It sucks for the Midwest employees...that is THE best operation I've ever ridden on and I wish they still served some of the smaller markets they have pulled out of. However, Bedford's responsibility as RJET CEO isn't to Midwest employees - its to RJET shareholders.

Debate the merits of fiduciary responsibility to your heart's content, but Bedford is doing what he has to do to ensure value for his shareholders. I'm sure RAH pilots have no ill wishes whatsoever toward MEH employees, but you'd be naive to think they aren't glad for the RAH jobs that were saved by this agreement.

Again, it sucks for the Midwest folks...but the vitriol toward RAH employees is misguided, especially when the sole cause of this isn't Bedford and Heller...its Midwest management.

So your saying that Bethune, Herb, Ream, and Jerry go home at night and base their business decisions on how it will affect the future of the pilot profession? Right... There is one thing that these guys base their decisions off of and I know for certain it isn't about where my career is going to take itself in 10 years.

Its all about the dollar and while I agree with you that this isn't a good thing for the future of our careers I think it is stupid sit here and point your finger at one company. The first time that an ERJ or CRJ got painted in mainline colors and started flying mainline routes was when this whole thing started. I will even argue that the first time any plane started flying mainline routes with pilots from another seniority list was when this whole issue started. Thats where the issue lies, not with Bedford, Hula, or even JO.

Show me proof they were not. Why don't you ask the majority of midwest pilots that are still there where the company would be right now if it wasn't for this temporary realignment? I don't see them lighting fires on this message board...maybe there is a reason for this

Then create valid protections in your contract by making sure that all the language is their for all contingents preventing destruction of work rules or the airline itself. obviously these contracts fail to hold their value due the unions lawyers inability to create a valid protection due to miswordings or ommisions

Wow, dude. Relax. RAH will have ups and downs just like your company. Why don't you mention skywest's probable future of slowly dismantling piece by piece ASA? Any corporation is going to have a up and down cycle resulting in growth, shrinking, job loss, job creation. What you just said is very naive and inappropriate.

Whose defending him? Who do you work for almighty one? Every regional is close to one in the same. micromanaged with employees being treated like illegitimate step children. Some have money, some don't. RAH does. Some have 50/70/80 seat jets, some have props. There is a constant battle of ups and downs.

Rather than talking about a CEO's actions, why don't you talk about the pilots inability to have protection? If a ceo decides to violate rules, there should be something in the contract specifying every detail of what it will cost the company. We are adults and must protect ourselves, but obviously have not done so

hmm... understanding bankruptcy. you have to have financing to stop the bleeding, have something to restructure, with the probability of having a viable product on the other side.

liquidation was more probable as the market in october would not have likely enabled midwest to file chapter 11 and "restructure". Obviously no other investors wanted to risk lying in bed with Midwest. Otherwise this would not even be on the discussion board.

The burden of proof is on you due to your allegations about the health of Midwest.

You need to relax, a professional does not utilize the word "dude" in an intelligent conversation.


The Midwest pilots were an experienced, adult, capable group of pilots who depended on ALPA "experience" to keep them out of trouble.

It would seem that the few that are complaining are guys who work for an airline that got it's flying cut and they will be losing aircraft this year. I hope RAH does not get 170s in CAL colors one day, cause these same people would become even more bitter.

Well, every RAH pilot that continues to show up for work does. You don't, magically, receive "immunity" because you simply complain about your managements actions.

If you show up to work flights operated by Midwest pilots that were sent home, you are, BY DEFAULT, supporting the actions of Bedford and telling him that it is ok. There is no "other side of the coin", "our side of the story".

We all know that when it comes to our own gains, the majority of people will choose to prosper. That, however, comes at a price and that price is having smart people that are trying to protect this industry question your judgement and ridicule your "defense".

Now, while it is true that he has an obligation to his investors and will do what he needs to do to keep Republic in business, he doesn't get afforded that opportunity if he knows he won't find that his employees will do the job regardless of the personal consequences.

Simply put, you don't get to say, with any validity, that you don't support management and yet still go work those routes. There is no such animal yet it's been tossed around here all the time.

Now, for the second part of what I quoted from you, I agree 100%. However, you are asking ALPA to negotiate terms that management will never agree to, will throw money around to avoid such language, and simply hope that some arbitrator will agree to your interpretation of what "exclusivity" (Not your word but the word that keeps from writing the next Book of Roots in contract law form).

What you are asking for is, in fact, needed. Every contract negotiated by ALPA should be as thick as War and Peace with every meaningful situation accounted for. That's what it will take to finally tell management that "trust" doesn't pay the bills, make the pilot groups look like a bunch of greedy aholes and create animosity. We need to take arbitrators out of the loop and put concrete language with validity in front of judges. Our contract will be 1000 pages but that's what we need.

The regional airlines are NOT to blame for the present problems for pilots in this industry.

Todays pilots need a national union with teeth that will lead.

RAH's expedited grievance will be heard 2/9/09 by Arbitrator Richard Kasher. The operation of the 170's by MEH pilots “into or out of any cities where the Company [RAH] operates” is a direct violation of the dry lease provisions of the RAH pilot's contract. The dry lease could also result in a loss of jobs for RAH pilots, which is also a violation of the same section.

I get treated very well at SKW for what its worth and I don't think SKW inc. has any intention of dismantling ASA. SKW inc. was awarded 10 900s based in ATL and they were put on the ASA certificate even though SKW already has a 900 base there.

I imagine SKW will benefit from UAL's decision to park all their 737s, but I don't think they went out and tried to convince UAL to get rid of their airplanes so SKW could get exclusive rights to fly 700s on those routes. In fact quite a few of the UAL guys I've met jumpseating refer to the 170 as the "guppy killer" while still calling the 700 an "RJ." Obviously just in interesting observation of mainline perception of the E-jets, nothing more, nothing less.

Whether or not showing up to work makes you an accomplice to the down sizing of legacy carriers can be debated by others. Reiterating again, that I really don't care about RAH's business, however I think its fair to say that their strategies are not helping anybody get to a major any quicker.