Staten Island Ferry service impacted by workers calling out sick
LOWER MANHATTAN (PIX11) – The Staten Island Ferry was forced to run hourly service during the peak commute Friday morning.
Boats normally run every 15 minutes. A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Transportation said many captains, assistant captains, and mates called out sick on Thursday and residual service impacts continued into Friday morning. Normal service has since been restored, according to the Staten Island Ferry website.
A full crew – one captain, one assistant and three mates – is needed to operate a boat safely. About 70,000 people take the Staten Island Ferry every day.
It was not immediately clear on Friday whether the sick-outs were a form of protest by crew members who have been working under an expired union contract for 12 years.
A similar service disruption occurred in August 2022. At the time, Mayor Eric Adams had said a “significant share” of the Staten Island Ferry workforce did not show up for work, resulting in a temporary reduction to ferry service.