Ive been offered an AB job there, can anyone give me the good, the bad, and the ugly ? I keep seeing videos on instagram how no one stays around.
I don’t know what it’s like now, as I left tugs 20 years ago but I’ve always said since then that I would never work for a McAllister again. We hired three deckhands at three different day rates all on the same day.
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Ive never worked there, but they have been around forever. There are alot worse places to work I know that. And if you need a job then take it . Learn gain experience upgrade your license then decided if you want to look elsewhere
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Which port?
Interesting. Union?
From what people tell me, every port has its own, distinct culture. NY, oddly, seems to have a lot of older boats (but also two of the nicest boats on the East Coast).
The good: The people on the boats are generally pretty terrific. Some of the office folks are genuinely helpful and supportive and that seems to be on an upward trajectory. Day rate is competitive. Grub is adequate and there is considerable freedom to run to the store when not busy. The company invests quite a bit in health insurance premiums so costs to employees are lower than at some other, non-union companies (also higher than at some). Company pays short-term disability and $100k life insurance for everyone. Some of the boats have crew-supplied high-speed wi-fi. There is considerable opportunity to work over, if that’s your thing, but If you want to do your 14 and go home, that’s fine.
Docking pilots are terrific and much less likely to put the boat and crew in harm’s way than some other places I’ve seen.
Maybe the best thing, if you are an AB or an OS, there is a fair amount of support for upgrading (including reimbursement of courses) and opportunities to get to the wheelhouse.
The bad: No paid travel for ratings. The office understands this is an issue and it may change in the future. Shoreside engineering support can sometimes be a frustration.
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I worked there for 10 years, from OS to Mate, ship docking and offshore. I liked it overall, just like with any job it has its pluses and minuses.
The port I was in paid travel if the boat was doing an out of town crew change, we had Wi-Fi, and if you lived close by you could slip off for a few hours if the work load allowed.
In fact I would say there was an improvement in overall quality from the time I started to the time I left, and my friends who still work there stay it’s gotten better since I left.
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Are you sure the Instagram videos weren’t referring to the other NY based company with red boats that no longer exists? 
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What are the insurance costs if you can provide?
What is your email? I can send you the info. Not too spendy, but not no-cost.
Sent you a message
I hear that Captain pay in NY is a little over $700. Is that true?
$700 seems rather low.
It depends on who you work for. There is no unified contract across the harbor. Mates at Reinauer are about $775 a day, so captains have to be higher
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To clarify, I heard that McAllister Captain pay is a little over $700.
Seems like Captain pay on the big ATBs pushing oil should be at least $1000.
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It’s been a lifetime ago but I was an AB at McAllister Philly. Ship assist pay is a lot lower than pushing oil barges for Reinauer but it was nice being tied up in between jobs.