We’ve got around 5-8 more years left on this wave of the pilot shortage.

we need to take a page from the legacy side and make our contracts and compensation almost identical.
there needs to be NO cost advantage between brand X pilots and Brand Y pilots or the whipsaw race to the bottom will start again.

As long as one pilot group is cheaper than the next the mainline will threaten to move the flying unless the company reduces its costs. Management then threatens a loss of flying - and jobs - unless you take concessions. Then the cycle repeats.

then they invent catchy sounding terms like “industry average”…. which sounds fair on the surface but in reality guarantees continued concessions. Once one group takes a cut, the new industry average is lower, and therefore the next industry average requires concessions as well.

it’s a vicious cycle of management using employees wages and benefits for increased shareholder profits. Last time it took 35-40 years but that’s exactly how we ended up with the pilot shortage in the first place.

we need our executive boards and MEC’s to start working together. Our contracts should be almost identical to eliminate any cost advantage. It should be like the steel workers union. Doesn’t matter which company is paying, the rates and benefits are the same.

just food for thought because the day is coming, and it’s at most only 8 years away.

 

That's a great idea except for the problem of scope. If all the contract carriers pay the same someone will just start up another one. Pilots will flock to the new carrier to have better seniority.

I would like to see Skypest get a union though.

 

I highly doubt it. They never had one and never will. That's why they are a profitable company that is never going to go under, like the other regionals that had a Union.

 

Very possible, but even an arbitrated CBA would be "industry average" which if we were all the same, would match us all. The issue would be the first year or so before they get a union on property.

I agree about Skypest. The student council there has been been riding union shop's contracts for years.

The real change needs to be at the RLA, since when it was written the outsourced business model hadn't been invented yet. Tried to get ALPA National to add "modernizing the RLA commensurate with modern business practices" to the PAC agenda once back in 2014 and it triggered a three hour lecture from every single ALPA National lawyer about why they didn't want to touch the RLA.

Short version.
1 - After working with it so many years they have a good idea what fly's and what doesn't (pun intended) so it works well for the legal department without havng to relittigate all new changes
2 - if we touch it, management will want to touch the law as well.... and they're afraif it will end up worse than it is.

I told them I was glad the RLA works so well for them, but for the folks paying their salaries it doesn't work at all... it fell on deaf ears at the BOD and never made it out of legislative affairs committee.

 

Assume for arguments sake this happens. Skywest and GoJet join alpa. It's a big happy family.

Then in 5 years, orders start coming in for whatever will replace the 145's and CRJ's. And the majors start deciding who will get them. Maybe go to a small 145 or CRJ operator that will be a pain to transition to a new fleet .... offers them a chance to get the new jet ... maybe even grow to twice their current size if they accept XYZ. Otherwise they will need to wind down the certificate. We'll call it "Jets for Jobs" . Just takes a quick LOA and the whole process starts over again.

CBA's don't matter when the CPA can get yanked anytime.

 

which is why the RLA needs to be modified... it never envisioned the outsourced business model as I said before.

the "status quo" of the RLA is - for some unknown reason - interpreted differently for air than for rail. For rail, when section six is taking place there can be no reduction or closing stations. They can't sell/transfer trains, engines, boxcars or pax cars to other companies if it costs/effects current staffing. The status quo actually means what it says. For some BS reason status quo in airlines just means the pilots can't do anything.... companies can open bases, close bases, transfer planes and routes. But like the lawyers said, the RLA works good for them.

 

There are many alternate universes that might be better for pilots. But we gotta live in this one.

the rla is … by far… the best playing field for pilots worldwide. Challenging mgmt to a lobbying Hunger Games to modify it isn’t smart.

 

not sure I agree. I see plenty of other countries where pilots can strike, those strikes don't last long, and they get a better deal. It also doesn't take 6-7 years to get a new contract.

 

What are these phantom airplanes? Maybe a 50 seat de-rated E170?

 

You already make more than legacy FO’s by quite a bit.. if anything, flying 1/3 - 1/4 the pax and getting paid more is not sustainable. Just like at the majors; bigger jet means bigger pay. The big gap is in 401K contribution. Regionals are also a stepping stone, just go to a major if you want to lock in better long term pay rates and QOL. Don’t be a lifer and get out while you can. You can go to endeavor and flow to Delta in like 2-3 years…