Guest Opinion: David Moseley Outlines Steps to Improve Ferry Operations

By WSDOT Ferries Division Assistant Secretary David Moseley

WSF has recently been the focus of criticism in the media, and I would like to address what has been going well and what we are doing to improve operations at the ferry system.  Thanks to our employees, WSF has an outstanding safety and reliability record. Our employees are the backbone of the organization: responsible for the safe passage of our 23 million customers each year, and keeping our aging fleet and terminals operational.  I am proud of what they do and I highly value their contribution to the system.

In my two plus years here, we have reduced consultant spending by $14.8M on the management side, but there is a lot more work to be done. Going forward, with the support of the Governor and the Secretary of Transportation, I am committed to:

• Work with the State Auditor’s Office to review payroll improvements made to date, and seek to identify further improvements in our ferries payroll and data system.
• Convene an independent five-member panel of public and private passenger-vessel industry leaders to review and assess the implementation of previous ferry audits and studies, assess Ferries Division operations and practices compared to other ferry systems, and recommend any best-practice changes.
• Eliminate travel time and mileage for future “special project” activities and recently required that approved special projects have a defined timeline with a deliverable product within that time;
• Eliminate the practice of some employees receiving both overtime pay and vacation pay if they were working during a scheduled vacation.
• Managers will have, as part of their personal performance appraisals, written expectations on the WSDOT management-union working relationship and the requirement that all interactions be handled with respect and impartiality;
• Management will develop overtime guidelines to significantly reduce overtime, unless it is essential for safe and effective operations;
• Initiate a more effective way for employees to expose unsafe, unethical or unwise practices.
• Produce a new quarterly “red flag” report for all WSF employees making more than their base pay, to ensure oversight on what led to the extra pay and how we can manage it through collective bargaining or through ferry manager approval of past and current pay practices;
• Immediately fill the vacant Deputy Director position with a person who has maritime experience.  This person will manage day-to-day operations of the ferry system (the largest in the nation), and oversee implementation of ferry employee contracts while ensuring management/union/employee relationships continue with respect;
• Immediately return to the practice of regular ferry management/union meetings to discuss ferry budget, operations and topics important to both to maintain good relationships.

As we work together to make this a stronger, better system, we want our customers, ferry served communities, and employees to know that they are valued.  During the coming months, you will continue to see WSF’s commitment to a streamlined, efficient and well-managed ferry system that meets the needs of ferry communities, and that serves the broader economic interests of our state.   I am firmly committed to see that it happens.