Pros
Equal time and they do try to honor it within a few days, benefits aren’t terrible, paid education and license expenses. Growing company so they have opportunities for guys with fresh licenses. Multiple companies across the US. HR team can be very polite and professional for the most part.
Cons
When they have it out for you, you’re done. They will regularly ignore their own rules and manufacture reasons to can you if they want to. They run boats literally until they won’t run and only fix issues if their contracts are threatened or the government steps in (the articouple system on the ATB Jake Shearer in the inside passage and what happened is very public knowledge). Harley was a more coveted company years ago and they guys who have longevity there view working there as a privilege that the rest of the industry lacks the benefits and schedule Harley offers but as the years went on they came down to industry standard. Olympic Tug and Barge and their management team are a joke, filled with boat rejects and have a “good ‘Ol boy” system, which seems surprising for a Seattle company. The recidivism rate for employees there is high (managers and crews being regularly fired for regulatory non-compliance then rehired at a different position). They are a bunch of smooth talkers and will say anything to get you on a boat, going so far as to lie about your pay on the phone but hide behind the offer letter, given to you just hours before you crew up. Dispatch is a joke, they will call you when you’re at work not knowing where you’re at or if you’re even working. If anything happens to you there, DOCUMENT IT!! Always have a paper trail for everything you do there so when the office comes down on you you have actual proof. The office is known to delete complaints so when you try to follow up they play clueless. Their world headquarters is the epitome of hubris. The area surrounding the office is guarded 24/7 with a gate, guard, and cameras whereas the employee lot is blocks down the road surrounded only by a chain link fence and barbed wire which regularly got broken into and plenty of windows smashed with the management turning a blind eye to the issue. Save the hassle and take a cab to work if you must.