Blockoutblockin

So just to be clear here, are you upset that you voted yes on the last contract because the union asked you to or because it is a really lousy contract? Also, just what is your position on whether you support the union or management? And last, why are you so emotional?

ewrbasedpilot

Nope, not upset about how I voted at all. I voted what I thought was best at the time.......kinda like those who voted for the last president. Guess they didn't get quite what they bargained for, did they (or maybe they did)? I support our union as much if not more than most. I wear my pins proudly (as well as my uniform), do whatever I can to help bring back our furloughed pilots, and want to see OUR company survive. So, I guess in a way I'm pro-pilot, pro-union, and pro-company. Who wants to work where everyone is miserable? Emotional? Not really, just tired of pilots thinking that I am the ONLY person who voted for a contract that we got stuck with. Hard to believe that out of 5000 pilots my vote was the ONLY ONE THAT COUNTED! It's not MY fault things are bad with the economy, oil went through the roof, and the airline business is in the toilet. But to some, you'd certainly think I WAS the only person causing this mess. I've even had SCABs tell me my vote was pathetic, but they see nothing wrong with what they did. At least my vote was SUPPORTED by the union, and didn't cost anyone a job. Was it right or wrong? Guess that's who you ask and what they think.

ewrbasedpilot

I agree with you wholeheartedly. I had quite a few very senior pilots (many who've since retired), talk to me about the state of our airline, the industry, etc., before I voted. Many pilots say they will NEVER vote YES, regardless of how good a contract is. How smart is that? I watched DAL, UAL, and a few others dance into BK, and their pilots got HOSED......just look at their retirements, furloughs, etc., and it's STILL going on. Sure I'd like $565 an hour for a CA and $495 an hour for an FO, but let's be realistic, when things AREN'T going well and you're losing your shirt, it's hard to tell your company to F-OFF, isn't it? When you're armed with a slingshot and the company has an M-60 tank barrel aimed at you, what do you do? I know a lot of pilots who come on this forum and TALK smack, but I highly doubt any of them would actually go up to their CEO and tell them off. If they did, they'd be joining the unemployment line. But when it comes down to it, I pay my union dues and EXPECT my union reps to do what is right by me and my fellow pilots. Do they always get it right? Not hardly, but if I don't support them in their endeavors, what's the use in having them, right?

Blockoutblockin

Okay, times are tough, union says vote yes and you vote yes. Let's now say times are tough, union says vote no, do you vote yes or no?

130av8er

So you're saying you left a company that spent time and money training you, and gave you financial shelter at a difficult time, for your own personal gain? Sounds very similar to those pilots you described leaving CAL for higher paying jobs.

TheQuan

I wear my ALPA pin to help the Union remember who they work for. A lot of people are spending a lot of energy arguing over the past contract. If we spent 2/3 of that energy on our current negotiations we might actually achieve something we can be proud of as well as worth. Dwelling on the past does no good. Learn from history, achieve a better future. Dwell on history, get stuck in the past.
Quan, out.

Blockoutblockin

Not to dwell but what did you learn from the past "contract?"

ewrbasedpilot

Wow.......ANOTHER rocket scientist observation...... CALEX WAS a part of CAL (they OWNED a LARGE percentage of them, remember?), so NO, I didn't leave the company. Even their NAME: CONTINENTAL Express (SAME NAME, SEE?) They had a flow back/flow through. When you're part of the SAME company, you do things like that, not that I expected you to know or understand such basic information. Same uniform, same airport, same terminal, same seniority list for travel, etc. How is that leaving? Any more ridiculous questions?

Blockoutblockin

So frustrated! What did you learn from the last contract episode? No need to respond, your posts say it all!

Rascal

Well.... The company executives are making way more that. Since 9/11 some legacy carriers gave their management 800% pay rises, so maybe you could make that much after all... Pilots should stop thinking that their pay can make or break the airline. If a 737 FO at CAL gets an average of $85 an hour then on flight to from EWR to CLE each passenger pays that pilot less than $1 to take them safely from point A to Point B.