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Comair Mechanics get a raise?

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Ummmmm......no they haven't. It is still a TA, TA=Tentative Agreement

Waco
 
Their contract became amendable last June. The 2% raise is a heck of a lot less than they had planned on getting. It is not a very good deal for them.
 
AFELLOWAVIATOR said:
Their contract became amendable last June. The 2% raise is a heck of a lot less than they had planned on getting. It is not a very good deal for them.
Click to expand...

Sure beats a pay cut....oops, I mean freeze.
 
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Comair mechanics will vote next week on a union-recommended contract that includes 2 percent pay increases, at the same time the regional airline is asking pilots and flight attendants to accept pay freezes
Click to expand...

Looks like they haven't voted yet! I wish people would read an article before posting on the subject.


What a slap in the face to the Pilots and FA's.
 
come on now...

i'd hardly describe this as a "slap in the face" to us just because its a "raise".

first off we need to know what they make now, and what do other mechanic groups make? how do the work rules and soft money play out here and elsewhere? how long is their working agreement for? these are things i don't know, but things one must know before rendering judgement on it, even in relation to our freeze.

for example, what if they are already paid 5-15% less than their industry peers? suddenly a 2% raise is no big deal. if they're already the highest paid however, getting a raise while we freeze isn't exactly smacking of fairness.

the pilots and FA's here do have a pretty significant pay disparity. our FA's start at i think 22 while most other "regionals" are around 15 to 16, with similar disparities as they get senior...that's a pretty big difference. while starting pay around the league is pretty close for us pilots, second year comair 50 seat FO's make more than any Chautauqua FO on any equipment will ever make. mesaba second year avro FO's make roughly 30% less than our second year 50 seat FO's. and remember, these are recent contracts, one even negotiated under the threat of an immediate strike. captain pay at our "peers" is a lot lower too, although junior captain pay tends to only be slightly lower. our senior CA's make almost as much as United and USAir 737/A-320 pilots. mesa's recently negotiated 90 seat pay is less than our 50, and they actualy operate the type.

now this in itself does not arbitrarily justify cuts or even freezes, but you have to take it into context. how long can we be the only ones charging on the battlefield, while everyone else either retreats, or only advances 2 steps to our 5? as for the mechanics, i have no idea what they make or what other mechanics make. until i do, i can't possibly know if a little 2% raise is a big deal or not.
 
homerjdispatch said:
What a slap in the face to the Pilots and FA's.
Click to expand...

From what I understand, they don't make very much money. I'm glad they're getting a raise (if they vote it in) and I certainly wouldn't consider it a "slap in the face."

My face still stings from the Mesa and Chauquata contracts. Now those were a slap in the face. (TIC)

--Sky
 
P38Lightning,

While making your comparisons, take a look at the new XJT contract. Not just the book rates, all of it.
 
It just seems odd that only the Pilots and FA's were asked for a "pay freeze". IMHO it should be asked of all groups or none at all.
 
It just seems odd that only the Pilots and FA's were asked for a "pay freeze". IMHO it should be asked of all groups or none at all.
Click to expand...

I don't know if it's true or not, but I've been told that customer service has been on a pay freeze for 2 years now. Supposedly, management is taking a 10% cut.
 
The ramp agents / customer service folks have had their pay frozen about 2 years ago or so (no longevity or COL raises) -ask them about it, they're not happy and we wonder why we can't keep our ramp and CS positions staffed?? MGT is taking a 10% cut (which is a step in the right direction).
 
Glad to hear that mgmt. is taking a cut. Are the CS agents trying to get a raise too?
 
good point

Surplus,

Xjet did pretty well in their recent contract, and they have been the leaders since we inked ours/post 9/11 or whatever. While I have not read their entire contract, it appears they got our contract minus about 2 years. They count heavily on profitsharing to come anywhere near "industry leading" and as you know, profit sharing is a grey area at best. If it gets taken away they get I believe a 3% raise, which would put them about a year behind us, and their senior captain pay is significantly below ours.

They are a unified group which should be commended, and they didn't cave and throw their FO's under the bus to pay for their own upgrades and growth, which is refreshing these days because that is clearly the trend.

They do have significantly more leverage than we have, with a strong exclusivity clause preventing the whores from doing any significant ammount of CoEx flying until 2007 I believe. Not only do we lack that leverage, we are smack dab in the middle of a losing battle precisely because we lack that leverage. I don't want to come off as "pro freeze" because I'm not; I'm just open minded. But something needs to be done. ALPA isn't doing jack, and our "partners" in DCI (with the clear exception of ASA) are actively contributing to the race to the bottom.

We set the standard for them to follow, and they get to dip in a comfortable margin below ours, still claim they are making progress, and as an added bonus they get our orders and options as a result. Unacceptable. If we keep following this "trend vector" soon they will be street hiring E170 Captains for their DCI flying possibly while we are furloughing. Raising the bar is a team sport and we can not do it alone. I can not accept a near future where we exist only as a temporary lift provider keeping DCI routes warm with uninterupted service while we get replaced by pay for upgrade whores. No way.

I still don't think we should "lower the bar" but at this point its hard to see how not pausing for a while to let others finally catch up isn't a prudent course of action.*


*Acceptance of temporary pay freeze contingent on language of agreement, MEC aproval, ASA permission, and membership ratification.
 
homerjdispatch said:
Glad to hear that mgmt. is taking a cut. Are the CS agents trying to get a raise too?
Click to expand...

It would be interesting to see if this management cut is in total compensation. Not just a 10% salary cut with a bonus to make everything back.
 

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