stay away from SIU at all costs
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Why? Can you elaborate.
There is another smaller union called MFOW. People that work there call SIU pirates.
SIU, the union, as in the people who run it talk a mean game and go out there and pretend to defend and help the worker.
What they are really doing is trying to make their pockets fatter and fatter. They donāt care about you, they care about themselves, about getting union dues from you, everyday that you go to a ship there is money the company pays to them that you never see. Money that would go to you if you were working non union.
They will tell you about their apprentice program, lie to you and tell you it is only a few months, and then you will be able to make the big money.
Actually you might be in their "apprentice programā for over a year getting very little money, letting your bills and payments go into default. They will tell you there are phases of the program and make you wait several months between each one. They will tell you that they are doing you a huge favor by giving you this free training and giving you this opportunity. Actually they get money from the department of labor for every person who enrolls in that school. A lot of moneyā¦almost non of which they put back into the facilities so that you can actually learn something useful.
Even if you already have all your training and have been working for several years, they will tell you that you HAVE to go to their school or you have basically no chance of getting jobs with them.
They have a hiring hall system to stop nepotism, promote equality and blah blah blah, but the patrolmen and port agents are notorious for selling jobs and giving them to their friends.
They have contracts with rules in them, with provisions for so many situations, but they will not back you up if you have a problem THEY DONT CARE, actually, they will side with the company and try to cover it up if you have a problem. Companies I think, that have permanent employees value them more and donāt treat them like they are just a number.
I have heard of the companies of SIU contracted vessels cutting budgets for food for voyages, and the crew having to buy a goat and slaughter it for the meat, for food to get by, or sometimes they have to fish, because there is just no food.
I am not joking or exaggerating, this is true.
SIU has the worst pensions/benefits/health care plan that exists.
You have to work something like 8 months a year for 30 CONSECUTIVE years to get $700 a month, and you cannot collect it until you are about 70. If you skip out on a year or two you loose part of your benefit. Even if you do make it there (why would you want to), I have heard of people having to sue them to get the full amount that they are supposed to get. There are lawyers out there who specialize in nothing but suing SIU to make them do what they are supposed to do and give people their pension money. Youāll often hear of people who getting reay to retire already getting their lawyer ready and preparing to fight their battle before they have even started the process.
People that you encounter in SIU will be the rejects of the industry and of society, drug addicts, crazies, ex convicts, personality disorders, ghetto people. People that cannot function in normal society and wouldnāt be able to get a job through traditional means. this might be true in most aspects of the industry but think of SIU being the concentrated value.
SIU has WAY WAY more members than they have jobs. They expect you to go to their hiring hall every single day just like a good little union member and sit thereā¦sometimes for a month two months, three months just encase something comes up, even if it does, someone else probably has either more seniority than you, paid the patrolman, slept with the patrolman, is related to or is friends with him.They will get the job, not you.
Also, even if this is going on, you are not supposed to work non union or for another union because if you do and they find out you can loose your seniority and/or membership.
Shall I continue???
You forgot to mention the quarterly child sacrifices!I guess your pension would be $700 if you remain an OS. My Inland division pension is wage related and Iāve been drawing it since I was 56. My insurance dropped down one level when I retired. I just had $6200 of dental work and the insurance paid $3800. Itās better than any other coverage Iāve had over the years. But then what would an industry reject, drug addict, crazy, ex con, ectā¦know.
Youāre the first person to defend SIU that Iāve ever met. If someone asked me about it, I will direct them to you. You were obviously in a different division. However, your insight is highly appreciated.
Sorry. Redundant repostā¦
In lat '99 early 2000 I was on a ship with siu unlicensed crew. O/Sās made $39 and change per day. A/Bās were at $50 and the Bosān got $65. Siu stands for Scabas is Us.
[QUOTE=seadog6608;115752]In lat '99 early 2000 I was on a ship with siu unlicensed crew. O/Sās made $39 and change per day. A/Bās were at $50 and the Bosān got $65. Siu stands for Scabas is Us.[/QUOTE]
The last ATB I worked 4 years ago, the OS was around $300 a day. Cooks $325, ABs and OMUs $340, AB/Tankerman were over $400. Equal time, top tier medical, paid transportation, 2 for 1 pension contributions, Money Purchase Plan and wage related pension.
The SIU is not a panacea but compared to the 15 years I put in the oilfield, It was quite a step up. Now they need to catch up to the oilfield.
And our goats arrived at the vessel already butchered!
The company that did that with the food is called liberty maritime corporation.
go to any SIU hall and ask any cook or steward about the food situation on those ships
[QUOTE=injunear;115753]The last ATB I worked 4 years ago, the OS was around $300 a day. Cooks $325, ABs and OMUs $340, AB/Tankerman were over $400. Equal time, top tier medical, paid transportation, 2 for 1 pension contributions, Money Purchase Plan and wage related pension.
The SIU is not a panacea but compared to the 15 years I put in the oilfield, It was quite a step up. Now they need to catch up to the oilfield.
And our goats arrived at the vessel already butchered![/QUOTE]Some contracts are better than others, nāest pas?
Iāve sailed with liberty in the past. Yes food sucked but I never heard of goats be slaughtered. They have another union on hose ships and even if the SIU put up with it, I doubt the MEBA would have. Besides if the company cut food orders so bad that they had to resort to that, then the blame falls on the captain who should have made arrangements get more food on board with local agents. Now I was on one trip with them and we anchored in shittagong for a couple weeks and the local handlers who camped on the deck brought chickens they would slaughter for their own food. I have to admit some of it smelled and looked better than what was being served in the mess
they are amo and siu only now. ok the goat part i am not sure about but i was getting emails from people on the ship saying they had to fish because there was no food. it happens quite oftenā¦not just a one time thing
OK I am gonna write a whole article about why anyone should stay away from the siu with detailed facts, information a picturesā¦just give me a few days
Where to begin? In the 90s, my era with them, you had 3 levels of contracts: Govāt, Sweet heart and standard. It was about $3800, $4200, and $6000 working 12 hour days. You also had SIUA, or something like that, that I fell into in the Jacksonville hall (the old one in the shitty neighborhood). I forget what it payed, but it sucked as well as vacation pay. That was on the Crowley Ro/Ros sailing from Lauderdale to central America. Pretty decent crew and lousy ship. Food was ok, but I donāt have huge standards where that is. I mostly shipped Seattle with TOTE and OSG (apparently in the good old days w/osg). Liberty was notorious for no OT once you got out to sea and lousy food. Only the broke and hungry took those ships. Personally, I think the whole entry level program finished the screwing of members and those wanting to enter the industry. SIU very rarely fought for the crew on legitimate beefs. Fortunately, I worked for 2 good companies and didnāt experience it much at all. Every union not SIU and AMO look upon them as scabs, and Uncle Mike with little to no respect (Iāll leave it at that).
I only have 72 days this year. will I loose my b seniorty?
It all depends on how much baksheesh you have paid and to whom you have paid it.