Originally Posted by
Fly4hire
There is no solution that does not erode mainline flying in either quantity or pay in the name of "fair".
Feeder carriers need their own union, Mainline theirs.
Two seperate unions zealously pursuing their own narrow interests will ultimately serve the interests of the employers more than the pilots. It will be whipsaw on a grand scale.
Originally Posted by
Fly4hire
...no one has ever shown me the alchemy of how it will work - the career progression at the regional involves taking it out of the growth of the mainline unless you define career progression as moving up to the mainline. Most of the younger dudes want that, however the senior pilots controlling the regional MEC's are lifers and want that growth and career progression in the form of more and larger airplanes at their regional.
I do define career progression for regional pilots as moving to the majors. I did not attend Hogwarts, but I will take a stab at some alchemy.
Major pilot groups and their affiliated regional pilot groups should negotiate common agreements with employers. These agreements should allow for true "flow up" and "flow back", rigid scope clauses with the line at 70 seat jets and the placement of regional pilots on major seniority lists. Pay rates for CL70/90/100 and E170/190 sized aircraft should be set between current regional and major pay rates with these aircraft flown by mainline pilots.