Skywest Lawsuit - Pilot wins!

[XPOO]

Don't you find it funny how this "judgement" comes out just as the SkyWest pilots are in the middle of a union vote? I mean, come on, it's fairly obvious this is a total ALPA ploy to get you to vote pro-union. How many times will the SkyWest pilots give ALPA an ace (in the form of a purple plywood board) until they wise up. Don't give in to the ALPA spin!

 

[Skywest Pylot]

How many times will the SkyWest pilots give ALPA an ace (in the form of a purple plywood board) until they wise up.

I already gave up my ace to the company and have regretted it ever since.

 

[SpyFlysDOTs]

Don't you find it funny how this "judgement" comes out just as the SkyWest pilots are in the middle of a union vote? I mean, come on, it's fairly obvious this is a total ALPA ploy to get you to vote pro-union. How many times will the SkyWest pilots give ALPA an ace (in the form of a purple plywood board) until they wise up. Don't give in to the ALPA spin!

How do you put someone on the ignore list?
SO far, nobody is on that list on this board, this will be a first, and well deserved!

 

[yellowfever]

I agree. It is true that he had to pay his lawyer all up front, instead of 2% of his annual gross Skywest salary for 16 years. I wonder which would ultimately be cheaper?

2 percent of his annual income would be far cheaper than lawyer fees he has accrued.

 

[Soverytired]

2 percent of his annual income would be far cheaper than lawyer fees he has accrued.

If true, than I would agree that on a cost-basis alone, a union provided attorney would have been a better choice.

Of course, there are numerous pilots out there who would rather just take the chance that they don't need a lawyer anytime soon, and would rather not pay that 2% of their lifetime earnings.

If they're wrong, they'll have to pay out of pocket, of course. But they're adults, and supposedly freemen, so they should have that choice to make, right?

Not so in a closed shop, I'm afraid. You gonna pay, cuz' the beast must be fed.

 

[XPOO]

Geez, I can't even joke with people, and yes, the winky-face emoticon is there to represent intended sarcasm. I just took a similar post from a Union Supporter and swapped ALPA and SkyWest to show the humor in it.

 

[DontFeedTheBear]

Everyone is failing to realize that Don was NOT really fired for the fatigue call. He was fired because he stood up to that POS Tony Fizer. Skywest just needed to build a case on facts to back up Fizer's personal issue with Don. How professional is Fizer? I heard he has fired quite a few for personal reasons. Geez you guys need some representation on that property.

P.S. Fizer has been badgering several DAL employees for an interview for the past bunch of months. Most I have run into won't help him out, the others have actually "blacklisted" him. Do you think he knew the S*&T was gonna hit the fan in this case? Hmmm...

Yogi

After almost 10 years at SkyWest all I can say is you have to be careful when you call in fatigued. The few times I did it I got mixed results. Twice I was chewed out and twice nothning happened. The guy that chewed me out twice was Robin Walls. He is a piece of work, so stay away from him. Both times my chief pilot backed me though.

I once read on the SAPA site a post from the current SAPA pres. that he suggests that you just call in sick instead of fatigued. From my experience this is probably a better option when Robin Walls is the MOD.

 

[yellowfever]

If true, than I would agree that on a cost-basis alone, a union provided attorney would have been a better choice.

It is true!

 

[timetoquit]

Anyone know what happens to the ones that are wrongfully terminated? Do any of them get hired at any other airline and do other airlines realize the terminations are suspect?

 

[NJAPLT]

Anyone know what happens to the ones that are wrongfully terminated? Do any of them get hired at any other airline and do other airlines realize the terminations are suspect?

I would imagine some do know and some do not, one of the issues I have when I relate stories about Great Lakes is that some people don't believe that any airline could be that bad, or make those kind of decisions.

Years ago I jumpseated up front on United, the captain refused to believe that an airplane was legal to fly an ILS without an autopilot installed.

 

[Poahi]

The far greater problem is that there are hundreds of pilots that were given the 'opportunity' to resign and didn't want to take the chance of fighting it. I'd bet there are 10 of those that were 'wrongly intimidated out' versus an unlawful termination.

 

[XPOO]

So, the lesson learned here is...if you vote in ALPA you can write F*CK FIZER on any company property you want, lie about it, and still keep your job and continue to call in fatigued for your whole crew? Well, sh!t, son......what's taken you guys so long?

 

[GuppyPuppy]

After almost 10 years at SkyWest all I can say is you have to be careful when you call in fatigued. The few times I did it I got mixed results. Twice I was chewed out and twice nothning happened. The guy that chewed me out twice was Robin Walls. He is a piece of work, so stay away from him. Both times my chief pilot backed me though.

I once read on the SAPA site a post from the current SAPA pres. that he suggests that you just call in sick instead of fatigued. From my experience this is probably a better option when Robin Walls is the MOD.

I once called in fatigued in the middle of the day when after a very short night in IYK (after a long day) and a very early departure we flew LAX-ONT. I completely missed a turn over a VOR and my F/O saved my butt. Then, on the return flight to LAX we were given a heading. Her leg. She blew right through the heading and neither one of us realized it until we were 40 degrees beyond the assigned heading.

Next two legs were LAX-SNA-LAX. Both of us called in fatigued and rested in the crew room until we felt better.

This happened during the daylight in VFR conditions.

No repurcussions whatsoever from SkyWest. Maybe they realized the schedule they built was "marginally" safe.

Anyway, glad to see Don got his job back.

GP

 

[PBRstreetgang]

ATRDRIVER,

This story seems to make the case against ALPA. The pilot sued and won. Don't get me wrong, I'm an ALPA supporter, but if you're going to imply, albeit sarcastically, that Skywest doesn't need a union, then how would ALPA have handled it differently?

Uhhhmmm,
They might have paid for it! Seems DD spent more than 150K of HIS own money. Thats right HIS OWN money. Do you have that kind of cash laying around? I know for a fact SKYW has close to a BILLION $ laying around, and still couldn't win this one. Thats how wrong they were, what if your case weren't as clearly wrong? How ya gonna ask your parents to mortgage their retirement to save your 19.23 hr job? Thats what I thought, they would die laughing and you would inherit it, nice plan!
PBR

 

[PBRstreetgang]

Don't you find it funny how this "judgement" comes out just as the SkyWest pilots are in the middle of a union vote? I mean, come on, it's fairly obvious this is a total ALPA ploy to get you to vote pro-union. How many times will the SkyWest pilots give ALPA an ace (in the form of a purple plywood board) until they wise up. Don't give in to the ALPA spin!

xpoop,
You really shouldn't be lobbying for ALPA so hard! If ALPA can pressure a federal judge into making a judgment right smack in the middle of their union drive, I want them on my side! Lets see, influence a federal judge hearing a case of wrongful termination of a pilot that they don't represent, and get him/her to make that decision public during their union drive only after finding him innocent and wrongly terminated! These guys are the ones for me, what power and influence!
You are too fukking stupid for words.
PBR
Go recheck the computer radar flics in the "dispatch center" toolbox!

 

[XPOO]

So in other words PBR, SkyWest pilots should vote no, and then make sure they start a case against SkyWest around another union drive and the ALPA representation will be free? I mean why pay for what you can get free, right? I feel totally safe knowing a judge can be pressured into siding with the plaintiff when a union organization says it's cool. What, did the teamsters threaten to kill his family? Good to know the mob isn't totally gone these days.

 

[PBRstreetgang]

So in other words PBR, SkyWest pilots should vote no, and then make sure they start a case against SkyWest around another union drive and the ALPA representation will be free? I mean why pay for what you can get free, right? I feel totally safe knowing a judge can be pressured into siding with the plaintiff when a union organization says it's cool. What, did the teamsters threaten to kill his family? Good to know the mob isn't totally gone these days.

Asssounding,
A non-critical thinking type, you are so stupid, I am amazed you are let out in public without an aid and a leash. Do you have to wear a styrofoam helmet when you stand up? You are out in public aren't you? I didn't think that the insane asylum had cable or DSL, who woulda thunk that the looney bin was hooked up to the internet, but you are the evidence, that it is!
PBR

 

[WalterSobchak]

A non-critical thinking type, you are so stupid.

Ummm, are YOU so stupid that you fail to understand sarcasm?

XPOO stirs the pot because you all take the bait...everytime. And it is entertaining as hell...

Yet you call him "stupid"?

 

[Morning Wood]

So, the lesson learned here is...if you vote in ALPA you can write F*CK FIZER on any company property you want, lie about it, and still keep your job and continue to call in fatigued for your whole crew? Well, sh!t, son......what's taken you guys so long?

Unless Don admited to you he did it (which I don't think he did), how would you know he's lying? Could have been any of about 900 pilots who wrote it.

 

[PBRstreetgang]

I agree. It is true that he had to pay his lawyer all up front, instead of 2% of his annual gross Skywest salary for 16 years. I wonder which would ultimately be cheaper?

I think this whole "all-dem non-ALPA carriers love to make you fly fatigued" is a red herring.

Your company manual is usually more restrictive than the FAR's, has the weight of FAR's, and pretty much all have the same boilerplate about not flying fatigued.

Lets see,
Lets assume DD was an EMB Captain for all of his 16 years(not likely) at SKYW and was making $80,000 per year.
$80,000 X 16 years= $1,280,000
ALPA dues .0195 per year.
1,280,000 X .0195 = $24,960
Quite a bit less than the 150K he spent on his lawsuit out of his own pocket.
Still wondering?
PBR