In a bid to bolster the workforce and enhance ferry services in the Puget Sound, Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson has put pen to paper on a key piece of legislation. Substitute House Bill 1264, advocated for by Rep. Jake Fey (D-Tacoma), targets the recruitment and retention of skilled mariners by aligning their compensation with prevailing standards in the maritime industry. Washington House Democrats report that this move seeks to foster a more reliable ferry system, which is often hampered by crew shortages rather than mechanical issues.
The legislation mandates the Office of Financial Management to join forces with a recognized firm for comprehensive salary surveys. These surveys will stack the wages, benefits, and working conditions of ferry workers against equivalent roles on the West Coast and beyond. "Ferry cancellations are too often the result of crew shortages, not mechanical failures," Rep. Fey explained, emphasizing the necessity of fair pay for the mariners. According to the Washington House Democrats, the insights from these studies will lay the groundwork for collective bargaining and interest arbitration.
Staffing woes aren't new for Washington State Ferries (WSF), which operates the largest ferry fleet in the U.S. High-skilled positions like engine room operators and terminal workers have seen notable deficits, sparking delays and public displeasure. The new legislation aims to provide a remedy by ensuring salary comparisons for WSF jobs are drawn with genuinely comparable public and private sector positions. It also insists on ferry worker unions being given a voice in the process.
Modeled after strategies that effectively addressed staffing hurdles at the Washington State Patrol, this law includes specific requirements. These span ensuring transparency with salary survey outcomes being publicly shared by April 1 of even-numbered years, to entrenching worker union inputs in determining equitable pay scales. "This is a common-sense step to stabilize and strengthen our ferry system, improve labor fairness, and restore rider confidence," Rep. Fey added. It's clear that the lawmakers envision SHB 1264 as a tool to improve more than just the ferry system's functionality, but also its fairness and standing in the community.
The bill, which enjoyed bipartisan support in the Legislature, will come into effect 90 days post-session adjournment, setting a new course for the working conditions of the maritime workforce and, by extension, the daily commute of thousands across Puget Sound's waters.
