Amerijet On Strike!

I've heard some interest from a few peeps here and there about going down to walk the line with the Amerijet folks.

I know I'm interested. This kind of backbone is something a lot of pilot groups could stand to learn a lesson by.. including my own.
 
3enginejock said:
My situation is a bit differant. IBC flies already has scheduled runs to a couple of the same places Amerijet flies to. Kingston and Port-au-Prince come to mind.
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3enginejock...If the stuff below [taken from another website] describes your company, well I really don't see the difficult situation one could be in. I would simply resign.

I got hired at IBC last month, just finished training. Heres what I know so far.

They will hire anyone with a commercial multi and instrument, no time minimum. Good luck getting a call back though unless you have inside connections. The stack of resumes in the office is about 3 inches thick, no joke.

Pay is 18,500 a year, salaried+per diem. Most FO's are averaging 20-21k a year.

If you get hired as a Saab 340 FO expect to pay 7,500$ and sign a 2 year training contract. Indoc and Systems is done in Miami, Sim is done in 1 week in MSP.

If you get hired as a Metro FO, then you dont have to pay anything or sign any contract. All of the metro training is done in the aircraft in Miami.

Theres no bidding, as an FO you are reserve 5 nights a week, Sat and Sun off. Expect to actually fly 3-4 times a week. You can volunteer to reserve on weekends if you want to make extra money, havent done that yet so im not sure how that works.

Thus far I love the job, flying the carribean is great. Home every night as well. If you get on one of the charter flights then you may have to overnight as required, but I havent been put on one yet so im not sure how it works.

Typically youll fly somewhere in the morning, sit there for a few hours then fly back. Im usually up at 6am and home around 8-9pm.
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Seggy said:
3enginejock...If the stuff below [taken from another website] describes your company, well I really don't see the difficult situation one could be in. I would simply resign.

[/B][/I]
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Yeah if that quote above is true of the company it's time to quit anyhow.
 
Isn't this kind of off-track? Or are you suggesting somehow that the inexperience of the IBC first-officer group will facilitate scabbing?
 
minitour said:
If that's true, why would you have gone there in the first place?

I mean, I know things are tough but.........gosh.

-mini
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How do times get so tough you have to pay money for your job? Honestly, is that like when a girl is so ugly she's pretty (so the saying goes)?

In fairness, that may not be the case at this place.
 
jynxyjoe said:
How do times get so tough you have to pay money for your job? Honestly, is that like when a girl is so ugly she's pretty (so the saying goes)?

In fairness, that may not be the case at this place.
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For the LOVE of FLYING! Good God Man! Do you not understand what those dreamers go through!?

They just have to FLY!!!

A shame that they'll do anything to do it, including paying for a job.

Fortunately, we can hope at least, that this very website and the growing community of professional pilots can mentor those who are contemplating making that decision. Hopefully shielding them from making a poor financial decision, and one that negatively impacts the ability of professional pilots to negotiate a decent wage.

Just takes time and patience, and everyone working together.
 
surreal1221 said:
For the LOVE of FLYING! Good God Man! Do you not understand what those dreamers go through!?

They just have to FLY!!!

A shame that they'll do anything to do it, including paying for a job.

Fortunately, we can hope at least, that this very website and the growing community of professional pilots can foster those from making a poor financial decision, and one that negatively impacts the ability of professional pilots to negotiate a decent wage.
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What is it MikeD said? They all want to fly jets and have no where else to go just like Mayonnaise?

Edit: I probably shouldn't say that since in a couple months I'm gonna be knee deep in my own shiny jet syndrome.
 
SOUTH FLORIDA AFL-CIOffice:office" /><O:p></O:p>
____________________________________________________________________<O:p></O:p>

Representing the Unions of the South Florida Labor Movement<O:p></O:p>


Serving Miami-Dade, Charlotte, Collier; Glades, Hendry, Lee and Monroe Counties<O:p></O:p>​

<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

2500 NW 97th Avenue, Suite #201
Miami, FL 33172<O:p</O:p
(305) 593-8886<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

For Immediate Release<O:p</O:p
Monday, August 31, 2009

For information:<O:p</O:p
Fred Frost 305-772-2313<O:p</O:p
Deborah Dion 305-213-3165
<O:p</O:p

<O:p</O:p




South Florida AFL-CO Unanimously Passes Resolution


& Pledges 100% Support on Behalf of<O:p</O:p


Flight Deck Crewmembers at Amerijet International in


Their Effort to Secure a Fair and Equitable Contract<O:p</O:p​

<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

On Monday, August 31, the South Florida AFL-CIO, representing over
100,000 union members in South Florida, unanimously passed a resolution and
pledged it's full support on behalf of the flight deck crewmembers at Amerijet
International. as well as for the representatives - the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters Local Union 769, in an effort to secure and maintain fair and equitable<O:p</O:p
wages, benefits and safe working conditions for these workers.<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

"After five years at the negotiating table and three years in mediation, it is quite<O:p</O:p
clear that Amerijet had no intention of negotiating in good faith with the
International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 769. The South Florida AFL-CIO will<O:p</O:p
do whatever is necessary to assist our brothers and sisters at Teamsters Local 769 to<O:p</O:p
help these workers secure a fair and just contract for their members," said Fred Frost,<O:p</O:p
President of the South Florida AFL-CIO.<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p


PLEASE SEE ATTACHED RESOLUTION.


<O:p</O:p

​
Whereas the South Florida Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO (CLC) represents thousands
of workers engaged in commerce throughout the State; and
<O:p</O:p​
<O:p</O:p
Whereas the CLC as a matter of policy and trade union solidarity has consistently and<O:p</O:p
strongly supported all of its Brother and Sister labor organizations and their members
throughout the entire community in their endeavors to secure and maintain fair and<O:p</O:p
equitable wages, benefits and working conditions; and
<O:p</O:p

Whereas the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Teamsters Local Union No. 769
(Teamsters) represent the flight deck crewmembers employed by Amerijet International
(Amerijet), a Fort Lauderdale based cargo carrier and multi modal transport logistics<O:p</O:p
company, the majority stock holder company being the Miami, Florida based investment
company, HIG; and

Whereas the Teamsters have been engaged in direct negotiations and National Mediation<O:p</O:p
Board (NMB) required mediation with Amerijet to secure a first contract for the flight<O:p</O:p
deck crewmembers for the last five years; and

Whereas Amerijet has repeatedly and blatantly sought to undermine the flight deck<O:p</O:p
crewmembers by slashing their wages and benefits, dividing the bargaining unit by such
tactics as sponsoring decertification elections, and flat out refusing to enter into any<O:p</O:p
collective bargaining agreement with the Teamsters under any circumstances; and<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

Whereas the Teamsters requested a proffer of arbitration from the NMB in an effort to<O:p</O:p
finally and fairly reach a first contract with Amerijet; and <O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

Whereas the NMB did indeed make such a proffer of binding arbitration to the Teamsters<O:p</O:p
and Amerijet; and<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

Whereas the Teamsters accepted the proffer of arbitration and the Amerijet rejected it<O:p</O:p
thereby triggering the release of the parties from further mediation and also triggering a<O:p</O:p
30 day cooling off period, the expiration of which enables either party to engage in self<O:p</O:p
help in order to secure their bargaining objectives; and<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

Whereas the 30 day cooling off period expires August 27. 2009 at 12:01 a.m.; and

Whereas the Amerijet has continued to refuse to bargain in good faith with the<O:p</O:p
Teamsters even during the 30 day cooling off period; and

Whereas the Teamsters have requested that the CLC and its members support the<O:p</O:p
Teamsters and their flight deck crewmembers at Amerijet in their dispute and their effort
to secure a fair first contract,<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

It is hereby RESOLVED that the CLC supports the Teamsters and their flight deck<O:p</O:p
crewmembers employed at Amerijet in their dispute against Amerijet and will take all
necessary and reasonable measures to ensure that the Teamsters and their flight deck
crewmembers will indeed secure a fair first contract with Amerijet including but not<O:p</O:p
limited to honoring any and all picket lines and expressing their support to the public as
well as to Amerijet and Amerijet's majority stock holder namely HIG.<O:p</O:p
 
SpiraMirabilis said:
Some places go further and list potential newhires (and their last employer) in the crew room. How manyGoJets pilots got hired at AirTran, ATN? And they're not even scabs.
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Not a single one has made it through. I don't think any of them even made it to an interview, even though plenty have been listed on the pre-interview roster in the crew lounge. We have plenty of former TSA pilots that take care of keeping them out.

WacoFan said:
Hell, even if I am on a flight that Air Tran adds to compensate for the strike I don't view that as "struck work".
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ALPA views that as struck work, and you would be labeled forever as a scab if you operated that extra flight.

WacoFan said:
Has anyone cross-checked the names of these scabs against former scabs to see if there are any two-fers?
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Several of them are repeat-offenders.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
ALPA views that as struck work, and you would be labeled forever as a scab if you operated that extra flight.
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Wow - didn't know that. So, the idea of being able to take advantage of a competitors labor problems is pretty much moot. That would be disappointing to me if running a business - I would be hoping to squash the rival carrier.
 
For another, more dispassionate view on all this — Karl Marx on surplus labor:

According to Karl Marx, the evil of capitalism is not the competition it fosters or its supposed lack of concern for the poor. Rather, it is the inevitable problem of surplus labor. To Marx, capitalism was a flawed system because it inevitably deprived the worker of some of the profits of his work. While his theory itself is fundamentally flawed, it is nevertheless the basis for much communist doctrine.

The theory of surplus value/labor is based upon the assumption that the cost of a product is determined by how much labor was required to make it. While that sounds logical, capitalism is based on a different assumption. Capitalists believe that goods are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them. This seems to fit what we see in the world a little better. Consider the following example. A farmer is tilling his field when his plow hits an enormous diamond partially buried in the ground. He picks it up, takes it into town, and sells it to a jeweler for several thousand dollars. He then returns to his field and works until harvest. Once he has collected his crop, he takes it into town and sells it at the market. According to the communist theory of value, his produce should be much more costly than the diamond because it required much more labor than picking up the diamond. Of course, we know that this is not what we see in the real world.

Nevertheless, Marx built on this assumption to develop his theory of surplus labor. Because Marx believed that goods were only worth whatever labor had created them, he thought that any additional cost was the result of price gouging by wealthy capitalists who exploited the labor of the worker. To his mind, if a worker's labor produce $20 worth of goods in an hour, than he should be paid $20 per hour. If he was not paid the full value of what his labor added to the materials, than he was being robbed of some of his profits. Of course, businesses have other expenses besides labor, but the main problem as Marx saw it, was the question of what to do with profits. Marx believed that there should be no extra profits since the worker should get the entire net profit of what he produced.

What Marx failed to answer was how factories were to be built, how management was to coordinate projects, and how capital was to be raised without creating surplus value. These things have to be done for the worker to be able to do his job. It is not exploitation by capitalists, it is the necessity of running a modern business. Some profits must be set aside for marketing, distributing, research, and management. The owners of the factories have receive a share of what the workers make to be able to keep the factory open. They have to eat too. Marx saw all of that as a form of theft, however, which is why he wanted the state to control the means of production.
 
I did not pay for the training. I did have to sign a 2 year contract though.

Why would I take the job? Well maybe because it was the only place that was hiring at the time and I had low time. It was a good idea and I do not regret my decision at all.

The company has been great thus far to me. I do not have any debt which makes living on 20k a bit easier than most for me. Plus I enjoy the type of flying we do. The long days arent an issue for me, some carriers have even longer days with less pay.

And no IBC is not like Gulfstream...

Why are you attacking IBC in an Amerijet strike thread... I asked simple questions because we fly to the same places Amerijet does.

I am not Anti Union, I would not scab for any airline and I will do my best to not fly struck freight. I wish my airline had a union so that I could refuse the struck freight. Being an FO with no union leaves me little authority to really do anything short of refusing to fly which would get me fired. I am sorry you guys feel that is wrong but I have bigger things to think about than playing hero for someone else and losing my job over it.
 
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