Originally Posted by
JesuitValen
We've had these discussions a million times and you and others still play stupid. The money you get now has no 401k matching. Furthermore you're being paid vacation and sick pay at this low rate. If they were to increase the pay dollar for 75 hour on the retention bonus you're total compensation goes up linearly because sick and vacation pay isnt free, 401k matching isn't free either.
If you just want the retention, FINE, but it is running out. If Delta decides to park the stupid 200s at the same time they won't need to worry about keeping the retention because you'll lose more than half the pilot group in a wave of about 80 per month.
Maybe theres some wiggle room on 19 bucks an hour vs 22 bucks an hour. Or 23 bucks an hour. But 25.50 an hour (or whatever 23k/12/75 is) is a pay increase ABOVE the retention to match 401k/sick/vacation for everyone.
Maybe the union could work out 25 bucks an hour but vacation and sick time pays out at old rate and your only match 401k to that lower hourly figure. Then youd at least get the extra to show up for work and 150% matching but payroll can't pay you correctly now through incompetence and lack of contractual understanding.
That's why i keep saying what I'm saying. It's your ball and your court. Dont make stuff up is all I'm shouting about. 19or20 an hour isnt a paycut for total compensation to a pilot.
Struck a nerve there did I? A pay cut is a pay cut, no matter how you sell it. You're sounding like the shady airlines that include health insurance in their fuzzy math for a "total compensation" to sell the new guys on. You say the 401k has no matching right now? That's completely false. Also, you only get that full amount if you are here five years to be fully vested, otherwise a percentage is gone!
Sick and vacation is paid at a low rate, but I reiterate: sick time is worthless unless you take it. You can have thousands of hours accrued in sick time, but when you leave the company, you know what you get for it? Absolutely nothing! If we were to get paid for the balance of our sick time when you leave the company, that would make a huge difference, because sick time would then be money in the bank.
Yes there are more things that factor into total compensation, but if your salary (paycheck) goes down, that's a pay cut, no matter how you want to propagandize it.
New guys need to know the plain unvarnished truth, not just what recruiters are telling them. If someone still wants to come here knowing a pay cut is likely and we have no career progression, that's fine. They just need to know that coming in.
While there isn't a pilot shortage, Mesa can still hire
, the company needs pilots. That puts us in a very good place to negotiate.