Pay Cutting - Offshore GOM

[skycowboy]

It appears that a number of Captains in the GOM are trying to obtain jobs by undercutting the known pay of the existing Captain. The chances are slim that this will get you the job. More then likely it will just lower the wages for everybody else in the Gulf.

This is what the Aviation Industry has resorted to. Everyone always willing to work for less, until now they are at a point that nobody makes a living wage.

There is no way an employer should be approaching crews with a pay cut when the boat is on contract and the day rate hasn't changed. They are just lining their pockets.

It stinks to be out of work, but resist the temptation to screw your fellow Mariner, because someday you might be the one getting screwed.

[anchorman]

It appears that a number of Captains in the GOM are trying to obtain jobs by undercutting the known pay of the existing Captain. The chances are slim that this will get you the job. More then likely it will just lower the wages for everybody else in the Gulf.

This is what the Aviation Industry has resorted to. Everyone always willing to work for less, until now they are at a point that nobody makes a living wage.

There is no way an employer should be approaching crews with a pay cut when the boat is on contract and the day rate hasn't changed. They are just lining their pockets.

It stinks to be out of work, but resist the temptation to screw your fellow Mariner, because someday you might be the one getting screwed.

Feeding your family is not screwing your fellow mariners. People will do what they have to do. Wages have been very flat for the last few years - before that, there was an increase that reflected the shortage in the labor market (mainly because the companies dropped the ball on STCW) - now, there seems to be more than enough of the lower level licensed mariners because of a slow down of shelf work. I have heard of pay cuts lately. Welcome to the free market.
You can do several things...upgrade your license to mitigate any loss of work on smaller vessels (where the cuts are taking place), or make sure you're with a stable company with good contracts and not blame those trying to feed their families on the mechanisms of a free market.
There are still jobs out there. I was just offered a job as Master on a drill ship and have never been on a drill ship in my life @$160,000 year working equal time. I currently have a good job. I worked and upgraded to have choices because I knew this situation was coming - It always has and always will.

[seadawg]

so what is new??that is an industry standard for osv captains in the GoM.."back stabbing and nut cutting" has always be the norm and management is right there to reap the rewards..maybe it's all about feeding your family and survival of the fittest!!

[skycowboy]

Anchorman. What company are you going to work for. I want to call them up and tell them i will take the job for $100,000. a year. How do you like the free market now...

[anchorman]

Anchorman. What company are you going to work for. I want to call them up and tell them i will take the job for $100,000. a year. How do you like the free market now...

Look smart ass. I was laying out reality for you. That is the way it is. If you think it's cool for a guy with a job to bitch about those without jobs, then you obviously don't know how good you have it, or have a clue on how economies can change bringing the situation you describe.
You can call them all. Transocean, Noble, Chouest, Seadrill, Pride.....whoever - company is inconsequential. If you are qualified, or better yet, if you made yourself competitive, you can get a job.
Call Chouest. They are currently looking for anchor captains and will not cut your pay, as it is right now - (That's around $140,000+year, little less while training)
First part of a free market is knowing that you're in one. If wages go down, it's because there is a surplus of people willing to work for less than the current workforce. It's not their fault.
Union membership is an alternative to protect wages.

I doubt very seriously you get a tissue in this forum.....maybe a lead on a job, but not help to discourage mariners on what they have to do. I would like to know the exact situation, pay loss, company, etc..... that would be the information to pass on for the benefit of the forum....and those looking for a job, or staying away from companies like the one you described.

Asking someone not to feed their family is like telling a dog not to eat a meatball. Pointless.

[Jeffrox]

Anchorman. What company are you going to work for. I want to call them up and tell them i will take the job for $100,000. a year. How do you like the free market now...

According to your on-line profile you aren't qualified to be the Master of a Drill Ship. So why make a fallacious threat?

[skycowboy]

Jeffrox, I was trying to make a point... When the office calls you in and says I have 10 resumes from Captains willing to work for $250.00 a day, either take a pay cut or leave, what do you think is going to happen.
Nobody is going to get hired, they are just forcing somebody to take a pay cut. Lucky for me I'm not affected. But I hate to see when people start feeding on their own.

[Jeffrox]

Sometimes those ten Captains get together, elect a leader and call themselves a Union. But that's a another ball of wax, throughly discussed in other threads.

[seadawg]

Sometimes those ten Captains get together, elect a leader and call themselves a Union.

that has already been tried..what a big embarrassing joke that was!!

[jolly]

What the unions say about pay cutting?

Another thing, what when the cheap eastern labor jumps in, such as Filipinos - once when they are allowed with lack of underpayed US mariners?

The show will go on, and once the american mariners wil have enough - somebody else will take it.

The only thing standing in between are the unions. The govt will adopt any law to keep the trade going. Whats the union word on it, collective agreements, etc...

[Capt. Lee]

When the office calls you in and says I have 10 resumes from Captains willing to work for $250.00 a day, either take a pay cut or leave, what do you think is going to happen.

I am having a hard time believing that for a few reasons. I just don't think companies cut pay because you have some guys around volunteering to work for less. I think your office is full of you know what. If that is the way they want to work, then if I were you I would start looking for a different company and then they can take a chance on some guy they do not know coming in and running their multi-million dollar equipment. The first grounding or collision might wake them up. You say it does not affect you. Why does it not affect you? Are they just cutting certain peoples' pay and not others? $250 bucks per day. I was on a 348' vessel not that long ago making $330 per day. I shudder at the thought of having to go back to that, but if I have to choose between you and my family....I hope you know what my choice will be.

I tell you the 100 ton job market is more saturated than the rest of the limited license market, which means there are more people with that type of license. Every class you take and every certification or skill you acquire will make you more valuable to a prospective employer. Right now I am sure some companies are taking this opportunity to "Clean their Plow" or get rid of the dead weight or take out the trash that the good times have been carrying, but they will want to keep their better employees, because they know how hard it is to find good people. Bad economy or not.

[Capt. Lee]

Anchorman. What company are you going to work for. I want to call them up and tell them i will take the job for $100,000. a year. How do you like the free market now...

If you did that to anchorman they still would not hire you. They might even give him a raise for your efforts. I am serious when I say that anchorman's name is whispered in the hallways of the training center by young seaman coming up the hawsepipe. When spoken of you normally hear the terms "LEGEND", "COMMANDER" or "ROYALTY". I swear to God a few years back, well quite a few years back I was sitting out in the smoking area of the training center and someone was talking about that young Captain driving the Lexus that had started out as a deckhand on an anchor boat. The words had not left his lips good before I spewwed my drink all over the place. He stated, and I quote, "THAT GUY IS A LEGEND!!!!" ROTFLMAO.

A true success story that has helped many a mariner with the Coast Guard testing and CFR questions, training. If it were not for his influence I do not think I would be where I am right now. The beauty of it is anyone can do exactly what he did if they want it bad enough. I just don't know many people that are willing to make the commitment to better themselves professionally or make the sacrifice of time involved to make themselves more valauble employees. Some people just want everything handed to them or spoon fed. Sometimes you just have to decide if you are going to squat and pee or if you are going to hike up your leg and do it like a man.

[anchorman]

....... He stated, and I quote, "THAT GUY IS A LEGEND!!!!" ROTFLMAO...........

First rule about riding in the short school bus - don't believe everything you heard from delusional retards, particularly if they work offshore.

[Capt. Nemo]

Damn, a LEGEND? And so young.

You got everything tied down in Mobile? It looks like Ida is headed your way.

Nemo

[seadawg]

The only thing standing in between are the unions. The govt will adopt any law to keep the trade going. Whats the union word on it, collective agreements, etc...

jolly,

they are referring to the "boats" operating on the GoM "oilpatch"..there are currently no unions or mariner associations..a few years back there was a movement to "organize" that was essentially "beat down" by a collective effort from the companies affected..the next time after that when the "union rumblings" started the companies raised the day rates across the board to the point where a top pay for master 200tn motv working with a offshore construction barge is around $550+ p/d..during that time I was able to change companies and get an immediate $150 p/d raise..I thank the unions for that although I was not a member of any union at the time!!

[richard8000milesaway]

"always upgrade as soon as you have the chance."
I was told that by a salty dog back in 1989 and did it for a while and ending up with 1600 ton ocean master, 2nd unlimited, towing master, etc, by 1998.
after that I got lazy and even when I had the time didn't upgrade to ch/mate. am now having to bite the bullet and do it.
I should have listened to that old salt

[Cal]

Jeffrox, I was trying to make a point... When the office calls you in and says I have 10 resumes from Captains willing to work for $250.00 a day, either take a pay cut or leave, what do you think is going to happen.
Nobody is going to get hired, they are just forcing somebody to take a pay cut. Lucky for me I'm not affected. But I hate to see when people start feeding on their own.

They are only forcing someone that is willing to put up with it. It's a threat, treat it as such. If they are stupid enough to threaten people they're stupid enough to pull that stunt when you are coming in to work.

What you do is say nothing, grab your gear and walk out the door. They'll be calling you on the road because they won't have anyone to run the boat. That's when you get the pay raise for them acting like a jerk.

It will also be the last time they try and pull that stunt on you....

The question is, do you have the stones to do it?

[dougpine]

I've walked off a number of vessels in my time. I ALWAYS got what I wanted, or close to it.

[10talents]

What you do is say nothing, grab your gear and walk out the door. They'll be calling you on the road because they won't have anyone to run the boat. That's when you get the pay raise for them acting like a jerk.

It will also be the last time they try and pull that stunt on you....

The question is, do you have the stones to do it?

I remember in the 80's some Air Traffic Controllers of similar persuasion and one "El Presidente" that called their bluff.
In this financial eniviroment we might be wiser to carry our pride and arrogance in our wallets rather than wear it on our chest.

[Capt_Anonymous]

Yeah, you're right. Keep your mouth shut and don't stand up for what's right, because you might lose your job. Reagan was a god...