Flight attendants with Air North to unionize

[magic wand]

Flight attendants with Air North have filed an application with the federal government to form a union.

http://www.whitehorsestar.com/archive/s ... heir-jobs/

Interesting choice of unions. Thinking outside of the box.
Once one sector unionizes, is it common for other departments to follow suit?
Are unions good or bad in a mom and pop show?

[Panama Jack]

Depends on the mom & pop show, like any other airline.

Southwest Airlines is one of the most unionized airlines in the US and the unions have a good relationship with the Company . . .and the airline is profitable.

It all comes down to the people behind the scenes.

[CID]

A sad day for the Yukon and Air North in my opinion.

[single_swine_herder]

A sad day for the Yukon and Air North in my opinion.

Ditto ...... being at Air North for just short of three years was one of the best spots I ever worked. A couple of weeks after supposedly "moving up" and going to a so-called regional carrier, I called Joe Sparling and really wanted to come back.

Unfortunately, he had already hired someone to replace me. Otherwise, I may well still be there.

These people have no clue how badly they are about to screw up a very good company, run by a person who has a good financial understanding of how to remain in business.

I'll watch this with interest twinged with sadness.

[Flybabe]

Curious as to what they hope to accomplish by being unionized??

[Changes in Latitudes]

Curious as to what they hope to accomplish by being unionized??

I was wondering the same thing, my understanding was that they didn't have much to complain or fight about.

[palebird]

Pretty sure it is money related.

[Flybabe]

Pretty sure it is money related.

I'm sure Joe saw this coming, at some point. Interesting.

[747-875]

Rumors around here are it's mostly to do with hours/pay, but they are exactly that - rumors. I can say as a side note the other departments are not planning to unionize. Most are playing the "we should wait and see how it goes for them and then decide if we should follow" card.

[critical engine]

Unions are not always going after pay all the time. In fact, in most cases Unions are asking for Cost Of Living increases only (COLa Clauses). Employees are looking a higher standard of living. This includes Medical / Dental benefits, safe working environment, pension or some sort of retirement plan, training, job security (Dubai likes to let go of FA’s at 28. Too old), and to make sure new hires get the same treatment as employees with seniority. A good union can bring stability and prosperity to a company. It can also bring doom and gloom. It all depends on the people on both sides. If they want to Unionize, it must be for a valid reason. They have every right to do so. We are all working people, and we make the world go around. I hope it’s for the right reasons and I hope both parties come out ahead. Good luck.

[ragbagflyer]

I always hate to see flight attendants hold an airline hostage. Hopefully they can come to a reasonable agreement.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/sto ... union.html

[Stu Pidasso]

Curious as to what they hope to accomplish by being unionized??

Well, if they follow the "nut farm" known as CUPE, who represents the F/A's at AC.

They will:

1. Believe that being a F/A is "Work of Equal Value" to a Pilot. There is a current case before the Canadian Human Rights board on this issue.

2. Believe that the lead F/A should be "Second in Command" of the Aircraft. Behind the Captain, but AHEAD of the First Officer.

3. Believe that F/A's should Deadhead in Business Class and Pilots in Economy.

4. In other words - become completely delusional.

[Meatservo]

Well, every good chef knows you'll get more customers at your restaurant if you pretend to let the waitresses have their way.

[Panama Jack]

Critical Engine,

Your comments are interesting but it is not only airlines like Emirates in backward and draconian legal jurisdictions like Dubai which try to keep FA positions from becoming job-for-life options. JetBlue does this too; I read they provide a flat salary structure that does not increase with years of service.

I'll be controversial here and say that I agree with this concept. The FA position is an extremely difficult and demanding one and leads to burn-out over time. For better or for worse, the service demands outweigh the safety demands for the majority of the flight and it is those customer experiences which, in the end, play a huge role in determining whether an airline will be commercially successful.

Having said that, the relationship which management has with its employee groups is, in my opinion, the most significant contributor to the attitudes that we see from them and the formation of unions. The formation of unions itself is not a bad thing (this is an attitude shared by Southwest Airlines management). The problem is with confrontational unions (as at Air Canada).

As many other posters have said, "a company gets the union it deserves" and I think this statement sums it up nicely. When management fails to adequately screen applicants for compatible attitudes, fails to build bridges through regular and frequent communication to share common goals and values of the company (so that employees share an entrepreneurial mindset) and share the victories, then basically they reap what they've sown.

[CamAero]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/air ... -1.2782990

[Longtimer]

Duplicate post.

[Stu Pidasso]

Hopefully Joe fires them.

[timel]

Critical Engine,

Your comments are interesting but it is not only airlines like Emirates in backward and draconian legal jurisdictions like Dubai which try to keep FA positions from becoming job-for-life options. JetBlue does this too; I read they provide a flat salary structure that does not increase with years of service.

I'll be controversial here and say that I agree with this concept. The FA position is an extremely difficult and demanding one and leads to burn-out over time. For better or for worse, the service demands outweigh the safety demands for the majority of the flight and it is those customer experiences which, in the end, play a huge role in determining whether an airline will be commercially successful.

Having said that, the relationship which management has with its employee groups is, in my opinion, the most significant contributor to the attitudes that we see from them and the formation of unions. The formation of unions itself is not a bad thing (this is an attitude shared by Southwest Airlines management). The problem is with confrontational unions (as at Air Canada).

As many other posters have said, "a company gets the union it deserves" and I think this statement sums it up nicely. When management fails to adequately screen applicants for compatible attitudes, fails to build bridges through regular and frequent communication to share common goals and values of the company (so that employees share an entrepreneurial mindset) and share the victories, then basically they reap what they've sown.

100% agree. That is a very good post!

[calgaryguy]

....fails to build bridges through regular and frequent communication to share common goals and values of the company (so that employees share an entrepreneurial mindset) and share the victories, then basically they reap what they've sown.

The very reason the pilots at a very large charter company in Calgary are planning a union drive soon.