A couple of things here. It is not our company e-mail, it is now your company e-mail. And good luck to all the TERMINATED people out there. (not furloughed) We were given mo formal recall rights. Which actually stinks because alot of corporate departments don't like hiring laid off pilots, but being laid off without recall rights is so far from industry standard you can't even explain it to the guy doing the interview. (I know of at least one pilot that was turned down at a job because of this) A verbal "why would I hire off the street, when I have trained crewmembers needing a job" is a nice gesture and appreciated, but when it comes to business what is on paper is what is important. It wouldn't have been that hard to put a line in the termination paperwork giving recall rights, but the members of management that care about the pilots were kept in the dark about the layoffs. If I were one of them I would be livid, but I understand, because they still have a job to do and any animosity they feel must be kept in, because that is the professional and smart thing to do.
Yip is right on one thing, most people will not come back. It's not because they burnt a bridge, it's because the company burnt the bridge with them. As it stands now I would consider coming back to a ABQ position, or if the Falcons magically came back because of falling gas prices (not likely) I would get back in the saddle. I liked my job at USA Jet, but if I return to a DC-9 position it wouldn't be the same.
CH had no interest in hearing from his employees, heck he even stopped doing the "Chats" that he use to do even though they were actually proactive most of the time and not full of "flaming" comments. Things were going so well that he did not see a need for them as I recall. Like you said Cliff, even if he didn't listen, it at least showed that he was involved. He needs to get out and see what his company does, like Cape Air's CEO and DO that fly the line from time to time, or Jet Blue's guy that is a Flight Attendant from time to time. As I see it now the DO at USA Jet isn't even qualified 121 to fly any of their airplanes. He was listed on the seniority list at a Falcon FO. Get active with your company!
I've said it before, communication is the largest problem at USA Jet. DC actually seemed to listen, but he either has no power to stand up to CH or he can't. CH tried to park the Falcon's 18 months ago, and the old administration talked him out of it. This time CH didn't even ask for a opinion, and even kept his subordinate members or middle management in the dark, and just did as he pleased. No one was asked their opinion, or shown the financial numbers before the plug was pulled.
Take it for what it's worth, but good management works as a team, not as a dictatorship. Why does USA Jet keep hiring management from failed companies and picking up others scraps? Bring in someone that has ran a successful company, and has a track record of growth, not downsizing, bankruptcy, and selling to the highest bidder. Unless of course, that is what the investors had planned all along. You never truly know what happens behind closed doors in a board meeting.
The thing that upsets me the most about how the layoffs were handled is that they did not go by seniority. They went by seat by aircraft, as the PPH dictated, but what the pilot policy handbook did not dictate is that if you were at any time in your employment qualified on the DC-9 you would be offered a position back on the DC-9 even if you had to do a full initial on that equipment, while senior people to you that would have only required the same thing are put on the street. It's nothing against the people in that position, but if your going to have rules, follow them. I could go on and on about how it was mishandled, but pretty much everyone from HR to Middle Management has admitted that, and I do thank them for that. I am not spending my time dwelling on the past though, I am actively looking for my next big thing, and hoping I learned something from this experience that I can apply down the road in my career.
