Tell Timmay to f@#$ off

[On Your Six]

When are these proposed wage decreases supposed to take place? How soon?

Interesting that they are tying everything (investment from TPG, concessions from Skywest, etc.) to labor's acceptance of significant pay cuts. So, they are bullying you into accepting the lesser of two evils - concessions or shut down. The way I see it, you have very little choice in this matter - you need to either accept the concessions (to the detriment of the airline industry with such a low precedent set) or say no and risk the demise of the airline.

Personally, I'd prefer moving on to another opportunity than accept such deplorable wages - what a slap to the face. Shut Midwest Express down and allow Air Tran or someone else to scoop up the 717s and provide for new flying opportunities. MKE has the demand and I am not sure that NWA can fill it quickly. Very sad situation given that Midwest has always been a diamond in the rough.

 

[hockeypilot44]

Tim is not the one behind this. TPG and Dave Siegel are. This is the same company that robbed the 80 percent-funded US Airways' pilot pension for its own profit. If TPG gets involved, your airline is screwed. This company just takes and takes, then leaves the left-over for dead. It has no intention of running a company. That takes too long for TPG to get its money. There are some really informative posts on this thread of what is going on.

The part about bringing the wages down to other companies' wages flying similar equipment has to be talking about Republic Airways and JetBlue, but even they make more. An 8 year JetBlue 190 captain makes 93/hour (no one at JetBlue has been there more than 8 years). A 12 year Republic 175 captain makes $96/hour which is still more. A Republic F/O tops out at $37/hour (the same). TPG is now comparing 717's to regional airplanes. You knew it would happen someday.

 

[ultrarunner]

I hope this is just a scare tactic, but it seems that Midwest is going from growing to dying in no time.

MidEx hasn't grown in years. In fact, there are likely less pilots on property now than 7 or 8 years ago.

I don't count Skywest as growth I guess. Mainline has never grown in recent history.

 

[On Your Six]

Tim is not the one behind this. TPG and Dave Siegel are. This is the same company that robbed the 80 percent-funded US Airways' pilot pension for its own profit. If TPG gets involved, your airline is screwed. This company just takes and takes, then leaves the left-over for dead. It has no intention of running a company. That takes too long for TPG to get its money. There are some really informative posts on this thread of what is going on.

The part about bringing the wages down to other companies' wages flying similar equipment has to be talking about Republic Airways and JetBlue, but even they make more. An 8 year JetBlue 190 captain makes 93/hour (no one at JetBlue has been there more than 8 years). A 12 year Republic 175 captain makes $96/hour which is still more. A Republic F/O tops out at $37/hour (the same). TPG is now comparing 717's to regional airplanes. You knew it would happen someday.

Typical apples-to-oranges comparison made by non-aviation people. They don't care about anything but money - that is their business. It reminds me of children who are attempting to test the boundaries of their parents. See if the pilots will take the bait... Not good.

If I were a Midwest pilot right now I would be looking for a Plan B.

 

[ultrarunner]

When are these proposed wage decreases supposed to take place? How soon?

I suspect they will take effect as soon as the membership votes in favor of it.

When is voting to take place?

 

[MINIME]

Companies like TPG are preditorial businesses. Their job is to go in, suck the money out of their victim and leave. Very similar to what Icahn and Frank Lorenzo like to do.

They don't care about individual people and their families that need to be fed. It's deplorable that our government allows these legalized rapists to exist. They should be banned, along with every CEO that gets in bed with them.

 

[IdRtherBsailing]

Tim is not the one behind this. TPG and Dave Siegel are. This is the same company that robbed the 80 percent-funded US Airways' pilot pension for its own profit. If TPG gets involved, your airline is screwed. This company just takes and takes, then leaves the left-over for dead. It has no intention of running a company. That takes too long for TPG to get its money. There are some really informative posts on this thread of what is going on.

The part about bringing the wages down to other companies' wages flying similar equipment has to be talking about Republic Airways and JetBlue, but even they make more. An 8 year JetBlue 190 captain makes 93/hour (no one at JetBlue has been there more than 8 years). A 12 year Republic 175 captain makes $96/hour which is still more. A Republic F/O tops out at $37/hour (the same). TPG is now comparing 717's to regional airplanes. You knew it would happen someday.

Tim was behind the botched attempt last year to get us to put contract negotiations on hold. He said TPG requested it but the pilots found out that TPG knew nothing about it. That is when the Union retracted their support for Tims stand alone plan.

 

[fam62c]

I would just drag your feet on this one. Don't say yes, don't say no just keep saying you are evaluating their proposal. If they give you a deadline just say that you can't complete the evaluation and approval process in that timeframe. If they don't set a hard and fast deadline they are just being opportunistic and probing to see what you will do.

I think they may be setting the unions up as the "fall guy" for a Chapter 11 filing by trying to force the employees to be the first to take concessions that, supposedly, everything else is dependent on. If you don't do exactly what they want when they want you to do it they will blame you for the bankruptcy. Don't believe it, it was going to happen anyway; unions just make convenient villians in the press. I don't buy the B.S. that the other parties won't do anything unless the unions are locked in first. You'll end up charging the hill yourselves and when you look back there will be nobody following you.

 

[Captainjerky]

Blame Timmy

"Tim is not the one behind this. TPG and Dave Siegel are. This is the same company that robbed the 80 percent-funded US Airways' pilot pension for its own profit."

On the contrary- BLAME HOEKSEMA. It was he who approached Northwest to approach TPG about a buyout of Midwest, most likely in response to the buyout attempt by AirTran. I won't jump on the 'should Midwest have sold to AirTran?' debate, because that's not the issue in this thread.
The point, however, is that if you want somebody to blame, look over in the Cookie Palace and drop those accusations on the tools who deserve it. Blame Hoeksema for flushing a respected carrier down the crapper. Blame him for canning Skyway and the loss of all those jobs, plus the hundreds to come from Midwest.
I hope the state of Wisconsin realizes in the years to come who deserves to shoulder the responsibility for the atrocity that this has become- it's not the fault of the employees or anybody else he tells you to blame; it's the CEO who got his golden parachute and sold out to TPG.

 

[deadstick]

"Tim is not the one behind this. TPG and Dave Siegel are. This is the same company that robbed the 80 percent-funded US Airways' pilot pension for its own profit."

On the contrary- BLAME HOEKSEMA. It was he who approached Northwest to approach TPG about a buyout of Midwest, most likely in response to the buyout attempt by AirTran. I won't jump on the 'should Midwest have sold to AirTran?' debate, because that's not the issue in this thread.
The point, however, is that if you want somebody to blame, look over in the Cookie Palace and drop those accusations on the tools who deserve it. Blame Hoeksema for flushing a respected carrier down the crapper. Blame him for canning Skyway and the loss of all those jobs, plus the hundreds to come from Midwest.
I hope the state of Wisconsin realizes in the years to come who deserves to shoulder the responsibility for the atrocity that this has become- it's not the fault of the employees or anybody else he tells you to blame; it's the CEO who got his golden parachute and sold out to TPG.

Bravo!