scary scary thought. i really hope these are not anti union sentiments. anti-alpa sentiment is purely a short term reaction to the post 9/11 concessions and the total abuse that labor has suffered at the hands of both management and government in the most anti-labor environment most of us have ever lived in.



"We gave lots of stuff back, but the public doesn't know that," Frank Pena,"I understand people don't like unions, but they don't know what it's like." -Frank Pena, GM Employee
please dont take these attitudes with you when you move on to a mainline carrier.

I left SKW to go to an ACMI carrier which has not had the best reputation in the past, and yet here I am treated about 20 times better than I was at SKW, a top tier regional. Most of my frustration had to do with SKW's zero tolerance on missed commutes and not so good benefits. What I can tell you is everyone at this other carrier is glad there is a union on the property because before the union it was a whole different world. Granted Skywest doesnt have this problem to deal with now, but remember you dont necessarily have it as good as they make you think. If you go on to a legacy or major which I think we all hope to do in the future, you have to realize that if you carry that anti-union attitude with you, you will not only destroy your pilot group, but you will completely destroy your industry.

In the meantime like was said earlier, stand strong together as a pilot group, and your first courses of action should be to 1) eliminate SAPA and 2) negotiate higher pay

"We gave lots of stuff back, but the public doesn't know that," Frank Pena,"I understand people don't like unions, but they don't know what it's like." -Frank Pena, GM Employee

 

So does this mean Koolaidman will get the raise SAPA promised him if you all voted down alpa? I hope so, or like he said he will be very, very, very dissapointed....

 

It's definetily a scary thought, and it's not an anti union sentiment. Which is why I said, "I hope ALPA hears this as a wake up call." It's my opinion that ALPA has been extremelly short sighted for some time, and until now they had enough credibility to get away with it. RJ's should've been recognized by ALPA as a inevitability. They should've been recognized as a way save jobs for thousands of eventually furloughed pilots. Instead ALPA chose to shun RJ's. They decided they were too good for them. All in the name of maintaining pay rates, mainly for senior pilots. Meanwhile junior narrow body pilots get furloughed, an entire generation of pilots got stuck spending a decade or longer in "regional" jobs, and even worse for our industry, future pilots have completely turned away from an industry that offers years of near poverty level living after spending tens of thousands on training. And we can sit here all day and discuss the goverment and courts and make lots of excuses. (Many of which would be legitimate.) But ALPA sat by and sponsored contracts that sold junior pilots down the river, and at the same time these senior pilots that voted these contracts into effect, will blame me (a RJ pilot) for taking their jobs, as if I voted on their contract as if to say this is the dream job I thought of when I took flight lesson number one. It's my opinion that these last two votes were a direct reaction this, and I really hope ALPA hears it, takes some responsibility, and changes course.

 

alpa's strong resistance to change, among other ideals, is one of the main reasons I think we are better off with someone else if we were ever to unionize. Say what you want about our management, but the fact is we have a progressive management team that knows how to run an airline really well, and that is one of the main reasons we are as successful as we are. The fact is, that reelbigchair illustrated, alpa's interests are with the major airlines, we are rather skeptical that OUR dues would be used for OUR interests.

 

Great job SKW guys and gals, the only winners here are SKYWEST management and shareholders, the losers are the pilots of all airlines, you give them more power (management) they will walk all over you........ I know I know everything at Skywest is wonderful

 

Guess I will up my stock purchase % because that is where our money is going, the share holders.....

Personally I don’t think most were fed up with alpa here at skyw, most are apathetic have no clue how business are managed, don’t know how options work, don’t understand inflation, and leverage, think scope is mouthwash, and still live with in-laws to make ends meet.

Oh well, one more reason to get motivated to leave.

 

I agree, they only see it as a stepping stone and think what they have is as good as it gets................ We need to start getting angry at what this industry as become, we need to take a stand and take what garbage management gives to us and slam it down there throat similar to the slamming of concessionary contracts down our throats the past couple of years..........

I think at a lot of these regionals, 21 yr old kids for the most part don't think about the future as much as they should, I cant blame them if I was 21 and flying for an airline I would feel like I have the world by the balls, but before they know it, their friends will have bought houses and grown up, and these guys will be making 60k as a a CA of an 100pax jet

 

How do you propose to do that without any organization of the pilot group?

 

When are half the people on this board going to realize that the sentiment behind this election was not "We don't want representation" but "We don't want ALPA?"

Many OO pilots (myself included) are NOT anti-union.....we just feel that ALPA doesn't have OUR best interests in mind.

 

What we found at Colgan after the ALPA vote was not anti-ALPA sentiment but apathy. It's unfortunate so few actually take the time to learn about the business realities around them. "Those who stand for nothing, fall for anything."

So what will the Skywest pilots do now after the courts restrict the student council?