Pure rumor about Pinnacle.

[BOX OFFICE]

This "rumor/threat" of bankruptcy reminds me a lot of Comair's first push for concessions in 2002 shortly after signing their "windfall" contract. Gotta love management in the regionals. Wash, rinse, repeat.

I really hope you all don't fall for it.

 

[BoilerUP]

Do none of you people know how to read a 10-Q?

 

[jynxyjericho]

Sounds plausible. I could see it coming and called it beforehand. I've said time and time again that Pinnacle would get screwed in this merger. With Mesaba continuing to shrink, EAS flying headed out the window, Saabs hitting the sand parking lot, Pinnacle Holdings cannot continue to make $$$$$ based on the massive downsizing. And what did we Pinnacle guys get? A "great" contract according to the arbitrator, "upwards of 24% average pay increase." Pinnacle's future would have been far better stand-alone. Our new contract isn't something to be too proud of. Pilots at Eagle, ASA, and XJT all make more than I do at my seat/year on same quipment. Pinnacle had a great amount of hiring and upgrading since July 2010. Now, Colgan and Mesaba will dip their hands into that cookie jar. I don't think a 9E pilot will upgrade in a 900 for quite a long time. The ratios screwed over Pinnacle pilots 100%, based on 5.41 Captains on the CRJ-200 per plane.

This merger sucked, our list sucks, our ratios suck. I, for one, can't wait to get the **** outta here.

Did you have to go to school to get this dumb?

 

[DoinTime]

Do none of you people know how to read a 10-Q?

Most of the people on this board can't be bothered to read outside the message boards.

Reference the sign off below ----------->

 

[Flyer1015]

Did you have to go to school to get this dumb?

Nothing was dumb, most of the posted info was extracted from the award itself.

 

[altimaklr]

Feel free to read the last quarterly earnings report. Pinnacle is making a profit, has cash, most of the debt has been renegotiated at good rates. New CEO/CFO joined in the last two months who are both respected guys from Frontier who probably wouldn't have come if they knew the company was sinking.

Most of the expense of the new contract and JFK move is being paid for by DELTA. Saab flying will eventually come to an end but hiring will pick up at the majors soon, and in anycase 350 pilots could easily be absorbed into the jet system. This is a ridiculous rumor.

 

[jynxyjericho]

Nothing was dumb, most of the posted info was extracted from the award itself.

Oh I have no argument with the quoted text. My concerns concentrate on your continued negativity toward the contract. The sarcastic chastizing of Blochs view, award, and sequent fences simply says to the reader, "This guy thought we got a great deal on the pay and a fair shake on the SLI, but I think he's wrong and my life is ending due to the fences." Step away from the window ledge, you're going to make it, everything will be ok!

Even more embarassing is your complaint about other airlines getting paid more than you for your seat and equipment. Everyone was paid more than you until this contract. It was not an issue when you were hired obviously, Saab FO's at Mesaba made more than you too. I am forced to reason that you would rather get your old contract back if it meant you could upgrade a little faster

The majority of pilots at Pinnacle can't possibly agree with this reasoning can they?

 

[MACH-TUCK]

This rumor was started by a few 9e flight attendants in MSP, the company is playing the " were too broke to give you a better contract" card. It appears that its working.

 

[xjhawk]

Hey flyer1015 I must say there are a bunch of Mesaba pilots hired late 2000-early 2004 who were screwed way more than you. Guess what? I did not get a pay raise in the contract, my reserve rules and usage got worse thanks to 9E's verbage and usage. Oh and thanks to the wonderful Mr Bloch not taking into account the movement of Mesaba list because of the flow me and those mentioned were screwed about 500-600 numbers. This in essence takes away any future bidding I would have in the jet to get a decent schedule or Domicile in the next ten years (5 for sure). If this would not have happened (merger), I would have remained a MSP jet captain with maybe a slight bump to FO for a short while and I would have moved to better than top 1/4 in the company. Now I am just above half.....I will say it again, I am just above half way up the list! I went from 390's to the 1250's! WTF! I am trying to look beyond this and in no way hold Colgan or 9E pilots responsible nor will treat them with anything with anything other than respect and as a fellow pilot at the same company. Lets come together and look forward....I am trying to put a positive spin on this (I hope the need for jet pilots can absorb the saabs leaving) and I will say I am actively looking for another job....please lets see some hiring.

 

[Flyer1015]

I am forced to reason that you would rather get your old contract back if it meant you could upgrade a little faster

The majority of pilots at Pinnacle can't possibly agree with this reasoning can they?

Well, you got a point. I think I'd agree with that. At 41.10/hr this year as a FO, or, $61 as a Captain had 9E not merged, nor gotten the new (XJ) contract. I'll take the latter. This year, I'd make more money under the old contract simply for moving up to the left seat. Now, that movement has been blockaded to allow other 9L and XJ pilots in.

Hey flyer1015 I must say there are a bunch of Mesaba pilots hired late 2000-early 2004 who were screwed way more than you. Guess what? I did not get a pay raise in the contract, my reserve rules and usage got worse thanks to 9E's verbage and usage. Oh and thanks to the wonderful Mr Bloch not taking into account the movement of Mesaba list because of the flow me and those mentioned were screwed about 500-600 numbers. This in essence takes away any future bidding I would have in the jet to get a decent schedule or Domicile in the next ten years (5 for sure). If this would not have happened (merger), I would have remained a MSP jet captain with maybe a slight bump to FO for a short while and I would have moved to better than top 1/4 in the company. Now I am just above half.....I will say it again, I am just above half way up the list! I went from 390's to the 1250's! WTF! I am trying to look beyond this and in no way hold Colgan or 9E pilots responsible nor will treat them with anything with anything other than respect and as a fellow pilot at the same company. Lets come together and look forward....I am trying to put a positive spin on this (I hope the need for jet pilots can absorb the saabs leaving) and I will say I am actively looking for another job....please lets see some hiring.

I'd agree to that. First 272 XJ guys made out great, the next 100 were ok, but if you were #371 or beyond, ya got kinda hosed.

 

[altimaklr]

Get over the SLI. Life isn't fair, move on.

 

[jynxyjericho]

Well, you got a point. I think I'd agree with that. At 41.10/hr this year as a FO, or, $61 as a Captain had 9E not merged, nor gotten the new (XJ) contract. I'll take the latter. This year, I'd make more money under the old contract simply for moving up to the left seat. Now, that movement has been blockaded to allow other 9L and XJ pilots in.

Why not get paid $50 bucks an hour as a CA, maybe we'll get you that upgrade faster? Better yet, $41.20 - no no no, get $30 an hour, and we'll get you that upgrade tomorrow!

What timeframe are you looking at for that lightswitch to go off on your head? Will it be a few years down the line, or only once you are at a mainline carrier? Once you are at the next step, will your desire for a profession start right then, or only after a few years or big enough equipment or what?

 

[Flyer1015]

Why not get paid $50 bucks an hour as a CA, maybe we'll get you that upgrade faster? Better yet, $41.20 - no no no, get $30 an hour, and we'll get you that upgrade tomorrow!

What timeframe are you looking at for that lightswitch to go off on your head? Will it be a few years down the line, or only once you are at a mainline carrier? Once you are at the next step, will your desire for a profession start right then, or only after a few years or big enough equipment or what?

I'm not proposing undercutting others. I'll leave that to management. But I am being honest. Had Pinnacle been standalone, we would not take any hits/penalties from XJ's parking Saab fleet. Now, not only did we merge the airlines and the list, we are being penalized by horrendous ratios due to our staffing problems of Summer 2010. I went from being about 110 numbers from upgrade to about 300+ numbers away with ratio restrictions which realistically will push that even further. You're trying to sell me the merger and the new contract as I'm getting paid far greater as a FO, for the next 2 years minimum I'll be a FO? Why would I want that? Pinnacle standalone would have netted an upgrade this year, along with a corresponding upgrade which would equate to a higher payrate, and certainly higher than our current FOs under the new contract. That the cold hard truth. You went off on some tangent about undercutting others for an upgrade or something, that is totally irrelevant. I had no vote on the merger. If it was up to me, I'd vote no and keep Pinnacle standalone. As altimaklr said, what's done is done, nothing can change it.


Screw it dude, like xjhawk, I'm working 100% on trying to get the **** outta here.

 

[bri5150]

I'm not proposing undercutting others. I'll leave that to management. But I am being honest. Had Pinnacle been standalone, we would not take any hits/penalties from XJ's parking Saab fleet. Now, not only did we merge the airlines and the list, we are being penalized by horrendous ratios due to our staffing problems of Summer 2010. I went from being about 110 numbers from upgrade to about 300+ numbers away with ratio restrictions which realistically will push that even further. You're trying to sell me the merger and the new contract as I'm getting paid far greater as a FO, for the next 2 years minimum I'll be a FO? Why would I want that? Pinnacle standalone would have netted an upgrade this year, along with a corresponding upgrade which would equate to a higher payrate, and certainly higher than our current FOs under the new contract. That the cold hard truth. You went off on some tangent about undercutting others for an upgrade or something, that is totally irrelevant. I had no vote on the merger. If it was up to me, I'd vote no and keep Pinnacle standalone. As altimaklr said, what's done is done, nothing can change it.


Screw it dude, like xjhawk, I'm working 100% on trying to get the **** outta here.

If you feel so strongly about the quick upgrade, why didn't you go to Colgan instead of Pinnacle then? You say you don't want to undercut anyone, but the rest of your post is exactly that. You would take less money (if you had a vote) in order to upgrade faster. I understand where you are coming from, but you paint Pinnacle as this rosey fantastic place to work prior to the merger, which certainly wasn't the case (from what I hear and see now). Whether you like it or not, I am sure even more 200's would have been lost to poor performance, you would be getting junior manned all over the place, and you wouldn't have ever had the opportunity to upgrade into the 900 in your current base. Not only that, you probably would have had to strike to get a new contract which is a loss in pay right there.

 

[Flyer1015]

If you feel so strongly about the quick upgrade, why didn't you go to Colgan instead of Pinnacle then?

I applied to both, Pinnacle called first and hired me. Ironically, had I gone to Colgan in 2007, I would have been much higher on the seniority list now. Even more ironically, starting at Pinnacle in 2007, then quitting 6 months later to go to Colgan in 2008 and starting there would have still net me a higher position on the seniority list than what I got now.

You say you don't want to undercut anyone, but the rest of your post is exactly that. You would take less money (if you had a vote) in order to upgrade faster.

This isn't about taking less money. All I said was I was ok with the old standalone Pinnacle, with our old CBA, while we fought for TA#2. Those conditions to me, back then, were fine. And make no mistake, I would be making more in 6 months from now under the old Pinnacle and old Pinnacle contract than I will 6 months from now as (still) a FO. Besides, I had tons of other reasons for wanting to vote no to this merger, things like XJ being a super-senior group, XJ Saabs being parked, etc.

I understand where you are coming from, but you paint Pinnacle as this rosey fantastic place to work prior to the merger, which certainly wasn't the case (from what I hear and see now). Whether you like it or not, I am sure even more 200's would have been lost to poor performance, you would be getting junior manned all over the place, and you wouldn't have ever had the opportunity to upgrade into the 900 in your current base. Not only that, you probably would have had to strike to get a new contract which is a loss in pay right there.

Pinnacle wasn't a rosey place, however, when I started, we had tons of movement and constant attrition. No one was on reserve for anything more than a couple months, and upgrades and movement was constant. There were times I had several CAs junior to me because they had the time. I take issue with your statement of me upgrading intoa 900 into my current base. You make it sound like that is a possibility now, since that is what your airline brought to this merger. Lets be clear: no Pinnacle pilot will be upgarding into the CRJ900 for quite some time to come. The fences are HORRIBLE, and the 900 is a senior plane due to more money. Please do not try and sell me this me this merger by telling me I can bid a 900 position in my base. As for your last comment, strike?! LMAO! You wish. We were close to being released into self-help (a path that would head straight into a strike), but certain union member caved and in the end we got TA#1. I can't say much for the new union leaders at Pinnacle, but I can tell you the past leaders, the good ol' Memphis boys club, would say they fight for the pilot group, but secretly ensured that a strike never happen. They are tied to this company for life, and a strike would be financially unbearable. No, a strike was not within reach from 2005 to 2010.