The Flight Options Army

[Corona]

there's nothing funny about that post corona.
we're at war just like our netjets brothers were a few years back, just as flexjet and cs will be in the future

You might misunderstand the source of my humor: The image of a pilot cracking managements' thick skulls by buying more-expensive fuel is a beautiful thing.

I am on your side, all the way.

C

 

[netjetwife]

I'm pleased to see a fighting spirit at Options. That bodes well for your future. Management will walk all over the pilots as long as they can get away with it. The more forceful the pilots become, the more motivated the company will be to hammer out a contract.

To those who still think someone in management is on their side--wake up! If they were going to treat the pilots like the professionals they are, they'd be doing so already. They won't change the status quo until the pilots demand it.

I agree that NJA and Flt Ops are quite different companies and the strategy may need to be adjusted according--perhaps. I refuse to believe, though, that there isn't lots of room for improvement. It always seem suspicious to me when aviation companies want to balance the budget on the backs of the pilots while you never hear about management salaries, or cuts in their QOL issues..... There were some excellent points in that essay!

Take heart Options pilots! The NJ pilots went through the same thing. There is light at the end of the tunnel and brighter days ahead. The more the pilots stand together the easier it will be. The louder your message, the faster it will be heard.
Hang in there!
Netjetwife

 

[RNObased]

Just because a certain alleged actions may have helps NJA pilots in their battle, it may not be the same for FLoPS.

The vast majority of the NJA owners like their company and their program and were willing to endure some of the inconveniences. On the other hand most of the FLoPs owners I know are waiting for their contracts to be up so that they may leave the program and would welcome the opportunity to call the company in default and terminate their contracts early.

It may be the same pilot pay issue, but otherwise different companies and different share owners.

Fly safe.

Owner,
That is the one of the best observations about this I have seen. Everyone assumes it will be a battle exactly like the one that happened at NJA. Like you pointed out there are major differences in just about every aspect of the two companies. Even the Options guys I run into on the road don't seem to be very up for the fight, heck half of them don't even know what is going on with the fight. If a lot of the owners leave FLOPS then it is moot point.

 

[netjetwife]

Apathy is nothing new. It can be found in the history of nearly every group that has reached a low point. It is one of the major reasons that people find themselves in troubling situations. The NJ pilots under 284 fit the same profile some have ascribed to the Options pilots. That doesn't mean things will stay that way. The NJ pilots didn't go from their apathetic 284 days to a strong union standing up for themselves overnight. I posted here in the beginning against some NJ pilots who were slow to rally to the SU cause. They eventually came around the more visible the SU movement became.

The more the Options pilots speak out the stronger they'll become and the more their ranks will swell---just like the NJ pilots grew as a union. Remember, they have a private board to share information and discuss their contract battle. I wouldn't judge their situation by what you hear on the road. Many doubted me about Strong Union in the beginning, too. They claimed they weren't seeing the grass roots movement I posted about. People tend to under-estimate the power of the silent majority. Just because they don't all wake up at the same time, doesn't mean that the potential for a strong union isn't there. The Options pilots have just become a union; a period of transition and adjustment doesn't seem unreasonable to me. It's certainly no indicator of the future. By that yardstick, the NJ pilots would still be in 284 blindly following bad leadership apathetically. They've improved their careers and QOL significantly. The Options pilots can also better their situation substantially.

No one is saying it will be easy, but it is definitely possible to gain a contract that gives them protection and improvements. It's easy to forget the struggle after the fight is over, but the NJ pilots had their share of uphill battle days, too. The Options group (pilots and their families) can draw from the SU experience and take hope from their outcome. Stay the course!
Best Wishes!
Netjetwife

 

[DO-82 driver]

NTW...very well said.

I would further add that the NJA pilots had a true belief in S.U. and many of us put our money where our mouths were and donated thousands of dollars to get things rolling when there was no certainty of success.

My donations of money and 4 airline tickets to my Union Brothers and Sisters had an unbelievable return on my investment....and I would proudly do it again.

 

[dime line]

while I agree with you NJAowner for the most part, we have quite a large number of Ex-NJ owners here and they like it (so they say)

 

[netjetwife]

DO-82, I publicly thank you for your donation! You are right that many NJ families contributed $$ to get things moving in the right direction. Volunteers continue to donate their time, some lose income because of it. (Now how would I know that... and, no I'm not complaining!) The point I'm making is that great things are possible when a united group holds strong convictions they are willing to sacrifice and work for. I have no doubt that those sentiments exist among the Options group, as well. We've all heard it, and I strongly believe it--

Where there's a will there's a way!

 

[Turbinehead]

More union holy war crap

GOOD POST!... This is essentially the attitude that happend at NJA to get management to negotiate in earnest... and when we wrote up the plane on the spot instead of carrying the trip, they really started paying attention.

But mostly, the general attitude of the pilots became, the job is NOT worth it in its present form. I'd just as soon be elsewhere, doing something else making more bucks and happier to boot ! Hang in there !

Burn Baby Burn:smash::angryfire:uzi:

I have risen from the dead to say this: the sound of more union holy war verbiage is sad to hear. You would cause your company to crash and burn and do these things speaks to your character. Sad. IF you will do this during negotiations, you would when things are good too if you had a bad day.

Burn baby burn. Sad. RIP Flight Options.

 

[Dep676]

I have risen from the dead to say this: the sound of more union holy war verbiage is sad to hear. You would cause your company to crash and burn and do these things speaks to your character. Sad. IF you will do this during negotiations, you would when things are good too if you had a bad day.

Burn baby burn. Sad. RIP Flight Options.

The pilots did not start the war at Options, management did. So they are just trying to fight the war that management started. The pilots are doing or have not done anything to make the company crash and burn. Again, upper management has and continues to do so.

The pilots have to show management they can have an influence on what happens with the company. Now if that means they ground a few airplanes for small mx items, then so be it. What management does not realize is that the pilots have a lot of control how the company is run. There are already stories of how the charter costs have increased because the pilots are not answering the phones before their expected duty on times. That is called solidarity. That is the only way that a contract will come about. When management finally wakes up and listens to the pilots instead of the lawyers at F&H and only then will the company begin to run smooth.

 

[AceCrackshot]

The management could end this tomorrow, if they wanted. The could walk into our negotiators with a contract that mirrors the industry standard pay, schedule and benefits package, and we'd have a contract in a month.

Instead, Ford and Harrison has convinced Raytheon that a union jihad is the way to go. Management won't punish me, and I'm not punishing them. We are punishing the owners.

Ultimately, the owners will have the final say. The only question is who they will believe is to blame. I speak with these people everyday. I know the answer. The credibility gap from owners isn't with the pilots.

 

[NJAowner]

It may be true

Dime -- I know 6 FLoPs owners and not one is close to being happy. Each is waiting for their respective contract to be up and most have already contacted NJA. One will move to CS. Of course, this is only a very limited sample. Personally, I do not know anyone moving from NJA to FLOPS. I know some who are considering CS but that is it.

Fly safe.

 

[ozpilot]

When the Netjets pilots were in negotiations they already had a contract and were protected/restricted by the Railway Labor Act. The options pilots are fighting for their first contract.

Do they fall under the RLA? Or is it only after a contact is signed? If not, I see their struggle as very different.

 

[hammer2]

So here is a question for the nja pilots, what will happen to seniority when nja buys flops? Will some guy at nja who is close to upgrade lose his spot because a flops guy is now a higher number? Will a flops pilot flow to nji before a nja pilot? This will become very intresting.

 

[TORCH67]

Not going to happen hammer! There will be no merger or seniority grab, so don't try and start rumors or stir up feces!

 

[netjetwife]

When the Netjets pilots were in negotiations they already had a contract and were protected/restricted by the Railway Labor Act. The options pilots are fighting for their first contract.

Do they fall under the RLA? Or is it only after a contact is signed? If not, I see their struggle as very different.

Their struggle is different in some respects, as you have noted. They lack the same protections and must be careful. On the other hand, managers there appear to have become just as much accustomed to the pilots fixing management's problems as NJA managers were. When pilots decide to do only their own duties (not scheduling, catering, etc) and earn the paycheck they are given instead of working above and beyond for less than industry wages, the company will begin to hear the message that the pilots are aware of their considerable contribution to the operation and expect to be compensated accordingly. When the stick approach is shown to have negative consequences the wielder begins to see the sense in offering a carrot. Protracted labor unrest is not a desirable condition; when management becomes uncomfortable they'll be motivated to bring a fair offer to the table. Yes, there are differences, but human nature is the same at both companies.

Options pilots: While standing up for yourselves, do so under the guidance of your leaders. It will do no one any good if you are fired or cause problems for 1108. I know that your group is being given help and advice by those qualified to answer your questions and provide the best strategy. Please help them to help you. Stay informed, stand together, and follow your leaders. There is light at the end of the tunnel and many satisfied NJ pilots and their families are evidence of that. It can happen for your group, too. It just takes work and determination.
Best Wishes!
NJW