Skywest & ASA management: READ!

[bayoubandit]

Live a day on reserve and you'll think differently.

 

["GO AROUND"]

I wouldn't wish reserve on anyone at ASA. Reserve at any other regional is better than ASA. Secheduling at any other regional is better than ASA's.

 

[Phony Marconi]

The reserve at ASA sucks.

I think all would agree that the least-senior pilots should get the fewest days off, have last pick at trips, and maintain the least control over their schedule.

However, this should be only with regard to OTHER PILOTS, and not with respect to the IMBECILES THAT RUN THE SCHEDULING DEPARTMENT.

If the system were fair, then nobody would gripe about "buffer", "low coverage", etc.....so long as the fairness were transparent and applicable to all.

But the Company has been using schedulers as henchmen to wage war on pilots, to "tighten the screws", as well as to cover up that they were negligent in hiring enough pilots to cover the flying.

How many flights were cancelled in the last year due to lack of available pilots? Is that info available? Would the DOT like what they saw?

 

[Crash Pad]

So you all haven't figured out the reserve system yet... All you have to do is scream at the schedulars every time they call. Swear, threaten lives, and always take your issues to the chief pilot... Oh I almost forgot no matter what happens ask to speak to a manager.

 

["GO AROUND"]

Nah, you just gotta call em and tell them that you want to fly when you don't and don't want to fly when you do and you will get it.

 

[blueridge71]

Reserve at ASA does suck. Here is how it was at ACA:

3:45 daily guarantee

They could not trade your days. Every day off was a GDO.

Ready reserve deducted 4:45 from guarantee and added it back above guarantee. That was a moneymaker.

When you completed an assignment, you were either released to rest, reassigned, or given a maximum three hour callback. No other options.

14 hour duty day. Up to to 15 for weather or mechanicals.

Fly me first or fly me last system.

Bucket system that was visible on a free up-to-the-minute website. No bribing schedulers with pizzas and no paying $7/month for something that isn't even real time. You could look in open time and look at the buckets and see what you should get. If they assigned something out of order, you could grieve it.

At Air Whisky, I think that they even have a long call reserve system for at least part of the month.

ASA's reserve system is closer to the one that our FAs had.

 

[ASADriver]

I wouldn't wish reserve on anyone at ASA. Reserve at any other regional is better than ASA. Secheduling at any other regional is better than ASA's.

Even worse than MESAs and Pinnacles? I don't think so. I have flown with some guys who bid reserve because they fly so little. If you live in town, it can be a pretty good gig. One guy I flew with only flew 150 hours last year on 700 reserve. Not bad if you ask me.

Could it be better, YES! Is the worst in the industry NO! Are the "chest-thumper" trouble makers using this to rile up the troops - YES!

I would rather sit reserve at ASA, then hold a line at MESA.

 

[~~~^~~~]

Folks, read Neal's posts because this is what ALPA is thinking. ALPA is currently negotiating to get small jet flying (jets less than 100 seats) back on the Delta property. In perspective, what ALPA is negotiating on the Delta property is a whole lot more important than the "no progress" on the ASA property. All need to understand that part of the reason ASA negotiations are going nowhere is because ASA/SkyWest negotiates for the left overs after ALPA negotiates for the Delta pilots.

Well gee...then why on earth did the small jet MEC's get together in Herndon a few weeks ago to discuss how NOT to underbid each other? It wasn't for the good company that's for sure...maybe it was because our MEC's actually want to stop this race to the bottom and bidding on one another's jobs based on pilot pay alone?
-Neal

Sorry but a few MEC's singing Kum By Yah doesn't cut it. ASA and Comair's MEC had been singing together for years, but Comair's MEC still could not resist the first chance they had for a little predatory bargaining. It takes strong National leadership (which ALPA lacks) and a refusal to sign a couple of concessionary agreements for the word to get out.

You'd be surprised what DW has said in public and in private about this very issue. He knows what is going on and does in fact acknowledge the problems at hand and is very interested in helping us fix them.

We must fight our issues with the knowledge we are vendors and not airlines as that is the only way to make progress in this battle. -Neal

Holy Crap!

Neal, so we are not professional pilots, or ALPA members, and the Constitution and ByLaws do not exist to protect our interests? If this is true, why are we in ALPA? How do we "make progress in this battle" if our union accepts defeat by admitting we are not "airline pilots?"

We are alter ego airlines within the same brand. ALPA has a duty to fight alter ego and one tool they have is their merger and fragmentation policy. But, people who think like you do think that we don't have the right to insist on fair representation and that we fail the test to be a "real airline pilot."

If I hear Duane Woerth ever say what you just wrote I will personally begin a decertification effort.

 

[reno]

I agree! 100%.

Give me a $2/hr. raise (+ profit sharing) and the better scheduling and work rules, show ALPA the door and let me keep my 2%.

I'm happy now. That would make me REALLY happy.

Why would you accept what SkyWest pilots have now. Last month SkyWest pilots overwhelmingly rejected a new TA proposed by management that included what we already have plus a 1.2% raise.

In addition to the 1.2%, we had the opportunity to permanently affirm flying 70 seater's as well as 90 seater's at our 50 seat pay. We also had the opportunity to approve that TA with NO EXPIRATION DATE!

SkyWest may get paid more than ASA now for the CRJ200 but we earn less on the 700. With our profit sharing it's probably a wash overall.

We rejected flying larger aircraft for 200 pay. Some argue that we have 70/90 seat rates in place already as a result of our last TA, now over 3 years old. We do not. We have expired rates. We rejected a contract reaffirming those rates on the 700/900. We rejected a TA with no expiration date.

I cannot tell you where we will end up. I can tell you that management is trying to whipsaw ASA against SkyWest pilots. Let's not race to the bottom!

 

[ohplease!]

Reserve at ASA does suck. Here is how it was at ACA:

3:45 daily guarantee

They could not trade your days. Every day off was a GDO.

Ready reserve deducted 4:45 from guarantee and added it back above guarantee. That was a moneymaker.

When you completed an assignment, you were either released to rest, reassigned, or given a maximum three hour callback. No other options.

14 hour duty day. Up to to 15 for weather or mechanicals.

Fly me first or fly me last system.

Bucket system that was visible on a free up-to-the-minute website. No bribing schedulers with pizzas and no paying $7/month for something that isn't even real time. You could look in open time and look at the buckets and see what you should get. If they assigned something out of order, you could grieve it.

At Air Whisky, I think that they even have a long call reserve system for at least part of the month.

ASA's reserve system is closer to the one that our FAs had.

and we all know how well that whole ACA thing has turned out...