Does SIU have any limited tonnage Master or Mate jobs open? I understand that the few tug companies that they have usually hire directly.
Does AMO have any limited tonnage jobs?
None of the unions have had a shortage of chief mate jobsā¦ what they have a shortage of is people with a chief mate license willing to work 8hour watches followed by 8+ hours on deck.
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Itās blood money unfortunately. The price you pay for the privelage of eventually, hopefully getting to sail as Master. Always has been. Always will be.
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Wasnāt like that on any of the union ships I sailed onā¦ we had two thrid matesā¦ and Iām not that old.
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Tankers yes but not the case on most box boats or car carriers. I donāt agree with it and frequently make the case to the office that the best solution to STCW rest period problems is another 3M and another 3AE. With the asinine amount of new regulations and initiatives being rolled out each year, it is only getting worse, not better.
If there is one thing the unions should collectively push for itās an extra 3/mā¦ would instantly add lots of jobs to the boards and money into their coffers.
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I think the unions should also shorten up the schedules, especially for domestic runs. No one wants to work 120, 90, or even 60 days anymore. The oilfield changed peoples lives with the 28 or 21 day schedule. The reason I donāt ship with AMO, MMP, or MEBA is strictly the rotation. Iām one of the few licensed officers with SIU working 45 day rotations and in my opinion itās still to long for a domestic run. Unless you are going foreign nothing should be over 30-45 days, in my opinion. When oil goes back up the unions will be hurting again because people will go back to drillships/supply vessels not only to make more money, but have a better schedule as well. That is my rant for the day, I also know why they do it, it cost money to fly people but it still seems ridiculous for coastwise tankers to be on a 60, 75, or 90 day schedule.
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I know Iām in the minority bug never saw the appeal to 21 day rotations (unless you live just a short drive from port)ā¦ you spend too much time in airports and airport time gives you neither money nor family.
I always wanted 6 week hitches but never found a relief willing to agree.
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The 45 day schedule should be the goal. It is still a good bit of time home and you arenāt constantly traveling but you still get to see your kids grow up. I did love my 14/14 or 28/28 but I was and hour and a half from the house.
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I preferred longer rotations of at least 70 days. Gave me enough time to see projects through. I enjoyed the longer time home as well. Short rotations (21 or 28 days) were terrible. I didnāt know if I was coming or going. I never fully relaxed at home.
I also have a great wife and partner at home who handled problems and issues at home when they came up. I wasnāt there to do it and did not second guess her actions. I do not go into withdrawal when I am not within cell phone range or can not go online.
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Iām also of the 60 day minimum school of thought. Maybe itās becaise itās all Iāve ever known but three weeks on and three weeks off doesnāt seem like it would give me enough time to decompress at home nor enough time to get up to sea speed (so to speak) when at work.
I also agree with @john about the travel time. Years ago I had a friend working for a drill company in west Africa and when he described the two days of travel on either end of his hitch every four weeks I knew that could never work for me.
Iāve been doing 90 days, which is OK. For me 120 days is too much.
The 90 day trip is 30 days of āitās not my fault the other guy screwed it upā, 30 days of ātime to down to business and get something doneā and 30 days of āscrew it, let the other guy take care of itā.
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I hate 14/14 or 28/28. Too much unpaid time lost to traveling and too many gyppo companies that want to steal half a day of pay on each end. Itās hard for a company to justify paying salary and travel expenses door to door for short trips.
I takes me at least a week to settle in on a boat and at least a week to adjust to normal at home. Iām just as busy at home as on the boat. I need enough time to do projects.
That said, I do some short oddball jobs that only take a few days.
Everyone is entitled to what they like. I am fortunate to have always had good companies pay from door to door no matter the schedule. I also have an amazing wife that can run a household with no problems, for me the shorter rotations worked and I wished the deep sea unions had more flexibility if your running coastwise. It will be interesting 15 years down the road where things are but at least for now there are some options that fit everyoneās taste. I value the input about this, it is always interesting to see thoughts from different walks in the business.
aināt that a bitch? I always make the joke that I need to go back to work to get rest. Itās only half a joke.
I work in a deep sea Union and my relief and I decided on 7 week rotations. You donāt have to sail 90+ days in the MEBA. Your entitled to 4 vacations a year which comes out to 45 days. Thatās the lowest I will go. It took awhile to get used to but being out to seea for 45 is nice. At home, not so much
I think 45 is too short personally. Iāve been doing 70s for nearly 7 years now on liner service runs and I think itās the sweet spot. Plenty of time to get all the home projects done and still have time for fun, plenty of time to get settled in at work. Its easier to rotate through the seasons and holidays with your relief, which I prefer for family life. Skype makes things easier too.
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I did not realize that, thanks for the info
What items would we want in a union contract?
Iāll start off:
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All travel expenses including airfare, mileage, parking, meals, lodging, taxi, etc. paid in full door to door,
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Full day rate paid door to door,
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Full day rate plus all expenses paid for all company required training,
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Union or company provides or pays for all STCW and professional development courses
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Top shelf medical insurance, short term and long term disability, life insurance and license insurance
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Maximum allowed 401K match that is fully vested immediately
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Day for day ATO
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Overtime
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Larger crew sizes
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specifically who?.