Who is the Real Bottom Feeder?
 

A recent post in another thread was especially angry. It suggested that Mesa pilots are single-handedly dragging down all pilots and should resign. I did a comparison of the Mesa and American Eagle pay scales to see what the cumulative earning would be of a pilot spending ten years at each company. I assumed an 8 year upgrade at AE, and a three year upgrade at Mesa. I used only jet pay scales.

Total Ten Year Earnings: AE $435,000 Mesa $561,000

The Dash Whisperer

QOL and work rules are just as important as pay. Whats the extra money if you have only 8 days off a month to use it?

Wow. It's pretty sad that a Mesa captain doesnt get paid much more than a FO at American Eagle over the same period of time, especially with all that abuse the Mesa pilot receives. You just made Mesa sound even more like a bottom feeder to me.

With all due respect you didn't do any of us a favor either. Especially when there was no improvement in pay, in fact an overall loss. Not that it's much anyways. I think mesa pilots should put this behind them and not even talk about it because it's just going to make others angry and try to focus on trying to get some real results next time. JO I heard promised something better in 2010 right? Good luck.:rolleyes:

Oh boy! this is going to fun and new....Who can we bash next? ;)

You keep saying that, on multiple boards...

Do you not comprehend how improved work rules will raise the compensation of Mesa pilots via "soft pay"?

Mesa by far is the Bottom Feeder of this industry. It's in JO's blood. Enjoy your new contract that the company will never follow.

Im confused with the 3 year upgrade. Heres how I compare the future 10 year earnings.

AE: $435,000 Mesa:$0

You cant get paid when your company is ran into the groud.

Yeah, I agree. To me, anyone who willingly goes to work for a company that blatantly abuses pilots (or is largely considered to be the worst) is a bottom feeder, or working for a "bottom feeder". That being said, some people who work for mesa started there without the relavant info. That only makes them ignorant. Course there isn't much of an excuse for continuing to work there. Not trying to bash anyone. Now isn't the time to be trying to find a new job. But it really sucks to perpetuate the problem.

I don't care who a guy works for it's really quite childish all the bottom feeder this and bottom feeder that on these forums. What other industries are like this? Ofttimes as pilots we act like a bunch of hyena's fighting over scraps that the lions left behind seriously wake up people. Until everyone is united then "the market will bare what the market can bear."

Final thought has anyone ever thought maybe alpa prefers to have lower paid regionals. Thinking that somehow it allows the legacy guys to get paid more off the backs of the RJ drivers.

Definition of a bottom feeder
 

"Bottom Feeder" = a pilot who will attack another pilot, or group of pilots, usually without specific knowledge of the situation. Usually negative in attitude, but safely hidden behind a screen name or a trail of rumors. Not always, but normally an inexperienced FO, naive to the ways of the industry only learning from the forums and lifers at their own regional. Someone that enjoys themselves at the expense of others. Will usually find fault where there is none. Immature in nature, but without the tools to change. They will retaliate with ignorant remarks only to show their true colors. And finally, a "bottom feeder" will tell you their goal is unity and a better standard for their industry, yet their actions do nothing but the opposite.

As aviation professionals, as I use that term loosely, look at the problems we face today. Threads like this are not the solution, nor are the many who participate.

Well Said, Pilots used to be treated as real professionals, and we can get back to that, but we have to respect ourselves first...that means treating each other with respect. (The hyena referance is dead on). Because of the state of aviation I have been looking hard in the mirror, I challange other pilots to do the same....Good luck to all of us, my furlough starts Jan 1, 2009.:(

I'm guessing he's never worked under a contract with soft pay. He probably has no idea about duty and trip rigs, min day pay, block or better, etc. Judging from his posts, I think the answer to your question is NO! Oh, and a Contract is only as good as the company who HONORS it. J.O. is a scumbag, and I EXPECT him to find ways to not honor the new contract. Good Luck Mesa pilots, even with your new contract you're still going to need it.

Thanks Diego,

Thanks for the post and thanks for your military service. Good luck in your civilian career!

Winglet

What a horrible thread. Another "my airline vs. your airline" example of the lack of unity among regional pilots.

whtever,

Good post. I have to admit I got my blood boiling during these past negotiations here at Mesa. The Tentative Agreement was voted in by 18 votes. It passed by 2.2%. Approximately half of the Mesa pilots you meet voted no and were willing to risk their careers to bring our contract up to industry standard. I truly believed we had a good chance to improve our quality of life and the industry with this TA. On many points we did meet the standard and on a couple of issues we exceeded it. Our negotiators did make some really great improvements but I believed if we had collectively voted no we could have sent the TA back for review and could have come very close to an "industry standard" throughout the entire contract.

I've been thinking alot about where we go from here and I've decided that personally I'll concentrate on professionalism, unity and optimism. I'm going to ask all of you reading this to join me and ignore the negativity and divisiveness and try to persuade our fellow pilots to unify under the call for an industry standard.

The next great round of contract negotiations are just about to begin and regardless of your political affiliations we will for the first time in years have a labor-friendly administration in office. We at Mesa start negotiations again in September 2010. Contact your individual MEC's and encourage them to define and bargain for an industry standard. All "regional airline" MEC's should have a bottom line that will not be crossed. If we support each other we can stop the whipsawing and the decline of a once proud industry.

The way things look I'll probably be at Mesa for a few more years at least and I'll do what I can from my end. Just think of me as your "guy on the inside". I just ask all the pilots reading this to "educate" from their position with encouragement and optimism. Let's all do the best we can to return this industry to the great place it once was.

Good Luck to us all,

Winglet

TPROP4ever,

THAT'S THE SPIRIT! :) May your furlough be brief.

Good Luck,

Winglet

Will the real slim shady please stand up? :p

nominated for post of the year

Everyone always talks about "we need to be unified as a pilot group". Well this will NEVER happen with snide comments about how bad of an airline company X is and how they are "bringing the industry down". If you want to act like a 10 year old then get the hell out of this industry. Like whtever stated, we are supposed to be professionals and as professionals we should treat each other with dignity, respect and maturity. If someone is being screwed over dont treat them like dirt but instead lend a hand or a comment to keep them motivated to make things better. All of you 20 year old whiny FOs need to grow a pair and learn that in the real world whiners and name callers ALWAYS end up in the crosshairs.

Funny thing is the creator of this thread is not a 20 year old kid. He is am Air Force vet and has over 25 years in ATC. It is clear not only 20 year olds are up for bringing things down for everyone.

Read my post, I'm on your side. That's exactly what I'm saying, Mesa has no "soft pay". While there is no good substitute for actual pay raises, there should be trip/duty rigs etc.

Block-or-better guarantee may not be trip/duty rigs, but it most certainly is "soft pay" and it will increase the W2s of Mesa pilots. Does it make up for no CA pay raises? No...but I'm glad to see the highly underpaid FOs were given priority and got something.

Is it a great agreement? Most signs point to "absolutely not", but only time will tell if this agreement was truly concessionary, as you assert it is.

I am not trying to bring anyone or anything down. I feel that Mesa is not as bad as some say, and the other regionals are not always much better. I think that we all gain more by trying to work together.

I was responding to a specific post on another thread stating that all Mesa pilots should resign. The poster was trying to suggest that conditions at Mesa are so much worse than at other companies. I believe the poster flies for AE so I decided to compare pay based on upgrade time. Over ten years the Mesa pilot will earn more.

I feel that Mesa is singled out for criticism that could easily apply to other carriers. Mainline flying has shifted to lower pay regional flying across the board. No one company or pilot group is responsible.

The new contract is promising to some and disappointing to others. Many fear the company will try to circumvent it. These fears are understandable. Much of the doom and gloom about the contract is based on theories about how it will be implemented and how PBS will work. It is my hope that in 6 months nearly all of us feel that it is an improvement. Only time will tell who is right.

Mesa pilots are often criticised for bringing down the industry. In a serious economic downturn, improvements in pay and time off have been won. This is no small thing. In the previous contract a non-union alter ego was demolished. This was a strategic victory for all pilots that required sacrifice on the part of MAG pilots.

The Dash Whisperer