Pilot Strike Looms Large at Air Log in the GOM

[SASless]

The latest information out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiation between Air Log Pilots and OLOG's Air Logistics unit seems headed to a walkout by pilots unless the management decides to compromise.

The news from the negotiation indicates the Local 107, OPIEU, has made its third counter proposal December 13th and the company is supposed to have stuck with their usual response of "Your pay proposal is preposterous! There is no rationale for your proposal. There will be no retroactivity...we are not going to pay for the lack of movement over the past months."

The Pilots Union must wait for the Federal Mediator to announce a deadlock and release the parties before further job action may be taken.

Informal polls show an overwhelming support amongst the pilots for shop action to include walking out unless the company comes to the bargaining table with an acceptable proposal.

A smart financial play by those invested in Offshore Logistics (symbol OLG ) would be to start selling shares now in advance of labor actions adversely affecting the OLOG share prices. The stock has been downrated recently by Jeffrie analysts. Maybe they are aware of the serious gap between the Union proposals and the Air Log position.

The latest company proposal was for a pay rise in the amount of approximately 3.4% over a four year contract with no increases for the first two years. Under the company proposal, 28 pilots would actually receive a reduction in pay based upon the company pay plan.

The company pay proposal does not even meet the current annual cost of living increase figures as calculated by the Federal government.

This situation, in conjunction with the current unrest in the Bristow/UK unit of OLOG seems to indicate a management policy that is designed to cause the company severe financial problems in the future should strike actions be called in both their US and UK operations.

[gomex]

:ok: As a pilot who work in the GOM, SASless post is a very accurate description to what is happening to OLOG.

[SASless]

Found this at the OLOG Web Site.....



Insider trading for Neil Osborne alone amounted to $688,826 since 7 October 03 alone. Wonder what he knows?

Insider trading for Michael Rizk (head of the Alaska Operation for Air Log) was $1,456,017 since mid-June 2002. Wonder what he knows?

Insider trading by former Director Louis Crane was $3,039,460.

[Gomer Pylot]

Mr. Osborne certainly knows enough to bail out. He's now with Tex-Air as COO.

[SASless]

Union and Air Log are now deadlocked. Union made fourth proposal....Company offered nothing but a "We will consider your proposal...." Union now awaiting a "Release" from the Federal Mediator....then Strike Vote....then Strike....unless the company offers some compromise that is acceptable to the Union.

Sounds as though the Union is holding out for a "Bench Marked" pay scheme which will provide a substantial pay rise for the pilots. The company's only offer resulted in an actual pay decrease for 28 pilots and provided a 3.4% rise over four years with no rise for the first two years.

Also...PHI is to start negotiating their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in the near future....wonder how that will play out as well. Rumors abound that PHI is for sale again. Reckon CHC will buy PHI and then be a competitor in the Gulf Of Mexico (GOM) against their rival OLOG?

Informal poll of the Air Log Union members confirms a very strong solidarity amongst the pilots and suggests a Strike Vote will be overwhelmingly popular.

Wonder if the UK Bristow pilots , BALPA, and the Air Log Union members can join forces in dealing with OLOG management? It would certainly submit OLOG to some severe financial hardship if that were to happen. No doubt the Share Price would suffer as a result.

:ok:

[Terrier]

In Bristow and CHC Scotia (Aberdeen) a couple of years ago the only way the substantial pay rise agreement was reached was by the pilots in both companies giving the unions a mandate for strike action - and planning on seeing it through.

The results were swift as the companies knew the pilots were serious.

Mind you, since then all other benefits - pensions, loss of licence provision etc. has been under massive attack from 'management'.

[ATPMBA]

If CHC wants to buy PHI they will face regulatory hurdles. The FAA maintains that 70% of the ownership of a Part 135 air carrier such as PHI must be owned or controlled by US citizens. I believe CHC could own a majority pf PHI as long as 70% of the voting control was done by US citizens. Olog owns part of Bristow, the UK rules are more lenient, UK citizens must own 50% of the stock plus one share.

[leading edge]

According to sources close to PHI's Chairman and 51% majority stock holder, he has no plans to sell at the moment.

[Time Out]

They hope they can reach an agreement before any action is taken by the union, but there are certain steps that need to be taken before we'll see picket signs go up. Air Logistics and professional pilots have been in mediation for months, according to the pilots' union. The pilots want more money, better benefits, and union security.

"We have been notoriously underpaid for a long time," says union president Ken Bruner. "We feel now is a good time to establish a decent pay for professional pilots and set the bar."

Bruner says the mediation isn't working, so they're asking to be let out. After that they must go through a 30 day cooling off period. In that time neither the union nor Air Llogistics can take any action against the other. After the 30 days, anything is fair game, including a strike.

"They're just pretty firm in what they think we should be paid," says Bruner.

In a prepared statement representatives from Air Logistics say calls to strike and letters to the media are a common negotiating practice by unions. The union sent out more than 300 ballots to members asking for permission to strike if necessary. The union president says it shouldn't be a problem getting enough votes.

"We've only been a union for four years, but that's been the case so far," says Bruner.

The company says they're scheduled for another negotiation meeting in Dallas next month. If the pilots do strike, however, Air Logistics has a contingency plan and will continue to operate.


source (http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=1582127&nav=EyAzJvEK) (this report went online about 2 hours ago, though the report itself has no date attached)

[MaxNg]

ATPMBA

If my recollections are correct Mr Dobbin has no problem in changing nationality if the prize is worth it.

ie: CHC bys OLOG or part thereof and then unifies the North Sea companies.

Then BP and the other overbearing bullies will be back to facing two operators on the North Sea again, rates and investments could be driven upwards and peace restored (for a while at least) until the cycle repeats itself.:ugh:

[gomex]

The strike vote is underway at AirLog, and will be counted on January 24, 2004. Every pilot that I have talked with has voted to strike. OLog management seems to be on a self destructive mission, they will not include our pilots in Alaska, even though they are under the same contract. The pilots of Alaska are being treated like second class citizens. The union is clear One Contract, One Company, One Retroactive/Benchmark Contract. To our Bristow Brothers and Sisters, the pilots in the GOM are 100% behind our negociators.

[SASless]

Gomex....

I reckon the company feels the union pay demand is unreasonable and rightfully determined the pilots in Alaska are not covered by the existing contract despite the court rulings. Any truth to the rumour that Neil Osborne got shifted out of the UK for being too easy in dealing with the Bristow pilots pay demands of a few years ago? Rumour has it that he returned to the warm embrace of the Air Log management to find himself stashed away in a spare broom closet with no real duties. Reckon he sees a better future at Tex-Air?

I notice the OLOG share prices are heading south...reckon the bad news is out....Yahoo had some very interesting discussions....went to the financial page...typed in OLG for the OLOG stock symbol....and read the discussions. Not very flattering.

I have been told the original pay demand....that would have cost Air Log 8 million US Dollars per year....out of 18 Million US Dollars that went for management bonuses for 7 executives last year...would only have reduced the company's profit margin by 5% to 23% vice the current 28%.

You have any information on those matters?:ok:

[SASless]

Heard yesterday of meeting called by Air Log management for all Training Captains and Check Airmen (TRE/IRE). It was reported that the training department staff (all Union members) were told they had 48 hours to decide whether they would continue to work during a strike and whether they would train/check contract replacement pilots prior to and during the strike. The company made no bones about it...either they do...or they shall leave the training department and be replaced by those that will comply with the company's wishes.

AirLog Alaska is advertising for a new guy's class to start 23 Feb for the "Summer Season" in Alaska. Rumor has it that one must swear a blood oath to cross the picket lines if/when the strike occurs in order to be hired. Any one know why they would hire in February for a Summer Season that historically starts in Late April or Early May?

A pilot's meeting was held in New Iberia last week....almost 90 pilots attended. No doubt the pilots shall strike....unless the company gets its head out.:ok:

[Helibusdriver]

Our colleagues in the GOM deserve respect and support in their endeavour to secure necessary and well deserved improvements in terms and conditions.

Both the pilots of PHI and AirLog made impressive improvements last time around, but still have a long way to go.

Their customers are in a position where they easily can afford the minute increases in the cost to running their oil fields which would be the result of a negotiated agreement between management and pilots at AirLog. Hopefully management will realize this before it is too late.

Strike breaking activity has been a last ditch effort throughouot history. It leads to bad blood between management, unions members and the strike breakers. The wounds take a long time to heal, if left unattended.

No one respects a strike breaker, who effectively risks ruining his reputation within his line of work for the remainder of his career.

Pilots contemplating adhering to threats from management should keep in mind that management would in effect be using scabs as expandable canon fooder in a dirty war. Later on, after the dust has settled, management and unions will at one point sit down to find ways to heal the wounds. The guys or girls who took a wrong turn during legal industrial actions would not be part of the solution.

Best of luck to colleagues in AirLog!

[bondu]

:* Thanks for the update SASless.
I'm sure I speak for most of the pilots in the UK N.Sea sector when I say that our colleagues in Air Logistics/OLOG have our total suport.

DON'T GIVE IN TO BULLY BOY TACTICS.

How can supposedly 'intellegent' business leaders say that a pay deal worth $8m will bankrupt a company, when, at the same time, they can give bonuses worth $18m to a few directors? Will those same directors give their bonuses back if the OLOG share price hits rock bottom because of their incompetence? I think not! Do they think we all all stupid?

WE WILL BE IF WE ALLOW THEM TO GET AWAY WITH ALL THIS SH*T YET AGAIN!

We work in support of some of the richest companies in the history of commerce: the oil companies.

WE hold them by the b***s. It is time we squeezed them instead of just providing support!:*

[thechopper]

Best of luck to all my collegues in the GOM.
Our combined management seems to be on a "self-destruct" mission, trying to treat us, the workforce as if there was no tomorrow.
By the way Bristow just lost another contract (Con Phil) in the Northsea to CHC.
Management still employed; not even under threat. :yuk:

[Devil 49]

As a former GOM'er (in the yellow helicopters), I sympathise with and support my colleagues at Air Log completely.
I have a hard time imagining what management expects to gain with their "bloody-mindedness." Pilots are a naturally independent and contrary lot. The management style employed by Air Log is what drives us to unite and emphasises the importance of standing by our brothers.

As Ben Franklin said "We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."

[SASless]

Maybe all us guys should send our Resume's to AirLog in New Iberia....see what the pay and per diem rates are. That way they would have a few thousand recent Resumes to take to the Union...then a canvas could be done...compare pay...benefits...working conditions...see how it fits. I am 25% over starting wage for Air Log...even with the five years seniority they will grudgingly give you...have better health insurance...work fewer days....live at home on work days unless I am doing a 24...get a pension contribution that exceeds the Safety Bonus they want to take away at Air Log...gosh....maybe the company would catch on to the fact they need to improve the Gomer's Lot in life. I guess I could always commute 1200 miles each way to/from work...devote 10 of 14 days to work or commuting (they do not fly you to work).

Wonder if the company will discuss their turnover rate prior to the start of all this turmoil....I heard something like 300 pilots in 18 months....but do not hold me to the exact number. It was liken to the turnover rate for some of the worst trucking outfits in the US. That alone should be a mark of pride to the company...not being able to hold onto pilots.

PHI is on mandatory workover now....short of pilots already...Tex Air cannot hire enough to fill their vacancies...Air Log was short prior to the turmoil...heck...maybe pay will go up anyway.

[bondu]

Any news on the ballot result?

[SASless]

Talked to an AirDog guy night of the 24th....he said the vote was being tallied...final attempts to makes sure everyone that wanted to vote had done so. Tally will be done and results announced when complete. He reported pilots remain united...all informal polls showed very strong support for strike if required.:ok:

[SASless]

Final Tally of the Strike vote.....96.9% of the pilots voted "YES" to strike.

[thechopper]

Well done; that should make a nice wake-up call.
Wish we could do something else to support you, apart from sending encouraging posts. :ok:

[SASless]

I am not an OLOG pilot...but have friends that are. The one thing that we all can do to help is to make sure the news...and continuing status of the situation is broadcast as widely as possible.

Take a few minutes to e-mail as many financial column editors, stock analysts, web based financial reporting sources as you can...when the OLOG Board sees the share/stock price heading for the cellar (and their stock options withering on the vine) then and only then will they wake up to what is going on.

My view of all this seems simple....just like the OLOG management. Fostering good relationships with the employees that produce the revenue pays better returns than merely lashing out with the whip. They are sticking to their Russian method of negotiating and have completely ignored the "Win-Win" model.:ok:

[gomex]

Here are the official results of the AirLog Pilot's Strike authorization Vote.
271 Ballots mailed out to pilots.
266 Ballots returned.
253 Ballots marked YES for Strike authorization.
8 Ballots marked NO for Strike authorization.
5 Ballots that were invalid for voting error.
The Union is still in negotiation, as we are not released for self-help. This vote give the negotiation team the support for the Pilot's contract position. Thanks for everyone support, it means a lot to us.

[bondu]

Many thanks to SASless and gomex!

96.9% is a fantastic result: it just shows that the guys have had enough! Lets hope the directors do see sense before its too late.

I'm sure all of us in the frozen north of Scotland wish you all well and offer whatever support we can to help out.:ok:

[SASless]

Scheduled meeting of the union, management, and the Federal Mediator on Wednesday....any bets on what happens?

Will the OLOG management get struck by Chain Lightning and have a change of heart and offer a meaningful compromise to the Union and thus settle this matter?

Will the OLOG bunch continue with their unyielding position and the Union cave in to that position?

Will the OLOG bunch ignore reality...hold forth on their Road to Perdition, the Union stand firm in their demand....and the Federal Mediator declare an Impasse....and a cooling off period begin?

Or.....will the mediator declare an Impasse and release the two parities from mediation?

Doughnuts to Dog Droppings....and you can hold the stakes in yer mouth....OLOG continues to stonewall...and the strike becomes a certainty! One man's opinion here....reason and logic will not play a part in the company position.:confused:

[Gomer Pylot]

Here's my guess. The union (and perhaps even the company) will request release, and likely get it. This will start a 30-day cooling-off period, during which the real negotiations will be done. The agreement will be reached on about the 29th day of the cooling-off period. There is no perceived advantage to the company in caving in any earlier. Negotiations under the Railway Labor Act are settled then, and almost never prior to the deadline. The company could make a lot of good-will profit by settling earlier, but they aren't smart enough to realize that.

Look for the same thing to happen with the PHI negotiations which are scheduled to begin in just over a week.

[HeloTeacher]

I'm sure its been asked but I haven't seen the answer.

Is it possible to pass on what the old package was? It would make it a lot easy to make sense of what is going on.

[Tokunbo]

If you see the African Forum thread Capers in Cameroon, perhaps the OLOG management will do something like the management of the airline there, only in reverse. Sack all the pilots, then claim they all resigned:sad:
There don't seem to be any good companies to work for any more. Globalisation is wunnerful innit?

[SASless]

The latest Notam from the Pilot's Union Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) team reports the end of negotiations with the company. The Union made its bottomline offer...the company refused to accept it or make a final compromise offer. The Union has asked the Federal Mediator to "Release" the union from negotiations due to the obivious stalemate.

My friends at Air Log report strike action is almost a certainty now....and is just a matter of time unless the company accepts the offer.

They also say it would take a lightning strike or something of that magnitude to return the senior management to the reality of the situation.

Does the management really believe the pilots will not strike over this?

Will the Pilots walk?

Should the Pilots walk?

If the pilots walk...who wins...who loses?

Does it always have to be Russian style negotiations where one side must win...and the other side must lose? Cannot management not find a way to form a win-win deal?

The estimated cost of accepting the full, original demand by the union was 8,000,000 USD...the previous year bonus pool for the senior 8 managers was 18,000,000 USD.....and the company stated publically the Union demand would bankrupt the company. That is the mentality of the management on this one.

:confused:

[Devil 49]

Whatever my colleagues at Air Log decide to do, they'll have what support I can give.

Will the pilots strike? My observation is that Air Log management has always had... "difficult" relations with the line pilots. That's the reason the pilots had to organize. That's the reason they were the first in the GOM to do so. My guess is the management style hasn't changed a bit. And that's the reason they'll feel like they have no choice but a job action.

Everybody loses.

It's a shame but it's not news. The only negative I ever observed in Air Log was this poisonous relationship between the field guys and management. A very good company besides that, but that's enough to put them at the bottom of a list of potential employers if I ever returned to the GOM.

[anjouan]

SASless

If it's really true that the senior managers scooped a bonus of US$18,000,000 last yaer then for sure the pilots should walk. I've seen too many managers make a small fortune despite their incompetence over the last 20 years, while the guys that make the profits get the usual barbed-wire coated greased baseball bat.:yuk:

[gomexjr]

I think that the Air Log pilots will eventually have to walk. How else do they show the company that the vote to strike was a serious matter, not a laughing matter that meant nothing. At least that appears to be the way that Air Log is viewing the pilots vote to strike.

I know that the Union has made multiple efforts to get the company to the table for open talks in hopes of starting a geniune negotiation of terms. Unfortunatly, they would have the same luck with a stone wall.

Here is some additonal food for thought. I was talking to a PHI pilot and he said that their negotiations will be on hold until Air Log is able to work their new contract. Is this true, is PHI waiting to see how Air Log handles thier negotiations and the outcome?

I have also heard talk that ERA is now looking at Unionizing as well. Apparently, their retirement benefits are assualted as if they were a sleeper cell taking pictures of the Pentagon. At least that is how it was described to me.

Assuming that is true, then how much more is riding on the contract between Air Log and it's pilot's? In asking the question, I would want to know what both sides feels is at stake. Maybe this would explain the hard nose tactics Air Log has choosen to use, as it may effect every company. If your head is in the sand maybe this next sentence will pull it out. Do we not think that each operator will/is supporting the other behind the scenes if not publically? It seems all the drilling companies are questioning what will happen as well, so what type of support or pressure are they putting on the companies to keep their costs down (rhetorical question hence the little dot at the end). Last I checked there was only one variable to the cost of operating equipment and that was the operator of the equipment! I don't know any executive that will allow their bonus to be touched, as it is almost always viewed as their salary. Of course they are owed the money, while the rest of us have to earn our bonuses. How many people work hard for their safety bonus?

I think all the above makes it important for the pilots to stand together and push through the best deal possible, as it appears that this will effect the entire GOM. Obviously, it has to be fair to both sides, and I have yet to meet a pilot that is looking to put their company out of business. Seems to me most just want a fair wage and decent benefits to take care of their families.

What better way for everyone to see if the Union is a reality? I think the majority of the pilots flying in the GOM tend to be more conservative. On a hunch I bet it has something to do with living/working in the South and having military backgrounds. I believe that is why it took the area so long to Unionize and why part of it still non-Union. Surely the employers know this and I wouldn't be surprised if they saw this as an opportunity to break the Union and make it worthless. I hope, for the sake of those of us looking to start a career down there and wanting the best conditions possible everyone stands united and strikes if need be. Better yet, I hope the company comes to their senses and sits at the table to have an open discussion and start a real negotiation process. Either way I wish all the Air Log pilots good luck and know that you do have a lot of support out there.

:ok:

[Devil 49]

Gomexjr,
I don't want my Air Log colleagues to strike. They're organized because of this management style made them see their common cause and sacrifice independence and join together to face it. They can do as they see fit with legal sanction and recognition of their common interest.

If Air Log management sees this conflict as a matter of "face" and think they have "support" from other operators, the cause is lost and the company will fail. Air Log- the dynamic and enterprising operator- is dead if everybody isn't working together.

Pilots work absolutely on their own, and if they're not motivated to perform, they won't- and nobody on this planet can make them. We (pilots) know where the responsibility always ultimately lies, and know it's our decision alone, each and every time we launch. It's always a calculated risk that the pilot has to decide he's justified in taking- there's never a perfect day, or a flawless aircraft. That's the same no matter who's name is on the top of the check- there's squat to differentiate between the big 3 or 4 as far as the aircraft, pilot, job and customers are concerned. Who would I rather fill the seat for? The pilot jobs will be there, the aircraft requirement, too.

The effort a poorly supported pilot in an adversarial environment is willing to put forth to accomplish a customers' wishes is far less than, oh let's say- the guys in the yellow helicopters will put out. We- each and every line pilot- determines the quality of the contract and customer satisfaction. My customers regarded me as *their* pilot, in *their* aircraft, and we did *their* work. Every line guy in the Gulf "makes his bones" with the customer, and he is the operator as far as the customer is concerned. The pilot's never PHI (my former employer) or Air Log, until the end of hitch or a call for support. If I wasn't flying, it's because I couldn't do their job, and they knew as soon as I could go, we would go. New Iberia needs to consider the terms of their partnership very carefully before their cornflakes get any soggier.

I haven't faced to face with anybody on the Air Log line lately, but the rumors that I'm hearing are much more in touch with reality than the management position appears to be. They'd like to make a deal.

[ATPMBA]

Who said there's no money in aviation?

[SASless]

Devil 49 says it exactly right...as well written an explanation of the situation as I have read...shame the management at New Iberia cannot understand that concept. :ok:

Gomex Jr....also sets forth a good analysis...but I know from whence he springs....and I would expect nothing less. Gomex Senior has worked very hard to improve things for other GOM'ers.

[gomexjr]

Now we have conversation, and it would be great to hear from some of the men/women out in GOM and what their thoughts are.

Devil - I agree with you, as I don't want to see them strike either. I just don't know if it is avoidable at this point. Let's hope that it is.

ATPMBA- Of course there is money in aviation and always will be, just a question of when it will flow down the hill to the working men and women. The airliners seem to have done a much better job of starting that flow down hill that the rotor-wing sector. Hopefully that is changing or at least that is the appearence from my look out station.

Sassless - You are wise beyond your years and you do know exactly where or dare I say who I come from. I have been tainted but I have the utmost respect and admiration for my tainter.

I have always been one for a good conspiracy and was just wondering what everyone's thoughts on the "behind the scenes" talks were between operators. It appears that Devil and Sassless don't see a conspiracy:ugh: just bad management. I have to agree but like a good journalist I want to know if there is more to the story. Maybe I should send Jayson Blair to investigate and report back? Maybe we'll just get the straight dirt from some of those flying the GOM and not have to sit on the sidelines and speculate...guess time will tell.

[PPRUNE FAN#1]

Oh, I don't think there's any doubt that the operators are all coordinating with each other. Maybe not the CEO's (but who knows?), surely some of the more higher-ups who play golf together or go to the same church- it's not that big an area, after all and people do socialize. So there is back-channel communication going on, bet on it.

I guarantee that the operators are afraid of the "stair-stepping" of their respective contracts and want to nip it in the bud. They probably do not seriously believe that pilots would ever strike, which would be a drastic move to be sure. GOM pilots have historically been wishy-washy and weak-kneed when it came to standing up for themselves. I believe that the operators do not feel that this has changed much.

Taking the hard-line will fall to Air Log this time. But don't worry, PHI will be equally intransigent when their contract comes up soon.

There is a feeling among the operators that the pay for GOM pilots is "just about right." That is, just high enough to keep them coming back every week with an acceptable level of turnover, but not low enough to make them strike. They still do not perceive any need to increase compensation, and do not see any benefit from doing so.

While Air Log dreads even the thought of not being able to cover contracts and the attendant bad publicity that will come from "HELICOPTER PILOTS STRIKE!" headlines, they must pretend that they're not worried. They're doing a good job of this, and it plays well with the terminally-worried, nervous, and fearful for their jobs. But if this standoff continues, then the ALI pilots will be forced to play their hand (which is stronger than they think). If they cave, then it will prove to one and all that the compensation package in the GOM is "just about right" right now. And PHI pilots will all look at each other and go, "We're screwed."

We've come a long way, but there's still a long way to go.

[SASless]

It was said many years ago..."hang together...or hang separately!":ok:

[bondu]

With the price of oil at a 21 year high, with the oil companies at supposedly maximum production and demand higher than ever, is this not the time to give our employers an ultimatum?
The oil companies are making record profits (again!!) and it is their greed which holds down the contract prices for the aviation services they depend on. And let us not loose sight of that fact: THEY DEPEND ON HELICOPTERS.
Our employers, regardless of where we operate, are all talking to each other and are just as greedy as the client oil companies. (Remember the $18 million bonus to the Air Log directors!). OLOG are the 'owners' of the company I work for: their management techniques have travelled well across the Atlantic to the UK!!
I, like most of my colleagues, do not like the idea of strike action; but our fear is almost certainly less than that of the management. The very thought of disruption during the current economic situation is giving them sleepless nights; or it SHOULD be!!
Should the guys at AIr Log decide to withdraw their labour, they deserve the support of ALL of us. If they fail, we all fail!

[Chopter]

http://www.acadiananow.com/business/html/856EF3A3-0E74-4264-8C2C-BFEB5F3D2999.shtml

“Our pilots are about the lowest paid in this industry,” said Abbeville resident and picketer Joe Osborne. “It’s a lot of corporate greed; they don’t want to pay the people that make the money for them.”

[SASless]

Air Log has made an offer...the Union Negotiating Committee is studying it....but the Conventional Wisdom says the Rank and File shall vote "NO". It is said the vote should come in about a month....after the Committee has time to make its recommendation and the the members to consider the proposal.

It really is the shame that management could not see fit to give the increase at the outset and avoid all the hate and discontent.....and having to spend far more fighting the issue than looking after their Pilots.....doing the right thing would have been cheaper in the long run.....but then bonuses mean a lot to them I guess.:(

[Vfrpilotpb]

Without bad management, Unions would not exist!

sadly manager's, company directors and Ceo's have not yet realised the strength of any company is in the ability of their workforce...
not the balance sheet or the bank managers, signature.

;)
Vfr

[Gomer Pylot]

Most managers don't care about the strength of the company. The way management compensation and bonuses are usually calculated means that they only care about the stock price and profit for the next quarter. Next year is over the horizon, and five years aren't even thinkable. Management compensation is becoming the biggest economic problem in the industrialized world, especially the US.

[SASless]

Interesting telephone call a bit ago...seems the Brass at Air Log had a group of investors down for a Dog and Pony....somehow the Pilot's Union heard of this....took it upon themselves to gather up a Welcome committee at the new Air Log state of the art Gomer Base at Galliano, Lousiana. A local law enforcment official, probably a Jackie Gleason lookalike, tipped the Brass in New Iberia....who had the proverbial cow over the news. The monied gentry got a bus tour of some Chevron site....and the Pilots toting welcome signs were invited for High Tea with a company goon. All this is going on while the pilots are voting on the company's offer for a settlement on the CBA. Rumour has it that the pilots who were not very keen to accept the kind offer of the management are now miffed over the treatment of their brothers who took their lunch break to welcome prospective investors.

I would love to have been a bug on the wall when the sheriff offered up his information......oh, dear me!:uhoh:

[offshoreigor]

Everyone!

How appropriate a term "COLLECTIVE" agreement. The rest of us with the western side of the pond dont have that. Can you spell "Foreign Validation"? Make no mistake, the gang at home office will probably try that route. Don't get me wrong, I know you guys have a much higher cost of living but the people who pay the bills won't play along. It's sad really that we can attribute so much of the problem to contracting in USD instead of Euros! 5 years ago, who would have guessed!

Keep the faith and Merry Christmas.

:ok: OffshoreIgor :ok:

[tottigol]

The members of Air Log's Local 107 Voted down the Tentative Agreement brought to them by the negotiating team.
And rightly so.:yuk:

[SASless]

Well.....what's gonna happen now? Management going to get struck by lightning and make a real offer that can be accepted by the pilots (not very likely...) Pilots going to have a change of heart and re-vote to accept (not likely at all)....after the cooling off period....the signs and picket lines go up.....(most probably).

Sad state of affairs down there in the GOM....Air Log headed for a strike, PHI is beginning it's Contract negotiation process with the pilots, Tex-Air/ERA the third biggest company (non-union) is rumored to have suffered a pay cut for the ERA pilots to bring them "down" to the Tex-Air wage scale....which means a union is bound to happen there. Neil Osborne, a former OLOG management type, is the CEO of TexAir/ERA.

If the rumor is true about cutting ERA pilot's wages at TexAir/Era...this would rate as being one of the less enlightened management moves of the new century. The ERA pilots lost a wonderful pension plan when the sale of ERA went through. The Rowan Drilling company pension was a very good deal.

All this begs the question...."Why are helicopter pilots continuing to get the short end of the stick in the oil patch?"

[Gomer Pylot]

Well, the results of the Air Log vote are in. The Company's proposal was rejected by 91.44%. Looks like it's time for management to finally make a serious offer. The union already has a strike authorization from the pilots, approved by 96%. If the mediator approves a release, the 30-day real negotiating period begins. Apparently the union isn't going to budge, so management has to s**t or get off the pot.

[SASless]

Gomer....

Dear boy....management give in....surrender to the union?? Why whatever can you mean? They gave you a wonderful offer....and only after what....a year of talking...(or not talking) depending upon how you look at it.

Tell us what the offer was and why it was voted down.....the rest of us are dying to know what the company offered that was so unacceptable that the pilots almost universially voted it down. The company would lead us to believe you lot are being silly for not accepting their very kind offer.

Do you per chance have the information that can show how much the senior management staff have taken in bonus payments since the negotiation has been underway.....and maybe estimate how much they have spent fighting the pay rise? Any idea of how much business has gone elsewhere or how many pilots have left the company since the negoitiation has been underway?

Tell us dear boy....we are longing to know the truth!

(Sorry....long night with good friends consuming quantities of Lismore single malt!)

:O

[gomex]

SasLess AirLog management offerd less than what PHI pilots are already making. The pay offered at my seniority level is 4,000 usd less than my counterpart at PHI. Right now, the difference is 20,000 usd with the current contract. I just confirm this last week. Our junior pilots gets even less, I believe it is around 47,000 usd, and checking with some of the other operators, most are paying 49,000 to 50,000 usd. So AirLog is not even in the ball park on starting salaries. AirLog has trained around 400 pilots in the last 5 years, and we only have 270 pilots working, and 30% of these pilots have over 20years service, so that means 70% of the pilots has turn over twice in the past 5 years. Not good for retention or the botton line. How much has that training cost affected the botton line on operating cost.? Our Alaska divisions, was offer a different contract, that was less than what the pilots in the GOM gets, and had managers telling the pilots in GOM that the pilots in Alaska was for the contract 100%, Now we know that was a lie. At every pay level everyone will lose a week of vacations. Right now not very many pilots can take a vacations because the company is so shorthanded. Seems like they can not hire anyone because of the low starting wages, as well as a pending labor strike looming. The contract that AirLog offered was so full of bad deals that I can not list them all. I hope the company come to it senses, or that we will be release by the Federal Mediator to take a job actions.

[SASless]

Well....how does one respond to that?

I guess we could say things like....wages at one company does not mean the other side should get the same pay for doing the same work in the same area flying the same aircraft. The Airlines have always had different wage levels and benefits (or have they?).

Turnover problems....well go figger....lower pay, fewer benefits....worse working environment.....yes, I can see a turnover problem.

Accept a contract offer that does not even bring the wages up to the current level of the main competitor who is starting their own wage negotiation? I don't think so.

I keep wondering.....why cannot management at Air Log/OLOG sit down and conduct a business like negotiation and find a win-win solution so everyone can get back to work and get this period of unpleasantness over with. Air Log used to be a reasonably happy place to work but sure seems to have hit a big pothole with this CBA.

With Union votes of almost 97% to strike and 92% to refuse the current offer.....someone in mangement who thinks they are going to be able to keep a hard nosed attitude towards this is dreaming. Despite their best efforts....they have only made a five percentile point dent in the solidarity number.

Even the Democrats would concede defeat with those kinds of numbers!

[The Rotordog]

SASless asks:I keep wondering.....why cannot management at Air Log/OLOG sit down and conduct a business like negotiation and find a win-win solution so everyone can get back to work and get this period of unpleasantness over with.Because that would be the adult thing to do. And while they've been called many things over the years, Air Log management has never been called "adult." I think it's still a fireable offense at Air Log. But seriously and very simply, there is still too much bitterness and animosity on the part of management. Well, there was always the animosity toward pilots; that is has not diminished is no surprise. The bitterness is fairly recent, and for the most part the same managers are in place now that were in place when the union was voted-in.

You have to know that the upper management at both Air Log and PHI are concerned about the "stair-stepping" of the contracts. Air Log gets X in their first one, then PHI demands and gets X+1 in theirs. Then Air Log's contract comes around again and the pilots demand X+2. Then PHI...you get the idea. One can imagine the execs for both companies sitting around the pool in their Speedos at Carroll Suggs' mansion on a hot afternoon when the skeeters aren't so bad. They're sipping margaritas and many of them are wondering just what color of the skimpy bathing suits they put on, not being able to see their own due to their girth, of course. One boozy, rambling exec, his mind not completely numb yet and still obsessing about company business ponders aloud, "Where will it all end, babe? Are we going to end up paying those lousy, good-for-nuthin pilots a million bucks a year?? They'll STILL complain that it ain't enough!" Carroll momentarily takes her eyes off the Speedo of the youngish Air Log manager (who used to work in her EMS department before he defected to Big Blue). A smug look crosses her face and she says in a voice made gravelly by too many cigarettes and too much bourbon, "I told yous guys so. But yous wouldn't listen. Pilots are scum. I learned that when I was just a secretary at PHI. My former boss...I mean my husband and business partner Bob - God rest his soul - always taught me that. Glad I sold out when I did. Are you still happy that you bought the company now, Al?" She tosses her head back coyly and lets out a little demented chortle. "BWAAAHAHAHAHAH!" Big Al ("The Daddy G") gets a pained look on his face. The other PHI and Air Log managers all suddenly start paging their limo drivers, and the closest topless bar in the town suddenly loses 99% of it's clientele...

But I digress.

So Air Log has taken a hard-line attitude. My uneducated outsider's best guess is that they're deliberately trying to stall things until PHI's contract comes up, and then making them match. They sort of have to, you know. It would disarm that stair-stepping process. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all if that very plan wasn't already decided upon by both Air Log and PHI upper management together, probably at one of those swinging soirees at the widow Suggs' estate.

[Gomer Pylot]

Now Rotordog, you're entirely too cynical. Both Air Log and PHI management are very enlightened and have the best interests of the pilots at heart. They say so every day, so it must be so. :E What they need to do is convince Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly to come out against the unions. Most helicopter pilots, being middle-aged white men, think Rush is the Lord, Bill is his prophet, and when they die they're going to Fox Central. They believe Fox's lies, so why not management's?

[SASless]

Now Gomer....go easy there...you are walking on my corns!

I wish the pilots had Bill on their side....knowing the things I have done in my life.....I will probably be tied at the hip with Dan Rather and Hillary Clinton for eternity....which would be a most unfair punishment.

[SASless]

I am confused....again.

I have listened to the Air Log pilots talk about the status of the CBA negotiations and read all sorts of things at another US based web site that purports to be just about helicopters.

I have been led to believe that the Company is the party to the negotiation that has not been bargaining in good faith. The union boys have thrown out all sorts of facts, figures, numbers, and percentages that they claim support their case.

I will admit....I believed pretty much what I was reading and had heard....though admittedly I had not heard the company's side of the issues except as relayed to me by those on the pilot's side of the argument. I must assume something was lost in the translation.

Now tonight...I get word....and unless the Federal Mediator has been CBS'd.....in the form of a letter from the company to the Federal Mediator that plainly states the union is the party that has not been bargaining in good faith and that the company has no objection to the union being released from mediation by the Federal Board.

That does it....you just cannot believe anything a bunch of helicopter pilots have to say.

96% of the pilots voted for strike....and 92% voted "NO" on the contract offer the company finally made after all the arguing and despite the union negotiators telling the company the offer would not be accepted......now the company is on record as accusing the union of bad faith bargaining.

I wonder just what the truth of the matter is....maybe someone closer to the issues can help us out here?

Why is it I sense there is no attempt by both the parties to find a win-win compromise here?


:(

[SASless]

Found this posted elsewhere on the web....

Pilot Wanted: $100,000 a year
MAJOR CORPORATION SEEKS PILOT
· ATP with a minimum 15 years experience.
· 10,000 hours multi engine time.
· Extensive instrument experience.

If you saw this advertisement in an aviation magazine, you probably wouldn’t give it a second glance. But stick the word “helicopter” in front of pilot and all of a sudden it’s a joke. It can’t be real. Why is that? Why does the suggestion of a reasonable salary for a professional aviator seem unreal? Why aren’t we looking at ads like this in the real world? I think it all started about thirty years ago, when we got off on the wrong foot. You see, thirty years ago anyone needing the services of a “helicopter” pilot didn’t have far to look. In fact, there’s an old Gulf of Mexico tale about a company owner who, when asked why he never advertised for pilots replied, “Don’t have to, I can find all I need in the gutters of Bourbon Street”. It may be folklore and it may not. But you know what, it really doesn’t matter. Because for all practical purposes, it was true. There were about twenty thousand of us and while we may not have been in the “gutters of Bourbon Street”, we weren’t too many blocks away. And we all had something in common. We loved to fly helicopters, we were damn good at it, and we needed a job.

These are the conditions under which the U.S. helicopter industry was forged. It was a time when thousands of highly skilled pilots unwittingly undermined not only their future, but also their profession. By placing a minimal value on their expertise in exchange for one of the few flying jobs in the civilian marketplace, they set the bar low - where it has remained. But time, and the law of supply and demand, has changed the landscape. It changed in two very significant ways: (1) the opportunities available to qualified helicopter pilots have grown; and (2) the qualified helicopter pilots available to those opportunities have not.

The Viet Nam Vets who chose to remain in aviation have long since found jobs. In fact, the youngest is now in his mid to late 50’s and looking at retirement. These men need to be replaced. But the military is no longer producing sufficient replacements for these pilots, let alone to fill the needs of an ever-expanding industry. Enter the helicopter flight school. There are now several such schools in operation throughout the country and for the most part, they’re doing a good job. But teaching someone to fly a helicopter remains a very expensive proposition and even those who can afford such training will find themselves only marginally prepared for the demands of flying in the stress-filled environments of the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, or the Northeast Corridor - just to name three. But there aren’t just three, and that brings us to the second significant change in the industry - an expanding marketplace. Every major metropolitan area now has a flight department, there are opportunities in air medical, tourism, logging, firefighting, corporate aviation, and flight training facilities. And every operator in the Gulf of Mexico has posted HELP WANTED signs as well. And remember, this is all taking place at a time when the United States military is calling up thousands of National Guardsmen and paying top dollar retention bonuses to hold on to their experienced aviators.

The market is increasing, the pilot pool is decreasing, and the military is hanging on to its Pilots. What does all this mean? We’re smack dab in the middle of a seller’s market - that’s what it means. It means the very law of supply and demand that helped to create a disparity between pilot and helicopter pilot is now on our side. It means we’ve been given a second chance. And shame on us if we allow history to repeat.

The struggle to see that it doesn’t began in 1999 when the pilots of Air Logistics, LLC and Air Logistics of Alaska (Local 107-PHPA) ratified the first major labor contract in the U.S. helicopter industry. Since then over a thousand pilots from P.H.I., Ft. Rucker, and Air Methods (Locals 102, 108, & 109) have joined in the struggle to change the face of an industry. But don’t expect it to be easy. In the major helicopter operators, we face a formidable foe. For them: high profits and low salaries have worked quite well for the past thirty years and they don’t want change. Operators like Air Logistics and PHI have as much at stake in this struggle as we do; they’d probably argue more. And believe me - they don’t plan to roll over.

In the weeks ahead you may begin to see advertisements for Contract Pilots. “Contract”, that’s a nice word. Here’s one that isn’t so nice: SCAB. In this case they are one and the same. But the big guys are in this fight to win and scabs are the weapon of choice. In fact, because our membership support has never been stronger, it’s the only weapon available. The pilots of Air Logistics, LLC and Air Logistics of Alaska are determined to win this fight and their determination is redefining solidarity.

We’re doing all we can, but now we need your help. And we’re appealing to a fairly broad market for that help. How broad? We’re asking every helicopter pilot in America to lend a hand. Not by what they do, but by what they don’t do. You can support our efforts and create a brighter future for yourselves and your families. And here’s all you have to do: DON’T CROSS OUR LINES. When the smoke clears and the contracts are ratified, the same company now recruiting Contract Pilots will be recruiting Permanent Pilots. Together we can win this fight, and in the process -change the face of an industry. In the future, that advertisement you see at the top of this article won’t be pie in the sky or ridiculous - it will be commonplace.

Pete Catalano
Chairman
Local 107, Contract Negotiating Team


I hit the PHI union web site out of idle curiousity....and found some very interesting reading there....especially about a female pilot who was seriously injured in an aircraft accident while on duty. The summary of the insurance and other financial assistance she is receiving is troubling.

The PHI union site is : local108pilots.org
The Air Log union site is: local107.org

[gomex]

SaSless
Thanks, your help is greatly appreciated. We at Local 107 are waiting for the federal mediator to give a release to take what action we can to get a fair contract. I have worked for this company for more than 20 years, and I do not take this course of action lightly. We need the help of all pilots to be successful, and in return I believe it will help the industry worldwide.

[SASless]

Gomex...

Not trying to help really....but am interested in the "truth" of the issues. It is quite obivious from an outsider that there appears to be two sets of "fact" being presented here.

I can understand the difference in perspectives and expectations from the two sides but somehow it would seem the accounting of the situation in Press Releases would be very similar when it comes to statement of fact.

Each side is saying the other is not bargaining in good faith. I cannot help but ponder those statements.....if that is true....then this is a train wreck coming....and both sides ought to be taken to the woodshed by the Federal Mediator. He cannot force a decision or compromise but it would seem he could wave the BS flag and attempt to move one or both parties towards meaningful negotiation....otherwise...what the heck is he involved for?

The union sent the company's offer out for vote....and it was overwhelmingly defeated by a vote of the members. It would appear to me....that if the company was really interested in resolving this matter it would now come forth with another offer that would have a chance to pass. At the same time....the Union should be working to find a package that would be acceptable to the members.

I went back through the thread here....and it made for some interesting reading....this thing has dragged on longer than a John Kerry campaign speech....with no appreciable improvement in the situation. I cannot help but wonder how much money has been spent by the company in this process and how much of an effect it has had...and will have if the worst case happens? If they willing to spend/lose all that money....it causes one to consider their motivation for not settling the issues.

From my perspective, formed by what I have read and heard from guys in the Gulf, it is not purely a financial thing that drives the fight.....or so it would appear anyway.

Maybe the union reps and/or the company could enlighten us upon what is really going on.....afterall this is a very hot topic in the US Helicopter industry particularly in the offshore sector. Payscales in the Gulf surely drive payscales elsewhere in the country....thus every helicopter pilot in the country has a stake in the outcome even if we are not members of the particular local or union.

The law of supply and demand drives our wages....there is a pilot shortage and operators are having to compete for people now. Which after being in this business since the early 70's is a welcome change to what we had to live with in the past.

I did find the discussion about "Scabs" a bit bothersome. The concept is understood but everytime I hear that word used, it hits a tender spot which I am sure it does for other people. That harkens back to the ugly days of the labor movement when folks crossing the line sometimes found themselves physically harmed by strikers. I certainly hope the union members conduct themselves in a manner that is above reproach if the worst case occurs.

I wonder if anyone close to the negotiations can provide any more news.

[SASless]

Got a telephone call yesterday....seems 5-6 pilots have been sacked by Air Log for their union activities. Three are senior members of the union leadership.

The dismissals result from the informational picket line set up to welcome investors to the newest Air Log operational base a while back.

The report suggested the Dismissals would be protested by provisions within the contract.

A question exists as to whether the picket line was in violation of the current CBA terms....sounds like things are getting worrisome and worrisome here.

[SASless]

A company explanation of the situation.....


We employ approximately 300 pilots in our North American Operations who are represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union ("OPEIU") under a collective bargaining agreement. Because this agreement became amendable in May 2003, we began negotiations with union representatives in March 2003. After approximately eight weeks of discussions, an agreement could not be reached on several key areas, most notably compensation levels. Both the union representatives and the Company agreed to seek assistance from the National Mediation Board, or NMB, in appointing an independent mediator to assist with the negotiations. A mediator was assigned by the NMB and sessions have continued to date with some progress being made. In the future, all negotiations will be at the discretion of the NMB mediator. If the mediator and the NMB should determine that no further progress is being made toward resolution, then the NMB can seek a number of alternatives which include:

1. Declare a Release, which would start a 30-day "cooling-off period." Negotiations may continue during the "cooling-off period." If the dispute remains unresolved after the "cooling-off period," then both parties would be released from negotiations and could seek "self help". When "self help" is available the pilots could then engage in a work action that could take a variety of forms including a work stoppage. We have contingency plans in place to respond to these scenarios and believe we will be able to continue operations with limited or no disruption in services. However, no assurances can be given that these plans will be effective. We cannot reasonably estimate the financial impact of a work stoppage, should one occur, on our results of operations; or

2. The NMB can continue negotiations for extended periods of time (in some instances for several years) until one or both of the parties change their demands and reach an agreement.

In March 2004 we petitioned the NMB for a release due to lack of progress in negotiations. The NMB declined this request after input from the Union and instructed the parties that negotiations should continue. The negotiations did continue and some progress was made; however, on August 2, 2004, the Union petitioned the NMB for a Release. The NMB declined this request after input from us and instructed the parties that negotiations will resume the week of November 3, 2004 in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Based on our latest proposals made to the union, base salary expense would increase by approximately 13% annually. Given that the pilot group represents only 33% of our North American workforce, we do not believe that this level of adjustment or the results of our negotiations will place us at a competitive financial or operational disadvantage.

[SASless]

LAFAYETTE, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2005--Offshore Logistics, Inc. (NYSE:OLG - News) announced today that its third quarter financial results will be lower than most analysts' estimates. For the three months ended December 31, 2004, based upon available information, the Company estimates that diluted earnings per share will be in the range of $0.45 to $0.51. In the comparable 2003 period, the Company earned $0.12.

A reduction in flight activity and higher costs in the Company's Gulf of Mexico operations are the primary reasons for lower than expected results. Flight hours in the Gulf of Mexico were 9% and 4% lower, respectively, from the September 2004 and December 2003 quarters. In addition, direct expenses and depreciation increased during the trailing twelve months due to higher personnel costs and the placement of new aircraft into service.

The Company also announced that in November 2004, management made its final contract proposal to the union representing the North American pilot work force. During December 2004, the membership voted and rejected the Company's proposal, and the union subsequently made a request to the National Mediation Board (NMB) to be released from negotiations. The Company has informed the NMB that it has no objection to the granting of a release to the union. The NMB is not obligated to grant a release and could require the parties to continue negotiating. However, if a release is granted, a thirty day cooling-off period will start, and at the end of this period, the Company and the union will be allowed to engage in self-help measures. The Company has taken steps to put contingency plans in place, including the use of contract pilots, should the union seek to engage in any self-help measures such as a strike or work stoppage. Under these circumstances, the Company believes it will be able to continue operations with limited interruptions until a new contract is entered into, however, there can be no assurance that the contingency plans will mitigate all potential service interruptions.

The Company believes the union is negotiating in bad faith and therefore, on January 13, 2005, filed a complaint in Federal district court seeking a declaratory judgment to this effect, and a permanent injunctive order compelling the union to cease its bad faith bargaining and to begin bargaining in good faith.




I am confused...the company says one place they have no objection to the union being granted a release from negotiation and turns around a while later and sues in federal court saying the union is not negotiating in good faith.

It seems to me....if you have a Federal Mediator involved...does that not connote overseeing a negotiation process with a view towards settling an issue or set of issues? If the company is acting in good faith and the union isn't...why would the company not demand the mediator to intervene and try to get the union to start bargaining in good faith? Sounds to me like a game is being played here or someone who eats lunch at the Blue Dog is having too many beers with his lunch.

Would not you want to negotiate and find a compromise if you were acting in good faith? Did not the union submit a company offer to the membership and it was voted down? The company in another SEC filing said the increase in Pilot's wages would not hinder the companies competitive posture in the Gulf of Mexico...that is publically available. Makes one wonder why they are being so hardnosed over this?

This is turning into a train wreck here. The company says it is going to hire contract pilots....where are they going to come from? Air Log, PHI, Tex-Air, Houston, the EMS operators are all advertising for pilots....the summer fire season is coming up...the summer Bush flying season is coming up...logging is going to pick up shortly....are they going to strip their overseas operations for pilots? They can't man the aircraft they have now without a lot of workover from the current crews.

Somehow....if a strike does occur...we will see more than "minor" disruptions in service for Air Log. Their stock price is already headed south.

I would think a reasonable compromise is still possible if both sides genuinely look for it. A whole lot of people stand to lose if a settlement isn't reached before a strike occurs.

[Gomer Pylot]

Unfortunately, the way it looks from here is that if the current management stays in place Air Log may be another Enron. If they don't wake up, the company will be bankrupt and sold off piecemeal, while the management team uses the golden parachutes already supplied. The pilots, mechanics, and other workers will be out on the street. But the flying still has to be done by someone, and the jobs should still be available somewhere, but the way things work the seniority built up will be gone.

I fervently hope I'm wrong, but I don't see much intelligence there, just personal greed.

[SASless]

Here you go Lads!

Pretty good rate of pay for a JetRanger driver....

We now know what a pilot is worth to Air Log in the Gulf.....maybe the Union boys will want to quit the union and all go contract rate....would that make recruiting full time permanent guys a bit hard then?

Knowing the American helicopter pilot community....they will be able to hire enough guys for this and thereby defeat the union.

....or will they?

I notice they offer a choice of time off....something they do not do for their union pilots....they used to grant 14/14 rosters if you had an oppo that would trade with you...then when they had trouble getting pilots who worked that roster to workover....they cancelled that agreement.

Wonder if some of that flexibility would work with the union pilots...like maybe improve the working environment some?



Position: Oil Industry Pilot Posted: 1/19/2005
Company :
Air Logistics
(p) 337-365-6771
(f) 337-367-8796
(e) [email protected]
Contact Person :
Tara Bienvenu

Job Location :
Louisiana
Job Description:
CONTRACT PILOTS Air Logistics, LLC has immediate openings for Contract Helicopter Pilots for day VFR operations in the BH 206 Series, BH 407 and EC 120 helicopters throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Minimum qualifications include: o 1,500/Hr. plus Helicopter Total Time – 1000/Hr. PIC Helicopter Time o FAA Commercial Rotorcraft o FAA Helicopter Instrument Rating o Off-shore Experience Preferred o 200/Hr. Helicopter Flight Time Within Preceding 12 Months o Second Class FAA Medical These contract positions have a projected term of 3-6 months with possibility of full time permanent employment upon completion. Work schedule will be 28-Days on (30 calendar days) with option of 7, 14, 21 or 28 days off. Compensation will be $500 daily rate; training pay will be $250 daily rate (7-12 days) and lodging will be provided. Contract Pilots will be responsible for their meals and transportation to and from all assignments. Interested candidates should submit a resume outlining your qualifications.

[Hippolite]

SASless

If that's for real then those rates would be attractive to a casual pilot. But, it must be remebred that they will have to run picket lines etc.

Unless all the union pilots are fired (which the company can do under the self help provisions) there won't be much chance of a permanent position and can you imagine the CRM in the two crew environment in the subsequent months?

What is interesting is that PHI is also still in contract negotiations. They must have hoped that the Air Log situation would have been solved by now so it could be used as a model. Didn't the PHI agreement expire in May 2004?

Gomer, what's the status of the PHI negotiations?

HH:cool:

[SASless]

Hip,

Correct me if I am wrong...if the contract is finally settled...there can be no firings of pilots that walked out.

Also....at what point can the company fire pilots that have walked out....as long as the union exists and they are on strike...no dismissals can be done. The union would have to be de-certified first would it not?

What happens if a contract pilot hires on...does the training...then when confronted with some not very warm regards by striking pilots...refuses to cross the line? What does the company do then...fire him? Laws govern strikers actions...and I certainly pray no one would resort to violent actions but for one....realizing how popular one might be to the strikers gives me pause.

I would not hire on at Air Log now on a bet......

As to CRM and a two pilot cockpit....that is not a concern..being in the accomodation at night is when it would get cramped....or the crew room.

This is headed the wrong way.....certainly compromise is the correct answer.

[Hippolite]

SAS

I agree that compromise is the best thing here. I do, however, believe that once the "self help" provisions become available to either party which would presumably be after the 30 day cooling off period, that either side can take whatever action deemed necessary by that party.

I am happy to be corrected, but it is my belief that pilots can be fired for taking strike action after that period.

Like you, I wouldn't hire on right now either, those nights in the trailers would be long and potentially sleepless just waiting......

This thing seems to have dragged on for so long and the continuing adversarial relationship between Air Log and its pilots cannot be doing the company, safety, or for that matter the oil industry any good.

It would also be intersting to get old Gomer's perspective on this since I think he is a PHI pilot.

HH:cool:

[SASless]

Louisana is a Right to Work state. The union CBA is a "closed shop" agreement.

[Devil 49]

The GOM can be a very tough place to work. Pilots are more isolated than at any other job I've ever had. You rely on other pilots, even other operators' pilots, to get the job done. Add the fact that pilots are THE face of the vendor to the customer, Air Log is just name on the side of the helicopter, and contract pilots will seem intruders and interlopers. The guys in the field may decide that the exceptional contract pilot beats a boat ride on break day, but break days only come once a week. The rest of the time, a contract pilot's going to have a supreme job on hand.
Flying offshore requires a mental accomodation. At some point, GOM pilots have to come to some accomodation with the idea that they're not walking away from a forced landing on the water. Assistance will have to be sent to you. "New guy" turnover's apparently an issue at Air Log. Any GOM operator can tell you stories of new guys who made one flight, one day, one hitch, and never even bothered to resign. That's with a friendly work environment- this will be much worse.
Contract pilots will be seen by all, even pilots opposed to unions, as working against the interests of the profession. A poor professional situation with one's peers, employer or customers, and very poor long term prospects. Besides which, the advertised minimum experience level is par for hiring now- why accept this horrible scenario when it means pariah status, long term?

[SASless]

49,

I am sure there are pilots that will gladly jump into that fire...young pilots looking for a break....older guys that have retired and want to make some quick money. Your suggestion that a forced landing in the water might get a different reaction from anyone that could help, I do not think is fair. Up and until one discerns no passengers are involved maybe.

Seriously, I wonder how many pilots Air Log needs to survive when the strike occurs? Can they get enough contract pilots and shuffle the strap hangers out of the office in sufficient numbers to cover the need?

How are the customer guys going to take to the new guys....old relationships are serious business to Boudreau and Thibodeau down there. They like to fly with "their" pilot. This is not like the North Sea where they climb onto a bus for the ride out to the rig. The Gomers ride in small helicopters and spend a lot of time with "their" pilot. Some of these pilots have been on the same contract for years and years.....brand loyalty as you suggest is not with Air Log but with the individual pilot.

As I recall from the outset of this....the initial cost to the company was going to be around Eight Million dollars per year (assuming they accepted the initial demand by the union)....why is it they are going to all of this hate and discontent to fight the union? T

It appears they are willing to spend far more fighting than what it was going to cost initially. The cost could have been taken out of the bonus payments to the upper management and still left over Ten Million Dollars for bonus payments to the senior managers.

Now, I do not claim to be a business wizard...but at some point....logic and reason should enter into a business decision. I fail to see any in the company position here. It seems they are fighting purely for the fight and not with an identifiable goal.

You have any suggestion as to what motivates the company? I know what the union is after....better pay, benefits, and work environment. What is it that is such a bee in the bonnet to the management that provokes this fight?

[SASless]

Ah yes...but the hockey fights are not as interesting to watch.

[Devil 49]

SASless, and anybody else confused by my poor phrasing-
I apologise for any misunderstanding. I have no doubts that anybody in distress in the GOM will get all the help that's available from anybody. In fact, that was always something that was a comfort to me- a mayday call would have all colors of helicopters overhead in minutes, if not seconds. I don't think that will ever change. My statement regards ditching, is that it's a different scenario that many pilots never accomodate. Me, I'll take the water over downtown, or the trees- especially mountainsides- any time.

The question of general helpfulness to a new guy who's a "contract pilot" is a different kettle of fish. I'm sure there are some who'll see it as opportunity. It should be considered very carefully before anybody accepts any position. Divorces, civil wars, and labor issues are especially hard on outsiders, whatever the eventual resolution is.

I have absolutely no idea what drives hate and bloody-mindedness in general, if that's the base of this issue. There's more to this fight than an outsider can even guess at.
I'm really sorry to see Air Log in this pass- they are an innovative and worthy business. The guys on the line want to be Air Log pilots. I would think that that identification with, and pride in the company, would be the basis of a settlement.

[Gomer Pylot]

The PHI contract won't be settled soon. Note that the Air Log contract expired over 2 years ago. The company has no incentive to settle when the status quo stays in place indefinitely. The longer it takes until a new contract is signed, the longer the company can keep on paying the current salaries and benefits. Thus I completely understand Air Log's holding out for as long as possible, but I don't understand the current position. If things go as they seem to be doing, Air Log could be bankrupt and out of business in the foreseeable future, but the management team will rely on the golden parachutes already in place. Give me a few million dollars and I wouldn't care about the future of the company either.

[SASless]

Gomer,

Are we being a bit callous here....attributing such a lack of concern to the management that they would take a few million dollars or whatever escape package they have negotiated for themselves....and let a good company founder out of greed or shortsightedness?

It would seem they would like to hang around for a long time and milk this cow for all she was worth....make enough that way they could pull the pin....retire to other endeavors without worrying about money or an unsavory reputation.

Are you of the opinion that the management does not care about the company's future to that extent? If that were true....how did they get into such a position of reposibility? That sounds like a grand conspiracy if I ever heard one.

I do wonder if ego has gotten into the mix here in an unfair proportion....some kind of ambition to poke a stick into the union eye somehow. OLOG encountered similar problems on the North Sea with the Bristow pilots and appeared to find a way to settle.

Granted the executive that headed that agreement is no longer with OLOG but is now at another growing helicopter company in the Gulf. You wonder if that might have played a part in his seeking alternative employment and leaving OLOG?

OLOG played hardball during the Bristow North Sea contract negotiation but still settled and pretty much gave the pilots what they asked for in the end....but that does not seem to be the case here. Either the union in the Gulf does not have the moxie the British union did....or something else is at play here.

The American way of fussing over CBA's does lack the etiquette of our British brothers so that might account for some of the angst, dust and feathers flying.

Definitely....why should PHI settle if the Air Log bunch don't....on the one hand....the PHI pilots stand to gain if the Air Log guys go on strike....for sure the two big companies in the Gulf of Mexico on strike would be a very interesting situation.

If the Air Log guys settle....then the heat is on PHI then....they are ahead of Air Log now...and would have stayed that way even under the now voted down offer Air Log made. (as I understand it anyway)

PHI would not have to give much of a raise to the pilots to if that happened....(Air Log pilots settling for a CBA that only made them on par or slightly below the current PHI pay levels.)


I wonder what the overall strategy of the company is...like you say...drag it out as long as possible....only to give in at some point.....that does not sound very wise.

Or....fight to the bitter end and hope to hire replacement pilots and wind up de-certifying the union as a result....and thereby end the pilot's union in the gulf?

Will the current bunch of Air Log pilots have the courage to stick it out.....find other jobs to do while waiting for the company to fold its tent....or settle? If they move to other companies....the old dogs lose their seniority and pay they have built up over the years.....that is a loss to them if that happens.

I guess time will tell......

[joedirt]

Sasless, regarding the bristow deal, the guys at CHC pawed the way for the salary increases in Aberdeen in 2001/2003.

[Nigerian Expat Outlaw]

joedirt,

Are you 100 % sure of that ?

[SASless]

Gleaned from a US based not so professional helicopter web site...

An anti-union poster made snide comments about unions and union members...said he was headed to the gulf to do a contract job and help bust the union. Someone responded with an offer to "shoot you dead".

The forum is anonymous ...neither poster can id the other...supposedly someone from "the company" has asked for the identifying information of the "shooter" with a view towards criminal prosecution (...or use against the union maybe???) and the web site owner citing commerical pressures and such... says he shall do so.

That site claims "free speech" is more important than form and decorum....until now.

The situation is getting ugly in the Gulf.....wonder how this shall play out in the end?

Wonder if that exchange constituted a "threat" under the US law?

If the "shooter" is not part of the union, local, or employee of Air Dog.....has he violated any Federal laws governing strikes, etc. ?

Is that exchange an exercise of "free speech" by both parties and not a violation of law?

Interesting age we live in....used be in labor disputes it was baseball bats and big sticks...knives...guns...chains...dirks and daggers....now it is a keyboard and mouse!

[Gomer Pylot]

The way the labor laws in the US are written, especially the Railway Labor Act, which applies here, the company can do whatever it wants with impunity, and labor can be slapped at will by the company and the guvmint. Ain't no such thing as free speech when business is involved, and the speech comes from anyone in labor. If you don't believe this, just look at history, and read the laws.

[SASless]

Gomer...it was suggested today that the "shooter" may have been a management type with too much time on his hands....seems there is a base manager that has been "outed" a time or three already. Would it not be a laugh if it turned out to be someone that is part of the company team and not a union guy? Probably just some poor schmuck that forgot himself....sent an inflammatory post....and has nothing to do with either side of the thing.

The drums are beating overtime down there I hear....what you been hearing about the situation? Lots of rumours coming out of the gulf lately.

[The Rotordog]

Amidst all this Air Log strike hysteria, I think people are missing the big picture. Let's step back, take a deep breath and expand our view a tad, shall we?

FACT: No one can say with certainty how many pilots will walk. No one. There will be opinions on both sides, but in the end it is an unknown.

Air Log will publicly take a confident stance. They have to - they cannot show any weakness. They will bluster about this or that...how they're hiring "temps" or whatever...but the bottom line is that they really cannot say how a strike would affect them. Period.

Okay, now let's look at it from their customers', the oil companies' points of view: Oil companies have transportation contracts with Air Log that they fully and reasonably expect will be honored. They cannot and more importantly will not accept any disruption in service; their employees need to be carried by helicopter and that's that. Boats are *not* a viable alternative, even temporarily.

My personal opinion is that the oil companies will not be very sympathetic or understanding to Air Log. I believe that the oil company management will not tolerate *any* disruptions in either their scheduled crew-change flights or their offshore inter-platform flights, especially disruptions of the vendor's own making.

Having said that, we can safely assume that management from Air Log has met with the management of their major oil company clients to discuss a possible strike by pilots. I believe that the oil companies have already given Air Log a mandate that there better not be any such disruptions. ANY! (It gets back to that contract thing.)

So. Where are we? Simple, there will be no strike.

Air Log will blink. They simply cannot afford one day of a strike in which even one oil company crew-change is cancelled. Because who's it going to be? Who makes the call as to which crew-change goes and which one doesn't - especially when you don't even know in advance how many crew-changes might have to be cancelled? You KNOW there have to be some pretty nervous decision-makers at Air Log right aboot now...biting their nails, going down the list, trying to determine which are the most important flights to cover and which ones they can "safely" cancel or farm-out without too much penalty...coming up with contingency after contingency based on X, Y, and Z percentages of pilots on strike.

To be sure, the other GOM operators have pledged their support to ALI management. Oh yes, I'll just bet the other operators would love to get their hands on some Air Log work! "Suuuuuure, we'll cover your flights...if we can," they say. And depending on their excess capacity, some other operators may be able to help out.

Bottom Line: Any way you slice it, Air Log can only gamble on how well they'll be able to cope with a strike situation. But there is too much uncertainty for the oil companies to allow Air Log to gamble. A strike will not occur. The oil companies simply will not stand for it.

[SASless]

Dog,

I have never flown in the GOM....the Air Log advertisement that I posted contains a list of requirements regarding flight hours and such.

In your experience, do you have any idea of whether the minimum standards asked for by that advertisement meet oil company standards as specified in their contracts?

It was my understanding when I talked to Air Log about working for them in the Gulf....(I got very hungry one time waiting for an international contract)....that based upon my background I was able to go to any contract they had. They noted during that conversation that most of the guys coming to them that had no offshore time were of not a lot of value to them until they had accumulated at least a years work or more in the Gulf.

Can you enlighten me on this issue?

[The Rotordog]

SASless:In your experience, do you have any idea of whether the minimum standards asked for by that advertisement meet oil company standards as specified in their contracts?I always laugh when I read a post that asks a specific question which elicits a bunch of anonymous "Sorry, I can't answer that," replies. Happens here a bit, maybe more frequently over on that "other" helicopter website. And I always think, SO WHY EVEN POST THAT REPLY, NUMBNUTS?! If you cannot answer a question, then...simply...don't! But anal-compulsive helicopter pilots always just HAVE to chime in with their two cents, even if it is to make the tragically self-evident statement that they know nothing.

And so I find it ironic that to this question I have to reply, "I don't know." A current Air Log pilot who is knowledgeable about his company's customers and their particular requirements will have to give us that info.

Back in the bad old days when there were more major oil companies in the GOM...back when there used to be cooks offshore and you could be reasonably sure of landing on any big platform and getting a hot meal...many oil companies did indeed have minimum requirements. Either they related to make/model time, or offshore time. But the majors have dwindled, merging or being absorbed or selling off their "shallow-water" properties to smaller independant operators who really can't be picky about the qualifications of the pilot who drives them around.

However, we still hear stories from PHI pilots who suffer extended stays in the "pool," covering spare aircraft or being assigned to jobs that don't quickly build their oh-so-valuable offshore time. So maybe there still are enough companies with minimum requirements that it could make a difference. I just don't know.

But I *do* know that before we talk about any customer-imposed requirements we must consider this:

A) You are correct, Air Log's minimum hiring standards have not really been reduced. Low-time Robbie pilots with big dreams and dollar signs for eyes need not apply; they still need to have 1,000 PIC R/W. So I do not predict a huge increase in the number of qualified applicants they receive over what they're already getting every week.

B) It takes time to make an offshore Part-135 pilot. You do not just hire a guy, give him a headset and an Ops Manual and tell him to blast off out to Vermillion three-million in that there 407. There is an FAA-approved training syllabus, and I doubt very seriously that the feds will allow them to truncate or abbreviate it for the sake of expediency. (Just the opposite, you'd better believe!) My point is that the Training Department is going to be Busy with a capital "B." And remember, the existing training schedule cannot be discarded. Recurrent has to be done. So let's hope that none of the Training Department pilots are union members/supporters or there could be big trouble in little New Siberia.

C) Finally, the washout rate for offshore pilots is and has always been high. Not every applicant makes it through training. Of those who do, not everybody can actually do the job. Not everybody adapts to GOM-life. For various reasons, many leave. Air Log knows the percentage, and they surely know that just because they get 100 giddy applicants lining up for contract positions, not all 100 of them will make it out into the field, and of those who do, some will be gone by the second week of that ridiculous 28-day hitch.

And now we FINALLY get to think about customer minimum-requirements! At which point I must again defer to someone more knowledgeable than me. Sorry.

[Devil 49]

There's been a lot of discussion as to why things are the way they are at a fine operator like Air Log. Some thoughts from an outsiders's fevered brain (I never flew for Air Log):
In my 13 years in the GOM, I never heard more vitriolic comments from any other company's pilots regarding management than I did from Air Log guys. Even guys at operators they regarded as marginal weren't as adversarial. It never got that bad at PHI- This in spite of the fact I was at PHI through 3 union drives, and can document management's flat lies to, and exploitation of, the line pilots.
I think the bloody (Apologies to the UK readers at the term- it's all I can think of that's at all descriptive.) adversary culture is the management philosphy at Air Log.

This culture made the company the first in the Gulf with a successful union drive. In spite of the pride and dedication to the company felt by the line pilots, they felt compelled to unite *against* management. Air Log's union drive passed by a significant majority. The proposed contract was rejected by a similar significant majority. These messages are absolutely unheard at the Air Log head-shed in New Iberia- the pilots are united and willing to put the company down rather than continue. I repeat, these are guys who have always taken pride in being Air Log pilots.
I think that the union improved the line pilot's situation but not the relationship with management, see thoughts above. The union and pilot solidarity is a fact on the ground that management will have to deal with for the rest of the company's life. Short or long, they have issues with pilots, and will continue to do so until they change.

For reasons I'm sure make sense to Air Log management, it's determined to rid itself of the union. They will be ultimately unsuccessful. They will perhaps extinguish the business in the effort. Even if they succeed in keeping the company running and viable through a strike, and the union is decertified- the culture remains that resulted in a successful union drive. It will do so again- pilots are pilots- and nothing has really changed at Air Log since the first union drive. The company will have spent years and millions of dollars fruitlessly, while the market changed and left them behind. The only hope I see for Air Log is OLOG divesting themslves of the helicopter portion of their business, and a clean sweep at New Iberia.

[Gomer Pylot]

The fact is that Air Log is a very large player in the GOM, and there is very little excess capacity in terms of aircraft and pilots. In short, there isn't a company that can take over Air Log's contracts, not even all the other companies combined. In the event of a strike, the affected oil companies are just SOL. There aren't enough boats to cover everything even if they tried. The parsimony of the oil companies over the decades here has resulted in all service companies maintaining bare minimum inventories of equipment and personnel, because that's all they could afford, based on the low-balling tactics of the oil companies. The close-in production can mostly be covered with 206s, probably, but the deep-water big drilling rigs, which rely on medium or large helicopters, simply can't be covered in the event of a strike.

[SASless]

Could Columbia, Carson, and few other operators show up for short term use as a contractor to Air Log? The summer fire season will not start for a while....and if it is slow...with the holdup with the CWN contracts....is that a card that could be played?


Does OLOG have a way to bring Super Pumas from the UK for short term contracts and use British crews? Makes one wonder just what extremes OLOG would go to in this matter? Afterall, OLOG has a vast international fleet and pool of pilots they could draw from if they had to.

[joedirt]

NEO.....110% sure...
Sasless, doubt severly your latest intell on british pilots. Work permit and pure "will to persist to resist" is inforce.
See thread on backing from NH and BALPA

[SASless]

Joedirt appears to be correct....CHC led the way...then BHL pilots found the courage to force the issue on pay rises.



Found this excerpt from a Rotor and Wing article....



CHC Scotia’s pilots already have accepted a salary increase. The package, announced November 19, gives captains an £18,000 (US$25,847) raise over the next two years and a £6,000 ($8,615) pay hike for co-pilots during the same period. Beginning with the third year, all pilots will receive a programmed cost-of-living increase of 2.5% or the UK rate of inflation, whichever is greater.

In late December, Bristow pilots also voted to accept a deal sponsored by the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA). Bristow air crews will receive basic pay increases up to £20,765 ($30,000) beginning in September 2004.

The contracts for both CHC Scotia and Bristow pilots will help ensure that the pay scales of helicopter pilots working in the offshore support sector will be brought in line with those at the airlines.

The current UK shortage of support helicopter capacity, combined with increases in pay scales, are reflected in recent increases in ad hoc hourly charter rates. Rotor & Wing has learned that the new rates are: $5,600 for an AS-332L Super Puma; $6,500 for an AS-332L2; $4,800 for an S-61N; and $3,800 for an S-76A+.

[rotorboy]

Speaking of our brothers to the north (or to the south depending on where ya at), it seems they are headed to the GOM. Heard from several sources, VIH (Cougar), aka Western Airways (usa) has been asked by a certain oil company they service off the Grand Banks to set up shop in the the GOM....for a pretty good sized deep-water drilling contract and the a/c are on order (some from CT I hear)...

also rumors that the hummingbird is looking real hard at the GOM, who knows wouldnt be too hard to chnage the ALOG blue and white to red blue and white after the bankruptcy firesale;)

Its not like they dont own huge engine shops and repair staions in LA already!

I got a jackson that says we see the Canooks in the gulf with in 18-24 months tops.. any takers

RB

[SASless]

Rotorboy,

How do they get around the foreign ownership hurtle?

They would have to buy an American company in order to obtain the Operating Certificate....hmmmmm....wonder who can be bought in the Gulf?

Felton Baker is getting a bit long in the tooth....or Rotorways....Omni.....what about Tex-Air/ERA?

If TexAir-ERA (think SEACOR here folks) then teamed with CHC....whew! Now we are talking a real marriage....you either ride the company aircraft or the company boat.....but how would that affect OLOG?

If CHC bought into ERA...and with ERA's Alaska operation....that would make CHC a competitor in both the GOM and Alaska. My money is on ERA as being the target. That is the one that gives them the most access to US markets.

Unless they go after OLOG....would that not be a hoot knowing Bristow sold off their share of Canadian years ago. For CHC to wind up owning Bristow via a takeover of OLOG....that would be turnabout is fair play.

I have never flown for a Canadian outfit before....maybe I will get my chance especially if they are getting some real helicopters!





:ok:

[Chopter]

Found this on Air Logs union page http://local107.org/ :


Date: January 21, 2005

Fellow Pilots,

The Negotiating Committee, E-Board, and the International Union have all worked very hard this past two years to obtain a contract the membership could be proud of. As you know, this Union has never advocated or condoned any type of work slowdown or any other action in violation of the Railway Labor Act.

Due to a recent increase in injuries and difficulty in finding Pilots to perform workovers, the Company is now alleging that the Union is somehow influencing these events. It remains the position of the International and this Local Union that all Pilots shall continue to conduct themselves professionally and legally in every respect. We do not and have not supported any type of action in contradiction of that position. Workovers are voluntary under the contract. Therefore, an individual pilot is within his or her rights to refuse a workover. However, we stress that individual pilots should continue to accept or decline offered workovers just as they would in the normal course, without taking into consideration the current state of negotiations or related matters.

Again, we are speaking here of illegal job actions. Such actions can take the form of work slow downs, sick-outs, etc. The point is, job actions prior to the end of the 30-day cooling off period – are illegal.

As the President of the Local, I wish to make the Union’s official position on such behavior absolutely and unequivocally clear. The Union is instructing you not to engage in any such behavior.

Neither the Local’s Negotiating Team, the Executive Board, nor the International; in other words, no one associated with the leadership of our Union, is advocating any such behavior. In fact, once again, we wish to emphasize: we are instructing you not to do so.

By engaging in illegal job actions, you jeopardize not only your job, but everything we worked so hard to achieve.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation.

In Solidarity,

Kenneth Bruner /s/

President, Local 107

[SASless]

So much for the company claim the Union is orchestrating illegal acts. I wonder what the company is up to that might be considered improper acts?

Latest comment of interest I heard about was the firing of the six pilots that were accused of improperly picketing. The one side of it said they were off duty and off the property and that a clause in the contract allows for no prohibition of free speech rights. The other side said the picketing was an improper act under the contract.

The other complaint said the contract has a method for the company to grieve issues to the union exactly in the manner the contract allows the union to grieve what they think are improper acts by the company. The company has never used the grievance method to resolve differences whereas the union has.

Three of the six guys fired were involved in the union management somehow...and of the six....three of those fired have wives that are fighting cancer and the loss of their medical insurance is going to be devastating to them. Not all the pilots that participated in the picket were fired. It would be enlightening to know the full details of the event and decisions on both sides that resulted in the firings.

All of this could have been prevented had a compromise solution been found sometime during the past two years. What a shame it is to see the human costs of this fight. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of those kinds of loss.

[Airborne Again]

We will never know the whole story behind the terminations. But you might gain some insight into reading the complaint filed in court by the company. Interesting reading. I have a copy of the PDF file but have not been able to copy it over to the board. If someone has a web site where they can post it for all to read, I will be glad to email it.

Interesting reading - it offers up the companies view of the union activities. The results of the court proceedings will ultimately tell us if there is any merit in the company's allogations. My understanding is that the three that were terminated were the only ones that picketed at both locations after having been told what they were doing was not covered by the CBA.

[SASless]

The company is recruiting Contract pilots as described in copy of their advert posted earlier. A question was raised about the time delay in putting contract pilots to work. The FAA approved training manual will have to be complied with....granted I am sure some feverish activity is going on to revamp the requirements for initial training with a view towards shortening the process....or so one would think anyway.

This is an excerpt from the permanent pilot advertisment listed on the company's web site.



"New Hire Pilot Training Program:
· Approximately 14 days (continuous)
· Training consists of classroom instruction, simulator training, flight training, and water survival
· Air Logistics provides lodging while in training
· New hire pilots will receive $15 per diem for food
· New hire pilots pay is 70% of base pay during training"



The contract pilots are being offered 250 USD per day while in training....50% of the daily rate while on full duty status. Permanent pilots would get about 155 USD per day for the same training and tasking.

If the Contract jobs being offered are really for a shortfall in pilot numbers needed to man the fleet....and not to be replacement workers....does that mean the Contract pilots cannot join the Pilot's union or can they? Is there something written into the Contract pilots Letter of Appointment that forbids them to join the union?

Gee, lots of questions arise when one considers the situation down ther in the GOM.

[SASless]

Beware the Ides of March....3 March is thought to be the end of the 30 day Cooling Off Period.....at which point either of the parties can exercise "Self Help" measures.

Rumour has it that a grand total of 7-8 Contract Pilots are undergoing training at New Iberia.....one guy is said to have shown up for training wearing a PHPA hat.....wonder how that was received by the Brass?

I spent a weekend visiting with a friend who works for Air Log and found his perspective to very interesting. I came away from the weekend visit with a greater appreciation for the pilot's side of the argument.

A discussion of the issues fostered a notion that the company is not fighting this CBA purely due to financial concerns. Combine that with the oil industry reported the highest profits in history, it is plain acheiving rate increases is not the problem it is being made out to be.

Rumours coming out of the GOM suggest next year shall be a very good year for the offshore drilling industry....the oil companies have huge piles of money to invest in drilling.

It appears to me, and this is just one man's opinion, settling this CBA as quickly as possible and gearing up for the upswing in business would be the correct approach. If the GOM breaks open for drilling and OLOG has not resolved its labor problems, it will not able to attract and keep customers during the upswing in business. TEX Air/ERA is looking for business....and if PHI settles quickly.....while OLOG drags their feet in coming to a compromise solution....they stand to lose a lot of business.

With the two large contracts OLOG landed on the North Sea....and if they settle the GOM pilots CBA....they will be a force to be reckoned with. Otherwise....what they gained on the North Sea will be offset by a loss in the GOM.

[212man]

I think you'll find the Ides of March is the 15th of March, actually.....

[SASless]

212man...

The release is in effect...that means the two parties can engage in self help beginning as early as the 3rd...but who knows what will happen ....and more importantly....when. It may be the 15th.....but as I recall....Ceasar got the point in the end.

Norwegian pilots have in fact donated funds towards the strike fund....and pledge more finanacial support. The International has added to the Local's fund.

It appears the pilots are quite united and are prepared to take work action at some point. The company advertises a contingency plan is in existence.

The entire US Helicopter industry is watching this fight.....my hope is the two parties can find a compromise and get this behind them.....but I begin to doubt that will be the case.

[SASless]

Air Dog pilots union meeting in New Little Siberia on 9 Feb....wonder what the agenda holds? Hope the union boys have a technical countermeasures sweep done before the meeting.....or else the OLOG Brass will be listening in.

But then....why not invite the kind gentlemen to join in....maybe they could convince the pilots to accept the standing offer that was voted down with a 92% vote.

Somehow I doubt that could happen.....

[JHR]

SASless,

Time to check your facts. No release as of the 4th of febuary.

JHR :\

[Chopter]

Sounds like JHR is right, this was posted on the union's homepage: http://local107.org/


Fellow Members,

The time to release and the commencement of the 30-day cooling off period can now be measured in days, if not hours. Because we're so close, it is critical that everyone remain calm, in control, and legal.

Again, so there can be absolutely no mistake about the meaning or intent of this message: Job actions are illegal during the cooling off period. Do not do anything that would place your job in jeopardy.

If you wish to get involved, if you want to help - please contact Andy Dallas at [email protected] and volunteer. He needs your help now!

This has been said before and it will be said again, because it's important. The time for Job Actions is after the 30 day clock has expired, not before!

In Solidarity,
The Contract Negotiating Committee

[SASless]

The two warring parties are now free to exercise "self help" having been released from mediation. The end of the 30 day cooling off period is being advertised as being 11 March 05.

The pilots are holding a meeting in New Iberia tonight.

I would assume the company is watching the stock price....seems the analysts are taking note of the impending strike should a last minute settlement is not reached.

I sure hope calmer heads prevail on both sides.....and a meaningful dialogue can be established which will lead to a compromise offer from the company that will meet the approval of the pilots.

Pilot's wives have started a support group...union lawyers are responding to the company legal actions....this is becoming an interesting situation to watch.

[Gomer Pylot]

The two warring parties are now free to exercise "self help" having been released from mediation.
No, that isn't how it works. The two sides are now free to engage in negotiations, but not self-help. The serious negotiations begin now. Neither side can engage in any work actions, or 'self-help' until after the end of the cooling-off period.

[SASless]

Self help can occur after the 30 day cooling off period.....which is now 11 March.

Union meeting held in New Iberia confirmed that....Union Pres issued a letter instructing all union members to conduct business as normal until that date. He was very specific in his message to the members that until the end of the cooling off period, all members were to carry on working exactly as they have over the two years the negotiations have been underway.

He did tell the pilots to document and file grievances for any violations of the existing contract by the company. He particularly noted violations of the Workover policy.

The current contract requires the company to offer all workover to the pilots before using a management pilot or contract pilot. The contract now allows only for voluntary workover and pilots cannot be forcecd to workover as in the PHI contract.

It has been reported the Senior management has been heard to tell meetings of mechanics (engineers) on at least two occasions..."We will not let this come to a strike."

Those statements if true and as reported would indicate a contradiction between the postion senior management is taking with the two groups....mechanics and pilots.

OLOG also reported being unable to file certain required reports with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) due to the need to investigate (using outside counsel) some expenditures made in a foreign (un-named) country that the company does business in.

Investors are beginning to see trouble at OLOG judging by the pressure on the share price of late.

I wonder what all this portends?

[Chopter]

Air Log stock:


http://www.newratings.com/new2/beta/article_683155.html

NEW YORK, February 7 (newratings.com) - Analysts at Jefferies & Co reiterate their "hold" rating on Offshore Logistics (OF1.ETR). The target price has been reduced from $41 to $33.



Looks like the pending strike has started to effect their stocks...

[SASless]

Rumours abound....

Air Dog is hiring 8 Contract pilots per week.

First 8.....

2 Quit.....

1 failed a Day/VFR 206 checkride (is that possible?) Air Dog must be screening applicants very closely.

1 was seen making an "unsafe landing" and was reported by an Air Dog Check Airman.

Result......One Check Airman suspended for two weeks without pay....and removed from the Training Department.


Opinion....

I would submit this is not a way to foster a healthy "Safety Culture" among the pilots.....taking disciplinary action for reporting unsafe acts.

I would love to hear about the circumstances of the removal of the Check Airman....Air Dog has a history of removing Check Airman/Training Captains who tell the truth in Arbitration Proceedings if it varies from what the Air Dog Management want.

I believe "Gomex" knows a bit about the workings of the Arbitration process at Air Dog. Do fill us in on the facts if you will Gomex.

We could all make up our minds as to the wisdom of that action if we heard the "real" facts from the two parties.....anyone out there know the circumstances that led up to the Training Captain getting bounced?

[Chopter]

Letter from Union posted on their homepage:


From: Ken Bruner, President Local 107 / PHPA
To: General Membership
Fellow Members,
In about 23-days each of you will have a very simple, yet significant, decision to make: Should I cross the line and help the Company, the managers and the Board of Directors or not cross the line and help myself, my friends, my family, and my profession? I say it¡¦s a simple decision because it¡¦s so logical.
Simply put, if you do not cross the line, you win. You win for the most important priority in your life, your family. Secondly, you win for your chosen profession. Thirdly, you win for yourself.
You win for your family because by staying with the Union you are building a foundation for the future. A future with financial security and job security you can rely on. You help build a future you can be proud of.
You win because you have chosen to be a professional helicopter pilot. Take a long hard look at these contract pilots and ask yourself ¡V Is this the direction I want my career heading? Believe this, it¡¦s the direction the Company wants for your career and, without a Union, they¡¦ll get it. These contract pilots have for whatever reason over the years convinced themselves that as a helicopter pilot they are not worthy of respect from the aviation industry; they¡¦ve lost their self respect and compromised their integrity. They have no loyalty to anyone but themselves ¡V and now the Company is hoping you will do the same.
Show them they are wrong ¡V do not let your brothers down. Do not cross the Local 107 Strike Lines.
„« This fight is for your future. You stand with your brothers or your stand against them - simple!
„« Your decision; you either will cross or you won¡¦t cross - simple!
„« Cross and we all loose. Don¡¦t cross and we all win - simple!
The members of Local 107 are at a crossroad in the history of our industry. We can go back to the pre-Union days of low pay and no say or we can go forward into a bright and prosperous future - the choice is in your hands. And guys, this opportunity will never present itself again! There has never been an army in history in a better position to win a battle. Our Company is making record profits. They are primed and ready for expansion. A war in the Middle East is draining the Company's workforce. Pilots are a vital part of the operation, and - we're in short supply. This is a golden opportunity - don¡¦t squander it. SOLIDARITY - it's the only thing we need.
Fly safe,
Ken Bruner

[SASless]

Seems like OLOG is starting "self help" a bit early.....rumor has it that Industrial Helicopters is flying on the Grasso contract in the Gulf of Mexico as a subcontractor to Air Logistics. Wonder how that will play in Peoria?

That might explain why Industrial has been advertising for pilots recently.....wonder if we begin to see lots of Air Log aircraft being leased to Industrial as well?

Anyone heard what the "questionable payments" thing is all about? What kind of questionable payments and which "overseas" operation it involved? Any moving vans showing up at known management houses anywhere?

Just saw and ad for pilots...minimum requirement now 600 hours turbine for an offshore Gulf of Mexico operation. No mention of an instrument rating. Based out of Decatur, Texas or somewhere like that.

Let's hear the old song of "there isn't a shortage of helicopter pilots!" one more time.

[SASless]

This showed up in my e-mail a few minutes ago....some little birdie dropped this one off. An e-mail from one of the Air Log goverment customers.....seems the management is now telling the customers and the mechanics they are going to settle.

Why is it the pilots have not been told the same thing?




Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005

Subject: FW: Update on Airlog negotiations-Important!!!


Airlog and their pilots have requested the National Mediation Board to be release them from mediation . With mediation failure, the two parties entered a 30 day cooling off period on February 9th and will end on March 11, 2005.

During this period labor action can not be taken. If agreement is not reached within this time period, both parties may take self help. This means the pilots could strike and management could hire replacement pilots.

Airlog as part of their contingency plans will work with OAS to ensure that MMS has qualified and carded pilots to fly our ships. If needed , Airlog will make arrangements to pick up our inspectors at alternate sites if our locations are picketed.

Airlog management believes that the differences between management and pilots will be resolved before March 11, 2005.

PHI went through a similar situation and the agreement was reached in the 20th day of the cooling off period. Airlog mechanics are not part of the union and will be available to maintain the helicopters.





:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

[Devil 49]

SASless, I'm not confident that Air Log's management line that "they are going to settle. " or implications to that effect mean what it sounds like. Their belief could well be that they expect the pilots to cave.

[zdfwflyer]

Any truth that Air Log is recruiting for post strike pilots at $500 per day plus per diem (28 on - 28 off)?
A couple of local sources say so far only about 5 takers?

[Chopter]

It is true that Air Log hires contract pilots, how many they got I don't know.

Here is the ad -


CONTRACT PILOTS Air Logistics, LLC has immediate openings for Contract Helicopter Pilots for day VFR operations in the BH 206 Series, BH 407 and EC 120 helicopters throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Minimum qualifications include: o 1,500/Hr. plus Helicopter Total Time – 1000/Hr. PIC Helicopter Time o FAA Commercial Rotorcraft o FAA Helicopter Instrument Rating o Off-shore Experience Preferred o 200/Hr. Helicopter Flight Time Within Preceding 12 Months o Second Class FAA Medical These contract positions have a projected term of 3-6 months with possibility of full time permanent employment upon completion. Work schedule will be 28-Days on (30 calendar days) with option of 7, 14, 21 or 28 days off. Compensation will be $500 daily rate; training pay will be $250 daily rate (7-12 days) and lodging will be provided. Contract Pilots will be responsible for their meals and transportation to and from all assignments. Interested candidates should submit a resume outlining your qualifications.

[SASless]

Chopter.....

That ad was posted earlier in the thread....and I have posted the latest rumours about how many pilots were hired, trained, failed their checkrides, quit, and have found their way onto the line.

Air Log is in fact hiring contract pilots....they are in fact paying far more money to the contract pilots than they do for Union pilots to do workovers....

The other side of the coin is why someone would want to endure what is bound to be coming if the Work Action takes place?

You could not pay me enough to do that.....I would suggest they take their long underwear and overcoats because it is going to be very icy in the crewroom and accomodation before the end of the cooling off period.

Now there is a contradiction....."Cooling off period"....knowing it will get much hotter at the end of the COP if no agreement has been reached.

My advice to the Contract pilots is to carry their toothbrush with them at all times.....leaving it unguarded might be a mistake.

A photograph of it lodged in an unusual place might find its way to their home address.:ok: :uhoh:



Devil....

My sources would suggest that if the Air Log management thinks the Union will cave in .....then they are in for a rude surprise. I am sure the management has decided for some reasons known only to them....the right course of action is to fight the union tooth and nail thus the current situation in the GOM. It is plain that the management has undertaken an effort to de-certify the union and is doing a full court press right out of the Union buster's play book. What they overlook is the pilots down there can read too.



The following item found its way to my e-mail ...... The pilots are not completely unaware of what Homer Deakins, et al are all about. Thus, I would suggest the pilots are prepared for the fight and know what is at stake.




UNION BUSTING

Ever since the first employer confronted the first collective bargaining unit, there has been a concerted effort by management to either deny access into the work place by that unit or to defrock it once it got into place. Unable or unwilling to confront these CBU’s (Collective Bargaining Units) on their own, Companies sought out specialist to deal with this perceived problem These specialists were/are consultants and lawyers who focused on one thing: Union Busting or the more formal terminology “decertification” of existing unions. By 1990 this had become a one billion dollar a year business which made it very lucrative. At Air logistics we are now faced with one of the best “specialist” in the Industry: Homer Deakins. His tactics are not new, clever or innovative. In fact they follow a well orchestrated and patented script designed with one purpose in mind: decertification of our union.



We have just finished reading an important paper published by John Logan. Mr. Logan is a lecturer at the prestigious London School of Economics. His paper outlines the tactics and dirty tricks management uses to intimidate, harass, demoralize weaken and ultimately decertify the union. Believe us; decertification of our union appears to be the ultimate goal of management. Over the past two years Management was never interested in negotiating or bargaining for a contract. To the contrary, by reading further you will begin to see how the bargaining process is one of the tools used to demoralize and further weaken solidarity.



“You haven’t lost until you sign a contract” is the mantra that consultants instill in their clients at the outset of any contract negotiations. Based on that statement, companies in general will do whatever it takes to stall and prolong the bargaining process. Bargain to the point of boredom is what many consultants advocate. To do so allows more time for labor and Labor leadership turnover. This turnover in Labor staff creates confusion and dissatisfaction with union representation. The consultants advise employers to bargain to impasse in order to engineer a “management strike.” This is an economic strike provoked by the employer followed by the company asking for cuts in wages and benefits and working conditions (i.e. mandatory work over). If negotiations continue the company continues with its bad faith bargaining and if moving at all only does so on trivial, non economic issues. Since all of this will surely be rejected by the union membership, the union has little choice but to call a strike of their own. This of course, is precisely what management wants. At this point replacement workers are called in with the lure of high wages and the promise of permanent employment in the future. If (in our case) transportation services to Air Logistics customers cannot be maintained due to a shortage of pilots it would not be uncommon for like companies to band together and support each other during this time of need. All of these building blocks are the perfect prelude to the decertification process.



In conclusion, let us say that we have tried in broad strokes to paint a picture of what is now happening at Air Logistics. Certainly you see similarities and evidence of the company’s overt tactics. The recent termination of 6 union activists the harsh disciplining of 5 others, the letter of reprimand issued to the employee for transporting tee shirts on company aircraft, the implementation of the “sick day verification.” The threat of mandatory work over, the legal injunction and civil lawsuit are all calculated to intimidate, harass and put fear into union members. Certainly, all of these occurrences and events are designed with one purpose in mind: decertification OPEIU Local 107.







I once again pose the questions....as an outsider to all this...what drives the company to be so reluctant to settle the matter? What issues remain that can be so important that the two parties cannot continue to negotiate. Is one side engaging in "Russian Style"negotiation (I win....you lose) and the other is unable to get a compromise. Are there in fact real issues that need to be resolved that cannot be resolved without one side or the other capitulating and taking a loss? Is it money....work rules or what that divides the two sides?

Lots of people, in addition to the two warring parites, are going to suffer as a result of all this acrimony. It is already taking a toll. Is it just plain "EGO" that is driving this dispute?

[Gomer Pylot]

I think it's ignorance. Any company should know that Homer Deakins has the interests of only one organization in mind - the law firm of Homer Deakins. He cares no more about the client company than he does about the union, and his primary interest is getting more money paid to him. The longer the negotiations go on, the more money he makes. And because he's a lawyer, he is believed, I suppose.

Some studies have been done on comparisons of companies with, and without, unions, notably one published in Scientific American magazine. It found that the most productive, and most profitable, companies were those that had a union and had a good relationship with the union, and allowed it some input into how the companies were run. Next were companies with no union. The least productive, and least profitable, companies by far were those that had a union and an adverserial relationship with it. American Airlines under Crandall is a good example of this, and Southwest Airlines is an example of the former. While maintaining mostly good relations with its unions, Southwest has become one of the most profitable airlines in the world. American, which has had very poor relations with its unions, very nearly went out of business, and is still not profitable. Bitterness caused by strained labor relations doesn't go away quickly, if ever. Air Log will never be as profitable as it could be as long as the current management culture stays in place, and even if it changes tomorrow the bitterness will last for years, if not decades. IMO, it's ignorance of these things, pure and simple, that causes the problems, compounded of course by the inflated egos of overpaid executives.

[SASless]

Gomer,

It is safe to say that when management is confronted by a union negotiation there are three sets of interests in contention....management, union organizational, and employee interests. Throw in an outside representative like this situation, then I would imagine a fourth set appears.

Depending upon the mandate given ol' Homer by management....and the way his contract was negotiated....could have an effect on the outcome of the process....but to a lesser degree than the others. He might bring that horse to water...but making it drink is another thing. The interesting question to me is whether management instructed ol' Homer to settle with the union or attempt to de-certify the union.

If I were wanting to settle this thing as a manager...why would I hire an outfit with a mouthpiece like ol' Homer that advertises itself as being the world's leading expert on de-certifying unions?

I have heard the union negotiatiing committee at one time went directly to the senior manager and tried to resolve the outstanding issues with him directly....but were referred to the good hands of ol' Homer boy.

Again.....one would think if resolution was the goal....the management would take any route possible to get there....not rebuff a direct approach. The least they could have done would be to summons ol' Homer off his veranda and mint julips to assist in the discussion.....not merely refer the negotiating committee back to the guy that failed to win them over.

History will tell us what the driving factor behind the Air Log situation really was.......hope it isn't a story like the Eastern Airlines, American Airlines, US Air....story.



Latest rumour suggests there was more to the Training Captain being suspended than was originally reported....and had nothing to do with his reporting of the suspected safety issue.

Perhaps someone closer to the facts can clear this up for us?

[The Rotordog]

Guys...I know Homer Deakins. I have dealt extensively with Homer Deakins. And if ANY of you naively think that Air Log is in a negotiating mood, you are seriously, seriously deluded. There is only ONE goal of ALI management and it is not to get a contract. It is to get the union decertified as quickly as possible. The hiring of Homer Deakins is all you need to know.

Mark my words.

This is war.

[SASless]

rotordog....

May I assume you and ol' Home Boy do not trade Christmas cards each year?

The old saying ..."If it walks like a duck...quacks like a duck....and looks like a duck....it just might be a duck!" comes to mind here.

A quick review of the info surfaced so far.....and will try to be fair in my presentation without taking sides...

Union side....

Strike vote 96%
Presented Economical proposal which was flatly refused
After a year , offer was presented to the members.....92% NO.
Informational pickets performed.
Direct approach to Air Log boss....rejected.
Public statement saying they will negotiate at anytime.

Company Side

Hired Home Boy Deakins et al....leading "union buster"
Flatly rejected the first Economical Proposal
After a year, agreed to a package....voted down by 92% vote
No new offer to date....not negotiating
Tells customers and Mechanics compromise is the goal
Multiple firings of union leaders and vocal members
Files lawsuit claiming Bad Faith bargaining by union
Refused direct approach by union to Air Log boss

Somehow I think they are telling the boys and girls in the pilots union it is raining outside.....but I fear it is yellow rain running down the folks necks here.

One man's opinion.





Subsequent to posting this.....I was told of a different view of the situation.....which fills in some missing information from the Air Log company view of the situation.



The "Check Airman" that was fired.....was actually a Maintenance Test Pilot assigned to the training department. He was dismissed for displaying a sign suggesting "contract workers were welcome to go home" or similar unionese language describing line crossers. (No work action has taken place....thus that sobriquet alledged to have been used would have been premature). That dismissal is supposed to now be going through the Grieveance procedure.

The other pilots fired for participating in the "informational picketing" had either done so while "on duty" or had been at the previous picket in Lafayette. The current contract clearly contains a clause that states...."No picketing".

Current contract pilots have no clause in their contract pertaining to crossing picket lines.....and it is their choice if they do or not.

The company has prepared a presentation presenting the company view of the CBA situation and have distributed it to customers and the media.

Ol'Homer was retained by Air Log because his firm is the number one specialist law firm in the field of Railway Labor Act (RLA) Labor law. Those labor contracts amount to only 10% of the total number of the labor contracts in the USA. The company considered the lack of experience within its staff and elected to hire professional CBA negotiators hoping for a timely settlement.

The lawsuit filed by the company is to be heard on the 23rd of February....at which point lots of information will become public knowledge regarding the conduct of negotiation that has so far been privately held. Amongst the issues in that suit is an allegation the union has not negotiated in good faith....and corroboration of the company claim shall be provided at that time.

More information will be posted when available.....it does seem now that there are two very different views of the situation. The caller suggested previouls posts had errors.....and that is no doubt true. This being an open forum.....anyone contesting anything said is free to reply and attempt to set the record straight.

This is in fact a rumour net......and in the absence of truth and facts.....rumours shall persist.

Anyone close to the company and/or union side that can help delineate the issues that separate the two parties?

[Gomer Pylot]

SASless, if you believe any of that stuff the company told you, I have some nice dry land a few miles south of Port Fourchon for sale.......

[logpilot]

Ok mr. Expert - here's your chance - refute one thing in the post above yours from the "company" side with your facts.
Such as why Mullen was let go and his position, or any of the other things, such as the info about the "picketers" or the federal lawsuit. You say the company is blowing smoke - put up or shut up - capish?
What's the matter - union cat got your tongue? Thought so.

[SASless]

Industrial Helicopters aircraft seen at Grasso and thought to be subcontracted to Air Log is now reported as not being in anyway connected to Air Log and was operating directly between Grasso and Industrial.

The same source says there is no subcontracting agreement in existence between Air Log and Industrial.

Yet another example of something that can be seen differently when viewed from various perspectives.

We have one report for...one against this being true.....any tie breakers out there?

[SASless]

Logpilot,

I think you might just want to check the source of your information regarding Captain Mullen. It was reported to me today that if Captain Bob Mullen has been sacked for misconduct then there has been a slight error on the company's part for he has not been told yet....and currently considers himself to be a full fledged member of the Air Logistics pilot staff extant. Or is my information source in error?

Did you perchance, really mean to say a guy named Holland or something like that and merely have a slip of the tongue. You know the old saw about a slip of the tongue and you can find yourself in the ....well...in it.


A second bit of rumour and innuendo surfaced as well....we have heard of the one lawsuit filed by the company against the union but what of the alledged six suits filed or to be filed by the union against the company?

Are there that many suits flying around besides Ol'Homer.

There was made mention in a US based website that purports to be the best helicopter website in the world (it most assuredly is not) that a Union Negotiating Team member jumped ship and is now a Base Manager for the company.

Is that a fact?

It leads one to believe, based upon Duck Law, that maybe the company may have had an unfair advantage during the negotiation process.

Was that base manager's job advertised and open for competition by any qualified individual or was that a spot promotion for meritorious service above and beyond the call of duty? Why would the company select a known union activist to be a base manager in the middle of a hotly contested CBA negotiation? Interesting situation that without benefit of knowing the truth....raises some eyebrows.

That promotion sure begs the question of how such a staunch union man could overnight elect to forsake his union brothers and join the very management team that is hotly contesting the negotiating strategy he was a part of planning.

Considering his situation....just what was he thinking when he made the move? Surely, he knew that would cause tongues to wag and generate suspicion amongst those he left? He is a far, far, braver man than I. You reckon he discussed the potential move with his close friends and associates on the negotiation committee (union side) and sought their counsel before he announced his resignation from the committee and union?

Please Logpilot.....if I am off base here....set the record straight.

[logpilot]

you are right about Mr. Mullen - he still is a member of the bargaining unit and employed.

[logpilot]

Make that Holland not Mullen (guess that I had a bean in my ear - or to much of standing near a running helicopter)- sorry - brain fart, but bottom line is that he is still employed

[SASless]

Easy enough for those of us that have High Freq hearing losses...c's, d's, e's, g's, v's, p's, t's,v's,and z's, all sound pretty much the same.

Can you confirm or deny any of the other rumours...lawsuits and other things from this thread. It would go a long way towards clearing up a lot of questions folks have about what is going on?

Maybe we could get ol'Homer Boy to put down his Mint Julip on his veranda and earn some of Air Log's money by explaining the legal side of all this.....summarize the law as it applies. For sure he is the authority.

How about that other rumour....that his law firm was or he was the lawyer that fought the Textile Workers Union attempt portrayed in the movie "Norma Rae" with Sally Field as the star? That is the most interesting rumour so far.....but then Hollywood does have a way of promoting liberal causes in this country.

[SASless]

Thus far it is now said...two suits filed by the union against the company as a counter to the one suit filed by the company against the union.

NMA has sent a letter to both sides inviting them to Washington, DC. as a last minute effort to mediate the dispute prior to the end of the cooling off period deadline. It appears the company is ready to attend.....now we wait to see what the union does.

[The Rotordog]

Couple of points:

It is not unusual or unknown for management types to transfer between positions with the union and with the company. If memory serves, FedEx Pilot Association President Frank Fato has also been in FedEx management, as Chief Pilot I believe. So guys "see the light" in both directions and it should not be held against them.

It is no rumor about Homer Deakins' law firm being the one depicted in the movie "Norma Rae." That is a fact. Their union-busting experience goes waaaaaaay back. And they do not come cheap.

Homer flaunts all the money that he makes from the companies he milks. At the beginning of PHI's first contract negotiations, meetings had to be postponed while Mr. Deakins took his family on vacation to Bali. Bali! It was truly galling to realize the amount of money PHI was spending on him - money that the company repeatedly claimed they did not possess to give to employees. It clearly demonstrated to the pilots that PHI was not interested at all in negotiating a fair contract but in fact was only interested in busting the union. It didn't happen.

Luckily, all of the negotiating team members had children and knew how to deal with temper-tantrums, because it is reported that one of Mr. Deakins' first acts of histrionics (and there were many) was to loudly thunder, veins-a-popping, across the table at the negotiating team that they would NEVER see a signed contract! He was wrong.

But such is not a spirit of cooperation. And believe me, every helicopter pilot in the country now has Mr. Deakins' number.

Given that Air Log's President had previously screamed the same thing at his pilots and was wrong too, you'd think that the helicopter companies would stop these childish antics and negotiate like adults. The retention by Air Log of the very expensive hired-gun, Homer Deakins for this go-around disproves that theory! We can plainly see where it's heading. In the end, it just makes the company's tearful pleas of "we just don't have any money" ring terribly false.

I wonder where Mr. Deakins will take his family on vacation to count his money after the Air Log contract is finally settled? Hmm, what could be more expensive than a trip to Bali? Is Richard Branson accepting reservations on his lunar flights yet?

[logpilot]

"Given that Air Log's President had previously screamed the same thing at his pilots and was wrong too, you'd think that the helicopter companies would stop these childish antics and negotiate like adults."

When did Dru Milke do that ?- must have missed it!

[SASless]

Rotor Mutt....

If you were involved in a labor contract negotiation as a management representative...would it not follow that you would want the very best hired help that money could afford? Is not Ol' Homer the very best that money can buy for these things even if also very expensive? Would you want anything less than that I ask?

You wonder if Ol'Homer boy negotiated his own contract with Air Log? If so....Ol' Home being the very best negotiator that money can buy, then he would have constructed his contract demands to ensure he makes the most out of his work? Nothing wrong with that concept....afterall, that is part and parcel of what the union boys and girls are trying to do....or do I miss the difference in the two situations?

Now word has it that Home Boy is being paid by the hour...and not on piece work basis as Norma Rae , et al, were and therefore stands to fatten his purse by dragging this thing out as long as he can. That would be like an operator suggesting to the pilots to use Vmrc whenever possible when flying on a hourly contract or when revenue is improved by farming for hours. Vmrc is defined as Velocity, Maximum Revenue Cruise (fly as slowly as you can) to the unknowing.

So....since management wants the best and is willing to pay for it....how does old Home Boy determine the goals, standards, and completion criteria for his contract? Does his contract have a bonus clause in it? If it does....one can only wonder what it might be.

Rotor Mutt....this hiring the best and paying top dollar for hired help is nothing new. OLOG has a history of taking care of its people. Consider the housing standard in the Gulf of Mexico, the high standards they demand of the customer provided accomodation offshore. How can one expect them to treat Ol'Homes any different?

[The Rotordog]

I wrote: "Given that Air Log's President had previously screamed the same thing at his pilots and was wrong too, you'd think that the helicopter companies would stop these childish antics and negotiate like adults."

logpilot replied:When did Dru Milke do that ?- must have missed it!Then ask someone who's been at Air Log longer than you. It was George Small and it was the late 1990's, I believe. It is a legendary remark, along the lines of Bobby Suggs' "gutters of Bourbon Street."

Sasless, Air Log's hiring of Homer is puzzling. During PHI's negotiation, I'm absolutely positive that his mandate from executive secretary-turned-concubine-turned-owner Carroll W. Suggs was to break the union or at very least not give an inch. If so, he failed miserably on both counts. So for ALI to take him on smacks of desperation. It also sends a clear message to the pilots. As I said, we all know of the great, fearful Homer Deakins.

Carroll Suggs used to brag that she and Herb Kelleher (Southwest Airlines' eccentric CEO) were friends. If so (and I personally doubt it), she did not often seek his counsel. Herb's management team got along well with the few unions they had, and consequently SWA is among history's most profitable of airlines. But prior to co-founding SWA, Herb had been a...wait...any guesses?*

Air Log and PHI took an entirely different tack. Instead of accepting the obvious and inevitable, both chose to fight. They treated their pilots like petulant, misbehaving children who needed to be taught a lesson. Unions were painted as ominous, interfering, troublemaking "third-parties" and any pilot who agreed with the concept of a labor union was portrayed as "fat, lazy, greedy, vindictive, spiteful, job-shirking and anti-company." It was an insult to every pilots' intelligence, whether they knew it or not (and sadly, many did not).

Over martinis in a swanky French Quarter hotel, Homeboi and Dr. Dru may exchange long, soulful, confident glances that the pilots don't have the guts, but I believe that a strike is a fait accompli.. Air Log is about to be taught a hard, bitter and very brief lesson. Unfortunately, this is a turning-point in the struggle of pilot-as-labor and so it must be that the ALI pilots assert themselves thusly. I would not want to be in Homer's shoes on March 10th when no settlement has been reached and the clock is counting down those final minutes. Perhaps this will be his last contract position down in Louisianaland. Let us hope and pray that it is.






* Answer: Labor attorney!

[SASless]

Last night over dinner with my investments guy....the situation at OLOG came up during the cigars and brandy (making like ol' Homer Bob here) and it surprised my advisor more than a little that the timing of the delay of the required SEC report could not have come at a more opportune time for the company. His immediate thought was that report, usually about 30 pages long, contains some very interesting information about the flow of money and its destination.

I have heard from a source who purports to be close to the matter, that the delay is more a technical problem than an indication of fraud by company management or a violation of US law pertaining to the use of financial incentives to obtain business. The situation was described as being more a checking off of the boxes kind of thing than a serious matter.

We understand that is sometimes the way business goes in overseas locations but US firms are prohibited from engaging in such activities by US Law.


A Reuters article telling of the situation. Also, a good brief about it at Yahoo, in the financials page. Stock symbol "OLG" for OLOG. Seems the share price is under pressure....wonder why?


I wonder where the truth lies on this matter? Did some crooked payments take place in some dark foreign shore? Did someone make an honest mistake and the transfers need to be reviewed? Are the boyos at OLOG trying to be secretive about a restructuring move and using this as a way of not filing SEC forms that would give them away?

Offshore Logistics auditors review payments
Thu Feb 10, 2005 08:35 AM ET

NEW YORK, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Offshore Logistics Inc. (OLG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , which provides helicopter services to the oil and gas industry, on Thursday said it delayed a regulatory filing while auditors review some overseas payments.
The company said its audit committee has engaged outside counsel to review payments made in a country in which affiliated entities operate.

"Based on the results of the review to date, the company does not believe that its previously reported financial results, including the results announced on Feb. 3, 2005, will be materially impacted," Offshore Logistics said in a statement.

[Musket33]

SASless

Could you comment on the rumor that you might be returning a certain West African country under the employ of an Olog controlled company?

[SASless]

Dear Boy,

This is certainly a rumour network. Stranger things have happened....and as you well know....money harkens new loyalty. I assumed from the same rumour mill that you had chucked it in for the fourth time is it? Or, did your employers find a key to your heart as well?

I have had the promise of a 76 C+ plus job...but it did not include your current locale....maybe that is of which you speak? I am entertaining visions of warm clear salt water, white sandy beaches....thatched huts....San Miguel or Tiger beer.....not Gulder and the Bush bar frolics.

Now who knows what life holds? You and I may wind up on 212's for Houston doing fires in New Mexico or something. I have heard your old Mucker from ERA is headed back from Reno.

Once you get that Green License....the delta beckons with its Siren call of gold and fine living.

[Musket33]

SASless

It's only three times so far! I thought it might be 412EP's and a view of Mt. Cameroon on a clear day. I do love sirens it's just those flashing lights I can't stand. You know my e-mail, drop me a line in the next 7 days or less. More news as it arrives.

PS. Don't you just love this high tech world we live in?

[SASless]

Musket....

I remember meeting the Horton family in the hills of Virginia near Piper's Gap when I was growing up.....I was amazed that Gramma Horton had never been out of Carroll County in her life, had never had a telephone, did not have indoor plumbing....and had no electricity nor access to ice. She used a wood stove to cook, heat water, and warm the house. She lived to be 96 years old. She never even heard of a shopping mall and found news to consist of whatever was brought to her by a visitor. Her entertainment was the Bible and her family.

Today....if you don't have three computers, a cell phone or two, satellite TV, a fuel injected automobile that remembers who you are....and have flown around the world 600 times....suffer from coronary disease.....you are a bumpkin.

My question.....is how do you stop all the flashing twelves?

[SASless]

Court cases being heard today....original suit filed by the company against the union and two counter suits by the union against the company. More news when heard

NMB has un-officially invited the two warring parties to the Great White Father's hometown to make parley and maybe smoke the peace pipe. The union has made public statements they shall (imperative tense) be there with every intention of finding resolution. We can only assume the management will be there as well. That presumes Ol' Homer Boy can be pried from his verandah and Mint Julips. The meeting is to be held from 8-10 March.

I would suggest the venue be moved to Murphy's in Oldtown Alexandria. Huge great beautiful wooden and brass bar, stretches for miles.....good food....Guinness on tap.....live Irish music....warm fire. It is has always been known for its ability to bring total strangers together and get them to harmonize with gusto.

That is what Air Log needs now. Even with a settlement....there is going to be a lot of hard work to be done to bring the place back to being a happy place again. The old Bobby Suggs School of Helicopter management has got to go.

[SASless]

Proceedings in Federal Court continue today....unfinished at end of yesterday. More news when heard.

[SASless]

This just showed up in my e-mail....from a union member at Air Log. It is a memo from the union President, Ken Bruner, to all union members with instructions for it to be posted for all to read.

Hopefully, we can get someone from the company side to present their version of events.

The one thing that stands out is the Judge requires Dru Milke to attend in person.





Kenneth E. Bruner

President Telephone: (337) 364-4639
OPEIU, Local 107 Fax: (337) 364-4640
2617 Northside Road Suite 300
New Iberia, LA 70563-0953



Fellow Members;

As most of you are aware, we were in court for the Company’s lawsuit on the 23rd and 24th of this month. I’m going to attempt to explain as best I can the proceedings of the hearing.

The Judge stated that his knowledge of Labor Law was practically nil, but by March 10th, 2005 he was going to learn everything he could about the subject.

The Judge seemed to be very concerned that, in his estimation, neither party has done everything in their power to avoid a strike. He seemed incredulous that both parties appeared to be heading into a situation that could be disastrous for the Union and the Company.

Therefore, His Honor has ordered the negotiating committees of both sides to attend meetings from February 28th to March 3rd, 2005, for a minimum of four hours every day. He further ordered that in addition to the Company’s Committee, Mr. Dru Milke also be in attendance.

The Judge further ordered that a conference call take place at 4:00 PM on the 10th of March, between his office and the parties who will be in Washington, D.C. His decision on the lawsuit will depend on what is relayed to him during that phone call. He went on to say his decision will be made prior to midnight eastern time on the tenth of March.

Your negotiating committee is preparing for the meetings with the Company next week; we will keep you fully informed.




In Solidarity,
Kenneth Bruner /s/
President, Local 107

[Thud_and_Blunder]

I've been following this thread (as a member of a different Union) from overseas with interest. I found this bit fascinating:
The Judge stated that his knowledge of Labor Law was practically nil, but by March 10th, 2005 he was going to learn everything he could about the subject.
What kind of profession would put someone like this in such a responsible position? A bit like a CAA or FAA examiner admitting "I've never flown helicopters, but I'm going to convert and learn all about them before I come and check you and your company next month". Sometimes you just have to love the legal eagles, don't you?

[Gomer Pylot]

In the US, you don't necessrily have to be a lawyer to be a judge, depending on the jurisdiction. Labor law is a rather narrow discipline in any case, and I'm not surprised that a judge isn't famililar with it. It's unfortunate, but that's the way the system works. At least he admits it.

I hope he learns something before he makes a ruling.

[SASless]

My impression is the judge is acting in a "judicious" manner in this situation. The company filed an action saying the Union was not bargaining in good faith and sought the judge to order them to do so. The Union countered that accusation with a couple of complaints of their own and accused the company of not bargaining in good faith.

The negotiation falling under the rules of the Railway Labor Act (RLA), and thus having been mediated by the US Government's National Mediation Board (NMB) has reached an impasse.

Previously, the company had asked for release from the NMB and was refused, later the union asked for release and with no objection from the company, was released.....thus the two parties entered what is known as a 30 Day cooling off period.

That is to end on 11 March. Self Help (strike, lockout, etc) can begin at that point.

Despite being released from officially mediated negotiations by the NMB, both parties are free to continue negotiating with one another. The NMB as is their practice, invited both parties to a round of "un-official" NMB sponsored negotiations in Washington, DC. during the period of 8-10 March.

The Federal Judge listened to the complaints of both sides.....and apparantly determined that there is still recourse outside of his court for the two parties to resolve the problems and and reach a settlement. He refrained from taking action against either side beyond ordering them to meet and negotiate until the end of the Cooling Off period. He required the results of that negotiation be reported to him late on the 10th of March. Depending upon what the situation is at that time will determine his action in the cases before the court.

What I find interesting and I think the Judge might very well be sending some strong signals as to what he thinks of the situation.....he ordered the negotiations to take place and more importantly ordered the CEO, Dru Milke to attend.

Ordering a Company CEO to do that is very unusual.

The union approached Milke directly in the past and was told by him to deal with the Company Negotiating Committee and the company legal counsel retained for that purpose, Homer Deakins.

The company made a lot out of the fact they had sued the union and fully expected to have the court rule in their favor during the hearing. That did not happen.

Me thinks His Honor just fired a large caliber shot across Milke's bow.


I certainly hope the two sides find a way to settle this and get back to work. Even if they do, finding a way to heal the wounds this has caused will be the challenge for all.

[SASless]

A union member sent this to me....latest update on the court ordered negotiations. Nothing heard from the company.


NEGOTIATION NOTAM #72
DATE: February 28, 2005 TIME: 1:00pm - 5:20pm

PLACE: Hotel Acadiana / Lafayette, LA CLIMATE: Calm

IN ATTENDANCE:
FOR THE COMPANY: Milke, Deakins, Brown, Fira, Hunt
FOR THE UNION: Bohelski, Catalano, Bruner, & Robson


In addition to the regular Negotiating Committees, Drury Milke, President of Air Logistics and Edie Hunt, Air Logistics Human Resources Manager were present for the Company.

Most of the day was spent signing off on many Articles that have been previously Tentatively Agreed but never signed. We then went down each proposal in detail to determine the exact Sections & Language in dispute. This took the rest of the day.

A discussion then took place that left us feeling optimistic about tomorrow, in other words, no one intends to show up and just stare across the table at one another.

We’re looking forward to open and honest discussions with the Company which can lead to a Contract you can ratify.

SYNOPSIS: Clearing the air and trying to understand each others intentions.

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, March 1, 2005 Lafayette, LA

ON THE SCHEDULE: Try to resolve items in dispute.

[SASless]

Today's Notam by the Air Log pilot's union reports progress being made and a day long dialogue was effective. No settlement arrived at yet....but the tone of the Notam was positive. The Notam remarked mis-understandings on both sides of the table were identified and addressed.

[SASless]

Today's Notam by the Air Log Pilot's union regarding the on-going court ordered negotiations reports the two sides met from 10 AM until 5:10 PM.

The Notam states hope remains that a settlement can be reached without a work action.

Attending the meeting was:

Company Reps- Milke, Deakins, Brown, Fira, Hunt
Union Reps- Bohelski, Catalano, Bruner, Robson

Next meeting tomorrow at 10 AM.

[SASless]

3 March Notam from the Air Log Pilot Union

Meeting lasted from 8 AM to 12:45 PM and was described as being "Cooperative".

Some progress was made and the Union looks forward to the next scheduled meeting on 8 March in Washington, DC.

[SASless]

The Pilots union has scheduled meetings for 6 PM local time on Thursday, 10 March, to disseminate the "official" summary of the situation as it then exists. No reports of progress or any other comment is being made about the NMB sponsored negotiations in Washington, DC. by any of the parties until the end of those negotiations.

Lots of fingers crossed in hope this situation comes to a compromise that prevents either side from having to resort to self help efforts.

[SASless]

The Pilot's Union reported to the members tonight that a settlement has been reached they feel confident will be approved by the vote of the members. That is good news for all of the Air Log employees to know that a work action has been avoided....barring a "No Vote" on the final offer by the company.

I am glad that a compromise has been reached....and everyone can get back to work.


The company also announced the compromise settlement...

From: Dru Milke
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 4:44 PM
To: ARA Employees; OLOG Employees; All Field Bases
Subject: Contract Negotiations



It is with great pleasure that we announce that representatives from Offshore Logistics and the OPEIU local 107 have today reached tentative approval on a new comprehensive contract for the pilots of Air Logistics. This multi-year agreement will set a new pay standard in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico and will also offer a comprehensive benefit package. Although the execution of this agreement is subject to the ratification vote by the pilots, both the Union and the Company have committed to endorse the proposal and actively work toward this ratification.



I would like to particularly commend all the Air Logistics employees who have, during this lengthy and sometimes contentious process, continued to perform their duties in a safe and professional manner. We can now continue to focus on our core competencies of safety, service, and efficiency and deliver to our customers a superior level of performance.





Drury A. Milke

President

Air Logistics