CaptCoolHand

Here or spirit is probably a crap shoot... frontier is a mess...

keep your options open.

Chrisx2

I get what you guys are talking about creating leverage by convincing people not to come here. I just don't think that's going to work in the near term. We are far ahead of regionals on terms of pay and QOL (at least days off, maybe not so much work rules), so as long as we have that, regional pilots will go to the first major carrier they can - that's why Frontier and Spirit are able to recruit. In order for this tactic to work, the regionals will have to drastically improve their pay (make it more difficult for pilots to leave for marginal gains) or the supply of regional pilots will have to dwindle. Neither of which I see happening for at least another 4-5 years. I'm not comparing us to a regional, I'm just stating facts. Once they get here, attrition sends a different message. Then they've wasted money on training someone and they'll have to train a replacement.

Follow MEC guidance. Wear your lanyard (new ones coming soon). Convince other pilots to do the same without creating undue tension in the cockpit. Educate yourself by reading the union emails and keeping up to date. If we do picket, be out on the picket line. But most of all, FLY SOP!

Bluedriver

I disagree. And your post only makes your post a self fulfilling prophecy. Our application numbers are dropping from previous windows dramatically. Guys at regionals know how hard it is to start over each time and many will choose to wait until the big 4 call them rather than interview and leave their families for several weeks to go to ground school, all the while planning to do it all over again 6 months later when United calls.

Some will obviously, but many won't. JetBlue needs a lot of pilots, and posts like yours could very well be the difference. APC is one of the primary channels for disseminating information, so it troubles me that you would even make your post public.

Even if you believe what you wrote, why write it at all publicly? Send a PM but why undermine efforts that COULD work? Does that even make sense to you if you are on the seniority list and are 30-40% undercompensated????

Common man.

Chrisx2

Posts like mine won't have any bearing on anything. I didn't say "Come here, it's great." I didn't say "Stay away from here, it's horrible." It's not a self fulfilling prophecy. It's a subjective opinion. This is a forum where we can discuss goings-on at the company. I'm not negotiating in public. Both parties are well aware of where their leverage lies. I'm not spouting off any secrets. I'm not saying publicly that this is more important than this. Stop trying to tell everyone they're wrong just because you have a differing opinion.

Yes, our application numbers are falling. But that having an impact on our hiring won't occur for another few years. If you think upper management isn't aware of that, you're fooling yourself.

The thing we all need to concern ourselves with is UNITY. The easiest way to show unity is to do exactly what I said in the last paragraph of my previous post.

Bluedriver

Your comment that pay and work rules are better here than a regional could be read as a recommendation to come here. Besides that, it is a public discussion and the things we say can undermine some of the very few possible pressure points we can influence. Or undermine, depending on your goals.

stanherman

All are very interesting points...JB pilots deserve the pay.

CaptCoolHand

And Work rules... pay is nothing without work rules.

coopervane

Unity could also apply to you here. We are trying to send a unified message to prospective new hires that JB might not be the best destination for the next few years. Can you show some UNITY and climb aboard that unity bus?

Also, don't misread what I'm doing here....I'm not sending out a message to try and "hurt" the company's recruitment efforts....I'm not trying to increase our leverage at the bargaining table.

I TRULY am giving my 2 cents about the culture, and QOL for me after 2 years at JB. It's not encouraging after seeing what mgmt thinks about the contributions of the pilots. The culture is a sham, and like a previous poster commented, it is INSULTING for mgmt to take advantage of a work hard, get it done attitude like I've always had.

I WANT to help out in the back. I WANT to help out the operation, I WANT to push wheelchairs up the jetbridge, I WANT to show early to ensure we get out on time......... but until they show me that I am valued.....Nah. Sorry.

Chrisx2

So unity only applies if I agree with your point of view? Read my post again. I didn't say, "Come here, it's great!" I merely started the fact that there are better work rules and QOL here compared to the regionals. I don't recall too many, if any, regionals that have our trip rig, our duty rig, our min pay per duty period. No regional pays close to what we pay. So what I said was fact, not opinion. I conjectured that until regionals increase their pay and work rules, people would bail and come here, regardless of what you say on this forum. I haven't given my opinion on whether someone should come here. I said that until that changed we would not have a problem getting pilots to come here. A lot of guys join up just to get out of the regional hell hole. I'm not understanding why everyone is jumping on me over some common sense logic that I'm pointing out. You might persuade some people to choose DAL, SWA, UAL, AAL, or any other major IF they were lucky enough to have the choice (I would be inclined to agree). You might persuade military guys to stay in and wait for a legacy. The pilot shortage hasn't materialized to the point where a guy at a regional won't come here given no other options. Please tell me where my logic falls short on that point. And be honest here: had you known what you know now, and with no other offers of employment on the table, would you have stayed at your regional for the 2 years you've been here waiting on that call?

Rabid Seagull

That's funny. You want to show up early? And you say Chris is undermining the union's efforts? Valued...it's getting better.