Skywest ALPA OC petitions NMB

[Marsupial]

Yes, but why does SKW remain, all things considered, the leader among the regionals? Proof of this is the simple fact that SKW continues to attract pilots from ALPA represented airlines and many of those pilots report overall improvement rather than a descline in things like QOL, culture, pay and others.

I don't doubt much of what you say but the question remains, why does SKW continue to lead among the regionals?

perhaps the powers that be are keeping things at skywest decent enough for some to consider us one of the 'leaders among regionals' in an attermpt to prevent alpa from being voted on property. but should all the naysayers and anti-unionists get their way and alpa is voted down...well then watch out, the axe may fall and our being a leader will be just a distant memory.

 

[SkyNation]

on the contrary, some of the big wigs will be in LA next week for the SAPA meeting, and I wouldn't be surprised if we're thrown some of bone or goodies.

 

[Marsupial]

that's what i mean. they probably will throw a bone or goodies...kind of like a bribe. they won't take it away again till the vote is over and done with.

 

[SSDD]

It's amazing that you admit that they may throw bone, rather than actually deal with the problems, but that's ok with you.

 

[jayme]

very good points. perhaps nothing, it IS because of the industry. in fact, I think I'll change my signature to reflect that truism.

No, those points are idiotic.

The problems at SkyWest are that QOL and compensation are slowly eroding. That is indisputable. If we had a contract that whole time it would have been ILLEGAL for company to make those changes.

EVERY INDUSTRY wants to minimize costs and maximize profits. There is nothing magical about this industry that makes it necessary to treat the employees worse than any other industry. In fact, this highly profitable company has absolutely NO reason to be nickle-and-diming us to death.

And ONCE AGAIN, you introduce the retarded argument that ALPA is making pie-in-the-sky promises. IT'S NOT HAPPENING!!!! Show me ONE such promise from a credible union OC member!

 

[MYFpilot]

And ONCE AGAIN, you introduce the retarded argument that ALPA is making pie-in-the-sky promises. IT'S NOT HAPPENING!!!! Show me ONE such promise from a credible union OC member!

Good Point!! In-fact here's EXACTLY what the OC is promising at SkyWest...

1. Skywest pilots will promote safety in our practices, policies and in our contract and will join efforts with management to have Skywest Airlines achieve the finest safety record in the airline industry.

2. Our relationship with management will provide clear statements and understandings of the contractual rights and responsibilities of both parties. We will promote a positive atmosphere and a constructive labor relations environment that respects different points of view and recognizes the importance of a healthy and growing company. We will seek to resolve any disputes or
differences in a fair and timely manner.

3. Compensation, work rules, benefits and job security will recognize the substantial contribution that pilots make to the company’s success and will make employment at Skywest a realistic and rewarding choice for our careers.

4. Pilot leadership will seek input and involvement from members; our practices will be open, inclusive and democratic; and, we will recruit and train future leaders to carry forward these values. We will represent our members professionally and effectively.

5. Our pilot group will participate actively in our Association and seek opportunities to work constructively for the good of our profession and for a stronger Association.


Seems pretty reasonable to me.

 

[HelloNewman]

This is a very true statement. It's like a football injury. Sure your knee is sprained, but if you wern't wearing that helmet, you would be in a coma.

Go away freddie, how about you lick your wounds from losing the colgan drive. ALPA steals 2% of your paycheck period end of sentance. This is big reason why it wont pass at SkyWest. BTW you are invited to my goodbye ALPA BBQ. It may have to be held in New Jersey but I hope to find a way to make it work in chicago.

 

[Exskydiverdrivr]

Skynation- although I'm on the other side of the argument, I'll at least give ya props for some of your points.

The way I see it, 9-11 changed everything. I was fairly new to the 121 side of airplanes. The majors were hiring like crazy ( probably the only way my dumbass got hired).

But even then I was looking around and asking myself how the majors planned on sustaining all this growth. Came as no surprise to me when the furloughs went through the roof.

I'm old enough to remember the CAL/UAL strikes. I didn't need "Flying The Line" to explain it to me. CEO's who run unchecked start to act as if it's a big Monopoly game and God help you if they get Boardwalk and the hotels.

I was anti-union when I first came here too. I have just seen the QOL slip too far. I do want a raise, but not at the expense of crippling the Co. My dog in this fight is QOL.

I voted for the new SAPA President. I have ZERO faith in SAPA, but I voted. Did you?

The new President of Skywest has been here about 5 yrs. JA won't be around forever, and this guy will do what almost every CEO in history has done. (GET HIS). And whether or not you like BH it's his job to not give us any more than he's forced to. SAPA has no negotiaing power.

You can ask what a union has done for regionals. I think the better question would be "What would some regionals be without one?" Mesa- who's CEO would have you chained in a cave on your 1 DAY off comes to mind...

 

[SSDD]

By the time this actually comes to a vote, this thread will be about 100 pages long. Mostly from rehashing the same issues with the likes of Skynation and Hellonewman.

 

[SkyNation]

yeah, and the same rehashing doesn't come from you, jayme, Gr82 and all the others? sheesh

let's have the stupid vote and move on. I'll still be very surprised if it passes

 

[Stifler's Mom]

I have hopes that the ALPA vote will pass, but fear that "GENERATION ME" will kill it.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

The Peanut Butter Jar Principle of Management.

At the college I attended, more than 20 years ago now, we dined in a huge build ing—all 4,000 plus of us at once. Seating arrangements were 10 per table with a mix of all classes at each table. The seniors sat at the head of the table and the freshmen sat at the end. The peanut butter jars, of course, were somewhere in the middle. We all liked the peanut butter jars—especially a new untouched one. The first person to delve into a “virgin” jar often did so with some ceremony.

One day we arrived at lunch to discover the peanut butter jars were gone—replaced by little peanut butter packets. We were not happy. A form was filled out by the freshmen at each meal. After checking the usual boxes— Fast, Neat, Average, Friendly, Good—they would inquire if any upperclassmen had any comments for the form. “We want the peanut butter jars back!” we screamed. Word quickly spread through the 400 plus tables and the write-in campaign was on. Three meals per day, over a thousand forms each day going in to whomever read them, demanding the return of the peanut butter jars.


About a month and 30,000 forms later, we arrived at lunch and, while milling around the tables prior to the announcements that proceeded our dining, we noticed THE JARS WERE BACK! The crescendo of conversational noise in the huge hall was appreciably louder than normal as people took notice. We fell silent as the announcements from “the tower” began. The final announcement, appropriately, was simply “…and gentlemen, the peanut butter jars have returned!” PANDEMONIUM! Four thousand guys celebrating like we’d just beaten Army and Navy in football on the same afternoon.


Except for one guy. Standing to my left was Dave T., one class senior to me. Dave had this little grin on his face as he sadly shook his head while observing the raucous behavior of the student body. “What’s wrong with you?” I asked. His reply was something I’d never forget. “Look at everybody…so happy…yet we don’t have one thing we didn’t have a month ago.” Dave, for some irrational reason, later chose to be an officer in the Marines, but I’ll never
forget him as the author of what I later dubbed “The Peanut Butter Jar Principle of Management.”

The concept is simple. If you want to raise the morale of the workforce you don’t necessarily have to give them anything. Merely taking something away and reinstating it later will have the same effect.

 

[Exskydiverdrivr]

Skynation did you vote in the SAPA election?

 

[dumbidea]

I used to be a republican and anti-union. I blame Bush/Cheney for turning me into a Democrat and SAPA for turning me pro-union.

The smartest guy in the room.

 

[urflyingme?!]

OK guys, I'll add my $.02.

I worked at Mesa Air for about two years. I'm pro-ALPA.

Here is the reason. ALPA isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread, it's the only thing though. I really don't see a downside to voting in ALPA. What will happen if it comes on property at SKYW? Nothing. We will still make money, planes will still fly, and we'll continue to make an awesome profit. I'm glad we make 30 million a quarter, I can't wait until we make 50!

Here's the deal though. We're not some schmo who just showed up one day and became a pilot, and we work in an industry that is almost completely based on seniority. We have a personal investment in this company, and we do our best to see it survive. Every day that your seniority progresses at SKYW you add a penny to that investment, one day at a time you invest part of your most limited asset, time, into this company, and it's collective future. ALPA is just one tool to be used to insure that the investment you make isn't wiped away by a penstroke from a corporate leader, or unsavory manager.

In the great depression (which 9/11 reflects in this industry) many banks failed. This led to the FDIC being implemented in the banking industry. If you read the fine print you will find that the FDIC only insures $100,000 per account held. It isn't perfect, but I don't see anyone abstaining form depositing funds in an FDIC insured account because, "It won't protect everything." ALPA is an important step in the right direction for protecting your priceless investment in the success of this company. A company which I love.

Second, ALPA has a large number of services and protections which simply are not available without union representation. I would support an independant union, wholeheartedly, but due to the nature and demographic of a regional carrier, it would ultimately fail.

Thirdly, this is a reason for which I am most supportive of ALPA or any union for a specialized trade, ESPECIALLY a seniority driven trade. ALPA is a way of taking ownership of your PROFESSION! FACE IT, LIKE IT OR NOT YOU ARE A HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONAL! Every day at work you are not being paid for showing up and completeling tasks. The company is paying rent on your certificate. Something which you risk every day on the line. SOmething that many employees at every airline know, and sometimes care nothing about. Ever been pressured to fly by a crew scheduler? Are they really qualified to suggest you fly ANY trip? No, so you better get someone in your corner who can tell them to shove it. You may move on one day to a major, or some other airline, that airline will have whatever it has in terms of PAY/QOL etc. based solely on the failure or success of ALPA. (alpa or not). We need to collectively face the reality of what this industry is. It is a dirty one, and a cuthroat one, and a UNION profession.

Don't want to join the union, fine! Just don't EVER complain about a single thing ever again for your entire career. Like it or not we are here because of three factors: Government, Management, and PILOT GROUPS. Historically management has been anti-pilot, government has been sluggish at best to protect the public and even slower to protect us, the driving force behind every single solitary flight.

PM me with any questions.

 

[fastback]

At the college I attended, more than 20 years ago now, we dined in a huge build ing—all 4,000 plus of us at once. Seating arrangements were 10 per table with a mix of all classes at each table. The seniors sat at the head of the table and the freshmen sat at the end.

Mitch's?

 

[MYFpilot]

OK guys, I'll add my $.02.

I worked at Mesa Air for about two years. I'm pro-ALPA.

Here is the reason. ALPA isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread, it's the only thing though. I really don't see a downside to voting in ALPA. What will happen if it comes on property at SKYW? Nothing. We will still make money, planes will still fly, and we'll continue to make an awesome profit. I'm glad we make 30 million a quarter, I can't wait until we make 50!

Here's the deal though. We're not some schmo who just showed up one day and became a pilot, and we work in an industry that is almost completely based on seniority. We have a personal investment in this company, and we do our best to see it survive. Every day that your seniority progresses at SKYW you add a penny to that investment, one day at a time you invest part of your most limited asset, time, into this company, and it's collective future. ALPA is just one tool to be used to insure that the investment you make isn't wiped away by a penstroke from a corporate leader, or unsavory manager.

In the great depression (which 9/11 reflects in this industry) many banks failed. This led to the FDIC being implemented in the banking industry. If you read the fine print you will find that the FDIC only insures $100,000 per account held. It isn't perfect, but I don't see anyone abstaining form depositing funds in an FDIC insured account because, "It won't protect everything." ALPA is an important step in the right direction for protecting your priceless investment in the success of this company. A company which I love.

Second, ALPA has a large number of services and protections which simply are not available without union representation. I would support an independant union, wholeheartedly, but due to the nature and demographic of a regional carrier, it would ultimately fail.

Thirdly, this is a reason for which I am most supportive of ALPA or any union for a specialized trade, ESPECIALLY a seniority driven trade. ALPA is a way of taking ownership of your PROFESSION! FACE IT, LIKE IT OR NOT YOU ARE A HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONAL! Every day at work you are not being paid for showing up and completeling tasks. The company is paying rent on your certificate. Something which you risk every day on the line. SOmething that many employees at every airline know, and sometimes care nothing about. Ever been pressured to fly by a crew scheduler? Are they really qualified to suggest you fly ANY trip? No, so you better get someone in your corner who can tell them to shove it. You may move on one day to a major, or some other airline, that airline will have whatever it has in terms of PAY/QOL etc. based solely on the failure or success of ALPA. (alpa or not). We need to collectively face the reality of what this industry is. It is a dirty one, and a cuthroat one, and a UNION profession.

Don't want to join the union, fine! Just don't EVER complain about a single thing ever again for your entire career. Like it or not we are here because of three factors: Government, Management, and PILOT GROUPS. Historically management has been anti-pilot, government has been sluggish at best to protect the public and even slower to protect us, the driving force behind every single solitary flight.

PM me with any questions.

Well said!! This is something all the I'm only at __________ (insert your favorite regional airline here crowd) for my 1000pic so who cares need to read. It's not about pay it's about your profession.

 

[SkyNation]

Skynation did you vote in the SAPA election?

I voted for BS. not sure why that matters since
he won by a landslide, and I'm not a cheerleader for SAPA. I wouldn't care if they went away, as long as at the end of the day I can look around and still feel like I'm doing better here than my counterparts elsewhere.

anyone else bored with this same old discussion?

 

[Nightrain_080]

Bored with the same old sapa excuses and hollow promises. Let's make Skywest a better place for the future. Sapa will not and cannot improve QOL or Pay.
I am bored with the PBS sh it le spreader. 10 days off as a standard is not Skywest at any level.

 

[Tomct]

Good Luck Guys/Gals! I hope it passes!!!!