To all CAL guys... from a furloughed pilot

[FlyForFood_NOT]

To all you guys at CAL,

I really, really hope you finally get together and vote in a respectful contract. I hope my furlough (the 148 others + maybe more) will be a worthy sacrifice..

Coming to CAL was a dream of mine. It all ended when i finally got here and got 'welcomed' with $32/hour, no healthcare, training on your days off, 24hr rest out of base, etc contract. What a shame! This is worse than most commuters out there (go and compare if you don't believe me). And talk about the most divided pilot group ever... this nonsense got voted 'yes' on past 3 contracts?? CAL guys, come on please, i thought you're better than that..

I'm actually looking forward to my furlough, making more now than at CAL (collecting unemployment and gov funding for schooling). I hope things change and get much better at CAL, or many of us on furlough wont even find it worth coming back...

 

[Voice Of Reason]

The Fine Art of Personal Responsibility...

To all you guys at CAL,

I really, really hope you finally get together and vote in a respectful contract. I hope my furlough (the 148 others + maybe more) will be a worthy sacrifice..

Coming to CAL was a dream of mine. It all ended when i finally got here and got 'welcomed' with $32/hour, no healthcare, training on your days off, 24hr rest out of base, etc contract. What a shame! This is worse than most commuters out there (go and compare if you don't believe me). And talk about the most divided pilot group ever... this nonsense got voted 'yes' on past 3 contracts?? CAL guys, come on please, i thought you're better than that..

I'm actually looking forward to my furlough, making more now than at CAL (collecting unemployment and gov funding for schooling). I hope things change and get much better at CAL, or many of us on furlough wont even find it worth coming back...

Though the state of the profession is appalling, I have to wonder how it is you accepted a position there? I don't think there is anyone on this board from any aspect of the industry that doesn't know CO starting rate or that they don't have insurance for 6 months...

So tell me... did you not KNOW any of this before you elected to accept the position?

Tell me also what committees did you serve on in YOUR union to fight for change? (or did you expect the government to do it FOR you)?

Yes, pathetic state of the profession, but as long as there are people clamoring to accept that status, you aren't helping, and can't claim "Oh, I'm a lib I didn't KNOOOOOOWWWWWW they were doing to do that to me....waah".

 

[ASADFW7]

Voice of Reason, I appreciate your encouraging words for a fellow on the street. I have served as on an ALPA BOD. It takes time, and efforts applied to improvements whether they are at CAL or someplace else are best served by pilots who are not on probation.

I can say most pilots have no idea of what is in a employers contract before they get hired. They have a idea of what the book rate is for pay and little else.

These is not kick a guy in a nuts while he is done thread. If you are interested in kicking someone in the nuts change threads.

 

[taxi1wire]

Move on and move forward

To think that ANY pilot group will vote for a "RESPECTFUL" contract is absolute folly dude, especially to think that they will also somehow keep the furloughees in mind. Just move on and treat the whole "Major Airline" gig as a learning experience. It is not going to get better for a long time and the end result will not be worth waiting for.
A furlough is a new beginning, granted it is tougher now than at any time in recent history, but opportunities are out there, it takes faith and alot of hard work.
You will be better off using this as your motivation that counting on any pilot group to be your salvation. It has always been each man/pilot group for themselves and it always will be........
a sh@#$y reality but that is the way it is.
Look at the history of this joke of an industry. You can count on one hand how many decent CEO's there have been in the last 50 years....On the other hand is a list a mile long of sh#$@y CEO's, BOD's and the acrimonious labor relations that accompany these buffoons.
I have said it before and I will say it again...THERE IS LIFE AFTER A GLOBAL AIRLINE!!!! Walk on man and keep your eyes and ears open!



Village
Hired UAL 1998
Furloughed 2003
RESIGNED 2007

Couldn't be happier

 

[Scope out RJ's]

Voice of reason sound more like the voice of whining!

 

[metrodriver]

fly for food is right though. $32/hr is a shame, just like $21 at a regional. You can not put food on the table for a family with those wages.
There are a few problems here causing this:
1. the people who vote for a new contract are past the first year and there is the 'I had to do it so they can do it too' issue. Yes, when you went through it the same 32 dollars bought a whole lot more. You could fill the tank of your airport cluncker twice. Now only half. The same 32 dollars a few years back bought you a week of food on the road. Now maybe 2 meals at the airport restaurant or the lay-over hotel.
2. Regionals were considerd starting jobs. However at a major you are considerd a PROFESSIONAL, you slaved yourself for many years and several thousands of hours, now that you are considerd to be this professional pilot there has to be a PROFESSIONAL REWARD. $45000/year should be a starting point.
3. Pilots are their own worst enemies. See point 1. We are also willing to take a horrible wage so later on we can / hope to earn a little more. Stop taking these jobs till higher first year pay is on the books.
Yeah right, keep dreaming

 

[Bringupthebird]

And talk about the most divided pilot group ever... .

Ahem, have you heard of an airline calling themselves USAirways???

 

[vtwo]

what do you expect.
The senior pilots at CAL were from the SCAB ranks.
Now many of those SCABS call them self union men. Do you think that they really care about any one else but them self at the cost of others.

 

[shindler]

Glad I turned them down last year...............

 

[Soverytired]

Gotta go with Voice of Reason on this one <shudder>.

Everyone who fights and claws to get a job at a legacy like Continental knows exactly what they're going to get the first year . . . and goes anyway.

Good news is that you have recall rights, and will be back there soon enough. Lots of other pilots are in the same boat right now (left a lucrative job at a regional lift co. to work for an airline instead) I still think it's better to be furloughed from a real airline than wasting away at a lift provider.