With the oil patch booming again, post hurricane construction, and Covid, the company cannot just bring in bus loads of unemployed and unvaccinated scabs from Louisiana. It’s not 1986 anymore.
Now other competing companies will start screaming “me too” and demand wage cuts.
Sounds like SIU Inland is a pathetic excuse for a union, but that’s certainly not news.
No reason why anyone should be taking a wage cut now. Companies are gorging on free federal Paycheck Protection money. We are paying taxes for that. Plenty of jobs available.
We are getting better money after being underpaid for years. We still need another healthy raise to get us back to what we were making in the 80’s, adjusted for inflation.
Generally speaking, yes…but they do have some decent contracts here and there. Now if its true that during contract negotiations the centerline ny guys took a cut thats a travesty. Whats the point? Need some incentive to be a part of that shitshow, and if the money aint right whats the point? Maybe some of those guys don’t have the credentials required to go elsewhere, who knows.
Can’t speak for SIU now, but when I was starting out, the inland companies historically paid a bit less than offshore.I remember as an ABT many moons ago the company President visited the Tug in either Ft Lauderdale or Miami. Told us you are the “cream of the crop”, that’s why you get that extra $3.00 or so a day per man for grub. I didn’t stay there long, but did learn a lot and went with another SIU company that paid quite better. It varied with the different contracts and profit margin. And management who were or not willing to work with unions. I preferred the union work, regardless. We all mostly knew where the best working conditions were, you had to wait your turn sometimes. Would be hard to believe seasoned ATB crew are having rates cut. But then again,different management styles sometimes overlook the benefit in rewarding the employees. They (The mariners) will keep looking elsewhere while getting the job done in the meantime… Not the best rotation for crappy HR managers or their “Upper level management”.
The rumors i heard were regarding their bunkering fleet. The offshore guys are non-union. They did get messed with a bit such as paid travel being taken away, but they didn’t take it in the shorts like the harbor guys.
The irony is they lured a lot of talent away from vane and others with higher wages, and now those folks are worse off. A painful reminder that the grass is always greener but still needs to be mowed.
I value your opinon CTony as you have seen many crazy things in this industry. The last company I worked with put it to a vote whether to call the “Home Port” the spot where travel pay began. They knew more crew lived near there would likely vote for the monthly stipend of not much more $130 bucks per month to fatten their pockets for about a year or so. The guys that lived out of town did not fare too well. Policy changed again. The guys that voted for it did not do well after the year expiration of the payment.Their complaining fell upon deaf ears once the money disappeared. Travel is a large part of your pay, as well as benefits. Company played them like cheap guitar. Daily rate was still ok, but more out of pocket overall. Thankfully,union dues stayed the same.
In every other industry in the US, employers must pay for all company required travel expenses and pay wages while traveling.
A former engineer now has a job as a service tech. The minute he walks out his door and jumps in his company truck, he is getting paid by the hour. It does not matter whether he is driving to job two hours away or going to the airport to fly to a job 1500 miles away. The company pay for everything, airfare, meals, hotels, uber etc., plus his hourly wages until he walks back in through his front door. And yes, he get a lot of overtime. This is what is normal in American employment. This guy is making much more than he did working on a tugboat.
How dare a maritime employer not pay for all Mariner travel?
What kind of a so-called union would allow that?
In the current job market, why would any Mariner put up with anything less than fully paid travel?
They have tried to gut the IBU in LA/LB. They have created another company to take over some contracts using SIU Labor and have completely destroyed the wages and benefits. Centerline received $10 million dollars in PPP covid relief and at the same time laid off over 50 percent of their workers in LA/LB. This company is trash managed by a bunch of dipshits.
The current CEO and president at one point was a low level IT tech. Harly Franco brought him in and was backstabed by him and many others that ran a coup against him. This is strange to say but things were much better when Harley Franco was running the show.
This deleted post above is worth reading. Just click on the orange pencil.
I have no idea whether this is true, but: Centerline supposedly shifting work from union to a non-union boats. Where have we seen that before?
I have no idea whether this is true, but: Centerline supposedly bringing the SIU into LA/LB to gut the IBU. Doesn’t that sound like the typical competing unions cutting each other’s throats and throwing their members under the bus in a race to the bottom?
I’ve met several people that have worked for Harley Gulf and Harley NY. I’ve never heard a good word about those Harley operations.
I have heard mixed reports about Harley Seattle and Alaska. They had a lot turnover on the boats and in the office, but some people found it to be a decent job.
How many times have we heard Harley and Bouchard mentioned in the same sentence?
Centerline sounds to me like the typical company being run by accountants that do not understand maritime, or why mariners without a college degree are paid more than office staffers with a college degree. From the non-maritime industry accountant’s point of view mariner wages, benefits, and perks are a good pla e to cut expenses in a money losing company. It never occurs to them that the best place to cut is in the office.
Fortunately, for the Centerline Mariners there are other jobs available.
My first years at training at SIU was related to my IBU 16 class, There were not many more IBU classes after that.Was just a young kid trying to make a decent living opposed to banging nails. We were strictly Tug guys in that class, not ships. I think I am the only IBU guy left that remembers it or continued after a short time… Many moons ago. SIU and IBU had a falling out in the early 70’s. West coast was very competitive, we were offered decent dollars to head that way to do whatever… I guess it is still going on. I stayed put where I was at on East Coast and GOM… SIU and AMO took good care, am happily retired. My mailbox does not disappoint me.
It was in 1973. Union agent picked me up at the bus station for my first job at the Norfolk Hall,. Although first book was SIU months later shit changed. No more IBU. What little did I know back then as a teenager? Was glad for the job which I had and free food. Never regretted that decision, nor had to bang nails later in life at other than my own home.
Centerline has the former B.272 and Donna Bouchard. The 270 and Kim are with another operator. The 272 abs Donna are a beauty, you’ll see them trading the Gulf of Mexico soon.
We are advertising for help because we are adding equipment. I am happy to be transparent on Union relations with centerline - a big and growing portion of our staff is Union - all a great group of professional mariners. Unions and companies negotiate and don’t always agree. The best we can do is find a good outcome for everyone but, in the end, someone may not be happy.
8 operating companies, multiple regions (east, gulf and west (+Alaska/Hawaii), a handful of union agreements, and multiple service lines. Long story short, it’s varies.
If you’re interested, apply for a spot and we will get you all the info you need.