Comair Pilots Drew the Line

[darling pretty]

Email from Comair MEC
____________________________________________

October 1, 2006.

This message contains a very important update regarding this weekend’s negotiations.

Your MEC sent the negotiating team back to Washington DC yesterday (Saturday), in an attempt to reach a fair and equitable, consensual deal. It is now Sunday afternoon, and the negotiating team is headed home without agreement between the parties. This weekend ALPA modified our position to be even more competitive. Management again failed to accept such terms. Instead, they insist on imposing terms similar to what you have been previously provided. Although the company did modify their proposal very slightly, it was not enough to make a difference. Your MEC simply cannot accept any agreement that places our First Officers on food stamps. Under the company’s proposal, some First Officer’s would take as much as a 22% pay cut. Your MEC believes that this is unacceptable. Furthermore, the company proposal removes all semblance of a retirement plan, the concept for which we fought so hard to achieve five years ago. Management continues to fail to secure even one Comair employee’s job after date of signing. The terms that management requests remain unacceptable.

Despite what management may say, they have made the decisions which we face today. More than a year ago management, without any input from ALPA, decided on an unsubstantiated cost target. An overreaching cost target which they have tried to impose upon all labor groups at our airline. To date, no labor group has been able to accept such terms. The industry, and our company, is much healthier than it was one year ago. Management refuses to accept this fact. Only when management becomes realistic, will we reach agreement. The company’s attempt to slash its employee’s ability to provide for their families’ security will not be agreed to by your MEC.

Your MEC does not know what moves management may now attempt. Management will continue to try to scare you by threatening your career, in fact, that is all they have done at the bargaining table. With not one job secure, we simply cannot accept slashing our agreement to simply shrink into oblivion.

Your MEC remains available to management should they decide to continue bargaining. If and when this occurs we will inform you immediately.

 

[bvt1151]

Now will the back stabbing continue as other lower-paid carriers take our aircraft, and offer to hire our furloughs below Comair's offered rates?

 

[AvroJockey]

Now will the back stabbing continue as other lower-paid carriers take our aircraft, and offer to hire our furloughs below Comair's offered rates?

Single senoirity list? Doesn't sound like such a bad idea now does it!

 

[Scope out RJ's]

Now will the back stabbing continue as other lower-paid carriers take our aircraft, and offer to hire our furloughs below Comair's offered rates?

Sort of the same way cmr offered employment for furloughed DL pilots while they expanded and grew at an explosive rate while DL furloughed?? What goes around comes around!

 

[VeeOne]

Sincerely wishing the Comair family the best- You've got my support and the support of many other regional pilots. My company (ASA), and so many others are going to be staring down the same barrel over the next few months. Oh well......Game On.

 

[B727FA]

The DL pilots scoffed at OH and all the rest...until they were hungry enough to work for "regional" wages. It does suck, but thankfully the unions at OH and the FA's at NWA have (finally) drawn the line in the sand. At least I can say, NOT ONE CONTRACT at RAH has given ANYTHING back for growth or stability. The OH crews caved early on for promised growth (did they really think MGT would come through?)...but now, at least, they're holding firm. I'm behind them 110%!

 

[wmuflyguy]

Sort of the same way cmr offered employment for furloughed DL pilots while they expanded and grew at an explosive rate while DL furloughed?? What goes around comes around!

Unfortunatly the people who will be furloughed weren't here then and had nothing to do with that.

 

[VeeOne]

Sort of the same way cmr offered employment for furloughed DL pilots while they expanded and grew at an explosive rate while DL furloughed?? What goes around comes around!

Yea, but didn't many at Delta stand completely opposed the a single seniority list between Delta, Comair, and Atlantic Southeast Airlines. You forced the downsizing on yourself. Oh, and one more thing, the Comair pilots didn't allocate aircraft- thank Leo for that. As the saying goes "don't hate the player, hate the game". I'm not even a Comair pilot and your statement pi$$ed me off.

 

[Dr.Hwang]

Wish you guys the best!

 

[bvt1151]

.but now, at least, they're holding firm. I'm behind them 110%!

Of course you are. You'll get our aircraft.

 

[aussiefly]

All the best guys. Thanks for drawing the line and helping to stop the whipsaw.

 

[samballs]

All the best guys. Thanks for drawing the line and helping to stop the whipsaw.

We didn't draw sh!t for a line skywest and CHQ will gladly fly those planes. you whores.

 

[BoilerUP]

Pilots blaming other pilots for each other's misfortunes.

Management would be laughing their asses off at some of the posts on this thread (and this board) if they weren't so busy high-fiving and patting each other on the back...

 

[RCA]

Everyone is assuming that delta will take CMR flying and place it with another carrier over 17.3 million. Im not saying they wont, but arent we talking about a company that can afford to lose 5 million dollars per day. If CMR gets these growth aircraft (dam I hate that word now) it wont be because of a piss in the pot dollar amount it will be to spruce it up for a sale, and raise money for post bankruptcy financing.

 

[$$$4nothin]

Tell me how it is the PILOTS faults at Skywest and CHQ that this is happening. If you can find me a single Skywest or CHQ pilot that voted for this let me know. Get a clue and be mad at management not the pilot group.
I hate stupid people

 

[samballs]

Tell me how it is the PILOTS faults at Skywest and CHQ that this is happening. If you can find me a single Skywest or CHQ pilot that voted for this let me know. Get a clue and be mad at management not the pilot group.
I hate stupid people

No one has said ASA we have and always will say CHQ. Look ay your contract low baller your contract is what they want us to fly for

 

[ASACAPT]

FYI, CHQ is the highest paid DCI carrier after Comair.

 

[RCA]

ASACAPT your probably 100 percent correct. However its just like a CHQ pilot told me once "you never want to be at the top, look whats happening at Comair" So in other words lets just lowball them enough to grow like crazy, but lets not be mesa. Maybe a smart move or maybe the beginging of Mesaba proposed wages for every regional pilot.

 

[sweptback]

FYI, CHQ is the highest paid DCI carrier after Comair.

Yet they're one of the lowest paid in the FO seat.

 

[Flyingdutchman]

1 seniority list for all airlines... give me a break guys.

 

[bvt1151]

Yet they're one of the lowest paid in the FO seat.

Their dirty little secret.

 

[flylowman]

Way to go guys, stand fast. I am behind you..

 

[Ganja60Heavy]

Way to go guys, stand fast. I am behind you..

Management is behind you, too....and thrusting hard! Take it, take it!

 

[mckpickle]

Tell me how it is the PILOTS faults at Skywest and CHQ that this is happening. If you can find me a single Skywest or CHQ pilot that voted for this let me know. Get a clue and be mad at management not the pilot group.
I hate stupid people

It's simple. You've undercut the rest of the industry with your substandard contract. Just because your pay rates are close doesn't mean your contract costs the same. The money is in the scheduling and retirement sections. Since yours is sub-par you can underbid Comair.

 

[AvroJockey]

1 seniority list for all airlines... give me a break guys.

At least dutchman gets it!

 

[Gofish]

One list...the whipsaw ends.

 

[EMB170Pilot]

We didn't draw sh!t for a line skywest and CHQ will gladly fly those planes. you whores.

Stupid person alert!

 

[n757st]

ASACAPT your probably 100 percent correct. However its just like a CHQ pilot told me once "you never want to be at the top, look whats happening at Comair" So in other words lets just lowball them enough to grow like crazy, but lets not be mesa. Maybe a smart move or maybe the beginging of Mesaba proposed wages for every regional pilot.

Haha, I heard the same thing from a Shuttle crew in BDL. "Well, next contract I think we will want something average, so we can still grow"... Not saying all CHQ guys are like this, but these two were.

 

[dogtown]

One list...the whipsaw ends.

All you guys who keep raising the flag of "one list" need to shut up.
It will NEVER happen and it just serves to make pilots look like whining idiots. Do you realize you’re basically advocating for the most failed form of government man has ever devised?!
Oh but maybe you are right; we could all be on one list and demand $250k for every FO, and $350 for every CA. Then ALL the: doctors, firemen nurses, police, accountants, construction workers, mailmen et cetera could form a union and each demand a 100% pay increase. Better yet we could just print up a bunch of extra $$$ and make every one in the USA millionaires. Then every-one could be happy and have lots of money and not have to work again.

 

[YourPilotFriend]

If a regional stays around long enough their cost structure gets too high because of the seniority system. Every single airline is in the same boat even if they offer lower than industry standard wages. Comair is simply too old and it's time has passed, which is the same with mesaba. CHQ/Skywest will be too old in 5 years as well and be in the same boat. Someone is making less money flying the same aircraft because they are junior. Even If mesaba pays rates at 10% lower than mesa their costs are still higher because you can't beat a junior seniority list. The seniority list is absolutely killing this career in everyway shape and form.

There should be one payrate per position per company, i.e. FO pay is 45K, CA is 65K, and no pay increases at all. This would kill start-up regionals and airlines because they could not match the unit cost pay rates. So in other words if you actually make less, you can make more.