News on the new Skywest pay package
06-12-2017, 01:17 AM
#485
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2007
Position: I pilot
Posts: 2,049
06-12-2017, 12:18 PM
#486
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2016
Posts: 846
Look what's happening to XJT? Do you want that here? They came to us early and offered us a raise in order to project costs for new flying. I know it's a pilots job to complain about everything, but at some point you have to be thankful we don't have the same problems as most other regionals. If you want to make more, there are other companies out there who sell their own tickets. They can do this, a contract carrier is limitied in what they can offer.
SkyWest is a great place to be on this part of the career totem pole. The deal is fair for who we are. I know contracts are juicy meat for complaining, but in any other profession if a boss offered you a raise you would take it and say thank you.
The absence of QOL improvements was the only thing missing. That being said, our work rules (aside from reserve) aren't that bad to begin with.
This "get all you can" mentality has doomed other airlines in the past. Let's not have that happen here..
SkyWest is a great place to be on this part of the career totem pole. The deal is fair for who we are. I know contracts are juicy meat for complaining, but in any other profession if a boss offered you a raise you would take it and say thank you.
The absence of QOL improvements was the only thing missing. That being said, our work rules (aside from reserve) aren't that bad to begin with.
This "get all you can" mentality has doomed other airlines in the past. Let's not have that happen here..
Since Skywest has owned XJT, they have lost money, every single quarter for seven years. And yet they have given one round of raises, retention bonus, and QOL work rule improvements. And despite losing millions for years, they have now offered more retention bonuses and new hire bonus. And management and union have announced they are negotiating another round of pay rate increases and QOL work rule improvements. All this while XJT has not made a penny for skywest and we still have our industry leading contract work rules, benefits, and retirement.
So how can you correlate what has happened to xjt to their pilots good contract rules and multiple rounds of making it more expensive? It seems to me that if Skywest can afford to continue making xjt more expensive despite losing hundreds of millions of dollars, that they can offer Skywest pilots just a little bitty more than what they have?
06-12-2017, 01:44 PM
#487
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2016
Posts: 846
News on the new Skywest pay package
As far as ALPA vs SAPA, man that is such a private question, nearly impossible to proselytize. ALPA does WAY more than we do on a national level however we don't have the conflict of interests at the regional level. We are paid by the company however nobody here pays dues. It's tough.
Just wanted to throw in my .02.
-Russ
This is the biggest misconception about ALPA at regional airlines. So let me explain.
Mainline pilots' unions (ALPA) and their managements' negotiate the scope of their contract. Together, through collective bargaining, they've agreed on what flying will be allowed to be outsourced. Now, mainline managements have to find companies (regional airlines) that will perform this outsourced flying. So mainline management put out RFPs for this flying. Now, regional managements' bid and are awarded this flying. With new flying in hand, regional managements' and their pilots' union (ALPA) negotiate pay and work rules for this flying.
At no point was there any conflict of interest among mainline ALPA and regional ALPA. Mainline ALPA decided that either they couldn't or weren't willing to perform that flying. Regional ALPA only decide what the pay and work rules would be to perform the flying that mainline ALPA wouldn't or couldn't perform.
This point is important. At no point does regional ALPA tell mainline ALPA what NOT to scope. And even if they did, mainline ALPA would laugh in their faces and tell them to mind their own business. What each ALPA mainline/regional MEC negotiates is totally separate and doesn't affect what the other MEC negotiates. Mainline MEC negotiate what to scope. Regional MEC only negotiates what pay and work rules they will agree to operate aircraft mainline MECs didn't/couldn't/wouldn't negotiate. And mainline MECs don't really care if regional MECs negotiate peanuts for their compensation on flying they didn't/couldn't scope in. There is absolutely no conflict of interest.
On the other hand, management paying for pilots to negotiate on behalf of pilots in opposition to management is the epitome of conflict of interest. There isn't even a question about it. It's thee quintessential definition of conflict of interest. This is akin to the car dealership using another one of their salesman to negotiate the price of your car against another one of their salesman. I don't understand how pilots cannot see this?
It's pretty much impossible to strike. There are lots of steps and ultimately the NMB has to release the parties. But with regional airlines, all CPAs come with boiler plate strike clauses that make this possibility nil.
06-12-2017, 02:56 PM
#488
Line Holder
Joined APC: Mar 2017
Posts: 90
If I have to take a pay cut to get more flying then I don't want the flying. Upgrades are basically as soon as you are qualified at all airlines now.
In the Skywest pilot recruitment show they say that the airlines are coming to Skywest and asking them what they need to take the flying as if no other airline can do it.
Every pilot at every regional needs to stop and say, I am valuable, I can't be replaced very easily. If someone else wants to fly for those crappy wages they can have the flying. I will wait until they can afford me.
When a doctor or a lawyer has a full schedule, he does not take a payout to work more hours, he raises his prices and phases out the lower paying accounts.
In the Skywest pilot recruitment show they say that the airlines are coming to Skywest and asking them what they need to take the flying as if no other airline can do it.
Every pilot at every regional needs to stop and say, I am valuable, I can't be replaced very easily. If someone else wants to fly for those crappy wages they can have the flying. I will wait until they can afford me.
When a doctor or a lawyer has a full schedule, he does not take a payout to work more hours, he raises his prices and phases out the lower paying accounts.
06-12-2017, 03:58 PM
#489
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2011
Position: lav dumper
Posts: 707
The bottom line is this. The law of supply and demand rules. If XYZ airline posts a pilot job paying $20,000 a year, and they get 1,000 applicants, which was the case until a few years ago, that's how much the pilot is worth. The market dictates what we are worth like any other free market. Until recently airlines have had zero reason to pay any more. Pilots can stomp their feet all day. Pilots are their own worst enemies and not the sharpest tools in the shed.
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