Letter Bob Distler sent to State Officials

Dear Senator Ranker and Representatives Morris and Quall,

posted 06/15/2009
At a series of community meetings this month, Washington State Ferries discussed the status of its long-range plan, the tariff process and the next steps in exploring the feasibility of a reservations system. WSF senior management also outlined what it termed the legislature’s direction coming out of the 2009 session, including one that endorsed a scenario to fund “existing service levels.”

As it turns out, we in the San Juans will not be so fortunate.

As part of the San Juan County agenda, David Moseley reviewed a letter he received from the United States Coast Guard, dated August of last year, requiring WSF—among other things—to ensure that "all WSF deck watches . . . meet the 12 hours work in 24 hours [requirement] by September 30, 2009" based on concerns regarding crew endurance issues.

What that means for our Fall/Spring and Winter schedules is that the mainline boat that currently remains overnights in Friday Harbor instead will have to originate and terminate in Anacortes, along with other adjustments affecting the entire route’s schedule.

At the meeting, WSF discussed two alternative draft timetables to become effective in September—one that presumes no change to crew work rules in existing collective bargaining agreements and another based on some relaxation of those rules; both conform to the USCG direction of “not more than 12 in any 24.”

Either schedule will result in a significant degradation of intrastate service impacting everyone here in the San Juans, including interisland commuters to and from jobs and schools along with those of us making day trips to the mainland.

In fact, the only island unaffected by either of the draft alternatives will be Vancouver Island; service at Sidney BC would not be impacted.

This issue, which quickly became the focus of the meeting, was conducted on board the interisland ferry Sealth so as to afford residents of all islands a chance to participate, and the agenda was repeated so as to give everyone access to the discussion.

Some questions that come to mind:

If by August of last year WSF learned that it would be mandated to conform its operating schedules to new directives from the Coast Guard, did the Department of Transportation (WSDOT) provide for that requirement with a request for incremental funding as part of its 2009 submission so as to in fact ensure that “existing service levels” would be maintained?

Did this particular issue arise in any discussions between WSDOT, including WSF, and any of you or your respective staffs?

And finally, despite the very late hour—with WSF nearing its deadline to finalize the Fall schedule and the Coast Guard unlikely to essentially reverse its ruling of last year—is there anything that you, as our representatives in Olympia, can do, either fiscally or administratively, to preclude the significant hardships that either of these alternative schedules will impose on our island community?
Thank you for your consideration of these comments.

Bob Distler

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