Flex Jet read file

[fugazi]

A similar question could be asked about DAC and Flight Options: Why would they run a company so as to demoralize the pilot group with starvation pay, no retirement, cheap hotels, etc? Pretty much everything but the meal plan here is bottom of the barrel.

The answer seems to be that it doesn't matter. We still turn a good profit for DAC, which they use to support the other businesses in their portfolio. And as long as they have a stack of resumes a foot tall for every pilot position, they have no reason to change it. The Union is good for protecting what little we have, but the crippling restraints imposed by the RLA make it very difficult to make forward progress.

That business model works for them here at the Options storefront, why would they not try to implement it with the Flex storefront?

Of corse they would, and they are..Seems like an awesome company. Proud to be part of the DAC team.

 

[chief9404]

The going consensus at flex was "Why would DAC buy a company, who is doing so well, then, change everything for the worse; I don't see them changing pay or the schedule. That would kill morale and, ultimately everything Deanna has guided us toward; Why would Ricci want us to be like FLOps, angry, I don't see it happening." I have heard that they are changing the schedule to what you've mentioned in the near future. The schedule is the most coveted QOL perk of working at flex(at least for me).

They will do it slowly. Ask any TA pilot what was promised and what was reality.

 

[fugazi]

They will do it slowly. Ask any TA pilot what was promised and what was reality.

Ask any FlexJet pilot..what was promised and what IS reality.

 

[chief9404]

Ask any FlexJet pilot..what was promised and what IS reality.

If I recall, not so long ago you were in denial that DAC was taking over Flex. Do you remember?

I'm sure your looking forward to K.R. putting a 5th stripe on your epelets.

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

The going consensus at flex was "Why would DAC buy a company, who is doing so well, then, change everything for the worse; I don't see them changing pay or the schedule. That would kill morale and, ultimately everything Deanna has guided us toward…”

In December, I posted: “You’re thinking straight-line, as in “confront a problem head-on”. But we’re outside the cockpit and the issues we face are non-linear.” What does this mean? It means that we do not know all the reasons he may or may not have for his actions. Responsibly, we have to consider both optimistic & subversive intentions.

Now that we are merging pilot groups, It would be nice to ditch IBT and start an in house union. Either way, my vote is YES!

There are several other posts which explain in detail how & why an in-house union is simply not feasible, even with the numbers both pilot groups bring together. That said, I am glad for your yes vote.

There are some that routinely vilify the Teamsters & use them as a scapegoat for whatever problems we confront. Others use the Teamsters as an excuse not to support the Union. But the same can be said for ALPA. From reading the airline threads, ALPA appears to be much more involved in the day to day operations. That could be because many of the airlines are represented by ALPA & because of the dynamics of scope, code-sharing, contract negotiations, and mergers, have to remain involved. At Options, maybe 99% of the day to day work is done by the pilots themselves & not the Teamsters. Where a National presence becomes essential is during a union drive, grievances, and major policy changes.

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

entry

Another entry for your journal: February 11, 2014. Uncle reverses separate company initiative, announces merged ops.

Even though Uncle has been proclaiming separate ops, every Options pilot here - even the rather unstable ones - made this call correctly. That's the first point I want to make: All the Options pilots on this site have experience working with Uncle. We've played this game before.

By itself, the announcement is significant. But note that this change is not simply a policy adjustment - it's a complete reversal of all the hype and announcements made the previous four months.

This is the big message we're trying to get across: One day, policy is one way. After one meeting or after one mass email, the policy is completely reversed.

 

[fugazi]

If I recall, not so long ago you were in denial that DAC was taking over Flex. Do you remember?

I'm sure your looking forward to K.R. putting a 5th stripe on your epelets.

Indeed, I was in Denial..right now, I'm in the bargaining phase. Up next, Depression.

 

[exagony]

Wonder if its too late for the Flex guys to file for representation...

 

[slowtation capt]

but after being forced to sign that agreement letter

What letter was that?

Just think, if Kenn want's you to sign something, but he doesn't want to sign something, something ain't right.

 

[Club ORD FO]

?nevermind

 

[dime line]

Schedule is king for me too fugazi.

They cant change our schedule, its in writing!

 

[luckydog]

They cant change our schedule, its in writing!

Oddly enough, the schedule we don't want and will wind up with, is the one you have in writing.

 

[GooseHZ]

We have 3 in writing.

 

[shanes123]

get some flex guys on the negotiating committee and don't settle for anything less then what you deserve..company don't like it then strike and see how they like parking 200 airplanes..hopefully theres more solidarity in Flex then there is FLOPS..We will see!!

 

[TWA 2 ASA FO]

get some flex guys on the negotiating committee and don't settle for anything less then what you deserve........hopefully theres more solidarity in Flex then there is FLOPS..We will see!!

There already is more solidarity here. We have kept your union off our property every time someone tries to have it show up and ruin a great company.

Flexjet is not perfect, but 1108 has a pretty solid track record of making things worse, not better. If 1108 is so great, why did NJ dump you.

For my fellow Flexjet crews, please don't let a few angry pilots at FO convince you to be afraid of KR. Imagine if a few of the VERY outspoken pilots we have on Yammer were to come on here and sell their view of life at FJ. How accurate do you think their slanted and always negative/pessimistic views would be.

This is what you are getting from these FO union stompers. Next time you are on the road, talk to a few FO crews. Ask them what they think of KR.

So far 90+% of the crews I have talked to say life was great under his team. Things only got worse after he left. If you run into a FO pilot that is spewing all kinds of hatred ask him if he is in the union or not. They won't tell you this, but they have quite a few people that are not part of 1108.

So far I have only had one crew that couldn't wait to tell me how bad it was/is. We barely got the door open and they met us at the plane. 20 minutes into their tirade I had to walk away. Everything they said that was bad was really just a part of their union negotiated contract that sucked.

Remember, we singed a contract when the purchase went through. It guaranteed a lot of things. Most of them were things we already had. Some people are saying this s only valid for 1 year. I read mine again yesterday several times. No where does it say it is only valid for 1 year. In fact there are several sections that we have to vote on as a group before it can be changed.

Sounds like we got the best of both worlds. A say in our working conditions without having to put up with a union. Sounds like a win/win.

 

[Fresh Air]

Good to see some new people expressing their opinions here.

As you are watching the webcast today, bear in mind that behind those gleaming white teeth is 25 feet of shark.

Kenn's not the Satan that MS was, but he's a shrewd businessman, and since his return he has been quite successful in squeezing every penny out of the Options pilot group. Except for the unlimited meal plan of course. Doesn't actually make up for the $2000 per month salary deficit and missing 401K match though.

 

[shanes123]

That meal plan made him money. He gave the meal and yanked the 401k match long before flops had a contract. He couldn't do that today. Try eating the same dollar worth of food that you made on that 401k match. You would look like a couple of the in house union pushers that are trying to do it.. The 401k match paid for that meal plan with plenty cash left over to put gas in riccis gulfstream. Wait til you start being told how to fuel the plane and fly it at long range cruise all the time.. Wait till you start with your in plane check rides and having to spend a week or more with a KR ass kissing check airman that wants to show you who's the boss. The fun stuff hasn't even began yet.

 

[hammer2]

Good to see some new people expressing their opinions here.

As you are watching the webcast today, bear in mind that behind those gleaming white teeth is 25 feet of shark.

Kenn's not the Satan that MS was, but he's a shrewd businessman, and since his return he has been quite successful in squeezing every penny out of the Options pilot group. Except for the unlimited meal plan of course. Doesn't actually make up for the $2000 per month salary deficit and missing 401K match though.

But that's the compensation you voted for. Why do you blame him? I would be more inclined to blame those who negotiated on your behalf, and give KR his kudos for making them look like amateurs.

 

[DirtyBeech]

That "agreement" that was signed is worth about as much a sheet of single ply, Russia toilet paper. Question after question was asked for clarification on numerous points, and the best answer that the head shed could come up with is " Well, the intent was....". It's sad to see that some kool aid drinkers are going to be blind sided despite the ample warnings given to us.

As for the Flops crews we encounter on the road. The worst I have heard about the union is "necessary evil" and not a single one of them trusts Ricci or their management team.

 

[Fresh Air]

But that's the compensation you voted for. Why do you blame him? I would be more inclined to blame those who negotiated on your behalf, and give KR his kudos for making them look like amateurs.

Not blaming Kenn. He had every advantage over our union negotiators, and used it to full advantage like the shrewd businessman that he is.

My point is to offer a rebuttal to those who have posted that Kenn is a generous leader and everything will be puppies & rainbows at Floptions (the combo of Flex and Options) if only we do away with all of our protections and trust him to care for our every need.

If Kenn were truly on the side of the pilots he would have instructed his negotiators to agree to a fair wage and a reinstatement of our 401K match in our CBA, which the union negotiating team was trying very very hard to achieve.

Instead the company negotiators took the hard line and refused to budge on anything meaningful. With the economy in its worst state since the 1930s, and the NLRB mediator having told the union that a strike would not be allowed, the company had us over a barrel and they knew it. While Kenn was only slightly involved in the actual negotiations, he certainly knew of and approved what was going on.

We voted to approve the CBA because under the circumstances it was the best we could get, and better than nothing in the view of the majority of our pilot group.