Originally Posted by
Dash8Pilot
I can't believe that I'm actually agreeing with Slaphappy on something, but I am. I'm a junior RJ FO out west, and just spent the last four days bouncing around LAX and SFO. The vast majority of pilots I spoke with about the merger had the same sentiment: "Thank God we're not involved in that".
Pilots out west are afraid of senior XJet and ASA pilots bumping them out of their domiciles or knocking them down the list in domicile. While there will be some from SKW that will want to set up shop in IAH or ATL (both former domiciles), the majority just want to keep the status quo.
Secondly, the FOs are mostly against any sort of merging of lists for seniority progression. Right now there's a strong feeling that hiring and upgrades will begin no later than next spring. The FOs that have stagnated for the last two and a half years have been waiting for a chance to have better schedules and possibly upgrade. They don't want to see their progression cut by 2/3 because the XJet and ASA pilots are upgrading into SKW aircraft.
Simply put, most at SkyWest want nothing to do with a merged seniority list. As for the union talk, right now I think a vote would be a crapshoot. If a single seniority list is forced on the pilot group, I think they turn strongly anti-union just to spite the Xjet pilots.
I think fences will solve most of your fears. Everything can be negotiated. ALPA or no ALPA the pilots at xjt and asa want job protections too. Fences established in the negotiations could give you 3-4 yrs (complete guess) of upgrading and building seniority before you see any xjt or asa employee on your aircraft. My guess is that you will upgrade in those 3-4 yrs on the brasilia and if you decide to go to right seat on the jet and wait for an upgrade you will have more aircraft to potentially upgrade into after the fences are gone. You are hedging your bets basically with one list. If ASA sees growth while skywest loses flying you will still have a future.
I know you probably have aspirations to move onto a major but what happens if you cant move on and skywest becomes your career? This merger provides job security for Skywest, ASA, and XJT. If the merger goes through nothing will change until the fences are gone but in the long term you have more options and a more stable career if you need it.
I know slaphappy doesnt believe that there will ever be a whipshaw but the history of airline management and the games his management has already played with XJT during the previous negotiations have left a bad taste in our mouths. In the last negotiations your management was PAID by CAL to basically strong arm our company into much lower rates in our CPA. They wanted to whipshaw us.
They offered to purchase us but wanted to:
- furlough 700 pilots
- transfer XJT's delta flying in LAX to Skywest
- "re-bid" our Continental flying between ASA, XJT, and OO after 1 yr and every year there after
- transfer up to 10 aircraft annually to the lowest cost operator
- they wanted our union to completely void our scope clause in our contract
THAT IS A WHIPSHAW! That is what your management is capable of and that is why XJT and ASA pilots want one list. XJT wants their contract upheld and while your opinions are genuine i think a lot of your fears would be put to rest if you understood how the SLI and voting would go.