Washington State Ferries’ rash of canceled sailings, inconsistent schedules and recurring breakdowns are all driven by a glaring lack of competitive pay for its engine staff, which include wipers, oilers, assistant engineers and chief engineers.

The state’s refusal to provide pay that’s in line with industry standards for this highly trained workforce is why it has become so difficult to retain and recruit experienced engine room crew.

I’m new to the ferry system. I arrived in the engine room in May 2022, after leaving a previous career in journalism and seeking a new path that offered more stability and a good work-life balance, while still feeding a lifelong hunger for hard, earnest work.

In my time as an employee of Washington State Ferries I’ve worked as an oiler aboard Port Townsend’s M/V Kennewick, and I have witnessed first-hand the wealth of knowledge and ardent dedication found in the engine room. As it is, the Kennewick has been continually recognized for its reliability of service for five years running. (What sailings the Kennewick has missed have been attributable predominantly to tidal cancellations and crewing shortages.)

If the caliber of the engine crew were to decline, the results could be catastrophic for the connection between Port Townsend and Coupeville. This is just one local example of a looming system-wide reality.

I’ve come to know two things in my short time with the ferries. First, my colleagues below deck are an incredibly proud, dedicated, and highly skilled cadre of licensed marine engineers and rank-and-file oilers and wipers, all working tirelessly to ensure the maintenance of these vessels.

Second, the morale of these individuals began waning long before I arrived. It is best described as institutional disenchantment, something almost universally attributed to insultingly low compensation for engine room staff — despite their vast technical knowledge and mechanical capabilities.

As members of the engineering department, we are tasked with ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the multitude of machinery and peripheral systems, which must all work in harmony to handle the high demand of vehicle and passenger service.

On any given watch, engineers could find themselves tracing out and diagnosing an electrical fault; replacing faulty plumbing in the passenger deck restrooms; firefighting; and conducting repairs and maintenance which could otherwise render the boat unserviceable. All of this is accomplished in addition to the lengthy daily lists of scheduled preventative maintenance.  

Ferries are staffed 24 hours a day, with engine crews working seven consecutive 12-hour watches, followed by seven days off. When the crews return to work, they are assigned the opposite 12-hour watch. The resulting disruption to a regular sleep schedule is commonly referred to as the “flip,” on account of switching from a night watch to a day watch every other week.

Many engineers also live far from their assigned vessel, often because of the need to find more affordable housing. That means lengthy commutes cutting into the already-limited time they can spend with their families.

I am experiencing the impact of wages that are incompatible with the cost of living here in the Puget Sound region. To earn enough money for our single-income family I work a second job as a carpenter on my off-weeks.

The Marine Engineers Beneficial Association (M.E.B.A) represents our interests during biennial contract negotiations between our bargaining committee and the Washington State Ferries labor relations committee. Earlier this year, M.E.B.A proposed an opportunity for us to secure equal pay for engine room staff, relative to the equivalent chain-of-command positions above deck.

The state rejected this proposal, stating that it did not feel that the work between the engine room and the deck department was equitable; leaving the men and women below to ponder such an egregious insult, albeit unsurprised.

In its own salary survey, examining 18 other comparable marine employers, the state found the ferries “lag the market in base pay for licensed and unlicensed positions.”

Licensed engine crew were found to be 19% below the industry’s average base pay; unlicensed base pay was found to be 21% below the industry average, which was calculated to be about $38 an hour for oilers and $33 for wipers. The largest disparity landed squarely on assistant engineers, who are currently earning on average 29% below the comparable average base salary of about $60 per hour.

This is unacceptable.

It would appear that the state is leveraging the reduced visibility of engine staff to ignore the need to address our pay.

If Washington State Ferries don’t step up and offer competitive wages for engine staff, your ferries will continue to tie-up, break down, and miss sailings. These vessels demand and deserve competent engineers who can care for them and act as custodians of the institutional knowledge for each of the unique systems aboard. If we are not compensated appropriately, it will not be a question of if we will lose these irreplaceable assets, but when.

I urge the ferry-riding community members to write or call your local and state representatives. Tell them how crucial fair compensation for engine room crew is to maintaining safe and reliable ferry service. Our ferries need to keep quality staff below deck, and these experienced engineers deserve to be compensated appropriately and competitively.

Look for us in the coming days and week as we work to increase our profile and inform the public about our push for fair and equitable wages.

Nick Twietmeyer is a M.E.B.A-represented oiler working for Washington State Ferries aboard M/V Spokane. He is a former reporter for the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader.