1.95% is a very, very small price to pay when you need their services...

 

I totally understand your skepticism, but please don't listen to the ALPA organizers when making your decision. They are as drunk on the ALPA Koolaid as a CFI is on company juice while in training. Listen to your fellow pilots at Union carriers, especially to the guys who have been in this business more than 5 years.

The dynamic between ALPA and management is different at every carrier so I would be weary of comparing ASA to us. Our representation with ALPA would be whatever we make of it and knowing this pilot group I think it would be great.

I know 2% of your paycheck sounds like a real hassle, especially since you are still on first year pay, but it truly is a small price to pay for the vast resources that would be available to us with ALPA. You never know when disaster could strike, whether is be a limitation on your medical or an perhaps an un-preventable incident. Uncle Jerry has built a great airline, but I wouldn't want to bet my career on the kindness of his heart if something happened that had the potential to damage my career.

 

You do realize that they contract out many of their union services to ALPA, right?

 

What is guaranteed is SKW will never help raise the bar to improve conditions in the industry if the union is rejected. SKW management will tell you they can't afford to keep you up with inflation (effectively giving you a pay cut each year), but there is plenty of money to spend millions to buy back stock.

The ALPA president makes what the highest paid member (captain) makes. If he is making as much as you say ALPA wouldn't have a problem with any organizing drive.

 

This is the single issue and concern I have with ALPA, or any other collective bargaining body, at Skywest.

ACA, Comair, and AWAC pilot groups each raised the proverbial "bar" on the previous one's contract in 2001 due to pattern bargaining. Sept. 11th happens damaging the industry, spawning concessionary bargaining and contract extensions while MAG (facing Freedom) and Chautauqua (facing Republic) sign new contracts nowhere near the previous benchmarks, although improving on their previous CBAs. Mesaba and XJT each sign good contracts in 2004, only for Mesaba to get boned in bankruptcy. Each time another carrier raised the level of work rules and compensation, Skywest management did its best to match it to keep its pilot group satisfied while their growth increased exponentially.

Fast forward to 2007. Legacy airlines are making money again despite $70/bbl+ oil, loads are the highest in history, and management compensation has skyrocketed while labor wages (OURS) haven't even kept up with inflation. Skywest pilots recently accepted a pay package that provided an override for 70/90 seat jets and gave a small first year payraise, but only a 1% raise to jet pilots while selling out your Brasilla pilots.

Despite that, Skywest has a very content pilot group. With the rapid growth leading to upgrades, a positive work atmosphere, good compensation and work rules leading to good W2s, who wouldn't be content? That said, why would anybody be CONTENT with one of the lowest probationary hourly rates in the small jet industry? Why would anybody be CONTENT with riding the coat tails of other pilot groups who have taken the risk of collective bargaining to improve things for everyone? I know why - because its easy and its low risk to those looking to upgrade, get their 1000 TPIC, and get out!

Even last year's much-lauded Zoltar proposal (that never happened) would have only brought Skywest pilots to the average of the top few regional carriers in terms of pay and work rules. A rising tide raises all ships...but without unified collective bargaining, Skywest and its pilots will never be the cause of that change, only the beneficiaries of it.

That is something that all regional pilots, including those at Skywest, need to be aware of as we progress head-first into the current round of bargaining. I think ALPA representing Skywest pilots would be good for them, and I know it would be good for the entire small jet industry. Think of your 1.95% as an insurance policy, and when you consider the impact a medical or flying event might have on your career, that's pretty damn cheap insurance. However, without a unified pilot group ALPA is doomed to mediocrity if not failure...and in my opinion Skywest does NOT have a unified pilot group at this time.

 

Amen Brother!

 

DON'T DO IT. ALPA is just an association used to seperate pilot groups. They only use their own rules when they apply for the big pilot groups, NWA, DAL, UAL etc. It is just a racket. For Example, ALPA by laws, one ALPA carrier buys another ALPA carrier-the senority lists must be merged. Didn't see it when DAL bought ASA or Comair, why you ask. At that time pre 9-11 DAL MEC didn't want ASA or Comair pilots on their lists, I am not sure why. But soon as they started to lay off pilots they were knocking on our doors, I am a Comair puke serving 10 yrs of a life sentance-slight chance of parole. ALPA has been nothing but bad for regionals, not fighting for better wages or rules. If I had a choice which don't I would have never joined the Union. Peace said, and good luck.

 

ALPA National helped a strong, unified Comair pilot group achieve the 2001 CBA, did they not? ALPA National helped the Comair pilot group negotiate a concessionary agreement when Mother Delta was in bankruptcy that provided a large lump-sum payment to all pilots in addition to other protections, did they not? Do you realistically think Comair pilots could have achieved equal or better in both instances without the assistance of ALPA?

But ALPA is a failure to you because you weren't added to the Delta seniority list. Right.

 

Probably one of the top ten reasons why I'll vote against ALPA. Nobody will pressure me with coersion or thinly veiled career threats as to the choices that I make in life. I'll happily disclose my vote and what my reasons are/ were for said vote.

I don't think that Southwest pilots give a crap how the 37 SkyWest guys that went last month to their airline have/would have voted for ALPA. But you ALPA supporters keep spewing this crap... perhaps it'll influence some of the 20-somethings out there. I'm not impressed.

I have to disclose that I'm not against unions. Unlike virutally every member of the Skywest ALPA organizing committee, I have been voted in (twice) as a Local President of a union. Been to the training, arbitrations, negotiations, lobbying efforts, etc. Lived it.

Like Amercian and Southwest (and either Fedex or UPS), I'm for an in house union.

Vote no to ALPA.

 

Yesterday, I actually sat next to a Captain from American (for 30 years and Naval Academy graduate) on the flight home after my four day trip.

I asked him his thinking on ALPA, and he just made comparisons to what he thought were his Union's successes over those of ALPA carrier United (among others). Even though 80% of Amercian pilots don't want the age 65 rule, ALPA flip flopped on that. They pay about 1% dues compared to almost 2% for ALPA. 17 year contract (that no ALPA carrier has)... I could go on.

He's going to follow up with getting me in touch with his Union's contacts for a follow up. I'd like to do the same with Southwest and any other unionized air carriers that are not ALPA.