Originally Posted by
SaltyDog
Looks like the SKW folks are going to learn an ugly lesson that sadly management is way ahead of them on the flightplan. Regarding your last comment, and SKW management ISN"T playing hardball right now? SKW fires lots of folks for training issues. Any contract would have to be ratified by the entire group, sounds like you have pointed to one of the managements desired goals: Division and a place to start, Capt against F/O on training. Perhaps this is the first issue of failure <ng> The perception that Capts have final say is only true in the cockpit, not in the union unless acceded by the F/O's. Are SKW F/O's that lethargic? Would surmise that the F/O's would take the lead, afterall, they 'don't have theirs' yet. Doesn't matter to you and me, but it is an interesting spectacle unfolding.
SKW does fire people who would have kept their jobs at a union carrier (or at least gotten their job back later). However, in most cases getting fired requires some seriously unprofessional behavior combined with a significant incident or a long negative track record. For this reason most SKW pilots are not up-in-arms over the issue.
Lying or a very bad attitude are usually required ingredients. Going off the end of a runway would probably not be enough if you did it in a professional manner.
The danger is the risk of arbitrary firings due to personality conflict, etc. It doesn't seem to happen often but it has happened (according to at least one jury).
The upgrade thing is different...it doesn't happen often but should not happen at all. But the pilot group is run by CA's...they had to deal with it, so most are not falling all over themselves to abolish the policy. If SAPA pushed to abolish it, I'm sure the company would go along. It's negotiating capital and it's free for the company...why not? I'm not sure a union would change this, since regionals have more CA's than FO's (unlike long-range operations which have relief pilots).