Jerry Cornfield of the Everett Herald has a good article today on the Governor's ferry privatization report, which was released yeterstday.
According to the report, Washington's ferry system is rather unique:
“No other ferry system operator interviewed for this study has as little control over key aspects of their operations, including labor relations and development and application of management tools as WSF,” the report states. “The degree and specificity of legislative involvement with the management of WSF assets is unheard of among its peers.”
The report details a few solutions, one of which is a public/private partnership. Based on the problems found within the ferry program, as Susannah Frame from KING 5 reported in her investigative coverage Waste on the Water, fundemental changes should be embraced. But as I point out in the Everett Herald piece:
“I think this report shows that the private sector can play a successful role in providing ferry service in Washington state,” he said. “There are obstacles, however, as the study points out. Labor will surely oppose such a move. But under the circumstances, it can’t be business-as-usual and labor either needs to participate in making the ferry system sustainable, or get out of the way.”
Read the Everett Herald Article.