Sounds about right to me.

 

When AWAC, just for argument's sake, goes into contract talks with it's Pilot group, sure ALPA is there and will fight for a better contract (that is the less so part - but they won't win any awards doing it, either), but rarely will they go very far (how many regional strikes have there been lately?) and really, at the bitter end, we are all just small potatos to them anyway - their business relies on the business of the Mainlines Pilot groups, not us...they'll always say they're looking out for all of us, but it is impossible to represent both Mainline and Feeder equally.

 

BTW - My prediction about the whole Mesa-debacle?

Nothing will change - the Pilot group will sign another lousy Contract and J.O. will continue whipping his slaves into submission.

Mesa Pilots! Please prove me (and all else here) wrong, and don't settle for anything less than top-tier payscales and work rules or BURN the place down woohoo!! Get your fire-starters and matches ready!!

 

You have absolutely no facts to support your contention that ALPA National wouldn't "go very far" in its support of AWAC or any other carrier during contract negotiations. Look no further than Expressjet as a recent example, or ACA/Comair/AWAC in 2001 for past precedent.

ALPA National has helped the ARW MEC immensely in our grievance and subsequent arbitration to overturn our concessionary agreement and get our 2001 contract back. We won that grievance but are waiting for an arbitrator to decide "a fair and just remedy", the outcome of which ALPA has no control whatsoever over.

Since Comair in summer 2001? None. Mesaba negotiated past their strike deadline in 2004 to secure their contract, but as I recall they canceled all their flights that day anyway. Since Mesaba, I don't think any regionals have been released by the NMB to strike, and that is a very important fact that cannot be forgotten. I'm 100% confident if ASA got released Monday that 30 days from then they'd either have a TA they'd ratify or be walking the picket line in ATL.

I agree somewhat with this statement. Mainline pilot groups do provide the bulk of dues revenue for ALPA National...but that doesn't mean small jet carriers will get universally sold out by National like you insinuate. Sold out by the mainline pilot group? Perhaps...but National? NO, because to do so would expose them to a massive Denial of Fair Representation liability.

Besides, vastly superior regional contracts are in the best interest of mainline pilots. The higher-priced small jet lift costs, the more the economics support mainline taking back that outsourced flying, leading to more jobs at the mainline carriers which is what most of us flying RJs want in the end.

 

If MAG pilots settle for a lousy contract, they deserve it. I think you vastly underestimate their anger and unity.

If Prater would even sign a substandard contract in the current environment remains to be seen.

 

Dr's, Lawyers, and brokers differ based on their ability. In aviation you have one set standard. You can either do it, or you can't. Because of that we are more of a statistic or number than we are an individual.

 

Been there a year waiting to get off reserve and yet you want to dog all these other places?

 

When your system decides to take a 50% cut across the board, industry wide, simply because they want to, who's going to protect you? When I walk in with the same credentials as you and get a 20% increase in pay are you just going to sit there and smile or wish someone would fight for you to get the better pay? When your company wants you to do an illegal flight and will fire you if you don't then who's going to protect you? Don't even THINK that the FAA will help you out. RAH has a self disclosure act where if they notify the FAA about something they did illegal they don't suffer the consequences. The pilot will though.

 

I wonder how much Jonny is paying him to be the fall guy?

 

You need tangible, actionable items, not fluff like "positive attitude", what's that, and how do you measure it? "Going above and beyond" - above and beyond what? Not crashing would seem to be the baseline metric, what's your other metric and WHO MEASURES IT - the CP doesn't ride every flight, or frankly pretty much any flight they can avoid. "Flights arrive on time", you mean by taking unsafe flights with broken equipment because you need a raise, or burning extra fuel, but hold one, the airlines want to save fuel, so we'll arrive late - so what's the metric - number of flights that arrive late but saved fuel? "Putting in extra time", so now we'll be promoted and paid based on the number of times we volunteer to fly on our days off, so those of us that want a family life have to low paid while people with no life get the raises and promotions.

Honestly - you don't have a clue how performance systems work in the world outside the airline world, consequently you don't have a clue how difficult it would be to transfer such a system to the airline world.