Wages not root cause of crew shortages

Many thanks to the steering committee for Islanders for Ferry Action and the dozens of other individuals who helped structure solutions to the inadequate ferry service Vashon and other communities have been enduring for years. That said, I regret they chose to rewrite history in last week’s Beachcomber (“This is what community power looks like,” May 22), while applauding the passage of HB 1264.

Contrary to their commentary, below market wages were not “a root cause of crew shortages.” Check the records of ferry cancellations. As anyone who has lived on Vashon for more than 10 years can attest, ferry cancellations as a result of inadequate crew were a rare occurrence prior to the pandemic.

As an aside, it should be noted that the Legislature’s failure to fund adequate training of new crew, forcing workers to use unpaid time to attend the additional training needed to advance and the lack of outreach to underserved communities were much greater drivers of the current crisis. Fortunately, those oversights were addressed prior to HB 1264.

Should WSF mariners be fairly paid? Absolutely! Did the perceived lack of fair pay create the crew shortage that resulted in ferry cancellations? The record says “No!”

Scott Harvey

Thank you, Vashon ferry leaders

Amy Drayer, Beth Lindsay, Rick Wallace and Wendy Aman’s recent op-ed detailed how community power from this island had a huge impact in alleviating our ferry malaise during the 2025 legislative session.

They charted the hours and various ways the community members told their stories, not only to the legislators who wanted these changes for our ferries, but also others who may have been reticent. And these four folks thanked the community.

We the community owe these four our thanks and many a bouquet. They provided us the path to success; they told us whom to contact and when to go to Olympia. They set up the meetings for us to attend; they gave us talking points, but stressed that our own stories were the most persuasive.

You are welcome, Amy, Beth, Rick and Wendy, but we — and our fellow island communities — owe you an debt of gratitude that will linger throughout this decade for your leading us and teaching us.

Yes, “there is work ahead,” but thanks to you we are so much better equipped than we have been in the past to ensure we get the ferry service we and other island communities deserve.

Geoff Fletcher