WSF Weekly Report | Reviewing the history that brought us reduced service this week

||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||

A message from Steve

Monday was an extremely difficult day for WSF’s customers and my 2,200 colleagues who work every day – during the pandemic, winter storms, and summer heat – to safely transit our customers to their destinations. Before addressing that further, it is important to explain some of the history that brought us to where we are today.

Coming out of the pandemic, WSF faced an extreme crewing shortage. When I joined WSF in October 2021, we were struggling at times to put more than 10 or 12 vessels into service. As Operations Director, I was responsible for our captains, deck crews, and terminals, and one of our most serious challenges was a shortage of captains. We simply did not have enough people to fill the watches we needed. At the time, we estimated we would need to bring in approximately 115 new captains over the following five years just to rebuild our workforce and keep pace with retirements.

During the first collective bargaining negotiations after the pandemic, I supported efforts to increase captains’ pay. We were in a staffing crisis and needed to attract and retain licensed deck officers. One unintended consequence of the subsequent bargaining and arbitration outcomes was that captain pay increased while engineer pay did not, widening a gap between our licensed deck and engineering employees.

Since Governor Ferguson came into office, WSF management has been discussing this disparity with the Governor’s team and WSDOT leadership. We are aligned that the gap between licensed deck and engineering pay needs to be brought back within the range you would normally expect in the maritime industry. I have said many times over the past two years that my three biggest priorities are 1. Engineers’ pay, 2. Engineers’ pay, and 3. getting new boats. That has not changed. I want our engineers to know that we hear their concerns about pay. We agree the disparity needs to be addressed. We will continue working through the appropriate processes to find a solution, even though the state’s financial reality means we cannot resolve it as quickly as any of us would like.

Unfortunately, we are also facing an extremely difficult state financial situation. There simply was not funding available to address the disparity during the recent bargaining cycle. This is not unique to WSF. State employees across Washington, including people working in our hospitals, home healthcare, prisons, and many other essential services, are also facing the likelihood of two years without general wage increases.

I know a zero percent increase is a difficult outcome, particularly when other bargaining units have received different outcomes through interest arbitration. It is important to understand that these decisions are made by independent third-party arbitrators, not by WSF management or the state. Each bargaining unit’s arbitration is considered separately, and an award for one group does not determine the outcome for another. Nor should those differences be taken as a reflection of how much we value one group of employees over another.

I am also acutely aware that WSF has approximately 2,200 employees, all of whom are affected by the state’s financial challenges. Compensation matters to every employee and their family. Recognizing the legitimate concerns of our engineers does not diminish the value of anyone else’s work or the financial pressures facing every employee and their family. As leaders, we have a responsibility to advocate for fair compensation across the entire organization.

I understand why this is deeply frustrating to our engineers. We are committed to working with their union, MEBA, to address the disparity between licensed deck and engineering compensation, and we have made that position clear in every room we have been in over the past two years.

Monday’s disruption had an enormous impact on the people who depend on us. Thousands of people rely on our ferries every day to get to work, school, medical appointments, and their families. Whatever disagreements we have, our responsibility to those people remains. I am deeply sorry to everyone whose travel was disrupted.

Kitsap Color Classic on our Edmonds/Kingston route Sunday, Oct. 11

We’re expecting many bicyclists on our Edmonds/Kingston route on Sunday, Oct. 11, for the 32nd Annual Kitsap Color Classic. If you plan to drive onto the ferry, plan for delays and less space for vehicles, or think about taking a different route. Event participants should follow directions from our crew when boarding and leaving the ferry.

Most of the bicycle traffic will be on our 8:50, 9:35 and 10:20 a.m. sailings out of Edmonds, then Kingston departures in the afternoon.

Tell us about your ferry experience

Your experience matters. Whether you ride with us every day, every week or just a few times a year, we want to make sure your voice is heard. The Washington State Transportation Commission is seeking feedback through its latest Ferry Riders Opinion Group survey. It’s open through Sunday, Oct. 18. Your responses will help the commission understand what’s working well and where there are opportunities to improve ferry service. You can also join the Ferry Riders Opinion Group to take part in future surveys.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your experience. Hearing directly from the people who use our ferries helps us better understand what matters to our customers.

Sailing stats for week of Sept. 28 to Oct. 4

For the week of Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, we completed 96.4% of our 3,135 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 119 cancellations, 91 were due to crewing, 25 because of vessel-related issues, two for security-related issues and one due to other miscellaneous reasons.

For comparison, during a similar week last year (Sept. 29 to Oct. 5, 2025), we completed 98.2% of our 2,893 scheduled sailings. Of the 53 cancellations that week, 44 were because of vessel-related issues, four were for schedule resets (when a boat is so far behind schedule, we cancel a sailing to get it back on schedule, providing predictability for customers), two due to crewing, two because of terminal-related issues and one for other miscellaneous reasons.

Customer kudos

“Christina at the booth of Clinton ferry was outstanding! Friendly, courteous, knowledgeable, and exceptional! She and many other team members of WSDOT shine! Five stars.”

-Mukilteo/Clinton route customer