Are all you people for real?

[Truth Seekers Int'nl]

be cool!

please do not concern yourselves with the new hires. There will be many more, I have four mates doing interviews now in Oz and will soon be up here enjoying the new job. I have met many new friends and YES some union lads who have welcomed us on board. don't mind the odd disgruntled AOA chaps but i think they are beginning to realise they are supporting a lost cause because i have not joined the union yet and many of the guys coming up here won't if they feel it is not worth it.
Cathay have been very good to us so far and have assured us they will not tolerate any discrimination. perpertraitors will be punished so play it cool lads because unlike me some of the new joiners coming up here WONT like there names being posted on notice boards and left laying around crew haunts - JUST WATCH IT - could be more than 49 if you don't lay off!

[shortly]

There have been some informative and pleasant posts to this topic. Even seems like grown ups have written a few of them. 41IA, eg, a great post and difficult to disagree with most of his sentiments so well articulated. Please remember what is said about threats they are always counter productive when used too often. I mean that from both sides of course. One little thing though, the new aircrew coming to Hong Kong for final interview are of a consistently good standard and those offered positions would have got that privelige at any time in my memory. Excluding these people from the AOA is only fragmenting the pilot body further and is not in the best interests of the AOA. Until it is realised that this 'ban' is laughable given the practice of AOA members accepting company promotion then the AOA will continue to look foolish in the extreme.

[411A]

The HKAOA has looked foolish (to many) for a very long time....why should they change now?
The CX management must be laughing...all the way to the bank.

[Albatross]

I agree with most of the comments here. The part I don't understand is that Cathay is hiring 250 over the next two years and say approximately 50 a year retire. So every year the union membership goes down by about 45 and the number of non union members in the pilot ranks goes up by about 125. It would appear to be the beginning of the end as in the not too distant future the AOA will be a minority. This seems like poor long term planning. And in vilifying there new joiners they will stick together and when numbers get enough, as has been mentioned before, they will start their own union. I don't know if the AOA appreciates what a miserable life GA can be, on the minimum wage working maximum hours in poorly maintained equipment with next to no opportunities to get out. Which is why so many are taking the job offer that they earned from passing the interview process. I am not saying I'm right I'm just offering another perspective.

[pilotabroad]

It does not matter how many have turned down positions with CX. What matters is that enough have said yes for all ground courses to be full this year and those now being interviewed will get start dates next year.

There is no dispute. We work up to 900 hours per year. We don't go sick. The roster is stable. The aeroplanes leave on time. What is there to talk about for the management? All one has to do is work the published roster, depart on time and arrive on time.

The AoA has been out classed in all respects.

The AoA membership does not have the resolve to strike or even MSS again. We come from all over the world to HKG not for the wx or because we like living here. CX pay well, offer good promotion and basings, are expanding and have a great route structure - but we are NOT a united workforce. Too many backgrounds.

The AoA is busting itself by blindly supporting a few 49ers who will never work at CX again.