Thanks to everybody for tuning in.
Lots of more Cargo’s Last Stand photos coming.
I’m putting a lot of TLC into this.
Each photo is hand-crafted from RAW.
Most have been shot with the little Canon G10 and G11,
but many of these last photos are shot with Canon’s 5D Mark II.
And I just got better noise reduction software
so the G11 photos shot in low light will pop!
Thanks for the memories!
Jeff Fenske : )
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shannon
Jeff, what happened to the cargo facility? Did everyone have to transfer? Did the IAM unionize Delta?
Jeff Fenske
Shannon,
Thanks for writing. I’m glad you were able to find this site by chance, and I hope your job is going well.
Many employees were laid off at the end of the year. Some bumped into positions in the lower 48, working passenger flights now. I think this is what Rita did.
Some just took the layoff.
Many have also bumped ESEs here in Anchorage, and are now working the passenger flights here. If you ever fly in or out of here, you’ll probably recognize a lot of faces if your plane is at the B gates.
There still has been no union vote, so Delta Global still handles the flights that Delta has been flying. And the former-NW, IAM employees handle the Delta flights at the B gates. Pretty strange.
Cargo just lost the China Air contract, so at the end of this month, many others will get pink slips. Just a handful of us will still be working, but….
The freight facility will stay open in order to service the passenger flights. In summer, we’ll be quite busy handling all the freight and fish for the many summer flights, so we’ll need more employees then.
Before then, we’ve been told we’ll be moving back to the old freight facility next to Alaska Air’s — by the burrito wagon, which is one plus.
There is a good chance that the ramp will go union, now that the voting rules have changed so that a ‘no show’ is no longer a ‘no’ vote. I don’t know when the vote will actually happen.
If we’re able to stay union, this could help those of us still working here in Anchorage, because we’d probably still be under the current contract until it expires. But who knows even then. Are jobs are pretty much hanging by a thread.
Regarding us all networking, I’ll try to get the word out to Rita and all when I get most of the photos up, which should be just a few weeks now if I can keep this pace up. And I’m sure that others will spread the word. Maybe I can put up a post just for networking, if that would help. If you or anyone else has any ideas, I’m open.
Thanks, again, for writing.
God bless!
Jeff : )
shannon
Jeff, thanks for the reply. Things are great at SWA and no layoffs. I did 10 years with American and know that drill well, thats why I took the buyout there and became a conductor. That’s terrible about the China air loss. Ole told me something about that. Have you seen Scott Bebber up there? He never came back to DFW. Rumor had it he got on with that outfit next door to cargo. Talked to Cindy a while back, and she told me about the closing. We went to a party at her house before we went back to the lower 48. Had a good time up there. Tell Bobby i said Hi, and keep in touch. Send me pics of the place and people.
Oh, BTW, I heard all about Ron Paul when I got back, and you were the one who told me about him.
Kim Michelsen
Hi Jeff,
Wow, I just checked out your NW Cargo pics, and they blew me away!! It was an emotional ride just seeing all your great shots. Great work..incredible industry, huh?? Awesome great whales, and you picked up all their majesty!!!! Great job!!! Boy, I’ll sure miss it all!!!
Thanks,
Kim
Jeff Fenske
Thanks Kim,
Yeah, it is an incredible industry, and we had an incredible location! For me, it almost felt like the edge of civilization — so close to the inlet and the eagles — flanked by mountain vistas.
But then there was the disgusting smell of the water treatment plant…, which fortunately doesn’t get into the pictures. But the wind didn’t always blow from the west.
I was talking with a coworker a few days ago. The photos capture some of what we had to deal with to get ‘er done. But we both agreed that the most challenging aspect of the job was working with the people — the so many different personalities working under the pressure of time.
I think that was our biggest accomplishment — that we mostly worked things out.
It was really fun shooting the planes among such beautiful nature. But being able to shoot the planes, nature and the PEOPLE…!
It was a great opportunity. I had a blast. And I’m glad that the people have these photos and others to help remember these times.
Thanks for checking them out and leaving us a message.
Jeff
It’s pretty bizarre to think that