Any Big Sky pilots out there

[F.Gump]

I was reading the SEC filing for the acquisition and among the requirements for closing were labor agreements including:

extension of contracts for SEVEN years
seat lock for FOs
no more than 3% annual raises
arbitration prior to NMB involvement
payscale tables for all aircraft types

Are you guys aware of this? How likely are you to agree in very short order to these terms (seven years is a long time).

If the pilot group stays strong against these demands, this will have been a cheap shot across the bow of the XJ pilot group. If you go along with it, I can almost guarentee that the same kind of treatment will come your way after the end of SEVEN years and Pinnacle and what is left of XJ are growing.

See Ya

 

[DoinTime]

extension of contracts for SEVEN years
seat lock for FOs
no more than 3% annual raises
arbitration prior to NMB involvement
payscale tables for all aircraft types

WOW.....talk about selling out the entire industry just to fly some pretty little jets.

 

[T-handle]

The ball is in the BS pilots court. They can prove their integrity to Mesaba pilots and the rest of the industry by NOT agreeing to these terms and the deal would be off.

Don't sell out for CRJs... NWA will just end up screwing you in the long run. Take it from an Airlink family member, we know how NWA runs the show.

 

[avbug]

Perhaps I'm missing something. You work for NWA, you tell those who are being acquired by NWA that NWA will "screw" them, and that you know because you're an "airlink family member."

If you know you're getting screwed, why do you work for them?

I tell ya what; if I felt enough about an employer to badmouth them and warn off others coming aboard, I'd leave. Life is too short to work for someone you hate.

 

[T-handle]

avbug

I am in the midst of applying to Air Wis and Skywest.

No I don't work for NWA, directly.... it's Mesaba I work for, but we work for NWA so in the end NWA calls the shots and it ripples on down to us. And it's Mesaba HOLDINGs that is buying Bigsky. NWA can give anyone these CRJs and always has a say on who gets to fly them and for how much.

 

[sf3boy]

T-Handle has it right. This is the way NWA operates. NWA pilots are in negotiations, DC9 routes get turned into Avro routes. Mesaba pilots in negotiations, Saab routes get turned into Pinnacle CRJ routes. Pinnacle in negotiations, Avros go to Mesaba. It never fails at NWA.

 

[tired_pilot]

food for thought

This is as bad if not worse then the Freedom deal or pan am and BMA. If the Big Sky pilots truly have a say..hopefully they will not sell out. Eventually the industry WILL get better but the concessions we as pilots make will stay with us long after.

 

[ryangm]

Big Sky Pilots--

Don't think if you disagree to the terms you won't get a shot at the jets. Just tell them what you will accept. (At least industry standard hopefully). They may huff and puff and threaten to call the whole deal off, but they will eventually agree. Especially if Mesaba is on strike by then.

Northwest has been looking for additional airlinks ever since Comair kicked Delta in the nuts with their strike. You've already got the job!! Just don't make the jobs of Mesaba and Pinnacle pilots obsolete by signing that contract.

That is just the way they are. They are experts at whip sawing all of us. Even if you agreed to the current deal, they would probably allocate you an order of 25 jets and then try to tell you you need to take further concessions to get the rest or they are going to give them to Pinnacle or Mesaba.

Hang tuff, and fight the good fight.

 

[T-handle]

I agree with ryangm. Don't sign what they are offering now. It may look like the best deal for BigSky Pilots but it will completely sell out our profession as we know it. Welcome to the wonderful world of NWA whipsaw tactics. Be strong, listen to what we, the line pilots and XJ ALPA MEC, have to say about it. You'd be signing away your life with NWA if you went after the first contract that was offered. But dont get us wrong. We would welcome another "airlink" partner in our system as long they are implemented fairly. Bigsky could use more expansion or even mesh into Mesaba seniority list and Mesaba would sure like to expand more west.

Mesaba Airlines IS the reason for Holdings being able to buy BigSky. HOLDINGS took our profits that WE made due to a concessionary contract in 1996 and 2 year LOA extension so we could grow like we did and make a ton of money. Do you think we feel ripped off and slapped in the face? Do the corporate whores care? Careful what you wish for, you just might get it.....

http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/3331648.html

 

[humpy chuthers]

good luck at wiskey

t-handle & dointime sound like they have the whole regional indust. figgrd' out. im sure you have those pigsty air pilots really scarred about what YOU think of their integrity.
I think they can figure out how to negotiate a contract & wont "sell out the ENTIRE INDUSTRY just to fly some pretty little jets."