Originally Posted by
CBreezy
I don't care if you don't like what I have to say. I'm not out here attacking people who work for Mesa or trying to deprive them of their way of life. I have friends who fly for Mesa. There is no ill-will toward them. If you take what I have to say as a personal attack, then you ARE lacking reading comprehension skills.
I take nothing on here personally, but you're comprehension comments come across as douchie, and I'm quite certain that if we were having this conversation in person that you would withhold these types of comments.
Originally Posted by
CBreezy
I am well aware of the plight of Mesa. I know they have struggled with their upper management and gone through some turbulent times. If the pilots of Mesa TRULY wanted to improve their conditions, they would do far less cheerleading about how great Mesa is. That's all I ever point out. They have more negotiating capital right now than they've ever have. They don't need to slander or to picket the front door. It would be nice for some of the people who actually work at Mesa on this board to call out the people who claim that Mesa is a great place to work.
What regional, Mesa or otherwise, has any sort of leverage right now? I'm sorry but the outsourced block hour allotments made by majors is shrinking, it's a tough market for regionals. Sorry, but regionals have very little leverage because of the portfolio of carriers the majors use. PSA, PDT, and ENY are good examples of that.
Originally Posted by
CBreezy
As far as your point regarding the difference between the best and the worst conditions, I disagree. While compared to a major airline contract, $9-12 an hour is nothing, there are MAJOR differences between a place like Mesa, a place like TSA, and a place like Air Wisconsin. I don't have time to run the numbers, but in compensation alone, you're looking at a possible disparity of up to $7-$12k a year. When you're only making $20-$30k, that is a statistically significant number. When you take into considering health care, disability, scheduling, retirement, and possible other soft pays, that disparity grows much much larger.
I'm not disagreeing with you, it's appalling! My point is that for many to get on with a major they have to go the regional route so pick your poison, or find another field. The reality of it sucks. Hell, I'm still paying off debt from my regional days.
Originally Posted by
CBreezy
While there are growth opporunities and thus upgrade opportunities at a place like Mesa, people still need to prepare to be at a place for a minimum of 4-6 years before they get the opportunity to move to a major airline. There are outliers but I'd bet the average stay at a regional in the next 5 years will not get as low as 8 years.
That's a good conservative plan. So then the individual needs to list pros and cons of where to work. Are benefits important?, Commute or not commute?, Pay?, etc. Each individual is different with different circumstances. I would contend that QOL is most important, and having to commute severely degrades that. So, is the commute worth the extra $$$? If you're young, no wife or kids then you're mobile with a small budget. If you're older, and have more responsibilities, then you're not as mobile and you have to go for what works best for you, and it's not always about $$$.
Originally Posted by
CBreezy
Finally, with regard to unions. I know this is a hot topic. I think there are both positives and negatives to union membership in the current political enviroment. Union membership under the RLA and representation by the same organization as the people we subcontract for makes union membership almost as worthwhile as not having one at all.
I can understand that. It has been my position for some time now that ALPA needs a re-structuring. It still doesn't change the history that Skywest has benefitted from the collective bargaining done by others. It also doesn't change the reality that by unionizing, and in particular ALPA, that the Skywest pilots would remove the whipsaw that has caused the decline at ASA/XJT.