Are Things Slowing Down?

[Jet B]

Well, I was moving seismic rigs and most of our work seemed to die off starting with this last winter. It was around the same time that the new Alberta premier announced that he was going to mess around with the royalties. I don't know if that was a coincidence or not...

 

I'm not sure if it affected just our company or any others moving rigs, and I don't know if the guys swinging bags were hit yet or not.

 

Long story short... I ended up having to find some other work to make ends meet and I have been pretty busy swinging diamond drills around looking for Uranium.

 

So, yes I think some sectors have slowed down but some are still going strong and I don't think anything has changed about a shortage of experienced pilots and engineers. It could be that people are shuffling around to keep busy, but there is still a lot of work out there if you look around. That's the beauty of our industry in some ways... When one sector of industry slows down, we can go do something else. It's just too bad we have to sometimes leave a company we really like just because the work dries up.

[WTF_was_that]

145 a barrel of speculative price..... Doesn't anyone remember ENRON. California didn't have enough power generation, to small or lines. Rolling black outs. All caused by one company playing with public perception, and a few numbers. hmmmm

[Guest plumber]

I think that the reduction in ads is due to the fact that it has become common knowledge, for folks in the industry, that there is a high demand for pilots/ame's everywhere ....why spend the money on an ad when you get 100 calls a day from people looking for work or a change in scenery

 

Just my opinion

 

Isn't your statement a bit of a contradiction? If there was a high demand you would think that there would be advertisements would be on the rise.

[shakey]

So, would you go back to a company that layed you off during a slow period and then needed you back when the blip ended? This is directed to the high time/experienced guys.

 

I'm not a high time guy but I'm also not stupid enough to say I would never go back to a company even though I was a little jaded that they let me go. I would however go into the situation with that on my mind and if a better offer came along I would not feel bad to give them a days notice. ( I know this may sound bad but thats how much notice they gave me.)

 

That being said If a company was willing to show some loyalty to me, I would return the favor. Until then every man and women for themselves. Its also funny to see the people that treated you like #### on your 100hr job hunt are the people who can't find find people to fill their seats. :shock:

 

BE CAREFUL OF THE TOES YOU STEP ON. THEY MAY BE ATTACHED TOO THE *** YOU HAVE TOO KISS ONE DAY!

[Jet B]

So, would you go back to a company that layed you off during a slow period and then needed you back when the blip ended? This is directed to the high time/experienced guys.

 

 

It would depend... If I liked working for them and they just ran out of work, I would go back if I wasn't already working somewhere else doing something I liked too.

 

A company kind of takes a big chance letting good people go these days. It's almost a certainty that someone else will snap them up and try to keep them around.

 

Although on the other side of the coin, a company who genuinely has no work and cuts you a lay off slip is actually doing you a favor. At least you can go collect employment insurance if you don't find something good right away. If you are a contractor, then you should have a bunch of logs in the fire anyway and just call someone on your list.

 

There are some companies out there that want a contract of repayment signed when they give an expensive endorsement. A lot of times they want you to commit to two summers but with a known lay off in the winter months. I have never been a big fan of this kind of deal and purposely avoided these companies. It seems to me that if anyone wants you to sign a contract guaranteeing that you will stick around... Then they need to keep you working for the entire period of the contract.

 

If anyone knows that those kinds of contracts are actually null and void once they lay you off, I would be very curious to find out.

[ray]

If anyone knows that those kinds of contracts are actually null and void once they lay you off, I would be very curious to find out.

 

They are always null and void.

A company that spends money on an endorsement for you would like you to stick around for a fixed term, but they can't legally make you.

[deuce bigalow]

 

 

 

 

If anyone knows that those kinds of contracts are actually null and void once they lay you off, I would be very curious to find out.

 

 

My understanding is that these deals don't stand up in court. They amount to indentured servitude.

 

Having said that if you take an endorsement or rating and then bugger off with it word will get around.

 

Most company's will dock your last paycheck if you do this to get some of the money at least and then its up to you to go to court (not recommended).

 

Then there is CHC GO that is handing out endorsements like Halloween candy. No training agreements required.

[Jet B]

I know a contract that says you must work for a company is illegal because it's indentured servitude.

 

That's why companies that do that kind of thing word them as monetary repayment contracts where you agree to pay them back the cost of the endorsement if you decide to leave their employment within a certain time.

 

If you decide it's worth it to you, fair enough. The thing I was wondering about is when they make up a contract like that and then lay you off at the end of the summer and expect the contract to still be in force and make you leave your winter job to come back to them or else you have to repay them...

 

I have never been in this situation, but like I said before, companies have tried to offer me this kind of deal in the past. I don't know, maybe I need to ask a lawyers advice about the legality of this.

[Skidz]

What it boils down to is an employer can word a contract so that it's like a loan you repay over a certain period of time, and as long as you keep working for them they pay it for you. If you leave pefore it's amortised, then you have to pay the balance.

 

My understanding is this is perfectly legal. However, the legal costs involved for an employer to recover the balance if an employee buggers off would be more than the value of the loan.

 

Basically, it boils down to reputation. If a company invests in your training, they'll expect a return on that investment. If you leave, you've just burned a bridge, and that kind of thing can follow you for a long time...

[Skidmark]

Who cares !!! I'm signing up for blimp school.

 

See ya later suckers

 

:punk: