Absolutely envious of the lack of paperwork. I feel like every time I return to work there’s more.
Oh and 3m’s can definitely lay eggs, just tell one his relief isn’t coming until next trip.
Stewards job is definitely double sided. It’s not easy stuck in a small space with the same couple people for the entire workday, day after day. But on the other side, it’s a daytime restaurant with 25 customers, who can only eat at certain times, off of a limited menu. So what’s it worth? If you ask them they need more $$, if you ask anyone else they’re overpaid…sounds like the other departments and ranks!
Maybe even more envious when I tell you that we had radio communication on voice MF only a day or so after departure and before arrival Singapore. The rest of the trip nobody would disturb me with questions, or anything,
PS> Maybe not so envious of no A/C in tropical climate??
I think the work load all evened out in the company’s mind. As things became more automated the companies cut down on deck and engine department people because that, after all, was the point of automation. But then companies cut out the onboard administrative people who used to handle a lot of the paperwork and pushed that onto the deck and engineering officers who they thought suddenly have all this free time due to “automation”. More than once I have told the “office” that I could either join their conference call, write a report or remedy a problem but I could not do all simultaneously. They could either hire more people or be patient. For the most part they were patient.
The stewards on the other hand had to feed us well and keep us happy with a decreasing budget as companies sought to make the next quarters profit goal so they could get their bonuses. I think the stewards were the most under appreciated part of any ship’s crew. I know a couple of captains that treasured their stewards, fought for their budget and those captains had a lot of well qualified deck and engine folks trying to get on those ships. Bosun pay was not enough for those stewards.
I sail MEBA. All Engine licensed guys are MEBA, all Deck Officers are company employees with a mirror contract for the equivalent MEBA positions and our unlicensed guys are all SIU. Per MEBA contract the 3rd AE has to make at least 10% above the highest unlicensed guy. Our 3AE makes 6,287.46 per month base. So you are looking at 5,660.00 base. The Steward, Bos’n and Pumpman all make the same.
: