tom14cat14

Did we negotiate a industry leading contract that in less then a year they are asking us for a 5% cut. I am pretty sure we only have a middle of the pack contract. Did I miss something? How about any manager that makes more then 100k take a pay cut to first year pay? Then they can work up the ladder the same way we did and see if they want to take a 5% pay cut when they make under 40k a year.

B00sted

Delta is having a hard time reimbursing Pinnacle for all training costs. (Colgan guys bidding over to the jet/ Pinnacle and XJ guys bidding the Saab/Q). Each operation should have been fenced off and slowly train the Saab guys on the Jet. However, Bloch erred and now Pinnacle will be forced into Bankruptcy.

Shine dem shoes

Liv2soar

Ladies and Gentlemen, there is either 1 of 2 things occuring:

1. Sean Menke is completely out of control, and has lost his mind.

-OR-

2. Sean Menke is a puppet, with the hand of Daddy Delta, to delibertly send Pinnacle into Bankruptcy.


Speaking on option 1, Sean is making terrible decisions as a leader. What kind of CEO holds a conference call and sounds an alarm that the ship is sinking - then does NOT come down to the airport break rooms and have a FACE to FACE question and answer session??? He is sounding the alarm so loud it's getting world wide attention from investors all across the globe to sell their shares immediately! Come on people, there are actually great things happening at 9E. Such as a merger to streamline operations, excellent past two years of safe flights, moral improving, etc. Financially, not much has changed since last year, especially when you have a "Cost-Plus" Aircraft Service Agreement. Why is the CEO so focused on negative points that are "one time expenses"? A good team leader, does not anger all work groups on purpose. He is scaring the $HIT out of people so badly, employees are ready to jump ship, as opposed to staying on board to man the bilge pumps! He's like a train engineer dumping barrels of pennies on the track at a high speed while standing on the cow guard bumper.

So what - there are some one time expenses like moving into a building downtown, merging three airlines into one, paying pilots 200% during a short staffing time. On time performance is doing good, maintenance costs are down, SOC is being streamlined to cut costs, the training departments are being streamlined as well. Things are getting back on track, there is no point for Sean Menke to FREAK everyone out! Why is he so focused on paycuts? ***? Let me repeat, ***??? Why not hold an all employee meeting in the hanger, and ask everyone to come up with ways to save money WITHOUT A PAYCUT?????? He is destroying synergy, moral and corporate culture. Has he lost his mind???????


Then there's option 2 - None of us pilots, flight attendants or even industry analysts can truly say if Pinnacle Airlines Corp or Incorp is profitable. That is top secret, locked away in the file cabinents of upper mangement at Delta. Sean Menke, doesn't even know if Pinnacle is truly profitable.

The only people that know if Pinnacle is profitable, is upper Delta management. For an airline to have an Aircraft Service Agreement that is based primarily on Fee for Departure, the "books" are completely skewed. Yes, they've "cooked the books" so to speak, ethically and legally. If the average CASM is 8 cents, and Delta marketing department is selling tickets at an average of 8 cents or greater, then Pinnacle is truly profitable.

For Pinnacle to report on it's quarterly earnings that it's made money or lost money, is really no different than a teenager to say "I know my family is rich, obviously, because my Dad gives me 200 bucks each week for my allowance. I make my own BMW car payment of 400 a month, pay my cell phone, food, and gas...and I still have several hundred left over each month." While, in all reality, the Dad has 80,000 in credit card debt, late on the mortgage.

If the 50 seat airplanes aren't able to spread the fuel costs over enough passengers, causing the RASM to be less than CASM, with no hope of fuel to get cheap again........it's time to get the HELL out of the 50 seat RJ business.

You don't know if Pinnacle is profitable or not unless you know what the RASM from DELTA is and the CASM for 9E is. Yet Delta knows these numbers. If...........the RASM was higher than the CASM, then Delta would financially be interested in keeping Pinnacle afloat. And would give them an early pay out, or a loan, etc. 9E belongs to Delta by a "vested interest." It is not in the best interest for Delta to disclose this information to the public.

If they are setting up Sean Menke as a puppet, to send Pinnacle into bankruptcy or poising a position of financial distress to refinance aircraft lease agreements, or union contracts, then they can absolutely control what is happening. Remember, Sean Menke doesn't control the routes, the ticket prices, NOTHING.....Delta Controls everything, and Sean Menke manages a STAFFING COMPANY.



By the way, doesn't it make you wonder that Pinnacle got FORCED into the worst ontime market in the country - NYC??? Why make Pinnacle's biggest base JFK? Maybe to place the Fee for Departure contract in serious jeopardy??? Maybe to rack up the expenses of MOVING COSTS??? Pilots have been in hotels for months, and months and month. Moving Costs are killing the airline.



ALL IN ALL - If any of this is the case, there's nothing the pilots could do to help it.....so why give in NOW to a paycut, when you would get one anyways in bankruptcy court?

Let Phil Trenary and Doug Shockey take a paycut, and let Sean Menke find non payroll expenses to cut FIRST!!!!

Liv2soar

IS THIS A JOKE!!!!!!???????????

Delta is one of the most profitable airlines!

Read this article to see how much money they are making HAND OVER FIST!

Delta Air Lines Announces September Quarter Profit - Oct 25, 2011

And then you tell ME what they can't afford!!!!!!!

tom14cat14

I dont think he meant hard time as in they can not afford to pay. But hard time as in they do not want to pay for it. Like in this article showing they are fighting to see who pays some of the bills.

Pinnacle Has ?High Probability? of Bankruptcy, Maxim Says - Bloomberg

80ktsClamp

I've gotta ask about your avatar. Why on God's green earth is there ever any reason to brake that hard in MEM???

AxialFlow

I have no doubt if put out to the pilots for a vote that not one concession (monetary or non-monetary) would be approved, but...

...this is what concerns me. As soon as the MEC starts having secret squirrel meetings behind closed doors like this, that's when we need to be concerned about what decisions are being made in our "best interest". Contact your reps and make it clear that everything must be voted on and approved by the pilots, NOT the MEC!

BoilerUP

I like how concessionary decisions ALWAYS have to be made in an extremely compressed time frame...but contract negotiations for wage & work rule improvements take YEARS. Very strategic in this case, as it more or less prevents a pilot group vote (especially around the holidays? YGBSM) and would lay it directly at the feet of the MEC.

If 'all' they are asking for is 5%, what's the worst one could reasonably stand to lose at the hands of a bankruptcy judge?

I don't work there so I have no skin in the game, but this has been played out many times before...even at the regional level. And if BK is the best way to restructure the company financially, pilot concessions aren't going to do jack squat to prevent them from filing.

"All of this has happened before, and will happen again."

DMEarc

I could be wrong, but you can negotiate that if you give 5% now and the company goes into BK, then pay is restored. That way a BK judge would cut your pay based on your current CBA, not an already 5% cut.

CANAM

Give back money? That is the most discusting thing I have ever heard.