ASA will probably not strike. According to our union reps, in oder for a strike vote to have any pull, you need close to 99% strike approval to have any pull come strike time.

That being said, here's the real question... Since ASA and SkyWest are now the same company, will SkyWest honor the strike? I'm guessing no, since they are non-union...Best of luck to the ASA guys....

 

You guys are all way, way off.
First off, with reference to other DCI carriers not striking to help Comair...Other Delta conn carriers can't just strike. That's not how it works. There is an entire process that a union must go through laid out in the Railway Labor Act. One must be released to strike. So ASA, or any other DCI carrier couldn't just strike in support.
Secondly, the "we saw how Comair went without support" comment (I didn't quote or say names because it is not my intention to insult anyone, just set the record straight) Comair went through a strike and ended up with the best contract in the Regional World. Period. Best pay, a defined benefit plan, better work rules, etc. I'd say it went pretty well in the long run. now before someone warms up their keyboard to type.... let me put the "yah you'll get the big pay, but then they will shrink the airlines" arguement to rest. Comair was about 1,600 pilots at the time of there strike. They did furlough a few and many quit, but I understand that they are slightly bigger then ASA today (about 1,800 pilots) so it would seem that they not only returned to there former size but grew. They only took a paycut do to the Delta bankrupcy, and still there wages, retirement, and work rules are better then most. Any Comair guys out there please feel free to correct my numbers.... best guess from memory
Finally, "If ASA strikes they will just transfer that work to Skywest" That one is by far the most incorrect statement. Infact, it is 180 degrees out of the truth or reality. Currently (ASA not on strike, but in negotiations) Skywest Inc. can have skywest take our routes, even some of our aircraft. There are some potential things we can do to stop that, but that is another topic....
If we were to go on strike, that would then become struck work, and their are provisions in the railway labor act to help the striking union on that.

Moral of the story.... The Comair pilots stuck together and won. Period. The ASA pilots are firm in their comittment to a better contract. And, just for the record our strike ballot was 92% in favor. That is a fantastic number. Whoever told you that it has to be 99% or it's not good is historically incorrect. Our 98 contract was 89% and that was a huge victory which helped us earn what was at the time, an industry leading contract.

remember, information not insults......

 

Comair did not win...Yes they did get an improvement to their working conditions, (Short term fix) but did not get future protection to what is about to happen to them...Comair is only bigger to ASA because ASA is going through negotiations...When the dust settles with ASA...New companies that fly cheaper will come to the Delta system and Comair and ASA pilots will lose from it...And you don't have to "Strike" to support your fellow union pilot who is on strike....Again this "I got mine" attitude is hurting everyone who wants a career in the Airline industry....I went through this same thing at AMR Eagle...History Repeats itself.

 

why dont all the airlines, regionals and majors start a new union, better than alpa, then when one strikes, they know noone will come in and replace their routes for less

problem solved

 

They didn't get future protection???? No contract ever has an iron clad guarantee for an indefinite amount of time. What they got was a contract that their company not only could live with but prospered under. Only when the parent company went bankrupt, did the have to give concessions. You show many any contract that can indefinetly protect against everything and I will gladly start paying my dues to the author. Comair pilots did win.

comair is only bigger because ASA is going through negotiations???? Since most carriers have long periods of negotiations it can be said that any carrier is growing because of negotiations. The only flaw in your theory is that you are implying that they grew because their contract was finish and that growth moved them past us because we were in negotiations. our contract expired in 2002 and WE TOO HAVE GROWN SINCE THAT TIME!

"you don't have to strike to support your fellow union" sounds great in principle, but what can you specifically do? The pilots of another DCI carrier could do a work action, you know, mass sick day, or write up everything day, but those tactics win you no points with arbitrators and are not the official policy of ALPA national.

I really don't see how anything I've said could even remotely fall under the category of "I've got mine". Quite the contrary, I am simply trying to remove the emotion and speak in fact.

And, for hatetobreakit2u, simple answer.... Kinsian economics... all people are motivated be self intrest, plus you can rarely get two pilots to agree on something in the cockpit let alone 20,000 pilots on contract ideas. Too many A++++ personalities.

 

SkyWest pilots will not cross the ASA lines.

 

nobody wins in the aviation world, all we can hope for is an inch at a time

 

JustA'Shroom--what makes you say that?

 

mushroom,
you guys will have to cross.... you are not a union, you can not strike. They (skywest mang) could just terminate you. As an ASA pilot I appreciate your sentiment, the best (and only thing you can do is vote the union in, so that you can empower yourselves. Thanks again.

 

he is probly saying they wont cross your line cause there wan't be a line to cross. the RLA screws everyone in this manner. Take all the strike votes you want, without a release you can't strike, thus no line to cross