CASE STUDY

CAMPAIGN TRIGGER

Following a merger with another company, Flexjet pilots found themselves sharing employment with pilots under the thumb of the Teamsters, a labor union representing 1.2 million workers across multiple industries. The disadvantages faced by the Teamster-represented pilots immediately made themselves apparent, as the pilot groups compared large disparities in pay and other terms.

The pre-existing Flexjet pilots also quickly noticed the false controversies the union was attempting to establish with their employer, Kenn Ricci. The Teamsters inserted themselves as a self-serving middleman that had created an unnecessarily adversarial relationship with management, negotiated a bad contract, and failed to deliver on its promises.

ROAD TO DECERTIFICATION

The conflict with the Teamsters came to a head when a group of pilots attempted to set up a simple Q&A meeting with their employer. One of the Flexjet pilots, Frank Woelke, received a call from the Teamsters: “What the ---- do you think you’re doing? Your union speaks for you,” the union rep told Frank. “You keep your mouth shut.”

Unwilling to submit to union bullying, Frank began connecting with co-workers to free the pilots. The Teamsters unleashed their fury on Frank and his friends, threatening them with legal action, berating them, and making veiled physical threats with comments like, “We know your family and we know where you live.” The union sent enough postcards to fill garbage bags, insulting him and terrorizing his family and the families of other pilots.

The Teamsters were good at creating controversy and propaganda, Frank said. “What they were horrible at was actually negotiating a contract and improving things for employees.”

THE CIE DIFFERENCE

Realizing he needed help to run his David-versus-Goliath campaign, Frank reached out to CIE. Immediately, CIE got to work setting up education efforts, assisting with paperwork, organizing employees, and mounting an efficient communication campaign. With Flexjet pilots scattered worldwide, CIE’s work to get communication right was paramount.

“CIE helped us cut through all the union tactics and counter their propaganda,” Frank recalled. “It took us off defense.” 

OUTCOME

CIE’s assistance helped to convince the pilots that it was time to throw the Teamsters overboard. “CIE helped to give us a platform to educate our fellow pilots about exactly what the Teamsters were and were not doing for us, and exactly what rotten behavior they were responsible for,” Frank said. “The help they gave us was invaluable.”

Ultimately, about three-fourths of the pilots voted to get rid of the union. To smooth the way, CIE coordinated with the National Mediation Board on the pilots’ behalf. Without that guidance, Frank estimates the process would have taken far longer.

With the union gone, good relations between the pilots and the company owner have been restored and the company has grown. The pilots are enjoying a better place to work with better pay and work conditions. As a result, Frank said, “We have become a career destination company.”