My husband works as a deckhand for a tugboat company (inland) in New York which tugs barges along the shorelines of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. He holds a TWIC card, a Z-card, and is considered an Ordinary Seaman. He works the following schedule:
7 days on / 7 days off
6 hours on WATCH / 6 hours STANDBY / 6 hours sleep / 6 hours WATCH
per 24 hour period
***He is required to work on “STANDBY” if needed - which is about 80% of the time FYI
Now, my issue is - he only gets paid for 12 hours per 24 period, yet he works 18 hours per 24 hour period. Is it just me that it seems unfair that he is being shorted wages? Or is this normal? This has been going on for 11 years, and I just wanted to reach out and see if there is anything legally we should be doing??
What are your thoughts?? Experiences?? Any suggestions welcome and I will try to answer any of your questions as best I can.
He works at Buchanan i assume. That is normal for that company and sand and stone work. Plus he make alot more a day the most AB positions at other companies. There used to be 4 deckhands on those boats but they bumped down to 3 years ago. I used to work there.
Thats all u need at Buchanan. I think the day rate is $370 a day now… No AB required. The oil guys are catching up to them and we dont work nearly as hard.
[QUOTE=z-drive;131562]Nothing on a boat can be compared to land labor laws![/QUOTE]
Ain’t that the damn truth… I’m surprised we don’t still have 12 year old cabin boys working 20 hours a day and getting tossed overboard when they’re too tired to go on…
[QUOTE=PaddyWest2012;131563]Ain’t that the damn truth… I’m surprised we don’t still have 12 year old cabin boys working 20 hours a day and getting tossed overboard when they’re too tired to go on…[/QUOTE]
Speak for yourself…
There is some miscommunication going on here. By law we are NOT required to work in excess of 12 hours per day (but up to 15 hours for the work of the vessel) BUT, by law, we are supposed to have 8 hours off, if we work more than 12 hours in ANY 24 hour period. Caveat, the safety of the vessel can require more time, but that is not an ordinary event.
If you do work at a company where you are routinely required to work more than 12, either drop a dime to the USCG, or find a decent employer. I will try to dig up the US CODE that specifically states this.
The confusion stems from about 10 overlapping laws dating back from the 1930’s. They are VERY confusing. Even the USCG puts out a very hard to interpret publication. http://www.uscg.mil/d13/cfvs/PDFs/MSM_Vol_III.pdf
Looking at the specific wording for ‘inland domestic’ Non licensed crew, there seems to be a void in coverage for work hours. BUT, the ‘decent’ companies are following the law to a higher standard. I would have to tell you to have Hubby find a new employer!
[QUOTE=samibeetoe;131455]My husband works as a deckhand for a tugboat company (inland) in New York which tugs barges along the shorelines of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. He holds a TWIC card, a Z-card, and is considered an Ordinary Seaman. He works the following schedule:
7 days on / 7 days off
6 hours on WATCH / 6 hours STANDBY / 6 hours sleep / 6 hours WATCH
per 24 hour period
***He is required to work on “STANDBY” if needed - which is about 80% of the time FYI
Now, my issue is - he only gets paid for 12 hours per 24 period, yet he works 18 hours per 24 hour period. Is it just me that it seems unfair that he is being shorted wages? Or is this normal? This has been going on for 11 years, and I just wanted to reach out and see if there is anything legally we should be doing??
What are your thoughts?? Experiences?? Any suggestions welcome and I will try to answer any of your questions as best I can.
Thanks,
Sami[/QUOTE]
His work schedule does not sound all that unusual. If he is making $370 a day as an OS, but he has failed to move up in 11 years, then he is overpaid.
I did a season there about 10 years ago, if you could figure out how to throw out 4 parts and a set of lights you had a job forever. The guys who did make it over there where some of the best professional deckhands and boat handlers you will ever find. May not be pretty but they got it done. As for the “6 on- 6off- 6 standby” you know what your faced with when your hired there, an OS deckhand with a decade of sand and stone work making 370 a day is doing damm good. My only question is why after that long hasnt he even gotten a 200 ton ? Basic AB ticket, anything ? Other than local work it will be rough for him to ever find that money with 0 paperwork.
A lot of you are asking why he has not moved up the ladder. Some guys are just happy where they are and see no need to move up. Back in the 333 Days we had guys that decked for their entire career. Those guys were the type of Deckhand that could save your butt when you needed that line out now.
I think one of the biggest problems now a days is Companies seem to look down on anyone that does not want to move up the ladder. To me I would much rather have someone that is happy doing the job that they are, rather then being pushed to move up and be uncomfortable in a job they do not like.
[QUOTE=Tugs;131654]A lot of you are asking why he has not moved up the ladder. Some guys are just happy where they are and see no need to move up. Back in the 333 Days we had guys that decked for their entire career. Those guys were the type of Deckhand that could save your butt when you needed that line out now.
I think one of the biggest problems now a days is Companies seem to look down on anyone that does not want to move up the ladder. To me I would much rather have someone that is happy doing the job that they are, rather then being pushed to move up and be uncomfortable in a job they do not like.[/QUOTE]
I know what you’re saying. Not everyone is cut out for the wheelhouse, nor should they be. But to not move up from OS to AB in 11 years? That shows a real lack of interest in his chosen line of work.
I had never heard of this company and just looked at their website and online application. they certainly have a VERY high opinion of themselves. A required question is your credit score. Most companies do that research on their own before a job offer is made. They also DO NOT want to talk to anyone. They state they will call you"IF" they are interested in hiring you. Pretty damned high fallutin’ if you ask me.
[QUOTE=samibeetoe;131455]
Now, my issue is - he only gets paid for 12 hours per 24 period, yet he works 18 hours per 24 hour period. Is it just me that it seems unfair that he is being shorted wages? Or is this normal? This has been going on for 11 years, and I just wanted to reach out and see if there is anything legally we should be doing??
What are your thoughts?? Experiences?? Any suggestions welcome and I will try to answer any of your questions as best I can.
Thanks,
Sami[/QUOTE]
The whole problem with this is that this is not YOUR ISSUE as you stated, it’s your husbands. Tell him to grow a set and look into this potential issue or shut his trapper and get back to work. He’s the employee, he’s doing the work, he has the problem so let him figure it out. If he doesn’t have a problem with the working hours then you shouldn’t even be in the conversation.
I have to respond to this one. I hold the same opinion as many of my colleagues in the previous posts, he should at the very least invest the money and time and get an AB ticket. It’s a start and will give him some marketability. Sitting on his hands for 11 years is self defeating. Take the courses and get the upgrade and move to a better gig. Otherwise he might as well wear himself out on deck and let younger, fitter, smarter men pass him by. There’s no shame in being content as a deckhand, I had many a career deckhand pull my ass out of the fire when I started steering. But the bottom line to me is if you want to get better working conditions, at least give yourself a better chance at landing it with the credential.