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Cruising through long workdays

NCL America seeks dishwashers, chefs, bartenders, children's counselors, and other hospitality workers for its ships that go among Hawaii's islands.

By Jane M. Von Bergen
Inquirer Staff Writer
March 22, 2007

Outside the Hilton Philadelphia on City Avenue, remnants of winter's last storm clung stubbornly to the sidewalks and curbs.

Inside, the dreams were of balmy breezes, sunsets over Hawaiian beaches, cruise ships, flowered leis...

...And 10-hour workdays, seven-day workweeks, and five months without a day off.

"This Could Be Your Morning Commute" was the headline circling a photo of a cruise ship steaming in front of Hawaii's oceanside mountains. "If you're a hardworking, outgoing team player who wants to work on board a cruise ship in Hawaii, consider joining NCL America."

The company, which held a job fair at the Hilton yesterday, is looking for dishwashers, chefs, bartenders, children's counselors, and other hospitality workers. More than 1,200 employees are needed for each of NCL America's three ships.

"Once you're off work, you have the chance to have a free vacation," recruiter Muriel Hair said as pictures of the flower-decorated cruise ships flashed on a screen behind her during the first of three presentations. At least 20 people had shown up for the first two.

One of them was Richard Volz, an unemployed printer from Northeast Philadelphia. "You're in Hawaii," he said. "You can't beat that."

Julia Baskerville will soon graduate from Bodine High School and wants an adventure before she settles in to study accounting at Kutztown University. She said: "I thought it would be exciting to work on a cruise ship."

The reality might be a little different, said Ross Klein, a sociologist from Memorial University in Newfoundland and the author of two books on cruise ships.

Klein and Hair pointed out that working conditions at NCL America Inc., which is part of Norwegian Cruise Lines, are better than at most cruise lines because the ships fly American flags, making them subject to U.S. labor laws.

That puts them at a competitive disadvantage to foreign-flagged ships, governed by the less stringent labor laws of other countries, Klein said.

Even though they pay overtime - at least 16 hours a week - "they are having a problem crewing in Hawaii," said Nicholas Verrastro, editor of Travel Trade magazine. "Americans aren't expecting to work like they have to work on a cruise ship."

They did not, for example, attract one applicant, a chef now working in a New Jersey country club who did not want his boss to know he was job-hunting. "It sounded fine, but I couldn't take that kind of pay cut," from $14 an hour to $7.50, he said.

Hair promised long hours, long weeks and rare, if any, days off, although crew members are permitted to disembark to experience the islands.

If hired, they are trained for six weeks, without pay, although a $50-a-week allowance and room and board are provided. Then they work for five months, sailing from island to island in Hawaii. The company pays round-trip airfare to Hawaii - unless workers quit or are fired.

After five months, they get four unpaid weeks off. Midway through their third stint on board, they become eligible for health benefits and four weeks of paid vacation.

Their meals are free, their uniforms are laundered, and they pay nothing to share a 100-square-foot cabin with three other crew members. No, they cannot use the cruise ship's pools, gyms or restaurants. They can date one another, but not the guests.

"You get to meet people from all over the world," Hair told the potential recruits. "You have to learn to get along."

Philadelphia Inquirer

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Once I see the name Klein however, my mind slips into "beware of the agenda" mode and finds the salt.

Pam

[ 03-22-2007: Message edited by: PamM ]

Mannnn that sounds like a greattt place i want to work... not... i would rather be a cart boy at a country club. you get paid better and a room in my house is better than 100 sq. feet and i dont have to share it with three other people lol.

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Originally posted by Linerrich:
Americans simply cannot and will not work to serve food and scrub bathrooms for these low wages, which tend to be taken by foreign-born workers.

Rich

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Originally posted by Jonathan:
not... i would rather be a cart boy at a country club. you get paid better and a room in my house is better than 100 sq. feet and i dont have to share it with three other people lol.

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So if you had to *work* for a living rather than already have a bed somewhere, what would you do? I assume a cart boy pulls golf trolleys? [what happened to the motorised buggies?] Could you find board and lodging and feed yourself on a cart boys wages?

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Originally posted by PamM:

Could you find board and lodging and feed yourself on a cart boys wages?

Pam

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Low cruise fares and good profits are based on the exploitation of cheap third world labour. It's hard to see how NCLA can complete while using first world (American) labour unless their ships have a lot less crew than normal cruise ships.

"More than 1,200 employees are needed for each of NCL America's three ships".

Wow...that's more than one entire ship's crew. NCLA must still be struggling with a high staff turn over.

[ 03-22-2007: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
At least if you have McJob you can go home each evening to your family and friends, which is especially useful if you hate the boss.

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
Low cruise fares and good profits are based on the exploitation of cheap third world labour.

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Originally posted by Globaliser:
Ooh, you'll get into trouble for using that term!

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"McJob defined as “an unstimulating, low-wage job with few benefits, esp. in a service industry”. A McJob “requires little skill”, is “often temporary”, and “offers minimal or no benefits or opportunity for promotion”. Flipping hell."

Flipping hell indeed, I've never come across the term before..

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

"More than 1,200 employees are needed for each of NCL America's three ships".

Wow...that's more than one entire ship's crew. NCLA must still be struggling with a high staff turn over.

[ 03-22-2007: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ][/QB]

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I cannot think of any other line with modern ships where crew of any rank share with more than one other person - 4 to a cabin in a brand new ship are they bloody joking ?!

Guys my advise is don't even think about going up the gangway, Big Mac sounds infinantely preferably.

It is absolutely ridiculous in 2007 that a major cruise line has the gall to treat their crew in this manner, I agree with previous posts that crew are not taken advantage of pay wise as they earn a considerable sum in their own local terms by working on the ships and often support whole groups of families by doing so, but to then be treated as cattle and pushed 4 to a tiny hole of cabin is abuse and should be investigated by an appropriate body - if other cruise lines have all converted to no more than 2 and very often from Bartender/ Accomm super/dining room captain rank upwards (petty officer rank) one to a cabin then NCL need a kick in the pants. It is also unforgivable that they have to wait for 5 months before getting healthcare - other lines cover ALL crew for ALL healthcare needs from day 1. These ships were built specifically for NCL to their design, it is not as if they picked an old ship that did not meet their spec, even PO America was totally built inside to their design as no interiors had been built when they bought her.

This isn’t about Americans being “too good” to work certain jobs. It is the point that they do not have too. There are far more and better options than the pathetic wages and perks NCLA is foisting on the actual domestic prospects. As a matter of basic truth, even if I wouldn’t do the work, the job still sucks. I respect those that do the work, exactly because of how lousy a job it really is.

And it is all good and well to say $7.00 an hour is great when you add room and board. Yet these people still have families, or they have to maintain homes ashore, and in most cases, cars, rent, car insurance, and a half million other aspects to legal residency in America. Plus taxes, local, state, and federal.

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Originally posted by NWLB:

Either they offer what Americans will work for, or they push congress to finally change the laws, and let those who will do the work come to do it.

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Originally posted by Globaliser:
"Use", not "exploitation". The international crew members who form the traditional backbone of cruise ships are very well paid by their domestic standards, and they are keen to have and keep what are very good jobs for them.

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

"More than 1,200 employees are needed for each of NCL America's three ships".

Wow...that's more than one entire ship's crew. NCLA must still be struggling with a high staff turn over.

[ 03-22-2007: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Even if there were zero turnover, every passenger ship requires more than a full crew compliment to staff the ship for an entire year. No crew member works onboard for 12 months, and contracts range anywhere from 4-8 months typically. This means a rotation is required of available crew members to keep the ships crew compliment at 100% year round. I would estimate that every ship requires 40-60% crew overage of a normal compliment to keep the ship staffed at 100% year round.