Amerijet pilots released
08-27-2009, 02:00 PM
#41
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2009
Position: What day is it?
Posts: 963
AJT Pilots:
Guys like the "caviar sniffing" captjns are the ones who have no clue what it takes to make it in this industry. And he wouldn't last two minutes before crying his eyes out if he had to deal with what you guys have. You hang in there. From what I hear, all the freight carriers are lining up in support and to not haul your freight. Hope your guys park the airplanes wherever they are and come home. Any real airline pilot would gladly give you a jumpseat.
Found the press release on your strike and copied it to Word, here's the text. I'd like to think it would cause "some" people here to re-evaluate their attitudes, but you can find a toffee nosed git anywhere.
HANG IN THERE!
URGENT
#20092708
__________________________________________________ __________
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
August 27, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Despite a five year attempt to secure a contract, the pilots and flight engineers of Amerijet International (Amerijet) have now gone on strike, according to the Airline Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
The crewmembers of the Ft. Lauderdale based all cargo airline have been attempting to negotiate for a first contract since early in 2004. During the over five and a half years time, they have faced management based attempts to decertify the union, unilateral wage and benefit cuts and increased pressure to remove the legally elected union from the property. The refusal by the management of Amerijet to engage in good faith bargaining resulted in the appointment of a Federal mediator by the National Mediation Board (NMB) two years ago, and their continued bad faith bargaining led to the imposition of a 30 day cooling off period by the NMB, the expiration of which allows either party to engage in self help activities if an agreement is not reached. The 30 day cooling off period expired Thursday morning at 12:01 am. “The NMB very rarely imposes cooling off periods and mediation “releases” enabling labor unions to engage in self help activities. The NMB’s decision to impose such a cooling off period and release reflects Amerijet’s complete bad faith conduct throughout this over 5 year ordeal,” said Daisy Gonzalez, a Teamsters spokesperson. Over the last several days, the NMB, along with the union, continued to urge management to respond in good faith and come to an agreement. Late last night, Amerijet management broke off further negotiations and walked out of the NMB-sponsored contract talks. The key hang up in the contract talks involved Amerijet’s insistence on a five year contract without any raise in the last 20 months of the contract’s term. The Company also refused the Union’s demand to restore severe wage and benefit cuts that the Company imposed earlier this year, during a previous NMB-directed negotiating meeting in Washington, DC.
“In addition to operating the ‘Zero G’ aircraft that charges passengers five thousand dollars for a weightless flight experience, Amerijet pilots and flight engineers also fly Boeing 727 jets, and operate a vital air cargo link to many Caribbean islands and nations carrying the vital goods of individuals and companies who rely on this air bridge to provide critical air service in the region to and from the United States,” stated Gonzalez. “Prior to suffering a unilateral 10% wage cut imposed in March, 2009, the Amerijet pilots and flight engineers had been working at the same pay rate since 1999; a pay rate that is not only at or below the poverty level, it is almost identical to the pay of the regional pilots who were killed in the crash of Colgan Air 3407 in Buffalo this year. The average Amerijet first officer’s pay was $36,000 a year before the ten percent cut earlier this year,” said Gonzalez who also noted that Amerijet does not even provide basic sanitary facilities on the airplanes and does not provide food and water to their pilot and flight engineers who are flying long, hot and exhausting duty days throughout the Caribbean and South America. “Amerijet’s refusal to provide for even basic physiological needs and their insistence that even further pay penalties be imposed on the pilots and flight engineers if they call in sick for a flight is a testament to the mindset that has created the problems facing the airline industry and the need for change,” Gonzalez continued. Federal Aviation Regulations specifically prohibit crewmembers from flying while sick, a factor that has been cited as a potential contributing factor in the Buffalo crash that killed fifty seven people earlier this year.
The Teamsters proposed a four year contract with a reinstatement of the arbitrary ten percent (10%) wage cut imposed earlier this year by the Company in its continued effort to force the crewmembers to dump the union, a $250 lump sum payment on signing of a contract, and three percent (3%) pay raises for the three following years. Amerijet’s final offer was a five year demand with no raise in the final twenty months of the contract; along with the further imposition of a five (5) hour per day pay cut for any crewmember who called in sick for a trip.
“In the end, the losers here are not just the customers, but the countries of the Caribbean that count on critical and timely air cargo service as well,” said Gonzalez. “Time critical shipments will be lost due to the refusal of an airline management who puts their personal gain ahead of their customers. We have received commitments from other air cargo carrier pilot groups and other transport-related unions stating that they will honor the Amerijet pilots and flight engineers picket lines.
Businesses unrelated to Amerijet will also be affected as other union members in all likelihood will refuse to cross those lines to deliver other goods and packages. It is truly unfortunate that Amerijet is such a bad corporate neighbor to many South Florida companies.”
The Airline Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 769 represents the flight deck crewmembers employed by Amerijet International; a Ft. Lauderdale based cargo company that operates primarily to and from the Miami International Airport and the Caribbean Islands and South America. Teamsters Local 769 represents over 8,000 employees and families throughout South Florida.
###
CONTACT PERSON: Daisy Gonzalez
Business Representative
Teamsters Local Union No. 769
321-536-7077
Guys like the "caviar sniffing" captjns are the ones who have no clue what it takes to make it in this industry. And he wouldn't last two minutes before crying his eyes out if he had to deal with what you guys have. You hang in there. From what I hear, all the freight carriers are lining up in support and to not haul your freight. Hope your guys park the airplanes wherever they are and come home. Any real airline pilot would gladly give you a jumpseat.
Found the press release on your strike and copied it to Word, here's the text. I'd like to think it would cause "some" people here to re-evaluate their attitudes, but you can find a toffee nosed git anywhere.
HANG IN THERE!
Press Release
URGENT
#20092708
__________________________________________________ __________
Five Years Of Bad Faith Bargaining By Amerijet Results In Strike For Major South Florida Cargo Airline
Caribbean Islands and South America to Suffer brunt as critical air cargo service will be lost.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
August 27, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Despite a five year attempt to secure a contract, the pilots and flight engineers of Amerijet International (Amerijet) have now gone on strike, according to the Airline Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
The crewmembers of the Ft. Lauderdale based all cargo airline have been attempting to negotiate for a first contract since early in 2004. During the over five and a half years time, they have faced management based attempts to decertify the union, unilateral wage and benefit cuts and increased pressure to remove the legally elected union from the property. The refusal by the management of Amerijet to engage in good faith bargaining resulted in the appointment of a Federal mediator by the National Mediation Board (NMB) two years ago, and their continued bad faith bargaining led to the imposition of a 30 day cooling off period by the NMB, the expiration of which allows either party to engage in self help activities if an agreement is not reached. The 30 day cooling off period expired Thursday morning at 12:01 am. “The NMB very rarely imposes cooling off periods and mediation “releases” enabling labor unions to engage in self help activities. The NMB’s decision to impose such a cooling off period and release reflects Amerijet’s complete bad faith conduct throughout this over 5 year ordeal,” said Daisy Gonzalez, a Teamsters spokesperson. Over the last several days, the NMB, along with the union, continued to urge management to respond in good faith and come to an agreement. Late last night, Amerijet management broke off further negotiations and walked out of the NMB-sponsored contract talks. The key hang up in the contract talks involved Amerijet’s insistence on a five year contract without any raise in the last 20 months of the contract’s term. The Company also refused the Union’s demand to restore severe wage and benefit cuts that the Company imposed earlier this year, during a previous NMB-directed negotiating meeting in Washington, DC.
“In addition to operating the ‘Zero G’ aircraft that charges passengers five thousand dollars for a weightless flight experience, Amerijet pilots and flight engineers also fly Boeing 727 jets, and operate a vital air cargo link to many Caribbean islands and nations carrying the vital goods of individuals and companies who rely on this air bridge to provide critical air service in the region to and from the United States,” stated Gonzalez. “Prior to suffering a unilateral 10% wage cut imposed in March, 2009, the Amerijet pilots and flight engineers had been working at the same pay rate since 1999; a pay rate that is not only at or below the poverty level, it is almost identical to the pay of the regional pilots who were killed in the crash of Colgan Air 3407 in Buffalo this year. The average Amerijet first officer’s pay was $36,000 a year before the ten percent cut earlier this year,” said Gonzalez who also noted that Amerijet does not even provide basic sanitary facilities on the airplanes and does not provide food and water to their pilot and flight engineers who are flying long, hot and exhausting duty days throughout the Caribbean and South America. “Amerijet’s refusal to provide for even basic physiological needs and their insistence that even further pay penalties be imposed on the pilots and flight engineers if they call in sick for a flight is a testament to the mindset that has created the problems facing the airline industry and the need for change,” Gonzalez continued. Federal Aviation Regulations specifically prohibit crewmembers from flying while sick, a factor that has been cited as a potential contributing factor in the Buffalo crash that killed fifty seven people earlier this year.
The Teamsters proposed a four year contract with a reinstatement of the arbitrary ten percent (10%) wage cut imposed earlier this year by the Company in its continued effort to force the crewmembers to dump the union, a $250 lump sum payment on signing of a contract, and three percent (3%) pay raises for the three following years. Amerijet’s final offer was a five year demand with no raise in the final twenty months of the contract; along with the further imposition of a five (5) hour per day pay cut for any crewmember who called in sick for a trip.
“In the end, the losers here are not just the customers, but the countries of the Caribbean that count on critical and timely air cargo service as well,” said Gonzalez. “Time critical shipments will be lost due to the refusal of an airline management who puts their personal gain ahead of their customers. We have received commitments from other air cargo carrier pilot groups and other transport-related unions stating that they will honor the Amerijet pilots and flight engineers picket lines.
Businesses unrelated to Amerijet will also be affected as other union members in all likelihood will refuse to cross those lines to deliver other goods and packages. It is truly unfortunate that Amerijet is such a bad corporate neighbor to many South Florida companies.”
The Airline Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 769 represents the flight deck crewmembers employed by Amerijet International; a Ft. Lauderdale based cargo company that operates primarily to and from the Miami International Airport and the Caribbean Islands and South America. Teamsters Local 769 represents over 8,000 employees and families throughout South Florida.
###
CONTACT PERSON: Daisy Gonzalez
Business Representative
Teamsters Local Union No. 769
321-536-7077
08-27-2009, 03:48 PM
#42
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: B-737NG preferably in first class with a glass of champagne and caviar
Posts: 5,904
To Brown Cow, flyboy, and ATC;
So tell me… when are you three going to call in sick to walk the picket line with the Amerijet group? When are you three going to call upon your fellow employees to walk in solidarity with the Amerijet pilots?
Hey Brown... is double flame like a double dog dare? Did you come up with that all by yourself? Hope I don’t have night mares tonight? Maybe you should jump into your company’s thread about which hotel to stay while in ANC. Hey… better yet.. why don’t you encourage your brownies to start a job action against UPS because you don’t like the Hilton. That appears to be your speed.
ATC... typical of the chap left out that wants to be a member of the club. Your statement??? empty without merit. Next time, do some research, before you start with the character assassination. You are just way out of your league.
Flyboy... you are the more intelligent of the three. In the past we have agreed and disagreed on other issues. And I suppose in the future the same will happen on other subjects.
By the way, I do have a number of friends at AJ that I have flown with at other freight operators. An yes… if and when the strike fund is announce, I will be advised so I can make a contribution.
So tell me… when are you three going to call in sick to walk the picket line with the Amerijet group? When are you three going to call upon your fellow employees to walk in solidarity with the Amerijet pilots?
Hey Brown... is double flame like a double dog dare? Did you come up with that all by yourself? Hope I don’t have night mares tonight? Maybe you should jump into your company’s thread about which hotel to stay while in ANC. Hey… better yet.. why don’t you encourage your brownies to start a job action against UPS because you don’t like the Hilton. That appears to be your speed.
ATC... typical of the chap left out that wants to be a member of the club. Your statement??? empty without merit. Next time, do some research, before you start with the character assassination. You are just way out of your league.
Flyboy... you are the more intelligent of the three. In the past we have agreed and disagreed on other issues. And I suppose in the future the same will happen on other subjects.
By the way, I do have a number of friends at AJ that I have flown with at other freight operators. An yes… if and when the strike fund is announce, I will be advised so I can make a contribution.
Last edited by captjns; 08-27-2009 at 04:03 PM.
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