Federal Labour Code

[Blackmac]

Picked this item up from the following web page:

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/10/31/695164-cp.html

The helicopter industry won't have to worry, i.e. Engineers/Pilots, they will be well represented by the "Owners Club" or HAC, whichever you prefer.


Have Fun, Don

 

[Sisyphus]

This is wonderful news.

When the flight time and duty limitations were enacted, it is unlikely that the legislators intended for them to become the industry standard. These were meant to be limitations, to be maximums, not the minimums that they have become. The fact that a helicopter pilot can stand forty-two consecutive fourteen hour duty days is ludicrous. How can anyone expect a man to have any quality of life when subjected to that kind of oppression? The entire purpose of the commission is to examine workers quality of life. They will certainly hear about the plight of engineers and pilots in this country.

The following is an excerpt from a post by cap. Who would want to work for a man like this? The bullying tone screams out from the page, and this is indicative of the attitude held by Canadian operators. The fourteen hour day is a maximum, not a minimum, and the helicopter establishment has forced it to be the standard. The pilot is required by law to refuse to fly if he is fatigued, but if you work for cap, you are down the road if you try to pull that 'stunt'.

2) if you can't fly up to what the regulations state or don't know the area that well....then don't. Also expect to loose your job on the first count and to at least be moved to another area on the second count. If I'm the owner, then that's what you can expect based on your previous performance. If you CAN'T perform up to the regulations then you don't have the experience that I need (that's my fault).......otherwise, if you WON'T perform up to those regulations........get a lawyer because you're "toast" at my place of employment.

3) If one feels that one can only be "on-duty" for is 8hrs then one needs to find a position with Air Canada or perhaps HeliJet because I am not asking you to break regulations when I ask you to fly for 8 hours. Otherwise, if you work for me you will get 3 things: 1) the name "prima donna" 2) the name "mattress-back" and 3) a "pink slip" so you can ride the bench down at the local EI Office for 8hrs.

Not only will he fire you but he will call you names in the process. So much for 'professionalism'.

If we let HEPAC die, we are making a huge mistake. Here is the perfect situation for the association to lobby a government body. The only thing that will sustain HEPAC is members. Join. So what if it costs $200.00? If the average pilot can't afford this paltry sum then he is underpaid. By the sound of the juvenile tales of alcohol consumption that appear from time to time on the forum, considerably more than $200.00 is often spent on beer and maybe a few ribs. For the sake of one drunken binge, one could sustain an worthy organization that will benefit us all.

It is the common man in this country that is most important. It is not the capitalists, it is not the bureaucrats, it is not the politicians. Democracy means rule of the people. We are letting the few control the many. It is shameful. It is pathetic. For the sake of all things Holy, stand up and be counted. Challenge the status quo. The silent majority, enslaved by capitalism fears ostracism if they speak. Acquire a spine. Life could be immeasurably better but only if our voices are heard.

The mass of men live lives of quiet desparation.
Henry David Thoreau

 

[MagSeal]

sorry, I was told I didn't count because I parked my toolbox in another zip code and didn't qualify to join the rank and file engineers in the bush.

 

[cap]

Sisyphus

OK so you want 8hr "duty days. You will therefore show up at my place of work to do a "DI" one half hour before flight time. Regardless of how much of that "duty day" you actually fly, you will spend at least one half hour doing paperwork for said flight(s) and tending to the a/c. That includes helping engineers(s) push said a/c into the hangar if so asked. If you won't do that when asked, you will have problems with more people than me and they won't be half as diplomatic.

Now you take the 8hrs and substract the times I've mentioned and that's what you would like as a "duty day".....I see. So now you have made your "flying" services available for 7hrs....and that's assuming that you flew for 7 hrs. If you did in fact, fly that 7hrs, then allow me to serve you a coffee and perhaps another type of drink later on because I'm "one happy mother" and "you the man". Then again, maybe you just did 2.5 hrs, but your duty day is done you say, because you have reached the 8hrs "on duty". I must put another pilot on duty to cover for you because you aren't available for any further hours and all you did that day was 2.5hrs. If you "maxed-out" out at 8hrs, I can't use you anyway for flying any more and after you do the required paperwork, you're all done 'baby', unless you "hog" the coffee pot or are nice enough to help someone else aaround the place. THAT sir, is the reason for the 14hr "duty day". If you only put 2.5hrs of flying in that day, I trust that you wouldn't be too tired to fly some more during that day or perhaps "condescend" to perhaps help with other ground duties when asked because you haven't yet put in your 8hrs of flying and it might take 12-14 hrs for that to take place..

"Time away from home" is a personal thing and "to each his own". Personally, I'll thank MOT to stay out of my personal life. If they wished to be part of my personal life, then where were they with a "spare tit" when it came time to feed my kids. When I reach my limit, I'll advise company well in advance of same and if they have nobody to replace me, then they have a big problem.......they got an a/c sitting idle and no pilot on site. Where will I be?....on my way home to put in many days around my abode that exceed 14hrs. I suppose that MOT would like to have a say in that too. Good companies recognize how long you've "been out" and it never was a big problem before all the "fancy-smancy" new rules. For those that don't think that way or want smaller working days, try HeliJet, Trans Canada Pipelines or Ontario Hydro, etc....good pay too. Just don't take a Base Manager's job either for better hours because you are in for some "rude surprises" and perhaps "wifey" is also........'cause now you are considered by many to be part of that dreaded, "screw-everybody management". Day's off or annual vacation?...........as I was told "make them yourself because that was part of the deal when you took that position"


So you promote your kind of industry that you would like to see and I'll watch mine "fade off into the sunset" because from what I'm witnessing, your side is winning. While your at it, get the damn rates up because if you don't, sooner or later a lot of those "s.o.b. owners" are going to "throw in the towel" because they will get better return on their money at the local bank or Credit Union.

 

[jetbox]

So what difference does it make if the current labor laws are overhauled and made more generous toward the employee??
Most helicopters operators don't follow the current laws, why would they start following the new ones?? The reason operators don't follow labour laws isn't because they're greedy S.O.B.'s (ok, there might be one or two in the bunch!!), it's because it would be impossible to get anything done in this business other wise!!

The silent majority, enslaved by capitalism fears ostracism if they speak. Acquire a spine.

By the way Sisyphus the reason why the "silent majority" doesn't rise and cry foul play isn't necessarilly because we are "spineless". Maybe it's because we like the status quo and those of us who aren't, are lucky enough to be working for an operator that is generous enough to accomodate our meagre needs without us having any fear of getting fired!!
Maybe your problem isn't the industry, maybe you just need to fly a helicopter with a different paint job on it?!!