||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||
Several routes may experience sailing delays or cancellations Tuesday, Aug. 4, due to crew availability and vessel repairs.
Impacts may vary throughout the day, and scheduled service will operate whenever possible. We will send route specific information as soon as impacts are confirmed. If you are traveling Tuesday, please check for updates before travelling for the latest information.
We’re doing everything we can to keep vessels crewed and running, and if we can’t, we’re trying our hardest to adjust service so customers can get to their destination. We apologize for the uncertainty and appreciate your patience as we work to maintain as much scheduled service as possible.
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Summer is in its last month and ferry crews are getting their vacation time which they are required to schedule annually so as not to cause significant ferry staffing issues.
Ferry crew personnel cannot strike by Washington State law.
But it’s union negotiation time, and isn’t it a remarkable coincidence that ferry crewing shortages increase significantly when ferry labor contracts negotiations get underway?
Of course ferry management can’t say anything specific about this repetitive labor negotiation phenomenon because they need to keep the good relationships with all their labor partners.
I might be wrong … possible they might have had an event and eaten contaminated lettuce. But when I overhear ferry crew members talk amongst themselves on whether they are sailing tomorrow or not., that’s suspicious.
Vessel shortages shouldn’t be a significant issue since they are still running fewer ferries than the in summers past. That said, there are marine vessels, and unexpected maintenance issues are a given.
It seems that today (August 4) we must use Vessel Watch to know which ferries are operating and how delayed each is:
https://wsdot.com/ferries/vesselwatch/default.aspx
The ferry alert website has not been updated since 4:33 AM and it is now 12:14 PM.
This is unusual.