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STATEMENT OF JOHN BUKOSKEY, NORTHWEST INTERNATIONAL 

 REPRESENTATIVE, INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMEN'S AND 

 WAREHOUSEMEN'S UNION 



Mr. BuKOSKEY. Thank you for the opportunity to address you 

 today. I am John Bukoskey, Northwest International representa- 

 tive for the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's 

 Union. I am here representing the longshoremen, not only in the 

 State of Alaska but those in Washington and Oregon and that is all 

 of my region, some 4,000 members in my region that I represent, 

 along with — I was also asked to speak on behalf of the Inland Boat- 

 men's Union, which is an affiliated division of our union. 



We are responding, urging you to support the legislation pro- 

 posed by Senator Murkowski — I am having problems with the 

 name, I guess it is too similar to my own, and Senator Stevens, in 

 regard to the Tongass National Forest. We would like this opportu- 

 nity to point out that over the past four or five years the longshore- 

 men in southeast Alaska have experienced a major reduction in 

 work opportunities most directly related to the economy of the 

 State of Alaska. They have experienced between a $10,000 and 

 $20,000 a year reduction in their income over that period. 



In reviewing the proposed legislation by Senator Wirth, we feel 

 this would cut the income another 36 percent, considering that we 

 would endure a 36 percent reduction in the harvest of available 

 timber. This bill would dramatically effect our members by reduc- 

 ing their income to less than what is needed to provide a modest 

 income for themselves and their families. The longshoremen 

 throughout Alaska for the last four or five years have tried to earn 

 a living based on 800 to 1,000 hours. It is impossible for us to be- 

 lieve that any cutback in work opportunities would be of any bene- 

 fit to the longshoremen or their families; especially in the ports of 

 Ketchikan, Metlakatla, Klawock, Pelican, Sitka, Wrangell and 

 Juneau. 



It does not make any sense to those of us in the I.L.W.U. to sup- 

 port Senator Wirth's position to control and reduce the allowable 

 cut when approximately 40 to 60 percent of the timber that is 

 being harvested is literally rotting standing up. To support Senator 

 Murkowski and Senator Stevens' position to replace the forest with 

 healthier more productive trees does make sense. 



With the suggested 1.7 million acre increase in wilderness area, 

 to a total of 7.2 million acres; and to increase the amount of timber 

 that is literally dying or rotting standing up, would be a total loss 

 of a very valuable resource. It surely is not logical for the fact that 

 it is a marketable resource which also affects a lot of jobs through- 

 out the southeast portion of the State of Alaska. 



In closing we would venture to guess that there will never be 1.7 

 million people that would get the opportunity to use the additional 

 forest, this forest at the expense of the workers of the forest. 



[The prepared statement of Mr. Bukoskey follows:] 



