BrownDoubles

Giving the benefit of the doubt; I think he/she was just trying to say they were in line to speak with an airline without saying exactly who that airline was, that's just the way I read it. Potentially could have been worded better, but I tend to be the king of that -- just ask my wife.

4runner

I said that to not call out which company. Easy.

4runner

Thanks Brother. I could see how my wording may have given the reader that assumption after going back and reading my post again. The point of the post was that 30 plus individuals were standing in suits in below 50 degree weather outdoors and that you couldn’t go to the lav without being accosted by cosmetic sales people. It wasn’t the best job fair I’ve been to.

4runner

Maybe Kit Darby will have his Bentley parked out front. Again...

FTv3

Honest answer probably not appropriate for a public forum especially in the light of last year’s memo-gate. ”...second guessing investing my career here...,” speaks volumes on my opinion of the company. For the rest of this post I’ll address potential new hires (edit: and only focus on the employee experience):

The job experience, specific to being a union pilot at brown (and this is secondary to the previous paragraph), can’t be stated better than, ‘Best job out there, working for the worst people imaginable,’ kind of thing. Sure, punch your card, go home and don’t think about the place until you have to come back and life will be all good - check. Problems arise when you go back...

Depending on who you are interacting with at the company, they either dislike, despise, or genuinely hate us. If you don’t know why then you haven’t done your homework but in summation: we are not UPSers, we are outsiders cutting the line into a highly compensated position without paying our dues, plain and simple. There’s no sense of team here, no common goal, no pride in the the workplace, just independent workgroup-fiefdoms infighting - the only thing they have in common is a joint disdain for us. IMO on the company (air district) side of things, no one gives a ship, it’s rare to see someone putting in effort to do a good job or taking pride in what they do, etc. In having to interact with all this, it’s just becomes a generally negative, and at times, miserable experience. Not saying other airlines are all unicorns and rainbows, but it’s exceptionally bad here - why subject oneself to multiple decades of it?

The other downside of brown is the strict division of union employees, called hourlies, with all other company positions. Basically, if you’re a motivated, ambitious individual with aspirations to do more than just fly the line during your career your options are limited to union work (if you can get it), a few instructor/training positions, or doing something on the side. Everything else requires forfeiture of your union membership - It’s not like delta where you have union line pilots jumping over and running the flight ops side of the airline. Here, it’s all non union replacement pilots doing this stuff or better stated, making a mess of it all, so there’s essentially no options to progress, develop, expand, try something new, etc., you’re the fry guy and that’s all you’ll ever be if you want to stay here - that’s the company’s attitude about it anyway. Professionally speaking, after years and years of resume improvement, I feel like I’ve largely come to the end of the road at this place.

Last, they just have no respect for the profession. For those who weren’t around, a good example from not too long ago was when they postponed a newhire class at the last minute (just @ 2 weeks prior?). Who does that? Another example is how the security of your license is/can be unnecessarily vulnerable at this place. When $hit happens on the line, you are their scapegoat, the one lined up to be held liable for their mistakes - They’ll vindictively self disclose things to the FAA or allow you to violate yourself as long as they get their boxes moved. Make a mistake, don’t even remotely dream they will be on your side and/or protect you - they’ll help bury you to keep the focus away from them. They’ll terminate comparatively loosely even if they know the union is sure to win the pilot’s job back. Research the furlough, how it all went down - none of that character has changed. Yes, we got contract language in 2016 which will make it more painful for them to furlough in the future but they would do it all over again in the same way if given the chance.

I’ve never been with the, ‘don’t come here,’ camp. You don’t see me complaining or criticizing on here and I’ve tried not to do so on this post. I do believe UPS is a good gig for pilots but holy ship does it have its problems? Is everything else worth enduring these over a long career and can the company survive when times get tough down the road? That’s what I’m questioning.

howardhughes8

Man, you are one bitter individual!! Holy cow.

The “answer” is most definitely not balloon and ponies or doom and gloom, IMO, definitely somewhere in the middle. I came from a “world class” organization, culture was very similar (unfortunately). I will admit my sample is very small, but not one FQS has treated me with disdain, hate, etc. The biggest negative connotation here, again IMO, is scheduling (just like my previous employer). Trades/requests get denied all the time just because. We have limited ability to control our schedule.

This operation is no different than my previous job, in the sense that they will do whatever it takes to move the plane. Heck, Southwest was/is having major issues with MX, whistleblowing activities. Here you better know your contract, what you can and can’t do, it will go a long way in CYA.

But again, this place is most definitely not doom and gloom. But it ain’t a ray of sunshine either. It is what you make it. If you are always negative, always criticizing, you will be especially miserable here.

FTv3

disagree here. I don’t feel bitter, just describing things as they are / appear. Remember this?
Moving on:
I was implicating people mostly beyond FQS. Howard, meet Mary E. for example.... Fill out more event reports and pay attention to the resolutions. Every time you see a non browntail on the ramp is a giant middle finger from the company directly to you and your job!!! Even more so when you encounter an FQS!!

Did I convey something different?

No disagreements.

jfingers

I haven't been here long, so my sample size is small. I ask every Captain I fly with if they regret being here or wish they were somewhere else. Not a single one has said they'd rather be flying for someone else. Sure, they say at their beach house, or skiing, or retired, but not working at another place.

There are crappy things about the job, sure, FTv3 mentioned a lot of them.

I'm enjoying my time here. YMMV.

Blue skies and good luck to the people who want to get here!

navigatro

what FTv3 says is true.

that said, this job is what you make of it.

if you can ignore the BS (which in my opinion is easy to do), then it is a good place to work

BoilerUP

Avoiding the B&G is a good first step toward personal/professional zen, though that’s where the Church of Expectation Zero was founded...