Originally Posted by
DC8DRIVER
And another day has gone by with no understanding of the information that we are posting here.
It is all about the unity of different pilot groups. The reason that the major airlines have the great contracts is that they have adopted a unified strategy to build on each other's contracts - and NOT to undercut each other.
That is what 1224 is trying to do. Actually, 1224 has a unique opportunity in that, as ACMI carriers, most of their respective airlines have many of the same customers. In the past, the customer would drive the contracts by going to the lowest bidder. Now, however, 1224 is trying to raise the bar for all of the carriers by removing that option. There is also an advantage in that many of our contracts are currently under negotiation at the same time. By coordinating strategies, it is possible to raise the bar for ALL the pilots. This can only happen when the various pilot groups work together under their union.
So, to reiterate in case you are unclear, the union status at other 1224 airlines is of vital interest to all of us. To ditch 1224 now that you have a contract is not only strategically a bad idea, but it abandons all the other DHL carriers at a time that we need to have each other's backs covered.
8
If what you write is true, then why, oh why, has the Teamster layer of Management not stepped in and stopped DW from abusing the power of the race to the bottom agreement? You cannot deny that his actions clearly support the goals of only Atlas.
Why such resistance to such a fair and simple concept of a board of representatives, one from each airline to decide if a contract TA is predatory or lowering the bar for the group?
The answer is simple to me. Because the Kalitta contract while raising the bar quite a bit, had a reduction from a 30 hour to a 24 hour max duty day for a double crew in it. A clause that Atlas is trying to negotiate down to 20 hours for their pilots. The K4 TA also had additional duty reductions in it. Deal is ready to be done and DW by himself acts to quash it. Several months go by, appeals up the chain to Hoffa go ignored, until NLB finally steps in and gets a deal done. What’s the deal? The original TA minus ALL of the reduced duty rules, suspended for one year, and an agreement to arbitrate the 24 hour max double crew duty day one year from date of signing.
So, for a year we work under the OLD rules. Then the new duty rules kick in this past December. Then WE have to PAY for an arbitration on the 24 hour day. Guess what? The Arbitrator decides to give us the original TA award. Yes, we had to pay to get the original TA agreement on double crew max duty day.
Now I read on here that we have pilots who believe that the Teamsters actually got us a huge increase in quality of life with this award? Gosh some of us are just clueless.
Ok, so that is water over the dam right? Not so much. Omni now has a pending TA. Atlas is trying to negotiate a stop to their companies ability to extend them out to 20 days, which by the way K4 has never had. 16 and go home for us. Omni’s TA allows it. Ott-Oh Omni, even though you New TA is a substantial leap forward in pay and work rules, your Pilots will not Vote on it because it is “lowering the bar” by being extendable to 20 days.
So DC8, tell me, where is this unity that you speak of?
BTW I noticed that DW approved the Allegiant contract with its junior manning and extension clauses in it. Funny how that works when it isn’t against the Atlas goals.
My opinion is that 1224 is as morally corrupt as 747 was physically corrupt. 1224 management has made no effort to change when they are clearly aware of the problem. I guess it is time to go. After the ABX and Omni contracts are finalized, hopefully they will join us and we can unify under the ALPA banner. That would help with the whipsawing attempts at ATI.
Godspeed and good luck to us all