Transport handing off regulating of AME licence

[log sheet]

Had re-current CARS Training and found out that Transport is not going to be handeling AME Licence issues in the near future. Aparrently they had offered this task to AME Associations across canada. If they don't take it over some other Body will.
CHEERS!

[conehead]

If this is true, then this is a great opportunity for all AME's in Canada.

[roscoe]

Re you kidding me? CAMC is the one thing that will destroy the AME licence as we know it. Once Buffaloe Bill Zoeller and his cronies get a chance, they will replace the licence with a "Occupational Standard" or some such tripe, and the salaries will follow suit. A great day for the employers, and poverty for the rest of us. Buffalo Bill has screwed up everything he has touched since he signed on as a mech at AC, and nothing has changed. IMHO

[plainfixer]

Or even worse, YVR Airport authority could end up doing it.

[Mag Drop]

Hello everyone,
I'm new to the forum, but I have been wrenching for about 30 years.
I feel very strongly about this issue.

With Transport Canada seeking to outsource the licensing & renewals, now would be a very good time to support the AME associations in taking over this area. The last thing we want, is for CAMC to get any more involved than they already are.

Our license and credibility as a group of professionals are at stake here, if anybody is going to take it over, we should.

If CAMC gets it we will surely suffer in some manner; do you think they will offer the service at a reasonable cost? Plus the dangers of having them in TC's ear.

Given enough time, they will destroy the trade by breaking it apart into various sub-trades and certifying them individually. Don't let it happen!

[log sheet]

Hey roscoe I think you may have posted in the wrong thread? CMAC and Transport handing off are two completly different topics. As conehead said if this does happen,Transport giving up the regulating of AME licences and AME associations do form a group to take it over it is a great opportunity for AME's to actually have a voice in requirements for issuing,costs of getting licences and costs of renuing your licence and even the ratings.Who better to regulate our licencing system than ourselves(AME's) The only thing is if it goes to another group it could be bad for us!
The CMAC certificates on the other hand, well I don't totally disagree with you comments,but from what I understand about the whole thing is that its something to show that we are competent and qualified to work on A/C.
It doesn't give you the previlage of certifying work as our AME licences do.
In the end the work has to be certified. I do not believe that it will in any way ever replace our Licences. Just my opinion!
CHEERS!

[log sheet]

I was writing my post as mag drop was submitting his. I think it would be a very good idea to listen to this experienced guy and for all AME's to contact our local AME associations,get involved and make sure that nobody else like CMAC can regulate our licences. Your local AME association should be able to give some facts on what's going on as they have been approached by Transport.
CHEERS!

[KISS_MY_TCAS]

If TC is truely considering dumping licensing issues and the current associations are not willing or able to step to the plate I think it would be time to form a national association to prevent CAMC from getting their dirty hands involved. With the current trend towards immigrating to pay lower wages, this industry is already well on its way into the shit can, CAMC has been dreaming of this for years. Operators don't realize they get what they pay for, de-regulate the licensing and keep importing low wage workers, then watch the number of smoking craters grow. Sucks to be a PRM if this is where the industry is headed, but it's looking more and more like the norm. Funny how when industry wages begin to rise, companies search for ways (such as immigration) to keep the wages low, bring on the cheap immigrant labour and tell the government the immigration is required due to lack of available skilled tradesman in Canada. The government doesn't see the vast amount of qualified AMEs in the unemployment pool, nor do they see the vast amount that refuse to work for shit wages. Tons of qualified applicants turn down employment due to renumeraton offered, so the employers jump on the "no skilled workers so we need gov't approval to immigrate" bandwagon. So much for TC's role of protecting the general public, and also a shame there is no protection for whistle blowers in this country. The government blindly allows the immigration because it's own citizens will not settle for sub-par wages. Hopefully TC gets a nice fresh off the boat type to look after the PMs Challenger, the governments website is screaming for qualified AMEs to fill numerous positions at wages that would have been considered low 5 years ago.

[log sheet]

Hey K_M_T, the first statement you made is a really good idea!
You kind of lost me after that! What companies in Canada are immigrating workers? I haven't heard of any! I have heard of AME's migrating though.
I know a lot of guys got layed off from AC when the company lost a contract but if you were to get in a car in Manitoba and head towards Thunder Bay Ontario and you couldn't find a job somewhere in between start heading west again from Thunder Bay and this time stop at an Airport!
Ya wages for AME's could always be better,I'ed love more money! But a lot of the Companies actually say THE STARTING WAGE IS.
CHEERS!

[Mag Drop]

Hi Everyone,

Kiss_MY_ TCAS mentioned forming a national body.

There is already a national body and it needs your support, it is the Canadian Federation of AME Associations or CFAMEA. It is the national voice for all of the associations across Canada. In fact part of your membership dues goes to them. They also have representatives sitting on the Canadian Aviation Regulations Advisory Committee (CARAC).

We attend the local meetings and discuss our concerns, the local associations send representatives the CFAMEA meetings, CFAMEA representatives attend the CARAC meetings. This is how we are represented when there are proposed changes to the CARs that affect us. This is our voice in Ottawa. If we don't attend the local meetings and don't speak up, we won't be heard.

The associations and CFAMEA are made up of professionals like you, who volunteer their time for all of us.

I urge everyone to join up and participate, if we continue to quietly sit on our hands, this crap will continue to happen and probably get worse.

Think about it. Why is foreign labor being used, when there is a potential threat to air safety? How could a body take over our licensing that may ultimately destroy our trade as we know it. Because we don't get involved and we don't speak up. We can rage against the machine all we want on this forum, but it won't help.

CFAMEA is concerned about the licensing issue and as I understand it, they do not want CAMC to get it.

Believe me, the associations do far more than put on a symposium once a year.

All we have to do is join up, attend the meetings & speak up.

I hope everyone can see how important this is.

[log sheet]

Thanks for the information mag drop.Excellent post! This is what I was hoping for. To let AME's across the country know what could be happening. Espically for Guy's/Gal's who are not living in major centers and do not have the opportunity to join or attend meetings of AME Associations.
The closest one to me is 5 hours away and I'm sure a lot of AME's are in the same position! Now that I know this I'm going to join!
CHEERS!

[qwerty]

log sheet, are you for real? do you work for NAC or something???

[Mag Drop]

Hi Log Sheet,

You should be able to contact and stay up to date with the association via their website and email.

I also think they have regional representatives in various areas, that do keep in touch with the association.

Regards,
Mag Drop

[twotter]

Mag Drop, I'm quite interested in what your association has to say but your website has a problem.

I am of the opinion that CAMC is a bad thing as well and hope that they fail in their attempt to run our proffesion. I would like to learn more about what your association is all about.

[Mag Drop]

Hi Twotter,
Here is a link to the central AME Association http://www.camea.ca/
There are others across Canada: Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Central, Western & Pacific.

You can find them by doing an internet search of "AME Association" or Central AME Association or Western or which ever area you are in.

I hope this helps,
Mag Drop

[twotter]

Thanks Mag Drop.

[log sheet]

If anyone is interested you can join Ontario AME association on-line. A bunch of us at my shop just did. I'm sure you can with the other regions also. Thanks for the posts!
CHEERS!

[tcas]

You joined the AME association which isn't a bad thing. The CAMC is a poor state of an affair. The guy who gave you the CARS training is just trying to sell the CAMC and his course. I had the same course a few years ago and he was the same lush then. I truly don't believe that either one of these organizations are what you are looking for. I suggest you pose them the question "What have you done for your AME's"? It's like paying a union who don't know who you are. If you want to do something for AME's start with your company and if everyone would do this we would all be in a better place in a few years. You must take it upon yourselfs to do this. Pilots are the same, they whine and whine but when it's time for someone to step forward there is no one to be found. Iwould say screw these organizations and start with the first chop of that big tree at your company

[tellyourkidstogetarealjob]

TC will never give up any power willingly. Rumours of licensing being handed off have been going around for years.

TC should be stripped of this power, but don't give it to the AME associations.

I haven't been to a symposium in years but from what I remember most of the AME assoc. executive are now owners/managers of various companies. Giving them the power to license will just mean anyone hanging around the liquor store long enough will get a license to drive down the wages.

If, as many of you think, CAMC isn't the answer then who is?

AC has successfully farmed out a lot of work to Asia so the argument that they're relying on CAMC to drive down wages doesn't hold much water. They're thinking beyond CAMC.

I would think the best solution would be to give it to Industry Canada. They already have the bureaucracy in place and, once the tests had been designed by TC and the AME assoc., they would at least be an impartial administrator. Oh, and of course, they wouldn't hire any ex-AME's to oversee the licensing. That would defeat the whole purpose.

[kwk]

Well folks for my 2 cents I think it could be a real disaster for an outside body with their own agenda to take control of our license requirements etc. I have first hand expirience of what can happen when a
private group gets control of these types of issues.
I am an AME but I also hold a 2nd class power engineer ticket and watched gov't regulation get handed off to TSSA . When I first started writing my stationary exams you could walk into the training center and pay 5 bucks , sit down and write your exam,wait a couple couple minutes as they marked your exam and walk out with your mark... easy right?
Well now that TSSA is not gov't run , an Exam costs you $75 must be booked a month in advance, and there are only a couple of days a month in which they allow exams to be written,if you miss that date you are out $75 unless you have a justified excuse [ their discretion plays into this part]If you do write you wait weeks while some desk jockey in southern ontario gets around to marking your exam and if you fail they will give you a general analysis of where you when wrong such as ... study turbines or electrical... helpfull no? These groups are not there to help you or the industry they are there to make a profit! guess who's paying for it!
Any of you folks out there burn heating oil in ontario ? need new tanks, inspection upon inspections of your heating systems?What a total crock!
uhmmm starting to rant a bit there sorry bout that

I honestly think that we should all be very wary of any TC changes made and advise everyone affected to look at all the options before we let any group grab control and start screwing the little guy at the bottom... the AME !

[rustytools]

Wow! I just finished school in April, and helped out with last years and this years WAMEA symposiums. I attended both AGM's and learned a LOT! At the latest meeting I learned that the Ontario AME association had hired 2 guys with government experience to do some lobbying or some such thing. Much time was spent discussing if WAMEA should support this initiative, or do their own thing.

I found the banter and bickering very discuraging, but in the end everyone seemed to agree that this issue needs full time attention by someone not already run ragged by the needs of their own AMO.

Please contact your local AME association. You will be surprised how old this issue actually is. I for one find it important because right about th time I will be writing exams for my license I don't want to learn that there are new regulations and requirement that I mut abide by!

This is a serious issue, and and important opportunity. It deserves everyones attention, so please be a part of the process. If you do, then no matter whatthe outcome, you will have at least earned the right to bitch about it.

Many apprentices are somewhat aware of the issues, but we also are trying to earn our place in this industry, and don't have the history and experience you seasoned guys have. Yours is the voice that matters, and I hope that you use it.

Thanks for listening.

[rustytools]

Wow! I just finished school in April, and helped out with last years and this years WAMEA symposiums. I attended both AGM's and learned a LOT! At the latest meeting I learned that the Ontario AME association had hired 2 guys with government experience to do some lobbying or some such thing. Much time was spent discussing if WAMEA should support this initiative, or do their own thing.

I found the banter and bickering very discuraging, but in the end everyone seemed to agree that this issue needs full time attention by someone not already run ragged by the needs of their own AMO.

Please contact your local AME association. You will be surprised how old this issue actually is. I for one find it important because right about th time I will be writing exams for my license I don't want to learn that there are new regulations and requirement that I mut abide by!

This is a serious issue, and and important opportunity. It deserves everyones attention, so please be a part of the process. If you do, then no matter whatthe outcome, you will have at least earned the right to bitch about it.

Many apprentices are somewhat aware of the issues, but we also are trying to earn our place in this industry, and don't have the history and experience you seasoned guys have. Yours is the voice that matters, and I hope that you use it.

Thanks for listening.

[rustytools]

CRAP! I can't even use a forum properly. How the hell am I supposed to fix an airplane!!!