SIU members recently welcomed new jobs aboard a passenger ferry named after an all-time sports and civil rights icon.
Seafarers-contracted NY Waterway on Jan. 29 christened the 500-seat Jackie Robinson during a ceremony at its Port Imperial Terminal in Weehawken, New Jersey. The boat is named in honor of the Brooklyn Dodger legend and civil rights icon who is widely considered as one of the most important and admired figures in our nation’s history. Service began on what would have been Robinson’s 105th birthday, on Jan. 31.
SIU Port Agent Ray Henderson and several rank-and- file Seafarers attended the ceremony.
“This is a great addition to the company’s fleet of modern passenger ferries,” Henderson said. “I’m confident that SIU members will do great work aboard the boat for many years.”
NY Waterway President and CEO Armand Pohan stated, “When a group of us was discussing a name for our newest vessel, we kept landing on the idea of honoring Jackie Robinson, a figure who is an inspiration to all of us, and a true American icon. For those of us who are baseball fans, Jackie Robinson epitomized the very best of the game. He was a player of magnificent skill and grace. He was also one of the great trailblazers in the history of our nation, breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947.
“It was a seminal moment in the cause of advancing civil rights, and specifically the rights of Black Americans, in this country,” Pohan continued. “He, along with Mrs. Robinson, demonstrated remarkable courage, strength and grace in enduring the hate that was directed their way by those who would stand in the way of progress and equality. Jackie Robinson is, in short, one of the most admirable and important figures in our nation’s history.”
Seafarers and NY Waterway officials were joined by Jackie Robinson Foundation President and CEO Della Britton and Mr. Robinson’s granddaughter, Sonya Pankey. The Jackie Robinson Foundation, established in 1973, is a public, nonprofit organization that administers what has been described as one of the nation’s premier scholarship and leadership development programs for talented college students. The Jackie Robinson Foundation aims to educate and inspire the general public around the ideals embodied in the life of its namesake.
The newly built Jackie Robinson “will help provide additional ferry service to Midtown for PATH commuters during the planned month-long Hoboken PATH closure,” NY Waterway reported. “Once in regular service, the Jackie Robinson will provide comfortable and reliable ferry transportation on scheduled transit and excursion routes throughout the year.”
Pankey said, “Our family is really honored to have the opportunity to have young people and all … ride on the Jackie Robinson and have an opportunity to reflect on his legacy, not just on the baseball field, but off the baseball field.”
Founded by Arthur Imperatore Sr. in 1986, NY Waterway operates the nation’s largest privately owned commuter ferry service. Prior to the pandemic shutdown, NY Waterway carried more than 32,000 passengers each weekday on 23 routes across the Hudson River, bringing New Jersey commuters to Manhattan and back. In cooperation with MTA Metro North Railroad, ferries bring commuters from the west side of the Hudson River in Newburgh and Haverstraw to the Hudson Line stations in Beacon and Ossining.
On dozens of occasions, SIU-crewed NY Waterway ferries have provided emergency service when public transit systems are disrupted. On 9/11, NY Waterway ferries evacuated more than 163,000 people from Manhattan, part of the largest maritime evacuation in history. In August 2003, when a massive blackout shut down all Hudson River crossings, NY Waterway carried 160,000 people home to New Jersey. SIU crews also have rescued more than 300 people from New York waters, most notably the 143 individuals rescued from US Airways Flight 1549, the “Miracle on the Hudson” in 2009.
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