Colganpilotgroup.com June 7 update

[Godfather]

colganpilotgroup.com June 7 update

UPDATED ON: 6-7-2007

Dear fellow crew members, Colgan pilot group members, ALPA organizing committee members and all of you out there.

The Colgan Pilot Group feels that it is time to reunite the Colgan pilot group and stop all this hate and animosity out there. We feel that it is time to “Rest our case.” In the past months the Colgan Pilot Group has been out there for both sides. We have listened to both good and bad comments from all of you. The ALPA organizing committee keeps announcing that the vote is coming soon for the last two months!!! Like we said in the past, there is nothing we can do for anyone out there until the vote takes place, or until ALPA ends this campaign. Now once this happens we all going to observe the outcome. If Colgan Air becomes ALPA we are all going to support that and try to work together to make positive things for Colgan. Now if the ALPA drive doesn’t succeed the Colgan Pilot Group is going to go on in to full force. First thing is going to be a full open week for any Colgan crew member to submit his or her name for the President and Vice President and members of the Colgan Pilot Group. The name must be submitted with a letter explaining why that person thinks he/she should represent the pilot group. All the candidates and letters will be posted on our website and after a week’s period the pilot group will vote. Once we establish a president and a full staff then we will start the communications and bargain with the company.
We feel that the Colgan Pilot Group will be able to accomplish the following within the first month we go active:

• Commuting policy
• Annual Uniform allotment
• Online hot line with direct channel to the chiefs pilot’s office through which every crewmember will be able to submit a comment or complaint and have the issue resolved within 48 hours (i.e., crew scheduling issues, hotel issues, pay issues, etc.).
• The day per diem is going to be a easy one. If we push this issue we might find all the outstations going away and no more every night home for some of you out there. We will try but it is out there!
• Establish a training course for all crew schedulers including initial and recurrent training. Keep us informed!!!!!
• Forecast of new bases and lines and all issues that can potentially affect our lives.
• Medical protection and legal support. We have been in communication with different companies and we, as a Pilot group, can purchase, for a nominal fee, insurance for both, (more to come on that).

In the months to follow we will try to negotiate better pay for the Q400 better 401K and some kind of retirement benefits.

In closing we have kept you informed, we have presented you both with the good, the bad, and the ugly, so now it’s your choice. We ask you that you think long and hard before making the final decision. Ask yourselves what the best choice is for Colgan Air, and most importantly what is the best choice for you and your families? The decisions you make now can potentially affect you and all of us for years to come. Don’t let your decisions be influenced by fear or rhetoric. Take the time to think of the pros and cons, and not just for the short-term. Think about the future. As a final thought, we’d like once again to tell you that we appreciate your input throughout the past few months, and to thank you again for your suggestions, comments, complaints, etc. Remember that we are all in this together! The things that happen in this industry in general, and at Colgan Air in particular, affect all of us! So, whenever it’s possible, let’s participate and get energized about the issues that we care about and that can affect our lives and our futures. We are not going to always agree, and that is OK. We don’t encourage you to agree with us. We just encourage you to take some kind of action. We feel that it is better for each and every one of us to do something. If the rest of us don’t agree with it, so be it. We’ll get over it and we will still go on to work together as a team. It’s when we sit around and do nothing, that’s when we all loose.

Thanks again for your input and keep up the good work!

Colgan Pilot Group.
__________________________________________
Keep it safe and stay sharp!!!!!!

I hereby nominate Anthony Soprano Jr to be the President of the Colgan Pilot Group. After watching the Sopranos Sunday, he can run that group better than the current bunch of brown nosers....

I hope this posting will awaken everyone that has yet to send in your cards to send them in NOW!!! Ask yourself this one question...Do you want these guys to negotiate for you without a contract?

Put it to rest brown nosers for good.

ALPA....Let's make it better

 

[CancelIFR1200]

And if God help you ALPA packs up and goes away, You will have sooooooo much leverage to get all those things!!! Give me a break!! The only reason the company is entertaining any of your plans is because it is better than having any sort of organized pilot group on property. Once the threat of ALPA is gone, it will be back to schedules on the 31st, no work rules, no pay, and no respect...

Good Luck

 

[Fred Rogers]

CancelIFR is exactly right. We'll just see what happens with that group if the ALPA drive "goes away". HA! This little student council is a joke. We need LEGALLY BINDING representation from ALPA.

Keep those cards coming in, and when the vote comes... VOTE YES!!!!

www.alpa.org/colgan

Fred

 

[Fred Rogers]

by the way... lets think about this.

WHY

is the company soooo scared of getting ALPA on property?

WHY

do they think that it will be such a horrible thing?

I'll tell you why. Because they have been hosing their pilots for YEARS and they don't want to have to quit.

www.alpa.org/colgan

 

[Kaman]

Anyone that buys that load of hogwash is a complete fool. In fact, why isn't management implementing what is being suggested by the Colganpilotgroup? That is because they have no intention of honoring a single request. Do any of you CJC pilots REALLY believe that there will be any movement on the Q-400 pay? or more affordable insurnace? Folks, it ain't gonna happen without a legally binding contract.
What I find even more amusing is the intangible "changes" to the Colgan pilot group quality life. Better scheduling? And, I thought that we always had an open line of communication with flight operations management. Is this something that we actually have to demand???
Lets face it all the regionals are in a crisis when it comes to manning the flight schedule on a daily basis. Airlines are robbing one another with bonus incentives, and bonuses for training completion. Even our "owners" are resorting to this tactic. Whether Colgan has ALPA or not there is still going to be a "giant-sucking-sound" of the door flying open as people move on. It is an acknowleged dilemma that Colgan doesn't want to loose any of it's more senior and experienced crewmembers. Times will be changing at CJC good and bad as the industry continues it's spastic growth while at the same time trying to cut costs.

Regards,

ex-Navy Rotorhead

 

[YMICFI]

Alpa

I anticipate a big announcement soon from the Colgan ALPA Organizing Committee.

 

[better up here]

I've had letter after letter sent to me by CJC with anti ALPA talk, but they have never said anything about the pilot group. Seems to me if they are against ALPA they should support the pilot group. I guess they don't want us to have any representation. That's how they look in my eyes anyway. That's the straw that signed the card...

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

. I guess they don't want us to have any representation. That's how they look in my eyes anyway. That's the straw that signed the card...

If you were a state attorney and you could control whether or not the defendant had his own representation and it was legal to do so...would you not try quite hard to prevent a defendant from having representation?

Representation is a corner stone of American culture and poltics.

 

[Fred Rogers]

If you were a state attorney and you could control whether or not the defendant had his own representation and it was legal to do so...would you not try quite hard to prevent a defendant from having representation?

Representation is a corner stone of American culture and poltics.

You got it. Too many lawyers, but it's a fact of life.

 

[Prop2Jet]

chiefs pilot's office? nice grammar!

 

[Godfather]

Now that the NMB has been officially petitioned, I wonder if the CPG will hold to their word and do a Rodney King in "Can't we all just get along?"

I think I'll send in a letter to the CPG and apply to become the new President..........NOT!!!!

 

[GEORGE DUBYA]

Okay so everyone go the letter from ALPA they are going to go ahead and have an election. So how many votes do they need to get the union? Is it the same thing a strong majority. Does anyone know specifics?

 

[jtrain609]

Okay so everyone go the letter from ALPA they are going to go ahead and have an election. So how many votes do they need to get the union? Is it the same thing a strong majority. Does anyone know specifics?

For the NMB election to certify ALPA on property, we need a simple majority 50% +1.

It is IMPERATIVE that guys make sure they get the information for the NMB to vote. Check out www.alpa.org/colgan for updates.


We are going to be having our lets buy a lunch sessions multiple times per week throughout the system in July and August. Bring questions to ask! Stay tuned for information on those.

 

[Kaman]

The most important thing is to vote...Either YES or NO. But, please participate in the vote even if you didn't send in the authorization card. You'll be doing yourself a disservice by not voting for representation. And, it doesn't have to be alpa. You may write in the representation that you desire. We have an opportunity here to really improve our work rules, pay and benefits. It might not happen overnight, but we have a window of opportunity to have a real contract that specifies excatly how both parties will conduct themselves rather than the "smoke and mirrors" we are seeing now. There is alot of money to be made with this "Q" program if we get management and the pilots on the same sheet of music.

Regards,

ex-Navy Rotorhead

 

[YMICFI]

Alpa

​

​

Dear Colgan Pilot:
Congratulations! Your efforts to secure a National Mediation Board (NMB) representation election were successful—a strong majority of Colgan pilots returned authorization cards, so today ALPA petitioned the NMB to conduct a representation election. The representation election process should take approximately 90 days to complete. During that time, the NMB will compare the authorization cards submitted to ALPA with Company employment records
(this process takes place without divulging to management who filed cards) to verify that the required “showing of interest” supports ALPA’s application;​

​

determine the eligible voter list (pilots who have completed IOE prior to your last payroll period and are not holding managerial positions); and​

​

print and mail the confidential telephone voting instructions, and establish a reasonable time period (usually 30 to 45 days) for completion of voting.
ALPA will forward more detailed information about the election process in the near future. For now, please make sure that your current address is on file with the Company and with ALPA.​

A special thanks goes out to your Organizing Committee—volunteers who worked hard to explain the benefits of union representation. Their work is encouraging because ALPA is structured as a volunteer, pilot-run organization with tremendous professional and financial resources. Enclosed is an ALPA sticker to illustrate the unity and resolve you have that will deliver the binding contract that you seek. ALPA will continue to work closely with your Organizing Committee to provide information about the benefits of representation. If you have any questions, please contact an
Organizing Committee member or ALPA’s Communications Department at 888.FLY.ALPA x 4179.
The pilots of Capital Cargo joined ALPA on June 1, and we look forward to having all the Colgan pilots become ALPA members and join the 60,000 pilots at 41 U.S. and Canadian airlines.
Sincerely,
John Prater, President
Air Line Pilots Association, International
_____

In other words fellow Colgan Pilots, make sure Crew Trac has your current contact info and vote " yes" for ALPA representation.​

 

[CA1900]

Here's how it went down at CommutAir:

• ALPA Card Campaign begins
• A "Mutual Interest Committee" is spawned by a company suck-up as an "in-house alternative" to a union that promises to do great things
• Card campaign is successful, vote ensues
• Vote fails at just 43%, because a large contingent in our pilot group "didn't want to get involved." So no ALPA.
• Committee starts trying to negotiate improvements
• Nothing improves, except a slight widening of the min-max bid hours window.
• On-time bonus in canceled
• Medical insurance premiums go up, several times.
• ...and the latest chapter, everybody loses two days off because of understaffing. No discussion, no negotiation. None necessary, as there was no contract to prevent it.

Don't believe the hype. An in-house union "alternative" is a common tactic in killing a union campaign. Don't fall for it.


(And to my former bosses at CommutAir that I know are reading this, I'm not doing this to raise your blood pressure. I'm trying to help prevent another pilot group from getting hosed by the Ford Harrison union-busting playbook that was used so well at beating us.)

 

[Fred Rogers]

Here's how it went down at CommutAir:

• ALPA Card Campaign begins
• A "Mutual Interest Committee" is spawned by a company suck-up as an "in-house alternative" to a union that promises to do great things
• Card campaign is successful, vote ensues
• Vote fails at just 43%, because a large contingent in our pilot group "didn't want to get involved." So no ALPA.
• Committee starts trying to negotiate improvements
• Nothing improves, except a slight widening of the min-max bid hours window.
• On-time bonus in canceled
• Medical insurance premiums go up, several times.
• ...and the latest chapter, everybody loses two days off because of understaffing. No discussion, no negotiation. None necessary, as there was no contract to prevent it.

Don't believe the hype. An in-house union "alternative" is a common tactic in killing a union campaign. Don't fall for it.


(And to my former bosses at CommutAir that I know are reading this, I'm not doing this to raise your blood pressure. I'm trying to help prevent another pilot group from getting hosed by the Ford Harrison union-busting playbook that was used so well at beating us.)

THAT'S THE FACT JACK

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Ford and Harrison... how can those monkey soliders sleep at night...??

http://www.fordharrison.com/showevent.aspx?Show=2854

http://www.fordharrison.com/showindustry.aspx?Show=578

http://www.fordharrison.com/

 

[rhino3040]

by the way... lets think about this.

WHY

is the company soooo scared of getting ALPA on property?

WHY

do they think that it will be such a horrible thing?

I'll tell you why. Because they have been hosing their pilots for YEARS and they don't want to have to quit.

www.alpa.org/colgan

AMEN BROTHA!!!!!!!!

 

[vectorvictor]

Here's how it went down at CommutAir:

• ALPA Card Campaign begins
• A "Mutual Interest Committee" is spawned by a company suck-up as an "in-house alternative" to a union that promises to do great things
• Card campaign is successful, vote ensues
• Vote fails at just 43%, because a large contingent in our pilot group "didn't want to get involved." So no ALPA.
• Committee starts trying to negotiate improvements
• Nothing improves, except a slight widening of the min-max bid hours window.
• On-time bonus in canceled
• Medical insurance premiums go up, several times.
• ...and the latest chapter, everybody loses two days off because of understaffing. No discussion, no negotiation. None necessary, as there was no contract to prevent it.

Don't believe the hype. An in-house union "alternative" is a common tactic in killing a union campaign. Don't fall for it.


(And to my former bosses at CommutAir that I know are reading this, I'm not doing this to raise your blood pressure. I'm trying to help prevent another pilot group from getting hosed by the Ford Harrison union-busting playbook that was used so well at beating us.)

He types the truth.