Ferry travelers who expected Labor Day weekend problems got a pleasant surprise on Friday, with no canceled sailings and no extended waits.
Still, the ferry system is warning of possible canceled sailings later this weekend.
Washington State Ferries officials said sailings used to be canceled a couple of times a month for lack of crew, but lately, there have been 30 or 40 cancellations each month.
There’s a worldwide shortage of marine workers, and the pandemic is taking a toll.
State officials say dozens of WSF employees cannot work, either because they have COVID or have been exposed.
Gov. Jay Inslee’s vaccine mandate for state workers is controversial among some ferry workers, and there have been rumors of a sick-out this weekend to protest.
Union leaders are against any kind of sickout, and, as of Friday evening, it hadn’t happened.
With the potential of more cancellations for any reason, the ferry system stopped taking new vehicle reservations this weekend for the San Juan Islands and Port Townsend-Coupeville routes and is urging people to plan ahead.
“I would not be scared to take a state ferry,” WSF spokesman Ian Sterling said. “I would make alternate plans for how I’m going to get home if I have to get home in a specific amount of time.”
Sterling said, for example, that means not taking the last sailing out of the San Juan Islands Monday night if you have to be at work Tuesday morning.
WSF plans to monitor staffing levels closely all weekend.
©2021 Cox Media Group
"smooth" - Google News
September 04, 2021 at 08:12AM
https://ift.tt/2WTS2iU
So far, smooth sailing for ferries this Labor Day weekend - KIRO Seattle
"smooth" - Google News
https://ift.tt/30JhCVH
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "So far, smooth sailing for ferries this Labor Day weekend - KIRO Seattle"
Post a Comment