If this gets a yes vote by the senior people because of the "I won't be on reserve" attitude they will be hurting in 6 months when all the people below them left and they are stuck in IAD for 20 days. Ya don't forget it is 18 days extendable to 20 so for all you commuters that's 22 days away from home

 

How's that upgrade coming at Horizon? Under a decade of wait time yet? SKW doesn't have Brasilia bases I'm interested in, and their new rates aren't enough to convince me to move out to the Cereal State and start over at the bottom of the list again. We are looking at raises of 10% for FOs and 5% for CAs. Not great, but better than it was before. Everyone is also now on the scale that used to be the Saab. No more 1900/Saab Apartheid on pay rates. Since the 1900 is likely to be gone soon anyway, kinda moot, but still an improvement. Starting pay for Silver as of ratification will be $26.75, soon to be $27.82 in May, and you don't have to be based in California. Combine that with the existing $6000 new-hire bonus and the new $6000 retention bonus for all of us who missed out on the new-hire bonus, and it's not a bad deal. Upgrade time here is currently looking at less than 3 years after the SSB gets sorted out. Yes, the reserve rules suck. I'm going to have to live through them when I upgrade. It's doable if you live in base, impossible if you commute. Take it or leave it, as you did.

Everyone will have to make their own choice in this. I'm sure the reserve rules will be the big topic of conversation on the call tomorrow. If you have questions, I'm sure the ExCo guys will have answers for you.

 

Pretty sure you have to have 30 hrs off every 168. So what's the point of a reserve block longer than 6?

 

A few things I would consider. Silver and Great Lakes are such small airlines that its probably best to do things differently than other airlines. In marketing terms, you call that a niche, you are different than the others.

I don't believe there is anything any airline or industry as a whole is doing to address the real problem, the lack of pilots in the pipeline. All airlines whether major or regional are going to have to deal with this very soon.

The focus right now is only retaining what you have and poaching what you can. It's a short sited strategy to say the least and is only a year away from catching up to the real problem of the pipeline.

So what should Silver and GLA as a company do? What should the pilots that work at Silver and GLA do?

First, I think as pilots you have to accept the fact that these are simply not airlines you can make a career out of. If you get stuck at a commuter for whatever reason, and the fact is, some of you will get stuck, you have to know going in that you are gambling by staying here. The longer you wait, the harder it is to move on.

Second, what should the company be doing? If it was my company, I would eliminate the dual rates for Captain and FO. Silver and GLA are so small, the dual rates do not make sense for these airlines. What they should do is flatten the rates. Captain pay should be lower. FO pay should be higher. You can still have a longevity scale, but it should look like this for both positions. Year 1 should be $50/hour, or approximately $42,000 per year. Year 5 should be $60/hour, or approximately $50,000 per year. That's it- props, jets, captains, fo's. Nothing beyond 5 years.

It should be understood mutually by the company and the pilots that if you come to work for the company, it's not a place to retire. It's up front and honest and says to the world that 'hey, were not the biggest but we make do with what we have and do a good job at it.' You come to work, to put your dues in, you fly your hours, you get the captain time. You move on.

Further, your retirement 401k is such a pittance anyway, it doesn't even matter. Eliminate it. Saves the company money. What kind of sense does it even make to direct funds towards retirement when you have a large debt to payoff, whether college or flight school or both. If you have serious debt, you need to pay that off first before worrying about retirement. Doesn't make sense if your credit card interest rate is 18% and your investments are only making 10%. You want retirement? Marry a rich or working spouse and/or open yourself up an IRA.

No bonuses.

It sounds harsh, but that model might make the airline more competitive as a short term place to work.

 

Couldn't tell you as I don't work there anymore but I know they're dropping might even be a decade, but you can go right into the jet at SKW which being from IAH you can maybe get home based. I don't see very many Captains from Silver getting picked up at Majors the ones that are have either been there for many years or came from prior 121 jet and even then most of the street captains have their magical 1000 and still haven't received calls from majors.

The fact that your union presented an LOA that has reserves lasting 18 continuous days is an absolute disgrace. Everyone knows the 1900's are gone so by them making pay the same it's a total moot point don't think the company is trying to do any favors for the 1900 guys.

Your bonus will be taxed at a different rate IIRC and the fact that you think it's not a bad deal is not making sense to me. Let's just break this down using a candidate who maybe looking at Silver and Skywest.....

Under the new Silver pay
Yr 1 $26.75x75hrs= $2006.25 x 12 months $24075 + $6000 bonus= $30075
Yr 2 $29.62x75hrs= $2221.50 x 12 months $26658
$56733
SKW
Yr 1 $22 x 80hrs= $1760 x 12 months $21120
Yr 2 $37.15x80 hrs= $2972 x 12 months $35664
$56784

All without having to be subject to being on Reserve 18 days in a row possibly extended an extra 2 days. You'll be a line holder in under a yr on the BRO which is worth it's weight in gold. Better benefits and a 401k the option to transition to a jet and other bases if you so choose. The mere fact that Silver might/prolly wont weather this storm of a shortage of pilots is worth it. Sure you might get to upgrade if the SSB is sorted out well how many times has that been said. In reality the sticking point is the 18 days of reserve so by you voting yes you are willing to put something complete unheard of in the industry into your contract and subject to the ranks of every other pilot group. Remember all it takes is one company to start and continue the downward trend to the bottom. You can't honestly say that the company couldn't have offered the same pay rates without absolutely destroying the lives of those that will be on reserve.

 

Most student loan rates are pretty low, at least mine are so financially it makes more sense to bank the money away into a 401K especially if it's a decent match. Hard to say no to free money, but Silver doesn't have that dilemma as the 401K is nil. Then you need to ask yourself is being gone from home for possibly 216-240 days of a year worth it? What affect does this have on the industry you can bet other places will look into it.

 

Left Horizon already? Interesting. First upgrade class of 6 already notified for March on the Saab, so the SSB IS being sorted out. I've already been awarded CA in GNV, so I'm just waiting for my turn through the schoolhouse. When this place is actually going under and the PIC time I've been pursuing here is forever out of reach, I'll bail. And how is the movement at OO? I've heard they have plenty of lifers in the left seat of the jet there. IAH right out of the gate is what I've heard from some of the other FOs here who left for OO, so that's a big plus for me if decide to leave 3M. XJT also has IAH available right off the bat from what I've heard on the jumpseat between there and CLL.

Agreed that second year pay almost anywhere else beats the snot out of second year here. No argument there. The reserve rules of 18 days in a row are still subject to the FAR requirement of 30 hours off every 168, so I'm sure that's one of the questions that will be addressed on the call. For the record, the new Section 6.D.4 states that "All reserve lines shall consist of a series of 18 continuous reserve days." Have to wait and see what the reps have to say about it.

 

It's easy you get 30 hours off and that counts as your rest you can be given that 30 hours off anywhere so off you go to MEI boom there's that day you need off.

 

Exactly...

Could even be worse... could be 30+ hours in GLH.



I know others are saying look at the whole LOA, but that one provision of the 18 day reserve stretch is both unheard of and an abomination and should be the major reason we give this LOA a resounding NO.

 

I forgot about GLH.... Ya that wouldn't be fun at all.