Have you seen the Subchapter M COIs that allow the owners to operate coastwise boats with only four men?
First of all, we should not be allowed to operate one or two men short of a proper crew.
Secondly, if we are going to run short handed we should get paid extra for it.
Nailed it Tugsailor. Was never that concerned with my yearly evaluations, maybe a little bit though. I was treated fairly, for what itās worth.
Four men offshore tug is not safe in any mans world.
I got a call for a Chiefs job with a dredge out fit for their tug for 275 per day I told them I was making more than that in 1989
Cheap companies get what they deserve
Some are most arenāt union pay is better for the most part but not near enough for what we have to do to maintain our licenses and STCW
Another point that perhaps goes unnoticed in the wage/benefit calculations.Although the costs are much higher now to maintain said licenses when I was sailing, AMO classes picked that up. Nothing to sneeze at. Many companies have abandoned their training budgets. Not on here to sell AMO to anyone, but was treated fairly and got the upgrades I needed for very little out of pocket. Canāt imagine what the costs are now, but do know it aināt cheap.
Iām sick of hearing this excuse from 2/Mās trying to upgrade to C/M. The pay raise more than covers whatever the cost of the classes is. So bite the bullet and get it over with. Youāre certainly not going to get the job without the license.
Or take 5 years to do it and donāt get the raise. Quit being lazy.
I have had to pay out of pocket for every up grade or renewal of my license I never had a company including Crowley help pick up the tab
Just because one MIGHT get a promotion and pay raise that covers the cost over time does not in any way justify the egregious cost of upgrading to C/M. Not one bit. It is a huge burden for some peopleās financial situations.
Just go away. If this is a discussion about US wages, you are not party to the discussion. You are neither an American nor do you work in the US. Your hatred (jealously) of Americans is well known and documented here. Just stop. Please. Enough.
I handled a claim back in '98. Four man tug, Captain and co-captain (father and son. . .and an odd dynamic) with two deckhands. Ran the thing right up onto a reef off of the southern Yucatan, on their way to Belize. . .needless to say, the stories didnāt jibe. . . . .
āTell me something I donāt knowā is an idiom, means the same thing as āpreaching to the choir.ā
I did have to sell my beloved 65 Mustang 289 rally package to cover my household expenses to get my first license. School was free through SIU then but no wages coming in while attending. I wish I still had that beast,but it went to a good cause. I needed the license more than the car. It is insane the numbers the mariners pay out to upgrade or even maintain what licenses a mariner has to endure these days.
Have they restored the defined benefit pension? What is the current level of funding?
Oh sorry, did I post some facts that didnāt meet with your approval? 
Wrong!!! I have no reason to hat (or be āJealouslyā of) any Americans. What you think or feel is not ādocumentedā.
Yes I know what it is and what it means.
Next time Iāll try to remember to put a couple of smilies behind anything I post that is meant sarcastically, or as a joke.
I donāt think bug hates Americans. Jump my bones all you want,I have rather large shoulders. His posts at times leave me scratching my head, but for a large part, are quite informational.
I also donāt think Ombugge hates Americans either, he just hates hypocrisy. I do too. He does take delight in pointing out that American āexceptionalismā isnāt quite as advertised but I know that already. I listen to all points of view and being moderately intelligent a different point of view doesnāt bother me a lot. This forum is not an echo chamber of like minds. Itās just a bunch of sailors in various stages of their career from all over the world expressing their opinions and sharing their experiences. Itās kinda like a galley in that respect. Ombugge is welcome to join me at my table. I have antacid in my cabin if needed. 
You are right. I donāt āhateā anybody, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality. I DO despise hypocrisy, no matter where or by whom.
If somebody take that as an insult to them, or to their country, so be it.
Chill, we know that. But sometimes we must suffer fools gently. We must also never fail to recognize our own hypocrisy.
The Basic State Pension is here for a single person at the moment $ 16916.- per year. A married couple gets less than the double amount.