ASA MEC letter

[CLE145CA]

America West was the first airline to dramatically cut unrestricted, walkup and first class fares. They started this almost two years ago now if my memory serves correctly. There may have been a 40-70% decrease in fares but the result was a solid increase in the number of bookings and business travelers and a return to profitability. Sure it took time, but it has worked in the past as indicated above.

On a second note, why is it that many pilots at small-jet feeder carriers get this idea in their head that the flying they do is THEIR flying. There is no such thing. The parent, mainline company owns that flying and they determine who it is farmed out to. Yes, it stinks that flying that has traditionally been flown by a DCI carrier, an Eagle or a Continental Express all of a sudden gets moved over to another DCI carrier, American Connection or a Skywest. However, we are all under "contract" to fly for the mainline carrier as they see fit. To get all pissy with each other's pilot group only serves to create discourse and lower the professional stature for us all.

 

[JetPilot_Mike]

I still remember the giddy Comair pilots running around our crew lounge after they came into ATL to take our flying. They were oh so glad to be there. Now they are gone, but they have found a new way to whore themselves out and screw the ASA pilots (and what is left of the profession).

How did we take your flying? Did you lose any airplanes? I think not. Using your logic, you are taking our flying with all those ASA planes at Concourse A.

And giddy about flying out of ATL? You must be joking....

 

[bvt1151]

And giddy about flying out of ATL? You must be joking....

He's kinda got a point there. ATL was the last place any one of us wanted to be. I highly doubt anybody was gloating in ops. It took us a year just to find the door.

It can be just as easily said that ASA pilots were gloating in Dallas, where several of our pilots had already bought houses in preparation for our new base, and in CVG with the ATR's and now 50's and 70's. Did it happen? I didn't see any ungrateful ASA pilots, although I can't say the same for the CHQ guys when they were in concourse C.

 

[RJFlyer]

I still remember giddy ASA pilots running around our crew lounge talking about the CMR airplanes we got during their strike. These ASA pilots were excited over the "new" airplanes.

I flew those airplanes - I don't think anyone was excited about it, and we weren't under any illusion that they were "new" airplanes. We knew they were Comair's, and we knew they were complete pieces of crap. Management "bought" them, so we had to fly them.

Anyone who was excited about those things is a fool.

 

[wrigley23]

Stop it children. This is pointless. Our goal should be to keep as much Delta Connection flying with ASA and Comair as possible. I saw a pretty cool sticker on a flight bag today that said "Comair pilots support ASA pilots". No matter what our MECs do or say, I think this rings true for our majority as it does vice versa.

 

[ASADriver]

ASADriver, why are you blaming our MEC for stating that the ASA pilots do not support buying airplanes with concessions? I don't get it. Who is the "brand Scope snake oil salesman" they're following off the cliff. What you said makes no sense.

I'm glad my MEC had the balls to come out and say how ridiculous this whole bidding for airplanes thing is.

I blame our MEC for starting a public fued with the CMR MEC when the CMR MEC is not to blame for this problem. The "brand scope snake oil salesman" is DW. He has fooled the ASA and CMR MECs into following him down the "brand scope" dead end. Now he has the ASA and CMR MECs fueding in public. Divide and conquer is not limited to management. DW and Grinstein will both smile over this letter.

I agree with your opinion of "bidding" for aircraft. Why don't we hold ALPA responsible for getting us into this mess. The only thing I blame the CMR MEC for is being duped by ALPA national just as is the case here at ASA.

 

[ASADriver]

Sorry, but I believe that the two aircraft DCI sent ASA during your 89 day strike never left the maintenance facility in MCN. I can't imagine that any ASA pilots were excited about sitting in a parked Comair aircraft down in MCN.

Sorry Sleepy, your wrong. They did fly here.

 

[ASADriver]

Stop it children. This is pointless. Our goal should be to keep as much Delta Connection flying with ASA and Comair as possible. I saw a pretty cool sticker on a flight bag today that said "Comair pilots support ASA pilots". No matter what our MECs do or say, I think this rings true for our majority as it does vice versa.

Sorry wrigley, we will need more than cute bag stickers from our so-called leadership. Stickers won't stop the bidding process.

 

[doh]

Okay, I went to the road show. My question is since Delta wrote us down to 0 in the books, what prevents them from trashing us if we don't accept this deal?

 

[CF34-3B1]

I'm not so sure about that. I wasn't excited about it, but I remember flying some -100 series RJs for a bit here at ASA. They were later returned.

Ted is correct, we absolutely did fly them, both -100's.

When they first hit the line we had a few guys refuse to fly them, but the MEC couldn't find a legal basis to support that. so we flew them.

No one was happy about it.

 

[Old Crow]

The question you all should be asking your yourselves is why should the freeze only involve pilots? I know that ASA dispatchers make more than the FO's, mechanics make more than the FO's, some Flight attendants make more than some FO's. The list goes on.
Fred Buttreal knows where to draw the line. Pilots at Regionals, Commutters, etc. have set the standard that the job is temporary, therefore impowering management to require pft, draw out negotiations, etc...
Now, once again, here we are. Targeted due to our mentality. Ask yourself why just me? Why not the entire company. wouldn't that make more of a financial impact for future growth?

I hope you all will vote no and let managers do their jobs.
Fly your airplanes safely, be of good moral character, leave the managing to the managers.

 

[chperplt]

The question you all should be asking your yourselves is why should the freeze only involve pilots?

It doesn't only involve pilots. It involves the FAs and management. Our LOA specifies how much of a freeze management must take and for how long.

Our customer service staff have been on a pay freeze for more than 2 years now as well.

Fred's plan, good or bad, involves everyone.

 

[pal]

I find it quite frustrating that any union claims or expects credibility when its members are subject to the existing pay rates and work rules. I know the market is tough, but $19 /hr for a "professional pilot" is beyond insult and excuse.

 

[kc81900]

YOu are unbeliveable, Comair pilots stood up for our industry and got pats on the back from all our collegues (they were actually just pushing the knife in). Soon after our industry leading contract Skywest agrees to fly the 70 for 50 seat rates lower than ours, CHQ agrees to fly everything cheaper for growth and Comair votes down a concession in that same time period.

ASA's decent contract wouldn't even be posssible if it were not for the contract that Comair signed after our strike. And in my opinion ASA pilots if given the chance to sign our contract as porposed to CMR based on the guarantee of 199 airframes on property would overwhelmingly pass that TA. And Comair pilots would be standing up on our current contract playing our fiddle as Rome burns around us wondering what happen to our so called ALPA brothers. BE certain Comair pilots will support any ALPA carrier that fights for a better contract and will pay through assessments and personally give $$$. But we will not jepordize our families income or futures to be the only ones sitting on the high horse looking down at the rest feasting off our scrapes left behind.

I can understand Bob's frustration. ASA pilots have been trying to get a decent contract for over two years now, then along come the Comair pilots ready to take concessions (yes, that is what a pay freeze is) for the "chance" that they might get to fly some bigger airplanes. There isn't much of a chance that ASA pilots will be able to get more than the Comair pay freeze contract if this happens.

I still remember the giddy Comair pilots running around our crew lounge after they came into ATL to take our flying. They were oh so glad to be there. Now they are gone, but they have found a new way to whore themselves out and screw the ASA pilots (and what is left of the profession).

 

[shamrock]

ASA's decent contract wouldn't even be posssible if it were not for the contract that Comair signed after our strike.

Are you talking about our (ASA) current contract? It was signed in 1998, Comair went on strike in 2001.

Disregard if I misunderstood your post.