One of the lengthiest wage disputes in the US is reported to be drawing to an end, as Staten Island ferry captains, mates and engineers appeared to be reaching a deal after 13 years without a union contract with New York City.
A deal between the marine engineers’ beneficial association, which represents some 150 ferry workers, that has eluded negotiators since 2010, was set be announced on Monday, according to the Daily News,
Crew members working the distinctive orange ferry service between Staten Island and Manhattan have said that low pay and low morale had left them without enough staff to keep the ferries operating on schedule.
Last month, New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, blamed sudden cuts in the service – from every 15 minutes to once an hour – on crew members who failed to show up for work and implied this was related to union action.
But the union secretary-treasurer, Roland Rexha, said the union had no knowledge, and would not endorse, “any action to slow down this essential service for our beloved Staten Islanders”.
The union instead explained that one in five crew members had left or retired in the last two years and new hires were scarce on a 2010 contract because pay had been frozen.
Staten Island ferry captains are paid about $20,000 less a year than the state average for water transportation workers, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“We can’t retain and recruit people under these conditions. We had our last raise in 2010, going on 12 years now. There’s more urgency now than ever – it’s only going to get worse,” Rexha told the City last month.
