X-Jet Comments from 2003

[contract2002]

I find it highly unlikely that management has made this there final offer.

If it was their first offer, you would have been voting on roughly an 8% pay raise with NO SCOPE, a different vacation package, no moving benefits, no leg by leg pay protections and a myriad of gains that were not acheived until the NC REJECTED several management offers.

This is the first offer that the MEC/NC brings to you for a vote.

This TA reperesents about the 25th offer from management.

I would be extremely angry if the NC brought me management's first offer.

Buy hey, that's just me.

 

[flynryan15]

?????????

Can somebody tell me how many offers Comair voted down?

 

[nonstop]

That is not a scare tactic. That is my professional opinion. I see you posting your opinions all over the internet (which is 100% fine and I support your right to voice your opinion). But in all fairness, am I not entitled to mine as well?

Yes you're entitled to your opinion, but stop pushing your opinion and start listening to your constituents. Shed an equal amount of light on the negatives and the positives. Can you just not provide facts like a professional without injecting your opinion on everything like it is fact? These people come to the road show's to be educated, not sold... unfortunately it's just become a giant propaganda machine. I worry many will not see through it just like LOA 15 and have regrets afterward.

Talking about scare tactics - the plethora of posts you write all are full of emotion and chest-thumping, sometimes degrading others at our company who are voicing their concerns on the 'net (they are entitled to their opinions as well, even though they are 180 from yours). I know you won't like this post but such is life.

Now who's degrading who? I'm no more a chest thumper than you. My posts include facts about the TA, if you disagree with them, that's fine. Don't act like I'm spreading false truths though. You like to provide the best case scenario "what if's." I feel to make an educated decision all the worst case scenarios "what if's" must be evaulated too. You spend all your time focusing on the positives of the TA and hardly none on the negatives unless confronted. I'd assume that it is your responsibilty to speak about the negatives too, but apparently all you're worried about is pushing your opinion.

 

[Sam Fisher]

<yawn>

 

[BluDevAv8r]

Yes you're entitled to your opinion, but stop pushing your opinion and start listening to your constituents. Shed an equal amount of light on the negatives and the positives. Can you just not provide facts like a professional without injecting your opinion on everything like it is fact? These people come to the road show's to be educated, not sold... unfortunately it's just become a giant propaganda machine. I worry many will not see through it just like LOA 15 and have regrets afterward.

Now who's degrading who? I'm no more a chest thumper than you. My posts include facts about the TA, if you disagree with them, that's fine. Don't act like I'm spreading false truths though. You like to provide the best case scenario "what if's." I feel to make an educated decision all the worst case scenarios "what if's" must be evaulated too. You spend all your time focusing on the positives of the TA and hardly none on the negatives unless confronted. I'd assume that it is your responsibilty to speak about the negatives too, but apparently all you're worried about is pushing your opinion.

I'm sorry Ryan but I disagree. I'm not sure if you were present at a road show presentation but we clearly lay out the negatives, including the concessions in Moving Expenses, the fact that we no longer take our vacation with us if we voluntarily change domicile/status, the fact that a reserve now owns his trip at 18 hours instead of 12, etc. We also talk about how we arrived at our FO rates as well as the per diem rate and why you won't find trip/duty rigs in this contract. Lastly, we also discuss that the rates are clearly south of where we expected and hoped them to be. We also talk about how things could get better just as we talk about how things could get worse. Once again, it is a risk/reward analysis that each pilot must make prior to exercising his vote.

I have been providing the facts for over 2.5 years Ryan. If you feel that I have not conducted myself in a professional manner, by all means, seek my removal through the proper channels.

Lastly, I have yet to have one person come up to me, email me, or call me (or have anyone else tell me) that they felt like they were being "sold" at this presentation. We went to great lengths to ensure that we, in fact, were not going to "sell" this thing at the presentation. We also went to great lengths to ensure that we provided not only the facts, but also our professional opinion not only of the situation we are in but also about what we think is the best course of action for this pilot group. Pilots will have the ultimate decision in whether or not this TA passes and I support that fact 100%.

Not that it matters but I am curious since you have called the presentations a "giant propaganda machine" but have you attended and participated in a road show presentation? If so, great and I am glad you could come and partake. If not, I hope you do, so that you can see for yourself that the 2-hour presentation and subsequent 2 hour Q&A session is most definitely not a sales job.

Fly safe and feel free to call or write anytime.

-Neal

 

[AFELLOWAVIATOR]

Can somebody tell me how many offers Comair voted down?

Two "Final Offers">

 

[bigguy]

Neal,

Though I appreciate your work and efforts, you clearly stated "you don't want to risk your $30'000+ retro pay to attempt to acheive anything better". Thats great for YOU, but you represent a lot more than yourself - here! The company has hired over 300 pilots this year, and has plans to continue to hire many more. These rates (FO) are unacceptable in today's economy. They're hinged upon unsatisfactory Captain rates, and an Unsatisfactory FO percentage. We are approaching the absolute bottom in the industry, legacy carriers will adapt or fold tents, and we are in a great position to move forward. The Management knows this and so do you. The rush to offer an agreement is due in part to our opportunities in the marketplace that already exist, as well as opportunities afforded in the near future with the state of legacy carriers.

Fuel costs are at an all time high, WE ALL KNOW THAT! But these costs can easily be offset by raising ticket prices, Very slightly. The demand exists now for air travel, and as long as low cost carriers continue to sell seats at a loss, the potenial to raise prices remains a problem. They cannot continue indefinately to discount these seats.

This industry CAN afford to pay a decent wage, and we have yet to see this. Comair acheived a significant contract in 2001, and we can today.
You have a very professional pilot group behind you, that when compensated appropriately will deliver.

 

[JetLinkin Park]

Neal,

Though I appreciate your work and efforts, you clearly stated "you don't want to risk your $30'000+ retro pay to attempt to acheive anything better". Thats great for YOU, but you represent a lot more than yourself - here! The company has hired over 300 pilots this year, and has plans to continue to hire many more. These rates (FO) are unacceptable in today's economy. They're hinged upon unsatisfactory Captain rates, and an Unsatisfactory FO percentage. We are approaching the absolute bottom in the industry, legacy carriers will adapt or fold tents, and we are in a great position to move forward. The Management knows this and so do you. The rush to offer an agreement is due in part to our opportunities in the marketplace that already exist, as well as opportunities afforded in the near future with the state of legacy carriers.

Fuel costs are at an all time high, WE ALL KNOW THAT! But these costs can easily be offset by raising ticket prices, Very slightly. The demand exists now for air travel, and as long as low cost carriers continue to sell seats at a loss, the potenial to raise prices remains a problem. They cannot continue indefinately to discount these seats.

This industry CAN afford to pay a decent wage, and we have yet to see this. Comair acheived a significant contract in 2001, and we can today.
You have a very professional pilot group behind you, that when compensated appropriately will deliver.

Neal was talking about the 30 MILLION (insert dr. evil here) that the pilot group could potentially forfeit, not his cut. Hell, for $30K I'd even vote yes on this thing!!!!

Although now that I think about, many may get such a check. Those of us who were furloughed can only dream and continue to work for poverty level wages.

 

[BluDevAv8r]

Neal,

Though I appreciate your work and efforts, you clearly stated "you don't want to risk your $30'000+ retro pay to attempt to acheive anything better". Thats great for YOU, but you represent a lot more than yourself - here! The company has hired over 300 pilots this year, and has plans to continue to hire many more. These rates (FO) are unacceptable in today's economy. They're hinged upon unsatisfactory Captain rates, and an Unsatisfactory FO percentage. We are approaching the absolute bottom in the industry, legacy carriers will adapt or fold tents, and we are in a great position to move forward. The Management knows this and so do you. The rush to offer an agreement is due in part to our opportunities in the marketplace that already exist, as well as opportunities afforded in the near future with the state of legacy carriers.

Fuel costs are at an all time high, WE ALL KNOW THAT! But these costs can easily be offset by raising ticket prices, Very slightly. The demand exists now for air travel, and as long as low cost carriers continue to sell seats at a loss, the potenial to raise prices remains a problem. They cannot continue indefinately to discount these seats.

This industry CAN afford to pay a decent wage, and we have yet to see this. Comair acheived a significant contract in 2001, and we can today.
You have a very professional pilot group behind you, that when compensated appropriately will deliver.

JetLinkin is correct. If you reread what I wrote, I said $30,000,000 or $30mm or $30 million, which doesn't count our $600,000 for our flight instructors too.

My retro check is not anywhere close to $30,000. For 90% of the time spent working for ALPA the past 2.5 years, I was on FO pay by the way.

Lastly, I do not want to debate our strategy or rationale on here, especially since you have not chosen to post your name. If you would like to discuss your concerns, by all means, call or email me. Even better, come to a road show and voice your concerns. See you soon.

-Neal