ASA training dept. rumor

[enuffalready]

My sentiments exactly. When they exploit a loophole we failed to see they say "sorry, we are just complying with the CBA YOU all signed" We have NO leverage to close the loophole till the next contract so we are screwed.

Now that THEY failed to see the vacation low loophole they are crying about closing it ASAP.

TOO BAD!!!

agree.... there have been countless loopholes in the 11+ years that I have been here that they told us exactly that.... " sorry, we are complying and under no obligation to change it"

 

[wms]

Doesn't matter. We'll be line bidding with the jcba. PS with PBS vaca you work two trips, same as when we did with line bidding. The company wanted to eliminate extending vaca and missed this point in the contract.

 

[centralpilot]

PS with PBS vaca you work two trips, same as when we did with line bidding. The company wanted to eliminate extending vaca and missed this point in the contract.

Not necessarily. I usually had to work 3 trips under line bidding because:

A. Lines that had other off days I wanted didn't conflict with vacation correctly. (e.g. weekday trips)

B. Company built nearly every line with 5 trips (including carry over trips)

C. The lines that didn't have 5 trips had integration days, which invariably became another trip.


My vacation months have been much better with PBS. More days off and more off in a row. Fact.

 

[goahead]

We'll give them vacation low back if they cap 4 days at 25% MAX and agree to at least 60% 3-on 4-off scheds!!

Agree

 

[JoeMerchant]

Why is it some of you people just don't get it?! I'm not taking about rape here. I'm talking about professional negotiations.

I was on ASA's negotiating committee for contract '98. I attended the George Meany negotiating training. What experience do you have besides buying cars and such?

You simply don't go into negotiations with your attitude. It's a give and take depending on leverage and the health of the company. Skywest Inc has proven itself not to be stupid enough to agree to a contract which will harm them. Let them do their job and our negotiators will do theirs to get us the best deal possible. How much simple must I say it for you to understand those basic concepts?

Since I helped negotiate contract '98, the net profit margin of ASA has gone from around 15% to near 0. Since then, the economics of the 50 seater have gone from good to nobody can get rid of them fast enough. I don't need a lecture from you. You don't even want ASA/XJT to really survive. You think if we go away, mainline will take over all this flying and you will magically become a "real pilot"....I hate to break it to you, but if we go away, it won't be mainline that takes over our flying..

 

[JoeMerchant]

Thats what everyone keeps saying but didn't guys get the same amount of days off and credit with trip dropping via line bidding? Seems like when the company is in an overstaffed situation it wouldn't really matter to them.

We gave up getting paid for trip dropping in our last contract...We could do it, but we lost the pay. Now I get even more vacation and get paid too...It was an improvement over our last contract.

 

[ace6453]

Well, thats not entirely correct.

My best example, Vacation low on ASA PBS is burning the budget and the company cant get rid of it fast enough. They are regretting this one big.

Vacation low is just killing the budget and profits, it has nothing to do with inept middle management, stupid scheduling/planning practices or 3 name changes in 3 years.

 

[Plainsman]

I sure wish they would get rid of SH.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

Killing the budgets and profits because of a some extra trips in open time? Nice try.

How 'bout the 350 cancelled flights over the weekend we won't get paid for, not to mention the inept middle management of crew scheduling and planning that results in inefficient trips, cancelled flights, understaffing...

Oh, here's one- How about the condition of the airplanes? The cockpit is covered in dirt, dust and crud...critical switches like rudder trim breaking because of it (the spilled drinks were like three instances), pencil whipping write ups over and over and over until the airplane finally goes AOG in the middle of nowhere or has to divert, etc, etc...

All ASA management choices. Sorry. Try again.

 

[sunlitpath]

When the dust finally settles, I think many of you will find the Skywest/ASA management team to be very acceptable. All management teams encounter operational and organizational challenges. When evaluated honestly and objectively , using profitability and viabilty as metrics, their performance is quite good in this difficult environment. Attempting to beat them down with ill placed, tired rhetoric will not achieve much of anything. By all means we must negotiate for fair QOL and compensation, but don't expect them to give away the farm; particularly when the farm isn't producing much in the current drought conditions. I encourage anyone who has questions about operational issues to simply ask SH or BH for clarification. They have answered every question I have ever asked.