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Bolivar Galveston Ferry Security Workers Walk Off Job 438 Views :: 4 Comments :: :: Local News Bolivar Galveston Ferry security workers walk off job The Texas Department of Transportation is searching for new companies to provide ferry security after Seawolf Marine Patrol workers walked off the job early Thursday morning. Since June 2006, the department has paid Seawolf Marine Patrol roughly $70,000 a month to randomly screen cars as they wait to board the ferry. Patrol employees say their paychecks have been bouncing since the beginning of the year. Frustrated with the lack of pay, security workers walked off the job early Thursday morning, leaving a lapse in security screenings from 12:45 a.m. to 6 a.m. when shifts switched. The security lapse has forced the transportation department to begin interviewing other companies to provide ferry security, said department spokesman Norm Wigington. He said the department plans to hire two new companies, one to provide security on the Bolivar side, the other to provide security on the Galveston side, by Oct. 1. Rick Morris, who heads safety and security for the transportation department at the ferry landing, said there have been no lapses in screenings since early this morning. However, screeners who wouldn’t give their names out of fear they would be fired, said they refuse to screen cars until they are compensated for their bounced checks. Earlier in the week, Seawolf Marine Patrol CEO Mike Fletcher blamed the bounced checks on a single accounting error and said the company was not having financial problems. He said all employees had been compensated. Screeners disagreed. Fletcher did not return calls to his cell phone Thursday By Michael A. Smith The Galveston Daily News