First, I want to make it clear that I do not work for Cargojet. But I do have friends who work there and they are every bit as honourable and professional as any others I've met.
As I said above, I completely sympathize with the Amerijet pilots. I've heard enough to know that they have legitimate concerns and deserve to have a contract that is respectful and pays a decent living wage. A few of you need to get your facts straight. "Quit if you don't like it" has been the anti-union mantra for far too long, and it smacks of an arrogant elitism that professional pilots have worked too long and hard to overcome.
Hi Left Coaster;
I don't have a go to and I'm sorry but I don't have time to look for a reference right now. I can only say that I speak from past experience. Several years ago, a certain Canadian airline's pilots went on strike. Said airline was trying to keep some of their routes flying and they were chartering other Canadian carriers to do so, my company among them. The head of our pilots' association received a call from the striking union telling him that we could not fly their passengers. He understood their concerns and he wanted to be supportive (as did most of us), but having never experienced such a situation before, he decided to get a legal opinion from a well respected labour lawyer. He was told in writing that any refusal to do said work, which was legitimate work under the law, would be tantamount to an illegal strike action. So we had no choice but to plug our noses and go do the work. It is in fact no different than answering a call from crew scheduling and then refusing to go to work without any legal justification to do so.
When you're a small group of less than 200 non-unionised pilots, it's not like you've got much to back you up when you draw a line in the sand. Large unions like those in the US who are supporting the Amerijet pilots are speaking from a position of strength, and their companies don't want the hassle of fighting them on it for such a small amount of extra work that wouldn't even put a dent in the balance sheet. For a small struggling cargo carrier like Cargojet that's desperate for more work, the Amerijet flying can mean the difference between a profitable month and a money loser.
So, try to have a little understanding before calling the Cargojet pilots scum, scabs or any other derogatory terms. They are legally bound to go to work, and probably are no happier about having to do so than you are when you see them doing it.
Jeff