Flyglobespan: Time To Make A Stand
 

Dear Fellow Flyglobspan Crew Members:

I am writing this on Pprune so that we can organise collective action against the gross infraction of the rules laid down in CAP 371 by Flyglobespan management. I would also like to highlight their questionable policies with regards to crew welfare and ask the question: which school of airline management does that come from?

As you all know, our senior management, with one exception, come from a shorthaul back ground in airlines that our not exactly well known for their standards. They have no experience running a large and expanding longhaul airline, with the different challenges that presents. It is time they got the message that they are not running an airline with 2 B737's that can be organised on the back of a fag packet.

I am sick of our company's flagrant disregard for our welfare and disrespect for the regulations which our competitors in the airline world must comply with. We must rise against this and work together to get the message accross that things cannot continue the way they are. The shining example of this abuse of the rules is the new scheduled minimum rest Cape Town flight.

Not only that, I would ask the question: How much does it cost to train a new pilot to the airline, whether experienced or not? This cost would include, ground school, simulator time, circuits, sectors etc. Is it really more economical to create a training airline with high staff turnover than to create an airline where the staff feel valued and wish to serve out their careers. Of course it isn't! Otherwise all the large successful airlines would be doing it, however, they have learned that in the long run it just costs more money having unhappy staff.

This of course means that they will struggle to find quality pilots in the future and may find themselves with an aircraft uncrewed on the ground or in the news because of an incident. How economical will that be?

So friends, how shall we make our stand together to fight the "Evil Empire" (sorry couldn't resist that).

First: We are rostered a report time of 1 hour before STD. Let us all report for our North Atlantic and ETOPS flights exactly one hour before departure, and see what happens to the on time performance figures.

Second: We must refuse to work on our days off until such a time as the co-operation and flexibility is a two way street.

Third: We must make sure that we receive our legal in-flight rest in the way in which is laid down in Part A. That does not mean a singular Economy seat in full view of the passengers. That means two curtained off Business class seats or a bunk bed. (An in-flight massage would be nice but not a deal breaker :-)

Fourth: We must insist that we receive our minimum rest in the hotel, not in a baggage hall, minibus, standing outside a terminal.

Fifth: Discretion will become just that, Discretion, and will not be exercised carte blanche as a planning tool for the company.

Sixth: Refuse to share hotel rooms with your colleagues. I like you guys...but NOT that much.

Seventh: Insist on seperate rooms for yourself and the remainder of the crew when coming back from the ridiculous Toronto duty where we operate out and position back.

Eigth: Refuse to do any positioning that involves multi sectors and exceeds 12 hours on the grounds of human rights.

These are my thoughts on how we can withdraw our co-operation until such a time as it is not abused by the company. I would also suggest that we must get the ball rolling with regards to union representation as soon as possible. I have heard that the IPF are second largest next to Balpa and less expensive. Another option is the TGWU. Please let us discuss which is the best option and then move forward, together, to make our voices heard within the company.

I welcome your replies on anything else that we can do to change the airline for the better.

Safe Flying

P.S Please complain loudly to the contract agency.

Well said Bill, totally agree with you. Let's show them that they can't take the piss like this.

I hear the IPF is good. Don't really want to join BALPA, however what is important is that we all join the same Union. (don't know much about the TGWU)

I vote for IPF....anybody else?

no discretion
 

Gentlemen, you are absolutely right, enough is enough.
IPF sounds good to me. In the mean time lets not allow ourselves to be rostered into discretion.
I understand the MAN-CPT has had to tech stop PMI on three occasions recently.....crew continuing on to CPT. This is not good eh? delays delays delays! Any idea which hotel we will be using in PMI?
I understand our fleet manager and chief pilot are operating the first min rest to CPT. Should be interesting to hear their views.

........An opps inspector with his eyes open might help!!

At last someone comes up with a plan of attack. We all have to stick together and get the job done. I think the airline could be a great place to work with a few tweaks. The crew are experienced and great fun and the routes are interesting.

I'm a member of the IPF and can recommend them. They are proactive and only cost £22 a month which is a lot cheaper than BALPA. (I know what the arguments are for BALPA but I have a feeling more people will be willing to join the IPF than BALPA purely down to the cost.) Representation is really the key at this stage, not the legal cover.

I am going to do what Bongo Bill suggests and the company will soon see exactly how much they will save treating their crews like this.

Flyglobespan you have pushed us too far!

Time for a cigar and a Mojito.

Me again,
Maybe I'm seeing things but I've just downloaded CAP 371 from the CAA website and I quote with reference to absolute limits of flying hours,

para 23.6
The Maximum number of Flying Hours which a pilot may be permitted to undertake are,

Single Day Table D
Any 3 consecutive days 18 Hours
Any 7 consecutive days 30 Hours
Any 3 consecutive 28 day periods 240 Hours

.....................If this is so, then how can we be rostered for over 20 hours flying within 3 consecutive days re MAN CPT??

Or go on, am I missing something?

I think Table D applies only to Helicopters.

Sorry to interject on a company specific thread ( I drive the 737 for another low cost operator), however I have a little experience of Globespan and just wanted to wish you the very best of luck.

Secondly, we have just emerged from a period of balloting over industrial action at the company I work for and I have to say that if you are looking for support from BALPA, then don't expect too much. Many of us too are joining the IPA, myself amongst them, however most impressive of all were the TGWU.

I was suspicious that they wouldn't be keen to assist a profession that the public may consider overpaid and elitist, however that did not seem to be the case at all. Naturally they do not have the specialists in aviation law that BALPA have, but they seemed genuinely keen, and certainly able to buy the best legal advice as necessary. As I say, for all their expertise, BALPA were as much use as chocolate ailerons.

Just a thought, and as I say good luck.

Cheers,

MoT

re: IPA/IPF
 

In fact IPF now includes IPA membership and costs £11 per month no matter your salary with legal cover up to £20k and free legal helpline. For extra cover eg: worldwide incl USA £125k they charge an extra £147pa or £12.25 per mth. So total around £24/mth.

All the best.

Fellow Globespan 767 pilots,


Agree with all that has been said so far.

I think we should CHIRP all incidents of absurd rest arrangements and the blatant disregard for FTL.

Is it not the case that when the PT and FG were delivered from Air New Zealand they had proper rest facilities, which were then removed to make way for an extra Business Class seat. I guess Globespan have shown from the outset that crew rest onboard is not a priority!

A4D.

Oh dear,
Dirty washing in public.:oh:
Guess the grass wasnt so much greener after all.:bored: Charter is charter ad nauseum
Nasty little short haul managers. Whats a 767 expert on their third job in three years to do? Ho hum.
AAI,AAE,XL,GSM, and god knows who else before.Maybe even JET2 if they fill the tanks of their 757s.All getting it wrong if these transient 76/longhaul experts are to be believed. Who is next for the honour of their wisdom ZOOM?
I refer you to the third line of this post again:E

Farty Flaps

And your point is....?

:ok:

This time last year all was fantastic in the GSM camp.....what happened?

Forget the TGWU, forget IPF. Only BALPA has the know how to sort your problems out.

If it's that bad dip into your pockets and spend the money, New members to BALPA get a 50% discount for two years.

TGWU, IPF and BALPA are only as good as it's members and I think you'll have difficulty getting the contractors onboard.

If you're serious BALPA is the only choice (and I was a member of the IPA for many years). Scrimping on saving a few pounds here and there on your representation will show in the results.

My subs to BALPA cost me £62 a month in easyJet and it is worth every penny. However I get the tax back on these subs so it doesn't really cost me £62 a month.....As an FO in easyjet it was about £30 less tax, divide by two for two years and BALPA works out cheaper than the IPF.

Here's hoping you improve things :D

There is a very experienced ex EZY BALAP CC negotiator in GSM on the 767 i believe .A cracking guy with a real understanding of scheduling in pariticular.
Could he be the man to organise something ?

From what I hear Globespan are aware of the disatisfaction and the Fleet Mgr will be discussing the problems with JF and importantly TD to see what they are willing to do.

My mate at Globespan tells me that SS and BM are flying the route today so problems should be highlighted first hand and hands could be untied.

Well said Bongo Bill:D

We are not just fighting against BAD management we are also fighting against the yes men!!(pilots) to whom go along with all.

When I refuse to comply with illegal rostering etc... crewing simply find a yes man!:ugh:

The Next Step
 

Gentlemen,

Thank you for your various messages of support both public and private. However, so that this does not drift into a generalised moaning session with no practical outcome, let me propose the next course of action.

I have each of the B767 pilots email addresses. I will send each of you an email from myself, using my pprune name, asking for 3 pieces of information.

1. Are you employed or contract.
2. What is your union preference.
3. Do I have permission to forward your email to the union.

I will send to you all the results of the vote for which union to use, as well as posting it on this forum.

I would then ask that once we have everyone's union preference, we stick together and go with the majority vote.

The issue over contract pilots and employees is a moot point. The union representation is decided upon by the percentage of permanent employees that are members. The number of contractors is immaterial. One would then hope that the benefits achieved for the employees, such as a scheduling agreement and choice of hotels, would be enjoyed by the contractors as well.

At this stage I am not sure if we can divide the pilot body into seperate groups of short and longhaul, or by fleet. I would ask the B737 guys reading this to try and co-ordinate some form of action similar to what I propose for their fleet.

So then colleagues, the next you will hear from me is by email. Please spread the word and reply to my email promptly. Then we can show our management that, actually no, they cannot treat us like this.

All the best!

Just to add my twopence.

I joined from a reputable operator for the chance of flying longhaul on a fairly modern piece of kit.

What I get is in the words of Catherine Tates OAP character " What a load of ole schit"

When I joined it was prior to the AIndia contract and was good to fair with not alot of work loads of Standbys which suited me as i live close to my base and 4 trips a month albeit 25 hour trips.

We were fed with ideas of BGI Vegas etc and could happen yet.

But Torontos there n back absolute crazy, When I operate a 8 hour flight the least I expected was to get off and overnight with the usual fun along with it. NOT to proceed thru a terminal and check in again in an economy seat to position back to UK. Utter CRAP

Now we have bullets to Capetown to content with.

I want this company to do well but some horrors have been happenng.

Real Time bullying
Constant Fatigue
Dread going to work
Jumped up Supervisors
Flawing of Cap371
Regular Discretion
Chaotic Crewing at times
Mnagement apparent hate of Crew
Insecure People who use Draconian Methods to abuse Cabin Crew
List is endless

Ive been around a while and have noticed how everyone seems to need "approval" from some dip in someother department to assist us.

WE are adults and a hell of alot more proffessional than credited for. You give us a 767 and then dont trust us with treating passengers as they should be treated.

Grow Up GlobespanK if you want staff and want to survive past April.

Think about it..........

Calling All B737 Pilots
 

Dear Fellow Aviators and Brothers in Arms on the 737 Fleet:


On consultation with persons much wiser than myself; I feel that we all must move forward as one whole pilot body within the company.

With this in mind, can I ask all B737 pilots to send their answers to the questions noted above, with the addition of their fleet, to the email address below.

[email protected]

Once I have received the answers from enough pilots I will publish the results. Please note, I will forward the email that I have sent to the B767 pilots once I receive a complete mailing list for all pilots on the 737 fleet.

For the benefit of everyone; the situation legally is thus:

We must have 10% recognition for the Union to approach the Company to ask if they will recognise the Union voluntarily.

If they decline, then we must push for 50% recognition plus 1. However, we can ballot for a vote with less than 50%, as long as people vote yes to recognition, but this allows for a narrower mandate for the Union to work towards.

We may be able to divide the company into fleets, with regards to recognition, thereby only requiring 50% of the 767 fleet to join the Union. However, I say may , as to date it has not been done before. This is obviously not desirable as our colleagues on the 737 fleet have issues as well.

I will leave you with these thoughts. Thank you to everyone who has emailed me so far.

Safe Flying

Update
 

Dear Colleagues:

First of all, thank you for all the emails so far. Please keep them coming. We all really need to make the effort on this one occasion to make a difference. This won't work unless we all stick together.

For the pilots on the B737, if you have not received an email from me it is because you were not on my mailing list or your email was refused by Hotmail. However, I would still appreciate if you could take the time and send me an email to the address above with your preference of Union.

Come on guys! Lets show them we mean business!

Bill

Just out of interest, how is the CPT trip scheduled? Interested as we do some fairly long range stuff with the 76.

Leaving the company...
 

Folks, I am with you on this, but I lost my nerves and resigned from GSM...good luck!

LE

Leading Edge

We all have to make a decision based on our personal circumstances and I'm sure that you have done that. It is always sad to see another "fly the loft" because of something that could have been changed. I wish you well..... As an aside, did you resign recently or have you been gone a while ? Purely for marketing purposes !!

I have replied to Bongo Bills request for information in order that the pilots can "make a stand" and would urge others to do the same, so that we may exert some pressure on the management to think again about how they treat their workforce.

Holding firm.......:=

I resigned very recently....And yes, the grass IS greener at other places....

I'm afraid I'm with Leading Edge on this one.

Resigned a while ago after seeing the problems pile up and start my new job soon. Having been through this with a previous company, arguing over duty times, hotel rooms etc., I didn't want to sit around and watch it all get messy again. Fortunate enough to be able to move on to a company that talks to it's crews and gives the shorthaul guys a chance at longhaul.

Have to say the straw that broke the camel's back came when I listened to my colleague some weeks ago being threatened with discliplinary action, simply for requesting a hotel room for each of us on a 14 hour split day stop! :ugh:

Good luck BB and all the rest of you. GSM has the makings to be a fine company.

Resigned also last year. Stand firm because no matter what GSM management say, the airline can not be operated without pilots and replacements can not be found now !!

Good luck BVF :D

Why dont you form a local pilot council and have informal discussions with the management.

Before the situation is esclated it would be worth your while to go through logical steps before actions are taken which could be largely tackled/aired on a more 'friendly' footing. Their seems to have been little cohesion about efforts to make mgmt aware previously.

If you then do not get satisfaction then perhaps you take it down the more confrontational route.

I would always urge caution before rushing into a confrontational mode when artfully presented logic and reasonableness can get things back on an even keel.

Update
 

Dear Colleagues;

First of all, thank you for all of the emails, and more importantly the emails of support and encouragement.

I did not start this campaign to become the company Arthur Scargill, nor do I have any ill intentions towards the company. I merely felt the need to channel our collective feelings into one combined force, so that we can achieve something. Some of you have replied to my email with a terse response, saying you cannot reply to an annonymous email, and will not, until I identify myself. Well to those people I simply say, please take my place and canvass the pilot body with the blessing of the management. I wish you well.

Anyway, an update on the voting:

I have received 48 replies to my email so far, from the 98 pilots that I canvassed.

Votes from Permanent Pilots

BALPA: 27
IPF: 5

Contract Pilots:

BALPA: 10
IPF: 1

3 people have advised me they have resigned but wish us all well.
2 people have refused to divulge their preferences.


Therefore, thus far 77% of the people that have voted have opted for BALPA. I am aware that this figure is taken from about 35% of the pilot community, but it is a start.

Please keep emailing me and I will update the figures as and when I get more information.

Safe Flying

BB

P.S I would appreciate more reponses from the 767 guys as the majority of the votes so far are from the 737 guys.

P.P.S Those pilots that have voted for the TGWU (2); I have added your votes to BALPA because I have been advised that the TGWU are no longer accepting applications from pilots.

All those who have not emailed, please forward union preference to: [email protected]

BB,

Keep up the good work!


A4D (GSM 767 pilot)

Hi All,

Just to clear one thing up, SS and BM did not operate the flight back from CPT. True they did the minimum rest thing, but they were down there to carry out an audit of operations and flew back business class!

With regard to the unions, I have found that none of them are any good and I have had personal experience.

When I was with another company, during a dispute, the BALPA did absolutely nothing. The sat on the sidelines and watched as my rights were continually ignored or abused and ACAS protocol was ignored and even the company’s own employer manual was blatantly ignored. After that I joined another company and subscribed to the TGWU. Following another difference of opinion the TGWU at least turned up but it became apparent that they did not have the qualifications or calibre to deal with the problem. Airline pilots are obviously not their bag and they are more comfortable with bus conductors or railway porters etc. I took over the case myself and bought a good employment solicitor who made a settlement deal of over twenty times what the TGWU tried to get me to take.

The IPA faired no better, I have never been a member but my brother has. When Excalibur went out of business he went to see them to find out where he stood and they suggested that he consider another career!!

The Unions, who are supposed to support us in fact do nothing but produce copulas quantities of hot air and carbon dioxide that in my opinion rivals the emissions of the entire British Airways fleet! To make my point I give you their track record so far in dealing with another pertinent problem, that of the disgraceful way we are currently being treated by airport security at the moment. I think we all know what the arguments are regarding that, yet the BALPA sit on the fence and continue to add nothing to anything but global warming. They are but a bunch of parasites!!

The way forward I think is to start our own Flight Crew Council, which encompasses both the pilots and the cabin crew, since they are just as much, if not more so, affected by what is going on. Any subs could be used to purchase an insurance policy for legal representation if such becomes necessary.

The way forward is to prove to the company the value of goodwill and the financial shortfalls that exist due to some of the decisions being made. Eg. Leaving the aircraft on the ground in CPT for 30 hours a week when in fact sense dictates that if the aircraft were to return to the UK it could be used for something else in that time, or made available for sub-charter or at least be available to the engineers to sort out some of the cabin defects mounting up, in readiness for the forthcoming summer season.

There is a way of setting up a Flight Crew Council that would not leave anyone vunerable to victimisation by the company. PM me for more details if you are interested.

Let us never forget the most important people in this, our customers. Without them there is no company anyway. The misery currently being displayed is bound to have an effect on the 'product' and it is vital that this be sorted in the least possible time, since we never get a second chance to make a first impression.

The low cost airline busines is particularly cut-throat. Aircraft operating costs are about the same thus so are the profits. The difference that seperates one company from another thus is simply down to the good-will of the staff and the company must learn this lesson and fast!!

In the words of the man from Wynwith who employs many of us. "By the end of this year there will only be two kinds of aircraft operator, those with the pilots and those without." The company must, therefore, decide what kind of aircraft operator they wish to be!!

On-MarkBob,
The same arguments you've stated were used by many in easyJet as an excuse not to join BALPA.

However BALPA is only as good as its members because the company council is comprised of members. I'm not saying BALPA is perfect, far from it.

People slate BALPA but all you're slating are the individual contributions that members make to try and improve the conditions for all.

You need access to legal information and a host of other things when conducting negotiations, representing members on disciplinary matters etc which you get through your subs with BALPA. A small company like GSM with only a couple of hundred members would soon have it's budget spent if you do things on your own.

I've been in a previous company with a Flight Crew Council who achieved the square root of naff all. Not because the FCC didn't try, just that the company ignored them. Unless you can back up your discussions with a strike threat you won't be taken seriously.

Food for thought.

Hi Scottie,

First of all I’d like to know when it was when BALPA ever called for strike action outside of BA? I don’t think our management is exactly quaking with fear.

Secondly, I would like to see some form of representation for all flight crew and not just the pilots. In my humble opinion it is high time the cabin crew were recognised as a profession themselves. Over the past year I have seen the cabin crew work their socks off and build a dam good reputation for the airline, only for it to be trashed by the actions of the company management. Eg. Business class passengers travelling to Orlando non-stop in plush 767 comfort, then having to return to the UK economy class on a 737 with a stop at St. Johns.

The golden rules are being broken:-

• If you don’t look after your customers, somebody else will.
• If you don’t look after your staff, they won’t look after your customer.
• You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

What would BALPA do about that? Ans. Nout! The company would simply tell them to mind their own business.

What the company needs is a positive united front that can enter into a professional dialogue with the management, with positive arguments that, where possible, lays down financial benefit for the company. I personally would like to see the accounts for crew travel and Hotac, I cannot believe the way it is being managed is any way economical, and even though the idiot in charge thinks he’s saving money (which I doubt) the goodwill within the ranks of the aircrew is, by his actions, being seriously eroded. (see rule 2). It is hard to put a value on goodwill, until there is none left. They need to understand that making a profit is not about screwing the crews, but having a reliable and happy workforce! Amber Airways was bankrupted when the staff gave up being flexible. History is repeating itself here.

We shouldn’t need to ‘go on strike’, and even a good union wouldn’t call a strike until the management was in possession of all the facts. We don’t have to wait for BALPA to do that, we can do it now!! Militant action at this stage would just see the management dig their heals in. They must be able to believe that we are working for them, if they are to take us seriously. In the mean time we do our jobs by the rules and if those rules mean that things don’t go as they planned, then it’s not our fault but theirs and when they see that for themselves they might start to listen.

Did I read that BALPA membership was now £60 per month? Christ, that’s £720 per year, many of us can insure our house and our car for that. A good legal insurance policy would cost a quarter of that!!

ONB said " I would like to see some form of representation for all flight crew and not just the pilots."

ONB - they already have this. Their union is called Amicus and does a good job of representing it's members. Many of the more senior cabin crew are members and I have often seen them trying to sign up the newer ones too. Unfortunately some of them suffer from one problem - too apathetic. Having watched one senior try and convince a new hostie to sign up, having explained all the benefits she'd get for £8, was told - "well I can't afford that can I!"

BA is a prime example of how a strong cabin crew can get what they want. I think the pilots at GSM have enough to work for already. However, yes in an ideal world. Also of course Ops staff should also be licensed and unionised too.

TD claims to know what he is doing. Whether he does, or he is allowing himself to be led by the nose by others, the results as you have said, are very obvious.

When I arrived in EDI nearly 2 years ago to join the company, even the taxi driver told me what a good firm they were. I doubt he'd say that now.
I think a lot of people have a misconception about what BALPA, or any union actually do. You obviously don't know that you now get tax relief on your BALPA subs, so it really only costs a third.

What you need to do is phone them up and tell them to come to MAN and GLA to give a presentation, as they did my last firm. At the end of the meeting we'd convinced everyone who wasn't in, to join up for a trial period. As far as I know, none of those people quit.

But as long as people find an excuse not to join or do anything unilaterally, nothing will change.

OMB,

First off BALPA costs 1% of your basic salary. However there is now tax relief on that 1%. If you're new to BALPA then membership is 0.5% for two years (I think). Perhaps someone could clarify how much tax relief is available.

Secondly you misunderstand me, I was not calling for militant action, far from it. As the easyJet CC have shown use all available resources to negotiate with your management, but carry a big stick.

We overwhelmingly rejected a crap pay deal and with a high percentage of membership stating via a secret ballot that they would strike if necessary we got a much much improved deal. It normally never comes to a strike. The threat is enough. No threat = being walked over.

For 1% less tax relief a year if BALPA can help their members to an improved pay deal that is more than 1% less tax relief I believe that 1% less tax as being well spent.

So far BALPA hasn't let me down.

Well looks like you guys have nothing to worry about as there is a nice statement from your "dear leader" in the Sunday Times today explaining that GSM made £3.1 million last year and has 21 aircraft !
A payrise and bonus for the lads and lasses must be on the table with spectacular results/growth like that.


*must get on to Jethros as they seem to think GSM has 10 or 11 aircraft.

Dear All,

I am about to start with FGS very soon and I am reading this thread with much interest and concern.

When I spoke to senior management at my interview they seemed to be aware of the problem and especially with regard to deadheading and duration of trips away that this would be resolved in the summer programme with the inclusion of more aircraft and routes. Does anyone think this will happen ??

Best Wishes to all

CPML

Movement For Union Recognition - UPDATE
 

Dear Colleagues:

Once again, thank you for the steady stream of votes that are coming in as well as the words of encouragement. I know we will really make things happen on this occasion as long as we all stick together.

I have received quite a few emails from guys who were not on my original mailing list enquiring whether they were able to take part in the vote. This vote is open to all GSM pilots whether contract or permanent, so that I can gauge the preference of the majority with regards to Union recognition. The only reason some pilots were not on the mailing list is because the list I was passed was a little bit out of date.

Anyone who has not received an email from me should send their union preference to:

[email protected]

We really need your vote!

If anyone has a current list of 737 pilots email addresses, I would appreciate a copy so that I might resolve the issue.
737 Email list received with thanks.
VOTING UPDATE:

So far I have received 62 replies to my survey:

Votes from Permanent Pilots

BALPA: 33
IPF: 7

Contract Pilots:

BALPA: 13
IPF: 3

4 people have advised me they have resigned but wish us all well.
2 people have refused to divulge their preferences.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I plan to close the vote on the 27th Jan. I will then forward the results of the vote to each and every GSM pilot whether they took part in the vote or not. Contained in the email will be a link to the chosen union, a break down of the costs and instructions on how to join. I will then respectfully ask that in the collective interests of our future within the company that we all join that union and put our personal opinions aside. I know this will be hard for some to swallow, judging by the opinions expressed in some of the emails, but I feel we MUST work together as a team, and hopefully the benefits will follow.

I will also include in the email posters to be displayed in each of the crew rooms with the outcome of the vote and the instructions on how to join the chosen Union. I would then optimistically hope for Union recognition by the company for the start of the summer season. Imagine a summer season protected from the excesses of the management by a scheduling agreement and a company council!!! WE CAN DO IT!

Okay Guys and Gals, that's all from me for now. Keep spreading the word and sending the votes. Let's keep the momentum going and stay positive; we really can make a difference to our workplace!

BB


P.S I accept the argument for a Flight Crew Council, but cannot see the current Chairman ceding to the will of mere pilots (or employees). I believe it will take more than a rational mature dialogue to get things done or else I wouldn't be writing this post. If he listened to any of the pilot management at the moment we wouldn't be where we are now. Our Chairman's attitude is blinded by the commercial department, and until such a time as the pilot body have collective teeth, that will continue.

Good Luck!
 

Bill Bongo and all other GSMers...

Just want to say from an outsider, good luck in your pursuit!...
coming from ryr, we know too well the stink of what youre in...

Did I get that right? The flights to CPT are out and backs or turns? I see that YYZ was like that, with one crew Dead heading in the back each way(horrible), but is that the same for CPT? How about Sanford? Also, where do you fly the Air India 767 wet lease? Which cities? And, is there a small STN base for the 737? I see there is a daily 736 to TFS, but is that it? How often do STN crews fly that? Do they go anywhere else? Cheers.

I joined GSM at the start contracting on the 737 fleet, but moved on at the end of the first year. I was a bit sorry to go, as it was a happy company whilst I was there. Shame to see it going down hill:( . But good luck to you all.

New Memo out regarding alternate base
 

Guys, have you had a chance to read the new memo regarding the alternate base? Seems like everyone will be "dual-based" by now...

cheers

LE