Big Pay Cuts at Ram Air Freight

[pilot4500]

I just got an e-mail yesterday from the President of the company saying that all employees would have to take an enormous pay cut starting in mid April. This has to do with the fact that we have lost quite a few runs in the past few months. More and more banks are choosing to drive their checks and other documents where they need to go instead of flying them there.

I always thought that more and more banks would start sending their stuff electronically, but instead they are just putting it on a truck instead of on an airplane.

The pay cut is in addition to the two pilots that were furloughed about a month ago. I know that one of them had been previously furloughed by Airnet. To give you an idea of how big the pay cut is, my salary will be cut from $145 per day (third year pay rate) to $100 per day.

I think that I will need to get a second job on the weekends. I hope that McDonalds is still hiring.

 

[c172captain]

Sorry to hear that man. Good luck

 

[Velocipede]

Exactly how non-Union companies operate. Pay cut by email. Nice.

 

[BajtheJino]

Exactly how non-Union companies operate. Pay cut by email. Nice.

Do you ever give it a rest?
Do you even know who/what R.A.F. is?
Maybe you could come out and educate all of the RAF brothers/sisters in aviation and help them get a union in?

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Totally off topic, but i'm bored so hopefully you dont mind the brief diversion.

It's spring of 1996 and I'm flying a Cessna 402 for Ramp 66. I'm based in New Bern, NC flying Airborne Express freight to Pitt-Greenville and Raleigh every night.

I don't have any weather radar on the airplane, but there's a Mountain Air Cargo Cessna Caravan there too. I know he's got all the technology so I plan on following him and hopefully staying out of the really bad stuff. (Ahh to be young and stupid...er fearless again)

A thunderstorm hits the field that has to be the worst thunderstorm I've ever seen. I'm sitting there in the FedEx building with the Caravan pilot and we're just watching the lightning and the torrential rain... shooting the bull when all of the sudden out of the green and black sky punctuated by lightning this Ram Air Cargo Grumman Yankee lands.

We're speechless as we watch this fellow taxi over to the FBO, push the canopy back, trade out a few boxes of checks with a courier, close the canopy, taxi out and take off again!!!

The Mountain Air guy and I looked at each other, neither able to believe what we just saw. I dont know whether to call the guy brave, or daring, or crazy... or all three. But whenever anybody says "Ram Air Cargo", that is what pops into my mind.

Ok, back to the topic at hand. Sorry about your paycut. This economy is going to touch us all in one way or another. Frightening.

 

[Velocipede]

Do you ever give it a rest?
Do you even know who/what R.A.F. is?

No and no. I'm just using this an ANOTHER example of how management can hose non-Union pilots. Paycut by email. No negotiation, no nothing. Just cut that pay. And what does this poor schmuck have to say about it? Nothing. So unless he votes with his feet and quits this scumbag outfit, he's got no one but himself to blame.

This makes the "Why you need a Union" more eloquently than I ever could.

Another reason why you should never even apply to non-Union carriers.

 

[USMCmech]

Exactly how non-Union companies operate. Pay cut by email. Nice.

Uhh Velo, newsflash. I can't think of ANY of the 135 freight companies that have a union. Some are great, some are horrible, most are somewhere in the middle.

Go back and lord over the SLF section, and leave us freight dogs alone. Right now I'm gratefull for my non union low paying job.

 

[Velocipede]

Uhh Velo, newsflash. I can't think of ANY of the 135 freight companies that have a union. Some are great, some are horrible, most are somewhere in the middle.

Uhhh, jarhead, newsflash. Its a free country. No one is forcing him to work there.

You work for a non-Union shop, expect the worst. He got it.

 

[Beers]

You work for a non-Union shop, expect the worst. He got it.

Riiiiight. And all of the union carriers have industry leading contracts right now. We also all know that no union company has EVER forced a paycut down the throats of the employees. Give me a break.

 

[ppragman]

Exactly how non-Union companies operate. Pay cut by email. Nice.

No and no. I'm just using this an ANOTHER example of how management can hose non-Union pilots. Paycut by email. No negotiation, no nothing. Just cut that pay. And what does this poor schmuck have to say about it? Nothing. So unless he votes with his feet and quits this scumbag outfit, he's got no one but himself to blame.

This makes the "Why you need a Union" more eloquently than I ever could.

Another reason why you should never even apply to non-Union carriers.

Uhhh, jarhead, newsflash. Its a free country. No one is forcing him to work there.

You work for a non-Union shop, expect the worst. He got it.

Flamebait.

 

[jtrain609]

Riiiiight. And all of the union carriers have industry leading contracts right now. We also all know that no union company has EVER forced a paycut down the throats of the employees. Give me a break.

Well actually...yeah.

Who's leading the freight world? Is it FedEx, or UPS? I can't ever figure out who's ahead in that game. Even if you want to compare it to a company like Polar, both UPS and FedEx are LIGHTYEARS ahead and guess what? Union.

In the 121 mainline world we have none other than Southwest taking the lead for 737 pay! One of the most heavily unionized companies in the industry.

At the regional level you have ExpressJet, who after concessions (a freeze in the annual pay raise) is still leading the regional world. Incredibly unionized.

And in the part 135 world we have...horrible pay and work rules. Been there, done that, got the uniform still. It was fun, but when a second year ExpressJet FO makes as much as a Metro driver at Amflight, there's a problem.

 

[Boris Badenov]

Veloci: Hey, wait a minute! You're that guy who's constantly telling cargo pilots to shut their mouths about SLF flying because they don't know of what they speak! This is some kind of hilarious self-parody, isn't it? Get a hobby.

jtrain: I suppose I can conceive of a union functioning at Ameriflight...it might be just large enough (not that I endorse the notion). But you can't possibly believe that a company with 13 pilots has some significant use for a union, can you? I call President! Now I'm giving myself a pay raise! I have nothing against unions, honestly, but I like my job at this particular non-union company just fine. I'm treated fairly, paid well for the segment and job, and informed waaaay out ahead of time of any potential rough spots.

Following around some cartoonish loudmouth union caricature trying to paper over his outlandish, repetitive ranting with something approaching sense or at least engagment is a waste of your time.

PS. To the OP (remember him?) sorry about your luck. Hope things turn around in the small cargo world.

 

[Beers]

Well actually...yeah.

Who's leading the freight world? Is it FedEx, or UPS? I can't ever figure out who's ahead in that game. Even if you want to compare it to a company like Polar, both UPS and FedEx are LIGHTYEARS ahead and guess what? Union.

In the 121 mainline world we have none other than Southwest taking the lead for 737 pay! One of the most heavily unionized companies in the industry.

At the regional level you have ExpressJet, who after concessions (a freeze in the annual pay raise) is still leading the regional world. Incredibly unionized.

And in the part 135 world we have...horrible pay and work rules. Been there, done that, got the uniform still. It was fun, but when a second year ExpressJet FO makes as much as a Metro driver at Amflight, there's a problem.

I guess I missed the fact that FedEx, UPS, Southwest and ExpressJet were ALL of the union carriers. I'm sure all the others are right there with them.

 

[jtrain609]

Veloci: Hey, wait a minute! You're that guy who's constantly telling cargo pilots to shut their mouths about SLF flying because they don't know of what they speak! This is some kind of hilarious self-parody, isn't it? Get a hobby.

jtrain: I suppose I can conceive of a union functioning at Ameriflight...it might be just large enough (not that I endorse the notion). But you can't possibly believe that a company with 13 pilots has some significant use for a union, can you? I call President! Now I'm giving myself a pay raise! I have nothing against unions, honestly, but I like my job at this particular non-union company just fine. I'm treated fairly, paid well for the segment and job, and informed waaaay out ahead of time of any potential rough spots.

Following around some cartoonish loudmouth union caricature trying to paper over his outlandish, repetitive ranting with something approaching sense or at least engagment is a waste of your time.

PS. To the OP (remember him?) sorry about your luck. Hope things turn around in the small cargo world.

Indeed I think Amflight is big enough to hack a union, same with Airnet to tell you the truth (if Airnet wasn't about to go tits up, that is).

Personally, I think everybody should be unionized. It doesn't matter what you do, every job in this country should be a union job. That's just my personal, anti-capitalist opinion, of course.

 

[BajtheJino]

And in the part 135 world we have...horrible pay and work rules. Been there, done that, got the uniform still.

Correct me if I'm wrong but you've never taken a 135 ride before in your life.

Personally, I think everybody should be unionized. It doesn't matter what you do, every job in this country should be a union job. That's just my personal, anti-capitalist opinion, of course.

Yes! Union companies are #1 in productivity and quality!!!

 

[econ902]

Uhhh, jarhead, newsflash. Its a free country. No one is forcing him to work there.

You work for a non-Union shop, expect the worst. He got it.

uhh... this "jarhead" is serving to give u the ability to speak freely, so show the man some respect would ya?

 

[USMCmech]

Personally, I think everybody should be unionized. It doesn't matter what you do, every job in this country should be a union job. That's just my personal, anti-capitalist opinion, of course.

I was going to post a well reasoned reply, but then I realized...


we are arguing about unions in the freight dawg forum!!

 

[n57flyguy]

uhh... this "jarhead" is serving to give u the ability to speak freely, so show the man some respect would ya?

Yeah really, thank you (hes a Navy Guy)

 

[Ian_J]

PS. To the OP (remember him?) sorry about your luck. Hope things turn around in the small cargo world.

Exactly. Very sorry to hear about the bad news and best of luck to him... ootsk.

 

[jtrain609]

Indeed, a leatherneck getting pissed that a squid is calling them a jarhead is, well, kind of comical.