Mesaba Furloughs To Be Offered Employment By Colgan & Pinnacle

[SEVEN]

Congrats to the furloughs....at least it's a job offer.


July 13, 2010

Fellow Mesaba employees:

As we communicated recently through face-to-face meetings and messages announcing
our company’s sale to Pinnacle Airlines Corp., we intend to work with the Air Line Pilots
Association to find opportunities for furloughed Mesaba pilots to move into available
positions at Pinnacle Airlines and Colgan Air.
Today, I am happy to announce that we will offer preferential hiring of furloughed Mesaba
pilots at both carriers. Pinnacle plans to hire approximately 60 pilots beginning in August
and continuing through the end of the year. The first class date is targeted for July 26,
2010. Colgan plans to hire 96 pilots this year, with classes beginning August 10, 2010,
and an additional 50 pilots in the first quarter of 2011.
Mesaba furlough pilots will not be required to interview and will be offered this opportunity
by seniority. Further, through an agreement between Pinnacle, Colgan, and ALPA,
Mesaba furlough pilots will be able to apply their Mesaba seniority for the purposes of
pay and benefits. For the purposes of schedule bidding, seniority will be based on the
employee’s start date at Pinnacle and Colgan. Also, any Mesaba furlough pilots who take
this opportunity will not be required to give up their seniority number in order to ensure no
seniority integration risks.
Furloughed pilots will soon receive direct, personal communications.
As we stated during the acquisition, and again in the follow-up employee base visits, we
believe this new partnership will create more near-term and long-term opportunities for
our people, and today’s news is just one example of that belief.
I want to thank our furloughed pilots for their patience through a difficult time, as we begin
the process of welcoming back many of our employees.

Sincerely,
John Spanjers
President
Mesaba Airlines

 

[Salukipilot4590]

Congrats to the furloughs....at least it's a job offer.


July 13, 2010

Fellow Mesaba employees:

As we communicated recently through face-to-face meetings and messages announcing
our company’s sale to Pinnacle Airlines Corp., we intend to work with the Air Line Pilots
Association to find opportunities for furloughed Mesaba pilots to move into available
positions at Pinnacle Airlines and Colgan Air.
Today, I am happy to announce that we will offer preferential hiring of furloughed Mesaba
pilots at both carriers. Pinnacle plans to hire approximately 60 pilots beginning in August
and continuing through the end of the year. The first class date is targeted for July 26,
2010. Colgan plans to hire 96 pilots this year, with classes beginning August 10, 2010,
and an additional 50 pilots in the first quarter of 2011.
Mesaba furlough pilots will not be required to interview and will be offered this opportunity
by seniority. Further, through an agreement between Pinnacle, Colgan, and ALPA,
Mesaba furlough pilots will be able to apply their Mesaba seniority for the purposes of
pay and benefits. For the purposes of schedule bidding, seniority will be based on the
employee’s start date at Pinnacle and Colgan. Also, any Mesaba furlough pilots who take
this opportunity will not be required to give up their seniority number in order to ensure no
seniority integration risks.
Furloughed pilots will soon receive direct, personal communications.
As we stated during the acquisition, and again in the follow-up employee base visits, we
believe this new partnership will create more near-term and long-term opportunities for
our people, and today’s news is just one example of that belief.
I want to thank our furloughed pilots for their patience through a difficult time, as we begin
the process of welcoming back many of our employees.

Sincerely,
John Spanjers
President
Mesaba Airlines

....so technically it's just a formality and they could "reject" anyone who showed up.

Just offer them class dates and get it over with. Why worry about "hiring" them? They already work for Mesaba.

 

[Flyer1015]

How many Mesaba pilots are currently furloughed? What's the DOH for the most 'senior' of the furloughees? Basically, how deep did the furloughs go at Mesaba?

 

[Baronman]

Call me crazy but it looks like a good deal for Mesaba furloughees. If they don't want to take it, nobody will force them. But for those looking for a job, here's a great shot!!

 

[BOX OFFICE]

Quick! Mesaba pilots apply and get your spot on the Pinnacle seniority list! You'll end up senior to all the Mesaba pilots they plan to staple below you!

 

[epic!]

How many Mesaba pilots are currently furloughed? What's the DOH for the most 'senior' of the furloughees? Basically, how deep did the furloughs go at Mesaba?

According to APC Mesaba has 159 pilots on furlough.

 

[xjhawk]

Quick! Mesaba pilots apply and get your spot on the Pinnacle seniority list! You'll end up senior to all the Mesaba pilots they plan to staple below you!

Trying to figure out if you are funny or just a tool lol Its a fine line these days

 

[dondk]

Trying to figure out if you are funny or just a tool lol Its a fine line these days

if I get this right, they are 9E or 9L employee's but the seniority holds? Hmm, sort of bypassing a SLI in favor of a paycheck.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

....so technically it's just a formality and they could "reject" anyone who showed up.

Just offer them class dates and get it over with. Why worry about "hiring" them? They already work for Mesaba.

PCL offered interviews to the NWA furloughed after 9/11, back in those days PCL was wholly owned by NW and most of the ones that showed up were hired but the few that showed up with the entitlement attitude were not. I would suggest that instead of "I came for a class date" you show up with "thanks for the opportunity" just a though.

 

[xjgearbtch]

There is no interview, the union sent out an email that clarifies this matter. You still have to do the required background checks as required by law, but there is no HR/Chief Pilot/Sim eval/interview.

 

[Raskal]

So, over all, is this a good thing for our furloughs? From here is seems like a pretty good deal for a pilot who wasn't going to be recalled any time soon...or am I missing something? Anyone hear from people who are taking it?

 

[Minnesotan]

So, over all, is this a good thing for our furloughs? From here is seems like a pretty good deal for a pilot who wasn't going to be recalled any time soon...or am I missing something? Anyone hear from people who are taking it?

Unless the furloughed pilots are absolutely desperate to get back to flying I would think twice about coming to the 9E side of things for now, I can't speak for the 9L side. The pilots that come to 9E will be replacing our overly used and beat up reserve pilots. I would suggest enjoying life for a couple more years and riding out the furlough until management forces a recall.

Just my two cents, but if you don't believe me ask a 2-3 year reserve pilot how life is at Pinnacle.

 

[belliott]

Unless the furloughed pilots are absolutely desperate to get back to flying I would think twice about coming to the 9E side of things for now, I can't speak for the 9L side. The pilots that come to 9E will be replacing our overly used and beat up reserve pilots. I would suggest enjoying life for a couple more years and riding out the furlough until management forces a recall.

Just my two cents, but if you don't believe me ask a 2-3 year reserve pilot how life is at Pinnacle.

The 9L side of things was just as bad until they started hiring... they needed to backfill about 60 pilots to bring us up to proper staffing IMO...

 

[Whataboutbob]

So is this managements attempt to get the aquistion off on the right foot with labor or is this a sign that Mesaba will be shrinking forsure down to 41 plus 19 = 60 aircraft? I guess what I'm getting at is, it doesn't seem cost effective to train a pilot that will be recalled sooner then later at Mesaba. I'm guessing they are figuring that Mesaba won't be recalling for a long time and they will get there investment back on training a mesaba furloughed over at Pinnacle or Colgan.

 

[Raskal]

So is this managements attempt to get the aquistion off on the right foot with labor or is this a sign that Mesaba will be shrinking forsure down to 41 plus 19 = 60 aircraft? I guess what I'm getting at is, it doesn't seem cost effective to train a pilot that will be recalled sooner then later at Mesaba. I'm guessing they are figuring that Mesaba won't be recalling for a long time and they will get there investment back on training a mesaba furloughed over at Pinnacle or Colgan.

Exactly, brings up some interesting questions.

 

[hockeypilot44]

This is better than Republic is offering the Lynx crews.

 

[higney85]

So is this managements attempt to get the aquistion off on the right foot with labor or is this a sign that Mesaba will be shrinking forsure down to 41 plus 19 = 60 aircraft? I guess what I'm getting at is, it doesn't seem cost effective to train a pilot that will be recalled sooner then later at Mesaba. I'm guessing they are figuring that Mesaba won't be recalling for a long time and they will get there investment back on training a mesaba furloughed over at Pinnacle or Colgan.

9E needs pilots badly and many XJ furloughs are eligible for the short course CRJ program. ALPA worked to keep any pilots under the Corp umbrella with the first opportunity back into the cockpit.

 

[skyguy40]

The way I read this is the furloughed Mesaba pilots will get preferential hiring. You get to keep your seniority for the purposes of pay and benefits but you are like a new hire in every other way. So here’s my question: Will one group of Mesaba pilots be treated differently than another Mesaba group? Think asset transfer! Why would they get a better deal than their fellow brothers and sisters? Just asking!