Mesabah

Yes, but our contract is a little different, if they hire a street captain for the CRJ 900 anyone that is holding out for jet captain, i.e. everyone, then becomes bypassed. So basically anyone who meets atp mins and put crj ca as their choice would get CRJ 900 captain pay. These street captains are for the saab because nobody wants it.

Airsupport

interesting,, i would like to hear rj85fo's opinion on that.. that doesn't make to much sense.

LoudFastRules

It makes perfectly good sense in a contract that values and protects seniority. It is all right there in plain language near the end of our section 24.

Our contract has strong language protecting seniority. FO's can get placed anywhere. Not so for Captains. Our contract has very specific language releasing seat locks as necessary to PREVENT the hiring of street captains.

This is not an issue for Saab Captains as that is the junior most Captain seat.

Every single eligible pilot (ATP mins..) who wishes to be a jet captain must be awarded those captain seats before a street captain may be placed there.

If necessary, a pilot may be bypassed if he/she is needed in their current seat. A basic summary of bypass: pilots may be bypassed for 120 days and then must be put in training for the seat for which they were bypassed. After 8 weeks, the bypassed pilot must be payed at the rate of the seat for which they were bypassed.

Street jet captains would be exceptionally expensive for the company. I don't think too many Saab Captains would be upset flying those high-credit decent time off Saab lines for Jet Captain pay!

This is NOT the type of issue our union would be willing to cut any slack on.

RJ85FO

LoudFast described the contract language that pay protects a senior pilot during bypass situations. Remember, Mesaba is not lacking qualified pilots to upgrade to the jet. We have plenty of those who are waiting for the jets to get here. We are staffing up for the jet, not trying to fill seats that are vacant. The jet is not the issue. The Saab is the issue. Currently, anyone who upgrades in the Saab will be seatlocked in the Saab for 24 months. Many of those that want to be jet captains are just having to wait until we get a sufficient number of them to have vacancies. This waiting to avoid Saab seat lock is a driving factor in why the Saab CA seat is going so junior.

poor pilot

So, the street CA go into what, the saab, 200 or the 9. What type of trips will the nine get I hate 5 leg days.

RJ85FO

Street Captain will go to Saab. CR9 has some 5 and 6 leg days. It also has 2 leg days. If you hate 5 leg days, you will not like any of Mesaba's aircraft/route choices.

ExperimentalAB

5 Leg days DO suck. 6-leggers are better, so ya'll both get to fly 3 legs :-)

RJ85FO

We enjoy 7 and 8 leg days in the Saab. You just kind of go numb after 5 or 6.

LoudFastRules

Ain't it the truth! There were even 9 leg days this last summer.

XJPILOT1

Ya but they're short hops. Toledo, St.Cloud, Flint, Watertown. I did 9 last month. Yes it did seem like ground hog day.

On another note (street CA's). I love the SAAB but I like the CRJ pay. So I would have a problem with them bypassing me for the jet.