winglet

Fellow Aviators,

It appears some of you are misunderstanding my original post. Let me try and clarify for you. I am as angry or even angrier than the rest of the pilots in this industry but try to understand that many of us are doing the best we can under the circumstances.

I actually agree with many of the points that some of the anti-MESA posters on this board are making but please don't stereotype 1200 people. It's a small mind that can't differentiate between individuals. If you wan't to see who can out bash MESA I'll win that fight.

I am simply asking you to look at the history and just be thankful that you are currently in a good position with your management and your contract. Telling people to quit their career is not going to solve anything. There will simply be replacement. Hopefully it isn't you. There are a lot of good people at MESA who have been fighting the fight a lot longer than many people posting on these forums have been alive.

My point is that as long as we let the anti-labor airline managements whipsaw us as they've been doing we'll never get anywhere. There will always be a "best contract" and a "worst contract". Instead of expending your energy bashing the poor suckers with the "worst contract" use some constructive criticism and do what you can do on your end to help get them that elusive "industry standard" contract.

As I said before, there will be twelve airlines in section six negotiations in September, 2010. I agree that we should let our individual MEC's know that this will be an excellent oportunity to standardize the contracts at that time. That is what "pattern bargaining" means.

I am attempting to get the regional pilots to stop the hateful nonsense and instead educate the new guys. Let's pick each other up instead of trying to knock each other down. Half of the guys I fly with don't have a rudimentary knowledge of what a contract is much less any idea of how negotiations work. There are thousands of young men and women out there that will work for the first airline that calls them back. Management counts on that. They also count on you to teach them how to hate the other regionals.

Many of the newer pilots have no idea of what a pre 9/11 airline industry was like. It was a much more enjoyable environment. Pilots from different companies would go out of their way for each other in every aspect. I'd like to see those days return and I believe it is possible with a little education on how the Railway Labor Act works and the techniques and tactics of the union-busters. Every time a pilot insults another pilot a union-buster chuckles to himself a little.

Be thankful that you are not the current scapegoat in the industry and let's hope that we can come together with an industry standard that will illiminate the hatefullness that has been growing amongst us.

Good Luck,

Winglet