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AUG. 21, 2024

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VOL. 105, NO. 34

Washington ferry workers union wants better pay for below-deck employees

By Carleen Johnson The Center Square

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Washington state ‘increasingly at risk’ for rolling blackouts By TJ Martinell The Center Square

A proposed battery energy storage system under consideration in Skagit County by the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council would, if ultimately approved by Gov. Jay Inslee, be able to provide 200,000 homes with electricity for up to four hours. It’s a facility that Washington residents might need if the state is unable to meet future energy demands, which the company behind the project warns is growing more likely. Tenaska is an independent

power company based out of the Midwest and behind the proposed $250 million BESS, which would store excess electricity generated by the grid for later use. In an Aug. 13 presentation to EFSEC, company officials cautioned that “the region is increasingly at risk for rolling blackouts and brownouts,” which it blames in part to “aging transmission infrastructure that cannot meet current or projected demand.” However, the presentation also noted that “data centers in the PNW, which are notorious for high energy use, are expected to more than double

their electricity use in the coming years.” Another contributor is the state’s transportation electrification efforts, with a ban on new fossil fuel vehicles taking effect in 2030. Currently, there are roughly 90,200 battery electric vehicles registered in Washington. Last year, lightduty electric vehicles consumed about 309,000 megawatt hours of electricity. The dilemma facing Washington is twofold. The first is that its energy grid will require an additional

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Hundreds of Washington state ferry workers are calling for higher pay and better staffing. The Marine Engineer Beneficial Association, or MEBA, is the union that represents engine room employees. MEBA contends other decklevel ferry worker unions have been given bigger raises in the last year. The union argues below-deck workers are equally critical to the system and deserve better pay, insisting on raises of up to 20%. MEBA is currently bargaining with the state Office of Financial Management, which according to an OFM email sent to The Center Square, is also bargaining with, “approximately 30 other groups of represented state workers.” The email goes on to say, "Because bargaining is ongoing, we are not able to comment on specifics, but we continue to have confidence in the bargaining process and that we will come to a successful resolution with the parties." Any tentative ferry agreement will be submitted to the OFM director by Oct. 1. The OFM director will then determine if the agreements are financially feasible for the contract that would take effect July 1, 2025. Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Centralia, is the ranking minority on the House Transportation Committee. Below-deck jobs are critical, he told The Center Square. “Those who are keeping the ships afloat should be compensated fairly,” Barkis said. “I don’t know exactly what that number is." He went on to note, "We have a talented workforce now with institutional knowledge that will be very difficult to replace if they leave." Barkis recalled a recent meeting with a longtime employee at Eagle Harbor who works in the engine room. “He knew every nut and bolt, and I was thinking when this guy leaves, who is going to FERRY, Page 3 Æ