I guess I'm still not seeing the big deal about this single carrier thing. First, I don't really see what advantage we, at NJA, would gain by merging NJA and NJI. Maybe some pilots here would like a chance to fly the big G's, but we've already got plenty of big planes, probably with more coming in the future, so why push it? Any merger would almost definitely include fence agreements so no current NJI pilots would be pushed out of their spots. Also, as much as some NJA pilots like to believe the NJI guys would be stapled onto the bottom of our seniority list, it's highly unlikely to happen that way. From a legal standpoint there WILL be some kind of date-of-hire merge, which would result in quite a few of our pilots being pushed backwards (including some of the more senior guys such as myself), meaning that a lot of our pilots who would be hoping to have a shot at the G's may not get it, but many of the NJI guys would have a shot at, say, the BBJ. And, obviously, there would end up being a certain amount of, uh, 'friction' between the pilots groups, as being witnessed here on this board. Just seems like a lot of aggravation for little gain. But what do I know? I'm a pretty laid back guy who just wants to do my job and go home at the end of my tour.
But for the NJI guys, I'm wondering what it is you're worried about. A merger would almost certainly not result in a reduction in your wages. You wouldn't lose your current positions in the G's. And while a lot of you may not care, I'll bet there are at least a few of you who'd like a chance to fly something like the BBJ, or maybe the Flacon 7X if we were to get something like that. Your working conditions wouldn't change much, except that you would now be operating under a legally-binding set of work rules (ie. the CBA). After all, without an actual contract, what you currently have is a set of 'guidelines' that NJI can change or alter or violate any time they feel like it to get the job done. Before you start saying it doesn't happen, save your breath. I have friends flying there who have told me plenty of stories about 18-hour duty days, involuntary extensions to tours, and others. That doesn't mean they're not happy, I'm just saying that NJI can change things on you whenever they feel like it. Maybe you don't like unions? Okay fine, but what do you guys do if you decide your whole payscale needs to be adjusted upwards because, hey,the cost of living DOES go up every year. Go and ask the company nicely? I'm not a big fan of unions either, but it hasn't turned out to be such a bad thing. If NJA violates our work rules, I get compensated. So, what's the worst thing about a merger?
Finally, both sides can argue their points all they want. Just keep in mind that our union has A LOT on their plate right now. We're fighting a huge battle, with a well-entrenched and financed company. We MUST pick our battles carefully, if for no other reason than we simply don't have the resources to fight about every tiddly little thing that comes along. Only so much money, man-power, and time. So, if we've decided to fight for single-carrier status, then they must be convinced we have a strong case. Otherwise, they'd be putting our resources to better use. Ultimately, a judge will make the decision, but based on what I just said, I too believe we have a good shot at getting single-carrier status. Our union simply wouldn't go after this if our chances were slim. Again, I'm just not sure WHY we want single-carrier status. But I don't think it would be the horrible thing that the NJI guys seem convinced it would be.
