CHQ Alter Ego?

[PDTGIMP]

Hey CHQ guys,

The word on the line is, since ya'll didn't approve of "Jets for Jobs"-a class act in my book-your parent company is going to step around you and create Republic Airlines, a non-union alter ego airline of CHQ, flown by furloughed mainline pilots.

I hope your getting ready to file a lawsuit if this is the case, cause that is a raw deal for you guys.

Any info or rumors about our ELEVENTH Express carrier?

 

[Stiffler]

Very interesting

A few questions if such a thing happens-

Whenever a regional adds jets to its fleet, the mainline pilots scream bloody murder that regional pilots are taking their jobs.

1. How will the furloughed mainline pilots feel about taking their mainline brother's/sister's job?

2. How will the mainline pilots feel about their furloughed brothers/sisters taking their job?

3. Will the mainline folks look down their noses at these furloughed pilots now flying as Express the same way they look down at the rest of the "Small Jet, Scope Jet, Scab Jet, and every other name they get called" pilots?....Basically will they get the, "OH...you fly for EXPRESS" (rolling their eyes like their $hit don't stink) reaction from mainline crews?

 

[Bluestreak]

I'm not too excited over it.No way these guys will be non-union.Just wait until Bedford has to deal with the furloughed U guys-ha ! I'm still waiting to see the pay scale-is U going to subsidize their pay ? Are we gonna have two separate training,dispatch,mx,etc.,ala the U w/o's ? It will be interesting.

 

[Brother Francis]

"...Our Holding Company has also reached a tentative agreement with US Airways to operate up to another 23 regional jets; also assuming numerous conditions are met, including approval by the ALPA association at US Airways. Since Chautauqua cannot comply with the Jets for Jobs requirements, additional furloughed pilots from Airways would be covered under the other regional jet service agreement between the Holding Company and US Airways...."

Nothing Bedford does surprises me anymore. Nor do I believe the fact this is occuring in the midst of CHQ's contract negotiations is coincidental.

Someone quipped that the U pilots would make a j4j deal with the Iraqi air force. They, too have exhausted their capacity to astonish me.

If you take ALPA National's "position paper" on Freedom, delete the references to ALPA and substitute "Republic" for "Freedom," there is (or at least should be) no difference. I am having some difficulty reconciling the apparent dichotomy in the respective positions of ALPA National and U-ALPA. Furthermore, ALPA National's stance on the subject of alter-egos seems to be somewhat inconsistent.

I recall a recent vitriolic post on this subject in which a WO guy stated harshly that CHQ now knows how the WO's feel; seeing "our" flying outsourced. Be that as it may, this affects you guys as well. These new jets aren't going to the WO's either.

Regardless, there will be a fight. I am hopeful this will generate the same outrage as Mesa/Freedom. It is essentially the same thing.

 

[pilotdad]

Questions, Questions, Questions

How can a regional start up another alter ego airline and afford to pay captains wages for both seats? What happens in say five years or so when the mainliners go back to the mainline and there are all of a sudden 25 aircraft with nowhere to go? You can bet the mainliners are going to throw the old scope back on and who is going to be left holding the bag on these aircraft? Who is going to own them initially? Surely US does not have funds to buy new aircraft. Does this new alter ego get more revenue per aircraft departure under a new agreement? There must be somne big bucks for somebody with these new agreements. If the CHQ guys do not have a new contract by the time this alter ego gets fired up, the old s##t is going to hit the fan.

 

[Beechnut]

Why would ALPA fight the Teamster's fight?

S.

 

[Brother Francis]

Beechnut-

You're right-

This is strictly an issue regarding which union represents which pilot group. It has nothing at all to do with precedent.

CHQ will fight its own battles. Since CHQ is Teamster, an end around by management to subvert the pilots won't have any effect at all on ALPA carriers. Besides, ALPA is too busy stamping out brushfires within its own ranks to divert the attention and resources.

That's a shame. It would be of inestimable benefit to the CHQ pilots to have the same warm fuzzy as the U WO's, ASA and CMR knowing that ALPA is fighting the good fight on their behalf.