Workers are at a breaking point from the amount of overtime we have been working over the last five years. We can’t sustain our lives working this much, especially with the subpar compensation we receive. We are also 'aging out and there are no workers being invested in to replace us. We can’t keep “coming back” from retirement forever. And using temporary hires from Nanaimo should be the exception, not the rule, for a sustainable service.

The employer needs to hire more of us, retain us with on-par wages and benefits, and train us to meet the qualifications needed by Transport Canada to meet the sailing needs of the community. We are acting on our exhaustion. And we are standing up for the needs of the ferry-dependent community.