A little help regarding employment contracts

[Captzaahlie]

I asking if anyone has any experience breaking an employment contract.
Do you know of people doing it?
Has the company come after them?
If you put in half the req. time are they likely to let you bail?
I'm asking to help out a friend of a friend who recently upgraded someplace but apparently committed to giving 12 months of service for the upgrade. This person has greener pastures ahead of them (anticipated job offer at a regional) but is concerned about his so called obligation.
Thanks in advance for any insight that I can pass along!

 

[CX880]

People do it all the time most escape some don't. It depends on the employee, if it's a big place like a major regional then most likely they will not go after you. If it's a place with a couple of hundred pilots then they most likely will.

 

[Flybet3]

People do it all the time most escape some don't. It depends on the employee, if it's a big place like a major regional then most likely they will not go after you. If it's a place with a couple of hundred pilots then they most likely will.

I've got three friends that had that issue. 2 worked for avantair, 1 for CHQ. Both places came after them initially, CHQ pretty much stopped trying after a few months. The other two are still getting BS letters saying that they have to pay the money for their initial training, plus I think 10 or 12% interest and the collection fees. Pretty retarded if you ask me.
It comes down to this my friend, they can even take you to court, but if you dont have the money to pay...well, they might as well stop. If you dont have the money to pay back for the training, then what makes them think you're gonna have more money for interest and lawyer fees.
Also, it's not like you BORROWED money from them, they trained you in accordance to FAA requirements and regulations, and tough sh** if you leave prior to the year. It's part of the business. Look at it this way, you go to a regional to make 20K the first year, and they want you to pay them back 15 or 18K??? Hmmm, not very logical to me.
And last, they will try to intimidate your friend with letters and what not to try to get him to settle for something. But if he stays strong, and as a matter of fact has support from others in his same situation, then they for sure wont get sh***

 

[tyuwerty]

So your friend enters into an agreement with his company to make the left seat. The left seat makes him more employable elsewhere.

Now, he wants to break the contract he freely agreed to before his training.

He should just finish the time and leave with his word intact.

 

[dooork]

I can see it both ways. Ultimatly...if you sign a contract I think you should complete it or pay up. I also don't think they should make you sign a contract....so everyone should not sign and eventually they will do away with them.

 

[Flybet3]

I can see it both ways. Ultimatly...if you sign a contract I think you should complete it or pay up. I also don't think they should make you sign a contract....so everyone should not sign and eventually they will do away with them.

Like I said, having people sign training contracts is pretty much like having you pay for your training. Pretty much the same.

 

[greyskyracer]

I had a good friend at air midwest. He left after about 8 months. They sued him for a pro rated portion of the training agreement. He lost.

 

[rickair7777]

So your friend enters into an agreement with his company to make the left seat. The left seat makes him more employable elsewhere.

Now, he wants to break the contract he freely agreed to before his training.

He should just finish the time and leave with his word intact.

On general principles I agree with you, on pilot training contracts specifically, I disagree.

- These contracts are essentially coerced.

- The company did not spend any money that they weren't going to spend in the first place.

- The training is NOT valid anywhere else...if you get hired at another airline, you will have to redo all training, even if you fly the same airplane.

These contracts are basically coerced indentured servitude.

A training contract is reasonable if the company buys you a college degree or a type rating in a citation (or another GA plane), and you ran off and used that training to get a better job WHICH REQUIRES THAT TYPE RATING. They provided a marketable certification and you owe them for that...because they could have hired someone off the street who was already types. Airlines can't do that.

Airline training almost never has direct market value since you have to redo all training from scratch at a new company (737 type is a possible exception).

When you leave an airline for a better airline it's not because of a type rating, it's because of your experience. Airlines don't get to charge us for acquiring experience folks (except the ass clowns at GIA )

 

[Flybet3]

I had a good friend at air midwest. He left after about 8 months. They sued him for a pro rated portion of the training agreement. He lost.

Sounds like he caved in. Well, I guess it also depends how much money they're fighting for. Like I said, yeah, they can sue you. But if you dont have the money or means to pay for it, then they're pretty much f****ed.

 

[CRJFlyer]

Unfortunately I'm having this same problem...at a very small company..They want their money, have sicked they're lawyer on me. And now i have 20 days to respond...

bottom line is that once they have lawyers involved and the courts involved then you MUST respond..I am hiring a lawyer and will have him deal with them. Hopefully it can be dragged out for years. I wouldn't just pay them because that is caving.

If you don't respond once a summons is delivered (getting served) they can go to the courts and garnish your wages.. (i'm not sure how much they can take per paycheck). Flybet's advice isn't really sound advice once the courts are involved. True if you don't have the money then you can't pay, but if you're working then they can garnish wages.

Unfortunately I now make way too much to say I can't make any payments. But I can still argue my points, or try to make a negotiation to better help reduce total owed.

 

[Flybet3]

Unfortunately I'm having this same problem...at a very small company..They want their money, have sicked they're lawyer on me. And now i have 20 days to respond...

bottom line is that once they have lawyers involved and the courts involved then you MUST respond..I am hiring a lawyer and will have him deal with them. Hopefully it can be dragged out for years. I wouldn't just pay them because that is caving.

If you don't respond once a summons is delivered (getting served) they can go to the courts and garnish your wages.. (i'm not sure how much they can take per paycheck). Flybet's advice isn't really sound advice once the courts are involved. True if you don't have the money then you can't pay, but if you're working then they can garnish wages.

Unfortunately I now make way too much to say I can't make any payments. But I can still argue my points, or try to make a negotiation to better help reduce total owed.

Well the thing is they can garnish wages as long as they dont affect your needs. For example, if taking your money is going to leave you and your family out on the street then they can't garnish sh**.

 

[Guitar Guy]

For all of the interesting banter on this thread, read this summary of a case involving a pilot and Great Lakes' training contract: http://wyomcases.courts.state.wy.us/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=448863

(And no, I was not connected to the case in any manner.)

 

[Flybet3]

For all of the interesting banter on this thread, read this summary of a case involving a pilot and Great Lakes' training contract: http://wyomcases.courts.state.wy.us/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=448863

(And no, I was not connected to the case in any manner.)

I read that before. The only issue with all of this is that every state is different with these situations.

 

[phr8dawg]

Does your word really have a dollar value attached to it?

 

[GogglesPisano]

How are you "coerced" into signing a contract?