Get ASA/XJT Combined Seniority List

[Nevets]

I don't work for ASA or SkyWest, so as I said before, I don't have a dog in this fight. I'm just trying to offer you some insight into how SkyWest does business. Because the road you are campaigning for your pilot group to take is a dead end. Piss Jerry off, and you will see what you get. Work with him, and your company will prosper more than you could imagine. ASA was a piece of garbage until SW bought them. Now look, they're actually a respectable airline, and still have one of the best contracts in the regionals.

You need more leaders like cybourg and less than Nevets if you are going to survive in the SkyWest family. Cool heads will prevail. I'm just saying.

It has become very apparent to me in the last two years on exactly how Skywest does business. I'm not trying to lead anybody. Just stating my opinion that I would prefer that JA simply abide by our contract. If he wants his employees to play nice, great. We got along with our management pretty good. But unfortunately he has taken us on a road that is not pleasant for any of us. We did not come from a garbage airline where we were not treated fairly. We come from a respectable airline and have one of the best contracts in the regionals. It doesn't hurt us at all to try to enforce the clear intent of the contract. If that becomes a dead end as you say, so be it. We will deal with it in contract negotiations. There is no reason why we shouldn't expect and insist to be treated fairly because there is nothing to lose, especially if you are of the mentality that this is a done deal regardless of what the pilots do. We can be professional about it and smile back while trying to unscrew the screwing we are taking.

 

[Baronman]

I don't work for ASA or SkyWest, so as I said before, I don't have a dog in this fight. I'm just trying to offer you some insight into how SkyWest does business. Because the road you are campaigning for your pilot group to take is a dead end. Piss Jerry off, and you will see what you get. Work with him, and your company will prosper more than you could imagine. ASA was a piece of garbage until SW bought them. Now look, they're actually a respectable airline, and still have one of the best contracts in the regionals.

You need more leaders like cybourg and less than Nevets if you are going to survive in the SkyWest family. Cool heads will prevail. I'm just saying.

Work with Jerry and my company will prosper more than I can imagine? I HIGHLY doubt that.

So what you're saying is that us pilots (XJT) should overlook that section of our contract to appease Jerry? Ok fine. Will you promise me that no whipsaw will occur?

Let me ask you a question. Why doesn't Jerry want to integrate all three airlines? Simple question.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

Obortion just endorsed a mosque at ground zero and here we are squabbling over a few senority numbers.

 

[sunlitpath]

Skywest did not walk away from the first deal. They were fully prepared to execute the transaction. Expressjet rejected the offer because they felt the price was too low. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp%3Fchannel%3Dcomm%26id%3Dnews/exp04258.xml

 

[CiFIknow]

I think the best long-term best situation for all pilots at XJT/ASA/SKW is to have one list. In the short-term I am sure we all are wanting things to stay "status quo" as far as what A/C we are flying and we want to stay in our present bases, albeit I'm sure there are some on the XJT side who would love to be based in an ASA or SKW domicile and vice versa. We can figure out how to mitigate unwanted displacements in negotiations of the SLI. I do, however, get a chuckle about the many, many references to "Don't piss Jerry off", or "work with Jerry and he will work with you". At XJT we had a good relationship with our past management and we worked well together to try to solve our mutual problems. Just because we are unionized does not automatically make it an adversarial process. Our present CEO has taken a more adversarial approach and we are seeing what comes from that in our many grievances we have filed recently.

For one, I don't believe SKW Inc. will walk from this deal over this issue. With the acquisition of XJT they will be guaranteed to be the single largest regional carrier for the new United for the next 10 years. All for the small price tag of $163 million. A BARGAIN!! Sure, Jerry the anointed genius could walk away and hope for us to go under and pick up the pieces later. But I doubt he would be willing to gamble on that.

I know we all have our personal reasons that want to preserve what we have today for the short-term. However, I think a single list would promote more stability and better prospects for the future for the pilots at all three carriers than just an XJT/ASA merger.

 

[Nevets]

Skywest did not walk away from the first deal. They were fully prepared to execute the transaction. Expressjet rejected the offer because they felt the price was too low. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=comm&id=news/exp04258.xml

That is false. The XJT BOD did reject the first offer. They negotiated a new price but but SKW put contingencies that required them to negotiate with the XJT MEC. Technically SKW did walk away because the XJT MEC would not throw out their scope and holding letter.

 

[outtahere]

Oh, you are soooo important!!! This whole time I just thought you were an airline pilot, I didn't realize you were "SUPER DORK"!!! My bad.

 

[007]

I can't believe you guys, overlooking some important issues here:
Which group wears more cowboy boots in the cockpit?

Clearly XJT, I mean we have all those Texans......that's gotta give us the edge.

 

[Baronman]

Clearly XJT, I mean we have all those Texans......that's gotta give us the edge.

It's true...we have many boot wearing, sunglasses hanging off the epaulets rocking pilots.

 

[unclemike]

Most importantly, I think it's important that this discussion not get personal. We will soon be part of a new, well-run company that is the largest in the regional industry, serving the two largest majors in the world. We have two great pilot groups that will really move the combined company forward.

I am an ASA pilot, and I'm thinking about what's fair first, and then how things will impact me. But no matter what happens with this pilot integration, I welcome XJet guys and no hard feelings.

That being said, I think the concept of relative seniority is fundamentally flawed. To think that if ASA merged with, say Compass, and a 4 yr Compass captain would be senior to a 28-yr ASA captain would be ludicrous. In order for a model to be valid it needs to work for any scenario, and it clearly does not in this case.

I've been furloughed by two regional carriers, and finally found a good one (ASA) on my third. I've learned the hard way that DOH is what matters. And it still matters now. Relative seniority would be giving dozens of guys junior to me months or years of seniority. This isn't Christmas.

For the Relative seniority guys that can't understand why some ASA guys (and some XJet guys) don't get your argument, my own case is a great example. I can't relocate from ATL for personal reasons. With "relative seniority," I would now have about one hundred new junior guys that could bid my domicile in front of me that I didn't have before this merger. Is that fair? I know I choose to stay in ATL, but with my DOH, that is my right. I know some ATL ASA guys above me might chose EWR or IAH and that it might be a "wash." But the "odds" and what "might be" shouldn't be part of this equation. My DOH should rule. As should everyone's.

I'm not trying to gain anything. But with my unwillingness to relocate, I'd stand to lose, maybe painfully, with relative seniority. I'd be open to some sort of DOH with strict fences for a while so that no XJet person loses anything. Someone even mentioned going to relative seniority for a while, and then snapping back to DOH after a number of years. That could be workable too. I really don't want anyone to lose in this.

The bottom line is, that no matter how contentious this argement may get, we should'nt let the rhetoric or the decision get in the way of a harmonious integration. Two sides trying to protect themselves is no cause for any personal attacks.