||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR BOB FERGUSON |||
OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson offered the following statement regarding disruptions today in Washington State Ferries service:
“As a regular rider on our state ferries, I know how important our ferry service is to Washingtonians. Restoring our ferry service has been one of my top priorities since taking office, and we’ve made significant progress on that front, due in large part to the efforts of our workers.
“I met this morning with local and national MEBA union leadership. They shared their perspective on challenges facing their membership. As always, my door remains open to discussing those issues, and I remain committed to improving staffing levels.
“That said, causing significant harm and inconvenience to the people of Washington state is not the way to address those issues. I was very direct in our meeting: My expectation is that every vessel on every route is fully operational no later than the first vessel sailing tomorrow morning.”
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“Using overtime volunteers to meet minimum safety requirements is irresponsible; indeed, it courts disaster,” the union said in a statement Monday afternoon. “Engineers, all of whom are already scheduled to work 84 hours per (seven-day) workweek, must inevitably confront exhaustion when asked to work the numbers of overtime hours required by the current stopgap system.” https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/10/05/commute-chaos-as-wa-ferries-cancels-dozens-of-runs-as-workers-out-sick/
Keep up the fight, We, the People, are WITH YOU. Thank you, Love you, Spirit Eagle.
Spilled Milk, Rotten Eggs and Burnt Toast… has about the same effect!