State ferries facing costly new staffing mandate
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SEATTLE -- A Problem Solvers investigation first exposed the ferries' staffing-related issues which have led to dozens of missed sailings in recent months.
KOMO News has now obtained a new certificate of inspection for the ferry Issaquah. The mandate adds two more crew members to the minimum staffing needed to operate the vessel regardless of the number of passengers on board.
The Issaquah is not the only boat that will be required to operate with more workers on board in case of emergency. The additional staff is being added, to insure there's enough trained people on board, in the event of an emergency. So how much might this mandate cost the state?
"Would be around $5 million per year," said state ferry director David Moseley.
The news is a blow to the ferry system, which is already draining money from other transportation accounts.
"I don't know how the governor's office will react to that in terms of transfers, higher fares or service reductions," said Moseley.
The ferry system's recent troubles have renewed the push for state lawmakers to find a dedicated funding plan for state ferries.
The ferry system has already proposed a reduced schedule; it has asked the Coast Guard to reduce staffing when carrying fewer passengers.
The Problem Solvers obtained a copy of the letter granting that request. For instance, the state will be able to reduce staffing by one when the Issaquah is carrying fewer than 300 passengers.
"We're pleased the Coast Guard does allow us in this letter and their COIs (certificates of inspection) forthcoming will speak to that," said Moseley.
And if for some reason they're staffed at a lower level and more people show up? Moseley said they will have to wait for the next ferry, just like vehicles do now, when the car deck fills up.
One thing the state asked for but didn't get, was extra time to add a licensed position from a previous manning edict. The Coast Guard denied that request. The unions had made it clear that they had qualified people to fill the slots now.
The ferry system's had a rough ride the past five months. A Problem Solvers investigation exposed the cancellation of dozens of runs due to staffing issues.
And now the state has formed a task force with management and labor to look for ways to avoid future cancellations. Moseley said there are no ill feelings.
"We had a disagreement. That disagreement's resolved," he said. "The Coast Guard's ruled. We will live with the Coast Guard's ruling."
State ferries has drained more than $1 billion from other state transportation accounts over the last 12 years.
KOMO News has now obtained a new certificate of inspection for the ferry Issaquah. The mandate adds two more crew members to the minimum staffing needed to operate the vessel regardless of the number of passengers on board.
The Issaquah is not the only boat that will be required to operate with more workers on board in case of emergency. The additional staff is being added, to insure there's enough trained people on board, in the event of an emergency. So how much might this mandate cost the state?
"Would be around $5 million per year," said state ferry director David Moseley.
The news is a blow to the ferry system, which is already draining money from other transportation accounts.
"I don't know how the governor's office will react to that in terms of transfers, higher fares or service reductions," said Moseley.
The ferry system's recent troubles have renewed the push for state lawmakers to find a dedicated funding plan for state ferries.
The ferry system has already proposed a reduced schedule; it has asked the Coast Guard to reduce staffing when carrying fewer passengers.
The Problem Solvers obtained a copy of the letter granting that request. For instance, the state will be able to reduce staffing by one when the Issaquah is carrying fewer than 300 passengers.
"We're pleased the Coast Guard does allow us in this letter and their COIs (certificates of inspection) forthcoming will speak to that," said Moseley.
And if for some reason they're staffed at a lower level and more people show up? Moseley said they will have to wait for the next ferry, just like vehicles do now, when the car deck fills up.
One thing the state asked for but didn't get, was extra time to add a licensed position from a previous manning edict. The Coast Guard denied that request. The unions had made it clear that they had qualified people to fill the slots now.
The ferry system's had a rough ride the past five months. A Problem Solvers investigation exposed the cancellation of dozens of runs due to staffing issues.
And now the state has formed a task force with management and labor to look for ways to avoid future cancellations. Moseley said there are no ill feelings.
"We had a disagreement. That disagreement's resolved," he said. "The Coast Guard's ruled. We will live with the Coast Guard's ruling."
State ferries has drained more than $1 billion from other state transportation accounts over the last 12 years.
You are all missing the point here, itâs a safety reason. As a sailor in the maritime industry I totally agree with the Coast Guards decision to have WSFâs add more staff. Yes it will cost us more, but do you like your safety? A little food for thoughtâ¦.right now they are at minimum manning for each boat in service (bigger ones I think have more crew), this is a huge safety issue and with it delayed sailings because of people getting sick, skipping work, etc. The USCG wants to have more people onboard for redundancy- incase of fire, man overboard, medical emergencies, potential sinking/abandon ship and to stop delayed sailings. These extra sailors are for your safety in case any of the above happens. What if there is a fire/explosion and it takes out three of the WSF deckhands; well the deck dept. had only four to begin with? Now you have a deck crew with only one able bodied man to fight the fire and help rescue any other injured people. Yes, there is other crew onboard, but they are probably understaffed too (Officers, engineers, etc.). Now, you have out of control fire aboard burning in the car decks and an undermanned crew to put it out and to potentially start evacuating passengers to life rafts/other vessels in the vicinity. And, upstairs in the wheelhouse you have a Captain wishing he had six deckhands.
guess it pays to kiss up to the Coast Guard
No one has mentioned how the ferry system started to really have financial problems AFTER Tim Eyman's I-695 passed. In their 51 years of service, no one has died on a state ferry, yet I always see idiots texting and driving and morons with their cellphone up to their ear while driving. This is a major reason why driving on the interstate is so dangerous, not just because the roads are crappy (and yes, a lot of them are). Yes, driving is a privilege, yet people constantly violate that privilege on a daily basis.Â
 @siegfriedphilip The legislature has had 12 years to deal with it. Why haven't they? Because they like to cry that the sky is falling and they could prop it up if only they had more revenue instead of prioritizing spending to cover core government services like transportation.
Maybe the WSF should have hired workers that are usually healthy and take care of themselves. Then there would not have been so many workers calling in sick. Or could it actually be that these poor ill folks are being told by their union to call in sick?Â
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Unions have no place in state government, It's bad enough that some agencies like DOT have incompetent upper-level managers. It makes things works when workers are controlled by union goons.
@Veteran you're right state workers don't deserve a decent wage. Keep overlooking the fact most are paid 20% below what their civilian counter parts make.
Without a dout, there are corrent financial issues with funding transprotation infastructure in this state. As I continue to read the articles and comments related to the ferry system, i get a sense that fery users feel somewhat "entitled" to their ferry service. By the looks of some comments, some appear to have that "entitlement" without regard to the actual costs that burdens the entire transportation budget. Ferry runs should be considered a "privilege", the same way the state considers driving to be a privilege to every licensed driver. People shouldn't feel that the state has an obligation to provide them ferry service when roads exist that can take them where they're going. I get the need for a ferry to islands not serviced by roads. But only as a means of egress and not as part of a commuter system. If you want the luxury of a ferry, then users should pay the entire costs. Seems simple enough. We have unsafe roads because of funding issues. I-5 & I-405 are currently very dangerious in their current state during even a light rain. On my way to work yesterday morning, I hit a patch of water on I-5 near the Snohomish county line that drifted my vehicle well onto the shoulder. Thankfully I was able to recover and get back on the highway without incident. I promptly had my tires rotated yesterday to have the better treads in front. Hopefully this will help in those situations. This morning I see a vehicle spin around and up against the barrier in the very same location. The state knows full well that the ruts in our highway system are so deep water is not running off and now the roads are just plain unsafe during wet weather. My point is that our heavly travled roads have very urgent safety issues not being addressed because of funding shortages and the state continues to dump massive amounts of scarce transportation dollars into the luxury of providing those that choose to live away from the city a boat ride across the sound when existing raods can take them there. Nobody has died because a ferry run was cancelled, but countless have died on our roads due to the states lack of fiscal management of our transportation budgets.Â
First allowing homeland security to dictate to the state transportation system is just plain stupid. They are the brown shirt equivalent within the obamination administration. The administration has acknowledged their debt to unions for forcing this âreelectionâ , and obummers willingness to pay them back for services rendered. This whole socialist jug f**k is sickening.Â
@oldster70 Um. The United States Coast Guard is not homeland security. Don't sully thier name by associating them with Hitlers Brown Shirts.
 @TheBronze The US Coast Guard was originally a part of the Treasury Department. It is now a part of Homeland Security.
How does 2 new crew members add up to 5 million a year?????? Â
 @DEC212012 It is two new POSITIONS that need to be filled. Allowing for different shifts, vacations, days off and such it might be as many as eight or ten new people and you need to add in the fringe benefits of paid vacation, sick leave, retirement, medical insurance, payroll taxes and other costs of employment.
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Still doesn't add up to $5 million dollars though.
 @DEC212012 2 new cremembers per boat.
 @political_i Nope, this is JUST for the Issaquah.
Time to allow the whole system to go private and become cost affective.
 @Windowseat You're probably too young to remember the Black Ball Ferry line, but they are why the state got into the business.
 @Windowseat http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jul/24/could-wsf-follow-the-course-that-bc-ferries/ You will pay more to ride the ferries, and still subsidize them.
Here's Glassman's solution:
â¢1 in 3 sailings will be passenger only. Fill the boat with walk-ons.
â¢All vehicles will pay what it costs to run the boat.
â¢No boat will sail with less than a full load.
â¢Any crewman missing a sailing will be penalized that month's pay.
â¢All crewmen will be assigned to boats within 1/2 hour of their home. NOBODY will be paid to commute.
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You want the luxury of living on the other side of a ferry run, bite the bullet and live with it. I don't pay taxes to support your life of luxury.
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This begs the question: The Washington State Ferries are part of the state highway system.
It is illegal to drink and drive.
WHY is it legal to buy a beer on a ferry?
@Glassman Huh. I don't pay taxes to support YOUR life of luxury either. I don't live near a major highway like 5, 405, 520, etc. and all the shopping centers they service. I don't use these roads. But I still pay taxes for them. Every time I fill my tank I pay for YOUR roads. And every time I ride the ferry, I pay for it as well.
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I DO live away from Seattle so I don't have to be around idiots like yourself who spew nonsense.
 @TheBronze  @Glassman Then YOU pay for your luxury, not ME. I didn't come to 405 or the mall, they came to me long after I moved to where I am. As for 520, I refuse to pay tolls, so I don't use that or Tacoma narrows or the ferries if I can avoid them, which is most of the time.Â
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@Glassman can we chop one of your fingers when you post your garbage. It's more thought out plan then the crap you posted.
 @Common Sense  @Glassman At least I am educated enough to be able to write correct grammar.
How about eliminating administrative positions?Â
The Coast Guard doesn't require all them to run the system. Maybe if they run it more like a business and less like a government, they wouldn't loose so much money.Â
I want David Moseley to explain why adding TWO positions, maybe eight to ten additional personnel, will cost five million dollars a year. I know that the ferry employees get paid pretty darn well and they have some very good benefits but this works out to between $500,000 to $625,000 per person employment costs.
The problem is this nanny liberal state wants everything but doesn't want to pay for it. They want to pay state workers turnips.
"State ferries has drained more than $1 billion from other state transportation accounts over the last 12 years."
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For those who can't do math, that's over $83 MILLION per year. I understand that those who live/work on the islands need reliable transportation to and from however that is crazy ridiculous. Something HAS to be done.
@Tattooed_Angel It is interesting how the ferry system DRAINS money form the state transportation coffers. How much money do the highways and infrastructure DRAIN from the same funds? This article is intended to pit non-ferry riders against ferry commuters, plain and simple.
 @TheBronze  @Tattooed_Angel How much have we spent on 'smart' highways and traffic control centers, not to mention those riding around to help stranded motorists. How much does it cost to manage the express lanes? How much does it cost for the 167 HOT lanes.
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Plenty. Highways are not much different that the Ferries.
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@TheBronze Actually I see it as more to let us know that the state thinks they need 5 million dollars to hire a few extra staff. Granted, you need the 2 extra staff per boat, but how much are we paying these people? 2- 3 hundred thousand each?????
 KOMO I believe should elaborate on that one little line because there are many things behind it.
@Tattooed_Angel The news media has failed to mention a few things in reguard to why this has happened. At least part of the problems are those caused in Olympia and poor judgement there.