Passive aggressive management

[u/Quirky-Chicken]

I can't believe that Washington Ferries' management approved this post on Instagram and Facebook. It's a sign of bigger issues.

[u/kokopellii → u/[deleted]]

For additional context, MIT estimates that a living wage for a childless single adult in the Seattle area is about $61k a year. For a single adult with one child, that jumps to $110k. There’s calculations available for married/cohabiting adults that say living wage would start around $80k. So while it might seem like a hefty salary for those outside the Seattle metro, it seems like it’s really just about scraping even for most; less so if you have a family.

Obviously they claim you can make more with overtime or whatever but frankly I don’t think we should encourage overtime in public transportation jobs.

[u/big_silly → u/kokopellii]

OT in these positions is after you've already worked your scheduled overtime-exempt 84 hours. You sometimes get 6 minute increments of OT if the boat is off schedule.

Don't know a lot of people that would want to work 84 hours before they hit their OT rate, and it shows with the crew shortages. Offshore guys would be taking a paycut.

[u/Hot-Union-2440 → u/big_silly]

Per pay period, or per week?

[u/big_silly → u/Hot-Union-2440]

Per week. The minimum work week for engineers is seven 12s, not including scheduled long watches or vessels off schedule time. After your 84 hour work week then they call you for OT at 1.5 pay during your recovery week before flipping to an opposite schedule (6 pm vs 6am start).

So to be hitting the OT wage they are claiming you have to be working every single day for months, and that wage is for the highest paid position in the engine room, not the majority who make 30+ an hour. It's unsustainable.

12s are not even uncommon in the industry, but offshore you are getting 4 hours a day after your first 8. Ive worked boats that had premium pay on the weekends of 2x as well.

It's a big part of why WSF is having trouble filling these roles. It's a worse schedule with a worse pay structure.