Pilot Strike Looms Large at Air Log in the GOM

[Chopter]

http://www.acadiananow.com/business/...5F3D2999.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!

[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.

OffshoreIgor

[tottigol]

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

[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!)

[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. 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.