Airline Scab Questions

This pisses me off beyond words.

I don't fly in the front but that's my ass in a seat in the back - I DO have skin in this game. I DO have a dog in this fight. That IS my life in their hands.

If I thought that the flight crew flying me from Point A to Point B was screwing around with clickers up front I'd rain holy hell down on them. If I walk through the cabin door and hear a click from the cockpit, I'm stopping. If I determine that's what it is, I'm deplaning, getting a supervisor and having them look into it. If the flight pushes late, fine. If the flight is cancelled, fine. If someone is made an example of, fine.

Hate someone for whatever reason you want. Deny them jumpseats. Kick them out of the crew van and don't share a crash pad with them. Hate them forever and never forgive - fine. But if you're paid to fly in this industry, then do it professionally. That means setting that crap aside and doing your job the way you were trained, the way you're paid, and the way that's expected. Not with • dog training clickers.

If you can't, then do something else where doing your job halfway doesn't risk life & limb.
 
Other than the two guys who flew that NK flight (one of whom makes a fairly decent case that he didn't realize what was happening) are there still any scabs left flying? You guys might as well be condemning anyone who trashed Comiskey during Disco Demolition night it was so long ago.

Ahh, Steve Dahl..... Liked Johnathon Brandmire better though
 
This pisses me off beyond words.

I don't fly in the front but that's my ass in a seat in the back - I DO have skin in this game. I DO have a dog in this fight. That IS my life in their hands.

If I thought that the flight crew flying me from Point A to Point B was screwing around with clickers up front I'd rain holy hell down on them. If I walk through the cabin door and hear a click from the cockpit, I'm stopping. If I determine that's what it is, I'm deplaning, getting a supervisor and having them look into it. If the flight pushes late, fine. If the flight is cancelled, fine. If someone is made an example of, fine.

Hate someone for whatever reason you want. Deny them jumpseats. Kick them out of the crew van and don't share a crash pad with them. Hate them forever and never forgive - fine. But if you're paid to fly in this industry, then do it professionally. That means setting that crap aside and doing your job the way you were trained, the way you're paid, and the way that's expected. Not with dog training clickers.

If you can't, then do something else where doing your job halfway doesn't risk life & limb.
I do fly up front, and this.

If you can't be bothered to do the job correctly I'm getting off.

(it's just not that hard.)
 
Other than the two guys who flew that NK flight (one of whom makes a fairly decent case that he didn't realize what was happening) are there still any scabs left flying? You guys might as well be condemning anyone who trashed Comiskey during Disco Demolition night it was so long ago.

Plenty. There are still quite a few EAL scabs flying around, Continental and United have a bunch (now all at United). There's still a few Wien and Ansett scabs flying on the West side.

I believe when the Age 60 rule changed, some CAL guys tried to get bag stickers made up that said, "Scab Free in 2023" which would have been crossed out and underneath it was, "Prater Made Us Wait 'Til 2028".
 
Their label will even follow them into after-60/65 jobs. I have seen pilots 'no-fly' scabs in the 135 world once their identity is confirmed.
 
Their label will even follow them into after-60/65 jobs. I have seen pilots 'no-fly' scabs in the 135 world once their identity is confirmed.
True story......We had to drop off some pax at VNY last year, had some time to kill before we were going to grab some lunch and I really wanted to see the two Bombardier 415's up close, so Frank my FO and I decided to go have a look see. Walking on the way back to the King, who comes walking towards me with some guy dressed in a suit and two FOs but the prince of the scabs himself. All smiles, greeting me and trying to put his arm around my shoulder.

I ducked/sidestepped away and told him if he ever tried to touch me again or get within a hundred feet of one of my planes, I would put his fat scabbing ass down on the ground where he belonged. I then turned to the other three and proceeded to tell them exactly who they were working for. Not only did he cross the picket line in '85 but he did so happily, flew on the first day of the strike, encouraged other pilots to do the same, taunted pilots and gave interviews to the press when he did so. He had already lied to the FAA regarding his true age so that he could fly in his seniority number past the age of the mandated retirement at that time and was so hated by the pilot group that the company finally forced him to retire. Frank and I started to walk away and he began walking after us bitching a little fit. I kept walking and Frank turned to him and said, "Go on and give Mac a big hug and make up", (Frank had also pulled his cell phone out) "don't worry, I'll call an ambulance for you". That stopped him dead in his tracks apparently. I sometimes wish that Frank hadn't said anything though. Would have been some small satisfaction on behalf of many at least.
 
Last edited:
For all the bad that crossing a picket line does to the rest of the pilot group, just remember that it's going to suck being buried in the same cold ground as they are when its your turn to head west and there's really not a damn thing you can do about it.
 
For all the bad that crossing a picket line does to the rest of the pilot group, just remember that it's going to suck being buried in the same cold ground as they are when its your turn to head west and there's really not a damn thing you can do about it.

So you're saying that people die at the end of their life?

Am I missing something else here?
 
We have 7 scabs. They micromanage, have no humility, but at least the ones I've seen are weak pilots too.

The one I flew with online decided he needed to fly into Bagram. Luckily the FO in the seat struck at Comair. Despite our "suggestions" on getting the airplane in a satisfactory energy state for the approach, the scab knew better (it's a trend - they are all better than you, it's why they scab). Ever done an unneeded go around in Bagram?
 
So what happens to the first year guys if the union decides to strike? I was under the impression they were on probation and would get axed if they went on strike. But clearly crossing a picket line would be worse. So lose-lose?
 
So what happens to the first year guys if the union decides to strike? I was under the impression they were on probation and would get axed if they went on strike. But clearly crossing a picket line would be worse. So lose-lose?

Typically what happens with any settlement is that anyone on probation gets reinstated.

And I don't care what the industry is, sooner or later you are going to work with someone you just can't stand. If you were handed a dull butter knife around them, you'd think, can I kill them with this?

I see no reason why you would do any more talking than is absolutely necessary in that case. If you can't stand someone, you say exactly what needs to be said to get the job done and no more. No thank yous, no pleases, just the facts.
 
So what happens to the first year guys if the union decides to strike? I was under the impression they were on probation and would get axed if they went on strike. But clearly crossing a picket line would be worse. So lose-lose?

The return to work agreement will typically bring back fired probies.

However, companies tend to fire new hires before it gets close to a strike because "the union's hardline makes it impossible to plan a business case going forward so we've going to have to shrink the fleet"
 
So you're saying that people die at the end of their life?

Am I missing something else here?

That is exactly what I'm saying. Be mad and angry all you want, and you're certainly right to, but with life being as short as it is I can't fathom why someone would waste their energy in such a vitriolic matter on someone who probably had two • choices and went with what they thought was the less • one.
 
You have got to be kidding right?

No, and though I don't care one way or the other, there were pilots who were willing to accept his story as well.

I got the sense that some were salivating so badly to label someone a scab that they weren't going to hold back on this guy.
 
That is exactly what I'm saying. Be mad and angry all you want, and you're certainly right to, but with life being as short as it is I can't fathom why someone would waste their energy in such a vitriolic matter on someone who probably had two choices and went with what they thought was the less one.

Because EVERYTHING IN MY CBA that exists is there because someone before me FOUGHT for it.

That's why.
 
That is exactly what I'm saying. Be mad and angry all you want, and you're certainly right to, but with life being as short as it is I can't fathom why someone would waste their energy in such a vitriolic matter on someone who probably had two choices and went with what they thought was the less one.

The choices we make in life have consequences. Using the same logic that you're applying here, there's no reason to be angry with a thief that steals from you (like a scab) because they "did what they had to do."
 
Back
Top