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Any Alaska News?

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Moosedryvr

Member
Joined
May 22, 2002
Posts
10
Haven't seen any news on Alaska lately. Wondered if anyone (AK737FO, mach none...) have any info worth sharing. Many thanks in advance.

Vr,
MD
 
Nothing Earth Shattering

No news to speak of except a few in house fires.

The company lost a bunch of SEA and LAX F/O's to the sand box shooting gallery. This left them really short of crews for the summer and December. They put out a reduction bid for about 20 Capts to go back to F/O. ALPA was able to swing a deal that would allow the affected Captains to go to right seat, with left seat pay, but they would be tacked on to the bottom of the F/O reserve list - so as to not hurt the original F/O's. There were a few other rules put into it as well that made the whole thing a little complicated, but it helps the company with they crew problem and it protects the 20 or so affected captains pay. Some guys squealed like they were being stabbed in the heart with a spoon, other guys thought it was a pretty good deal - typical union stuff. The whole thing ends when they get enough of our lost boys home, or Jan 1, 2004 - which ever comes first.

Then about a week before our scheduled May 1, 4% raise, Mr Ayer asked ALPA to "defer" the raise. This of course brought about a great deal of discussion. The union is working on it, meetings are actually taking place today with the company - and it is still just business...
I don't think there is a snow flakes chance in H-E- double hockey sticks that we will actually take a "deferral", but that is just my opinion and as the funny man says, "I could be wrong".
The mechanics just got a 4% to 5% raise last month. The CSA's are in negotiations now and it is doubtful that they will lose ground. Why in the world would ALPA accept a 4% deferral? It would have to go to M.R. and there is no way you are going to get a majority of 1500 pilots to agree to it.
Personally I don't mind helping the company if they can show me that they are really in dire staights. But I for one will never vote for a pay cut or deferral unless it is spread around all the labor groups. Why in the world should one group (pilots) give up 4% while another group gets a raise? Not going to happen.

Now to the good news. The company has said that they are planning to hire about 35 sometime this fall. I have no idea if these people are already on the call list, or if they will take in more silver bullets. Right now, no apps are being accepted via the silver bullet program.

AK737FO
 
Hey AK, ya ever given any thought to the fact that all employee groups and all contracts have a different impact on the bottom line. It just mighty be that the mechs. long coming and well deserved raise puts them at a pay and benefit level that is workable and the 12,000,000.00 dollar raise that the pilot group is getting will edge them out of the top of workable. Just food for thought............
 
True...

That is true. I have been told by a couple of the line mechanics that their arbitrated pay raise still has them at middle of the road wages when compaired to other airlines. When the pilot group negotiated our pay scale a while back though B737-900 arbitration, we were pretty much in the middle of the pack as well.

Right now, all the giants are falling. The pilot's pay is taking the biggest beating of all. DAL, UAL, AMR - their wages seem to be coming down to a level that might some day make an Alaska B737-200 pilot the highest paid guy in the industry (in equipment of course)!

Your point is duly noted and correct. Just understand that before the sky started falling, Alaska wages were middle of the pack at best. By the time this is all over, we may find ourselves as some of the highest paid in the industry only because everyone else has taken such large cuts. If that happens, make no mistake, we will be the tallest blade of grass in the yard, and the company will fire up the lawn mower.

AK737FO
 
AK737FO,

We at Delta do not have to give anything until our next contract. We have been told that our company does NOT face imminent bankruptcy and that things are turning around, especially with our European flights. Our Dalpa economic analysts are meeting with the rest of the MEC right now in SAN to determine what if anything we need to contribute. There is a good chance we will give something back, but it might be in the form of a loan. Since we have only one major union, Delta has the ability to change any pay scales to any employee group without a union (like Flt attend, and Mechanics). Leo did say "A contract is a Contract."
If we ever decided to give back EVERYTHING the company wanted right now (a full 32%), we would still be paid 12% more than United. We are in the drivers seat, and we will decide what, if anything, we need to give back. Just thought I'd keep you updated.

Bye Bye--General Lee:cool:
 
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That's good news, General Lee.

Some more good news: As of May 15th, Alaska will change their jumpseat policy to every empty seat is a jumpseat!
 
Singlecoil,

We have mentioned to the MEC negotiators that IF we do give up anything, then we must get that too (multiple jumpseats) along with a few other demands. There is no reason to leave a gate with empty seats and extra jumpseaters still at the gate. We are happy to have any jumpseat though, since we just got ours in the '96 contract.

Bye Bye--General Lee:cool: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: ;)
 
Sorry it took so long to get online with everyone. I just finished a 3 day trip with one of our more senior instructors. He had some interesting rumors.

1. We are still interviewing. Very slowly, but we are still calling people in. Right now we have a pool of about 50 and he had heard that classes may start as early as July. The company has several contingency plans in place. Like UAL folding, surviving, new cities and adding more frequency, etc.

2. The night that Pres. Bush gave his speech about the hostilities ending in Iraq, our reservations went through the roof. I think and hope the industry has seen the worse and is in recovery.

3. We are still adding capacity and facing some very stiff retirements in the near future. Management feels they have to start staffing for those retirements (06 and 07 are very big years) that they will start hiring and upgrading people starting next year. Just to get ahead of the wave.

4. I expect the company to announce an a/c order soon. I have heard numbers in the range of 50 - 100 a/c (replace the MD, -200C and some of the -400s initially plus a/c for future growth). I was just in CDV, YAK, PSG, and WRG and they said the company has been doing load planning for the -700 frieghter.
I recently learned the -900 only burns 4% more fuel then the -700 and that is the only increased expense. We get the 50 extra seats for free. You just have to add the exta FA. And that person is probably on reserve anyway.
I expect the announcement will include -700C, -700, -800, -900 and possibly the new -900X.

5. We have paid cash for the last 3 a/c.

As far as Ayer asking for the pay deferral. It did not cost him anything to ask, and I believe management want something else. Bank vacation and trips touching training etc. These are negotiated items and if they want them bad enough, the company will have to negotiate something in return. They also want a co-terminal in LAX. Not sure it is good or bad, just depends if they place some restrictions on it. Like you start and finish your trip at the same airport.

That is about all I have heard. Things are not bad here. Our pension is the best funded in the industry and the way things are going, we will be some of the best paid...who would have thought.

Take care
Mach none
 
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AK737FO, Singlecoil and mach none,
Many thanks for the info. Here's to hoping that the Stop Loss release will coinceide with renewed hiring at Alaska!!

Vr,
MD
 
I had some good news from a couple weeks ago. I interviewed last year and was wondering how I could get another chance with the S.B. program being suspended. I talked with ?? and she said that I should just resubmit and they would schedule me in at some point.

Thanks to those that are keeping us updated.

BTW, what is the "stop-loss" that was mentioned in the previous post? I know it has something to do with military staffing, but not sure what the specifics are...
 
How does one update their application?

My job has changed since mine was walked in last December.

Thanks,

GP
 
Classes are coming!

I am in the pool... hired Dec '02, so I should be in the top 5 or so. BC told me last week that we poolies should know in the next two weeks when the classes will start up again. Still sounds like Sept/Oct. The Jul rumor above sounds great. Until then I'll keep flying the C-17 on reserves (I am one of the lucky unactivated reservists). Moosedriver - drop me a line.
 
update idea

GuppyPuppy,
Try to get your sponsor (who ever gave you a silver bullet) to walk your updated resume into the C.P. office and hand deliver it to Barb. She is very nice and has welcomed updates in the past. She will see that it gets to your file.
If you don't have a silver bullet, then I have no idea on how you can update your app.
Good luck!
AK737FO
 
Re: Classes are coming!

FL510GV said:
I am in the pool... hired Dec '02, so I should be in the top 5 or so. BC told me last week that we poolies should know in the next two weeks when the classes will start up again. Still sounds like Sept/Oct. The Jul rumor above sounds great. Until then I'll keep flying the C-17 on reserves (I am one of the lucky unactivated reservists). Moosedriver - drop me a line.

My buddy was told on 12/24/02 that he was in the pool. Great Christmas present! When did they call you? I hope he is one of the first, he is pouring concrete right now.

Mach
 
Stop Loss

CMonBoard,

A Stop loss is when the military refuses to release you back to civilian life. It takes place when you request to retire or quit the military, they have the right to suspend that until it better suits the country.
 
The December Five

FL510GV,

I am also one of the five hired by Alaska and received the "phone-call-of-a-lifetime" on Dec 24th. Bonnie told me there were only five of us, and I was very surprised.

I called her to "check-in" in February, and she said they had "hired" eight more from the January interviews. So, assuming the class sizes remain consistant, we should be in the first class with most of the January folks too.

I am a Reservist too, except with the Navy. Flying DC-9s up at Whidbey Island. Pretty good gig. I'm trying to use all my "drills" before September, hoping things work out and Alaska wants to let us start.

Mach None,

What is your concrete-pourin' buddy's name and what is his background?

Another friend of mine working for Alaska said a captain he was flying with has a son who also found out on Dec 24th that he "made the cut". That would make four. I wonder who the fifth one is?

P.S. I'm age 35. And you all know how class seniority numbers are assigned at Alaska. How old are you, FL510GV, and your buddy, Mach None ?

~Rhino
 
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