Floating bases, outsourced flying, Captains on F/O reserve. How's the Teamsters working out for you? Looks like you should have touched base with the folks at Horizon and got the straight scoop on the "Airline Division."

 

They're still working on their first contract - how exactly is any of this the Teamsters' fault?

What would you suggest the pilots should have done? ALPA was not on the table. Do you think a management team that treats them like this can be handled with a direct relationship? Or should they have gone in-house, with only 400 pilots?

The Teamsters might not be a great choice, but the pilot group now has the option of walking off the job, and it sounds to me like this is exactly what it's going to take to get some change in their work rules.

 

What part of G4 pilots don’t have a contract, do you not get? Teamsters, and any union via the RLA has little to no recourse at this point. How is G4 management taking advantage of this situation; working out for us is the real problem. You seem to be taking pop-shots at us, just beating some drum about your personal vendetta about the teamsters. At this point nobody here cares about which union is better. We don’t have a contract.

The reasons for having the Teamsters here has been hashed out long ago. Right now our focus is on getting our first contract. In case you missed that; G4 pilots do not have a contract. There are some good reasons why the teamsters happen to be our bargaining agent at this point. That could change, but right now that’s not our focus.

 

Hey, I just hope you guys get some kind of contract soon. From what is said here, you appear to be getting screwed badly.

 

Do you really Packrat? You have posted a couple times with a sarcastic comment or question.

How is teamsters working out for us? They are doing great and let me add, we aren't even paying dues for their hard work and financial commitment, a truly astounding gesture on their part. But, it always gets worse before it gets better, no surprise there. ALPA or an in house union would take time too, and we would still be looking at work rule violations during negotiations. Sitting around doing nothing was the only option we couldn't afford to take. And yes, now that we have a national union, management is mad, and they are punishing the pilot group for it, just like most management does when a union is brought to the property before a contract is signed. IMO, all of these things were coming whether we unionized or not. They were already taking away what we had well before we unionized, they were already violating our work rules constantly and would find reasons to avoid our in house representation at all cost. That is why we unionized and this behavior then and now, by our management only serves to prove to any in doubt, exactly what their motivations always were and why we needed to unionize so badly. Would I have preferred ALPA a couple years ago? Yes. But we have the IBT now and they have surprised me with their commitment and professionalism.

 

Ocho,

Let's see how you feel in 5 years.

 

Its statements like that which are disingenuous. You have a real emotional disdain for the teamsters. I get it. And I don’t care why. I also get the feeling you would like to see some sort of failed effort, of our organized venture. Because it’s the bad teamsters who are involved in our process. Just for the “I told you so” factor.

I don’t love the teamsters, I don’t hate the teamsters. Teamsters for G4 pilots are a means to an end, which at the time a decision needed to be made. We had no other good choices. How will I feel in 5 years? Don’t know, don’t care. In 5 years we will have a contract, which will be light years ahead of what we have now, which is nothing. Whether or not the Teamsters will still be adequate for G4 in 5 years. Don’t know.

But, for now we get free lawyers at our disposal while we pay nothing in dues. That in and of itself is huge for us. Those greedy s.o.b.s’ aren’t collecting any dues from us? We are getting more for nothing, which will end in a contract. Teamsters for me, means more unity for our pilot group than we have ever had. Maybe, after our first contract we could go another way; preferably independent or ALPA national. Right now that’s step number 3045 in our process. Currently were in step 31.

 

Packrat,

You have an axe to grind with IBT. I get it. Things go wrong. If you got burned, Im sorry that happened, it shouldn't. If we get burned, it shouldn't. I see the IBT doing everything possible right now. If that changes I'd be one of the first to say it. But we have to move from here, the situation we had with a number of anti ALPA pilots here dictated we bring on the IBT. So far they have been great. Im sure in 5 years there will still be issues here, but I am certain there would be issues here with ALPA or any other option, we have a very "difficult" management team to put it nicely.

 

Or with Allegiant pilots in general.

 

Really brings a tear to my eye.