Where's the breaking point?

[Traumahawk]

It is attitude and perspective that needs to change, then,the pay.

Then, as we continue to be sucessful, and SkyWest continues year after year after year to flourish, and the jets get shinier and bigger, the pay creeps up. And we own the city. When we own the city, we are the city counsel, and we set the pay standard. But now we compete and we do it together.

One more question to discuss:

Will Southwest Airlines be able to sustain their current pilot pay structure indefinitely?

Jake"

That's taken from a thread about an alarming attidue at SKYW and other airlines around the block...

Let me ask...
With the age 65 rule in place, and a lot more people staying put over the next few years, what alternative does management have other than deal with what we want?

Anyone in contract talks should shoot for the stars and everyone NOT in talks should hold the line from this point out. This type of attitude above is exactly what noone wants to hear. And after years of finger pointing and debating here in FI, we all get the picture of who's to blame and what attidue is wrong.
But for once, we have an extended period of time where it's just not Comair and Eagle pilots watching their upgrade hopes stagnate.

Noone should be afraid to finally stick a fork in this race to the bottom due to a sentiment at skywest etc..that they will gladly take what everyone else will lose if their costs go up.

People don't care as much about upgrade at the Majors because after a few years you can "almost" pay your bills. Lets get the same thing going on at the regional level now that people might actually give a crap about fair treatment and compensation since they won't be jumping ship 12 months later. Hopefully the bar only moves up from there at the majors.

Transit workers strike without permission.

Can you imagine the panic, and uncontainable shock that would take place in every upper management office if the majority of pilots around the country said we'll fly where we want, when we want until you get your act together?? There's a few small men towing the ropes of a very large machine that WE drive.

It's like a lion tamer with his little stick. He's in a ring with 5 bloodthirsty, man eating lions, yet they do nothing, despite the fact that they could make him breakfast in 5 seconds without blinking twice.

This power they have over the industry is paper thin, held together only by our willingness to play by the biased rulebook of the RLA which is completely obsolete.

It's bad when you look back at the 1980's and say "those fokker drivers had it made"
We're one national sickout away from having that back. Are they really going to fire/detain 40,000 pilots?

This idea may have seemed a bit radical 3 years ago, but It's becoming more of a reality with the growing sentiment out there, it's just that unlike the NYC transit folks' union, Alpa/Teamsters don't have the balls to finally tell them where they can stick their corrupt industry when we stop working for taxicab salaries and treatment.

We're not important? Without us everything stops. People used to know that. Now pilots are a punchline.

I'll sit in jail for 10 days with any of you. I just wish our Union leaders would offer the same.

Sorry for the rant...carry on.

 

[flyf15]

I wouldn't say it even needs to be as radical as that. We, the pilots, help our companies continue like this, we're our own worst enemy.

How many times have you flown where you really should've called in fatigued? Honestly, if you look at a typical regional airline schedule, there should be at least 1 fatigue call per month per pilot.

How many times have you waited till you got back to the hub to write something up?

How many times have you used your cellphone to call dispatch so you didn't have to put a kink in the operation and walk up to the ticket counter to use the company phone?

How many times have you gone above and beyond whats required of you to get someone else to just do their job? (ie: rampers)

etc... I could go on and on.

Everyone... fly safe, fly exactly to your contract and FARs, and DONT DO MANAGEMENT ANY FAVORS... they don't do us any. We have the ultimate control over the success or failure of this industry and we need management to (painfully) understand that.

Things like this take peer pressure. If you see a pilot doing management favors, make them an outcast. Embarrass them, call them out, and most importantly... educate them! This takes everyone.

 

[Exskydiverdrivr]

Quote-Then, as we continue to be sucessful, and SkyWest continues year after year after year to flourish, and the jets get shinier and bigger, the pay creeps up. And we own the city. When we own the city, we are the city counsel, and we set the pay standard. But now we compete and we do it together.

"As long as he gets his quick upgrade, he'll play ball."

Quote-We're one national sickout away from having that back. Are they really going to fire/detain 40,000 pilots?

"You Are right. But your also right in stating that this would have alot more weight if Capt. Prater would say it too."

 

[Traumahawk]

F15 I see your point and the ideas are good, but not good enough to reach out and take back the control of this flying circus.

Flying safe pisses them off, but pales in comparison to a day or two of everyone not showing for work. The flights would be overbooked until 2027.

Pilots will complain until the end of time, but something as simple as this just doesn't click for some reason.
Diverdriver you're right, and it's frusterating to watch our Unions' leadership play the game like good little sheep over and over again, because they won't take the heat and call for us to play the only card we have left...
Like I said, the transit workers took a few days off, and people were walking across the NYC bridges to get to work. They now make more than most of us, because they had balls. "What do you mean we can't strike?? Just watch"

Upper management banks on us not having the guts to take their greivance process, and their alter ego carriers and unwaranted bankrupcies and stolen, STOLEN pensions and tell them where they can put it. Even the newest regional contracts still have pilots starting at pay less than a bus driver. They have called our eternal bluff as far as us demanding what we deserve.

 

[Boris Badenov]

The transport folks could do it because they couldn't be replaced by the conductors from Six Flags' "Yosemite Express" train ride. The second pilots walk, there will be ten thousand little scumbags lined up to "fly the big iron" instead of "those greedy pilots". Sad but true. Remember PATCO?

 

[Traumahawk]

The transport folks could do it because they couldn't be replaced by the conductors from Six Flags' "Yosemite Express" train ride. The second pilots walk, there will be ten thousand little scumbags lined up to "fly the big iron" instead of "those greedy pilots". Sad but true. Remember PATCO?

One controller can work 150 airplanes (ie NYC)

2 pilots to fly ONE airplane. And we all know they can't replace 10's of tousands of Air Transport pilots to fly the nations air carriers. Gojet can't cover everything.

The reality is, the pilots might be willing to do this instead of come up with excuses because they're scared or really don't care THAT much about wages. It just takes someone in the right position with the leadership and courage to walk this line.

 

[i'mbatman]

The transport folks could do it because they couldn't be replaced by the conductors from Six Flags' "Yosemite Express" train ride. The second pilots walk, there will be ten thousand little scumbags lined up to "fly the big iron" instead of "those greedy pilots". Sad but true. Remember PATCO?

Do you have any idea how many people turn out for the civil service tests in NYC every year they are offered?? Tens of thousands.......there are planty of people willing to drive busses and sit in train stations and give info......the biggest difference was that most MTA employees didnt give a damn about there jobs in the first place....they had nothing to lose.....then again what does anyone here have to lose? There is a massive pilot shortage worldwide.....supply and demand.....who's gonna be a martyr?