Jetblue Pilots Vote Union Down

[Fubijaakr]

Fubi/FR8:

You would think that that would have been a consideration for the results....but two of the biggest union chargers were ex-military, first time airline pilots.

I'm not saying ALL ex-military guys would vote against it. Heck, I'm ex-military and a radical Unionista.

However...

Retired military guys have spent 20 years in a system where individual accomplishment dictates how far you progress. It is also a system, while political, does not seek to exploit labor for profit motives.

Rather the military is based on a system where the Senior Officers' primary concern is for the welfare of his "men" (labor). At least in my branch it was understood that an officer saw to the needs of his men BEFORE he saw to his own.

People indoctrinated in that system generally believe they, as individuals, are responsible for their success and advancement opportunities.

Those of us who have been around the business for awhile know that Companies do not operate like military organizations because they are driven by PROFIT not MISSION.

This is not to say that all ex-military aviators are this way, but a large majority of retired military aviators tend to believe that Corporate Leadership will 'take care of the troops' like the Pentagon Leadership did.

Additionally, as fr8dog points out, retired military aviators have substantial retirement benefits including TriCare and a guaranteed paycheck to supplement their airline income. That alone would tend to make them more "status quo".

 

[Fubijaakr]

How don't you get it? There has never ever ever in the history of US airlines been a pilot group who took pay cuts due to the fact that their competitors earned lower wages than themselves. It has never happened; it doesn't happen; it will not happen.

I'm sorry, but you are incorrect. When the bankruptcy court imposed lower narrowbody wage rates on both United and USAir pilots, they imposed $129. At that time, that was the jetBlue Airbus pay rate.

Another recent example, 3/4 of Midwest's pilot group took a 100% pay cut because Midwest outsourced their flying to Republic.

 

[bluesideup340]

Another recent example, 3/4 of Midwest's pilot group took a 100% pay cut because Midwest outsourced their flying to Republic.

FYI in case you missed it. Republic is a Union carrier.
So, your point that Unions are the only way to maintain or gain higher paying compensation is wrong.
Since 1978 Pilot Unions have done nothing to imporve the profession. (Scope, Merger protection, Junior to Senior pay gap, age 65 rule, no process to get furloughed Pilots back, etc.)
Deregulation has changed the industry but Pilot Unions have not. The JBPA drive failed because ALPA and the Teamsters have failed many JB Pilots in the past.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

The JBPA drive failed because ALPA and the Teamsters have failed many JB Pilots in the past.

Perhaps those previous ALPA and IBT members should consider what would have happened if they weren't represented?

 

[Cobraair75drvr]

How don't you get it? There has never ever ever in the history of US airlines been a pilot group who took pay cuts due to the fact that their competitors earned lower wages than themselves. It has never happened; it doesn't happen; it will not happen. Are you ********************ing kidding me?? What planet do you live on? Where do you think legacy mgmts came up with their lowball payrates/workrules? Out of their ass. No, they looked at the bluejets, airtrans, spirits and CAL to a lesser extent etc. Then they went after the weakest (USair, UAL) once done there they picked off DAL and NWA. Yes, we all voted this in because no one had the guts to press to test the judges. We will never know what would have happened. Pilot wages have never been enough to make an airline profitable or not. This part I will agree with. It's simply a tool used by management and unfortunately some are foolish enough to believe it.

We agree again.

 

[ualdriver]

How don't you get it? There has never ever ever in the history of US airlines been a pilot group who took pay cuts due to the fact that their competitors earned lower wages than themselves. It has never happened; it doesn't happen; it will not happen. Pilot wages have never been enough to make an airline profitable or not. It's simply a tool used by management and unfortunately some are foolish enough to believe it.

You fly for Allegiant, do you not? Is that how you rationalize your contract?

You stated, "Pilot wages have never been enough to make an airline profitable or not." I disagree with that statement completely, but let's take your word for it for the sake of argument. If that statement is true, why do you have MD-88 Captains hourly rates as low as $61/hr? Why does it take 4 years for a Allegiant Captain to make $100/hr with virtually no retirement? I mean, YOU stated pilot wages don't make a difference in airline profitability, yet you just got a new contract and accepted a compensation package that by any measure, is well below industry standard.

So guys like me are "foolish" to believe that pilot wages have no affect on profitability........so......... if pilot wages don't affect a company's bottom line (as you state), what does that make you guys for accepting such bottom of the barrel wages? I mean, why didn't your pilot group just point to American's MD-88 wages/retirement, slide that across the table to management, and state, "We'll take those rates and retirement, please. Pilot wages don't affect airline profitability so there's not reason to accept anything less." Is Allegiant your pilot group's favorite charity or something?

Further, are you telling me that when I was following along with UAL's bankruptcy case, that the company's lawyers weren't using the lower wages at Frontier, JetBlue, etc., as a hammer to drive down our narrowbody rates? Are you kidding me? Are you telling me that DIDN'T HAPPEN at my airline? At Delta? At US Air? At Northwest? Man, I must have been imagining all those PowerPoint slides the company was parading in front of the bankruptcy court, telling the judge how "UAL can't compete" with LCC's paying a compensation package less than half what we were making at UAL. I must have dreamed all the "FlightOfficer Cost/ASM" figures the company kept referring to. It must have been a mere coincidence that Legacy narrowbody rates/work rules/retirements got driven down to LCC levels in the early 2000's!

Thanks DaytonaFlyer for bringing me back to reality. I don't know what I was thinking.

 

[Scope out RJ's]

You fly for Allegiant, do you not? Is that how you rationalize your contract?

You stated, "Pilot wages have never been enough to make an airline profitable or not." I disagree with that statement completely, but let's take your word for it for the sake of argument. If that statement is true, why do you have MD-88 Captains hourly rates as low as $61/hr? Why does it take 4 years for a Allegiant Captain to make $100/hr with virtually no retirement? I mean, YOU stated pilot wages don't make a difference in airline profitability, yet you just got a new contract and accepted a compensation package that by any measure, is well below industry standard.

So guys like me are "foolish" to believe that pilot wages have no affect on profitability........so......... if pilot wages don't affect a company's bottom line (as you state), what does that make you guys for accepting such bottom of the barrel wages? I mean, why didn't your pilot group just point to American's MD-88 wages/retirement, slide that across the table to management, and state, "We'll take those rates and retirement, please. Pilot wages don't affect airline profitability so there's not reason to accept anything less." Is Allegiant your pilot group's favorite charity or something?

Further, are you telling me that when I was following along with UAL's bankruptcy case, that the company's lawyers weren't using the lower wages at Frontier, JetBlue, etc., as a hammer to drive down our narrowbody rates? Are you kidding me? Are you telling me that DIDN'T HAPPEN at my airline? At Delta? At US Air? At Northwest? Man, I must have been imagining all those PowerPoint slides the company was parading in front of the bankruptcy court, telling the judge how "UAL can't compete" with LCC's paying a compensation package less than half what we were making at UAL. I must have dreamed all the "FlightOfficer Cost/ASM" figures the company kept referring to. It must have been a mere coincidence that Legacy narrowbody rates/work rules/retirements got driven down to LCC levels in the early 2000's!

Thanks DaytonaFlyer for bringing me back to reality. I don't know what I was thinking.

Just to tag on to that

Allegiant 4th year M88 cpt pay= $100.00/hr
AMR 4th year M88 cpt pay= $152.00/hr
Delta 4th year M88 cpt pay= $138.00/hr

AMR 4th yr M88 F/O pay= $92.00/hr
Delta 4th yr M88 F/O pay= $87.00/hr

Management loves the likes of Allegiant when it comes to comparing pay rates. The Delta guys fought tooth and nail to preserve pay rates in bankruptcy when all their managment was telling them they needed to be in line with southwest pay rates.

 

[Whine Lover]

"There has never ever ever in the history of US airlines been a pilot group who took pay cuts due to the fact that their competitors earned lower wages than themselves. It has never happened; it doesn't happen; it will not happen."

Wrong.

Just to further clarify, as well as add to the examples already stated....


ATA took a trip through bankruptcy court ( the first time ) and guess whose pay scale our pay cuts were based on?

US Airways and United.

It has happened, it continues to happen, and it will happen again in the future.


"Pilot wages have never been enough to make an airline profitable or not. It's simply a tool used by management and unfortunately some are foolish enough to believe it."

Absolutely correct.


YKW

 

[bluesideup340]

Perhaps those previous ALPA and IBT members should consider what would have happened if they weren't represented?

Okay, what has ALPA or the IBT done in the last 30 years to adjust to a free market in avaition. Prior to 1978 ALPA dicided to negotiate for each pilot group seperate pay scales to drive compensation up, which worked well while the CAB was around.
Now the reverse hold true as well. Neither ALPA nor the IBT have a concept in place to prevent this.
So what is that representation are you talking about?

 

[PCL_128]

Okay, what has ALPA or the IBT done in the last 30 years to adjust to a free market in avaition. Prior to 1978 ALPA dicided to negotiate for each pilot group seperate pay scales to drive compensation up, which worked well while the CAB was around.
Now the reverse hold true as well. Neither ALPA nor the IBT have a concept in place to prevent this.
So what is that representation are you talking about?

Pattern bargaining has worked splendidly post-CAB. Remember UAL '00 and DAL '01? It's the bankruptcy laws that are the problem, and ALPA is working on plugging up those holes. Once that's taken care of, management can't come crying to the judge for labor cuts every time their incompetence causes massive losses.