[QUOTE=BargeMonkey;179408]I was hired there a few months before Hornbeck threw down the gloves and started stealing tankerman in quantity. I shit you not, captains where being sent to local high schools and pizza parlors to attract deckhands, every tug had 3-4 deckhands riding till they weeded them out. The layoffs where ruthless, alot of guys had flown in, bought all their food for 2wks and where layed off the next day.
I’m on yr 14, seen the good and the bad times, worked for 5 diff companies all while feeding a family, quitting a job wasn’t something I just did because I thought the paint looked better next door. I admire the advice alot of the senior GOM guys spoke, “save your money,because it will end” and they where right, I almost went down and wouldn’t have survived the slowdown.
I’ve got the world by the balls now, good company, good boat, and a good relief who is still young and a whore for the money. 14-28 for the rest of my boat career. ;)[/QUOTE]
I am confused. This dipshit company requires guys to buy and bring their own food to the boat? I have never heard of such a thing, not even on a fishing boat.
[QUOTE=tugsailor;179424]I am confused. This dipshit company requires guys to buy and bring their own food to the boat? I have never heard of such a thing, not even on a fishing boat.[/QUOTE]
Its pretty normal for a few guys or one guy to go buy grub on the way to the boat. Not out of their own pocket or for themselves, but for the crew. Usually they’re compensated in one way or another. When you have 15 minutes to crew change at 0300 or worse have to do it on the fly from one boat to another its better than waiting until who knows when to go grub shopping. Better than being at the mercy of a dispatcher. That’s what I mean about the NY oil grind. I’ve spent an entire wednesday running crewchange express light boat around bayridge and stapleton anchorage, some anchored units, some not. Also cape cod canal pilot boat crewchange.
[QUOTE=tugsailor;179424]I am confused. This dipshit company requires guys to buy and bring their own food to the boat? I have never heard of such a thing, not even on a fishing boat.[/QUOTE]
There’s a small operator in my neck of the woods that doesn’t provide food. Crews all buy their own. Over the years they occasionally would issue per diem money, but overall it’s been a fend for yourself deal.
[QUOTE=z-drive;179429]Its pretty normal for a few guys or one guy to go buy grub on the way to the boat. Not out of their own pocket or for themselves, but for the crew. Usually they’re compensated in one way or another. When you have 15 minutes to crew change at 0300 or worse have to do it on the fly from one boat to another its better than waiting until who knows when to go grub shopping. Better than being at the mercy of a dispatcher. That’s what I mean about the NY oil grind. I’ve spent an entire wednesday running crewchange express light boat around bayridge and stapleton anchorage, some anchored units, some not. Also cape cod canal pilot boat crewchange.[/QUOTE]
Ok. I understand buying groceries on the company’s account or credit card on the way to the boat at crew change. It makes sense for whoever is doing the cooking to get the grub.
When a guy shops for the boat, and then they lay him off on the way to the boat with the food, hopefully they pay him as they should for doing the shopping.
I would be really pissed if a company laid me off on the way to the boat.
There hire from within policy is horrible. When i was there, they had plenty of licensed deckhands signed off ready to go but kept hiring guys from Bouchard and Kirby.
yes, when we do it we try and make it worth mine or whoevers worthwhile.
The 2009 layoffs were ugly technique and while I do think they settled seniority bumps it took awhile and shouldn’t have even had to happen. I can’t say what company I was at then but was at home on the hook waiting to come back, and fortunately had a new job a week or two before I got officially laid off. Fortunately they laid me off like a man and didn’t fire me, with some warning and allowed me to fill in for other guys prolonging my paycheck.
[QUOTE=NYBoatman;179441]There hire from within policy is horrible. When i was there, they had plenty of licensed deckhands signed off ready to go but kept hiring guys from Bouchard and Kirby.[/QUOTE]
Our mate was the hiring agent for poaching @ Kirby. Would have us wake his ass up at 1000 and have a list of names handy of who to hire and who to not. It’s a small world, we all know how this industry works.
Tankerman on manned barges where paid “grub money” in your check, you fronted the money for food and it came in your check. Alot of these guys already lived paycheck to paycheck, so spend all your money getting food, and to the boat, then get thrown on the dock in the basin the next day.
Im reformed tank-trash who wised up and busted my ass to get a license, was unheard of over there, once a tankerman you could become a waterboy, but thats it, and i wasnt having it. I got passed over by 2 other people who had no license, and almost no experience but had family in the office and I still bit my tongue for a few more yrs till I finally moved up. Being the port captains kid must have its perks, last I knew he had failed the exams 6 times and was waiting again to re-apply. I just quietly plugged away and worked under some great guys before I got my shot, actually made me a better engineer because of it, if your not hungry you become complacent.
Again, all and all it was a good place to be, if you knew how to keep your head down and play the politics you where ok. I’ve got some horror stories but if I talk anymore the Tangier hitsquad may pay me a visit. :o
It’s super difficult to advance there. That in itself should tell something positive about the company. For example, it’s not a revolving door. However, there is always politics within each company. I too saw it in a short amount of time. Reinauer is a great place to work. I personally don’t care for 2/2…it was more like 16/12 (days) and to top it off, I worked in the NE and didn’t have to deal with near the amount of crew change horror the GOM guys dealt with.
Well lucky for us (SARCASM) with the crude export ban being lifted, those days of running crude around the GOM will be winding down I am sure.
Every company sucks in one way or another. I can say Reinauer and Moran in NY are at or near the top. That doesn’t mean they’re the best for everyone as others do enjoy working elsewhere (I may even be one), but they do offer the broadest compromise that will satisfy most people.
