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[sj]

Hi all,
I'm new here but have been looking into the FSP for about 4 weeks now and have been thinkning of moving to NH even before I came across the FSP. This group of people just seals the deal for me. I happen to be in the same profession as maxx and want to let you know that he is not "getting away" with anything. When I first stated working 15 years ago I used to work 6 months on and six off. Who in thier right mind is going to want to go right back out to work after 6 months of isolation? This isn't your typical 9-5 job where you get to go home every night. When you report to a ship you are there 24/7 pretty much available for whatever goes down during your regular work hours and after. Basically most mariners have reliefs so that when you are off your counterpart is on and if you decide to go work for some other company then you will loose your sinority and will have to sail in a lower position. You collect unemployment from the state the company works out of not the state you live in. They put the money into the system so that we can collect something while we are unemployed since that is what you are as soon as you sign off articles.

Welcome, Cheng!  Start a thread and tell us a bit about yourself!

[Keyser Soce]

I don't think that John Q. Public would vote for either a coke addict or a Satanist,

I guess you missed mayor Marion Barry and every member of the skulls.

[maxxoccupancy]

... if they knew.

[error]

... if they knew.

Oh, at least in the case of Marion Barry, they knew. "He may not be perfect, but he's perfect for D.C.!"

[lasse]

Hi all,
I'm new here but have been looking into the FSP for about 4 weeks now and have been thinkning of moving to NH even before I came across the FSP. This group of people just seals the deal for me. I happen to be in the same profession as maxx and want to let you know that he is not "getting away" with anything. When I first stated working 15 years ago I used to work 6 months on and six off. Who in thier right mind is going to want to go right back out to work after 6 months of isolation? This isn't your typical 9-5 job where you get to go home every night. When you report to a ship you are there 24/7 pretty much available for whatever goes down during your regular work hours and after. Basically most mariners have reliefs so that when you are off your counterpart is on and if you decide to go work for some other company then you will loose your sinority and will have to sail in a lower position. You collect unemployment from the state the company works out of not the state you live in. They put the money into the system so that we can collect something while we are unemployed since that is what you are as soon as you sign off articles.

I have to ask, because I am confused. Do you mean that you are officially unemployed once you leave the ship for your off period and then you get a new contract each time you go on board and your relief leaves?

[Cheng]

That would be correct.

[maxxoccupancy]

Uhhhh... I'm not feelin' a lotta guilt here.  The gub'mint takes my money and makes me jump through the hoopla hoops to get SOME of it back.  If you're REALLY good, and you bust your butt, you can cut your effective fed-state-local down to about 15%.

Lots of paperwork, but dat der gub'mint cain't git mah moaneh!

[lasse]

That would be correct.

What's the pay like for a year with that kind of arrangement?

[Cheng]

Let me just say that it is more than I could make working in my home town or anywhere shore side. There are different contracts for different companies, unions and ship's and I happen to work with one of the lowest paying contracts around (gov't). Maxx knows my pain since he actually worked for the same outfit I do for a little while but he wised up and left and I have been with them for 15 years.

[maxxoccupancy]

Cheng, you're not with the SIU, are you?  That's the worst of union and non-union bundled together.  Even in nonunion jobs, the company treats and pays better because they have to worry about turnover.

You might want to look into Tidewater or some other outfit, eh.  I think that Sabine and a few others pay and treat their people pretty well.

[Cheng]

No, AMO. You probably heard about the latest with them.

[maxxoccupancy]

Aw man.  AMO sucks.  If I had my license, I'd just drop those guys and go for a permanent job somewhere else.  They're just going to screw you on your pension, anyway.  With a permanent job, you can, at least, get into some kind of stock/401k plan, then sue AMO later to get your vested pension benefits.  That's easier to do from a position of employment outside of AMO.

I know that all of the SIU guys are getting attornies on retainer right before they retire.

[CA_Libertarian]

15 years of experience and you're working for the one of the worst companies in the industry?  I hope you don't take offense at my candid question: are you really that bad at your job that you can't find something better?

[Cheng]

CA, no offence taken. It's not that I am not good at my job, it's that almost all of my time is on diesel electric with only one year on gas turbines and if I were to switch companies and go to a different platform such as a steam plant or direct drive diesel, I would have to start at a lower postion and after sailing as Chief engineer for awhile I really don't feel like having people tell me what to do anymore and also I only have 5 more years until I have my 20 years in to retire. Not so bad a time to suck it up plus I'll be 42 when I retire and even be able to start a new profession hopefully in NH and retire at around 62 and collect another pension. I'm hoping to go up to NH from Long Island soon for about a week to scout out the Manchester area for a place to buy(cheap but re-sellable) to just get up there soon and then search from there for a more permament place. I'm really looking foward to getting involved in the political aspect but like a lot of people I have to get my shit together, tie up loose ends, figure out what to do with my house here and then get out. Anyone recommend a place to stay in the Manchester area for about a week?

[maxxoccupancy]

Due in part to the unofficial Free City Project there, Manchester is usually pretty full with activists.  You are welcome to stay at my house in Seabrook as long as you want.  The weather is much nicer and the house is still somewhat empty.

The two big job markets areas are Manch and the seacoast, and I'm starting to sea the coast as a better area to do business--more visitors, less crime, lower taxes in Seabrook, etc...  You might consider getting some kind of business going before you finally retire, as they usually take a couple of years before they're profitable.  There are plenty of trustworthy porcupines who are willing to run things while you're away  at sea making the "big bucks," as the trust factor is much higher than the general population.

We're also in need of more fsp businesses, at the moment.

BTW, AMO is actually a "union" or prof. assoc.  It really sucks, though.