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Colgan - Mesaba Letter

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Fred Rogers

Fred Rogers

Neighbor
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Posts
570
That is one of the biggest issues at Colgan air. Their systematic understaffing. it isn't because of a pilot shortage, it is by design. That is how they reduce their costs and create a greater margin. The only problem is, as we all know, the pilots pay the cost of understaffing.

If they gave us a portion of the salary of the unhired pilots needed to run sufficient reserve coverage that might take some of the edge off. Or perhaps if there were completion incentives in teh form of monetary bonuses.
 
suupah said:
That is one of the biggest issues at Colgan air. Their systematic understaffing. it isn't because of a pilot shortage, it is by design. That is how they reduce their costs and create a greater margin. The only problem is, as we all know, the pilots pay the cost of understaffing.

If they gave us a portion of the salary of the unhired pilots needed to run sufficient reserve coverage that might take some of the edge off. Or perhaps if there were completion incentives in teh form of monetary bonuses.
Click to expand...

Or a union to address QOL issues, retain good people, and cut down the turnover this company has seen.

I think a union would save Colgan money in the long run. Get a good contract in here and it would give the people more opportunity to stay here if they choose, upgrade, and then decide what they want to do with their career.

Think how many FOs have left as soon as their year contract is up? Wouldn't it be a lot cheaper to have those people stick around for a few more years, get their time, upgrade, THEN leave if they choose?

Why not allow for better QOL for Colgan Pilots to allow for this? Why not allow for protection while you are at Colgan so you don't need to do a carpet dance at the interview board at Continental.

Bad things happen to good people. ALPA would protect us if something bad happens to a Colgan pilot during the day to day line operations.

That Mesaba letter should be posted in EVERY crewroom at Colgan. Read it, think about it, and see what it is like to go from a family owned company to one on wall street.
 
I wonder what the next Mike Colgan letter will have to say to Mesaba and Pinnacle MEC letters. I would love to see letters of support from all the ALPA MEC's for the Colgan Pilots especially United, Continental, USAirways and Northwest. Then what's Mike and Phil gonna say then when our Mainline Partners MEC's are behind us?

We don't need those letters. We already have all of ALPA's MEC's support on this and I'm certain that they will be in this with us for the long haul.

So have you sent your card in yet? Still not sure? Then let's talk about it...

For those of you that have sent in your cards, Thank you
 
"within 4 years we will be the top paid pilots in the industry"

Just illustrates that misleading statements or wishful thinking can come from either side of the negotiating table.
 
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GEORGE DUBYA said:
I heard Pinnacle wants to merge the lists is there any truth to this?
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who knows...with the way that pilots are dropping like flys it wouldn't surprise me. I heard Colgan lost another 15 pilots this month already alone and Pinnacle is losing peeps left and right.
 
So if Colgan was Alpa crew members would stay and not be going to Continental, SouthWest, Airtran ?
 
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340SAM said:
So if Colgan was Alpa crew members would stay and not be going to Continental, SouthWest, Airtran ?
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No. If Colgan was ALPA MAYBE, just MAYBE we would have a better retention rate of guys who stay after their first year training contract is up. First officers who are eligable to upgrade wouldn't have their upgrade class pushed back months because there is a shortage of FOs.
 
Godfather said:
who knows...with the way that pilots are dropping like flys it wouldn't surprise me. I heard Colgan lost another 15 pilots this month already alone and Pinnacle is losing peeps left and right.
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Two things....#1 Glad to see another post from you that I just about agree with. The current attrition rates at both airlines would lead to relatively low pain if the seniority lists were merged with any type of fair compromise on service time. In a year (when it would realistically happen) it would probably be a non-issue except for only the most senior of folks.

#2 My card is in.
 
GEORGE DUBYA said:
Does anyone besides myself think this would be a bad idea?
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Please expound on why merging two pilot groups is a bad idea? Is this a self-centered thought or do you truly think its bad for the profession?
 
vectorvictor said:
Two things....#1 Glad to see another post from you that I just about agree with. The current attrition rates at both airlines would lead to relatively low pain if the seniority lists were merged with any type of fair compromise on service time. In a year (when it would realistically happen) it would probably be a non-issue except for only the most senior of folks.

#2 My card is in.
Click to expand...

Something to think about when you are pondering what your intentions are with ALPA is that when two ALPA groups merge it is done via the Allegheny-Mohawk labor protection provisions. Put simply that means date of hire seniority integration with dissimilar equipment fences put up for a negotiated duration.
 
jtrain609 said:
No. If Colgan was ALPA MAYBE, just MAYBE we would have a better retention rate of guys who stay after their first year training contract is up. First officers who are eligable to upgrade wouldn't have their upgrade class pushed back months because there is a shortage of FOs.
Click to expand...

Maybe they will stay now because of the second year payrate, nothing to with ALPA
 
DoinTime said:
Please expound on why merging two pilot groups is a bad idea? Is this a self-centered thought or do you truly think its bad for the profession?
Click to expand...
If there is any merger of the seniority lists it is the Colgan Pilots who get screwed. They have almost four times the amount of pilots then we do. Thre possible scenarios:
1) Staple us to the bottom
2) By hire date--which would screw us becasue people have been at Pinnacle longer then they have been at Colgan
4) Ratio--This means that Jeb would be number five, and alot of Captains would be FO's on the CRJ

Whatever way you look at it we get screwed
 
DoinTime said:
Something to think about when you are pondering what your intentions are with ALPA is that when two ALPA groups merge it is done via the Allegheny-Mohawk labor protection provisions. Put simply that means date of hire seniority integration with dissimilar equipment fences put up for a negotiated duration.
Click to expand...

Not true. Alleghany-Mohawk is used with ALPA/non-ALPA mergers. ALPA merger policy governs mergers between two ALPA carriers.
 

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