Staff shortages force more ferry cancellations
MUKILTEO, Wash. -- Just as the busy holiday season is getting underway, four more ferry runs were cancelled Monday morning due to staff shortages.
When a ferry gets canceled, as it did Monday morning in Mukilteo, it's as if one of the freeways shut down for an hour or so.
"You can miss appointments and stuff, but they're usually right on time," said ferry passenger Patto Carroll.
Officials say the cancellations were due to a crewman calling in sick. Ferry dispatchers then failed to properly dispatch a ready replacement, leaving vessels one crewman short.
Cancelled were the 5:10 a.m. and 6 a.m. sailings from Clinton, as well as the 5:35 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. runs from Mukilteo.
There have already been dozens of ferry cancellations this year, compared to only a handful last year.
The national president of the Inland Boatman's Union, Alan Cote, insists his workers aren't calling in sick as part of some labor protest.
"We've also informed our members to re-double our efforts to make sure they come to work on time," Cote said.
When a ferry is cancelled, there's a cascading effect. Thousands of workers throughout the Seattle area are late for work, and entire work site projects can slow or stop.
Monday also marked the first day of reduced runs to Bremerton because the king size ferry Walla Walla was damaged by a recent engine fire. The Edmonds-Kingston is also running with smaller vessels.
"Over the next few weeks, with the holidays, you maybe have to plan on being there an hour or two ahead. And if it gets canceled, then you're really gonna have a problem," said Mukilteo passenger Cale Ryder.
Union representatives will meet with ferry management on Wednesday to try to keep the staffing shortages from happening again.
When a ferry gets canceled, as it did Monday morning in Mukilteo, it's as if one of the freeways shut down for an hour or so.
"You can miss appointments and stuff, but they're usually right on time," said ferry passenger Patto Carroll.
Officials say the cancellations were due to a crewman calling in sick. Ferry dispatchers then failed to properly dispatch a ready replacement, leaving vessels one crewman short.
Cancelled were the 5:10 a.m. and 6 a.m. sailings from Clinton, as well as the 5:35 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. runs from Mukilteo.
There have already been dozens of ferry cancellations this year, compared to only a handful last year.
The national president of the Inland Boatman's Union, Alan Cote, insists his workers aren't calling in sick as part of some labor protest.
"We've also informed our members to re-double our efforts to make sure they come to work on time," Cote said.
When a ferry is cancelled, there's a cascading effect. Thousands of workers throughout the Seattle area are late for work, and entire work site projects can slow or stop.
Monday also marked the first day of reduced runs to Bremerton because the king size ferry Walla Walla was damaged by a recent engine fire. The Edmonds-Kingston is also running with smaller vessels.
"Over the next few weeks, with the holidays, you maybe have to plan on being there an hour or two ahead. And if it gets canceled, then you're really gonna have a problem," said Mukilteo passenger Cale Ryder.
Union representatives will meet with ferry management on Wednesday to try to keep the staffing shortages from happening again.
it is insane that one person calling in "sick" would shut down the whole run. i realize what the coast gaurd requires, but come on, in reality its just one less person directing cars and tying off the big ropes at arrival.
Okay, why not have an on call person?? Require workers to call in at least an hour or more before their shift so then they can contact the on call person to fill in. Works at hospitals for nurses. If that isn't the solution fire them all and hire new people.
Too many people depend on the ferry system for just a simple "re-double our efforts to make sure they come to work on time," This seems to be a failure all the way around. Perhaps you should do what we do here in the military for duty-put people on stand-by mode. Have someone switch week-to-week to be on-call when someone calls in. They have to stay within a certain mile radius, so if we are needed, we can get to work within a half hour. We do that here in case someone has an emergency or gets sick and cannot stand duty. How odd-it works. Hmm. And we have hundreds of people counting on us. I live on an island and do not appreciate the lack of care or concern to address this ongoing issue coming from the workers, union or management. Yet you want to raise rates (again)People rely on the ferries. Terrible job or not, it's a job, people are relying on you to do it, and do it well. Get it together.
Fire the union hacks.
If people don't want to work fire them!
 @Harry reems Have you EVER worked a job where you were expected to be available on a moments notice 24/7/365? Do you think that no one should have scheduled days off or a regular shift? Isn't that the definition of slavery?
 @Furd Crybabys shouldn't have jobs!
@Furd Scheduled days off are very much different to people calling out sick or for "mental health days", especially when hundreds of people are relying on you, and the other hundreds relying on passengers who are now late themselves.
@Furd @Harry reems Yes I have worked jobs that require a part of the work force to be "ready 24/7/365". The problem with the ferry system is they call the worker with the most seniority not the one that is closeset qnd can get the boat running without delays. This union and it's rules are the one to blaim.
@Furd  Don't like it. Then QUIT. Work elsewhere. Let someone else do the job.
Fail.
I feel bad for the people that depend on the ferry system to get to work everyday. Management better get it together.
Poor management skills. These are terrible jobs where you don't know till you get the phone call whether you work that day. Time for someone to take over the head of the ferries thats capable of writing a schedule.
People get sick, especially this time of year. The problem is one of management and regulation and money and it needs to get fixed now.
"The national president of the Inland Boatman's Union, Alan Cote, insists his workers aren't calling in sick as part of some labor protest. "We've also informed our members to re-double our efforts to make sure they come to work on time," Cote said." ha ha ha ha, that's rich!
yep, pretty silly. i think in an article a couple months ago, they assured everyone they were suggesting that people get alarm clocks so they'd be on time.
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awesome union leadership!
Hey, guess what? HIRE ME!! I'm unemployed and have been for awhile. I'd LOVE to have all these benefits, and a union. But mostly I'd have a job, a paycheck, money to spend as I want to (I need some winter boots, a few things of personal items I haven't been able to buy for awhile). HIRE ME!! Seriously. I'd be to work on time, heck I love to be at work EARLY to make sure I am there.
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HIRE MEEEEEE! (This isn't a joke. Ask me friends and family). I'd be so grateful that if I felt like I was going to be sick, I'd bring Dayquil and items like that to make sure I was at work.
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HIRE ME!! (this wouldn't happen if I was at work).
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Thanks.
 @Grey Wolfe Do you have Coast Guard issued seaman's documentation? Deck or engine? Qualifications? Sea time? Able to pass Homeland Security background check? If yes, then the Ferries are hiring.
@Furd One would think if they need workers this badly they would offer a OJT Training position to get the certification required.
 @SilverGryphon Unfortunately, they can't. A person first needs to pass the background check from Homeland Security to get the credentials to even work on the waterfront. Then the only jobs that can be filled without a CG certification are ordinary seaman and wiper; anything else requires a minimum of six months of "sea duty" before the person can even sit for the qualifying examination. Even the background check can take a minimum of six weeks or more.
Are the ferry workers really that incompetent? This is a good place for Governor Inslee to show us how he is going to clean up government waste.
The ones I consider incompetent are management. There should always be a contingency plan in place in the event that people call in sick or are unable to make it.Â
 @MidnightRambler I would prefer that the sick person stay home than come to work and potentially make everyone else around them sick. Not just their fellow crewmen but people using the ferries as well.Â
@PrairieDawn @MidnightRambler How does one person calling in sick, cancel four ferry runs? The Boeing assembly line does not shutdown when one person calls in sick.
According to the last Coastguard report they have cut it past the bone and are under staffed on most of the large boat runs. Now that's good management and saves money, never mind the lost revenuesfrom the cancled run.
 @MidnightRambler  @PrairieDawn I'd imagine that WSF has cut staffing to the bone, so that they have only the minimum required crew for each shift, and a shortage of motivated off-duty workers to cover any gaps on short notice. Â
 @MidnightRambler If a person is sick does that make them incompetent?
Screw the unions, and screw these losers that can't show up for work. Get rid of ALL of them, re staff the ferry system with some of the THOUSANDS of people in this state that are desperate for work, and would be THANKFUL to have a job right now. It IS Thanksgiving after all, let's give jobs to those who will be TRULY thankful, and get rid of the "I care about no one but ME ME ME" idiots that are in these coveted positions right now. Make the holidays BRIGHT for some deserving people, and teach a lesson to some IDIOTS. All in favor say "Aye".....
 @Wolfen What part about needing Coast Guard certification/licensing do you not understand?
@Furd @Wolfen Its deeper than that. The country has been in recession for years. Plenty of time to train up workers....
These guys know they can get away with calling in sick, or showing up late to work. The union won't do anything to them.
<sigh> Â More fun with unions.... I'm having a real hard time understanding why a ferry can't run -1 guy! Â Really!!??
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Someone needs to have a "come to Jesus" conversation with the unions and get these issues fixed immediately.
 MidnightRambler, I don't work for the ferry system and I never have. I don't know all the contract provisions but I assume that there IS a "contingency plan" and that plan is to call other workers with the required credentials to attempt to man the boats. Of course you cannot have a Master (captain) or other deckhand substitute for the Engineer or other engine room personnel or vice versa UNLESS the person is dual qualified which is not likely. This is according to Coast Guard rules and regulations, NOT "union" rules or contracts.
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MargeGunderson, as I stated I do not know the contract provisions but I think it is a pretty common union (any labor union) provision that when management calls in a worker that worker is guaranteed a certain number of hours of pay for that call-in.
 @JoeKing2 Because the STATE in their infinite wisdom (sarcasm) has reduced the crew to the absolute bare minimum required by the US Coast Guard for passenger-carrying ferry vessels. One crew person can't make the boat, for whatever reason (or excuse), and the boat cannot legally leave the dock.
 @Furd  @JoeKing2 So what about the other workers scheduled on the now-canceled ferry runs? Do they still get paid? What if someone wasn't scheduled, got called in then management couldn't find a second substitute they needed?
Would that person who drove to the required dock as requested get paid even if management has to say, whoops, never mind, we still can't do the run?Â
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Much as I think unions can cause problems, I would have to support anyone getting paid who showed up as scheduled I would really resent getting docked (no pun intended) if I did my part.Â
@Furd And maybe the state could afford to have people on standby if the unions weren't bleeding the budget dry.
@Furd @JoeKing2Â You would think the ferry system would have contigency plans if one person is unavailable to work. Not cancel runs. They make themselves look really bad.
Why do the cancellations seem to be mostly on the Clinton/Mukilteo run?
More Ferry bashing. Good job.
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We should just get rid of all public transportation. Those that use the system should pay for it.
Why should the general public be forced to subsidize a system they don't use?
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@bobalouie Why do my taxes help to pay for roads in other parts of the state that I never drive on?
@bobalouie Following that logic, why should people who don't have kids in public schools be forced to pay taxes to support those schools? Why should people who don't drive on the freeways be forced to pay taxes that support those roads? If I don't visit national parks, why should my taxes go to support those parks?
 @bobalouie This isn't a ferry-bashing article.  They're simply reporting on the fact that if only 1 guy doesn't show up, everything comes to a standstill.  Either they need to bump up the staffing levels so that they've always got an extra guy or they need to develop a better system for handling these situations so that travelers don't get stuck.
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As a general rule, I'm in agreement with you that those who use a service should be the ones funding it.  If it can't stand on its own proverbial two feet, flush it.  With regard to Ferries - it would likely be cost prohibitive for people to use them were they forced to be financially solvent independent of any outside revenues.  Within reason, I don't mind seeing  them subsidized a little.
Get the ferry's working or roll some heads in both management and the union workers. People have the right to expect they will get where they need without this bull. I'm sure all of these people could be replaced with people that served in the Coast Guard or the Navy that need a job.Â
 @swan  Yes, once they get licensed by the Coast Guard.  Which is not a easy or quick process.
 @swan  WT_.   This was a reply to an earlier post.
Where did I get the right to go somewhere at someone elses expense?
The State, the Gov - whoever, better get with it! The state of this ferry system is deplorable.
dude, these ferry workers are made of lace and feathers or what? give me a break. these guys are messing around - hmm, i wonder if the employees' weekend starts tomarrow, get in that extra day off for the holidays? why yes, thank you!
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awesome that the union mouthpiece assures everyone that they are trying to make sure workers show up on time.....
 @SwampThing Prove it!
So much for our esteemed governor demanding answers.
 @wysoumible The Coast Guard has stated that staffing is too low.
 @wysoumible She got the answers, raise the staffing of the boats above the minimum requirements as set by the US Coast Guard.