That additional leave request for CIVMARs is currently with Congress and is likely to be approved around the new year.
You get 1% of your average top three earning years of your base pay times the number of years you worked (must work a minimum of five years). That retirement benefit kicks in at your retirement age.
Ex. AB Snuffy’s top three earning years equaled $75K a year and he worked 20 years with MSC. $75K x 1% = $750. $750 x 20 = $15,000 per year starting at age 65 (or whatever your retirement age is).
Keep in mind you also have the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and the Government will match up to 5% of your base pay.
In short, the military’s retirement is much more attractive. However, MSC’s retirement benefits might be closer to a traditional shoreside gig.
If I got into the hearsay that I didn’t directly witness, I could talk about things the pursers did that weren’t anywhere near legal. But I can’t directly confirm any of that.
To make a smooth ratcheting of reliefs it must match the commercial model. The day you sign on you know your sign off date. This also includes matching vacation schedules as per the industry.
No more homesteading for most of the crew with exception of SMT and select department heads for vessel continuity.
It working in the commercial world and those ships run harder with less manning, less port time and other issues. MSC can do that.
BTW, what is the leave increase proposal?
4 on / 2 off essentially. It’s a bit of a catch-22 though as they need more manpower to achieve that. But supposedly that is sitting in Congress waiting for a signature.
Ok, a step in the right direction but there are a couple of items that should be reviewed a little more throughly.
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why should CIVMAR’s who sit in port for weeks and months (NOB) accrue the same leave rate as those who are working WEST PAC and that Arabian Gulf meat grinder with pretty much “load and go” inport ops? Most of that bunch rarely leaves their assinged ship. Same with the West Coast AO’s. Both need to be looked at. IMHO they should not accruethe same leave as the hi-optempo platforms. How much you wanna bet there may lots of leave accounts with bucco unused hours.
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is the SFL going to stay in place and positions gapped with CIVMAR’s cleared to sail in the pool awaiting a job? Is anything going to be done about the homesteading?
Don’t forget the USNS that became USS after commissioning. That must suck working hybred crews.
CSRS vs FERS like nite-and-day. It was a pretty damn good retirement system
Shamefull it was terminated to shore up SSA staring 1-Jan-1984.
CSRS was self funded and seperate from SSA.
Worse is a worn out USN converted to a USNS.
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ACOE are 14/14 rotation but if away from homeport they pay their own r/t travel to and from the ship.
Unlike commercial outfits where the company pays the freight. Never researched why ACOE operates this way. IMHO the crew is getting screwed on travel.
I know a couple of former colleagues who are dredge Masters with a commercial outfit and on the 14th day their on the way home.
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It sure is!! The now decommissioned/scrapped(?) uss Ponce was a pile of shit revived from the dead.
No, you get Civil Service retirement which is not as good as the long gone Civil Service Retirement System. The replacement Federal Employee Reirement System (FERS) is the replacement since 1984.
Years ago a MSC Ship’s Officer wrote a point paper to propose for CIVMARS be allowed eligibiliy to retire with full benefits after 20 years exactly like police officers, fireman and air traffic controllers. Great idea as MSC aint exactly “user frendly”. I’m sure that idea was promptly shut down.
Actually you have it backwards. If they are operating out of another port besides their home port, ACOE crews DO get travel pay. It’s when they are operating out of their home port that they don’t get travel pay.
It stands to reason that MSC could have say a 4 month on/ 4 month off rotation for the same reasons ACOE can pull off 14/14. And MSC can pay for travel, like they already do, so shouldn’t be an issue.
Concur. If ACOE operates day for day as you described then MSC can justify 4×4 month rotations. No more excuses. The money is out there.
Thanks for the correction.
The navy is having trouble manning combatant ships. Recruitment is way down
A shipmate at MSC used to joke that we were the “junior navy”. If the “senior navy” is run the same way…
We are The Rodney Dangerfield Navy.
"I get no respect"
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“Everybody wants my services but no one wants to be seen in public ewth me”.
The ship goes out, the ship comes in. What could possibly be wrong with that is an all too common shoreside management perception.
I know. The “patriot” supply is low.It;s easier to put up a flag and cheer USA, USA, USA than actually serve
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It could be the “patriots” are tired of going off to, or sending their kids off to, die for someone else’s war. 
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