Originally Posted by
duvie
Lets be honest about where the frustration is coming from here. I know a scapegoat makes things easier, so if (the collective) you want to keep that mindset, then by all means, but this situation is much more complex than SkyWest=Evil and XJT=a martyr. The CAL/XJT relationship was so full of bad blood that CAL would have given your flying to a higher bidder rather than let you keep it. Tell me how, since our 50 seat rates are so close, you operate at a loss flying for CAL on the contract that we supposedly offered them? Honestly, because I think your management underbid SkyWest to keep those 145s going for CAL, which given their options was probably the smartest way to proceed.
You're all frustrated, I get that, but Jerry Atkin isn't to blame. He's a pawn in a much larger scheme called capitalism, or corporatism if you will, the rules of which favor economies of scale and not allowing weak companies to control valuable resources or market share (the CAL flying). And if you think that SkyWest pilots are some how complicit, then you're really off your rocker. We all made our bets when we chose a regional and some pan out better than others. I could be a Captain if I'd gone elsewhere but I recognize that hindsight is 20/20 and have made peace with my extended stay in the right seat.
If you really want somebody to blame, ask your former CEO what grudge he couldn't bury with old Larry Kellner that caused the relationship to sour to the point where CAL would rather cut off their nose (XJT) to spite their face (their own bottomline).
The frustration is that JA is purposely trying to trample our contract. The fact that he uses SKW pilots to whipsaw doesn't help. Its a fact that the CAL COO told the XJT CEO to give CAL a CPA as good as what SKW offered or get 12 months notice. The CPA SKW negotiated took into account 16% pay cuts to bring us down to parity with SKW pilots compensation. That is how we operate at a loss with the same CPA SKW negotiated with CAL. Why do you think that BR said on the call that the new CPA has the same rates XJT has now? Because those were SKW's rates from two years ago! CAL could have easily given XJT 12 months notice regardless of whatever rates you think XJT underbid. Now they are stuck with us for 5 more years.
I understand that is all business and I wouldn't have a problem with any of it if JA would just simply honor our contract. His antics decimated us fine, but don't come back and try to screw us again by setting up some sham holding company just so that he can continue whipsawing us.