CastofThousands

[B19 Flyer]

and the best part of that contract?.....it pisses b19 off.

SCORE!

Actually Broke it doesn't piss me off. It validates every single thing that I've stated for years.

1) The pilots did not get what they wanted. The union wanted a NJ contract and didn't get anything even close. I stated that would happen years ago, and the union made promises it had no hopes of keeping.

2) Three or more years of turmoil. The company shrunk, pilots were furloughed/fired and all of the employees were put through hell over it.

3) The implementation of the contract will also be fodder on these boards, and before you know it... it will be time to do it all over again and the discord will start from scratch.

No, I'm not pissed off... I'm rolling on the floor laughing that all of you have gutted the company for very little gained. Now is the time to watch all the whiners on here as the upcoming months unfold. This is going to be a helluva lot of fun for me.

In the process you've shown the rest of the industry how miserable the process is. Nobody "won" in this negotiation except for union leadership and their huge paychecks lined with your union dues.

 

[B19 Flyer]

Actually, it did. They have recall rights.

Recall rights don't pay the bills, and the impact was far reaching.

 

[B19 Flyer]

Whoever wrote that article isnt the smartest in the world thats for sure.

That does work however but its a short term solution. Just like the first day at a new school you go find the bully and kick his ass. sends a good message to others.

but what happens when the unhappiness is due to the action of piss poor management?

think about that.

You missed the point of the article Broke, but that really doesn't surprise me. As a union member YOU clearly believe the most talented employees are governed by the seniority list, not whether or not they are good employees or believe in the company.

 

[B19 Flyer]

Why do people who are so unhappy with a company stick around?

Here was an interesting story out of the NY Times a couple of weeks ago-

The Secret to Having Happy Employees

About 10 years ago I was having my annual holiday party, and my niece had come with her newly minted M.B.A. boyfriend. As he looked around the room, he noted that my employees seemed happy. I told him that I thought they were.

Then, figuring I would take his new degree for a test drive, I asked him how he thought I did that. “I’m sure you treat them well,” he replied.

“That’s half of it,” I said. “Do you know what the other half is?”

He didn’t have the answer, and neither have the many other people that I have told this story. So what is the answer? I fired the unhappy people. People usually laugh at this point. I wish I were kidding.

I’m not. I have learned the long, hard and frustrating way that as a manager you cannot make everyone happy. You can try, you can listen, you can solve some problems, you can try some more. Good management requires training, counseling and patience, but there comes a point when you are robbing the business of precious time and energy.

Don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t happen a lot. There’s no joy in the act of firing someone. And it’s not always the employee’s fault — there are many bad bosses out there. Bad management can make a good employee dysfunctional. On the other hand, good management will not always make a dysfunctional employee good. And sometimes people who would be great employees somewhere else just don’t fit your company, whether it is the type of business or the company culture.


In the worst cases, the problem of a bad fit can have a bigger impact than just one employee’s performance. Being in charge does not necessarily mean you are in control, and being in control does not necessarily mean being in charge. Have you ever seen a company or department paralyzed by someone who is unhappy and wants to take hostages? It is remarkable how much damage one person can do. If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you watch “The Caine Mutiny.” Basically, one guy takes apart the ship. He was unhappy. It only takes one.


This is only my opinion. I don’t have a Ph.D., an M.B.A., or even an economics degree. What I do have is a happy company. And that makes me happy. Now I know some people argue that business is about making money, and not everyone has to be happy. That is also an opinion. Everyone has a right to his or her opinion. When you own a company, you also have the right to surround yourself with the people you choose.


I have spent the last year and a half focusing on cutting costs, figuring out how the market has changed, and worrying about the economy. Things seem to be getting better, or perhaps I am just getting used to it.

Either way, I had a good day today. Not because I got a big order, great financial reports or even an employee stopping by to tell me what an awesome boss I am. (That generally doesn’t happen. You have to tell yourself. It’s a boss thing.) I had a great day because I spent most of it walking around the company and appreciating the fact that even after a year and a half of soft sales and cutbacks and furloughs, I have wonderful people working for me. They care. They are committed. They understand the whole customer-staff-company triangle, where all of the legs support each other.


If you read books on great companies, they usually leave out a dirty little secret. It doesn’t make for good public relations — like talking about how you “empower people” or how your “greatest assets” are your people. Both of these well-worn clichés are true. What is also true is that it’s hard to build a great company with the wrong people.

When you have the right people, business is much easier. I know because I have tried it both ways.

All you union members don't understand "chemistry" within a company because you are nothing more than a number on a seniority list.

 

[B19 Flyer]

I've been away for a long time and have never read these B19 posts before however it's time for him to understand a few things that apparently he's forgotten, or more likely ignorant of.

First when bad mouthing a Union for a Furlough I suggest he go visit his own Human Resources Dept to ask "Who does the hiring around here?"

It's very obvious he has no idea how MISMANAGED NETJETS WAS...

This is the classic union mongering line used every time an industry leading contract is signed and subsequently fails. The same leaders that brought great profits during good times are labeled as failures when the economy shifts and the union refuses to adjust the fixed cost with the economy. Classic union rhetoric as old as unions themselves.


The hiring that occurred during the late 2006/07 time frame was completely out of control. There was even in fighting within Human Resources about it. However the system that a new MANAGERS created was going to work because they said it would. However all they did was make promises to new hires that could not be kept.

B19 trying to lay the blame at the Union's feet is an example of someone who really has no idea how to deal with employees. He's probably the same type of MANAGER that jumps into his Brand new Mercedes and drives himself to the NEW YANKEES BOX purchased by him using COMPANY FUNDS. All while the employees look at him with disgust and disdain.

Yep high fixed cost will be the demise of ALL companies and it's the Union's fault. IGNORANT. The fixed costs that Unions create from their portion of expendatures are the easiest to deal with, BECAUSE THEY ARE FIXED and not variable.

Not ignorant. Not are they only not variable, they are immovable and not flexible and a union will not adjust right into bankruptcy court. As a result, the fixed cost you mention cause significant cash burn when a collective bargain agreement is in place during the times of economic downturn.


These costs can be projected for years ahead.

But the economy can't be projected for years ahead as proven over recent years.

As a MANAGER it's a factor that is in ink, as opposed to all the variables. In fact at NJA those costs are known for a minimum of 6 more years and under the RLA only becomes "amendable".

And this fact is why hundreds and hundreds of Netjet employees are on the streets, because the high fixed cost of paying pilots is not amendable and has to be paid for. Others sacrifice so the unions can have, the unions will never give up until a judge is involved.


I would argue that the financial woes of NJA had FAR less to do with employees than it did with unbelievable mismanagement. Paying millions to Celebrities to participate in "fund raising", millions for extravagant Baseball seats, millions on grandiose plans of a Corporate Campus, millions on keeping corporate headquarters in high tax cost regions (OHIO), millions on deice fluid because you decide to do flight and maintenance in areas of the US with horrible weather, millions on creating new plates, millions on VPs with questionable job descriptions, millions and million by allowing friends to sell out at top price, millions and millions of dollars WASTED due entirely to MANAGERS!!!!

No.. golden parachutes to pilots during troubled times, 5 star hotels, industry leading pilot cost and a pilot to plane ratio higher than the rest of the industry is even more wasteful than all of the tax deductible stuff mentioned above. The contract is far more wasteful than anything you mention.


However B19 seems to think those of us that are Unionized are the PROBLEM? Wow, I never knew we had so much POWER.

I would argue that the reason we really have and need UNIONS is because we have leaders that show so much disdain for their employees, as does B19.

No, my disdain is for a union that would rather put a company and all the employees out of work rather than keep reasonable labor cost and stability in the company.

We know you are flying the wealthiest person in the world today Mr. Loser Pilot, however we can't pay you a fair wage because it cuts into our bottom line too much, the flea bag hotel is where you are staying tonight because the nice one cuts into our bottom line too much, sorry you miss your family and we appreciate you working hard for us but we need to keep you on the road another week because if we don't we might need to hire another Mr. Loser Pilot and that would cut into our earnings too much, don't write it up Mr. Loser Pilot because if you do it will cost us a lot of our earnings to fix it and we can't have that....

You made the choice to be a pilot, you knew that you would spend great amounts of time on the road away from your family and in hotels. Don't whine about working conditions.. you aren't a coal miner. All those that really needed unions 80 years ago would be laughing at what unions have turned into today.

................

 

[fischman]

Recall rights don't pay the bills, and the impact was far reaching.

You asked. I answered.

I just love proving you wrong over and over again.

 

[ghostrider64]

................

Wow with responses like your I can see why PEOPLE decided to block your driveway. You profess your love for great employees, then turn right around and alienate them in the same sentence. I see no need to respond to any of your post as it clearly makes my point more than your own. Bad managers are just that, BAD. You are most certainly the cream of that crop.

See what you FAIL miserably at realizing is.... Unions are PEOPLE. These people realize that working for the likes of you would be miserable.

You come across as a classic UNION BUSTER. Not a REAL manager of people.

If you care to come out from behind the shadow of the internet and identify yourself I would be more than happy to promise you never to work for you.

A sign of goodwill from me is I am currently a G200 PIC with 11 years of glorious service for the Company you seem to think is a dinosaur doomed to extinction by my fellow employees.

But I know you are only a fear mongering little man with no real ethics or pride and will therefore continue to hide behind your shadow. Your words ring it loud and clear.

 

[William Holiday]

I fired the unhappy people. People usually laugh at this point. I wish I were kidding.


More nasal drips......If your so proud of this so called company tell us all what it is. How about a stock symbol.
BTW I loved that book, you talk so highly of, but my take was completely different. The employees of the ship took control of a out-of- control leader. They ejected his ass.
hmmmmm

 

[dime line]

Recall rights don't pay the bills, and the impact was far reaching.

Yea and being fired like the 70 and 15(Canpass) at Options dosent pay the bills either, oh and the 70 had about 5 hrs notice. Nice one DA19.

You cant hurt us any more, that is what a union does for us! I now don't have to worry about being fired for no reason!

 

[brokeflyer]

im not a union pilot. i retired after I wrote FAR part 91k.

i didnt even get my golden parachute after 40 years of accident/incident free flying on every continent, including antartica.

Your apology is accepted b19.