Washington State Ferries Employee News

Watch the all-staff meeting recording from Wednesday, Oct. 1.

Have an idea for this employee newsletter? Email WSFEmployeeComms@wsdot.wa.gov.

Dispatch Replacement Project progress with Helm Connect™ 

“Our Dispatch Replacement Project is a priority because it will make work easier for nearly 1,600 employees,” said Director of Marine Operations Dirk Van Der Raadt. “It will also improve transparency, help with bidding and scheduling, provide useful operational data and make our service better.”

The Executive Team fully supports the project and appreciates the progress so far:

• Union leaders and our negotiation team saw a demo of the new Helm Connect™ system on Dec. 2. They asked questions and confirmed key features they wanted.
• Pod leaders are sharing project updates regularly. Recent Route Focus Group meetings on Nov. 21 and Dec. 1 showed that our employees are experiencing transparency and teamwork in the project. Employees who joined Helm meetings say Helm “really listens” and “is building what we want and need.”
• During the week of Nov. 17, more than 75 terminal staff met with project team members at all our terminals. Employees got a first look at the personal My Helm page, which will help with individual bidding, scheduling and certifications.
• Employees from across the system applied to be change ambassadors for the project. The team will announce the ambassadors soon. Interest was strong!

Change can feel uncertain and sometimes cause worry. And excitement is growing as employees see how Helm Connect™ will make work easier, improve processes and deliver better results.

The rollout of Helm Connect™ is planned for 2027, just over a year away. The project is on track.

As always, if you have questions or input, please feel free to talk to a project team member. You can also scan the QR code to the right to visit the Dispatch Replacement Project SharePoint site (must use a WSDOT device). The site is updated at least once a month with the latest news. The QR code will appear in every issue of Ferry Tales through summer 2027 until the project is complete.

Employee Recognition

Suquamish crew honored for efforts in rescue of sailors

Chimacum crew rescues boater

On Nov. 6, the Chimacum crew acted fast when a nearby vessel was taking on water. They launched a rescue boat and safely brought the boater aboard the ferry. Thanks to their quick action and teamwork, everyone returned safely to Southworth.

Thanks to our Thanksgiving crews

Celebrating the season

Employee Spotlight

The teams behind hybrid-electric conversion of Wenatchee

For this month’s employee spotlight, we are recognizing not just an individual, but an entire network of teams. Through the perspective of Staff Chief Engineer Terry Chan, we highlight the wide range of people across WSF who worked, and continue to work, to guide Wenatchee through its historic hybrid-electric conversion.

When Wenatchee returned to Eagle Harbor following its conversion at Vigor, the work was far from finished. The project represented more than a technical upgrade. For the teams involved, it became a masterclass in collaboration, perseverance and professional pride. Behind the advanced technology, massive batteries, new automation and redesigned propulsion systems lies a story about people showing up every day to solve problems together.

Terry joined the effort after the design was already set. “I came in late and had little time to come up to speed on the project,” he said. “That made it both challenging and interesting.”

He quickly found himself responsible for understanding how the new systems interacted, determining the commissioning sequence and defining performance metrics for Siemens Energy. “I had to step outside my role and take an active part in auditing the shipyard's schedule, doing quality control and inspections, and troubleshooting where the vendors fell short,” Terry explained.

Deputy Program Administrator Anders Hammersborg underscored this effort: “It is not an overstatement to say that the project may not have been delivered without Terry’s expertise, particularly leading the entire system commissioning and testing efforts. He was there every single day as the primary interface between subcontractors Vigor and Siemens, troubleshooting and operating the system during sea trials. His level of technical expertise and dedication to the success of this project is truly impressive. Terry went well beyond expectations.”

Terry will be the first to tell you, he was not the only one adapting. The entire team had to shift roles, share knowledge and balance competing priorities to maintain momentum.

A pivotal moment arrived when the team realized the shipyard’s linear production plan did not align with the reality of bringing such a complex system online. With legacy systems offline for long periods and new hybrid controls needing careful validation, time was becoming a critical factor.

“As a team, we had to push for a progressive commissioning strategy,” Terry noted. Instead of waiting until production wrapped up, the teams began testing and validating systems in a logical sequence while other work continued around them. It required tight coordination across engineering, trades, vendors and shipyard management, but it saved the project. 

“Progressive commissioning allowed us to test and validate in a sequence that made sense,” he said.

Major retrofits are rare in a marine engineering career, and converting a vessel the size of a Jumbo Mark II to hybrid-electric propulsion had never been done in North America. The learning curve was steep. Familiar systems suddenly behaved differently due to new automation, requiring the crew to master the nuances of the vessel all over again.

“The hybrid conversion challenged everyone to be self-directed, to read the documentation, understand the schematics and notice the subtle differences,” Terry said.

Ask Terry what stands out most, however, and he points to the people, not the equipment. “I’m proud of all the people who got involved to see this through.” Support poured in from Eagle Harbor trades, Jumbo Mark II crews, relief chief engineers and assistant engineers, and a dedicated on-call team handling final inspections. Terry expressed pride in being part of a group where every phase of the work featured someone stepping up, asking difficult questions or sharing expertise to make the next step possible.

Even after the vessel returned to service this summer, commissioning continued. Each day brought new adjustments and fewer challenges than the day before, which is a natural process for a vessel with so many new systems. With Wenatchee now dependably serving our Seattle/Bainbridge route, the dedication of the teams across WSF deserves recognition.

Terry hopes others take away one specific message from this experience: We don’t always get to choose who we work with, and we won't always agree. There will be conflict and challenges, but no one person can make a project like this happen. Overcoming difficult challenges as a team leads to the most memorable achievements in a career.

Wenatchee represents innovation and hints at the future of the fleet, but it also represents what our employees can accomplish together. As the vessel enters its next chapter, the teams behind its transformation can take pride in knowing they are building a vessel ready for the next 30 years of service, one thoughtful, collaborative step at a time.

What’s New at HQ?

We are updating the sailing schedules for the Seattle/Bainbridge and Seattle/Bremerton routes. Next steps? Form a team of deck, engine, dispatch and terminal employees. This team will work with our Planning Department to gather ideas on how to best serve both routes.

The current schedules are out of date. They have caused delays and made work harder for crews and terminal staff. New schedules will give better service to customers and create more manageable conditions for employees. They will include more realistic crossing and dwell times.

We need input from our own employees before we ask the public for feedback. If you are interested in learning more or joining the team, please talk with your supervisor. Each department will have representatives on the internal working group.

Update from the Uniform Review Team

The Uniform Review Team has been looking closely at our current uniform designs. They gathered feedback from the fleet. They also reviewed new options for deck, engine, dispatch and terminal staff. The team’s goal is to improve the style, comfort and function of our uniforms, including safety.

Project status

The team is recommending several new uniform items, including:

• Four different brands of pants.
• Three different brands of shorts.
• Two puffy vests (in addition to the fleece).
• Cardigan sweaters.
• Leather belts instead of canvas.
• A Helly Hansen rain jacket in women’s sizes (black for deck and terminal).
• A softshell jacket for spring and fall.
• An acrylic V-neck sweater, similar to a wool sweater.

All recommendations have been sent to the Executive Team for approval.

Up next

We expect the new items to appear on the Galls website early next year. Stay tuned for a notification once they are approved and ready to order.

Turning the Tide

Thank you for supporting this work as we put together the final recommendations. We are excited for employees to have new uniform items that fit better and match the demands of your job.

We will keep working to improve how we work together and how we serve customers. Your involvement in these projects helps make sure your voice is heard. Our uniforms show pride in our agency and the work we do.

By staying open to new ideas and working as one team, we can keep improving our work environment. This project supports our strategic priorities of Service Excellence, Improved Communication and Empowered People. It also reflects our shared values: Serve, Respect, Grow, Trust and Navigate.

How to contact the Uniform Review Team

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments you can email the Uniform Review Team.

Raising the bar on our fall protection training

Keeping our employees safe when there is a risk of falling is a top priority. 

Our fall protection class trains staff to use fall protection equipment the right way. This training helps employees stay safe during high-risk work, especially when they are working at heights or doing maintenance. The class is led by Workforce Development Lead for Eagle Harbor Steve Rehal. 

Deck, engine, Eagle Harbor, terminal engineering and IT employees regularly take this training. 
We offer it in several ways. It’s part of New Employee Orientation and Vessel Emergency Response Training. We also hold stand-alone classes when needed.

This training got a major update in 2025. This was a group effort that included our instructors, Safety Department and trades staff from Eagle Harbor. We installed new training tools, including a horizontal lifeline, a vertical lifeline and an overhead anchor point. The overhead anchor point helps employees practice wearing a full-body harness and using trauma straps correctly.

We are proud to have a team of certified WSF instructors who teach this important class. Along with Steve, our current instructors are Second Mate Josh Perry, Capt. Gene Parini and Chief Mate Michael Edwards from deck; Assistant Engineer Chris Beall from engine; and Shoregang member Bonnie Frazier from Eagle Harbor.

We also manufactured custom storage units to keep training equipment organized and easy to access. These include a large wooden cabinet and a rolling A-frame display board. Both were built with the help of Eagle Harbor’s carpenter and weld shops, with special thanks to Shipwright Journey Shawn Merritt and Boilermaker Brian Roe.

Thanks to everyone involved, our fall protection training is soaring to new heights.

First vendor at Colman Dock nearing opening

The first of several new vendors at Colman Dock is expected to open in late December.

Puget Sound Traders will be the first to open in the northeast corner of the terminal building. The convenience store will feature Amazon’s “just walk out” technology, which lets customers grab what they need and leave without stopping at a checkout. If you’ve been to T-Mobile Park in recent years, this is the same system in use at many concessions.

More vendors will follow over the coming months:

• P.S. Perks Espresso & Coffee – kiosk in terminal building expected to open spring 2026.
• Kathmandu MoMoCha – Himalayan dumpling concept in the exterior of the terminal building behind the ticket booths expected to open spring 2026.
• Knot's Landing – pretzel concept on lower level of entry building expected to open late spring 2026.
• Smoothie concept (name to be determined) – upper-level of entry building expected to open in 2026.

There’s also about 1,000 square feet of street-level retail space on Alaskan Way still available and a few 200-square-foot pop-up spaces which are yet to be filled. We may explore short-term rentals or other uses for these remaining retail areas, depending on operational needs. 

The return of retail to our Seattle terminal is an exciting step in making the facility more welcoming and convenient for our passengers.

Tilli the warehouse cat

Tilli the cat, named after our oldest ferry Tillikum, is a fixture at our warehouse in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood.

This summer, Tilli became a mom to seven kittens in the parking lot. Thanks to Alley Cat Project, the whole family received medical care, the kittens were socialized and they each found their “furever” homes.

Except Tilli. She wanted nothing to do with the indoor life, so Alley Cat Project released her back into the area. Since then, our warehouse team has been working to earn her trust, providing regular feedings and a warm bed in a storage tent.

Our warehouse staff gave Tilli a special feast for this Thanksgiving: Fancy Feast turkey and giblets with a side of freeze-dried minnows.

Feral or not, Tilli’s a steady presence at our warehouse – a furry reminder of our family spirit at WSF.

Construction Corner

Tribal art, storyboards tell story of Seattle’s earliest days on downtown waterfront

A ferry terminal isn’t usually a stop in an art walk, but our ferry terminal at Colman Dock is! 

While construction of the buildings, holding lanes and trestle was going on, our architects, tribal liaison and others were working with the Muckleshoot and Suquamish Tribes to commission tribal art and storyboards. The goal was to give viewers a glimpse of life on those shores way back when a tribal chief played peacemaker between the tribes and early white settlers to the region. That chief later became the city’s namesake. 

The site of our Seattle terminal has long been a transportation hub. Native tribes used canoes to reach the shores for tribal gatherings, trading and celebrations.

In honor of that, three canoes from Suquamish artists are suspended above in the terminal building and paddles from Muckleshoot artists are installed on the large gold panels at the building’s entrance. 

Muckleshoot artists also created three 8-foot spindle whorls located inside the terminal building’s entrance. 

This work joins two tribal named plazas along Alaskan Way bearing signs with their Lushootseed names – the Muckleshoot-named sluʔwił (south plaza near Yesler Way) and Suquamish-named ʔulułali. Storyboards will be installed in the plazas explaining the meaning of those names.

Four Suquamish storyboards located on both north and south balconies of the entry building feature historical photographs of the area from the city’s earliest days. QR codes lead the curious to more information about those times. 

Back to that artwalk. You can check that out on the Seattle Waterfront Story Map, created by Friends of the Waterfront. 

What’s Up at WSDOT?

As a state employee, you may be eligible for discounts. While we don’t maintain a list of all available discounts, you are encouraged to ask to see what state employee discounts may be available with your local gym, cellular plan and hotel for travel within the state. There are also specific discounts with AFLAC, Office Depot and Microsoft’s Home Use Program: 

• AFLAC is supplemental insurance available to state employees through a payroll deduction at a group discounted rate. AFLAC is not medical insurance, but insurance that pays cash benefits directly to the policyholder, over and above any other coverage that is currently in place.
• Office Depot – Office Depot offers the same pricing state agencies receive to all WSDOT staff through the voluntary Employee Purchase Program (must use a WSDOT device).
• Microsoft Home Use Program – Microsoft’s Home Use Program offers the Microsoft Office 365 Home or Personal subscriptions at a discount. Employees may get started by providing their WSDOT email address and Microsoft will send a message to their work email which can then be forwarded to the employee’s personal email address with details on how to purchase the product at home.

You can read about these discounts and more in Chapter 3 (must use a WSDOT device) of the HR Desk Manual. Please note that not all companies offering discounts to WSDOT employees are reflected, and participation is subject to change. 

WSDOT employees and their adult family members also have access to enhanced Employee Assistance Program services through EAP’s Work/Life program. Examples of these enhanced services include:

• Financial counseling and resources
• Legal services, including a free 30-minute attorney consultation
• A database of providers for childcare, pet sitters, elder care and more
• A library of work/life topics on parenting, career development, home buying and more
• The Workplace Options US savings center, a discount shopping program through the Perks at Work website offering up to 25% discounts on name brand, practical and even luxury items
• Bigger savings through the site’s Employee Pricing Program

You can access these enhanced EAP services from any device through the Work/Life link on EAP’s website, or eap.wa.gov/worklife. You will need to enter our organization code which can be found on the Human Resources Benefits intranet page (must use a WSDOT device) in the Employee Assistance Program section. 

While state employees are not allowed under state ethics laws to seek out individual special favors as part of their employment, broad-based group discounts – such as discounts offered to all state employees – are generally permissible under state ethics laws. If you ever have questions about a specific offer or issue, please check with the Internal Audit Office.

Training Times

Our newest deckhands

High schoolers get real-world engine experience

Instructors finalize new engine officer training curriculum

Bringing real-life situations into the engine officer training classroom

Terminal Career Development Program

Terminal New Employee Orientation

Workplace Community Emergency Response Team

Basic First Aid & CPR

Safety Matters

Major construction is coming to our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility starting Dec. 1. A long-awaited weld shop will be added. The parking lot and surrounding areas will be affected. Heavy equipment, large trucks, increased deliveries, job trailers, and construction crews and inspectors will be on site. Everyone coming to Eagle Harbor must use extra caution while on site. There will be increased congestion and changing traffic patterns throughout the project. All visitors are required to wear proper personal protective equipment on site. PPE can be picked up at the guard shack or from Eagle Harbor’s safety office.

Nautical Numbers

Here are some numbers that recap what we did in November:

1,493,190 total riders

• 731,460 drivers (with vehicle)
• 761,730 passengers and walk-ons

12,976 trips completed

71,028 service miles

99.2% of scheduled sailings completed (based on scheduled trips)

277 medical priority loads/medevacs

2 lifesaving events

93 whales spotted

Welcome Aboard!

November deck hires:

• Derick Adams
• Seth Adamski
• Brian Baker
• Jonathan Cooper
• Nicholas Crutchfield
• Nikki Daniel
• Holli Decker
• Jesse Ellefsen
• Joshua Koller
• Djay Louis
• Sherityn McBride
• Jacob Rocha
• Heather Sheppard
• Andrew Smith

November engine hire:

• Joseph Gibson

November terminal hires:

• Robert Anderson
• Calvin Bell
• Tracie Bergstrom
• Karen Binkhorst
• Troy Bruschetto
• Andrew Castrataro
• Steven Chavez
• Kristina Glover
• Shelby Klahn
• Abbie Kunch
• Tammy Ohrmund
• Harmony Olsen
• Janine Ragucci
• Sharon Siedlecki
• Jesse Skipton

November Eagle Harbor hires:

• Jordan Bezoenik
• Aaron Harvin

November HQ hires:

• Jenny Erickson
• Chad Johnson
• Pete Lindstrom
• Ryan McKnight

We’re Hiring!

Current job openings at WSF:

• On-Call Oiler/Wiper
• Transportation Engineer 3
• Bridge Engineer 6 (In-Training)

Have an idea for this employee newsletter? Email WSFEmployeeComms@wsdot.wa.gov.