After a recent conversation with a fellow FedEx crewmember I was left with a number of concerns. One of which is the mindset of the average line pilot. This is one of the quotes that left me puzzled. “I am senior enough that this reduction in guarantee will not affect me. I will just bid carryover, and still make my 90+ hours a month.” My retort to this statement was asking this individual what portion of the contract was he willing to take a stand on? Answer, “Anything that would directly affect me.” “Does this not directly affect you?” I asked. “No, I’m not really concerned. I will just have to work a little harder searching open time.” Truly sad, but is it type of thinking common? I hope not.

How to convince an individually minded person the fundamental cornerstone of an effective association is unity? I personally do not have a complete answer, but believe it begins with leadership, and ends with unity. This is a rare commodity in corporate America, and certainly FedEx is proving itself no exception. The lack of character and leadership that I have witnessed here resonates from the top down. Incompetent middle management who struggle to produce complete sentences, upper middle management that has now taken steps which will hurt pilot moral, one of the things that gave FedEx the advantage over our competitors. And finally the line pilot that will dismiss the affects of furlough on junior members by suggesting it is just part of the job and somehow a right of passage. Do they really believe that the bottom 700 haven’t been furloughed at least once in the past? Most have, twice. Arrogance and ignorance is a dangerous combination. One has only to look at legacy carriers during the last five years to see the affects of similar circumstances combined with poor management and individualistic decisions. If we do not stand together and find solutions to these problems, we will suffer their same fate. Look at the on time departure/arrival rates for the major airlines, and ask yourself, if FedEx would survive with similar numbers?

My personal solution to this problem is simple. I will focus on what I can control; my individual actions. I will continue to perform my job to the best of my ability, including being safety minded, cost sensitive, and try to remain positive. What I will not do is anything that may place my fellow pilots jobs at risk. If the company feels that we are overmanned and have too many pilots, so be it. I will stay out of open time, and protect my minimum days off. My family will appreciate the extra time I will be home. Perhaps too, I will be able to provide a bit of leadership and set the example to my fellow pilots. For me, to lack unity is to lack a future.