Allow the incompetence to take it's toll. There is no requirement in the FOM to have/use a cell phone. There is no requirement to make repetitive calls to ops/dispatch to try to do somebody else's job. Do your job and do it well per the contract. Make sure you do it SAFELY. Talk to everybody you fly with/see at ops/socialize with about your concerns about safety. Remember our guiding principle #1: "Never Compromise Safety".

You can't fix stupid. This is what all the 9E guys face every day. I go to work, do my job legally and to the best of my ability, and leave. In time mgmt will come to the conclusion that they are not going to be profitable until they treat the pilots right. I am rarely on time and when a CA tries to help the company I speak up. No cargo slip, need a new release- not dropping th damn brake. Say what you want but I stay legal per the company manuals and do not allow others to make up rules and regulations as they go. We are not allowed to block out without the correct and legal release and we are not allowed to open the galley service door to get a cargo slip just to get the main door closed and a "on time" departure on the record. We use ACARS as the source of communication- the company does not supply us with a cellphone and I am not going to use mine to take care of their issues.

I am an FO at PNCL- name is not hard to figure out. Anyone who has flown with me will tell you I will speak up if we are doing something incorrectly per the books. I am RARELY on time, if everyone else performs the job as directed BY THE COMPANY we will find ourselves with a contract soon.


I'm off to the saucer.

A question I was wondering about earlier... say Pinnacle Pilots do strike. Would a new hire, still under the one year probation period (I imagine they have one), be able to strike? Or, would management find some staffing by maxing out duty times of guys on reserve and on probation?

No because you would not fly struck work right...;)

If you fly struck work probationary or not you are a scab and will be a scab for the rest of your life. This subject has been covered extensively. Do a search for Pinnacle, PNCL, 9E or look at some of my previous posts to find some of the threads.

Thanks for clearing that up. It seems like a difficult spot for one to be in. I didn't know if someone under probation had protection from being fired during a strike. Still learing the ropes, it's a far different world from Part135, and no, I would not fly struck work! Good luck to all of you guys over there!

your right, a probie has NO protection from being fired for striking. The company still cannot legally fire you as the strike is legal (at least from what I understant), however its not hard for the company to find something small to justify termination. But there is security in the matter since the rest of the pilot group WILL NOT return to work until every last pilot is re-hired. I am still on probation at 9E and have no worries about my job security if we strike. Support your fellow pilot group and they will do the same in return. Were a pretty tight group over here.

Very good point Hingey. I suggest you share that with EVERYONE you fly with.

As for the rest of the "by the book", and "give 100%, but not anymore", and "be safe" (as recommended by Wolf, Hingey, and others), I think you guys have the right idea. Good luck with your negotiations. Nothing like a little bit of pressure to get management moving on contract talks.

Agreed. But the ASA "Fly SAFE" campaign worked because it was coordinated effort by almost the entire pilot group, not just a few pilots. Why isn't 9E ALPA orchestrating this as a campaign? I don't mean this as a hostile question towards ALPA, 9E MEC or anyone else. I'm just wondering why ALPA isn't doing more to encourage by-the-book safe flying?

Because any coordination by the union makes it an illegal work action with very large punitive damages likely to be awarded to the company...the classic example is the American sickout back in 98 (I think).

No matter how much you follow the FOM to the letter it is not going to help get a contract quicker. Management will drag their feet as long as possible.

The only way I see 9E getting a contract real soon is if they accept the crap that the company has been offering.

Since 2005 I have been hearing the contract is on the way real soon so we can get bigger airplanes. almost 3years later you have bigger planes and nothing.

The people of Noncarring Blvd are douche bags. Offering 24.39 for a second year pay for a CR9 is just horrible. I hope the pay rates that the arbitrator are MUCH better than that. I would like to see it in the $38.00 range