Originally Posted by
MatchPoint
Originally Posted by
Nevets
ExpressJet was profitable up until day one of the branded operation, which was April 2, 2007. After they shut that down on September 2, 2008, they would have been profitable if it wasn't for Skywest low ball CPA offer as part of the buyout. And keep in mind that they were able to low ball it because they were planning on giving us 16% concessions in order to bring us to parity with average Skywest pilot compensation.
As for the Lorenzo reference, I can only guess that comes from inc management's propensity to whipsaw their own employees against each other, just as Lorenzo did. They are just smarter and better at doing it. It's not a comparison I would make but if you truly understood the other side if the operation, you would understand how that mentality is not unreasonable.
The 2008 XJT/SKW debacle was orchestrated by Count Chocula (Smisek does look like him lol) who, in the end, schooled both sides. In the end SkyWest ate that one but management's propensity to whipsaw is something that goes on everywhere in every industry. Lorenzo wasn't the first to do it and Jerry won't be the last. They all do it! Jerry’s not pillaging XJT (look at ASA for example) unlike Lorenzo did with TIA, CAL and EAL. Nor has Jerry started an alter-ego carrier much like Lorenzo did with NY Air and PeopleExpress. He and Brad are working feverishly to right the ship and make it profitable. He has no intentions of piece mailing you all. Even though you can make comparisons between anything, this Lorenzo comparison is completely and utterly absurd.
Don't fool yourself, Skywest got $9 million too punk XJT into the money losing CPA that JA and company negotiated with the intent to give us 16% concessions to bring us down to parity with Skywest pilot compensation. I'm not saying that they are trying to pillage ASA/XJT or that they are trying to anything other than to make it profitable. That makes business sense but when it no longer makes business sense, they will not hesitate to go that route. They won't piece meal it, they would just shrink it to non-existence. They set up that contingency when they bought us. Like I said, they would just be smarter about the way they go about coming the the same end result.
Also, they can't start an alter ego airline because that was part if the deal when they bought us. That is protection you guys are getting for free as you didn't have it before. But it's no secret, as you admitted, that they have been whipsawing us against the non-union side. Like I said, they have learned from the scorched earth past of Lorenzo and are smarter about how to go around using that leverage against us at XJT. Maybe it's an unfair comparison on the means to the same end, but you can make a reasonable argument on the end result.
Originally Posted by
MatchPoint
Originally Posted by
Nevets
No, XJT does NOT bid on
anything. BR and his team does that. And we all know BH is on your seniority list. We all see it as his insurance policy. He really isn't all in over here and we know it.
And as mentioned above, XJT management does no such thing. And our CEO has NEVER shown his face to us. Almost no one would recognize him since they have literally have NEVER seen him. Again, it's very telling about him. So, no, we can't say they same thing about our same CEO. And it's also very telling why our CEO turns a blind eye on our union shop has to fight tooth and nail for contract language we had been operating with for SIX YEARS BEFORE they bought us yet seem to follower their agreement with the non-union shop. This is NOT by accident, yet you guys don't want to see it. They treat you the way they do for business purposes, nothing more. If we were one united pilot group, I'm sure they would treat some of us different than others. Of course, only a union would be able to tell if they actually were. But you guys don't get that or would rather let your red headed step son suffer while you cherish your favoritism from daddy.
Yes BH and team are bidding but he's nowhere near as savvy as Chip’s team, that's why you see far more coming from Chip than Brad. And Yes Inc. is working on projects themselves. As far as the contract issues, I bet there's far more to the story. They ran into the same situation with ASA being a union shop in long term negotiations with many many issues and in the end they had a fraction of the issues they're having with XJT.
I'd agree with you that if XJT and SKW don't find a way to merge, when the $hit hits the fan, Jerry and friends will circle the wagons around SKW. Then again SKW’s currently the only one making money, but XJT pilots will claim creative accounting which is completely ridiculous..
Bidding goes above the head of our COO. The money deals are ALL strictly handled by the president of the corporation. This is not a secret.
I'm glad that you at least see that our top management is not benevolent to all employees. They use you against us and we all know it. Like you said, they would circle the wagons in favor of you.
And people wonder why there is any animosity between the pilot groups. This is all management's doing and you guys seem all too happy to a oblige or at the very least turn a blind eye while we are trying to make things better for all of us.