The Staten Island Ferry ran on a heavily reduced schedule Thursday during rush hour due to staffing issues.
Around 3 p.m., the Department of Transportation tweeted that boats would run hourly starting at 1 p.m. until further notice, and advised riders to use alternate routes if possible. Usually during rush hour, boats run every 15-20 minutes.
Clive Willis from New Dorp was at Whitehall Ferry Terminal Thursday afternoon during rush hour, and said he was frustrated by the infrequent service.
“It was exceptionally crowded,” Willis said via text. “There was only one boat going back and forth when usually there’s 4 crossing. I normally catch the 5:30. It was about 30 minutes late… If you don’t have a car you have no way off the island, it becomes a crutch.”
“It’s ok we’ll just swim,” said one Twitter user.
In a statement, DOT spokesperson Scott Gastel said the abbreviated schedule was a result of afternoon crews calling out sick.
“Thursday morning, the vast majority of Captains, Assistant Captains, and Mates scheduled to operate Staten Island Ferry vessels that afternoon called out sick,” said Gastel.
“With a national marine worker shortage and as a result of this action, the Staten Island Ferry service is experiencing significant changes — these changes are extremely disruptive to the tens of thousands of people who ride the ferry every day, Staten Islanders commuting to work or home to their families, and U.S. military personnel visiting for Fleet Week,” said Gastel.
But Roland Rexha, Secretary Treasurer of Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA), the maritime labor union that represents the Staten Island Ferry workers, said the reduced schedule was a result of ongoing staffing shortages.
“We’re very short staffed in our positions and it’s affected service for the last, actually for the last two years, we’ve been seeing disruptions in service and it all takes us one or two people and it gets even worse,” Rexha said. “It’s built on a house of cards.”
MEBA has been in a long-standing contract dispute with the city for over a decade.
Rexha said Thursday’s staffing shortage was not a surprise.
“This is endemic of what’s been happening down there, which is, we don’t have enough people. And honestly, it’s hard to recruit people in their job when you haven’t had a wage increase since 2009,” Rexha said.
In a statement Thursday, Staten Island Borough President Vito J. Fossella called for both sides to return to the negotiating table…saying the labor dispute leaves residents suffering from issues outside of their control.
Last August, service was reduced under similar circumstances, leaving city officials scrambling to find commuters alternate routes.
This story has been edited to include updated comment from Scott Gastel.
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