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Chc Global Helicopter Pilots Unionize


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Guest plumber
And one more thing...How many times have all of us heared the management bragging about the enourmous number of resumes that they have on hand now...blah blah blah...from people wayyy more qualified than YOU and many of your coworkers?This in a veiled or less veiled effort to remind you that YOU are easily replacebale anf therefore you shoud take that pay cut or that extra tour for no extra money and feel privileged .Humility should be your primordial quality in todays market....BULL SHITT!How many qualified wanna be RCMP officers are waiting theyr turn to get the job?Many more than actually got the job and yet the sallary of a RC does not go down due to plenty of interested people!Same with carpenters and welders and ambulance drivers and garbage pickers!I think that this is the way we should be looking at things .We,as trained ,skilled professionals shold not need to kiss *** and bow our heads to keep a job that 0,0001 of the population can do.A pilot or an engineer should be able to pay his/her student loans the same way a nurse does or a truck driver or a paramedic..etc and not have to go on the verge of banckruptcy or drink watter out of the puddles and eat roots for 4-5 years because "he/she must pay theyr dues".A union could put all this in the light of day and keep companies in line and realizing that PILOTS AND ENGINEERS keep making them money not the machines seating prety.What is sad is that many management and owners been there done that yet forget to soon.Human nature I guess but not excusable by definition only.Many of the smaller and medium size companies have been built by the long hours and low pay of pilots and engineers working away from home ,sleeping in bug and rodent infested crew houses or in canvas tents in the midle of a swamp.All their efforts are immediately forgoten when less money comes in to play for the companies.It is time to do something

 

With al due respect alpha you make some good points.

 

I've been a member of three different unions and for the most part I've seen the union take my money pay the union brass very well and like I said protect the lazy and whiny.

 

Why one time I was not called for 2 years to go to work by my union brothers so I was working for a non union contractor when three big union members showed up and demanded that I quit or hand over my card.

 

Pretty easy decission when morgage was due. I can understand everyones want for better woking conditions I've just found that unions aren't always the solution. My 2 bits for what its worth.

 

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Alphadog & Happyfeet, I'd probably be frustrated as well. I can only begin to imagine, as I do not have children, am not married, do not have a mortgage, and have $350.oo left to pay on a student loan from 7 years of schooling that was in total of $46,000.oo. Which I did over the years while in recovery of having had a stroke (which left me unable to walk or see, and several other things I'd rather not mention...). Although I hear what you're saying, I can't fully imagine what it is like for you both. Because I come from a different mind set. I work for myself. So I can't call the Better Business Bureau on myself for working 7 days a week. 12-14 hour days. And I'm not going to get a lot of sympathy from the bank if I break an arm surfing and can't paint (= no paying bills).

 

I do appreciate & respect that you want a good life. And you want the very best for your families. Perhaps I ought to have fought for an artists union... although, I can't see anyone going for it.

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Unions have served thier purpose many years ago when they were needed . They are no longer needed as they now only serve to protect the riff raff and the administration. Seems to me that anyone worth something to thier employers usually get the work and the compensation they deserve. Unions will destroy the helicopter industry very quickly. I have seen it in other industries and so have you. Just watch and I dont wanna hear any crying if and when it happens.

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Just out of curiosity,how would you feel about a pay cut of about 35 percent ,retroactive for 10 days,anounced out of the blue in the midle of the season when you as a pilot or engineer are cornered and is practically impossible to find other work?

That wouldn't be the yellow company would it?? Just wondering.

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Hello bird,I am not sure how much you know about what is happening in this industry for the longest time.Just out of curiosity,how would you feel about a pay cut of about 35 percent ,retroactive for 10 days,anounced out of the blue in the midle of the season when you as a pilot or engineer are cornered and is practically impossible to find other work?And that pay cut will be out of wages allready not aligned with the rest of the industry.Economic recession could be used as an escuse to easyly now.Recession or not we still have to pay mortgages and feed our kids.Yes,you are a bit naive and idealistic but we all are in this industry and is about time this comes to an end.Or, how would you feel when after 20 years working for the same company,you get your IFR tichet just to get fired asap because the company you are working for only does VFR and they do not like the ideea?And plumber,why has a garbage picker in Toronto more pride in the job that he does than a highly trained proffesional that has lives and milions of dollars to take in to consideration everyday?If union will put some companies under ,so be it.If you wanna be a helicopter opperator then pay your people fair and right and obey all labour codes and laws.What other job will make somebody work 14 hours day with no overtime pay for 42 days?Away from your wife and kids and in some cases for wages that compare to what a burger king guy makes for less hours?We all love what we do and this is the way they black mail us in to paying for managerial mistakes or pure unadulterated greed.All the people that I know in this industry will not steal a rusted nail from anybody and are hard working professionals.If they were part of association or union I just dont see them becomming lazy or desinterested in what they do all of a sudden.And if this stuff is been done in the past ,is time that we realise is the 21st century.I agree,nothing should be done by force and I do not believe an association of pilots and engineers would wanna do annything by force but having a bit of back bone as a profession is overdue.A lot of injustice is done in this industry and just bringing the idea of a union in to play or discussion can get a pilot or engineer marginalised by the employer and management.And this is a reality lets not lie to ourselves.

 

 

Yes Alpha, I too have worked to assure the success of this industry, but when the going gets tough do you think that the last operator i worked for gives a crap If my family gets thrown out on the street. They don't care at all!

 

But who am I kidding! No worries! the next time they call and need me, I will give them as much effort and concern as they have given me when I was struggling to put food on the table.

 

I totally agree with you Alpha, I too see things for what they are and choose not to live in a world of delusion. I will not be a "go along"

 

Cheers

 

HF

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The auto workers wold be out the door with no severance pay and no hope of getting their job back when the companies emerge from banckruptcy protection.It is not the workers fault that auto industrie management can t figure out what will sell and what will not sell.And is not their fault that corporations of such magnitude colaborate with other corporations (oil magnats) just to sell their inefficient products for enourmous profits on both sides.But,our industry is different and a mature approach to the problem will bring representation to people that in certain circumstances can t afford it.And some leverage that we do not have in negotiating pay,benefits(not many ehh?),grievances,safety issues,working hours and periods,leaving conditions,away from base pay,etc.Maybe bring some uniformity along for all of the above.ELAN HEAD,if you red this,why not try to run an anonimous poll .That way we can have a better idea of percentges of people that would sign up for a pilot and engineers professional association/union for the VFR side of the industry in Canada.I know for a fact that many of my friends would sign up quick but are afraid of bringing the subject out for fear of reprisals .

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The auto workers wold be out the door with no severance pay and no hope of getting their job back when the companies emerge from banckruptcy protection.It is not the workers fault that auto industrie management can t figure out what will sell and what will not sell.And is not their fault that corporations of such magnitude colaborate with other corporations (oil magnats) just to sell their inefficient products for enourmous profits on both sides.But,our industry is different and a mature approach to the problem will bring representation to people that in certain circumstances can t afford it.And some leverage that we do not have in negotiating pay,benefits(not many ehh?),grievances,safety issues,working hours and periods,leaving conditions,away from base pay,etc.Maybe bring some uniformity along for all of the above.ELAN HEAD,if you red this,why not try to run an anonimous poll .That way we can have a better idea of percentges of people that would sign up for a pilot and engineers professional association/union for the VFR side of the industry in Canada.I know for a fact that many of my friends would sign up quick but are afraid of bringing the subject out for fear of reprisals .

 

 

Yes good point! Representation was needed and it did work with industry to get autoworkers back to work. :up: If the autoworkers had no representation they'd be hooped! :shock:

 

It's unlikely that a union could be established to cover VFR heli pilots or engineers. This move at CHC Global was accomplished within one group 300 or so pilots. There is no such one group and employees are scattered through a hundred or so companies. Hard to organize logistically and expensive too I would imagine. Right you are about folks fearing reprisal! Surpise surprise!!! :rolleyes:

 

HF

 

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As someone said.....they'll be broke in a year.

Even with Happy feets pom pom waving.

Max

 

I am reminded of Chicken Little " the sky is falling, the sky is falling"

 

As most of you know CHC has operations worldwide. CHC Global is the ONLY one of those operations that is NOT unionized. North Sea, Norway, Australia, all have unionized pilots. All of those operations were unionized when CHC took them over, and they ( Craig Dobbin) seemed to think that he could still make a profit under those conditions. Far from going broke, those operations are some of the most profitable.

 

CHC Global is under a far greater threat from First Reserve than from the GHPA.

 

People charter helicopters because they NEED to, not because they want to. If they could go to that mountain top by pickup truck, that is what they would do.

 

I have to laugh at the statement "protect the lazy and whiny" GO is full of those, and they still have their jobs :D

 

Outwest

GHPA member

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Guest plumber

Well then outwest be also reminded when a person gets laid of from a union job and goes to apply for another non union job there is a stigma that follows them simply for being an ex union member.

 

This only speaking from experience was even told at one point to take union employer off my resume by prospect employer.

 

The only place that I have ever seen a person not get ahead with hard work and drive was in a union situation. You don't have to believe me but I've lived it as an employer and an employee. All the best.

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