Originally Posted by rickair7777

The reality was the MEC screwed up...they could have killed freedom without concessions (the lawsuit was already in progress).

Hindsight is an interesting thing. I would not have been optimistic about the outcome of a court fight between a union and an employer that would definitely be heard at some point by a far-right judge appointed by Reagan or one of the Bushes. Other non-union alter egos have continued to exist to the present day. Freedom is now union.

Compared the rest of the industry it is highly concessionary. The mag pilot group had OJ between a rock and a hard place...and that opportunity does not happen every year. He had a host of critical issues to address and was not in a good position for a protracted contract battle. But the 418 handed him a Hanuka present...he got an industry-leading contract (from management perspective) without a fight!

Hanuka or Hanukkah? "Hanuka; a blessing of interisland jet airliners commonly performed on special occasions in Hawaii."

I disagree with your analysis of the bargaining position of the MAG pilot group and of the new contract. Under the RLA, bargaining proceeds at a snail's pace and no union can speed this up. While Mesa was bargaining with the pilot group, the space between the "rock and the hard place" widened as the economy tanked. Airlines switched from hire to furlough and JO's staffing problems disappeared overnight. The Mesa MEC had to weigh gains for the pilots versus containing costs to preventing further furloughs.

In a tough economy, the new contract is not at all "concessionary", it contains significant work rule improvements.

The pilot group's collective self-respect and backbone are lacking. I left because I was afraid of exactly this happening...another cave-in. I actually wanted to stay and go on strike just to exact my share of pain from OJ. I thought a strike was guaranteed....glad I didn't stick around for that.

I detect no shortage of backbone or self-respect among my fellow pilots. You have spoken about leaving because you feared another "cave-in", yet here you say that you left thinking a strike was "guaranteed". I do not want to split hairs but I am guessing you left for a variety of reasons. The options for making a lateral move to another regional airline are much more limited now.

Maybe you guys will do better in two years, but until then you don't really have any bragging rights.

I am not bragging, because the only role I played was concerned member. I am pleased with the result and I think our MEC and LEC officials have done good work in tough times.

BTW, how is the implementation coming along on that new contract? Did OJ hold up his end of the bargain in a reasonable time frame? PBS is going to hurt real bad with OJ pulling the strings...

Block or better and cancellation pay were effective pretty much right away. PBS comes online in April. Time will tell if it "hurts real bad" or not. I am not living in fear.

I'm not bashing anyone, and I don't want a bunch of people unemployed...I wouldn't waste my time on that. I am sharing my experience and perspective in hopes of educating entry-level pilots and mesa FO's that there are much better alternatives (when hiring resumes). I would of course like to see OJ out of this industry...he should be running a telemarketing boiler-room, not an airline. Or maybe in an orange jumpsuit