[QUOTE=PaddyWest2012;129081]I would agree with Tugsailor that on the face of it these figures are pretty pathetic but in all fairness I would be interested in hearing more about how the ATO system works. $336.54/day for an ATB master does sound terrible but if by the time all is said and done they’ve actually accumulated an amount equal to $673.08 then that figure would be much more difficult to argue with. So what gives? How does it all work?[/QUOTE]
I’ve been alongside a Crowley 650 Atb. The tug itself is close to being a ship. The combination of tug and barge is definitely a ship. They are pushing oil. $673 is pathetically low for a master on that type of vessel with that kind of responsibility.
Very low Captain turnover on the ATB’s, so apparently there are a lot of people who find that wage worth working for.
The contract that smoothsailor referenced did pass. So those numbers are accurate.
C/M and 2/M turnover is crazy, I almost would blame it more on a lack of opportunities for advancement than on the pay scale, but I’m sure the new contract with tiny wage increases won’t help at all.
The Crowley atb’s take no skill to run. They take a pilot & 2 tugs in every port. The only thing about the pay being low is the employees don’t contribute towards health insurance or pension.
My thing making me un-interested is the cargo aspect…assuming the chief and second are PIC’s. personally think that’s nonsense for a “tug.” Kirby also pulls similar shit, amazing they now have unmanned non Pin barges. Normal I know for certain cargoes elsewhere but under the scrutiny of oil moving as short handed as tugs are I don’t get it.
I worked the 750’s for almost two years. They are rather simple boats to run. On deck the Watch officer, usually 2nd and 3rd mates stood 6 and 6. The AB Tankerman did 4 hours on 8 hours off, plus 4 hours of overtime. The two utilities did 6 and 6 with the mates. Therefore there was always two people on deck ( AB/T and utility) and the Mate on watch in the cargo control room. The Chief mate was a day worker in port and stood the morning 04-08 watch at sea. We tried to run it more like a ship. The deck had all hydraulic valves for cargo ops. Mates learned how to start and parallel the generators on the barge. Chief and 1rst usually took care of the barge stuff if the mates needed help. The 2nd and 3rd engineers took care of tug operations. Third engineer worked 12-24, second engineer 00-12, Chief and first worked 06-18.
Unless you were AMO from the pass through agreement, it was an SIU Inland Contract which is different than a deep sea contract. 2 for 1 retirement and such. I might have the contract laying around somewhere.
i served a stint in tom terrific’s navy years ago on one of the older 650 class vessels.my biggest complaint was that for engineers the 12 hour rule was almost never observed in port.i cant and dont care to prove this now but it did happen alot this was due to mostly to the top heavy office staff bothering us for one reason or another just to prove thier existance.so half the crew is wandering around like crack-head zombies and the rocket surgeons from the office would tell us we didnt manage our time wisely.it doesnt matter now as im in greener pastures.
[QUOTE=newman;129640]i served a stint in tom terrific’s navy years ago on one of the older 650 class vessels.my biggest complaint was that for engineers the 12 hour rule was almost never observed in port.i cant and dont care to prove this now but it did happen alot this was due to mostly to the top heavy office staff bothering us for one reason or another just to prove thier existance.so half the crew is wandering around like crack-head zombies and the rocket surgeons from the office would tell us we didnt manage our time wisely.it doesnt matter now as im in greener pastures.[/QUOTE]
Older 650’s? The 550’s came out in 2002. I’ve heard of this vituperative “time management” claim. I’ve also heard some took early retirement because of it…
injunear,i guess i meant the newest of that class.in retrospect i got paid what was offered,learned what i could and took that and all the good aspects of the job with me and left the rest.just part of the “experience”.no hard feelings whatsoever.
I want to bump this thread up. I just heard through the grapevine that Crowley just gave some raises. Is there any truth to this? Any Crowley people out there in cyber land that care to chime in? Also, what’s the word on the new tankers that are coming out next year?
[QUOTE=RubberRhib888;131105]I want to bump this thread up. I just heard through the grapevine that Crowley just gave some raises. Is there any truth to this? Any Crowley people out there in cyber land that care to chime in? Also, what’s the word on the new tankers that are coming out next year?[/QUOTE]
I’m not working at Crowley, thank heavens, but I hear that the raises were very small. I heard numbers, but only remember laughing and wondering how they can find anyone. Crowley , with assistance from the SIU , is still the lowest paying large tug company in the US. I rarely meet people happy to be working at Crowley. If I were a recruiter, I would be poaching all their best mariners by offering average wages.
[QUOTE=50thState;131336]What union, what boats, East or West coast? I’ll believe that when I see it[/QUOTE]
What I heard was more like $20 a day for the tugs which are SIU. To be fair to Crowley, and the SIU, when you take ATO (Accumulated Time Off) — which is a day of paid vacation for each day worked into account — the raise actually approaches more like $40 per working day. Of course, Crowley nickel and dimes its mariners in various ways that reduce the effective value of that. This still leaves Crowley as the lowest paying large tug operator in the US. Crowley is probably THE lowest paying UNION tug operator in the US. This is a good illustration of how utterly worthless the maritime unions have become.
