Seattle REC cutting staff

As of July 31st, Seattle REC is eliminating two clerk positions. Expect delays. I imagine that this will happen to all RECs sooner or later. <br><br>Centralization, what a concept.

That’s cause you can hire four monkeys for the price of two clerks. Maybe, the monkeys will be in-charge of the machine guns. Government Efficiency!!

Only four?!

Many of the guys I sail with from the west coast transfered their files from LA and Seattle to Portland a couple of years ago. They only had good things to say about their transactions.

Portland has always had a great reputation. When they get sucked into the vortex that is NMC that advantage will be lost. Damn shame.

I always receivED fast orderly service from the Seattle office in the PAST.

Tom Curley, Mike Mattie, and Norleen Schumer all worked very hard to take care of the mariners using Seattle REC. The only one left is Mr. Curley, and he’s having to work with the hand he’s been dealt, as are we. I sure don’t miss the exam room, but I sure do miss the days when it was free, they typed up your license by hand, there was no STCW, no TWIC, no pissing in a cup, no NMC.

…and they fired you for NOT drinking…

No love lost here. Back in the day when I was trying to get my AB, coming from the fishing industry, they gave me nothing but grief. Maybe it wasnt the fault of the examiners, but I got nothing but a bad attitude from the people behind the counter. I got the feeling they enjoyed turning people away after making them wait an hour or more. A woman I know lost her MMD, and she had to wait 3 hours for her name to get called after she signed in. At Portland REC, Im usually greeted as I walk in, “Oh and by the way, please sign in”. No wait, VERY HELPFUL! For me, it is worth driving a few extra miles to Portland, but then I live near Olympia.<br>I got my lifeboatman in Astoria, I had to launch a REAL lifeboat, with REAL davits. Not only had to know my rowing commands, but use them in such a way to take the boat to the end of the pier and back to the davits again. Glad I did it instead of pretending with a toy model. Your oarsmen are young kids in the Job Corps who want to impress you with their skills. They practice several times a week, so they got the procedure down cold. It was actually fun!<br><br>Well maybe they can find a job at the TWIC center?