J
jjetpilot
This would be hilarious if it was a joke. Posted on the GoJets Forum in Yahoo groups......
For all you pilots out there that think that this is the place to go.........beware
Sad really.......
Anonymous:
After just a little research, I found that it is extremely
imperative that the Trans States pilot group have a truthful and
factual response to each and every accusation made by Mr. Dario
Miranda in his VARS message recorded on Thursday, April 28th, 2005.
Below are rebuttals to the relative points from the transcribed VARS
message:
1) Re: unjustly terminated - The terminations of Paul Hopkins
and Jason Kagan were handled within the stipulations of the Trans
States contract, and even given further consideration by Management
above and beyond the latitude of the contract in an effort to avoid
having to culminate in their termination. Since the grievances of
these two individuals have just begun, the facts behind the
terminations cannot be discussed publicly. Management would like to
emphasize that as soon as these facts can become public, they remain
confident that the facts will vindicate any belief that Management
acted unjustly. Keep in mind that Management has a large investment
in each and every one of Trans States pilots, and will make every
effort to avoid termination whenever possible. In these cases, that
was not possible due to the nature of the facts and even considerate
of Management to let go as far as it did. This is a business.
Hiring and firing of pilots is strictly handled on a professional
basis. It would be bad business to handle issues of that nature any
other way.
2) Re: effective union leaders - The track record of these
individuals remains to be seen. The pilot group may not be aware
that the local ALPA budget is over $200,000 a year accumulated from
your dues. Trans States pilots have never been shown how this
budget has helped them in the past several years with a growing
pilot group, more dues, and nothing to show for it except cell
phones and laptops for your elected union officers. A two year
extension of the current contract in 2003 has kept Trans States
pilots near the bottom of comparable contracts in the industry
without any improvements. That sure saved the company money, but
did nothing for the pilots. Who do you think got that ratified?
You can thank your MEC, Mr. Dario Miranda.
3) Re: financial support - The financial support for Paul
Hopkins and Jason Kagan is coming directly from your dues.
Management is not here to speculate on how the pilot group will
spend its resources. However, Management does feel the need to warn
you that your union officers are finding it more important to
deplete your valuable resources on such issues that were handled
more than fair in situations that in most companies would not even
be given consideration. This waste of resources is not helping at a
time when contract negotiations are soon at hand. Picking the
proper battles is the duty of your MEC, Mr. Miranda, who has only
found it appropriate to find ways of stalemating mutual conversation
with his continuous unprofessional behavior and lack of proper
leadership.
4) Re: diplomatic strategy – Mr. Dario Miranda has never used
diplomatic strategies with Management in handling pilot issues. He
routinely used profanity and insulting comments when beginning his
communication approach on any issue. Although he would have you
believe this, he has never approached Management regarding GoJet
since its inception. Again, the door has been open for Mr. Miranda
to sit down and discuss GoJet issues from day one. The level of
unprofessional behavior is unprecedented in this Management's
bargaining history. This remains one of the sole reasons why
management is desperately seeking an individual or group who will
approach bargaining with a mutually beneficial frame of mind and a
level of professionalism seen in the rest of the industry. For pure
clarification, Management has nothing against ALPA. In the rest of
the industry, ALPA has done very well with its pilot groups and
bargaining with other companies Management. At Trans States, they
have not, due to the ineffective leadership of Mr. Dario Miranda.
5) Re: disrespect for the union – Again, in an effort to
maintain clarity, Management has no disrespect for ALPA. Management
has no disrespect for any Union. Management openly admits that they
would love to work with a Union that also has respect for the
direction of the airline and its goals in the industry. Mr. Miranda
has proven time and again that his goal for Management has a
different course. The disrespect is for the local leadership under
Dario Miranda. Mr. Miranda's lack of interest to approach
Management with professionalism has led Management to recognize
other Union opportunities. Management has tried to prove that by
recognizing the Teamsters as the agent for the GoJet pilot group,
the willingness to work with a unionized pilot group is important.
This has worked very well, only to be accosted again by Mr. Miranda
and his accusations that Management disrespects Unions and pilots.
Missouri is a closed shop state. Unions are a part of business, and
Management recognizes that.
6) Re: Alter Ego – An Alter Ego as it pertains to the aviation
community, and particularly Trans States Airlines, is very important
to understand. When an aviation company pursues creating an alter
ego, it is, by nature, set up to side-step the initial companies
pilot contract in order to limit any liability from that pilot
groups or unions decision making process. It is also an entity that
is implicitly tied to the original company. GoJet was set up as a
completely new company, with different market goals than Trans
States, no ties to Trans States Airlines in any way, regardless of
the fact that its parent company is the same (a very common fact in
the business world), for a very specific reason. That reason lies
with American's pilot union, APA, and the scope clause that limits
Trans States Airlines, as an entity, to grow outside of the fifty
seat jet market. What it boils down to, is that if Trans States
Holdings wanted to be able to take advantage of being only one of
three entities available to engage in contracts that are being
offered in the 100 seat (average) market, it would be forced to
create a new and separate company to be able to accept that work.
Trans States Airlines cannot accept that work. It will never be
able to accept that work unless APA drops or changes its scope
against the greater than 50 seat jet market. Do you think that will
happen? If you were a pilot for American, you would not cut your
own throat by allowing your job to go to another company. The fact
is, the domestic market is changing due to demand for more service
with smaller aircraft than the legacy carriers can provide without a
complete fleet overhaul. Instead, Management from the legacy
carriers have found that they can change with the times by changing
their outdated and costly hub and spoke model, and code share with
carriers that have proven profitability in times where the public,
not the carriers, have decided what they will pay to travel. The
legacy carriers also dictate what size aircraft they need for the
markets they serve. Since legacy Management is not willing to
overhaul their fleet, they have decided that code-sharing is the
key, and their existing fleet will serve large load and long haul
(e.g. coast to coast and overseas). This opens the market for new
domestic carriers, but only those that can compete and are not
scoped out. Trans States Airlines cannot compete for these
contracts. It is scoped out. So, in a nut shell, who is to blame
for Trans States not being able to compete for this new business?
APA. There is no Alter Ego, only another new business. A business
that you will see more and more of, regardless of who owns them.
continued
For all you pilots out there that think that this is the place to go.........beware
Sad really.......
Anonymous:
After just a little research, I found that it is extremely
imperative that the Trans States pilot group have a truthful and
factual response to each and every accusation made by Mr. Dario
Miranda in his VARS message recorded on Thursday, April 28th, 2005.
Below are rebuttals to the relative points from the transcribed VARS
message:
1) Re: unjustly terminated - The terminations of Paul Hopkins
and Jason Kagan were handled within the stipulations of the Trans
States contract, and even given further consideration by Management
above and beyond the latitude of the contract in an effort to avoid
having to culminate in their termination. Since the grievances of
these two individuals have just begun, the facts behind the
terminations cannot be discussed publicly. Management would like to
emphasize that as soon as these facts can become public, they remain
confident that the facts will vindicate any belief that Management
acted unjustly. Keep in mind that Management has a large investment
in each and every one of Trans States pilots, and will make every
effort to avoid termination whenever possible. In these cases, that
was not possible due to the nature of the facts and even considerate
of Management to let go as far as it did. This is a business.
Hiring and firing of pilots is strictly handled on a professional
basis. It would be bad business to handle issues of that nature any
other way.
2) Re: effective union leaders - The track record of these
individuals remains to be seen. The pilot group may not be aware
that the local ALPA budget is over $200,000 a year accumulated from
your dues. Trans States pilots have never been shown how this
budget has helped them in the past several years with a growing
pilot group, more dues, and nothing to show for it except cell
phones and laptops for your elected union officers. A two year
extension of the current contract in 2003 has kept Trans States
pilots near the bottom of comparable contracts in the industry
without any improvements. That sure saved the company money, but
did nothing for the pilots. Who do you think got that ratified?
You can thank your MEC, Mr. Dario Miranda.
3) Re: financial support - The financial support for Paul
Hopkins and Jason Kagan is coming directly from your dues.
Management is not here to speculate on how the pilot group will
spend its resources. However, Management does feel the need to warn
you that your union officers are finding it more important to
deplete your valuable resources on such issues that were handled
more than fair in situations that in most companies would not even
be given consideration. This waste of resources is not helping at a
time when contract negotiations are soon at hand. Picking the
proper battles is the duty of your MEC, Mr. Miranda, who has only
found it appropriate to find ways of stalemating mutual conversation
with his continuous unprofessional behavior and lack of proper
leadership.
4) Re: diplomatic strategy – Mr. Dario Miranda has never used
diplomatic strategies with Management in handling pilot issues. He
routinely used profanity and insulting comments when beginning his
communication approach on any issue. Although he would have you
believe this, he has never approached Management regarding GoJet
since its inception. Again, the door has been open for Mr. Miranda
to sit down and discuss GoJet issues from day one. The level of
unprofessional behavior is unprecedented in this Management's
bargaining history. This remains one of the sole reasons why
management is desperately seeking an individual or group who will
approach bargaining with a mutually beneficial frame of mind and a
level of professionalism seen in the rest of the industry. For pure
clarification, Management has nothing against ALPA. In the rest of
the industry, ALPA has done very well with its pilot groups and
bargaining with other companies Management. At Trans States, they
have not, due to the ineffective leadership of Mr. Dario Miranda.
5) Re: disrespect for the union – Again, in an effort to
maintain clarity, Management has no disrespect for ALPA. Management
has no disrespect for any Union. Management openly admits that they
would love to work with a Union that also has respect for the
direction of the airline and its goals in the industry. Mr. Miranda
has proven time and again that his goal for Management has a
different course. The disrespect is for the local leadership under
Dario Miranda. Mr. Miranda's lack of interest to approach
Management with professionalism has led Management to recognize
other Union opportunities. Management has tried to prove that by
recognizing the Teamsters as the agent for the GoJet pilot group,
the willingness to work with a unionized pilot group is important.
This has worked very well, only to be accosted again by Mr. Miranda
and his accusations that Management disrespects Unions and pilots.
Missouri is a closed shop state. Unions are a part of business, and
Management recognizes that.
6) Re: Alter Ego – An Alter Ego as it pertains to the aviation
community, and particularly Trans States Airlines, is very important
to understand. When an aviation company pursues creating an alter
ego, it is, by nature, set up to side-step the initial companies
pilot contract in order to limit any liability from that pilot
groups or unions decision making process. It is also an entity that
is implicitly tied to the original company. GoJet was set up as a
completely new company, with different market goals than Trans
States, no ties to Trans States Airlines in any way, regardless of
the fact that its parent company is the same (a very common fact in
the business world), for a very specific reason. That reason lies
with American's pilot union, APA, and the scope clause that limits
Trans States Airlines, as an entity, to grow outside of the fifty
seat jet market. What it boils down to, is that if Trans States
Holdings wanted to be able to take advantage of being only one of
three entities available to engage in contracts that are being
offered in the 100 seat (average) market, it would be forced to
create a new and separate company to be able to accept that work.
Trans States Airlines cannot accept that work. It will never be
able to accept that work unless APA drops or changes its scope
against the greater than 50 seat jet market. Do you think that will
happen? If you were a pilot for American, you would not cut your
own throat by allowing your job to go to another company. The fact
is, the domestic market is changing due to demand for more service
with smaller aircraft than the legacy carriers can provide without a
complete fleet overhaul. Instead, Management from the legacy
carriers have found that they can change with the times by changing
their outdated and costly hub and spoke model, and code share with
carriers that have proven profitability in times where the public,
not the carriers, have decided what they will pay to travel. The
legacy carriers also dictate what size aircraft they need for the
markets they serve. Since legacy Management is not willing to
overhaul their fleet, they have decided that code-sharing is the
key, and their existing fleet will serve large load and long haul
(e.g. coast to coast and overseas). This opens the market for new
domestic carriers, but only those that can compete and are not
scoped out. Trans States Airlines cannot compete for these
contracts. It is scoped out. So, in a nut shell, who is to blame
for Trans States not being able to compete for this new business?
APA. There is no Alter Ego, only another new business. A business
that you will see more and more of, regardless of who owns them.
continued
