future of airlink and DConnection carriers....

[snap145]

This should be an interesting Charlie Fox if the justice department approves this merger....what lies ahead for the ASA's and Pinnacle's and Mesaba's and Comair's whose business relies solely on one carrier if in fact this merger goes through....discuss amonst yourselves....im verclemt....

 

[JoeMerchant]

....one huge food fight and the biggest whipsaw you've ever seen....oh and flightinfo may shutdown with the increased traffic.....

 

[Cpt Oveur]

Someone's going to be left standing when the music stops. There's not going to be enough chairs for all of us.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Someone's going to be left standing when the music stops. There's not going to be enough chairs for all of us.

.....exactly....we need to do everything possible to make sure we have a seat at the table....

 

[Oakum_Boy]

Yes and that involves sacrificing your health by ingesting as many D-0 Mini Meals as possible to ensure D-0 performance.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Yes and that involves sacrificing your health by ingesting as many D-0 Mini Meals as possible to ensure D-0 performance.

....actually buying food at any of the filthy restaurants in the ATL airport will sacrifice your health even more....If you want to eat healthy and be on time....the best bet is to bring your own food....cheaper too.....It's a win/win/win.....

 

[Windsor]

Well, Pinnacle is the only turd floating in both toilets at the moment. But from what I hear, Smelta isnt too happy with our performance with our new Craplanta operations. I think I heard our on time departure percentage is in the 35% range.

 

[McNugent]

so what are you guys getting paid to fly those 900's anyways?

 

[Windsor]

still getting paid -200 rates.......no word on when the arbitrator is going to come out with the -900 rates

 

[McNugent]

Are you kidding me? Your 200 payscales are pretty bad as is. Why in the world are you Pinnacle turds flying those 900's then? I know it's big and pretty and something new but damn! And I thought Mesa was bad...:angryfire

 

[i fly boxes]

The arbitrator was supposed to have a decision 3 months ago before this whole flying thing starting in ATL, he has continously delayed his decision for some reason. Full retro pay will be awarded when the decision finally comes. As far as our ATL performance, in the begining of March, it was terrible. These last two weeks it has come back in line.

 

[outtahere]

ASA has 80% of all connection flying for atleast another ten years or longer. It looks as if we are carrying our chair with us. I am a little worried for my friends at Comair however. Their chair only has two legs. And Pinnacle, well.....

 

[SoberIrishman]

So, where will Freedom fit in?

 

[outtahere]

Hopefully they don't!

 

[McNugent]

The arbitrator was supposed to have a decision 3 months ago before this whole flying thing starting in ATL, he has continously delayed his decision for some reason. Full retro pay will be awarded when the decision finally comes. As far as our ATL performance, in the begining of March, it was terrible. These last two weeks it has come back in line.

Oh I get it! Capture the flying now and get the pay rates up later right? Looks like you guys fell for this one hook line and sinker. How embarrassing for you. Everyone has given Skywest so much crap for flying 70's for 50 seat pay. You guys have gotten a free pass from people because you are ALPA. Enjoy those 900's ya whores.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Oh I get it! Capture the flying now and get the pay rates up later right? Looks like you guys fell for this one hook line and sinker. How embarrassing for you. Everyone has given Skywest so much crap for flying 70's for 50 seat pay. You guys have gotten a free pass from people because you are ALPA. Enjoy those 900's ya whores.

....most of the downward pressure on 70-90 seat rates comes from fellow ALPA carriers....Both "regional" and "mainline"....It isn't coming from Skywest.....

 

[Stifler's Mom]

Yes and that involves sacrificing your health by ingesting as many D-0 Mini Meals as possible to ensure D-0 performance.

Evidentally people are doing this. Heard on Ops that all the meals were gone for now.

But as Joe said, what healthy alternative can be found in the ATL airport? The argument about them being unhealthy doesn't hold water, because nothing in the airport is really healthy either.

 

[Whydoitry]

I wouldn't bash Pinnacle ALPA for flying with 50 seat pay they probably don't have a choice. Contracts generally have clauses whereby when new equipment comes on line the two sides agree to come to terms. If they fail to agree it then goes to arbitration. Sounds like this is Pinnacle's fate. Unless the contract has a clause preventing the aircraft from entering service prior to establishment of the rates, the pilots have no choice.

 

[Whydoitry]

....most of the downward pressure on 70-90 seat rates comes from fellow ALPA carriers....Both "regional" and "mainline"....It isn't coming from Skywest.....

Well you certainly don't see Skywest lifting the industry.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Well you certainly don't see Skywest lifting the industry.

...the fact is most ALPA regionals would be better off with Skywest pay and workrules...That is a fact....

Who is "lifting" the industry?

 

[SaturnPilot]

Oh I get it! Capture the flying now and get the pay rates up later right? Looks like you guys fell for this one hook line and sinker. How embarrassing for you. Everyone has given Skywest so much crap for flying 70's for 50 seat pay. You guys have gotten a free pass from people because you are ALPA. Enjoy those 900's ya whores.

Genius,

back in reality, when an airline like PCL aquires a new type of airplane that they do not have rates for, there are sections of the contract that describe step by step how those rates will be established. In the PCL contract it states that both parties will attempt to negotiate a rate, and if unable, will take the issue to arbitration. The process is currently in arbitration awaiting an outcome. PCL pilots have no say in when that is. If PCL pilots were really the "whores" you call them, they would have agreed to crappy rates back when the opportunity was there to negotiate. Instead, management went out and got these aircraft with no input what-so-ever from PCL pilots and put them on property...nobody fell for anything "hook line and sinker"

You should probably do a little more research before you post crap like this

 

[SaturnPilot]

...the fact is most ALPA regionals would be better off with Skywest pay and workrules...That is a fact....

I don't think so...I'd rather work for a company where I can't be fired for no reason without recourse, or where I can be violated at whim with no ASAP protections, or where if I lose my medical for some reason there are doctors who work to get it back for me, etc.

Why do you think Skywest has the pay and workrules they do? Could it be because they want to keep ALPA off property?

 

[JoeMerchant]

I don't think so...I'd rather work for a company where I can't be fired for no reason without recourse, or where I can be violated at whim with no ASAP protections, or where if I lose my medical for some reason there are doctors who work to get it back for me, etc.

Why do you think Skywest has the pay and workrules they do? Could it be because they want to keep ALPA off property?

So you would rather work for Mesa and Pinnacle? Why would Skywest fire someone "for no reason" as you say? That doesn't make any sense?

I'll ask you the same question I asked PCL_128....Would you rather work for Skywest or Mesa? PCL said he would rather work for Mesa which brings his judgement into question....How about you?

 

[Stifler's Mom]

Joe,

I knew you were going to ask that question as soon as I read Saturn's post.

Obviously working at SKW would be better than Mesa. However, I understand what PCL and Saturn are saying when this comes up.

The leadership at SKW is good, heck, we're seeing that now with Brad here, and Mesa's is well...Mesa Sucks right?

Would you rather work at SKW or ASA? How about, would you rather work at ASA with or without a union?

Let's say all your gripes with ALPA are valid for the fun of it. I would much rather pay my 2% every month for nothing more than the legal and medical representation alone. I hope to never need it, but it's a nice insurance policy to have.

 

[SaturnPilot]

So you would rather work for Mesa and Pinnacle? Why would Skywest fire someone "for no reason" as you say? That doesn't make any sense?

Skywest could have a reason for firing an employee, but if that reason were not sound and justified, then the employee has no recourse. For example, the new asst chief at PCL just suspended a pilot for 30 days when the he had his first ever MINOR event because the asst chief (grossly unqualified) was upset about what ANOTHER employee said about him. Luckily that pilot will have that overturned through grievance.

I'll ask you the same question I asked PCL_128....Would you rather work for Skywest or Mesa? PCL said he would rather work for Mesa which brings his judgement into question....How about you?

Mesa and PCL suck mainly because their managements are not fit to run even a McDonalds. Yes Skywest is a good company to work for, but that is not because they are non-union, it is because their management runs the company that way. Just like Expressjet is a good company to work for because their management isn't stuck back in the 1960's with PCL and Mesa management. There is still something to be said for having the protections of ASAP, the RLA, aeromedical, etc. To answer your question, I would rather not work at Skywest, Mesa, or PCL

 

[i fly boxes]

look we all know Pinnacle is not where it needs to be, but we are really trying to raise the bar, trust me. We are unified, and we know that all other airlines are looking at what we do with this contract stuff. Remember that the next time you bash us for stuff we can't control

 

[CA1900]

Why in the world are you Pinnacle turds flying those 900's then? I know it's big and pretty and something new but damn! And I thought Mesa was bad...:angryfire

Where is it... where is it.... A-ha! Pop Secret Homestyle Butter. That's the one.

Give me about two minutes.............

OK, please continue, gentlemen. :laugh:

 

[JoeMerchant]

Where is it... where is it.... A-ha! Pop Secret Homestyle Butter. That's the one.

Give me about two minutes.............

OK, please continue, gentlemen. :laugh:

....want some salt on it? Here ya go....:laugh:

 

[Stifler's Mom]

No kidding. Wait 'till Rez and PCL start reading this thread.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Joe,

I knew you were going to ask that question as soon as I read Saturn's post.

Obviously working at SKW would be better than Mesa. However, I understand what PCL and Saturn are saying when this comes up.

The leadership at SKW is good, heck, we're seeing that now with Brad here, and Mesa's is well...Mesa Sucks right?

Would you rather work at SKW or ASA? How about, would you rather work at ASA with or without a union?

Let's say all your gripes with ALPA are valid for the fun of it. I would much rather pay my 2% every month for nothing more than the legal and medical representation alone. I hope to never need it, but it's a nice insurance policy to have.

Stifler,
I ask the question because I think working for a good company trumps ALPA representation…..The ALPA chest-thumpers seem to value ALPA over good management….I value good management over ALPA….Yes in a perfect world you have both….but this isn’t a perfect world…..

PCL_128 is an ALPA cheerleader and he says he would rather work for Mesa than for Skywest…..That hurts the cause of ALPA as any intelligent person would rather work for Skywest than for Mesa…..

Your right that we are now seeing the benefits of Skywest here at ASA….This is one of the reasons I formed the ASACoalition and pushed ALPA to settle the contract…..The positive benefits of Skywest weren’t going to come about until the contract was settled….Some of the “hardliners” were holding out for much more and that simply wasn’t going to happen in this environment, and holding out for the “holy grail” of contracts was unreasonable and harmful…..

As to your question…..I would rather work at ASA…but that is because of the seniority system…..not because of ALPA….If I was going to start at the bottom of either…I would probably choose Skywest…..Skywest Inc. is in the drivers seat….not ALPA….We need to understand that….

ALPA could be a lot more than it is….and it could be stronger than it is…..If you get Danny or Newie aside they will tell you that ALPA has screwed up on the scope issue……Both were closet supporters of RJDC….What does that tell you? Why are we having to sue our own union over DFR issues?

The legal and aero medical parts of ALPA are good…..but they aren’t worth the 2% we pay….Most of what we pay goes for collective bargaining and we don’t get our money’s worth there…..ALPA needs a better argument than “the legal and aero medical are good”….Why isn’t the collective bargaining up to par?
I am looking for more than an “insurance policy”….I am looking for COLLECTIVE bargaining….there isn’t anything “collective” about ALPA in it’s current form….