Pay Raises Coming?

[todd.harter]

The companies that have folks that are smart enough to analyze cause and effect know just how truly expensive those cheap guys can be, will act accordingly, and I am certain will prosper in the long run (or at a very minimum pay much lower P&I rates). I have watched a company replace a Captain for another to save about 20K/yr. The rumors of what those savings (which they weren't able to even collect a full year of) cost them ranged from 4 Mil to 12 Mil - I suspect the actual figure lies somewhere between (certainly not less) and it was not fair to the man placed in the position way over his head - But he had the right paperwork! Needless to say - That company is no longer around and neither is that Captain.

[Saltine]

We can do tit for tat all day long but in the end the boats make the money for the company. Vessel crews are the ones sacrificing to get everyone paid. I know that all crews are not created equal but that goes back to HR and management. How. Well does your coordinator and or manager know your crew, read evaluations, spend the time to do company audits and see who is really doing their job? A lot of things to consider when u think about it. Bottom line is when the office people get off they are home. We all picked our position, now we have to own up to it. Yes us boat people are bitching!! I can leave who I work for ( where I am master) become a DPO and make 200 dollars a day more. That increase itself besides the responsibility that I will not have any more means even time for my family. I get tired of hearing my kids ask why I am always gone. it's the nature of the job but why are the boat so different from the rigs? The rigs pay more an you are forced even time because they know the safety issues that result from being away from home too much. Many people cannot handle being gone away from home this long. Anyway I am rambling now.

Seasoned guys are not getting the respect they deserve and the new guys coming don't know squat. Let's start with giving the people that have worked their butt off a raise, new boat or a little Ada boy every once in a while. Job performance on your level position and pay instead of giving your friends the positions that they do not deserve.

Saltine. You sound like all office people. I just hope you can tote that big stick you are carrying around or make a difference with it. No offense! You may be a unicorn of office personnel.

No offense to you but you sound like alot of mariners who have never worked on the shore based side. We could go back and forth over this all day but it really doesn't do any good because we are looking thru our perspective and no one elses. I think others will agree when I say that it's not as easy as some think to get better quality employees. What if your vessels don't make enough to pay guys $200/day more? It's easy to say just pay more, have nicer vessels, treat people better, give them even time, etc.... And I agree with all of those things but it's just not as easy as snapping your fingers and making it happen. And I am not "carrying a big stick" in my job duties one bit. I'm all for giving guys a pat on the back, raises, etc... when they are warranted. Yes the vessels make the money at the end of the day but I have never seen one company that just has vessels and vessel employees. You need offshore based personnel and shore based personnel to make everything work.

There is a wall, so to speak, that exists between office personnel and vessel personnel and I don't think that will ever go away. The mariners complain about the office staff and the office staff complain about the mariners. And all of this stems from there being a large gap that separates the two working environments and those that are in each one. My original point is that, in my opinion, the quality of the average mariner seems to be lower than it once was. I think there are less people who choose this career path than before and vessels are being relentlessly built and need personnel. I am not taking a swipe at anyone just stating the frustration that comes along with choosing to work in the office and trying to employee quality people.

[cappy208]

Saltine: from my perspective you are attempting to shovel shit against the tide.

I mean absolutely NO disrespect here. There is a reason that you run, man, and maintain a sub-100 ton fleet. I have BTDT. The mariner you speak of generally, and I do mean not all encompassing, who is that type of person you want to attract is exactly the mariner who will move up, and move on. The ones who stay are (to paraphrase starwars) 'not the Droid you are looking for' to start with. The truly competent ones move up. That means $$$$

[anchorman]

Yawn....and the ball will keep rolling. Talent will be spread thin as business expands because you just cannot teach experience - impossible to keep pace. And, raises become a necessary tool to retain that experience.

Cause and Effect. Raises are never GIVEN, they are earned - through your own actions or that of the enterprises ability to operate. Either way, whomever benefits, all was earned just by being an employee ONLY.

If you have a bad employee, then you have two distinct choices (actually three) - fire that employee, fire the employee that hired the bad one, or fire them both if that gets you to a place where you can rehire better people and feel a self gratification in ones earning potential or current rate.

I don't know what else to give this conversation but a stick and a dead horse.

[captmarcus]

For Chouest - What are the rates for 3rd, 2nd, and lead captains (Supply/1600) in GOM and what about Brazil? Anchor boat differential???

[CaptB]

I can tell you GOL hasn't given out any raises as of yet. It's been my understanding that with the exception of Otto Candies other companies were just giving back the pay that they reduced earlier this year. Well that's what I hear.