Scumbag cargo company Hall of Shame

[PCD]

A few answers for you.

The complaints I have heard from the Senior drivers are generally long hours and increased pressures and decreasing benefits.

This is true, mandatory overtime is a huge gripe. Especially for families. Also, to counter a pay raise management adds about an extra hours worth of work. If you ask why, the response is "Technology makes you faster". Funny we get "faster" after a pay raise.


The max weights have risen over the years from 50 to 70 to 150 lbs. Besides the potential risk of injury moving a 100+lb box solo, it is hard to manage the same # of units when some of them take many minutes to offload. I believe bonuses or overtime is awarded based on units delivered.

Incorrect, hourly only. A time bonus kicks in after 10 hours (11 w/ lunch) of 20 minutes pay. Basically the contract says a driver can get paid for that 20 minute break awarded after 10 hours without being on the clock so it's not really a bonus. Just get to go home 20 minutes early. You are correct about increased injuries. Ever tried to carry a 90 pound Bowflex up 3 flights of stairs?

I am not sure of what causes this but I have heard many drivers claim to have to work through lunch to get the job done in time.

In order to service all the business accounts it frequently requires drivers to run their lunch to make deliveries on time. Drivers do it for their customers, and management knows very well who will run their lunch and who won't. 4 or 5 days calling your supervisor with service failures ends the crappy dispatch. They get sick of making meets or sending help. Management calls it b!tching, drivers call it poor dispatch.

 

[time builder]

Quote - "I believe the pilots at AMF tried to start a union a couple years ago, but it didn't work out. Personally I don't see it being all that effective where folks generally don't stay past a year or two."

Oh, let me guess.....the company made threats and everyone gave up????? Come on man, that's weak.

Anyone serious about decent working conditions at their company should contact either the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) or Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). When "UNION AUTHORIZATION CARDS" are signed by a majority of eligible employees, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will oversee an election.

The cards are secret and the vote is secret.

Now you know. There's no excuse for accepting $hitty working conditions without doing something about it. Good luck.

I never said working conditions were poor, only that the turnover was high. AMF can put their pilots on a 3 day work week and give them a few extra thousand a year (union or otherwise persuaded), but pilots are still attracted to big shiny jets, and hence the turnover.

I'm not going to discourage you or anyone else from making your union speeches, but please, we can decide for ourselves whether we're poorly treated or not.

 

[G-force]

Other Bottomfeeders-Cargo/Freight

Saber was out of CLT. They had all kinds of interesting people from illegal aliens to convicted felons working for them.
And even one ex professional wrestler.

Just down the road about 100 miles from CLT is CAE.If you are going to mention SABER then you might as well mention BankAir.I would put them in the same category!!!!

 

[Whistlin' Dan]

Oh, let me guess.....the company made threats and everyone gave up????? Come on man, that's weak.

Anyone serious about decent working conditions at their company should contact either the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) or Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). When "UNION AUTHORIZATION CARDS" are signed by a majority of eligible employees, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will oversee an election.

The cards are secret and the vote is secret.

Now you know. There's no excuse for accepting $hitty working conditions without doing something about it. Good luck.

Usually, the "threat" that's levied against the pilots is that "if a Union is brought on the properrty, there will be immediate layoffs followed by less flying in the future."

Unfortunately, with dozens of non-union ACMI and Pt 135 carriers out there, that's too-often the case. Hence, the bottom 20-30% of your guys (the "furlough fodder") will never be in favor of organizing, their reasoning being that "100% of something is better than 125% of nothing."

More often that not, it's easier just to get a better job, than it is to make the one you have everything you'd like it to be. As long as companies like AMF are perceived largely as a stepping-stone to a better job, it's going to be very hard to unionize them. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try, though.

"A little revolution now and then is a good thing"

 

[DirtyBeech]

AMF hasn't unionized due to it being a high turnover company, and because it's pretty much the best feeder out there. Generally speaking, the pilot group is pretty happy there and use it as a stepping stone company to move on to better things. It really doesn't belong on this thread.

If you just can't survive without a union then go stick it out with a commuter.

As for UPS drivers, I can say that the majority of them hate their work and only hang around for the bennies. Maybe only 30% of the ones I ran across seemed to like what they were doing. UPS has come a long ways in regards to at least weighing each bay's freight, though the Sam Kennison clones they have as ramp supervisors leave a lot to be desired.

 

[Windsor]

I wouldn't worry about Ameristar sueing anyone since TW's brother got disbarred last year. Windsor how can you start a post about how bad a place is and then accept an upgrade for this month and sign another 18month DEATH CERTIFICATE? I can't believe this place is finding pilots after all the posts on this board and losing almost 40 pilots in the last year.

Was'nt me man. I wanted it, but realized the QOL is more important than a lousy raise and a nearly worthless 12K type (DA-20).

 

[Justthefacts]

Heard one of the new hires turned down Flex to take the job at Ameristar......DOH!!!!!!!!

That was a big mistake in his career,,,, now I am sure they will lock him in with a training contract and a no compete clause,,,,, the list to that is growing,,,,

 

[StandBy1]

Saber Cargo Airlines

I won't stick up for Ameristar, but unless you flew at Saber you really don't need to be piping up. That was hands down the most fun I've had in my flying career.

 

[McNugget]

I won't stick up for Ameristar, but unless you flew at Saber you really don't need to be piping up. That was hands down the most fun I've had in my flying career.

I don't know about Saber, but I can relate. Sometimes the "scumbag" company provides the highest fun factor.

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

Saber was out of CLT. They had all kinds of interesting people from illegal aliens to convicted felons working for them.
And even one ex professional wrestler.

That would have been "The Hands of Stone" Ron Garvin.

 

[Aviator007]

Amerijet International is the scumbag airline of South Florida with jet service to Central, South America and the Caribbean.

 

[Drill Sgt. Dad]

I won't stick up for Ameristar, but unless you flew at Saber you really don't need to be piping up. That was hands down the most fun I've had in my flying career.

I wasn't into spending my weekends helping RL work on his back deck or helping him around the house and sitting around drinking beer all night, so I didn't quite fit in, so my tenure there was brief.

 

[StandBy1]

I wasn't into spending my weekends helping RL work on his back deck or helping him around the house and sitting around drinking beer all night, so I didn't quite fit in, so my tenure there was brief.

Funny stuff. I almost forgot about the old RL extracurricular work for water ski program. The get off the chain gang excuses used to get pretty creative. When were you there?

 

[time builder]

I wasn't into spending my weekends helping RL work on his back deck or helping him around the house and sitting around drinking beer all night, so I didn't quite fit in, so my tenure there was brief.

Sounds like a Grand Canyon Tour operator I used to work for.

 

[bell47]

ATI is one

Please tell more! Why are they scumbags?

 

[Windsor]

My vote is for Ameristar, heres why.

Now wait a minute. I think nominations should be justified with some specifics such as, but no limited to:

1. Crewmember attrition
2. Quality of training
3. Scheduling
4. Maintenance, quality of aircraft, cleanliness
5. Pay problems (slow pay, no pay, etc)
6. Trustworthiness and ethics of company leadership and supervisors, response of DO to operational problems, recognition of Captain's authority, etc.
7. General quality of crew force (alcoholics, marginal pilots, willingness of chief pilot/DO to enforce standards, etc)
8. Commuting (quantity/quality of jumpseat agreements, etc)
9. Dispatch/Flight Following competence and support
10. General morale among crew force
11. Quality of ACMI contracts (if applicable)

I'm sure you can think of many more criteria.

1. They cant keep pilots. FO's are bailing early to take paycuts at the regionals. 121 guys are bailing to way better companies.
2. Lacking. "works good, lasts long time" is not an answer to a legit question about the landing gear.
3. Poor. Pilots are not paired with guys on the same rotation sked's forcing musical CA's and FO's on the weekends. ='s airlining around instead of flying
4. Dirty run down old planes that get written up for the same things all the time.
5. Fleet, nuf said.
6. Ha, what a joke. Not going to touch that, but its not good.
7. good pilot group, thats about it.
8. sucks for 135 guys. no cass.
9. some are ok. the rest you need to really pay attention to what they do. only a few are licensed dispatchers, rest are just flight followers and have no responsibility for the flight or to the pilots.
10. really low. fav topic is "where are you applying?"

 

[haulingthemail]

Please tell more! Why are they scumbags?

management

 

[CherryBomb]

Three words: Ghetto Trans Air

Commonly known as GTA

Or also known as "Get There Alive"

Any takers?

 

[smurflight]

Maybe its already been mentioned but we can't leave out Air Tahomless.

 

[dutch747]

Along with Amerijet; Arrow Air, Tradewinds, Focus Air, And I can't remember the rest. they all seem to primarily gather in S. Florida.