LOS ANGELES — As we approach the last summer vacation of 2024 and thousands of people plan to take a ferry, cancellations and delays are causing changes to many routes operated by Washington State Ferries (WSF).

WSF announced that the Seattle/Bainbridge route will be served by only one boat on Tuesday due to staffing shortages.

WSF has issued a travel alert that departures from Bainbridge at 10:25 a.m. and Seattle at 11:25 a.m. have been cancelled.

If someone is unable to make their shift for any reason, the dispatcher works through the call list to find someone who can step in at short notice. On Tuesday afternoon, the dispatcher did indeed find someone and the WSF expects that the usual service with two boats and departures at 14:05 will resume on this route.

A similar problem occurred on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route. A WSF travel bulletin stated that the 64-car Salish train replaced the 124-car Kittitas train on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route due to a staffing shortage.

At 1:12 p.m., WSF advised that Island Vessel #4 would likely be out of service that evening due to lack of crew. It will be out of service beginning its departure from Friday Harbor at 5:30 p.m.

In recent years, the WSF has experienced staff shortages, which have led to delays and cancellations.

A few weeks ago, KOMO News reported that the WSF has 21 boats in its fleet, but only 15 of them are currently in use.

When there is a staffing shortage, ferry passengers often assume that a deckhand or another person they normally see working on board will not be able to come to work. KOMO News learned from one of the unions representing ferry workers that the missing link in the crew is often someone who works below deck in the engine room.

KOMO News learned that a tanker broke down, causing cancellations and delays on that route. The tanker is just one of four people working below deck. The crew also includes a sweeper, assistant engineer and chief engineer.

“We’re doing our best to keep the boat running, and this is maybe like overhauling a main engine,” assistant engineer Peter Shelton told KOMO News.

This crew works seven days straight and has seven days off. That’s 84 hours, so there’s little room for overtime. But they still do it and get called on their day off to cover for someone who can’t come into work.

“People are working so much overtime. They’re not always available to take on those extra shifts. They’re kind of burned out,” union representative Eric Winge told KOMO News.

Winge, who worked on ferries before being elected to the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA) union, which he now holds, told KOMO News the state could address burnout with better wages.

“The people who are having trouble recruiting and retaining employees are the ones we pay at the bottom of the scale. Washington State Ferries pays at the bottom of the scale,” Winge said.

Assistant Engineer Peter Shelton told KOMO News he doesn’t believe upper management fully understands what the crew is doing below deck.

“The reality is, without some of these good guys down here working overtime and doing what we need to do to make it happen, we’re going to miss more (rides),” Shelton said.

MEBA, the union that represents Shelton and other engine room workers, told KOMO News they have reached an impasse with state negotiators in an attempt to negotiate a new contract with better wages. MEBA told KOMO News they began arbitration with the WSF on Aug. 23, which is expected to last a week. The WSF told KOMO News the goal is for the arbitrator to make a decision by Sept. 24.

All of these things are happening as ferry ridership returns to pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, the system saw more than 3,500 canceled trips. These service disruptions continue to this day.

Seeking solutions to their problems, engine room crew members reached out to lawmakers, offering them and KOMO News a tour of the engine room of the “ferry by name here” to shed light on the work they do on each trip to keep the engines running and help the boats safely transport passengers between ports of call.

These crew members tell KOMO News that there are critical staffing issues that are disrupting operations and forcing ferries to remain docked. The union also accuses state management of making decisions that lead to burnout, which they say is hindering the system’s ability to retain and recruit experienced crew members.

They claim that a lack of qualified and satisfied crew members is leading to huge backlogs in repairs and maintenance. MEBA said it wants lawmakers and the public “to understand what the reasons for the cancellations are and what is needed to restore safe and reliable ferry service.”

WSF director Steve Nevey recently told KOMO News in an interview that he believes morale is improving and that the system is helping people find their career path at WSF.

To view a real-time map of the WSF, use this link here.