Originally Posted by
Bustin
I almost completely agree with what you just said. But it's not just management that's afraid of unions. So is the Skywest pilot group. You've got to give them some responsibility for that too.
But it was Skywest management that was also interfering with the last unionizing attempt. And I know of the indoctrination JA personally gives when pilots are hired, especially during union drives. Gives a more literal meaning to "indoc" class. But yes, pilots are always the ones who end up shooting themselves in the foot anyways.
Originally Posted by
Bustin
Do I want the two companies to merge their pilots? Yes I do. Would I prefer Skywest to transfer ASA furloughs into their seniority lists? Of course. But it's just not realistic. It's certainly a better scenario, just not one that can happen in the Skywest Inc. climate. Whether it's right or wrong, good or bad, the fact that one group is union and the other isn't PREVENTS Skywest Inc. from merging them.
NOTHING prevents them from merging the companies and employee groups. They would gain some synergies and save money on the long run by getting rid of duplicate departments/personnel. The ASA MEC is NOT preventing this to happen. So to say that ASA ALPA is preventing it is disingenuous at best.
Originally Posted by
Bustin
As for the whipsawing... Please give me one example of a work rule or quality of life issue that has gotten worse for either pilot group because of the acquisition. If you know one, I really am interested in hearing it. I think a lot of the perceptions of Skywest's evil intentions with ASA are baseless. It's just natural in this industry to accuse management of sinister intentions no matter what they do.
The fact that there is always a non-union group to throw at the union group's face in becoming "cost competitive" is whipsaw. Its not a coincidence that many work rules are the same depressed ones. In other words, it will always be difficult for ASA to bargain for better when you have Skywest pilots willing to do it for less.
Originally Posted by
Bustin
What about Berkshire Hathaway "paint"? Should the Netjets furloughed pilots be offered transitions to Geico or See's Candy or RC Willey Home Furnishings? I see your point that it's one ownership under one umbrella, but they are still separate companies. Granted the Berkshire companies are not even similar, but the point is same ownership doesn't imply equality among all. It could, if the company chooses for it to. But it doesn't in Skywest Inc's case. And as I've stated before, for union reasons, it can't. When Delta owned ASA, would they have been out of line hiring "poolies" instead of ASA furloughs? Of course not. I admit your views are based on fairness and equality and they're admirable, the logic just doesn't work in this particular case.
Theoretically they can just as Skywest can merge both lists. Just as ASA used its own negotiating capital to allow its pilots AND Skywest pilots to bid over with aircraft if they are transferred between corporate lines, Netjets pilots could also spend its negotiating capital to capture that flying within their scope if they so desired.