Originally Posted by
CallmeJB
How is management lying to customers? Amazon says they don't see any evidence of a labor shortage... because, using your words, "at the end of the day, all the flights still get covered". What other definition is there of a labor shortage (from the customer's point of view)?
I'm not saying 1224 didn't speak the truth; they (we) absolutely did. My question is: what's the point? Picketing is supposed to drive down a stock price (it went up), scare customers away (Prime customers increased by 500%), and overall hurt the company (it didn't, neither AAWH or Amazon).
It's one thing to picket saying "we want a bigger piece of the pie!" That's just basic awareness, getting our story out there. The company gets harmed by our actions hopefully, or maybe they don't. Either way, we are furthering our cause, and the message is clear: we just want our part.
But no. 1224 went right for the jugular. We picketed the customer (for the first time ever?). And our message wasn't "we want a bigger piece of the pie!", it was "your business results and performance will suffer by using our company!"
That was our strategy. "Can Amazon deliver?" Picketing events, billboards, a website, a high-production value video... all of these things cost a lot of money, and all asked the consumer and the customer to consider the same question: Can Amazon deliver?
It makes us look like fools when Amazon delivers resoundingly well. Historically well.
I FULLY support a picketing/marketing campaign that says "we deserve a bigger piece of the pie!" I FULLY support the solidarity of our pilot group, in my words and my actions. I just think that the message that we spent so much of our money on was misguided.
You're technically correct when you take a snapshot on any given day during the LAST 4th Quarter.
But your synopsis really misses the bigger picture and in fact misses the most important part of the ("informational") picketing message.
Let me fill in the blank:
And our message wasn't "we want a bigger piece of the pie!", it was "your business results and performance will suffer by using our company!" BECAUSE, as we have been saying for the past year, the pool of experienced pilots in the job market is drying up as record retirements ramp up to peak sometime around 2023. On top of that, improved working conditions and expansion at other airlines are making it increasingly difficult to retain experienced pilots. Atlas mismanagement is putting the whole operation at risk, not just Amazon and DHL.
So, actually
"we want a bigger piece of the pie" is implied when we make references to the FACT that we are compensated 40% lower than current industry standard.
This describes for you exactly how management is in fact lying (lied) to Amazon about what they can provide for them over the WHOLE TERM of their contract.
It's one thing to acquire the physical hardware (20 767s) which does appear to be on track. And yeah, it's true Atlas did shed customers in order to hunker down into a defensive posture to protect Amazon and DHL in 2017 Q4.
But it's not fair to take a snippet of a picketing slogan from one event and then draw a broad, sweeping generalization about union strategy.
One thing leads to another and this is a PROCESS. It started Jan 19, 2016. And it didn't by any stretch of the imagination finish on Dec 24th, 2017.
Lastly, ("informational") picketing is not meant
"to drive down a stock price, scare customers away, and overall hurt the company." Those would be the few consequences of a full blown strike.
The objective of the picket, as you alluded to, is to deliver a MESSAGE. In this case, to expose the lies and mismanagement of a very highly visible contract. But in order to be fair, the message really needs to be discussed in the whole context of the seven year Amazon contract.
So.
Can Amazon Deliver? | The Truth About Prime Air is quite apropos.