SkyWest Pilots: At least pretend to care

[Skaff]

I won't vote. Last vote I voted MN, not BS and not JB. MN was ousted. I'm not so much pro ALPA as I am anti-Sapa right now.

 

[fastback]

On a side note any predictions on how the ALPA vote will go?

If JB wins the election I think ALPA could pass.

 

[SBD-2U3]

Why pretend to Care? If they don't care...THEY DON'T CARE. Begging for votes on FI is kind of funny though.:laugh:

 

[www.]

The court said it needs to study the matter more. Right now, there is no injunction against Skywest or SAPA.

But didn't the transcripts state that Skywest finances SAPA 100%?

 

[Stifler's Mom]

I will bet $1000 that HelloMoron is still here but is afraid of getting the beatdown so he is trying to tell everyone as often as he can that he really doesn't work here anymore. Either that or he is really BH.

That's my take as well. He's just trying to throw people off of his trail. My guess is, he's still at SKW.

 

[zawillif]

Why should SKYW pilots care? They haven't cared for years and look at where its got them: nice pretty CRJ-900s and a 1 year upgrade. . . that's all I care about!!!

 

[Bluto]

But didn't the transcripts state that Skywest finances SAPA 100%?

There's no debate as to who finances SAPA. The company doesn't try to hide the fact that they finance it 100%. The Company's position is that somehow, them financing it 100% isn't a conflict of interest, that's the real mind-blower.

As far as who to vote for, my perspective is that a vote for JB is a vote for status quo. I, too, voted for MN and think he could have done some substantial things for this pilot group had he not been effectively hamstrung by JB, ME, etc. As for MN, at least he's in a better place now.

If you don't support SAPA, abstaining from the vote is a message, but not a very clear one. I think SGU sees a 40% voter turnout as an indication that the pilots are happy and don't care what happens, knowing that their future is secure in the hands of their gracious, SGU overlords.

On the other hand, a 100% voter turnout with 99.9% voting for BS, is a clear message that this group is rejecting our current leadership. Isn't that a valuable message to convey?

Is BS a new beginning for SAPA? I don't think so. I've talked to him and consider him to be generally honest, but like most SAPA reps and board members, I think he's probably convinced that we are being treated about as well as we can expect. I disagree, but I think his attitudes are less dangerous than the alternative.

If you want to see real changes, contact an ALPA Organizing Committee member, volunteer and be a part of the solution.

For the SkyWest haters out there, it is kind of sad that we have to resort to unofficial means of communication, but the company is in charge here and communicating with us is not always their top priority.

As for the ALPA vote, the drive is progressing and far from stagnant.

 

[SkyNation]

On the other hand, a 100% voter turnout with 99.9% voting for BS, is a clear message that this group is rejecting our current leadership. Isn't that a valuable message to convey?

Is BS a new beginning for SAPA? I don't think so. I've talked to him and consider him to be generally honest, but like most SAPA reps and board members, I think he's probably convinced that we are being treated about as well as we can expect.

Bluto,

I totally agree with you on these points, and would agree with BS that we are being treated about as well as we can expect.

as for the ALPA drive, what would you say is the biggest challenge that the OC faces? It can't be that they haven't communicated their message clearly enough or to enough people. What would you say it is?

 

[MYFpilot]

Bluto,
as for the ALPA drive, what would you say is the biggest challenge that the OC faces? It can't be that they haven't communicated their message clearly enough or to enough people. What would you say it is?

Convincing the 1st and 2nd year guys to take an interest in their careers and their profession.

 

[Bluto]

Convincing the 1st and 2nd year guys to take an interest in their careers and their profession.

and 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th year guys, too.
The primary obstacle with the ALPA drive at SkyWest, as I see it, is simply that things are changing so slowly and insidiously, that it's hard to keep track of how they used to be. There is no system in place to keep track of the company's past behavior to track the continual hits to our overall pay and QOL.

It's the boiling frog analogy. We have endured a steady decrease in effective pay and benefits while the company has made steady improvements in its industry position. I can only be happy for SkyWest's successes for so long while playing an active contributing role and seeing decreasing rewards in return.

Having said that, I think recent events with the "leadership" of SAPA have opened the eyes of many SkyWest pilots as to who SAPA really works for. I think the ALPA drive has as good a chance as ever of succeeding. ALPA representation is by no means assured, but many of our pilots are working very hard to volunteer their time to the effort. If SAPA had the same level of interest and participation, I don't think we'd be having a union drive at all.

How can a company that paints such a rosy picture to its investors argue that Brasilia pilots are worth less today than they were 7 years ago? How can a company that made substantial gains through the unopposed implementation of PBS not give anything back to the pilot group who suffers as a result of that implementation?

SkyNation,
I'm sorry you feel that way, you have a right to your opinion, though I think you will find that you are in the minority when it comes to SkyWest pilots. As one of the most profitable regional airlines we remain near the bottom compensation-wise for our 70 and 90 seat aircraft. How can you justify that?

 

[ArcticFlier]

Remove user from ignore list
HelloNewman This message is hidden because HelloNewman is on your ignore list.


You guys quoting HelloNewman are pissing me off. I have him on my ignore list so I don't have to read his crap. You guys quote him and I get one line into his inane writings, and I'm pissed again. Stop it!

 

[SkyNation]

SkyNation,
I'm sorry you feel that way, you have a right to your opinion, though I think you will find that you are in the minority when it comes to SkyWest pilots. As one of the most profitable regional airlines we remain near the bottom compensation-wise for our 70 and 90 seat aircraft. How can you justify that?

In the minority in my opinion or in the minority concerning the ALPA drive? I don't see it on either front, but the ALPA drive is the only where where we can see by the numbers-so when is the vote?

Everyone would like to be paid more, myself included. I make more than my counterparts at other regionals, many of whom are represented by ALPA.

Just to be clear, I want to be paid more. I want better QOL issues resolved for my benefit. I want these things to occur in a way that will not put the company in peril, nor inhibit it from being ultra-competitive in a very difficult market. I don't believe for a second that ALPA will come on board, flex their supposed 'muscles,' and scare BH et al into giving us more. Anyone who thinks that is indulging a fantasy that hasn't played out at Comair, Mesa, ASA, and on and on.

 

[Bluto]

I don't believe for a second that ALPA will come on board, flex their supposed 'muscles,' and scare BH et al into giving us more. Anyone who thinks that is indulging a fantasy that hasn't played out at Comair, Mesa, ASA, and on and on.

Good, then you're in touch with reality. For anyone else who is planning on voting for ALPA with those expectations, you may want to reconsider. If, on the other hand, you would have liked a voice when the company forced people to fly 70 lines for which they didn't bid, without regard for seniority, and without following the junior man pay policy already in place, having ALPA on property would have made a difference.

Let me give you a recent, specific example of the kind of thing SkyWest does that would be utterly unacceptable at an ALPA-represented carrier: Newhire CRJ FOs 4-5 months ago were awarded SLC transfers effective in October. Since then, the company has awarded newhires SLC directly out of groundschool forcing pilots senior to them to make a grueling commute to MKE for months. Why? I'm sure it is more convenient to the company. Who does it hurt? Where else does seniority mean so little?

The intent of this thread is not to debate the merits of union representation, merely to encourage people to vote in the upcoming SAPA presidential campaign. If you want to compare what we have to what other airlines have, I think there is definitely room for improvement. Anyway, I'll debate the union issue elsewhere, but for now:

VOTE!!

 

[SkyNation]

Bluto,

agreed.

 

[pookie]

Wouldnt it be funny if JB wins the election and he gets his panties wet for a few months and then ALPA gets voted in.

Demoting JB back to Brad's biatch role,

 

[Gobi Gred]

A whopping 500 or so pilots have voted so far. This is how the rest of the union drive will go. 25% "Vote ALPA!" 25% "ALPA?! they've done nothing for pilots, vote no!" and the remaining 50% "There is a union drive going on? I didn't know that. Oh well, I'm on my way to greener pastures as soon as I get the call."

 

[PCL_128]

.....

 

[Morning Wood]

I won't vote. Last vote I voted MN, not BS and not JB. MN was ousted. I'm not so much pro ALPA as I am anti-Sapa right now.

How was MN ousted? He left the company.

 

[SkyNation]

he quit, then he left. probably quit the prez job because he was leaving anyway.

 

[Bluto]

Uh, well, I guess that's one interpretation. There were some pretty aggressive tactics used by some of the Executive Board members to encourage his departure from his SAPA position. There was a cell-phone text message from one of the EB members to some members of SAPA along those lines. Something like, "Let's get that f****er out of here." Anyone have the specifics? Anyway, it wasn't as simple or amicable as Mark being offered a new job and moving on.