It is no secret that many Whidbey Islanders and other communities living on the Puget Sound’s shores have grown increasingly frustrated with Washington State Ferries as long wait lines, delays and cancellations become more frequent.

As ridership continues to climb to pre-pandemic levels, the country’s largest passenger ferry system has been struggling to meet demand due to a reduced fleet and staff shortages, particularly in the engine room, where staff works unnoticed by the passengers.

According to Kristin Hyde, a spokesperson for the Marine Engineer Benefit Association union, Washington State Ferries needs 400 engine room employees, which include oilers, chief engineers and assistant engineers. Every day, the Coast Guard requires the service to have a minimum of 200 engineers and oilers to operate the boats.

“If even one of those crew members is not able to show up that day, they can’t run those boats,” she said, adding that having a full engine room crew on board is just as important as having a captain.

For the first time, marine engineers and representatives of M.E.B.A. will hold a press conference to talk about the issues driving ferry cancellations and what the state should do to make service more reliable for communities that depend on it to work, receive health care and study.

“Crew and union representatives will explain how the state’s management decisions are driving burnout, hobbling the agency’s ability to retain and recruit experienced crew members, and contributing to huge backlogs in repair and maintenance,” according to a press release from the union.

The meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6 in Seattle.

The union is in the process of negotiating for better wages, which are too low to keep up with the cost of living and are much higher in the private sector, Hyde said. With higher wages, the service could attract and retain qualified staff.

In the private sector, chief engineers work half the year and earn $300,000, while Washington State Ferries’ chief engineers work all year and make less than half of that, according to an opinion piece written by M.E.B.A. Secretary-Treasurer Roland Rexha and published in the Seattle Times last month.

Oilers, Rexha wrote, are paid less than ticket-takers at the terminal.

As engineers retire, the system is struggling to find qualified replacements as it can take up to a decade or more to become an engineer. As a result, Washington State Ferries is “heavily” relying on overtime work, Hyde said.

“They are regularly working back to back shifts, sometimes sleeping in their cars,” she said. “It’s a major burnout issue.”

Aside from the engine room staffing crisis, the ferry system has been getting worse also due to its aging fleet. While there is a need for 26 vessels, the service only has 21, 15 of which are actually operating.

While the state is investing in electric ferry boats, it might take as long as a decade to have a full fleet, Hyde said.

More than 3,500 sailings were canceled in 2023, and passengers have been taking their frustration out on the deckhands who have no fault, according to Hyde.

“I keep hearing that if we keep going like this, we’re not going to have a ferry system in 10 years,” she said.