The parent letter actually does set a new precedent for regionals under holding companies. The scope we have is good, even when I give it to my wife and have her play management (she's really good at it and it normally starts a fight over our arguing), and she says "damn- I can't even spin it".


Unfortunately the parent letter and scope are the top and are section 1 and separate of the rest of the 30 sections. Thankfully, the R&I sections are not out to the public and are being worked on. It's amazing what happens when the committee calls up the department (benefits) and can work on a deal separate from the negotiating group. I still think this TA is NOT something worth it's paper, especially after 4+ years. Call me the "give me" generation or whatever else, but read the deal and START by comparing it to the CONCESSIONARY deals of our peers- you will come up short. Then looking at deals of late (ASA and even MAG) and my decision was a no-brainer. If YOU feel you are lacking info, call me (9E guys can get my number from our union site) or email me. I can send you the other carriers and you can make your own educated decision. I have respect for all the guys working on this- heck I have been on the phone over 3000 mins just with "work" calls and the month isn't even over, but this TA is not a settlement- it's a concession. The company is trying to secure a cheap labor group that performs at the highest level of any RJ carrier in the world. Mgmt is playing the game perfectly, but we can't let ourselves and this industry going forward be railroaded into this due to vail "threats" and contract fatigue. Here is a copy/paste from my post on the company site that I hope nobody takes offense to, but I deliberated for a long time before posting it..


I recommend anyone who already hasn't to take a look at "flying the line v.1 and 2. Good reads- seriously, many chapters are far more entertaining than this board and may give you a different vantage point of this entire process and how it can take a little hardball to have decades worth of great times. You came here most likely to fly and make a living right? You read all the flying books that dealt with flying (ratings, regs, procedures), take a little time and read up on the airline world of labor- it's been a rough industry and looks to stay that way. Many carriers faced this same conundrum and made decisions that they themselves second guessed then, that have paid off exponentially now- only because they stood up unified for what they all felt was "Right" for not only their personal future, but the entire industry's. Remind yourself why you were part of the 99% who voted to strike? Are we really all talk and no bite?- I am sure that question will get answered when we start seeing barking over this TA when everyone goes through it from every range of the seniority list. If the TA is good enough, the vote will show it, if it's not and we vote it in we will be chuckled at just as we chuckle over the flight attendants complaining and all saying they voted "no", but it passed. We are only as good as our actions as a whole. Make YOUR decision and we will have a unified position at the end of the voting period.


The "good" contracts have NEVER fallen in the laps of pilots- there has always been a good deal of tension (applied from both sides) to get a great deal. In each new deal precedents were set that at the next negotiating cycle became the "industry average". We are a couple years away from some of the current "leaders" to go into negotiations- do you think those guys are willing to take anything less than what they currently have in a deal? We are going to be voting on a 3rd generation contract- when we are at a timeline for a 4th generation deal. Your vote, my vote, and the other 1248 votes will all come together and show the MEC, mgmt, and the industry overall how we are going forward in this industry.

We all must think not about what it means NOW, but what it means in 5 years, 10 years, or even decades depending on how old (or willing) you are to stay in this industry. Look back on the last 5 years (or however long you have been here) and think of how a few months would have changed things with these new rates. Thinking a plasma on the wall in front of you, a nice ride outside- or maybe in a garage? Then think going forward where you see yourself in 5/10/25 years. A few months can change things drastically in a good or bad direction forward, typically not looking back though in the monetary terms, but ACTIONS from the past you may have changed- and what would your situation be today. Are we "settling" on a deal, or do WE feel this contract compensates, covers, and treats you as you deserve compared to peers doing the same job?

I don't care how you vote, everyone's opinions and viewpoints make a message board an entertaining and enlightening place to visit. Management would love for us to "call in fatigued" and just sign a deal- remember the "last, best, final offer" (from a couple years ago), but WE make the decision on continuing this process, or settle with 4.5 years of negotiations to yield a document that sets the bounds of every aspect of our lives. Work impacts every aspect of life- You may be "off", but the money you spend when you are "off" is derived from "work". QOL is always talked about- are we going to settle for the same junk, new tricks? Ask the guys on RSV at ASA- things just got "different" for folks in the bucket system. Scheduling (with <retreacted for APC> help) will always find a way to cover flying- regardless of what you make think is fair and just unless the words in the contract say they can't in black and white. This document covers every pilot, in each area of the seniority list and payscale- it's impossible to make everyone happy, but is everyone getting improvements at least on par with your peers at other carriers?


This TA is not just awaited on by the 1250 of us, but all our "peers" to see how things are going to be compared to when negotiations open up for the majority of them in 2011. We look at the IMPROVEMENTS in ASA pay from 07 after all the "good" carriers fell into concessionary deals- ASA brought the bar back up, is it a blip of positive when carriers open up talks in 2011 and mgmt tells each and every one of them "Pinnacle signed this in 09 and it's pilot's agreed that this is the going rate for services"?

We say MESA is the bottom- remember they voted theirs down, got a tad bigger payrate and a 2-yr deal and it's in place- and every pilot still b*tches about the deal. Mesa does the same work, but we knock em- XJT,AWAC,ASA do the same work and we envy their contracts while most of them say they are happy? Am I the only one who sees the coincidence?

The biggest message we get to send is the entire pilot vote on this contract- it's not 3 guys on a committee thinking it's good enough, it's not 8 reps who think it's barely enough to show the pilots, it's 1250 pilots stating a voice and final answer on how they will live for the next 5+ years of their lives.

Ahh.... there's the step down from the soapbox.

Goodnight.