December 18, 2020 The Honorable Phil Murphy Governor of New The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo Governor Jersey of New York State Office of Governor, P.O. Box 001 NYS State Capitol Building Trenton, NJ 08625 Albany, NY 12224 Senator Cory Booker Senator Charles Schumer 717 Hart Senate Office Building 322 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510 Senator Robert Menendez Senator Kirsten Gillibrand 528 Hart Senate Office Building 478 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, DC 20510 Representative Albio Sires Representative Donald Payne Jr. 2268 Rayburn House Office Building 103 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Representative Jerrold Nadler Representative Nydia Velázquez 2132 Rayburn House Office Building 2302 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Representative Max Rose Representative Frank Pallone 1529 Longworth House Office Building 2107 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Representative Gregory Meeks Representative Bill Pascrell 2310 Rayburn House Office Building 2409 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Representative Grace Meng Representative Carolyn Maloney 2209 Rayburn House Office Building 2308 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Representative Hakeem Jeffries Representative Adriano Espaillat 2433 Rayburn House Office Building 2332 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Representative Yvette D. Clark Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 2058 Rayburn House Office Building 229 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Representative Eliot L. Engel Representative José E. Serrano 2426 Rayburn House Office Building 2354 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Re: Vaccination Priority and Essential Worker Status for the Port and Maritime Industry Dear Governor Cuomo, Governor Murphy, Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, Senator Booker, Senator Mendez and Members of Congress: The Waterfront Alliance and our board of directors call on our region’s leadership and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize port and maritime workers for priority vaccination. Designated essential by DHS in March of 2020, marine transportation workers should now be included in front-line groups currently receiving the vaccine for Covid-19. Waterfront Alliance is a non-profit civic organization and coalition of more than 1,100 alliance partners ranging from environmental advocates to educational institutions to businesses and corporations. Our mission is to inspire and enable resilient, revitalized and accessible coastlines for all communities. The port and maritime industry of New Jersey and New York, and the Northeast and Midwest supply chains they are responsible for, are essential to our region and our national economy. The frontline workers of our ports have been working tirelessly working through this national time of great challenge to ensure that food, medical supplies, personal protective equipment, fuel, industrial equipment, and other products reach businesses, consumers, industry, and health care operations. Many workers have tragically paid with illness and even their lives. We must recognize this sacrifice and we must commit to what is needed immediately for their protection to safeguard our port workers now and for the future. In New York and New Jersey, this workforce includes but is not limited to licensed mariners, longshoremen, stevedores, inspectors, skilled trades, fuel terminal operators and shore connections such as drivers, dispatchers, customs, or insurance. Recognizing that the U.S. Marine Transportation System (MTS) is critical to our nation’s economy and security, DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, with the U.S. Coast Guard, specified these maritime frontline personnel on the “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” list on 19 March 2020, with these roles also specified essential in state executive orders.1 It is important to recognize that this vital MTS includes even more than the 506,000 jobs reported in the July 2020 economic impact study of the Port of New York and New Jersey released by the New York Shipping Association. It also includes related maritime sectors such as ferry systems, commercial fishing, waste management, and inland ports on rivers in both New Jersey and New York, encompassing an even larger essential workforce. Workers in this wider MTS, fulfilling necessary commerce needs, should remain prioritized for the Covid-19 vaccine along with medical and safety personnel. An overburdened MTS increases the possibility of systemic supply-chain disruptions and delays, potentially resulting in enormous losses to the U.S. economy and increased costs to the consumer. Additionally, with the economic potential of offshore wind development on the horizon, it is important to continue supporting the MTS and to support the recovery of the economic engine that is the Port of New York and New Jersey. These essential workers need protection to continue to do their essential jobs. Port workers, already specified as essential infrastructure workers in executive orders, should receive early access to the vaccine. Thank you for considering these important actions to support the region’s working waterfront. Sincerely, Cortney Koenig Worrall Chris Ward CEO and President Chairman of the Board 1https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/ECIW_4.0_Guidance_on_Essential_Critical_Infrastructure_Workers_Fin al3_508_1.pdf 2 .