Actually, quite an accurate summation of msc. One does. It have to take part in an organization to get a “feel” for it. Some research will do. Example: from what I’ve read I don’t think I’d want to be a solder in the Rhodesian army. Do I have to join to have that assumption?
The CMPI rewrite was first a good idea. The idea was to get rid of the old outdated rules. Then the idea was hijacked by the SES and near SES level in DC, along with some USN officers at the time. They saw a means to screw the civmar ( wow, imagine msc screwing civmars). The entire idea then became a shell game and has gone on for years. In the first revamp they took away established rates for master and cheng that would in effect lower the pay by some 20k a year. Other changes screwed the unlicensed. So back to the drawing board it went. The entire rewrite now has survived at least three COMSC tours that I know of and perhaps more. Msc does not have decent union representation, in the end any rewrite will most likely screw someone if not all civmars. In my view until they solve the deferred earnings issues there is nothing to talk about. ( for those here that don’t know, msc has a pay cap. This was not always the case, but came about shortly after 2000. Basically it restricts the level of pay for civmars and " banks" without interest any pay over the cap. Oh sure you get it when you retire, but the entire idea of pay caps of ships crews is indeed not legal as has been shown in Cfr regulations’ but no one wanted to listen and the union refused to take it for action… A civmar over or projected to go over the cap cannot get war bonus pay, overtime, or subsistence for when he/she has to live off the ship and the ship cannot feed as when in a repair. Period). So, until that is fixed there is nothing to negotiate.
Most recently I was asked by a young mariner what I knew about MSC. I passed to him that in my view MSC was not the place to be, and that there are better employers. I cited poor leadership from the shore side management level as well as poor USN leadership. In short, I think he would enjoy the Rhodesian army more…
Xcapt., could you provide some more background, including CFR that addresses mariner pay wrt pay cap? I am currently sailing for DoD and am subject to cap. I assumed we were bound by the same cap as the GS folks.
And Randi Ciznewski not defending OT for Masters and Chief Engineers? YGTBSM!
Thanks, capngeorge.