STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The union that represents Staten Island Ferry workers and has sought a contract for 13 years said Tuesday that a deal might finally be on the horizon.
Roland Rexha — the secretary and treasurer for the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association (MEBA), which represents the ferry systems captains, assistant captains, mates, chief engineers and marine engineers — said the mayor’s entrance into talks marked a significant step in the negotiations.
“We are pleased Mayor Adams is now at the helm and onboard with our negotiations and is steering us toward a resolution on the long outstanding labor contract. We deeply appreciate his leadership and commitment to our professional mariner crew and the great borough of Staten Island,” he said. “We know he is finally the Mayor to get stuff done on the ferry.”
Monday marked the mayor’s first direct conversation with union leaders, who negotiated their last contract with the city in 2008, and have been working without one since 2010.
The union has blamed the lack of a contract and the comparably low pay to what similar workers make around the country for staffing shortages that have led to continuous delays that have disrupted countless commutes.
An Advance/SILive.com analysis found service reductions on the Staten Island Ferry last year alone resulted in at least 2,160 canceled trips — a figure that is likely an undercount as some trips are canceled at the last minute and announced over the loudspeaker at the terminal, but are not posted to social media.
Late Monday evening, the city Department of Transportation (DOT), which oversees the ferry, made the latest delay announcement on Twitter, saying that departures from both St. George and Whitehall terminals would occur hourly beginning at midnight and until further notice.
“A significant number of crew members scheduled to operate Staten Island Ferry vessels have once again called out sick, inconveniencing tens of thousands of daily riders….
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