Boooooo wrote: ↑Sat Nov 14, 2020 3:21 pm
As one of the 600 pilots on the street, I am pleased to read that the overwhelming majority of posters are opposed to this pathetic LOU. What worries me, however, is how representative this "NO" voice is of the 3700 pilots still on the payroll. I wanted to chime in to offer the perspective of a furloughed pilot who would vote "NO" if he could.
I implore any active AC pilots who are on the fence, or who are planning on voting "YES" to please consider some of the excellent points made here by other posters who are voting "NO". And if you are reading this and you are not an AC pilot, but perhaps a family member or friend is, please reach out to them to discuss some of the many reasons why a "NO" vote is good not only for the Air Canada pilots, but Canadian Aviation as a whole.
Here is a summary of some of the excellent points made by previous "NO" posters:
- Management has clearly identified that cargo is a profitable revenue stream. If the profitability of the specialty company hinges on a 10% reduction in pilot labour costs (amounting to $63/flight hour, or $500 on a 9 hour transatlantic flight for a cargo 767 crew), then AIR CANADA SHOULD NOT START A NEW BUSINESS VENTURE WITH SUCH LOW MARGINS!
- No other labour groups have been asked for a 10% wage concession. Why should the pilots take a 10% pay cut, for 2 more days of work, flying the SAME planes to the SAME destinations???
- The corporation is already taking steps to create the specialty company, as evidenced by all the cargo related hiring they have done.
- The absence of a snapback clause and the potential for arbitration on wages for other types of cargo aircraft sets the stage for future erosion of AC pay and working conditions. The Executive Team has a fiduciary responsibility to the shareholders to constantly cut costs and maximize profit - they are excellent at pursuing this goal, and LOU86 is just an example of the corporation trying to make gains wherever the pilot group will let them!
If you are a
top-end seniority pilot who will not be affected by this LOU, please consider the detrimental impact that a "YES" vote will have on your junior brothers and sisters if they are forced to work the remainder of their careers under reduced WAWCON. We have no idea what the implications of a "YES" vote will be long term - who knows how the corporation will try to use the pilot group's acceptance of reduced WAWCON as a precedent in future negotiations? Furthermore, since Air Canada is the benchmark to which all other Operators in Canada set their WAWCON, how will these concessions affect the careers of all professional pilots in Canada? Ask yourself, if your son or daughter wanted to follow in your footsteps, would you want them to be subject to whatever future reductions which may follow?
If you are a
mid-range seniority pilot with 10-20 years left on the job, voting "NO" certainly won't cost you your job! A "YES" vote could have serious negative impacts on the remainder of your career if/when the corporation attempts to implement the 10% wage concession in future negotiations! Perhaps the 777/787/330 fleets are reduced since their cargo uplift is no longer required, and now the cushy 777 seat where you've been planning on riding out the rest of your career is no longer an option! Or maybe you end up earning slighty less and working slightly more for the rest of your career until you retire 1-2 years later than planned. This is a dangerous precedent to set!
If you are a
junior pilot who is fortunate enough to have retained your seat, please consider that a "NO" vote will not likely result in more furloughs. As has been discussed in the past, the corporation has likely reduced crews to the minimum level feasible while preserving its ability to spool-up and respond to a rapid return of travel demand. The pandemic is incredibly unique and dynamic, and no one can predict how and when travel will return to "normal" levels. Given the recent positive news in vaccine development, I am sure that management will be hesitant to furlough more pilots in the event that air-travel rebounds sooner than anticipated. There is no guarantee that LOU86 will create any new jobs; rather it might just allow for the already over-staffed pilot roster to be deployed more efficiently. Furthermore, there is also no guarantee that a "YES" vote will preserve any jobs past the end of MOA2 - flight-ops is already greatly overstaffed!
To vote "YES" is incredibly short-sighted and will only contribute to the already shameful erosion of WAWCON that Canadian airline pilots are subject to compared to the pilots of other major airlines around the world. The corporation is playing the long-game to maximize
shareholder value - AC pilots must also start playing the long-game to maximize our
professional value! Please do not vote "YES" in the belief that it will help the corporation survive the pandemic, or that it will result in the recall of furloughed members. There is no indication that a "YES" vote will result in either!
I have devoted 12 years to flying and have worked in the industry for the last 9. I spent many years up north, and despite loading planes in the rain, struggling with wing covers in the howling wind, enduring the bs of 703 operators, and sucking up the abysmal pay at Jazz, I have had a blast in this career. BUT, I certainly will not put my life on hold for an indeterminate amount of time waiting to be recalled to Mainline, especially if it is to a flat-pay job with a
MEDIOCRE collective agreement that has been eroded even more due to covid-concessions! I am actively pursuing other careers and I hope that everyone else on furlough is doing so as well. Who knows when recalls will happen, and how the seniority of the 600 furloughs will be impacted by the integration of the Transat pilots. The 600 of us will likely come out on the bottom, and if lower seniority and longer upgrade times result, the negative impact on our careers will be infinitely greater if we are working on a diminished contract! Look at what has happened to the pilots and flight attendants at Cathay Pacific. Now is the time for all Air Canada pilots to band together and stick up for our profession. I, for one, would rather have my recalled delayed if it meant that I didn't have to return to even worse WAWCON, or else I would rather not return at all. Now I will leave it in the hands of my brothers and sisters who are still flying the line, but I hope that a resounding "NO" vote on LOU86 will be the turning point in the fight for Canadian Pilots to save not just AC WAWCON, but our profession as a whole!
