Yep, I have had guys say they will accept the bump, if I paid them the per diem!

 

Sounds like a rumor I've heard a few times before. A lot of guys are upset about the piddly raise they just got, too. However, it seems that the piddly raises seem to appease just enough folks to keep that number of signatures required just out of reach.

Won't hurt to cross the fingers, though.







.

 

It sure would be great for the mechanics to unionize, however, it will be really tough for them to make it happen. As pilots, we were lucky that the vast majority of us worked out of the same base. That allowed for a lot of interaction, both through nighttime meetings, as well as paper products placed in our lockers. There is strength in numbers. However, the mechanics have a much more difficult task, if only because they are stretched all over the country. You can rest assured that the mechanics who don't work in Memphis, even if they want union representation, will have to be extremely brave to fight that fight. It's a whole nother bucket of muckets when you're one of two guys at a base and are being badgered by your boss, while you're trying to vote in a union. Again, good luck to them. Those guys work hard, do a great job, and deserve all they can get.

 

He said that the guys in EWR were 100% and that afternoon some VP went to EWR to see what was going on

 

Well if they think the pilots are bad at math I don't want to know what they think about the truckers. I'm not a pilot, I'm just one of those Ramp Transport Drivers that saw my retirement plans shot to hell.

FDX727Pilot; You said your wife works for the company. Ask her to show you this: http://tinypic.com/fullsize.php?pic=2qb7kg5 I think I am reading this right, but I would love to be proved wrong.

GJ

 

Flew into memphis the other day with an MD-10 that kept rolling off to the left when spoilers were applied. Wrote it up and asked maintenance to have a rep meet me at the gate. Debriefed him and we got to talking about the latest in retirement games and one thing caught my ear. He said the company is doing this to pay for the pilot raises. I told him B.S. and that with a company that is as successful as ours that if the mechanics want to fix it there is a way. He just looked at me and said he was gonna retire in 7 days.............

 

If this is true JetJoc14, it's just another example of the animosity management feels towards us. Frankly it doesn't surprise me at all. FS has hated unions since forever. That coupled with the fact that the non-pilot groups in Memphis will believe almost anything told them, as long as it bashes the pilots, is well known. All we can do, on an individual basis, is what you did. That is to just talk with the ground guys at every chance, to help inspire them and dispute those types of rumors.

 

Sounds like he might need to warm up to the concept of another one.

 

AMEN BROTHER Looks like all of us are going to be in the education business...

 

Bad thing is you won't convince them, after all we make $300k and work two days a month. I had one ramp manager say that my signing bonus (2nd yr SO) was the reason his retirement changed. I couldn't change his thinking so I told him to become a pilot...all it takes is time and money.