Tipping Longshoremen--do you or don't you?

[VennDiagram]

I can't speak to other ports, but here in Vancouver the longshore employees, including baggage handlers, are unionized and make a wage and benefits package well in excess of that received by many if not most passengers. I have a vague recollection that there are signs indicating that tipping is not required.

 

I can confirm that I have seen those signs in Vancouver.

[sail7seas]

Other than automatically added s/c, when is tipping ever 'required'?

[innlady1]

Well since the question has been asked - yes, I do know of people whose luggage ended up in the drink (water). It was retrieved but everything was soaking wet when it got to their cabin.

 

Not a nice way to start a cruise. I knew them and, BTW, they didn't believe in tipping. I'm sure it was just an unfortunate accident and not a coincidence :rolleyes:

 

 

Mine, not Fred’s, ended up in the drink on our May Bermuda cruise on the Veendam. And we tipped $10 for two bags. Everything inside was wet... even my book. Go figure.

 

Someone from the same cruise posted on here about the same thing.

 

BTW, the father of one of our daughter’s friends was a longshoreman in Boston. They lived in a VERY expensive home here on the South Shore. I’d guessed he was an executive in Boston...until I read his obituary. His widow lives in a very expensive retirement complex...one that we cannot afford!

 

 

 

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[Ferry_Watcher]

The Longshoremen (and women) do make a very generous hourly wage. Tipping is optional, but they will be very happy to accept tips. For those arriving passengers who worry that if they don't tip that their bags will be damaged, or disappear into the harbor, please be assured that the bags are safe. Once the luggage carts are full, they are taken into the terminal and put thru an security scanner. Then the bags are loaded into metal cages that are hoisted into the side hull opening (along with all the ship's provisions for the week). There are usually nets under this opening to catch anything that might fall (including potential crew member that might lean out too far from the ship). In addition, passengers can look over from their balconies to watch the entire process, and I doubt a well paid Longshoremen would jeopardize his or her job by dropping a bag into the water over a skipped tip.

 

Now, if a returning (debarking) passenger asks a Longshoremen porter to take their luggage from the arrival luggage hall to the ground transportation area, where they get to bypass all sorts of lines - that's when these men and women should be generously tipped.

[OlsSalt]

Other than automatically added s/c, when is tipping ever 'required'?

 

It appears to many, room service tipping is "required".

[Copper10-8]

Nothing to do with tipping, but perhaps an interesting tidbit about longshoremen (and women) in North America. Under their rules, ship's crew can not load and/or off-load passenger luggage, nor ships stores when in port. Each HAL ship has a number (usually three-four) of electrically powered forklifts that are parked in what's known as the "Marshaling Area" mid-ships. Crew who are trained to operate those forklifts, i.e. the assistant housekeepers and the provision master, will use the forklifts to position fully loaded luggage bins and stores (in the corridor known as I-95) inside that Marshaling Area on the night prior to, and early morning of, arrival in port. (not so much the provision master here but he will get heavily involved with the loading of stores later)

However, once the ship is alongside, a group of longshoremen will be one of the first to board the vessel and move straight to the Marshaling Area. They are the ones who will then operate those same forklifts and start off-loading luggage and stores (and later in the morning/afternoon will start loading new luggage and stores) The ship's crew is not allowed to do this per longshoremen rules and regs

[rkacruiser]

What do you think their job description entailed when they showed up for work that day -- at their regular Longshoremen's wages and perhaps time and half for overtime? Should one assume they were getting paid to be helpful to passengers while on the company dime?

 

OlsSalt,

 

I am happy with what I do.:D:D Personally, that is what is most important to me.

[OlsSalt]

Competition for Longshoremen's jobs (and union membership) in the West Coast is very fierce. They say you need to be at least a son or brother of one of members to get the job. They have a lot of power since they can tie up very expensive cargo waiting to be off-loaded any time they want to strike as recently was threatened in Long Beach.

[NotThePest_Too]

The six figure salary that is quoted is at the upper limit of longshoremen pay and is probably not earned by porters. The salary was easy to find by well... just googling. Seniority, skills needed (operating large machinery to move containers from docks to ships?) can determine pay rate. The lowest is $15 per hr; median is $24.58; highest is $40.67. With overtime, tips, bonuses, profit sharing, a Longshoreman's salary ranges from $36k to 126k USD. I don't think the porters picking up luggage at the docks are in the 126K area. Probably most of them are not full-time employees and only work when there are cruise ships in port.

 

Google can be your friend not matter what some people think.

 

Ramona

[ithaca gal]

If one looks hard enough, one can always a way to justify the failure to tip.

 

Truer words were never spoken (or written).

[lazey1]

Whenever some worker does for me what I am unable or unwilling to do for myself I always tip that worker no matter where I am. I have yet to find a worker how refuses to accept the tip unless he or she is in a management position. How much or how little that worker earns is totally irrelevant to me. I am grateful that there are workers who are willing to carry my heavy bags that I can not lift, that will push me in a wheelchair when my breathing is to labored for me to walk, that will help me fill my tray with food when I am exhausted and carry the tray to a table so I can eat. Most of the time these workers are smiling and act like they are genuinely concerned for my well being. Without these workers I could not travel comfortably and I thank God that I am able to show my appreciation by giving them their well deserved tips.

[catl331]

Does anyone know a specific person who did not get their bags or got therm in bad conditon? Or is it just urban legend being re peated of fear it Might happen if one does not tip? I suspect noone actually knows of a verified incident t.

We had the rails for the pull-up handle on one bag bent badly from being placed on the bottom of the pile, to the extent that the handle would no longer pull up. We saw a bag in the elevator area as bags were being brought up that appeared similarly crushed.

[smokinmike]

Truer words were never spoken (or written).

 

 

 

Absolutely!

 

 

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[lenquixote66]

Hello all; in another thread Copper pointed out that longshoremen make a six figure income--certainly this was news to me, anyway. For all our cruises when arriving at the port in Ft Lauderdale, San Diego, or elsewhere (in the USA), I have always tipped the longshoremen who take our bags from the cab.

 

Frankly, I have felt obligated to do so, as they stand there, not literally with their "hands out" but clearly (to me) signifying their interest in a gratuity. My concern is that if I do not tip them the $5 or so, my luggage may end up being stomped on by the proverbial elephant that they have out back :) and the cases may not even make my ship!

 

Ok, kidding aside--what do you do? Tip, or not and if you do, do you feel "guilted" into it? Or do you offer a pleasant "thank you", and walk over to check-in?

 

While I am happy to tip those whose income depends on it, for someone earning a six figure salary, I think they are doing ok, and can do without my contribution. Discuss...

 

We always tip $10 for 2 suitcases.

[HUNKY]

I tip $1 a bag, usually they are quite heavy. If I need luggage tags or a stapler I'll tip $2 per bag.

[ithaca gal]

It appears to many, room service tipping is "required".

 

I have never felt that room service tipping is required but I would never dream of not tipping them because I know it is the decent thing to do. These people sign up for extra shifts to make extra money by running my meal to me. That one or two dollars per trip means nothing to me but could make quite a difference to the recipient. Required? Absolutely not. Decent? Absolutely!

[boards]

Totally agree with you.

[rocsailor]

It is not the porter you have to be weary of it's the ships crew who load it onto the pallets, Have watched from the gang plank while boarding and they are piled on in no order, This is were the damage is done IMO. Seen this often while sailing. And yes I tip any and all who handle my bags.

[Hlitner]

It is not the porter you have to be weary of it's the ships crew who load it onto the pallets, Have watched from the gang plank while boarding and they are piled on in no order, This is were the damage is done IMO. Seen this often while sailing. And yes I tip any and all who handle my bags.

 

The ship's crew does not touch your luggage when its on shore....in any US Port! The folks that handle your luggage, toss them into the pallets, and load the pallets onto the ship are members of the Longshoreman Union....many of whom are making 6 figure incomes.:). The cruise line employees do not touch your luggage until it is actually on the ship.

 

Hank

[chengkp75]

We had the rails for the pull-up handle on one bag bent badly from being placed on the bottom of the pile, to the extent that the handle would no longer pull up. We saw a bag in the elevator area as bags were being brought up that appeared similarly crushed.

 

Yes, bag damage does occur. So does bag damage on airlines, and you don't tip the baggage handlers there. I believe what the other poster was asking is whether there are any instances where someone can prove that their bag was damaged directly due to non-tipping of the longshoreman. And for someone to claim that they didn't tip the longshoreman who put the bag on the cart at the curb, who then communicated with the forklift driver (who isn't out front to get tips) that one particular bag needs to be dropped in the harbor when loading on the ship, well, to me that's a pretty big conspiracy stretch.

[Copper10-8]

It is not the porter you have to be weary of it's the ships crew who load it onto the pallets, Have watched from the gang plank while boarding and they are piled on in no order, This is were the damage is done IMO. Seen this often while sailing. And yes I tip any and all who handle my bags.

 

Sorry, wrongo dongo sailor that rocks! Per Longshoremen Union rules, ship's crew can not touch luggage until longshoremen have loaded that same luggage (in what is known as luggage bins) into the ship and vice versa (off the ship and into the terminal) on disembarkation.

On HAL, it's the hardworking Housekeeping staff who will remove your luggage from the bins in the part of the ship called the "Marshaling Area" and will transport each piece to the guest cabins (or to what's known by guests as the "Naughty Room" when shore-side screening has discovered something "spicious" inside that luggage)

[iancal]

I really do not think that it is such a big deal. Either tip or don't. Why wind yourself around the axle in order to decide whether or not to tip? It is what , perhaps as much as $5, or as little as a dollar to two.

 

It makes no difference to us how much they may earn,,, it simply did not enter into our decision whether not to tip. Just do whatever makes you happy and get on with it.

[rocsailor]

My bad!!! Thanks for the correction am better for the schooling.

[sail7seas]

Mine, not Fred’s, ended up in the drink on our May Bermuda cruise on the Veendam. And we tipped $10 for two bags. Everything inside was wet... even my book. Go figure.

 

Someone from the same cruise posted on here about the same thing.

 

BTW, the father of one of our daughter’s friends was a longshoreman in Boston. They lived in a VERY expensive home here on the South Shore. I’d guessed he was an executive in Boston...until I read his obituary. His widow lives in a very expensive retirement complex...one that we cannot afford!

 

 

 

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Thanks for explaining, I am sorry that happened to you.

 

But your having generosuly tipped defeats the argument that not tipping is reason for damaged /lost luggage.

[not-enough-cruising]

The six figure salary that is quoted is at the upper limit of longshoremen pay and is probably not earned by porters. The salary was easy to find by well... just googling. Seniority, skills needed (operating large machinery to move containers from docks to ships?) can determine pay rate. The lowest is $15 per hr; median is $24.58; highest is $40.67. With overtime, tips, bonuses, profit sharing, a Longshoreman's salary ranges from $36k to 126k USD. I don't think the porters picking up luggage at the docks are in the 126K area. Probably most of them are not full-time employees and only work when there are cruise ships in port.

 

Google can be your friend not matter what some people think.

 

Ramona

 

 

 

Ramona

 

I can understand your thought process and your attempt to justify the salary. However I know with first-hand knowledge that the porters at the cruise terminal are some of the most senior union members and some of the most highly compensated. This particular assignment (handling cruise luggage) is a prime assignment, and is generally picked up as an “extra shift” and would then be paid at time and a half.