I’ve been offered a part time seasonal job but must join the AMO union. The AMO seems to have issues. I have not yet called the AMO to verify costs and to see if dispatching for other jobs would be an option to keep working, but will soon. Just fishing for comments at this time.
Do you have any other options? Not saying anything good or bad about AMO but if you need a job you should probably take it. If it works out, good for you. If not, maybe it will lead to something better.
No Pension, CIGNA Health, alot of providers roll thier eyes. Most contracts are terrible. Extremely poor union leadership. All this is my opinion, ask around.
Interesting info. It doesn’t look like a career move. Thanks for the replies.
All of the unions have their issues. AMO has some big ones right now. If you are young and just starting it might not hurt to give it a shot. Money in your pocket and a line on your resume never hurt anyone and the money for the ocean ranger job is really good especially considering how little work you actually have to do.
I did one 90 day gig with them ten years ago. Third Mate paid $80.00 per day. My OT was $15 and change. Weekend watch OT was $9.99 per hr. My OT aside from weekend watches was limited to 12 hr per week. I finished my time there and never went back. I took the job because I got to go to Tromso, Norway, which was very cool.
AMO haters go a bit overboard sometimes. I don’t know what problems AMO is having now, but I worked on a couple of AMO contracts almost 10 years ago and made somewhere around $350 per day as a 3rd Mate. The health insurance wasn’t bad at that time and I didn’t really care about the pension since I knew I wouldn’t stay forever.
@Marc0,
good thing you didn’t stick around the wages are about the same as 10 years ago, the pension plan has been scuttled for the employers and the Health plan should be the next shoe to drop on the members.
I have 20 in and I’m bailing out as soon as possible,I cant stomach the B.S bubbling out of Bethels’ mouth every time the union newspaper goes to print, lies lies lies. the perfect politician at 400k/ yr.
The pathetic part of this union is that the members are oblivious or dont care how bad they are actually getting screwed by the administration, ignorance truely is bliss!
AMEN, vote them all out. They got thier huge buyouts now they change the rules so they get another pension while 3/4 of the membership gets a boner. They really must not care about the people who pay them because what they have done is so blatant and in your face. It’s disgusting! VOTE THEM ALL OUT!!
Having “been there, done that” twice with AMO (first boat got seized by marshals for not paying port fees, second was a Tanker), if you don’t have a Tankerman, you probably will be sitting on the beach waiting for jobs alot. The tanker was a 20 year sweetheart contract that was still paying 3rd mates 116 a day and like someone else said, limited OT at 25 an hour. Had some cool ports of call, but getting married made me look for something to support a family at, and that wasn’t in a union.
MarcO, I’m not an AMO hater, I was just relating my experience. I was on one of the TAGOS ships. That’s why my pay was so low. I know they had better contracts. I was just on their worst.
Maybe the pension will not be so bad for someone just starting and having their contributions go into a fund in their name but as someone over half way through a career with AMO am totally discussed with the pure BS that comes from the leaderships mouth. With an election this year I am sure they will say anything and sugar coat everything until the election ends. Like others on this site I am waiting for the other shoe to drop (Medical?)
Some things to ponder before joining and really think about if you plan on trying to make career out of the AMO.
President makes $400k with all the perks, other unions are about half that.
Union leadership continues to gather retirement benifits while the rank and file are in a limbo year with no contributions (Sounds fair right?)
$10 million blown on some palace in Dania while the retirement plan sank (but at least we got a little cartoon in the union paper showig us how important it is to have a strong building for when politicans visit…the same guys we throw VPAF money at so they can bad mouth the Jones Act)
A new retirement scheme that is listed over in favor of those fat cats that got their cake and want yours too!
Lots of contracts that are totally in favor of the companies so you work for wages others worked for 15 years ago. TAGOS, T-5 Tankers, Tankers in general, MPS Contract, ANYTHING Sealift inc related etc etc etc
My bit of advice is that if you are not looking on joining the other unions take the job as a job is a job. But I am a member of the MEBA and can tell you that if you go AMO and then decide to join the MEBA it could make it harder to earn membership. When you join the MEBA or MMP you do need to state of you had any prior union membership. There are diffrences between all of the unions and and in the future I hope that all of the unions can work together to strengthen the USMM but until that day we are accountable for our choices in this industry.
I agree, a job is a job, and if you need it you shouldn’t let AMO be what stands in your way. But it’s not ideal, to say the least. I sailed on MM&P ships that had contracts not much better than what I imagined AMO to be.