Here I am driving a 10 year old car, paying my bills, and still putting a couple dollars away each month on first year pay. Ohhhhhhh but then I paid for my training with the GI Bill, money saved from a second full time job my last 18 months of enlistment, and a part time job during training.

 

I applaud you for your professionalism and the fact that SOC is in a constant IROP situation our performance will reflect the fact that mgmt dropped the ball. We have a great pilot group overall, but we have waayyy too many guys willing to cover mgmt (whether they see it or not).

Many times we get a cargo slip b/c the rampers count the bags before they load them- GREAT! We get our numbers quick, the FO can have his/her numbers set, and we can close the door... but the cargo door still is open! Too many guys/gals drop the brake and rampers are still loading. To the company we are "on-time" but we sit there til the rampers get done. I have asked CA's about this and all of them mention delay reports and trying to keep the FA out of trouble. Most realize that the cargo door is still open and after the first turn they normally wait to drop the brake.

Having 4 days of 100% performance is great, but that means everyone was working together to help get it done. Too often one group helps the other and its rarely mgmt helping the pilots.

I know pilots are complainers- yep I am one and I don't make myself anonymous but I have lost my patience with stupidity. A year ago I would blame incompetent schedulers and inexperienced dispatchers and a pilot shortage on the crappy schedules, but all of those issues point fingers right at mgmt.

I lost all respect for mgmt the day before yesterday with a new bag policy that only dispatch knew about. This "Commitment to Communication" was a complete failure that should not go unpunished. Many flights flew the first inbound legs with inaccurate W/B numbers because of this lack of communication. I am sure the many ASAP reports the FAA saw shows the issue but this violated the top 2 "Guiding Principles" Safety and Communication. If there had been an accident they would have blamed "pilot error". Phil Trenary uses the company conference call to scare everyone (hence the 100% performance numbers) and then gets on the shareholder conference call and says "All is well" with our contracts in a DL/NWA merger.

 

So where are you folks re the RLA? Are you close to a cooling off period? If so, how long is that period? And what else must take place prior to resorting to "self help"?

 

Judging from the way mgmt is running this place, it almost seems like they want to find a way to use their golden parachutes...

 

wouldnt it be a damn shame if they couldnt figure out where the ripcord was?

 

We are in Mediated negotiations. We voted 99% in favor of a strike but before that point the Mediator must declare to the NMB that PNCL mgmt and the 9E pilots are at an impasse and he can't make any more progress. At that point we would be released into a 30 day "Cooling off period". We (the MEC) has asked for arbitration but the mediator is technically the one who has to offer and both sides (mgmt and pilot) must accept the offer of arbitration. If either side says they don't want it the mediator can only declare an impasse.

www.nmb.gov/publicinfo/collbarg2.pdf

 

Hey pinnacle peoples, you guys were 100% on time in ATL yesterday... why aren't you taxiing longer then it takes you to fly to your destinations? why would any major push pinnacle to work out your contract with that sort of performance?

 

this is a general comment, and not directed to all the pilots in atl.

most of the captains flying in atl are "company" guys. you know, the ones who have been here over 15 years, are check airmen, and are suffering from a severe form of sjs. i had one of the checkairmen tell me once that he cant wait to get over there to fly the new equipment, and that the pay rates didn't matter at the time.

 

I can only speak for myself at Pinnacle, not the other Captain's.

We ARE going to get our contract resolved and we ARE going to get what we are asking, including years of back pay due to us.

It may take thirty days and thirty seconds but it WILL happen.

My crew will make our greatest efforts within the confines of safety to get every flight out ontime and make the experience the most enjoyable possible for our passengers.

That is the job WE signed up for, That is the job WE do.

You can like it or not.

 

I definitely know the type of "company guy" you're speaking of that do the 900 out of ATL. I've heard check airmen repeat things verbatim out of Clive Seal memos and Phil T. scare conference calls. "ooooo...if we don't get our on-time numbers up, Delta will boot us after the merger!" Even though JP Morgan analysts upgraded us the day of the merger announcement due to the strength of our contracts relative to other NWA/DAL feeders.

Those guys are like the inner party of a communist country or Nazi Germany...they've been here so long they make enough money and have enough seniority that they actually have a vested interest in keeping the ship afloat...and they spread all the propaganda to the masses towards that goal. If those guys weren't going to spend the rest of their careers here, they woulda left a long time ago (lots of those guys coulda been at FedEx or SWA years ago with their flight times).

My only fear is that with the slowed hiring at other regionals that 9E will have proper staffing levels restored by the end of the year. But I guess if we get released to self-help after the new Pres gets in they won't have a choice in the matter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!