Pilots who went on strike let go by PHI
 

Pilots who went on strike let go by PHI

02:33 PM CDT on Thursday, September 21, 2006

By Jason Whitely / 11 News

http://www.khou.com/news/local/stori...s.22738f9.html

Jason Whitely's Sept. 20 11 News Report

PHI sent letters to several hundred of its striking helicopter pilots essentially firing them Thursday, one day after they started picketing.

The pilots went on strike early Wednesday morning.

The Lafayette, La., based company company, which flies rig workers off shore and operates five air ambulances in the Houston area, would not comment Thursday afternoon.

Allan Duquette, a PHI pilot for 30 years, told 11 News he received his severance notice Thursday morning in a letter from FedEx which said, “Because you are engaging in a strike activity, you are being permanently replaced.” The letter said final paychecks would be mailed within three business days.

Duquette was one of a dozen pilots who picketed outside Galveston’s Scholes Field on Wednesday. Nationwide, the pilots union said more than 200 pilots went on strike early Wednesday morning.

Pilots said they have not had a contract in more than two-and-a-half years. Among other things, pilots want to work less overtime and request a pay raise.

“Guys need time off to be with their families. Having a vacation and then not being able to take it and then lose it. That is an issue that needs to be addressed,” Duquette told 11 News Wednesday.

PHI downplayed the strike. A statement released Wednesday it said the company had “implemented an industry-leading compensation package for its pilots which is above its main competitors.”
Also online

Letter to Allan Duquette

PHI’s statement also minimized the work stoppage saying that only “approximately 25 percent of the company’s pilot workforce participated in this action.”

Striking pilots said the number is much higher.

“Their Gulf of Mexico operations are shut down,” said Bill Lurye, attorney for Local 108, which represents the pilots. He said the union notified the company early this morning “that it’s in violation of the law,” by attempting to permanently replace the pilots.

Lurye said the union is currently considering its legal options.

PHI has a few helicopters flying during this work stoppage. They’re piloted by managers and flight instructors.

Of its five air ambulances in the Greater Houston area, only two are flying Thursday. One in La Porte. A second in Conroe.

PHI’s medical helicopter in Richmond is reportedly tied down on a secondary helipad outside Oakbend Medical Center. Its crew is gone.

LifeFlight is expected to pick up any additional emergencies.

Other offshore helicopters and crew boats are expected to ferry rig and platform workers back and forth to the Gulf of Mexico.

Energy experts doubt this work stoppage will impact petroleum prices.

Sort of Standard in most strikes. They fire everyone until a settlement is reached and then hire everyone back. Then the part timers are let go.......
Everyone loves everyone again........after a while.

A simple question...."Just how are they going to replace these pilots in light of their inability to fill the seats they had vacant before the strike?":ugh:

Are there enough pilots free in the GOM to fill the gap, here in UK, HR depts are busy knitting pilots in there lunch hour to fill the shortfall. Comments please. ITI.:ugh:

They are on strike in Phoenix where the news reported that very few of the Airevac helicopters were flying. Unfortunately for the pilots, Arizona is a right to work state and they can be fired.

Diethelm, quick correction: Arizona PHI pilots (of which I am one) can not be fired merely for going on strike, right to work state or not. We are, however, 'permanently replaced', meaning that if we go back to work it will be as needed, in order of seniority, and possibly in a different function from the one we were in.

should've done it when gas prices were high...

Are the pilots considered exempt on non-exempt employees?

Non-exempt

It makes no difference. The pilots are organized under the federal Railway Labor Act, which takes precedence over any state laws. That act requires that all strikers be returned to their jobs after the strike ends. This protection does not apply to any replacements hired, nor to any employees who continue to work.

GOM Birdies Churping away!
 

I heard some interesting news tonight regarding the strike by PHI pilots.

Non-union pilots are stopping by and offering their support, buying pizzas, and offering accomodation to striking pilots. Non-union companies might pay note of that....other rumblings about unhappy folks might be far more than just pilot talk.

Air Log union pilots also providing assistance to the PHI strikers.

Reports suggested 80% of the PHI aircraft remained on the ground today.

The S-92's on the BP contract are being flown by management pilots and Sikorsky Factory Pilots.

Field reports also suggest it is more like a 90% walkout with only eleven known pilots crossing the picket line.

Some contract pilots are flying but are very few in number as I heard it.

Some discussion was had about PHI having hired a second consulting firm to assist in the fight against the union....evidently one firm alone was not enough.

Time will tell....but the figure of only 25% of the Union pilots participating as quoted by PHI sounds grossly understated.

Day Three tomorrow...perhaps some of the PHI hands will show up here and provide more accurate information.

The latest release from the Pilots Union
Dateline: 22 Sep 2006
Hitch 1 Pilots Carry Us Forward!
It was very apparent from the start of our work stoppage at 4:00 A.M., Wednesday, 20 Sep 2006, that PHI would use every trick in the book to intimidate its pilots to break ranks and cross our picket lines. We all anticipated that the level of support from both hitches would be solid, and today that was proven by the show of unity when the Hitch 1 pilots held our line. Remarkable show of support!!!
Moving on to other matters, many pilots received letters from PHI today, including payout of earnings and accrued vacation time. We believe PHI has violated the law by unlawfully withholding money from those checks. Our lawyers have notified company representatives of our intent to file suit (see attached) to seek remedy for those illegal deductions. How low can PHI stoop?
We have seen the latest report from PHI to the investor reporting groups, and are wondering if PHI has employed Comical Ali (a/k/a Baghdad Bob) as their publicist. The claim that PHI operations has completed approximately 80% of its normal flight volumes, and its Air Medical segment is operating at about 90% of the volume prior to the union job actions is laughable. The reports from our Local 107 brethren tell us that PHI aircraft at all GOM bases is neatly tied down to the helipads, except for one or two. According to the ground reports we have received from our EMS pilots, those operations are far below the 90% claimed by PHI.
Support for Local 108 Pilots in their fight against PHI intimidation and fear tactics is growing daily. We have received both public and financial support from throughout the industry. President Goodwin will be making an announcement about that at the rally in Lafayette on .
Moving on to Lafayette, many of you who participated in the picketing event last Wednesday, were told by the sheriff we were marching on PHI property and had to leave the premises. When questioned, the sheriff stated PHI showed him a drawing of their property lines and we were on it. As it now turns out, and to no one's surprise, PHI had deceived the sheriff by showing him an incorrect property map.
Your Local 108 representatives did some investigating of their own, secured a property map from the Lafayette airport commission, presented it to the Sheriff's department and now we are free to picket in front of PHI on , September , 2006. The Sheriff's department will mark the property line with a tape for our guidance. Can anyone believe anything PHI says?
Finally, we want to thank our wives and families for the support they continue to give us in our fight for justice in the workplace. We love you all for helping us win this fight to gain the respect we deserve as professional pilots.
Remember, no one goes back until we all go back!!!
In unity,
Local 108 Executive Board

Assistance
 

Great to see people are able to give immediate assistance to the PHI pilots. I only ask that unless you are directly contracted to fly for PHI outside of the Union you should avoid any ploy by management to assist their bluff to the oil companies that they can solve this little impasse themselves.

I am sure it will be very difficult to resist applying for a job if you are without employment but everyone must view the long term goals here - the riddance of the reprehensible 'hire'em and fire'em' mentality and establishment of just reward for due skills and service.

Is that for real?

:eek:

Old Skool confirms the "Spy in the Sky" report I posted earlier....perhaps PHI management have a deficiency in Maths which might account for the whole problem.

The SEC filing PHI made recently that showed a Fourteen Million dollar operating loss due to the early repayment of debt failed to indicate the repayment of debt went to the CEO/majority stock holder AL G.

Could this whole thing be about running the stock price down and buying up the outstanding stock and putting himself into a position to take full ownership of the company but still have time during this "boom time" to recoup the losses?

I just PM'd SASless with this:

I know Sikorsky provided pilots for PHI to get them started (I used to do this, too, I flew at KLM Noordzee for a few months in the 70's).

I would guess that these pilots would cross a picket line.
Honestly, I probably would, not because I didn't agree with the strikers, just because my job is what it is, and that is the deal I made with my company. Were I a union employee for a company, I would probably honor the picket line.

Tough times call for tough decisions.

Agusta in Italy had quite a different view....when teaching on the Chinook there and "non-union", during the annual strikes Management told us to down tools and honor the strike.

But as Nick says....it is an individual choice.

For me....I have never crossed a picket line....except when in a management position at the facility being picketed but still dropped of the doughnuts or cinnamon rolls. Perhaps we were lucky in that despite the strike friendships remained intact.


http://www.local108pilots.org/images/Action-LFT.JPG

In Scandinavia, interfering with a legal strike is considered a very serious offense indeed.

People who do not have the common sense or decency to let the negotiating parties resolve outstanding issues on their own run a noticable risk of personal consequences.

One bad aspect of interfering with a strike is that the process leading to a resolution easily could be derailed, due to focus shifting away from the challenges of the CLA. This might end up prolonging the pain and agony for the employees of the company, for management and for the customers.

The Sikorsky factory pilots are surely busy at work in Connecticut, helping to sort out the challenge of making the S92A into a trustworthy, smooth and comfortable aircraft?

Anyway, I'm certain that Stephen Ragin, the President of Local 108 and his team is hard at work looking for solutions. Hopefully management is hard at work on the same agenda, too.

I guess the picture says it all. Its kind of scary for these folks, they are pretty much laying their jobs up for the take. Striking in this economy could mean being hungry for some time.
Helicopter Pilots that I have seen in my years of flying have traditionaly been dumped on, run over and shoved out the door. So for these guys/gals to risk it all, it has to say something.
Might be something if others show a little solidarity, but again as helicopter Pilots, that will never happen.
I just wish the tour industry would get the message that not all of us are incoming Robbie drivers and paid as such. Experience should be worth more than (below) minimum wage. And yes, I know the owners response, you dont like it, we can find another to take your place.

PHI won't find that number of replacement pilots. The individual pilots won't have problems to find new jobs at all.

If PHI wants to stay in business they have to come up with a solution very quickly. (Someone said they are losing $1M a day!?)