National ALPA Skywest=SCABS

[JoeMerchant]

Wrong! Skywest is taking a couple of planes right now, two 700s. Delta and SKYW Inc decide where the planes go, while pilots fly them. ALPA has no control over that. If that were true, beings ASA is cheaper on the 200s, SKYW would transfer all the 200s to ASA right?

VOTED IN FAVOR!

ASARJMan,
If ALPA "has no control" over where planes go, why do we have a section 1 "Recognition and Scope" in all ALPA contracts? Either we DO have control, or we are waisting our time with scope - which is it RJMan?

 

[ohplease!]

I think Firehoser's argument is that what would stop Delta using other DCA carriers and reflowing their flying through ATL? Isn't that what happened when Comair went on strike?

I think they did more rerouting PAX away from CVG. I know several ASA crews refused to fly trips that were believed to be "struck" work and were NOT forced to fly them. Not sure if they would handle it that way the nect time around. No way to know if the freedom/comair/shuttle/chitaqua crews would refuse to fly routes that were "struck".

 

[Morning Wood]

It is a valid point to note. Why should pilots from a nonunionized carrier have the benifit of acquiring jobs at a unionized carrier like FedEx or Continental? By all means if you want to work for Skywest for your entire career and knock on unions than please feel free to do so. However, if you want to move on then explain to me why you should be permitted to acquire jobs at another unionized carrier?

.

That is the same mentality of having to have a union card to go pound nails on a job site in Missouri. Maybe the person(s) you refer to came to work when a union drive wasn't in the works and never voted one way or another. Why shouldn't they get hired by a union carrier down the road? Do you think People aspire to be union members and then take whatever job they can do be in one? Maybe they should get an IBEW card and then they would be worthy of being hired by a union carrier.

As far as being scabs you guys at skywest are not there yet. Coming close with a single payrate is almost worse than flying struck work or taking someone else's a/c. When Skywest management asks you to crew an ASA plane and route you have to ask yourself one question, "Well, I am going to be labeled a scab puke the rest of my miserable existence if I do this?" The answer is yes you will be. This is a small industry and believe me when I say Skywest will not always be in buisness either, especially if ASA does strike or walkout.

If SkyWest owns ASA and therefore the airplanes, then who do the airplanes
really belong to? The routes you claim to own aren’t yours either. They’re Delta’s
and ASA has benefited as much as any other regional from flying routes that
Mother Delta doesn’t operate anymore. Guess that makes you a scab too by your
definition since not only are you flying Delta's routes, but also SkyWest's routes out of SLC.

 

[HelloNewman]

Actually hiring pilots from non union carriers makes more sense for the company. They are more likely to do the right thing.

 

[Tomct]

TOMCT,

You might want to read Wing's post about cancellations and aircraft transfers, it appears that 703 has been transferred.

Guess the CP was blowing smoke, or doesn't know squat.

And Yet....you sound so happy! What a tool! Wooo Hooo, we are keeping the regional industry pay in the dirt.....wooooo hoooo!!!

 

[Tomct]

If SkyWest owns ASA and therefore the airplanes, then who do the airplanes
really belong to? The routes you claim to own aren’t yours either. They’re Delta’s
and ASA has benefited as much as any other regional from flying routes that
Mother Delta doesn’t operate anymore. Guess that makes you a scab too by your
definition since not only are you flying Delta's routes, but also SkyWest's routes out of SLC. [/quote]


Yeah Wood....put it back in the silo! The routes we have been flying for Delta were chosen because their bigger aircraft could not make money on those routes! Once it gets to big for us, they take it back and we start another city! Most of the time we fly them just too keep them for Delta's Heavy season....if they stop flying the route, they Lose it!
The only way that it would be considered flying struck work is if the Delta pilots went on strike and we continued to fly that route in their place! Not what is happening here....Although you might not be able to say that when we walk and JA tries to put his pilots in there to fly our routes! That is STRUCK WORK!!!

 

[ArcticFlier]

Moreover, there captains are making almost 89k, that isn't bad for an RJ.

Dang. I guess I took a pay cut.



AF

 

[SSDD]

And Yet....you sound so happy! What a tool! Wooo Hooo, we are keeping the regional industry pay in the dirt.....wooooo hoooo!!!

No, it doesn't bother me one way or the other, but its people like you who pretend to have all the answers, when you don't really know crap, then when you get caught you go right to name calling.

You need to grow up.

 

[Firehoser]

Slightly above and bankruptcy

We're not asking for industry-leading rates. However we would like to see payrates slightly above currently successful airlines like CHQ, XJT, and SKW. I don't think 1-2% above that is going to make us that much less competitive.

While I'm sure this would be the wet dream of about 30-50% of the SkyWest pilots (cool, instant upgrade thanks to those greedy ASA pilots!), I think you drastically underestimate how slowly the Chapter 7 process goes. Everything must go through the courts, and even if it took 3 months to get it finalized, that's 3 months of struck work that can't be flown. That would be enough to bankrupt SkyWest and kill Delta.

"slightly above" is irrelevant in the bigger picture. "Slightly above", "even with", or "below" Skywest wages is irrelevant if they are not competitive in the broader market. And besides, compensation is much more than pay rates - work rules, benefits, and even the commuter clause costs the company money (The commuter clause forces the company to hire more pilots to cover those commuters who exercise the clause ) Theseand other factors are all part of the calculation of "labor costs". Thats why so many pilots have the mistaken impression (based on hourly pay rates alone vs. other direct operating costs) that anyone arguing that labor is the second highest cost center behind fuel is lying through their teeth.

On the other hand, Skywest pilots, flying across seat ranges and flying for one single pay rate are more productive than ASA pilots and require somewhat lower total staffing levels - in summary Skywest pilots overall compensation, when these factors are considered, is most likely at an overall lower compensation level. Its one reason why Skywest is in the big picture generally competitive for new business.

As to the bankruptcy, lets assume that I want to start an airline - lets call it Wham-o Airlines. I can incorporate, build a training curriculum, acquire aircraft, hire and train pilots and even conduct proving runs under Part 91 before I get an Air Carrier Certificate. Not until I receive the Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA am I a Part 121 carrier and legally able to conduct scheduled operations.


Now, 20 years later, my company has be acquired by a holding company, who owns the gates and the hulls, and my pilots are about to go on strike. The BOD makes a determination that over a 10 year period, its more cost efficient to eat their initial investment in Wham-o, liquidate the company, and then transfer the assets to a sister company. All they have to do is turn in their Air Carrier Certificate! At that point the FAA no longer considers them to exist as a Part 121 carrier - their work is no longer struck work.

The company that is left is simply a corporation of capital assets awaiting final disposition via bankruptcy proceedings. Thus as far as ASA's flying being struck work, that can be taken care of expeditiously by simply returning the Air Carrier Certificate to the FAA, enabling Delta immediately to at least partially cover the flying with other carriers. A good case can be made that any ALPA crews refusing to fly the routes after the Certificate has been returned can be sued in court for engaging in illegal job actions.

 

[BigLebowski]

You don't "own" squat.
The parent company of SkyWest Airlines owns ASA.
The two airlines are simply two subsidiaries of the same company. Some back office operations are combined at SGU while operations are controlled separately.

Hopefully that helps you overcome your ignorance.

Ok...but this parent company didn't exist until SkyWest bought ASA. So....help me clarify that one please.