Open letter to SkyWest Pilots

[Dave Benjamin]

You are being used as a way to decrease the cost of the Airline Service Agreement between NWA, Mesaba and Pinnacle.

So why don't you trot on over to Mesaba and Pinnacle's managment and tip them off? Tell them not to worry about SkyWest. They should just call NWA's bluff and bid a lot more than SkyWest is bidding. After all NWA has no intention of awarding any flying to SkyWest because they "won't be able to control SkyWest."

 

[joe_pilot]

...Do you expect the SkyWest pilot group to drop by Jerry's house on a Sunday afternoon and ask him not to bid on any NWA flying?

Dave, you mean you weren't there for his Mardis Gras party?? I was.

 

[indianboy7]

Dave, you mean you weren't there for his Mardis Gras party?? I was.

Nothing like Mardi Gras in St. George......WILD times, I hear......and of course, Jerry's wife got all the beads....AGAIN....imp::beer:

 

[CFIT]

"Open Letter to SkyWest Pilots"

WTF- Over, do the "couselers" at the methadone clinic you are at know you are online?

 

[Axel]

...After years of contract negotiations, Comair pilots took an unprecedented stand and were forced into a strike that lasted 89 days. This shut down Cincinnati and a large portion of Delta’s routes. The lesson learned by the legacy carriers was to diversify their regional routes. Comair and SkyWest routes were integrated as were Northwest Airlink routes; Mesaba and Pinnacle. United would soon follow suit.

About this same time, Mesa Airlines CEO Jonathan Ornstein decided that he would squelch the Mesa pilot’s negotiations by starting a non-union carrier called Freedom Airlines. The Mesa pilots gave up considerable pay in order to obtain job security (scope clause). In a move by Ornstein, reminiscent of Frank Lorenzo, many other regional airline CEO’s decided to use this new “union busting” technique to become known as -whipsawing-.

Once all regionals had diversified routing and overlap the majors would put the regional flying up for re-bid. Effectively making the regionals bid on their own flying. Management was then “forced” to ask the labor groups for concessions in order to secure the flying previously awarded. United started with ACA and Air Wisconsin....

This is exactly correct.

 

[hey]

In fact anyone who wants info holla at me.............

HEY! I WANT SOME INFO!!!! CAN YOU HEAR ME? I SAID, I WANT SOME INFO!!!!

 

[DoubtingThomas]

HEY! I WANT SOME INFO!!!! CAN YOU HEAR ME? I SAID, I WANT SOME INFO!!!!

Hey,

Thanks for the biggest laugh I've had from flightinfo in months.

 

[WSurf]

DECERTIFY ALPA NOW! ITS THE BIGGEST WASTE OF 2% of your check. With the amount of dues ive paid that have been wasted over the years I could have taken the lady out to even more nice dinners and we go out 3 nights a week.

True, I don't think ALPA is good for the regionals!! But when you were on strike, you sure didn't hesitate to Cash those checks that we (Alpa Members) sent ya! And don't blame ALPA for your current conditions!!!! Didn't you guys vote it in????? Remember, every man for himself.... Maybe its you that needs to stop whinning!!!

 

[Marko Ramius]

The history you don't know

WTF-Over,

This isn't a new union-busting technique, it's just seems to be new to you. Whipsaw's have been going on for quite sometime before this latest round. Be it NY Air vs. Texas International, the many predecessor carriers that now make up Eagle(and are responsible for some of the flying you now do at Mesaba btw), or B scales at AA, UA, etc. Whining (no matter how eloquent) didn't seem to help them out of those situations, doubt it will help you. There are solutions, but most of them aren't pretty and without risk-things which many Americans and pilots in particular have become quite adverse to so out comes the whining. Or you can go fight with less money under D'Angelo's theory b/c it's too hard and too much work to reform ALPA.

 

[WTF-Over]

Atkin said even bigger aircraft may be in the works for its Delta Connection service. Delta is negotiating with its pilots for permission to hire regional airlines like SkyWest and ASA to fly jets with more than 70 passengers. If the pilots agree, SkyWest could acquire 90-seat aircraft.
SkyWest is moving to larger jets because there is a need for them in some of its markets. And the cost of flying larger aircraft is cheaper, Atkin said.

This is my point, now you will be flying 90 seaters for 50 seat pay. You have no ability to ask for anything higher plus your taken away your own job proggresion.

 

[WTF-Over]

So one of the sapa reps who has done major damage to the work rules and wages not just at skywest but also caused a rippling effect to other carriers has "resigned his position". He is as anti union as they come and was specifically the biggest proponent of "flying up to 99 seats for 50 seat wages" as anyone out there. When this was comming up on a vote he never flew....he just trolled the sapa message boards and sold this agreement to everybody "this is only temperary.....throw the company a bone and when we get some of these jets on the property they will deal us an ace and better pay...separate the pay, etc".

Not surprisingly more than a few pilots are watching with interest to see where he goes (his lips are sealed for obvious reasons) and if that happens to be a union carrier that used its powers to create a work environment that "John Doe"obviously preferrs over the non union one he was so pompous about while at skywest. One other thing...during his tenure of basically giving away pilot pay and work rules to management he applied for a cheif pilot job.....was not accepted so he went back to cramming more junk down the general pilot groups throats.....maybe after all that the chief pilot job in SAN still wasnt going to work out so he turned to one of the those darn majors with its evil union and is now movin over leaving a very sad legacy and ruins behind him for those pilots he was supposed to represent to "deal with" now that he is gone. Pretty soon he will forget all about those poor slobs as he kissed butt trying to make cheif pilot at his new airline. Whoever got him.....beware!

Apparently not all skywest pilots are happy!! This is from another post

 

[whipsaw]

WTF-OVER,
Its about time somebody said this. This is the best post I have read in a long time. I think that you hit a nerve with some of these guys here.

 

[homerjdispatch]

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"WTF-OVER,
Its about time somebody said this. This is the best post I have read in a long time. I think that you hit a nerve with some of these guys here."





Did WTF-OVER just create his own "ALTER -EGO" handle?

Hope Nobody whiipsaws him against himself!

 

[theo]

Why did I come to SkyWest? I was furloughed (freight doggie). Lots of west coast flying. West coast domiciles. My friends who got hired here have stayed...and love it. It used to have a "family" feel, although not as much now cause the company has grown so much. The pay is decent. The maintenance is good.

Who we fly for, whether or not there is a union on property, or lifelong employment was never a factor in my decision to work here.

I take no joy in watching other pilots get hosed by their respective companies. I take no joy in the fact that I'm flying routes taken from other carriers. Its a job. We fly for a living. We apply for work at companies we think will bring us the most satisfaction, whatever those reasons may be.

I am fully aware there are no guarantees in aviation. Just trying to do the best I can for myself under the circumstances. Nobody owes me anything. I will move on when a better opportunity arises. No bloated ego, no immature finger-pointing, just a professional pilot who loves what I do, and keeps things professional so I won't undermine the respect we are given by the public, and from each other.

Business can be a ruthless, evil, greedy game. Not my bag baby, I'll just fly.

Great Post...Thank You!

 

[Ben Dover]

WTF-Over,
Dude, I think you're frustration is misplaced. It's not the SkyWest pilots or non-union status that's created your situation. Pilot pay is a tiny fraction of the over-all cost per hour to operate an RJ. Superior management and a bit of luck has put SkyWest head and shoulders above most other regional carriers. So don't be pissed at the SkyWest boys, you should be pissed at your own inept management team.