90s diverted to Skywest

[ASADriver]

If you look to the left it will show you that I dont' care about you and your mgmt team. You are a perfect fit for ASA. Enjoy watching your planes and your job go to SkyWest.

I'm not enjoying it, just asking why the union keeps changing their position. Isn't mighty ALPA going to protect us? Sounds like even ALPA is starting to admit that there isn't much they can do.

 

[Willy21]

Looks like you might need a new job to support you weight problem biscuit.

 

[myflyby]

I don't envy ASA's position. I hate to think that Skywest management are sitting back just pulling the puppet strings on both sides. But it would be naive to think they aren't going to. We all know their job is to make their company the most profitable that they can, but is there at least one magagement out there that won't go the extra mile to be underhanded and actually act with SOME interest on behalf of their employees. I guess greed has a way of affecting people!

 

[ILOVEBEER]

OK there you go. 900s. Now why has the story changed?

It hasn't. It's still bullsh!t.

 

[DirkkDiggler]

We all know their job is to make their company the most profitable that they can, but is there at least one magagement out there that won't go the extra mile to be underhanded and actually act with SOME interest on behalf of their employees. I guess greed has a way of affecting people!

Sounds great, but the margins in this business are so thin these days that these companies have to penny pinch.

 

[sstearns2]

As a non-union carrier SkyWest pilots are "at will" employees, have no

contract, have no grievance process, have no safety committee, do not have
legal help or advice, and the list goes on.

The ASA MEC representative is being intellectually dishonest. Here’s the wikipedia definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_dishonesty

Skywest employees are ‘at will’ employees. I’ve been working for Skywest for just over 5 years and I know several pilots who have made serious mistakes both in the operation of the airplane and in their dealings with other employees. None were fired. All were retrained or disciplined in a reasonable way and put back on line. There is also a process whereby a terminated employee can request a review of their case by a panel of management and pilot representatives.

We do have a grievance process. It’s called a PIC, policy interpretation complaint. You file it online and a pilot representative takes it to management.

I don’t believe we have an official safety committee, but we do have pilot representatives that work on safety. The best example of this is our ASAP program. It’s basically a super NASA reporting program. Skywest pilots file hundreds of these per year and it’s saved a few peoples careers in addition to letting Flight Standards know what to work on.

Skywest pilots have gotten company provided legal help in the past. I’m not sure of the depth or breath of the legal help, but the company has paid to defend pilots against the FAA before. Also, the current and previous SAPA presidents are very experienced lawyers.

My intent is not to say that ALPA is better or worse than Skywest’s current pilot representation group, but to point out that the ASA MEC is not presenting the whole story about Skywest’s pilot representation, he is being intellectually dishonest.

Thanks for reading this, especially the last paragraph.

Scott

 

[amcnd]

Ive been with a ALPA airline for 6 years and now at SkyWest. I will take SkyWest any-day over what I went through with ALPA!!!

 

[Ponchus pilot]

Skywest employees are ‘at will’ employees. I’ve been working for Skywest for just over 5 years and I know several pilots who have made serious mistakes both in the operation of the airplane and in their dealings with other employees. None were fired. All were retrained or disciplined in a reasonable way and put back on line. There is also a process whereby a terminated employee can request a review of their case by a panel of management and pilot representatives.

We do have a grievance process. It’s called a PIC, policy interpretation complaint. You file it online and a pilot representative takes it to management.

I don’t believe we have an official safety committee, but we do have pilot representatives that work on safety. The best example of this is our ASAP program. It’s basically a super NASA reporting program. Skywest pilots file hundreds of these per year and it’s saved a few peoples careers in addition to letting Flight Standards know what to work on.

Skywest pilots have gotten company provided legal help in the past. I’m not sure of the depth or breath of the legal help, but the company has paid to defend pilots against the FAA before. Also, the current and previous SAPA presidents are very experienced lawyers.

My intent is not to say that ALPA is better or worse than Skywest’s current pilot representation group, but to point out that the ASA MEC is not presenting the whole story about Skywest’s pilot representation, he is being intellectually dishonest.

Thanks for reading this, especially the last paragraph.

I dont know why all threads in the regional boards always turn into Union bashing. Here is what most pilots including many union members dont understsand. Your union is only as stong as your pilot group. I have many friends at Skywest and they like many aspects of working there. Your management seems to be good and employee relations are not bad. What you have to realize is that everything that you have could be taken away if its not written down in a contract and if its not written down you are at the mercy of management to do what they wish. Now they have not done that in the past 35 years but it does not mean they wont in the future.

Now answer me this one question. As pilots in service of Skywest I understand why you might be aprehensive of ALPA. Why not have an inhouse union and put things in writing?

Ive been with a ALPA airline for 6 years and now at SkyWest. I will take SkyWest any-day over what I went through with ALPA!!!

That might be true. If you know how unions work you should know that each company and Union has their own contract. Your union got you the best they could at the time and it would have been much worse if you didnt have a union. Just because you worked for a crappy airline that had bad management it does not mean that Unions dont work. As bad as Mesa is at least they have a contract and if I'm correct they make a little more that skywest pilots in some instances.

 

[Hootie9750]

As bad as Mesa is at least they have a contract and if I'm correct they make a little more that skywest pilots in some instances.

HAHAHAHA! Mesa doesn't pay for any sort of weather cancelation, plus they only pay for average flight times...no matter what. The only instance I can think of a Mesa employee making more than anyone is a 10 year Mesa captain probably does make more per hour than a CFI.
Mesa sucks!! Spread the news!

 

[atrdriver]

The ASA MEC representative is being intellectually dishonest. Here’s the wikipedia definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_dishonesty

Skywest employees are ‘at will’ employees. I’ve been working for Skywest for just over 5 years and I know several pilots who have made serious mistakes both in the operation of the airplane and in their dealings with other employees. None were fired. All were retrained or disciplined in a reasonable way and put back on line. There is also a process whereby a terminated employee can request a review of their case by a panel of management and pilot representatives.

We do have a grievance process. It’s called a PIC, policy interpretation complaint. You file it online and a pilot representative takes it to management.

I don’t believe we have an official safety committee, but we do have pilot representatives that work on safety. The best example of this is our ASAP program. It’s basically a super NASA reporting program. Skywest pilots file hundreds of these per year and it’s saved a few peoples careers in addition to letting Flight Standards know what to work on.

Skywest pilots have gotten company provided legal help in the past. I’m not sure of the depth or breath of the legal help, but the company has paid to defend pilots against the FAA before. Also, the current and previous SAPA presidents are very experienced lawyers.

My intent is not to say that ALPA is better or worse than Skywest’s current pilot representation group, but to point out that the ASA MEC is not presenting the whole story about Skywest’s pilot representation, he is being intellectually dishonest.

Thanks for reading this, especially the last paragraph.

Scott

You can say they are being intellectually dishonest if you wish, but the fact is that all those things that you mentioned you have because management has given them to you. There is nothing that says they can't take them away from you. I'm not saying that they will, or ever would, but they could. That is one advantage to a union with a contract. It is legally binding. The agreement that you have is not. I'm not saying that your agreement isn't good, and in some areas better than ours, but it is not legally binding. It can be taken away, whether it will be or not.