Engine-room workers, who often alternate seven daily 12-hour shifts with seven days off, say they’ve piled up overtime for years, to keep the nation’s biggest ferry fleet running. Performance even improved recently to 98% trips completed and 80% on time, and reliable service during FIFA World Cup.

Burnout finally caught up with the boys in the boat. The consequence was 13 of 18 ferries idle, scuttling people’s trips across Puget Sound for commutes, leisure, or medical appointments.

Washington state’s struggle to operate aging boats is well known to the public, but the nation’s largest ferry fleet, serving 20 million people a year, is also vulnerable if more than a few people cancel their shifts.

There are no quick solutions. The union and Gov. Bob Ferguson listened to each other in meetings after last week’s Monday morning sickout. They agreed engine-room pay and working conditions must improve.

“I do not expect something like this to happen again,” said Eric Winge, representative of the Marine Engineers Benefit Association (MEBA). “We’re working hard to ensure that it doesn’t, but we’re asking for some help. Let’s get the staffing levels up to where we’re not expected to come in so much on overtime. That is not a sustainable or safe way to run the ferry system, right?”

Gov. Bob Ferguson, in a letter to MEBA members Friday, expressed appreciation for their service, and said he’s ordering a new salary study as a basis for higher pay, after the current contract expires June 30, 2027.

“Going forward, in order to maintain a constructive partnership, it is imperative that there are no further service disruptions,” he wrote.