||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES |||
As we approach the busiest season for Washington State Ferries, there is hope on the horizon that workforce shortages driving years of reduced and unreliable ferry service will be addressed. Gov. Bob Ferguson named fixing our ferry system a top priority during his campaign. Once elected, he created a task force to identify key challenges and solutions to improve WSF service and reliability. Resolving employee compensation issues was a top task force recommendation.
The Legislature took action this past session by passing House Bill 1264, an important first step toward addressing uncompetitive wages that are making it difficult for WSF to attract and retain experienced mariners. The bill, signed into law by Gov. Ferguson, modernizes the state salary survey process by expanding the comparator set to include regional and national shipping and ferry markets, ensuring an accurate and objective analysis is conducted by a neutral third-party firm. It builds on proven policy solutions that have successfully addressed workforce challenges in other state agencies, such as the Washington State Patrol.
The No. 1 driver of canceled sailings is a shortage of U.S. Coast Guard-credentialed engine room crew members. When we are short on crew, Coast Guard regulations require WSF boats to tie up at the dock and not sail. Canceled sailings have a serious and harmful impact on ferry-dependent communities and businesses. Washington State Ferries are a symbol of our state, supporting our regional economy, tourism and generating millions of dollars in revenue. But over the last 20 years, a serious and worsening shortage of skilled marine engineers, those who work below deck in the engine room and are invisible to the ferry-riding public, has hobbled the system. As a temporary fix, WSF relies heavily on employees working overtime, resulting in employee burnout. Without a full crew of engineers, ferries cannot operate, and our vessels cannot be maintained or repaired.
Not long ago, WSF was one of Washington’s crown jewels and one of the best-paying ferry systems in the country. But WSF wages haven’t kept up with the market. As a result, skilled mariners are choosing private-sector shipping companies or other ferry systems. Compounding the problem was the state’s reliance during contract negotiations on a flawed market salary survey, using inaccurate data and inept methodology, which failed to capture the true market for maritime professionals. This has led to operational disruptions, canceled sailings and hardship for ferry-dependent communities and businesses.
Last summer we reached crisis-level service interruptions. Ferry communities and ferry crew members voiced our concerns. Our state lawmakers listened. In addition to improvements to the salary survey, other changes made, such as promoting entry-level wipers to oilers and oilers to assistant engineers, will help avoid the extreme short staffing that caused thousands of ferry cancellations. At the same time, however, we are headed toward a retirement cliff where nearly half of our most senior engineers will be eligible to retire by 2027, and it will take years to promote and recruit enough experienced engine room crew.
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Yes, there is certainly work left to do, as the title of this op ed implies, but it is not limited to the ferry crews working below deck. What about the ferry terminal workers on the San Juan Islands — especially Orcas Island — whose wages and benefits fall FAR below those of comparable WSF terminal workers on the mainland? See my recent Orcasonian articles on this subject.