True, there are a lot of delusional pilots here at SKW and everyday I try to educate. But I can only do so much.

I mean no offense; I would love to see a “National Pay Scale” or “National Min Rate” for seat configs. But our national problems go far beyond that.

delusional is an understatement

No offense taken my friend, the first brews would be on me at the RON. What has happened in the last few years is in the past; all we as pilots can hope to do is educate ourselves on the circumstances and consequences of the past, and effect positive change on the future.

I definitely see the need for a bonified union at SKW, but not ALPA.
ALPA serves in this order:
1. Themselves
2. Large Carriers
3. Small Carriers

ALPA at regionals is a conflict of interest. Higher pay scales on our end translate to higher costs for the majors which is not benificial for the legacy pilots that are still waiting for financial health in their airlines. Nobody is perfect, certainly not ALPA, but in this case its easy to see why they don't do much for regionals. Prater seems like a legitimate guy albeit still a politician. He, like most elected representatives, serves the interests of the financial majority. Not only do the five ALPA legacy carriers make up almost 25,000 ALPA members (which is almost twice that all the ALPA carriers that fly 70 seat and under) but those guys on average make at least twice what we do. Its not hard to see why ALPA will serve their interests before ours.

ok then why wont skw give you a legal binding contract? thats all you need, you dont need a major overhaul, just a contract and maybe some better benefits and some other changes but thats what alpa will do for you to start. after that you as a pilot group can decide what you want

Higher wages at the regionals mean it would no longer be financially viable for the mainline to outsource flying. The mainline would expand and create new, better jobs with narrowbody aircraft while the regionals would shrink...but that shouldn't cause any loss of jobs due to attrition at the shrinking regionals from their pilots taking jobs at the growing mainline.

Isn't that what we all want - more mainline jobs? Growing regionals don't make mainline jobs...

And Bessie and Dan are going to know who you are (and vice versa) with ALPA on the property? I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. They don't know you and you don't know them because of how big we've become and how disconnected everyone is about all the other departments, not because a union isn't here.

Be careful what you ask for though. Some of the favors both sides enjoy will be gone as soon as everything is by the book.

yes.............good points....reminds me of this little thing called "capitalism"