremata said the news underscores how badly Skagway needs to find jobs for its residents.

“We’re going to have to figure out some really outside-of-the-box ways to survive as a community,” he said. “Not only do we have to try and figure out how we’re going to preserve jobs, we got to figure out how to generate some jobs.”

Cremata said he was concerned more job losses are to come.

The municipality will host a Town Hall meeting on Feb. 10 to plan for another season without cruise ships.

In its letter, White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad cited the economic impacts of the pandemic as a reason for terminating the jobs. The company did not immediately respond to KHNS’ inquiries.

KHNS - Haines

KHNS is our partner station in Haines. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

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