Chouest Pay Cut 10%

Professional Mariner Forum
1

Chouest cut 3% when they took back the 401k contribution that was already earned. (I still can’t figure out how they took already earned contributions back, smells illegal as hell)

Now they cut holiday pay. Now they only pay half a day for a full days labor on crew change day even overseas! All in all they have handed out a 10% pay cut. Everyone needs to stop pretending its not really a pay cut, (management wont even say the words)[B] it is a pay cut! [/B]So the industry laggard in pay, has cut pay even further. It would be nice if someone in the office actually had the guts to email all crew and call it what it is.

Chouest always paid less than other companies because “they never cut pay, you’ll never be laid off” now we know that this is not true. When oil comes back they will be hard pressed to get people to believe them again and stop the mass exodus to other companies.

I hope the family is doing okay though and can still fill up the Gulfstream.

2

Hahaha! They did not cut earned contributions they already made. They stopped matching January 2015. I asked management about the holiday pay and was told that was not true as far as he knew, but the 1/2 crew change thing was. Chouest has not ALWAYS paid less, they pay what they have to keep the applications coming in and to keep up with the market. They others have to throw money out there to attract employees. When the shit hits the fan, they are the first ones to start slashing pay and laying off bc they are over extended. I am far from a company man, but c’mon? Let’s hate of the guy who manages a company well with out having to sell part of it off every time there is a downturn. Let’s also hate on him for being rich for being the owner of the company. I remember HOS cutting out carry-alls to have on gas when there was a slight slowdown several years ago. I am just taking a guess that you are either a disgruntled former ECO employee or someone who just decided to start a gcaptain account today to stir the pot…or a democrat!

3

[QUOTE=cptjdaw;158387]

Chouest always paid less than other companies because “they never cut pay, you’ll never be laid off” now we know that this is not true. When oil comes back they will be hard pressed to get people to believe them again and stop the mass exodus to other companies.

I hope the family is doing okay though and can still fill up the Gulfstream.[/QUOTE]

They will get people only because people have short memories and company men like AHTS post things about how great the company is.

I am sure Gary is very disappointed that the company has to make these hard choices but that Gulfstream’s fuel is expensive.

4

Yes, the union will swoop in and save the day!! I’ve seen bigger company tools in the union than not. That’s what happens when you get a permanent spot. I’d rather a 10% pay cut as to a 100% pay cut.

5

[QUOTE=cptjdaw;158387]Chouest cut 3% when they took back the 401k contribution that was already earned. (I still can’t figure out how they took already earned contributions back, smells illegal as hell)

Now they cut holiday pay. Now they only pay half a day for a full days labor on crew change day even overseas! All in all they have handed out a 10% pay cut. Everyone needs to stop pretending its not really a pay cut, (management wont even say the words)[B] it is a pay cut! [/B]So the industry laggard in pay, has cut pay even further. It would be nice if someone in the office actually had the guts to email all crew and call it what it is.

Chouest always paid less than other companies because “they never cut pay, you’ll never be laid off” now we know that this is not true. When oil comes back they will be hard pressed to get people to believe them again and stop the mass exodus to other companies.

I hope the family is doing okay though and can still fill up the Gulfstream.[/QUOTE]

Your math evades me. 3% for 401k Contributions if you participate and if you put in at least 6% yourself. However remember just last month we received hefty reimbursement checks from our 401k. Remember the government rule (not Chouest) Highly compensated employees (making more than 120k per year)are only allowed to put in a small percentage into the company 401k than the average of the guys making under 120k per year. I myself goy almost 6k back. Not all employees are contributing, so you cannot make a blanket statement when not everyone participated.

Until next pay stub we will not know if they did or did not cut holiday pay. But for the sake of argument, lets say they did. There are only 5 double days a year. So thats averaging 4 days out of 242 for sake of argument working 28/14 or 3 out of 180 for sake of argument. Depending on what vessel and officer position you will earn 625-1350/day. That averages to 987.5 per day, but lets call it 880 as the little boats top out at that. 242 x 880 = 212,960 per year. 4 x 880 = 3520. 2 % of 212,960 is $4,259. Far more than the $3520 if you missed 4 of the 5 double days.

You receive half day getting on and half day getting off. If you work a full day on the day you arrive noon to midnight, then the day you get off you wake up and leave. If its midnight to noon, you work half a day getting on and half a day getting off. Were you getting a full day coming and going? If you were then you were working overseas. If you are working overseas you are working 60/30 and only have 4 crew changes a year. so go ahead and add 4 more days of pay you are still under 2%.

You didnt even mention loosing that big $350 in travel pay one way. If you add up all your numbers you still fall at about 6.5 % if you contributed to 401K and if you received travel pay and if you work overseas and if you work 4 holidays, which for the sake of argument I will even grant you. But thats a lot of conditions. And if you are working overseas, then you are an officer and my day rates were spot on. Unless you work on the DSB1, DSB2, Joe Griffin, or the Holiday in Brasil which make better than the other boats. Your statement is a blanket that covers all, but the things you mention make you very specific. So take your thumb out your mouth, stop whining, be glad you are not without a job and man up.

Also, I would recommend some basic math classes at your local community college.

6

[QUOTE=Nautical Wheeler;158404]Your math evades me. 3% for 401k Contributions if you participate and if you put in at least 6% yourself. However remember just last month we received hefty reimbursement checks from our 401k. Remember the government rule (not Chouest) Highly compensated employees (making more than 120k per year)are only allowed to put in a small percentage into the company 401k than the average of the guys making under 120k per year. I myself goy almost 6k back. Not all employees are contributing, so you cannot make a blanket statement when not everyone participated.

Until next pay stub we will not know if they did or did not cut holiday pay. But for the sake of argument, lets say they did. There are only 5 double days a year. So thats averaging 4 days out of 242 for sake of argument working 28/14 or 3 out of 180 for sake of argument. Depending on what vessel and officer position you will earn 625-1350/day. That averages to 987.5 per day, but lets call it 880 as the little boats top out at that. 242 x 880 = 212,960 per year. 4 x 880 = 3520. 2 % of 212,960 is $4,259. Far more than the $3520 if you missed 4 of the 5 double days.

You receive half day getting on and half day getting off. If you work a full day on the day you arrive noon to midnight, then the day you get off you wake up and leave. If its midnight to noon, you work half a day getting on and half a day getting off. Were you getting a full day coming and going? If you were then you were working overseas. If you are working overseas you are working 60/30 and only have 4 crew changes a year. so go ahead and add 4 more days of pay you are still under 2%.

You didnt even mention loosing that big $350 in travel pay one way. If you add up all your numbers you still fall at about 6.5 % if you contributed to 401K and if you received travel pay and if you work overseas and if you work 4 holidays, which for the sake of argument I will even grant you. But thats a lot of conditions. And if you are working overseas, then you are an officer and my day rates were spot on. Unless you work on the DSB1, DSB2, Joe Griffin, or the Holiday in Brasil which make better than the other boats. Your statement is a blanket that covers all, but the things you mention make you very specific. So take your thumb out your mouth, stop whining, be glad you are not without a job and man up.

Also, I would recommend some basic math classes at your local community college.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like a company man. Whose making 987/day? Whose making 880? Your pay “averages” are grossly inflated. Whose still allowed to work 2/1 anymore? No one I know.

And “be happy you still have a job” is the same tired old statement used whenever an employer is exploiting a worker since the beginning of time. Don’t feed me the company line, we all know the facts, and when it gets low enough people will go elsewhere thats life. Chouest will truck on and so will everyone else. Oil will come back eventually. Just wanted the word Pay Cut out there, because thats whats happened without so much as one communcation from the family regarding it.

7

I just started contributing to the 401k last month, just before the notice of no matching so it didn’t hurt me personally but I do feel for the others who were waiting on it.

Though I can’t say that I agree with the stand point in totality, I think the point of the OP was about the idea of never laying off or cutting pay when the reality is simply a play on semantics. Being that when it gets slow they don’t “Lay off”, they just fire for reasons that may seem unjustified or a simple mistake.

I have never heard the company state that they don’t cut pay though. When I went through orientation there I was told that the owner could keep every employee working for 5 years even if every vessel was stacked and not working. Seemed more like a bragging point instead of a business policy. I can’t imagine anyone, no matter how wealthy or how much they cared for their employees, continuing to pay people they do not need or make them a cash flow. I can’t blame anyone for that either as I would probably do the same with a business.

In the end, we must all realize that we are an asset to a company. You were not hired because you were liked, your wit, humor, good looks, intelligence, or for your savvy style; You were hired as an asset, although a valuable one, to make the company money and help them move forward with their business model. I can’t view this as a negative thing, every person on here has either tried to make themselves a valuable asset, is making themselves into one, or has made it to become one.

All of that is just my theory and opinion on this which could be totally incorrect, I’ve been wrong before as I am not a captain… Haha

8

Just curious, chouest have a policy regarding company biz on ‘social media’?

9

[QUOTE=Ctony;158413]Just curious, chouest have a policy regarding company biz on ‘social media’?[/QUOTE]

No they don’t… Please tell us everything you know!

10

[QUOTE=Ea$y Money;158441]No they don’t… Please tell us everything you know![/QUOTE]

LOL.

All I know is from friends I have there, which is the same stuff talked about on these threads. I was just thinkin with all the ECO bashing that goes on here if they’ve sent emails out internally about ‘disparaging comments via social media.’

11

[QUOTE=Ctony;158413]Just curious, chouest have a policy regarding company biz on ‘social media’?[/QUOTE]

well that certainly doesn’t apply to people who do not work for ECO…

I always wondered about the USMMA having a ban on their little midshippies posting here to the forum because they are quiet as mice when it comes to speaking openly about the place? Is gCaptain even blocked there by Websense or one of the other filtering methods?

12

[QUOTE=c.captain;158455]well that certainly doesn’t apply to people who do not work for ECO…

I always wondered about the USMMA having a ban on their little midshippies posting here to the forum because they are quiet as mice when it comes to speaking openly about the place? Is gCaptain even blocked there by Websense or one of the other filtering methods?[/QUOTE]

Most companies have a policy. In the Norwegian sector, they are very strict with social media. The drilling contractors as well.

13

[QUOTE=matt21;158397]Hahaha! They did not cut earned contributions they already made[/QUOTE]

Matt21, I am not a disgruntled employee and I do not go around bashing my employer however lets stick to facts here. The Chouest family announced that they would not make the company match for 2014 contributions. Did you not read the email sent out to the fleet February 26? Do you see your 2014 matching contributions? This was the whole problem, they did cut earned contributions from 2014 as well as future contributions for 2015. They also cut out safety bonus points but restored the points earned previously, travel pay and yes, holiday pay. These are the facts.

14

[QUOTE=Fid;158498]Matt21, I am not a disgruntled employee and I do not go around bashing my employer however lets stick to facts here. The Chouest family announced that they would not make the company match for 2014 contributions. Did you not read the email sent out to the fleet February 26? Do you see your 2014 matching contributions? This was the whole problem, they did cut earned contributions from 2014 as well as future contributions for 2015. They also cut out safety bonus points but restored the points earned previously, travel pay and yes, holiday pay. These are the facts.[/QUOTE]
I didn’t see the e-mail about holiday pay. When did that one come out?

15

[QUOTE=The Rover;158499]I didn’t see the e-mail about holiday pay. When did that one come out?[/QUOTE]

Okay, that I got verbally so no confirmation until next pay stub. I thought I had it in an email from the coordinator but I can’t find it. The main issue of course is the 2014 401K contributions.

16

[QUOTE=Fid;158501]Okay, that I got verbally so no confirmation until next pay stub. I thought I had it in an email from the coordinator but I can’t find it. The main issue of course is the 2014 401K contributions.[/QUOTE]

No worries Fid & it wouldn’t surprise me if we lost holiday pay. I hate to lose it, but I would rather get an e-mail than having to see it on my check stub.

17

[QUOTE=Nautical Wheeler;158404]Your math evades me. 3% for 401k Contributions if you participate and if you put in at least 6% yourself. However remember just last month we received hefty reimbursement checks from our 401k. Remember the government rule (not Chouest) Highly compensated employees (making more than 120k per year)are only allowed to put in a small percentage into the company 401k than the average of the guys making under 120k per year. I myself goy almost 6k back. Not all employees are contributing, so you cannot make a blanket statement when not everyone participated.

Until next pay stub we will not know if they did or did not cut holiday pay. But for the sake of argument, lets say they did. There are only 5 double days a year. So thats averaging 4 days out of 242 for sake of argument working 28/14 or 3 out of 180 for sake of argument. Depending on what vessel and officer position you will earn 625-1350/day. That averages to 987.5 per day, but lets call it 880 as the little boats top out at that. 242 x 880 = 212,960 per year. 4 x 880 = 3520. 2 % of 212,960 is $4,259. Far more than the $3520 if you missed 4 of the 5 double days.

You receive half day getting on and half day getting off. If you work a full day on the day you arrive noon to midnight, then the day you get off you wake up and leave. If its midnight to noon, you work half a day getting on and half a day getting off. Were you getting a full day coming and going? If you were then you were working overseas. If you are working overseas you are working 60/30 and only have 4 crew changes a year. so go ahead and add 4 more days of pay you are still under 2%.

You didnt even mention loosing that big $350 in travel pay one way. If you add up all your numbers you still fall at about 6.5 % if you contributed to 401K and if you received travel pay and if you work overseas and if you work 4 holidays, which for the sake of argument I will even grant you. But thats a lot of conditions. And if you are working overseas, then you are an officer and my day rates were spot on. Unless you work on the DSB1, DSB2, Joe Griffin, or the Holiday in Brasil which make better than the other boats. Your statement is a blanket that covers all, but the things you mention make you very specific. So take your thumb out your mouth, stop whining, be glad you are not without a job and man up.

Also, I would recommend some basic math classes at your local community college.[/QUOTE]

I already responded but for some reason it didn’t get published so I’ll try again. I have to say your long convoluted and questionable calculations reeks of management.

  1. Your pay numbers are grossly overinflated. Captains averaging 987.5 a day on what planet? I don’t think anchor lead guys get that. 880/day? Who but lead captains? You’re trying to pretend that Chouest pays way more than it does I’m not sure why. Average officers are in the 700s somewhere.

  2. Regardless of your day rate the math is SUPER simple so I’ll explain it for you. If you take away 2 days pay (by paying half a day travel and half a day on crew change that’s 2 full days a hitch) and a guy works 30 days a hitch then then 2 divided by 30 equals…drumroll .066 percent of pay right there. 6,6 percent plus 3 percent 401k match that is gone is right at 9.6 percent. Now let’s take holiday and safety points away I’ll be generous and call that only .4% of wages. Voila 10 percent reduction in pay!! It doesnt matter what your wage is its still a10% cut. I hope you don’t work in accounting.

  3. 2014 401k match was already earned. They can say hey no 2015 match but they shouldn’t be able to take a match that employees were contributing all year expecting. I doubt what they did was legal

  4. Saying “be happy you still have a job” has been used every time an employer is exploiting a worker since the beginning of time.

So so go back to your office, write a proper email and tell all your hardworking crew the truth which is that times are tough and there has been a 10% pay cut. You would earn more loyalty doing that then nickel and diming your employees and hoping they don’t notice. That was my point.

18

[QUOTE=Nautical Wheeler;158404]Your math evades me. 3% for 401k Contributions if you participate and if you put in at least 6% yourself. However remember just last month we received hefty reimbursement checks from our 401k. Remember the government rule (not Chouest) Highly compensated employees (making more than 120k per year)are only allowed to put in a small percentage into the company 401k than the average of the guys making under 120k per year. I myself goy almost 6k back. Not all employees are contributing, so you cannot make a blanket statement when not everyone participated.

Until next pay stub we will not know if they did or did not cut holiday pay. But for the sake of argument, lets say they did. There are only 5 double days a year. So thats averaging 4 days out of 242 for sake of argument working 28/14 or 3 out of 180 for sake of argument. Depending on what vessel and officer position you will earn 625-1350/day. That averages to 987.5 per day, but lets call it 880 as the little boats top out at that. 242 x 880 = 212,960 per year. 4 x 880 = 3520. 2 % of 212,960 is $4,259. Far more than the $3520 if you missed 4 of the 5 double days.

You receive half day getting on and half day getting off. If you work a full day on the day you arrive noon to midnight, then the day you get off you wake up and leave. If its midnight to noon, you work half a day getting on and half a day getting off. Were you getting a full day coming and going? If you were then you were working overseas. If you are working overseas you are working 60/30 and only have 4 crew changes a year. so go ahead and add 4 more days of pay you are still under 2%.

You didnt even mention loosing that big $350 in travel pay one way. If you add up all your numbers you still fall at about 6.5 % if you contributed to 401K and if you received travel pay and if you work overseas and if you work 4 holidays, which for the sake of argument I will even grant you. But thats a lot of conditions. And if you are working overseas, then you are an officer and my day rates were spot on. Unless you work on the DSB1, DSB2, Joe Griffin, or the Holiday in Brasil which make better than the other boats. Your statement is a blanket that covers all, but the things you mention make you very specific. So take your thumb out your mouth, stop whining, be glad you are not without a job and man up.

Also, I would recommend some basic math classes at your local community college.[/QUOTE]

You cannot count the reimbursement for the 401K for anything, it is what is coming back to you for the overage per gov rule that you paid into your own account. The 6K you got back evades me, I’m maxxed out, and only got back a little over 4K. The 3% match is still a cut.

I have heard rumors on the holiday pay but the call I got from my coordinator in Galliano said no…BUT, they have now changed the ongoing and offgoing pay: no matter what time you left the house it would be a ½ day pay, ½ day for the day you came in early and are sitting in meetings, ½ day pay for the day you join, ½ day pay for the day getting off, and then ½ day pay for the day you get home.

Oh, all of the boats in Brasil are now working 28/28, no choice. So, if you were working 56/28, that is a cut as well.

Loss of 56/28 to 28/28: 243 / 182 = 61 days
Loss of full day you depart the house: .5 x 6 = 3 days
Loss of full day for early arrival: .5 x 6 = 3 days
Loss of full day for first day: .5 x 6 = 3 days
Loss of full day for last day: .5 x 6 = 3 days
Loss of full day for arriving home: .5 x 6 = 3 days

Total of 76 days cut compared to 243 +12 = 255 actual original virgin pay days is just a little over 6.5% or 10%, more like 29% + whatever the 3% match would be. Dang, forgot to add in the holiday pay…

I’m not bitching as I have a job, but most of the figures I have seen are shite’.

19

The people that complain the most about ECO cutting “perks” that the employees got, are the ones that are use to living off a salary of 242+ days per year, And I mean people that make officer pay 400+/day.

If some can’t live off of 180/year at say 800/day, shame on them. You should be able to live comfortably off half of that.

If you make 500/day working 28/28 that’s still $90k. That’s pretty darn good money and anyone should be able to live comfortably off that.

I have worked for ECO for many years now, and I would gladly not have certain “perks” then loose my job with no pay check.

If your not happy with what they are doing, leave and go someplace else so that someone who wants to work there can.

20

[QUOTE=Emerald Shellback;158675]You cannot count the reimbursement for the 401K for anything, it is what is coming back to you for the overage per gov rule that you paid into your own account. The 6K you got back evades me, I’m maxxed out, and only got back a little over 4K. The 3% match is still a cut.

I have heard rumors on the holiday pay but the call I got from my coordinator in Galliano said no…BUT, they have now changed the ongoing and offgoing pay: no matter what time you left the house it would be a ½ day pay, ½ day for the day you came in early and are sitting in meetings, ½ day pay for the day you join, ½ day pay for the day getting off, and then ½ day pay for the day you get home.

Oh, all of the boats in Brasil are now working 28/28, no choice. So, if you were working 56/28, that is a cut as well.

Loss of 56/28 to 28/28: 243 / 182 = 61 days
Loss of full day you depart the house: .5 x 6 = 3 days
Loss of full day for early arrival: .5 x 6 = 3 days
Loss of full day for first day: .5 x 6 = 3 days
Loss of full day for last day: .5 x 6 = 3 days
Loss of full day for arriving home: .5 x 6 = 3 days

Total of 76 days cut compared to 243 +12 = 255 actual original virgin pay days is just a little over 6.5% or 10%, more like 29% + whatever the 3% match would be. Dang, forgot to add in the holiday pay…

I’m not bitching as I have a job, but most of the figures I have seen are shite’.[/QUOTE]

But like wheeler said, if you arent contributing to the 401k and if you live local, then the numbers dont apply. I think he was arguing that a “blanket statement” cant be made that it affected everyone the same because it didnt.

Another thing no one is mentioning is the free schooling. How much is a free week long management class worth? Theres 5 days. What about celestial, and ECDIS? How much are those classes worth to you? Seems like no matter what you do with the math, you are still doing really good with all the free schooling. And if people are being forced to work 28/28 then that means they have time to get these required classes for free. But I know of at least 2 divisions that people are working 28/14 and have not gone to even time.