Mariner labor shortage on SI ferry: Service cutbacks, no union contract and mayor Adams insinuating protest
Ferry crew members have worked under an expired union contract for an “unprecedented” 11 years and say that low pay and morale have left them without enough staff to keep the lifeline between Manhattan and Staten Island afloat.
This article was originally published on by THE CITY
Mayor Eric Adams is blaming sudden sharp cuts in Staten Island Ferry service on crews failing to show up for work — while the union representing workers now approaching their 12th year without a contract says captains are getting wrongly blamed.
On Wednesday afternoon the city Department of Transportation announced evening rush hour service out of Whitehall Street in Manhattan to St. George would run hourly instead of every 15 minutes. That followed a two-week service reduction last month, which the city said was due to a spike in COVID cases among ferry crew members.