Amerijet pilots voted to keep the IBT at the bargaining table, turning down the illegal management offer for more money in exchange for foregoing union representation. Of course there was blowback from the numerous scabs that calls themselves captains down on 36th Street:
[Dear Fellow AJT Pilots],
I believe nobody needs a degree to understand that a forced relationship does not work and never ends well. It’s like when somebody is forced into a bad marriage. The relationship will never be good and will eventually collapse sometimes in a disastrous way.
I compare the relationship between Amerijet and the teamsters to a bad marriage, a forced marriage, a forced relationship. For those of you who do not know, the teamsters became the pilot’s representatives in a forced way through a strike. The company never wanted them in the property in the first place. Due to the enormous economic pressures created during the strike orchestrated by the teamsters, still without being the official union representatives for the pilots and all those pilots who decided to dance to their music, in which I am proud to say I was one of the pilots who chose not to participate, the company had two choices. Take the teamsters or cease operations. It’s like in some places of the world women are threatened to be killed if they do not marry certain individual against their wish. It’s a survival decision and this forced relationship is not much different. Proof that is does not work and probably never will is 6 years of fruitless negotiations, something very unlikely to change. The salary has not changed since they the teamsters came into the game and I would love to be proven wrong on this and see the union to achieve and not by force something good for all the pilots but I have my serious doubts. In the meantime they have taken thousands of dollars from pilot’s paychecks in exchange for filing grievances and make demands the company like an unhappy partner is not willing to agree to. Because they do not like to be forced like a person in a forced marriage. They have been trying to get a divorce from the union and marry a more likable partner like an in house union they may like much better and have a smoother relationship with and surely much better outcomes.
Unfortunately, most of you don’t get it and insist in supporting a bad marriage, a forced marriage, a forced relationship. Forced relationships never end well. Remember it.
I am proud to say I do not support bad marriages or forced relationships.
For the happiness of many and although I don’t make any promises I plan to stop my efforts. If this forced relationship is what the majority wants, so be it and best of luck with it. I will continue to do my job which is flying the line and make my best effort to cease and desist on any further attempts to make anybody understand the negative reality of this forced relationship.
If at some point any of my actions or remarks offended anybody, I apologize but despite what many of you may believe or have been made believe, my intentions were always honorable and in the best interest of everybody. And I did not expect a penny from anybody nor was I paid a penny by the Company for my efforts. I did not come here to win a popularity contest. You may think whatever you want about me. I have a clear conscience.
Capt. XXX XXX XXX will stick with Amerijet because it was Amerijet who hired me, not the union, it is Amerijet the one who gives me money while the union wants to collect money from me, It is Amerijet who wants to give me more money and their forced partner do not let them, and all of you got to the union through Amerijet. Without Amerijet there is no job and no access to the union.
In the example above, is the woman threatened with loss of life and forced into a marriage the bad person? Hard for me to accept that the party forced into a bad relationship is the bad guy.
Best to all.
The above rant was written by a semi-literate scab. He is a true hero to all the scabs that follow him. Good luck to everyone trying to make a difference at this awful place.