Originally Posted by
keysersose
I guess we just can't seem to agree that the entire paradigm has changed when it comes to hiring pilots. This is a post pandemic sea change. Spirit will start to care when they have to cancel flights for lack of pilots. It will happen. Robin Hayes has already admitted that pilot pay will go up substantially when he said all airlines will need to keep up with the big four to attract and retain pilots. I actually suspect that if we negotiate a JCBA, pay won't be one of the sticky issues up and down the entire pay scale.
I think you are right - we will just have to agree to disagree. Some people have been pushing your theory at NK since the contract before this one - the one that became amendable in 2015:
https://www.floridatrend.com/print/article/23892
and it hasn’t worked yet, NK first year pilots are still subject to industry lagging pay and certainly industry lagging benefits. How long something must not work until one is convinced it is not going to work is anyone’s opinion but seven years is adequate to convince me that it will never happen with the NK management who will simply continue reducing the qualifications for incoming pilots until they can fill classes. They ENJOY the ATTRITION because it keeps the FO cadre junior and at the bottom of their payscale.
if they actually had to pay more to recruit, train, and pay new hires than they did to allow the attrition they would have raised the pay for FOs and junior CAs years ago.
I’ll concede that B6 has done better and that Robin Hayes has conceded that pay raises are coming, but I sincerely doubt that has anything to do with anyone severely underpaying first year pilots because JetBlue historically HASN’T done so and weren’t doing so before the pilot shortage became acute.
What does puzzle me is how a union person - in any union - believes they can build unity through tossing their junior people to the dogs. That just amazes me.