Staten Island Ferry workers’ union set to reach labor deal with NYC after 13 years of negotiations, source says
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NEW YORK — Staten Island Ferry workers are finally setting sail on a new labor contract with New York City.
Mayor Eric Adams and the union representing Staten Island Ferry captains, mates and engineers are set to announce Monday that they’ve reached a deal on a contract after going 13 years without one, according to a city government source familiar with the matter.
The specific contours of the deal were not immediately known. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preempt the official announcement, told the Daily News that Adams and reps for the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association will unveil the contract details during a press conference at Staten Island’s Saint George Ferry Terminal on Monday afternoon, coinciding with the Labor Day holiday.
Adams’ office declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association, which represents some 150 Staten Island Ferry workers, could not be immediately reached for comment.
The agreement reached between Adams’ negotiators and union brass will likely need to be ratified by rank-and-file members before it can take effect.
The Staten Island Ferry union’s last labor contract with the city expired in 2010. At the time, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg was refusing to settle contracts with a number of municipal unions, citing fallout from the 2008 financial crisis.
Upon taking office, Mayor Bill de Blasio moved quickly to settle dozens of the outstanding contracts — but his administration never managed to reach a deal with the Staten Island Ferry union.
As a result, Staten Island Ferry workers have gone without raises since their last contract expiration.
The lack of a contract has driven many ferry workers to leave for higher-paying private sector jobs. Subsequent staff shortages have prompted ferry service disruptions on a regular basis, leaving thousands of New Yorkers who rely on it for commuting in limbo.
Last summer, Adams blamed one such service disruption on some ferry workers calling out from work without good reason. That accusation drew harsh pushback from the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association at the time.
