Great Lakes Furloughs Again

[Heavy_D_Driver]

Well, it's true. I got my certified letter in the mail today that said that I would not be flying after May 15 for Great Lakes, at least for the foreseable future. Great Lakes already had 7 guys on furlough in March. Another 17 got the letter today (I am one of them) and supposedly if things continue as they are another 6 will get a letter saying that their services are no longer needed after June 1st. Yep, I already faxed my resume into Commutair and anywhere else that said that they were hiring.


PEACE OUT!

 

[English]

Sorry to hear it.

You have 1900 time? Send your resume to Colgan as well.

 

[T-Gates]

Sorry to hear about the furlough.

Send your stuff to Commutair, they're hiring like mad for the CLE base opening. Colgan put on a hiring freeze a month ago, I don't know if it is still in effect or not.

Good Luck,

--03M

 

[canadflyau]

What ever happened to the 10 or so the CP was telling us about last Monday??? Regardless, where the heck is our union!!! They are nowhere!! No one is telling pilots to stop picking up open time, and to fly guarantee only... I really am beginning to feel our union is a joke..

Before I got furloughed at my last carrier, the company announced some possible furloughs, and boom the MEC got the word out "DO NOT TOUCH OPEN TIME!! and GUARANTEE ONLY!" and the remedy for most was found.. Here at Lakes we are eating our young!! The furlough is basically so they can eliminate 7 lines and spread the remaining time among the remaining lines... a whopping $150-$250... AND THAT ISN'T WORTH IT TO ME!!!

I hope every single furloughed pilot is crawling up the teamsters butts.. I am close to demanding my dues back (if I could)... no contract (or even headway) and not doing anything to protect jobs.. I am ready to walk, and have been looking for employment as well!

Guys/gals who are getting furloughed, let me know if there is anything I can be making folks aware about here before I get put on the street... I will be very very close in June.

My condolences to you all.. I have walked in two differnet pairs of "furloughed" shoes and feel your pain/frustration. Sincerely, canadflyau

 

[embdrvr]

It's friggin unbelievable that people need to be told that they should not pick up open time when their brothers (and sisters) are on the street. There is no excuse for that. None.
I agree with you that the union should be getting the word out and educating the membership but to me that's just common sense.

 

[canadflyau]

No one is telling pilots to stop picking up open time, and to fly guarantee only...

Maybe I should say " No one is reminding pilots to stop picking up open time, and to fly guarantee only..." Embdrvr I couldn't agree with you more, but after we heard about the furloughs, we were shown how the new "beefed" up lines were looking, and I could be wrong but I thought I heard people complimenting the change.. very disheartening

 

[Wally]

...where the heck is our union!!! They are nowhere!! No one is telling pilots to stop picking up open time, and to fly guarantee only... I really am beginning to feel our union is a joke...

Just curious canadlyau, but when you say "no one" is telling pilots, you do mean no one except for you, right? Your union is a joke because your pilot group is a joke. You have to remember that you and each of the pilots make up the union and if you and the majority of the group do nothing, then indeed, the union is a joke. What have you and your peers done to change things? To get the word out? To direct your complaints in mass to management? Or even to direct your complaints to your union leaders? Maybe you're bitching on this site in hopes they may read it and do something about it?
Good luck, and I mean that more sincerely than you could know, but until (or if) the attitude changes amongst the pilot/employee group, it will be a difficult road.

Peace,
W

 

[canadflyau]

Wally-
You are totally right! However maybe I am wrong about the teamsters here, but the last carrier I flew with was ALPA, and until you were no longer a "probationary pilot" you were not allowed to get into a capacity with the Union, for your own sake... At least that is how that MEC did it. Once probation was over, join any commitee get as involved as you want, but lay low untill probationary period is complete.

But how would I know? I have never met with the union, never been a focus of a membership drive.. I just joined as soon as I completed training b/c I know that is what you do.. in fact I had to make phone calls to track down how to get the paperwork to sign up!!!

Maybe you and I see diferently, but I think effective leadership starts at the top and finds a way to keep the constituants abreast and involved. Lead is in the word leadership and quite frankly I haven't seen that. Heck these folks volunteered, no one forced them into these positions.

I have only been on the property here for months and could be off base... but furloughs usually means we (a union) go into emergency mode and start raising flags and get direction from our union leaders on what steps we are taking to stop these layoffs, and reverse the trend... Especially when layoffs are to "beef up" of hours (+10) of the remaing lines.

That is how I see it from the very bottom of the seniority list...... and Wally your right, I will be doing even more legwork to see if I can get more involved, very similar to how I got myself signed up for the union in the first place.

Maybe you're bitching on this site in hopes they may read it and do something about it?

Well Wally you couldn't be more off base.. First and foremost, I hate hearing that fellow pilots where I work are going to experience a pain I have been through. It digs deep and hits home, all the byproducts I can speak of first hand of from my furloughs. I have called the teamsters and left several messages, and posted on the very unfrequented Union boards. My status as probationary, and quite frankly unfamiliarty with teamsters or my local reps (I wouldn't know them if they punched me in the face... I fly a whopping 15hrs a month on the Emb so am never at the airport and not flying with any reps that I know of.) I know you aren't clairvoyant, but don't jump to conclusions about my status. I am not sitting on my duff giving no care about whats going on... I call our "hotline" religiously for the bi-monthly updates, and frequent the message boards. At this point in my career I am an eager follower, and there is and should be a place for pilots like me in every union. Every band needs a conductor, and every conductor needs a band... We would be totally ineffective if we had hundreds of conductors, and no one to carry out their direction.

You get my point. Take Care, canadflyau

 

[Cardinal]

Well shoot.

 

[BRA]

what DOH do they go back to?