The next seven days...

[jed_thrust]

Dear Fellow Cathay Professionals,

It may have escaped your attention, but the events of the next 7 days are going to shape your lives - and the lives of your family - forever. It may turn out for better or for worse: no one can forecast that yet.

Your lives will change, perhaps irrespective of your wishes or of your participation, but would you like to have a small amount of control over the outcome?

If the answer is “Yes”, then please spend some time thinking about what you want out of your life and from your close association with CX. What happens in the next week may affect you for only a few months (if you’re one of the lucky ones to retire soon) or the decisions made may be with you for the rest of your existence, not just for the duration of your Cathay employment. That’s going to be a long time for regrets, should you end up with them.

Overall we as pilots are a risk-averse group and even as you feel that familiar tightening somewhere down in the seat of your pants you must realise that:

a. It is a natural reaction to the fearful scenario you can picture, and
b. Your Company wants you to be frightened enough to take the “safe” path of action. So they will scare you.

We took the safe route in 1994: I regret that now and my family and I are paying for it in emotional and financial pain. I didn’t take the safe route last year: for that I am proud but also bitterly disappointed at being thwarted by the efforts of my less brave colleagues.

This is the time when heroes and cowards are made on the battlefield. You need to decide which one you are going to be. I have reached my own verdict: I shall be voting to wrest control of my families’ lives away from the Company. I shall not be voting for short-term solutions, ones that may seek to “protect” the provident fund I may have accumulated as an “A” Scale Captain. I shall be voting to expose and to protect the truth. I shall be voting to protect the right of all the junior pilots in this company to pursue a decent and rewarding career.

There are many examples of people for whom taking this simple step has worked, the Korean pilots most recently. Do not bow to intimidation, false witness and lies any longer. Most of all do not let one man control you, own you, embarrass you or belittle you! Act so that you may hold your head up high with pride (hat on, of course… ;) when you walk through the world’s airports.

Finally, please do not underestimate the gravity of this critical situation. Your Company needs you to do the right thing for them (even though they do not realise what that is!): support the HKAOA resolutions with the same fervour and passion you devote to the people you love.

[Screaming Lord]

Well said JT, couldn't agree more.

[Old China Driver]

JD, extremely well written. A thoughtful contribution that I hope all of us take to heart. It has been sad being witness to the weak response of our fellow colleagues these past few years. I sense that even the most 'thick skinned' of us have now realised that further acquiesence is of no use, and that action of a firm and determined nature is now necessary. I would ask those of us who failed to support their colleagues during the dispute last year to take a look at themselves, their careers and their families, and determine not to continue to play a part in the slow destruction of everything that this career should be. I ask them to stand up for what is right and help stop the deliberate and methodical destruction of our profession that the Swire management has determined is their 'holy grail'. I am an acquiantance of a Swire manager (he feels guilty about being one!), and he tells me that the management of CX is 'rabidly' anti-pilot (his words), and that they wish to see our 'spirit's and our career's brought low (also his words), and that indeed it is a 'personal' goal they hold. Even he is embarassed about the lack of objectivity that is shown by our management, and the 'personalisation' of their malignant intent towards us. There is no room for 'one-sided' negotiation any longer. It leads to further erosion of our conditions, and there is NO CHOICE but to take the battle to their door.... This week has seen Delta Airlines have to cancel over 300 flights A DAY because their pilots are refusing to work overtime (which costs each individual pilot money). Yesterday, Delta management stated that their pilots were GUARANTEED to recieve the BEST contract in the country....(after the United contract that is saying something!). This was not achieved by 'some' of their pilots continuing to help bail out the management and fly overtime. It was achieved by ALL the pilots standing TOGETHER and FORCING their management to RESPECT them and ADDRESS their concerns. WE WILL NEVER ACHIEVE ANYTHING SUBSTANTIAL UNLESS WE DO THE SAME.......NOW (in fact, we will guarantee futher devaluation of our careers if we do nothing). Understand this one thing.......our management has NO RESPECT for us, none whatsoever. Until that is re-established, our careers will continue to deteriorate. Those colleagues of mine who joined in the mid to late 80's, I ask of you to no longer sell your souls for a few more bread crumbs from this management. One day you will no longer be here.....and you will then have to live every day of the rest of your lives with the knowledge of what sort of person you lived your life as. To have sold every principle for the sole gain of a few dollars will leave you as sad, lonely and truly tragic men. To have subordinated all self-respect for self-serving, selfish and delusionally percieved 'financial gain' is to have lived your life as a slave. I cannot imagine a sadder comment on a man's life. Many of you failed last year to stand with your colleagues who risked their careers for a higher ideal and justice. You will soon be faced with the opportunity to redeem your own pride and atone for your failings of the past (in light of how our management has acted in the months since, how can anyone suggest that supporting our management back then was not a 'failing'..?). I ask all of you to search your hearts and souls and resolve to stand up for what your concience tells you is the right and honourable course of action. Resolve to no longer live the life of a slave to a management who has no respect for you and in fact holds EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US in TOTAL contempt. Resolve to stop being used by these same people. Resolve to no longer live in fear of them, as they are completely unworthy of your fear. The hypocrisy and contradiction of their policies these past few years is now becoming manifest in the terrible state of the operation as we presently see it, and the low moral of all staff. They know their 'kingdom' is crumbling.....don't help them out of a disaster of their own making. They deserve to be stained forever more with the failure of their arrogance and incompetence. The ONLY HOPE we have of resurrecting our careers as we once knew them is to STAND UP TO THIS TYRANNY. We all know what to do. Let us now do it. OCD

[fodder]

OCD. A really great post, one that I would have been proud to write
The situation has improved recently with a lot more pilots getting angry enough to actually grow a spine and stand up for once.
However the Judas's that sold us out last time for a few shekels are still within our ranks. There has been no penalty levied against them for their past actions. I must accept this, but next time around this situation cannot be allowed to continue. For every action there must be an equal and opposite reaction.
For those who take a course of action in contravention of the vote there must be a penalty levied. Expulsion from the Union for a starters combined with the shame that would go with that expulsion.

[CX Driver]

I would like to see a list of C.C. breakers published in a "Between the Leaves" issue. I am not trying to split our unity but I would like to show to all members that your name will be published if you go against the motion made by the membership. There are a small number of members who may need this slight motivation to hold their ground.

The unofficial number of transgressors that I have been told from a committee member is 6 Captains and 1 First Officer.

Any transgression is not acceptable, however, the statistics clearly show that the side is being let down by our Captains.

Take a long hard look at yourselves chaps and think about the consequences of your actions.