My side of the story (Falcon F/O)
- Thread starter Componere lites
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ClearedToThe
Well-Known Member
You very well could have eaily called in sick after flying the first leg. But you didn't. Like everything else in aviation, it is a chain of events that you lacked the backbone to stop.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
No one is officially a SCAB until ALPA reviews the evidence and officially certifies him as a SCAB. That probably won't happen until after the strike is over. Evidence is collected now (like the pictures), and decisions will be made later.
With that said, based on what he's stated here, I can't imagine a set of circumstances in which he would not be labeled. Flying the first leg might have been questionable. Flying the second leg is probably unforgivable.
You shut the airplane down and walk off, leaving the passengers, gate agents, flight attendants, rampers, and everyone else to fend for themselves. When the deadline hits, you stop working. Period. No exceptions, no exclusions, no mitigating circumstances. A picket line is sacred.
With that said, based on what he's stated here, I can't imagine a set of circumstances in which he would not be labeled. Flying the first leg might have been questionable. Flying the second leg is probably unforgivable.
You shut the airplane down and walk off, leaving the passengers, gate agents, flight attendants, rampers, and everyone else to fend for themselves. When the deadline hits, you stop working. Period. No exceptions, no exclusions, no mitigating circumstances. A picket line is sacred.
Polar742
All the responsibility none of the authority
Onno,
I noticed that you and I had a mutual friend on Facebook. I'll leave out his name, as I'm sure you'll figure it out.
He left a comment to you about training at Chautauqua.
Now, as I kept the Seniority list for a number of years when Chautauqua was a small company, I sure don't remember your name jumping out.
I'd like you to expand on this individual's comment about you two training together at Chautauqua. Whether you completed it or not is inconsequential, but I'd like to know if you did indeed train there. If so, did you, at any point, receive any union literature from the IBT?
There are few acts in life that can not be undone. Scabbing is one of them.
I noticed that you and I had a mutual friend on Facebook. I'll leave out his name, as I'm sure you'll figure it out.
He left a comment to you about training at Chautauqua.
Now, as I kept the Seniority list for a number of years when Chautauqua was a small company, I sure don't remember your name jumping out.
I'd like you to expand on this individual's comment about you two training together at Chautauqua. Whether you completed it or not is inconsequential, but I'd like to know if you did indeed train there. If so, did you, at any point, receive any union literature from the IBT?
There are few acts in life that can not be undone. Scabbing is one of them.
gtpilot
Well-Known Member
That's the real sad part - by choosing to do that second leg, he did choose to have a stigma attached to his name for the rest of his career. For some like myself, the effort of admitting guilt and asking forgiveness goes a long way, but he's never going to convince everyone.
I was somewhat lucky compared to several of my fellow furloughs from last year in that I found a flying job after 6 months that wasn't a huge pay cut. But it was the only job I landed an interview for and I applied for hundreds in both aviation and engineering that I was well above minimums I can also tell you, most of the furloughs that I know who were recalled recently were getting desperate because they could not find anything that paid more than minimum wage.
Also, you and I were furloughed in good standing. It becomes much more difficult to attain even a good flying job when being fired for refusal to fly is on your PRIA.
As a father myself, it's hard not to have at least a little empathy for someone choosing to fly one leg so that he can continue to feed his family. That said, actions have consequences and I'm not sure the scab label will ever go away and this will hurt his career path going forward. If he really didn't know the implications of his actions, his luck is absolutely terrible!
Componere lites
New Member
I am not as excited anymore in flying as I used to be. I still like it but my enthusiasm has steadily been declining over the last 10 years. My aviation career has been crap from the start. I used to really love flying. Somehow I always ended swimming upstream. With the Falcon Air job I got (my first experience flying the line under FAR 121) in January of this year in a large jet I thought that my fortune had changed. The proverbial "I wish I had gone to med school" rings true now more then ever...
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
A pilot can feed his family by working at McDonalds. He doesn't need to steal a striking pilot's job to do it. Besides, it wasn't one leg, it was two.
SpiceWeasel
Tre Kronor
Welllllll
This is EXACTLY why fluff degrees from ERAU that say "Professional Aeronautics" should be the farthest thing from a college students mind. If you ever lose your job (or need to provide for your family).... do you want to work at McD's or do you want to (potentially) work as an .... EMS, computer programmer, electrical engineer.... take your pick.
High school students and college students who have an opportunity to switch majors take note: get a degree in something that you can earn decent money in if for some reason you are not flying...
You make your own bed if you are working as a McD employee because you can't fly.
gtpilot
Well-Known Member
If a pilot is smart about finances, he will set aside a years worth of wages so that he can feed his family, pay his mortgage and every other bill while still working at McDonalds. But realistically, what percentage of pilots actually do this? I can tell you not many did at Atlantic Southeast. Besides, McDonalds wouldn't have me when I got furloughed!
And I understand it was two legs, but I'm personally willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on the first one. He did know what he was doing on the second though and will live with the consequences.
higney85
Property of Scheduling
As others have mentioned- there are many "lurkers" on here just starting the long road in an aviation career. Some knew what a "scab" and "picket line" was since they were 5, others are being educated on the fact in later stages of the career path. The overwhelming reality in today's world is that it is indeed a small world and your words and actions are never forgotten. You can have an anonymous screen name or use your entire name, but in the end no bad deed will go unseen- the past comes alive with the internet. The OP gets a kudos for "coming out" and I have a sincere hope that others who were oblivious or uneducated of what a strike entails learns from his mistake. All that being said, sometimes a sick call is your ace in the hole when things aren't right. Giving you the benefit of the doubt on leg 1, how was your mental state from that point?
FlyingSig
Well-Known Member
I'm a father as well. At the time of my furlough notice my newborn son was in the hospital for the past three months having been born at 24 weeks weighing 1lb 14oz. The final hospital bill was over $1 million . I can say with certainty that I would not have scabbed one leg even then. I would would have given up my flying career to feed my family, but even under the circumstances I faced scabbing would never cross my mind.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
Even the first leg is questionable. He said that the captain told him the pilot at the fence was a striking Spirit pilot. I find it completely unbelievable that he didn't realize that he was flying struck work at that point. You can hold the brakes from both seats.
But of course, ALPA will decide in the end...
DCTNstudentpilot1987
New Member
Dont you think Onno was in a bit of a catch-22? Lets assume he honestly didnt know before the first leg it was struck work. Automatically he is a scab even if he doesnt fly the second leg. So he loses his job for leaving the plane in the Bahamas and STILL gets labelled a scab. What benefit is there for him? I know that if I did that my family would get pissed at me and wouldnt be so understanding for losing my job over another pilots strike that didnt effect my company's ability to pay my salary. No wonder pilots have a high divorce rate. Its not the lifestyle of travel. It is the reasoning that you giving up your job is good so someone else at a different company can have a job that allows them to be paid a lot of money you will never see. That may work with union brothers but most wives and children arent so understanding about having to adjust their QOL so someone else can live a cozy life.
meritflyer
Well-Known Member
Successful at what exactly?
Bumblebee
Commodore
getting a coffee break?
OK seriously? at stopping whatever they want to stop to get their point across.
I missed my dinner on the TGV because of a strike... they were successful at striking!
Cptnchia
Dissatisfied Customer
So now his only choice of an aviation career is to remain at Falcon or exist on the fringes of the aviation community at another non-union low rent carrier, making crap wages and avoiding the other employees who will ostrasize him.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
No.
"What benefit is there for him?" A very scab-like question to ask. Wrong question. The question to ask is "what is the right thing to do?" The right thing to do is to not steal someone else's job and scab their flying. What you're basically saying is "he already stuck the knife in their collective back, might as well twist it, too."
But, from a practical standpoint, even if you don't care about right-vs-wrong, I believe his predicament might be very different had he parked the plane at the outstation. As it stands right now, having knowingly flown struck work, I can't possibly foresee the SPA MEC forgiving this. I could be wrong, though. The decision is theirs to make. On the other hand, I think if he had parked the plane at the outstation, it would have been much easier to believe that he didn't know the first flight was struck work, and it might have been easier to give him a pass.
Kestrel452
Well-Known Member
If you didn't know it was Spirit Airlines, what did you say over the PA system to open the flight? Every single initial announcement I've ever heard included the name of the airline. And if you didn't know, surely you asked beforehand.
TUCKnTRUCK
That guy
When looking for clemensy, A valid excuse is not, "I didn't know it was wrong"
Telling an officer,"I didn't know the speed limit" never got me out of a speeding ticket.
No matter what the circumstances, we are each responsible for our own actions.
If the above story is actually true, then by your complete lack of situational awarness you created this mess. Condition white is not an excuse.
Telling an officer,"I didn't know the speed limit" never got me out of a speeding ticket.
No matter what the circumstances, we are each responsible for our own actions.
If the above story is actually true, then by your complete lack of situational awarness you created this mess. Condition white is not an excuse.
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