Originally Posted by
Jay1122
Thanks for info, I think I gotcha. Basically it's a way for the regionals to offer "more" pay without having to commit to a higher pay scale for the long haul and without having to negotiate the contract with the unions. Does that really make it illegal or just unethical?
To my follow-on question, is there anything that prevents one from just taking the bonus and never showing up? Is that similarly unethical? Has any one ops tested this? Just curious on folk's thoughts.
Compensation for the pilot group must be in accordance with our collective bargaining agreement. When we negotiated this contract barely one year ago, our union made attempts to address the inadequate new hire compensation and prevent these hiring problems from occurring in the first place. They were basically ignored by the company.
NOW, when the company is faced with hiring problems due to their lack of foresight, rather than taking the time to negotiate changes with the union, they just opt to give out a bonus in clear violation of our CBA. I'm sure the company did this after extensive consultation with their legal team, and it remains to be seen if it is even legal. That finding will take time, and the company knows it. They will continue to hand out the bonus while it is debated in court if that is where it ends up.
The "loophole" that they are using with these bonuses is that they are giving them out to pilots that don't yet work here, and as such may not yet be covered by our CBA. I'm told they essentially hand you the bonus check before hading you your badge saying you now work for Horizon Air.
Again, our union tried to build increased pay for new hires into our contract but was essentially told to shove it. This new contract was shoved down our throats amid threats to be downsized and have our flying given away to Skywest, which they've done anyway. People were worried about their jobs, so they voted yes to a contract that was supposed to be everything we needed to compete for the next 8 years. Barely six months later we were asked to vote on an amendment that gave all of us a paltry $.05/hour per diem increase (yes, a nickel an hour, you can't make this stuff up) and gave the company COMPLETE CONTROL over pay for year 1&2 (Maybe year 1-3, can't remember) first officer pay, so that they could raise or lower it as they saw fit without input from the union, and they wondered why we said no. Now they do this.
My understanding is that the bonus CAN'T be tied to any kind of a contract, as there would be no question that it violates the CBA. Bottom line is this: THE COMPANY SCREWED UP with this last contract, and they know it. It hasn't even really taken effect yet and the company already wants to change it. When we denied their garbage proposal that strips us of our bargaining power, they just violate it. Is that who you really want to work for?
It's also just flat out wrong for a year 1 FO that is already here to be paid $10k less than one of you guys that hasn't yet learned what it's like to work a 12 hour day, flying six legs in four or five different airplanes full of MEL'd equipment without ever having a break long enough to use a proper bathroom, eat a meal or wash your hands with running water. Not to say that all trips are like that, but they do happen, and they are happening more and more as the staffing problems get worse.