ARBITRATION DECISION: WSF marine engineers and oilers get 4% pay bump two years in a row – MEBA sought to close gap with other job titles on vessels

Thursday, September 26, 2024

The union representing Washington State Ferries’ engine room crew members (Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association) and state negotiators reached an impasse in bargaining their new contract in early August. The parties entered into an interest arbitration hearing Friday, August 23. The hearing ended Friday, August 30.  The arbitrator had until Sep. 30 to issue their decision, which came down this week.

It is illegal for public sector employees to strike in Washington.

The arbitrator has issued a decision on contract terms and conditions including a 4% raise, on average, across engine room crew employees, each year of the two-year contract. The arbitrator’s decision must be mandated by the powerful Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) before the raise is official.

The union had sought a 20% increase. They wanted to bring engineer and oiler pay closer to the pay of captains and mates.

Before the impasse went into arbitration, the State had offered MEBA a 5% increase across both years.

According to a statement released by MEBA, “Union members have been asking the state to correct the growing disparity in pay between engine room and their above-deck counterparts. To do that would mean a 20% increase in wages, which the state has refused to do, despite the severe workforce shortage that is driving canceled sailings, an over-reliance on overtime, staff burnout and worsening morale.”

Eric Winge, Washington State Ferries representative for MEBA, expressed the union members’ frustration: “The arbitrator’s decision on contract terms was a blow to our crew members, who are already at the breaking point. The state has no problem asking engine room crew to work 100 hours of overtime per month while they refuse to address the root cause of our dwindling workforce – uncompetitive pay. The widening gap between pay for our highly trained engineers and their above-deck counterparts is insulting and demoralizing. Nearly half of our senior crew is up for retirement in 2027. If the state can’t adequately staff the limited number of ferries operating today, how will they do it in three years, or 10 when we have a handful of new highly technical electric ferries that will depend even more heavily on experienced engineers?”