avantair.......union? Is it time.....again?

[Bugsmasher Plus]

I've stayed out and watched this for awhile now. No one asked for my opinion but I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in anyway.

My background includes part 121 with a very strong union that enjoyed good working relationship with the company and a part 121 that had just voted in a union (teamsters) and the company and pilot group fought about everything. So my only experience in bringing a union on property is from the later.

1st, I was not that impressed with the teamsters. Every time I went to a "union meeting" held down at the local chapter I was reminded that this is a trucker union. Right down to the design of the room. Built like an imperial throne with the teamster leader on top, looking down on the officers, looking down on the representatives, looking down on the union body. (Just seemed to be a lot of people there looking down at me.) Clearly it was all designed to intimidate and bestow some sort of prestige on the ranking members of the teamsters. Then came the language. An official meeting to the members and it was, "F'ing this, and F'ing that, and we'll show those M'F'ers and G D them anyway". Again, total trucker union. I'd imagine NetJet pilots can even attest to the trucker magazines that the teamsters send them. (I've heard that from a couple of sources)

Anyway, back to bringing a union on property. It was the worst experience I've ever had. To be fair the Company was the worst I'd ever seen to start with, so I'm not sure how much I can blame on the whole "new union" thing...but it was ugly. Management would screw with pilots at every turn. Pay was messed up. Schedules were messed up. Insurance was messed up. Policies came out to just screw with pilots heads. I couldn't wait to leave. The union has been voted in now for over 3 years and to this day they STILL do not have a contract. The beatings continue.

Coming from that background I have to say Avantair is not all that bad. Could it be better? Sure. When I was hired I was told it was a work in progress. And I have to report that I've seen progress.

The pilots getting fired? Well, I do think it could have been handled better. The FO's can't fly response? Again, bit of a knee jerk but there has been progress in that area too.

I try not to guzzle the Kool-Aid and look at things as fair as I can. For me I'm happy with the progress that's taking place without a union. I'd be cautious of saddling a company this young with a union. It's like starting a fire. At first you have to protect the embers. Blow on it gently and be ginger until there's a blaze. If after a year or two we'll know if we have a blaze or not. We'll see how the relationship between company and pilots is. The last thing I'd want is to jump back into the abyss that is a new union on property. No one wins at that and, for me, we're not there yet.

Fly Safe

** good post**

 

[grandma]

I've stayed out and watched this for awhile now. No one asked for my opinion but I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in anyway.

My background includes part 121 with a very strong union that enjoyed good working relationship with the company and a part 121 that had just voted in a union (teamsters) and the company and pilot group fought about everything. So my only experience in bringing a union on property is from the later.

1st, I was not that impressed with the teamsters. Every time I went to a "union meeting" held down at the local chapter I was reminded that this is a trucker union. Right down to the design of the room. Built like an imperial throne with the teamster leader on top, looking down on the officers, looking down on the representatives, looking down on the union body. (Just seemed to be a lot of people there looking down at me.) Clearly it was all designed to intimidate and bestow some sort of prestige on the ranking members of the teamsters. Then came the language. An official meeting to the members and it was, "F'ing this, and F'ing that, and we'll show those M'F'ers and G D them anyway". Again, total trucker union. I'd imagine NetJet pilots can even attest to the trucker magazines that the teamsters send them. (I've heard that from a couple of sources)

Anyway, back to bringing a union on property. It was the worst experience I've ever had. To be fair the Company was the worst I'd ever seen to start with, so I'm not sure how much I can blame on the whole "new union" thing...but it was ugly. Management would screw with pilots at every turn. Pay was messed up. Schedules were messed up. Insurance was messed up. Policies came out to just screw with pilots heads. I couldn't wait to leave. The union has been voted in now for over 3 years and to this day they STILL do not have a contract. The beatings continue.

Coming from that background I have to say Avantair is not all that bad. Could it be better? Sure. When I was hired I was told it was a work in progress. And I have to report that I've seen progress.

The pilots getting fired? Well, I do think it could have been handled better. The FO's can't fly response? Again, bit of a knee jerk but there has been progress in that area too.

I try not to guzzle the Kool-Aid and look at things as fair as I can. For me I'm happy with the progress that's taking place without a union. I'd be cautious of saddling a company this young with a union. It's like starting a fire. At first you have to protect the embers. Blow on it gently and be ginger until there's a blaze. If after a year or two we'll know if we have a blaze or not. We'll see how the relationship between company and pilots is. The last thing I'd want is to jump back into the abyss that is a new union on property. No one wins at that and, for me, we're not there yet.

Fly Safe

Insightful and well articulated. I too back this young company 100% and would like to see it grow, be strong and flourish.

It's sad to see every flightinfo post turn into a monument to childishness and naked emotion. I cringe at each new insult thrown and angry taunt so casually spoken. I wonder what effect each vomitous comment will have on the lifestyle of my family. My kids. This company.

Why are these people so negative? Have they ever had to work, I mean really work, for something in life?

I think it's time for the positive people to have a voice.

 

[gunfyter]

Granny went to AvantAir?

 

[DO-82 driver]

...yeah, with a Sombrero!!!!!

 

[Diesel]

Granny you still owe me for a hotel stay.

You really gotta love this FUD. We'll be bankrupt, you'll ruin the company, the pilots are costing us money, we're taking creamers out of the break room to save money to pay the pilots, we'd love to hire more but the pilots are costing us money.

Oh yeah we had another record quarter. Guess the company is really having a hard time living with our contract. Ha

 

[Ultra Grump]

Glasspilot - Yes, overall the Teamsters is a trucker's union. But the people in your local union hall were pilots. If those people were less than stellar, it had nothing to do with whether or not the Teamsters is full of truckers. Those people were apparently dirtbags long before the Teamsters got involved. If Avantair unionizes under Local 1108, you can rest assured that the 1108 leadership is not a bunch of foul-mouthed truckers. They have the best interests of fractional pilots at heart, and work their collective asses off making things better for our (and your) pilot group.

 

[B19 Flyer]

They have the best interests of fractional pilots at heart, and work their collective asses off making things better for our (and your) pilot group.

Key words here.. They have the best interests of the pilots at heart, not the schedulers, not the mechanics, not the parts department, not the customer service people and certainly not Avantair as a whole. As long as they collect their dues, they will support the pilots right up until the doors are locked or the quality of life for the rest of the company is squeezed to the point the company can no longer function. Not true you say? Ask all of those non-union support employees that have been laid off by American, United, Delta, Northwest and an endless list of others. Why don't we also bring up all of the furloughed pilots for those companies and their vanished or greatly reduced pension plans. If the unions were truly for job security, they would take the available pilot budget and spread it evenly amongst all to save everybodies job when the times are tough. Instead, they will protect the top 2/3 and sacrifice the bottom third. I've seen it over and over. (Let's not mention Eastern, that is way too painful). Avantair needs to grow and flourish. be careful what you ask for.

 

[gunfyter]

take the available pilot budget and spread it evenly amongst all to save everybodies job when the times are tough
​

Are you a communist?

And by the way, I hope you have CANPASS:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/200705...nse_contractor_subsidiary_of_threatening_good

Look what can happen if you don't.

 

[Diesel]

Why would the union want the company to close its doors? It doesn't it wants the company to prosper so that it can continue to pay the pilots wages and tied in with that union dues. Which I've made more on OT than I will pay in the next 10 years but I digress.

Here is the simple answer. NJ cried and cried that the pilot contract would bankrupt them. Hmmmm record profits? So maybe a happy pilot workforce that is well compensated under one voice of a union could actually turn out more economical for avantair.

Of course the non union support employee doesn't want a union. Just like management doesn't want to have to deal with a collective voice that says, enough is enough.

 

[B19 Flyer]

Insightful and well articulated. I too back this young company 100% and would like to see it grow, be strong and flourish.

It's sad to see every flightinfo post turn into a monument to childishness and naked emotion. I cringe at each new insult thrown and angry taunt so casually spoken. I wonder what effect each vomitous comment will have on the lifestyle of my family. My kids. This company.

Why are these people so negative? Have they ever had to work, I mean really work, for something in life?

I think it's time for the positive people to have a voice.

I've known Avantair since nearly the beginning, and it really bothers me that a small group of pilots think that a union is the answer. I wish the "silent majority" would chime in a little more and the vocal ones would step up to the plate and help the staff there rather than fight them and make union threats that do no more than incite ill will. The post you support here was very well articulated and I'm hoping that more folks will talk about all the good stuff and opportunities that have happened at Avantair rather than focus on the bad stuff. Thank you for putting your 2 cents in.