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This pandemic is not a conspiracy. This isn't MG just trying to get what he can. Every airline in the world is facing this issue, and most are making much bigger advances in their mitigation plan than we have been. Sure we are better off financially than some airlines, because we started off in a better position, but we are still hemorrhaging cash. Passenger bookings are still far below 50% of what they were at this time last year, as seen in the great weekly reports one of our own pilots generates. That means we will need 50% less people and infrastructure going forward to survive. We can't expect to continue business as usual and stay solvent. This isn't a charity. You all want to pound your chests and shout "max pay to the last day"? What happens when that last day comes and the music stops? I don't see much more cheering when there's no chairs left because 10,000 pilots already hit the street. This isn't a game. Ever heard of Eastern Airlines? Maybe you're too senior to care right now, because you're secure in your seat and base and cuts won't affect you. That's a pretty selfish position, yet you thump your chest and cry about supporting a union? If you're in that camp, you don't know what trade unionism means so stop cheering. If the company closes the doors, a lot of senior pilots will be forced into early retirement here, long before they are financially prepared. I assure you, MG will be fine either way. He recovered from VJ, he will recover from this. The asset sales alone will almost make him even if we close the doors. He will still be a multi millionaire and have a nice retirement.
It's unfortunate that we are laying 100-275 pilots off. I don't think there's anything the union can do to stop that now, but just throwing them away and telling them to take one for the team also sucks. There will be more layoffs beyond the 275 if something doesn't change. The company originally told the union to expect 400-500 furloughs, lest you forget. Hoping for a vaccine and a return to travel? Hope is not a strategy. The company hasn't even asked for concessions on pay rates and benefits, they are just trying to find out of the box ways to mitigate overstaffing and get through this together. They even offered to sunset any agreements before the contract becomes amenable so that bad precedent isn't set. They are trying to work with us. It would be nice if the union would do their job and get back to the negotiations table, instead of throwing tantrums like a spoiled child, and whining that publicly posted messages were viewed by management. I believe that the hatred and animus the union leaders have for the company is impeding progress. Maybe they are burned out from the fight. The future of the company and a lot of people's livelihoods are at stake, and it's too late for amateur hour. Stop with the nonsense and do your jobs. Get back to the table and bring us something to vote on.
You don’t need to tell us your name/seniority number, but just to prove to us that you’re not management: what are the conditions that the pack fault light will come on and what page of our FCOM is that found in? We’ll all be waiting for your response.Originally Posted by Nick Bradshaw
Instead of chest thumping and Rah-Rah-Rah-ing elected and unelected union officials, maybe pilots should be asking the union serious questions about what they are doing to mitigate furloughs and help improve the solvency of the company, as every other airline has done. The Union offered an extension of the ETO program. The Company said that's not adequate and made a counter proposal that the union found unacceptable. The Union refused to engage any further. That's not how negotiations work. You start far apart and find common ground somewhere in the middle. You don't take your ball and go home.This pandemic is not a conspiracy. This isn't MG just trying to get what he can. Every airline in the world is facing this issue, and most are making much bigger advances in their mitigation plan than we have been. Sure we are better off financially than some airlines, because we started off in a better position, but we are still hemorrhaging cash. Passenger bookings are still far below 50% of what they were at this time last year, as seen in the great weekly reports one of our own pilots generates. That means we will need 50% less people and infrastructure going forward to survive. We can't expect to continue business as usual and stay solvent. This isn't a charity. You all want to pound your chests and shout "max pay to the last day"? What happens when that last day comes and the music stops? I don't see much more cheering when there's no chairs left because 10,000 pilots already hit the street. This isn't a game. Ever heard of Eastern Airlines? Maybe you're too senior to care right now, because you're secure in your seat and base and cuts won't affect you. That's a pretty selfish position, yet you thump your chest and cry about supporting a union? If you're in that camp, you don't know what trade unionism means so stop cheering. If the company closes the doors, a lot of senior pilots will be forced into early retirement here, long before they are financially prepared. I assure you, MG will be fine either way. He recovered from VJ, he will recover from this. The asset sales alone will almost make him even if we close the doors. He will still be a multi millionaire and have a nice retirement.
It's unfortunate that we are laying 100-275 pilots off. I don't think there's anything the union can do to stop that now, but just throwing them away and telling them to take one for the team also sucks. There will be more layoffs beyond the 275 if something doesn't change. The company originally told the union to expect 400-500 furloughs, lest you forget. Hoping for a vaccine and a return to travel? Hope is not a strategy. The company hasn't even asked for concessions on pay rates and benefits, they are just trying to find out of the box ways to mitigate overstaffing and get through this together. They even offered to sunset any agreements before the contract becomes amenable so that bad precedent isn't set. They are trying to work with us. It would be nice if the union would do their job and get back to the negotiations table, instead of throwing tantrums like a spoiled child, and whining that publicly posted messages were viewed by management. I believe that the hatred and animus the union leaders have for the company is impeding progress. Maybe they are burned out from the fight. The future of the company and a lot of people's livelihoods are at stake, and it's too late for amateur hour. Stop with the nonsense and do your jobs. Get back to the table and bring us something to vote on.