Chunkylove

After a recent conversation with a fellow FedEx crewmember I was left with a number of concerns. One of which is the mindset of the average line pilot. This is one of the quotes that left me puzzled. “I am senior enough that this reduction in guarantee will not affect me. I will just bid carryover, and still make my 90+ hours a month.” My retort to this statement was asking this individual what portion of the contract was he willing to take a stand on? Answer, “Anything that would directly affect me.” “Does this not directly affect you?” I asked. “No, I’m not really concerned. I will just have to work a little harder searching open time.” Truly sad, but is it type of thinking common? I hope not.

How to convince an individually minded person the fundamental cornerstone of an effective association is unity? I personally do not have a complete answer, but believe it begins with leadership, and ends with unity. This is a rare commodity in corporate America, and certainly FedEx is proving itself no exception. The lack of character and leadership that I have witnessed here resonates from the top down. Incompetent middle management who struggle to produce complete sentences, upper middle management that has now taken steps which will hurt pilot moral, one of the things that gave FedEx the advantage over our competitors. And finally the line pilot that will dismiss the affects of furlough on junior members by suggesting it is just part of the job and somehow a right of passage. Do they really believe that the bottom 700 haven’t been furloughed at least once in the past? Most have, twice. Arrogance and ignorance is a dangerous combination. One has only to look at legacy carriers during the last five years to see the affects of similar circumstances combined with poor management and individualistic decisions. If we do not stand together and find solutions to these problems, we will suffer their same fate. Look at the on time departure/arrival rates for the major airlines, and ask yourself, if FedEx would survive with similar numbers?

My personal solution to this problem is simple. I will focus on what I can control; my individual actions. I will continue to perform my job to the best of my ability, including being safety minded, cost sensitive, and try to remain positive. What I will not do is anything that may place my fellow pilots jobs at risk. If the company feels that we are overmanned and have too many pilots, so be it. I will stay out of open time, and protect my minimum days off. My family will appreciate the extra time I will be home. Perhaps too, I will be able to provide a bit of leadership and set the example to my fellow pilots. For me, to lack unity is to lack a future.

990Convair

This is the reason that with 4600+ crew-members this month's ALPA magazine dedicated 2.25 short paragraphs to us. In this issue, ALPA recognized the "members" of ALPA. Evergreen, Astar, and every single regional airline had more print space than we did. The reason is nobody wants to model their "membership" after us. Collectively (not everyone, but MOST) we are all individual contractors concerned with "OUR OWN" bottom-line.

It's pathetic, no way to lead, and a guarantee that Mr. Smith's pilot recruitment folks did their job. Recruit folks that care more about the parts than the whole.

starlifterplt

Hear, Hear Chunky! We all need to hunker down now and get through this as a group. I just dropped a trip so I could stay at BLG, only to watch it get picked up instead of being assigned to a reservist. It took a couple of hours because it's a check ride, but it went quick enough anyway--to some guy senior to me. It's tough trying to do the right thing when it looks like all you're doing is lining someone else's pocket. Next time, I'll just e-mail the junior guy on the list and offer to give him the trip.

FDXFLYR

We do have a lot of guys who only care about themselves, at all cost. I also think we have a large group of folks who will do the right thing but only once they are caught on it. Which is why I think the rest of us need to monitor what some of our folks do and email them about it.

A professional is someone who does the right thing when no one is looking. It comes down to how much of a professional do those guys want to be?

Piloto Noche

There are only two pilots at this company that I KNOW will not fly any draft trips if offered; Me and Randy. .....and I'm not too sure about Randy.

PurpleTail

Well said Chunky! This is a real sore spot for me. Unfortunately, it seems, most line pilots are too short sighted to see the long term effects of their actions. MEANING...the more you fly over BLG the more you hurt yourself and everyone of your fellow pilots.

What would you rather have??? Reduced BLG for 6 months or 12 months? Hopefully your answer is 6 months. The way the schedules are built there is no way around bidding lines with carryover and I really do not mind pilots bidding them but if pilots bid carryover and DO NOT protect MIN DAYS our schedules could be reduced for all of '09. You are basically telling the company that you are will to do the work of 1.5 pilots for straight pay! Hit hurts EVERYONE when you do not protect min days!

The more pilots PROTECT MIN DAYS the shorter this reduced BLG will last, period!

Chunkylove

As long as our pay is being “garnished” by management, I won't.

Haywood JB

Well this is the first month in the last two years where I have had a carry over trip....


Protect min days off...done deal.

HJ

Albief15

I completely understand your indignation, but there is a better place to put this besides APC. Pro standards might actually be able to do something about this kind of stuff. I realize venting is important, and APC is a great place to vent, but publishing this kind of garbage only serves to divide us and cause more problems. May I suggest you pick up the phone and call someone who can work on this and we'll try to solve issues vice just venting.

Don't want to call Pro/stans yourself? I'm in VIPS...call me and I'll run with it.

coneofconfusion

there are others out there. but i only have personal knowledge of one...