Polar Air Cargo, 30 days out from possible strike.

[heilhaavir]

I totally agree Whale. Jolly, great if management reads this, i hope they realize we really don't care what they do. There is no reason to negotiate anything as long as the Cato42 are out of a job. Screw E & C, screw the 10.5 proposal (or any other) if there is one, and E, I really hope you DO what you SAY. BTW are you guys really room mates?

 

[B747-300]

Wow! Full denial. I guess the Polar MEC has done a good job getting a few of you guys to ignore the facts and goose-step towards your destiny.

I had a good laugh when I looked at the list of airlines that make "so much freakin money" flying cargo. Please, drop the crack pipe and step away from the airline comparisons. UPS and FedEx's core business isn't flying cargo "by the pound" over the ocean. They are wildly profitable, but they're not in the same business as Polar. NWA is close to bankruptcy. NCA and JAL might have full planes, but that doesn't mean they're making money. These airlines might all farm out work to ACMI carriers because the ACMI outfits can carry cargo for lower cost than they can themselves. Oh, and by the way, Southern, Tradewinds and Focus are all expanding rapidly because they have lower rates than Atlas/Polar.

"What kind of an idiot would continue to run a business that makes no money?"

The kind of idiot that just wants to keep the company alive to see better days, when fuel prices drop and rates rise.

"What kind of an idiot would invest in a company like that?"

The kind of idiot that already has a huge investment (in assets and cash) already in place there that doesn't want to liquidate in the current market.

Remember, Polar rejected the Atlas contract at the start of negotiations. You could have had the same pay as Atlas if you would have accepted the rest of the contract. But no, you're now looking for a 30-40% raise plus improvements to other parts of your contract. Seems unrealistic given the state of the company and industry. How did your MEC ever convince you guys that this was reasonable at a time when your parent company just emerged from bankruptcy and fuel prices are at a record high and climbing? Was there a wash tub full of Kool-Aid in the room? Did some of you boys sneak a few extra servings?

There is one post I agree with above. Management is weak at the parent company, but the union won't change that. Their jobs are safe. YOUR JOBS ARE NOT SECURE. You should have taken the 12% (or 10.5% or whatever you think it was) and come back to the table in a year or so when conditions might be better.

 

[Whale Rider]

hehehehe..............

 

[E170Guppykiller]

How are you guys gonna feel when UPS Captains get a 26% raise shortly? Are you still gonna wish they didn't buy Polar?

 

[treetopflyer]

How are you guys gonna feel when UPS Captains get a 26% raise shortly? Are you still gonna with they didn't buy Polar?

stop it thilly, the big kidth at talking right now, and it doesn't concern anyone with SJS

 

[AAflyer]

Guys,

That ignore list is pretty cool, use it and watch guppykiller vanish.

AA

 

[400drvr]

Poof

410Dude is gone too!!

 

[Craven Morhead]

Yo, BC why are you waisting your time with these losers......

 

[Boeing747Driver]

How are you going to feel when your stuck flying the EMB170 for the rest of your career for minumum wage.

How are you guys gonna feel when UPS Captains get a 26% raise shortly? Are you still gonna wish they didn't buy Polar?

 

[IHaveAPension]

Or when we at FedEx get UPS +1%!

 

[Whale Rider]

Hehehehe..........

 

[IHaveAPension]

Dont' you think UPS or FedEx will get big raises in their new contracts?

 

[DC-8_FR8]

Dont' you think UPS or FedEx will get big raises in their new contracts?

They might, but golly gee whiz, why would you care. You don't really work for Fed Ex do you? Why do you spend so much time on this fantasy? When people spend as much time as you, under many screen names, putting down others it just shows that you are bitter for what they have. Don't worry, this isn't 8th grade. We are not like those kids that locked you in the gym locker.

 

[I.P. Freley]

How are you going to feel when your stuck flying the EMB170 for the rest of your career for minumum wage.

How are you going to feel when you discover your hyperbole is a million times worse than it needs to be?

 

[Whale Rider]

Hehehe............

 

[BlackPilot628]

Good Luck to the Polar guys. I know a few pilots over there and they deserve a good contract and good compensation for what they do.
Best of luck to you guys!

 

[heilhaavir]

Thanks Black, we'll be ok

 

[heilhaavir]

Hey b747-300, any final thought? Any last minute predictions?


The partay starts in a few hours, rock on!

 

[B747-300]

I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must be for your team to keep a straight face at the mediation table while asking for a thirty-something percent raise at the exact same time as two real airlines are filing for bankruptcy protection. The opening statement probably went something like this:

"Mr. Mediator: We, the Polar Air Cargo crewmembers, represented by ALPA, continue to believe that record high fuel prices have no direct impact on our business. And even though our parent company has just emerged from bankruptcy, we strongly believe that our business is incredibly profitable. For these reasons, we continue to seek a thirty-whatever percent increase in pay and several other improvements to our collective bargaining agreement".

September 16, 2005 will now be "A Date Which Will Live in Infamy". Your union leadership will always be remembered as the greedy morons who turned down a double digit salary increase with a contract extension and asked for a release from mediation instead. And the union membership will always be remembered as lemmings.

You guys had what you claimed was a good QOL contract. You had furlough protection!! You would have had much more power had you remained in the cockpits. But no, you did exactly what management wanted. The planes and flying will be shifted to Atlas and you guys will have the longest strike/lockout in history.

 

[heilhaavir]

You are too funny sweet thing, and you get sooooo mad hahahahahahaha, why do you even care 300? hahahahahahahahaha.