The Silent Majority at ASA

[sweptback]

EXACTLY! Come on people...let's get this thing done so we can grow again.

I honestly don't think any regionals will grow. If they do, it is because another pilot group is losing airplanes. If we do get more airplanes, I assume we will lose an equal amount of 50-seat or ATRs.

However, I think attrition will only increase, so even without growth there will still be plenty of movement and upgrades.

 

[buscap]

After all your posts, you still lack the capacity to voice your opinions w/o lowering to name yourself calling/bashing your peers.

The simple fact is most of his posts is true. After the contract is done, if SKW Inc. feels it is more cost efficient to transfer the assets to SKW then they will. After that scope will kick in and they will hire our crews and pay them under SKW agreement.

Scope and merger proctection must be worked out. The CR7/9 rates the company has offered are acceptable based on the market. I also hope the CNC is simply waiting to use a PBS side letter as a trump card and not holding fast on no PBS at all. They have got to realize the hugh cost benefit to the company on this. Some of the cost savings could be negotiated back to the pilot corp in the form of retro or COLA.

Fly Safe/Fly The Contract/Respect Your Peers...

I checked my posting history. I only resorted to name calling in 30% of my posts. And the other 70% of the posts didn't read nearly as well.

I will try to save the name calling for recess.

 

[MONKEY]

My guess is that if this deal could be done in a reasable amount of time, ASA would replace MESA in IAD flying for UAL. Maybe I am just dreaming, but it seams like JO would like to dump UAL. Who knows. Sometimes it seams like the deal is right around the corner and sometimes it seams like a strike is right around the corner.

 

[John Pennekamp]

As I said, the silent majority needs to become more vocal. Call and email our reps and let them know how you feel. Put the pressure on them to get this deal done. 5 years is too long.

 

[Copydat]

I vote for progress of some kind. This two meetings and wait ninety days schedule is not acceptable. I also find it offensive that the MEC tries to make light of the situation by interspersing jokes and satire in the updates. To me this is a dead serious situation and jokes are not appropriate in official correspondence. I am taking it serious, shouldn't my paid reps?

 

[79%N1]

Exactly

 

[John Pennekamp]

I vote for progress of some kind. This two meetings and wait ninety days schedule is not acceptable. I also find it offensive that the MEC tries to make light of the situation by interspersing jokes and satire in the updates. To me this is a dead serious situation and jokes are not appropriate in official correspondence. I am taking it serious, shouldn't my paid reps?

That was precisely my point. The union seems to think this is some big game and in reality our livilihoods and our families are on the line.

But FWIW, our reps ARE NOT paid, and I'm sure one of them will be quick to come on here, point that out to you, then tell you that spots are open for YOU to volunteer.

 

[Copydat]

I apologize about claiming they were paid if it is not true. I was under the impression that ALPA reimbursed the company for the pay of the reps while they are on ALPA leave. I thought they got ninety hour guarantees or what they can hold or something to that effect. In fact I thought they got captain pay if they could hold it even if they were still FO's. If I am wrong I apologize. If they are not paid and they are not working how do they afford to go on ALPA leave?

 

[atlcrjdriver]

Unfortunantly the likelyhood that the ASA pilot corp will see a TA prior to the end of the summer flying season is nil. The NMB will not risk disrupting the busy summer flying season with a proffer to potential strike towards the end of the season. Best case scenerio would be that a proffer is put fourth early to mid July with an agreement towards the end of September.

As for growth, DL has stated that they will not grow DCI. A shifting of a/c throughout the system is a possibility but only mainline will grow. For ASA to grow we need a new mainline partner.

 

[John Pennekamp]

I apologize about claiming they were paid if it is not true. I was under the impression that ALPA reimbursed the company for the pay of the reps while they are on ALPA leave. I thought they got ninety hour guarantees or what they can hold or something to that effect. In fact I thought they got captain pay if they could hold it even if they were still FO's. If I am wrong I apologize. If they are not paid and they are not working how do they afford to go on ALPA leave?

I detect some sarcasm in your post...? Don't be a jerk.

The ones on full time leave are indeed paid by ALPA. They get paid "the value of the highest line their seniority could hold, plus 15% to cover premium and perdiem, etc". This includes the MEC Chairman, the Vice Chairman, and a few others at the MEC level.

The CNC has a different deal, and that's generally a 90 hour guarantee on the highest equipment and seat they could hold, plus expenses. That's three pilots now.

The elected (Status) reps (DU, NT, SH, MS), plus most of the committee chairman and committee members, fly regular lines like us and recieve no compensation from ALPA other than expenses. These are the ones I was referring to.

If you don't understand how ALPA works, the Status reps are actually the ones who call the shots. The MEC members are the pretty faces that take credit for the decision. That's why the Status Reps are referred to as "voting members" of the MEC. When you say "ALPA Reps" it's the Status reps you are referring to.

 

[ASARJMan]

I also find it offensive that the MEC tries to make light of the situation by interspersing jokes and satire in the updates. To me this is a dead serious situation and jokes are not appropriate in official correspondence. I am taking it serious, shouldn't my paid reps?

Yes, they DO take it serious. A little humour, c'mon, what the hell does that hurt. You anti-ALPA anti-CNC types crack me up. You jump on them for anything regardless if you know or don't know what's going on. The remaining items are doable, and not unreasonable. ASA is one of the top regionals, and should be compensated as such. Not industry-leading, but among the top regionals. And polling confirms this is what the majority of ASA pilots want.

The mediator spent more time during the recent sessions 'counselling' the company to negotiate in good faith, and fairly. That fact will play out as the NMB considers a proffer.

 

[Speedtape]

As I said, the silent majority needs to become more vocal. Call and email our reps and let them know how you feel. Put the pressure on them to get this deal done. 5 years is too long.

Will,

You had your chance. You were a voting member for at least 3 of those years. Go clean your pool! It doesn't sound like life is too bad for you!

When the contract is over, what will be your next soap box?

 

[Speedtape]

Here's a "ballpark" of what can most likely be acheived and still maintain our market presence and secure our jobs:

CR2:
Current SKW book up to SKW+1%...depending on other areas of the contract
COLA....1% to 2% per year....depending on other areas of contract and what they plan to give SKW.

CR7:
Mostly already settled....need to acheive similar COLA as CR2.

Signing Bonus:
Could be up to 5 million depending on other areas of contract. When using previous ALPA formulas for signing bonuses, about 4500 for captains, 2500 for F/O's. Depending on previous earnings and seat.

Duty Rigs:
Expect a hybrid of our demands vs. the companies. Probably something that will allow a low block duty day as long as it's made up for in the same trip on an agreed formula. example: If a minimum day of 4 hours is agreed upon, it may also include a 3 day trip minimum of 14 hours. (the total trip must be worth more than 3 minimum days)

PBS: expect an agreement that ties this to a SKW equivilent performance bonus to be acheived by side letter within an agreed timeframe.

Without an agreement somewhere in this ballpark......EXPECT TO BE PARKED AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! It doesn't matter what Skywest's profit is. The NMB looks at SKW argument that their operation has a happy pilot group eager to do the work that we're threatening to strike over at a good profit level for their company. LOOK AT CASE HISTORY !!!! Under our current demands, we're going to KEEP GETTING parked until we change them.

AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? It means you're going to keep working for the same wages and work rules you are right now. In the meantime, EVERYONE including SKW is going to be eager to join in the new game BOMBARDIER is playing........sell back your ready to retire CR2's at fair market value for refurbishing and shipment to ASIA.....while giving SKW inc. great deals on CR7/CR9 to replace them (comair). Guess where the CR2's will be pulled from. (ASA) Guess where the new airplanes will go. (anywhere BUT ASA)

Still willing to burn it down and have a strike on your resume when going to that BIG D or UAL interview? All over an amount of money that won't change your life at all 5 years from now?

This is not a Doom and Gloom situation. ASA will NOT go away unless WE want it too. So my question to all the short-timers who don't plan to stay here.....why do you want to "burn it down" and take away "my job" along with all the others who've chosen to stay here for whatever reason over such a petty amount of money?

John,

How many screen names do you have?

ASA is not going away. According to recent communications, the company plans to hire 500 pilots in 2007.

 

[Copydat]

"Don't Be a Jerk"!!!

You stated that the ALPA reps are not paid. I did not slander you, call you a name or disagree. I merely stated what I thought to be true prior to your saying that "they were not paid and that I would be corrected by a rep soon enough". Are you now saying that I am a Jerk and that I should not have believed your first post? Your last two posts and name calling are not very mature responses to a debate.

 

[ASARJMan]

Will,
You had your chance. You were a voting member for at least 3 of those years.

Will and JB both had their chances. Now that they left ALPA offices, they're on their own self-serving missions. Spoiled little brats comes to mind. JB continues on even after being voted down in the recent elections. Oh, he wasn't running for office you say? Yeah, righttttttttt!

 

[scarlet]

2 million dollars = 1200.00 each WOW thanks ASA for the last 5 years with no raise...with our president gets 750,000.00 ???

July 4th,, Indep. Day= WE should all stay home !!! and celebrate FREEDOM !!

 

[601Pilot]

Scope and merger proctection must be worked out. The CR7/9 rates the company has offered are acceptable based on the market. I also hope the CNC is simply waiting to use a PBS side letter as a trump card and not holding fast on no PBS at all. They have got to realize the hugh cost benefit to the company on this. Some of the cost savings could be negotiated back to the pilot corp in the form of retro or COLA.

Fly Safe/Fly The Contract/Respect Your Peers...

Do you know how PBS works? What major cost savings do you see the company obtaining from PBS? The company still has to build the pairings and that's the problem with the current lines. If the pairings suck, then how do you plan on building a "good" line?

 

[scarlet]

still need one list......

 

[ohplease!]

Do you know how PBS works? What major cost savings do you see the company obtaining from PBS? The company still has to build the pairings and that's the problem with the current lines. If the pairings suck, then how do you plan on building a "good" line?

obviously YOU don't....

 

[~~~^~~~]

still need one list......

Yes. We do.