I am following updates on the Maine State Ferry Service staffing crisis and canceled runs, which harm island and mainland residents, businesses and visitors. As someone who rides MSFS ferries, I have respect for the hard-working employees who run the ferries and terminals, communicate to us patrons about cancellations due to short staffing or mechanical issues, and who serve as the face of MSFS. These workers live here in Maine and are a part of our communities.

In your recent article about MSFS staffing shortages, the Department of Transportation acknowledged that staffing is an issue across the state. We residents have been hearing, increasingly, about statewide staffing crises — Department of Health and Human Resources, Maine State Ferry Service, Department of Transportation, and others — and I can’t help but ask why the state has not taken action to raise wages? Long wait times for state services, unsafe and deteriorating road conditions, and cancelled ferry runs impact all of us, and there appears to be a simple solution: not outsourcing out-of-state temp workers at a higher cost to taxpayers, but instead, simply paying employees — our neighbors and community members — higher wages.

MDOT laments the difficulty of filling MSFS positions, which they call “good jobs.” They are good jobs — that’s because of our state employees who demand respect for their hard work. The state should uphold its commitment to making sure these good jobs can be filled by compensating workers fairly.

August Sender
Montville