AC Rampies walk off the job

[EA757]

Antique pilot,

Work or fraud???

[deflux]

I heard on one of the newscasts that Tony Clement saw some rampies in the terminal and said "See you guys on Westjet"

Not sure how true it is but if it is, unacceptable...

[Rollercoaster Rider]

After working in this industry for 20 years I have never seen anything worse than what I witnessed today on every news channel across the country.In one event everyone is now been villified and a 75 year company image will be tarnished forever.To hold our paying customers and our livelyhood hostage over the most unproffesional behavior looks childish and selfserving and no way in which I would ever be proud to be part of. You have now played us all the fools and when the reality of what happed comes calling it will doom us all.You will not only screw our chance for good retirement pensions but everyone that retired before us.Morgage everything you own and buy Porter and westjet shares because you all have done more for thier stock value than King Midas could ever do for ours.Mindless union mentality has warped any sense of reality to you all..Thanks

[Inverted2]

Nice work by the ground staff to rally together and show solidarity to help out their colleagues. I'm surprised the Rat lady even had the nerve to even fly on Air Canada right now. She must know she is the most hated woman in Canada by now.

[Inverted2]

After working in this industry for 20 years I have never seen anything worse than what I witnessed today on every news channel across the country.In one event everyone is now been villified and a 75 year company image will be tarnished forever.To hold our paying customers and our livelyhood hostage over the most unproffesional behavior looks childish and selfserving and no way in which I would ever be proud to be part of. You have now played us all the fools and when the reality of what happed comes calling it will doom us all.You will not only screw our chance for good retirement pensions but everyone that retired before us.Morgage everything you own and buy Porter and westjet shares because you all have done more for thier stock value than King Midas could ever do for ours.Mindless union mentality has warped any sense of reality to you all..Thanks

So you think it's okay for the average worker to bend over and take it while shysters like Milton and Rovinescu take millions and millions of dollars for themselves? Union or not, the common working man (and woman) are getting screwed over by these upper management crooks.

[EA757]

Rollercoaster Rider,

"...unproffesional behavior ????"

You want professional behaviour, then damn well start paying the professional wages... Like $250 $300 $500 per hour...

These are blue collar workers, with above average skills exercising their rights as they see fit...

Thanks for the investment advice, but I pay for PROFESSIONAL advice.

[Rockie]

I heard on one of the newscasts that Tony Clement saw some rampies in the terminal and said "See you guys on Westjet"

Not sure how true it is but if it is, unacceptable...

Yes it's true. I just saw the video clip of Clement clearly saying that as he's going up an escalator. Petty in the extreme.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

DICKtionary advise ...Thanks..Seek PRO Help,in your next job search.THERE WERE BETTER WAYS TO SHOWS SOLIDARITY THAN STUPID MEDIA STUNTS.

[EA757]

Rollercoaster Rider,

STUPID MEDIA STUNTS.

Tell that to Tony Clement.

[Cat Driver]

What are the chances CCAA can be avoided now?

This is like driving by a car wreck, you don't want to look but you just can't help it.

Truly depressing because no one seems to be able to turn this around now.

Sad.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Did you read the public comments,the majority will only remember how we ruined their holiday,kids class trip,assaulting customers.Thats how it will be remembered no matter how we feel about the current political puppets or the BOD.We the workers are doing them wrong and the company will loose with us all along for the ride.So keep punching holes in the lifeboat so we can all go down with the ship..Mad captain Ahab...

[Rockie]

THERE WERE BETTER WAYS TO SHOWS SOLIDARITY THAN STUPID MEDIA STUNTS.

What media stunts are you referring to Rollercoaster? Do you think the rampies had TV cameras in mind when they walked off the job or was it plain old rage at how they're being treated by their government and employer?

Pull your head out of your ass and get with the democratic program for Christ's sake.

What are the chances CCAA can be avoided now?

I hate to say it but probably none because bankruptcy for Air Canada is in CR's plan anyway. He would rather do it after bleeding whatever is left out of the stone first and then cease Air Canada operations completely, but filing CCAA immediately will work as well. Anybody who knows what CR and the B of D wants to eliminate in our contract can put two and two together and come up with the same answer.

CR wants the scope removed from the contract. Ask yourself why he would want that Rollercoaster. What possible reason could Rovinescu want to remove the contractual provision that says Air Canada pilots fly Air Canada airplanes for?

Come on...it's not that hard.

[EA757]

Cat Driver,

My best guess is that CCAA can not be avoided. My biggest fear is that CCAA will order the liquidation of the assets.

This is a clear calculated plan of action by Air Canada. All airlines that have chosen the bankruptcy path have used the laws of their respective countries to defeat their employees.
I think that it will be real clear to CCAA that this is now an abuse of process rather than its intended goal.
In other words CCAA has become a weapon against employees instead of a path of last resort.

"....no one seems to be able to turn this thing around."
Is that what the employees are paid to do, or is that what
management is there for? (rhetorical question) Of course, any employee with a great idea would be met with open arms I would hope.

As far as I can see Rovinescu is following the Lorenzo plan. Abuse the process because it makes money. As I recall Lorenzo used the bqnkruptcy court 16 times to get wages down... (From Texas Int'l through to Eastern)

[Rollercoaster Rider]

It is so sad to so people that understand the outcome but still choose the course of discontent.These Solidarity shows should be at the quarerly shareholders meeting if you truely want to influence the course of this company.Buy voting shares and make a difference.The publis or the government will not support the percieved militant union wildcat actions.You have to play the game within the unfortunately legit legal means available.Rally political solidarity to swing voting power at shareholder meetings and at the next election.Leaving the NDP leadership rally scrabling for transportation will not gain the support needed.We need to use our brains with our heart not the other way around.I want the lifeboat patched and trasformed into a battleship of change not to just sink it because we see no other option.

[EA757]

Buy voting shares and make a difference.

You've got to be kidding right???

[Rockie]

Rollercoaster

This shouldn't need to be pointed out to you but there is a time element here. By next election Air Canada proper won't exist if Rovinescu and the Board of Directors have their way and neither will your job.

Your house is burning down around your ears and you're window shopping for fire trucks.

[HolyShitBatman!]

I get the sense more employees are bracing for CCAA. I don't see that as an option for the short-term. AC has money in the bank and, while it isn't making money, is approaching the summer season which is typically where money is to be made. If anything, CCAA isn't likely until at least winter.

[EA757]

HolyShitBatman,

AC has money in the bank.
You do realize that if the current mob that owns Air Canada now, applies to the court to renegotiate their debts, that they
must have a huge chunk of cash on hand, to continue to operate Air Canada while it is under the jurisdiction of the court???

Of course though, they would be 80 million or so less, if they acted like a responsible corporation and paid their bills on time and didn't force other entities into bankruptcy.

[ikarus]

EDITED - I understand posting the memo is to inform, but that is an internal AC document, perhaps it's best left off Avcanda. Paraphrase would be more suitable. stl

[HolyShitBatman!]

HolyShitBatman,

AC has money in the bank.
You do realize that if the current mob that owns Air Canada now, applies to the court to renegotiate their debts, that they
must have a huge chunk of cash on hand, to continue to operate Air Canada while it is under the jurisdiction of the court???

Of course though, they would be 80 million or so less, if they acted like a responsible corporation and paid their bills on time and didn't force other entities into bankruptcy.

I have no idea what you are trying to say.

1. What "mob" is going to apply for what? AC is publicly owned. You can't just walk up to a court an ask for renegotiation of debts of a public Company.
2. AC has $2 billion in cash on hand
3. AC is not under the jurisdiction of the court
4. $80 million less from what?
5. What bills aren't they paying?
6. Who did they force into bankruptcy?

[ikarus]

.

[ikarus]

"....Since the start of 2011, Aveos performed 91% of all of Air Canada’s airframe checks and 93% of all of our engine checks..."

- If that is true, if I was AC then I would be scrambling and in total panic mode to get my planes serviced knowing that my biggest supplier is going under....BUT they are not, in fact they are calm and collected and have "contingency plans". Seriously??? That's mighty quick.

"....I am very disappointed that union leaders and our own employees would deliberately choose to damage the Company to advance their own goals and you should be too. It is this company that pays their salaries, feeds their families, covers their medical costs and benefits, funds their pensions and provides them with travel privileges..."

- True. So do their own jobs exist because of those same employees. It's a symbiotic relationship, but the upper management can't figure this out yet.



Great letter written by an expert professional lawyer in which you can't find a single line written of where the Company is accepting any fault for this whatsoever as if they are not part of this mess at all. Just classic, kick the bucket right in the face of your own people who kept this airline in the air for the last 75 years!

[SilentMajority]

My guess is that CR is attempting to restructure this train wreck outside of CCAA.

After 2003/4, 2009 and now this mess....a court ordered restructuring brought about by another CCAA filing could neuter AC permanently..... with the resulting carrier broken into pieces. The courts (and the gov't) will have had enough of AC wiping out shareholders equity (we're talking $billions) and besides...unlike Chapter 11 south of the border....collective agreements and pensions do not automatically get trashed and re-written.

Instead...we have what we are seeing right now... a step by step dismantling.....

Suggestion to ACPA. When you are through with suing the Government of Canada ....why not dust off TA1 and throw it back in AC's face. If it was good enough for the Corp a few months back...it should be good enough now. With AC believing they have the gov't in their back pocket and shooting for the moon ...TA1 might just be the ticket in a Final Offer Arbitration.

[Rockie]

When you are through with suing the Government of Canada ....why not dust off TA1 and throw it back in AC's face.

Because TA1 creates a second class of Air Canada pilot by putting them on an inferior pension plan and "B" scale salary and working conditions.

That's why not.

[SilentMajority]

When you are through with suing the Government of Canada ....why not dust off TA1 and throw it back in AC's face.

Because TA1 creates a second class of Air Canada pilot by putting them on an inferior pension plan and "B" scale salary and working conditions.

That's why not.

...And welcome to reality.

Have you any idea where YOUR current pension plan is heading...let alone those not even on the property...... The OSFI assures that no pension plan survives a distressed workout plan with a deficit. Do the math and figure what the current pilots are going to be left with if some consentual changes aren't made in advance. Do you think the gov't was kidding when it said "last chance" prior to the implementation of the moratorium?

Moral high ground is one thing....but it ain't going to put food on the table come 2014.
The world has changed and just like FP60 at Air Canada, we all need to face the new marketplace reality. It's change or die.

As distasteful as TA1 seemed, it might be the best deal under the current landscape. There is a chance that AC will shoot for the moon and under Final Offer Arb...the most reasoned offer wins.