Originally Posted by
mav204
I hope that you are NOT comparing RAH to Southwest or JetBlue! Like others have said, they flying A-320 and 737 for pay that is competitive, you are flying a 76-86 seat RJ for CRAP pay and a contract that is a disgrace to the Regional Airlines Labor Groups, all you do is pull our wages down!
If you were getting paid and not bringing down the pay scales for everybody else, we would not be here right now having this conversation! And if you were the highest paid ERJ-170/175 drivers we might say that your the Southwest of the Regionals, but your not!
I understand that the majority of pilots use the regional airlines as an entry way into the 121 world, with the objective of meeting the qualifications for one day interview at a Major. No one at RAH is happy to see their group being used to whipsaw anyone. Most of us do not want to see mainline jobs, that we would like to be able to interview for someday, be outsourced.
The argument that the regional pilots need to prevent their companies from getting more of mainline flying is understandable, but naive. Would you give your job away and the ability to put food on the table in this economy, so those that "made it" can keep their status quo, and you, perhaps have a chance of also "making it"? Somehow I cannot see many people volunteering for it.
There are a lot of Mesa bashing threads, here and on other forums. But truth of the matter is that Mesa might have been the only viable option for some of their pilots due to timing issues. I remember when they were the only ones hiring a few years back. So you argue that the CFI's that were getting paid even less money to fly crappy planes with people trying to kill them on the left seat, should not have interviewed then, and waited for a better regional ( like there is such a thing )? Get real.
It is time to stop blaming each other for the change that has been happening in this industry. We can and should fight for better contracts at every opportunity we have. And I totally agree that if RAH wants to be the "leading Regional airline" they damn well must have a true "leading contract". I hope our union is working on it.
At the same time it is unrealistic to expect pay scales as high as the majors for a regional.
And even though most of us at RAH feel terrible for what is happening to the Midwest pilots. We also feel that any aggressive behavior towards our group is uncalled for. You have the right to be frustrated, but you do not have the right to be rude to us. Flip that finger, but do it to your CEO.
It is time to unite instead of divide. That is why it is called a "Union" in the first place. Stop the fights and start using your brains to get new ideas on how to work this mess out in a way to keep our future a bright one. Management has been doing it on their agenda, and very well, for the past years and we are not keeping up.
On another note : Merry Christmas for all and a great new year!