For those of you who don't know
 

Dear Fellow Pilots,

For those of you who don't know, soon a concessionary contract will be put before the rank and file of the Pinnacle pilots. Again for those who don't know, Delta has essentially put a gun to the head of the Pinnacle pilots saying "Take a pay cut or we will shut you down."

I have but one question: If Pinnacle pilots stand tall and refuse to take a pay cut, will those who refused to be part of the race to the bottom be recognized by the pilots involved in the interview process?

I'm not asking for any preferential treatment prior to the interview, nor am I asking that an unqualified guy get the nod. But when one of us appears before your panel, will you give us at least a little more consideration in the interview considering we fought the good fight?

Many of you folks are fighting to take back scope. We in the regionals appreciate that. But if we bite the bullet and draw a line in the sand, will we who try to hold the line on sinking wages get at least a bit of support when we appear in front of fellow pilots in interviews?

How you answer will not affect my "no to pay cuts" vote. I am too old to go back to sitting FO reserve even at a mainline (I am bound to go back to 135 work if the company folds). But it will affect many folks younger than I.

I ask you to declare your support, and give the young folks another reason to say no to pay cuts.

Respectfully,
John Hickman, Colgan Saab 340 CA soon to be Pinnacle 200 FO

My opinion only:

At Delta, most of the pilots that do the interviewing are retired Delta guys or are very senior captains. Very few know (or care) about what is happening at the regional airline level. A lot of the interviewers are former military and have a hard time relating to what is going on a XYZ regional airline.

Personally, I think that it is admirable to take a stand and tell them NO - we won't stand for the constant undercutting shell game (although its likely to continue perpetually). I wouldn't expect to be looked at any differently by the hiring boards though.

Best of luck to you.

Completely agree with Moonshot's thoughts.

And there will be at least one H.R. person sitting in on the interview. I can assure you, he/she won't take your line-in-the-sand as admirable whatsoever.

Sorry that's the way is it, but I wouldn't count on any martyr points from the interview panel. Me, yes. Them, not so much.

I think a little differently than this. While I agree with moonshot that regional issues are pretty far outside the "radar" of the flt ops interview panel rep(s). I think at the end of the day, how you voted has no bearing on your interview.

If you get invited to interview, you are qualified. The panel goes through your paperwork to make sure it is still correct. The interviewers then concentrate on "YOU" the interviewee. This part of the interview is to find out how you are as a person and if you are a good fit.

How you vote on a TA is not connected to how you are as a person.

The HR panel will be comprised of 3 people (so there is a tiebreaker). It is a pretty low key talk about you, your flying and your interests. When you walk into the room, you are a blank slate. They start off wanting you, it is up to the interviewee to become "unwanted."

So, short story, long; Your TA vote has no bearing on your intervew IMO.

Is this a serious question???

No offense to you John. I know you and I respect how you feel about this TA even though I disagree with you.

But you have to consider that it's never made public to anyone, unless you personally state it, who voted which way. Your next airline won't ask you in the interview how you voted. I'm honestly not sure if they're allowed too either. Voting "no" will not help you at your next airline with the exception of you'll be there much faster by doing so.

Agree with the above: your vote has no bearing on the job, unless of course you MAKE it part of the interview. I can't imagine THEY ever would bring up the TA.

I don't think they ever interview someone they wouldn't want to hire, aren't interested in hiring. All you have to do is not prove them wrong.

So, its Delta's fault that Pinnacle is in this position? My suggestion to you is, if you're invited to an interview, act like the professional pilot you're suppose to be, forget the bad that happened in your last company, and stay positive. Bring those bad feelings about your last, or current, employer into the interview and quickly see the red reject stamp hit your application. You are basically asking for preferential treatment. I understand where you're coming from. Sometimes the world doesn't spend the way we want it and life isn't fare, but you just have to get back up and fight your way back. It'll suck but you'll be rewarded in the end. A lot of us have been down your road and few gave a helping hand. That's just the way it is. Good luck and no matter what keep your head up.

Yes, yes. I agree with all of this as well. I'm just saying, if you're foolish enough to bring up your concerns with pay and the "race to the bottom", expect no mercy from anyone - especially HR employees towing the company line. I'm not suggesting anyone is going to start an interview with, "so, how did you vote on the TA?"
As Moonshot said, the captains will most likely be oblivious to the situation. HR folks would only see a potential disgruntled employee, and will draw a red frowny face next to your name.

Actually, I think you have to go back to the original post, and the point being made about Delta "putting a gun to the heads" of the Pinnacle pilots. Delta did this because in this case, it needed to, and because it can.

The relationship between the two airlines is not that of independent and equal partners, but a subservient agreement, whereby the regional exists as a scope exception, and is allowed to defy the laws of economics for a while, because it suits the master. At some point, the master's interest shifts, and it becomes convenient to dump an entire regional, or several, or to squeeze one through CH11. In the process, this master might suddenly drop the benevolent mask, and be revealing as the controlling, and potentially abusive entity they always were. I suppose this might come as a shock to some, who were allowed to frolic a while, under the illusion of freedom (no pun intended, Mesa). Just ask the Independence Air guys when you see one.

This is an ugly industry, and the regionals are to a mainline what an Indian call center is to Dell. If you work for an Indian call center, you make acceptable wages, and you do OK until your call center is cut from the Dell contract, maybe at the exact same time that HP, several airlines, and a bunch if banks cut theirs, and you're still in India.

At that point, if you were interested in a Visa to the States, you'd not argue with Immigration about how you fought the good fight in India. You'd just have to decide whether you want to talk about the visa OR the fight.

That's the nature of it.

great synopsis sink.