Second Summer Surcharge Could Be Added to Ferry Fares - Kitsap Sun

By Ed Friedrich
Wednesday, July 29, 2009

OLYMPIA —

The state Transportation Commission is recommending that ferry travelers pay a second surcharge during the heat of summer.

For years, Washington State Ferries has raised vehicle rates 25 percent during the peak season, from May through mid-October. The transportation commission, after hearing Washington State Ferries’ proposal on July 14 to raise fares 2.5 percent across the board, decided to add a 10 percent super summer surcharge in July and August. Like the peak-season surcharge, it wouldn’t affect customers using frequent-user passes, just tourists and other occasional users. For them, the cost of a cross-Sound ticket for a car and driver would jump from $14.45 to $16 each way. The super surcharge would not apply to walk-on passengers.

The transportation commission will hold public meetings on its proposal, said commissioner Dan O’Neal of Belfair. Dates haven’t been set. Final passage would be at a public hearing on Sept. 8. Changes would take effect on Oct. 11, so the super surcharge would first be imposed in July 2010.

The 2009 Legislature anticipated annual 2.5 percent fare increases when it built the transportation budget. Washington State Ferries followed the lawmakers’ direction and proposed 2.5 percent hikes to the transportation commission, the final authority on fares. The commissioners, however, had a hard time believing WSF’s projections that ridership will increase 2.6 percent in 2010 and 2.5 percent in 2011.

“Recent history shows that’s not the way it’s going,” O’Neal said. “That made us think this 2.5 percent (across-the-board fare increase) is probably not going to make it.”

O’Neal said the Legislature suggested a 2.5 percent increase but didn’t preclude the commission from adding the super summer surcharge.

After losing license-tab revenues in 2000, Washington State Ferries for several years raised fares steeply. Ridership plummeted by 10 percent, said WSF planning director Ray Deardorf. In 2007, it bottomed out and began to grow, only to be hit with service disruptions, high gas prices and the recession. In fiscal year 2008, there was another 2.9 percent loss, and 3.6 percent more during the year that ended on June 30.

With boats being built for the Port Townsend-Keystone route and economic variables showing signs of recovery, WSF is expecting a modest rebound in traffic, Deardorf said.

Ferry system figures project that a super summer surplus would bring in about $1.1 million next summer. It is also expected to scare away about 17,000 riders, but there would be a net revenue gain, Deardorf said.

Walt Elliott, co-chair of the Ferry Advisory Committee executive board, said the group passed a motion against the surtax because it hasn’t gone through a public process. It doesn’t generate enough money to avoid fare increases or supplemental budget help if ridership falls short of projections. And Elliott, of Kingston, says the ferry system, not the commission, is charged with developing pricing strategies. The commission is only responsible for adopting, modifying or rejecting them.

Powered by Qumana

The Maritime Executive Magazine :: Mariners on National Maritime Center: Mission Not Yet Accomplished ::

The Maritime Executive Magazine :: Mariners on National Maritime Center: Mission Not Yet Accomplished ::

Shared via AddThis

CG Launches Web-Based Credential Verification

The U.S. Coast Guard announced the launch of a new, Web-based tool to provide information on the validity of merchant mariner credentials.

The Merchant Mariner Credential Verification tool was created following Operation Big Tow, a marine safety operation focused on ensuring uninspected towing vessels are being operated by properly licensed individuals. The operation identified the need for an open and rapid means of verifying the validity of merchant mariner credentials. The Merchant Mariner Credential Verification tool provides marine employers the means to ensure they are hiring mariners with valid credentials. It also allows Port State Control officers in foreign ports a real-time capability to verify U.S. mariners' credentials.

“Since Operation Big Tow launched, the National Maritime Center has received many calls from marine employers wanting to verify the validity of their employees credentials or the credential of mariners they are considering hiring,” said Capt. David Stalfort, the commanding officer of the National Maritime Center. “Our goal with this tool is to offer better customer service to these employers.”

There are three ways to verify the validity of a MMC:
• Credential type and serial number;
• Mariner Reference number; or
• Last name, date of birth and last four digits of the mariner's social security number.

Merchant Mariner Credential Verification

Powered by Qumana

Hutchison: Transfer millions from ferries to buses - SeattlePi.com

King County executive candidate Susan Hutchison this week sent a letter to County Council members urging them to take money they're spending on ferries and use it instead for buses.

"Metro is facing cuts that could leave riders stranded at a time when our region is making tremendous strides to increase ridership. More than half of the $18 million annual ferry service levy which goes to fund future exploration or 'demonstration' routes in South King County and across Lake Washington can be reallocated to Metro. I believe these funds are best spent where people need them the most, preserving the bus service they rely upon," Hutchison wrote.

Hutchison, the former KIRO-TV broadcaster, said the popular West Seattle and Vashon routes "should be kept for the time being."

The county's ferry district has has financial responsibility for the passenger-only runs from Vashon Island to downtown and West Seattle to downtown. It is looking at expanding service elsewhere in Puget Sound and to add new service across Lake Washington.

UPDATE

Sandeep Kaushik, campaign spokesman for exec candidate and County Council Chairman Dow Constantine, says the West Seattle ferry returns more at the fare box than a typical Metro bus, and the Vashon ferry is cost-effective as well in comparison to Metro bus service to rural areas.

"Dow will not support ferry routes on Lake Washington unless there is significant demand and the service is shown to be cost effective. That is what is under assessment right now. Susan Hutchison apparently does not understand that ferry district funds can not legally be moved to support Metro bus service. This letter is just the latest indication that she knows little about County issues and lacks the qualifications to serve as King County Executive," Kaushik said in an e-mail.

Powered by Qumana

The Plot to Sink the Water Taxi - The Seattle Weekly

Political pirates want to beach the new mosquito fleet before it gets started.
By Mike Seely
Published on July 21, 2009 at 8:12pm
Last week, King County Executive candidate Ross Hunter ratcheted up his attack on the county's prospective mosquito fleet by claiming it would be more cost-effective to buy each Vashon and West Seattle foot-ferry passenger a Bayliner than continue to fund the fledgling King County Ferry District.

Hunter's been very clear about his intent to sink the Downtown–West Seattle Water Taxi if elected. "I think that adding the West Seattle foot ferry is a very expensive way to make one of the most expensive transit agencies in the country more expensive," he explains. "Expanding it to Lake Washington would be even worse. I'm trying to get the county to stick to its knitting and provide a great bus system."

Fred Jarrett, who like Hunter is a centrist state legislator from the Eastside running to fill Ron Sims' shoes, has also expressed his opposition to the county's ferry district, and columnist Danny Westneat piled on with an anti-ferry screed of his own in The Seattle Times last week. All of which makes the pleasant little Sightseer—the Argosy boat used on the West Seattle run—the most unexpected target of political vitriol this campaign season. But really, it all smacks of a very calculated attack on Democratic frontrunner and West Seattle resident Dow Constantine, for whom the vessel is a virtual floating advertisement. (While he's ahead of his fellow Dems in the polls, Constantine trails right-leaning Susan Hutchison by a good margin.)

"Ross Hunter and Fred Jarrett voted three times each in Olympia to create the county ferry district, because they were managing the state budget so poorly that the state had to slough off its basic responsibilities onto King County," says Constantine campaign spokesperson Sandeep Kaushik. "Senator Patty Murray also understands the value of the Water Taxi. [Last week] she got $2 million in federal funds for the Water Taxi, which has seen ridership rise 30 percent a year and just set a new record for ridership last month."

"Ross is using voodoo math to come up with these numbers—mixing up both capital costs and operating costs," adds Kaushik. "By Ross' method of calculation, it would probably be cheaper to get rid of Metro bus service and buy everyone a Bentley. The truth is that the Water Taxi recovers about twice as much in operating expenses from the fare box as Metro does from buses."

Powered by Qumana

Candidates Pit Ferries Against Buses in King County - KUOW News

Mass transit was looking good this weekend as the Central Link light rail line opened between Seattle and Tukwila. But the near future for bus service in King County is not so festive. Service cuts are in the works. This has sparked a fierce debate in the race for King County Executive. Some candidates want to redirect money for passenger ferries into the ailing bus system instead.

When they passed the Transit Now levy in 2005, voters in King County agreed to pay higher sales taxes to improve their bus service. But when the recession hit, those voters quit buying and revenue plummeted. King County Executive Kurt Triplett says Metro Transit faces a $170 million gap over the next two years. That means service cuts are imminent.

Triplett: "The key question, though, is where do you make those cuts. And this is where the region could end up in literally a civil war over transit service. And I'm going to try to propose something that works."

Triplett wants to freeze any expansion of Metro Transit, and cut service by 10 percent.

Triplett: "I want to apply that 10 percent cut across all routes, rather than picking winners and losers."

The cuts could be bigger — Triplett's plan assumes the King County Metropolitan Council will approve either a property tax hike or a fare increase.

The candidates for Triplett's county executive job haven't talked much about where to cut. They have said they don't like the current formula that requires almost all new bus service to be outside Seattle. But that doesn't mean they're taking Seattle's side.

Hutchison: "County government is very Seattle–centric. One of the reasons is they're located right there in downtown Seattle."

In a recent candidate debate, Susan Hutchison said that's why Seattle ended up with the lion's share of Metro service. All the candidates agree that Metro must bring more service to other cities in King County. Candidate Ross Hunter, a state legislator from Medina, says even if the bus formula is axed, East and South King County will keep pressing for more equity.

Hunter: "Most of the growth has occurred there and most of the growth is going to occur there so you're going to see increasing demand outside the city for routes. Now this of course is about how we expand service and we're not talking about expanding service in the near term, we're talking about cutting service."

Three candidates including Hunter say Metro's problems should take precedence over plans to expand the passenger ferry service.

Candidate and state senator Fred Jarrett called for halting the expansion recently at Seattle's public boat landing. Jarrett says he'd continue the existing passenger ferry service, but do away with plans for routes on Lake Washington and Puget Sound. Jarrett says that would mean an additional $15 million for buses.

Jarrett: "I don't know how I can go down to Burien or Bellevue or Federal Way or Bellevue or Auburn and say we're going to raise your taxes to be able to put new services on Puget Sound and oh by the way we're going to cut the routes that you're currently using, that just doesn't make sense."

Hutchison also says the new service isn't needed.

Hutchison: "There are thousands of people who have boats on Lake Washington and they could easily implement their own little mosquito fleet if it were feasible. It's not."

The passenger ferry issue is one of the clearest divisions in the race for King County Executive — both candidates who currently serve on the King County Metropolitan Council support studying the expansion. Larry Phillips says his support is conditional.

Phillips: "Every year what we see are increasing use of the water taxi in a way in which it's becoming a staple of our community and well used. The other routes that we've looked for we have not made a commitment that we're going to do them, what we've looked at is potential demonstration routes and we're going to find out whether they make sense. If they don't, I would be the first person to say we're out of that business."

And Dow Constantine, who chairs the ferry board, agrees that the agency won't roll out any new service until it's tested.

Constantine: "Compared to buses, there are places where buses are going to work best, where trains are going to work best, and there are a few places in this county with the odd geography and being surrounded by water, where boats are going to be the best options for transit."

He celebrated the $2 million in federal funds King County will receive for a new passenger ferry. It will serve the existing route between downtown and West Seattle. Meanwhile Fred Jarrett wants the county to suspend its hiring of a ferry system manager. The salary budgeted for that job is $135,000 per year.

I'm Amy Radil, KUOW News.

© Copyright 2009, KUOW

Powered by Qumana

Southworth Riders Wondering About Changes to Vashon Passenger Ferry - Kitsap Sun

SOUTH KITSAP —

The King County Ferry District will take over the Vashon Island-Seattle passenger-only route from the state this fall, bringing a new boat, new schedule and new prices. Dozens of riders who hop from Southworth to Vashon to connect with the downtown boat are faced with adjustments.

New fares and schedules were to be approved Monday by the ferry district’s board of supervisors, but it asked for more time. It did approve a boat lease for the Melissa Ann, which once operated between Bremerton and Seattle.

The proposed fare would be a slight increase — from $8.70 now with Washington State Ferries to $9 — but there’s a catch. The state waives the Southworth-Vashon leg now for those connecting to the passenger-only boat, but will start charging them $4.30 like everybody else. So it will cost them a total of $4.60 more to get to Seattle and back.

King County, which takes over on Sept. 28, is adding sailings, but like today, only four will work for South Kitsap folks — 7:10 and 8:10 (WSF has asked to change this to 8:15) from Vashon in the morning, and 4:30 and 5:30 from Seattle in the evening. And the 4:30 p.m. is a stretch because there’s a 33-minute wait at Vashon, making it a 65-minute trip. Some have complained to the ferry district.

Carol [URL]Kowalski of Manchester realizes King County’s ferry system isn’t going to coddle Kitsap riders, but she believes transit systems should mesh.

“The most disturbing point is what is the region’s responsibility to interconnected mass transit?” she said.

King County and Washington State Ferries have been meeting monthly about the changeover.

“We are concerned about all of our passengers, and we consider Southworth and Vashon to be our customers, so we will continue to work very closely with the ferry district to make sure our passengers are given due consideration,” WSF spokeswoman Marta Coursey said.

Her counterpart at the ferry district said many things have to click, including bus and car-ferry schedules, preventing ferry overloads, and the times people start and leave work.

“Taking all those things into consideration and asking riders what they want, these proposed times seem to hit the market as best as possible,” Kris Faucett said. “We looked at when the Southworth boat arrives and tried to schedule it so they would link up fairly well.”

The Melissa Ann, leased from Four Seasons Marine, carries 149 passengers at about 28 knots. Kitsap Ferry Co., with help from Kitsap Transit, ran it between Bremerton and Seattle until March 2007, when it couldn’t afford to continue.

Powered by Qumana

Touring Watch Decision “A Win” for San Juan County - Islands Weekly.com

Jul 19 2009, 1:00 AM · NEW
It appears that Washington State Ferries will be able to avoid drastic reductions in morning sailings from the San Juans this fall, thanks to a decision announced Monday by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard has notified Washington State Ferries that it can continue to schedule “touring watches” on its Anacortes to San Juan Islands routes on a trial basis. Touring watches allow the WSF to schedule crew members to finish a shift in the San Juans, spend the night, then begin a new shift here the next morning. Previously, the Coast Guard had ordered WSF to end touring watches system-wide because of concerns raised by crews on other ferry routes.

According to San Juan County Council Member Howie Rosenfeld, the Coast Guard’s reversal was due in large part to the involvement of the San Juan County Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) and the County Council.

FAC Chairman Ed Sutton told the Council Tuesday, “This is a great win, we’re not done yet, but I think we dodged a bullet. This has been an extraordinary team effort.”

According to Sutton. the only major change on the latest draft of this year’s fall schedule is that the last sailing from Anacortes on Mondays-Thursdays is at 7:25 p.m., an hour earlier than last year. Later sailings will be available Friday-Sunday.

In June, after the Coast Guard had ordered an end to touring watches, the Ferry Advisory Committee issued a statement describing the impact of the resulting ferry schedule saying: “Typically over 60% of the Friday Harbor traffic boards ferries to arrive in Anacortes prior to midday. The draft Schedule allocates only 26% of total eastbound capacity to these hours. The net effect will be to make it difficult for San Juan Island residents to make mid-morning appointments in Anacortes or conduct a full day’s business on the mainland. “

In briefing the Council Tuesday, Council Member Rosenfeld emphasized that the long-term continuation of touring watches is not a foregone conclusion. “By the end of the fall schedule the Coast Guard will re-evaluate and decide whether touring watches will continue,” he said. “If they decide not to, then the winter schedule will be a transition to no touring watches in the spring

Powered by Qumana

U.S. Supreme Court Decision RE: Maintenance and Cure Payments

***PRESS RELEASE***

Significant Decision Impacting Seamen’s Right to Receive Punitive Damages for Employers’ Disregard of Maintenance and Cure Payments

On Thursday, June 25^th, the United States Supreme Court decided a case styled Atlantic Sounding Co., Inc. et al. v Edgar L. Townsend 2009 WL 1789469 (U.S. June 25, 2009).  This case marked the Supreme Court’s decision to protect a seaman’s right to receive damages for an employers’ willful and wanton disregard of a maintenance and cure obligation.

Petitioners allegedly refused to pay maintenance and cure to respondent Townsend for injuries he suffered while working on its tugboat. Townsend filed suit under the Jones Act and general maritime law, alleging arbitrary and willful failure to provide maintenance and cure. He filed similar counterclaims in the declaratory judgment action, seeking punitive damages for the maintenance and cure claim.

The District Court denied petitioners’ motion to dismiss the punitive damages claim, but certified the question for interlocutory appeal. Following its precedent, the Eleventh Circuit held that punitive damages may be awarded for the willful withholding of maintenance and cure.

At issue in the Townsend case was whether an injured seaman may recover punitive damages for his employer’s willful failure to pay maintenance and cure.

Central to resolving this case were three settled legal principles. First, punitive damages have long been available at common law. Second, the common-law tradition of punitive damages extends to maritime claims. And third, there is no evidence that claims for maintenance and cure were excluded from this general admiralty rule.

The general rule that punitive damages are available at common law extends to claims arising under federal maritime law. The Supreme Court relied upon a previously decided case, i.e., Lake Shore & Michigan Southern R. Co. v Prentice, (147 U.S. 101) in making the above statement. The Prentice court held that courts of admiralty are to proceed upon the same principles as courts of common law, in allowing exemplary damages.

The only statute that could have served as a basis for overturning the common-law rule was the Jones Act. However, the plain language of the Jones Act does not provide a basis for overturning the common-law rule. The Townsend court’s previous decisions have repeatedly observed that the Jones Act preserves common-law causes of action such as maintenance and cure, and supports the view that punitive damages awards remain available in maintenance and cure actions after the Act’s passage.

Punitive damages have long been a remedy available at common law for wanton, willful, or outrageous conduct. The common-law punitive damages tradition extends to claims arising under federal maritime law.

The petitioner, Atlantic Sounding Co., cited Miles v Apex Marine Corp. (498 U.S. 19) in their argument. The Townsend court held that Miles did not limit recovery to the remedies available under the Jones Act. The Townsend court further held that Miles did not address either maintenance and cure actions in general or the availability of punitive damages for such actions. The case grappled with the question of whether general maritime law should provide a cause of action for wrongful death based on unseaworthiness. This case was not dealing with the availability of remedies for wrongful-death actions brought under general maritime law. Thus, the reasoning in Miles did not apply here.

The Townsend court held that the quest for uniformity in admiralty law does not require narrowing available damages to the lowest common denominator approved by Congress for distinct causes of action.

The Townsend dissent failed to acknowledge that the general common-law rule made punitive damages available in maritime actions. The dissent never explained why maintenance and cure actions should be excepted from this general rule. The fact that they want to limit recovery for maintenance and cure to whatever is permitted by the Jones Act would give greater pre-emptive effect to the Act than is required by its text, Miles, or any other court decisions.

The majority opinion in Townsend noted that punitive damages have long been an accepted remedy under general maritime law. Further, nothing in the Jones Act altered this understanding. Thus, damages for the willful and wanton disregard of the maintenance and cure obligation should remain available in this case as a matter of general maritime law. The Townsend court affirms the judgment of the 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Townsend opinion leaves the reader satisfied, knowing the Supreme Court continues to look out for seamen and their rights under general maritime law.

###

Gordon & Elias, L.L.P., represents clients in all aspects of personal injury and wrongful death. They are a boutique law firm with a nationwide practice focusing on Jones Act-Admiralty-Maritime Law (http://www.OffshoreInjuries.com), and the associated Jones Act Blog (http://www.JonesActQuestions.com). Gordon & Elias, L.L.P., was formed in 2000. Attorneys Steve Gordon and R. Todd Elias bring over 39 years of combined experience to the representation of their clients. The firm has the experience and resources to pursue recovery from large corporate defendants and/or their insurers.

###

Powered by Qumana

WSLC Executive Board votes to oppose I-1033

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009

The Executive Board of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO has voted to oppose Initiative 1033, a measure on this fall's ballot that would restrict government spending in such a way that it would slow Washington state's economic recovery and threaten the state's education and health care systems, as well as other critical public services.

"Our executive board wants to immediately begin explaining to union members the damage that Initiative 1033 would do to the State of Washington," said WSLC President Rick Bender. "This misleading initiative has been a proven failure in other states and couldn't come at a worse time, threatening our state's economic recovery from the national recession."

I-1033, pushed by initiative profiteer Tim Eyman, would impose spending limits on state, city and county governments by forcing revenue above a certain limit to go toward property tax cuts. Among other things, I-1033 would lock into place the drastic legislative budget cuts to our state's schools, health care safety nets, prisons and criminal justice systems, and other critical state services.

According to the No on Initiative 1033 web site:

I-1033 would slow economic recovery and leave us in a permanent recession. This year Washington faced a devastating budget deficit. Unfortunately, I-1033 would lock in this year's budget as our baseline. The worst of times in Washington, would become the best that we can hope for.

I-1033 threatens education and health care. Unemployment is still on the rise, families are being kicked off health care, teachers across the state are being laid off, and nursing homes and hospitals are being forced to reduce their care. As the economy recovers, we could restore funding to these services -- but under I-1033 the current situation would become permanent.

I-1033 is a proven failure. A similar initiative passed in Colorado in 1992. Since then, Colorado's economy has been devastated and funding for services ranging from education, to the judicial system, to health care, and libraries has plummeted. The situation was so critical that in 2005 voters put the law on hold so their state could recover.

Similar initiatives been defeated at the ballot in Maine, Nebraska, Oregon and most recently California -- and they've been blocked from the ballot in Ohio, Missouri, Oklahoma, Montana, and Michigan. Between 2005 and 2009, state legislation similar to I-1033 was introduced in 28 states (AL, AZ, CA, FL, GA, ID, KS, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NH, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PH, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI). Colorado remains the only state to have adopted this terrible idea.

Powered by Qumana

DOT reverses course, finds extra $7.6 million for Washington state ferries

By Les Blumenthal | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Only 24 hours after announcing virtually zero funding for Washington state's ferry systems, the federal Department of Transportation reversed itself Wednesday and said it would provide an additional $7.6 million in stimulus cash.

The reversal came after Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., muscled Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who promised to "expedite" a review of why his department had not awarded any of the $60 million in ferry stimulus grants to the state's ferries.

Murray chairs the Senate transportation appropriations subcommittee, which controls the purse strings for the Transportation Department. The subcommittee is scheduled to mark up next year's funding bill for the department next week.

The senator had inserted the $60 million in ferry grants in the stimulus bill approved by Congress earlier this year and was furious Tuesday when the grants were announced and the state's ferries were mostly shut out.

In her phone conversation with LaHood, Murray said she made clear she felt there had been a mistake and "he agreed. He said he was sorry about the oversight and rectified it."

Murray said it was clear to LaHood that she was the chair of the transportation appropriations subcommittee and had inserted the ferry grant money in the stimulus bill.

"I had worked hard for this," Murray said. "I thanked him for being responsive."

Murray said she wouldn't carry a grudge.

"I don't punish people who do the right thing," she said.

In a statement, LaHood said he was "pleased" to announce the additional funding and thanked Murray for her leadership.

"These projects are worthy of our support," he said.

Ten days ago, LaHood rode the Seattle-Bremerton ferry with Gov. Chris Gregoire and Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash, while on a visit to the state. Those accompanying LaHood said he was impressed with the state's ferries.

LaHood had no idea the ferry systems in Washington state would receive only 1 percent or so of the $60 million in grants announced Tuesday, said a department spokeswoman, who asked not to be identified because she was not speaking for the department officially.

"It was ridiculous," the spokeswoman said of the lack of funding for Washington ferries. "We found the additional money."

The spokeswoman confirmed Murray's role in securing the additional funding.

"She is very important and we recognize that," she said.

The spokeswoman said the grants were aimed at bolstering ferries in economically distressed areas, and such Washington counties as King County didn't meet that qualification.

The Washington state Department of Transportation, which operates the nation's largest ferry system, will now receive $3 million to help replace its Anacortes Terminal. Kitsap Transit will receive $2.6 million to procure a prototype, passenger-only, fast ferry for the Seattle-Bremerton run, and the King County Ferry District will receive $2 million for a passenger-only ferry that would be used on a Seattle-Vashon Island run.

On Tuesday, the department awarded a $750,000 grant to the Skagit County Public Works Department for the Guemes Island ferry.

All told, the state's ferry systems will be receiving more than $8.3 million, more than any of the other 19 states that were awarded grants.

Gregoire, in a statement, said the additional funding was "great news" and praised Murray.

But Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., whose district includes the San Juan Islands, which are dependant on ferries, said he was concerned the same thing could happen in the future.

"I demand a full explanation of how this bizarre decision came to be made in the first place," Larsen said. "If they fail to remedy the process that allowed this incredible oversight, there will be future problems for Washington state and our country."

The state, along with the counties and various ferry districts, had sought a total of $56 million in stimulus grants and were stunned when the only money awarded was for the Guemes Island ferry.

"Isn't it great how the world turns," Paula Hammond, secretary of the Washington state Department of Transportation, said Wednesday. "Apparently the senator and the governor had a long talk with the secretary and apparently it worked."

Hammond said that even though the state ferry system was receiving only $3 million, the funding for the other system was important.

"It's a collective and integrated system," she said.

Powered by Qumana

$60m in ARRA Funds for Ferry Facilities

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced $60m in grants to 19 states and one U.S. territory to improve ferry service and save and create jobs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“The Recovery Act was put in place quickly to rescue the economy from the worst recession since the Great Depression and rebuild it for a stronger future,” said Secretary LaHood. “Rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure is a key part of that prescription for strength. It creates jobs today and builds for better, more sustainable economy moving forward.”

"The projects we selected will help put people back to work and at the same time offer more access to areas that lack transportation options,” said Secretary LaHood. “It is about providing more travel choices to people from communities that need it the most.”

The Secretary added that most of the projects selected are located in economically distressed areas and will address critical transportation needs. The improvements will be made quickly to satisfy ARRA’s emphasis on immediate economic recovery through infrastructure investment. Priority is given to projects that can be completed in two years or less.

The largest projects are in Nueces, Texas, where a bridge or tunnel is not feasible, and Detroit, Michigan, where ferry service to the suburbs is necessary. Both ferry projects represent key solutions to connect communities and respond to growing traffic needs in the regions.

ARRA provides the $60 million to the Federal Highway Administration’s Ferry Boat Discretionary program, which is intended for the construction and repair of ferry boats and terminal facilities.

Powered by Qumana

Worker Privacy Act killed - WSLC

The Washington State Labor Council's priority legislation for 2009 was the Worker Privacy Act. SB 5446 and HB 1528 would have allowed workers in Washington state to choose whether or not to participate in employer communication on issues of individual conscience, including politics, religion, unionization, and charitable giving.

The WPA inspired thousands of e-mails, phone calls and letters of support to legislators. It had 47 sponsors in the House and 21 sponsors in the Senate, and plenty of votes to pass, according to vote counts both by the WSLC and by lobbyists in the business community who oppose the legislation.

But the WPA never got a vote -- in either house -- because it was derailed by Gov. Chris Gregoire, House Speaker Frank Chopp and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown. All three of these Democratic leaders had previously told the WSLC they supported the legislation, but ultimately they were swayed by Boeing and other business interests that the WPA would harm the state’s "business climate."

Even worse, rather than simply explaining why they now opposed the legislation and blocked the floor votes, these three leaders blamed an e-mail sent by a WSLC staff member for the bill’s demise.

With the March 11 deadline looming for a floor vote, Gregoire, Chopp and Brown issued a joint statement claiming that allowing a vote on the WPA was "no longer an option" due to an e-mail someone showed them that "raises serious legal and ethical questions." They referred the matter to the Washington State Patrol to investigate whether criminal charges should be filed.

The e-mail was an internal report of a strategy meeting of labor leaders and lobbyists who supported the WPA, but it was inadvertently copied to four state legislators, all of whom were WPA sponsors. This e-mail, which began with the salutation "Brothers and Sisters," included several bulleted items updating on efforts to achieve a floor vote, one of which indicated that union leaders were considering withholding contributions to State Democratic Party funds if a vote was blocked. "Union leaders would send a message... ‘not another dime from labor’ until the Governor signs the Worker Privacy Act," the e-mail read.

The three Democratic leaders took the specter that unions might choose not to contribute to their party as a threat, and referred the matter to the police. The State Patrol quickly determined there was nothing illegal about the e-mail, and the Public Disclosure Commission subsequently decided no action would be taken against the WSLC lobbyist who sent the e-mail.

Political observers and bloggers all agreed that the e-mail -- which was not sent to Gregoire, Brown or Chopp, but inadvertently copied to a few legislators who were strong supporters of the WPA -- was not a threat at all, but was made a pretext for killing the WPA.

That was confirmed when the effort to get a floor vote resumed and Gregoire told reporters that if the bill reached her desk, she wouldn’t sign it unless Boeing is exempted from its provisions: "I made it clear before this took place that if the bill applied to Boeing, it will not get past my desk."

At a meeting held later that week with the WSLC and key affiliates that support the WPA, Gregoire, Chopp and Brown were unapologetic and reiterated their opposition to the legislation.

"This entire incident has severely strained labor’s relationship with Democratic leaders," said WSLC President Rick Bender. "We still consider their actions (regarding the e-mail) to have been a dramatic overreaction. While the leadership still insists they support the causes of working families, they have a long way to go in order to rekindle the trust and rebuild the relationship with the labor community.

Powered by Qumana

PVA President Testifies Before Congress

In testimony before Congress, PVA President Bill Clark told legislators that the Coast Guard’s centralized system for issuing merchant mariner credentials must be improved.

Captain Clark, who is also co-owner and operator of South Ferry, Inc., of Shelter Island, N.Y. testified before the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on the subject of the Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center and Mariner Credentials.

“PVA is aware of too many instances in which a mariner has been prevented from working because of credentialing processing delays,” said Captain Clark. “We don’t buy into the notion that a properly completed application should be held up in-system awaiting assignment to an evaluator.”

Key points of Captain Clark’s testimony include:
• Coast Guard credentials are essential for a mariner to be able to obtain a new job or to continue in an existing one. Delays threaten a mariner’s livelihood.
• The National Maritime Center’s (NMC) average processing time of 80 days must be drastically reduced. Mariners must also do their part by ensuring that their application package is complete.
• Many delays have been associated with those applications for which medical reviews had to be done. It is imperative that the NMC maintain adequate staffing levels to carry-out medial reviews expeditiously.
• With respect to medical evaluations, a bad situation will become even worse if the Coast Guard changes the requirement for a mariner evaluation to every two years instead of the current every five years. PVA urges the Coast Guard to delay any move towards two-year evaluations until the current system demonstrates that it can issue credentials in a timely manner.
• PVA urges the Coast Guard to expand its “trusted agent” program as a way to ease the pressures on the NMC by ensuring that mariners submit complete and accurate applications.
• There should be one or more merchant mariners on staff at NMC to serve as a point of contact for mariners and who can advocate for them within the NMC.

A copy of PVA’s full written statement can be accessed at: http://www.pvastaff.com/pvamemberupdate/pvaCGCtestimony.pdf

Powered by Qumana

OLYMPIA: Meeting to include ferry fare increase plan - The Olympian.com

U.S. transportation policy, naming of a portion of state Route 529 in Snohomish County, ferry fare adjustments and the state’s aviation plan are among the agenda items for this week’s Washington State Transportation Commission meeting.


The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at the Transportation Building, 310 Maple Park Ave. S.E., Olympia. The meeting will be open to the public, and the commission will take public comment at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and 11:45 a.m. Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Washington state Department of Transportation’s Ferries Division will present its proposal for a 2.5 percent across-the-board general fare increase.

For more information, call Reema Griffith, Transportation Commission executive director, at 360-705-7070.

Powered by Qumana

Flawed security process costs dockworkers jobs - WSLC

Thousands of longshore workers, truck drivers and other workers at ports across the nation are out of work, not because of a staggering economy, but because they are caught up in a backlogged, inefficient and often inaccurate screening process for background security checks.

According to a new report from the National Employment Law Project (NELP), the federal Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA’s) post-Sept. 11 port worker background checks have put thousands of otherwise qualified and experienced port workers on the streets instead of the docks, with no rights to back pay once they gain their security clearance.

Most of the workers caught in this bureaucratic limbo are members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), Longshoremen (ILA) and Teamsters (IBT).

The report is the first evaluation of the worker protections in TSA’s Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). It finds that thousands of workers—disproportionately African American and Latino men—have had to wait an average of seven months while their applications are reviewed, leaving them unable to work and support their families in the midst of a devastating recession.

According to the report, “A Scorecard on the Post-9/11 Port Worker Background Checks,” more than 10,000 workers had lost their jobs while awaiting TSA approval of their TWIC cards after the April 14 compliance deadline passed. Laura Moskowitz, a NELP attorney who led the study, says:

Due to serious problems with the FBI’s records, insufficient staffing and poor TSA screening protocols, there have been major processing delays for workers at ports, which means that large numbers of hard-working families are being left out in the cold at the worst possible time.

To be approved for access to the ports, applicants are subject to criminal background checks using the FBI’s database, immigration status and other security checks. However, the report notes that 50 percent of the FBI’s rap sheets are incomplete or out of date. Contrary to the federal law, TSA denies credentials in an overly broad range of cases such as open arrests, even if they have been dismissed or addressed.

When a worker is denied a security clearance and decides to appeal, Moskowitz says:

TSA and the FBI put the entire burden on the worker to collect the necessary information to clear their records and navigate the process all on their own, which then leaves thousands of workers falling through the cracks of the TWIC program.

It also finds that while worker protections in the program’s appeal process take far too long, eventually almost all workers win their credential cards on appeal. More than 24,000 workers, largely African American and Latinos, were able to keep their jobs with the help of the special protections for workers who are initially denied a credential card based on their record.

The report offers a series of recommendations for TWIC reform, including expediting the cases of workers who have been shut out of the ports, tracking down missing FBI information before issuing denials, adopting strict timeframes for processing applications and better handling of applications from foreign-born workers.

Click here for a look at the full report.

Powered by Qumana

AFL-CIO NOW BLOG | The Employee Free Choice Act: From 2003 to Today

AFL-CIO NOW BLOG | The Employee Free Choice Act: From 2003 to Today

Shared via AddThis

Cummings on Maritime Credentialing

In a prepared statement for Congressman, Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, addressed a hearing on The National Maritime Center and Maritime Credentials. A live webcast of the hearing is available at http://transportation.house.gov.

“We convene today to review the operations of the National Maritime Center and the issuance of merchant mariner credentials.

“Over the past 18 months, the Coast Guard has consolidated the credentialing functions that were previously provided at 17 Regional Exam Centers into the National Maritime Center – and the Center opened at a new facility in West Virginia.

“The Coast Guard has also made significant changes to the actual credential that it issues. Specifically, it has consolidated the licenses, documents, certificates of registry, and endorsements that it previously issued as separate items into a single new Merchant Mariner Credential, which is essentially a passport-sized booklet. MMCs began to be issued on April 15th of this year.

“Finally, the Coast Guard has issued new guidelines to govern the type of medical information mariners are required to submit at the time they apply for a new or renewal credential as well as the specific review processes to which this information will be subjected to assess mariner fitness for duty.

“Each one of these changes is a significant alteration in the way the Coast Guard manages mariner licensing and I am hopeful that each change will, over the long term, significantly improve the licensing process and the services provided to mariners.

“That said, these hoped-for improvements have not yet been realized. To be frank, it appears that the Coast Guard did not adequately plan all aspects of the consolidated credential production process and the roll-out of the MMC – and this has led to extensive delays in the issuance of credentials.

“Further, as one specific area of delay has been resolved, subsequent bottlenecks have developed – and it appears that no significant progress has been made in speeding credential processing times.

“In fact, in a report issued on January 22nd, the Coast Guard indicated that the average gross processing time between July 2008 and January 2009 – meaning both the time required by the Coast Guard to process an application and the time the service waits for a mariner to provide additional information – totaled 83 days.

“Fifty percent of the credentials issued during this period were processed in under 52 days. Looking just at the time that it took the Coast Guard to process an application – and excluding all time spent waiting for a mariner to provide additional information – the Coast Guard reported that its average processing time in that period was 41 days, and that 50 percent of credentials were processed in 31 or fewer days.

“By comparison, in a report issued on June 29, 2009, the Coast Guard reported that average gross processing time for a credential between the beginning of 2009 and June 23rd was 80 days, while 50 percent of credentials processed during that period were processed in 54 or fewer days.

“That same report indicated that the length of time required by the Coast Guard itself in that period to process an application was 48 days, and only 35 percent of credential applications were being completely processed in 30 or fewer days.

“In other words, between January and June 2009, total processing time remained in the 80-day range – and it was actually taking the Coast Guard itself longer to process credential applications in the January to June 2009 period than in the six months leading up to January 2009.

“A credential is a mariner’s ticket to work. If the mariner does not have that credential – for whatever reason – the mariner cannot work.

“Unfortunately, the Subcommittee has heard of instances in which mariners’ credentials have expired before a renewal application could be fully processed – and these mariners have been left without an income while they were waiting for the bureaucratic wheels to grind.

“This is simply unacceptable. Given all that we are doing to stimulate our economy and to support the growth of jobs, it is inexcusable that any person should be out of work because the government cannot process a professional credential in a timely manner.

“I look forward to hearing from Admiral Cook, the Coast Guard’s new Director of Prevention Policy, and Captain Stalfort, the Director of the National Maritime Center, specifically what is being done to ensure that the new credential processing systems finally yield real benefits to mariners.

“As I mentioned, the Coast Guard has also instituted new guidelines regarding the assessment of mariner fitness for duty. This guideline, known as Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular 04-08, is intended to provide the level of specificity regarding mariner fitness for duty that previous guidance and even statute and regulation have lacked.

“The NVIC was the product of extensive work and consultation – and the National Transportation Safety Board indicated in its report on the Cosco Busan accident in San Francisco that it is “responsive” to much of what the Board called for in recommendations made after the 2003 allision of the Staten Island Ferry.

“Nonetheless, despite this improvement, there remain issues related to the assessment of a mariner’s fitness for duty that we look forward to examining today.

“Currently, pilots are required to submit to the Coast Guard the results of annual physicals. However, most mariners submit medical exam results only once every five years when they seek the renewal of their credentials.

“In its report on the Cosco Busan incident, the NTSB noted that the Coast Guard has not moved to require mariners to report changes in their medical condition during the 5-year period between credential renewals as the Board had recommended after the Staten Island Ferry accident. We wish to understand why this recommendation remains unaddressed.

“Additionally, in its marine casualty investigation report on the Cosco Busan incident, the Coast Guard Senior Investigating Officer recommended that ‘the Commandant of the Coast Guard amend the existing standards in Marine Safety Manual (MSM) Volume III, for medical professionals performing mariner physicals, to ensure that physicals are performed only by designated physicians with a thorough understanding of the physical and mental demands of a mariner’s position.’

“The Coast Guard responded to this recommendation by stating that “we believe the guidance provided in NVIC 04-08 is sufficient to provide medical professionals with the necessary understanding of the occupational demands of mariners to perform marine physicals” and that the service therefore does not intend to change its requirements regarding the medical personnel who perform mariner physicals.

“We look forward to examining these and related issues in more detail today – and we look forward to the testimony of industry witnesses assembled on our second panel, who will provide a variety of perspectives on these issues.”

Powered by Qumana

Politics Northwest | Jarrett would put ferry district on hold | Seattle Times Newspaper

Politics Northwest | Jarrett would put ferry district on hold | Seattle Times Newspaper

Shared via AddThis

From the South Whidbey Record

Nichols goes after new ferry contracts ( Click here for link )

VashonBeachcomber.com

Point Defiance-Tahlequah ferry service could be cut (Click Here for Link )

Ferry System's Long-Range Plan Sweet News for Southworth - Kitsap Sun

Two Kitsap ferry routes won’t change a bit during the next 22 years, but the other pair will benefit from new and bigger boats, according to Washington State Ferries’ final long-range plan.

The plan, three years in the making, was released last week. It features the replacement of 10 aging vessels with new, slightly larger ones, presuming the state can fill a $3.3 billion funding gap. The first three will carry 64 vehicles; the next seven would be 144-car boats.

The increased space won’t keep up with a projected 37 percent ridership growth, so there will be an effort to move people out of their cars or away from peak travel times.

The Bainbridge-Seattle and Kingston-Edmonds routes, the busiest in the system, will hold on to the biggest, newest boats. The 202-car Wenatchee, Tacoma and Puyallup are barely 10 years old, and ferries are expected to last for 60. Kingston’s other boat, the 188-car Spokane, was built in 1972.

The Bremerton-Seattle route will get new 144-car ferries in 2015 and 2029. They’ll run together during the spring, winter and fall, and one will team with a 188-car boat in the summer. That’s an increase of 20 car slots year-round.

The Legislature also directed Washington State Ferries last session to look into ways to improve Bremerton’s schedule. There are big gaps at midday and late night.

Southworth could be the biggest Kitsap winner, although it won’t get a route to downtown Seattle or its own boat to Fauntleroy. What the Southworth-Vashon Island-Fauntleroy customers will enjoy are 78 more car spaces, the biggest increase in the system. Its two 87-car boats will be replaced by 124-car ferries, the first by 2015 and the second by 2030, joining its existing 124-car boat.

The Kitsap changes won’t take place until after three 64-car ferries are built. One is already under construction at Todd Shipyard in Seattle. It will go to the Port Townsend-Keystone route in 2011. The contract for two other 64-car ferries will soon go out to bid. The second, to be delivered in 2011, will be added to the Port Townsend route during the summer and shoulder periods. The third will replace the 62-year-old Rhododendron on the Point Defiance-Tahlequah route in 2012.

Washington State Ferries is assuming that it will then switch to building 144-car ferries, but might have to build one more 64-car boat if there’s not enough money left in the allocation from the legislature. The system doesn’t have a good place to put another 64-car boat.

Also good for the Bremerton and Southworth routes, which often lose a boat when a ferry breaks down, is that an 87-car ferry will replace the 34-car Hiyu as the backup boat in 2014.

Fares are projected to cover 78 percent of operating costs through 2030, assuming annual fare increases of 2.5 percent and a 37 percent increase in ridership.

For more about the long-range plan, go to http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/planning/ESHB2358.htm

Powered by Qumana

Lawmakers Seeking Federal Funds to Keep Ferries Afloat - The Kitsap Sun

SEATTLE —

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen are pursuing federal dollars that could take a big chunk out of Washington State Ferries’ funding gap.

The ferry system’s final long-range plan, released Tuesday night, shows a $3.3 billion deficit over the next 22 years. If Murray and Larsen succeed, WSF would receive at least $40 million a year from the feds.

“It’s not the complete answer,” ferries director David Moseley said during a news conference in a Colman Dock parking lot Wednesday morning. “The state would still have a huge responsibility, but $40 million a year over the 22-year life of the plan is $900 million.”

The U.S. Ferry Systems Investment Act of 2009 would increase federal ferry funding nationwide from $67 million this year to $200 million in each of the next six years. Half of it would be distributed based on a formula that looks at a ferry system’s number of passengers, vehicles, and route miles. Systems would compete for the other $100 million.

Washington State Ferries ranks first in the nation in the number of passengers it carries (22.7 million in 2008) and vehicles (10 million), and second to Alaska in route miles (200 miles). Based on the formula, it would get 35 percent to 40 percent of the $100 million, Moseley said.

The United States spends only one-tenth of one percent of total surface transportation funds on ferries.

“The federal government has long understood the wisdom and value of investing in the nation’s infrastructure,” Moseley said. “Our ferries are a marine highway, a floating bridge between 18 communities in Washington state and the second-largest transit system in Washington state, all of those things the federal government has realized it needs to fund wrapped up into one.”

Murray said Wednesday at Colman Dock that the bill has no enemies in Congress, only people with other priorities who don’t realize ferries’ importance. She and Larsen have been educating them for a decade and got $323 million for ferries in 2005. They’re trying to add support by marketing ferries as job creators to boat-building states’ reps.

Rep. Judy Clibborn, chairwoman of the House Transportation Committee, said the state would be in good shape to compete for the non-formula money, because after two years of state-mandated studies, there is now a blueprint for the ferry system’s future.

“It’s welcome news that we have a partner and it doesn’t fall on just our taxpayers,” said Clibborn, D-Mercer Island.

Washington State Ferries has had money problems since losing license tab revenues a decade ago. The Legislature has been keeping the system afloat, but it hasn’t found a dedicated long-term funding source that WSF can rely on. This would help, but it alone couldn’t build the 10 new ferries the system’s long-range plan calls for.

Powered by Qumana

WSDOT Ferries Division finalizes long-range plan

Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Contact: Marta Coursey, Communications Director, 206-515-3918

SEATTLE – Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) will purchase five new vessels over the next five years as part of a long-range plan that will guide its services and investments through 2030.

“After a lot of hard work by the Legislature, Gov. Gregoire and WSDOT, we are finally at a place where we can look ahead to long-term, sustainable service of our marine highways,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. “This is good news for the communities that depend on our marine transportation system, but also for the entire state of Washington.”

“The final long-range plan for the ferry system is the culmination of the efforts of many people, including lawmakers, ferry served communities, and WSDOT,” said Assistant Secretary David Moseley. “The plan sets a path for WSF between now and 2030 with the first milestone being construction of the 64-auto ferry.”

The plan assumes that current levels of service remain as they are today with minor improvements as new vessels are acquired to replace retiring vessels. Other plan highlights include:

Purchase 10 new vessels to replace retired and retiring vessels
Preserve and maintain existing terminals and vessels
Investigate new technology for vehicle reservations systems at Anacortes/Sidney B.C. and Port Townsend/Keystone, and to look at options to incorporate reservations on other routes
Make transit supportive investments at select terminals
The plan identifies a net funding gap of $3.3 billion over the next 22 years with most of that deficit in the capital program. WSF will continue to work with the Legislature to identify a sustainable funding source for the ferry system.

You may download a copy of WSF’s final long-range plan online at

www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/planning/ESHB2358.htm

Powered by Qumana