What did SAPA do about this?!

[Nevets]

How does ALPA affect company issued programs such as healthcare and retirement?

I can only speak about XJT. Here is what our contract specifies.

The company will make available the same life, personal accident, medical, dental and vision insurance for each pilot and his eligible dependents as is made available to other company employees.

And insurance made available by the company will not contain an exclusion of benefits for acts of war or terrorism encountered by a pilot while in the scope of his employment.

Also, a pilot’s monetary contribution(s) for life, personal accident, medical, dental and vision insurance, including, but not limited to contribution(s) for monthly premiums and co-pays shall not exceed or be increased more than the monetary contributions required of other company employees for the same insurance.

As far as retirement as it relates to health benefits, the company will provide medical insurance for a pilot and his eligible dependents when the pilot has completed 10 years of active service with the company and has retired because of the FAA mandated retirement age. Medical insurance will not be provided once the pilot reaches the age of 65. In order to be eligible for medical insurance, a retired pilot must have been covered by the company’s medical insurance at the time of his retirement.

A retired pilot may apply 10 hours of accrued sick leave each month to cover the cost of his premium. When sick leave is exhausted, a retired pilot may continue to be covered by medical insurance if he pays the full monthly premium that would be payable by all other employees, i.e., the COBRA rate less the legal administrative costs.

The company will provide each pilot with long term disability insurance. Monthly premiums for long term disability insurance will be shared by the company and the pilot in the same percentage in effect on the date of signing of the contract.

A pilot may use accrued sick leave and accrued OJ leave to supplement worker’s compensation in the amount necessary to ensure that his minimum monthly guarantee is not reduced. A committee consisting of ALPA and company representatives will meet quarterly to review OJI claims and will establish a procedure to review appeals of rejected claims.

A committee consisting of ALPA and company members will meet quarterly to review and discuss issues related to insurance benefits. The company will share information with the members regarding benefits, costs, claims experience and possible plan design changes to the maximum extent and as early as possible to provide for effective consultation and input prior to implementing changes.

Pilots will be eligible to participate in the insurance plans on the first day of the month following 3 months of active service after the date the pilot begins training.

The overall level of insurance benefits will remain comparable for the duration of the contract. However, the company may substitute another vendor to administer or insure the benefits or administer or insure those plans itself. Prior to making changes in benefits, the company will notify the ALPA and provide ALPA an opportunity to discuss such changes.

As for retirement plans, the company will match the pilot’s contributions quarterly as follows:

Completed years of active service / company match
<5 years / 100% up to 4%
5<10 years / 100% up to 5%
10+ years / 100% up to 6%


Pilots will be vested in the company’s contributions to the plan based on his length of active service with the company as follows:

Completed years of active service / vesting
2 years / 20%
3 years / 40%
4 years / 60%
5 years / 100%

Defined Contribution Plan (B Plan)

A pilot will be enrolled in the company’s Defined Contribution Plan (B Plan) subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan. The company will make quarterly contributions to each pilot’s account in the Defined Contribution Plan (B Plan) based on the pilot’s length of active service with the company and eligible earnings as follows:

Completed years of active service / company contribution
<5 years / 2.5%
5<10 years / 4%
10<15 years / 5%
15<20 years / 5.5%
20+ years / 6%

 

[USCtrojan]

Whores

Nevets:

Great post. Between you and 120%, I'm wondering who's more informed here!! Don't worry about the Whores out there that have nothing to offer in this fight. Facts only get in their way. Good luck to you SkyWest pilots (Not to whores like jea and SkyWhore though). I hope you get the Representation you deserve. I look forward to standing beside you to improve our work rules together.

Trojan

 

[Skywest Pylot]

I also get the feeling that Jea has not been at Skywest very long. He kind of reminds me of the occasional private/student pilot who pokes his head in the flight deck to tell me how to fly the CRJ. He seems outspoken but yet uninformed.

 

[CFIT]

Do I have a future here?


That is what many of the professional pilots of Air Wisconsin are wondering.​

We, the pilots of Air Wisconsin, are deeply concerned about the direction of our company. While we were once the premier regional airline to fly for, that is no longer the case. The ALPA MEC has initiated a strategic campaign known as “Do I Have a Future Here” to put a spot light on our concerns.
Recent developments, such as the rigid enforcement of an Attendance Policy that disciplines pilots who call in sick when they are actually sick, unilateral policy changes that have cost our pilots substantial amounts of pay, an exceedingly high grievance case load, and repeatedly denied requests for scheduling accomodations that would greatly enhance our quality of life have provided the impetus for this strategic campaign.
We want what every professional pilot deserves: a good place to work. In recent years Air Wisconsin has gone from arguably the best regional airline to work for, to one of the worst. This is due to management decisions that embody a philosophy that does not us as pilots or as employees.
“Do I Have a Future Here” is a question that many Air Wisconsin pilots are asking. It is a question that management is forcing us to ask. A pilot is prohibited by the Federal Aviation Regulations from flying when sick. If an Air Wisconsin pilot has the misfortune to be sick more than a certain number of times in a year, the pilot will lose his job. For that pilot, there is no future here. A pilot who lives in Denver must now commute to the east coast to start his flying assignments. ALPA has repeatedly asked for scheduling accommodations to enable all of our pilots to have more time at home. No meaningful changes have occurred, and as a result, the pilot’s family life is strained. He simply doesn’t have enough time at home. For that pilot, there is no future here. Many of our pilots, especially our First Officers, struggle to make ends meet. Without any advance notice earlier this year, Air Wisconsin unilaterally changed its interpretation of our commuter policy. Many pilots lost several days of pay, and in some cases, an entire week of pay. For these pilots, there is no future here. When we went to arbitration over Air Wisconsin’s decision to retain the savings from the concessions we granted that were to be passed onto United Airlines to retain the United code sharing agreement, management’s response was that they did not believe that our pilots were due a single penny. Instead, the owners of Air Wisconsin are systematically draining the corporation of its cash, leaving little buffer for stormy times. The potential consequences are clear: for all of our pilots, there may be no future here.
Despite record gains for the owners of Air Wisconsin (at least 300 million in the last few years) nearly every request of ours is met with the same response: if it costs money, we won’t do it.
Neither the MEC nor this pilot group is willing to sit on the sidelines any longer. Regardless of management’s attitude toward our pilots, regardless of the arbitration decision, we will take greater control of our working lives.
This website is designed to inform anyone who is interested about the challenges we face, and how we are facing them. It is also designed to aid in communication within the Air Wisconsin pilot group. Please browse this website and check back frequently as items are added and news is updated.

 

[Nevets]

Do I have a future here?


That is what many of the professional pilots of Air Wisconsin are wondering.​

We, the pilots of Air Wisconsin, are deeply concerned about the direction of our company. While we were once the premier regional airline to fly for, that is no longer the case. The ALPA MEC has initiated a strategic campaign known as “Do I Have a Future Here” to put a spot light on our concerns.
Recent developments, such as the rigid enforcement of an Attendance Policy that disciplines pilots who call in sick when they are actually sick, unilateral policy changes that have cost our pilots substantial amounts of pay, an exceedingly high grievance case load, and repeatedly denied requests for scheduling accomodations that would greatly enhance our quality of life have provided the impetus for this strategic campaign.
We want what every professional pilot deserves: a good place to work. In recent years Air Wisconsin has gone from arguably the best regional airline to work for, to one of the worst. This is due to management decisions that embody a philosophy that does not us as pilots or as employees.
“Do I Have a Future Here” is a question that many Air Wisconsin pilots are asking. It is a question that management is forcing us to ask. A pilot is prohibited by the Federal Aviation Regulations from flying when sick. If an Air Wisconsin pilot has the misfortune to be sick more than a certain number of times in a year, the pilot will lose his job. For that pilot, there is no future here. A pilot who lives in Denver must now commute to the east coast to start his flying assignments. ALPA has repeatedly asked for scheduling accommodations to enable all of our pilots to have more time at home. No meaningful changes have occurred, and as a result, the pilot’s family life is strained. He simply doesn’t have enough time at home. For that pilot, there is no future here. Many of our pilots, especially our First Officers, struggle to make ends meet. Without any advance notice earlier this year, Air Wisconsin unilaterally changed its interpretation of our commuter policy. Many pilots lost several days of pay, and in some cases, an entire week of pay. For these pilots, there is no future here. When we went to arbitration over Air Wisconsin’s decision to retain the savings from the concessions we granted that were to be passed onto United Airlines to retain the United code sharing agreement, management’s response was that they did not believe that our pilots were due a single penny. Instead, the owners of Air Wisconsin are systematically draining the corporation of its cash, leaving little buffer for stormy times. The potential consequences are clear: for all of our pilots, there may be no future here.
Despite record gains for the owners of Air Wisconsin (at least 300 million in the last few years) nearly every request of ours is met with the same response: if it costs money, we won’t do it.
Neither the MEC nor this pilot group is willing to sit on the sidelines any longer. Regardless of management’s attitude toward our pilots, regardless of the arbitration decision, we will take greater control of our working lives.
This website is designed to inform anyone who is interested about the challenges we face, and how we are facing them. It is also designed to aid in communication within the Air Wisconsin pilot group. Please browse this website and check back frequently as items are added and news is updated.

Can you correlate your post with "what did SAPA do about this" please.

 

[Nevets]

Nevets:

Great post. Between you and 120%, I'm wondering who's more informed here!! Don't worry about the Whores out there that have nothing to offer in this fight. Facts only get in their way. Good luck to you SkyWest pilots (Not to whores like jea and SkyWhore though). I hope you get the Representation you deserve. I look forward to standing beside you to improve our work rules together.

Trojan

Just for the record, I'm NOT a Skywest pilot. I'm just someone who cares about the profession and who has dozens of friends at Skywest. I work for XJT.

 

[USCtrojan]

Just for the record, I'm NOT a Skywest pilot. I'm just someone who cares about the profession and who has dozens of friends at Skywest. I work for XJT.

I understand/understood that. Thank you for your relevant information. It has certainly helped with idiots like jea and skywhore who try to confuse and make up facts to support themselves.

And for the record I do not lump SkyWest pilots into the same category as skywhore, jea and their whoring ilk. Most of the guys I bump into are very supportive, professional and want some kind of representation--just not mgmt. Good luck SkyWest.

Trojan

 

[UncleRico]

Unfortunately, representation offered by ALPA really isn't representation at all. The RLA is outdated and companies have learned how to exploit their employees. The reason Skywest can not pay pilots properly, take away health benifits, and whatever else they please is because they can compete with the lowest of the low. Mesa pilots did agree to their contract but the ALPA National President at the time DW decided to sign it as well. The race to the bottom started with ALPA which is unfortunate. Unionized pilots at the regional level were sold out by those who were suppossedly representing them.

ALPA does offer great benefits which cost extra outside of dues. They greive everything and don't seem (nothing to back this with) to win many of them. They killed seniority at USAir and set a precedent that they can't even negotiate between two of their own pilot groups much less management.

Unions are definitely a must, but I think Skywest pilots would be much better off contacting airlines presently using in house unions.

If ALPA wants to get Skywest on the property they should start by taking care of those they already represent. I came from another ALPA 121 carrier and they did nothing for me while I was there. In fact they hurt me more than they helped me. They should also start educating private pilots on their way to becoming professional airline pilots.

 

[USCtrojan]

Unfortunately, representation offered by ALPA really isn't representation at all. The RLA is outdated and companies have learned how to exploit their employees. The reason Skywest can not pay pilots properly, take away health benifits, and whatever else they please is because they can compete with the lowest of the low. Mesa pilots did agree to their contract but the ALPA National President at the time DW decided to sign it as well. The race to the bottom started with ALPA which is unfortunate. Unionized pilots at the regional level were sold out by those who were suppossedly representing them.

ALPA does offer great benefits which cost extra outside of dues. They greive everything and don't seem (nothing to back this with) to win many of them. They killed seniority at USAir and set a precedent that they can't even negotiate between two of their own pilot groups much less management.

Unions are definitely a must, but I think Skywest pilots would be much better off contacting airlines presently using in house unions.

If ALPA wants to get Skywest on the property they should start by taking care of those they already represent. I came from another ALPA 121 carrier and they did nothing for me while I was there. In fact they hurt me more than they helped me. They should also start educating private pilots on their way to becoming professional airline pilots.

How many Union meetings did you attend out of curiosity? Did you serve on a commitee? ALPA has done some pretty stupid things in the past 10 years, I certainly agree with you there. It's a work in progress, and in the past have alienated some of their own (Regionals.) But it's working towards resolution. ASA is a start to the STOP "racing to the bottom" with their Scope Language (which does include language FOR the SkyWest pilots). And a beginning of "watching over their own." You can't stop that "race to the bottom" if pilots fly for less and less and assets are transferred to the biggest whores. At some point WE/YOU have to draw a line. How do we do that? You're not going to achieve anything collectively if we're a bunch of individuals looking for a quick upgrade. I'm sorry you had a bad experience at your other Regional, chances are they may not be in business much longer (pending on who it is).

Trojan

 

[UncleRico]

I didn't come to Skywest for a quick upgrade. In fact my friends let me know that I would be in the next upgrade class at my former carrier. Secondly, Skywest pilots are not whores. The company/lease companies own those airplanes not the pilots. What is ALPA doing about those planes being transferred over to Skywest: NOTHING! The fact of the matter is that you are right, at some point in time it needs to stop. That is why I am for educating new people getting started day one in aviation. The new hires did their research. The only carriers that are really expanding and offering many bases and a promising career is Skywest, Republic, XJet. But, if we can teach them and educate them on how to act as a professional, what it means to stand together, and how to improve their futures we can have educated pilots day one. There is too much propaganda from both sides right now for any new hire to really understand what it means to vote in ALPA.