Helicopter Pilots, Gas Prices and Bush

Strangely enough, the Office and Professional Employees International Labor Union (OPEIU) represents an increasing number of helicopter pilots. That's right, the union of clerical and office staff represents grizzled Vietnam-vet 'copter jockies at many of the major helicopter operations in the country.

OPEIU has been negotiating with one such operator, PHI Inc., for 29 months. Things have gotten so bad that helicopter pilots at PHI may go on strike at the end of August.

So why should anyone care?

PHI pilots work in the offshore oil & gas industry. They fly out key personnel and equipment to major oil rigs in the Gulf Coast.

We're not talking about Mom & Pop's Gas & Gulp, we're talking about Exxon, BP and Shell.

If the pilots go on strike, expect some serious repercussions. PHI will not be able to find scabs. The industry is facing a critical shortage of trained helicopter pilots and they won't be able to find replacements.

I'm no expert, but I can't imagine offshore oil rigs located miles out to sea will be able to operate without helicopters. You can't land a plane on a helicopter landing pad. So unless Exxon starts stacking up on A-10 warthogs, I don't think they'll be able to keep their rigs in operation.

Now this is where it gets sticky. The industry falls under the Railway Labor Act. The President could end a strike through a Presidential Order. Sound familiar?

Would Bush do such a thing? To prevent a spike in gasoline prices, you bet. But the real question is, would the administration let things go that far? The last thing they want is for gasoline prices to go any higher. It would mean even more bad press in an election year of incredibly bad press. So will the administration tell PHI to settle the damn thing, or will there be a Reaganesc showdown in the Gulf Coast?

Wait & see.