I can't help myself, porter problems in Ft. Lauderdale

[Grandiva]

It is true. Call the Port of Miami customer service and they will tell you the same - that is where I got my information and other posters on prior threads on this topic have also reporting calling the Port Authority and being told this same information I posted.

 

I was not doubting you at all. "If this be true" is something my grandfather would say before he made a comment. He has been gone a long time, but somethings never die ;).

[CruisingCaraCat]

Well this is certainly an education for me too. I guess I didn't realize lonshoremen made 6 figure salaries equaivalent to the captain of a cruise ship. Too bad I'm a geezer or I would quit my job and get one of those high-paying gigs and maybe score some tips also.

 

Snark aside, the porters are taking my bags and transporting them to the ship and regardless of what they make they are providing a similar service as hotel bellhops so I will also continue to tip them.

 

And by the way when you are in Europe and it is 'service compris' it is customary to add a small amount to the tip.

[Gonzo70]

Well this is certainly an education for me too. I guess I didn't realize lonshoremen made 6 figure salaries equaivalent to the captain of a cruise ship. Too bad I'm a geezer or I would quit my job and get one of those high-paying gigs and maybe score some tips also.

 

Snark aside, the porters are taking my bags and transporting them to the ship and regardless of what they make they are providing a similar service as hotel bellhops so I will also continue to tip them.

 

It is not easy to land these jobs - they are highly coveted and you pretty much need to have connections to score that type of a position.

[CruisingCaraCat]

It is not easy to land these jobs - they are highly coveted and you pretty much need to have connections to score that type of a position.

Probably need a strong back too...Mine hasn't been that for about 30 years now.

[Gonzo70]

Probably need a strong back too...Mine hasn't been that for about 30 years now.

 

FYI, here is an article from 2002 in the New York Times I just found that states back then (in 2002) the longshoremen were earning an average of about $100,000 per year. You can bet that average has gone up during the past eight years!

 

http://archive.ilwu.org/solidarityday/NYTimes20021125.htm

 

And another article from several years ago stating the average salary is $106,833: http://www.rense.com/general30/long.htm

 

And another: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/764225/posts'

 

And another: http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2002/10/24695.shtml?discuss

[goouchjac]

Your luggage should make it on board without having to tip. Tipping out of the fear of having the bags left behind or dunked in the sea is not tipping but blackmail.

 

I always tip because I'm receiving a valued service. If someone were to ask me to however I would view that as coercion and seek out a senior employee and have that conversation with them.

 

And what planet do you live on??,,the porters have had their hands since time and memorial,,,even the airport porters do the same,,,We make sure we one dollar bills in our possesion coming and going off the ships and planes..Just a fact of life,,,if you want your luggage to get to your cabin or plane,,as the saying goes "grease my palm"...

[marci22]

And what planet do you live on??,,the porters have had their hands since time and memorial,,,even the airport porters do the same,,,We make sure we one dollar bills in our possesion coming and going off the ships and planes..Just a fact of life,,,if you want your luggage to get to your cabin or plane,,as the saying goes "grease my palm"...

 

You're supposed to tip the airport skycaps or anyone who helps you get your luggage to your car, but you don't have to tip the airline workers who just put it on the conveyor belt inside.

[Grandiva]

FYI, here is an article from 2002 in the New York Times I just found that states back then (in 2002) the longshoremen were earning an average of about $100,000 per year. You can bet that average has gone up during the past eight years!

 

 

I do not think these articles pertain to cruise terminal porters. They appear to be relating to major shipping companines and their employees that affect the econmy. Hard to see a court and presidental intervention for luggage.

 

I belive they may be paid and possibly well, but I don't think 100k a year.

[Gonzo70]

I do not think these articles pertain to cruise terminal porters. They appear to be relating to major shipping companines and their employees that affect the econmy. Hard to see a court and presidental intervention for luggage.

 

I belive they may be paid and possibly well, but I don't think 100k a year.

 

Yes, the "porters" taking your luggage at cruise terminals ARE uninonized longshoremen. This is a fact - not an opinion. The Port Authority and the cruise lines will both be happy to tell you this if you do not want to take my word. All it will take you is a two minute phone call to the Port Authortiy to verify that what I am saying is true.

 

The West Coast longshoremen are paid higher than the Florida ones, but the Florida ones are still doing really well. As of last year, the Port Authority in Miami stated that the hourly rate ranged from $40 to $60 for normal hours and they receive $60 to $90 for overtime (time and a half). When they are serving as porters for the cruise ships, they are usually doing overtime (so they are generally making $60 to $90 an hour without a dime in tips - factor in all the $5 and $10 tips people seem to be throwing at them and one can only imagine how much they are pulling in)!

[setsail]

"Longshore Equipment Operators 170 $19.10 $19.98 $41,550"

 

As you can see this was the salery from the quoted sites above, and

 

ANYBODY that has worked union knows averages(half make more and half make less) are used and all the bennies are figured in and in the case of lonshoremen the overtime is figured in. ANYbody making 25.00$ an hour can make 100,000 right along if they want to work the overtime and bennies are figured in.

 

Also to make the upper end of the wage scale you might have to have worked there 20 yrs or more

 

Also longshoremen work very eratic hours some not getting 40 a week or access to the OT because of no seniority.

 

So, give a tip if you want or don't, but nobody should be subjected to a shakedown.

 

As the poster said above "don't sweat the small stuff"

[Havingfun2010]

I tip for completed service, and think the small tip I give to a porter is about right. $1 per bag. What they do, is take you bag, check you ID tag on the bag, put it on a cart, and when it is filled, move it into the holding area, which someone else takes over. Same as say at the airlines, and the many other people behind the scenes that handle your bags!

 

One should never tip before the service is completed! Anyone that asks for a tip, is not worthy of a tip...period.

[marci22]

The majority aren't protesting tipping people who help you, they are protesting workers who hold their hand out (and this has been done to me) before anything occurs, workers who are rude, etc. If you're rude I don't care how much you make.

[jackdiamond]

setsail-Your comments are very interesting and probably closer to reality than some others. Also, I wonder how many times those who complain about the situation in Fort Lauderdale have cruised out of that venue in the past ten or eleven years. My guess would be very few. Again, as eaarlier indicated, we have never had a problem during about 24 cruises from this venue.

[marci22]

setsail-Your comments are very interesting and probably closer to reality than some others. Also, I wonder how many times those who complain about the situation in Fort Lauderdale have cruised out of that venue in the past ten or eleven years. My guess would be very few. Again, as eaarlier indicated, we have never had a problem during about 24 cruises from this venue.

 

It doesn't matter what port; people are complaining specifically about rude porters who ask for tips or want to be paid for doing nothing. On our last cruise out of Port Canaveral, I tipped the porter and he literally did not touch my luggage. It sat at the curb as he counted his bills. As we entered the terminal, my luggage was still sitting there with no one watching it.

[jackdiamond]

It doesn't matter what port; people are complaining specifically about rude porters who ask for tips or want to be paid for doing nothing. On our last cruise out of Port Canaveral, I tipped the porter and he literally did not touch my luggage. It sat at the curb as he counted his bills. As we entered the terminal, my luggage was still sitting there with no one watching it.

How many times have you cruised out of this port. By the way, when you entered the terminal, how did you know that your luggage was not being cared for? Also, was your luggage delivered to your cabin?

[John Henry on CC]

"Longshore Equipment Operators 170 $19.10 $19.98 $41,550"

 

As you can see this was the salery from the quoted sites above, and

 

ANYBODY that has worked union knows averages(half make more and half make less) are used and all the bennies are figured in and in the case of lonshoremen the overtime is figured in. ANYbody making 25.00$ an hour can make 100,000 right along if they want to work the overtime and bennies are figured in.

 

Also to make the upper end of the wage scale you might have to have worked there 20 yrs or more

 

Also longshoremen work very eratic hours some not getting 40 a week or access to the OT because of no seniority.

 

So, give a tip if you want or don't, but nobody should be subjected to a shakedown.

 

As the poster said above "don't sweat the small stuff"

 

setsail-Your comments are very interesting and probably closer to reality than some others. Also, I wonder how many times those who complain about the situation in Fort Lauderdale have cruised out of that venue in the past ten or eleven years. My guess would be very few. Again, as eaarlier indicated, we have never had a problem during about 24 cruises from this venue.

 

Actually, "half make more and half make less" describes the MEDIAN, not the AVERAGE. The average is taking all of the salaries, adding them together, and dividing by the number of workers.

 

Those can be VERY different numbers.

 

If the CEO of Company X is making $10,000,000 per year, and he employs 100 people each of whom make $30,000 per year, then the AVERAGE salary is approximately $128,000. Don't those 100 people WISH that even ONE of them made that! :rolleyes:

[ktkcruisers]

Solution to tipping rude porters:

 

Counterfeit 20's :D:eek:

 

lol! jk!

[jackdiamond]

Solution to tipping rude porters:

 

Counterfeit 20's :D:eek:

 

lol! jk!

How many have you encountered at Port Everglades?

[jackdiamond]

Yes, the "porters" taking your luggage at cruise terminals ARE uninonized longshoremen. This is a fact - not an opinion. The Port Authority and the cruise lines will both be happy to tell you this if you do not want to take my word. All it will take you is a two minute phone call to the Port Authortiy to verify that what I am saying is true.

 

The West Coast longshoremen are paid higher than the Florida ones, but the Florida ones are still doing really well. As of last year, the Port Authority in Miami stated that the hourly rate ranged from $40 to $60 for normal hours and they receive $60 to $90 for overtime (time and a half). When they are serving as porters for the cruise ships, they are usually doing overtime (so they are generally making $60 to $90 an hour without a dime in tips - factor in all the $5 and $10 tips people seem to be throwing at them and one can only imagine how much they are pulling in)!

How many times have your cruised out of Port Everglades?

[jackdiamond]

I recently embarked on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas at Terminal 25 and was totally disgusted by my porter experience when dropping off our luggage.

 

We arrived at 10:30am on March 6th in the luggage drop off area. One porter was in sight helping someone else so we waited a couple of minutes without anyone coming to assist us. We then proceeded to take our 5 pieces of luggage out of the car and bring them to the luggage carts on the sidewalk. We then stood there for another minute or two and decided to just place our luggage in the carts ourselves since we already had luggage tags on them.

 

As soon as we did that, someone comes running over from nowhere and told us we couldn't do that and we had to wait, so we did. The man that was helping the other couple then came over to us, looked at our luggage with the tags already on them and said we are set and he would be taking care of the luggage.

 

Before we started walking away, he decided to inform us that he was expecting a "donation" to handle our luggage since we wouldn't see him anymore and he is the one responsible for getting the luggage on the ship. That comment just infuriated me and I said to him that after I was the one that brought the luggage to the curbside cart area and he did nothing to help us; I am to tip him for that? He then continued to inform me that he was the one responsible for placing the luggage thru the ex-rays to make sure it gets on the ship.

 

I call this extortion as he did nothing to deserve a tip besides placing the luggage two feet away on the luggage cart. I got his badge number and I took a couple of pictures of him and emailed them to Port Everglades.

 

I always tip for service, but this to me is getting a little ridiculous.

How many times have your cruised out of Port Everglades?

[crusinmama06]

I was curious about my own experience so I just went back and looked at my own review from my Independence cruise (last February -- out of PORT EVERGLADES) and this is what I wrote at the time --

 

We handed our bags off to the porter who said "I am the one who takes care of your bags and makes sure they get on the ship...." so I interupted him and said "So if I EVER want to see my bags again, I need to give you a good tip". He laughed and said "noooo, noooo that's not what I meant"....lol...yeah right. I told him that I know the drill and handed him a tip. (our bags were at our cabin by 1pm...lol)

 

The original post was here...(Jack Diamond since you seem to be questioning when people sailed)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=923729

[imsulin]

do you tip your cabin attendant before he does anything too?

 

Yes, I do. I ask for fresh ice twice daily, all fridge items and $$$ bottled water to be removed, sheets changed every other day, clean towels every other day, and fresh, hot coffee with cream and sugar to be left in my cabin at 4 pm each day. It was always worth the extra $20 up-front for seven days of getting what I asked for.

[ktkcruisers]

We have never encountered rude porters. We tip $1 per bag. Just enjoyed reading the thread and trying to offer a good laugh!

 

:rolleyes:

[imsulin]

I'll gladly pre-tip my cabin steward, because I know I'll see him/her for seven days, and will get what I asked for, in addition to the usual service. In 2003, 12 of us pulled up to a dock in Miami in a large van/small bus hotel vehicle, and before we could even get out, a porter demanded $2 per bag just to unload them - even the carry-ons. My two large sons and two equally large future SILs proceeded to unload the carry-ons, despite the porter's protests, and we paid $2 per bag for the large luggage with cruise tags on them. All six large luggage pieces arrived in our cabins with no problems. I'll pay for fair, but not pushy.

[MRRG]

In January at Port of San Pedro we had a porter who begged for a tip, not once but twice. He was really annoying and was doing nothing to help us as we rolled our bags over to the cart. He did not get a tip becasue he was an a***. We waited all day for our bags to come up to our room. They never did - we had to go to security to track down our bags. The luggage tags had been ripped off by the porter. We had two bags and there was another family that had 7 bags where the room tags as well as their IDs were removed from the luggage. I wish I would have had my camera at the ready to ID the jerk.