Thoughts fostered by the “ASA Negotiations” thread started by fsworld:
We are constantly seeing comments from this D'Angelo and a few others of his ilk on threads pertaining to ASA. These comments are not positive and offer no benefit to the ASA pilots. The D'Angelo is not an ASA pilot. He has no interest in the outcome of our negotiations. It is very questionable whether he even is a pilot. His comments are always delivered in a fashion designed to create vitriol and fragmentation...and offer nothing positive whatsoever. Clearly, our best interests will be served in totally ignoring any and all comments from this D’Angelo person. I would like to request that all ASA pilots immediately and forevermore desist from responding to any post from the D’Angelo person.
The D’Angelo and others constantly berate ALPA. ALPA has many negative aspects without question. However, ALPA is what the military would describe as the “First Best Option.” By no means perfect, but the best option we have available to us at this particular point in time, and we have no time to spare. The D’Angelo promotes dissolving ALPA, but how will it be replaced and when? We need immediate solutions, not idealistic philosophies with indefinite time frames. ALPA is the most universal pilot organization we currently have available offering any sort of unity amongst airline pilots. Pilot Unity is our only hope for restoring our profession...unity beyond individual company pilot groups. The D’Angelo likes to spout on how the Comair group took care of themselves without regard to the effect on other groups. Regrettably, as long as pilot groups continue on this sad course we will be facilitating the “Race to the Bottom.” We must start acting with a universal perspective, i.e. our actions must reflect consequences to all pilot groups. Each concessionary agreement is yet another sprint in the “Race.”
Many seem to feel that it’s acceptable to permit the whipsaw at the regional level if it allows the regional to “grow” and the pilot to move more quickly toward the “major airline,” after which all will be right with the world. This ridiculously myopic viewpoint is killing all of us. The “growth” of the regional is typically at someone else’s expense...quite possibly the “major” for whom you wish to work. The continuation of whipsawing at any level will produce nothing but further rapid decline in our profession. Another poster on the board states he feels no one should stay at this airline but a few years anyway, so he’s not concerned with things such as premium. I tell you what my friend, perhaps you should speak to the legions of captains we have going on ten years longevity, who came here with just that same idea. Or maybe the three to four plus year FOs still waiting to upgrade....many of whom were on reserve for two years. All these folks are looking to move on to bigger and better things. But what they’ll tell you is while we have the chance, we dang well better get our house in order, because we just might have to live with it for a very long time. Additionally, how in God’s name have we arrived at a point where management actually believes the responsibility for financing growth rests on the employees shoulders? This is not our responsibility, we fly airplanes, we are not a bank. Nor is it our responsibility to compensate for management’s egregious errors.
A sterling example of an opportunity for pilot unity beyond the individual pilot group was the Comair/ASA groups. These two groups should have been working hand in hand in total cooperation. Instead, we saw the Comair group act unilaterally in accepting concessions...twice in a year, while their sister company was in contract negotiations. Net result; further erosion of unity, further fragmentation, and weakening of the ASA group’s hand. And despite all this, there is no apparent evidence that the Comair pilots have gained anything at all...which is the usual result of accepting concessions. Now we see another opportunity with the ALPA drive at Skywest. This presents an outstanding opportunity for unity transcending pilot groups. This drive should be a major priority for the ASA group to support in any way possible...and for Skywest pilots to accept. A successful drive at Skywest will allow the two groups to work together on the same page, thus reducing the whipsawing ability of our parent company. And possibly allowing the eventuality of a merger. Guys, we need to be working together...there truly is strength in numbers. Also, I would invite the Skywest pilots to speak to any ASA pilot regarding how he/she would feel about working at ASA with our abusive management...without the many protections provided by ALPA. The vast majority of ASA pilots with any longevity to speak of, will gladly attest. (Feel free to PM me.) Many of these benefits are realized at the local level versus national. My impression is that the Skywest group is starting to experience what it feels like when management begins to become a little too greedy. Now, one last point on ALPA; I see constant berating of ALPA on this board. But again, ALPA is the only universal organization offering any sort of unity amongst pilots. It is ever so easy to come on this anonymous board and criticize. But ALPA is our union, ours to work with and improve. I ask of the criticizers; how active are you in your union? What have you done to improve it? And it can be improved through our efforts. I firmly believe it is unjustified to criticize unless I am involved and active.
Now lastly, it is disturbing to see postings regarding such issues as premium pay by individuals who clearly lack understanding. Under existing conditions, removal of premium will be a major concession and pay cut for us all. For the vast minority of us who are underblock, premium is an opportunity to achieve additional compensation. Frankly, those working underblock are typically nappers and reserve pilots working under the most difficult conditions. Perhaps they deserve this small bonus...particularly as many are first year pilots. For the majority who are overblock, premium simply guarantees that we receive credit for the awarded block even if we fly under...it brings us back up to the published block credit of each leg of our awarded line. Without this feature we would be paid only the actual block flown on each leg. One thing to bear in mind: the company has total control of block times. They are free to manipulate them at will. We have already seen block times adjusted upwards to promote on time performance. You can count on further adjustment if we allow elimination of premium, i.e. it will become yet more difficult to realize any overblock, or even block, virtually every leg will be under. Of course these points apply to the existing contract only...which brings us to duty rigs. This is a must have issue for the new contract, much more important than rates and premium. We must not allow a new contract without favorable duty rigs, this will make the premium issue a mute point. I invite/request Skywest pilots to provide amplifying information on this topic.
We are constantly seeing comments from this D'Angelo and a few others of his ilk on threads pertaining to ASA. These comments are not positive and offer no benefit to the ASA pilots. The D'Angelo is not an ASA pilot. He has no interest in the outcome of our negotiations. It is very questionable whether he even is a pilot. His comments are always delivered in a fashion designed to create vitriol and fragmentation...and offer nothing positive whatsoever. Clearly, our best interests will be served in totally ignoring any and all comments from this D’Angelo person. I would like to request that all ASA pilots immediately and forevermore desist from responding to any post from the D’Angelo person.
The D’Angelo and others constantly berate ALPA. ALPA has many negative aspects without question. However, ALPA is what the military would describe as the “First Best Option.” By no means perfect, but the best option we have available to us at this particular point in time, and we have no time to spare. The D’Angelo promotes dissolving ALPA, but how will it be replaced and when? We need immediate solutions, not idealistic philosophies with indefinite time frames. ALPA is the most universal pilot organization we currently have available offering any sort of unity amongst airline pilots. Pilot Unity is our only hope for restoring our profession...unity beyond individual company pilot groups. The D’Angelo likes to spout on how the Comair group took care of themselves without regard to the effect on other groups. Regrettably, as long as pilot groups continue on this sad course we will be facilitating the “Race to the Bottom.” We must start acting with a universal perspective, i.e. our actions must reflect consequences to all pilot groups. Each concessionary agreement is yet another sprint in the “Race.”
Many seem to feel that it’s acceptable to permit the whipsaw at the regional level if it allows the regional to “grow” and the pilot to move more quickly toward the “major airline,” after which all will be right with the world. This ridiculously myopic viewpoint is killing all of us. The “growth” of the regional is typically at someone else’s expense...quite possibly the “major” for whom you wish to work. The continuation of whipsawing at any level will produce nothing but further rapid decline in our profession. Another poster on the board states he feels no one should stay at this airline but a few years anyway, so he’s not concerned with things such as premium. I tell you what my friend, perhaps you should speak to the legions of captains we have going on ten years longevity, who came here with just that same idea. Or maybe the three to four plus year FOs still waiting to upgrade....many of whom were on reserve for two years. All these folks are looking to move on to bigger and better things. But what they’ll tell you is while we have the chance, we dang well better get our house in order, because we just might have to live with it for a very long time. Additionally, how in God’s name have we arrived at a point where management actually believes the responsibility for financing growth rests on the employees shoulders? This is not our responsibility, we fly airplanes, we are not a bank. Nor is it our responsibility to compensate for management’s egregious errors.
A sterling example of an opportunity for pilot unity beyond the individual pilot group was the Comair/ASA groups. These two groups should have been working hand in hand in total cooperation. Instead, we saw the Comair group act unilaterally in accepting concessions...twice in a year, while their sister company was in contract negotiations. Net result; further erosion of unity, further fragmentation, and weakening of the ASA group’s hand. And despite all this, there is no apparent evidence that the Comair pilots have gained anything at all...which is the usual result of accepting concessions. Now we see another opportunity with the ALPA drive at Skywest. This presents an outstanding opportunity for unity transcending pilot groups. This drive should be a major priority for the ASA group to support in any way possible...and for Skywest pilots to accept. A successful drive at Skywest will allow the two groups to work together on the same page, thus reducing the whipsawing ability of our parent company. And possibly allowing the eventuality of a merger. Guys, we need to be working together...there truly is strength in numbers. Also, I would invite the Skywest pilots to speak to any ASA pilot regarding how he/she would feel about working at ASA with our abusive management...without the many protections provided by ALPA. The vast majority of ASA pilots with any longevity to speak of, will gladly attest. (Feel free to PM me.) Many of these benefits are realized at the local level versus national. My impression is that the Skywest group is starting to experience what it feels like when management begins to become a little too greedy. Now, one last point on ALPA; I see constant berating of ALPA on this board. But again, ALPA is the only universal organization offering any sort of unity amongst pilots. It is ever so easy to come on this anonymous board and criticize. But ALPA is our union, ours to work with and improve. I ask of the criticizers; how active are you in your union? What have you done to improve it? And it can be improved through our efforts. I firmly believe it is unjustified to criticize unless I am involved and active.
Now lastly, it is disturbing to see postings regarding such issues as premium pay by individuals who clearly lack understanding. Under existing conditions, removal of premium will be a major concession and pay cut for us all. For the vast minority of us who are underblock, premium is an opportunity to achieve additional compensation. Frankly, those working underblock are typically nappers and reserve pilots working under the most difficult conditions. Perhaps they deserve this small bonus...particularly as many are first year pilots. For the majority who are overblock, premium simply guarantees that we receive credit for the awarded block even if we fly under...it brings us back up to the published block credit of each leg of our awarded line. Without this feature we would be paid only the actual block flown on each leg. One thing to bear in mind: the company has total control of block times. They are free to manipulate them at will. We have already seen block times adjusted upwards to promote on time performance. You can count on further adjustment if we allow elimination of premium, i.e. it will become yet more difficult to realize any overblock, or even block, virtually every leg will be under. Of course these points apply to the existing contract only...which brings us to duty rigs. This is a must have issue for the new contract, much more important than rates and premium. We must not allow a new contract without favorable duty rigs, this will make the premium issue a mute point. I invite/request Skywest pilots to provide amplifying information on this topic.
