Today's Wallstreet Journal, page B3...Union Strong

[Pervis]

The two most recent cases heard by an arbitrator were victories, and two more were agreed to and scheduled but canceled at the last minute by the company. I am not talking about cases from many years ago.

The management pilot case is proceeding to a higher level than the grievance process, although the CBA seems clear that if management decides a management pilot will not be allowed to return to the line, he is no longer protected by the union. Still rather bogus. BTW, this no doubt includes ACPs, voluntary or permanent.

PRBs are up 400% this year. CPs are calling pilots inquiring about fatigue and mx issues. FMs are calling FBOs to check on the location of the crews. Does that appear to be anything like past practice? Does anything here stink of mass intimidation? Even during the 2004-2005 period, the EMT did not stoop to such levels. Read the book-confessions of a union buster. This is verse, line, and chapter out of the book.

 

[gutshotdraw]

Yip, no question some come across as more agressive than others in union matters, but your assessment here is way off. At least with the unions at NJA. People are trying to educate those who live in fear of any action their management threatens. Even when those threats are so far fetched and unlikely as to be laughable. However, after the dust settles, those same people have no trouble enjoying the gains those willing to fight for achieve.

We are not being unreasonable, as some in our senior management portray. Some examples:

Management wants concessions across the board, and has refused to come to any compromise to date. These include reduction in compensation, increased employee contribution to the cost of healthcare (our current deductibles and copays are indeed contribution), agreement from union employees to not cross other union picket lines, reduction in earned sick days, degraded after midnight language, zero COLA, and other unreasonable demands in a time of record profits.

Our third quarter results are in. In spite of huge increases in the use of vendor aircraft and the purchase of new equipment, our profits rose by 8% while our debt has been slashed. Additionally, management wants to lower our fees so lower level millionaires can afford us by taking from those that can least afford it. In other words, they want us to subsidize the uber rich.

Management insults employees to their faces. Ask the FAs, or the guy that was insulted in SAV because he has been with us for 35 years and clearly has no ambition. Dedication means nothing to people like our senior managers.

Management considers us part time employees, in spite of 80+ hours of duty in a tour, not to mention separation from home and family 24/7 for that tour.

Management directs HR staff to perpetuate the lie that the Cadillac Plan tax burden from the ACA will cost the company huge sums of money. We don't come near the threashold for said taxes.

Management uses intimidation, coersion, threats, insults, reprisals and any means they see fit to destroy morale and unity in all groups employed by NJA, union or not.

Pilots are being called and asked about why they fatigued, in spilte of our "no harm no foul, best policy in the industry" claims. A simple review of the schedule, or a look at the required URP report would speak volumes. The calls are simply an intimidation tactic.

Pilots are being questioned about mx issues discovered during pre and post flight. Again in an attempt to intimidate pilots into flying broken aircraft.

We have a hostage situation ongoing, and while some think those terminated must have deserved it, we have won every arbitration case to date. Why do you think they postponed the last two cases already agreed to and scheduled?

Working conditions have reached the level of a hostile working environment under any definition of the term. This is not very bright considering the effect on safety, much less efficiency.

Our goals are simply to be treated with the respect we have earned while building this company and to be well compensated for those efforts. We do, after all, safely and efficiently carry the wealthiest and most powerful people on the planet. Not unreasonable at all, and requires resolve on our part to make it happen.

Yip, and my amigo G4,

Read this post again. Pervis GETS IT. This post is a great summation of the current situation.

Two years ago, if you had asked me if I would ever walk circles with a sign, I would have told you to seek an immediate drug test. But that is EXACTLY what I will be doing this weekend.

Jordan Hansell has GOT TO GO and the ONLY way this company and our jobs can be saved will be to EMBARRASS Omaha to the point that a change is made. Both in "leadership" and management philosophy.

If the company burns down, it will be WB's fault, not the union's.

 

[jonjuan]

Yip, and my amigo G4,

Read this post again. Pervis GETS IT. This post is a great summation of the current situation.

Two years ago, if you had asked me if I would ever walk circles with a sign, I would have told you to seek an immediate drug test. But that is EXACTLY what I will be doing this weekend.

Jordan Hansell has GOT TO GO and the ONLY way this company and our jobs can be saved will be to EMBARRASS Omaha to the point that a change is made. Both in "leadership" and management philosophy.

If the company burns down, it will be WB's fault, not the union's.

Why would you wan to embarrass Obama?

 

[G4dude]

Yip, and my amigo G4,

Read this post again. Pervis GETS IT. This post is a great summation of the current situation.

Two years ago, if you had asked me if I would ever walk circles with a sign, I would have told you to seek an immediate drug test. But that is EXACTLY what I will be doing this weekend.

Jordan Hansell has GOT TO GO and the ONLY way this company and our jobs can be saved will be to EMBARRASS Omaha to the point that a change is made. Both in "leadership" and management philosophy.

If the company burns down, it will be WB's fault, not the union's.

Pervis makes good posts, but this one seems to be overstated and inflammatory, with all due respect to Pervis. Hansell needs to go, along with his lawyer friends and the accountants he spawned, however. As for the walking in circles with a sign, why don't we wait for the actual new contract offering before we respond?

 

[G4dude]

Why would you wan to embarrass Obama?

I don't think Prsident Obama embarrasses. He truly believes what he is doing is the right thing. Gotta admire that, while hoping he changes course, which he won't.

 

[FamilyGuy]

I don't think Prsident Obama embarrasses. He truly believes what he is doing is the right thing. Gotta admire that, while hoping he changes course, which he won't.

You could say the same thing about Jordan, but in the end they are both misguided fools, suffering from their own hubris.

 

[pilotyip]

Yip, and my amigo G4,

Read this post again. Pervis GETS IT. This post is a great summation of the current situation.

Two years ago, if you had asked me if I would ever walk circles with a sign, I would have told you to seek an immediate drug test. But that is EXACTLY what I will be doing this weekend.

Jordan Hansell has GOT TO GO and the ONLY way this company and our jobs can be saved will be to EMBARRASS Omaha to the point that a change is made. Both in "leadership" and management philosophy.

If the company burns down, it will be WB's fault, not the union's.

Thank you for a civil professional response. Not a typical FI response with name calling, etc. I am in sympathy with you guys and as I have posted before. I hope no nuc's are used and it is a win-win for both sides and no one loses their jobs so they have to come back to the on-demand jobs at KYIP.

 

[gutshotdraw]

Pervis makes good posts, but this one seems to be overstated and inflammatory, with all due respect to Pervis. Hansell needs to go, along with his lawyer friends and the accountants he spawned, however. As for the walking in circles with a sign, why don't we wait for the actual new contract offering before we respond?

Not overstated at all. Totally rational and fact-based assessment of our company.

You won't GET to a complete proposal unless and until the EMT is motivated to engage in real negotiations

Wasn't inflammatory either. But guess what? It's TIME to get inflamed about the damage the EMT is doing to our brand, our customers, and our careers.

 

[SDCFI]

This will probably start a "two wrongs don't make a right" argument, so be it. If management has started out by using fear and intimidation to try and force a concessionary contract then one could only reason that they will only respond to the same to prevent one. If they aren't afraid that the pilots will stay strong and stick to their guns there is no motivation to negotiate in good faith.

 

[gutshotdraw]

Why would you wan to embarrass Obama?

He's pretty good at embarrassing himself...

 

[G4dude]

He's pretty good at embarrassing himself...

When a person's philosophy is not based on reality, I guess the bad results of the policies don't affect him. He just keeps going, convinced that what he is doing will work. We need to be more careful who we elect President, I guess.

 

[G4dude]

This will probably start a "two wrongs don't make a right" argument, so be it. If management has started out by using fear and intimidation to try and force a concessionary contract then one could only reason that they will only respond to the same to prevent one. If they aren't afraid that the pilots will stay strong and stick to their guns there is no motivation to negotiate in good faith.

This is my first contract negotiation, so y'all might be right. I always thought the committee would hammer out the best contract offer they could get for us, we would look at it and decide if we want to protract the negotiations or vote it up or down. THEN do the ads in the Wall Street Journal and informational picketing, etc. I don't quite understand why the union would try to embarrass management and anger our owners while we are in the initial stages of working on the first contract offering. But, like I say, this is my first rodeo.

 

[jetlag7]

....I don't quite understand why the union would try to embarrass management and anger our owners while we are in the initial stages of working on the first contract offering. But, like I say, this is my first rodeo.

I have yet to meet an owner "angry" about the information campaign. In fact, those who have asked me about it have been supportive.

I have however meet my fair share of owners "angry" at the direction the current EMT is steering the company.

 

[gutshotdraw]

This is my first contract negotiation, so y'all might be right. I always thought the committee would hammer out the best contract offer they could get for us, we would look at it and decide if we want to protract the negotiations or vote it up or down. THEN do the ads in the Wall Street Journal and informational picketing, etc. I don't quite understand why the union would try to embarrass management and anger our owners while we are in the initial stages of working on the first contract offering. But, like I say, this is my first rodeo.

Bud,

We have already received Hansell's contract "offer." He calls it the Four Pillars. Did you read it?

It's a total non-starter but they have no incentive to actually negotiate in good faith unless we give them the incentive. Every day without a new contract is money saved in the company's pocket. Hence the ad campaign, the picketing, and the other union activities we're beginning to see.

It is all part of the process of negotiating a contract, especially one governed by the Railway Labor Act. I get that you haven't been down this road before. But l implore you to listen more closely to some of those that HAVE. My wife has a strike star on her ALPA wings because of a horrible, intransigent, arrogant CEO that cost his airline more in the two weeks of the strike than the union's contract proposal would have cost over the LIFETIME of the contract.

We have the exact same scenario developing here unless we get Uncle Warren to PAY ATTENTION. And yes, we need to embarrass Omaha. It is the ONLY way to get rid of Hansell and that is the only way to get this train back on the rails. If you can't recognize that, then I'm probably wasting bandwidth.

 

[T-1GUY]

Bingo!!!