Does MEBA have a defined contribution benefit plan?
Yes, our 401k plan
There would be like 5 people left by your metrics. Just because your grandpa had to scrimshaw some titties on a whale bone doesnt mean hes more of a sailor because I can access reddit via starlink to rub one out.
Youre looking life through the lense of Survivor’s Bias. Just because today’s old timers were too autistic to find a shoreside job, making them “real sailors” it doesnt mean they had class mates bitching about the same thing we are now… I was listening to Radio Margaritaville and they had a listener be the guest DJ, made a big deal on how he was a “Real Sailor” graduated from Kings Point in the 70s… and went shoreside after 5 years. Shoot the Rich Dad Poor Dad guy was a Chevron tankermate back when you could do drugs, and quit after a few years to sell copy machines. There are even old sea shanties about what youre talking about. Im pretty sure most of 2 years before the mast, and In the heart of the sea were just the authors being like “fuck ive made a mistake, this job sucks.”
So if anything, these young kids are just as much of a mariner as you could be.
Get over yourself, you’re not that guy.
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Going to sea needs to pay twice as much as comparable shoreside jobs to compensate us for being away from home, like it traditionally did.
Going to sea, working harbor boats, or working land jobs each have advantages at different stages of life.
There is no reason why a real mariner that lives and breathes salt air and all things boats cannot choose which type of work is best for him at any given point in time. And then move back and forth as it suits his needs.
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In your opinion, what percentage of US mariners fit this description?
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AMO has that too. That’s a separate plan.
Does MEBA have union or company contributions into your 401k?
No. We’re dealing with semantics here. If you amend your previous post to:
“Another advantage of this is that AMO doesn’t have a traditional pension so as long as you stay until you’re vested you get to keep the COMPANY contributions to your Defined Contribution Plan”
then you will have identified an aspect of the AMO that is different from MEBA.
The Defined Contribution Plan isn’t a 401k. The only contributions into your Defined Contribution Plan are by the union. The 401k is a completely separate entity.
Cool. I would agree that this feature is one not offered by MEBA.
I don’t think I have ever been on a ship where people didn’t bitch about sailing or talk about something they want to do other than sailing. Will they actually do it? Who knows. But they sure as hell talk about it.
This has no basis in reality.
This is what any smart person who wants to make the most money and live the most comfortable life would do? If I could make as much money as I do now, sleep and work at home, why wouldn’t I try and accomplish that?
Because my friends who didn’t go to maritime school for 4 years are making as much money as I am and don’t have to be away 6 months out of the year.
This is why we’re “crying”
If we don’t do the crying who will? Your whole post was basically saying all “youngsters” do is cry and that they’re “non-mariners”. You’re obviously not going to do it as evidenced by the fact that you think anyone who “cries” for more money or better life style is not a sailor, and you obviously are.
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If they arent complaining about sailing, they’re talking in extreme detail about tractors, trains, or guns. Very neurotypical conversion all around. We do attract a type out here.
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There was a little bit of cloud shouting and ‘get off my lawn’ in there too.
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Goes without saying. Par for the course for that particular commenter. Starting to thing those tug guys are different… /s
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That depends upon the trade and where they came from.
On tugs in Alaska, the vast majority are real mariners. A lot of former fisherman with vast experience. Many fishermen are real mariners, but there are also a lot of temporary opportunists. It depends on the fishery.
There are lots of real mariners in the Pacific Northwest and Northern New England coastal towns. Really, there are many real mariners from any town with a working waterfront and a lot of boats.
Guys with no prior maritime background that go to an academy without knowing why, then only sail for a few years just for the money, don’t work in shoreside maritime industry, or even own a boat, are not what I’d call real mariners.
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If you’re implying that fishermen, yachties and Alaskan tug folks are the only real mariners, I think you’re thinking of Pirate fiction, not Mariners. Real mariners follow national and international Labor laws, COLREGS, ect. Granted being in the wild west is pretty bad ass, you’re mostly salty from lack of a shower more so than real seafaring abilities. Its pretty easy when there are like 5 ships in the Bearing Sea and you just run it up on the beach as opposed to going though real mooring evolutions.
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Yes so this should be included in the calculations for the OP.
I should probably amend my previous post to include MEBA. I would rank it in the middle of AMO and MMP in terms of amount of money you could walk away with in 5years. MEBA you could also use it to as a once yearly gig later but to a lesser extent than MMP. However you would vest in their pension in 5 years and achieve a group 2 or even group 1. So that factors in
So… what about a hawsepiper w/ 1 yr of sea time as mate? It seems you are implying something.
That’s a bit dramatic. The maritime schools keep showing up in the top 10 colleges for Return on Investment (how much school costs vs salary out of school). Plus, the degree you get in marine/maritime/operations/transportation/logistics can place you easily in a 6 figure job shoreside if you try - even after sailing for years. Yes, sailing should pay better, but lets not be unrealistic about where we are.
I’ve only seen competitive offers from shipping companies, which there are only a handful of in the country. The Engineering degrees, absolutely, but those are really the only ones with plentiful shoreside gigs that pay six figures. You have to get real creative for Marine Transportation, I have yet to make an interview where they offer more than 70k, but you’re right, I’m sure if I tired it could make myself more marketable. Licensed majors are defiantly carrying the weight on those ROI numbers, when you consider a lot of busines folks are making like 40k out of school.
They usually have significantly more bridge watch keeping time and overall shipping experience so while I don’t think they’re qualified either they are still more qualified than most academy grads with the same amount of OICNW time.
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