Skywest talking pilot pay raise

[Ponchus pilot]

I heard from a friend of mine that works at Skywest that management is talking about raises. I wonder why all of a sudden are they talking about giving the pilots raises?

 

[jetexas]

Maybe because there is a slowly gaining movement to unionize the pilot force there?

 

[RUNWAYHOG]

Yeap!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sweptback]

If the SkyWest pilots were smart then they'd take the payraise and vote in the union. Status quo while negotating their contract would mean that they would keep it and possibly negotiate rates on top of what they just got.

 

[blackbox]

If the SkyWest pilots were smart then they'd take the payraise and vote in the union. Status quo while negotating their contract would mean that they would keep it and possibly negotiate rates on top of what they just got.

IF they do that, who's to say that Management wouldnt just implament(sp?) a lower payscale? Skywest pilots have no protection, so Management can change/take away anything they want at anytime. I am not saying they would, but they could. And those of you who say "well skywest/jerry atkins wouldnt do that, they arent that kind of company" you're in for a surprise......Bringing a union on property can be a very ugly thing.

 

[sweptback]

IF they do that, who's to say that Management wouldnt just implament(sp?) a lower payscale? Skywest pilots have no protection, so Management can change/take away anything they want at anytime. I am not saying they would, but they could. And those of you who say "well skywest/jerry atkins wouldnt do that, they arent that kind of company" you're in for a surprise......Bringing a union on property can be a very ugly thing.

Because that's not the way union drives work.

 

[ASACAPT]

Once a union is elected, the RLA protects them. Management cannot unilaterally impose lower wages. Therefore they would keep whatever rates was given to them prior to the election. But more importantly is the fact that the skywest pilots would be protected once a CBA was in place.

 

[Tomct]

Maybe because there is a slowly gaining movement to unionize the pilot force there?

Yep, just in time to keep them from voting in the union. This should p!ss Off the Skywst pilots even more....no raise until "uncle" Jerry is about to lose control of his pilot group....Yeah, he's a company man!

 

[Gofish]

Sign for the raises and then vote ALPA in. In 4 more years you'll get another one.

 

[Bluto]

This same thing happened last time the union drive was gaining momentum. Then, just when the pay talks, and the union drive, came to a head, the company said they had to back off until the drive was over for legal purposes (interfering with a union drive restrictions, etc.). Then, after the drive failed, they were unwilling to negotiate pay any further. Many SkyWest pilots are watching carefully to see if this happens again. If it does, expect to hear many pilots crying foul. If a repeat occurs, I think the pilots as a whole will definitely take notice.

 

[Shobra]

Just a reminder, has Skywest seen any cost of living raise over the last 5 years?
If not then they are allready operating at a 8-10% pay cut. (Asume about 2% COL increases.) I was just reading (sorry can't find source) COL is expected to jump almost 4% in the next year due to the record level increased energy cost. Just think.... They'll need at least a 14% raise just to realign to what they made 6 years ago....... WOW. I hope I'm wrong here.

 

[Gr82Aviate]

This same thing happened last time the union drive was gaining momentum. Then, just when the pay talks, and the union drive, came to a head, the company said they had to back off until the drive was over for legal purposes (interfering with a union drive restrictions, etc.). Then, after the drive failed, they were unwilling to negotiate pay any further. Many SkyWest pilots are watching carefully to see if this happens again. If it does, expect to hear many pilots crying foul. If a repeat occurs, I think the pilots as a whole will definitely take notice.

I think they should have taken notice the last time...?

 

[bmpilot2003]

Just a reminder, has Skywest seen any cost of living raise over the last 5 years?
If not then they are allready operating at a 8-10% pay cut. (Asume about 2% COL increases.) I was just reading (sorry can't find source) COL is expected to jump almost 4% in the next year due to the record level increased energy cost. Just think.... They'll need at least a 14% raise just to realign to what they made 6 years ago....... WOW. I hope I'm wrong here.

i think its actually about 10 years since there was a COL raise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bluto]

I think they should have taken notice the last time...?

Uh, well, they did. As a result they voted down the 1.2% raise that was eventually offered and started a union drive. You have any better ideas?

 

[Gr82Aviate]

Uh, well, they did. As a result they voted down the 1.2% raise that was eventually offered and started a union drive. You have any better ideas?

I was just attempting to point out what should be the very obvious to all our "fence sitters" and anti-union types...sadly, too many still don't seem to get it!

 

[pookie]

You putz and biatches, listen up.....

The only, and i repeat ONLY, reason that your management is talking to you about a raise is to get the newbies to think that management cares. Skywest is supposedly hiring alot of new guys and guys are there and happy to just be in a snj (shiny new jet).

If management really cared for you guys, they would have made a deal awhile ago and not, as stated earlier, when your union drive started.

Repeat after me, management will disappear when your union drive fails. As a newbie will say "I am just glad to be here."

peace and QX wants a raise also.

 

[CRJ's suck]

If you want to see what you need to keep up with inflation you can go to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website or click here. They have plenty of good info on there. I checked the inflation rate on there a few months ago and 7 months into the year we were already at close to 4% inflation. Averaged out I think it came to a "possible" inflation rate of 7.7% for the whole year.

 

[crashpad]

I have to laugh at the way management flashes a milkbone and the junior pilots start yapping like hungry puppies.
Reminds me of a Captain there who was thrilled to tears because he heard they were going to merge with Delta and was counting his days to retire as a millionaire.

 

[Dubya]

Yeah..and just think...we get ALPA in here and we'll just be swimming in the greenbacks with protected jobs like TWA, Eastern, United, ASA, Delta, etc, etc.......and all those other protected union jobs singing Kum Ba Ya with management because we're all so happy and proud to have a union on property that doesn't do a G$# D#%^ thing for you.

Yeah..JA just can't wait to screw his pilot group like when 9/11 came and his non union, unprotected pilots were furloughed....oh, wait a minute...that was every OTHER airline except his.

The ALPA kool aid is just as warm and fuzzy aint it?

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

Take the raise and stay away from ALPA.

ALPA is one of the, if not the only, union where your wages will continue to decrease over time.

 

[thebest]

Just a reminder, has Skywest seen any cost of living raise over the last 5 years?
If not then they are allready operating at a 8-10% pay cut. (Asume about 2% COL increases.) I was just reading (sorry can't find source) COL is expected to jump almost 4% in the next year due to the record level increased energy cost. Just think.... They'll need at least a 14% raise just to realign to what they made 6 years ago....... WOW. I hope I'm wrong here.

Compared to United, Delta, AA, etc....Skywest didn't take a 50ish% pay cut! Accordiing to your figures United., Delta..etc... (ALPA carrier's) need a 64ish% pay raise to realign what they made. Another reason to vote in alpa? THEBEST

goblue!

 

[rickair7777]

You putz and biatches, listen up.....

The only, and i repeat ONLY, reason that your management is talking to you about a raise is to get the newbies to think that management cares. Skywest is supposedly hiring alot of new guys and guys are there and happy to just be in a snj (shiny new jet).

If management really cared for you guys, they would have made a deal awhile ago and not, as stated earlier, when your union drive started.

Repeat after me, management will disappear when your union drive fails. As a newbie will say "I am just glad to be here."

peace and QX wants a raise also.

The "newbies" actually get the shiny little turboprop. Most everybody going to the jet came from a jet at another airline...usually where alpa had f&cked everything up. So no they don't have SJS, but they do have a ready-formed opinion of alpa...

 

[Turkey Shoot]

Yeah..JA just can't wait to screw his pilot group like when 9/11 came and his non union, unprotected pilots were furloughed....oh, wait a minute...that was every OTHER airline except his.

Once again, ASA did NOT furlough any pilots after 9/11.

Bud, you've been into the SW Kool aid a bit much. Take some from both sides and make up your own mind. It's a new market and it's cut throat. Your's will cut too if you aren't a little more cynical about the boss. His first responsibility is to the stockholder, not you.

 

[myflyby]

I've only been at SKW about 5 years and there are 1500 pilots below me. I think knowing most of the company is less than 5 years old, they lack the opportunity to see how management has undercut so many opportunities for us to gain any kind of quality of life. Does anyone remember how the last time there was a serious vote on something, management conveniently shut down the voting hours early when it was turning against them and claimed they didn't know what happened?
Yeah, it's pretty good to work here, but they only care about making more money, don't be naive and think they give a crap about their employees anymore. Oh wait, that's every airline company nowadays.

 

[Plug]

Yeah..and just think...we get ALPA in here and we'll just be swimming in the greenbacks with protected jobs like TWA, Eastern, United, ASA, Delta, etc, etc.......and all those other protected union jobs singing Kum Ba Ya with management because we're all so happy and proud to have a union on property that doesn't do a G$# D#%^ thing for you.

Yeah..JA just can't wait to screw his pilot group like when 9/11 came and his non union, unprotected pilots were furloughed....oh, wait a minute...that was every OTHER airline except his.

The ALPA kool aid is just as warm and fuzzy aint it?

Some of you Skywest pilots live in la-la land. Your payrates, work rules, and other "goodies" were given to you on the backs of the very carriers you listed above, and then some. You sit there and poo-poo those carriers but you have that employee handbook because of them. JA's plan is working because all he has to do is bring you guys up to where the bar has been set and no union will be voted in.

 

[Dubya]

Some of you Skywest pilots live in la-la land. Your payrates, work rules, and other "goodies" were given to you on the backs of the very carriers you listed above, and then some. You sit there and poo-poo those carriers but you have that employee handbook because of them. JA's plan is working because all he has to do is bring you guys up to where the bar has been set and no union will be voted in.

Just so we're clear on comprehension...nowhere in my post did I "poo-poo" any of those carriers. I am simply pointing out that ALPA..in all it's glory, spouted by countless individuals on this very board,..did not save their jobs, did not better their situation, did not make their carrier stronger. I am all for improvements and taking a stand...but ALPA is not the answer. Improving relations between management and employees is the answer.

W

 

[ilkwamh2]

ALPA isn't going to help or hurt the airline, it's all about supply and demand and how management runs the company. As along as there are people willing to work for low wages and bad work rules, why should we get paid more? Until there are not enough pilots to go around or people are not willing to work for $20/hr, then it's time to pay the pilots more. As of today, there are enough people willing to come to SkyWest for $19.02/hr and there are enough people willing to goto Mesa to get treated like crap(sleep on airplanes), so things are the way they are. Do you really think if 5th year pay was $20/hr, we'd all still be working here? Of course not, we'd be at Home Depot selling lumber. Then, there would be a shortage of pilots, thus wages have to rise, which means airlines raise ticket prices...etc. My point is, pilots are stupid, they are uneducated and need to take a lesson on Econ 101. I would love to make $10 extra an hour, but unless every one of you out there also asks for $10 extra, it's not going to happen. It's like if I sell tomatoes for $2 a pound, and you sell for $1.50, no one is going to buy from me.

 

[ASApuppy]

Hey all,

You guys need to dive a little deeper into history of whats going on. Yes, most carries have taken paycuts in recent years. But, you are overlooking the facts of how they got the great raises to begin with. ALPA got the Delta pilots some $345/hr "in good times" to fly the 777.

Look back in history at what happened at Eagle 10 years ago. They use to be several subsidiaries that were pitted against each other. Whenever a one's contract was being negiotated, management pulled aircraft and transferred them to another. Sound familer? Guess what, ALPA merged them together. It sure wasn't managements plan or idea. Welcome to present day. Truely, you Skywest pilots hold a lot of power with your union vote. Enough to scare the hell out of Jerry. But think how much more power we would have as a unified workforce. Lets cross the bridge of seniority integration later. Right now, we need to concentrate on making it happen in the first place. We can't let management prevail in keeping us divided.

 

[pgcfii2002]

Another reason for low 1st year wages originates from the fact a regional spends a nice amount of $$$ on training. They obviously want to recoup that investment and would frown on you washing out, or leaving shortly after IOE.

Essentially you are all paying for your training the first year, only to have wages rise the 2nd year.

 

[ilkwamh2]

If we wanted to be a powerful unified force, ALPA needs to have 1 seniority list for all ALPA carriers. Having different lists at different ALPA carriers is ineffective.