"Thanks for taking concessions!"
08-22-2014, 05:28 PM
#52
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,270
ALPA didn't neuter themselves that's wrong. They simply do not represent the interests of regional airline pilots in an effective, meaningful way. Of course they are happy to collect your dues and give the token speech on the evils of management etc.. but in the end they don't represent you.
08-22-2014, 05:30 PM
#53
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,270
Perfectly put by a Mesa pilot. Regional pilots everywhere are risking their livelihood fighting for better pay meanwhile you guys work for some the lowest wages out there. Blame ALPA, blame management, blame major pilots but it's guys like you showing up for work at places like Mesa that it impossible for others to get more.
Well Mr. "DAL FO", Comair struck and DAL threw them in the trash can.
The commuters aren't the place to stick your neck out. You may get a token raise, maybe a dime more per hour in per diem if you're lucky, but nothing that can approach the gains that can be had by majors.
08-22-2014, 05:54 PM
#54
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2014
Position: 737 FO
Posts: 360
As for working here, I absolutely love it. I think some pilots have forgotten what it's like to work at a regional, and have forgotten how lucky they really are.
That's not to say that there aren't issues--there are. The 737 training program is a mess right now, and there are some pretty significant staffing irregularities that need to be fixed. The iPads have not been properly utilized. There are other IT issues that should have been addressed a while ago, that are just now being fixed.
But none of these problems are insurmountable. I think management needs to be a little more attentive to employee input on some of the issues, but I do believe that they are turning a corner. That said, it's going to take some time to finally make everything mesh, and I think it will.
As for the way I get treated, it's no comparison between here and a regional. None. The interpersonal relations between employees and managers that I see are much more professional and cordial.
As for those that are doubting some of the pay numbers on here, I'm here to tell you that those numbers are real. Trips get bought, and guys pick up something else. There are opportunities to get paid time-and-a-half or double-time, not to mention just straight time. I know enough 737/757 captains making $300K+ and FO's at or over $200K to know that it isn't a fluke. You have to work hard to make that kind of money, but you can do it, esp. if you live in base.
08-22-2014, 07:56 PM
#56
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2013
Position: DAL 757 FO
Posts: 197
Well Mr. "DAL FO", Comair struck and DAL threw them in the trash can.
The commuters aren't the place to stick your neck out. You may get a token raise, maybe a dime more per hour in per diem if you're lucky, but nothing that can approach the gains that can be had by majors.
The commuters aren't the place to stick your neck out. You may get a token raise, maybe a dime more per hour in per diem if you're lucky, but nothing that can approach the gains that can be had by majors.
08-22-2014, 08:13 PM
#57
Banned
Joined APC: Nov 2013
Position: 7th green
Posts: 4,378
I don't work for XJT, Eagle, etc.
ALPA National has done very little to prop up wages at the commuters. It's almost criminal how much the pay difference is.
ALPA National has to "agree" and sign every single contract that is negotiated. And they do.
There are a million guys with SJS. There are even more who would work at a US major. Yet those wages aren't anything at the level of the commuters - because those pilots have leverage.
The major carriers are smart, most especially after the Comair strike. Too many eggs in one basket makes for a pilot group with too much leverage.
The commuters can't win on their own and need a national union that enforces a bare minimum contract yet ALPA so far has failed to do that. When asked, Lee Moak was speechless to Congress. It was humorous, but sad.
ALPA National has done very little to prop up wages at the commuters. It's almost criminal how much the pay difference is.
ALPA National has to "agree" and sign every single contract that is negotiated. And they do.
There are a million guys with SJS. There are even more who would work at a US major. Yet those wages aren't anything at the level of the commuters - because those pilots have leverage.
The major carriers are smart, most especially after the Comair strike. Too many eggs in one basket makes for a pilot group with too much leverage.
The commuters can't win on their own and need a national union that enforces a bare minimum contract yet ALPA so far has failed to do that. When asked, Lee Moak was speechless to Congress. It was humorous, but sad.
Example: For YEARS, AS pilots had a no-strike clause in their contract. In exchange, the Company guaranteed 92% of an average of the top 5 Major carriers Captain rate. ALPA National reluctantly agreed to sign off on the contract but required the no-strike clause NOT be included in the printed version of the contract.
Of course, National didn't want to be seen signing off on a no-strike clause even though the AS MEC wanted it in exchange for NOT having to expend negotiating capital on wage negotiations. They felt it was more beneficial to the pilot group to improve work rules/benefits while accepting a wage rate acceptable to the Company.
Blaming National for your woes is misguided. If you really want a target, look no further than the MECs that accept and the pilots that ratify crappy contracts.
08-22-2014, 08:53 PM
#58
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2013
Posts: 471
Well if you have ever been inside an assisted living facility it would be a good example of what its like flying international from the crews I see working.
08-22-2014, 08:56 PM
#59
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Joined APC: Jul 2013
Posts: 4,782
08-22-2014, 09:09 PM
#60
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2011
Position: Airbus button pusher
Posts: 2,448
Perfectly put by a Mesa pilot. Regional pilots everywhere are risking their livelihood fighting for better pay meanwhile you guys work for some the lowest wages out there. Blame ALPA, blame management, blame major pilots but it's guys like you showing up for work at places like Mesa that it impossible for others to get more.
