Source reader Julie King wants to know if tipping the ferry crew is allowed under the terms of the ferry companies’ agreements with the Public Services Commission. The answer is yes, PSC spokesman Lorna Nichols said.
“We just regulate the fares,” she said.
Kenrick Augustus, who serves as the spokesman for Transportation Services, said that while tipping is allowed, company policy prevents ferry crew members from asking for tips. He said he’s fired crew members for doing just that.
He asked that if you see this happen, you let him know about it in writing. Augustus said that since the ferry crew members belong to the United Industrial Works of the Seafarers International Union, he needs the paperwork to build a case. And he said it’s helpful if you have a witness.
At Varlack Ventures, the second company that provides service between St. John and St. Thomas, crew members are not allowed to solicit tips, manager Delrise Varlack said.
“That’s a no-no,” she said.
While she hasn’t fired anybody for requesting tips, she’d like to know about it, Varlack said.
She said that Varlack Ventures crews are not unionized.
Contact Transportation Services at ronwoodly@hotmail.com, and Varlack Ventures at info@varlackventures.com.
