Originally Posted by jetgo166

Guys,

I have personally fought Amerijet as the union steward, union negotiator, union newletter committee, and union grievance committee - all on my own for two of the four years after voting for IBT representation. Amerijet pilots are represented by Local 769 in Orlando Florida, which also has an office in Miami. The business agent for the pilot group was informed immediately of the business deal and passed word of it to the relevant people at IBT. We have been trying to get our first contract from AJT for the past four and a half years. We have been in mediation since 2005. The union was voted into AJT in 2004, with almost a 90% affirmative vote.
In the years since, AJT has been on a vicious campaign to scuttle all efforts to get a FIRST contract. The top four "troublemakers" were systematically harassed, degraded, and forced into countless "counselling sessions" with management. Sometimes the were suspended or had wages taken out of their paycheck. AJT knew exactly where to draw the line for suspensions, since their crew handbook was considered status quo. It was all orchestrated by Fisher Phillips, an anti-union firm out of Atlanta. There was only so much that the union men could take, and being the professional aviators that they were, they had many options to go elsewhere, and took them. The last one to go was myself, and I personally raised the ante with that company. I was slandered, abused, threatened, ripped-off, suspended (with pay since I went over their four day limit because I would not grovel for my job back - idiots). In the midst of this, I personally flyered cars, held meetings, and harangued pilots on the phone. I had a couple of good men on the inside, who passed information as they were considered "company men", and was able to counter some of Amerijet's strategies. I offered my services to any one of the pilots who grieved an issue. In the end, I had enough of their nonsense and moved on to another airline. As soon as I left, Amerijet instituted a decertification campaign, using a couple of their captains (one of whom is still there) and had a bunch of new-hires send enough votes to trigger an election. This election cost the union seven months of negotiations. I went again and had meetings and flyered cars. The IBT won by a 3:1 margin. Now AJT must negotiate and sign a contract. They are boxed in by their own arrogance.
Do I feel for the pilots at AJT in having the ABX 767's? Absolutely not. I was furloughed a few months ago, and am slowly sinking, like many other people in this business. I begged and pleaded with this current group of (mostly captains) pilots to stand up and show some professional conduct, have a backbone for once, and do what is right. Many of them probably really hate me, most of them are afraid. Afraid of what? Losing their jobs? Guys, there are other things to do in life, no one is putting a gun to your head. One day you are going to watch the plane being loaded, and realize the pallet pushers make more than you. If you are afraid to be a professional, then you have no business in aviation. As for the current group of "professionals" at AJT, they have had one check airman fail a PC check, and another decide to make a grass taxiiway in Dominica in the last six months. God help us all.
In the end, Red Baron is absolutely on the money. For some of those guys, I would not acknowledge them, be friendly to them, or even brake if they were crossing the road. Oh, and some of them know this from their time as picket crossers at Eastern Airlines. 'Nuff said, and if anyone disagrees with me about AJT, then they don't know what they are talking about.