B727DRVR

It seems pretty obvious from your posts, Hershey, that you are not a supporter of unions, and that is totally cool as each to his or her own.

But it seems that you don't understand that the Union is really there for you more in bad times than in good times. Having been ALPA, IBT, In House, and unrepresented as a pilot, I would take a job with representation for less money than a better paying one with no representation. Why? Because when the chips are down is really when the union becomes important and, hilariously, the most ardent anti-union pilots are the first to run to the union for help when they bust an altitude, have a medical or family issue, a problem with management, etc.

For example, when my 121 carrier went Chapter 11 in 2007, like so many others in 2007-2009, ALPA went after the Company like a rabid dog and roughly 150 pilots shared just under 1 Million to account for WARN Act violations, out of seniority flying, and back pay. Our pilots were the only group to receive a pre-Chapter 11 closing settlement because we were the only group represented. That's because were were the only group that chose to organize, despite various organizing failures by the mechanics and dispatchers. That 5 figure settlement saved my family from a hellish 2008 when I searched in vain for flying jobs that no longer existed. Contrast that to how XOJET and, I believe Flexjet initially, treated their pilots when the economy tanked. XOJET pilots were greeted by security at outstations at the end of their trips to retrieve their ID Badges and other company property. They were terminated, not furloughed 2 weeks before Christmas with no notice and no severance. Furthermore, when pilots flying on trips began to hear of the bloodbath of the terminations (23 out of 122 pilots), and the pilots called in to make sure they weren't fired too... the company simply lied to several of them. Yeah, buddy, everything is just fine.. you just keep flying our pax for those 2 more legs today. Merry Effing Christmas to you from XOJET. Guess what? For the rest of their career, they have to check TERMINATED on online applications that can be filtered out for accident/incident/termination/2 year degree/4 year degree/etc., because they were terminated, not furloughed in reverse seniority order. And if they make it past that online termination filter and actually get to talk to a real HR person, they get to explain why they were terminated to an airline HR person that is used to dealing with 121 furloughees, not terminated pilots of 91K/135 scumbag companies. "So, since companies only terminate for cause, why were you really fired?"

Flexjet pilots did not fare much better. The first group of pilots were terminated as well. Finally, after outcry, the company offered them a severance package and considered them furloughees. But guess what? When they returned, they were greeted with first year pay. Don't those pilots wish that they had a nice contract that clearly spelled out furlough and recall by seniority, and accrued seniority pay while on furlough. The true character of a company can be seen much more in bad times than good times. When we would run into the Flex pilots on the road, many of them commented that they were just happy that it wasn't them. Lining up like sheep to be next at the chopping block is not the way to protect your career and you livelyhood. Organize when times are good, because remember that these ARE the good old days.

Flight Options pilots might not have been paid as well, but none of them have terminations on their record just because they didn't have a contract and the company had no written furlough policy. Pay is important, but not as important as career protection. When things go south, Union pilots fare much better than unrepresented ones.