OpMidClimax

This isn't 2009 , a recession, a glut of pilots and empty revenue seats

2019, american has a shortage of pilots, + 95 % revenue seat capacity, and seats not being filled in mainline hiring classes.

We have some smart people in the union and they are getting excellent advisement from alpa leadership. Let them take the time they need to improve the labor rights of piedmont pilots.

sailingfun

American does not have any issue with seats not being filled in mainline classes. They like DAL, SWA and UAL have a very deep pool to hire from. I know highly qualified applicants applying to all of the above that can’t get a interview let alone hired. Delta has stated on several occasions they expected the quality and depth of the hiring pool to decline but it has in fact remained steady.
The reality at American to get hired OTS is they are picking from some of the most qualified applicants in their history because so many slots are filled via the flow.

OpMidClimax

6 ots nh failed to show in the 2nd april class and the seats went unfilled. They took offerrs elsewhere.

sailingfun

Very doubtful they just failed to show. People of the caliber they hire call and cancel their class. Regardless they will simply pull 6 more from a vast and deep hiring pool.

OpMidClimax

Ofcourse they canceled, but they were unable to fill the slots at the last minute.. most of these ots, this may be the first civilian job they ever had. The hiring pool is very small and many have multiple offers due to their high caliber. American isn't doing large hiring pools as delta is doing.

Thedude86

I don’t think American cares about losing 6 people in a class. There’s also probably a few people in each class that no showed somewhere else, because they preferred American. I would think at this point all the major carriers are sending more invites out than they need because they know people are getting multiple offers and they’re not expecting 100% of people to show up for class.

Also, as I and several others have pointed out, all the American regional carriers are much better staffed today than they were in 2013. If I remember correctly Envoy alone shrunk by approximately 1,000 pilots at one point. That’s almost double the size of Piedmont. American could do something like that much easier now than they did in 2013.

I know management drives us crazy and makes absolutely zero sense sometimes but they have a lot more power and intelligence than you think they do. I’m starting to get the impression you think Piedmont is in a position to start calling all the shots. It’s like David and Goliath. Except this time Goliath easily has at least another 3 options before he has to take a stone to the forehead.

Newstick189

Dude, you act like asking for a true minimum day or a trip rig is such a high ask they’d be willing to shut down Piedmont.

I don’t think anything our union would ask for is out of AA’s reach or willingness to do. Meanwhile, Envoy is asking for Endeavor + 1 rates and a blended payscale...

I’m happy our Union is taking this opportunity to address QOL. We need it worse than we need the money.

Thedude86

I’m with you man. Trust me. From what I’ve been reading over the last few months you guys have it worse than anybody else. You really do deserve much better. It’s ridiculous what you guys’ schedules look like.

The problem is management doesn’t pay us on what we deserve. They pay us on what they think the market demands to get butts in the door at the lowest possible cost. You don’t have to be a genius to figure this out. Look back the last 30 years. I would argue Regional salaries have gotten worse every year when compared to inflation up until late 2016. That’s when people stopped showing up for class and the market demanded higher pay. You think Endeavor or Republic got their new pay scales by strong arming management? Heck no. They got their pay scales because that’s what their management calculated it would take to start filling classes. If any of us had any kind of leverage then why aren’t we making mainline wages? If the unions were smart enough we should hold out for mainline pay. I mean, management has to play ball to fill classes right?

You’re looking at it with tunnel vision. You’re looking at it thinking there is no other option but to raise pay or QOL. If that were true I would 100% agree with you. Hold out till you get what you want. But to think American is going to cave to your demands when they have 3 other cheaper options is a very naive and shortsighted way of thinking. They’re not stupid.

flysooner9

High caliber? You mean anyone with a pulse?

OpMidClimax

These were mainline ots, military hires.