Any rumors of unions trying to break into the GOM market now that hiring is in strong demand? Seems like a no-brainer for the unions to make a few attempts.
Makes sense with the push for $15 an hour for fast food workers minimum and demands for a union.
Also Starbucks and other companies have seen new unions being formed. Kind of surprised the bigger offshore US companies never got together to make sure there was actually a GOM union - but a company “friendly” union so to speak. Once they have a contract and a union they don’t need to worry as much about a much more aggressive “Yankee” union coming in and usurping things.
A lot of job hopping in the Gulf is from the crews job hopping around for better pay, like being in a bidding match or war, who is going to pay me more day rate than anyone else? Again, I am surprised that it didn’t make sense to make a company union with some concessions and limitations. In the end probably at least better safety and comfort for the employees, less job hopping and more stability. Also imagine if the majority of the GOM companies had a few large schools all working together to train crews in co-ordination together. So you know everyone is up to the same standards same as the
union schools run by AMO, SIU, MEBA, SUP/MFOW/TRL, MM&P, IBU/Job Corps.
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You must be new lol.
Wait. Let me get my popcorn!!
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The idea of a union is culturally undesirable to a large enough proportion of the workforce as well as the companies that I can’t see any disruption in the status quo.
It’s the South.
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The owners might like having a shitty union like SIU in Houston to keep the wages low and more uniform from company to company.
The companies could then compete on vessel quality, training (I.e., DP school), schedule, and side benefits.
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I agree on the unlicensed side, as most of them still come from the bayou. However, with the growth of large OSVs, there are an awful lot of officers that are coming out of academies that may have sailed on union ships as cadets or 3rds (mate or engineer) that wouldn’t see it as such a bad thing probably.
Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if we were to see the unions starting to sniff around again… and the requisite “Unions are evil” presentations from management soon.
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The main problem is that the unions are too lazy to organize in the oil patch.
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There should be a union in the GOM. Although many unions are lazy and careless it’s better than the years of exploitation by these so called companies. The best is a balance… a union that cares for both companies and people.
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Nothing like starting the morning with a good laugh!
Thanks but it’s kind of sad when someone describes the victims of anti-union propaganda as motivated by a cultural stimulus. It used to be culturally desirable to keep shacks full of unpaid dark people to pick the cotton that built the master’s mansion.
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