Originally Posted by
TonyWilliams
Mr. Bauer has a long list. I can't hope to address them, as they are all in the past, and I wasn't here. We can only move forward and make it better. Naturally, learning the past is important, so as to learn from whatever mistakes were made, so I thank him for documenting what he has.
I've been at the game long enough to know that whatever alphabet soup letters are running the show, there will be the bell curve of 10% who hate it, 10% who love it, and 80% who really don't care.
SAPA has limitations, clearly, but some advantages that aren't in a typical union / company relationship.
Pay wise, let's face it, all the regionals at the first year level are fighting for scraps. Even many of the majors are the same. But, compared to the regional industry pay wise overall, SkyWest is doing fine. I'd like to see us on the top for everything, heck, any employee would like to see their company there.
Is SAPA at least partially to blame / credit for that? Sure. I'm familiar with what many ALPA carriers suffered through with 30% pay cuts (and calling it a success 'cuz it wasn't 45%). SAPA / SkyWest didn't do that.
Never a furlough, no pay cuts. That's big, considering the hardships of the industry.
So, the big complaints, pay wise, seem to be the E120 guys didn't get a pay raise, and the jets did (albiet, tiny). We plan to re-address those issues, but as you know, nothing can be done during the union drive. I'm not confident anything can be done to specifically changing the amount we're paid hourly until the end of the current agreement (2011, I think).
Listen, I've got a lot to absorb to speak confidently on specific SAPA issues, but I'll get there.
Thanks for asking.
Tony, I know you mean well and I want to believe your intentions are good. There are many just like you who have said what you are saying and made your same case, who later came to a different conclusion than what they did then and what you are now. They initially thought they would be the guy to make sapa work, "the past is behind us and lets really kick this organization into high gear and get something done", "Ive been at a union carrier and know whats up and will apply my knowledge to skywest", "I dont give much credence to the guys who have been around who are crying foul on the current establishment because they are all the "10% who will be unhappy no matter what"....etc etc. Hate to say it but your type has come and gone many times before. Dave Benjamin, who before he left was one of the biggest ProUnion guys on the property. He was one of the most AntiUnion guys the first four years at skywest. His words during those first four years were yours almost verbatim. Alan Walker, was exactly the same, firing shots against Alpa for nearly four years, hes now on the OC. Tony Thompson, who was an assistant Chief pilot in SLC likewise jumped the fence. There are literaly hundreds of others. Because of the turnover rate and the general naivity of many new guys constantly coming onboard there is always a fresh supply of guys like yourself who always think things will change and we need to just give management one more chance and things arent that bad because we are at least somewhat better than Mesa, who is an Alpa carrier...besides if we ask for very much we will break the company and we will all be out of jobs. Let me just say, from a guy who has been here for at least five if not ten times longer than you, its time for change. Please ask yourself why people in your exact shoes promoting your your exact anti-alpa iideas are now voting for Alpa. Make it thoughtful and try to at least give a little credence to those who have been here for a while and have witnessed what we say we have witnessed....that this company has gone down hill and managment hasn't bargained in good faith and that lots of guys have been treated unfairly with no immediate legal representation. That the work rules have slid considerably and there is no accountability of sapa especially at the top, that is the EB, where most decisions are ultimately made, many times without a vote or consideration by the line pilots.