It was apparent to even the casual observer that Flight Options management was trying to give their pilots a comparability raise in late January 2006, but this effort was stopped dead by the pilots organizing under the tutelege and encouragement of the Teamsters.
This is from section 152 of the RLA:
Fourth.
Employees shall have the right to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing. The majority of any craft or class of employees shall have the right to determine who shall be the representative of the craft or class for the purposes of this chapter. No carrier, its officers, or agents shall deny or in any way question the right of its employees to join, organize, or assist in organizing the labor organization of their choice, and it shall be unlawful for any carrier to interfere in any way with the organization of its employees, or to use the funds of the carrier in maintaining or assisting or contributing to any labor organizabion, labor representative, or other agency of collective bargaining, or in performing any work therefor, or to influence or coerce employees in an effort to induce them to join or remain or not to join or remain members of any labor organization...
And the NMB has ruled that this prohibition with regard to interference, financially or otherwise begins when company management could reasonably have been expected to know that a union drive was underway. I think Gerry pointed that out.
Fact is FLOPS management knew about the Union drive at least 2 years prior to the vote. For them to come out two months prior to the vote and talk about, let alone offer a raise represented interference, and they knew it. But they wanted to have something to blame on the union. So there is no speculation about this issue THEY NEVER COULD LEGALLY IMPLAMENT A PAY RAISE AND THEY KNEW IT. It's actually quite brilliant - I'd expect nothing less from F&H - and some of our guys fell for it, as apparently you have.
Look man I understand that in your world unions are bad and I would concede that they are also unnecessary, what with only 8 airplanes and all. But why would you suffer pilots who work for a fractional, under a vastly different set of circumstances, that you really can't understand unless you've been there, their due recourse? You seem to enjoy rubbing our noses in your big pay check and wonderful working conditions. I have to wonder why?
Don't tell me it's because you are just trying to save Flex from what has happened at FLOPS, because you clearly don't understand what it's like to work for a big fractional provider, and without that first hand experience you are in no position to advise anyone at a fractional.
The Flex guys will vote in the 1108, it's only a matter of time and then they will come the realize the benefits of haveing a union behind them when they go to work. And yea it will probably get a little ugly at first, but one day they will have a contract and they will sleep easy with the knowledge they fought for something of value and won. Rather than running away to some small flight department where they are nothing more than some CEO's well paid limo driver and yes boy.
Say it with me now "Ohh yess sirr masser".