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Staff shortages lead to ‘unprecedented’ disruptions for Washington State Ferries

By JACQUELINE ALLISON @Jacqueline_SVH 10 hrs ago

FTA
ANACORTES — At the Anacortes Ferry Terminal on Saturday, the ferry M/V Samish sat at the dock. Though cars were lined up waiting to go to the San Juan Islands, the ferry did not sail.

The Samish, one of three vessels serving the Anacortes-San Juan Islands route, was taken out of service Saturday and Sunday due to the lack of a crew, leaving the route with just two boats.

Other ferry routes in the region were also operating with fewer vessels due to crew shortages, resulting in dozens of canceled sailings. On Friday, Washington State Ferries canceled 150 sailings.

“That is pretty unprecedented,” State Ferries spokesperson Ian Sterling said Friday evening.

A total of 28 workers called in sick Friday, which Sterling said is not unusual. He said the challenge is that the system has no “bench” of subs.

“There is no one to fill in,” he said.

In the ferry line Saturday, Spokane residents Jacob Gray and Lizzie Velonza had to wait an extra two hours to sail to Friday Harbor after the 2:40 p.m. sailing was canceled. The next was not until 4:30 p.m.

They learned of the cancellation just 15 minutes before they arrived.

“I had a lot of faith in the ferry system as someone who hasn’t been in the area,” Gray said.

Meanwhile, state legislators are sounding the alarm on the ferry service disruptions.

“Washington State Ferries... is in dire straits,” wrote 40th District Democratic legislators Sen. Liz Lovelett and Reps. Debra Lekanoff and Alex Ramel in a joint statement Tuesday.

For San Juan Islands residents, who rely on ferries to get on and off the islands, disruptions are more than just an inconvenience, the legislators argued.

“This is a matter of livelihoods and whether or not people can get to doctor’s appointments, commute to work, get food for their families, and access other essential travel,” the legislators said.

There are also impacts for mainlanders, such as Skagit County businesses that rely on ferries when they need to make deliveries to the islands.

Crew shortages

A combination of factors is driving the crew shortages, say officials and ferry employees.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it challenging for State Ferries to train new employees as it confronts an aging workforce. COVID-19 cases and quarantining requirements have also led to staffing shortages.

Now, the ferry system is faced with Gov. Jay Inslee’s Oct. 18 deadline for all workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Sterling said 87% of roughly 1,800 employees will be eligible to work come Oct. 18. He said the group includes those who have submitted their vaccination cards or have obtained exemptions. That leaves 13% of the workforce — about 230 employees — yet to be cleared to work.

Sterling said the state has started “the separation process” for those employees who have not yet submitted verification of vaccination. The hope is that more will continue to verify their vaccinations.

“We still have time before the 18th. We don’t know what the full impact will be and how many people will choose to leave state employment,” Sterling said.

To bring more employees on board, Sterling said State Ferries has switched from seasonal hiring to continuous hiring. It has hired more than 100 new crew members this year, the agency said in a Tweet on Friday.

Sterling said a “global shortage of mariners” is affecting other maritime operators, not just State Ferries.

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https://www.goskagit.com/news/local_news/staff-shortages-lead-to-unprecedented-disruptions-for-washington-state-ferries/article_b4831cb4-1820-5018-ba7f-225257ae80a8.html