The word is official, Ameristar's new schedule is 5 on, 2 off, plus every fourth weekend you have to work through Saturday and Sunday, making that week a 12 day straight stretch. This basically works out to 32 days more work per year, with no increase in pay or vacation to compensate. This is on top of already working more days per year for less pay then anyone of our other competitors.
I used to think Ameristar was a decent place to build your time and experience to move on to bigger and better things. I even recommend some friends of mine for jobs there. There are very few faster ways to build your turbine time, most importantly your turbine PIC time.
However, it turns out that the management there is completely unethical and treats the crews like they are indentured servants. Every pilot there is signed an eighteen month, non-prorated contract. The way the contract is written Ameristar could require you to work every day of the year and there would be no relief. There is basically an implied understanding about Ameristar's schedule and bases policy. To go and change the way things have been done for over a decade in one fell swoop is very unethical. Pilots have structured their lives around this implied understanding. Everyone who is commuting is in a very difficult situation, especially if they have families. Could you imagine having to tell your wife and kids that you in a few weeks you will have to move hundreds of miles, or you will only see them three days a month?
Even pilots that already live in their bases are getting treated badly. Crews get to pick their schedule for the entire year and many have bid particular groups in order to have certain days off. Now that is all completely thrown out the window. How wrong is it cause someone to miss a special event that they may have been planning all year for.
Now if that isn't enough, the schedule changes are not even the whole story. A couple of crew members have been downgraded from captain to first officer. This is legitimate, the amount of captains needed varies with the needs of the business. However, what is completely unethical is changing someones seat and pay, but then holding them to their contract they signed when they upgraded. Sure it is completely legal according to the contract, but is that the right way to treat your people?
So this is how if you work at Ameristar you are basically an indentured servant. If they were to just lay you off, at least you would be released from your training contract and be able to look for other work. However, lets say you quit because you want to see your kids and don't want a divorce, you are on the hook for $18k plus legal expenses. They could require that you work everyday of the year and it would be completely legal.
Ameristar pilots are some of the hardest working pilots in the business. They get the job done under tough conditions with poor equipment. To try to solve the companies problems on the backs of the 135 pilots is a terrible thing to do. What about new schedules for the 121 pilots? What about pay cuts for other departments? How about cleaning out some of the inept people in dispatch, crew scheduling, and maintenance? Ameristar already has the advantage of very low crew costs, if the company cannot make it on the original pay and schedule then there are other problems.
This is the time for Ameristar pilots to stand up and say enough is enough. Wether it be outright quiting, refusing trips (max safety), or calling in the teamsters, something must be done.
I used to think Ameristar was a decent place to build your time and experience to move on to bigger and better things. I even recommend some friends of mine for jobs there. There are very few faster ways to build your turbine time, most importantly your turbine PIC time.
However, it turns out that the management there is completely unethical and treats the crews like they are indentured servants. Every pilot there is signed an eighteen month, non-prorated contract. The way the contract is written Ameristar could require you to work every day of the year and there would be no relief. There is basically an implied understanding about Ameristar's schedule and bases policy. To go and change the way things have been done for over a decade in one fell swoop is very unethical. Pilots have structured their lives around this implied understanding. Everyone who is commuting is in a very difficult situation, especially if they have families. Could you imagine having to tell your wife and kids that you in a few weeks you will have to move hundreds of miles, or you will only see them three days a month?
Even pilots that already live in their bases are getting treated badly. Crews get to pick their schedule for the entire year and many have bid particular groups in order to have certain days off. Now that is all completely thrown out the window. How wrong is it cause someone to miss a special event that they may have been planning all year for.
Now if that isn't enough, the schedule changes are not even the whole story. A couple of crew members have been downgraded from captain to first officer. This is legitimate, the amount of captains needed varies with the needs of the business. However, what is completely unethical is changing someones seat and pay, but then holding them to their contract they signed when they upgraded. Sure it is completely legal according to the contract, but is that the right way to treat your people?
So this is how if you work at Ameristar you are basically an indentured servant. If they were to just lay you off, at least you would be released from your training contract and be able to look for other work. However, lets say you quit because you want to see your kids and don't want a divorce, you are on the hook for $18k plus legal expenses. They could require that you work everyday of the year and it would be completely legal.
Ameristar pilots are some of the hardest working pilots in the business. They get the job done under tough conditions with poor equipment. To try to solve the companies problems on the backs of the 135 pilots is a terrible thing to do. What about new schedules for the 121 pilots? What about pay cuts for other departments? How about cleaning out some of the inept people in dispatch, crew scheduling, and maintenance? Ameristar already has the advantage of very low crew costs, if the company cannot make it on the original pay and schedule then there are other problems.
This is the time for Ameristar pilots to stand up and say enough is enough. Wether it be outright quiting, refusing trips (max safety), or calling in the teamsters, something must be done.
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