Skyway: Everyone gets severence pay, except pilots

[DH106]

May I suggest to all Skyway guys that if the company wants manuals back, etc., don't drop them off, don't use the prepaid shipping label they'll probably send you, don't do a damn thing. Tell them that their crap will be sitting on the street if they want to drive out and pick it up. Don't even shake any of their hands upon leaving. Don't send them a letter of resignation. There are no bridges to burn here -- they burned them for you.

 

[fam62c]

This is bad news for Skyway but good news for a lot of other airlines who will be able to get some excellent, hard-working employees. The Skyway folks are a great bunch of people and they will do well wherever they go. There's not a group out there that takes better care of the passengers.

 

[transampilot]

The problem with not bringing back your manuals is that there going to charge you a lot of money. They take the money out of your last paycheck. It adds up dont bring in your Sida, company ID, toufer, and xcard and that alone is a couple hundred. If you have given two weeks they take it out of the vacation pay you may or may not get.

 

[DH106]

Transampilot, you're right -- they will try to do that. But, it might not be legal for them to do so. Can anyone with legal experience indicate if the company can withhold wages for not returning manuals? I'm just brainstorming ways to get even with those F***ers.

My favorite quote from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article was Midwest's SOB spokesman, Michael Brophy, stating, "It's not as if we're slamming the door on them." That was an exact quote.

Here's the whole article:

Nearly 200 Midwest Connect pilots who are losing their jobs are not being offered severance pay, and their union claims the pilots are being unfairly singled out.

Skyway Airlines Inc., which operates Midwest Connect for corporate parent Midwest Air Group Inc., will provide severance pay to flight attendants, mechanics and other employees. Skyway pilots, who are members of the Air Line Pilots Association, say they've been denied similar offers because of their union membership.

"All we asked for is to be treated fairly," said Randy Schmidt, chairman of the Skyway pilots union.
The union's contract with Skyway doesn't include a severance pay provision. That's typical for the airline industry, said Schmidt and Michael Brophy, spokesman for Midwest Air, which also operates Midwest Airlines.

Severance pay "is not stipulated in the contract," Brophy said, so the company is not providing it to the pilots. Brophy said other employees who are not covered by union contracts will receive severance pay because "it's a fair thing to do for those employees."

According to Schmidt, Skyway Chief Executive Officer David Reeve told union leaders that the company's pilots enjoyed the benefits of a union contract for 10 years, while other Skyway employees worked without contracts.

Skyway's position is "mean-spirited and vindictive," Schmidt said.

In response to those complaints by the union, Brophy said Midwest Air management was surprised.
"We thought we were working pretty well with the union on this situation," Brophy said. He cited other benefits offered to the pilots, including reduced air fares on Midwest Connect/Midwest Airlines, and sponsorship of job fairs.

"It's not as if we're slamming the door on them," Brophy said.

Oak Creek-based Midwest Air announced Jan. 16 that it was hiring Utah-based SkyWest Airlines Inc. to handle its Midwest Connect jet flights. Midwest Air hired SkyWest to begin flying 50-seat regional jets under the Midwest Connect name in 2007. The remaining routes, mainly using 32-seat jets, were staffed by Skyway employees.

By April, SkyWest will begin flying all Midwest Connect jet routes with additional 50-seat aircraft. The larger jets provide additional seating capacity at about the same cost of operating the smaller aircraft, and they will help the airline operate more efficiently. As a result, about 380 full-time and part-time Skyway employees will lose their jobs.
Roughly half of the affected Skyway employees are pilots, Schmidt said.

The Skyway flight attendants, who joined the Teamsters union just days before the announced job cuts, will receive two weeks of severance pay, plus one additional week of pay for each year of employment at Skyway. Schmidt said that same severance pay is being offered to mechanics and other nonunion, hourly employees. Management employees will receive severance pay as well, he said.

Also, the flight attendants - whose newly certified union had not yet negotiated a contract - and nonunion, hourly employees are receiving a higher subsidy for their health insurance after leaving Skyway, Schmidt said. He said the pilots' health insurance will be subsidized during their third and fourth months after losing their jobs, while the other employees will receive subsidies during all four months after their jobs are eliminated.

The Skyway job cuts are coming after Midwest Air defeated a hostile takeover attempt by AirTran Holdings Inc. During that campaign, Chairman Timothy Hoeksema warned of big job cuts if AirTran acquired Midwest Air. AirTran executives denied those claims and said they planned to greatly expand the operations by cutting air fares and ratcheting up departures from Mitchell International Airport.
On Jan. 31, Midwest Air completed its $451.8 million sale to TPG Capital and Northwest Airlines Corp., which outbid AirTran. TPG Capital, a private equity firm based in Fort Worth, Texas, owns a 53% stake in Midwest Air, with Northwest holding a 47% non-management stake.

 

[Soverytired]

Very, very sad.

I think Skyway pilots will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly other airlines pick them up though.

Pilot hiring boards aren't above thinking "that could be me someday" and this will work in Skyway pilots favor.

 

[maverick24]

I have several ways that I have been "sticking it" to Midwest and causing as many delays as possible. There are a lot of creative ways to do it without being suspected. Not to mention ways specified in the "collective bargaining agreement that we have had the benefit of for 10 years."

Personally, I had to turn down an offer at Republic because I have a lot of unused vacation and was not allowed to back date my resignation to give 2 weeks notice. Another way I have been "Skywayed." Now I am stuck waiting for a class at Skywest.

For now Skyway stills pays the bills and gives me the power to make more money by taxiing at a less than Northwest pace.

 

[Illini Pilot]

Very, very sad.

I think Skyway pilots will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly other airlines pick them up though.

Pilot hiring boards aren't above thinking "that could be me someday" and this will work in Skyway pilots favor.

I haven't heard of many people having a problem finding something...tons of FOs are going to RAH/Compass/Mesaba (Skywest as well was quick to offer interviews, but they have that whole pool thing going on now). Captains are going to AirTran, Spirit and I've heard of several with NWA and UAL.

 

[mynameisjim]

Personally, I had to turn down an offer at Republic because I have a lot of unused vacation and was not allowed to back date my resignation to give 2 weeks notice. Another way I have been "Skywayed." Now I am stuck waiting for a class at Skywest.

Everyone is different, but it doesn't seem like a good idea to choose a job over a couple weeks of vacation.

 

[pilotmyf]

It gives me the power to make more money by taxiing at a less than Northwest pace.

I just spit water through my nose!!!

 

[DH106]

Taxiing at less than a Northwest pace is a good one, but then there's also throwing out the gear and flaps 25 miles out. That would send a message to Uncle Tim's wallet.