Atlas Air's future uncertain !!!!!!
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How about the idea that Atlas is clearing out the older aircraft to Polar to do the charter stuff leaving the latest and most attractive aircraft in Atlas for the original ACMI wet lease business to blue-chip customers?. .. .Rgds. .Lybid
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The problem with that theory is it's also clearing out jobs. Polar is hiring F/Os but still has a number of flight engineers out on furlough. They can't hire off the street until the furloughees are called back. I don't expect you'll see any Atlas employees working at Polar...for obvious reasons.
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My Atlas friends tell me that this is just the latest battle in what they describe as an unbelievably long and painful war that didn't have to happen.. .. .That Atlas management would pit the Polar pilots against the Atlas pilot was a forgone conclusion from the moment the acquisition of Polar was announced.. .. .The old Polar -100s were / are headed for scrap as soon as they run out of time. Pronouncements of ALPA solidarity notwithstanding, is it reasonable to expect Polar crews to refuse to fly the -200s / -300s being transferred by the parent corporation to their certificate and thus 'fall on their sword' and forfeit their jobs for their Atlas brethren?. .. .An unfortunate and sad place to work right now - all the more so as Atlas might have been a great place to be at one time.. .. .Ex-Lorenzo types indeed - has anyone heard from Linda Chowdry since she gave her heartfelt "...we'll make this a better place..." speech in Purchase on the occasion of the memorial service for Michael last year?. . . . <small>[ 26 March 2002, 01:50: Message edited by: 747400CA ]</small>
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Let's face the facts. Atlas management has so far outsmarted the Atlas MEC and possibly even ALPA. They have both carriers, Atlas and Polar, in a no win situation. Atlas crewmembers must give concessions to survive as a company. The downside to the concessions is those very concessions may be the end of Atlas mainland as we know it. (foreign bases) . .. .Polar on the other hand is surviving only because Atlas management needs them as pawns to be used against ALPA. The Polar MEC has some monumental decisions to make in the very near future. As the previous post mentioned, what are they to do, sacrifice their own jobs to make a statement? On the other hand, they are an ALPA represented company, not to mention sister company of Atlas. There is almost a requirement to show loyalty or be branded as a scab operator. Seems to be a quandary here.....one I'm glad I'm not a part of. . .. .Best of luck to both sides, but I fear if Atlas disappears as a company it will be Polar's turn next.
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...and good 'ole ALPO lead the parade to oblivion. Wonder when folks will wake up <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="rolleyes.gif" /> to the fact that ALPO is only for the big boys.. . . . <small>[ 27 March 2002, 03:53: Message edited by: 411A ]</small>
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411A- You must have several anti-ALPA cut & paster comments ready at any time ALPA is mentioned.. .. .As a point of fact, ALPA recommended the Atlas membership sign the TA. By overwhelming majority, the membership rejected it. . .. .I personally think that if Atlas mainline remained non-union, Atlas would be furloughing Polar instead of the other way around. With Polar's lousy contract, I suppose they see that as better than the potential of a new Atlas one.
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Roadtrip. .. .411 is right in this instance. The proposed contract was worse in almost every way than the working conditions already in existence at Atlas with no contract. ALPA certainly deserves no praise for the poor contract they negotiated at Atlas. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Mad]" src="mad.gif" />
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That's my point. I saw that contract. It was crap and deserved to be voted down with disdain. But, in the end it's not ALPA that does the contract, it's the MEC. In this case it look like the MEC got replaced wholesale by Atlas membership.. .. .My point with 411 is he bashes ALPA and unions in general at every opportunity.
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Roadtrip. .. .Sorry. I misunderstood. However, you would think ALPA was giving the MEC advice? In any case, the situation at Atlas is a bad one. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />
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How many times does alpo have to bend you over and give you a good shagging there roadtrip before YOU see the light....took once for me...there must be a lesser evil out there....maybe an in-house option?
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Took about a year. I'm now a member of an independent union that was being courted heavily by ALPA to return. ALPA's efforts failed and we are still independent. My vote? No way would I vote to return to ALPA. . .. .That being said, it's easy to instantly assign blame for everything to ALPA when, in reality, the individual MECs are ultimately responsible for their unions. Sort of like a franchaise. The individual store owners make or break their stores. The franchaise company offers support and advice (good and bad perhaps), but in the end, success or failure is on the shoulders of the store owner.
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ALPO is less than excited about wasting time and legal resources on negotiating/formulating collective bargaining agreements with pilot groups who offer little(MONEY) in return...it would appear to be in the best interests of most medium/small carrier groups to form their own in-house union, the downside of that of course is missing out on ALPO's huge legal department resources when the feds, or some other folks are trying to ruin your career....what to do?
