double edged sword
FDJ2 said:
I understand that Palerider, and I am not cheering the introduction of Mesa to DCI. There is quite a bit bringing down the value of this profession, 70 seaters at DCI, E-170s at DCI, JBLU payrates on the 190, pilots who wronglfully claimed that DAL pilots were over paid, pilots who think $120-150/hr is o.k. for a 737 or Airbus Capt. , have all contributed to the downward pressure on the value of this career. But nothing would hurt this career more then the RJDC lawsuits relief section which would eliminate scope. It is the lack of scope that has allowed Mesa to join DCI, it is the lack of scope that allows E170s to be flown by other than DAL pilots. Scope is good, the RJDC lawsuit which seeks an injunction against scope is bad.
Just a few short months ago, Mesa was prohibited by Delta pilot scope from joining DCI. Your pilot group changed their scope to allow them. This granted management "relief" by being able to keep outrageously high regional pilot pay in check, and in return your pilot group got to save some "negoating capital" for other things, like pension and payrates, etc.
Or so you think, for now. But 64J is 100% right when he says the camel's nose is under the tent. You will never see a mainline 100 seater now. That fate is sealed. If these aircraft ever do show up, they will be at a regional, and you will be lucky to "secure" a couple hundred temp jobs at the benefiting regional carrier(s). At first those jobs will go to your furloughed pilots, but when they eventualy get back to mainline (due primarily to attrition and a maybe a short lived bump in US flown intl widebody flying before China Air, et al can build sufficient capacity to do it all) then those jobs will revert to hungry regional pilots.
Then your regionals will be dominating the 100-115 seat market. By that time EMB, Bombardier or whoever, will have a newer generation 100-115 seater. But guess what, its stretchable to 150 or so. So you slowly negoate away that flying too, so you can preserve your personal 777 or 787 payrates. By the time we're all kicking back in the nursing home reading Flying the Line VIII maybe we'll realize "dang that was stupid" but for now, in giant leaps here and baby steps there, Lorenzo's henchmen are building their unionbusting fantasy, with the full compliance and permission of the biggest, strongest pilot union. But hey, at least ALPA medical is good.
So on one hand we (regionals in Delta) are killing the profession by flying 500 state of the art swept wing all glass turbojets for peanut wages, but on the other hand you need that flying farmed out to the lowest bidder to remain competitive because you can't afford to either negotiate one list, or to bring all flying onto your exclusive list.
The rest of your career you will likely see the consistent negotiating away of more and more of "your" flying so that the pilots on property now can keep as much of their own personal career expectations as possible, clinging to an ever shrinking "mainline". Good going ALPA.