Good News for NCLA Passengers - New Staffing Law

[shoreguy]

The current law allows for 25% of the unlicensed crew to be non-citizen permanent residents, or green-card holders. That was changed as part of a new Bill that allows visa holders as well as green-card holders to comprise the 25%.

 

http://www.cruise-community.com/ShowStory.asp?ID=10652

 

It appears from what I read NCL will be able to move some of it's experienced international crew members to fill the jobs they are having trouble staffing from the current pool. Good for those crew members since they should get paid like US workers :) I have to believe many of the best will want to go $$$

[DaisyL]

shoreuy, that's great news! Our only complaint on our PoAm Oct. 7 cruise was the lack of servers that were obvious in the dining rooms and buffet areas.

 

The employees encountered were wonderul, friendly, enthusiastic, and hardworking but definitly overworked and shortstaffed. Fortunately our cabin stewards were great (3 cabins) with the service comparable to that we have received on the Dawn.

[mikedw]

I agree with the OP, the more veteran NCL international crewmembers are going to go after these jobs like crazy. Unless they become permanent residents, they can only hold onto the job for 3 years, but in that time they can make what is considered a fortune to them with US wages.

 

Michael

[Zeno]

This could be very good news for NCL international crew members and for NCLA passengers. I suspect that you are correct - some of the best will want to apply for these jobs and that will definitely improve service levels on NCLA. Also, the American crew members will have the benefit of working side-by-side with the best of the very experienced international crew.

I honestly can't think of any negatives.

[shoreguy]

This could be very good news for NCL international crew members and for NCLA passengers. I suspect that you are correct - some of the best will want to apply for these jobs and that will definitely improve service levels on NCLA. Also, the American crew members will have the benefit of working side-by-side with the best of the very experienced international crew.

I honestly can't think of any negatives.

 

My though they may use this people to fill the jobs US workers won't. Not waiters or bar staff but rather kitchen help, porters, cleaning etc. The behind the scenes jobs that have no chance of extra tips. :rolleyes:

[CruisinMatt]

The people doing those jobs now probably don't get the extra tips either. Am I missing something in your logic? :confused:

[mikedw]

They won't get tips, but they will be paid US wages which are probably several times more then they make now.

 

Michael

[lindajeff]

Don't forget that all of the NCLA workers are subject to U.S. labor laws - little things like minimum wages, 40-hour work weeks, overtime pay - and Social Security, Medicare and U.S. income taxes on their earnings.

[uneamie]

This could be very good news for NCL international crew members and for NCLA passengers. I suspect that you are correct - some of the best will want to apply for these jobs and that will definitely improve service levels on NCLA. Also, the American crew members will have the benefit of working side-by-side with the best of the very experienced international crew.

I honestly can't think of any negatives.

 

I see only one negative and it's a "selfish" one I must say. If the best of the best apply for these jobs.....then we lose the best of the best on all the other ships. :(

[shoreguy]

The people doing those jobs now probably don't get the extra tips either. Am I missing something in your logic? :confused:

 

Those doing the behind the scenes jobs do not get tips. The $6.00 per hour plus overtime is not that attractive to US workers but great pay for someone on an international ship doing the same job.

 

Bar staff/wait staff/cabin staff persons making $6.50 + overtime + tips - not a bad job for a US worker and easier to fill.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

two words: Engine room

 

 

We have several of the international people working on board however they dont work with the pax they fix things.

 

 

Pride Of America crew member

[honestguy]

It isn't going to make that big of a difference for many reasons.

 

First off the pay isnt going to be that great for the international worker. Waiters will be hard pressed to leave since they currently make more than NCLA waiters. I was told by many former international workers on board the ALoha that they made more working international ships.

 

As for bar servers, since there is no at sea days there are very few chances to make tips, and at night the guests are much more subdued than on cruises with 2 to 3 at sea days, again less money to be made.

 

International crew members are paid in cash weekly. now they are liable for taxes in their home country, but hey its cash so prove that they made it. Working for NCLA they will pay all american taxes, plus union dues, and they may be laible now to pay taxes in their home country. So will american wages prove to be so great? I guess we will see.

 

Now its my opinion that besides the horrible managment that NCLA has that the biggest problem on board was with the Kitchen staff. If they could get some good kitchen help it could really do some good.

 

Lastly remember that international workers and americans havnt always gotten along. When I was on board the aloha I always heard the horror stories of the american crew working with the internationals on board the sky

[Globaliser]

The current law allows for 25% of the unlicensed crew to be non-citizen permanent residents, or green-card holders. That was changed as part of a new Bill that allows visa holders as well as green-card holders to comprise the 25%.

I have two questions:-

1. Just how desperate is NCLA that it has had to get this pushed through?
2. And how much did that cost them?

The third question is too naughty: I would have wanted to ask who got what NCLA paid. But I won't.

[mikedw]

I have two questions:-

1. Just how desperate is NCLA that it has had to get this pushed through?
   
2. And how much did that cost them?

The third question is too naughty: I would have wanted to ask who got what NCLA paid. But I won't.

 

I personally believe the government will not let NCLA fail, especially with the power shift in DC and how they're beholden to labor unions. The Seafarers Internation Union has a lot of political power.

 

Michael

[Deck10 007]

This appears to be a relief/victory for NCLA, but not if the NCLA union has anything to do with it.

NCLA can now get the foreign worker to prodice- translate that to working like crazy. After all at American pay, working and living conditions there are hundreds of others waitng to take over if they cannot take it. But not if the NCLA union has anything to do with this.

I was in the construction industry before and the brick layers union would tell its members that they can only lay 600 bricks a day otherwise they would be putting other brick layers out of a job and would get the slowest brick layer in jeopordy.

The government and the union are not worried about NCLA because they know it has a rich foreign parent company. They also probably know that Star Cruises Billion dollars bank loans are conditional on Star Cruises maintianing their 30+% equty in the company.

So while it looks good on paper let see how it works out in practice.

[Jim Gallup]

When NCLA was starting up, the foreign workers were doing all the work while the American Crew stood around and watched them. Although the foreign crew were generally pretty nice about it, they were nearly unanimous in not wanting to work with Americans anymore.

 

Does anybody think this will change?

[derf5585]

Won't this increase the cost of cruising?

[shoreguy]

Won't this increase the cost of cruising?

 

Why :confused: Same pay as those onboard today. Larger pool of candidates, lower turn over resulting in lower recruiting costs.

[Barb Nahoumi]

Those doing the behind the scenes jobs do not get tips. The $6.00 per hour plus overtime is not that attractive to US workers but great pay for someone on an international ship doing the same job.

 

Bar staff/wait staff/cabin staff persons making $6.50 + overtime + tips - not a bad job for a US worker and easier to fill.

 

I thought that the reason for the Auto-tip, is that every crew member will receive a share of the pie.

[Globaliser]

I thought that the reason for the Auto-tip, is that every crew member will receive a share of the pie.

The service charge on NCLA doesn't get paid out as tips, IIRC.

[CruisinMatt]

It's really only 25% of the workers, the other 75% must be american, correct?

[shoreguy]

It's really only 25% of the workers, the other 75% must be american, correct?

 

Correct - they just loosed the rules for the other 25%

[Deck10 007]

NCLA knows by now what the American worker is like.

On top of this is the NCLA union and they have not yet tested what the union can do to them.

[Cosmopolitan]

Correct - they just loosed the rules for the other 25%

 

So we stand to lose 25% of the best workers on NCL ships:eek: ????

[shoreguy]

So we stand to lose 25% of the best workers on NCL ships:eek: ????

 

Relax - I have to believe they are still going to use the current labor pool. They now have the option to reach into the larger pool of experienced international crew not just those currently working on an NCL ship. Besides I believe for the most part the new people they will hire will be the people you never see.