Labor shortages reduce Staten Island Ferry service to delays, chaos
Massive crowds at rush hour on Wednesday lined both sides of the New York City harbor as crew shortages for the Staten Island ferry resulted in reduced service, with Mayor Eric Adams hinting that the significant labor call-ins on that day were the result of stalled union contract negotiations. Normally the Staten Island Ferry runs across the harbor every 15-20 minutes during peak periods, and on that day, service was reduced to hourly between 3:30pm Wednesday and 5am on Thursday, resulting in stranded commuters. City officials offered smaller ferries from a different company to take people home, as well as suggesting the city's express buses, but some commuters opted to take an expensive Uber home. Union officials denied that there was a concerted effort to disrupt essential service between Staten Island and Manhattan, but noted that crew shortages stemmed from overworked crews who have not received a raise in 12 years.
See "Labor shortages reduce Staten Island Ferry service to delays, chaos", Anna Gratzer and Clayton Guse, New York Daily News, August 4, 2022