I'm sorry, when was it used on a bid result? Oh wait, it wasn't, thanks to our MEC and the PWG.

 

Kudos to the MEC for standing strong given some of the their other stances on things. But I believe the point he was getting at was that management was pushing the envelope/boundaries. It's just a matter of time before they get it.

 

Not exactly, I expect significant gains in terms of compensation and improvements to our work rules over OUR current contract. Gains over our existing rules with higher pay would be good enough for me.

The XJet people seem to have unrealistic expectations for ASA.

 

Everybody wants things to get better when they negotiate new contracts. I don't think their expectations are unrealistic if we, as a pilot group, can increase efficiencies and cost savings initiatives. We would effectively create the revenue for our better QOL and pay, just like Southwest does every day. It's possible for everything to be better, but we have to BE better, not just have a better contract.

 

I don't really see anything more we as a pilot group can do to increase efficiencies...we're pretty much already doing it. Firing a bunch of redundant, useless middle manager types over in the headquarters building would be a good start toward saving money...but that's above our pay-grade.

Our performance has a lot less to do with the way we operate the airplanes and more to do with: the ramp (which sucks), gate agents(which suck), crew utilization (which sucks), maintenance (which sucks) and catering/cleaning/servicing (which mostly sucks).

I often feel like Delta is purposefully sabotaging our performance...

 

John why do you think your gona loose your job if you get a substantial raise...like in a post way before this 28% for us is a good bottom line, I don't know about you but this is a job and that's it and im sure I have more to loose then you in this game of cards. You fly airplanes for a company that does business in the terms of billions and you are thinking in million our compensation package has to be within lines of one super regional expectations of us. I now have expectations of them they took away our path to the majors mainly through the short sightness of he very major pilots we once aspired to become...

Is this your first contract negotiations? Im assuming it is this is what most young aspiring pilots are to believe, im gona lose my job if we ask for to much. Hell that's what they want you to believe...BS! Im.sure the first offer will be based on doom and gloom and it will go down and then the next will be better to a point...you get the point. Don't shot yourself in the foot to just move things along due to fear...

 

Because the company I work for already has an unsustainable business model based on how much it costs them vs. how much their customer(s) compensate them.

ASA is losing money.

Yah, they can cut costs elsewhere in the operation to bring costs in line with earnings...but there's only so much more expensive the labor can get before it becomes too expensive for the business model to work.

I expect a raise. I expect this next contract to be more expensive than the last.

I simply recognize that there are limits.

Yes, this is the first time I've gone through this. No, I'm not young or aspiring.

I don't see our pay as being that far off...I want modest pay increases and substantial improvements to work rules. I'll vote for a contract that raises my pay and incentivizes the company to use crews more efficiently and jerk us around less and tightens up some of the scheduling/PBS language.

'burning it down' sounds like something my 4 year old does at bed time.

 

I agree. US Air had unionized ramp workers that were making over $60k a year to toss bags. With each contract negotiation they would up their pay and benefits. Eventually US Air's cost of doing business exceeded what the market would support and they went bankrupt. The bag handlers were forced to train their sub-contracted replacements right before they were fired. If you "burn the place down" you only hurt yourself.

 

The company (New ASA) is over twice as big as it was this time last year. The Holding Company (Skywest, Inc.) is the most profitable in the industry. They can afford to give us raises that don't even keep up with inflation going back to 2004. Economies of scale. There is a reason they went after XJT not once, but twice. They will make money.

Somehow ASA guys think asking for reasonable contract gains is "Burning it Down." You guys have played the "miser" angle for so long, you forgot what it looks like to act like a normal pilot group.

 

Yep, pretty much.

But I gotta ask a question of SOME of our Atlanta headquartered brothers. Did those few forget, or flat out not pay attention that management ALREADY screwed themselves when this whole ASA-XJT thing went through? The point about them saving 70-80 million dollars in "synergies" when the deal is done due to the elimination of redundancies as well as savings from the economy of scale created with the "super regional"

In other words, if they want to use the fear grenade of "hey pilots, we can't remain cost competitive and need to keep our costs in line otherwise we'll lose flying" blah blah blah simply isn't a valid stance.