Legal Job Action.
 

Would refusing to pick open time for a specific week every month be an illegal job action and would you support it? If every first week of the month pilots refused to pick up open time and just safely flew the contract then management would notice. If you have a better idea please share because I know many of us are just dying to participate in anything positive instead of being part of the problem like we've always been by taking these poor excuses of jobs.

I think asking for the top regional contract across all the regionals is a fair goal for now.

I like the idea of making a powerful statement without breaking the law and think a joint refusal to pick up open time is a good idea. Its not illegal and union contracts don't normally force anyone to pick up open time.

The problem is there are too many people with Stockholm syndrome that wouldn't dare to upset their corporate masters.
I have been criticized on this forum for pointing out the fact that that GoJet and Republic don't have cancelation pay, or that Compass forces you to quit your current job, but only pays $450 for the first month of training and doesn't provide accommodation during training. These are the people that would gladly bend over and kiss ass to "help out" crew scheduling.

The other problem you may have is that so many F.O.'s, particularly those in their first year and on probation, are forced to pick up every minute of open time just to survive financially.

Good for you for thinking of a way to make a point though. You certainly aren't going to get any help or support from ALPA.

By the way, polls on this forum are worthless. We have seen time and again how internet warriors vote hell ya on forums, but cower when it comes time to vote on concessions.

As an individual choice, no.

As an organized campaign, yes.

And anonymous message boards are not anonymous.

I pick up a ton of stuff from open time to make my schedule 112+ every month....but only from other crew members. The company is short staffed to cover the flying, they should hire more.

Teamsters 1224 was successfully sued in court over an open time ban. The court found that a pilot group who suddenly stopped picking up historical average amounts of open time were in fact, conducting an illegal job action.

It's not a ban. You can pick open time if you want to. I personally choose not to. Is like to hear more details on the teamsters deal though. Sounds like there's more to that story.

Upon further recollection, 1224 didn't call for a ban, but rather said that the members were free to choose rather or not to pick up open time. Management successfully argued in court that that was a "code word" for an open time ban.

Well it still does not apply to us. Alpa isn't doing this. What are they going to do, sue all the pilots for not volunteering to work in their days off?

Don't underestimate what management would do to prove a point. They just have to sue a few regoinal pilots and they know the rest will soon cave as they don't have the resources to fight them in court. They know that your typical regional pilot isn't going to fight them in court when they are sued. You will be alone and responsible for your legal fees. Management knows that you guys don't make enough money to fight them in court and too, they know that the regional pilot doesn't want the stigma of having been sued for labor issues. Good luck getting hired at a major with that on your record.

You can't be serious. Why is it that there's always someone that comes on here and put holes in every attempt to do something? Are you in management? Not trying to make it a personal attack because you're probably a nice guy but if someone comes on here and risks posting what I posted please don't be so negative.

Again, nothing personal but it's comments and reasoning like yours that we are where we are. We can have them by the balls. We have nothing to loose and everything to gain if we just unite in saying "this isn't right and we deserve better".

If you're scared then keep doing what you're doing. I for one will never pick up open time and hope others join me.