Crew Tips

[donaldsc]

No.  This is not a post about how much or whether we should tip the crew.  I know that they deserve and should get their tips.  My question is considering that their tips are a major amount of their pay, what is happening to them while cruises are cancelled.  Are they just getting their inadequate base pay or are the cruise companies making up for their missing tips?  I assume that the companies are not making up for the missing tips but does anyone know for certain.

 

DON

[Stick93]

Prob a good (bad thing) assumption

[Elaine5715]

3 hours ago, donaldsc said:

No.  This is not a post about how much or whether we should tip the crew.  I know that they deserve and should get their tips.  My question is considering that their tips are a major amount of their pay, what is happening to them while cruises are cancelled.  Are they just getting their inadequate base pay or are the cruise companies making up for their missing tips?  I assume that the companies are not making up for the missing tips but does anyone know for certain.

 

DON

Their contracts have a minimum rate.  That is what they get.  

[taglovestocruise]

4 hours ago, donaldsc said:

No.  This is not a post about how much or whether we should tip the crew.  I know that they deserve and should get their tips.  My question is considering that their tips are a major amount of their pay, what is happening to them while cruises are cancelled.  Are they just getting their inadequate base pay or are the cruise companies making up for their missing tips?  I assume that the companies are not making up for the missing tips but does anyone know for certain.

 

DON

Slightly off topic but still about tips. My son is a bartender at the biggest Indian Casino in CA. They shut down today at 5pm.  Casino says all full time employees will receive full hourly pay. He will get about $440 per week but will lose over $600 per week in tips. Hope he doesn't  need mom and dad to help make the car payment on the car we told him he could not afford. Millennials  don't think like us old timers.  

[chengkp75]

By international law, there is a minimum wage for all seafarers that is more than the base wage for a DSC compensated employee, but less than their full wage.  Currently, this is $618/month, for a 40 hour work week.  Any hours worked in excess of 40 hours/week are paid at 125% of this minimum.

[Capt_BJ]

never mind ... we've had this discussion 

 

International Law??????

Edited March 16, 2020 by Capt_BJ

[ldubs]

9 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Slightly off topic but still about tips. My son is a bartender at the biggest Indian Casino in CA. They shut down today at 5pm.  Casino says all full time employees will receive full hourly pay. He will get about $440 per week but will lose over $600 per week in tips. Hope he doesn't  need mom and dad to help make the car payment on the car we told him he could not afford. Millennials  don't think like us old timers.  

 

Sorry to hear that.  We have many hourly workers being laid off around here due to the shelter-in-place orders as well as the general decline in business.  They get unemployment insurance benefits.  

 

I hope we round the corner on this thing soon so folks can get their lives back.    

[Kate P.C]

I was told they are not being paid in full. So, no one is paying them for their tips.

[ducklite]

Many have been sent home with contracts "suspended" until the ships begin to sail again.  A friend is a performer on one of the large mainstream lines and was sent home with a couple weeks pay and will be paid a small weekly stipend/retainer (key word is small) until they can begin sailing again. 

[ColeThornton]

It's just like customer service workers on land.  No work, no tips.   Hopefully they have been able to save some of their paychecks for a rainy day just like we all try to do.

[ducklite]

3 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

It's just like customer service workers on land.  No work, no tips.   Hopefully they have been able to save some of their paychecks for a rainy day just like we all try to do.

Yep.  My friend is fortunate, she lives with her parents and her only real bill is her mobile.  She doesn't even have her own car, she uses her moms when she needs to and is home.  She says some of her friends have a lot of obligations including student loans, rent/mortgage, and families to feed.

[ColeThornton]

4 minutes ago, ducklite said:

Yep.  My friend is fortunate, she lives with her parents and her only real bill is her mobile.  She doesn't even have her own car, she uses her moms when she needs to and is home.  She says some of her friends have a lot of obligations including student loans, rent/mortgage, and families to feed.

 

 

She is fortunate indeed.   With the upcoming Congressional stimulus package each adult will be sent $1200 bucks.  With that and unemployment hopefully that will help people to get through this. 

[CPT Trips]

On 3/16/2020 at 4:55 PM, chengkp75 said:

By international law, there is a minimum wage for all seafarers that is more than the base wage for a DSC compensated employee, but less than their full wage.  Currently, this is $618/month, for a 40 hour work week.  Any hours worked in excess of 40 hours/week are paid at 125% of this minimum.

Can crew be sent home/laid off while under contract?
If they are on board with no pax, do waiters, cabin attendants, etc. get paid?

I assume there is a lot of productive stuff to do for a while, but for how long?

Is it safe to assume that as crew rotates out they aren’t replaced unless essential to the ship’s operation?

[chengkp75]

13 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

Can crew be sent home/laid off while under contract?
If they are on board with no pax, do waiters, cabin attendants, etc. get paid?

I assume there is a lot of productive stuff to do for a while, but for how long?

Is it safe to assume that as crew rotates out they aren’t replaced unless essential to the ship’s operation?

I'm not sure of current contract terms, but there is likely some verbiage that allows for the contract to be terminated early if the ship enters a "lay-up" condition.  As noted in my post you quoted, everyone onboard is guaranteed the minimum statutory wage, whether the majority of their compensation was originally from DSC or not.  Without any DSC, the company has to make up the difference at least to the minimum.

 

There is always work to be done on a ship, and it doesn't stop because the ship is still in a marine environment, so things will constantly be getting dirty or rusting, whether there are passengers or not.

 

If the lines can get their crews ashore, and get flights home for them, then yes, most of the hotel staff, whose contracts have either finished, or who will finish during the stoppage would be sent home, and not replaced until closer to a possible start-up date.  Deck and engine crews will be extended, most likely, indefinitely.

[CPT Trips]

Thanks Chief! 

Edited March 26, 2020 by CPT Trips

[ducklite]

6 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

If the lines can get their crews ashore, and get flights home for them, then yes, most of the hotel staff, whose contracts have either finished, or who will finish during the stoppage would be sent home, and not replaced until closer to a possible start-up date.  Deck and engine crews will be extended, most likely, indefinitely.

This is what happened on my friend's ship.  They flew most of them home (she was one of the first to go, as she lives in the Orlando area and the ship was based out of South Florida--her mom actually came to pick her up rather than have her get on a plane.)  The entire entertainment, spa, childcare, and sports staff had contracts suspended.  The hotel staff including kitchen, service, and housekeeping people it depended on how much time was left on the contract and if they could get them home.  She said about 80% were sent home.  Two of her friends are still on the ship, one is a server and the other a chef.  The chef is continuing to cook, the server is spending her days cleaning every surface imaginable. The crew have been given unlimited WiFi to be able to stay in touch with family and friends, which seems like a really nice thing to do for them.