An Open Letter to Kenn Ricci and the DAC/OneSky Management team

[shanes123]

Really squirrel? Lets take a look at this 3 Of Flexes pilots FIRED for body language. No Stip, reduction in 401k, Junior FLOPS guys flying the biggest newest jets making the most amount of money then your most senior guys.. And 300 Flex pilots VOTE NO!!! REALLY????? and your worried cause you think I insulted someone.. Every Flex pilot that Voted NO insulted themselves more than I ever could no matter what I said..And I toned it down ALOT...I would probably be kicked off here if I said what I really feel.. So tell me you Voted NO with everything thats happened. If after two years anyone at Flex hasn't realized their beloved little company that was so wonderful is long gone and has been. Then it scares me that I may have to sit next to one of these geniuses in a cockpit someday..CAN'T FIX STUPID!! Thats how I feel and Im done discussin it . Just makes my blood pressure rise..Good riddence..Oh and I could give a FLYING F what anyone that voted NO has to say about that.

 

[fischman]

First, let me congratulate you on your win this Tuesday.

Secondly, that was the easy part. I wish you luck in your negotiations, as they will probably be LONG and arduous.

duhhhhh quote:
My special thanks to SPT, Phildo, the Little Hitler, the Queen, and D-Bag #1. Your posts convinced the fence sitters to vote YES! Thank you for all you've done!

Such lovely comments as this from your tool won?t make for easier negotiations.
One commentator(?) thought that you buckaroos might start trying to mend a few fences, and it is probably good advice.
WL

There are two types of luck. I couldn't help but notice that warlord19 didn't wish 1108 GOOD luck.

He is correct, however. I will encourage all 1108 members to get involved. The hard part is about to begin.

 

[Dirty Squirrel]

Are we this thinned skinned? You Flex guys need to get use to "Fly the Pledge"(I'm sure you will hear about this soon), FLOPS guys have been thru this game and were solid. You guys have to learn this, a great contract will not just fall into your laps in 9 months. But if your really gonna stress about a couple of guys here on FI lobbin some insults then you have a long way to go

I'm not thin skinned but I'm sure some of the no voters might be. The campaign is over. It's in our best interest to have cohesive pilot groups so that a great JCBA can be hammered out. Do@che baggery, at this point, will only divide.

 

[Dirty Squirrel]

Really squirrel? Lets take a look at this 3 Of Flexes pilots FIRED for body language. No Stip, reduction in 401k, Junior FLOPS guys flying the biggest newest jets making the most amount of money then your most senior guys.. And 300 Flex pilots VOTE NO!!! REALLY????? and your worried cause you think I insulted someone.. Every Flex pilot that Voted NO insulted themselves more than I ever could no matter what I said..And I toned it down ALOT...I would probably be kicked off here if I said what I really feel.. So tell me you Voted NO with everything thats happened. If after two years anyone at Flex hasn't realized their beloved little company that was so wonderful is long gone and has been. Then it scares me that I may have to sit next to one of these geniuses in a cockpit someday..CAN'T FIX STUPID!! Thats how I feel and Im done discussin it . Just makes my blood pressure rise..Good riddence..Oh and I could give a FLYING F what anyone that voted NO has to say about that.

Shanes-

Simmer down. The campaign is over. It doesn't do any of us any good by being an ass to the guys who voted no. I didn't judge any of my peers who decided to roll with a "No" vote. That was their decision as there was much to consider as a Flex pilot. The pilot groups have been apples and oranges as far as pay, benefits, QOL, etc. The important thing is that we need to come together now that we are all being represented by the 1108 so we can all achieve an awesome contract. The "them and us" sheot must stop now!

It would be naive to think that all of the NO votes came from the Flex side anyway (although most definitely did). Do you really think that all of the Options guys voted YES? I doubt it.

Finally, read Mat Slinghoff's post "A Fresh Start" on the VUH. That'll sum up what I've said.

 

[993_Pilot]

First, let me congratulate you on your win this Tuesday.

Secondly, that was the easy part. I wish you luck in your negotiations, as they will probably be LONG and arduous...

Thanks for the "congrats", but I seriously doubt that our negotiators intend to rely (even a little bit) on luck. They won't be long and arduous because it is spelled out in our contract... 9 months after SLI. Oh, I have no doubt that KR will probably attempt drag them right up until the last second, and if he chooses to go that route, he will upset a lot of pilots who will be a lot less likely to do the company any favors, then the customers and investors will start leaning on him too. Not to mention that the arbitration process is something I doubt he will want to risk, especially after Netjets ratifies their T/A and once again sets a new standard for the fractional industry. But, if he want's to go that route, I am sure we are prepared for that too... after all, he has said more than once that he wants to have the highest paid pilots in the industry, and I am sure the arbitrator will get to see it before they make their decision. See, it really is his choice which direction this goes from here. I really do hope that KR directs our management takes the high road, but history would suggest otherwise.

Mending fences won't get you a contract.

Probably not, but we can still hope for the best, while we're preparing for the worst.

...whatever your previous opinion or vote. KR will not take this well, and he won't just blame the yes voters while showering the no voters with love - he will take this out on the whole group. Hanging together is the only workable strategy from this point forward...

You are probably correct about KR and the divide between the pilot groups is probably the most important place to "mend the fences". The blame will go beyond the pilot group and I bet that in the coming months there are probably a few mid level managers that will soon leave to "pursue other opportunities" or "spend more time with their families".

I think pretty much everyone that supports the union is out of the shadows ..over 300 NO VOTES!!!!!!! I have to assume the majority of those were FLEX pilots...

Flexjet NO votes may have been the majority, and that was expected, but don't underestimate how many NO votes they gained via the divide and conquer method by giving lots of FO pilots the Global and G450 positions out of seniority. I can't imagine that the bulk of either pilot group thinks too fondly of those pilots.

There are two types of luck. I couldn't help but notice that warlord19 didn't wish 1108 GOOD luck.

He is correct, however. I will encourage all 1108 members to get involved. The hard part is about to begin.

We all know how WL feels and I suspect any wish for "luck" was nothing but sarcasm. However, his individual attitude and opinion makes absolutely no difference any longer because the IBT 1108 is now the elected bargaining agent for ALL the collective pilots of Flight Options and Flexjet. Although we never saw eye to eye, I can appreciate his wish to not be a Teamster, but I can't respect him in the least, if he won't respect the will of the majority and attempts to sabotage the collective bargaining process. As someone once suggested, "If you don't like it here, you can always leave and find new employment" (... or something close).

I encourage everyone (including You WL) to volunteer, get involved, and make this the union you want it to be.

 

[Honorstudent]

The Campaign is Over, the majority of the Flexjet and Flight Options Pilots elected the IBT1108 as there representative agent and the Olive branch has been extended to Mr Ricci.
What happens next is up to Mr Ricci, there are two paths before him, the one he chooses is up to him, for this Pilot group it is a time for healing and coming together, some pilots will never see the benefits of having a Union although they will certainly benefit from one being on the property and this will ultimately be a very small percentage of the entire group. While I am elated that the union was victorious in this campaign I do not believe we should gloat in it. There is much to do in the next year and bringing these two pilot groups together should be a priority for every pilot on both properties, every pilot at Flexjet will now have an equal voice in there future and there families future once they join the Union and become a member in good standing, it is time to put differences aside and move towards a common goal, an Industry Leading Contract!

 

[993_Pilot]

To paraphrase the immortal words of Rodney King, I want to ask "why can't we all just get along", but I never actually expected DAC/One Sky management to even try. We are all now getting a good look at the path that DAC management has chosen to take. It shouldn't be a surprise to the Options crews, but hopefully this is an "eye-opener" for the Flexjet crews. I wonder if/when the investors in DAC will start to see through the Charade.

 

[doh]

The investors will give a ---- the day DAC misses a payment to them. Until that day, don't count on it.

 

[shanes123]

So Onesky is opening owner Fbos all over the country ( Not Cheap) and paying employees, utilities, rent, etc. as they get maybe 1 plane a day sometimes. For a Fractional business that they claim is failing now and On Demand Charter is the way to go. So they need to lay off pilots but they can afford these FBOs that generate ZERO income.

 

[shanes123]

Hey Union Leaders time to give a detailed interview to WSJ, and AIN on how DAC management chooses to spend their money as they have the lowest paid pilots in the industry and are furloughing all the while other business XO JET, Wheels up! Net Jets Are growing.this needs to go public yesterday

 

[GlorifiedCabbie]

Sounds like "Mismanagement by Trust".

 

[SDCFI]

The investors will give a ---- the day DAC misses a payment to them. Until that day, don't count on it.

Anyone ever notice when a public company lays off employees their stock price almost always goes UP? Investors only care about one thing, return. If management wants to streamline the business to maintain/increase returns the only ones that see it as a negative are us. And no one's been furloughed, let's hope it's just the empty threat most people think it is.

 

[GlorifiedCabbie]

This company doesn't have a reputation for cutting expenses, it has a reputation for cutting corners. As KR goes on "an around the world tour" in a global, he is threating to lay off pilots? He must be delusional if he thinks he can fool anyone.

 

[V1 Rotate]

It's a G5. ; ) http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N727PR

 

[GlorifiedCabbie]

Thx for the update. Do you know if that plane has a crew rest area for augmented crews?