Alaska Base pilot meetings?

[Going2Baja]

I was at the Seattle union road show and the union said "this is not a part time airline, we have no intention of making all the pilots part time to save a few jobs". Reducing the lines below 75 is not on the table.

This is hard to believe. I would think the second these words came out of a MEC's mouth he would have his mouth filled with a fist or a foot. My Capt Rep seems to think that lowering our hours is our only hope. The hard part is going to get it past the greedy 84%. To lower the monthly avg this has to be agreed upon by both parties and also a Mem Rat of 51%. We need to spin this some how and get the group behind us. Talk to FedX, UPS, or CAL...they ARE doing this to save jobs!

Baja.

 

[Chief Pilot]

Does anyone think that ALPA is really representing you? I'm sickened by how the currently furloughed guys have been swept under the rug. Out of sight, out of mind. Our union is a joke! Other than caring about the top 15% at this airline, there are several that only seem to care about their political affiliations with ALPA National. We have guys here with their noses so far up Pater's ass, he has to fart for them to breathe. I don't feel represented, and the few that actually give a damn about our pilots get brow beaten into submission or asked to leave. The current furlough mitigation plans will have zero effect. The only thing with a chance of preventing furloughs is an attractive early out, but that remains to be seen. Good luck to us all. With greedy geezers doing all this flying trying to pad their 401k's, we'll be lucky to get anyone called back in the next 2 years. If nobody retires this year we'll have 80+ guys over 60.

CP out.

 

[Old School 737]

CP out.

Why would any of these guys leave now! They got the best deal going! Locking in their A plan at pre- kash and getting a 10.5% B plan raise on top of the hourly raise they just got. I can't see a early out incentive big enough offered from the company to get rid of any.

 

[turbodriver]

I say screw em....

Let the geezers work themselves to death.

Enjoy your money. Can't spend it if you're dead....

 

[Fubijaakr]

I was at the Seattle union road show and the union said "this is not a part time airline, we have no intention of making all the pilots part time to save a few jobs". Reducing the lines below 75 is not on the table.

This was really said out loud? Wow. I guess that should be filed for the next LEC election.

 

[Old School 737]

Anybody go to the Base meeting? What was said??

 

[Going2Baja]

I was at the Seattle union road show and the union said "this is not a part time airline, we have no intention of making all the pilots part time to save a few jobs". Reducing the lines below 75 is not on the table.

What road show and when? This sounds like a legal case for misrepresentation! It's in the contract!!

Baja.

 

[Green Banana]

It was the Seattle road show when we were voting on the contract. There was a furloughed pilot there asking what we are doing to get their jobs back.

 

[becket]

Just a question, How far back do you think the Pilots should have cut their lines to protect jobs?

 

[Fubijaakr]

The old contract defined a line of flying as 65 hours. I haven't been able to find that in the new contract as of yet. But, under the old rules, the Company COULD have built lines to 65 hours to preclude furloughs.

From what I've found so far, 75 hours is the line minimum. So, if they tried to stay as close to 75 as possible, at least some of the furloughees would be back on the property. Currently, the line AVERAGE is hovering around 83-84 hours. So, with 338 lines of flying time 9 hours, that gives you 3042 hours of flying. Divide that by 75 and you end up with 40 more lines of flying and that's just SEA.

Or, if you will 40 more pilots OFF the street. Additional lines require additional reserve coverage as well.

Instead, management would rather build higher lines and run lean reserves. We've run OUT of reserve F/Os two of the last three weekends I've flown. But, I guess the staffing gurus know what they're doing....

 

[SpoolDaddy]

As a former AK guy this sucks to read. Hate to say it, but it will take the junior guys in both seats plus the senior guys who do care about those on the street, and there are plenty of them, to fix the problem. It is disgusting that folks VSA during a furlough, wow.

When reserves get short this summer and you are just not fit enough to fly after living at the end of the scheduling whip, you should call in sick.

Management won't care until flights are cancelled, and at some levels, nor should they.

As for the "takers," there are ways of identifying them and calling them out. Peer pressure does go a long way, even if it only worked on 30% that would be something....

Anyway, just a rant but it really pisses me off that guys would fly 100 hour months with others on the street.

 

[G4G5]

What's going to take even longer to get the guys on the street back is the productivity enhancements that will be agreed to by the senior guys in order to get a pay raise in the new contract.

 

[Singlecoil]

You mean the work rules that crew planning thinks are great? Gee, I wonder who's interests they represent?

Here is their quote:

Your crew planning office would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the pilot group on the ratification of their new contract. We think this is a great contract and we are here to support the pilot group!!

 

[Green Banana]

The base mtg was more of the same. A few power point slides from each department showing what is going on and the challenges they face. Same as the PIC Mtgs, Pizza feeds, Java with whoever. Nothing to see here, move on.....

 

[SRMairlines]

Other than FedEx, UPS, CAL etc to reduce hours worked (you get more time off by not working as much also!) many police departments, fire departments, teacher's unions, steel workers, UAW, IBT, etc... etc... etc... have reduced their hours or pay to keep fellow workers on. Forgetting the junior guy and leaving them for dead only leads to more trouble later on. In the future these guys left for dead will be union leaders and control over the fate of your retirement. A Union's first job is to protect the membership. Second they negotiate CBA's, LOA's, MOA, and other crap. Our latest CBA blunder did not protect the membership. Our greed for more pay overlooked the most important part of any CBA: SCOPE . Scope is more than just protecting us from outsourcing. Where was the furlough protection? The Senior members of our MEC let it go! They put a contract in front of a pilot group knowing that some that would vote on it would not be protected by it. Every airline I worked for before ALASKA had SCOPE than we do now. And furlough protection as well. Drop the lines down to 65 hrs... that is what the Union is supposed to do. If they don't attempt it, they are in violation of the laws they are bound to by fair and equal representation. I find it hard to believe that we would negotiate language to section 23 in regard to dropping to 65 and our MEC says NO! If they did, they are again violating their dutues as democratic leaders under labor law and our side letter that calls for memrat. I am willing the bet that Alaska Mgt says NO to dropping to 65. They want productivity... I think with the econ growing and they are constantly adding new routes (SJC-AUS ? wtf) I do not think they have a clue what their staffing needs really are. Their plans have changed too many times over the past year.