Republic 20 Year Scale Captains 50-119/hr. FO 23-37/hr.
Midex 16 Year Scale Captains 82-153/hr. FO 41-100/hr.
Frontier 14 Year Scale Captains 111-156/hr. FO 37-94/hr.
If there isn't growth, or a new contract, I would hate to be a Republic FO. $37/hr as the top of scale for twenty years of service, that is incredible to me.
When is the Rev. gonna sit down with you guys and write some liveable rates? How long have you been in negotiations? Are you in mediation yet? Has there been a strike vote? Have you done anything to try to move the process forward, or are you all just interested in building time so that one of the few remaining decent airlines will hire you? I ask because, if you have 5 or 10 year FO's flying 100 passenger jets around for $37/hr., I'm not sure there's going to be too many good flying jobs left.
This industry is not the same one that I joined 20 years ago, and I realize that it will probably never come back to what it once was, but the race to the bottom has got to stop.
Flame away.
In short, 2.5 years of work, still not to mediation yet.
The RAH CBA became amendable in October of 2007. Negotiations have been ongoing since May of 2007. ALL sections were proposed. We were to the point where either agreement or impasse was reached (a requirement before mediation can begin), with the exception of compensation. Traditionally, compensation is one of the last sections the union submits here. Our compensation proposal was presented right before Bedford announced his plans to acquire F9 and YX (and Lynx and control of Mokulele). In light of the drastic changes in fleet size, types, mission, and longevity of all pilots that will eventually be covered by the master seniority list, it was decided that our compensation proposal be removed from discussion BEFORE the company had a chance to make a counter offer. If we had allowed the company to counter our offer, and we then removed our proposal entirely, the company would have a decent case before the arbitrator saying that the union was not bargaining in good faith. As it stands now, our union is reworking our proposal (significantly, it seems) based on all available information about the company's potential business plans. Until our union submits compensation again, the negotiating process will not go forward. Once the proposal is submitted, it is almost guaranteed that an impasse will be reached, which will open the door for mediation to begin.
Please stop insinuating that we are just here to build time, and that getting a new contract is not a concern. It is very important to us. Most of us care about where we work, which is why we did not go to Mesa, Colgan, Commutair, Gulfstream, or which is why we left the above mentioned companies as quickly as we could.
The four year cap on FO pay is obviously a thorn in our sides, as is the idea that a single FO scale covers all turbojet types. But, at least understand WHY we have that scale, and why those of us who were not here to vote on such a thing agreed to work for that FO pay:
1) FO's do not have the ability to bid between types or certificates at RAH. When the contract was signed there was only one certificate. In general, most people thought it would be unfair to have FO's assigned to one type and be stuck making less than another FO based soley on which week they were hired, and what airplane the company needed to staff. So, a single pay rate seemed reasonable, given that the difference was between 37 seats and 70 seats at the time. An average 50 seat FO rate acted as a blended rate.
2) The four year scale was deemed of sufficient length because, with knowledge of the company's plans, no pilot would have to remain an FO for more than 4 years. If you wanted more money, you had to upgrade. Since 2003 (when this current CBA was signed), every FO had an opportunity to upgrade to higher pay before the end of their fourth year. This was valid through 2007, the designed life of the contract, and has been valid for an additional two years. Even today, no FO has reached the end of their fourth year without an opportunity to upgrade. That WILL change here very soon, but the point is that for 6 years, the 4 year pay span worked. The 4 year pay span will change to reflect the projected time span of FO's in the new CBA.
3) 100 seat jets were not considered likely for the 2003-2007 lifespan of the contract when it was signed. And, as our union suspected, no 100 seat aircraft arrived in that time. Only now, 2 years after our contract become amendable, have 100 seat aircraft shown up.
Our union was able to predict what content was relevant for our current contract quite well. The problem is that our contract has outlived its shelf life. We have no reason to expect that our union will not deliver a contract that covers all likely career paths at this company this time around.
You can judge us for our pay when the contract was current. You can judge us on the pay we negotiate for our new contract. But be reasonable, and don't judge us on what we get paid NOW with an "expired" contract.
