Originally Posted by
All Bizniz
Sorry for the misunderstanding KnockKnock but I was not attributing the
"bottom of the barrel, regional scum, punks" comments specifically to you.
As for the "Pot Calling the Kettle Black Argument", if you ignore history, then it is quite easy to knock the VX group for going to a start up and accepting sub-par wage. If we are honest with ourselves though, (again it is extremely important to examine where the cream of the crop in compensation like FedEx and Southwest are now vs where they were at their own very beginning) we will realize that the management of any start-up airline will never pay industry standard at the outset and invariably the pilots will have to fight to get it up to/close to where it needs to be.
So okay, to your point, both groups settled or accepted less than what was desirable but the BIG difference I see, and this was so well said in one of the posts above this one, is that while our AS brothers collectively seem to have given up the fight and are resigned to defeat in dealing with their management, the VX pilots (again, collectively) were energized and ready to sacrifice if needs be, in order to exact from the then VX management what we were convinced was long overdue. (the economic climate was certainly in our favor).
I am certain that the VX side still has that energy (even more so now) and I am sure that there are guys on the AS side that also still have that energy. I am hoping that the synergy from the combined group will allow us to rally each other to storm and breach what seems like an impenetrable fortress and avail ourselves of the spoils that we truly deserve. (I'm feeling like a Barbarian right now
First off, thank you guys for you thought out responses and not resorting to mud slinging and name calling. I think that makes us look like school yard children who haven't a snowballs chance in hell of ever achieving a better contract in 2020. I envision BnB sitting at their desks, tapping their fingers like Mr. Burns and saying, "excellent", every time they see a low bar exchange like that. You have to understand that the top percent of the AS pilot group work for an entirely different company than the rest of us. They get their 17-20 days off a month flying day trips or a desirable mix of multi day trips. They get all the peak vacation days. They get the first pick of trip trades during our two trade windows. Etc. etc. Plus, many indeed have strong ties to the PNW and yes, driving to work in a huge factor in ones tolerance level of a contract. Isn't it conceivable that these guys thought their QOL was good enough to overlook less than desirable contract language in order to preserve that QOL? Like Wut said, "it depends on what you define as more". For those saying AS pilots were pushed over contract after contract and were spineless, I don't think the AS pilots who voted yes at the time saw it that way. I think they accepted marginal gains in the interest of preserving their perceived QOL. Just as you guys have said you did at VX. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder right? Just as you can look at the current AS contract and say how could anyone vote yes to that? An outsider can look at the historical VX agreement and say why go there for less without ever really understanding what it offers you as an individual. I commuted for 10 years and it sucked the life out of me. It robbed me of days off and stole time from my family. Driving to work was a major factor in coming to AS. It has improved my QOL as far as time at home and ease of commute. Now don't mistake this as a willingness to roll over and show my belly to management. I'm 100% invested in fighting to improve our, (all of us), CBA. During the polling a yr n 1/2 ago, I said I wouldn't support anything less than a total renegotiation and that a 2-3 year band aid was not acceptable. Welp, we never got the chance to vote so here we sit. I think many of you are underestimating the drive and desire of many of the AS pilots to improve all sections of the current CBA. We've hired more than a third of the list since 2013, averaging around 200 a year 2014-16. That's a lot of new blood not willing to just roll over and die. Many have come to and stayed at AS because we believe this place has the potential to be a top tier airline. Much like you say you went to and stayed at VX. Since the arbitration award, I've only flown with one guy who seemed content with the contract. I'll give you one guys where he sits on the seniority list... If we're all pulling in the same direction, we can accomplish major gains come 2020. Not Tellin, I don't think any of us want to see your QOL go down one bit. I think most of the posts are warnings that AS management , as was stated earlier, loves to control everything. We fear that they would exploit every loop hole in the system and drive your and our QOL down even further. If they want PBS, they pay a dear price for it. That's why I'm anti saying yes to PBS on a public forum because I don't want them to think they have a single yes vote without paying the piper. I'm happy to read you guys are energized and ready to fight. I think the tide has shifted here at AS and the majority of us are ready and willing join in that fight. Yes, there is a group of pilots near the top who are not willing to rock the boat but rest assured there is a growing number of us that are ready to SHAKE THE EVER LIVING SH!T out of it!