Well, I read all the posts from A to Z and now it's my turn to meddle in the stew. I have some questions and some comments and I'd sure like to know what you all think about them. I can take the heat if that's what you feel is warranted.
Act I, Scene 1
Orenstein starts a new airline to (he says openly) circumvent the restriction imposed by USAirways pilots, which would have prevented him from operating 70/90 seat jets under contract with America West. Coincidentally, the new airline will also give JO more leverage in contract negotiations with Mesa pilots who (as far as I know) don't fly 70-seat or 90-seat jets for anyone. Since this "new airline" is new, it will be non-union.
ALPA cries foul, calls him the second Lorenzo and a lot of other names. Mesa pilots are furious and accuse him of doing it to "undercut" their contract negotiations. Mesa pilots and others, are begining to call pilots who might fly for Feedom "Scabs" and threaten all sorts of retaliation.
Act I, Scene 2
US AirGroup gets into financial trouble. Retrenches and furloughs pilots. Wants to operate large numbers of "regional jets" but can't do so because USAirways pilots have Scope that prevents them from flying more regional jets.
ALPA and UMEC come up with a scheme called "Jets for Jobs". It will give USAG the right to operate 70 additional regional jets, provided USAirways furloughed pilots get to fly 50% of them. Problem is all the airlines that would operate these new regional jets are represented by ALPA and have contracts that protect their seniority and pay them in accordance with that seniority.
ALPA says that doesn't matter. The USAirways pilots get the jobs anyway with super seniority and they will be paid more money for the same jobs. Several of the affected regional carriers say "no way" we aren't doing it. First to say NO, are the non-union pilots of Skywest (gutsy move). Next to say NO are the Teamster represented pilots of Chautauqua. The ALPA pilots at TSA, don't accept the "deal" but they don't really say no either. The Mesa pilots are silent. ALPA finds "other ways" to stop the CCAir pilots from saying yes.
ALPA ain't happy, so ALPA and the UMEC cut a new deal called LOA81, (additional RJs increas to 395) which expands the option of acceptance to the USAir Group regional subsidiaries of ALG/PDT/PSA. Meanwhile, things are worse at USAG, so ALPA cuts another deal. The new deal will create a new airline subsidiary at USAG. First they call it Potomac then they change Potomac's name to Mid Atlantic.
We've heard of Potomac before. Once upon a time ALPA was going to sue USAG to prevent Potomac from flying or so they said. That was to protect the ALG/PDT guys. Of course back then, the USAirways pilots weren't looking for work so that was "different". Now that they are, we don't need to protect the regional guys any more, instead we need to screw them.
Conveniently, Mid Atlantic bypasses the contracts of ALG/PDT/PSA, but ALPA says that's OK because USAG has agreed to "recognize ALPA" (at Mid Atlantic). [It's bad if Freedom does that at Mesa, but It's cool if MDA does it at ALG/PDT/PSA.]
IF the other ALPA regionals don't agree to Jets for Jobs, don't agree to give up their seniority and don't agree to abrogate their contracts, then ALL of the new jets will go to Mid Atlantic, where they will be flown exclusively by furloughed USAirways pilots. When the pilots at ALG/PDT/PSA protest, ALPA tells them where the rubber meets the road. Either agree to this "deal" or you get no jets at all and you'll eventually be put out of business. BTW, when you do agree, there is no guarantee that you will get any jets, but you might and, you have to give up your furlough protection too. Sign here or else.
My questions are simple. 1) What in the h_ll is the difference between Mid Atlantic and Freedom? 2) Is Mid Atlantic better than Freedom because the Company will recognize ALPA? 3) Why is Orenstein an SOB for starting a new airline to get around contracts, but ALPA is a champion for starting a new airline to get around contracts? 4) How come nobody is calling the pilots who will fly for Mid Atlantic scabs? [At least the pilots who fly for Freedom will not be replacing pilots that fly for Mesa, but the pilots that fly for Mid Atlantic and any that fly at ALG/PDT or PSA, will be replacing pilots that already work at those three regionals.]
Act 2, Scene 1
Not too long ago ALPA wanted the pilots of another airline to join ALPA. More than 1000 scabs are still flying at that airline. ALPA said "all is forgiven", they were admitted in good standing and some of them are now elected ALPA officials. Why then do some of you want to call pilots that have crossed no picket line, scabs? Why do you want to blackball them, when they have not yet taken one single job from anyone and have not replaced a single Mesa pilot? How come we can't forgive them if they fly for Freedom?
Sorry I'm so stupid, but you have me totally confused with the obvious double standard. My simple mind tells me that what ALPA is doing to its own members at USAir regionals is a lot worse that what Orenstein is doing by starting Freedom. JO never promised to represent pilots, he just hires them. ALPA not only promised to represent pilots but has accepted money for doing it, and is using that money to take jobs from one group of ALPA pilots and give them to a different group of ALPA pilots. Why are you complaining about Orenstein but you are NOT complaining about ALPA? Tell me why I'm such an idiot and can't understand this. It seems to me that you object to rape but approve of incest.
Act 2, Scene 2
On a separate subject, the Eagle guys are angry at the TSA and CHQ guys because they 1) continue to do the flying they were doing for TWA before AMR bought it and 2) because AMR has sold 14 jets to TSA that once belonged to Eagle, and 3) because AMR has figured out how to get around AA Scope. Yet no one is mentioning that Eagle is replacing those 50-seat jets, with 70-seat jets and the ONLY reason AMR has to get rid of them is because the American pilots have a Scope clause that won't let Eagle fly more than 67 jets with more than 45 seats.
Eagle isn't furloughing pilots due to the fling at TSA or CHQ. Eagle is furloughing pilots due to the Scope clause at American. Period. Meanwhile, ALPA is inviting the APA to participate in Eagle negotiations and "share the jobs" that might come from the return of the 14 Eagle aircraft that were sold and the Eagle pilots appear to agree.
The Eagle pilots are calling TSA and CHQ pilots names, but the same Eagle pilots are having a make-believe love in with the AA pilots. Why? Because the APA said it would be a good idea to have one list, provided they could first take ALL the Eagle jets, to be flown by AA pilots and then, if there was anything left, they would put the remaining Eagle pilots on the bottom of their "list". Such a deal! [If there ever was a sucker punch, that's it and the "suckers" are not the AA pilots.]
Act 3
Chautauqa pilots say they don't get deals because their Company is the "lowest bidder". They get deals because they have a great performance record. I guess that great performance record is why Delta just hired them and they had to by 22 new jets to replace Comair's Florida domicile. Comair had to close its Florida base. I guess Comair's "performance" just can't compare to CHQ's. CHQ just runs a better operation. By the way, I'm selling my swamp land in Florida. Any CHQ pilots want to buy it?
I have no axe to grind with CHQ pilots, but face it guys, your Company got that Delta deal because they were CHEAPER, it had nothing to do with your "performance".
Finale
I have no doubt that Freedom makes it very difficult for the Mesa guys to negotiate a fair contract and I think that's not a good thing, and it sucks. But, people who accept jobs at Freedom are not scabs.
I also think that Mid Atlantic doesn't just make it difficult for the ALG/PDT/PSA pilots, it makes it impossible. They have been coerced and forced, by their own labor union, to relinquish their seniority and their jobs, to the same unions "preferred membership". That doesn't just suck people, it is rotten to the core.
Are you Mesa pilots going to agree to Jets for Jobs too or will ALPA give you a dispensation? Will you get any of the new USAG jets if you don't give up your seniority to the USAirways pilots? Does ALPA love you more than it loves the other regional pilots? Work hard and negotiate good Captain rates, the U pilots need the higher pay even if none of them can make less than $50/hr as copilots. How much does a Mesa co-pilot make?
Aren't your ALPA buddies at AWA busily trying to negotiate away the jobs you have now and transfer the regional jets to themselves? Are they going to give you jobs over there for your jets? Don't they want the 70 and 90-seat RJs for themselves too? If Freedom doesn't fly and the AWA guys get those RJs instead, do you think Mesa pilots will be flying them? How many of those 50-seat jets you have now will they continue to "let you fly" after ALPA gets them their new Scope?
What are you all going to do tomorrow when ALPA decides to draw the RJ line at 37-seats so that some "preferred major" can fly all the RJs above that seat range. If they can draw the line at 50-seats, what is to stop them from drawing it at 37 when they have the opportunity? Think they won't do it because you are "ALPA members"? Better think again. They have shown you what they will do. You all suffering from the S syndrome?
Who knows maybe I'm all wrong and they won't draw the line at 37, they'll just copy the APA model and take them all, without you of course.
PS. There's a sale on KY at the local drug store. If you're a regional pilot in ALPA you'd better stock up. You're going to need it.
Flame away!
