I love the email from yesterday from bt recognizing they’ve taken a step backwards then asking us to work together to fix it. I’m afraid it’s too late for that. They created this mess and it’s clear they gave no plan going forward.

 

Too little, too late. It was all empty words. He shouldn't have even written it. I think it's an attempt to get us to help them through the holidays.

Actions speak louder than words. They could have come to the table and negotiated, but they chose to stall.

They showed what they think of this pilot group. They were quick to make videos, mainly to show other employee groups that we are nothing more than "greedy bastages".

They continue to have the utmost contempt for us and they foster a pilot-hating culture among other employee groups.

Pilots are no longer tripping over themselves to work here. But, Angle Lake refuses to believe this.

They also refuse to believe that the Kool-Aid is running low with its pilots.

It's going to be too late by the time they wake up. Empty E-Mails won't save the day. They won't help a disenchanted employee group become engaged again.

Come back to the table and undue damage from the arbitration. Until then, BT is better off not writing any more missives.

 

“One thing I want to say to you now is that the rest of the leadership team and I personally are going to do everything we can to get this airline back to operating in its normal rhythm. “. -Brad

Everything except give you job protection and scope.

 

Nothing new here folks. As always without missing a beat, they kick us in the nuts when we are down and then encourage team work. Their arrogance, greed, and blindness will never be cured. That’s right, never! Our naive union thought that BT was our friend and savior but once again, they were wrong. There are enough double agents in this pilot group. Always remember who the audience is across the table from you. Only thing that matters to the company are $$$. That’s it! They could careless how anyone feels. Accept this fact, leave your emotions at the door and just maybe, this pilot group can get their act together by 2020.

 

I'd love to be paid more, who wouldn't?

Not always, no.

Yes, in fact I'm working both days.

Nope.


I wouldn't say "backstabbed," but I'll be the first to admit that AS has always looked at two things when it comes to people or systems; what it costs to do it "the right way" and "what did we budget for?" and invariably ends up somewhere in the middle, sometimes regretting not having paying the extra to get it done right the first time.

But I'd also say that while it's frustrating, because believe me, pilots are not the only ones who feel the budget constraints chafe, it's hard to not look at a history where we haven't had to go through the bankruptcy courts to achieve a low cost structure, or look at huge growth in the past 5, 10, 15, 20 years and imagine what we'd look like without it.

It's a balancing act, and it's not an exact science; you try to offer decent pay and benefits while allowing enough of a profit margin to re-invest in the business and grow, while also providing a return to shareholders. That last piece has gotten perhaps a bit more of an emphasis over the past 5-6 years than normal, but that was to drive up share prices to keep us expensive enough to ward off a takeover.

Having been around as long as I have, I remember the dark times of losses, wondering if we'd be bought out and dismembered, and unlike pilots who can just get taken on and are legally guaranteed a somewhat "fair" integration if acquired by a competitor, not all of your co-workers enjoy the same protections.

Again, I'm not here to argue; I value every one of my co-workers and simply want to provide an alternative perspective, that's all.

Just remember that it's easy to choose to rock that boat if you're among the only ones aboard with a life vest on.

 

Thats not answering the question. You sure you aren't BM?

Are you paid at a rate lower than your peers? If not, why don't you take a pay cut to help the company succeed?


Hey, me too! Maybe we do have more in common than I originally thought.

Another thing we share! What hotel are you staying in tonight while you FaceTime your family?

Oh, you actually get to go home after you finish work for the day? Must be nice. Next you're going to tell me you get to see your family every night after work, too .

Sucks, doesn't it?

Again, thats all just business, and if flying my contract is rocking the boat, well...

 

So why is taking actions (or a lack thereof) specifically to disrupt the operation and negatively impact customers somehow "just business" but the company negotiating wages and benefits that would allow it to be more competitive is somehow cause for outrage?

I FaceTime with my family most nights, as I work evenings. I do get to sleep in my own bed just about every night, but then again, as a pilot, you knew what the gig entailed when you signed up for it. That's also one of the reasons you're (justly) compensated at a rate far, far higher than my own.

(I'm not BT, BM, or any of the C-suite people, I promise you that)

Why not just say, "Ok, we got better than what was offered thanks to arbitration, but we're not all the way there, and in the next contract, we'll ask for the rest of what we're looking for," while not taking potshots at the company and undermining the operation until then?

Go to your union meetings, that's what they're for. Express your concerns. Talk to your negotiating committee. Become a shop steward or even ask to be part of the negotiating committee next time around, and rally your co-workers to determine what's important to them in the next contract, then come out swinging for the fences when openers come around sometime in late 2019.

But come on, don't jeopardize everyone else's jobs just because you feel you didn't get all you wanted this time around.

 

I have yet to get an answer to this. Maybe you can help.

How is it possible that a company with a significantly higher profit margin than its competitors can't afford to pay average wages?

How did you phrase it earlier? "Not Every one chose to pursue a career that requires that?"

Same thing. If you don't have a life jacket, maybe you should have invested in a career that came with one.

Don't get it twisted. I will never advocate or participate in an illegal job action. I'm not sabotaging anything.

 

I don’t think any pilot here is taking any action to disrupt the operation... Many just have better places to be than here. The ones that are here are simply interested in doing their own jobs and nobody else’s. It’s hard to get people to do extra for you when you’ve told them they are at most 5th Best and only worth 92% of their peers.

Perhaps they shouldn’t have laid people off to increase their ROIC... It’s different if it’s a furlough because you’re losing money, but to lay people off simply to increase your profit margin is ruthless. Hard to get those boys and girls to do extra for you now isn’t it?

 

Why are pilots always the ones accused of jeopardizing everyone else's jobs? How does pilots performing their contractually agreed to job equate to putting other employees jobs at risk? If that the case its not a pilot problem, its a management problem.

I never make an attempt to willingly disrupt operations. I do my job and I do it well. However, most of us are done picking up the slack caused by mismanagement.