Mesa Picketing Info
 

After 6 years of stalled negotiating and 1 failed TA. ALPA has finally approved an informational picket for MESA. This picket is open for other airline pilots to join and hold the line with MESA Pilots.
December 9th IAH B Terminal 12:00-14:00

ALPA finally approved? Which ALPA, national or Mesa's MEC? Either one, that's messed up. Those guys should be recalled if it were the local reps.

I support Mesa pilots in their fight for better wages and benefits.

Why only 2 h picketing. What's ALPAs reason for this, any other times/places scheduled.

A few reasons.
1)Permits with the city to picket at the airport.
2)To have the most mass of pilots at one time.
3)2 hrs is enough to get our point across to mgmt, media, public and UAL

OK. Good luck

Good luck guys!

It leaves terminal B out of DFW for Dallas pilots. The picketing itself is concentrated at the E terminal and some other locations.

I'm sorry, but everyone in this industry has a CHOICE to where you want to work, now more than ever. Some people choose MESA, the easy way out - no interview. You CHOSE to work at a company with the worst contract, poverty wages, a training contract, zero career progression, the absolute worst healthcare, laughable retirement, and agreed to all this with the company. What, just to say you fly an EJET? You undercut everyone else in the industry in the process. Now y'all want to complain and picket? Give me a break.

Kudos to the above. You joined MESA and undercut others.

You should go to IAH and hand out fliers. I don't think they're aware.

The two posts above are rediculous and laughable. All regionals undercut everyone else but the pilots aren't engaged in that. Pilots have nothing to do with the CPA with mainline.
Most of the pilots have been at Mesa since the last contract was ratified during bankruptcy and a recession.
Don't make assumptions and post about things you have no idea about. The majority of pilots at Mesa deserve a better contract.
Posts like yours are what keep the whipsaw in this industry going strong. Your hate for Mesa shouldn't be directed at the pilots.

^ This!!! You made your choice, now live with it. You knew EXACTLY what you were getting into signing up with Mesa.

This. All of this.

First, pilots are absolutely involved in the whipsaw game. By pilots chasing the quick upgrade and shiny jets in lieu of a decent contract and pay, they are directly enabling management, and giving their tacit approval of awful pay and contracts (you signed up did you?) especially when there have been vastly better options for the last 2-3 years.

As far as most pilots being at Mesa since pre-recession/bankruptcy, I don't know the exact numbers, but I'm willing to best it isn't the vast majority. Mesa has hired a ton of pilots in the last 3 years, all of whom made an active CHOICE to work for the industry's premier bottom feeder airline. There is absolutely no simpathy for those people.

Lastly, I don't think most other pilots "hate" Mesa, especially not their pilots. It's just really stupid too see people made a conscious decision to work for the lowest paying, bottom feeding regional despite having the option to go literally anywhere else, then turn around and complain they aren't paid enough and "deserve" more.

I once had a Mesa pilot tell me that I was stupid for going to the regional I'm currently at. Quote, "Have fun flying clapped out -200s that will be going away and having a 7 year upgrade" and that I should really go to Mesa instead for the Upgradezzzzz.

Well guess what? That was 2.5 years ago, and now that same regional has a fleet of over 100 175s and an upgrade of under 2 years. I say that not to brag or rub it anyone's faces, but to reinforce the idea, that choosing to work for a well managed, generally respected company usually pays off better than chasing gimics such as bonuses and "quick upgrades"

Yeah, everybody who wanted to live in base for $2 less an hour is a real undercutting prick.

You're right. Pretty hard finding other regionals with bases in Dallas, Houston and Phoenix.

I'm talking PHX, CLT, ORD, IAD, and even Hawaii. For the 2013/2014 timeframe...

IAD - Silver and Commutair weren't very attractive options. Many of those pilots actually jumped to Mesa.

ORD - True, other options here. But not a bad junior base when you got friends to stay with until you get your real base of choice.

CLT - I'm trying to remember who else was even there at the time. Did PSA have a presence at that point?

PHX - SkyWest was the only other game in town, but it was a smaller operation with an uncertain future and a long time to hold.

Hawaii - Not my cup of tea, but if you lived there, not a lot of jet operators to apply to.

Anyway, is it really such a bad goal to bring up the rear? We'd like to improve things, both here and for the betterment of the regional industry. Barring that, I think a lot of us wouldn't mind signing a contract that ultimately closes the doors due to costs. Kind of a nice one-two on our way out.

70% of the pilots went to Mesa for the 1 year upgrade, and the only way mesa did that was undercutting everyone else. They knew the pay at Mesa and still went, but as long as you get to fly the 175.

Yeah, screw them for trying to improve their work place. Glad all of you are on board to help them out.... Sad.

If you really want to get the company's attention, don't picket.

Instead, host a mini "job fair". Rent a conference room or a hotel ballroom. Ask some of the other regionals that pay better and LCC's to come and interview Mesa pilots on site.

Could you imagine what would happen if Piedmont, PSA, Envoy, Allegiant, Spirit, and Endeavor all showed up and hired 200 Mesa pilots in a single day!

Have letters of resignation already typed up.

So lemme get your argument straight: Mesa's contract sucks; therefore, Mesa pilots don't have a right to try to improve their contract.

Seriously?

You, sir, are clueless.

He's not only clueless but desperate and resentful. He should let it go and move on.

I don't understand why ANYONE has gone there in the last year or two. Anyone that did knew what they were signing up for, and had a choice of many other places with significantly higher pay and better work rules.

The people that got stuck at Mesa during the lost decade are another story. Jumping ship to the flavor of the month regional when you have seniority somewhere is a gamble, so I can't blame them for sticking around.

With that being said, anything mesa can do to improve QOL and pay pushes this industry in the direction it needs to go and helps us all in the end.

I agree with you. Yes, the pilots who have come here in the last couple years knew exactly what they were in for. My opinion is, we could have negotiated a lot sooner and better if we weren't filling classes with these new hires chasing shiny jets and upgrades. That being said it's the state of the industry. The new hires we have had in the last year have been jumping ship to chase the money at Envoy, PSA and Endeavor. I don't blame them. In the end the Mesa Pilot group as a whole deserve a better contract.

Mesa pilot group is not just the new hires. It's over 1300 pilots. More than 700-800 have been here long enough to deserve a new contract.

Exactly! Thanks for the unity you jacka$$es!

I would love to help and picket but I am working that day!

Mesa isn't going anywhere regardless of how much you guys bad mouth them or how many pilots leave a month. They haven proven to be the cockroach that survived a nuclear blast.

With that said, it would most likely benefit every regional guy to support Mesa pilots making a significant gain in pay, benefits and QOL for all pilots there and those to come in the future.

Good luck to all Mesa pilots!

Somewhat agreed. Not reflective of the pilots. Great pilot group, scumbag management. And it is that culture that flows down from the top. The pilot group definitely deserves better!

After my 2 years there some 12 years ago I totally agree with the management comment. However, just because management is scummy doesn't mean the pilots can't make the place a bit more tolerable. That's why it's important to support the guys and gals there that are trying to finally get that place up to speed in the regional world.

Anyone actually show up to this thing?

How'd it go? JO give you a raise yet?

Apparently you'd didn't show up

Mesa would have to double every work rule and all pay, that is not happening. So why support those that take a job at the company, the senior guys there have never fought for a wage. Every me they've had has sucked(don't want to Rock the boat)

I remember that time they signed the crap contract, and they tried to say industry leading!!!!!!

Picketing has no effect on Jo and all the mai line partners will take the tiny guys picketing, because they love the dirt cheap company.

I wish it would, but let's be realistic. Hell how long has it been and they're just now picketing. Mec probably went to Jo and said hey the group is getting upset, Jo replied OK, let's pick a week where nobody is flying(this week) and let them do a picket at the airport.

Your pay sucks, but your benefits and rules suck, that hurt's the industry more.

I take it you are at a regional right now, correct? If that is the case would you find it reasonable for all of us at United, Delta, AA, SWA to ridicule you if you take a job at Frontier or Spirit? Or would you rather us acknowledge your pay needs to be better and support your efforts to improve things while treating you like a professional adult should?

I don't know all the in's and out's of the Mesa CBA and how much it lags other regionals. I do know there are some low life's their just as their are some really great guys that make up the pilot group. It's easy for you to sit and judge an entire pilot group for working there. You have no idea what their circumstances are. Maybe they couldn't get hired at your super special regional. Maybe they didn't want to commute from a junior Mesa base to your super special regional base. Maybe they were long term FO's from Expressjet or Republic that needed an out to finally get PIC time and a bit more pay compared to their dead end FO seat. Whatever their reasons are it's their life that they will live with.

As far as your BS comment of Mesa hurting the regionals... get real man. Majority of regional guys seem to be making tons of cash compared to the last 10 years right? You have how many regionals with straight up flows to AA and career path programs to United as well that werent options several years ago. Looks to me like everyone else seems to be doing just fine regardless of what Mesa pilots are bringing home.

Where are you getting $2/hour. Mesa is $20/hour cheaper than anyone. FO's at other regional make more than capt at Mesa.

Where are you getting your numbers? I don't see a $20/hr difference