NJA size

[imacdog]

If the owners take notice and leave, then WB will really take notice and actually make change happen. If he doesn't then the company isn't worth saving anyway. The pilots can only do so much.

 

[OPECJet]

Me and my colleagues at the former NJI will fight you tooth and nail if you try this nonsense, especially during these precarious economic times. That is a promise. We will fly overtime, volunteer to help out the company, and do whatever we can to minimize the damage. Enough of this nonsense. If you don't like your job, quit.

I actually don't see you, or any of your "colleagues" as a threat. It takes a spine to walk to an airplane....

 

[NJAowner]

WB gives him management team much discretion and to use aviation lingo, a very long runway. By the time he pulls the plug again (since he already pulled it once), it may very well be too late. It goes back to Marketing 101: it is much easier to retain a customer than gain a new one. And i will add to it -- especially since it is now almost a zero sum gain -- very new significant private aviation customers are coming along.

 

[BentOver]

Owner-- I understand what you are saying.. But I think it is important to remember, pilots--especially pilots at NJA who have been the bastard children of other airlines who's managment teams screwed up-- have and will take a stand and from what I can gather, most have had enough with threats and such..

They don't want to have the place burn down. But for the most part, if it comes to letting the place die VS. keeping respectable work rules in place and having the QOL we(they) deserve. I think many are willing to let the chips fall where they may. NJA is(was) a great job. But there are other jobs, other careers and the pilots of NJA deserve better than to have some two bit con-man ruin the company and then let some lawyers son screw it up even more.

Managment has made their bed, they can sleep in it. It's time for management to sh!t or get off the pot.

When the 2nd most junior pilot on the active list writes an elloquent e-mail saying he's not afraid of a layoff. He will not vote for any erosion of our QOL.. That should tell management that maybe their barking up the wrong tree. It's time for them to figure out a strategy that doesn't include threatening the pilot group every 6 months.

 

[G4dude]

Owner-- I understand what you are saying.. But I think it is important to remember, pilots--especially pilots at NJA who have been the bastard children of other airlines who's managment teams screwed up-- have and will take a stand and from what I can gather, most have had enough with threats and such..

They don't want to have the place burn down. But for the most part, if it comes to letting the place die VS. keeping respectable work rules in place and having the QOL we(they) deserve. I think many are willing to let the chips fall where they may. NJA is(was) a great job. But there are other jobs, other careers and the pilots of NJA deserve better than to have some two bit con-man ruin the company and then let some lawyers son screw it up even more.

Managment has made their bed, they can sleep in it. It's time for management to sh!t or get off the pot.

When the 2nd most junior pilot on the active list writes an elloquent e-mail saying he's not afraid of a layoff. He will not vote for any erosion of our QOL.. That should tell management that maybe their barking up the wrong tree. It's time for them to figure out a strategy that doesn't include threatening the pilot group every 6 months.

What a shame. We have one of the best flying jobs in the world, and y'all are going to screw it up. Every time I think I have seen the depths of Union Stupidity Stampeding, something like this gets started.

 

[G4dude]

If you crash the company, we have NOWHERE to go in this economy.

 

[jtf]

I will be in the first wave out the back door. I will fight for what the contract promises and do what I have to do to enforce it. I will put my comb away and help with the poor scheduling when management stops attacking my contract. I can accept furlough if it is due to the shrinking overall- not shifting my work within the company umbrella. Unfortunately the RLA that we work under doesn't really protect the contract and it takes tougher action to enforce. I can accept the occasional bone head moves by management that cause some grievances, but there are not just some anymore. Management is actively attacking the contract and simply taking concessions through the arbitration process. I will do my best to not let this happen. More and more eyes are opening and coming to the same conclusion. Good luck covering all the lowly Cessnas and Hawkers with the big Gulfsteams. I guess I'm willing to test the market and would rather take my chances than accept a weakened contact. All management has to do to change my actions is live within the contract. Is that really asking too much?

 

[BORG]

This scope thing must be a bigger issue than I thought. Aren't we just discussing a few more days available in a busy quarter to broker out trips?

If you really don't understand how big an issue scope is, I implore you to educate yourself. Those of us with primarily corporate backgrounds haven't necessarily been exposed to the issue as much as those at the airlines, however we should learn from the airlines' mistakes.

I was forced to learn about scope the hard way when I, and EVERY other pilot at Midwest Airlines, were replaced by Republic pilots who flew jets painted in our colors, with our name (they even dropped the "Connection" from Midwest Connection) on our routes, with our passengers (booked through Midwest reservations agents and boarded through Midwest gates) while we were furloughed because we refused to take 40-80% pay cuts and because we had a weak scope clause.

Just like the current NJA situation it started small, in our case with Republic providing feeder services, then code share. It wasn't long before they were flying on routes that were previously served by our B717s and MD80s in their own 99 seat E190s for a fraction of the pay we were making. Midwest management had no reason to negotiate reasonable pay rates with the Midwest pilot group because they had a replacement group lined up that was willing to do it for a much lower rate. While, like you, I am in favor of the free market ideas that allowed this to happen, I believe we need to protect what we've worked hard to get lest we replicate the race to the bottom that the airlines are running.

Is this what they have in mind for NJA/EJM? I don't know, but I don't think we can afford to give the company the wiggle room to even allow the possibility of this. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me..."

 

[hockeypilot44]

Delta and United both accepted dramatically lower pay in order to survive. There are many more examples, Fischman.

The Delta and United pilots accepted concessions to avoid bankruptcy. ALPA convinced the pilot groups that if the companies filed for bankruptcy, their pensions would be destroyed. The companies filed for bankruptcy anyway. In the long run, those concessions were huge mistakes.

 

[gunfyter]

Nice post Borg.