Mr Hat vbmenu_register("postmenu_223468", true);
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 144
Aircraft Experience: C172, M20E, C310, C402, BE1900, EMB145/135 ER LR and XR
Flight Experience: Civilian
Ratings: E145
Current Position: Captain E145
Total Time: 4000
Okay, I did make a mistake, for some reason I had it in my head that CHQ was ALPA. It shouldnt matter as you guys are all part of this thing we call the airline industry and all pilots out there are you're brothers. In any case, You're happy with you're pay, so be it. Maybe you couldnt have done any better but just remember this, yes an RJ is a jet, it is no different than a mainline jet and it can support mainline wages. Not 737 wages, mainline wages meaning it should be at least in line with the majors not inline with this farce we call the regionals. Hell, Citation pilots make more than us at some corporations. YOU DESERVE MORE and I will maintain that until my 60th birthday. As for CAL controlling us, yes thats true however integration isnt black and white otherwise we would have been successful in it. Having the entire IAH CAL base hating us doesnt help the integration front either. But in terms of business, we are not part of CAL, we are an independant company and thats the way the mediator sees it.
Next time, it is okay to push a little and improve things. I may sound a little harsh but thats because Im a Jersey guy...just the way it is. If I was truly slamming you guys I would have just said "What a bunch of ass*oles" without any explaination.
Nobodys hiring so you aint goin anywhere for quite a while, I certainly hope 50,000 a year is good enough if it becomes a career. And it very well might become a career.
In closing, I would like to publically commend both our Negotiating Committee and our company management for working hard for the last year or so to come to a fair agreement. We are almost finished and we have already made significant gains.
Last edited by Mr Hat : 10-13-2003
Put it on the board...YES
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 96
Aircraft Experience: ERJ145, Beech 1900D, Aztec, Cessna/Piper Singles
Flight Experience: Civilian
Ratings: C-AMEL, ASEL, CFI-ME, BGI, IGI
Current Position: F/O
Total Time: 2100
My last thoughts on the issue...
I need not restate what I already said, except to again re-iterate to flyr - there must be a lot of pilots walking around with no self respect...let's see, refer to my first post. We are respectless - and we all know that if we had all interviewed and been hired at CoEx - we'd have self respect...give me a break. The best you can come up with is, you don't even work for CHQ, you don't like the contract, and all of us aren't even worthy of our own respect? Last time I checked, self respect was just that - something determined by your_self_. I may not be the sharpest pencil in the box, but I think I know on my own if I respect myself. And, just to hazard a guess here, I have a feeling that most, if not all, of the CHQ pilots - they probably have a pretty good idea day to day if they can respect themselves too. I'm going out on a big limb, there, but I think that's probably true. I'm not going to change your mind, but step away from that for just a minute and think about how ludicrous that sounds. Everyone that I've flown with had self respect. Or at least it seemed like they did.
CHQ isn't ALPA. The airline that I used to fly for was ALPA. Guess what it got me - furloughed several times and concessions for the pilots that still remain. ALPA/IBT/whatever - it's not about the organization, it's about _the people_. A union is a union - they exist for the same purpose, they've all been around a lot longer than I have. Anyone who thinks ALPA is the magic bullet, talk to any of the wholly owned Airways bunch. And, quite honestly, if a company is in dire financial straits, how is being ALPA vs. some other union going to make a darn bit of difference? Not that I had a dog in the fight, but ALPA was voted _down_ at Commutair and Chicago Express in the last year. Am I an ALPA hater? No - I'm not. I'm not one, though, to think that ALPA will lead the exodus to our salvation, either.
And yes, I do agree - pilots worked very hard to bring the payscales and the work rules up to what they were today. I'm not blind to that. Always strive for what's better than what you had - keep increasing. It appears to me that the folks at CHQ have done that.
I'll say it again - best of luck to you guys at CoEx - but watch out, at least, watch out in cyberspace. You guys have been talking a huge game for a while, and if that ink hits the paper and it's not everything you guys have said, prepare for a firestorm. And you know what? If you guys think it's a good contract, sign it. Because you'll learn soon enough that there are nay-sayers out there who don't even work for your company who will bash it and cry out on forums like these that "CoEx sold out, they're going to destroy aviation and the pilot profession." You know why? Because maybe you got ComAir + 5 and some nimrod wanted ComAir + 10. Sound familiar, guys? Best of luck to you though - all I can wish is that you do the best you can for your company. If that's better than CHQ or better than ComAir, my hat is off to you all.