Arctichicken

I hate to see talent leave but you have to do what is best for you and your family. The bean counters have choked the Alaska spirit right out of this pilot group. I can't help but laugh when the koolaid crowd preach how we are getting an early pay raise prior to the 2018 amendable date and asking why this pilot group is so disgruntled. The words clueless, out of touch, and douche come to mind. They are the same selfish spineless rats who would pick up premium/VSA while people were furloughed and now. This has never crossed my mind since I've been here but if I were 10 years younger, I would leave for the big three in an instant. Money can indeed buy QOL.

Bugaboo

Personally I think AK managements (base)balls are in a wringer. They are reeling and cannot get their MBA trained minds around the fact that they are going to have to PAY UP. In all aspects too.
Blah....Blah...Blah with "do the right thing" and "be remarkable". Those are just mgt buzzwords that they KNOW make employees feel good and give purpose and meaning. They (mgt) live, work, and think on a different plane and have been trained and mentored to be the way they are. Forget about it....AKs mgt gives as little a $h*t as does Delta's or AA's. They are in it for reasons most pilots dont get. Dougie P didnt allow an 8% payraise over at AA out of compasion or because he really cares to do the right thing. There is ALWAYS an underlying reason that in one way or the other ties back to $. Look back just 12-15 years ago and you can see a fine example of how airline management "cares".
So AK's stance on these negotiations does not surprise me at all. They have circled the wagons and are protecting the money chest for as long as they can. But its inevitable that were gonna get in. The big question is just how much of that chest are we gonna get.
I think mgt will offer some up....but just enough so that 60% will be thankful. They dont want it to go to arbitration but I sure hope that, if their last second offer is not up to par with the Big 3, we send it down the road to the arbitrator!
We will know whats up by mid October at the latest. Hopefully you will be wearing a double breasted suit by then, but if not maybe the results of this game will be good enough to make you think about changing your mind.
Cheers!

RJs2majors

I agree, all management are the same. None of them put up money out of the goodness of their hearts. There is always a hidden agenda. I never bought into this "family" mentality anyway. At the end of the day, I'm just a hired hand and I'm okay with that. The big difference between Alaska and the bigger legacies is that they big boys are paying a heck of a lot more and offer better opportunities. I just want to beat the mass exodus if the crap hits the fan here.

Ispeakjive

As I read BM and BT emails, I feel sick knowing that I am being lied to. The worst ones are the rah rah messages about how an employee did something kind. Yay for the story, but I get the impression that we are supposed to be endeared to the leadership who offered praise. I think we're all getting real sick of this:

"Alaska values it's employees".

A lie told once remains a lie but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.
Joseph Goebbels

Peoloto

I'd imagine it would be hard to stay when you can get SEA 737 and 757/767 in a couple months at Delta and have way better work rules/pay/retirement.

Going2Baja

This is what people don't get. The Group has the BEST PR Firm. The World thinks The Group is the BEST when it comes to taking care of their employees when the opposite is the truth. One would think that a company like Big Delta would be just another large corporation but they care for and treat their employees much better.

One of these days Alaska's Golden Smoke Screen will fail and they will be wondering what happened. It's somewhat comical from the outside, but VERY sad when you are very familiar with many of the employees such as yourself that have too many years invested and don't wish to start over.

Good luck FJ, We all hope your MEC comes through and get the contract that you all deserve!!!

beech1980

Not sure if it was in Delta's plan to pilfer Alaska pilots but it sure seems to be working. As long as Alaska can make a good profit and keep the planes moving management considers it successful. Replacing higher priced labor with new hires and captains low on the years of service scale is a win, win for management.

ForeverJunior

Thanks, Baja.

This management team is living in the past. They have gotten away for too long with not truly investing in their employees. Like you said, it's going to come crashing down on them.

Most of us are tired of their lip service.

Our MEC will not put anything out to the membership for a vote unless it meets the polling data. This thing is going to end up going to arbitration.

ForeverJunior

I'm no longer signed up for it, but other pilots' phones are blowing up with premium trip texts. We are especially short on the captain side.

There is a limit to how much the premium trip picker uppers can do. Eventually, it's going to catch up. Add to it the fact that we have people leaving for other airlines AND no-showing classes.

I'm not sure how much longer they can keep this operation going. Our in-time performance has suffered big-time. Will see what cancellations look like in the next few months. Crew planning was warned about our summer staffing levels late last year.

Anyway, flex months will run out in Seattle in August. Company may want to flex more, but they cannot. Besides, we can't continue flying 87+ hour lines.

Moose

The JCBA delays and low expectations will keep driving FOs away but it's the SLI with Virgin that will do the most damage. There is no upside to this SLI for Alaska pilots and an arbitrator, if he rules historically, will do a percentage integration that a lot of FOs will find immensely unfair. I'm predicting a mass exodus and those that stay will be angrymaking Alaska a miserable place to work. Normally I'm pretty upbeat but not so much these days.