Originally Posted by
threeighteen
So what's your opinion on ALPA airlines voting in concessionary contracts to take airplanes from other carriers for growth? That kind of pattern bargaining is like, totally ok, but only because they are fellow union bros?
I'm actually a hardcore pro-union guy, but it's sad seeing all of the new guys in this industry get brainwashed by ALPA. ALPA has accomplished very little when it comes to improving pilot compensation and career stability in the past four decades. They have a laundry list of pay scale losses, pension program losses, and scope erosions that outweigh any "hard fought gains" they may have had on their resume at one time. Merger policy for seniority integration is also fairly weak.
Until ALPA mainline and regional pilots stand side by side and demand 1 contract and 1 seniority list for all pilots, few will treat them like the "super union" that they self-proclaim to be.
I often see the popular opinion that PSA’s contract was concessionary. It gave us SAP. The absolute best quality of life tool in the entire industry, bar none. And it gave us our critical pay language which at the time (pre-company reserve grid manipulation and pre-arbitration) allowed line-holding pilots to regularly credit 125-145 hours /month. Effectively making our airline some of the highest paid regional pilots anywhere at that time. But hey, let’s not have details that matter get in the way.
Regarding SkyWest, they are a scourge to unionized labor. You don’t really even have a contract per se. Can’t your company change your compensation without it even going to the pilots for a vote?