Staten Island Ferry Union Hopeful Mayor Eric Adams Will Prioritize New Contract

The Staten Island Ferry workers union that has gone over a decade without a new contract or wage increase is cautiously optimistic that New York City’s new mayor will prioritize resolving the longstanding stalemate. The union has been fighting the city for over 10 years for a fair and respectful new contract, citing current insufficient wages that are contributing to the ongoing staffing issues that have limited the city’s ability to provide full service on the Staten Island Ferry in recent months. The wages offered by the City up to this point would still leave Staten Island Ferry workers grossly underpaid compared to other professional mariners.

“I spoke to [the Mayor] himself, and I explained to him the situation, and I think his team is going to be extremely receptive to what’s going on,” said Roland Rexha, Secretary-Treasurer of the the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA), the union that represents the captains, assistant captains, mates, chief engineers and marine engineers on the Staten Island Ferry. “I know they care about the people of Staten Island, and in caring about the people of Staten Island, they want to get this resolved. That’s something that they made very clear to me,” he added. Read more in the Staten Island Advance.