I am hoping to make the switch from OSV’s to NY/east coast tugs. I have not been furloughed or laid off but the job insecurity in the air is starting to get to me. I would like to go to one of the more respected tug boat companies, and from what I am reading that means Moran and Reinauer, among others. I have been doing a lot of forum searches as well as on the web in general, but am having trouble finding much on info Reinauer. I have found a decent amount on Moran, but would also like to hear if anybody has any more recent information. The main things I am looking for is a safe work environment, positive work environment, and respect for mariners from the management. Money is important, but not everything. That’s why Bouchard is not on the list. Anybody have any feedback? These forums are great, in the two years I have been lurking here this is the first time I’ve had to post, from all the information that’s already here! Thanks in advance.
Do you have:
-oil barge experience?
-new York harbor experience?
-any recency for the north east or east coast?
-ship work or tractor experience?
If you don’t have anything of those good luck, you’ll need to be in the very right place at the very right time to get on with either Moran or RTC .
if not, but you have a 1600 ton masters license (oceans), congratulations, you MAY qualify for an AB job.
Many of the atb’s on shell contract require ab’s with a license do 6 minute fixes when running in rivers, harbors, etc.
ha ha yes and I always say we will be aground in less than 6, what’s the point! A necessary evil however.
Money is important but not everything? Ok bro. Everyone who sprinted to the gulf is crawling back to the tug and barge jobs now and the funny part is the two respected companies you ask about are union. Let me see, nope! I have no info to help you!
The grass is always greener bro. There are more places to work out there.
If I worked in HR for a North East tug/barge company I don’t think I could bring myself to hire someone coming from an OSV company unless they had worked there with a good record for a decade or more. You just see so many guys jumping back and forth. If a guy shows me a resume where he went to the gulf at the tail end of the last bust as a new boom was beginning and now he wants to come work in the North East the only thing I’d be able to show him in return is the door. 99 times in 100 that guy is sprinting back to the gulf the second the bust is coming to a close. The gulf layoffs flooding the tug/barge companies with new applicants just make life difficult for the guys who have already been grinding it out at the tug companies for a while. North East tug companies are doing just fine with their applicant pool and employee base without taking on a tidal wave from the oil patch.
[QUOTE=AtlanticView;156815]I am hoping to make the switch from OSV’s to NY/east coast tugs. I have not been furloughed or laid off but the job insecurity in the air is starting to get to me. I would like to go to one of the more respected tug boat companies, and from what I am reading that means Moran and Reinauer, among others. I have been doing a lot of forum searches as well as on the web in general, but am having trouble finding much on info Reinauer. I have found a decent amount on Moran, but would also like to hear if anybody has any more recent information. The main things I am looking for is a safe work environment, positive work environment, and respect for mariners from the management. Money is important, but not everything. That’s why Bouchard is not on the list. Anybody have any feedback? These forums are great, in the two years I have been lurking here this is the first time I’ve had to post, from all the information that’s already here! Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]
Just stay where you are and keep raking in the big bucks and save money until your are furloughed.
After that look for a tugboat job if you want to, but don’t restrict your search to the top half dozen companies in any particular place. Look at bottom half dozen companies anywhere to gain some experience.
What’s wrong with Bouchard? Hahaha, don’t knock it until you try it. The above posts are really good. I hope this thread gets even juicier.
Beg for a shit steering job at a shit company and eat the shot sandwich for a few years, then you will have a shot at one of the aforementioned companies’ wheelhouses.
Problem with going to Mac is Reinauer won’t take you after that unless you quit mac first.
Lol who said anything about Big Mac??? Haha!
For the OP, dont quit let them lay you off first. Who knows, you might survive the downturn and then you wont have to crawl back to your OSV job.
So much hate and rhetoric for guys that went down south! You’re hating on guys that made decisions, to better provide for their families (mostly). If there is an open position up North, exactly how is it that they are “your” jobs to apply to? It’s really up to an HR department to decide whether they want to hire someone who jumps jobs. I would think that companies will be looking at the licenses and experience that a lot of these guys have. Whether we like it or not, we are all just a number, and can be replaced very easily. Companies have only enough loyalty to employees as demand sees fit…as such, I look out for Numero Uno! You guys harp on the Pro-Union thing like it’s the next best thing since sliced bread…half the older employees in your union were at one time strike breaking scabs, and for years you had a scab that was your delegate in Local 333 (Mike Riordan - deckhand for Moran during the 80’s strike).
But back to the topic of this thread…Moran NY is a great place to work. You do your job and help out by working extra, you’ll be in like Flynn. A lot of good guys on the boats.There’s less BS there as well. The positives of working there though is because of management’s policies, not anything to do with Local 333 or whatever your new union is called.
I dont think you will hear many arguments from union people about the leadership being useless. A lot of members are trying to vote and make changes to leadership or at least question people in charge. i agree the respected companies in new york have there pick of people because management runs the company well and tries to keep the bullshit to a minimum. negotiating contracts and having steady raises no matter how large or small makes a difference not only for union membership but also non union companies in the same region. Its good for everyone. We are setting the standard for wages. And yes we are all just numbers and the company will do anything they want, so why not try to keep them somewhat honest with a collective bargaining agreement. They are legally allowed to disregard the entire contract if its for the financial security and the future of the company but they maintain credibility within the fleet personnel by honoring it Which most likely helps them retain quality/skilled people with years of local knowledge and experience.
Your argument that people went south to better provide for there families is legitimate and i respect people who have the balls to go learn a new skill set and do different type of work. Its a free country and people should be able to work wherever they want if they’re qualified and the company is willing to hire them. But the other side of the argument is people who stuck around could also be praised for having the foresight to hold on to a decent paying job that isn’t quite as volatile as the gulf market, providing for there families with steady, gainful employment/income for years. Isnt it fair for these people to be a little resentful when they have been holding it down grinding it out trying to move up in there company and suddenly they are not only waiting for the old captain to retire but also competing with an onslaught of johnny come lately mariners? I guess its in the hands of HR like you said but its still human nature for me to want the guys coming back looking for a job to take a number and go to the back of the line and cool there jets.
Yes, isn’t that the standard procedure?
[QUOTE=acesouthcoast;156886]I dont think you will hear many arguments from union people about the leadership being useless. A lot of members are trying to vote and make changes to leadership or at least question people in charge. i agree the respected companies in new york have there pick of people because management runs the company well and tries to keep the bullshit to a minimum. negotiating contracts and having steady raises no matter how large or small makes a difference not only for union membership but also non union companies in the same region. Its good for everyone. We are setting the standard for wages. And yes we are all just numbers and the company will do anything they want, so why not try to keep them somewhat honest with a collective bargaining agreement. They are legally allowed to disregard the entire contract if its for the financial security and the future of the company but they maintain credibility within the fleet personnel by honoring it Which most likely helps them retain quality/skilled people with years of local knowledge and experience.
Your argument that people went south to better provide for there families is legitimate and i respect people who have the balls to go learn a new skill set and do different type of work. Its a free country and people should be able to work wherever they want if they’re qualified and the company is willing to hire them. But the other side of the argument is people who stuck around could also be praised for having the foresight to hold on to a decent paying job that isn’t quite as volatile as the gulf market, providing for there families with steady, gainful employment/income for years. Isnt it fair for these people to be a little resentful when they have been holding it down grinding it out trying to move up in there company and suddenly they are not only waiting for the old captain to retire but also competing with an onslaught of johnny come lately mariners? I guess its in the hands of HR like you said but its still human nature for me to want the guys coming back looking for a job to take a number and go to the back of the line and cool there jets.[/QUOTE]
You make very good points and I’m glad that people are finally fed up with the old guard. I despised having to pay Local 333 and the useless bunch of bums that ran it. Still, they didn’t negotiate your wages, need for quality mariners did and still does. Instead of paying into that union, I always thought that we could approach any of top notch legal firms in Manhattan, and come away with something solid with room to advance and grow. The collective bargaining agreements that you mention though, took more of your rights away than providing benefits. By signing, we gave away some of our rights from the Seaman’s Relief Act (maintenance, cure and lost wages), and we lost any route to approach the NLRB in a labor dispute, by agreeing to arbitration. The last couple contracts don’t even keep up with the cost of living expense. All in all, I hope you guys make out like bandits in the near future.
As for the Johnny Come Lately comment, couldn’t the same be said by AB’s when the companies hire new academy employees? They’ve been grinding it out on deck, slowly getting their licenses and now they get bumped by the new guys? Not that I’m anti-academy, just commenting on your reply. If you’re worried about someone competing or taking something, the best thing to do is outperform them. I would think also that if it was as easy for Captains and Mates to make the jump down South, as it was for Engineers, there would have been more of them to do so. Again, that’s not an anti-deck statement, it’s just how the USCG set up the licensing. I don’t know too many people steering that would agree to move back down into a trainee position to do so.
At my age, I have quite a few peers on the boats, but anyone under 50 is a Johnny-Come-Lately.
I manage a small company called “me.” Its in the business of operating boats for owners. Like any business, “me” always seeks contracts that offer one of the best available streams of revenue, and often opportunities to branch out into new lines of business with an eye toward diversification and improved revenue. In other words, I run my business the same way Joe Boss runs his.
If my competitors, other boat captains, think that I am taking business away from them, that just confirms that I am doing a good job of running my business.
Im not a huge drum beater for the union by any means and i resented having to pay over a thousand dollars years ago for an initiation fee to a fat guy with a beard and a funny hat that probably hasn’t worked an honest day in a over decade. But i just look at the facts and historically american workers earned better wages under union labor when compared with the lack of unionized labor that we see these days. All the right to work states have the highest rates of unemployment as well. Obviously there are tons of hidden details and factors for the lack of wage growth in this country but history shows people earn more over a longer period of time in unions. I don’t think the need for quality mariners is the single factor that negotiates wages. In the GOM people were making amazing day rates but now hundreds of them are literally at home making zero. So yes, there was a rush to fill billets and companies threw huge money to attract mariners quickly and you could argue that need dictated those awesome day rates but you could also say northeast tug companies tried to maintain a realistic day rate and keep people working steady. Not one person was laid off at Moran since 2008 and there were lots of boats sitting in the yard doing jack shit in 2009 fully crewed.
In response to your question regarding a licensed AB from an academy i would argue that is a totally different animal. Its one thing to go to college and come out with a license/degree and go to work with an advantage over a hawsepiper who has more practical knowledge. Thats just life. I dont like it but thats how it is. Alumni typically work in the office and they will most likely try to help young guys starting out who have invested time and money into marine transportation field. But thats completely different than a person jumping from one company to another when the grass is greener and then trying to come back and pick up right where they left off. Fuck that!
I totally disagree with your statement about outperforming the competition. Ive known so many guys who kicked ass and were super knowledgeable that were passed over or forced to go steer at some shit company because there daddy wasn’t already a captain or pilot or worked in the office. Or maybe the captain just didn’t like them for whatever reason and didn’t speak up for them. Like the old saying goes, its not what you know but who you know. I get thats how life works and people naturally take care of friends and family. I just want to be clear that i don’t think knowledge and ability necessarily guarantee mariners job security or a promotion.
Before I tell my story, I just want to say that I am never Happy to see or hear about Anyone taking a pay cut or losing their job.
My career began in N.Y. Harbor in the 70’s and I have seen the Good Times and Lived through the Bad Times. In 1988 when 333 was Locked out (Strike) there were a lot of guys that came up from the Gulf as it was very slow down there. I was put back to work under the Court Ordered Injunction, and as it turned out I was the Only union Member on my Tug. I was told that I would be working under the “Chief” and to keep my mouth shut. The Scab Captain was actually a pretty good guy. He sat me down and told me that he would put up NO B.S. on the boat. He then sat down the rest of the crew and told him the same thing. He was actually harder on his crew than he was on me. He told them that we were there to work and it was up to the courts to decide what the outcome would be and fighting on the boat would do not good.
Unfortunately, most of the other Captains did not feel the same way as he did and went out of their way to try and make me and anyone from the Union to quit! I remember one Captain getting in my face saying that he could not wait for me to quit as he had a whole bunch of guys ready to come north and show Us how things should be done. I remember him saying that he made $170.00. I asked if he knew anyone that would work for $165.00 and he said sure do, the look on his face when I said why do they need you then was priceless!
There was one tour where I was the only Chief as the other guy decided to take some time off after working almost 8 months straight. I was still covered by the Union Contract which was being enforced by the Court Injunction. I did my one week tour and was supposed to get off. The company decided to force me to stay on the boat, after working over for almost 5 days, the Captain said that he was surprised that I was staying and not bitching about getting off, I had called the company for the first day asking for a relief but after that I kept my mouth shut. So, I told the Captain that if the company wanted to pay me OT around the clock I would stay as long as they wanted. I had been on OT since 1400 on the day I was due off. He called the company and asked if this was true, they almost shit themselves when they found out that I was correct. They put me off that afternoon. When I came back I found out that they had idled the Main Engine for the entire week that I was gone because they never put another Engineer onboard.
It really got tiring hearing how much better everyone from the Gulf were and how they would not be happy until they took all of the jobs. When the time came where the companies were tired of paying for double crews on the boats, they started letting people go. You should have heard guys bitching about how they have been there for a year and they should be treated better. I just laughed and said that these companies thought Nothing about laying off guys the well over 20 years so why would they care about you!
I finally got tired of all of the B.S. of the games the company was pulling and left for another company in a different area.
I guess that you can say that all of this left a pretty bad taste in my mouth when it comes from guys from the Oil Patch.
Until the time comes where guys will stop under cutting someone to take a job these companies will continue to play games. I really hope that this down turn in the Oil Patch will not / does not start a bidding war driving everyone’s wages down. As much as people will not like me saying but it is the truth, You have never heard of Guys from the Northeast going to the Gulf and working for less just to take jobs away from those that live there!
I really hope that everyone can stay working but stabbing each other in the back by under cutting wages helps no one except the Companies!
Rant Off!