Skywest Pay Vote in Effect

[BID]

If there is nothing to gain, then why is management so afraid of unions?

 

[BoilerUP]

In 2000, Skywest matched Comair's rates dollar for dollar.

That's great...but Comair's strike that resulted in their then-industry leading CBA didn't start until March 2001. Did SKW match Comair's rates when they were flying 70 seat jets for 50 seat pay?

I've got dozens of friends who work for Skywest, and their all universally pleased with their work environment...but its blatantly naive to think the compensation of Skywest pilots hasn't risen over the last decade as a direct result of the gains made by ALPA-represented regional carriers during their contract negotiations.

 

[Flyer2000]

And likewise other regionals have benefitted from Skywest compensations. Skywest was the first regional to get 100% DH pay. Skywest was the first regional to get Premium pay (i.e. 1 min. pay for 1 min duty over 12 hours). Skywest is still the only regional to pay 4+ hours on 6 holidays whether or not it is worked (a roughly 2.5% pay increase for roughly 66% of the pilots who never have to work those days).

I am sure you can find items in each regionals contracts that have been helpful to others. I think it is less a function of ALPA than some are wanting to state though. Not that ALPA hasn't been a necessary organization at many carriers, but it is not the end all for every one of them either.

 

[BoilerUP]

Skywest was the first regional to get 100% DH pay.

Did Skywest have 100% DH before Sept. 2001?

 

[vtech]

Did Skywest have 100% DH before Sept. 2001?

Yes it did.

 

[settogathrust]

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7289413/

 

[Missed Approach]

Polls closed with all precincts reporting. Pay package voted down. Hope voting this down is a big step in raising the bar for everyone.

 

[Erlanger]

Polls closed with all precincts reporting. Pay package voted down. Hope voting this down is a big step in raising the bar for everyone.

Barely voted down 52-48%.

 

[Gr82Aviate]

Barely voted down 52-48%.

Were you hoping it would pass?

 

[Erlanger]

Were you hoping it would pass?

I voted "no" in the first 10 mins the voting opened up. Btw, why would you ask me that?

 

[tzwarrior]

..So, the last contract ASA negotiated...

...Comair....

Citing a couple of examples is like saying I saw it rain under one cloud so it must be raining under them all. The example I cited groups it all together with 40 years of data. Comparing how SkyWest should run a union with how ASA and Comair ran/run a union does not describe the entire industry. Labor economics is much more complicated than just pulling out a few points and calling that justification. Neither ASA or Comair have a very mature contract with a union, but I definitely respect the Comair pilot group for sticking to their guns. One problem is the regionals can be played against one another as majors create a bidding war. Another is that because the regional level is the entry level job source for a 121 career, you get guys who have not been to the rodeo yet, and are willing to sell their first born to fly a jet.

It's going to take a lot more than a few FI threads to solve the problem. It's going to take the MEC from several regionals to develop a strategy to minimize the damage union busting companies like Ford & Harrison use to manage expectations of pilot groups.

And AGAIN. I'm not advocating ALPA. An in-house union would work fine. You can still subscribe to many of the tools from ALPA while running an in-house union. Either way, the union is only as good as it's members and leaders. The National side isn't going to magically give you some special negotiating power. Talk to the NetJets guys who were under Teamsters IBT 1108, but dropped them in favor of an in-house union. They seem pretty happy with their union, and it isn't ALPA. They went from $28k captain pay (non-union) to $150k+ captain pay in just a few contracts, and it wasn't because the company wanted to be nice and give everyone a raise. And guess what, all the non-union shops had to follow suit. Which 121 airline has the highest pay.... it isn't a non-union shop, and it never has been.

 

[Gr82Aviate]

I voted "no" in the first 10 mins the voting opened up. Btw, why would you ask me that?

I thought by saying it was "barely" voted down, you were actually a supporter of getting it passed... guess I was wrong about that, sorry.

 

[jayme]

Polls closed with all precincts reporting. Pay package voted down. Hope voting this down is a big step in raising the bar for everyone.

How would that work?

 

[buscap]

Skywest can't raise the bar one way, while yanking it down in so many others. Get a union, then we'll talk about bar raising.

That turd of a PBS you guys got hangin out of your butt's didn't make anyone's negotiations easier ya know!

 

[dojetdriver]

Skywest was the first regional to get 100% DH pay.

Did Skywest have 100% DH before Sept. 2001?

Yes it did.

When did SkyWest get 100% DH pay? Was it before 1997?

That turd of a PBS you guys got hangin out of your butt's didn't make anyone's negotiations easier ya know!

Flying 70/90 seat equipment for 50 seat rates didn't help anybody out either. Especially during the UAL BK/Bain process. When your MEC has just negotiated a 70 seat rate based on COMAIR's (pre-concessionary), only to be told that another carrier agreed to do it for their existing 50 seat rate, there goes any negotiating position you HAD.

 

[Jeepman]

Ive been at SkyWest over 9 years & voted no.

What did it for me was the no Min daily gaurantee for DH flights from a training assignment, but we would get min daily gaurantee on DH flights to a training assignment. In the last 3 years there has always been training on the same day that I fly to SLC, but when I am done with training I usually fly out the next day to DEN. 1:20 credit for the whole day.

It sucked, but I will say that I have flown with many other pilots at other regionals who say life is better here. If we ever get a union here It's anyones guess if it will help or hurt. I think it really depends on how we use ALPA or Teamsters. If we start are own Union then God help us.

Okay, resume bashing. Back to more productive sites

 

[tzwarrior]

...I think it really depends on how we use ALPA or Teamsters. If we start are own Union then God help us.

I sit here shaking my head, but I have to remember how I felt 10 years ago when I didn't "really" understood what it meant to be in a pilot union. It's kinda like you've had your buggy pulled with a horse ones whole life, then one day you see a commercial for a car. "I gotta get me one of those things, I'm tired of that damn horse always getting me lost". Then one person says, "Don't get a Dodge (ALPA), you'll be even more lost". ???? huh. A few more people say it and pretty soon everyone who's never even driven a car isn't going to buy a Dodge. It doesn't matter if it's Chevy, Ford or Dodge, you still have to drive the car and if you get lost it's not the manufacturers fault. You're the one behind the wheel, you control where it goes.... just like a Union. (no matter the brand)

I personally feel the brand of a Union is much like the manufacturer of a car. A few bad design decisions and yes one car is worse than another, but for the most part, getting from A to B isn't on the manufacturer, but the driver (or in this case the pilot group). Now get out there and buy a car!

 

[dojetdriver]

When did SkyWest get 100% DH pay? Was it before 1997?

Well......anyone?

 

[IBNAV8R]

Well......anyone?

Affirmative. ("Yes" was 'too short' of a reply)

 

[IBNAV8R]

The sad thing about the vote is that nearly half the pilots were happy with this POS offer. Times are tough I understand but not for all of the last 10 years. WHEN, exactly, do we get to redeem the "ace"? What will be the excuse for a POS offer NEXT time?