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-   -   worst jumpseater ever? (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/major/6236-worst-jumpseater-ever.html)

dojetdriver 03-03-2007 05:03 PM


Originally Posted by FMI (Post 127888)
Not to divert the discussions from the original point of "worst jumpseat stories".
However, I'm finding it extremely interesting, the amount I learn from all of you and these threads.
I'm a Lear driver, wanting to someday fly big iron.
Can someone quickly explain what a "scab" is?
Apologize in advance for the corp dude chiming in and rolling everyone's eyes! :)

You can google it. But when an airline has a pilot group go on strike (like CAL, EAL, UAL) to protect their profession, pay, workrules, ect, not everybody is onbaord. The guys striking are trying to tell the company to shove it and hold the line and protect their careers. They are after all, in a union, at a time when unity is needed. The guys that elect to go to work and cross the picket line (for whatever selfish reason) are scabs. Also, the pilots that get hired to work at said airline to replace the striking pilots are scabs as well.

They are the scourge of our industry and deserve no respect. I'm sure somebody will chime in about everybody having special circumstances and blah blah blah. Tough ****.

FMI 03-03-2007 05:40 PM

Figured this might be the case after reading all the posts.
But what happens to the F/O who has, say 3 little ones at home with mouthes to feed. He (she) has no idea how long the said strike could take place (up to 3 yrs. from what I have seen posted here) and doesn't have the financial means to stand in a picket line.
Basically agree's with the union pilots in that things have to change, yet HAS to work.
Is this person "labeled" for the rest of their career?
Again, sorry for diverting the original intention of the post. Wish I had something to add, but in my little world.. jumpseating, unions and other airline ammenities are non existent. Can't say thats such a bad thing, although we have our share of problems too!

rickair7777 03-03-2007 06:55 PM


Originally Posted by FMI (Post 127904)
But what happens to the F/O who has, say 3 little ones at home with mouthes to feed. He (she) has no idea how long the said strike could take place (up to 3 yrs. from what I have seen posted here) and doesn't have the financial means to stand in a picket line.
Basically agree's with the union pilots in that things have to change, yet HAS to work.

Anyone who can qualify as an airline pilot can get work of some sort in another field. Also the union provides a stipend, plus you can see a strike coming months or years in advance...start saving.


Originally Posted by FMI (Post 127904)
Is this person "labeled" for the rest of their career?

Yes. If they're very lucky management will stick up for them and insist that they be retained post-strike, but they will have a miserable career to look forward to.

Fokker28 03-03-2007 07:00 PM


Originally Posted by FMI (Post 127904)
Figured this might be the case after reading all the posts.
But what happens to the F/O who has, say 3 little ones at home with mouthes to feed. He (she) has no idea how long the said strike could take place (up to 3 yrs. from what I have seen posted here) and doesn't have the financial means to stand in a picket line.
Basically agree's with the union pilots in that things have to change, yet HAS to work.
Is this person "labeled" for the rest of their career?
Again, sorry for diverting the original intention of the post. Wish I had something to add, but in my little world.. jumpseating, unions and other airline ammenities are non existent. Can't say thats such a bad thing, although we have our share of problems too!

Right on cue!

You're damned straight that person is to be 'labeled'! Maybe careful consideration should be given to one's finances before DECIDING to have three little 'mouthes' [whatever they are] to feed!

Better they should adversely affect the ability of thousands of others to make a decent wage for the remainder of their careers? Wow, talk about selfish and short-sighted.

If you work for a union carrier, then you need to be willing to hold the line with your brothers. Those before you who were willing to do so are the only reason you have decent pay to begin with (duh)!

FMI 03-03-2007 07:02 PM

I bet, as well as some miserable "flight deck" trips from what I've read.
Interesting.... thanks.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program. :)

frozenboxhauler 03-04-2007 12:12 AM


Originally Posted by FMI (Post 127954)
I bet, as well as some miserable "flight deck" trips from what I've read.
Interesting.... thanks.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program. :)

Hello FMI, Since you got your scab answer, here's my "worst jump-seater" story;
Years ago I worked for this really dog-meat cargo outfit out of South Florida.
Our jump-seat policy was: if you were dumb enough to ask for a ride, we'd take you. One of our guys had been sha*#in' a gal who worked for a rental car company at BWI and he had taken her out to the west coast for the weekend.
It's now Monday night and we meet the jet in Denver to swap out crews. I told her that if she needed to use the ladies room, she had better go now. She said that she was fine. Just prior to TOC, she asked me "how soon until we get to Baltimore?" I said a little over three hours and that's when she said that she wasn't feeling too good.
I gave her our garbage can and a pillow that had somehow found its way onto the airplane. I was just about to take a bite out of my sandwich when I had to grab of the O2 mask. I looked back and she's now lying on the floor, in the fetal position, garbage can firmly pressed up to her back side with Montazuma's Revenge! A little while later, she said that she felt better, but it was a very long night.
We had to stop in Kentucky for gas. It was about 20 degrees (F) and the ramp at the FBO was slick. When the lineman standing at the bottom of the steps got 72 degree fecal laden air wafting out at him he started back pedeling and fell one his back side! ( I can still see his face)
The gal went inside to clean up, with garbage can and pillow in hand. Within 15 minutes, we were ready to go but we couldn't find her. We looked everywhere, but we had to leave without her. She had walked off into the night, with my garbage can and pillow, still 500 miles short of her destination. I think she must have taken the bus home.
fbh

captjns 03-04-2007 03:12 AM


Originally Posted by Fokker28 (Post 127953)
Right on cue!

You're damned straight that person is to be 'labeled'! Maybe careful consideration should be given to one's finances before DECIDING to have three little 'mouthes' [whatever they are] to feed!

Better they should adversely affect the ability of thousands of others to make a decent wage for the remainder of their careers? Wow, talk about selfish and short-sighted.

I seem to remember that kind of rhetoric dating back to the ‘30s in some European country.

If you were to poll the members, I think they would say that family comes first and foremost.


Originally Posted by Fokker28 (Post 127953)
If you work for a union carrier, then you need to be willing to hold the line with your brothers. Those before you who were willing to do so are the only reason you have decent pay to begin with (duh)!

Does ratification of T/As by airlines include reduction of pay and termination of retirement benefits too?

757Driver 03-04-2007 06:21 AM


Originally Posted by captjns (Post 128014)
I seem to remember that kind of rhetoric dating back to the ‘30s in some European country.

If you were to poll the members, I think they would say that family comes first and foremost.

You Sir, are incorrect.

This is exactly the type of person you don't want working side by side with you. He'll always justify the reason he crossed your picket line with words like "family" and "medical crisis".

If he hasn't done it already he's certainly poised to do so.

MX442 03-04-2007 06:35 AM

Years ago I had a jumpseater dump his pass with F/A and hurry to the back to take a seat. The capt had a scab list and sure enough, this guy scabbed at CAL in '83. We told the F/A to send him back up to the front. We asked him what he was doing in 1983.... He had no clue what we were talking about. When we mentioned that he was on a scab list from CAL, he said that someone came to his FBO and offered him a Flight Engineer position at CAL. He was not properly rated. He said that he never went to class because he wasn't rated, and that the FAA used his case to sue CAL over hiring and using FE's that weren't certified... Therefore, he was not a scab, and the list was wrong... OK.. Departure time.. Have a seat and we'll talk later...

After the flight... Guy is steaming about scab list and comes up to the cockpit to tell us that scab lists are bogus, we're being unfair to him, chews us out for using a scab list, and tells us he would sue us if we denied him boarding, and he was going to sue the maker of the scab list...

After this guy unloaded on us, we got the real story. After he got his ride, the story changed. He said he went to class but didn't finish. We asked why he went to work during a strike. He said he didn't know that CAL was on strike..:eek: Yeah, BS... But after 3 days of getting spit on and food thrown at him when he got off the employee bus, he figured that he shouldn't be there and quit. Yeah, right. From his tone we could tell he was lying about something. After CAL, he told us that he washed out of training at UPS, quit at Hawaiian because it was a difficult commute, and now was in training at National....

See what happens to scabs! My theory is that UPS trainers washed him out knowing he was a scab... Couldn't jumpseat to Hawaii because he was a scab... (But he's never heard of a scab list???:rolleyes:) The only place left was gambling on a startup LCC...

Let this be a lesson to all... Had he not scabbed, he would likely have had a prosperous career since 1983... The consequences of being selfish for a paycheck 24 years ago cost him a lifetime of being unsuccessful!

fireman0174 03-04-2007 06:49 AM


Originally Posted by MX442 (Post 128066)
Years ago I had a jumpseater dump his pass with F/A and hurry to the back to take a seat. The capt had a scab list and sure enough, this guy scabbed at CAL in '83 .......... Let this be a lesson to all... Had he not scabbed, he would likely have had a prosperous career since 1983... The consequences of being selfish for a paycheck 24 years ago cost him a lifetime of being unsuccessful!

These guys ALWAYS have some sort of excuse.

Several years ago I had a 777 EWR-DEN flight and when walking up to the gate I saw four CAL pilots, in uniform, hanging around and looking at me. Obvious jumpseaters.

Checked with the gate agent and I was advised that these four guys wanted to jumpseat and it was up to me which ones I took.

I went up to these guys, said I had a scab list and if their name was in the booklet there would be no accomodating them. If they weren't on the list, then the two senior guys were most welcome and to check with me in the cockpit as soon as they boarded.

At pushback I saw all four of them walking back to the terminal. Made my day. :)


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