Raytheon declares war on pilots?

[luvu]

I'm naive, yet YOU think public message boards are unsearchable?
Interesting bit of worldly sophistication there, Elmer.

You read my post exactly 180 degrees off point. It is you that are naive to think that password protection is protection.

 

[Voice Of Reason]

For the LAST TIME

You read my post exactly 180 degrees off point. It is you that are naive to think that password protection is protection.

The "protection" I am referring to is protection from any random dufus in the WORLD doing a google search on his name. That will NOT show up for password protected boards.
I am not bouncing this back and forth. You were wrong and owe that guy an apology for being so assuming.

 

[luvu]

Reported by Reuters- an excerpt

"Raytheon quarter profit rises on defense, jet sales...........That was partly offset by a charge of 4 cents per share for writing down the value of its investment in Flight Options, a fractional jet ownership company."

This represents a $22 million pre-tax write down attributed to Flight Options for just the one quarter.

Notice Raytheon puts this in the third paragraph at the very beginning of their 4th quarter and year end press release.

They never, EVER, focused the spotlight on their Flight Options losses like this before. It was always buried in the body of the report. And sure enough, all the news wires carried it in the body of their redacted news releases just like Raytheon wanted them to. The Public Relations war of "WOE is ME" contract negotiations has begun.

"Those bad, bad pilots asking poor us for industry competitive wages. Its not our fault we aren't making money in this division. Why look at our fine and publicly lauded CEO Scheeringa. If it was possible to squeeze any money out of this business, he would be doing it."

For those of you keeping track. This month represents the TWO year anniversary of Scheeringa at the helm in either the Chief Operating Officer or Acting CEO position or both.


Pay attention to this, REAL CLOSE ATTENTION. The timing of this HIGHLIGHTED and ATTENTION grabbing write down in value, immediately after pursuing and obtaining 100% ownership, immediately after returning RAS maintenance personnel and bases to Flight Options, immediately after promoting Scheeringa to full CEO, immediately after ASAP filing petition for election with the NMB are NOT coincidences.

What you are witnessing, I submit is Raytheon setting the tables for some serious hardball.

If there was ever a time for pilot solidarity, THAT time is NOW!

Vote ASAP

 

[luvu]

"other" means Flight Options

Raytheon's full release available at Raytheon.com

Segment free cash flow information


.......................Three Months Ended ..........................................Twelve Months Ended
..........................31-Dec-05 ........................................................31-Dec-05

Other..................$10 million..........................................................$52 million


(a) See Attachment F for a description of free cash flow.

Attachment F

Raytheon Company
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Fourth Quarter 2005



Free cash flow is a "non-GAAP" financial measure under SEC regulations.
The Company defines free cash flow as operating cash flow less capital
spending and internal use software spending. Our definition may differ
from similarly titled measures used by others. The Company uses free
cash flow to facilitate management's internal comparisons to the
Company's historical operating results and to competitors' operating
results and as an element of management incentive compensation. The
Company believes disclosure of free cash flow performance provides
investors greater transparency with respect to information used by
management in its financial and operational decision making. While this
information may be useful in evaluating the Company, it should be
considered supplemental to and not as a substitute for financial
information prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles.


--------------------------------------------

This means that, while Raytheon is very publicly highlighting an accounting pre- tax loss/write down of $22 million attributable solely to the Flight Options division; the numbers behind the numbers which afford "greater transparency" but are hidden under the "other" moniker show that Flight Options actually reported $10 million in free cash flow for the same quarter and $52 million in free cash flow for the year.

This folks is what pilots flying the line are talking about when they say this division is a cash producing cow for Raytheon. Those line pilots ain't lying no matter what the "Woe is Me" headlines would have you believe.

Vote ASAP and you will be able to negotiate even "greater transparency" when Raytheon tries to play its numbers games on you at the contract negotiating table.


Again, Vote ASAP

 

[Alae]

An apology to the board

I'd like to take a moment to say I'm sorry for all the fuss over my posting.

I'm VERY appreciative of the concern voiced over the unauthorized "lifting" of material from areas of protected access - it bothers me too, when I see material posted somewhere the author clearly did not intended it to be.

Just to set the record straight; after I posted my letter on one of the fora I belong to, I was approached by an individual who asked my permission to re-post my letter on a different forum. I figured, in for a penny, in for a pound - and I had no objection. If I had thought more about it at the time, I should have posted it here myself; but then, I figured that most everyone who reads this board probably reads one of the others.

In any case, I'm sorry that it caused any unpleasantness.

Thanks for the nice comments.

Best wishes,
Mike McLeod

Who is IBT 1108? I am.

 

[luvu]

"Fora" the plural of forum- "alae" -the plural of ala f. [a wing]

after I posted my letter on one of the fora I belong to, I was approached by an individual who asked my permission to re-post my letter on a different forum. I figured, in for a penny, in for a pound - and I had no objection.

No apologies necessary from you Mike. I'm just sorry your parents made you study LATIN too.

-------------------------------------------
origin of the word “love.” It is an Indo-Iranian word. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the English word "love" is derived more immediately from Old English lufu, luvu, or lubu, which derived from luba of Old High German. The luba of Old High German derived from leubh, lubet, and libet of Sanskrit and Old Aryan, meaning “pleasing.”

 

[Alae]

Coulda been worse

My dad's degree was in Organic Chemistry, so he might have had me study Greek, too...

As it is, I'm finding Russian quite challenging enough!

Best regards,
Mike

 

[Alae]

For those who are interested

See this link.

https://www.crewtags.com/create/fin...style=Plain+Yellow&two=Same+Both+Sides&line5=

Regards,
Mike

 

[LAZYB]

I read this and I believe no union is needed at FLOPS...

http://www.oalj.dol.gov/Decisions/ALJ/AIR/2004/TOPLIFF_JOHN_v_FLIGHT_OPTIONS_LLC_2004AIR00018_(DEC_21_2005)_094105_CADEC_SD_files/css/TOPLIFF_JOHN_v_FLIGHT_OPTIONS_LLC_2004AIR00018_(DEC_21_2005)_094105_CADEC_SD.HTM

Good linky.

My first flight at RTA was with Eric Miller. Good pilot, very serious - no nonsense.

Guess I missed out on the Travel Air/Flight Options lotto...who wants to be a millionaire.

 

[longrangekiller]

If you read the entire document, you will see that the judge ruled against John G.

Topliff​

.

These ruling will have an impact on any pending lawsuits against FO / RTA.

 

[gunfyter]

FLOPS had better lawyers maybe.

But I would say certain incidents and situations mentioned in the document...

while it is not necessary to have a union to say NO... I am not flying this trip or yes i am writing up this plane...

When you get fired there is no grievance procedure without having a union.

 

[luvu]

the difference was that John didn't start with Teamsters lawyers

One can also see that engaging in "protected activity" is no defense in our court system unless you have a quality legal team with lots of money to back you from the outset.

Vote ASAP, if only for the access to high powered legal counsel.

 

[luvu]

you got that right

These ruling will have an impact on any pending lawsuits against FO / RTA.

You got that right. At any future trials or hearing of grievance, FO/RTA management will not to be able to lie about or deny their pattern of dispatching aircraft in unairworthy condition.

That FACT is now a part of the legal landscape. Management has no power to change this.

A pilot union, however, can absolutely change this. A strong union, can say, "this sh>t stops today."

Because everybody knows a Strong Union has the power to make this stick, having a Strong Union on property will go a LONG ways toward repairing FO's reputation in the marketplace.

 

[LAZYB]

If you read the entire document, you will see that the judge ruled against John G.

Topliff​

.

These ruling will have an impact on any pending lawsuits against FO / RTA.

That link is to a DOL administrative judgement.

My reference is to legal action taken by the 5 or 6 pilots (don't remember/don't care) against Flight Options/RTA/Raytheon. Details of which are sealed, with a gag order. Search and you will find that we are talking a minimum of $ millions each.

 

[luvu]

reposted "with author's permission" from another board

I am… someone who tries to research things and think about them before forming an opinion or taking a course of action. I’ve tried hard to sort through the rhetoric on all sides of the issue now before us, searching for those grains of gold in all the sand that’s being flung up. I try hard to be respectful of other people’s ideas and opinions, even if I don’t agree with them. I’ve been called many things: “a little tightly wrapped”, “slightly over-caffeinated”, “a danged Liberal” (and those are just from my Dad!); but I hope that “close-minded” isn’t one of them.

I am… a professional decision-maker. I evaluate, analyze and try to reach sound, logical conclusions all day, every day. It’s what I’ve been trained to do; it’s what my profession demands. I don’t respond well to a “hard sell”, and telling me what I think, or should think, is an almost sure way to get me to turn you off.

I am… someone who’s never had any exposure to unions before this, and was anti-union in my outlook when I first came here. I was “original” Flight Options, right down to my gold and teal necktie; a True Believer. Since then, I’ve watched three different management teams; I’ve listened to what they said, and I’ve seen what they did. Over time, I’ve seen a motivated, familial group of people, eager to demonstrate “fanatical attention to detail” to our Owners - turn into an angry, dispirited group of people who, many times, are only going through the motions necessary to get our Owners from Point A to Point B. I’ve watched morale slowly spiral lower and lower.

I am… mindful of the lessons I’ve learned in my life about trust in relationships. Trust is a fragile thing, and once abused it takes a very long time to rebuild. Once broken, it may be beyond repair. Our Company’s management (and their predecessors) have made a number of promises, assertions, representations and nuanced suggestions, many of which have turned out to be without substance, misleading or downright untrue. I have seen benefits scrapped because they were “not sustainable for this size of a company”; yet those same type programs seem to work just fine at some of the Fortune 500 companies. I have seen programs and initiatives, loudly promoted when they first appeared, quietly die. I have seen incentives bargained away, sneakily, behind my back, only to find out about it after the fact. I have seen assurances negated, promises made by one set of managers summarily withdrawn by another set of managers, for unsupportable reasons (or in some cases, NO apparent reason). I have seen people forced out of their previous seats, even as I have lost seniority to those same people. I have heard repeated requests to “give us a chance”, “give us one more chance” and “we hope it’s not too late to earn your trust”. I think that the trust which had been established between our Company’s management and the majority of our pilots is presently inop; I think it has been MEL’d one too many times, and that this latest attempt at an MEL extension is just a little too far beyond the limit for most of us to feel comfortable to continue to fly it. I would politely suggest that perhaps it is too late, and I would refer those people asking for trust to my comments at the beginning of this paragraph.

I am… not afraid of my company’s management. Indeed, I count some of the middle managers as close personal friends, and some as professional acquaintances whom I respect a great deal. I have listened to their ideas, and in some cases I have asked for their views before coming to my own conclusions. I am willing to believe that there may be more to some stories than I’m aware of, and I’m not afraid to ask for more information, instead of leaping to unsupported assumptions. I don’t believe anyone in upper management either likes or dislikes me personally; any more than you might look at a bee hive and feel anything really positive or negative about any of the individual bees; they’re just a group, and they produce a product you want or need - nothing more. Any good lawyer will tell you: It’s not about you, so don’t make it personal. Take the emotion out of the equation; there’s nothing but a set of facts. But, like numbers, they can be used to tell you whatever you want to hear.

I am… skeptical of my Company’s motivation in offering me an improved compensation plan, and in listening and responding to my issues, at this particular moment in time. I am not unaware that our Company has had quite some time to develop and offer me an improved compensation plan, and to listen to my issues before now; nor am I unaware that they did not seem terribly interested in my compensation or issues until there was 1) a highly lucrative and industry-setting contract covering compensation and Quality of Life issues, brought to conclusion by a Union at our largest competitor, and 2) a nascent and imminent organizational drive underway at our Company, conducted by that same Union. I am also skeptical of Raytheon’s timing in 1) acquiring the last outstanding 4% interest in our Company; and 2) our recent re-acquisition of RAS mechanics which used to be our to start with.

I am… someone who wants a career here, and still wants to retire from here. I do not want a stepping-stone to somewhere else. I want our Company to be successful, so making demands on the Company which are not sustainable is not in my best interest; accepting pay and working conditions less than what I am worth is also not in my best interest. Assumptions that I will do either are naïve, at best.

I am… an educated, mature, thoughtful professional. I have not said anything on this forum (or any other) that I am personally ashamed of, or would have difficulty repeating to anyone’s face. I will not stoop to, or participate in, name-calling, personal ridicule or malicious personal attacks on anyone, management or otherwise. To do otherwise demeans me, undermines my sense of self-respect and makes it vastly less likely that I will be taken seriously and/or be negotiated with as the mature adult that I am, or be shown the respect I am due as an individual.

I am… after much thought, prayer and consideration of all sides of the question, taking a stand on the side of our Union. I think that self-representation might have once been a good idea; but I think that our co-workers who are presenting FOPA to us, if they are sincere (and I have no valid reason to assume they aren't), might have chosen a less awkward time to unveil their proposal. My opinion, for what it's worth, is that currently we are better served by being part of a strong cross-industry Union which represents all fractional pilots, not just those which work at one Company or another; and which has the experience and resources to effectively and expeditiously assist us in reaching a fair and equitable agreement with our Employer. I fervently hope that every one of us will allow every other one of us to do the same thing: acting not on emotion, or fear of reprisal, or a sense of wanting to get back some of your own; but using your intellect to reach a heartfelt and comfortable decision; that is, one you can feel at ease with at the end of the day, knowing you made the “right” decision for yourself and your family, no matter what it was you decided. I fully realize that no matter what the outcome of our vote, we will all still be working and flying together; even if we didn’t vote for the same thing, we can still show respect and care for one another, and remain the same friends that we always have been.

I am… aware that our Company is characterizing our Union as “outsiders”. Well, I’m not an outsider. I’m the same person you’ve been flying with, talking to, eating meals with, and trusting your life to for years. We spend more time with each other than we do with our “real” families – in a sense, we are family. Over time, we’ve talked about our spouses, our kids, our parents, our siblings, our pets, our houses, our cars, our boats, our side businesses, our finances, our pasts, our plans for the future, our regrets, and our dreams. I’m sure that, at one point, you’ve told me, or I’ve told you things we’ve never even told our spouses. I’m not an outsider – I’m one of us. You want to know who IBT 1108 is? It’s all of us, united in our support of one another, and working together to make our Company not just successful, but the best in our industry.

I am… CJ Captain Mike McLeod.

I am IBT 1108.