bemak , 09-24-2011 07:01 AM
New Hire
Throwin' in my 2cents for once. I would not dispute ATC's experience, nor would I dispute anything that he is saying, he is the kind of pilot I would want during negotiations. Although I am not employed by Omni, I have been through the entire process regarding first contracts. That deck is absolutely stacked against the pilot group, if a company wants to negotiate, it does, if it doesn't there is almost nothing that can be done short of getting the NMB is release the pilot group for "self help". That may take years, since companies will just sandbag and stall, claiming that they are too busy or the holidays or some other excuse to not show up to monthly negotiations. The sharp aggressive pilots end up sticking their necks out at the negotiating table, fighting for the rest. Problem is that these are the guys who usually have the fastest track out of the company to better things, as their willingness to fight for the pilot group shows professionalism and forward thinking (my observation only). The longer a company stalls, the better chance that the activist pilots find better grazing at FEDEX, Atlas, etc. (Why not, Atlas has an IBT pilot on its hiring board who is looking for this type of individual). Subsequent negotiations drag on, no one is putting pressure on the company, the negotiators have to cut some sort of deal. I sincerely hope that this did not happen at Omni.
My advice would have been to reject any contract without duty rigs or per diem. Get aggressive, volunteer whatever you can, and absolutely do not fly any airplane that isn't being properly maintained. If that fails, get creative.
One other thing, don't believe that a company is going to change its ways when pilots start fleeing. I heard that AJT had a mass defection, they were only too happy to get rid of the troublemakers. Then again, AJT is in a class all by themselves (miserable bastards). They never changed their stripes, and their arrogance found them getting laughed at on the national news feeds during the 2009 strike. Get active, get some duty rigs, and get contractual. It not only helps you tremendously, it makes the ACMI pilot group stronger.
60% participation? Shame on those guys, that number is a joke.