After ferry disruptions, Maine island officials ask Gov. Mills to assist with staffing challenges

(AnnMarie Hilton/Maine Morning Star)

Leaders from six island communities are asking Gov. Janet Mills to step in as cancellations continue to disrupt the state ferry service that they rely on.

Earlier this month, representatives from Frenchboro, Matinicus, North Haven, Swan’s Island and Vinalhaven sent a letter to Mills asking her to “become personally involved in ensuring” the ferry completes its scheduled runs to each island. The letter says the cancellations stem from challenges with hiring and retaining crew members, which the officials attributed to low pay and U.S. Coast Guard licensing requirements.

“We have been told these problems are insurmountable; but we are confident that your personal involvement and leadership could succeed where other efforts have not,” reads the letter, which was also sent to Maine Dept. of Transportation Commissioner Bruce Van Note, Maine State Ferry Service Director Bill Geary, and Isleboro Town Manager Janet Anderson.

The Isleboro Selectboard and its ferry service representative sent a separate but similar letter to Mills a few days later. That letter said they would like to see a “fair and equitable” resolution that retains existing staff and attracts new workers.

In the past two years, island residents have been forced to miss medical appointments, school sports and other business on the mainland because of the disruptions to service caused by staffing shortages, according to the Maine Service Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents the ferry workers.

“Maine’s island communities are an important part of our state, and we understand how much the cancellation of a ferry run can impact the lives of the people who call our island communities home,” MaineDOT said in a statement. “We are committed to continuing to work collaboratively to try to address this issue.”

The Maine State Ferry Service advisory board held a meeting Thursday in Rockland to discuss the need to get services back on track. State Rep. Lydia Crafts (D-Newcastle), who chairs the Maine Legislature’s Transportation Committee, and Rep. Valli Geiger (D-Rockland), whose district includes Matinicus Isle , were in attendance, according to MSEA-SEIU Local 1989.

Public pressure has been growing for MaineDOT to address the low pay and understaffing. More than 200 people who live in the ferry service’s operating area signed a letter to Van Note, asking him to fix the problems.

“Our neighbors who work for the Maine State Ferry Service deserve a living wage that can support them and their families,” the public letter says.

As of July 1, ferry captains earn at least $92,976, according to MaineDOT. Ferry engineers earn more than $73,000, and ferry able seamen earn more than $58,480. The department said wages for all ferry service personnel include stipends in response to the recruitment and retention challenges of the positions.

On Monday, the Maine Bureau of Human Resources presented a six-month recruitment and retention incentive program to MSEA-SEIU Local 1989. While union representatives were “encouraged” by the state taking steps to address the staffing issues, the union said the proposal does not include the raises or structural changes they see as necessary to fix the problems.

MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 member and Maine State Ferry Service Able Bodied Seaman Jason Hall called the incentive program “shortsighted,” arguing that it comes with too many restrictions.

The state employee union has been calling on the state government to close the pay gap between State of Maine workers and their public and private sector counterparts. A study from 2020 showed that state employees are underpaid by 15%, on average. However, the Mills administration has argued the spay gap has decreased in recent years.

This story was updated to include salary information and a response from the MaineDOT.

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