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Union Drive


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I'm sorry Skidmark, I misspoke.

 

I personally cannot see a unionized Canadian VFR fleet for the exact reasons you say.

 

That is not to say that would necessarily be a bad thing. Just unworkable. What is going to happen, a pilot walking back and forth with a picket sign on a two machine base? Right. But is that what happens with every other trade? Like the electrician I mentioned. I honestly have no idea how a union works but I would guess that it would normally affect the larger companies first and they may get down to the 10-15 machine size companies in the far future.

 

There are a couple of companies I can think of that are of such a size and reputation that I think a union could be started and the company wouldn't notice a thing because they are already so far ahead of everyone else in the way they treat their pilots and engineers. Unfortunately, because they are treated fairly and respectfully, they would really rather not rock the boat. Who can blame them?

 

I always thought that being part of a union meant that other unions would support you, especially if you have a legitimate claim. If a large company with bases across the country - we know who - were to become unionized, could they go to Hydro Quebec and say," We can supply the same or better aircraft and crews, and they are unionized, would the IBEW back them up and push Hydro Quebec to hire that company? I don't know. You would have to ask the business manager of a union, I guess. Or if they went to a movie company and told them that they were unionized, would the teamsters back them up? What about the various forest services? Would a unionized company be the first ones called up because the government employees union stood up for the companies. Would the OMNR lean that way just to avoid rocking the boat? Beats me. That is my understanding of unions. Is that right? I am embarrassed to say that I cannot positively say.

 

I don't understand why it is always the crew that pays for the often incompetence of an operator. There are so many operators out there that started by themselves and did all right. Good enough that they bought a medium - "I coulda made a ton o' money last year if I woulda had one". Did okay for a couple of years. Nothing special. Then two bad summers. "Oh well you guys, everything has gone up, (and they all got paid) and I really bid low on that contract to get some cash flow and sorry guys."

 

I do think we should direct our energies towards an association as opposed to a union. I do not agree that "there needs to be some sort of equalization before you can consider an association (I know you said union)" My point is that it should happen sooner rather than later.

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Back peddling ...just like a "politician"...isn't that what you were concerned about in your In last apology in the 2 hours averaged forum.

 

"In reading back over some of the posts that have been made here over the last few days, I noticed the apology I gave to Jim and thought to myself, "that sounds just like a politician" - and it just about made me ill."

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I don't even know why I am responding to your comments Freewheel. I apologized to Jim for a personal attack on him that I had no right to make. The apology came because I did not want to sink to the level of some of the posters on this forum. As for the above "apology", when you are attacked as much as I have been in the last few days, after a while you may read something that isn't there. Skidmark was absolutely right, he did not say that he was against unions. My mistake - I apologized. End of story. I have not and will not apologize for my views of the industry and what I think could be done to make it better.

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Maury, I have to agree with a lot of what you are saying regarding the need for an association. Its unfortunate that this is exactly what happened to the directors of HEPAC when they tried to form an association, they were attacked by the nay sayers to the point that they ended up giving up the fight.

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