Originally Posted by
N1sync
I think everybody's been let down a little bit and instinct might be to vote it down but ask yourself a couple questions first:
-If you're new here, is this where you wanted to be for your career? If not, then why not get more money and slightly better QOL while you wait for your dream job to call.
-If you've been here a long time, if this TA would've been passed down 3, 2, or 1 year ago even... Would you have voted yes?
-Are we OK giving up Scope and other protections that are afforded with a yes vote?
-Do you really think Allegiant won't merge, buy, or be bought by someone in the next 2-5 years? What happens if we vote no and they announce a merger while we wait for the new NC to gear up? How would you feel?
-If it took 2-3 more years would you be ok suffering with the status quo and walking away from an extra 30-50k in compensation each of those years?
-Are most of your issues with the company related to CBI/Merlot? If so, maybe things will get ALOT better with this TA.
I think it's best to think of this contract as a 'bridge contract'... Bridging us to where we wanna be, whether it's a legacy carrier or as a decent starting point when we merge down the road. Life is about compromise and as it sits this isn't a horrible compromise.
1. I'm not new here, but if you are new here, you don't know if your dream job will ever call. I have friends who haven't been called by the legacies in over a decade of applying. Treat the airline you are at like a career because you never know what might happen in the future with the economy, fuel prices, anything. You could spend many years here and if you vote knowing that you're screwing over all the other career pilots at Allegiant in the long run then you are a despicable person.
I can't believe N1SYNC would even suggest this. That tells you a lot about his character.
2. No, I would not have voted for this TA 3, 2, or 1 years ago. And I won't vote for it now. It is sub-standard by a lot and I do not consider myself a substandard employee or pilot. I'm a union supporter too, but this TA is inadequate.
3. First off, Scope is useful, but it has been and will continue to be dismantled by lawyers time after time. The scope written in this TA is not very good either. It is poorly worded and allows for too many loopholes, like the rest of the contract. Second, there is no reason to believe we would have to give any of this up. We currently have no scope. That is what we are negotiating against, not this TA. New negotiators certainly wouldn't settle for less than this TA.
4. Speaking of scope. The fact that Allegiant was so willing to give full scope in this TA tells you without a doubt that they have absolutely no intention of selling, merging, or buying another airline. If they wanted to merge, they would have done it BEFORE they offered a union contract. Frontier and Virgin America have recently been for sale.
5. If it took 90 days, would you be happy with $50,0000 more pay, industry standard work rules, a defined benefit retirement plan, and better contract language that doesn't have loopholes or allow for company abuse? How about more days off?
6. No, most of my issues are not related to CBI/Merlot. It is a terrible scheduling program, but I have had pretty good luck getting what I biid for. My issues are with a terrible TA that is nowhere near adequate for pilots working at the most profitable airline in THE ENTIRE WORLD.
The company is trying to secure $1 billion in loans to buy new Airbuses. They came to us with a TA. They need a contract bad and that suggests they will make a better offer in a reasonable amount of time. They are also having trouble finding qualified pilots to hire. In one of the most recent interview classes, only two pilots showed up and one of those was a HELL NO. If they want to attract qualified pilots for their expansion plans, they're going to have to offer something better than this lousy TA.