Originally Posted by
slyguy
Seems like there were some tough decisions to make, and in order to save a job, cuts had to be made.
Just as an FYI, I am good friends with mshunter. *HE* has been around the industry *HIS* whole life(his dad was TWA when they were still around, and eventually went to Unocal, then to Shamrock, etc. etc.), and I see many of his points as valid. But *HE* has a strange way of approaching things sometimes. I get his point and I get your's. I just don't agree with is approach sometimes. He has been more or less banned from the forum, which I feel was out of spite of members accusing him of starting a flame war. It was a good oportunity to teach him, rather than shun him, and I know he is reading this, so listen up dude!
Just look at it from his point of view for a second. He's not exactly wrong, and I can see how it would be tough for some to swallow and upset them. Like you said, you kind of got screwed with a smoke screen, but the one way I know to fix this is let the situation get to a strike. Being offered a job as an RJ pilot for someone who has been mainline for tha last ten years is a big smack to the face, I agree 100% there. And pay at the regional level is horrible. One of the reason I am hoping to avoid the regional's and get my time in a 135 enviroment then go to the majors. But, and this is a serious question, how else is pay going to improve at the regional level if the pilot group doesn't vote in better pay/work rules? Do the regional guys have their own contracts? Are the attached somehow to the majors other than by putting the name on the side of the airplane?
Oops. I thought "Ms" was Ms.... as in, Miss/Mrs. My apologies.
I can't really address his point because, frankly, I couldn't even tell what he was talking about. What I could get out of it was insulting and inappropriate, and entirely inaccurate.
To answer your question: Unfortunately, you are correct that it looks like its going to come down to the threat of a strike. The pilots have little to no leverage to change things because we are governed by the RLA. Getting to strike, however, isn't as easy as deciding that one feels like it. It takes YEARS (usually) to get the NMB to release you to strike, and then the PEB has to allow it. The deck is stacked against labor here, and everyone knows it. Hopefully ALPA gets us released sooner rather than later, and I'm actively getting my strike fund maxed out so that I can weather whatever storm comes this way. It's ridiculous that the company can basically take what they want in Ch 11 and then continue to operate under that agreement for YEARS after the amendable date.
The way pay/workrules is going to improve at the regionals is eventually enough young people will realize that being an airline pilot isn't what it used to be. The brass ring of being a major airline pilot is tarnished, and smart young talent is probably better off doing something more lucrative and flying for the fun of it on the side. Once that cycles through over the years, the regionals will have a hard time attracting qualified pilots. You will have more and more Colgan type incidents, and eventually blood shed will force change. The change to age 65 put this on pause for a few years, but at some point its going to become a reality.
At the same time, its up to US at the major airlines to lock down scope and move the regional flying back to pilots on mainline lists. The irony? It will be more economical for the company. As oil goes up, the 50 seat RJ becomes a financial anchor, regardless of how much the pilots are paid. The 70 seater isn't too terribly far behind. That's why the airlines want scope relaxed on the 90-100 seaters so badly.... and that is why they will NEVER get it.
The regional airline pilots all have their own contracts, and they negotiate those independently. They get whipsawed just as we do. If they want the contract flying, they have to do it cheaply, and the company will come to them and tell them without wage concessions etc., it won't happen. See what just happened to Horizon with Skywest getting their jets to fly their routes for cheaper if you need an example.