Commuters will face reduced service on the Staten Island Ferry starting during the evening rush Wednesday — because the city doesn’t have enough workers to operate the vessels during a labor dispute, Mayor Eric Adams said.
Ferry service — which typically runs every 15 or 20 minutes during rush hour, and every half-hour at night — will be hourly until 5 a.m. Thursday “at least,” Adams said in an announcement issued 15 minutes after the service reductions went into effect.
“A significant share of our Staten Island Ferry workforce did not report to work today,” Hizzoner said. “We hope Staten Island Ferry service will return to regular operations with 15-minute service beginning at 5:00 AM tomorrow.”
In the meantime, commuters can also take the NYC Ferry route to St. George Terminal landing free-of-cost, or opt for MTA express bus service, the statement said.
The Staten Island Ferry will have reduced service during rush hour Wednesday due to a staffing shortage caused by a labor dispute. Paul Martinka
Mayor Eric Adams visited Folly terminal on Wednesday giving a press conference. Kevin C. Downs for The New York Post“This is absolute insanity. I just want to get home from work and it’s a sh– show,” Larry Paulino, 34, said at the ferry terminal.
“No ferry in sight. There should always be a backup plan. If the mayor thinks this is a back up plan, it’s lazy! Big thank you to all the Staten Island ferry workers who decided to not show up to work.”
Ferry workers in the Marine Engineers Beneficial Union have been without a contract since 2009.
“We are saying to the workers who did not come in today: If you are not sick, New Yorkers need you to come to work,” he said. “We will continue to engage with these ferry workers’ union to reach a voluntary, pattern-conforming agreement in the same way that we have done with virtually all other city unions for these rounds of bargaining.”
Adams spoke on the fact that a large amount of the Staten Island workforce did not show up, cutting down the amount the ferry could operate. Kevin C. Downs for The New York Post
According to Adams, a “significant share” of the ferry’s workforce didn’t report to work. Stephen YangUnion leader Roland Rexha blamed Wednesday’s staff shortage on “severely overworked and understaffed crews.”
“We have continued to operate service under the most stressful and painful of circumstances while our crew continues to feel the tremendous financial pain and workload stress of the pandemic and its aftermath,” Rexha said.
“The union has no knowledge of any deliberate disruptions of service nor would we endorse any action to slow down this essential service for our beloved Staten Islanders.”
Additional reporting by Carl Campanile
