Mesa and Freedom
uwochris said:
Pardon my ignorance... but why is Freedom Air considered so controversial, and why do I always hear of a connection between Mesa and Freedom pilots? Do the pilots there fly for free... what have they done to be so despised?
First off, don't demean yourself. You asked a legitimate question.
Mesa Airlines has historically been a bottom-line company. It has worked people unreasonably hard and not paid them much. It has been an oppressive organization. Mesa, like other regional airlines, never had any pilot or applicant shortage, so it could get away with paying unfair wages because there were plenty of pilots who would take them while staying a few years to build time. The place also practiced questionable maintenance. In addition, Mesa developed a number of creative ways to make money and/or cut costs, such as opening a flight school that trained pilots its way and offered them airline interviews while charging them a good amount of money to train them for their Commercial certificate.
For years, Mesa pilots tried to unionize and finally succeeded several years ago by voting in ALPA. The union won improved pay, benefits and working conditions. Management had to tolerate the union but probably despised it.
Mesa started up Freedom Air, which does not fall under the union umbrella. Freedom is a non-union shop, so its pilots are not entitled to union wages, benefits and protection, and are undercutting Mesa's union pilots and weakening them. Freedom's creation is a form of union busting. To start up Freedom, I understand that a number of current Mesa pilots were given the opportunity to go there. To many people, their acceptance of that opportunity is tantamount to scabbing. The long and short of it is you don't scab. You cleave to your union brethren. That's why people are so upset.
Hope that helps and hope that others will fill in any details I missed.
