[FONT="][FONT="]To all Flex pilots, I have flown next to you for the past +- 20 years and haven’t been vocal about much of anything really. But enough is enough. We are getting ready to commit career suicide. Are you prepared to wear a scarlet letter for the rest of your careers? We already cannot get people in the doors to even interview let alone hire. We are bleeding pilots fast. Who wants to go work for a sinking ship and get branded the rest of their lives? If you are a new hire and got bullied into sending in a card and want to eventually move on, good luck with that interview. If you are like me, a long time Captain, and just want to work another 10 years and get out of this circus, we will be looking for jobs in the next couple of years. What do you expect to achieve by voting out the union, something no other pilot group has done. Talking with friends at SW and AA, the rest of the industry is watching and it will have repercussions. Remember our pilot agreement? Then N2 takes 3 sick days, 3% of 401K, and says if you don’t like it you can leave. If ever a place needed a union this place does. 2N is surrounded by yes men and obsessing over flashing beacons and new FBOs. I don’t think he even realizes that by killing the union he will kill the company. I get it, we were all forced into a bad marriage. But we don’t need to blow up the house and kill our selves and each other. Some of you really need to think this out. Because if KR wins, we all lose.[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT="][FONT="]The ship of fools leading this decert campaign are the same fools that were in denial 6 or 7 years ago. What am I talking about? When Netjets started inking deals with Bombardier many of us started raising red flags as any reasonable person would. But the decert brigade accepted anything they were told. “ Pierre says that we are not for sale. Don’t worry, we got your back, everything will be Ok. This levels the playing field. If it’s good for Bombardier, it’s good for us.” And the same individuals were in shock when the big exciting announcement was made public. This vote is not in a vacuum. And the ship of fools, who lack any abilities of foresight, cannot see the implications of this vote. Voting for the IBT, the company, and our futures are not mutually exclusive. Voting to decert will destroy all 3. Some of you need to look around at the damage that has already been done. It will get much worse. How many pilots have we lost and how many have we hired in the last year? Do the math. Use some foresight. Vote for your union.[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT="][FONT="]So I was not able to view the company meeting as I was flying my ass off. But I am told that somehow if we vote out the IBT that we will gain a competitive advantage and unleash unlimited growth and we will run over our competition. Hmmm, this from a man who had a 1000 pilots 16 years ago, bought 350 more and is now down to 577 pilots. It seems to me that there are plenty of rich people willing to give us money but our lack of growth is because of our inability to retain and recruit pilots. So if we vote out the IBT, there will be a mass exodus of pilots that would not have left otherwise on top of the “normal” outflow. We will not be able to replace them resulting in more work for already overworked pilots. This causing more people to leave. I have only seen this management team shrink this company, not grow it. In 4 1/2 years, our good reputation in the industry and at the cocktail parties in the Hamptons has been trashed. Why should I put my faith in them or believe anything that they have to say?[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT="][FONT="]There is still a lot of talk from certain people about culture. Unless you have been in a coma the last 4 years, you know whatever culture we had is long since dead. It was never great, but I thought it was decent. From der fuhrer to the thief with the burning tree house, to those a little before, a little after, and those in between. They did not necessarily make the culture but those that worked under them did. Not much left of the Waterview and so many pilots have left I don’t know who is still here. Despite all the bad management over the years, this place has managed to survive because of all of the good pilots employed here. Now, with many of them gone or going and the remainder getting ready to do something stupid, this place doesn’t stand a chance. A lot of good people have voted with their feet and many more are on the way. And management is still not listening. The union being voted in after 2 years of new ownership should have sent a message as well. 20 year flight attendants fired and being replaced with cabin servers, airplanes off runways, experienced pilots leaving in droves and those that remain are at war with each other. If anyone thinks that the IBT is the cause of this they are delusional. I can only imagine the damage that will be done if this management team is left unchecked. If the IBT is voted out I suppose that I will leave to. I can’t take many more 14 hour days and much more of this culture.[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT="][FONT="]So the several letters from large airline unions are sending a subtle message to Flex pilots. If you can’t read between the lines then you probably have Aspergers. The pilots on the web boards and FBOs are being far less subtle. Make no mistake, whether we face future blackballing or not, we will be the pariahs of the industry. Unfortunately, other people’s perception of us is our reality. If we are viewed as rejects then we will be rejects. I already don’t want to walk in the FBOs with my uniform on let alone a terminal. Instead of solidarity, the decert brigade has been fighting the union since day 1 so of course it never had a chance. These same people that claim the IBT is pathetic have never paid dues or lifted a finger to help it. The irony is if only they had put half the effort in helping it as they have trying to hurt it, we would have one helluva union. While I can appreciate differences of opinion in voting in a union or not, voting one out is an entirely different matter. If you can’t see that, then you need to take another long hard look. Despite these individuals trying to destroy my career, I will not be hostile to them. They are imbeciles and know not what they do. Save yourself and save them from their own stupidity. Don’t follow them off a cliff. Tens of thousands of pilots are talking to us right now. Are you listening?[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT="][FONT="]This week at 45000 feet, in FBOs, hotels, restaurants, bars, facebook, emails, group text, etc. conversations need to be had that would not normally take place. If you are like me, you just fly your trips and go home. You find it uncomfortable to talk about unions or no union. It’s right up there with politics and religion. My understanding is that the FNGs and some people in the extra special airplanes were muscled into sending in cards. And perhaps you in order to avoid confrontation or to hedge your bets you sent in a card thinking nothing would become of it. Or they told you we were going to create an in house. The decert crew have been very aggressive utilizing several different forms of pressure. Time to make it right. Reach out to people. Make them aware of the conversations on this website. Let’s get this behind us and repair the damage done. Whether you plan on staying or going, don’t risk it. Vote for your union or start filling out applications. Your choice.[/FONT][/FONT]
