There's more to it than meets the eye. Pinnacle's contract might be worse than everybody in the industry short of mesa. I had dinner with a PNCL crew in RIC a few months back while still at TSA and after discussing the differences between the two CBA's they made ours sound like it was industry leading.

Not a knock on the pilot group there. If I recall they negotiated this contract either years ago or it was during their recent Ch 11. We all deserve better.

 

Backpay?


filler filler filler

 

All of the -900 pilots will get full retro back to the day they finished OE.

 

There are a few FO's over here who will probaly max out that pay scale.

 

This is not meant to be negative towards Pinnacle pilots. Like airsupport mentioned, the pilots had no say in the rates. Honestly, pilots of other carriers (Comair, Skywest, Mesa, Mesaba, etc...) had more to do with the rates than the Pinnacle pilot. I just want to have a good discussion about the rates.


With that said, I like the 1st year FO pay. The captain rates are basically average (again, below where they should be by at least $5/hr, but relatively average). I am most disappointed with the FO rates year 2 and up. Those are absolutely ridiculous. $32.81 for a 2nd year FO on a 90 seater??? Skywest, Expressjet, Horizon, ASA, and AWAC are all a good $5/hr higher, or approximately 15% higher. And many of those rates are for 50 seaters. The captain pay needs to be higher, but the arbitrator did at least put those relatively "average." I think the arbitrator completely messed up on the FO rates year 2 and beyond.

Fortunately, I believe the Pinnacle pilot group understands that these are OLD rates, and will be set higher in the next contract. Good luck.

 

Sigh............

 

Thank God...hopefully the 900 will now go senior like it should be...because during training I got a little sick of hearing Jet U and other assorted SJS guys walk around CEC and flightsafety talking about how "neat" it is that they get to fly the 900 right out of training. No joke. I don't completely agree with the low-timer stigma (if you pass a 121 checkride you're at least halfway competent in my book)...but for some reason a 200 hour pilot in a 900 just seems really, really wrong. They should allow displacement bids from senior FOs into ATL now that the rates are settled!!!

 

I second that emotion. We have a long way to go fellas, and should not be satisfied with these rates at all, though I understand your pain with the arbitration thing...good luck to you guys at 9e.

 

I didn't mention Comair's rates to out down Pinnacle guys. I mentioned i to show that the arbitrator messed up. Comair's rates are just over 1 year old. Hopefully with cost of living going up 9E guyes will be able to get a boost with a new contract. 1st year is nice though. When I was on 1st year pay it would of been nice to have just a little more.

 

Here's to 9E pilots' unity being steeled by this decision...and fighting the good fight to raise that CA pay to at least pre-concession Comair 700 levels and (more importantly IMO) getting FOs up to at least 60% of CA pay!